Israeli, Jewish leaders condemn Sweden over approval of public Torah burning

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July 14, 2023

Swedish police have allowed the public burning of sacred Jewish and Christian texts at a small protest outside Israel’s embassy in Stockholm this Saturday afternoon, July 15th.

The possibility of such a deeply controversial event has shocked Israel and Jewish communities in Sweden and around the globe.

The move echoed painful chapters of Jewish history in Europe, where the burning of Jewish books often heralded times of extreme persecution, such as pogroms, expulsions, inquisitions, and the Holocaust.

Israeli leaders harshly condemned the intent to burn sacred texts and worked publicly and behind the scenes to prevent Saturday’s demonstration.

“I strongly condemn Swedish authorities’ decision to the burning of the Hebrew Bible in front of the Israeli embassy in its country,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

US and Israeli flags burn as people rally to denounce the burning of the Koran in Sweden and the Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, in Sanaa, Yemen July 4, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

“The State of Israel takes very seriously this shameful decision that harms the most sacred [scripture] of the Jewish people. The holy books of all religions must be respected,” he added.

Sweden has found itself at the intersection of freedom of speech and respect for religious beliefs, given that laws in the country allow for the burning of sacred texts and the authorities have little leeway to prevent such actions.

Last month an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque, sparking outrage across the Muslim world, including from Turkey, which is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The Quran burning flared in the middle of Sweden’s accession to NATO.

Israel condemns Swedish burning of holy texts

Israel had already been vocal in condemning the burning of the Quran. Swedish police this month have received at least three applications for events that involve the burning of religious scriptures – including the Quran, the Torah, and the New Testament – one of which already took place this week in Helsingborg. No sacred texts, however, were torched at the event.

Saturday’s event in front of the Israeli embassy is expected to be held by a man in his 30s with one or two other people, who wants to burn a printed copy of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that burning of the Torah, was “a hate crime, a provocation and a serious blow to the Jewish people and its traditions.”

“I call on the Swedish authorities to prevent this despicable event and not to allow the burning of a Torah,” Cohen said.

The Foreign Minister said he has spoken with Israel’s Ambassador to Sweden Ziv Nevo Kulman and the Foreign Ministry to do everything possible to prevent “this shameful incident.”

Kulman tweeted, “I utterly condemn the burning of holy books sacred to any religion, as an act of hate and disrespect, that has nothing to do with freedom of expression.”

Foreign Ministry political director Aliza Bin Noun met in Israel with Sweden’s Ambassador to Israel Erik Ullenhag to underscore the seriousness with which Israel views this issue.

President Isaac Herzog said he had condemned “the burning of the Quran, sacred to Muslims world over, and I am now heartbroken that the same fate awaits a Jewish Bible, the eternal book of the Jewish people.

“Permitting the defacement of sacred texts is not an exercise in freedom of expression, it is blatant incitement and an act of pure hate. The whole world must join together in clearly condemning this repulsive act.”

A woman holds a placard that reads ” Al-Quran is our honour” during a protest in front of the Swedish embassy after Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia January 27, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain)

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli stated, “such explicit acts of bigotry and hatred against the Jewish People is as much revolting as it is reprehensible and has no place amongst the liberal democracies of the world.”

“My Ministry is continuing to work closely with the local Jewish community and is in dialogue with local Swedish authorities regarding this reprehensible act.”

Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak Yosef, wrote to Prime Minister Olaf Kristerton of Sweden on Friday: “Desecration of Israel’s sanctuaries is antisemitism, not freedom of expression.”

In his letter, Yosef expressed his deep concern regarding the planned demonstration by Swedish citizens in front of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, involving the burning of a Torah. He emphasized that the act of burning sacred texts was a grave offense and could not be justified under the guise of freedom of expression.

The Rabbi urged the Prime Minister to prevent such incidents, highlighting that the damage caused to Israel’s sanctuaries was an expression of antisemitism rather than freedom. He expressed his belief that people worldwide understood the seriousness of these acts and condemned them.

Europe’s Jewish communities condemn action

Upon hearing the news, the umbrella organization of Jewish communities in Sweden released a poignant statement on Friday expressing their profound consternation and sadness.

“As a people of the book, the Torah is our most sacred treasure of moral codes and ethics that have changed the world we live in,” the statement read.

The Jewish Central Council joined in, voicing their strong condemnation of this misuse of freedom of expression, framing it as a tool to sow seeds of hatred within society. In a remarkable gesture of solidarity, the Council also declared its support for the Muslim community in Sweden, following previous instances of Quran burnings that had caused outrage and distress.

The call from religious communities for an end to these acts of desecration stressed the need for unity, respect, and harmony in our diverse global society.

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) said they strongly condemned “the provocative burning of holy books and texts by extremists in the country.”

EJC president Dr. Ariel Muzicant said that “provocative, racist, antisemitic and sickening acts such as these have no place in any civilized society.

“Stamping on the deepest religious and cultural sensibilities of people is the clearest expression possible to send a message that minorities are unwelcome and un-respected,” Muzicant added. “These actions, based on contorted and specious free speech arguments, are a disgrace to Sweden and any democratic government worthy of the name should prevent it.”

“All religions and all peoples of good faith and basic decency should come together to condemn these horrific acts,” Muzicant concluded. “What starts with words and books, always ends with trampling upon the basic rights of people. So it was in the darkest days of Europe, so it is now. “

Among those who spoke out on the issue was Rabbi Moshe David HaCohen, who serves as the rabbi of the Judiska Församlingen in Malmö as well as co-directs Amanah: The Muslim and Jewish Trust and Faith Project with Imam Salahuddin Barakat. The project fosters bonding between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Malmö.

HaCohen told The Jerusalem Post on Friday that “this isn’t an anti-Jewish or antisemitic event, rather a long-lasting debate in Sweden about the extent of the Freedom of Expression.”

Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization said the burning of religious texts was an expression of antisemitism, which should not be confused with freedom of speech.

Supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a religious and political party, burn a Swedish flag during a protest to denounce the desecration of Koran outside a mosque in the Swedish capital Stockholm, in Karachi, Pakistan July 7, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/AKHTAR SOOMRO)

“Eighty years since the holocaust and the signs we wanted to forget to remind us again to stand guard. I strongly condemn the burning of the Quran and call on Sweden to cancel the antisemitic decision to burn a Bible book. Enough of the hate!”

The chairmen and founders of two of Europe’s leading Jewish and Christian Organisations – Rabbi Menachem Margolin of the European Jewish Association (EJA) and Tomas Sandell of the European Coalition for Israel (ECI) issued a joint statement also arguing that the burning of sacred texts was not an issue of free speech.

“Whilst we are deeply respectful of Constitutional rights and the EU’s own Charter of Fundamental Rights … it is clear that the act of burning a bible in front of the Israeli embassy is anything but peaceful.

“It is instead provocative, grossly inappropriate and designed solely to offend.

“The burning of the bible, or indeed any book, is reminiscent of the Nazi book burnings and the sinister warning contained in Ray Badbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Has Europe learned nothing?

“The timing – the Jewish Sabbath, where communities across Europe will read their portion of the Torah would add grievous insult to deep injury.

“We urge all Swedish authorities and political representatives to stop this act from taking place tomorrow,” the two religious leaders said.

Letter to sweden

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July 14, 2023

LTR TO SWEDEN

Today’s French Revolution

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Michael Kuttner

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July 14, 2023

In July 1789, the Paris Bastille was stormed by rampaging mobs, and the established order of autocratic rule was swiftly swept away.

With the departure of the monarchy, a hopeful new era dawned, and French Jews looked forward to being fully emancipated and taking their rightful place as citizens with guaranteed civil rights.

Although the future looked promising, and liberty, equality and fraternity seemed like a messianic utopia, those who embraced this newfound freedom made a serious miscalculation. The entrenched prejudices of the aristocracy, the Roman Catholic Church and knee-jerk conservative reactionaries lurked just under the surface. This unholy trinity of Jew-haters, together with sections of the press, would, sooner rather than later, cause serious problems for the French Jewish Communities.

Those Jews who thought that by assimilating and even converting, they would be fully accepted as equal members of the Republic inevitably made the same mistake as their Spanish and Portuguese compatriots. Undeniably life was certainly more tolerable, but as the Dreyfus case and then later the Vichy experience was to prove, there was no escaping the malevolent intentions of those ill-disposed towards French citizens of the Mosaic persuasion.

Slowly but surely, French Jews integrated themselves into the everyday life of the Republic and took advantage of all the educational opportunities becoming available. As a result, they became loyal citizens and more or less a tolerated minority.

Fast forward to 2023, and the dramatic changes which have taken place should ring alarm bells.

The secularisation of French society has impacted not only followers of Judaism but also Christianity and Islam.

Bans on the public display of religious symbols and clothing in public schools, libraries & government buildings mean that Christians cannot openly display crosses, Jews cannot wear kippot, and Muslim women cannot wear hijabs. Imagine for one moment if these discriminatory laws had been enacted and enforced in Israel. The whole international community would be in an uproar, and Israel would be pilloried and condemned by all and sundry. The Vatican and the World Council of Churches would be writhing in holy indignation, and the French would be among the leaders of a moral crusade to excommunicate the Jewish State.

The deafening silence surrounding this French assault on religious freedom is just another example of the prevalent double standards and hypocrisy now part of the UN and its associated bodies.

Normally the reaction of the French Jewish Community would be the classic Diaspora one whereby muted comments might be made and alternative methods employed to comply with the law. That meant Jewish men wearing hats or baseball caps and making sure that their clothing did not clearly identify them as Jews.

However, with a massive influx of Muslims to France, the entire situation has dramatically changed.

With over five million Muslims and just half a million Jews, the demographics have dramatically altered, mirroring a similar pattern in most of Europe and Scandinavia.

Whereas Jews strove to be model patriotic French citizens, this is not the case for a significant number of immigrants now flooding into the country.

On the contrary, young, unemployed young men bereft in many cases of a meaningful education now roam the suburbs of major cities where crime is rampant.

Tragically, it is not just these misfits who are causing mayhem in parts of cities where police now fear to patrol and enforce law and order. The rot has also infected schools where teaching about the Shoah is a banned subject. Teachers have been assaulted and even murdered because of their perceived negative attitudes towards Islam.

Herein lies the root of the catastrophe, which is slowly but surely unfolding in France today.

The radicalisation of young Muslims by those already brainwashed and the inability of moderates within the community to counter such activities is leading to the mayhem we are witnessing. Instead of being educated towards tolerance, the opposite is inculcated.

The tragedy is that the French authorities have not learnt and, moreover, do not want to learn from the experiences of others in a similar situation. Political correctness and a fear of upsetting woke progressives is only resulting in further major upheavals.

The recent riots, arson and destruction of property are merely a foretaste of what is yet to come. There can be no compromise when the ultimate aim is the destruction of Western liberal values and the supremacy of a triumphant Islamic caliphate.

Unsurprisingly one of the collateral targets and victims of this incubating Islamic revolution in France are the Jews.

Seen as part of the successful educated sector of society, plus being perceived as supporters of the “evil Zionist enterprise,” French Jews and their buildings are easy and natural targets. Physical violence against Jews and vandalism against their properties is on the rise and will get worse.

Interfaith outreach and futile attempts at dialogue are now too little and too late.

The French Government’s constant dismissive and condemnatory denunciations of Israel’s campaign to root out Islamic radicalisation, means that no serious solution will be achieved in France.

With a falling birth rate among the secular and Christian French population and a soaring birth rate among the Islamic population, the demographic future is clear.

All that remains uncertain is how long it will take before France becomes a de facto Islamic Republic. It will definitely occur after Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands transition, but on current trends, there can be no doubt as to its inevitability.

Where France goes, so will one day the United Kingdom and other former bastions of Christian Europe follow.

Where does all this leave the Jews?

Despite the usual myopia and expressions of false optimism, it will leave them stranded in increasingly intolerant societies. The inevitable rise of radical right-wing political parties with dubious past histories of fascist and Nazi-like sympathies may temporarily delay the outcome but will not, in the end, provide a solution.

Trying to preserve viable Jewish communities in places where it becomes increasingly hostile is no longer a winning strategy.

The best answer is to make aliyah. Critics will say that here in Israel, we face much the same problems. The difference, of course, is that Israeli Jews can deal with it and not have to throw themselves on the mercy of indifferent strangers.

As far as France is concerned, it would seem that in order to break the endless cycle of violence, there is an urgent need to create two states for two people and divide Paris.

In other words do exactly what they preach to Israel every day.

VIVE LA REPUBLIQUE ISLAMIQUE DE FRANCE

Phantom Nation – Inventing the “Palestinians” as the obstacle to peace

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July 12, 2023

On March 9, 2014, Sha’i ben-Tekoa, DeProgram Program, gave a terrific and important presentation to Children of Holocaust Survivors on his book on the invention of a Palestinian people. There is hardly a person born after 1980 (or earlier) who has any reason to believe that a Palestinian people did not exist in a country called Palestine. That is our fault for enforcing this narrative propaganda that has been the focus of the international community and the cause of the problems and danger faced by Israel. The narrative must be changed and Sha’i ben-Tekoa gives us the tools to do this. All we have to do is – DO IT!
Hired for a special project by the Office of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Sha’i ben-Tekoa discovered the first United Nations document using the term “Palestinians” as it is used today.

And the date was eye-opening: three years after 1967’s Six-Day War. In his research into the entire UN archive dealing with the Arab war against Israel, he came across no reference to the putatively Paleolithic Palestinian people before 1970.

After completing his assignment for the Government of Israel, Mr. Ben-Tekoa dug deeper into the origins of this heretofore unheard of nationality. The Land of Israel is arguably the most written about real estate in the world over thousands of years in the scores of languages of Crusaders, conquerors, pilgrims and tourists, not one of whom ever wrote or said a word about meeting any “Palestinians” in their time in the Holy Land.

And now Ben-Tekoa has written a book about what he discovered and uncovered: the invention of a phantom nation, the “Palestinian Narrative,” one of the great feats of psychological warfare in the history of Mankind. He shows how it is this generation’s successor ideology to Medieval Christianity, Islam, Nazism and Communism as the current fashion in Jew-hatred a.k.a. an anti-Semitism as old as the hills. To purchase the book now, click on this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0991…

Sha’i ben-Tekoa was born, raised and educated in the United States. He received a B.A. in Comparative Religion from Columbia University and did graduate work in same at the University of Chicago Divinity School. A traveler in Arab lands, he served in the Yom Kippur War effort of 1973. His articles on the Arab-Israeli conflict, terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Midstream, Congress Monthly and other publications. He appeared on American Public Broadcasting’s The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour. In preparation for 1991’s historic Arab-Israeli peace conference in Madrid, he worked on assignment for the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Shamir. Formerly the lead English language commentator for IsraelNationalNews.com, his Internet radio commentary and music program can be heard at www.deprogramprogram.com.

Jenin shows economic wellbeing does not eradicate terror

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July 12, 2023

Rising living standards reduce the number of Palestinians joining terror organizations but acts of terror persist.

The start of the operation in Jenin this morning by the Israel Defense Forces represents the culmination of a process taking place over the past few years in which the Palestinian Authority has been weakening in the area and the struggle over control of the West Bank after Abu Mazen has been strengthening. Hamad and Islamic Jihad have been taking advantage of the situation in the area, which is mainly agricultural, to inject millions of shekels since the start of the year to encourage terror activities.

As a rule, it is difficult to necessarily link a negative or positive economic situation with increasing or decreasing terrorist activity, all the more considering that the Palestinian Authority launched the second Intifada when its economic situation was at its peak. However, a look at Jenin shows that since the Jalama checkpoint was opened to Israeli Arabs, and the economy in Jenin flourished – terrorism in Jenin has decreased.

The Jenin refugee camp officially has about 22,000 refugees. According to UNRWA data, the organization provides basic education to 1,750 students in four local elementary schools. The Jenin refugee camp is a small part of the total 37.3 square kilometers of the Jenin region, where 49,000 residents live.

UNRWA’s activities does not stop 25% of Jenin’s population from identifying with Islamic Jihad, which operates as a pro-Iranian militia. Hundreds of Islamic Jihad activists currently operate in Jenin’s refugee camp. The leadership of the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and Syria invests a lot of effort in providing ammunition, money and military training to terrorist operatives in Jenin in general and the refugee camp in particular, in order to act against IDF forces in the region and even to carry out attacks in Israel.

At the same time, about 20% of the population in Jenin is identified with Hamas, which works through dozens of its operatives in the region to strengthen the terrorist organization’s infrastructure in the West Bank city, and regularly praises the threats made by Jenin’s residents, and incites for the continuation of terrorism from the area towards Israel.

Since the start of 2023, with sponsorship from Islamic Jihad and Hamas, there have been over 50 shooting attacks by terrorists coming from the Jenin area. In addition, 19 terrorists have fled to the Jenin refugee camp after carrying out attacks since September 2022.

Surgical operation

The aim of the IDF in the current operation is to be as ‘surgical’ as possible, and focus on the Jenin refugee camp, and as far as is possible, not affect elsewhere in Judea and Samaria, or the Gaza Strip. What indicates this is the number of Palestinian laborers who continue to find their livelihood in Israel, including 3,000 workers from the Gaza Strip and about 63,000 workers who entered Israel today from Judea and Samaria, as well as about 15,000 Palestinian laborers working locally in Jewish settlements.

According to the World Bank, in 2022 approximately 22.5% of working Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria were employed in Israel, as well as only 0.8% of working residents of the Gaza Strip.

The importance of the Palestinian workers who enter Israel is great, because their daily wages in Israel are more than double what they can earn in the Palestinian territories. In 2023, the Palestinian economy has been struggling, after slowing down from 7% growth in 2021 to 3.9% last year. According to the World Bank, Palestinian growth will be around 3% in the coming years.

Fertile ground for terrorist organizations

The region around the Jenin refugee camp is more agricultural, and a more religious area, which traditionally produces more terrorism, and makes it difficult to grant work permits to local residents. Global warming is showing its signs there as everywhere in the world, damaging the crops, with people turning from poor to destitute, creating fertile ground for terrorist organizations to take in young religious people, who do not remember the IDF’s Defensive Shield operation in 2002, and mobilize them for their benefit.

As far as Iran is concerned, this is the easiest solution for adding Judea and Samaria in general and Jenin in particular to its spheres of influence in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria.

In Tehran, they are probably aware of the latest data from Ramallah that unemployment in the Palestinian territories was 24.4% in 2022: 45.3% in the Gaza Strip and 13.1% in Judea and Samaria. Last May, the World Bank warned that the growing tensions in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, alongside the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pose significant risks – which are indeed being realized following the growing tensions in Jenin.

Vacuum of authority

Tel Aviv University Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) managing director Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman and former IDF intelligence chief told “Globes, “The Palestinian Authority has disappeared in Jenin in terms of being in control but not in economic and civil terms.

“Only recently it was reported that a new Palestinian Authority clinic opened in Jenin. There are also work permits for the residents of Jenin. The narrative that talks about the loss of the Palestinian Authority in the northern West Bank concerns security matters and the challenges facing the Palestinian Authority’s security forces against Islamic Jihad and Hamas.”

The connection between economic wellbeing and terrorism is groundless. “Although it seems intuitively to us that welfare leads to a reduction in terrorism, it reduces the scope of those who join terrorism, not the intensity of terrorism and its participants. There is no room for a correlation. Jenin is an area that relies on agriculture and work in Israel, so it is a little more independent from the relationship with the Palestinian Authority”.

“Linking only the economic situation to what is happening in Jenin is ignoring two significant factors,” Brig. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nurial, former head of the counter-terrorism bureau at the Prime Minister’s Office tells “Globes.” Firstly, there is the succession struggle in Judea and Samaria for the day after Abu Mazen. The succession struggle is making all parties improve their positions, and improving positions necessarily means buying more weapons, recruiting operatives and carrying out terrorist acts, including among themselves.

“Secondly, the new generation, the generation after Operation Defensive Shield is a generation of more or less 20-year-olds who are undergoing significant incitement, social networks that stir them up and a feeling that there is no way out, the lack of a real address.”

Nuriel says, “The Palestinian Authority is not really present in the Jenin area. This crucible is causing young people to do what their parents did 20 years ago. There is a governing vacuum of the Palestinian Authority in the area, especially over the last two years. The Jenin area has always been very violent, number one in producing terrorists and suicide bombers. It is an area that is mainly rural, and such areas are more radical. The same is true in the south in the Hebron hills. So conducts in the area is not surprising. The combination of all these things means that over the past 18 months the area has been very turbulent.”

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on July 3, 2023.

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2023.

The New Normal: criminalizing socio-political criticism as “right-wing supremacy”

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July 12, 2023

Last month the American writer C.J. Hopkins, who lives in Germany, was placed under investigation by the Public Prosecutor there for tweeting the cover of his new book: The Rise of the New Normal Reich that shows a face mask with the outline of a swastika over it. Using the image of the swastika is rightly forbidden in Germany as hate speech. It is, of course, the symbol subverted by the Nazis that today stands for everything hateful and cruel. Hopkins’ book criticizes the German Government’s authoritarian response to the Corona Virus, likening its oppressive actions to fascist governance.

The cover’s design would not be my choice as I reject the use of Nazi- or Holocaust evocation for any purpose other than the factual context. But make no mistake, Hopkins is not being put on notice because of a swastika on his book. There are tons of books in Germany bearing a swastika. Hopkins criticized the New Normal, which – as here in the USA, as well as many other former democracies – is evolving into a totalitarian entity that controls public information, suppresses free speech when not conforming to the official ideological narrative, and demonizes dissenting voices as “ neo Nazis,” “white- supremacist extremists” and “racists.”

A writer in both English and my native German, I recently published my new novel in Germany as I primarily wanted to address German readers. Thus experiencing a similar response as Hopkins.

SCHANDE (“DISGRACE”) 2021 Edition Buchhaus Loschwitz, chronicles the life of a Jewish woman born in post World War II Germany to Holocaust survivor parents. Starting with Helena’s childhood in the 1950’s, the story unflinchingly exposes the impact of Germany’s socio-political atmosphere throughout her life.

Several prominent German publishers were interested in SCHANDE but wanted omissions of precisely those parts that were of importance to me, such as the antisemitism that continued seamlessly after 1945, first under cover, then increasingly more open, the public smoke-screening that some fig-leaf Jews participated in, the effects of importing millions of unvetted migrants from cultures known to promulgate their own brand of Jew hatred among others.

While I knew the German taboo topics, I was nevertheless shocked at the brazen censorship I was expected to accept in literary publishing houses that pride themselves as liberal proponents of freedom of expression. Eventually I chose a conservative publisher who promised and held to it, that there would be no changes or omissions.

The publication coincided with the acclaimed Frankfurt Bookfair that year, which ran under the banner: Gegen Rechts (“Against the Right.”)

Perfect timing, I thought. Wrongly. As it turned out. The topic of my book wasn’t in sync with the prevailing leftist narrative. My publisher was instructed by representatives of the host, the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (“German Publishers and Booksellers Association,” part of the Governments’ cultural arm), to remove all posters announcing the publication of my book. Note: its cover depicts a snowy landscape.

When asked why, we were told they were “ following orders” and we could file a complaint. “Following orders” was obviously still a popular excuse here, 70 years after the Nuremberg Trials. No surprise to me. Read my book. But these were today’s Leftists talking, not Nazis. That was a surprise.

I proceeded to be publicly shamed by being snubbed at the Blaue Sofa (Blue Sofa), the hoity toity gathering spot where new publications are introduced and interviews held with people from the industry. A venture supported by the Bertelsmann Media Conglomerate and, according to inside information, owner of a group that belongs to the fact checkers at Facebook, LinkedIn and perhaps other High Tech platforms, from which I have repeatedly been banned for – as they state, without explaining –“ violating (their) community standards.” It is actually always for my calling to documented facts in response to misinformative babble.

But back to the Frankfurt Bookfair 2021 and the aftermath: mainstream journalists, some of which I knew, stated they couldn’t review my book. Most wouldn’t elaborate. Some, knowing me (or my book?) too well to smear me with the prevailing “rightwing” pretext, used it instead against my publisher. I lost the interest of a family friend and well-known actress who had wanted to speak the audio version of the book and then declined due to fear of damage to her career. McCarthyism came to mind.

The same fear is prevalent here in the USA once again. People afraid to speak freely. Mere thinking outside the constructed narrative, pounded in to us through the media and high tech, is prohibited today. The New Normal cult-like ideology that invaded our universities, schools, sports, commerce and everyday life calls it “conspiracy theory,” “racism” and other choice defamations.

The powers that be are as vehemently suppressing SCHANDE in lockstep with its cohorts as our elitists in the USA are forcing compliance with false and harmful polarizing constructs.

That this is happening in post World War II to free and enlightened societies across the globe in unison should be alarming to everybody. Mostly, it should pose the questions, where this movement originated and exactly whom such orchestrated destruction of individualism, public well-being and dumbing down of inquisitive minds would benefit.

A ray of hope beckons in the epilog to the SCHANDE story. Despite the onslaught, the book is receiving public attention, albeit through the conservative media. It is being translated into other languages. An American edition is not yet planned but may happen by our sorry society of followers who were once leaders, when it wins enough acclaim where truth counts, free speech is respected and lies are seen for the deceptions they are.

©Aliana Brodmann E. von Richthofen

Satan as Agent Provocateur

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July 12, 2023

How the CIA makes people stupid – TIA-155

50 Supreme Court decisions that were based on justices’ interpretations and opinions, rather than the law

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July 12, 2023

Look at Israel’s High Court of Justice rulings to understand “judicial reform”

By David Bedein

The time has come to explain “Israel judicial reform”.

Here are 50 Israel High Court of Justice decisions based on justices’ interpretations or opinions, rather than any law

Security and terror

The Supreme Court:

Set severe limitations on targeted killing of terrorist leaders (2006)
Prohibited use of a method saving lives of IDF soldiers known as the “neighbor rule” – i.e. when there is a strong possibility that an armed wanted terrorist lurks behind a door that must be opened, soldiers would have a Palestinian Arab stand in front of them and let the terrorist inside the room know about it so he would not shoot- (2005)
Minimized permitted areas to be demolished in terrorist homes and delayed decisions for long periods, making them less effective –( 2016, 2018, 2020, 2020 etc).
Heard suits brought by terrorists who are citizens of enemy states-(Dirani, 2011)
Limited IDF activity while fighting was taking place and set guidelines for IDF officers – (Church of the Nativity 2002, Rafiah 2004}
Cancelled the Interior Minister’s decision to void residence permits for Palestinian Parliament members who are Hamas delegates –(2017)
Ordered granting National Insurance payments to terrorists whose citizenship was cancelled –(2022)
Refused to allow Israel to keep bodies of killed terrorists as bargaining points for the return of IDF soldier’s bodies (2017 – rescinded 2019!)
Struck down the law denying monthly child benefits for a terrorist who is a minor – (2021)
Interfered in IDF security considerations for marking the location of the separation fence – (2004)

Immigration

The Supreme Court:

Blocked the government policy for protecting elderly residents of south Tel Aviv terrorized by lawless illegal employment-seeking infiltrators from African countries who moved into the neighborhood en masse – by invalidating three different laws meant to prevent illegal infiltration-(2013 2014, 2015).
Blocked the government plan for relocating infiltrators to another African country –(2017)
Invalidated the “collateral law” meant to encourage infiltrators return to their native country – (2020)
Invalidated the Interior minister’s decision to limit the number of non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees allowed into Israel –(2022)
Determined the status of female infiltrators as refugees based on a hypothetical possibility that they might undergo circumcision in their country of birth – (2020)
Eased the process for residency permits in Israel for Gazan Palestinian Arabs- (2017).

Zionism:

The Supreme Court:

Interpreted the Nation State Law, the Basic Law defining Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish People, so that it cannot have any effect on national policy –(2021)
Forced the Education Ministry to award the Israel Prize to a BDS supporter despite the ministry’s decision not to do so – (2022)
Struck down the Interior Minister’s decision to prevent entry to Israel of a BDS activist –(2018)
Struck down the Film Critics Council decision to forbid the screening of “Jenin Jenin” – a mendacious slanderous film that accused IDF soldiers of a massacre in Jenin, when the truth was that 11 IDF soldiers paid with their lives for the decision not to bomb the city (after warning its residents to leave), thus exposing them to snipers in house to house fighting.
Struck down the Knesset Elections Committee decision to prohibit those who openly support terror from running for Knesset – (Zakhalka 2002, Yazbak 2020)
Struck down the Defense Minister’s decision to forbid terrorist families from Judea and Samaria to attend a ceremony organized by the left for bereaved Jewish and Arab families whose sons were terrorists -(2018, 2023)
Ordered signs in Arabic in areas without Arab residents –(2002)
Struck down suits brought to the court against illegal building of mosques on the Temple Mount (Solomon’s Stables 2004, Mercy Gate, 2020)
Struck down suits brought to request partial or full freedom of worship for Jews on the Temple Mount – (2006 2021)
Nullified the effectiveness of the law against boycotts of firms/businesses by BDS organizations by adding that fines can only be applied if damage to the business can be proven – an almost impossible demand due to all the factors involved in business gains and losses –(2015)

Land and settlement

The Supreme Court:

Cancelled the long-existing policy allowing the establishment of villages that accept only Jews –(Katsir vs. Kaen 2000)
Struck down the “Regulating Law” intended to regulate the status of homes built in Judea and Samaria on land whose ownership was contested after the homes were built, by paying claimants for it. Jewish homes were destroyed even though there was no way Arabs could use the land they claimed title to as it was located in the middle of existing communities and it was to the claimant’s advantage to be paid for it- (Ofra 2014, Netiv Haavot 2016).
Discriminated against Israelis in outposts by ordering them destroyed without proofs of Arab claimants’ ownership – (Amona 2006, 2016, Migron 2011).
Expelled Jewish residents of Beit Ezra in Hevron against the wishes of the owners and the opinion of the Appeals Committee – (2012)
Upheld the status of the illegal settlements of Negev Bedouin – (Adalah 1997, Abu Efash 2000, Abu Mis’ad 2006′ Adala 2016)
Upheld the racist PA law against selling land to Jews in Judea and Samaria (punishable by death) – (2022)

The Economy

The Supreme Court:

Blocked the government plan for solving the housing crisis
Interfered in interpretations of contracts in contradicton to the wording of those contracts –(Apropim 1995)
Interfered in the government’s plan for developing the offshore gas fields damaging Israel’s credibility in financial agreements. (2016)

Religion, state and family

The Supreme Court

Forbade hospital administrators to keep chametz out of hospitals on Pesach – (2022, rescinded in 2023).
Allowed and upheld opening businesses on Shabbat in Tel Aviv –(2017).
Forced a husband divorcing an unfaithful wife to share property that was proved to be his alone with the unfaithful spouse –(2021).
Forced changing the law so that same sex partners can arrange surrogate pregnancies in Israel –(2020)
Encouraged fining Channel 20 (now Channel 14) for not featuring members of the Reform Movement (not officially recognized in Israel) in broadcasts – (2017).
Accepted the suit to allow pornographic broadcasts – (2004).
Prevented the haredi sector from having cultural events with separate seating for men and women although that is their halakhic position – (2019)

Political skewing

The Supreme Court:

Struck down the Knesset’s Arutz Sheva Law that allowed the broadcasts of the only right wing radio station at the time –(2002).
Interfered with MK Yuri Edelstein (Likud) serving as Knesset Speaker although this is against the Knesset’s bylaws –(2020).

Interim governments – inconsistency in rulings

The Supreme Court:

Prevented the Internal Security Minister from evacuating the Orient House during an interim government –(1999)
Struck down the suit against holding Taba negotiations during the period of a small interim government-(2001))
Struck down the suits against concluding an agreement on maritime borders with Lebanon during an interim government – the agreements were not brought to the Knesset – (2022)
Created a doctrine to allow striking down Basic Laws –
Prevented a Jewish member of Knesset, Michael Ben-Ari from running for the Knesset while permitting the Balad Arab party to run in contradiction to the decision of the Israel Elections Committee –(2019)
Backed the Supreme Court Chief Justice’s decision to boycott the national ceremony celebrating 50 years of settlement in Judea and Samaria – (2017)

The research for this list was done by Dr. Assaf Malach founding director of the Jewish Statesmanship Center in Jerusalem and served former director of the Committee for Citizenship Studies at the Israe Ministry of Education 1915-2022.

The translation of this list was done by Rochel Sylvetsky who made aliya in 1971,and served as Chairperson of Emunah Israel

House Republicans are drawing a bright line on UN reform

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July 12, 2023

Liberals don’t like spending cuts, and they especially love spending taxpayers’ money abroad. So when the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs released its funding bill for fiscal year 2024 last month, the responses were predictably hyperbolic.

“Extremely disturbing,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) declared that the bill “shortchanges foreign assistance, abdicates our country’s leadership on the global stage, hinders our ability to address the climate crisis, abandons global security, and harms women around the world.”

If implemented, Chairman Mario Diaz Balart’s (R-Fla.) bill would provide $52.5 billion for the State Department, U.S. foreign assistance programs, international organizations, and related programs. This is lower than the previous year, reflecting the need to get America’s fiscal house in order, but it is hardly an irresponsible cut. It is roughly comparable to spending levels from fiscal years 2015 and 2016, when the notorious isolationist Barack Obama was in the White House.

Liberals are, of course, disappointed in the level of funding. But the real source of their angst is that the bill reflects conservative policy.

One example is the bill’s prohibition on funding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. DeLauro deplores the ban as the insertion of “politics into our foreign policy.” Of course, the bill is merely a response to President Biden’s Executive Orders. So, who exactly inserted politics into foreign policy?

The bill also substantially cuts back on the huge spike in U.S. funding for international climate change initiatives such as the Green Climate Fund, which is heresy on the left. But, as noted by Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), these programs have been “funneling millions to China,” even as its emissions are growing larger than those of the U.S. and all developed countries combined. Beijing refuses to take timely action to cut emissions, so why should taxpayers fund programs that reward its behavior?

Similarly, the left opposes the strong pro-life protections applied to U.S. foreign assistance in the bill, including terminating funding to the UN Population Fund, which conservatives like Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) assert supports abortion.

The United Nations receives the biggest haircut in this bill. U.S. contributions for UN peacekeeping were reduced to comply with a U.S. law which rightly sets a 25 percent cap on U.S. contributions. Contributions to international organizations are cut by 82 percent, and voluntary funding to international organizations is eliminated.

UN advocates were irate. “By removing funding for the UN, this bill would cause untold suffering, endanger allies, and create a leadership vacuum at the UN that China and Russia would be very happy to fill,” said Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign.

This belated concern on the left about malign influence within the UN is welcome. But much like the Biden administration, they are confusing funding with influence. Naively, President Joe Biden re-engaged and provided funding with no strings attached, with the expectation that this would be rewarded with other countries’ support for U.S. policies. As the following examples demonstrate, it was not to be.

Take the UN Human Rights Council. Despite acknowledging its deep institutional problems with anti-Israel bias and lack of membership standards, the Biden administration reengaged with the Council without any conditions.

Similarly, the administration reversed the Trump administration decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and, again, renewed funding without seeking reforms or changes despite the WHO handling the COVID pandemic terribly, ostracizing Taiwan, and excusing Beijing’s opacity and lack of cooperation.

The Biden administration also ramped up funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – a deeply flawed organization whose schools and teachers have been shown to espouse anti-Semitic views.

The Biden administration also recently announced that was seeking to rejoin the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) even though the Palestinians retain full membership in the organization absent a peace with Israel. As Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) stated when they were granted that status, “A UN body that acts so irresponsibly — a UN body that admits states that do not exist — renders itself unworthy of U.S. taxpayer dollars.”

Notice the pattern? Again and again, the Biden administration rewards broken organizations with U.S. taxpayer money without demanding that they improve or change.

The Biden administration fixates wrongly on having “a seat at the table” in international organizations, convinced that engagement is a good in itself. Unfortunately, the evidence shows that “being there” is not enough, and that unconditional reengagement and even funding do not create spontaneous support for American goals.

The Human Rights Council, for example, remains dominated by anti-democratic human rights abusers. Despite Biden’s reengagement, the U.S. was unable to convince a majority of the Council to support a debate about the UN report on China’s human rights crimes in Xinxiang. Nor was the U.S. able to affect the council’s anti-Israel bias, as recently exhibited by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel.

With U.S. reengagement, the World Health Organization member states recently voted to condemn Israel, oppose Taiwanese participation as an observer, and elect North Korea to its Executive Board. The WHO has never condemned China for its central role in the COVID pandemic.

Likewise, despite a Framework Agreement with UNRWA to strengthen “accountability, transparency, and consistency with UN principles, including neutrality,” antisemitism in UNRWA schools and textbooks and glorification of terrorism by UNRWA staff remains rampant.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration would reward UNESCO with over $600 million in arrears, which UNESCO will turn around and use with “helpful” input from Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, China, Russia and other members of the UNESCO Executive Board.

All of the above illustrate why the House bill has taken such a tough line on UN funding. If the Biden administration will not insist on reforms and changes to advance U.S. interests, then someone must. Frankly, if the Biden administration had given any indication at all that it was seeking to advance U.S. interests and reform of these organizations, perhaps the House would have would been more amenable to funding them.

In addition to providing a much-needed reality check, this spending bill is smart strategically. No one gets everything in a divided government. The House bill is not the final word, but it must be reconciled with the Senate bill. Some UN funding, such as the UN regular budget funding, will undoubtedly be increased. That is not necessarily a bad thing, so long as it supports U.S. interests.

But conservatives in the House are right need to stand firm and oppose blank checks. In the cases of such deeply flawed organizations as the UN Human Rights Council, UNESCO, UNRWA, and the WHO, funding must be linked to long-overdue reforms. Diaz-Balart clearly understands the need to stake out a strong position from which to start negotiations.

Foreign office refuses request for documents concerning UK aid to Palestinian Authority

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July 12, 2023

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has refused to disclose and publish documents concerning how British aid to the Palestinian Authority is audited.

In a statement to the Israel campaign groups We Believe in Israel and B’nai B’rith UK, the foreign office said:” “The disclosure of information detailing the audit reports of the
Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme could potentially damage the bilateral relationship between the UK and Palestine.”

The two pro-Israel groups had asked for the documents under a joint freedom of information (FOI) request sent by We Believe in Israel and B’nai B’rith UK in May 2023.

This FOI request was motivated by a desire to establish whether or not British taxpayers are funding the notorious “Pay for Slay” scheme where the Palestinian Authority incentivises terrorism by disbursing salaries to convicted terrorists while they are in Israeli prisons, or their families in the event of their death.

Luke Akehurst, Director of We Believe in Israel, said: “Our FOI request was submitted in good faith as part of an attempt to ensure that British aid to the Palestinian Authority is not being used to support, facilitate, or incentivise terrorism, be that directly or indirectly.

“By initially failing to lawfully respond and now refusing to provide the disclosure, the FCDO raises questions about the integrity of its foreign aid distribution, especially to the Palestinian Authority.

“It is also highly likely that oversight mechanisms are lacking, and the FCDO are attempting to conceal serious due diligence failures.

“We have requested an internal review, and on exhausting internal appeals will re-refer the FCDO back to the ICO. We are determined to secure this disclosure, and will take all reasonable steps necessary to do so.”

In a refusal notice, the FCDO wrote: “The disclosure of information detailing the audit reports of the
Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme could potentially damage the bilateral
relationship between the UK and Palestine.

“This would reduce the UK government’s ability to protect and promote UK interests through its relations with Palestine, which would not be in the public interest.”

It was also suggested that the presence of third party personal data prevented publication, despite how easily such content could be redacted.

The two groups said this decision contradicts precedents set by the ICO when, in 2019, they ordered the now defunct Department for International Development (DFID) to release similar documents requested by UK Lawyers for Israel.

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