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1. 'Rabbis for Obama' Boycott Israel and Cozy Up to Ahmadinejad
by Rachel Hirshfeld
President Obama’s re-election campaign announced last week the launch of “Rabbis for Obama,” an initiative aimed at rallying Jewish support for the president in the upcoming elections.
What has recently come to light, however, is that the list of over 600 rabbis, many of whom are Reform, Conservative and female and would thus not be considered as such by the Orthodox community, also includes many unabashedly anti-Israel figures, who align themselves with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the Jewish state.
Lynn Gottlieb, for example, has met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and sits on the board of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), an organization that has been listed as one of the “Top Ten Anti-Israel groups” by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
According to the ADL, JVP “…calls for an end to U.S. aid to Israel, accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ policies, and supports divestment campaigns against Israel. Like other Jewish anti-Zionist groups, JVP uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism and provide a greater degree of credibility to the anti-Israel movement…. JVP activists regularly attend anti-Israel events wearing T-shirts and holding signs proudly broadcasting their Jewish identity. In March-April 2010, leaders of JVP unsuccessfully lobbied for the passage of a divestment resolution at the University of California, Berkeley, targeting companies that do business with Israel.”
Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), Matt Brooks, said in a statement that “there can only be two explanations for her inclusion in the list: 1) the Obama campaign failed to properly vet the rabbis on their official list, or 2) they did properly vet the rabbis and chose to ignore... Gottlieb’s radical views.”
“This speaks volumes about the Obama campaign’s judgment and the RJC calls on the Obama campaign to immediately remove her from any formal or official involvement in the campaign,” Brooks said.
Another name on the list, Chava Bahle, is a member of “14 Friends of Palestine,” an organization that advocated condemning Israel for the Gaza flotilla incident in 2010 and falsely accuses Israel of preventing food and medical supplies from reaching Gaza.
In his book, “Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi's Path to Palestinian Solidarity,” Brant Rosen, a clergyman who is also listed among Obama’s supporters, wrote a wholly biased and inaccurate description of Operation Cast Lead, in which he portrays Israel as the undeniable oppressor, aggressor and pariah. Rosen is also a member of the BDS movement.
Another name on the list, Aruthur Waskow, is associated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization that is also on the ADL’s most anti-Israel group list.
The above are merely a few of the many anti-Israel figures whose names appear on the list.
At the time “Rabbis for Obama” was announced, Ira Forman, Jewish outreach director for the campaign, issued a statement saying, “These rabbis mirror the diversity of American Jewry. Their ringing endorsement of President Obama speaks volumes about the President’s deep commitment to the security of the state of Israel and his dedication to a policy agenda that represents the values of the overwhelming majority of the American Jewish community."
Chairman of the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), William Kristol, wrote a letter to President Obama calling on the administration to repudiate such anti-Israel figures.
“Far from demonstrating a ‘deep commitment to the security of the state of Israel,’ these figures have demonstrated a deep hostility to the state of Israel and a deep commitment to demonizing the Jewish state and undermining the U.S.-Israel alliance,” Kristol wrote. “We are sure that you will be distressed to discover that your own campaign has included so many of them on the list of ‘Rabbis for Obama.’ We cannot imagine their endorsements are ones you welcome.”
“This is, as you have pointed out, a particularly perilous time for the people of Israel. We trust you do not want, however inadvertently, to signal in any way a lack of commitment to Israel’s security or a lack of concern for Israel’s well-being. So we look forward to your repudiation of the anti-Israel figures among the “Rabbis for Obama.” And we respectfully suggest that you have an urgent and serious conversation with whoever in your campaign thought it appropriate to trumpet their support as a way of making your case to the pro-Israel community.” Kristol added.
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by Rachel Hirshfeld
President Obama’s re-election campaign announced last week the launch of “Rabbis for Obama,” an initiative aimed at rallying Jewish support for the president in the upcoming elections.
What has recently come to light, however, is that the list of over 600 rabbis, many of whom are Reform, Conservative and female and would thus not be considered as such by the Orthodox community, also includes many unabashedly anti-Israel figures, who align themselves with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the Jewish state.
Lynn Gottlieb, for example, has met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and sits on the board of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), an organization that has been listed as one of the “Top Ten Anti-Israel groups” by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
According to the ADL, JVP “…calls for an end to U.S. aid to Israel, accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ policies, and supports divestment campaigns against Israel. Like other Jewish anti-Zionist groups, JVP uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism and provide a greater degree of credibility to the anti-Israel movement…. JVP activists regularly attend anti-Israel events wearing T-shirts and holding signs proudly broadcasting their Jewish identity. In March-April 2010, leaders of JVP unsuccessfully lobbied for the passage of a divestment resolution at the University of California, Berkeley, targeting companies that do business with Israel.”
Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), Matt Brooks, said in a statement that “there can only be two explanations for her inclusion in the list: 1) the Obama campaign failed to properly vet the rabbis on their official list, or 2) they did properly vet the rabbis and chose to ignore... Gottlieb’s radical views.”
“This speaks volumes about the Obama campaign’s judgment and the RJC calls on the Obama campaign to immediately remove her from any formal or official involvement in the campaign,” Brooks said.
Another name on the list, Chava Bahle, is a member of “14 Friends of Palestine,” an organization that advocated condemning Israel for the Gaza flotilla incident in 2010 and falsely accuses Israel of preventing food and medical supplies from reaching Gaza.
In his book, “Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi's Path to Palestinian Solidarity,” Brant Rosen, a clergyman who is also listed among Obama’s supporters, wrote a wholly biased and inaccurate description of Operation Cast Lead, in which he portrays Israel as the undeniable oppressor, aggressor and pariah. Rosen is also a member of the BDS movement.
Another name on the list, Aruthur Waskow, is associated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization that is also on the ADL’s most anti-Israel group list.
The above are merely a few of the many anti-Israel figures whose names appear on the list.
At the time “Rabbis for Obama” was announced, Ira Forman, Jewish outreach director for the campaign, issued a statement saying, “These rabbis mirror the diversity of American Jewry. Their ringing endorsement of President Obama speaks volumes about the President’s deep commitment to the security of the state of Israel and his dedication to a policy agenda that represents the values of the overwhelming majority of the American Jewish community."
Chairman of the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), William Kristol, wrote a letter to President Obama calling on the administration to repudiate such anti-Israel figures.
“Far from demonstrating a ‘deep commitment to the security of the state of Israel,’ these figures have demonstrated a deep hostility to the state of Israel and a deep commitment to demonizing the Jewish state and undermining the U.S.-Israel alliance,” Kristol wrote. “We are sure that you will be distressed to discover that your own campaign has included so many of them on the list of ‘Rabbis for Obama.’ We cannot imagine their endorsements are ones you welcome.”
“This is, as you have pointed out, a particularly perilous time for the people of Israel. We trust you do not want, however inadvertently, to signal in any way a lack of commitment to Israel’s security or a lack of concern for Israel’s well-being. So we look forward to your repudiation of the anti-Israel figures among the “Rabbis for Obama.” And we respectfully suggest that you have an urgent and serious conversation with whoever in your campaign thought it appropriate to trumpet their support as a way of making your case to the pro-Israel community.” Kristol added.
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2. Rocket War Resumes, Kassam Hits Sderot Building
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Gaza terrorists fired three Kassam rockets on the Western Negev Sunday, one of them damaging a building in the industrial area near Sderot, located less than one mile “as the rocket flies” from northern Gaza.
One person was lightly wounded and a second was treated for shock.
Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza have continually attacked the Western Negev since the government expelled Jews from Gush Katif and withdrew all IDF personnel in the summer of 2005. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds have been injured, not including thousands of residents who have suffered shock and trauma.
Based on previous terrorist attacks, the IDF is expected to launch a symbolic counterterrorist attack against smuggling tunnels or weapons manufacturing plants that are known to exist but are not targeted until there are rocket attacks.
The IDF usually issues a press release following retaliatory action that it “will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers and will continue to operate with strength and determination against any element which uses terror against the State of Israel. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza.”
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Gaza terrorists fired three Kassam rockets on the Western Negev Sunday, one of them damaging a building in the industrial area near Sderot, located less than one mile “as the rocket flies” from northern Gaza.
One person was lightly wounded and a second was treated for shock.
Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza have continually attacked the Western Negev since the government expelled Jews from Gush Katif and withdrew all IDF personnel in the summer of 2005. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds have been injured, not including thousands of residents who have suffered shock and trauma.
Based on previous terrorist attacks, the IDF is expected to launch a symbolic counterterrorist attack against smuggling tunnels or weapons manufacturing plants that are known to exist but are not targeted until there are rocket attacks.
The IDF usually issues a press release following retaliatory action that it “will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers and will continue to operate with strength and determination against any element which uses terror against the State of Israel. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza.”
Tags: Kassam Rocket ,Sderot ,Gaza Region ,Hamas
More on this topic
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3. Senior Pakistani Taliban Leader Killed in Afghanistan Strike
by Rachel Hirshfeld
A senior Pakistani Taliban leader was killed in a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan's northern Kunar province, the NATO announced Saturday.
Maulawi Dadullah was one of several insurgents killed Friday, according to a statement released by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Dadullah, also known as Jamal, was responsible for moving fighters and weapons through the area, ISAF said. Dadullah also coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, fighters and weapons, according to ISAF.
According to the BBC, Dadullah had become the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal area earlier this year.
Dadullah's deputy, identified only as Shakir, was also killed in the airstrike, the coalition said.
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said by telephone from an undisclosed location that Dadullah was one of a dozen fighters killed in the airstrike.
No civilians were injured and no property was damaged in the airstrike, according to reports.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
A senior Pakistani Taliban leader was killed in a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan's northern Kunar province, the NATO announced Saturday.
Maulawi Dadullah was one of several insurgents killed Friday, according to a statement released by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Dadullah, also known as Jamal, was responsible for moving fighters and weapons through the area, ISAF said. Dadullah also coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, fighters and weapons, according to ISAF.
According to the BBC, Dadullah had become the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal area earlier this year.
Dadullah's deputy, identified only as Shakir, was also killed in the airstrike, the coalition said.
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said by telephone from an undisclosed location that Dadullah was one of a dozen fighters killed in the airstrike.
No civilians were injured and no property was damaged in the airstrike, according to reports.
Tags: Afghanistan ,Taliban ,NATO
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4. Australia Reopens Probe of 1982 Anti-Israel Bombings
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Australian authorities announced Sunday that they will be reopening the investigation into the 1982 bombing of the Israeli consulate in Sydney and the Jewish Hakoah Club in Bondi.
In the first such Australian counter-terror case ever to be reopened, detectives interrogated Jordanian-born ‘Palestinian’ Mohammed Rashid, local media reported.
Australian detectives believe that Rashid, 65, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence at a federal prison in Indiana for the bombing of a Pan Am flight from Japan to Hawaii in August 1982, which killed one passenger and injured 15 others, is also behind the bombings of the Israeli Consulate and the Hakoah Club.
Authorities believe that the perpetrators were members of the Iraqi-based 15 May Organization, a terrorist offshoot of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Authorities said seek to apply new technology to solve the 30-year-old case.
On December 23, 1982 a bomb was detonated in the stairwell of a building adjacent to the Israeli consulate at 80 William Street, injuring two people and causing significant damage to the building.
Approximately five hours later, there was another explosion near the Hakoah Club. While there were no injuries, evidence suggested that the bomb had been designed to cause the building to collapse.
The Israeli government has reportedly been contacted as part of the renewed investigation.
Police said the threat of another terrorist attack still remains if the suspects are not caught.
“Even though the event occurred 30 years ago, the Club is glad the police are determined to continue their investigation,” Phil Filler, the current president of the Hakoah Club told J-Wire.
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by Rachel Hirshfeld
Australian authorities announced Sunday that they will be reopening the investigation into the 1982 bombing of the Israeli consulate in Sydney and the Jewish Hakoah Club in Bondi.
In the first such Australian counter-terror case ever to be reopened, detectives interrogated Jordanian-born ‘Palestinian’ Mohammed Rashid, local media reported.
Australian detectives believe that Rashid, 65, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence at a federal prison in Indiana for the bombing of a Pan Am flight from Japan to Hawaii in August 1982, which killed one passenger and injured 15 others, is also behind the bombings of the Israeli Consulate and the Hakoah Club.
Authorities believe that the perpetrators were members of the Iraqi-based 15 May Organization, a terrorist offshoot of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Authorities said seek to apply new technology to solve the 30-year-old case.
On December 23, 1982 a bomb was detonated in the stairwell of a building adjacent to the Israeli consulate at 80 William Street, injuring two people and causing significant damage to the building.
Approximately five hours later, there was another explosion near the Hakoah Club. While there were no injuries, evidence suggested that the bomb had been designed to cause the building to collapse.
The Israeli government has reportedly been contacted as part of the renewed investigation.
Police said the threat of another terrorist attack still remains if the suspects are not caught.
“Even though the event occurred 30 years ago, the Club is glad the police are determined to continue their investigation,” Phil Filler, the current president of the Hakoah Club told J-Wire.
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5. Migron’s Dilemma: To Protest or not to Protest
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Residents of Migron face expulsion and are being pressured by the government to leave peacefully and by neighboring communities to protest.
Migron has been the victim of the same type of government policies that uprooted Gush Katif Jews from their homes after years of government support and promises they would never be forced out of their homes. Promises from the Netanyahu administration to back Migron fell, one by one, even when investors bought a number of land parcels from alleged Palestinian Authority owners.
The High Court did not deny the recent purchases were legal but ruled the change in property ownership of part of Migron as not sufficient proof to change its original decision to order them to be removed and their houses to be destroyed.
The 17 families who live on land parcels are appealing again to the High Court for a change in heart.
Migron is the largest community to come under the guillotine since Gush Katif, and the IDF, though the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), is sending representatives to Migron Sunday to offer to help the residents pack up and leave peacefully, which they say they will not do.
Residents of nearby and much smaller Givat Assaf, facing the same fate, have urged their Migron neighbors to resists expulsion. They argued that the government’s failure to carry out its promise to fight the High Court expulsion order for the 17 families whose homes were legally purchased has set a dangerous precedent.
The High Court ordered the expulsions and demolitions on the basis of left-wing claims that the Migron land ibelongs to Palestinian Authority Arabs, even though it was never proven who owned the land. The community was built without proper authorization and zoning, but received infrastructure from the government, although it is not on state land. The government has promised to build the communty in a nearby area on state land.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Residents of Migron face expulsion and are being pressured by the government to leave peacefully and by neighboring communities to protest.
Migron has been the victim of the same type of government policies that uprooted Gush Katif Jews from their homes after years of government support and promises they would never be forced out of their homes. Promises from the Netanyahu administration to back Migron fell, one by one, even when investors bought a number of land parcels from alleged Palestinian Authority owners.
The High Court did not deny the recent purchases were legal but ruled the change in property ownership of part of Migron as not sufficient proof to change its original decision to order them to be removed and their houses to be destroyed.
The 17 families who live on land parcels are appealing again to the High Court for a change in heart.
Migron is the largest community to come under the guillotine since Gush Katif, and the IDF, though the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), is sending representatives to Migron Sunday to offer to help the residents pack up and leave peacefully, which they say they will not do.
Residents of nearby and much smaller Givat Assaf, facing the same fate, have urged their Migron neighbors to resists expulsion. They argued that the government’s failure to carry out its promise to fight the High Court expulsion order for the 17 families whose homes were legally purchased has set a dangerous precedent.
The High Court ordered the expulsions and demolitions on the basis of left-wing claims that the Migron land ibelongs to Palestinian Authority Arabs, even though it was never proven who owned the land. The community was built without proper authorization and zoning, but received infrastructure from the government, although it is not on state land. The government has promised to build the communty in a nearby area on state land.
Tags: Migron ,demolitions ,High Court for Justiice
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6. Video: Hamas MP: ‘Annihilate Jews and Americans’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A senior Hamas legislator has widened the usual call to kill Jews and includes all Americans on his hit list for jihadists.
A video of his speech was translated and uploaded by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Deputy Speaker of Hamas Parliament Sheik Ahmad Bahr appeared on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV while addressing a crowd of supporters earlier this month, stating that it is their individual duty to wage jihad in order to “annihilate the Jews and Americans.”
“Oh. Allah, destroy the Americans and their supporters,” he intoned. “Oh, Allah, count them one by one, and kill them all without leaving a single one.”
He emphasized that Muslim women can become martyrs without the consent of their husband. Last March, Hamas MP, Mushir al-Masri also called on the “blood of the women of Gaza to be sacrificed in an effort to liberate Jerusalem.”
Hamas officially is the majority party in the Palestinian Authority legislature, having won the first and only democratic elections in 2006, encouraged and supervised by the United States. The following year, Hamas terrorists ended victorious in a bloody war with Fatah terrorists and took control over Gaza while effectively splitting the PA into two.
The rival Fatah party, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, rules from Ramallah in Samaria.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A senior Hamas legislator has widened the usual call to kill Jews and includes all Americans on his hit list for jihadists.
A video of his speech was translated and uploaded by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Deputy Speaker of Hamas Parliament Sheik Ahmad Bahr appeared on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV while addressing a crowd of supporters earlier this month, stating that it is their individual duty to wage jihad in order to “annihilate the Jews and Americans.”
“Oh. Allah, destroy the Americans and their supporters,” he intoned. “Oh, Allah, count them one by one, and kill them all without leaving a single one.”
He emphasized that Muslim women can become martyrs without the consent of their husband. Last March, Hamas MP, Mushir al-Masri also called on the “blood of the women of Gaza to be sacrificed in an effort to liberate Jerusalem.”
Hamas officially is the majority party in the Palestinian Authority legislature, having won the first and only democratic elections in 2006, encouraged and supervised by the United States. The following year, Hamas terrorists ended victorious in a bloody war with Fatah terrorists and took control over Gaza while effectively splitting the PA into two.
The rival Fatah party, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, rules from Ramallah in Samaria.
Tags: Hamas ,Incitement ,Anti-Semitism
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7. Egypt Reopens Gaza Crossing
by Chana Ya'ar
Egypt reopened the Rafiah crossing with Gaza on Saturday several weeks after a terrorist attack left 16 Egyptian security officers dead.
Gaza's ruling Hamas terrorist organization has insisted that its operatives did not take part in the August 5 attack on the Sinai border with Israel.
The crossing, which straddles the border between Egypt and Gaza, generally is the conduit through which some 800 Palestinian Authority Arabs leave the region to do their shopping, access medical care and visit families.
Some also never come back; Rafiah is their ticket out to the world beyond.
It is also an easier way for Gaza terrorists to access the Sinai Peninsula than to make their way through the 1,200 underground tunnels that honeycomb the area beneath the border.
Gaza Interior Ministry spokesman Ehad al-Ghsain told reporters that Egypt “informed us the Rafiah crossing would open all days of the week, without more details.”
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Egypt reopened the Rafiah crossing with Gaza on Saturday several weeks after a terrorist attack left 16 Egyptian security officers dead.
Gaza's ruling Hamas terrorist organization has insisted that its operatives did not take part in the August 5 attack on the Sinai border with Israel.
The crossing, which straddles the border between Egypt and Gaza, generally is the conduit through which some 800 Palestinian Authority Arabs leave the region to do their shopping, access medical care and visit families.
Some also never come back; Rafiah is their ticket out to the world beyond.
It is also an easier way for Gaza terrorists to access the Sinai Peninsula than to make their way through the 1,200 underground tunnels that honeycomb the area beneath the border.
Gaza Interior Ministry spokesman Ehad al-Ghsain told reporters that Egypt “informed us the Rafiah crossing would open all days of the week, without more details.”
Tags: Gaza Region ,Rafiah ,border crossing ,Egypt
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8. Syria's 'Bloody Saturday' Death Toll Hits 440
by Chana Ya'ar
Nearly 450 people died Saturday on the bloodiest day of the savage civil war fought by Syrian Army troops and opposition forces.
Approximately 440 victims, mostly civilians, were killed in the clashes centered in the capital city and in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city.
Fierce fighting between government troops and the Free Syrian Army left more than a hundred dead in the northwestern commercial hub, located 310 kilometers (193 miles) from Damascus.
Of those, nearly 300 were killed, including an undetermined number who were apparently shot to death "execution style" near the southwestern Damascus suburb of Daraya and surrounds, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
Since the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, ignited by the regionwide Arab Spring, the United Nations High Council for Refugees (UNHCR) has estimated that more than 202,000 Syrians have fled the country.
Varying estimates by activist and human rights organizations, among them the SOHR and the United Nations, place the death toll between 18,000 and 25,000. A report last week estimated the number of displaced citizens driven from their homes, at 1.5 million.
It is extremely difficult to be accurate in assessing the numbers due to the fact that the Syrian government blocks access to the country by independent journalists and humanitarian aid organizations.
More than a dozen foreign and local journalists have been killed in action while attempting to cover the civil war.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Nearly 450 people died Saturday on the bloodiest day of the savage civil war fought by Syrian Army troops and opposition forces.
Approximately 440 victims, mostly civilians, were killed in the clashes centered in the capital city and in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city.
Fierce fighting between government troops and the Free Syrian Army left more than a hundred dead in the northwestern commercial hub, located 310 kilometers (193 miles) from Damascus.
Of those, nearly 300 were killed, including an undetermined number who were apparently shot to death "execution style" near the southwestern Damascus suburb of Daraya and surrounds, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
Since the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, ignited by the regionwide Arab Spring, the United Nations High Council for Refugees (UNHCR) has estimated that more than 202,000 Syrians have fled the country.
Varying estimates by activist and human rights organizations, among them the SOHR and the United Nations, place the death toll between 18,000 and 25,000. A report last week estimated the number of displaced citizens driven from their homes, at 1.5 million.
It is extremely difficult to be accurate in assessing the numbers due to the fact that the Syrian government blocks access to the country by independent journalists and humanitarian aid organizations.
More than a dozen foreign and local journalists have been killed in action while attempting to cover the civil war.
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