Secret EU document aims to villify Israel
Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews holding national flags (photo: Reuters)
A classified working paper produced by the European Union (EU), parts of which were obtained by Haaretz , suggests that the EU should consider Israel’s treatment of its Arab population a “core issue, not second tier to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
European diplomats involved in drafting the paper admitted that certain EU countries objected to some of its content. The Czech Republic, Poland, and the Netherlands opposed a number of the paper’s conclusions, including the suggestion that the EU file an official complaint every time the Israeli parliament passes a second reading of a bill which is seen as discriminatory against Israeli-Arabs.
The hypocrisy of the EU’s admonishment of Israel’s supposed discrimination against its Arab population is astonishing. Are they forgetting about the 2,000-year history of discrimination, persecution, and attempted annihilation of Europe’s minority Jewish population? And what about the EU’s own discriminatory practices against Europe’s Muslim population?
In a controversial referendum in 2009, out of concern about the rise of Islam’s influence in Europe, the Swiss voted to ban the construction of minarets (towers on mosques) in their country. Earlier this year, France became the first European country to enforce a ban on burqas. In France, a Muslim woman wearing a burqa in public could face a fine of 150 euros (nearly $200). Other EU countries considering a burqa ban include Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, and Great Britain. And in 2010, the British parliament nixed plans to build Europe’s largest mosque, citing its size and location as the reason.
Interestingly, there are no burqa bans in Israel, and Israel has no policy of banning the construction of minarets. In the Jewish state, Arabs have the right to vote and elect leaders to the Knesset (Israeli parliament). Israeli-Arabs have their own political parties. Arabs have their own newspapers and enjoy full rights of citizenship, which include freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and of course, freedom of religion.
Before the EU embarks on a campaign to delegitimize Israel as a democratic state because of its supposed mistreatment…
Read More » Comments (5) »Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at 1:25 PM | Amichai Farkas
Sarkozy: Netanyahu is a liar
- French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.S. President Obama at the G20 summit (Photo: France 2/ AFP/ Getty Images)
In an unfortunate example of not knowing when your microphone is on, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar” and said he “cannot stand” him while speaking privately to President Barack Obama after the two leaders held a joint press conference at the G20 summit in France on Monday.
Sadly, President Obama responded, “you’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!”
The French President, in his on-the-record comments, told reporters that France firmly opposes Iran’s nuclear program and that he supports further sanctions against Iran, and he hinted that France would come to Israel’s aid and would not “stand by idly” if it were attacked by Iran. President Obama has made similar pronouncements.
These statements of support notwithstanding, Sarkozy and Obama’s conversation shows that if there’s anything that the Jewish people have learned – or should have learned – over the course of their triumphant history, is not to place their destiny in the hands of strangers. As we learn in Psalm 117, “it is better to take refuge in God than to rely on man. It is better to take refuge in God than to rely on nobles.”
Israel has many enemies today. And, as we see from Sarkozy and Obama’s gaffe, even Israel’s allies make statements and implement policies that call into question their continued support of the Jewish State – and are sometimes downright offensive and insulting. But, thankfully, today, the Jewish people do have friends who are unwavering in their support for Israel – most notably our wonderful Christian friends. And those friends help best when they help us to defend ourselves – through prayer, charity, and activism. We’re so grateful for all you do!
Comments (73) »Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 at 10:14 AM | Stand for Israel
Placing blame for the Norway attacks
Anders Behring Breivik, the man responsible for the attacks on Norway last Friday, published a 1,500-page manifesto he called “A Declaration of European Independence.” The manifesto, which reads like the ranting of a madman, details Breivik’s grievances against his government as the rationale for his heinous crime, and demonstrates his hatred of Islamic culture and his anger towards Europe’s open-border immigration policies.
Breivik also wrote that he is a Christian — though he also wrote, “Myself and many more like me do not necessarily have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and God,” meaning that he probably meant that he was baptized and raised Christian, rather than being a subscriber to Christian beliefs. He also went on to criticize Norway’s anti-Israel policies. But, while many pro-Israel Christians would agree with some of those criticisms, Breivik’s act of terror goes against their fundamental morals and principles. The Christian Zionist movement has never called for terror and violence in the pursuit of supporting Israel.
Still, some in the mainstream media have lumped conservatives and Christians in with Breivik’s extreme ideology. The fact that Breivik’s manifesto contains quotes from notable conservative bloggers such as Robert Spencer and Melanie Phillips has added fuel to the press’s frenzy.
A front-page story in The New York Times earlier this week hints that Spencer and others like him could be complicit in the Norway attacks. Though Spencer has written about the threat of radical Islam for years, there is absolutely nothing in his writings to suggest that he advocates violence and terror against innocents to thwart this threat. Likewise, Melanie Phillips’ crime, apparently, is the fact that two of her articles were quoted in Breivik’s manifesto This, to some, suggests that her writings were also in part responsible for the Norway attacks. But if that were the case, then Winston Churchill, Ghandi, and George Orwell are also complicit, as Brievik’s manifesto quoted them as well.
Breivik’s decision to use violence against innocent civilians in order to protest his government’s policies was evil and deplorable. But using the actions of a lone…
Read More » Comments (5) »Friday, July 29th, 2011 at 8:38 AM | Amichai Farkas
Terror strikes Norway
Violence has erupted in Norway, as two terror attacks targeted a main government building as well as a Labor Party youth gathering on an island just south of the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
This morning, a massive bomb devastated Oslo’s main government building, which also houses Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s office. Thus far, two people have been reported dead in the blast. The prime minister escaped without harm.
Meanwhile, a terrorist dressed up as a police officer opened fire on a group of youths participating in an annual gathering of the prime minister’s Labor Party on Norway’s Utoeya Island. While no one has claimed responsibility for these attacks, many are speculating that Al-Qaeda is involved.
This story is still developing — please pray for the loved ones of the victims of this tragedy, that the injured will recover fully, and for the safety of all in this usually peaceful Scandinavian country.
Comments (11) »Friday, July 22nd, 2011 at 11:58 AM | Amichai Farkas
Greek flotilla ban not what it seems? Who cares?
The “Freedom Flotilla” has run into a lot of problems trying to set sail from Greece to Gaza. Greek authorities have imposed a ban that prohibits the ships leaving from Greek ports. There’s speculation among flotilla organizers and their sympathizers that Greece’s motives — what a shock! – might not be entirely pure: 
In a conversation with a delegation of activists supporting the Tahrir, the Canadian Boat to Gaza, who entered the consulate demanding a meeting about the Freedom Flotilla, [Greek consular official George] Ayfantis asserted that Greece’s economic interests were at stake in stopping the Flotilla, saying that an undersea natural gas pipeline and a natural gas liquidizing plant in Crete were at stake.
Later in the above article, the author, a ”Palestinian solidarity activist,” laments:
The [Greek] government, of course, is no stranger to representing the interests of the International Monetary Fund and the United States (and its ally and partner Israel) at the expense of the Greek people.
Even if the Greek government is supporting Israel in this case because it wants the pipeline to go through, so what? Given Greece’s disastrous economic situation, supporting healthy economic partnerships with its allies is clearly in Greece’s best interests. Allowing a bunch of rabid anti-Israel activists to sail from its ports to attempt to illegally break Israel’s blockade on Gaza helps the Greek people … how, exactly?!?
Here’s a little Economics 101 for “Palestinian solidarity activists”: If your country is in dire financial straits, harsh, anti-Israel rhetoric isn’t going to help. Money will.
Comments (11) »Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 at 9:15 AM | David Kuner
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