Let me say from the beginning that I don’t hate anyone as a general rule. I look for and desire to see the good in every human being as I believe everyone else should do as well. If someone has been influenced by an evil mindset in ideology, then my first reaction is not to commence hating that person but rather to make an attempt to shake that person out of that destructive mindset by using logic and reason, along with a persuasive passion for what is spiritually right and true.However, because this is not always possible regardless of the amount of truth that is placed before certain individuals, and because there are those who will always love the evil inwardly more than righteousness, I believe that there can is righteous-based hatred regarding some humans. I don’t believe in living a life for the sole purpose of hating for any cause as do certain political, religious, and non-religious hate groups. But there are things in this life (including evil devoted people) of whom it's righteous to hate.
God judges hatred along with all motivations of the human heart by His law and not by man’s westernized liberal conceptions. There is a big difference between hating your personal enemy on a personal level for personal reasons, and hating an enemy of God on a spiritual level for spiritual reasons. Examine what the scripture states:
"Do not I hate them, O YHVH, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: They are become mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalms 139:21-24. (also see II Chronicles 19:2)
In this segment from the book of Psalms, the psalmist was searching his heart before God in which he was making sure that his godly resistance towards his enemies - in the form of righteous hatred - was in check. In this passage Israel’s enemies are the ones who hates God. For the psalmist, his thought was that if he did not have a "perfect" hatred towards God’s enemies, then his thoughts of not hating God's enemy would be of a wicked way within his heart. From my point of view, the politically-correct secular world could learn volumes from the simple declaration that this psalmist proclaimed and of which the first and second Jewish Temple singers sang the psalm:1
“Do not I hate them, O YHVH that hate thee?” and "I hate them (God's enemies) with a perfect hatred"
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I have heard people say that they may hate the things evil people do but not the person themselves. I agree with that concept in general but not as an overall concept. An individual can sink so much into evil that they become “as one” with their wickedness. There is a place in the realms of evil where a person has sold out "soul" lock, stock and barrel in effect crossing the point of no return where their whole lives can only be devoted as an enemy against God. Such was the case with Pharaoh during the time of the Exodus whose heart become more hardened after each manifestation of the ten plagues of Egypt.
To bring this reality into modern times, I do not and cannot love any part of Adolph Hitler including his very soul. I not only hate the things that he did on earth but I also hate him spiritually as God's enemy as well. How about you? Are you a hater of Hitler's very soul?
Fact: There is no separation between Hitler's soul and his Holocaust deeds that he did on earth both now and forever.
Hitler made a choice to become the image of evil rather than expressing the image of God he was made in. I don’t believe God loves him but rather hates him insomuch that Hitler’s soul (and not just the things he did) is in a place of the eternally damned where he will be forever separated from the God of mercy, justice, and righteousness. So in trying to be like minded with God’s thinking towards Hitler, I hate the expressed devil that Hitler was and forever shall be known. I not only believe that it's a righteous act to hate Hitler, but in fact it would be evil of me or anyone else not to do so as the above Psalm of David plainly points out. Furthermore, the so-called do-gooders who actually love Hitler are the ones most likely to support him and his deeds.
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Hitler is not the only ambassador of evil to walk around in human form. I feel the same way with the likes of other such devils as Yassier Arafat, Louis Farrakhan, David Duke, and now Jimmy Carter who has devoted the rest of his evil life to the cause of Israel's murderous enemy. These men are not simply misguided fools that are followers of evil (a place where true repentance and the turning away from evil are still available to such a person) but they are in fact actual leaders and forgoers of evil for the sole purpose of leading others in their evil!
Since false prophets don’t repent, (no false prophet in the Bible ever did) I have no desire to pray for these men and others like them for a change of their evil ways. Rather, I choose to pray according to God’s promise to them which is for their destruction as God sees fit according to their relentless evil and unrepentant deeds upon this earth.
"And He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slow to repay him who hates Him. He will repay him to his face." - Deuteronomy 7:10 (See also Isaiah 59:18).
Therefore, my Bible-guided prayer is, "May YHVH according to His holy and righteous Torah promise, repay the Arab-Palestinians to their face, along with and all who support them in their terrorist-expressed hatred acts against YHVH's chosen people."
The Palestinians:
There isn't a greater enemy towards the nation of Israel in all the world today than the Palestinians! The Palestinians have taken the title from the German Nazis as "the greatest threat" to the Jewish nation. Mein Kamph gave way to Jihadi - both meaning "my struggles" in both German and Arabic. When Hitler's struggles expired the Islamic struggles picked up the banner. What now is at stake in the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians that wasn't at stake during Hitler's Final Solution is the possibility of the most evil people in all the earth, worshiping the most evil god (their god Allah), in the most holiest place (Jerusalem and the Temple Mount) in all the world!
The rebirth of Israel as a nation has given rise to Allah (an Arabian deity) wanting to be worshiped by his subjects at the very place designed for the God of Israel to be worshiped (see Psalms 132:13,14). Just the possibility of this scenario alone should show the secularists that there is a God of Israel that holds an everlasting covenant with the Jewish people (see Psalms 105:8-10). For it is impossible to ask for better stage to be set from what we see in the Middle East today to begin an all out "end of the age" showdown between good and evil.
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There has never been of people in modern times besides the Palestinians whose paradigm is terrorism and whose ultimate goal as a people in the world is towards the annihilation of another people based upon their religion and spirituality. What makes this fact all the more significant is that the Palestinians are given the world's support (7.4 billion dollars worth of support recently > http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1207/west.php3) in their terrorist endeavors and annihilation aspirations, and this was after the Palestinians as a people overwhelmingly voted in the party of Hamas to run their government in January 2006!
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There has never been of people in modern times besides the Palestinians whose paradigm is terrorism and whose ultimate goal as a people in the world is towards the annihilation of another people based upon their religion and spirituality. What makes this fact all the more significant is that the Palestinians are given the world's support (7.4 billion dollars worth of support recently > http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1207/west.php3) in their terrorist endeavors and annihilation aspirations, and this was after the Palestinians as a people overwhelmingly voted in the party of Hamas to run their government in January 2006!
World actions of this nature adds a greater significance to the end-time war between good and evil (Ezekiel 38:16-23). Besides the 7.4 billion pledged the to Palestinians, billions of dollars more are added in the form of state of the art weaponry being sold to the enemies of Israel >http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/28/saudi.arms/.
Along with the billions of dollars that the UN is pledging to the Palestinians, the world's plan for tiny Israel becomes very clear! If the nations hadn't taken upon themselves to support Israel's greatest enemies there would not have been a need for Zechariah 12:9 to have been written: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."
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To try and understand the depth of the very evil that lies within the Palestinian society, one must look at what they as a society are capable of. The following is a very small and incomplete list as to the kind of things that comes forth from out of the Palestinian people. While viewing this list ask yourself, "Why are the world nations (especially the United States lead by a conservative president) are so desperately seeking to grant these Palestinians (of all people) any kind of a political state?"
Remember, O YHVH , the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
The psalmist is not promoting that idea of killing innocent children for the sake of killing children. That would be what the enemies of the Bible and Israel would have you believe! This is the same mindset that the "Human Rights Watch" tried to sell the world (which the world willfully bought) when they accused Israel of killing 54 children in Qana, Lebanon during the 2006 Lebanon-Israeli War. Because of their spiritual state they didn't have the ability nor the will to considered the 4,000 rockets that was shot from civilian locations into Israel to start the war by which was indeed meant to kill as many Israeli citizens including children as possible!
When given over to dark forces the human mind can no longer judge between good and evil. This scripture in the book of Psalms is about God's judgment (of what He will allow to occur) in the form of reaping and sowing. Babylon had "dashed" Jewish babies against stones in their invasion against the Jewish people much like the Palestinians shoot rockets targeting Jewish school children. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6977346.stm The scripture of Psalms 137:7-9 is stating that what the Babylonians did against the Jews would divinely return back to them in the form of the coming Persian Empire. In fact, one could argue that Babylon is still reaping from their deeds of old in today's Iraq!
Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel has declared that Israel's enemies would reap what they have sown at the End of Days (Ezekiel. 35: 5-11). Keep in mind that Psalm 137 is one of the most Zionistic portions of scripture in the entire Bible. In it we find the great love for God's chosen people - the Jews, and for Zion - God's chosen place of worship. But also we find in it a bitter hatred for all those who hate and try to kill God's chosen and possess Zion for their own - kind of like what the Palestinians do.
So why do I hate the Palestinians? Simply put; because God does! Not that every single Palestinian is hated by God, for I know that God loves Palestinians such as Walid Shoebat - a Palestinian who has a deep devoted love for Israel and Israel's covenant with YHVH. But according to the Hebrew scriptures God hates all those who hate His covenant with Israel, which puts the Arab-Palestinians as a people first in line to be hated by God!
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To try and understand the depth of the very evil that lies within the Palestinian society, one must look at what they as a society are capable of. The following is a very small and incomplete list as to the kind of things that comes forth from out of the Palestinian people. While viewing this list ask yourself, "Why are the world nations (especially the United States lead by a conservative president) are so desperately seeking to grant these Palestinians (of all people) any kind of a political state?"
- Among the two great political parties that rule the Palestinians (Al-Fatah in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip) both covenants from both parties call for for an arms struggle and the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel. http://www.iris.org.il/plochart.htm http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/documents/charter.html
- The greatest forms of child abuse in all the world occur among the Palestinians. Children who are barely old enough to speak are taught to Jew-hate with words they don't even understand. http://www.youtube.com/watchv=ZL0C2QvqIlo This gives heed to the saying, "they drink the hatred with their mother's milk"! Just the picture alone (at the top of the article) speaks volumes of the Palestinian society.
- Children TV shows are shown in the name of Shahid (martyrdom). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi-c6lbFGC4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4zgURMOZ6k
- Shahid (martyrdom) for children is glorified of official PA and Hamas television. http://www.pmw.org.il/ASK%20FOR%20DEATH.htm
- An exhibition of glorifying and celebrating suicide / mass murder is displayed with Palestinian gleeful acceptance at Al Najah University in the West Bank town of Nablus in September, 2001. http://www.gamla.org.il/english/feature/sbarro.htm This exhibition included many displays of body parts one of which was a bloody set of blue-jean wearing legs with no torso connected, still sitting on a chair. The bombing of Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem in which the exhibition re-enacts hits a little close to home. My wife and I personally eat there three years before this massacre occurred.
- School text books promote anti-Israel and pro shahid-martyrdom. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/patext1.html http://www.edume.org/research/testimonies/2007-05-15.html http://www.pmw.org.il/getresults/political/index.html#i214759
- Women who sends their sons to Jew-murder are given high status in Palestinian society, even to run for a government office. http://www.amitiesquebec-israel.org/texts/mother.htm
- Suicide murderers are glorified all through Palestinian controlled areas, in the form of billboards, street names, names of soccer fields, trading cards, names of hospitals, new babies named after suicide bombers, and children's events, songs, chants, and poems during parades, ect. http://programs.ssrc.org/gsc/gsc_quarterly/newsletter5/content/allen/ http://www.zoa.org/2003/07/palestinian_aut_13.htm Even "Saddam Hussein" whose Scud missiles hitting Tel-Aviv civilian areas brought Palestinian cheers, is honored in the Palestinian city of Jenin> http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53882
- Suicide for the murder of Jews is an accepted norm and is a high form of religious devotion. Outside of martyrdom, there is no guarantee of reaching paradise for oneself and family members. This is one of the reasons candy is passed out in celebration at suicide / murderer's funeral. http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/013234.php
- One Hundred Thousand citizens of the would-be future State of Palestine attended the funeral of Yahya Ayyash (a.k.a. "the Engineer") not to mention the many funerals of other Palestinian terrorist and terrorist spiritual teachers like Sheikh Ahmed Yassin! I wonder how many of these one hundred thousand funeral attendees of Yahya Ayyash would consider themselves Palestinian moderates? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahya_Ayyash Moreover, this Palestinian hero has traffic squares named after him in both Jenin and Jericho with no Palestinian complaints. Imagine that! This issue of glorifying and mass murderer among the Palestinians even became part of "peace" negotiation with such a people. See "article 6" section "h" > http://www.israelmfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/Israeli+View+on+Palestinian+Security+Commitments.htm?DisplayMode=print
- Palestinians seek to destroy the God of Israel through a revised history of Holocaust and Temple denial, and stand as a barricade between God and His fulfillment of the covenant He has with His chosen people, the Jews. http://www.spme.net/cgi-bin/facultyforum.cgi?ID=1735
Muslim religious fervor has many different facets of Jew-murdering expressions that are fully exposed in the Palestinian society. From passing out candy at shahid funerals to eating flesh and drinking blood of Jewish victims as they did on October 12, 2000 in Ramallah> http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014886.php Yet, the Muslim world has the audacity to vilify Israel as the blood-libel people and state. It is these Palestinians who are on the front lines (even occupying a huge portion of the ancient land of Israel) in the Islamic war against the God of Israel!
The 64,000 dollar question: Does the God of Israel "hate" the Palestinians?
The politically-correct answer would be, "God loves everybody". However, the Bible is never politically correct. The Bible states very clearly that God hated Esau, who like the Palestinians wished to destroy Jacob / Israel.
"I have loved you, saith YHVH. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith YHVH: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated (Hebrew: sanay-ti) Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Malachi 1:2,3
The New Testament correctly applies this scripture of God's hatred of an individual as also to the nation that proceeded from that individual (see Romans 9:12,13). The land that should be considered for a Palestinian state is all contained in the ancient writings of which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is all about -the Bible. Aside from Mecca, the Palestinian spiritual base is that of Esau's - Mt. Seir in Jordan, which is why the prophecies of Ezekiel against Israel's most vicious enemy is not against the West Bank, for that is Israel's land and not the Palestinians! http://www.danielpipes.org/article/298
Take another look at the list above as to what the Palestinians are capable of and then see if you notice any similarities in the following scripture: "Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end...Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; [sound familiar? > http://inbrief.threatswatch.org/2006/02/palestine-from-the-river-to-th/ ] whereas YHVH was there: Therefore, as I live saith YHVH God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them, when I have judged thee. - Ezekiel 35:5, 10-111
One of the hardest scriptures for most people to understand and one that I personally had an atheist use in trying to discredit the Bible, is Psalms 137:7-9 which reads:Remember, O YHVH , the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
The psalmist is not promoting that idea of killing innocent children for the sake of killing children. That would be what the enemies of the Bible and Israel would have you believe! This is the same mindset that the "Human Rights Watch" tried to sell the world (which the world willfully bought) when they accused Israel of killing 54 children in Qana, Lebanon during the 2006 Lebanon-Israeli War. Because of their spiritual state they didn't have the ability nor the will to considered the 4,000 rockets that was shot from civilian locations into Israel to start the war by which was indeed meant to kill as many Israeli citizens including children as possible!
When given over to dark forces the human mind can no longer judge between good and evil. This scripture in the book of Psalms is about God's judgment (of what He will allow to occur) in the form of reaping and sowing. Babylon had "dashed" Jewish babies against stones in their invasion against the Jewish people much like the Palestinians shoot rockets targeting Jewish school children. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6977346.stm The scripture of Psalms 137:7-9 is stating that what the Babylonians did against the Jews would divinely return back to them in the form of the coming Persian Empire. In fact, one could argue that Babylon is still reaping from their deeds of old in today's Iraq!
Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel has declared that Israel's enemies would reap what they have sown at the End of Days (Ezekiel. 35: 5-11). Keep in mind that Psalm 137 is one of the most Zionistic portions of scripture in the entire Bible. In it we find the great love for God's chosen people - the Jews, and for Zion - God's chosen place of worship. But also we find in it a bitter hatred for all those who hate and try to kill God's chosen and possess Zion for their own - kind of like what the Palestinians do.
So why do I hate the Palestinians? Simply put; because God does! Not that every single Palestinian is hated by God, for I know that God loves Palestinians such as Walid Shoebat - a Palestinian who has a deep devoted love for Israel and Israel's covenant with YHVH. But according to the Hebrew scriptures God hates all those who hate His covenant with Israel, which puts the Arab-Palestinians as a people first in line to be hated by God!
As God commanded Israel to hate Amalek that his name be blotted out from under heaven for his deeds in using cowardly acts against Israel in possessing her land of inheritance (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) the modern Amaleks of today should be hated for their cowardly terrorist attacks on Jewish civilians who claim their land of inheritance as well. May Arafat's name and the names of those who support his goal be blotted out from under heaven! Amen? Amen!
"The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity." - Psalms 5:5
"YHVH tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence [terrorist Palestinians] His soul hates." - Pslams 11:5
Do not I hate them, O YHVH, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalms 139: 21-24
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Notes:
1. Psalms chapters 107-150 (the fifth section of the Pslams in the Hebrew Bible) are mostly liturgical psalms for pilgrimages to the temple and festivals.
"The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity." - Psalms 5:5
"YHVH tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence [terrorist Palestinians] His soul hates." - Pslams 11:5
Do not I hate them, O YHVH, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalms 139: 21-24
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Notes:
1. Psalms chapters 107-150 (the fifth section of the Pslams in the Hebrew Bible) are mostly liturgical psalms for pilgrimages to the temple and festivals.
3,878 comments:
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"Theologians throughout the ages concluded it was written to Jews
A straightforward reading of the text indicates that the recipients were Jewish Christians. Karen H. Jobes maintains that “in contrast to modern interpreters, most ancient exegetes . . . understood the recipients of the letter to be converts from Judaism.”[4] Ramsey Michaels admits that the readers “are addressed here as Jews.” He insists, “No NT letter is so consistently addressed, directly or indirectly, to ‘Israel,’ that is (on the face of it) to Jews.”[5] He nevertheless concludes that “1 Peter was written primarily to Gentile Christians in Asia Minor, but that the author, for his own reasons, has chosen to address them as if they were Jews.” He adds, “So successful was the author of 1 Peter in appearing to write to Jews that the Christian historian Eusebius in the fourth century A.D. took him at his word.”
Indeed, there is a long line of commentators who have also taken Peter at his word. Edward Gordon Selwyn says, “In the patristic age Origen, Eusebius, and the Greek Fathers generally maintained that they [i.e., the recipients] had been Jews, while Augustine, Jerome, and other Latin writers held the opposite view.”[6] He continues to suggest that due to the weight of Erasmus, Calvin, Bengel, and Grotius, it might not be improper to say that for centuries the consensus view was that the epistle was written to Jewish Christians. John Calvin, writing in the 1550s claimed that the recipients were Jewish Christians. Robert Leighton, writing in the 1650s believed that they were Jewish Christians. John Lightfoot, writing in 1679 agreed that the recipients were Jewish Christians. In fact, he found it incredible that anyone would deny that 1 Peter was addressed to Jewish believers. He asked rhetorically, “who indeed doth deny it?”
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"Clues in the text that tell us Peter is writing to Jews
The Description of a Former Life (1:14, 18). In 1:14 and 18, Peter refers to his readers’ former lives with the following phrases: “the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance” and “your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers.” It is argued that Diaspora Jews of the first century could never have been described in such spiritually bankrupt terms and that the ways of Judaism would never have been described as a ‘useless way of life.’ Therefore, most interpreters today conclude that the original recipients must have been Gentile converts.
In 1:18, Peter refers to their formerly “futile way of life inherited from [their] forefathers.”
The word used here, πατροπαραδότου (lit., father-traditions, or traditions of the fathers) is unique in the New Testament, but there are many similar references to the “traditions” of the Pharisees, of the elders, or simply of men. This oral law of the Pharisees had been passed down for a number of generations, and both Jesus and Paul actively opposed it.
For example, Jesus referred to “the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:3), and He claimed that these traditions caused the Pharisees and scribes to “transgress the commandment of God” (Matt 15:3) and “invalidate the word of God” (Matt 15:7). Paul also refers to “the ancestral traditions.” He says of himself (Gal 1:14), “and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions” (τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων). Here is Saul, “a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6), describing his formerly futile way of life by speaking of his zeal for the traditions of his ancestors. His testimony should count for something, as well. This terminology in 1:18 is perfectly consistent with a Jewish audience.
Ignorance? Lusts of the flesh? How could these be sensibly applied to a Jewish audience?
In Isaiah 1:3, God says, “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” In the New Testament, Paul affirms the same truth about Jewish unbelievers when he says, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Rom 10:2–3). Of his own life before he met the Messiah, he says, “I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly (ἀγνοῶν) in unbelief” (1Tim 1:13). Ιt is also interesting that Peter and John are described in Acts 4:13 as “uneducated and untrained” (ἀγράμματοί. . . καὶ ἰδιῶται). Peter called out to his Jewish brethren at Pentecost, “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance [κατὰ ἂγνοιαν], just as your rulers did also” (Acts 3:17). Here the very same Peter who later would write 1 Peter 1:14 is addressing, not Diaspora Jews or “lapsed Jews,” but Jerusalem Jews who were in the very precincts of the temple, and he says they acted in ignorance, even as the leaders of the nation! This usage is exactly parallel with what he says in 1 Peter 1:14. This should remove any hesitancy about the applicability of this term to the Jewish people in this context."
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"Paul, in Ephesians 2:3, says “we too all formerly lived in the lusts (ἐπιθυμίαις) of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
The Description of a Change in Status (2:10).
For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Once again, taking a backward glance, Peter describes his readers’ former status to contrast it with a change that has taken place.This certainly sounds as if it would apply to a Gentile readership, and indeed it might, but it is an allusion to Hosea 1–2, where it has reference to Israel.
And the Lord said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah [has not received mercy], for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen.”
When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi [not my people], for you are not My people and I am not your God.” (Hosea 1:6-9)
In the context, God is speaking of the alienation of Israel from fellowship with Him. It is not that the covenantal relationship is broken, but that a functional relationship is not in place. The thought that this verse could refer to Gentile Christians is termed “very odd” by Witherington, “where Hosea is clearly speaking of and about Jews, and offering a prophetic critique of their behavior.”[7] By the way, the Greek text says, οἳ ποτε οὐ λαὸς νῦν δὲ λαὸς θεοῦ (lit., “who once were not a people, but now are a people of God”). The translators have supplied the definite article, so that it reads, “the people of God,” but it is not in the original.
Hosea is not presenting Israel as having broken the Mosaic Covenant, such that they were no longer the covenant people, but that although they were alienated from their God, He would overcome their rebellion, master their willfulness, and bring them to Himself (e.g., see Hos 1:10–11; 2:6–7, 14–23). This is the experience of Peter’s recipients. As unsaved Jews, living a “futile way of life inherited from [their] fathers” (1:18), they have now been redeemed “with the precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1:19), to join the remnant of Israel. As such, they are the token and guarantee of the nation’s future salvation (Rom 11:16, 26). The emphasis is on God’s ability and resolve to restore the relationship and overcome Israel’s defection.
Because of the change in status described in verse 10 (“now you are the people of God . . . now you have received mercy”), the descriptive phrases of verse 9 make perfect sense. Peter tells his original readers,"
Peter tells his original readers,
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (v9)
The church is never referred to as a “race” or a “nation.”
The church is to be composed of many ethnicities and many nations. These verses have reference to the remnant of Israel that has put its trust in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. What has not yet been actualized in the nation, God is doing in the remnant. He is making them all that Israel was to have been and therefore a foretaste of what the nation will be one day.
But wait a minute, isn’t that for all believers? Aren’t we all priests now? Yes, we are.
The priesthood of the believer is actually a phrase that suggests a cluster of related doctrinal truths, including the perspicuity of Scripture, soul competence, the essential equality of believers in the church, and the effectual prayer of the believer. Each of these can be fully justified on the basis of other texts. Certainly, these truths are not dependent upon 1 Peter 2:9–10! But what is lost when the priesthood of the believer is based upon this passage is its original significance regarding the remnant of Israel.
Supersessionism struggles to stay coherent if 1 Peter was written to Jews
God has chosen the people of Israel for His purposes, just as He appointed non-believing individuals to do his will, such as Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus. His purpose has always been to bless all the peoples of the earth through Israel, and He has not discarded or rejected His people, and neither has He finished all that He promised to do. Watching how God deals with and speaks to His people in the Bible shows that God is unchanging and true, gracious and compassionate, even when we fail. He still keeps His side of the bargain.
In today’s world, God’s dealings with the Jewish people on the stage of current events, drawing them back from the four corners of the earth to the Land of Israel and to their own state, and the rapidly growing numbers of Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus) increasingly amplify the cognitive dissonance inherent within supersessionist theology [8]. If it were ever possible to make a credible case that the Jewish people were no longer uniquely relevant to God’s purposes, that possibility is rapidly eroding.
When 1 Peter is read in light of an original audience of Jewish believers in Jesus, nothing is lost, but much is gained. Reading this letter “over the shoulders” of the Jewish believers to whom it was originally addressed is deeply instructive for all believers today. Peter writes these Jewish believers as they are experiencing escalating persecution from both Jews and Gentiles, and he encourages them to endure faithfully and victoriously by living holy lives and by keeping their focus on Jesus, the Messiah, who died for them." Thus Replacement Theology is False
From the website www.jpost.com The Jerusalem Post, an article is titled
"How a pro-Palestinian American reporter changed his views on Israel and the conflict"
A year working as a journalist in Israel and the Palestinian territories made Hunter Stuart rethink his positions on the conflict.
By HUNTER STUART FEBRUARY 15, 2017 12:17
The author walks past Ofer Prison near Ramallah, during a Palestinian protest outside the facility in November 2015
(photo credit: COURTESY / JONATHAN BROWN) the article says:
"IN THE summer of 2015, just three days after I moved to Israel for a year-and-a-half stint freelance reporting in the region, I wrote down my feelings about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A friend of mine in New York had mentioned that it would be interesting to see if living in Israel would change the way I felt. My friend probably suspected that things would look differently from the front-row seat, so to speak.
Boy was he right.
Before I moved to Jerusalem, I was very pro-Palestinian. Almost everyone I knew was. I grew up Protestant in a quaint, politically correct New England town; almost everyone around me was liberal. And being liberal in America comes with a pantheon of beliefs: You support pluralism, tolerance and diversity. You support gay rights, access to abortion and gun control.
The belief that Israel is unjustly bullying the Palestinians is an inextricable part of this pantheon. Most progressives in the US view Israel as an aggressor, oppressing the poor noble Arabs who are being so brutally denied their freedom.
“I believe Israel should relinquish control of all of the Gaza Strip and most of the West Bank,” I wrote on July 11, 2015, from a park near my new apartment in Jerusalem’s Baka neighborhood. “The occupation is an act of colonialism that only creates suffering, frustration and despair for millions of Palestinians.”
Perhaps predictably, this view didn’t play well among the people I met during my first few weeks in Jerusalem, which, even by Israeli standards, is a conservative city. My wife and I had moved to the Jewish side of town, more or less by chance ‒ the first Airbnb host who accepted our request to rent a room happened to be in the Nachlaot neighborhood where even the hipsters are religious. As a result, almost everyone we interacted with was Jewish Israeli and very supportive of Israel. I didn’t announce my pro-Palestinian views to them ‒ I was too afraid. But they must have sensed my antipathy (I later learned this is a sixth sense Israelis have)."
the article continues
"During my first few weeks in Jerusalem, I found myself constantly getting into arguments about the conflict with my roommates and in social settings. Unlike waspy New England, Israel does not afford the privilege of politely avoiding unpleasant political conversations. Outside of the Tel Aviv bubble, the conflict is omnipresent; it affects almost every aspect of life. Avoiding it simply isn’t an option.
During one such argument, one of my roommates ‒ an easygoing American-Jewish guy in his mid-30s ‒ seemed to be suggesting that all Palestinians were terrorists. I became annoyed and told him it was wrong to call all Palestinians terrorists, that only a small minority supported terrorist attacks. My roommate promptly pulled out his laptop, called up a 2013 Pew Research poll and showed me the screen. I saw that Pew’s researchers had done a survey of thousands of people across the Muslim world, asking them if they supported suicide bombings against civilians in order to “defend Islam from its enemies.” The survey found that 62 percent of Palestinians believed such terrorist acts against civilians were justified in these circumstances. And not only that, the Palestinian territories were the only place in the Muslim world where a majority of citizens supported terrorism; everywhere else it was a minority ‒ from Lebanon and Egypt to Pakistan and Malaysia.
I didn’t let my roommate win the argument early morning hours. But the statistic stuck with me."
& continues
"Footage of stabbing attack in Jerusalem
Less than a month later, in October 2015, a wave of Palestinian terrorist attacks against Jewish-Israelis began. Nearly every day, an angry, young Muslim Palestinian was stabbing or trying to run over someone with his car. A lot of the violence was happening in Jerusalem, some of it just steps from where my wife and I had moved into an apartment of our own, and lived and worked and went grocery shopping.
At first, I’ll admit, I didn’t feel a lot of sympathy for Israelis. Actually, I felt hostility. I felt that they were the cause of the violence. I wanted to shake them and say, “Stop occupying the West Bank, stop blockading Gaza, and Palestinians will stop killing you!” It seemed so obvious to me; how could they not realize that all this violence was a natural, if unpleasant, reaction to their government’s actions?
IT WASN’T until the violence became personal that I began to see the Israeli side with greater clarity. As the “Stabbing Intifada” (as it later became known) kicked into full gear, I traveled to the impoverished East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan for a story I was writing.
As soon as I arrived, a Palestinian kid who was perhaps 13 years old pointed at me and shouted “Yehud!” which means “Jew” in Arabic. Immediately, a large group of his friends who’d been hanging out nearby were running toward me with a terrifying sparkle in their eyes. “Yehud! Yehud!” they shouted. I felt my heart start to pound. I shouted at them in Arabic “Ana mish yehud! Ana mish yehud!” (“I’m not Jewish, I’m not Jewish!”) over and over. I told them, also in Arabic, that I was an American journalist who “loved Palestine.” They calmed down after that, but the look in their eyes when they first saw me is something I’ll never forget. Later, at a house party in Amman, I met a Palestinian guy who’d grown up in Silwan. “If you were Jewish, they probably would have killed you,” he said.
I made it back from Silwan that day in one piece; others weren’t so lucky. In Jerusalem, and across Israel, the attacks against Jewish Israelis continued. My attitude began to shift, probably because the violence was, for the first time, affecting me directly."
& continues
"I found myself worrying that my wife might be stabbed while she was on her way home from work. Every time my phone lit up with news of another attack, if I wasn’t in the same room with her, I immediately sent her a text to see if she was OK.
Then a friend of mine ‒ an older Jewish Israeli guy who’d hosted my wife and I for dinner at his apartment in the capital’s Talpiot neighborhood ‒ told us that his friend had been murdered by two Palestinians the month before on a city bus not far from his apartment. I knew the story well ‒ not just from the news, but because I’d interviewed the family of one of the Palestinian guys who’d carried out the attack. In the interview, his family told me how he was a promising young entrepreneur who was pushed over the edge by the daily humiliations wrought by the occupation. I ended up writing a very sympathetic story about the killer for a Jordanian news site called Al Bawaba News.
Writing about the attack with the detached analytical eye of a journalist, I was able to take the perspective that (I was fast learning) most news outlets wanted – that Israel was to blame for Palestinian violence. But when I learned that my friend’s friend was one of the victims, it changed my way of thinking. I felt horrible for having publicly glorified one of the murderers. The man who’d been murdered, Richard Lakin, was originally from New England, like me, and had taught English to Israeli and Palestinian children at a school in Jerusalem. He believed in making peace with the Palestinians and “never missed a peace rally,” according to his son.
By contrast, his killers ‒ who came from a middle-class neighborhood in East Jerusalem and were actually quite well-off relative to most Palestinians ‒ had been paid 20,000 shekels to storm the bus that morning with their cowardly guns. More than a year later, you can still see their faces plastered around East Jerusalem on posters hailing them as martyrs. (One of the attackers, Baha Aliyan, 22, was killed at the scene; the second, Bilal Ranem, 23, was captured alive.)
Being personally affected by the conflict caused me to question how forgiving I’d been of Palestinian violence previously. Liberals, human-rights groups and most of the media, though, continued to blame Israel for being attacked. Ban Ki-moon, for example, who at the time was the head of the United Nations, said in January 2016 ‒ as the streets of my neighborhood were stained with the blood of innocent Israeli civilians ‒ that it was “human nature to react to occupation.” In fact, there is no justification for killing someone, no matter what the political situation may or may not be, and Ban’s statement rankled me."
SIMILARLY, THE way that international NGOs, European leaders and others criticized Israel for its “shoot to kill” policy during this wave of terrorist attacks began to annoy me more and more.
In almost any nation, when the police confront a terrorist in the act of killing people, they shoot him dead and human-rights groups don’t make a peep. This happens in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh; it happens in Germany and England and France and Spain, and it sure as hell happens in the US (see San Bernardino and the Orlando nightclub massacre, the Boston Marathon bombings and others). Did Amnesty International condemn Barack Obama or Abdel Fattah al-Sisi or Angela Merkel or François Hollande when their police forces killed a terrorist? Nope. But they made a point of condemning Israel."
& continues
"What’s more, I started to notice that the media were unusually fixated on highlighting the moral shortcomings of Israel, even as other countries acted in infinitely more abominable ways. If Israel threatened to relocate a collection of Palestinian agricultural tents, as they did in the West Bank village of Sussiya in the summer of 2015, for example, the story made international headlines for weeks. The liberal outrage was endless. Yet, when Egypt’s president used bulldozers and dynamite to demolish an entire neighborhood in the Sinai Peninsula in the name of national security, people scarcely noticed.
Where do these double standards come from?
I’ve come to believe it’s because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appeals to the appetites of progressive people in Europe, the US and elsewhere. They see it as a white, first world people beating on a poor, third world one. It’s easier for them to become outraged watching two radically different civilizations collide than it is watching Alawite Muslims kill Sunni Muslims in Syria, for example, because to a Western observer the difference between Alawite and Sunni is too subtle to fit into a compelling narrative that can be easily summarized on Facebook.
Unfortunately for Israel, videos on social media that show US-funded Jewish soldiers shooting tear gas at rioting Arab Muslims is Hollywood-level entertainment and fits perfectly with the liberal narrative that Muslims are oppressed and Jewish Israel is a bully.
I admire the liberal desire to support the underdog. They want to be on the right side of history, and their intentions are good. The problem is that their beliefs often don’t square with reality.
In reality, things are much, much more complex than a five-minute spot on the evening news or a two paragraph-long Facebook status will ever be able to portray. As a friend told me recently, “The reason the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is so intractable is that both sides have a really, really good point.”
Unfortunately, not enough people see it that way. I recently bumped into an old friend from college who told me that a guy we’d both known when we were freshmen had been active in Palestinian protests for a time after graduating. The fact that a smart, well-educated kid from Vermont, who went to one of the best liberal arts schools in the US, traveled thousands of miles to throw bricks at Israeli soldiers is very, very telling.
THERE’S AN old saying that goes, “If you want to change someone’s mind, first make them your friend.” The friends I made in Israel forever changed my mind about the country and about the Jewish need for a homeland. But I also spent a lot of time traveling in the Palestinian territories getting to know Palestinians. I spent close to six weeks visiting Nablus and Ramallah and Hebron, and even the Gaza Strip. I met some incredible people in these places; I saw generosity and hospitality unlike anywhere else I’ve ever traveled to. I’ll be friends with some of them for the rest of my life. But almost without fail, their views of the conflict and of Israel and of Jewish people in general was extremely disappointing."
& continues
"First of all, even the kindest, most educated, upper-class Palestinians reject 100 percent of Israel ‒ not just the occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. They simply will not be content with a two-state solution ‒ what they want is to return to their ancestral homes in Ramle and Jaffa and Haifa and other places in 1948 Israel, within the Green Line. And they want the Israelis who live there now to leave. They almost never speak of coexistence; they speak of expulsion, of taking back “their” land.
To me, however morally complicated the creation of Israel may have been, however many innocent Palestinians were killed and displaced from their homes in 1948 and again in 1967, Israel is now a fact, accepted by almost every government in the world (including many in the Middle East). But the ongoing desire of Palestinians to wipe Israel off the map is unproductive and backward- looking and the West must be very careful not to encourage it.
The other thing is that a large percentage of Palestinians, even among the educated upper class, believe that most Islamic terrorism is actually engineered by Western governments to make Muslims look bad. I know this sounds absurd. It’s a conspiracy theory that’s comical until you hear it repeated again and again as I did. I can hardly count how many Palestinians told me the stabbing attacks in Israel in 2015 and 2016 were fake or that the CIA had created ISIS.
For example, after the November 2015 ISIS shootings in Paris that killed 150 people, a colleague of mine ‒ an educated 27-year-old Lebanese-Palestinian journalist ‒ casually remarked that those massacres were “probably” perpetrated by the Mossad. Though she was a journalist like me and ought to have been committed to searching out the truth no matter how unpleasant, this woman was unwilling to admit that Muslims would commit such a horrific attack, and all too willing ‒ in defiance of all the facts ‒ to blame it on Israeli spies."
& lastly says
"USUALLY WHEN I travel, I try to listen to people without imposing my own opinion. To me that’s what traveling is all about ‒ keeping your mouth shut and learning other perspectives. But after 3-4 weeks of traveling in Palestine, I grew tired of these conspiracy theories.
“Arabs need to take responsibility for certain things,” I finally shouted at a friend I’d made in Nablus the third or fourth time he tried to deflect blame from Muslims for Islamic terrorism. “Not everything is America’s fault.” My friend seemed surprised by my vehemence and let the subject drop ‒ obviously I’d reached my saturation point with this nonsense.
I know a lot of Jewish-Israelis who are willing to share the land with Muslim Palestinians, but for some reason finding a Palestinian who feels the same way was near impossible. Countless Palestinians told me they didn’t have a problem with Jewish people, only with Zionists. They seemed to forget that Jews have been living in Israel for thousands of years, along with Muslims, Christians, Druse, atheists, agnostics and others, more often than not, in harmony. Instead, the vast majority believe that Jews only arrived in Israel in the 20th century and, therefore, don’t belong here.
Of course, I don’t blame Palestinians for wanting autonomy or for wanting to return to their ancestral homes. It’s a completely natural desire; I know I would feel the same way if something similar happened to my own family. But as long as Western powers and NGOs and progressive people in the US and Europe fail to condemn Palestinian attacks against Israel, the deeper the conflict will grow and the more blood will be shed on both sides.
I’m back in the US now, living on the north side of Chicago in a liberal enclave where most people ‒ including Jews ‒ tend to support the Palestinians’ bid for statehood, which is gaining steam every year in international forums such as the UN.
Personally, I’m no longer convinced it’s such a good idea. If the Palestinians are given their own state in the West Bank, who’s to say they wouldn’t elect Hamas, an Islamist group committed to Israel’s destruction? That’s exactly what happened in Gaza in democratic elections in 2006. Fortunately, Gaza is somewhat isolated, and its geographic isolation ‒ plus the Israeli and Egyptian-imposed blockade ‒ limit the damage the group can do. But having them in control of the West Bank and half of Jerusalem is something Israel obviously doesn’t want. It would be suicide. And no country can be expected to consent to its own destruction.
So, now, I don’t know what to think. I’m squarely in the center of one of the most polarized issues in the world. I guess, at least, I can say that, no matter how socially unacceptable it was, I was willing to change my mind.
If only more people would do the same"
Also from www.jpost.com The Jerusalem Post, an article is titled
"How pro-Palestinians manipulate facts"
In order to better understand the systematic neglect of such crime, it helps to divide these pro-Palestinians into a number of categories.
By MANFRED GERSTENFELD AUGUST 8, 2019 22:10
MARGOT WALLSTROM (photo credit: REUTERS)
MARGOT WALLSTROM
(photo credit: REUTERS) the article says
"The two dominant Palestinian parties are institutionally criminal. Hamas, which rules Gaza, aims for the genocide of Israelis, even though from time to time its leaders try to hide it. Fatah, the leading party in the Palestinian Authority, glorifies the murderers of Israeli civilians. The PA also rewards them or their families financially.
A few decades ago, most decent Westerners – not national-socialists, fascists or communists – would still have considered this abhorrent or one or more of its synonyms – detestable, repugnant, disgusting, repulsive, hateful, heinous or scandalous.
Many Western pro-Palestinians, politicians and others, in their verbal attacks on Israel – a democracy that fights against its terrorist enemies with one hand tied behind its back because of international law – do not give Palestinian crime much, if any, attention. Doing so would undermine their anti-Israelism.
In order to better understand the systematic neglect of such crime, it helps to divide these pro-Palestinians into a number of categories.
The most extreme are supporters of the genocidal terrorist movements. Yet it is rare that they say so. One exception is British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has called Hamas and Hezbollah his “brothers” and “friends.”
A second category is protectors of murderers. One finds them in various parts of the Left. One person in this category is the socialist foreign minister of Sweden, Margot Wallstrom. She asked for an international investigation into the killing of terrorists by Israel during murderous attacks. As she did not do so for any other country that killed terrorists in such attacks, this was a typical act of antisemitism according to the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Sweden’s vote in favor of this definition as part of the board of that organization enabled its acceptance.
A third category can be called “the concealers” of Palestinian crime. They verbally attack Israel and remain silent about the huge criminality of the Palestinians. The UK has become an easy place to identify senior people in this category. One is former Labour minister Clare Short. In a letter to the Financial Times, she wrote that the root of the antisemitism problem in Labour is the “growing awareness of the injustice and suffering inflicted by Israel on the Palestinians.” There was not a word in the letter about the institutional criminality and murder support of the leading Palestinian parties which has permeated their society. In the past, Short has also invited then-Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to address British parliamentarians. Only a technical glitch prevented it."
the article continues
"A fourth category of pro-Palestinians is the minimizers of institutional Palestinian crime. Labour is again a good source of examples. Former minister Peter Hain, together with Daniel Levy, wrote an article in openDemocracy in which they mention the “abhorrent treatment of Palestinians by successive Israeli governments.” They gave some attention not only to the rights of the Palestinians, but also to the rights of Israel. The word “abhorrent” or any of its synonyms did not appear in the lengthy article concerning the Palestinians. To be fair, one should mention that there are also socialists who explicitly say that rewarding murder of Israeli civilians is horrible.
Quite a few people in these four categories make false claims that they are in favor of human rights, freedom, justice and morality. They are mainly in favor of a double moral standard.
The attitudes of these different categories of manipulators of facts should cause an important debate that is rarely if ever held: To what extent are these four categories of pro-Palestinians de facto allies, supporters or collaborators in crime? Some sessions should specifically be devoted to progressives.
THE ESTABLISHMENT of these categories of pro-Palestinians also provides the tools to assess where specific individuals stand.
Organizations where one can easily find a number of people who fit one of the above four categories are European left-wing parties, including socialist ones. This is far from limited to the Nordic countries. It is the case even in Germany, where leading politicians should have learned from its abhorrent past. In 2012, for instance, then-general secretary of the socialist SPD, Andrea Nahles, confirmed that Fatah and the SPD have much in common.
Yet another place where the above categorization is important is the Democratic Party in the United States.
Bernie Sanders claims that one should “treat the Palestinian people with a kind of respect and dignity they deserve.” He has not explained how that fits with institutional Palestinian criminality. Sanders has probably never mentioned the latter."
& lastly says
"Elizabeth Warren is another presidential candidate who merits attention during her primaries campaign. Also part-time antisemitic Congress members Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib and more recently Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez should be followed and categorized.
Media can also be analyzed according to these tools. It is not difficult to expose, for instance, The New York Times or a leading German national daily, the Suddeutsche Zeitung.
There remains one big question. Why does this categorization have to be done here in an op-ed? Where are the Israeli prime minister, the government and ministries? Why have they not long ago adopted this approach to expose the false morality of many pro-Palestinians? Doing so would supply Israeli embassies abroad with an easy tool to uncover these manipulators." Many people have said that Israel was Right in denying Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib entry into Israel, Israel was Right to prevent those two Ugly Losers from going on their stupid little Playdate together to spew hate & lies against America's most Loyal Ally, which is Israel, the Only Democracy in the Mideast !!! Notice how Pro-Israel people are rarely Hate Filled, while Pro-"Palestinian" people are virtually always filled with RAW HATE & PURE EVIL, it says a lot about the Moral Superiority of Israel & The Moral Superiority of Pro-Israel People
From the website www.honestreporting.com where they say Defending Israel from Media Bias , an article is titled
"Palestinian Poverty: Who Isn’t Sharing the Wealth?"
By HonestReporting Staff June 27, 2019 the article says
A key refrain in the Israeli-Palestinian narrative is the issue of the Palestinian poverty, allegedly resulting from the Israeli occupation. Surveys cite statistics that anywhere from 26 to 53 percent of Palestinians are poor. In October 2018, the United Nations warned that humanitarian aid to the Palestinians is at an all-time low, a sign of increasing Palestinian poverty.
This raises several key questions:
How poor are the Palestinians relative to other economies?
Is Palestinian poverty evenly distributed at all levels of society?
What is being done to remedy Palestinian poverty and is it effective?
Are there other nationalities that are poor, but do not get the attention that poor Palestinians get?
Is Palestinian poverty a legitimate reason for the belligerent actions of its leaders?
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The default reason for Palestinian poverty is “Israeli occupation.” Thus, by extension, since Israel wishes to prolong the occupation, Palestinian poverty is in Israel’s interest. As the argument goes, Israel wishes to force its enemy into submission and therefore keeps the Palestinians impoverished. This argument however doesn’t account for something befuddling – the wealth of the Palestinian leadership. If a nation wishes to defeat another nation, it looks to weaken the other nation’s leaders. In the case of the Palestinians:
Professor Ahmed Karima of Al-Azhar University in Egypt claims that Hamas has some 1,200 millionaires among its members, but is unwilling to reveal his sources.
Corroborating this claim, albeit on a lesser scale, Deborah Danan writes:
Pan-Arab London based paper, Asharq al Awsat, which is considered a reliable media outlet, recently ran a story saying there are 600 millionaires in Gaza.
Moreover, as Ynet detailed:
In 2010, Egyptian magazine Rose al-Yusuf reported that [Hamas leader Ismael] Haniyeh paid for $4 million for a 2,500 m sq parcel of land area in Rimal, a tiny beachfront neighborhood of Gaza City.
Haniyeh is not alone, as Dr. Moshe Elad states:
‘Global estimates say (Hamas leader Khaled) Mashaal is worth $2.6 billion,’ but Arab commentators, with other sources, say he is worth between 2 and 5 billion, ‘invested in Egyptian banks and Gulf countries, some in real estate projects.’"
the article continues
"Lest one surmise that Hamas is the only movement with wealthy leaders, UK media outlet The Sun informs us that, as of June 2018, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ net worth is $100 million. Hard to argue that he is in any financial straits at that figure. In fact, even Al Jazeera stated that Abbas’ sons enjoy a personal wealth that eludes nearly all their compatriots.
Clearly, it doesn’t seem that the leaders are interested in sharing the wealth. In fact, as the BBC reported in June 2019, leaked documents showed Palestinian ministers’ monthly salaries were increased in 2017 from $3,000 (£2,360) to $5,000 (£3,930) (i.e., a 67% raise). The raise was so alarming that UN Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov said such moves “defy logic and anger people” when Palestinians were struggling with economic hardship. This was right after the PA said in March of the same year that it would have to halve the wages of all but its lowest-earning employees, or the 40% of the workforce that takes home $555 or less a month.
The financial gap was so alarming, even the aforementioned Al Jazeera was left wondering “are the financial blessings [of the Palestinians] merely the result of being “Grade A businessmen,” as Yasser [Arafat] once famously remarked?” Good question, for this, we are informed by Ynet:
According to sources in Gaza, Haniyeh’s wealth, like others high up in Hamas, came primarily from the flourishing tunnel industry. Senior Hamas figures, Haniyeh included, would levy 20 percent taxation on all of the trade passing through the tunnels.
That’s a full 20% (!) that instead of helping poor Palestinians, is used to pad the pockets of their leaders. Moreover, this means that if more donations flow into the Gaza Strip, before it is determined how to help the poor Palestinians, the leaders skim off their share off the top and in turn get wealthier. Accordingly, the poorer the Palestinian people are portrayed, the more wealth opportunities for their leaders.
Although the leadership siphons a significant share of funds, perhaps the Palestinians are still poor and need support, correct? Compared to other countries, not really. As stated in Ynet:"
the article continues
" According to a World Bank report released in November (2013), the Gaza Strip ranks third in the Arab region in terms of poverty, ranking above only Sudan and Yemen. Furthermore, of the 144 countries included in the report, Gaza was the 44th poorest, with most of the countries with a higher poverty rate being located in Africa.
See if anyone can recall demonstrations to improve the harsh conditions in any of the other 40+ countries poorer than the Palestinians.
More recent 2017 data provided by the United Nations provides more a more alarming perspective on Palestinian poverty. Using the general barometer for a country’s wealth, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the (sic) State of Palestine’s $2,946 per capita far exceeds the aforementioned South Sudan ($453) and Yemen ($990), and interestingly exceeds Egypt ($2,000). If a country’s GDP is high, yet the common man is destitute, this again is a sign of uneven income distribution, furthering the point that keeping the Palestinian poor serves exploits the Palestinians for the personal gain of its uber-rich leaders.
Indeed, corruption, lack of proper accounting, super-rich leaders at the expense of a poor public are all tell-tale sign of ruthless despots, except in the case of Palestinian where blame can easily be improperly placed elsewhere. Tellingly, while Egypt’s GDP is lower than that of the Palestinians, description of the poor Egyptians and rallies for their support are non-existent.
In 2006, author Michael Lewis wrote the New York Times best-seller, “The Blind Side,” which detailed the rags to riches story of Michael Oher, a homeless- impoverished African American who, through the love of others was able to overcome his innate financial hardships to eventually become a highly recruited football player. Oprah Winfrey, who had to wear potato sacks because her family could not afford clothing, and had to endure sexual abuse at a Boarding school while her unwed mom looked for work, overcame her poverty-stricken upbringing to become the first black woman on Forbes 400 richest people in America. These heartwarming stories are celebrated internationally as achievements of those who are underprivileged.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the Palestinian cause, destitute is a rallying cry exploited by its leaders, enabled by the media and international organizations as unwitting abettors in enhancing the supreme wealth imbalance of its powerful leaders" If some Arab so-called "Palestinians" in Gaza and/or the West Bank, are living in Poverty or are unemployed, how is it Israel's fault ?, it is NOT Israel's Fault that some Arabs living in Gaza or the West Bank are unemployed or living in Poverty, it is the Fault of the Corrupt Arab "leaders" the greedy Arab "leaders" take all the money for themselves and refuse to share with their own people, It's NOT Israel's Fault , Israel gives Much Humanitarian Aid to Palestinians
Another article from www.honestreporting.com is titled
"Understanding Palestinian Poverty"
By Managing Team September 9, 2004 the article says
On Sept. 7, Agence France-Presse released an article entitled ‘Most Palestinians live in poverty, on two dollars a day.’ Why are most Palestinians so tragically poor? The AFP reporter turns to a U.N. representative who blames Palestinian poverty on four sources:
Israel’s blockade of the territories, destruction of assets [in Palestinian areas], expansion of Jewish settlements and the separation barrier.
Israel is thereby accused of complete responsibility for the unfortunate state of the Palestinian economy. The AFP report provides no dissenting voices, and Israel is not granted the right of response to any one of these serious allegations.
This article is not merely anti-Israel ? it’s sloppy journalism at its worst.
AFP fails to acknowledge the mounds of evidence that while Israeli anti-terror policies have created some hardships, the primary reason for Palestinian poverty is irresponsible Palestinian leadership, whose embezzlement, diversion of funds to terror, and failure to invest in infrastructure have left the average Palestinian destitute.
HonestReporting encourages subscribers to write to AFP (contact@afp.com), using the documentation below.
MASSIVE AID DIVERTED TO TERRORISTS
Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the international community has shown unprecedented generosity toward Palestinians, donating approximately $5 billion to the Palestinian Authority. The World Bank noted recently that ‘donor disbursements to the Palestinians currently amount to approximately $1 billion per year or $310 per person ? one of the highest per capita rates in the history of foreign assistance.’ (By comparison, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II provided $68 per year, in today’s dollars, to Europeans.)
So where’s all the money going? A recent, in-depth study from the independent Funding for Peace Coalition (FPC) found overwhelming evidence that ‘European aid has not reached its intended target ? the Palestinian people. It has been diverted towards graft, terrorism and incitement to hatred.’
While direct PA payments to terror gangs (with Yassir Arafat’s own signature as authorization) have been documented since 2002, the FPC continues to find a ‘compelling connection’ between EU aid and funding of Palestinian terror. Just one point of evidence cited by the FPC: An interview with PA officials and Fatah leaders on the BBC in November 2003 revealed that the PA had reimbursed $50,000 of monthly expenses to one of the deadliest terror groups, the Al-Aksa Martyrs’ Brigades.
So the EU, now the single largest donor to the PA, literally contributes to keeping bands of terrorists on the PA payroll. Precious funds intended to ease Palestinian poverty are used instead for suicide bombs targeting Israeli civilians."
the article continues
"ARAFAT’S CORRUPTION
But checks to terrorists are small change compared to Yassir Arafat’s record of personal theft. Over the course of his ‘revolutionary’ career,Arafat has siphoned off hundreds of millions of dollars of international aid money intended to reach the Palestinian people.
Estimates of the degree of Arafat’s wealth differ, but are all staggering. Last year, Forbes magazine listed Arafat in its annual list of the wealthiest ‘Kings, Queens and Despots,’ with a fortune of ‘at least $300 million.’ Israeli and US officials estimate Arafat’s personal holdings between $1-3 billion. Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of the American Center for Democracy,arrives at a figure of $1.3 billion and laments:
This money is enough to a) feed 3 million Palestinians for 1 year, b) buy 1,000 mobile intensive care units, c) fund 10 hospitals for a decade, and d) would still leave $585 million to fund other social projects.
And while the average Palestinian barely subsists, Arafat’s wife Suha (at left) in Paris receives $100,000 a month from PA sources, as reported on CBS’ 60 Minutes. That CBS report also noted that Arafat maintains secret investments in a Ramallah-based Coca Cola plant, a Tunisian cellphone company, and venture capital funds in the U.S. and the Cayman Islands.
Arafat also uses foreign aid funds to pay off cronies who bolster his autocracy: A recent International Monetary Fund report indicates that upwards of 8% ($135 million) of the PA’s annual budget is handed out by Arafat ‘at his sole discretion.’ The 2003 budget for Arafat’s office, which totaled $734 million, was missing $34 million that Arafat had transferred to pay unidentified ‘organizations’ and ‘individuals.’ And Ehrenfeld notes that this IMF report ‘did not take into account Arafat’s control of 60 percent of the security apparatus budget, which leaves him with at least an additional $360 million per year to spend as he chooses.’
FAILURE TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE
Bringing the Palestinian people out of poverty would require building an infrastructure that is no longer utterly dependent on foreign aid and jobs in Israel. But almost none of the PA budget has been directed to this end. The situation is best summarized by Mohammad Dahlan, former PA Interior Minister, who recently told The Guardian that of all the funds donated t
o the Palestinian Authority, a total of $5 billion ‘have gone down the drain, and we don’t know to where.’
Education is one key to building a robust Palestinian economy. But Palestinian schools and universities are infested with terrorist ideology and incitement. This was the scene (at right) at a West Bank university’s back-to-school day, earlier this week ? huge portraits of terrorist ‘heros’ hovered over students perusing new schoolbooks.
Why doesn’t the PA allow foreign aid to promote a sustainable Palestinian future by removing such incitement and educating toward peace?
Other highly symbolic episodes: When an American convoy traveled to Gaza last year to interview potential Palestinian Fulbright scholars, it was blown up by local terrorists. And as documented by Palestinian Media Watch, $500,000 of USAid funds was used recently to build ‘Martyr Salakh Khalaf Stadium.’ Salakh Khalaf, better known as Abu Iyad, was head of the Black September terrorist organization, and was responsible for the murder of two American diplomats in Sudan in 1973, and the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
Yet Agence France-Presse ignores all of these points, relying instead on one dubious source to blame Palestinian poverty solely upon Israeli strictures. In truth, the primary reason for Palestinian poverty is the criminal failure of the Palestinian leadership to serve its own constituency ? despite massive international aid intended to promote precisely that goal." It's NOT Israel's Fault that Many "Palestinians" are living in Poverty or are unemployed, it's the fault of the corrupt Palestinian leaders
Another Good Pro-Israel website is called : the Dry Bones Blog, it can be found here,
https://drybonesblog.blogspot.com/
From the website www.oneforisrael.org another article is titled
"Has The Church Replaced Israel?"
By ONE FOR ISRAEL
2,090
Guest blog by Dr. David R. Reagan of Lion and Lamb Ministries
the article says
"For almost 2,000 years the Church at large, both Catholic and Protestant, has maintained that due to the fact the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, God poured out His wrath on them in 70 AD, destroying their nation and their temple, and that He has washed His hands of them, leaving them with no purpose whatsoever as a nation. In short, because of their rebellion against God in their rejection of Jesus, God has replaced Israel with the Church, transferring the blessings promised to Israel to the Church.
This is called “Replacement Theology,” and those who believe in it constitute the majority of professing Christians today. Accordingly, they consider modern day Israel to be an accident of history, with no spiritual significance whatsoever.
And therefore, they would deny that God has any special plans for the Jewish people in the end times. Again, to them, the regathering of the Jews and the re-establishment of Israel are simply accidents of history, with no spiritual significance.
The Origin of Replacement Theology
The roots of Replacement Theology and its fruit of anti-Semitism go back to the very beginning of Christianity. This is ironic when you consider the fact that the Church began as a Jewish institution. It was founded in Judea by Jews who were followers of a Jewish Messiah, and all its founding documents were written by Jews.1
The symbol on the right is the oldest Christian symbol that has ever been found. It clearly emphasizes the Jewish origins of Christianity. The symbol is carved into artifacts found in Jerusalem that date back to the First Century.2 As you can see, it shows the fish, the symbol of the Church, emerging from Jewish roots, represented by the Menorah and the Star of David. The fish became a symbol for Christians because the word for fish in Greek is icthus, and Christians used the letters of this word, ICTHUS, as an acronym for Iesous, Christos, Theos, Huios, and Soter, meaning Jesus Christ, God’s Son and Savior."
the article continues
"But the distinctive Jewish flavor of early Christianity was not to last long. As the Church began to spread beyond Judea, its message was embraced by more and more Gentiles who had no interest in maintaining contact with the Church’s Jewish roots. Even worse, the new Gentile leaders began to turn against the Jews by characterizing them as “Christ killers.” Consider the following examples:3
Ignatius of Antioch (ca 50-117 AD) — Taught that those who partake of the Passover are partakers with those who killed Jesus.4
Justin Martyr (100-106 AD) — Claimed God’s covenant with Israel was no longer valid and that the Gentiles had replaced the Jews.5
Irenaeus (ca 130-202 AD) — Declared the Jews were disinherited from the grace of God.6
Tertullian (ca 155-230 AD) — Blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus and argued they had been rejected by God.7
Origen (185-254 AD) — He was responsible for much anti- Semitism, all of which was based on his assertion that the Jews were responsible for killing Jesus.8
The Council of Elvira (305 AD in Spain) — Prohibited Christians from sharing a meal with a Jew, marrying a Jew, blessing a Jew or observing the Sabbath.9
The Council of Nicea (325 AD in Turkey) — Changed the celebration of the Resurrection from the Jewish Feast of First Fruits to Easter in an attempt to disassociate it from Jewish feasts. The Council stated: “For it is unbecoming beyond measure that on this holiest of festivals we should follow the customs of the Jews. Henceforth let us have nothing in common with this odious people…”10
Eusebius (ca 275-339 AD) — Taught that the promises of Scripture were meant for the Gentiles and the curses were meant for the Jews. Asserted that the Church was the “true Israel.”11
John Chrysostom (349-407 AD) — Preached a series of sermons against the Jews in which he stated, “The synagogue is not only a brothel and a theater, it is also a den of robbers and lodging place for wild beasts… Jews are inveterate murderers possessed by the Devil. Their debauchery and drunkenness gives the manners of a pig.” He denied that Jews could ever receive forgiveness. He claimed it was a Christian duty to hate Jews. He claimed that Jews worshiped Satan. And this man was canonized a saint!12
Jerome (ca 347-420 AD) — Described the Jews as “… serpents wearing the image of Judas. Their psalms and prayers are the braying of donkeys… They are incapable of understanding Scripture…”13
St. Augustine (354-430 AD) — Asserted that the Jews deserved death but were destined to wander the earth to witness the victory of the Church over the synagogue.”14"
the article continues
"The Middle Ages
By the Middle Ages, two erroneous concepts had become established Church doctrine:
The Jews should be considered “Christ killers” and should be mistreated accordingly.
The Church has replaced Israel, and God has no future purpose for the Jews.
These concepts were reinforced throughout the Middle Ages through the Crusades, the Inquisition, passion plays, the black plague epidemic, and blood libels.
In 1095 Pope Urban II called for a crusade to rid the Holy Land of its Muslim rulers. Although the prime goal of the crusade was to liberate Jerusalem from the Muslims, Jews were a second target. The accumulated hatreds and fears resulting from charges of deicide (the murder of God) exploded with this call to arms. The abbot of Cluny asked why Christians should travel to “the ends of the world to fight the Saracens, when we permit among us other infidels a thousand times more guilty toward Christ than the Mohammedans?” Religious passion, greed, and the vulnerability of Jews led to the rise of violent mobs who murdered thousands of Jews to the cry of “Conversion or death!” This behavior continued for eight additional crusades until the 9th in 1272.15
Passion plays abounded during the Middle Ages, and they were used to cultivate hatred toward the Jewish people. Jews were depicted as demons who knew full well that Christ was the son of God. In each play, as Christ carried the cross, he was tortured by bloodthirsty, cursing devils with hooked noses, horns and tails. The Jews were made to seem as evil as Christ was divine.16
Throughout the Middle Ages, professing Christians spread myths which helped to heighten popular hatred and fear of the Jewish people. As a result, it became commonplace among Christian groups to think of Jews as agents of Satan. One of the most popular anti-Jewish myths that gained widespread acceptance was the notion that Jews murdered Christians each year around the time of Passover in order to get blood needed to perform satanic rites. This became known as the charge of ritual murder or “blood libel.” Another common myth that circulated during these years was that Jews would steal the wafers used in communion and stab them with knives, thus killing Christ once again!17
The Black Plague in the middle of the fourteenth century killed approximately one-third of the population of Europe. At the time, it was not known how the illness spread, but stories and rumors circulated that Jews had poisoned the wells. Although the accusation was totally unfounded, many Christians believed the myth. One reason it was easy to believe is because the Jews were not impacted by the plague as much as were the Gentiles. But this was due to the sanitary laws of the Bible which the Jews carefully followed. This accusation led to severe consequences for Jews. More than sixty Jewish communities were burned to the ground with all their occupants killed, and in some places, Jews were tortured and burned to death in bonfires.18"
& continues
"In 1478, Pope Sixtus IV granted the monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, the right to establish a special inquisition in Spain to deal with baptized Jews who were suspected of remaining faithful to Judaism. Thousands were burned at the stake by order of the Spanish Inquisition. In 1492, King Ferdinand decided that all Spanish Jews should be banned from Spain. It was feared that Jews were a danger to Christianity. Approximately 150,000 Jews were forced to leave Spain.19
The Impact of the Reformation
Unfortunately, the Reformation produced no changes in attitude. In fact, the hatred of the Jews was reinforced and intensified by the writings of Martin Luther, the very man who launched the Reformation. Initially, Luther was sympathetic toward the Jews because he believed their rejection of the Gospel was due to their recognition of the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. But when they continued to reject the Gospel, Luther turned on them with a vengeance. In 1543 he wrote a pamphlet entitled “Concerning The Jews and Their Lies.” The document was an anti-Semitic diatribe. In it, he referred to the Jews as:20
“A miserable and accursed people”
“Stupid fools”
“Miserable, blind and senseless”
“Thieves and robbers”
“The great vermin of humanity”
“Lazy rogues”
“Blind and venomous”
Having dehumanized and demonized them, Luther then proceeded to make some startling proposals for dealing with them:
Their synagogues and schools should be burned.
Their houses should be destroyed.
Their Talmudic writings should be confiscated.
Their Rabbis should be forbidden to teach.
Their money should be taken from them.
They should be compelled into forced labor."
& continues
"Needless to say, the Nazis gleefully quoted Luther as they rose to power and launched the Holocaust. In his book Mein Kampf, published in 1925, Adolf Hitler referred to Martin Luther as “a great warrior, a true statesmen, and a great reformer.” Keep in mind that Hitler was a professed Christian. In 1924 at a Christian gathering in Berlin, Hitler spoke to thousands and received a standing ovation when he made the following proclamation: “I believe that today I am acting in accordance with the will of Almighty God as I announce the most important work that Christians could undertake — and that is to be against the Jews and get rid of them once and for all.”21 Hitler then proceeded to talk about the influence of Luther on his life:22
“Martin Luther has been the greatest encouragement of my life. Luther was a great man. He was a giant. With one blow he heralded the coming of the new dawn and the new age. He saw clearly that the Jews need to be destroyed, and we’re only beginning to see that we need to carry this work on.”
At the Nuremberg trials after World War II, the Nazi leader, Julius Streicher, defended himself by saying, “I have never said anything that Martin Luther did not say.”23
The terrible truth that Christians do not like to face, and which many are unaware of, is that the Holocaust was the product of 1,900 years of virulent Christian anti-Semitism.
The New Anti-Semitism
The horror of the Holocaust tended to mute the most radical forms of anti-Semitism among Christian leaders. But in reality, anti-Semitism continues today in a new sophisticated form called anti-Zionism. Whereas anti-Semitism sought to drive out the Jews from the lands where they lived, anti-Zionism refuses to accept their right to live in their own land. A good example of the new anti-Semitism can be found in a document issued by Dr. James Kennedy’s Knox Theological Seminary in 2002. It took the form of an open letter to Evangelicals concerning the land of Israel.24 It has since been endorsed by hundreds of theologians and pastors, including such luminaries as R. C. Sproul. The document begins by denouncing those who teach that the Bible’s promises concerning the land of Israel are being fulfilled today “in a special region or ‘Holy Land,’ perpetually set apart by God for one ethnic group alone.”25 It then proceeds to proclaim that the promises made to Abraham “do not apply to any particular ethnic group, but to the church of Jesus Christ, the true Israel” (emphasis added).26 The document then specifically denies the Jew’s claim on any land in the Middle East: “The entitlement of any one ethnic or religious group to territory in the Middle East called the ‘Holy Land’ cannot be supported by Scripture.” Then, incredibly, the document asserts that “the land promises specific to Israel in the Old Testament were fulfilled under Joshua.”27 Adding salt to the wounds, the document concludes with the following observation:28"
& continues
"The present secular state of Israel… is not an authentic or prophetic realization of the Messianic kingdom of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, a day should not be anticipated in which Christ’s kingdom will manifest Jewish distinctives, whether by its location in ‘the land,’ by its constituency, or by its ceremonial institutions and practices.
And so you have it — an overview of the sad and sordid history of Christian anti-Semitism that is rooted in Replacement Theology and which continues to this day under the guise of anti-Zionism.
The Jewish Attitude
I hope now you can understand why it is so difficult to share the Gospel with Jews. Because Jews have been persecuted and killed throughout history in the name of Jesus, the Jewish people look upon Christianity as their mortal enemy. Any Jew who converts to Christianity is considered a traitor, for he is viewed as one who has joined the enemy. That’s the reason that Orthodox Jews react so strongly to a child who becomes a Christian. They will sometimes declare the child to be dead and will even conduct a funeral service. This is the reason that the Messianic Jewish Movement today is such a miracle.
The Response of Scripture
What does the Word of God have to say about all this? To begin with, it strongly repudiates anti-Semitism. Psalm 129:5-8 says that “all who hate Zion” will be “put to shame…” It further states that no believer should ever give a blessing to such a person. With regard to the allegation that the Jews are “Christ killers,” the Word clearly identifies who murdered Jesus and makes it plain that they were not exclusively the Jews. In Acts 4:27 we are told that Jesus was killed through a conspiracy that involved “both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel.” In reality, all of us have the blood of Jesus on our hands, for all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23), and Jesus died for all sinners (1 Corinthians 15:3)."
& continues
"Regarding the idea that God has already fulfilled the land promises to the Jews during the time of Joshua, it is interesting to note that long after Joshua, David wrote in the psalms that the land promise is everlasting in nature and is yet to be fulfilled (Psalm 105:8-11). The fact of the matter is that the Jews have never occupied all the land that was promised to them in the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15:18-21).
Concerning the claim that the Jews have been rejected by God, there are a couple of biblical principles that need to be kept in mind. First, the Bible affirms that the Jews were called as God’s Chosen People to be witnesses of what it means to have a relationship with Him (Isaiah 43:10-12). And the Bible makes it clear that this calling is “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).
Second, in direct contradiction of Replacement Theology, the Bible teaches that the Jews have never been rejected by God because of their unbelief. In Romans 3 Paul asserts point blank that their rejection of Jesus has not nullified God’s faithfulness to the promises He has made to them (Romans 3:1-4). Paul makes the point again in Romans 11:1 when he asks, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He?” He answers his own question with an emphatic statement: “May it never be!… God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (Romans 11:2). It is true that the Jewish people are currently under discipline because of their rejection of their Messiah. Over and over in their Scriptures the prophets said they would be disciplined if they were unfaithful, but always the promise was made that they would be preserved. An example of this type of prophetic statement can be found in Jeremiah 30:11 —”‘For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you; for I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you, only I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.'”
God has preserved them in His grace because He loves them. In Zechariah 2:8 God proclaims that the Jewish people are “the apple of His eye,” and He warns against anyone trying to harm them."
& continues
" Another reason they have been preserved is because God is determined to bring a great remnant to salvation (Isaiah 10:20-22). This promise is made repeatedly throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and is confirmed by Paul in the New Testament in Romans 9-11. The salvation of this remnant is described in detail in Zechariah 12:10 where it says that at the end of the Tribulation the remaining Jews will come to the end of themselves and will turn their hearts to God in repentance and accept Yeshua as their Messiah.
That believing remnant will go into the Millennium in the flesh and will comprise the nation of Israel to whom God will fulfill all the promises He has made to the Jews (Isaiah 60-62). During the Millennium the nation of Israel will be the prime nation in the world through whom God will bless all the other nations (Zechariah 8:22-23).
In summary, the Word of God makes it clear that Israel definitely has a role and a future in the end times.
Crucial Questions
The first question most people usually ask in response to these biblical points about Israel in the end times is this: “Why would God continue to pursue such a stubborn and rebellious people?”
The answer is that they are witnesses of God, and through them God is demonstrating His unfathomable grace. Only a God of grace would put up with them! But that is true of you and me as well. God is not doing one thing for the Jewish people that He is not willing to do for all of us. He pursues us in love despite our sinfulness, and regardless of how stiff-necked we may be, He never washes His hands of us.
This brings us to a second question: What is God’s plan for the Jews in the end times? How will He bring about the salvation of a great remnant?
Let me outline the answer for you briefly:
The Jewish people will be regathered in unbelief from the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:11-12). This is the most prolific prophecy in the Old Testament. Incidentally, if God has no purpose left for them, why would He go to the trouble of regathering them?
Their state will be re-established (Isaiah 66:7-8).
They will once again occupy the city of Jerusalem (Zachariah 8:7-8).
All the nations of the world will come against them over the issue of the control of Jerusalem (Zachariah 12:2-3).
The Antichrist will come to their rescue by guaranteeing them peace and allowing them to rebuild their temple (Daniel 9:27).
But at the end of 3 1/2 years, the Antichrist will declare himself to be God, and the Jews will reject Him (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
The Antichrist will then attempt to annihilate the Jews, and he will succeed in killing two-thirds of them (Revelation 12:13-17 and Zechariah 13:8-9).
At the end of the Tribulation, when the Jews have come to the end of themselves, they will turn to God and receive Jesus as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10).
Jesus will return at this point in time, and He will regather all believing Jews to Israel where He will establish them as the prime nation in the world (Deuteronomy 30:1-9).
The blessings of God will flow out to the nations through the Jews during the Millennium (Zechariah 8:22-23).
As you can see, the Jewish people have a very central role in end time Bible prophecy."
& lastly says
"The Perseverance of Anti-Semitism
A perversion of Christianity has been the source of most anti-Semitism in the Western world. Throughout northern Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, anti-Semitism has been promoted by Islam. The Qu’ran calls Jews “the children of monkeys and pigs.”29 But there are anti-Semites in this world who are neither Christian or Muslim and who have never even met a Jew. For example, several years ago five of the top ten best selling books in Japan were virulently anti-Semitic, blaming all the problems of Japan on an “international Jewish conspiracy.”
Why is anti-Semitism so widespread, so persistent, so virulent, and so irrational? It’s because it is fundamentally a supernatural phenomenon. Satan hates the Jews with a passion. He hates them because God provided both the Bible and the Messiah through them. He hates them because God called them to be His Chosen People. He hates them because God has promised to save a great remnant of them. He hates them because God loves them. The result is that he works overtime to plant seeds of hatred in people’s hearts toward the Jews. He is determined to destroy every Jew on planet earth so that God cannot keep His promise to save a great remnant. He tried to annihilate them in the Holocaust. He failed. He will try to destroy them once again during the last half of the Tribulation. He will fail again.
Conclusion
God is in control, not Satan. God has the wisdom and power to orchestrate all the evil of Satan and Mankind to the triumph of His perfect will in history. The Jews will be preserved. A great remnant will be saved. All the promises to the Jews will be fulfilled. And when will this occur? At the end of the Tribulation when Jesus returns to triumph over Satan. On that glorious day, the Jewish remnant will cry out “Baruch Haba Bashem Adonai!” meaning “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39)."
Also from the website www.oneforisrael.org another article is titled
" Replacement Theology Undone by One Greek Word in Galatians 6:16"
By ONE FOR ISRAEL
the article says
"Replacement Theology has become a bit of a reviled term, even by the people who hold to it! The notion that the church has replaced Israel seems rude even to its proponents. Softer terms such as “supersessionism” or “fulfilment theology” are preferred, but they all end up with the same result – Israel is replaced in their thinking by the church, with no further function or role in God’s plans.
However, sometimes just a small detail coming to light can totally change our understanding of a situation. Over the millennia, Bible scholars have scratched their heads over things that seem obvious to us now with hindsight. Today, it is not hard for us to fathom how everyone in the world could witness the same event simultaneously, for example. The “explosion in knowledge” and great “increase in people traveling to and fro” that Daniel the prophet wrote of (Daniel 12:4) now makes perfect sense with the development of the internet and air travel.
And for centuries it was extremely difficult for Christians to grasp that the word “Israel” in the Bible could possibly mean ethnic or national “Israel”, since it had apparently ceased to exist as a nation. The Jewish people were scattered across the globe for two millennia, and it certainly appeared to many that God’s purposes for them had come to an end. So scholars interpreted the Bible in light of their understanding, not imagining that Israel would exist again once more.
But since the reestablishment of Israel back in the land in 1948, we can start to read the Bible with new information that helps us to understand what God is talking about when He says, “Israel”. The events of 1948 have presented the shocking possibility that when the Bible talks about Israel, it could now literally mean – ISRAEL!
Since the early church fathers, as far back as Justin Martyr in 160 AD, Christians have been assuming that “Israel” really means “the Church”. Even by 160 AD, the people of Israel had been scattered and the land renamed “Palestine” for almost 100 years, so it’s easy to see how it happened.
The error of Replacement Theology
But you just try reading Romans 9-11 and every time it says “Israel”, replace it with the word “Church”. You will quickly see that it makes no sense at all.
Israel really means Israel in both the Old and the New Testaments. While the New Testament often describes Israel and the Church in similar terms – both are the Bride of God, children of God, the chosen people, and so on – never does the New Testament call the Church “Israel”.
The word “Israel” occurs 70 times in the New Testament (79 times if you include the word “Israelite”), and all but two of these instances are unequivocally referring to the nation of Israel, and not to the Church – the two exceptional cases being Romans 9:6 and Galatians 6:16. In the past, people have clung to Galatians 6:16 as an example of how Israel can mean the church, but let’s examine that verse…
Galatians 6:16 says: “Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God,” (RSV) or “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.” (NIV).
But if we look at what the text actually says in the original, these translations have missed a key Greek word:
καὶ ὅσοι τῷ κανόνι τούτῳ στοιχήσουσιν, εἰρήνη ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔλεος, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ θεοῦ.
Literally translated: And as many as (whoever) to the rule this shall be elementing (observing the fundamentals), peace on them and mercy, and (also) on the Israel of the God."
the article continues
"In other words, even though the Greek text indicates says that Paul was pronouncing peace and mercy to the followers of the Way AND ALSO to “the Israel of God”, those who were translating the text decided it could not possibly mean that Paul wanted to bless the house of Israel as well as the Gentile followers of Yeshua. They chose a far less common way of understanding the grammar, and decided to lump the two together with no distinction. While it is not technically incorrect to translate it in this manner, there are many reasons to stay with the standard meaning of the Greek word “καὶ” to mean “and” or “also”, which is far more commonplace.
God’s great plan for Jew and Gentile
Looking at the context of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he is stressing that there is no need for gentile believers to be circumcised or to follow the Law of Moses, but that salvation is through Yeshua alone, for both Jew and gentile. However, this doesn’t mean that Paul sees no distinction between Jew and gentile, as a cursory look through the rest of his epistles will quickly show you. There is no male or female, he says – and by this he means that both men and women have the same status through Yeshua. But of course there remains a distinction in other ways. Similarly, Paul talks of both the church and of Israel as separate entities many times. They do not blur into one, and there is no evidence that the early church blended the two until 160 AD.
Bible scholar, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, writes that people who would claim that Israel means the church “must ignore the primary meaning of kai which separates the two groups in the verse in order to make them both the same group”[1], and Dr. S. Lewis Johnson, who taught Greek and New Testament Exegesis at Dallas Theological Seminary, believes that, “the least likely view among several alternatives is the view that the ‘Israel of God’ is the church.”[2]
For centuries, it did not dawn on Bible scholars that the term Israel could possibly truly refer to the actual nation of Israel, or at least the many thousands of Israelites who were “of God”, and they superimposed their understanding that the Church had replaced it.
In some ways, it is true that the nation of Israel is a “type” of church… a foreshadowing of God’s people both Jew and Gentile together. We can see in the language of Paul throughout the epistles that he seeks to encourage Gentile believers to know that they are just as much “God’s people” as the Israelites have always been, and that they matter no less to him. He deliberately draws parallels with Israel and the new Gentile followers of the Way, showing the similarities. But we also know that Moses was a “type” of Messiah, sent to save the Jewish people, and in no way would we say that he is the same thing as Yeshua Himself. In fact, we see the two standing together on the Mount of Transfiguration!
One does not replace the other, even if one foreshadows the other in a typological manner.
Similarly, in Revelation, we see the tribes of Israel together with every nation, tribe and tongue, worshiping God at the end of time. And of course, the Messiah will return to Jerusalem. Jerusalem in Israel. Israel is Israel, right until the end.
God has no favorites, but He does have a plan. To fudge the distinction between Israel and the Church means that we can miss so much when we read the Scriptures. God wants us to know Him better, to share His heart for Israel, and to understand His plans for Israel in relation to the whole world. He wants us to continually grow in our understanding of His purposes, redeeming all creation to Himself. Seeing Israel as meaning “Israel” when we read the Bible brings a whole new level of revelation about our wonderful God and how He is unfolding His perfect plan for all of us."
the article on www.oneforisrael.org just mentioned which discusses the One Greek word in Galatians 6:16 also lists these footnotes
[1] Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s paper “Replacement Theology and the Epistle of First Peter” for Ariel Ministries, p.13
[2] S. Lewis Johnson Jr., “Paul and ‘Israel of God’, An Exegetical and Eschatological Case-Study” p. 3
From the website biblehub.com we see a Bible verse from the Old Testament that aptly describes the stupid idiot incompetent leaders of the State of Israel that foolishly appease it's enemies,
The Bible verse is
Chapter 6 > Verse 14
◄ Jeremiah 6:14 ►
SUM PIC XRF DEV STU
Verse (Click for Chapter)
New International Version
"They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace."
New Living Translation
"They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace."
English Standard Version
"They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace."
Berean Study Bible
"They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ’Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all."
New American Standard Bible
"They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace" Yup, Jeremiah 6:14 aptly describes Incompetent Israeli "leaders" such as the late Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin & Ariel Sharon, who were all Losers, sadly all of Israel's leaders are Incompetent Fools , We at this Blog want Peace, But Peace Must Means Arabs & "Palestinians" accepting the Right of Israel to Exist as a Jewish State, and for all Hate,Terrorism,Violence & Incitement against Israel to Stop Once and For All
From the New York Post website, www.nypost.com an article from 2017 is titled
"Trump made the right call recognizing Jerusalem"
By Michael Goodwin
December 6, 2017 | 5:28pm | Updated the article says
"JERUSALEM, Israel — Here’s the latest version of Fake News: President Trump ruined the Mideast peace process.
The assertion is a worldwide headline, but for it to have a shred of truth, there would have to be a peace process to ruin. But since there isn’t one, and there hasn’t been one for years, the anti-Trump media is exposed again.
But hold on, Trump is more than just innocent of a false and foolish charge. By acknowledging what everybody in Israel already knows, that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish state, and by putting in motion the process of moving the American embassy here, the president is making history and calling the bluff of the Palestinians.
For 25 years, they’ve played a game with the world and previous American presidents. They endlessly demand a state, but will do nothing to build one. They won’t accept the various boundaries Israel offered, can’t or won’t hold free elections and won’t even negotiate in good faith.
Instead, they can be counted on to do what they’ve always done. Make threats of violence, throw rocks and burn rubber tires in the streets.
“It’s just another excuse to riot,” a veteran of the Israeli government told me, expressing exhaustion over the predictable cycle sparked by Arab leaders calling for three days of outrage.
Said another: “Talk of the peace process is the language of the 1990s. Israelis don’t show much interest in the Palestinian conflict these days.”
Israel has indeed changed and moved on since I last visited nearly eight years ago. It has become an even mightier power, both militarily and economically, and is brimming with confidence as its entrepreneurial spirit and renowned innovations are the envy of the world.
One result is that it now has better relations with more Arab and Muslim countries than at any time in its young history. They recognize that Israel is strong, and they share its hostility toward Iran.
By a coincidence of timing, I’m traveling with a group of educators the American Jewish Committee invited to witness both the complexity and generosity of Israeli society.
We’ve visited the nation’s top colleges, including the sensational Technion, and are hopscotching around the tiny country to meet numerous people, including students and Israeli Arabs.
Trump: Recognizing Jerusalem as Israeli capital is best move towards peace
Most moving was our visit to the Galilee Medical Center, near the Lebanon border. It has treated more than 2,000 injured Syrians caught up in that nation’s endless civil war.
Ferried to Galilee and other hospitals in northern Israel by the Israeli military after making it to the border, the wounded, including hundreds of children, are given whatever treatment they require, all paid for by Israeli taxpayers, no questions asked.
The hospital says the average stay is about 22 days, and most have had about three surgeries each. At least six Syrian babies have been born there.
Before the Syrians are sent home, any tags or markings that would identify their clothing or bandages as Israeli are removed, lest they be killed as collaborators with the Jewish devil.
Meanwhile, most of the Arab leaders thundering about the rights of the Palestinians being violated by Israel have not lifted a finger to help Syrian Arabs caught in a human slaughterhouse. So much for their compassion.
And not incidentally, our planned visit to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government in the West Bank, was canceled because of almost certain violence in response to Trump’s decision."
the article continues
"None of this is to suggest that Israel is under the illusion that the problem that has bedeviled it since its conception 70 years ago will vanish. It’s just that the refusal of the Palestinians to take yes for an answer has left most Israelis cynical to the point of boredom. Even most of those on the left no longer demand their government make more and more concessions.
Israelis have better things to do with their lives and bigger problems to solve as a nation, including confronting terrorist regimes on three borders.
Whether it’s Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon or Iran operating near the Syrian border, Israel faces true existential threats. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, it will not withdraw its security forces from the West Bank, as Palestinians demand, and face more rockets and more terrorist tunnels on another flank.
So it’s the Palestinians who now face a stark choice. They can take Trump’s offer that his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital does not mean a separate section of the Holy City cannot be their capital, too.
But to seize the president’s opening, the Palestinians will need the courage to accept Israel’s right to exist as the biblical homeland of the Jewish people. They also should act with some urgency because once the American embassy moves to Jerusalem, other nations are likely to follow.
If they do decide to negotiate in earnest, the Palestinians will find in Trump a broker who wants to help them make a deal. If nothing else, success would be vindication that his bold move to end the stalemate was the right one.
If they don’t seize the opportunity, the Palestinians can go on making demands and threats. History has proven that to be a losing hand, and it’s getting weaker by the day."
From the website www.foxnews.com an article in 2018 is titled
"Michael Goodwin: A year after Trump’s Jerusalem declaration, it’s clear he means business"
Published December 10, 2018
By Michael Goodwin | Fox News
the article says
General view of Jerusalem's Old City shows the Western Wall. (Reuters)
"In an age when doomsday predictions are as common as thunderstorms, it can be instructive to look back at events and compare the predictions to what actually happened. The decision by President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is an example that offers major lessons.
Long before Trump made the announcement on Dec. 6, 2017, and pledged to move our embassy to Jerusalem, there were endless warnings that the change would cause global unrest. Opponents in America, Europe and the Arab world, including current and former government officials, vehemently insisted the peace process between Israel and Palestinians would be destroyed. Some even warned that America would be sucked into another Mideast war.
Ho-hum. It’s a year later and the sky still refuses to fall. Nor is the Mideast burning.
In fact, little or nothing has changed between the parties as a result of the announcement and the subsequent embassy move from Tel Aviv. There was no peace process at the time because the Palestinians had refused even to negotiate, and that remains the case.
Also, Israel already was moving beyond the Palestinian issue and, because of threats from Iran and Islamic State, had established working security alliances with several Arab states, including Saudi Arabia. Those arrangements are intact and expanding, as are its relationships with China and others outside the region.
Among the lessons that hindsight affords is that conventional wisdom was simply wrong. It turns out that those supposedly in the know actually knew nothing.
A corollary is that the so-called Arab street turned out to be a fictional force, with the promised outpouring of mass support in Arab countries never materializing. Although there was grumbling and sporadic rock-throwing and tire-burning, Armageddon stayed off stage.
Another lesson is that strength creates its own advantages. Presidents who blink in a crisis, as Barack Obama did by failing to enforce his red line in Syria, invite more trouble because opponents believe they will wilt. In office for nearly a year, Trump had demonstrated that riots don’t move him, so riots didn’t happen.
I was in Jerusalem the day of his announcement and Israelis were jubilant. Trump was hailed as a hero for the ages because he conformed American policy to what every Israeli knows: Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish state.
Finally, an American president called their bluff and showed that even their threats were empty."
the article continues
"That reality was why virtually every presidential candidate for two decades promised to make the embassy move — but only when the time was right. The hesitation, enshrined in a 1995 law that allowed delays, gave a heckler’s veto to Arabs and incentivized violence. Trump changed the pattern by deciding the time was right to do the right thing.
This is not to claim that all the chips fell into place and everyone lived happily ever after. Hamas, true to its terrorist nature, used the actual opening of the new embassy in May to organize attempts to crash the Gaza border fence.
Israeli troops responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, along with live fire, and shot and killed a reported 59 Palestinians. Yet despite the usual condemnation at the United Nations that Israel had used disproportionate force, Hamas acknowledged that 52 of the dead were militants, many of them armed.
Meanwhile, thousands of Hamas rockets have been fired at Israeli towns and kites loaded with firebombs sent across the border, starting fires that burned thousands of acres of farmland.
Some of the kites carried Nazi swastikas, according to The New York Times, a reminder about Arab hate and proof that further delay on the Jerusalem declaration would not have changed Hamas’ determination to destroy Israel.
For ordinary Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, the continuing refusal of their leaders to negotiate with Israel and the Trump administration compounds years of missed opportunities.
Every passing day is another lost day where Palestinians could have had their own state.
Importantly, Trump’s team acknowledged the Jerusalem move meant he would tilt to Palestinians on other issues, and he pointedly did not rule out the possibility that East Jerusalem could be the capital of their state.
Yet continuing the pattern started in 2000, when Bill Clinton failed to get Yasser Arafat and then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to create a two-state solution at Camp David, the Palestinians never get to yes.
Time and again, they walk away when a reasonable deal could be made.
Finally, an American president called their bluff and showed that even their threats were empty."
Michael Goodwin is a Fox News contributor and New York Post columnist.
From the New York Post website, www.nypost.com an article is titled
"American Christians should lead the fight against anti-Semitism"
By Robert Nicholson
December 30, 2019 | 7:52pm
the article says
"American Christians must organize in defense of their Jewish neighbors. If not now, when? A massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Another in Poway, Calif. A shootout at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City. Ten anti-Semitic attacks just last week, topped off by Saturday night’s grisly machete attack in Monsey.
Anti-Semitism is a reliable bellwether of the moral health of a nation, and its spread signals something is very wrong, indeed. America’s Christian majority needs to nip it in the bud.
Yet even as everyone talks about fighting anti-Semitism, it isn’t clear that anyone knows how. Most of the discussion tends toward superficial clichés.
To fight anti-Semitism, we need to understand its spiritual sources. This isn’t just any old hatred or racism. It is a grand anti-myth that turns Jewish chosenness on its head and assigns to the people of Israel responsibility for all the world’s ills.
Anti-Semitism is a perversion of Christianity. Portraying the Jews as uniquely sinful, this upside-down gospel has spurred frequent outbursts of anti-Semitic violence in Christian and post-Christian societies. For this reason, many Jews implicitly associate the Cross with pogroms and persecution.
Which is why America’s Christians must lead the way. Anti-Jewish sentiment among Christians, though different in nature from modern, racial anti-Semitism, nevertheless marred historic Christianity across millennia. With that bitter history in mind, American Christians today are best poised to combat anti-Semitism in both white and black society, on the left and right sides of the aisle. Only American Christians have the numbers. And they adore a God who identifies himself with reason (John 1:1) and love (I John 4:8).
The best response to anti-Semitism isn’t anti-anti-Semitism. It is philo-Semitism, love of the Jewish people. But a philo-Semitism of words will do nothing; it must be incarnated and turned to action.
Pastors and priests around the country should dedicate one sermon, just one homily, to explaining the tragic history of Jewish-Christian relations and expounding on a proper view of the Jewish people based on a careful reading of New Testament texts and church documents. Leaders with platforms on radio and television can do even more.
see also
-African-American community must stand with Jews against wave of assaults-
Every church should appoint a liaison to the local Jewish community whose job is to establish rapport and build friendships for no other purpose than to show solidarity. The message is simple: You aren’t alone."
the article continues
"But American Christians can go even further by resolving to protect — physically protect — local Jewish institutions and individuals. It is impossible to ensure the safety of every Jew at every moment, but the massive size of the American Christian community allows more than enough bandwidth to provide the comparatively minuscule Jewish population an extra layer of security.
An all-volunteer, grassroots neighborhood-watch network manned by Christians and deployed to stand guard at local Jewish synagogues and community centers, especially during periods of worship, would do more for Jewish-Christian relations than doctrinal debates ever could. It would showcase what Christian love means in action.
The idea sounds complicated, but it can start small. Even one Christian standing outside the door of a synagogue with cell phone in hand will send a message to people inside and outside that this community has friends. Christian veterans and off-duty police officers can turn a neighborhood-watch program into a coordinated system of neighborhood defense. In the process, valuable relationships will be formed that could lead to new and unexpected outcomes
It is time to stop talking and start doing. I for one stand ready to act."
Robert Nicholson is president of the Philos Project, an organization that promotes serious Christian engagement with the Middle East Robert Nicholson is NOT Advocating Violence or illegal Unlawful Activity, but More of a Visible Pro-Active Security Presence around the Jewish Community
From the New York Post website, www.nypost.com another article is titled
"The ICC has some nerve to target Israel"
By Josh Hammer
December 29, 2019 | 9:26pm the article says
"Among the institutions of the so-called international community, anti-Israel bias is so prevalent and obvious, it’s taken for granted and almost funny. The year-end statistics from the UN General Assembly tell nearly the whole story: Of the 25 condemnatory resolutions passed this year, 18 targeted the world’s sole Jewish state.
As I said, almost funny.
But now a more serious threat looms. The United Nations, for all its institutionalized anti-Semitism, remains a toothless body. Not so the Hague-based International Criminal Court, whose judgments can make life miserable for Israeli leaders and soldiers, rendering them vulnerable to arrest abroad.
On Dec. 20, Fatou Bensouda, a Gambian who has served as the ICC’s chief prosecutor since 2012, announced her intention to formally investigate the “situation in Palestine” and alleged Israeli war crimes that “have been or are being committed there.”
Bensouda served as a prosecutor and later justice minister under Gambia’s iron-fisted former dictator Yahya Jammeh. Speaking before a Gambian truth-and-reconciliation commission, one dissident accused her of “masterminding” the torture he suffered. (Bensouda has denied knowledge of this torture.)
No wonder she is bent on making a scapegoat of Jews. Specifically, she wants to probe Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip during the last full-scale war against Hamas, in 2014. She also plans to investigate the Jewish state’s response to Hamas’ attempt last year to infiltrate the border fence that separates Israel from the terrorist-run territory.
Bensouda’s prosecution is utterly lawless. As a political matter, the West must push back against this encroachment on the sovereignty of a democratic nation-state.
For starters, the ICC is structurally biased against Israel. As international-law expert Eugene Kontorovich noted when the Palestinian Authority sought formal ICC membership in 2015, the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, included language at the behest of the Arab states specifically designed to demonize Israeli “settlement” activity in the West Bank.
That should have given away the ICC game. But even under the ICC’s own terms, Bensouda’s attempted prosecution doesn’t pass muster. It lacks jurisdiction.
Under the Rome Statute, the ICC can go ahead with a prosecution in a country only if the state has delegated jurisdiction to the international court. But which state could delegate jurisdiction to the ICC in the case of the Palestinian territories? Certainly not the fictional “State of Palestine,” which even the United Nations doesn’t formally recognize as a state."
the article continues
"Plus, if Israel is a nefarious “occupier” of Palestine, as Palestinian propaganda constantly claims, then it means that the “State of Palestine” isn’t sovereign over its own claimed territory and therefore can’t delegate jurisdiction to the ICC.
An ICC prosecution, moreover, would flout the Oslo Accords, which call for direct negotiations between the parties to reach a final political settlement and under which Israel retains full civil and military control over the majority of the West Bank territory.
A still more glaring problem: Israel is a democratic state with civilian control of the military and an independent, rigorous judiciary that can adjudicate war-crimes allegations. This isn’t some war-torn, broken state or one transitioning out of recent dictatorship — like, er, Gambia. Israel doesn’t need ICC supervision to prosecute war crimes by its own soldiers.
But Bensouda cares not for legal niceties. She has previously opined that Gaza, from which Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005, remains occupied, because the “international community” says so. The fact that she has gone ahead with this prosecution means she already buys the anti-Israel narrative wholesale: that “Palestine” is a sovereign state; that all of the West Bank belongs to that Palestinian state; and that Jews living in their biblical heartland are war criminals.
To use a favorite Uncle Joe Biden term, this is malarkey.
Israel’s attorney general has already issued a detailed legal opinion that establishes the ICC’s lack of jurisdiction. But an academic battle over the law is woefully insufficient. Israel must now follow the lead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who previously issued a visa ban for any ICC personnel investigating possible US war crimes in Afghanistan.
Israel should lead a team of like-minded allies in to fight the ICC jackals, including by exposing Bensouda’s own checkered past and her (at a minimum) alleged tacit involvement in African human-rights violations. The Jewish, democratic and rule-of-law state of Israel doesn’t need a Gambian dictator’s lackey to lecture it on the ethics of war and peace."
More about the Greatness of Israel, from the unitedwithisrael.org website an article is titled
"Israel Sets All-Time Tourism Record: 4.5 Million Visitors in 2019!"
Dec 31, 2019
Related:
Israeli tourism
the article says
"The year 2019 was very successful for the Israeli tourism industry, which set a new record for incoming tourism and saw an 11% increase in tourist arrivals over 2018.
By TPS
According to official figures, about 4.55 million tourists visited Israel in 2019, injecting about NIS 20 billion into the Israeli economy.
The number of tourist stays in Jerusalem increased by 8% in 2019, and by 9% in Tel Aviv and 18% in Tiberias.
Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin stated that “this historic achievement is a direct result of the ongoing revolution in marketing Israel around the world.”
The Tourism Ministry has launched campaigns in China, India and Europe to encourage tourism from new destinations, has invested in infrastructure development, and has offered incentives for international airlines to open new routes to the country.
“Incoming tourism contributes to the development of the periphery and the economy and I am proud to lead this,” Levin added.
Director-General of the Ministry of Tourism Amir Halevi noted that “this is the third consecutive year that we have broken the record for incoming tourism to Israel,” dramatically increasing tourism visits from two to four and a half million entries annually.
The leading source countries for incoming tourism were the US, France, Russia, Germany, Britain, Italy, Poland, China, Ukraine and Romania.
Some 54 percent of tourists said that their views on Israel changed for the better after visiting the country, and 93 percent ranked their experience as good to excellent, according to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism’s 2018 Inbound Tourism Annual Report published in July 2019.
More than half, 55 percent, of the tourists visiting Israel in 2018 were Christian, just over a quarter were Jewish, and approximately 2.4 percent were Muslims.
The best-maintained sites in Israel according to the survey were the Tel Aviv port, Masada and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art."
From the website www.thejc.com an article is titled
"'Jew' used as a term of playground abuse"
Robyn Rosen
May 12, 2011 13:02
"Community leaders have raised concerns about a rise in non-Jewish schoolchildren as young as eight using the word "Jew" to insult each other.
Education workers have criticised schools for not tackling the abusive behaviour in the same way as other
racism.
One Jewish secondary school English teacher, who asked not to be named, said he had seen many cases of antisemitism in schools throughout London. He had witnessed pupils calling each other 'f---ing Jew' on a weekly basis in one north London school.
"I overheard some students saying that Jews would be the first and the quickest to go to hell," he said. "I was personally called a 'f---ing Jew', sometimes openly in class, at other times through written notes, and at times when I was alone in the corridor.
"I know that one Jewish teacher had a swastika drawn on her door. And at least two other teachers in different schools received hateful notes and drawings depicting Jews as devils.
"Sometimes these incidents were dealt with, sometimes they were not.
"The head of one school did make a call in the staffroom for teachers to pull up and note down antisemitic behaviour, but this was only done after complaints by members of staff.
"Racism against Jews is not taken as seriously as racism towards other groups."
A playworker in Somerset has complained about the "blatant antisemitism" she has heard from young schoolchildren.
Tamara Pollard, who works for a major children's charity, said: "I work in a mainly white area with virtually zero Jews.
"A few weeks ago a group of kids, aged about eight or nine were shouting antisemitic insults. They were calling each other "tight Jew". I asked the ringleader if he knew any Jews and he said he didn't, so he looked pretty stupid in front of his friends and I thought that was the best way to deal with it.
"Last week I heard children aged between nine and 11 saying 'scabby Jew' and 'f---ing Jew'. I was shocked to hear that kind of blatant antisemitism in the playground. I'm worried this is below the radar."
The Community Security Trust has held a meeting with the Department for Education on the issue. Last year, the CST reported 58 antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish schools, schoolchildren or teachers, but it does not report incidents among non-Jewish children.
CST's Dave Rich said: "Children using the word 'Jew' as a term of abuse in the playground has been reported to us more and more in the last few months.
"Non-Jewish schoolchildren using it among themselves is a new problem.
"We are trying to get a sense of the scale of the problem and ways in which it can be addressed. "
Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies, said: "We are compiling a response to a DoE consultation on behaviour and discipline in schools. We will raise our concerns about this problem so that schools and teachers are better equipped to tackle any incidents of antisemitism." Very sad, as usual everyone hates the Jews, I came across vile anti-semite "females" years ago, my Friends and I agreed, that they were ugly, had rotten personalities and were such Satanic Bitches & Toxic Cunts, not very ladylike at all,
From the website www.dw.com an article is titled
"One in four Germans hold anti-Semitic beliefs, study finds" and it says
"More than a quarter of Germans surveyed said they agreed with anti-Semitic statements, including that Jews have "too much power over the economy." Over 40% said they thought Jews "talk about the Holocaust too much."
Anti-Semitism is gaining a stronger foothold in German society, the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing a new study from the World Jewish Congress (WJC).
Out of the 1,300 Germans who took part in the representative survey, 27% agreed with a range of anti-Semitic statements and stereotypes about Jewish people.
Some 41% said they agreed with the statement that "Jews talk about the Holocaust too much." The same portion said they believed "Jews are more loyal to Israel than to Germany."
Over 20% of respondents said they agreed that Jewish people have "too much power" over the economy, international financial markets and the media. Another 22% agreed that "people hate Jews due to the way they behave."
"These are cliches, stereotypes, envy but there is also some truth to it. Jews are successful. What's the problem with that?" Cologne Rabbi Yechiel Brukner told DW. "Why are Germans not envious that, as a percentage of the population, Jews have many more Nobel Prize winners? Why doesn't that bother anyone? What does it always concern the aspect of 'money'? Judaism places an emphasis on intellectual intelligence and that has meant that Jews are often very successful. They also work hard, but why does someone not like them for that?"
the article continues
""Think about this: There are still living Holocaust survivors and Germans already dare to entertain anti-Semitic thoughts — and even to take action based on them. That's incredible," Brukner added.
The survey was carried out two months ago, prior to the anti-Semitic attack targeting a synagogue in the eastern German city of Halle.
Hostility towards Jews growing among 'elites'
Anti-Semitism is also growing among the wealthy and well-educated, according to the study.
Watch video
02:18
Is it still safe for Jews to live in Germany?
The WJC found that 18% of "elites" — respondents with at least one university degree who make at least €100,000 ($111,300) per year — agreed with anti-Semitic sentiments.
Within that group, over a quarter said they believed Jewish people have "too much power over world politics" and the economy.
Read more: German groups combating far-right extremism face uncertain future
'It's time for German society to take a stand'
The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that the state of anti-Semitism in Germany has reached a "crisis point."
"We've seen what happens when ordinary people look away or remain silent," he told the paper.
Lauder added that Germany has an obligation to prevent the return of intolerance and hatred, and if one quarter of the population adheres to anti-Semitic beliefs, then the remaining three quarters must take action to defend democracy and a tolerant society in Germany.
"It's time for German society to take a stand and combat anti-Semitism head-on," he said.
Read more: In Germany, memorials for Nazi terror victims vandalized
Watch video
02:16
Halle attack shakes Jews already beset by anti-Semitism
Resistance rises
While anti-Semitism is spreading in Germany, the study found that the readiness to combat it is also growing.
Two-thirds of "elites" said they would sign a petition against anti-Semitism, while a third of all the respondents said they were willing to take part in demonstrations against anti-Semitism.
The vast majority of respondents recognized there was a rise in hostile behavior toward Jewish people in Germany, with 65% saying that rise was tied to the success of "right-wing extremist parties."
One in four respondents said it was possible that "something like the Holocaust could happen in Germany again." Germany & Austria still have horrible Anti-Semitism Problems, Big Surprise
The Sick Thing is, the anti-Israel & Anti-Semite people in America & Worldwide enjoy being Evil, it is the Mentality of the Spider
Another Good Website is olivetreealliance.org the website of
Olive Tree Alliance , where they say "Biblically Authentic- Standing With Israel"
under the "Israel" section it says
ISRAEL
"We live in amazing times. Israel is not only central to the biblical record, God’s prophetic calendar for this tiny country is unfolding before our eyes!
The rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 was one of the most miraculous and momentous events in the history of mankind. Although much of the world seemed to be taken by surprise, some individuals not only expected, but eagerly anticipated the prophesied restoration of Israel. That God would literally fulfill His promises to Abraham, the progenitor of the Jewish people, is proof of the veracity of Scripture:
“Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. . . And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God’” (Genesis 17:3-4, 7-8).
Olive Tree Alliance focuses on the Word of God as it relates to the nation of Israel, and for good reason. While other ancient kingdoms are buried in the sands of time, Israel is very much alive today. Israel is at the epicenter of God’s unfolding plan for history. And, Israel has a glorious future!
In my experience, biblically authentic Christians—who recognize the miracle of Israel’s rebirth as a fulfillment of the prophetic Word—respond in faith by standing in solidarity with the State of Israel and God’s Chosen People.
A love for the Word of God and a love for Israel truly do go hand-in-hand. You’ll find a growing LIBRARY of articles under the ISRAEL heading.
Thank you for visiting. Please return often to be encouraged by the fulfillment of the Word of God and equipped to stand with God’s Chosen People."
From the Olive Tree Alliance website, olivetreealliance.org
It Quotes the Bible Verses listed at the bottom of this post
Charles E. McCracken is an international Bible teacher, long-time friend of Israel and advocate for the Jewish people. In his work as the Executive Director of Olive Tree Alliance, Inc., Rev. McCracken authentically communicates biblical truth making his presentations relevant for those seeking to understand the significance of Israel and the church in Bible prophecy. He staunchly supports the nation of Israel and the Jewish people’s right to exist and live in peace.
THE PROPHETIC WORD
“Thus says the Lord God:
‘When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.’” Ezekiel 28:25
THE PROPHETIC WORD
“Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’” Jeremiah 31:10
Also from olivetreealliance.org an article is titled
"Pray for Jerusalem’s Peace"
by Charles E. McCracken
the article says
"To pray for the peace of Jerusalem is a solemn task. The Bible passage with the mandate to pray for the peace of Jerusalem was given by King David some 3,000 years ago. The directive is found in one of the Psalms of Ascent that was sung during the pilgrimage feasts of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.
PSALM 122 (CJB)
“I was glad when they said to me,
‘The house of Adonai! Let’s go!’
Our feet were already standing
at your gates, Yerushalayim.
Yerushalayim, built as a city
fostering friendship and unity.
The tribes have gone up there, the tribes of Adonai,
as a witness to Isra’el, to give thanks to the name of Adonai.
For there the thrones of justice were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for shalom in Yerushalayim;
may those who love you prosper.
May shalom be within your ramparts,
prosperity in your palaces.
For the sake of my family and friends, I say,
‘Shalom be within you!’
For the sake of the house of Adonai our God,
I will seek your well-being.”
the article continues
"We rightly focus on praying for peace in Jerusalem based on the command to do so. The promise of prosperity is conditioned upon one’s love for Jerusalem in verse six. David, however, also provides the key for understanding why prayer for Jerusalem is incumbent on all who love and revere the Word of God.
We pray because the mandate is documented in both testaments
The conclusion of Psalm 122—For the sake of my family and friends, I say, Shalom be within you! For the sake of the house of Adonai our God, I will seek your well-being—is the foundation for the two-fold purpose for specifically praying for Jerusalem (vv. 8-9).
We pray for Jerusalem’s peace because God’s Chosen People are at the epicenter of His plan and purpose.
We seek the well-being of Jerusalem because of the house of Adonai.
What is the house of Adonai?
The house of Adonai is none other than the still-future Temple of Jehovah that the prophet Ezekiel takes eight chapters to describe in great detail (Ezek. 40-48). The Messianic (Millennial) Temple is prophesied in the Old and New Testaments.
In this era or Age of Grace in which we now live, those of us who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ are called God’s temple. The apostles Peter and Paul both confirm the Spirit of God dwells in us as New Testament believers (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19; Eph. 2:19-22).
Yet, there will be a physical temple in the Messianic Kingdom perhaps functioning as a remembrance or memorial of the finished work of Christ, much like the temple in the Old Testament foreshadowed or looked forward to the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord.
Getting back to our text in Psalm 122, How is the house of Adonai connected to peace in Jerusalem?
The Messianic Temple will be the focal point of worship for the whole world (Zech. 8:22-23). There will only be true peace when Messiah rules the world from Jerusalem.
We are commanded to seek the well-being of Jerusalem because the house of Adonai, the Messianic Temple, will again shine as a beacon to the nations.
Look how Zechariah describes Jerusalem during the Messianic Kingdom:
“Adonai-Tzva’ot [the Lord of Hosts] says, ‘In the future, peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come; the inhabitants of one city will travel to another and say, “We must go to ask Adonai’s favor and consult Adonai-Tzva’ot. I’ll go too.”
Yes, many peoples and powerful nations will come to consult Adonai-Tzva’ot in Yerushalayim and to ask Adonai’s favor.’
Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘When that time comes, ten men—speaking all the languages of the nations—will grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, “We want to go with you, because we have heard that God is with you”’” (Zech. 8:22-23).
I think you’ll agree that Zechariah’s prophecy stands in stark contrast to a recent conflict that shut down Jewish and Christian access to the Temple Mount in August of 2019. (1)
King David says, Don’t close your eyes to what is happening in Jerusalem. Seek the well-being of Jerusalem for the sake of the House of Adonai.
In the New Testament, there is a counterpart to David’s mandate embedded in a prayer you likely have committed to memory."
& continues
"In the New Testament, there is a counterpart to David’s mandate embedded in a prayer you likely have committed to memory.
MATTHEW 6:9-13
“Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Here in the context of what is known as the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus offered as a model for all prayer, we are urged to pray for the fulfillment of the Messianic Kingdom. Pay attention to the first petition recorded in verse 10 of Matthew 6.
When we pray Your kingdom come, we are asking God to hasten the day when the Messianic Kingdom will be a reality. When we pray, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are agreeing with God’s purposes and can rest in the confidence that our prayers will be answered.
This is a powerful combination of acknowledging God’s will, while at the time confessing His sovereignty over the affairs of men and in the domain of heaven.
The signs of the times signal the nearness of the Messianic Kingdom
The times in which we live are like a brooding storm that is gaining strength and momentum. Like the chaos of a hurricane or blizzard that prevents us from seeing our surroundings, world events can blind us to the fact that prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes.
When Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948, God’s prophetic program seems to have been accelerated. The Six-Day War in 1967 holds similar prophetic significance, though rarely discussed in that context.
Army Chief Chaplain Rabbi Shlomo Goren and IDF soldiers blows the shofar at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on June 7, 1967 (Israel GPO)
When the Eternal City of Jerusalem was reunited on June 7, 1967 after 19 years of illegal Jordanian occupation, the most memorable moment occurred as Rabbi Shlomo Goren, Chief Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, blew the shofar at the Western Wall and again on the Temple Mount.
At first glance, that act appears to be a response driven by the euphoria in the turn of events. But, what if the sounding of the shofar 52 years ago had prophetic implications?
Pay close attention to the way the shofar is used in Scripture. In the 89th Psalm, the shofar is a joyful blast."
& continues
" “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance” (Ps. 89:15).
Here the word translated “joyful sound” is actually the Hebrew word teruah or trumpet. Rendered “joyful shout” in the Tanakh, a side note in the Hebrew Study Bible describes the word as a “blast of the ram’s horn.” The word “know” is yawdah in Hebrew and conveys the idea of understanding or comprehension. The psalmist states that the blessed people are those who grasp the prophetic implications of the shofar blast.
A brief look at the Old Testament prophecy of Joel may help us see a connection between Rabbi Goren’s monumental act and the prophetic significance. In the first verse of chapter two and again in the 15th verse, the prophet Joel exclaims, “tiqu shofar be’tsyion” literally, “sound the shofar in Zion” (Joel 2:1, 15).
Traditionally, there are two purposes for blowing the shofar in Scripture—to give warning and to call an assembly of the people. Joel includes both—the “joyful sound” of calling the assembly and the alarm of warning—in his prophecy related to the end of the age.
“Blow the trumpet [shofar] in Zion,
And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For the day of the Lord is coming,
For it is at hand
Blow the trumpet [shofar] in Zion,
Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly” (Joel 2:1, 15)
In ancient Jerusalem, soldiers positioned on the city walls used shofars to warn residents of impending danger. In Joel’s prophecy, however, the shofar was to be sounded not from the walls of the city, but from Zion—the Temple Mount—indicating the spiritual purpose of the shofar blasts.
In the spirit of Joel’s prophesy, the sound of Rabbi Goren’s shofar echoed from the Temple Mount and reverberated around the world.
The sounding of the shofar on June 7, 1967 was a “joyful sound” marking a victory that actually became an alarm and a call to repentance when administration of the Temple Mount was handed-off to the Jordanian Waqf just a few days later.
I believe God used that shofar blast as a wake-up call to the whole world of the impending Day of the Lord and the need for repentance. That it has been 52 years since Rabbi Goren sounded the shofar means we are closer to the unfolding Day of the Lord than ever before. The Day of the Lord is the still future time of global judgement during the Seven-year Tribulation that precedes the return of Messiah to inaugurate the Messianic Kingdom.
The seeming delay is not an impediment to the certainty of future fulfillment. Remember, God gave the antediluvian world 120 years to repent before sending the Great Flood (Gen 6:3). Today with instantaneous worldwide communication, the time to repent may well be much shorter. "
& continues
"Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is a personal commitment
The call to pray for the peace of Jerusalem is not limited to the context of ancient Israel and is a viable tenet of New Testament teaching. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is a mandate that 21st century Christians should embrace.
When we recognize the prophetic ramifications of Rabbi Goren’s shofar blast from the Temple Mount in light of Joel’s prophecy, we see that praying for the Eternal City is a personal obligation. The alarm must not be ignored—the Day of the Lord is close at hand (Joel 2:1; 1 Thess. 5:1-3).
The regathering of Israel foretold in Scripture—that is happening in incremental stages as the prophets foretold—is a prophetic sign (Isa. 43:5-6; Ezek. 11:16-17).
Speaking through the prophet Moses, God assured Israel,
“If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.
Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land, which your fathers possessed and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers” (Deut. 30:4-5).
Just prior to the celebration of Yom Teruah—the Day of Trumpets 5780, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s total population had topped 9,000,000. In 1967, the Jewish population of Israel was just under 2.5 million and has grown to nearly 7 million today.
We live at a privileged time in God’s plan and purpose as witnesses of the rebirth and phenomenal growth of the nation of Israel, as well as the reunification of Jerusalem, the eternal capital (2 Chr. 6:5-6). We can be encouraged that the prophetic aspect of the call to assemble in Joel 2:15 is observable in the ongoing return of the Jewish people back to the land of Israel.
In that regard, 21st century Christians live at a critical juncture in history. You may grasp the importance of Israel in God’s plan and purpose. You may have acknowledged that prayer for the peace of Jerusalem is commanded in Scripture.
But, I’m asking you to do more than that. I’m asking you to make a commitment—call it a vow—to personally pray for the peace and seek the welfare of Jerusalem every day."
the article lastly says
"Scripture assures that praying for the peace of Jerusalem is not only within the scope of God’s will, but also covers any eventuality Israel may face—from menacing threats of annihilation, terrorism and war to the outcomes of elections.
Believers have ready access to the throne of God. His ear is always open to our cries (Ps. 34:15). And even though the blessing of prosperity is included for those willing to pray, you may be hesitant based on past failings to keep a vow. The inadequacies of the past, however, are no impediment to future success.
Try this approach. Today, I pledge to pray for the peace and seek the well-being of Jerusalem. Tomorrow, renew your pledge. Daily renew your pledge as the week progresses. Vows are more likely to be kept with renewed daily commitment. Good and bad habits become routine after three weeks of practice.
Praying for Jerusalem is not only a good habit, God commands that we do so. May the promise of prosperity be realized in your commitment to love and pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
Remember REAL Patriotic Americans Stand with Israel, because as people have pointed Out you cannot Spell the word Jerusalem without the letters "USA" in the Middle
J E R U S A L E M
Also from olivetreealliance.org another article is titled
"If Only Scarecrows Were Enough"
by Charles E. McCracken
the article says
"Over the past 18 weeks, we witnessed focused media attention on the Palestinian-Arab March of Return protests on the Gaza border with Israel.
The “protests” have not, however, been peaceful as commonly reported. Videos and stills of the violence accompanying most commentary insinuate that Israel is to blame while ignoring the facts. “Protesters” have used slings to heave stones on Israeli security personnel, hurled Molotov cocktails at border installations, planted bombs along the border fence and paradoxically destroyed the Kerem Shalom border crossing where humanitarian aid from Israel enters Gaza.
An equally destructive scheme for perpetrating terror has also been ignored. Western news sources have not just failed to report, but seem unwilling to acknowledge the environmental terrorism and agro-terrorism targeting Israeli farmers. It little matters whether technologically advanced or simplistically utilitarian methods are used by terrorists. The outcomes for Israel are destructive and costly.
ONE HISTORICAL CASE
Almost 2,500 years ago, the psalmist described the animus that drives such acts.
PSALM 120:6-7
“My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.”
It is almost certain the psalmist referenced groups of squatters that claimed the land as their own while the population of Israel was exiled in Babylon (Ezra 4-6 cf. Nehemiah 1-13). In the aftermath, returning Jewish exiles were forced to contend with violent and unscrupulous intruders that illegally occupied the Jewish homeland. The trespassers were adamant in their bellicose defiance. The text plainly states that while ancient Israel pursued a peace plan, the squatter’s actions confirmed their hatred for peace (Ps. 120:6).
The psalmist laments, “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (v.7). Attempts to generate peaceful coexistence on the part of ancient Israel were met with obstinate refusal to cooperate. Squatters from neighboring lands were committed to hostility and any hope for peaceful resolution was blocked by their premeditated, continuous and unrelenting aggression. Read the accounts in Ezra and Nehemiah for yourself via the hyperlinks above."
the article continues
"HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
Today, Israel’s neighboring enemies demonstrate the same hostile attitude described by the psalmist some 2500 years ago. A warring spirit drives both environmental and agro-terrorism and threatens the livelihood of Jewish farmers in Israel today. Terrorists show no regard for the land lovingly nurtured and reforested by God’s Chosen People over the past 70 years.
Wheat fields destroyed only days before harvest—orchards torched as fruit is beginning to ripen—vineyards cut-off at the root just prior to grape picking, along with the sabotage of agricultural equipment and farming implements—have cost Jewish farmers hundreds of thousands of shekels each in lost income. The attacks, however, are not limited to those originating in Gaza. In the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, farmers have been forced to contend with such assaults for five decades since the Six-Day War.
Did you know that on May 27 of this year, terrorists cut down over 1,000 grapevines in a vineyard near Shiloh? Owned by the neighbor of a friend of mine in the area, this vineyard has been pillaged six times in the last decade and was decimated along with others by agro-terrorist raids over the same weekend.
A year ago, terrorists breached the security of yet another neighbor destroying his entire vineyard of four-year old vines that would have yielded the first viable vintage. (1) The wanton destruction of thriving agriculture is a hateful act of environmental aggression. Sadly, these attacks happen routinely, but are not commonly known and are devastating to not just victims and surrounding communities, but the economy of Israel.
Farmers worldwide attempt to minimize damage to crops by putting up some sort of scarecrow. It’s a low tech, low-cost preventative measure. But scarecrows are powerless against terrorists carrying incendiary devices, pruning shears and battery powered chainsaws.
Maybe you saw video footage of fires in Israel? Scant attention was drawn to such attacks when terrorists recently launched an incendiary kite from Gaza that landed in a wheat field across from Sapir College near the city of Sderot. Combustible material ignited on impact and fire rapidly spread threatening the college campus as well as adjacent roads and residential neighborhoods. The Sapir fire was one of seven similar attacks that day.
According to Ynetnews, Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman cites that in the current wave of attacks, “600 such kites have been sent from the [Gaza] strip so far, while 400 have been intercepted by Israeli security forces using technological means. . . two-hundred succeeded . . . and they burned 9,000 dunams [more than 2,000 acres] of crops and forests.” (2)"
& Continues
"Often I hear, “Why can’t they just agree to live in peace?”
Here is my response. There have been 13 significant attempts by Israel over a period of four decades to broker peace with Palestinian leaders who have adamantly refused to cooperate. The most generous offer—made at Camp David in 2000—was rejected by Yasser Arafat outright because the key clause in the treaty specified that signing the terms of the agreement meant the end of conflict.
As early as 1994, increased autonomy was granted to the Arab populations of Judea-Samaria for the sake of peace. Rather than engendering peace, however, suicide bombers and terrorist groups regularly infiltrated the border to attack Israeli citizens.
Disengagement from Gaza in 2005 forced Jewish residents completely out of Gaza. Instead of enjoying peaceful coexistence in the seven years following disengagement, more than 9,000 rockets were launched from Gaza at civilian targets in Israel. (3) That statistic does not include the 5,000-plus rockets fired at Israel since 2012. (4)
To commemorate Eid Al-Fitr which is the beginning of the end of Ramadan, Hamas announced plans to send 5,000 fire kites and balloons into Israel from Gaza claiming their payloads can reach up to 40 kilometers into Israel. The Times of Israel reported, “The use of 5,000 balloons and kites simultaneously would prove a major challenge for the army . . .” (5)
Can you imagine what it could mean for Israeli families, their homes, farms and communities if these articulated threats are realized? In a telling comment to Gazan border protestors, Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar stated, “We have come here . . . to remind you that there is no peace with the enemy [Israel] and any attempt or plan will not compel us to make peace with them.” (6)
And, that’s the harsh reality. Israel is for peace; but they are for war. Rockets and mortars, stabbing intifada, incendiary kites, environmental and agro-terrorism—all demonstrate the same contempt for peace and the warmongering spirit that the psalmist described. If only scarecrows could deter hate."
Also from olivetreealliance.org another article is titled
OLIVE TREE ALLIANCE
"We Remember"
by Charles E. McCracken the article says
"January 27, 1945 is acknowledged as the official beginning of the end of the Nazi Holocaust. International Holocaust Remembrance Day annually correlates with the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration-death camps.
More than seven decades after the horrific era known as the Holocaust, the debate is ongoing. How could such an atrocity occur in civilized modern society?
Fingers justly point at the Nazi regime. The vast majority in the faith community, however, chose to overlook the most basic of biblical principles—when you see evil, do something about it (Job 29:16b-17).
What Happens When People Ignore Evil?
In March 1939, everything changed for Jewish people when the German army invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia. Hitler was responsible for lighting the fuse that ignited World War II.
A Jewish man, a Holocaust survivor, shared his experience. Nazi soldiers were everywhere and Nazi propaganda constantly blared from loudspeakers. Military convoys and troops streamed through his village carrying out Hitler’s expansionist ambitions.
The development of these activities alone was troubling. Even more disturbing, the Holocaust survivor told of the rapid and fundamental change in attitude toward the Jewish population of Czechoslovakia.
Until the Nazi occupation, this man’s family had many Christian friends. His childhood buddies and schoolmates were Christians. His father had Christian colleagues, clients and employees. His family interacted regularly with Christian neighbors.
Overnight, the community including long-time Christian friends abandoned them. Approximately 263,000 Czechoslovakian Jews died in the infamous Nazi concentration-extermination camps of Theresienstadt, Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
When you read historical accounts, the speed that latent anti-Semitism surfaced and pervaded Europe can easily be missed. In his soft-spoken manner, what the Holocaust survivor conveyed was like a lightning bolt that shocked me to the core.
I Got the Message
The environment of pre-World War II Czechoslovakia teaches that attitudes toward the Jewish people can change overnight. When Jewish families were herded into ghettos and deported to death camps, few Christians came to their aid.
The tragic reality is that when Hitler targeted the Jewish people, the faith community covered their eyes while plugging their noses to the stench of the cremation ovens. That the Nazis were obsessed with record keeping and marked victims with correlating tattoos is proof, however, that the Holocaust is historical fact revisionists cannot erase.
Our view of the Holocaust must be clear. But, the faith community must be willing to see what is happening in our culture now so that we act on conviction. Job provides a stellar example: “I searched out the case that I did not know. I broke the fangs of the wicked, and plucked the victim from his teeth” (29:16b-17).
Standing with Israel today requires more than hype and effusive words. Our speech must be coupled with action to do all in our power to aid God’s Chosen People who are not just the victims of anti-Semitic rhetoric, but premeditated attacks that hit shockingly close to home.
Every January 27, We Remember the atrocities of the Holocaust to affirm our resolve to stand in solidarity with the Jewish people every day. A solid grasp of God’s Word leaves no other choice."
Ding Dong the Pig is Dead, Top Iranian "General" Qasem Soleimani has been taken out
From cnn.com an article is titled
"Iran's top general Soleimani killed in US strike"
By Fernando Alfonso III, Tara John, Julia Hollingsworth, Rob Picheta and Mike Hayes, CNN
Updated 3:43 p.m. ET, January 3, 2020
the article says
"What you need to know
Iran's military leader killed: Qasem Soleimani, top general and one of the most powerful men in Iran, was killed in a drone strike at Baghdad airport early today. His deputy was also killed.
Trump ordered the strike: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the airstrikes disrupted an "imminent attack" in the region that put American lives at risk.
US deploying troops: The US is sending thousands of additional troops to the Middle East in response, according to a US defense official."
30 min ago
"Trump says Soleimani was plotting attacks on Americans
From CNN's Kevin Liptak"
"President Trump said he authorized a precision strike against the commander of Iran's security and intelligence services because he was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks" on Americans."
"We caught him in the act and terminated him," Trump said Friday, a day after the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani.
Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate that Soleimani should have been taken out by his predecessors."
27 min ago
Trump: "We do not seek regime change" in Iran
"In a statement from Mar-a-Lago, President Trump said the US is not seeking regime change in Iran following an attack that killed a top Iranian general.
"We do not seek regime change," he said.
Trump added, "the Iranian regime's aggression in the region — including its use of proxy fighters to destabilize its neighbors — must end and it must end now."
"We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war," Trump said."
28 min ago
Trump on Soleimani: "His reign of terror is over"
Evan Vucci/AP
Evan Vucci/AP
President Trump said the US caught Qasem Soleimani "in the act and terminated him" during a speech today at Mar-a-Lago.
"Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks," Trump said. "We caught him in the act and terminated him."
Trump added: "His reign of terror is over." Good that Soleimani is Dead, it's a great day for America & Israel, we should all Celebrate his Death
The Fact is the Nazi Dictator Adolf Hitler is Eternally & Forever guilty,he will suffer in Hell Forever, he died in 1945
but his evil name "Hitler" is still being uttered and used to commit hate crimes against Jews even in 2019 and in early 2020, the name "Hitler" still inspires people to commit Hate Crimes Against Jews, in America & Worldwide, Thus even after Adolf Hitler died in 1945, Hitler is also guilty for the Crimes committed by other people in his name , even in 2019 & 2020, Hitler shares the guilt & responsibility for the crimes committed by other people in his name, this only increases the Suffering of Hitler in Hell, Every Anti-Semitic, Anti-Jewish Hate Crime committed in Hitler's name, only increases Hitler's suffering in Hell more and more !! Pro-Israel Christians have stated how when Judgement Day ultimately comes, the wicked Anti-Semites & Anti-Israel people will be cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire, where they will Suffer Forever, For all Eternity , without any hope,
We have a good feeling that, after Judgement Day ultimately comes, whether 100 or 500 or 1,000 or more years from now the Jewish, Christian & Other Pro-Israel people will get the Last Laugh , when the wicked anti-semites & anti-Israel people are cast into Hell, we Righteous Pro-Israel people will enjoy watching the anti-semites, anti-Israel people suffer in Hell, we will laugh at their suffering and be Entertained by it, that God will grant us Righteous Pro-Israel People the Ability to View their Suffering and Rejoice at God's Justice being served, and the wicked suffering in Hell will be able to see & hear us Righteous Pro-Israel people laughing at them, just to piss them off !!! Good Poetic Justice
Another good Online Blog is called "Israel Thrives" it can be found at
https://israel-thrives.blogspot.com/
Another Good website that refutes "Palestinian" Lies is called
FLAME , which stands for Facts & Logic About the Middle East, the website can be found at
www.factsandlogic.org
From the New York Post website www.nypost.com an article is titled
"Netanyhau praises Trump for killing Qassem Soleimani, says Israel stands by US"
By Yaron Steinbuch January 3, 2020 | 2:54pm | Updated
Enlarge Image
Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Donald Trump Getty Images
the article says:
“President Trump is worthy of full appreciation for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively,” he told reporters before departing Greece to head back to Israel.
“We stand fully by the United States in its just battle for security, peace and self-defense,” Netanyahu said, adding that “just as Israel has the right of self-defense, the United States has exactly the same right.”
“Qassem Soleimani is responsible for the death of American citizens and many other innocent people. He was planning more such attacks,” he said.
Netanyahu had earlier instructed government officials not to comment about the killing and they also were mum on whether Israel had provided any intelligence or support for the mission.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Ministry put the country’s embassies and offices on “high alert” across the globe amid Iranian threats of revenge against the US and the Jewish state for the killing of the powerful commander of the elite Quds Force.
An Israeli ski resort near the Syrian border that was the site of a previous missile attack was shuttered due to concerns of a possible strike, the Times of Israel reported.
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett also convened a meeting at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv of security and intelligence chiefs to deal with the possible repercussions of the Soleimani killing, according to the news outlet.
Netanyahu’s chief political opponent, Blue and White chief Benny Gantz, a former military chief of staff, also praised Trump for his “brave decision” to launch the strike.
“The killing of Soleimani is a message to all the head of global terror: on your own heads be it,” Gantz said. The assassination was “fitting for anyone whose action brings about the murder of innocents and the destabilization of the region and the world.”
On matters of national security, “there is no coalition and opposition,” he added."
the article continues
"Analysts said Israel was gearing up for possible reprisals from Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon in the north and the Gaza Strip in the south, where the ruling Hamas faction and Islamic Jihad cells had ties to Soleimani.
“Israel has to be on high alert,” Yossi Kupperwasser, a former chief of intelligence research for the Israeli army, told the Washington Post.
“These groups are all indebted to Soleimani. They might have to do something to show sympathy for him,” he said.
“He was busy, day in and day out, in promoting terrorist attacks again Israelis and training, arming and financing other groups to do the same,” Kupperwasser added. “Obviously, we have no sorrow for him.”
Ram Ben Barak, the former deputy director of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, said that Soleimani’s death was “a blow to the Quds Force.”
“There was almost no terror attack in the last 20 years that didn’t have Qassem Soleimani’s fingerprints on it,” Ben Barak told Israeli Army Radio. “The [Iranian] entrenchment in Syria, arming [the Lebanese Shiite militia] Hezbollah, the [Hezbollah] precision-guided missile project, contacts with Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
“There was almost nothing that happened that Soleimani wasn’t involved in actively,” he said, according to NPR. “He initiated, pushed and checked it was done.”
It was unclear what effect the killing would have on Israel’s political situation, but observers said Netanyahu might be relieved for any distraction during his attempts to have parliament shield him from a pending corruption prosecution.
“It could help in the short term if all the headlines aren’t about a craven request for immunity,” Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser, told The Washington Post. ‘
“If this escalates, it could be a negative,” he added.
Moshe Ya’alon, another former military chief of staff, said: “The world in general, and the Middle East in particular, has been freed from a mass murderer… Good riddance!"
From the website israellycool.com an article is titled
"Something About Israel?"
By
David Lange -
June 22, 2011
the article says
"And while we are on the subject of media bias, here is a relevant scene from the 90s show Boy Meets World.
It’s funny (and sad) because its true." This article is in reference to a scene from an episode of the Hit ABC TGIF Sitcom "Boy Meets World" the episode titled
"What I Meant to Say" which first aired on October 13, 1995 from the 3rd Season of the show, on YouTube the clip can be found by typing in on the Search bar
"something about Israel?"
TAGS
Boy Meets World
Israel
Media Bias
The YouTube clip from the "Boy Meets World" episode
"What I Meant to Say" can be found here
on YouTube
"something about Israel?"
268,018 views
•Jul 7, 2007
by
"herostratic"
1.19K subscribers
from bmw episode 3x03 What I Meant to Say
Category
Entertainment
Show
Boy Meets World : Boy Meets World - Pilot (Boy Meets World)
Israel = Is Real, Palestine = Pa Lie Stine
From the website unitedwithisrael.org
an article is titled
"WATCH: Palestinians Committed 2,370 Terror Attacks Against Israelis in 2019"
Jan 8, 2020
Related:
incitement
Judea and Samaria
Mainstream media
Palestinian terror
the article says
"While mainstream media continues to cry about the “poor Palestinians,” they ignore the truth!
Contrary to the facade Palestinian leaders present to Western audiences, non-stop martyr-worship incited Arabs to perpetrate thousands of violent attacks on innocent civilians in 2019.
There were over 2,300 terror attacks in the past year alone. You probably haven’t even heard about most of them.
The majority occurred in Judea and Samaria, the biblical homeland of the Jewish People.
This is a staggering figure! These are not just numbers, they are people!" The Article has a Link to a YouTube video titled "Boomerang's 2019 Annual Terror Report"
From the website www.timesofisrael.com an article is titled
"Hundreds of Gazans rally to mourn Soleimani, burn US, Israeli flags"
Protesters in Strip take to streets bearing images of slain Iranian general as his funeral takes place in Baghdad
By TOI staff and Agencies
5 January 2020, 5:32 am 2
the article says:
"Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday rallied to mourn the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
Protesters in the Strip took to the streets bearing photos of the Iranian general, mirroring a procession in Baghdad as mourner’s carried Soleimani’s remains before they were repatriated to Iran.
Gaza terror groups, including the enclave’s Hamas rulers, erected a mourning tent for the slain Iranian general.
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Hundreds gathered to trample on and burn American and Israeli flags.
Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas official, said the killing of Soleimani was “a loss for Palestine and the resistance.”
“We are loyal to those who stood with the resistance and with Palestine and we hold the US administration and the Zionist occupation fully responsible for the consequences of this deplorable crime,” he added, according to Reuters.
Palestinians step on US and Israeli flags as they attend a mourning house held by Palestinian factions for Qassem Soleimani, the Iran’s head of the Quds Force, Gaza City, Jan 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Islamic Jihad’s Khader Habib said: “We as the Palestinian resistance have organized this mourning ceremony to condemn this American crime and reject it. We say to these people: if they think that this crime will stop the resistance, then this will not happen because we are following the path of the martyrs against the American hegemony.”
“The American administration carried out this crime, which serves the Zionist and is in his interest. We are continuing with our resistance until we sweep the American presence from the region and the occupation ends,” Habib said.
Iran has long provided aid to the armed wing of Hamas, and is seen as exercising a degree of control over Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Strip’s second largest terror group.
Leaders of both groups visited the mourning tent."
the article continues
"Israel has reportedly warned the terror groups against any attempted response from the Gaza Strip to the US killing of Soleimani.
The warning was transferred via Egypt, according to a Walla news site report Friday.
Meanwhile, Israel will convene its security cabinet on Sunday in the wake of Iranian threats to avenge Soleimani — Tehran has threatened both the US and Israel.
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, on Friday expressed its “sincere condolences” to Iran’s leadership after Soleimani was killed in Baghdad overnight and hailed his support for the “Palestinian resistance,” but did not issue any overt threat.
The Islamist group’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, in the past lauded the “strong, powerful and warm” ties Hamas enjoyed with Soleimani.
Iran has for years sought to arm the Palestinian terror groups with rockets, mortars and missiles.
Palestinians at a mourning event for Qassem Soleimani in Gaza City, January 4, 2020. (Hassan Jedi/Flash90)
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a left-wing terror group, said the killing of Soleimani called for “a coordinated, comprehensive and continuous response from resistance forces” against “American and Zionist interests.”
The US strike on Soleimani came amid efforts to broker a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which have fought three wars since the terror group took control of Gaza in 2007. Israel’s security cabinet was reported to have convened twice earlier in the week to discuss the proposed ceasefire deal.
According to Channel 12 news, major progress had been made toward a deal since Israel killed Baha Abu al-Ata, the Islamic Jihad commander. Abu al-Ata was seen as a major force against coming to a truce with Israel in the Strip, and following his elimination Hamas had proven far more inclined to come to an accord, the network said. Contrary to its usual approach, Hamas had shied away from the combat following the Islamic Jihad terror chief’s killing and Israel, too, had avoided hitting the group.
For over a year now, Egypt has been a key player in brokering informal ceasefire understandings between Israel and terror groups in Gaza, including Hamas.
The understandings have largely entailed Israel lifting restrictions on the movement into and out of Gaza in exchange for Hamas maintaining relative quiet in the border region between the coastal enclave and the Jewish state."
From unitedwithisrael.org an article is titled
"Make Europe’s Anti-Semitic Labeling Policy Benefit Israel!"
November 21, 2019
The Author
Jason Shvili
the article says:
"It will now be easier for supporters of Israel to purposely buy products made in Judea and Samaria. Turn Europe’s new labelling requirements into an opportunity to support Israel!
The European Court of Justice has recently ruled that all Israeli products sold in the European Union, but originating in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) must be labelled as such. The reason? The West Bank is “occupied territory.”
This is just another way of telling the Jewish people that they do not have a right to live in their ancestral homeland. That right belongs exclusively to Palestinians. No Jews allowed. If this isn’t anti-Semitism, I don’t know what is.
In a much more positive development, The Trump Administration has announced that the U.S. will no longer consider the prosperous, thriving communities that Israel has built in Judea and Samaria to be a contravention of international law. This recent announcement is a huge victory for Zionism, for the Jewish people and for the truth. Say what you want about President Trump, but in this case, he is on the right side of history.
Liberation, Not ‘Occupation’
The presence of Jews and the Jewish state is not an “occupation.” If anything, it is a liberation. It is a return of the Jewish people to the land of their forefathers."
the article continues
"But let’s assume, hypothetically, for a moment, that Judea and Samaria, otherwise known as the West Bank, is occupied territory. Is the EU mandating special labels on Chinese products made in Tibet because Tibet is illegally occupied by China? No, because the EU doesn’t have a problem with China violating the rights of Tibetans and illegally stealing their land and sovereignty. How about Turkish products from Kurdistan, or products made in the Americas or Australia on land stolen by Europeans from the indigenous inhabitants? Nope, no special labelling for them either. What about when the West Bank was illegally annexed by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Did Jordanian products originating from the West Bank get special labels? Again, the answer is no. The EU has seen fit to single out only the Jews.
How dare the EU, which represents countries with the blood of six million Jews on their hands, tell the Jewish people where they can and can’t live. It’s not surprising though. The Europeans have been trying to dictate where Jews can reside and where they can’t for centuries. Throughout the history of Europe, Jews were expelled wholesale from European countries and territories countless times. If they were not expelled, they were confined in ghettos or only allowed to reside in certain parts of a given country. And almost always accompanying the Europeans’ policies of expulsion and ghettoization were brutal massacres where Jews were slaughtered with impunity. The ruling of the European Court of Justice is simply a continuation of these policies, but with a significant difference. Now the Europeans want to dictate where Jews can live outside of Europe. In their own ancestral homeland, no less. It’s as if they want to turn Israel into a ghetto and tell the Jews they can only live within the confines of the pre-1967 armistice lines. The West Bank, say the Europeans, must be Judenrein."
the article lastly says
"BDS Harms Palestinian Arabs
I’m sure the proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement are very happy now that the EU has formally joined them in their efforts to demonize and de-legitimize the State of Israel. As for the Palestinians that they claim to be helping, the recent EU court decision could harm them more than it will harm the Israelis, because if the new labelling requirement does result in European consumers not buying products from Israeli businesses located in the West Bank, the Palestinians who are often involved in making those products will ultimately lose their jobs.
This has already happened. Years ago, the Israeli company SodaStream moved one of their factories out of the West Bank due to pressure from the BDS movement. As a result, many Palestinians that worked in that factory lost their jobs. Congratulations, BDS. You managed to get Palestinians who you say you are trying to help unemployed. So much for your help. Then again, maybe the BDS folks want the Palestinians to be jobless and hopeless, because it will encourage them to take up the only other lucrative opportunity there is in the West Bank: killing Jews in exchange for cash handouts from the Palestinian Authority.
There you have it. The BDS folks don’t really want a better life for the Palestinians. They just want to keep the Palestinians in eternal misery so that they’ll keep blaming the Jews for their problems, thereby motivating many of them to kill Jews without end.
So how should Israel and its supporters respond to this heinous decision by the European Court of Justice? One way is to turn the new labelling requirements into an opportunity to support Israel, because since Israeli products from the West Bank will now have labels telling consumers that they’re from the Biblical Jewish homeland of Judea and Samaria, it will be easier for supporters of Israel to purposely buy products made in the territory as a way of telling the EU that no one can tell the Jews they cannot live in the land of their forefathers. In other words, we turn the boycott of Israel upside down and use it to support the Jewish state.
Furthermore, if the Europeans want to give Israeli products special labels to indicate that they are from a disputed territory, perhaps Israel should label products that come from disputed regions of Europe. Then, Israeli consumers would have the choice not to buy products made in Catalonia, Brittany or Corsica, because policies that promote boycotts can work both ways. As some people say, what goes around comes around."
We all Know the EU doesn't truly care about the so-called "Palestinians" the poor poor "Palestinians" they just use them as Pawns to get at Jews & Israel
From the website blogs.timesofisrael.com an article is titled
"When Christians Combat Anti-Semitism"
Jan 8, 2020, 12:57 AM
Christians gather from around the world at the ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles (Courtesy ICEJ)
the article says
"American Jews are, rightly, feeling uneasy with the visible rise in anti-Semitic incidents. Many feel threatened and alone. Yet, there is vast support from many Christians which should be a comfort.
In the summer of 2018 pastor friends in Orlando invited me to speak at a Christian event to show support for Israel. I was honored to be invited, to speak, and to build bridges among Jews and Christians with a common denominator being Israel. Sadly, much of the Jewish community that was invited did not participate. I was puzzled, however, being asked to speak about anti-Semitism. It seemed odd to have that topic as a part of a forum meant to support Israel, but I was glad to do it and planned to provide a unique insight and solutions, albeit I didn’t feel that it was terribly relevant at the time.
Less than a month before the event, eleven Jews were murdered during Shabbat prayers in Pittsburgh. This made the topic, and interest among the participants, urgent. In the course of a few months, it became sadly and scarily very relevant.
Since then, the public face of anti-Semitism has grown. Many incidents have taken place including vandalism, threats, assaults, and more murders. Jews in America are, rightly, focused on their communities, though Jews suffer physical threats, vandalism, assault, and murder in other parts of the world as well.
At times like this, Jews not only feel threatened and scared, but very alone. All the legislation, rewards, and reports in the world can’t stop anti-Semitism. I write from the perspective of an orthodox Israeli immigrant who, more than once while living in America, felt uneasy walking in public with my kippah and removed it for my safety.
But we are not alone. Working with Christians regularly, I glean strength and resolve from people who love us unconditionally, who detest anti-Semitism, and who genuinely want to see it uprooted, now and forever."
the article continues
"Jews should be heartened to know that there are Christians who say you can’t be an anti-Semite and be a Christian, that they are mutually exclusive. The love and support is genuine, and comes from individuals with no affiliation, pastors, and Christian organizations, all standing up for, and in solidarity with, us.
It shouldn’t be a surprise, or make us uncomfortable that for most, prayer is central. I echo this, as should all Jews. It’s normal and good to put in God’s hands things that we don’t understand or can’t resolve on our own. Beyond prayer, it’s also comforting to have Christians care enough to act.
Once, a Christian friend invited me into her office and closed the door. She shared her words carefully, emotionally, in a hushed tone. She whispered that “when” it gets too bad for Jews in the US, she and others have a network to hide and protect us. I have to admit that I was intrigued at the notion, and sincerity, as much as I thought she had a screw loose. I didn’t say that then, just accepted her concern politely.
Since then, others have shared similar offers, to protect Jews physically if it came down to that. Now, I don’t think of it as being so crazy. I just wonder why anyone would choose to stay in a place where they are in such danger that they needed a ticket for a modern Underground Railroad when they could just get on a plane and come to Israel.
There are many expressions of love and support. It’s no little thing for Christian organizations and conferences, like the one at which I spoke, to put fighting anti-Semitism on the agenda. This happens not infrequently. Many individuals also do their part.
Once, my friend, Pastor Victor Styrsky undertook something I’d never considered to show solidarity with the Jewish people and the plague of anti-Semitism and terror. He decided to wear a kippah and be a Jew for a day.
He pondered, “How does a Jewish mother or father face the dilemma of allowing their sons to go outside wearing a kippah in this 1933 world into which we have plummeted?” He was overcome by “the unexpected weight of the kippah.” He wrote, “I am embarrassed and ashamed to confess how quickly I wanted to rip the kippah off of my head, and return to my life of ease as a Gentile. My initial plan was to change my identity for four days. I barely lasted one.”
& lastly says
"Pastor Victor recounted all his experiences in a thoughtful article that is an important read, but he summarized it as follows: “I do not have the strength to be a Jew, not even for a day, but I am humbled and honored to take my place as one of the Gentiles in the prophetic words of Psalm 126: 1-4:When the captives returned to Zion it was like a dream. Our mouths were filled with song, and our hearts with shouts of joy. And the Gentiles said, ‘Adonai has done great things for you!’
Another friend introduced me to a friend of hers who also did something extraordinary. During the recent wave of attacks in the NY area, “Marcia” undertook to call every synagogue in her extended community to show solidarity. Initially she was nervous and hesitated because she wasn’t sure how it would be received. “The response was surprise at first and then thankfulness. Some of the receptionists asked me to hold so that I could speak directly to their Rabbi. The Rabbis were thankful, and invited us (to their services). One said that he would tell his congregation about our call, and that a church (nearby) was praying for them.”
Many Christians don’t understand why Jews just don’t make Aliyah. This is out of love and respect, individually, as a people, and with admiration for everything that Israel represents. Many would make Aliyah themselves if they could.
Jews have good reason to not understand or even distrust Christians because of thousands of years of baggage that we bring with us. Some of the worst anti-Semitic atrocities have taken place in the name of “the Church.” Not to be naïve, combating anti-Semitism is not (yet) universal among Christians. But the trend is growing, and today we can feel comfort knowing that there are many Christians who will call, write a note of support, want to blend in to be one of us in solidarity, or even offer to protect us in their Underground Railroad.
I pray it’ll never come to that and that we can just receive their support with a reciprocal embrace and our thanks."
Again, Good that the so-called "General" Qasem Soleimani is dead, good that he's dead,
many have said that he should have been taken out a long time ago,
Soleimani was a Monster , he should have been legally taken out and made into
Dog Food long ago,
From the website askdrbrown.org an article is titled
"Trump Takes Out a Terrorist: Good News or Bad?"
Posted Jan 08, 2020 the article says
"It’s not every day when major voices as disparate as Piers Morgan and Rush Limbaugh agree. But when it comes to Democratic (and, more widely, liberal) reaction to Trump’s killing of Iranian General Soleimani, Morgan and Limbaugh are singing the same tune. In their view, liberal hatred for Trump is so extreme that the left would rather sympathize with terroristic Iran than celebrate the death of a mass terrorist. How telling.
According to Morgan, “Soleimani was the world’s most dangerous terrorist,” no ifs, ands, or buts.
“As such,” Morgan continues, “he was no different ideologically from other terror leaders like Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and ISIS commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”
And US forces took out all three of these mass murderers. (The ISIS leader, of course, killed himself when he was about to be captured.)
“Yet unlike,” Morgan observes, “Bin Laden and Baghdadi, Soleimani’s death has been met with howls of protests from the world’s liberals.”
Why? It’s because of liberal hatred of Trump.
Indeed, “when Obama ordered the execution of Bin Laden, liberals cheered him around the world.
“But Trump Derangement Syndrome dictates there must be a very different response when the current president kills a terror leader.”
the article continues
"Now, you might say that Morgan is wrong here. If Trump Derangement Syndrome was so blinding, why didn’t these same liberals condemn Trump for taking out Baghdadi?
The answer would appear to be that: 1) ISIS was too evil and could not possibly be defended, whereas there can be sympathy for the nation of Iran and one of their generals. 2) Baghdadi ultimately killed himself. 3) His death occurred before Trump’s impeachment, with the impeachment causing the left to become even more radicalized.
Morgan was also right to dispel the myth that Trump acted impulsively and on his own to take out Soleimani. (He details the order of events in his article.)
This has been a concern of the left from day one, and it was a concern I had in the past as well. Trump will get us into another world war. He is irresponsible. He is a madman. He is unhinged and you never know what he will do.
Now, looking back at the events of this week, it seems that: 1) Trump succeeded in taking out the world’s leading terrorist; 2) he faced down the world’s leading sponsor of terror; 3) and, in his speech to the nation (and world), he even offered the people of Iran an olive branch of peace and a promise of prosperity."
& lastly says
"What is so bad about this? So evil? So irresponsible?
How does this hurt America? Endanger the world?
Indeed, it is now being reported that, “Iran DELIBERATELY failed to hit US military targets in Iraq missile attack for fear of escalating conflict with Donald Trump, intelligence sources reveal.”
Yes, Trump struck fear into the hearts of the Iranians after they publicly mocked him while attacking our embassy in Iraq. “You don’t mess with America,” he said loudly and clearly. Hopefully, Iran, already crippled by economic sanctions, got the message.
As for the wellbeing of our nation, could it be that Trump really does not want to put our troops in harm’s way? That he really does hate seeing Americans die overseas? That there’s actually a human heart beating within his breast? That he would not irresponsibly lead us into another war?
Interestingly, and right on cue, Trump’s actions have revealed the true colors of his most ardent critics, which means that someone like Colin Kaepernick sees the killing of a mass murderer as another terrorist attack by America on brown and black people.
In his words, “There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against black and brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.”
Morgan’s response was classic: “Kaepernick either doesn’t know, or chose to ignore, that for many years Iran has been committing terror attacks on black and brown people for the expansion of its own imperialist agenda in the Middle East.”
And need I quote the responses from some of the Democratic presidential candidates or extreme liberals like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
Rush Limbaugh has actually compared some of these responses to the rhetoric of Iran, illustrating the degree that Trump’s staunchest opponents are blinded by their hatred of him.
As reported (in sincerity) by the New Republic, “Trump’s Next Impeachable Offense is Nigh. Congress may have no other choice but to redeploy the ultimate check against a rogue president bent on committing atrocities.”
There you have it.
Certainly, I understand the reason for concern when we take out another nation’s general. And I understand the skepticism about the reports that our intel said he was about to launch more attacks against Americans and others. Was there was real intel, or was this a pretense? Or did we even need a pretense?
I’ll let the intelligence experts and military pundits sort that out.
I also agree that Trump’s tweet about destroying cultural sites in Iran was unwise and unnecessary, adding to fears about his reliability.
But the death of the world’s leading terrorist and the facing down of the world’s largest state-sponsor of terrorism means the potential saving of many lives. (That being said, we should remain prayerful and vigilant against other, potential terrorist acts from Iran.)
For now, this much is clear: We have learned more about President Trump this week, and we have learned much about his staunchest critics." Again, it wasn't just Good News that
Soleimani was killed, it was GREAT NEWS !!!
Anyone Remember the episode of "Beverly Hills,90210" titled
"Hate is Just a Four Letter Word" which first aired on November 16, 1994
the description of this episode from Wikipedia says
"The campus erupts in controversy when an anti-Semitic African-American activist is asked to give a speaking engagement at the school. Despite advice from the Dean, Brandon finds himself caught in the middle of the chaos when his political choices come into direct conflict with his personal ethics. Andrea is opposed to the activist speaker, not least because she is spending more time with her Holocaust-surviving grandmother, and openly accuses Brandon of selling out his principles for politics. Meanwhile, Donna plans a birthday surprise for Ray on his 25th birthday, while David ponders his Jewish heritage in relation to the controversy. As Dylan recovers in the hospital, his estranged mother, Iris, keeps him company, but his drug dealer pays an unexpected visit and physically threatens Dylan (in his hospital bed) not to tell the police about their business." this episode is an example of all the Raw Hate Jews must endure on College & University Campuses in the name of
"Free Speech" and while Free Speech is important, it's BS when the type of "Free Speech" tolerated against Israel & Jews would NEVER be tolerated against any other group of people or nation,
I have seen online videos several years ago of "Pro-Palestinian" people saying
"they would never harm a fly" but clearly from their words and statements in the videos, clearly they do support those who commit acts of Violence & Terrorism, in their Sick Disturbed Satanic Demonic Diabolical Minds they may not view it as Terrorism, and let's be clear, when they say "they would never harm a fly" the Only Reason why they wouldn't harm a fly or do anything violent is because they don't want to be arrested and sentenced to Jail/Prison, that's the Only thing that's stopping them from committing acts of violence against Jews & Israel, not because their is any humanity or decency within them, because there is ZERO humanity,decency or morality/conscience within them, if Not for the fear of Arrest & Criminal Prosecution, Jail/Prison, these "Pro-Palestinian" people would joyfully in an instant commit violent crimes against Jews & Israel, it's disturbing seeing the hate in the online videos several years ago, Stupid Ugly Bitch "Females" who Support Terrorism, Worthless Losers who can't stop having an Obsessive Hatred of Israel, the Only Democracy in the Mideast, Anti-Israel people who can't get a life , Anti-Israel People who can't Get a Life Already, and stop with the Hate ,
Does anyone ever watch the HBO Comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" which stars Larry David the creator of Seinfeld, from the website curb-your-enthusiasm.fandom.com it says about the
character of Shara on the show that -
"Shara is an anti-Semitic Palestinian woman who either works at or owns a Palestinian chicken restaurant that Larry loves. She hates Jews, but makes an exception for Larry when she sees him rip off Marty Funkhouser's yamulke, which she calls a "Jew cap". The great sex they have makes Larry question his loyalty towards the Jewish community.
(to Larry)Shara: "You're a Jew, yes?"
Larry: "Yes, I am a Jew... a big Jew. Big."
Shara: "Big Jew, and you still told him to take off his Jew cap?"
Larry: "Yes I did."
Shara: "Thank you, my friend. What's your name?"
Larry: "Leib, son of Nat."
Shara: (repeating)"Leib, son of Nat."
Larry: "My friends call me Larry."
Shara: "I like you..."
Larry: "What's not to like?"
Shara: "Eh, You're a Jew."
Larry: "Eh."
Bedroom scene:Edit
(to Larry)
"F**k me you f**king Jew!"
"You Zionist pig, you occupying f**k! Occupy this!"
"F**k me you Jew bastard! F**k me like Israel f**ked my people!"
"I'm going to f**k the Jew out of you!"
"You wanna f**k me, like Israel f**ked my country?!"
"Show me the promised land, huh?!"
"You circumcised f**k!" " It's important in Life to have a sense of humor at times, but us Christian, Jewish & other Pro-Israel people, how should we feel about the character of Shara ? The character of Shara is actually played by an actress who is
Armenian-Canadian in real life , some people have pointed out that this show
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" often uses negative stereotypes about Jews, The Fact is that the State of Israel is the Victim of the Palestinians and the other Arabs, Israel is the Victim, The Arabs & "Palestinians" have been the aggressors in this conflict since day 1, it's their fault, everything is their fault,
From the website www.worldhindunews.com an article is titled
"Warning! Nazi Narratives Continue to Threaten Hindus and Jews"
Posted on January 12, 2020 by WHN
By Souptik Mukherjee, the article says
"Hitler stole the ancient Hindu symbol of the Swastika, which for thousands of years had been used as a representation of good fortune and well-being, and corrupted it to represent racism and the ultimate of evil. He convoluted the Hindu concept of Arya, which means a righteous person who does good Karma, to represent the racial superiority of the Aryan, white, race. I am writing to warn my fellow Hindus to that once again, a person who promotes white racial superiority is hijacking Hinduism to spread antisemitism, which harms not only Jews but the very core of Hinduism.
He identifies himself as an American Hindu and attends our conferences and is a prolific purveyor on old anti-Semitic tropes, false accusations of Jewish persecution of Hindus, distorted presentations of the Jewish religion, all in the effort to separate a long standing friendship and growing alliance between Hindus and Jews.
His perversion of both Judaism and Hinduism are not new.
It started long back with Max Muller (1823-1900) who came to India, studied the Vedas and wrote 51 volumes of Sacred Books of the East. Under him Arya which means a righteous person who does good Karma became Aryan – a race. He promoted the theory that Germans and other Europeans were Aryans who came to India, invaded the local population (Aryan Invasion Theory) and brought Sanskrit and Vedas along with them. He used the scholarly work done in the Vedas by generations of Hindus and the Aryan Invasion Theory to create a supremacist Aryan racial narrative. He then associated the Swastika, a Hindu holy symbol used worldwide with the narrative."
the article continues: " When Hindu scientist Satyendra Nath Bose, under whose name half of the particles of the world exist, was denied a publication for his articles by the British, he approached Einstein, who collaborated with him to publish and give birth to what is today known as the Bose Einstein Condensate. Equally riveting is Einstein’s discussion with Rabindranath Tagore, a Hindu and first Asian to win Noble Prize in Literature, on philosophy based on each other’s beliefs.
Hindus and Jews are both ancient communities who have endured enormous persecution for the last 1000 years. Hindu majority India and Jewish majority Israel both live in hostile neighborhoods. Both often share the same civilizational challenges and enemies. Despite such trials and tribulations, we have never lost hope. Together we chart a future where both communities globally today share same values of belief in education and knowledge, gender equality and respect for women, mutual respect and co-existence based on it. Both communities have an enterprising spirit. India and Israel where majority Jews and Hindus live are democracies. Both are strong economies with a great deal of collaboration in all fields. The Hindu community is thus willing to build upon these successes, history and ignore wild narratives which are not aligned to our ancient cultural values. We urge people to develop scholastic knowledge about Hindu Sanatana Dharma, her civilizational history and scriptures before venturing into anti-Hindu or anti-Jewish narratives. We strongly believe that any effort to divide us will fail."
& lastly says
"Hindus being a very educated community globally will see through the hate and will resist the designs of the racial supremacists to further their agenda of antisemitism and racial cleansing. Scientifically too the Aryan Invasion Theory has been debunked through DNA analysis. There is more proof of out of India migration rather than fake theories of invasions from outside in ancient India. The first invasion by any European power in India was by the Greeks led by Alexander which was defeated by Indian kings. Despite this the theory is used to challenge the diversity of India, divide Indians as Aryans and Dravidians based on skin color and a sinister attempt is made to break up the nation based on racial lines.
The new efforts by the Nazis to disguise themselves as Hindus is thus a century-old attempt to break up India and the Hindus worldwide as well as break the ties between Hindus and Jews. We Hindus need to be alert to these misrepresentations of our faith, which unchecked will leave our people in misery. We Hindus need to watch out for new Nazis distorting out Dharma for our own good and the good of the world." This article can also be found on the Pro-Israel website, www.standwithus.com
the article "Warning! Nazi Narratives Continue to Threaten Hindus and Jews" from www.worldhindunews.com , the article also said
"The anti-Semitic narrative runs counter to Indian belief and conduct. In India where the majority of Hindus reside, the Jewish communities have been co-existing alongside with the Hindus in harmony for thousands of years. India gave shelter to many Jews when the Romans had destroyed their temple. Swami Vivekananda in his Speech in Chicago in 1893 had mentioned this. Jewish Rabiis also acknowledge this. Rabbi Metzger, former Chief Rabbi of Israel stated: “Jews have lived in India for over 2,000 years and have never been discriminated against. This is something unparalleled in human history.” Recently when Indian Prime Minister Modi ji visited Israel, the Israeli PM Netanyahu had stated, “We receive you with open arms. We love India. We admire your culture, we admire your history, your democracy, your commitment to progress,” Netanyahu said. “We view you as kindred spirits in our common quest to provide a better future for our peoples and for our world.” David Ben Gurion, founding father of modern day Israel, called India the great civilizational power of the east and had called on Israel to reach out.
Jewish-Hindu ties are growing even stronger. In 2014, at the height of the Gaza crisis, in support of Israel 20,000 Hindus in India took to the streets to show support of Israel’s right of self-defense. In 2018, 70,000 Hindus supported Israel and rallied in India. Devdutta Maji, the organizer of both the rallies, called the Hindu Jewish ties, “the defining civilizational partnership of the 21st century”. In US also, Hindu and Jewish groups jointly celebrated Diwali and Hanukkah. Many mainstream Hindu organizations like Sewa International, Viswa Hindu Parishad America and Jewish groups like StandWithUS work together to highlight how both Jews and Hindus celebrate the bringing of light, education and hope in a world where darkness, ignorance and despair are too common. Diwali and Hanukkah joint celebrations have been done by Hindu and Jewish groups in Chicago as well in San Francisco led by Hindu American Foundation. Hindu Yuva and Jewish student groups in Ohio State University have also organized similar events in recent months. This year, the Indian Consulate in Chicago hosted a celebrated Hanukkah" this article is also on the Pro-Israel website www.standwithus.com
From the website israelforever.org an article is titled
"Israel, I Love You"
By Ana Gutierrez the article says
"If I had to choose a country as my second homeland, it would definitely be Israel, because of its culture, its people and the undeniable sense of freedom you feel once you land there.
During the past 30 years, my church has had two trips every year to go to Israel. Back then my parents were one of the first who decided to ask a loan from the bank, and to go on an adventure crossing the big ocean, and to be blessed with the chance to finally meet the Holy Land.
"Dad, can I go back to Israel for my 18 birthday?" "I will think about it". And that was the open promise that kept me wishing for almost 3 years. Being an 18 year old girl walking around in the middle of Israel has been by far my best birthday present ever. Practicing my rusty Hebrew, learning about Israeli culture and food, and by last but not least seeing snow for the first time, has been the best 18 present I could have ever asked for.
Israel is a strong country, they fight against terrorism, and at the same time, they conquer the world with technology and improvement. They embrace any person who arrives there, and encourages them to fight for their rights, because, Israel will always have their backs. Israel has more than you can see from the outside, and I daily take the challenge, to stop being a long-distance outsider, and try to become, despite the distance, a good Israeli lover and defender.
I would like to finish this article sharing two important things. First, a month ago I broke my ankle, long story short, I got a titanium plaque to help my bone to heal. David Guetta ft. Sia has this amazing song named: Titanium, and I have adopted it as my anthem for the occasion.
Incidentally, Israel Forever Foundation shared the next version a while ago, and I saved it, apparently for this unique situation in my life. Because, just as I get stronger and heal, Israel becomes greater and unbeatable.
All my future plans and crazy dreams always end up including this awesome city, the one that stole my heart. This is the last picture I took, back in February 2013. And daily I feel the urge to comeback and update the photo, but also to increase my album, getting to know every inch of this beautiful city and amazing country.
Israel, would you take me back as soon as possible, please?"
Also from israelforever.org an article is titled
"Countries of the World: Move your embassies to Jerusalem"
By Andreas Fagerbakke
“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.“
When praying, Jews all around the world turn towards Jerusalem, the city that has been the historical capital of the Jewish people since King David, over 3000 years ago. Jews in the diaspora have yearned for countless generations to return to Jerusalem. In 1967, the entire city finally returned to its rightful owners. Israel liberated the Eastern part of Jerusalem from Jordanian occupation and once again the city was united and under Jewish sovereignty.
Today, no international embassy remains in Israel’s capital and no country in the world, except Israel, has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This is beyond absurd to anyone with the slightest knowledge about Jerusalem’s history or Jewish history.
I think Teddy Kollek, former Mayor of Jerusalem, sums it up perfectly: "No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, culture, religion and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism."
So if no other people have a more legitimate claim to a city than the Jewish people have to Jerusalem, why on earth can’t the world recognize that this indeed is the capital of the one and only Jewish state? It doesn’t make any sense.
Friends of Israel from all over the world may not agree on everything when it comes to the Middle East conflict, but I think we all agree that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Therefore we should also agree on the fact that the embassies that are currently located in Tel Aviv should me moved to Jerusalem. That is why I created this Facebook page, in order to send a clear message to the International Community.
The response has been overwhelming with over 1100 likes in less than 2 days. Feel free to join us and invite your friends. I plan on launching a campaign within the next few months and hope that you will participate."
Andreas Fagerbakke is a Pro-Israel blogger from Norway.
Also the article from israelforever.org titled
"Countries of the World: Move your embassies to Jerusalem" had a quote that said
"Without Jerusalem, the land of Israel is as a body without a soul" and remember you can't spell the word Jerusalem, without the letters USA in the Middle,
the word Jerusalem is spelled, J e r u s a l e m
Also from israelforever.org another article is titled
"Why I Love Israel"
By Forest Rain Marcia
the article says
"The brilliant Chloé Simone Valdary asks the questions no one bothers to ask, the questions few realize are fundamental. It is easier to not think, to take for granted but Chloé is different and by example, she pushes others to do the same.
Think. Question. Learn.
Awareness and knowledge are the basic tools for creating change. So many of us say we want change, to make the world better, less hateful, more safe etc. but how many of us are taking the steps necessary to lead to that goal?
Recently Chloé asked her social media audience (which is already quite large – if you aren’t already following her, what are you waiting for?!) why they care about Israel. Shortly afterwards she provided her own thoughts. Many in her audience explained their feelings by detailing excellent qualities Israel has, such as tolerance or being the only Democracy in the Middle East. Chloé, very wisely explained that caring does not grow from characteristics, it is a result of a feeling, of connection and belonging. This, she explained, is like love for our parents which is not a result of their “cool features” but because they are family.
To me, this answer is perfect, yet still falls short. This is my answer:
I love Israel because I belong to her and she belongs to me. She is my home and my family, her people are my people.
Through Israel my existence expands outward and encompasses much more than my individual self. I am more than just me – I am my family, my friends and the strangers that live beside me. I am not limited to my individual space or time. I am the Nation of Israel living in Israel, around the world and spanning centuries. I am me and at the same time I am also my ancestors stretching out behind me and future generations stretching out before me. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Mosses, Solomon and David. Yael, Devorah, Rivkah, Sarah and Rachel.
My fellowship is the strength, wisdom and belief of all these people as reflected in me. I am the bones in the ground in Jerusalem, the ashes in the concentration camps, the soldiers and the children of Israel. I am the blood soaked into each grain of dirt in this country, I am all the tears ever shed by my people. I am the centuries old longing to be free in our own land.
I love Israel because she is more than just a place, she is also an idea and I don’t know of any idea that is more beautiful. She is the origin of the morals and values the free world is founded on and in her existence she proves that anything is possible.
I love Israel for the same reason I love “The Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter.” She is inspiring. Epic, sweeping stories of adventure, heroes, glory, honor, the battle between good and evil where, although tragedies occur, love always wins are not a fantasy – they are our reality."
the article continues
"In Israel I don’t need faith I just need to LIVE. God is in the earth I walk on, the air I breathe and the water I drink. God is the flowers, the birds and the stars. I don’t need a synagogue to commune with God. I meet with God every time I go to the supermarket or walk my dog.
And like in any family, the people of Israel often annoy each other. We fight and we bicker. Sometimes we sincerely dislike each other. And yet it is love that holds us together. No external enemy can ever bring us down (it has always been true and still is true that the only real danger to Israel is from within). Woe on to the enemy that rises up against Israel. Many a Nation has risen and fallen while Israel still remains…
While other nations belong to each other because they have similar traits, likes or dislikes, Israel is a nation because she is a family. The children of Israel belong to everyone in Israel. One of the more stunning examples of this was when the people of Israel collectively held their breath, waiting for Gilad Shalit on the day he was returned from the bondage of his Hamas kidnappers. An entire nation stopped for a single person. It happens over and over – every person matters, every life must be accounted for… Israelis take this for granted, it is only the reaction of foreigners that shows us how unusual this mindset is.
I love Israel because her heart is bigger than her tiny self. This nation believes in the sanctity of life and strives to protect all life: our own, that of our friends and even our enemies… Israel reaches across the world to help people in need, no matter who they are or what they believe in. All Lives Matter is not a slogan, it is a law of nature. This is why there are so many vegetarians and vegans in Israel. This is why there are so many conservationists. Animals matter, the earth matters too.
I love Israel because she is passionate. Our reality can be harsh but it is also invigorating. The contrasts here are sharper: the topography is high or low, there are hills with rivers and then there is the desert. You drive through a city, turn the corner and there is no one in sight for miles. Even the sun seems closer and larger in Israel. There are people here from everywhere in the world, all with different languages, cultures and religions. Tradition and modern life are intertwined. Everyone is passionate about something. People care, no one is apathetic. Life has meaning. You are either loved or hated, however someone feels about you they will let you know. Strangers will die for you so that you may live. Israelis don’t wait for the government or the “authorities” to save them. We save ourselves. And each other. And anyone else we can help on the way. There are so many heroes in this country people stopped counting a long time ago.
Like any home, in some places Israel is run down, dirty, broken and needs to be fixed. I love Israel for her stubbornness. No matter how big the challenge, she always tries and often succeeds beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Israel knows she isn’t perfect but she tries damn hard to get there. Our standards are high and our stubbornness keeps them steady. We aim for the stars and beat ourselves up for “only” reaching the moon. We fall, dust ourselves off and try again the next day.
Israel is inspiration. She is spirit made tangible. She is home for the Jewish people but welcoming to all friends who, through love can also become family. She exists not just for her people but for all people, proof that they too can be bigger than themselves.
Israel is my home and my family. I belong to her and she belongs to me. She has shown me what love is and that anything is possible. She makes me better than I would be without her and for that I am grateful.
Israel is more than just a place. She is an idea, a promise and proof. All anyone has to do is look.
“An age is called dark, not because the light refuses to shine but because people refuse to see.”
That is why I love Israel.
What about you?"
From the New York Daily News website, www.nydailynews.com an article is titled
"Morbidly obese terrorist ‘Jabba the Jihadi’ captured"
By Brian Niemietz
New York Daily News |
Jan 17, 2020 | 4:13 PM
Abu Abdul Bari (left), also known as Jabba the Jihad, was captured in Iraq. Jabba the Hutt from 'Star Wars,' is pictured at right. (Handout; Everett Collection)
the article says
"Keep the 72 virgins and bring on the doughnuts.
The 560-pound ISIS leader Abu Abdul Bari, also known as “Jabba the Jihadi,” was captured in Iraq, according to Stars and Stripes.
A Iraqi SWAT team rounded-up the rotund rebel in Mosul, where he was wheeled off in the back of a pickup truck.
The surrender of Bari, who personally represents more than a quarter ton of terrorism, was met favorably on social media where the meme “He puts the fat it fatwa” quickly made the rounds.
Some of the online celebrating was a bit on the dark side, including a tweet from British soldier Macer Gifford, who reportedly fought alongside Kurdish troops in Syria.
[More News] Video shows grandfather held girl ‘by and out of open window’ for 34 seconds before she fell to her death, Royal Caribbean says »
“Good luck hanging him in Iraq,” Gifford tweeted of the portly radical.
Bari’s nickname was inspired by the gluttonous and corrupt “Star Wars" character Jabba the Hutt." In this article, "Jabba the Jihadi" looks like an ugly turd
Anyone remember the "Family Guy" episode titled
"No Chris Left Behind" which first aired on May 6, 2007, one scene in this episode showed Lois Griffin picking up a Old Textbook from the year 1948
and she said "Chapter 3: Israel: The Hip New Country Everyone's Gonna Love"
While in real life it's very sad, how Israel is the Most Hated nation in Human History, the whole World unjustly hates Israel with a Passion , Israel is sadly the #1 most hated Nation in World History, most of the World hates Israel, but thank God for the many Christians, Jews & Other Pro-Israel People in the World , Israel is sadly the #1 most hated Nation in Human History, because of Anti-Semitism, Jew-Hatred as usual, However Israel is the #1 Nation in the World that is Most Loved by God, Israel is the Nation in the World Most Loved by God, Israel is #1 on God's List of Nations that he Loves, God Loves Israel the Most !!!! Israel is at #1 on the List of the nations most loved by God,
No "Palestine" on the list
Also from israelforever.org another article is titled
"There is No Zionism Without Jerusalem"
By Ilana Brown the article states
"Jerusalem is part of the Jewish people in the same way that the heart is part of the human body.
It is not merely an organ that keeps the body functioning. Without it there would be no life.
The last line of the Passover Seder calls for “Next Year in Jerusalem!” Before the groom breaks the glass at his wedding he says “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem...”
When Jews pray, they face Jerusalem.
Ethiopian Israelis chose Jerusalem Day to commemorate the Ethiopians who died on the long trek to Israel.
The song “Jerusalem of Gold” is recognized the world over.
The national anthem of Israel concludes with the line “To be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.” Both with religious and secular associations, the list goes on and on.
The State of Israel passed a law in 1980 declaring that “Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel.” While not internationally recognized as such, until the law is changed, Jerusalem is the complete and united capital of the sovereign State of Israel.
Lt.-Gen. Mordechai “Motta” Gur, commander of the force in the Old City, a secular, native-born Jerusalemite, declared “The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!” He did not say “The Old City” or “The Jewish Quarter.” Rather, his Jewish heart told him that the important thing was the Temple Mount; the Temple Mount was in our hands.
By law, by religion, by emotion, Jerusalem is the center, the core, the heart of the Jewish people and the State of Israel."
the article continues
"Along with the idea of two states for two peoples, we are asked to consider Jerusalem as the shared capital for these two states. We are told that holding Arab-majority neighborhoods in east Jerusalem as jailers is morally abhorrent. We are told that misguided Zionism has turned us into overlords. It might be suggested that Jerusalem was divided from 1948-1967 and it did not destroy the State of Israel or substantially damage the Jewish people around the world.
Map composed by German theologian Heinrich Bunting - 1581
From the year 70 CE, when Jerusalem fell to the Romans, until 1967, the city was not under Jewish control. And yet, Jews around the world continued to yearn for Jerusalem – not for Tiberias, not for Safed, not for Hebron.
In 1948, when the Jewish state was established and immediately plunged into a war, the infant state was not able to hold Jerusalem. But still the people yearned for Jerusalem. And finally, when the paratroopers entered the Old City on June 7, 1967, religious and secular alike were awed by their achievement.
When a people fulfill a dream, a 1,900-year-old dream, how does that people abandon it and give it to someone else? How does one give up even part of that dream?
Zionism tells us that we have a legitimate right to have a state in our historic homeland. The heart of our homeland is Jerusalem. We need not apologize for advocating for our right to the Zionist dream, nor for fulfilling that dream.
Just try to imagine a Jewish homeland in Uganda, or in Alaska, or in Madagascar. Why does a Jewish homeland anywhere else seem hollow and empty? The answer is Jerusalem."
A Christian pastor in a 2015 Publication once quoted the Bible verse,
1 Corinthians 10:32 which says "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God" the pastor also stated that
"The center of all Bible Prophecy is Israel. All prophecy from Genesis to Revelation is wrapped around this little land of Israel. The Bible evolves, revolves, and involves this nation Israel" and says "The capital of the world is Jerusalem, No nation has seen as much Divine Presence and visible tokens as the nation of Israel"
From the website www.timesofisrael.com an article is titled
"Shin Bet foiled 10 suicide bombings, 4 kidnappings in 2019, chief says"
Nadav Argaman says security service prevented over 560 terror attacks over the past year, including over 300 shootings
By Judah Ari Gross on January 20, 2020
Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman attends a Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on November 6, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90) the article says:
"The Shin Bet security service foiled over 560 terror attacks in 2019, including 10 suicide bombings and four kidnappings, agency chief Nadav Argaman said Monday.
“The past year was filled with security challenges on all the fronts in which we operate. During it, we prevented upwards of 560 significant terror attacks, including 10 suicide bombings, four kidnappings and more than 300 shooting attacks,” Argaman said.
The number was a slight uptick from 2018, when the Shin Bet was credited with foiling some 500 terror attacks.
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The past year also saw a number of fatal attacks, including a bombing at a West Bank spring that killed an Israeli teen, and a stabbing attack in the West Bank’s Etzion settlement bloc in which a yeshiva student was killed.
In total, five Israelis were killed in suspected terror attacks in 2019, not including Gazan rocket attacks, a sharp decrease from 2018 when at least 11 were killed.
Argaman made his remarks alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an annual award ceremony for the organization.
The Shin Bet chief credited the foiling of the attacks to the security service’s “dedication, determination, perseverance, professionalism and creativity.”
Netanyahu praised the Shin Bet, saying its efforts gave Israelis a “feeling of security, which does not go without saying in our country.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on January 19, 2020. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP)
The prime minister added that the security service’s efforts was part of a larger fight against the threat posed by Iran.
“The big goal is to overcome the Iranian threat, which is a conventional threat, a nuclear threat and a terrorism threat, to overcome it the way we overcame the big threat of Pan-Arabism. We can do that, we’ve proven it,” he said.
Netanyahu was referring to a movement that saw its peak in the mid-20th century, which called for a unified Arab world from North Africa through the Arabian Peninsula. This movement saw Israel, which interrupted that union, as a major enemy.
The Pan-Arab movement began dying out following Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six Day War and was seen as officially ending with Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
In July, the Shin Bet said it had busted an effort by the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups to recruit Arab Israelis to spy for Iranian intelligence.
Most attackers caught by Israel were considered to be lone wolf assailants without any major instruction from above, though security officials have indicated fears that terror groups may be starting to plot larger more complicated attacks.
Netanyahu said the Shin Bet’s successes in the area of counter-terrorism saved the lives of hundreds of Israelis, “maybe more.”
Argaman and Netanyahu presented awards to six Shin Bet projects or operations from 2019 that were deemed “extraordinary.”
The identities of the recipients were not revealed.
In November, Argaman said that his organization had thwarted over 450 significant terror attacks in the previous year.
“In the past year, we have thwarted over 450 significant terror attacks, and we have allowed Israeli citizens to have full and comfortable lives in the day-to-day without knowing what’s going on underground,” Argaman said at a defense expo in Tel Aviv.
Argaman credited these successes to specialized technologies used by the service, its cooperation with other Israeli security forces and its “synergy with our counterparts around the world.”
From the New York Daily News website, www.nydailynews.com an article is titled
"Higher education is one antidote to anti-Semitism"
By Karen L. Berman
New York Daily News |
Jan 27, 2020 | 9:00 AM
the article says:
"On another Holocaust Remembrance Day — this one coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz — a foreboding sense of déjà vu hovers over the American and global Jewish communities.
In 2019, we honored the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust exactly three months to the day after 11 Jewish worshippers were murdered in Pittsburgh, representing the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. In 2020, we are faced with the stark reality of a year that has brought more of the same violent and deadly anti-Semitism, from Poway to Halle to Jersey City to Monsey to the streets of New York City. The appalling resurgence of anti-Semitic attacks and rhetoric 75 years after the Holocaust is documented by the statistics which show the prevalence of deep-seated stereotypes about Jews. Holocaust denial is alive and well in our high schools and in our politics.
Today, our commemorative efforts must also inform the present and future. We must remember that the Holocaust began not immediately with mass murder, but with hateful words and exclusionary actions such as the Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses. That’s why those of us working in the Israeli higher education community have during the past year worked to unmask the true nature of discriminatory movements like BDS, which singles out Israel for opprobrium and ultimately aspires to see the day when Israel does not exist.
Helpfully, over the past year, multiple countries adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism — which states that illegitimate criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism, including the application of double standards and comparing the Israeli government to Nazi Germany. And earlier this month, more than 25,000 people, both Jews and non-Jews, joined together in New York City to march and demonstrate against anti-Semitism, hate speech and violent acts. It is encouraging to know that a growing number of global leaders are joining the everyday citizens that are deeply committed to a safer and more tolerant future.
Last year also brought new and creative vehicles for Holocaust remembrance that are more likely to resonate with younger generations. The eva.stories Instagram account, which recounted the real-life story of a Jewish girl murdered in a concentration camp by imagining she had documented her story on that social media platform, received hundreds of millions of views on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. In academia, Yale University’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies launched a Holocaust survivors’ testimony podcast that draws from the archive’s 4,400 recorded testimonies, collected since 1979. Such resources are indispensable for efforts to preserve Holocaust memory at a time when the number of living survivors continues to diminish."
the article continues
"In the next year and decade, the vitality of Holocaust remembrance hinges in no small part on the understanding that hate does not occur in a vacuum and people are not born with hate. Higher education is a crucial platform for expanding Holocaust education and awareness, especially amid the fight against modern anti-Semitism. Particularly in the U.S., where New York is one of only 12 states to mandate Holocaust education in public schools, additional venues like college campuses and museums are urgently needed in the quest to stem the rising tide of hate in all its forms.
My university’s Holocaust Studies program is one of just a handful worldwide, which seeks to lay the foundation for a brighter future by training and nurturing a new generation of Holocaust researchers and educators. Beyond their coursework, the program’s students gain professional experience through research assistantships, internships in Israel and around the world, seminars, study tours, and relationship-building with Holocaust survivors as part of volunteer programs. Upon graduation, they stand ready to transmit a nuanced understanding of Holocaust history to audiences across the generational divide.
Despite some positive developments in efforts to combat anti-Semitism and enhance Holocaust remembrance, the international community cannot be complacent. With more than half of Americans believing that something like the Holocaust could happen again, higher education must be at the forefront of efforts to ensure that it does not. I have asked before, and I will ask again: If not now, on this International Holocaust Remembrance Day in a new year and new decade, then when?"
Berman is CEO of the American Society of the University of Haifa.
From the website unitedwithisrael.org an article is titled
"Israel Mourns Death of Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant"
Jan 27, 2020
Related:
Israeli sport
Kobe Bryant
the article says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remembered the Lakers superstar as “one of the greatest basketball players in history.”
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
"Israeli sports fans and leaders mourned the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna who were killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
The helicopter crashed and killed all nine passengers as Gianna and Kobe were en route to an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball game.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter that he was “sorry to hear about the tragedy in the US, a sad day for all sports lovers in the world.”
“Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players in history, was killed today in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Survived by a wife, four children, and millions of basketball enthusiasts around the world. Not to be forgotten. May he rest in peace,” he tweeted.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said it was a “sad day for all basketball and sports fans in the world.”
“Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, was killed in a helicopter accident in chilling proximity to the praise he received yesterday after LeBron James passed him in the scoring rating. Condolences to his family and the NBA family,” he added.
Minister of Sports and Culture Miri Regev said that “Bryant was invincible, he provided countless magic moments and brought great joy to sports fans all over the globe. This is a terrible tragedy.”
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said that Bryant was one of his “all-time top five.”
“Shock, bewilderment and deep sadness with the passing of a giant basketball legend and athlete who captivated me and millions of others to the screens and connected us to everything beautiful and special about sports in general and basketball in particular,” he said.
The Israel Basketball Association said it was “mourning along with the whole global basketball family the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time.” Very Sad & Tragic , RIP Kobe Bryant
From the website www.barnesandnoble.com a book worth reading is titled,
"Israel Betrayed: How the Democrats, J Street, and the Jewish Left have Undermined Israel and why a President Hillary Clinton would be Disastrous for Israel"
by Alan Skorski
Be the first to write a review
Paperback
$15.99
Overview
"For years, leaders from the Democratic Party have claimed, "When it comes to Israel, there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats."
In Israel Betrayed, Alan Skorski shows with extensive data, that in fact, Democratic support for Israel has been waning for years while Republican support for Israel has greatly increased.
As Caroline Glick points out, "Republicans are near unanimous in their support for Israel. . . . Today, Democratic candidates will gain nothing and may lose significant support if they support Israel. In contrast, a Republican who opposes Israel will have a hard time getting elected, much less winning a primary."
Evidence points to a President Hillary Clinton following in the footsteps of Barack Obama's hostile agenda. She has accused Israel of "lacking empathy" for the Palestinians and denying them "dignity." Media Matters and the Center for American Progress, two groups in her inner circle of advisors, have been described by Professor Alan Dershowitz as, "two extremely left-bigoted groups that are so virulently anti-Israel and anti-supporters of Israel that they've gone over the line from anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism . . . ."
Even more disconcerting for supporters of the Jewish state is the close relationship between J Street and the Democratic Party and the undue influence they will have in guiding a Clinton Administration's policies towards Israel. As one J Street supporter told President Obama, who was considering imposing his "peace plan" on Israel, "let us know first, and we'll do the legwork for you, in the community . . . so you're not going to come in cold."
Israel Betrayed is the handbook that exposes those politicians and high profile left-wing Jewish activists and pundits who profess their support for Israel while exercising their influence to undermine Israel's security and standing in the international arena of public opinion." This book was Published in 2016, "Thank God Hillary is Not President", is what countless people have said
Another good Pro-Israel book is titled
"Two Nations Under God: Good News from the Middle East" Published in 2008
by Tom Doyle
From www.barnesandnoble.com it says about this book
Overview
"Why should you care about Israel? With the war in Iraq, possible engagement in Iran, and an imminent presidential election, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the issue of solidarity with Israel remain important.
In Two Nations Under God, American missionary Tom Doyle presents even greater reasons why the U.S. should show concern for Israel. Part one, “Why Should America Care?” is a biblical and historical primer on Israel with fascinating insights into connections between American and Middle East culture. Part two, “Sorting Out the Middle East Maze,” presents more facts about Islam and the spiritual roots behind the Middle East conflicts. Part three, “Maximizing the Moment,” is a call to action and prayer for the American church regarding the future of Israel.
Best of all, readers will learn throughout that, despite the headlines, there is plenty of good news coming from the Middle East. Doyle reports on the increasing number of Muslims converting to Christianity, profiles local disciples and church planters, and provides helpful timelines, comparison charts, photographs, and more to keep every detail concerning Israel in perspective.
Endorsements:
"Chaos. Carnage. Confusion. For many, that’s the modern Middle East. But Tom Doyle gets it. Better yet, he can really explain it. With a pastor’s heart, he clearly and concisely describes why God loves the Jews of Israel and her Muslim neighbors, and why we should, too. What’s more, Tom reveals how powerfully God is moving in the modern Middle East, and how we can join Him. Two Nations under God is a must read—fascinating, insightful, and deeply thought-provoking. Get one for yourself, and another for your pastor."
Joel C. Rosenberg, New York Times best-selling author of Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future
Again, the book is titled
"Two Nations Under God: Why You Should Care about Israel" Paperback – August 1, 2008
by Tom Doyle (Author)
From the website blogs.timesofisrael.com an article by Fred Maroun is titled
"If you celebrate January 27, 1945, then celebrate May 14, 1948"
Jan 28, 2020, 1:30 AM
The driveway of the Auschwitz concentration camp right after its liberation in 1945, with equipment left in the foreground by the guards (credit: Stanislaw Mucha/German Federal Archive/Wikimedia Commons). the article says
"On the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, my thoughts are not with Auschwitz or the Holocaust but with Israel.
Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, anti-Semitism is on the rise everywhere, including in Germany where the Holocaust was engineered, and threats against the survival of the Jewish state are still present. The Islamic Republic of Iran, which is the main threat to Israel, is often appeased by the world while Israel is often disproportionally condemned.
I am certainly not suggesting that anyone who criticizes Israel is an anti-Semite or that criticism of Israel cannot be fair or even well deserved. I have criticized Israel’s settlements policies, and I will continue to do so. I have criticized Israeli right-wing politicians who refuse to accept the existence of the Palestinian people and the Palestinians’ right to a state, and I will continue to do so.
But when criticism of Israel consists of denying Israel’s right to exist within any borders then it has lost all legitimacy.
Yet while the world celebrates the liberation of Auschwitz, it continues to allow Palestinian Authority funding of terrorism against Israel, it continues to fail to condemn terrorism against Israel, it continues to allow Iran’s march towards building a nuclear bomb, it continues to allow Iran to fund terrorism against Israel, and it continues to watch silently as anti-Semitism rises everywhere.
We mourn the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, and we celebrate the end of that massacre, but then we do little to support the fifteen million Jews who are alive today. Are dead Jews more important than living Jews? Are we going to wait until the living Jews are dead before we condemn those who wish to kill them?
Those who celebrate January 27, 1945, should show that they mean it by also celebrating May 14, 1948, the day that Israel declared its independence, both in words and in deeds."
Still the Fact remains, there is NO "Palestinian" People, the so-called
"Palestinians" are a Fake Invented made up People, the "Palestinians" are just plain Arabs, no different from other Arabs , There is No Palestinian Language, Culture or Nation
Once again from the Internet an Essay is Titled
"Zionism is Beautiful!"
Sep 6, 2005 12:47 am By Robert Spencer
A cogent and much-needed op-ed by Rabbi Shaul Marshall Praver of Congregation Adath Israel in Newtown, CT:
The Talmud says, “When good will exists amongst brethren, both can dwell together even on the razor thin edge of a sword, but when good will does not exist amongst them, even the full expanse of the earth lacks sufficient space to contain them.”
Israel”, “Jew” and “Zionism” are beautiful words. Yet repetitive racial slurs concerning these words make them sound ugly and pejorative.
Zionism means scorched desert wastelands transformed into magnificent gardens and green farm lands. Zionism means oppressed downtrodden Jews becoming uplifted and able to affirm their continuity from Biblical times. Zionism means Jews living proudly once again in their ancient homeland. Zionism means the collective creativity of Jews of every ethnicity coming together to build a free civilization.
Zionism means the opportunity to enact an ancient dream that will not die. Zionism means establishing a modern civilization that shares a messianic vision of making earth a little more like Heaven. Zionism means sharing Israeli’s blessings with the world.
Zionism is not Racism. Jews come in every race and ethnicity. Zionism is not an apartheid State: While Jews are the Majority in Israel, Arabs vote and are represented in the Israeli government. Zionism is not Colonialism: Jews won the war of Independence against the British colonists and lay claim to only Israel.
Furthermore, Israel is no more a racist state for creating a haven for Jews then Saudi Arabia is a racist state for creating a haven for Arabs. Whosoever points an accusing finger toward Israel in this regard will find four fingers pointing back at them, because Israel is a democratic state where freedom of religion is enjoyed by a multitude of ethnic groups. Charges of racism are empty and inflammatory.
Jews are willing to share their land with the Palestinians. But peace also depends upon the willingness of Palestinians to share their land with the Jews. Please ask yourself a basic question: If Israel laid down her weapons and retired her army, navy and air force, how long do you think it would take for Israel to be conquered by Muslims? Days? Weeks? Or Months?
Now, ask yourself the question in reverse. If all of Israel’s neighbors laid down their weapons in the same manner, is it likely Israel would attempt to conquer Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia? I believe honest answers to these questions clarify the essence of the conflict. Namely that only one party seeks the destruction of the other.
Israel has suffered many horrible terrorist attacks in restaurants, hotels, city buses, trains, beaches, streets, universities, school buses, highways, banks, grocery stores, private homes, kibbutzim, parks, caves and fields. And if, God forbid, these same attacks occurred in the United States, our military would respond with decisive force and alacrity. Losing such a war on terrorism would be tantamount to losing one’s country and losing one’s very civilization; it is not an option.
For half a century, Palestinians have professed an interest in acquiring a state of their own. Several attempts to grant Palestinians their wish were made, starting with the 1948 U.N. Partition Plan and concluding with the offer made by former Israeli Prime Minister Barak in 2001 at Taba, 98% of the requested land – including east Jerusalem, as per Yassir Arafat’s request – was offered. But even that offer was answered with war. For many, it would seem that Barak called Arafat’s bluff; revealing the peace process to be a process of war."
the essay continues
"Due to these harsh realities, the Sharon administration has pursued the building of a security fence and has just completed the disengagement of all the Jewish communities from Gaza. Yet a million
Arabs live in Israel and enjoy democratic rights and freedoms. Is
this fair? Why can’t Jews live under the Palestinian flag just as Arabs live under the Israeli flag? The Sharon administration say it’s a practical matter; Israel no longer wishes to deploy its Army to
defend a small number of Gaza Jews. But wait! Stop! Think! Is there a need for a Palestinian Army to protect Israeli Arabs? No! Israeli
Arabs need no protection; they are safe as citizens of Israel.
Israelis simply want peace and would much prefer spending their time, tending their gardens, doing art, finding a cure for cancer, composing and performing world class music, and inventing more incredible bio-pharmaceuticals and computer technology. Real time internet applications, cellular telephones, color printing are just a few examples of the technology developed in Israel. There is so much brainpower and creative energy emanating from Israel’s diverse ethnic population that benefits every person on the planet. Yet even at a time that Israel pursues territorial concessions for the sake of peace, many people lack the ability to say even a few kind words. I will say to them then, “Zionism is Beautiful!”
From the website blogs.timesofisrael.com an article is titled
"They don’t hate Israel. They hate Jews." by Fred Maroun
Feb 20, 2015, 6:29 PM the article says
"Imagine for a moment that Israel became majority Muslim, elected a government composed of Muslims, and changed its name to “Palestine”. Imagine also that Israel, while making these changes, maintained the exact same policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. How would the rest of the world react?
Would the UN keep writing anti-Israel resolutions by the dozens, while largely ignoring the rest of the world? Would arrogant university “students” continue to demonize Israel? Would the BDS movement continue its anti-Israel campaign unabated? Would the Western left, in a sudden bout of integrity, criticize the newly renamed Palestine as strongly as it criticizes Israel today?
To answer these questions, we need only look at Israel’s neighbours. Palestinians are treated far worse in Lebanon and in Syria than they are in the West Bank. Arab-versus-Arab violence is far less mindful of civilians than Israel is when it attacks Hamas in Gaza or Hezbullah in Lebanon. Discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities is vastly worse in Arab countries than in Israel. Yet there is no BDS movement against Arab countries. There are rarely, if ever, any resolutions at the UN against Arab regimes.
So the conclusion is pretty obvious to anyone who isn’t totally self-delusional. If Israel was not Jewish, it would not be hated. It would be ignored or even praised by the hordes of self-aggrandizing students, professors, politicians, and other thugs.
These people do not hate Israel at all, it turns out. They only hate the Jews. They do not care about the truth in the Middle East, as Yair Lapid explained.
Why do I harp on this? Why do I care? After all I am a non-Jewish Arab who lives in Canada. By all accounts, I should not care. Except for the tiny fact that I have a conscience.
When I see the antisemitism in the world today, I cannot be silent. As I have written previously, the widespread and growing antisemitism is there for all to see. Yet few admit to it.
Even in the United States antisemitism has become fashionable again. The United States of America! The country of opportunity and equality. The land of the free and home of the brave. The place outside of Israel that is often described, by both friends and foes, as the most friendly towards Jews!
Even in New York, antisemitic protesters recently disrupted a meeting of city council as members were voting on a resolution to honour the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. New York! The place believed to be the second home of Jews in the world!
Is anti-Zionism antisemitism? Yes, of course it is. Antisemitism is a developing cancer that feasts on any nutrients on its path, and the hate of Israel is one of them. Israel is loathed by antisemites not only because it is Jewish, but because it is the last refuge of Jews who are being ostracized everywhere else. It is the only place on earth where Jews are welcomed with open arms and open hearts. It is the only place on earth where they can be themselves without fear of discrimination. Antisemites loathe Israel because it stands in the way of making Jews a thing of the past.
So, don’t believe the lies. Jews aren’t hated because of Israel. Israel and the Jews are hated because of antisemitism. If you care at all to stop the march of antisemitism, whether you are Jewish or not, start speaking up."
From the website israelforever.org it says
"Zionist culture is rich in ethical teachings, but there is no single, agreed upon exposition of Zionist ideals that could be used as a basis for conducting weekly gatherings. Yet there is a real need for such gatherings, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, as a way of inspiring Jews everywhere with a spirit of dedication to the Zionist movement.
The following statement of the Zionist ideal by Yigal Alon provides a good example of the type of formulation that could provide a solid basis for weekly educational and inspirational gatherings of a Zionist Judaism:
WHAT IS ZIONISM?
Zionism is the modern expression of the ancient Jewish heritage.
Zionism is the national liberation movement of a people exiled from its historic homeland and dispersed among the nations of the world.
Zionism is the redemption of an ancient nation from a tragic lot and the redemption of a land neglected for centuries.
Zionism is the revival of an ancient language and culture, in which the vision of universal peace has been a central theme.
Zionism is the embodiment of a unique pioneering spirit, of the dignity of labour, and of enduring human values.
Zionism is creating a society, however imperfect it may still be, which tries to implement the highest ideals of democracy - political social and cultural - for all the inhabitants of Israel, irrespective of religious belief, race or sex.
Zionism is, in sum, the constant and unrelenting effort to realize the national and universal vision of the prophets of Israel.
I am sure that other formulations along similar lines could also be found. I propose a wide ranging discussion of Zionist ideals with a view to developing a movement for the creation of a Zionist Judaism."
Also from the website israelforever.org an article is titled
"Zionism and Judaism: In Conversation"
In Conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi the article says:
"Moses took us out of Egypt and led us to the land known as Canaan, where we had originally come from 210 years prior to our enslavement. Joshua, Moses' protégée, led us further into Canaan after Moses' death. THAT IS the beginning of Zionism: The return to Zion and Jerusalem is Zionism.
To those of you that believe Zionism began in 1948 with the state of Israel....think again, because this "Old.... New idea" of 1948 was the continuation of Zionism. We came home to Zion. You see you cannot separate Judaism from Zionism because Judaism is Zionism is Israel.
There are several options for different time frames to suit the wide range of educational and situational needs.
There is no Israel without Judaism, and no Judaism without Israel, and at the heart of Israel is Jerusalem, or Zion. Our return to Zion is like the final piece in the puzzle and the beginning of a new one all at once."
Some good YouTube videos are titled
1. "The Palestinian Wall of Lies" on April 9, 2011 by saaron6
2. "The Great Palestinian Lie" by Pat Condell on October 6, 2011
3. "Islam is Not a Victim" by Pat Condell on July 20, 2008
& 4. "Who are the Palestinians? An Arab Invention. CBN" by Anthony Lee on August 1, 2015
From the website unitedwithisrael.org an article is titled
"Palestinians Have ‘Perfect Track Record of Blowing Every Opportunity’ for Peace, Kushner Says"
Related:
Deal of the Century
Kushner
Palestinian rejectionism
the article says
"Kushner expressed hope the Palestinians would forgo their history of rejectionism and come to the table, instead of “screwing up” another opportunity “like they’ve screwed up every other opportunity.”
By Benjamin Kerstein, The Algemeiner
"US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner — one of the primary architects of the newly-released Israeli-Palestinian peace plan — said on CNN on Tuesday that proposal was an “opening offer.”
In an interview with Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday, Kushner expressed hope the Palestinians would forgo their history of rejectionism and come to the table, instead of “screwing up” another opportunity “like they’ve screwed up every other opportunity.”
“They have a perfect track record of blowing every opportunity they’ve had in their past,” Kushner asserted, “but perhaps their leadership will read the details of [the plan], stop posturing, and do what’s best to try to make the Palestinian people’s lives better."
“The terms are not final terms,” he said, “this is an opening offer, and if the Palestinians come and they have some adjustments, they want to move the line, they want to change one of the sentences, they want to negotiate on certain things, there’ll be flexibility.”
Asked about the fact that the only Arab countries represented at the plan’s White House unveiling ceremony on Tuesday were Oman, the UAE, and Bahrain, Kushner told Amanpour, “Israel does not have diplomatic relations with the countries that you mentioned, and the fact that they showed up today to celebrate the current Israeli prime minister agreeing to negotiate on a framework of a basis of a state is also I think a very significant achievement.”
Trump, Kushner claimed, has “unified the region around common goals and shared enemies.”
“What we’re seeing from a lot of other countries is they’re very, very thrilled that there’s finally a real effort on the table, there’s a real plan on the table, a real offer, and that President Trump was able to secure that,” he added.
The Arab states, he said, were “hopeful that the Palestinians for once will do something rational, come to the table and negotiate.” Kushner is right, it's always the "Palestinians" Fault, everything is their fault, it's always their fault, while Israel always takes the Moral High Ground and is unjustly hated by the entire world,
From the website of The American Spectator spectator.org an article is titled
"Using the Power of the Executive to Protect Jewish Students
President Trump takes on anti-Semitism on campus, but not only there."
by Ziva Dahl
January 27, 2020, 12:01 AM
the article says
"With the signing of his Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism in December, President Trump declared that Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act bars discrimination against Jewish students at federally funded educational institutions. Trump also adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, mandating its use in Title VI enforcement. Professor Alan Dershowitz, a civil libertarian, called Trump’s action “a game changer” in the effort to “turn universities away from being bastions of hatred and discrimination.”
Title VI prohibits discrimination against students based on race, color, or national origin, but not based on religion. President Trump recognizes that being Jewish is more than a religion — Jewish students are entitled to civil rights protection because of their Jewish ancestry or ethnicity.
Trump’s action strengthens the hand of Assistant Secretary, Office of Civil Rights (OCR), Kenneth Marcus, who oversees Title VI complaint investigations. Marcus has been promoting the IHRA definition for years: Anti-Semitism includes the “targeting of the state of Israel” and the denial to the Jewish people of “their right to self-determination.” According to presidential adviser Jared Kushner, the administration has clearly stated that anti-Zionism is a contemporary manifestation of classical anti-Semitism.
IHRA recognizes legitimate criticism of Israel while defining anti-Israel or anti-Zionist expression as anti-Semitic when Israel is delegitimized, demonized, or held to a double standard. The Executive Order specifically disallows infringement of any right protected under Federal law or under the First Amendment. It does not ban hate speech or promote speech codes. The offensiveness of a particular expression or act, standing alone, is not a legally sufficient basis for OCR to determine discriminatory intent creating a hostile campus environment in violation of Title VI. Harassment must be severe, persistent, or pervasive, beyond the mere expression of views, words, symbols, or thoughts, sufficiently serious to deny or limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the educational program. Using the IHRA definition as a tool to help evaluate charges of anti-Jewish bigotry, according to Attorney Benjamin Ryberg, Chief Operating Officer, The Lawfare Project, “makes clear to college officials that they must address anti-Semitism masked as anti-Zionism in the same manner that they confront race-based and other types of discrimination.”
the article continues
"If an educational institution receiving federal funds knows or has reason to know that a hostile environment against Jewish students exists, Title VI requires that the school take immediate and effective action to eliminate the problem. Failure to do so can lead to loss of federal funding.
Either a victim of the alleged discrimination or another person or group on behalf of the victim or victims may file a complaint with OCR. Organizations such as Lawfare Project are ready to assist students.
Since President Trump’s EO, new complaints have been filed with OCR by The Lawfare Project and an alumna against Columbia University and by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) against Georgia Tech. OCR has opened investigations of UCLA in response to prior complaints from StandWithUs and Zachor Legal Institute.
These complaints involve exclusion of Jewish students from public events, harassment by professors and guest speakers, disruptions of pro-Israel events, verbal attacks, and the promotion of hate-filled, anti-Zionist rhetoric by anti-Israel student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine — all alleging discriminatory harassment creating a hostile environment for Jewish students.
The complaint filed by Zachor Legal Institute on behalf of UCLA students had been held by OCR for over a year without any response. Zahor President Marc Greendorfer told me it appears that the Executive Order has removed bureaucratic resistance to investigating complaints. “It may have been easy for DoE staff to ignore internal guidance from Assistant Secretary Marcus” to use the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. “The Executive Order had the effect of removing any doubt” about the definition.
I spoke with StandWithUS Director, Center for Combating Antisemitism, Carly Gammill, who remarked, “The IHRA definition is extremely important. Now that federal agencies are mandated to consider that definition when enforcing Title VI, this could be a tremendous help.”
During the last five years, nearly half of Jews between the ages of 18 and 29 have been victims of anti-Semitic acts. According to AMCHA Initiative, which monitors college campuses, Israel-related harassment increased by 70 percent in 2018 over 2017. Acts of personal vilification and calls for the exclusion of Zionist students from campus life nearly tripled. Their data highlights the growing role of faculty advocacy for eliminating the Jewish State of Israel.
Redress for campus discrimination has been a legal right under Title VI since 1964. Now that President Trump has issued his Executive Order, Jewish students have the same protection long enjoyed by other minorities — the right to study, participate in school activities and live in an environment free of hostility. Demanding vigorous action against anti-Semitism, President Trump said, “This is our message to universities: If you want to accept … federal dollars … you must reject anti-Semitism, it’s very simple.” Kenneth Marcus states point blank, “Our doors are open…. Reach out to OCR.”
Ziva Dahl is a senior fellow with the news and public policy group Haym Salomon Center.
The Worthless Anti-Israel turds & Troublemaking Losers that infest College & University Campuses are a growing Satanic Demonic parasitic coronavirus , they are the coronavirus of the World , but thank God for the Trump Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism , I wonder what the Anti-Israel Losers & Weasels who cowardly hide behind
"Free Speech" have to say about this !!!
From the website unitedwithisrael.org an article is titled
"Israeli Arabs Reject ‘Nightmare’ of Living Under Palestinian Authority"
Birzeit University student and writer Bara al Qadi was imprisoned and tortured in 2015 for criticizing the PA. (Youtube/Screenshot)
Jan 30, 2020 the article says
"Responding to deal’s suggestion that Arab communities be transferred to a PA state, Israeli Arabs reject the opportunity, saying they prefer to live in Israel.
By United with Israel Staff
Residents of the ‘Triangle’ of Israeli-Arab towns and villages in the Haifa District have slammed US President Donald Trump’s Mideast peace plan, according to which their communities would be transferred to a Palestinian state, Ynet reported.
According to the Trump administration’s “Deal of the Century,” which was released on Tuesday, “These communities, which largely self-identify as Palestinian, were originally designated to fall under Jordanian control during the negotiations of the Armistice Line of 1949, but ultimately were retained by Israel for military reasons that have since been mitigated. The Vision contemplates the possibility, subject to agreement of the parties that the borders of Israel will be redrawn such that the Triangle Communities become part of the State of Palestine.”
“This is a nightmare that cannot be implemented,” Taibeh Mayor Shuaa Massarweh Mansour said, Ynet reported.
“Peace is made with the enemy. We are residents of the state, and we are not the enemy,” Mansour said.
Referring to Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal woes, the mayor claimed that “the prime minister wants to save his skin at the expense of inciting hatred against the Arab population…
“The will of the people is stronger than any plan, especially when it comes to the will and determination of the heroic Palestinian people. Peace is made between nations and not by unilateral moves.”
Notwithstanding his lip service to the “heroic Palestinian people” and censure of the Israeli leader, it’s clear that living in the democratic Jewish state is preferable to living under the PA, where those who oppose the regime are tortured and/or murdered.
Indeed, the situation is explained in the following video, published a year ago, featuring Ramadab Dabash Muktarm a resident of the Arab neighborhood of Sur Baher in eastern Jerusalem, who said in an Al Jazeera interview that 90 percent of residents have no faith in the PA and that “we identify more with the Israeli side.”
“We want to stay with the blue [Israeli] ID card, living in east Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty,” he affirms.
“The Palestinian Authority did not succeed in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] and it won’t succeed in east Jerusalem.” Big Surprise, the so-called "Palestinian" so-called
"Authority" has failed, they always fail,
Also from the website unitedwithisrael.org an article is titled
"Blog Spot If You’re a Zionist, Don’t Vacation in Cuba"
November 24, 2019 the article says
"Can we all agree that there are better places to spend your vacation dollars? I hear Eilat and the Dead Sea are lovely this time of year.
For Canadians, it’s that time of year again. Install the winter tires, dig out the cardigans from the back of your closet, buy a cord of wood for the fireplace, and most importantly, plan your southern beach getaway so winter doesn’t seem quite as long (a mid-winter holiday can make those 10 months of winter just fly by).
But before you visit trivago.com, may I humbly suggest to my fellow Jews and to non-Jews favourably disposed towards Israel that they erase one potential destination from their list : Cuba.
Even before Fidel Castro seized power, Cuba was no friend of Israel. Cuba was actually one of the few countries to vote against the U.N. partition plan creating the State of Israel and the Castro era began with the government seizing the homes and assets of the 12,000 Cuban Jews (not that Jews were alone in being victimized in this manner) living on the island. Castro was also happy to see Jews leave Cuba which is why there are only a few hundred Jews remaining.
The Cuban government hostility to Jews and Israel accelerated in the early 1960s when Castro accused Israel of “Gaza genocide”. He encouraged frequent pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel street demonstrations and sent medical supplies and staff to Gaza and Lebanon to assist Palestinian terrorists. Castro’s reaction to Israel’s triumph in the Six Day War? He condemned Israel’s “… armed aggression … in the Nazi manner.”
In the 70s, Cuba continued to arm and train terrorists in Gaza and Syria and Cuban troops fought alongside the Syrians in the Yom Kippur War. When Israel managed to prevail in that conflict, Cuba’s response was to sever relations with Israel.
In 1976, when Israeli commandos freed Jewish and Israeli hostages in Entebbe, Cuba called the Israeli operation a “criminal violation of Uganda’s sovereignty.”
Cuba was also one of the loudest voices at the U.N. behind the abominable declaration that “Zionism is Racism.”
It is a different Cuba today than was the case 40 years ago, but the hostility to Israel remains every bit as prevalent if perhaps a bit more muted. Cuba is still one of Israel’s most intractable foes in the United Nations and it continues to support terrorists in the Middle East (not to mention Venezuela and other hot spots).
For these reasons alone, any Jew who cares even a miniscule amount about Israel should be boycotting Cuba. But there is another equally important reason why any sane, freedom-loving person should avoid Cuba and that is the complete absence of freedom and human rights in that country. Thousands have been imprisoned and tortured for daring to speak out against the Castros and their thugs, there are restrictions on expression, most websites are blocked, workers have no right to voice any displeasure with their abysmal working conditions and Cubans are not free to travel outside the island.
And as much as visitors blinded by the Cuban government’s propaganda want to believe it, the Cuban people do not enjoy the finest health system in the world. It is a remarkably efficient system for foreigners who pay in hard currency and it also functions well for the Cuban elite (politicians, military officers, preferred artists, etc.) but the average Cuban has to deal with an infrastructure that is crumbling and lacking even the most basic supplies (Cubans have to bring their own bedding, towels and soap when they are hospitalized).
So, can we all agree that there are better places to spend your vacation dollars? I hear Eilat and the Dead Sea are lovely this time of year." Still it's good that Fidel Castro is dead, good that he's dead
From the website elderofziyon.blogspot.com an article is titled
"It's the peace, stupid"
Friday, January 31, 2020
Elder of Ziyon
the article says
"One of the biggest complaints by the anti-Israel crowd against the Trump plan is the supposed "bantustans" of Palestinian territory only connected by roads, bridges or tunnels. This is said to be intolerable for a sovereign nation
Yet if you look at Wikipedia, you can see that there are literally hundreds of examples where the territory or territories of one state is fully or functionally within the territory of another, known as enclaves, exclaves, or variants of those. The largest example in the world (which is really a semi-enclave) is Alaska, only accessible to the rest of the US via land through Canada.
We mentioned one example in passing, that of the border between the Netherlands and Belgium at Baarle-Hertog:
This is the possibly the most complicated one but there are a huge number of others. Up until 2015, the border between India and Bangladesh had not only over a hundred enclaves but enclaves within enclaves (and one parcel of land that was a piece of India within Bangladesh, within India, within Bangladesh.)
There are even some small Canadian land parcels that are only accessible through the United States.
If there are hundreds of examples of such arrangements working perfectly well, then why is there such an uproar over a pathway to peace that would do the same for Palestine?
The answer is in the question. The Israel-haters have no desire for peace.
It is no coincidence that the Trump plan is named "peace to prosperity." Unlike every single previous plan, this is the first one that is focused on peace, not land.
If there is real peace, then no one would care about the enclaves of Palestinian lands in Israel and Israeli lands within Palestine (i.e., "settlements.")
The ideal, which the plan envisions, is that Israel and Palestine would be like Belgium and the Netherlands - two partners in peace. Any Arab can visit the Temple Mount, any Jew can visit the synagogues in Jericho and Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, without the need of heavily armed security protecting the visitors.
When there is real peace, the borders are not important.
This is the fundamental reason why Israel supports the plan and the Palestinians are so dead-set against it. Only Israel has ever desired real peace, just as Israel has thirsted for real peace with Jordan and Egypt and the rest of the Arab world.
The "pro-Palestinian" activists, although many belong to groups with "peace" in their names, do not want peace with Israel. They want Israel to be destroyed one way or another, and they - as well as Palestinian leaders - look at an independent Palestine as a weapon to end Israel, not as a goal in itself.
If Palestinians wanted a state, they would have had one in 2000, 2001 and 2008. If they wanted peace, they could have a state tomorrow.
It has been 26 years since Oslo, but in all that time no Palestinian school - not one - has taught students that they should thirst for peace with Israel. On the contrary, Israel is always the enemy and it must one day be reclaimed as "Palestine."
For some reason, the world thinks that the existence of two states would automatically bring peace. Everyone has it backwards. It is peace that would bring two states, because Israel would happily give the responsibility of governance to a Palestinian state that was friendly, where the borders are as open as those between EU states.
The Trump plan is a true peace plan - a vision of how peace and prosperity can bring about a political solution. The reason it is unrealistic is because Palestinians are taught hate from birth.
And that is the real obstacle to peace.
The world seems to have forgotten that peace is the goal." See the Maps on this Article, as usual the Anti-Israel people are worthless Losers, Satanic Devils and full of Hate & Lies , they should Just
Get a Life Already
From the website elderofziyon.blogspot.com another article is titled
"Palestinian Arabs lie. All the time."
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Elder of Ziyon
the article says
"Back in 2009, I wrote a post that noted that Palestinian Arabs - including people the media calls "eyewitnesses" - lie. All the time.
It was after B'Tselem, admitting it could not verify the story, parroted an absurd claim that Israeli soldiers forced women in Gaza to line up to enter a house, and then shot the first one in the head.
I noted others:
September, 2008: "Eyewitnesses" reported seeing a settler shoot a boy at point blank range 20 times. It turns out he had been killed by a grenade, and no Israelis were involved.
July, 2008: A Hamas work accident levels a house and kills 7. "Eyewitnesses" said it was an Israeli airstrike.
June, 2008: "Eyewitnesses" say that Zionist settlers release wild pigs to destroy their crops.
February, 2008: "Eyewitnesses" reported that an explosion in the Bureij camp that killed 8 was caused by Israeli airstrikes, but it was an work accident.
Nothing has changed in eleven years.
Later in 2009, Palestinians claimed 40 civilians killed in a tank shell attack on an UNRWA school. In the end it was 9 Hamas members and three civilians.
In 2012, AFP reported that a supposed airstrike that killed a 15-year old boy never happened and he died when an explosive device he was carrying went off.
Kids killed by Hamas rockets that fell short have been routinely falsely blamed on Israel. Also, kids who died of pre-existing conditions had their deaths blamed on Israeli tear gas.
Even Amnesty International noticed that "eyewitness" claims by Palestinians are unreliable.
Over the past couple of days another insidious lie was publicized. An Arab child in Jerusalem went missing, and the family initially claimed he was kidnapped by Jews. They later recanted that claim but it was too late - social media pushed the lie and continued the lie after the boy's body was found, drowned.
Someone with no credentials at all named Seif Bitar tweeted the lie, where thousands of people retweeted it - including Hanan Ashrawi and Rashida Tlaib.
Bitar isn't a journalist. He isn't an official. He wasn't claiming to be an eyewitness. Yet his lie was swallowed whole and repeated by Palestinians in power in the PA and in the US.
Without a modicum of fact checking.
The only explanation is that Tlaib and Ashrawi want to believe the worst about Jews in Israel and they will uncritically accept even the most vicious lies that fit their antisemitic viewpoint.
It turns out that Bitar has been doing stuff like this for years. In 2018, he posted a video he claimed of Jews chasing a poor Palestinian woman, and said they beat her up later. I researched the incident and saw that it was a Palestinian woman with a knife who stabbed one Israeli and was trying to stab more, and a crowd tried to keep her at bay until one managed to disarm her without firing a shot.
Just this past week we saw another Palestinian tweeter claim a photo of his "grandpa" that was really taken in Turkey. But that's just social media. Far worse is that official Palestinian media this past week claimed that Israel opens non-existent dams to flood Gaza, and that the Holocaust was not as bad as the Nakba. Those lies are not being reported by mainstream media and not being retracted.
This is only a tiny sample of Palestinian lies over the years, many by Mahmoud Abbas and Saeb Erekat directly."
the article continues
"Palestinians lie because of the honor/shame culture they live in where appearances are more important than the truth. Ordinary Palestinians are taught from birth that they must not tarnish their cause. Hell, we saw Arafat threaten reporters who broadcast Palestinians celebrating the 9/11 attacks on America. The cumulative lesson for Palestinians is to avoid shaming their leaders and their people at all costs.
The leaders themselves lie, knowingly, because they know they can get away with it. It is rare that mainstream Western media calls them out on their lies (here's one example, where Abbas was forced to walk back a blood libel.) And even when Western media is quite aware of the lies, they will keep quoting these Palestinian leaders with no caveat the next time, and the lies will be multiplied by anti-Zionists.
The truth is the only thing that any real peace can be based on. As long as their leaders are addicted to lying, nothing will change." The Anti-Israel Losers say "Peace" but they are really Piece of S--t Losers who want to take over Israel Piece by Piece , the once in a million very rare occasions when an Arab or so-called "Palestinian" actually tells the truth, it just goes to Prove how Right & Correct Israel Is and how Wrong & Evil the Arabs & "Palestinians" are, always remember that all Anti-Israel & Anti-Zionist people are Losers who are full of Hate & Lies
From the website algemeiner.com an article is titled
"The Fallacious Argument About Free Speech and Israel"
by Carly F. Gammill and Jonathan Bell on January 29, 2020
The entrance of UCLA. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. the article says:
"In a recent Los Angeles Times op-ed, UCLA Professor David Myers and Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller claim that StandWithUs’ Title VI complaint against UCLA — in conjunction with President Trump’s December 11 Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism — is part of a larger organization-wide agenda to stifle free speech and debate about Israel on college campuses. This accusation is patently false — and, ironically, part of a widespread attempt to typecast pro-Israel organizations such as StandWithUs as in step with a “conservative attack” on campuses nationwide.
During the spring semester of 2019, a Jewish, Zionist student at UCLA named Shayna Lavi sat through a mandatory Anthropology class in which a guest lecturer (San Francisco State professor Rabab Abdulhadi), delivered a lengthy diatribe, calling Israel a racist endeavor and equating Zionism with white supremacy.
When Lavi challenged Abdulhadi, she was discounted and continuously berated in front of the entire class. When she complained to the UCLA administration, her professor Kyeyoung Park, who had invited Abdulhadi to speak, began calling Lavi — and only Lavi — out by name in front of her class of over 100 students.
UCLA administrators could have condemned the guest lecturer outright. They could have taken the opportunity to publicly denounce antisemitism in all its forms. They could have required — or even merely suggested — that Park bring in a guest lecturer to present a counter perspective on what is indisputably a nuanced and controversial topic. The UCLA administration took no such actions, however.
January 31, 2020 11:01 am
0
Complaints on Antisemitism Executive Order Highlight Climate on Campus
The new Executive Order extending protections to Jewish students under the 1964 Civil Rights Act has generated a number of...
Unfortunately, this incident was merely one in a series of antisemitic incidents at UCLA, where the administration has stood idly by, refusing to take the necessary steps to address the needs of its Jewish students admist an increasingly hostile campus climate.
As a result, StandWithUs filed a Title VI complaint, on behalf of Lavi, with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR). On January 6, OCR informed us that it accepted our complaint and were opening an investigation based on its merits.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. This includes UCLA, a publicly funded university. If discrimination based on race, color, or national origin occurs in a program or activity that receives Federal financial assistance, the institution receiving the funds has an obligation to take proactive corrective measures to protect its constituents or else risk losing its Federal funding altogether.
As the two previous administrations have done, President Trump’s administration has confirmed, in the December 11 Executive Order, that Jewish students are protected under Title VI. The order also directs agencies responsible for enforcing Title VI to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Additionally, the order prohibits agencies from infringing upon any rights protected by Federal law, including First Amendment rights. Ignoring this protection of First Amendment rights is a critical oversight that prevents full comprehension of the Executive Order and its impact."
the article continues
"The reality is that, despite criticism of the Executive Order and its inclusion of the IHRA definition as a tool that infringes upon freedom of speech,as Myers and Chaim Seidler-Feller claim in their op-ed, it does no such thing. It cannot. It neither prohibits nor punishes any speech. Rather, it merely identifies certain speech as antisemitic, i.e., discriminatory toward Jews.
In the United States, the free speech clause of the First Amendment generally protects the expression of offensive, including discriminatory, speech. That clause applies no differently to the speech covered by the IHRA definition. But merely because speech is protected does not mean that we cannot — and should not — identify it as discriminatory or bigoted where appropriate. And if such identification gives individuals pause before they engage in potentially bigoted speech, that presents no Constitutional crisis. Rather, it promotes civility in discourse and engagement.
This matter is about professors with an agenda using their platform to indoctrinate students into acceptance of a one-sided view rather than to educate about the full scope of a topic. This is antithetical, however, to the purpose of the university classroom, as the United States Supreme Court has recognized, which is to present students with varying viewpoints so they can reach their own conclusions. If anything, it is these professors who weaponize Israel and intimidate students, who are attempting to stifle free speech, rather than engaging in meaningful dialogue.
Let us be perfectly clear: neither the recent Executive Order, nor the Department of Education’s investigation at UCLA, nor any efforts to use Title VI to protect Jewish students are about stifling free speech, debate, or even dialogue about Israel. They are about protecting students from discrimination. Professors are free to say what they want; however, the Federal government is also free to withhold funding from universities that allow professors to use their platform to spew racist, antisemitic comments."
Carly F. Gammill is the Director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism. She also serves as Counsel for Litigation Strategy with the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department. Jonathan Bell is the Associate Director of the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department.
Also from the website algemeiner.com another article is titled
"Why BDS Laws Don’t Violate Free Speech"
by Paul Miller on October 30, 2017
A pro-BDS demonstration. Photo: FOA / Facebook.
"The fate of a law is never sealed with its passage; even the best of laws can fall prey to misinterpretation and skewed enforcement.
That was the case in Dickinson, Texas, where government officials falsely interpreted legislation prohibiting state entities from doing business with organizations and companies that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Blame it on a lack of reading comprehension skills, incompetent legal advice or improper concerns about “freedom of speech.” For whatever reason, Dickinson officials are now requiring individuals to sign an application for a hurricane relief grant that reads in part:
By executing this Agreement below, the Applicant verifies that the Applicant: (1) does not boycott Israel; and (2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement.
Just one problem. There is nothing in Texas House Bill 89 that prohibits individuals from supporting or participating in BDS activity.
But this is America. And we never pass up an opportunity to promote a political agenda and paint those who disagree with us as being enemies of freedom.
Currently, 22 states have passed legislation prohibiting them from doing business with, and/or investing in companies that participate in the BDS campaign, which singles out the Jewish state.
Since 1977, federal law has permitted civil penalties against US corporations that participate in boycott requests from foreign countries against US allies, or that make such requests themselves. There is nothing in any of these laws that restricts free speech or penalizes individuals or organizations for boycotting or advocating against Israel.
Northwestern University School of Law professor Eugene Kontorovich has addressed the constitutional concerns of free speech raised by the ACLU and other critics of certain anti-BDS legislation:
What these laws deal with is what states have deemed to be discriminatory business conduct and practices. When a company decides not to do business with someone because of its affiliation with Israel, [the company] is engaged in a form of impermissible bigotry and discrimination. The states are saying, “you’re allowed to discriminate. It’s America. You can discriminate. But we don’t have to subsidize your discrimination with taxpayer money.”
But factual interpretation of the law and the Constitution has not been a high priority for the American Civil Liberties Union ever since National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie over 40 years ago. Guess who they defended?
Notwithstanding the ignorance of Dickinson officials, the Texas law itself — implemented correctly — is a moral imperative.
BDS is not about bettering the lives of Palestinians. Its only focus is to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish state, which the movement’s founders freely admit. For a US government entity, tolerating BDS is no different than tolerating racism, sexism or homophobia.
This upcoming weekend, the need for anti-BDS legislation in Texas, as well as in all 50 states, was made abundantly clear in Houston.
The fraudulently named Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) hosted its national conference at the University of Houston — a public, taxpayer-funded institution of higher learning.
The SJP website is a survey course in the history of antisemitism. Despite its pledges to only oppose Israel and Zionism, “Zionist” and “Zionism” are code for Jews. Who are they kidding?"
the article continues
"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., acknowledged this when in 1968 he told a Cambridge University student: “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking antisemitism.”
A study released in April by the antisemitism watchdog group AMCHA Initiative, revealed a rapidly growing correlation between antisemitism and pro-BDS activism. According to the study, college campuses with active anti-Israel groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine are overwhelmingly more likely to experience antisemitic activity compared to schools where BDS or other anti-Israel activism has no presence.
Still, spewing BDS hate is perfectly legal under the Texas anti-BDS law — as well as the legislation passed by the other 21 states. Individuals are free to publicly condemn Israel, and peddle as much antisemitic vitriol as their lungs will endure. Businesses are free to do the same.
Free speech is alive and well in the Lone Star State. The only thing the anti-BDS legislation does is protect the taxpayer from becoming complicit in hate speech and antisemitism."
Paul Miller is president and executive director of the news and public policy group Haym Salomon Center. Follow him on twitter @pauliespoint.
A version of this article was originally published by the Washington Times.
Also from the website elderofziyon.blogspot.com another article is titled
"The "Naqba" no one talks about"
Sunday, April 30, 2006 the article says
"Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs expelled from their homes. Expulsions, summary executions of civilians by the brutal soldiers, horrendous torture, and mass detentions under the cover of war. None of them able to return to the homes they lived in all their lives.
This is not Israel in 1948, but Kuwait in 1992.
350,000 Palestinian Arabs were driven from their homes in Kuwait - and no one talks about it.
By almost any measure, Arabs have treated their Palestinian brethren worse than the Jews ever dreamed about. But this is not a story that you will hear Palestinian Arabs mention. They would prefer that the world pressue Jews, and not think about documented abuses from the first Gulf War (not to mention abuses of Palestinian Arabs in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere in the Arab world.)
Now, why are these "naqbas" ignored? Could it be that the point of Palestinian Arab victimhood is really about destroying Israel, and not at all about Arab "survivors" of 1948 and 1967?
I only found this article fully quoted in one place on the Internet, although bits and pieces of the story can be found in many places, including most on-line encyclopedias and histories fo the Gulf War.
Here is how the San Francisco Bay Guardian reported the situation of the Palestinian Arabs of Kuwait in the aftermath of the first Gulf War (September 9, 1992):
DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, and pundits alike have described the "liberation of Kuwait" as an apex in U.S. foreign policy since the end of World War II. With great fanfare and pronouncements of new openness and democracy for the oil-rich kingdom, the emir returned to his palace, rebuilt complete with gold toilet seats courtesy of the U.S. Army.
But those promises of freedom lasted only as long as television news teams stayed in Kuwait City. Reports from human rights monitors detail an ongoing Kuwaiti campaign to punish and expel the 350,000 Palestinians living in Kuwait before the war. Today, all but 60,000 Palestinians have been driven out by a combination of summary executions, torture, detention, forced expulsions, and a variety of other pressures. And according to human rights workers, Kuwait is trying to squeeze those last few out quickly.
...
More than 50 percent of Kuwait's prewar population was Palestinian. Many had lived their whole lives in Kuwait, holding positions from banking and business to laborers. Many were members of the professional classes that helped build Kuwait into a relatively modern society.
Roughly half of Kuwait's Palestinians, some 180,000, left during Iraq's occupation. But the real horror began with liberation.
The Kuwaitis launched a brutal campaign of punishment and expulsion against the Palestinians for the PLO's opposition to the Gulf War, ostensibly for their "collaboration" with the Iraqi invaders, despite the fact that many Palestinians had fought and died with the Kuwaiti resistance.
In April 1991, Amnesty International reported that "scores of victims had been killed and hundreds more had been arbitrarily arrested, many brutally tortured by Kuwaiti armed forces and members of the resistance." The report found that "teams of torturers often appeared to work in relays, maintaining the torture for hours."
Amnesty International has documented that 40 Palestinians were summarily executed, and another 120 disappeared. Five thousand were detained, most of whom were beaten and/or tortured. Another 7,000 Palestinians were formally expelled. "
the article continues
"Kuwaiti officials have admitted that some excesses happened, but claimed these occurred without their knowledge and were committed by citizens who had endured great hardships by Iraqi invaders and their alleged collaborators.
But the implicit Kuwaiti government approval for these atrocities is underscored by the fact that no one has been brought to justice for crimes committed against Palestinians. Aziz Abu-Hamad, a senior researcher at Middle East Watch, said the Kuwaiti government has not made any serious effort to locate the 120 vanished Palestinians. Mass graves have been discovered, but Kuwaiti authorities have made no attempt to exhume these graves and identify the bodies.
An agency was created, called State Security Intelligence Police, Abu-Hamad said, which made a practice of telling Palestinians that if they didn't leave, "we'll come after you."
And the government has made it all but financially impossible for Palestinians to remain in Kuwait. All foreigners who worked for the Kuwaiti government were fired immediately after the Iraqi invasion. After the war, most foreign workers were rehired, but no Palestinians. Private employers followed suit. The oil and banking industries were forbidden to rehire Palestinians.
Besides throwing all Palestinians out of work, the Kuwaiti rulers are refusing to give them back wages, severance pay (one month's salary for each year of service under Kuwaiti law), or pension funds they are owed until they have their passport stamped with an exit visa (which gives them one week to leave).
By June 1992, another 110,000 Palestinians had left Kuwait, and a deadline of Sept. 30 will soon be announced for the remaining 60,000 Palestinians, Abu-Hamad said."
Also from elderofziyon.blogspot.com another article is titled
"Yes, Palestinian identity is only meant as a weapon against Israel"
Thursday, April 04, 2019
Elder of Ziyon the article says
"I sometimes see endless Twitter discussions on whether Palestinians are a people, or whether pre-Israel Palestinian Arabs were a people.
Some note that it is hard to deny that Palestinians are a people today, regardless of history, so therefore the history of whether they were a separate people beforehand doesn't matter too much.
However, history matters. Knowing the history of how they became "Palestinian" is key to understanding today's Middle East.
Up until 1947, Arabs in Palestine were simply Arabs, for the most part. The word "Palestinian" referred almost exclusively to Jewish residents of Palestine.
Even the 1964 PLO Charter used the phrase "Palestinian Arab" repeatedly to distinguish from Palestinian Jew, which is what people still thought of when they heard the word "Palestinian" in 1964.
So how did they become "Palestinians?" How did they become a people?
A group becomes a people when they have something in common with each other. The arbitrary boundaries of the British Mandate, which lasted less than three decades, was not enough to make Arabs of Palestine feel "Palestinian."
They identified with their clans, with their villages, with their religion and with their Arab identity, but being "Palestinian" was not an important part of their identity at all (with rare exceptions.) For the most part, Arabs moved freely throughout the Arab world as droughts or wars or economic incentives impelled them to. Arab clans tenaciously held onto their origins, usually in Arabia or Yemen, and their tribes often stayed together as they moved from one Arab land to another.
Even today, if you pick a popular Palestinian surname and look up their family history in Arabic, you will see where they originally came from. You will not find very many who say they originated in Palestine. Usually they trace their history back to Arabia or Yemen, although there are plenty whose names originate in North Africa.
Only in 1948 did Palestinian Arabs start to have something in common with each other - and that was because of how they were treated by their fellow Arabs, not Jews.
As mentioned, Arabs often came to Palestine for economic reasons. Tens of thousands of Syrians moved in during the 1920s because of a drought in the Hauran region. Demographic studies show that the biggest increase in Arab populations during the years before 1948 were invariably in Jewish areas, where the industry and jobs were. But many would travel back to Lebanon or Syria as needed."
the article continues
"During the 1936-9 riots, many wealthier Arabs moved to Lebanon to escape the troubles with their extended families.
In short, since Arabs in Palestine felt that they were simply Arabs and not Palestinian, it was relatively easy for most to make the decision to leave during the 1948 war to be with their fellow Arabs they assumed would take them in the way they have throughout history as they migrated across the Arab world. The ones who stayed and fought for their homes were not unified as Palestinian Arabs but simply because they had ties to their villages, and there was no central command to speak of because Arabs in villages in Palestine didn't feel much affinity with Arabs of other villages.
But this time, for the first time as far as I can tell, the Arab migration was not welcomed by their fellow Arabs.
The reason is simple. Arabs were deeply shamed by losing the war to the hated, lowly Jews who had been second class citizens in Arab societies forever. Palestinian Arabs reminded the rest of the Arab world of their shame. Instead of integrating the refugees, they kept them separate. They blamed the West for allowing Israel to be born and they insisted that the West - i. e., the UN - pay for the Palestinian Arabs to be housed and educated.
Most importantly, the Arab League recognized that the refugees could be a huge weapon against Israel, because if they would return there would be no more Jewish state.
Every Arab from Palestine became a pawn.
There was another important reason why the Arab nations wanted to use Palestinians as cannon fodder against Israel. They knew that they had a restless, homeless and stateless population in their midst and they didn't want them to blame their hosts for their problems. They created a myth of a Palestinian people displaced by Jews in order to direct their hate towards Jews and Israel - and away from the Arab leaders who refused to naturalize them (except for Jordan.)
Thus began the Palestinian people. Their leaders and Arab leaders agreed that they needed an identity, and they insisted that by being kept separate, they would keep the Palestinian Arab identity intact. Becoming citizens of Arab countries would mean that this nascent Palestinian identity would disappear and a major weapon against Israel would disappear along with it. As PLO leader Ahmed Shukairy said in 1966, when Palestinian identity was still in a nascent stage:"
the article continues
"“The Arab states will not integrate the Palestine refugees because integration would be a slow process of liquidating the Palestine problem." Ahmed Shukairy. chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization. declared in an interview today.
“Consequently. the refugees don’t want to be integrated.” he continued. “If there are no Palestinian people. there is no Palestinian cause. We can't conceive of a Babylonian cause today because there are no Babylonians. But we start from the premise that we will achieve the liberation of Palestine soon."
The Arab record towards Palestinians is pretty bad. Palestinian Arabs have been slaughtered, deported, and given few rights. But they have been taught that they are loyal Arabs and the only people they must blame for their predicament is Jews.
UNRWA is a big part of this. In the beginning, UNRWA tried to relocate Palestinian Arabs in countries like Iraq and it worked to have them become productive citizens of their host countries. Arab nations resisted and soon UNRWA used its own money to hire thousands of Palestinian Arabs themselves - who then imposed their own agenda on UNRWA, its mission and its textbooks. This is why Palestinians, and only Palestinians, are still considered "refugees" decades after all other of the millions of WWII-era refugees have been resettled elsewhere.
Even if you want to blame Israel for the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Arabs, the only people to blame for their continued misery for seventy years are the Arab nations themselves. The world refuses to recognize this or even demand that Arab nations take care of their "guests" the way every other nation is expected to.
Palestinians themselves want to become citizens of their host countries. When Egypt and Lebanon briefly changed the rules of citizenship allowing many Palestinians to become naturalized, tens of thousands of Palestinians jumped at the opportunity. Even Hamas leaders became Egyptian citizens!
There can never be peace without the Arabs taking responsibility for the Palestinians in their midst. The myth of an ancient Palestinian people is one roadblock in the way of treating them like every other refugee population. This is why the truth matters - the truth is essential to getting everyone closer to a real peace."
Some people typed the following comments in reply to the elderofziyon.blogspot.com article titled "Yes, Palestinian Identity is only meant as a Weapon against Israel"
some people typed
NormanF • 10 months ago • edited
Arab shame is a big reason why Palestinian Arabs haven’t been integrated into their host countries and the West caters to this shame instead of demanding Arabs confront it.
Until that happens, peace is going to remain distant in the Middle East.
shtetlboy • 10 months ago
another point is that the leader of 'palestinian natinalism', such as the mufti husseini, sold thousands of dunams of land to Zionists. Further confirmation that there was no 'palestinian nationalism' ideology other than killing Jews.
cbusa • 10 months ago
"Captain Obvious here! Too bad the UN and most of the world are so obsessed with Jew-hatred and sucking up to Arab terrorists that they refuse to recognize the reality that "Palestinians" were created entirely as a weapon against Israel. Their own leaders have acknowledged time and again that there has never been any such people in history, that they are merely part of the larger Arab nation."
Chief Mac cbusa • 10 months ago
The UnitedNazis are a branch of the Islamofascist supremacist movement
Irene • 10 months ago • edited
"Palestine” as defined by the League of Nations included the entirety of what is now Jordan. Neither of the PLO charters sought to liberate the land east of the Jordan River.
Also from the website elderofziyon.blogspot.com another article is titled
"PA newspaper admits Arabs responsible for "naqba" " on December 18, 2006
"Palestinian Media Watch caught a column by Mahmoud Al-Habbash for the PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadeedah where he blames the Arab leadership squarely for the Palestinian Arabs leaving their homes in 1948.
“…The leaders and the elites promised us at the beginning of the “Catastrophe” [[the establishment of Israel and the creation of refugee problem] in 1948, that the duration of the exile will not be long, and that it will not last more than a few days or months, and afterwards the refugees will return to their homes, which most of them did not leave only until they put their trust in those “Arkuvian” promises made by the leaders and the political elites. Afterwards, days passed, months, years and decades, and the promises were lost with the strain of the succession of events…" [Term "Arkuvian,” is after Arkuv – a figure from Arab tradition - who was known for breaking his promises and for his lies."] ”
I found the column in Arabic (autotranslated) and the writer uses the 1948 experience as a springboard to describe how Arab leaders continue to lie to the Palestinian Arabs even today.
He brings examples:
Arab leaders promised to lift the embargo against the Palestinian Arabs and didn't follow through.
The Arab governments and Iran promised to give hundreds of millions of dollars that didn't materialize.
The PalArab leaders themselves promise to find the murderers of many within the territories, including the murderers of the three kids last week, and nothing ever materializes.
It is a very bitter column that is noteworthy not only in how it portrays 1948 but in the matter-of-fact way it is mentioned, as if every Palestinian Arab knows the real facts behind what happened then - it is only one paragraph in this article and if this was a novel concept for most Palestinian Arabs he would have adduced some proof. "
From elderofziyon.blogspot.com an article is titled
"Israeli Arabs' self-inflicted misery" on December 17, 2007 the article says
"Many people complain about the discrimination that Arabs in Israel suffer. But how much of that discrimination is from Zionist intolerance, and how much from how that community decides to act itself towards its country?
The Jerusalem Post interviews a "moderate" Israeli-Arab Islamic leader:
Israeli Arabs will never agree to do national service for the State of Israel because it would call into question their loyalty to the Palestinian cause, the founder of Israel's Islamic Movement, Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish, said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
"Any type of national service, no matter what it is, would be perceived by the Palestinian people as military service," said Darwish, speaking at his home in Kafr Kasim.
"He [the Israeli Arab who volunteers for National Service] would be seen as an enemy to the Palestinian people.
"To prove his loyalty to the Palestinian cause, he would be forced to join the Palestinian resistance movement against Israel. I do not allow my young people to enlist in organizations that fight for the Palestinian cause. But do not expect me to allow them to join the Israeli cause," added Darwish, who heads what is considered to be the more moderate southern wing of the Islamic Movement, created in the late 1990s.
If an easily-identifiable group decides to identify with a nation's enemies, what nation would treat them equally?
Even with the existence of a hostile, anti-state minority, Israel tries to bend over backwards to accommodate them, although Kadima at least seems to be a bit impatient:
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter christened the first Kadima chapter in the none-Jewish sector Sunday, in the northern city of Shfaram.
"Even if they (heads of the Israeli-Arab community) choose not to celebrate our 60th anniversary, they will celebrate our 70th and 80th anniversaries, simply because we and the Muslim and Druze and Circassian and Christian citizens have no other country. It is as much theirs as it is ours," said Dichter.
When asked when he thought about the Israeli-Arab sector commemorating the "Nakba" – meaning the "catastrophe" of the establishment of State of Israel – every year, Dichter repeated his early statement, saying that the continuance use of such terminology is not in the sector's best interest.
"Anyone crying over the Nakba year after year can't be surprised if they end up with one… the Nakba won't give anyone better education or create new jobs."
Kadima, he added, rejects any kind of radicalism: "Any talk of transferring Israeli-Arab citizens to the Palestinian Authority is nothing but pure nonsense."
Contrast this with something else that happened this weekend:
President Shimon Peres and Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger met with Druse leaders in the western Galilee Sunday as part of the Id al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) celebrations."
the article continues
"Peres said that the state of Israel was proud of the Druse's contribution.
"Among Druse there is 0% draft dodging and 100% dedication to Israel's security," the president said. He said that 54% volunteered for combat duty.
Metzger said that "we are not just brothers in arms, we are brothers in peace and coexistence and love. I come to you with a request that you allow every person to live among you in peace. If a Druse comes to Tel Aviv to live, I will accept him with a blessing. If a Jew comes to Peki'in, accept him in a similar way."
Metzger was referring to a violent incident staged by residents of the Druse village of Peki'in against Jewish residents there.
It sure seems strange that the chief rabbis and president of a "racist state" celebrate a major Muslim holiday with some of its non-Jewish citizens.
Can the difference between how the the Druze and Israeli Arabs are treated have more to do with how they themselves act (despite the Peki'in incidents that chased 9 Jewish families from the town) and not as much to do with the supposed Israeli "racism"?"
UPDATE: Treppenwitz has a great post on this same topic."
Treppenwitz wrote an article about this titled
"Fifth column... what fifth column?" on December 17, 2007 the article says:
"A few months ago, the Israeli government, with the cooperation of the Supreme Arab Monitoring Committee, quietly set about encouraging its Arab citizens to participate in a national service program. While Israel's Druse perform military service (54% in combat units) and many of Israel's Bedouin also serve in the IDF, the remainder of Israel's Arab population is exempt from military service.
Since Israel's Arab citizens are exempt from military service, it was hoped that performing some sort of alternate national service might make this sector of Israel's population feel more involved in bettering their communities and the country at large. Such service, which would closely mirror the national service opportunities now available to Israeli women who claim exemption from military service on religious grounds, would include volunteering in hospitals, schools, community centers, drug rehabilitation facilities, medical clinics, etc.
My assumption was that, aside from obviously improving services to the Arab community at large through the creation of a motivated volunteer workforce, the goal of this new initiative was also meant to help alleviate the sense of 'otherness' that hangs over Israel's Arab population like a dark cloud.
But almost as soon as the initiative was announced, An Arab Member of Knesset made an incredible statement to the media :"
the article continues
""Balad MK Jamal Zahalka called for banishing Arab youths who volunteer for a national service program created by the Supreme Arab Monitoring Committee. Zahalka said that although he believes in community service, he refuses to condone the performance of community service for the benefit of the state."
Okeydokey, where to begin... where to begin. Let's start with the fact that we have an Arab Member of Knesset advocating illegal action/discrimination against Arab youths who opt to participate in any community service project that might benefit the state.
He went on to say:
"The plan to integrate our youth into a national service program is another Israeli attempt to Zionize our children and an attempt to cause an identity crisis among us... We won't give our children away to the state."
Oh I see now, this is another Zionist plot. Because everyone knows that giving something back to the state that provides free medical care, education, roads, protection, infrastructure, etc. would give away the dirty little secret that these things aren't actually gifts from Allah. The last thing we'd want would be for a new generation of Arab youth to learn that these services come at a cost and actually have value.
The article went on to quote another Arab luminary:
"[Israel] identifies solely with its Jewish ethos and not at all with its Arab ethos. The state refuses to identify with us as a group," Professor Ramzi Suleiman of Haifa University's psychology department explained... Suleiman also said that Israeli Arabs fear that national service could lead to the loss of their ethnic identity."
Mr Suleiman seems to be confusing 'ethnic' and 'national' identity. Ethnically the kids are (and should be proud to be) Arabs. But their national identity should be Israeli. If this is problematic then that maybe that nice blue ID card and Israeli passport which provide them with more privileges than all their Arab brethren around the middle east combined, should be problematic as well, hmmm?
Citizens of Israel... ALL citizens... benefit in countless ways from the state and should want to give something back. Instead, the Arab leadership considers any small gesture that might help the country to be an act of treason against their culture... and this is deeply troubling.
He went on to use the Druse as an object lesson of why Arab youth should avoid national service:
"[The Druze] are experiencing an identity crisis because they stay away from collective elements that distinguish them [from other ethnic groups]... We don't want to throw our youth into a similar state [in which] they have no collective feelings that unite and differentiate them."
Oh yeah, because a collective feeling of isolation, anger and disenfranchisement is a positive way to hold your culture together and keep them distinct from the Jewish kids.
"The discrimination exists on another level that people don't talk about... We are the invisible citizens, or worse - our existence is always brought up in a negative way."
OK, I Can't argue with that. I've seen it in action and it is deeply regrettable. But doesn't it stand to reason that a program designed to help Arab youth engage with, and contribute to, Israeli society would help resolve this problem to some extent?"
the article continues
"But predictably, the article provided another idiotic statement, this one regarding guarantees:
Arab leaders and policymakers also argue that no one has promised them complete equality if their children were to serve in a national service program. "If there were an offer of that sort on the table, we would consider it. The young Israeli Arab who agrees to volunteer doesn't get the message that the expropriated lands of his village will be returned, but [rather] that he alone will be drawn out of the cycle of discrimination. That's not a good solution for us as a society and it's not enough," Suleiman said.
There is a mindset here that is pervasive in all aspects of Arab culture. They want guarantees in advance before they will even agree to consider the offer. They want promises not only that discrimination will be 100% eliminated, but also that their ancestral villages (some of which are buried beneath Tel Aviv and other coastal communities) will be returned. In other words, becoming full fledged participants in Israeli society is not enough. They also want Israel to eviscerate itself... to essentially commit suicide... so that they can reclaim a fantasy world that - let's be honest here - wasn't so great under usurious absentee Ottoman landlords.
"Professor Yoav Peled, a political science professor at Tel Aviv University, claimed that whether or not the Israeli failure to develop local Arab councils is directly responsible for the Arab public's inability to pay taxes, the historic injustice towards the country's Arab residents is what is unmistakably to blame."
"Israel abuses and exploits its Arab residents... Now it expects them to volunteer for national service - for what nation, exactly? And where? In Arab hospitals and institutions that don't exist?" said Peled.
Um, this sounds like a Catch 22 in the making. Is he suggesting that there be separate hospitals and institutions for Israel's Arabs? If this ever came to be, Israel would be lambasted by the world for creating a completely segregated society. Yet Peled considers the lack of such segregation to be a failing of some kind. I think.
Anyway, I had pretty much put this National Service episode out of my mind until yesterday when I saw that another Arab (Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish - the founder of Israel's Islamic Movement) had issued a n eye-opening condemnation of the plan:
"Israeli Arabs will never agree to do national service for the State of Israel because it would call into question their loyalty to the Palestinian cause. Any type of national service, no matter what it is, would be perceived by the Palestinian people as military service.
[the Israeli Arab who volunteers for National Service] would be seen as an enemy to the Palestinian people. To prove his loyalty to the Palestinian cause, he would be forced to join the Palestinian resistance movement against Israel.
I do not allow my young people to enlist in organizations that fight for the Palestinian cause. But do not expect me to allow them to join the Israeli cause."
the article lastly says
"Did you follow all that? Here, let me help parse it for you:
1. Performing National service for Israel is disloyal to the Palestinian cause.
Remember, we're talking about Arabs living inside Israel who hold Israeli citizenship. Any Jew who suggests that Israeli Arabs are loyal to the Palestinian cause is branded a racist. But here is a leader of Israel's Arab community saying it very clearly.
2. Any service that benefits the state is considered military service.
This plays into the whole rationale of indiscriminate Arab terror against civilian targets. Simply put, any Israeli target it considered a military target.
3. Anyone who volunteers for a program that would help Israel will be considered an enemy of the Palestinian people.
Again, see the loyalty issue in point #1.
4. The only way someone who agreed to do national service could prove their loyalty to the Palestinian cause would be to join the Palestinian resistance movement (i.e. become a terrorist).
Hello! Are alarms going off in anyone else's head?
5. I don't allow any of my kids to join resistance movements, mind you!
Yeah right. Methinks someone went a tad too far and is back-peddling here.
Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a very broad cross-section of the leadership of Israel's Arab population saying very clearly that their loyalty is to an entity that is pledged to our destruction.
So why is nobody talking about this???" Many have said that Arab Members of the Knesset are Traitors, guilty of treason, if they hate the state of Israel and/or the Jewish people, and support Terrorism, they have no business being in the Knesset, they are free to leave Israel and never return
Another article from elderofziyon.blogspot.com is titled
"Nakbapalooza!" on May 24, 2010 the article says:
"Pity the poor Palestinian Arab. They have to fill up weeks of Nakba celebrations with new and innovative ways to demand worldwide pity.
After all, there are only so many victimhood points available, and Palestinian Arabs are competing with those pesky Haitians and Sudanese and others for their fair share.
And Nakba is not just a one-day thing - it is a way of life, where from roughly mid-April through the end of May the PalArabs must come up with gimmicks that will remind the world yet again how terrible things are.
Yesterday brought us one of the more original and mystifying examples of the annual Nakbapalooza pity party. In the center of Ramallah, a city that has been Judenrein for years - a city that is now, for the first time in history, under Palestinian Arab rule - an actress playing a bride, wearing a 50-meter long train on her wedding dress, walked along the streets:
Traffic was stopped on a major Ramallah street for this display.
Then, the other participants in this bizarre ceremony stepped on the dress:
The reason for this is that, if enough people stepped on the dress, it would turn black. This would be a symbol of mourning.
It symbolizes the catastrophe of Palestinian Arabs being treated like dirt for the part 62 years by their fellow Arabs, as their rights have been trampled by the Jordanians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrians and every other Arab country.
Oh, sorry, that's not the symbolism here. It's something else altogether. Something to do with Israel, I think. The citizens of the PA - who have an Olympic team, a flag, an UN representative, and more autonomy than most Arabs - are taking their copious amounts of free time to create long wedding dresses that are meant to be stepped on to complain about how poorly they are treated by the Jews.
You can just imagine people in Darfur doing the same thing."
Also from elderofziyon.blogspot.com an article says
"The difference between honest critics of Israel and the antisemitic BDSers who really don't care about Palestinians" on July 30, 2019
the article says:
"Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan is a Labour MP for Tooting and a physician.
She recently traveled to Gaza and reported back on the issues she saw with Israel's permit system for patients to leave Gaza. She is obviously not a Zionist and some of the resulting articles have been called out for major inaccuracies. Nevertheless, she is someone who cares deeply about the people of Gaza.
What happened to her when she tried to help the children of Gaza shows that the purported "pro-Palestinian" crowd really don't give a shit about Palestinians.
From her Twitter thread which she titled, simply, Anti-Semitism:
I travelled to Israel and Palestine earlier this year, working as a doctor, with the aim of finding out what issues Palestinians (especially from Gaza) currently face with accessing hospital treatment.
I saw some truly horrific cases inc. of Palestinian babies being born prematurely, but because of permit issues mothers were sent back to Gaza shortly after birth, with some babies dying alone in hospital.
I spoke at length with many news outlets, the Guardian and the Today Prog did good pieces on this. Kids undergoing chemotherapy can’t travel with parents because they’re deemed a security risk. But the issue has many sides to the story and is not simple.
This caused a stir. I was called a liar, some people tried to discredit what I was saying. I held firm, I have proof of these horrific cases - it’s a fact that many Palestinians are not treated with dignity.
So, in my quest to improve the permit system, I had a very lively radio discussion with the Deputy Israeli Ambassador - something which continued in the green room at the BBC. Weeks later, she invited me to meet with her to discuss it further.
So last week, I went to the Israeli Embassy to discuss it, in the hope to get some traction, to improve the permit system - which will benefit thousands of Palestinians waiting for hospital treatment.
Instead of supporting my work, those purporting to support the Palestinian cause have spouted horrible anti-Semitic abuse. See some examples here - it’s disgusting, these views are abhorrent - but also misguided and ill-informed."
the article continues
"This behaviour does nothing to help the Palestinian cause. I have been there, called out what I’ve seen and spoken in the press. Am I now not meant to work to improve this dreadful situation?
I’ve worked with Palestinians across the Middle East for 10 years - but these racists think they can sit behind a keyboard here in the U.K and troll someone genuinely trying to help. It’s revolting - it’s wrong.
People claim that Zionists call all critics of Israel "antisemites." It was never true; legitimate criticism of Israel is not antisemitic in the least.
Dr. Allin-Khan's criticisms are clearly legitimate.
Her story shows that Israeli officials have no interest in hurting Palestinians. Their main concern, as with any country, is the security of their citizens. But there is no desire to hurt Palestinians, and if solutions can be found to help even the children of their enemies without endangering Israelis, the Israeli government not only wants to find them but has implemented hundreds of such ideas, big and small, every year.
The BDS crowd doesn't care about Palestinians. As these tweets show, including from some prominent BDS leaders, they are all about hate for Israel, not support for Palestinians. They are hypocritical. And, as even Dr. Allin-Khan notes, their hate is based on antisemitism.
BDSers assume that all Israeli Jews are murderers and racists and therefore must never even be treated as human beings. People who care about Palestinians know that Israelis must be their partners in helping mitigate the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza. (They also know that Hamas and Fatah are responsible to a large extent on the problems in Gaza.)
Honestly, I respect Qatar more than the BDS crowd. Qatar, even with its support for Hamas, actually works with Israel to bring aid to Gaza - thereby violating the "BDS call" that so many idiots treat as sacred.
This episode is just one more that proves that BDS is nothing more than a hate group. And while they claim they are supporting Palestinians, when it comes down to it the only thing they love about Palestinians is to see them suffer - Palestinians are only useful when they can be used as PR weapons against Israel."
Also from elderofziyon.blogspot.com another article is titled
""An amazing meeting in London of Arab intellectuals who want rapprochement with Israel" on
November 21, 2019
the article states:
"The New York Times reports:
Boycotting Israel is a failure, and has only helped that country while damaging Arab nations that have long shunned the Jewish state, according to a small new group of liberal-minded Arab thinkers from across the Middle East who are pushing to engage with Israel on the theory that it would aid their societies and further the Palestinian cause.
The group has brought together Arab journalists, artists, politicians, diplomats, Quranic scholars and others who share a view that isolating and demonizing Israel has cost Arab nations billions in trade. They say it has also undercut Palestinian efforts to build institutions for a future state, and torn at the Arab social fabric, as rival ethnic, religious and national leaders increasingly apply tactics that were first tested against Israel.
“Arabs are the boycott’s first — and only — victims,” Eglal Gheita, an Egyptian-British lawyer, declared at an inaugural gathering this week in London.
Calling itself the Arab Council for Regional Integration, the group does not purport to be broadly representative of Arab public opinion. Its members espouse a viewpoint that is, to put it mildly, politically incorrect in their home countries: Some have already been ostracized for advocating engagement with Israel and others said they feared retribution when they return.
Some participants urged measures like establishing a teachers college and research institute with campuses in Casablanca, Amman, Haifa and Manama. And an Iraqi counterterrorism expert living in Germany, Jassim Mohammad, urged Arab security services to stop the spread of “radicalism and hate” in the media, schools and mosques and to spread “corrective content about Israel and Jews” instead.
He called this a “matter of Arab national security.”
Al Khaleej Online adds:
Participants, particularly from Bahrain, Tunisia and Algeria, went on to praise the social, cultural and heritage role of Arab Jews in their countries, both in the past and in the present.
Representatives from Arab countries that witnessed a multi-motivated Jewish exodus, such as Lebanon, Libya, Yemen and Algeria, expressed regret over the loss of their Jewish citizens, who had an important role in the development, culture and economy of their societies.
The Jewish Journal adds:
Extremism and terrorism were deplored, and concern expressed about “brainwashing” of children in school and of students at university level; and, remarkably, from the clerics Hassen Chalghoumi, a condemnation of the “politicization” of Islam, and from Lebanon’s Saleh Hamed, a plea to Europe to crack down on the number of mosques in which imams were preaching hatred.
The event was sponsored by the US-based Center for Peace Communications, whose board of directors is headed by Dennis Ross. The CPC describes itself as “a group of Americans who believe that security and prosperity in the Middle East and North Africa require a peace between peoples.” Joseph Braude, the convenor of the conference, is a senior fellow at the Middle East Program of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, in Washington D.C., and is CPC’s founder and president."
the article continues
"No Israelis were present, because some of the delegates could have been subject to prosecution in their home countries for the “crime” of normalizing relations. It was clearly, Braude said, “a civil initiative in which no government had a hand,” but the views expressed are bound to resonate throughout the Middle East.
We've seen a pattern emerging in recent years of lone voices in the Arab world starting to speak up against the insane anti-Zionism and antisemitism in that world. It used to be articles that were primarily critical of Arab regimes that would incidentally say that Arabs under Israeli rule have it better, or articles that would point out that Israel had more Nobel Prizes than all the Arab nations combined. It has accelerated into open calls for dialogue with Israel.
The events prompting this small revolution include, above all, the understanding of the Iranian threat to the region and the realization that Israel is the best ally in that undeclared war. But there has also been a significant drop in support for the Palestinian cause as the Palestinians themselves have shown no interest in peace, and maintained its split between Hamas and Fatah. Finally, the Internet - and education of Arab intellectuals in the West - has allowed the Arab world to be exposed to points of view that were simply unavailable to them even a decade ago. Israel itself has been energetically pursuing relations with the Arab world and standing up for itself in international forums, such as sports. Its economic and military strength evokes respect among Arabs.
Put all of that together and Israel is now in higher esteem among Arabs than it has ever been.
To be sure, antisemitism and anti-Zionism is still the norm in the Middle East. But that position is no longer unified, and opposition to it no longer turns the "radicals" into pariahs as much as it used to.
It is a sea change in direction, but there is a long way to go."
And also from elderofziyon.blogspot.com an article is titled
"Jordanian article shows again that anti-Zionism is antisemitism " on January 27, 2020
the article says
"An article in Ammon News by Bassam Al-Amoush, a law professor, former member of Jordan's parliament and former head of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood:
Those who follow the history of the children of Israel find that it is a troubled history: they were humiliated under the rule of the Pharaohs, and the mission of the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, was to free this people from shackles. They said to him when seeing the sea in front of them and Pharaoh behind them: We were hurt by what we came from and we'll be hurt now! And when God drowned their enemy before them, their faith did not increase. Rather they said to Moses "make us a god" as the other peoples have gods !! They killed the prophets and took the head of the Prophet Yahya [John the Baptist]!! They plotted against their brother the Prophet Joseph and lied to their prophet Jacob and used crocodile tears !!
A disgraceful black history made the world hate them and I will not talk about the Nazis criminals against the Germans and the world, but I am talking about Henry Ford, the American Ford Motor Company owner who wrote a book entitled "The International Jew" in which he describes the greed and deception of the Jews....
A country was established for them but it is a country of torment where there is no security or stability but rather fear, because thieves live in fear and they have been thieves since 1948 , and even today. ...
He certainly makes no distinction between Jews and Israelis."
Also from elderofziyon.blogspot.com another article is titled
"PLO diplomat admits, in English, that Palestinians never wanted to live side by side with Israel (video)" on October 25, 2019
the article says
"Here is Husam Zomlot, the PLO representative in the UK (who calls himself the "Ambassador of Palestine at the UK,") discussing how the Palestinians never wanted a two state solution next to a Jewish state.
Two states, he says, was merely a concession to the international community, but it is not a Palestinian desire. The entire land is solely theirs, and Jews have no rights there.
This is not usually said in English. Usually in English the Palestinians claim they want to live in peace with Israel. But now they are officially admitting that they never even wanted that; their real desire (as polls have shown) is to have a single Arab state from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, and the two state idea was merely a stage towards that end." Big Surprise that the "Palestinians" never wanted to live side by side in Peace with Israel , Big Surprise
(This was at the Pearson Global Forum in Berlin earlier this month.)
An article from elderofziyon.blogspot.com is titled
"Syrian conference at Hebrew U shows that hate of Israel is truly a mental illness" on January 18, 2017 the article says
"I've looked at both antisemitism and what I've called misoziony (irrational hatred of Israel) for a long time, and yet I'm still astonished at stories like this (I edited the two stories together):
Syrian opposition figures making a rare public appearance in Israel called Tuesday for stepped up Israeli assistance to the Syrian opposition, including help in establishing a safe zone for rebel elements in southern Syria along the Golan Heights.
Speaking to a packed auditorium at an event sponsored by the Hebrew University’s Truman Institute, Germany-based opposition activist Issam Zeitoun made a blunt appeal for help. “All Syrians have suffered under this regime. Something must be done. The Syrian people are too weak. We need the help of the international community.”
As the conference progressed, several Arab students began yelling at the Syrian speakers and reprimanding them for entering a dialogue with Israel. "The Golan has been occupied since 1967; you're a traitor and a conspirator!" yelled one of the student protestors. Zitun answered the students by saying, "Shame on you; you live in paradise compared to Syrians."
Kajjo and Zeitoun’s remarks were repeatedly interrupted by Arab students angry that they were breaking a taboo and according a kind of recognition to Israel. “You are a disgrace to Syria” one student shouted at Zeitoun.
After a tense few moments, she and another student left the hall, and she said outside.
“They shouldn’t ask for this help from Israel. Our people are dying here, we are Arab.”
But the shouting continued: “You should be giving voices to the voiceless, not pandering to the occupation,” a woman shouted.
Zeitoun defended the appearance. “We should be everywhere including Israel to explain the Syrian problem to the world, to convey their voices,” he said.
These Arabs are complaining that Syrians who are desperate to save thousands of lives and are willing to ask anyone for help are "conspirators" with Israel and "traitors" to Syria.
And these are Arab students who are attending Israeli universities!
Begging Israelis to help save Syrian lives is treacherous - but attending classes at Hebrew University is perfectly fine.
This goes beyond political positions. It is beyond deranged. The irrational, hypocritical hate of Israel and Jews goes way beyond any normal explanation.
It is a psychosis, and it should be studied as such.
Everyone who assumes that these young people are just expressing their considered opinions on a matter are wrong. These students are engaging in a public expression of insanity and hypocrisy that goes so far beyond normal that it can only be described in psychological terms, not as an understandable reaction to reality.
Everyone who has tried to explain historic antisemitism and its more modern version of anti-Zionism has missed the issue. The real answer is that some people simply are consumed with hate that is so pervasive, and so delusional, that it overrides any other human attribute including self-preservation. It cannot be explained any more than schizophrenia can be explained. It may be chemical.
It is time that psychiatrists started to look at the hate shown by anti-Zionists and antisemites from a clinical viewpoint. Because it sure isn't going to be solved with facts, logic, or anything less than full-blown intervention into the sick mental processes of the haters." Hate of Israel is indeed a Mental illness, but it is also Satanic Diabolical Evil and Wickedness, Hate of Israel is a Combination of Mental illness & Satanic Diabolical Evil
From the website www.barnesandnoble.com a good book to order is titled
"Israel Reclaiming The Narrative"
by Barry Shaw
Overview
"Why is this book different from all other books about Israel?
All other books tend to defend Israel. ISRAEL RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE goes on the attack. Why should my country apologize for fighting for its right to exist?
ISRAEL RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE prosecutes Israel's enemies and defamers by exposing their hypocrisy and lies. From boycotters to replacement theologists, the media, leading politicians, a misguided public and, centrally, the Palestinians, are all are subject to scrutiny and found guilty of slander, violence, and abuse of the Jewish nation. The author takes you on a personal journey that allows you to feel the forces and emotions that affect the average Israeli.
ISRAEL RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE calls famous witnesses, past and present, to illustrate the damage that Israel's enemies are inflicting not only on Israel but also on the core values of democratic societies."
Also from www.barnesandnoble.com another good book to order is titled
"The Victory of Zionism: Reclaiming the Narrative about Israel's Domestic, Regional, and International Challenges"
by Emmanuel Navon
Overview
"In his new book, The Victory of Zionism, Emmanuel Navon challenges the popular belief that the future of Zionism depends on the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, powerfully defending the idea of a Jewish nation-state from its assaulters both at home and abroad.
In direct opposition to Peter Beinart's The Crisis of Zionism, Navon argues that Israeli democracy is not threatened by the status-quo with the Palestinians but by judicial activism. He reveals how, over the years, the separation of powers in Israel was replaced by a hierarchy of powers dominated by the Judiciary; exposes the European Union's interference in Israeli politics via government-funded NGOs; shows the consequences of the United States' blundering foreign policy; and explains the complexities of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Navon argues that the corrupt nature of the PLO, the rise of Islamic fanaticism, and the failure of Arab states to promote democracy make for a conflict that is essentially unsolvable. He reminds readers that Israel, a democratic and technological powerhouse in the midst of the most volatile region in the world, has a key role to play on the international stage.
The Victory of Zionism is a must read for leaders, opinion-makers, and citizens who care about the future of Israel and of the Middle East."
"
From the website meforum.org an article is titled
"MESA Demands US Welcome Palestinian Terror Apologist Hanan Ashrawi"
by A.J. Caschetta
The Algemeiner
June 16, 2019
"MESA claims that denying Hanan Ashrawi entry to the U.S. violated academic freedom by preventing some students and faculty from "hearing her views and making up their own minds about them."
Shortly after the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) intervened on behalf of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions leader Omar Barghouti, the organization has now come to the rescue of another of Israel's enemies, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi.
Like Barghouti, Ashrawi was denied an entrance visa to the United States, in her case in May. MESA protested with a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bemoaning (in effect) the difficulty anti-Israel ideologues experience trying to reach American audiences. As with its April 17 letter to Pompeo on behalf of Barghouti, MESA falsely framed Ashrawi's case as a matter of academic freedom, tantamount to the suppression of ideas.
Barghouti is an obscure figure to most Americans, but Ashrawi has been known for decades in the United States as Yasser Arafat's foil—the soft side of the PLO, the girlfriend of the late ABC news anchor Peter Jennings, no less. But she has always been PLO to the core: spokeswoman, member of the legislative council, Minister of Higher Education and Culture—she has worn many hats.
MESA claims that denying entry to Omar Barghouti undermined academic freedom by depriving U.S. students and faculty of "access to the full range of viewpoints on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
MESA's letter identifies Ashrawi as a member of "the Palestinian [sic] Liberation Organization, where she heads the Department of Culture and Information." The self-appointed mandarins at MESA apparently don't know that the "P" in PLO stands for "Palestine," not "Palestinian." This is a major oversight considering her platform is centered on the denial of Israel's existence and endless affirmations of a country called "Palestine" that does not exist, mainly because her organization has refused every opportunity to create a nation that does not also wipe out Israel."
the article continues
"In the space of fewer than 600 words, MESA's letter defends Ahrawi as "an advocate for peace," "an advocate for peace and justice" and "a real advocate for Palestinian rights." While Ashrawi fashions herself an advocate for Palestinian rights, she is definitely not an advocate for peace. She is, however, an advocate for killing Israeli civilians.
In 2000, she told the AP that "the army of occupation and the settlers have become legitimate and select targets of Palestinian resistance." On the P.A.'s Voice of Palestine in 2001, Ashrawi explained that "the only language [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon understands is the language of violence."
In 2004, when a PBS interviewer asked Ashrawi if she would condemn all Palestinian violence, she responded that "you cannot tell the Palestinians, you mustn't resort to any kind of violence, whatever, including self-defense." Her 2015 condemnation of Israel's "invasion of the Al-Aqsa mosque" makes her an advocate for fomenting violence.
Ashrawi is also an advocate for terrorists. A Jerusalem Post headline covering her 2007 speech at Emory University said it all: "Ashrawi Defends Hizbullah and Hamas." Of course, defending Hamas is nothing new for her. She told the UPI on April 30, 1993, that she didn't "think of Hamas as a terrorist group. We coordinate politically ... the people we know and talk to are not terrorists."
Ashrawi objects to suicide bombings only because Palestiinians "do not see results from these actions."
Her scant remarks on suicide bombing are not the decisive repudiation one would expect of an "advocate for peace." As Palestinian Media Watch CEO Itamar Marcus points out, Ashrawi objected to suicide bombings in 2002 only "because we do not see results from these actions ... We believe that these operations do not advance the fulfillment of our endeavor, for freedom and independence."
When the United States cut aid to the P.A./PLO last August, preventing Americans' tax dollars from winding up in the P.A.'s "pay for slay" program, Ashrawi accused U.S. President Donald Trump of employing "cheap blackmail as a political tool." She added, "the Palestinian people and leadership will not be intimidated and will not succumb to coercion."
When it comes to Jewish history, she is a fabulist. With her University of Virginia Ph.D. in English and practiced imitation of Edward Said, Ashrawi has excelled in distorting the past. Her propaganda is well known; fortunately real historians like Efraim Karsh have handily refuted her lies"
the article continues
"For example, Ashrawi has consistently denied any historical connection between the ancient Hebrews and Jerusalem, or between Judaism and the land first called "Palestine" by the Romans. She has also denied that Jews were ever expelled from Arab countries after Israel declared independence in 1948.
As David Harris wrote at the Huffington Post some years ago, "Hanan Ashrawi is to truth what smoking is to health."
For blaming the failure of the peace process solely on Israel, David Lazerson points out that rather than calling her a Palestinian leader, Ashrawi should be called a "misleader."
It is impossible and irresponsible to evaluate Ashrawi without consideration of her connection to Arafat. Their complex relationship was characterized by public agreement and private conflict. Arafat blocked many of Ashrawi's goals for Palestinian women's rights and, according to one of his biographers, referred to her as the sharmuta (whore) in private.
Ashrawi emulates Arafat's duplicitous language game.
Yet she emulates Arafat's most important tool as a Palestinian leader: the duplicitous language game. By preaching hatred for Israel and the West to her allies, often in Arabic, and peaceful coexistence to the outside world, and most especially Americans, usually in English, Arafat and many other PLO/Fatah/P.A. leaders have thrived because much of the media and nearly all of academia were and are willfully blind to their true nature.
As Barry Rubin wrote in his biography of Arafat, "even the flimsiest concealment of his connection to terrorist operations would protect him from being treated as a terrorist."
Ashrawi's duplicity can be seen in her reputation as a leading force in the Oslo Accords. By some accounts the very idea of the post-Gulf War peace process came about because two Israeli academics (Ron Pundak and Yair Hirschfeld) were dining at her Ramallah home when she suggested they travel to London to meet with Fatah Central Committee leader Ahmed Qurei.
But her advocacy of the "peace process" was cynical. She knew that pretending to be peaceful was a useful ruse that gullible Westerners eagerly swallowed. Yet shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Principles in 1993, Ashrawi told a group of sympathizers that "Israel is still our enemy ... The agreement does not change the situation in the territories into a rose garden."
In 1996, a crucial year for the Oslo Accords, an Arab-language interviewer asked her what options the Palestinians had for confrontation. MESA's vaunted advocate for peace responded, "We have various means ... we prepared an integral plan for this confrontation. We still have field capabilities."
& continues
"When Shimon Peres died, Ashrawi blamed him for the failure of Oslo.
Ashrawi's deliberate misrepresentation of history should matter to MESA, but instead all it sees is an opportunity to charge the U.S. government with infringing on academic freedom.
How low would MESA go in advocating academic freedom for anti-Israel ideologues? Would it object to prohibiting Hamas leaders Khaled Mashal or Ismail Haniyeh from speaking at an American college as infringements on academic freedom? How about Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah? Would MESA's Committee on Academic Freedom go out on a limb for the PFLP's aging star hijacker Leila Khaled?
No matter how Ashrawi spins history, however, there is no country called "Palestine," mainly because the Arabs who became known as Palestinians have consistently turned down every opportunity for a state. She has been an integral part of that rejectionism almost since the beginning.
If, however, the Palestinians ever manage to shed their failed leaders and succeed in establishing a nation state, the Department of Justice should use the FARA Act and compel MESA to register as its lobbyist."
A.J. Caschetta is a Ginsberg-Ingerman fellow at the Middle East Forum and a principal lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
People have said Hanan Ashwari looks and sounds like an ugly retarded bullfrog , she is a Christian, she is proof that
Many Arab & "Palestinian" Christians are also cold blooded criminal Terrorists, but in their sick Satanic Demonic Warped minds they view it as "Resistance" She is proof of Arab Evil Wickedness & Arab Retardation
The website www.jewishpress.com has an article on December 1, 2019 titled
"Hanan Ashwari: UN is too Pro-Israel !" anyone can look it up online,
One person typed the following comment in reply to this article
"A favorite tactic of Muslims... when they are found to have done something wrong anywhere in the world one of them or a group of them will stage a press conference and make a claim that they are being persecuted for something, making themselves the victim. The claim need not be true, it just needs to get the limelight off the real crime committed by a Muslim, and bring sympathy to Islam. There were at least two and possibly three attacks by Muslims in the last few days, not including the riot at York university against peaceful Jews. Time to bring out the Palestinian Muslim Victim Card. Omar, where are you?" of course not every Muslim is Evil, I've known several decent Muslims over the years
From the Jerusalem post website, www.jpost.com. an article is titled
"Nakba: A self inflicted catastrophe"
By BARRY SHAW MAY 20, 2011
"A new tradition has been allowed to grow in the Arab world. Once a year Arabs commemorate a period when many uprooted themselves from what had become Israel. It was at the time when Arab armies invaded the nascent state of Israel. It was this incident that created a refugee problem that is unsolved to this day. They call this event "The Nakba," or the catastrophe.
At its core they are not commemorating their upheaval. They are not celebrating their dispossession. Rather, in my belief, they are campaigning for the elimination of Israel. They are protesting over the creation of the Jewish State of Israel, an event that occurred before the personal tragedies of many local Arabs. They do not use this day to mourn the tragic events of the 1948 war. Rather it is an emotional and public outpouring of their rejection of Israel, a rejection that began decades ago, and will continue beyond the September Palestinian claim for statehood in the United Nations General Assembly. They rejected Israel in the United Nations in 1947. They will continue to do so after the United Nations 2011. The Nakba parades and slogans accuse Israel of their “calamity.” I suggest, it is a self inflicted tragedy caused by the Arabs themselves.
With the flight of so many local Arabs from the area of conflict came the flight from fact into fantasy with the development of a political myth, a rewriting of history, to be used to delegitimize Israel and accuse it of crimes it did not commit. It is a dangerous effort by the Palestinian leadership to create a history out of a lie for a malevolent agenda."
the article continues
"When the Jewish State of Israel was brought into being at the United Nations in 1947 it was roundly rejected by the Arab states. Arab immigration into the part of Palestine in which the Zionist enterprise was being developed dynamically by the Jews had increased the Arab population on the West Bank of the Jordan River. The other larger parts of what had been Palestine, namely Transjordan, as well as Syria, and Egypt, were still backwaters, offering little employment or development to its people. The Jews employed this immigrant source of labor despite the fact that acts of violence and murder were committed by Arabs on Jews. Jews in the land suffered decades of bloodshed and murder at the hands of the Arabs going back to the massacres in Safed and Hebron in 1929. So it continued, including murderous raids by what were called “fedayeen,” an early form of Arab terrorism.
In 1948 the fledgling Jewish state was attacked by heavily armed and trained Arab armies. The war was initiated by the Arabs for the purpose of driving the Jews they did not kill into the sea. Victory over the newly-born state seemed inevitable. Combined forces from Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, supported by arms and soldiers from Lebanon, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, attacked the undermanned and barely armed Jewish nation. Less than three years from the horrors of the Holocaust, Jews faced yet another genocide. The outcome, however, was a resounding defeat for the Arabs that left Israel in situ over a larger territory and the local displaced Arabs in despair.
The Arab hatred of the Jews and their desire to remove the Jewish presence from the Middle East was not erased. The new narrative purported to give the lie that the Jews woke up one day and decided to execute ethnic cleansing against the indigenous Arab population. Not true. The intended ethnic cleansing of 1948 would have been of the Jews at the hands of the invading Arab armies.
Another myth is that the Palestinian refugee problem is the fault of the Jews. Not true. My book Israel- Reclaiming the Narrative lists and dates the numerous orders and statements where the Arab leadership and Arab states ordered and instructed the locals to abandon their homes and possessions. It was the Jewish leaders, and even the Hagana (the newly formed Israeli army), that implored them to remain. It was the Arab military and political leaders and the Arab states that were exclusively implicated in the mass exodus of the Arab population and for the personal tragedies suffered by them."
the article continues
"Nowhere is this more implicitly expressed than by Emile Ghoury, who was the Secretary of the Palestinian Arab Higher Command. In an interview with the Lebanese newspaper The Beirut Telegraph on September 6, 1948 he said:
“The fact that there are these refugees is a direct consequence of the act of the Arab states in opposing partition and the Jewish state. The Arab states agreed upon this policy unanimously and they must share in the solution of this problem.”
The Nakba, then, must point directly at the Arab leadership and not at Israel. It is a tragedy that thousands of Arabs remain in Arab refugee camps to this day. It is a tragedy perpetuated by Arab nations in conjunction with the United Nations who chose to keep them in this status for a political purpose in order to use them as pawns in their ongoing campaign against Israel.
The obscenity of the decades old Arab refugee problem is completely down to the failure of the surrounding Arab nations with the collusion of the United Nations who are both guilty of perpetuating this human tragedy.
Juxtapositioned with this Arab catastrophe was the tragedies of the Jewish populations of the neighboring Arab states. At the time that the Arab armies were attacking the newly formed Israel, Jews were being attacked, killed, and displaced in most of the Arab countries. Some statistics show that two hundred thousand more Jews were driven out of their homes in the Muslim countries than Arabs that left Israel. The big difference was that these Jews found shelter in Israel where they were welcomed, absorbed, nurtured, and made useful citizens.
No Nakba exists for Jewish refugees. Neither does the State of Israel go begging to the United Nations to keep them in victimhood and permanent sponsorship. Self pride and an independent spirit is a Jewish value that prevents this sense of self loathing and hatred of the other. What could have been a Jewish Nakba was turned into a Jewish humanitarian success story and a glorious example to the world.
Why is this Nakba relevant this year and, more significantly, next year? I argue that Nakba is a writing of Palestinian intent. If one looks at the large maps that are displayed in the Nakba parades and marches “Palestine” has replaced Israel. In the Palestinian leadership narrative to their own people Israel does not exist. Their maps, their chants, their ambition does not allow for a Jewish state living in peace alongside a state of their own. Rather, their Palestine replaces Israel.
Increasingly, Israeli Arabs identify themselves with this cause and not with the state in which they have a waning identity. The sight of Israeli Arabs waving Palestinian flags, carrying maps of Palestine that replace Israel, and chanting anti-Israel slogans is not an expression of democratic freedom but, I conclude, sedition against the state.
After a Palestinian state is voted into being, albeit illegally, at the September United Nations General Assembly, the next critical factor will be the identity and loyalty of Israeli Arabs. Will Arabs, born post 1948 consider themselves to be loyal citizens of Israel? Or will they call themselves Palestinians? Will they rally, speak, and act to defy Israel, to deny Israel, and encourage the Palestinian leadership to come and liberate them? The signs are clearly in evidence by the actions and words of several Arab members of the Knesset who identify more closely with Palestinian ambitions than with affairs of Israeli state. Some even renounce the Parliament they sit in, the legislature that they were elected to service.
The delegitimization of Israel is not merely an external strategic danger. It also has roots within Israel itself. The Nakba movement is one prominent element of this internal danger."
From the website shalomadventure.com an article is titled
"Beauty of the Land of Israel" the article says
"God chose a beautiful land to call His own - Israel - and this video offers a spectacular bird’s eye view at some of the many amazing natural sites this country has to offer.
Despite its small New Jersey size, Israel is a kaliedoscope of various breathtaking climates. The barren bronze deserts to the south with various peculiar rock formations, breathtaking snow-capped mountains in the north, lush waterfalls, various plants and wildlife, brightly colored flowers sprinkling the country, exotic bird and butterfly migrations by the millions, fruits and vegetables able to grow despite the arid climate in places, the Dead Sea juxtaposed against majestic mountains across the border with Jordan, the forests and green fields of arable land scattered in the northern part of the country, and the beaches of Eilat and the coastline against the sapphire blue waters of the Mediterranean to name a few.
The Hula Valley is a quiet secuded piece of nature where many go just to watch the birds and get away from everyday life. Whether on a boardwalk along one of the Mediterranean beaches or high up on Mount Carmel overlooking so much, there are no shortage of specracular sunsets to admire. Further up north around the Galilee region, there are no shortage of palm trees and natural springs to explore.
Despite being such a small country with an incredible Biblical history, there is so much natural beauty to take in as well."
Written by Erin Parfet the article has a link to a video titled "The Beauty of Israel"
From the website thinkingonscripture.com an article is titled
"God Loves Israel"
Posted on December 24, 2014 by Dr. Steven R. Cook. the article says
" God loves Israel, declaring, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jer. 31:3). God is eternal, and His love is eternal. To possess the love of God is to love that which he loves. One cannot claim to have God’s love, and simultaneously hate Israel, His chosen people. There is no place for anti-Semitism in the heart of any Christian.
Israel FlagTo love Israel is not a blanket endorsement of all their beliefs and behaviors. God, who loves Israel and chose them to be His people (Deut. 7:6-8), also called them to be holy (Ex. 19:5-6; Lev. 11:45), and promised blessing or cursing, based on their obedience to Him (Deut. 28:1-68). Israel can and does fail, often rejecting God’s love for them and walking in the ways of the world (see 2 Chron. 36:15-16; Jer. 7:25-26; 25:4-7; Ezek. 16; Matt. 23:1-39; Acts 7:51-53; 1 Thess. 2:14-16). The national rejection and crucifixion of Jesus (Matt. 27:22-23; Acts 2:22-23; 4:27-28), Israel’s promised Messiah (Deut. 18:15; Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7;53; 61:1; Matt. 1:1, 17; Luke 1:31-33), is their greatest failure. Did Israel act alone in crucifying Jesus, their Messiah? No! God foretold Israel’s Messiah would suffer and die (Ps. 22:11-18; Isa. 53); and, according to His sovereignty, He used wicked men, both Jews and Gentiles, to accomplish His will (Acts 22:22-23; 4:27-28).
If it be inquired, as constantly it is, who put Christ to death? It may be pointed out that He was offered by the Father (Ps. 22:15; John 3:16; Rom. 3:25), of His own free will (John 10:17; Heb. 7:27; 9:14; 10:12), by the Spirit (Heb. 9:14), and by men—Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and Israel (Acts 2:23; 4:27). To this may be added that part of His death was contributed by Satan (cf. Gen. 3:15).[1]"
the article continues
"God, who loves Israel with an everlasting love, continues to keep His word to them. Israel has a future hope because of the promises and covenants God made through the patriarchs and prophets (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:18; 17:8; Deut. 30:1-10; 2 Sam. 7:16; Ps. 89:33-37; Jer. 31:31-33). Though unbelieving Israel is currently under divine discipline (Matt. 23:37-39), God’s covenants and promises are still in effect (Rom. 9:1-5), and will remain in force until Jesus returns and is accepted as their Messiah.
It is wrong to think the church has replaced Israel, for “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (Rom. 11:2), even though there is a “partial hardening” among them until Messiah returns (Rom. 11:25-27). Until then, unbelieving Israel is under spiritual darkness and divine judgment. The apostle Paul—a biological Jew himself—revealed that God’s promises and covenants are still valid for national Israel, and wished all would come to faith in Christ.
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart [for unbelieving Israel]. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh [to whom Paul is related biologically], who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh [i.e. Messiah], who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. (Rom. 9:1-5)
Today, Jews and Gentiles alike, become partakers of the church, the body of Christ, when they believe in Jesus as their Savior (Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 1:22-23; cf. 1 Cor. 10:32). The church is looking forward to the return of Christ, in which He will catch away (ἁρπάζω harpazo – to seize, catch up, snatch away) Christians to heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-17). Until God resumes His prophetic plans for Israel, the Christian is called to love them, pray for them, and share the gospel of grace that they may turn to Jesus as the Christ and be saved (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18-24; 15:3-4)."
Steven R. Cook, D.Min.
From www.barnesandnoble.com a good book is titled
"The Invention of the "Palestinians" [The Revised Edition]: 27 Theses They Won't Let You Hear Argued at the University on Israelophobia, Judaism, the Middle East, and Related Matters"
by Emmett Laor
Overview
"Who are the "Palestinians"? When did they come into being? Why? And how so? What theological,political, historical, and ethical significance does their invention have? How should we understand the historical and religious significance of the recent invention of the "Palestinian people" and the possible invention of a new country called 'Palestine'? In this groundbreaking text, 27 myth-shattering theses are put forth and argued in detail using the resources of Psychoanalysis, Talmud and Torah, Philosophy, and History.The author engages in criticisms of key thinkers (Slavoj Zizek, Alain Badiou, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernesto Laclau, Edward Said, etc. ) and relies on the work of writers as diverse as Joan Peters, Shlomo Sand, and Rashid Khalidi.Radical views are put forth on various topics including Judaism, the Middle East, and Theology.The Invention of the "Palestinians" is unlike any book you have read."
We all wish the "Palestinians" were Never Invented, worst invention in human history
ISBN-13: 9781481106733
Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date: 11/28/2012
Pages: 616
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.24(d)
From the website blogs.timesofisrael.com an article is titled
"The Invention of the Palestinian People" by Alan Meyer
AUG 9, 2019, 1:59 PM the article says:
"The other day the question was put to me why so many keep saying that Palestinians are an invented people.
A simple question with a complex answer.
Until the late 19th century, the term Palestinian was used as a regional term.
Residents living in the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean identified themselves primarily in terms of religion: Muslims felt far stronger bonds with remote co-religionists than with nearby Jews and Christians. Living in that area did not imply any sense of common political purpose or sense of discrete peoplehood or nationhood.
An identity as a people is one precursor to nationhood. And nationhood is the presence of common identity together with the three key elements of sovereignty, self-determination and self-sufficiency.
The “Palestinians” have never had this, and they still don’t have it. The concept that such a people exists is being forced on the world to achieve a base political goal.
In actual fact, the deliberate creation of the “Palestinian people” as a discrete entity in 1967, and the political group known as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964 was for the political purpose of destroying a sovereign and legally mandated Jewish state.
Till that point in time, nor, it will be shown, after that time, was there ever ANY sense or mention of a “Palestinian” people or nation.
The term Palestinian was ALWAYS followed by a descriptive noun – Arab; ie Palestinian Arab.
According to Palestinian historian Muhammad Y. Muslih, during the entire 400 year period of Ottoman rule (1517-1918), before the British set up the 30-year-long Palestine Mandate, “There was no political unit known as Palestine.”
When the Islamic armies conquered the Levant, they adopted the administrative name used by the Byzantines and dubbed part of Palestina Prima (“the first Palestine”) – more or less today’s Jerusalem area and the Shfela [coastal plain] – as “Jund Filastin.” Jund means “army;” Jund Filastin means “the Palestine military command.” In other words, the name did not signify the national identity of a “Palestinian people” who lived in the land, but instead, a military district, in line with the Byzantine nomenclature.
Until Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948, Palestine was the term for the territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The word Palestinian was applied to anyone living in that area.
As late as 1909 the first recorded Arab to use the term “Palestinian” was Farid Georges Kassab, a Beirut-based Orthodox Christian who, in 1909, espoused sympathy for Zionism. Kassab’s 1909 book stated that “the Orthodox Palestinian Ottomans call themselves Arabs, and are in fact Arabs.” Even Kassab decried the use of the term “Palestinian” Arab. Nevertheless, apart from the ancient indigenous Jews in the Levant, the largely Muslim Arab population identified only as Arab and ONLY with the start of the British mandate, was the term used to describe both Jew and Arab. So, the term Palestinian did not take on its current popular meaning until the mid-20th century and was used as a regional reference.
On a related tangent, in 1948, the invasion of Israel by 6 pan-Arab armies had NOTHING to do with creating an Arab Palestinian state but ALL to do with a classic imperialist Muslim scramble for Palestinian territory. Had they succeeded, as the first secretary-general of the Arab League, Abdel Rahman Azzam, admitted to a British reporter, Transjordan “was to swallow up the central hill regions of Palestine with access to the Mediterranean at Gaza. The Egyptians would get the Negev. The Galilee would go to Syria, except that the coastal part as far as Acre would be added to Lebanon.”
the article continues
"Had Israel lost the war, its territory would have been divided among the invading Arab forces. The name Palestine would have vanished into the dustbin of history.
So, are the “Palestinians” an invented people for purely political (anti-semitic) purposes?
Well, even Mandate Palestinian Arab leaders during the British mandate era (1920-48) who, as products of the Ottoman imperial system where religion constituted the linchpin of the socio-political order of things, had no real grasp of the phenomenon of nationalism. Hence, they had no interest in the evolution of a distinct Palestinian nation, or acknowledging a Palestinian “people”, because there simply wasn’t one.
As an example that there was no concept of “Palestinian” nationhood or peoplehood, the April 1920 pogrom in Jerusalem was not in the name of independence of the “Palestinian people” of the Mandate area, but under the demand for its incorporation into the (short-lived) Syrian kingdom, headed by Faisal ibn Hussein of Mecca….
In 1926, the Arab Executive Committee still referred to Palestine as the unlawfully severed southern part of “the one country of Syria, with its one population of the same language, origin, customs, and religious beliefs (emphasis mine), and its natural boundaries, as I pointed out earlier.
In July 1937, the Arab Higher Committee (AHC) justified its rejection of the Peel Commission’s recommendation for the partition of Palestine on the grounds that “this country does not belong only to [the] Palestine Arabs (that qualifying noun again….) but to the whole Arab and Muslim Worlds (emphasis mine).”
And finally, as late as August 1947, three months before the passing of the U.N. resolution partitioning Mandate Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, the AHC’s mouthpiece, al-Wahda, advocated the incorporation of Palestine (and Transjordan) into “Greater Syria (emphasis mine).”
No, there was no concept of a “Palestinian people” but rather, always one of Palestinian Arabs who were part of the wider Arab Muslim ummah.
How did they then suddenly appear as homogeneous ethnic group in 1967 when not even the Arab High Commission had ever heard of them?
There are undereducated misconceptions too that pan-Arabism was of no consequence in the dialogue surrounding the authenticity of the “Palestinian” “people”. This is untrue.
Even the younger generation of post 1948 Arab activists supported this ideal as evidenced by Ahmad Shuqeiri, a Lebanon-born politician of mixed Egyptian, Hijazi, and Turkish descent who served as the Arab League’s deputy secretary-general. As he put it, “Palestine is part and parcel in the Arab homeland.”
Asked to clarify which part of the “Arab homeland” this specific territory belonged, he added that Palestine “is nothing but southern Syria.”
And so, it is no surprise that Yasser Arafat, the (Egyptian born and educated) father of the “Palestinian people” followed this pan-Arab line. The 1964 PLO charter defined the Palestinians as “an integral part of the Arab nation”, rather than a distinct nationality (emphasis mine) and vowed allegiance to the ideal of pan-Arab unity – that is, to Palestine’s eventual assimilation into “the greater Arab homeland.”
In 1996, even that bastion which proclaims itself as the leader in the “struggle” for the Palestinian “people”, Hamas, said this, “Islamic and traditional views reject the notion of establishing an independent Palestinian state … In the past, there was no independent Palestinian state. … [Hence] our main goal is to establish a great Islamic state, be it pan-Arabic or pan-Islamic… This…land…is not the property of the Palestinians…. This land is the property of all Muslims in all parts of the world.” (senior Hamas leader Mahmud Zahar, 1996)"
& continues
"And finally, on this line of reasoning, it is not possible to go past the words of Azmi Bishara, founding leader of the nationalist Balad Party (with seats in the Israeli parliament since 1999). In a statement he made in 2002 he said: “My Palestinian identity never precedes my Arab identity…. I don’t think there is a Palestinian nation, there is [only] an Arab nation…. “
Not much more needs to be said; the concept of a Palestinian “people” engaged in a struggle of “liberation” from a colonial Jewish “oppressor” is a purposely misleading one, invented solely for the purpose of de-legitimising the Jewish state and its people.
The Levantine Arabs, up to and including 1948 , ALWAYS identified firstly on the basis of religion and secondly on the basis of ethnicity. Thus the Levant contained Christian ARABS, Muslim ARABS but only and always, Jews. In other words, the identity of those Arabs who today would like to be known as an ancient “Palestinian “people” have in actual fact NO distinguishing markers of a discrete peoplehood (ever) given that their identity is mostly based on shared customs and beliefs of their Arab Muslim brothers, ALL of them mediated by Islam.
Till 1967, nobody had ever heard of the “Palestinians” as a people, let alone a “people” steeped in antiquity. Its subsequent use is merely a political tool to delegitimise the Jewish claim to what was left of the division of the British Mandate into two projected Arab Muslim entities and one Jewish one.
However, there are those who will use meaningless terms like endogenesis and ethnogenesis in an attempt to pointlessly philosophise with words that have no concrete impact on the issue to hand.
Besides, the concept of a homogeneous, ethnic and disparate “Palestinian people” (endo/ethno genesis) is frankly ludicrous when one considers that through centuries of Muslim imperialism right down to the end of Ottoman Empire in 1918, caliphs and other rulers brought in hundreds of thousands of soldier slaves loyal to their pay masters.
The Tulunides brought in Turks and Negroes.
The Fatamids introduced Berbers, Slavs, Greeks, Kurds, and mercenaries of all kinds.
The Mamelukes imported legions of Georgians and Circassians.
Saladin brought in 150,000 Persians who were given lands in Galilee and the Sidon district for their services.
In the fourteenth century, 18,000 Yurate Tartars from the Euphrates were brought in, soon followed by 20,000 Ashiri and 4,000 Mongols who occupied the Jordan Valley and settled from Jerusalem south!! Mongols…"
& lastly says
"In 1830, as a further example, Mehemet [Muhammad] Ali colonized Jaffa and Nablus (Jewish Schem before the arab invasion and occupation…) with Egyptian soldiers and their Sudanese allies. So much so that british estimates of the 13,000 inhabitants of Jaffa, for example, ran at 8,000 Turco-Egyptians, 4,000 Greeks and Armenians, and 1,000 Maronites. The british did not consider that there were any Arabs at all in that city. ….
For her/his part, it would be a brave soul who would deny the constancy of the presence of the Jewish PEOPLE in the Levant over the past 3,000 years.
No, the whole concept of a “Palestinian people” is a base political strategy invented not to build a state but to destroy a neighbouring one. For this reason, many who are knowledgeable on this issue will continue to say they are an invented “people”.
Today, while the term Palestinian is applied to the Arabic-speaking residents of what is largely the State of Israel, this usage is purposely misleading because for most of human history, a “Palestinian” was simply a person born or living in that land with no connotation of being a “people”.
When used in reference only to non-Jews, it implies an historical claim to the territory in opposition to Israel. In reality, the concept of Palestine as a nation-state in opposition to Israel or as a racial group ( a “people”) predating the presence of Jewish inhabitants is historically false and is currently pushed as part of a broader strategy of delegitimising Jewish connection to the Land of Israel.
The tactic of the myth of a “Palestinian people” is simple yet sophisticated: preaching and dispersing lies and distortions of reality. History proves that the bigger the lie and the more common its reiteration, the more it is accepted as authentic and genuine.
After all, who can believe that an entire national leadership would dare to totally distort and fabricate history in full?
But the notion of a “Palestinian people” has been forced on Europe and America through the ploy of telling all players what they want to hear.
To a guilty Europe, where there is a high level of guilt and remorse about its own colonialist past, the creation of Israel is pitched as an excess of a bygone European colonialist era where Europe is directly blamed for the creation of the Jewish state.
To the Americans, where many feel guilt and remorse over historic racism, the Palestinians depict Israel as a racist state, which treats them in the same way as African Americans were treated.
And for the broader international community and for human rights organizations, Israel is a cruel occupier that violates all human rights and freedoms of the Palestinians.
But no matter the myth of a Palestinian “people”, ANY Palestinian national identity is overwhelmingly founded, and heavily predicated, on the negation of Jewish and Israeli identity, rather than on positive attributes or real history.
Arguably, the international community’s enabling and legitimizing of the wishes of a group of people with such an open hatred of a neighbouring sovereign state may be down to simple things: Oil, wilful naiveté, anti-semitism, and a politically correct unwillingness to offer any challenge to such falsehoods.
In the end though, it matters little. The modern re-constituted Jewish State of Israel and the Jewish people are celebrating 71 years of existence as contributing members of the family of nations; without the need to revise, falsify or fabricate its 3000 year old history.
The same cannot be said for the Palestinian “people”. "
From the website www.worldisraelnews.com an article about the Greatness of Israel is titled
"Space medicine: Israel, Italy to launch joint mission conducting zero gravity experiments"
February 3, 2020
the article says:
The experiment is not only a “wonderful example” of the close relations between Israel and Italy but also carries extraordinary potential on the business level.
By World Israel News Staff
"Israel and Italy are to jointly carry out a space mission to be launched at the end of March for the purpose of carrying out medical experiments that have the potential to produce a breakthrough, reports Israel Hayom.
According to the report, the launching of the unmanned satellite is one of the manifestations of closer ties that have been developing between the two countries.
The president of the Italian Space Agency, Giorgio Saccoccia, visited Israel on the occasion of Space Week at the end of January, says the newspaper.
He was a guest at the 15th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, which took place as part of the special events. Space Week is organized by Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
Ramon was an Israeli fighter pilot and later became the Jewish State’s first astronaut. At the age of 48, he and six other crew members of the Space Shuttle Columbia were killed in a re-entry accident on February 1, 2003.
Behind the upcoming Israeli-Italian launch are researchers from the two countries and Israel’s Space Pharma.
The company says that its “mission is to leverage the miniaturized microgravity lab technology, enabling unprecedented possibilities to develop new drugs in Space.”
On its website, Space Pharma explains that “these labs provide an agile platform that can allow you to get unprecedented results that can not be obtained [in a] terrestrial setting.”
Two of the experiments to be conducted during the upcoming binational mission were originated by The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, says Israel Hayom.
Tel HaShomer Hospital, the largest hospital in Israel, located outside Tel Aviv, is behind an additional experiment, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is responsible for a fourth experiment, says the report.
The research leading to one of the experiments was a collaborative effort involving professors from The Technion and the University of Bologna, says the Israeli daily.
Its purpose is to examine the behavior of anti-bacterial materials in space and the “influence on bacteria in zero gravity conditions,” the report adds.
The experiments are to be carried out “by remote control” from Earth, it notes.
In an interview with Israel Hayom, Saccoccia said that the experiment is not only a “wonderful example” of the close relations between Israel and Italy but also carries extraordinary potential on the business level.
Asked why Rome was cooperating with Jerusalem in the realm of space research, the president of the Italian Space Agency praised Israel for the way it exploits technological education from a young age to advance space initiatives." Many People have said How
Israel & Italy are the two Greatest Countries in the World
From the website of the New York Daily News nydailynews.com an Opinion article is titled
"‘We are all Jews’: The wartime heroism of Roddie Edmonds merits the Medal of Honor and Congressional Gold Medal"
By DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |
JAN 19, 2020 | 4:00 AM
The highest accolades for Edmonds. (AP). the article says:
"Thursday, as his impeachment trial was opening, President Trump tweeted something of notable importance about a selfless act of a hero 75 years ago in a German POW camp.
This is the story of Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, a 26-year-old Tennessean.
Edmonds, of the 106th Infantry Division, was captured in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. By January he was in Stalag IX-A, a detention camp for enlisted men, where he was the senior American serviceman.
He was directed by the camp’s commandant, a Major Siegmann, to assemble all the Jewish GIs the next day. Jews already knew to ditch their dog tags, with an “H” for Hebrew, if captured by the Nazis. Edmonds ordered the whole camp of more than 1,000 men to stand the next morning.
Siegmann barked at Edmonds in English, “They cannot all be Jews.” Edmonds replied, “We are all Jews.”
The German grabbed his pistol, preparing to shoot Edmond. Facing down death, Edmonds said, “According to the Geneva Convention, we have to give only our name, rank and serial number. If you shoot me, you will have to shoot all of us, and after the war you will be tried for war crimes.” Siegmann walked away.
Edmonds died in 1985. In 2015, Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, named him Righteous Among the Nations. The Pentagon should bestow on him the Medal of Honor. In the Capitol, there’s an effort to grant Edmonds a Congressional Gold Medal, which is what Trump tweeted about, saying he’s “Looking at this strongly!”
Enough looking. Get it done." RIP Roddie Edmonds
From the Wikipedia entry for the late so-called "Journalist" Peter Jennings , part of the entry says
"In 1972, Jennings covered his first major breaking news story, the Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes by Black September. His live reporting, which drew on the expertise he had acquired in the Middle East, provided context for Americans who were unfamiliar with the Palestinian group. By hiding with his camera crew close to the athletic compound where the Israeli athletes were being held hostage, Jennings was able to provide ABC with clear video of the masked hostage-takers.[3] He would later be criticized for insisting on using the terms "guerillas" and "commandos" instead of "terrorists" to describe the members of Black September." Many people have said those criminal cold blooded heartless Arab "Palestinian" terrorists are really
Gorillas , Ugly Arab Terrorist Gorillas , Not guerillas , good that Peter Jennings is dead, thank God he's dead,
From the website spectator.org an article is titled
"The Myth and Fraud That There Ever Was an Arab Country or People Called ‘Palestine’ (Part 1)"
(Part One of Two)
Dov Fischer by DOV FISCHER
June 25, 2019, 12:09 AM
Rashida Tlaib (VOA/Creative Commons) �� Listen to this article
the article says
"In a recent Nazi outrage, Rashida Tlaib, Democrat Liar of Michigan, stated that the Holocaust has had a “calming” effect on her because the “Palestinians” “welcomed” the Jews into “their” land as a haven from Hitler. The Big Lie — in so many dimensions.
New to the fray, South Bend Mayor Buttigieg — an expert on world affairs though still unable to maintain civil equanimity in his own city where African Americans are furious over a recent police shooting — has announced that, if Israel ever extends sovereignty into any part of Judea or Samaria, he will cut off aid to Israel accordingly if he is elected President. Others on the same bandwagon: Robert O’Rourke, a Scottish-Irish skateboarder best known for break-ins, drunk driving, computer hacking, faking Hispanic heritage, and having his ear hairs cut. Bernie Sanders, an American Communist. What these and their ilk all have in common is that they each see nothing anti-Semitic in anything that Ilhan Abdullahi Omar or Rashida Tlaib has written or spoken, but they are unable to tolerate Jewish life in Judea and Samaria.
Even true friends of Israel in Washington, D.C. like Sen. Lindsey Graham have succumbed to decades of the Biggest Mideast Lie: that there ever was an Arab political entity of “Palestine” or that there ever was a “Palestinian Arab nation.” The dizzying repetition of that Big Lie for so many decades causes even United States Senators and House Representatives who should — and who privately do — know better to speak of “The Two-State Solution.” But that very notion is illogical, absurd, nonsensical. People say it without thinking about it: “The Two-State Solution.” What are they talking about? Given what America intermittently but never-endingly faces in purgatory-hole countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Lebanon — does it really advance American interests to create yet another Muslimarabstan that will be yet another center for international terror and that ultimately will bog thousands more American troops and billions more in defense spending in yet another Middle East purgatory? Does America really benefit by giving Hamas and Fatah terrorists new countries of their own?"
the article continues
"Notice that the danger is so perilous that no one admits that they are speaking of giving the terrorists a “country,” not a “state.” Delaware is a state. North Dakota is a state. But Muslimarabstanpalestine would be a country. That is a solution? And have you ever looked at the map of the region? Gaza is on one side, and Judea-Samaria (the “West Bank) is utterly separate. Those two regions are not one entity. Even now, Gaza is ruled by Hamas terrorists, and the “Palestine Authority” is run by Abu Mazen (aka Mahmoud Abbas) and Fatah terrorists. And they regularly hate and kill each other. So it is not about a “Two State Solution” but a “Three Country Quagmire.”
More: Given that no Muslimarabstan in “Palestine” will allow any single Jew to live there, has anyone given thought to how exactly 450,000 Jews are going to be uprooted from their homes in Judea and Samaria, plus another 325,000 Jews from East Jerusalem? Sure, Adolf Hitler had a way to do it. Is that the American “Two State Solution,” too — to send in storm troopers, round-up and force Jews onto cattle cars, force them into concentration camps? What exactly is the European Union idea for uprooting 775,000 Jews from Judea and Samaria? Oh, and by the way, these Jews are not like the ones in the Holocaust movies. And where exactly will they be re-concentrated? In refugee camps in Syria? Will the European Union ask Germany to restore some of their available facilities, perhaps in Dachau and other picture-postcard locations, although it will cost them the tourist trade of those who love to visit concentration camp museums?"
& continues
"Do you see how none of this “Two State Solution” makes any sense once you actually think beyond a slogan? Now let us look deeper at real facts:
First, the Arabs of pre-state Israel were pro-Hitler Nazis. Their undisputed leader, Haj Amin el-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, traveled to Berlin and met with Hitler, counseled Hitler and his Nazi leadership, and urged the tertiation of the Jews. As Menachem Begin has stated, the Jews were not decimated by Hitler but tertiated. That is, the Nazis did not murder one Jew in ten but one-third of all European Jewry. The Grand Mufti played a major role in inciting the tertiation of the Jews. Here is the official transcript of the Grand Mufti’s meeting with Hitler on November 28, 1941. Despite Tlaib’s lies and the falsehoods taught in colleges by tenured professors who cannot be fired, these Arab Muslims were not freedom fighters; they were Hitler Nazis. They did not welcome Jews; they helped Hitler murder Jews.
Writing in the November 11, 2015 issue of Ami Magazine, Holocaust historian Dr. Rafael Medoff recounts that the Grand Mufti approached Nazi Germany’s consul-general in Jerusalem, Heinrich Wolff, “salut[ing] the new regime in Germany and hop[ing] for the spread of fascist anti-democratic leadership to other countries.” The Mufti helped organize an Arab Legion to fight in the Nazi German army, and he created an all-Muslim division of the SS that perpetrated so many atrocities that the Grand Mufti later was indicted for War Crimes. Eichmann testified at his war crimes trial that several Mufti staff members were stationed in Eichmann’s office to gain expertise in starting a Gestapo in the Mideast. The Arab Muslim infatuation with Hitler Nazism continued after WWII, as thousands of Nazi War Criminals found safe haven in those countries. SS Lt. Alois Brunner and SS Capt. Theodor Dannecker in Syria and Gestapo Col. Leopold Gleim in Egypt were among the more prominent of the thousands who received Nazi Sanctuary in the Muslim Arab world. Id. at 76-80.
The Arabs of pre-state Israel launched vicious pogroms in 1920-21, 1929, and 1936-39. These are facts. Look it up: 1929. 1936-1939. The Hebron Massacre. You want pictures of newspaper headlines? Try this. Or this. Or this. What — they welcomed the Jews? Big Lie.
Rashida Tlaib is a fork-tongued liar. Moreover, any of her Democrat Left defenders who say she was taken out of context also is a liar. And anyone who says she has been misunderstood is a liar. Her entire Big Lie paradigm is constructed on yet an even bigger underlying lie: The Myth of “The Palestinians.”
& continues
"The entire “Palestine” myth is built on one Big Lie after another. Recently, the New York Times even published an article asserting that Jesus was a “Palestinian Arab.” Having spread the Big Lie for so long — half a century — having defrauded so many gullible people and a new generation of campus ignoramuses to believe the Big Lie that there ever was an Arab country called “Palestine” and the concomitant Big Lie that there ever was an ancient Arab people called “The Palestinians,” they now have moved to the next phase: that Jesus was one.
Let the Myth and Fraud of “Palestine” and the Lie of “The Palestinians” be set straight.
Roman conquerors under Vespasian and Titus destroyed the Holy Temple in the year 70, and the Romans drove most of the remaining Jews out of Israel in the year 135 under Hadrian and Julius Severus with the fall of Fortress Betar. To extinguish the Jewish bond with the land for all forthcoming eternity, and to prevent yet another Jewish return to Israel from Exile as had happened only seventy years after the Babylonian expulsion of 586 B.C.E., the Romans changed the very name of the land to identify it with the pagan Biblical peoples who preceded the Jews there before Joshua: the Philistines (“Plishtim,” in Biblical Hebrew). That is where the name “Palestine” comes from: Rome naming the conquered land for the Plishtim, the Philistines of the time of Joshua and Samson and King Saul. And the Philistines clung to the Gaza-Ashkelon corridor along the Mediterranean coast, utterly irrelevant to the Judea-Samaria (“West Bank”) heartland. There were no Arab Muslims in the Bible. You want a citation to prove it? OK, open any Bible. Every sentence proves it. Indeed, there was no Islam until Mohammed half a millennium later in the Seventh Century.
For the two thousand years after the Romans renamed Israel, the land of “Palestine” was synonymous with the Land of Israel. There never were a “Palestinian Arab” nation; no Arabs denominated themselves “The Palestinians.” They staked no claims. There never was an Arab political entity called “Palestine.” Open an Encyclopedia pre-dating 1964, and look up “Palestine.” Identify the name of any Arab Muslim who ever was the “King of Palestine,” the “Sheikh of Palestine,” the “Emperor of Palestine,” the “Prime Minister of Palestine,” the “President of Palestine.” Name a “Palestinian” painter of note, a thinker, a poet, a soccer team. There never was an Arab anything called “Palestine” and never an Arab people by such name. Any statement otherwise is a lie and a fraud on society that easily can be fooled when mass media decide to cooperate and partner in the Big Lie. Go ahead and Google their historic bond, their claim of predating the Jews in Israel. Nothing before the 1920s. They claim there never was a Jewish Holy Temple on Mount Zion. Open your Jewish Bible. I Kings 6-7. Look in the Christian Bible: Matthew 21. Luke 2. John 2. Yet today’s Grand Mufti of Jerusalem preaches that there never was a Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Abu Mazen (aka Mahmoud Abbas), Holocaust Denier and leader of the Palestine Authority, likewise denies all such history. That Big Lie not only negates Judaism but also Christianity’s core narrative of the life of Jesus.
And the irony of their Holocaust denial and Jerusalem Temple denial is that there never was an Arab country or people called “Palestine.”
Part 2 of the article says
"DOV IS ALL YOU NEED
The Myth and Fraud That There Ever Was an Arab Country or People Called ‘Palestine’ (Part Two of Two)
No more lies, please: Palestine is Israel.
Dov Fischer by DOV FISCHER
June 26, 2019, 12:14 AM and it says
"As noted in the prior installment, the entire “Palestine” myth is built on one Big Lie after another. Recently, the New York Times even published an article asserting that Jesus was a “Palestinian Arab.” Having spread the Big Lie for so long — half a century — having defrauded so many gullible people and a new generation of campus ignoramuses to believe the Big Lie that there ever was any Arab country called “Palestine” and the concomitant Big Lie that there ever was an ancient Arab people called “The Palestinians,” they now have moved to the next phase: that Jesus supposedly was one.
For the two thousand years after the Romans renamed Israel, the land of “Palestine” was synonymous with the Land of Israel. There never was an Arab political entity called “Palestine.” No Arabs denominated themselves “The Palestinians.” Open an Encyclopedia pre-dating 1964, and look up “Palestine.” Google and find the name of any Arab Muslim who ever was the “King of Palestine,” the “Sheikh of Palestine,” the “Emperor of Palestine,” the “Prime Minister of Palestine,” the “President of Palestine.” There never was an Arab anything called “Palestine” and never an Arab people by such name, not even a soccer team — not even “Palestinian” terrorists through all the centuries before the 1920s. Today’s Grand Mufti of Jerusalem preaches that there never was a Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Mahmoud Abbas, Holocaust Denier and leader of the Palestine Authority, likewise denies all such history. That Big Lie not only negates Judaism but also Christianity’s core narrative of the life of Jesus.
Roman conquerors under Vespasian and Titus destroyed the Holy Temple in the year 70, and the Romans drove most of the remaining Jews out of Israel in the year 135 under Hadrian and Julius Severus with the fall of Fortress Betar. To extinguish the Jewish bond with the land for all forthcoming eternity, and to prevent yet another Jewish return to Israel from Exile as had happened only seventy years after the Babylonian expulsion of 586 B.C., the Romans changed th every name of the land to identify it with the pagan Biblical peoples who preceded the Jews there before Joshua: the Philistines (“Plishtim,” in Biblical Hebrew). That is where the name “Palestine” comes from: Not Arabs bearing a name — but Rome renaming the conquered Land of Israel for the Plishtim, the Philistines of the time of Joshua and Samson and King Saul. Those Biblical Philistines clung to the Gaza-Ashkelon corridor along the Mediterranean coast, utterly irrelevant to the Judea-Samaria (“West Bank”) heartland. There were no Arab Muslims in the Bible. Indeed, there was no Islam until Mohammed half a millennium later in the Seventh Century."
& continues
"“Palestine” always meant “Israel.” The American organization that raised money for the Irgun — the Jewish underground that fought alongside the Haganah when England would not allow Jewish refugees from Hitler, fleeing desperately on ships like “The Exodus” to find sanctuary in Israel — was the “American League for a Free Palestine.” The English-language Jewish daily newspaper in Israel before the State of Israel was established in 1948 was the “Palestine Post.” The United Jewish Appeal before 1948 was the United Palestine Appeal. Indeed, Encyclopedia Britannica’s entry on Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, titles him the “Chief Rabbi of Palestine.”
Think particularly about that last one: “The Palestinians” had a Chief Rabbi? Rashida Tlaib has a Chief Rabbi? Arafat had a Chief Rabbi? Hamas has a Chief Rabbi? Of course not. (Nor did Ilhan Omar have a Chief Rabbi for all of her tax and dubious marriage shenanigans.) The point is: Palestine is Israel.
Until 1964, Arabs never undertook to establish a “Palestine” in either Judea-Samaria (the “West Bank”) or in Gaza — even though they controlled both regions for two decades from 1948-1967 (Jordan illegally occupying Judea-Samaria and Egypt illegally holding Gaza). When the “Palestine Liberation Organization” was fabricated by Ahmed Shukairy in 1964, the “Palestine” they wanted to “liberate” was the entire country of Israel. No PLO attacks aimed at “liberating” Gaza or the “West Bank.” All PLO terror attacks from their 1964 founding and until 1967 were aimed exclusively at sites within Israeli cities. Only after Egypt, Syria, and Jordan allied for war in 1967 to drive the Jews into the Mediterranean Sea did a new revamped “Palestine Myth” emerge. Israel emerged from that June 1967 war liberating East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the rest of Judea and Samaria, and Gaza. Only then — suddenly — did the “Palestine” myth change: Now the PLO wanted Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”) and Gaza. Suddenly, that was “Palestine.”
Ask yourself: Why do the Arabs call Judea and Samaria the “West Bank”? Do people call Jersey City or Hoboken or Secaucus the “West Bank” even though those cities lie on the west bank of the Hudson River? Why call Jewish cities in Judea and Samaria the “West Bank” when they are nowhere near the Jordan River? Answer: Because, through all of Arab history, Arabs never had any name for the region because it was not theirs. They had names for Egypt, for Lebanon, but no name for Judea and Samaria. And yet they would sound laughable, even to Democrat Left ignoramuses who boycott Israel, if they were to proclaim:“Judea belongs to Arabs because there never were Jews in Judea.” Even they cannot lie that baldly. “Judea” (“Yehudah” in the original Biblical Hebrew) is eponymously named for the Jewish tribe of Judah (likewise “Yehudah”), the tribe of David and Solomon, that was apportioned that region by Joshua. Christians find that Luke 17:11 discusses Jesus in Samaria and that John 4:1-4 discusses Jesus going from Judea to the Galilee by way of Samaria. Nowhere in the Jewish Bible nor in the Christian Bible is the region, the very heartland of Israel, called “West Bank.” That name is utter nonsense. So the Arabs call it “The West Bank.” Think about it: All the rest of the region is known by Biblical names: Lebanon, Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, Hebron, Bethlehem, Galilee, Beersheba, Jerusalem. Yet, after all the millennia, they never had reason to name Judea and Samaria."
& continues
"“One picture is worth a thousand words.” The Al Fatah flag of the PLO of Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) of the “Palestine Authority” depicts the “Palestine” they seek: the entire State of Israel. Same with the flag of Hamas. Also the flag of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. And of their “General Command.” Likewise the flag of Islamic Jihad. Each flag depicts their definition of “Palestine”: not a country comprised of “West Bank” and Gaza. Rather, the entirety of Israel. That is what they mean when they chant: “Long Live the Intifada” and “From the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea / ‘Palestine’ Will Be Free.” It has been the dream of Nazis from Adolf Hitler to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and now to their new Democrat cohort of Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and their ilk: an Israel free of Jews — and of Christians — once again. After two thousand years of driving Jews out of European countries and yelling “Go to Israel!” now they would declare Judea and Samaria as the one place on earth barred to Jewish residence. The arrogance: Ilhan Omar of Somalia has a right to live in Minnesota with all her husbands, but Jews have no right to live in Judea?
Facts remain facts. Jews, Catholics, and Protestants all have access to Biblical narratives that tell a profound truth: There never ever was an Arab country called “Palestine,” and there never ever were an Arab people who called themselves “The Palestinians” until the past century. Their claims are bogus. Their lies are brazen. Brazen, even as they have used $360 million per year of American tax dollars and European Union grants to send monthly cash-bonus stipends-for-life to families and relatives of convicted terrorists, like the one who murdered American military hero and Vanderbilt University MBA student Taylor Force, while he was touring Israel.
In foreseeable time, the Israeli Government finally will extend sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, just as it did in East Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights. There now are 325,000 Jews living in East Jerusalem in Judea, and another 450,000 Jews living throughout communities in the rest of Judea and Samaria. Those who echo mindless tropes about a “Two State Solution” have absolutely no idea what they are talking about and how preposterous the notion is. Iowa is a state. New Hampshire is a state. Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas each would be getting a Terror Country — and their two territorial entities have no connection with each other; they hate each other. No one is going to uproot and displace nearly a million Jews from their homes in cities throughout Judea and Samaria. To remove Jews from Hebron, where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah repose? From the region where Rachel’s Tomb stands? To ethnically cleanse Jews out of the regions where Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel prophesied? Absurd."
& lastly says
"The first zone ripe for reunification into Israel is the region in Judea and Samaria known as “Area C.” That area comprises 61% of Judea and Samaria, not counting Jerusalem, and — despite the endless Fake News that falsifies demographics — “Area C” of the “West Bank” has a clear majority Jewish population. Israel should have extended sovereignty over “Area C” fifty years ago, when she did so over East Jerusalem and the Golan. Better late than never. The United Nations, the European Union, the Arab and Muslim World, and the Russia-China-North Korea Axis will oppose it. And that is the beauty of Israel having been the target of their one-sided, viciously unfair and biased attacks for more than seventy years: Israelis and those who support Israel throughout the world learned decades ago to tune out the condemnations as so much static. It is every bit as easy to tune out Bernie the Communist, Ilhan the Jew-Hater, Rashida the Fraudster, Robert O’Rourke the computer-hacking, drunk-driving, Hispanic Impostor, and the rest of them.
Get ready for Israeli sovereignty in Area C. Coming soon." that article was from the website Spectator.org The American Spectator
From the Jerusalem post website www.jpost.com an article is titled
"1967 and the myth of Palestinian victimization" and it says
The days of David vs. Goliath and the image of Israel as a country threatened with imminent destruction are long gone.
By GERALD M. STEINBERG MAY 16, 2017 21:30 Email Twitter Facebook fb-messenger
IDF CHIEF RABBI Shlomo Goren blows a shofar while he clutches a Torah scroll at the Western Wall on the day Jerusalem was reunified in June 1967 (photo credit: GPO)
IDF CHIEF RABBI Shlomo Goren blows a shofar while he clutches a Torah scroll at the Western Wall on the day Jerusalem was reunified in June 1967
(photo credit: GPO) the article says
"In the weeks of tension before the Six Day War, Israel’s struggle for survival was seen around the world as a contest between good and evil. The threats to “push the Jews into the sea,” were widely reported, as were the military preparations and sudden departure of UN peacekeepers. Israel was still the plucky David of 1948, ominously threatened by the Arab Goliath. Although the PLO – the Palestine Liberation Organization – was created in 1964, the Palestinians received little attention. In this environment, Israel’s success was widely applauded, particularly in the West.
But gradually, the images began to change as the Arabs used their oil power and threats of terrorism to gain allies and market anti-Israel campaigns in Europe. In France, the elite’s support for Israel waned before 1967, based on a cold calculation of economic interests, and in Britain, a mix of Arabist romanticism and antisemitism gained influence.
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Under Yasser Arafat, PLO airplane hijackings and mass terrorism such as the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre put the “plight of the Palestinians” high on the priority list, and the Arab oil embargo that accompanied the 1973 Yom Kippur War reinforced this process. Support for Israel became a liability, but rather than admitting that this was due to weakness and fear, political officials and diplomats blamed the post-1967 “occupation.”
Israel suddenly became the dominant power, and was automatically pronounced guilty (without much of a trial) for the failure to end the conflict. In 1980, Europe officially promoted Palestinian independence as a magic solution to the conflict, and condemned “Israeli settlements” as the “primary obstacle to the peace process,” while terrorism and incitement were hidden under the diplomatic, journalistic and academic carpets.
This language and the policies behind it have not changed in 37 years."
the article continues
"But for Palestinian leaders, settlements and the absence of a Palestinian state next to Israel were not the main issues; Arafat told anyone who would listen that “the goal of our struggle is the end of Israel, and there can be no compromise or mediations. We don’t want peace, we want victory. Peace for us means Israel’s destruction and nothing else.” (Cited in The Washington Post, March 29, 1970.) In the United Nations, which was still taken seriously at that time, the Arabs were joined by the Soviet Union, which combined Cold War competition with crude antisemitism.
Bodies such as the UN Commission on Human Rights (now a council) were turned into platforms for Israel-bashing – in part for its own sake, and also to turn attention away from the dictatorships. As one official noted, it was much easier to “support a condemnation of Israel for reprisals against Arab sabotage” than to deal with real abuses.
UNRWA, created in 1948 ostensibly to help war refugees, remains a permanent source of propaganda and hate, and in 1975, the UN General Assembly adopted the infamous “Zionism is racism” resolution. The Division for Palestinian Rights was created and funded to orchestrate a traveling road show known as the Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to promote the mythology in Jakarta, Beijing, Brussels and elsewhere.
Into this propaganda mix powerful human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, began promoting the myths of Palestinian victimization and Israeli “violations of international law.” Mass producing condemnations of Israeli “occupation” while erasing the images of Palestinian terrorism and its victims, they rewrote the history of the conflict as well as the reality on the ground. A generation of journalists, political officials, and other “elite opinion makers” were indoctrinated into accepting this narrative without question. In this environment, the transition to boycott campaigns and other forms of demonization was simple.
Among Israelis, the gap between our understanding of history and the way it was portrayed elsewhere was largely ignored, allowing the damage to fester and grow. When politicians finally recognized the implications of the “narrative war,” many of the responses, including the recent legislation to ban leading foreign boycott activists, were heavy-handed and counterproductive.
As the 50-year anniversary of the 1967 war approaches, the myths of Palestinian victimization and Israeli guilt will resonate widely in the UN, college campuses and media platforms.
The challenge is to expose these slogans, and restore at least some connection to reality. But whether this will actually happen depends on how we package our messaging.
The days of David vs. Goliath and the image of Israel as a country threatened with imminent destruction are long gone."
The author is a professor of political science at Bar Ilan University and president of NGO Monitor.
From the website www.resonsforjesus.com an article was titled
"Was Jesus Black? Looking At Revelation 1:14-15"
By Steven Bancarz - October 25, 2017 the article says
" It is sometimes suggested that the book of Revelation describes a black-skinned Jesus. This argument is usually put forth by the Black Hebrew Israelites as an apologetic for black people being the real Jews and the white man being evil, and the verses used to support this idea are in Revelation 1:14-15 where it says:
“The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.”
We are left with depictions of Jesus that look more like Kimbo Slice than a first century Palestinian Jew. Before we look at this verse in detail, it’s important to note that as a first century middle eastern man, Jesus would have most likely had an olive coloured tan. A medium to dark tan, but not totally black as black skin is simply not the complexion of middle eastern men, anthropologically and historically speaking.
But anthropology aside, let’s take a look at this verse and see if the Black Hebrew Israelite movement is justified in claiming that the Messiah is actually a black man from this passage in Revelation. It’s not that there would be anything wrong with Jesus being black (though history/anthropology don’t support this), but when cults begin to use this verse to push their heretical, divisive beliefs, it’s good to get into the habit of cross-checking these claims against the word of God.
Hair like wool?
The verse says his hair was white like wool, not that it was textured like wool, or that it appeared as wool. If I said that someone’s hair was red like an apple, does that mean we should envision them with a bunch of apples on their head? Or if someone’s hair is brown like chocolate, that we should imagine their head has a bunch of chocolate on it?
Jesus is not said to have hair like wool, but to have hair the colour of wool. It actually says in verse 14 that it was white like snow as well, and obviously Jesus doesn’t have hair that was shaped or textured like snowflakes. White like wool, not textured like wool or in the likeness of wool.
Why was it white like wool? This may be because Jesus was in a glorified/heavenly state, and just as we see from verse 16 that his face was shining like the sun, the hair of Jesus was also radiating and illuminating the glory and holiness of God Himself. The fullness of the glory of Christ was seen by some of the disciples in Matthew 17 during the transfiguration on the mount, where it says:
AND HE WAS TRANSFIGURED BEFORE THEM, AND HIS FACE SHONE LIKE THE SUN, AND HIS CLOTHES BECAME WHITE AS LIGHT. – MATTHEW 17:2"
the article continues
"The clothes he was wearing became white as a result of the glorification, implying that they weren’t originally white. “Became” implies a process of change. They used to be a colour other than white, and then they became white from the glory. It is most probable that the hair of Jesus was white in the same context that his clothes were white, being totally and completely lit up from the glory of God emanating from him.
Feet like burnished bronze?
His feet were like “burnished bronze” as it says in the ESV, or “refined brass” as it says in the KJV. If we are going to look at the English translation only and assume this is a reference to skin colour, we could at most say this is a dark tan, and may have been closer to a gold/light-brown if we are going to go with the KJV says (which Black Hebrew Israelites will often use as their primary translation).
Polished brass and fine brass are not black or dark brown. It is golden/tanned. However, burnished bronze is closer to a dark brown. Doesn’t this mean Jesus had the skin colour of a black man? Not necessarily, for two primary reasons.
1. The Greek word used for “bronze” and “brass” is ambiguous.
Difficulties arise when we look at the original word that is used here. The word used here in Greek is χαλκολίβανον or “chalkolibanon” which can mean bronze, refined brass, golden ore, or even white/shining copper:
However, we cannot be certain of which alloy his feet are said to be like as this word in Greek is used not anywhere else in Scripture prior to this verse, or anywhere else in ancient Greek literature:
“The feet are likened to chalkolibanon. This word is not found anywhere before this book, and neither here nor in its other occurrence (2:18) does the context make clear what it means. Bronze glowing in a furnace may be right but we have no way of knowing. The chalko-points to an alloy of copper (chalkos = copper), but the evidence does not permit us to say with any certainty which alloy. The reference to the furnace strengthens the conviction that something metallic is in mind.” – Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 58). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
“Fine brass. This may stand as a translation of χαλκολίβανος, a word which occurs here and in ch. 2:18 only, and the second half of which has never been satisfactorily explained. It may have been a local technical term in use among the metalworkers of Ephesus” – Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Revelation (p. 7). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company."
& continues
"“The difficult compound word χαλκολιβάνῳ, “bronze,” is found just twice in Revelation (here and 2:18) and nowhere else in ancient Greek literature.” – Aune, D. E. (1998). Revelation 1–5 (Vol. 52A, p. 96). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
2. Feet like burnished bronze may be a symbolic simile for attributes of Christ, not a reference to skin colour.
Furthermore, the reference to the bronze coloured feet may be a simile for divinity and divine judgement:
“Among the lampstands John saw Someone “like a Son of Man,” an expression used in Daniel 7:13 to refer to Christ. The description was that of a priest dressed in a long robe … with a golden sash around his chest. The whiteness of His hair corresponded to that of the Ancient of Days (cf. Dan. 7:9), a reference to God the Father. God the Son has the same purity and eternity as God the Father, as signified by the whiteness of His head and hair. The eyes like blazing fire described His piercing judgment of sin (cf. Rev. 2:18). This concept is further enhanced by His feet which were like bronze glowing in a furnace (cf. 2:18). The bronze altar in the temple was related to sacrifice for sin and divine judgment on it.” – Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 930–931). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
“Christ’s feet are described as “like bronze as having been fired in a furnace,” which suggests his moral purity and will become the basis for his demand that those among whom he walks must reflect this purity in the midst of moral torpitude (cf. 3:18, where “fired” is used in this manner).” Beale, G. K. (1999). The book of Revelation: a commentary on the Greek text (pp. 209–210). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
Figures in the early church understood his bronze feet could mean a variety of things including a metaphor for the apostles themselves, for the two natures of Christ, for the human nature of Christ, and for the church itself.
It says in verse 14 that his eyes were like a flame of fire the end of verse 15 that his voice is like a roar of many waters. Does this mean Jesus had orange eyes? Did Jesus’ voice actually sound like water, or is this a simile for power and authority of speech? In 16 it says that he was holding stars and that a sword was coming out of his mouth. Was Jesus actually holding literal stars and was a literal sword coming out of his mouth, or is this metaphorical imagery for the attributes and functions of Jesus?
A very strong argument can be made that the literary genre this book is written in (Apocalypse) permits us to adopt the view that this is metaphorical, poetic imagery attempting to portray some aspect of the person of Jesus, just as the surrounding verses in 14 and 16 do."
& lastly says
"Conclusion
Jesus did not have hair like wool. His hair was white like wool and like snow, but the hair itself is not said to be like wool. Just like saying someone has hair that is orange like carrots does not mean that their hair looks like a bunch of carrots.
But what about his feet? To call Jesus black based on this text is not only going above and beyond the certainty of the original Greek word used here (chalkolibanon) which can also refer to brass, gold, copper, and any kind of alloy, it is to ignore the metaphorical imagery that contextualizes and surrounds these specific verses. It is far too ambiguous and can just as equally mean fine brass (which is golden).
Furthermore, it says in verse 16 that Jesus’s face was like the sun shining in full strength, which means his face isn’t described as being bronze like his feet are. We all know this is a reference to Jesus being the light of the world and being lit up in glory, which is the whole point. We know Jesus here doesn’t actually have yellow-white skin on his face but simply a face that shines in glory like the sun. Likewise, we need not assume Jesus had bronze-coloured feet (with a yellow-white face) but feet that were sanctified, purified, purified with fire, and divine." Jesus was a Middle Eastern JEW,
Not a "Palestinian" , Not a so-called "Palestinian" again let's remember, Jesus was and IS a Middle Eastern JEW, Arab Supremacists & Islamic Supremacists who claim Jesus was "Palestinian" are worthless loser liars, worthless turds & the Real Racists
From the website www.israelnationalnews.com an article from 2001 is titled
"The Myth Of The Palestinian People"
The Myth Of The Palestinian People
Only one question never seems to be addressed: Who are the Palestinians? Who are these people who claim the Holy Land as their own? What is their history? Where did they come from? How did they arrive in the country they call Palestine? Now that both US President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (in direct opposition to the platform he was elected on) have come out in favor of a
Contributing Author, 26/12/01 23:26 the article says:
"Palestinians doubt Blair can deliver,? announces the BBC. ?Four Palestinians die in West Bank,? reports CNN. ?IDF demolishes building used by Palestinian gunmen,? announces Israel?s government run Channel 1 News. The modern media is filled with stories about the Palestinians, their plight, their dilemmas and their struggles. All aspects of their lives seem to have been put under the microscope. Only one question never seems to be addressed: Who are the Palestinians? Who are these people who claim the Holy Land as their own? What is their history? Where did they come from? How did they arrive in the country they call Palestine? Now that both US President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (in direct opposition to the platform he was elected on) have come out in favor of a Palestinian state, it would be prudent to seek answers to these questions. For all we know, Palestine could be as real as Disneyland.
The general impression given in the media is that Palestinians have lived in the Holy Land for hundreds, if not thousands of years. No wonder, then, that a recent poll of French citizens shows that the majority believe (falsely) that prior to the establishment of the State of Israel an independent Arab Palestinian state existed in its place. Yet curiously, when it comes to giving the history of this ?ancient? people most news outlets find it harder to go back more than the early nineteen hundreds. CNN, an agency which has devoted countless hours of airtime to the ?plight? of the Palestinians, has a website which features a special section on the Middle East conflict called ?Struggle For Peace?. It includes a promising sounding section entitled ?Lands Through The Ages? which assures us it will detail the history of the region using maps. Strangely, it turns out, the maps displayed start no earlier than the ancient date of 1917. The CBS News website has a background section called ?A Struggle For Middle East Peace.?? Its history timeline starts no earlier than 1897. The NBC News background section called ??Searching for Peace?? has a timeline which starts in 1916. BBC?s timeline starts in 1948.
Yet, the clincher must certainly be the Palestinian National Authority?s own website. While it is top heavy on such phrases as ?Israeli occupation? and ?Israeli human rights violations? the site offers practically nothing on the history of the so-called Palestinian people. The only article on the site with any historical content is called ?Palestinian History - 20th Century Milestones? which seems only to confirm that prior to 1900 there was no such concept as the Palestinian People. "
the article continues
"While the modern media maybe short on information about the history of the ?Palestinian people? the historical record is not. Books, such as Battleground by Samuel Katz and From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters long ago detailed the history of the region. Far from being settled by Palestinians for hundreds, if not thousands of years, the Land of Israel, according to dozens of visitors to the land, was, until the beginning of the last century, practically empty. Alphonse de Lamartine visited the land in 1835. In his book, Recollections of the East, he writes "Outside the gates of Jerusalem we saw no living object, heard no living sound?." None other than the famous American author Mark Twain, who visited the Land of Israel in 1867, confirms this. In his book Innocents Abroad he writes, ?A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action. We reached Tabor safely?. We never saw a human being on the whole journey.? Even the British Consul in Palestine reported, in 1857, ?The country is in a considerable degree empty of inhabitants and therefore its greatest need is that of a body of population??
In fact, according to official Ottoman Turk census figures of 1882, in the entire Land of Israel, there were only 141,000 Muslims, both Arab and non-Arab. This number was to skyrocket to 650,000 Arabs by 1922, a 450% increase in only 40 years. By 1938 that number would become over 1 million or an 800% increase in only 56 years. Population growth was especially high in areas where Jews lived. Where did all these Arabs come from? According to the Arabs the huge increase in their numbers was due to natural childbirth. In 1944, for example, they alleged that the natural increase (births minus deaths) of Arabs in the Land of Israel was the astounding figure of 334 per 1000. That would make it roughly three times the corresponding rate for the same year of Lebanon and Syria and almost four times that of Egypt, considered amongst the highest in the world. Unlikely, to say the least. If the massive increase was not due to natural births, then were did all these Arabs come from?"
& continues
"All the evidence points to the neighboring Arab states of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. In 1922 the British Governor of the Sinai noted that ?illegal immigration was not only going on from the Sinai, but also from Transjordan and Syria.? In 1930, the British Mandate -sponsored Hope-Simpson Report noted that ?unemployment lists are being swollen by immigrants from Trans-Jordania? and ?illicit immigration through Syria and across the northern frontier of Palestine is material.? The Arabs themselves bare witness to this trend. For example, the governor of the Syrian district of Hauran, Tewfik Bey el Hurani, admitted in 1934 that in a single period of only a few months over 30,000 Syrians from Hauran had moved to the Land of Israel. Even British Prime Minister Winston Churchill noted the Arab influx. Churchill, a veteran of the early years of the British mandate in the Land of Israel, noted in 1939 that ?far from being persecuted, the Arabs have crowded into the country and multiplied.?
Far from displacing the Arabs, as they claimed, the Jews were the very reason the Arabs chose to settle in the Land of Israel. Jobs provided by newly established Zionist industry and agriculture lured them there, just as Israeli construction and industry provides most Arabs in the Land of Israel with their main source of income today. Malcolm MacDonald, one of the principal authors of the British White Paper of 1939, which restricted Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel, admitted (conservatively) that were it not for a Jewish presence the Arab population would have been little more than half of what it actually was. Today, when due to the latest ?intifada? Arabs from the territories under 35 are no longer allowed into pre-1967 Israel to work, unemployment has skyrocketed to over 40% and most rely on European aid packages to survive."
& lastly says
"Not only pre-state Arabs lied about being indigenous. Even today, many prominent so-called Palestinians, it turns out, are foreign born. Edward Said, an Ivy League Professor of Literature and a major Palestinian propagandist, long claimed to have been raised in Jerusalem. However, in an article in the September 1999 issue of Commentary Magazine Justus Reid Weiner revealed that Said actually grew up in Cairo, Egypt, a fact which Said himself was later forced to admit. But why bother with Said? PLO chief Yasir Arafat himself, self declared ?leader of the Palestinian people?, has always claimed to have been born and raised in ?Palestine?. In fact, according to his official biographer Richard Hart, as well as the BBC, Arafat was born in Cairo on August 24, 1929 and that?s where he grew up.
To maintain the charade of being an indigenous population, Arab propagandists have had to do more than a little rewriting of history. A major part of this rewriting involves the renaming of geography. For two thousand years the central mountainous region of Israel was known as Judea and Samaria, as any medieval map of the area testifies. However, the state of Jordan occupied the area in 1948 and renamed it the West Bank. This is a funny name for a region that actually lies in the eastern portion of the land and can only be called ?West? in reference to Jordan. This does not seem to bother the majority of news outlets covering the region, which universally refer to the region by its recent Jordanian name.
The term ?Palestinian" is itself a masterful twisting of history. To portray themselves as indigenous, Arab settlers adopted the name of an ancient Canaanite tribe, the Phillistines, that died out almost 3000 years ago. The connection between this tribe and modern day Arabs is nil. Who is to know the difference? Given the absence of any historical record, one can understand why Yasser Arafat claims that Jesus Christ, a Jewish carpenter from the Galilee, was a Palestinian. Every year, at Christmas time, Arafat goes to Bethlehem and tells worshippers that Jesus was in fact ?the first Palestinian?.
If the Palestinians are indeed a myth, then the real question becomes ?Why?? Why invent a fictitious people? The answer is that the myth of the Palestinian People serves as the justification for Arab occupation of the Land of Israel. While the Arabs already possess 21 sovereign countries of their own (more than any other single people on earth) and control a land mass 800 times the size of the Land of Israel, this is apparently not enough for them. They therefore feel the need to rob the Jews of their one and only country, one of the smallest on the planet. Unfortunately, many people ignorant of the history of the region, including much of the world media, are only too willing to help.
It is interesting to note that the Bible makes reference to a fictitious nation confronting Israel. ?They have provoked me to jealously by worshipping a non-god, angered me with their vanities. I will provoke them with a non-nation; anger them with a foolish nation (Deuteronomy 32:21).?
On second thought, it may be unfair to compare Palestine to Disneyland. After all, Disneyland really exists."
From the website www.barnesandnoble.com a good book to read is
"It IS About Islam: Exposing the Truth About ISIS, Al Qaeda, Iran, and the Caliphate"
by Glenn Beck
Overview says
"#1 bestselling author and radio host Glenn Beck exposes the real truth behind the roots of Islamic extremism in Muslim teachings in this sharply insightful handbook that debunks commonly held assumptions about Islam and the dream of a renewed caliphate.
From the barbarians of ISIS to the terror tactics of Al-Qaeda and its offshoots, to the impending threat of a nuclear Iran, those motivated by extreme fundamentalist Islamic faith have the power to endanger and kill millions. The conflict with them will not end until we face the truth about those who find their inspiration and justification in the religion itself.
Drawing on quotes from the Koran and the hadith, as well as from leaders of ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood, Glenn Beck seeks to expose the true origins of Islamic extremism as well as the deadly theological motivations behind these agencies of destruction.
Using the same unique no-holds-barred style from his bestselling books Control and Conform, Glenn Beck offers straight facts and history about the fundamental beliefs that inspire so many to kill."
From Amazon.com a good book to read is titled
"Islam Exposed: What You Need to Know About the World's Most Dangerous Religion"
by Lawrence Paul Hebron, Published in 2016
the Amazon.com description of this book says
"What you don't know about Islam can kill you. What you will read in this book can save you. This concise, gripping account gives the reader everything he needs to know in order to make informed and intelligent decisions about Islam and how to respond to it. Islam Exposed provides irrefutable proof about the true nature of Islam and what it has planned for you. Why irrefutable? Because it draws on the Muslims' own writings: the Koran, Sirat Rasul Allah, and the Hadith. Richly documented, you will learn the truth about Muhammad and the religion he created. Islam has waged a relentless war of aggression against the "Kafirs" (non-believers) for fourteen centuries. It is a religion that offers the world only three alternatives: convert, be enslaved, or die. "Coexist" is not an option. Part 1 begins with a justification for knowing more about Islam. Then, contrary to tradition, the author provides a glossary of key terms at the beginning of the book instead of hiding it at the end where the reader usually discovers it after he already has been bewildered by the meaning of unfamiliar words. The glossary, alone, provides an excellent primer on Islam. Part 2 covers the key elements in the life of Muhammad. We can neither understand Islam nor predict what it will do without an understanding of the man. Islam really isn't about Allah. It is about Muhammad, and this concise biography gives the reader everything he needs to know to understand and judge Islam and to predict what it will do next. Part 3 details the essential elements of the religion and political system that Muhammad created. You will learn about its basic theological tenets, the Five Pillars, Jihad, Islamic Dualism, Muslims' relationships with women and non-believers -- Jews and Christians in particular -- its role in perpetuating slavery, and a comparison between Allah and Abba as well as between Muhammad and Jesus. Part 3 concludes with a short course on the history of Islam and the war of aggression that it has waged for fourteen centuries. Part 4 unveils an aggressive plan of action to save non-believers from the global threat of Islam. Chapter Fifteen discusses the "Myth of the Moderate Muslim" and reveals what Muslims mean when they describe Islam as a "religion of peace." Then comes the "Battle Plan", describing both domestic and international courses of action that will save the non-Islamic world from the terror the Muslims have planned for it. This strategy will end the threat of Islam for good. Included in this is a humanitarian way to liberate the Muslims, themselves, from the chains of their own oppressive religion. Concise, gripping, informative, accurate, and bold -- this book gives the reader everything he needs to know about Islam and how to respond to it. "Coexist" is not an option. So, infidel, unless you plan to convert, be enslaved, or die, your only alternative is to fight. This book tells you how." Of course, let's be clear, Many Muslims are decent people and are Non-Violent, Peaceful and don't support violence, extremism, hate or Terrorism, while Many Muslims are indeed Decent People, at the same time, we cannot ignore the sad reality that there is the very real danger of Radical Islam, there are good and bad Muslims, and it seems that sadly Radical Islam is on the rise
From the website, civilusdefendus.wordpress.com an article is titled
"4 Stages of Islamic Conquest"
By Civilus Defendus (video, pdf)
STAGE 1: INFILTRATION
Muslims begin moving to non-Muslim countries in increasing numbers and the beginning of cultural conflicts are visible, though often subtle.
First migration wave to non-Muslim “host” country.
Appeal for humanitarian tolerance from the host society.
Attempts to portray Islam as a peaceful & Muslims as victims of misunderstanding and racism (even though Islam is not a ‘race’).
High Muslim birth rate in host country increase Muslim population.
Mosques used to spread Islam and dislike of host country & culture.
Calls to criminalize “Islamophobia” as a hate crime.
Threatened legal action for perceived discrimination.
Offers of “interfaith dialogue” to indoctrinate non-Muslims.
How many nations are suffering from Islamic infiltration? One? A handful? Nearly every nation? The Islamic ‘leadership” of the Muslim Brotherhood and others wish to dissolve each nation’s sovereignty and replace it with the global imposition of Islamic sharia law. Sharia law, based on the koran, sira and hadith, condemns liberty and forbids equality and is inconsistent with the laws of all Western nations. As the author and historian Serge Trifkovic states:
“The refusal of the Western elite class to protect their nations from jihadist infiltration is the biggest betrayal in history.”
STAGE 2: CONSOLIDATION OF POWER
Muslim immigrants and host country converts continue demands for accommodation in employment, education, social services, financing and courts.
Proselytizing increases; Establishment and Recruitment of Jihadi cells.
Efforts to convert alienated segments of the population to Islam.
Revisionist efforts to Islamize history.
Efforts to destroy historic evidence that reveal true Islamism.
Increased anti-western propaganda and psychological warfare.
Efforts to recruit allies who share similar goals (communists, anarchists).
Attempts to indoctrinate children to Islamist viewpoint.
Increased efforts to intimidate, silence and eliminate non-Muslims.
Efforts to introduce blasphemy and hate laws in order to silence critics.
Continued focus on enlarging Muslim population by increasing Muslim births and immigration.
Use of charities to recruit supporters and fund jihad.
Covert efforts to bring about the destruction of host society from within.
Development of Muslim political base in non-Muslim host society.
Islamic Financial networks fund political growth, acquisition of land.
Highly visible assassination of critics aimed to intimidate opposition.
Tolerance of non-Muslims diminishes.
Greater demands to adopt strict Islamic conduct.
Clandestine amassing of weapons and explosives in hidden locations.
Overt disregard/rejection of non-Muslim society’s legal system, culture.
Efforts to undermine and destroy power base of non-Muslim religions including and especially Jews and Christians.
Is there a pattern here? Theo van Gogh is murdered in the Netherlands for ‘insulting’ Islam; the Organization of the Islamic Conference demands ‘anti-blasphemy’ laws through the United Nations; France is set afire regularly by ‘youths’ (read Muslims); the rise of (dis-) honor killings…holocaust denial…anti-Semitism…deception re the tenets of Islam; hatred toward Christians and Jews and Hindus and Buddhists. The pattern for all to see is the rise of Islamic intolerance and the covert/cultural jihad to remake host societies into sharia-compliant worlds – to remove host sovereignty and replace it with Islamic sharia law. Sharia law that condemns earthly liberty and individual freedom, that forbids equality among faiths and between the sexes, that rejects the concept of nations outside the global house of Islam, that of dar al-Islam."
the article continues
"STAGE 3: OPEN WAR w/ LEADERSHIP & CULTURE
Open violence to impose Sharia law and associated cultural restrictions; rejection of host government, subjugation of other religions and customs.
Intentional efforts to undermine the host government & culture.
Acts of barbarity to intimidate citizens and foster fear and submission.
Open and covert efforts to cause economic collapse of the society.
All opposition is challenged and either eradicated or silenced.
Mass execution of non-Muslims.
Widespread ethnic cleansing by Islamic militias.
Rejection and defiance of host society secular laws or culture.
Murder of “moderate” Muslim intellectuals who don’t support Islamization.
Destruction of churches, synagogues and other non-Muslim institutions.
Women are restricted further in accordance with Sharia law.
Large-scale destruction of population, assassinations, bombings.
Toppling of government and usurpation of political power.
Imposition of Sharia law
The website www.thereligionofpeace.com keeps track of the number of violent jihad attacks as best it can. The site lists more than 14,000 attacks since September 2001. It is worth a visit. What is occurring, however, that is likely inestimable are events where muslims are bullied by other muslims for not being “muslim enough,” where non-Muslims are intimidated into doing or not doing what they desire, where remnant populations are in a death spiral simply for being non-muslim in a predominantly muslim area. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists Animists and Atheists meet with death, property destruction or confiscation, forced conversion, rape, excessive taxation (the jizya), enslavement, riotous mobs and various other forms of islam (in-) justice at the hands of muslims in Sudan, Philippines, Kenya, Malaysia, India, etc. And let us not forget ‘death to Apostates’ the world over."
& lastly says
"STAGE 4: Totalitarian ISLAMIC “THEOCRACY”
Islam becomes the only religious-political-judicial-cultural ideology.
Sharia becomes the “law of the land.
All non-Islamic human rights cancelled.
Enslavement and genocide of non-Muslim population.
Freedom of speech and the press eradicated.
All religions other than Islam are forbidden and destroyed.
Destruction of all evidence of non-Muslim culture, populations and symbols in country (Buddhas, houses of worship, art, etc).
The House of Islam (“peace”), dar al-Islam, includes those nations that have submitted to Islamic rule, to the soul crushing, liberty-condemning, discriminatory law of Sharia. The rest of the world in in the House of War, dar al-harb, because it does not submit to Sharia, and exists in a state of rebellion or war with the will of ‘Allah.’ No non-Muslim state or its citizens are “innocent,” and remain viable targets of war for not believing in ‘Allah.’ The Christian, Jewish, Coptic, Hindu and Zoroastrian peoples of world have suffered under subjugation for centuries. The Dhimmi-esque are forbidden to construct houses of worship or repair existing ones, economically crippled by the heavy jizya (tax), socially humiliated, legally discriminated against, criminally targeted and generally kept in a permanent state of weakness, fear and vulnerability by Islamic governments.
It should be noted that forced conversions (Egypt) and slavery (Sudan) are still reported. Homosexuals have been hung in the public square in Iran. Young girls are married to old men. Apostates are threatened with death. “Honor” killings are routine. Women are legally second-class citizens, though Muslim males insist they are “treated better” than in the West. These more obvious manifestations may distract from some less obvious ones such as the lack of intellectual inquiry in science, narrow scope of writing, all but non-existent art and music, sexual use and abuse of youth and women, and the disregard for personal fulfillment, joy and wonder. Look into the eyes of a recently married 12 year old girl to see the consequence of the moral deprivation spawned by Islam.
The 4 Stages of Islamic Conquest is also available in pdf format for easy sharing as part of “Liberty vs Sharia” (Click, save, share. Attribution appreciated"
From the website www.peacewithrealism.org an article is titled
"II. THE PHASED PLAN FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION" the article says
"The Nazis had their "Final Solution," their comprehensive plan for the destruction of the Jewish people. Is this just a thing of the past?
Ever since Israel's creation the Arab states have tried to destroy it through violence, initiating the hostilities that resulted in the four major wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973. When they found they could not defeat Israel through direct confrontation, they called for a change in strategy. In 1974 the Palestine National Council, the legislative arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization, adopted the following resolution, which has become known as the "Phased Plan" (for Israel's destruction):(1)
THE PLO'S PHASED PLAN
Political Programme
Adopted at the 12th Session of the Palestinian National Council Cairo, June 9, 1974
Text of the Phased Plan resolution:
The Palestinian National Council:
On the basis of the Palestinian National Charter and the Political Programme drawn up at the eleventh session, held from January 6-12, 1973; and from its belief that it is impossible for a permanent and just peace to be established in the area unless our Palestinian people recover all their national rights and, first and foremost, their rights to return and to self-determination on the whole of the soil of their homeland; and in the light of a study of the new political circumstances that have come into existence in the period between the Council's last and present sessions, resolves the following:
To reaffirm the Palestine Liberation Organization's previous attitude to Resolution 242, which obliterates the national right of our people and deals with the cause of our people as a problem of refugees. The Council therefore refuses to have anything to do with this resolution at any level, Arab or international, including the Geneva Conference.
The Liberation Organization will employ all means, and first and foremost armed struggle, to liberate Palestinian territory and to establish the independent combatant national authority for the people over every part of Palestinian territory that is liberated. This will require further changes being effected in the balance of power in favour of our people and their struggle.
The Liberation Organization will struggle against any proposal for a Palestinian entity the price of which is recognition, peace, secure frontiers, renunciation of national rights and the deprival of our people of their right to return and their right to self-determination on the soil of their homeland.
Any step taken towards liberation is a step towards the realization of the Liberation Organization's strategy of establishing the democratic Palestinian state specified in the resolutions of previous Palestinian National Councils.
Struggle along with the Jordanian national forces to establish a Jordanian-Palestinian national front whose aim will be to set up in Jordan a democratic national authority in close contact with the Palestinian entity that is established through the struggle.
The Liberation Organization will struggle to establish unity in struggle between the two peoples and between all the forces of the Arab liberation movement that are in agreement on this programme."
the article continues
"In the light of this programme, the Liberation Organization will struggle to strengthen national unity and to raise it to the level where it will be able to perform its national duties and tasks.
Once it is established, the Palestinian national authority will strive to achieve a union of the confrontation countries, with the aim of completing the liberation of all Palestinian territory, and as a step along the road to comprehensive Arab unity.
The Liberation Organization will strive to strengthen its solidarity with the socialist countries, and with forces of liberation and progress throughout the world, with the aim of frustration all the schemes of Zionism, reaction and imperialism.
In light of this programme, the leadership of the revolution will determine the tactics which will serve and make possible the realization of these objectives.
The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization will make every effort to implement this programme, and should a situation arise affecting the destiny and the future of the Palestinian people, the National Assembly will be convened in extraordinary session.
In brief, this is a plan for Israel's destruction according to the following principles and "phases":
The explicit rejection of the traditional "land for peace" formula (Articles 1 and 3).
The acquisition of as much territory as possible using "all means," and especially "armed struggle" (terrorism), to establish an "independent combatant national authority" in that territory (Article 2).
The continuation of the struggle against Israel using this territory as a base of operations (Article 4).
The formation of alliances with other terrorist groups in a united struggle against Israel (Article 6).
The provocation of an all-out war between Israel and the Arab countries that would end with the complete incorporation of Israeli territory into the Palestinian State (Article 8).
Now it is fair to ask: This document is almost thirty years old. Does it really matter anymore? Hasn't the Palestinian leadership progressed past this point? Didn't it approve the peace agreement at Oslo in 1993?
The Palestinian leadership itself has given many clues regarding its true intentions. Yasser Arafat has had a long history of saying one thing in English, and something entirely different and contradictory to his own people in Arabic. On the day he signed the Oslo Accords he told Jordanian and Egyptian media that these accords are not to be taken seriously but are part of the "plan of phases." He also made the following statements:"
& continues
""Only a Palestinian State can continue the struggle to remove the enemy from all Palestinian lands" (Jerusalem Post, November 18, 1994).
"This is the phased program which we all adopted in 1974 - why do you oppose it?" (Arafat responding to critics of the treaties with Israel, July 1995).
"The Oslo II Agreement is a delayed realization of a stage in the PLO's 1974 phased plan" (A-Datsur [Jordanian Newspaper], September 19, 1995).
In a closed meeting with Arab diplomats in Stockholm he made the following statement (which was leaked by one person present and reported by Cal Thomas in the Washington Times, also by the Middle East Digest, March 7, 1996):
"Within five years we will have 6 to 7 million Arabs living on the West Bank and in Jerusalem.... We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. Jews will not want to live among Arabs. I have no use for Jews....We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem."
He also made reference to the 1974 Phased Plan in an interview on Egyptian Orbit TV on April 18, 1998:(2)
Question: Were you under pressure from the Arab states then?
Arafat: No. In 1974, at the Palestinian National Council meeting in Cairo, we passed the decision to establish national Palestinian rule over any part of the land of Palestine which is liberated.
Q: If a violent incident occurs, [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu will exploit it and say that it is for this reason that he is not hurrying to make an agreement with the Palestinians, since they are incapable of controlling the situation.
Arafat: I know his tricks. Everyone must know that all options are open before the Palestinian people, and not just the Palestinian people, but before the entire Arab nation.
...Q: How do you explain that you occasionally ask the Palestinian street not to explode?
Arafat: When the prophet Muhammad made the Khudaibiya agreement, he agreed to remove his title "messenger of Allah" from the agreement. Then, Omar bin Khatib and the others referred to this agreement as the "inferior peace agreement." Of course, I do not compare myself to the prophet, but I do say that we must learn from his steps and those of Salah a-Din. The peace agreement which we signed is an "inferior peace." The conditions [behind it] are the intifada, which lasted for seven years.
In this last response Arafat makes reference to the "Khudaibiya agreement." He has frequently made this comparison. The Khudaibiya agreement was a peace agreement that Muhammad made with the Arabian tribe of Quraish. It was the prototype of today's hudna (truce): not a sincere offer of peace but a tactic of battle, whose purpose is to lull the enemy until one can regain a position of strength. The agreement was to last ten years but Muhammad broke it within two, using the truce to strengthen himself so that he could attack and defeat the Quraish tribe. Similarly, Salah a-Din (or Saladin) used the tactic of a ceasefire to strengthen himself to attack the Christian Crusaders and throw them out of Jerusalem. In the Palestinian Arab newspaper Al Quds on May 10, 1998 Arafat was asked: "Do you feel sometimes that you made a mistake in agreeing to Oslo?" His reply: "No .... no. Allah's messenger Muhammad accepted the al-Khudaibiya peace treaty and Salah a-Din accepted the peace agreement with Richard the Lion-Hearted."
& continues
"Indeed, less than a year after the signing of the Oslo accords, in a speech delivered in a Johannesburg, South Africa mosque on May 10, 1994, Arafat stated: "This agreement [Oslo], I am not considering it more than the agreement which had been signed between our prophet Muhammad and Quraish, and you remember that the Caliph Omar had refused this agreement and considered it a despicable truce...But the same way Muhammad had accepted it, we are now accepting this peace effort." (Ha'aretz, May 23, 1994)
Arafat thus reassures his people that the Oslo accords are a similar temporary measure meant only to hold until the Palestinians are ready to attack and defeat Israel.
And he is not alone. Abu Iyad (Salah Khalaf), Arafat's deputy, explained the meaning of the Phased Plan to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anba (Dec. 18, 1988): "At first a small state, and with the help of Allah, it will be made large, and expand to the east, west, north and south. I am interested in the liberation of Palestine, step by step.... According to the Phased Plan, we will establish a Palestinian state on any part of Palestine that the enemy will retreat from. The Palestinian state will be a stage in our prolonged struggle for the liberation of Palestine on all of its territories."
And in an interview carried by the Egyptian daily Al-Arabi (June 24, 2001) Feisal Husseini, a senior Palestinian minister and key player at the Madrid and Oslo conferences, explicitly stated that the Oslo agreement must be understood as one step in the "Phased Plan," and that the Palestinian strategy is to defeat Israel by means of a "Trojan Horse":
"The people of Troy climbed on top of the walls of their city and could not find any traces of the Greek army, except for a giant wooden horse. They cheered and celebrated thinking that the Greek troops were routed, and while retreating, they left a harmless wooden horse as the spoils of war. So Troy opened the gates of the city and brought in the wooden horse. This allowed the Greeks to overwhelm the city. This is precisely the strategy of the Palestinian Authority. Had the U.S. and Israel not realized, before Oslo, that all that was left of the Palestinian National movement and the Pan-Arab movement was a wooden horse called Yasser Arafat or the PLO, they would never have opened their fortified gates and let it inside of their walls! Now, We are Inside of Israel! Now, the time has come for us to say: 'Come out of the horse and start fighting.' So, it is thanks to this horse (Oslo) that we were able to get into the walled-in city (Jerusalem ). In my opinion, the Intifada represents in and of itself the emergence out of the horse. Praise Allah, by now we have all come out of the horse, those who were with Arafat and those from the opposition (Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists)....
"The strategic goal is the liberation of Palestine from the Jordanian River to the Mediterranean Sea, even if this means that the conflict will last for another thousand years or for many generations."
& lastly says
"Ironically, Feisal Husseini has often been praised as a man of peace - further testimony to the success of the Palestinian deception campaign.
Another top PLO official, Abdul Aziz Shaheen, Minister of Supplies for Arafat's Palestinian Authority, has also stated that Oslo is just one part of the Phased Plan strategy for Israel's destruction. He told the official Palestinian Authority newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Jan. 4, 1998): "The Oslo accord was a preface for the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Authority will be a preface for the Palestinian state which, in its turn, will be a preface for the liberation of the entire Palestinian land."
And in case more evidence is needed, here are more quotations from Palestinian sources, even after Oslo, revealing their true intentions:
"The struggle against the Zionist enemy is not a matter of borders but relates to the mere existence of the Zionist entity." (PLO spokesman Bassam-abu-Sharif, Kuwait News Agency, May 31, 1996).
"After the establishment of a Palestinian State in all of the West Bank and Gaza, the struggle against Israel will continue" (Knesset Member Azmi Bishara, Ha'aretz weekly supplement, 22 May 1998).
"We may lose or win, but our eyes will continue to aspire to the strategic goal; namely, Palestine from the [Jordan] river to the sea." (West Bank Fatah chief Marwan Barghouti, New Yorker, July 2, 2001).
These statements from Palestinian leaders should be more than enough evidence to demonstrate that they do not now, nor have they ever, had any intention of making peace with Israel.(3)
And I have not even mentioned the Palestinians' insistence, as one of their conditions for "peace," on the "right of return" of up to four million Palestinian refugees to land inside Israel proper. This would effectively annul the 1948 partition and would before long turn what is now Israel into another Arab state. The proponents of the Palestinian "right of return" are of course fully aware of this.
A realistic peace must begin with taking seriously what the parties involved are really saying, instead of hearing only what we wish they would say."
Notes:
1. "The PLO's 'Phased Plan'." June 9, 1974.
2. "Arafat Invokes 1974 Phased Plan Calling for Israel's Destruction." Egyptian Orbit TV, April 18, 1998.
3. Many similar quotations, with full citations, may be found in Emmanuel Navon, "The PLO Anthology," Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland Middle East Briefing vol. 4 no. 9, December 12, 2001.
From the website www.menorah.org an article is titled
"Three Stages of Jihad" the article says
" “Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons and their property for this, that they shall have the garden; they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain.” -Qur’an 9:111
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves.” -Qur’an 48:29
Deception in the Media On November 5th, 2009, a Muslim Army Major named Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas. Many innocent people died, and Hasan has been charged with thirteen counts of premeditated murder and more than thirty counts of attempted murder.
Shortly after the Fort Hood shooting, CNN posted an article titled “Murder Has No Religion” (by Arsalan Iftikhar), which claimed that such attacks are forbidden in Islam. The article began: Most of the world's 1.57 billion Muslims know that the Holy Quran states quite clearly that, "Anyone who kills a human being ... it shall be as though he has killed all of mankind. ... If anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he has saved the lives of all of mankind." (http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/09/ iftikhar.fort.hood/index.html)
Notice that the article portrays Islam as a religion that condemns killing of any kind. But is this what the Qur’an actually says?
Unfortunately for CNN’s readers, the author didn’t give a reference, so readers were left to find the quotation themselves. Yet when we turn to 5:32-33 of the Qur’an (the source of CNN’s severely edited quotation), we get a surprisingly different picture of killing in Islam:
For this reason, did we prescribe to the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men; and certainly Our apostles came to them with clear arguments, but even after that many of them certainly act extravagantly in the land.
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement.
Two things are worthy of note in this passage. First, the teaching appealed to by CNN (“whoever slays a soul . . . it is as though he slew all men”) was given “to the children of Israel” (i.e. the Jews). It was not given to Muslims. Second, even if Westernized Muslims want to apply this verse to themselves, the verse obviously permits killing people who spread “mischief in the land.” Indeed, the very next verse commands Muslims to murder, crucify, and dismember those who wage war against Islam and “make mischief” in Muslim lands.
Since the United States has maintained a military presence in predominantly Islamic countries,
knowledgeable Muslims understand that, according to Muhammad, U.S. soldiers meet the “mischief-making” criterion, and should therefore be killed. It’s no coincidence that Major Hasan targeted soldiers, many of whom were being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thus, CNN quoted two carefully edited portions of a passage that justifies the killing of enemy combatants and used them to show that Islam condemns attacks such as the Fort Hood shooting.
While deceptions like this are easily spotted, there is much confusion in the world concerning the role of violence in Islam. This short pamphlet will clear up some of the confusion."
the article continues
"Peace, Violence, and Abrogation Muslims in the West are quick to point to passages such as Qur’an 109:6 (“You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion”) and 2:256 (“There is no compulsion in religion”) as evidence that Islam is a religion of peace. When confronted with harsher passages such as 9:5 (“Slay the idolaters wherever you find them”) and 9:29 (“Fight those who believe not in Allah”), Westernized Muslims interpret these verses in light of the more peaceful teachings of the Qur’an, typically saying something like: “Well, the Qur’an can’t be commanding us to kill unbelievers, since it says that there’s no compulsion in religion.”
Hence, Westernized Muslims pick the verses of the Qur’an they find most attractive, and they use these verses to sanitize the rest of the Qur’an. But is this the correct way to interpret the Qur’an? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The Qur’an presents its own method of interpretation—the Doctrine of Abrogation.
Qur’an 2:106—Whatever verse we shall abrogate, or cause [thee] to forget, we will bring a better than it, or one like unto it. Dost thou not know that God is almighty?
Qur’an 16:101—When We substitute one revelation for another—and God knows best what He reveals (in stages)—they say, “Thou art but a forger”: but most of them understand not.
According to the Qur’an, then, when Muslims are faced with conflicting commands, they aren’t supposed to pick the one they like best. Rather, they are to go to history and see which verse was revealed last. Whichever verse came last is said to abrogate (or cancel) earlier revelations.
What happens when we apply this methodology to Qur’anic verses on peace and violence?
The Call to Jihad: Three Stages When we turn to Islam’s theological sources and historical writings (Qur’an, Hadith, Sira, and Tafsir), we find that there are three stages in the call to Jihad, depending on the status of Muslims in a society.
STAGE ONE—When Muslims are completely outnumbered and can’t possibly win a physical confrontation with unbelievers, they are to live in peace with non-Muslims and preach a message of tolerance. We see an example of this stage when Muhammad and his followers were a persecuted minority in Mecca. Since the Muslims were entirely outnumbered, the revelations Muhammad received during this stage (e.g. “You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion”) called for religious tolerance and proclaimed a future punishment (rather than a worldly punishment) for unbelievers.
STAGE TWO—When there are enough Muslims and resources to defend the Islamic community, Muslims are called to engage in defensive Jihad. Thus, when Muhammad had formed alliances with various groups outside Mecca and the Muslim community had become large enough to begin fighting, Muhammad received Qur’an 22:39-40:
Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them; Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say: our Lord is Allah. . . .
Although Muslims in the West often pretend that Islam only allows defensive fighting, later revelations show otherwise."
& continues
"STAGE THREE—When Muslims establish a majority and achieve political power in an area, they are commanded to engage in offensive Jihad. Hence, once Mecca and Arabia were under Muhammad’s control, he received the call the fight all unbelievers. In Surah 9:29, we read:
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowl-edge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.
Notice that this verse doesn’t order Muslims to fight oppressors, but to fight those who don’t believe in Islam (including the “People of the Book”—Jews and Christians).
Not surprisingly, we find similar commands in Islam’s most trusted collections of ahadith (traditions containing Muhammad’s teachings).
Sahih al-Bukhari 6924—Muhammad said: “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: La ilaha illallah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), and whoever said La ilaha illallah, Allah will save his property and his life from me.”
Sahih Muslim 30—Muhammad said: “I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah.”
Here again, the criterion for fighting people is that the people believe something other than Islam.
It’s clear, then, that when Muslims rose to power, peaceful verses of the Qur’an were abrogated by verses commanding Muslims to fight people based on their beliefs. Islam’s greatest scholars acknowledge this. For instance, Ibn Kathir (Islam’s greatest commentator on the Qur’an) sums up Stage Three as follows: “Therefore all people of the world should be called to Islam. If anyone of them refuses to do so, or refuses to pay the Jizyah, they should be fought till they are killed.”
When Muslims Reach Stage Three Assessment
Abrogation also accounts for shifting attitudes regarding Jews and Christians in the Qur’an. While Muslims are to be friendly to Jews and Christians when the former are outnumbered, the Islamic position changes when Muslims reach Stage Three, at which point Christians and Jews are to recognize their inferior status and pay the Jizyah (a payment made to Muslims in exchange for not being killed by them). Consider some of Muhammad’s later teachings about Christians and Jews:
Qur’an 5:51—O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.
Qur’an 9:30—And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!
Qur’an 98:6—Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein. They are the worst of creatures.
Sahih Muslim 4366—Muhammad said: “I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.”
Al-Bukhari, Al-Adab al-Mufrad 1103—Muhammad said: “Do not give the People of the Book the greeting first. Force them to the narrowest part of the road.”
Needless to say, these teachings can hardly be considered peaceful or tolerant.
Muslims in the West Since Muhammad obviously commanded his followers to fight unbelievers (simply for being unbelievers), why do Muslims in the West deny this? Here we must turn to Surah 3:28, which reads:"
The website www.husseinaboubakr.com has an article on January 8, 2020 titled
"On the Jew-hater Question" the article says
"Jews are the people of many books and so many questions. In Jewish writings, a few words, if any, have gained the status of the question “why?” Seeking an answer is one of the most definitive attributes of Jewish writings since biblical times and up to today. The question of “Why they hate us?” remains asked, debated, and mostly unanswered. This is not due to a failure of intellect or inquiry, but mostly due to disbelief. Why does antisemitism remain such a contagious disease? No matter how long it may lay dormant, it resurfaces persistent and unaltered. In my opinion, antisemitism has nothing to do with the Jews and everything to do with the Jew-hater. Antisemitism is a projection of failures, fears, and self-contempt.
It is tempting to write off antisemitism as a form of racism, a remnant of our tribal past. This presumption, aside from being deeply flawed, fails to explain the phenomenon and its different manifestations. Indeed antisemitism flourishes in a collectivist view of the world, which completely neglects the individual experience and thinks of individuals as representatives of groups. Yet, antisemitism remains unique in its various properties. No form of racism has genocidal goals the way antisemitism does. Ultranationalists who hate Mexicans and Latinos may seek their deportation, yet not their extermination. Neo-Nazis may hate Muslims and try to stop their immigration into the country, yet no one has an urge to eradicate all Muslim countries and exterminate them in their own homelands. People who hate Mexicans do not claim there is a Mexican secret plan to dominate the world. Those who hate blacks don’t accuse them of having a global network of conspirators controlling our financial institutions.
The manifestations of antisemitism is that of a neurotic disorder. It makes the host prone to paranoia, obsessive behavior, and psychotic breakouts. Antisemitism is a messianic theory of everything. It provides people with a question, an answer, and a promise. Why do you have problems? Your problems are because of the Jews, and salvation is in a final solution. The different iterations of antisemitism largely conform to this formula and maintain its false promises. Whatever cultural moment a nation is in, antisemitism will find an answer for you. If you are socialist, Jews become capitalist exploitation. If you are a capitalist, Jews become the communist conspiracy. If you are conservative, Jews become moral decay. If you are a progressive, Jews become religious dogmatism. If you are a nationalist, Jews become globalism. If you are a globalist, Jews become nationalism. When you are a purist, Jews become all that is unpure."
the article continues
"In the antisemitic world view, the Jew assumes all that is feared and disdained. Whatever set of values one may have, Jews become the embodiment of the counter values. Why does this process continue to occur and reoccur? While this remains largely unique to Jews, history does teach us of one similar victim, witches. After the mass expulsion of Jews from England, France, Hungry, Germany, Bavaria, and many other places, the 16th and the 17th century saw a new hysteria, witch hunts. Witches were portrayed in the same terms of “pollution,” and accused of crimes similar to those Jews were accused of such as cannibalism and child abductions. The only country which was spared of this witch mania, was Spain, for Spain was already preoccupied with purging the country of Jewish converts through the inquisitions. In other words, the Europeans who persecuted witches were the ones who ran out of Jews to persecute. Did the antisemitic fervor have less to do with the Jews and more with a deep urge to persecute?
Another formative story is that of the Muslim world. For centuries Jews lived under the humiliating conditions of the Islamic legal system for non-Muslims known as dhimmitude. Dhimmitude was humiliating and degrading, yet in no way was it as obsessive, genocidal, or neurotic as European antisemitism. Moreover, Jews were not the only group under dhimmitude. Christians in Muslim lands lived in the same conditions. The literary and folk legacies of the Muslim world never produced anything equivalent or remotely similar to the blood libel, the accusations of cannibalism, or the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It wasn’t before the 19th and the 20th century that the Muslim world started to manifest the same kind of deranged and disturbing neurotic obsession with Jews. Those moments were those of crisis. Through the meeting with European powers, the Muslim world was confronted with its failures and inadequacies. The decaying Muslim political and social structures of medieval times started to collapse, and new tensions and anxieties began to brew. The antisemitism was a reflection of the Muslim world’s anxiety about its own failure.
There is a clear connection between antisemitism and an unhealthy society. Antisemitism is a result of the failure of a nation. In moments of failure, nations are in distress, and in the moment of crisis, antisemitism appears. Failures of a particular society diminish its ability to settle tensions and tensions threat the foundations of society. French philosopher Renee Girard explained the social phenomenon of scapegoating as a necessary social mechanism to maintain a needed level of group harmony. In Girard’s view, every human society is made of a set of rivalries and competing individuals. As the rivalries continue, the very center of culture becomes made out of tensions due to some having what others want. As the tensions simmer, violence starts to threaten the fabric of the community, at which point all communal anxiety, resentment fears, and failures are projected onto a single group or a particular individual, and a strong urge to persecute appears. Rivals unite their efforts, and former enemies now become friends and community participate in punishing the scapegoat."
& Continues
"Death or expulsion is useful as regeneration of communal peace and restoration of relationships. For this process to work, it must remain unconscious. The innocence of the victim must not be ever recognized, but rather the victim mus be portrayed as monstrous. Jews were and remained the most convenient of scapegoats. Not just are they at the foundation of our mythology and sacrificial traditions, but they are also at the center of our culture. Scapegoating is an essentialist aspect of antisemitism. Every ill of society, every tension amongst us, every rivalry, every need, every wrong, and every deprivation is projected onto Jews. Jews then become the embodiments of the failure, the fear, and the self-contempt. The antisemitic view of the Jew is nothing but a reflection of a society’s worst image of itself. Antisemitism exists independently of what Jews do or don’t for it has to do more with those who harbor it.
The recent resurgence of antisemitism in western liberal democracies has everything to do with crisis and failure more than anything to do with Jews. It is a sign of something more sinister and more dangerous. Following the financial crisis of 2007, the disruptive effect of social media, automation, the collapse of religion, the breakdown of public trust in institutions, the rise of racial tensions, etc. many westerners stopped believing in themselves, stopped knowing who they are, and escaped the their vulnerabilities into a collectivist view of the world. Western societies’ new tensions rose, and with them, so did the need for a scapegoat. The resurgence of antisemitism is a sign western culture is in a moment of crisis."
& continues
"Once the forefront of human art, wisdom, rational thinking, secular humanism, and liberty today western universities condemn free speech, new ludicrous fields of study such as “whiteness studies” became canonical, charlatans became stunning and brave voices, politicians aren’t certain their nation-states should remain, and bananas pass for artwork. Exhibitionism pass for activism, prophets are preaching the end is near and the great flood is upon us unless we repent here and now, an angry 16-year-old child is asked to provide answers to our global issues, western radios play urban music celebrating genitalia, western architecture is failing to inspire or be inspired, and the western view of the world is dominated by hesitation, anxiety, and self-doubt. The validity of an argument is granted not to the most sound of voices, but to those who are most aggrieved and enraged. For the woke, facts are “unhelpful.” Men are now able to menstruate and women can donate semen. Antiscentific views about gender, climate, vaccination, medicine, and much else became common. In a post-Christian world, there is no more moral instruction and no more wisdom. Identity politics are pitting everyone against the other and just as we were supposed to enter a post-racial world everything became about race. Moral instruction is left to fake Native American politicians and Hollywood entertainers. Providing guidance on how one should live their life is left to Hallmark cards.
In the last few years, I saw many Jewish activists try to insert themselves into the modern game. Assuming some sensibility and logic still govern the conversation, many naturally expected the culture would let the arguments which worked for others to work also for Jews. Many started weaponizing their female gender, Mizrahi heritage, or indigenous claims. “As a Mizrahi Jew..” or “As a Jewish woman..” and other similar statements were proliferated, assuming that liberal identity badges would allow them to play the offense game. Well, it didn’t, and it won’t. The Dyke March kicked out lesbians holding a star of David. Mizrahi was claimed to be a Palestinian identity category and a gay Mizrahi activist was protested and heckled on college campuses. One woke researcher sat out to write a paper about IDF soldiers raping Arab women; however, when the author couldn’t substantiate their thesis, they instead claimed the lack of rape is evidence of racism for IDF soldiers think Palestinian women are so beneath them they won’t even rape them. Those incidents exemplify how there is no way for Jews to come out on the right end of this game because it is not about what it claims to be. What is happening in the culture today is much bigger and much more sinister.
In the play, The Cocktail Party by T.S Eliot, one of the characters is profoundly unhappy. She speaks to her psychiatrist about how difficult life is. She continues to tell him she hopes all her suffering is of her own making. The psychiatrist asks her why to which she replies because if its all her own fault, then she can do something about it. However, if her suffering has more to do with the nature of the world, then she is doomed because she can’t change the world but only herself. The heroine refuses to face a troubled world and escapes into herself. She prefers the more manageable task of fixing herself over the seemingly impossible task of fixing a broken world. She hopes she can surgically isolate her own suffering as an anomaly and a casual abnormality, refusing to accept she may end up having to fix much more than just herself. Many treat antisemitism the same way, constantly questioning themselves about what they might have done wrong and what could they do right. Many think things will better if only they can do a little better or if only they can do a little more, constantly seeking and searching into themselves. In the play, it is only when the heroine realizes she has to help others face their own demons that she can have some peace again."
Some people typed the following comments in reply to the article
"On the Jew-Hater Question" from the website www.husseinaboubakr.com
"I've been saying for years that antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine of a decaying society, and Israel is on the front lines of the battle, in a global sense - a lightning rod for the deranged haters. The author of this article makes many good points. I would just add that the longevity and pervasiveness of antisemitism leads me to believe it's more than a mental illness - it permeates to the very soul."
"Thank you for your insightful writing. This article lays bare the elements of antisemitism. What is one to do? "Never again." Is one of the best responses which entails a number of things. The fact that Israel exists as a nation state, is one of those things protecting Jews against those (Nations & individuals) who are pathological (self) haters. This is a disease whose cure must ultimately come from within the individual who steadfastly refuses to ignore the source of his own disease. In the mean time we have a right to defend ourselves.."
"Wow. So insightful. I thought I knew a lot about antisemitism, but Aboubakr covers so much more. Thank you for caring and for writing this."
"Mr Aboubakr, thank you for your honesty, for your deep analysis on Jewish religion, Jews and precise determination of antisemitism as a projection of failures, fears and self-contempt. The resurgence of antisemitism is a sign western culture is in a moment of crisis. It’s impossible to say better."
From the website jewsdownunder.com an article is titled
"Palestinians: The Invented People."
Jews Down Under 17/08/2014 the article says
"“The history of the Palestinian people goes back as far as”… This is where Arab “historians” disagree.
Some say the “Palestinian people” have a proud 4000-year history; others say 10,000 years, 30,000 years, and even –don’t laugh- 200,000 years, which makes the Neanderthals pretty young people compared to the “mysterious Palestinians”. But although Arab historians do not agree on the “insignificant” details like the age of the “Palestinian people”, they do agree that this people is incredibly ancient-far more ancient than Jews, Romans or Greeks.
In the glorious history of the “Palestinian people”, there is only one “small” problem; nobody in history ever found them.
In 721 BCE, Assyria conquered the Kingdom of Israel. This is a historical fact nobody denies. Of course, the “Palestinian people” heroically fought against the aggressors and caused them heavy losses? Well, not exactly. Not a single Assyrian Chronicle, not even a single clay tablet, mentions this noble people. Could it be that hundreds of thousands of “Palestinians” were heroically fighting the Assyrian invaders – and these invaders did not even notice it? At the same time, those same Assyrian Chronicles are full of reports about the battles with the Israelis. So, Assyrians very well found Israelis, but did not notice any “Palestinians”?
Well, Assyrians did not notice any “Palestinian people”. Most probably, because the King Sargon II was a Zionist. And what about Babylonians? The same mystery awaits us when we start reading the Babylonian Chronicles about the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah between 597 and 582 BCE. Jews are there at every second page. And “Palestinians”? There is not a word about them. Babylonians did not find them, either.
But of course Persians found “Palestinians” and left to us the detailed description of this wonderful people, of its rich culture, interesting habits, language…? Alas. They did not. The Persian Chronicles are telling us about Jews, about how Cyrus granted them the permission to return to Jerusalem, about how Persian satraps ruled in Judah and Israel… But about the “Palestinians” – not a word.
What makes the “quest to find Palestinians” even more amusing is that Alexander the Great passed all along the coast of Palestine from Tyre to Gaza in 332 – but did not find a single “Palestinian”: only Jews."
the article continues
"Where the heck did the “Palestinians” hide?
Well, OK, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, even Alexander the Great: it was so long ago! But what about the scrupulous and methodical Romans? The same story.
Romans explain in great detail how they were besieging Jerusalem, scrupulously informing us about how Jews were desperately defending it. They describe the Jewish revolts and how they quelled them and provide information about how Jews were fighting against them in Masada, about how Romans divided Judah and renamed it Palestine, about how they renamed Jerusalem in Aelia Capitolina…They tell us about a lot of things – but they do not say a single word about some “Palestinians”.
Moreover, although they renamed the land in “Palestine”, they went on calling its inhabitants as they were called for thousands of years: Jews. So, “Palestine” became the official name of the land, but its inhabitants remained Jews.
Just a moment, and where were the “Palestinian people” when Arabs came?
Its a million dollar question. Modern Arabs say they are “Palestinians”. And what did the Arabs of the 7th century, those who conquered Palestine, say about this?
Do you know any document written in the period of the Arab rule in Palestine that would say a word about some “Palestinians”? I do not. And nobody does, because such a document does not exist.
The situation becomes really amusing! Arabs today are foaming about how their forefathers lived in Palestine since the Time Immemorial, and their forefathers did not have any idea about their glorious and ancient past there.
Well, after all, the Arab rule in Palestine did not last long. Just 300 years after the Arab conquest, Turks –first Mamluks and then Ottomans- threw them out. Under various names – Seljuks, Mamluks, Ottomans- the Turks ruled in Palestine for 600 years. Quite enough time to find such a numerous and glorious ethnic group as the “Palestinian people”. Did the Turks find them? Alas! The Turkish official statistics accurately puts the number of Jews, Arabs, Circassians and Bosnians in Palestine, providing detailed information about the number of Muslims, Christians and Jews – yet they never mention any “Palestinian people”.
Ok. Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Persians and Arabs did not happen to notice any “Palestinian people”. Turks, in those 600 years they ruled in Palestine, did not find them either. And where was this incredibly ancient and unbelievingly heroic people hiding after 1917? The numerous League of Nations Commissions (later UN Commissions) did not find them; all the League of Nations documents of that period are only about Jews and Arabs, but there is not a word about any “Palestinians” as a separate people.
Maybe the politicians of the Western countries talked about “Palestinians” then? No, they did not.
Delegates from 11 nations went to the area and found what had long been apparent: two conflicting groups, Arabs and Jews, whose national aspirations could not be reconciled. “Palestinians”? Who are they?"
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