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Tuesday, June 30, 2020

06/30 Links Pt2: The ADL’s Disgrace; Fox Channel Scraps Live Broadcast of Speech by Louis Farrakhan Following Outcry; 2,500-year-old seals may show Jews rebuilding Jerusalem after 1st Temple exile

From Ian:
The ADL’s Disgrace
It’s hard to think of a more prominent anti-Semite in American public life over the last 30 years than the Rev. Al Sharpton. Louis Farrakhan may give him a run for his money, but the leader of the so called Nation of Islam remains a pariah—Barack Obama was photographed with him once, in 2005, and never made that mistake again.

Sharpton is a different story. He has never apologized for leading a pogrom against the Jews of Brooklyn that marked the worst outburst of anti-Semitic violence in modern American history, but despite all that, or perhaps because of it, has laundered himself into an elder statesman and star television host whose endorsement ambitious Democratic politicians must now seek.

Look no further than MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who personally introduced a resolution condemning Sharpton’s "racist and anti-Semitic views" in his previous life as a Republican congressman. In his present life as a Trump-hating MSNBC host who has toyed with a presidential run, Scarborough celebrates Sharpton’s moral clarity about Facebook.

We never thought we’d see Sharpton embraced by Jews, but that’s what’s transpiring now as the Anti-Defamation League strays onto the Reverend’s turf—leading a boycott campaign against one of the most successful Jewish-owned businesses in the world. Its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, has tapped Sharpton as a partner in a political project to police objectionable speech that both are trying to cast as a modern civil rights issue.

Sharpton has come a long way. So has the ADL.

As Crown Heights burned, the organization had no trouble identifying Sharpton as an enemy of the Jewish people. "Anti-Semitism is all over the place in Crown Heights," the ADL’s then-director, Abraham Foxman, told the New York Times in August 1991. "It is ugly, it is crude, it is classical and it is deadly. And the fact that it is American and it is black should not make it invisible or tolerable."
New Fox Streaming Channel Scraps Scheduled Live Broadcast of Speech by Louis Farrakhan Following Outcry
A new Fox Broadcasting Company streaming channel canceled on Monday a scheduled live feed of an address by antisemitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan after facing a torrent of criticism.

Fox Soul — which is geared toward African Americans — advertised the July 4 speech under the title “The Criterion: The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan Speaks Live,” but soon after removed the ad from Twitter.

Following the widespread outcry, Fox Soul tweeted later on Monday that the Farrakhan speech would not be aired.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center had called for the broadcast to be scrapped, recalling, “Since the 1980s, Louis Farrakhan has denigrated the Jewish people, Judaism, and the Jewish State, members of the LGBT community, the United States of America, and entertainment leaders from Hollywood.”

It called Farrakhan “a demagogue and divider at a time when all Americans need to hear messages of unity and hope.”

“We urge Fox Television Network to cancel the speech by a person who has spent his adult life spitting on everything July 4th stands for,” they concluded.
Sanders signs AOC letter calling for aid cuts if Israel annexes in West Bank
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders joined four House Democrats on Tuesday in calling for the United States to cut or withhold aid from Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carries out his plan to annex parts of the West Bank or enacts policies to facilitate an eventual annexation, according to a source familiar with the matter.

A new letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urges the reductions to the $3.8 billion in annual American assistance to Israel if Jerusalem moves to unilaterally extend its sovereignty to West Bank territory.

The letter was orchestrated by the progressive powerhouse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and has thus far also been signed by Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Washington state Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Minnesota Congresseoman Betty McCollum.

Sanders’s signature adds new weight to the missive as Ocasio-Cortez continues to circulate it among liberal lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in an effort to gain more supporters.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, left, testifies before the House Oversight Committee on July 12, 2019 (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

“Should the Israeli government move forward with the planned annexation with this administration’s acquiescence, we will work to ensure non-recognition as well as pursue conditions on the $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel, including human rights conditions and withholding funds for the off-shore procurement of Israeli weapons equal to or exceeding the amount the Israeli government spends annually to fund settlements, as well as the policies and practices that sustain and enable them,” a draft of the letter says, according to a copy obtained by Jewish Insider.

The current level of US military assistance to the Jewish state was solidified in a 2016 memorandum of understanding between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government — roughly $38 billion over 10 years.



Anti-Fascism and the University
Michael Roth, a longtime president of Wesleyan University, is not one to bow to political pressure. He leads a university whose brand is emphatically left-wing. But in 2013, when the American Studies Association pledged allegiance to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel, Roth said that the boycott was “a repugnant attack on academic freedom.” Many university presidents rejected the boycott. But Roth’s rejection stood out for its clarity and force.

So when Roth opines that higher education has a special duty to “step up” as “anti-fascist,” I assume he means it. That’s unfortunate because, as noble as it sounds, the idea that universities should oppose fascism in the way Roth suggests is corrosive.

What does Roth mean by anti-fascist? Fascism, he argues, varies in character but shares some “core ingredients.” It “promises the return to a mythic greatness and an escape from the corrupt, weak and feminized present.” It “creates an enemy or a scapegoat whose elimination or domination will allow for those true, full members of society to thrive.” It “attacks ideas, science and education in the name of a deeper, pure belonging.” Let’s stipulate to Roth’s characterization. Being anti-fascist, then, means actively opposing fascism so understood, and not, as Roth makes clear, joining the antifa movement.

Universities, when they stick to their principles, are naturally inhospitable to fascism. In principle, university communities are distinguished by their willingness to follow arguments where they lead and to be ruled by the better argument. Without being closed to the value of myths, they aren’t friends of the “mythic.” In principle, university environments welcome inquirers of every kind. They aren’t friends of scapegoaters. In principle, universities are homes of science and education. Without being closed to the possibility that science does harm, they aren’t friends of the enemies of science. If, as the philosopher Jason Stanley has said, fascist politics is about “smashing truth and replacing it with power” universities, as friends of the truth, stand against fascism when they go about their business.

But when Roth says that universities should be antifascist, he means more than that. Now is no time to support “free inquiry and expression in the abstract” because “peaceful protesters are being beaten and gassed.” We “need to do more.”




ISIS Wins Left-Wing Support After Changing Name to Anti-ISIS (satire)
slamic terror group ISIS has seen a surge in popularity, particularly among left-leaning millennials, after officially changing its name to “Anti-ISIS.”

The group emphasized that it has not altered its mission or ideology and will continue to inflict mass casualty attacks on innocent civilians, primarily in the Muslim World. But calling itself Anti-ISIS has allowed the group to frame all its opponents as ISIS supporters.

“Why does that infidel Donald Trump keep dropping bombs on us, Anti-ISIS?” the leader of the terror group asked at a recent press conference. “Isn’t being anti-ISIS good? I guess he must support ISIS.”

Terrorists from the group said they were inspired by the success of their American counterpart Antifa, whose violent attacks against journalists, elderly and disabled people, and other civilians have been excused because their name literally means “anti-fascist.”

“I never thought Americans were dumb enough to embrace a violent nihilist group simply because they liked their name,” Anti-ISIS leader Amir Muhammad al-Mawla told The Mideast Beast. “I am very happy to say that I was wrong.”








Sarsour: Jamaal Bowman should follow orders from The Squad
During an Instagram live session with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) yesterday, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour called on Jamaal Bowman, who currently leads Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) in last week’s Democratic primary in New York’s 16th district, to follow the legislative priorities of ‘The Squad’ — the group of progressive representatives comprised of Tlaib, Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) — with “no questions asked.”

“We told him, when you get to Congress he has very special instructions,” Sarsour said of Bowman. “You’re following four women of color there. When Rashida, Ilhan, AOC and Ayanna tell you to do something, no questions asked, you do what they say,” Sarsour said added while Tlaib chuckled.

Rebecca Katz, a spokeswoman for Bowman, told JI that Bowman “plans to work alongside the members of the Squad and all his colleagues.” Katz added: “As you will soon see, he will definitely ask plenty of questions.”

A subsequent post on Sarsour’s Instagram Sunday afternoon included a fundraising appeal on behalf of Tlaib, who is facing a serious challenge in her August 4 primary. Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones, who narrowly lost to Tlaib in 2018, is gaining in the polls on the incumbent.
Could Ann Arbor voters pick a worse choice than Mozhgan Savabieasfahani for Ward 4?
Could Ann Arbor voters possibly pick a worse choice than Mozhgan Savabieasfahani for Ward 4?

If you lived in Ann Arbor, a leafy enclave in Michigan, you might be concerned about the cost of housing, or the deteriorating infrastructure. You might want to elect representative to the City Council with a commitment to fix "the damn roads".

Or not.

Mozhgan Savabieasfahani is hoping what motivates Ward 4 voters is local involvement in an intractable foreign conflict thousands of miles away from Michigan. She is running for Ann Arbor City Council on a "Divest from Israel platform"
Mozhgan Savabieasfahani , Candidate for Ann Arbor City Council

Savabieasfahani is no stranger to activist politics. Her facebook page is full of the language of demonization and dehumanization as she urges her followers to boycott Israeli "butchers"

Most alarming, Mozhgan Savabieasfahani is part of a contingent that has been harassing members of a local synagogue every Shabbat, when they go to pray. Much of the signage is unabashedly anti-Semitic.

The harassment has been going on for years, but was given wider attention when the Lawfare Project filed a lawsuit against the City, and the protesters. The plaintiffs are Beth Israel Congregation member Marvin Gerber and Ann Arbor resident Dr. Miriam Brysk, a Holocaust survivor.

Brooke Goldstein, Executive Director of The Lawfare Project described the situation:
"The City of Ann Arbor has completely abdicated its responsibility to protect the Jewish community from targeted, racist harassment at the hands of these protesters. There are few greater civil rights violations than impeding the free exercise of worship and assembly, and we are here to demand the city hold the protestors accountable under existing federal, state, and local laws."
Iowa’s Randy Feenstra Seeks to Bring Pragmatic Conservatism, Support for Israel to Congress
Iowa state Sen. Randy Feenstra defeated longtime Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on June 2 in the Republican primary in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.

Leading up to the election, King had made numerous remarks perceived to be bigoted, including inflammatory rhetoric condoning white supremacists and antisemites. These remarks, as well as similar ones over the years, were widely denounced by the American Jewish community, including conservative Jewish groups.

Last year, King lost his committee assignments and was heavily criticized in a resolution passed in the US House of Representatives that called him out by name after he asked how the term “white supremacist” was offensive.

Given King’s history, the Republican Jewish Coalition took the rare step and endorsed Feenstra against a sitting GOP incumbent.

In the lead up to the primary, Feenstra touted his conservative record and received key endorsements from social conservatives, pro-life groups and the US Chamber of Commerce. He also has an “A” rating by the NRA. Feenstra, who proudly noted his involvement in passing anti-BDS legislation in the Iowa state legislature in 2016, is looking to get back to basics and to bring an effective conservative agenda, Iowa values and strong support for Israel, to Washington.
‘I Don’t Want Labour and Antisemitism in Same Sentence Ever Again,’ Starmer Says
In a television appearance on Monday, UK Labour leader Keir Starmer defended his decision last week to fire a top party official who tweeted and praised an interview with a British actress who claimed that Israel was responsible for police brutality against minorities in the US — an assertion Starmer described as an “antisemitic conspiracy theory.”

In an interview on the “Good Morning Britain” program, Starmer referred to the ousting of Shadow Education Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, saying, “I don’t want the Labour party and antisemitism in the same sentence ever again.”

Under Starmer’s predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour was plagued by antisemitism scandals, some involving Corbyn himself.

Starmer replaced Corbyn in April, in the aftermath of Labour’s resounding electoral defeat last December.
Labour’s Nia Griffith says defenders of Rebecca Long-Bailey are guilty of antisemitism while Claudia Webbe won’t say whether the conspiracy theory was antisemitic or not
Labour’s Nia Griffith has said that defenders of Rebecca Long-Bailey are guilty of antisemitism while her colleague, Claudia Webbe, has refused to say whether she believes that the conspiracy theory publicised by Ms Long-Bailey was antisemitic or not.

Ms Long-Bailey was sacked from the Shadow Cabinet last week for sharing an article in The Independent in which the actress Maxine Peake promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Israel was somehow to blame for the racist killing of George Floyd. Far-left factions of the Labour Party, including MPs have rallied to Ms Long-Bailey’s defence.

Ms Griffith, the Shadow Welsh Secretary, when asked whether MPs who supported Ms Long-Bailey were themselves guilty of antisemitism, replied: “Well I think they are and I think they’re also in danger of going backwards and going back over old arguments and old mistakes because what we need now is clear, decisive action to make sure that we root out antisemitism in the party.”

Among those defending Ms Long-Bailey are John McDonnell, the former Shadow Chancellor who launched a petition calling for Ms Long-Bailey’s reinstatement, and other MPs such as Claudia Webbe.

Ms Webbe appeared on BBC radio and was asked whether she believed that the conspiracy theory that appeared in the article shared by Ms Long-Bailey was antisemitic but refused to answer. “Was it antisemitic or not?” the host, Emma Barnett, asked at least four times, and Ms Webbe responded that “the leader himself has said that he didn’t fire Rebecca because she did something antisemitic,” an erroneous assertion that was quickly corrected by Ms Barnett. Ms Webbe refused to be drawn on whether the conspiracy theory was antisemitic, saying only “I’ve given you my answer,” “you’re not actually going to get any further from me” and “the conspiracy theory is wrong. Of course it’s wrong…I do know that it is a conspiracy theory absolutely.”

Ken Livingstone, who was suspended from Labour for comments about Hitler and Zionism, has also maintained, even following Ms Long-Bailey’s dismissal, that there is no antisemitism problem in the Party. Ms Webbe used to serve as a full-time advisor to Mr Livingstone.
CAA urges BBC to ban Maxine Peake until she makes amends for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theory
Campaign Against Antisemitism has called on the BBC to ban Maxine Peake for appearances on its television and radio platforms until she makes amends for promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

Ms Peake is reported in The Independent to have said: “The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services.” Rebecca Long-Bailey MP subsequently shared the article and was consequently sacked from the Shadow Cabinet.

Ms Peake subsequently said for promoting the notion that Israel is to blame for the racist killing of George Floyd, saying: “I feel it’s important for me to clarify that, when talking to The Independent, I was inaccurate in my assumption of American Police training & its sources. I find racism & antisemitism abhorrent & I in no way wished, nor intended, to add fodder to any views of the contrary.”

However, Ms Peake did not apologise.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Sir Keir Starmer has shown leadership by sacking a senior frontbencher for sharing Maxine Peake’s antisemitic conspiracy theory. The BBC should follow suit and end its work with Maxine Peake until she formally apologises for promoting an antisemitic trope and agrees to undertake antisemitism training. Her mealy-mouthed ‘clarification’ is not enough. If the BBC fails to act after having taken strong action against some of its own presenters for racial comments against other minorities, the public will rightly conclude that it has a double standard when it comes to antisemitism.”
UT Professor: ‘I Despise the Israelis,’ ‘#CatholicismMustDie’
An adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin whose salary is funded by taxpayer dollars launched a tirade on Twitter this weekend, in which he articulated a desire for Israel to be destroyed and for Catholicism to “die.”

First reported by the Young America’s Foundation, Spencer Wells was challenged by another user on his support for Iran bombing Israel and then launched into the hateful attack.

As YAF reported:
“After being questioned by a Twitter user if he was using sarcasm when encouraging Iran to bomb Israel, Spencer Wells replied: ‘Nope – I despise the Israelis. If you want to see the post-apocalyptic vision of what Apartheid in South Africa would have looked like in 2020, visit Israel. The Palestinians have suffered for far too long – bomb it until the sand turns to glass…'”

Wells also tweeted “F*** the Catholic Church” and an article detailing “10 Secrets the Catholic Church Hopes You’ve Forgotten,” with the hashtag #CatholicismMustDie.

According to his bio, Wells is a geneticist, anthropologist, author, entrepreneur, adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and owner of Antone’s, an iconic nightclub in Austin, Texas. (h/t jzaik)
Profs to America and Israel: Burn, baby, burn!
“We are witnessing right now in the United States one of the most remarkable uprisings of black people against the structural regime of racial domination,” exclaimed Rutgers University law professor Noura Erakat. In a June 3 Arab Center Washington, D.C. (ACW) webinar alongside the equally extreme Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, this Palestinian-American academic duo drew on the intellectually vacuous rage of “intersectionality,” and the cult of victimhood it supports to connect America’s and Israel’s supposed sins. Along with five other panelists addressing the webinar’s topic, “The Threat of Israeli Annexation: Regional and International Implications,” the pair denounced America and Israel as allied imperialists.

Erakat’s family has a history of hostility towards Israel. She is the niece of PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat. Earlier this week her cousin, Ahmed Erekat, was killed by Israeli border guards at a checkpoint after a car-ramming terrorist attack in which he swerved, accelerated his car at a checkpoint and struck a guard, sending her flying through the air and leaving her with minor injuries. A video he made at some point before the attack shows a distraught Erekat (Campus Watch independently confirmed the translation) insisting he never betrayed his country, i.e., wasn’t a collaborator with the Israelis, that he had “degraded his parents and himself,” and that his “cowardice had driven him to this place,” meaning apparently suicide by police via his attack.

Despite this evidence, Noura Erakat went on the offensive, blaming Israelis for their “vicious, dangerous and disgusting allegations that this was a car-ramming,” calling it an “execution.” She claimed that “Israeli cowards” shot him and allowed Ahmed to “bleed out,” rather than render assistance (Israel denied the charge). “You lie. You kill. You lie,” she wrote; “the only terrorists” are the Israeli border guards who were attacked.

During her presentation, Erakat’s hatred for the West was equally clear, as she resorted to hackneyed leftist tropes about the American “empire” and “its colonies” even as looters nationwide destroyed productive free enterprises, often owned by minorities. America’s current rainbow coalition of rioters is thus “emblematic of a racial capitalist system that is built on settler-colonialism, which affirms once again the international nature of the black freedom struggle.”
Re-exposing Mel Gibson’s Antisemitic Hate
Gibson’s extremist Catholic doctrine of hatred was evident in his film The Passion of the Christ. A nun who attended the clergy screening with me called it “a Jesus snuff film,” with the Jews in a strong supporting role directly responsible for the torture and crucifixion of Jesus. Even the Vatican denounced this interpretation, which had served as the basis for centuries of persecution of Jews by Christians.

Shortly afterwards, Rob Reiner invited me to his home to address a group at a screening of the film. A non-Jewish high-end carpenter pulled me aside later that night, and said, “Rabbi, I built Gibson’s library and at the end of a working day, he would sit me down for a drink. After imbibing four or five drinks, he would begin with his F*ng Jews rants. It made me extremely uncomfortable and I wanted to share this experience with you .”

On rare occasions, you can convert a truly repentant antisemite into an ally in the battle against hatred and bigotry. With Gibson, there was never a chance of that happening. One is left wondering why his friends in the industry won’t confront him on his bigotry. One also wonders why black Muslim celebrities and athletes won’t condemn another vicious antisemite, Louis Farrakhan. Ignorance as displayed by Chelsea Handler and others is no excuse, and failure to call out hate is unacceptable — especially these days.
Actress Emmy Rossum Calls Out Antisemitism in Hollywood, Amid Latest Mel Gibson Controversy
Jewish actress and “Shameless” star Emmy Rossum posted a Twitter thread earlier this week about antisemitism in the film industry, prompted by the latest controversy involving Mel Gibson.

The Golden Globe nominee, 33, shared an article about Jewish actress Winona Ryder’s claim in a recent interview that at a party in the 1990s Gibson called her an “oven dodger,” a clear reference to the crematoria at Nazi concentration camps during World War II, and told her friend who was gay, “Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?”

Gibson denied the allegations.

Rossum — whose mother is of Russian-Jewish descent — commented, “This stirred up a lot for me in a time when I’m already pretty stirred. It’s disgusting. It’s sad. And yet not a surprising or unique experiece [sic] of the white supremacy and bigotry that pervades our country and industry at all.”

The “Phantom of the Opera” star then shared her own experiences with antisemitism in Hollywood.

“On multiple occasions I’ve had people — both in the industry and not — be surprised to learn that I’m Jewish. They usually react with “Oh! Wow. You don’t really LOOK Jewish,'” she wrote. “And when I offer no response and let the statement linger they continue with some kind of defensive qualifier like ‘I mean that in a GOOD way! As if ‘looking Jewish’ — whatever that means to them — is something I should want to avoid. This makes me sick.”
Antisemitic French ‘Pseudo-Comedian’ Dieudonné Booted From YouTube for Racist Content
Antisemitic French comedian Dieudonné Mbala Mbala’s channel on YouTube was abruptly closed down on Tuesday morning as part of the online video platform’s effort to remove racist content.

A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, told the news agency AFP that Dieudonné’s channel had been deleted due to his “repeated violations of our YouTube community policies.”

The comedian’s channel was one of “more than 25,000 channels violating hate speech rules” shut down by the platform over the last 24 hours.

Banned from the UK, Canada and Belgium among other countries, Dieudonné has been convicted numerous times in France for violating laws against hate speech and Holocaust denial.

In 2013, he suggested that a prominent Jewish journalist belonged in a “gas chamber,” which brought him a fine of $24,000.

Two years later, Dieudonné was hit with a seven-year suspended prison sentence and a $106,000 fine for a Facebook post in which he expressed sympathy with the Islamist terrorist who murdered four Jews in a kosher supermarket in Paris in January 2015.

In July 2019, he was fined 200,000 Euros and handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion.

One of Dieudonné songs, titled “Shoananas” — a word that combines “Shoah,” the Hebrew word for “Holocaust,” with “ananas,” the French word for “pineapple” — pokes fun at the six million Jewish victims of the Nazis. The comedian is arguably best known for inventing the “quenelle” — an inverted Nazi salute that went viral in 2013.
BBC’s Knell fails to challenge the PA on decision affecting healthcare
Significantly, listeners were not informed that as yet no “plans” concerning what the BBC chooses to term ‘annexation’ have been made public.

As we have noted on previous occasions, the BBC has a history of ignoring stories which explain the need for security checks before permits are given to residents of the Gaza Strip to travel to or through Israel for the purpose of medical treatment. Knell made no effort to make up for that gap in BBC audience knowledge.

Notably, Yolande Knell did not interview Mahmoud Abbas or any of the other Palestinian officials responsible for the decision to harm only their own citizens by cutting off cooperation on medical issues, ostensibly as a way of protesting an Israeli action which has not yet taken place.

Instead – despite the fact that there has been no change at all in Israel’s approach – she echoed a campaign organised by assorted political NGOs by implying that Israel is also responsible for the failure of patients to receive medical treatment.

While it is obviously beneficial to BBC audiences that the BBC has finally shown some interest in at least one consequence of the Palestinian Authority’s decision to end “all agreements” with Israel, their understanding of the story would of course have been improved had Yolande Knell spoken to those responsible for the situation rather than just helpless patients and hospital staff.
Bateman’s ‘annexation’ road trip reveals nothing new to BBC audiences
Bateman refrains from informing readers that Givat Eitam – which lies within the jurisdiction of the Efrat local council – includes land owned by the Jewish National Fund subsidiary Himanuta as well as state land. Contrary to Bateman’s claim that “judges are due to rule”, various Hebrew media outlets reported in early May that the ruling has already been given.

Bateman recycles the ‘apartheid’ smear already seen in a previous BBC report.

“The Palestinian leadership, along with almost 50 experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, say this would formalise a system of “apartheid” in the West Bank – two peoples ruled by one state in the same space with unequal rights.”

Bateman’s road trip includes a press conference in Ramallah and readers get an extensive view of the Palestinian Authority prime minister’s stance. In addition to the headline portraying “Palestinians in despair”, readers are told that “[t]he Palestinians are defiant” but with the exception of the farmer from Artas, readers hear nothing of the views of ordinary Palestinians which may or may not support Bateman’s descriptions.

Tom Bateman’s account of his road trip does not provide readers with any new insights into the topic that the BBC has been pushing for almost a month and a half. The fact that audiences have not been given an objective and accurate account of the history of the region where Israeli civilian law may or may not be applied in the future in all that time indicates that the BBC is far more interested in promoting a chosen political narrative than in meeting the requirements of its public purposes.
David Irving - Can you trust ANYTHING he wrote?
Can you trust ANYTHING that David Irving wrote? In 1996, David Irving sued Deborah Lipstadt for libel (in the "Irving vs Penguin Books Ltd" trial) because Deborah Lipstadt had said Irving was a Holocaust Denier. Historian Richard Evans was called upon as an expert witness, and he examined Irving's works for two years, discovering many major factual errors in David Irving's works. Richard Evans came to the conclusion that Irving cannot even be classed as a 'historian', and says "not one sentence" in any of his speeches or written works can be trusted. Richard Evan's "Telling Lies About Hitler" presents a solid case against David Irving that casts serious doubt about every 'historical' text that Irving wrote, and this video presents 3 examples from Evan's brilliant book (this video is not a sponsored video, I genuinely think Evan's book is brilliant and you should get yourself a copy) that really should make you question the opinions of those who still promote Irving's works. (h/t MtTB)


Lithuanian Lawmakers Honor Perpetrator of Holocaust Pogrom
Lithuanian lawmakers want to make 2021 the year of Juozas Luksa-Daumantas - a nationalist accused of participating in a Holocaust-era massacre of Jews.

Witnesses placed Luksa-Daumantas, a leader of the pro-Nazi Lithuanian Activist Front militia during World War II, at the 1941 Lietukis Garage massacre in Kaunas, where locals tortured and beat to death dozens of Jews.

Luksa-Daumantas was killed in 1951 by Soviet security services.
Celebrity Chef Pete Evans praises conspiracy theorist and Holocaust denier David Icke - calling the personality's views 'enlightening' after interviewing him
Celebrity chef Pete Evans has thrown his support behind notorious conspiracy theorist and Holocaust denier David Icke.

Evans, 47, who himself is an anti-vaxxer and hoax peddler, interviewed the British author, 68, on Monday for an upcoming episode of his controversial podcast, Evolve With Pete Evans.

Promoting the interview via his Instagram on Monday night, Evans wrote: 'Just finished a 2 hour podcast with @davidickeofficial. Thank you David for a stimulating and enlightening heart opening conversation into the realm of infinite possibilities.'

Icke is known for his bizarre conspiracy theories such as claims the world is run by shape-shifting alien reptiles, that the moon isn't real and that the Jews bankrolled Hitler.

It is not suggested that Pete Evans endorses the views of David Icke relating to Holocaust denial.

Icke was banned from YouTube in May for making dangerous and unproven claims about COVID-19, including suggesting that the virus is linked to the 5G mobile network.
‘Urine-selfie’ startup Healthy.io buys US competitor for $9 million
Israeli startup Healthy.io, a maker of an FDA-approved smartphone app that allows users to take urine analysis tests at home, has acquired US competitor inui Health for $9 million to “cement its leading position in the market” and increase its presence in the US.

In a blog post announcing the acquisition, Yonatan Adiri, the founder and CEO of the Tel Aviv-based firm, said that six years after its founding, the “Middle Eastern ‘Technology Camel’ is acquiring “a company from the valley of unicorns,” referring to Silicon-Valley based inui Health.

“inui Health has been working towards the same vision, back when routine home urine testing sounded crazy,” Adiri wrote. “Integrating the IP and know-how of the only other company to receive a Class II FDA clearance in our field will cement our leading position in the market, and will help us accelerate our ability to serve US patients.”

Healthy.io uses image recognition and artificial intelligence technologies to transform a smartphone camera into a scanner, to analyze urine test strips with clinical-grade precision. The firm was the first in the world to win US Food and Drug Administration approval for a smartphone camera used as a medical device that compares with a lab scanner.

Urine is the second most frequently conducted diagnostic test in the world. People around the world who need to get their urine tested — among which are pregnant women, diabetics and people with high blood pressure — generally need to go to a lab, pee in a cup, and hand in the sample to a nurse. The nurse dips a stick into the urine and scans it in a designated device that performs the analysis. The results are provided hours later to the doctor or the patient.
What shall we print for dinner? Startup unveils 3D-printed juicy vegan steaks
An Israeli startup, Redefine Meat, unveiled Tuesday what it said was the world’s first plant-based steak created using industrial 3D-printing and said it will start testing the alt-beef cuts at high-end restaurants in Israel as soon as next month, followed by marketing in Israel and elsewhere.

“We are actually printing steaks,” said Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, who set up the company, formerly known as Jet Eat, in 2018. “We have a product. It is something we are doing already in large amounts.”

The product fully replicates the muscle structure of beef. It is high-protein, no-cholesterol and looks, cooks, feels and tastes like beef.

“Today’s announcement marks the start of a new era in alternative meat – the alt-steak era,” Ben-Shitrit said.

The firm recently hosted Israeli chef Assaf Granit at its offices for a tasting. The chef said, in a video for The Great Big Jewish Food Festival, that eight out of ten people wouldn’t know the difference between real meat and the alt-meat produced by the company, and that the flavor of one of his recipes made with the Redefine Meat product was “almost identical” to the original.

The global meat substitute market is expected to reach $8.1 billion by 2026, according to data firm Allied Market Research.
Israeli Farmers Turn to Owls for Natural Pest Control


Carl Reiner, Jewish American comedy great, dead at 98
Carl Reiner, the legendary Jewish-American comedy producer/writer/director/actor who created The Dick Van Dyke Show, movies such as The Jerk and the comedy skit, “The 2000 Year Old Man,” passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California on Monday night at the age of 98, according to Variety.

Reiner, whose career began before World War II and continued to his last moments, set the standard for the Jewish-inflected humor that reshaped Hollywood and influenced all of American society. In one way or another, his Jewish identity was always an integral part of his work.

And, as the father of director/actor Rob Reiner, he was the patriarch of a comedic dynasty.

An enthusiastic Twitter user who posted several tweets on his last day on Earth, he regularly weighed in on the issues of the day or anything that piqued his interest.

His passing was mourned by a diverse group of luminaries on Twitter, including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Natasha Lyonne, Mitzi Gaynor, Mel Brooks’ son Max Brooks, Dan Rather, Bill Kristol, Josh Gad, Ed Asner, Joy Behar, Alan Alda, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and David Simon.
When in Rome Israel’s national library to help catalog 35,000 Hebrew books in Italy
The National Library of Israel is taking part in I-Tal-Ya Books, a new effort to create a unified listing of all Hebrew books in Italy.

The initiative, which will catalog some 35,000 books, is a collaborative effort by The Union of Jewish Communities in Italy, the Rome National Central Library, and the National Library of Israel. It is supported by the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe.

According to the National Library of Israel, there have been Jewish communities in Italy for more than two millennia, and they have played a critical role in global Jewish history, particularly as a significant center for manuscript production and printing.

Italy is home to thousands of uncatalogued rare Hebrew books, dating back hundreds of years. They are found among collections belonging to local Jewish communities, as well as in libraries owned by the state, the Italian Church Institutions, and the Vatican.

Until now, there has been no single integrated and standardized listing of the holdings, making it difficult for scholars and historians to find books.

The I-TAL-YA BOOKS initiative will ensure the protection and preservation of the books, using technology developed specifically for the project. The Union of Jewish Communities in Italy will oversee the project, with the Rome National Central Library hosting the catalog, and the National Library of Israel providing the relevant training, support and expertise related to Hebrew books.
2,500-year-old seals may show Jews rebuilding Jerusalem after 1st Temple exile
Rare evidence of when and how Jerusalem was resettled after the Babylonian exile of 586 BCE has been discovered in an excavation in the City of David, just outside the Old City walls.

The two recent discoveries in an ongoing excavation in the Givati parking lot — a clay “official” seal impression and a strange DIY pottery sherd seal with fake writing — help illuminate the enigma that is 6th century BCE Jerusalem history. There are only 10 other similar artifacts discovered in Israel that date to the Persian period (circa 536 BCE-333 BCE).

“The Persian period is a black hole in archaeology,” Israel Antiquities Authority’s Dr. Yiftah Shalev told The Times of Israel on Tuesday. “Every time we find something, it’s like lighting a new candle — it gives a new light.”

Whereas the seal impression is made in an official imperial style, perhaps depicting a god, the crude clay seal is locally made, presumably by an illiterate underling. Combined, said Shalev, the seal and seal impression illustrate all levels of officialdom in the reviving city. They indicate, he added, that after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews, Jerusalemites were rebuilding the city, including its bureaucracy, as told in the Bible.

During the Persian period, Jews are traditionally thought to have accomplished a “return to Zion” after the exile that followed the destruction of the First Temple, as depicted in the Biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The twin discoveries were uncovered in what appears to be a sort of shanty camp set up in the courtyard of an earlier Iron Age building destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and filled with two meters of debris.

“We knew there was a bureaucracy during the Persian period,” said Shalev. But the two seals — evidence that officialdom continued in the ruined city — represent “the first time that these things are shown in context in Jerusalem.”

Shalev said they date to the start of the Persian period and illustrate “how people are beginning to rebuild.”
Israel to soon get its first female F-35 pilot
Twenty years after the first woman took to the skies as Israel’s first combat pilot, the Israel Air Force will soon have its first female F-35 pilot, sources have told The Jerusalem Post.

She will reportedly fly in the 116th squadron, nicknamed “Lions of the South,” based out of Nevatim in southern Israel.

Israel was the first to use the F-35 in in a combat arena in 2018, just months after it declared operational capability. And according to foreign reports, Israel continues to use the jet for a range of missions.

By November, the IAF will have 27 F-35i Adir aircraft out of a total of 50 planes set to land in the coming years to make two full squadrons by 2024.

Once she gets her wings, she is expected to fly combat missions along with her fellow IAF pilots.

While there are several female F-35 pilots in the US Air Force, it is believed that she will be only the second woman to fly the advanced 5th-generation stealth fighter jet in combat.

In early June, US Air Force Capt. Emily “Banzai” Thompson made history by becoming the first woman to ever fly the F-35A Lightning II in combat out of Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.

“There’s a lot of females who have come before me, and there’s a lot of females already flying combat sorties in other platforms,” Thompson was quoted by a US Air Force news release as saying. “So just to be the person who gets that honor, that first, it just meant a lot.”

Last week, three women received their wings from IAF Commander Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin, joining a growing list of women who have taken to the skies in Israel’s air force.
Legendary Israeli Musician Performs for IDF's Newest Pilots
Israeli singer-songwriter, Idan Raichel, was joined by the Commander of the "Hatzerim" Base, in a special performance for the new graduates of Israeli Air Force Flight Course 180.

The 40 graduates of the course received their wings on June 25, 2020, after completing the rigorous 3-year-long course. In the course, the new airmen underwent rigorous combat training—which included training with the IDF Paratrooper's Brigade—learned to pilot a variety of aircraft, and attained a Bachelor's degree in one of the optional tracks. These new graduates are prepared to defend Israel's skies!


We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

Posters for tomorrow’s Day of Rage (including in the US)

In Gaza, it will be “massive.”

dor1

In Madrid, they helpfully point out that they aren’t just against “annexation” but Zionism and Israel altogether.

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In Los Angeles, the Jewish community is nervous that the protest will spread into rioting through the Jewish community. Notice it says “Zionist consulate.”

 

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In Chicago, one of the sponsors is the Palestinian American Council, whose webpages do not have that logo.

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Looking at that logo closer, it shows Israel not existing and “Palestine” is the flagpole for an American flag. The implication is that the destruction of Israel is a patriotic act.

zac

 

Because we know how pro-America Palestinians are.

I somehow don’t think that the Palestinian American Council was upset when Abbas didn’t accept a phone call from the US vice president – or when Palestinians burn American flags.

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More DAYS of RAGE coming!

I wrote last night that Wednesday is supposed to be a “Day of Rage” for Palestinians as a response to Israel extending its laws over parts of Judea and Samaria.

Now the Islamic Movement in Jordan is calling for another “Day of Rage” on Friday for Muslims worldwide.

In Gaza yesterday, there was a demonstration against the so-called “annexation”  sponsored by Fatah. The turnout was a bit underwhelming.

safa

 

The Arab street – and even the Palestinian street - really doesn’t give a damn about the issue.

06/30 Links Pt1: Willful Blindness and the Mistake of Underestimation: The Oslo Gamble; Nikki Haley: IMF is angling to undermine US sanctions against Iran

From Ian:
Willful Blindness and the Mistake of Underestimation: The Oslo Gamble
During the last half-century, several reputable scholars and defense professionals have devoted careful attention to the world view and aspirations of the Palestinian Arabs. Working independently, these researchers described the strategic goals of the Palestine Liberation Organization and exposed the widespread denial of their importance.

The PLO program has never been a secret. The destruction of the State of Israel and the pursuit of the "armed struggle" has been its main goal since its founding in 1964. Despite having adopted a facade which has lent them a veneer of respectability, terror and violence have constantly remained a part of their program. Proof of this may be found in the well-publicized program of the PA to subsidize terrorists who have committed violent crimes against civilians. No Jewish (and Israeli) civilians can be innocent and they are considered legitimate targets.

Beyond the failure of the Oslo process to bring peace, there is a broader cultural dimension: how the Israelis view themselves and their place in the world and how official Israel understands its relationship with the Palestinian Arabs.
A settler’s unexpected reason to extend sovereignty
One of the most surprising aspects of the sovereignty debate (or as some prefer, annexing parts of the West Bank) is the opposition shown by many settlers and Israel’s closest friends. While opposition was expected from the left and Israel’s opponents (no, they’re not the same), opposition wasn’t expected from right-wing settlers, centrist scholars, and Israel’s friends in Congress. Settlers fear a Palestinian state that the Trump plan promises, scholars fear the impact of annexation on the war for Israel’s legitimacy, and Israel’s friends in Congress fear, “Unilateral annexation would likely jeopardize Israel’s significant progress on normalization with Arab states at a time when closer cooperation can contribute to countering shared threats, insecurity in Jordan, and that unilateral annexation could create serious problems for Israel with its European friends and other partners around the world.”

When asked why they believe Israel should extend sovereignty, most proponents explain that to build in Judea and Samaria Israelis need permission of the land authority, an extra step of bureaucracy Israelis on the west side of the Green Line don’t suffer. Other proponents say that after 50 years without an Eastern border, it’s time to declare one, and that after years of the two-state solution going nowhere, Israeli and Palestinian leaders unable to even negotiate, it’s time to move in a different direction to end the conflict.

I’m not a representative of the “settler movement,” I’m just one man living in Mitzpe Yericho, with a slightly above-average familiarity with the issues of the conflict and an affinity for truth and justice. I maintain that Israel should extend sovereignty according to the terms of the Trump Plan. Israel should extend its laws to Judea and Samaria because doing so aligns with truth and justice. We’re often too scared to say it, but an honest look at history demonstrates that Judea and Samaria is the heartland of the historic homeland of the Jewish people. This isn’t “just” a religious belief. It is historic fact that Jews lived in these lands, only left because they were forcefully exiled, and yearned to return for 2,000 years.
There is a confusing duality to the Jewish people. We are ancient people who embrace modernity. Our embracing of modernity often confuses people into thinking we aren’t connected to our past. Israeli Zionists are the descendants of the ancient Jews who lived in these lands. We might wear suits and lab coats today, but we used to look just like the Bedouins who are my neighbors today. Progressives dedicated to everyone’s truth but that of the Jews, tend to restart the clock a few hundred years ago and declare that the “West Bank” is Palestinian land. Only moral gymnastics and historical revisionism can stand by that claim. Liberals who stand for human rights should be standing with the Jewish people’s just claim to these lands. Ease of building, setting forth a realistic future by determining final borders and instituting civil law for both Israelis and Palestinians are good reasons to extend sovereignty. But truth and justice of returning the land to its ancestral people is the ultimate reason that Israeli sovereignty should be extended to Judea and Samaria.



Netanyahu indicates delay in annexation date after meeting with US envoys
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday with US Ambassador David Friedman and special Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz, a day ahead of his self-imposed date for beginning to annex West Bank lands under an American peace proposal, and indicated after the meeting that he would miss the July 1 target date.

“I spoke about the question of sovereignty, which we are working on these days and we will continue to work on in the coming days,” Netanyahu said shortly after wrapping up the talks, meaning the groundwork ahead of the move will continue after July 1.

The Times of Israel reported on June 3 that US approval for annexation on July 1 was “highly unlikely.”

Also in attendance were Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin, National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat and the bureau chief of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ronen Peretz, the PMO said in a statement.

The meeting comes as Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz continue to publicly spar over the timing of the annexation plans, with the premier dismissing Gantz’s assertion that it is too early to begin implementing them.

Gantz said Tuesday that Israel needs to move ahead on the Trump plan with “partners” from the region and international backing.

Earlier Tuesday, in a meeting with US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, Netanyahu appeared to mock comments Gantz made during a meeting with the US team on Sunday, in which he said annexation should wait until after the coronavirus pandemic has passed.
Annexation will undermine Israel-EU ties – EU foreign chief to ‘Post’
For many of us in Europe, the relationship with Israel and Palestine is quite personal. For me, for instance, it is a longstanding one. After I finished university in 1969, I worked in a Kibbutz when the State of Israel was still building itself. I travelled all over Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, from Galilee to Eilat and met my first wife in Gal On. This was my first contact with the still lasting Israel-Palestinian conflict. As a European, it reminded me of the often tragic nature of human history and to look for peaceful solutions to conflicts. My family and I came back many times, and in 2005 I spoke before the Knesset as President of the European Parliament, recalling the EU’s commitment to Israel’s security following the second Intifada. At that time, there was still a widely shared sense of hope that, despite the setbacks, a two-state solution was still within reach.

The EU and its Member States have been consistently very active in supporting the two parties towards this goal. We helped build the Palestinian institutions in preparation for statehood, with financial support now reaching more than 600 million Euros a year.

We also understand Israeli concerns and are committed to Israel’s security, which is non-negotiable for us. The EU invests in cooperation that benefits both sides, on issues from counter terrorism to research, from tourism to the environment. We should be looking at ways to nurture this and develop our relations still further.

Once the political process stopped, conflict and entrenching occupation became daily life. In the last years, there has been little progress. But the current status quo does not provide satisfying answers and is no sustainable situation. The hard truth is that only a return to real negotiations can give Israelis and Palestinians what they rightly crave: sustainable peace and security.
The capital of Palestine – just 50 meters from a Jewish neighborhood
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Arieh King reads the “Jerusalem” clauses in the Trump plan, and discovers a tragedy that is being played down.
Included in the “Deal of the Century” plan of the president of the United States, is a plan for the future of Jerusalem. Public attention is less focused on this issue, but when Arieh King, deputy mayor of Jerusalem studies US President Donald Trump’s outline of his plan for the capital of Israel, he is shocked.

According to the plan, the neighborhoods of Shuafat, Kafr Akab, Anata and environs will be designated as the capital of the Palestinian state, which is being planned. King views the concept of delivering these areas as the first stage of a moral – and conceptual – collapse. He totally rejects the argument, often put forward, “We are not there anyway,” adding “We are also not in Umm el-Fahm – but when we want to be there, we are there! Whoever talks about moving any borders of Jerusalem is on a slippery downward slope which will subsequently lead to discussions involving the surrender of more and more territory.”

In his remarks, King emphasizes that this involves handing over sovereign areas of the State of Israel and the political significance is to permit, and consent, to the opening of negotiations relating to anywhere in the country, including the Galilee or the Negev.

“Remember that Likud, and Netanyahu, were initially elected under the slogan ‘Peres will divide Jerusalem.’ It is now becoming clear that the Likud delivered Sinai, Likud supported and participated in the expulsion from Gush Katif and parts of Samaria – today, Likud is already dividing Jerusalem.”


Honest Reporting: Understanding the Annexation
There are times when annexation definitely violates international law. Other times, like when the United States annexed Hawaii and Texas, annexation was widely accepted. The topic of annexation has always been complicated. Today's complex territorial dispute between Israel and the Palestinians is no different.

Watch to learn more about annexation and its possible consequences for Israel and the Palestinians...





Dutch MPs urge list of possible sanctions in response to Israeli annexation
The Dutch parliament on Thursday passed a resolution urging the government to explore possible sanctions against Israel if it goes ahead with its plans to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank.

The resolution calls on the country’s foreign minister to “to identify options of measures possibly to be taken should Israel proceed with annexation of Palestinian territory.”

It passed 87-63 with no abstentions. The People’s Party for Freedom — the slate of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Foreign Minister Stef Blok — opposed the resolution not on substance but because of “timing,” officials said, noting that it was too early for a such a resolution given that Israel had not yet decided if and how it would proceed with annexation.

The non-binding motion called annexation a “gross violation of international law” and noted that the Netherlands has in the past “taken measures against countries that violate international law.”

The German Bundestag is expected to discuss a resolution condemning Jerusalem’s annexation plan as well, though no draft has been presented yet and it is unclear whether the motion would garner a majority. Most German lawmakers, though not all, are opposed to annexation, but are unlikely to call for sanctions against the Jewish state.

Earlier on Tuesday, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, hinted at possible punitive sanctions against Israel as a response to annexation.
Egypt Staying Quiet on Israeli Moves in West Bank
While Egypt has expressed concern over possible moves to extend Israeli law in parts of the West Bank, the Palestinian cause may no longer be the regime's main priority. Balancing numerous crises, the Egyptian government can ill-afford to alienate close allies, especially Israel and the U.S., analysts say.

"There are far more substantial crises facing Egypt today: the coronavirus crisis and its attendant economic consequences, Turkish military intervention on Egypt's longest border [in Libya], the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. All of these crises take priority," said Ofer Winter, who studies Egyptian-Israeli relations at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

"There is widespread sympathy for the Palestinians, and that's not going away....But the importance of the Palestinian cause is no longer the same. It's no longer the Nasser era or the Sadat era," an Egyptian foreign affairs analyst said. If Israel takes steps in the West Bank, Egypt "will keep rehashing all the old diplomatic statements to express their disagreement....But I don't think Netanyahu's relationship with Sissi will be affected."
Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib among 4 Dems calling to cut aid if annexation goes ahead
Four progressive House Democrats have written to the secretary of state calling on the United States to cut assistance to Israel should it proceed to annex parts of the West Bank.

In response, the AIPAC lobby has launched a campaign against the letter initiated by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Betty McCollum of Minnesota.

The letter, AIPAC said Monday on Twitter, “explicitly threatens the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that would damage American interests, risk the security of Israel & make a two-state solution less likely.”

An action alert urged activists from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to contact their representatives to oppose the letter.

The letter to Mike Pompeo is circulating among Democrats in a bid to add signatures.

“Should the Israeli government move forward with the planned annexation with this administration’s acquiescence, we will work to ensure non-recognition as well as pursue conditions on the $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel, including human rights conditions and withholding funds for the off-shore procurement of Israeli weapons equal to or exceeding the amount the Israeli government spends annually to fund settlements, as well as the policies and practices that sustain and enable them,” it says, according to a copy obtained by Jewish Insider.


PreOccupiedTerritory: Ex-Obama Syria Policymakers Unsure Why Calling Israeli Annexation A ‘Red Line’ Ineffective (satire)
Former officials of the previous presidential administration voiced puzzlement today at the limited impact of their alarm-sounding on potential application of Israeli law to areas beyond the 1949 armistice line, noting that no one could have predicted their cautionary statements would lose their compelling rhetorical force after that administration moved its Syrian intervention goalposts multiple times over the course of its eight years and refused to lift a finger to prevent Iran from securing regional hegemony and Basher Assad from using chemical weapons against his own people.

John Kerry, Ben Rhodes, Samantha Power, and other international relations fixtures of Barack Obama’s presidency conceded Tuesday they cannot explain the deaf ears on which their warnings fall when they speak of the dire consequences of Israel annexing territory taken in the 1967 Six-Day War, even though those same officials repeatedly allowed Assad, Iran’s proxy forces, and Russian military moves free rein in Syria to violate Obama red line after Obama red line: to commit genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, among other offenses, in the service of inducing Iran to agree to a nuclear weapons deal.

“I don’t understand,” wondered former Secretary of State Kerry. “We were quite clear on our red lines when it came to unacceptable behavior on the part of Syrian forces and their allies. We shifted those red lines as necessary to keep from putting any pressure on Iran, so Tehran would sign the JCPOA. Now, after we redrew the red lines several times to avoid having to confront Iran and possibly undermine the deal, no one of consequence heeds our warnings about the disaster for Israel, Palestinians, the Middle East in general, and American international standing if Israel does go through with annexation as planned. It’s almost as if no one believes us, and that’s not fair.”


Tanzim commander to 'Post': No terror attacks in response to annexation
Members of the Tanzim, the militant wing of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah faction, have replaced PA security forces in enforcing law and order in some parts of the West Bank, one of its commanders said Monday.

In addition, the Tanzim has not received instructions to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel in response to its intention to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, said Khaled al-Daher, a senior Tanzim commander in Eizariya, which is located near Ma’aleh Adumim in both Area B and Area C of the West Bank.

The deployment of the Tanzim members came in the aftermath of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s May 18 decision to halt security coordination between the Palestinian security forces and the IDF in protest against Israel’s plan to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, he said in an exclusive interview.

His men were now in charge of all affairs in the area, Daher said.

“The Palestinian leadership informed us that we are now responsible for civil peace and enforcing law and order,” he said. “Our role is also to prevent anarchy by stopping people from using live ammunition during weddings. The Tanzim has assumed the security responsibilities of the Palestinian security services. We have been assigned full power to deal with all issues concerning our people.”
Palestinians Decry Unilateral Annexation as Denying Palestinian’s Historical Right to Say “No” (satire)
The Palestinian Authority continues to protest Netanyahu’s plans for unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank as destructive to the peace process and denies Palestinians their historic right to say “No” to literally any other solution that might actually work.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a public statement that the Palestinian people would not be denied their historical right to say “No” to any peace proposal. Abbas did say that he would be willing to talk with Israel provided that there were guarantees that they would not be blamed for the inevitable collapse of the peace talks and that Israel could be condemned internationally.

Netanyahu has met plenty of pushback against annexation, with the European Union saying that it was unhelpful to peace and harmed the chances of Palestinians saying “No” to future offers for a Palestinian state. The Arab world has also said they would really appreciate it if Netanyahu didn’t do it, but also said if they did annex it would be “meh” because “Iran isn’t going to bomb itself”.

Left-leaning groups in the United States have also insisted that annexation would harm the peace process. J Street has said that annexation goes against the spirit of the peace process to try the same thing over and over again until it works. J Street President Jeremy Ben Ami said in a statement that at this point to try anything new would be insane and that “the lives of Palestinians as well as my speaking engagement fees rely on the peace process continuing”.
Reading stabbings suspect 'shouted Allahu Akbar' moments before killing three, court hears
The 25-year-old Libyan man accused of killing three people in a Reading park shouted “Allahu Akbar” moments before the attack, a court has heard.

Khairi Saadallah, who was living in the Berkshire town, is charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video link from Coventry Magistrates Court. Dressed in a grey, prison-issue tracksuit and wearing a surgical face mask, he spoke only to confirm his name and address and did not enter a plea.

Saadallah, who moved to the UK as a refugee in 2012, is alleged to have attacked his victims in Forbury Gardens on June 20 "without warning or provocation".

Jan Newbold, prosecuting, said: "At the time of the incident, the defendant was heard to shout words to the effect of "Allahu Akbar" (God is great)."
Israeli journalist in Lebanon accused of recruiting for Hezbollah
The Shin Bet security service on Tuesday accused an Arab Israeli woman living in Lebanon of working to recruit Israeli citizens as operatives for the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.

According to the Shin Bet, Beirut Hamoud sought to enlist two female residents of her hometown of Majd al-Krum, an Arab town in the Galilee. The women, whose names weren’t published, were arrested on May 2 and were granted conditional release after they were interrogated.

Hamoud was questioned by Israeli security forces in 2013 over suspicions she had contacted Hezbollah operatives and met with them at one conference in Morocco in 2008 and another in Tunisia in 2012, after which the Shin Bet said she left Israel for Lebanon. There, she married Bilal Bizri and now works as a journalist at the Hezbollah-linked Al-Akhbar neswspaper.

“Alongside her work as a journalist in Lebanon, Beirut Hamoud and her husband Bilal are run by the terror organization Hezbollah to locate and recruit Israeli citizens for operations for Hezbollah,” a statement from the Shin Bet said.

The security agency said Hamoud contacted the two Majd al-Krum residents and met them in Turkey in December, after which the Shin Bet questioned them on suspicion that Hamoud and Bizri had tried to recruit them to Hezbollah.

“During the investigation the contact between the two and Beirut was confirmed, as well as information about the meeting in Turkey and the way in which Hezbollah worked through Beirut and her husband to enlist additional Israelis for Hezbollah operations,” the Shin Bet said.
Yediot Ahronot ordered to pay libel damages to Im Tirtzu
Journalist Sima Kadmon and the newspaper Yediot Ahronot were ordered by Tel Aviv's Magistrates Court on Tuesday to pay NIS 105,000 in libel damages and NIS 20,000 in legal fees to Im Tirztu.

The Zionist NGO filed the suit in 2017 after the paper published two articles falsely accusing it of falsifying a letter sent to the sport and culture minister at the time. One of the articles named Im Tirtzu's spokesperson, accusing him personally of fabricating the letter.

The letter in question was written by 28 bereaved families from the Choosing Life Forum of Bereaved Families, lodging their objection to the three-part documentary Megiddo, which aired on YES Documentary in April 2017. The documentary followed the lives of Palestinian terrorist prisoners being held at the Megiddo Prison, and their Israeli guards.

Director Itzik Lerner was given unprecedented access to the prison, living alongside prisoners and guards for a year. However, expressing their disappointment that the government had helped fund the documentary and allowed the director access, the families wrote: "there was no mention of our suffering, of the bereaved families who lost their most precious due to terrorist attacks.”
PMW: PA promises terror, claims it's allowed under international law
Neither the PA nor Fatah are hiding their future plans should Israel apply Israeli law to the Jordan Valley and Jewish towns in the West Bank.

Using the different Palestinian euphemisms, the PA and Fatah openly say they will use violence and terror against Israel. Advocating a “popular uprising” and vowing to “use all means” and “resistance in all its forms,” they are determined to fight Israel – “the enemy.” The following are five examples, including PA and Fatah representatives, promising terror:

PA top official: We’ll use “resistance in all its forms” against Israel - “the enemy”

Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: “If this occupation causes escalation, I believe that we will decide to start a confrontation… I also say that international legitimacy permits us resistance in all its forms, and nothing is forbidden… Our resistance in the occupied lands is against all the occupation’s symbols. Whether it is the settlers, their farms, their army, or all their brats and the like.”

PA TV host: “The coming battle will be against the settlers?”

Jibril Rajoub: “No, no, no! All of the occupation’s symbols in everything… National rebellion means that we’ll all go out into the streets and we’ll consider it [Israel] our enemy, and we’ll treat it as an enemy.”
[Official PA TV, Topic of the Day, June 20, 2020]

Fatah official: We’ll use “all means” – including “armed struggle” - to fight Israel

Fatah Revolutionary Council member Muhammad Al-Laham: “Our message to the occupation and the world: We’ll fight to defend every grain of soil with all possible means… We’re not fleeing from any form of struggle! We’ve had situations even of armed struggle... All possible forms. We must discuss [it], and let’s not limit our creativity. Our people are always creative when it comes to finding effective tools to hurt the occupation… The Fatah Movement is the backbone of the Palestinian revolution... Fatah still exists in the sphere of struggle in all its forms.”
[Official PA TV Live, June 22, 2020]
We’ll use “resistance in all its forms” against Israel, “the enemy” – says PA top official


Terror is permitted to fight Israel,international law allows it, says Abbas appointee


Fatah: We’ll use “armed struggle” to fight Israel


U.S. Justice Department Appeals Early Release of Hizbullah Financier
The U.S. Justice Department is appealing a federal judge's decision to grant an early release to Hizbullah financier Kassim Tajideen, 65, who had pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges and was sentenced in 2019 to five years in prison. Tajideen's lawyers argued their client was "extremely vulnerable" to contracting Covid-19 due to his age and health.

In its appeal, the Justice Department said Tajideen's health had not seriously deteriorated and that he was not in any imminent danger from Covid-19 at the medium-security prison in Cumberland, Maryland, where he was being held. Out of 1,214 inmates at the prison, six tested positive for Covid-19, as have two staffers, but all have since recovered and no new cases have emerged at the facility.

Tony Badran of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said it would be "a miscarriage of justice in letting a prominent financier of the premier global terror group, which has American blood on its hands, out of jail before serving out his sentence."
JCPA: Conflict Breaks Out Between the Iraqi Government and Pro-Iranian Militias
New Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the first confrontation with one of the pro-Iranian Iraqi militia responsible for rocket attacks against the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. troops stationed at Iraqi military bases.

Kadhimi promised to deal with the problem when he met with U.S. representatives in the first round of strategic dialogue between the two countries a month ago.

Kadhimi, who is the commander of Iraq’s armed forces, ordered an Iraqi counterterrorism unit on June 25, 2020, to raid a “Hizbullah Brigades” compound in southern Baghdad and arrested 14 militia operatives.

The compound contained a workshop for manufacturing Katyusha rockets. They also arrested an Iranian expert who instructed the militia members on how to make the rockets. In the workshop, there were rockets ready for operation.

The Al-Araby Al-Jadeed (The New Arab) newspaper reported on June 27, 2020, that among the detainees was also a man known as “Khaider Samatyah” who is wanted on suspicion of assaults and the murder of dozens of Iraqi protesters during former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s term.

The operation took place based on precise intelligence; a few days earlier, Iraqi intelligence arrested three militia activists who admitted during interrogation that they had fired rockets at U.S. targets in Iraq.

The “Hizbullah Brigades” militia is part of the umbrella organization of militias known as “Al-Hashd Al-Sha’bi” (Popular Mobilization Forces), an organization close to Iran that follows Iranian orders.
Nikki Haley: IMF is angling to undermine US sanctions against Iran
When I served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, I made it clear that the American people expect the institution to uphold its founding ideals, and to hold irresponsible regimes accountable for their actions. That was badly needed in the cases of Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela, among others.

The same is true with the rest of the multilateral system. Our country helped establish that system after the Second World War, and we remain by far the world’s largest funder of it today. We need to examine closely whether we are getting a decent return on our investment.

The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare that many international bodies are still willing to do the bidding of some of the world’s most dangerous nations — including Iran. This is unacceptable, and it demands a swift and strong response from the United States.

The International Monetary Fund, a U.N. subsidiary and the world’s premier global financial body, has been quietly looking for ways to undermine U.S. sanctions against Iran. It is even mulling a multibillion-dollar loan to the regime. Such a move would prop up the world’s largest sponsor of terror and provide it with billions of dollars that it would use to oppress its people and threaten the U.S. and our allies across the Middle East.

The Trump administration must stop an IMF loan — period. While Iran and its enablers will claim that it needs the money to recover from the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus, the fact is the regime is already capable of providing for its citizens.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could easily tap into the funds under his control worth more than $200 billion, as well as Iran’s sovereign-wealth fund. Similarly, if the regime ended its support for Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and the barbaric Assad regime in Syria, billions more would be freed up.

It says everything we need to know that the regime refuses to take these steps. In fact, Tehran has a long and terrible history of prioritizing funding for its terrorist proxies over providing for the Iranian people.
German intel says Iran 'massively promotes antisemitism, Israel hatred'
The domestic intelligence agency for the city-state of Berlin disclosed Thursday in a new report on antisemitism that Iran’s clerical regime is a leading sponsor of Jew-hatred.

“Antisemitism and hatred of Israel were also massively promoted by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The leader of the Iranian Revolution Ayatollah [Ruhollah] Khomeini already described Israel as the ‘little Satan’ and openly called for the destruction of Israel. Antisemitism has been part of Iran's state ideology ever since [the founding of the Islamic Republic] and is regularly fueled by statements by state representatives,” wrote the intelligence officials.

The Jerusalem Post reviewed the 49-page document that chronicles the various forms of antisemitism in Germany.

The US government has gone further in its classification of Iranian regime state-sponsored antisemitism. In January, US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism Elan Carr said at an US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) Global Efforts to Combat Antisemitism hearing that “Iran is not only the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, it is the world’s chief trafficker in antisemitism. The Islamic Republic of Iran has pushed antisemitic dogma throughout the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world beyond the Middle East.”

US administrations under both Obama and Trump have classified Iran's regime as the world's worst state-sponsor of terrorism.
Unilever Continues Work in Iran While Targeting Facebook for ‘Divisiveness’
Unilever continues to work in Iran, including with companies affiliated with the country's terrorist military arm, though it has stopped advertising on U.S. social media platforms that it says have spread "divisiveness" and "hate speech" ahead of the presidential election.

The global soap and food manufacturer, which is based in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, announced last week that it would cease advertising to U.S. audiences on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram until after the 2020 election. The company pointed to the "polarized atmosphere" of the social media platforms, which conflicts with Unilever's "responsibility framework."

Unilever operates in Iran through a foreign subsidiary and has advertised its products on Iranian government television, according to its annual reports. Unilever even conducted business with companies affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the United States designated as a terrorist organization in 2019. Unilever did not respond to questions about whether it would continue its business dealings in Iran.

Unilever's ad announcement that it would pump the breaks on social media advertising comes on the heels of a massive Democrat-led campaign to pressure Facebook into enacting stricter speech restrictions ahead of the presidential election. Joe Biden has blasted Facebook for its alleged failure to police "misinformation" from Donald Trump supporters on the platform, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) recently called on advertisers to boycott Facebook.

In a statement on Friday, Unilever said its decision to pull its ads was related to "divisiveness and hate speech during this polarized election period in the U.S."

"Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. We will be monitoring ongoing and will revisit our current position if necessary," said the company.

No such announcement was made regarding Unilever's business with authoritarian states, including countries that do not have free and fair elections. Unilever's most recent corporate disclosure statement from 2019 said it had no plans to halt its business operations in Iran.
Iranian Media Producer: A Satanic Zionist Agenda Is behind Everything Happening Today in America
Media producer Muzaffer Hyder said in a video that was uploaded to the Islamic Pulse YouTube channel on June 4, 2020 that American authorities may have instigated violence during the protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd in a fashion similar to how he said they backed violence in Iran during the November 2019 protests. He said that some American policemen collect KKK memorabilia, and he claimed that “Zio-America” is behind the concept of racial superiority since Zionists consider Jews to be superior to non-Jews. In addition, Hyder said that America fights Islam because Islam rejects racism and he claimed that the current events can be traced back to “the Satanic Zionist agenda.” Warning viewers in America to get out of America or resist against the system like the Palestinians do, Hyder said that the slogan of all “free-minded” and “free-spirited” people in the world is: “Death to America!” Hyder, who was born in Britain, currently lives in the Iranian city of Qom, where he studies Shiite Islam and is a producer for Islamic Pulse.


Pompeo Demands China End 'Horrific' And 'Dehumanizing' Forced Abortions, Sterilizations
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on China Monday to end the “horrific” and “dehumanizing” abuses against Uighur Muslims, including forced sterilizations, abortions, and coerced family planning practices.

“We call on the Chinese Communist Party to immediately end these horrific practices and ask all nations to join the United States in demanding an end to these dehumanizing abuses,” Pompeo said in a Monday afternoon statement.

His words came after an investigation by the Associated Press found that the Chinese government is committing “demographic genocide” against Uighur Muslims through forced abortions, birth control, mass detentions, and imprisonment. (RELATED: China Committing ‘Demographic Genocide’ Against Uighurs Through Forced Abortion, Sterilization, Mass Detention, AP Investigation Finds)

The AP investigation, based on interviews with 30 former detainees, family members, a former detention camp instructor, government statistics and state documents, found that the Chinese government seeks to dramatically lower the birthrates of Uighurs and other minorities while encouraging other populations to produce more children.

Chinese parents who have more than a few children are often sent to detention camps or subjected to huge fines, the publication found, and police instill terror into families by raiding homes searching for hidden children.

“The world received disturbing reports today that the Chinese Communist Party is using forced sterilization, forced abortion, and coercive family planning against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, as part of a continuing campaign of repression,” Pompeo said. “German researcher Adrian Zenz’s shocking revelations are sadly consistent with decades of CCP practices that demonstrate an utter disregard for the sanctity of human life and basic human dignity.”

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