Chaim Goldberg

2024-05-07

Commemoration organization chair Eli Ben-Shem asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz, and Opposition Head Yair Lapid to urge the public to maintain the sanctity of Remembrance Day and keep division and political arguments out of Israel's military cemeteries. In a letter sent to the four, Ben-Shem asked them to sign a statement saying that they call on the public to "avoid arguing over the graves of our boys and girls." is more painful and difficult than ever for all of Israel, and more so for us, bereaved families, said Ben-Shem, in his letter. "Let us be worthy of the boys and girls who fell together to found the country and keep her safe," he added. There have been reports of possible disruptions expected at Israel's cemeteries on Remembrance day. Some expect that there will be protests and outbursts against the government and government representatives from bereaved families and families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas.Demonstrators protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip seen blocking the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, May 6, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) Last year, during against the judicial overhaul, there were similar concerns in the lead up to Remembrance Day, and such protests did occur at a number of cemeteries during speeches by government representatives.  Among other disruptions, in Raanana, protesters sang Israel's anthem loudly over and over while the government representative spoke and in Yavneh, the government representative was interrupted by shouting.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-06

The decision by the Israeli government to shut the offices of in the country sparked heated debates both in the country and abroad, with some officials justifying the move on the backdrop of what they deemed homeland security issues, as well as a history of antisemitism propagated by the official Qatari mouthpiece. According to a report by the Zachor Institute, the media gargantuan has provided a platform for antisemitic discourse in many instances, including the broadcasting of sermons by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Muslim Brotherhood leading cleric who endorsed suicide bombings, in which the latter claimed that Allah used Adolf Hitler to inflict the Holocaust upon the Jews as “divine punishment,” praising him for “putting [Jews] in their place.” However, instances of justification and glorification of the Holocaust are not the only type of antisemitic discourse promoted on Al Jazeera, as outright holocaust denial has also been given a platform on its different outlets. The most well-known affair regarding Holocaust denial by Al Jazeera, more specifically by its “younger” tributary AJ+, is a seven-minute “documentary” published in May 2019, which reportedly claimed that the Holocaust was “different from how the Jews tell it,” promoting it with a tweet reading “Gas ovens killed millions of Jews…So the story says. How true is the #Holocaust and how did the Zionists benefit from it?”Israel Police raid the Al Jazeera offices in east Jerusalem on May 5, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) Instances of Holocaust denial can easily be found on Al Jazeera’s website, left untouched for years and sometimes decades. For instance, a 2002 article regarding the dismissal of a Syrian-born German minister following his likening of Israel to the Nazis, reported in a dry, allegedly objective tone, that Holocaust denial is “the card that the Jews are still playing in Germany, which is still paying reparations to Israel for the alleged Holocaust.” More modern examples can also be found. For instance, a blog by writer Abdelkhaleq Mansour from March 2017, claims that “There are many studies and writings that have refuted the claims of the leaders of the Zionist entity that Nazism killed millions of converts to the Jewish religion in Europe, and revealed the extent to which those who adopted the concept of Holocaust massacres exaggerated in narrating those events.” He also added that a “growing belief in the inaccuracy of these allegations, with the emergence of the concept of Holocaust revisionism, that is, research, writings, and people who believe that the actions of Nazism were not as horrific as those mentioned in the writings of the Jews.” This passage includes both holocaust denial and a referral to the debunked, antisemitic Khazarian theory. A similar entry by Moroccan blogger Adel Ayashi from August 2018, claimed that “Although the conflict with the Jews reached its climax after the mission of the Messenger, there are turning points in history in which Arabs and Muslims demonstrated profound humanity towards the persecuted Jews throughout the world. Numerous testimonies and general facts indicate that Muslims have demonstrated - despite the plots of the Jews against them - about their great chivalry in their defense of the Jews persecuted by Nazism specifically during World War II, and whether the alleged Holocaust was fact or fiction.” In this passage, the writer manages to both deny the Holocaust, highlight historical hostility toward the Jews, and paint the Jews as a collective - as plotting and being ungrateful. Similarly, Palestinian journalist Nael Abdulatif wrote a piece in Al Jazeera in June 2018 in which he criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for “apologizing on remarks he made regarding the alleged holocaust,” thus inherently denying the holocaust and the need to preserve its memory. Another more recent example is from early 2023, where a panel discussion hosted by the Qatari National Library featured Dr. Abaher Al-Saqa, who discussed in his speech “the alleged Holocaust kept by the Zionist Jews... They have made a museum about the perishing or Holocaust which they claim [happened].” One final example is from December 2023, where a critical article made accusations that the Israeli film industry revolving around the Holocaust “Ignores any reference to the complicit role of Zionism in the crimes, whether in the Nazi camps, or in the camps that the Allies established in Germany after the war, in which hundreds of thousands of Germans were killed, and some estimate the number in the millions.” This accusation against Zionists - interchangeable with Jews - with imaginary wrongdoings is another form of antisemitic discourse salient on the Qatari-owned mouthpiece Al Jazeera. Holocaust denial is not the only type of led by Qatar. Only last week, Qatari member of parliament Essa Al-Nassr expressed antisemitic and violent views, regarding Jews as “killers of prophets” and promising that the October 7th massacre was “just a prelude,” implying a supposed Godly promise to bring in Jews to the Holy Land so that Muslims can more easily defeat them.  Additionally, Qatar is perceived as a host nation of the Muslim Brotherhood axis, through sporting and promoting a wide array of religious institutions, political parties and even Western-based NGOs which promote what is known as political Islam or Islamism around the globe. The Muslim Brotherhood is regarded as key player in importing classical European antisemitic discourse into the Arab and Muslim spheres, with one of its main thinkers, founder of Salafi Jihadism, Syed Qutb, even writing a well-known pamphlet named “Our Battle with the Jews.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-06

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stood before the cameras yesterday as he exited the prime minister's office and declared firmly without mincing words: "I warned the prime minister that if God forbid, Israel will not enter a ceasefire, if God forbid we end the war, or if God forbid there be a careless deal. The prime minister heard these words, promised that , that the war would not end, and promised that there will be no irresponsible deal." These words and tone of speech left no doubt in anyone's mind: there is a new prime minister in the State of Israel. In practice, Benjamin Netanyahu has become the executor of his 'master's' will, Itamar Ben-Gvir. This raises the inevitable question: how far has Netanyahu fallen? He has sunk so low that even a basic response from a prime minister, to protect his honor, he cannot manage. This led me to yearn for the leadership of David Ben-Gurion, who knew to say in tough times, "I do not presume to say that the people are in my pocket. I don't know what the people want and what they don't want. I know what is desirable for the people and that is what I fight for." , despite a thousand differences, knows what most people want - the release of the hostages. He also knows what is important and good for the people of Israel. However, he is obeying Ben-Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, because that is what is good for Netanyahu for clear reasons - and not for the people of Israel. Do not be confused: the fact that most of the Israeli people, according to most surveys, want above all to see the hostages come home, does not indicate that the people of Israel do not want to see the end of Hamas. If it is necessary to enter the lion's den to complete the mission, the people are in favor of that as well. Demonstrators protest for the release of Israeli hostages held hostage by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem. April 27, 2024. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) However, the problem for most of the people of Israel after seven months of fighting is that they do not believe in this government and its conduct, do not believe in their prime minister who changes his mind according to his political needs, and do not believe in figures like Orit Struck.  Currently, the slogan of this government's war is entering Rafah. However, no one in the government is considering the fact that Rafah could also be a defeat with many casualties and injuries as a result of traps set by Hamas, hostages killed as a result of attacks, and mistakes in identifying or mistakenly hitting hundreds of innocent civilians during the fighting. The horror images that will be circulated will create a strong sense of war crimes and murder. And we ask, with Rafah in our hands, what next? Will this solve the Gaza problem? Will redemption finally come and terrorism disappear? IDF finds 900-meter-long terror tunnel in the Gaza Strip. April 7, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) Some will say that this is just the beginning and that in order to complete the task, a pragmatic government is required, one that operates with reason and discretion. Certainly not this government, ruled by unfit ministers, with a list of uncovered promises whose main concern is to survive and ensure the survival of Netanyahu. No matter how we look at the reality created here and a half of the right-wing government's term, it turns out that this has become a valuable asset to our enemies. The economic, political, and social damage caused by this government to the State of Israel during such a short period of time did not manage to achieve what all the Arab countries around us, including over the 76 years of the country's existence, succeeded in. This government, which began its path with the sin of judicial corruption proved that it is incapable of controlling and managing the country. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv on February 29, 2024. (credit: NIMROD KLIKMAN/POOL) This became very clear after October 7 and is even more evident today in everything related to dealing with the northern settlements and their residents. In these difficult times, it seems that precisely the right-wing government, known for its opposition to the Palestinian state, is pushing us towards both states for both nations, under international pressure that will force the Palestinian state upon us. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-05

 Israel's this year have a searing significance for six elderly survivors now deeply scarred by the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 that sparked the ongoing Gaza war. The killing and kidnapping spree by on a Jewish holiday morning shook the sense of security of Israelis - not least, those who had witnessed the state emerge as a safe haven after the Nazi genocide. For Bellha Haim, 86, the upheaval is especially profound. Her grandson Yotam - like her, a resident of a village near the Gaza border - was taken hostage by Hamas and managed to escape, only to be accidentally shot dead by Israeli soldiers. The trauma drove Haim to return to her native Poland, which she had fled with her family as a child during , and where she will, on Monday, take part of the "March of the Living" at the site of the Auschwitz death camp. The destruction caused by Hamas Militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 11, 2023 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) The annual ceremony is timed to coincide with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. "I never went back, and I wasn't convinced to go back," she said during a meeting with other survivors ahead of the trip. "But this time, when they told me that they were connecting the Holocaust and what I call the 'Holocaust of October 7' - because then in the Holocaust we (Jews) were not a united people, we didn't have a country, and suddenly this pride of mine that has been broken, my pride in my people and my country that was shattered in front of my eyes - I said, 'This time I will break my oath, and I will go out.'" As a teenager, Yotam had taken part in the annual Auschwitz vigil, and Haim said she saw the event as a chance for communion with him and other victims of the Hamas attack. "I will go out in the name of Yotam, who marched there when he was in high school, and I will go out there to shout out the cry of the slain, of the babies, of all my good friends that I will never meet again,” she said. Among those joining her will be 90-year-old Daniel Louz, whose hometown, Kibbutz Beeri, lost a tenth of its residents to the Palestinian terrorists. In some ways, he said, that ordeal was worse for him than the European war, when he escaped Nazi round-ups in his native France, although half his family perished in Poland. After he awoke to the sound of Arabic yelling and gunfire, "I was constantly busy with surviving and figuring out what to do," Louz said. "In France, as a child, I suffered all kinds of post-traumas that I’ve learned to cope with. But in Beeri, it was the first time that I felt the fear of death." A neighboring house was riddled with bullets. Louz's was untouched. He says he imagined the souls of the six million Holocaust victims steering Hamas away from him. "They probably wanted me to be here to tell this story," he said, weeping. Other Holocaust survivors participating in the March of the Living include Smil Bercu Sacagiu, 87, whose home was hit by a rocket from Gaza, and Jacqueline Gliksman, 81, whose home was torched by a Palestinian infiltrator. "What was left, and luckily the terrorist didn’t see it, is my grandchildren," she said, referring to gold figurines on a necklace she was wearing. "That's the only thing I have left." Before he was seized, Haim's grandson left a text message: "They’re burning down my house. I smell gas. I'm scared." She said that it reminded her of a Holocaust-era song in Yiddish, invoking centuries of pogroms, with the refrain "fire, Jews, fire." A veteran campaigner for peace with the Palestinians, Haim said she would no longer pursue that activism. "I'm not able to," she said. "Now what interests me is only my people.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-05

Reporter Barak Ravid broke a story claiming that three US sources told him that US Secretary of State is expected to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion for human rights violations. This would be the first time America would impose sanctions on an ally’s military, and outlaw the unit from receiving training, funding, or arms from the US. The sanctions would be rationalized by falling under the Leahy Law, which prohibits American funding to go to military units where there is credible information implicating the unit in the commission of gross human rights violations. This news was disturbing for several reasons. First, the news came on the day that America was poised to pass a mass assistance package to Israel, strengthening the relationship between America and Israel. The rumors of sanctions being passed against a unit in the IDF spoiled what should have been a moment for Israel to show gratitude to America and for America to express its solidarity and support of Israel. Instead, Prime Minister tweeted, “If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF – I will fight it with all my strength. I’ve been working in recent weeks against the sanctioning of Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with the American administration. At a time when our soldiers are fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to issue sanctions against a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low.” Minister Benny Gantz tweeted, “I have a great appreciation for our American friends, but the decision to impose sanctions on an IDF unit and its soldiers sets a dangerous precedent and conveys the wrong message to our shared enemies during wartime. I intend on acting to have this decision changed.” Benny Gantz (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) The case against Netzah Yehuda is laughable. Gabrielle Weiniger wrote in The Times, “Netzah Yehuda has been accused by Israeli rights organizations of torture, unlawful killings and assault.”  This is true of all units in the IDF, as these rights organizations have been demonizing the IDF for 75 years!  Weiniger wrote that soldiers were never punished: “For the death of an elderly Palestinian-American man they blindfolded, beat and left out in the winter cold.”  There’s no other way to say it – Weiniger is lying.  There were no findings that soldiers beat 80-year-old Omar Assad, and Israel’s Military Advocate General – the Israeli army’s chief legal body – said the soldiers involved faced disciplinary measures. As , a former IDF chief of staff tweeted, “The Netzah Yehuda Battalion is an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces. It is subject to military law and is responsible for operating in full compliance with International law. The State of Israel has a strong, independent judicial system that evaluates meticulously any claim of a violation or deviation from IDF orders and code of conduct and will continue to do so.” Gantz’s points are important, for the Leahy Law says that American military “assistance is to be reinstated to units previously found ineligible for assistance – when the secretaries of defense and state determine that the government of that country has taken, or is taking, effective measures to bring those responsible to justice.” – If the IDF does this even before America withdraws funding, why withdraw funding in the first place?! CURIOUSLY, THE Biden administration is waiting until its fourth year and when Israel is in the middle of a war to institute these sanctions. The (false) accusations against Netzah Yehuda stretch back years, why didn’t the Biden administration institute these sanctions earlier in their administration? A more cynical writer might attribute 2024 to being an election year and point to swing state Michigan’s large Arab-American population and assume the Biden administration was trying to use sanctions against the IDF to appease a population furious at America’s support of Israel. The Biden administration is a proponent of “being in the room” as a method of influencing foreign country’s policies. It’s why it rejoined the United Nations Human Rights Council and refunded UNRWA.  It would be more consistent with their approach to foreign affairs to insist on training Netzah Yehuda in human rights than to sanction and totally cut off American influence on the unit.  The bad will these sanctions generate translates into Israelis encouraging their leaders to ignore American direction because they assume the sanctions are driven by American domestic political considerations.  It also increases support for politicians who call to ignore American insistence on more focus being put on human rights. The sanctions strengthen the hands of Israeli politicians the Biden administration would most like marginalized. What does President Joe Biden hope these sanctions will accomplish? Israel objects to the insinuation that Netzah Yehudah has any human rights problems, so the IDF won’t see a reason to change policies.  In addition, Netzah Yehudah isn’t a unit that regularly trains with the American army, nor do they use American weapons like the air force or more specialized units. Much like the sanctions placed on a few settlers and their farms, these sanctions seem performative at best, and a waste of the State and Treasury departments’ time and resources at worst. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo told radio host Hugh Hewitt, “[The sanction idea] is not only preposterous, it’s dangerous, and dangerous not just for Israel, but for the world. When the United States doesn’t understand the difference between the people of the Jewish homeland in Israel who are doing nothing more than trying to keep their own country safe, and an Iranian regime in the form of Hamas terrorists invading their country and killing barbarically a thousand people, and you begin to describe these two in the same moral terms, that is so inconsistent with the American tradition, and it will come back to harm us, because the world will see America no longer has the moral compass to call good and evil what they are. And I saw that and was deeply disappointed, and very concerned for the security of America.” Hewitt reported that when the leak from the on sanctioning the IDF surfaced, House Speaker Mike Johnson got on the phone with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to strenuously object and got the assurance that this absurd stab in our ally’s back would not affect the funding America is giving to Israel.”  Assurances were given by Sullivan that the sanctions wouldn’t affect the new military aid America was giving to Israel but didn’t promise the sanctions wouldn’t be instituted. Let’s hope the Biden administration rethinks its entire sanctions strategy and focuses more on the real human rights abuses in Iran and the Palestinian Authority than on the false accusations used to slander Israel. The writer is a certified interfaith hospice chaplain in Jerusalem and the mayor of Mitzpe Yeriho, Israel. She lives with her husband and six children. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-04

Walking into just off Agripas Street, I was greeted by Yehudit herself who has been cooking here for 39 years. The food is homemade comfort food like your mother used to make – if your mother was a Kurdish lady who loved to cook. “First you’ll eat and then we’ll talk,” she ordered as soon as I sat down. We started off with an array of salatim which were all good and fresh although nothing was really outstanding. The humus with meat was made with instead of minced meat and was good. Yehudit also served us homemade grape leaves stuffed with rice that I especially liked, and a kadeh, a Kurdish pastry usually made with cheese but this time with meat. It was in the main courses that the food really shone. The bustling Mahane Yehuda shuk in Jerusalem. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) I’m not usually a fan of kebab, but Yehudit’s kebab, which she says is famous all over Jerusalem, was juicy and delicately spiced. The pargit (dark chicken meat) was also juicy and the was cooked medium rare as it should be. The side dishes she served were also excellent – a homemade majadara with fried onions and lentils, rice, and beans, and very good chips. Yehudit makes everything fresh every day and gets a lot of satisfaction from seeing customers enjoy her food. “I have a radar and I can see every table at the same time,” she said. “Sometimes my usual customers come in and if I’m not here they don’t know what to order. They say, “Yehudit knows what I like.” On a recent Tuesday night, the restaurant had few customers. The war has really hurt business, she said, as well as put an end to the tourist groups who used to come for lunch or dinner. But there is still a fair amount of take-out business, especially for her famous kebabs. “Do you have soup?” a bespectacled man eating alone asked. “Lentil or bean,” she replied. “Wow!” he said after tasting the bean soup. “I make everything from scratch,” she told him proudly. It turns out that the sole diner, Sharon Shwartz, a doctor from Kfar Saba, had dropped his wife and kids off at a family function and had some time to explore Jerusalem. When he got hungry, he wandered into Yehudit’s. “At first I was sad that I hadn’t ordered two portions of soup but then the kebab came, and I wasn’t sad anymore,” he told me as Yehudit beamed. The prices are reasonable for this kind of all-inclusive meal. If you have a vegetarian with you, the salads and side dishes – with unlimited refills – are just NIS 45. Two skewers of kebab or pargit with salads and a side dish are NIS 88. Premium meats like the entrecote or mullard breast are pricier. There is also a children’s menu for NIS 55 and a business lunch that is worth checking out. The writer was a guest of the restaurant. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-03

He has been known as the “Teflon prime minister’ and the politician who seems to always find a way back from the clutches of defeat. And while Israel’s longest-serving prime minister has faced numerous challenges over the last 30 years since he catapulted to the top of the Likud list, none have been as dire as right now. Yes, he has lost elections, but none of them had the potential to end with the establishment of a state commission of inquiry that would most definitely find him responsible for that led to the October 7 Hamas massacre. Yes, he has faced tough decisions in the past, but none had the potential to bring down his government while he is at his weakest point in the polls, on trial for corruption charges, will soon need to take the stand himself, and is about to face street protests never seen before in Israel. He has been through a lot, but nothing like this. The dilemma he and the government face is not one to envy. One option is to make a deal (assuming it is even possible) with Hamas to as possible and, in exchange, postpone an offensive in Rafah, potentially losing the coalition at the same time. The other option is to find a way to prevent a hostage deal (assuming Hamas doesn’t reject it first) and enter Rafah, raising the ire of the public that wants to see the hostages return as well as the international community, which has already said it will not support such an operation. While the coalition will remain intact in such a case, National Unity leaders Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot will quit the government, setting off a spark that will lead to unprecedented street protests against the government, making what we saw during the judicial reform look like child’s play. This, too, will be hard to overcome. Head of the National Unity party Minister Benny Gantz holds a press conference with Israeli Minister Gadi Eisenkot at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, February 26, 2024. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. Agreeing to the hostage deal will come at a steep price. It will include the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners and a suspension of the war for an extended period. Nevertheless, it is the right decision, it is the just decision, and it will bring Israel some closure that it desperately needs. While the world has moved on from October 7, Israelis have not. Every day, when they look at the pictures of the hostages it is a reminder of the gaping hole that is still open in their hearts. On the other hand, not going into Rafah will keep Hamas strong and potentially in power in the Gaza Strip. According to IDF estimates, Hamas has approximately four or five battalions that are still standing in Rafah, amounting to about 15,000 armed men. This is in addition to the terrorist infrastructure it has there - command centers, arms caches, and, of course, the tunnels it operates along the border with Egypt, which until a few months ago were still bringing in advanced weaponry into the Strip. Not damaging that infrastructure or eliminating those fighters almost definitely means that Hamas will remain in control of Gaza. It will have the weapons and the men enabling the terrorist organization to restore its control over the parts of Gaza that Israel will vacate, as seen recently in the north, where, after Israel pulled back its forces, Hamas returned and fired rockets. Netanyahu is trying to keep it all together without letting either side down – his political base, which wants a continued offensive in Gaza and for the IDF to enter Rafah, and the public, which wants to see the hostages released – as well as the Americans, who want this war to be over. It is a hard balancing act that no one in his shoes has ever had to do because no prime minister had overseen such a disaster while on trial, tanking in the polls, and facing street protests for more than a year. The one recent comparison would be to Ehud Olmert, who, in the aftermath of the Second Lebanon War, faced calls from reservists to resign and established a state commission of inquiry and then police investigations, which eventually forced him to step down. But Olmert was not indicted and not on trial while in office. On the other hand, what Olmert showed was the ability of a prime minister to remain in power even after a war that was viewed as a failure. He stayed on for another two and a half years. That is why, despite everything that is happening, it would be a mistake to write off Netanyahu. It is hard now to see how he can overcome this struggle, but his political demise is not at all a done deal. With that said, there is no underestimating the challenges he now faces. The keys to his political future and his potential freedom lie in the hands of two people who cannot exactly be counted on – Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, a pair for whom rational political thinking does not always apply. However, there is no reason to feel sorry for Netanyahu. He created this mess. He legitimized Ben-Gvir as a cabinet minister and a coalition partner. Yes, he would not have had a government without the former Kach rabble-rouser, but he was warned plenty of what to expect if he got into bed with him. At the end, though, this should not really matter. Instead, what should matter is the future of the State of Israel, the resilience of its people, and the message that will be sent in both cases – if we, as a nation, prioritize the return of the hostages or if we do not and prioritize an operation in Rafah. These are the kinds of decisions that showcase the ethical standard of a nation and will not only go down in history but also send a message that will resonate globally. As the son of a historian, Netanyahu, a history enthusiast himself, knows this. He knows that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are unlikely to take up more than a few paragraphs when this period of Israeli history is chronicled for the generations to come. However, the choices he makes now possess the potential to create ripple effects throughout the military, Israeli society, and the broader Jewish community for decades to come. The responsibility rests squarely on his shoulders. The writer is a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) and a former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-02

Two weeks ago, I visited Slovenia as part of a (WJC) delegation. So far, the WJC, for which I am a Jewish diplomat, has sent four such delegations to countries in Europe at the invitation of the local Jewish community - usually in response to rising levels of antisemitism. During the two-and-a-half-day visit, the delegation, comprised of Jews from 11 countries – met with high-ranking officials, the diplomatic community, and Slovenian government officials. Speaking alongside Robert Baruh Waltl, the official representative of the Jewish community in Slovenia, the aim was to have constructive conversations to garner tangible support for the Jewish community and its members. The Jewish community in Slovenia is extremely small, mostly based in the capital, Ljubljana, and numbers less than 100 people. Like all Jewish communities, regardless of their size, they deserve to live freely as Jews without facing hate and discrimination. Sadly, however, like so many other communities around the world, the Jews in Slovenia have experienced a sharp . The Jewish Cultural Center (JCC) Ljubljana has been the scene of protests and vandalism; its front door was spray-painted with graffiti equating a swastika with a Magen David and was later set alight. Waltl, the founder of the community, who devotes his life to revitalizing the Jewish community in Slovenia, has been personally threatened with a boycott at his other in his other employment, running the mini-theater next door to the Jewish community center, simply because he is a Jew. Disturbingly, Waltl was told that specific government ministries would not allow representatives to meet with a Jew while the war in Gaza was raging. He also learned that he had been rejected for government scholarships because of the JCC’s ties to Israel. An Israeli soldier prays next to an ultra orthodox Jewish man at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) With no Israeli embassy in Slovenia, people perceive the JCC as the only connection with Israel, so it is there they express their pro-Palestinian feelings and protest against the Jewish state. They are being attacked in the media and are feeling increasingly isolated. It is no surprise that the WJC is concerned for the community’s welfare. Most of the meetings, which were conducted to raise awareness of the community’s plight, went well. The majority of the foreign ambassadors we met were open and receptive to us. They were shocked by the community's experiences and were interested in tangible steps to further support the Jews of Slovenia. A disappointment came from the president of Slovenia’s own advisers, who brought up Islamophobia in our meeting about the Jewish community. This is a common tactic for those wishing to diminish Jew hate and erase its significance. Ultimately, it is a form of “all lives matter” of the Jewish experience. Our last meeting was with Slovenia’s (IHRA) delegation, of which Waltl is also a part. Per the EU’s recommendation, Slovenia has adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Or rather, some of it (which is not actually an option). Rather tellingly, they excluded the 11 examples included by IHRA, which illuminate practical manifestations of antisemitism in a modern context. Despite this, our meeting started well enough. The head of the delegation was polite, although initially, he seemed to explain recent anti-Jewish hate crimes as almost a natural response to the public’s perspective on recent events in the Middle East. The WJC was clear in its reply, stating that irrespective of one’s perspective on this war between Israel and Hamas, the Jewish community should never be a target. That is racism, plain and simple. Things became heated when the deputy head of the delegation, Blanka Jamnišek, responded to our testimony that Jews in Slovenia do not feel supported and safe. She seemed to ignore our concerns and Waltl’s. Jamnišek ended by asking the WJC: "What are you doing to ease the humanitarian crisis, stop the famine, and work towards a ceasefire?” She could see our shock before she even managed to finish her sentence. Our faces must have betrayed our thoughts and feelings. Simply put, we were stunned. To experience antisemitism – as per the 11th example stated by IHRA in its definition (“Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel”) – from an IHRA delegate member was outrageous. We don’t always expect those we are meeting with to understand our position exactly or even to understand Jew-hate. They usually don’t. However, to experience such flagrant antisemitism from someone who is tasked with combating it was certainly a surprise.  Immediately, there was a swift and strong rebuttal from a member of the WJC team, stating clearly – even though it had already been said – that we were not there to discuss the Middle East conflict; we were here to discuss the safety of Jews around the world. To hold us responsible for the war or one’s perceptions of the war is highly offensive. When Jamnišek refused to retract, our delegation stood up and walked out. It was the correct move. Even though this arm of the World Jewish Congress is focused on diplomacy, boundaries are crucial even in these highly sensitive discussions. As I have stated numerous times during my work on building Jewish pride, Jews must have boundaries. We should not sit in meetings or have conversations with those who refuse to listen to us and then throw anti-Jewish accusations at us. As with any conversation, diplomacy must be a two-way street rooted in mutual respect and a desire to achieve the best outcome for all involved. No Jew, whether diplomat or otherwise, should sit in a room with people expressing extreme antisemitism. After we left, we contacted the head of the delegation to ensure that our protest was understood as not directed at the whole of Slovenia’s IHRA delegation. But it was a response to  Jamnišek’s comments. We explained that we were so outraged at experiencing Jew hate in a conversation meant to be focused on combating it that we had to leave. We then invited the head of the delegation to join us for a meal so we could have the constructive conversation we should have had to begin with. This discussion was a much better experience. He listened and appeared to understand our perspective. We discussed tangible steps, including policing and appointing a special envoy to combat antisemitism, among others, that can support the Jewish community in Ljubljana and enable it to feel valued as a part of Slovenian society. This was a deeply instructive and illuminating trip. It demonstrated the power of high-level conversations and diplomacy but also reminded me that just because someone is in a position of authority, it does not mean they understand issues such as Jew hate or are free of prejudice themselves. It also underscored the importance of Jews fighting back and not tolerating abuse. We have a duty to defend ourselves. We have a duty to defend the Jewish people. Ultimately, every Jew, no matter where they live and no matter how small their community, has a right to live freely and proudly as a Jew. This is what we are fighting for. This is what we are demanding. The writer is the founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement, an educator, and the author of Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People. His new book is Reclaiming Our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-02

Israeli intelligence has developed a tactical navigation application akin to Waze for the designed for ground operations in Gaza.This development was highlighted in a recent publication by "IICC Perspectives," a journal issued by the Israeli Intelligence Heritage Center. The app, developed by , was inspired by tactical intelligence gathered from Nokhba terrorists captured before the IDF's ground maneuver in Gaza.  According to the journal, the app features maps with crucial waypoints. It includes a comprehensive 'enemy awareness' guide, among other critical aids, made available to the forces ahead of the operations. This initiative is part of a broader intelligence effort that began following the, referred to as the Black Sabbath.  A man holds his phone showing his in Beirut at the Google Maps app, in Jerusalem, April 4, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) Investigators were able to extract significant insights not only pertinent to ground navigation but also in other critical operational areas, which played a substantial role in the planning and execution phases of the ground operations. Moreover, Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, has been actively involved in providing unique technological support to the IDF.  This includes advanced equipment for safely scanning Hamas tunnels, significantly minimizing risks to soldiers during underground operations. The Mossad's contributions extend beyond equipment, offering extensive technological and operational support on the battlefield, enhancing the IDF's capability to engage effectively with Hamas forces. These technological interventions have reportedly included protective technologies for tanks and armored personnel carriers, which have already safeguarded thousands of military vehicles and the soldiers operating them.  The Mossad has also deployed specialized robots for complex reconnaissance and combat tasks in underground environments, ensuring soldier safety by mitigating direct exposure to hostile conditions. The details of most of these technological advancements remain classified; however, officials have shared insights on several tools that have transformed military operations, particularly in challenging terrains like Gaza. These contributions underscore a significant collaboration among Israeli intelligence arms, leveraging their extensive experience and cutting-edge technology to tackle modern warfare challenges head-on. This integrated approach not only boosts the effectiveness of ground operations but also plays a crucial role in safeguarding the lives of those on the front lines, marking a significant stride in military and intelligence cooperation. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-28

Amid reports that Israel was while also offering to postpone or forgo the operation in exchange for Hamas releasing Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, right-wing government ministers threatened to withdraw from the coalition should Israel postpone the Rafah operation. Meanwhile, center and center-left MKs said the government would lose legitimacy if it did not agree to a hostage deal instead.  National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir the Otzma Yehudit party, repeated on Sunday his earlier statement that such a deal would mean the end of the government. His ally, Finance Minister and Religious Zionism leader, Bezalel Smotrich, said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday that "agreeing to the Egyptian deal would be a humiliating surrender, handing over victory to Nazis on the backs of hundreds of heroic IDF combat soldiers that have fallen in battle." Smotrich threatened to withdraw from the government if Prime Minister Netanyahu should . "If you agree to wave a white flag and cancel the plans to enter Rafah immediately," he stated, "a government under your leadership will have no right to exist."Benny Gantz holds a press conference at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, April 3, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz, who sits alongside Netanyahu in the war cabinet, responded to Smotrich's threat, writing on X, "Entering Rafah is important in the long struggle against Hamas, [but] the , who were abandoned by the October 7 government, is urgent and of far greater importance." If the security system backs a reasonable deal that would not end the war, and "the ministers who led the government on October 7 prevent it," Gantz said, "the government will not have the right to continue to exist." Opposition leader Yair Lapid charged that the government must choose between the two right-wing ministers and the good of the State of Israel, writing, "This government has to choose: return the hostages alive, or Ben-Gvir and Smotrich; relations with the Americans, or Ben-Gvir and Smotrich; the Saudi deal, or Ben-Gvir and Smotrich; Israel's security, or Ben-Gvir and Smotrich."  Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, a right-wing party that is not part of the coalition, commented on the back-and-forth between the ministers, saying on Sunday, "I advise all politicians to understand the gravity of this moment, to take a moment and to be quiet. "All the statements and press conferences serve no one," he added, "except the human monsters of Hamas, who follow every statement religiously. We do not conduct negotiations in the media." ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-28

During four days in late April 1994, exactly 30 years ago, an awed world watched the first democratic elections in South Africa. The transformation occurred after the white regime realized that it could no longer maintain . One can debate what contributed more: strategic changes in the world following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which decreased South Africa’s importance to the West, or growing international sanctions. It is also possible to debate how reached its current crises regarding inequality, unemployment, crime, and so on.  But I will focus on lessons that contemporary Israel can learn from that change in South Africa. While we are “a step from total victory” in Gaza, to quote the prime minister, it is necessary to look at the territories Israel has controlled since the 1967 Six Day War. Just before Passover, we were informed that the government has begun the process of legalizing 68 “young settlements,” which were established without the approval of the government and are considered by Israeli law to be illegal. , who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry where he has broad authority over civilian issues in the territories, instructed several ministries to provide those settlements with the same services as regular settlements. This caused joy in some circles, consternation in others, and was met with a yawn elsewhere. So what difference does it make? Bezalel Smotrich (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) At the outset, it should be noted that Israel has not annexed the territories (Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are a different matter). No government in any combination of Right, Left, and Center did so. This includes the current coalition, whose guidelines begin with: “The Jewish people have an exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel. The government will promote and develop the settlement of all parts of the Land of Israel – in the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan, and Judea and Samaria.” This is because annexation can have but two outcomes. One would entail providing equal rights to all residents of the annexed territories, and an Arab majority would soon terminate the Jewish state. The other is to grant rights on an ethnic basis, resulting in official discrimination, like apartheid.  Indeed, for almost 57 years, Israel insists that its hold on the territories is “belligerent occupation.” In international law, this means temporary military rule, which lays certain responsibilities on the occupier vis-à-vis the local population while guaranteeing the security of the occupier. In the past, all decisions regarding the territories, including establishing settlements, were taken by security personnel, and were officially based on security considerations. Thus, if the Fourth Geneva Convention decrees that the occupier cannot move its own population into occupied territories, Israel could claim that decisions on settlements were made due to security considerations, and thus comply with international law. The formation of the current coalition changed that. A civilian (Smotrich) was given extensive responsibility regarding the territories, and decisions may now be made based on openly civilian considerations. This raises a question: if Israel is no longer a belligerent occupier, are the territories annexed? If so, the choice between apartheid and the end of the Jewish majority is fast approaching.  WE ARE currently witnessing two developments that are reminiscent of South Africa. But whereas strategic changes were to South Africa’s detriment at the time, they now favor Israel. And in both cases, international sanctions were in evidence, due to the treatment of the local population. Recently, the United States and some Europeans expanded sanctions against individuals and organizations in the territories, and the US is considering sanctioning an Israeli army unit. At the same time, the reaction of countries in the world and in the region to the on Israel is evidence of a new strategic alliance.  Israel’s participation in this fresh alliance will serve its interests and those of other players in this international coalition, including Sunni Muslim countries. However, Israel’s conduct in the territories may be a stumbling block to their goodwill and cooperation, and could even lead to painful steps against us. Two coalitions stand before Israel, which can probably not exist side by side. One is the fresh international coalition against Iran and its cronies. The other rules Israel and believes that it is possible to continue ignoring the world indefinitely.  Thirty years after South Africa learned that even a large country with many resources cannot do as it pleases, it remains to be seen which coalition Israel will choose to preserve.  The writer is a former ambassador to South Africa, as well as Israel’s first ambassador to the Baltic states after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and a past congressional liaison officer at the embassy in Washington. She is a graduate of Israel’s National Defense College. ...قراءة المزيد

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