ISRAEL WATCH: 6.8.19 - Advocating in Efrat

Israel Watch - Advocating in Efrat - Jim Fletcher -

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com
 

I remain convinced that most people are unaware of just how deep the hatred for Israel goes among American Christian
elites. Specifically evangelicals.

(As an aside, check out a recent editorial in Christianity Today, from Mark Galli, regarding his scolding of "Christian
Nationalism," while ignoring the existential threat of Islam. Progressive evangelicals, or whatever one calls them, are unusually undiscerning.)

In the Israeli community of Efrat, south of Jerusalem, my friend Ardie Geldman hosts these hostile groups, who believe
Israel is the problem in the Middle East. As they come back from Hebron to Jerusalem, they often stop by Efrat, in order to see an "illegal settlement."

The superb writer, Barbara Sofer, has written about Ardie and his work, in the Jerusalem Post. The American-born Geldman
is particularly discerning when it comes to reaching students and ministry leaders that demonize Israel:

"We cerebral Jews, with some exceptions, attempt mainly to immediately win over people's minds with facts, figures,
history lectures and the like, but that doesn't compete with emotional and spiritual experiences."

There is also this:

"The Palestinian Authority has reportedly invested in helping families (mostly Christian) to expand their homes into
bed-and-breakfast facilities to host student groups. The hosts often invite the visitors to family gatherings and celebrations. They fill them in on the Palestinian narrative - how, for instance, the Israelis are to blame for the exodus of Christians from
Bethlehem.

"'It's not a matter of their minds being made up,' says Geldman. 'Their hearts are made up.'"

This is a real key. In all my years of advocating for Israel, I slowly began to realize it did little good to use statistics
and facts. That doesn't penetrate hearts. Although it's not really part of what Ardie does, I would also add that the sanitization of Bible prophecy teaching in American churches has aggressively aggravated the problem. If people do not understand who the
Jews are, from Scripture, they won't be moved by reports of bus bombings and other terror attacks.

A key feature of student visits to Efrat is spending Shabbat with an Israeli family. I enjoyed a meal with Ardie's
wonderful family a few years ago, and it remains one of my most precious memories.

Ardie keeps student evaluations of their time in Efrat. One particular entry struck me:

"Before I came to Efrat I was trying to listen to Israeli points of view with an open mind - but I wasn't really succeeding.
Now I feel as though my mind and also my heart have been opened. I still believe the Palestinians about their hurts and injustices - I'm still 'on their side.' But I'm on your side, too - I feel as though my heart is big enough to love you both."

This is a student from America initially influenced by the likes of Gary Burge and Shane Claiborne, whose bitterness
toward Israel is off the charts. But you can see that it is possible to influence people, especially young people, to feel differently about Israel and Jews.

There are two tracks here, of course: political and religious. If you want to change someone's perspective about Israeli
and Zionist politics, you have to address religious concerns.

It's a topic for another time, but the use of Bible prophecy must also come into play.

It's long time past time to re-think how we advocate for Israel.

Begin by picking up your Bible.

 

 

Palestinians say 'hell no' to Trump economic parley - By Joel C. Rosenberg - https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Palestinians-say-hell-no-to-Trump-economic-parley-591326

 

But three Arab states say yes. This is a very big deal. Here's why.

 

Historic, tectonic shifts are underway in the Middle East. Many Americans and Europeans are convinced President Donald Trump's long-awaited and highly controversial peace plan has no chance of success. But they are utterly missing the point. Yes, the Palestinians are hardening their position against peace with Israel, but the Gulf Arab states are steadily warming toward peace with the Jewish state.

 

Consider the latest developments.

 

On June 25 and 26, Trump's advisers will host a conference to roll out the first section of their peace plan. Specifically, they will unveil their proposals to vastly improve the Palestinian economy and the living conditions of every Arab - Muslim and Christian - in the West Bank and Gaza.

 

No foreign ministers are invited, only finance ministers. This session isn't about boundaries, capitals, flags and anthems. It's about creating more jobs, rising wages, good schools, better roads, more trade, clean water and uninterrupted electricity.

 

Sadly, Palestinian leaders are saying "no" to attending. Actually, they're saying, "hell, no!"

 

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said, "Any solution to the conflict in Palestine must be political... and based on ending the occupation. The current financial crisis is a result of a financial war waged against us and we will not succumb to blackmailing and extortion and will not trade our national rights for money."

 

Nabil Shaath, an adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said, "We will inform Bahrain that we will not take part in such a conference. We will not sell our conference based on an economic project."

 

PA Social Development Minister Ahmed Majdalani said, "There will be no Palestinian participation in the Manama workshop... Any Palestinian who would take part would be nothing but a collaborator for the Americans and Israel."

 

Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said, "We reject any economic and political steps that implement the deal of the century or normalize ties with the Israeli enemy."

 

Historically, the rest of the Arab world would follow the Palestinians' led. Yet moderate, thoughtful people throughout the Arab world are no longer buying such self-defeating anger.

 

The editors of The Jordan Times, the leading English-language newspaper in the Hashemite Kingdom whose editorials are widely believed to reflect the official government position, offered this week rare but wise criticism of Palestinian leaders.

 

"This premature negativism is unwarranted and has become a familiar pattern in the Palestinian thought that made things worse for the Palestinian people," noted an unsigned editorial.

 

"For starters, no one, including the Palestinians, knows for sure what this suspicious 'Deal of the Century' really looks like. Without having an inkling of what the US proposal for peace between the Palestinians and Israelis would look like, the Palestinians have rushed to reject it in toto.

 

"Besides, a meeting to promote the economy of the Palestinian territories by inviting investments from the US, Europe and Asia could be as benign as it sounds," the editors observed. "The Palestinians may welcome this initiative after all without endorsing the wider political implications. The Palestinian side would be better advised not to rush into taking positions that may hurt them, especially when the projected Manama conference as such is only a forum for considering improving the Palestinian economies in the West Bank and Gaza."

 

In conclusion, the editors wrote: "Welcoming the conference, or at least not impeding it, would provide the Palestinians with an opportunity to test the full implications of the initiative. Breathing life into the lifeless Palestinian economy cannot in itself be so bad after all. The Palestinian leadership cannot go on saying 'no' to everything offered to them before examining the full implications."

 

Even more noteworthy, three Gulf Arab states - Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia - are saying "yes," they would be happy to attend the American conference. Indeed, the leaders of Bahrain are actually making the bold move of hosting the conference.

 

Israel has also said, "yes," - Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon is very much looking forward to participating, his spokesman said.

 

Such developments are a very big deal for several reasons.

 

First, while the suffering of the Palestinian people rightly merits sympathy within the Arab world, it is becoming clear that more and more Arab leaders, journalists and opinion makers are losing patience with the perennial rejectionism of the Palestinian leadership to any peace deal or economic improvement plan of almost any kind.

 

Second, this conference on how to create "economic growth for peace" in the Middle East comes on the heels of a US-organized conference on how to create lasting security in the Middle East, which was held in Warsaw in February. Foreign ministers from 60 countries - including the Saudis, Emiratis, Bahrainis, the Yemenis and Israelis - participated, yet the Palestinians also refused to attend.

 

What's more, they urged their fellow Arabs not to attend either. Yet they were notably unsuccessful.

 

Third, while Bahrain, the UAE and the Saudis do not currently have any formal diplomatic relationship with the State of Israel, they are once again publicly stepping forward to meet with senior officials from the Jewish state. And this time it won't be in Warsaw or at Camp David but in the heart of the Arab world.

 

All this underscores a point I have been making for several months, though I find few who (yet) share my view: those who say the "Deal of the Century" is "dead on arrival" are misreading the entire situation.

 

Yes, the Palestinian leadership will almost undoubtedly reject the Trump peace plan. But rather than kill the peace process, such rejectionism could actually jump start it. How? By convincing Gulf Arab leaders and their citizens that while it would be wonderful if Abu Mazen was ready to negotiate in good faith, they need not wait forever.

 

Egyptian president Anwar Sadat didn't wait for the Palestinians to sign a final peace treaty with Israel before deciding it was in Egypt's national interest to do so. Thus, he signed his own treaty with Israel in 1979 and granted his people 40 years of peace.

 

Likewise, Jordan's King Hussein didn't wait for the Palestinians to complete a final treaty with Israel before he concluded it was in Jordan's national interest to do so. He, too, moved forward on his own in 1994 and granted his people 25 years of peace.

 

The Gulf states would benefit enormously by making peace with Israel now, rather than waiting. They could start buying and investing in Israeli technology and hiring Israeli scientists and engineers. They could open the floodgates of religious tourism in both directions. They could also build a far-stronger and more durable economic and security alliance with Israel and the US against the rising threats of Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood and other violent extremists.

 

Such historic breakthroughs for peace and prosperity are possible, and may very well be closer to coming to pass than any of the cynics realize.

 

 

The Iranian-Palestinian Plan to Thwart Trump's Peace Plan - by Khaled Abu Toameh -

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14324/iran-palestinians-trump-peace-plan

 

As the US administration prepares to roll out its long-awaited plan for peace in the Middle East, also known as the "Deal of the Century," Iran appears to be increasing its efforts to help its allies in the region try to thwart the plan.

 

Recently, Iran seems to have stepped up its political and military support for radical Palestinian groups that are staunchly opposed to any peace agreement with Israel. These groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, do not recognize Israel's right to exist and are publicly committed to its destruction and replacement by an Iranian-backed Islamic state.

 

Iran, of course, has long shared the same ambition of destroying Israel and has never hesitated to make its position known to the world. In several statements during the past few decades, Iranian leaders have been frank about their wish that Israel be "a one-bomb country."

 

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has several times referred to Israel as a "cancer" and threatened to "annihilate" the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. He has also taken to Twitter to denounce Israel as a "barbaric, wolf-like and infanticidal regime." Israel, he added, "Has no cure but to be annihilated."

 

Earlier this year, the chief of Iran's Air Force, Gen. Aziz Nassirzadeh, was quoted as saying that his forces are "impatient and ready to fight against the Zionist regime to wipe it off the Earth."

 

Such threats by Iranian leaders and officials are not uncommon or new. In fact, they accurately reflect Iran's long-standing policy of incitement against Israel and recurring threats to "annihilate the Zionist regime."

 

To achieve their goal, the leaders of Iran have been providing financial and military support to their proxies in the Middle East, specifically Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah -- three groups committed to Israel's obliteration.

 

Now, the Iranians are focusing their efforts on foiling US President Donald J. Trump's peace plan. The Iranians also appear to be angry with some Arab countries for allegedly colluding with the Trump administration to facilitate the implementation of the "Deal of the Century."

 

On May 29, Khamenei told a group of university professors, academic elites and researchers that some Arabs were committing an act of treason by collaborating with the Trump administration. Although he did not mention the countries by name, it is clear that he was referring to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

 

Referring to the "Deal of the Century," Khamenei said: "Of course, it will never be accepted and it will never be realized. The US and its cohorts will certainly face failure on this matter."

 

The leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip are now offering themselves as a weapon in the hands of Iran to foil Trump's plan.

 

"No one should blame us for thanking Iran," said Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

 

"It is our duty to thank anyone who supports the goals of our people. Without Iran's support, we would not have such military capabilities. We will continue to develop our weapons to face the occupation. Iran has provided us with rockets and money and helped us develop missiles that hit Tel Aviv. Those who support the resistance and Jerusalem are our friends, while those who want to sell Jerusalem are our enemies."

 

Last year, Iran announced its decision to "endorse" all the families of Palestinians killed and injured in the weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel border. The protests, called the Great March of Return, were launched in March 2018. The endorsement means that Iran will provide financial aid to the families.

 

Walid Awad, a senior official with the Palestinian People's Party, formerly the Palestinian Communist Party, praised the Iranian financial aid to the families. "We salute Iran for standing with the Palestinians and Arabs," he said. "The option of resistance is needed to foil the Deal of the Century."

 

Sources in the Gaza Strip revealed this week that Iran is also planning to provide financial aid to Palestinian employees who stopped receiving salaries from the Palestinian Authority (PA). In the past few months, the Palestinian Authority has cut the salaries of hundreds of employees in the Gaza Strip, including physicians and schoolteachers. The punitive measure comes in the context of the Palestinian Authority leadership's efforts to undermine its rivals in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

 

Iran's increased financial and military support for radical Palestinian groups is hardly the result of love for the Palestinians: rather, it is out of a desire to advance its own goals in the region. These include not only foiling Trump's peace plan, but also seeing Israel destroyed. That is why it is supporting Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two Gaza-based groups that are committed to the annihilation of the "Zionist entity." Iran is also supporting radical Palestinian groups because it seeks to undermine the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his regime in the West Bank, whom they consider traitors for their perceived moderate policies towards Israel.

 

Iran's support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad also needs to be seen in the context of Tehran's effort to undermine Arab states that have close relations with the Trump administration. Iran and its Palestinian allies are worried about the apparent rapprochement between Israel and some Arab countries.

 

Nasser Abu Sharif, the Islamic Jihad representative in Iran, said this week that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have become enemies of the Palestinians. Trump's "Deal of the Century," he added, "aims to pave the way for normalization" between the Arabs and Israel.

 

The Trump administration is planning to unveil the economic portion of the "Deal of the Century" during a "workshop" in Bahrain in late June or "when the timing is right." The Palestinians have called on all Arabs to boycott the US-led "workshop" on the pretext that it is part of a scheme to "eliminate the Palestinian cause."

 

This view is shared by the leaders of Iran, who are now calling on the Arabs to boycott the "workshop" and the Trump administration. "Regrettably, a number of Persian Gulf states are cooperating [with the US] because they are hoping that America will protect them in return for their betrayal of the Muslims," said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif.

 

By boycotting the US-led conference in Bahrain, Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority in the West Bank have placed themselves in the same league as Iran -- a country that despises them, deems them traitors and bankrolls their rivals, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in the Gaza Strip.

 

Even so, Abbas and Palestinian Authority officials match Iran's incendiary rhetoric of violence at the US administration and its "Deal of the Century" by denouncing it as a conspiracy against Arabs and Muslims.

 

The Palestinian Authority's actions and words serve to support Iran's self-appointed task of meddling in Palestinian affairs and strengthening radical Arabs and Muslims in the region. Iran's leaders have every reason to be satisfied with Abbas, whose every remark indirectly bolsters the Ayatollahs in their campaign to undermine any Arab and Muslim who wants to work with the US or make peace with Israel.

 

 

The Priorities of Palestinian Leaders - by Khaled Abu Toameh - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14342/palestinian-leaders-priorities

 

Some 18 Palestinian journalists, political and social activists, and academics have been killed in Syria in recent years, while dozens of others have been arrested. This figure was recently revealed by the Action Group For Palestinians of Syria, a London-based human rights watchdog organization that monitors the situation of Palestinian refugees in war-torn Syria.

 

This revelation, however, did not make it onto the radar of the international community or "pro-Palestinian" groups in the US, Canada, Britain and other Western countries. The most probable reason: Israel had nothing to do with the deaths of the Palestinian journalists, political activists and academics. They died in an Arab country (Syria). They were killed by their own Arab brothers, not by Israelis.

 

Had the Palestinians been killed or injured or arrested by Israel, their plight would have been immediately criticized by the international community, foreign journalists and media outlets. Yet, why should major media organizations report on these Arabs when they are victims of Arab brutality and repression?

 

The human rights group said that the Palestinians were killed in several parts of Syria while they were covering the civil war that erupted there in 2011. Nine were killed in shelling, five under torture in Syrian prisons, and four were fatally shot by snipers, according to the group.

 

It named the victims as: Fadi Abu Ajjaj (photographer), Jamal Khalifeh (photographer), Ahmed al-Sahli (media activist), Bassam Hamidi (media activist and photographer), Ahmed Taha (photographer), Bilal Saeed (media activist and photographer), Jihad Shehabi (photographer), Yamen Thaher (media activist), Tareq Ziad Khader (journalist), Niraz Saeed (photojournalist), Khaled Bakrawi (photographer), Hassan Hassan (artist), Ala'al-Naji (political activist), Bilal Ahmed (journalist), Eyas Farhat (journalist), Ghassan Shehabi (media activist and academic), Ahmed Kusa (media activist), and Muneer al-Khatib (media activist).

 

The whereabouts of scores of Palestinian journalists, also according to the human rights group, writers and media personalities who were arrested by the Syrian authorities in the past few years remain unknown. Among the missing Palestinians, who are presumed to be dead, are the following journalists and writers: Muhanad Omar, Ali al-Shehabi, Rami Hejjo, Ali Musleh, and Ahmed Jaleel.

 

"It's worth noting that the killings of the Palestinian journalists have not drawn an official Palestinian reaction," the human rights group pointed out. It also noted that Palestinian leaders have failed to call for "bringing the perpetrators to justice on charges of murder and torture of civilians who carried cameras or mobile phones as part of their work."

 

By wondering why Palestinian leaders were not paying attention to the plight of their people in Syria, the human rights group is either being na�ve or has yet to realize that these leaders have other priorities than caring for their own people.

 

Let us consider some of those "other priorities." Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank, for example, are more concerned about their salaries than the suffering of their people. Last week, Palestinian sources revealed that the ministers of the Palestinian Authority government have given themselves a $2,000 raise in their monthly salary. The decision has triggered a wave of protests among Palestinians, who say it came at a time when the Palestinian leadership is claiming that it is suffering from a financial crisis.

 

The Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, on the other hand, have no time to think about their people in Syria. These leaders are too busy worrying about how to silence and intimidate critics of Hamas.

 

Recently, Hamas decided to ban the distribution of the Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida in the Gaza Strip on charges of "incitement and fomenting discord" among Palestinians. The newspaper, which belongs to Hamas's rivals in the Palestinian Authority, has long been critical of the rulers of the Gaza Strip.

 

Hamas sources said the ban came after the newspaper allegedly "incited" Palestinians during last March's widespread protests over economic hardship in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, they added, is also considering banning the Palestinian Authority's Palestine TV from operating in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is apparently furious because Palestine TV reported that tons of meat donated by Saudi Arabia to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were stolen by Hamas officials.

 

According to the human rights group, 3,987 Palestinians have died in Syria since the beginning of the civil war in that country in 2011. The 18 journalists, activists and academics were among the victims. It is probably safe to assume that the total figure of those killed will reach 4,000 very soon.

 

Hardly a day passes without another Palestinian reported killed in Syria.

 

The latest victim died under torture in a Syrian prison last week. The victim's family has requested that his name not be published out of concern for their lives. Their son, they say, was held in prison for five years before he died under torture. The Syrian authorities gave the family a death certificate, but the body has yet to be delivered to them. His death brings to 606 the number of Palestinians who died under torture in Syrian prisons in the past eight years.

 

One doubts whether Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are even aware of these disturbing figures. When was the last time a senior Palestinian official talked about the torture and arrest of Palestinians in an Arab country? They really don't have the time: they are too busy condemning Israel and the US administration to take note of the fact that thousands of their people are being killed, displaced and tortured in Arab countries.

 

Palestinian ministers take yet more money for themselves from the pockets of their own people. Hamas leaders are obsessed with gagging anyone who dares to call them out for their violent and despotic behavior -- even when it has to do with the meat that they stole from the plates of their own people. This is the Palestinian leadership in action. When, one might ask, might we see some reaction on the part of the international community and media?

 

 

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