WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS OF THE WEEK IN REVIEW”
Contents: On Topic Links | Weekly Quotes | Short Takes |
On Topic Links
Watch: Israel Has A Right to Defend Itself! Says Trump During Golan Declaration Signing: United With Israel, May 25, 2019 –In the wake of a Hamas-launched rocket attack that destroyed a house outside of Tel Aviv, leaving seven Israelis injured, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an address with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side.
Trump Recognition That Golan Heights Belong To Israel Shows His Strong Support Of Jewish State: Andrew Stein, Fox News, Mar. 26, 2019 — Speaking Monday at the White House, minutes before President Trump signed a proclamation officially recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the president that “Israel has never had a better friend than you.”
Hamas Has Developed A Vast Arsenal in Blockaded Gaza: Faras Akram, Miami Herald, Mar. 25, 2019 — A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Monday was one of the most powerful launched ever by Gaza militants, flying nearly 120 kilometers (70 miles) before it slammed into a house in central Israel, wounding seven people.
Finally, A Resolution That Actually Condemns Antisemitism: Liel Leibovitz, Tablet, March 26, 2019 — Earlier this month, after Rep. Ilhan Omar accused American Jews of dual loyalty and the Israel lobby of purchasing undue influence, the House passed a resolution that did not mention Omar by name and that condemned not only antisemitism but every other conceivable form of bigotry.
WEEKLY QUOTES
“The State of Israel took control of the Golan Heights in 1967 to safeguard its security from external threats. Today, aggressive acts by Iran and terrorist groups, including Hizballah, in southern Syria continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks on Israel. Any possible future peace agreement in the region must account for Israel’s need to protect itself from Syria and other regional threats. Based on these unique circumstances, it is therefore appropriate to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim that, the United States recognizes that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.” – President Donald Trump proclaims Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. (The White House, Mar. 25, 2019)
“In the long sweep of Jewish history, there have been a handful of proclamations by non-Jewish leaders on behalf of our people and our land: Cyrus the Great, the great Persian king; Lord Balfour; President Harry S. Truman; and President Donald J. Trump. You, Mr. President, you’ve done it not once, but twice: with your bold proclamation on Jerusalem and with your bold proclamation today on the Golan… Mr. President, just as Israel stood tall in 1967, just as it stood tall in 1973, Israel stands tall today. We hold the high ground and we shall never give it up.” -– Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking Pres. Trump for his proclamation. (Prime Minister’s Office, Mar. 25,2019)
“It’s so significant in historical terms because 52 years ago we acquired that territory in a defensive war. There’s one thing to achieve a military victory, which our brave soldiers did. It’s another thing to translate that military victory into a diplomatic victory. It took us 52 years to do that, and I think it will formally be declared, that diplomatic victory, tomorrow at the White House, and the people of Israel are very grateful to President Trump.” – Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Dermer at the opening night of this year’s AIPAC conference in Washington, DC, as regards President Trump’s announcement that the US will recognize Israel’s control over the Golan Heights. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the territory in 1981, a move that was not formally recognized by the U.S. and other nations who said its permanent status should be determined through negotiations. (The Hill, Mar. 24, 2019)
“All over the world, antisemitism is on the rise. On college campuses, in the market place, even in the halls of Congress. You know, there was a time when support for Israel was not a partisan issue here in Washington … But how things have changed. It’s astonishing to think that the party of Harry Truman, which did so much to help create the State of Israel has been co-opted by people who promote rank antisemitic rhetoric and work to undermine the broad American consensus of support for Israel… Recently, a freshman Democratic congresswoman trafficked in repeated antisemitic tropes; alleged congressional support for Israel reflected an allegiance to a foreign country … Antisemitism has no place in the Congress of the United States of America! And at a minimum, anyone who slanders those who support this historic alliance between the United States and Israel should never have a seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives. The party that’s been the home of so many American Jews for so long, struggled to muster the votes to unequivocally condemn antisemitism in a resolution.” — Vice President Mike Pence at the AIPAC Convention in reference to the Democratic Party’s reaction to Omar’s antisemitic statements. Pence also expressed anger and frustration over the decision of many Democratic presidential candidates not to attend the AIPAC conference under pressure from the party’s far-left base. “As I stand before you eight Democrat candidates for president are actually boycotting this very conference… Anyone who aspires to the highest office in the land should not be afraid to stand with the strongest supporters of Israel in America. It is wrong to boycott Israel and it is wrong to boycott AIPAC.” (Algemeiner, Mar. 25, 2019)
“When someone accuses American supporters of Israel of dual loyalty, I say: Accuse me … I’ve been proud to help lead efforts in Congress to push back against the BDS movement. And I will push for a bipartisan resolution that puts Congress on record that BDS must be condemned.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said to a standing ovation at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC. (Algemeiner, Mar. 25, 2019)
“They say you can’t be a good progressive and supporter of Israel, and now they’re saying you can’t even be a good American and be a supporter of Israel. The intense hatred of Israel is creeping from the margins to the center of our national politics. [However,] we will respond. Our detractors think we’ll fold if we’re pushed. They don’t know what we’re made of.” — AIPAC CEO Howard Kohr at the opening of the annual AIPAC policy conference in Washington. Without mentioning Omar by name, he said that comments questioning the loyalty of Americans who support Israel are no more than “defamation masquerading as discourse.” He warned of the impact that such statements have, saying that “critics are emboldened and energized” and the “false claims are taken at face value by new and broader audiences,” referring to the widescale impact of social media. Omar last month challenged “the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.” (WIN, Mar. 24, 2019)
“We’ve felt the rise of antisemitism for years, and we also felt that the numbers coming from the Ministry of the Interior are very low compared to the reality… “[It’s] coming from the far-left, from the far-right, from radicalized Muslims — they are the ones who target French Jewish students in universities. These groups are very strong.” — Sacha Ghozlan, the president of the Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF) said, calling for comprehensive action to tackle antisemitism, after a new poll showed that nearly 90 percent of Jewish students in France encountered antisemitism on campus. Nearly one in five who decided not to report an antisemitic incident — which ranged from aggression and insults to the use of anti-Jewish tropes — said they were concerned that the perpetrator would target them again. Ghozlan added. “There is this feeling that … police just are not strong enough to prevent this act from happening.” (Algemeiner, Mar. 20, 2019)
SHORT TAKES
ROMANIA AND HONDURAS COMMIT TO JERUSALEM EMBASSY MOVE (Washington) – Speaking at the AIPAC convention, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila says that her country intends to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Romania currently serves in the rotating position of president of the European Union Council. Dancila also unveiled a plan to allow those who were forced out of Romania to apply for citizenship. Romania will also begin the process of Holocaust reparations, as well as provide worldwide access to archives from the Holocaust. Also, at the AIPAC event, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado said that his country would immediately set up a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The diplomatic mission is meant as an interim step as Honduras reached an agreement with the U.S. and Israel to work on the opening of an embassy in the city. Brazil’s president said that it’s just a matter of time until his country’s Embassy moves to Jerusalem. But recent reports indicated that he is facing resistance from the “old guard” within the Brazilian establishment, and the Arab world. (WIN, Mar. 24, 2019)
FIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES READY TO RESTART IRAN DEAL (Washington)
— Responding to Al-Monitor, five candidates voiced their intention to rejoin the Iran deal. They include Sens. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). The other two are Florida Mayor Wayne Messam, and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson, the site reports. One Democratic presidential hopeful who was more circumspect in his reply was Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. The Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, on May 8, 2018. (WIN, Mar. 24, 2019)
FAMILY OF 7 INJURED, PETS PERISHED IN GAZA ROCKE ATTACK ON CENTRAL ISRAEL (Moshav Mishmeret) — A missile launched from the Gaza Strip hit a private home in moshav Mishmeret in the Sharon area, just outside Tel Aviv. The house was destroyed and seven members of one family were injured: a 59-year-old woman who was moderately wounded and six others who lightly wounded that included a baby about six-months old and a three-year-old toddler. (Jewish Press, Mar. 25, 2019)
IDF DELIVERED A ‘POWERFUL BLOW’ AGAINST HAMAS (Gaza Strip) — Israel struck numerous terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip, including the offices of Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Israel stopped its attacks around 6:00 a.m., according to reports. Netanyahu cut his U.S. trip short in order to deal with the escalation brought on by Hamas’s rocket attack, which uncharacteristically struck deep into Israel, hitting an area north of Tel Aviv where it made a direct hit on a house, injuring seven people, including two children and an infant. (WIN, Mar. 26, 2019)
HAMAS OFFICIAL: IRAN ORDERED ROCKET ATTACK ON CENTRAL ISRAEL – REPORT (Gaza Strip) — A senior Hamas official, speaking anonymously to Israel Hayom, claimed that the rocket which struck a moshav in central Israel was ordered by Iran. Hamas reportedly gave its blessing for the rocket attack in hopes of disrupting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election campaign. He claimed that Iran “went over the heads” of Hamas leadership and ordered an Islamic Jihad cell operating out of the Gaza Strip to carry out the attack. While senior officials in both Egypt and Gaza confirmed that Iran had ordered the attack, they claimed that the Hamas leadership was aware of the plans to fire a rocket deep into Israeli territory. (Jerusalem Post, Mar. 27, 2019)
ISRAEL’S DAVID’S SLING MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM SAID TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE SERIES OF TESTS (Israel) — According to the Hebrew news site Mako, the tests assessed the capabilities of the latest version of the defense system and simulated several scenarios that it could face in the field. The tests were jointly conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA). (Algemeiner, Mar. 11, 2019)
UN WATCH’S SHADOW RIGHTS SUMMIT TO TURN TABLES ON TYRANTS (Geneva) — — Dissidents and political prisoners’ families from around the globe have gathered in Geneva for a summit at the Palexpo conference center, aimed at giving a voice to victims of the world’s worst human rights abuses. The event is organized by an international coalition of 25 human rights NGOs, led by UN Watch. The summit organizers say they will focus on issues the UN session—under pressure by its powerful members—omitted from its agenda. Former political prisoners from China, Tibet, Turkey, Vietnam will join the family members of existing political prisoners in Iran, Saudi Arabia and other countries that will be announced only at the session. (UN Watch Briefing, Mar. 24, 2019)
TOP LEBANESE OFFICIALS DISMISS VISITING US SECRETARY OF STATE POMPEO’S HEZBOLLAH WARNING (Beirut) — Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil openly challenged visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s description of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. At a joint press conference with Pompeo, Bassil portrayed Hezbollah — long designated as a terrorist group by the United States, Israel, the EU and others — as a legitimate partner in Lebanon’s national government. MPs affiliated with Hezbollah won 70 of the Lebanese parliament’s 128 seats in an election last year. The group has taken three of the 30 portfolios in the government formed in January by Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, including the Health Ministry — the first time it has held a ministry with a significant budget. (Algemeiner, Mar. 22, 2019)
RAFI EITAN, ISRAELI MASTER SPY WHO CAUGHT EICHMAN, DIES AT 92 (Tel Aviv) — Eitan was perhaps most well-known for his role in the 1960 operation to capture Eichmann in Argentina and bring him to trial in Jerusalem, which remains one of the Mossad’s most historic missions. It brought to life the horrors of the Nazi “Final Solution” to commit genocide against the Jewish people, of which Eichmann was the architect. Later in life Eitan entered politics and served as a Cabinet member. (WIN, Mar. 23, 2019)
FATAH HAILS TERRORIST WHO KILLED TWO ISRAELIS AS ‘HEROIC MARTYR’ (Ramallah) — The Palestinian Authority’s ruling party, Fatah, celebrated the terrorist who killed two Israelis and wounded a third in the West Bank as a “perfect person” and a “heroic Martyr.” Omar Abu Laila stabbed IDF soldier Gal Keidan to death at the Ariel junction, then stole his weapon and opened fire on passing cars. Rabbi Achiad Ettinger was mortally wounded in the attack. Laila also shot Alex Dvorsky, who remains hospitalized, though his condition has improved. Laila was killed in a firefight with Israeli soldiers after being located. (Algemeiner, Mar. 20, 2019)
SARAH HALIMI’S LAWYERS, RELATIVES, EXPRESS FURY AS PROSPECT OF CRIMINAL TRIAL IN FRENCH ANTISEMITIC MURDER CASE AGAIN RECEDES (Paris) — Lawyers representing the family of the Jewish doctor murdered during a frenzied antisemitic assault inside her Paris apartment in 2017 expressed anger at the news that the accused killer may yet escape a criminal trial. Bloch was responding to widespread reports in the French media that accused killer Kobili Traoré, now 29, was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial for his crime in a new psychiatrist’s report commissioned by the investigating judge in the case. Traoré beat and kicked Halimi savagely while reportedly shouting the Arabic words “Allahu akbar” (“God is great”) and “Sheitan” (“Satan”), then hurled her bloodied body out the window. (Algemeiner, Mar. 20, 2019)
UK LABOUR ANTISEMITISM CRISIS INTENSIFIES AS JEWISH GROUP TIED TO PARTY PLANS NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE AGAINST CORBYN (London) — The Jewish Labour Movement in the UK is planning to hold a no-confidence vote next month against the controversial head of the nation’s Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn. Since Corbyn was elected Labour leader in 2015, the party was wracked by antisemitism scandals, some touching the far-left MP himself. Polls indicate that some 80 percent of British Jews consider him to be antisemitic. Last month, nine Labour MPs left the party, citing antisemitism as one of the main reasons for their decision. (Algemeiner, Mar. 19, 2019)
NEW GROUP SEEKS TO BOLSTER SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IN US CONGRESS (Washington) — A new organization was established with the goal of bolstering support for Israel in the US Congress — a task that has received greater impetus following the election last November of several lawmakers with unsympathetic views toward the Jewish state. The group, Pro-Israel America, announced 27 initial endorsements of 2020 congressional candidates — 14 Democrats and 13 Republicans — who it described as “strong advocates for the US-Israel alliance.” (Algemeiner, Mar. 19, 2019)
BERLIN JEWISH MUSEUM SAYS IT HAS ‘NO SPECIFIC PLANS’ TO COOPERATE WITH IRAN, FOLLOWING CRITICISM OF MEETING WITH TEHRAN REGIME ENVOY (Berlin) — The Jewish Museum Berlin (JMB) confirmed that it has no plans for cooperation with the Iranian government, following a controversy around a recent meeting between the institution’s director and one of the Tehran regime’s diplomats stationed in Germany. While the JMB insisted that the meeting between Schäfer and Moujani was private, the Iranian diplomat published a lengthy account of their discussions on a German-language Iranian website, along with a photo — since removed — of the two men sitting together. Among the points emphasized by Moujani during the meeting was his unsubstantiated allegation that exiled Iranian Jewish families and Israeli entities such as the University of Haifa had “plundered” the Jewish communal artifacts currently in their possession. (Algemeiner, Mar. 19, 2019)
ISRAELI MINISTER ‘OPTIMISTIC’ ABOUT FUTURE OF TIES WITH CHINA (Jerusalem) — Speaking with the official Chinese state-run press agency Xinhua, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegi — a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party — said he was “optimistic” about the future of the relationship between the two nations. According to Xinhua, bilateral trade between Israel and China totaled around $14 billion in 2018. (Algemeiner, Mar. 17, 2019)
ZIONIST STUDENT GROUP ACCUSES UC BERKELEY MIDDLE EAST CENTER OF ANTI-ISRAEL ‘INDOCTRINATION’ (California) — In an online statement, Tikvah: Students for Israel maintained that the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) — a National Resource Center under the US Department of Education’s Title VI program — has held more than two dozen Israel-related events since 2016, each one of which “has maliciously attempted to portray the democracy of Israel in a negative light.” The group pointed to a series of recent discussions, including one earlier this month on “The Israel Lobby and Antisemitism,” where participants “publicly defended Ilhan Omar’s antisemitic comments and accusations of global Jewish conspiracies,” according to Tikvah. Despite this alleged focus on Israel, CMES refused to co-sponsor an upcoming campus talk with former Israeli Knesset member and Ambassador Danny Ayalon, Tikvah charged. “CMES is engaging in an anti-academic policy of indoctrination, and there is no room to view their one-sided hateful narrative as anything but an abuse of their platform.” (Algemeiner, Mar. 18, 2019)
HOLOCAUST DENIER DAVID IRVING PROMOTING NEW GUIDED TOUR OF NAZI DEATH CAMPSITES, HITLER’S HQ (Poland) — The notorious British Holocaust denier David Irving has announced that he will lead a tour of Nazi death and concentration camp sites in Poland later this year. Since his reputation as a historian was destroyed by his failed libel action in the British High Court against the American scholar Deborah Lipstadt in 2000, Irving has supplemented his income with World War II-related historical tours in Europe, as well as sales of his reissued books and occasional speaking tours of the US. According to his website, Irving’s next American tour is scheduled for the spring. (Algemeiner, Mar. 18, 2019)
