All The News Anti-Israel Posters Will Not Read Or Discuss 2

[Sixties Fan]

Every year at Christmas, some Christian prelate warns of the fate of Christians in the Holy Land. This year it was Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem Hosam Naoum.

But the state of Israel is the best thing to happen to Christians and other minorities in over a thousand years: a revolution for freedom against religious empire, a refuge for Jews, and a model of multi-ethnic pluralism at the same time. To the Archbishops' credit, they acknowledge that "In Israel, the overall number of Christians has risen," yet fail to note that this is the first time in 13 centuries that such a thing has happened.

There are, in fact, two Christian communities in the Holy Land: a large and prosperous Arabic-speaking population in Israel, where 182,000 live as citizens, mainly in the Galilee; and a smaller group of 50,000 Christian Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The real crisis is here, under Palestinian rule. Data from a study by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research show that 2/3 of Christians in the Palestinian territories worry about rising Islamic sentiment, which drives economic hardship, emigration and decline.

Christmas offers an opportunity to thank Israel for safeguarding Christianity. If the Church of England wants a Christian renaissance in the Near East, it should extend a hand of friendship to the only country where that project is still viable.

Israel is the best thing to happen to Christians in the Holy Land for centuries

Christmas should be a time to thank Israel for all it has done

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Sixties Fan]

Baboun told viewers of effects of the pandemic with regard to foreign tourists and local participants and, in response to a question from Stayt, explained the reduced restrictions in force compared to the previous year.

Some two and a half minutes into the item, Stayt however chose to shift the focus of what was ostensibly a Christmas item:

Stayt: “Now Vera, sadly of course one of the things that doesn’t change – as you know only too well – is the tensions between…ahm…Israel and…err…Palest…Palestine. I mean it…that remains kind of a constant in a way, doesn’t it?”

Predictably – given that she did the exact same on BBC Radio Scotland last year – Baboun immediately responded to that cue from Stayt.

Baboun: “It is actually and you know with the most abnormal reality in Bethlehem is that Bethlehem is separated from Jerusalem through that wall and whenever you want to exit or enter Bethlehem […] you have to follow the instructions and to have a permit to enter. So this abnormal sense of the movement […] affects the GDP as well, the economy, life, how people carry, how we carry our life, definitely. This conflict as long as it proceeds and this tough reality, definitely it will affect the city of peace. Mind you, Bethlehem is the city of peace that does not live actual peace. […] But the toughest reality today, we have the pandemic and the continued occupation procedures.”

At no point in the item were viewers told that Bethlehem has been under Palestinian Authority control for over a quarter of a century, that the anti-terrorist fence described by Baboun as “that wall” was constructed because of Palestinian terrorism or that travel permits are still necessary because terrorism continues.

The opportunistic promotion of politicised messaging has unfortunately been a feature of BBC Christmas content for many years and the former mayor of Bethlehem has on various occasions over the past decade been provided with a BBC platform from which to promote her talking points.

It would of course be interesting to hear how the BBC explains its simultaneous amplification of claims of “occupation” alongside increasingly frequent references to a country called Palestine.



(full article online)

BBC Breakfast politicisation of Christmas in Bethlehem

The 2006 ‘REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT PANEL FOR THE BBC GOVERNORS ON IMPARTIALITY OF BBC COVERAGE OF THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT’ – also known as the T

camera-uk.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

An article in The Times (“There’s no saviour in sight for the Holy Land”, Dec. 23) by their Middle East correspondent Richard J. Spencer commented on the op-ed co-written by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, in the Sunday Timeswhich accused Israel of driving Christians from the Holy Land.

As we noted in our post about the piece by Welby and Naoum, which was widely condemned by the British Jewish community and several prominent politicians, there was almost no real evidence to back up their allegations.

Spencer frames his piece thusly:

The theme of Welby’s article was reasonable enough, drawing attention to a series of attacks on Christian priests and places of worship. What was odd was his failure to identify those responsible: radical Jewish settler groups determined to expand their presence across Jerusalem’s Old City.

However, whilst there have been a some incidents of vandalism in recent years, and verbal insults, Spencer fails to cite even one actual example of physical violence – nor are are any statistics provided – yet alone a “series” of such assaults. Earlier, we tweeted the journalist asking for sources.

Spencer later writes:

“The archbishop got one thing right, however. More than ever this Christmas, the path to war or peace in the Middle East lies through the City of David”.

First, the archbishop did not make this argument in his Sunday Times op-ed.

Moreover, the ‘path to peace in the Mid-East running through Jerusalem’ narrative is a tired cliche that’s been disproven by events over the past couple of years, especially the signing of the Abraham Accords. The fact that Arab states were willing to make peace with Israel regardless of the conflict demonstrates that, contrary to the British media narrative, the question of ‘Palestine’ is NOT the core regional issue.

Spencer continues:

This year’s round of bombing in Israel and Gaza was set off by clashes in east Jerusalem, the casus belli being lawsuits that would give settlers ownership over properties occupied by Palestinian families — Muslim, in this case.

This is simply untrue. The war was “set off” by Hamas’s cynical decision to launch an unprovoked volley of rockets on Israel’s capital – after Palestinian rioting at al-Aqsa – in order to position Hamas as the defender of Jerusalem and the city’s holy places and establish itself as an alternative to Fatah.

Later, in an effort to place the issue of Christians in the region in a broader perspective, Spencer argues that the reason why the US can’t extricate itself from the Mid-East is its security guarantee to Israel:

President Biden has promised, like both his predecessors, to “withdraw” from the Middle East. This summer’s events in Gaza should remind him that while the incidental causes of US military interventions may be Saddam Hussein’s ambitions or the plight of the Yazidis, the perpetual cause is America’s security guarantee to the state of Israel.

America’s military involvement in the region is based on many factors, depending on the specific theatre. But, it’s hard to understand, for instance, how the 20 year US war in Afghanistan, which the president ended recently, is related to security guarantees to Jerusalem, just as it would be absurd to suggest that American military presence in Syria – primarily designed to help facilitate humanitarian aid and to counter ISIS – is an Israel-centered commitment.

(full article online)

The Times repeats Justin Welby's falsehoods about Israeli Christians

An article in The Times ("There’s no saviour in sight for the Holy Land", Dec. 23) by their Middle East correspondent Richard J. Spencer commented on the op

camera-uk.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

If you read the social media accounts of supposedly pro-Palestinian activists, you will often see the word "resistance" accompanied by photos of unarmed Palestinians, often with flags, standing alone against heavily armed Israeli soldiers or police.

But in Arabic, the same word nearly always means violence.

Here are the top Google Image results for the phrase "Palestinian resistance" in English:

(vide photos online)

This is reflected in rhetoric as well. To Western nations, "non-violent resistance" (which includes stone throwing and firebombs) is emphasized by Palestinian organizations to attract the rogressive: crowd, but in Arabic the expression is often "armed resistance," which is promoted by every major Palestinian political party - from Hamas to Fatah to the PFLP and other socialist parties.

We've seen this kind of doubletalk before. Progressives shout "Intifada, Intifada!" and claim that it merely means a peaceful uprising; in Arabic Palestinians often threaten a "new Intifada" which invariably means one like the Second Intifada where a thousand Jews were murdered.

Similarly, the non-violent interpretation of "jihad" is emphasized to Westerners, while no one will find any objection to Palestinian Islamist terror groups using the term to exclusively mean killing Jews.

To be sure, there have been Westerners who have supported terrorism and violence as legal and legitimate, from Richard Falk to CJ Werleman. But on the public relations front, the anti-Israel crowd will mute their support for terror in English, hiding behind obfuscation to make it appear like they simply support freedom and justice.

The contradictions become apparent when they refer to Hamas and Islamic Jihad as "Palestinian resistance groups."

(full article online)

"Resistance: " non-violent in English, violent in Arabic

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[P F Tinmore]

At no point in the item were viewers told that Bethlehem has been under Palestinian Authority control for over a quarter of a century,

You are a hoot. PA control!

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

The Action Group for Palestinians in Syria reports:

8 Palestinians from Syria who hoped to emigrate to Europe drowned as their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea on Friday.

UNRWA reduced its shelter allowances for Syrian Palestinians in Lebanon, causing outrage.

The Raml camp in Lattakia was hit with electricity shortages for the fifth straight day.

In Syria, someone exploded a bomb outside the house of Palestinian Iyad Bakr, who was killed.

Palestinians in the Khan Eisheh camp in Damascus complain that the UNRWA employees treat their relatives well but mistreat everyone else.

The PLO in Syria honored retired teachers and gave them a cash prize - but they only honored teachers associated with Fatah, angering other teachers.

There was an armed clash between different Palestinian factions in the Daraa camp in Syria last week.

But when Israel cannot be blamed, these stories don't make it out of Syria or Lebanon.

Bad stuff happening to Palestinians every day doesn't get reported, because Jews cannot be blamed

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

The Palestine Forum, a group of Palestinians worldwide, issued a statement saying they wil combat the Jewishness of Israel. According to them, the concept of a Jewish state is racist and apartheid.

It’s been quite a while since I did a survey of Arab countries’ constitutions to see how they describe themselves.

Country	Description
Algeria	Algeria, land of Islam, an integral part of the Great Arab Maghreb and an Arab, Mediterranean and African country
Bahrain	The Kingdom of Bahrain is fully sovereign, independent Islamic Arab State whose population is part of the Arab nation and whose territory is part of the great Arab homeland.
Egypt	Blessed with a unique location and history, the Arabnation of Egypt is the heart of the whole world….Egypt is part of the Arab nation and enhances its integration and unity. It is part of the Muslim world, belongs to the African continent, is proud of its Asian dimension, and contributes to building human civilization….Islam is the religion of the state and…the principles of Islamic Sharia are the principle source of legislation.
Iraq	Iraq is a country of multiple nationalities, religions, and sects. It is a founding and active member in the Arab League and is committed to its charter, and it is part of the Islamic world…. Islam is the official religion of the State and is a foundation source of legislation: No law may be enacted that contradicts the established provisions of Islam. This Constitution guarantees the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people…
Lebanon	Lebanon has an Arab identity and belonging.
Libya	Islam shall be its religion and Islamic Shari’a shall be the main source of legislation.
Morocco	A sovereign Muslim State, attached to its national unity and to its territorial integrity, the Kingdom of Morocco intends to preserve, in its plentitude and its diversity, its one and indivisible national identity. Its unity, is forged by the convergence of its Arab-Islamist, Berber [amazighe] and Saharan-Hassanic [saharo-hassanie] components, nourished and enriched by its African, Andalusian, Hebraic and Mediterranean influences [affluents]. The preeminence accorded to the Muslim religion in the national reference is consistent with [va de pair] the attachment of the Moroccan people to the values of openness, of moderation, of tolerance and of dialog for mutual understanding between all the cultures and the civilizations of the world.
Oman	The Sultanate of Oman is an Arab, Islamic, Independent State
“Palestine”	Palestine is part of the larger Arab world, and the Palestinian people are part of the Arab nation. Arab unity is an objective that the Palestinian people shall work to achieve. Islam is the official religion in Palestine.
Qatar	Qatar is an Arab State, sovereign and independent. Its religion is Islam, and the Islamic Law is the main source of its legislations.
Saudi Arabia	The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab IslamicState. Constitution: The Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's Sunnah (traditions)
Syria	The Syrian Arab Republic is a democratic state with full sovereignty, indivisible, and may not waive any part of its territory, and is part of the Arab homeland; The people of Syria are part of the Arab nation.
Tunisia	Expressing our people’s commitment to the teachings of Islam and its aims characterized by openness and moderation, and to the human values and the highest principles of universal human rights, and inspired by the heritage of our civilization, accumulated over the travails of our history, from our enlightened reformist movements that are based on the foundations of our Islamic-Arab identity and on the gains of human civilization, and adhering to the national gains achieved by our people,.. Tunisia is a free, independent, sovereign state; its religion is Islam, its language Arabic, and its system is republican.
United Arab Emirates	The UAE is a part of the greater Arab nation to which the UAE is linked by the ties of religion, language, history and common destiny. The people of the UAE are one people, and a part of the Arab nation. Islam is the official religion of the UAE. The Islamic Shari’a is a main source of legislation in the UAE.
Yemen	The Republic of Yemen is an Arab, Islamic and independent sovereign state whose integrity is inviolable, and no part of which may be ceded. The people of Yemen are part of the Arab and Islamic Nation.

Essentially every Arab state defines itself as Arab and/or Islamic (a huge exception is Sudan.)

If a Jewish state is inherently discriminatory, then Muslim and Arab states are at least as much so.

Now find me the articles saying that Arab or Muslim states are “apartheid.”

Somehow, a Jewish state is apartheid, but Arab and Muslim states aren’t

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

“The PA and its supporters and funders have perfected the art of exploiting loopholes in the archaic system of law that is still in force in Judea and Samaria. They rely on a combination Ottoman Land Law, EU-funded anti-Israel lawfare, and the Israeli High Court of Justice to carry out de facto annexation of the areas of Judea and Samaria recognized under international law as under full Israeli jurisdiction – and the Israeli government continues to pretend that it’s not happening.

“Participants in these “humanitarian” agricultural annexation projects are fueling the flames of Palestinian intransigence, unilateralism and rejectionism, paving the path to the hell of violent conflict with olive trees and good (or not so good) intentions.”

Rabbi Eliyahu made the following statement:

“I am not impressed by Rabbis for Human Rights: they are not rabbis (for example, planting trees on Tu B’Shvat) and they are not for human rights. There are many positive ways in which to help Palestinians within their own lives but what RHR does consistently is encourage the murderous anarchy and the harm committed against innocent people – innocent Palestinians. Theirs is a dictatorial regime that kills those who do not fall in line.

“I have never heard RHR deal with such issues. They have one role – to vilify the State of Israel while presenting themselves as if they are pluralistic and liberal and enlightened. In fact, this is a propaganda ploy that was used by the communists of Russia who told everyone how moral they were.”

(full article online)

NGO Perverts Jewish Agricultural Holiday for Anti-Israel Purposes | United with Israel

'They are not rabbis and they are not for human rights,' says prominent Israeli rabbi about Rabbis for Human Rights.

unitedwithisrael.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

Indeed, videos posted on Murad Attieh’s Instagram account on July 31 and August 1 depict violent scenes of Palestinians throwing fireworks at security forces attempting to disperse rioters in Sheikh Jarrah. One of the clips uploaded by Attieh shows a police car that was apparently hit by a firebomb. To put things into perspective, a US court last month sentenced a man who hurled fireworks at police officers to eight years in prison, whereas some European prosecutors treat the act as attempted manslaughter — even when there is no terrorist intent.

Over the summer, El-Kurd’s neighbor also apparently participated in riots near the West Bank town of Beita. As HonestReporting has repeatedly highlighted (see, for example, here and here), the Palestinian Authority-backed violence has included ecoterrorism, the detonation of powerful explosive devices and the burning of swastikas. On social media, Attieh shared sermons by Mahmoud al-Hasanat, an Islamic preacher who is particularly popular among Hamas supporters in the Gaza Strip.

(full article online)

The Nation's Mohammed El-Kurd Whitewashes Allegations His Jerusalem-based Neighbor Conspired With US-Designated Terror Groups | Honest Reporting

While the case is still making its way through the courts, the evidence indicates that The Nation's correspondent is covering up terrorism.

honestreporting.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

I can understand how the other governments would not be convinced by the dossier that the NGOs are fronts for terror, or that they direct funds to terror activities. For those accusations, the evidence that has gone public is not that strong.

But the actual links to the PFLP from these groups is undeniable.

The Union of Agricultural Work Committees and the Union of Palestinian Women Committees, as well as the previously banned Union of Health Committees, were all founded by the PFLP. A 1993 report written for USAID says this explicitly:

As the second largest faction of the PLO, but with perhaps the most disciplined and energetic membership, the PFLP has built a potent institutional foundation throughout the West Bank and Gaza during the past decade. The strength of the PFLP's institutions is its capable, decentralized grassroots presence. Its principal institutions are in the fields of agriculture, health, labor, and the women's movement.

The PFLP's agricultural extension services are provided by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), based in Bayt Hanina. The UAWC was founded in 1986, and expanded rapidly during the Intifada. ... During 1992 UAWC was involved in about 30 different projects in the West Bank and Gaza, including support for various cooperatives, the building of greenhouses for vegetable production, animal husbandry projects, and land reclamation services.

The PFLP's health care network is coordinated by the Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC).....Of its 38 clinics some, like the Polyclinic in Bayt Sahur, are first rate facilities. Others are more makeshift operations. As a significant provider of health care during the Intifada, the UHWC has an extended network of supporters and volunteers throughout the West Bank. Of all the factionalized health care committees, the UHWC has the greatest presence in the Gaza Strip.

The PFLP's women's committee, the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees (UPWC), is perhaps the weakest of the three leftist women's unions, but is certainly more active than its Fatah counterpart.

So two of the six NGOs, plus a third that was previously banned, don't just have links to the PFLP - they were started by the PFLP terror group.

The links between the PFLP and the other NGOs are not much less compelling.

One of the founders of Addameer, Abdul-Latif Ghaith, is a PFLP operative. It's former vice chair, Khalida Jarrar, was the head of the PFLP in the West Bank.

NGO-Monitor lists many more PFLP members who have worked for Addameer.

Al-Haq's director, Shawan Jabarin, has represented the PFLP in public forums.

(full article online)

Isn't it weird that groups with such clear links to terror are defended by the EU and major NGOs? Maybe not.

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

In 2021, as of mid-December, Arab terrorists carried out 6,633 terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria alone, of which 61 were shootings, 18 were stabbings, 1,022 were fire bombings, 5,532 were rock-throwing attacks, a sharp increase over the numbers in recent years.

The data published Tuesday evening by the IDF show that in the past year there has been a 38% increase in stone-throwing incidents, a 36% increase in the number of Molotov cocktail attacks, and twice as many stabbing incidents as in the previous year, with an average of 18 attacks every day.

These numbers do not include attacks from the Gaza Strip, including the 11-day Operation Guardian of the Walls in May, or attacks in other parts of Israel. The number of rock-throwing and firebombing attacks was probably higher than what the IDF registered as many of them go unreported.

(full article online)

Average of 18 Terror Attacks Against Israelis Each Day in 2021 | United with Israel

These numbers do not include attacks from the Gaza Strip, including the 11-day fighting in May, or attacks in other parts of Israel.

unitedwithisrael.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

The Waqf on the Temple Mount issued it annual report on "violations" by Jews of the area.

The number of Israeli settlers who stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during 2021 reached more than 34,000.

The Director-General of the Department of Islamic Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib said - today, Thursday - that "the number of Jewish extremists storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the year 2021 reached 34,112 extremists."

The settlers, according to a statement by the Director of Endowments, carried out their incursions "under the protection of the Israeli police and its heavily armed special forces, which turned Al-Aqsa Mosque into a military barracks."

Sheikh Al-Khatib warned against the dangerous escalation of Jewish extremists' incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and desecrating its sanctity by performing Talmudic prayers and rituals inside its courtyards.

They then go into details of the horrible things the Jews did:

Throughout the year, incursions were carried out inside the mosque led by rabbis, soldiers, officers, intelligence agents, and former Knesset members. They deliberately organized guided tours of the “alleged temple”, delivered biblical lessons in Al-Aqsa Square, organized “rabbinic blessings” and puberty ceremonies for males and females, and announcing marriage, in addition to reading the Psalms of the Torah.

A Jewish group calling itself "Return to the Temple Mount" announced last September that the shofar (one of the biblical rituals) was blown inside Al-Aqsa for the first time since the occupation of Jerusalem. Extremists brought the fruits of the "Feast of Sukkot" and palm fronds to the mosque on the first day of their feast, and they raised the Israeli flag in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque at that time.

I cannot find any news articles about blowing the shofar or bringing a lulav and etrog to the Temple Mount. These objects would be confiscated at the entrance. It may be that someone snuck in a shofar and blew it quietly, but I cannot find it reported.

(full article online)

Waqf: 34,000 Jews visited the Temple Mount in 2021; a Facebook post no one noticed was their big story of the year

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com