Bennett on CNN: "Palestinians need to stop incitement. Words kill."

Turkish Hair Removal Ad Features 9/11 Mastermind Turkish cosmetics company says it featured the mastermind of 9/11 in a hair removal ad “for his hair, not terrorism”.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Reuters

A Turkish cosmetics company recently ran a controversial online ad for itshair removal product, featuring none other than self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Tuesday that the companyhas defended itself, arguing that it featured the Al-Qaeda terrorist “for his hair, not terrorism” and saying that it did not know his identity.
The ad for the hair removal product reads, in Turkish, “Waiting won’t get rid of that hair!” or, more literally, “The hair will not go away because you keep waiting!” according to the Hurriyet.
The slogan is accompanied by a photo of Mohammed, who is currently being held in Guantanamo Bay and faces the death penalty if convicted.
“We didn’t know that he was a terrorist. This image is in popular use in Turkish memes on the Internet. The guy is quite hairy, so we thought his body was a good fit for our ad,” Mehmet Can Yıldız, a representative for the cosmetics company, told Hurriyet via phone on Tuesday.
Yıldız said the company had discovered the image on a Turkish onlinesocial, adding, “Several popular caps [humorously captioned images] were produced with his photo. Most were related to insomnia.”
“We didn’t want to imply anything political. We didn’t know that it could become an international story. I repeat: We featured him for his hair, not terrorism,” Yıldız reiterated.

Thoughts on rabbi yehuda glick's shooting (from a Muslim)

Gazans Speak Out: Hamas War Crimes

Translations of this item:

Italian

"If Hamas does not like you for any reason all they have to do now is say you are a Mossad agent and kill you." — A., a Fatah member in Gaza.
"Hamas wanted us butchered so it could win the media war against Israel showing our dead children on TV and then get money from Qatar." — T., former Hamas Ministry officer.
"They would fire rockets and then run away quickly, leaving us to face Israeli bombs for what they did." — D., Gazan journalist.
"Hamas imposed a curfew: anyone walking out in the street was shot. That way people had to stay in their homes, even if they were about to get bombed. Hamas held the whole Gazan population as a human shield." — K., graduate student
"The Israeli army allows supplies to come in and Hamas steals them. It seems even the Israelis care for us more than Hamas." — E., first-aid volunteer.
"We are under Hamas occupation, and if you ask most of us, we would rather be under Israeli occupation… We miss the days when we were able to work inside Israel and make good money. We miss the security and calm Israel provided when it was here." — S., graduate of an American university, former Hamas sympathizer.

While the world's media has been blaming Israel for the death of Gazan civilians during Operation Protective Edge, this correspondent decided to speak with Gazans themselves to hear what they had to say.
They spoke of Hamas atrocities and war crimes implicating Hamas in the civilian deaths of its own people.
Although Gazans, fearful of Hamas's revenge against them, were afraid to speak to the media, friends in the West Bank offered introductions to relatives in Gaza. One, a renowned Gazan academic, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that as soon as someone talked to a Western journalist, he was immediately questioned by Hamas and accused of "communicating with the Mossad". "Hamas makes sure that the average Gazan will not talk to Western journalists -- or actually any journalists at all," he said, continuing:

"Hamas does not want the truth about Gaza to come out. Hamas terrorizes and kills us just like Daesh [ISIS] terrorizes kills Iraqis. Hamas is a dictatorship that kills us. The Gazans you see praising Hamas on TV are either Hamas members or too afraid to speak against Hamas. Few foreign [Western] journalists were probably able to report what Gazans think of Hamas."

When asked what Gazans did think of Hamas, he said:

"The same as Iraqis thought of Saddam before he was toppled. He still won by 90-something percent in the presidential elections. If Hamas falls today in Gaza, people here will do what Iraqis did to Saddam's statue after he fell. But even though Western journalists may not have been able to speak freely with Gazans, they still need a story to send to their editor by the end of the day. So it is just easier and safer for them to stick to the official line."

"What was that," I asked: "'Blame Israel'?"
"I don't know about that," he said. "More like, 'Never blame Hamas!'. Hamas was making a 'statement': Opposing Hamas Means Death. Hamas is a dictatorship that kills us."
M., a journalist, confirmed his view. "I do not believe any of the people Hamas killed in the last weeks were Israeli spies," he said. "Hamas has killed many people for criticizing it, and claimed they were traitors working for Israel during the war."
That conversation took place four weeks before Hamas killed 21 alleged "Israeli Mossad agents."
D, a store owner, said:

"There were two major protests against Hamas during the third week of the war. When Hamas fighters opened fire at the protesters in the Bait Hanoun area and the Shijaiya, five were killed instantly. I saw that with my own eyes. Many were injured. A doctor at Shifa hospital told me that 35 were killed at both protests. He went and saw their bodies at the morgue."

To verify those reports, I spoke to a second Gazan academic, who holds a PhD. from a Western university, who stated:

"Hamas did kill protesters, no doubt about that. But we could not confirm how many were actually killed. If I have to guess, the number was more than reported. I am confident that not all of the 21 men Hamas killed on August 22 were collaborating with Israel. Hamas killed those men because it was weakened by Israel's attacks and felt endangered. So it went on a 'Salem Witch-Hunt.' They arrested everyone who opposed them and had to make a few examples to scare people from standing against Hamas. Hamas's tactic worked. Now Gazans are afraid to talk against Hamas even in front of their own family members. Gazans are probably afraid to criticize Hamas even in their sleep!"

As already reported by the award-winning journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh, Hamas killed one of its leaders, Ayman Taha, and blamed Israel for it.
Asked about Abu Toameh's report, S., a Gazan political activist said:

"Taha was already in Hamas's jail before Israeli operations started. Hamas imprisoned him and tortured him because he was critical of its radical policies. He had warned Hamas not to cooperate with Qatar and Iran. Eye-witnesses said they saw Hamas militants bring him alive into the yard of Shifa hospital in Gaza and shoot him dead. They kept mutilating his body in front of viewers and little children and left it on the hospital's yard for a few hours before allowing the staff to take it to the morgue."

A., a Fatah member in Gaza, spoke over Skype -- fearful that Hamas was intercepting phone lines:

"Even before the Israeli operation began, Hamas rounded up 400 of our members and other political-opposition figures. I would not be surprised if Hamas kills them all and then claims they were killed in an Israeli bombing. Hamas already beheaded a man known for opposing its views on the 22nd day of the war, then reported on its Facebook page that he was caught sending intelligence information to Israel. If Hamas does not like you for any reason, all they have to do now is claim you are a Mossad agent and kill you."

S. a medical worker, said:

"The Israeli army sends warnings to people [Gazans] to evacuate buildings before an attack. The Israelis either call or send a text message. Sometimes they call several times to make sure everyone has been evacuated. Hamas's strict policy, though, was not to allow us to evacuate. Many people got killed, locked inside their homes by Hamas militants. Hamas's official Al-Quds TV regularly issued warnings to Gazans not to evacuate their homes. Hamas militants would block the exits to the places residents were asked to evacuate. In the Shijaiya area, people received warnings from the Israelis and tried to evacuate the area, but Hamas militants blocked the exits and ordered people to return to their homes. Some of the people had no choice but to run towards the Israelis and ask for protection for their families. Hamas shot some of those people as they were running; the rest were forced to return to their homes and get bombed. This is how the Shijaiya massacre happened. More than 100 people were killed."

Another Gazan journalist, D., said:

"Hamas fired rockets from next to homes. Hamas was running from one home to another. Hamas lied when it claimed it was shooting from non-populated areas. To make things even worse for us, Hamas would fire from the balconies of homes and try to drag the Israelis into door-to-door battles and street-to-street fights -- a death sentence for all the civilians here. They would fire rockets and then run away quickly, leaving us to face Israeli bombs for what they did. They are cowards. If Hamas militants are not afraid of dying, why do they run after they fire rockets from our homes? Why don't they stay and die with us? Are they afraid to die and go to heaven? Isn't that what they claim they wish?"

Hamas boasted that Palestinian civilians were killed while Hamas's terrorists remained alive, hiding in their underground bunkers and tunnels. (Image source: Hamas video screenshot)

K, another graduate student at an Egyptian university who had gone to Gaza to see his family but was unable to leave after the war started, said on July 22:

"When people stopped listening to Hamas orders not to evacuate and began leaving their homes anyway, Hamas imposed a curfew: anyone walking out in the street was shot without being asked any questions. That way Hamas made sure people had to stay in their homes even if they were about to get bombed. God will ask Hamas on judgment day for those killers' blood."

I asked him if Hamas used people as "human shields." He said: "Hamas held the entire Gazan population as a human shield. My answer to you is yes."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the press on September 6 that Hamas had killed 120 Fatah members who broke the curfew.
T., a former Hamas Ministry officer, said: "Hamas fires from civilian areas for a good reason: The Israelis call the civilians and give them ten minutes to evacuate. This gives Hamas time to fire another rocket and run away."
Why, I asked, did Hamas not allow people to evacuate?

"Some people say Hamas wants civilians killed in order to gain global sympathy, but I believe this is not the main reason. I think the reason is that if all the people were allowed to evacuate their homes, they all would have ended up in a certain area in Gaza. If that happened, it would have made the rest of Gaza empty of civilians, and the Israelis would have been able to hit Hamas without worrying about civilians in all those empty areas. Hamas wanted civilians all over the place to confuse the Israelis and make their operations more difficult."

S., a Gazan businessman, said:

"The cease-fire Hamas agreed to carried the same conditions the Egyptians and the Israelis offered during the second week of the war -- after only 160 Gazans had been killed. Why did Hamas have to wait until 2,200 were killed, and then accept the very same offer? Hamas has blackmailed the world with the killed Gazan civilians to make itself look like a freedom fighter against an evil Israel. Hamas showed Gazans that it could not care less for their blood and their children. And why should Hamas care? Its leaders are either in mansions in Qatar or villas in Jordan. Mashaal [Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas] is in Qatar, Mohammad Nazzal is in Jordan and Abu Marzouk is in Cairo: why should they want a ceasefire? Everyone here in Gaza is wondering why Hamas rejected so many ceasefires. Hamas knows it will not defeat Israel's army, so why did it continue fighting? The answer is simple: Hamas wanted us butchered so it could win the media war against Israel by showing our dead children on TV and then get money from Qatar."

I asked S. if other Gazans shared his view. He said,

"Gazans are not stupid. We are now telling Hamas: Either you bring victory and liberate Palestine as you claim, or simply leave Gaza and maybe give it back to the Palestinian Authority or even Israel -- or even Egypt! We have had enough of Hamas's hallucinations and promises that never come true."

O., a researcher who lives in Gaza Strip's second largest city, Khan Younis, said:

"Most of us see Hamas as too radical and too stubborn, especially the way it was refusing ceasefires offered from Israel. They even refused a 24-hour ceasefire during the third week of the war. They denied us even 24 hours of quiet to bury the dead. Even some Hamas loyalists here are asking why Hamas refused several ceasefires and made us suffer. Hamas did this on purpose because Hamas is a slave to Qatar. Qatar wants the war to go on because it is a terrorist Islamist country, and Hamas wants more of us dead to appease its masters in Qatar. Let's be realistic, Hamas is in a bad shape now. Israel destroyed most tunnels; that is why Hamas had to join the ceasefire talks in Cairo. Were the Israelis' hits to Hamas not so painful, Hamas would not be negotiating in the first place. At the same time, Hamas is asking Israel for the impossible, like an open seaport and an airport. Israel would never allow that, and Hamas knows this, but Hamas might just be buying time by throwing out these demands. You have to keep in mind that Hamas is not concerned with our conditions as Gazans. After all it is our children who are dying, not the children of Hamas's leaders. Hamas is weak now, and I believe it lost most of its tunnels. Israel's Iron Dome destroyed so many of their rockets before they landed in Israel; that is why Hamas is being ruthless with Gazans. When Hamas locks people inside homes about to be bombed, when it kills people protesting against it and when it executes alleged traitors without even a trail, these are war crimes."

A report by the Washington Institute, released in July, also reports that most Gazans are not happy with Hamas's governance.
"It is true," said A., a teacher. "I do not know a single Gazan who is pro-Hamas at the moment, except for those on its payroll. Hamas maintains its control here through a military dictatorship, just like North Korea. People will be killed if they protest. Even Gazans living abroad fear to criticize Hamas because Hamas will take revenge on their relatives who are here."
M., a Gazan television producer, stated:

"Of course I am against Israel and I want it out of Gaza and out of the West Bank, but I still believe Hamas is more of a threat to the Palestinian people. Hamas took over Gaza by killing us [Palestinians] and throwing our young men from high buildings. That is what Hamas is about: murder and power. Hamas is also delusional. Its leaders refused the Egyptian cease-fire proposal, they got hit hard by the Israelis, and then when the war stopped, they declared victory. Even the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, admitted it when he lost Ohoud war [A war in which pagan Arabs defeated Muhammad's army and in which Muhammad was almost killed]. Hamas lives in its own fantasy world. Hamas wanted the dead bodies to make Israel look ugly. The media has exerted a huge pressure on Israel for every dead Gazan. In that sense, Hamas's tactic has worked, and we have seen more Western tolerance of Hamas, especially in Europe. Of course Hamas doesn't care if we all die so long as it achieves its goals. We are not going to accept living under Hamas any longer. Even if there is calm, and the firing stops, we are going to still be under Hamas's mercy, where all basic living standards are considered luxuries. Hamas is just buying time by going to the ceasefire talks. Hamas does not want a ceasefire."

When asked why that was, he said, "Ask Qatar's Sheikh, not me. He is Hamas's god who gives them billions and tells them what to do. May God curse Qatar!"
A first-aid volunteer, E., said that Hamas militants had confiscated 150 truckloads of humanitarian supplies the day before. He said the supplies were donated by charities in the West Bank and that their delivery was facilitated by the IDF. He commented: "This theft angers all of us [Gazans]. The Israeli army allows supplies to come in, and Hamas steals them. It seems even the Israelis care for us more than Hamas."
Another aid worker, A., confirmed that Hamas steals the humanitarian supplies given to Gaza. "They [Hamas] take most of it, sell it to us, and just give us the stuff they do not want."
A Gazan mosque's imam said that the most precious aid item Hamas stole was water. "Gazans are thirsty and Hamas is stealing the water bottles provided to us for free and selling them at 20 Israeli shekels [approximately $5] for the big bottle and 10 Israeli shekels for the small one."
H., who did not want his profession to be mentioned, lost one of his legs in an Israeli raid. I asked him who he thought was responsible for his injury. He stated:

"Hamas was. My father received a text-message from the Israeli army warning him that our area was going to be bombed, and Hamas prevented us from leaving. They said there was a curfew. A curfew, can you believe that? I swear to God, we will take revenge on Hamas. I swear to God I will stand on my other foot and fight against Hamas. Even if Israel leaves them alone, we will not. What had my two-year-old nephew done to be killed under the rubble of our home so Khaled Mashaal [Hamas leader based in Qatar] could be happy? We want change at any cost. I am not claiming the Israelis are innocent, but I know Hamas has fired rockets from every residential spot in Gaza. If that was not hiding behind civilians, then it was stupidity and recklessness. Nobody who is normal, in his right mind, in Gaza supports Hamas. People have lost parents, children and friends, and have nothing more to lose. I believe if given the chance and the weapons, they will stand against Hamas."

K., a Gazan school teacher agreed:

"When Hamas starts caring for our children we will start caring for Hamas. Hamas has one policy, to attack Israel; so Israel attacks back, and gets us killed and Hamas then gets more money from Arabs and Erdogan [Turkey's president]. My son has autism; he cannot handle the sounds of rockets and bombs landing. Why would I support Hamas, which causes this suffering to him? Gazans have had enough of Hamas, any claims that we love Hamas is just propaganda. A recent poll indicates that most of us support Hamas; this is not true, except maybe in the West Bank where they have not yet lived under Hamas rule. I cannot accuse the polling center of fabricating the poll, but my safest explanation for the result is that Gazans polled are too afraid to give their true opinions of Hamas. Hamas watches everything here. Most Gazans now have to deal with the aftermath of the war. Almost 300,000 Gazans are now homeless and Hamas is not providing them with anything. So why would they or their extended families have any love for Hamas? Would there be any common sense to that? Most Gazans are angry at Hamas, and most of us would love to see them replaced by any other force."

Despite all Hamas has done to Gazans, they do not seem to hold much love -- or less hatred -- for Israel.
S., a graduate of an American university and a former Hamas sympathizer, warned:

"Don't get fooled. Gazans are not in love with Israel yet, but they do not want to fight Israel anymore. We do not want to embrace Israel; we just want to live normally without wars. We want to live and work in Israel like we used to. We are under Hamas occupation, and if you ask most of us, we would rather be under Israeli occupation, instead. I would welcome Netanyahu to rule Gaza so long as Hamas leaves, and I think most Gazans feel the same way. We miss the days when we were able to work inside Israel and make good money, we miss the security and calm Israel provided when it was here, but politically speaking, we just think of it as the better of two evils: Israel and Hamas."

M., who lost his 11 year old daughter in an Israeli bombing said: "I will not forgive either Hamas or Israel for losing my daughter. If you ask me if I hate Israelis, my answer would be no, but do I love them? Of course not. There is too much blood between us, but I can only hope someday we both will move on and heal our wounds."
When asked what he would do if he were in Israel's place, being attacked non-stop by Hamas, he responded: "I do not care if both Israel and Gaza burn in hell."
F., a Gazan physician, said:

"I wish Israel never existed, but as it does not seem to be going away, I would rather be working in Israel like I used to before the first Intifada, not fighting it. Hamas sympathizers, apologists and appeasers should be ashamed of themselves for supporting a terrorist organization that has butchered civilians, Israeli and Palestinian. Apparently a group of Israelis is working on bringing Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to trial in the International Criminal Court. But perhaps the world should consider putting all the Hamas leaders on trial for crimes against the Gazan people."

Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler on the Temple Mount

For many years it has been the custom of Rabbi Dr. Moshe Dovid Tendler, famed posek, professor, and son-in-law of the great Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, זצ'ל to perform the commandment of "Mora Mikdash" - showing reverence to G-d at the place of the Holy Temple, by ascending the Temple Mount in strict accordance with halacha - Jewish law.

Prayer on the Temple Mount: A Moving Glimpse

Two minutes of moving footage of a group of Jews who on Monday. October 14th, 2013, spoke aloud the shema as well as other Hebrew (Jewish) prayers on the Temple Mount, and sang Hatikva, the national anthem of Israel, in disregard of police instructions to refrain from any expression of Jewish faith, thought, or pride, so as not to offend the sensitivities of Muslims who might (or might not) be on the Mount.

Palestinian' assaults Knesset member on Temple Mount

Minister: 'No Limits from Any Gentile' on Building - Inside Israel

Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) visited Rachel's Tomb Tuesday, and called for the government to build freely for Jews in the Land of Israel.

“It is time that there will be full construction, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the Negev and Galilee,” he said, “without any limitations from any gentile or anyone else, like we learned from previous generations.”

Ariel used the Hebrew word “goy,” which means “gentile” but also “nation,” and he could well have been using it in the second sense, or purposely employing a double entendre. 

Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard, who arrived on a visit to Israel on Monday, condemned Israel’s announcement of new construction in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem.

According to a report, Lidegaard's condemnation came ahead of a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman.

Later, in a joint conference with Liberman, Lidegaard said that he condemns the construction of the housing units because it "hinder(s) negotiations and the two-state solution."

The Committee for Planning and Building in Jerusalem officially approved the construction of 400 housing units in Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem Monday, just one week after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu officially approved over 1,000 housing units in that neighborhood and in Har Homa that have been slated for construction since as far back as 2010. 

The move is sure to draw international criticism, as similar moves have been met so far with threats and ire from the UN, EU, and US. 

Rachels Tomb is located in Beit Lechem of Judea, just a few minute south of Jerusalem

One of dozens of Jewish graves on the Mount of Olives desecrated by Arabs on the second day of Rosh HaShanna, Sept.26, 2014.

MK Shuli Moalem Attacked on Temple Mount

MK Shuli Moalem-Rafaeli was physically accosted during a visit to the Temple Mount on Nov. 3, 2014.

MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli (Bayit Yehudi) filed a complaint with police on Monday morning. In her complaint, Moalem reported that she was attacked by a woman on the Temple Mount.

Following her complaint to the police, she went to the Officer of the Knesset.

The police spokesperson reports that MK Moalem was on the Temple Mount with a group of visitors when she was approached by a Muslim woman who began to yell at her and then physically shoved the Israeli Member of Knesset.

The Muslim woman was arrested and brought in for questioning.

MK Moalem was not injured in the incident, and continued with her tour of the Jewish holy site.

Police add they will show zero tolerance for any violence towards visitors on the Temple Mount, and anyone acting with violence will be arrested.

Here is a video of the actual incident:

On Sunday, JewishPress.com reported that Arabs were tracking and stalking MK Moshe Feiglin in the Old City and on the Temple Mount.

It now appear that the Islamists are purposely targeting Israeli MKs and public figures connected to the Temple Mount in order to harm them.

MK Shuli Moalem and Uri Bank on the Temple Mount

Uri Bank, Secretary-General of the Bayit Yehudi Knesset party, who was with Moalem during the assault, released the following statement, “Proud to have had the chance to pray (albeit silently…) this morning on the Temple Mount for a full and speedy recovery for Yehudah Glick, in the most appropriate place possible. I’m hoping that the Prime Minister will come to his senses and realize that the attempt to assassinate Yehudah is an historic, opportune moment to ensure what Yehudah has devoted his whole life to – the realization of the very basic right of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount.”

Yochi Briskman Orchestra -Yisroel Werdyger-Mezamrim @ the Menczer Simcha יוחי בריסקמן ואפילו בהסתרה

Nigun Hastureh
Arranged by Yanky Briskman
Video edited by Motty Engel
Audio mixed by Aj Greenwald


"ואפילו בהסתרה" הביצוע המושקע ביותר שנראה עד כה

יוחי בריסקמן ותזמורתו עם הסולן שרולי ורדיגר
לפני מס' שבועות התקיים בוויליאמסבורג ארה"ב שמחת שבע הברכות למשפ' העסקן הגדול ר' יונתן מנצר. על החלק האומנותי הופקד המפיק והמנהל המוזיקאלי יוחי בריסקמן כאשר מתחת ידו תזמורת סימפונית מורחבת בת 19 נגנים, בליווי 17 חברי מקהלת המבוגרים והילדים מבית "המזמרים". 
בווידאו המצורף ניתן לראות את התזמורת המורחבת מבצעת עם הזמר שרולי ורדיגר את הלהיט ההיסטרי "ואפילו בהסתרה" של יואלי קליין

Shloime Gertner sings new song "V'emunoh Kol Zois" composed by Lozi Cohen

Shloime Gertner sings new song "V'emunoh Kol Zois" composed by the Bar Mitzvah boy Lozi Cohen (London) and sung at Lozi's Bar Mitzvah. October 29, 2014.

Lyrics from Maariv Tefiloh:
וֶאֱמוּנָה כָּל זאת וְקַיָּם עָלֵינוּ. כִּי הוּא יי אֱלהֵינוּ וְאֵין זוּלָתוֹ. וַאֲנַחְנוּ יִשרָאֵל עַמּוֹ: הַפּוֹדֵנוּ מִיַּד מְלָכִים מַלְכֵּנוּ
הַגּוֹאֲלֵנוּ מִכַּף כָּל הֶעָרִיצִים ....הָעוֹשֶׂה גְדוֹלוֹת עַד אֵין חֵקֶר. וְנִפְלָאוֹת עַד אֵין מִסְפָּר
הַשָּׂם נַפְשֵׁנוּ בַּחַיִּים. וְלא נָתַן לַמּוֹט רַגְלֵנוּ:

And faithful is all his, and this is firmly established for us, that He is Hashem our God, and there is none but him and we are Yisroel his people. He redeems us from the power of Kings, our King who delivers us from the hands of cruel tyrants. Who performs great deeds that are beyond our comprehension and wonders beyond number, Who set our soul in life and did not allow our foot to falter. (Maariv)

Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: The hypocrisy of Rula Jebreal

Rula Jebreal appeared on Bill Maher's TV show on Friday night where she called him a bigot and criticized his views on Islam. Here is the discussion after Maher explained why he will be giving a commencement speech at Berkeley despite protests at his opinions of Islam (which would not be  a topic in his address):

JEBREAL: ...These same students feel offended that your views of Islam -- the generalization, and they said it clearly in their declaration, they said the generalization perpetrates bigotry. This is what they said.

...Listen, would you accept an openly anti-Semitic person to give a commencement speech to Jewish students? I actually would not accept that.

MAHER: As I just said, even Reza Aslan says I'm not a bigot. So I rather resent the idea that I'm comparable to an anti-Semite. All I've ever done was basically read facts.

JEBREAL: What facts did you read? I'm sorry, you are comparing jihadists, Salafists, Sunni, you don't know the difference. You are comparing all Muslims in one part --

MAHER: You are Palestinian?

JEBREAL: I am actually a secular Muslim. And when you talking about Islam in a certain way, I have to tell you, it's offensive sometimes.

KING: But it's okay to be offensive. That's what free speech is all about. If free speech is only speech you like, it's not free speech.

...JEBREAL: And I'm happy that he's been here and I'm here and I'm so happy to be invited here. However, if you want to have a serious conversation about Islam, and I'm sorry to say this Bill --

MAHER: Every time I tell you something you don't like it's not a serious conversation or I'm a bigot. I'm sorry, in your world either I say exactly what you want me to say or else I'm a bigot. It doesn't work that way.

JEBREAL: Look, if you're -- you don't have to say what I want because what I want is not a war on Islam. I want to win the war on terror. When you are repeating the same things that actual al Qaeda says, the same thing, you are doing the work for them. al-Zawahiri used to say, bin Laden used to say this is not a war on terror, this is a war on Islam. My father was Muslim, he was Sufi. Guess what, let me tell you something. You don't even know the difference between Sufi, Sunni, Sunni Shafi'i, Sunni Hanbali.

MAHER: Yeah, I do.

Jebreal says, twice, that Maher doesn't know the difference between different strains of Islam, and that he generalizes from one to the other, and therefore he is a bigot (more specifically, she compared him to an anti-semite and quoted the Berkeley students who said that he perpetuates bigotry. But she doesn't deny it when Maher says she believes he is a bigot.)

Guess what? By her own definition, Rula Jebreal is a bigot!

As I noted last week in my post showing the many untruths in her op-ed in the New York Times, Jebreal doesn't know the difference between religious Zionists and ultra-Orthodox (more properly, haredi) Jews:

Israel is increasingly becoming a project of ethno-religious purity and exclusion. Religious Zionist and ultra-Orthodox parties occupy 30 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, and are part of the coalition government (No ultra-orthodox parties are in the governing coalition, the NYT later corrected that.)

...Historically, ultra-Orthodox Jews did not serve in the armed forces. Today, they do — and serve in every capacity, including in the most important elite Israeli army units, such as the Sayeret Matkal special forces and Unit 8200, whose responsibilities include gathering intelligence on any Palestinian they deem a “security threat.” ("Ultra-Orthodox Jews" serve in only very specific parts of the IDF.)

And then she revealed her bigotry:

Unlike every former head of Shin Bet, Israel’s equivalent of the F.B.I., Yoram Cohen, who today heads the agency, is a religious Jew. That change is typical of Israeli society. The greater integration of ultra-Orthodox Jews clearly offers benefits to Jewish Israelis, but for Palestinian Israeli citizens, it has meant a new, religiously inspired racism, on top of the old secular discrimination.

Jebreal is saying that all religious Jews are "racist" and she damns the head of the Shin Bet based purely on his religiosity, not his actions. The (false!) example she gives to prove Israeli bigotry immediately following this section refers to Avigdor Lieberman, who is not religious at all!

So by Jebreal's own yardstick, she is a bigot. She cannot distinguish between haredim, religious Zionists and secular Jews, calling them all "racists." She generalizes large groups of people based on her perception of the actions of a few.

Too bad Maher didn't call her on this. Maybe he'll invite her back.

Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: Why peace is impossible, reason #8249

From Times of Israel:

A young Bedouin man from the Negev was fined NIS 1.2 million ($316 000) by a religious court for sharing a video of a sheikh dancing at an ultra-Orthodox wedding, thus humiliating him, Channel 2 reported.

The story reportedly began when the man, identified only as “A,” shared a video on Facebook which had been circulating for some time on social networks, in which Sheik al-Atrash was seen dancing at the wedding of ZAKA (an emergency response organization) volunteer Berale Yaakovovitch. He also gave a speech at the event in which he blessed the bride and groom on their path together.

The groom confirmed that the sheikh danced at the wedding and said he didn’t understand what the commotion was about. He added that he was happy to have the sheikh there.

But A’s post apparently led to many negative and disparaging comments against the sheikh from across the Arab world, some of which reached the man himself. Al-Atrash turned to the traditional Bedouin religious court, the “Haq al-Arab,” and sued “A” for dishonoring him.

So may people visit Arab areas and are told how warm and friendly they are. And I don't doubt it. This sheikh was clearly very friendly and quite happy to give blessings to his religious Jewish friends.

But in the wider Arab world, an Arab who is friends with Jews is anathema, so much so that the sheikh had to go to court to defend his honor for being "outed" as a Judeophile.

The amount awarded is much higher than the amount of money that is fined in Muslim courts in murder cases!

The court slapped “A” with an NIS 1.2 million fine for allegedly hurting the sheikh’s honor, leaving him thunderstruck.

“How can it be that [for example] for a man who commits murder, the judges impose a NIS 250,000 fine, and for me the fine was like I murdered five people. I’m in shock, ” he said.

“It’s a clip that was on the web for a long time so I just shared it,” ‘A’ told Channel 2. “I didn’t think that it would cause such an uproar or that my life would be in danger.”

When being friendly with Jews is far more dishonorable than being a murderer, the prospects for real peace between Jews and Arabs is less than zero.

Israel Matzav: 'Oh no, I'm in trouble'

66-year old Reva Schertzman hit the gas while driving home to Beitar Ilit from Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, and because of that she's alive today. 

"I saw a lot... about 40 of them... and I thought, 'oh no, I'm in trouble'."

With cars behind her and unable to turn around, Riva said her only option was to put her foot on the gas and drive as fast as she could. She sounded her horn in a desperate attempt to alert other drivers to the ambush - and then was herself subjected to "the most terrifying experience I have ever been through."

"I just took my hand and covered my head and just rode, ducking, with my hand on my head.

"The sensation was like... it was literally like a rain of rocks. Pieces of construction material - big rocks, even bricks," she recalled.

"There must have been 20 rocks bouncing off my car. I have never experienced such a terrifying moment like that... I was fortunate that they didn't block the road as well or God knows I wouldn't be talking to you now."

Her car suffered severe damage but - though shaken - Riva's quick thinking helped her avoid any physical injury. 

But it could have been much worse. Rocks had shattered through her back windows - some with such force that they damaged the windows on the other side of the car - precisely where her elderly parents-in-law were meant to have been sitting at the time, but were not due to a last-minute change of plan.

"They would have been killed, no question," she says.

...

"I've had a firebomb thrown at my car - which fortunately missed me - I've had rocks thrown at my car, I've even once had a machine-gun fired at my car..."

"I've been through it so many times... after a while you get 'good at it', which is extremely sad.

"The worst part of it was... I was trying to take my phone out while I was driving, and trying to see if I'm safe yet to call the police because of the people behind me, who would be walking into an ambush. 

"I know there were plenty of cars behind me, so others were also attacked for sure."
After driving a while longer she finally reached Betar, where she immediately alerted security guards, who called the military.

This hits really close to home. We drive to Beitar - and to Beit Shemesh by way of Beitar - way too often

In the meantime, the government, in its infinite wisdom, decided today to impose a 20-year prison term on people who throw stones at cars. That's not an effective deterrent, because (a) everyone knows that the stone throwers will be released in exchange for some kidnapped Jew anyway, (b) they aren't likely to take 10 and 12-year olds (yes, some of the stone throwers are that young and younger) and put them in jail for 20 years, and (c) the law only applies in Jerusalem.

'Beneath the Helmet' Promo Video

Beneath the Helmet explores five young soldiers personal lives, dreams, fears and dilemmas, revealing the human side of Israel's military and the inspiring young people who make up the IDF.

"Purification before prayer is performed with stones" [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 2, 2014]

Jerusalem of Stone

Spiritual Flight Safety Video For Haredim Who Fly El Al

Ezra Levant with Melanie Phillips - Anti-Semitism on the rise in Europe

Ambassador Prosor Addresses the Emergency Security Council Session on Jerusalem: 'Don't you have better things to do'?

The great Palestinian lie

ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE.....