It was about 18 years ago that Israel started to build a fence to protect civilians from terrorism coming from the West Bank. The divide has continued to grow, sometimes in the shape of a tall concrete barrier and sometimes looking more like a fence. The effectiveness of the security fence has been proven by various Israeli organizations over the last decade, as it has indeed saved many lives. Even the Palestinian side has recognized that the fence has played an important role in reducing terrorism.
This security fence is not the only one of its kind in the world, yet it is the most controversial and the most spoken about, if not the only one ever mentioned. North Korea (250 km long heavily weaponized Korean “Demilitarized” Zone) and Morocco (Melila Border Fence) also have security barriers, just to mention a couple of the 30 worldwide “security fences” of sorts. But few know about them and even fewer care to mention them.
On the other hand, the West Bank Security Fence is all over the news. Never mind that it has stopped the flow of blood from terrorism victims; it has not stopped the flow of ink from reporters, journalists and Israel’s enemies. As a matter of fact, we have also seen mock walls being erected on various US university campuses such as University California Irvine or UC Berkeley, during anti-Israel yearly programs for several years now.
While I don’t agree with liberals and secular humanists, I have come to expect their unfounded diatribes against Israel in the name of world peace. They call the wall an “Apartheid Wall” trying desperately to draw parallels between the South African repressive and xenophobic regime and the Israeli democratic self-defense approach to the Middle East crisis. They are crafty and dishonest to the point of having convinced many that Israel is guilty of crimes against humanity. If they could only have God on their side!
But wait, maybe they do? Or at least they think they do, especially in England when around last Christmas we witnessed the building of yet another mock Israeli Fence all around St. James Church at Piccadilly. This was known as “Bethlehem Unwrapped”, and was organized as a protest against Israeli occupation and Apartheid. This was such a pathetic case of Christian Palestinianism!, People came from all around the area to write their messages on the wall and express their disgust at Israel in a grandiose display of “Free Speech”. Except of course when someone decided to write “This wall saves lives”. It was not long before social justice driven, pro-Palestinian people painted over the message to cover the whole area and re-write their propaganda. I don’t think that God is on that side.
The emphasis should be on the word “security”, it’s that simple if you are honest with the facts. Protection and self-defense is not seen as an act of aggression ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. Why should it be different for Israel? Yes it is unfortunate that Israel would have to erect a wall to protect their citizens, but what is the alternative? Allow for another Holocaust at the hands of Hamas, Hizbollah or Iran?
Those who proclaim God and promote an anti-Semitic agenda are living in the midst of a big contradiction. They are either blinded by their own ignorance, bias and/or fallen human nature, but they are blinded and Satan is holding the blindfold.
God is really on both sides of the wall because He cares the same for Israelis and Arabs. So much so that He sent His son Yeshua to die for both sides (John 3:16). God is on both sides because He wants to see reconciliation but not another life taken. A loving Messiah who died for all and not a dividing wall is what God is all about.
Unfortunately, for the time being, the security fence is needed because Israel MUST protect its borders in order to protect its citizens and preserve its existence. It is vital in light of recent Holocaust history and in light of the rebirth of anti-Semitism in Europe. When we see people marching in the streets of Paris chanting slogans like “Jews, Jews, Jews get out France is not for you!” or “Jew, Jew, Jew, Jew…get out!” we understand why the only haven for worldwide Jewry must protect itself even more so.
And as we commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2014 we cannot afford to buy into the lies of those who want us to believe that the only obstacle to peace in the Middle East is Israel. I lost my grandfather in Auschwitz along with the rest of the 6,000,000. God allowed for Israel to be reborn in 1948 as a modern nation. While I am not comfortable saying that May 14, 1948 was a direct result of the Holocaust, I can say that the two events are somehow related.
If Israel didn’t have a security fence, its very existence would be more at risk than it already is from so many other vantage points. People will continue to choose what side of the wall to be on physically or philosophically, but as long as they are on the side opposite Israel’s survival, they will not ever be on God’s side (Psalm 83).
When it comes to the current security fence, anything less than what it already is would jeopardize Israel’s safety and in a sense, would render my grandfather’s death vain!
Am Yisrael Chai!
Don’t Blame UNESCO for Double Standards!
UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) just cancelled an upcoming Jewish exhibit at the last minute, after caving under the intense pressure from the Arab League. The exhibit–co sponsored by the Los Angeles based Simon Wiesenthal Center and UNESCO–on the theme of the land of Israel 3500-year connection to the Jewish people, was set to open in Paris on January 20th. This rather unusual “last minute” cancellation raises several concerns about UNESCO cannot be ignored.
I find it most peculiar for UNESCO to co-labor with the Simon Wiesenthal Center on such an exhibit to the point of having the whole thing set-up and invitations sent-out, and then make an about face just days before the opening. I find it peculiar not because UNESCO should go with such an exhibit but exactly for the opposite reason. In light of the stance UNESCO has taken on the Middle East in the last couple of years, they should have never even considered getting involved in such a project.
It was in October 2011 that UNESCO surprised the world by including the Palestinian authority to its roaster of member nations. This of course was all done in the name of cultural diversity and tolerance, to also prove to the world that the image of the Palestinian Authority and some Palestinians are grossly exaggerated. This was why the Palestinian Youth magazine know as Zayzafouna featured an article in which a ten-year-old Palestinian girl said that Hitler told her in a dream: “I killed them [the Jews] so you would all know that they are a nation who spreads destruction all over the world.” The magazine, we were told, promoted democracy and tolerance. Why is it then, that a young girl could write about Hitler being her role model?
Then in 2012, UNESCO declared that the Jewish site of Rachel’s tomb was also a Christian AND Muslim site and that to say otherwise would be a hindrance to the peace process. Palestinians decided that the site was holy to them and was part of their heritage, even though Islam was only founded 1500 years ago. The site goes back way further than 1500 years and is mentioned in Genesis 35:19 as the place where the Jewish matriarch was buried. It has zero Palestinian connection!
To add insult to injury, UNESCO decided in 2013 that Israel and the United States–while retaining their membership–will lose their voting power because they had both stopped paying their dues after the 2011 inclusion of Palestine. I guess they [UNESCO] got a bit upset when the US contribution equal to 22% of their total budget stopped. I commend the United States and Israel for taking a stand in an age of cowardice and hypocrisy.
Maybe this move has something to do with the fact that UNESCO has chosen 2014 to be the “International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People”. General Assembly President John Ashe declared that: “Now is the time for vision, compromise and deepening of respect. Let us make this year – 2014 – the decisive year for achieving peace between Israel and Palestine,….I implore all those who have a stake in this outcome – Governments, international organizations, and people everywhere – to do their part.” What is next, “Terrorist Appreciation Day”?
Really Mr. Ashe, how honest is such a statement when the last move by UNESCO appeared to be such a biased decision? What seems to be the problem with such an exhibit as this new one entitled “People, Book, Land – The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel”?
UNESCO has a clear agenda hinging around the promotion and acceptance of Palestine as a bona fide state with voting power at the United Nations and frankly, they are almost there. By inviting Palestine to be recognized at the UNESCO level, they opened a door–maybe not the front door, but a door nonetheless–to an inclusion of Palestine at the United Nations. It is only a matter of time now. It is no longer if but only when!
I think that UNESCO cancelled the exhibit for two main reasons: Fear of the Arab League and fear of the truth.
There is a common denominator between many government agencies and organizations around the world. They seem to all flex to the demands of Islam without ever questioning the motives, along with allowing statements and actions that promote hatred, xenophobia and even killings. These moves are mostly motivated by fear, a fear that is the result of intimidation. That fear continues to lead us to submission to an ideology that belongs to the dawn of the middle Ages.
But consider also the fear of the truth. What could possibly be brought to the public in an exhibit on the Jewish people, the land of Israel and the Bible? This exhibit was organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and UNESCO, under the leadership of Hebrew University professor and anti-Semitism expert Robert Wistrich. Mr. Wistrich is a first class scholar with a superb reputation. One of his many works: ” A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad” demonstrates the quality of his research and the unbiased approach to the age-old issue of Anti-Semitism. He has no axe to grind and simply wants to make the truth available to more people.
I believe that the very truth about Israel being a piece of land granted to the Jewish people by God Himself through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob scares UNESCO. They do not want to face the truth about the Jewish people’s legitimacy, history and archeology in Eretz Yisrael. If they were to face the truth, they would then have to make a decision to support Palestine based on a series of lies. But hey, they wouldn’t be the first ones to move from ignorance to hypocrisy to cowardice and even malice in regards to Israel’s right to exist.
I don’t think that UNESCO is even using double standards when it comes to Israel. They have chosen to side with the enemies of Israel in the name of peace. What peace?
Prime minister Netanyahu was spot on about UNESCO’s decision when he said: “The one-sided approach toward Israel does not advance peace – it pushes peace further away. It strengthens the refusal of the PA to make actual progress in the negotiations.”
UNESCO’s latest move is an outrage that has nothing to do with education, science or culture and everything to do with politics and political correctness. Last time I checked, God never wanted us to be politically correct but simply biblically correct. He even gave us a manual for it!
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105
The Trendy Return of the Nazi Salute!
Everybody wants to be hip and trendy. This is why many are always on a quest for the latest gadget, statement, gesture or piece of clothing. We want to display it, proclaim it or even experience it before everybody else. We want to be part of the “in-crowd”.
Fads and trends come and go. Some are as ephemeral as the day they were introduced while others linger for much longer. I remember when a few years ago, young people around the world were wearing the keffyah (middle Eastern scarf popularized by former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and symbol of the Palestinian struggle against Israel). Stores all over the USA and other parts of the world were carrying cheap copies of the scarves in all colors, and kids all over started to wear them. Very few of the youths wearing the trendy versions of the keffyah knew anything about its origins and the stigma attached to it. They just knew that it was cool and they “had to have one”.
A new fad is spreading across the world like wildfire. It originated in France in 2005, from the twisted xenophobic mind of stage comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala. It is known as “La Quenelle” (French word for a fish dumpling) and consists of extending one arm like in the Nazi salute, but keeping it down along the body as you touch your shoulder with your other arm (see photo below). Dieudonné called it la quenelle and while he claims that it is an anti-establishment and anti-Zionist gesture, he also swears that it is not anti-Semitic. Dieudonné is so attached to this new gesture that he has threatened to sue those who oppose it.
Dieudonné M’bala M’bala has a long history of racist jokes in his stage monologues. He started to target the Jewish people as early in his career as 2000. He has been repeatedly prosecuted and banned for his xenophobic diatribes. He was recently fined the equivalent of $100,000 for his repeated offenses.
In 2012, his movie “l’anti-Semite” (a very subtle title obviously!) was banned from the Cannes Movie festival. Cannes has been known for presenting movies that were less than politically correct and bordered on bad taste. But Mr. M’bala M’bala’s movie making a joke of the Holocaust and the Auschwitz liberation as well has blatantly loathing Israel and the Jewish people went too far. In it, he is seen saying “long live Hitler” and many other anti-Semitic statements such as the need for gas chambers. The movie has been banned everywhere and is even hard to find on uTube (one copy is available in French with Russian dubbing). The movie was partly funded by Iran.
He also ran in the French local elections also in 2012, under the banner the anti-Zionist Party.
So when asked about la quenelle, Dieudonné M’bala M’bala immediately states that the gesture is mostly anti-establishment and not anti-Semitic, but in the same libelous breath he will also admit that “the Jews run and control everything”. So Mr. M’bala M’bala, what part of the establishment ends up not being Jewish then? The lines have become blurred but the message remains crystal clear.
La quenelle still carries some ambiguity and cannot be simply categorized as an anti-Semitic salute, yet it is mostly used as a postmodern “F*** you” to Israel and the Jewish people and as such, it has become a real problem for the French government. Interior minister Manuel Valls is determined to do all he can to stop Dieudonné’s spread of hatred through his stage shows by banning the performances all over France. So far, many major French cities have chosen to cancel the shows.
I applaud the French government for taking a stand against such a display of hatred against the Jewish people. But there is another problem associated with La quenelle.
The new gesture is catching on and has been spotted during TV shows, on the Internet, in the printed press and many other places. This outrageous gesture is being duplicated by youths all over, who are mostly clueless about the message they are conveying. Additionally, famous athletes have used it during sports events. It has also been spotted in the military and in front of synagogues or Holocaust monuments.
La quenelle is a dangerous sign of the times. At best, it is a misunderstood gesture of disrespect and hatred for the establishment, vastly used by younger people who just think that they are cool. But at worst, it is a rebirth of the Nazi salute.
Frankly, I believe that La quenelle is both. Of course, the irony is that many of the younger anti-Semites have never met a Jewish person, but it is still their duty to hate them. It shouldn’t surprise us that Hitler’s Mein Kampf was one of the most popular books in digital form in 2013.
Classic Anti-Semitism became taboo after the Holocaust, to the extent that it had to re-invent itself and give itself a postmodern face-lift to be re-introduced as the “New Anti-Semitism” but under the politically correct name of anti-Zionism.
Today, La quenelle is making anti-Semitism trendy in France, so much so that it continues to embolden Jew haters all over the hexagon and other parts of the world. I am not sure of the exact reaction of those using the quenelle after being told what it stands for, but it is our duty to expose such a despicable gesture.
Anti-Semitism has recently become acceptable again, God forbid it becomes trendy!
Nelson Mandela: Who is the World Really Mourning?
On Thursday, December 5, 2013, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela passed away at the age of 95. It goes without saying that the world just lost an important figure, some will even say an iconic figure or a legend in his own time. To anyone who grew up in the latter part of the twentieth century, Mandela was a hero and a key player in the freedom of the South African people. Seldom do political figures spend over two decades in prison to end-up being released and become the leader of a nation–the opposite is more often the case.
It is not my intention to go on a posthumous witch hunt like some will choose to do. I personally take no satisfaction in this kind of behavior. So first and foremost, my condolences and prayers of comfort go out to the Mandela family for the loss of their loved one.
But by the same token, it is also not my intention to idolize Nelson Mandela and blindly place him in the pantheon of world peace next to Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. It seems that Mr. Mandela, who already was an icon the world around, almost got promoted to “sainthood” overnight. Again, while I do not wish to minimize the loss, I also want to have a balanced and unbiased view on a man who most likely will make the cover of Time magazine as “Man of the Year” amongst other accolades.
All important world figures like Mr. Mandela have a burden that can turn into a lifelong struggle. Each struggle has a cost and in the case of Mr. Mandela, it cost him 27 years of his life in prison from which he was released in 1990. It was only a few years, in 1993, later that he and F.W. de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly, for their efforts at peace, reconciliation and non-violence. In 1994 he was elected as South Africa first black president.
Mandela and apartheid are two words that are almost impossible to separate. The late South African leader pioneered and championed the struggle against apartheid and racial injustice, a feat that will remain in history books for generations to come. This aspect of Mr. Mandela’s character garnered him a reputation of peacemaker that facilitated the furtherance of his cause.
I am afraid that beyond his well deserved reputation, Mr. Mandela might have also been used by other groups and even countries to further a similar cause, that was really only similar in appearance but not in substance. While Mr. Mandela was not a blatant enemy of Israel and the Jewish people, his allegiance to the cause of the Palestinians might have tipped the scale in favor of a cause and a people that had little to do with the struggle of South Africa.
A quick review of Mr. Mandela’s relationship with Israel and the worldwide Jewish community between 1985 and 2008 will show somewhat of a love/hate relationship. While I am certainly not willing to accuse Mr. Mandela of Anti-Semitism, I believe that at the very least he was blinded by his desire to extend the concept of apartheid to the Middle East crisis between Israel and the Palestinians. Was his involvement in Middle East policies and accusations of apartheid of his own volition or as a result of crafty Palestinian manipulation? This will remain hard to prove, but the results have already weighed heavily on Israel. The fact is that Mr. Mandela was no expert on the Middle East. In a short speech in 2004, he spoke of Yasir Arafat in terms that clearly show his lack of understanding of the man, and it is no secret that even though Mr. Mandela always tried to be balanced, he favored the Palestinians over Israel.
Today is not the day to scrutinize apartheid and compare the struggles between blacks and whites in South Africa with the struggles in the Middle East, yet there is nothing in Israel that compares to the ills of South African apartheid.
Mr. Mandela was like all of us, an imperfect man in a fallen world. His contribution to our world cannot and should not be ignored, and his legacy will live on for generations to come. This being said, Mr. Mandela’s admiration for Arafat and the Palestinian struggle leaves me with an uneasy feeling. Mr. Mandela’s background was Methodist, so it is very possible that he had a personal relationship with Yeshua. Only God knows our hearts. We mourn the loss of an important world figure who came yesterday before his maker.
Mr. Mandela’s was part of history in a very powerful way until yesterday, but as of now, He has entered eternity for a new chapter in his history. My prayer is that he spends that chapter on God’s side.
Israel’s Crimes Against Humanity Revealed!
Crimes against humanity are a very serious matter. While we can trace the history of the laws enacted to protect us from such crimes back to the 1860s, the most famous event in history that placed these acts back on the global map was probably the “Nuremberg Trials” that took place as a result of World War Two and the Holocaust.
At he close of the war, in Article 6 of the “Nuremberg Trial Proceedings Charter of the International Military Tribunal”, in order to better define crimes against humanity, the allies added the following:
But of course, we also need to pay attention to Israel’s crimes against humanity, or do we?
If you tally up all the alleged reports of Israeli abuse, torture, killings, forced starvation inflicted on the Palestinian people, you would think that Israel is this big monster, like the new Nazis of the Middle East region on a mission to destroy the Palestinians. Oh, but wait, this is exactly what they are portrayed as, by their enemies, along with a very unscrupulous media and a largely ignorant global community.
While I would be dishonest to claim that all the Israeli settlements that we have seen come up over the last few years were all erected properly and without any mishaps, they are a far cry from qualifying as crimes against humanity. Additionally, my desire here is not to exonerate Israel of all responsibilities in the Middle East, but simply to assess and compare sides.
Israel continues to be showered with missiles shot indiscriminately at soldiers AND civilians from every corner of the country. The danger of terrorism is part of the fabric of Israeli societal behavior. Terrorism happens in Israel and it isn’t about to cease any time soon. I will be the first one to agree that Israel’s right to the land can be argued about, from both sides of the camp, even though I unequivocally see a biblical validation of Israel as belonging to the Jewish people by God’s decree. A dialogue should exist, simply because dialogue is healthy. This being said, disagreements shouldn’t lead to terror attacks on Israel.
Add to that, Israel’s self-controlled retaliatory attitude towards her enemies and you come up with anything but crimes against humanity, unless of course, the definitions are different for Israel and the rest of the world.
So maybe it is time to reveal some of Israel’s most recent “crimes against humanity”.
• DISASTER RELIEF: Last week, Israel sent a relief team of 148 people to the Philippines to help with the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, and this regardless of the fact that the Philippines voted in favor of the recognition of Palestine at the UN in 2012. The Israeli team was one of the first on the ground within 48 hours of the disaster, as many more joined the humanitarian effort. Jewish people continue to donate through “The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee”. We also remember the tremendous help Israel offered to Haiti as they were the FIRST to offer relief and put up a very instrumental makeshift hospital in 2010. Where was Palestine in the process? Nowhere to be found!
If accused of being very responsive and instrumental in saving many lives,
I FIND ISRAEL GUILTY!
• MEDICAL ASSISTANCE: Last week we also witnessed how the grand daughter of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was brought over the border to an Israeli hospital to be treated for a serious digestive infection. While everything possible was attempted, the latest news reports tell us that the one-year old girl was returned to Gaza “clinically dead”. It is a very sad and regrettable outcome for the girl and her family who all deserve our prayers. It was somewhat ironic that Palestinians would send her to a hospital that had to be fortified to survive regular rocket launches from Gaza. Over 200 Palestinian children are treated there every year. The girl’s grandfather has also recently called on the Palestinians to gather up for a Third Intifada.
If accused of trying to save a life, ANY LIFE even from Gaza, in one of their hospitals,
I FIND ISRAEL GUILTY!
• LIFE CHANGING INVENTIONS: Last August, Given Imaging, Israeli inventors of the PillCam received FDA approval for the use of an11mm pill that includes a camera, light, battery, radio and antenna. If things keep moving, the pill could soon replace the ordeal of a colonoscopy. I can guarantee you that when the PillCam hits the market, it will also be available for Palestinians and anybody else who might not be a friend of Israel. This is one of a myriad of inventions and innovations coming out of Israel to make the world a better place. I wonder if it will end-up being boycotted by the BDS movement?
If accused of unceasingly introducing new inventions to improve our global community,
I FIND ISRAEL GUILTY!
So here it is in a nutshell, the very country accused of crimes against humanity happens to be the only democracy in the Middle East. Unless we are dealing with two definitions of what a crime against humanity is, it is time to recognize the libelous picture painted of the Jewish people. Israel is inhabited by a unique people preserved by God, a people who happens to be very creative and uniquely talented to make our world a better place. That is of course until Messiah returns (and even in that they have a role to play as seen in Zechariah 12:10 and Matthew 23:39).
The Jewish people always had enemies and always will, but in closing, I want to concentrate on one of their many friends over the years who spoke very eloquently in favor of my people.
John Quincy Adams (1735-1826), the second President of the United States said:
“I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations… They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth.”
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