Category: Frontlines

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Outrage on the Eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day over German Funding of Anti-Israel NGO

Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg: “Dishonors the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust”

Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day that will be marked worldwide on Friday, January 27, the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu released a new report documenting the German government’s funding of Zochrot, an Israeli NGO that works to “decolonize” Israel by promoting the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees.

Zochrot’s vision, according to its official website, is to “promote acknowledgement and accountability for the ongoing injustices of the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948 and the reconceptualization of the Return as the imperative redress of the Nakba.”

According to the official details from the Israeli Corporations Authority’s non-profit registrar cited in the report, from 2012-2016 the Government of Germany has provided over 1,100,000 NIS (290,000 USD) to Zochrot via two German foundations, Misereor and Rosa Luxemberg Stiftung, which are heavily funded by the federal German government.

Zochrot utilizes this extensive funding to engage in an array of controversial activities, including screening its “Film Festival on Nakba and the Right of Return” on college campuses during Israeli Apartheid Week, promoting an “iNakba” smartphone application, and defaming Israel on the world stage with slanderous language like “ethnic cleansing.”

In 2014, Zochrot CEO Eitan Bronstein and other of the organization’s officials participated in the production of a radical video that dubbed the Holocaust “the best thing that ever happened” to the Jewish people.

In response to the findings of the report, Im Tirtzu sent a letter to Germany’s ambassador to Israel Dr. Clemens Von Goetze demanding the secession of German funding to Zochrot.

“What gives the Government of Germany the right to undermine the character of another democratic and sovereign nation?” the letter reads. “We are calling on your government to immediately cease all funding of ‘Zochrot.’ This funding makes a mockery of any and all efforts to find a peaceful solution to any Israeli-Palestinian issues.”

The German Embassy has yet to respond to Im Tirtzu’s letter.

Germany’s funding of Zochrot also sparked outrage among the children of Holocaust survivors.

Noah Klein, the son of two Holocaust survivors, said:  “As a child of two Holocaust survivors I appreciate that despite the horrors of the Holocaust, Germany has been a great friend and supporter of Israel. However, it is very painful to me that Germany is funding an anti-Israel NGO whose goal is the destruction of the Jewish State. The remnant of my family lives in Israel, and Germany’s funding of such an organization that seeks to destroy their future must stop.”

Lori Fagelston, also the daughter of Holocaust survivors, noted: “This funding is a disgrace like no other. Only a few generations have passed, and Germany is again committing another grave injustice against the Jewish People by funding this anti-Israel organization. This needs to stop immediately.”

Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg said: “The idea that Germany in 2017 is funding an organization that brazenly seeks to destroy the Jewish character of the State of Israel is a disgrace. This funding is not only dishonors the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, but is anti-democratic at its core. This is another painful example of foreign governments working to impose their unwanted policies on the State of Israel via anti-Israel NGOs from within.”

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Jerusalem, above all joys

The debate about moving the American embassy to Jerusalem emphasizes, once again, the lack of comprehension of the importance of Jerusalem to the Nation of Israel.

The destruction of the Jewish Temple meant the destruction of the most holy, pivotal location to the Jewish religion, culture and people. Destruction of the Temple was an attempt to destroy the Jewish nation – take out the cultural linchpin, the one element that ties everyone together and everything will fall apart.

It is written:
As the navel is set in the centre of the human body,
so is the land of Israel the navel of the world…
situated in the centre of the world,
and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of Israel,
and the sanctuary in the centre of Jerusalem,
and the holy place in the centre of the sanctuary,
and the ark in the centre of the holy place,
and the Foundation Stone before the holy place,
because from it the world was founded.
(Roman-Era Midrash Tanchuma)

It is believed that the Foundation Stone is the foundation God used to create the world. Around this stone the Temple was built and within the Temple, on the Foundation Stone, the Ark of the Covenant was placed. This is the source of the holiness of the Temple and its importance to Judaism.

The image people around the world today have of the Temple Mount is that of the golden domed mosque which was built on the ruins of the Temple in 691 C.E. Since that time the Dome of the Rock has been a holy place for the Moslem people – although not central to their religion. Considered the third holiest location in Islam, it is not mentioned a single time in the Koran.

It was once common practice for a conquering people to build holy sites on top of existing holy places. Historically this was a successful way to both show domination of the location as well as a way to incorporate the local population in the new religion.

The Temple has been central to the Jewish people since the construction of the first Temple (957 B.C.E.). To this day, Jews around the world pray facing the direction of the site of the Temple Mount.

The Kotel is the Western Wall of the Temple which remains standing (an external supporting wall). The wall is so important that it has become in Jewish consciousness THE Wall. It needs no other name. Millions of Jews come to the Kotel every year, it is always open and people can be found there, every day, 24/7, around the clock. The Kotel is never empty and it is in fact one of the most frequented locations in the world, seeing approximately 11 million guests each year.

Jews in exile in Babylon are described in Psalm 137 as stubbornly remembering the full glory of Jerusalem, explaining to their captors that they would always look towards the holy city: “May my tongue cleave to my mouth, if I ever think not of thee, if I ever prize not Jerusalem above all joys!”

To this day, in Jewish weddings, before the couple is formally married, the groom proclaims this statement before the guests and breaks a cup with his foot to symbolize sorrow for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

On what is supposed to be the happiest day in the life of the couple, they stop, putting sorrow and longing for the Temple first. This is a powerful statement.

The 9th day of the month of Av (Jewish calendar) is the day when both the first and second Temples were destroyed, the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E. It is a day of fasting and mourning for religious Jews around the world.

Thinking about the meaning of Tisha B’Av, the day of mourning, I am beginning to see, (or maybe feel is a better word) that this is symbolic of all our problems – Israel’s and those of the world.

The Foundation Stone of the world, the site of the Temple mount, is dominated by a mosque. It is known that active destruction of antiquities has been occurring since the Waqf was given control of the Temple Mount. Dr. Mordechai Kedar, (Department of Arabic, Bar-Ilan University) explains: “These actions are being carried out in the context of a practice known in Arabic as Tams al-ma’alem, an expression that means ‘erasing the signs’ in the sense of destroying the relics of all cultures that preceded Islam.”

Jews are allowed to enter the site of the Temple but ironically are not allowed to pray there. In fear of Moslem rioting, to avoid violence, Jews who enter the Temple Mount must not be heard praying or show any signs of prayer. If they bow to the Holy of Holies, they are escorted out of the site.

Imagine having other people in your home who, because they had been there for so long, you do not attempt to evict, but only request to share the space with them. Imagine being told that you are allowed to stand outside the back door, outside the cellar, that you can watch while others enter and leave, doing as they please in your home…

Secular Jews do not fast on Tisha B’Av and though most Israelis have visited the Kotel, only a minority has actually ascended to the Temple Mount. The drifting away from putting Jerusalem above all other joys has significance that surpasses religion, encompasses history and has direct influence on our future.

The spiritual explanation says that ramifications of being disconnected or even barred from the source of the holiness of the world deeply impacts not only on the Jewish people but the entire planet as well.

History says that the cultural significance of Jerusalem and yearning for the Temple was a key factor in keeping the Jewish people intact over the centuries. When other nations rose and fell, the Nation of Israel remained, stubborn in their focus, insisting on returning to Israel and to Jerusalem – no matter how long it took or how much suffering was experienced along the way.

The Temple is what ties us to Jerusalem and Jerusalem is what ties us to Israel. Without either of these, we risk losing all.

This is an issue of priorities, of belonging, respect and freedom. These are magnified to extreme intensity here, at the navel of the world, but they have direct impact on the lives of all people, everywhere.

America under Obama, with the support of the UN and their latest anti-Israel resolution has done much to damage Israel’s connection to Jerusalem. America under Trump can help amend this. Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem is a good start.

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Is Trump Forcing Bibi to Build?

After it was announced today that Israel approved 2,500 homes in Judea and Samaria, Bibi Netanyahu released the following tweet:

“Agreed with Defense Minister on construction of 2,500 housing units in Judea and Samaria. We build and continue to build.”

There is no way to know the actual substance of the call between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump, but one thing is for sure there is an apparent Trump effect.

With the approval announcement already making waves around the world, it is noteworthy that no criticism or even a peep was heard from the United States. Trump’s election is more than an earthquake in the USA, it has changed how Israel relates to itself. Donald Trump is not a man who backs away from statements.  It is not his brand.

Of all the rightwing bonafides of PM Netanyahu, he has never governed Israel with a President that will essentially let Israel be truly independent. Those who know the Prime Minister remark on the extra careful manner Bibi Netanyahu approaches everything.  This approach worked during the Obama years, but Trump is different, very different. It is obvious the Prime Minister and even the Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman have yet to truly appreciate that for the first time we may be just left alone to really develop our own future.

The one thing we know is that President Donald Trump likes winners.  He likes those that succeed.  In his mind the more you build the more you are a success. Trump never stayed still and it is why he has defied all odds to become President.  Bibi Netanyahu has been a brilliant tactitician, but there is no reason to play by the old rules anymore, the Donald is here and he wants us to build.

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Naftali Bennett: Either Sovereignty or Palestine

Education Minister Naftali Bennett directly challenged Prime Minister Netanyahu today at a meeting with his Jewish Home faction to push forward with his annexation plan.

“The US is entering a new era. The State of Israel is also this week entering a new era for national security,” Bennett said. “Prime Minister Netanyahu faces a historic decision: either sovereignty or Palestine. Either sovereignty or ISIS on Route 6.”

“We call upon Prime Minister Netanyahu: don’t miss this opportunity which came only after 50 years. We will give complete backing to the Prime Minister to act with courage and determination. There is a perception that we must continue to manuever and defend, but we must initiate [policy] and stick with it.”

He recalled that in 1981, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin acted “with courage” and applied Israeli sovereignty to the Golan Heights. “Today we all understand that he (Begin) was correct. No one will take care of the security of Israel if we do not do it [ourselves]. This is the time for action, not excuses.”

The Prime Minister later responded to Naftali Bennett’s remarks with his own.

“After eight years of pressure I welcome the change in attitude in the White House,” Netanyahu said. “We are faced with great opportunities, but they require responsibility and discretion.”

Netanyahu dealt directly with the question applying sovereignty over Maale Adumim: “We are facing opportunities for the State of Israel, but they require a judgment call. This is not the time for knee-jerk reactions, [hasty] orders, and surprises. We need a responsible and prudent diplomacy. For the good of the State of Israel, and for the good of the settlements, I suggest that everyone put aside all other considerations and allow me to lead. We are entering a new era and we are strengthening our foreign relations.”

 

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TRUMP EFFECT: Bibi Changing Views on Maale Adumim Annexation…and more!

After being outflanked on the right by his own party and Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party and even before his phone call with President Donald Trump, Bibi began to change his tune on the future of Judea and Samaria and building in Jerusalem.

Bibi made it clear that he did indeed back the proposal to annex Maale Adumim, a city of east of Jerusalem made up of 40,000 Israelis.

“The city [of Maale Adumim] will be under Israeli sovereignty,” Netanyahu pledged, “but now is not the right time to take new steps without coordinating with the US government.”

In addition to the statement, Jerusalem approved 671 homes in areas where former President Barack Obama had prevented Israel from building.

Bibi Invited to Washington in February

After their conversation, it was announced that President Trump extended an invitation to PM Netanyahu to visit Washington in February. According to reports, Bibi has asked the government to delay the annexation vote until after he meets Trump.

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BREAKING NEWS: Trump Begins Discussions on Moving US Embassy to Jerusalem

Channel 2 in Israel is reporting that Trump is set to announce the US will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Monday.  Supporting the report’s veracity, the White House confirmed that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and President Trump discussed the initial stages of the embassy move in their first telephone call at 1:30pm EST.

Menawhile, Palestianian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Jordanian King met in order to coordinate strategy to try thwart the planned move.

YNET is reporting that Dr. Hayel Dawood, Jordan’s Minister of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs, gave an interview to Palestinian media after the meeting. He said that Trump’s stated intention to relocate the embassy was “a dangerous development that requires an offensive position against it.” He added that the relocation “constitutes a death blow to Washington’s role as a fair mediator in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and disregard for international resolutions that consider Jerusalem occupied territory.”

Not Clear Who Can Stop Trump

With all of the noise coming out of Rammallah and Amman, they have little power or leverage to stop President Trump from moving the embassy. Both the PA and Jordan are artificially created entities that depend on outside help to keep stable. The other countries in the region either don’t care or have other issues that are for more pressing to deal with.

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“We built that”

Once upon a time, the people that built things with their own two hands were admired. The pioneers. Their sweat and the dirt beneath their fingernails was a badge of honor, a testament to their courage.

The builders, people who created something from nothing, were upheld as an example. They who made the rocky hills green, who planted vineyards and made fruit trees grow where, once, there was only desolation – they were the ones to emulate.

To set out alone, relying on no one but oneself was the mark of a man, free in his own land.

They toiled under the sun, individuals with a few family members. People with no family found friends who became family. Together they carved out an existence reborn in the land of their forefathers.

And the world watched in wonder.

They dug wells and planted seeds. They built homes and schools and synagogues. They created places of beauty. They laid the foundation so that more people could come and join them, start families and have children whose laughter rang in the wind as they ran on the hilltops.

Children that were free and strong, stubborn like their parents.

Children who knew they could do anything, achieve anything if they were willing to work hard, like their parents.

Can you imagine the pride of looking at a hill and knowing that it is green because you planted all the seeds? To bring forth wine from a land once empty? To put your arm over your son’s shoulders and tell him: “Son, do you remember the day we finished building the house? You helped me lay the titles for the roof. Our home, we did that, together.”

They are the pioneers.

Once they were admired.

In America, the land of my birth, pioneers of the land are barely remembered. Who remembers a time when there were no roads, no cities or towns, no gardens, no businesses?

“You didn’t build that” and “Build it for me” are much more common than, “Get out of my way and let me build for myself.”

In Israel, the land of my heritage, the pioneers are still building and creating new life where once there was none. No longer upheld as ones to be admired, they remain as stubborn as their parents. The ground resonates through their feet and the wild freedom of their hearts cannot be imprisoned by disapproval of others.

Looked on with scorn, the world now calls them the “settlers”. As if it is not due to their hard work that I have a place in which I can settle down and call home. As if there is any difference between the “settlers” of today and the pioneers of a generation ago, our founders responsible for the rebirth of this land.

People whisper in horror: “They are religious fanatics, ideologues.” As if it was not thousands of years of keeping faith with our religion and our heritage that led the pioneers back to the land that, even in exile, was always home.

As if the idea of being a self-actualized nation, free in our own land, is a right reserved only for those who are not Jewish.

Many say, “What is wrong with them? Why do they put their children in danger?” The pioneers know that being custodians of the land of our ancestors comes at a terrible price.

The murderous waves of hatred of those who wish Jews gone from the land of our fathers break upon the backs of the pioneers. All too often they pay in blood and tears for the right to enjoy what they built with their own two hands. It takes a will of steel to stand unmoving but they know that they stand in the gap. Should they step aside, the waves will crash, washing away everything: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya and Haifa.

What choice is there?

They are the pioneers. Courageous and bold, stubborn and unbending, they remain unchanged in a world that has changed dramatically.

They have earned everything they have. They built what we have today.

And I, who have built nothing, am grateful.

Originally Published on Inspiration from Zion.

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[Listen] Lev HaOlam Activist: “We Are Here to Stand With Israel Against the 70 Nations”

Lev HaOlam, the Israel based movement that connects thousands of Israel supporters around the world to Judea and Samaria through monthly packages was represented in the wide spread demonstrations today in Paris, France against the “Peace” Summit.

Founded by activist Nati Rom more than three years ago, Lev HaOlam supports countless artisans, craftsmen, and pioneers in Israel’s Heartland by buying their products and making them available to thousands of customers.

 

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[watch] Arab Celebrations Continue After Terrorist Kills 4 Israelis

Featured Image Source: Tamarah

Posted by Molly Livingstone on Monday, January 9, 2017The celebrations continue for the second night after the terrorist attack. Fireworks and 4 molotov cocktails aimed at soldiers, that stand by and do not retaliate. There is also fire in the street. What you don’t see? The homes to the right, that must hear the fireworks, like bombs, night after night, children can’t sleep and wake up to the reality of hate. Did you see this on the news? How can you form an opinion when they hide the truth? Please share and let the world know that celebration, violence and harm continue. #israeliliviesmatter #truth #ArmonHanatziv

 

In case you were wondering that is not an Arab wedding celebration, but rather a celebration for the “successful attack against the Zionist occupier.”

In a few days time the nations of the world are set to attempt to force Israel to make peace with the Arabs living in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, but if the “Palestinians” celebrate the murder of young Jews no peace should ever be expected.

Local resident Molly Livingstone posted on her Facebook feed:

“Fireworks and 4 molotov cocktails aimed at soldiers, that stand by and do not retaliate. There is also fire in the street.”