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Par for the course
The Jewish year may be winding down but Jews and Israel continue to dominate the news one way or another.
Some events from the recent past seem to have sunk into oblivion. Others may have caused some minor ripples but have otherwise elicited only muted responses.
As we prepare to wrap up another year it is important to recall those challenges which have gone unanswered. Putting them in the too-hard basket because dealing with them might have upset too many people is a recipe for disaster. Kicking the can down the road in the hope that someone else might deal with them is a failed strategy.
Politicians love to promise and procrastinate in the hope that the befuddled masses can be beguiled into believing their intentions. While many are fooled, increasing numbers of the long-suffering public can discern “snake oil” salespersons and are not prepared to fall for unfulfilled gestures.
The following is just a random selection of some of the still unresolved challenges which confront us.
There are still many who cannot understand the continuing romance with an entity which promotes jihadist martyrdom and pays murderers and their families for killing Jewish Israelis. Recently an Abbas spokesperson declared that Israel’s elimination of “martyrs” (aka terrorists) is a war crime. Following this patently poisonous assertion one should have expected the White House, State Department, EU, UK Foreign Office and the UN to denounce the sponsors of terror residing in Ramallah. These same defenders of “saint Mahmoud” are quick to condemn Israel for each and every perceived “threat to democracy.”
Unsurprisingly nary a peep has been heard.
Instead, all we can hear are hymns of praise from the international community and Jewish self-loathers for those who supposedly are yearning to establish a fake State based on democratic and human rights values. Instead of an outpouring of outrage from Diaspora Jewish leaders and Israeli politicians all we have is silence or meaningless mumbling.
A report in the Israeli media this week revealed that in a recording of a speech by Abbas he claimed that “Jews were murdered in the Holocaust not because of their “Jewishness” but so that the Nazis could seize their money.”
For good measure, he also asserted that “all the historical evidence and documents show the Palestinian identity of Jerusalem, the Al Aqsa Mosque and all the holy places for Islam and Christianity in Jerusalem.”
His lies and fabrications elicited muted responses from Israeli political leaders and Diaspora Jewish spokespersons.
Why, therefore, should anyone be surprised when the UN and general media give yet another pass to the anointed apostle of peace?
Recently, a group of Democratic Party legislators visited Israel and were shown around various areas of the country. They also had the opportunity to meet and speak with many Israelis. The object of the exercise, no doubt, was to expose them to some realities so that they could better understand the complexities of the problems confronting Israel. Presumably, it is hoped that once cognizant of facts rather than myths these US representatives might return to the USA and enlighten some of their colleagues who are drifting into the far-left anti-Israel camp.
On their return, the Michigan State senator issued an abject apology for having participated in this visit and in the face of furious condemnation from Michigan Muslim groups recanted any sympathy that may have been expressed for the Jewish State.
Once again, American Jewish leadership remained relatively mute in the face of this glaring hypocrisy.
What can only be described as a continuing theatre of the absurd manifested itself in a few other ways as we count down to the end of the year.
One of the contenders for the Republican Party Presidential nomination in 2024, Vivek Ramaswamy, touted as an up-and-coming young politician, found himself caught up in controversy over his remarks about Israel. At first, he advocated ending aid to Israel but after a barrage of scornful criticism from fellow Republicans, he backtracked somewhat. Whether his views were as a result of political naivety or a misstep remains to be seen but a subsequent declaration should ring warning bells not only in Israel but also with other US allies.
He stated that he was against using US military force against Iran. As reported, he declared that “it would be taking part in a war we don’t belong in.” I am sure that the Mullahs in Tehran must be rooting for him to become the nominee in 2024. Faced with a choice between a Democrat President doing his level best to unfreeze billions of Iranian funds and a potential Republican candidate pledged to avoid military action, the regime must be in paradise.
Just imagine what the Taiwanese facing a Chinese invasion and the South Koreans facing a North Korean nuclear attack must be thinking.
Any Israeli with some recollection of recent history will remember the infamous words of Neville Chamberlain as Czechoslovakia was about to be swallowed up by Nazi Germany: “it’s about a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing.”
Is history about to be repeated?
The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report which stated that “it regrets a lack of Iranian co-operation as enriched uranium grows.” This observation, instead of sending shivers down Iranian spines, will induce paroxysms of hilarious laughter.
The mandate for the UN “peacekeeping” force in South Lebanon has been renewed by the Security Council (with China and Russia abstaining). Listening to the subsequent rhetoric, one could imagine that this was a triumph for the enforcement of UN resolutions and the disarmament of Hezbollah terror forces. No such event, of course, will take place and the Iranian-backed terrorists will continue to aim their missiles at Israel and prepare for a conflict which is not that far away.
The stark reality is euphoric diplomatic hallucinations that ignore the effective disarming of those threatening not only Israel but also the independence of Lebanon, will result in mayhem and murder.
Egypt has reportedly asked Israel not to harm Hamas and Jihad leaders. In other words, those fomenting the murder of Israelis should be given immunity and allowed to continue plotting their terror agenda. This is the mad cuckoo world we face at the moment and the absence of a concerted campaign to expose this only lends credence to the hypocrisy which is now the rule.
The Papal blessing of Pope Francis provides proof of how far sanity has been compromised.
In a message to young Russians, he pontificated: “You are the heirs of the great Russia – of the saints, of the Kings, of Peter the Great, Catherine, great imperial Russia, cultivated with so much culture and humanity.”
This declaration may have warmed the hearts of some, but it certainly did the opposite as far as any intelligent Jews are concerned.
The history of Jews in Tsarist and Communist Russia is certainly not one of humanity and religious tolerance. It is a bloody trail of pogroms and persecution at the hands of rulers and with the sanction of Church authorities. Blood libels and conspiracies are the legacy of those periods in Russian history.
It’s a pity that political correctness has yet again produced a shameful silence.
What will the New Year bring? Stay tuned.
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Unrwa Accountability Report fpr Congressman Rep.Mario Diaz-Balart, a senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations, and he is the Chairman of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Subcommittee,
Since 1987, the Nahum Bedein Center for Near East Policy Research Ltd., located in Jerusalem and headed by David Bedein, has stood at the forefront of advocacy for UNRWA (United Nations Refugee Works Agency) policy change, addressing alleged misuse of donor funds and breaches of the UNRWA mandate “to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.”
Bedein, an MSW, has examined the Palestinian Authority school system since the first day that the PA began to issue its own textbooks (August 1, 2000), the time UNRWA adopted the PA school curriculum.
Having met with and received personal authorization from Yasser Arafat (PLO Chairman 1969-2004) to review all textbooks issued by the Palestinian Authority (used by UNRWA schools in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza), Bedein engaged a journalist and scholar of Arabic education, Dr. Arnon Groiss, to review more 1,000 schoolbooks issued by the PA and used by UNRWA.
Groiss, who is fluent in Arabic, holds a PhD in Islamic Studies and served as deputy director of the Arabic division of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.
The following is a partial list of serious violations of the UNRWA mandate to help the 6.7 million descendants of Arab refugees from the 1948 war now registered with UNRWA:
• Terror advocacy conveyed by new Palestinian Authority textbooks used by UNRWA
• Hamas infiltration into the UNRWA schools and youth clubs
• Prolonged manipulation of Arabs to dwell as “refugees for perpetuity” in 59 UNRWA squalor camps, as pawns in the unresolved Arab Israel war
• UNRWA works with the PA to “erase” Israel from their maps, rather than using standard UN maps, which depict all UN members in good standing, including Israel
• Deliberate financial misrepresentations to international donors
_________________________________________________
I.) Current UNRWA Policy: Part of the Problem, Not Part of the Solution UNRWA continually requests more and more funds, with a budget that has swelled to $1.6 billion in less than three years.
Established with a “temporary” mandate by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA has done nothing to help Arab refugees and their families move on with their lives or seek a better future for themselves or their families.
Instead, UNRWA enshrines the “right of return by force of arms,” which envisions the elimination of Israel by flooding it with millions of Arab refugees.
II.) No UNRWA Support for a Two-State Solution Our review of more than 1,000 official textbooks of the PA, used by UNRWA, finds that both UNRWA and the PA reject the two-state solution because UNRWA and PA education are based on three fundamentals:
1. De-legitimization of Israel’s existence and the Jews’ very presence in the country, which includes denial of their history and the existence of any Jewish holy places there.
2. Demonization of both Israel and Jews, also religiously – with implications regarding the Jews’ image in the eyes of children who hail from a traditional Arab society.
3. The absence of a call for peace with Israel. Instead, there is a call for a violent struggle for the liberation of the whole country, including pre-1967 Israel. This struggle is given a religious color and terror is made an integral part thereof, encouraging the murder of Jews.
III.) De-Legitimization
1. Israel’s Jewish citizens are considered foreign colonialists. (Social Studies, Grade 8, Part 2 [2020], p. 34)
2. The country’s Jewish history is denied, including the existence of archaeological items proving it: “The conqueror has built for himself an artificial entity that derives its identity and the legitimacy of its existence from tales, legends and fantasies and has tried in various ways and means to create live material evidence for these legends, or archaeological architectural proofs that would determine their truth and authenticity, but in vain.” (Arabic Language – Academic Path, Grade 10, Part 2 [2020], p. 68)
3. Existence of Jewish holy places in the country is denied, including the Western Wall in Jerusalem. In Arabic: “Al-Buraq Wall:” “The Al-Buraq Wall has been named after Al-Buraq [the divine beast] that carried the Messenger [of God, i.e., Muhammad] during the Nocturnal Journey [from Mecca to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, according to Islamic belief] and the Ascension [to Heaven]. The AlBuraq Wall is part of the western wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the wall, is Palestinian land and an exclusive right of the Muslims.” (Islamic Education, Grade 5, Part 1 [2020] p. 63)
4. Having been considered foreign settlers, Jews in the country are not counted as legitimate inhabitants and the cities they built there, including Tel Aviv, are absent from maps in the texts used in PA schools. The PA school map, titled “Map of Palestine”, does not show any Jewish city, except the southern city of Eilat, which appears under its Arabic name, a desolate place where it was later built up – “Umm al-Rashrash”. (Social Studies, Grade 6, Part 1 [2020], p. 6)
5. The Jews’ historical and religious ties to Jerusalem are ignored. According to the PA textbooks, Jerusalem was built by the Palestinians’ Arab ancestors (i.e., the
“Arabized” Canaanites and Jebusites) and is holy to Muslims and Christians alone. Jews are not mentioned in this context: “Jerusalem is an Arab city built by our Arab ancestors thousands of years ago. Jerusalem is holy only to Muslims and Christians.” (National and Social Upbringing, Grade 3, Part 1 (2020) p. 29)
6. A short historical description of the city’s names features a huge gap of 1,000 years between the Jebusites and the Romans, that is, the Jewish historical period. The name “Jerusalem” with its various forms that is used in hundreds of languages around the world is completely absent: “The city of Jerusalem was known as ‘Jebus’ after the Arab Jebusites who built it 5,000 years ago. When the Romans occupied it, they named it ‘Aelia’. Later on, it came to be known as ‘AlQuds’ or ‘Bayt al-Maqdis’, after the Muslims had conquered it at the hands of
Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab in 637 CE…”(Geography and Modern and Contemporary History of Palestine, Grade 10, Part 1 (2020) p. 43)
7. The woman commander of an attack on an Israeli civilian bus in 1978, which ended in the murder of over 30 Israeli civilians – men, women and children, transforms into a role-model for Palestinian children in a text introduced in the UNRWA schools in 2017 and republished each year. https://israelbehindthenews.com/2021/11/30/dalal-al-mughrabi-a-murderous-terroristas-a-role-model-in-palestinian-authority-schoolbooks-used-by-unrwa-2/
IV.) US Middle East Policy Recommendations to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Middle East Subcommittee
• Cancel the new UNRWA curriculum, which incorporates jihad, martyrdom and “right of return by force of arms” in UN schools that are supposed to promote the UN principle of “Peace Starts Here.”
• Cease paramilitary training for UNRWA students contiguous to UNRWA schools. UNRWA must demonstrate its commitment to UN principles for “peace education.”
• Insist that UNRWA dismiss employees affiliated with terror-affiliated groups, in accordance with laws on the books in Western nations, which prohibit the provision of aid to any agency that employs members of terror groups.
• Demand that UNRWA cancel connections with the informal UNRWA “youth ambassador” Mohammad Assaf who travels the world encouraging violence.
• Ask for a thorough audit of funds that flow to UNRWA via cash and bank transfer. This would address widespread documented reports of wasted resources, duplicity of services and flow of cash, especially the terror groups that have controlled UNRWA operations in Gaza since 2007.
• Introduce UNHCR standards to UNRWA to advance the resettlement of Arab refugees. UNRWA policy is that refugee resettlement would interfere with the “right of return” to Arab villages that existed before 1948. While UN rules will not allow UNHCR to replace UNRWA, nothing stops UNRWA from adopting the constructive working principles of UNHCR.
Note: Mr. Bedein had asked the US State Department if it would demand a change in the PA or curriculum, to advocate a two-state solution. To date, no response to this query.
UNRWA schools in Jenin and in Gaza have become virtual arsenals, leading us to ask the US State Department whether the US will ask for a weapons and ammunition inspection of UNRWA facilities. To date, no response to this query.
V.) Responding to Request for Information on UNRWA to the British Parliament To: A Senior Parliamentary Assistant at The House of Lords SW1A 0PW Parliament
Pleased to respond to your request to raise UNRWA policy issues at the UK Parliament.
Context: The UK is a major donor to UNRWA and can influence UNRWA policy.
https://www.unrwa.org/how-you-can-help/government-partners/funding-trends
The following questions challenged UK lawmakers to ask UNRWA to act in accordance with the values of the United Nations.
1. In 2017, UNRWA introduced a textbook which features a woman named Dalal el Mugrabi – whose terror squad commandeered a civilian bus and murdered more than 30 passengers, including 13 children – as a role model for UNRWA pupils.
In the new UNRWA text, Dalal is portrayed in full terror garb, followed by a lesson plan which presents her life story for adulation and emulation. Why does the UK not ask for the removal of this and other such texts taught at United Nations schools?
https://israelbehindthenews.com/2021/11/30/dalal-al-mughrabi-a-murderous-terroristas-a-role-model-in-palestinian-authority-schoolbooks-used-by-unrwa-2/
2. UNRWA contracts for exclusive use of Palestinian Authority schoolbooks in Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and Gaza. Like all UN agencies, UNRWA administers its schools under the UN slogan of “Peace Begins Here.” PA education, however, runs schools based on the ideology of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is “the conquest of Palestine by force of arms.” In
another new text, UNRWA pupils are taught to sing a song which encourages children to “exterminate the usurpers” after the Arabs return to control of Palestine Why does the UK not ask UNRWA to instead offer a curriculum based on peace and reconciliation?
Current UNRWA curriculum:
https://israelbehindthenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Jews-in-PalestinianAuthority-Schoolbooks-in-UNRWA-Use.pdf
https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/?s=GROISS
3. El Kutla youth clubs in UNRWA schools, affiliated with Hamas, inspire pupils with the mantra of the armed struggle from a young age.
https://israelbehindthenews.com/2022/02/11/new-research-hamas-operation-ofunrwa-youth-clubs-in-unrwa-schools/
Why does the UK not ask UNRWA to demand that youth clubs on UNRWA premises cease and desist from violent incitement?
https://israelbehindthenews.com/2022/03/08/hamas-islamic-bloc-in-unrwa-schools-inthe-gaza-strip-activities-modus-operandi/
4. UNRWA now presents 125 new maps in their schools with Arab names that delete the Jewish names of all Jewish communities. Meanwhile, Israel is wiped off the UNRWA maps. Since Israel is a member state of the United Nations, why does the UK not insist that Israel be included on UNRWA maps?
https://israelbehindthenews.com/2022/09/24/revealing-maps-the-palestinian-vision-astaught-in-unrwa-schools/
5. UNRWA schools in Jenin and in Gaza have become virtual arsenals. Why does the UK not ask for a weapons and ammunition inspection of UNRWA facilities?
6. At this point in time, UNRWA holds out the “right of return” as the only option for the future of 6.7 million descendants of Arab refugees from the 1948 War who dwell as “refugees for perpetuity” in the indignity of 59 “temporary” refugee camps since 1949. However, the UNHCR, which protects the rights of refugees all over the world, has enforced the most important human right for all refugees to be settled in permanent homes, with dignity. Why, then does the UK not endorse a plan for Arab refugees for the voluntary resettlement of UNRWA residents who wish to leave the squalid conditions of UNRWA refugee camps?
7. In light of the continued incitement at UNRWA facilities, the US and UNRWA signed an accord in July 2021 that requires UNRWA to eradicate incitement from its educational system as a condition for receiving funds. When UNRWA refused to make such changes in the UNRWA curriculum, the US placed funds for UNRWA education in escrow. Will the UK also condition funds for UK education until UNRWA makes the relevant changes in its schools?
8. Hamas, defined by the UN as an illegal terrorist group, controls UNRWA facilities in Gaza. Since the UK defines Hamas as a terrorist group, why does the UK not demand the removal of Hamas from UNRWA?
9. Following murders committed by thirteen- and fourteen-year-old children from UNRWA, along with the widespread militarization of Palestinian Arab youth, will the UK seek to stem the violent indoctrination of UNRWA youth, which violates the UN statute on the rights of the child? https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/app/uploads/2023/02/E_039_23.pdf
10. UNRWA schools are often adorned with murals of “martyrs” who died while killing Jews. Will the UK ask UNRWA to remove these murals? https://israelbehindthenews.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/11/UNWRA-OCT-21-02.jpg
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Saudi Arabia reportedly denies entry visas to two Israeli ministers ahead of UNESCO conference
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Saudi Arabia has reportedly denied entry to two Israeli ministers who were due to take part in a UNESCO conference in Riyadh next week, according to Israeli media.
The Israeli Channel 13 said on Monday evening that Saudi Arabia refused to grant visas to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Education Minister Yoav Kisch.
The US and Israel have increasingly been pushing for a deal to normalise ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but this has so far failed to materialise, as Riyadh sticks to its official position that it will only establish official relations with Tel Aviv if a Palestinian state is established.
Channel 13 reported that Israel had engaged in “great efforts” for the two ministers to be invited but Saudi Arabia had “put up obstacles” and did not issue them with visas.
It also said that the Israeli foreign ministry had pulled back from its efforts to get visas for the two ministers, following a US request.
As a result, Israeli professionals will take part in the Riyadh meeting but not Israeli ministers.
According to Channel 13, US officials told their Israeli counterparts that because of “progress in contacts” between Israel and Saudi Arabia, an invitation to Israeli ministers at this stage would put Saudi Arabia “in a complicated situation”.
“This is not the time, it is too early,” a US official reportedly said.
Saudi Arabia recently appointed an envoy to the Palestinian territories, in a move believed to be a preparation for normalisation of relations with Israel.
In 2020, three Arab states – the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, normalised ties with Israel in a controversial deal known as the Abraham Accords.
Palestinians slammed the deals as a betrayal of their cause, pointing out that they rewarded Israel while it continued to occupy the West Bank, besiege the Gaza Strip, and prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
A Peace Process with the PLO that lasted less than three weeks.
Yes, on September 13, 1993, at the White House, Israel signed the “Declaration of Principles” (the DOP) between Israel and the PLO, in the presence of US and Russian officials who also sat at the table on the White House lawn.
The agreement, hammered out in Oslo, stipulated mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO.
It required the PLO to cease and desist from terrorism, and for the PLO to nullify its covenant, which calls for Israel’s destruction.
The Israeli Knesset ratified the Oslo Accord by a vote of 61 to 50, with 9 abstentions, a week later. However, what received hardly any attention was the fact that on October 6, 1993, the PLO Fatah executive would not ratify the Oslo Accord, for lack of a quorum.
Pinchas Inbari, one of the only Israeli correspondentד covering the PLO in Tunis at the time, writing for the Israeli left-wing Hebrew newspaper Al HaMishmar, indeed broke the story of the PLO non-ratification of the “Declaration of Principles”.
The rest of the Israeli media, however, did not report that the PLO never ratified the accord, while the Israeli government acted as if the PLO had done so.
Inbari was scheduled to appear on a popular morning KOL YISRAEL radio show when he got back from Tunis.
However, Prime Minister Rabin personally called Israel state radio to cancel that appearance.
Instead, the Israel government dispatched then deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Yossi Beilin, to fly to Tunis to thank Arafat for facilitating the ratification of the Oslo Accord, which Arafat and the PLO never ratified.
In the desire to falsely believe and hope that Arafat was genuinely trying to usher in an era of peace, the Israeli government and its compliant media chose to overlook the PLO’s significant failure to ratify the Oslo Accord..
It was a sign of things to come.
Dr. Michael Widlanski, a former New York Times reporter, uncovered the working record of duplicity of Arafat’s PA. Widlanski personally reviewed nearly a half a million documents contained in the computer discs, hard drives and file boxes that were seized by the Israeli government when then Israeli minister of Public security Uzi Landau in 2002 ordered the closure of Orient House, which was the quasi-official seat of the PA in Jerusalem.
As Widlanski, who sent me a number of copies of the documents in Arabic, said “The documents repeatedly showed that Arafat was in day to day control of the details of the Palestinian Authority’s military operations…They showed irrefutably that he controlled Fatah’s tanzeem militia, [and other terror organizations] not that they controlled him.”
The documents showed that Arafat’s proxies, such as Faisal-Al-Husseini, relayed requests for approval of expenditures to Arafat himself. For example, among the captured documents were reports addressed to Faisal-Al-Husseini, from a joint field committee of Palestinian Arab organizations detailing terrorist operations carried out in Jerusalem, along with a budget request to cover operational costs for the coming month.
“After Al-Husseini initiated this document, he wrote a separate letter to Arafat relaying the request and recommending he approve the expenditure,” Widlanski said.
To view the article that Widlanski wrote at the time detailing his “finds” see here.
The documents from the Orient House that were stored in a police warehouse in Beit Shemesh provide insight into the workings of the Palestinian Authority secret police in Jerusalem and the involvement of the PA in all areas of organized crime – drugs, prostitution, arms smuggling, and car thefts.
Two police officials asked me at the time if I could find private funds to translate these documents. However, the police officials later informed me hat a decision was made to not disclose these documents to the public.
I asked the Member of the Knesset (at the time) who was chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, MK Tzachi Hanegbi, as to why the decision was made to not allow for a professional review of the PLO documents seized at the PLO headquarters in Jerusalem, which were then in police custody, HaNegbi said that the answer to that question is “classified”.
Hanegbi today heads the Israel National Security Council (NSC) , which coordinates, designs and plans Israeli national security policy
Meanwhile, a flood at the Israel Police headquarters in Beit Shemesh destroyed the PLO Orient House documents that would have shed light on Arafat’s true intentions.
In its desire to plant the false belied that Arafat was genuinely trying to usher in an era of peace, the Israeli government and media chose to overlook this significant and crucial failure.
Very few people know or remember that Pinchas Inbari, a left wing Israeli journalist indeed broke the story that Arafat’s Palestinian Liberation Organization DID NOT RATIFY the Oslo Accords after Arafat signed them.
Inbari today is a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Full disclosure: For more than 30 years, I rely upon the integrity of Inbari at the news and research agency,
After reading Inbari’s headline story at the time in Al Hamishmar I opined that that Arafat may go down in history as the new Woodrow Wilson, after he witnessed his own legislative body reject the peace accord that Arafat had promoted – or at least made a pretense of promoting.
Except that the Israel media shielded anyone from knowing that that the peace process with PLO lasted less than three weeks..
Senator Risch is holding up US funding for UNRWA? Kudos to him!
Can there be a difference between one’s obligations and one’s actions? Well, we all are supposed to be good citizens — but somehow, the jails are full, so the answer to that question is therefore a clear “yes.”
But not to one Khaled Elgindy, a “senior fellow and director of the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute.” Writing in The Hill, he lambasts the Biden administration for not releasing an additional $75 million earmarked for UNRWA over an objection by Idaho Senator James Risch. “Risch has said that he will not release the funds until he receives assurances from the Biden administration that UNRWA is not aiding Palestinian militants or promoting antisemitism. However, these and other conditions are already requirements UNRWA must abide by in its framework agreement with the State Department.”
Clearly, Mr. Elgindy implies that the fact that there are “requirements UNRWA must abide by” means that UNRWA abides by those requirements. Yet, if the two are one and the same, it is odd that he does not suggest an easy solution — that the administration issues the desired assurances to Senator Risch, and moves on with the release of funds. Instead, Mr. Elgindy proposes that President Biden should ignore Senator Risch’s hold, and hands over the money anyway: “To be clear, the senator’s ability to put a “hold” on the funds has no legal authority but rather is a courtesy extended by the executive branch to the legislative branch. … the Biden administration could simply ignore the hold if it chose to do so.”
So why won’t the administration do it? And why would Mr. Elgindy suggest violating the balance of power between branches of government, and the accepted protocols, when a simple letter of assurance would produce the exact result he desires?
Perhaps because both the administration, and Mr. Elgindy know full well that such an assurance would be a lie. That UNRWA employs members of Hamas — an organization that is openly dedicated to the destruction of Israel — is not even a secret. “Professor Rashid Khalidi, a noted Hamas apologist at Columbia University, explains that UNRWA employs, ‘members of different political groups such as… Hamas and Islamic Jihad, without reference to their belonging to a specific group’” was on top of my google search for “does UNRWA employ members of Hamas?” Nor are the textbooks used in UNRWA schools free from antisemitism. On the contrary, according to the recent examination of their contents, “UNRWA-produced educational literature ‘contains material that encourages jihad, violence and martyrdom, promotes antisemitism, and promotes hate, intolerance, and lack of neutrality.’”
While he clearly understands what UNRWA is, and whom it supports, Mr. Elgindy pretends that some nefarious politics is at work here; in fact, his screed is titled “Stop playing politics with Palestinian lives” But, it seems to me, it is Mr. Elgindy who tries to play politics with lives — Israeli lives, that is, by demanding release of US funding to UNRWA despite its support for Palestinian terrorism.
It is perhaps not surprising that Mr. Elgindy, a Palestinian apologist, would do so, but it is rather a shock that The Hill would support him in this mission. And it is surprising too that Senator Risch would be the only member of the senate to bring to light the glaring inappropriateness of American support for UNRWA that is a primary source of Palestinian intransigence — and should have been defunded and dismantled years ago.
While it is gratifying that the Biden administration won’t paper over a lie that UNRWA does not support terrorism — or that even Mr. Elgindy won’t demand it, it is sad that the fact that UNRWA is an obstacle to peace is not being broadcast far and wide, but is merely whispered in the corridors of power.
Unveiling The Unratified: The Swift Demise Of The PLO-Israel Peace Endeavor
As the world reminisces about the 30th anniversary of the Oslo Peace Process, an exploration into the less-talked-about aspects of the initiative reveals a story that diverges from conventional narratives.
Three decades ago, on September 13, 1993, the White House witnessed a historic moment as Israel and the PLO signed the “Declaration of Principles” (DOP) in the presence of US and Russian officials. This landmark agreement, meticulously crafted in Oslo, sought to establish mutual recognition between the two parties, while requiring the PLO to renounce terrorism and nullify its call for Israel’s destruction.
A week later, the Israeli Knesset approved the accord with a vote of 61 to 50, with 9 abstentions. However, what remains largely obscured from public awareness is the subsequent failure of the PLO Fatah executive to ratify the Oslo agreement on October 6, 1993. This lack of ratification was initially reported by Pinchas Inbari, an Israeli correspondent based in Tunis, who wrote for the left-wing newspaper Al HaMishmar.
The media’s response to this revelation was a stark contrast. The Israeli government and compliant media chose to disregard the PLO’s non-ratification, preferring to believe in the potential for genuine peace. The narrative took shape, painting a picture of hope and reconciliation while overlooking a significant failure.
This incident foreshadowed the years to come. Dr. Michael Widlanski’s meticulous investigation exposed the duplicity of Arafat’s Palestinian Authority (PA). In 2002, nearly half a million documents were seized from the Orient House, the quasi-official seat of the PA in Jerusalem. These documents portrayed Arafat’s day-to-day control over the Palestinian authority’s military operations, contrary to the common belief that he was influenced by terror organizations.
Widlanski’s findings highlighted Arafat’s direct involvement in Fatah’s tanzeem militia and other terror-related activities. The documents even illustrated the process by which Arafat’s proxies requested his approval for expenditures related to terror operations and other illicit activities.
The documents that could have unveiled Arafat’s true intentions, which included involvement in organized crime and illicit dealings, were stored in a police warehouse in Beit Shemesh. A request for private funding to translate these documents was made, but the decision to keep them from public scrutiny was eventually made. When questioned, the reasoning behind this choice was marked as classified by Tzachi HaNegbi, who today leads the Israel National Security Council.
In the midst of all this, a flood at the Israel Police headquarters in Beit Shemesh resulted in the destruction of these revealing documents. The Israeli government’s commitment to portraying Arafat as a harbinger of peace overshadowed this loss, further shaping a narrative that diverged from reality.
In the annals of history, Pinchas Inbari remains one of the few who remember and bring to light the untold story. As a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, he continues to emphasize the overlooked aspect of the Oslo Accords.
In the shadow of nostalgia, it is essential to reevaluate history, considering the unratified accord that shattered the initial hopes of a lasting peace. The PLO-Israel Peace Process, often celebrated for its potential, was marred by the stark reality that it lasted less than three weeks.
Conditional Friendships
One can always discern when a potential friendship is really a conditional one.
The clue is when the word ‘IF’ is always attached to some kind of substantial condition.
Currently, there is fevered speculation swirling around the possibility of Saudi Arabia coming in from the cold and openly acknowledging something that has been clearly evident for the last seventy-five years. Jewish sovereignty has been re-established, but three-quarters of a century later, there are still some Arab and Islamic nations which refuse to acknowledge this fact. They prefer to deny reality and prefer instead to either work to eliminate Israel or attach so many “ifs” to any recognition, thus making any sort of friendship unattainable.
A true and genuine friendship should be based on mutual respect, free of unilateral demands and not be conditioned by capitulation to lies.
If one listens to the pronouncements currently emanating from the US State Department and other interested parties, it is abundantly clear that what is being envisaged as far as Saudi/Israel relations are concerned will be yet another mirage in the desert.
It is imperative to ask right from the beginning why Israel is the one and only country in the world that is expected to beg for recognition and, in the process, be bullied into accepting humiliating conditions for the privilege.
Why do our politicians and diplomats remain mute while erstwhile so-called friends help peddle the most outrageous demands on behalf of those who ostensibly want to be our friends?
Why is there a cone of silence over the hypocritical stance and blatantly false claims peddled by some countries that have established “cool” relationships with Israel?
It is claimed that achieving recognition by Saudi Arabia will result in an avalanche of similar gestures from Arab and Islamic nations, which presently shun and hate Israel.
Wishful thinking seems more likely, especially as current trends point more in the direction of chaos and knee-jerk rejectionist reactions.
Thanks to the vacillating vacuum that characterizes the Biden Administration’s policies, Saudi Arabia has now jumped into bed with its supposedly arch-enemy, Iran. What this means is that the Mullah regime, which is dedicated to the destruction of the “Zionist entity”, is now a partner with Saudi Arabia. Taking this fact into consideration and the malign influence other doubtful allies such as China and Russia may have on the Gulf area, the frenetic euphoria generated by all and sundry concerning recognition of Israel would seem to be a hallucination of the highest order.
There is no way that Saudi Arabia will ditch 75 years of hostility and non-recognition of Jewish sovereignty while it is clasped in the embrace of a regime that sponsors terror and exports violence to surrogate agents in other countries. The only way that this could change is in the unlikely assertion of a US-led challenge to Iranian hegemony and regime change.
Taking these realities into account, it is delusional to believe that a Saudi embrace of Israel is imminent or even remotely feasible.
From the heavy-handed hints emanating via the media and State Department, Israel, as part of any so-called deal will be expected to make major gestures to the corrupt PA/PLO/Hamas kleptocracies waiting in the wings to proclaim a Palestinian State.
In the words of Mr. Blinken, “a Saudi deal will require major Israeli concessions.”
To put this into perspective and plain language, what Israel’s so-called existing friends are demanding is that in order for Israel to be recognized and accepted as a legitimate country, it must first of all reward those who, for more than seven decades, have failed to destroy it. This is eerily reminiscent of the disastrous Oslo Accords, whereby Arafat and his murderous gangsters were allowed to return and establish a terrorist entity in Judea and Samaria. At that time, all our hallucinatory leftists and international “experts” predicted the dawn of an age of peace and fraternal love. Well, we all know now what a calamity this series of concessions brought in its wake.
A perfect example of conditional friendship can be seen in the relationship between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It has produced a “cold” peace, just short of freezing, where acceptance of Israel has not percolated down to citizens because of officially sanctioned condemnations of almost everything that Israel does. As a condition for continued “recognition”, Jordan demands that Israel sanctifies the Kingdom as the eternal guardian of Islamic and Christian holy sites. In addition, it propagates each and every outrageous claim about Jerusalem trotted out by the fake Palestinians.
Friendship with Egypt is on a slightly warmer level, but here also, the concept of accepting Israel as a legitimate part of the international community has not seeped down to the masses.
In contrast, the relationship between Israel and the Gulf States and Morocco is much more normal because the leaders of those nations openly and demonstrably set an example of openness and tolerance.
Herein lies the reason why there is still a long way to go for others in the Arab and Islamic world to make a move towards normalizing relationships with Israel.
As long as there is a dread of being “outed” for even having a dialogue, there can be no chance of progress. Just look at the uproar that has ensued as a result of Libya’s Foreign Minister actually speaking to Israel’s Foreign Minister. It is this sort of irrational insanity that characterizes Islamic jihadist behaviour.
This is what drives Iranian rejection of Israel’s right to exist.
If Saudi Arabia genuinely wants to establish friendly relationships with the Jewish State, it needs to unshackle itself from the malignant stranglehold exerted by the world’s leading abuser of human rights and sponsor of terror.
It also needs to come out of the closet and openly declare that friendship and recognition cannot be held hostage to the fanatical fantasies of the PLO, PA, Hamas and other assorted groups.
Nobody expects complete agreement on each and every aspect of political policy, but the least one should strive for is a relationship that is honest and open to truthful dialogue.
It also means that others butt out and refrain from inserting demands which will only doom any sort of rapprochement.
Demanding that Israel accede to measures that will harm its security and reward those who murder its citizens is totally unacceptable. Our politicians and diplomats should make this crystal clear at every opportunity. Remaining mute in the hope that Washington and the UN won’t be upset is a stance that has failed more than once in the past.
Why must the world’s only Jewish State beg for recognition and then be forced to humiliate itself in the process?
Finally, anyone who thinks that if Saudi Arabia was ever to recognize Israel, all the other rejectionist Islamic nations would follow, needs to take a reality check.
Many people who hate Jews try to excuse their prejudices by claiming that some of their best friends are Jews.
When it comes to Israel, there are some who say they would love us, but only if we conform to their preconceived prejudices.
Our response should be clear and unambiguous – thanks but no thanks.
