Australia revokes recognition of western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
The Labor Party-led Australian government on Tuesday officially revoked the country’s recognition of western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, confirming a Guardian report the previous day revealing that Canberra had walked back the language adopted by former Liberal Party prime minister Scott Morrison.Has Australia's Jerusalem reversal harmed Israel? - analysis
The Australian Cabinet instead agreed that Jerusalem’s eventual status must be resolved via peace negotiations with the Palestinians that lead to a two-state solution.
“We will not support an approach that undermines this prospect,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong was quoted by the Associated Press as saying on Tuesday.
The Labor Party, with Anthony Albanese as prime minister and Wong as the top diplomat, rose to power in May 2022.
According to Monday’s Guardian report, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently dropped the following two lines of text from its website:
“Consistent with this longstanding policy, in December 2018, Australia recognized West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, being the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of the Israeli government.
“Australia looks forward to moving its embassy to West Jerusalem when practical, in support of, and after the final status determination of, a two-state solution.”The lines were deleted after the Guardian Australia asked the current government questions about the matter.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid denounced Canberra’s move, saying in a statement that, “Jerusalem is the eternal undivided capital of Israel and nothing will change that.
“In light of the way in which this decision was made in Australia, as a hasty response to an incorrect report in the media, we can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally,” Lapid added.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that it would summon Australia’s ambassador over the issue.
Even the United States failed until recently to recognize that Jerusalem was part of Israel. US citizens who wanted to register the birth of their children in that city could not have Israel as the country of birth on their passports.
Barack Obama, when he was president, might have flown to Jerusalem to eulogize veteran Israeli leader Shimon Peres. But the text of the speech he delivered at Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery in the western part of the city, did include Israel as the location in which the address was delivered.
Former US president Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to declare that Jerusalem was Israel’s capital and to relocate the American embassy there from Tel Aviv in 2018 was seen as a significant step in support of Israel’s hold on its capital city.
Only three other countries have followed the US example; Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo. Liberia, Togo and Malawi are expected to open embassies in Jerusalem.
Australia’s decision in 2018 to declare that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel helped shore up that move, even if the embassy remained in Tel Aviv. To shore up that declaration it opened a trade office in the city. Some eight other countries have done so as well, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid as well as his predecessors Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett, all campaigned to change Jerusalem’s status in the international arena, with what appeared to be initial successes.
Last year, for example, support for the Jerusalem resolution at the UN dropped; it passed with only 129 votes.
Strong statement by Israeli PM @yairlapid, condemning #Australia’s reversal on #Jerusalem decision and the inexcusable manner in which @dfat @SenatorWong went about it (denying it earlier - when that was flat out lie). #AUSPOL pic.twitter.com/41ZgrlLzw9
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 18, 2022
Australia drops recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
Michael Danby, Former Chairman and Member of the Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee of Australian Parliament, says the hasty decision by the Australian cabinet to revoke its recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel's capital was driven by local political considerations.
Israel slams Australia on 'hasty' Jerusalem reversal
Israel is slamming Australia the administration reversed its recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel - a decision made by former prime minister Scott Morrison.
Israel tells Australian envoy that reversal of Jerusalem recognition is ‘wretched’
The Foreign Ministry expressed Israel’s “deep disappointment” to Australia’s envoy over Canberra’s decision to reverse its recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and said that the government was weighing additional steps in response.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong made the announcement Tuesday in response to a media report on the matter, declaring that the government had decided to revert to recognizing Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital. She said Jerusalem’s status should be decided through peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, and not through unilateral decisions.
On Tuesday afternoon in Jerusalem, Foreign Ministry political director Aliza Bin Noun told Australian Ambassador Paul Griffiths that the move was a “wretched decision that ignores the deep and eternal connection between Israel and its historical capital, and runs counter to the positive ties between Israel and Australia.”
She added that it encourages extremist elements in the West Bank to continue stoking violence, and risks destabilizing the region. It also goes against the deepening ties between Israel and Arab countries as part of the Abraham Accords, she continued.
The senior Israeli diplomat put a particular emphasis on the timing of the Australian announcement. It came as Jews in Israeli and around the world wrapped up celebrations of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, amid heightened tensions with Palestinians, and as a maritime border deal with Lebanon is close to completion.
According to individuals with knowledge of the meeting, the Australians stressed in response that Canberra’s stance on Jerusalem was the continuation of a long-term policy, and that the 2018 recognition was a departure that had been corrected.
Has anyone been in touch with King David to check that when he proclaimed Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 1,000 BCE he had approval from the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs? pic.twitter.com/nYDeXzrjYR
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) October 18, 2022
Not mincing words, a scathing statement by @ECAJewry, the umbrella roof body for the Australian Jewish community, slamming the government’s decision on #Jerusalem: pic.twitter.com/nTjkROPKic
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 18, 2022
Palestinians laud Australia’s stance to cancel Jerusalem as Israel's capital
The Palestinians on Tuesday welcomed Australia’s decision to cancel its recognition of west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The Palestinian Authority Foreign Affairs Ministry praised the decision, calling it a “positive correction of Australia’s position.”
The ministry also praised Canberra’s call for implementing the two-state solution. It urged the Australian government to go a step further and recognize a Palestinian state.
“This Australian decision supports international and regional efforts to revive the peace process and negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel,” the ministry added, calling on other countries that made “wrong” decisions regarding Jerusalem to backtrack.
Hussein al-Sheikh
PLO Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh also lauded the Australian announcement on Jerusalem and the two-state solution, saying that it was in “accordance with international legitimacy.”
“We also appreciate Australia’s assertion that the future of sovereignty over Jerusalem depends on the permanent solution based on international legitimacy, which is the two-state solution,” al-Sheikh said.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad also welcomed the Australian decision, describing it as a victory for the Palestinian cause and narrative.
“Show me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are.” @SenatorWong #Australia ??@KhaledAbuToameh pic.twitter.com/0HYHi7uPrP
— Shahar Azani (@ShaharAzani) October 18, 2022
That @SenatorWong denied there was any reversal of #Australian policy on #Jerusalem less than 24 hours prior and then chose to make the announcement on Simchat Torah (when most Jews are off-line), only underscores the deceitful manner of her actions. https://t.co/jumA64pww9
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 18, 2022
Three positions in 24 hours shows how shambolic Labor’s foreign policy is. Before the election Mark Dreyfus and Josh Burns wrote in the AJN there is no difference between the Morrison Government’s policy & Labor’s policy on Israel. This decisions shows that is just not true.
— Julian Leeser MP (@JulianLeeser) October 18, 2022
Do you remember @AlboMP @SenatorWong, that when ???? decided to cut direct aid to the Palestinian Authority due to the PA's #Pay_for_Slay policy, Palestinian leader Nabil Sha'ath said Australia was "worth being spat on"?https://t.co/SNtfvXo7Kr
— Pal Media Watch (@palwatch) October 18, 2022
Extreme left activist and former academic Jay Tharappel, who once wore a jacket bearing the slogans ‘Curse on the Jews’ and ‘Death to Israel’, has been allowed to join the ALP. https://t.co/3YYxqM26fO
— The Australian (@australian) October 17, 2022
This Is What You Get When You Offer the Palestinians a State
For more than 50 years, Israel’s critics have claimed that if Israelis would just agree to create a Palestinian state, the Palestinians would live in peace with them. Well, last month, Israel’s prime minister offered to create a Palestinian state. How did the Palestinians respond? Is the long-promised peace at last dawning upon the Middle East?Ruthie Blum: Donald Trump’s justified critique of American Jews
Not quite.
At the United Nations on Sept. 22, Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced his willingness to create a non-terrorist Palestinian state. Did the Palestinian Arab leadership respond by announcing an immediate return to the negotiating table to work out the details of the new state?
Hardly. The Palestinians responded with murderous violence. Within 24 hours of Lapid’s declaration, there was a car-ramming attack against Israelis near Havat Gilad that was publicly cheered by the Fatah movement, which is headed by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas. Another terrorist was caught trying to smuggle several dozen handguns into Israel via the Jordan Valley. Handguns for peace?
The next day, Sept. 25, a Palestinian Arab mob assaulted Israelis on the Temple Mount. On Sept. 27, Palestinian Arabs threw rocks and bombs at Israeli soldiers north of Shechem and carried out a drive-by shooting as well. On Sept. 28, they fired shots at an Israeli motorist south of Hebron and carried out multiple shooting and bombing attacks on Israeli soldiers in Jenin.
In the days to follow, the Palestinian Arabs continued to respond to Lapid’s statehood offer with bombs, bullets and bloodshed. On Sept. 29, they fired shots at an Israeli tour group near Kiryat Arba, stoned Israeli soldiers in Jilazoun and tried to run them over and tried to stone Israeli motorists to death near Bethlehem. When an Arab child died in unrelated circumstances nearby, the peace-loving P.A. Foreign Ministry immediately blamed Israel for his death.
This is particularly worthy of note in its idiocy. Trump issued no “threat,” and he certainly wasn’t invoking the “dual loyalty trope.”
On the contrary, he was calling on Jews to be more, not less, invested in Israel’s future and well-being. And he was warning that failure in this regard would have negative consequences for the Jewish state. What about this is wrong, let alone anti-Semitic? The answer is: nothing.
Nevertheless, White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre parroted the false accusation, though “plagiarized” would be a better depiction.
“Donald Trump’s comments were anti-Semitic, as you all know, and insulting both to Jews and to our Israeli allies,” she told reporters on Monday. “But let’s be clear, for years, for years now, Donald Trump has aligned with extremist and anti-Semitic figures. … We need to root out anti-Semitism everywhere it rears its ugly head. We need to call this out. With respect to Israel, our relationship is ironclad and it’s rooted in shared values and interests. Donald Trump clearly doesn’t understand that either.”
Really? Maybe she ought to tell her boss to “root it out” of the Democratic Party and its backers in academia, where it’s been “rearing its ugly head” with a vengeance.
Perhaps, as well, she might want to review the definition of “ironclad.” You know, since the Biden administration refers to Palestinian terrorists and the Israeli military as “both sides” when urging restraint and de-escalation.
This brings to mind comedian Jay Leno’s 2014 barb about then-President Barack Obama knowing “just how unbreakable the U.S.-Israel bond is, since he’s been trying to break it for years.”
It was Trump who turned this around, to the dismay of the very progressive Jewish organizations that have been slandering him for his Truth Social post. They and numerous media outlets have been going so far as to compare his statements to those of rapper/designer Kanye West (a.k.a. Ye), whose recent rants have been filled with unapologetic Jew-hatred with violent rhetoric.
It’s a neat trick, since West is a pro-Trump conservative. But, comparing Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband—who boasted of his intention to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”—to Israel’s proven ally isn’t merely disingenuous. It’s also transparent.
Not only does it serve to highlight the subpoenaing of Trump to testify before the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riots; it also constitutes a Hail Mary pass on the part of all those praying to stave off a likely defeat for Democrats in the upcoming midterms. Prominent among the worriers are Jews.
Though Trump is not alone in bemoaning their counter-intuitive ballot-box behavior, he makes the mistake of taking the age-old phenomenon personally. As the late sociologist Milton Himmelfarb famously pointed out in Commentary magazine in 1973, “Jews earn like Episcopalians and vote like Puerto Ricans.”
Fortunately, there are exceptions to that rule. The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), for example, announced on Friday that it will be awarding Trump its Theodor Herzl Medallion. The honor will be bestowed on the “best friend Israel ever had in the White House” during the organization’s gala on Nov. 13 in New York City.
Kudos to the ZOA for giving gratitude where it’s due.
This is fair comment by Trump, and is not — contrary to the sick left media —
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) October 16, 2022
antisemitic. You will hear it from many Jews as well: thank God for evangelicals because our liberal Jewish establishment leaders do next to zero to help Israel. Yes, we do have to get our act together. pic.twitter.com/GFX3rxxX3q
Life Lessons With Dr. Bob: Dumisani Washington on Palestinians and Israel
Robert J. Shillman, aka “Doctor Bob,” has been a supporter of The David Horowitz Freedom Center for many years. He has recently started a podcast, Life Lessons with Doctor Bob, and he has agreed to let us share those valuable lessons about achieving success with our readers. His in-depth interviews with interesting and successful people prove that, unlike the MSM’s portrayal of America, this nation has been, and continues to be, a land of opportunity for anyone willing to put in the effort. Make sure to subscribe to the show at Doctor Bob’s website: lifelessonswithdoctorbob.com.
In this video clip from our “Life Lessons With Dr. Bob” series, Dr. Bob speaks with Dumisani Washington, the Founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel (IBSI). Dr. Bob poses the crucial question: are Israel and the Jews colonizers of Palestinian land?
Today @GovRonDeSantis is the leader of the free world, says @RubinReport.
— Gadi Taub (@GadiTaub1) October 18, 2022
We talked about Dave's latest scary-yet-funny book, "Don't Burn this Country" and about the world as seen from his new home down in FL. Check out the Gate Keeper podcast, Ep. #160.https://t.co/5oiINHDtK4
Ukraine to Officially Ask Israel for Air Defense Aid
Ukraine’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Kyiv would officially request Israel to immediately send air defense supplies, as Russia continues to shower its neighbor with missiles almost eight months into its invasion.Netanyahu warns weapons provided to Ukraine could end up in Iran
The discussion over air supplies comes amid internal spats in Israel over deepening its cooperation with Ukraine while keeping “very sensitive” relations with Russia relatively secure.
While Israel condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and provided Kyiv with humanitarian aid, the Jewish state has refrained from sending military support, citing concern for cooperation with Moscow in Syria.
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid is expected to hold a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kolyeva on Thursday, during which Kolyeva will give an official request for air defense aid. However, an Israeli security official told Ynetnews that sending military aid to Ukraine won’t happen in the near future, despite Israel’s “understanding of the plight of the Ukrainians and the desire to help them.”
“There’s an understanding with Russia, basically a deconfliction mechanism that allows Israel to conduct operations against targets in Syria,” said Oded Eran, a senior researcher with Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies.
The veteran Israeli diplomat told i24NEWS that Israel’s concerns in the matter also stretch to the vast Jewish population in Russia.
Calling to sever diplomatic relations with Iran, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday that his country will send an official request to the State of Israel asking for air defense systems and the start of high-quality cooperation on providing technology to Ukraine.Russia tells UN: ‘Arbitrary Israeli force’ is cause of West Bank violence
"Today, Ukraine will send an official note to the government of Israel with a request to urgently provide Ukraine with anti-aircraft systems and to start high-quality cooperation on obtaining appropriate technologies for Ukraine," said Kuleba.
The foreign minister stressed that he does "not see any objective reasons why" military cooperation with Israel should not happen.
"Iran is a red line for Israel, and after Iran has directly, in fact, become complicit in the crime of aggression against Ukraine, I think anyone in Israel who still has any hesitation about whether or not to help Ukraine, he must dispel these hesitations," added Kuleba.
"Today, without exaggeration, the same drones that destroy Ukraine are aimed at Israel. I think that this says it all, and I think that this should be the starting point for the development of Israeli policy."
Additionally on Tuesday, Kuleba submitted a proposal to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sever diplomatic relations with Iran in light of Iranian support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Taking into account the numerous destructions caused by Iranian drones to the civil infrastructure of Ukraine, the deaths and sufferings caused to our people, as well as in connection with the emergence of reports about the possible continuation of Iran's supply of weapons to Russia, I submit to the consideration of the president of Ukraine a proposal to sever diplomatic relations with Iran," said the foreign minister.
Kuleba additionally stressed that Ukraine has a "bag of evidence" proving that Iran is providing Russia with drones to use in the war.
Russia blamed Israel’s “disproportionate and arbitrary” force against Palestinians for the ongoing West Bank violence when it spoke Monday at a meeting of the United Nations Second Committee in New York.“We consider it counterproductive, those efforts, particularly by Western states, to replace the political process with economic peace and promote an Arab-Israeli normalization of relations without addressing the Palestinian problem.”“The steady, high level of violence continues not only near the Gaza Strip, but also on the West Bank... because of arbitrary and disproportionate use of force in Israeli military operations,” said Evgeny Varganov, a senior counselor at the Russian mission to the UN.
Evgeny Varganov, a senior counselor at the Russian mission to the UN
He spoke a week after the UN condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine amid rising tensions between Jerusalem and Moscow. Israel did not speak at the meeting, which was held during the Shimini Atzeret holiday.
Israel is in the midst of an IDF Operation Breaking the Wave, whose aim is to stop terror attacks.
Varganov said Moscow was “particularly concerned” by “Israel’s establishment of facts on the ground.”
He included in this the expansion of “illegal settlements while continuing the practice of violent displacement of Palestinians” such as through “demolishing houses, and expropriating property, including farmland.”
Varganov spoke in Russian, but his words were translated by the UN. He expressed his concern at the absence of a peace process to achieve a two-state resolution to the conflict within the confines of the pre-1967 lines with east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
“Stagnation in the Middle East peace process continues to be a source of permanent tension in the Middle East region and North Africa,” he said.
In his official telegram channel former Russian president @MedvedevRussiaE threatens Israel with severing ties and destroying mutual relations, if rumors that Israel began to supply anti-drone weapon to Ukraine is true.
— Michael Elgort ?????? (@just_whatever) October 17, 2022
He also tells Jews, we don’t understand who are real Nazis?? pic.twitter.com/bvV88D949N
Emily Schrader: Your alliances show your true colors
There’s a saying that goes “show me who your friends are and I’ll show you who you are,” which is often an oversimplification.Argentina Wants Qatar to Arrest Visiting Iranian VP Wanted for 1994 Jewish Center Bombing
But last month’s events have focused a bright light on alliances that seem to be drawing a distinct line between those fighting for democratic freedoms and those fighting for authoritarianism and oppression. Abbas visited Putin and praised the Russian leadership during the war
Last week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sang the praises of the war-crime-committing Russian leadership.
During their meeting, Abbas emphasized his appreciation for Russia, praising it on all international forums and stating, “Russia stands by justice and international law and that is enough for us.” Also last week, the UN reported that Russia is using sexual assault and rape as a part of its dehumanizing military policy in Ukraine. Apparently, that is “enough” for Abbas.
And speaking of Ukraine, last week the news broke that Russia was using Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones against Ukrainian civilians, and reportedly even brought in Iranians to train the Russian military to operate the suicide drones.
Incidentally, the use of these drones is a violation of the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal. In the aftermath of the attacks, Israel provided the Ukrainians with information on the suicide drones, and a private Israeli firm is helping with satellite imagery.
The head of the AMIA Prosecution Unit (UFI-AMIA) on Monday requested that “the appropriate diplomatic and foreign policy mechanisms be activated to comply with the court order for the arrest of Mohsen Rezaee (issued by the then judge in the case Rodolfo Canicoba Corral on November 9, 2006), who is the subject of a red alert issued by Interpol for his alleged involvement in the AMIA bombing and who, according to various websites, has traveled to the State of Qatar,” Argentina’s Télam state news agency reported.Guardian again omits Hezbollah's terror designation
Rezaee arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday and was received by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Qatar and the Iranian Ambassador.
Rezaee, Iran’s vice president for economic affairs, is wanted by Argentinian special prosecutors for his alleged participation in the planning of the July 18, 1994 attack on a Jewish center in Buenos Aires.
The bombing targeted AMIA – the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association). In the suicide bombing, a van packed with explosives was driven into the AMIA building and detonated, killing 85 people and injuring more than 300. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentine history. Argentina is home to 230,000 Jews, the largest Jewish community in Latin America and the seventh-largest in the world.
In 2006, Argentine prosecutors Alberto Nisman and Marcelo Martínez Burgos formally accused the Iranian government of directing the bombing that was carried out by Hezbollah. In 2015, Nisman filed a 300-page document accusing former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of covering up Iran’s role in the incident. Nisman was murdered hours before he was due to testify against the former president, which the Federal Court of Buenos Aires ruled was a “direct consequence” of Nisman’s accusations against Kirchner.
For the second time in less than a month, the Guardian benignly referred to Hezbollah as merely a Lebanese “Shia movement”, without explaining to readers that it’s a global terrorist group proscribed by the US, EU and the British government (both it’s political and military wings).Israeli Man Shot by Palestinian While in Sukkah: ‘Miracle’ Things Didn’t End Differently
In an email to Guardian editors last month, we complained about a Sept. 20 article (“Israel risks crossing Hezbollah ‘red line’ as it prepares to connect to disputed gas field”) by Jerusalem correspondent Bethan McKernan which included the following:
Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese Shia movement allied with Iran…
Our complaint, asking that they amend the article to note that the Iranian proxy is a recognized terrorist organisation, but received no reply.
The second such characterisation occurred in an article by McKernan last week (“Israel and Lebanon reach ‘historic’ maritime and border gas fields deal”, Oct. 11):
Talks on resolving the border dispute began in 2020 but have faced repeated setbacks , including threats towards Israel from Lebanon’s powerful Shia movement, Hezbollah,
In our complaint today addressing this latest omission, we stressed to editors that readers are grossly misled by the failure to adequately characterise the “Shia movement’s” extremist, antisemitic ideology, which fueled their history of deadly terror attacks targeting innocent Jews, including Jews outside the Middle East.
Indeed, in a 2002 speech, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah said that all the Jews gathering together in Israel saves them the trouble of targeting them around the world.
An Israeli man who was hit by Palestinian gunfire while sitting at a Sukkah near his home in the West Bank on Friday recounted the ordeal to Israel media, saying it was a “miracle” there were no fatalities within the crowded holiday dwelling.Eight Palestinians arrested on suspicion of aiding fugitive who killed IDF soldier
Jonathan Nizri, 25, was enjoying the “great atmosphere” with his wife, baby son, and more than a dozen others in his Sukkah — a temporary hut erected by Jews during the holiday of Sukkot — in Beit El before suddenly hearing gunfire.
“We saw smoke from the corner of the Sukkah and I very quickly understood that it’s a shooting attack,” he told Yediot Achronot on Saturday.
“I felt a blow to my jaw and immediately grabbed my wife and son and we went to our house,” said Nizri, who sustained an upper body injury from shrapnel and was treated by a local first responder, before being evacuated to a Jerusalem hospital.
The Palestinian gunman, identified by the Israeli military as Hamas operative Kays Shajaia, 23, was killed by returning fire from Israeli troops. Shajaia was previously imprisoned due to his involvement in terrorist activities, according to the IDF.
A second suspected assailant, 19, was arrested hours later in the Palestinian town of Dayr Jarir, located northeast of Beir El, along with two other suspected accomplices. His home contained weapons and uniforms, the military said.
Eight Palestinians were arrested on Tuesday morning on suspicion of aiding the gunman who killed an IDF soldier and wounded a security guard at the Shuafat crossing in Jerusalem on Oct. 8, according to an Israel Police statement.WATCH: IDF Soldier Opens Fire in Huwara After Getting Stoned
Sgt. Noa Lazar, a member of the IDF Military Police’s Erez battalion, was shot on Oct. 8 by Uday Tamimi, 22, and later died in hospital of her wounds.
The suspects apprehended on Tuesday are all residents of the Shuafat and the nearby town of Anata, and are relatives and acquaintances of Tamimi, according to police. Weapons and military combat vests were also seized, according to the statement.
Palestinians hurled firebombs and rocks at Israeli security forces during the arrest raids, police said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Meanwhile, doctors at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem continue to treat David Morel, 30, who was shot in the head in the Oct. 8 attack.
He was in serious and unstable condition after reportedly being put in a medically induced coma.
Last Tuesday, IDF soldier Staff Sgt. Ido Baruch was killed in a terrorist attack near the community of Shavei Shomron in Samaria.
An IDF soldier returning home from his base in the Shomron on Friday was stoned by Arabs as he drove through the village of Huwara. His car was damaged in the terror attack.
The soldier then got out of his car and fired multiple warning shots. Numerous Jewish drivers have been stoned as they drive on the main road through Huwara.
????? ???????: ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ???, ???? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ????? pic.twitter.com/dtm9t0Rf7w
— Carmel Dangor ???? ????? (@carmeldangor) October 15, 2022
Malaysia shows suspected local Mossad agents behind alleged kidnapping of Hamas man
Malaysia on Tuesday publicly paraded around several suspects who were reportedly arrested for kidnapping a Hamas operative on behalf of the Mossad so that he could be interrogated by Israel.PMW: Who waived US law to allow an “alien engaged in terror activity” into the US?
However, the alleged agents, all local Malaysians, bungled the operation, enabling police to free their captive, reportedly bursting in as Israelis were questioning him via video call.
Footage broadcast on Malaysian news channels showed several men walking in a line to the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court, their hands manacled and eyes covered.
Local media reports said they are among at least 11 people who have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the kidnapping.
Malaysia’s Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said authorities will investigate the matter and take action if the Israeli spy agency is found to be behind the incident.
“We should look into matters like this,” and will announce further actions, he said, according to a report from the New Strait Times.
A clear provision of US law denies entry of officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to the US. Despite this clear prohibition, on October 5 and 6, 2022, Hussein Al-Sheikh, who in May 2022 was appointed to Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the PLO, not only entered the US, but also held high-level discussions with officials of the Biden administration, including, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, and Andrew Plitt and Megan Doherty of USAID.MEMRI: Palestinian Islamic Jihad Official Samir Zaqout: Arafat Helped Fund The Resistance "Under the Table"; The Israelis Have Brought Depravity And Homosexuality To The Blessed Holy Land
Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part II, § 1182(a)(3)(B)(i)(I) of the U.S. Code prohibits entry to the US of aliens who have “engaged in terrorist activity.” Subsection (IX) adds that “An alien who is an officer, official, representative, or spokesman of the Palestine Liberation Organization is considered, for purposes of this chapter, to be engaged in a terrorist activity.”
For many years, while the PLO was permitted to operate an office in Washington DC, successive US administrations predominantly waived the aforementioned prohibition. However, in 2018, the PLO offices were closed, after the State Department concluded that the “PLO had failed to use its Washington office to engage in direct and meaningful negotiations on achieving a comprehensive peace settlement and, therefore, closing the PLO’s Washington office would serve the foreign policy interests of the United States.” [Legal opinion of the US State Department, “Statutory Restrictions on the PLO’s Washington Office”, Sept. 11, 2018]
Since that designation, the PLO has done nothing to change the situation. In fact, as Palestinian Media Watch has shown, since then, the PLO has not only continued to fail to engage in meaningful negotiations, it has also taken active steps in the opposite direction and promoted terror against Israel.
As a result, despite campaign promises, the Biden administration has failed to reopen the PLO offices, because it is prohibited to do so under US law.
The most important reason to continue denying PLO officials entry into the US is that the PLO factions are still actively engaged in terror.
Samir Zaquot, who is head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, said in an October 6, 2022 show on Al-Quds Al-Youm TV (Islamic Jihad – Gaza) that the "heroic martyr" Yasser Arafat used to finance and help Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) "under the table," despite Israeli plans to "wipe off" the organization. He further praised PA security service members who prepared and carried out attacks against Israel. Zaqout said that the "blessed and holy land" cannot accept the "depraved" Israeli "foreigners" and that Israel has the most homosexuality organizations and institutions of "economic destruction." He continued to say that the "American empire" is the "biggest criminal empire to appear in history" and that former U.S. President Trump boasted that Americans do not respect moral values, and therefore voted for him, even though he ran casinos and brothels.
"Yasser Arafat, Allah's Mercy Upon Him, Was Helping The Resistance Under The Table, And Funding It"
Samir Zaquot: "Israel was hoping to wipe off the Islamic Jihad. The Oslo [Agreements] were an attempt to eliminate the resistance, but the late president, the heroic martyr Yasser Arafat, Allah's mercy upon him, was helping the resistance under the table, and funding it. Today, we must remember some of the heroes, like Dr. Mahmoud Sabawi, who helped the resistance. He would assemble bombs, that were used by the resistance to attack the occupation and the Israelis. We must also mention..."
Interviewer: "We must mention Abu Jandal as well, from Jenin, in the occupied West Bank."
Zaquot: "Today, we must also mention the men of the [Palestinian] security services, who opened fire toward the Jalame checkpoint, and other checkpoints in the West Bank."
"This Blessed And Holy Land Cannot Accept Those Israeli Foreigners – They Have Come From All Over The World, With All Their Depravity"
"This blessed and holy land cannot accept those Israeli foreigners. They have come from all over the world, with all their depravity.
"Most of the organizations of the homosexuals and most of the institutions that bring about economic destruction are to be found in that foundling of a country.
"This is a 'function state.' If the [American] country of aggression and crime comes to an end... The biggest criminal empire in history... We speak about the Tatars, but the American empire is worse. The American empire... Its boss, its president, Trump said: 'America elected me president, even though I run casinos and brothels. We do not respect moral values, only interests. This is why I was elected president of that country.'"
But tell me more how the Palestinian Authority are our ‘partners for peace’ … pic.twitter.com/EoRCb0mSUI
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 17, 2022
Palestinian Authority security forces arrest Ala' Hamoudah, a senior militant from the Old City of Nablus and a former officer in the Palestinian security forces. pic.twitter.com/ivnZRTInRb
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) October 18, 2022
The neo nazi skinheads approve. https://t.co/6uvW5D11zs
— The Mossad: The Social Media Account (@TheMossadIL) October 17, 2022
The modern day Lady Haw Haw of the crank left is stirring up hatred and division again. What she doesn’t tell you is this off-duty officer was fired, charged, convicted and received 2 months community service. The video is from March 2017. pic.twitter.com/nAu5BxuG5Q
— GnasherJew®????? #JusticeforMalkiRoth (@GnasherJew) October 18, 2022
Khaled Abu Toameh: Arabs: Biden Emboldening Iran, Harming US Interests
"[T]his relationship [between the US and Saudi Arabia] should be based on reciprocity. If Washington is looking for its own interests, as with the Iran nuclear deal or the cancellation of the [Iranian-backed] Houthi group's designation as a terrorist group, Saudi Arabia also has the right to seek its own interests...." — Rami Al-Khalifa, Syrian author, Elaph, October 12, 2022.US Iran envoy on reviving the Iran deal: 'Right now it's not even on the agenda, not the focus'
"Biden was the one who decided to pursue a hostile policy towards the [Arab] allies. He and his team were the ones who gave in to America's enemies and went looking for nuclear agreements that are fraught with flaws and harm to many of America's friends." — Abdul Jalil Al-Saeid, Syrian author, Al-Ain, October 11, 2022.
The Arab League, for its part, condemned the Biden administration for waging a "negative campaign" against Saudi Arabia.
These reactions from the Arab countries indicate that the Arabs no longer see the US as a strategic ally or even as a friend. This is excellent news for the mullahs in Iran and their terrorist proxies in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis in Yemen.
"In retrospect, I think that was a mistake," Obama said, referring his total failure to help the Iranian protestors in 2009, when he sided with the regime.... He ended by noting that it was important "to affirm what they do and I hope that it brings about more space for the kind of civic conversation that over time can take the country down a better path."
"Civic conversation"? With Iran's savage regime? That's it?
White House spokesman John Kirby gave the game away. "The president ," he said, "still believes that a diplomatic way forward is the best way forward...."
It is not a secret, however, that a diplomatic way without a credible military threat to back it up is useless. Even soft-power advocate Joseph Nye, former Dean of the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, had to concede that, "to be realistic, soft power is never going to replace hard power."
The Biden administration appears to be waiting until after the November mid-term elections, when Congress will be in recess for its Christmas holiday and therefore unable to block the deal.
Reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic “is not even on the agenda” and “not the focus, because there is no movement,” according to Rob Malley, the Biden administration’s Iran envoy.
The administration believes the US needs to stop the regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon, he told CNN’s Becky Anderson on Monday.
“Diplomacy is the way to do that,” he said. “We will see whether this is a government that is interested in reaching a deal, but at this point, the focus is on what’s happening... because the talks are stalled.”
President Joe Biden made it clear from the first day he came into office that one of his priorities was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Malley said, and “he believes, and we continue to believe, that diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal.”
“But the reason the talks are at a standstill and an impasse, and why they’re not so far moving at all and why they’re not the focus, is because Iran has taken a position in those talks for the past two months, which is simply inconsistent with a return to the deal,” he said. “They’re making demands that have nothing to do with the JCPOA. And as long as that’s the case, the talks will be stopped.”
Asked whether Ukraine is correct in its assessment that Russia used Iranian-made drones to attack Ukrainian cities, Malley said the US had information as early as July that Iran was preparing to sell hundreds of drones to Russia.
"We will do what we can to stop" transfer of Iranian weapons to Russia
“And we’re now seeing... as recently as this morning the devastation that those drones are causing,” he said. “We will do what we can to stop” the transfer of Iranian weapons to Russia.
“The Iranians are denying it, but everyone can see through those lies – the Ukrainians, first and foremost,” he added. “We will do what we can to stop it by sanctioning Russian, Iranian or any other entity that’s involved in that transfer of weapons.”
Malley also was asked about the Iranian denial of the transfer of those weapons.
“We’d say, just look at the evidence... and I’m confident that the European Union will reach the same conclusion and will sanction those drone transfers,” he said.
Malley later addressed a question about whether the US administration would support regime change in Tehran.
“Our policy is not one of regime change instigated from Washington,” he said. “That’s not our policy.”
It was an immediate priority for the Biden admin to dismantle sanctions on Iran, including and especially military sanctions. Couldn't wait. In the middle of February they went to UN and restored the Iran deal at intl level, including winddown of arms embargo.
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) October 17, 2022
And now. pic.twitter.com/BbTs00YUfo
The Greens also condemned the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on Iran protests, and called on the German federal government to work with its European partners to help Iranian people.
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) October 17, 2022
2/ I could probably write a 500-tweet thread about how NIAC has talked about regime change over the years. But I'm just gonna do a few tweets to see if they've always been in favour of people-led regime change. (Aside: does NIAC not know that Twitter has a search function?)
— Kaveh Shahrooz ???? ????? (@kshahrooz) October 16, 2022
Proposal: moratorium on New York Times op-eds by Iranian regime ringleaders and apologists while women's rights protesters are being slaughtered. pic.twitter.com/eDu8r4V2g0
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 18, 2022
Friends of Elnaz Rekabi told the BBC they have not been able to contact her since last night. An informed source said that Ms. Rakabi's passport and mobile phone were taken from her.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 17, 2022
Reminder: the Iran regime began as hostage-takers and, 43 years later, that is what they remain. Elnaz Rekabi is now kidnapped in Doha airport, to be taken in 5 hours on flight QR 490 to Iran, while her brother Davod, a climber too, is taken hostage in Iran as blackmail on her. https://t.co/H5hCNFZyYb pic.twitter.com/8LOXX9YNmR
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 18, 2022
Khamenei isn’t sleeping well tonight ??
— Emily Schrader - ????? ?????? ????? ????? (@emilykschrader) October 17, 2022
Iranian arm wrestling athlete stood next to an Israeli athlete and the two countries' official flags were held side by side in opening ceremony of World Arm Wrestling Championship in Antalya, Turkeypic.twitter.com/7Zhq4B55bh
White & Case Backpedals In Face of Blowback Over Sponsorship of Anti-Israel Event
The law firm that helped defend financial giant Morningstar against accusations it is enabling Israel boycotts, White & Case, is distancing itself from a campus event last week that took aim at Israel's status as a Jewish state and slandered the country as an "apartheid" nation.
The event, held at the University of Chicago Law school, was titled, "Apartheid: International Law in the Israel-Palestine Context" and featured a speaker who deemed Israel an "apartheid" state that has "pursued a policy or intent to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians." An invitation for the event listed White & Case as a sponsor of the event, but following widespread condemnation by pro-Israel groups the law firm says it had nothing to do with it.
"White & Case was not a sponsor of this event," a spokesman for the firm told the Washington Free Beacon on Monday. "Our firm does support International Law Societies, as do other law firms similar to us, not just at the University of Chicago Law School but at many law schools across the country. We are not involved in or consulted on any of the programming decisions these student organizations make. Had we known in advance of this event, we would have insisted that our firm not be associated with it in any way. We have conveyed this position to the [International Law Society] at the University of Chicago."
The firm has, for the past several months, been at the center of a controversy surrounding Morningstar’s alleged support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS), which wages economic warfare on Israel and Jewish businesses. White & Case has a fraught relationship with the Jewish people, having defended foreign governments and the German national railway in lawsuits filed by Holocaust survivors, as well as historic enemies of the Jewish state, including the Palestinian Authority. Morningstar, which guides investors through its corporate-ratings system, is battling accusations that it supports the BDS movement by downgrading companies that work with and in Israel. The financial giant retained White & Case to investigate these claims, and in a report that generated even more debate, concluded that Morningstar engaged in limited but correctable instances of bias against Israel. Morningstar has relied on the report to defend itself against claims it actively supports the BDS movement.
But White & Case is facing renewed scrutiny for its support of the Israel "apartheid" event at University of Chicago’s Law school, with one pro-Israel watchdog telling the Free Beacon that the law firm may be guilty of anti-Israel bias. Latham & Watkins—which came under criticism last week for its financial support of campus groups accused of anti-Semitism—is also listed as a sponsor for the event.
Further information here. https://t.co/qvjmhiuQew
— GnasherJew®????? #JusticeforMalkiRoth (@GnasherJew) October 17, 2022
‘The Jewish media blocked me out,’ Kanye West says in latest antisemitic rant
Kanye West launched into a fresh tirade against Jewish people during a podcast appearance on Sunday, after being restricted from major social media platforms for similar rants.Kanye West allegedly told TMZ he ‘loved Hitler and the Nazis’ in 2018
The hip-hop star, now known as Ye, spoke on Revolt TV’s “Drink Champs” podcast, hosted by rapper N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, where he made antisemitic claims regarding Jewish ties to media and wealth.
“You get used to paparazzi taking a picture of you, and you don’t get money off it. You just get used to being screwed by the Jewish media,” West raged, adding that “the Jewish media blocked me out.”
“Jewish people have owned the Black voice. Whether it’s through us wearing the Ralph Lauren shirt, or it’s all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager, or being signed to a Jewish basketball team, or doing a movie on a Jewish platform like Disney.”
He also repeated an earlier claim made in an Instagram post that he couldn’t be antisemitic, since black people were descended from Jews because they had the “blood of Christ,” echoing claims made by the Black Hebrew Israelites, which is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“We Jew [sic] so I can’t be antisemite,” he said.
“Higher Learning” podcast, Van Lathan claimed the rapper had made the comments on camera but TMZ ultimately edited them out of the video.Kanye West launches into fresh anti-Semitic rant as he tells Chris Cuomo a 'Jewish underground media mafia' attacked his White Lives Matter stunt
“I’ve already heard him say that stuff before,” Lathan told his co-host, Rachel Lindsay, referencing Ye’s latest anti-Semitic comments.
“I mean, I was taken aback because that type of anti-Semitic talk is disgusting. But as far as him, I knew that that was in him because when came to TMZ, he said that stuff and they took it out of the interview,” he alleged.
Lathan — who worked for TMZ until 2019 — claimed he brought up the Holocaust while rebutting Ye’s comments about slavery, but the “Gold Digger” rapper made some shocking claims in response.
Van Lathan, who worked for TMZ until 2019, made the claims in his latest podcast episode.
“If you look at what I said at TMZ, it goes from me saying like, ‘Hey Kanye, there’s real-life, real-world implication to everything that you just said there.’ What I say after that — if I can remember, it’s been a long time — was, ’12 million people actually died because of Nazism and Hitler and all of that stuff,’ and then I move on to talk about what he said about slavery,” Lathan alleged.
Van Lathan, who was staffer at TMZ until 2019, claimed Kanye West said he “loved Hitler and the Nazis.”
“The reason they took it out is because it wouldn’t have made sense unless they kept in Kanye saying he loved Hitler and the Nazis, which he said when he was at TMZ. He said something like, ‘I love Hitler, I love Nazis.’ Something to that effect.”
Lathan recalled a Jewish staff member at the tabloid challenging West over his anti-Semitic remarks, but, it didn’t sway the musician’s views.
Kanye West launched into a fresh anti-Semitic rant on Monday, claiming a 'Jewish underground media mafia' is ruining his career.
In an interview with Chris Cuomo at his new home on News Nation, West complained a 'mafia' of Jewish media executives attacked his White Lives Matter stunt at the Paris Fashion Week and are always calling him a rapper instead of a billionaire.
'When I wore that White Lives Matter t-shirt, the Jewish underground media mafia already started attacking me,' Ye said from the back seat of a car.
'They canceled my store, SoFi stadium shows,' he claimed.
'Right, they have the press saying on 78 outlets that when I was arguing with Pete Davidson and Trevor Noah, they called me an abuser for arguing with people about my ex-wife and my family and when I get to see my kids and when I don't.
'And they just immediately disrespect me, they keep this crazy narrative going.
'They never call me a billionaire,' he continued. 'We never talk about even one right here, Hey, tycoon, billionaire, visionary, inventor. These are never used.'
He also claimed that the 'Jewish people that I'm talking about' have a certain 'privilege' and he is now 'calling out the Jewish community as a whole.'
Cancel Kanye
— Emily Schrader - ????? ?????? ????? ????? (@emilykschrader) October 18, 2022
Kanye rants he’s "calling out the Jewish community" because of the "bad business" done to him.
Relying on tropes, he lashes out at "the Jewish underground media mafia."
pic.twitter.com/YYVIeC3lJ5
A mentally deficient man rants incoherently right out of the antisemitic Farrakhan/Black Hebrew Israelites playbook…but don’t worry, I’m reliably assured by The Daily Wire and its Orthodox Jewish leader that we can just “agree to disagree” with such sentiments. https://t.co/FpAZtfgDco
— Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) October 16, 2022
Odd because our copy of that textbook has a chapter with your picture in it. https://t.co/j882SROMG7
— The Mossad: The Social Media Account (@TheMossadIL) October 17, 2022
The CEO of Parler is the husband of Candace Owens, who has become an apologist for Kanye’s Antisemitism.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) October 17, 2022
Coincidence? https://t.co/Fiw25QFGGy
For Mehdi Hasan, Two Antisemitic Wrongs Make Ilhan Omar Right
On October 16, MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan spoke with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on a number of subjects, ending with a question about antisemitism. Given Hasan’s history, it is unsurprising that the question exuded bad faith. To begin, he wields discussions of antisemitism as a weapon for his own partisan interests. Then, he seeks to downplay Omar’s antisemitism as just “criticism of Israel.”
Here is Hasan’s question in full:
“You have been demonized in recent years as an antisemite by many, especially by Donald Trump and the GOP over your criticisms of Israel and of Jewish groups’ support of Israel, some of which you have regretted and apologized for, that you should have been more careful with some of your language in the past. And yet this morning, former President Trump tweeted, and I quote, ‘Jews need to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel before it’s too late.’ This coming from the guy who said you should’ve resigned from Congress for your comments. What do you make of Trump’s post this morning? What do you think the right would be saying if you or Rashida Tlaib had threatened American Jews, which of course I know you wouldn’t have done?”
Partisan Exploitation of Antisemitic Incidents
Begin with the partisanship. From the start, his segment is not one of concern about antisemitism, but instead a rather blatant employment of political whataboutery. Hasan immediately declares that the concern about Omar’s history of antisemitism came “especially” from “Donald Trump and the GOP.” Hasan also tells us Omar, the “progressive” member of the Squad, has regretted her words, and that he “knows [Omar] wouldn’t have” “threatened American Jews” like Trump did. After all, the accusations of antisemitism against her came from that guy who said antisemitic things and “who said [Omar] should’ve resigned from Congress.”
Hasan seems to be suggesting that because Trump said antisemitic things himself, the accusations against Omar aren’t valid. It’s only a slightly more sophisticated version of the childish attempt to justify one’s actions by suggesting two wrongs make a right.
Of course, “Trump and the GOP” weren’t the only ones condemning Omar’s past remarks, and whatever their faults, they obviously do not reflect on other individuals and political groups condemning Omar. The Democratic leadership denounced her antisemitism, as have Jewish Democrats. The Anti-Defamation League, headed by the progressive Jonathan Greenblatt, has also recoiled from Omar’s obvious anti-Jewish animus.
Combating antisemitism, including that espoused by Ilhan Omar, is not and should not be a partisan issue. Hasan’s attempts to make it one strongly suggests a disinterest in combating antisemitism for the sake of equality and the Jewish people. Instead, it suggests he treats the topic of antisemitism as a device with which he may exploit for his own partisan interests.
This exploitation is particularly notable when one looks at Hasan’s obsession with using examples of Republican or right-wing antisemitism to excuse or diminish Omar’s history of Jew hatred.
https://t.co/i1iXmWWXVF pic.twitter.com/JJM28jWJky
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 17, 2022
https://t.co/Sohj2CZcqi pic.twitter.com/g1I8MiHt36
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) October 17, 2022
This from guy who called for Israel’s destruction, claimed we poison Palestinian water and is BFFs with Louis Farrakhan. Seriously @marclamonthill, I think best you sit this one out … https://t.co/haa6VDQUgS
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 17, 2022
If you’re making excuses for him, staying silent, or resonating with any of this shit in a “well, he has a point” way- I urge you to look deeply into a mirror and realize what it is you are participating in. 60% of hate crimes are against Jews. pic.twitter.com/Mdzfc6xCU5
— Regina Spektor (@respektor) October 17, 2022
Oof. Looks like both Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib shared this awful Carlos Latuff cartoon in Instagram stories yesterday. In 2006, Latuff came in second in Iran's International Holocaust Cartoon Contest, which is a thing that exists, in case you thought the TL couldn't get any worse. pic.twitter.com/uwyBPAsz7T
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) August 18, 2019
Hear Sitta speaking on "Jewish financial power" and accusing #Israel of perpetrating a "genocide"
— Harry's Place (@hurryupharry) October 17, 2022
"only Jews are immune from criticism" he says #antisemitism "is an instrument of defaming Palestinians" he says pic.twitter.com/dYA9AeyX1y
Over to you @EdinburghUni the best case scenario is that you didn't bother doing due diligence, (so we've done it for you). Worst case is that you actively seek to platform someone holding these positions. The event is organised by @CBRL_news who is funded by the British Govt
— Harry's Place (@hurryupharry) October 17, 2022
— Harry's Place (@hurryupharry) October 17, 2022
Roger Waters and the Gish Gallup
Roger Waters is on tour, and that means, unfortunately, that he’s back in the public eye. Rolling Stone has done a wide-ranging interview with him, that, to the magazine’s credit, pushed back on many of Waters’s most bizarre claims. (Roger Waters: A Contentious Political Discussion, October 4 on Apple Podcasts.) Both the print version and the podcast also included introductions that put some of those claims into context. Because, podcast host Brian Hiatt said, Waters’s tour provides him the opportunity to propagate his views to large audiences, the magazine felt they should take him seriously. Hiatt makes clear, however, “it’s not that we’re presenting this as something we endorse.”SUCCESS: Thomson Reuters Foundation Strips Antisemitic Palestinian Journalist of Award Following HonestReporting Exposé of Pro-Hitler Posts
Hiatt and journalist James Ball spent more than ten minutes introducing the podcast. Hiatt called Waters’s politics “fringe,” and said that, “sometimes he refuses to acknowledge what, I would think, the majority of experts agree to be facts on certain subjects.”
During the interview, Ball did an adequate job pushing back on some of Waters’s most outrageous claims, including that American and British Jews are responsible for Israeli actions “because they pay for everything.” And in the introduction, Ball notes that this assertion “ties into some very old and very dark tropes,” while Hiatt flatly says that Waters’s assertion that Jews don’t have ancestral ties to the region of Israel is “of course not true.”
Ball brings up the term “Gish Gallup,” which he calls “a form of argument … [in which] you throw out so many bad arguments quickly that the person arguing against either needs far more time and also a lot of knowledge to unpack it, [and] it won’t be very convincing to someone just coming to it cold.” This is something that anyone who spends time online advocating for Israel has likely experienced. Hiatt and Ball noted, however, that “it’s an interview, ultimately, not a debate,” so there were points at which it was necessary for them to simply move on. That’s where CAMERA picks up.
Less than 48 hours after HonestReporting revealed the violent and antisemitic posts written by prominent Palestinian reporter Shatha Hammad, the Thomson Reuters Foundation has stripped her of a prestigious journalism prize.
On Sunday, we revealed Hammad had a long history of making disturbing comments on her social media accounts, including repeatedly joking about Adolf Hitler, lavishing praise on Palestinian terrorists who have murdered innocent Jews, and denying that Israel has any right to exist.
We questioned why the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), the charitable arm of the global wire service, and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF) had chosen Hammad as the recipient of the 2022 Local Reporter Award, which included a $5,000 cash prize and the chance for her work to be “spotlighted through a multi-media campaign on the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s social media channels.”
In addition, Hammad had been invited to take part in a discussion hosted by CNN pundit Christiane Amanpour at the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s annual Trust Conference in London later this month.
On October 18, both organizations released a joint statement in which they confirmed Hammad has been stripped of her prize following our investigation:
The decision has been made following the discovery of a social media post on Hammad’s Facebook feed that appears to quote Hitler – which, in doing so, suggests an endorsement of his ideology. The comment appeared in 2014.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund stand opposed to hate speech of any description. We have therefore taken this unusual step in order to protect the integrity of the Kurt Schork Awards, established to recognise and celebrate the courageous and brilliant reporting of conflict, corruption and injustice from journalists around the world, who risk their lives daily to speak truth to power.
We are aware of a second Facebook post using extreme anti-Semitic language that purports to be drafted by Hammad, also dated 2014. However, Hammad strongly denies that this post is hers.”
“Me and Hitler are friends”
The posts that HonestReporting uncovered included dozens of violent and antisemitic clarion calls, such as one in which she eulogized the “martyrs” who killed five “settlers” during the 2014 Jerusalem synagogue massacre where two Palestinian terrorists attacked worshipers with axes, knives and a gun.
In several posts in 2014, Hammad, who currently works for Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera, signed off her comments using the nickname “Hitler” and joked that she was “in agreement” with the Nazi leader who oversaw the mass extermination of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
She will no longer appear alongside @amanpour at the Reuters conference in London this month or receive $5,000 prize moneyhttps://t.co/vXEmLAesZI
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 18, 2022
Cross-platform BBC promotion for a Palestinian campaign
On October 7th a report by the BBC Jerusalem bureau’s Tom Bateman was published on the BBC News website’s ‘Middle East’ page under the headline “UK apology sought for British war crimes in Palestine”.Al Jazeera staff allege harassment and bullying went unchecked
On the same day a filmed version of the report was shown on the BBC Two programme ‘Newsnight’ (available in the UK on BBC iPlayer here and also on YouTube here).
On October 15th a longer filmed version was aired on the BBC World News TV channel under the title “Palestine: Britain’s Colonial Crimes”.
“The UK government is being urged to make a formal apology for alleged war crimes by British troops in historical Palestine. A petition, along with 300 pages of evidence, has been brought by an elderly Palestinian, a former politician who was shot and wounded by UK forces as a boy. A BBC review of the historical material involved details allegations of reprisal killings, torture, and home demolitions as collective punishment by British forces from 1917 to 1948. Tom Bateman reports.”
The various versions of the report were heavily promoted by Bateman on social media.
In the written report – i.e. the version which will remain online as ‘permanent public record’ – the instigator of the petition is described as follows:
“It is being brought by Munib al-Masri, 88, a well-known Palestinian business owner and former politician, who was shot and wounded by British troops as a boy in 1944.
“[Britain’s role] affected me a lot because I saw how people were harassed… we had no protection whatsoever and nobody to defend us,” Mr al-Masri told the BBC at his home in Nablus in the occupied West Bank.”
Readers are not given any further information about al-Masri’s political leanings and are not informed that two years ago he and others filed a lawsuit against the British government in which it was claimed that “the suffering of the Palestinians” stems from the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
Bateman’s reports are primarily based on claims from people who were either not born or were children at the time regarding incidents in two locations. The context provided is severely lacking and does not include proper explanation of the Arab Revolt which took place between 1936-1939:
Kamahl Santamaria, a veteran television journalist, was just 32 days into his job at New Zealand's top broadcaster TVNZ when he resigned.Cannabis seeds from Israeli start-up BetterSeeds touch down in Canada
Surprise gave way to shock as allegations about his inappropriate behaviour in the newsroom surfaced. Soon Mr Santamaria's former colleagues at Al Jazeera, where he had worked for 16 years, began speaking out.
A BBC investigation - drawing on interviews with several current and former employees at Al Jazeera, and documentary evidence of inappropriate messages and staff complaints - has found several allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Santamaria in the broadcaster's Doha newsroom. Some say he wasn't the only one.
They also accuse the company of fostering a toxic work culture where complaints of harassment, sexism, bullying and racism largely go unaddressed. Those who spoke to the BBC wished to remain anonymous because they feared it would affect their careers. Their names have been changed.
Mr Santamaria did not respond directly to the BBC. But he issued a public statement where he acknowledged previously reported allegations, saying some are "true, some missing crucial context, some outright lies and a rewriting of history".
In response to the allegations made by the BBC, he admitted to and apologised for "behaviour that may have made anyone feel uncomfortable" and what he previously considered to be "flirtatious, over-friendly, 'just a bit of banter', or simply within the bounds of acceptable in the prevailing newsroom culture was, in fact, not".
The BBC sent Al Jazeera a detailed list of the 22 allegations it had uncovered, but the broadcaster did not address them individually, instead saying it "considers its staff across the world the backbone and foundation of the company - their safety and wellbeing are of utmost importance". It added: "As an international organisation with over 95 nationalities, we continually strive to build a healthy and constructive work environment for all."
Israel is known around the world for its breakthrough advancements in technological innovation — and soon, it may also be known for its weed strains: the first (documented) shipment of cannabis seeds from Israel to Canada arrived at its destination last week.700 Christians wrap up Feast of Tabernacles with pro-Israel march near Gaza Strip
The shipment contains a variety of medical cannabis seeds to be used for medicinal purposes in the Canadian market, which was among the first to allow the use of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes.
The seeds were developed by Israel-based Agri-tech company BetterSeeds which uses gene-editing technology, including the well-known gene editor CRISPR, to develop new varieties of cannabis seeds.
The seeds are fully stable and uniform cannabis hybrid seeds, which the company claims are the first of their kind in the world. As such, the company expects them to greatly increase the reproducibility, standardization and high quality of raw material within the Canadian market and for the entire medical cannabis industry.
“The seeds that were sent to Canada are unique,” said Ido Margalit, founder and CEO of BetterSeeds. “We anticipate that they will revolutionize both the process of growing cannabis and the product standards in Canada, as our cannabis seeds are 100% stable and uniform.”
Over 700 Christians from 50 countries across the globe took part in a pro-Israel solidarity rally in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council in the South, near the Gaza Strip, on Sunday.
The rally was held as part of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem's (ICEJ) week-long Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) celebrations.
The visit to Israel's South was intended as a show of support for Israelis "living under constant rocket threat along the Gaza border," ICEJ said in a statement.
ICEJ commits to 'security, re-greening of Negev'
As part of the visit, the group also held a tree-planting ceremony with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) to "reflect ICEJ's commitment to the security and re-greening of the Western Negev," it added.
The ICEJ had initiated several projects and made considerable donations toward residents of Israel's South in the past, including a donation of 140 portable bomb shelters and two dozen firefighting vehicles.
ICEJ also held its annual Feast of Tabernacles event in the Capernaum National Park last week, which was attended by coalition MK Sharren Haskel along with some 1,700 Christians.
From all over South Africa to Israel, Zionism is alive ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/pZNDd7mBuU
— South African Friends of Israel (@MZANSIISRAEL) October 18, 2022
This remains true. https://t.co/j9Wv6d7fXm
— R?????? K??? ? (@COLRICHARDKEMP) October 18, 2022
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424. Read all about it here! |
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