04/14 Links: The myth of 'land for peace'; Assange’s anti-Semitism revisited; Louis Farrakhan Is Not a Fringe Lunatic; He Is Dangerous ~ EoZ

From Ian:

Israelis, and friends of the Jewish State alike, are accustomed to the never-ending scorn the United Nations heaps on the Middle East’s only free democracy, never mind its desire for peace with all of its Arab neighbors. It may seem unfathomable then that the very same institution [UN] was ultimately responsible for the creation of Israel.

In 1917, Secretary Arthur Balfour simply expressed Great Britain’s view with favor for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

In contrast, the Mandate is the multilateral binding agreement which laid down the Jewish legal right to settle anywhere in the geographical area called Palestine, the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, an entitlement unaltered in international law.

The Mandate was not a naive vision briefly embraced by the international community. The entire League of Nations – 51 countries – unanimously declared on that July 24th, 1922: “Whereas recognition has been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.”

The Mandate clearly differentiates between political rights referring to Jewish self-determination as an emerging polity—and civil and religious rights, referring to guarantees of equal personal freedoms to non-Jewish residents as individuals and within select communities. Not once are Arabs as a people mentioned in the Mandate for Palestine. Nowhere in the document is there any granting of political rights to Arabs.

Article 2 of the “Mandate for Palestine” document, calls to place the country “Under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home, as laid down in the preamble, and the development of self-governing institutions, and also for safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion.”

Article 5 of the “Mandate for Palestine” clearly states that "The Mandatory [Great Britain] shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be ceded or leased to, or in any way placed under the control of the Government of any foreign power." The territory of Palestine was exclusively assigned for the Jewish National Home.

Assange’s anti-Semitism revisited

Assange himself has spoken about Jews several times, with plain and heartfelt hostility. The first occasion was in 2011, when he phoned Ian Hislop, the editor of the British satirical magazine Private Eye, to complain about a piece that highlighted Assange’s friendship with a notorious character named Israel Shamir. (A Russian Jew who converted to Orthodox Christianity, Shamir has been writing unhinged missives denouncing Judaism and Zionism for the last 20 years, mostly for far-right websites.) By running the item, Assange said, Hislop had joined an international conspiracy against WikiLeaks led by journalists, all of whom, Assange emphasized, “are Jewish.” When Hislop challenged this invocation of a classic anti-Semitic trope, Assange suddenly replied, “Forget about the Jewish thing.”

But Hislop didn’t forget, and Assange promptly accused him – as is the fashion among those charged with making anti-Semitic statements – of engaging in a smear campaign. Those who gave Assange the benefit of the doubt on that occasion were, however, stumped in 2013, when WikiLeaks employee James Ball resigned from the organization precisely because of Assange’s relationship with Shamir, whom he described as “an anti-Semitic writer … and a man with ties and friends in the Russian security services.” Then, in 2016, four years into his residency at the Ecuadorian Embassy, Assange picked up on the social-media meme of placing parentheses symbolizing an echo chamber on either side of the names of Jewish writers.

“Tribalist symbol for establishment climbers? Most of our critics have 3 (((brackets around their names))) & have black-rim glasses. Bizarre,” Assange said on Twitter, in a routine example of anti-Semitic dog-whistling. Shortly afterward, and getting a taste of his own medicine, a private message sent by Assange in which he insulted the Jewish journalist Raphael Sutter was leaked online. “He’s always been a rat,” Assange said of Sutter. “But he’s Jewish and engaged with the ((()))) issue.”

It would seem, then, that what most agitates Assange about Jews is their clannishness and tribalism, their habit of sticking together politically, their notorious practice of smearing critics as “anti-Semites” and their penetration of the establishment. It’s probably not coincidental that these supposed traits are exactly what Shamir detests about Jews, too, as will be demonstrated by a quick perusal of his ravings.

The antisemitic tweets of murdered Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi

Khashoggi also showed some genuine interest in the makeup of Israel, tweeting in June 2011 about the role of Iranian Jews in the country. In a tweet that same month, he wrote about the “desperation of the Jews to deny the Protocols.” Belief in the antisemitic forgery of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion has remained common in the Middle East in both Arab nationalist and Muslim Brotherhood circles up until the present day. Former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and Hamas both pushed conspiracies regarding the text. These conspiracies were also advanced by Malaysian President Mahathir Mohammed in a 2003 speech to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. As such, Khashoggi would have been familiar with this view.

In December 2011 and July 2012, he referenced the marginalization of Jewish women by “religious Jews,” and the “superstition of the Jews” in reference to Israel and prayers at the Western Wall, calling Jews “deceivers” or “swindlers.”

In August 2012, he argued in relation to Israel: “There is no land that God has made for a people,” noting that while Jews defeated the Canaanites, the Romans defeated the Jews, and it was Muslims who made the land “for all religions.” He was also skeptical of Jewish heritage in the Land of Israel, a theme that returns several times in his tweets. In July 2014, he referred to Jews in Israel as “usurpers,” implying they had stolen or occupied the land.

In September 2012 – when a controversial anti-Islamic video in the US led to riots in Egypt and Libya, and to the murder of the US ambassador in Benghazi – Khashoggi was asked why it was permitted to have a film critiquing Islam in the US., but not questioning the Holocaust. “The reason,” he replied, “is that the Jews passed legislation that criminalized the [questioning] of the Holocaust, while even Catholics failed to criminalize the abuse of Christ.”

On September 13, 2012, he tweeted, “If this was skeptical of the Holocaust, America would not allow it to be published, because the Jews succeeded in obtaining a law that would prevent it in America and Europe.” There is no such law in the US preventing Holocaust denial, but Khashoggi used the false claim to attack Jews.

The BDS Movement Is a Cleverly Disguised Campaign to Destroy Israel

Don’t be fooled by talk of ‘social justice’ and ‘human rights.’ The movement is anti-Semitic to its core.

Outrage ensued on social media and university campuses across America this past week when it was reported that the U.S. government had denied prominent Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti entry into the country. Barghouti had planned to come to the U.S. to promote the highly controversial Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement he co-founded.

BDS supporters claim that they want to put economic pressure on Israel to reach agreement on a peaceful and fair solution to its conflict with the Palestinians, and their message has found increasing traction in the U.S. The controversial Democratic representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have lent the movement high-profile support. The New York Times Magazine recently published a pro-BDS cover story written by a highly controversial political journalist. Altogether, 31 universities have passed BDS measures since 2015, and, since 2005, 127 such measures have been considered.

The truth is that many of the students and activists who support the movement have been duped into thinking they’re supporting a noble cause. In fact, BDS is little more than a ploy established and run by radical anti-Semites who deny Israel’s right to exist and seek to destroy it.

You don’t need to take our word for it: Let Barghouti speak for himself. He believes that Israel is an illegitimate state. At a 2013 event in Norway, he referred contemptuously to “self-determination for Jewish settlers in Palestine, which I categorically oppose. Never in history was a colonizing community ever allowed self-determination . . . colonizers are not entitled to self-determination.” He later went on to make his meaning crystal clear. “A Jewish state in Palestine, in any shape or form, cannot but contravene the basic rights of the land’s indigenous Palestinian population and perpetuate a system of racial discrimination that ought to be opposed categorically,” he said. “Definitely, most definitely we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No Palestinian — rational Palestinian, not a sell-out Palestinian — will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”

JCPA: Jordan and the Palestinian Authority Now at Odds over Jerusalem

Reports on the upcoming publication of the Trump peace initiative have whipped Jordan into a frenzy. One of the issues troubling Jordan, in particular, is the change in its traditional status on the Temple Mount as Guardian of the Holy Sites sacred to Islam. Instead, there will be a general Arab-Islamic guardian, meaning that Saudi Arabia will replace Jordan as the true guardian of the sites holy to Islam. From the historical point of view, after the Hashemites were pushed out as the guardians of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, they will now have to come to terms with losing their responsibility for the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Jordanian spokesmen have expressed themselves harshly on this issue, saying that this is a red line and Jordan will reconsider all of its regional alliances as a result.

Though they have not given any details, developments behind the scene with regard to the management of the Waqf should be noted. At first, Jordan came to an agreement with Mahmoud Abbas about a change in the administration of the Waqf and the inclusion of Fatah personnel to it. This was a signal to Saudi Arabia that Jordan and Mahmoud Abbas are the landlords of the mosques, and they will not allow themselves to be pushed out.

However, when it seemed that Jordan and the PLO had created a united front against Saudi Arabia, both fresh partners began to clash over who would actually lead the new Waqf administration.

Jordan saw to it that the addition of senior Fatah officials would not violate Jordan’s practical control of the council, but the PLO in Ramallah thought differently. Sources in east Jerusalem report an all-out war is under way over the leadership of the new council. Ramallah wants to appoint Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, an Abbas loyalist, to lead the council. Jordan is completely opposed, and the first expression of a change of partnership was its offer to a former foe, Sheikh Ekrima Sa’id Sabri, to lead the council. Sheikh Ekrima was persona non grata in Jordan, but, for the first time in years, he was invited to talks there and was offered the job.

Netanyahu says ICC decision not to probe US troops bodes well for Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the International Criminal Court’s rejection over the weekend of a request to investigate the actions of American soldiers in Afghanistan was good news for Israel, and thanked US President Donald Trump for vowing to defend Israelis investigated by the court.

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the original purpose of the Hague-based court was to try genocides and ethnic violence in states without proper legal systems, unlike democracies such as the US and Israel.

ICC prosecutors have been investigating Israel over its settlement policy in the West Bank as well as the conduct of its forces during the 2014 war against Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip.

“They are picking on the US and Israel, democracies — which by the way aren’t members of the ICC — but we definitely have the best justice systems in the world. They are exceptional, because there are very few like them,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

“To put on trial US or Israeli troops, or the State of Israel and the United States, is absurd. This is the opposite of the original purpose of the International Criminal Court,” he added.

Abbas cannot take Israel to court

The court’s decision is perhaps one of the final nails in the coffin for a body that has been rapidly losing its international prestige.

The judges ruled against the court’s prosecutors, saying that despite evidentiary material showing that Americans carried out war crimes in Afghanistan, their prosecution would not serve justice.

The judges also noted that there was no point in pursuing an inquiry because of the time that had passed since the period in question (2002-2004).

The decision was handed down after the U.S. revoked chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s visa and denied entry to other court officials.

The ICC’s attempt to create a multilateral global order was shown to be what it is – a theater of the absurd (also known as the United Nations) that doesn’t even come close to matching the power of the U.S., the world’s leading superpower.

Trump is redefining the rules, ensuring that tyrants will no longer be able to abuse such multilateral institutions to prop up their regime.

He has also reiterated his pledge not to let the ICC prosecute Israelis and troops from other U.S. allies.

The Palestinians and their allies should take note of what Trump said; they would be ill-advised to ignore his threat to punish the court if it took action against Israelis.

Trump is implementing the Iron Wall doctrine that was articulated by the late leader of Revisionist Zionism, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, not just vis-à-vis the Arabs but globally. Trump is waging a campaign against all those who have tried to co-opt the U.N. for their own destructive agenda.

Bolsonaro: Brazil will vote ‘in line’ with Israel, US at UN Human Rights Council

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Thursday that his country will no longer “rig” its vote at the UN Human Rights Council and will instead vote “in line” with the positions of Israel and the United States, Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo reported.

Brazil will no longer vote with “Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba, countries that have no appreciation for freedom,” Bolsonaro reportedly said.

In June, the US announced its withdrawal from the Human Rights Council, branding the global body a “cesspool of political bias,” particularly over its treatment of Israel. Israel has never been a member state of the Human Rights Council, whose 47 members are elected by the UN General Assembly.

The council’s controversial Agenda Item 7, a permanent fixture on the schedule, is exclusively devoted to discussing alleged Israeli rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel is the only country with a dedicated council item. Item 7 on “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories” has been part of the council’s regular business since 2007, almost as long as the council itself has existed.

Last month, Brazil joined European Union nations and Japan in voting against Item 7 after years of abstentions or votes against Israel at the council.

Bolsonaro: I did not intend to use word 'forgiveness' in Holocaust context

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro clarified his remarks in which he insinuated on Thursday that the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis can be “forgiven” but not forgotten.

On Saturday, Israel’s Ambassador to Brazil Yossi Shelly posted a response to Facebook from Bolsonaro on the matter.

“To the people of Israel, I wrote in the guestbook of the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem: ‘Those who forget their past are doomed to not have a future.’ Therefore, any other interpretation is only in the interest of those who want to push me away from my Jewish friends,” Bolsonaro wrote, according to Shelley.

“Forgiveness is something personal. My speech was never meant to be used in a historical context, especially one where millions of innocent people were murdered in a cruel genocide,” Bolsonaro added via Shelly’s post.

During a speech at a meeting with evangelical pastors in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, Bolsonaro, who has shown strong support for Israel in a bid to reverse his country’s previously negative position, said: “We can forgive, but we cannot forget.”

Israeli delegation cancels trip to Bahrain conference amid security concerns

An Israeli delegation has canceled its participation in a business conference in Bahrain amid security concerns, organizers of the congress said Sunday.

At least three Israeli speakers, including the Israel Innovation Authority’s deputy chief, Anya Eldan, were scheduled to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Network in Manama that starts Monday, according to the forum’s website.

“While we advised the Israeli delegation they would be welcome, they decided this morning not to come due to security concerns and a wish not to cause disruption for the other 180 nations participating,” the organization’s president Jonathan Ortmans told Reuters.

Last month members of the Bahrain parliament said they were against hosting Israeli speakers in the nation, which — like most Arab countries — does not recognize the Jewish state.

ISIS Members Shave Beards After Seeing How Stupid Assange Looks (satire)

In a dramatic reversal, the Islamic State has banned long, unkempt beards after ISIS leaders saw just how stupid an unshaven Julian Assange looked during his arrest.

Fighters will now be required to be clean-shaven or at most keep short, neatly-trimmed facial hair. Officially, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi cited a recently-discovered hadith, or saying of Prophet Muhammad, in announcing the change. But senior ISIS leaders, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Mideast Beast that the decision was made after watching the video of Assange.

“When we made our mujahedeen grow beards, we were going for the rugged warrior look, or at least Brooklyn hipster,” one ISIS official explained. “We didn’t realize we were closer to ‘dissident computer hacker who spent six years locked alone with his cat in the basement of a third world embassy.’”

As of press time, Baghdadi has also banned ISIS fighters from wearing flower crowns after seeing a video of Coachella.

BBC Arabic host of Jerusalem show claims to be ‘in Palestine’

On February 27th and 28th the BBC show ‘Global Questions’ recorded two programmes – the first in English and the second in Arabic – at the YMCA Centre located on King David street in the western part of Jerusalem.

The moderator assigned to the Arabic language panel was BBC Arabic’s Nour Eddine Zorgui.

On March 1st Zorgui tweeted from his official BBC account that he was “in Palestine this time”, adding a link to his Facebook page where at least 3 photos – one of them taken inside the YMCA building – are captioned “in Palestine”.

Zorgui made similar remarks at the February 28th event itself, referring to the city and country he was in as “Jerusalem” and “Palestine” prior to the commencement of recording.

Louis Farrakhan Is Not a Fringe Lunatic; He Is Dangerous

Louis Farrakhan believes himself to be the sole advocate and leader of black people in the US, and even on a global scale. Unlike many radical or reactionary leaders, he’s very articulate and probably the most charismatic of them all.

His manner of speech is very attractive, intelligible, eloquent, and intriguing. It’s easy to see how black people from all walks of life could get hooked by his words. Additionally, Farrakhan is very relatable: He was raised by a single mother, and doesn’t know much about his father, and he and his family struggled financially while he was growing up. He’s also very talented; he’s an excellent violinist and doesn’t have a bad voice.

Over the years, Farrakhan would speak to African-American crowds without a filter, letting them know that it’s OK to hate, especially if their hatred is directed at the white man and Jews.

Regarding the Jews, his mad obsession is very plain. Think about it: How many rabbis on any given Shabbat spend more than a fraction of a second discussing Farrakhan or the Nation of Islam? But all Farrakhan talks about is Jews. He’s not only madly obsessed with Jews, but his hatred likely stems from his deep jealousy of us.

Jewish congregations throughout North America and the rest of the world boast scientists, lawyers, CEOs, Nobel Prize winners, etc. But how many of those can the Nation of Islam claim?

Many people dismiss Farrakhan as a fringe lunatic — but that is a very dangerous game.

Ocasio-Cortez riles pundits for defending Ilhan Omar with Holocaust quote

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is setting off fresh waves of outrage for citing a famous quote about the Holocaust in her latest defense of fellow freshman Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar.

AOC referenced Martin Niemoller’s sorrowful meditation on inaction in the face of injustice, known for the refrain “first they came,” to complain about critics who denounced Omar this week for minimizing the 9/11 attacks.

“@IlhanMN’s life is in danger,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, over a photo of Niemoller’s words. “For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress.”

Conservatives let her have it.

“Omar is being targeted for criticism, not for violence,” wrote columnist John Sexton. “The conflation of the two is a transparent attempt to silence criticism.”

“There’s something deeply disturbing about AOC making Holocaust references to defend an open and unrepentant anti-Semite who is merely being criticized,” posted commentator Ben Shapiro.

In leaked tape, Corbyn doubts staff's ability to confront anti-Semitism

Embattled leader of the UK Labour party Jeremy Corbyn admitted behind closed doors that evidence of anti-Semitism in his party may have been “mislaid, ignored or not used,” the Sunday Times revealed after obtained a leaked recording.

Corbyn reportedly made the comments in a secretly recorded conversation with Jewish MP Dame Margaret Hodge in February of this year, where the two were said to be discussing the accusations of anti-Semitisms engulfing the party and its leadership.

In the recording, Corbyn explaining his rationale for selecting Lord Falconer to oversee the process for complaints on the matter.

“The point of him [Falconer] is that he will look at the speed of dealing with cases, the administration of them and the collation of the evidence before it is put before appropriate panels and things,” Corbyn said. “Because I was concerned that evidence was either being mislaid, ignored or not used and that there had to be some better system.”

The Times described the comments as “the first time Corbyn has cast doubt on his own staff’s ability to tackle the problem [anti-Semitism]” that has dented the party’s reputation for the past few years.

Labour Party reportedly suspends last remaining permanent employee from its disciplinary unit, leaving it run by Corbyn staffers

The Labour Party has suspended the last remaining full-time employee from its Compliance Unit, which investigates disciplinary matters, leaving it run by staffers on secondment from Jeremy Corbyn’s office to the Unit.

According to a report in The Sunday Times, last Tuesday the staffer was stripped of their security pass and escorted out of Labour Party headquarters on suspicion of whistleblowing about the Party’s antisemitism crisis, leaving no permanent employees staffing the Compliance Unit, which is now being run by staffers seconded from Mr Corbyn’s office.

This week, senior Labour figures rushed to defend whistleblower, Julian Assange, with Diane Abbott stating that: “Whistleblowers do us all a service”.

A Labour spokesman said: “We don’t comment on staffing matters. Complaints are being handled in the usual way.” However, we know from a secret recording of Mr Corbyn himself, that “the usual way” could be to ignore and misplace critical evidence.

Jeremy Corbyn’s admission that Labour may have “mislaid, ignored or not used” evidence of antisemitism proves statutory investigation is needed

It has emerged today that in a secretly-recorded conversation with Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, Jeremy Corbyn admitted that Labour may have “ignored or misplaced or not used”.

The admission, in a recording released by The Sunday Times, shows that even as he consistently assured the nation that Labour “takes antisemitism very seriously”, he actually believed that “evidence [of antisemitism within the Party] was either being mislaid, ignored or not used”.

The admission adds to the evidence that the Labour Party cannot be trusted to deal with antisemitism and must be subject to a full statutory investigation.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has begun pre-enforcement proceedings against the Labour Party following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant. The pre-enforcement proceedings are a precursor to opening a full statutory investigation.

West Ham United vows to ban for life and report to police fans who chanted “I’ve got a foreskin, haven’t you, f***ing Jew”

West Ham United Football Club has said that it will ban for life any fans that it manages to identify from a video in which football thugs can be heard chanting on public transport: “We’ll be running around Tottenham with our willies hanging out, singing ‘I’ve got a foreskin, haven’t you, f***ing Jew’.” Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has traditionally enjoyed the support of a large number of Jewish football fans.

After footage of the incident was posted on Twitter, a West Ham United spokesperson said: “We are disgusted by the contents of the video. These people are not welcome at our club — they are not welcome in civilised society. We are taking immediate action to try to identify the offenders, whose details we will be handing over to the police and will be banned for life from London Stadium and from travelling with the club. West Ham United is unequivocal in its stance – there is no place for this kind of behaviour at our club.”

Greater Manchester Police praised the club for its firm stance appealed for witnesses with footage of the incident to contact them. Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Boyce said: “Here in Manchester we pride ourselves on making sure fans from far and wide are welcomed and it is disappointing that a small few have brought shame on football in this way. Let me be really clear: racial abuse will not be tolerated and anyone that partakes in this kind of behaviour can be expected to be investigated by the police.”

Edgar Davidson: Tuvia Tenenbom exposes brutal antisemitism dressed up as support for 'Palestinians'

Sussex Friends of Israel have distributed a disturbing clip from a video produced by Tuvia Tenenbom. He is seen talking with republicans in Northern Ireland. Although it is in English (with German subtitles) I have taken the liberty of adding English subtitles as it is quite hard to understand everything being said.

The key message - "We support the Palestinians because they’re against the Jews...Hitler didn’t kill enough Jews" pretty much sums up the rationale of most ‘anti-Zionists’.

Of course no need for the Board of Deputies to comment about this as it doesn't involve any 'Islamophobia' and it's all just perfectly legitimate criticism of the Israeli government .......

Jewish group criticizes sign at Mississauga school that references testing on Palestinian prisoners

The Peel District School Board (PDSB) says it’s investigating after a sign posted in the hallway of a Mississauga high school appears to suggest Israel is conducting pharmacological testing on Palestinians.

A picture of the large sign at Stephen Lewis Secondary School was posted on the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) Facebook page Friday afternoon. The group called the poster anti-Semitic.

“If animal testing is NOT OKAY… Then why is human testing OKAY? #ProtectPalestinianPrisoners,” the sign said, along with what appears to be a website QR code.

The only Twitter account to have used the hashtag written on the poster is one called Protect Palestinian Prisoners and has the biography line “Palestine Lives Matter.” The account mainly follows several Stephen Lewis school accounts, such as the school’s main account, the athletic council, the school’s arts and music program-related accounts. There were two tweets using the hashtag on the sign.

I have to catch @billburr in #Israel, especially after this wonderful slamming of @RogerWaters! https://t.co/2ud5KAKHvT
— Ozraeli Dave (((דיויד לנג))) (@Israellycool) April 13, 2019

The Guardian finds a new way to smear Israel

A Guardian report by their Jerusalem correspondent Oliver Holmes on April 12th included the following strap line:

This description of the Israeli prime minister also appeared in the text of the article:
Under his leadership, 13 years in total, Israel’s entire political arena has become more overtly hardline, in line with his ultranationalist, us-versus-them, force-over-compromise style.

The claim Netanyahu is an “ultranationalist” is not supported with a source, and doesn’t even use the kind of qualifying language (e.g., “who some have called an ultranationalist”, or some such wording) typically used to avoid running afoul of the Editors’ Code which warns against blurring fact with opinion).

Moreover, whilst it’s difficult to find a widely accepted definition of the word (outside of the rather vague dictionary definition, which describes it as radical loyalty to one’s nation), it’s often used in the media to describe an extreme version of nationalism that leans towards racism and even fascism. For instance, it’s been used – by media outlets including the Guardian – to characterise Britain First— a racist right-wing party which called to “introduce a comprehensive ban on the religion of ‘Islam’ within the UK”.

Under New Leadership, Teen Vogue Continues to Flout Journalistic Standards

CAMERA has written many times in the past two years about the anti-Israel bias that is being fed to Teen Vogue’s adolescent readers. The publication has promoted a one-sided Palestinian narrative, both by relying extensively on anti-Israel “experts” and by allowing a contributor to make unfounded allegations against the IDF. It crossed the line into anti-Semitism when it blamed police violence against people of color on American Jews and Israel, and it’s even promoted Hamas.

Since those things occurred, Chief Content Officer Philip Picardi departed from the publication, and Lindsay Peoples Wagner was named the new Editor-in-Chief. Yet, even with the change in leadership, the bias and lack of professionalism continues.

The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics states clearly that “Journalists should …. Verify information before releasing it.” While Teen Vogue has shifted away from a focus solely on fashion and shopping to include political issues, it doesn’t seem to hold itself to professional journalistic standards: last week, Teen Vogue conducted and published an interview which included information that the publication admitted it could not verify. (“Taylor Swift Parody Fan Account Creator Says She Submitted Tweets From Inside an Israeli Military Prison,” April 3, 2019.)

A PFLP-endorsed Palestinian leader seems only person @radionz could find to speak on #IsraelElections2019. No attempt by @GuyonEspiner to challenge Mustafa Barghouti's repeated lies, distorted analysis, nor Qs on lack of democracy in PA.@HonestReporting https://t.co/cPsVC3DhY2
— Israel Institute of NZ (@IsraelInstNZ) April 12, 2019

‘Star’ actress Jude Demorest says Israel visit ‘reaffirmed’ her Christian faith

It’s been a “reaffirming” few days for Fox TV star Jude Demorest, currently in Israel with her baby, Judah, mother and a friend.

“It’s been very powerful and inspiring,” said Demorest, who spent Friday touring Jerusalem’s Old City, visiting “a lot of tunnels,” seeing a “lot of history.”

The actress said she was overwhelmed by visiting the Western Wall and the tunnels underneath, “that little pocket inside the tunnel,” seeing the “origins of what we all are.”

Demorest plays the title character in “Star,” a Fox TV drama about a young teenage runaway (played by Demorest) that is rated the second highest drama on the network.

She is also a devout Christian, “as committed as an adult to Christianity as when I was a child,” said Demorest, who is in Israel as a guest of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage and America’s Voices in Israel.

“Being a Christian, I’ve been waiting to understand what it was that Jesus was seeing and feeling,” said Demorest.

Israel sends team to help battle Ethiopian mountain blaze

Israel on Saturday dispatched a team of firefighters to help squelch a blaze raging in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountain range.

The delegation, which landed in Addis Ababa Sunday morning, consists of 11 firefighters and rescue officials, including an expert in aerial firefighting, according to Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service and the Foreign Ministry.

It is being led by Zion Shenkar, who was born in Ethiopia and was the Israel Defense Force’s first-ever battalion commander from the Ethiopian community.

The Foreign Ministry said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the team be assembled after receiving a request for aid by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during a conversation Friday.

The Simien Mountain fire has been burning for several days, and is the second major fire to strike the lush highlands in the country’s north in two weeks.

The mountains are near the city of Gondar, home to most of Ethiopia’s remaining Jewish community.

Emotional: Israeli anthem played at funeral of Michel Bacos, Captain of Air France flight that was hijacked to Entebbe in 1976 by Palestinian terrorists.

He stayed with the Jewish hostages, and refused to leave them.

The Israeli anthem was played at his request. pic.twitter.com/5iHOv5Ek8y
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) April 13, 2019

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