According to a recently released report from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, Israeli Arabs have the highest life expectancy in the Arab world.
According to the report "The Health of the Arab Population in Israel", the life expectancy of an Arab in Israel is higher than even those living in the wealthy gulf states.
What was that you were saying about "genocide" again?
Israel haters like to point out the difference in casualty rates between Jews and Arabs, using it as a barometer to prove the eternal victimhood of the Palestinians. The numbers don't tell the whole story.
This year, Israel stopped over 400 terror attacks- if just a fraction of those had been successful, the number of Israeli victims would be much higher.
Speaking at a semi-annual security briefing before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Director of Israel’s Shin Bet Nadav Argaman described the situation
“The calm we are experiencing right now is deceptive. Hamas is trying with all its might to orchestrate terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria in an effort to destabilize the Palestinian Authority,” he explained. “The reality in Gaza, meanwhile, is more challenging than ever"
Of the hundreds of terror attacks the Shin Bet prevented, 13 were planned suicide attacks, eight were attempted abductions and 94 were planned attacks in which the attackers risked death.
About 1,100 lone wolf attacks were prevented in 2017. A total of 54 terrorist attacks were perpetrated in Israel , a significant drop from last year’s 108.
An IDF investigation showed no evidence of involvement with the death of amputee Ibrahim Abu Toriya, who was allegedly killed while rioting near the border of Gaza.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Major General Yoav Mordechai announced "the investigation did not show in any way that Ibrahim Abu Toriya died of live IDF fire", and he asked for the Red Cross to further investigate.
He asked Red Cross Delegation head Mr Jacques De Maio "to find all of the facts and data, including the report from the ambulance in which Abu Toriya traveled, medical reports and findings from doctors in Gaza hospitals, and any other existing data."
Mordechai also noted that there was no basis for the false reports claiming that a sniper shot directly and intentionally at Abu Toriya. He emphasized that "we have to put an end to the industry of rumors, exaggerations, and lies which incense public discourse and incite to violence. There are too many questions and too many things which are unclear about Abu Toriya's death, and I suggest we investigate and find out the truth."
1/6 This is going to be a thread about the #ibrahimabuthuraya case. It has caused a very emotional response on twitter and I want to lay down some questions. Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, a wheelchair-bound paraplegic, participated in a riot meters near the Gaza border, was killed. pic.twitter.com/uXlPoemMVH
2/6 The IDF was blamed, and #AbuThuraya was celebrated as a martyr. However, the IDF concluded in its investigation that no live fire was shot by its forces on the border. So who or what killed him? Just asking the question is not justifying his death, it's a quest for truth. pic.twitter.com/IHHugi8JvY
3/6 On the night prior to his death, he told his family this would be his last dinner because he intends on becoming a martyr. Why is this not relevant to the question? https://t.co/46kwWsFFP3
4/6 If the IDF is telling the truth the question remains, how did he die? Did he fall off his chair and hit his head? Did he fall off of the electricity lines while hanging flags? Did a gas canister bounce of off the ground and hit him? I don't know. pic.twitter.com/VSduxcPuSv
5/6 I do know that @cogat_israel demanded yesterday to put the questions and rumors to rest, appealed to Hamas to convey to @ICRC_ilot, a neutral party, all available data including the ambulance report, which evacuated him and medical reports from the Gaza hospitals. pic.twitter.com/9Yt0CD0NZX
6/6 This was Hamas' response. There are those that are convinced that Israel is evil. These questions are irrelevant to them, they easily believe the rumors. Those that require truth in order to base their decisions and judgment should also ask Hamas, what are they hiding? pic.twitter.com/S767cLaC6C
Officials have arrested a California man who was planning a possible Christmas terror attack in San Francisco.
The FBI has arrested Everitt Aaron Jameson, a 26 year old tow truck driver from Modesto who was planning a possible Christmas terror attack at San Francisco’s popular Pier 39.Jameson also referred to himself as Abdallah adu Everitt ibn Gordon.
Jameson was charged in a criminal complaint filed at the U.S. District Court in Sacramento with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization
According to FBI Agent Christopher McKinney “Jameson has espoused radical jihadi beliefs, including authoring social media posts that are supportive of terrorism, communicating with people he believes share his jihadi views and offering to provide services to such people, including in the form of his presumably employer-provided tow truck in service of the ‘cause.’
The complaint alleges that Jameson posted radical jihadist messages online, and declared his support for the Halloween terror attack in New York that killed 8. After the attack, Jameson reportedly told an FBI informant, "I'm glad to know we Muslims are finally hitting back. Allahu Akbar! The Kuffar deserve everything and more the lives they have taken." . Jameson also expressed his belief that the U.S. "needed another attack like New York or San Bernardino." He wrote a letter stating 'You all have brought this upon yourselves. There are no innocent Kuffar! Each and every Kuffar in this Nationalistic, Godless society has a hand in this. You've allowed Donald J Trump to give away Al Quds to the Jews. Both You and he are wrong, it belongs to the Muslemeen'"
Jameson's home was raided by FBI agents Dec. 20, where they found 45-caliber magazines, an Rugers model M77 and a Winchester 22. caliber rifle, ammunition and a martyrdom letter.
Is Ibrahim Abu Thuraya being set up to be the new Muhammad al-Dura?
The 29 year old wheelchair bound Gazan was allegedly killed on December 15, in a clash with Israeli soldiers.
Some claim the protest was "peaceful".
Witnesses who accompanied Ibrahim at the time of his death claim he was shot directly in the head by an Israeli sniper. Health Ministry spokesman in Gaza, Ashraf al-Kidr pronounced him dead at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital as a result of his wounds.
Ibrahim Abu Thuraya's death has the making of a Pallywood production
Is this how you carry someone with a head wound?
Where's the blood? Wouldn't you expect blood from a fatal bullet wound to the head?
Jerusalem-based journalist Nasser Atta said he has spoken with many Palestinians, and they think the death of Ibrahim Abu Thuraya “will be the beginning of the start of a third intifada – they compare him to Muhammad al-Dura killed during the Second Intifada.”
Ismail Haniyeh certainly hopes this will be the start of something big.
Does this man look like he died from a direct gunshot to his head?
The IDF is currently investigating the death of Ibrahim Abu Thuraya. It will be very interesting to hear what they have to say. UPDATE: Honest Reporting also notices some discrepancies in the story of Abu Thuraya, particularly in how he became wheel-chair bound.
AP reports that he “lost his legs in an Israeli airstrike during a 2008 war between Israel and Hamas. According to relatives, he was assisting in the evacuation of people after an earlier airstrike when he was struck.”
“He was injured in 2008 by an Israeli helicopter that targeted him after he brought down the Israeli flag and raised the Palestinian flag along the border,” his brother Samir told AFP.”
Le Monde (French) states that he was hit by shrapnel east of the Bourej refugee camp.
He “was struck by an Israeli artillery shell. He lost both his legs and one of his eyes” in 2008 according to an APA Images photo caption.
He was “bombed in his home” according to CJ Werleman from MiddleEastEye.
An Irish publication reporting on Irish Friends of Palestine donating an electric wheelchair claims “Ibrahim had been working on a trawler when it was hit by an Israeli missile in 2008. Eight people onboard were killed while Ibrahim lost both his legs below the hips.”
Through the wonder of Berkeley's "ranked choice" voting Cheryl Davila found herself on the Berkeley city council. In the November 2016 election, incumbent Darryl Moore received just under 40% of the 8,000 votes cast in the first round of the ranked-choice ballot. Nanci Armstrong-Temple and Cheryl Davila split the remaining votes 29% and 31%.
The second round of ranked-choice voters gave Moore an additional 446 votes and Davila 1,236 votes, giving Davila a narrow victory margin of just 168 votes. Davila's claim to fame in Berkeley previously had been her hijacking the agenda of the Berkeley Human Welfare Commission for months, in an effort to pass a divestment from Israel proposal.In her quest for election to the city council, the Davila campaign called upon their old friends at UC Berkeley's Students for Justice in Palestine, visiting them, and posting on their Facebook page.
Cheryl has remained active in the anti-Israel camp, appearing at rallies on campus and in front of the local Israeli consulate. She has apparently been attempting to pay back her campaign debts.
Berkeley City Councilperson Cheryl Davila promotes extremist views
Ben Gerhardstein, a former city transportation commissioner believes Cheryl Davila booted him off the Commission in part because he declined to state his opinion regarding divestment from Israel.
“You indicated that a non-transportation issue was important to you in selecting a Transportation Commissioner,” Gerhardstein wrote to Davila on Nov. 27 after she informed him by email that he had been removed from the commission. “During our first meeting, you noted that as a Human Welfare and Community Action Commissioner you authored a recommendation to Council to divest from companies benefiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, which raised your profile. You said that the issue was important to you and you asked whether I was pro-Palestinian (and supported divestment) or a Zionist. You noted that you were asking all potential District 2 commissioners this question and suggested that you were only interested in appointing divestment supporters to commissions...”
At least two other commissioners serving at the behest of Davila told Berkeleyside the question of Israel and divestment came up during their interviews with Davila.... By dragging her BDS litmus test into the realm of local politics, Davila has again shown her willingness to abandon the very real needs of the people of Berkeley. Imagine if a Jewish candidate did what Davila has done. Imagine the calls of "dual loyalty". Read it all at Berkeleyside.
According to the City of Berkeley’s published record of campaign contributions, her campaign drew financial support from local anti-Israel activists U.C. Berkeley lecturer and SJP founder Hatem Bazian (currently under fire for anti-Semitic tweets from earlier this year), Barbara Lubin of the Middle East Children’s Alliance, and Donald Wagner from Friends of Sabeel.\ Interesting....
The 2018 Rhodes scholar from the University of Haifa Lian Najami is a perfect example of the diversity of Israeli society, and of intersectionality at its best.
Lian grew up in the culturally mixed Haifa neighborhood of Ein Hayam. At the age of 12, Lian began volunteering at her local community center and by her 15th birthday she founded her first start-up. Fluent in five languages, Lian graduated with a BA in Political Science from the University of Haifa. She was a foreign policy adviser to US Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI),and was a featured speaker at the Forbes Israel 30 Under 30 Summit in 2016. While at Oxford, Lian plans to research initiatives designed to promote political inclusion within society emphasizing marginalized groups.
Lian joins 32 other students will begin their studies at Oxford in October 2018. They were selected from a pool of 866 candidates nominated by their colleges and universities.
I was first asked to speak to international delegations as a high schooler at Leo Baeck’s youth and co-existence projects. Since then I have spoken at the University of Haifa’s 40th Board of Governors Meeting, and at functions organized by Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and Israel Campus Roundtables at campuses across the Boston area, including Williams College, Tufts University, UMass Amherst, Suffolk University, Harvard Kennedy School, Northeastern University, and Wellesley College. These events enabled me to reach out to students who have no connection to Israeli or Palestinian issues, yet think they must take a side. I try to explain that the reality is very complex. As an Arab Israeli, I tell them that they can be both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian. A large number of people are ignorant about the non-Jewish community living in Israel, which comprises 25% of the population. I try to raise awareness about this demographic reality. The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement claims that it is helping Palestinians and Arab Israelis. I say ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ What BDS is actually doing is simultaneously damaging Israel and Palestine, and when you harm Israel, you are hurting all of its citizens. Israel has done nothing but help shape the strong person I am and provided me with the help I needed to fully succeed in the Middle East and in life.
Congratulations to Lain Najami. May she continue to grow from strength to strength.
Menorah lights and Hannukah celebrations around the Bay- shamelessly copied from the J Weekly's Calendar page.
San Francisco
“Light It Up.” Beth Sholom celebration features play, live music and traditional treats plus a burrito bar. Thursday, Dec. 14. At Congregation Beth Sholom, 301 14th Ave., S.F. 5:30-8 p.m., with lighting and play at 6:30. $8-$26; 5 and under free.
Emanu-El young adult party. With music by SHAMATi. Friday, Dec. 15 at Brick & Mortar, 1710 Mission St, S.F. 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Also Dec. 15, family party, service, dinner (RSVP required) and magic show at Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St., S.F., 5-8 p.m. Other lightings at emanuelsf.org/chanukah.
“Share the Light.” Lighting, story time and activities at 4 p.m. daily, with free family “Fryday” party Dec. 15, also at 4 p.m. At JCCSF, 3200 California St., S.F.
Lighting of the giant Bill Graham Menorah at Union Square. Dec. 12-14, 17-19 at 5 p.m., Dec. 15 at 3 p.m., Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. “Bill Graham Menorah Day,” with kids’ activities and music by Jerry’s Kosher Deli, starts 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17 and ends with lighting.
East Bay
“Chanukah on Ice.” Giant menorah lighting Thursday, Dec. 14 at Civic Park Ice Rink, 1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. 7 p.m. $18+.
“Spin Till You Win.” Dreidel tournament with cash prizes Saturday, Dec. 16 at Chabad of Contra Costa, 1671 Newell Ave., Walnut Creek. 7:30 p.m. $50+.
Under One Tent Grand Menorah Lightings. East Bay celebrations with latkes and doughnuts Wednesday, Dec. 13 at Alamo Plaza, Alamo, 5-6 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 16 at Blackhawk Plaza, Danville, 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 17 at Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek, with music by Saul Kaye, 4 p.m. Free.
Giant menorah lighting in Danville. With music by Sam Glaser, Lego menorah workshop, face painting and glitter art. Sunday, Dec. 17. At Blackhawk Plaza, 3380 Blackhawk Plaza Circle. 4-6 p.m. Free.
“Hanooka Festival of Lights and Latkes.” Includes klezmer shadow puppets and a silent auction for a menorah. Sponsored by Urban Shtetl Youth & Family Program. Saturday, Dec. 16 at Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince St., Berkeley. 4-7 p.m. $5-$20.
North Bay
Veteran’s Park lighting. Honoring Napa police and fire chiefs. Live klezmer, traditional treats. Thursday, Dec. 14 at park on Main Street, Napa. 5 p.m. Free.
“Light Up the Night.” Grand menorah lighting with raffle, latkes, doughnuts and participation of civic leaders. Tuesday, Dec. 12 at Whole Foods Market, 790 De Long Ave., Novato. 5 p.m. Free.
“Chanukah at the River.” With 9-foot menorah, fire juggling, live magic show and treats. Tuesday, Dec. 12. At Water Street Promenade, 100 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 4:30-6 p.m. Free with RSVP.
“Chanukah Extravaganza.” With live music by Good Shabbos klezmer band and pescatarian kosher potluck (by assignment). Light your own menorah Saturday, Dec. 16. At Congregation Ner Shalom, 85 La Plaza, Cotati. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free with RSVP.
“Chanukah Wonderland.” Tuesday, Dec. 19 party at Jelly Belly factory, with lighting of giant jelly bean-filled menorah, at 1 Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield. 4-7 p.m. Free.
Hanukkah festival at the mall. With live music and kosher food, including latkes. Sunday, Dec. 17 at Montgomery Village, 911 Village Court., Santa Rosa. 4-6 p.m. Other events in Healdsburg, Cotati and Santa Rosa.
South Bay
“Flames and Friends Flametacular.” Bring your own menorah to light with other congregants. Friday, Dec. 15 at Congregation Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto. 7:30 p.m. Free.
Burlingame giant coin menorah lighting. With live music by Saul Kaye. Fundraiser for North Bay fire victims. Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 240 Park Road, Burlingame. 6-7 p.m. Free with RSVP.
“Chanukah on Ice.” Saturday, Dec. 16 at Central Park, 50 East Fifth Ave., San Mateo. 7 p.m. $10-$13 per person to skate.
Russian speakers celebration. Candlelighting, traditional foods and conversation. Monday, Dec. 18 at Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 6 p.m. RSVP by Dec. 15.
Congratulations to Lain Najami. May she continue to grow from strength to strength.
