Divestment Defeated at UC San Diego - Congratulations Tritons for Israel!

In yet another defeat for BDS, a proposed divestment initiative was just defeated at UC San Diego - Congratulations are in order to the Tritons for Israel!

From the blog, an All-American Girl for the Restoration of Values

StandWithUs salutes the Tritons for Israel for their strategy and dedication to defeating BDS on their campus.

On April 13th, 2011, the Associated Students (AS), the official student representatives at UC San Diego, passed a resolution authored by Academic Senator Adi Singer, stating that it was not the place of the Associated Students to pass resolutions that will divide the campus community and alienate specific groups. The resolution called for neutrality of the student senate, and reinforced the mission statement of building a cohesive campus community, and representing a diverse but unified voice. Two weeks ago, Student for Justice in Palestine (SJP) submitted a resolution calling upon the UC Regents to divest the retirement and pension funds from General Electric and Northrop Grumman, specifically because of their business dealings with the Israeli Defense Forces. Through intense lobbying of elected representatives an direct, peaceful dialogue with SJP, the Tritons for Israel, a pro-Israel student group at UCSD, were able to achieve great success when last night, April 27th, SJP actually withdrew their divestment resolution, and it was not raised for consideration at the student senate.

In an opinion piece published in the campus paper today and authored by Tritons for Israel student leadership, "Tritons for Israel has always and will continue to stand for peace, dialogue, and justice. Divestment is not the way to a durable peace. Only by speaking to one another can we achieve a true understanding, and build the bridges necessary for a sustainable coexistence. Tritons for Israel hopes that we will someday have a willing partner in the struggle to achieve a sustainable end to the conflict, both in the Middle East and here on our campus."

StandWithUs campus professionals and Board of Directors are very proud of the Tritons for Israel for this tremendous effort and achievement.

Thank you for being excellent role models for other campuses!

Jon at Divest this just reminded us:

"After all, we are now entering the 11th year of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions project and, despite tireless campaigns on campuses across the country, the number of schools that have divested from Israel stands where it did a decade ago: at zero."

Its still zero, Omar. Still zero.

BDS: A Decade of lies, hoaxes and failures

Eric Walberg's recent article "BDS update: Breaking new barriers" probably wasn't meant to be funny, but its hard not to read it and giggle. Since its introduction at Durban, 11 years ago, the BDS tactic has had racked up a well documented record of failures. Walberg doesn't appear to have noticed yet.

Walbergs article- found here- begins with a hoax:
dissidentvoice.org/2011/04/bds-breaking-new-barriers/
He exploits 92 year old activist Pete Seeger who participated in an online special promoting the progressive Israeli Arava institute. Walberg claims Seeger repudiated his involvement with the project which had the audacity to promote peaceful co-existence in the region. The real story "The 92-year-old musician also said that contrary to the Adalah-NY report, he does not regret taking part in last November’s online peace rally “With Earth and Each Other...”

Other "victories" according to Walberg?

Dead end displays on campus that are widely ignored. Dead end petitions that go nowhere. Self congratulatory films. (Surprised he didn't mention this classy display of barbed wire across a busy path at UC Berkeley during " Israel Apartheid week")



Walberg couldn't resist claiming that Hampshire University " became the first to divest from the Israeli occupation, following its anti-racism Action Awareness Week 2008." Does anyone want to remind poor Eric that he is continuing to promugate a lie-one begun by anti-Israel students on Hampshire's campus. An open letter from Hampshire College President Ralph Hexter and their Board of Trustees Chair Sigmund Roos plainly refutes this untruth: "Hampshire College has made a strenuous, good-faith effort to explain its decision to exit a problematic mutual fund. We make this effort again, without equivocation: Israel was not the cause for divestment from the State Street fund."According to the letter, Hampshire's decision was based on a variety of criteria, "none of them having to do with Israel. … No other college or university (should) use Hampshire as a precedent for divesting from Israel, since Hampshire has refused to divest from Israel. Anyone who claims otherwise is deliberately misrepresenting Hampshire's decision and has no right to speak for the college."

Eric claims a year of "spectacular and frequent BDS actions"- referring no doubt to pudgy women in pink bathrobes bothering shoppers, or failed attempts at song and dance routines.

Wallberg claims "The most important BDS-inspired event of 2011, marking the first anniversary of the tragic Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara last May, will be the Free Gaza Movement flotilla expected in late May, when 12 ships carrying a thousand peace activists with humanitarian supplies will head for Gaza".

Eric. Eric. Eric. Don't you ever read what the leaders of your failed movement have to say? This has never been about delivering "humanitarian aid" to the people of Gaza (frankly, they don't particularly want the mismatched shoes or expired medicine)

From Greta Berlin's Facebook page:




This is about opening the sea lanes to Iranian weapons.

Caterpillar stock surges: Bds'ers wring their hands in despair

Its another sterling example of the failure of BDS.

Caterpillar "Caterkiller"- a manufacturer of heavy construction equipment has been the center of attention for Team Hate for quite a while. For years, in fact, there has been heavy pressure on Caterpillar to "divest " from Israel, along with pressure on various institutions to "divest" from Caterpillar. The US Campaign to end the occupation gives out free Stop Caterpillar kits, which the vast worldwide Zionist conspiracy has been utilizing well.
Kathleen Fuchs, formerly involved with the US campaign, actually proposed buying Caterpiller shares at one point, in an effort to gain a voice at the shareholders convention

With all this attention on Caterpillar, what effect to do think this has on the company's finances?
Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.

From Today's Reuters Report
"A strong showing by Caterpillar and other U.S. industrials' shares led the market higher on Friday, putting the Dow on track for its best month since December...
Heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N) climbed after reporting a fivefold increase in quarterly profit and raising its full-year forecast.
"This is another sign of how manufacturing is leading the economy," said Eli Lustgarten, senior research analyst for the industrial machinery sector at Longbow Securities in St. Louis. "We think Caterpillar is fairly valued, but you have to be impressed with what they delivered. No matter what, this will be a good year for them."

Palestinians reject Peace. Again

From Haaretz

Palestinians reject peace. Again.

Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader who participated in the reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas, said on Wednesday that the interim Palestinian government would not be able to work on peace negotiations with Israel.

The rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas came to a historic agreement on Wednesday, when they announced a decision to reconcile and form an interim government ahead of elections, after a four-year feud. Both sides hailed the agreement as a chance to start a fresh page in their national history.

"Our program does not include negotiations with Israel or recognizing it," Zahhar said in Cairo. "It will not be possible for the interim national government to participate or bet on or work on the peace process with Israel."

Rafah Border to be opened permanently

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi told Al-Jazeera that within seven to 10 days, steps will be taken in order to open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on a permanent basis.

The announcement indicates a significant change in the policy on Gaza. The opening of Rafah will allow the flow of people, goods and persumably, Iranian weapons in and out of Gaza without Israeli supervision.

It is not a coincidence that a convoy and march on Gaza is being coordinated for May 11- 19, to take advantage of this opportunity.
From the ISM announcement:

The International Solidarity Movement is appealing for activists to
join our team in the besieged Gaza Strip. We are hoping that this
coming month's Freedom Flotilla along with the Italian Stay Human
convoy will bring an influx of activists into Gaza who will help carry
on the important work that Vittorio Arrigoni was an essential part of
before his death.

...ISM Gaza was reinstated in August 2008 when
ISM and other volunteers traveled aboard the historic, siege-breaking
voyage of the first FreeGaza Movement boat. ISM has maintained a
constant presence in Gaza since that time...

The convoy will last six/seven days in order to give the
possibility to participate for as many people as possible.
- It will take place between the 11th and 19th May. The exact dates
will be agreed in few days with the people in Gaza that will host us.
So, lets start to get ready!

Cosidering that they often characterize Gaza as an open air prison, its interesting that foreign nationals seem to have no trouble getting in.

2011 Gaza Flotilla: The latest Ship of Fools

The organizers of the Gaza Flotillas have announced a May 31st departure, bafflingly describing it as "the first anniversary of Tel Aviv's deadly attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla" (Since when does Tel Aviv have its own attack force?)

As reported on Press TV, the 15-ship flotilla will be twice as big as last year's convoy and carry a total of 1,500 people, including activists from Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Canada and the United States.

They go on to claim that "Tel Aviv laid an economic siege on the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after the democratically-elected government of Hamas took control of the enclave", yet have not provided any evidence that this city of 400,000 has its own foreign policy.

The leader of the Turkish organization IHH, Bülent Yildirim, which participated in the last flotilla, announced earlier this month: “We are not afraid to die as shaheeds [martyrs]” and that the use of force and violence may occur.

The flotilla is scheduled in spite of the International Red Cross's statement "there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza"

Israel delivers more than a ton of aid per person to Gaza. About 50,000 tons of goods and humanitarian aid are transferred to Gaza biweekly. Currently, 250 trucks cross from Israel into Gaza daily.

However, other sources indicate that the flotilla is having trouble recruiting volunteers and raising funds.

From Ynet:
"IHH officials, an Islamic aid group that operates the Mavi Marmara, announced they plan to postpone the flotilla until after the June 12 parliamentary elections.

IHH, which says it plans to send 100 to 150 people on the flotilla, is inclined to launch its ship after the vote for fear controversy could disrupt the election debate. The group communicates closely with the Turkish government, but says it does not need "permission" to send its boat to Gaza.

However recent reports claimed there is another reason for the delay: Many of the activists who signed up for the mission canceled after learning the flotilla is illegal and might lead to their arrest by Israel.

It also turns out the Turkish organizers have been largely unsuccessful in raising donations to fund the operation. Many ship owners refused to loan their vessels for the cause, fearing they might be confiscated by Israel. Now the activists are forced to buy the ships themselves."

Perhaps the recent death of ISM operative Vittorio Arrigoni, and the apparent inability of Hamas to guarantee the safety of international activists has had a chilling affect on recruitment

Amazing life-saving kangeroo toothpaste developed in Israel

Boycotting Israel? Its not just a matter of money, anymore.. For masticating macropods and those that love them it might be a matter of life and death.

Lumpy jaw disease is a serious periodontal condition for captive kangaroos and other macropods throughout the world. Working with veterinary professionals, professors at Hebrew University's dentistry and pharmacy schools developed a topical, slow-release, one-time treatment. Until now, the only way to treat periodontal diseases in kangaroos has been antibiotics administered several times a day, followed by solitary confinement to prevent cross-infection of the rest of the herd- a difficult and stressful process for the animals. Now there is a lifesaving toothpaste for kangaroos. Another amazing innovation from Israel.

Read more here

Failures Of BDS: A J Weekly Interview with Jon Haber

Boston based blogger Jon Haber from Divest this recently visited the Bay area, discussing the failure of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions(BDS) movement with local activists.

From his interview in J Weekly

Since 2001, BDS advocates have tried to persuade colleges, churches and others to buy in to their credo of boycotting Israeli goods, divesting from Israeli companies and urging governments to impose sanctions on Israel.

So far, Haber said, they have virtually nothing to show for their efforts.

Haber was in the Bay Area last week meeting with supporters. His core message: While vigilance remains necessary, the BDS movement has failed.

It has not persuaded a single institution to divest from Israel for political reasons, Haber insisted, adding that boycott efforts often backfire — especially when pro-Israel groups such as StandWithUs organizing “buycotts” of Israeli products.

Notes Haber, “When I talk to Jewish groups I say, ‘Don’t panic, but don’t be complacent.’”

He says the BDS movement is not a movement at all, but rather a tactic that has been employed by those who seek to delegitimize Israel. It launched a decade ago with the U.N.-sponsored Durban Conference, which equated Zionism with racism.

Jon concludes:

“You can only go so long without victories. America is not turning against Israel. The message of [Israeli] apartheid does not resonate at all — in fact, quite the opposite.”

Read the full interview here

Blood Libel du jour: 10 year old Palestinian girl killed by psychological trauma

Oh, those pesky, pesky Zionists. Able to kill a young girl in perfect health, with their dastardly Zionist mind tricks. Whats next? Did they harvest her organs? Use her blood for their baked goods?

Found here : ravenise.blogspot.com/2011/04/10-year-old-palestinian-girl-died-after.html?spref=tw and reprinted by the rocket scientists at Mondoweiss

In a unique case that highlights the sense of shock and the strain the occupation brings to bear on ordinary people, psychological trauma has been blamed for a Palestinian girl’s life-threatening coma after she was prevented by Israeli authorities from hugging her father when she went to visit him in prison where he is serving a life term. Israeli police officers in charge of the prison where Abeer Eskafi’s father, Yousuf, is serving his sentence, allegedly did not allow the 10-year-old to go over to the prisoners’ side of a meeting room where visitors can meet inmates when she expressed a wish to hug her father ... After Abeer got back home to Hebron, she started knocking hysterically on pieces of furniture in the house all the time until her right hand became weak. She refused to eat and kept calling for her father, he added. All specialist doctors who saw Abeer diagnosed her condition as psychological, and the girl’s health deteriorated till she became totally paralysed and had to be hospitalised when she lapsed into a coma.

*****

Abeer was reported to have died the next day.

The scary part is that people read this, believe it, pass it on and saturate the web with it. Anyone expect this case to be written up in a peer reviewed medical journal any time soon? No, me neither.

Just another blood libel.

Neither a mega-, nor super-mosque

Some people enjoy their ignorance, their prejudice, and are more than happy to avoid dealing with reality, if reality contradicts their assumptions.

Take the Park 51 Islamic community center in Lower Manhatten.

How many mosques do YOU know that house things such as an olympic size swimming pool, a 500 seat auditorium for social events, a culinary school + restaurant, a library, a bookstore, a theater, a performing arts center, a childcare center, and a memorial to September 11, 2001?

If you're a rational person, you wouldn't call that a "mega-mosque" or even a "super-mosque" now would you? Unfortunately, people swallowed what Pamela 'Shrieking Harpy' Geller wrote without question, and accepted it as Truth, end of discussion.

People like this cannot be reasoned with, at least not until they are willing to embrace the reality of the situation.

What's the reality here?

- It's a 13 story building with the above mentioned amenities.

- The man who proposed it is a Sufi, not a crazed radical fundamentalist Muslim

- It will be open to the public (save for the Muslim prayer space), and of course public scrutiny

- The entire building is not a mosque

- It will not be located at ground zero

I say build it. I want to go to that culinary school restaurant.

Stop Funding Israeli Rerror and other Words of Wisdom from Marrickville

Stop Funding Israeli Rerror Photo: Wolter Peeters

Marrickville Australia recently found itself embroiled in the BDS web. In December, the 12 member town council led by green Party member Fiona Byrnes voted to ban Israel products. After a feasibility report showed the proposed boycott would cost the town over 3.7 million dollars, 6 members of the town council reversed their position.

At the council hearing, Marrickville resident Lesley Marsh took the microphone: "The division in this room is the perfect example of what the BDS does: it takes moderate people and moves them to extremes."

Independent Morris Hanna, president of the Marrickville Chamber of Commerce,said "It's not a local issue ... this is making a joke of us around the world.".

Why yes, it is, Mr. Hanna. Yes it is.
Marrickville admits Israel sanctions pointless: plans full nuclear strike

"Marrickville mayor Fiona Byrne has conceded that her council’s plan to impose sanctions on Israel will have no impact on its troubled relationship with Palestine. But Byrne remains committed to the Palestinian cause, and has threatened that unless Israel complies with UN resolutions, Marrickville will launch an atomic assault on it.

Byrne admits that her decision to launch a nuclear war will come into conflict with another previous pointless resolution making Marrickville a nuclear-free zone.

As part of her willingness to take action, Byrne has also begun deploying Marrickville’s council rangers to the Middle East, where they will issue infringement notices for all Israeli settlers who have parked their vehicles on Palestinian soil.

Byrne acknowledges that her plan has its critics. “Some say have argued that it’s a complex situation, and that outsiders shouldn’t just waltz in and take sides,” Byrne said. “We plan to bomb them as well.”

“We think that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is just as much a part of Council’s jurisdiction as a tree in a Newtown backyard whose roots are encroaching on a neighbouring property,” she added. “The only difference is that we respond to Palestine’s concerns in under a month.”

The Greens proposing BDS for Marrickville put as much thought and effort into this proposal as their colleague with the the "Stop Funding israeli Rerror" banner. Poorly conceived, poorly executed.

Hijacking Urban Dictionary "First the Palestinians Hijacked Airplanes. Now they Hijack Agendas"

From the early days of use-net, to the rise and fall of the Indymedia network, the free flow of the web has lent itself to every conspiracy theory from left to right, spread by by trolls, bigots and haters. The Internet is particularly rife with anti-Semitism.

Without constant vigilance from the forces of truth and justice providing checks and balances, the hate can be rather overwhelming.

Lets look at Urban dictionary. Like Wikipedia, its a user-maintained resource where users provide and vote on definitions for 'urban' words. Its a place where parents go to find out just what their teenagers are talking about. And its been over-run by haters.

Look up "Zionism" on Urban dictionary. The number one definition is " An extremely racist belief that Jews deserve to take over the Palestinian's land with the backing of the U.S. military." The number two definition the "Jewish equivalent of Nazism. A racist philosophy that believes only the Jewish race should inhabit the Holy Land and that all other races there - namely Arabs - should be killed or exiled."

Look up "Zionist" on Urban Dictionary. The number one definition: " A racist individual who uses Judaism and his/her goal in supporting Israel as an excuse to occupy, control, and subdue an entire group of people. Zionists do not believe in the true teachings of Judaism'. Number two is even more offensive: "A pig in the temple of God". Number three "Pretty much nazis, but theyre israelites. The most hated,selfish,discusting,racist people in the world who unfortunetely, make all jews look bad." (Yep, the mis-spelling are part of the definition.)

What can we do? Go to Urban Dictionary. Rate down the racism.(click on the thumbs down) Rate up the appropriate comments. (click on the thumbs up). Thats a good start. If you have a chance, write your own definition.

Need help?
For more information on Zionism and Zionists try:
Zionism - Definition and History

and

Who are Zionists and what do Zionists believe?

and

Definition of Zionism

That should get you on track. And if you see a site thats been over-run with anti-Semites, let us know. We'll try and help.

JVP: Free Speech for me but not for thee

Jewish Voice for Peace , an organization Jewish in name only has made a regular practice of disrupting the speech of those they disagree with, and encouraging others to do the same. They've coordinated the disruption of speakers they disagree with from coast to coast, and have proudly used the incidents for fundraising. ("Oh. Look at us. We are so brave and edgy so send us money, why don't you?") Jewish Voice for Peace was among those who sent a letter to Chancellor Michael Drake at the University of California at Irvine ("UCI"), condemning the recommended suspension of the University's Muslim Student Union who repeatedly interrupted Michael Orens' in February. They coordinated the disruption of PM Netanyahu at the New Orleans General Assembly, as well

JVP's Cecilie Surasky was unhappy with the Jewish community's response to an anti-Israel conference at a local law school. In a recent op ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, JVP's Cecilie Surasky expressed her concern that "serious debate...will be shut down", calling it a "threat not just to academic freedom but to American free speech. "

Cecilie seems much less concerned about protecting "American free speech" that she doesn't agree with. Perhaps she would prefer if we followed her lead, and just shouted down the speakers we don't agree with?

Red Cross Official: There is No Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

We knew this already, but maybe its time for a refresher, as we await the "third Intifada", scheduled for May 15, and the latest floatilla, also scheduled for May.

From an article by Rotem Caro Weizman
Mathilde Redmatn is the deputy director of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip. Redmatn has had the opportunity to see with her eyes what most of us only see on television screens...

"There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza," she explains. "If you go to the supermarket, there are products. There are restaurants and a nice beach. The problem is mainly in maintenance of infrastructure and in access to goods, concrete for example. But above all, it is important to remember that the Israeli army has the right to protect the civilian population in its country. Israel is hurt on a daily basis by violations of international law by Hamas."

She continues:
"We will continue to ask to monitor Gilad Shalit but we do not have the capability to force anything on Hamas"

Repeated requests by the Red Cross to monitor Shalit's condition have so far been met with persistent refusal by Hamas.

"When a person's freedom is taken away, he deserves at least contact with his family," Redmatn says. "We will continue to ask but we do not have the capability to force anything on Hamas. Hamas' refusal is based on security reasons. Hamas is afraid of the IDF's advanced technological capabilities and believes that allowing contact will lead to the location of Gilad."

Redmatn called on all sides to abide by international law.

"It is important that organizations and countries respect international law," she said. "Only thus will the situation get better."

Read the full article here

Israel Plants " Apartheid" Forest

Israel's latest defensive strategy to protect its civilian population from terror attacks from Gaza is to plant trees. After the attack on an Israeli school bus that killed a 16 year old boy, a new tree planting project began with the goal of obscuring the line of sight between the Gaza Strip and nearby Israeli communities

Form the IDF website

This year, a project called "Forest Security" began, costing 7 million shekels, with the purpose of creating a boundary between the Gaza Strip and nearby Israeli communities by planting trees in hopes of creating an obstacle to the aiming of missiles and mortars at civilian targets. "We are planting trees that will grow and provide cover," Commander of Territorial Defense in the Gaza Division, Lt. Col. Ilan Dayan declared. "A person firing an anti-tank missile needs a line of sight to the target. If he doesn’t have one, he has a serious problem."It will take time, however, until the trees grow tall enough to obscure the line of sight from Gaza into Israeli communities near the border".

Yes, its just another defensive, non-violent strategy on Israel's part to protect its civilians. How long will it take before the enemies of israel before the enemies of Israel call this the "Apartheid Forest"?

Murderers from a Palestinian village: The Awad Hamula of Awarta

Details on Murderers of Five Members of the Fogel Family
(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Office)

Following the 11.3.11 murders of five members of the Fogel family in the Samarian community of Itamar, the ISA, the IDF and the Israel Police began a joint operation to apprehend the murderers. During the operation, dozens of suspects from Awarta – approximately 2 kilometers southwest of Itamar – were detained for questioning. The investigation and intelligence efforts led to the arrest of two young men, residents of Awarta, who confessed to planning and perpetrating the murders, and reconstructed them:


Hakim Maazan Niyad Awad, born in 1993, a minor under Israeli law, was arrested on 5.4.11. A high school student, he is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He was involved in the October 2010 stabbing of youths from Awarta; the motive was a personal dispute.

Awad's father, Maazan, is a PFLP terrorist who, in the late 1990's, served approximately five years in a Palestinian Authority prison in connection with the murder of his niece and the burning of her body.

Awad's uncle, Jibril Awad, was a PFLP terrorist who was killed in a December 2003 clash with IDF soldiers. He had been involved in the 20.6.02 terrorist attack in Itamar, in which Rachel Shabo (40) and three of her children (Avishai – 5, Zvika – 13 and Neria – 16), and their neighbor Yosef Twito (31), were murdered.


Amjad Muhammad Fawzi Awad, born in 1992, was arrested on 10.4.11. A student, he is affiliated with the PFLP. He had previously worked as a laborer in Israel.

Hakim and Amjad planned to perpetrate a terrorist attack in Itamar several days before March 11. To this end, they tried to acquire a firearm. They turned to Muhammad Said Awad (now under arrest), a PFLP militant in Awarta, and asked that he procure weapons for them; he did not do so.

On March 11, Hakim and Amjad set out for Itamar, armed with knives and tools to cut the perimeter fence and cover their tracks. They crossed from Awarta to Itamar and climbed/jumped over the fence. Once inside Itamar, they proceeded to approach the first row of houses. They broke into a home adjacent to the Fogel residence but found nobody inside. They stole an M-16, clips and a flak jacket. They exited the home and thereupon burst into the Fogel residence. Having spotted children while still outside, they murdered 11-year-old Yoav and 4-year-old Elad. The assailants thereupon entered the bedroom where the parents, Ruth and Udi, were sleeping with 3-month-old Hadas and murdered all three, following a struggle. Before leaving the house, the murderers stole another M-16.

The murderers returned to Awarta on foot and went to the home of Hakim's uncle, PFLP militant Salah E-Sin Awad, and informed him of what they had done. Salah helped them hide the stolen weapons and knives, burn their bloody clothes. During the investigation, it arose that various members of their families were extensively involved in helping them and were fully aware of what they had done.

After March 11, the murderers returned to their daily routines. Salah gave the stolen weapons to Jihad Abid, a resident of Ramallah, who hid them in his home. The latter was arrested on 14.4.11; the weapons were recovered.


Arrested as accomplices were:

* Salah Aladin Salim Awad – born in 1979, a PFLP militant, Hakim's uncle;

* Hassan Salim Awad – born in 1972, a PFLP militant, Hakim's uncle;

* Maazan Niyaz Awad – born in 1967, a PFLP militant, Hakim's father;

* Jihad Abid – born in 1979, friend of Salah Awad, who hid the stolen weapons for Salah; and

* Muhammad Said Awad – born in 1984, a PFLP militant, whom Hakim and Amjad asked to provide them with a weapon.


The investigation is ongoing.


--------------------------------------

It would be logical but wrong to assume that everyone one with the surname 'Awad' is a degenerate and a psychopath.
It would be just as logical, but entirely right, to avoid having anything to do with such people.
Or anyone else from Awarta.
A wall around that village would be appropriate.

Of course, now that the ISM knows about the heroism of the Awad clan, it won't be long before they send them some activists.
Either Italians, or middle-class college girls from the United States.
Both are good.

The Palestinian Authority will probably name a square after the Awad cousins.
In addition to appointing an Awarti to high position.


周小燕

Palestinians arrested in Murder of Fogel family

"When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
Dr. martin Luther king Jr.

Perhaps now we can achieve a degree of justice for the Fogel family.

The Israel Defense Forces have arrested two people it identified as responsible for the massacre of an Israeli family in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, officials said Sunday.

The two suspects, Amjad Awad and Hakim Awad were caught in the nearby Palestinian village of Awarta, According to the lifted gag order on Sunday, six additional Palestinian suspects from Awad were also arrested in connection to the crime, four of whom belong to the same family.

The pair are accused of killing Udi and Ruth Fogel, and three of their children. The two men were members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, but acted independently, the security services said.

The International Solidarity movement, acting again in their capacity as shields for terror, had earlier issued a press release calling the treatment of members of the Awad family abusive. Julia Awad apparently was "fed food she described as fit for animals, ... and marched to the toilet furthest from her cell". Torture, Israeli style.

According to Ynet, one of the suspects arrested - Amjad Mahmad Uwad, a 19-year-old student who worked as a laborer in Israel, said that he came to Itamar to "die a martyr's death."

UPDATE:
According to the J Post , the murderers " received much support from family members and friends in their environment,"

After completing the slaughter, the suspects walked back to the village and told Hakim's uncle, PFLP member Salah Adin Awad, what they had done. Hakim's uncle, PFLP member Salah Adin Awad, what they had done. He instructed them to burn their clothes.

And true to form, In the West Bank, the Awarta Village Council head Kais Awad demanded an international investigation into the IDF's investigative tactics
claiming that the Israeli investigation amounted to collective punishment on the village.

Yeah. It takes a village.

What the Well Dressed Anti-Israel activist will be Wearing this season

Oh, those silly folk at the International Anti Zionist Network are having their annual Seder. Again. At a church. On the wrong night. And it won't be kosher for Passover.

But the Bay area is oh, so diverse and tolerant, and that's why we all love it here.

Will they speak of the land, the people and the covenant at their " Seder"? Not likely. But I think I know what each and everyone of them will be wearing Saturday April 23, at the Lake Merritt United Methodist Church.

Yes, the well dressed anti Israel activist, their minds uncomfortably burdened by thoughts of oppression, privilege, guilt and patriarchy (oh, my!) will be wearing a recycled aluminum, free trade Kippah. It's the halachically acceptable, socially conscious version of the tin foil hat, and it will keep those pesky federal agents from reading their minds with microwaves.



From the website Fair Trade Judaica: Each kippah is handmade from recycled soda cans, lined with black vinyl and hand stitched with coloured telephone wire so that they are comfortable to wear. They are available in a variety of “flavors”/colors, including coke, diet coke, Sprite Zero, Tab, creme soda, orange fanta, grape fanta, lemon twist, mango twist, carbonated apple juice, and carbonated grape juice. Kippot in silver are also available using the inside of the can.

With all the colors available, anti-Israel activists should have no trouble finding something that will complement their favorite Che shirt.

And the accusations fly

Hamas has arrested four suspects so far in the execution of ISM volunteer Vittorio (Vik) Arrigoni. But that doesn't stop the haters from trying to pin the blame on Israel.

The latest baffling accusation to hit the web is this;

Israeli HIT LIST Includes Vittorio Utopia Arrigoni from www.scribd.com

"Vittorio Arrigoni was on an Israeli hit list website called "Stop the ISM" The website called for his assasination. An archived page was created there are other targets to be killed. Be warned, 91177i... by 91177info in Law, Research, and Mossad"

A quick visit to the Stop the ISM website shows it is written in English, by an American journalist, Lee Kaplan. There is nothing on the site at all to indicate a connection to Israel. There is nothing in Kaplans' biographical data to indicate that he is now, nor has he ever been an Israeli citizen. Yet the rocket scientists at scribd say he's "Israeli".

Methinks they mean Jew.

WikiLeaks: Syria Aimed Chemical Weapons at Israel

From WikiLeaks: via Ronen Bergman at Ynet News
Syria Aimed Chemical Weapons at Israel

Syria placed long-range missiles equipped with chemical warheads on high alert after an attack on a Syrian nuclear plant in 2007, WikiLeaks documents obtained by Yediot Ahronot indicate.

In March 2008, then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a group of U.S. congressmen that Syria's mobile missile system was on full alert after the 2007 incident.

Syria has a large number of Scud missiles able to hit all parts of Israel. Some of those missiles are armed with chemical warheads.

According to foreign reports, Israel's Mossad obtained information on the nuclear plant, built for Syria by North Korea, from a laptop stolen from a senior Syrian official.

ISM Volunteer kidnapped in Gaza

Oh, the poor hapless International Solidarity Movement. Just in the middle of their recruitement drive for volunteers, this had to happen. Vittorio Arrigoni, 36, ISM volunteer in Gaza, was kidnapped earlier today in Gaza city. And they can't even blame Israel this time. The kidnappers belong to
A-Tawheed wal Jihad, an organization aligned with al Qaeda that feels Hamas is too moderate. They have released a video showing Arrigoni bruised, tied and blindfolded, and text scrolling across the screen threatens that he will die unless Hamas releases Salafist prisoners by 5 p.m. Friday. Topping the list of prisoners is a senior member of the group, Hisham al-Sa'adi.

Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, admitted Arrigoni was one of their activists who had arrived on a flotilla several years earlier. Arrigoni writes a blog for Guerrilla Radio and for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto. He is the first foreigner kidnapped in Gaza since BBC journalist Alan Johnston was snatched in 2007.

UPDATE:
From JPOST
Security officials found the body of an Italian man who had been abducted in the Gaza Strip in an abandoned house overnight Thursday, a Hamas security official said.

Two men were arrested and others were being sought.

A video released of Arrigoni said, in Arabic "the Italian hostage entered our land only to spread corruption" and it described Italy as "the infidel state".

This is really going to cut down on ISM's recruiting.

Towns' Decison to boycott Israel costs them $3.7 million

I'm not laughing. Really, I'm not.

Its more of a chortle.

The Australian town of Marrickville's Green party-controlled city council recently made the decision to boycott goods and services from Israel. It looks like this move will cost local taxpayers at least $3.7 million.

According to a paper written by the council's manager of services, Gary Moore, there are many goods and services the council that would need to be eliminated in order to comply with the BDS directive including Hewlett Packard computers, Holden and Volvo cars, telephones and other equipment from Motorola and concrete from Fulton Hogan.

The report estimates the cost of replacing certain IT assets at $3.5m, and the annual cost of using a different concrete supplier at $250,000. It does not attempt to estimate the cost of replacing vehicles, and says changing waste-disposal service providers may not even be possible. It noted the council might need to spend $5000 to $10,000 in legal fees just to determine whether the original motion on the boycott was lawful under anti-discrimination laws.

Independent councillor Victor Macri declared, " A boycott of Israel will hurt Marrickville ratepayers far more than it will Israel."

Indeed it will, Mr. Macri. but really, isn't it a small price to pay to eliminate the world's only Jewish state?

Hows that Boycott going, btw? Al Gore invests $10m. in Israeli solar energy projects

Read the full article at Jpost

"Tigo Energy Inc. has raised $10 million in its third financing round plus a $10 million credit line from Climate Solutions Fund LP, managed Generation Investment Management LLP, whose chairman is former US Vice President Al Gore. Tigo develops solutions to maximize output by photovoltaic installations.

Tigo CEO Sam Arditi and president and COO Ran Hadar founded the company in 2007. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley and has a development center in Kfar Saba with 30 employees....

Tigo's product, the Maximizer boosts power output of photovoltaic systems of any size from residential to utility scale by up to 20% by reducing the effects of shade, dust, clouds and uneven temperature on system performance. Israeli engineers developed the technology

Tigo has installed several Maximizer at PV systems worldwide, including at a 600-kilowatt facility in California and at a 500-kilowatt facility at Moshav Tagor in Israel. "We're getting good feedback from the people at Tagor, who say that energy exploitation rose 15%. We have a work plan for the period ahead, which includes installing our product extensively in Israel and other countries," said Hadar.

Hadar said that PV installations were being built at a rate of 10 megawatts a month, including in Europe and Asia, which boost Tigo's growth rate multifold. "Our sales grow 400% per quarter. In addition to the latest investment, we have a solid foundation for further development activity. By the end of the coming year, we'll market solar panels embedded with the Maximizer," said Hadar.

Tigo expects $30 million in sales in 2011."

So, hows that boycott going, btw?

Palestinian strategy: "I didn't do it"

In an episode of the Simpsons, Bart gets a job as Krusty the Clown's production assistant. Bart becomes an accidental star when he says, "I didn't do it" during a botched sketch with Krusty, and becomes famous for this catchphrase.

Hamas appears to have adopted the Bart Simpson strategy of late, according to this article by Khaled Abu Toameh.

"Although Hamas has been in full control of the Gaza Strip since 2007 -- and its security forces and militias have been employing an iron fist against any individual or group that defies the Islamist movement's authority -- lately Hamas has lately been trying to avoid responsibility for rocket and mortar attacks on Israel by claiming that other groups in the Gaza Strip were responsible.

By holding others responsible for the anti-Israel attacks, Hamas is signaling to the world that it has learned a thing or two from Arafat and Abbas. But if in the past Arafat and Abbas were allowed to get away with it, there is no reason why Hamas should be absolved of any responsibility for what is happening in the Gaza Strip.

If Hamas is now saying that it does not have control over other groups that are firing the rockets and mortars at Israel, then its leaders should resign and pave the way for a new regime"

It isn't just Hamas trying to shift the blame. Abu Toameh writes:
"Hamas's line of defense -- "It's not us, it's someone else" -- is not unfamiliar to those who have been closely watching the situation in the Palestinian territories over the past two decades.

For many years, Yasser Arafat used the same argument to explain why the territories under his control were being used as launching pads for anyone who wanted to attack Israel.

Ar first, Arafat said he was unable to stop terror attacks against Israel because they were being carried out by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on instructions from Tehran and Damascus.

Then he said he was unable to take action against the terrorists because of Israel's military response, which also targeted Arafat's security forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

So, first Arafat tried to evade responsibility by blaming other Palestinians for the terror attacks on Israel. Then, when the Israel Defense Forces took the initiative to halt terror assaults emanating from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Arafat put the blame on Israel for "escalating tensions" and foiling his efforts to stop the attacks.

Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas, appears to have endorsed the same policy of putting the blame on others."

Read the full article here

Refusing to Talk. Refusing to Listen. UC Davis Law School

Last week, a handful of students walked out on a talk given by Israel Consul Akiva Tor at the UC Davis Law School. He urged them to stay- to continue the dialog and ask questions. But more and more we are learning that this is not about dialog- its not about peace or mutual understanding. Its about theatrics.

Law Student Elana Miller wrote in the Daily Aggie:

A university should be a place for exchanging ideas and discussing sensitive topics. When 30 students staged a protest during Israeli Consul General Akiva Tor's lecture at UC Davis School of Law last Tuesday evening, the intellectual integrity of that classroom was reduced to symbols of hate and hopelessness. The students would not engage in a conversation. They taped their mouths shut and walked out of the classroom as the Consul General begged them to stay and ask questions. But the students had already choreographed their protest. They knew how the evening would unfold before it began.

The topic of Tuesday's discussion was "Israel Today: Challenges and Opportunities." In publicizing this event, I did not mention Palestine, terrorism, rocket fire, recent murders or the heightened standard that is often applied when evaluating military action by Israel. The Consul General came to UC Davis to discuss the current climate in the Middle East, and how it affects Israel. The substance of his discussion, though, was irrelevant to the students' reactions. Akiva Tor's nation of affiliation was enough to spark protest and hate.

She continues:
"Academic institutions are our best hope for an open dialogue between parties with conflicting interests. Thus, blind subscription to any ideology should be heavily discouraged on a university campus. Our responsibility as students is to explore the nuances of important political issues. It is dangerous when individuals and communities develop deep disdain for a country based on buzzwords from ideologues - apartheid, colonial, imperial, military occupation. I call on students to think critically and do their homework before adopting anything and everything under the liberal label. If you've done your homework and are still confident in your blanket disdain toward Israel, then bring those ideas to the classroom and let's have a discussion. My objective in organizing last Tuesday's event was to spark a dialogue as part of a slow shift from hopelessness to coexistence of ideas - at least at UC Davis. However, I must ask the students who taped their mouths shut and walked out on a discussion with Consul General Tor - what is your objective?

You seek to shift a civil exchange of ideas to a symbolic exchange of emotions, as symbols and emotions are harder to deconstruct than logically, factually sound dialogue. Is it insecurity in your beliefs? Intellectual laziness? Or perhaps you really are that angry and hopeless, and by refusing to engage with Israel's Consul General, you are urging the local and international community to also disengage with Israel, regardless of its actions. There is nothing Akiva Tor could have said that would have resonated. There is nothing he could have done that you would have seen. You came to our discussion not to talk, but to tape your mouth shut and complain that you aren't heard."

Read her full letter here

And to the students who walked out- by refusing to talk and by refusing to listen, you have rejected dialog, and you have rejected peace.

Palestinian Economic Boom in 2010

From a Report of the Government of Israel to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee - April 2011

In 2010, the Palestinian economy continued to grow at a quick pace, with economic growth reaching 9.3%, due to a very quick recovery of the Gaza economy (15%), accompanied by continued growth of the West Bank economy (8% ). The PA's GDP in 2010 amounted to USD 5,728 million, and the GDP per capita increased by 6.1%, in comparison to the previous year. Israeli policy in the West Bank and Gaza contributed significantly to this growth. Increased Palestinian sales to Israel, a higher volume of commercial goods shipped from the West Bank via the land crossings to Israel and abroad, growing numbers of tourists visiting the West Bank, and increased construction, are all additional indications of the growth of the Palestinian economy.

Additionally, Israel has approved 121 projects led by the international community:

Widespread construction has already begun and building materials transferred to their allotted locations in the Gaza Strip. These projects include the building of 800 new homes in Rafah, Khan Yunis and Gaza city, and 33 educational projects under which 20 new schools will be built and funded by UNRWA. A total of 1,000 farms will start growing food to alleviate daily needs and improve their financial situation, for which advanced farming equipment has been donated.

In addition, 14 projects will improve medical infrastructures and four new medical centers will be built. Existing wards will also be upgraded. Sanitation levels will improve as well, with five sewage treatment centers. Twenty-eight projects dealing with water and water sanitation and two comprehensive electricity projects will also be undertaken.

In order to fund these projects, the Gaza Strip’s economy will be bolstered. Some projects will take a number of years to be completed and many tons of construction material are scheduled to enter the Gaza Strip. TheDCL and international organizations will keep track of their movement to ensure that terrorist organizations do not use them to build bunkers for their operatives, for example.

Many buildings damaged by IDF activities have been rebuilt lately. The flour mill Sa Al-Bader, for example, damaged by tank fire during Operation Cast Lead (IDF soldiers were fired at intensively by Hamas operatives stationed in the flour mill’s vicinity, and shot toward it in response), was rebuilt a few months ago.

All this stands in stark contrast to the International Solidarity Movement's claim made earlier this month that "Israel’s siege has made rebuilding bombed structures virtually impossible". The ISM has also claimed "Israel also prohibits Gazans from producing their own food.", yet advanced farming equipment has been donated to a total of 1,000 farms will start growing food for Gaza.

Have we all realized by now that the the ISM lies?

Bradley Burston: An appeal to American progressives

An appeal to American progressives, by Bradley Burston . From Ha'aretz, written in response to the over 120 rockets and mortar shells fired on Israel's south by Gaza terror groups over the weekend.


Burston writes:
The most radical, the most progressive single step that our people can take right now – and in some ways, the most dangerously unpopular – is to be moved to positive action to come to the aid of the civilian victims on not one, but both sides.

Somewhere, we have lost perspective. In war without end, in inhumanity without boundaries, we have lost some of our own humanity. In a kind of affirmative action, driven by the one-sidedness, the chauvinism, and the exclusionism of the pro-Israel establishment, it has been the fate and the practice of some progressive American Jews to support, identify with and help Palestinian victims of the conflict, while relating to Israeli victims with a cold shoulder, or worse, with victim-blaming...

This is a test for progressives.

It is crucially important that the New Israel Fund and other organizations – all of them groups of warm hearts rather than cold shoulders - continue their work for the benefit of Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, and other non-Jews in Israel. But it is no less important that these groups, be they J Street, Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, Meretz USA, Tikkun, the Jewish Voice for Peace and many others, take further steps for Israeli Jews literally under the gun. .

He continues:
There is much more that our people, progressive American Jews, can and should do to demonstrate humanist concern on this side of the border.

This could mean adopting communities, raising money to see to their needs and, in particular, their defense.

It's time. Days like this. This is when it matters


Of course, those of us in the know remember the bleak days of the Carmel fire last year when Jews gathered all over the world to raise funds and pray for the Northern communities of Israel. All but "Jewish" Voice for Peace, which continued their protests against Israel's very existence. Will "Jewish" Voice for Peace ever take tangible steps to protect Israeli civilians? Its not likely, Mr. Burston. Not when they regularly stand side by side and shoulder to shoulder with those who plot the end of the world's only Jewish state.

African American students condemn use of the term "apartheid" for describing Israel

From the JPOST:

African-American student leaders from a variety of historically black colleges and universities took out full page ads in numerous American college newspapers Thursday, displaying an “Open Letter to Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP),” to convey that they were offended by SJP’s use of the term “apartheid” at recent Israel Apartheid Week events at campuses across the country.

The 16 signatories to the letter are students and alumni from historically black colleges and universities who are members of the Vanguard Leadership Group, a leadership development academy and honor society for top students. The letter ran or is slated to run in student newspapers at Brown University, University of California- Los Angeles, University of Maryland and Columbia University over the next few days

The Students for Justice in Palestine’s labeling of Israel, an extremely diverse and vibrant country, as an apartheid state is not only false, but offensive,” Vanguard President Michael Hayes told The Jerusalem Post. “Additionally, this rhetoric does absolutely nothing to help Israel-Palestine negotiations or relations. We feel this type of action serves to hinder the peace process domestically and abroad, and have made it our priority to take a stand to shift the tide of understanding.”

In a statement released by the Vanguard Leadership Group as to why they authored the open letter to SJP, Vanguard described itself as “proudly involved in the pro-Israel movement in America.

“The use of the word ‘apartheid’ by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in its characterization of Israel is patently false and deeply offensive to all who feel a connection to the state of Israel,” the letter reads. “Your organization’s campaign against Israel is spreading misinformation about its policies, fostering bias in the media and jeopardizing prospects for a timely resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Such irresponsibility is a blemish on your efforts.”

Read the full article here

Official Palestinian promotion of terrorism

The Palestinian Authority has just honored the terrorist mastermind responsible for the 'Passover Massacre' which claimed the lives of 30 innocent Israeli citizens attending the traditional Passover meal at Netanya's Park Hotel on March 27, 2002.

Despite an often voiced Palestinian commitment to end the glorification of terrorists and incitement to violence, on March 28 Issa Karake, the Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, visited the family of Hamas suicide-bomb mastermind Abbas Al-Sayed, awarding them with an official, festive plaque, in celebration of the anniversary of the massacre.

This honor is not the only example of official Palestinian glorification of violence. In recent weeks, the Palestinian leadership named a youth soccer competition in Ramallah after Wafa Idris, the first female suicide bomber. Similarly, they named a square in El Bireh, as well as two schools and a summer camp, in honor of Dalal Mughrabi, commander of the March 11, 1978 massacre of 38 bus passengers on Israel's coastal road.

Read more here

"Homemade Resistance Rocket" Critically injures Israeli teen

From YNET
A 16-year boy was critically injured after a bus driving near the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council was hit, apparently by an anti-tank missile, fired from the Gaza Strip on Thursday. He is currently being treated for severe trauma.

An hour later the fire from Gaza continued, and a rocket exploded inside a town in Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.

The bus was hit in the rear, causing its windows to shatter. The victims were apparently inside the bus. Rescue forces were quick to arrive on the scene to evacuate the victims, and the roads were immediately blocked for fear of additional attacks.

UPDATE:

As of 11:30,PST, over 45 rockets and mortars from Gaza have exploded within 3 hours.

FURTHER UPDATE:

Hamas claimed responsibility for shooting a missile that struck an Israeli bus, critically wounding a teenage boy on his way home from school.

The school bus was traveling in southern Israel near the Gaza border when it was hit by an anti-tank missile, Israeli authorities said.

Using anti-tank missiles on school buses? Will Jewish Voice for Peace condemn Hamas for using disproportionate force? I somehow doubt it.

Goldstone Recants: Who's Next?

Originally posted by DrMike at Bluetruth

It seemed like an April Fool's Day hoax at first:  Richard Goldstone admitted in print that the most serious charge in the UN Report that bears his name was false-- the IDF, he now admits, did not have a policy of targeting civilians in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. He also, in an understatement of mammoth proportions, noted that "asking Hamas to investigate [itself] may have been a mistaken enterprise".  He blithely apologizes for taking the word of Hamas at face value in making the determination that Israel deliberately attacked civilians in Gaza, claiming "We had no evidence on which to draw any other reasonable conclusion."

I don't know whether Goldstone's conscience finally caught up to him, or what else motivated him to recognize what Israel's supporters had known from the start-- that the entire process was going to be about as honest as a game of 3 Card Monte; that his colleagues on the commission had determined the verdict before the "investigation" even started; that the very concept that he could conduct an impartial inquiry of Hamas in Gaza was ludicrous; and-- of course-- that Israel was not targeting civilians in Gaza, while Hamas was attempting to commit acts of mass murder against Israeli civilians.  Perhaps in his recent speaking tour of the US he encountered enough people who used the report as a weapon to delegitimize "apartheid Israel" , or to support the BDS movement whose goal is the end of Jewish statehood.  

But it got me to thinking-- what if this admission by Goldstone sets off a chain reaction of other conscience-clearing retractions, and admissions that Israel was right all along?  Imagine the stories (unfortunately, these are, for the moment, still fictional):

Jewish Voice for Peace Retracts Its Excuses for Palestinian Terror  

"We really thought that the occupation was a legitimate excuse for stabbing children through the hearts and slitting their throats.  And we thought that we really shouldn't hold the Palestinian extremists subject to our own culturally-biased standards, because as a population under occupation they can't be expected to have any shred of human decency whatsoever.  We had no evidence to draw any other reasonable conclusion."

President Obama Admits That Apartments Are Not The Main Obstacle to Peace

"If I had known then what I know now, I would not have insisted publicly that Israel freeze all building across the Green Line as a precondition for negotiations.  I thought that if Israel would stop building apartments in Jerusalem, then the Palestinian Authority would be willing to stop its media broadcasts that demonize Jews, glorify terror, incite murder, and reject the existence of Israel entirely. I had no evidence on which to draw any other reasonable conclusion."


Palestinian Authority Retracts Its Statements Denying Jewish History in the Land of Israel


Palestinian Authority Deputy Minister of Information Almutawaqel Taha said "Nobody had ever suggested to us that the Jews came from this land.  I mean, it's not like they have any historical tradition of ties to Jerusalem, which we have been revering as our historic capital for at least, oh, 30 or 40 years.  Or any museums with ancient artifacts such as coins or tablets, or any holy sites-- UNESCO said they were all mosques, so how were we to know differently?  We had no evidence on which to draw any other reasonable conclusion."

Of course, not all of the possible acknowledgements might be positive, but at least they would add clarity: 

Ahmedinejad Admits He Wants A Nuclear Weapon and To Start a Second Holocaust

"Sure, I can admit it now.  I know the international community won't treat me the way they did that dog Gaddafi.  They're even afraid to speak up about my lackey-- er, loyal ally-- Assad in Syria. As long as you're willing to murder your own people in cold blood at ground level rather than bomb them from the air, the West will steer clear.  

The Americans and Europeans make noise about trying to stop me, but they're not willing to do what is necessary.  I have no evidence on which to draw any other reasonable conclusion."

DrMike

To be Leftist, Feminist and Zionist in Berkeley

Fascinating interview with feminist Leader Rima Greene- radical organizer, lesbian author, and Zionist.

Rima writes
"In 1954, my grandmother had connected me with a girl in Haifa for a pen-pal. We exchanged letters and photos until the last letter in the early ’60s when she sent me a photo of her in army uniform with a rifle on each shoulder. Her last words to me were: “I’m in the army. I hate it! I hate it! But shall I let others die for me?” In 1965, my parents traveled to visit her parents in Haifa — I still remember the address: 7 Masada St., and I found out she had been a border guard in Eilat and was shot to death. Her name was Nili Goldschmit. She had a round smiling Russian face. She is the foundation for my love for Israel"

That love galvinized in 2009, with her first trip to Israel
"When I returned home I was hurt by the reaction of my lesbian friends of the decades. They were supposed to be feminists but they did not care that Israel was the only place in the Middle East where we could be independent women. I wrote a story for my travels, “Three Weeks in the Holyland” which some would not read, even though before we were writers who commented astutely on each other’s work"

She continues:
"Leftists and leftist feminists, homosexuals and lesbians purport to represent democratic rights, women’s rights and gay rights etc., and yet their silence (with a few exceptions) on Islamic violations of all of these rights, and their hatred of Israel, shows that they really don’t really care about these rights at all."

Rima concludes
"I was a lost soul, up for grabs by the default program of the Left. But I was not a Believer, I was not deeply imprinted, because I am an experimenter, an adventurer, and finally, my mind opened to going to Israel.

Many of the long term friendships I have had were with people, mostly women, who are not really people who loved me, but only ideological fellow travelers who cannot follow me now. I was seriously alienated from society and desperately needed their friendship.

In Israel, I found my lost soul parts, like Etty Hillesum records in her journals. A deeper part of me plugged in. I got engaged, forged my boundaries, and was no longer up for grabs. I now pick and choose. There are no packaged deals."


Read the interview in its entirety here

Penn State Violence and Intimidation directed towards Israel activists

Its not just California campuses. Another in a series of documented attacks on students that dare support Israel on campus. From the Collegian


A 10-by-10-foot sign drew conflict and crowds of more than 50 people outside the HUB-Robeson Center Thursday afternoon.

The sign, part of a demonstration by the Penn State chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, was titled “The Palestinian Wall of Lies.” It featured two large silhouettes of men with guns and outlined 10 “lies” the group believes Palestinians propagate.

YAF President Samuel Settle led the demonstration, handing out pamphlets and attempting to strike up conversation with passersby.

“Many people have hatred for Israel and that’s why this is important,” Settle (junior-political science and history) said. “People need to look at the facts.”

****

The Penn State students were able to document the ignorance, arrogance and abuse of the other students- and filmed a student, unable to dispute the factss on the display, storming away screaming obscentities and kicking over a box of literature.

Goldstone: Claims of Israel's Gaza war crimes should be reconsidered

From Haaretz

Writing in a Washington Post column, former head of the Gaza war fact-finding commission slams anti-Israel UN bias, says Jerusalem went to 'significant' lengths to investigate itself.

"We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war of 2008-09 than we did when I chaired the fact-finding mission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council that produced what has come to be known as the Goldstone Report," Goldstone wrote, adding: "If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document."

The former South African jurist said that while "Israeli evidence that has emerged since publication of our report doesn’t negate the tragic loss of civilian life, I regret that our fact-finding mission did not have such evidence explaining the circumstances in which we said civilians in Gaza were targeted, because it probably would have influenced our findings about intentionality and war crimes."

While Israel has shown to probe itself "to a significant degree" over Gaza war actions, Goldstone wrote, Hamas, who has been in control of the coastal enclave since 2007, "has done nothing."

The former jurist also criticizes the UN Human Rights Council's anti-Israel bias, saying that he had hoped that the report could "begin a new era of evenhandedness at the UN Human Rights Council, whose history of bias against Israel cannot be doubted."

"Something that has not been recognized often enough is the fact that our report marked the first time illegal acts of terrorism from Hamas were being investigated and condemned by the United Nations," Goldstone added, saying that his report "found evidence of potential war crimes and 'possibly crimes against humanity' by both Israel and Hamas. That the crimes allegedly committed by Hamas were intentional goes without saying — its rockets were purposefully and indiscriminately aimed at civilian targets."

Read the full story here

The International Solidarity Movement is Looking for Rachel Corrie Wannabes

Looking for adventure in all the wrong places? The International Solidarity Movement might be perfect for you. The ISM recently sent out a job announcement, recruiting people to act as human shields in Gaza. Their help wanted is printed below, with a bit of editorializing.

The International Solidarity Movement is appealing for activists to join our team in the besieged Gaza Strip. In recent months numerous people have managed to cross into Gaza through Egypt, so at present, there is a small window of opportunity to enter.

(Yes, Gaza is such an open air concentration camp that any old international volunteer can just walk in)

ISM Gaza was reinstated in August 2008, when volunteers traveled aboard the historic, siege-breaking voyage of the first FreeGaza Movement boat. ISM has maintained a constant presence in Gaza since that time, for over two years of Israel’s crippling siege.

(Crippling Siege? According to a recent report by Bloomberg News, the Gaza economy has grown by 16 % . Last year over 23 tons of strawberries and over 33,000 flowers were exported to European markets. )

ISM volunteers refused to leave when Israel began bombing Gaza in December 2009. During the devastating 23-day assault, activists accompanied ambulances and provided vital testimony to the international media.

(Were these the ambulances found to be transporting weapons, and militants? We can only speculate.)

Daily life in Gaza is a harrowing struggle.


A harrowing afternoon in the Gaza City Library

Israel’s siege has made rebuilding bombed structures virtually impossible, and thousands of Gazans continue to live in tents.

(Yet in recent months a brand new mall has been built. The Crazy water park has also received much publicity. )

The siege deeply restricts Gaza’s food supply, but Israel also prohibits Gazans from producing their own food.

(Yet somehow they manage to grow strawberries for export? Can someone explain this?)

In stark violation of international law, Israel enforces a three-nautical-mile fishing blockade. The Israeli-imposed ‘buffer zone’ swallows up a third of Gaza’s farmland, which lies along the Israeli border. Farmers are routinely shot and killed simply for working their land well inside Gaza’s borders.

(Farmers like this? )




ISM Gaza volunteers accompany farmers and demonstrators in the ‘buffer zone'....
(and act as human shields?)

As the international community becomes more critical of Israel’s policies, it is vital to have individuals on the ground that can attest to the conditions inside the open-air prison of Gaza.


(Now you too can attest to the conditions inside the open -air prison of Gaza. After all, you've seen it on you-tube!)