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Sunday, June 27, 2021

06/26 Links: Hungary takes EU lead in announcing boycott of upcoming Durban conference; Who really cares about the Palestinians?; No, Israel was not the aggressor at June 1967

From Ian:

Hungary takes EU lead in announcing boycott of upcoming Durban conference
Hungary has become the first EU country to announce it will not attend this year’s UN event marking the 20th anniversary of the World Conference on Racism in Durban, which featured antisemitic messages.

“The Hungarian government declared a zero-tolerance policy against antisemitism and is fully committed to guarantee the safety of the Jewish people that we also consistently represent in the international fora,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó wrote in a letter to Mark Weitzman, director of government affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.

“In this spirit, Hungary does not support the Durban process and voted against the resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 31 December 2020 deciding on the convening of a high-level meeting on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,” he wrote.

The 2001 World Conference Against Racism, is also known as Durban I, after the South African city in which it was held. It was a hotbed of antisemitic and anti-Israel messages and was where the accusation of apartheid against Israel was popularized.

An early draft of the resolution adopted at the Governmental Conference at Durban equated Zionism with racism, leading the US and Israel to withdraw from the conference. The final draft did not condemn Zionism as racist, but the Israel-Palestinian conflict is the only one listed specifically under the section on “victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.”

The NGO Forum at Durban approved a resolution calling Israel a “racist apartheid state” and accusing it of genocide. Antisemitic materials, including The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, were distributed at the event.


David Collier: Lancaster - whiter than white antisemitism - an attack on the Jewish state
Lancaster Council just voted to boycott the Jewish state. The Councillors of this north-western city decided to create foreign policy all of their own. A policy that has no time for that tiny Middle Eastern democracy trying to survive amidst a sea of Islamist extremists, terrorist groups and despots.

Lancaster is a very white British city. The largest minority group is ‘other white’ – chiefly from Eastern Europe. It is also heavily Christian. Lancaster is not Bradford or Luton. It is not Sheffield either – another northern city with an anti-Israel fetish. Take a look at the Lancaster Councillors – there is no Islamist influence driving the agenda here. You cannot blame this brazen act of antisemitism on Islamist chest-beating or pandering to the extremists within a community that has changing demographics.

Beyond the University and its JSOC, there are also virtually no Jews in or around Lancaster.

This was a white British attack on the Jewish state. Hard left, rather than Islamist antisemitism. The product of 6 years of Corbynista politics spreading antisemitism into the mainstream.

Just a couple of months ago, there were cases of rampant antisemitism on Lancaster University Facebook pages. It would be interesting to hear how the 39 vile councillors that either supported or abstained on this BDS motion think that this type of action helps community cohesion in the United Kingdom – or more locally the Jewish students at their university.

The Lancaster motion
Some people have tried to pass the Lancaster motion off as some type of opposition to arms trade deals, but if you read the minutes of the meeting, you soon realise it was nothing of the sort.

The original motion set out to ‘express its support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement’. There is no nuance in this. When taken in its entirety BDS is an antisemitic movement that seeks the total destruction of Israel.

Reading the additional notes is to take a journey into the blind ignorance and hatred of the people that compiled them. The motion also lays the full blame for the recent conflict on Israel – which exposes political naivety on the part of the authors. The Palestinian decision to postpone elections was probably the most likely cause – as it gave clear motive to Hamas to desire a confrontation. Whoever wrote this motion – knows no more about the conflict than is delivered to them by updates from rabid anti-Israel newsletters.

It also chose to only condemn the death of Palestinian civilians. In Lancaster – Israeli civilians killed by Hamas terrorists clearly have no value and received no equal condemnation.

The council resolved to contact local pension funds asking them to divest from *all* Israeli companies that are active in Israeli ‘settlements’. Although it may seem limited – in effect, this is a blanket ban on investment in Israel – it covers everything from all banks and utility providers to every large Israeli chain store. Lancaster voted to boycott the Jewish state.

The three Lancaster conductors
There were three councillors leading the toxic vote. Councillor Jack O’Dwyer-Henry proposed the motion. It was seconded by Councillor Gina Dowding and Councillor Kevin Frea.

The motion passed with a clear majority (item 30); 26 members voted for, 11 against and 13 abstentions.
Jonathan Tobin: Who really cares about the Palestinians?
By contrast, Arabs who live in Israel enjoy not only democracy, including the right to vote, but hold seats in the Knesset and are now represented in the current government coalition, as well remain equal under the law, as opposed to being widely and falsely depicted as living under "apartheid."

Rather than dispute Israeli attacks on Hamas or the blockade it enforces along with Egypt against the terrorist-ruled enclave, people who actually cared about peace should support the overthrow of Hamas. Instead, they give impunity to a group whose purpose remains to fight to eliminate Israel and evict the Jews from their ancient homeland, while ignoring their own residents in the process.

Similarly, those who talk about the "occupation" of the West Bank are not only indifferent to the plight of the millions who suffer under Abbas's misrule, but wish to further empower him at the expense of Israel's security.

The fact that the Palestinian national movement is led by movements and leaders who are as undemocratic as they are corrupt and bloody-minded doesn't mean that Israel is perfect. Yet those who buy into the narrative of Palestinian victimhood not only regard what Arabs do to each other as not as interesting as what Israel supposedly does to them. They also treat the entire subject of Palestinian brutality as a non-issue and dismiss the entirely reasonable Israeli refusal to put themselves at the mercy of such people.

If those leading the charge to punish Israel were serious about wanting to help the Palestinians, they'd concentrate their fire on Abbas and Hamas and seek to support those few brave souls who seek their overthrow and replacement by those who believe in liberal democracy and peace, no matter how unlikely that might be.

But besotted by intersectional myths about Israel being a function of colonialism and an expression of "white privilege," they strip the Palestinians of any agency in their fate or conduct. This illustrates the basic truth that critical race theory, especially as it applies to the Middle East, both infantilizes Arabs and regards them solely as political props to be used to attack their preferred villains.

Seen in this light, it's clear that most of those who speak about Palestinian suffering actually couldn't care less about them. What they want is to single out and destroy Israel, victimizing its Jewish population and stripping them of their rights. Rather than an expression of sympathy for Palestinians whose leaders have condemned them to fighting a never-ending war they can't win, too many of the critiques of Israel recently voiced on the left must be seen as rooted more in anti-Semitism than concern for anyone's human rights.


No, Israel was not the aggressor at June 1967
One of the most heated debates in the context of the Six-Day War in June 1967 and perhaps also in the context of the entire Israeli-Arab conflict is the question of what caused this war.

According to the classic anti and post-Zionist narrative of Norman Finkelstein, Noam Chomsky, Tom Segev and others, the story is simple:

Israel was the aggressor; it attacked its neighbours first without justification in order to conquer territories and expand

This narrative is based on three main assumptions:

One) On June 5, 1967, Israel attacked Egypt, Jordan and Syria without prior provocation on their part.

Two) Israel had alternative moves that it could take but instead chose to go to war.

Three) Israel always has been interested in territorial expansion and this war was the perfect opportunity.

Here is an analysis of these assumptions
The veiled threat in the US denial
At first glance, it all looks like a tempest in a teapot, since a report that the Biden administration was going to reverse the US recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli, was quickly denied by the US State Department. Still, a deeper look at the official language of the statement makes the obfuscation around the issue thicker.

Biden has dragged former President Obama's tactics out of the ashes. Obama tended to link separate regional issues, using them as leverage to promote a broader Middle East policy. The Obama administration created a link between the goal of solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict to the no-less-lofty goal of strengthening diplomatic and strategic ties with the Sunni Arab bloc.

This time, we are talking about linked between different regions and areas of policy – the Golan Heights and US relations with Iran. Specifically, and even though the first two weeks of the Bennett government were marked by a thaw in and re-forging of US-Israeli ties, the "American denial" that anything was about to change when it came to the Golan Heights indicates that behind the new, empathetic screen, the "special relations" are still simmering with a threat and various disputes that could erupt and sour bilateral ties while Bennett is prime minister.

Indeed, the fact (even if not expressed in the conciliatory rhetoric) that the new government has continued that of its predecessor on Iran and not hesitated to allegedly strike a uranium enrichment facility on the outskirts of Tehran, even as talks about a second deal with Tehran are nearing conclusion, could wind up not only interfering with Iran's nuclear program, but also holding up negotiations in Vienna. This would be contrary to Biden's desires and aspirations.

Given all that, we cannot rule out the possibility that despite both sides' declared goal of turning over a new leaf of closer partnership in the book of Israel-US "special relations," an American spotlight turned toward the Golan Heights at this particular time was not a random occurrence. The State Department's response to the leak proves how far the current president's stance is from former President Donald Trump's.
StandWithUs: Between Washington and Jerusalem
Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren has called Israel, “America’s Ultimate Ally” and the US-Israel relationship continues to be of vital strategic importance to both countries. Noted historian, author, politician and diplomat, Ambassador Oren joins us live in conversation with StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein to look ahead at challenges and opportunities for both countries.


The ‘Right’ Way to Be Antisemitic, According to Human Rights Watch
Only a generously funded, celebrity-endorsed NGO utterly convinced of its own rectitude would have the chutzpah to proffer advice on combating antisemitism just weeks after it labeled the world’s sole Jewish state as the faithful reincarnation of apartheid South Africa’s white minority regime. True to form, that is exactly what Human Rights Watch (HRW) did last week.

Not everything about HRW’s analysis of the “spate of antisemitic attacks” targeting American Jews that erupted in tandem with May’s renewed conflict between Israel and Hamas was objectionable. The assaults were a reminder that “the far right has no monopoly on antisemitism,” wrote Eric Goldstein, the author of the analysis. “One thing is clear,” he concluded. “To assault or use ethnic slurs against a Jew because of what the government of Israel may be doing is antisemitism.”

While this might seem like HRW extending an olive branch to the Jewish community after years of blaming resurgent antisemitism around the world on Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, alas that is not the case. On closer inspection, HRW’s institutional view of what antisemitism is and how it should be countered turns out to be a middle finger rudely thrust in our direction — so much so that it’s hard to know where to begin.

The choice of Goldstein to expound on HRW’s understanding of contemporary antisemitism is probably as good a place as any. Why is an individual whose job title is “acting executive director, HRW Middle East and North Africa Division” opining about hate crimes (though he never classifies them as such) targeting a relatively small minority community in the United States? How exactly is a Middle East specialist qualified to give insight on the best practices to secure our synagogues and schools, or fight antisemitic hate speech online, or protect visibly identifiable Jews who are especially vulnerable to street violence, or educate law enforcement about antisemitic trends — or any of the other real, painful practical challenges our community is presently dealing with?


Foreign Ministry summons Polish ambassador over restitution bill
The Foreign Ministry summoned Poland’s Ambassador to Israel, Mark Magierowski, on Sunday, over a bill that passed the lower house of the parliament in Warsaw making restitution of Holocaust survivors’ property much more difficult.

Alon Bar, head of the Foreign Ministry Strategic-Political department, said that Israel is “deeply disappointed by the bill… that, according to experts, is expected to negatively influence 90% of Holocaust survivors’ and their descendants’ requests to return property.”

Bar reiterated Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s message that the bill will have a negative impact on relations between Israel and Poland, and said it is not too late for Poland to stop the legislative process and return to its commitments to hold a dialogue about restitution.

“This is not a historic dialogue about responsibility for the Holocaust; rather, it is a moral duty of Poland towards its former citizens, whose property was confiscated during the Holocaust and under communist rule,” Bar explained.

Magierowski said in an interview with KAN Bet on Sunday: “I have a feeling that no one in Israel read the bill and does not know its content. “The goal of Israeli politicians is to take the opportunity to destroy relations between us and not to defend Holocaust survivors,” he added.


Seth Frantzman: Hamas continues recruiting child soldiers: Where is the condemnation?
Hamas is holding its annual summer camps to recruit child soldiers. It provided an explanation in English via a video on its “effort to prepare the youth” this year. It openly said it was preparing them for “training camps” named after the “sword of al-Quds battle,” the name it gave to the war in May against Israel. It said it has been organizing the child-soldier training camps for five years.

The terrorist group says the youth need to be ready to make “sacrifices” which appears to be the language used to describe recruiting them to be killed. The speech by Hamas members said the camps include religious indoctrination and “security” training. Some 50,000 children have registered, according to The Jerusalem Post correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh.

During the recent war in Gaza, at least one of the children that authorities in Gaza said had been killed in the fighting was a Hamas member. A report at the time at the Post noted that teenagers undergo “summer camp training” and that militant and terror groups in Gaza have published photos of child soldiers they recruited who appear to be under 18.

A report published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center – and confirmed by Joe Truzman, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Long War Journal website, who focuses on terrorist groups in Gaza and the rest of the Middle East – found that at least one the children on the list of those who were killed during last month’s fighting, was a member of a terror group. The children killed in the May fighting received greater attention this year because The New York Times published a front-page story on them with photos of each one.

Once it became clear that Hamas had recruited child soldiers to fight in their wars, the questions about the fate of these children took on less urgency among reports that were seeking to highlight their deaths at the hands of Israel. In short, a child killed by an Israeli airstrike is important; a child recruited by Hamas or another terror group and whose life is put at risk receives less attention. There are no front-page stories about Hamas child soldiers who have been recruited.


PMW: Palestinian scouts in Lebanon turn scout salute into Nazi-like salute, pledging allegiance to “Palestine”
While pledging allegiance to “Palestine” at an event organized in Lebanon by the Palestinian Scout Association (PSA) and the Fatah Movement Scout Office, adult and child scouts appeared to make the Nazi salute.

The scout sign – or the three-finger-salute – is usually made with the three middle fingers touching the brow while the thumb and the little finger are folded and the palm faces out. However, the Palestinian scouts at the ceremony in Lebanon stretched their arms diagonally into the sky, thus making the scout sign look like the salute used by the Nazis:


Oficial PA TV chose to include the vow to “Palestine” and the Nazi-like salute as part of a 3-minute news item about the scouts’ event, which took place in the Maroun Al-Ras area on the border between Lebanon and Israel:
Official PA TV newsreader: “To Lebanon, where the Palestinian Scout Association (PSA) and the Fatah Movement Scout Office organized an activity for young people in the Maroun Al-Ras area on the border [with Israel]. The participants pledged allegiance to Palestine…”

Palestinian scouts: “Our Palestine,
We testify before Allah and history,
And we swear to you
that we will sacrifice our blood to reclaim you.”
[Official PA TV News, June 7, 2021]


Palestinian Red Crescent representatives support war against Israel - at Lebanese scout event



Iran Rejects Extension of Nuclear-Monitoring Deal With IAEA
Iran will not extend the agreement it signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in February to monitor its nuclear program, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf told legislators on Sunday, the Tasnim news agency reported.

According to the report, the statement follows the IAEA’s demand on Friday for an answer regarding whether Tehran intended to extend the monitoring agreement, which was set to expire on May 24, but was extended until June 24.

The agreement enabled the IAEA to collect data on Iran’s nuclear activities, softening an Iranian decision to halt certain inspection measures connected to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear deal from which former US president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018.

During a press conference on Friday in Paris reported on by Reuters, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran’s failure to cooperate with the IAEA “remains a serious concern.”
Iran has drones with range of 7,000 km, Guards commander says
Iran has drones with a range of 7,000 km (4,375 miles), Iranian state media cited the top commander of the Revolutionary Guards as saying on Sunday, a development which may be seen by Washington as a threat to regional stability.

Tehran's assertion comes as Iran and six major powers are in talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal that former US President Donald Trump exited three years ago and reimposed sanctions.

Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its capabilities, but drones are a key element in Tehran's border surveillance, especially the Gulf waters around the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply flows.

Iran and regional forces it backs have increasingly relied on drones in Yemen, Syria, Iraq in recent years.

"We have unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) with long range of 7,000 kilometers. They can fly, return home, and make landing wherever they are planned to," the Guards commander-in-chief Hossein Salami was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
Labor strikes in Iran‘s oil sector could end regime
Worker strikes over economic demands hit Iran’s vital petrochemical and oil industries during the last week, prompting one expert to comment that the demise of the regime could start with labor unrest.

“Localized strikes and protests are more common than most realize. Generally, they end on their own. But when the collapse of the Islamic Republic begins, it is likely to begin here,” tweeted Norman Roule, who served for 34-years in the Central Intelligence Agency and oversaw Middle East programs.

The core economic demands from workers are wage increases, reduced working days, and the end of temporary contracts.

Twitter was abuzz with images and video of Iranian employees engaged in work stoppages. According to the London-based Iran International news organization, the workers launched their campaign with the mottos “We will not give up our rights”, and “Strike campaign 1400”, a reference to the present Iranian calendar year of 1400.

Iran International reported that industrial workers from Jahan Pars, Gachsaran Petrochemicals, Tehran Refinery, Abadan Refinery, as well as additional plants, took part in the strike.

Iran has faced nearly continuous protests by workers and pensioners for months over an inflation rate of more than 50%, high unemployment and unpaid wages.

An unspecified number of workers with temporary hiring contracts “stayed home” to press for higher wages earlier this week in Asaluyeh, Iran’s main gas production hub on the Gulf, reported the regime-controlled Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA).
Galloway's 'Holohoax' campaigner exposed
George Galloway has sought to distance himself from a former campaign volunteer accused of referring to a “Holohoax” on social media, according to the Mail on Sunday.

According to the report, Mr Galloway removed Shammy Cheema from his team on Saturday night after offensive comments made on Facebook were flagged.

In a post, from June 2019, he allegedly used the term the “Holohoax” and described it as “the big fat Zionist cow that's been milked for the last 80 years.”

He also wrote that the Holocaust was “an exaggerated version of events to beg indefinite public sympathy”, the Mail on Sunday reported.

Mr Cheema reportedly told the news site he had “mistakenly strayed into using antisemitic tropes” and used “insensitive” language.

The former MP said he “absolutely” condemned antisemitism and Holocaust denial but stressed he could not “be held responsible” for the social media activity of his more than 200 campaign volunteers.

“I have fought antisemitism and Holocaust denial all my life – in Parliament, on radio and on television,” he also told the outlet.

Mr Galloway was contacted for comment.


Local UK Labour Party branch's discussion on sanctioning Israel blocked
The UK Labour Party suspended a discussion about sanctioning Israel for human rights abuses against Palestinians, fearing that it would invite antisemitic rhetoric and behavior, according to Middle East Monitor.

The Hove and Portslade Constituency Labour Party (CLP) branch of the political organization, located near Brighton, was set to debate the topic claiming Israel is complicit in carrying out apartheid before it was shut down by its administration.

The local CLP was calling for Israel to "end its violation of the human rights of Palestinians" and that UK parliament should "impose legal sanctions on Israel," focusing on arms sales and "trade with illegal settlements," according to the monitor.

One of the studies cited for the motion was a Human Rights Watch report published just before the 11-day escalation took place between Israel and allied terror groups in the Gaza Strip.

The chair of the CLP ruled that the discussion would not take place and party members are prohibited from discussing the motion further.
Scottish Labour councillor facing fresh investigation over anti-semitism row comments
A Scottish Labour councillor who apologised over remarks about the Jewish community has now said he made “perfectly reasonable comments” about anti-semitism.

Jim Sheridan claimed he had been “attacked” for free speech and said former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was "thrown out" of Labour for "expressing free speech".

It is understood Councillor Sheridan’s comments are now subject to an investigation by Labour.

A party spokesman said: “Scottish Labour takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken."

Corbyn’s leadership of Labour was dogged by accusations the party did not take swift enough action against anti-semitic comments by members.

A watchdog later found Labour had breached equalities legislation in relation to anti-semitism.
Israel, Palestinians, journalists and the truth
“CJR’s mission is to be the intellectual leader in the rapidly changing world of journalism. It is the most respected voice on press criticism, and it shapes the ideas that make media leaders and journalists smarter about their work,” reads the mission statement of Columbia Journalism Review, the flagship publication of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, regarded as the profession’s elite academic institution.

In other words, CJR aims to represent the very best of journalism, guiding practitioners in the rapidly changing industry.

One would therefore expect the journal to issue a forthright, absolute rebuke of an open letter published this month, “From journalists, to journalists: Why reporting on Palestine has to change.”

The letter, signed by hundreds of media practitioners ranging from news reporters at national papers to known anti-Israel figures at fringe publications, calls for grossly partisan coverage that highlights what it calls “Israel’s military occupation and its system of apartheid” and completely rejects the values enshrined in the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, an indispensable bulwark safeguarding responsible journalism. In short, the letter is an abomination to ethical journalism.

While the essential Code of Ethics seeks “to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough,” the letter’s signatories call for “contextualized truth without fear or favor, to recognize that obfuscating Israel’s oppression of Palestinians fails this industry’s own objectivity standards.”

To the contrary, funneling stories through the fallacious prism of Israeli “apartheid” precludes the reporters’ ability to “seek truth and report it,” per the Code of Ethics mandate.
Guardian buries the PA's killing of human rights activist Nizar Banat
On June 24th, Nizar Banat, a Palestinian human rights activist and outspoken critic of the PA, who was a candidate in parliamentary elections which were cancelled by the PA earlier this year, died after Palestinian security forces arrested and brutally beat him. Family members who witnessed the arrest, said he was viciously beaten for eight minutes straight with batons before police dragged him off.

Banat had harshly criticized the PA over its corruption, authoritarianism and and systemic human rights violations in a series of Facebook posts. The following day, mass protests erupted after Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and on the streets of Hebron, in which Palestinians expressed their rage over what appears to be the PA’s murder of the human rights activist.

On that same day, Amnesty International published a predictably one-sided report on the ‘human rights violations’ by Israeli police and security forces last month, during the riots and violence that erupted in Jerusalem and in mixed Arab-Jewish cities throughout the country.

Also, On that day, Amnesty published a report on the beating death of Nizar Banat.

The Guardian, quite naturally, published an article uncritically amplifying the Amnesty report on Israeli violations, whilst burying the killing of Banat at the very bottom of the piece. The June 24th report, by Middle East correspondent Bethan McKernan, titled “Amnesty: ‘catalogue of violations’ by Israeli police against Palestinians“, focuses entirely on Israel’s alleged violations throughout most of the article until, finally, 12 paragraphs down, pivoting to the Palestinian activist killed by the PA.

As of this writing there is no stand-alone article or op-ed about Banat’s killing at the Guardian, despite the fact that it’s a developing story, with new protests breaking out in the PA throughout the weekend.
Science magazine removes op-ed accusing Israel of 'vaccine apartheid'
The Scientific American retracted an opinion piece after receiving backlash for running an op-ed that categorically accused Israel of apartheid, war crimes and human rights abuses against Palestinians, according to the New York Post.

The piece, titled “Health Care Workers Call for Support of Palestinians," condemned Israel specifically for carrying out what it terms "vaccine apartheid" in addition to war crimes and human rights abuses.

The article was written by research fellows and medical students from Harvard, the Seattle Children’s Hospital, the Mayo Clinic and other medical institutions.

The article was removed after three Nobel Prize winners and 100 other scientists called out the article, according to the NY Post.

“In publishing the cited article, Scientific American’s editors jettisoned appropriate editorial standards and ignored easily verified facts that counter the authors’ one-sided invective,” the letter submitted by the Nobel Prize winners and scientists read, the report stated.

“While purporting to be a scientific statement about public health, the paper addressed important historical and political issues superficially, inaccurately, and prejudicially," it added. "In reality, the piece is a call for activism that, in our view, is unsupported by the facts.”


Times of Israel Clarifies Land Status of Evyatar Outpost
If the Civil Administration still has not determined the historical ownership of the land, on what basis does Times of Israel know that the land historically belonged to the adjacent Palestinian villages? Isn’t the land’s status as survey land, meaning the Civil Administration has not yet determined if it is state or private land, relevant to Evyatar coverage?

Times of Israel editors commendably agreed with CAMERA’s concerns and promptly amended the articles to accurately report:
Local Palestinian residents say they historically worked the land on which the outpost was built, but that the Israeli army has recently prevented them from reaching the area. The Civil Administration, an Israeli military body that manages Palestinian civilian affairs — including West Bank land registration — says it has not determined to whom the land belongs. According to West Bank property laws, uncultivated land can revert back to public ownership.

Contrary to common journalistic practice, a note was not appended to the bottom of the article notifying readers of the change.
Five months on, BBC issues Andrew Marr Show corrections
Mr Jonathan Hoffman made a complaint to the BBC on those points and others two days after the programme was aired. Having received an unsatisfactory response from BBC Complaints, he made a Stage 1b complaint in February.

Over four months later – and five months since the programme was broadcast – the BBC has published the following on its ‘Corrections and Clarifications’ webpage:
However, that correction is not currently displayed on the relevant BBC iPlayer page where the original programme will continue to be available for the next six months.

Moreover, as we saw only last week the BBC has persisted in portraying the statement put out in January by the two UNHRC special rapporteurs as though it came from the United Nations.
NYPD commissioner meets with rabbi, FBI to discuss increasing antisemitism
On Saturday, June 26th, following Shabbat services, NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea visited Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue. Shea visited the affluent orthodox synagogue on 67th Street to participate in a three-way forum along with Senior Rabbi Arthur Schneier, and FBI New York assistant director William F. Sweeney.

The panel event was intended to address efforts by the NYPD and FBI to combat antisemitism in New York City.

The event comes after a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in New York. In 2021, there was a 64% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to 2020, according to the Police.

This discussion takes place a mere few weeks after the US saw an uptick in antisemitic attacks following last month’s conflict between Israel and Hamas.

During the discussion, Sweeney addressed this increase by explaining that "some of the norms in society seem to have changed for the worse – and then there’s some of the problems in the Middle East that exacerbate the problem.”

This event is part of a broader plan initiated by the NYPD and FBI to address antisemitism, which was announced on May 29.


FC Barcelona set to play preseason match against Beitar Jerusalem
Soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona will hold a preseason game in Israel against Beitar Jerusalem over the summer.

The match is set to take place in Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium on August 4, a day after the team lands in the country.

Beitar, one of Israel’s top soccer clubs, finished third in the premier league in the 2019-2020 season.

The Jerusalem Municipality will host the match and the team is expected to visit holy sites in the city, Hebrew-language media reports said. Incoming president Isaac Herzog, who will enter office in July, may meet with the Spanish team during their visit, media reports said.

In May, before the recent fighting in the Gaza Strip between the Israeli military and Hamas terror group, the Spanish team was in talks to play in Israel. But the hostilities — which ended with a ceasefire on May 21 — were said to have caused some reluctance within the club over travel to Israel at the time.

If the August 4 game materializes, it will be the first time Barcelona plays a preseason game in the country.

The team, led by Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, in 2013 played a friendly match in Jaffa before a crowd of young Israelis as part of a two-day “peace tour.”


Israeli aid groups rush to Florida building collapse site
Israeli officials and disaster relief specialists took off Saturday night for the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, in the wake of the collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium building last Thursday.

Five people have been found dead so far, 37 were rescued alive from the wreckage and approximately 156 people are still missing. Recovery efforts were hindered by a fire smoldering beneath the rubble on Saturday.

An emergency delegation of engineering and rescue specialists from the Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command flew out to help local crews at Surfside in coordination with the Florida governor’s office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

This mission, dubbed Operation Yad Achim (Helping Hand), is headed by the commander of the National Rescue Unit in the Home Front Command, Col. (Res.) Golan Vach. The delegation includes former Deputy Consul General in Miami Guy Giladi, as well as approximately 10 reserve officers from the Home Front Command who are experts in engineering and social care efforts.

The delegation will assist in mapping out the destruction site, identifying victims and survivors, and supporting the local rescue forces generally.







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Judeopundit: "[A] venerable blog-pioneer and beloved patriarchal figure...his blog is indispensable."
Oleh Musings: "The most comprehensive Zionist blog I have seen."
Carl in Jerusalem: "...probably the most under-recognized blog in the JBlogsphere as far as I am concerned."
Aussie Dave: "King of the auto-translation."
The Israel Situation:The Elder manages to write so many great, investigative posts that I am often looking to him for important news on the PalArab (his term for Palestinian Arab) side of things."
Tikun Olam: "Either you are carelessly ignorant or a willful liar and distorter of the truth. Either way, it makes you one mean SOB."
Mondoweiss commenter: "For virulent pro-Zionism (and plain straightforward lies of course) there is nothing much to beat it."
Didi Remez: "Leading wingnut"
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