Newsweek gives credence to blood libel of a "Jewish ritual murder"

This is a real headline at Newsweek:

You have to read the article to find out  who these "investigators" are:

The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church is launching an investigation into whether the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family were victims of a ritual murder carried out by angry Jews in 1918, Church leaders revealed in a statement Tuesday.

"A large share of the church commission members have no doubts that the murder was ritual,” Father Tikhon Shevkunov, the Orthodox bishop heading the panel, told The Associated Press.

So a bunch of antisemites decided that a well-known murder was a "ritual Jewish murder" - whatever that means. And Newsweek calls these Jew-haters "investigators" as if they had the slightest interest in the truth.

Even the Moscow Times had a more reasonable headline:

Newsweek should be ashamed.

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11/30 Links Pt2: ICC prosecutor reaffirms she won’t open Gaza flotilla probe; Linda Sarsour Attacks The “Jewish Media” At Event On Anti-Semitism

From Ian:

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International Court prosecutor reaffirms she won’t open Gaza flotilla probe

The International Criminal Court prosecutor said Thursday she is standing by her previous decision not to open a full-scale investigation into the storming by Israeli forces of a blockade-busting flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip in 2010.

Fatou Bensouda in November 2014 declined a request by the Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros to investigate the May 31, 2010, storming of a vessel in the flotilla, which was sailing under a Comoros flag.

She said war crimes may have been committed on the Mavi Marmara ship, where eight Turks and one Turkish-American were killed and several other pro-Palestinian activists were wounded in a melee after they attacked Israeli commandos who boarded the ship, but the case wasn’t serious enough to merit an ICC probe. A ninth Turkish man who was seriously injured died four years later.

The ICC was set up as a court of last resort intended to prosecute senior leaders allegedly responsible for grave crimes including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when national courts prove unable or unwilling to take on such cases.

ICC judges told her to reconsider, but Bensouda said Thursday that after carefully reviewing more than 5,000 pages of documents and statements from more than 300 passengers on the Mavi Marmara she has reaffirmed her decision to close her preliminary investigation.

Bensouda said in a statement that her decision was a purely legal one, applying standards laid down in the court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute.

Intersectional Zionism - Why "Progressive Zionist" is not a contradiction

Zionism is not a monolith. It doesn’t mean you have to support a particular political party. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything the Israeli government does. It doesn’t mean you have to hate Muslims or convert to Judaism. It doesn’t mean you cannot support a two-state solution, or the Palestinian right to self-determination. It just means that you support an indigenous people’s right to self-determination in their historical homeland. And that is an inherently progressive belief.

Progressivism has a rich history of Zionism. Many civil rights and gay rights activists of the past have been Zionists. A few you may recognize are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and black, gay advocate Bayard Rustin. None of them were Jewish, but they recognized the importance of standing with other people in support of their liberation. The NAACP and the Zionist Organization of America used to have representatives sit on each other’s boards. And contrary to recent claims, feminism and Zionism are not mutually exclusive; feminist giants like Betty Friedan, author of “The Feminine Mystique,” and Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who won Roe v. Wade, were ardent Zionists.

At the heart of progressivism is the concept of intersectionality, that our many identities intersect and affect our treatment by society. Increasingly, the progressive movement can exclude Jews from that conversation in the name of anti-Zionism. For example, my friend Laurie was kicked out of the Chicago Dyke March this summer for carrying a rainbow flag bearing the Star of David. According to what she was told, the flag was considered “a symbol of oppression.” Zionist feminists were deliberately obstructed when they tried to march in SlutWalk this year. It seems that Jews are only welcome in progressive circles if they disavow their homeland. In the words of Friedan, “All human rights are indivisible,” and therefore, applying a double standard “solely to the self-determination of the Jewish people” is wrong.

Zionism is not a dirty word. Supporting the liberation of one group does not mean supporting the oppression of others. Progressivism is not a zero-sum game. It is about raising up all peoples and creating a world that respects diversity and human rights. Zionism is and always has been essential to that goal.

Victimized Again: The Jews of Arab States and the June 1967 War

Much has been written about the historical marginalization of the 900,000 Jews expelled from Arab states in the wake of the 1948 War. Few know that the June 1967 War played a similar role in accelerating the final demise of these historic communities. It is high time the international community rectified this longstanding injustice by ensuring that these refugees are fully compensated for their suffering and stolen property.

Fifty years after the June 1967 War, the Israel State Archives in Jerusalem released scores of classified files related to this historic event. While most deal with the war and the events that led to its outbreak, some address the predicament of the Jewish communities in the Arab states during and after the war. The picture that emerges is one of pogroms and persecution, at times orchestrated by the government, at times through spontaneous eruptions that occurred with the tacit support of the authorities.

This maltreatment occurred in almost all Arab states, though the level of violence differed. In Tunisia, Morocco, and Lebanon, for example, the authorities protected the Jews from the rampaging mobs, while in Syria and Yemen, there were isolated attacks on Jews. The most severe persecutions occurred in Libya, Egypt, and Iraq. Israel refrained from any direct public action so as not to give credence to the depiction of these Jewish communities as fifth columns serving the Jewish state’s interests. Covertly, however, through its Washington, London, Paris, Rome, Geneva, Brussels, Ankara, and Lisbon embassies, the Israeli Foreign Ministry acted on behalf of these communities.

What If?

Sometimes, when considering the past, it is tempting to indulge in a “what if” thought experiment. 2017 is a year of milestones in the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is 50 years since the 6-Day War, 100 years since the Balfour Declaration, which was the British Government’s statement of support for the re-establishment of the Jewish homeland, and, on 29 November, 70 years since the UN General Assembly, New Zealand included, passed the Partition Plan.

This anniversary, off the back of those other anniversaries, is a timely prompt to think about what might have been, had things turned out differently.

Resolution 181 (II), better known as the Partition Plan, was the UN’s proposal to divide British Mandate Palestine, a remnant of the Ottoman Empire, into a Jewish national homeland and a state for the local Arab population.

The Jews accepted the Partition Plan, although it was far short of what they hoped for, declaring independence the next year. Had the Arabs accepted, they would have had yet another state in the land of the fallen Empire, alongside the newly created states of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. But they rejected it, choosing instead to attack the nascent Jewish state in the hope of wiping her off the map, before cartographers even had a chance to draw her on.

29 November 1947 was not the first time that the Arabs had rejected a two state solution, nor would it be the last. But it was that day that led to the rebirth of the Jewish homeland, with the imprimatur of the UN. It was, without doubt, a momentous milestone, a miracle for the Jewish people, and a miserable mistake for the Arabs.

But what might have been had the Arabs accepted the offer? What if the Palestinian Arabs, had, over the last 70 years, invested all their time, money, energy and emotion, into building a flourishing state, rather than destroying one?

What if, rather than pioneering and exporting suicide bombings and vehicular rammings, they pioneered and exported life-saving medical treatments and advances?

Ethiopian-Israeli MK Slams Nelson Mandela’s Grandson Over ‘Apartheid’ Accusations

In a remarkable open letter, Ethiopian-Jewish Knesset Member Dr. Avraham Neguise eloquently refuted anti-Israel claims made by Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla during his recent visit to the Palestinian territories.

Mandla Mandela used strong rhetoric against Israel during his trip, calling it the “worst apartheid regime.”

In response, MK Neguise, who is Chairman of the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, and the Knesset Caucus for Relations Between Israel and African Countries, penned an open letter to Mandela published in the Times of Israel, saying that Mandela’s grandfather “was a man who always listened, even to his opponents, and fought hard for dialogue and understanding. It appears that you have not inherited these vital qualities.”

During his trip, Neguise said, Mandela “became a tool in a hate campaign, a campaign that seeks to suppress the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in our historic, ancestral and indigenous homeland.” (h/t Cliff)

An Open Letter to Mandla Mandela

Dear Mandla Mandela, your grandfather Nelson Mandela was a man who always listened, even to his opponents, and fought hard for dialogue and understanding. It appears that you have not inherited these vital qualities. In recent comments during your visit to the Palestinian Authority, you claimed that Israel is the "worst version of Apartheid."

You made no attempt on this visit to meet with any Israeli official, organization or individual. If you had, you would have found that Israel is actually the opposite of Apartheid, it is a story of liberation, emancipation and anti-colonization.

Unfortunately, even while continually extending our hand in peace and friendship to those whose ancestors came to our region as an occupying and colonizing force, our opponents and enemies continue to seek our destruction.

The Jewish people were the colonized, not the colonizers; the indigenous, not the occupiers; and the liberators and not the conquerors of this land.

Comparing Israel - a nation that took in more refugees per capita than any nation in history, and where people of any religion, ethnicity and background can reach every level of office - to Apartheid dishonors your grandfather's legacy.

I invite you personally to visit Israel, to see for yourself how hopelessly far from reality is the image you are perpetrating, and hear, perhaps for the first time, the story of a people, who, like yours, successfully threw off oppressive foreign colonialism and strove towards national liberation in their historic, ancestral and indigenous homeland.

Amid Protests From Jewish Community, New School Hosts Panel on Antisemitism With Speakers Accused of Antisemitism

The New School in New York City hosted a panel on antisemitism on Tuesday featuring an assortment of anti-Zionist speakers, despite intense backlash from antisemitism watchdogs and advocacy groups.

Titled “Antisemitism and the Struggle for Justice,” the forum featured a variety of speakers who have been highly critical of Jewish rights to self-determination — including activists from the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace and, most controversially, Women’s March co-organizer Linda Sarsour, who has claimed that “nothing is creepier than Zionism.”

Speaking before a sold-out audience about the backlash she received for her participation on a panel about antisemitism — including from the Anti-Defamation League, Simon Wiesenthal Center, the editorial boards of the New York Post and Jerusalem Post, and a petition signed by over 20,000 people — Sarsour dryly remarked, “Apparently I am the biggest problem for the Jewish community. I am the existential threat, apparently. I am confused, literally, every day.”

Sarsour claimed that she has “always been an ally to Jewish communities” and urged audience members to recognize the importance of intersectionality in confronting antisemitism, saying, “we cannot dismantle anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, every phobia and -ism without also dismantling antisemitism.”

She then took the opportunity to emphasize her “unapologetically Palestinian-American” and “unapologetically Muslim-American” identity, and described herself as “a very staunch supporter of the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement” — whose top leaders have repeatedly asserted that Israel has no right to exist.

Linda Sarsour gets warm welcome at controversial panel on anti-Semitism

Audience members greeted Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour with loud applause at an event here that in recent weeks became a rallying cry for both critics and defenders of Israel.

Sarsour, a leading feminist as well as pro-Palestinian advocate, was the best-known speaker on a panel on anti-Semitism held Tuesday at the New School. Billed as a discussion of anti-Semitism on the right and left, the panel was denounced by pro-Israel critics who have accused Sarsour and other panelists of anti-Semitism and charged that the event was meant to obscure the anti-Semitism they see lurking among far-left critics of Israel.

A crowd of 400 attended the panel, whose organizers included the New School’s journalism program, Jewish Voice for Peace, Haymarket Books, Jacobin Magazine and Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, or JFREJ.

Outside the auditorium in Lower Manhattan, 50 protesters gathered behind metal barricades waving Israeli flags. Among them were members of the far-right Jewish Defense League, once deemed a terrorist organization by the FBI.

Larger Jewish groups also weighed in as the event neared.

“These panelists know the issue, but unfortunately, from the perspective of fomenting it rather than fighting it,” the Anti-Defamation League’s national director, Jonathan Greenblatt, wrote earlier this month.

The Zionist Organization of America called Sarsour an “Israel-bashing, Jew-hater” in a statement denouncing the event.

WATCH: Linda Sarsour Attacks The “Jewish Media” At Event On Anti-Semitism

Islamic activist Linda Sarsour spoke at an event on anti-Semitism on Tuesday night and blamed the “Jewish media” for painting her as the “existential threat” to the Jewish community.

The event, hosted by the New School in New York City, came under intense criticism for its organizers' decision to invite speakers that had strong ties to anti-Semitic figures, Fox News reported.

Jonathan Greenblatt, who serves as the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, expressed his shock over the school’s decision before the event.

“Having Linda Sarsour & head of (Jewish Voice for Peace) leading a panel on #antisemitism is like Oscar Meyer leading a panel on vegetarianism,” Greenblatt tweeted. “These panelists know the issue -- but unfortunately from perspective of fomenting it rather than fighting it.”

During the event, Sarsour blamed the “Jewish media” for portraying her and Louis Farrakhan as threats to the Jewish community.

According to The New York Times, who called Farrakhan an unapologetic racist, Farrakhan warned the Jews that “When it’s God who puts you in the ovens, it’s forever!” The Times also noted that Farrakhan praised Hitler as “a very great man” on national television.

Linda Sarsour attacks the “Jewish media” at an event on anti-Semitism. http://pic.twitter.com/zjumYIXwKW

— Ryan Saavedra 🇺🇸 (@RealSaavedra) November 29, 2017

IsraellyCool: Antisemitism Panel With Linda Sarsour Et Al Really Was As Bad As You’d Think

The offensive panel discussion on antisemitism featurig some well-known haters I posted about a few weeks ago took place yesterday.

And it was what you would expect, given the rogue’s galley of speakers.

“Rabbi” Alissa Wise went on at length about critics of this ridiculous and offensive panel, not only demonizing them as “pro-occupation” and “deeply Islamophobic”, but suggesting they may disrupt proceedings (conveniently ignoring fact that it are people on her side of the aisle who specialize in such disruptions)

Linda Sarsour was true to form, boasting she is considered the “biggest problem for the Jewish community.” She spoke proudly of being pro BDS, and repeated the exact lies I pointed out here – that Zionists are not involved in social justice movements, and that she does not turn up stating she is a palestinian, but rather only mentions it after she is asked.

But in perhaps her worst gaffe, she lets her own inner antisemite out by referring to the “Jewish media” (while minimizing the antisemitism of Louis Farrakhan)

Justice League Banned In Lebanon Over Gal Gadot’s Role As Wonder Woman

Last year, Lebanon banned the Wonder Woman movie because its star, Gal Gadot, had served in the Israeli forces under the country’s national service. Gadot’s two years of service coincided with the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, one of many wars and conflicts the bitter rivals have been involved in over the decades.

The campaign by BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) activists was based around the statement that the presence of an Israeli lead amounts to normalisation of an enemy state. And they didn’t mean Themyscira. The campaign in 2016 was successful against Wonder Woman in a way that it wasn’t when fought against Batman V Superman in 2014, due to the more prominent presence of Gal Gadot in the second film.

The campaign began again against Justice League, planned to open this week in Lebanon.

With Justice League, also starring Gal Gadot in the same role, opening in local cinemas on Thursday, the activists want the government to do the same. Activist Pierre Abi Saab has accused the promoters of the film of ignoring Lebanese laws that he said outlaw all forms of normalisation of ties with Israel, saying “We thought the debate had been settled five months ago but we are now back to square one,” he wrote, in reference to the controversy at the time surrounding Wonder Woman and called on the country’s interior minister to pull the movie from cinema screens. While a local Lebanese newspaper has run a conspiracy therory that Gadot was a Mossad spy who seduced Ziad Itani, a local actor arrested for collaborating with Israel.

It has now been reported that this campaign has been successful and that, yes, Justice League has been banned in Lebanon. For Warner Bros, this would have been a small blip on the worldwide box-office figures, but on a local level, this has a major impact.

TERROR RAID LABOUR MEMBER SUSPENDED IN ANTI-SEMITISM PROBE

Yet another Labour Party member accused of anti-Semitism has been suspended, Guido can report. Last night a Labour councillor posted an alarming thread detailing anti-Semitic posts by an unnamed party member. In response to the revelations, Guido can reveal Labour has tonight suspended a Hendon CLP member called Laura Stuart, who also uses the alias Laura McDonald. Labour is investigating these grim anti-Semitic posts apparently made on her Facebook page:

Stuart has been identified by multiple sources as having a hand in the @gazaboatconvoy twitter account. The notorious account, which some say is run by more than one individual, has posted a string of anti-Semitic tweets:

A 2010 tweet associates Stuart with the account:

This article under Stuart’s byline on the website ‘5PillarsUK’ also links to the account and describes it as hers.

Stuart was arrested in a dawn raid by police and quizzed over her social media posts:
“My arrest took place on the 5th November 2015… The accusation on the bail form was that I shared media that could promote terrorism.”

Stand With Us: Hatem Bazian's Antisemitism


Marxist-Leninist party sues German banks over BDS account closures

The Marxist-Leninist Party in Germany filed a lawsuit against the Deutsche Bank and the Postbank on Wednesday in the West German city of Essen, claiming the closure of the party's bank accounts is an illegal political boycott.

According to a statement on the Marxist party's website, the termination of its accounts violates both the "law's protected economic freedom of activity" and "constitutional guaranteed rights as a political party."

The Marxist-Leninists believe that the banks shut down their accounts due to The Jerusalem Post's media coverage of the party's finances in connnection to BDS activity and alleged Palestinian terror finance.

"These [closures] apparently originate from ultra-right defenders of the imperialistic policies of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu as well as reactionary US government authorities and investments funds. And was implemented by Deutsche Bank, " said the Marxist party in a statement.

The Post reported in late September that the office of the New York state comptroller launched a probe into the Deutsche Bank's financial business with the Marxist party. New York state has a robust anti-boycott law shielding Israel from economic assaults and boycotts. Deutsche Bank is an investor in the $200 million New York Credit Small Business Investment Company that is part of “New York’s $184.5 billion state pension fund, the third-largest public pension fund in the country,” the Comptroller’s Office said in 2015.

Deutsche Bank’s operation of the Marxist Leninist Party’s accounts raises questions about whether the bank violated the state of New York's anti-BDS executive order that bars pension business with companies that are engaged in BDS activity.

One of the PFLP's key members, the Palestinian hijacker and terrorist Leila Khaled, delivered pro-BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) speeches across Europe in 2016 targeting Israel.

Daniel Pipes to student: "criticism is free speech" (h/t Max Mendelbaum)
I blurred the student's face because I don't wish to target a private individual for something legitimate they've done 12 years ago (read the comment section if you're interested to understand). Capitalists, individualists, free-thinkers, you who are sick of both the left and the right and are looking for something different - support Yaron Brook on YouTube and Patreon.


Richard Millett: Chris Tarrant’s Extreme Railways on Ch. 5: “Jewish people are good with money”.

What makes an editor leave in a comment such as “Jewish people are good with money”? And what makes the main presenter not pick up such a comment?

This was the scenario in Chris Tarrant’s Extreme Railways shown on Channel 5 on Monday night when Tarrant visited Jordan and Israel. In Jordan he travelled the route of the now defunct Hejaz Railway and visited Petra.

As he entered Israel Tarrant’s mood became inexplicably darker. This was his first visit and in response to a sign stating “Welcome to Israel” he asked “Am I welcome?”

He said there’s more money in Israel and, thus, better railways than Jordan and explained Zionism in terms of the spiritual home of Jews for thousands of years. But he described the railways as helping to bring thousands of “settlers” into Israel when referring to those Jews.

Tarrant described railways as the centre of tensions between Arabs and Jews dating back to the “second Arab revolt” (1936 to 1939). He described that revolt being due to Arab frustration at the influx of Jews.

New US Jewish security chief surveys a changing landscape of hate

The US Jewish community is more secure than it was a decade ago but must brace for new challenges, according to the officials who oversee communal security.

These include lone wolves weaponizing easy-to-access items like cars; increasingly disruptive protests on campuses; the persistence of attackers inspired by radical Islamism; and the boldness of the extreme right wing in the wake of the electoral successes of its perceived allies.

Next week, a new person will be in charge of running the network that oversees the community’s security needs.

Michael Masters takes over as head of the Secure Community Network, which is affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

“Events such as those in Charlottesville – with people carrying tiki torches and shouting ‘Jews will not replace us,’ conjuring images reminiscent of both Nazi torchlight parades and Ku Klux Klan ceremonies – to the use of social media to spread anti-Semitic theories and harass Jewish individuals and organizations, do present new challenges with respect to the security of the Jewish community,” Masters said.

Jews are minority most targeted by hate crimes in Canada

Jews were the most targeted minority group for hate crimes in Canada in 2016, according to data released by Statistics Canada, the country’s main numbers-keeper.

According to “Police-Reported Hate Crime, 2016,” released Tuesday, Jews were victimized 221 times, up from 178 the previous year, a rise of more than 20 percent. Blacks were next at 214 incidents and those victimized due to sexual orientation, 176.

Jews also were the most targeted religious group, followed by Catholics and Muslims, despite perceptions of a rise in Islamophobia. Hate crimes against Muslims and Catholics declined in 2016 compared to the previous year.

Police reported a total of 1,409 hate crimes in Canada in 2016, 47 more than in 2015.

“While Canada remains one of the best countries in the world to be a minority, anti-Semitism and hate in all forms persist in the margins of society,” said Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

“We are alarmed by the overall increase in hate crime, the increasingly violent nature of these crimes, and the spike in incidents targeting the Jewish community,” he said.

Toronto police probe 'anti-Semitic' music video played at Al Quds Day rally

Toronto police are investigating a video that shows music being played at this summer’s Al Quds Day rally at Queen’s Park that calls for Jews to be stabbed, attacked and beheaded.

The video shows signs scattered on ground, men in reflective vests standing and walking around the grounds and, in the background, a song plays glorifying violence against Jews.

The translated lyrics to the song, Declare It A Popular Revolution, in part say “With a Palestinian woman (armed with a knife) we defeated them”… “fill (the bottle) to the top with gasoline, and snatch from him the M-16”…“stab whoever you see, five, six, ten, twelve.”

“Declare a popular revolution,” the lyrics continue… “Make us happy with bombing the bus” and then “cut off (their heads), stab (them), run over (them), launch an attack on them.”

Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash confirmed “officers met with the complainants yesterday (Tuesday) and now the matter will be investigated.”

Yousef al-Kuwari, head of Qatari Nectar Trust, reportedly founded website which called on readers to “hate” Jews and Christians “for the sake of Allah”

Yousef al-Kuwari, the Chairman of the registered charity, Qatar Charity UK, now renamed the Nectar Trust, reportedly founded a website, Islamweb, which allegedly called on readers to “hate [Jews and Christians] for the sake of Allah.”

According to The Telegraph, Islamweb issued edicts stating that it is “forbidden” to swear an oath to gain British citizenship. In June, it reportedly warned of Jews and Christians: “It is incumbent to hate them for the sake of Allah.”

Between 1998 and 2010, fatwas were reportedly posted on the website including calls on all citizens to “wage jihad by every means against the Zionist occupation and aggression” and stating that “living in non-Muslim countries is forbidden except for a dire need”.

The Mayfair-based Qatar Charity UK, which claims “To relieve poverty and provide assistance to the needy in all parts of the world affected by war, natural disasters or catastrophes,” is the British arm of Qatar Charity, a Doha charity which has reportedly been designated a proscribed organisation by neighbouring Gulf states. According to the Companies House database, the UK’s registrar of companies, on 23rd October, Qatar Charity UK changed its company name to become the Nectar Trust. Mr al-Kuwari is one of only four trustees. The charity’s website is no longer active.

Florida Jewish center bomb plotter gets 25-year sentence

A Florida man will be hospitalized in federal custody for psychiatric treatment and likely serve 25 years in prison for plotting to bomb a synagogue and Jewish school center during Passover last year, a judge ruled Tuesday.

James Medina, 41, pleaded guilty this year to a religious hate crime and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which was actually a fake bomb provided by an FBI informant. He could have received life in prison – 40 years – but prosecutors and Medina's attorney worked out an agreement that was accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert Scola.

Defense lawyer Hector Dopico said at a hearing that serious mental illness, in addition to brain damage from a 2007 car accident, were the main factors behind Medina's plot to blow up the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center. FBI recordings showed that Medina, a Muslim convert, claimed allegiance to the Islamic State extremist group and said he had an obligation to attack Jews in the U.S.

"This is one of those heartbreaking cases where there was an organic cause for the criminality," Dopico said.

In brief remarks to the judge, Medina said he needed help for his illnesses and that he made a huge mistake by going forward with the Jewish center plot.

Jewish groups ask Poland explain naked game of tag in Nazi gas chamber

Groups representing Holocaust survivors have asked Poland’s president to explain why artists were allowed to film a naked game of tag (warning: graphic images) inside a gas chamber in the former Nazi death camp of Stutthof.

On Wednesday, the Organization of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and several other groups sent the request for clarification to President Andrzej Duda in connection with a video that the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow displayed in 2015 without divulging any details on where it was filmed. The letter was sent after research revealed the location was Stutthof, near Gdansk, Poland.

“At the time, no comment or word of critique was heard from Polish official sources regarding the video, neither from the Prime Minister’s office, nor from any official/ government representative- not Poland’s Ministry of Culture or Foreign Ministry, or from Krakow’s city mayor,” the statement said.

“Extensive research recently revealed that the site where the video was filmed is the gas chamber at the Stutthof concentration camp, and it is this discovery which prompted the demand for clarifications from the Polish leaders and the administration of the Stutthof concentration camp site (and museum),” it said.

Police seek help as “brazen” neo-Nazi Holocaust denial graffiti found along 400m stretch of London canal towpath

The Metropolitan Police Service is seeking help from members of the public to determine when a shocking trail of antisemitic graffiti was daubed along 400 metres of the canal towpath between Kensal Green and Wormwood Scrubs in London.

The graffiti included swastikas, calls for non-Jews to “wake up”, and claims that the Holocaust was a “hoax” and that six million Jews were not murdered.

A local resident, Ben Riddle, came across the graffiti whilst jogging and told Campaign Against Antisemitism that he was shocked at how “brazen” it was, and “how much graffiti had been written”.

Shortly after Mr Riddle found the graffiti, it was discovered by a police patrol which called the local council to remove it. A police investigation has now been opened and police officers would like to hear from anybody who saw the graffiti so that they can narrow down when the vandalism occurred.

The graffiti is along the west side of the Car Giant complex along the canal towpath between Old Oak Lane and Scrubs Lane.

Madrid opens first global roving Auschwitz exhibit

Letters thrown from death trains, tiny children’s shoes, a Nazi gas mask and hundreds of other objects from Auschwitz are going on display in Madrid as a roving exhibition on the Nazi extermination camp opens.

Some will leave the memorial site of the German death camp in Poland for the first time for an exhibition that starts in the Spanish capital on December 1 before heading on a tour that will take in a dozen cities in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania.

Items include inmates’ drawings found in a bottle hidden in the camp, a piece of electrified fence and an original carriage like those used to take Jews, Poles, prisoners of war, gypsies and others to the camp where over 1.1 million people died during World War II.

More than 600 objects will be on display for those who can’t travel to see Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazis’ biggest concentration and extermination camp where hundreds of thousands were killed in the gas chambers or died from starvation, disease and exhaustion before it was liberated 72 years ago.

Why so many African-American pro basketball players love Israel

Chris Watson played four standout years of basketball at Niagara University, where he became one of the upstate New York school’s all-time leading scorers. So when the 6-7 forward-center went undrafted by an NBA team in 1997, he set out to play on a professional level internationally.

He played two years in Uruguay, then his agent called and said, “You’re going to Israel.”

Watson, an African-American from suburban White Plains — who in his own words did not grow up “watching the news” — said at the time he knew “nothing at all” about the Jewish state.

That quickly changed, and Watson stayed in Israel for more than 15 years, playing for several teams. He also married an Israeli woman, became an Israeli citizen and converted to Judaism.

As David A. Goldstein details in his recent book “Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African-American Hoopsters in the Holy Land,” Watson is far from the only black basketball player to do these things.

Since the 1976 arrival of Aulcie Perry — a 6-10 native of Newark, New Jersey, who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to two unexpected EuroLeague championships — more than 800 African-American players have competed in the Israeli Premier League, which formed in 1954 and is composed of the country’s 12 best teams.

Ringo Starr to finally make it to Israel

It didn’t come easy, but Ringo Starr is finally going to make it to Israel.

Fifty-two years after a proposed concert by The Beatles fell by the wayside in 1966, the one-time lovable mop-top drummer for the Fab Four is finally going to make his debut in the Jewish state, on June 23 and 24 at the Menorah Mivtahim Arena in Tel Aviv.

He will become the second – and final – former Beatle to perform in Israel, after Paul McCartney took the honors with a monumental show at Park Hayarkon in 2008. Ex-bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison died in 1980 and 2001, respectively.

The Israel dates will be part of a 21-date European tour that will include shows in France, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Monaco, Netherlands and Italy, according to Starr’s official website. The last time the All-Starrs toured Europe was in 2011.

Starr’s 13th iteration of his All-Starr Band will feature Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Graham Gouldman of 10cc and longtime members, Toto’s Steve Lukather and Journey’s Gregg Rolie, along with Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette.

Korean Christian Support for Israel ‘Has Never Been Stronger,’ Says Christian-Jewish Group Leader

Christian support for Israel in South Korea is stronger than ever according to the founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.

“I was humbled and grateful to see our friends in South Korea and deeply encouraged to know that their support for Israel and the Jewish people has never been stronger,” Eckstein stated last week after completing his fifth trip to South Korea since 2012.

During Eckstein’s latest “bridge-building trip” to the Korean Peninsula, he met with Christian leaders and church members in the South Korean capital of Seoul, and also visited The Fellowship’s locally based office.

Eckstein met with Christians from Joyous Church, the Sungrak Church, Yeshua Church and Eagle Christian School, who are all strong advocates for Israel and have a combined congregation numbering in the tens of thousands.

According to The Fellowship, around 20 percent of South Korea’s 50 million people are Protestant, and these figures include thousands of Christians who are strong supporters of the Jewish state.

Migrating birds winter in Israel as climate change makes desert too dangerous

The birds now prefer to stay longer in cooler areas rather than cross into Africa, where encroaching deserts and frequent droughts have made food more scarce.

“In the last few decades Israel has become more than just a short stopover because many more birds and a greater number of species can no longer cross the desert,” said ornithologist Shay Agmon, avian coordinator for the wetlands park of Agamon Hula in northern Israel.

“They will stay here for longer and eventually the whole pattern of migration will change,” he said.

Cranes are one of the most abundant species to visit the Hula wetlands and Agmon said that the number that prefer to stay in Israel until the end of March has risen from less than 1,000 in the 1950s to some 45,000 currently.

Although migrating birds are a welcome attraction for ornithologists and tourists, their hunger for food from crop fields makes them a menace to farmers.
Migrating cranes rest at the Hula Nature Park in northern Israel November 22, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Workers at the lush Hula reserve, which lies in the Syrian-African Rift Valley, have lured the birds from surrounding fields by feeding them at the wetlands site and offering them a far more comfortable existence.

“It’s harder for the birds to cross a much larger desert and they just cannot do it. There is not enough fuel, there are not enough ‘gas stations’ on the way, so Israel has became their biggest ‘gas station,’ their biggest restaurant,” Agmon said. (h/t Zvi)

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Iranian media illustrates "Greater Israel" with....greater Iran!

Iran's Al Alam has another of the the regime's daily conspiracy-theory antisemitic articles, entitled "The axis of resistance is a major blow to 'Greater Israel.'"

After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, there was a question: What is the Zionist role in this invasion?

In that period, it began on the banks of the Euphrates River a program called "beast of the lake", where Jewish merchants were buying land between the areas of Tal Afar and Mosul, and thus the Zionist entity imposed itself on an important passage in northern Iraq, representing a historic road running from Mosul to the Syrian border Via Tal Afar, which lies 80 kilometers from the border with Turkey, and 100 kilometers from the border with Syria.

With the US invasion of Iraq, the US military was exerting enormous pressure on the poor Iraqi families to sell their land, under the pretext of building large factories and establishing agricultural projects, to find that the ownership of these lands was ultimately vested in the Jews from the Zionist entity. The Iraqis soon noticed the arrival of Israeli Jewish families, initially numbered 150 families, including Jews of Iraqi origin, to find out later that there was a plan to reach the number of 150 thousand Jews settled in that vast area, and also revealed by the CIA a scheme to transfer the Kurds from Palestine to the Jews of Mosul and Nineveh province in northern Iraq, under the pretext of religious visits to the ancient Jewish shrines, especially the tombs of the prophets Nahum and Yunus, Daniel and Ezekiel and others.

After ten years of these facts, officially approved the opening of the "Ofakwe" crossing between Iraq and Turkey, which means that the shortest trade routes between Turkey and Baghdad are going for with a distance of 50 kilometers is on land controlled by the Jews, that is, one of the Iraqi commercial arteries at the mercy of the "The Israeli" enemy, although undeclared, and it was later found that these lands purchased by Jews are the boundaries of the map demanded by the Kurds to establish a "state of Kurdistan," .....

According to the Zionist slogan known as "Israel's borders from the Euphrates to the Nile," the impact on the commercial route will not be based on the Kurdish border. 

The idiocy goes on and on, proving how antisemitic and conspiracy-minded Iran is.

But to illustrate an article about how Iran is stopping the mythical Greater Israel project, they use a map showing Iran's sphere of influence reaching the Mediterranean - Iran's own colonialist ambitions.

This one picture shows who the real danger is in the Middle East - and it sure isn't Israel.

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Defending Israel against Reform evangelism (Vic Rosenthal)

This week the conflict between liberal and progressive elements in American Jewry and the government of Israel was escalated.

On November 16, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the American Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), and others tried to push their way (see video here) into the Western Wall area carrying Torah scrolls in defiance of rules established by the Orthodox authorities that manage the site, intending to pass them to members of the Women of the Wall group, also in violation of the rules. They ultimately succeeded after a shoving match with security guards and ultra-Orthodox protesters.

It should be noted that none of them were arrested, nor did the reaction of the guards rise above the level of shoving (Jacobs was threatened with pepper spray, but not sprayed). It seems clear that the guards made the decision not to use greater force in order not to injure anyone. The behavior of the Haredi protesters was abominable, of course. I don’t know if any of them were arrested, but those guilty of assault should have been.

The New Israel Fund (NIF), an organization that has been criticized for funding groups active in the delegitimization of the Jewish state as well as BDS and lawfare against it, almost immediately organized a joint letter from non-Orthodox rabbis to PM Netanyahu, expressing “outrage.” Would that the NIF might express outrage over the lies, libels and distortions told around the world by their grantee, Breaking the Silence! 

The hand of the NIF is seen throughout this conflict. Jacobs himself has a long-time connection to the NIF. Before he was elected to the presidency of the URJ in 2011, he served on its Board of Directors as chair of its committee on religious pluralism. The NIF is a big donor to the Israel Religious Action Center, the NGO arm of the American Reform movement in Israel, which is the main sponsor of the demonstrations at the Western Wall, and which has recently inaugurated a campaign to bring American political correctness and hysteria over race to Israel.

On November 24, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely was criticized by the PM and forced to apologize for remarks that she had made earlier, in which she tried to express the (very true) fact that American Jews are disconnected from the realities of life in Israel, and their criticisms of Israeli policy are often misconceived. Unfortunately she appeared to suggest that American Jews do not participate proportionally in the US military, something which is almost certainly not true. The response was vicious and instantaneous. Despite her clarification, Rick Jacobs of URJ was not satisfied, and called for her to be fired. So far, Netanyahu has resisted the pressure.

On November 27, the Masorti Movement in Israel – associated with the American United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism – released a video attack aimed directly at the PM, accusing him of presenting an “alternative truth” about the Western Wall controversy, and concluding “shame on you, Mr. Prime Minister.” They could have attacked the Haredi parties, which had initially agreed to a compromise, but reneged when their constituents complained. But they chose to blame Netanyahu.

The leaders of non-Orthodox Judaism are spoiling for a fight. The main objective seems to be to create anger among American Jews by telling them over and over how Israel disrespects them. The Western Wall argument is presented as a rejection of Reform and Conservative (i.e., American) customs of mixed-gender prayer, although aside from the provocative actions of Jacobs and his crew, few if any Reform or Conservative Jews have wanted to pray in a mixed group at the Wall (if they had, one would think that at least a few of them would have done so at the location that is set aside for this, despite their objections to the arrangements for access to the site). But the point is not the facts but the “insult” inherent in it.

The same is true for the various crises over attempts to permit or forbid conversions to Judaism in Israel outside the official rabbinate. Israel is accused of treating non-Orthodox Jews as “second-class citizens,” or “delegitimizing” the non-Orthodox Diaspora. Again, the emphasis  is not on what the practical effects of legislation might be in Israel or outside of it, but on how it can be construed as insulting to non-Orthodox Jews. 

The tactic is simple, and always works. Provoke a confrontation by making demands that anger the Haredim, who then threaten the PM that they will leave the coalition. The PM will look for a compromise – after all, he has a country to run – which can be construed as “submission to the ultra-Orthodox” and insulting to the Diaspora. The Haredim can always be counted on to play their role, including calling the non-Orthodox Jews names and thus increasing the degree of insult.

Orchestrating a physical confrontation, as with the Western Wall security guards, who clearly don’t want trouble, or the helpful Haredi protesters, who clearly do, is another wonderful tactic. Expect more of it. 

And then don’t be surprised when, in the next election, Israelis will be told by the opposition not to vote for Netanyahu, because he “damaged our essential relationship with the US.”

The proper response to all of this is that as a sovereign state, we get to determine the rules within our borders. Jacobs thinks that the Western Wall – indeed all of the state of Israel – belongs to world Jewry, and therefore the big machers like him should be able to give us orders. I am willing to agree that in some sense the Western Wall “belongs” to all Jews, but decisions about how it operates must be made by the state in which it is located. And it certainly isn’t appropriate for Jews from America to come here and violate our laws in an attempt to change the rules. This isn’t Birmingham in 1963. It’s about religious customs, not civil rights.

We also get to make our own rules about things like marriage, conversion, divorce and burial for Jews in our country. I and many other Israelis don’t like the ones we have very much, but it isn’t up to Jacobs to try to change them for us. That’s why we have a sovereign state, a democratic state in which we elect our leaders, a state that protects us in return for our fulfilling our (sometimes heavy) obligations to it.

The Reform Movement has an ideology that is a result of the replacement of mitzvah-observance with “tikun olam,” which seems to mean a universalist social-justice ethic that is more at home in Berkeley than Jerusalem. Unfortunately, like the Jews for Jesus, the Reform movement is evangelical in nature, and it won’t be satisfied until it converts the rest of the Jewish world – particularly the uppity Jews of Israel – to its vision of a borderless, multicultural, gender-fluid socialistic worldview. Apparently it has gotten the Conservative Movement (which still maintains a commitment to halacha) on board by exploiting the Western Wall and conversion issues.

The New Israel Fund is in effect the military wing of the Reform Movement, using dollars instead of rockets as weapons. It gives millions of dollars each year to groups working to remake the state of Israel in accordance with its vision, and even to some groups whose goal is to destroy it.

Israel seems to have learned how to deal with evangelical Christians. We will accept their support, but they must understand from the start that trying to change us is out of bounds. Those who nevertheless try to proselytize among us are asked to leave.

Perhaps the same should go for politically evangelical Reform Jews like Rick Jacobs?

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11/30 Links Pt1: Saudis Fed Up: "Palestinians Milking Us for Decades"; Gaza’s Latest Lesson in Self-Inflicted Misery

From Ian:

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Saudis Fed Up: "Palestinians Milking Us for Decades"

Echoing the Palestinian public's sentiment, Palestinian political analyst Majed Abu Diak also voiced concern over the apparent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. He accused the Saudis of bowing to pressure from the Trump administration.

"Saudi Arabia and Israel appear to be in a hurry to normalize their relations," Abu Diak claimed.

"The Saudi regime is preparing for Mohammed bin Salman to succeed his father. That's why the regime is prepared to pay the price [to the Americans], which includes normalizing relations with Israel as a way to improve Saudi relations with the US. For Israel, this is an old-new dream of ridding itself of the status of an alien body in the Middle East."

Most Arabs, in fact, do not seem to care about the Palestinian "cause" any more, as pointed out in a previous article, which showed how the Arab League ministers were focusing on Iran and Hezbollah while ignoring the Palestinians.

Many people in the West are not aware that the Palestinians are trying to torpedo any peace initiative in order to blame others.

The Palestinians are crying Wolf, Wolf! -- but only a few in the Arab world are listening to them. This, in a way, is encouraging and offers hope for them finally to be released from decades of repressive and corrupt governance.

These are just some of the challenges Saudi Crown Prince is facing. It is important to support him in the face of attacks by some Palestinians and other spoilers.

The question now is whether the Saudis and the rest of the Arabs have had enough of the great Palestinian shakedown.

MEMRI: Editor Of Saudi Daily 'Okaz': Hamas Is Ungrateful, Is Exploiting Palestinian Cause To Benefit Iran

The concluding announcement issued by the Arab League foreign ministers following their November 19, 2017 emergency meeting in Cairo declared Hizbullah a terrorist organization and accused it of "supporting terrorism and terrorist organizations in the Arab states by [supplying them with] advanced weapons and ballistic missiles." Hamas, in response, issued an official statement in which it condemned the designation of Hizbullah and other "resistance organizations" as terror organizations, and stressed its "surprise" at the announcement's failure to include "reference to the Zionist terrorism that is implemented daily towards the Palestinian people, their land, and their holy places."

Additionally, Hamas political bureau member Moussa Abu Marzouq tweeted, from his personal account: "Hizbullah is not a terror organization, and if this designation is accepted, we can all expect a similar fate. We must all agree to direct the Arab political focus [at] Palestine and Jerusalem." He also tweeted: "The Arab foreign ministers' decision to characterize Hizbullah as terrorist does not stem from [Hizbullah's] involvement in dear Syria, but is aimed at confronting Iran and the elements connected to it. He added: "This trend is problematic for two reasons. One, diverting the [Arab] focus from Israel and allying with it; [Israel] is certainly not Sunni. Two, next time, the resistance forces – Hamas, [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad, and others – will be the ones [they] set [their] sights on, for the same reason."

PMW: Song on PA TV promises to attack Jews

Official Palestinian Authority TV broadcast a music video promising to "break the Jews."

The song, which sings the praise of Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Movement, promises to "come at you from the sea like a wave." While these words are sung, photos are shown of terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who led the murder of 37 Israelis, 12 of them children, in an attack launched by infiltrating Israel from the sea in 1978.

In addition, the song states that the Fatah flag will be "raised with the rifle," and quotes former PA and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat glorifying death for "Palestine": "For you O homeland, by Allah, death is sweet for me." Footage is included of armed Fatah fighters. The song ends by stating Fatah's goal is to "break the Jews":

"We will raise the Fatah flag with the rifle...
At Al-Karameh [battle] and Eilaboun (i.e., terror attack), for the homeland we will encircle the world
We will come at you from the sea like the wave...
Visual: Photos of terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi who attacked from the sea
Yasser [Arafat] said this statement in a loud voice:
For you O homeland, by Allah, death is sweet for me
Jerusalem is ours, and we are marching, and we will bring millions of Martyrs...
The love of Fatah unites us, and may Allah add to it
Whoever speaks about [Fatah's] division - by Allah, we will eliminate him
Our hearts are for [Fatah], and we are soldiers, until we break the Jews"
[Official PA TV, Nov. 10, 2017]

Palestinian Media Watch has documented similar songs on PA TV glorifying terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, and exposed a music video on Fatah's Awdah TV station earlier this year that paid tribute to Mughrabi.

Ben-Dror Yemini: Jihadist terror needs no excuse

It was the deadliest terror attack since the 9/11 attacks in the United States 16 years ago. At least 305 people were murdered. Had 30 people been murdered in a terror attack any European city, the attack would have likely received much more coverage by the global media. Because when Muslims massacre Muslims, it doesn't mean as much to the world. It’s a lot less moved.

Even worse is the fact that the massacre was immediately followed by explanations: The Bedouins in Sinai, according to commentators, are deprived by the Egyptian government. Poor things. They’re just reacting.

With all due respect to the different experts and commentators, they have lost their mind. Are you serious? Is that an excuse for such a murderous massacre? Is that the reason for intentionally firing on infants, women, children, elderly people—hundreds of innocent people? Is government deprivation, assuming there was deprivation, the reason? Why, the only sin of those who were murdered was that they were there, within the jihadists’ reach.

We’re also being told that it happened in a mosque which belongs to the Sufist sect, and that’s becoming an excuse too. What does that have to do with anything? Islam has many sects. The Sufists are Sunnis. Many of those who come to pray at Sufist mosques don’t even belong to the Sufist sect. Is that the reason? Only a week ago, 58 people were murdered in the Nigerian town of Mubi. It happened inside a Sunni mosque, neither Shiite not Sufist.

Jihad doesn’t need any excuse. The arguments and explanations provided by the different commentators and experts are a mockery of a tragedy. They castrate the truth. Because inasfar as the deadly results of jihadist terror can be followed, more than 95 percent of its victims are Muslim and nearly 70 percent are Sunnis murdered by Sunnis. So the glaring truth is that a weed has grown within Islam, and murder is its flag. Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, formulated this ideology in 1938 in an article titled “The industry of death.”

Dr. Mordechai Kedar: Hell on earth

Last Friday there was a massive terror attack in the city of Bir al-Abd, located near El Arish in the northern Sinai, an area populated by Bedouin. An armed group of terrorists, most probably belonging to the Sinai branch of ISIS, used bombs and bullets to attack hundreds of people gathered in the Al-Rawda (Garden )mosque for noon prayers, the most important prayer in the Islamic week. They slaughtered 305 men, women and children in cold blood, eradicated entire families and wounded more than one hundred. The cruel bloodbath included shocking instances of shooting wounded victims once again from close range to ensure their deaths.

Arab media featured the massacre for two days, although it broadcast Egyptian President Al-Sisi's speech in which he declared three days of nationwide mourning in Egypt and threatened a response employing "terrible power" against the Jihadists in Sinai. Commentators said that the attack took place because the worshipers were of the mystically-oriented Soufi Islamic sect, considered near-heretical by the Salafists. Another reason mentioned was the refusal of the town's residents to cooperate with the Jihadists, as well as the aid they proferred the Egyptian Army.

What interests us at present is a problem brought up by writer Sharif Badi Al-Noor on November 28th in an article appearing in the Arabic Al Ahram newspaper. Its title was "Why don’t the Egyptians care about the victims of El Arish?" and in it, he describes the reactions of the Egyptian public during the two days following the attack: Streets overflowing with people, stores filled with shoppers, thousands relaxing in cafes and restaurants, many of them watching soccer games. Everything as usual, no demonstrations, not even a sign protesting the mass murderers who defiled Egypt so horrendously once again.

The writer compares the public's apathy regarding the Sinai attack to the storm that would have ensued had it been Israel – which, he writes, is on a higher level than the scum who murdered the worshipers - who killed ten worshipers, not three hundred. He asks rhetorically: How many would have poured into the streets in that case? So why isn't anyone protesting what happened in Sinai? Is it because some see it as a far-off land? Are the Bedouin not Egyptian citizens? Why don't we care about what happens in Bir al-Abd? If there was, G-d forbid, an attack in Cairo that took the lives of a mere six people, wouldn't we all be trembling in fear?

The problem lies not in the government, he continues, nor in the Egyptian Intelligence Services and Army (as the pundits claim) but in us, the Egyptian people, because we - the people – must be the ones who block terror. Why don't we have classes in school teaching about the negative and harmful Jihadist ideas and how to protect ourselves from them? Why are there no required courses in colleges and universities that teach students about the nationalist ideology capable of uprooting those dangerous ideas?

Evelyn Gordon: Gaza’s Latest Lesson in Self-Inflicted Misery

Observing developments since Hamas and Fatah signed their latest reconciliation deal in October is an object lesson in just how much of the Palestinians’ misery is self-inflicted–or to be more precise, inflicted by their two rival governments.

The first thing that happened after implementation of the deal in early November was that prices of merchandise imported to Gaza plummeted by up to 25 percent. Having your money go 25 percent further is an obvious boon to anyone, but especially for impoverished Gazans. Prices fell because, for the first time in a decade, Gazans weren’t paying taxes to two different governments–the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza–but only to one. As part of the reconciliation deal, Hamas handed control of Gaza’s borders to the PA and dismantled the tax collection checkpoints it had set up at the border crossings.

This long-overdue relief didn’t last long. Earlier this month, I pointed out that, since Hamas would remain the dominant military power in Gaza even after the deal was implemented, it wasn’t clear how anyone could stop it from extorting taxes again once it had gotten what it wanted from the deal. I overestimated Hamas’s patience. Though the PA has yet to fulfill most of its promises to Hamas, the latter has already resumed collecting taxes.

True, the checkpoints are gone, but Hamas found another method to seek the rents on which it survives. It simply summoned several hundred businessmen to appear in its offices and demanded payment of tax on everything they have imported to Gaza since the reconciliation was signed. After all, Hamas needs that money; it has rockets and tunnels to build. So who cares that Gazans will once again be paying inflated prices they can ill afford?

The reconciliation was also supposed to bring another benefit: the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which has been closed almost continuously for the last four years. Since Israel allows only limited traffic from Gaza through its territory, Rafah’s closure has meant that leaving Gaza is virtually impossible for most Palestinians.

Elliott Abrams: Mr. Kerry Should Apologize

He could have said "some countries" or "some leaders" but chose to state what was said to him in secret, privileged, private diplomatic conversations by named governments. And to do so about leaders who are still in office, such as Prime Minister Netanyahu. And he chose to do so in an offhand manner at a conference where his goal was merely to defend his own record in negotiating the JCPOA.

This is irresponsible behavior. It is the kind of conduct that tells foreign leaders they cannot trust our own leaders to protect private conversations, and suggests to them that candor is dangerous. When a secretary of state, who often boasted of his years as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, behaves this way he deserves the kind of criticism that...Kerry is very unlikely to get.

Why not? Because people expect this kind of misconduct from him? Because he is out of office so he is free to spill secrets? Because "everyone knows" what Israel and Egypt were urging? These are all poor arguments. Kerry should acknowledge that he spoke too freely and state that he regrets his action. He owes both those governments an apology. And he should pledge to be far more careful in the future about revealing the content of conversations that should not be disclosed for decades--including, that is, not in Mr. Kerry's memoirs.

'Former Egyptian leader agreed to resettle Palestinians in Sinai'

In 1983, then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed to resettle Palestinians inside his country at the request of the Americans more than 30 years ago, newly discovered documents revealed Wednesday.

According to secret documents obtained by the BBC, Mubarak agreed to the American request on the condition it would be part of a comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mubarak relayed the information to then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a meeting between the two leaders that took place after Mubarak met with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in February of 1983.

Reagan won the U.S. presidential elections mere months after the start of the First Lebanon War, which broke out in 1982 when Israel invaded southern Lebanon with the aim of removing Palestine Liberation Forces from Beirut following the organization's repeated attacks on the Israel Defense Forces.

According to the BBC report, British authorities had feared Palestinian agents would attempt to assassinate Mubarak during a visit to London during the 1982 war.

Jerusalem ignores the UN’s forgotten partition plan of 2012 at its peril

Israeli critics of the 2012 resolution posited at the time that a vote at the UN General Assembly would change nothing on the ground. That assertion was only partially correct. Palestine is still not an independent country, to be sure, but the new status conferred on it by the General Assembly opened the door for Ramallah to gain membership in international organizations such as the International Criminal Court (where it continues to pursue charges against Israeli leaders) and Interpol (where it now has access to the agency’s secure global police communications network).

Much changed between 1947 and 2012. And the world has shifted again in the past five years. But Israelis celebrating UN General Assembly Resolution 181 as a harbinger of Jewish statehood ignore the same body’s 2012 partition plan at their own peril.

Seventy years ago, a comfortable majority of the world’s nations backed a two-state solution accepted by the Jews but rejected by the Arabs. Today, the tables have turned: The Arabs now profess acceptance of a two-state solution, which much of the Israeli government opposes. The international community, however, still overwhelmingly endorses partition, to an even larger degree than in 1947.

Seventy years after it first affirmed the idea of an Arab state existing alongside a Jewish one in the Holy Land, the world is growing increasingly impatient about its implementation. As a consequence, parts of the international community have started calling for sanctions against Israel, such as boycotts and blacklists.

Obama-era diplomat questions if settlements are an obstacle to peace

Settlement growth is a solvable issue in negotiations toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and does not represent the obstacle to peace that many have portrayed, an expert and former US diplomat under the Obama administration said this week.

Unveiling a project two years in the making titled “Settlements and Solutions,” David Makovsky, director for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s project on the Middle East peace process, argued that maps are our best guide to a comprehensive solution to the conflict. Accompanying an interactive website detailing population trends along Israel’s security barrier and throughout the West Bank, Makovsky adds context and numbers that outline precisely who lives where, and what it means.

His project sheds light on the subtleties of a story often told in black-and-white terms. He explains that growth is sporadic and disjointed, and notes that the politics of those pockets of settlement with the highest birth rates are more pragmatic than some might assume.

It’s an argument he made consistently as a senior adviser on former secretary of state John Kerry’s Mideast peace team, during its push for peace talks in 2013 and 2014. That push ended in failure. But in the process, the “Makovsky maps” became known to Israeli officials – maps that have now been made public through the Washington think tank.

Leading Democratic senators to Netanyahu: Don’t raze Palestinian Sussiya

The US senators said they have been following the fate of these two villages.

“Earlier this year, we were alarmed by the public comments of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who said that work was being done to implement plans to evacuate the Palestinian villages of Sussiya in the South Hebron Hills and Khan al-Ahmar near Ma’aleh Adumin within a few months,” the senators wrote.

“Instead of forcibly evicting these communities, we encourage your government to fairly reevaluate Sussiya’s professionally-developed master plan and provide the residents of Khan al-Ahmar equal building rights.

“Your government’s threats to demolish these communities are particularly distressing in light of the Israeli Civil Administration decision to dramatically expand settlements throughout [Area C of] the West Bank,” they wrote.

“We have long championed a two-state solution as a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, your government’s efforts to forcibly evict entire Palestinian communities and expand settlements throughout the West Bank not only directly imperil a two state solution, but we believe also endanger Israel’s future as a Jewish democracy,” they said.

“We urge you to change course so that you do not foreclose the possibility of establishing two states for two peoples,” they wrote.

Other signatories to the letter included Senators Patrick Leahy, Richard J. Durbin, Tom Carper, Al Franken, Elizabeth Warren, Martin Heinrich, Jeffrey A. Merkley and Brian Schatz.
The left-wing US-based group J Street said it was proud to have supported and advocated for the letter.

Report: Trump to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital

President Donald Trump is planning to announce that the US officially recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

According to the Israeli media outlet, Trump is also weighing the possibility of fulfilling his campaign pledge of moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Potential US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the relocation of the US embassy are reportedly motivated by domestic political considerations related to renewed pressure from Republicans and evangelical Christians regarding US policy towards the Jewish state.

The Yedioth Ahronoth report came just a day after the White House downplayed reports that Trump would announce the embassy’s relocation.

“This is a premature report. We have nothing to announce,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, AFP reported.

White House: Report on embassy move to Jerusalem 'premature'

The Trump administration dismissed an Israeli report Wednesday suggesting that the American president was on the verge of announcing the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

"This is a premature report," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee told reporters Wednesday. "We have nothing to announce."

Earlier Wednesday, the Israeli media reported that officials were convinced there was a "high likelihood" that U.S. President Donald Trump would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and would begin the process of relocating the embassy by implementing the Jerusalem Embassy Act.

The act requires the State Department to move the embassy, but all the presidents faced with this decision have circumvented the requirement by issuing successive six-month waivers. The current waiver expires in early December.

Meanwhile, Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz met Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt in Washington on Wednesday. He later tweeted a picture alongside Greenblatt with the caption: "Another important meeting today with @jdgreenblatt45 in the White House. We discussed foreign affairs and security issues and how to enhance the regional initiatives that I am promoting."

Likud ministers hope Trump will soon move embassy to Jerusalem

Two Israeli cabinet ministers said Thursday that they hoped US President Donald Trump was about to move his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as a decision deadline neared.

The issue is deeply controversial.

Shifting the building could be seen as a de facto recognition of Israel’s claim over the whole city, including predominantly Palestinian East Jerusalem.

Foreign countries, including the United States, currently have their embassies in the Israeli commercial capital Tel Aviv since they do not recognize Israel’s unilateral claim of control over all of Jerusalem.

“I hope that an absurd situation will end,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party told Israel Radio.

He argued that when US presidents came to Israel, they went to Jerusalem and not Tel Aviv.

Jordanian king warns US against moving embassy to Jerusalem

Moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would threaten the prospects for peace, the Jordanian king told US decision-makers on Wednesday.

Emphasizing that there is no alternative to the two-state solution, King Abdullah II said in Washington that it was important no measures be taken to undermine US efforts to kickstart peace talks, the Jordan Times reported.

On Tuesday, US Vice President Mike Pence said US President Donald Trump was “actively considering” moving the embassy to Jerusalem, evoking a campaign promise that the administration had sidelined.

On Wednesday, Hadashot television news reported that in Israel, “there is a very high expectation” that Trump will declare that he “formally recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and instructing his team to actively prepare to move the embassy.” The report said the declaration was expected within days, possibly as soon as Sunday.

The White House said the TV report was premature, and there was no official confirmation of the claim from Israel or the US.

Michael Curtis: Saudi and Israel: A beautiful friendship in the making?

I've been convinced after thinking it through that the best thing for Saudi Arabia would be Israel. The figures on the chessboard of politics are forever changing with regard to each other.

It is an agreable surprise, for example, that for the first time ever a young Jewish woman is competing in the contest to become Miss Germany. More significantly, a changing Middle East based on mutual interests was illustrated in a New York synagogue where Efraim Halevy, former head of the Israeli Mossad, met Egyptian Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, long time head of the Saudi Arabian intelligence ageny.

Another encounter was in a synagogue in Paris, visited in November 2017 by two former Saudi officials, a minister for justice, and a minister for education.

It is exactly 40 years since the historic visit of President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem paved the way to the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The time is now ripe for a closer relationship, an open diplomatic one, between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Saudi Arbia cannot yet be considered an open society, but things are changing, with a certain amount of discussion allowed in social media, more openness for concerts and performances, and a new dynamic and bold leader, the 32 year old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, appointed to the rank in June 2017.

The Crown Prince, a young man in a hurry and somewhat impulsive, has already acted to exert control over the country, and has been consolidating and centralizing power since his appointment.

He has replaced the former Crown Prince, his older cousin Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who as interior minister was in control of security arrangements. He also removed Prince Mitreb bin Abdullah as head of the national guard, the internal police force.

Head of British Armed Forces Arrives in Israel as Guest of IDF Chief

The head of the British Armed Forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, arrived in Israel Thursday for an official visit as the guest of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot.

Peach was greeted with an honor guard ceremony upon his arrival at Tel Aviv’s Kirya Military Headquarters.

The IDF hailed Peach’s visit to the Jewish state as illustrating “the strength of strategic ties between the two armies and states.”

Peach and Eizenkot are scheduled to discuss joint security challenges and opportunities for increasing military cooperation between their countries.

In September, Peach was elected as the next chairman of the NATO Military Committee. His visit to Israel came after representatives from 12 NATO countries, including the UK, visited Israel in early November to take part in a first-of-its-kind conference on the challenges of urban warfare and combat in populated areas.

Peach’s Israel visit also came after rescue teams from the British Army’s naval and air forces concluded a three-day joint emergency drill with their Israeli counterparts in July. The drill was the largest such exercise conducted in a decade.

Netanyahu to tell EU next month: Tell your people what Israel provides

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to tell the 28 EU foreign ministers in Brussels next month that they should ask their people whether they want all that Israel has to offer – anti-terrorism expertise and technology – or Ramallah.

Netanyahu, who over the last year has raised with every visiting EU foreign minister his desire to address all 28 ministers at one of their monthly meetings, received a formal invitation on Tuesday to do just that.

According to a senior diplomatic official, Netanyahu is expected to tell the European leaders that their obsessive focus on the settlements is “ridiculous;” remind them that the Arab-Israeli conflict predated the settlements by 50 years; and say that 85% of the settlements are in the settlement blocs that “everyone knows will be part of Israel.”

In addition, the official said, Netanyahu will say, “We in Israel are the future. We will bring you water, technology and security against terrorists. We have blocked 30 to 40 major attacks in Europe. You ask your people whether they would rather have that or Ramallah.”

Although these are messages that Netanyahu has repeated numerous times, the official said the statements will have a greater impact when said directly at the heart of the EU in Brussels.

Largest-ever delegation of African parliamentary speakers head to Knesset

Seven parliamentary speakers from African countries, the largest-ever delegation of such officials to Israel, are set to visit the Knesset next Tuesday.

The legislature has never hosted more than two parliamentary leaders at once, but next week’s visit will include Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein’s counterparts from Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Seychelles and South Sudan.

Speaker of the Rwandan Chamber of Deputies Rt. Hon. Donatille Mukabalisa, who heads the only legislature in the world that has more female than male members, will give a speech on female empowerment and gender equality, in a parley with Knesset Subcommittee to Combat Prostitution and Human Trafficking chairwoman Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid).

In addition, the delegation will hold discussions with MKs from all of the House’s factions on topics including shared security challenges between Africa and Israel, led by Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avi Dichter, a former Shin Bet chief. Knesset Director-General Albert Sachaorvitch will talk about making the Knesset accessible for the disabled, and the Knesset’s sustainability projects.

'The Palestinians chose to say yes to Hamas'

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, on Wednesday addressed the UN General Assembly as part of a special session marking 70 years since the adoption of UN Resolution 181 which passed the General Assembly on November 29th 1947.

The session is used annually by Israel’s adversaries in the UN to pass a series of biased resolutions.

Responding to the Palestinian-initiated session, Ambassador Danon said, “Today we mark the anniversary of the United Nations vote in 1947. For Israel it was a moment that turned an age-old dream of self-determination into a real-life miracle. For the Palestinians it resulted in a choice to turn towards violence and lasting hatred.”

Danon then noted that the choices by the Palestinian leadership to avoid meaningful negotiations with Israel continue until today.

Hypocrisy of Israel's enemies caught on camera @U.N., NYC, 11/14/17


Israel says it stopped selling weapons to Myanmar months ago

The Foreign Ministry stated categorically on Thursday that it was no longer selling weapons to Myanmar, which has been accused of ethnic cleansing, amid an international outcry against the arms sales.

While admitting it had sold weapons to Myanmar in the past, the ministry said it had frozen all military sales several months ago.

The statement referred only to weapons sales, but made no mention of other security-related products, like surveillance technology or military training services.

The ministry statement came after it summoned Myanmar Ambassador to Israel U Maung Maung Lynn for a dressing-down, after which he apologized for an interview he gave to Army Radio Thursday morning in which he said that Israel was still selling weapons to his country.

In the interview, Maung Lynn said that Israel put no restrictions on how the weaponry and military technology could be used. Under Israeli law, the end use of defense exports is supposed to be an issue of consideration.

Mortar barrage fired at IDF on Gaza border, in retaliation for destroyed tunnel

At least 10 mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at nearby Israeli troops, and in response Israeli tanks and aircraft targeted two Hamas and two Palestinian Islamic Jihad positions in northern Gaza on Thursday afternoon, the army said.

There were no Israeli injuries reported and minimal damage caused to military equipment at the army post that was targeted by the mortar barrage, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The exchange came exactly one month after Israeli forces destroyed a cross-borner attack tunnel belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, in which at least 14 terrorists were killed, including two of the terrorist organization’s top commanders.

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the mortar barrage appeared to be retaliation for the demolition of the tunnel, which stretched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, near Kibbutz Kissufim.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad had vowed it would avenge its operatives killed in the Israeli demolition.

IDF carries out fresh Gaza airstrikes, but says not looking for escalation

The Israeli Air Force conducted fresh strikes on two Palestinian Islamic Jihad positions in the central Gaza Strip, in response to a mortar attack by the terror group against an IDF post earlier in the day, the army said.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, three Gazans were lightly wounded in the Israeli bombing.

The additional airstrikes came even as the Israel Defense Forces said it was not looking to escalate the security situation in the Gaza and would only conduct further attacks in response to aggression by the terror group.

At approximately 2 p.m., operatives from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched 10 to 12 mortar shells at an Israeli military post northeast of the Gaza Strip. The attack appeared to be retaliation for the army demolishing the group’s attack tunnel, which stretched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, exactly a month ago, according to IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.

The army said no soldiers were injured in the barrage, but some light damage was caused to equipment.

Israeli hikers attacked in Samaria; Palestinian shot dead

A Jewish hiker shot and killed a Palestinian in a grave incident on Thursday, as the shooter accompanied a group of children on a hike in Samaria marking one of the hikers' bar mitzvah celebration.

A large number of Palestinians surrounded the group of hikers, approaching them and throwing rocks. Three boys sustained minor injuries in the altercation.

A parent of one of the hikers, who accompanied the group and was carrying a weapon for safety reasons, felt threatened and fired. One of the Palestinian assailants was critically wounded in the incident, and was ultimately declared dead after failed resuscitation efforts.

The children fled to a nearby cave and waited to be rescued by Israeli security forces. When the troops arrived, they administered first aid to the wounded and dispersed the Palestinians. Finally, the hikers were rescued and evacuated.

"The hike was coordinated with the Samaria Brigade in advance," said one area official. "It was approved by security forces on the terms that two parents accompanied the group and were armed. The moment they were surrounded by Palestinians, they quickly called for help, but before the forces arrived they felt they were in mortal danger and one of the guards had to fire warning shots, followed by fire at the aggressors."

'They surrounded the cave and threw rocks at us'

More than two dozen Jewish school children hiking in Samaria Thursday and assaulted in a lynch attempt by local Arabs were forced to hide in a cave, as the mob surrounded the entrance to the cave, spraying pepper spray and hurling rocks at the group of terrified hikers.

After an hour and a half, IDF units in Samaria rescued the group. Three of the hikers suffered injuries as a result of the stones thrown and pepper spray they inhaled while hiding in the cave.

One of the youths present during in Samaria Thursday recalled the events in an interview with Arutz Sheva.

“We left Migdalim and as we were walking along the face of a cliff, they began to throw rocks at us,” he said.

“We ran into a nearby cave so they wouldn’t hit us. We were there for a while - and then Arabs came from all directions and surrounded [the entrance to the cave].”

While the hikers were holed up in the cave, the Arab attackers tried to force them out, flooding the entrance with pepper spray and tear gas, and hurling rocks and other objects in the hopes of hitting the children.

“They hurled rocks at us, sticks, sprayed pepper spray,” he said.

Abbas demands international protection for Palestinians after West Bank shooting

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Thursday for “immediate international protection” after a Palestinian was shot dead by an Israeli in the West Bank.

The Israeli army said the shooter was defending a group of young hikers from Palestinians who threw stones at them.

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A statement from Abbas’s office said the shooting was “conclusive proof for the whole world of the level of the ugliness of crimes carried out by settlers against the innocent Palestinian people.”

According to the Israel Defense Forces, a group of Israeli settlers, mostly children, came under attack during a hike near the Palestinian village of Qusra in the northern West Bank on Thursday, prompting their armed escort to fire into the crowd of Palestinians who were throwing stones at them, killing 48-year-old Mahmoud Za’al Odeh.

Italian bike race organizers apologize for ‘West Jerusalem’ wording

Following an outcry from Israeli ministers, the organizers of the prestigious Giro d’Italia cycling event on Thursday apologized for referring to the start of the race as being in “West Jerusalem,” and said they had removed the term from all official materials.

The first day of the 101st edition of the Italian race, set for May 4, 2018, will take place in Jerusalem, the first time the race starts outside of Europe, in a major coup for Israel.

Ministers on Wednesday threatened to drop their partnership in the first stage of the Giro d’Italia if the wording was not altered.

“RCS Sport would like to clarify that the start of the Giro d’Italia 2018 will take place from the city of Jerusalem,” the organizers said in a statement on their website. “During the Presentation of the 2018 race course, technical material containing the wording “West Jerusalem” was used, due to the fact that the race will take place logistically in that area of the city. That particular wording, devoid of any political value, has been removed from any material related to the Giro d’Italia.”

Sports Minister Miri Regev and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin welcomed the change.

“Following our response to the Giro management, we are pleased to see the prompt reaction of the organizers in removing the name ‘west Jerusalem’ from their official announcements,” they said in a joint statement.

PreOccupiedTerritory: Permalink to Arab Towns Demand Police Presence, Call Police Presence Provocative (satire)

Leaders of the Arab sector in Israel criticized the police again today for what they call a negligent attitude toward Arab-on-Arab violence, asserting that a greater show of law enforcement would deter crime, and that the police had better not make an appearance in their towns, since such a symbol of Jewish sovereignty will lead to violence.

Politicians and prominent community members spoke to journalists this afternoon following another bloody span of days in which gunfire by Arab Israelis claimed the lives of others Arab Israelis, and called on the police to take measures to combat spiraling Arab-against-Arab crime. They also threatened that if the police assert their authority in Arab towns that will spark riots, as the move will be perceived as the latest attempt by the Jewish majority to assert dominance over the Arab minority and a challenge to Arab honor that cannot go unanswered.

“We demand police action,” states Umm El-Fahm Mayor Khaled Aghbariyya. “There are far too many firearms circulating in the Arab sector, and the police have done nothing at all about it. It’s true, we Arabs have some cultural factors that exacerbate the problem, but effective enforcement of gun laws is the domain of the police. And this place will positively convulse with violence the moment the police show their faces, so they better stay away.”

Police officials note that when they ran an amnesty program among Arab citizens two years ago in which citizens could surrender their illegal guns and face no penalty, a total of four weapons were recovered, but Arab officials remain unmoved. “Well, are they in charge or aren’t they?” demanded Baka al-Gharbiyye Council member Hai Qalibr. “At some point they have to decide whether they represent the sovereign power here or not. And if they do decide to assert that sovereignty, by Allah, will our people show them the door in flames and rocks.”

Israel Eases Restrictions on U.S.-Bound Gazan Travelers, and Two Disappear

Israel on Wednesday launched a program to provide shuttle service for Gazans who need to travel to the US Consulate in Jerusalem — an operation that could ease one of the many restrictions it places on Palestinians who want to exit the blockaded territory.

Israel allows only a small number of Gazans to travel through Israel, mostly for medical care or other humanitarian grounds. It cites security considerations for the tight restrictions.

In recent months, it has barred Gazans from entering Israel for visa interviews at the US Consulate after some applicants fled into hiding in Israel or the West Bank to seek work. The restrictions have prevented several hundred people from applying at the consulate for visas to travel or study in the US.

About 100 Palestinians were allowed Wednesday to cross into Israel and board two buses bound for Jerusalem. They were accompanied by officials from the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee, an office that coordinates cross-border movement with the Israelis.

JCPA: Is Reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority Possible?

Abbas sent his officials to Gaza to take their places in the government offices, but Hamas officials refused to let them enter. Ramallah’s interior minister also tried to enter his office in Gaza with senior officials, but he too was rebuffed. It turns out that Hamas’ shadow government – “the committee” – is continuing to function despite the fact that Hamas announced its dismantlement.

Abbas insists on a full deployment of Palestinian security forces in Gaza. But Majid Freij, head of the Palestinian General Intelligence, told Abbas that he could not send his people into Gaza because they will be unable to defend themselves against Hamas and Salafi forces.

The Egyptians accept Hamas’ insistence that security in Gaza must be managed jointly and exclusively by Gazans from two organizations, Fatah-Gaza and Hamas. The person representing Abbas in the talks, Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, is also a Gazan.

Even if the reconciliation fails again, there remains one notion that Egypt and Hamas support and that Abbas and the United States oppose, but not firmly enough – namely, that the reconciliation can go through even if Hamas does not disarm. Hamas is trying to make the point that at this stage the “weapons of the resistance” cannot be touched. Israel must continue to warn against the dangerous idea of a “reconciliation lite,” which is likely to return to the table if the sides still want to promote the reconciliation.

Palestinians agree to delay Gaza handover as unity deal founders

Rival Palestinian factions agreed Wednesday to postpone the handover of control over Gaza from Hamas to Fatah, less than 48 hours before a deadline as part of an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal.

The announcement came at the last minute as the landmark Palestinian unity deal faltered dangerously, with Fatah and Hamas accusing each other of not respecting the accord.

“Hamas and Fatah are asking Egypt to postpone the transfer of the government roles from December 1 to December 10 in order to finalize arrangements to ensure the completion of national reconciliation steps,” said a statement from Hamas, the Islamist terror group that rules the Gaza Strip.

Fayez Abu Eita, a spokesman for Fatah in Gaza, said the same in remarks after the factions met in Gaza City, noting it was in the interest of “achieving the goals of our people, achieving reconciliation and ending the division.”

Egyptian TV Host Says Jihadi Attacks On Churches Are ‘OK,’ But Not On Mosques

An Egyptian TV host went off script Friday, saying that it was justifiable for jihadis to attack churches, but not for them to attack mosques.

The Sada al-Balad Media Group quickly suspended host Rasha Magdi after her remarks, which she made in reference to the recent Sinai mosque attack in which ISIS militants killed 305 people, according to Egypt Independent. Magdi claimed that it was understandable for jihadists to attack Christians since jihadists view them as enemies of Islam and was therefore mutual violence, but that a jihadist attack on a mosque was an attack on their own.

“We saw attacks by terrorists on the police and army, and we said this is mutual violence. These extremist groups have attacked churches and we said that they think it is a [different] religion, not Islam, and it is hostile to them, and then we said it is okay, but how [can these groups attack] Muslims,” Magdi said according to Egypt Independent.

Magdi has a history of expressing sympathy for Islamic terrorist attacks against Christians, and has had several lawsuits filed against her alleging that she incited hate against Coptic Christians, particularly with her comments on the 2011 Maspero massacre in which the Egyptian army killed over 25 Coptic Christians.

Russia negotiates deal for its warplanes to use Egypt bases

The Russian prime minister has approved a draft agreement with Egypt that would allow Russian warplanes to use Egyptian air bases — a deal that would permit Moscow to increase its foothold in North Africa and the Middle East.

A directive signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that was published on the official legal portal on Thursday endorsed the draft prepared by Russia’s Defense Ministry and instructed it to sign the deal with Egypt when it is ready.

The Russia-Egypt agreement would allow each country’s warplanes to use the military airstrips of the other. It is to last for five years and could be extended further.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s government has expanded military ties with Russia and signed deals to buy Russian fighter jets, helicopters and other weapons.

Syrian military used banned cluster bombs in besieged area — Amnesty

Amnesty International said on Thursday that the Syrian government has used internationally banned cluster munitions in attacks on the besieged rebel-held suburb of Damascus, accusing it of committing war crimes on “an epic scale.”

Eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held suburb northeast of the Syrian capital, has been under a tightening siege since 2013 and is already facing a humanitarian crisis, including the highest recorded malnutrition rate since the conflict began in 2011.

Some 400,000 civilians, half of them children, are believed trapped there.

Based on interviews with activists in eastern Ghouta and verification of open source videos and photographs, Amnesty said at least ten civilians were killed in November because of the government’s use of the banned Soviet-made cluster munitions.

The indiscriminate weapons, banned in over 100 countries, gravely endanger civilians because of their indiscriminate nature, Amnesty said.

North Korea Ships Chemical Weapons to Syria: Nukes Next?

Syria could, of course, also acquire nuclear weapons from North Korea. Syria already possesses ballistic missiles; the chemical weapons are already there.

Syrian forces have used these chemical weapons against rebel forces and civilians; the main delivery systems for chemical warheads have been artillery rockets, ballistic missiles and aerial bombs.

Syria's chemical weapons stockpile still exists, despite the country acceding to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2013. Syria's agreement to the CWC is most likely why it has been seeking chemical weapons clandestinely.

Although Syria is also a party to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it could just as easily clandestinely acquire nuclear weapons from the black market rather than build nuclear program that would be easily detectable by satellites.

To add to this, Russia has vetoed renewing the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) due to have expired in November 2017. The JIM, a mechanism of the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons under UN Resolution 2235, set up in the year 2015, aimed at determining the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

In the past, North Korea has shipped ballistic missiles to Hezbollah and Hamas via Syria; they will probably continue to do so, and to terrorist organizations as well.

TV host’s call for Israeli teams to compete in Saudi Arabia sparks fury

A Saudi Arabian TV host sparked fury this week when he called for Israeli teams to be allowed to compete in sports tournaments.

Waleed Al-Faraj spoke out after it emerged that seven Israeli chess players have submitted visa requests to play in a tournament in Riyadh next month.

The move has split the top of the Israeli chess world with the country’s three highest-ranked players boycotting the event.

Grandmasters from Iran and Qatar are also expected to be excluded from the event.

Speaking on MBC Action’s channel, Al-Faraj said it was time for Saudi Arabia to throw open its sports competitions to everyone, whatever their country of origin.

He said: ‘You need to get it out of your head to prevent anyone from entry, and try to adapt to the next stage and receive everyone and welcome all people. And when a disaster happens we can’t discriminate against all people just because they are from a particular state or religion’.

MBC is the Arab World’s most popular TV channel and the program Al-Faraj presents, called Action League, is a hit with male millennials. (h/t Zvi)

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