Sunday, July 31, 2011
Offending All That Is Holy By Getzy Markowitz
The sight of wasted food does not sit well with me. Mix reckless waste with gratified displays of idiocy, and you've got me riled up. Such was my reaction to footage of "Ultra-Orthodox" Jews burning packets of children's treats at a rally in Williamsburg last week.
The protest, part of a boycott against Israeli food giant Osem, was organized by a small group of fanatics that support the dismantlement of the Jewish State and the jeopardizing of the security and well-being of their brethren therein.
To be sure, the condemned snacks were kosher, only their packaging displayed support for the Jewish National Fund, an Israeli charity. The only non-kosher thing that day was the behavior of the protesters who in a cheap move dealt an expensive blow to the hungry in their own backyard. Surely instead of exhibiting children hurling snacks into flames, they could have provided some for disadvantaged boys and girls.
I can’t say that I was horrified to watch the behavior of the Neturei Karta, a group that routinely works to jeopardize the security of their own G-d given land. After all, these are people who collaborate with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and support all causes aimed at delegitimizing the Jewish State. What’s some nosh for people who break bread with terrorists?
Most troubling for me was watching this silliness in the midst of my own organizing a summer project that feeds hungry children in Israel. What joy would such surplus edibles bring to starving kids in the holy land.
I recall the first time encountering the Niturei Karta at an Israel solidarity event on Boston Commons. A band of these diehards bussed in from Brooklyn to capitalize on media attention while numbers eclipsing theirs celebrated Israel. My fellow Yeshiva buddies and I engaged our misguided brothers in rigorous religious debate. Only, the opposition seemed untrained in the art of arguing their cause, referring us instead to one man who “Kent,” knows.
Years later I had the misfortune of observing the “knower” flanked by a handful of colleagues outside AIPAC’s policy conference in Washington D.C. this winter. I can tell you that indeed he is a scholar, only he preyed on secular passersby who are ignorant of his sources. I wonder, why wouldn’t a mind like that devote himself to sharing the beauty of his Judaism with less learned coreligionists? Why put an ugly face on an inherently beautiful faith?
Sane and fair-minded people have trouble understanding the tactics of the Niturei Karta. Even comedian Bill Maher who earns a living poking fun at organized religion couldn't stomach listening to the group’s leader, Yisroel D. Weiss, while interviewing him for “Religulous,” a film mocking religious belief. While the Niturei Karta are a joke, no-one serious enough is laughing.
One of the highest disgraces among religious Jews is what we call “Chilul Hashem,” or the desecration of G-d’s name. What greater dishonor is there to the divine than seemingly devout men who preach the Bible while disgracing its Author. All I could think of while watching them waste perfectly good food while polluting the minds of little children who were encouraged to do the same, was that they might as well be burning G-d in effigy.
Look how Israel treats the Palestinian Arabs
Contrary to what you may have been told, Israel is not conducting ethnic cleansing or the genocidal destruction of the Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria. How can this be proved? Just look at the population statistics for the number of Arabs in the Territories (2.4 million). Even allowing for claims of PA double-counting, this still represents at least a two-fold increase in the numbers of Arabs in 1967. So if Israel was trying to eliminate these Arabs, they’re doing a pretty poor job of it. In any case, the Palestinian Authority rules in the West Bank Territories, and the Hamas terrorist organization runs Gaza.
So where does Israel really get involved? Since July 2010 I’ve been collecting individual items of news where Israel’s path crosses with that of the Palestinian Arabs. There were plenty of reports of violence, but I was astonished to discover over 60 positive news stories that never appeared anywhere except in the Israeli press. In this issue, I have just selected the areas that Israel has helped the Palestinian Arabs in providing Medical assistance.
In June this year, Israeli paramedics reported that they deliver at least one Palestinian Arab baby every single month. The Israeli organization “Save A Child’s Heart” announced that their surgeons perform nearly half their operations on Palestinian Arab children, whose parents can hardly believe it.
In May, when a delegation of senior physicians and medical technicians from the Palestinian Authority arrived for a study program at the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa, they were so impressed that their leader stressed that “Peace must begin among us.” And that was while Israeli Arabs elsewhere were demonstrating for “Nakba” day. In the Wolfson Hospital, SACH surgeons were busy treating seven children from the Palestinian Authority.
Back in March, it was “fun in the snow” when Israeli soldiers took Palestinian Arab children cancer sufferers and their families for a day-out, playing on Mount Hermon.
In February, brain surgery saved the life of a Gaza toddler. Surgeons at Rambam hospital in Haifa removed a tumor the size of a large orange. The hospital had treated 200 Gazans in the previous six months alone. In the same month, Israeli soldiers successfully delivered a baby boy in a military ambulance when his Palestinian Arab mother went into labor in the Jordan valley. They then performed CPR to save his life.
In November, the IDF announced that 180,000 Arabs from the Palestinian-controlled territories had been treated at Israeli hospitals during the previous 12 months. One of those was a baby from Gaza who suffered from a life-threatening genetic disorder. An Israeli documentary about the baby entitled Precious Life was short-listed for an Academy award.
In October, I learned that there are 325 million Arabs in 22 Middle Eastern countries and other lands. Those statistics are available in many Internet sites, but none would have given me the following information. The first, and so far only, registry for potential unrelated Arab donors of bone marrow or stem cells – which have the ability to cure cancers and other serious disorders – is at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem.
Back in July last year, when I started my mini-project, I read that Rami Hariziat Hassan, a 20-year-old Palestinian shepherd was saved by Border Police officers after being bitten by a viper on Sunday night. His friend Raja Talam Va’ada said ‘Suddenly, a snake bit him on the foot. We rushed to a local checkpoint and asked the soldiers for help. They really helped us,’ adding ‘He nearly died. He wasn’t breathing.’ We want to thank everyone – the border policemen and the hospital doctors,’ Va’ada said. ‘Well done to everyone.’ Before Hassan was released from the hospital, Border Police officers came to check on his condition and bring him candy (sweets).
Finally, here perhaps are some surprising statistics. Infant mortality in Gaza is 17.7 per thousand whereas in Turkey it is 24.8. Life expectancy figures are also better in Gaza. So maybe those so-called “aid flotillas” should be seeking a new destination.
Look how Israel treats the Palestinian Arabs: Part 2
I was astonished to discover over 60 positive news stories since July 2010 that never appeared anywhere except in the Israeli press. In this issue, I have just selected the areas that Israel has worked to bring environmental and economic assistance to the Palestinian Arabs.
In the Middle East, water is sometimes more important than blood. In Arab-Israeli peace talks, a whole track is devoted to the issue of fair distribution of water rights. Prior to the six-day war in 1967, most Arabs living in Judea and Samaria had no main water as Jordan was uninterested in providing them access to this vital resource. By 1991, 210 Arab towns in the territories had been connected to a running water system and Israel had transformed their farming using modern irrigation techniques. Just last month (June), Israelis, Palestinian Arabs and Jordanians built EcoCentres to make the most of scarce water supplies. Students from Israel, the PA, Malta, Lebanon, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Turkey and the UK are working together currently on a project to protect their unique shared ecosystem.
In an effort to reduce the ‘bitterness’ of any water dispute, Israel ran a weeklong seminar in February to educate thirty participants from Jordan and the Palestinian Authority on desalination technologies, covering design, operation and maintenance of water desalination plants. Since October, scientists from Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been working together to improve water purification for the region and beyond. And since December, Israel and the PA have been working together on a project to clean up sewage in Jordan Valley. Things have been working so well that in August the Arab-Israeli Eco group (Friends of the Earth Middle East) won the “Intercultural Dialogue for Ecological Sustainability” award. The group consisting of Jordanian, Palestinian Arabs, and Israeli environmentalists seeks to advance “sustainable regional development and the creation of necessary conditions for lasting peace in our region.”
Turning to economic growth, despite the signing of the agreement between Fatah and the Hamas terrorist organization, Israel continues to co-operate with the Palestinian Authority and to help it prosper. When Arabs work for Israelis, their employers are recognized as the best compared to every alternative. This research reportwas produced by the Palestinian Arab news agency. Palestinian Arabs have one of the world’s highest percentages of home ownership – over 80% - even in Gaza. Again, these are the PA’s own figures. Improved relations have led to an economic boom in the territories, with growth estimated at an annual rate of 8 percent. Ramallah’s construction boom is one of the most obvious signs of this benefit.
In a specific example of co-operation, in the Palestinian Authority controlled city of Hebron – where the world’s media only ever reports conflict – the Israeli Kibbutz Afikim has used its world-leading technology to build a dairy farm for the Arabs. This will combat the milk shortage in the Palestinian Authority. At an international agricultural fair in Tel Aviv in March, some 400 Palestinian Arab farmers joined thousands of Israelis and received help from Israeli farming innovations. The cooperation has extended into the hi-tech arena. Palestinian Arab software engineers at Asal Technologies in Ramallah are coding software as outsourcers for an Israeli life sciences software firm.
In Gaza, its Hamas terrorist rulers stifle co-operation, however despite this, Israel transfers 15,000 tons ofsupplies to Gaza every week. In two months Israel transferred 133 million liters of fuel to Gaza – enough to power every car and truck in Israel! Read this about medical aid. There are no construction problems either. In June, Israel approved the delivery of $100 million of materials needed to build 1,200 new homes and 18 new schools in Gaza. As a Sudanese official stated in the Palestinian Arab press before the first flotilla “Where is the siege? I don't see it in Gaza. I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions of the Gazan siege.”
Finally, an Israeli plastics factory employs 50% Israelis and 50% Palestinian Arabs to manufacture (among other things) toilet seats. It gives another meaning to “low-level co-operation.” Perhaps the intransigent PA could learn from them and discover the secret of how to sit down to peace talks!
In the final part of this series, you will see some of the examples of where Israelis and Palestinian Arabs get together outside of the working environment; plus some facts about co-existence that you may be unaware of.
Look how Israel treats the Palestinian Arabs: Part 3
http://blogs.jpost.com/
I was astonished to discover over 60 positive news stories since July 2010 that never appeared anywhere except in the Israeli press. In this final part, I have selected some of the stories where Israelis and Palestinian Arabs get together outside of the working environment; plus some facts about co-existence that you may be unaware of.
Israelis are mad about sports and they are keen to mix together with their neighbors on the playing field. In May, a team of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs were narrowly beaten by an ex-pat Aussie team in a practice for the Australian Rules International Football Cup later this year. In September, a Jerusalem team of Israelis and Palestinian Arabs put aside their differences and teamed up to compete in Israel’s amateur American tackle football league. By March there were two teams, each containing both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, that battled out the final of Israel Bowl 1V. Israel's first NBA player, Omri Casspi, ran a basketball clinic for 100 Israeli and Palestinian Arab children in the annual event of the Twinned Peace Basketball Schools project. Whilst on the subject of sports, it is interesting to point out that in February, in the Palestinian territories, Arab womencelebrated the inauguration of the new women’s football league.
Turning to culture, in November there was a groundbreaking exhibition of selected paintings by 120 Israeli and Palestinian Arab children in the foyer of the Allsaraya Arabic-Hebrew theatre in Jaffa. In education, Ariel University may be over the “green line” and boycotted by biased academics, but Ariel University is extremely popular with hundreds of Arab students. Joana Moussa, a 20-year-old behavioral sciences student from Abu Snan, an Arab village in the Galilee region, said “there is no racism here.”
In entertainment, an Israeli company has launched an Arab talent show. Yagur Studios in Haifa is responsible for the Palestinian Arab equivalent of “A Star is Born” and “X-factor.” The program is even shown live on Saudi Arabian TV.
Shopping is a more serious business, however a wonderful supermarket has opened in the territories, thrilling both Israeli and Arab shoppers. Palestinian Arab families and Israeli "settlers" mingle in the aisles - one checkout cashier was a Jewish woman from Kiryat Arba of Moroccan descent; on the cash register next to her was a blue-eyed Muslim woman from Halul, and on another register was a member of the Bnei Menashe tribe from India.
Of course, Israel is completely supportive of the religious traditions of Palestinian Arabs. So it was natural that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat wanted to wish the Muslim residents of the capital, across Israel and throughout the world a "Ramadan Kareem" last year. He fired-off a cannon heralding the end of the day's fast at the ancient Salah al-Din cemetery in east Jerusalem. Note that when other countries abandoned its citizens living in Libya, Israel allowed 300 ex-pat Palestinian Arabs to return to the territories following a request from Mahmoud Abbas
When it comes to relaxation, Israelis and Palestinian Arabs are happy to let their hair down together. At the annual Oktoberfest beer festival in the Palestinian Arab village of Taybeh, Israeli Jews joined Christian Arabs to ‘check’ the merchandise.
The Peres Center for Peace marked the International Day of Peace with events at the Peres Peace House on Jaffa beach. Hundreds of Israeli Jewish and Arab families, children and young people, as well as Palestinian Arab families attended the events, which was open to the general public, free of charge. Finally, there was a big splash at Kalkilya zoo. Arab and Israeli vets navigated a six-year old 1.5-ton hippo into its new home in the Palestinian Arab city.
These news stories do not follow the standard perception that Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews will always have a violent relationship. It backs up those who say that once PA leaders stop their belligerence there can be peace between our peoples. It supports PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s admission in an Arabic interview, that his family was forced to flee in 1948 due to threats by Arab leaders. Jews were not responsible.
So it explains whyArab residents of east Jerusalem are lining up to request Israeli citizenship. And why a poll of east Jerusalem Arabs, conducted by a joint American / Palestinian Arab organization came out against PA control of east Jerusalem, preferring Israel to retain control. In fact many Palestinian Arabs view Israel very favorablywhen compared to Arab states. They know that Israel is the best country in the Middle East for Palestinian Arabs.
Dubai journalist Maisun Azzam declared that ‘Ramallah is like Europe’ and that the world’s media has completely distorted the image of life for Palestinian Arabs. She admitted that bad news is newsworthy, but good news isn’t. Now where have we heard that before?
Erekat Chickens Out of Duel with Ayalon Dep FM Ayalon on PA negotiator's rejection of a public faceoff: "Palestinians can only debate unilaterally."
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon reacted with surprise Sunday to Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat's rejection of a offer to hold a public debate with him.
"I am more than a little surprised that Erekat rejected my offer of an open and public debate, especially considering he was concerned enough about our video to release a two page official press release," Ayalon said.
Last week, Ayalon had proposed a public face-off with Erekat on issues relating to the Israel-PA conflict after Erekat sent out an official press release calling the Ayalon's recent YouTube video – The Truth About theWest Bank – "a falsified account of history and international law."
"I am more than a little surprised that Erekat rejected my offer of an open and public debate, especially considering he was concerned enough about our video to release a two page official press release," Ayalon said.
"Erekat is used to telling the world that Israel's policies are illegal and against international law and I offered him the chance to back up his own statements and he is proving unable or unwilling to do so."
"Like its diplomatic policies, it appears that the Palestinian Authority is only able to debate unilaterally."
The video, released under two weeks ago, has already garnered a quarter of a million views worldwide and is encouraging a debate on the rarely heard Israeli position on Judea, Samaria, Jewish communities and international law.
"Erekat was very quick to react to the video when it was released but now his evasion speaks volumes of a Palestinian Authority political leadership which has hijacked the public debate for too long," Ayalon added. "It demonstrates that their rhetoric is just empty words and slogans and folds like a house of cards once it is tested."
Syrian Tanks Firing on Civilians and Mosque The death toll In Syria on Sunday passes 50. Syrian tanks mow down civilians, fire on mosques. WARNING: Some scenes not suitable for children
The death toll in four cities Sunday reportedly is well over 50 as Syrian tanks mow down civilians and fire on mosques. WARNING: Some scenes not suitable for children.
At least 45 were killed in the northern city of Hama and another 100 or more wounded as tanks rumbled through the northern city.
Nearby, more than a dozen people were killed in Deir Ezzour, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, quoted by CNN. %ad%
The brutality of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s apparent fight-to-death against the Arab Spring uprising surpassed all previous depths as the death toll in the four-month protest movement swells to 1,700 and probably is closer to 2,000. Thousands of people have “disappeared” as Assad borrows tactics from Iran and with the help of Irnaian Revolutionary Guards to arrest and torture dissenters.
In some cases, soldiers welcomed the protesters aboard their tanks, but the bloody scenes, caught on film by citizens risking their lives, indicate the overpowering presence of the army.
As previously documented, Syrian troops fired on civilians trying to treat and rescue the wounded. Tanks also fired on mosques where loudspeakers broadcast, “Allah Akbar.”
Israel Navy in Action The Israeli navy has come a far way from being a crew of sailors. A new action-packed video shows commandos manning missiles – and boats.
The Israeli navy has come a far way from just being a crew of sailors. A new IDF action-paced video shows Navy commandos manning missiles and equipment – as well as boats.
“The Israel Navy is the military force of the IDF deployed at sea, responsible for sending alerts before several scenarios, responsible for the naval arena and taking care that the maritime merchant routes are able to proceed undisturbed, as part of routine security measures,” according to the IDF.
“Each of the different units of the Navy has unique capabilities for its own distinct missions. The naval combat fighter is expected to fight the enemy while he operates the most advanced machinery," the IDF added.
PMW: Abbas' advisor: PA should honor "Martyrs" and not worry about donors' grants
Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas' advisor, Sabri Saidam, recently defended the PA's honoring of Palestinian "Martyrs" by naming streets after them and marking their birthdays. Palestinian Media Watch has reported on the PA policy of turningterrorists into role models by naming events and places after them. Abbas' advisor said Palestinians should continue this practice and not be concerned about the condemnation from foreign countries or the possibility that countries who support the PA financially will cut funding:
Earlier this year, Saidam expressed strong support for naming a square after the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi whose bus hijacking killed 37 Israeli civilians in 1978. The official PA daily reported that he "emphasized that the anniversary of Dalal's Martyrdom-seeking (i.e., her terror attack) should be made greater by inaugurating a [city] square in her name." Following a popular inauguration of the "Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square," Saidam told Agence France-Presse:
In the recent article he wrote in the official PA daily, he also expressed sorrow over the fact that some Palestinians view the Martyrs "as a burden" and do not wish to commemorate them out of fear of evoking international condemnation:
Saidam lamented that Palestinian youth don't know the names of past leaders, and mentioned three Fatah leaders from the 1960s: Abu Ali Iyad, Abd Al-Fatah Hamoud, Ahmad Al-Shuqeiri. Abu Ali Iyad was appointed head of Fatah military operations in 1966, and was responsible for several terror attacks. Abd Al-Fatah Hamoud was one of the founding members of Fatah and Ahmad Al-Shuqeiri was the first chairman of the PLO.
When Palestinian Media Watch publicized the PA's plans to inaugurate a square named after Mughrabi in 2010, international disapproval and criticism forced the PA to cancel the inauguration. However, Fatah went ahead and held informal inaugurations in 2010 and 2011.
As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, the PA has named numerous places and events after Dalal Mughrabi.
The following is the article by Saidam, Abbas' advisor:
The following are articles documenting Abbas' advisor's support for naming a square after the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi:
"Blessings to the souls of our Shahids (Martyrs), whom we will not forget - not for the sake of a grant, not for the sake of a deal..."
"Every one of us has tried in his own way to express his pride in this Shahida[Martyr Dalal Mughrabi]."
"How it pains me to see people who view our Shahids (Martyrs) as a burden because the donors will be angry and some countries will complain, or because economic and everyday interests will be harmed... Blessings to the souls of ourShahids, whom we will not forget - not for the sake of a grant, not for the sake of a deal, and not for the sake of a position."
As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, the PA has named numerous places and events after Dalal Mughrabi.
The following is the article by Saidam, Abbas' advisor:
By Sabri Saidam, Advisor to Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and under-secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council:
Headline: "Are we loyal to the path of our fighters?"
"We have named streets after leaders who are not of our people, and have marked the birthdays of other heroes who are not from our society, as a sign of honor and esteem for them. This in itself is good and admirable, but there must be equal or even greater zeal for the heritage of our own struggle. How many of our young children and school pupils know of Abu Ali Iyad, Abd Al-Fatah Hamoud, Ahmad Al-Shuqeiri, and others like them? What is their position on our study curriculum? How it pains me to see people who view our Shahids(Martyrs) as a burden because the donors will be angry and some countries will complain, or because economic and everyday interests will be harmed... Blessings to the souls of our Shahids, whom we will not forget - not for the sake of a grant, not for the sake of a deal, and not for the sake of a position."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 19, 2011]
The following are articles documenting Abbas' advisor's support for naming a square after the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi:
"Advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas and under-secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Sabri Saidam, delivered a speech in which he criticized [the fact] that many leaders don't participate in the [events marking] the anniversary of Martyrs... He emphasized that the weapons must be turned towards the main enemy [Israel] and that internal differences of opinion must be set aside. Saidam noted the awful living conditions of the families of Shahids (Martyrs), in the country and outside of it, and as proof he said that the allowance to the family of Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi (i.e., leader of the bus hijacking in 1978 in which 37 civilians were murdered) is a mere $123. He... emphasized that the anniversary of Dalal's Martyrdom-seeking (i.e., her terror attack) should be made greater by inaugurating a square in her name in the city of El-Bireh."
[Al-Ayyam, March 10, 2011]
Headline: "Residents insist on naming square in Ramallah after the Shahida(Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi"
"Popular Palestinian activists announced yesterday that they were insisting on naming a square in Ramallah after the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi. This follows the PA postponement of an official inauguration of the junction, owing to Israeli protest. March 13th will be the 33rd anniversary of Dalal Mughrabi's death as a Martyr in a military operation that she led inside Israel in 1978. About a hundred residents, representing universities and the Palestinian Writers' Union, gathered yesterday and put up a huge poster, inscribed with the name Dalal Mughrabi, and a picture of the boat in which she entered Israel. Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council [and advisor to Abbas], Sabri Saidam, told Agence France-Presse: 'Today a popular inauguration of the junction is being held. There has been insistence on naming this junction after the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi. Every one of us has tried in his own way to express his pride in this Shahida'... Senior Fatah members said that they had decided to inaugurate the 'Shahida Dalal Mughrabi Square' in the town of El-Bireh, close to Ramallah, despite Israel's threats in the past to destroy it. Secretary of the Palestinian Writers' Union, Murad Al-Sudani, told Reuters: 'The [Fatah] student Shabiba movement and the Palestinian Writers' Union decided today to inaugurate the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi square in the town of El-Bireh out of support for the path of struggle, and to express honor to the Shahids (Martyrs) of the Palestinian people.' A granite slab has been placed at the center of the square, featuring an engraved image of Dalal Mughrabi inside a map of historical Palestine, in the shape of a sail. A photograph of Dalal has been placed in a different spot on the square; she is draped in a Palestinian keffiyeh and holds an AK-47 machine gun."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 14, 2011]
Headline: "Al-Quds Open University marks anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dalal Mughrabi with a call to approve the Families of Shahids (Martyrs) Law"
"Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Sabri Saidam, emphasized that the Shahids (Martyrs) are the ones who should ascend the highest dais, because they proved to the world that they are entrusted with the sacred mission, since they sacrificed themselves for the sake of the homeland. He said this yesterday, as the Al-Quds Open University marked the 33rd anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dalal Mughrabi, in cooperation with the Palestinian Writers' Union and the National Union of Families of Shahids, in the presence of Sabri Saidam; member of the Revolutionary Council, Naif Sweitat; Secretary General of the Palestinian Writers' Union, Murad Al-Sudani; Secretary General of the National Association of Shahids' Families, Muhammad Sbeihat; Dean of Student Affairs at the university, Muhammad Shahin; sister of the Shahida (Martyr), Rashida Mughrabi; and several writers, family members of Shahids, and students.Saidam emphasized that the Shahida Mughrabi remains in [our] minds and in our dreams... Al-Sudani said that commemoration of the anniversary of [the death of] Shahida Dalal by the union [of Palestinian Writers] arises out of a cultural statement which lays the foundations for the homeland and announces the transition to the sacred obligation, which the elevated and dear Shahid masters set forth. He condemned the fact that there are some who are ashamed to mark Dalal's anniversary [of Martyrdom], and said that whoever is ashamed of hisShahids, is ashamed of [his] history. He emphasized that the ShahidaMughrabi square should be inaugurated...
Sbeihat, for his part, stated that this ceremony of honor was not just for Dalal Mughrabi, but for all the Shahids... Naif Sweitat of the National Guidance [Directorate] delivered a speech on behalf of the family of ShahidaDalal Mughrabi, in which he spoke of the political significance of the Dalal Mughrabi operation... Muhammad Shahin said in a speech on behalf of the university's president, Younes Amr: 'There is nothing that expresses greater loyalty to Dalal than our providing for her illustrious sisters that which will contribute to their resolve.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 10, 2011]
MEMRI: Saudi Writers: The Secret to Israel's Success
On June 7, 2011, two Saudi columnists – the liberal Khalaf Al-Harbi, of the Saudi daily 'Okaz, and Fawaz Al-'Ilmi, of the Saudi daily Al-Watan – published articles comparing Israel's situation to that of the Arab countries. Al-Harbi opined that the secret to Israel's success lay in its democratic regime and its respect for the human rights of its citizens, while Al-'Ilmi wrote that Israel's prosperity was due to its investment in education and science. It should be noted that these articles are a rare phenomenon in the Saudi government press.
Following are excerpts of both articles:
Following are excerpts of both articles:
Al-Harbi: "Do We Really Still Believe that Israel Is a Temporary Entity Bound to Disappear?"
Al-Harbi wrote: "When we were young, the teachers exhausted us by reiterating that Israel is, without question, a temporary and transient country. When we got old enough to read, newspapers and books filled our heads with reasons why Israel could not [continue to] exist in its Arab surroundings. For years, we waited for the moment when Israel would disappear, and here we are [today, witnessing] the moment when the Arab countries are beginning to topple, one after the other."A few days ago was the 44th anniversary of the naksa [i.e., the defeat in the 1967 war], when Israel swallowed up Arab lands... A week or more ago, [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu delivered a brilliant speech before the American Congress in which he emphasized that Israel would not return to the 1967 borders. This statement means that Israel has achieved such a degree of complacency and tranquility that it is no longer willing to negotiate even over those lands it has admitted to occupying [in 1967], much less... over the lands it occupied in 1948. Do we really still believe that Israel is a temporary entity bound to disappear?
"Perhaps Israel will disappear in another 100 or 200 years, as no one can foresee what will happen in the future. However, looking at the current state of its Arab neighbors, I see addled countries, political entities that lack the ability to maintain their national unity, and armies that are not trying to wipe out Israel so much as to wipe out their own peoples...
"The secret to Israel's survival, despite all the great challenges it has faced, lies in democracy and respect for the worth of the [Israeli] individual, regardless of [Israel's] racism and brutality vis-Ã -vis its Arab enemies. The secret to the collapse of the Arab countries, one after another, lies in dictatorship and in the oppression of the individual... It is impossible for an Arab country, a neighbor of Israel, to succeed in liberating Palestine while denying dignity to individuals [within its own borders].
"Israel won war after war, and scooped up Arab lands larger than [Israel itself] in both size and population. It then went on [to develop] manufacturing, industry, and invention. The [average] income there is double [the average income] in the neighboring Arab countries. [Israel] has rendered itself an inescapable fact. Throughout all stages [of its development], it drew its power from the honor it granted to its citizens, while its Arab neighbors trampled the [poor] creatures known as their citizens under military boots.
"If only we could get in touch with our teachers to let them know that Israel still exists, while the Arabs are headed for destruction. In order to know who will remain and who will perish, one must always check who has democracy, human rights, and social justice."[1]
Al-'Ilmi: Israel Is at the Pinnacle of Scientific Research, the Arabs at Its Nadir
Al-'Ilmi wrote: "...Tawasul[2] is the official website of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and, unlike Arab websites, it updates its entries every 12 minutes around the clock and offers them in Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, English, French, and Russian. On January 20, the website published a report which revealed that the only registry in the world for Arab bone marrow donors is located in the Hadassah Medical Center, associated with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It should be noted that the Arabs living in Israel constitute no more than 1.2 million of the world's Arabs, who number upwards of 400 million.
"The report, prepared by Avigayil Kadesh, notes that Dr. Amal Bishara, who oversees organ donations at the Hadassah Medical Center – an Arab woman with a doctorate in life sciences and immunology – has single-mindedly visited more than 60 Arab villages and cities since the bone marrow registry was founded in 2008. [She did so] to further her own research and to supplement the Jewish registry, which has been active at the hospital for 22 years. Through lectures and social networking, the Arab doctor added 9,000 [Arab] donors, thereby enabling six [transplants] of donated bone marrow... It should be noted that 60% of Arabs [in need of such transplants] find donors within their families, and 90% of the requests for bone marrow transplants are for Arab children suffering from hereditary diseases due to consanguineous marriages.
"Before these Arab [donors] were registered, the Hadassah Medical Center largely failed to expand its donor registry, or to [arrange] donations from Jew to Arab or vice versa. But, thanks to the Arab doctor, perceptions have changed, and Arabs and Jews are willing to donate bone marrow [to one another] in order to save the life of someone they don't even know.
"This year, Israel published numerous scientific studies that put it in first place worldwide in terms of the number of studies [published] per capita – 12 studies to every 10,000 people. America is in second place, with 10 studies [to every 10,000 people], followed by Britain, with nine. As for the Arab countries, they are all at the bottom end of these statistics.
"Reports on the gaps in science and technology between the Arabs and Israel show that the annual education expenses of the [average] Arab citizen has dropped to $340, while in Israel it is more than $2,500. Indices... that measure income, education, and health levels place Israel at 23rd place worldwide, while Egypt has dropped to 199th place, Syria to 111th, Jordan to 99th, and Lebanon to 82nd. As for the number of scientists engaged in research per one million citizens, Israel has 1,395, versus 136 in the Arab world... UNESCO's statistics indicate that, on average, scientific research expenses in the Arab countries do not exceed 0.2% of the annual budget, whereas in Israel the figure is 4.7%, placing it in first place worldwide...
"For ten years now, Israel has been forming strategic ties with scientifically advanced countries in order to merge [its research] with their research centers, and in order to encourage its scientists to take part in international development programs. Today, there are 21 international science companies in Israel... It knows before everyone else the results of [these companies'] studies, reaping their fruits and using their scientific expertise to advance Israeli inventions.
"The Israeli strategy in science and technology is based on finding new approaches in scientific research and technological invention by training new generations of scientists – especially in physics, chemistry, and the natural and social sciences, as [Israel] is convinced that these sciences will allow it to control the world and direct its course.
"Since 1949, Israel has established marine geology and nuclear physics institutes, as well as [institutes] for the study of desert regions and information technology. Israel makes use of scientific research and technological development to secure its coasts and meet its [other] strategic defense and security needs, and in order to protect the environment, discover and develop natural resources and use them before others, produce electricity, communications, and information technology, and research [alternative] energy..."[3]
NYT’s Bronner Touts Anti-Israel Activists Who Invoke Nazis and Rosa Parks Against the Jewish State
In Wednesday’s New York Times article, "Where Politics Are Complex, Simple Joys at the Beach: Israelis and Palestinians Dare to Swim Together," reporter Ethan Bronner sympathetically devotes nearly all of the article to a group of left-wing Israeli women - an organizaation called We Will Not Obey - who illegally smuggle Palestinian women through checkpoints from the West Bank into Israel so they can visit the beach.
The article includes a quote from one member of the group who ridiculously compares herself to a resident of Germany living during the Nazi era, while a second activist invokes legendary civil rights activist Rosa Parks. Bronner is apparently so impressed with the quote about Rosa Parks that he uses larger text to preview the reference for readers near the end of the article.
And, according to the pro-Israel group CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle Eastern Reporting in America), the article relays the inaccurate claim that Israelis, unlike Palestinians, enjoy the privilege of unrestricted travel at all points between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, when in reality Israelis do face restrictions on travel into the West Bank.
Even the implied premise that West Bank residents lack their own swimming facilities ignores the existence of swimming pools in various Palestinian cities, as previously documented by CAMERA.
Near the beginning of the NYT article, readers are told that participants in the beach trips are protesting what they view as "unjust laws":
They risked criminal prosecution, along with the dozen Israeli women who took to the beach. And that, in fact, was part of the point: to protest what they and their hosts consider unjust laws.
Soon comes the quote from one of the Israeli activists who hints at a similarity between Israel and Nazi Germany:
"What we are doing here will not change the situation," said Hanna Rubinstein, who traveled to Tel Aviv from Haifa to take part. "But it is one more activity to oppose the occupation. One day in the future, people will ask, like they did of the Germans: ‘Did you know?' And I will be able to say, ‘I knew. And I acted.'"
And, even though he never labels the group We Will Not Obey as "left-wing," Bronner does label an unidentified conservative organization as "right-wing" when he notes that the two groups had been in conflict with one another. Also of note, the Israeli newspaper referenced, Haaretz, is also known for being left-leaning. Bronner:
"The resulting trip, described in an article she wrote for the weekend magazine of the newspaper Haaretz, prompted other Israeli women to invite her to speak, and led to the creation of a group they call We Will Not Obey. It also led a right-wing organization to report her to the police, who summoned her for questioning."
Bronner does not question the activist group’s assertions about the difference in travel restrictions imposed on Israelis and Palestinians:
In a newspaper advertisement, the group of women declared: "We cannot assent to the legality of the Law of Entry into Israel, which allows every Israeli and every Jew to move freely in all regions between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River while depriving Palestinians of this same right."
But CAMERA’s article, "The New York Times’ Bronner Advocates for Fringe Group, Censors Mainstream Concerns," disputes this claim:
In fact, the law says no such thing. Current restrictions on freedom of movement apply both to Palestinians and Israeli Jews and are a direct result of the security threat presented to Israel and Israeli citizens. Both Palestinians and Israelis had complete freedom of movement "between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River" until after the first intifada, when Palestinian violence against Israelis began to rise. Today, Israeli Jews are barred from entering Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank, while Palestinians are issued permits to cross Israel’s pre-67 boundaries. So the advertisement is simply false.
The New York Times article then briefly gives background informing viewers that the travel restrictions were imposed in response to violence from Palestinians, but the complaint that not enough Palestinians are granted permits to come into Israel is still presented sympathetically, and one left-wing activist is quoted as calling Israeli authorities "colonialist bureaucrats":
About 60,000 (entry permits) will be issued this year, twice the number for 2010 but still a token amount for a population of 2.5 million. Ms. Hammerman views the permits as the paperwork of colonialist bureaucrats - to be resisted, not indulged.
Bronner’s next paragraph may inadvertently shed light on why some of the Palestinian women mentioned in the story have had difficulty getting permits, as some of them have a number of male relatives in prison. But, rather than exploring whether terrorist connections might play a role in the travel restrictions for these particular women, the New York Times reporter seems oblivious to the potential significance of the incarcerations:
The Palestinian visitors came with complicated histories. In most of their families, the men have been locked up at some point. For example, Manal, who had never been to the sea before, is 36, the mother of three and pregnant; five of her brothers are in Israeli prisons, and another was killed when he entered a settler religious academy armed with a knife.
A bit past this point, the article uses large letters to draw attention to the upcoming reference to Rosa Parks:
Pointing to Rosa Parks for having the courage to break an unjust law.
The article soon concludes with one Israeli activist complaining about Israel having "occupied another country," and bringing up the legendary civil rights activist:
Ms. Aharoni was asked her thoughts. She replied: "For 44 years, we have occupied another country. I am 53, which means most of my life I have been an occupier. I am engaged in an illegal act of disobedience. I am not Rosa Parks, but I admire her because she had the courage to break a law that was not right."
Below is a complete transcript of Ethan Bronner’s article from page A4 of the Wednesday, July 27, 2011, edition of the New York Times with critical portions in bold:
Skittish at first, then wide-eyed with delight, the women and girls entered the sea, smiling, splashing and then joining hands, getting knocked over by the waves, throwing back their heads and ultimately laughing with joy.
Most had never seen the sea before.
The women were Palestinians from the southern part of the West Bank, which is landlocked, and Israel does not allow them in. They risked criminal prosecution, along with the dozen Israeli women who took to the beach. And that, in fact, was part of the point: to protest what they and their hosts consider unjust laws.
In the grinding rut of Israeli-Palestinian relations - no negotiations, mutual recriminations, growing distance and dehumanization- the illicit trip was a rare event that joined the simplest of pleasures with the most complex of politics. It showed why coexistance here is hard, but also why there are, on both sides, people who refuse to give up on it.
"What we are doing here will not change the situation," said Hanna Rubinstein, who traveled to Tel Aviv from Haifa to take part. "But it is one more activity to oppose the occupation. One day in the future, people will ask, like they did of the Germans: ‘Did you know?’ And I will be able to say, ‘I knew. And I acted.’"
Such visits began a year ago as the idea of one Israeli, and have blossomed into a small, determined movement of civil disobedience.
Ilana Hammerman, a writer, translator and editor, had been spending time in the West Bank learning Arabic when a girl there told her she was desperate to get out, even for a day. Ms. Hammerman, 66, a widow with a grown son, decided to smuggle her to the beach. The resulting trip, described in an article she wrote for the weekend magazine of the newspaper Haaretz, prompted other Israeli women to invite her to speak, and led to the creation of a group they call We Will Not Obey. It also led a right-wing organization to report her to the police, who summoned her for questioning.
In a newspaper advertisement, the group of women declared: "We cannot assent to the legality of the Law of Entry into Israel, which allows every Israeli and every Jew to move freely in all regions between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River while depriving Palestinians of this same right. They are not permitted free movement within the occupied territories nor are they allowed into the towns and cities across the green line, where their families, their nation, and their traditions are deeply rooted.
"They and we, all ordinary citizens, took this step with a clear and resolute mind. In this way, we were privileged to experience one of the most beautiful and exciting days of our lives, to meet and befriend our brave Palestinian neighbors, and together with them, to be free women, if only for one day."
The police have questioned 28 Israeli women; their cases are pending. So far, none of the Palestinian women or girls have been caught or questioned by the police.
The beach trip last week followed a pattern: the Palestinian women went in disguise, which meant removing clothes rather than covering up. They sat in the back seats of Israeli cars driven by middle-aged Jewish women and took off headscarves and long gowns. As the cars drove through an Israeli Army checkpoint, everyone just waved.
Earlier, the Israelis had dropped off toys and equipment at the home of one of the Palestinian women, who is setting up a kindergarten. The Israelis also help the Palestinian women with their medical and legal troubles.
Israel’s military, which began limiting Palestinian movement into Israel two decades ago to prevent terrorism at a time of violent uprisings, is in charge of issuing permits for Palestinian visits to Israel. About 60,000 will be issued this year, twice the number for 2010 but still a token amount for a population of 2.5 million. Ms. Hammerman views the permits as the paperwork of colonialist bureaucrats - to be resisted, not indulged. Others have attacked her for picking and choosing which laws she will and will not obey.
The Palestinian visitors came with complicated histories. In most of their families, the men have been locked up at some point. For example, Manal, who had never been to the sea before, is 36, the mother of three and pregnant; five of her brothers are in Israeli prisons, and another was killed when he entered a settler religious academy armed with a knife.
She brought with her an unsurprising stridency. "This is all ours," she said in Tel Aviv. She did not go home a Zionist, but in the course of the day her views seemed to grow more textured - or less certain - as she found comfort in the company of Israeli women who said that they, too, had a home on this land.
Another visitor lives in a refugee camp with her husband and children. Her husband’s family does not approve of her visits ("‘How can you be with the Jews?’ they ask me. ‘Are you a collaborator?’") but she did not hide the relief she felt at leaving her overcrowded camp for a day of friends and fun.
The beach trips - seven so far - have produced some tense moments. An effort to generate interest in a university library fell flat. An invitation to spend the night met with rejection from Palestinian husbands and fathers. Home-cooked Israeli food did not make a big impression. And at the predominantly Jewish beach, a policeman made everyone nervous.
So, on this latest visit, the selected beach was one in Jaffa that is frequented by Israeli Arabs.
One line appears in larger letters:
Pointing to Rosa Parks for having the courage to break an unjust law.
The text returns to the original letter size:
Nobody noticed the visitors.
Dinner was a surprise. Hagit Aharoni, a psychotherapist and the wife of the celebrity chef Yisraeli Aharoni, is a member of the organizing group, so the beachgoers dined on the roof of the Aharonis’ home, five floors above stylish Rothschild Boulevard, where hundreds of tents are currently pitched by Israelis angry with the high cost of housing. The guests loved Mr. Aharoni’s cooking. They lighted cigarettes - something they cannot do in public at home - and put on joyous Palestinian music. As the pink sun set over the Mediterranean, they danced with their Israeli friends.
Ms. Aharoni was asked her thoughts. She replied: "For 44 years, we have occupied another country. I am 53, which means most of my life I have been an occupier. I am engaged in an illegal act of disobedience. I am not Rosa Parks, but I admire her because she had the courage to break a law that was not right."
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