Short History of the Jewish People

Israel's Foreign Ministry has been using short little "films" to try to educate the world about the true situation here in the Holy Land and Jewish History. In general it's a good idea, since the modern attention span is horrendously limited and actual knowledge pretty anorexic.

jerusalemjournal.net

A few weeks ago the world, especially the "free world leaders" like USA's Barack Hussein Obama were ranting when PM Binyamin Netanyahu gave a very accurate description of the Arab plans for "Palestine" as ethnic cleansing against Jews.  They sure can't handle truth and accuracy.

And now the foreign media, among others, are showing its displeasure at a cute little film that illustrates a very simplified version of The History of The Jewish People In The Land of Israel,  Yahoo and A satirical ‘history of the Jewish people’ released by the Israeli government offends just about everyone, Washington Post.



It was put out by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and gives an overly simplistic sanitized version of our History here. I don't know if their experts insist that they shouldn't pass the four minute mark, but I would have added two crucial things.

• When the British Mandate arrive they should have the Saudi Arabian Hashemites tagging along and then given the livingroom for the invented Kingdom of Jordan.
• And the Arabs who barge in at the very end should be dressed as Hamas terrorists.

Unfortunately, by leaving these out, the otherwise clever little film is missing the crucial punch/accuracy it needs to be fully effective. 

What do you think?

RE: Israel, The World Refuses The Truth

Whenever we say the full Hallel, which includes Psalms Chapter 115 תְּהִלִּים I think of those who refuse to admit that the Jewish People and the State of Israel are innocent victims of terror and discrimination.  King David said it so well:

א  לֹא לָנוּ יְהוָה, לֹא-לָנוּ:    כִּי-לְשִׁמְךָ, תֵּן כָּבוֹד--עַל-חַסְדְּךָ, עַל-אֲמִתֶּךָ.	1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake.
ב  לָמָּה, יֹאמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם:    אַיֵּה-נָא, אֱלֹהֵיהֶם.	2 Wherefore should the nations say: 'Where is now their God?'
ג  וֵאלֹהֵינוּ בַשָּׁמָיִם--    כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-חָפֵץ עָשָׂה.	3 But our God is in the heavens; whatsoever pleased Him He hath done.
ד  עֲצַבֵּיהֶם, כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב;    מַעֲשֵׂה, יְדֵי אָדָם.	4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
ה  פֶּה-לָהֶם, וְלֹא יְדַבֵּרוּ;    עֵינַיִם לָהֶם, וְלֹא יִרְאוּ.	5 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
ו  אָזְנַיִם לָהֶם, וְלֹא יִשְׁמָעוּ;    אַף לָהֶם, וְלֹא יְרִיחוּן.	6 They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not;
ז  יְדֵיהֶם, וְלֹא יְמִישׁוּן--רַגְלֵיהֶם, וְלֹא יְהַלֵּכוּ;    לֹא-יֶהְגּוּ, בִּגְרוֹנָם.	7 They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak they with their throat.
ח  כְּמוֹהֶם, יִהְיוּ עֹשֵׂיהֶם--    כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-בֹּטֵחַ בָּהֶם.	8 They that make them shall be like unto them; yea, every one that trusteth in them.
ט  יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּטַח בַּיהוָה;    עֶזְרָם וּמָגִנָּם הוּא.	9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD! He is their help and their shield!

After all these milenium when our enemies have attempted to destroy us and blame us for their sins and blame us for surviving and blame us for Gd's protection the miracles which have missiles land in empty fields and our smaller armies defeat larger, more numerous Arab armies etc.

Why can't people, Jews and non-Jews see the truth that we are the Chosen People? We are Gd's People. Gd does not want us destroyed. There are times when Gd wants us to be punished for our sins, and that is when we are exiled and suffer greatly.

So when all these countries and faux "do-gooder" NGOs condemn us for defending ourselves and effectively "ducking" enemy attacks, it's just plain antisemitism and hypocrisy, because when they feel under attack they certainly kill, maim and destroy more than we ever do.

We will only enjoy true peace when we take off the "mufflers" from the weapons -both military and hasbara/propaganda/information- we use for defense and unabashedly fight our enemies.

Branding "Life in Shiloh/Binyamin" to Sell in Tel Aviv

Last week I attended a workshop/seminar run by our local "county," Mateh Binyamin, the Benjamin Regional Council, on how to deal with the media in all types of circumstances and market life in our small towns.

It was held in Yekev Psagot Visitors Center, which is set up to do more than just sell their excellent Psagot wines. As you can see there's a small auditorium. We were given the lowdown, behind the scenes reports on how some of the Binyamin communities coped with the deadly results of Arab terror attacks and reporting to the local and international media.

We live under a magnifying glass, and life isn't dull here. Every single community has some very tragic stories to tell, and we must know how to tell them in a way that shows that nothing will drive us from our homes. We also must protect the families that have been brutally touched by Arab terrorism.

The Regional Council has a professional public relations agency to assist, and one of the more amusing parts of this workshop was when it was mentioned that those professionals, who aren't local, had been transported to the Psagot Winery, just above Mirgron, only a few kilometers north of Jerusalem, by the council in a bullet-proof vehicle. Suddenly there was a big hullabaloo, with people shouting that the road was not considered dangerous, and "Tel Aviv visitors" didn't warrant such special treatment. The participants were arguing over the need for rock-proofing their windows, also, which the government actually pays for if one applies. BYW public transportation Egged Tavura uses ordinary buses to most of the area; only north of Ofra lines, like those to Shiloh, get the bulletproof busses. In all honesty, there have been shootings south of Ofra and even near Psagot, but Jewish residents of that part of Binyamin prefer to think of themselves in a safer place than Shiloh for example.

We were asked by the Public Relations experts for examples of ordinary and exemplary life in the yishuvim so that they could coach us in how to publicize it. And when I mentioned that there are home-grown players and the head coach of the Jerusalem Lions Big Blue Tackle Football Team, I was told that nobody in Tel Aviv would be interested in the fact that there's American football coming out of Mateh Binyamin.  They said that American football does not interest Tel Aviv. (Davka, last week's big victory by the Lions was over the Petach Tikva team.) That's when it hit me that I market (blog) to a different audience.

As everyone can easily see, I write in English, although I have no problem speaking Hebrew and understanding it. Therefore my audience is either abroad (Jews and non-Jews) or other Israelis like myself.

Apparently, the regional council has these workshops periodically, and I'll attend more to see what tips I can get from the experts. But I was disappointed that their focus is so parochial or short-sighted, especially when Israeli politicians and media keep touting that we must please the outside world.

What do you think? I'm curious; please comment, thanks.

Yes, Sherri Mandell, For Journalists, We are Just Pawns

Koby Mandell

My story isn't as horrific as the one that Sherri Mandell tells:

How Brian Williams (and Tom Brokaw) betrayed my family
Read more: How Brian Williams (and Tom Brokaw) betrayed my family | Sherri Mandell | The Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/how-brian-williams-and-tom-brokaw-betrayed-my-family/#ixzz3RHVEAygE Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | How Brian Williams (and Tom Brokaw) Betrayed My Family

Just in case you've forgotten or just don't know who Sherri Mandell is, she is the mother of Koby Mandell, HaY"ad, who was brutally murdered, along with a friend, by Arab terrorists one day when they were hiking near their homes in Tekoa.

There's a line in her article that hit me like a deja vu hammer. Brian Williams asked Mandell and her husband if they had a gun. When they answered in the affirmative, Williams requested that they bring the gun so he could photograph them with it.

About thirty years ago, one day, someone, actually a handful of people knocked on our door. I was home with four out of our five children.

"Hello, we're from time ink."
"Time ink? I thought to myself. What's that."
I must have looked rather confused, because they quickly said:
"TIME Magazine."

Then I understood.

They came in to the small crowded house we lived in at the time. And they asked me questions. After three years in Shiloh I was pretty experienced in handling journalists, though I looked more like a harried housewife amateur.

Among the benign ordinary questions they asked, suddenly they asked if we had a gun.

"Yes," I answered.
"Can you show it to us?"

I had visions of a photograph of me with a gun and a baby on the cover of TIME Magazine. I may have an ego, but I also have common sense. Such a photo would not be good at all in terms of Hasbara, Israel's and more specifically Jews of YESHA's information campaign.

"I don't know where it is," was my reply.

A couple of weeks later I saw the article in the magazine. I wasn't mentioned at all. I consider it a draw. They couldn't find any way to make me look bad, so they left me out of their article.

Israel-Focused Political Pundit and Blogging

I became a blogger when people kept telling me to get an internet site to publicize my articles about what's really happening in Israel and my take on it. I used to send out via email what I called "musings," my thoughts about things like Arab terrorism and the murder of young neighbors by Arab terrorists. Then I wrote my essays only occasionally. Now as a blogger, I write daily.

I did try to get my articles published in mainstream newspapers, dreaming of being a freelance writer instead of teaching, which was my profession at the time. The op-ed editors weren't very supportive, and I was informed that I'd have to wait quite a few days until I'd be informed of acceptance or rejection, and then I could send my article someplace else or throw it in the trash.

That's when I decided to be my own boss/editor and rely on my very own blog to give a public forum to my opinions.

Soon after, the mainstream media, which had begun publishing on the internet along with paper editions, discovered that their readers wanted more op-eds, and they began allowing people to write for free on their "newspaper's blogs."

At present, my posts/essays/articles appear on two sites, and I'm fascinated by the differences in the reactions of the readers of those site and also compared to this blog. Both of them have editors who are happy enough with what I write here to agree to post identical articles. There was another internet newspaper, Times of Israel, which wanted only original posts. Considering that they weren't paying me anything for my time, efforts and knowledge, I thought that an outrageous and immoral demand, so I stopped blogging for them.

Of course, I still dream of finding a publication that would pay me for my articles, and then that would be my main forum. They'd get "first crack" and here I'd set things up, so each essay would link to them. Hint! Hint! Is someone reading this who can help?

I keep track of the statistics of readers, and over the years, there hasn't been any real increase of people reading this blog, but sometimes the share/like numbers on my articles posted in the Jewish Press are outstanding, like for The World Wouldn't Care if Israel was Destroyed, G-d Forbid, which has reached 1.2k (thousand) facebook likes. That's pretty impressive. There are also 233 comments at last count.

The same article,  The World Wouldn't Care if Israel Destroyed, G-d Forbid, has been ranked in the Arutz 7 top six blog posts for days already and shows 25 comments.

The original, on this blog, has just 7 comments, 5 shares and 153 readers.

Since I haven't succeeded in making a living from my writing, and I do write to get my opinion out, yes, I'm a political pundit, I continue allowing these, and sometimes other publications re-post/reprint my articles.  Over the years, I've heard many times that I've written what others think, and they are extremely happy that I've done so. Yes, that's why I continue, and I do write daily, barring Shabbat and Jewish holidays of course.

I'm also very much involved with Havel Havelim the International Jewish Blog Carnival, which appears weekly after Shabbat. I call it a "floating" magazine, because a variety of bloggers host it. We organize on our facebook page, and I end up as "default" host, when nobody else can do it.

Also, I've given blogging rights here to a few other people, so sometimes you'll see articles by others, which is fine by me.

I'm interested in your opinions and suggestions. Please comment and share, thanks.

Israeli MFA uses MK Ayelet Shaked Image to Promote "Gaza Occupation" Counterpoint

I don't know who drew and designed this hasbara, Israeli formation campaign cartoon, but the Israeli spokesperson is a dead-ringer for NRP aka Jewish Home Knesset Member Ayelet Shaked.

The voice, unfortunately, sounds very mid-20th century Bell's operator or old-fashioned schoolteacher.  Though the style they have her dressed in is rather flaky, with a cropped top showing a bare midriff. I guess that's the image of Israel the Foreign Ministry wants to promote.

In all honesty, I don't like this cartoon, especially not the way the message it is being promoted. I also don't like the use of the  term "legal Palestinians government"

Here is is, what do you think?

"You may have heard claims that Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip is the reason for hostilities in the region. Is this fact or fiction? Well, guess what: Israel DOES NOT occupy Gaza. It left Gaza in 2005, pulling out all its soldiers and leaving all its settlements. So who DOES occupy Gaza? Hamas. In 2007, this terrorist organization attacked the legitimate Palestinian Authority government and violently seized control of Gaza. It has ruled since then by force and without elections. Hamas turned the Gaza Strip into a terrorist base and uses its population as human shields."

I think that we are getting into points that can backfire on us. By just concentrating on the Gaza occupation issue, it's admitting that we are the "occupation power" over Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan.

And the big truth is that the world isn't interested in the facts and truth. Those countries and people and NGOs against us won't budge from their beliefs no matter how much history, facts or how attractive and youthful the speaker is. This Ayelet Shaked lookalike would be more influential recommending or promoting an amusement park, not explaining facts and history to a staid, suited, bespectacled guy like in the cartoon.

If you want to read something more serious about the so-called "occupation," recommend Evelyn Gordon's latest.

The True "Conflict" Between Israel and The Arabs

Just like a doctor can't and shouldn't prescribe treatment without a proper, true, accurate diagnosis, we, the State of Israel will never achieve peace until we recognize what the problem is between us and the Arabs and then find a useful way of solving it.

The real reason there's constant war between the Arabs and Israel has nothing to do with anything that can be mediated or negotiated away.  It is not a "conflict." It is not a "spat." It is not what is called in Hebrew sichsuch  סִכְסוּךְ.

• a conflict between two gangs• recent violent conflict in the region• Everyone in my family always tries to avoid conflict.• There was inevitable conflict over what to name the group.• They're having serious conflicts over the budget.• I don't see any conflicts between the theories.• You'll need to resolve the conflict between your parents' plans for you and your own ambitions.

The very simple truth is that the Arab aim is the destruction of the State of Israel and the death (or banishment) of Jews. Remember that officially many Arab countries, including the so-called moderate sic Jordan is Judenrein, empty/cleansed of Jews.

Fatah leader calls to destroy Israel "from the river to the sea!"

(Palestinian Media Watch) Source: Facebook page of Tawfiq Tirawi, member of Fatah Central Committee, Aug. 5, 2014

"O our free people of resolve and sacrifice in Gaza, you are more honored than us all... We remain committed to the promise: freedom, independence, and driving out the occupier from the entire pure land, from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea. Long live free Gaza! Your brother, Tawfiq Tirawi."

The State of Israel's hasbara information campaign and its foreign and defense policies unfortunately are totally faulty, because it keeps on avoiding the true issue.

Peres and Herzog Totally Re-Writing History

Barely twenty-four hours after hearing Bassam Eid of Activists for Human Rights in the Palestinian Authority at the Israel Advocacy Seminar run by David Bedein, with the assistance of Gail Winston and the "Winston Israel News" in memory of her late husband Manny, I heard former President Shimon Peres and soon after him, Issak Herzog, head of the Israeli opposition and Leftist Labor Party leader on television spouting the exact opposite.

Now, what did Bassam Eid say? 

Bassam Eid ended his talk saying that the Arabs of Gaza and the Arabs of the West Bank are not the same. They don't have the same customs, accent etc. The two groups shouldn't be considered as one.

Isaac Herzog and Shimon Peres Photo: Mark Neiman/GPO

And what did I hear from Peres and Herzog*?  

They claim that Mahmoud Abbas should be ruling both "the west bank" and Gaza. Somehow Gaza was taken away from him. 

There are a few very peculiar things here. One is that Bassam Eid is an Arab who calls himself a Palestinian, and he does not consider Gaza as part of the west bank/Palestine. If the Arabs really consider it all one "people," then I think that Eid would know and make the point. But his point is that Gazans are separate/different.  I wonder how many of you consider that rather interesting and can be proof of...  (Please comment if that makes you begin to wonder...)

*It's clear that Peres and Herzog's statements about Gaza being politically part of the "west bank" on the same day were no coincidence. When I was looking for a photo of the two of them, I found one that illustrated an article in the Jerusalem Post that stresses the close connection between the two men. It even calls Peres the "mentor" of Herzog. That doesn't surprise me especially considering what Herzog also said on television. Very much in the mold of Shimon Peres he did his best to undermine Prime Minister Netanyahu talking of how he would do a much better job running the war.

This war isn't yet over, and the Left has begun to campaign against the government.

Unbelievably Difficult Challenge for Pro-Israel Students on Campuses

Yesterday, I met, listened to, spoke to and observed a few dozen young campus activists who were trying to learn and absorb tools to enable them to not only cope with the terrible malignant anti-Israel atmosphere in university campuses around the world, but to try to find the magic potion to change the minds of the enemy Arab activists they study with. Yes, that's a very difficult, almost insurmountable challenge even for the most knowledgeable expert in history, psychology, propaganda and public relations.

I attended the Israel Advocacy Seminar run by David Bedein, with the assistance of Gail Winston and the "Winston Israel News" in memory of her late husband Manny.

The seminar was organized to help the students mostly on foreign campuses throughout the world, although it was attended by people of all ages. Today we are all in a position to advocate for Israel. That is the beauty of social media.  Even a simple email gives one a very powerful tool. I spoke to the group about blogging, telling them that with a blog they own and run their own internet newspaper or magazine. It can be done without expending any money. You don't even need a computer. A tablet or smartphone will do the trick.


Considering that I'm old enough to be the grandmother of the students, I was very curious about the world they live in. They were pretty quiet when given the opportunity to question Noam Bedein of the Sederot Media Center,

Nobody asked Bassam Eid of Activists for Human Rights in the Palestinian Authority the question that ran through my mind about the legitimacy of the term "Palestinian" after hearing what he had to say. Bli neder, not an oath, I'll blog about that in another post.

The speaker who really woke them up was the factual and blunt Sha'i Ben Tekoa, author of the invaluable book Phantom Nation: Inventing the "Palestinians" as the Obstacle to Peace. His invaluable information was received by many as if it was a diagnosis of cancer. Today's young students were there to get an easy to swallow pill to counteract the anti-Israel atmosphere, professors and activists on campus, and Sha'i informed them that there was no easy cure. No simple pill, slogan or formula. They begged him. They argued with him.

I just wanted to cry, to hug them. 
Kids, the world hates us. You're not going to change them. All we can do for you is to try to make you stronger and clarify the facts.

There were also older participants who couldn't or wouldn't accept the simple fact that it's useless and dangerous to negotiate with the Arabs, since their word can't be trusted. I agree with Sha'i Ben Tekoa that this is a fact and not racism.

Sha'i gave the history, well-documented, about the myth, lie, fallacy of Arab Palestine. I strongly suggest reading his book or getting him as a speaker in English or Hebrew. Certainly check out his site. And listen to him here, which is the basic talk he gave to us.


I didn't stay until the end of the program, my loss for sure.

Are You Tired of Reading About The war Between Gaza-Hamas versus Israel? Watch and Listen!

As a remedial teacher, yes, that's a profession of mine, I'm even trained and certified with years of experience, I know very well that sometimes reading just isn't the most effective media. After weeks of articles, even short ones with lots of maps and illustrations, people are getting tired of reading about terrorist tunnels, human shields etc.

Israel Hayom

Human Shields, Breitbart

So, today, you can just watch and listen a bit to a few youtube short movies which may give you the message much better and more easily to digest than my writing.  I'm not sure that "enjoy" is the right word:

Post by Eyal Ron.

Thanks to all who have suggested these to me. You know who you are.

Modern King David Fighting the USA Campus Goliath

On Shabbat I read a disturbing open letter in the Jerusalem Post and decided to blog about it. Unfortunately, it's not one of the op-ed on their site. After a mercifully quick google search, I found it someplace else.

FM Avigdor Lieberman.Photo by Tomer Appelbaum

An open letter to the FM
By JUSTIN HAYET
Dear Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and the entire Netanyahu government, I asked you, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, a question this Sunday at the Jerusalem Post’s Annual Conference in New York. My question, I thought, was simple; “What is the Foreign Ministry of Israel doing to stand with college students, like myself, to fight BDS [Boycott, Divest, Sanction] on campus?”
Your response was nothing but loaded rhetoric downplaying the existential BDS threat and downplaying the attacks against me on my campus for being a Zionist. Perhaps worst of all, you downplayed the anti-Semitic attacks on students across the United States, Europe and soon the world. These attacks exist because we are proud Zionists.
You should have responded with a big fat “nothing,” because the Foreign Ministry of Israel has decided to focus its attention elsewhere. Though it may be more practical to allocate time and resources elsewhere, in doing so, Israel is taking a risk it cannot afford to take. By focusing all of its energy on its adversaries, many of whom will never recognize Israel either on a map or as a Jewish state with a right to exist, Israel is putting the passion of North American Zionists, many of whom are Jews and many of whom are not, on the back burner. This, I believe, is of a greater existential threat than a nuclear-ambitions Iran.
I was not born in Israel. I was not born in an Israeli home in American. I am a Jewish American. But before I am anything, at the most fundamental level of my existence; like Foreign Minister Liberman, like Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, like every soldier my age in the IDF, I am a Zionist. And you, Mr. Foreign Minister, overlooked the fact that, unlike Israelis, I and the thousands of students made the active decision to fight for Israel, a country which has redefined and challenged our perception of what “home” really means.
Though five thousand miles away from Israel, we awake to Israel each morning as we flinch our eyes to see the Israeli flag hanging in its infinite blue beauty above our beds. We do so with pride. Israel is with us as we wake to see the news from the past day in Israel as we slumbered in our secure beds in upstate New York. Though not wearing a Magen David every day, we carry our Zionism on our backs each day, and people try to slander us for it as if “Zionism” is a dirty word.
We are the lost unit of the IDF Spokesman’s Office, we are the story of SUNY (State University of New York) students who stayed up until 5 a.m. to watch the victorious fight against BDS resolutions at UC Berkeley, we are the students who laughed off the libelous labels of being called “imperial genocidal maniacs” by a paid employee of our university. And we carry out these increasingly routine acts of educated-backed passion, not because we are in contract with Israel to do so or because we want accolades; we do it because we are Zionists. Contrary to those closed-minded individuals who say Zionists must live in Israel, the movement of young college students in the States fighting for Israel represents the very core of Zionism. That is, young people doing incredible things for the State of Israel.
You have given us MASA, you have contributed to the founding of Birthright-Taglit and this was your gift to us. We, now, have a gift for you, Mr. Foreign Minister and Mr. Prime Minister. Its called hasbara (public diplomacy). It’s free, it’s our duty, it’s our calling, it’s our obligation and it’s our gift to you and the Jewish state and the flag we awake to every morning.

What do you think?

ADL

Personally I must say that I'm glad that there are loyal Zionist Jews on campus who are trying hard to defend the State of Israel against our massive, dangerous enemies who mask themselves in pseudo-academics, euphemisms, pseudo-history and perverse morality. I bless Justin Hayet with the power and determinism and charisma, which he'll need to not only succeed but to survive unscathed. I invite him to Shiloh to breathe in the holy air and inspiration that keeps me going. Further searching shows that he wrote a previous article which can be found in the Jerusalem Post's site, My university won’t stand up for Israel.

Fighters like Justin Hayet are no less important than soldiers in the IDF and all those so-called professional hasbara workers. I see Hayet as a modern King David who is willing to fight Goliath. His approaching Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is very much like when King David tried on the armor offered by the quivering and fearful King Saul. King David rejected the armor. The Biblical King David knew that he would only succeed if G-d made him a miracle. He needed a low-tech, low budget weapon, and that's why he took his five stones. And the young King David succeeded in executing Goliath.

I've been a blogger for years and also very involved with the international Jewish blog carnival, Havel Havelim. Maybe the key today is something similar using social media. Trying to get the Foreign Ministry to chip in may be as unproductive as King David found the armor King Saul had offered him.

All I can say to Justin Hayet is not to give up!

Where's Israeli Self Respect?

How come Israel hasn't effectively protested Abu Dhabi's refusal to allow the Israeli under-18 chess team to play as Israelis?  And why didn't all of the so-called freedom loving, pro-civil rights, human rights etc. countries and NGO's demand that the tournament be moved to a more moral country?

The Israeli under-18 chess team currently competing in the World Youth Chess Championship in Abu Dhabi has been forced to do so without national identification, The Algemeiner has learned.
Shortly after the start of the event, the tournament’s official website removed the Israeli flags and changed the country listing to FIDE – an acronym for Federation Internationale des Echecs or the World Chess Federation - for all Israeli players.

I can't abide hypocrisy!

The "world" keeps claiming that there's anti-Arab apartheid in Israel which isn't true at all. Whatever restrictions there are are against Jews.  So many roads have signs telling Jewish Israelis to keep off.  We're warned that we enter at our own risk. We should "expect" Arab terror attacks.  That is totally outrageous.

The arabs aren't condemned for being terrorist murderers but we're condemned for being Israeli in "their" towns and roads.  And who pays for these roads? Davka, we do!  All the roads and infrastructure are financed by our Jewish (mostly) Israeli taxes.

It was just announced that Dore Gold would be taking back his old job as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Foreign Policy Consultant.

The appointment carries a stern message for the Obama administration and puts a decidedly nationalist tone of the Netanyahu coalition government. Gold has been the head of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, which previously campaigned for the United Nations to take legal action against then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for violating Geneva Convention anti-incitement clauses with statements such as Israel should be “wiped off the map.”
Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/netanyahu-names-dore-gold-as-foreign-policy-consultant/2013/12/26/

I think that this sort of anti-Israel discrimination must be put on the top of the list of projects for Gold to tackle.  International chess and athletic competitions shouldn't be tools of the international anti-Israel camp. It should be made clear by Israel that all countries who sit by passively while this sort of discrimination policy happens is 100% guilty. There should be diplomatic sanctions against them by Israel.  We should also demand financial compensation to our branches of those organizations.

Silence is dangerous.  It's like how the world responded/reacted or more accurately didn't to the anti-semitic policies of the Nazis in the 1930's.

PR and Policy Not The Same, If Only Israel Made Policy From Its PR

Apparently Israel's Economy Minister Naftali Bennett was sent off on a Public Relations junket to the states relieving Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of the chore. Not too many Israeli Government officials can hold their own against the very professional and anti-Israel veteran CNN reporter, Christiane Amanpour.



Bennett may not have the charm or perfect "radio voice" Bibi was blessed with, but his mind is quick and his mouth is fearless.  Too many Israeli officials are wowed by their fame and the chance to appear on the international screen/scene, so they act more like adoring groupies than professional representatives of the Israeli Government and People.

Bennett must have taken my advice, which I blog periodically, about how to handle bad questions.  Many times over the three decades plus I've lived in Shiloh and had to handle journalists and all sorts of groups and visitors, I've found it necessary to "correct" or even refuse to answer a badly worded or conceived question. In this case Bennett refused to accept the wording of one of Amanpour's questons which included the term "occupied territories."

Israel’s Economy Minister Naftali Bennett took CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to task in a tense television interview on Monday, objecting to the anchor’s insistence on referring to “occupied territories,” to which the leader of Israel’s Jewish Home party responded flatly, “One cannot occupy his own home.”

If Bennett and the Israeli Government, which he represents, really believes what he said to her, then there is no logical reason for us to be negotiating with the Arabs to invent a new Arab country which will be called "Palestine" to be placed in the very heart, actually taking over most of those very same "territories."

Isn't it beyond insanity, totally illogical to permit, facilitate and certainly promote a state in the heart of or even adjacent to one's land borders that has as a raison d'être your very destruction and replacement?

The Palestinian Authority paints a picture - both verbally and visually - of a world in which Israel does not exist. Children’s educational TV teaches that Palestine currently is a "state" (Arabic "dawla" = state) covering 27,000 sq. km - i.e., an area that includes all of Israel (the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip total only 6220 sq. km). Moreover, all Israel’s cities and infrastructure are referred to as "Palestinian": “Palestinian ports ... [are] Haifa, Jaffa, Ashkelon, Eilat, Ashdod, and Gaza". [PA TV (Fatah), Sept. 1 2008]. PMW

That's why I don't get all relieved and excited when I hear one of those speeches and interviews like Bennett's from Israeli Government officials. It's PR Public Relations which is far removed from actual policy. It's like the distractions magicians use so we don't see how they do their tricks.  At the same time Israel's Supreme Court is more powerful than the government, and the government hasn't done anything to remind the "justices" that they are supposed to make rulings according to law and not their personal opinions and agendas.

And also, in direct contradiction to the NRP-Bayit Yehudi election campaign, they have no real government power in terms of policy.  This is all illusion, including Bennett's interview and determined words.

Anat Berko versus Bibi Netanyahu; She's Not Afraid to Shout-Down Our Enemies

In the diplomatic, defense, policy and hasbara, information fields Israel has been failing dismally and dangerously.  Here and there Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gives a wonderful powerful speech about our inalienable rights to our Land and Jewish History, but most of the time he's drowning in his conceptual "center" trying to be wise and "diplomatic."  One of his dangerous misconceptions is the concept of a fairy-tale  "demilitarized Palestine," when the Arabs refuse to accept such a state.  

One day after Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett declaredthat the notion of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had reached a "dead end", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a response to the controversial statement on Monday, saying, "Foreign policy is shaped by the prime minister, and my view is clear."
"I will seek a negotiated settlement [with the Palestinians] where you would have a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state," Netanyahu told Reuters when asked about Bennett's remarks.

They demand a normal state with a fully equipped army and the IDF behind barbed wire.

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday rejected any Israeli plans to retain territory or even maintain a security presence on any portion of the West Bank or east Jerusalem after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Peace with Israel is not possible unless a Palestinian state with full sovereignty is established in the pre-1967 lines with east Jerusalem as it capital, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, announced.

Photo Credit: Binghamton Univ. Pipe Dream

It's a refreshing pleasure to read of Anat Berko and how she managed to shout-down the pro-Arab hecklers at University of Florida, Gainesville on Oct. 10.  (Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israeli-speaker-at-u-of-florida-tells-off-sjp-hecklers-they-flee/2013/10/18/0/)  

 Berko showed that it's possible to have a hasbara victory, even on campus.  She had been invited by CAMERA. I'd love to see her representing Israel at the United Nations or be our Minister for Foreign Affairs.

We must stop creating our foreign policy according to "compromise."  Israel must make policy according to what's best for the State of Israel, a truly sovereign Jewish State. 

Finally, But Too Little and Too Late

Yesterday I met with some people involved with, as volunteers, in Israel's Hasbara, information "campaign."  They find it very frustrating that our beloved country, full of so many intelligent and successful people, businessmen and marketing experts just can't get our own defense and image right.

We do the Christian, which Christians don't practice, "turn the other cheek" when we're attacked.  It has gotten to such a point that on the rare occasions when we do react, we're considered aggressors.  After silently accepting the recent attacks from Gazan Arab terrorists, yesterday we finally hit back.

IAF strikes follow rocket and mortar fired from Gaza toward southern Israel in which no injuries or damages caused; Hamas says none hurt in attack on northern Gaza; police find rocket remains at Sderot nursery.

Smoke from airstrike in Gaza Strip Photo: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters

            

            

The IAF launched airstrikes on the Palestinian Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the first such attack since a truce ended an eight-day cross-border war in November.

How much good will it do so late on, especially when we're so apologetic?

Border police arrest settlers in
West Bank [file] Photo:
Tazpit News Agency

Unfortunately, the IDF and Defense Ministry are much quicker when it comes to going after Jews who defend themselves from Arab terrorists.  Nearby Aish Kodesh suffers from both Arab and IDF violence.  Too many Jews find themselves wasting time in jail due to trumped up charges by the authorities.

Shoshan said the incident began when some 200 people from Kusra infiltrated the outpost’s vineyards and threw stones at the settlers. He added that Border Police and Eish Kodesh’s security team responded in an attempt to disperse them, shooting in the air.

This only encourages Arab aggression.

As I've said on many occasions:

"Something stinks!"

It's of major importance that our official Hasbara be done properly, professionally and without apologies.  If we don't make it one hundred percent 100% clear that we have no doubt of about our legitimate right to be in this Land, then people won't trust us.

We should be initiating the points, attacks against the Arab aggressors and their international supporters.

We should be using the Leftist human rights terminology to demand our human rights, civil rights and religious rights.

Whoever acts stronger and more confident wins, and we waste too much time apologizing.

This is OUR LAND!  In the long History of the World, only one people, the Jewish People have ever had an independent nation here.  We are back and we're not leaving!!!

Sympathizing With The Arab Agressors on Israeli News, No Way!

I quickly changed channels and not for the first time.  It seems that I'm always changing channels when watching the news nowadays.  At least I have a choice of news channels.  I know it's really a war on here in Israel, because all of the channels are offering war coverage, news, interviews etc.

The problem is that most of the politicians and "experts" we are offered are from the far Left.  I'm really not interested in some Meretz MK or "thinker" telling me that it's our fault because we haven't "made peace" with the Arabs.  And I don't see the point in interviewing some Israeli Arab who has family in Gaza to ask him how he feels about Israeli bombing his sweet loving relatives.  That's especially when he answers claiming that "nobody supports this cruel war" Israel has imposed on the Arabs.

My fingers go hyper clicking looking for something else to watch when our Israeli TV keeps showing Arab demonstrations abroad protesting our self-defense.  I haven't caught any reports of pro-Israel demonstrations or meetings.  I can't believe there haven't been any.  Nu, have there?

On rare occasions there are even some coalition MK's and even ministers, but they are rarely permitted to complete a sentence.  The so-called journalists interviewing them are rude to say the least.  They argue as if they are the experts and the MK's and ministers are just a bunch of idiots.  Well, at least the politicians were elected, which is more than any of those TV people can say for themselves.

Meir Amit site

The television news is our internal hasbara, information campaign.  Its job is to keep the public confident and motivated not to encourage sympathy with the enemy nor unwarranted fear.

On occasion they have done well, especially when interviewing Israelis of all ages from the south.  Ordinary people, even kids, seem to have a better grasp of security and the actual situation.  There were some teenagers interviewed who very easily made the tv journalist look scared and ridiculous.  That's a clip that should be repeated over and over.  The younger generation is fantastic.

If you're not in Israel or are but don't have television, then you can access Israeli news here in English and here in Hebrew.  Generally the English news is more pro-Israel and less multi-cultural than the Hebrew.  And of course there are other Israeli news sites.

I needed the rant, sorry and thanks.

The good, the bad and the ugly update

Posted by Jewish Israel
Review: The good, the bad and the ugly:
The Jewish people know that when it comes to fighting the Christian missionary onslaught in Israel, education and public awareness are two very important keys to winning the battle. Unfortunately, evangelical messianic Christians are using the same powerful public relations tools available in Israel - in Hebrew - to confuse and catch Jewish souls. Here's a recent rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly taking place in lecture halls, in print publications, and on television...more

The Nation of Israel
An intriguing and thoughtful post by Jewish Israel member Jim Long:
"As a Noahide who loves G-d, Torah and the people of Israel, I'm wondering if it isn't time to stop referring to Judaism as a religion...Calling Judaism a religion fails to recognize that the Jews constitute a genuine nation, in every sense of the word... I cannot find any place in the Torah where G-d told Avraham Avinu that He would make him the father of a great religion....more

This piece has also been posted in our forum section. It's generating some interesting discussion. ...

If The "Best Defense Is Offense," Where Are We?

IMRA reports that this poster was banned by the University of Ottawa. Very nice, but what are we doing to promote the true situation here in Israel?

At the recent Jerusalem Conference I attended a session which showed us how sophisticated and professionally the Arabs are using the media to promote their lies. We just don't rate in comparison.

I'm just a blogger. I'm not a graphic artist. I'm an amateur in the media world. Our hasbara, information campaign must be moved up a hundred notches.