Release Meir Ettinger!

It's getting beyond ridiculous that the esteemed and experienced and professional Israeli Police after over six months haven't been able to prove any real connection between Meir Ettinger and the Duma fire, but they refuse to admit defeat and have been holding him in jail.

Meir Ettinger at a hearing

Ammar Awad/Reuters

Ettinger was placed on administrative detention more than seven months ago. The initial order, signed by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Likud) was only for six months. About a month and a half ago, Ya'alon order it to be extended for an additional four months. (Arutz 7)

Now the young man, instead of being around to enjoy the birth of his first child and help his wife and live like a normal person is still jailed with bare minimum conditions, almost incommunicado. Meir Ettinger and his family are begging the authorities to release him for a few hours to attend the Brit Milah, circumcision of his firstborn son.

Could the real reason he is suspected and being held regardless of the fact that no court-kosher proof seems to exist be the fact that he is the grandson of Rabbi Meir Kahana? Now I was never a fan nor follower of Kahana, but I never liked the way he was treated here by those in power. And to be honest I don't like the fact that his grandson is being punished for the fact that the Israeli government, police, politicians etc seem to believe/fear there is some great mystic power in the name and genes...

Insane! Israeli Laws Endanger Soldiers and Civilians!

Only are we Jewish Israelis supposed to protect our enemies instead of protecting ourselves.

Sorry, can't credit the source for this photo with caption. I got it off of facebook.

In this the soldier is checking with his officer for instructions when under attack:

"I don't understand. Only if I'm hit by rocks over five kilo (12 lbs) I can return fire, or is it up to five kilo?"

This "joke" is based on true situations.

IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians have been  arrested for defending themselves. We are told that only if we can prove that our "lives are in danger" do we have the right to react to attacks. The big problem is that waiting puts our lives in danger. If we're attacked we must be legally permitted to respond and defend ourselves just like anyone anyplace else in the world.

Many soldiers have been told by their families:

"We'd rather see you jailed than dead."

Honenu versus the Israeli Mainstream Media

I've been a supporter of Honenu for years.  It's the legal aid organization for Jews/Israelis unfairly targeted by the government.

Honenu is an Israeli Zionist legal aid organization which offers legal assistance to our people to protect and preserve their rights to receive a fair judicial process. We provide legal services to approximately 1000 arrestees a year. Soldiers and civilians who find themselves in legal entanglements due to defending themselves against Arab aggression, or due to their love for Israel, have an organization that will come to their aid 24 hours a day. In the Arab-Jewish conflict in Israel there are dozens of foreign funded organizationshelping our enemies. We are there for those loyal to the Jewish people.

Following is one of their latest reports:

Peace Now removed post defaming Honenu from their Facebook page
Posted on February 26, 2014 by adminWednesday, February 26, 16:07 Following a letter from Yosef Ben Baruch warning the left wing organization Peace Now of a lawsuit, they were forced to remove a post from their Facebook page entitled “The extreme right – Not at our expense!”
Post on Peace Now’s Facebook page, later removed
The post continued, “Until today you did not know that you also are funding the extreme right wing non-profit organization Honenu which defends murderers and ‘price tag’ criminals.
“A special investigation by Peace Now reveals that this non-profit organization [Honenu] (alongside other right wing non-profits), enjoys a benefit [the 46a clause] intended to assist non-profit organizations working for the good of the community, and succeeds in causing all of us to pay for its operation.
“This is the time to demand that the finance minister immediately cancel the 46a [clause] for the extreme right wing non-profit organizations and to stop the funding granted to them at our expense.”
To the post was attached an announcement discouraging donations to Honenu, an organization which assists “terrorists”, according to Peace Now, and calling on Finance Minister Yair Lapid to cancel Honenu’s eligibility for the 46a clause. It should be noted that in the announcement a photograph of Yosef Ben Baruch appears with a caption accusing him of being one of the organizers of the Bat Ayin Underground, despite the fact that over 10 years ago he was exonerated by the court of any involvement with the Bat Ayin incidents. Ben Baruch sent a letter to Peace Now warning them of a 250,000 NIS lawsuit.
Additionally attorney Doron Nir Tzvi, who is representing Honenu and the Shomron Settlers’ Council, sent a warning letter to Israeli Channel 2 following a broadcast by commentator Amnon Abramovitz on the February 21 Friday night program Ulpan Shishi.
In the letter sent to Channel 2 and to Amnon Abramovitz, Nir Tzvi states that “In the latest Ulpan Shishi of 21/2/14 a program of Mr. Abramovitz was broadcast of which the heading on the Internet page is “Operating Illegally and Receiving Benefits”. From this fraudulent heading and also the concluding statement of Mr. Abramovitz (“The non-profit organizations which operate illegally …”) the understanding is that Honenu (with which the body of the broadcast deals) operates illegally, whereas the organization holds a certificate of sound management and has never carried out an illegal act.”
Also in the letter Nir Tzvi demanded on behalf of Honenu and the Shomron Settlers’ Council that Channel 2 promptly publicize an apology the size, placement and wording of which will be determined beforehand and in writing by his clients. Also the letter demanded that Channel 2 immediately remove or change the fraudulent heading.
The letter continued, “Furthermore in the broadcast a video clip was shown without credit given to my client – the Shomron Settlers’ Council – and giving fraudulent credit to Channel 2. Also photographs from the Honenu website were used without permission and without giving credit. You are hereby required to compensate my clients with the sum of 50,000 NIS for theft of the aforementioned rights and to immediately remove the video clip and the photographs from [your page and website] on the Internet.
“Needless to say Mr. Abramovitz did not take the trouble to receive Honenu’s response to the defamatory broadcast about the organization, which is in violation of the Rules of Journalistic Ethics, and my client will consider filing a complaint on the matter with the Israel Press Council.”
It should be noted that the Channel 2 broadcast aired on Friday, February 21 after Yariv Oppenheimer, the director of Peace Now, approached other media networks over the previous few weeks with the same material. The material had been published previously in an article by Haaretz journalist Uri Blau in said newspaper; no media other than Channel 2 agreed to take the rehashed, recycled material. At the time the claims were published in the Haaretz article they were examined by the relevant authorities who confirmed that contributions to Honenu are tax exempt under the 46a clause.
Honenu responds: “Despite the impression given by the Channel 2 broadcast, Honenu does not receive any assistance or a budget from the State of Israel. All of Honenu’s work is accomplished through ‘grass roots’ efforts. Honenu works to promote the purpose for which the organization was founded, the purpose which was authorized by the National Registrar of Non-Profit Organizations and deemed eligible for the 46a clause. In the broadcast and from the statements by Amnon Abramovitz it seems that there is a cynical and ugly attempt to influence the decisions of a high-ranking judge in Israel.
“At the core of democracy is the rights of the individual, the right to a fair trial, the right to be innocent until proven guilty. Honenu will continue to assist soldiers and civilians who find themselves in legal entanglements due to defending themselves against Arab aggression, or due to their love for Israel. Peace Now’s campaign is prejudicial against a certain segment of the population and we urge those who are interested in justice for all to contribute to Honenu.”

Please share this and support Honenu!

Gush Katif 5th Commemoration Round-up

Gush Katif 5th Commemoration Round-up
by Sara Layah Shomron

This time of year is hard for me, as it has been for the past five years. We're approaching the commemoration of the uprooting from Gush Katif and its destruction. Gush Katif is at the forefront of my mind as memories shadow me, yet time passes and we've tried to progress despite the almost unimaginable loss.


My family is part of the new Neve Dekalim community at Nitzan, not the caravilla site, which we were glad to leave, rather the new Neve Dekalim community adjoining the pre-existing dati-leumi (national religious) Nitzan community. This video (featuring my daughter Nechama!) updates on the various Gush Katif community building projects. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdxv3I6vww0


I'll be doing a few things to commemorate the uprooting. From July 13th - 15th I'll be attending the International English Teachers' summer conference at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem where, as official publicist, I'll promote my daughter Shifra Shomron's book, "Grains of Sand: The Fall of Neve Dekalim" at a display table in the exhibition hall. The book will also be featured in the conference's July 13th poster session, "Teenager's Voice-Grains of Sand: The Fall of Neve Dekalim." I'll give a brief presentation and then Shifra will take the floor. For a sneak preview, please click on the link to our poster session's handout: http://www.slideshare.net/ETAI2010/teenagers-voice-grains-of-sand-the-fall-of-neve Click on zoom+ (directly below the bottom of the handout page) to enlarge the print. It is especially exciting to see that Gush Katif is represented at this very important international conference.


My family will also be participating in some of the 70 Gush Katif commemoration events planned throughout the country. We invite you to join us. Please mark your calendar and look to attend. For a memorial event near you, contact the Gush Katif Committee, tel. (08) 973-8000, or the new English language website, www.gushkatif.org which is worth a look even after the events are over.


The last two items below are posted on the INN Facebook discussion section. I encourage you to let people know what you are doing to mark the 5th commemoration:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=102510354100&topic=15332


1) Monday, 12 July, at 20:00, at the Petach Tikva Sharet Hall, next to the Municipality of Petah Tikva:
The program is in Hebrew. Rabbi Raffi Peretz of the Atzmona Mechina and Anita Tucker from Netzer Hazani.


2) Thursday, 15 July, from 19:30-21:15, at the OU Center, Jerusalem.
(22 Keren Hayesod Street):
A program especially created for English speakers will take place next week, Thursday, 15 July, from 19:30-21:15, at the OU Center, Jerusalem. It will feature speakers Dror Vanunu, International Coordinator of the Gush Katif Fund and Rachel Saperstein, Director of Operation Dignity. An exclusive film produced by the Gush Katif Committee will be shown. This is one of 70 such events taking place across the country.


3) Thursday, 22 July, from 15:00-21:00, at the OU Center, Jerusalem:
Exactly one week later at the same venue, a special event SALUTING YESHA ARTISTS will take place, G-d willing, with the majority of the artists participating being former residents of GUSH KATIF. The occasion will also serve as a benefit for the organization HONENU which provides support and legal counseling for Jews who run afoul of the authorities while defending Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. Come to the Israel Center ( Keren Hayesod Street 22) between 15:00-21:00 on Thursday, 11 Av (22 July) to give support. This is a social, cultural, civil rights activity open to all at no charge. Not to be missed! (bli neder I’ll be there promoting Shifra’s book, and hope to see you there!).

Because the spirit of Gush Katif has not been broken... Katif Od Chai!