No Hope for Mideast Peace if the Palestinians Won’t Renounce Terrorism: Vivian Bercovici, National Post, Sept. 25, 2018
How Hamas Teaches Kids to Kill Jews: Jerusalem Online, Sept. 23, 2018
Beating Back Iranian Aggression by Supporting Israel: Michael Makovsky & Charles Wald, NY Daily News, Sept. 25, 2018
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Guide for the Perplexed, 2018: Yoram Ettinger, Jewish Press, Sept. 23, 2018
WEEKLY QUOTES
“The ongoing tragedy in Syria is heartbreaking. Our shared goals must be the de-escalation of military conflict, along with a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. In this vein, we urge the United Nations-led peace process be reinvigorated. But, rest assured, the United States will respond if chemical weapons are deployed by the Assad regime…Every solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria must also include a strategy to address the brutal regime that has fueled and financed it: the corrupt dictatorship in Iran. Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death, and destruction. They do not respect their neighbors or borders or the sovereign rights of nations. Instead, Iran’s leaders [use the] nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond…The Iranian people are rightly outraged that their leaders have embezzled billions of dollars from Iran’s treasure, seized valuable portions of the economy, and looted the people’s religious endowments, all to line their own pockets and send their proxies to wage war. Not good…The United States has launched a campaign of economic pressure to deny the regime the funds it needs to advance its bloody agenda. Last month, we began re-imposing hard-hitting nuclear sanctions that had been lifted under the Iran deal. Additional sanctions will resume November 5th, and more will follow. And we’re working with countries that import Iranian crude oil to cut their purchases substantially. We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons. We cannot allow a regime that chants “Death to America,” and that threatens Israel with annihilation, to possess the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city on Earth. Just can’t do it.” — U.S. President Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly. (Vox, Sept. 25, 2018)
“America is acting like a bully towards the rest of the world… and thinks it can act based on brute force…But our people will resist and the government is ready to confront America. We will overcome this situation and America will regret choosing the wrong path.” — President Hassan Rouhani of Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard vowed “deadly and unforgettable” vengeance for the mass shooting at a military parade as Iran’s president blamed U.S.-backed insurgents for killing 25 people in a hail of bullets. Rouhani accused the U.S. of inciting an unnamed ally in the Persian Gulf to carry out an attack Saturday in the city of Ahvaz, in which four gunmen disguised in military garb opened fire and killed 12 Revolutionary Guardsmen as well as a number of spectators. (National Post, Sept. 23, 2018)
“The thing he has to do is look in the mirror. He’s got the Iranian people protesting. Every ounce of money goes into his military. He has oppressed his people for a long time. I think the Iranian people have had enough.” — Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the UN. President Rouhani is on a collision course with Donald Trump, whose decision to quit the 2015 nuclear deal is, to Rouhani’s mind, directly to blame for Iran’s financial crisis. (National Post, Sept. 23, 2018)
“According to the mullahs in Tehran, we are the ‘Great Satan,’ lord of the underworld, master of the raging inferno, so, I might imagine they would take me seriously when I assure them today: If you cross us, our allies, or our partners; if you harm our citizens; if you continue to lie, cheat, and deceive—yes, there will indeed be hell to pay…The United States is not naive. We will not be duped, cheated, or intimidated. The days of impunity for Tehran and its enablers are over. The murderous regime and its supporters will face significant consequences if they do not change their behavior. Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you.” — U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. (JNS, Sept. 26, 2018)
“America grieves as one of its citizens was brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist. Ari Fuld was a passionate defender of Israel & an American patriot. He represented the best of both countries & will be deeply missed. May his family be comforted & his memory be blessed.” — American Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. American-born Israeli citizen Ari Fuld, who immigrated to Israel from New York in 1994, was a resident of the Israeli settlement Efrat and a well-known pro-Israel activist, prominent on online forums and in the media. He was stabbed to death Sept. 16 outside a supermarket at a busy intersection in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that in recent years has become synonymous with such deadly attacks. Fuld’s killer was identified as Halil Yousef Ali Jabarin from the nearby Palestinian village of Yatta. He was shot and wounded by a civilian guard. (National Post, Sept. 17, 2018)
“Mr. President, someone whom I recently met in Jerusalem, Ari Fuld, was …stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist. A husband and father of four children, Ari lived and died as a hero. Despite his wounds, he chased and shot at his attacker, preventing further casualties, before collapsing to the ground. Hila Peretz, who was working nearby, said, “He gave his life for me.” Now, I want to ask the United Nations and this council: Why has no official of this body condemned the murder? Why is the U.N. silent when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, supported by Iran, which just spoke here in this room, praised the murder? Why were they silent when the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade —the military wing of Fatah, which belongs to the PA, which sits here — welcomed the attack, stressing the necessity of “resistance”? Why is the U.N. silent when according to reports, the family of the terrorist, Khalil Jabarin, has already been rewarded more than $3,000, and while the family stands to be paid an additional $1.7 million over his lifetime? Why is this council, which is about to dedicate an entire day next week to condemning Israel, why have they refused to condemn the system known as “pay-to-slay,” a total budget of some $300 to $400 million dollars, 7% of the budget of the PA that is used to reward and financially incentivize the murder of Jews?” — Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council. (UNWatch, Sept. 20, 2018)
“The United States Government does not believe that it is responsible for paying the hospital bills. Now, that may shock some people to hear that. The Palestinian Authority is the one that actually incurs these bills on behalf of Palestinian citizens and others who seek treatment at that hospital. The Palestinian Authority is solely responsible for paying for the treatment of Palestinians in those hospitals…Historically, they have neglected to pay the bills at their hospital of those individuals….The Palestinian Authority…has failed to prioritize paying its debts and has instead put money into funding things like payment to families of terrorists and payment to…families of those who have been imprisoned. We think that that is a wrong decision, that the Palestinians should be funding the care of their own people in the hospitals.” — State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert, in response to a question about ending U.S. funding for Palestinian hospitals in east Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Online, Sept. 23, 2018)
“A combination of war, isolation, and internal division has left Gaza in a crippling economic state and exacerbated the human distress. A situation where people struggle to make ends meet, suffer from worsening poverty, rising unemployment and deteriorating public services such as health care, water and sanitation, calls for urgent, real and sustainable solutions.” — Marina Wes, World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza. Not surprisingly, the latest World Bank report to the Ad Hoc Liaison committee (AHLC), a policy-level meeting for “development assistance to the Palestinian people,” assigns no responsibility for the situation to Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip for a decade, encouraging an endless string of confrontations with Israel and Egypt, which have led to a deepening isolation of Gaza and its people. (Jewish Press, Sept. 25, 2018)
“(ADL officials) positioned themselves as somehow being part of the progressive movement…But what they do is, I’ll give you an example of something that they do, if you are part of a criminal justice reform movement, if you believe in the idea of ending police brutality and the misconduct of law enforcement officers across the country, then you do not support an organization that takes police officers from America, funds their trips, takes them to Israel so they can be trained by the Israeli police and military, and then they come back here and do what? Stop and frisk, killing unarmed black people across the country.” — Linda Sarsour, a co-chair of the national Women’s March and a campaign surrogate for Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. A program sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that takes American police officials to Israel for a week-long seminar is fueling police brutality, Sarsour said earlier this month at the Islamic Society of North America annual convention. The ADL, she said in response to a question, “has been a purveyor of Islamophobia against our community” but still enjoys a positive reputation. (IPT News, Sept. 25, 2018)
“That’s so horrific…It’s not only anti-Semitic, it’s bullshit…She’s lying to a bunch of gullible, hurt people. She’s like a horrible guru that just lies because she has her own agenda.” — Nisi Jacobs, a co-founder of the Women’s March for All, a group that broke away from the national Women’s March because of antisemitism concerns about Sarsour and co-Chair Tamika Mallory. Women’s March for All has a petition calling on Sarsour and Mallory to be replaced. (IPT News, Sept. 25, 2018)
“In an uncertain world, we have much more to do as we work together to safeguard the freedom and security of nearly 1 billion citizens on both sides of the Atlantic…Yes, we have our differences and robust debates. But two world wars and a Cold War and an ongoing fight against terrorism [have] taught us that we are far stronger together than apart. We have always been united in our core collective defense mission. That is why NATO is the most successful and the most valuable alliance in history.” — Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, NATO’s 13th secretary-general. Stoltenberg worked to shore up support in Washington, with boosters of the alliance anxious to retain the support of American conservatives amid criticism by President Trump and ahead of a possible Senate vote next year on expansion. (Heritage Foundation, Sept. 24, 2018)
“No one wants a good deal more than me…But the E.U. should be clear: I will not overturn the result of the referendum. Nor will I break up my country.” — British Prime Minister Theresa May. May told her country “we are at an impasse” in negotiations over Britain’s departure from the E.U. May has struggled to put forward a complex compromise that can win signatures in Europe and be accepted by rebellious hard-liners in her own government ahead of the March 29 Brexit deadline. May conceded the two sides remain far apart — and threatened that Britain could leave the union without a deal, a scenario that many British businesses consider a doomsday option. (Washington Post, Sept. 21, 2018)
SHORT TAKES
RUSSIA TO SUPPLY SYRIA WITH S-300 (Moscow) — Russia said it would supply an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria in two weeks despite strong Israeli objections, a week after Moscow accused Israel of indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military jet in Syria. The Russian Defence Minister said Moscow had in the past obliged Israel by refraining from providing Syria with the S-300. But last week’s crash, which killed 15 Russian service members, had forced Russia to take “adequate retaliatory measures” to keep its troops safe. Russia has said Syrian anti-aircraft shot the IL-20 surveillance plane down by mistake shortly after Israeli jets hit a nearby target. Moscow accused Israel of creating dangerous conditions that caused the crash. A Russian official also said Moscow could easily close Syria’s airspace to Israeli jets. (Globe & Mail, Sept. 24, 2018)
CORBYN SAYS UK WILL RECOGNIZE PALESTINIAN STATE IF HE’S ELECTED (London) — The leader of Britain’s Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said that he would immediately recognize a Palestinian state if elected to lead the country, while also acknowledging that his party has faced a tough summer grappling with the issue of antisemitism. During his speech at the annual Labour conference, Corbyn declared Labour was “united in condemning the shooting of hundreds of unarmed demonstrators in Gaza by Israeli forces and the passing of Israel’s discriminatory nation-state law.” Palestinian flags were distributed to the audience during the conference, while attendees shouted pro-Palestinian slogans and speakers relentlessly slammed the Jewish state. (Times of Israel, Sept. 26, 2018)
IRAN BLAMES U.S. AND ISRAEL FOR ATTACK ON PARADE (Tehran) — The Iranian government is blaming several foreign countries, including the U.S. and Israel, for an attack in which gunmen opened fire at a military parade in southwestern Iran, killing 29 and wounding over 70. The attack struck a parade that was part of celebrations in Iran to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the war with Iraq in 1988. Three terrorists were killed in clashes with security forces and one terrorist was arrested but died from his wounds. I.S. claimed responsibility for the attack. (Breaking Israel News, Sept. 23, 2018)
US SANCTIONS THAI COMPANY, SAYING IT HELPED BLACKLISTED IRAN AIRLINE (New York) — The US has imposed sanctions on a Thailand-based company it says provides services to an Iranian airline that Washington accuses of supporting terrorist activities directed by Iran’s government. The US Treasury Department said that My Aviation Co. Ltd., headquartered in Bangkok, “provides cargo services to Mahan Air, to include freight booking,” as well as passenger booking services. Mahan has been accused by the US and Israel of transporting weapons and equipment on behalf of the al-Quds Force to terror groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah. (Times of Israel, Sept. 14, 2018)
HAMAS-LINKED PRC TERRORIST KILLED DURING GAZA BORDER VIOLENCE (Gaza) — A member of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) terrorist organization was killed Monday after he was allegedly shot by IDF soldiers during violence by Gazans at Israel’s southern border. 21-year-old Muhammad Abu Sadek, was allegedly shot by IDF soldiers and killed during clashes near Kibbutz Zikkim. Abu Sadek was identified as a member of the PRC terrorist group, which is linked to Hamas. IDF soldiers also reportedly shot and wounded 10 other Gaza rioters as well. (Jewish Press, Sept. 25, 2018)
YEMEN’S CRISIS COULD ESCALATE TO ‘WIDESPREAD FAMINE’: UN (New York) — The U.N. humanitarian chief warned that the fight against famine is being lost in Yemen, which is already facing a humanitarian crisis with 75 per cent of its 29 million people in need of assistance. Mark Lowcock said two recent developments threaten to overwhelm the aid operation – a “dramatic economic collapse” that has reduced the value of Yemen’s currency by some 30 per cent, and fighting around the port of Hodeida. The conflict in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi Shiite rebels, which toppled the internationally recognized government. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis. (Global, Sept. 24, 2018)
HOUSE OF COMMONS UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO CALL ROHINGYA KILLINGS A GENOCIDE (Ottawa) — In a rare show of unanimity, Canadian MPs agreed to call the campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya in Myanmar an act of genocide. Liberal MP Andrew Leslie presented a motion asking for unanimous consent among MPs from all parties to recognize as a genocide the killings, which began last summer, and to call for the generals and leaders responsible to be prosecuted for the crime under international law. More than 900,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017. The Rohingya are an ethnic minority in Myanmar who have been the target of a campaign of systemic rape and murder led by the Myanmar military. (Global, Sept. 20, 2018)
I.S. VIDEO CALLS TORONTO SHOOTING ITS TOP FOREIGN OPERATION OF THE YEAR (Toronto) — A propaganda video released by pro-Islamic State media praising terrorist attacks abroad names July’s mass shooting on Toronto’s Danforth Av as its most successful foreign operation of the year. This is the third claim connecting the deadly Canadian attack to I.S., but there is still no evidence that the gunman acted on behalf of any organizations. The clip features excerpts from the most recent speech by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of I.S., in which he praises attackers in the West, according to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). (National Post, Sept. 17, 2018)
IRAQI COURT SENTENCES BAGHDADI’S DEPUTY TO DEATH BY HANGING (Baghdad) — An Iraqi court has sentenced to death by hanging a deputy to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi over his involvement in terrorist acts. The convict, identified as Ismail al-Eithawy, had fled the country into Syria, then he escaped into Turkey following the defeat of I.S. Iraqi courts have sentenced tens of I.S. members to death over joining the group. Experts estimate that Iraq is holding 20,000 people in jail over suspected I.S. membership. (Iraqi News, Sept. 19, 2018)
PROF DRAWS IRE AFTER DECLINING TO HELP STUDENT STUDY IN ISRAEL (Detroit) — A University of Michigan professor refused to help a student study in Israel because of an academic boycott. John Cheney-Lippold, an associate professor in the American culture department, told Abigail Ingber he couldn’t write her a letter of recommendation to study in Israel. In an email, Cheney-Lippold writes he previously agreed to pen the letter but “for reasons of these politics, I must rescind my offer to write your letter.” Cheney-Lippold clarified he is one of many professors at the university individually taking part in the boycott — which isn’t sanctioned by the school. (New York Post, Sept. 20, 2018)
POLISH SYNAGOGUE ATTACKED DURING PRAYERS ON YOM KIPPUR (Gdansk) — As the Jewish women of Gdansk sat waiting in the New Synagogue for the final Neila prayer of Yom Kippur a rock suddenly crashed through the large window, shattering glass and flying close to the worshipers and their children. Gdansk Mayor Pawel Adamowicz immediately condemned the incident and expressed his apologies to the Jewish community. The attacker has been identified on camera and the police were reportedly dealing with the attack as “a matter of the highest urgency.” (Jewish Press, Sept. 20, 2018)
ANTISEMITIC MESSAGE DAUBED ON PARIS APARTMENT BUILDING (Paris) — The residents of an apartment building in the fashionable 18th arrondissement of Paris awoke on Thursday to find viciously antisemitic slogans daubed on their front door. “Jewish garbage lives here,” the graffiti on one side of the door declared. On the other side were the words “especially on the third,” accompanied by a Celtic cross — a symbol frequently used by neo-Nazi groups. French media outlets said the words referred specifically to a resident on the building’s third floor. In the last three months, two attempts to set the apartment building’s front door on fire have been reported. (Algemeiner, Sept. 20, 2018)
ANNE RUSS FEDERMAN DIES AT 97 (New York) — The last remaining daughter behind the iconic New York deli Russ & Daughters has died aged 97. Anne Russ Federman, who started working at her father Joel Russ’ deli at the age of 14 along with her two sisters, passed away from heart failure. She was the last survivor of the four namesakes behind the Lower East Side Manhattan eatery that her father opened more than a century ago. Russ & Daughters’ legacy has now been passed to Anne’s grandchildren Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, the fourth generation to own and run the store famous for lox, herring and other Jewish delicacies. (Daily Mail, Sept. 23, 2018)
No Hope for Mideast Peace if the Palestinians Won’t Renounce Terrorism: Vivian Bercovici, National Post, Sept. 25, 2018—On Sunday Sept. 16, a 17-year-old Palestinian, Khalil Jabarin, from a village near Hebron, plunged a knife into the back of 45-year-old Ari Fuld at the entrance to the Kefar Etzion mall in the West Bank.
How Hamas Teaches Kids to Kill Jews: Jerusalem Online, Sept. 23, 2018—he Israeli Defense Forces released footage to highlight the actions of the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “What does a policeman do,” two girls are asked on a Palestinian television program. A voice over answers, “He catches thieves and people who cause trouble.
Beating Back Iranian Aggression by Supporting Israel: Michael Makovsky & Charles Wald, NY Daily News, Sept. 25, 2018 —With the bloody battle for northwestern Syria underway, the media is focused again on chemical weapons. However important, the larger moral and strategic issue is the murderous Bashar Assad regime’s drive to reconquer all of Syria, backed by Russia and Iran.
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Guide for the Perplexed, 2018: Yoram Ettinger, Jewish Press, Sept. 23, 2018—US-Israel special ties are accentuated by Columbus Day (October 8, 2018), which is always celebrated around Sukkot (September 24-30, 2018). According to “Columbus Then and Now” (Miles Davidson, 1997, p. 268), Columbus landed in America on Friday afternoon, October 12, 1492, the 21st day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, in the Jewish year 5235, on the 7th day of Sukkot, Hosha’na’ Rabbah – a day of special universal deliverance and miracles. Hosha’ (הושע) is “deliverance” in Hebrew, Na’ (נא) is the Hebrew word for “please” and Rabbah (רבה) is “The Sublime.” The numerical value of Na’ in Hebrew is 51 (נ – 50, א – 1), which corresponds to the celebration of Hoshaa’na’ Rabbah on the 51st day following Moses’ ascension up to Mt. Sinai.