What the World's Silence on Syria means to Israel

From Dr. Mordechai Kedar,  Director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and Islam (under formation) at Bar-Ilan University, Israel reprinted at the Love of the Land Blog

In March 2011 a series of nonviolent demonstrations began in the cities of Syria, which expressed the wish of its citizens to live in a more decent state. Two and a-half years later, more than 100,000 are dead and four million are refugees in Syria and abroad. Hundreds of thousands of houses and apartments have been turned into rubble and the infrastructure in large parts of the country has been shattered. Without a doubt, there has been enough time, enough deaths, refugees and destruction for the world -- which claims to be guided by moral considerations -- to wake up and do something beyond verbal condemnation.
But this has happened. The world continues to look away.

The sad conclusions to emerge from the world's silence in the face of the suffering in the Middle East are very important to us as Israelis:

1. Even if tens of thousands of Israelis are killed, injured or displaced by war or terrorism -- the world will fail to respond.

2. Israel must not make any concessions in return for international guarantees, because when put to the test, every state operates according to its current interests, not according to its past commitments or moral considerations.

3. Moral considerations do not affect actions. Anti-Semitism, however, pushes moral imposters to boycott Israeli products.

4. Even those who use non-violent means may be exposed to violent reaction, and the world accepts this immoral equation.

5. If Iran does not threaten the West, the West will again be willing to sacrifice the Jews to the point of extermination, as long as oil from the Persian Gulf keeps flowing into the energy market.

6. In an international system that operates without a moral compass, Israel must act according to its own best interests. And if the security interest - Israel's existence - means holding on to all the Land of Israel or part of it - other considerations must not be involved in the decision.

7. Ethical considerations such as "the Palestinians also deserve a state" must be compared to saying that "Syrians deserve to live." A European or American who does not care about Syrian life has no right to demand that Israel be more moral than him.

8. Peace in the Middle East will only be achieved by he who is able to demonstrate to his opponents that he is invincible.

Read it here

Arabs in Israel

Dr, Mordechai Kedar, an Israeli scholar of Arabic and Islam,  is a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University and the director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and Islam (under formation), Bar Ilan University, Israel. He specializes in Islamic ideology and movements, the political discourse of Arab countries, the Arabic mass media, and the Syrian domestic arena. Dr. Kedar recently spent several days touring Northern California, educating  hundreds about the new realities in the Middle east following the Arab Spring.

Translated from Hebrew by Sally Zahav with permission from the author. Original materials copyright (c) by the author. 

In this important article, Dr. Kedar erases some common misconceptions regarding the Arab population of Israel. Rather than being an "indigenous" population, many were recent migrants, with various ethnic divisions differing from each other in religion, culture, origin and historical background.  He writes:

But the characteristic that most unites the Arab sector in Israel is the environment that they live in: All the Arabs in the world live in one of two situations: Either in dictatorships in their homeland, or in dictatorships in the diaspora. There is almost no Arab community in the world that lives in its homeland for tens of years in a truly democratic state. The Arab citizens of Israel are the only Arab group that lives on its land (especially if you ignore the lands from which they originated) in a democratic regime that honors human rights and political freedoms. This is the reason that Arabs outside of Israel envy the Arab citizens of Israel and call them "Arab al-Zibda", or "whipped cream Arabs".

From the Blog :  Middle East and Terrorism

Mordechai Kedar: The Arabs in Israel - Part I 

Ethnic Division
Within the Arab sector in Israel there are a number of ethnic groups who differ from each other in language, history and culture: Arabs, Africans, Armenians, Circassians and Bosnians. These groups usually do not mingle with each other, and live in separate villages or in  separate neighborhoods where a particular family predominates. For example: the Circassians in Israel are the descendants of people who came from the Caucasus to serve as officers in the Ottoman army. They live in two villages in the Galilee, Kfar Kama and Reyhaniya, and despite their being Muslim, the young people do not usually marry Arabs.
The Africans are mainly from Sudan. Some of them live as a large group in Jisr al-Zarqa and some live in family groups within Bedouin settlements in the south. They are called "Abid" from the Arabic word for "slaves". The Bosnians live in family groups in Arab villages, for example, the Bushnak family in Kfar Manda. 
The Armenians came mainly to escape the persecution that they suffered in Turkey in the days of the First World War, which culminated in the Armenian genocide of 1915. 
Cultural Division
In general, it can be said that the Arab sector is divided culturally into three main groups: urban, rural and Bedouin. Each one of these groups has its own cultural characteristics: lifestyle,  status of a given clan, education, occupation, level of income, number of children and matters connected to women, for example polygamy (multiple wives), age of marriage, matchmaking or dating customs and dress. The residents of cities - and to a great extent also the villagers - see the Bedouins as primitive, while the Bedouins see themselves as the only genuine Arabs, and in their opinion, the villagers and city folk are phony Arabs, who have lost their Arab character.
The Arabic language expresses this matter well: the meaning of the word "Arabi" is "bedouin", and some of the Bedouin tribes are called "Arab", for example "Arab al-Heib" and "Arab al-Shibli" in the North.
The Bedouins of the Negev classify themselves according to the color of their skin into "hamar" (red) and "sud" (black), and Bedouins would never marry their daughters to a man who is darker than she is, because he does not want his grandchildren to be dark-skinned. Racist? Perhaps. Another division that exists in the Negev is between tribes that have a Bedouin origin, and tribes whose livelihood is agriculture (Fellahin), who have low status. A large tribe has a higher standing than a small tribe.
Religions and Sects
The Arab sector in Israel is divided into Muslims, Christians, Druze and 'Alawites. The Christians are subdivided into several Sects: Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant, and among the Muslims, there is a distinct sect of Sufis, which has a significant presence in Baqa al-Gharbiya. There is also an interesting Salafi movement in Israel, which we will relate to later. The Islamist movement is organized along the lines of the Muslim Brotherhood and we will dedicate significant space to it in this series.
The religion of the Druze is different from Islam, and Muslims consider the Druze to be heretics. Because of this, the Druze are supposed to keep their religion secret, even from each other, and therefore most are "juhal" (ignorant - of religious matters) and only a small number of the elder men are "aukal" (knowlegable in matters of religion"). In the modern age there have been a number of books published about the Druze religion. 
The 'Alawites in Israel live in Kfar Ghajar, in the foothills of the Hermon and some live over the border in Lebanon. They are also considered heretics in Islam, and their religion is a blend (syncretism) of Shi'ite Islam, and Eastern Christianity and ancient religions that existed in the Middle East thousands of years ago. Their principle concentration is in the mountains of al-Ansariya in northwest Syria, although some are in Lebanon and some migrated southward and settled in Ghajar. The meaning of the word Ghajar in Arabic is "Gypsy", meaning foreign nomads with a different religion. In Syria the 'Alawites have ruled since 1966. The family of Asad is part of this heretical Islamic sect , and this is the reason for the Muslim objection to 'Alawite rule in Syria since according to Islam, not only do they not have the right to rule, being a minority,  but there is significant doubt as to whether they even have the right to live, being idol worshipers.

 Read the entire article here

"Teach your children hatred for the enemies of Islam"

Jerusalem, our city of light, of gold, of peace has been the beating heart of Jewish life for thousands of years. The organizers of the failed Global march to Jerusalem- a proposed attempt to surround and invade the city earlier this year -objected to the "Judiazation" of Jerusalem. They needn't have worried. Its a done deal. Jerusalem is mentioned in the Tanakh 669 times.

What historic significance does Jerusalem have to the Muslim people?

From Mordechai Kedar

Islamization was practiced on places as well as persons: Mecca and the holy stone - al-Ka'bah - were holy sites of the pre-Islamic pagan Arabs. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Great Mosque of Istanbul were erected on the sites of Christian-Byzantine churches - two of the better known examples of how Islam treats sanctuaries of other faiths.

Jerusalem, too, underwent the process of Islamization: at first Muhammad attempted to convince the Jews near Medina to join his young community, and, by way of persuasion, established the direction of prayer (kiblah) to be to the north, towards Jerusalem, in keeping with Jewish practice; but after he failed in this attempt he turned against the Jews, killed many of them, and directed the kiblah southward, towards Mecca.

Muhammad's abandonment of Jerusalem explains the fact that this city is not mentioned even once in the Koran. After Palestine was occupied by the Muslims, its capital was Ramlah, 30 miles to the west of Jerusalem, signifying that Jerusalem meant nothing to them.

Its not the Judiazation of Jerusalem we should worry about- its quite the opposite. Kedar continues:

Another aim of the Islamization of Jerusalem was to undermine the legitimacy of the older religions, Judaism and Christianity, which consider Jerusalem to be a holy city. Islam is presented as the only legitimate religion, destined to replace the other two, because they had changed and distorted the Word of God, each in its turn.

Though Judaism and Christianity can exist side by side in Jerusalem, Islam regards both of them as betrayals of Allah and his teachings, and has always done, and will continue to do, all in its power to expel both of them from this city.

We've seen evidence of this attempted undermining of the heritage of Jerusalem in the weeks prior to the Global march, with the Arab press falling all over itself reporting on "Extremist settlers" "storming" Al Aqsa. The propaganda war is continuing.

The Palestine Foundation Pakistan (sorry- I don't link to hate sites) includes amongst their '100 ways" to liberate the Aqsa Mosque these choice bits of advice:

*Women should teach their children the lesson of jihad and martyrdom in the way of Allah because Palestine can be liberated by this way.

*To make slogans about Aqsa mosque for e.g.: As long as I am alive, I shall not allow Aqsa mosque’s desolation, Aqsa Mosque is in danger, Aqsa is not alone, Quds belongs to us, This is our mosque and not the place of idols, O Aqsa Mosque, our lives and properties are sacrificed on you.

*To educate your children about the conspiracies of Zionism and ensure your children participate in anti-Zionist activities.

*To teach your children hatred for enemies of Islam.

Teaching martyrdom, jihad and hatred as community values. This makes me tremble with fear for the future generations. Pray for the children fed on hatred and for the Israeli children who will someday face them.

Global March to Jerusalem, meet Mordechai Kedar

To the Organizers of the Global march to Jerusalem, who claim in Al Manar news:

"Since the Zionist occupation of 78% of Palestine in 1948, and the subsequent occupation of Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine in 1967, we have witnessed growing efforts to Judaize Jerusalem and colonize Palestine. These crimes against humanity are done under the political protection and full support of successive American administrations and enforced by its veto at the United Nations.

The goal of the Zionists is to force Palestinian residents out of Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine through acts of state terrorism, economic pressures, legal restrictions, and outright expulsions. The Holy city of Jerusalem is falsely called “the eternal capital of Israel” by Netanyahu and other Zionist leaders who clearly state that Jerusalem is non-negotiable. Such statements and related actions by the Zionists are absolutely inconsistent with all of the relevant United Nations resolutions on Jerusalem and contrary to the principles of international law."

May I present to you, Dr. Morcdechai Kedar?



"We were here when your forefathers were drinking wine, burying their daughters alive and worshipping idols"

Kedar "... in the Islamic view, Islam came into the world to replace Judaism and Christianity, not to live side by side with them. And here, all of a sudden, the Jews are coming from exile and building their state again and G-d forbid they also regained Jerusalem." Judaism is thus regaining its meaning, and Islam is challenged by this, the Bar-Ilan professor explained. "The mere existence of the State of Israel and the fact that we are in Jerusalem is some kind of challenge to the legitimacy of Islam in their eyes."

And this, my friends is the very reason the Global assault on Jerusalem is being staged.

There will be a trial run later this month, which hopes to arrive in Jerusalem on Nov 29. The major assault is scheduled for March of 2012

It's time for those who hold the keys to their homes to rise up

"It's time for those who hold the keys to their homes to rise up"

Like all other sweeping proclamations from Al Awda, this doesn't include the 850,000 Jews who were expelled from Arab lands, leaving behind assets valued in todays standards of $300 billion. Real-estate left behind in Arab lands is estimated as worth $6 billion today. But I digress...I do that...

The following are excerpts from an article by Dr. Salman Abu Sitta who will be speaking at the Ninth Annual International Al-Awda Convention .The author is the founding president of the Palestine Land Society and an honorary adviser to the Middle East Monitor. The Arabic article appeared in Al Quds Al Arabi, 9 February 2011

"The issue is not that documents giving details of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were leaked by Al Jazeera and the Guardian. We all had a general picture of the positions taken by Palestinian negotiators in front of Israel. Such positions were already subjected to strong criticism for being excessive, especially the concessions made over the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Rejection of these concessions has been emphasised in conferences, statements and demonstrations over a number of years.

However, the leaks revealed the true picture of the submissiveness of the negotiators, how low they could get, and the shameless way in which they begged the Israelis for little more than a mini-state with citizens gathered in isolated cages and Palestinian refugees abandoned along the "road map to peace". For this, the negotiators were rewarded with great jobs and villas in Abu Dis or Jericho; in the meantime, the question of Palestine, including Jerusalem and the right of return, could go to hell.

That is the real issue and scandal; it's the straw that broke the camel's back. After displaying great patience for 18 fruitless years since the disaster of Oslo, it is time for the Palestinian refugees to have their own people's revolution."

He continues

" The primary issue for Palestinians, the right of return of the refugees, has been dropped from the agenda, to be held in reserve as a potential "bogey" in discussions... " That negotiator's option is a gimmick. The right of return is an inalienable individual right that cannot be negotiated away; any refugee is entitled to use it at any time possible as it does not have an expiry date. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides for the right of anyone to leave their country and return to it; this is not subject to international agreements or negotiations and no one can cancel it."

Here's article 13 for you:
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

There is absolutely nothing in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that extends this privilege to the 3rd and 4th generation.


"The suggestion that Jerusalem and the Old City could be given up is unforgiveable, even if decorated with pseudo-respectability by an international committee to manage the Noble Sanctuary. If international law has rejected such a concept, how can those who say they represent the people of this Holy Land accept it? "

Yet Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world for the Jewish people has been the center of our religious lives for thousands of years. And to the Muslims? Its not mentioned even once in the Koron. In the immortal words of Dr. Mordechai Kedar“We were here when your forefathers were drinking wine, burying their daughters alive, and worshipping idols”

Think Abu Sitta was unreasonable and unwilling to compromise up to this point? He was just getting started:

"The occupation of Palestine did not begin in 1967; it started in 1948, with the Nakba (Catastrophe) of the creation of the state of Israel"

And this is the real key. The extremists of Al Awda will never accept the existence of a Jewish state in Israel. They reject Jewish self determination. This conflict is not about settlements. Its not about Occupation. Its not even about the eventual borders of a Jewish state and a Palestinian state. This is about the very existence of Israel. And don't forget that

Read the rest of his spewing missive, er, article here: www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/arab-media/2051-its-time-for-those-who-hold-the-keys-to-their-homes-to-rise-up