| Palestinian students in the West Bank vote for Hamas at university electionsnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown), 25 May 04:45 AM Last week, at An-Najah Na | | Last week, at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Hamas squeaked out a win over the Fatah bloc in student elections, the first time Hamas has won in 16 years - during the second intifada. Hamas won 40 seats, Fatah's bloc 38, and the socialist PFLP won three.
On Wednesday, there were student elections in Birzeit University near Ramallah, and Hamas's victory was much more substantial. The Islamist bloc won 25 seats, the Fatah bloc 20, and the PFLP six. Since there aren't any real elections, these meaningless student elections are given outsized importance since they are the closest thing to democracy Palestinians ever see. But as anyone who is familiar with student councils knows, their power is practically nil, and the universities don't follow their decisions.
Even so, these elections do reflect how West Bank students think, and even in the heart of Fatah country, the Islamist terror groups won.
The Islamic bloc campaigns heavily referred to famous terrorists. Anyone who claims that the majority of Palestinians want peace are lying. * * * * * * Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller...Read More |
From Ian: Arsen Ostrovsky: A defining moment for how the White House handles antisemitism The answer is that the Biden administration has been under relentless pressure from progressive elements within its own party to extricate or minimize any reference to Israel, to "allow more space for criticism of Israel." In fact, the IHRA definition does not chill, silence, censor or stifle criticism of Israel or advocacy for Palestinians. In fact, the IHRA definition explicitly states that "criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic." The definition also includes helpful examples, however, illustrating how, "taking into account the overall context," purported criticism of Israel can sometimes evince antisemitism. This occurs, for example, when critics apply double standards against Israel that they would not apply to other democratic nations, "[draw] comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis," or "[deny] the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor." Ahead of the Biden administration's unveiling of its national strategy to counter antisemitism, there are reports that, while it might highlight the IHRA definition, it may also reference "alternatives." Doing so would be a terrible idea. Not...Read More |
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's National Security Minister is
variously embraced and reviled for his views, depending on one's political
views. He is embraced by the right for—among other things—his support for
settlements; access to Jewish holy sites; and the deportation of terrorists.
The left, meanwhile reviles Ben-Gvir for his supposed extremism and racism,
though the MK has openly stated that
deportation of Arabs, only terrorists. The stark difference in perspective
is best illustrated through news reports on Ben-Gvir's recent visit to the
Temple Mount. It all boils down to how the different outlets translated the
Hebrew "Ba'al HaBayit." מתפלל. pic.twitter.com/Ms4zX2nag2 — نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) May 21, 2023 According to the Hebrew Ynet report, what Ben-Gvir
actually said in his statement during his visit to the Temple Mount, was "We
are the 'ba'alei habayit of the house, here. All of the threats of Hamas will
not help; we are the ba'alei habayit of Jerusalem and of the whole of the Land
of Israel," "ba'alei" being the plural form of "ba'al." The literal translation of "ba'al habayit" is "Master of the
House." But that is not the sense of this title. A host is referred to as a "ba'al...Read More |
In the Wall Street Journal, former Human Rights Watch direct Ken Roth responds to an Alan Dershowitz op-ed and asks this question: Mr. Dershowitz would have us believe that Israel has lost its standing in the world not because of its repressive occupation without end, amounting to a regime of apartheid, but because of Mr. Soros and two organizations to which he has given funds, Human Rights Watch and J Street. Why are Israeli government partisans unable to resurrect Israel's reputation in the face of a mere billionaire and two groups? Roth is being disingenuous. It isn't only two groups that have joined the anti-Israel jihad - it is the media, the entire "progressive" movement, most of the Arab world and much of the EU. And it is difficult to find an unapologetic pro-Israel position in the mainstream media.
But beyond that, it is a reasonable question. Why can't we "partisans" make more of a difference?
The answer is psychology.
People almost never objectively weigh facts and decide which side is right based on pros and cons. That is a fiction that we all tell ourselves, but it is not true. People make their decisions primarily based on emotions and then justify those decisions with a skewed selection of facts or half-truths that support them.
People love underdogs. Before 1967, Israel was accurately regarded as a besieged nation surrounded by enemies that wanted to destroy it. That was the era of Exodus and Cast a Giant Shadow.
But since...Read More |
From Ian: Jason Greenblatt (not the ADL one): Palestinian Leader Abbas Is No Partner for Peace With Israel In 1973 Israel's former Ambassador to the United Nations Abba Eban, referring to the Palestinians, said they "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." When I served in the White House 44 years later this was a go-to quote about the Palestinians that I often heard in Washington, European capitals, and throughout the Middle East, including from Palestinians themselves. This famous quote needs some updating. My suggestion is to add that today's Palestinian leadership also never misses an opportunity to defame the Jewish people or lie or pervert the history of Jews in a land that is holy and of monumental significance to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Last week marked the 75th Anniversary of the birth of the modern State of Israel. Abbas commemorated this 75th anniversary not with words of possible conciliation between Israel and the Palestinians or the hope for peace and a better life for Palestinians who deserve so much more than they have today. Instead, he traveled to the United Nations to attend the ignominious, first-ever Commemoration of the 75th anniversary of what Palestinians call "the Nakba" at UN Headquarters. In his remarks, Abbas slandered Israel and invoked Joseph Goebbels, the master propagandist for the Nazis by saying Israelis and Zionists...Read More |
The Global Slavery Index for 2023 has been released, where it rates every country for how well they combat modern slavery, which includes all kinds of forced labor and forced marriage. It details the horrors of the kafala system, where Arab employers import workers from poor African and Asian nations and then control their lives. It does not rate the West Bank or Gaza Strip because they say the split between Hamas and the PA, as well as Israel's control of parts of the West Bank, make data collection difficult. However, it says, Despite limited data, anecdotal evidence indicates that Palestinians experience various forms of modern slavery, including forced labour, worst forms of child labour, forced begging, and forced and child marriage. Palestinian men and boys employed in the Israeli construction sector are vulnerable to debt bondage, as discriminatory employers charge them high fees and commissions and sub-contract them to other employers illegally.[These are typically Palestinian brokers - EoZ.] Illegal workers without permits face greater risks of abuse and exploitation. Gender biases further embed women and girls' risk of modern slavery, particularly forced commercial sexual exploitation and forced and child marriage, with risk heightened for Palestinian women and girls living in refugee camps. Palestinian government data estimates...Read More |
The Palestinian Center on Human rights issued a press release last Thursday, May 18, before the Flag March in Jerusalem. "Flag March" Violates International Law and UNESCO Resolutions: PCHR Welcomes UNESCO's Adoption of Resolution Safeguarding Jerusalem's Historical Character The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) welcomes the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s unanimously adopting a resolution on Wednesday during the 216th session of its Executive Board that has considered all Israeli measures seeking to change the historical character and legal status of Jerusalem's Old City and its walls null and void. The resolution and its annexes call on Israel to cease its unilateral violations and unlawful action against Blessed al-Haram al-Sharif and places of worship in Jerusalem's Old City and walls. The resolution also underscores the significance of protecting Palestinian heritage sites from destruction and falsification, including fraudulently altering their names, threatening the legal and historical status of Jerusalem. The resolution aligns with dozens of resolutions issued by the United Nations (UN) and its bodies, and is in accordance with international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. The resolution coincides...Read More |
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