Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Friday 27 July 2012

Stand & Deliver For Israel's Slain Olympians

The London Jewish Chronicle reveals the substance of a distressing meeting that the widows of two of the eleven murdered members of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team have had in London with Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee.

The widows of Andrei Spitzer,who was the team's fencing coach, and of Yossef Romano, who was a weightlifter, handed Rogge  a petition, signed by 105,000 people, that requested a minute's silence for the Israeli victims 40 years after their deaths in Munich at the hands of terrorists.

But despite the widows' heart-wrenching pleas Rogge remained adamant that there will be no such mark of respect at the opening of this year's games.
Inter alia, Mrs Spitzer told the Jewish Chronicle:
"I asked him 'is it because they were Israelis?' and he didn't answer."
A reaction from the IOU president that is eloquent in its silence.

Earlier, Mrs Spitzer said regarding the IOC's stance:
"In London we are told that it is not in the protocol of the opening ceremony. I'm sure it is not in the protocol that our husbands went home in coffins.  We just want them to be remembered as athletes, they don't have to say Israelis. As members of the Olympic family they should be honoured at the Olympics."
She called on ticketholders to mark the anniversary by rising to their feet for a moment when Rogge speaks at the Opening Ceremony.

As José Maria Aznar observed in a crackerjack article in the London Times (24 July) that roundly denounced Israel's exclusion from the recent Global Counter-Terrorism Forum in Istanbul:
"Remembering is important, first, because of the victims, but also because many Europeans adopted the wrong attitude towards Palestinian terrorism after the Munich attack. The culprits who were arrested were later quietly released for fear of further attacks. And because of that initial fear the terrorists knew how to take advantage of the situation and to press for more rewards.
.... Terrorism is not a natural phenomenon; it doesn't happen spontaneously; it's not something ethereal. It can and must be fought using all the tools provided by the law and democracy - and most importantly, it can be defeated if there is the will to defeat it. Israel has provided ample proof that it possesses that will, since its own existence is at stake.
To marginalise or isolate Israel to avoid irritating Turkey is a big mistake. All of the Middle East, from Morocco to the Gulf, is undergoing profound, although not always peaceful, change, which is yielding very disturbing results. Although the elections in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt are something new and promising for the region, Syria is immersed in civil war and there is a danger that the region's largest arsenal of chemical weapons will spin out of control and become available to anyone - as happened with Libya's portable anti-aircraft missiles, which disappeared after the fall of of Colonel Gaddafi.
 In Egypt, the rise of Islamism threatens economic and political stability. Hezbollah is still in Lebanon, keeping alive its goal of eliminating Israel –  just as members of Hamas do in Gaza. Despite sanctions, Iran is moving forward with the development of a nuclear bomb in its effort to become the regional leader and to export its Islamist and revolutionary ideology as widely as possible. There are also other areas in turmoil that directly affect Europe, such as the Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara, which is now becoming dominated by al-Qaeda.
Isolation not only renders Israel weaker against its enemies, but also makes all Westerners weaker.  And the practitioners of terrorism know all too well how to exploit our differences.
Remembering Munich 40 years on should be a useful reminder of our successes and failures. It should help us to enhance our collective abilities to fight terrorism. Israel is key in this fight.Israel is a part of the West. Israel is not the problem; it is part of the solution. We will become the problem if we continue to cold-shoulder Israel, the country most affected by terrorism and, possibly, the one that knows best how to defeat it...."
To quote the British Zionist Federation:
"As you are aware, there have been a number of campaigns urging the IOC to hold a minutes’ silence during the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics. Unfortunately the IOC has decided against this commemoration. So, the Zionist Federation UK is inviting you to join us in remembering the 11 murdered Israeli Athletes.
On the morning of the Opening Ceremony, 27th July, we are asking people all over the world to stop for one minute and stand in silence as a personal tribute to those who lost their lives in the 1972 Munich Massacre. Wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing, please join us and stand in silence for one minute in silence as we remember.
We will also be holding a short memorial service that will be streamed live via a webcast from 10.45am. You will be able to view this at www.minuteformunich.org.."
See also

5 comments:

  1. The philistines are pleased with Rogge.
    PA official applauds decision to forgo ‘racist’ moment of silence for Munich victims
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/pa-official-thanks-olympic-president-for-rejecting-moment-of-silence/

    as usual they celebrate with gunfire.
    Palestinian Olympic goalie, Red Crescent staffers held for West Bank shooting
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/red-crescent-employees-arrested-for-shooting-attack/

    OT
    Channel 9, the official Olympics channel, doesn’t appear to have any country profiles!

    Channel 7 Olympics site
    Israel
    Official Languages Hebrew (official)
    http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/israel/

    Palestine
    National Languages Arabic, Hebrew
    http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/palestine/

    Of course Israel’s official languages are Hebrew AND Arabic. I can’t imagine the Palies, even in the WB, using Hebrew!
    I must check out broadcasters in other countries.

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  2. OT
    Viral Response to BBC's Map: Olympic Team Salutes to Jerusalem
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzJ_V1LdFSs

    In stark contrast to
    White House Won't Name Capital Of Israel
    http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/07/26/White-House-Wont-Name-Capital-Of-Israel

    ReplyDelete
  3. From the British Israel Coalition:
    PRESS RELEASE
    Hundreds gather in Trafalgar Square to remember 11 murdered Israeli athletes
    This morning at 10.45 BST around 400 people gathered in London's Trafalgar Square at a vigil organised by the British Israel Coalition, to remember the athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The gathering was a response to the International Olympic Committee's sustained refusal to include a minute of silence in the opening ceremony due to be held tonight.
    Ari Soffer, director of the British Israel Coalition said "it is shameful that the IOC has refused to hold just one minute of silence at any official Olympic event here in London. We are here today to remember the Israeli victims of this brutal attack, and to show that the Olympics must never again be allowed to be highjacked by violent murderers for their own narrow political aims."
    The crowd paid their respects by collectively reciting the Jewish mourning prayer, the "Kaddish", and also read out a memorial prayer listing the names of the 11 slain athletes. A minute of silence was help, as Israeli flags were lowered in respect, and the Israeli and British national anthems were sung. Organisers said they still hope the IOC will include a minute of silence in the opening ceremony.
    Jonathan Sacerdoti, Director of the Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy, said "by refusing the request for a minute of silence in the opening ceremony, the IOC has made far more political a statement than they ever would have by granting it. Terrorism is the enemy of everything for which the Olympics stands. If anything, the threat has got worse since the Munich attack, making it even more important that we remember it today."

    Notes:
    The British Israel Coalition is an umbrella organisation of pro Israel groups based in the United Kingdom. Its members are drawn from all faiths and backgrounds, including a strong Muslim contingency. It coordinates regular gatherings in London and around the UK in support of the state of Israel.

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  4. The service at the Jewish Board of Deputies in Sydney was very moving. The numbers were small because it was a last minute idea. I received and email about 3 hours before the event.

    http://www.jwire.com.au/news/australia-remembers/26804#more-26804

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  5. Guri Weinberg's interview from Fox News is a must read: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/27/why-ioc-will-never-memorialize-72-munich-massacre/?fb_action_ids=10150993423884748&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210150993423884748%22%3A10150976090352883%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210150993423884748%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=[]

    There is only one reason that the murdered Israeli athletes were ignored in London and that reason is Jew hatred.

    ReplyDelete

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