Does Israel Need US Weaponry?

Mike Williams

{This is a thoughtful comment by a Facebook acquaintance who agreed to allow me to publish it here. - ML.}

There is a debate about us foreign aid.

There’s the very recent, April 2019 article by Jonathan S. Tobin, in which the editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) wrote, “the political price of accepting U.S. aid remains onerous. It limits Israel’s options and flexibility with respect to defense procurement, especially when it comes to its own industries. It also creates the impression that Israel is a beggar that requires Washington’s assistance in order to defend itself. That encourages resentment of Israel on the part of Americans who don’t like foreign aid even when, as in Israel’s case, the United States gets a great deal in return.” http://www.israelnationalnews.com.

The above statement proves at least to a degree that others are thinking about future Israeli relations with the US.

The problem with US foreign aid to Israel is that most people don't understand it. Recently a bill was introduced that help explain the plus for America, "H.Res. 551" was introduced by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), whose leadership attracted three very powerful co-sponsors: House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), the committee’s ranking Democratic member, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), and the chair of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-Proliferation, and Trade, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas). At the time of this article, it had attracted 81 co-sponsors and passed through the Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously. The resolution notes a number of successes in the U.S.-Israel alliance:

The U.S.-Israel free trade agreement (FTA) was America’s first FTA when it was signed on April 22, 1985. Over the following 30 years, trade has multiplied tenfold to over
$40 billion annually.

Through government-funded U.S.-Israel collaborative research and development programs in science, energy, agriculture, security, technology, and numerous other areas, America has become a more environmentally friendly, healthier, better fed, more advanced, and financially stronger nation. The lives of people in America and Israel have been tangibly improved because of the two countries’ alliance.

The reason Congress spent time on H.Res. 551 was simple: America derives critical and unique benefits from its economic relationship with Israel. The findings of the resolution lead to two important conclusions: First, the U.S.-Israel economic relationship matters. Second, targeting the Israeli economy also targets the American economy, with potentially devastating results that reach beyond economics and into basic quality of life." http://www.thetower.org. In the past Israel has fought wars against Russian trained and equipped foes. During those wars, Israel captured the tools of war which Israel allowed the US to have and test. In one case a pilot defected with a first line Mig, and after Israel learned all it could about the Russian plane it was given to the US for testing. The plane allowed American pilots to fly against the very plane they would see in its war against Saddam Hussein.

Israel has given to the US much to offset the foreign aid that has allowed Israel to maintain its security edge. And, of course, we appreciate that help and assistance. But, what about the future? I think over the next few years Israel will do its best not to be put in the situation that it was in during the last war in Gaza. Where a president Obama could hold Israel hostage by not allowing them to resupply smart weapons from storage facilities right here in Israel.

The agreement was that in payment for the US storing the tools of war in Israel, Israel would be able to re-arm without asking permission. Going back on that agreement was a surprise for Israel, and taught us a lesson. The lesson is, don't put your best pardner into the position where he can deny you the weapons you need to survive. Recently I read that in preparations for the next war Israel has been manufacturing, and storing bombs, missiles, ammunition, and more so that we don't put ourselves at risk. It is reported that we have 10 times the stored weapons that we had during the 2006 war in Lebanon. In the future, Israel will be less and less dependent upon the largess of the US and foreign aid. I think that we will, however, go into joint venture deals where weapons systems will be developed jointly. The US may supply the bulk of the financing, while Israel supplies the brain power, and real time testing under combat situations.

All of the above says loudly that Israel will be more like a co-equal with the US rather than a small nation dependent on the largess of a larger big brother. Never again will we be put in the position where a mission to destroy a target has to be canceled because we felt compelled to tell the US our plans. And, the US called the target to warn him. This was done by Obama, the leader of our so called greatest allie. We know that Obama isn't unique, there will be another one sometime in the future. For that reason we are more self-reliant than ever and will continue to be so.

An undiplomatic dinner guest

Sar Shalom

In February of 2008, then Sen. Biden attended a state dinner in Afghanistan. During that dinner, Biden discussed the corruption in Afghanistan and the threat it posed in allowing the Taliban to gain support from the public. Karzai responded by giving his assurance that corruption was being brought under control. After about 45 minutes of listening to Karzai deny obvious reality, Biden put down his napkin, got up, declared "this dinner is over," and instructed his accompaniment to leave with him.

In the East, denying obvious reality is an endemic part of the honor-shame mentality. One of the more notable manifestations of this is various Palestinian officials declaring that they are descended from Canaanites/Jebusites/etc., that there never were any Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, or that the Jews have no history in the Land of Israel at all. Is there anyone who might ask now candidate Biden if Abbas, or any other Palestinian official, were to insist on any of the above, whether he would respond the way he responded to Karzai in 2008? If he answers unequivocally in the affirmative, it would provide some indication that he might end the coddle-coddle-coddle attitude towards the PNM and thereby have a positive impact for Israel.

Kahane's Baby

Michael Lumish

{Also published at the Elder of Ziyon and Jews Down Under.}


In pondering the Tlaib / Omar Israel fiasco we learned that while the Democrats were throwing a fit because Netanyahu decided against allowing US Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilham Omer into the country, they seem to have forgotten that the US refused to issue a visa to Knesset member Michael Ben Ari in 2012 when he was part of the National Union coalition.

This, of course, smacks of hypocrisy.

Ben Ari -- a student of hard-right-wing rabbi and politician, Meir Kahane -- was denied a visa to the US on the grounds that he had been a member of Kach, Meir Kahane's now-defunct political party that was outlawed in Israel on the grounds of racism. At some point that same year he co-founded the Kahanist political party, Otzma Yehudit, which translates into English as "Jewish Power" or "Jewish Strength." (To an American ear, these have very distinct connotations. On their English-language Facebook page they go with "Jewish Strength.") Otzma Yehudit represents a break-away party from the National Union coalition of right-wing and nationalist political parties, Ben Ari's former political home and from which he first gained entrance into the Knesset in 2009.

"Progressive-left," you can be sure, this guy is not.

The Kahanists, after all, also gave us Baruch Goldstein who on February 25, 1994, entered the Cave of the Patriarchs in the heart of Hebron, wearing his army uniform, and opened fire on Arabs in worship, killing 29 people and wounding 125 others. The able-bodied survivors overcame him and beat him to death on the spot. Perhaps dragging Goldstein into this is a bit unfair to Ben Ari but the decision-makers in Washington, D.C. (with Joe Biden sitting in the Vice President's office) were not oblivious to the reputation of Kahanism from whatever political party it comes out of.

This got me wondering just how heinous is Otzma Yehudit? Among liberal and progressive-left American Jews anything that smacks of Kahane brings to mind racism and violence if not terrorism and Otzma Yehudit is ultimately Kahane's baby. It is for this reason that the United States outlawed Kahane's Jewish Defense League as a domestic terrorist organization. Most liberal and progressive-left American Jews are ashamed of Kahane.

I, therefore, decided to examine the political ideology of Otzma Yehudit in order to see what I could make of it from a personal political perspective. Before I proceed, however, I want it understood that none of my conclusions represent an endorsement of Meir Kahane and certainly not of Baruch Goldstein. All I am doing here is cross-referencing the Otzma Yehudit Wikipedia page with its English-language self-described platform (pdf) as hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The reason that I bother with Wikipedia is because, in truth, their description of the party's platform is concise and closely in line with Otzma Yehudit's stated principles.

Wikipedia describes Otzma Yehudit  as follows:

The party is considered to be Religious Zionist, Kahanist, ultra-nationalist, anti-Arab, and far-right, and has also been described as racist, though the party disputes this.

The English-language self-described platform is very close to this, although they would never describe themselves as anti-Arab. Speaking strictly for myself -- as I intend to do throughout the rest of this exercise -- this does not sound like a very pleasant platform. As someone who grew up in a Reform Jewish household in both New York and Connecticut, such an ideology is entirely alien to my political sensibilities.

Wikipedia writes:

It calls for the annexation of the West Bank, and for complete Israeli rule between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

The annexation of Judea and Samaria is not something that I have a problem with, in theory.  The question is how to balance the demographic issue with the international reaction to such a move, which obviously would be considerable. There are ways of easing the demographic issue even under the circumstances of annexation. Thus, I do not necessarily have an issue with the party on this part of the platform. The devil, as always, is in the details.

The party is against the formation of a Palestinian state, and advocates for the cancellation of the Oslo accords, as well as for imposing Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount.

I tend to agree on all three counts. A Palestinian-Arab state directly in the heart of the Jewish homeland would be a disaster. It would simply continue the process of what I sometimes call The Long Arab-Muslim War against the Jews of the Middle East. It would be a giant launching-pad looking down from the hills upon Tel Aviv.

The Oslo accords are, of course, dead in the water. In truth it was a chimera, to begin with. The reason for this is because the Palestinian-Arab leadership never accepted any offer for statehood. From the Peel Commission of 1937 to the offers from Ehud Barack to Yassir Arafat and Ehud Olmert to Mahmoud Abbas the answer was always an unequivocal "no." One begins to think that a free and democratic and peaceful Palestinian-Arab state next to Israel is not exactly what they had in mind.

As for the Temple Mount, I sometimes feel bad for the reputation of Moshe Dayan. He was an excellent soldier and an icon of the Movement for Jewish Freedom which we call Zionism. But the Israelis should never have offered the Jordanian Waqf authority on the holiest site of Jewish heritage. Personally, I would like to see the Temple Mount democratized for worship among all faiths under Israeli sovereignty.

So, I am good with the platform on this, as well, although with the caveat that such a move would be exceedingly sensitive and could easily cause Israel much blood and trouble, both internationally and at home. Nonetheless, the status quo is unacceptable because it is entirely unjust to everyone other than Muslims.

The party also advocates for increased teaching of Jewish history in all elementary schools to "deepen Jewish identity in students".

I find it difficult to believe that anyone who cares about the well-being, and ongoing existence, of the Jewish people, could possibly have any problem with such a proposition.

The party is against "freezing construction of Jewish settlements, releasing terrorists, or negotiating with the PA". 

As I do not necessarily oppose the annexation of Judea and Samaria, why would I oppose Jewish people living anywhere within the home of our forefathers?

Releasing terrorists, of course, is a wretched idea. It motivates Palestinian-Arab fighters to kidnap Jewish Israelis for the purpose of trading one or two of them for hundreds of terrorists who may go on to kill again.

As for the Palestinian Authority, I find it regrettable that Israel even feels the need to negotiate with those who would see the Jewish population either dead or gone. My inclination, as enemies of the Jewish people and the Jewish state, would be to make them persona non grata, but I also understand that such a thing is easier said than done and the European Union, the United Nations, and the Democratic Party would have ugly things to say, and do, concerning the matter.

The party advocates for the deportation of "Arab extremists".

I agree with this proposition, but it represents a slippery-slope. The definition of "Arab extremist" must be sharp and tight. Such a proposition could easily slide into an authoritarian position wherein Israel starts deporting people who may not deserve it. So, while I am in broad agreement, I would also keep a sharp eye for the abuse of such a policy. Here, again, the EU, the UN, and the Democratic Party would scream from the hillsides.

On 24 February 2019, party member Itamar Ben Gvir called for the expulsion of Arab citizens of Israel who are not loyal to Israel.

I disagree with this entirely because it borders on the fascistic. The standard, in my opinion, should not be one of loyalty, but of actually promoting hatred or violence toward Israel or Jews.

The party advocates for what it calls "Jewish capitalism" as its economic system...

I do not know about "Jewish capitalism" but as a classical liberal who believes in regulatory capitalism, I agree.

The party also supports aiding the elderly and disabled.

Who could possibly disagree?

The party is also opposed to abortion. 

I favor a woman's right to choose an abortion, within certain limitations around what is popularly known as "late-term" abortion. In the case of rape or the health of the mother, I would always stand with a woman's choice.

The party supports easing restrictions on the IDFs rules of engagement. The party is against price tag attacks.

I agree on both counts and the last thing that Israel needs is to employ soldiers afraid to fire their weaponry. There obviously needs to be rules of engagement, but none of us want to see Jewish soldiers dead or injured because they were paralyzed by concern over the court system.

Overall, I think the party has much to recommend for Israel and for itself.

However, there is a big distinction to be made between a party platform and the behavior of its members and leadership. I do not necessarily see much in the way of racism in the platform, but I am, nonetheless, distinctly uncomfortable with its association with Kahanism.

If I was an Israeli, one thing that might keep me from voting for them would be the matter of trust, but I would give them the opportunity to earn it.

Rashida Tlaib’s ‘Calming Feeling’

Michael Lumish

{Also published at the Algemeiner.}

I must admit that I was probably wrong when I have suggested that the Tlaib / Omar Israel fiasco was likely just a light thunderstorm that would quickly pass. I am coming to the conclusion that I was mistaken.

This story appears to have stronger legs than I thought. It could even surpass the hysteria surrounding Netanyahu's 2015 address to the US Congress concerning Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.

Many people who care about Israel are scratching this story like it is a deep itch, including me. And that means we are looking at various side issues related to the primary one. The primary issue, in my view, is around the question of why the Democratic Party would side with antisemitic anti-Zionists, such as Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) against their Jewish constituency and in opposition to Israel following its own laws. Israeli legislation from 2017 requires the government to disallow entrance into the country for those who promote BDS.

One curious aspect of the story, however, is Rashida Tlaib's claim that she got a "calming feeling" when she thought about the Holocaust. What an unusual thing to say. Given that Tlaib is, in fact, an anti-Zionist it is very easy for Jewish people, and friends of Jewish people, to take that statement in the wrong way. Tlaib was not suggesting that she got a cozy feeling inside thinking about the misery of the Jews. On the contrary.

Tlaib said this:

There’s always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors — Palestinians — who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people’s passports.

And just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time. And I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away and it was forced on them.

It is true, obviously, that many Arabs of the Mandate suffered because of the 1948 War of Independence. Many lost their homes and jobs and lives and loved-ones. The problem is that Tlaib's interpretation is ahistorical. She pretends that the Arabs were innocent in the unfolding of events when they were not. She also pretends that the Arabs were not aggressive when they most certainly were. The Jews had no nefarious intentions toward the Arabs, but Arabs could not stomach Jewish sovereignty on historically Jewish land.

It should be noted, nonetheless, that Tlaib's "calming feeling" is not coming from gratification at Jewish loss, but in her belief that her grandparents relinquished their freedom to help Jews directly after the Shoah.

I cannot know if Tlaib is deceiving herself or if she is outright lying. The historical record does not reflect the notion that the Arabs in the British Mandate struggled to "create a safe haven for Jews" at great cost to their own well-being during World War II. The very idea of it is laughable. This is a falsehood so gross in its distortions that it is amazing that Tlaib could utter these words without her tongue falling out of her mouth.

The truth is that the Arabs in the mandate did everything they could to keep Jews out of the Jewish ancestral homeland even as the Holocaust was happening. Between 1936 and 1939 the Arabs launched the "Arab Revolt." These ongoing Arab riots concluded with the British issuing its infamous "White Paper" agreeing to Arab demands and thus keeping hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Jews trapped in Europe. These Jewish semi-Holocaust survivors were caught between the Nazis who were determined to kill them and the British who wanted to lock them up in camps.

And who among us can possibly forget the participation of Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during World War II, who went to Berlin to strategize with Adolf Hitler on how best to bring the Holocaust to the Holy Land.

So, Representative Tlaib please do not deceive yourself into thinking that the Arabs of the mandate helped the Jews during the Holocaust. You are spreading what can be fairly described as a self-serving historical falsehood for the purpose of creating sympathy for the Palestinian-Arabs at the expense of the indigenous Jewish population. And if you are not aware of this perhaps your time would be better spent tending to the needs of your constituency rather than making life even more difficult for Israelis.

The Eyes of Earth

Michael Lumish

Chabot Space Center's original 1883 refractor scope.
Oakland, California

I tend to have a different view of humanity than many. Most people do not know what to make of our role on the planet and are simply living their lives and taking care of their families, without worrying about such an arcane issue.

Some, however, tend to think of humanity as a sort-of virus on the planet. We are undermining the health and well-being not only of people but of Earth, itself. We do so through climate change, and pollution, and war, and the ruining of the oceans by over-fishing, toxic waste, spilled oil-tankers, and the unintended creation of great islands of plastic swirling about the oceans, which further contributes to the decline of the fish population.

I have a different view.

While it is obviously true that we have the ability to ruin life on the planet, we are also the eyes of Earth through the development of the scientific method. Despite our worst inclinations and most hideous potential, we are also the way in which Earth comes to know itself. We are not, somehow, separate from nature. We are not separate from Earth but emerged out of Earth via the evolutionary process.

So, while humanity can be absolutely awful, we also, on a macro-level, look toward the stars and on a micro-level examine neutrons and protons and electrons. We are the means by which the Earth comes to know itself. We are the ones who orient our home planet within the solar system and within the galaxy and thus begin the process of understanding Earth's position within the universe.

We are the ones who examine the natural world around us. As much as we may be the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or the spiritual children of Jesus or Muhammad, we are also, nonetheless, the children of Aristotle, the "Father of Biology." We are also the children of Leonardo da Vinci who designed (but never built) a flying machine, called an "ornithopter," in the fifteenth-century.

I, therefore, recommend giving humanity a small break. We should not look upon ourselves with the kind of toxic cynicism which is far too common. We are but children. We are only now beginning to understand the human potential in fulfilling our role as the eyes of the planet. We are only now beginning to understand the human potential as the cognition of the planet in its most sophisticated form.

It should be understood that there is nothing in such a view that automatically contradicts the teachings of the world's major religions.

{If in your opinion I am wrong on this, please tell me why.}

It is, however, to acknowledge a certain nobility at the heart of the human experience and -- as difficult as it may be to imagine -- at the heart of world history, as well.

The anti-Zionist "Dynamic Duo" and the Brazilian Toxic Cartoonist

Michael Lumish

{Also published at The Jewish Press.}

Carlos Latuff is the most prominent antisemitic anti-Zionist cartoonist in the world and has recently done a scribble lionizing everyone's favorite American racists, Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota). For at least a decade his work was (and is) featured in various publications including The Globe Post, Le Monde diplomatique, The Toronto Star, the Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance (JAMI) magazine, Mondoweiss, and even the Brazilian version of Mad magazine.

As a Lebanese-Brazilian proponent of BDS and Jew-Hatred, his scratchings persistently equate Israel with Nazi Germany. The overall body of his work suggests that Nazi Germany is to Israel as Jews in Nazi concentration camps during World War II are to contemporary Palestinian-Arabs.

A piece by Yaron Steinbuch for the New York Post quotes Latuff directly defending this malignant comparison:

“'Of course Israel isn’t building gas chambers in the West Bank, but surely we can find some similarities (my emphases) between the treatment given to Palestinians by the [Israel Defense Forces] and the Jews under Nazi rule,' Latuff said, according to Fox News."

“'My cartoons have no focus on the Jews or on Judaism. My focus is Israel as a political entity,'” he said without explaining why it was necessary to use anti-Jewish tropes to attack the Jewish state."

Yes, surely we can find some similarities between Nazi Germany and Israel and if there are none we can just manufacture whatever malicious nonsense we want.

As an anti-Zionist, needless to say, Latuff does not believe that the Jewish people deserve a state.

It is fine for Italians to have Italy or the French to have France -- to the extent that they still do -- but Latuff considers a Jew building housing for himself and his family in Judea, beyond the so-called "Green Line," if not within the so-called "Green Line," an abomination before humanity.

Ilhan Omar, the Cutesy anti-Zionist -
Credit Fox News

His most recent cartoon comes directly on the heels of Tlaib and Omar's Israel fiasco, wherein Tlaib actually refused to visit her 90-something-year-old grandmother in a town just west of Ramallah if the Israelis insisted that she could not take it as an opportunity to kick Jews in the teeth by promoting BDS. This particular cat-scratch shows Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, putting a forefinger on his lips while covering Tlaib's mouth with his other hand. Beneath that we see the exact same posture but with Donald Trump endeavoring to silence the cute-as-a-little-anti-Zionist button, Omar. Above the image are the words of Tlaib from a tweet reading, “The more they try to silence us, our voices rise. The more they try to weaken us, the stronger we become. The more they try to discredit us, the truth prevails.”

Oh, sure.

The basic message of the cartoon is that Tlaib and Omar are honest actors who represent truth, justice, and the Palestinian / Somalian way, while Netanyahu and Trump are covering for the heinous crimes of the Jews. I would suggest "Israeli Jews," but we all know that antisemitic anti-Zionists, such as Latuff, Tlaib, and Omar, hold the pro-Israel Jewish diaspora as complicit in the supposed crimes of our brothers and sisters in Israel.

Among other such gems, we have a 2007 thing showing a tremendous American Bald Eagle straddling Africa. The claws of the monstrous bird bleed that continent while its enormous beak rips a gaping crimson hole out of north-eastern South America around the location of Venezuela. This obviously shows us what he thinks of the United States.

A recent 2019 scratch shows Israeli soldiers off-boarding a jet in Brumadinho, Brazil in order to assist in the saving of Brazilian lives after a toxic waste dam collapsed killing at least eighty-four people and displacing hundreds of others in January of this year. The Israeli soldiers are greeted on the tarmac by a figure representing Jair Bolsonaro, the President of that country, saying "Welcome to Brumadinho!" In response, a smiling Israeli soldier says, "Sorry for our delay! We're busy killing Palestinians!" The headline preceding the scratch reads, "Brumadhinho: Israel's Publicity Stunt in Brazil." Thus, when Israel undertakes a humanitarian operation within Latuff's country, he uses it as a cynical opportunity to defame the Jewish State, if not the Jewish people of Israel, more generally.

In a blurb directly above the malicious scratch, Latuff wrote:

"Now this contingent of the Israeli army (IDF) was sent to Brazil as “humanitarian aid”, coming from an army which routinely oppresses, brutalizes and kills Palestinians in the occupied territories. It may sound like a joke. A joke in bad taste! Like “pinkwashing” and other PR strategies, this is just another stunt in order to whitewash Israel’s gross human rights violations in the occupied territories of Palestine."

Carlos Latuff (2012)
Credit Wikipedia

Latuff, it must also be noted, came in second place with a scratching for Iran's International Holocaust Cartoon Competition equating Palestinian-Arabs with Jews in Nazi concentration camps, a theme which is a specialty for Latuff. It should not, therefore, surprise the fans of the Democratic Party's anti-American, anti-Zionist, antisemitic "dynamic duo" that they were proud to share the recent defamatory Latuff cartoon with the world on their Instagram accounts.

Ronn Blitzer, of FOX News, tells us, "It is unclear whether Tlaib or Omar were aware of Latuff’s history when they shared the recent cartoon. Fox News reached out to both lawmakers, but they did not immediately respond."

Perhaps by the time you read this they will have responded, although it is highly unlikely that they would do so on or for FOX. Nonetheless, there is no possible way that people as up to their necks in the antisemitic anti-Zionist cause could possibly have been unaware of Carlos Latuff. He is famous for delicious hatred in their circles.

Is or Isn't Israel A Democracy?

Doodad

In the wake of the Omar/Tlaib visit to Israel flap, Omar just today said

"We give Israel more than $3 [billion] in aid every year. This is predicated on them being an important ally in the region and the only democracy in the Middle East. But denying a visit to duly elected members of Congress is not consistent with being an ally, and denying millions of people freedom of movement or expression or self-determination is not consistent with being a democracy,"

 Now that, to me, sounds like she is saying that Israel is NOT a democracy. She also seems to be asking her colleagues, Democrats, to agree and perhaps revisit aid to Israel until it becomes a Democracy. Becoming a Democracy would entail, as far as I can see, allowing her and Tlaib entry despite their BDS and stopping the expansion of settlements on Palestinian lands and ensuring full rights for Palestinians. IOW, following the far left position on I/P which holds Israel at fault and Palestinians as innocent victims driven to killing Jewish babies, teenagers, pregnant moms, etc. through no fault of their own.

I wish Democrats luck in convincing the American public that Israel is not a democracy. This should be some ride.

Spoiled ass, western, Netflix and chill watching posers.

Josh Johnson

{This was written by a Facebook acquaintance who is a bit more straight-forward than I am - ML}

Fake ass poser lefties feigning to care about “Muslims” cuz two anti Semitic bigots got barred from visiting a country they want to boycott. Die mad assholes.

I’ll wait until you REALLY care about how Muslims are treated like shit in Muslim majority countries. Literally every Arab state. Censorship. Repression. Oppression. Apostasy laws. Blasphemy laws. Cutting off hands and feet for theft. Stoning. Honor killings. Torture for dissent. Laws against homosexuality. Mistreatment of Christians and Coptics, and black African immigrants and maids in the gulf states. Liberal Muslims for promoting secularism. Women. Palestinians who are 10th class citizens in nations like Lebanon, including Palestinians IN PALESTINE by their own leaderships.

You’re fake. You’re posers. You’re privileged ass spoiled ROTTEN westerners who take the path of least resistance: to harp on the only j*wish state. The only democracy in the Middle East. The only guarantor of LGBTQ rights in the Middle East. The nation with the longest life expectancy of Arabs of the whole Middle East. The only nation that guarantees them free healthcare (and that includes Palestinians living in area C of the West Bank you dumb Bernie bros hint hint). The literal only pluralistic society in the Middle East that lawfully guarantees civil liberties to all of its citizens, Arab Muslims (who occupy all tiers of social life), and the rest of its non j*wish minorities.

STFU. And stop pretending to care about Muslims because you don’t. You know that you don’t. Because you don’t bat an eye, raise an eyebrow, say one fucking WORD about the hideous, illiberal, oppressive, repressive culture of Arab Muslim majority states and terror states. The victims of which are mostly MUSLIMS.

Spoiled ass, western, Netflix and chill watching posers. You’re not liberal. You’re demented and morally confused. Shut...the fuck...up.

Come back when you actually decide to be a liberal. And not a performative faux liberal. Bitch.

Tired of bowing and scraping

Mike Williams

{This was written by a Facebook acquaintance and a true friend of Israel.}

There is a long history of just getting along and not making waves. The Jews of Germany thought that in 1940, and very few of them survived. I think Jews would be far better off not looking for a fight, but don't back down from one either.

When it was announced that these two were coming, I sincerely hoped that the government would say no. Much to my surprise they finally said, not only no but no thanks you can spread your antisemitism elsewhere. Then instead of backing Israel many of our Jewish organizations backed the Jew haters rather than the Jewish State. That's OK, those of us who live here know that diaspora Jews still fear disapproval from their neighbors, and only want to get along.

Go ahead say the PC things that you think will help you survive, it won't but it might make you feel better. But, when your tired of bowing and scraping to non-Jews just remember that the door is open over here....

Hand Up If You Would Have Picked Your Grandma

Doodad

Yeah. Me too. Grandma wins every time in my book because, well....Grandma.

For Rashida Tlaib, not so much. Politics trumps Grandma. Sad sad sad.

5 reasons Israel was correct to deny Tlaib and Ommar access

Michael Lumish

On Facebook I found myself faced with this question:

I guess Jordan Rapport, James Grosriques, and Johnny Chic and Michael Lumish are best suited to explain why Ben Shapiro and AIPAC both decry this move. So Does Deborah Lipstadt. Very serious conservative thinkers, with serious pro-Israel bonafides, have come out against this move. What am I missing?

This was my response:

You are missing five things. The first is that Israel needs to stop allowing itself to be a groveling whipping-boy to its enemies like Tlaib and Omar. The second is that if Israel had let them into the country it would likely have been much worse as they would have used the opportunity to spotlight anything ugly that they could dig up, real or manufactured.

Third, you are demanding that Israel break its own laws in favor of the whims of demonstrable enemies. Fourth, they had no intention of going to Israel, instead they were going to "Palestine," with the implication that they believe Israel should not exist. They were not intending to engage in either diplomacy or educating themselves about that country. Their itinerary did not even include Israeli representatives, only those from the PA that literally pays young Arab men to kill Jews. Finally, virtually nobody in the US cares or even noticed.

So, let us try to keep things within a reasonable perspective. Israel, as you know, was in a lose-lose situation. It was upon the horns of a dilemma. Nonetheless, within a few weeks, this will be ancient history and the only people that will still care will be a tiny minority of antisemitic anti-Zionists of the kind that support Tlaib and Omar and those, such as ourselves, who seek to defend our brothers and sisters in Israel.

Oh, and by the way, I do not know why Shapiro should be particularly relevant to me given that I am not a conservative.

Michael Lumish

Someone going under the monicker "Robert Frost" wrote the following:

According to the laws of Saudi Arabia, no Jew can live anywhere in Saudi Arabia.

According to the laws of Jordan, selling land to any Jew is punished with death.

According to Muslim majority countries, Jews are perpetually banned from entering Muslim lands.

No college professors complain about these racist laws.

No college students complain about these racist laws.

No college mainstream newspapers complain about these racist laws.

No college politician or lawmakers complain about these racist laws.

The European Union does not complain about these racist laws.

The United Nations does not complain about these racist laws

We all know this very well, but I love its concision and truth.

The Unbearable Lightness of Jewish Whiteness

Michael Lumish

{Also published at the Elder of Zyon and Jews Down Under.}

Attached is a piece by Vic Rosenthal, published at the Elder of Ziyon and his own blog, Abu Yehuda, titled, "Are there 'Arab Jews?'”

He opposes the notion of "Arab Jews" on the basis of historical analysis and an appreciation for the ways that the language we use heavily influences the outcome of the discussion... as he has in the past with terms such as "West Bank", a phrase designed to rob the Jewish people of our heritage within our own historical homeland.

He also references the fact that:

"Some pro-Palestinian writers even suggest that Mizrahi Jews actually have a common interest with Palestinian Arabs, their “brown” brothers, to overthrow the hegemony of “white” Ashkenazi settler-colonialists."

The question of the "whiteness" of Ashkenazi Jews is hot at the moment. It suggests that the Ashkenazim are not ethnically Jewish, but merely Europeans who happen to practice Judaism.

It is an interesting question that I am only really beginning to grapple with.

The truth is that most Ashkenazim have a considerable amount of European blood, but most also have DNA characteristics that primarily go to the Levant and to the Land of Israel.

Arabs often like to call Ashkenazim "white" -- and thus European -- because it implies that we are interlopers in the land of their ancestry... this despite the fact that Arabs are indigenous to the Arabian Peninsula, not Judea and Samaria. This, in turn, justifies violence against our brothers and sisters in Israel.

However, the question of indigeneity does not rest solely upon genetics... although genetics count.

What counts more is if the land of the people represents the source of their culture. That is the defining characteristic of indigeneity. The Ashkenazim, like the Sephardim, are a Jewish colonized people, indigenous to the Land of Israel, who the Romans sent scattering to the winds after the Bar Kochba Rebellion (132 - 136 CE). Naturally, this meant that we took on many of the cultural elements -- such as language and food -- of the generally unfriendly European nations.

The ancestors of Ashkenazi Jews, such as my own, were forced out of Judea and over many centuries found themselves within the Pale of Settlement within eastern Europe where they faced the violent pogroms of those who most certainly did not consider us "white."

But as a people who were kicked out of our native homeland, stripped of our identity and language throughout the many centuries of the diaspora, we are now told by antisemitic anti-Zionists that Israel is no longer really Jewish or, at least. should not be. The Mizrahim may have a place as second-class citizens under Arab rule, but now "Palestine" is decisively Arab or, at least, should be. So go the fantastical midnight dreams of people like Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

As we saw in the news recently Tlaib even suggested that Palestinian-Arabs who attempt to murder Jews in Israel are "activists" while the Jews of Israel, seeking nothing more than to protect their children and their homeland, are dubbed "White Nationalists."

What is particularly troubling, however, are Ashkenazim in the diaspora who refer to themselves as "white." I, too, as an Ashkenazi born outside of New York in 1963 within a Reform community, also was raised to think of myself as "white." But the truth is, we are not. We may have some European ancestry, but we are most definitely not "white."

Furthermore, the word "white," when it comes to people, is not a biological term, but a political term.

In the centuries preceding the second half of the twentieth-century, in Europe and the United States, Jews were never considered on par with the good, actual "white" people. It was only when that word ceased to have positive connotations and, instead, emerged -- in the wake of the New Left -- as an epithet meaning "racist, colonial, oppressor" that -- Ta Da! -- the Jews suddenly became "white" in the eyes of the progressive-left. It is, at least in part for this reason, that all sorts of "progressive" groups, including much of the Democratic Party, consider Jewish-Israelis interlopers onto the land of the alleged "indigenous Arab population."

And it is, for this reason, that much of the western-left actually pays Palestinian-Arabs to murder Jews, including women and children, under Pay-to Slay. Many in the Democratic Party wish to continue this practice wherein US tax-payers pay out many millions of dollars to the Palestinian Authority who then use much of those funds to reward the murderers of Jews within the Jewish homeland.

In the meantime, the Jews of the Middle East (i.e., Jewish-Israelis) will defend themselves whether the Arabs or their Western paymasters like it or not.

Jews are from Judea

Michael Lumish

Jews represent about .02 percent of the world population and about 1.5 percent of the population of the United States. And, yet, we actually have representatives in the US Congress who think that Jews are illegally "occupying" Judea.

These people -- including Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) -- are racist antisemitic anti-Zionists who have found comfortable homes for themselves within the Democratic Party.

It must be understood that Arabs are from the Arabian Peninsula and that Jews are from Judea, otherwise known as Israel.

It was not the Jews that conquered almost the entire Middle East and North Africa.

It was the Arabs who did so. And one of the amazing things about the Arab-Muslim imperial conquests is that they have actually managed to convince the guilt-ridden "white" people of Europe and America that Arabs are indigenous to other peoples' lands.

Forget the Copts and the Kurds and the Yazidis and the Bahai and the Jews.

It all belongs to the Arabs who are currently engaged in a wild genocide of the Christians, who even Euro Christians, including the Pope, simply do not care about.

In truth, the Jews of the Middle East (i.e. Jewish Israelis) are going to defend themselves whether you like it or not.

And if you favor BDS then throw away your fucking cell-phone... you amazing hypocrites.

White People Are The Indigenous People Of North America.

Doodad

Crazy you say? Nutty you say? I want some of what he's smoking you say?  Well, wait a minute. Follow my impeccable logic as backed by the International Community and other woke types as well as Islam.

Jews inhabited the area known as Israel back in the day. Various conquerors drove them out. Arabs eventually immigrated/invaded and became "the indigenous people," of the area; especially those who later named themselves, "Palestinians."  So it came to be that Arabs (from Arabia originally,) came to be the indigenous people of the area once inhabited and ruled by Jews.

See where I'm going with this? I think enough time has passed so that, given this widely accepted model, we can say that White people are now the Indigenous people of North America.

If you have a problem with this, take it up with all the various Pro-Palestinian types out there. I don't make the rules.

Clarifying anti-Zionism and Jew hatred

Sar Shalom

One of the difficulties in explaining that anti-Zionism is just another form of Jew hatred is that many anti-Zionists have no objection to Jews thriving in Europe and America or would even consider a Jew as head-of-state for their own country. This table explains why support for Jewish well-being in the west does not excuse the denial of Jews' rights in their native homeland.

The proper social order, based on locale, according to:
Domain	Jew Hatred	Anti-Zionism
Christendom	Jews should live under Christians' heel	Absolutely no restrictions of any kind on Jews are acceptable
Dar-al-Islam	Jews should live under Muslims' heel	Jews should live under Muslims' heel

A more sophisticated version of the lower-right cell is "If Muslims feel oppressed by not being allowed to keep Jews under their heel, they must be allowed to keep Jews under their heel." However, the practical effect is the same. Anti-Zionists and Jew haters assign Jews the exact same role in the social order in Dar-al-Islam.