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Stand for Israel Blog

Israel: UN doesn’t seem to mind when rockets fall on us

March 23, 2010

Israel charged Monday that it appears that the United Nations Human Rights Council doesn’t believe that Israel has the right to self-defense against the rockets Gaza Palestinians launch against its citizens on the southern border, the Jerusalem Post reports.

“You have done nothing about it, and you expect that Israel does nothing either,” Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Aharon Leshno Yaar, told the body during a day-long council debate about the Jewish state’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza. Later this week, the council is expected to approve four resolutions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Just last week, he said, one such rocket killed a Thai man, Manee Singueanphon, who was working in a greenhouse near the Gaza border. He accused council members of disproportionately focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a way to shift the body’s focus away from their own human rights issues.

Yaar noted that even South African jurist Richard Goldstone had stated that “the firing of these rockets are war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity.”

Of course, the Goldstone Report’s real position on the seriousness of rocket attacks is a little shaky. Last month, Desmond Travers, a retired Irish army colonel who was one of the four members of the “fact-finding” commission that produced the report, claimed that Hamas fired “only two rockets” at Israel prior to last year’s Gaza war.

We’d been wondering about the commissioners’ moral compass, but now we have to wonder about their basic ability to count.

Phillips: Nigerian Christians appalling fate puts lie to “frenzied obsession with Israel”

March 10, 2010

The fiercely brilliant and brave British author Melanie Phillips comments on the woefully under-reported butchering of Christians in Nigeria. The persecution of Christians in Africa–especially under Muslim regimes–isn’t new, sadly, but the latest attacks on three primarily Christian villages left some 500 dead, most from machete-wielding assailants.

Phillips argues that:

The fact that the jihad in Africa is widely ignored in the west is not just a moral dereliction of duty. It is a refusal by the west to understand what it is actually up against.

What is happening to Nigeria’s Christians makes a mockery of the frenzied western obsession with Israel. To understand the real cause of global tumult we should look carefully at Africa, and the appalling suffering of those upholding the religion that underpins the western world.

Israeli ambassador undaunted, offers to return to campus where he was shouted down

March 9, 2010

You may remember how, last month, a speech by Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren at UC Irvine was continually interrupted by a series of Arab and Muslim “protestors” calling him a “murderer” and “war criminal” – to the point where the University chancellor had to get on the stage and lecture the portion of the audience that had, according to press reports and materials they’d distributed prior to the speech, come with the intention of disrupting the event to the point that it couldn’t continue.

Oren, whose best-selling histories of the Six-Day War and the U.S. involvement in the Middle East made him known in the U.S. prior to his becoming ambassador, isn’t intimidated.  In fact, in an open letter to the campus, he’s offering to come back:

The diplomat said he understood the emotional nature of Middle East politics, but said it was also important to observe the decorum of free speech and hear others’ viewpoints.

“I was saddened by the loss of this opportunity to exchange ideas with those who disagreed with me and, at the very least, to introduce them to different perspectives,” he wrote.

Oren noted that the incident underscored the importance of dialogue, and said dialogue was the only way peace in the Middle East would be achieved. He offered to return to the campus as long as the proper decorum of free speech is respected.

Apparently, according to the AP report, the arrests of 11 students at the lecture has become an issue on campus, with some charging that they were “unfairly targeted for making a political statement and exercising their own right to free speech.” They might try a few courses in the law or political science department, or maybe just open a dictionary of common sense, to figure out the different between “free speech” and chaotic, disorderly conduct.

Two headlines that sum up a lot

Ha’aretz: Israel offers aid to Turkey after 41 killed in earthquake

Yediot Aharonot: Turkey rejects Israel’s offer of post-quake aid

Apparently, Ankara thinks it’s preferable for innocent people to die than to accept help from Jews.

Apartheid? I don’t think so

March 5, 2010

We all know Jewish state’s enemies are always talking about just how nasty and racist those pesky Israelis are. But we don’t think so.

Latest example? A woman named Futna Jabber, “a proud Arab Muslim who prays five times daily, calls the Koran her favorite book, obsessively puffs on a hookah pipe and proudly wears a keffiyah,” has been voted one of the finalists on Israel’s version of Big Brother.

Author of vile cartoon blames Israel for anti-Semitism

March 4, 2010

A German cartoonist who drew an image of a Jew about to eat a Palestinian child, with a glass of blood to wash it down, distanced himself from the cartoon following criticism of it — “because it can be perceived as anti-Semitic” – but then went on to blame the Jewish state for it anyway.

Walter Hermann’s caricature was visible as part of an enlarged photo of an anti-Israel demonstration, JTA reports. Until recently it was on display as part of a “Wailing Wall exhibit” in the center of Cologneby Hermann, but it has been removed from Cologne’s Cathedral Square.

We’re not sure what the “Wailing Wall exhibit” was, although its title is rather ironic. After all, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount got the nickname the “wailing wall” (which many modern Jews find a touch offensive) from the crying of Jews who would go there to pray for the restoration of the Temple, of Jewish sovereignty, and for God to stop the endless persecution of the tiny people.

In a remarkably un-self-aware statement distancing himself from his work, Hermann said that  Israel itself was to blame for anti-Semitism and should “avoid actions that can revive deep-seated, anti-Jewish sentiment.”

Meanwhile, according to German newspapers, the local prosecutor failed to bring charges of ” incitement to hate” because they were brought by non-Jews. He said he will consider charges only from Jewish groups since only complaints by the group affected can be considered.

Perhaps the prosecutor has forgotten that most of Germany’s Jews are not around to file complaints.

(Also, we wonder whether the infamously anti-Semitic cartoons in the Nazi rag Der Sturmer were also Israel’s fault.)

Israel Apartheid Week Targets Students

March 2, 2010

A movement known as “Israel Apartheid Week” (a misnomer, since the official website designates March 1 to 14th for this “important global event”) is trying to take over college campuses this month in the name of  “education” and “Palestine solidarity.”

2010 is the 6th year Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) has taken place, and the official website lists 45 host cities this year, up from last year’s 38. U.S. cities include Boston (Boston University), New Britain (Central Connecticut State University), Chicago (DePaul University), New York City (Columbia University), and San Fransisco and Seattle (no host colleges listed).

IAW was first launched in Toronto, and the movement has met serious resistance in its native Canada. Although several Canadian colleges (including the University of Ottawa, in Ontario) plan to host IAW this March, the Ontario legislature condemned IAW in the last week of February. Members of the legislature object to the use of the word “apartheid,” which — aside from being utterly inapplicable to Israel – demeans the suffering of those who lived under real apartheid in South Africa.

David Frum, writing for the Canadian National Post, documents some of the challenges Israel advocates (including the U.S.-based Christian group Christians United for Israel) have faced on campuses (specifically York University, in Toronto) that tend to be very open to anti-Israel events such as IAW. And an article in Ha’aretz this week details the efforts of some to counteract IAW, especially in Israel.

Report shows that London has become the epicenter of Hamas activity, Jews feel “under attack”

March 1, 2010

We’ve told you before how the British legal system is allowing itself to be used to harass Israelis — often at the behest of pro-Palestinian groups that are openly supportive of terror groups like Hamas.

Now, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, a research center near Tel Aviv, has released a report showing that, beyond having a conveniently quirky judiciary, London has become the epicenter of Hamas’ political, propaganda and legal activities in Europe (click the link – that’s basically the report’s title).

Hamas operatives have been particularly successful in controlling the discourse regarding Arabs in Israel, and initiating widespread anti-Zionism throughout the UK.

Ironically, Hamas’ success is due to its taking advantage of Britain’s open society:

1. Political freedom and freedom of speech prevailing in Britain allows Hamas to incite against Israel, despite Hamas’ designation as a terrorist organization by the European Union. Though activities by terror groups is technically illegal in Britain, the legal system has shown great tolerance, which has been exploited by radical Islamic elements, including Hamas.

2.  A broad infrastructure of Hamas activists, supporters, and collaborators took refuge in Britain in the 1990s, which work with radical leftist organizations that are hostile to Israel and the West. This enables Hamas to reach British political, media and academic elites.

3. The UK is one of the world’s media hubs, especially for Arab s newspapers, and broadcast and electronic media. This gives Hamas access to key outlets to spread its messages throughout the Muslim world.

The report notes that much of Hamas’ propaganda work is targeted at children and that the organization is able to get money and supplies “for Gaza” (really, for Hamas) from British organizations and politicians.

None of this would come as a surprise to brilliant British firebrand Melanie Phillips, whose book “Londonistan” argued that British “benign neglect” has allowed radicals to gain way too much of a foothold in the city. In her blog, Phillips quipped that, now, it should be called “Hamasistan.”

Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that Britain’s Jewish community reports feeling “under attack.” According to London’s Independent, Lord Mitchell, a Labor MP, ” praised the multi-cultural nature of London but pointed to rising incidents of anti-Semitism.”:

Stickers such as “death to Jews” had been displayed at some of the UK’s leading university campuses and had been “slow to be removed”, he said.

He told peers in a debate on tolerance in British society that universities had a “duty of care to all students and in many cases they are slow to uphold this duty”, citing free speech as the reason for not interfering.

Lord Mitchell said: “It may well come as a shock that the Jewish community in this country feels under constant attack.

“I don’t want to overstate the case but many Jewish friends have said to me that they felt more frightened, more threatened, than at any time in their lives.”

Palestinian Win at the U.N. Friday

February 27, 2010

The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution Friday supporting more investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel in last year’s Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza strip. The resolution solidifies the U.N. acceptance of accusations made against Israel by the Goldstone Report last year.

The biased resolution, known as the “Arab resolution,” which was drafted by Palestinians and consponsored by more than 20 Islamic countries, essentially mandates an ongoing further “independent” investigation into Israel’s operation in Gaza. However, the last independent investigation–last year’s Goldstone Report–has been criticized by Israel and her allies as biased. The report has also been questioned by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Prior to the U.N. vote this week, more than 90 members of the U.S. Congress signed a letter to Clinton which expressed concern that the Goldstone Report was being used “as a tool to delegitimize Israel and sabotage the peace process.”

The report, written by Judge Richard Goldstone, a former chief prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals, condemned Israel for the use of “disproportionate force” and committing “numerous serious violations of international law.” It included some criticism of the Palestinian role in the conflict, which the draft adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council in October did not include, choosing to focus on blaming Israel instead.

In September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly addressed the allegations made by the Goldstone Report when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly, calling it a “perversion of truth.

“Never has a country gone to such extraordinary lengths to remove the enemy’s civilian population from harm’s way,” he said, defending Israel’s actions in Gaza. “We dropped countless flyers over their homes, sent thousands of text messages and called thousands of cell phones asking people to leave.”

Netanyahu eloquently presented the evidence of Israel’s innocence before the U.N. body, but it seems the U.N. body was not listening. The resolution calls for yet another report within five months.

98 nations voted in favor of the resolution, seven against, 31 abstained, and 56 nations did not participate. U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff voted against the resolution, the Washington Post reported .

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