Among the Antisemitic Outrages, An Alleged Jew-Baiter Sends Jews Sends His Love

When Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson made this very telling video for Chanukah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYG_DnYhKYc

he obviously cannot have known of the very latest of the recent antisemitic outrages in the United States:

Meanwhile, across the Herring Pond in two adjoining leafy suburbs of London, including on a synagogue (see report and further photos here):

Above: How the BBC described the daubing; Sizer please note

I wonder what the Reverend Dr Stephen Sizer (the now ex-vicar of leafy Virginia Water in Surrey) who tweeted this

makes of the fact that the calumny represented (which seems to have begun with the American Far Right but which, sadly, also featured in a book of his, published in 2004 by the Inter Varsity Press) thinks of those developments in London this Chanukah.

As CEO of the so-called Peacemakers Trust, Sizer's still blazing away with his Israel-hatred

(Don't blame Israel for the plight of Gaza's Christians, vicar. Blame Hamas. For starters, see here)

Warning: sick bucket alert.

In the meantime, this old political rogue has the gall to send Jews his love!

Islamophobia? Not on Our Watch, insist the UK's Trembling Israelites

It seems hard to believe (actually, perhaps it doesn't, given today's onslaught on the Judeo-Christian tradition and the consequent neglect in schools of scriptural teaching) that people actually grew up thinking that Islam preceded Judaism and Christianity, but some viewers of this video are claiming just that!

It seems hard to believe, given the zeal with which the Left attacks male sexists of the Western kind, that they, with honorable exceptions, turns a blind eye to such excrescences as these, committed by Muslim men against non-Muslim females.

It seems especially hard to believe that in Britain Jewish leaders, with honorable exceptions, are so lily-livered that they are prepared to undermine one of the most courageous, astute and perspicacious of Jewish commentators on the current scene, namely that wonderful lady Melanie Phillips, in their anxiety not to transgress political correctness.

Cerebral British blogger Edgar Davidson pulls no punches in his indictment of such cravenness.  He calls Jewish Chronicle [JC] editor Stephen Pollard "an idiot", for instance, and thunders inter alia:

'Pollard is part of the elitist clique who think they know what’s best for British Jews (and he’s by no means the worst). We have seen with the recent decision by the Jewish 'leadership'  to demonize and silence Colonel Richard Kemp and Melanie Phillips (see articles by Jonathan Hoffman and David Collier about this), that they will not tolerate anybody who dares raise concerns about Islamic antisemitism and terrorism.

They have bought into the whole "Islamophobia" narrative in an attempt to appease people like Baroness Warsi (who claims to oppose antisemitism while being a vicious enemy of the Jewish state, whipping up antisemitic hatred of it among British Muslims).

 What started with the demonization of Tommy Robinson, Geert Wilders, Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer (all true friends of Israel and the Jewish people) and then Katie Hopkins and Douglas Murray, was never going to end with just them. Now they seek to silence anybody on the 'right' of politics who raises these concerns and even accuse anybody who supports them of being 'racists'.  So, while many of the Jewish community's best friends are shunned by the Jewish leadership, that same leadership is happy to work with (and even invite to communal events): Israel-hating agitators like Warsi, antisemitic anti-Israel leftist Muslims like Naz Shah, and any number of left-wing politicians and activists who supported both Corbyn and the boycott campaign against Israel.

The Board of Deputies, The Jewish Leadership Council, CST [Community Security Trust], the JC and even recently the CAA [Campaign Against Antisemitism] are all complicit in the "Islamophobia" narrative. They are failing Britan's Jews.'  [Emphasis added]

It might be added that realists in Australia who tell things as they are (members of the Australian Jewish Association, for example, and distinguished scholars of Islam like the Anglican clergyman Rev. Mark Durie) are also vilified as "Islamophobes" by Jewish "leaders" who should know better.

With regard to Melanie Phillips (see her article here), a thread recently appeared on Twitter, in response to this cri-de-coeur by a Scottish convert revert to Islam, "journalist" (check out the grammar!) Alex Tiffin:

Despite (or perhaps because of) British Jews' well-founded fear of the antisemitism of the hard left exemplified by Corbyn and his henchmen and henchwomen of the hard left, Tiffin attracted such replies as these:

Oh!

I almost forgot to mention that Mr Tiffin is none other than a would-be Labour MP, who caused a kerfuffle north of the Border with threats of violence against infidels a few years ago.

Nor have I yet mentioned that one of the posts above was written by someone who apparently joined in the fun and games when (years ago, on an online forum) a toxic Israel-hater abused me so viciously and in such a defamatory, antisemitic and threatening  manner, posting my contact details on pro-Arab sites, and so on,  that the dear old UK police promised to get on the case, only to botch the entire exercise, doing nothing at all, despite knowing the abuser's identity and exact whereabouts and being provided with a copious amount of screenshots that would have comfortably allowed a prosecution (the Mr Plods sat on these until the expiration of the time period in which such evidence could validly be presented in court!) 

Funny old world innit.

Light Over Darkness: Hope Raised at Chanukah

Kol HaKavod to the UAE's Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. Happy Chanukah to my Jewish readers, and Merry Christmas to my Christian ones.

A peaceful and prosperous 2020 to all.

A tweet yesterday by that great guy Hillel Neuer, of the admirable hypocrisy-exposing UN Watch:

For Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and others like him, all praise.

Light over darkness indeed.

BBC Bias: Where is the Board of Deputies?

Al Beeb's wonky alibi: that both sides accuse them of bias

'The BBC openly admits it is a leftist monoculture where right leaning thought is unwelcome (and unlikely to be hired). Driven by a passion for “woke” social engineering, it has lost most of its credibility hard won over many decades. I disagree strongly with being legally forced to pay for its monstrous overpaid bureaucracy and unwanted propaganda. Let it fund itself from the market and if it fails, it is no loss. It has ceased to be a credible voice for the UK and its programming has moved from exemplary to dire in a generation.'

So states, and it's spot-on, one of the numerous respondents to an apologia for the BBC written recently on Linked In by BBC newsreader and presenter Huw Edwards. 

To quote Craig, who co-runs that splendid site, Is the BBC Biased?:

'All I'll say about it in advance is:

- that Huw obviously isn't a happy bunny.

- that in Paragraph 1 Huw puts on his tin foil hat and pushes a conspiracy theory that most criticisms of the BBC over bias are part of some malign attempt to "cause chaos and confusion" and "undermine trust in institutions" rather than being manifestations of genuine anger by large numbers of licence-fee-paying (and non-licence-fee-paying) individuals. He sounds slightly hysterical and silly, don't you think?

- that Huw's tone of chippy complacency might not be the best way of winning the argument.

- that Huw seems oblivious to the point that it's actually groupthink arising from the BBC's narrow recruitment processes which is the main problem (similar backgrounds, similar outlooks); indeed, he maintains the remarkable proposition that the BBC consists  "of all backgrounds...and outlooks", which is demonstrably untrue.

- that the 'complaints from both/all sides' argument doesn't hold water, never mind how many times it's repeated by BBC supporters. Some sides may be right, others not.

- that the BBC's rage against "the social media age" is becoming ever more strident.'

There are many reasons to despise the BBC's news and current affairs output: its disgraceful flouting of its Charter and its Producers' Guidelines, which obligate it to be impartial and objective in its reportage and commentary; its smun self-congratulatory assumption that it provides the best in journalism (despite frequent lapses nowadays into dodgy grammar like the one seen in this screenshot: even not-so-young Beeboids seem to have dispensed with correct plurals); its growing obsession with jumping on anti-white and anti-male bandwagons in its choice of "news" items; its reflection of Guardianista-type concerns in its online pages; its choice of the leftist Guardian, alone of newspapers, as a vehicle in which to advertise job vacancies; its frequent anti-Israel slant.

One of the respondents to Huw Edwards' rant is none other than fellow Beeboid David Waddell, who echoes an old but discredited BBC standby:

In the lead up to Christmas, the BBC, its in-house tolerance for its own overt anti-Israel bias originating with pro-CAABU presenter Keith Kyle back in the 1960s as I show here,  has been indulging its devious habit of cramming its Yuletide content full of brazenly biased stories concerning Israel and the Palestinian Arabs Palestinians.

Some of these articles are gratuitous pieces of planted anti-Israel propaganda thinly disguised as objective news reports; others are ostensibly newsworthy items too aggressively pimped and too abundantly laced with anti-Israel propaganda to smack of objective reportage.

We haven't yet, as far as I'm aware, had a repeat of Al Beeb's much-hyped stories about Palestinian shepherds and wise men (that it has in the past had a habit of carrying along with The Guardian, no coincidence apparent).

But, that may be to come, and very shortly. 

Meanwhile, for instance, on BBC Newsround, aimed at youthful audiences, we've recently had this arboreal extravaganza, in which no less than three Palestinian Christmas trees (in Bethlehem, in Gaza, and in Ramallah) were given starring roles in a post that featured a total of just seven "around the world".  Another of the BBC's features aiming to turn youngsters against Israel, of course.

Both BBCWatch (see its post here, in the aftermath of its original, after which Al Beeb increased the total number of trees from seven to eleven!)  and David Collier highlighted that grotesque piece, most ably.

And then there was this, Barbara Plett Usher's report from a Christian Palestinian village, the supposed sanctuary of St Barbara, which as well as making a dishonestly phrased swipe at Israel happily glossed over the reasons for the diminution of the Christian minority in region; BBCWatch has the report's measure here and concludes:

'it is interesting to see that Barbara Plett Usher chose to highlight that vague and context-free story from over seventeen years ago in what was billed as a report about a Christian feast day while ignoring the fact that a church in the same village was vandalised just months ago.'

(As Barbara Plett, Usher, whose late husband Graham was an anti-Israel journalist-activist, notoriously cried for the old rogue Arafat when he was on his deathbed, of course.)

The BBC's penchant for liaising with the leftist Israel-bashing group B'Tselem for stories and for opinions regarding developments in Israel can be seen in this beat-up.

And now we have this:

'A manger scene by British artist Banksy has appeared at a hotel in Bethlehem in the West Bank.

Dubbed the "Scar of Bethlehem", the work shows Jesus's manger by Israel's separation barrier, which appears to have been pierced by a blast, creating the shape of a star.

On Instagram, the artist said the work was a "modified Nativity".

Israel says the barrier is needed to prevent terror attacks. Palestinians say it is a device to grab land.

The International Court of Justice has called it illegal.

Banksy's work is in Bethlehem's Walled Off hotel, which is itself a collaboration between the hotel's owners and the artist.

Hotel manager Wissam Salsaa said Banksy had used the Christmas story to show how Palestinians in the West Bank were living.

"It is a great way to bring up the story of Bethlehem, the Christmas story, in a different way - to make people think more," he said....'

BBCWatch does yeoman service in exposing the arrogant Corporation's frequent antipathy towards the unbiased truth regarding the Israel-Arab conflict.  But what of the official communal leadership of British Jewry?

Where, one wonders, is the Board of Deputies of British Jews in all of this?  Do they protest BBC bias as strenuously as they should? Or are they content to see public opinion influenced by Israel's foes? 

It is not pro-Israel bias that critics of the BBC's Middle East coverage seek.  It is scrupulous objectivity that they expect on the part of the licence-funded national broadcaster.

David Singer: Israel Now Needs Miracle to Set Secure and Recognized Boundaries

Internet troubles due to the installment  of the Land of Oz's National Broadband Network forced me to cool my heels for a week.  But now, with no further ado, here is the latest article by Sydney lawyer and international affairs analyst David Singer.

He writes:

History will not kindly recall Israel’s power-hungry politicians who have forced a third election within twelve months on Israeli voters at a direct cost of another US$135 million.

The politicians’ inability to form a Government of National Unity is derelict – especially after Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin entreated them to do so.

The Jewish calendar is replete with both happy and sad times in the history of the Jewish people spanning thousands of years – faithfully remembered on each anniversary.

The period between 18 November 2019 and 11 December 2019 – which I call The Time of Missed Opportunity – could qualify for inclusion in that calendar.

18 November marks the day US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that the US did not regard Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) as being inconsistent with international law.

11 December marks the last day a Government of National Unity could have been formed to finally set Israel’s secure and recognized boundaries under Security Council Resolution 242 – within which the Jewish people would reconstitute the Jewish National Home 100 years after the San Remo Convention laid the groundwork on 25 April 1920.

Israel and the Jewish World have been divided as to where those boundaries should be – particularly since Judea and Samaria (the disputed territories) were conquered by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War enabling Jews to return and live there after having been expelled and driven out in 1948 by six invading Arab armies.

Israelis espouse views ranging from extending Israeli sovereignty to all the disputed territories to sovereignty over none. Compromise somewhere in between could have possibly been found with a Government of National Unity making consensus decisions acceptable to the overwhelming majority of Israel’s population.

Two deadlocked Israeli elections in April and September 2019 have exposed a very disturbing political rift among Israeli voters as Israel confronts its Arab neighbours who seek to destroy it – and its international enemies at the United Nations who seek to deny that Jews have any legal right to live in the disputed territories guaranteed by article 6 of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the United Nations Charter.

This Jewish divisiveness has a bitter parallel in Jewish history – the Bible recounting that on the succession of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, around 930 BCE, the land of Israel split into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel (including the cities of Nablus and Samaria) in the north and the Kingdom of Judah (containing Jerusalem) in the south. These kingdoms remained separate states for over two hundred years.

Yuval Diskin – Israel’s former internal security chief – warned in 2015 that this could happen again:

“The two-state solution is becoming true for the Jews: The State of Judea is being built de facto side by side with the State of Israel. These are two nations whose differences are eclipsing their commonalities, a condition that is growing irreversible.
The State of Judea has different standards, different approaches to democracy, and it has two justice systems, one for Jews (Israeli law) and the other for Palestinians (martial law). Whether we want it or not, these two justice systems have divergent measures to adjudicate identical offences”.

Israel’s politicians – in rejecting a Government of National Unity and opting for a third election – have not acted in the national interest. They have chosen to continue political division and pursue personal ambition to achieve political power – rather than seeking national unity.

A third deadlocked election is the miracle and opportunity Israel needs to enable a Government of National Unity to set Israel’s boundaries.

 Author’s note: The cartoon – commissioned exclusively for this article—is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators –  whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades. His cartoons can be viewed at Drybonesblog.

David Singer: Trump, Netanyahu and Gantz Can End in 2020 What Began in 1920

Here's the latest article by Sydney lawyer and international affairs analyst David Singer.

He writes:

Designating the territory for reconstitution of the Jewish National Home in Palestine – begun with the San Remo Convention and Treaty of Sevres in April and August 1920 respectively – could finally be completed 100 years later in 2020.

Achieving this long-overdue outcome will require Israel to forma Government of National Unity by 11 December 2019 – headed initially by Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister for a minimum term of six months  – enabling the new Parliament to ratify those areas of Judea and Samaria to which Israeli sovereignty will be extended as delineated by the Government.

This Unity Government should ideally hold at least 80 of the 120 seats in the Knesset so that there is an overwhelming majority of Israel’s elected politicians supporting any determinative decisions made by the Knesset in relation to Judea and Samaria.

Israel has been presented with this amazing opportunity following President Trump’s Secretary for State – Mike Pompeo – issuing this declaration on 19 November 2019:

“After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees with President Reagan. The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law.”

Pompeo’s statement followed US Ambassador to Israel – David Friedman – stating on 8 June 2019:

“Under certain circumstances I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank.”

Friedman had then cautioned:

“We really don’t have a view until we understand how much, on what terms, why does it make sense, why is it good for Israel, why is it good for the region, why does it not create more problems than it solves.These are all things that we’d want to understand, and I don’t want to prejudge.”

Friedman  will get the  answers with the formation of Israel’s Government of National Unity – which hangs delicately by a thread and can vanish into thin air if it does not gain some oxygen by midnight on 11 December.

Fresh  elections  on  3  March 2020  – for  the  third time  in  a year – will then become mandatory and this wonderful opportunity will have flown out the window.

It would be a national disgrace and betrayal of Israelis and Jews worldwide if Israel’s political parties allowed their political differences and personal rivalries  to stymie the opportunity to determine the area within which the reconstitution of the Jewish National Home will be mandated after 100 years of fighting many wars and diplomatic battles.

Israel’s extended boundaries would be determined in coordination with President Trump and ratified over the next six months.

The fact that no Arab interlocutors will participate in any such decision-making process is regrettable.

However continuing Arab intransigence in refusing to commit to negotiate with Israel on Trump’s still unreleased deal  of  the  century – despite Trump’s best efforts to involve their participation in such decision-making with Israel – leaves Trump with no other option.

A Unity Government could be  reasonably  expected to agree to  extend Israel’s sovereignty  to  about 75% of Area C – about 45% of Judea and Samaria.

Gantz reportedly told close associates he is: 

“ready to make tough decisions in the coming days”.

 Hopefully Gantz as Deputy Prime Minister can rise to the occasion and allow Netanyahu – enjoying a unique  relationship  with  Trump – to  head  a  Government  of  National  Unity  to  grab  this once in  a hundred years opportunity.

An unprecedented – almost miraculous -confluence of events has emerged since Israel’s second-deadlocked September elections – that cries out for a national consensus and historic response by Trump, Netanyahu and Gantz.

Seize the moment – seize the day....

Author’s note:The cartoon – commissioned exclusively for this article—is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”-one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators – whose cartoons have graced the columns  of  Israeli  and  international  media  publications  for  decades.  His  cartoons  can  be  viewed at Drybonesblog.

At London Anti-Antisemitism Rally, a Super Hero Steals the Show (video)

An open air rally under the auspices of the Campaign Against Antisemitism has been held in Westminster near the Houses of Parliament.

The message was an honourable although distinctly anodyne one: "Together Against Antisemitism".

That great friend of Jews and Israel, Colonel Richard Kemp, had been due to speak but was declared persona non grata owing to last minute concerns that his "Islamophobic" would not reflect well on the event.   (Let's hope that this gutless development will not set a precedent.)

In Kemp's absence the star of the event was expected to be actress Tracey Ann Oberman.  But she was upstaged by a guy in a green cap.

You see, she, like the organisers, was evidently unhappy with the"politicisation" of the event by attendees holding anti-Corbyn placards.

At the organisers' request, person after person can be seen on this video meekly putting away their signs.

But the guy wearing the green cap, was, as usual, made of sterner stuff.

The "Racist Corbyn Unfit to Be PM" sign remained proudly aloft in his grasp, to the consternation of the organisers and Miss Oberman, until he was knocked about a bit.

Watch the contretemps unfold, as the guy in the green hat refuses to yield his placard ...

He is, of course,  that Zionist activist whose courage and tenacity have made him a legend on his own time, super hero Jonathan Hoffman, that's who!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QFJrWJVxjo