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1. Israeli Jews Begin to See Arabs as Fifth Column
by Chana Ya'ar
A growing majority of Israel’s Jews are beginning to see the country’s Arab citizenry as a fifth column.
According to a survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, a
slim majority of 53 percent supported government incentives that would
encourage Arabs to emigrate from Israel, either to the Palestinian
Authority or elsewhere.
Former Israeli Arab MK and Balad party head Azmi Bishara
fled Israel in 2007 while under investigation on suspicion of providing
information to Hizbullah terrorists on strategic targets in Israel
during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. He has thus far received more than
half a million shekels from the state in retirement payments because he
was never tried and convicted.
Sheikh Raed Salah is another Israeli Arab threat to the nation’s
security, one that Israel continues to suffer despite Jordan’s decision
to bar him and his deputy from its borders. Saleh is head of the
northern branch of the Islamic Movement,
which is part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement that spawned the Hamas
terrorist organization. The Islamic Movement, which refers to all of
Israel as “occupied territory,” is nevertheless allowed to operate
openly in the democratic State of Israel, and several of its leaders
have been elected by the Israeli Arab population to the Knesset.
Despite the numerous instances of divided loyalties by Israeli Arabs,
the Knesset this week transferred NIS 350 million to the coffers of the
Ministry of Minority Affairs for a project to help more Arab students meet acceptance standards for colleges and universities in Israel.
The results of the annual survey, which measures attitudes about
democracy and tolerance in Israel, were released Tuesday after being
presented to President Shimon Peres.
The survey also found that 62 percent of Jews believe that as long as
and the Palestinian Authority are not at peace, “it is forbidden to take
into account the views of Israel’s Arab citizens on issues of security
and foreign affairs.”
Slightly less than half of Jewish respondents – 46 percent -- said they
would not want to live next door to Arab neighbors. The same percentage
said they would not want neighbors with cognitive disabilities, either;
39 percent did not want to live near foreign workers, 25 percent
preferred not to live next door to homosexuals and 23 percent did not
want hareidi-religious neighbors.
The Arab public was less tolerant, with 70 percent of respondents
saying they did not want to live next to homosexuals, and 67 percent
opposing hareidi-religious Jewish neighbors. A similar percentage – 65
percent – said they would be opposed to having neighbors who had
formerly lived in Gaza, Judea or Samaria. Slightly less than half, 48
percent, said the most tolerable neighbors would be foreign workers.
2. State Dept. Slams PA Report Denying Jewish Connection to Kotel
by David Lev
The State Department on Tuesday condemned a Palestinian Authority
report that denies the Jewish connection to the Kotel, the Western Wall.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters that the U.S.
“strongly condemns these comments and fully rejects them as factually
incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative. We have repeatedly raised
with the Palestinian Authority leadership the need to consistently
combat all forms of delegitimization of Israel, including denying
historic Jewish connections to the land,” Crowley said.
The spokesman added that both Israel and the PA "have to take
responsibility" for making efforts to resume negotiations to reach a
final status agreement, and pointed out that government-backed
incitement against Israel by the PA did not meet criteria for working to
achieve peace.
"Look, what we are saying again to all sides is that they both have
responsibilities here," Crowley told reporters. "Both have to take the
responsibility to create conditions for negotiations to resume. And when
you have a senior Palestinian official who denies the historic
connection that the Jewish people feel to the Western Wall, we have an
obligation to speak out."
In a report last week, Taha Al-Mutawakil, Deputy Information Minister
of the Palestinian Authority, wrote that there was no historical
evidence that the Western Wall was the retaining wall for the ancient
Jewish Temple; instead, he wrote, it is a Muslim relic called the
Al-Buraq wall, where Mohammed tied his donkey before ascending to heaven
from the Temple Mount. “This wall has never been a part of what is
called the Jewish Temple,” the report said. “It was Islamic tolerance
which allowed the Jews to stand before it and cry over its loss.”
Jewish organizations in the U.S. had urged the government to condemn
the report, among them the Orthodox Union, which sent a letter to
President Barack Obama asking that he repudiate the PA's anti-Israel
incitement.
In a statement, OU Director of Public Policy Nathan Diament said that
the PA's stance was “contemptible, historically false and runs afoul of
efforts to achieve peace with the State of Israel. Coming from an
official arm of the Palestinian Authority it is nothing other than
official incitement. It is further evidence of why Jerusalem must remain
unified under a single flag that recognizes and guarantees the rights
of all its citizens.”
3. Tractor-Terrorist's Home Won't be Razed
by Hillel Fendel
Homefront Commander Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan has decided, because of narcotic traces in a terrorist's blood, not to raze his home.
Ghassan Abu-Tir, 24, perpetrated Jerusalem's second tractor-terrorist
attack two years ago, wounding 24 people before being shot and killed by
a passerby. Soon afterwards, Israel's domestic intelligence agency, the
Shabak (Israel Security Agency) submitted a request for court
permission to raze the home of the terrorist, as is traditionally done
following terrorist attacks. His family appealed, and the demolition
order has now been rescinded.
Plowed into Bus and Cars
The attack occurred on July 22, 2008, just three weeks after a
Palestinian terrorist tractor driver plowed into cars on downtown Jaffa
Street and killed three Israelis. In this second attack, Abu-Tir plowed
into a bus and several cars on King David Street, wounding 24 people.
The publication of his name was originally censored by the authorities
because of his family connection with orange-bearded and often
imprisoned Hamas legislator Muhammed Abu-Tir.
One driver was able to escape from his car which had been plowed into a
bus stop, though another man lost his leg as a result of the attack.
The incident ended relatively quickly when civilian Yaki Asael, 56,
father of eight from the Judean town of Susia shot him; a Border Guard
policeman then finished off the job.
The terrorist's family claims that the attack was not of an anti-Israel
terrorist nature, but was rather carried out under the influence of
drugs, and that therefore the house should not be razed. "Traces of the
amphetamine Ecstasy were found in Abu Tir's blood," his family wrote,
"and he was apparently also under the influence of hashish before his
death."
As a result, Golan wrote to the family, "Though there is a
not-insignificant doubt regarding the claim that this was not a
nationalistic attack, it has been decided, beyond the letter of the law,
and in light of the fact that traces of drugs were found in his blood
and urine, to refrain from issuing the demolition order."
The Shabak added its own explanation: "In light of the blood tests
showing drug traces, and in light of the medical opinions that were
received, and after consultations with the State Prosecution that
indicated doubts as to whether the court could be convinced to approve
the demolition order – the Shabak decided not to insist on its
recommendation to destroy the house." The IDF issued a similar
statement.
None of the official bodies related to one likely result of the
decision, namely, that future terrorists may consume drugs, or traces
thereof, before committing murderous attacks in order to prevent their
homes from being destroyed.
4. Special Chanukah Events Highlight 'Living History' in Yesha
by David Lev
Jews young and old know the story of Chanukah – the persecution of the
Jews at the hands of the Seleucid Syrian-Greek Hellenists, the dramatic
uprising of a small Jewish group that took on the mightiest armies of
the day, and the highlight of the holiday – the miracle of the oil and
the reclamation of the Holy Temple.
Like so many of our holidays, Chanukah has a rich history. But unlike
many of the holidays, Chanukah's history is easily accessible. That's
because the miracles of the holiday – the weak defeating the strong, the
righteous defeating the wicked, and the oil that lasted for eight days –
all took place in the Land of Israel, mostly in Judea and Samaria. And
while most of us know of the connection of the city of Modi'in to the
Maccabees – it was in the Modi'in area where the Maccabee family lived
and formed their resistance to the Hellenizing enemy that sought to tear
the Jewish people away from their religion – there are many other sites
in the Land of Israel connected to the Maccabees.
The sites where major battles and events took place have long been
known to archaeologists and historians, and this year, the Yesha Council
(Communities of Judea and Samaria -ed.) along with local authorities in
Judea and Samaria, is sponsoring a Chanukah Candle Lighting Festival at
sites throughout the area where important events in the history of
Chanukah took place.
Candle lighting ceremonies are scheduled to be held in the communities
of Elazar, Karmei Tsur, Beit El, Beit Horon, and other modern-day towns
built adjacent to the sites of historical events that took place in the
Chanukah era on several nights of Chanukah. A map with details,
locations, times and events can be downloaded from the Yesha website.
On Wednesday night, the first night of Chanukah, candle lighting events
will be held at Karmei Tsur, a modern-day town north of Hevron built on
the site of the Maccabee-era town of Beit Tsur – the site of the final
battle in which the Maccabees finally drove the Syrian army out of the
country. It was from Beit Tsur that the Syrian army fled back to their
homeland, and the event on Wednesday night will highlight that history,
in a talk given by Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin.
Also on Wednesday night, a candle lighting ceremony will be held at
Elazar, in Gush Etzion, the site of the Maccabee-era Beit Zecharia (a
site now known as Hirbit Zecharia). At this site, the Maccabees suffered
their first major losses – where Elazar Maccabee fell in a battle with
the Syrian army's elephants.
On Thursday, the action moves to modern-day Beit El, the site of Judah
Maccabee's last battle. Events next week will be held at Beit Horon
(site of Judah Maccabee's victory over Syrian general Siron), the
Hasmonean Palace at Sartava, near Jericho, and Ateret, north of
Jerusalem, where Judah Maccabee established the resistance's center of
operations after escaping from Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, December 8, the final night of Chanukah, a special
candle-lighting event will be held at the Hulda Gate at the foot of the
Temple Mount, where the miracle of the long-burning oil reached its
apex.
The Yesha Council has extended an invitation to all residents and
visitors in Israel to come and join the celebration, and to get in touch
with the “living history” of the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria.
5. Knesset to Decide on Allowing Israelis Abroad to Vote
by David Lev
On Wednesday, the Knesset will vote on a bill that would allow Israelis
living abroad to vote in Knesset elections. And the bill, says its
sponsor, National Union Chairman MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), is long
overdue.
“Israel belongs to the Jewish people, wherever they are,” Ketzaleh told
Israel National News, “and if it were possible, I would have all Jews
vote in Israel's elections. For now, it's not possible, so we will have
as many Israelis vote as possible.”
According to the proposal, any Israeli of voting age who has had a
valid Israeli passport for at least ten years, would be eligible to vote
in Knesset elections. The law would mostly apply to Israelis on
shlichut, Zionist missions such as teaching, working for Israeli
companies abroad, etc. Voting would take place at Israeli embassies and
consulates abroad. Currently, only Israelis working on behalf of the
government abroad – diplomats, consuls, etc. - are eligible to vote in
Knesset elections.
The law was approved for legislation by the Ministerial Law Committee
on Sunday, and it will come up for its first Knesset reading on
Wednesday.
“Citizens of almost all western countries are able to vote when they
are abroad, and that right does not expire and is not limited to a
specific group of citizens,” says Ketzaleh. “If the U.S. and Britain can
do it, why not Israel? And this law does not even extend voting rights
to all Israelis – only those with passports that were issued within 10
years,” That provision, he said, would exclude Israelis who left to
settle permanently in foreign countries – a group that is unlikely to
want to vote in Israeli elections anyway.
And ensuring that votes are tendered honestly – that, for example,
parties do not act against Israeli voting laws when appealing to voters
abroad, given the fact that Israel will not be able to enforce its
voting laws abroad – is not a problem either, Ketzaleh said. “Remember
that the bill is being voted on in its first reading, so there will be
plenty of opportunities for Mks to discuss potential problems and
issues, which I am sure they will,” he said. “But I don't anticipate any
such problems. The technology and capability to do this exist, and if
we are not sure of how to implement it, there are plenty of examples we
can draw on from other countries.”
And the effort is worthwhile, Ketzaleh said. “The Jewish state belongs
to the entire nation, and the entire nation has a right to have a say in
who its leaders are. This law will ensure that they continue to
identify with Israel and support it.”
United States citizens living in Israel can vote in U.S. elections.
6. CNN Sob Story Belittles Israeli Care of Gaza Girl
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A CNN
report on a three-year-old Gaza girl suffering from a disease caused by
kidney failure has the makings of a great human interest story.
However, the network turned it into an article that is uncomplimentary
to Israel while ignoring Israel's care for the child's health as opposed
to Palestinian Authority indifference.
The girl from Gaza is Aya abu Mouwais. The CNN report effectively
creates deserved sympathy for her, beginning with the description, “The
second she opens her eyes she starts crying. The 3-year-old is in pain
every waking moment and has been for two years.
“She is suffering from oxalosis, a condition which occurs when the
kidneys fail. Doctors in Israel say if the Palestinian girl doesn't have
a liver and kidney transplant she could die within months.”
Instead of praising Israel for accepting Arab patients from
terrorist-run Gaza, CNN leads the reader to think that Israel is the
villain.
The article describes the family having to drive back and forth to a
Haifa hospital every day, including a wait at the Gaza crossing. No
mention is made that the passage point has been used by terrorists in
ambulances and on crutches.
Last year, a sick woman in Gaza used the crossing on her way to Soroka
Medical center in Be’er Sheva, where she planned to blow herself up in a
suicide attack. She was stopped by attentive guards before she could
activate the explosives. Soldiers were once killed when they rushed
forward to help an Arab on crutches who turned out to be a suicide
bomber.
After CNN continues to describe the plight of the little girl, who
undergoes dialysis treatments that have “made her bones brittle” to the
point that she has a broken arm, the writer then points out the medical
care is paid for by the Palestinian Authority but then adds the PA has
no money for liver and kidney transplants in Belgium, at a cost of
approximately $700,000.
Instead of noting the medical care the girl receives at Haifa, CNN
implicitly blames Israel for not providing an organ transplant because
“only Israeli citizens are allowed organ transplants in Israel unless
the patient sources organs themselves.” The article fails to note that
the policy is very common in many countries, who consider their own
citizens a priority.
CNN also does not refer to the general shortage of organs in Israel, a
small country where many Israeli Arab and Jewish patients have died
waiting for a donor.
No questions are raised in the article why there are no organ
transplants available in Gaza and why the Palestinian Authority has not
asked for financial help from the United States or European countries,
which have channeled billions of dollars
to the PA in the past several years, which has been spent on new
vehicles and paying Arabs to take over and build on Israeli government
land in Judea and Samaria.
The author also ignored the fact that despite the takeover of Gaza by
Hamas terrorists, Israel each month allows hundreds of sick Arabs to
receive care in Israeli hospitals, often at government expense, while
forwarding humanitarian aid to the region, much of which is confiscated by Hamas or sold at a profit, rather than delivered to the intended recipients.
7. Princeton Students Vote on Proposed Hummus Boycott
by Elad Benari
Students at Princeton University voted on Monday in a referendum
organized by a pro-Arab student group. The subject: none other than what
brand of hummus should be offered on campus.
The group, Princeton Committee for Palestine, has called for
university-run stores to offer alternative brands of hummus, because
they claim that the only brand currently available is linked to human
rights violations.
The brand is Sabra, which the group claims serves “the occupation”
since the company that owns it, Strauss (who co-owns Sabra along with
PepsiCo), supports and cares for soldiers from the Golani Brigade. The
student group decided to hold the referendum since they think it is
ironic that hummus, traditionally an Arab dish, is being marketed by a
company which they say is “affiliated with a state allegedly violating
Palestinians’ rights.”
Ilya Welfeld, a spokeswoman for Sabra, which has headquarters in New
York and Virginia, told AP that Sabra only makes donations in North
America and pointed out that none of them are political.
The Princeton Committee for Palestine made the referendum happen by
collecting 200 signatures. If their effort is successful and a majority
of students vote in favor of expanding the varieties of hummus offered
in the school, the student government would have to make a formal
request to the school's administration to provide additional brands.
Meanwhile, the Center for the Jewish Life at Princeton sent an e-mail
on Monday to Princeton students titled “Warning: Israel impacted by USG
referendum.” The e-mail, some of which was quoted by The Daily
Princetonian, expressed concern that students may not fully understand
the political motivations behind the referendum and encouraged students
to “make an informed choice, understanding that the passage of the
referendum would allow the referendum’s sponsors to make a strong
political statement about Israel.”
The results of the vote are expected on Friday. The referendum was
originally scheduled for last week but was rescheduled after the wording
inadvertently called for Sabra hummus not to be offered at university
stores rather than for additional products to be sold as well.
8. IDF Officer Warns: If 'Peace Talks' Resume, So Will Terror
by Maayana Miskin
“We assume that if Israel resumes negotiations with the Palestinians,
there will be more attempted shooting attacks. When [Prime Minister
Binyamin] Netanyahu was in Washington there were two shootings.
Fortunately all the terror cells were caught,” Colonel Guy Hazot said
Tuesday, following the capture of a terrorist cell.
IDF commanders have previously warned that Hamas and other terrorist
groups will double their efforts to attacks Israelis if the diplomatic
process moves forward. While the Fatah-led PA agreed for a brief period
of time to negotiate with Israel, many groups rejected negotiations,
among them Hamas, Islamic Jihad, breakaway Fatah groups, and the PFLP.
The cell that was nabbed most recently was part of the Abu-Moussa
brigade, a group that split from Fatah and is now affiliated with Hamas.
Its members were responsible for shooting and wounding a man and his
pregnant wife as they drove to Be'er Sheva fr m their community
southwest of Hevron.
The cell had also planned to kidnap Israelis, Hazot revealed, adding
that most terrorist cells hope to kidnap an Israeli. “They understand
very well that a kidnapping has an impact that goes well beyond the
tactical significance.”
Israelis who break the law by entering villages in “Area A,” which are
under full PA control, are particularly at risk, he said. The captured
cell had planned to target Israelis who bring their cars to the town of
Dahariya, near Hevron, for repairs.
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