Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News : Archaeologist claims to have found King David's Citadel (and 7 articles)
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Archaeologist claims to have found King David's Citadel

Posted on: Wednesday 07 May 2014 — 03:13

From AP:

An Israeli archeologist says he has found the legendary citadel captured by King David in his conquest of Jerusalem, rekindling a longstanding debate about using the Bible as a field guide to
identifying ancient ruins.

Shukron, who excavated at the City of David archeological site for nearly two decades, says he believes strong evidence supports his theory.

"This is the citadel of King David, this is the Citadel of Zion, and this is what King David took from the Jebusites," said Shukron, who said he recently left Israel's Antiquities Authority to work as a lecturer and tour guide. "The whole site we can compare to the Bible perfectly."

Most archeologists in Israel do not dispute that King David was a historical figure, and a written reference to the "House of David" was found in an archeological site in northern Israel. But archeologists are divided on identifying Davidic sites in Jerusalem, which he is said to have made his capital.

Shukron's dig, which began in 1995, uncovered a massive fortification of five-tonne stones stacked six metres wide. Pottery shards helped date the fortification walls to be 3,800 years old. They are the largest walls found in the region from before the time of King Herod, the ambitious builder who expanded the Second Jewish Temple complex in Jerusalem almost 2,100 years ago. The fortification surrounded a water spring and is thought to have protected the ancient city's water source.

The fortification was built 800 years before King David would have captured it from its Jebusite rulers. Shukron says the biblical story of David's conquest of Jerusalem provides clues that point to this particular fortification as David's entry point into the city.

In the second Book of Samuel, David orders the capture of the walled city by entering it through the water shaft. Shukron's excavation uncovered a narrow shaft where spring water flowed into a carved pool, thought to be where city inhabitants would gather to draw water. Excess water would have flowed out of the walled city through another section of the shaft Shukron said he discovered — where he believes the city was penetrated.

Shukron says no other structure in the area of ancient Jerusalem matches what David would have captured to take the city. The biblical account names it the "Citadel of David" and the "Citadel of Zion."

Ronny Reich, who was Shukron's collaborator at the site until 2008, disagrees with the theory. He said more broken pottery found from the 10th century BC, presumably King David's reign, should have been found if the fortification had been in use then.

Critics say that some archeologists are too eager to hold a spade in one hand and a Bible in the other in a quest to verify the biblical narrative — either due to religious beliefs or to prove the Jewish people's historic ties to the land. But other respected Israeli archeologists say recent finds match the biblical account more than naysayers claim.

Shukron, a veteran archeologist who has excavated a number of significant sites in Jerusalem, said he drew his conclusions after nearly two decades exploring the ancient city.

"I know every little thing in the City of David. I didn't see in any other place such a huge fortification as this," said Shukron.

(h/t Josh K)

05/06 Links Pt2: Why the Left Resents Israeli Democracy; Hillel Cancels Pro-Israel Speaker

Posted on: Wednesday 07 May 2014 — 00:00

From Ian:

Why the Left Resents Israeli Democracy

Israel's tradition of marking Yom Hazikaron before Yom Haatzmaut–Memorial Day followed by Independence Day–has always served as a crystal clear demonstration that no matter the success and the progress of the Jewish state, Israelis never forget the price the Jews have had to pay for their own security. So it takes a special kind of chutzpah to not only accuse Israelis of ignoring the costs, the sacrifices, the trade-offs, and the responsibilities of statehood, but to do so on the weekend of Yom Hazikaron.
Yet that is precisely the sucker punch the American Jewish left hit their Israeli brethren with over the past few days. To be sure, American Jews don't (necessarily) intend it to be the pernicious cheap shot it unquestionably is. The emotionally and politically and religiously complex question of how much Israeli state policy reflects a general consensus in the Jewish world has often led the American left into the same thought-cocoon to which they retreat when Republicans win national elections. Their fellow voters, they reason, must have been fooled.
Both the Forward newspaper editorialists and Harvard's Yochai Benkler are out with recycled versions of this–a kind of What's the Matter with Kansas for the Jews of Israel. The Forward's weekend editorial is based on the demonstrably untrue claim that Israelis have crafted a situation in which they are blissfully unaware of the statelessness of the Palestinians next door: (h/t Normman F)

"Humanitarian" Extremism: Aid Convoys under the Spotlight

The British suicide bomber and jihadist, Abdul Waheed Majeed, did not arrive in war-torn Syria by himself. He was part of an "aid convoy" organized by the British charity, Children in Deen. Although British aid convoy charities deny purposely ferrying would-be jihadists to Syria, a closer look suggests that these so-called humanitarians are not as innocent as they might like us to believe.
Children in Deen is in fact -- along with two other "aid convoy" charities, the Abu Faisal Trust and One Nation -- funding projects in Gaza run by the Al-Falah Benevolent Society, which, according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, is one of "Hamas's charitable societies." Al-Falah is managed by Ramadan Tamboura, whom the newspaper Ha'aretz describes as "a well-known Hamas figure."
Fundraising events organized by Children in Deen have included speakers such as Zahir Mahmood, who claims that, "Hamas are not terrorists. They're freedom fighters." Mahmood also discourages Muslims from integrating with British society and rebukes those who "give preference to our nationality over our Islamic identity."

In For The Kill: Turning Americans against Israel after the Six Day War

"When Israel won her stunning victory in the Six-Day War of June 1967, the American public's reaction brought no joy to the Arab functionaries and sympathizers who had been trying, in a desultory way, to cultivate a body of pro-Arab sentiment in this country. Insofar as Americans had any opinion on the Middle East crisis at all-- and nearly one-half had none—they favored Israel over the Arab states in a ratio of nearly 14 to 1.
In moments of candor, Arab diplomats have since acknowledged that inept information methods had much to do with their failure to influence U.S. attitudes. Today, Arab propaganda is being stepped up in tempo and volume, and is becoming increasingly professionalized. (Four Arab governments--Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic—retain professional public relations counsel in this country.) The clumsy, unselective approaches of yesteryear are being replaced by more sophisticated techniques aimed at particular audiences— such as church groups, the student left, or the disaffected blacks."
Thus begins a report prepared in July 1969 for the American Jewish Committee that throws a fascinating light on how Arab propagandists reacted to the challenge of turning American public opinion against the Zionist Entity.

Missing Barry Rubin

It is hard to believe that it has been three months since Barry Rubin passed away.
With all going on in the world, and especially in the Middle East, Barry's absence is pronounced as there are few who saw things as clearly as he did. Barry's essays and columns are not disposable, like those of some other columnists and analysts. He wasn't looking for some pithy phrase to describe a complex problem or looking for new evidence to support his ideology. He looked at events and facts and drew his conclusions. Consequently something Barry wrote could still be relevant or true, months or years later.
Two recent stories illustrate this point:

Odessa Jews Prepare for Emergency Evacuation if Local Violence Worsens

Odessa Jewish community leaders said Sunday that Jews in the city are preparing to evacuate if violence worsens in the western Ukrainian city. In the past few days, violent clashes between pro-Russian and nationalist forces resulted in more than 40 deaths, according to reports.
About 30,000 Jews live in Odessa. Representatives of the Ukrainian Jewish community insisted that the violence is not specifically targeting Jews. But Rabbi Refael Kruskal, who heads the Odessa-based Jewish philanthropic organization Tikva, said there were several Jews wounded in the clashes.

Christian Giving Provides Lifeline for 'Abandoned' Ukrainian Jewish Community (INTERVIEW)

Since the outbreak of violence and political chaos in Ukraine, Christian charity has been lavished on the country's beleaguered and isolated Jewish community, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, told The Algemeiner on Sunday.
In the past 30 days alone, his mammoth charity has stepped up to provide over $5 million in grants to aid the elderly and the poor hit by skyrocketing inflation. It has also filled the gap left by local philanthropists who are struggling amidst the tug-of-war between Russian and Ukrainian nationalists that is tearing the country apart.

Jewish mayor of Kharkiv regains consciousness after shooting

The Jewish mayor of Ukraine's second-largest city, regained consciousness in a Haifa hospital on Monday, a week after being shot in the back amid rising tensions in eastern Ukraine.
Kharkiv's chief Chabad emisssary, Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz, confirmed Monday that Hennady Kernes had woken up and was recovering at the Rambam Medical Center.
A picture posted to Kernes's Instagram account on Sunday showed him in a hospital bed making a peace sign with his fingers and the caption "Need to live strong. I will be back. Thank you very much."

Letter to Samantha Power on UN bid to name Richard Falk's wife to top post

UN Watch is deeply concerned over the proposed UN Human Rights Council appointment, scheduled for this Thursday, 8 May 2014, of Ms. Hilal Elver as the new Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. For the reasons set forth below, UN Watch urges the United States to oppose her candidacy, which we believe will harm the cause of human rights, damage the reputation of the United Nations, and undermine the interests of the United States.
As you know, the Right to Food mandate was conceived by Cuba in 2000 to be used as a political weapon against the U.S. and West, which is exactly what the first mandate-holder— Jean Ziegler, co-founder of the Muammar Gaddafi Human Rights Prize—did for eight years. A review of Ms. Elver's record suggests that she would follow this politicized and prejudiced path.

UC Irvine Hillel Forces Cancellation of Pro-Israel Speaker

On the heels of Brandeis University's controversial decision to rescind an honorary degree to women's rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, organizers of a week-long pro-Israel event called iFest, which is currently underway at the University of California, Irvine, say they have been forced to cancel a scheduled speech by Nonie Darwish, a prominent pro-Israel speaker. Lead iFest organizer Daniel Narvy, president of the campus group Anteaters for Israel (AFI), who will be joining the Israeli Defense Forces this summer, says Orange County Hillel was primarily responsible for the cancelation and that the incident is another example of Hillel's marginalization of Narvy due to his conservative and traditional views.
Nonie Darwish is the founder and president of FormerMuslimsUnited, an advocacy group for Islamic apostates, and Arabs for Israel, an organization that promotes a positive outlook among Arabs toward the Jewish State and advocates for peace in the region. Darwish was born and raised in Egypt during the most tumultuous period of the Arab-Israeli conflict and is the daughter of Col. Mustafa Hafez, former head of Egyptian intelligence in the Sinai and Gaza, who led multiple operations against Israel during the 1950s. Due to his activities, Darwish's father was killed by the Israeli military in 1956 by a mail bomb when she was 8 years old, which greatly impacted her negative views toward the Jewish State. (h/t Bob Knot)

Op-Ed: Why are Christians funding Israel's anti-Zionist fringe?

The State of Israel is celebrating its 66th birthday. For Israelis, Jews around the world and all supporters of Israel, this is a joyous occasion. By and large, even Israelis who are critical of some of their country's policies nevertheless celebrate its remarkable accomplishments and contributions to the world.
Amid these celebrations, there is a minuscule group of Jewish Israelis who support Palestinian rejectionist ideology and identify with the "Nakba" (Arabic for "catastrophe") narrative. The importance of this unrepresentative fringe is inflated far beyond its numbers due to support from some powerful Christian institutions, including Catholic frameworks.
For example, Zochrot (Hebrew for "remembrance") is an Israeli NGO whose activities are made possible in large part through the support of European church aid agencies. It aims to "raise public awareness of the Palestinian Nakba" and to "recogniz[e] and materializ[e] the right of return." In this way, Zochrot is overtly political, promoting a radical vision for the Middle East that does not include the right of the Jewish people to sovereign equality.

Mael: Perpetuating Anti-Semitism is Not Pro-Palestine

The actions of SJP chapters across the country are blatantly antithetical to peace of any kind. By parading anti-Semitic speakers around campuses nationwide, crashing Holocaust Awareness Week and other Jewish events, and posting pictures that call for violence against the state of Israel, SJP is fostering nothing more than glorified hate speech against the Jewish state and the Jewish people.
This extremist campus movement is also responsible for the anti-Israel divestment hearings that are making their way to campuses around the country. By fulfilling the aspirations of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, SJP seeks to have universities divest from Israeli companies. No other country has been targeted, holding the Jewish state to a standard well above International norms. This falls under Natan Sharanksy's widely accepted definition of anti-Semitism as that which demonizes, delegitimizes, or holds Israel and the Jewish people to a double standard.

Jewish Voice for Peace. Heirs to P.T. Barnum?

The Al Awda Palestinian right to return organization and the notorious anti-Semitic activist Gilad Atzmon have reported receiving unsolicited "coaching" from JVP. The Jew-washers have urged them to "keep BDS about the occupation", and to say "Zionist" not "Jew". It's just a show, with smoke and mirrors designed to increase the palatability of what is widely accepted as an extremist agenda. It's enough to make P.T. Barnum kvell.
Barnum once declared "I am a showman by profession...and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me." Jewish Voice for Peace function in the same basic role. They are showmen, putting a Jewish face on anti-Jewish ideas and all the rhetorical gymnastics in the world cannot gild that.

Toronto based Meshwar newspaper published an article describing the Holocaust as the "the biggest lie in history" and an anti-Semitic cartoon

Toronto based Meshwar newspaper addresses the Arab community in Canada and distributed for free in the Greater Toronto area. The editor of the Arabic newspaper is Dr. Nazih Khatatba, a board member of the 'Palestine House' in Mississauga, and its offices are located at 3195 Erindale Station Rd., Mississauga, Ontario, the same address of the Palestine House.
In Issue 103, May 2, 2014, p. 22 Meshwar published an article written by Dr. Ibrahim Alloush and bearing the title "Why the Holocaust is relevant to us?" [covered by EoZ here]
The article is accompanied with a cartoon depicting an orthodox Jew with hook nose driving a car. The Jewish symbol the "Star of David" is drawn on his hat. The Jewish driver is holding a steering wheel designed as the emblem of the United Nations and a transmission stick bearing the face of US President Barack Obama on its head.

California school district cancels lesson plan that involved Holocaust denial

Following a storm of criticism – and at least one death threat – a California school district Monday canceled a lesson plan that instructed middle school students to make arguments denying the Holocaust happened.
The assignment, aimed at eighth-grade students in Southern California's Rialto Unified School District, sought to teach children to learn the nature of propaganda.
"Some people claim the Holocaust is not an actual event, but instead is a propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain," the assignment said, according to a document posted by The Daily Bulletin. "You will read and discuss multiple, credible articles on the issue, and write an argumentative essay, based upon cited textual evidence, in which you explain whether or not you believe this was an actual event in history, or merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain wealth."

Canadian Shaykh Saed Rageah: "Israel in number one in sex slaves", steals little girls and sells them

Shaykh Saed Rageah was born in Somalia and in the late 80sn moved to North America. Rageah has a Bachelor's in Islamic studies and a Masters in Shari'ah and he has had several posts over the years, including: founder of Masjid Huda in Montreal and Masjid Aya in Maryland, advisor for Muslim Youth magazine, and member in the Aqsa Association.
He is also the founder of both Muslim Magazine and Al Aqsa Association, and served as the Chaplain at both the University of Calgary and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).
Currently, he serves as Imam at the Abu Hurairah Mosque in Toronto, the Chairman for the Journey of Faith Conference and as an instructor for the AlMaghrib Institute.
In a lecture delivered in Denmark (posted on Youtube on April 15, 2013) dealing with women's right Shaykh Rageah asserted that Islam, unlike the Christianity and Judaism, dignifies women. Referring to Israel and the Jews in this regard Shaykh Rageah said the following:

Putin passes law banning Nazi crime denial

The legislation makes it a criminal offence to deny facts established by the Nuremberg trials regarding the crimes of the Axis powers and to disseminate "false information about Soviet actions" during World War II.
Such acts are punishable by up to five years in a prison camp or a fine of 500,000 rubles ($14,000), the law says. Those making such claims in mass media are liable for the harshest punishments.
The legislation was voted through by Russia's upper and lower houses of parliament last month.
It comes as Russia makes more and more explicit comparisons between Ukrainian nationalists and Nazi war criminals.

Tshuva To Export 20% of "Tamar" Gas Field to Egypt

Yitzchak Tshuva plans to sell 20% of the gas drilled from the "Tamar" gas field to Egpyt, according to a report in Calcalist.
Letters of understandings were signed, and official contracts are expected to be signed in six months.
This is the first export agreement with Egypt, and follows the export agreement signed a few months ago with Jordan.

Israeli startup aims to harness excess industrial heat to transform CO2, water into fuel

Excess heat squandered in industrial production processes, as well as the carbon dioxide and water vapors emanating from their chimneys, will soon be put to positive use by an Israeli start-up.
The Rehovot-based NewCO2Fuels (NCF) plans to use the extreme heat released by factories such as steel, ceramics, glass and gasification plants – where residual heat temperatures rise to 1,450°C – to drive an innovative fuel production process, the company's CEO, David Banitt, told The Jerusalem Post this week.
Through a process of electrolysis, catalystand membrane-laden cells capture the CO2 and water these factories emit, generating the highly potent syngas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) and a separate stream of oxygen.

Archaeologist claims to unearth King David's citadel

An Israeli archaeologist says he has found the legendary citadel captured by King David in his conquest of Jerusalem, rekindling a longstanding debate about using the Bible as a field guide to identifying ancient ruins.
The claim by Eli Shukron, like many such claims in the field of biblical archaeology, has run into criticism. It joins a string of announcements by Israeli archaeologists saying they have unearthed palaces of the legendary biblical king, who is revered in Jewish religious tradition for establishing Jerusalem as its central holy city — but who has long eluded historians looking for clear-cut evidence of his existence and reign.

66 companies that make me proud to be Israeli

Israel is home to hundreds of great companies, from huge corporations to brand new start-ups and non-profits. To celebrate Israel's 66th birthday, here's my mega-list of 66 great Israeli companies. Chag HaAtzmaut Sameach!

The last of the founding generation, captured on film

Lt. Elad Peled, 20, set out with 35 men, on foot, at three in the morning, to take the city of Safed in the spring of 1948. The story of how he managed to prevail over a superior enemy – and persuade his now-wife of 66 years, Zimra, to marry him in the process – is but one patch on a quilt of video testimony that includes 700 interviewees and 3,000 hours of testimony from those who lived through the War of Independence and the founding of the State of Israel.
The Jerusalem-based nonprofit Toldot Yisrael conducted the interviews over the past several years and has recently partnered up with the National Library of Israel, which is to make the material available to the public.
"I was inspired by the work that Steven Spielberg had done with the survivors of the Shoah and I thought there ought to be a continuation or parallel project about the founding of the state of Israel," Eric Halivni, the head of the organization, said at a recent press conference.

Lebanon (and UNRWA) continue treating Pal Syrians like dirt

Posted on: Tuesday 06 May 2014 — 22:00

AFP reports:

Human Rights Watch and a UN refugee agency expressed concern on Tuesday that Lebanon was blocking Palestinians fleeing Syria from entering the country.

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said it was "concerned about the increased restrictions on Palestine refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria from entering Lebanon".

"We are monitoring the situation on the border carefully and have been given assurances by the Lebanese authorities that these restrictions are temporary," said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness in a statement.

Beirut has not announced a blanket ban on the entry of Palestinians from Syria, but government sources confirm a general policy to keep out Palestinians fleeing the conflict.

HRW also noted a similar policy in Jordan:

Human Rights Watch has also documented the Jordanian government's policy of pushing back Palestinian refugees from Syria trying to enter Jordan from Syria at the border, without considering their claims for asylum in Jordan.

But UNRWA's claim of being concerned about how Palestinian Syrians in Lebanon are faring is hollow. UNRWA is treating them badly too, as Albawaba notes:

Mohammed Hassan, a refugee from Syria who is in charge of health at the Baddawi Popular Committee, explains that "in general, most cases in Baddawi and Bared are of chronic diseases. Two months ago, there were six cancer patients who had to return to Syria, being unable to get treatment in Lebanon."

"Aid comes from NGOs mostly," he continues. "The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) covered some needs based on their meager capacity, but no medicine. However, some political factions cover these issues also. But patients still need money if they want to see specialists."

"As for UNRWA, it treats Syrian Palestinians as it did in Syria, covering 50 percent of expenses, but only through pressure and connections," he adds. "The percentage is not logical. UNRWA knows that Lebanon prohibits Palestinian refugees from getting jobs."

"UNRWA staff treat us as 'second class,' since we come from Syria," he continues. "We met the UNRWA director in North Lebanon and explained our situation, but nothing has been solved until now. The priority is 100 percent health coverage. We want to be treated like they would treat a refugee who was displaced from Bared to Baddawi, for example."

UNRWA keeps asking for money for the Syrian refugees. However, UNRWA already inflates the numbers of Palestinian Arabs in Lebanon by about 200,000 - yet it cannot find the money to handle an additional 50,000 refugees when they budget money for 200K phantom people?

Lebanon, for its part, wants to ensure that its Palestinian population stays miserable and stateless. Only last month:

Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil Monday voiced Lebanon's opposition to a recent Arab League resolution because it failed to mention the Palestinian right of return.

During a news conference, Bassil said the ministry had sent a letter of complaint to the organization and had held contacts with its head, Nabil Elarabi, and the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry urging an amendment to the statement, which was released April 9.

"We supported the decisions which were expected to be in the final statement because it preserved the tripartite formula of the Arab Peace Initiative," he said, referring to the need for Israel's withdrawal to the 1967 borders, the establishment of a Palestinian state and the right of refugees to return. "We were surprised to see that the right of return, or at least rejection of naturalization in Lebanon, was dropped from the final statement ... therefore, we announce our reservation and opposition to what happened."

"The right of return is a permanent Lebanese stance and that position can change if [Palestinians] abandon such a right. Lebanon's stance, then, will be outright rejection of naturalization," he said.

The Lebanese Constitutional forbids naturalization, Bassil said, adding that such a move would damage the country's demography.

There have been thousands of lucky Palestinians over the years who have managed to become citizens through loopholes in Lebanese laws. None of them ever said "no, I prefer to remain stateless." Yet Lebanon - and UNRWA - insist that the Pals reject naturalization, when it is in fact the self-proclaimed Arab leaders who reject Palestinian Arabs from becoming citizens. The entire reason Lebanon, Jordan and other Arab nations insist on "the right to return" is so that they can get rid of their Palestinian populations.

That's how much they love their "brethren."

Jews remain the most hated people in the Middle East, hands down. But Palestinian Arabs are a close second.

Lebanese upset over Maronite patriarch visiting Israel with the Pope

Posted on: Tuesday 06 May 2014 — 20:00

JPost reported:

The leader of the Maronite Church in Lebanon is set to accompany Pope Francis during his visit to Israel later this month, AFP reported on Friday.

Patriarch Beshara al-Rai was elected head of the Maronite Church in 2011.

"The pope is going to the Holy Land and Jerusalem," Rai told AFP. "He is going to the diocese of the patriarch, so it's normal that the patriarch should welcome him."

Lebanese citizens are not permitted to visit Israel, nor are Israelis allowed to cross the border to the north. The only exception is Maronite clergy, who are permitted to travel as part of their function within the Church.

"It is a religious visit, and in no way a political one," the patriarch said to AFP.

According to the report, Rai will not meet any political figures in Israel. He is, however, scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Al Akhbar English is going apoplectic:

Israel does not recognize Jerusalem as being Palestinian. According to the Zionists, this land is their capital and they want their counterparts to thank them for allowing them to live on its eastern outskirts. Visiting the occupied lands is only possible by complying with the occupation authorities, who are in charge of letting people in or keeping them out. No matter by whom, such visits could be used to promote normalization in any case, especially if the visitor is an Arab. So how about if the visitor was the head of the Church of Antioch and All the East?

Rai is still a Lebanese citizen, regardless of having become a religious figure.The late Coptic Pope Shenouda III refused to travel through Israel to visit the Holy Land, so he prohibited all Copts from visiting Jerusalem, as long as it remains under occupation. This was also the position of every Lebanese patriarch since 1948, although they appointed bishops at the head of the [Jerusalem] Diocese.

This month, however, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai will break the taboo, under the pretext of accompanying Pope Francis in is his tour of the region. But Lebanese public opinion is split between those who defend Rai's patriotism and those who oppose the visit because it violates the Lebanese constitution. Rai is a Lebanese citizen, regardless of having become a religious figure.

However, the majority of political parties are still hesitant to give their position, including Hezbollah. Sources from [the seat of the Maronite patriarch in] Bkirki told Al-Akhbar that there had been "indirect correspondences" between the two sides. "[Hezbollah] expressed wishes that the Patriarch would not visit the Holy Land," the sources said.

... Former deputy speaker of parliament, Elie Ferzli, defended the visit in his own way. He said he is currently "waiting." He delved into history and concluded that the issue should not be "from the perspective a Lebanese patriarch visiting the Holy Land. Israel is behind the campaign against the Christian presence there and experiences starting in 1948 are proof of its intentions."

According to Ferzli, the Israelis want to achieve three goals out of the visit. First, "harming Christians and saying that the Muslims are to blame, thus reviving Islamophobia." The second goal is "emptying the region, which witnessed the birth of Christ, to become a place without a soul." The third goal would be to "destroy the Levantine Church, allowing Israel to propose the equation of Mecca for the Muslims, the Vatican for the Christians, and Jerusalem for the Jews." This forced the Vatican to ask for a "Levantine cover, which is the Lebanese Maronite Church." Still according to Ferzli, the Vatican did not decide to plan the visit without an objective, "it is working on a long-term strategy. The issue cannot be put in a narrow framework."

The Lebanese BDS movement is even more upset, considering this a personal affront in an open letter:

Won't your visit violate the decisions of the global BDS movement, which was established in 2006, calling for boycotting Israel, divesting from it and imposing sanctions on it. It is a campaign that now includes thousands of ecclesiastics, trade unionists, academics, artists, scientists and novelists? In other words, does the interest of this or that community supercede the interests and blood of the people of Palestine and Lebanon and the positions of a growing number of world activists, including prominent ecclesiastics such as South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu who was one of the heroes of his country's liberation from apartheid?

They are also aghast at the terrible prospect of appearing to support "normalization."

I admit, it is fun seeing Israel's haters proving, day in and day out, how little they care about peace. Too bad so many people believe their lies about supporting "human rights."

05/06 Links Pt1: Israel Turns 66; Hey John Kerry, What Would A Palestinian State Look Like?

Posted on: Tuesday 06 May 2014 — 18:00

From Ian:

With songs and pageantry, nation transitions from mourning to celebration

Israel crossed over from mourning to celebration on Monday night, as Memorial Day came to a close at sundown and Israel's 66th Independence Day began.
Mourning and somber speeches gave way to fireworks, concerts and parties across the country as the nation transitioned to Independence Day, with flags raising from half-mast back to full.
The juxtaposition of the two days is a key part of Israelis' experience of national mourning, ensuring that no commemoration completely excludes the achievement wrought by the sacrifice, and no that the elation of independence is never far removed from an awareness of its cost.

Google Doodle (h/t Yenta Press)

PM Netanyahu's Greeting for Independence Day 2014

IDF Blog: Happy Birthday Israel!

Israel's Declaration of Independence printed in US papers

A full-page advertisement reproducing Israel's Declaration of Independence appeared in The New York Times and USA Today.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust funded the ads in Monday's editions on the eve of Israel's Independence Day.
"By publishing Israel's founding document in two of the most widely read newspapers across the country, we will reach many Americans who often don't have the chance to learn about the deep similarities between our countries due to media coverage that focuses primarily on conflict," Helmsley trustee Sandor Frankel said in a statement. "The promise of Israel's founders to uphold, in a Jewish state, social and political equality of all citizens without distinction of race, creed or sex; to guarantee the full freedom of conscience, worship, education, and culture; to safeguard the sanctity of holy places of all religions; and the call for peace with all neighboring states, resonates with America's own deepest values."

Jewish nationalism is a lot older than the Zionist movement

As Israel enters its 67th year of existence as a modern state, Jews throughout the world will join together in celebration of Jewish freedom and nationhood.
Although many erroneously link Jewish nationalism with Theodor Herzl, and consider Israel to be the end result of western guilt for the Holocaust, few are actually aware of the uninterrupted presence of Jewish life in Israel after Rome's decimation of Judea in the years 132 to 136.
Throughout the ages, pilgrims, Crusaders and travellers attested to this in numerous accounts of their voyages.
In fact, even accounts of Saladin's life recount his having permitted Jews banned by the Crusaders to resettle in Jerusalem.
From generation to generation, Jews have always maintained a spiritual link with Israel, a land that gave birth to our prophets and the liturgical Hebrew language that still unites us in faith.

What is the Status of the Israeli Flag?

The Israeli flag has become a national symbol for the Jewish people, an emblem of Zionism and hope.
One new book probes deeper into the flag's significance - including its historical roots and a wealth of rabbinic opinions on its status.
Rabbi Ari Shvat's upcoming book, To Raise the Flag, will reveal several little-known facts about the ultimate symbol of Israeli pride. The Rabbi, a professor at Orot Israel College, gave Arutz Sheva a preview in a special interview Monday night.

66 things I love about Israel

It's that time of year again, when comedian Benji Lovitt lists things he loves about Israel, and this year's list (all new, every year) is 66 things long in honor of Israel's 66th birthday. Enjoy, share the love, and Happy Independence Day from The Times of Israel!

Israel by the Numbers

Celebrate Israel's birthday with this comprehensive infographic.

Caroline Glick: Rand Paul's support for Israel

The hard truth is that while American isolationism is bad for the US, it isn't necessarily bad for Israel. To date, under Democratic and Republican administrations alike, there has been a direct correlation between the level of US involvement in Israel's affairs and US hostility towards Israel.
Paul's pro-Israel detractors note that he also supports cutting off US military aid to Israel. But that doesn't necessarily make him anti-Israel.
Despite the protestations of AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups, it is far from clear that Israel would be worse off if it stopped receiving US aid. Indeed, it is likely that Israel's economy and military strength would both be enhanced by the strategic independence that an aid cut-off would bring about.
Yes, Paul is a complicated character. But that doesn't make him Israel's enemy. His bill was an act of friendship. And Israel can use more friends in Washington who actually do things that help it rather than suffice with declaring their support for Israel while standing by as its reputation is trashed.

Hey John Kerry, What Would A Palestinian State Look Like?

Perhaps an independent Palestine would be different than every other Arab country that exists. But there is really no good reason to believe so. The West Bank's semi-autonomous government is hardly a model of freedom. Gaza is even worse. Not too long after Israel left Gaza in 2005, the terrorist group Hamas established a religious despotism there. If any Jews actually lived in Gaza, you can bet they would be second-class citizens, if they weren't murdered outright. Apartheid would probably be something to long for if you were a Jew living in Gaza.
While Kerry is fretting over the imaginary threat of an "apartheid" Israel, the Jewish state continues to be the only country in the region where Arabs have the type of rights we in the West take for granted. Israel is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa region to get Freedom House's top rating of "free." That doesn't mean Israel is perfect. But Israeli Arabs serve in Israel's parliament, sit on Israel's Supreme Court, have served in Israel's cabinet and have succeeded in the media and private sector. Just last week, Samer Shalabi, an Israeli Arab, was elected chair of Israel's Foreign Policy Association.

US denies report that peace team has been dismantled

Deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf also dismissed reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry had decided to dismantle the team of American negotiators who have been based on the ground in Jerusalem for months trying to push forward the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Special envoy Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel, had returned to Washington for consultations, Harf confirmed, after last week's April 29 deadline for a deal passed in a stalemate.
"We're going to see where this goes from here and, you know, figure out what makes sense in terms of staffing," she told reporters, saying "we have some senior officials that will be going soon" to the region, without going into specifics.

The Big Lie: Prelude to Murdering Jews

The idea that Israel is violating Article 49 makes no sense. The Geneva Convention applies only to territories belonging to a sovereign power, yet Judea/Samaria are unallocated territory under international law. There has been no determination of their status by any internationally binding agreement. Nor are Palestinians being deported from Judea/Samaria to another territory. Further, Jews choose to live in Judea/Samaria — Israel is not deporting them to Judea/Samaria.
The premise of Israeli "occupation," based on which Jewish settlement has been falsely deemed illegal or illegitimate, has been debunked by many legal scholars, including a recent legal commission headed by former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy. If anything, Israel has the superior title to the land. As stated by Stephen Schwebel, formerly President of the International Court of Justice, a country acting in self-defense lawfully conquers territory when that territory has been used to attack it.
Yet, despite the groundlessness of the claim of illegal settlement, the Big Lie serves as the pretext for anti-Israel voting and campaigning, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to stifle Israel economically and turn Israel and Jews who support her into pariahs.

Turkish Finance Minister Questions Israel's Rights as Jewish State Over Twitter

On Sunday, Simsek replied via Twitter to an article in the Israel Hayom daily about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that Israel would seek to add the notion of the Jewish state to its founding documents.
The Israel Hayom headline on Twitter was: "PM: #Israel is the nation state of the #Jewish people only."
Simsek replied to that: "Apartheid – Isn't it an int'l crime?"
While many responded to his tweet in Turkish, one English speaker wrote on Monday: "#Turkish Finance Min is giving democracy lesson to #Israel the only democratic country in #MiddleEast"

Rabbi at Shelly Dadon Funeral: 'Her Only Sin Was Being Jewish' (VIDEO)

A thousand people attended the Saturday night funeral of 20-year-old Shelly Dadon, found murdered outside the northern Israeli town of Migdal Haemek last Thursday in an abandoned parking lot, according to Israel National News on Monday.
Rabbi Yitzhak David Grossman, the rabbi of Migdal Haemek who spoke at the funeral, said, "Her only sin was being Jewish," in reference to suspicions that the crime was committed by an Arab to show his distaste for the Israeli nation, as reports said there was no sign of robbery or sexual assault.
"We are here in pain, sorrow and astonishment," Rabbi Grossman said. "This tragedy, this brutal murder happened in our town."

Ultra-Orthodox quietly joining Israeli military

Moshe Prigan starts his day off just like many other men in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak with his morning prayer. It's only later that the routine takes an unexpected twist, when he puts on his air force uniform and heads to the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The 30-year-old captain doesn't just serve in the military. He also recruits other ultra-Orthodox Jewish men to enlist, something the cloistered community traditionally has avoided doing. (h/t Bob Knot)

Close Up: Paramedic on the Syrian Border

5-May-14: The making of a martyr: it takes more than a village

"The funeral of the remains of the martyr who gave his soul for the struggle of a nation that strives for freedom" (that's a direct quote) received significant coverage on the government-controlled official Palestinian Authority news outlet, PA Television, this past Wednesday, April 30, 2014.
The televised [see brief YouTube extracts here and here] and widely photographed (see below) event was made possible, first, by Israel's incomprehensible handing over last week of the decomposed remains of Izz Al-Din Al-Masri. He was the human bomb whose explosion caused a massacre in the center of Jerusalem on August 9, 2001.
The savagery celebrated by the Palestinian Arab crowd cost 15 human lives, 8 of them children, all of them Jews. One was our daughter Malki, 15.
The woman who set up the massacre and selected the site - the Sbarro pizza store at the corner of Jaffa Road and King George Avenue in the commercial heart of Jerusalem - has gone on record proudly asserting that she sought a target where she and the human bomb could murder a large number of (a) religious Jews and (b) religious Jewish children. (A sixteenth victim, a young mother, has been left in a comatose state for more than a dozen years.)

US aid indirectly helps Hamas, under deal with Palestinian Authority

The Palestinian Authority's announcement that it will send 3,000 police officers to Gaza as part of a unity agreement with Hamas could mean U.S. taxpayers are now at least indirectly helping an officially designated terror organization maintain law and order -- and its grip on power.
The police deployment came as part of a deal between the mainly secular government of the West Bank and the radical Islamist regime of Hamas that rules in Gaza. That agreement effectively ended hopes for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process championed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, but it also raises questions about U.S. foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority going forward. Since the U.S. subsidizes the PA budget to the tune of approximately $400 million per year, any effort to help Hamas indirectly spends U.S. dollars, say observers in Israel. That could be prohibited by U.S. policy, if it is read as part of a power-sharing agreement.

Hamas Activity in West Bank Fuels Fear Unity Deal Becoming a Lifeline to Terror

Hamas's command and control infrastructure, as well as huge swaths of its advanced arsenal, had been severely degraded during an eight-day Israeli air campaign in November 2012 that came in response to a sharp escalation in the amount and sophistication of projectiles that the group was using to target Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Less than a year later, in the aftermath of the ouster of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-linked then-president Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian army undertook a systematic campaign to destroy the smuggling tunnels that linked the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula and which served as Hamas's economic channel to the outside world.
By October of last year, Hamas officials were publicly bemoaning that they had been "sentenced to death," and by February 2014 analysts were predicting that Hamas was facing "a very bad year." Subsequent months seemed in line with those assessments, with Hamas diplomatically isolated and seemingly caught in a downward economic spiral.

Hamas Releases Fatah Prisoners from Gaza Prisons

The Hamas-run Gaza government released six prisoners affiliated with the Fatah movement on Monday, an official said, according to the Ma'an news agency.
Iyad al-Bazim, spokesman for the Gaza Interior Ministry, told Ma'an that the prisoners had received a pardon from Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh as part of the April 23 PLO-Hamas unity deal.
The six were convicted of various felonies, al-Bazim said, without elaborating.

Obama's Swelled Head Hinders Hiding It In Sand On Iran, Hamas (satire)

With the help of Secretary of State John Kerry and several advisers, Obama has studiously tried to ignore Iran's manipulation of Western powers and the UN's nuclear watchdog agency, dismissing as exaggerated the Israeli protestations that the Islamic Republic is on track to threaten global interests within months. However, the ongoing crisis in Ukraine elicited several grand pronouncements from Obama that proved useless in keeping Russia out of the Crimea and exposing him to questions about his will and ability to defend other allies living in the shadow of a nuclear-armed Iran.
The administration's swelled head also encumbered efforts to minimize the importance of the Fatah-Hamas unity deal, as earlier proud, unequivocal statements by the president and his spokespeople, to the effect that Hamas participation in Palestinian Authority governance would be a deal-breaker in American-mediated negotiations, were referred to, at the same time that Hamas – and even some Fatah officials, contradicting Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas – loudly insisted that Hamas would neither disarm nor recognize Israel.

Daily Beast: Analysts Believe Assad Has Secret Unconventional Program

The Daily Beast on Thursday cited a range of Western intelligence analysts converging on the assessment that Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime not only has a secret cache of undeclared chemical weapons – which the outlet said included "crude chlorine-filled bombs, secret stockpiles of sophisticated nerve gasses or their components" – but also the stored institutional knowledge to "rebuild a larger-scale, higher-grade chemical weapons effort" once the international community has turned its attention away from Syria.
The outlet noted that widely broadcast reports regarding the eradication of Assad's chemical arsenal only take into account "the chemical arsenal Assad admitted he had" as part of a deal under which Damascus agreed to turn over its chemical weapons in exchange for the West suspending what appeared to be imminent airstrikes.

Lebanese leader urges Syrian rebels to shun Israeli aid

The Monday statement by Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) head Walid Jumblatt came a week after a senior Syrian opposition figure told The Times of Israel rebels were looking for help from Jerusalem.
"We refuse and condemn any resorting to Israelis, as some leaked information [suggested] a security and intelligence cooperation between some rebel parties [and Israel]," Jumblatt said in a column published by the Al-Anbaa news site, according to Lebanese media reports.

Iran foreign minister: I won't allow official Holocaust denial

Mohammad Javad Zarif was summoned to parliament and questioned in a session that was broadcast live on state radio on Tuesday.
Comprised of religious figures, former lawmakers and officials as well as some current MPs, the critics were unhappy about Zarif's more moderate foreign policy, including what they call his "reactionary stance towards the bastard (Israeli) Zionist regime and the Holocaust."
Zarif said that, as long as he is foreign minister, he will not allow Iran's reputation to be damaged with statements about "Holocaust denial."
Zarif fought back against the increasingly scathing criticism from the hardliners, saying his pragmatic approach to diplomacy had stolen Israel's thunder.
After years of bellicose rhetoric from ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the foreign minister added that the new government had managed to put an end to Israel's portrayal of Iran as "a danger" over its nuclear ambitions.

Misplaced Optimism Over Iran

Finally, the regime is undergoing yet another crisis of legitimacy in the eyes of its own people. Visitors to Tehran report seeing large numbers of young people with their heads shaved in a gesture of solidarity with political dissidents incarcerated in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, many of whom were viciously beaten by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps at the beginning of April. At the same time, the economy is suffering: the price of gas has increased by a colossal 75 percent, while the value of Iran's currency, the rial, has dropped 9 percent against the U.S. dollar.
When you recall that 25 percent of Iran's workforce is unemployed, the prospect of social unrest—culminating in a typically brutal response on the part of the authorities—cannot be discounted.
Critically, we are no closer to answering the questions that have hovered over the nuclear crisis from the beginning: Can Iran's leaders deliver a political solution that satisfies all parties? Are they willing to submit to an inspection regime that will prevent them weaponizing? On both counts, the answer remains negative, which is why all that optimism is better understood as wishful thinking.

Sheikh Tamimi predicts a "massacre in Al Aqsa" today

Posted on: Tuesday 06 May 2014 — 16:00

Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi, "Chief Justice of Palestine" and Secretary General of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem, says that Israel is planning to massacre Muslims on the Temple Mount today, in order to give an excuse to divide it between Jews and Muslims.

Israeli police are limiting the number of Muslims onto the Mount today to avoid problems as a crowd of Jews plan to ascend for Yom Ha'Atzmaut.

As soon as Jewish groups announced their plans to visit the Mount today, Muslim leaders put out a call to have thousands of people "defend Al Aqsa" from being "desecrated."

Tamimi says that today's planned massacre will follow the formula of Baruch Goldstein's murdering Muslims at the Cave of the Patriarchs, implying that it was a Zionist plot to give an excuse for the "temporal and physical division" of the holy spot.

Tamimi has a history of hysterical incitement like this. He once insisted that Israel would destroy Al Aqsa and build a Temple by March 16, 2010. When that date passed without incident, he just started a new rumor. And so on.

So far, this "massacre" is as real as Tamimi's other confident predictions. Although I suspect that he would be quite pleased if such an event occurred.

Oh, and this terror supporting sheikh who spends his days inciting Muslims to attack Jews was one of the esteemed people visited by the State Department's Shaun Casey earlier this year.

Here is a video shown on the Aqsa Heritage Foundation website that shows how violent these evil Jewish settlers were when they visited today.

Hamas releases anti-Hatikva video showing Arabs expelling Jews to Germany

Posted on: Tuesday 06 May 2014 — 14:00

Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades has released a video for Israel's Independence Day, called "The End of the Hope" - a pun on the name of Israel's national anthem, Hatikva.

Set to the tune of the anthem, and filled with Hebrew spelling errors, the video shows a single young rock thrower destroying Israel.

Jews are forced onto ships to Germany by masked Hamas terrorists.

Worshippers are chased out of the Kotel plaza which is destroyed and replaced with the "Mughrabi Quarter."

Armed masked terrorists are seen on the roof of the Dome of the Rock to ensure that Jews can never visit there as they sing that there is no Temple in Jerusalem.

There are still lots of Westerners who twist themselves into pretzels to pretend that Hamas accepts Israel's right to exist. This video won't convince them otherwise, because there are none so blind as those who will not see.

Moderate Arab gets expelled from his union for Auschwitz trip

Posted on: Tuesday 06 May 2014 — 11:38

In March, I posted "An Israeli leftist's lonely search for a moderate Palestinian Arab." Professor Einat Wilf spent months trying to find a single Palestinian Arab who would agree to sign this statement:

"The Jewish people around the world and Palestinian people around the world are both indigenous to the Land of Israel/Palestine and therefore have an equal and legitimate right to settle and live anywhere in the Land of Israel/Palestine, but given the desire of both peoples to a sovereign state that would reflect their unique culture and history, we believe in sharing the land between a Jewish state, Israel, and an Arab state, Palestine, that would allow them each to enjoy dignity and sovereignty in their own national home. Neither Israel nor Palestine should be exclusively for the Jewish and Palestinian people respectively and both should accommodate minorities of the other people."

In the end, she found exactly one. That person was Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi, the head of American Studies at Al-Quds University (ironic enough given the hatred of Israel by the American Studies Association) and founder of the Palestinian centrist movement, Wasatia.

If all Palestinian Arab leaders could sign a statement like this today - a very even-handed statement that places a false equivalency between the age-old Jewish attachment to Eretz Yisrael and the recent nationalism of Palestinian Arabs - then there would be peace, real peace, tomorrow.

But only one person has been found to do it publicly.

Dr. Dajani is the professor who led 27 Palestinian Arab students to visit Auschwitz later that month, to withering criticism.

Now, Dajani's membership in his teachers' union has been suspended because of his trip.

From the Facebook page of Rima Najjar, Assistant Professor of English Literature at Al Quds:

DR. MOHAMMAD DAJANI'S UNION MEMBERSHIP AT AL-QUDS UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF HIS VISIT TO AUSCHWITZ

The attached text is a letter published on the Facebook page of Al-Quds University Union of Professors and Employees, in which it is announced that Dr. Mohammad Dajani's membership in the association has been suspended because of "behavior that contravenes the policies and norms" of the association (meaning the academic and cultural boycott of Israeli universities that the association had voted on). The letter does not state this, but the discussion prior to the announcement refers to the trip he took with some students to visit Auschwitz.

She goes on to say that there is no comparison between Arab students visiting Auschwitz and Jewish students visiting an UNRWA camp - because visiting Auschwitz is unforgivable.

She also quotes another prominent Arab academic, Mazin Qumsiyeh, as saying that Dajanis' visit to Auschwitz is antisemitic!

[Dajani] adopted the Zionist perspective that Judaism and Zionism are the same thing and in our opinion this is an antisemitic attitude to equate Zionism and Judaism and somehow link making peace and Zionism with the issues of Jewish suffering around the world.

The fact is that at least 99% of intellectual Palestinian Arabs cannot stomach the idea that Jews have ever been victims of any sort. They viciously attack the extraordinarily few Palestinian Arabs who truly want to live in peace and coexistence.

If anyone can seriously believe that true peace is possible in such a toxic and hateful environment when a simple admission that Jews were slaughtered is controversial and insulted, I'd love to see their logic.

(h/t Bob Knot)

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יום שלישי, 6 במאי 2014