tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156278922024-03-18T09:18:31.642-04:00Daled AmosWhat I write only has to go so far...Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.comBlogger12745125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-85637191364344128692024-03-18T09:18:00.001-04:002024-03-18T09:18:00.142-04:00The Palestinian Arabs Are "Open" -- But Not To Compromise<p>The following is a second <a href="https://daledamos.blogspot.com/2024/03/exclusive-interview-with-dr-harold.html" target="_blank">interview with Dr. Harold Rhode</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>The key to discussing the Middle East is understanding the cultures and languages. In Hebrew, you have the root P-T-Ch, corresponding to F-T-Ch in Arabic. The root has the general meaning of "open." But in Arabic, there is an additional meaning: opening up a land to Islam. So the leader in battle is called Fatih and the man who conquered Istanbul was called Mehmed Fatih.</p>
<p>Similarly, there is Fatah, the organization. The name is a <i>reverse</i> acronym of the <i>Organization for the Liberation of Palestine</i> -- <b>Ḥ</b>arakat al-<b>T</b>aḥrīr l-<b>F</b>ilasṭīn. The reference is to the liberation and return of all of today’s Israel – including Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip – to Islamic rule.</p>
<p>This concept of being "open" means that once a land has been conquered and is "open to Islam," it is Muslim forever, even if Muslim control comes to an end. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a>The Muslims ruled Spain from 712 CE until 1492, when the Christians finally expelled them from all of Spain. But in the Muslim mind, though their physical control over Spain ended centuries ago, Spain still belongs to the Muslims and will never be part of the non-Muslim world. Many Muslims, when mentioning Spain, often add the phrase “Allah-Willing, it will again be ruled by Muslims.”<p></p>
<p>Similarly, there was a time when all of Southeast Europe up to Vienna was under Ottoman rule. The Ottomans saw themselves as Muslims, not Turks. Their defeat in Vienna in 1683 gradually led to the complete Ottoman withdrawal from Southeast Europe, resulting in 1914 to the borders of present-day Turkey. Yet many Turks and other Muslims still talk about the area as being part of the Muslim world. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan still talks about Southeastern Europe as being “part of the Ottoman-Muslim area.”</p>
<p>That brings us to the years 1948-1949, when Israel defeated five Muslim armies. At the Rhodes talks in 1949, the Muslims insisted on the phrase "ceasefire lines" instead of "borders." The word "borders" implies the recognition of the people living there. Jews would have the right to live in Eretz Yisrael. A Muslim would find that unacceptable because those lands should remain Muslim forever.</p>
<p>To the Arabs, there is nothing magical about the lines drawn in the 1948-49 map. Those borders do not matter. The land is completely Muslim. But from the Western point of view, we are talking about how to divide up land and this is the point of pushing for the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. However, Netanyahu understands that the Arabs are not talking about Israel’s borders and how to renegotiate them. They are talking about Israel’s existence. And people cannot compromise on their existence. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRKws4ZzJFgWwJMgBr9GrNpzkxLIGjs7J4q5hi0So4dNWfcA-QQ2MEaWrxJxFbwalkbl5gDruDcnZHcEbsL8wg9v3hxgP64zjPAKAf_CtZN-mV2403C7AMnl4b4wm3utyB5hVkHj7rdz30KGIjcwNG2t4vLP2J1_JDko1S4c75a7eo6KqKeRy4A/s782/halfWay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="782" height="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRKws4ZzJFgWwJMgBr9GrNpzkxLIGjs7J4q5hi0So4dNWfcA-QQ2MEaWrxJxFbwalkbl5gDruDcnZHcEbsL8wg9v3hxgP64zjPAKAf_CtZN-mV2403C7AMnl4b4wm3utyB5hVkHj7rdz30KGIjcwNG2t4vLP2J1_JDko1S4c75a7eo6KqKeRy4A/w640-h461/halfWay.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This issue of borders and Israel's legitimacy caused a problem for Yasser Arafat. The 1993 Oslo Agreement was an interim agreement, not a Peace Treaty. Yet, at the very last moment, Arafat kept changing the terms. He was afraid of what might happen.</p>
Years later, when President Clinton was trying to get Israel and Arafat to sign a Peace Agreement, Arafat was quoted as saying he would not sign because he did not want to end up <a href="https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6142/palestinians-peace-israel" target="_blank">drinking tea with Sadat</a>. If Arafat had signed, he would have risked assassination like the Egyptian president, whose signing of the Egyptian agreement with Begin was viewed as a treasonous acknowledgment of Israel's right to “Muslim” territory.
<p>There are YouTube videos of Israeli Muslim children -- whose ancestors had been living in Israel for 3 to 4 generations -- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm_1rhlWI-U" target="_blank">telling an Israeli journalist that Israel was Muslim land</a> and that someday Muslims would get it back. </p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nm_1rhlWI-U?si=Ei6NUI6DONRwy8P-" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>When the interviewer pointed out his family had been living in Israel for many years, since 1948, the teenager responded that this is what he had been taught, both in school and at home: You Jews have no right to live here and we are going to take our land back from you. There was no issue of rights or that Jews were on the land long before the Arabs arrived in 637-638 CE. </p>
<p>None of that made any difference.<br />
To the Palestinian Arabs, it still doesn't.
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<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" /></div><p></p>Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-75891293248340965172024-03-16T21:18:00.001-04:002024-03-16T21:18:23.761-04:00Exclusive Interview With Dr. Harold Rhode: Understanding The Middle East Requires Knowing The Difference Between Shalom And Salam<p>I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Harold Rhode.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Dr. Harold Rhode has a Ph.D. in Islamic history and lived for years in the Muslim world. He served as an advisor on the Islamic world to the Department of Defense for 28 years.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNB1kNaBxgwl6ssCxpMzyEah513VeyXdnXmgov-PqhjFlaJ4nhiON5eRXG4um5xRtwMb2fp1da6wH8eAEv5HcNDbD0gIVVXL_1JJSPfcuxiJnJvFCCicBEmEPp64O4EDxSw5sa6cjLkHz3QFnzIXoesptvP-nq1RDSZz14ftAsWUVqIa9HyTItg/s596/Dr%20Harold%20Rhode.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="399" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNB1kNaBxgwl6ssCxpMzyEah513VeyXdnXmgov-PqhjFlaJ4nhiON5eRXG4um5xRtwMb2fp1da6wH8eAEv5HcNDbD0gIVVXL_1JJSPfcuxiJnJvFCCicBEmEPp64O4EDxSw5sa6cjLkHz3QFnzIXoesptvP-nq1RDSZz14ftAsWUVqIa9HyTItg/w268-h400/Dr%20Harold%20Rhode.png" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Harold Rhode</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Do all of the signatories to the Abraham Accords, Arabs and Israelis, see the Abraham
Accord the same way?<span></span></b></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div>
<p>We Jews want people to love us. And the peace we are looking for is that you will stop
fighting, and we will stop fighting, and everyone will live together in peace. But the
Muslims do not have a concept like that. They won't stop until the whole world will be
Muslim. They follow what their prophet Muhammad did. He signed a 10-year ceasefire
with Quraysh. After 2 years, Muhammad realized Quraysh had weakened -- so he
attacked them, and won. There is a classic Latin phrase "Bellum omnium contra omnes,
pace inter omnes interpellatur," that war is the natural state of man, interrupted by
periods of peace.</p>
<p>We do not look at life like that, but historically most people do. From a Muslim point of
view, they can agree to have relations with their enemies -- whether they be Muslims,
Jews, or anybody else. They can make temporary agreements just like their prophet did.
Those agreements can be renewed, renewed, and renewed. But to think that the Saudis
see peace the way we Jews see it is a pipe dream. </p>
<p>In 1949, after Israel's War of Independence, there was a peace conference in Rhodes.
The Arabs insisted the borders be called "ceasefire lines" and not borders. The situation
was not set in stone. Arabs do not have the concept that when the fighting is over, we can be friends. If we
think we will have a peace agreement with the Saudis in the way we understand
peace, we will be disappointed. </p>
<p><b>Does this mean the Abraham Accords are a pipe dream?</b></p>
<p>No, that does not mean the Abraham Accords are an illusion. We can have agreements
with the Arab countries -- as long as we have things they want from us, such as hi-tech, connections to the outside world, and alternate routes in place of the Suez Canal.
They are interested in what is in it for them, not for the sake of friendship. Friendship is
between people. Countries ally themselves because of common interests. The Abraham Accords are not about peace; they are about what is in both sides'
interest. </p>
<p>The Arab word “salam” has nothing to do with the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom comes
from the root for "completeness." The word "shalaim", means to pay. When two people come to
an agreement on a price, that payment completes the process.</p>
<p>In Arabic, the word “salam” is similar to the Hebrew word “shalom,” but they do not
have the same meaning. “Islam” and “salam,” come from the same Arabic root. Islam
means “submission,” while “salam” means something like the special sense of joy that
someone has by submitting to Allah’s will through Islam. Shalom, on the other hand,
means letting bygones be bygones, a concept that is totally alien to Islam. Clearly, "salam" and "shalom" do not mean the same thing.</p>
<p>The following example illustrates the Arabic meaning of the word in a Muslim context:
If you take a look at the correspondence between Yemen and Saudi Arabia during the
war in 1934, the leaders of the two sides wrote the most threatening things to each
other -- and then closed their letters with "salam alaikum". These leaders hated each
other, but they were fellow Muslims addressing each other. So if "salam" meant peace,
how could they end their letters to each other with “salam alaikum?” How could they close their letters with "Peace be unto you"? Because the phrase has
nothing to do with peace -- it is about submission to Allah, which both of them, as
fellow Muslims, are required to do.”</p>
<p>So, we are dealing with cultures that are so incredibly different from ours, from the
Western culture, which is partially based on the Hebrew culture.</p>
<p>I am for the Abraham Accords, very strongly so. The Arab countries are interested
because Israel is strong. The proof of that goes back to when contact between Israel
and the UAE became serious. Netanyahu spoke before Congress against the Iran deal in
2015, in defiance of the US. He showed Israel was an independent country that could
make its own decisions, and was willing to stand up to the US. That was when the Arab
countries decided they could do business directly with Israel. It is why Saudi Arabia and
Israel have had good relations for a long while and both have a strong dislike for
Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood.</p>
<p><b>But wouldn't you think that at some point the "experts" would catch on to the fact that
the Arab world is different?</b></p>
<p>No, not at all. Few of these “experts” know the languages or haven’t taken the time to
learn about and understand the cultures of the Muslim world. They think anyone who
speaks English is a closet American. The White House ignored the Kurds, but when Iraq
was liberated during The Gulf War, the White House greeted them as part of Iraq. A State
Department senior official approached the Kurds and told them, "You have to stop
thinking of yourselves as Kurds; you have to think of yourselves as Iraqis." </p><p>The experts don't read Bernard Lewis. They read Edward Said. His approach is that you
can never understand another culture, so don't waste your time trying to. Don't learn the
languages and don't learn the culture. Bernard Lewis' attitude was quite different. He
said you had to immerse yourself in the culture and the language. You have to try to
understand what they are doing and saying in terms of their culture. In modern parlance,
what the experts are doing is the equivalent of telling a person not to think of
themselves as a man or a woman, but rather as a human. </p>
<p>I recall the reaction of a very senior leader when war broke out in Syria in 2011. I
suggested this was nothing more than the return of the ancient Shiite-Sunni conflict. His
response was, "Well, we can't have that!" I said to myself it didn't matter if we could or
could not have it. The fact is that they see it this way. The reality is the reality, and if you
choose to ignore it, you do so at your own peril.</p>
<p><b>Let's talk about October 7. On the one hand, Israel's weakness was revealed by the
Hamas attack. On the other hand, Israel has entered Gaza and taken the battle to
Hamas to a degree few could have predicted.</b></p>
<p>Hamas misread the Jews. </p>
<p><b>But how do the Saudis and the rest of the Gulf states read this? Do they see this as a
sign of Israeli weakness or do they see Israel's reaction as a sign of Israel's strength?</b></p>
<p>They understand strength very well and Israel has come back very strongly. That part of
the world has immense patience -- the Jews don't, but everyone else there does. They
know how to wait. Let the Saudis put off signing the agreement. I don't really care if
there is a formal agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, because their relationship
is so strong. The relationship is between governments, because these Arab countries
rule from the top, down, unlike in a democracy, where leaders are elected by the
people and must take into account the will of the people they lead.</p>
<p><b>Israelis seem to have a Westernized view of the Middle East. You would think they
would have a keener insight and understanding of their Arab neighbors.</b></p>
<p>Superficially, Israel is a Westernized country. But when you scratch the surface, you see
how the Israelis have reacted to the issue of judicial reforms, which the Arabs saw as a
weakness -- it is another reason why Hamas decided to pounce now -- but Israel has
created a younger generation, who are going to have a huge say after this, a revolution
against the politics, military, intelligence, and the media: "We put our lives on the line --
not for you, but for the Jewish people." That is what they are saying. We will see where
all this leads. It is only going to be healthy.</p>
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<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" /></div></div>Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-74320448801525757442023-09-15T15:09:00.002-04:002023-09-15T15:09:55.075-04:00Interview With Aryeh Lightstone On The Third Anniversary of The Abraham Accords<div>Aryeh Lightstone served as an advisor to US Ambassador David Friedman and as special envoy to the Abraham Accords. His account of his experiences, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Let-People-Know-Incredible-Peace_and/dp/1641772646/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1BXAB78IM9CO8&keywords=let+my+people+know&qid=1691898955&sprefix=let+my+people+know%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Let My People Know</a></i>, was published last year. Today is the third anniversary of the announcing of the Accords. </div><div><br /></div><div>I recently had the opportunity to interview Aryeh Lightstone, days before the news that there was progress in getting Saudi Arabia to join the Accords. The text has been edited for clarity.</div><div><br /></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-f37e1d15-7fff-98bb-bf12-156029a9132a"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How does it feel to prove all of the experts wrong by negotiating the Abraham Accords Then Trump is voted out of office, those "experts" are back -- and they are back to spouting the old disproven policy.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That's why I wrote the book </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Let My People Know</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. In May of 2021, Matt Lee, the great reporter for the AP, asked Ned Price, the spokesperson of the State Dept., what were these agreements called. And you can watch 2 minutes and 47 seconds of Ned Price turning himself into a pretzel to do anything but say the words "Abraham Accords." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SZcCuAi_jvLcbNGEFEvscAGDJ-EVLqPfRDkVz-KukHoB7wphjwPjK2fKoaZSDGrGTNI5ft1-Jdx6nWNQgmtEKRzux19hgG4LxL56rOkBSBTj6gETNIWe7vKmvb-5yk2gWxfNw06L11CxU_IK2OcyCpv63v3KNuzexTnyKHmwK1N2nSQmj6iguQ/s638/LMPK2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SZcCuAi_jvLcbNGEFEvscAGDJ-EVLqPfRDkVz-KukHoB7wphjwPjK2fKoaZSDGrGTNI5ft1-Jdx6nWNQgmtEKRzux19hgG4LxL56rOkBSBTj6gETNIWe7vKmvb-5yk2gWxfNw06L11CxU_IK2OcyCpv63v3KNuzexTnyKHmwK1N2nSQmj6iguQ/w271-h400/LMPK2.png" width="271" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To me, that was insulting -- not because I needed to hear it, but because there were countries that took a risk and joined a circle of peace without preconditions and they called it the Abraham Accords. So for the US not to honor, recognize and support this agreement that it brokered, and walk away from it was so reprehensible. So that is why I wrote "Let My People Know" -- so that people will know about the Abraham Accords. And if people knew what they were, Democrats would be up in arms against such ignorance by the Biden administration. The very first time that the Biden Administration came out pro-actively supporting the Abraham Accords was the day after the Afghanistan debacle, so they know that it works. It's just a question of whether they can get past the personality and politics to get to the policy. They know it is good policy, it's just bad politics to openly say it. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Abraham Accords happened because of the leadership of Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, David Friedman, yourself and others -- but it was more than that. What else had to fall into place, both in the Arab world and in Israel to make this happen?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well, I think a couple of different things happened. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Foremost, the United States is the undisputed superpower in the world and when we act that way, a lot of really good things happen. When we back away from that, there is a vacuum. And it is not filled by Costa Rica -- it is filled by the Russians, the Chinese and the Iranians. And for all their genuflecting to others, the Democrats put the world at enormous risk. Every one of our allies knows who we are, but sometimes we don't know who we are. One of the greatest things we did was move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Israel didn't need us to do that, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">we</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> needed to do that. We were afraid to move the embassy because of what other countries were going to say or do when we took an action that we wanted to do. But when we made that move, that was a </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">superpower</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> move. And when we opened up the embassy 6 months later, the rest of the countries in the region said, "Wait a second. This is an America who knows who they are and we want to be close to this America. And the path to Washington runs through Jerusalem." They know that the only democracy in the Middle East has a special relationship. And the closer those other countries are to that special relationship, the more they can elevate their own relationship with the United States. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Secondly, Israel is an attractive friend because of its economy and because of its military strength. It is not a "noch schlepper." Just look at what world leaders said during COVID. They said that the solutions were going to come from the US or from Israel. Just look at the number of calls that the US National Security Council had with other countries. We had a </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">twice-weekly</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> call with Israel. We didn't have that with any other country. World leaders see the innovation, the power and the strength that comes out of Israel. Israel is the prettiest girl at the ball. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You see the Arab countries who come and say that they want to build for the next hundred years, not re-litigate the last hundred years. How do they do that? They see that the Palestinian Arabs, by not moving forward on peace, are holding these Arab countries back and if they can move the Palestinian issue to the side then they can go ahead and take the next step forward. That takes a lot of guts and courage from those leaders.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thirdly, Iran is terrifying.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now suddenly the same Biden Administration that couldn't say the words "Abraham Accords" is now pushing it. What changed?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm very skeptical that anything gets done. And here's the reason: Biden hasn't officially invited Netanyahu to the US.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> And when he met MBS last year in Saudi Arabia, the question was whether he was going to shake his hand or give him a fist bump. When the president cannot decide to embrace two of our allies, it is going to be very hard to picture him in that 3-way handshake. And the reason he cannot do that three-way handshake is that according to Biden's politics, MBS is a bad guy and Bibi is a terrible guy. And that's a shame because both of those leaders and the people they represent are incredibly important to the US. I don't see how Biden overcomes that.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The second thing is, why did it take them so long to come around to the Abraham Accords? Because who </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">won</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in the Abraham Accords? Israel won -- which is not such a great thing in the world of progressive Democrats. The people that Obama tried to undercut -- MBS and Bibi -- got stronger. These are strong, great leaders that we need to support, but there is a difference between Democratic and Republican foreign policy. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The more the Abraham Accords succeed, the less likely it is for there to be a two-state solution on the 1967 lines. And that is the great foreign policy goal of the Democrats. And the more you push the Abraham Accords, the less leverage the Palestinian Arabs have and the less likely meaningful concessions can be extracted for the Palestinians. That is really why the Democrats cannot get behind the Accords. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So the Biden Admin is going to push the Abraham Accords even though they are antithetical to the JCPOA?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Getting the Saudis to join will guarantee three things:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Biden will win a Nobel Peace Prize.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There may be a grand bargain involving the Saudis and Israel to step back from protesting against the Iran Deal.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They can get meaningful concessions, or put Bibi in a situation where he will be forced to change his government or retreat from the judicial reform. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Saudis are the great prize that changes the Middle East forever.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Can you picture a scenario where it would be inadvisable for Israel to enter into the agreement with the Saudis?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I can picture a scenario in all situations where there would be a disadvantage. But for the most part, peace is a good thing with external countries and I do not imagine Netanyahu's government saying this would not be a good idea. This Israeli government has certain red lines and it is not going to move on these red lines. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But won't the Saudis insist on Israeli concessions to the Palestinians?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Emiratis told Israel that it had the option to apply or not apply sovereignty, but if it did not then they would start a relationship with them. Israel had not applied sovereignty up to that time, they still have not applied it, and now they have peace with five Muslim countries. Israel will call that a win. There are things the Saudis can ask that are beyond the pale and there are things that are very reasonable. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We believe the problem is not the Palestinian people. The problem is the so-called </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">leadership</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> of the Palestinians. Anything that enfranchises the leadership is a mistake for the region and the Saudis see that also. If there is something that helps the Palestinians have better jobs and better opportunities, I think Israel would embrace it. I think the region should embrace it. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You mentioned Russia, China, and Iran -- how dangerous are they to the Middle East in general and to the Abraham Accords in particular?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When China brokers a reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the biggest losers at the table are the US and Israel, because as soon as the US retreats from the Middle East, even a little bit, someone else shows up. And if it is China, it means Russia and Iran as well. And that is dangerous. How much is that a danger to the Abraham Accords? The Abraham Accords have proven to be incredibly resilient. If the US does not project power appropriately, that will weaken Israel, because Israel has made clear they are with the US. You'll see other countries throughout the region and throughout the world who say they are not sure whether they love the Chinese policy or not, but they can count on it for the next 100 years. But US policy seems to change every four years -- and it doesn't change a little bit. It changes 180 degrees. It's really hard to make plans when you don't know whether the US is your ally, depending on who wins an election that you have no influence over. It's really a scary thing for our friends and allies and it weakens the United States. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There has been talk over the past few weeks about whether the time has come that it would be beneficial for Israel for the US to end military aid. If the US were to do this, what kind of impact would that have on the Accords?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Every time the US takes a step back, that weakens Israel's hand because the US and Israel are so tightly linked. But in this case, the US weakens itself. The aid that goes to Israel is incredibly well-spent money in the US. The aid might not be in Israel's best interest, but it is in the US's best interest. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">By the way, it is absolutely in the US's best interest to make sure that Israel and the rest of the region are linked to the US and not to China. If you look at China's spreading influence, China has great natural resources, Russia has great natural resources, and Iran has great natural resources -- and now Saudi Arabia has the greatest natural resources. So if China secures that corridor, they become a power that is incredibly threatening to us. Forget about military reasons, just for economic and energy dominance. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now take the opposite approach: cut off China's influence in Iran, which is a natural place to cut off, and you have the entire Abraham Accord region extending through Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Israel -- all as one strong alliance, getting along with each other, all deregulated. That's unlimited land, unlimited workers, unlimited energy and unlimited economics -- all in the US corner, surpassing what China is able to do. This is the pivotal part of the math that we need to win, "we" meaning the US. We need to win the Middle East, purely with influence. Israel and UAE are willing to defend themselves by themselves and the US gets a tremendous return on that investment. We shoot ourselves in the foot when we don't do that.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Why are the Saudis edging towards Iran and should we be afraid of how far they may go?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Saudis are undergoing one of the greatest experiments in world history, of building a nation while reforming it and modernizing it all at the same time with basically unlimited resources. But this is a culture that does not adapt very quickly. They are cautious. But the Crown Prince MBS is not being cautious -- he is going at warp speed. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The agreement with Iran, brokered by China, reflects the Saudi attitude that they are not in the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">war</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> business, they are not in the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">war of religion</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> business -- they are in the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">building-a-nation</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> business. So they want to be left alone, and this agreement is what it will cost to be left alone.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Again, this happened because the US took a step back. If the US had been there to say "This is our region and an attack on the Saudis is an attack on us" -- those words would matter, because no one wants to attack the US in a way that pokes the bear and it in turn attacks them. They only attack the US and their allies when we are weak. When we are strong, they don't do that.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It's in the Chinese interest to have the Saudis and Iran get along also.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But while the Saudis may want to be left alone, leaving other countries alone is not something Iran is known for -- as Syria, Lebanon and others can attest.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yes, but Syria and Lebanon are not Saudi Arabia. The UAE re-established relations with Iran. They are basically saying "I accomplish nothing by considering you the axis of evil, especially since I don't have the axis of good on my side."</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Middle East is trying to get out of the war business and trying to get into the sustainability business, how to get from an oil and gas-based economy to an economy that works without oil and gas. They are trying to compete commercially, not ideologically. And because of that, they are trying to be friendly with everybody.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It is difficult to be friends with some countries. Iran is number one. But I think all of those countries look around and say "Well, Israel will probably take the brunt first and we'll see where the world is. See if the US can have a consistent policy towards Iran, whether Iran will turn nuclear." There are a lot of things that will happen in the next four to six years that will determine what people's permanent foreign policies are toward Iran. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Biden administration will condemn Israeli domestic policies but where are they on these people in Iran who are sacrificing their lives on the street, this ultimate bravery in a non-democratic world? Just contrast these two things and I don't know what set of world values somebody can have where they want to pick what is right and wrong in Israel but will not pick the side of truth versus falsehood in Iran. This is just moral bankruptcy.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Have the Abraham Accords had any positive influence on the Palestinian Arabs?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Two weeks ago, Abbas visited Jenin for the first time in eighteen years. To think that there is a Palestinian Authority is a joke. They are a bunch of different tribes that exist independently. If The US would work with specific individual leaders there, we could cultivate some meaningful relationships. But you need consistent policy across the board from Israel and from the US. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If it hadn't been for COVID and if we had had the support of the Abraham Accord countries also, then the Emiratis or Saudis or Moroccans could have come in and built Palestinian Arab businesses and industrial zones -- better than the US or Israel could do it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The way I rank the greatest beneficiaries of the Abraham Accords in order are the US, Israeli Arabs, the Abraham Accord countries, the Palestinian Arabs and finally Israel. We'll see if I'm right or not as this plays out in the next twenty years.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You mentioned Israeli Arabs. How do they benefit?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Put yourself in the shoes of an Israeli Arab. From an identity perspective, that is a difficult place to be when the rest of the region has chosen to isolate you instead of embrace you. And if you are looking at the leader of the Arab world in terms of modernity you are looking at the UAE, which is considered "cool" And if the UAE says that Israel is "cool", and I as an Israeli Arab can be a link between the UAE and Israel -- then that gives me a strategic advantage. I can be a bridge instead of being in isolation. So as more countries join and you have a uniform Middle East where you can land in Tel Aviv or in Abu Dhabi and take a train without needing your passport or a visa across Saudi and Oman and Qatar and Bahrain and Israel and Jordan -- at that point being an Israeli Arab is going to be very advantageous. That will solve their dual identity challenge.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I am very friendly with two Arab Israeli business leaders and their eyes light up when talking about the Abraham Accords because they speak both languages. I'm not talking about speaking to the investors but to the people of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco. Israeli Arabs realize that together with these Arabs and Israelis they can do incredible things. They see the unique opportunities they have. If you were to put the same Israeli Arab in Silicon Valley, they would be disadvantaged. It is the opposite of the Israeli who because of his networking background would fit right into Silicon Valley, but does not fit in as well as the Israeli Arab in Abraham Accord network.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You wrote in an article in the Jerusalem Post last year that "t</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #212121; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">he single greatest lever to encourage other countries to join the Abraham Accords, and yes that includes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is to show that the current Abraham Accord countries are a unique priority for Israel.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">" Will the current tensions and protests in Israel negatively affect how its partners in the Abraham Accords see them as an ally? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What bothers me in the current situation is the language of the protestors and counter-protestors. It is reprehensible and shows a complete lack of awareness of the precarious situation Israel finds itself in. For four years I told other countries you cannot use derogatory language about Israel and now you have Israelis using that exact language about each other. Now when someone applies terms like "apartheid" "dictator" etc to Israel, they don't have to quote one of our more progressive members of Congress. They can quote the opposition leader or the Prime Minister or the former Prime Minister. It has never worked out well. It's turning an opponent into an enemy. It's unforgivable if you know anything about Jewish history. It's unforgivable when you are trying to acclimate yourself to a region that doesn't have a lot of free speech and protests.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Why do we not hear as much about Arab travel to Israel as we hear about Israeli travel to Arab countries?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Two factors </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Israelis enjoy traveling everywhere. Compare this to the 1.2 million Emiratis and 400,000 Barhraininas -- about 1.6 million between them. Of the traditional Arab citizens of those countries, unmarried women are not going to travel on their own and the children are not going to travel until they are more established and married. So it is a fairly limited Arab population that is going to be traveling to Israel for non-business reasons. The flow is more in one direction.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To me, the big change will be when Jordanian and Egyptian businessmen and women are coming back and forth as business people and as tourists. That will be another sign of the warming of the region. There is an acculturation process that is going to happen.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you go to Morocco or the UAE or Bahrain, they are thrilled with Israeli tourism and also the American Jewish tourism.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Any final words</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bottom line, does any of this really matter?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We understand how the Abraham Accords matter to Jews and people who are pro-Israel because of shared values. But why should the Accords matter to someone in Iowa or Kansas?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'd like to make the argument that it matters meaningfully, primarily because under Trump we saw that when you act like a superpower and you stand with your allies and friends, you can end up with meaningful results that the so-called experts never predicted -- and the ramifications become incredibly meaningful. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were able to block out the Chinese from an area they were expanding into. Then, when we retreated, the Russians, Chinese and Iranians showed up. The Ukrainian situation would not have happened if the US had not retreated from the ME in the way that we did. To me, the Abraham Accords are the canary in the coal mine. As the Accords expand and grow, you will see the Chinese cautious about Taiwan and the Russians more hesitant about Ukraine. As we retreat, back off and have two distinct foreign policies, you will see chaos. Because it illustrates two foreign policies which are no foreign policies and anybody can run amuck. That is what you are seeing now.</span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>
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<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" /></div>Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-39014099966567205392023-08-06T14:02:00.001-04:002023-08-06T14:02:00.148-04:00The US vs Palestinian Terrorism -- In 2016, Congressman Ron DeSantis Said The Quiet Part Out Loud<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/06/04/ahlam-tamimis-16th-victim/" target="_blank">Chana Nachenberg, an American, died on May 31</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">She was the last of the 16 victims of the Sbarro Massacre to die, the last victim of the Hamas terrorist Ahlam Tamimi who masterminded that terrorist attack and lives today in Jordan, free and something of a celebrity.</p><p style="text-align: left;">If the US is frustrated by Jordan's refusal to honor its extradition treaty and hand over the terrorist, it is hiding it well. On May 25, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on the 77th anniversary of Jordanian independence:</p><blockquote>The United States and Jordan share an enduring, strategic relationship deeply rooted in shared interests and values. We appreciate <b>the important role Jordan plays in promoting peace and security across the region and countering violent extremism</b>. (emphasis added)</blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">During her hearing a few weeks ago on her nomination as the next US Ambassador to Jordan, Yael Lempert resisted Sen. Ted Cruz's suggestion that every tool should be used in order to pressure Jordan into honoring its treaty, including withholding aid. Lempert replied:</p><div><blockquote>I think that that would need to be weighed very carefully against the range of issues and priorities that we have with the Jordanians before considering such a step, which I think would be profound.</blockquote>Of course, Lempert added the expected, "I think that what I can confirm to you is that I will do everything in my power to ensure that Ahlam Tamimi faces justice in the United States," but the impression remains that somehow in the interests of Middle East peace, the US has to be careful not to apply too much pressure, that special considerations need to be taken into account.<p>But it's not that Jordan is completely opposed to extraditing terrorists.</p><p>Just last month, <a href="Khalaf Abdul Rahman Al-Rumaithi" target="_blank">Jordan agreed with UAE to extradite Khalaf Abdul Rahman Al-Rumaithi</a>. According to UAE, Al-Rumaithi was a wanted terrorist they had tried <i>in absentia</i> and sentenced to 15 years for "establishing a secret organization affiliated with the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood." On the other hand, HRW claimed he was one of the victims of the <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jordan-uae-turkish-citizen-faces-unconstitutional-deportation" target="_blank"><b>mass trials of 94 government critics of the government</b></a><b>,</b> resulting in 69 convictions. The Jordanian court opposed the extradition, yet<a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jordan-uae-extradition-businessman-violates-constitution" target="_blank"> Al-Rumaithi ended up being extradited anyway</a>.</p><p>That is an interesting counterpoint to the case of Ahlam Tamimi, where the court also opposed extradition, yet despite a formal treaty, the court's decision stood, while in the case of UAE, the decision -- and authority -- of the Jordanian court was pushed aside. <a href="https://twitter.com/arnoldroth/status/1658921384448258049" target="_blank">Arnold Roth, whose daughter was one of Tamimi's victims, pointed out the double standard</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqxHEhJ2I0y55BthnqupD14zmlFaifY6igrnJDM0qgB1f5fq_JJFG8ZrfXTgCp96qOKWLQI4xxuCG-vdGlcAesFj5y-Q69H3HzZhP3V4t4l2lTqm1K6W1a-Nw53k7bVWXOVjHkjYyRj6hx3JDYmhobB1oQP53UYD9wizjvTqb8ngdEGNcizs/s1233/roth2b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="763" height="732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqxHEhJ2I0y55BthnqupD14zmlFaifY6igrnJDM0qgB1f5fq_JJFG8ZrfXTgCp96qOKWLQI4xxuCG-vdGlcAesFj5y-Q69H3HzZhP3V4t4l2lTqm1K6W1a-Nw53k7bVWXOVjHkjYyRj6hx3JDYmhobB1oQP53UYD9wizjvTqb8ngdEGNcizs/w453-h732/roth2b.jpg" width="453" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies suggested that <a href="https://twitter.com/mdubowitz/status/1658808107118612481" target="_blank">a different consideration was at play</a>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRqde7gnWdJEKUH3WCoUeb--lm-6jdWT8DUC9ZZoBSUyDcGToYxOWnSOavAYlSfWYz0EovO5qYfU3r6mNzZKuDc-Nn68qKRuIdPUEQF75xbUX9hfjSLsiAceVTCobqxy1XU0owxT745jBtAFlzcmaBut5s3rdR0TblpV_Cxw1XRgcYJC38XE/s740/dubowitz.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="740" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRqde7gnWdJEKUH3WCoUeb--lm-6jdWT8DUC9ZZoBSUyDcGToYxOWnSOavAYlSfWYz0EovO5qYfU3r6mNzZKuDc-Nn68qKRuIdPUEQF75xbUX9hfjSLsiAceVTCobqxy1XU0owxT745jBtAFlzcmaBut5s3rdR0TblpV_Cxw1XRgcYJC38XE/w640-h290/dubowitz.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, the difference might be whether the victims were Arabs -- or Jews.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This inability of the US to pressure Arab countries on the issue of terrorism -- even when the US provides funding -- is evident in US relations with the Palestinian Authority as well.</p></div><div>At the end of May, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. During her testimony, Leaf admitted that <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/05/31/they-are-paying-for-terrorists-to-murder-state-department-confirms-palestinians-continue-pay-to-slay-terrorist-payments/" target="_blank">the PA was still making "pay-to-slay" payments to the terrorists including the families of terrorists who killed Americans and Israelis</a>.</div><div><blockquote>“We are working to bring pay-to-slay to an end. Period,” Leaf said. Asked if the administration had succeeded, Leaf replied, “not yet.”</blockquote>Is the Biden administration working as hard to end "pay-to-slay" as it is on getting Jordan to extradite Tamimi, who is responsible for the Americans who died in the Sbarro Massacre?</div><div><br /></div><div>Putting aside the claim by the White House that they can bypass both the PA and the PLO and provide money directly to the Palestinian Arabs without violating the Taylor Force Act, why is the Biden Administration welcoming terrorists to the White House?</div><p style="text-align: left;">As Sen. Cruz put it: </p><blockquote>You sent a report to Congress that officially certified that the Palestinian Authority and the PLO…have not met the legal requirements for ‘terminating payments for acts of terrorism against Israeli and US citizens. <b>Now publicly, the administration defends engaging with terrorists</b>, you claim things are going well, but when you file a statutorily mandated report with Congress, you admit the PLO is continuing what are called ‘pay-to-slay’ payments. They are paying for terrorists to murder Americans and to murder Israelis. And nonetheless, <b>this administration is bringing those terrorist leaders to Washington, is bringing them to cocktail parties to wine and dine political leaders</b>. [emphasis added]</blockquote><div>Is this so different from King Abdullah II of Jordan being welcomed in the US and praised as a great friend of the US and ally in the fight against terrorism, while he refuses to honor his extradition treaty with the US and harbors the women who masterminded the Sbarro Massacre which killed Americans?</div><div><p>This possibility of a double standard when it comes to Middle East terrorism that affects Americans was expressed out loud in 2016 during a hearing before the Subcommittee on National Security of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The subject was <i><a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-114hhrg20555/html/CHRG-114hhrg20555.htm" target="_blank">Seeking Justice for Victims of Palestinian Terrorism in Israel</a></i>. Chairing the hearing was then-Congressman Ron DeSantis. The issue was the <i>Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism </i>within the Department of Justice and whether it was fulfilling its function in obtaining justice for the families of the victims of Palestinian terrorism.<br /></p><p>At one point, DeSantis addressed Brad Wiegmann, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the US Department of Justice. It became clear that there was a discrepancy between the number of terrorists being brought to justice who killed Americans in the Middle East as opposed to terrorists who killed Americans anywhere else in the world:</p><blockquote><b>Mr. DeSantis:</b> Mr. Wiegmann, the committee has counted that since '93, at
least 64 Americans have been killed, as well as two unborn
children, and 91 have been wounded by terrorists in Israel in
disputed territories.
<br /><br /> How many terrorists who have killed or wounded Americans in
Israel or disputed territories has the United States indicted,
extradited, or prosecuted during this time period?
<br /><br /><b> Mr. Wiegmann:</b> I think the answer is--is <b>none</b>.
<br /><br /><b> Mr. DeSantis:</b> Okay. How many terrorists who have killed or
wounded Americans anywhere else overseas has the United States
indicted, extradited, or prosecuted?
<br /><br /><b> Mr. Wiegmann:</b> I don't have an exact figure for you.
<br /><br /><b> Mr. DeSantis:</b> But it would be a decent size number, though,
correct? </blockquote><blockquote><b> Mr. Wiegmann:</b> It would be <b>a significant number, yes</b>.</blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Here is the video:</div><div><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z2bIxZHK1rs?start=2071" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />A little later, DeSantis looked for an explanation for this discrepancy:<br /><blockquote><b>Mr. DeSantis:</b> Now, it's- been alleged that the reason that DOJ does not
prosecute the Palestinian terrorists who harm Americans in
Israel, the disputed territories, is that <b>the Department of
Justice is concerned that such prosecutions will harm efforts
to promote the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, or that it
will actually harm the Palestinian Authority.</b><div><b><br /> So let me ask you straight up, is that a consideration the
Department of Justice?</b><div><br /><b> Mr. Wiegmann:</b> I can assure that is obsolutely not the case.<div><br /><b> Mr. DeSantis:</b> And has the State Department ever made
arguments to the Department of Justice to handle some of the
Palestinian terrorism cases differently than you may normally
handle, say, a terrorism case in Asia?<div><br /><b> Mr. Wiegmann:</b> Absolutely not.</div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the video:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z2bIxZHK1rs?start=2292" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Wiegmann says flat out in his testimony that there is no consideration making the US pull their punches when it comes to bringing Palestinian terrorists to justice -- neither a concern for possible harm to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, nor a concern that extraditing Palestinian terrorists might harm the Palestinian Authority.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yet those suspicions persist and now some believe that it is Jordan that the US is concerned might be harmed by insisting on extraditing the terrorist responsible for the deaths of Americans, even as we see that there are considerations that cause Jordan to extradite to a fellow Arab country but not to its US ally.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is nothing to indicate that Wiegmann was not telling the truth.<br />Yet the fact remains that American survivors of Palestinian terrorism, the families of the victims -- and the families who lost loved ones in the Sbarro Massacre are not getting the justice that was promised to them and that they deserve.</div><div><br /></div><div>If this is not because of political reasons, then what is the reason?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-54635715636854476542023-07-03T22:48:00.000-04:002023-08-06T10:52:42.613-04:00Interview With Alex Ryvchin, Author of The 7 Deadly Myths<p>I recently had the opportunity to interview the author Alex Ryvchin on his new book which presents a different approach to addressing antisemitism.</p><p>The answers have been slightly edited for clarity,</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iqQFiNZROPvlsHZtd7msr59-fR0clLFX2WIFOTsrBR4QbY2jWvitOq4l60VkQ2fha4YcnGQL9Pt9lEP8RnJHVFGJ33ViZjrX5pNgMB2T9prjiyhAZBaYBa0xIQhL2QY3yk6X4a8JeT2C-cr6sEi1a_VujIRg2fHNHevZrfciv0ilrL52ed5K4w/s1909/The%20Seven%20Deadly%20Myths.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1909" data-original-width="1277" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iqQFiNZROPvlsHZtd7msr59-fR0clLFX2WIFOTsrBR4QbY2jWvitOq4l60VkQ2fha4YcnGQL9Pt9lEP8RnJHVFGJ33ViZjrX5pNgMB2T9prjiyhAZBaYBa0xIQhL2QY3yk6X4a8JeT2C-cr6sEi1a_VujIRg2fHNHevZrfciv0ilrL52ed5K4w/w429-h640/The%20Seven%20Deadly%20Myths.jpeg" width="429" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Over the years, many books have been written about antisemitism from different perspectives. How is your book different?</b></p>
<p>Many books have addressed the ‘why’ of antisemitism. Why are the Jews so hated? Why have such things been inflicted on them? Why do they continue to be targeted? This book will go some way to explaining the 'why' but my central interest is the ‘how’? How does antisemitism function in practice? How is it transmitted around the world and generation to generation. </p><p>This question of ‘how’ led me to the seven deadly myths. It is through this complex and well-honed mythology that antisemitism thrives. As Isaac Herzog said in reference to my book: </p><p></p><blockquote>By shifting emphasis from the ‘why’ of this puzzling and dangerous phenomenon to the ‘how’ of the mechanics of its transmission, Ryvchin points to the possibility of actually confronting and diffusing it.</blockquote><p></p>
<p><b>You mention in your book that it could be used in the classroom. There is discussion about Holocaust education -- and how it has failed, both in making people knowledgeable and in changing attitudes. What do you think are some of the causes for this and how would your book and a curriculum based on it overcome these problems?</b></p>
<p>Holocaust education is vital and I support it entirely. Within the study of the Holocaust we learn not only about the process by which the European Jews were destroyed, we observe everything of which man is capable of – sadism, cruelty, heroism, strength, apathy and cowardice. But in terms of <i>understanding</i> the hatred of the Jews, the Holocaust answers few questions. In fact, it raises these questions to fever pitch and leaves them unresolved. This is why despite so many admirable endeavors in Holocaust commemoration and education, antisemitism has continued to rise. </p><p>Trying to understand antisemitism through the Holocaust is also highly problematic as it positions antisemitism as a historical event and not something in the here and now. It would be like trying to teach anti-Black racism and ending the story with the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. It also falsely positions it as solely a product of race science, fascism and totalitarianism which completely ignores its political and religious sources and manifestations. </p><p>This has all contributed to the extremely limited and poor understanding of antisemitism in society, despite it being the most lethal and persistent hatred. This is why it is essential to teach antisemitism <i>itself</i>, what it looks like, how it is expressed, what it continues to do to our communities and wider society.</p>
<p><b>Why do you think antisemitism persists even after the Holocaust -- why wasn't the world "scared straight" by the murder of 6 million Jews?</b> </p><p style="text-align: left;">Because antisemitism was too ingrained. Antisemitism was soaked into the world’s consciousness through centuries of lies, mythology and propaganda. It emanated from religious sources, nationalist heroes and popular culture. Even the horror of the Holocaust and the most devastating war in history could not dislodge it. </p><p style="text-align: left;">As is often forgotten, Jews continued to be massacred in Europe even after liberation from Nazi occupation. To give one example, the Polish Peasants Party passed a resolution in 1946 thanking Hitler for destroying the Jews and calling for the expulsion of any survivors. Forty-two Jewish survivors were clubbed to death in Kielce, Poland. One of the heroes of the Sobibor Camp Uprising was murdered by nationalists after escaping a camp which had virtually no survivors. So of course, today, when the Holocaust is considered ancient history to many, the same myths and conspiracy theories that made it possible, are resurgent.</p>
<p><b>If, as you write, antisemitism is not just a result of bad information but is a result of "a defect in reasoning" what is the best we can hope to accomplish in the fight against antisemitism?</b></p>
<p>Our aim in fighting antisemitism is <i>not</i> elimination – it is a disease without a cure. Our aim is to inoculate as many people as possible from catching it. </p><p>There are only two ways to do this. The first is education. But it must be the right education. If we can systematically debunk antisemitic mythology, as my book does, far fewer people will be susceptible to it. Once this education occurs, there has to be engagement. The mythical Jew – bloodthirsty, all-powerful, vengeful, obsessed with money cannot coexist with the real, flesh and blood Jew. The more that people see the real Jew, the weaker these myths become.</p>
<p><b>Considering the longevity and intensity of antisemitism, to what do you ascribe the survival of Jews and the Jewish identity?</b></p>
<p>Antisemitism has certainly been a contributing factor to our tenacity. It has hardened our minds and matured our souls. Being hated and excluded also makes us seek familiar company. </p><p>But the secret to our survival, in my view, stems from our perspective on life which stems from our teachings, our traditions and national holidays. We live life as though on a mission. This gives us our restless energy, our refusal to be bystanders and our refusal to submit and die. We have important work to do.</p>
<p><b>You write that your book is not only for the classroom but also for policymakers -- how could you see your book being used? </b></p><p>During my recent US book tour, I had the honor of presenting to law enforcement about my book. They were fascinated by this approach of reducing antisemitism into these 7 deadly myths. This provided them with a clear means of monitoring antisemitism, seeing the sorts of mental processes that lead to horrific acts and enabling them to prevent hate crimes in future. </p><p>This education is really critical to understanding antisemitism, how it works and how it can be stopped. Antisemitism is so poorly understood and any plan to combat it must begin by overcoming this. This is where my book can be really helpful.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNgP5KlAXcrc2wiFCuERVj4ST422Pd94as0oFmlViPYwunif2rQCdrhU4-KWOgQV6xX6AxieCfWi4BsAY9qH0qX4HWGjTUBUre4U1uWLZcADHNm_Aw0rkuOK29YjmWHQdpSBi4NU9csb-xeKOpkbshclcQ6WwDyymGWuA2LJQJTVk3uCDMFJnoQ/s1985/AlexRyvchin.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1985" data-original-width="1582" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNgP5KlAXcrc2wiFCuERVj4ST422Pd94as0oFmlViPYwunif2rQCdrhU4-KWOgQV6xX6AxieCfWi4BsAY9qH0qX4HWGjTUBUre4U1uWLZcADHNm_Aw0rkuOK29YjmWHQdpSBi4NU9csb-xeKOpkbshclcQ6WwDyymGWuA2LJQJTVk3uCDMFJnoQ/w319-h400/AlexRyvchin.jpeg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" /></div>Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-57935462320787876952022-06-24T11:01:00.001-04:002022-06-24T11:02:08.652-04:00Is CAIR's Claim That It Advocates For The US Muslim Community True?<p style="text-align: left;">
Zahra Billoo attacked US Jews last year at the American Muslims for Palestine
Conference, singling out as 'enemies' not only Jewish organizations but also
"Zionist Synagogues." CAIR's national office came to her defense. After all,
Billoo is the executive director of their San Franciso branch.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.memri.org/reports/cair-official-zahra-billoo-two-state-solution-laughable-any-organization-promotes-it-enemy" target="_blank">Among those Billoo targeted</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
We need to pay attention to the Anti-Defamation League. We need to pay
attention to the Jewish Federation. We need to pay attention to the Zionist
synagogues. We need to pay attention to the Hillel chapters on our campuses,
because just because they are your friends today, doesn’t mean that they have
your back when it comes to human rights.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/12/cair-official-tells-muslims-that.html" target="_blank">
And Billoo also pointed out those Jewish groups that she finds 'acceptable'</a>:
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<blockquote>
Know your JVP leadership, your SJP leadership, your IfNotNow leadership, the
list goes on. Know who is on your side. Build community with them, because the
next thing I’m going to tell you is to know your enemies.
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
One would imagine that CAIR would agree with Billoo that groups like JVP and
IfNotNow are groups that represent the kinds of Jews that are acceptable and
can be associated with.
</p>
<p>Which is kind of odd.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p>
<p>
Because it is not at all clear if CAIR itself, which
<a href="https://m.facebook.com/pg/CAIRNational/about/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0" target="_blank">claims to be</a>
"America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization," actually
represents the US Muslim community it claims to serve.
</p>
<p>
Irina Tsukerman, a human rights lawyer and national security analyst, writes
that
<a href="https://whiterosemagazine.com/the-endemic-jew-hatred-of-political-islam/" target="_blank">CAIR is one of those Muslim organizations that have fabricated their human
rights image</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
through a combination of generous political donations and influence campaigns,
and by outright disinformation, presenting themselves as the mainstream of
Muslim American communities and as the authoritative voices on Muslim civil
rights issues. In reality, these groups are a fringe minority recycling and
cross-pollinating members from charity to charity, who nevertheless go to
great lengths to suppress alternative voices. CAIR and others receive the sort
of support that nascent community organizations do not; they portray
themselves as pan-Islamic organizations ignoring the fact that Muslim American
communities are culturally and religious diverse.<br /><br />They have also
gained legitimacy by being the only game in town and forming partnerships with
political training groups, intelligence agencies and law enforcement, and soft
power institutions.
</blockquote>
<div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Going a step further, Abdullah Antepli, Associate Professor of the Practice
of Interfaith Relations at Duke University, has stated not only that
<a href="transcript of podcast here: https://www.hartman.org.il/jews-and-muslims-in-a-fractured-america/" target="_blank">Muslim organizations like CAIR and ISNA represent only a small fraction
of the Muslim community in the US</a>, but that such organizations pose a danger to American Muslims as well:
</p>
<div>
<blockquote>
They don’t represent in any significant portion of the American Muslim
community.
<b>They represent the organized Muslim community space, which is more or
less like 10%.</b>
And they are bullying and thought policing that space irresponsibly,
reprehensive really with so many consequences to the American Islam and
American Muslim community. <br /><br />Their damage is not limited to 10%.
<b>They are further alienating American Muslim communities. They are
further marginalizing American Islam</b>. They are damaging the image of Islam as a religion and Muslims as
Americans, Muslims as a people. But by all means, they are not
representative. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
This description of CAIR as a fringe group claiming a larger role for
itself than it actually has, is supported by
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110903043848/http://www.abudhabigallupcenter.com/148778/REPORT-BILINGUAL-Muslim-Americans-Faith-Freedom-Future.aspx" target="_blank">a Gallup poll published in 2011</a>.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6MZ9t8dX4NaFx6uRt-VJyqCoHfiRlFaf2g4q0jKzG48AXNs5h9dRpwSvJ7DV4BmYVGOcFq-FAFPM5SH5MHJvxhWoXVo7CsUPcKYu7w_xtGw5tNDqKYBnfVgvhqj1hSBueMhSQM5B76QYZg1KYAAXlDaOMt3ux8qpenI8ZD6luflEaL-mkG50=s660" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="660" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6MZ9t8dX4NaFx6uRt-VJyqCoHfiRlFaf2g4q0jKzG48AXNs5h9dRpwSvJ7DV4BmYVGOcFq-FAFPM5SH5MHJvxhWoXVo7CsUPcKYu7w_xtGw5tNDqKYBnfVgvhqj1hSBueMhSQM5B76QYZg1KYAAXlDaOMt3ux8qpenI8ZD6luflEaL-mkG50=w640-h250" width="640" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<p style="text-align: left;">
The poll supports CAIR's claim to be the largest organization
representing the Muslim community -- if you compare it to how tiny the
support is for the other groups. However, the fact that the majority of
Muslim men did not think <i>any</i> Muslim organizations represented
their interests or, put another way, that 88% of Muslim men did
<i>not</i> think CAIR represented them is revealing. And the responses
of female Muslims was no better.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But why <i>doesn't </i>CAIR have a large following?
</p>
<p>
In 2007, The Washington Examiner published
<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/jun/12/20070612-122251-2620r/" target="_blank">information on the number of CAIR's members based on CAIR's tax
records</a>. It found that CAIR's membership plummeted from 29,000 in 2000 to less
than 1,700 in 2006. Their annual income based on dues fell from $732,765
in 2000 when dues were $25, to $58,750 in 2016 when dues were higher at
$35.<br /><br />The terror attacks in 2001 may account for some of this.
</p>
<p>
But the article quotes M. Zuhdi Jasser, director of American Islamic
Forum for Democracy, who puts the blame on CAIR itself:
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>CAIR marginalized itself by exploiting the media attention it garnered in order to promote 'victimization issues' at the expense of representing the priorities of the American Muslims</li><li>CAIR's sympathy for Islamism combined with its apparent inability to condemn Muslim terrorist groups was a turn-off for American Muslims who did not share their ideology.</li><li>Some Muslims did not want to join an organization that may be linked to other groups that finance terrorism</li></ul><p style="text-align: left;">
According to The Washington Examiner, as a result of a shrinking
membership and decreasing dues --
</p>
<blockquote>
The organization instead is relying on about two dozen donors a year to
contribute the majority of the money for CAIR’s budget, which reached
nearly $3 million last year.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
It would have been nice to know more about <i>who</i> was making those
contributions because it seems likely that CAIR would have been more
representative of the desires of those major contributors than to the
few members who were paying dues.
</p>
<div>
Maybe it's time for another look at CAIR's membership and funding?
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Another indication of CAIR's desperation is noted in the conclusion to
the article, where it notes how CAIR exaggerates its role on behalf of
the Muslim community:
</p>
</div>
<blockquote>
CAIR constantly notes in its press releases that it cooperates with
federal law-enforcement activities and claims to conduct sensitivity
training for Homeland Security officials. A February press release from
CAIR’s Chicago office says it met with Homeland Security immigration
officials and made an agreement to “conduct sensitivity training to
[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers and possibly prison
personnel.”
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
When asked, officials from Homeland Security denied CAIR's claims, and a
check of a database of government contracts since 2000 indicated that in
fact CAIR was never awarded neither a grant nor a government contract.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A Homeland Security official noted:</p>
<blockquote>
The department does <i>not</i> have a formalized relationship with that
particular organization. We do have formalized relations with other
community groups with whom we do contracts for training and consultation
on matters that are specific to a given community. <br /><br /><b>It is not uncommon for that particular organization to issue a press
release attempting to overstate their interaction with the
department.</b>
[emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p>That was then. But what about now? </p>
<p>
It seems that CAIR is still desperate to stay in the spotlight.<br />How
desperate?
</p>
<p>
The Middle East Forum (MEF) reported last year that <a href="https://www.meforum.org/62460/islamist-group-slams-appointment-of-muslim-judge" target="_blank">CAIR opposed the appointment of a Muslim federal judge</a>:<br />
</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
In a historic June 10 vote, the US Senate
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1270425">confirmed</a>
Judge Zahid Quraishi's appointment to the US District Court for New
Jersey, making him the first Muslim federal judge in American history.
Although the nomination received
<a href="https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/394">bipartisan support</a>, an unlikely source sharply
<a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/zahid-quraishi-muslim-federal-judge-criticism.html">criticized</a>
Quraishi's appointment: a leading civil rights organization that claims
to speak on behalf of Muslim American interests.
</p>
<p>
..."I would much rather have a white Christian judge with progressive
values," said Zahra Billoo, head of CAIR's San Francisco branch, a
supposedly non-partisan Islamic civil rights group. "It's not enough
that he is Muslim. In fact, it's insulting," she added.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
While the reasons given for opposing Quraishi were based on issues
relating to his record, many Muslim groups were supportive of the
appointment.
</p>
<p>
MEF suggests that CAIR's motives stem from jealousy -- and an inability to
compete with an up-and-coming rival Muslim group:
</p>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Despite its former proximity to the White House, CAIR failed to accomplish
what a relative newcomer to Muslim political advocacy circles has achieved
in the first months of the Biden administration. Founded in 2017, the
American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) is loudly claiming
credit for Quraishi's nomination, insisting that it played an
"instrumental role" in selecting the judge from among "dozens of potential
candidates."
</div>
<br />...<b>While CAIR's own political action committee raised a paltry $4,250 in
federal donations last election cycle, APPAC gave over $1.3 million to the
Biden campaign in a single August fundraiser.</b>
During this event, Biden was chummy with Ahmed, calling the APPAC
chairman a "vouching force" in his community. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Billoo's latest attack shows that CAIR is not about to change what it sees as
a tried and true formula of radicalization and attacks on the Jewish community
to maintain its status, at the expense of American Muslims.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
When I asked Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, director of EMET’s Program for
Emerging Democratic Voices From the Middle East, about how representative CAIR
was of the Muslim community, he replied:
</p>
<div>
<blockquote>
I'm sure a majority of American Muslims are not interested nor invested in
any kind of activism and just trying to live normally. However I'm sure CAIR
supporters numbers went up due to the radicalizing effect on the progressive
wave on Muslim youth.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
What will it take before CAIR is seen for what it is?
</p><p style="text-align: left;">(<a href="https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2022/02/american-muslims-dont-cair-daled-amos.html" target="_blank">Originally posted February 1, 2022 on Elder of Ziyon</a>)</p>
<div>
<div>
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" />
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-29746263920667980452021-12-28T09:50:00.001-05:002021-12-28T09:50:00.265-05:00What The Media Is Missing In Their Reports On Campus Antisemitism<p style="text-align: left;">
Vicious antisemitic attacks against Jewish students on campus are certainly
nothing new, but one particular incident led to a potential tool that could
both help protect Jewish students and offer acknowledgment of their Zionist
identity.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Let's take a look back.</p>
<p>
In 2016, San Francisco State University was rated 10th on The
Algemeiner's <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/list/the-40-worst-colleges-for-jewish-students-2016/" target="_blank">List of the US and Canada’s Worst Campuses for Jewish Students</a>, based on the ongoing disruption of activities and deliberate intimidation
of the students. One of the incidents that earned SFSU their
inclusion on The Algemeiner's list was their response to an appearance by the
then-Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat when he came to speak. Anti-Israel
students disrupted the speech.
</p>
<p>
But it was more than just a disruption.<br />And it resulted not only being
included on a list -- it led to a lawsuit. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a>
<p></p>
<p>
<a href="https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2018/4/3/lp-files-groundbreaking-civil-rights-lawsuit-against-san-francisco-state-university" target="_blank">
According to a Lawfare Project press release</a>, the disruption in 2016 demonstrated that the administration of San
Francisco State University itself was part of the problem:
</p>
<blockquote>
The lawsuit was triggered following the alleged complicity of senior
university administrators and police officers in the disruption of an April,
2016, speech by the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. At that event organized by
SF Hillel, Jewish students and audience members were subjected to genocidal
and offensive chants and expletives by a raging mob that used bullhorns to
intimidate and drown out the Mayor’s speech and physically threaten and
intimidate members of the mostly-Jewish audience. At the same time, campus
police – including the chief – stood by, on order from senior university
administrators who instructed the police to “stand down” despite direct and
implicit threats and violations of university codes governing campus conduct.
</blockquote>
<p>
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171007114530/https://www.thelawfareproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/SFSU-Federal-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank">The civil rights lawsuit was brought by The Lawfare Project</a> the following year against then-president Leslie Wong along with
several other university officials. The lawsuit alleged that the situation had
deteriorated to the point that “Jews are often afraid to wear Stars of David
or yarmulkes on campus, and regularly text their friends to describe potential
safety issues and suggest alternate, often circuitous, routes to campus
destinations.”
</p>
<div>
In March 2019, California State University public university system settled.
</div>
<div>
<p>As part of the settlement, SFSU agreed to the following:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<b>Public statement:</b> Issue a statement affirming that "it understands
that, for many Jews, Zionism is an important part of their identity";
</li>
<li>
<b>Coordinator of Jewish Student Life:</b> "Hire a Coordinator of Jewish
Student Life within the Division of Equity & Community Inclusion" and
dedicate suitable office space for this position;
</li>
<li>
<b>External review of policies:</b> "Retain an independent, external
consultant to assess SFSU’s procedures for enforcement of applicable CSU
system-wide anti-discrimination policies and student code of conduct";
</li>
<li>
<b>Independent investigation of additional complaints:</b> "SFSU will, for
a period of 24 months, assign all complaints of religious discrimination
under either E.O. 1096 or E.O. 1097 to an independent, outside
investigator for investigation";
</li>
<li>
<b>Funding viewpoint diversity:</b> "SFSU will allocate an additional
$200,000 to support educational outreach efforts to promote viewpoint
diversity (including but not limited to pro-Israel or Zionist viewpoints)
and inclusion and equity on the basis of religious identity (including but
not limited to Jewish religious identity)"; and
</li>
<li>
<b>Campus mural:</b> Engage in the SFSU process to allocate "space on the
SFSU campus for a mural to be installed under the oversight of the
Division of Equity & Community Inclusion, paid for by the University,
that will be designed by student groups of differing viewpoints on the
issues that are the subject of this litigation to be agreed by the parties
(including but not limited to Jewish, pro-Israel, and/or Zionist
student groups, should such student groups elect to participate in the
process)."
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">
That first condition -- San Francisco State University publicly
acknowledging that "for many Jews, Zionism is an important part of their
identity" -- was an <i>unprecedented</i> recognition of the importance of
Zionism to Jewish identity.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Just imagine if universities across the country followed this example in
recognition of Zionism. It could be the academic equivalent of the
legislative campaign to have the boycott of Israel made illegal in all 50
states.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
When I asked The Lawfare Project about the potential to establish these
guarantees at other universities around the country, they responded that
</p>
<blockquote>
we think Jewish students will recognize the need to fight for the same
guarantees we’ve received in our settlement agreement with SFSU. We also
believe that our success will serve as fertile ground upon which Jewish
students can begin their journey to fight for their rights on campus.
</blockquote>
<div>
This is not something that should require legal enforcement. Take, for
example, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CornellHillel/posts/last-week-cornell-students-for-justice-in-palestine-sjp-made-public-their-goal-f/10157092435920948/" target="_blank">the stand taken in 2019 by Martha Pollak,</a> president of Cornell University, in response to the demand by JVP to
divest from Israel:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
BDS unfairly singles out one country in the world for sanction when there
are many countries around the world whose governments’ policies may be
viewed as controversial. Moreover, it places all of the responsibility for
an extraordinarily complex geopolitical situation on just one country and
frequently conflates the policies of the Israeli government with the very
right of Israel to exist as a nation,
<b>which I find particularly troublesome</b>. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Pollak not only took a stand against BDS. She publicly stated her
<i>personal</i> rejection of BDS and went beyond vague appeals to
diversity and respect for ideas on campus.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But how many university presidents have been willing to deal head-on with
the problem of Zionophobia on campus?<br />What are the chances of other
universities adopting the measures in the settlement?<br />For that
matter, has San Francisco State University really learned its lesson?
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Apparently not.</p>
<p>
In September 2020, the terrorist Leila Khaled was invited to speak at
SFSU. Khaled participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 from Rome to
Tel Aviv in August 1969. The following year she took part in the hijacking
of an El Al flight from Amsterdam to New York City.
</p>
<p>
So how did the president of SFSU, Lynn Mahoney, respond in light of the
lawsuit settlement?<br /><a href="https://president.sfsu.edu/message-president/academic-freedom-welcoming-inclusive-campus"></a>
</p>
<blockquote>
Let me be clear: I condemn the glorification of terrorism and use of
violence against unarmed civilians. I strongly condemn antisemitism and
other hateful ideologies that marginalize people based on their
identities, origins or beliefs.<br /><br />At the same time, I represent a
public university, which is committed to academic freedom and the ability
of faculty to conduct their teaching and scholarship without censorship.
</blockquote>
<p></p>
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Mahoney went on to pay lip service to the now-required recognition of the
Zionist identity of the university's students:
</p>
<blockquote>
My conversations with SF Hillel and
<a href="https://www.jweekly.com/2020/02/25/sfsu-jewish-life-coordinator-mandated-by-legal-settlement-out-after-less-than-a-year/">Jewish student leaders</a>
have enhanced my appreciation for the deeply painful impact of this upcoming
presenter, as well as past campus experiences.
<b>I understand that Zionism is an important part of the identity of many of
our Jewish students.</b>
The university welcomes Jewish faculty and students expressing their beliefs
and worldviews in the classroom and on the quad, through formal and informal
programming. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p>
Prof. Judea Pearl, professor of computer science and statistics at UCLA and
president of The Daniel Pearl Foundation, was unimpressed by Mahoney's
attempt to reconcile <i>welcoming a terrorist who targets Jews</i> on the
one hand with declaring <i>support for the Jewish Zionist identity</i> on
the other. He points out:
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<blockquote>
it is a logical contradiction from the scientific perspective and a breach
of contract from the legal perspective...and I’m known to be expert on the
logical perspective.
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
For their part, The Lawfare Project,
<a href="https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2021/4/26/how-we-stopped-a-terrorist" target="_blank">which spearheaded the drive to keep Khaled's proposed appearance at SFSU
off of Zoom</a>, agrees with Prof. Pearl from the <i>legal </i>perspective. They told me
in no uncertain terms:
</p>
<div>
<blockquote>
Should Khaled ever speak on campus, not only would that be
<b>a breach of the settlement agreement</b>, but also a gross violation of
the university’s fundamental responsibility to protect its Jewish
students. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But what is happening is more than just a continuation of antisemitic
hatred on college campuses with the typical weak response by the
university administration. We are all familiar with groups that claim to
affiliate with the Jewish community while rejecting Israel and a Zionist
identity. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">What is being overlooked is that there is a pro-Zionist voice at the beginning stages of asserting itself, and the public statement required by the lawsuit settlement is part of that -- even if imperfectly implemented by the university.</p><div><br /></div>
<div>
In a recent interview with Moment Magazine,
<a href="https://momentmag.com/role-of-american-jews-israel/" target="_blank">Prof. Pearl described the developing situation</a>:
</div>
<p></p>
<blockquote>
I predict American Jewry will soon undergo a profound, painful and
irreparable split. I cannot think of another period in Jewish history
where the schism was so deep, and growing deeper so rapidly. I see the
split in every aspect of life and on many levels...<b>On the surface, most of our faculty and students are still sitting on
the fence, true, but the polarization is growing; the Zionist group is
becoming more assertive and is closing ranks rapidly, while the
Zionophobic group is becoming louder, more organized and more
aggressive</b>. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p>
That pro-Zionist voice showed itself in response to a student at USC,
<a href="https://canarymission.org/individual/Yasmeen_Mashayekh" target="_blank">Yasmeen Mashayech</a>, who attacked Jews with tweets such as:
</p>
<ul>
<li>"I want to kill every motherf**cking Zionist"</li>
<li>"Death to Israel and its b**tch the U.S."</li>
<li>"Israel has no history just a criminal record"</li>
<li>"yel3an el yahood [curse the Jews]."</li>
</ul>
<p>
But even <i>more</i> important than those tweets and the criticism of the
university's weak response is the reaction from Jewish leaders --
something that has been ignored by the media.
</p>
In
<a href="https://usc-faaz-12-2021.org/" target="_blank">An Open Letter to the Leadership of USC</a>, more than 65 faculty members at USC took a stand:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
We, the undersigned faculty, wish to register our dismay about ongoing
open expressions of anti-Semitism and Zionophobia on our campus that go
unrebuked. The silence of our leadership on this matter is alienating,
hurtful, and depressing. It amounts to tacit acceptance of a toxic
atmosphere of hatred and hostility.
</blockquote>
<p>
The letter went beyond just condemnation of antisemitism and rejecting the
university claim that
<a href="https://www.jns.org/usc-president-responds-to-faculty-members-demanding-censure-of-students-hate-tweets/" target="_blank">because of legal considerations</a>, USC "cannot discuss university processes or actions with respect to a
specific student, much less denounce them publicly." The faculty said it
was time for the university to publicly welcome Zionists on campus:
</p>
<blockquote>
Most importantly,
<b>Jewish, Zionist, and Israeli students, as well as those who support the
right of the State of Israel to exist need to hear from our leaders that
they are welcome on our campus.</b>
Such a statement would not infringe on free speech or take sides in
political dispute. It is a call for character and dignity. It is overdue.
[emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p>
This would parallel the SFSU's settlement agreement recognizing the
Zionist identity of its students -- and <i>not</i> because Zionists need
to be protected as victims. More than that.
</p>
<p>Again, Prof. Pearl:<br /></p>
<blockquote>
<p>
We want the university to say there is something noble about Zionism.
Zionists are welcome here not because everybody needs to be protected,
but <b>because they can contribute here</b>.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
This is what has been missing till now from the hand wringing of
universities, with their vague promises to their Jewish students that they
will deal with antisemitism on campus.
</p>
<p>This is what has to change.</p>
<p>
And the SFSU lawsuit and the USC faculty letter show that there are those
willing to start to demand it.
</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" />
</div>
</div>
</div>
Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-35036130951792392102021-12-10T10:02:00.001-05:002021-12-10T10:02:00.287-05:00Has Deborah Lipstadt Undercut Both Herself And Future Antisemitism Envoys?<p style="text-align: left;">
When Holocaust deniers are not going around denying that the Holocaust ever
happened or claiming that it is exaggerated, they like to make comparisons
between Israel and Nazis.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In an interview in 2011 with Haaretz, the Holocaust historian <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/1.5220151" target="_blank">Deborah Lipstadt called these sorts of comparisons "Holocaust abuse":</a>
</p>
<blockquote>
Renowned Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt says that American and Israeli
politicians who invoke the Holocaust for contemporary political purposes are
engaging in “Holocaust abuse”, which is similar to “soft-core denial” of the
Holocaust...<br /><br />“<b>When you take these terrible moments in our history, and you use it for
contemporary purposes, in order to fulfill your political objectives, you
mangle history, you trample on it,” she said.</b>
[emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Strong words.<br />And Lipstadt knows what she is talking about.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
After all, this past July Biden nominated Lipstadt as Special Envoy to Monitor
and Combat Anti-Semitism.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
So how did Lipstadt react a little over a month later, when Biden was on the
presidential campaign
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/biden-compares-trump-to-goebbels-saying-hes-promoting-a-lie/2020/09/26/7c062804-0046-11eb-b0e4-350e4e60cc91_story.html" target="_blank">and said about Trump</a>:
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<blockquote>
He’s sort of like Goebbels. You say the lie long enough, keep repeating it,
repeating it, repeating it, it becomes common knowledge
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>
<a href="https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/foxman-lipstadt-defend-democratic-ad-comparing-trump-to-nazi-era/?utm_source=pocket_mylist" target="_blank"><span></span></a></p><a name='more'></a><a href="https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/foxman-lipstadt-defend-democratic-ad-comparing-trump-to-nazi-era/?utm_source=pocket_mylist" target="_blank">Lipstadt <i>supported</i> the comparison to Goebbels</a>:<br />
<p></p>
<blockquote>
Goebbels was very successful at what he did, and I think the comparison by
Vice President Biden was a very apt comparison because we’re seeing a lot of
this now.
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In a tweet <i>that she later deleted</i>, Lipstadt went further, claiming that
</p>
<blockquote>
had VP Biden — or anyone else — compared him to what Hitler, Himmler,
Heydrich, or Eichmann did, she/he would have been wrong. But a comparison to
the master of the big lie, Josef Goebbels? That's historically apt. It's all
about historical nuance.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Goebbels was more than a master propagandist. He was a supporter of the Final
Solution. <br />Nuance only goes so far.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.jns.org/opinion/envoy-will-first-need-to-root-out-anti-semitism-in-the-democratic-party/" target="_blank">As Melanie Phillips notes</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
But it wasn’t apt at all. The comparison was indefensible. Not only was it an
egregiously unjustified smear against Trump; more importantly, it downplayed
the evil of Goebbels and grossly disrespected the memory of those who were
slaughtered in the Holocaust.<br /><br />For it wasn’t simply that Goebbels
was a lying propagandist. It was that he was a Nazi committed to the
extermination of the Jews. To compare Trump to such an individual was
ridiculous and shameful, and should have been robustly condemned.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
And 3 days after Biden's comment, when
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zwj8Ir8mGk" target="_blank">the Jewish Democratic Council of America released a video comparing the
Trump presidency to the Nazi era</a>...
</p>
<p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Zwj8Ir8mGk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Unlike the ADL, The American Jewish Committee and The Simon Wiesenthal Center
-- who all called for the JDC ad to be taken down --
<a href="the key to acceptable Holocaust comparisons is precision and nuance" target="_blank">Lipstadt <i>again</i> supported the use of Nazi images for political
purposes</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
But in the current era, Lipstadt said,
<b>the key to acceptable Holocaust comparisons is precision and nuance</b>. Is
it the Holocaust? No. But does the current era presage an authoritarian
takeover? Maybe.<br /><br />“People ask me, is this Kristallnacht?” she said.
“Is this the beginning of pogroms, etc.? I don’t think those comparisons are
correct. “However, I do think certain comparisons are fitting … it’s certainly
not 1938,” when Nazis led the Kristallnacht pogroms throughout Germany. “It’s
not even September 1935, and the Nuremberg Laws” institutionalizing racist
policies.<br /><br /><b>“What it well might be is December 1932, Hitler comes to power on Jan. 30,
1933 — it might be Jan. 15, 1933.”</b>
[emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
So contrary to her comment in the tweet she deleted, Lipstadt actually
<i>does</i> draw a connection between Trump and Hitler.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Nuance, indeed.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Now that Lipstadt has helpfully established that Holocaust comparisons are
permitted when they adhere to "precision and nuance," are the people most
likely to exploit Holocaust comparisons really going to care -- and how would
Lipstadt as Antisemitism Envoy condemn Holocaust comparisons without those
doing it laughing at her for her double standard?
</p>
<p>
For example -- just this week: <a href="https://ejpress.org/european-jewish-group-outraged-by-use-of-yellow-star-during-demonstration-in-brussels-against-corona-measures/" target="_blank">European Jewish group outraged by use of yellow star during demonstration
in Brussels against corona measures</a>:
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjru8foAg60Lz11c1dARjvb8Wxg_V7iF3FxcPQpI2Bh9iajuj3EHb70zMIXd86ycwAoFIi7HwHFXnQICvNcVWeWkhMQtpcDkZOoR2arOIq4uQ1TXwrGUBHrn7FC3C9mG_Mzx0EzXOdqtiua5n5WtzNCbJYYl21Ec3iTD7w65C65KP4bEB4KWIo=s702" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="702" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjru8foAg60Lz11c1dARjvb8Wxg_V7iF3FxcPQpI2Bh9iajuj3EHb70zMIXd86ycwAoFIi7HwHFXnQICvNcVWeWkhMQtpcDkZOoR2arOIq4uQ1TXwrGUBHrn7FC3C9mG_Mzx0EzXOdqtiua5n5WtzNCbJYYl21Ec3iTD7w65C65KP4bEB4KWIo=w640-h306" width="640" /></a>
</div>
<blockquote>
<p>
The European Jewish Association (EJA) reacted with outrage to the image of a
yellow star, symbol of Nazi persecution of Jews, used by protestors during a
demonstration in Brussels against the governmental corona measures on
Sunday.
</p>
<p>
In a statement, EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said: “It is hard to
know where to begin with how wrong this is.’’
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
Rabbi Margolin goes on to point out how comparisons with the Holocaust
demonstrate a lack of understanding for the magnitude of what the Holocaust
was:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
It makes me sick to think how little people understand the hurt that such
banners cause, and how little people have a true understanding and
appreciation of the sheer scale and magnitude of the Holocaust. To those who
marched today with a huge Yellow star, I say this: “just don’t. No matter
how you feel about covid restrictions, nobody is tattooing your arms, nobody
is herding you onto cattle trucks, and nobody wants you, your families and
all your loved ones to die. Above all, educate yourselves and learn what
this yellow star truly represents.”
</p>
</blockquote>
<div>
<p>
Would Lipstadt echo Rabbi Margolin's words? Probably.<br /><br />But how
does someone who compares a president of the United States with the
Nazi Goebbels ("60 percent of [the Jews] will have to be liquidated,
while only 40 percent can be put to work...A judgment is being carried out
on the Jews that is barbaric but thoroughly deserved") go on to lecture
others who use a yellow star to describe what they consider draconian corona
measures?
</p>
<p>
Another question is: what about Democrats -- has Lipstadt been as critical
of them?
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bidens-nominee-for-u-s-anti-semitism-envoy-blasted-ilhan-omars-anti-israel-comments" target="_blank">According to Fox News</a>:
</p>
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/joe-biden"></a>
<blockquote>
President Biden’s nominee to serve as U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and
Combat Anti-Semitism once <b>blasted</b> Rep. Ilhan Omar’s controversial
statements criticizing Israel.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://nypost.com/2021/08/03/biden-pick-for-anti-semitism-envoy-once-blasted-ilhan-omar/" target="_blank">And The New York Post reports</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
President Biden’s pick to serve as special envoy to monitor and combat
anti-Semitism has previously <b>slammed</b> Rep. Ilhan Omar for criticizing
Israel.
</blockquote>
<div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But actually, in contrast to her comments on Trump that were made in
<i>public</i>,
<a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2019/03/interview-deborah-lipstadt-on-antisemitism-and-rep-omars-foreign-allegiance-remark%EF%BB%BF/" target="_blank">Lipstadt's comments about Omar were made in response to a question
during an interview</a>:
</p>
<b></b>
<blockquote>
<b>Adam Rubenstein:</b> As you begin to define antisemitism in your new
book, <i>Antisemitism: Here and Now</i>, you write that “Antisemitism is
not simply the hatred of something ‘foreign’ but the hatred of a perpetual
evil in this world.” So on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s recent comment about “foreign
allegiance” in the context of pro-Israel Americans, and in discussion of
her Jewish colleagues; what do you make of it? Is this textbook
antisemitism?<br /><br /><b>Deborah Lipstadt:</b>
Sadly, I believe it is. Dual loyalties is part of the textbook accusations
against Jews. They are cosmopolitans, globalists, not loyal to their
country or fellow citizens.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Further on in the interview, it becomes clear that Lipstadt neither
"blasts" nor "smashes" Omar's comments. Instead, she manages to criticize
the statements, without condemning the person -- a far more judicious
approach -- unlike in her comments about Trump.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But she bent over backward to excuse Omar:</p>
<blockquote>
<b>AR:</b> In your view, are Rep. Omar’s statements antisemitic or are
they simply anti-Israel? Antisemitism and anti-Zionism aren’t in theory
the same thing, but they often have connection points. Is what Rep. Omar
says, her “foreign allegiance” comment, her support for BDS, and that
support for Israel in Congress is “about the Benjamins,” i.e. Jewish
money, simply “critical of Israel” or does it cross the line into
antisemitism?<br /><br /><b>DL:</b> This is such a nuanced topic and I
deal with it in depth in the book. But simply put, (<b>and giving her the benefit of the doubt</b>… which is harder to do each time she engages in one of these attacks),
she may think she is only criticizing Israel and its policies but one
cannot ignore the fact that she is relying on traditional antisemitic
tropes to do so...
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Lipstadt goes even further in this comment, putting Omar in a
<i>select</i>
category of antisemitism:
</p>
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
What it suggests to me is that, at best, these people exist in a place
where antisemitism is out in the ethosphere; they hear it, breath it in,
and don’t even recognize it as antisemitism.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Similarly, in the case of Rev. Raphael Warnock, during the special
election for senator of Georgia -- despite the anti-Israel sermon he gave
in 2018, Lipstadt defended Warnock's later claim 2 years later in 2020
that he was pro-Israel.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Here is the key excerpt of the sermon:</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jx9l8ypQ84U?start=1124" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2020/11/in-2018-sermon-warnock-blasted-israel-he-now-says-i-stand-with-israel/" target="_blank">As described by Jewish Insider</a>:
</p>
<p></p>
<blockquote>
<p>
Warnock’s 2018 sermon was delivered shortly after the opening of the
U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. “It’s been a tough week,” Warnock noted. “The
administration opened up the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Standing there
[were] the president’s family and a few mealy-mouthed evangelical
preachers who are responsible for the mess that we found ourselves in,
both there and here — misquoting and misinterpreting the Scripture,
talking about peace.”
</p>
<p>
Warnock went on to compare the struggle for Palestinian rights with the
Black Lives Matter movement. “Meanwhile, young Palestinian sisters and
brothers,
<b>who are struggling for their very lives, struggling for water and
struggling for their human dignity stood up in a non-violent
protest</b>, saying, ‘If we’re going to die, we’re going to die struggling.’
<b>And yes, there may have been some folk who were violent,</b> but we
oughta know how that works out,” Warnock said. “<b>We know what it’s like to stand up and have a peaceful demonstration
and have the media focus on a few violent uprising</b>s. But you have to look at those Palestinian sisters and brothers, who
are struggling for their human dignity and they have a right to
self-determination, they have a right to breathe free.”
</p>
<p>
“We need a two-state solution where all of God’s children can live
together,” Warnock proclaimed in the 2018 video before proceeding to
charge Israel with shooting innocent Palestinians.
<b>“We saw the government of Israel shoot down unarmed Palestinian
sisters and brothers like birds of prey</b>. And I don’t care who does it, it is wrong. It is wrong to shoot down
God’s children like they don’t matter at all. And it’s no more
antisemitic for me to say that than it is anti-white for me to say that
Black lives matter. Palestinian lives matter.” [emphasis added]
</p>
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>
Faced with his past remarks accusing Israel of killing peaceful
Palestinian Arabs, Warnock's campaign gave an evasive response that
posting the video showed that the other campaign was rummaging around
videos to 'misrepresent' his actual views.
</p>
<p>
But just one year before the Georgia election, in March 2019, Warnock
signed onto the <a href="https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/group-pilgrimage-statement-on-israel-and-palestine/" target="_blank">Group Pilgrimage Statement on Israel and Palestine</a>, which featured common distortions about Israel, including associating
it with apartheid:
</p>
<blockquote>
j. We saw the patterns that seem to have been borrowed and perfected from
other previous oppressive regimes:
<ol type="i">
<li>
The ever-present
<b>physical walls that wall in Palestinians in a political wall
reminiscent of the Berlin Wall</b>
</li>
<li>
Roads built through occupied Palestinian villages,
<b>on which Palestinians are not permitted to drive</b>; and homes and
families divided by walls and barriers.
</li>
<li>
The heavy militarization of the West Bank, <b>reminiscent of the military occupation of Namibia by apartheid
South Africa</b>.
</li>
<li>
The laws of segregation that allow one thing for the Jewish people and
another for the Palestinians; we saw evidence of forced removals;
homes abandoned, <b>olive trees uprooted</b> or confiscated and taken
over, shops and businesses bolted with doors welded to close out any
commercial activities. [emphasis added]
</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<p>
Yet Warnock's stand on Israel just a year after that is supposed to show
that he did an about-face, now supporting Israel.
</p>
<p>
He even appeared at AIPAC.
<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/deborah-lipstadt-should-be-voted-down-by-the-senate" target="_blank">Lipstadt writes</a>:
</p>
<p></p>
<blockquote>
How, I wondered, could someone who had said that, show up at AIPAC? To
answer this question, I read his policy paper on Israel. In it, he
expressed unequivocal support for Israel, for a strong U.S.-Israel
relationship, for a two-state solution, and for the $38 billion Memorandum
of Understanding, which when signed in 2016 constituted the largest pledge
of bilateral military assistance in U.S. history. He also unequivocally
opposed conditioning aid to Israel, as some have proposed.
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>
Lipstadt says that Warnock's new support for Israel answers the question
of how he could appear at AIPAC. One might argue that such an abrupt
change just one year later only deepens the questions.
</p>
<p>
In a piece for The Washington Examiner, Jackson Richman includes
Lipstadt's support for Warnock as one of the reasons that <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/deborah-lipstadt-should-be-voted-down-by-the-senate" target="_blank">Deborah Lipstadt should be voted down by the Senate</a>:
</p>
<p></p>
<blockquote>
<p>
Lipstadt said Warnock had come around on Israel-related issues — never
mind that he did not apologize or repudiate his past statements and
activities on that issue — such as opposing conditioning U.S. assistance
to the Jewish state. She argued, "It would be hard for Warnock to
repudiate his most recent views as expressed in his Israel policy paper
and numerous interviews."
</p>
Except it would not have been hard to offer a sincere apology.
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>
It's an odd argument for Lipstadt to make -- vote for Warnock, because
even if he is not sincere in his current pro-Israel position, at least he
won't be able to easily go back to his previously anti-Israel position.
</p>
<p>
But all this talk about Lipstadt being Antisemitism Envoy may be for
naught, anyway.
</p>
<p>
Not because her nomination has stalled in the Senate.<br />But who's to
say that Biden will pay any attention to Lipstadt anyway when it is
politically inconvenient?
</p>
<p>
When Fox News wanted to report on the White House reaction to Lipstadt's
criticism of Omar -- <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-silent-agree-nominee-omar-comment-anti-semitic" target="_blank">there wasn't any</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
However; when asked if the administration agreed with its nominee’s views
on Omar’s comments, the White House was silent, not responding to Fox
News’ request for comment.
</blockquote>
<p>The Squad can rest easy.</p>
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" />
</div>
</div>
</div>
Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-2418040527156519622021-12-09T12:18:00.001-05:002021-12-09T12:18:44.805-05:00Recalling Israel's Initial Response To Hamas Rocket Attacks<p style="text-align: left;">
Of the attitudes of the international community towards Israel, one of the
most maddening is criticism of Israeli reaction to the terrorist rocket
attacks launched by Hamas -- and the lack of international condemnation of
those rocket attacks themselves, deliberately launched against civilian
targets.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
We criticize the West for its lack of sustained outrage against Hamas
targeting civilians.<br />
We note that no country would tolerate such attacks without taking strong
measures to stop such attacks.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But does Israel itself bear any of the responsibility for the failure of the
international community to condemn these deliberate terrorist attacks on
Israeli civilians?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a>
<p></p>
<div>
In a 2012 article, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120331191447/https://jinsa.org/where-8000-rocket-launches-are-not-casus-belli" target="_blank">Where 8,000 Rocket Launches Are Not a Casus Belli</a>, Evelyn Gordon blames this on the indecisiveness of the IDF in retaliating
against Gaza rockets as:
</div>
<blockquote>
the rotten fruit of a government policy that for years dismissed the rockets
as a minor nuisance for reasons of petty politics: For the Kadima party, in
power from 2005-2009, admitting the rockets were a problem meant admitting
that its flagship policy, the Gaza pullout, was a disaster.
</blockquote>
A 2011 report for the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies,
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">The Missile Threat from Gaza:From Nuisance to Strategic Threat</a>, by Israeli missile defense expert Uzi Rubin notes how Israeli leaders at the
time played down and even dismissed outright the Hamas rocket threat:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Dov Weisglass, senior advisor to Ariel Sharon, in June 2005 referred to the rockets as "flying objects...in terms of national risk management, they do not constitute a significant factor."<br /><br /></li><li>Koby Toren, then Director General of the Ministry of Defense, dismissed the the rockets in 2006 as nothing more than a "psychological threat" because of their low level of lethality.<br /><br /></li><li>Shimon Peres, then Deputy Prime Minister, complained in 2006, "Everyone is stoking the hysteria. What is the big deal? Kiryat Shmona was bombed for years."<br /><br /></li><li>Ehud Olmert was still downplaying the need for bomb shelters in 2007, announcing that "we will not shelter ourselves to death."<br /><br /></li><li>Deputy Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen. (res.) Matan Vilnai made a speech at the Knesset in 2008 comparing the complaints of Israeli communities near Gaza with the resilience of Jerusalem’s residents in the face of suicide attacks: "We in Jerusalem…suffered hundreds of dead...did we complain that we could not sleep at night?...Did we claim to have been forsaken?"</li></ul><div> In fairness to Peres, he did not totally ignore the Qassam threat.
<a href="https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3264961,00.html" target="_blank">The same article that quotes him minimizing the Qassams</a>, also reports:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgUAzBovY0nrOu4TExMtzCo8tf-AqRoZkHWhjdStMFB1tGQeo6RyCOVEy1C9qyttc8Z_t8o1fc_ymo136jeQsdWwPWTuD79x5jUps2cHHVLTsgcMEPtOkKtnwaAQiNqEMQrefqg/s510/Peres.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="510" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgUAzBovY0nrOu4TExMtzCo8tf-AqRoZkHWhjdStMFB1tGQeo6RyCOVEy1C9qyttc8Z_t8o1fc_ymo136jeQsdWwPWTuD79x5jUps2cHHVLTsgcMEPtOkKtnwaAQiNqEMQrefqg/w640-h106/Peres.png" width="640" /></a><p style="text-align: left;">Translation:</p>
<blockquote>
According to Peres, "Palestinians need to be told: Qassams Shmassams, we will
persevere. We will not move from here." The deputy prime minister also accused
that "our response stimulates the other side to strike. A series of measures
must be taken to eliminate the Qassam." Peres declined to elaborate on what
means he meant.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
According to Rubin, Olmert qualified his comment about shelters with
"...though there may be extreme situations in which we will have a limited
response capability."
</p>
<div>
Also according to Rubin, Vilnai visited the Jewish areas near Gaza the very
next day in order to correct the negative impression his comments made.
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But the fact remains that Israeli leaders initially played down the threat of
Qassam rockets coming out of Gaza.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For years.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The lack of a strong Israeli response to the Hamas rocket attacks took the US
by surprise.
</p>
<div>
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120406234657/http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=226374" target="_blank">In a 2011 interview</a>, former US envoy to Israel Dan Kurtzer said that PM Sharon's failure to
respond to Hamas rocket attacks following the 2005 Disengagement was a major
mistake:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
Kurtzer, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, said that immediately
after Israel left the Gaza Strip he told Washington “to expect a very
serious Israeli response to the first act of violence coming out of
Gaza.”<br /><br />...Kurtzer said his message to the Bush Administration was
to be ready for a sharp Israeli military response to rocket fire, “and be
ready to support it.”<br /><br />“The success of disengagement rested on the
aftermath of its implementation, so I was very surprised there was no
reaction to the first rocket, second rocket and 15th rocket,” Kurtzer said.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Instead, according to Kurtzer, "Sharon argued that the rockets were landing
in fields, 'not really that bad,' or were being fired by dissident elements,
and not the Gaza leadership" -- setting the tone for excuses of Israeli
leaders who followed.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
As Gordon points out, one of the motives of the Israeli government in
initially downplaying the rocket attacks was to defend the Disengagement
itself.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But the Begin-Sadat Center report gives other reasons as well. After all, it
was not just the leadership that showed disinterest:
</p>
<p></p>
<blockquote>
the same Israeli public that withstood so determinately the suicide attacks
from the West Bank, demonstrated a lack of unity and determination in
contending with the Gaza rocket campaign.
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The <i>initial</i> rocket attacks started in 2001 and need to be understood
in the context of the Second Intifada that was creating a crisis at the
time. Life in Sderot was "was calmer and more secure at the time than
metropolitan areas like Netanya, Hadera or Jerusalem":
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<blockquote>
In hindsight, the scant attention paid to the campaign at its onset in 2001
is easy to justify against the backdrop of violence of the Second Intifada
and the suicide terror offensive raging at the time through the heart of
Israel's major cities, an offensive which reached its peak in April-May
2002.
<i>This absorbed all the attention of the general public as well as Israel's
political and military leadership</i>. The few hits, the negligible damage and the insignificant casualties
inflicted by the primitive rockets launched at the time from Gaza were
justifiably regarded as a minor nuisance compared to the ongoing terror
campaign against Israel's traffic, public transportation, shopping malls and
civic centers. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But that does not explain the <i>continued</i> lackadaisical response the
following year when Operation Defensive Shield was succeeding in combating
the Second Intifada.
</p>
<p>
According to Rubin, both local as well as national leaders played down the
threat during the first 3 years. Even when Israel took steps to invade
nearby launching areas in Gaza and fired on rocket production areas that
were further away,
</p>
<p></p>
<blockquote>
At the same time, active defense – that is, anti-rocket systems that could
destroy Gaza rockets in flight – was shunned repeatedly until about five
years into the campaign when
<i>the shock of the Second Lebanon War prompted Israel's incumbent minister
of defense [Amir Peretz] to initiate the development of an active defense
system against short-range rockets.</i>
The failure to do so earlier is another indication of the low significance
attributed to the rocket campaign against the south of the country by the
political leadership of the time. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<p>
The Second Lebanon War came to an end in mid-August, 2006 and Israel was
focusing on the failure to secure an undisputed victory. During this time of
soul searching, the priority was on rebuilding the IDF, recovering from
economic losses, and repairing damage in northern Israel. The needs of the
Israeli communities near Gaza were put on the back burner.
</p>
<p>
The decision to start development on Iron Dome was not taken until February,
2007 and Israeli bureaucracy delayed not only the development of Iron Dome
but also the government-sponsored building of shelters.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The report gives several reasons for this:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The slow increase in the number of rockets and casualties after the first rocket hit Sderot in 2001 lulled residents as well as local and national leaders into inactivity. o A full-scale defense initiative against the rockets would have been an admission that the Disengagement was responsible for a deterioration in Israel's security.<br /><br /></li><li>There was disagreement over the correct strategy in response to the Qassams. Eli Moyal, the Mayor of Sderot was one of those who believed that civil protection was an admission that Israel was acceding to terrorist aggression -- "to accept civil protection is to accept terror as part of your life" and that instead of defensive measures, "the war should have been pursued aggressively."<br /><br /></li><li>There was a concern that as the terrorist rockets increased in range and efficiency, and more communities were put at risk, so too would there be an increased demand for costly population protection.</li></ul><p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Today, we proudly point to Israel's system of shelters against terrorist
attack from Gaza.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But according to Rubin:</p>
<blockquote>
In his 2005 report on the status of the school and kindergarten sheltering
program in Sderot, the State Comptroller condemned the government's
mishandling of the situation, calling it "a continuous debacle." This harsh
term could well describe the government's handling of the entire sheltering
program in southern Israel.
</blockquote>
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Israel has come a long way since that 2011 report, especially in terms of Iron
Dome, which is now in demand by other countries facing similar threats.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But we tend to forget the initial slow response by Israel to the Qassam
threat, and that may have served in part as an initial excuse by the
international community to downplay the dangerous threat that Hamas
rockets increasingly pose to Israeli civilians.
</p>
<div>
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" />
</div>
</div>
</div>Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-72270808497783028332021-03-02T12:05:00.001-05:002021-03-02T12:05:42.934-05:00'Grey's Anatomy' And 'Nurses': Negative Portrayals Of Orthodox Jews Are Symptomatic Of A Bigger ProblemI still remember when our family went to Disney World, years ago, and we went to
the exhibit for "It's A Small World After All." To illustrate the point, the
exhibit contained caricatures of every nationality.
<div><br /></div>
<div>The typical Israeli was depicted as -- a Chassid.</div>
<div>
Maybe the people at Disney had trouble figuring out what an Israeli is.
</div>
<div>Or perhaps they thought their visitors did.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Times haven't changed.</div>
<div>Depictions of Jews in the media are often accurate.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
As an extreme example, take the new show on NBC called
<a href="https://www.nbc.com/nurses" target="_blank">Nurses</a>:<span><a name='more'></a></span>
</div>
<blockquote>
Set in Toronto, "Nurses" follows five young nurses working on the frontlines
of a busy downtown hospital, dedicating their lives to helping others, while
struggling to help themselves.
</blockquote>
In a recent episode --
<a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nbc-removes-nurses-episode-backlash-orthodox-jewish-storyline-1234914536/" target="_blank">which NBC has now pulled off its digital platforms</a>
-- one of the subplots is that a Chassidic boy requires a bone transplant in
order to be able to walk again.
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The boy, with his father at his side, refuses the transplant because the bone
might be from an Arab or a woman, or -- as the nurse sarcastically chimes in
-- an Arab woman.<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
First
<a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsnl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nbcsnl</a> now
<a href="https://twitter.com/nbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nbc</a> 'Nurses'
airs a viciously antisemitic episode filled with lies about Orthodox
Jews.<br /><br />"A dead goyim leg ... from an arab, a woman, G-d forbid
an Arab women ... Israel ... without this next step you won't walk
again". <br /><br />Lies and libels lead to VIOLENCE!
<a href="https://t.co/BvRA4Xiq9e">pic.twitter.com/BvRA4Xiq9e</a>
</p>
— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites)
<a href="https://twitter.com/StopAntisemites/status/1364327394916589568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Elder of Ziyon outlines
<a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/02/religious-jews-are-misogynist-anti.html" target="_blank">the extent to which the show Nurses mischaracterized Orthodox Jews as</a>:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Being against any modern medical procedures</li>
<li>Being against grafting bone or tissue from non-Jews</li>
<li>Being against having women's organs or bones placed in men</li>
<li>Jewish men not directly addressing female nurses</li>
<li>Saying that prayer and medicine are incompatible</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Against that background, we can understand
<a href="https://www.wiesenthal.com/about/news/nbc-drama-ugly-depiction-of.html" target="_blank">The Wiesenthal Center's reaction</a>:
</div>
<blockquote>
The writers of this scene check all the boxes of ignorance and pernicious
negative stereotypes, right down to the name of the patient, Israel –
paiyous and all.<br /><br />In one scene, NBC has insulted and demonized
religious Jews and Judaism.<br /><br />Overreaction? Orthodox Jews are
targeted for violent hate crimes – in the city of New York, Jews are number
one target of hate crimes in US; this is no slip of the tongue. It was a
vile, cheap attack masquerading as TV drama. What’s NBC going to do about
it?
</blockquote>
<div>(Note: Apparently the name of the patient is Ezriel, not Israel.)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
It is insulting not only for the deliberately negative slant the show casts
on Orthodox Jews, but the show's writers couldn't even be bothered to do the
minimal research necessary to realize that under the circumstances, no
Orthodox Jew and no Orthodox rabbi would object to such an operation.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The website TV Fanatic does offer a possible context for this sub-plot and
what it was intended to do --
<a href="https://www.tvfanatic.com/2021/02/nurses-season-1-episode-8-review-achilles-heel/" target="_blank">draw a comparison with the nurse, who is a religious Christian</a>:
</div>
<blockquote>
I understand what they were going for. Ashley [the nurse] comes from a
religious background. She has issues with her conservative Christian home
and with her conservative Christian mother.<br /><br />They were trying to
draw a parallel and stir up some feeling for her with this push-button
topic.
</blockquote>
<div>Stir up some feeling?</div>
<div>Mission accomplished!</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
But even so, the thinking behind the plot of this episode is not even new.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In 2005, <i>Grey's Anatomy</i> ran an episode with a similar sub-plot:
a 17-year-old girl who has recently become more religious finds out that she
has a potentially threatening heart condition that could kill her. The good
news is that her life can be saved with an operation that will provide her
with a new heart valve.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>But the valve is from a pig.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The subplot revolves around her refusal to accept the operation because of
the source of the valve.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://cross-currents.com/2005/05/27/anatomy-of-a-smear/" target="_blank">As Rabbi Avi Shafran wrote in response to the show at the time</a>:
</div>
<blockquote>
That Jewish law in no way forbids such use of pig parts (only their
consumption – and not even that when life is endangered) is not noted; quite
the contrary, the viewer is led to believe that the girl’s refusal would be
the natural stance of any observant Jew. The silliness of the scenario is
only compounded by the casting of a woman as the Orthodox girl’s rabbi (and
the episode’s “good guy,” of course).<br /><br />...<b>But the most egregious element of the fantasy is the character’s, well,
character. The Orthodox youth is portrayed as, in the words of one viewer,
“a crazy fundamentalist fanatical Jew [who] was rude and behaved
horrendously to the doctors who were only trying to help her.” </b>The character belittles her less-observant parents, cursing like a sailor
in the process. Just your standard-fare nice, newly religious Jewish girl.
[emphasis added]<br />
</blockquote>
<div>
Realism and accuracy clearly were not considerations.
<a href="https://forward.com/news/israel/3416/tinseltown-rabbi-saves-a-prayer-for-prime-time-sho/" target="_blank">The writer admitted to The Forward</a>, "Whenever there is a story that has a rabbi I never see a woman, I just
see old men. I wanted to clash with the stereotype a bit."
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
But there is more going on in this episode on <i>Grey's Anatomy</i> than
just a clash in stereotypes of what a rabbi looks like. As in the episode in
<i>Nurses</i>, in this episode of <i>Grey's Anatomy</i>, the writer
deliberately created a character who was obnoxious
<i>because of</i> her religiosity.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>As Rabbi Shafran points out:</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
...If the character is a positive one, or even a neutral one, no one, save
perhaps an anti-Semite, would complain. But if he or she is consciously
crafted to be obnoxious – and not merely obnoxious,<b>
but obnoxious in her dedication to her ostensible religious beliefs – does
that not border on provocation?</b> [emphasis added]
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>So what is going on here?</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In 2005, Wendy Shalit examined the books written about the ultra-Orthodox
world, many of which painted a negative picture, and wondered aloud about
the audience for such books:
</div>
<blockquote>
What is the market for this fiction? Does it simply satisfy our desire, as
one of Mirvis's reviewers put it, to indulge in "eavesdropping on a closed
world"?
<b>Or is there a deeper urge: do some readers want to believe the
ultra-Orthodox are crooked and hypocritical, and thus lacking any
competing claim to the truth?</b>
Perhaps, on the other hand, readers are genuinely interested in traditional
Judaism but don't know where to look for more nuanced portraits of this
world.
</blockquote>
Does the same desire to undermine the Orthodox Jews motivate the writers of
these kinds of episodes on <i>Grey's Anatomy</i> and <i>Nurses</i>?
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.aish.com/ci/a/48944211.html" target="_blank">In response to criticism of her article, Shalit writes</a>:
</div>
<blockquote>
For whatever reason, many writers today like to create immoral haredi and
newly-religious characters. The truth is, I don't know why. Perhaps because
they are not from these worlds, they fail to appreciate the idealism that's
there. Or perhaps it's because, as Ms. Mirvis has admitted, nowadays "there is
a great deal of discomfort with religiosity, and I have to admit, I feel it
myself as well."<br /><br />...<b>But when all your Orthodox characters are cold and dysfunctional, and
unlike anything this group understands itself to be, then I think one must
ask what else might be going on</b>. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<div>
<div>Shalit ends this article with a challenge:</div>
<blockquote>
Let's turn the tables. Suppose there is a new genre in American Jewish
literature, in which Reform Jews are vilified regularly. There is the
temple's secretary who kills one of her Hadassah sisters in order to get the
latest Judith Lieber bag, and a gay Reform rabbi who seduces younger male
congregants. There are idealistic college coeds who want to escape Reform
life, but are daunted by the prospect of learning Hebrew, so they abuse
drugs instead. Suppose, for the sake of argument, that there is such a
genre. And suppose further that these novels are a bit short on character
development, that they are primarily driven by page after page of weirdo
Reform characters, and mouth agape, one must turn the pages in order to
satisfy one's curiosity: what will this bad Reform bunch do next? The
authors, who are not Reform themselves, are celebrated in the non-Jewish
world and their Reform-bashing literature is translated into multiple
languages.<br /><br />How would we feel about such novels?
<b>My guess is that they would not be so popular, and the fact that we have
toasted such literature about Orthodox Jews for so long might -- just
might -- tell us something about our prejudices</b>. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<div>
There was a time that simple curiosity was the driving force in the
depiction of Orthodox Jews.
<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236752950_Something_Ain't_Kosher_Here_The_Rise_of_the_Jewish_Sitcom_review" target="_blank">In his review of the book This Ain't Kosher</a>, Elliot Gertel reveals that "the (Jewish) producers of [the TV show] Kung
Fu originally thought of making the martial arts master a Hasidic rebbe."
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>But those were simpler days that are long behind us.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" />
</div>
</div>
</div>
Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-48260074728760219292020-11-19T13:05:00.002-05:002020-11-19T13:05:00.688-05:00What Does "The Jewish Vote" Even Mean -- And Is There Enough Of It To Go Around?<div>
This past election, once again the perpetual question that inevitably came up
was about 'the Jewish vote': which candidate won it -- and why does it even
matter? The Democrats consistently brag that they own the Jewish vote, while
the Republicans just keep on claiming that they are just on the verge of
acquiring it.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
This bipartisan fight over the Jewish vote can be traced back to Herbert
Hoover.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In their 2012 book "Herbert Hoover and The Jews," Rafael Medoff and Sonja
Wentling, propose that the Jewish vote became a <i>thing</i> in the
leadup to the 1944 presidential election, when Roosevelt ran for his 4th term,
against Thomas Dewey. <span><a name='more'></a></span>
</div>
<br /><a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2012/09/03/double-review-%e2%80%98millions-of-jews-to-rescue%e2%80%99-and-%e2%80%98herbert-hoover-and-the-jews%e2%80%99-review/" target="_blank">A review of that book</a> notes that in contrast to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it was Hoover -- 10
years after he was voted out of office -- who stood up for European Jews. Hoover
publicly advocated for the US to open its doors to Jewish refugees and
repeatedly spoke out for Jews during the Holocaust years.
<div>
<br />
<div></div>
<div>
<div>
The book also reveals that although, at the time, Rabbi Stephen Wise and
the Jewish leadership were wary of Republican politicians in general and
of Hoover in particular, Republicans such as
</div>
<blockquote>
Hoover himself, Senator Robert Taft and Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce
espoused strongly pro-Zionist and pro-rescue planks that were incorporated
into the Republican convention’s 1944 platform.
<i>Only this threat to their monopoly of the “Jewish vote,” Medoff and
Wentling argue, forced FDR and the Democrats to adopt similar planks,
which have ever since remained unshakable for both parties</i>. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<div>
But why would anyone ever bother with the Jewish vote to begin with? After
all, for a voting bloc,
<a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/9461" target="_blank">there is not a lot to recommend it:</a>
</div>
<div></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Jews are about 1.5% of the American population o That percentage is
about half of what it was 50 years ago
</li>
<li>And this percentage is continuing to shrink</li>
<li>
As a bloc, it is not even unified -- with religious Jews tending to vote
Republican and non-religious voting Democratic
</li>
<li>
While the vast majority of Jews support Israel, come election time
Israel does not rank as a major issue
</li>
</ul>
<div></div>
<div>So what is the big deal?</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In a 2016 video, Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at
Brandeis, listed some of the reasons why politicians vie over the Jewish
vote, even despite its small size: <br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Despite their small numbers, Jews turn out to vote in high numbers --
according to one estimate, 85% of all eligible Jews vote in
presidential elections o Jews historically contribute large amounts of
money to political parties -- both Democratic and Republican.
</li>
<li>
Jews happen to live in key states that presidential candidates want to
carry, such as Florida
</li>
<li>
There are indications that the Democratic party is moving away from
Israel, which may present an opportunity for Republicans to capture
more of the Jewish vote
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div></div>
<div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JfCL1Rqt7fE" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div>
Four years earlier, in a 2012 article, Shmuel Rosner added another reason
why politicians consider is important, and
<a href="https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Election-2012-Does-the-Jewish-Vote-Matter.html" target="_blank">why the attention to the Jewish vote is out of proportion to its
numbers</a>:<br />
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
One would say it's the influence that Jews have in the media and their
solid presence in notable positions. Others would point to their presence
in celebrity circles and the arts, while still others would look to the
over-representation of Jews in American politics, as advisors,
consultants, pollsters, analysts and elected officials.<br /><br />But you
can really just call it the bellwether factor. Jews are seen as major
political players because they believe that their vote really counts,
because they project self-importance. They might not tip elections, but
they appear as if they can.
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Going further back to 2010, Pew Research found indications that
<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2010/08/19/growing-number-of-americans-say-obama-is-a-muslim/" target="_blank">the perpetual prediction of Republican gains among the Jewish vote might
actually be happening</a>:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
The religious landscape is far more favorable to Republicans than was the
case as recently as 2008. Half of white non-Hispanic Catholics (50%)
currently identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, up nine
points since 2008. Among religiously unaffiliated voters, who have been
stalwart supporters of Democrats in recent elections, 29% currently
identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, up from 25% in 2008
(the proportion identifying as Democrats has fallen seven points since
then).
<b>And 33% of Jewish voters identify with or lean toward the Republican
Party, up from 20% in 2008</b>. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<a href="https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/100265/are-jews-trending-republican/" target="_blank">In a different article</a>, Rosner finds indications that Jews are not actually trending Republican
-- they are trending <i>libertarian</i>, meaning that losses in the
Democratic share of the Jewish vote are not necessarily translating straight
into Republican gains.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
But either way, Democrats cannot take the Jewish vote for granted anymore --
despite what they may say publicly.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In 2006, a Washington Post featured an article
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080201692.html?referrer=emailarticle" target="_blank">Future of Orthodox Jewish Vote Has Implications for GOP</a>, based not only on the conservative views of Orthodox Jews, but also on
their higher birth rate.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071011190640/http://jspot.org/?p=492" target="_blank">To which Jill Jacobs, executive director of T'ruah, responded</a>:
</div>
<blockquote>
I’m not quite ready to buy this prediction. After all, who’s to say whether
today’s Orthodox babies will grow up voting Republican, Democratic, Green,
or Libertarian. (or whether today’s Orthodox babies will stay Orthodox,
become Renewal rabbis, or even succumb the Jews for Jesus subway ads) Still,
it’s an interesting assumption that Orthodox communities will always produce
kids and adults who vote according to Jewish self-interest, narrowly
defined.
</blockquote>
<div>
Yeah, and who's to say whether the Democratic party will someday stand idly
by as the radical left progressives of their party openly attacked not only
Israel but also accuse Israel's supporters of dual loyalty?
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Then there is the argument on how to even define, and measure, the Jewish
vote.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Yossie Hollander, chairman of the Israeli Institute for Economic
Planning, claims <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/contrary-to-popular-belief-most-us-jews-support-trump/">Contrary to popular belief, most US Jews support Trump</a>.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>His reasoning?</div>
<div>
No one is counting the Jewish vote correctly because they are overlooking
certain components of the American Jewish population:
</div>
</div>
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<b>Israelis who emigrate to the US and are citizens with voting rights</b>
-- estimates of the size of this group range from 600,000 to one million.
Pollsters do not know how to reach and measure this group and manage to
measure only a very small percentage of it.
</li>
<li>
<b>The ultra-Orthodox</b> -- while people talk about them as a political
component of the Jewish vote, Hollander writes that because the percentage
of their children is relatively higher compared to the average population,
the number of eligible voters is not the same ratio as in other populations,
and so they end up not being surveyed.
</li>
<li>
<b>Immigrants from the former Soviet Union and their children</b> -- there
are about 350,000 of them and for a variety of reasons, they are rarely
surveyed.
</li>
<li>
<b>The "Southwest Belt"</b> -- Over the past 30 years, there has been
massive immigration in US population centers from the north to areas in
Orange County California, San Diego County, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Atlanta,
and Florida. Jews are part of this migration, and as a result, the Jewish
communities there are growing rapidly, mostly in conservative areas.
According to Hollander, most polling models still use the old population
model.
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<div>
<div>That is a criticism of the methodology behind the polls.</div>
<div>
Compare that with political consultant Jeff Ballabon, who takes a
more <i>sociological</i> approach and <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/jeffballabon/2020/10/16/donald-trump-will-win-the-jewish-vote-n2578176" target="_blank">compares the Jewish vote with the Irish vote</a>.
</div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
Ever notice that no one talks about politicians going after "the Irish
vote?"
</div>
<blockquote>
To be statistically meaningful or politically relevant, a characteristic
must impact voting behavior. For example, there are almost 35 million
Americans of Irish descent, but it’s been decades since presidential
campaigns engaged in sustained Irish voter outreach. That’s because
<i>it’s long been difficult to distinguish anything sufficiently unique
– identifiably Irish - about their political behavior</i>. Most vote precisely as their education, profession, income, and zip
code alone would predict. The exceptions tend to be active, practicing
Catholics who elevate concerns relevant to their faith...<br /><br />The
use of the term “Jewish” interchangeably to mean both ethnicity (like
“Irish”) and faith (like “Catholic”) obfuscates it, but the same
phenomenon is true for America’s Jews. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<div>
According to Ballabon, a large segment of American Jews, like Irish
Americans, are arguably not uniquely Jewish in their own political
behavior:
</div>
<blockquote>
The American Left seethes with enmity towards President Trump and is
thoroughly wedded to the Democrats.
<i>The vast majority of Jews who follow suit proudly confirm that they
do so as progressives with universal concerns; not parochially – not
as part of a “Jewish Vote.”</i>
Even when they profess concern over antisemitism, it’s glaringly limited
to those alleged by progressives to be malefactors. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<div>
Whether radical groups put the word "Jewish" in their name or name their
group after a popular saying in Pirkei Avot, that often appears to be
the full extent of their identification with their fellow Jews.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Meanwhile, as for the latest fight for bragging rights to the Jewish
vote, the results of this last presidential election seem to validate
that the Jewish vote is no longer limited to being a Democratic
cheerleading squad.
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
While Biden easily got the majority of the Jewish vote -- there are
indications that
<a href="https://www.jns.org/jewish-voting-patterns-point-to-gain-in-bedrock-republicanism-particularly-in-florida/?utm_source=The+Daily+Syndicate&utm_campaign=76637b4ff5-Daily+Syndicate+11-10-20+%28new%29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8583953730-76637b4ff5-57069281" target="_blank">Trump improved his numbers for the Jewish vote</a>, which made it possible to win the state of Florida, where an AP exit
poll indicated he received 43% of the Jewish vote compared to 56% for
Biden. Nationally, exit polls indicated Trump received the highest
percent of the Jewish vote for a Republican in decades (30%), while the
Jewish vote for Biden was low for a Democrat (68%).
</div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
There are hints that the conservative element of the Jewish vote may
finally be coming into its own -- and the same Jewish vote that helped
Biden in some states was successfully siphoned off by Trump to win
others.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>But at what cost is the Jewish vote being split?</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Jonathan Tobin writes that
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/.premium-trumpism-has-split-the-u-s-jewish-community-into-two-warring-tribes-1.9282299" target="_blank">Jews in America are among Trump’s fiercest opponents – but also his
most fervent supporters</a>:
</div>
<blockquote>
For Jewish liberals, Trump is an ally of antisemites and a
proto-authoritarian whose character and conduct, statements mark him
as a unique threat to democracy. They can’t understand why even one
Jew would consider voting for him.<br /><br />...It’s not for nothing
that the Jewish Democratic Council has produced ads that more or less
accuse Trump of being a Nazi and, despite the offensive nature of
these analogies, have found them resonating with many liberal Jews.
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Tobin points out that Jews, like the rest of America, are divided into 2
political cultures which feed off of different circles on social media
-- circles that usually don't include the other side. The overwhelming
majority of non-Orthodox Jews identify with the social justice agenda of
the Democratic Party and think it forms the core of Judaism and place it
higher as a priority than support for Israel. On the other hand,
Orthodox Jews, and non-Orthodox Jews who identify as politically
conservative, see support for Israel as a decisive issue.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
At home, the Orthodox and conservative groups don't see Trump’s embrace of
nationalism as a threat. Instead, they see it as the best way to defend
Jews against the antisemitism of the intersectional left which is assuming
a more prominent and vocal role in the Democratic Party.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Even Jews who are members of the same, educated classes who find
Trump so offensive, share the distrust that the working-class has for the
mainstream media that made it their mission to defeat him, working
together with the liberal social media to censor conservative views and
unflattering stories about Democrats.
</div>
<blockquote>
The choice boils down to how much value you place on having a president
who may be flawed, but is historically pro-Israel and supportive of a
conservative political agenda, as opposed to the cherished hope of Trump
opponents: that a moderate liberal like Biden can restore a sense of
pre-2016 normalcy, while also keeping in check the Democrats’ radical
wing.
</blockquote>
<div>
<div>
<div>
In comparison with everything we hear about the need to address the
divide between American Jews and Israelis, this developing rift within
the Jewish community itself, as reflected by the split in the Jewish
vote, is being overlooked.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>But it is unlikely to go away.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" />
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-66491797741797463412020-11-19T09:53:00.001-05:002020-11-19T09:53:00.724-05:00Remember When Farrakhan Said Palestinian Arabs Were Bloodsuckers?If Blacks are a minority and Jews are a minority, why is there such tension
between them?<br />
<br />
One element that caused this friction is the way social interaction between Jews
and Blacks was structured in the 1960's.<br />
<br />
According to the book "Israel in the Black American Perspective" (1985):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the Black community Jews were frequently associated with wealth and
"parasitism." Under the least propitious circumstances, Blacks usually met
Jews as storekeepers and landlords--the most visible representatives of an
oppressive economic system. Such meetings were not likely to promote good will
and mutual respect. [p4]
</blockquote>
But if Jewish storekeepers and landlords are such a significant reason for how
Blacks viewed Jews, why would that hatred seem to be so focused on Jews?<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
<br />
In a footnote to that paragraph, the book's authors -- Robert G. Weisbord and
Richard Kazarian, Jr. -- point out that Jews were not the only storekeepers and
landlords that Blacks had contact with:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In some cities, New Orleans and Newark to mention just two, Italian-black
relations were acrimonious for similar reasons. Of late, "exploitative" Korean
merchants in Harlem have aroused the ire of Afro-Americans, some of whom have
responded with "buy Black" campaigns and organized boycotts of the Korean
businesses.<br />
<br />
And in Detroit, Arab grocers, mostly Iraqui [sic] Christians, have experienced
picketing by Blacks who denounced profiteering outsiders. Burning and looting
occurred in 1983 following the killing of a Black youth by an Arab
storekeeper.<br />
<br />
Antagonism to the Arabs in Detroit was rooted in the frustrations Blacks feel
when confronted by the more rapid economic progress made by first and second
generation immigrants.
<b>Black hostility to the Iraquis [sic] in the Motor City is strikingly
similar to that directed at the Jews in Gotham and elsewhere</b>. [p6. Text divided into paragraphs for easier reading. Emphasis added]
</blockquote>
Over the decades,
<a href="https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/33826803/KADO-DOCUMENT-2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">Race Riots were not directed only at Jews</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Similar to the 1943 Detroit Race Riots that devastated the Jewish population,
and the 1967 Race Riots that left hundreds of Chaldean [Iraqi Arab Christian]
businesses destroyed, Koreans too dealt with a destructive riot in 1992 Los
Angeles.
</blockquote>
The context for
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/us/la-riots-korean-americans/index.html">the 1992 riots</a>
is the reaction to the verdict that cleared the police officers who were
videotaped beating Rodney King, a year after a Korean store owner shot and
killed a 15-year-old Black girl because he thought she was stealing a bottle of
orange juice --<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The nearly weeklong, widespread rioting killed more than 50 people, injured
more than 1,000 people and caused approximately $1 billion in damage, about
half of which was sustained by Korean-owned businesses.
<b>Long-simmering cultural clashes between immigrant Korean business owners
and predominately African-American customers spilled over with the
acquittals</b>. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/February-2017/Inside-Englewoods-Best-Corner-Store/">In Chicago, there was friction between Blacks and Arab immigrants too</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Common complaints about stores predominantly owned by Muslims from Palestine,
Jordan, and Yemen, are that they only provide low-quality food and don’t take
any ownership over their role in the community. “The reality is that Englewood
is changing, and if you don’t improve your model, in time you will go out of
business,” says Gunn.
</blockquote>
Yet despite tensions between Blacks and other groups -- tensions that let to
riots -- <i>have you ever heard Farrakhan attack minorities other than Jews?</i><br />
<br />
Actually, he did.<br />
<br />
In 1995,
<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-10-15-9510150326-story.html">The Chicago Tribune reported about</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
comments Farrakhan made Friday during a television interview in which he was
quoted as saying Jews, Arabs, Koreans and Vietnamese were "bloodsuckers" who
set up businesses in the black community but never gave back to those
neighborhoods.
</blockquote>
Arabs?<br />
Not just any Arabs.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/referring-to-jews-as-bloodsuckers-farrakhan-rekindles-antagonism/article_9d37d2a3-ae3b-5fc7-a233-601e38a37946.html">The Buffalo News had the full quote</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
In an interview with Reuters Television aped Oct. 4 and made public Friday,
Mr. Farrakhan touched on several sensitive subjects that previously outraged
Jewish leaders and prompted accusations of anti-Semitism against him.<br />
<br />
"<b>When we use the term 'bloodsucker,' it doesn't just apply to some members
of the Jewish community</b>. That could apply to any human being who does nothing for another but lays
on that human being to suck the value of its life without returning anything,"
Mr. Farrakhan said in the interview.<br />
<br />
"Many of the Jews who owned the homes, the apartments in the black community,
we considered them bloodsuckers because they took from our community and built
their community but didn't offer anything back to our community.<br />
<br />
"<b>And when the Jews left, <i>the Palestinian Arabs</i> came, Koreans came,
Vietnamese and other ethnic and racial groups came. And so this is a type
and we call them bloodsuckers.</b>"[emphasis added]
</blockquote>
Later, Farrakhan complained about the media for misreporting what he said: "It
is unfortunate that the media is taking words that were spoken out of context to
create division."<br />
<br />
He never did make clear what the proper context for "bloodsuckers" was.<br />
<br />
But the next day, Farrakhan did a turnaround, equating the suffering of Black
Americans with other minority groups in the US:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In an address at Operation PUSH headquarters, 930 E. 50th St., Farrakhan said
African-American men are dehumanized in the United States in the same way
Japanese, Germans, Italians and, more recently, Koreans, Vietnamese and people
of Middle Eastern descent have been treated in the U.S. during wars involving
Americans.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
..."We didn't feel their pain because they were considered the enemy,"
Farrakhan said to the gathering of about 100 people. "Thanks to the media
manipulation, we are seen now as the enemy."
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
To understand Farrakhan's turnaround, you need to keep in mind:
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>His original comment was on a Friday.</li>
<li>His "correction" was the next day, on Saturday.</li>
<li>Two days later, Monday -- was his Million Man March.</li>
</ul>
Farrakhan's statement standing up for other minorities was a cynical move to
avoid bad press for his upcoming Million Man March in Washington.<br />
<br />
So why did Farrakhan have it in for Palestinian Arabs?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/946.html">According to The Encyclopedia of Chicago</a>, Palestinian Arabs started arriving at the end of the 19th century, and many
settled in Chicago in particular --<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By the early 1970s,
<b>they owned nearly 20 percent of all small grocery and liquor stores in
Chicago, most located in African American communities, although Chicago's
30,000 Palestinians represented less than 1 percent of the city's
population</b>. By the 1990s, Palestinians had maintained this niche, but they also
diversified into used-car dealerships,
<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/505.html">gas stations</a>, auto repair shops, ethnic stores, and fast-food
<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1066.html">restaurants</a>, remaining, however, primarily a community of small business entrepreneurs
serving mostly “minority” communities. According to the 1990 census, more
than 45 percent of employed Palestinians in the Chicago area worked in
retail trade. The second largest concentration—some 14 percent—were
professionals. [emphasis added]
</blockquote>
As with Jews, Arab Christians, Italians and Asian-Americans, there were
Palestinian Arabs, too, who were store owners in Black communities.<br />
<br />
This is not to minimize the problem of race relations or deny the validity of
alleged discrimination. But the knee-jerk reaction of Farrakhan to accuse such
a varied group of immigrants of being 'bloodsuckers' exploiting the Black
community reveals more about Farrakhan than it does about the various ethnic
groups he attacked.<br />
<br />
Maybe that is why Farrakhan ended up focusing his hate on one group alone --
Jews.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-43042924329855216412020-11-16T02:59:00.000-05:002020-11-18T23:20:37.759-05:00Nixon, Rabin and Trump: Unfinished Business In The Middle East<div>What is the hardest part of brokering a peace agreement?</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
-- Sometimes, it's just getting the two sides to sit down in the same room.
</div>
<div>-- Other times, the problem is getting the two sides just to talk.</div>
<div>
-- Even then, there is the problem of getting them to negotiate and be willing
to make concessions.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>And then there is the problem when you just run out of time.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Following the Yom Kippur War, in which Egypt and Syria were nearly victorious,
a unique possibility for peace between Israel and Egypt presented itself.
Nixon's airlift of crucial arms during the war was critical to Israel's
victory -- and created an opportunity.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<table
align="center"
cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0"
class="tr-caption-container"
style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT430YCh_EHYC59-PDK7UVbLB2YWaxRwfSr_gmflpbya6tUZE_EPsjG5cZ7mza-Xa3-3taaZ0U57AM7Ub_n0v3ErWmtFmyQoJkE67hr2Dz-AG3Aj1Nt7qqkwkSgLlFkPkmRiZcw/s599/495px-Richard_Nixon_presidential_portrait.jpg"
imageanchor="1"
style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="599"
data-original-width="495"
height="400"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizT430YCh_EHYC59-PDK7UVbLB2YWaxRwfSr_gmflpbya6tUZE_EPsjG5cZ7mza-Xa3-3taaZ0U57AM7Ub_n0v3ErWmtFmyQoJkE67hr2Dz-AG3Aj1Nt7qqkwkSgLlFkPkmRiZcw/w330-h400/495px-Richard_Nixon_presidential_portrait.jpg"
width="330"
/></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
Richard Nixon. Public domain<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Seeking to take advantage of this opportunity, in June 1974, Nixon became the
first US president to visit Israel while in office.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
As Rabin explained in a press conference after Nixon returned to the US:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
"Ever since the airlift of the Yom Kippur War, the Arabs have come to
understand that America will not allow Israel to be weakened. A defeat of
Israel is a victory for the USSR.
<b
>Paradoxically, this is what has raised America's prestige in the Arab
world, and has given Washington leverage</b
>. Today in the Middle East, Moscow is a synonym for instability and war,
Washington for stability and negotiation." (Yehuda Avner, The Prime
Ministers, p. 270)
</blockquote>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<table
align="center"
cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0"
class="tr-caption-container"
style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
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<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22E_FWSrFVHm36jDuKGlM4CAS-Qx1UkyfHI-x5_hn3jh26HTQIsD176TLtkdbmhISwvcMqHqhi09w-vMQsz6OG1QtrfzfB0EI8XqBBerlNrzJgZ1xf4YnXaArp5sHjoNcEvT-mg/s599/420px-Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_Life_of_Lt._Gen._Yitzhak_Rabin%252C_7th_IDF_Chief_of_Staff_in_photos_%252811%2529.jpg"
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data-original-height="599"
data-original-width="420"
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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22E_FWSrFVHm36jDuKGlM4CAS-Qx1UkyfHI-x5_hn3jh26HTQIsD176TLtkdbmhISwvcMqHqhi09w-vMQsz6OG1QtrfzfB0EI8XqBBerlNrzJgZ1xf4YnXaArp5sHjoNcEvT-mg/w280-h400/420px-Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_Life_of_Lt._Gen._Yitzhak_Rabin%252C_7th_IDF_Chief_of_Staff_in_photos_%252811%2529.jpg"
width="280"
/></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
Yitzhak Rabin. Public domain<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
This leverage as an honest broker would make it possible for the US to go
beyond being a supporter of Israel's interests, and show that it was a strong
and reliable ally to address the interests of the Arab world as well.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Meanwhile, Nixon began discussing with Egypt's Sadat the possibility of a
<i>final settlement</i>, going step-by-step. On June 25, Nixon wrote to Sadat:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
Mr. President, I am convinced that we have witnessed in recent months a
turning point in the history of the Middle East -- a turning toward an
honorable, just, and endurinable peace -- and have ushered in a new era in
U.S.-Arab relations. A direction has been set, and it is my firm intention
to stay on the course we have chartered. (p. 271)
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>Two months later, Nixon resigned.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The following month, Rabin was meeting with President Ford -- and Kissinger --
to continue what Nixon had started. The following year, in March, Kissinger
came to the Middle East to conduct his "shuttle diplomacy," bouncing back and
forth between Israel and Egypt. Kissinger pressured Rabin on a withdrawal from
the Sinai, especially from the Mitla and Gidi passes, while Rabin wanted Sadat
to commit himself to a "termination of the state of belligerency" with Israel.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Kissinger's efforts failed -- and he blamed Israel.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In the end, however, another attempt was made, culminating in an interim
agreement known as Sinai II.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Just to get an idea of what Rabin was up against, here is an excerpt from
the <a
href="https://sadat.umd.edu/sites/sadat.umd.edu/files/Meeting%20between%20President%20Sadat%2C%20President%20Gerald%20Ford%2C%20Secretary%20Kissinger%2C%20and%20Egyptian%20Foreign%20Minister%20Ismail%20Fahmi%2C%20Memorandum%20of%20Conversation-%2002%20June%201975.pdf"
target="_blank"
>notes of a conversation between Sadat and Foreign Minister Fahmi with Ford
and Kissinger</a
>. The context is the early warning stations in the Sinai that Rabin wanted to
retain -- and Sadat's idea of a compromise, where they would be manned by US
troops. Note the highlighted portions.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div><br /></div>
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</div>
<br />
<div><br /></div>
<div>The term "honest broker" is overrated.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In any event, Rabin too ended up resigning because of the 'scandal'
surrounding his wife, who had retained a bank account from the years when
Rabin was Israel's ambassador to the US from 1968 to 1973. After that, the
Israeli law forbidding citizens from holding bank accounts abroad came into
play. However, another law prevented Rabin from resigning outright once the
date for the next elections has been set. Instead, Rabin withdrew from the
race as leader of the Labor Party, to be replaced from Shimon Peres to face
Menachem Begin.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Begin became prime minister -- and it was during his term that a peace treaty
with Egypt was signed.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Rabin felt his role in making that peace treaty possible was never
acknowledged, but at the same time he understood that was the way of things.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>In his memoirs, Rabin wrote:</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
When President Sadat made his historic visit to Jerusalem on 19 November
1977 I was no longer prime minister. Yet that visit -- and the subsequent
moves toward achieving a peace treaty -- could never have come about were it
not for the course my government adopted in signing the 1975 interim
agreement. That our policy provoked the anger of Likud has not prevented Mr.
Begin's government from reaping the fruits of our labors.
<b
>Of course, that is how things should be, since the quest for peace is not
a contest between political parties</b
>...The 1975 agreement with Egypt was never meant to be an end in itself. As
its title implies, it was designed to advance the momentum toward peace, and
in that sense it achieved its purpose. [emphasis added] (quoted in The Prime
Ministers, p.302)
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Begin benefited from the foundation set by Nixon and the groundwork laid by
Rabin, both of whom left their work unfinished.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>But that was not the last we heard from Rabin.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
After serving as prime minister from 1974 to 1977, Rabin became prime minister
again in 1992.
</div>
<div>
And he was still focused on peace. In 1994, he received the Nobel Peace Prize
for his part in the Oslo Accords, along with Shimon Peres and Arafat. Rabin
also signed a peace treaty with Jordan that same year.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
In late 1995, Rabin described to Yehuda Avner his view of the Middle East, a
description that 25 years later sounds familiar:
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Number one: Israel is surrounded by two concentric circles. The inner circle
is comprised of our immediate neighbors—Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon,
and, by extension, Saudi Arabia. The outer circle comprises their
neighbors—Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Virtually all of
them are rogue states, and some are going nuclear. <br /><br />
Number two,
<b
>Iranian-inspired Islamic fundamentalism constitutes a threat to the inner
circle no less than it does to Israel. </b
>Islamic fundamentalism is striving to destabilize the Gulf Emirates, has
already created havoc in Syria, leaving twenty thousand dead, in Algeria,
leaving one hundred thousand dead, in Egypt, leaving twenty-two thousand
dead, in Jordan, leaving eight thousand dead, in the Horn of Africa—the
Sudan and Somalia—leaving fourteen thousand dead, and in Yemen, leaving
twelve thousand dead. And now it is gaining influence in the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip. <br /><br />
Iran is the banker, pouring millions into the West Bank and Gaza in the form
of social welfare and health and education programs, so that it can win the
hearts of the population and feed religious fanaticism.
<br /><br /><b>
Thus, a confluence of interest has arisen between Israel and the inner
circle, whose long-term strategic interest is the same as ours: to lessen
the destabilizing consequences from the outer circle. At the end of the
day, the inner circle recognizes they have less to fear from Israel than
from their Muslim neighbors, not least from radicalized Islamic powers
going nuclear. </b
><br /><br />
Number three: the Arab-Israeli conflict was always considered to be a
political one: a conflict between Arabs and Israelis. The fundamentalists
are doing their level best to turn it into a religious conflict—Muslim
against Jew, Islam against Judaism. And while a political conflict is
possible to solve through negotiation and compromise, there are no solutions
to a theological conflict. Then it is jihad—religious war: their God against
our God. Were they to win, our conflict would go from war to war, and from
stalemate to stalemate. [emphasis added] (p. 707)
</div>
</blockquote>
The context for this description of the Middle East is Rabin's response to
Avner's question as to why he shook Arafat's hand at the signing of the Oslo
Accords:
<div>
<blockquote>
He and his PLO represent the last vestige of secular Palestinian
nationalism. We have nobody else to deal with. It is either the PLO or
nothing. It is a long shot for a possible settlement, or the certainty of no
settlement at all at a time when the radicals are going nuclear.
</blockquote>
With the growing threat of Islamic fundamentalism, negotiating with secular
Palestinian Arabs made sense to Rabin.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Neither he -- nor then-President Clinton -- saw the potential in negotiating
and working with other Arab states within those concentric circles. There's no
reason they would, when all the contemporary thinking was focused on the
Palestinian Arabs as a key to peace, a cold peace in line with the peace
treaties signed with Egypt and Jordan with no thought of normalization.
According to that thinking, it is either the Palestinian Arabs or nothing.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The Middle East achievements of the Trump administration this year took
Rabin's outline and acted on it.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>What Rabin might have further accomplished, we will never know.</div>
<div>He was stopped again, this time by a bullet, from pursuing peace.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
But like Nixon and Rabin, Trump too will not be pursuing his vision for peace
to its full extent.<br />
<br />
<div align="right">
<img src="https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5338/280/400/Od%20Kon.jpg" />
</div>
</div>
Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-60091535666826468292020-11-14T19:11:00.000-05:002020-11-14T19:11:29.841-05:00Some Black Leaders Supported Zionism Before Herzl DidDuring the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a reporter asked Golda Meir about African
leaders that were cutting off diplomatic ties with Israel under Arab pressure.
The reporter claimed this proved that Israel's African policy and the aid given
was a waste of time. Golda Meir disagreed:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Because what I did for Africa was not just a policy of enlightened
self-interest. I did it for the benefit of the African peoples, and deep in
their hearts they know this to be true. It was an expression of my deepest
historic instincts as a Jew, and a demonstration of my most profound and
cherished values as a Labor Zionist. [The Prime Ministers, by Yehuda Avner, p.
236]
</blockquote>
Golda Meir was not the first Zionist to speak about helping Africa.<br />
<br />
Herzl's novel, <i>Altneuland</i>, describes his vision of what Jewish Palestine
would look like. At one point, one of the characters declares:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There is still one problem of racial misfortune unsolved. The depths of that
problem, in all their horror, only a Jew can fathom. I mean the negro problem.
Don't laugh, Mr. Kingscourt. Think of the hair-raising horrors of the slave
trade. Human beings, because their skins are black, are stolen, carried off,
and sold. Their descendants grow up in alien surroundings despised and hated
because their skin is differently pigmented. I am not ashamed to say, though I
be thought ridiculous, now that I have lived to see the restoration of the
Jews, I should like to pave the way for the restoration of the Negroes.
[Translated from the German by Dr. D. S. Blondheim, Federation of American
Zionists, 1916,
<a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/quot-altneuland-quot-theodor-herzl">available online</a>]
</blockquote>
Herzl's desire for Blacks to be restored to their homeland was mutual.<br />
<br />
In fact, Black support for the Jewish State predates Herzl.<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
<br />
In their book, <i>Israel in the Black American Perspective, </i>Robert G.
Weisbord and Richard Kazarian start with a chapter on early Black support for
the Zionist idea.<br />
<br />
As early as the post-Civil War era, when Blacks were still too focused on their
survival and that of their families to concern themselves with foreign affairs,
there were still a few Black intellectuals and leaders who kept abreast of
events overseas.<br />
<br />
Some saw parallels between their own situation and that of the Jews -- and
others saw Zionism and the return to the Jewish homeland as the paradigm for the
transplanted Africans in the US.<br />
<br />
Here is a summary of what the book describes about some of those leaders --<br />
<br />
<h3>
Edward Wilmot Blyden (1832-1912)
</h3>
Blyden was born in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, which had a significant
Jewish population, and later immigrated to West Africa in 1851. He was an
editor, a prolific writer of books and pamphlets, a linguist, a professor of
classics, secretary of state of the newly established republic of Liberia,
Liberian ambassador to Great Britain and president of Liberia College.<br />
<br />
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Edward Wilmot Blyden. Public Domain
</td>
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<br />As he describes in his book, <i>The Jewish Question</i>, while traveling
in the Middle East in 1866, Blyden wanted to travel to "the original home of the
Jews--to see Jerusalem and Mt. Zion, the joy of the whole earth." While in
Jerusalem he went to the Western Wall.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that Theodor Herzl wasn't even born until 1860. Instead, this was
the time of 'proto-Zionists' like Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer, who wrote Derishat
Ziyon (Seeking Zion), and Moses Hess, who wrote
<i>Rome and Jerusalem</i> -- both published in 1862.<br />
<br />
Weisbrod and Kazarian write:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In point of fact, Blyden in the 1860's and 1870's was much more of a Zionist
than most Jews. He advocated Jewish settlement in Palestine, a phenomenon
which, in his judgment would not have an adverse effect on the Arabs. Blyden
reproved the sons of Abraham for remaining in the Diaspora and for not
migrating to their ancient homeland, which the Ottoman Turks were
misgoverning.
</blockquote>
Towards the end of the 19th century, with the resurgence of antisemitism in
Russia, France and Germany, that political Zionism came into its own with Herzl
and his publication of <i>The Jewish State</i> in 1896. The First Zionist
Congress followed in 1897.<br />
<br />
Blyden's booklet, <i>The Jewish Question</i>, was published the following
year:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blyden was familiar with Herzl's Jewish State and predicted that it propounded
ideas which "have given such an impetus to the real work of the Jews as will
tell with enormous effect upon their future history." Blyden also commented on
the powerful influence of the "tidal wave from Vienna--that inspiration almost
Mosaic in its originality and in its tendency, which drew crowds of Israelites
to Basle in August 1897...and again in 1898."
</blockquote>
However, Blyden also thought that if the timing was not right, the Jewish State
could be established elsewhere as well. He felt that because of the shared
suffering of Jews and African Americans, they were specially qualified to be
spiritual leaders in the world.<br />
<br />
So he invited Jews to come to Africa --<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Africa appeals to the Jew... to come with his scientific and other culture,
gathered by his exile in many lands, and with his special spiritual
endowments.
</blockquote>
As it turned out, when the British offered Herzl land in Africa in 1903 for a
state, that invitation was nearly accepted.<br />
<h3><br />Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)</h3>
Booker T. Washington was such a celebrity during the latter part of his life
that he was invited to have dinner with Theodore Roosevelt at the White House
and to have tea with Queen Victoria.<br />
<br />
He was born into slavery, but despite the hardships, he taught himself the
alphabet, got an education and went on to found the Tuskegee Institute, which he
headed for 35 years.<br />
<br />
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</td>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
Booker T. Washington. public domain
</td>
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</tbody>
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<br />
<div>
From his childhood, Washington had an interest in Jews, based on his
familiarity of Bible stories -- and drew parallels between the histories of
Blacks and Jews. In a speech he delivered in 1905, Washington said:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
In Russia there are one-half as many Jews as there are Negroes in this
country and yet I feel sure that within a month more Jews have been
persecuted and killed than the whole number of our people who have been
lynched during the past forty years.
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
While Washington believed in thrift and hard work as key to Black equality, he
also thought that progress could be achieved through racial solidarity -- just
as it had helped Jews:
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
There is, perhaps, no race that has suffered so much, not so much in America
as in some of the countries in Europe. But these people have clung together.
They have had a certain amount of unity, pride and love of race.
</div>
</blockquote>
<div></div>
<div>
Washington predicted success for Jews in the US, "a country where they were
once despised and looked upon with scorn and derision" -- success that was
achieved largely through dedication to education and enabled them to gain
positions of power and preeminence.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
He did not share the back-to-Africanism of Blyden, and did not see it as a
solution to Black problems in the South. Similarly, while he was a friend of
the Jews, Washington didn't see a Jewish State as much of a solution for Jews
either. When asked if there was anything among Blacks that compared to the
Zionist movement, Washington responded:
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
I think it is with the African pretty much as it is with the Jews, there
is a good deal of talk about it, but nothing is done, there is certainly
no sign of an exodus to Liberia.
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Based on the lesser interest in Zionism in the US at the time, it is no wonder
Washington was skeptical.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">W.E.B Du Bois 1868-1963</h3>
<div>
Du Bois championed the cause of racial justice -- and of Zionism as well. He
was born in Massachusetts and was educated at Fisk University in Nashville, at
the University of Berlin and received a Ph.D from Harvard. He wrote historical
treatises, sociological studies and essays on the important issues of the day.
Du Bois was one of the founders of the NAACP.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
He saw potential in the Balfour Declaration for a similar solution for Blacks.
With the defeat of Germany in WWI, his dream was an independent free
central African state carved out of German East Africa and the Belgian Congo.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>It didn't happen.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div>
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W.E.B Du Bois Public Domain<br />
</td>
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<div><br /></div>
<div>
He believed that such an African state would have a mutually beneficial
relationship with Blacks around the world, similar to the Zionist view of a
Jewish state. In 1919, Du Bois wrote an article in the NAACP magazine
<i>Crisis</i> that
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
The African movement means to us what the Zionist movement must mean to the
Jews, the centralization of race effort and the recognition of a racial
fount. To help bear the burden of Africa does not mean any lessening of
effort in our problems at home. Rather it means increased interest. For an
ebullition of action and feeling that results in an amelioration of the lot
of Africa tends to ameliorate the conditions of colored peoples throughout
the world. And no man liveth unto himself.
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Du Bois started a monthly magazine for Afro-African children around 1919
called<i> The Brownie's Book</i>. In it, he wrote about Zionism.</div>
<div><b></b></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In the first issue, he told his readers about the new Jewish state planned "'round about Jerusalem" </li><li>Eight months later, he told them that a "great Zionist congress of the Jews is meeting in London" </li><li>He also noted proposals to "tax the Jews all over the world for the support of the new Jewish government in Palestine" </li><li>In January 1921, he wrote about the finished blueprints for a Hebrew university on the biblical Mount of Olives in Jerusalem o In 1929, he wrote about the "murder of Jews by Arabs in Palestine."</li></ul><div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In 1948, Du Bois published "A Case for the Jews." In it, he described Zionism
as a question of
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
young and forward thinking Jews, bringing a new civilization into an old
land and building up that land out of the ignorance, disease and poverty
into which it had fallen, and by democratic methods to build a new and
peculiarly fateful modern state.
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>In June 26, 1948 the NAACP adopted a resolution that</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
The valiant struggle of the people of Israel for independence serves as an
inspiration to all persecuted people throughout the world. We havil the
establishment of the new State of Israel and welcome it into the family of
nations.'
</blockquote>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"> Marcus Garvey 1887-1940</h3>
<div>
Born in Jamaica, Garvey was the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement
Association (UNIA). He wrote that Africa needed to be transformed into a
</div>
<div></div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Negro Empire where every Black man, whether he was born in Africa or in the
Western world, will have the opportunity to develop on his own lines under
the protection of the most favorable democratic institutions.
</div>
<div></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
His wife described his vision in a way similar to the Zionist goal of a Jewish
state:
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Garvey saw Africa as a nation to which the African peoples of the world
could look for help and support, moral and physical when ill-treated or
abused for being black.
</div>
</blockquote>
<div><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi4WBU1TcQ2ejNOePheYFojLl99USlEGWjLqqdAbAAm4RasYKiUkxScGqM7bS6MeO0Mk1AAqXUAuNO2P9oi-kwLdicqD_9A9Uvt2iJ_eYgODWFLNn4-HcEtQjytgGnfKy2rXh3Q/s1226/800px-Marcus_Garvey_1924-08-05.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="photo" border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi4WBU1TcQ2ejNOePheYFojLl99USlEGWjLqqdAbAAm4RasYKiUkxScGqM7bS6MeO0Mk1AAqXUAuNO2P9oi-kwLdicqD_9A9Uvt2iJ_eYgODWFLNn4-HcEtQjytgGnfKy2rXh3Q/w261-h400/800px-Marcus_Garvey_1924-08-05.jpg" title="Marcus Garvey. Public Domain" width="261" /></a>
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Marcus Garvey. Public Domain<br />
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<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>In 1920, Garvey told a UNIA meeting that after WWI, </div>
<div>
<blockquote>
A new spirit, a new courage, has come to us simultaneously as it came to
other peoples of the world. It came to us at the same time it came to the
Jew. When the Jew said 'We shall have Palestine!' the same sentiment came to
us when we said' We shall have Africa!'
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
At the same time, the Jewish press was aware of what Garvey was doing and also
saw the parallels between his pan-Africanism and Zionism. In the book,
<i>African Americans and Jews in the Twentieth Century</i>, edited by V. P.
Franklin, Hasia Diner notes in "Drawn Together By Self-Interest" that the
Yiddish Press used the idioms of Jewish history to describe Marcus Garvey:
</div>
<div><br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div>
But Garvey was a complex -- and even contradictory -- figure when it came to
Jews. There were statements he made that were antisemitic and when British
Prime Minister Neville suggested in 1939 settling Jewish refugees in British
Guiana, Garvey lashed out, claiming that British Guiana was a "Negro country"
and criticized Zionism.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Walter White 1893-1955</h3>
<div>
In 1947, the UN voted on the partition of then-Palestine into separate Jewish
and Arab states. It was an opportunity to finally create a Jewish state -- but
a two-thirds majority was necessary to make it happen.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Enter Walter White.</div>
<div><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-O7zEX77Np5Qs4afEJ9CVN_xpUiEXVV4__gi9WxKsqIBLAMpNi6bQyPGRZ-IQXuXtVvlQBTuzltttbut-kRfjtPPEgQNTiyNwYRNDt79434ieDeyFSyGNxZIMg3JbBM-CcVI_Q/s312/Walter_Francis_White.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="photo" border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-O7zEX77Np5Qs4afEJ9CVN_xpUiEXVV4__gi9WxKsqIBLAMpNi6bQyPGRZ-IQXuXtVvlQBTuzltttbut-kRfjtPPEgQNTiyNwYRNDt79434ieDeyFSyGNxZIMg3JbBM-CcVI_Q/w308-h400/Walter_Francis_White.jpg" title="Walter White. Public Domain" width="308" /></a>
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Walter White. Public Domain
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<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Zionists approached White, urging him to persuade two Black nations, Haiti
and Liberia, to reverse their announced opposition to partition and to vote
for it instead.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
He was opposed to the idea of 'segregating' Jews from Arabs and resented the
pressure Zionists put on him. Nevertheless, according to his autobiography,
he helped "because Palestine seemed the only haven anywhere in the world for
nearly one million Jews of Europe."
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
When the votes were cast, Liberia, Haiti and the Philippines all voted for
partition -- and those votes were critical in achieving the 33 to 13 vote
for partition.</div></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Black leaders like these make for a sharp contrast to the likes of Sharpton
and Farrakhan.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div>
<br />
----- <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-57929888201057838862019-12-30T09:37:00.000-05:002019-12-30T09:37:06.895-05:00Has New York City Learned Nothing From The Crown Heights Riots?A suspect has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of 5 Orthodox Jews in Monsey.<br />
<br />
But even though this attack happened in Monsey, it is part of a growing and increasingly alarming pattern inside New York City.<br />
<br />
And no one expects these attacks to stop soon.<br />
<br />
One reason for the pessimism is the failure by the media, elected officials and social media 'celebrities' to address the fact that, contrary to the accepted media narrative, these attacks on Orthodox Jews are being carried out by Blacks -- not by "White Supremacists."<br />
<br />
Elder of Ziyon has posted about <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2019/12/leftists-can-fight-black-antisemitism.html">the reluctance among leftists to mention this common link among the majority of the attacks on Jews</a>, either out of fear of being labeled racist or accused of inciting violence against the Black community:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Most blacks are not antisemitic, although the percentage is roughly double that of whites (in 2016, 23% compared to 10%.) No one is saying that all blacks should be blamed. But the fear of being labeled a racist is the major reason there has not been any effective outreach to the black community to help solve this problem.</blockquote>
But this is not the first time that the fear of addressing Black antisemitism has manifested itself and prevented the media and community leaders from speaking out.<br />
<br />
Remember the Crown Heights Riots?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
In 2016, Seth Lipsky wrote for The New York Post, <a href="https://nypost.com/2016/08/18/25-years-later-we-still-havent-learned-the-lessons-of-the-crown-heights-riot/">25 years later, we still haven’t learned the lessons of the Crown Heights riot</a> -- and in the 3 years since then, matters have only gotten worse:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Crown Heights erupted after a driver in the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s motorcade lost control and killed a black child, Gavin Cato. For three days, historian Edward Shapiro would write, <i>“bands of young blacks” had “roamed” the neighborhood, assaulting Jews. </i>[Emphasis added]</blockquote>
At the time, Yankel Rosenbaum, a Jewish student visiting from the University of Melbourne, was stabbed to death -- and his killer, Lemrick Nelson, was acquitted of murder by a New York jury. Two federal civil rights prosecutions were required before Nelson would be sent to prison, and in the end, he did 10 years on civil rights charges.<br />
<br />
What stands out most for Lipsky is that during the Crown Heights Riots, neither the political nor the private leaders in the city could bring themselves to admit that the attacks on Jews were antisemitic.<br />
<br />
Ari Goldman, who reported on those riots for The New York Times at the time, later wrote about the experience, noting the insistence by journalists at the time to frame the attacks as a result of a "racial conflict."<br />
<br />
In <a href="http://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/telling-it-like-it-wasnt/">Telling It Like It Wasn't</a>, Goldman quotes AM Rosenthal, a former executive editor at The New York Times who said what others would not:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The press,” Rosenthal wrote, “treats it all as some kind of <i>cultural clash between a poverty-ridden people fed up with life and a powerful, prosperous and unfortunately peculiar bunch of stuck-up neighbors</i> — very sad of course, but certainly understandable. No — it is an anti-Semitic pogrom and the words should not be left unsaid.” [emphasis added]</blockquote>
Indeed, one journalist tweeted about the Monsey attack something similar - and later deleted their tweet:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The situation in NY (and let's be clear we don't know who perpetrated the Monsey attack yet) is *massively complicated* and a growing division among two communities. What we need right now is a way to find solidarity with each other against our shared enemy of white supremacy.</blockquote>
Other tweets, in response to steps proposed by Mayor de Blasio last week to increase police protection of the Jewish community, were worse:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This sends a pretty stark message to non-Jews living in these neighborhoods that their safety matters less to @NYCMayor than the safety of their Jewish neighbors. That's really really bad for literally everyone except our common enemies, who benefit when we're divided.</blockquote>
and<br />
<blockquote>
Worst move. One that many of us have been warning against for many months now. de Blasio has caved to the pressure of racist demagogues like Dov Hikind and now many young black men will be at risk.<br />
<br />
This isn't about ending hate, it's transferring the violence to acceptable targets.</blockquote>
We are seeing the same blind eye and lack of decisive action now that we saw 28 years ago.<br />
<br />
Two years after the riots, in 1993, an exhaustive state investigation into the handly of what happened sharply criticized Mayor Dinkins for his failure to understand and act upon the severity of the crisis.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Jewish community now is growing increasingly concerned that the current mayor does not understand what is happening any better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lipsky concludes his 2016 article pointing to attempts at reconciliation within Crown Heights, yet notes:</div>
<blockquote>
Liberal elites have made no such progress. They have never lifted a finger for the Orthodox Jews. The animus that erupted as “Heil Hitler” in Crown Heights has broken out on some of our city’s finest campuses, which echo with “Zionists out” and “Long live the Intifada.”<br />
<br />
And liberals are unalarmed that Black Lives Matter has begun to make common cause with the BDS movement against Israel. <i>So 25 years after Crown Heights, it’s anyone’s guess where the next attacks will break out against the Jews</i>. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
These days, there is no longer any need to guess.<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
----- <br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-14528908093177446792019-12-23T08:52:00.000-05:002019-12-23T08:52:10.228-05:00Is Bernie Sanders Supposed To Be A Symbol of Jewish Pride?Last week, Peter Beinart described Bernie Sanders as "<a href="https://twitter.com/PeterBeinart/status/1207087938724651008">the most successful Jewish presidential candidate in American history</a>"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7whii5N_Pzoi0Aidgxml5NofXPg0WFUa74rA3ezG9ViIwLuJc9rH_2WwwyktXDjCCPDVQI_k-DdGoOm6BEFeM1gwkshpYW2aDsqkb0ykMKFO6KnHMf8icODJUkN7Kr4H18lMIgA/s1600/beinart2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="477" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7whii5N_Pzoi0Aidgxml5NofXPg0WFUa74rA3ezG9ViIwLuJc9rH_2WwwyktXDjCCPDVQI_k-DdGoOm6BEFeM1gwkshpYW2aDsqkb0ykMKFO6KnHMf8icODJUkN7Kr4H18lMIgA/s640/beinart2.png" width="554" /></a></div>After all, it is a 'thing' now to talk up how 'Jewish' Bernie Sanders is.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/daledamos/status/1207096197984538626">I responded to Beinart's tweet</a>:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBoWwqu7qKjNQbdvhHiBpimWMvmbDGGzOBjCEtH4pdmvr6lEHTXXnDn6__g1CcQ6jd9aOcN3XZJedVikgUEgU_DazKWvul-SxJrcD5UH4LpK7Goutrw0kT3eFua7xCLtC3djppw/s1600/response.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="483" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBoWwqu7qKjNQbdvhHiBpimWMvmbDGGzOBjCEtH4pdmvr6lEHTXXnDn6__g1CcQ6jd9aOcN3XZJedVikgUEgU_DazKWvul-SxJrcD5UH4LpK7Goutrw0kT3eFua7xCLtC3djppw/s640/response.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
There were a few responses to what I wrote, but they avoided the question of whether Bernie Sanders actually embraces his being Jewish. Instead, they attacked Lieberman -- totally missing the point.<br />
<br />
Or avoiding it.<br />
<br />
The fact is that Bernie Sanders, despite the best efforts of Beinart and others, has not registered as a Jew in the minds of voters.<br />
<br />
Back in 2016, a Los Angeles Times article reported that <a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-live-updates-democratic-debate-trailguide-04142016-htmlstory.html#bernie-sanders-fares-poorly-against-hillary-clinton-with-fellow-jews-polls-indicate">Bernie Sanders fares poorly against Hillary Clinton with fellow Jews, polls indicate</a><br />
<blockquote>Sen. Bernie Sanders has gone further than any other Jewish candidate in a presidential campaign, but he’s not garnering much support from Jewish voters, polls indicate...<br />
<br />
Now that the campaign has moved to New York, however, which has the nation’s largest Jewish population, the numbers are in, and they’re not favorable.<br />
<br />
That shouldn’t be terribly surprising. Both Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton have long been popular among Jewish voters, and while American Jews tend to be liberal, they’re more often regular Democrats than the sorts of independents most drawn to Sanders.<br />
<br />
<b>On the other side, Sanders is not actively engaged in Jewish life. He has also been critical of Israel, although he lived briefly as a young man on a secular, socialist kibbutz. When asked about his faith, his responses have reflected a generalized commitment to liberal concepts of social justice as opposed to any specific link to Jewish ideals of equality</b>. [emphasis added]</blockquote>The article is based on 2 polls: the <a href="https://www.siena.edu/news-events/article/bernie-narrows-gap-hillary-still-leads-by-10-points1">Sienna College Poll</a>, which found Clinton leading Sanders among Jewish voters by a 60%-38% margin and the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/308668135/WNBC-New-York-Democratic-Primary-Poll?secret_password=scJVrBY17fqq1WHyvBkA">NBC/Wall St. Journal/Marist poll</a>,which found Clinton leading among Jews 65%-32%.<br />
<br />
Putting aside where he stands on Israel, the fact remains that Sanders is not Jewishly involved and his inspiration is from socialism, not Judaism.<br />
<br />
That is not a judgment on Sanders, just a recognition of where he stands.<br />
<br />
In a presidential election pitting Sanders and Trump, Sanders would clearly get the majority of the Jewish vote, but that is because most Jews vote Democrat anyway and not because they think of him as a Jew.<br />
<br />
Not only does he not embody Jewish pride, Sanders does not have a typical reaction to antisemitism either. At an event at the Apollo Theater in New York in April 2016, <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/199685/bernie-sanders-was-asked-an-anti-semitic-question-heres-how-he-should-have-answered">Sanders faced an antisemitic question</a>:<br />
<blockquote>“As you know,” opened the questioner, “the Zionist Jews–and I don’t mean to offend anybody–they run the Federal Reserve, they run Wall Street, they run every campaign.” As this unfolded, Sanders began wagging his finger in dissent, and interjected to deem “Zionist Jews” a “bad phrase.” His interlocutor, pressed to articulate a question, concluded by saying, “What is your affiliation to your Jewish community? That’s all I’m asking.”<br />
<br />
“No, no, no, that’s not what you’re asking,” Sanders quickly replied, in a nod to the question’s underlying prejudice. “I am proud to be Jewish,” he declared, to cheers from the audience. <b>But then Sanders did something odd</b>. Rather than using the question as a teaching moment to address and rebuke its anti-Semitic underpinnings, Sanders instead immediately pivoted to his stump speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Talking about Zionism and Israel,” he said, “I am a strong defender of Israel, but I also believe that we have got to pay attention to the needs of the Palestinian people.” <b>He never challenged the actual contents of the question, let alone labeled it anti-Semitic. </b>[emphasis added]</blockquote><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pUkOU_pYT2Q" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
It is tempting to compare Sanders' failure to address the clear antisemitism of the questioner with his making Linda Sarsour his surrogate. This is the same <a href="https://forward.com/opinion/396003/linda-sarsour-has-been-a-farrakhan-fan-for-years/">Linda Sarsour who in 2015 spoke at a Farrakhan rally</a>. Then again, Sanders has met publicly with antisemite Al Sharpton.<br />
<br />
Associations with Farrakhan and Sharpton don't seem to bother Bernie Sanders.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFYWtXdYvZo9-3vUQP5URPEj1-MfCJDS6XTjnRSiNZf4ZaSU3ZN-s_FfU_ZjW1feKhwM5-z8lbCMd-Mh0_AL_ZFT7n6lSl-QcUel4htjgJ0I8m_WkZYmSGgA0kcbJqQDLB4w2EQ/s1600/Bernie+and+Sharpton.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="319" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFYWtXdYvZo9-3vUQP5URPEj1-MfCJDS6XTjnRSiNZf4ZaSU3ZN-s_FfU_ZjW1feKhwM5-z8lbCMd-Mh0_AL_ZFT7n6lSl-QcUel4htjgJ0I8m_WkZYmSGgA0kcbJqQDLB4w2EQ/s640/Bernie+and+Sharpton.jpeg" width="502" /></a></div><br />
But that Sanders-Sarsour connection really is especially jarring.<br />
<br />
And, as Ron Kampeas points out, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Linda-Sarsour-backs-Bernie-Sanders-but-not-his-support-for-Israel-609677">that alliance of Sanders and Sarsour is self-contradictory as well</a>.<br />
<br />
Kampeas notes Sarsour's statement that:<br />
<blockquote>Ask them this, how can you be against white supremacy in America and the idea of being in a state based on race and class, but then you support <b>a state like Israel that is based on supremacy, that is built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everyone else</b>?” [emphasis added]</blockquote>Kampeas then points out that:<br />
<blockquote>[Sanders] notes the time he spent in Israel as a young man and says “<b>It is true that some criticism of Israel can cross the line into antisemitism, especially when it denies the right of self-determination to Jews, or when it plays into conspiracy theories about outsized Jewish power. </b>I will always call out antisemitism when I see it.” [emphasis added]</blockquote>This leads Kampeas to the point:<br />
<blockquote>Is there wiggle room to reconcile Sarsour’s rejection of a “state like Israel that is based on [Jewish] supremacy” and Sanders’ label for those who deny “the right of self-determination to Jews” as antisemites?</blockquote>This is an issue that does not seem to bother Sanders.<br />
<br />
So if he does not embrace his being a Jew and not does publicly react to defend his being a Jew -- why is there this attempt to emphasize that Bernie Sanders is a Jew?<br />
<br />
It seems there is an attempt to not only redefine what is and is not <i>antisemitism</i>, but even to redefine what it means to be a <i>Jew</i> -- something that no other minority has to put up with.<br />
<br />
Maybe it is an attempt to redefine the connection between Jews and Israel, in the way that small radical fringe groups like If Not Now try to do.<br />
<br />
But whatever the reason, this attempt to sell Sanders as a symbol of Jewish pride is a symptom of the weakening of Jewish identity in general and the problematic connection of Jews in the US with Israel.<br />
<br />
-----<br />
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<br />
We can leave it to the media to report who the Black Hebrew Israelites are.<br />
There will be articles about just how Jewish they are, about their history and about their community in Israel.<br />
<br />
But while they are not considered Jewish by the Israeli government, Black Hebrew Israelites are Jewish enough for Palestinian terrorists.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune in 2002, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-01-21-0201210160-story.html">Death bridges gap for Black Hebrews</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
Under a cool, clear sky and with a large crowd of mourners on hand, 32-year-old Aharon Ben-Yisrael Elis was buried Sunday in a new section of this town's cemetery.<br />
<br />
He was the first of the Black Hebrews--a small group of African-Americans, most of whom came to Israel from Chicago more than three decades ago--to be born in Israel. He also was the first of the group to die from the terrorism that has haunted the Jews of Israel for years.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwH9xE2BqQUN1lmxVeMcRpflWzMkMEh91ZKf61m6jKF_7HZpEx57PIqnbVkBaTDurwXphO-rXWmKZcpvi1WWTmnhrWJo1mO1b8KvKcEFu0mYXIGuuiZwdONT8qlZyAUyLsy_z2Q/s1600/Ellis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photo" border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="154" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwH9xE2BqQUN1lmxVeMcRpflWzMkMEh91ZKf61m6jKF_7HZpEx57PIqnbVkBaTDurwXphO-rXWmKZcpvi1WWTmnhrWJo1mO1b8KvKcEFu0mYXIGuuiZwdONT8qlZyAUyLsy_z2Q/s400/Ellis.jpg" title="Aharon Ben-Yisrael Elis. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs" width="342" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aharon Ben-Yisrael Elis. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Because the group had their own religion, combining Judaism with other beliefs, the Black Hebrews were not fully accepted into Israeli society and were not granted citizenship. <br />
<br />
But those differences were set aside in the face of the terrorist attack:<br />
<blockquote>
Yet Elis' passing at the hands of a terrorist provoked an outpouring of Israeli mourners, including Dimona's mayor, a member of the Knesset and the two top rabbis from this town in the northern tip of the Negev desert. Elis was killed Thursday, one of six people slain by a Palestinian gunman who had stormed a banquet hall in a northern town where a bat mitzvah, or a coming-of-age ceremony, for a 12-year-old Israeli girl was under way.<br />
<br />
...Dimona officials talked about how the Black Hebrews had found a home in their community and were welcomed. Av Shalom Vilan, a member of the Knesset from the left-of-center Meretz Party, said he hoped that the death of a Black Hebrew as a result of Arab violence would open the hearts and doors of Israel's society for citizenship for the group, which the Black Hebrews have long sought.<br />
<br />
Rabbi Shalom Dayan, the chief Sephardic rabbi of Dimona, summed up in a few words what the others said Elis' death meant for the Black Hebrews' long-term quest to win full acceptance into Israeli society.<br />
<br />
"You have just sealed one of the most difficult pacts with our Israeli society," Dayan said.</blockquote>
More than that, the Israeli government took action too.<br />
<br />
Israel destroyed the Palestinian broadcasting center and Israeli tanks came up to Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah. Israeli troops entered Tulkarem, where they searched houses, detained a number of Palestinian Arabs and put the city under curfew.<br />
<br />
But that was then.<br />
<br />
And it makes this week's tragedy even more bitter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-68941036896456117142019-12-03T09:50:00.000-05:002019-12-03T09:50:02.607-05:00Zionism As A Reflection of Jewish History Past and PresentAn interview with Alex Ryvchin, author of "Zionism: The Concise History"<br />
(Originally posted on The Jewish Press)<br />
<br />
<b>Q: What do you see as the purpose of your new book, Zionism: The Concise History, and who is it for?</b><br />
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A: The whole concept of Zionism has been politically and strategically trashed by her enemies. The danger is that future generations will only know Zionism as an evil to be fought and the young people, whom we count on as the next advocates to tell the story of Zionism and defend it, today are generally apathetic or ignorant of this story. We hear people saying Zionism has nothing to do with Judaism or being Jewish, but I think Zionism is inextricably linked to Jewish history.<br />
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The story of Zionism is the story of the Jewish people. And if Jews don’t know that story and don’t take part in it, we will see greater rates of intermarriage and loss of identity. <br />
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For this reason, I’d like to see my book taught in schools and universities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGsnayhzTdURXarkS1qJPZAfnD4V4DtathS5Fa0HJ-BJF1nn-gXeTMAr7V4X_iRyDOykifLgOima4r8W58z12lNnwIt7vYGKS_Nb5t3cCHnDMsPU5IDY4kPYD_IqjYCgG9B90EQ/s1600/zionism+concise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGsnayhzTdURXarkS1qJPZAfnD4V4DtathS5Fa0HJ-BJF1nn-gXeTMAr7V4X_iRyDOykifLgOima4r8W58z12lNnwIt7vYGKS_Nb5t3cCHnDMsPU5IDY4kPYD_IqjYCgG9B90EQ/s640/zionism+concise.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b>Q: One of the patterns in Jewish history is making questionable alliances with apparent enemies. You mention Herzl in this regard. Can you give an example, and do you think this is an unavoidable element of Zionism?</b><br />
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Herzl dealt with a lot of ardent antisemites like the Kaiser and the Russian Foreign Minister. He felt a cold synergy between the interests of Zionism and these rabid antisemites. Herzl thought that for the Jews to achieve the return to their ancestral land, these antisemites who are so keen to purge their countries of Jews would be accommodating. And indeed, many of them saw a benefit in a movement that could absorb a large number of Jews. <br />
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In any political campaign such as Zionism, there has to be a dose of realpolitik--to think not only about the idealism, but also how to practically achieve your goal. That means creating alliances with those you find unsavory. The danger is when you look at an alignment of interests as temporary and mistake that for good faith or long term alliances. To Herzl’s credit, he quickly realized he was not going to achieve the goals of Zionism through alliances with those who were fundamentally hostile to Jewish rights. That is why he shifted the Zionist movement from the European continent to Great Britain, where he found men who more driven by Christian ideals and a general passion for the idea of the Jews returning to their ancestral land. <br />
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Today, Israel has formed alliances with some nations that might really see a short term alignment of interests, but don’t harbor any great feeling of warmth towards the Jewish people. That is dangerous, but it is also the world that we live in. And as long as the Netanyahu government and the successive governments go into this with their eyes open, I think it is something that can and needs to be done. But at the same time, I think that Israel should act morally in this regard and call out antisemitism of far-right leaders around the world with whom they may have diplomatic relations. If those relations are genuine, they will withstand those criticisms. <br />
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<b>Q: We know the Balfour Declaration favors the establishment of “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine and that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine” -- but it also says nothing should be done to prejudice “the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.” What was that issue?</b><br />
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A: The concern was that Zionism was not the universal position of the Jewish World. There was still discussion in the Jewish World what was best way to alleviate the suffering of the Jews was through assimilation. Not everyone was on the side of Zionism, particularly those who lived in liberal Democratic countries like the UK, Australia and the US. They did not see the need for a national movement to return to Palestine. They favored assimilation. <br />
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In order to assuage those concerns, that wording was put in, to say that basically, those Jews who preferred to live outside of the Jewish State would continue to live in the Diaspora with nothing to impede their rights. There was a concern that once the Jewish State was formed, Jews living outside that state would be viewed as alien, foreigners. That language in the Balfour Declaration was to protect them.<br />
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I am keen that people should read this book and apply its lessons to contemporary times. I think that is very important. <br />
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Bernie Sanders is different from those Jews in the early 20th century who were driven mainly by self-preservation. They were men who, despite being Jewish, soared to the heights of public life in the UK and Australia. They looked at Zionism, dedicated to liberating the Jewish people and alleviating their antisemitism and thought: what do I need this for; it will only have a detrimental effect on my standing!<br />
Sanders is not motivated by that sort of calculus. He is an American Jew, deeply committed to perfecting American society, making it as just and equitable as possible the way he sees it. I think he views Zionism as a foreign project and doesn’t identify with it. Also, he is associated with the hard left who are rabidly anti-Zionist and has to placate them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcI2TtZmqUiYLoTDEzxaxN1cKj4lSjs_0GtcrEAO7uanRUd8EwybJRMOaxqYvwNrk4REAnUIZGPBTlzUHDfDIE16cLVyXzUsNHDMeGtR3AN6a6UxUBOOOb3D3sRGeCppwGjyDkg/s1600/Alex-Ryvchin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="screen-cap" border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcI2TtZmqUiYLoTDEzxaxN1cKj4lSjs_0GtcrEAO7uanRUd8EwybJRMOaxqYvwNrk4REAnUIZGPBTlzUHDfDIE16cLVyXzUsNHDMeGtR3AN6a6UxUBOOOb3D3sRGeCppwGjyDkg/s400/Alex-Ryvchin.png" title="Alex Ryvchin, author of Zionism: The Concise History. Source: Screen-cap" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Ryvchin, author of Zionism: The Concise History. Source: Screen-cap</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<b>Q: Originally, Arab leaders like Hussein ibn Ali and his son Amir Faisal allied with Chaim Weizmann and favored the re-establishment of a Jewish state. Then along came Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti, who incited riots and tried to prevent it. Today, are we seeing a shift back in the other direction?</b><br />
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A: Today the Arab states see the peace treaties between Israel and Egypt and Jordan. They see if you don’t threaten Israel, it won’t harm you back, will be good friends and share technology. Israel can become a dependable strategic ally in the face of much bigger threats like Iran. <br />
<br />
But at the same time, one thing that Zionism teaches us is that alliances come and go, they rise and fall, and cannot really be depended on. They need to be used at that point in time. As long as Israel is economically, militarily, and diplomatically strong, that is the most important thing. Let Israel choose alliances at that point in time, but it cannot depend on anyone.<br />
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<b>Q: In the last chapter of your book, you discuss anti-Zionism, which started off as Jewish opposition to Zionism. How is that different from today’s anti-Zionism on college campuses and expressed by politicians?</b><br />
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A: Early anti-Zionism is virtually unrecognizable from anti-Zionism today. The anti-Zionist Jews at the time were overwhelming loyal, proud Jews who cared deeply for the future of the Jewish people, but they had a different view on how to solve the problem of antisemitism in the streets. Their solution was the full immersion into the societies in which they lived. It was a legitimate point of view, but ultimately disproven. <br />
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The anti-Zionist Jews of today do not care about Jewish rights. Instead, they use their Jewishness to attack their own people. Rather than stand up against their oppressors, they side with them. <br />
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But once the state of Israel exists, anti-Zionism becomes not merely a different political position or philosophy, it now becomes the opposition to the existence of the state of Israel--a state that has now existed for over 70 years. Anti-Zionism is no longer a morally tenable position. That is why you will not find in the ranks of anti-Zionist Jews someone who cares about the future of the Jewish people. Instead, overwhelmingly you find selfish people of low character. <br />
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<b>Q: You trace Great Britain’s change into an enemy of Zionism to its being a declining imperial power, stretched thin and wearied by Palestine. Some might see that as a description of the US. Do you think there is a danger of Zionist history repeating itself here too?</b><br />
<br />
A: I think so. That description of Great Britain in the 1940s could apply to the US today. There is a growing trend, particularly under the current president, of isolationism and rethinking US foreign policy solely in terms of US interests. It is no longer fashionable to think the US should bring the values of democracy to the darkest places in the world and be a force for good. <br />
<br />
There especially a risk with the progressive Democrats who don't have that instinctive warmth for the state of Israel as establishment Democrats have in the past. <br />
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Governments and allies come and go. Israel needs to remain strong and independent to preserve its interests. We have seen this already in the course of its existence.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
----- <br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-17695991156912745142019-10-07T11:59:00.000-04:002019-10-07T11:59:04.460-04:00The Left's Love For Ferocity Is Getting 'Progressively' WorseLast week, the controversial group Women's March informed us about a changing of the guard.<br />
<br />
Gone were Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour. While Carmen Perez remained, the other three were replaced on the group's board by an assortment of new names and faces:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwj1gtCEypgAivNjrH5UQcWo0S2xyim1UtMEJXFRJRGxam8JteYFDsDFCVW9sWrqeRsCVOaPKmRMvD5kkflkdEw1p1w1ZfciEIXMelzZDOJmKs66JmSOKqgayNtFbAmMV7Xug5w/s1600/WMboard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="609" height="529" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwj1gtCEypgAivNjrH5UQcWo0S2xyim1UtMEJXFRJRGxam8JteYFDsDFCVW9sWrqeRsCVOaPKmRMvD5kkflkdEw1p1w1ZfciEIXMelzZDOJmKs66JmSOKqgayNtFbAmMV7Xug5w/s640/WMboard.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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But one name stood out from the rest: Zahra Billoo.<br />
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Billoo's vile tweets were soon plastered all over Twitter, with different people offering their own personal collection of the Worst of the Worst of her attacks on Israel, Zionism and Jews.<br />
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<a href="http://archive.is/69g0I">Billoo combined unhinged accusations against Israel with whatever conspiracy theories were available:</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tjs4JKgKRxBMpMbT6hDPCVYd3Z0QnBoSM77PFf6H_JSLVlpwMRoCkfz0GRioLMmgwp-fLt8r1BW5rzczKsGUewq6oHJ6dhue74OAaGEYXk3H8jdqQInN4TDG6b2Lu5O7I8J0mA/s1600/zb2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="635" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tjs4JKgKRxBMpMbT6hDPCVYd3Z0QnBoSM77PFf6H_JSLVlpwMRoCkfz0GRioLMmgwp-fLt8r1BW5rzczKsGUewq6oHJ6dhue74OAaGEYXk3H8jdqQInN4TDG6b2Lu5O7I8J0mA/s640/zb2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Nor did Billoo limit herself to Israel, <a href="https://twitter.com/ZahraBilloo/status/486673079284686848">attacking Jewish rights groups that fight antisemitism, such as the Anti-Defamation League</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMxVgmmqC2Ch6TqgHI2yeitmK7f5slpWN-wJDKRQgIRvhjmmk4Jx-Bk2gCUg-xfM9EFDS1xhFJMDuAC3d78216MW0CRUrMH_beb3KVactXvQDzHIUtSunfYSkJT28ghMMvMJYxQ/s1600/zb+vs+ADL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="447" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMxVgmmqC2Ch6TqgHI2yeitmK7f5slpWN-wJDKRQgIRvhjmmk4Jx-Bk2gCUg-xfM9EFDS1xhFJMDuAC3d78216MW0CRUrMH_beb3KVactXvQDzHIUtSunfYSkJT28ghMMvMJYxQ/s640/zb+vs+ADL.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As a big fan of the terrorist group Hamas, Billoo came up with various analogies to defend the murder of Israeli civilians:<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/elderofziyon/status/1173668862992076800/photo/1">Like this</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8LHrHIaEnzdD_MGMGpYxBkSJdlQ5mLvji-aP1_IHVi8Cgb6cB3HmakQFZHuR9_CKtDuQ6JC-Bqd3_a0JgPVatY69o7_iAM6Iaf1VBzQky-WpgzQdgyf90O8y6b-En458kEpFeg/s1600/zb3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8LHrHIaEnzdD_MGMGpYxBkSJdlQ5mLvji-aP1_IHVi8Cgb6cB3HmakQFZHuR9_CKtDuQ6JC-Bqd3_a0JgPVatY69o7_iAM6Iaf1VBzQky-WpgzQdgyf90O8y6b-En458kEpFeg/s640/zb3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://archive.is/sUu3z">And this</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC_2XiG97gyfP6UJt7lf2IT_uRBnURDf-NLaSPDMY-yqcvy3f7duLoWupdPDDvI6t1GxhVIX1cgkhFSFvQ60REmg0YdVKgf4YHQghwDhzXDh9vkRFXxUCT6xVnjDhwgnseWNyZA/s1600/zb4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="634" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC_2XiG97gyfP6UJt7lf2IT_uRBnURDf-NLaSPDMY-yqcvy3f7duLoWupdPDDvI6t1GxhVIX1cgkhFSFvQ60REmg0YdVKgf4YHQghwDhzXDh9vkRFXxUCT6xVnjDhwgnseWNyZA/s640/zb4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And when <a href="https://imgur.com/a/f6Hue66">her brother, Ahmed ibn Aslam, publicly wished in a fit of pique at Ben Gurion Airport that all Jews in Israel be killed</a>...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7kgz-vVJVrWN-bL1EvM_0O5JePJItwD7KTpC4gG8ua3LMoqX7k-5X7sPZtCJyedl88H5xrIXtWRAvVMFkg00KEsLlZXmVK2DWzz1h9jJqpsf7tWghrG5LNYNqt3382VKkPyxdw/s1600/zb+brother.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="473" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7kgz-vVJVrWN-bL1EvM_0O5JePJItwD7KTpC4gG8ua3LMoqX7k-5X7sPZtCJyedl88H5xrIXtWRAvVMFkg00KEsLlZXmVK2DWzz1h9jJqpsf7tWghrG5LNYNqt3382VKkPyxdw/s640/zb+brother.png" width="620" /></a></div>
<br />
...Billoo responded with <a href="http://archive.is/Bv9CV">her support for her brother</a> against the evil Customs and Border Protection:<br />
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<br />
The uproar on Twitter was so loud and angry that Women's March dropped Billo from the board.<br />
<br />
But not everyone was upset by Billoo's assorted vicious attacks.<br />
Some saw Billoo's assault on Israel and Jews very differently.<br />
<br />
Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace was <a href="https://twitter.com/RVilkomerson/status/1173722362086416384?s=03">ecstatic over Women March's new board</a> and saw them all as a natural continuation of Sarsour, Mallory and Bland:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvaXVTXFAHwDovvHwE64XDKRRyuYCYawHPACjEheozxhV7mqKn7dfhAwn6MKN1fwlCyv7-6kyyLNbOtd9wKn5lHkXmFgLAvVY0RNZHF5sTUb0-gHAJmr96GchzfoK2DWou2IsWQ/s1600/vilkomerson02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="450" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvaXVTXFAHwDovvHwE64XDKRRyuYCYawHPACjEheozxhV7mqKn7dfhAwn6MKN1fwlCyv7-6kyyLNbOtd9wKn5lHkXmFgLAvVY0RNZHF5sTUb0-gHAJmr96GchzfoK2DWou2IsWQ/s640/vilkomerson02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Somehow, vile and vicious attacks on Israel, Zionism and Jews are all part of being impactful, fierce and even inspiring.<br />
<br />
What's going on here?<br />
<br />
Last week, writing about the short-lived second wave of accusations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Peggy Noonan examined <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-theyll-never-stop-targeting-kavanaugh-11568933484">Why They’ll Never Stop Targeting Kavanaugh</a>. More than a specific attempt to delegitimize the Supreme Court in order to head off an anticipated attack on Roe vs. Wade or a fixation on finishing off what Christine Blasey Ford started -- Noonan found a more general and pervasive issue underlying last weeks witch hunt:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
the crazier parts of the progressive left increasingly see <b>politics as public theater, with heroes and villains, cheers and hisses from the audience</b>, and costumes, such as outfits from “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Because modern politics is, for the lonely and strange on all sides, entertainment and diversion. And one’s people must be entertained. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
Based on the gusto with which the nasty comments were being tweeted and retweeted by the likes of Billo, Sarsour, Tlaib and Omar it was clear that people were reveling in these attacks on twitter -- not just the people carrying out the attacks and perpetuating them, but also the people on Twitter who were merely following on Twitter, and cheering them on in the comments.<br />
<br />
It's almost like a sport.<br />
<br />
Here is a video from 3 years ago of political commentator Cenk Uyghur talking with John Iadarola in the days leading up to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, discussing picking representatives for drafting the Democratic Platform. Uyghur personifies the sports metaphor for politics taken to its logical conclusion, referring to Sanders' picks as "the aggressive progressives -- the change gang," and calling the choice of Cornel West "a bold pick." Uyghur refers to them as "a great crew...when you bring these all-stars."<br />
<br />
Watch the first 2:30 of the video:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/puRzyEoCdJI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
(As an aside, at one point, Uyghur worked for MSNBC, where he replaced Keith Olbermann, who actually switched off between sports broadcasting and news.)<br />
<br />
On the progressive left, the value placed on the inspirational value of such attacks makes for the adoption of some unexpected heroes.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://radicalarchives.org/2010/03/28/jbutler-on-hamas-hezbollah-israel-lobby/">During a 2006 teach-in at UC Berkeley about the Israel-Hezbollah war, American philosopher Judith Butler was asked</a> a "bundle" of 4 questions:<br />
<div>
<blockquote>
1. Since Israel is an imperialist, colonial project, should resistance be based on social movements or the nation-state?<br />
<br />
2. What is the power of the Israel Lobby and is questioning it antisemitic?<br />
<br />
3. Since the Left hesitates to support Hamas and Hezbollah “just” because of their use of violence, does this hurt Palestinian solidarity?<br />
<br />
4. Do Hamas and Hezbollah actually threaten Israel’s existence, as portrayed in some media?</blockquote>
She started off by talking about "The Israel Lobby." Butler made no mention of AIPAC at all, but named instead the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League -- the reference to that last organization being a precursor to the attacks to come a few years later by Billoo -- and Sarsour.<br />
<br />
Butler's whitewash of Hamas and Hezbollah was just what the audience was looking for:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yes, understanding <b>Hamas, Hezbollah as social movements that are progressive, that are on the Left</b>, that are part of a global Left, is extremely important. That does not stop us from being critical of certain dimensions of both movements. It doesn’t stop <b>those of us who are interested in non-violent politics</b> from raising the question of whether there are other options besides violence. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
The terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah do not feel limited to military targets and have deliberately killed civilians.<br />
<br />
But according to Butler, these are not terrorist groups.<br />
They are merely not "interested in non-violent politics"<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
</blockquote>
According to the text of her answer, her response was met with applause.<br />
<br />
This is not a 21st problem.<br />
It is an enduring one.<br />
<br />
In his 1987 book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Closing-American-Mind-Education-Impoverished/dp/1451683200/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MXYVF414DVE3&keywords=the+closing+of+the+american+mind&qid=1569310469&s=gateway&sprefix=the+closing+of%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1">The Closing of the American Mind</a>, Harvard professor Allan Bloom writes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I have seen young people, and older people too who are good democratic liberals, lovers of peace and gentleness, <b>struck dumb with admiration for individuals threatening or using the most terrible violence for the slightest and tawdriest of reasons</b>. They have a sneaking suspicion that they are face to face with men of real commitment, which they themselves lack. And commitment, not truth, is believed to be what counts. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
Bloom is speaking to those like Vilkomerson who are enthralled by the ferocity of these attacks on Twitter, mistaking their attacks as a commitment worthy of emulation and adulation.<br />
<br />
From Che Guevara and Yasir Arafat, the progressive left has now settled on Zahran Billoo, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.<br />
<br />
And Butler is no better, with her twisted excuses for terrorist groups as progressive social movements.<br />
<br />
Like Bloom, the late Justice Antonin Scalia recognized the problem as well. In 2010, <a href="https://nypost.com/2010/06/20/advice-for-a-new-grad/">Scalia offered his advice during the commencement address at Langley High School, in Virginia</a>, where his granddaughter was graduating:<br />
<blockquote>
And indeed, to thine ownself be true, depending upon who you think you are. <b>It’s a belief that seems particularly to beset modern society, that believing deeply in something, and following that belief, is the most important thing a person could do. Get out there and picket, or boycott, or electioneer, or whatever. I am here to tell you that it is much less important how committed you are, than what you are committed to.</b> If I had to choose, I would always take the less dynamic, indeed even the lazy person who knows what’s right, than the zealot in the cause of error. He may move slower, but he’s headed in the right direction.<br />
<br />
...In short, it is your responsibility, men and women of the class of 2010, not just to be zealous in the pursuit of your ideals, but to be sure that your ideals are the right ones. That is perhaps the hardest part of being a good human being: Good intentions are not enough. Being a good person begins with being a wise person. Then, when you follow your conscience, will you be headed in the right direction. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
Social media in general, and perhaps Twitter in particular, is a petri dish of a society where passionate attacks have long replaced any semblance of normal discussion.<br />
<br />
And in this age of intersectionalism where a whole gamut of causes are being interwoven and championed with unheard-of ferocity -- Israel, Zionism and Jews are increasingly being targeted, with a reemergence -- <i>and acceptance</i> -- of antisemitism that we thought we would never see again.<br />
<br />
----- <br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-10379887599593975692019-10-07T09:04:00.000-04:002019-10-07T09:04:02.879-04:00Why Is Bernie Sanders Such a Magnet For Antisemites?One thing you can say about Bernie Sanders.<br />
He sure does have some unexpected friends and admirers.<br />
<h3>
Bernie Sanders and Farrakhan</h3>
Farrakhan was very clear in 2016 that he was not supporting Bernie Sanders.<br />
You won't find him supporting Sanders for president now either.<br />
<br />
And yet in 2016 Farrakhan went out of his way not to attack him as one of those "Satanic Jews".<br />
According to Farrakhan, Bernie Sanders is one of those "decent" Jews:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have to say this about Mr. Sanders: he's a Jew, not a so-called Jew. He's trying to be decent..."<br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DXktb8c6X4w" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Bernie Sanders and Sharpton</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUWttqhGgV4ZeAvS7-VCfIT9MyT-u8ylWG5k09W04XwDJvNARbVrXFQ9xl0yLl29SFVsZXZziZwkK58JAQpMAq8kP_5tOzQslAGcdEonsneNnBVNxRtwsA5SfMD12j5DEc4_CxQ/s1600/bernie+and+sharpton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1600" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUWttqhGgV4ZeAvS7-VCfIT9MyT-u8ylWG5k09W04XwDJvNARbVrXFQ9xl0yLl29SFVsZXZziZwkK58JAQpMAq8kP_5tOzQslAGcdEonsneNnBVNxRtwsA5SfMD12j5DEc4_CxQ/s400/bernie+and+sharpton.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2019/01/tamika-mallory-is-disciple-of-sharpton.html">'Nuff said</a>.<br />
<h3>
Bernie Sanders and Ilhan Omar</h3>
<div>
Earlier this year, Omar attacked AIPAC and accused her Jewish fellow Congressmen of dual loyalty:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU5WRH17KIjlUobwoCNo99e477MMwRkT1CwbWZSKHlRWoAGj5zOQ3Dx-rT9UrEVHnYdwi42aJN1qMWiWe-7my7U4yRX5B6fryHaieXUl2mgY4UDPTV7jnrpYkDlHpwLqADRW3Pw/s1600/Omar1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="500" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU5WRH17KIjlUobwoCNo99e477MMwRkT1CwbWZSKHlRWoAGj5zOQ3Dx-rT9UrEVHnYdwi42aJN1qMWiWe-7my7U4yRX5B6fryHaieXUl2mgY4UDPTV7jnrpYkDlHpwLqADRW3Pw/s400/Omar1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Bernie Sanders wasted no time. During a conference call hosted by James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/bernie-sanders-called-ilhan-omar-to-offer-his-support-amid-anti-semitism-controversy">Sanders confirmed</a> that he had talked to Omar that night to give her his support.<br />
<br />
Of course, it did not take long for Omar to again accuse Jews of dual loyalty:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjgzV8q7FB5alDcrDBM3ss865fACsrGbz_KtoI_HXXyd6w9ZfgB_l7RpfhmADiU6_ikpjpEQNNDm9NKJ9sebcQfgjDwJ8covDgt_9XPli8xQbNLtGyw6S073tsRRgo6d69VRzQg/s1600/Omar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="640" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjgzV8q7FB5alDcrDBM3ss865fACsrGbz_KtoI_HXXyd6w9ZfgB_l7RpfhmADiU6_ikpjpEQNNDm9NKJ9sebcQfgjDwJ8covDgt_9XPli8xQbNLtGyw6S073tsRRgo6d69VRzQg/s400/Omar2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
But that did not dissuade Sanders. In June, Teen Vogue had a piece on how <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bernie-sanders-ilhan-omar-pramila-jayapal-plan-cancel-all-student-loan-debt">Bernie Sanders Teamed Up With Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal on a Plan to Cancel All Student Loan Debt</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlqfhK6JsXEAo_ngGRLtSFEdk90tGCqYQVWSUt_Bsytaagc2-NM2K4f9TLtibE0pGJVPGpo1XkFH1EekarixP_MOxuKbaExdMZLeU4_FRfx1_-ol0wvqdz4XKYlNsIaVEpDCYMA/s1600/00-story-bernie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlqfhK6JsXEAo_ngGRLtSFEdk90tGCqYQVWSUt_Bsytaagc2-NM2K4f9TLtibE0pGJVPGpo1XkFH1EekarixP_MOxuKbaExdMZLeU4_FRfx1_-ol0wvqdz4XKYlNsIaVEpDCYMA/s640/00-story-bernie.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
Bernie Sanders and James Zogby</h3>
<h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE17pbrKvvsxy8hB_EJW9796HBpyPK3kGLOo8MSrVZdbHII_Z3He1QSw7alnp2cbpc4c3D6OYavkwJkuVk2z9B9GZJ4GfR6GdEsy1p-veUFVjNbm6OGs7MQcgJyC-GbDyaZGochw/s1600/zogby+and+bernie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="850" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE17pbrKvvsxy8hB_EJW9796HBpyPK3kGLOo8MSrVZdbHII_Z3He1QSw7alnp2cbpc4c3D6OYavkwJkuVk2z9B9GZJ4GfR6GdEsy1p-veUFVjNbm6OGs7MQcgJyC-GbDyaZGochw/s400/zogby+and+bernie.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">
In <a href="https://www.investors.com/politics/columnists/charles-krauthammer-lovable-bernie-whacks-israel/">Lovable Bernie Whacks Israel</a>, Charles Krauthammer wrote in 2016 that</div>
<blockquote style="font-size: medium;">
<div style="font-weight: 400;">
two of Sanders' appointments to the 15-member platform committee are so stunning. Professor Cornel West not only has called the Israeli prime minister a war criminal, but openly supports the BDS movement (boycott, divestment and sanctions), the most important attempt in the world to ostracize and delegitimize Israel.</div>
<div style="font-weight: 400;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">West is joined on the committee by the longtime pro-Palestinian activist James Zogby. Together, reported The New York Times, they "vowed to upend what they see as the party's </span>lopsided<span style="font-weight: 400;"> support of Israel." [emphasis added]</span></blockquote>
</h3>
Actually, lopsided would an apt description of Zogby's defense of Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists.<br />
<br />
In 2006, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060811023232/http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110008777">Zogby defended Hezbollah's use of human shield's</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Zogby: I've said from the beginning that [Hezbollah's] behavior was reckless and provocative. But Israel bears the responsibility. It's like saying what Mort is saying and what those who want to make that case is saying, the girl who wore the short skirt deserved to get raped--</blockquote>
James Taranto commented:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Zogby's claim that Hezbollah bears no responsibility for civilian casualties is outrageous, and his likening of Hezbollah to a rape victim is scandalously so.</blockquote>
<a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2006/08/james-zogby-hypocrite.html">Elder of Ziyon quotes this example</a> and gives another, one of Zogby defending Yasir Arafat. <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2FTRANSCRIPTS%2F0309%2F12%2Fpzn.00.html&rlz=1CAHKDC_enUS825US825&oq=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2FTRANSCRIPTS%2F0309%2F12%2Fpzn.00.html&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i58.3100j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">In an interview with Paula Zahn on CNN</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
ZAHN: Mr. Zogby, how much responsibility do you think Yasser Arafat should bear for the ongoing troubles in the Middle East?<br />
<br />
ZOGBY: Well, listen, it's -- we live in a kind of an "Alice in Wonderland" world here, where Ariel Sharon is the man of peace and Arafat becomes the obstacle to peace. We've lionized one and demonized the other, and I simply don't think this picture is accurate. The man has flaws...</blockquote>
<div>
Imagine a world where Ariel Sharon removes every last Israeli from Gaza and gives it, along with the infrastructure intact, to Hamas while Arafat rejects Clinton's attempt to forge a peace deal -- this is the "Wonderland" Zogby inhabits. Arafat did not have flaws -- he was responsible for the deaths of unarmed civilians because they were Jews.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Bernie Sanders and Cornel West</h3>
<h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQtU-7hdaKIZk7olWHIsZAG8MY2zA2BuQsowO30OGW8Ra2cnWBoYQh6TJl5SLoPE42QwYhm_-T1rC0jJlOChLIIbhQzOyG557dTaqWRxCcHFs_Oc4ACzSbKLjrIIRMXyhzd4rsg/s1600/Cornel+West+and+Bernie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQtU-7hdaKIZk7olWHIsZAG8MY2zA2BuQsowO30OGW8Ra2cnWBoYQh6TJl5SLoPE42QwYhm_-T1rC0jJlOChLIIbhQzOyG557dTaqWRxCcHFs_Oc4ACzSbKLjrIIRMXyhzd4rsg/s400/Cornel+West+and+Bernie.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">
Krauthammer writes about Cornel West:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">
West doesn't even pretend, as do some left-wing "peace" groups, to be opposing Israeli policy in order to save it from itself. He makes the simpler case that occupation is unconscionable oppression and that until Israel abandons it, Israel deserves to be treated like apartheid South Africa -- anathematized, cut off, made to bleed morally and economically.</blockquote>
</h3>
Like Zogby, Cornel West, a BDS proponent, <a href="http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/05/25/dershowitz-not-surprising-ignoramus-bernie-sanders-tapped-professional-israel-hater-for-democratic-policy-committee-interview/">also makes excuses for Palestinian terrorism</a>, writing that the actions of Hamas “pale in the face of the US-supported Israeli slaughter of innocent civilians.” West once <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/page2/the_obama_deception_why_cornel_west_went_ballistic_20110516">accused President Obama</a> of being “most comfortable with upper middle-class white and Jewish men who consider themselves very smart, very savvy and very effective in getting what they want.”</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, Bernie Sanders is different.<br />
<h3>
Bernie Sanders and Linda Sarsour</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOwy-6_Ir2yR4PxVe_dBf-pc_x4ZUq0qff4I25YvHKOTpJx-JJTW4-QSX2WPEjaik0ldLbY5uyhpX1P-ceuqQMPWM_y5f-8aNOwn_I7jA1W332TVNeI5wz8G2HPWy-kwEpGtxkg/s1600/sarsour+and+bernie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="297" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOwy-6_Ir2yR4PxVe_dBf-pc_x4ZUq0qff4I25YvHKOTpJx-JJTW4-QSX2WPEjaik0ldLbY5uyhpX1P-ceuqQMPWM_y5f-8aNOwn_I7jA1W332TVNeI5wz8G2HPWy-kwEpGtxkg/s400/sarsour+and+bernie.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Last weekend, Sanders made Sarsour his surrogate, allowing her to campaign on his behalf, creating a unique situation considering, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/American-Politics/Bernie-Sanders-chose-Linda-Sarsour-Can-Jews-overlook-her-views-on-Israel-601691">as The Jerusalem Post</a> put it, "that Sanders is Jewish and Sarsour is known as an anti-Israel, antisemitic activist."<br />
<br />
Actually, what does he have to lose?<br />
The Democrats have the Jewish vote anyway.<br />
<br />
With Sarsour -- as with Simone Zimmerman before her -- Sanders can tap into the energy of progressives with minimal cost to a Jewish base which sided with Hillary anyway during the last election and is unlikely to flock to him this time around either. <a href="https://forward.com/fast-forward/423937/jewish-democrats-2020-primary-joe-biden-bernie-sanders/">A poll in May</a> showed Biden getting 47% of the Jewish vote among registered Democratic voters, compared to 11% for Sanders and Pete Buttigieg is doing better than either of them <a href="https://forward.com/news/national/428388/who-are-jews-backing-in-the-democratic-race-hint-not-bernie-or-biden/">in terms of Jewish contributions</a>.<br />
<br />
Now we find out that 2 months ago, Sarsour -- along with Bob Bland and Tamika Mallory -- left the Woman's March.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/RJC/status/1173668860186304512">This has been misinterpreted by some as a setback for Sarsour</a>, and by extension, for Sanders:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYsfV0UjERZUpa9kPHsboNimU6CtPFVU9XQ1hH_Jt8Xwb3yf4G3WDdRLnmT1OgukhiMD8Gj119wt4SgNW4PrcdrGvyLZPeOMW8WM2Z9bWVJjXWBsIXXn8uNPKh6dbaf8ri8Ukmg/s1600/wm02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="540" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYsfV0UjERZUpa9kPHsboNimU6CtPFVU9XQ1hH_Jt8Xwb3yf4G3WDdRLnmT1OgukhiMD8Gj119wt4SgNW4PrcdrGvyLZPeOMW8WM2Z9bWVJjXWBsIXXn8uNPKh6dbaf8ri8Ukmg/s400/wm02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh2q24mtUC-cGKrOnvjSy3Ny5BQMPVrQTZEXgKkQ5DLVTv9m2bofAOiSxoO8xo-ptS8p8Y5oLuEMhSs3n55ecfB_GnYkRLBAQzK1dM3X1OJQLKY3yCxf_19kNWUhRx4Z0OtCdAA/s1600/wm2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="534" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh2q24mtUC-cGKrOnvjSy3Ny5BQMPVrQTZEXgKkQ5DLVTv9m2bofAOiSxoO8xo-ptS8p8Y5oLuEMhSs3n55ecfB_GnYkRLBAQzK1dM3X1OJQLKY3yCxf_19kNWUhRx4Z0OtCdAA/s400/wm2.png" width="388" /></a></div>
<a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/461589-womens-march-cuts-ties-with-trio-of-original-co-chairs-accused">If you check the article at The Hill</a>, all it says is:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Women’s March has cut ties with three board members who were accused of anti-Semitism and has created a new, diverse board of 16 members</blockquote>
It does not actually say the <i>reason</i> for cutting ties was because of their antisemtism. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/09/16/womens-march-cutting-ties-with-three-original-board-members-accused-anti-semitism/?arc404=true">The article in the Washington Post that The Hill refers to is more expansive</a> on why Bland, Mallory and Sarsour left:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Women’s March is replacing three inaugural board members who have been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism, infighting and financial mismanagement.</blockquote>
That article also ties the issue of antisemitism not to Sarsour but to Mallory, who is a big supporter of Farrakhan.<br />
<br />
Seth Mandel, editor of the Washington Examiner, <a href="https://twitter.com/SethAMandel/status/1173750774700171264?s=03">was more on-target</a> -- both Women's March in general <b>and</b> Sarsour in particular win:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBK4Zfedz6TwRbc4MZg9703h8sPPQSqLqk6YFg7w9FuYSRjbkBqX465WDgE2i6D1nCYByTOJDuxFZ7BpyXRzjJ_eXUWi69oAuZXxrttxA2ShLezkuX4s2952MWQHEvxjrLrayaA/s1600/Mandel+on+Sarsour.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="477" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBK4Zfedz6TwRbc4MZg9703h8sPPQSqLqk6YFg7w9FuYSRjbkBqX465WDgE2i6D1nCYByTOJDuxFZ7BpyXRzjJ_eXUWi69oAuZXxrttxA2ShLezkuX4s2952MWQHEvxjrLrayaA/s640/Mandel+on+Sarsour.png" width="588" /></a></div>
<br />
Whether Sanders will benefit by this arrangement is an open question.<br />
But Sarsour definitely has.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Bernie Sanders and Zahra Billoo</h3>
Among those who will be replacing Sarsour is Zahra Billoo, a civil rights lawyer <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahrabilloo/">and the executive director of CAIR-SFBA</a>.<br />
<br />
She is also an antisemite.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://archive.is/7AeHV">As indicated by tweet</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4wFKOLDTdtJuLO0wi0Si4e7LxjKAdJ0-2kMGOrYCHAW8O7LVi9tmK-dfVVjriKrPANuFsVAb9NcAxe4r8AIvwwqiyIkv3KrETQFTgPcHC-7HPqzBGsylpws-9ss07pKU2y2Mxg/s1600/zb1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="515" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4wFKOLDTdtJuLO0wi0Si4e7LxjKAdJ0-2kMGOrYCHAW8O7LVi9tmK-dfVVjriKrPANuFsVAb9NcAxe4r8AIvwwqiyIkv3KrETQFTgPcHC-7HPqzBGsylpws-9ss07pKU2y2Mxg/s640/zb1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://archive.is/69g0I">After tweet</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tjs4JKgKRxBMpMbT6hDPCVYd3Z0QnBoSM77PFf6H_JSLVlpwMRoCkfz0GRioLMmgwp-fLt8r1BW5rzczKsGUewq6oHJ6dhue74OAaGEYXk3H8jdqQInN4TDG6b2Lu5O7I8J0mA/s1600/zb2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="635" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tjs4JKgKRxBMpMbT6hDPCVYd3Z0QnBoSM77PFf6H_JSLVlpwMRoCkfz0GRioLMmgwp-fLt8r1BW5rzczKsGUewq6oHJ6dhue74OAaGEYXk3H8jdqQInN4TDG6b2Lu5O7I8J0mA/s640/zb2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/elderofziyon/status/1173668862992076800/photo/1">After tweet</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8LHrHIaEnzdD_MGMGpYxBkSJdlQ5mLvji-aP1_IHVi8Cgb6cB3HmakQFZHuR9_CKtDuQ6JC-Bqd3_a0JgPVatY69o7_iAM6Iaf1VBzQky-WpgzQdgyf90O8y6b-En458kEpFeg/s1600/zb3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8LHrHIaEnzdD_MGMGpYxBkSJdlQ5mLvji-aP1_IHVi8Cgb6cB3HmakQFZHuR9_CKtDuQ6JC-Bqd3_a0JgPVatY69o7_iAM6Iaf1VBzQky-WpgzQdgyf90O8y6b-En458kEpFeg/s640/zb3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://archive.is/sUu3z">After tweet</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC_2XiG97gyfP6UJt7lf2IT_uRBnURDf-NLaSPDMY-yqcvy3f7duLoWupdPDDvI6t1GxhVIX1cgkhFSFvQ60REmg0YdVKgf4YHQghwDhzXDh9vkRFXxUCT6xVnjDhwgnseWNyZA/s1600/zb4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="634" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC_2XiG97gyfP6UJt7lf2IT_uRBnURDf-NLaSPDMY-yqcvy3f7duLoWupdPDDvI6t1GxhVIX1cgkhFSFvQ60REmg0YdVKgf4YHQghwDhzXDh9vkRFXxUCT6xVnjDhwgnseWNyZA/s640/zb4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Check out <a href="https://twitter.com/WarpedMirrorPMB/status/1173664980622860289?s=03">Petra Marquardt-Bigman</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1173660856111943680?s=03">Ryan Saavedra</a> for many more such tweets.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.meforum.org/59007/zahra-biilloo">And Billoo's hatred extends beyond just hatred of the state of Israel:</a><br />
<blockquote>
California imam Ahmed Billoo recently <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/58905/prominent-california-islamists-praise-imam-call">called</a> for the mass extermination of Jews. Apparently impatient at the border-security protocols at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, he posted a prayer to Twitter with the hashtag "Zionists": "<b>Oh God, reduce their numbers, exterminate them, and don't leave a single one alive.</b>"<br />
<br />
Ahmed Billoo's sister is Zahra Billoo, director of the San Francisco branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). She is also an <a href="https://ca.cair.com/sfba/updates/cair-sfba-director-zahra-billoo-to-speak-at-womens-march-on-washington/">important</a> figure in the Women's March movement, and has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IslamicSocietyOfSantaBarbara/photos/a.395510290553801/1756659207772229/?type=3&theater">appeared</a> alongside her brother at Women's March events.<br />
<br />
...[Zahra Billoo] was curiously unwilling to offer any criticism when it came to her brother advocating mass-murder. On the contrary, Zahra Billoo made a heartfelt post to her brother on Facebook a mere few hours after he prayed for the extermination of Jews, apparently in relation to another public stand he had taken: "My brother makes me proud often, but there's a special kind of appreciation I have when he does this - puts his privilege to good use, asserting his rights, speaking out against border harassment, and thereby making it at least somewhat easier for those who are afraid or unable." [emphasis added]</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/ZahraBilloo/status/733041898051362816">And sure enough, Billoo is also a big fan of -- Bernie Sanders</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkPHv-6f_AH-WYlIcLYwYBIbhH8dEhJ1mfB6nEUeJI8Z8I0QqjvJuL8dMrA2tvQmeBxiFjlRoKLVwNG0TAySPjMfwE8vEmTRSmWWdFrWu08GRMDUix8gGr3T5LVnnAk9Cv54nkw/s1600/Billoo+and+Bernie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkPHv-6f_AH-WYlIcLYwYBIbhH8dEhJ1mfB6nEUeJI8Z8I0QqjvJuL8dMrA2tvQmeBxiFjlRoKLVwNG0TAySPjMfwE8vEmTRSmWWdFrWu08GRMDUix8gGr3T5LVnnAk9Cv54nkw/s640/Billoo+and+Bernie.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />
Bernie Sanders is a convenient shield for antisemites.<br />
<br />
He is Jewish -- but does not advertise that fact.<br />
Sanders rarely talks about it publicly.<br />
<br />
He may support Israel, but he adopts the progressive narrative about the extent of Gazan casualties during war between Israel and Hamas, as well as the narrative that makes armed Gazan rioters trying to break through into Israel as nothing more than peaceful protestors.<br />
<br />
Sanders is also on-board when it comes to condemning and <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/457331-sanders-proposes-leveraging-aid-for-israel">leveraging aid in order to push Israel </a>(and only Israel) to "make peace".<br />
<br />
<a href="https://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-israel-and-the-palestinians/">He boils the conflict down to the simplest terms</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Israel has a right to exist in security, and at the same time the Palestinians have a state of their own.</blockquote>
Who could argue with that?<br />
<br />
To be fair, journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/kampeas/status/1171780974235066369">Ron Kampeas finds Bernie Sanders to be typical of Jewish Americans</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8RzatDj4sus5AEcRUS7qBYQjcLk8ZzINOjrkPO69VoO0XKNbc-jQAOSyeufRBqSCW-Kw2clcCBZ4aeaLRDfoY52lEQYkjwu2V3ufrRtpZBrM7b2KGznlTdhQ949MQb8LBTRE2Q/s1600/kampeas+on+Sanders.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="536" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8RzatDj4sus5AEcRUS7qBYQjcLk8ZzINOjrkPO69VoO0XKNbc-jQAOSyeufRBqSCW-Kw2clcCBZ4aeaLRDfoY52lEQYkjwu2V3ufrRtpZBrM7b2KGznlTdhQ949MQb8LBTRE2Q/s400/kampeas+on+Sanders.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgvLduKh4vkm7LMUKsu7LSE3jcMeSZbFGNXKQGdK140Dy1xmrwO-8UrsPTrygC7G8IS4_wETtoZh1EFh2A1Q2JFmKbbMIUnu3df-i8CLBEDb1bkQA7pYWUSMUhIC364oameEhkQ/s1600/rk2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="537" height="619" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgvLduKh4vkm7LMUKsu7LSE3jcMeSZbFGNXKQGdK140Dy1xmrwO-8UrsPTrygC7G8IS4_wETtoZh1EFh2A1Q2JFmKbbMIUnu3df-i8CLBEDb1bkQA7pYWUSMUhIC364oameEhkQ/s640/rk2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Maybe Kampeas is right, and Sanders it typical.<br />
But Sanders does come across as shy about his being a Jews and more defensive than most when it comes to Israel.<br />
<br />
More to the point, I don't know if we can be so sanguine about this "norm" of Jewish American.<br />
What really is so Jewish about being progressive?<br />
<br />
Daniel Gordis writes that<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
most American Jews, having lost a sense of peoplehood and then a commitment to religion or Torah, have recently assumed an identity that is focused on little but politics. Yet as a form of politics, Judaism has, so far, found little to say that is uniquely Jewish. </blockquote>
Gordis concludes the thought rather darkly:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And if we have nothing unique to say, does it really matter if American Jews do not survive?</blockquote>
I would suggest that if we Jews in America cannot identify as Jews and feel unique as Jews, then there are those out there who will be only too happy to define <i>our</i> Jewish identity for <i>their</i> own purposes.<br />
<br />
And the names of some of those people are on this page.<br />
<br />
----- <br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-60495257504886790652019-09-11T13:00:00.000-04:002019-09-11T13:00:05.744-04:00It Is Absurd To Blame The West For Muslim "Honor" CrimesOn Thursday, August 29, <a href="http://www.palestinechronicle.com/no-one-arrested-palestinian-woman-tortured-to-death-by-her-brother-family-video/">Israa Ghrayeb was murdered by her family</a>.<br />
<br />
They were angered by a video she posted on social media of herself with the man she was soon to be engaged to. Her brother claimed she dishonored the family by showing the two of them together before they were married. The father called on the brother to beat Israa, and while trying to escape, Israa Ghrayeb fell from the second floor of their home, suffering serious spinal injuries. Then, while she was at the hospital, Ghrayeb was apparently attacked a second time and died.<br />
<br />
The family claimed she died of a heart attack.<br />
<br />
Another honor killing.<br />
But this one was different.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/Ha_almu/status/1167796786515386368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1167796786515386368&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.palestinechronicle.com%2Fno-one-arrested-palestinian-woman-tortured-to-death-by-her-brother-family-video%2F">Ghrayeb's murder has sparked outrage</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnAOBa5qo8MY8vxSEnNl58Z1VwNOHFOcftM35wAT7Z39xeFmvfYKONI7ccTRPUgC79LfFOe350-yZQRFU-jQ81pDsUIEpUzbq7nvthLSYK2TwCYlXjdl3n1JRFJqt1r7cwOaC7w/s1600/tweet1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="293" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnAOBa5qo8MY8vxSEnNl58Z1VwNOHFOcftM35wAT7Z39xeFmvfYKONI7ccTRPUgC79LfFOe350-yZQRFU-jQ81pDsUIEpUzbq7nvthLSYK2TwCYlXjdl3n1JRFJqt1r7cwOaC7w/s640/tweet1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Arab News reported last week on <a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/1548306/middle-east">the angry reaction to her death</a><br />
<blockquote>
The death of a young Palestinian woman in the West Bank has sparked widespread outrage across the Middle East amid accusations that it is nothing but another case of so-called honor killing.<br />
<br />
The suspicious circumstances of 21-year-old Israa Ghareeb’s death in Bethlehem have also drawn attention to a practice increasingly seen as a stain on the conscience of Middle East societies.<br />
<br />
...Soon afterwards, #WeAreAllIsraa began to trend on Arabic Twitter, with more than 50,000 tweets displaying the hashtag.</blockquote>
<br />
This anger is not only against the Palestinian government -- it is also against Jordan.<br />
<br />
There has never been a sovereign Palestinian state in what is now referred to as the "West Bank". Before Israel recaptured it in the Six Day War of 1967, the area was under Jordanian rule after it claimed it as its own during the 1948 War, the validity of which was recognized only by Great Britain and Pakistan.<br />
<br />
The law that allows Palestinian men to kill female members of their family with relative impunity originates from Jordan.<br />
<br />
Here is the original text of the Jordanian law, in <a href="http://docplayer.net/85151549-Extracted-provisions-from-the-penal-codes-of-arab-states-relevant-to-crimes-of-honour.html">article 340 of the Jordanian penal code</a>, before being modified in 2001:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuNpt77F2c0DJUnit21KmKZsdfi1Cmg4BcJBW-wS6pgnVUVxGXvJAl93rwo2YbX9ExRGgftuWZeAa84W9TbGAftKOZsnwVbi2Za4UBfslgG6y6e_gRsGrq5IpyTHq0dYCDnfpqA/s1600/Jordan+text+original.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuNpt77F2c0DJUnit21KmKZsdfi1Cmg4BcJBW-wS6pgnVUVxGXvJAl93rwo2YbX9ExRGgftuWZeAa84W9TbGAftKOZsnwVbi2Za4UBfslgG6y6e_gRsGrq5IpyTHq0dYCDnfpqA/s1600/Jordan+text+original.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://jordan-lawyer.com/2017/04/05/%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85-16-%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A9-1960-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D9%83-2/#pll_switcher">According to Article 99, this allows for reducing the sentence</a> (via Google Translate):<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Part IV - Responsibility</b><br />
<br />
Chapter II - in mitigating reasons<br />
<br />
Mitigating causes<br />
<br />
Article 99<br />
<br />
If the case is found to be mitigating, the court may order:<br />
<br />
1. Instead of execution for life or fifteen to twenty-five years.<br />
<br />
2. A- Instead of life imprisonment, the same penalty shall be imposed from fifteen to twenty years.<br />
<br />
(B) Instead of 20 years of imprisonment, the same penalty shall be imposed from twelve to fifteen years.<br />
<br />
3. It may degrade any other criminal penalty by not more than one third.<br />
<br />
4. Except in the case of repetition, it may also reduce any sentence of a minimum of three years to a minimum of one year imprisonment.<br />
<br />
5. If the court takes the mitigating reasons, it is not obliged to go down to the minimum penalty.</blockquote>
<br />
This is so embedded in Jordanian law, that <a href="https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/05/03/Jordan-native-confesses-to-NJ-slaying/7899799473600/">it was even applied to <i>a Jordanian who murdered his American wife in the US in 1994</i></a>:<br />
<blockquote>
Mohammad Abequa, a U.S. citizen born in Jordan, confessed Wednesday in an Amman courtroom that he strangled his estranged wife in her New Jersey apartment in July. Abequa, 46, said he killed his 40-year-old Turkish-born wife, Nihal, <b>to protect his honor</b>, <b>an argument accepted by Jordanian courts as a reason for a reduced sentence.</b> He is charged with murdering his wife, whose body was found July 4 in the apartment in the community of Parsippany Troy-Hills, as well as kidnapping his children, Lisa, 6, and Sami, 3. Abequa brought the children to Jordan after his wife's death. In what was seen as an effort to get a reduced sentence, Abequa told a crowded courtroom that he lost his temper when his wife told him that the man leaving her house as he arrived was her boyfriend. 'I asked her who the man was, and she told me it was her boyfriend and showed me a new tattoo on her thigh that he gave her,' Abequa said. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
At the time, the article contended that though Abequa could face the death penalty in Jordan if he was found guilty of murder, he might be able to avoid execution if he could convince the court that it was an 'honor killing.'<br />
<blockquote>
But judicial sources doubted Abequa would receive a reduced sentence because the highly publicized case has been the focus of U.S. interest and personal attention from Jordan's King Hussein.</blockquote>
Those <i>sources</i> were wrong.<br />
<br />
In 2000, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/21/nyregion/jordan-frees-man-convicted-of-killing-wife.html">The New York Times reported</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
It was troubling enough to the victim's family that Mohammad Abequa, who murdered his wife in New Jersey in 1994 and fled to Jordan with their two young children, was sentenced to only 15 years by a Jordanian court.<br />
<br />
But then yesterday came the news that the confessed killer had been pardoned for his crime after serving five years in prison, and had been set free.</blockquote>
So how to begin to deal with this tragic injustice embedded in Jordanian law?<br />
<br />
Blame France.<br />
<br />
In an interview with Reem Abu Hassan, a lawyer and former minister of Social Development in Jordan, <a href="https://news-decoder.com/2019/05/22/honor-crimes-jordan-reform/">we are told that honor killings have nothing at all to do with Islam</a>.<br />
<blockquote>
“We discovered that (Jordan) had taken this article from the Syrian penal code, which was taken from the French penal code,” Hassan explained. “So the basis for it was France: French law, not Islamic, nor Arabic.”<br />
<br />
She noted: “Of course, France had abolished this article, and honor crimes were never again a problem the French legal system had to face.”<br />
<br />
I realized how damaging colonization has been.<br />
<br />
I felt a surprising sense of pain — but also hope — at this revelation. It made me realize just how damaging colonization has been for the Middle East.</blockquote>
Let's put aside the irony of the long history of the colonization by the Islamic expansionism that itself reached as far as France.<br />
<br />
Is there a basis for Jordan blaming France?<br />
Then how to explain how widespread honor killing is within the Arab world?<br />
<br />
The Arab News article quoted above provides the following chart<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ViYg5eifnbmSU1YWXQH70UXd_mJs6iLCMBgSY9pxTGNLNIQKx599TOGYAeibLZ9iKfvVMdX2N0dnA4d5zu8Tfko1EzvMuwNJKkF1plt_2j2vpS7QSncB5TvGaWKNKleKvK7BFg/s1600/honor+killings+in+Arab+world.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="800" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ViYg5eifnbmSU1YWXQH70UXd_mJs6iLCMBgSY9pxTGNLNIQKx599TOGYAeibLZ9iKfvVMdX2N0dnA4d5zu8Tfko1EzvMuwNJKkF1plt_2j2vpS7QSncB5TvGaWKNKleKvK7BFg/s640/honor+killings+in+Arab+world.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Is the influence of France really that widespread?<br />
Are these honor killings just another manifestation of the kind of abuse found the world over?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/RashidaTlaib/status/1168310469809119232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1168310469809119232&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fsarahd-313035%2F2019%2F09%2F02%2Frashida-tlaib-helps-spread-the-word-that-alleged-honor-killing-of-palestinian-woman-is-ultimately-the-fault-of-toxic-masculinity-and-israel-of-course%2F">That is what Rashida Tlaib would have us believe</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03_p4cy_8PcHXuRU1kKxuiwf8DlLoN6GqHqMiOd9AoRLdRqDq9NjVnusHH20n1r1n163Aqs5UuOAwl0cpxFE93YWnzeOnqoM5lYmv0fIOwb36QEfcE93DDxVBjw7kGYq_QGgFxA/s1600/TlaibHK.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="294" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03_p4cy_8PcHXuRU1kKxuiwf8DlLoN6GqHqMiOd9AoRLdRqDq9NjVnusHH20n1r1n163Aqs5UuOAwl0cpxFE93YWnzeOnqoM5lYmv0fIOwb36QEfcE93DDxVBjw7kGYq_QGgFxA/s640/TlaibHK.png" width="396" /></a></div>
<br />
Are honor killings just another form of domestic violence?<br />
<br />
Phylis Chesler, an American writer, psychotherapist, and professor emerita of psychology and women's studies at the College of Staten Island, takes a closer look at the distinction between honor killings and domestic violence, noting that<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The frequent argument made by Muslim advocacy organizations that honor killings have nothing to do with Islam and that it is discriminatory to differentiate between honor killings and domestic violence is wrong.</blockquote>
She demonstrates that there are differences, and that honor killings are in fact to an alarming degree an Islamic phenomenon. One key difference between domestic violence and Islamic honor killings is that unlike honor killers who tend not to be condemned by Muslim society<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
the batterer-murderer is seen as a criminal; no one defends him as a hero. Such men are often viewed as sociopaths, mentally ill, or evil.</blockquote>
Here is a chart from Chesler's 2009 article <a href="https://www.meforum.org/2067/are-honor-killings-simply-domestic-violence">Are Honor Killings Simply Domestic Violence?</a> outlining the differences:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="50%"><b>Honor Killings</b></td> <td valign="top" width="50%"><b>Domestic Violence</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">Committed mainly by Muslims against Muslim girls/young adult women.</td> <td valign="top">Committed by men of all faiths usually against adult women.</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">Committed mainly by fathers against their teenage <i>daughters</i> and daughters in their early twenties. Wives and older-age daughters may also be victims, but to a lesser extent.</td> <td valign="top">Committed by an adult male spouse against an adult female spouse or intimate partner.</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">Carefully planned. Death threats are often used as a means of control.</td> <td valign="top">The murder is often unplanned and spontaneous.</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">The planning and execution involve multiple family members and can include mothers, sisters, brothers, male cousins, uncles, grandfathers, etc. If the girl escapes, the extended family will continue to search for her to kill her.</td> <td valign="top">The murder is carried out by one man with no family complicity.</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">The reason given for the honor killing is that the girl or young woman has "dishonored" the family.</td> <td valign="top">The batterer-murderer does not claim any family concept of "honor." The reasons may range from a poorly cooked meal to suspected infidelity to the woman's trying to protect the children from his abuse or turning to the authorities for help.</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">At least half the time, the killings are carried out with barbaric ferocity. The female victim is often raped, burned alive, stoned or beaten to death, cut at the throat, decapitated, stabbed numerous times, suffocated slowly, etc.</td> <td valign="top">While some men do beat a spouse to death, they often simply shoot or stab them.</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">The extended family and community valorize the honor killing. They do not condemn the perpetrators in the name of Islam. Mainly, honor killings are seen as normative.</td> <td valign="top">The batterer-murderer is seen as a criminal; no one defends him as a hero. Such men are often viewed as sociopaths, mentally ill, or evil.</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top">The murderer(s) do not show remorse. Instead, they experience themselves as "victims," defending themselves from the girl's actions and trying to restore their lost family honor.</td> <td valign="top">Sometimes, remorse or regret is exhibited.</td> </tr>
</tbody> </table>
</blockquote>
The difference is more than between the Arab world and the West. There is also a distinction between Islam and other religions:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Families that kill for honor will threaten girls and women if they refuse to cover their hair, their faces, or their bodies or act as their family's domestic servant; wear makeup or Western clothing; choose friends from another religion; date; seek to obtain an advanced education; refuse an arranged marriage; seek a divorce from a violent husband; marry against their parents' wishes; or behave in ways that are considered too independent, which might mean anything from driving a car to spending time or living away from home or family. <b>Fundamentalists of many religions may expect their women to meet some but not all of these expectations. But when women refuse to do so, Jews, Christians, and Buddhists are far more likely to shun rather than murder them</b>. Muslims, however, do kill for honor, as do, to a lesser extent, Hindus and Sikhs.</blockquote>
A year later, in an article describing a study that she did on <a href="https://www.meforum.org/2646/worldwide-trends-in-honor-killings">Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings</a>, Chesler dug deeper. She did a study of honor killings, analyzing 172 incidents and 230 honor-killing victims where 100 of the victims were murdered in the West and 130 additional victims were murdered in the Muslim world.<br />
<br />
Her findings reflected the Arab News graph in how widespread honor killings are in the Muslim world.<br />
<br />
The perpetrators and victims lived in 29 countries or territories: Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Gaza Strip, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the West Bank.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The conclusion:</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In this study, worldwide, <b>91 percent of perpetrators were Muslims</b>. In <b>North America, most killers (84 percent) were Muslims</b>, with only a few Sikhs and even fewer Hindus perpetrating honor killings; <b>in Europe, Muslims comprised an even larger majority at 96 percent</b> while Sikhs were a tiny percentage. In Muslim countries, obviously almost all the perpetrators were Muslims. With only two exceptions, the victims were all members of the same religious group as their murderers.</blockquote>
You cannot pin this all on France.<br />
<br />
Here is the Jordanian law in Article 340 again, this time with revisions made in 2010:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQbVyNWwMunKChBX16j6uUwTrOzCVntXQR0OgFUTMFOru_UOm22QfZK9e8vMdI3n9vBTxVeUH1OI9fuE0TyvHqZq4Le9uV7_7agXtjtuuKlHvVTOoHW5lQH4GDJAIrtgHzFt9kA/s1600/Revised+Jordanian+law.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="1023" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQbVyNWwMunKChBX16j6uUwTrOzCVntXQR0OgFUTMFOru_UOm22QfZK9e8vMdI3n9vBTxVeUH1OI9fuE0TyvHqZq4Le9uV7_7agXtjtuuKlHvVTOoHW5lQH4GDJAIrtgHzFt9kA/s640/Revised+Jordanian+law.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Now the law specifies that the killing has to be done "immediately," apparently to allow for this to be a crime of passion as opposed to being premeditated.<br />
<br />
Also, now in the spirit of evenhandedness, the woman is allowed to kill her husband as well, but without mentioning other relatives as is allowed to the man.<br />
<br />
But the point of all this is not about nitpicking.<br />
<br />
This is about dealing with the problem of honor killing by addressing the problem itself. Treating honor killings as just another manifestation of domestic abuse just avoids the issue and fails to understand this for what it is. That is why these public grassroots protests are an important step towards attacking the problem. There is more to be done than just applying a bandage to the existing law.<br />
<br />
Now there are signs that people are beginning to realize that.<br />
<br />
<br />
----- <br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-83195579028066581882019-09-11T10:01:00.000-04:002019-09-11T10:01:03.931-04:00Israel Did Nothing To Create Hezbollah -- But Arafat DidWith its recent clash with Israel, Hezbollah is again in the news. But for all of the attention Hezbollah gets, there are still elements of its history that remain ignored -- or just misrepresented.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.fdd.org/team/tony-badran/">Tony Badran</a>, a research fellow at <a href="https://www.fdd.org/">the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies</a> has written extensively about Hezbollah as well as Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Recently, <a href="https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-sanctions-american-think-tank-critical-of-islamic-republic/30127800.html">Iran announced sanctions against the think tank</a> itself.<br />
<br />
In his article, <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-secret-history-of-hezbollah/article/767144">The Secret History of Hezbollah</a>, Badran writes that while the Hezbollah mythology claims that the group was founded in 1982, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, as a resistance group to the Israeli invasion that year -- the truth is:<br />
<blockquote>
Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran have been joined at the hip from the very beginning, even before the 1979 Iranian revolution.<br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>
Because Hezbollah's origins are directly tied to the origins of Iran's Islamic Revolution, the terrorist group's own beginnings go back to the rivalry between Iranian revolutionary factions that opposed the shah of Iran. The conflicts between these factions played themselves out not only in Iran, but among their followers in Lebanon as well.<br />
<br />
Why Lebanon?<br />
<br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-adb9ef7e-7fff-acdb-87b5-d7fed21929a3"><span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span></span><a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/278896/arafat-and-the-ayatollahs">Arafat and the Ayatollahs</a>, Badran traces the relationship between the Iranian revolutionary factions and the PLO back to the late 1960s, when Arafat rose to power. After the shah's crackdown in 1963, Iranian opposition groups adopted guerrilla tactics against the shah and by the end of that decade made contact with the PLO in Qatar, as well as Iraq -- where Khomeini had been living since 1965. Iranian guerrilla organizations looked for training and made their way to PLO camps in Jordan and South Yemen.<br />
<br />
But during the early to mid 1970s, Lebanon was especially valuable as a training ground for these groups because of its weak government and lack of control:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Even before Lebanon’s own system collapsed, and the country plunged into civil war, fueled in part by Palestinian weapons and ambitions, the country had become a training ground for revolutionaries from all over the world, and a magnet for cadres of the main Iranian revolutionary factions, from Marxists to theocrats and everything in between.</blockquote>
Iranian revolutionary activists gravitated to Lebanon -- not because of any interest in the fact that Lebanon bordered Israel, but because of the weakness of the Lebanese government. At the time, Lebanon was home to the PLO too, which had been kicked out of Jordan in 1970 following 'Black September'. The PLO was free to run their military training camps. Those camps made it possible for the anti-shah groups to get military training and weapons, contact other revolutionary groups, form alliances, and establish networks to support their fight against the Iranian regime. <br />
<br />
Another plus for these Iranian factions, was Lebanon’s large Shiite population, which included the influential Iranian cleric Musa al-Sadr, who helped many of the Iranian opposition groups. Down the road, the networks of both Sadr and the PLO would continue to be helpful after the Iranian revolution, during the power struggle between Iran’s revolutionary factions that followed. Also among the Iranian groups operating in Lebanon at the time was the Liberation Movement of Iran (LMI). One of its leading figures was Mostafa Chamran, who together with the LMI worked closely with Sadr.<br />
<br />
Sadr relied on the PLO for training his Amal militia -- but again, not for the purpose of fighting Israel. Instead, with the onset of the Lebanese civil war, Sadr wanted to protect his and the Shiite community’s interests from the other Lebanese factions.<br />
<br />
In fact, both Sadr and Chamran were ambivalent about the Palestinians and the divide between Sadr and the PLO widened further:<br />
<ul>
<li>In 1976, Sadr supported Syria’s entry into Lebanon, which the PLO opposed</li>
<li>At the same time, Palestinian attacks on Israel from the south of Lebanon endangered the Shiite villagers which worried both Sadr and Chamran.</li>
</ul>
Meanwhile, the other main faction of Iranian revolutionaries operating in Lebanon consisted of the followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. That group maintained close relations with the PLO, while mistrusting Sadr and the LMI. This is the faction would go on to become part of the Islamic Republic party after the Iranian revolution. Many of them also became top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).<br />
<br />
According to PLO operative Anis Naccache, who coordinated with the Iranian revolutionaries, Khomeini's group fear of a coup following their victory, led to the creation of the IRGC, for which he took personal credit, claiming he was approached specifically to draft the plan to form what became the main pillar of the Khomeinist regime.<br />
<br />
According to Badran:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The formation of the IRGC may well be the greatest single contribution that the PLO made to the Iranian revolution. </blockquote>
One of those associated with this Khomeinist faction was Hojjatoleslam Ali Akbar Mohtashami, a student of Khomeini who would play a critical role in the emergence of Hezbollah. Another important figure, Mohammad Saleh Hosseini, played a key role in forming Hezbollah and was a founding member of the IRGC. Hosseini and the Khomeini's followers recruited young Shiites who were pro-Khomeini who became the nucleus of Hezbollah. The most famous of these was Imad Mughniyeh, who went on to become the group’s military commander and the mastermind of many of Hezbollah’s most notorious operations, such as the Marine barracks bombing in 1983.<br />
<br />
The tensions between the Sadr and Khomeini camps in Lebanon played out back in Iran after the revolution. And then in August 1978, Sadr disappeared during a trip to Libya.<br />
<br />
After Sadr’s disappearance, events accelerated. The shah was forced to leave Iran in January 1979, leaving the way open for Khomeini to return to Iran a few weeks later in triumph. Soon after, the Islamic Republic party was formed, bringing together Khomeini’s followers and the founding of the Islamic Republic. They began calling themselves <i>Hezbollah</i>, to distinguish themselves from their rivals, the LMI and allied factions.<br />
<br />
By the summer of 1981, the Islamic Republic party finished taking sole control of the government, and called themselves “the Hezbollahi government.”<br />
<br />
Mohammad Saleh Hosseini was assassinated in Beirut in April 1981, but by then the assets that he and the top IRGC leadership had been cultivating in Lebanon since the mid-70s were consolidated. Mughniyeh was summoned to Iran to discuss providing training for Hezbollah and in 1982, an Iranian delegation arrived in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.<br />
<br />
Badran writes:<br />
<blockquote>
In the conventional narrative of Hezbollah’s origins, it is the arrival of this contingent, the work it did there, and the men it trained that is typically said to signal the organization’s birth. However, by the time Dehghan, Mohtashami, and Mughniyeh engineered the October 1983 attack that killed 241 American servicemen, <i>the Khomeinists had already been active in Lebanon for over a decade</i>. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
In effect, just as Khomeini and his followers took over control of the revolution in Iran, they did the same thing where it had all began, in Lebanon:<br />
<blockquote>
And now it was all coming full circle as Iran’s triumphant Islamic Republicans, Hezbollah, spawned their namesake in Lebanon.</blockquote>
Arafat must have been thrilled.<br />
<br />
His support for Khomeini and for Hizbollah seemed to bode well for the terrorist's influence with Iran. In fact, when he arrived in Tehran on February 17, 1979, he was the first “foreign leader” to be invited to visit Iran -- just days after the victory of the revolution.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sIxm5-kRJDs-poHBaYo2Ib49AwRICaFmz2qZJsqK64qIGHNN7Ga78AO4OX5jb34XX5YfTUWLx-y4A4stoO5r596hpIxcsaA7ukwttTnmasRE4K38ubThQDZJ41EEqD0EtSPXPA/s1600/arafat+and+khomeini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="photo" border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1024" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sIxm5-kRJDs-poHBaYo2Ib49AwRICaFmz2qZJsqK64qIGHNN7Ga78AO4OX5jb34XX5YfTUWLx-y4A4stoO5r596hpIxcsaA7ukwttTnmasRE4K38ubThQDZJ41EEqD0EtSPXPA/s640/arafat+and+khomeini.jpg" title="Arafat and Khomeini, 1979" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arafat and Khomeini, 1979</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Arafat tried to exploit his new-found friendship, but just like he did in Jordan, Arafat soon made himself unwelcome.<br />
<ul>
<li>Arafat tried to mediate the US Embassy hostage crisis, but his interference angered Khomeini, and made him suspicious.</li>
<li>The Iraq-Iran war only made things worse. Arafat could not afford to side with Iran against Iraq and risk losing the support of the Arab world that funded the PLO. He tried to mediate, but Khomeini refused to even see him.</li>
</ul>
In the end, Arafat's plans backfired:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By forging ties with the Khomeinists, Arafat unwittingly helped to achieve the very opposite of his dream. Iran has turned the Palestinian factions into its proxies, and the PLO has been relegated to the regional sidelines.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://twitter.com/JSchanzer/status/1168614069324189698?s=03">And Hamas, at least, seems to have made its peace with that</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXKMQLp1_ZL84NeOwfZPaij0Iy8WFYEWgz81LLckqhtfFPU7e3GZfDJjd4DAgdRhq22ZE_OOMRhsbw-1VMR3k6sixOoA-yWCsMOBhH6DMfI2jsZ3s78I0_Q1P1KYwgSQaCbMqtg/s1600/Hamas+and+Iran.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXKMQLp1_ZL84NeOwfZPaij0Iy8WFYEWgz81LLckqhtfFPU7e3GZfDJjd4DAgdRhq22ZE_OOMRhsbw-1VMR3k6sixOoA-yWCsMOBhH6DMfI2jsZ3s78I0_Q1P1KYwgSQaCbMqtg/s640/Hamas+and+Iran.png" width="638" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-33151493198775740062019-09-02T10:06:00.000-04:002019-09-02T10:06:12.575-04:00The Levels of Hypocrisy in BDS - And Will You Have Fries With That?In a recent post, Elder of Ziyon pointed out an ignored truth about the campaign to boycott Israel: <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2019/07/bds-isnt-about-boycotts-it-is-about.html">BDS isn't about boycotts. It is about turning Israel into a pariah state.</a><br />
<div>
<blockquote>
Even BDSers admit that they choose their targets of boycott for maximum leverage and publicity, even as they use Israeli products themselves. The boycotts are indeed a sideshow to their real aim - to have average people associate Israel with racism and apartheid.<br />
<br />
By repeating the lies that Zionism is racism, Israel is an apartheid state, Israel must be boycotted for human rights abuses, and so on - over and over again - it makes an impression on college students and people who don't follow Israel closely.<br />
<br />
When an artist boycotts Israel, it makes a huge impression on people who want to identify as supporting social justice.<br />
<br />
When an academic group calls to boycott Israel, it puts an aura of respectability on hating Israel.</blockquote>
BDS is a <i>tactic</i>, it is not a movement whose goal is to remake Israel as the previous boycott movement was capable of forcing change on the level it did with South Africa.<br />
<br />
And the strategy behind that tactic is publicity.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Now more than ever, especially in the age of social media, it is possible to reach people without having to engage the mainstream media, who in the past were the gatekeepers who could to a larger degree control who got access to the public audience.<br />
<br />
When small groups like If Not Now want attention, they stand outside and say Kaddish for Hamas terrorists -- not Jews who were murdered by terrorists -- because <i>that</i> is what gets attention, and it is that attention that is the crucial oxygen to breathe life into the membership and create the attention that such movements need.<br />
<br />
Recently on Twitter, it was pointed out that both Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar -- vocal supporters for boycotting Israel -- used Israeli technology, Wix, for their website:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS_7hZ05B4hT7O44zVpTn-VxKsenLfgoE0kqP4xl6QPqX4S3aC6s_Ty4PjYJcTiAZ4rxyUqFUip4nMCxzAn12bF2oGo_rUhT_jrvkVUjZ1FEp8JFwjAtlX1AsGHM27m-XLWqSog/s1600/Wix_Omar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="522" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS_7hZ05B4hT7O44zVpTn-VxKsenLfgoE0kqP4xl6QPqX4S3aC6s_Ty4PjYJcTiAZ4rxyUqFUip4nMCxzAn12bF2oGo_rUhT_jrvkVUjZ1FEp8JFwjAtlX1AsGHM27m-XLWqSog/s640/Wix_Omar.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kaUBiwykuKcBCbD1FxNu1LIRzNstdmezd04NN6M6ej6GGnymcoyelaxlM-_45xm9DXFkk_7Qe5P8Wkr9GDmMvrB7Goxkz0bWGB-qvCJ9ahTFZJgdfZfbnmBJpnNBxr3VKKEtZg/s1600/Wix_Tlaib.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="511" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kaUBiwykuKcBCbD1FxNu1LIRzNstdmezd04NN6M6ej6GGnymcoyelaxlM-_45xm9DXFkk_7Qe5P8Wkr9GDmMvrB7Goxkz0bWGB-qvCJ9ahTFZJgdfZfbnmBJpnNBxr3VKKEtZg/s640/Wix_Tlaib.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
But the fact that Tlaib uses Wix for her website <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/bds-supporting-rashida-tlaib-uses-israeli-tech-for-her-personal-website/">was already pointed out back in February</a>. This fact made the rounds back then, and to a lesser degree it has been pointed out now. But the fact that Tlaib has not bothered to redo the website means that other than perhaps metaphorically tweaking her nose, this apparent hypocrisy means nothing to her.<br />
<br />
She has not bothered to comment.<br />
<br />
But back in November 2015, the <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/pro-bds-student-group-builds-website-using-israeli-platform-wix/">Times of Israel</a> reported that when it was pointed out that the Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Denver used Wix for their website -- <a href="https://cornellsjp.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/sorrynotsorry-why-boycotting-the-boycott-fails/">the students defended their actions and claimed to explain why this was not hypocritical</a><br />
<blockquote>
By combining the power of many around the world, boycotts shine a <i>harsh light </i>on Israeli settler-colonialism. Whereas Israel wishes these networks to remain inconspicuous, the BDS campaign uses the power of an organized consumer boycott to <i>expose</i> them, forcing the recognition of our different forms of connection with oppression and the oppressed. When we participate in an organized boycott of Israeli consumer goods, such as Sabra and Tribe hummus (whose owners financially support Israeli institutions of occupation and dispossession) or SodaStream kitchen appliances (made in illegal settlements under conditions of hyperexploitation), we choose to make visible the connections between Palestinians living directly under Israeli occupation and people living elsewhere. With these organized boycotts, this global economic structure, a largely hidden network of financial pipes and tunnels, acts as unwitting accomplice to members of Palestinian civil society in their call for self-determination. Boycotts therefore form a limited but necessary component of the BDS campaign. For supporters of the Palestinian call for BDS, boycotts serve as a tactic within a wider strategy to pressure Israel to change its policies and end its oppression. [emphasis added]</blockquote>
The reference to SodaStream reminds us that this same logic that allows the BDS movement to use Israeli products while boycotting them -- also allows them to put Palestinians out of work for 'the cause' as well.<br />
<br />
Putting Palestinians into financial distress through BDS boycotts is only for their own good.<br />
<br />
How widespread is this use of Israeli products by members of BDS?<br />
Consider Omar Barghouti, one of the BDS leaders.<br />
<br />
He has a degree from Tel Aviv University, a blatant and rather public contradiction for someone supposedly embodying the BDS movement. He has been confronted with this on a number of occasions, and while <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2019/04/three-myths-of-omar-barghouti-and-bds.html">Barghouti has offered a variety of excuses</a>, he never quit the university -- or burned his degree in public.<br />
<br />
But the BDS movement <i>has</i> given Barghouti lots of publicity, and any occasional questions about his hypocrisy have not slowed him down.<br />
<br />
He falsely claims that he could not have gotten a degree any other way.<br />
Tlaib could have used any number of other products to make her website.<br />
Neither has confronted the contradiction head-on as the SJP students in Denver - and while that article in Times of Israel reports the students' use of Wix in November 2015, the group's explanation is dated November 2013.<br />
<br />
Still, it is not hard to figure out that Wix is an Israeli product.<br />
And it is not as if there are not lots of other products that could make a website just as well.<br />
<br />
These days, that SJP site uses WordPress.<br />
Maybe that hypocrisy finally caught up with them.<br />
<br />
An article in Haaretz earlier this year addresses <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/.premium-is-rashida-tlaib-using-israeli-website-building-tools-a-matter-of-tactics-1.6954465">the larger hypocrisy in the BDS movement</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
When push comes to shove, its activists prefer that others do the boycotting and make the sacrifices. Thus Caterpillar and in the past the security company G4s have been popular targets because, after all, how many ordinary people are going to ever be buying a earthmover or employ a security guard? It’s likewise painless to ask a university’s trustees or a big pension fund to divest Israeli shares from their portfolios because that’s someone else’s money.<br />
<br />
The requirement to fight the good fight against Israeli oppression is supposed to be borne by others whether they are big, anonymous institutions or useful idiots who take the boycott call seriously. Meanwhile, a boycott campaign is being managed using Israeli website building tools. In the words of SJP Cornell, “BDS is not abstention, nor an absolute moral principle … it is a tactic.”</blockquote>
And again, it is not just that the fight is borne by others, the effects have been borne by the actual people the BDS movement claims to be helping -- as in the case of the Palestinian employees of SodaStream.<br />
<br />
These boycotts are not limited to big companies either. Boycotts of performers going to Israel are always guaranteed to draw attention -- and are sometimes successful.<br />
<br />
Sometimes the boycotts are local: <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2019/07/23/dearborn-burgerim-burger-chain-isreali-threats/1801109001/">Dearborn burger franchise founded in Israel delays opening after backlash, threats</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
A franchisee has delayed the scheduled opening of his Burgerim restaurant in Dearborn amid backlash from the Arab-American community over the popular burger company’s Israeli roots. <br />
<br />
Sam Zahr, a Lebanese-American who lives in Dearborn, said he was too worried to open the restaurant on Greenfield Road after his kids were bullied and he received threatening messages from those opposed to the burger chain founded in Israel. <br />
<br />
...A Burgerim location in Royal Oak also owned by Zahr has not experienced as much opposition, he said.</blockquote>
<br />
It's not clear if the issue is only boycotting or maybe also a desire to squelch any hint of normalization.<br />
<br />
Based on Zahr's success in Royal Oak, maybe an Arab-Israeli business can make it in the US.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.burgerim.com/blog/halal-burger-franchise/">Burgerim seems to think so</a>:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3mSM8dSk2Mm9oxXidcFUBb4YXMAIpQphwrgGaTe_jaWgK1mLrpW0EKudqPkucn2CWvjaCWMKYhnzTxSfgHQy3v2kF6EpkCTOppHAP0DmRxsfSR5LrSs2BlxPsiQLeHixT8Nv-w/s1600/burgerimHalal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="1255" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3mSM8dSk2Mm9oxXidcFUBb4YXMAIpQphwrgGaTe_jaWgK1mLrpW0EKudqPkucn2CWvjaCWMKYhnzTxSfgHQy3v2kF6EpkCTOppHAP0DmRxsfSR5LrSs2BlxPsiQLeHixT8Nv-w/s640/burgerimHalal.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
BDS can go ahead and make their claim to success.<br />
Israel is opening up new battlefields.<br />
<br />
Those SJP students say that BDS is more than a tactic; it sheds a light and sends a message.<br />
<br />
Burgerim, an Israeli company, is sending a message too:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">B</span></b>urger<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">D</span></b>ill pickle<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">S</span></b>oda<br />
<br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-43540260513082859722019-08-30T10:01:00.000-04:002019-08-30T10:01:06.106-04:00Is There Anyone From J Street Who ISN'T A Co-Founder of If Not Now?Just asking.<br />
<br />
It seems there are various former members of J Street, some who served in leadership positions, who are now involved in If Not Now -- and some of them are apparently <i>founding</i> members.<br />
<br />
For example:<br />
<br />
<b>Max Berger</b><br />
<ul>
<li>He is identified as a co-founder of If Not Now <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/misc/writers/WRITER-1.5601880">in his 'bio' on Haaretz</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.jta.org/2019/07/29/united-states/meet-max-berger-the-jewish-anti-occupation-activist-on-elizabeth-warrens-campaign">JTA article</a> notes that before If Not Now, Max Berger worked for J Street as a new media assistant<a name='more'></a></li>
</ul>
<b>Yonah Lieberman</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/yonahlieberman?lang=en">Yonah Lieberman has a twitter account</a> that identifies him as a co-founder of If Not Now</li>
<li>Lieberman was very heavily involved in J Street. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/yonah-lieberman-553b0b70/">According to his LinkedIn page</a>, from January 2010 on he was a member of the National Student Board, the Midwest Regional Co-Chair, and Campus Chapter Chair.</li>
</ul>
<b>Carinne Luck</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/ifnotnow-co-founder-max-berger-brings-progressive-fight-to-warren-camp/">Times of Israel</a> identifies Carinne Luck as a co-founder of If Not Now.</li>
<li><a href="http://carinneluck.com/about-carinne">Luck's website</a> notes she was a founding staff member and Vice President for Field and Campaigns at J Street.</li>
</ul>
<b>Simone Zimmerman</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Simone Zimmerman identifies herself as a co-founder of If Not Now <a href="https://twitter.com/simonerzim?lang=en">on her Twitter page</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://forward.com/news/israel/203111/j-streets-gaza-war-support-wins-moderate-praise/">In an article for The Forward</a>, Josh Nathan-Kazis writes that Simone Zimmerman was the national president of J Street U’s student board in the 2012-2013 school year</li>
</ul>
<b>Kara Segal</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-segal-365b0a81/">Kara Segal's LinkedIn account</a> lists her as an If Not Now co-founder.</li>
<li>She appears in this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=86&v=6OccLiRXg3I">YouTube video</a> at a 2009 J Street conference.</li>
</ul>
<b>Emily Mayer</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Emily Mayer identifies herself as an If Not Now organizer <a href="https://twitter.com/emilyfmayer?lang=en">on her Twitter page</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/262011/if-not-now-j-streets-latest-anti-israel-front-daniel-greenfield">Daniel Greenfield</a> notes that Emily Mayer was with J Street U at Haverford</li>
</ul>
<b>Sarah Beth Alcabes</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://canarymission.org/individual/Sarah_Beth_Alcabes">Canary Mission</a> lists Sarah Beth Alcabes as leading an INN disruption, in partnership with Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), and also being an activist with J Street U at the University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley) from 2012-2014.</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/on-campus-j-street-now-middle-of-the-road/">Times of Israel</a> mentions Elianna Fishman, who was "heavily involved with J Street U Dartmouth" and who confirms "I interned for J Street, and helped set up a chapter on campus” before graduating and joining IfNotNow -- to which the article adds<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In fact, many of IfNotNow’s leaders are alumni of J Street U.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-gaza-op-pushes-some-left-of-j-street-1.5258213">An article in Haaretz</a> echoes this when it says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[If Not Now] remains small, attracting several dozen participants, some of whom are leaders of J Street U, the group’s student-organizing arm.</blockquote>
But the question remains: why have these, and other members of J Street, made the switch?<br />
<br />
According to a Haaretz article from 2014, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-gaza-op-pushes-some-left-of-j-street-1.5258213">Gaza War Pushes Some to the Left of J Street</a>. The logic, according to Haaretz, is that over time, J Street, even back in 2014, was becoming larger and more <i>moderate</i>, with the result that there were the beginnings of a limited exodus that benefited smaller more radical groups. One of those groups was If Not Now, described in the article as "an ad hoc group."<br />
<br />
Of course, what the Haaretz article claims is a sign of J Street's moderation can also be seen as the failure in the eyes of some of its members, to become increasingly radical.<br />
<br />
A similar theme to Haaretz is taken by <a href="https://forward.com/news/israel/203111/j-streets-gaza-war-support-wins-moderate-praise/">Nathan-Kazis in the Forward</a> also in an article from 2014, that in contrast to the more "moderate" tone taken by J Street, some members felt J Street was not doing enough:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Former high-ranking J Street staff members were among the organizers of a July 28 protest in New York City against Israel’s invasion of Gaza. They acted under the name #ifnotnow and made no mention of their former J Street affiliations.</blockquote>
He writes about another protest just a few days earlier, launched by 4 activists that included high-ranking members Carinne Luck who had left J Street in 2012 and Daniel May, director of J Street U from 2010 to 2013 as well as Max Berger.<br />
<br />
Other participants in one or both of those #ifnotnow protests included Isaac Luria, J Street’s vice president of communications and new media from 2008 until 2011 and Tamara Shapiro.<br />
<br />
Some of that former J Street staff said they were not opposed to J Street’s long-term strategy -- but felt limited by its tactics. Others, like Luck, said they did not share J Street's "patience" with the "Jewish institutional community."<br />
<br />
That is the narrative.<br />
Daniel Greenfield of FrontPageMag.org isn't buying it.<br />
<br />
He is cynical of claims that If Not Now was simply born of a break with J Street. In <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/262011/if-not-now-j-streets-latest-anti-israel-front-daniel-greenfield">If Not Now, J Street's Latest Anti-Israel Front Group</a>, he writes:<br />
<blockquote>
The official narrative is that If Not Now parted ways with J Street because the group was insufficiently opposed to the Jewish State and insufficiently supportive of Hamas. As a practical matter though this is how radical groups have always operated, with a front group that makes efforts to appear moderate while incubating radical organizations within itself that "split off" but still pursue the same agenda.<br />
<br />
Despite claims of a split, If Not Now is just pursuing the exact same agenda as J Street U, protesting Jewish charities for supporting Israel, while claiming to be the voice of a new generation.<br />
<br />
It's the same scam with a new brand and slightly less of a paper trail.<br />
<br />
If Not Now is J Street...<br />
<br />
...New organizations are constantly being created and destroyed. But they all share one agenda. The destruction of the Jewish State.</blockquote>
If there is indeed an element of dramatic effect at work here, then this alleged break would be no more authentic than the recent break of Jesse Steshenko, who claimed to have been "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/world/middleeast/birthright-israel-occupation-palestinians.html">a very ardent Zionist</a>" who as a result of his recent J Street trip to Israel became "disgusted" with Israel.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-nyt-gives-fawning-account-of-j.html">Elder of Ziyon revealed</a> that in fact as recently as 2016 as a member of Junior States of America, a mock Congress, he introduced a resolution calling Israel an apartheid state and demanding the recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza as defined by the 1949 Armistice -- effectively depriving Israel of the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.<br />
<br />
Actually, J Street itself has a history of being less than straightforward.<br />
<ul>
<li>It is a group that claims that it is pro-Israel, <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-j-street-agenda-is-anything-but-pro.html">yet only supports Democrats</a>, going so far as to support candidates it claims support Israel such as Representative Mark Pocan, <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2018/05/judging-j-street-by-candidates-they.html">who anonymously reserved official Capitol Hill space for an anti-Israel forum </a>organized by organizations that support boycotts</li>
<li><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2018/11/j-street-from-blocking-back-to.html">J Street was perfectly willing to support Rashida Tlaib</a>, until it withdrew it only because she backed out of support of a 2-state solution</li>
<li>Despite denials, J Street not only supported the Goldstone Report - <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-j-street-agenda-is-anything-but-pro.html">it actively facilitated Goldstone's attempt to defend it</a></li>
<li>Despite their repeated denials to the contrary, in 2008 and 2009 <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/24/soros-funder-liberal-jewish-american-lobby/print/">J Street received funding </a><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/24/soros-funder-liberal-jewish-american-lobby/print/">from George Soros</a>.</li>
<li>J Street's <a href="http://fresnozionism.org/2011/01/2010/10/j-street-co-founder-lacks-moral-sense/">co-founder Daniel Levy called the creation of Israel ‘an act that was wrong’</a></li>
</ul>
Carinne Luck's involvement in If Not Now is another reason for apprehension.<br />
<br />
Here is a 2012 video of Luck explaining J Street's job:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Twwm98YcIo" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
The main takeaway from what Luck says:<br />
<ul>
<li>A sizable percentage of J Street is not Jewish</li>
<li>J Street responds to the wishes "the Hill, the (Obama) Administration" which wants J Street to "move Jews"</li>
<li>The bulk of J Street resources are dedicated to this</li>
<li>There is an uneasiness about those in J Street leadership who are not Jewish who may present themselves as Jews </li>
</ul>
This idea of misrepresentation that Carinne Luck shares with the group -- without condemning -- is an issue that arises again with If Not Now, <b>both in terms of questions about its connections with J Street but also in terms of its own claims to represent today's young American Jews</b>.<br />
<br />
We have seen there is a failure of J Street to live up to what it claims it does. <br />
Should we be surprised that there are doubts about what If Not Now claims as well?<br />
----- <br />
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Daled Amoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646808702899584547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15627892.post-83276341716489728562019-08-27T10:08:00.000-04:002019-08-27T10:08:06.451-04:00IfNotNow Plans To "Bird Dog" US Presidential Candidates<i>This post originally appeared on <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2019/07/ifnotnow-plans-to-bird-dog-us.html">Elder of Ziyon</a> on July 10, 2019</i><br />
<br />
With the presidential campaign heating up and Democratic support for Israel apparently ebbing, the radical left-wing group IfNotNow has now reformed itself as a 501(c)(4) and is out raising money.<br />
<br />
More importantly, <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/29/progressive-jewish-ifnotnow-2020-1390733">IfNotNow has a new goal</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
“Our focus is going to be trying to push the candidates past giving lip-service to a two-state solution,” said IfNotNow co-founder Emily Mayer, “without recognizing the underlying dynamics and explicit moves by the Israel government that are creating a one-state reality where Palestinians are denied basic rights.”<br />
<br />
The organization is also taking a page out of the playbook of groups such as Black Lives Matter and the American Civil Liberties Union: It plans to “bird-dog” presidential candidates at public events to create viral moments and prod the Democratic Party leftward on the issue of Israel.</blockquote>
<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.moveon.org/images/Bird-DoggingMakethemTalk.pdf">In a MoveOn.org PDF on how to do bird-dogging</a>, MoveOn.org describes it as<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
a great tactic used to directly engage or confront candidates and MoCs [Members of Congress] on our issues at their public events. It lets them know how important these issues are to everyday constituents. The goal of bird-dogging is to put tough questions to MoCs and force them to answer when they are in front of their constituents, voters, and the media.<br />
<br />
Bird-dogging can be used to make sure MoCs can’t escape answering questions about important issues and to ensure that we are setting the terms of the debate.</blockquote>
MoveOn.org's playbook provides a checklist on how to prepare for bird-dogging.<br />
<br />
For example:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Craft your question.<br />
<br />
Ask a yes-or-no question, not an open-ended question. <i>Your goal is to get your member of Congress on the record about a critical issue</i>. Here are some example questions:<br />
<blockquote>
■ “Do you understand that by voting to take away the Affordable Care Act, you are taking away my health care?”<br />
■ “Can my fellow constituents and I count on you to vigorously oppose any cut to Medicare, including privatization, which would threaten my ability to retire?”</blockquote>
</blockquote>
These are manipulative questions that are meant more to put the person in a corner and pin them down<br />
<br />
The goal is supposed to be to push the Democratic candidates to take more left-wing positions against Israel, clarify their stands and draw public attention to the changing attitudes of the Democratic Party. In the Politico article, Emily Mayer -- a co-founder of IfNotNow -- considered Biden and Booker out of sync with the Democratic base on Israel.<br />
<br />
IfNotNow started off with an easy one.<br />
<br />
They caught up with Bernie Sanders while he was campaigning in New Hampshire. Considering the fact that Sanders has called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “racist,” <a href="https://twitter.com/IfNotNowOrg/status/1145033955625840642">getting the candidate to back their cause in condemning Israel was not going to be a problem</a><br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceDu1ZOSAcx4vLU9AgOGG2JplAWCuSk2uWyGjJjB7_LbaLkMY9lO6czgHarcY0AB_q3UtUV9kmPE7kQOqiFmumDv3350klCAzrW2ELceZQn2UPC-D1UaDiPLVnLVPT8ud4KktmA/s1600/BernieINN2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="398" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceDu1ZOSAcx4vLU9AgOGG2JplAWCuSk2uWyGjJjB7_LbaLkMY9lO6czgHarcY0AB_q3UtUV9kmPE7kQOqiFmumDv3350klCAzrW2ELceZQn2UPC-D1UaDiPLVnLVPT8ud4KktmA/s640/BernieINN2.png" width="476" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "tinos";">Not much of a challenge.</span><br />
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Last year in August, <a href="https://twitter.com/USCPR_/status/1025437919388098560">Corey Booker got caught doing something similar</a>:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGs4ouB6eEJbWv6DsiSYde8u07yo6V1YkVKrvDHdwwVNiIZK_bSbSVsFh3pEuGxLygjaMRppL4tvlvx_eJ9SDLaeDzNsFk8KjaSkwVi8Yk1AMcA88p-JdPoDnSlZMoMKL4GjxXOw/s1600/Booker01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="445" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGs4ouB6eEJbWv6DsiSYde8u07yo6V1YkVKrvDHdwwVNiIZK_bSbSVsFh3pEuGxLygjaMRppL4tvlvx_eJ9SDLaeDzNsFk8KjaSkwVi8Yk1AMcA88p-JdPoDnSlZMoMKL4GjxXOw/s640/Booker01.png" width="514" /></a></div>
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At the time, <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/sen-cory-booker-poses-with-sign-linked-to-pro-palestinian-movement/">Booker claimed that he misunderstood the sign</a> and thought it just had to do with Mexico. Since that time, Booker has continued to support Israel.<br />
<br />
In Sanders' case, he didn't have to say a word. So the "confrontation" with Sanders was actually nothing more than a photo-op. </div>
<br />
But their next target was Elizabeth Warren.<br />
<br />
Here are some snapshot excerpts of <a href="https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1148671410794983424">the 73-second polished video that went on Twitter</a>, with the headline that<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/ewarren?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@eWarren</a> says she’d push Israel to end its occupation of Gaza and the West Bank </div>
</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fnK6j4j0Tt5aWKrmWQhZTOaNOXUObTiV2HTmrE161ybDxbF5miOr6dA5TnDDrE_M7ukaVIT-MkanQFUH82FyMzofqfkp1uxP-6i27wMe3tEDdhS17fG_SYZ8sCWbgeR63VniJw/s1600/NW1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="403" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fnK6j4j0Tt5aWKrmWQhZTOaNOXUObTiV2HTmrE161ybDxbF5miOr6dA5TnDDrE_M7ukaVIT-MkanQFUH82FyMzofqfkp1uxP-6i27wMe3tEDdhS17fG_SYZ8sCWbgeR63VniJw/s640/NW1.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZPS6NrE3t7aSMYNPRqB80Qh6o5BdMKibBu4VlWjIjzEJg2eIeQteDdC8rUkR8gVazNuFZi2S-4yB0u1V_CwFcbUPalQ9veWdJj_du98TaD9viJMIRvxlmpbkzXBcQbnK_r31UA/s1600/NW2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="391" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZPS6NrE3t7aSMYNPRqB80Qh6o5BdMKibBu4VlWjIjzEJg2eIeQteDdC8rUkR8gVazNuFZi2S-4yB0u1V_CwFcbUPalQ9veWdJj_du98TaD9viJMIRvxlmpbkzXBcQbnK_r31UA/s640/NW2.png" width="466" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8UX6r2YBz-TkjtrKGqFe_LGtJrJiQZRkKraEKZye3aZfDXwr7T6IWImBM4hZsVSylYpYdxptfiojmiYbLZwOFOEz5S6UVVHam-L2WP3WIZUE2waf4Bk9TFbIS-0mIooxr4-7mg/s1600/NW3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="396" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8UX6r2YBz-TkjtrKGqFe_LGtJrJiQZRkKraEKZye3aZfDXwr7T6IWImBM4hZsVSylYpYdxptfiojmiYbLZwOFOEz5S6UVVHam-L2WP3WIZUE2waf4Bk9TFbIS-0mIooxr4-7mg/s640/NW3.png" width="472" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwExMjFBLz1naBjBRInd-FutRP04p0i1Ti32tYJ6XmNb_xk8BVVxAcqod4iZqf84VzhWlzXWRuRUs99nguSOCNBX1SCgs56Qc5ihZfgLtnGnUVRw63AVJvxtjLOOfQml_Yrm_e0A/s1600/NW4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="391" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwExMjFBLz1naBjBRInd-FutRP04p0i1Ti32tYJ6XmNb_xk8BVVxAcqod4iZqf84VzhWlzXWRuRUs99nguSOCNBX1SCgs56Qc5ihZfgLtnGnUVRw63AVJvxtjLOOfQml_Yrm_e0A/s640/NW4.png" width="462" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
If you do a search online, you'll find there are all kinds of headlines now proclaiming that Warren has promised to end the "Israeli occupation."<br />
<br />
But is that really what happened?<br />
They did not pin Warren down with a yes-no question.<br />
<br />
All they did was gush all over her and say "We'd really love it if you also pushed the Israeli government to end the occupation"<br />
What they got in return was "Yes. Yes. So I'm there."<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #212529; font-family: "montserrat" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Whatever that means.</span></span><br />
<br />
IfNotNow tried to capitalize on all this <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/warren-says-shell-push-to-end-israels-occupation">with a press release</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
In the past, Warren has regularly spoken of Israel as a strong ally in a tough neighborhood and has appeared at AIPAC events and used right-wing talking points. But as her career has gone on, her views on the issue have grown to be farther in line with her progressive values: She was one of the 60 Democrats to boycott Netanyahu’s speech in Congress, she supported the Iran Deal, spoke out against the Embassy move, and opposes efforts to criminalize the BDS movement.</blockquote>
Down the road, they may try to pin Warren down to specifics, but it's not clear what she said in the first place. Considering all the billion-dollar plans Warren is going around promising, saying yes to a vague question is not likely to cause her problems down the road.<br />
<br />
Did Warren even pay serious attention to what they were saying?<br />
Here is what happened, without the window dressing from the original 16-second video:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RNQ3eCNMsIk" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
Two kids gushed about how much they admired Elizabeth Warren and she shepherded them into a photo op and quickly sent them on their way.<br />
<br />
Considering the Democratic presidential field, IfNotNow is not likely to corner anyone who is not more than willing to agree on the issue of occupation.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, if they instead ask more pointed questions that address other more controversial issues like the Gaza "protests", then we may see sparks fly.<br />
<br />
The candidates are unlikely to be prepared for the simplistic one-sided questions that IfNotNow may soon be throwing at them.<br />
<br />
While the media has made a point of not pinning down the candidates on how they plan to pay for the numerous plans they are proposing, the candidates may soon find themselves being held responsible for the stands they claim to take on Israel.<br />
<br />
That may not be such a bad thing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
----- <br />
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