Report shows that London has become the epicenter of Hamas activity, Jews feel “under attack”
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…
Read More » Comments (1) »Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 10:20 AM | Stand For Israel
The Book of Esther and Purim teach that God’s face may be hidden, but His redemptive power is real
“Mishe’nichnas Adar marbim b’simcha!” — “When Adar arrives, our joy increases”
– timeless Purim song
You may already know that Purim–which begins Saturday night–is often called the most joyous of Jewish holidays (it’s certainly the most raucous). But as much as merriment is at the center of the celebration, the holiday really marks the hidden ways in which God redeems and what Esther 9:1 calls “v’nahafoch hu” (“turning upside down”) – the ways in which those who oppress and persecute will eventually have the tables turned on them and face Divine justice.
Adar brings joy
Purim itself is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar* (which corresponds to this Saturday night and Sunday), but, as the holiday’s best-known Purim song tells us, joy increases as soon as the month of Adar dawns — culminating in the wild festivities of Purim, in which Israeli cities and Jewish neighborhoods around the world are filled with little children dressed as everything from the heroic Queen Esther or the sagely Mordechai to little policemen, tiny brides (always a hit with little girls) or, charmingly, High Priests; families rushing around delivering gifts of food and candy to one another; and more than a few tipsy stragglers singing and dancing on their way to a festive meal.
Just as stores in America begin filling with costumes in the month before Halloween, in Israel, stores begin stocking costumes as spring begins to dawn (the holiday falls four weeks before Passover, which usually marks the end of Israel’s rainy season).
The first holiday of exile
Purim is the first holiday of the Jewish exile. Following the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E., the Jews were driven out of Israel and a good portion settled in Babylonia, then a part of the Persian empire. Through a series of seemingly unrelated events, a young Jewish woman named Hadassah was conscripted into the King’s harem and eventually became Queen. Her uncle Mordechai directed her to hide her Jewishness and, in fact, she gave her name as “Esther,” which means “hidden”…
Read More » Comments (0) »Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 12:47 PM | Stand For Israel
Bombing attempt at Cairo’s main synagogue
A clumsy attempt to bomb Cairo’s historic main synagogue failed Sunday when a make-shift explosive device in a suitcase failed to ignite fully after an assailant hurled it at the house of worship from window above it. There were no injuries or damage.
According to a police report, early Sunday morning, a man entered a hotel on the fourth floor of a building across from the synagogue, ostensibly to check in. As he was going through the process, he abruptly threw his suitcase out the window (toward the synagogue below).
The man’s suitcase held four containers of gasoline, each of which was attached to a glass bottle filled with sulfuric acid. Police theorized that the bottles of acid were meant to shatter on impact, thereby igniting the makeshift bomb. Instead, the bag fell onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel and briefly caught fire before being extinguished.
The synagogue, Shaar Shomayim (“Gates of Heaven”), was built in 1899 and was once the largest building on its main downtown street. Its style is intended to evoke the look of ancient Egyptian temples. See photos of the beautiful building and read about its history here.
Egypt was long home to a thriving Jewish community with a storied history that included some of the Jewish world’s greatest leaders, including Maimonides, the great 12th century philosopher who is still considered the premiere codifier of Jewish law. Prior to the establishment of Israel, the community numbered around 80,000 people.
The Jews were kicked out after the establishment of the modern state of Israel, however. According to Ha’aretz, only several dozen–mostly elderly–Jews remain in the country. A number of heavily guarded synagogues remain.
Comments (0) »Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 7:13 AM | Stand For Israel
Authorities say bomb that killed 9 in India probably intended for Jewish center nearby
Indian intelligence has said that it is a probability that a bomb that killed 9 and wounded 53 people at a cafe in Pune, India, on Saturday was meant to be detonated at the local Chabad House, located several dozen meters from the site of the blast. Police say a bomb that ripped through a crowded restaurant in western India on Saturday was meant to explode at the local Chabad house, Ha’aretz reports.
The bomb at the German Bakery cafe was India’s first terror attack since the 2008 Mumbai massacre, in which at least 173 people were murdered in coordinated attacks on hotels and other public venues. The attack also targeted the Mumbai Chabad house, a Jewish house of worship and visitor’s center, where six Jews were murdered, including Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah, who was six months pregnant.
Chabad, a Chassidic group dedicated to outreach among Jews, maintains hospitality centers in communities around the world. There are a number of centers in India, although there are few indigenous Jews, to provide kosher food, community, and assistance to the many Israelis who travel there.
The bomb went off after a waiter apparently opened a package containing the explosive device. According to officials, the bomb may have been left for someone to pick up and take to the adjacent Chabad center before it was inadvertently detonated.
Following the attacks, life has not returned to “normal” for Jews in Mumbai, Ha’aretz reported earlier this month:
Yael Jirhad, who opened the Indian chapter of the Women’s International Zionist Organization exactly one year prior to the November 2008 terror attack, said the community has been forced to cope with increased security measures at Jewish institutions around the large city.
UPDATE:
According to the Associated Press, however, Israeli officials are questioning the Indian security forces’ determination:
Nitzan Nuriel, head of counterterrorism at Israel’s National Security Agency, said the Pune attack wasn’t directed at Chabad.
“The attack in India was not directed at Chabad house, even though Chabad houses appear on the potential lists of targets maintained by some of the groups that operate in…
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Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 7:00 AM | Stand For Israel
Stabbing attempt thwarted in Hebron’s Jewish neighborhood
A few days after an IDF soldier was stabbed to death by a Palestinian police officer near the Biblical city of Shechem, Israeli security forces shot and killed a Palestinian terrorist on Friday as he attempted to stab an Israeli soldier during a riot in Hebron, Haaretz reports.
No soldiers were injured in the attack, which occurred after their unit had been called in response to rocks being hurled at the home of a Jewish family in Hebron’s old city. The Palestinian attacker was shot in the stomach by IDF forces and later succumbed to his wounds at a hospital.
The Jewish family lives in the Avraham Avinu (“Father Abraham”) neighborhood, which is a short walk from the Cave of the Patriarchs, which Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition identify as the resting place of the Jewish forefathers and foremothers, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah. (Rachel’s tomb is near Bethlehem.)
Hebron had a continuous Jewish presence from the Biblical era until 1929, when 29 members of the Jewish community were murdered during Arab riots, and many others were injured. The survivors were forced out. When Israel re-gained control of Hebron in 1967, Jews went back to the ancient city and re-established the ancient community. Their presence is controversial and the city is a frequent flashpoint for tension and violence from those who object to a Jews living in the city.
Comments (0) »Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 2:03 PM | Stand For Israel
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