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ISRAEL

How “human rights” believers fund evil Britain’s faith in Mahmoud Abbas’s regime has been a stunning misjudgement Melanie Phillips

https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/how-human-rights-believers-fund-evil?utm_source=email

This week’s Jewish Chronicle features a major story by David Rose, which reveals that Britain has been investing millions of pounds in training the Palestinian Authority in human rights even while the PA has been perpetrating torture and beating a prominent Palestinian democracy and human rights campaigner to death.

David’s story can be read here, here and here.

The opinion piece that I wrote for the JC to accompany the story follows below.

***

For many in the west, it has long been an article of faith that peace will only come to the Middle East when the Palestinians gain a state of their own.

Along with the EU and America, successive British governments have promoted a “two-state solution” to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.

Central to this thinking is a key distinction. Hamas is considered beyond the pale as Islamist extremists who throw gay Palestinians off rooftops to their death and make no bones about their aim to destroy Israel. But the Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas is deemed “moderate” and entitled to run a future state of Palestine that would be part of the community of nations.

The JC has now exposed this faith in the PA as an excruciating misjudgment.

For while Britain has been investing millions in it in the arrogant belief that it can teach it western values, Palestinian officers have been murdering and torturing dissenters who campaign for their human rights.

Mahmoud Abbas’ ‘Holocaust Inversion’ A vile ideological tactic to malign Israel and Jews. Richard L. Cravatts

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/08/mahmoud-abbas-holocaust-inversion-richard-l-cravatts/

When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke at a news conference in Berlin with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Aug. 17, he publicly revealed, perhaps inadvertently, that while he has a long-standing record of Holocaust denial, he still felt perfectly willing to draw a comparison between the lethal actions of the Third Reich toward Jews and Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians.

“From 1947 to the present day,” Abbas said, “Israel has committed 50 massacres in Palestinian villages and cities—in Deir Yassin, Tantura, Kafr Qasim, and many others—50 massacres, 50 Holocausts. And until today, and every day, there are casualties killed by the Israeli military.” 

It was Abbas’ use of the word “Holocaust” that drew such a fierce blowback, not only because it was recklessly uttered in Germany, but that it suggested that the deaths of Palestinians by Israel exceeded the extermination of Jews by the Nazis—in fact, absurdly, fifty times as many deaths.

Abbas, of course, is well known for his crude Holocaust denial, having written his doctoral dissertation that cast doubt on the number of Jewish fatalities in the Final Solution. In 1984, that dissertation was published as a book, The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism, and laid out the fantasy that Zionists themselves were complicit in supporting the Nazi genocide, that they told the Nazis “to do as they wish to the Jews, as long as it guarantees individual immigration to Palestine . . . This was because it [the Zionist leaders] thought that raising the number of victims would increase its rights at the end of the war, when the bounty is divided.”

In Abbas’ hallucinatory worldview, Zionists were so inhumane, so rapacious and murderous in their zeal to create a Jewish homeland, that they willingly sacrificed millions of their brethren in order to achieve that statehood, not to mention reaping reparations as a result of inflated fatality numbers.

And even if Jews are to be believed when they recount the Holocaust, Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians is inexcusable since they should understand suffering and death by a murderous regime “If they [Jews] say that they made sacrifices in World War II, and we respect what they say, they should not treat us the way they were treated,” Abbas told Polish journalists in 2015. “We must not be a victim of the victim.” 

Israel’s control of Judea & Samaria (West Bank) – US interests? Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

https://bit.ly/3R5Uzh5

*Has Israel’s control of the mountain ridges of Judea & Samaria enhanced or injured US interests?

Will the proposed Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria boost or undermine US interests?

*During the October 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty ceremony, top Jordanian military officers warned their Israeli counterparts that a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River would doom the pro-US Hashemite regime east of the River, transforming Jordan into a uncontrollable terrorist heaven, haunting the highly vulnerable pro-US regimes of the oil-producing Arab Gulf states, as well as the pro-US Egypt.

*In June 1967, Israel gained control over the topographically-dominant mountain ridges of the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria, in a preemptive war against Egypt-Syria-Jordan, which dramatically enhanced its posture of deterrence. 

Israel was transformed from a violence-inducing national security-consumer to a violence-deterring national security-producer, evolving into a unique force-multiplier for the US, constraining the maneuverability of anti-US rogue entities.

*The mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria – 3,000 ft. above the Jordan Valley and 2,000 ft. above pre-1967 Israel – play a major role in determining the survival of Israel, the pro-US Hashemite regime in Jordan and Jordan’s neighbors in the Arabian Peninsula.

*Israel’s control of Judea and Samaria has eliminated much of the threat (to Jordan) of a Judea and Samaria-based Palestinian terrorism and has deterred domestic and regional anti-Hashemite elements.

*For example, in 2022, the Iranian-inspired tension along the Syria-Jordan border – from the Golan Heights to Iraq – is intensifying.  It features Iranian-made drones and cyberattacks on Jordan, as well as an increasing infiltration by Syria-based Iranian terrorists, arms smugglers and drug traffickers. Iran’s Ayatollahs aim at toppling the Hashemite regime, extending their reach toward the Mediterranean, undermining the US’ strategic posture in the Middle East, and intensifying the lethal threat to Israel and Saudi Arabia (Jordan’s southern neighbor).

*Jordan may not be able to face the escalated Iranian threat on its own. While it does not rely on an effective US or Arab military deployment, it perceives Israel as its only proven ally, which has systematically flexed its military muscle against Iran. Moreover, Israel’s posture of deterrence emboldens Jordan, in the face of the Iranian threat, as it did in prior threats posed to the Hashemite regime from the Syrian front.

Iran Prepares to Take Out Israel – Right after Iran Deal Is Signed by Khaled Abu Toameh

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18824/iran-prepares-take-out-israel

The mullahs appear convinced that once the Biden administration capitulates completely to their demands for reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, they will be able to step up their already significant efforts to eliminate Israel and export their Islamic Revolution to Arab and Islamic countries. Iran already occupies four Arab countries: Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.

Iran’s mullahs appear to be so confident that the Biden administration has turned its back on its Arab allies in the Middle East that they are issuing direct threats not only against Israel, but also against any Arab country that dares to cooperate with the Israelis.

Meanwhile, the mullahs are busy trying to open a new battlefront against Israel, this time in the West Bank.

The mullahs appear to be so emboldened by the Biden administration’s weakness that they are now openly talking about using the West Bank as a launching pad to attack Israel and kill Jews.

Under pressure from the Iranian regime, Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives held a meeting in the Gaza Strip earlier this week to discuss ways of stepping up the “resistance” against Israel.

In an attempt to appease their masters in Tehran, Hamas and Islamic Jihad issued a joint statement after the meeting in which they pledged to step up the “armed struggle” against Israel “until the liberation [of all of Palestine],” a euphemism for the destruction of Israel.

As the Biden administration seems to be moving closer to reaching a new nuclear deal with Iran, the mullahs in Tehran are encouraging their Lebanese and Palestinian terrorist proxies to prepare for waging war on Israel.

The mullahs appear convinced that once the Biden administration capitulates completely to their demands for reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, they will be able to step up their already significant efforts to eliminate Israel and export their Islamic Revolution to Arab and Islamic countries. Iran already occupies four Arab countries: Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.

Israeli High-Tech Foils Hamas and Islamic Jihad Terror Schemes Hezbollah should take note. Ari Lieberman

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/08/israeli-high-tech-foils-hamas-and-islamic-jihad-ari-lieberman/

Israel’s successful conclusion of Operation Breaking Dawn capped several achievements for the Israel Defense Forces that highlighted its technical prowess and vaunted intelligence capabilities. The clash also underscored the extent to which terror entities in Gaza have lost political capital in the two years since the signing of the Abraham Accords. During the conflict, the IDF excelled both offensively and defensively and Israel’s nemesis to the north, Hezbollah, has taken notice. The Iranian proxy militia has engaged in some saber rattling recently but it is keenly aware of Israel’s military capabilities and its own military and political limitations.

When it was first deployed just over a decade ago, Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defense system maintained a success rate of between 75 to 78 percent. Continuous software and hardware improvements to Iron Dome have made the system 97 percent effective.

According to information released by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, in 66 hours between August 5, and August 7, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired some 1,175 rockets at Israel and 990 of these landed in Israeli territory. Iron Dome intercepted 450 rockets. The remaining rockets landed in open areas. Iron Dome is programmed to launch only if the system determines that the rocket’s flight path poses a danger to civilians or critical infrastructure, thus increasing its efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Prager U Video: Is Israel An Apartheid State? A South African sets the record straight.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/08/prager-u-video-israel-apartheid-state-prager-u/

Does Israel discriminate against Arabs? Is it today’s version of apartheid South Africa? Olga Meshoe, herself a South African whose family experienced apartheid, settles the question once and for all.

Don’t miss this must-watch short video below:

The Palestinian Authority’s stealth attempt to take over Judea and Samaria David Isaac

(The Palestinian Authority’s stealth attempt to take over Judea and Samaria – JNS.org)

“The illegal building that’s taking place by the Arabs has increased so dramatically in the last year that it’s out of control. If we judge according to where these activities are happening, they’re definitely in places which you can see they’re trying to create facts on the ground,” says Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi. Diligently following a master plan worked out over 10 years ago, the Palestinian Authority is laying claim to large tracts of Israeli state land through illegal building. Resembling Potemkin villages, many structures stand empty, hollow, windowless, alone or clumped together. The land grab has been hugely successful because Israeli countermeasures have been so feeble, Jews living in the area tell JNS.

“Their side is focused, determined and has a well-developed plan. Our side is unfocused, indecisive and in many cases not even aware of what’s going on,” said Michael Sperber, a family lawyer who lives in Efrat, a city of 15,000 about a half-hour’s drive south of Jerusalem in the Judean hills.

Sperber, a long-time resident of Efrat (he served as deputy mayor 15 years ago) has taken it upon himself to document illegal Arab construction in the area. From Dagan, the city’s northernmost neighborhood, Sperber has a window seat onto Arab buildings advancing from Bethlehem across the narrow valley below and up toward Efrat.

Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi told JNS that, “The illegal building that’s taking place by the Arabs has increased so dramatically in the last year that it’s out of control. If we judge according to where these activities are happening, they’re definitely in places which you can see they’re trying to create facts on the ground.”

Revivi noted that if the illegal structures are not hooked up to the sewage system this could lead to pollution of underground reservoirs, and if they are erected too close to roads then this could prevent the widening of lanes in the future.

GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

Michael Ordman whose birthday is today, gives the lie to the turpitude of BDS….” Boycott, Divest, Sanction” movement to end international support for Israel.

In fact BDS stands for “Biased, Defamatory, Sham” ….rsk

Energy features high in the latest positive Israel newsletter. Hydrogen from trash; recharging Electric Vehicle non-lithium batteries in minutes; wave energy for Los Angeles, non-electric air-con and the Iron Beam. Plus energy-saving solutions for producing fabrics, recycling plastic and keeping food fresh. Thermal energy is being used in medical imaging, and energetic Hadassah surgeons performed a record number of transplants. Dynamic Israelis include the women in charge of Israel’s security; Israeli humanitarian NGOs; and the bright stars that won the International Math competition. Also featured are the dynamic Israeli companies and huge investments that are contributing to Israel’s increasingly strong, dynamic economy. Finally, Israel’s runners and swimmers are proving to be golden dynamos, and the influx of new arrivals to the Jewish State continues at dynamic levels. Michael Ordman

 

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
Disrupting tumor’s defenses. Researchers at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have developed nanotechnology that prevents tumors from disabling the body’s Natural Killer (NK) cells. They used RNA molecules to stop the NK cells from expressing the gene that the tumor attacks. The NK cell is then free to destroy the tumor.
https://www.jns.org/bar-ilan-university-researchers-develop-new-nanotechnology-to-fight-cancer-cells/  
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202114073
 
Infecting gut bacteria to treat IBD. (TY Sidney & JNS) An international team of researchers led by Israel’s Weizmann Institute, has used macrophages (good viruses) to kill inflammation-causing gut bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s. “Good” bacteria are not harmed.
https://m.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-713952/amp
https://www.israel21c.org/study-shows-viruses-can-kill-gut-bacteria-of-crohns-bowel-disease/
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00850-9
 
Saliva bacteria highlights PTSD. (TY JNS) Tel Aviv and Haifa University researchers have discovered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sufferers share a similar microbial picture in their saliva. It can help future diagnosis of PTSD and may even lead to micro-biotic-related therapies.
https://www.israel21c.org/study-ptsd-sufferers-share-bacterial-footprint-in-saliva/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01704-6
 
Helping to breathe. Israel’s Synchrony Medical has developed LibAirty™ – a wearable vest that applies chest compressions on the patient’s thorax which is synchronized with the patient’s breathing cycle. It was conceived during the pandemic when patients with chronic lung conditions stopped coming to hospitals for treatment.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s17khn66q  https://synchrony-medical.com/
 
Getting the heart to heal itself. Israel’s HeartPoint Global has developed a stent for patients with congenital heart conditions. The HeartPoint Global Implant System (HPGS) regulates the flow of blood coming in and out of the heart. For children, fixing the blood flow and pressure can heal the heart without surgery.
https://www.israel21c.org/stent-helps-kids-with-congenital-heart-defects-heal-themselves/
https://www.heartpointglobal.com/
 
Treatment for eating disorders. Israeli biotech Short Wave Pharma is to conduct a clinical trial of its novel treatment for anorexia nervosa at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center for Eating Disorders. The phase II study of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is the first of its kind in Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1mv2md05   https://www.shortwave-pharma.com/
 
IDF thermal imaging adapted for medical use. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center is partnering Opgal, a subsidiary of Israel’s Elbit Systems, to repurpose thermal imaging technologies previously reserved for military and security purposes. Energy and heat analysis can reveal many physiological processes in the body.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-terror-fighting-thermal-imaging-tech-being-adapted-for-medical-purposes/
 
Record number of transplants. Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem recently performed 6 liver and 6 kidney transplants in less than 14 days – a record for an Israeli hospital. The transplants were led by Israeli Arab Dr. Abed Khalaileh, Israelis’ altruistic kidney donations are also at a record level.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-714781
 
World’s largest wellness conference. Tel Aviv is to host the annual Global Wellness Summit, the largest conference of its kind in the world, from Oct 31 – Nov 03. Participants include entrepreneurs and executives in hospitality, tourism, health, beauty and spa, food tech, fitness, medical tech, manufacturing, and more.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/worlds-largest-wellness-conference-to-make-tel-aviv-debut-this-year/
https://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/2022-global-wellness-summit/

The Palestinians continue to exploit the Holocaust  By Ruthie Blum

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-715068

During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was asked by a reporter whether he intended to apologize for the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli coaches and athletes at the summer Olympics in Munich.

The question was not only relevant to the upcoming 50th anniversary of the mass murder committed by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September; it was particularly apt, given the fact that Abbas himself was named by the architect of the bloodshed, Mohammed Oudeh (aka Abu Daoud), as one of the three senior Fatah officials who assisted him in orchestrating the attack.

“If we want to go over the past, go ahead,” Abbas replied to the journalist. “I can list 50 slaughters that Israel committed from 1947 until today; 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian villages… 50 Holocausts.”

The statement was typical. Abbas always alternates between denying the Holocaust – as he did in his 1982 PhD dissertation, “The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism” – and accusing the Jewish state of committing Nazi-like crimes against the Palestinians.

This time, however, he miscalculated the response that such comments would elicit. Though Scholz merely winced while hearing the Third Reich’s genocide of the Jews invoked on a podium at the German Chancellery – only taking issue with the Palestinian leader’s use of the word “apartheid” to describe Israel – he came out subsequently swinging with a tweet expressing his “disgust” at Abbas’s “outrageous remarks.”

Like numerous figures, far and wide at home and abroad, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid promptly reacted with anger. 

“Mahmoud Abbas accusing Israel of having committed ‘50 Holocausts’ while standing on German soil is not only a moral disgrace, but a monstrous lie,” he tweeted on Wednesday. “Six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, including one and a half million Jewish children. History will never forgive him.”

The post-1967 turning point of US-Israel nexus: a new 7-minute video : Yoram Ettinger

 https://bit.ly/3Ppug3V

 
*In 1948, Israel was misconstrued by the State Department as a burden upon the US. 
 
*Since 1967, Israel has emerged as a formidable force-multiplier for the US, economically and militarily.
 
*The June 1967 Israeli military victory spared the US an enormous economic and defense setback, denying the USSR a dramatic geo-strategic bonanza.
 
*In 1970, Israel forced a pull-back of the pro-Soviet Syrian invasion of pro-US Jordan, which could have toppled all pro-US Arab regimes.
 
*The 1981 Israeli destruction of Iraq’s nuclear reactor prevented a potential nuclear confrontation during the 1991 Gulf War.
 
*The 2007 Israeli destruction of the Syria-North Korea nuclear reactor, averted a potentially nuclearized civil war in Syria.