Has the Fight Against Antisemitism Lost Its Way?: Peter Beinart, NY Times, Aug. 26, 2022
“Over the past 18 months, America’s most prominent Jewish organizations … have accused the world’s leading human rights organizations of promoting hatred of Jews. Last April, after Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report accusing Israel of “the crimes of apartheid and persecution,” the American Jewish Committee claimed that the report’s arguments “sometimes border on antisemitism.” In January, after Amnesty International (AI) issued its own study alleging that Israel practiced apartheid, the Anti-Defamation League predicted that it “likely will lead to intensified antisemitism.” The A.J.C. and A.D.L. also published a statement with four other well-known American Jewish groups that didn’t just accuse the report of being biased and inaccurate but also claimed that Amnesty’s report “fuels those antisemites around the world who seek to undermine the only Jewish country on Earth.”…
“Defenders of repressive governments often try to discredit the human rights groups that criticize them. … the Chinese Communist Party newspaper Global Times accused it [HRW] of being “anti-China.” In 2019 … Iran accused Amnesty of being “biased” against that country. In this age of rising authoritarianism, it’s not surprising that human rights watchdogs face mounting attacks. What’s surprising is that America’s most influential Jewish groups are taking part. …
In 1974, two A.D.L. leaders wrote a book arguing that Jews were increasingly menaced by a “new antisemitism,” directed not against individual Jews but against the Jewish state. … that premise now dominates mainstream organized American Jewish life. … The State Department now employs a definition of antisemitism whose examples include opposing Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. … Now that any challenge to Jewish statehood is met with charges of bigotry against Jews, prominent American Jewish organizations and their allies in the U.S. government have made the fight against antisemitism into a vehicle not for defending human rights but for denying them. … We need a different struggle against antisemitism. It should pursue Jewish equality, not Jewish supremacy, and embed the cause of Jewish rights in a movement for the human rights of all.” — [Mr. Beinart insinuates that Israel is as repressive as China and Iran, rejects the IHRA definition of antisemitism that 35 countries accepted, and denies the inherent bias, if not outright antisemitism, of human rights NGOs like AI and HRW. AI created a definition of apartheid applicable only to Israel. As well, note former HRW Chairman Robert L. Bernstein’s 2009 NYTimes op-ed critical of HRW. Beinart also refutes the validity of Israel as a Jewish state. – Ed.]
“Iran has gained knowledge, infrastructure and capabilities—much of which is irreversible. This will enable Iran to further expand its nuclear program during the period of an agreement that would have fewer restrictions. Iran would be able to acquire a nuclear weapon when said agreement ended in 2031.” — Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz during a briefing for think-tank directors in Washington. (WIN, Aug. 29, 2022)
“This is a bad deal, and it is good that Israel has made it clear that it is not bound by it. … I don’t see any way that does not involve force to convince the Iranians, because Iran does not stop under any diplomatic or economic pressure.” — Former national security adviser Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror. He said that efforts to prevent the nuclear agreement at this point will yield no result, and therefore Israel should prepare to protect itself. (Israel Hayom, Aug. 28, 2022)
“During my term as Mossad director, countless operations were conducted against Iran’s nuclear program…. We operated around the world and on Iranian soil itself, in the very heartland of the ayatollahs.” — Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to an audience of 1,500 Jewish leaders at a World Zionist Organization anniversary event in Basel. (WIN, Aug. 29, 2022)
“Unfortunately, [the Iranians] have friends in Washington, specifically within the left-leaning Democrat administrations, beginning with the administration of Barack Obama and [including] the administration we have today. They have far left, liberal political convictions.” – Prominent Saudi researcher Abdullah Bin Bijad Al-Otaibi during an interview on Saudi TV channel MBC TV. (WIN, Aug. 25, 2022)
“It is absolutely unacceptable that federal dollars have gone to this organization that has demonstrated xenophobia, racism and antisemitism.” – Canadian PM Justin Trudeau responding to antisemitic comments made by Laith Marouf, a senior consultant with the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), a non-profit organization. The PM was criticized for not coming out more forcefully when the scandal hit last week. (Globe and Mail, Aug. 30, 2022)
“It’s not just [former President] Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the – I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism.” – President Joe Biden at a Democratic National Committee fundraising event in Bethesda, Md. He referenced Trump’s MAGA movement. (The Hill, Aug. 28, 2022)
“The fact that the president would go out and just insult half of America [and] effectively call half of America semi-fascist. … [President Biden’s] trying to stir up this anti-Republican sentiment right before the election. It’s horribly inappropriate.” — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on CNN. (The Hill, Aug. 28, 2022)
“… yes, the current thing looks like Russiagate because it’s about Russiagate. FBI + media + Dems are lying in the same way and for the same purpose — to defraud the American people.” – Investigative reporter Lee Smith referring to the FBI Mar-a-Lago raid. (Twitter, Aug. 27, 2022)
“[T]he investigations are now permanent. They begin before a candidate even runs, follow him through his time in office, and hound him after he leaves. Trump was the first target of the permanent investigation. [Trump] won’t be the last. The permanent investigation is government opposition research. It interlocks directly with political campaigns, whether those of Hillary or Biden, and feeds material back and forth between government investigators and campaign hacks. It takes out their allies and aides to weaken them.” – Daniel Greenfield. (Israel National News, Aug. 27, 2022
“Basically, the background here is the FBI … came to us,” Zuckerberg said. … and was like, ‘Hey, just so you know you should be on high alert. We thought there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election, we have it on notice that basically there’s about to be some kind of dump that’s similar to that so just be vigilant.’ When asked if the FBI had told Facebook to be on guard specifically for our story about Hunter Biden’s laptop, [Facebook founder Mark] Zuckerberg claimed, rather unconvincingly that he did “not remember . . . specifically” but “it basically fit the pattern.” — columnist Miranda Devine who broke the 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story. (NY Post, Aug. 28, 2022)
“Sam Harris says it was appropriate for Twitter and the heads of big tech and the heads of journalistic organizations to feel that they were in the presence of something that is a once-in-a-lifetime moral emergency, meaning Trump. So, he’s [Harris] saying it’s okay to have a conspiracy to get rid of somebody as bad as Trump. They [media institutions like the New York Times] buried the Hunter Biden story before the election because they were like, we can’t risk having the election thrown to Trump, we’ll tell them [the electorate] after the election.” – Left-wing comedian Bill Maher commenting on Mark Zuckerberg’s revelation on Joe Rogan’s podcast of the FBl’s role in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 presidential election. (NY Post, Aug. 27, 2022)
“There’s no way around it: We agreed to sell The Daily Wire a first-time booth based on the company’s large presence in podcasting. The weight of that decision is now painfully clear. Shapiro is a co-founder. A drop-in, however unlikely, should have been considered a possibility.” — Podcast Movement, the world’s largest podcast conference . . . apologized for the presence of conservative podcaster and Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro, saying “we take full responsibility for the harm done by his presence.” (WSJ,Aug. 25, 2022)
SHORT TAKES
EUROPEAN DRAFT OF IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL LEAVES CRITICAL MATTERS UNRESOLVED(Vienna) — According to the deal, the IAEA will return to fully inspect Iran’s nuclear program and demand explanations for the violations of the original agreement. The emerging deal addresses only the fissile material needed to build a bomb, and not other components of Iran’s military nuclear program, including its development of nuclear warheads and the missiles needed to have them delivered to the target. (Ynet, Aug. 29, 2022)
IRAN PRESIDENT: NO WAY BACK TO NUCLEAR DEAL IF PROBE GOES ON(Tehran) — Iran’s president warned that any roadmap to restore Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers must see international inspectors end their probe on man-made uranium particles found at undeclared sites in the country. President Ebrahim Raisi also threatened Israel and tried to sound upbeat as Iran’s economy and rial currency has cratered under the weight of international sanctions. (Washington Post, Aug. 29, 2022)
IAF F-35S PENETRATED IRANIAN AIRSPACE MONTHS AGO – SAUDI REPORT(Jerusalem) — Israeli Air Force F-35 advanced fifth-generation fighter jets penetrated Iranian airspace multiple times over the last two months and Iranian and Russian radars failed to locate them. Furthermore, Israel and the US have conducted large-scale exercises over the Red Sea to simulate an aerial and maritime strike on Iran and seize Iranian vessels in the Gulf Sea. The exercises come as part of a series of drills conducted by the two countries both secretly and publicly to prepare for strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 24, 2022)
IRANIAN CURRICULUM PREPARING STUDENTS FOR WAR WITH ISRAEL NEW STUDY SAYS (Jerusalem) — The Iranian regime’s educational system radicalizes students for a global and revolutionary war “as early as the first grade,” according to a new report by Israeli education watchdog Impact-se. “Iran’s Radical Education,” its first assessment of the Iranian school curriculum since 2016, found that students are taught to glorify the regime’s nuclear aspirations, child martyrdom, and efforts to destroy Israel. (Algemeiner, Aug. 29, 2022)
ARAB TURNOUT IN ISRAEL’S UPCOMING ELECTIONS PROJECTED TO HIT ALL-TIME LOW(Jerusalem) — Only 39% of Israeli Arabs intend to vote in the Nov. 1 elections, according to a report compiled by the Stat Net Research Institute It is the lowest figure ever recorded among Arab Israeli citizens. According to the poll, 44.6% of Arab Israelis voted in the elections in 2021, down from the peak figure of 64.8% in 2020. In projecting future election results within the Arab sector, the poll found that the Joint List, which includes the Balad Party, would obtain five Knesset seats—one fewer than it currently possesses. According to the results, the United Arab List Party (Ra’am), led by Mansour Abbas, would get four mandates. (WIN, Aug. 29, 2022)
BERLIN POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING WHETHER CHARGES CAN BE FILED AGAINST ABBAS FOR ISRAEL ‘HOLOCAUSTS’ COMMENT(Berlin) — Berlin police are investigating Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on suspicion that comments he made while on an official visit to Germany violated the country’s hate speech laws related to Holocaust relativization. (JTA, Aug. 24, 2022)
ENERGEAN TO BEGIN KARISH GAS PRODUCTION NEXT MONTH (Jerusalem) — Energean plc (LSE: ENOG; TASE: ENOG), which holds the rights to the Karish gas field, is continuing full preparations to begin producing natural gas from the Israeli offshore prospect next month. Energean’s management decided to continue readying to bring the gas field on-stream in close consultation with Israeli government and security sources. They made it clear they would not allow Hezbollah or any other hostile organization to disrupt production. (Globes, Aug. 22, 2022)
MUSLIM MAN AXES JEWISH ROOMMATE’S SKULL, BURNS FACE OFF(Seine-et-Marne) – Eyal Haddad, a 34-year-old Jewish man was axed to death by his Muslim roommate before having his face burned off in a commune in north-central France. Originally from Djerba, Tunisia, Haddad’s family now live in Beersheba. The alleged murderer, identified as Baha Deridi, was owed 100 euros by Haddad who did not pay him back. Deridi “smashed his victim’s skull with an ax, then he burned his face and even began to bury the body,” on August 20. (WIN, Aug. 29, 2022)
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY ASKS SUPREME COURT TO BLOCK LGTBQ CLUB(NYC) — Yeshiva University (YU) has asked the US Supreme Court to stay a lower court ruling that ordered it to recognize a LBGTQ-pride student club. In April 2021, a group of alumni and students sued the university for allegedly violating New York State’s Human Rights Law when it refused to charter a chapter of YU Pride. (Algemeiner, Aug. 29, 2022)
ROBERT KRAFT MAKES $1M DONATION TO AIPAC’S SUPER PAC, WHILE GEORGE SOROS POURS $1M INTO J STREET’S(Washington) — Kraft Group LLC, the company owned by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, gave $1 million to the United Democracy Project, the new super PAC affiliated with AIPAC, the powerhouse Israel lobby. George Soros’ Democracy PAC donated the same amount to the J Street Action Fund, the PAC affiliated with the liberal pro-Israel lobby. (JTA, Aug. 24, 2022)
MIKHAIL S. GORBACHEV, REFORMIST SOVIET LEADER, IS DEAD AT 91(Moscow) — Mikhail S. Gorbachev, 91, whose rise to power in the Soviet Union set in motion a series of revolutionary changes that transformed the map of Europe and ended the Cold War that had threatened the world with nuclear annihilation, has died in Moscow. Russia’s state news agencies announced his death, citing the city’s central clinical hospital after an unspecified “long and grave illness.” (NY Times, Aug. 30, 2022)
WHITE HOUSE CALLS FOR DEMILITARIZED ZONE AROUND UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT(Zaporizhzhia) – The White House is in favor of establishing a demilitarized zone around the plant located in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, which is at risk of getting severely damaged by missiles. The plant, which has been under Russian control since March, has already been damaged during the war and was disconnected from power for the first time Thursday. (National Review, Aug. 29, 2022)
IRAQ: U.S EMBASSY STAFF EVACUATED FROM BAGHDAD AMID DEADLY CLASHES VIRAL VIDEO(Baghdad) – A serious wave of violence erupted in the Iraqi capital as supporters of Muqtada Al Sadr, an Iraqi parliamentarian, and firebrand Shi’ite cleric, stormed the Green Zone in Baghdad and burst into the Presidential Palace there. Soon, rumours of an evacuation order by U.S embassy began to swirl. This after a video clip showing a Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip-type helicopter on top of a building, which appears to be inside Baghdad’s Green Zone, began circulating on social media. It drew comparisons to images from the fall of Kabul last year. (Hindustan Times, Aug. 30, 2022)
Wolf Blitzer, the Son of Holocaust Survivors, Discusses His New CNN Special on the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: Andrew Lappin, JTA, Aug. 26, 2022 — Growing up in Buffalo, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer always knew he was the child of Holocaust survivors. His parents, both Polish Jews, told him often about their experiences surviving the concentration camps.
FBI Mar-a-Lago Search Was a Political Raid on a Former President: Former Gorsuch Law Clerk: Fox News, Aug. 26, 2022 –– Former law clerk to Justice Gorsuch Mike Davis gives his take on the FBI’s raid on former President Trump following the affidavit release on ‘America Reports.’
