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Sunday, April 17, 2022

04/17 Links: How the US perpetuates Palestinian violence; Israel cannot allow rioters to desecrate Temple Mount; After Ukraine, can Israel trust US against Iran?

From Ian:

Ruthie Blum: How the US perpetuates Palestinian violence
Willful blindness to the real root of the wider “conflict”—the desire to eliminate the Jewish state—was and still is at play, however. And no number of condolence tweets to the victims can make up for Team Biden’s simultaneous bolstering of the forces inciting them to commit mass murder in the name of Allah.

The inevitable result of the constant calls for “calm” during the current holidays was a carefully planned riot on the Temple Mount on Friday, mere hours before Israel’s Jews sat down to enjoy their seders. Early that morning, Palestinians and similarly radical Arab citizens of Israel barricaded themselves in the mosque with piles of rocks and firebombs with which to assault police stationed there to keep the peace.

Such was the scene on the second Friday of Ramadan. Rather than recite their solemn prayers, worshipers were pummeling Israelis in uniform, and civilians praying at the Western Wall below, with stones. Security forces responded appropriately, using tear gas and stun grenades, and arresting hundreds of perpetrators.

The vilification of Israel promptly followed.

“We condemn the barbaric aggression of the occupation soldiers against the worshipers in Al-Aqsa,” Hamas declared. “Our brothers in Jerusalem are not alone in the fight for Al-Aqsa. We call on the masses in the West Bank and inside the Green Line to stand by our brothers in Jerusalem.”

P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas’s office accused Israel of launching a religious war, and Palestinian officials warned counterparts in the United States and Jordan of the “consequences of Israel’s actions.”

Decrying the “invasion of the Al-Aqsa mosque” and “harm” to Muslims at prayer, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry demanded that Israel immediately withdraw its forces from the Temple Mount. This was to be expected, as fabricating Israeli aggression on the holy site, whose ancient connection to Judaism is something that the Palestinians deny, is key to riling up young radicals and sparking an Israeli reaction.

The Biden administration buys the ploy, hook, line and sinker. Instead of directing its denunciations where they belong, it perpetuates the anti-Semitic deception by insinuating that Israel really is on the verge of taking over the mosque, thus spurring Muslim rage.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the violence in Jerusalem … on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price on Friday.

“We call on all sides to exercise restraint, avoid provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount,” he went on, again using the Islamic term before the Jewish one. “We urge Palestinian and Israeli officials to work cooperatively to lower tensions and ensure the safety of everyone.”

The trouble is in the equation. Indeed, while Israel has been trying to appease the Palestinians, the feeling is anything but mutual.

On the contrary, as Biden’s boys don’t care to grasp, it is not in the interest of the honchos in Ramallah and Gaza to “lower tensions.” If it were, they wouldn’t be instigating the bloodshed in the first place.
JPost Editorial: Israel cannot allow rioters to desecrate Temple Mount
Tension on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount isn’t new. The site of both the First and Second Temples in ancient times and al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine today has the potential for friction built-in.

But what we are increasingly seeing are cynical attempts to exploit the holy site for a different purpose, for narrative rather than peaceful religion. The Palestinian rioters who desecrated the site by throwing rocks and firecrackers at police and on the Jewish worshipers gathered at the Western Wall below the Mount, did not go to the area Muslims call al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) or al-Aqsa compound for a spiritual Ramadan experience.

Video footage of clashes between Israeli police and security forces and Palestinian rioters at the site have gone viral and are often difficult to watch. There certainly seem to be cases of police overreacting and attacking Palestinians who appear to be unconnected to the violence. Nonetheless, what needs to be kept in mind is cause and effect.

The Muslims who stockpiled stones, rocks, logs and firecrackers in al-Aqsa did not do so for religious purposes. They prepared for a riot – to attack police and Jewish worshipers – not for prayers. Police did not storm al-Aqsa Mosque to “conquer” it. They broke in to arrest the rock throwers who had barricaded themselves inside after Friday prayers. Some of the masked Palestinians waved Hamas flags and praised arch-terrorist Muhammed Deif as they tried to bombard the Jewish worshipers who had come to pray at the Western Wall at the start of the Passover holiday.

With their unholy actions, the rioters are disturbing the freedom of prayer of everyone, including other Muslims. The vast majority of the 50,000 or so Muslim worshipers in the al-Aqsa area on Friday came with the peaceful intention of prayer at Islam’s third holiest site. The fact that so many thousands were able to gather there shows that Israel is intent on protecting freedom of worship for the Muslims.

It is Jewish worship that is limited at Judaism’s holiest site. The Muslim extremists object to any Jewish presence on Temple Mount and now refer to the entire area as “al-Aqsa” and yesterday they threw rocks at buses traveling to the Western Wall. Jews who ascend Temple Mount note, however, that part of the area serves as a soccer field, far from serving religious needs.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority have all accused Israel of carrying out “provocations” and an “assault” at the site. They are hoping to turn it into a battle cry. It is easy to rally Muslims everywhere around the lie that al-Aqsa is in danger and needs defending. The terrorist organizations are hoping that this becomes as self-fulfilling prophesy.
After Ukraine, can Israel trust US against Iran?
PRESIDENT JOE Biden may have unintentionally set a precedent through his dealings with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that might carry over to Israel, should Iran, God forbid, attack Israel. If so, is Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s stated commitment to guarantee Israel that Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons, worthless?

Having endured unfair tragedies that were thrust upon Jews throughout the ages, at the end of the day, will we find ourselves regarded as “suckers?” I sincerely hope not, as the fates of both great nations are tied at the hip.

Has the above potential of an air missile/drone adversarial action combined with a coordinated land and naval threat, ever been considered by President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken as a legitimate risk of the Iranian “sanctions relief” demand; if not, why not? I cannot imagine the president and secretary Blinken forgetting the Afghanistan debacle.

In all fairness, Israel has earned the right to never let its guard down. and for its own good must repeatedly assess the reliability of President Biden’s sincerity and understood commitments. The existential threats, including the ones stemming from sanction relief, cannot be counted upon to disappear of their own accord.

Jewish history, as recently recounted in the Book of Esther, poses a series of all too familiar threats. Purim (lots), commemorates the saving of Jews from Haman, an evil “Achaemenid Persian empire official,” who covertly planned to exterminate all the Jews within Persia (subsequently, to become Iran).

Were it not for Esther – the wife of the Persian king who became a reluctant heroine, ultimately choosing to risk her life to save fellow Jews from the king’s adviser, Haman – who would have stood against the evil one?

Are there equivalents of Esther to stand against those who issued threats from within Iran of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America?” Once again, our fates are indeed tied to each other, even if President Biden closes his eyes and ears to this.


Left outraged over Kamala Harris' choice of wine at Seder
Left-wing activists criticized Vice President Kamala Harris over the weekend after pictures posted on social media revealed the Passover seder she hosted for Jewish House White House staffers at her home included the Israeli-made Psagot wine, produced in Judea and Samaria.

"Psagot's vineyards are on stolen Palestinian land. It's not cool. It was the Trump that 'legitimated' the theft," James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said on Twitter.

Nevertheless, former United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who visited the winery with then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, praised the move on Twitter.

Friedman uploaded a photo of a wine Psagot named in his honor, and jokingly added, "Next year I would recommend that the Second Family serve the 'Friedman' vintage from the Psagot Winery. I may be biased but I think it's very good."

CEO of Psagot Yaakov Berg said in a statement that the Harris and her husband, Jewish Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff "have shown that they understand wine" and "have shown respect to Israeli wine."

He also pledged that if Harris "continues in a positive direction, for example by opposing the Iran nuclear deal," the winery would name a wine in her honor as well.

A day earlier, Harris and Emhoff attended a virtual White House seder hosted by the Biden administration for the second year in a row. "The People's seder" was streamed on the White House YouTube page.

White House Jewish Liaison Chanan Weissman served as master of ceremonies and led a type of order modeled on the seder, featuring Jewish administration officials, leaders, and celebrities.


Russia: Israel's accusations of Ukraine war crimes meant to distract from 'occupation'
The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a condemnation of Israel over the latter's decision to vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council earlier this month.

A statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of an "anti-Russian attack" for remarks made in his name shortly after the UN General Assembly voted 93:24 to suspend Russia from the UNHRC.

"There is an attempt to exploit the situation in Ukraine to distract the attention of the international community from one of the longest unsolved conflicts – the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the Russian message reads.

In the statement, Moscow voices criticism of "the remarks of the person who heads the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which created discord and negativity."

The Russian government added that Israel was "perpetrating an illegal occupation and annexing Palestinian territories."

The statement goes on to claim that "the longest occupation since World War II is being carried out with the quiet assent of leading western nations, and the declared support of the US."

The Russian government proceeded to accuse Israel of imposing "brutal" sanctions on the Gaza Strip, which it described as "an open-air prison, in which 2 million people have been forced to survive for 14 years under conditions of an air, land, and sea blockade."

In addition to Israel's decision to vote to suspend Russia from the UNHRC, it is possible that the Russians are also striking back at Lapid's recent comments that Russian soldiers were committing "war crimes" in Ukraine.

Lapid had previously condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying that "a big, strong country [had] invaded a small neighbor, without any justification."


Just look at their feet: The ‘defenders’ of Al-Aqsa are desecrating it
Tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslim worshippers, including many from the West Bank, gathered at the Al-Aqsa compound atop the Temple Mount, said their midday prayers, and headed quietly back home again on Friday in the early afternoon.

They did so despite the palpably high tension in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, where only a few hours earlier crowds of mainly young, Jerusalem-area Palestinians had hurled rocks and clashed with Israeli police at Al-Aqsa, more than 150 people were reported injured, and close to 500 of the suspected Palestinian rioters were detained.

The difference, it should not need saying, is that the midday worshippers had genuinely gathered to say their prayers on the second Friday of Ramadan, and that’s what they did. The young Palestinians who rioted hours earlier, by contrast, had come to fight.

They had assembled piles of rocks and stones and barricaded themselves inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in preparation for the violence. Some had Hamas flags with them — incited by and affiliating themselves with the Islamist terror group that, with similar cynicism and indifference to true faith, has used Gaza’s mosques to store rockets when engaged in conflict with a Jewish state it openly seeks to destroy.

And as with Hamas in Gaza, while ostensibly guarding their religion and its third-holiest shrine, the rioters were actually dishonoring it.

You only had to look at their feet: The stone-throwers who clashed with Israeli security forces in and around Al-Aqsa Mosque had their shoes on — in breach of the respectful Islamic tradition to remove impure footwear when entering the house of prayer.
Video shows Orthodox Jews assaulted in Old City while on way to the Western Wall
A small group of ultra-Orthodox Jews was attacked on Sunday morning while walking through Jerusalem’s Old City.

Security camera footage showed the three men, wrapped in their prayer shawls (tallitot), making their way to prayers at the Western Wall.

As they were walking through one of the alleys in the Old City, a group of Palestinians jumped out and attacked them violently, threw large objects at them, punched and kicked them and then fled the scene.

Eyewitnesses told Channel 12 news that some 20 people were involved in the attack.

Two suspects in the incident were arrested by Israeli police. None of the Jewish men required medical attention.

“The Arabs fell on us as we walked past,” said one of those attacked, Eliahu Danziger. “They punched us and injured us,” he told Channel 12 news.

The incident came amid violent clashes between Palestinians and police throughout the Old City, as security forces sought to allow Jewish pilgrims to visit the Temple Mount.


Guardian obfuscates the Palestinian desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque
Now, here’s what really happened:
Around 4 a.m. on Friday morning, dozens of Palestinians began marching around al-Aqsa Mosque (some carrying banners associated with Hamas), started breaking stones and them throwing them at police and Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall below – while stockpiling more rocks at the mosque to prepare for further attacks. Palestinians later barricaded themselves inside the mosque and hurled stones and fireworks toward officers . The violence prevented large numbers of Muslim from worshiping at al-Aqsa.

Police moved in to quell the riot only after morning prayers were concluded.

Here’s a video released by police, which includes footage of Palestinians throwing rocks and fireworks from inside the mosque.

The rioting followed a call by Hamas on Thursday for Muslims to escalate against Israel in Jerusalem. Earlier in the month, the Palestinian Authority warned Muslims that Israel was going to commit a massacre in Jerusalem in order to take full control of al-Aqsa – a variation of the ‘al-Aqsa is in danger’ libel that has long incited Palestinian violence against Jews.

Israeli police detained hundreds and used non-lethal riot control methods to end the violence, thus allowing the mosque to re-open, enabling more than 50,000 Muslim worshipers to return to the mosque for Ramadan prayers. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that 158 were injured — a majority of which was reportedly due to tear gas inhalation.

So, in summary, contrary to the Guardian’s claim, the “clashes” at the Temple Mount did not happen as the result of Israeli police entering the mosque. The Israeli police entered the mosque to quell riots initiated hours earlier by Palestinians, pre-planned violence – incited by Palestinians leaders – that was preventing tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers from praying.

Considering how frequently Palestinians falsely claim Jews are “desecrating” the mosque, when all they’re doing is peacefully visiting their holiest site (the Temple Mount) on the compound, it’s telling that outlets like the Guardian often amplify such lies, whilst failing to report when the mosque is truly desecrated by Palestinians themselves using the site as a staging ground and a barricade for rioting and terror.

For Guardian editors, journalists and contributors, the actual truth regarding incidents occurring in Israel and the Palestinian territories – something only ascertained via an arduous process of investigation and critical scrutiny – is simply not the objective. The outlet has shown what happens when curiosity, skepticism, impartiality and the hard work of journalism gives way to hubris, cynicism, partisanship and intellectual uniformity – the belief that their job in reporting on the region is to force the facts to conform to the desired story, not the other way around.


Jerusalem Unrest: Stones Thrown at Buses, 5 Lightly Wounded
Stones were thrown at three Egged buses outside of Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday morning, lightly wounding five passengers, according to media reports.

The buses were en route to the Western Wall when they were attacked by a group of Arabs near the Lions’ Gate, amid ongoing tensions in the city with clashes resuming on Sunday morning between Palestinian rioters and Israeli security forces on the Temple Mount.

Video footage from the attack showed young men throwing stones at the buses passing by, smashing the windows and causing other damage to the vehicles.

MDA medics treated people on the scene and evacuated them to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in the city.

Police arrested four people on suspicion of participating in the stone-throwing, along with five others in the Old City for rioting and stone-throwing.

“We take the disturbances, the throwing of stones on buses in Jerusalem and the injury of passengers seriously,” Public Security Minister Omer Barlev said.

“The police will take a tough hand against anyone who dares to use terrorism against Israeli citizens, and I support the police in their determined activity. It is important for us to continue to allow freedom of worship, but we will not compromise when violence and terrorism occur.”


Ra'am freezes coalition, Knesset membership in Temple Mount protest
Ra'am (United Arab List) party froze its participation in the coalition and the Knesset in general on Sunday night to protest police violence against Palestinians in Jerusalem.

The move has no immediate practice implications given that the Knesset is on break until May, but it is one more symbolic blow to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's coalition, which earlier this month lost its slim parliamentary majority falling from 61 to 60 Knesset seats.

The four-member Ra'am party, headed by MK Mansour Abbas, took this step based on a decision by the party's religious advisory body known as the Shura Council.

It was also done in coordination with the offices of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (Yamina) and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid).

Ra'am, which wants to remain in the coalition, has been under pressure to take action in light of the violence on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as al-Haram, al-Sharif. It has called on the Joint List, which is in the opposition to similarly freeze its participation in the political process until the violence has ceased.

By freezing its participation in the coalition Ra'am buys itself time to allow for calm to be restored before it has to take any action but is also a reminder of the potential that Israeli-Palestinian and Jewish-Arab violence has to destabilize the government.

The Hadash party, which is part of the Joint List, called on Ra'am to leave the coalition altogether. "Get out of the government of occupation immediately,' the parties stated.
Ra'am leader Abbas under pressure to leave coalition
The Supreme Council of Israel’s Islamist Ra’am party convened on Sunday to resolve a dispute within the party – whether to stay in the coalition government or resign over Israeli-Palestinian clashes in Jerusalem.

Violent incidents between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli authorities at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount prompted Ra’am members to call for the party’s withdrawal.


At Easter mass, pope calls for ‘free access’ to Jerusalem holy sites
Pope Francis on Sunday called for free access to the holy sites in Jerusalem as he delivered his annual Easter address amid simmering violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy City.

“May there be peace for the Middle East, racked by years of conflict and division. On this glorious day, let us ask for peace upon Jerusalem and peace upon all those who love her, Christians, Jews and Muslims alike. May Israelis, Palestinians and all who dwell in the Holy City, together with the pilgrims, experience the beauty of peace, dwell in fraternity and enjoy free access to the Holy Places in mutual respect for the rights of each,” he said.

Clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli police wounded 10 protesters on Sunday morning in and around Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the site of major clashes two days earlier, police said. Nine rioters were arrested.

The latest tensions in Jerusalem come as all three Abrahamic faiths mark major festivals: Jewish Passover, Christian Easter and the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.


UAE, Bahrain, Morocco join condemnation of police actions at Temple Mount clashes
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco on Saturday joined in the condemnation of Israel over the previous day’s violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli police in scenes akin to those that prefaced last May’s Gaza war.

“The UAE strongly condemned today Israeli forces’ storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which resulted in the injury of a number of civilians,” the Gulf state’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that it “underscored the need for self-restraint and protection for worshipers.”

The statement said it “stressed the UAE’s position that the Israeli authorities should respect the right of Palestinians to practice their religious rites and halt any practices that violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

“Furthermore, the UAE underscored the need to respect the custodial role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in accordance with international law and the historical context at hand and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem endowment that manages the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the statement continued, referring to the Waqf Muslim authorities who administer the religious sites on the Temple Mount.

Morocco, meanwhile, expressed its “firm condemnation of the incursion by Israeli occupation forces into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, their closure of its gates and their aggression against unarmed worshipers in the mosque compound.”

A foreign ministry statement said the kingdom “believes that this flagrant aggression and deliberate provocation during the holy month of Ramadan will only inflame hatred and extremism, and reduce to nothing the chances of any relaunch of a peace process in the region.”
Turkey’s Erdogan Condemns Israeli ‘Intervention’ at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he had told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas that he condemned Israeli “intervention on worshippers” at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque and threats to its “status or spirit.”

Erdogan’s comments come amid efforts by Turkey and Israel in recent weeks to normalize their long-strained ties, as part of a regional charm offensive launched by Ankara in 2020.

On Friday, at least 152 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli riot police inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.

Most of the Palestinian injuries were incurred from rubber bullets, stun grenades and beatings with police batons, the Palestine Red Crescent said.

“During our call, I told Mr Abbas that I strongly condemned Israel’s intervention on worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque and that we will stand against provocations and threats to its status or spirit,” Erdogan said on Twitter.

“Turkey always stands with Palestine,” he added.

Erdogan later said he had discussed developments at Al-Aqsa with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, adding he Israel’s “interventions and provocations” had “unacceptable” results. They also discussed possible joint steps for regional peace, Erdogan added.

Turkey has in the past launched various initiatives within the United Nations and Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) against Israeli actions towards Palestinians and its policies regarding Jerusalem or its status.


Hamas seeks to bolster its image as ‘defender of Jerusalem’
Hamas has once again emerged as a major player in events taking place in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Since last year’s war with Israel, Hamas has sought to portray itself as the sole “defender of Jerusalem and the Islamic holy sites.”

It has also been working hard to prove that the recent wave of terror attacks in Israel and in Jerusalem and the West Bank are the direct result of Hamas’s daily calls for stepping up the “resistance” against Israel.

At the same time, Hamas has been keen to ensure that the violence does not spread to the Gaza Strip.

Although Hamas officials on Saturday denied reaching a deal with Israel to prevent an all-out confrontation following Friday’s riots at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (the Temple Mount), they nevertheless confirmed that they had held indirect negotiations with the Israeli government over the past few days.

If true, these contacts show that the mediators consider Hamas an influential actor in the Palestinian arena.

On Thursday night, senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri claimed that Israel had assured his group that it would not allow Jews to conduct the “animal sacrifice” in the courtyards of the mosque.

Arouri said, however, that despite the alleged undertaking, which was reportedly relayed through Egypt, Qatar and other parties, Hamas does not trust Israel. He called on the Palestinians to remain in a state of high alert “to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.”


MEMRI: In Statement, International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Which Is Funded By Qatar And Turkey, Praises Perpetrators Of Recent Terror Attacks In Israel, Calls On Palestinians To March To And Remain In Al-Aqsa Mosque Until Ramadan's End, Urges 'The People Of Palestine In Every Place, And From All Factions, To Carry Out All Forms Of Jihad Activity'
In an April 13, 2022 statement,[1] the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is supported by Qatar and Turkey, praised the perpetrators of the recent terror attacks in Israel, calling them "heroic mujahideen" and stressing that such attacks are "the only path towards the liberation of Palestine." The statement, which was signed by 40 organizations, also called on the Palestinians to march to and remain inside the Al-Aqsa mosque until the end of the month of Ramadan, saying that doing so would be a form of waging jihad for the sake of Allah. Claiming that the Israeli armed forces and the settlers are planning to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque in order to sacrifice an animal there, it emphasized that doing so would constitute "an attempt to impose an extremely dangerous new reality."

However, the same day, April 13, Ofir Gendelman, spokesperson to the Arab media in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, tweeted in Arabic: "The claims that there are Jews who plan to make [animal] sacrifices in Al-Haram Al-Sharif [i.e. the Al-Aqsa compound] are completely false and were circulated by Palestinian terror organizations and other elements in order to incite and encourage terrorism. We safeguard the status quo in the holy places, and will not allow [anyone] to compromise security and public order in Jerusalem or anywhere else."[2]

Recently, the Palestinian factions have called on the people of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the West Bank to march to Al-Aqsa and remain there to defend it. Following a consultation at the office of Yahya Al-Sinwar, who heads Hamas' political bureau in Gaza, the representatives of the Palestinian factions issued a statement that said: "The Palestinian factions in Gaza call for the continued mobilization of the resistance everywhere, and urge preparation for the defense of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa. The factions announce a general mobilization wherever our [Palestinian] people are present, and urge the masses to set forth by the hundreds of thousands to defend our people and Al-Aqsa. They call on our people in Jerusalem, in the [West] Bank, and inside the occupation [i.e. Israeli Arabs] to flock en masse to the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque, in order to attend prayers there on Friday, Ramadan 14 [April 15], and to deploy there in order to protect it from defilement by the criminal Zionists."[3]


Palestinian Authority warns Israel against ‘dividing’ Temple Mount
The Palestinian Authority has warned against Israeli attempts to “divide” al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) in time and space between Muslims and Jews.

The warning came in response to remarks earlier Sunday by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who emphasized the importance of allowing Jews, Muslims and Christians to celebrate their holidays in Jerusalem.

Palestinian officials believe that Israel is planning to divide the Temple Mount in the same way that the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron is divided into both a mosque and a synagogue.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas “warned of the danger of the repeated attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque” during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the PA’s official news agency Wafa reported.

Israel’s “violations cannot be tolerated,” Abbas said, and called on the international community to immediately intervene to stop the Israeli “aggression,” according to Wafa.

PA presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that Bennett’s statements were completely rejected “and an attempt to legitimize the temporal and spatial division of al-Aqsa Mosque.”


Report: Egypt prevented Hamas from firing rockets



Palestinian Political Analyst: The Holocaust Was a Lie the Zionists Used to Blackmail the World
Palestinian political analyst Ahmad Abd Al-Rahman said in an April 7, 2022 show on Al-Quds Al-Youm TV (Gaza – Islamic Jihad) that the Holocaust and the image of Jews as poor and downtrodden were lies used by the Zionists to blackmail the world into bringing the Jews to the "so-called Promised Land." He praised Al-Quds Al-Youm TV and other "resistance media" outlets for exposing these lies.

The MEMRI Lantos Project exposes anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial in the Middle East region and Middle Eastern communities in the West with the aim of supporting legislation and educating media and the general public.


Hezbollah MP says only $9 billion needed to destroy Israel
Mohammed Raad, the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc in the Lebanese parliament declared on Saturday that it would take a mere $9 billion to obliterate the State of Israel.

“The resistance only needs $9 billion and there will be nothing left called Israel in the region," said Raad, who previously met with French president Emmanuel Macron, according to a news broadcast by Lebanese outlet MTV.

MTV tweeted Raad’s remarks to its 1.4 million followers on Twitter.

The Islamic Republic of Iran — the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism as defined by the US state department — is the main financer of Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah. Raad also said that $900 billion was spent to destroy Yemen during the unfolding civil war.

France has outlawed Hezbollah’s military wing yet continues to block a full terror designation of Hezbollah within the EU. Meanwhile the US, the Arab League, Germany, Japan, Canada, Austria, the United Kingdom, and additional European and Latin American countries classify Hezbollah’s entire organization a foreign terrorist movement.
Gadi Taub: The biden administration's iranian orientation tramples on u.s. allies.
How come two foreigners, probably iranians, managed to infiltrate among the members of the unit guarding the president and the vice president? what exactly is the iranian orientation of the biden administration, and why does the administration want a surrender agreement to iran at almost any cost? how did israel fall for the hugs that secretary of state blinken gave it? also: there is a chance that the war in ukraine has taken american policy off course on the iranian nuclear issue. a comedic-tragic conversation with michael duran, a senior fellow and head of the center for middle east peace and security at the hudson institute. [autotrans]




MEMRI: Article On Iran-Backed Houthi Militias Website: Interfaith Dialogues Are A 'Misleading Headline'; Muslims Should Fight And Tax Christians And Jews – Who Should Convert To Islam
An April 5, 2022 article posted on Ansarollah.com, the official website for the Yemen-based Iran-backed Shi'ite militias, i.e. the Houthis, called interfaith dialogue a "misleading headline" and arguied that both Christians and Jews should convert to Islam as it is an extension of their own religions.

The article, titled 'The Jews.. Arrogance and Racism," also argued that the Jews had refused to convert to Islam because of their arrogance and because they disapproved of the Prophet Muhammad's being Arab. It added that that Christianity and Judaism "are not monotheistic religions," and stressed that there should be no compromise with them and that the Muslim position should be waging war against them and forcing them to pay taxes.

The following is the full translation of the article:[1]
"The Jews Have Deep Hatred Of The Divine Guidance"

"One of the most dominant characteristics of the Jews is that they are the most daring people in negatively interacting with Allah's guidance. That boldness comes from their deep hatred of the divine guidance and their hearts that are hardened towards the clear proofs, and also because of their belief that the divine guidance will prevent them from [fulfilling] their desires and wishes to remain deviant and superior.

"We will learn here about the other reason behind the Jews' stubbornness and disbelief, which is derived from the arrogance of the rabbis and monks regarding accepting the truth and their unwillingness to accept what comes from others, even if it is the Book of Allah. [This is] because they have no desire to accept Allah's guidance or to interact positively with it; when they do, this [interaction] is limited to their personal and societal interests that concern only the Jews as a community, and anything other than that is completely rejected.

"Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini spoke about arrogance, saying that arrogant people view the world around them from a superior vantage point because they suffer from a psychological ego disorder that makes them treat the rest of the world as less important, and give it no consideration. He also said that the ones in charge are those who push others to commit injustice, aggression, and corruption, and that this is because of their far-reaching authority; therefore, they consider themselves in charge of everything, and thus underestimate everything that does not serve their desires and wishes. [This, he explained, is] because of their arrogant soul that blinds their eyes and hearts and makes them underestimate everything else.

"And now that there has come to them a Book from Allah, how do they treat it? Even though it confirms the truth that is already in their possession, and even though they prayed for victory against the unbelievers, when that Book came to them, and they recognized it, they [still] refused to acknowledge its Truth.
Zoe Daniel apologises to Jewish community over comments about Israel
In the past week, stories in News Corp publications have highlighted actions and statements by the Daniel team, including a 2017 ABC article in which Daniel wrote that then US president Donald Trump had declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in part, as way of “satisfying his wealthy Jewish ­donors”. Also highlighted were social media comments by Daniel’s campaign manager, including a 2020 post that “Hitler altered reality with drugs & [PM Scott] Morrison uses religion”.

This week Daniel met with Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dr Dvir Abramovich, who told The Age the independent had apologised, including for the 2017 article.

Daniel, a former ABC [Australian Government funded TV] foreign correspondent, confirmed this. “Yes absolutely. I did apologise. I am deeply sorry to have caused any further pain or concern among our Jewish community, and to see the weaponisations of Jewish trauma for political gain.”

In a written statement, Daniel also said: “Mischaracterisation of Jewish people, including myths such as their enjoying outsize wealth or power, must be identified immediately as the starting point for much worse.”

Daniel said political jibes referring to the Holocaust were unacceptable.

“When the Holocaust is misused and weaponised to score points in an argument, we devalue this horrific event and cause great pain to Holocaust survivors and their descendants.”

She also stressed her support for the current protections in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act against hate speech, which her opponent, Liberal MP Tim Wilson, has supported softening.

However, despite some criticism, Daniel has not withdrawn her signature from an open letter published during the Israeli-Hamas conflict last year calling for, among other things, publishers and editors to “respect the rights of journalists and media workers to publicly and openly express personal solidarity with the Palestinian cause”.

“My signing of the letter was narrowly framed to express my profound and abiding concern for the safety and welfare of journalists, regardless of the conflict.”


The story of Unilever’s war on the Jewish state - opinion
While Unilever couched its pressure campaign in terms of attempting to restrict sales only to Israeli territory from before the 1967 Six Day War, they did so in perfect awareness that this would violate their commitments. The move violates Unilever’s operating agreement with Avi Zinger, Israeli and US law, including the US Export Control Reform Act of 2018, which prohibits companies and individuals from refusing or agreeing to refuse to do business for boycott-related reasons.

Many Palestinians shop at the supermarkets and mini-markets to which Zinger distributes Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This is why Palestinian human rights activist Bassam Eid has filed an action with the New York State Division of Human Rights, explaining that Unilever’s decision will harm Palestinians.

There is a great irony in Unilever’s decision to target Zinger, who over many years has initiated and supported projects that promote coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians and provide educational and occupational opportunities to disadvantaged communities, including Palestinians. Zinger’s social mission projects include Fruits of Peace, a project initiated by Zinger to strengthen economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians by developing new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors using ingredients sourced from Palestinian farmers.

He has also sponsored Jordan River Village, an overnight camp and retreat center in the Middle East where Israeli and Palestinian children living with serious illnesses participate together. Other programs supported by Zinger include Kids4Peace, a global movement of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim youth dedicated to ending conflict and inspiring hope in divided societies worldwide, and Seeds of Peace, an organization that promotes coexistence between Israeli and Palestinian students.

Zinger and his company, AQP, employ newly arrived immigrants struggling to learn Hebrew, refugees from African countries like Sudan, LGBTQ+ refugees and disabled individuals. These workers will be unemployed if the business shuts down. Because of their circumstances, they will be hard-pressed or unable to find new jobs adequate to support themselves and their families.
University of British Columbia Rejects BDS Movement, Urges ‘Respectful’ Discourse on Mideast
The University of British Columbia (UBC) has condemned a recent student union vote to divest from several companies with business in Israel, rejecting the movement to boycott the Jewish state as at odds with the school’s values.

Passed on March 24 by the Alma Mater Society (AMS), a student union representing over 50,000 UBC undergraduates, the measure demanded that the university divest from nine companies doing business with the Jewish state over its “system of apartheid and its occupation of Palestine.”

At the time, the UBC Hillel chapter noted that the motion exclusively called out companies connected with Israel, from hundreds of businesses in which the school invests. “The harmful double standard that this motion is based upon excludes Jewish and Israeli students from feeling supported, advocated for, and safe while on campus,” Hillel said in March, adding that similar motions previously pursued by the union had given way to incidents of antisemitism.

On Tuesday, UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa J. Ono affirmed that the university “cannot support the AMS motion.”

“Positions on complex geo-political issues that protect human rights are best made by guarding academic freedom and freedom of expression in an environment that supports constructive and respectful debate. But constructive and respectful debate cannot occur when members of one group are made to feel personally attacked for their identity or where tolerance and inclusiveness are not fostered in productive discourse,” Ono said in a statement.

“We work to avoid polarization on the basis of student identity, religion, or political beliefs so that students are safe and free from harassment,” she continued. “For these reasons, the university does not support BDS and, therefore, cannot support the AMS motion to urge UBC and the Board of Governors to divest.”
Bella Hadid complains Instagram bans her posts about 'Palestine'
Supermodel Bella Hadid has reported that Instagram – on which she has 51 million followers – has taken action against her pro-Palestinian content.

On Friday, Hadid posted that Instagram has disabled her from posting on her story, "Pretty much only when it is Palestine based, I'm going to assume," she wrote.

"When I post about Palestine, I get immediately shadow banned and almost 1 million less [sic] of you see my stories and posts," she wrote.

Hadid added a screenshot of a picture she had not been allowed to post, of clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli security forces.

Recently, Hadid's sister, Gigi, came under fire for social media content condemning a recent terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, in which a gunman killed three Israelis and wounded about a dozen others.

"I would like to say that terrorism goes against the true message of the Free Palestine Movement. What happened in Tel Aviv is a tragedy, and is disappointing to Palestinians who want peace and fairness to all regardless of religion, race, or politics," Gigi Hadid wrote.

However, the message backfired, with social media users calling her "part of the problem," and saying that her anti-Israel posts helped fuel incitement and violence against Israel and Israelis.


Episcopal Church mulls changes to Holy Week readings seen as antisemitic
The resolution, which if approved by the committee could then be voted on by the General Convention, would direct the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to recommend revisions to the lectionary readings for Holy Week to “remedy passages that use language that has been interpreted as antisemitic while maintaining the meaning and intent of the original Greek texts,” it reads. It also would encourage the Episcopal Church to advocate for other denominations using the Revised Common Lectionary to consider similar changes.

Concern that some of the liturgies and familiar Gospel passages read each year during Holy Week — and particularly on Good Friday, when Christians remember Jesus’ crucifixion and death — can be interpreted as antisemitic or anti-Jewish isn’t new.

An organization called Opus sacerdotale Amici Israel pushed the Vatican to make changes to the Catholic Church’s Good Friday liturgy — which described Jewish people as “perfidious” — as far back as 1928, according to Rabbi Abraham Skorka’s foreword to “Jesus Wasn’t Killed by the Jews.”

“The problem gets raised by parishioners and priests every year, and I know this because they write to me,” said Amy-Jill Levine, Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.

Levine, who is Jewish, was a witness at the February hearing and noted the most egregious text pointed out in the resolution is the reading for Good Friday from the 18th and 19th chapters of the Gospel of John.

John’s Gospel merges different Jewish groups — Pharisees, high priests, the people — into “the Jews,” Levine explained. That leads to passages like John 18:36, rendered in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible used by many Episcopalians: “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.'”

Rather than debate whether the text is antisemitic, Levine told Religion News Service in an email, “I think it best that Christians acknowledge the text has been interpreted in that way, and then do something to prevent such impressions.”
Ohio State adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered all state agencies, departments, boards and commissions, including all public colleges and universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism on Thursday.

In Executive Order 2022-06D, called “Defining and Combating Antisemitism,” Governor DeWine encouraged “all federal and local governments and governmental agencies and entities to adopt it as well.”

The executive order was passed because of the rise of antisemitism in the US. The governor said that antisemitism is a “disturbing problem in American society, including here in Ohio.”

“Jews continue to be a targeted minority in the United States and are, according to FBI statistics and other reporting, consistently the most likely of all religious groups to be victimized by incidents of hate,” he said, “and such incidents are increasing at an alarming rate.”

The IHRA, by consensus vote of its member states, adopted a Working Definition of Antisemitism in May 2016, which has become the internationally recognized, authoritative definition for use by governments and international organizations.

“Ohio has seen several domestic terrorism plots targeting the Jewish community,

including one in Toledo in December 2018 and another in Youngstown in August 2019, for which the terrorists are now serving prison sentences,” the order states.
Giant Nazi swastika carved onto Australian soccer pitch
Vandals carved a giant Nazi swastika onto a soccer ground in Melbourne, Australia which was left untouched for several weeks, the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) said in a statement on Sunday.

The massive swastika carved into the field, owned by grassroots team Lilydale Eagles Soccer Club in Melbourne, was discovered by an Australian Jew during a private helicopter flight across various parts of Victoria.

The man, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, reported his 450m. sighting to the ADC.

The ADC denounced the unknown vandals who carved the antisemitic symbol, also expressing shock over the local council's, the Yarra Ranges Council, disregard of the swastika, putting off its removal for several weeks, according to the ADC.

"The contagion of unbridled hate that has defiled Melbourne is reaching an ominous pitch fever," ADC Chairman Dr. Dvir Abramovich said in a statement.

"It is clear that the Nazi swastika tidal wave that has invaded our streets over the last few years is spiraling out of control," Abramovich said. "The voices of evil are out in force, and we should be deeply concerned that white supremacist groups, with an ideology of violence and murder, are actively operating in Melbourne and taking their online activities into the real world.


United Arab Emirates hosts biggest Passover seder in Arab world
Over 1,000 celebrated Passover in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week in the largest seders ever held in the Arab world.

Held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the seders were led by UAE Chief Rabbi Levi Duchman and were conducted in several languages – English, Hebrew, French, and Russian – according to The Jerusalem Post reported.

Since Duchman moved to the UAE in 2014, the Jewish community there has built new synagogues, kosher restaurants, Jewish schools, and business networks.

Following the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020,, which saw Israel and the UAE normalize ties, Duchman received thousands of requests for information regarding Jewish life in the Gulf Arab country.

"Our community continues to grow and prosper here in the UAE, coupled with the renewed flow of Israelis and Jews from all over the world to Dubai and Abu Dhabi," the rabbi said, according to the JP.

Duchman was joyful about how far relations between the UAE and the Jewish community have come.
UAE to take part in Independence Day flyby for the first time
For the first time since normalizing relations with Israel, the United Arab Emirates will participate in Israel’s popular Independence Day flyby.

Israel Air Line Pilots Association was behind the festive initiative, with the event — named Peace Fly-by 2022 — marking the country’s 74th Independence Day set to see civil airplanes from both Israeli and Emirati airlines, the Ynet news site reported on Sunday.

The civilian flyby, which will follow the traditional showing of military planes, will take off on May 5 at 12:45 p.m., soaring across Israel from Acre in the north to Ashdod in the south.

The airshow will take place at a relatively low altitude of 1,000 feet, giving spectators ample opportunity to gawk at the aircraft.

According to the report, El Al will be flying a Boeing 787 Dreamliner; Israir Airlines, an Airbus A-320; Arkia, an Embraer 195; CAL Cargo Air Lines, a Boeing 747; and Ayit Aviation a

Emirati Ethihad Airways will be flying an Airbus A350 and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, an Airbus A320neo.

“This is a flight of pilots proving that regional cooperation is feasible, not just a declaration,” said Captain Maydan Bar, chairman of the Israel Air Line Pilots Association.

“I wholeheartedly congratulate the pilots from the Gulf states who came to take part in our flight of peace and wish continued and ever-increasing cooperation between us. Moreover, this flight unequivocally indicates the strength of Israeli civil aviation.


South African Human Rights Activist Rhoda Kadalie, True Friend of Israel, Dead at 68
Rhoda Kadalie, the former South Africa Human Rights Commissioner who founded the Gender Equity Unit at the University of Western Cape in South Africa, and received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University in Sweden, passed away in Los Angeles on Saturday at age 68.

The granddaughter of Trade unionist Clements Kadalie, Rhoda Kadalie always spoke truth to power, which in South Africa included her being a staunch defender of Israel against the establishment’s and the media’s official antisemitic line.

In 2012, after South African leftist activist Moira Levy renounced her Jewish roots in response to Israel’s alleged bad treatment of illegal African migrant workers, Kadalie wrote (Rhoda Kadalie in Die Burger):
The Left is quick to condemn Israel when matters at home should shame us into silence. South Africa supports dictator Robert Mugabe who drove more than 3 million Zimbabweans out of his country. Destitute and jobless, Zimbabweans spread around the world seeking better fortunes elsewhere. Swazi King Mswati with his Bentleys and Rolls Royces is bankrolled by the South African taxpayer and in addition, these dictatorships enjoy electricity supplies from Eskom because they cannot supply it themselves. As the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we have much to be humble about, not to speak of the recent Marikana massacre (the killing of 34 miners by the South African Police on August 16, 2012, during a wildcat strike – DI). While we nestle in the bosom of China with its history of human rights abuse and occupation, we dare to condemn a country that has made numerous attempts to meet its opponent halfway. Instead of using our expertise at political negotiations to help Israel and the Palestinian territories sort out its deadlock, Israeli-bashing has become nothing but a euphemism for antisemitism.






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