9 jan 2014
Serious threat to former PM-Sharon's life as his condition deteriorates dramatically. Source close to family says Sharon is surrounded by his sons Omri and Gilad, 'they understand that this is the end, these are Arik's last hours'
The condition of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has dramatically deteriorated in the last 24-hours.
Sharon is hospitalized at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer and is in critical condition.
Sharon is surrounded by his sons Omri and Gilad, a source close to the Sharon family said. "Unfortunately, they understand that this is the end, these are Arik's last days or even hours. It his hard. Eight years we have evaded this moment and now it is upon us, there is no escaping it."
Three days ago, the director general of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Professor Zeev Rotstein gave an update regarding Sharon's condition, and said that "in the last 24 hours the risk on (Sharon's) life has not decreased, and has even increased."
He stressed that even though Sharon's heart has stabilized, there has been deterioration in other organs in his body. "In my opinion, if there won't be a miraculous dramatic change, the situation will continue getting worse by the day," Rotstein said.
Sharon is suffering from a blood infection and kidney failure. Despite his worsening condition, Ariel Sharon is "fighting like a lion," Rotstein said Sunday. "Our fighter Arik Sharon is continuing to fight for his life," he said at a press conference, adding that the former prime minister's status is still critical, but doctors were able to stabilize his blood pressure and pulse. Other organs in his body, however, were not functioning, he said.
Sharon is fighting "against all odds," the professor said.
"As of now, his family and children are by his side, and we are continuing to treat him as before," he said. "His organs haven't resumed function – and I'm not sure if we've improved the situation in his kidneys. We're treating him with lots of love and support, but there's not much we can do."
Rotstein was also quick to point out that despite the slight improvement, Sharon was still in immediate danger.
"I can't say I'm optimistic, maybe I'm a bit more pessimistic than I was before," he said. "We always knew that he had a good heart, and now we know that he has a strong heart."
About a month ago Sharon's condition worsened, and he was taken to emergency surgery and stabilized, but in the past few days another troubling deterioration in his condition was noted.
Sharon, the 11th prime minister of Israel who was in office between 2001 and 2006, has been in a coma for eight years, after suffering a stroke during his term.
The first signs of a medical crisis came in late December 2005, when Sharon suffered a light stroke and was hospitalized for several days at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
On January 4, 2006, just days after returning as prime minister, he suffered another critical stroke and was once again admitted to hospital. His responsibilities were transferred to then Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who later became acting prime minister.
The first operation on Sharon's brain was conducted by four senior Hadassah doctors. Though they managed to stop the internal bleeding in his brain, his condition continued to deteriorate while still admitted in the intensive care unit at the Department of Neurosurgery.
During the entire time, Sharon's sons and closest advisers were with him at the hospital. The president, rabbis, politicians and world leaders all prayed for his health.
The condition of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has dramatically deteriorated in the last 24-hours.
Sharon is hospitalized at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer and is in critical condition.
Sharon is surrounded by his sons Omri and Gilad, a source close to the Sharon family said. "Unfortunately, they understand that this is the end, these are Arik's last days or even hours. It his hard. Eight years we have evaded this moment and now it is upon us, there is no escaping it."
Three days ago, the director general of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Professor Zeev Rotstein gave an update regarding Sharon's condition, and said that "in the last 24 hours the risk on (Sharon's) life has not decreased, and has even increased."
He stressed that even though Sharon's heart has stabilized, there has been deterioration in other organs in his body. "In my opinion, if there won't be a miraculous dramatic change, the situation will continue getting worse by the day," Rotstein said.
Sharon is suffering from a blood infection and kidney failure. Despite his worsening condition, Ariel Sharon is "fighting like a lion," Rotstein said Sunday. "Our fighter Arik Sharon is continuing to fight for his life," he said at a press conference, adding that the former prime minister's status is still critical, but doctors were able to stabilize his blood pressure and pulse. Other organs in his body, however, were not functioning, he said.
Sharon is fighting "against all odds," the professor said.
"As of now, his family and children are by his side, and we are continuing to treat him as before," he said. "His organs haven't resumed function – and I'm not sure if we've improved the situation in his kidneys. We're treating him with lots of love and support, but there's not much we can do."
Rotstein was also quick to point out that despite the slight improvement, Sharon was still in immediate danger.
"I can't say I'm optimistic, maybe I'm a bit more pessimistic than I was before," he said. "We always knew that he had a good heart, and now we know that he has a strong heart."
About a month ago Sharon's condition worsened, and he was taken to emergency surgery and stabilized, but in the past few days another troubling deterioration in his condition was noted.
Sharon, the 11th prime minister of Israel who was in office between 2001 and 2006, has been in a coma for eight years, after suffering a stroke during his term.
The first signs of a medical crisis came in late December 2005, when Sharon suffered a light stroke and was hospitalized for several days at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
On January 4, 2006, just days after returning as prime minister, he suffered another critical stroke and was once again admitted to hospital. His responsibilities were transferred to then Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who later became acting prime minister.
The first operation on Sharon's brain was conducted by four senior Hadassah doctors. Though they managed to stop the internal bleeding in his brain, his condition continued to deteriorate while still admitted in the intensive care unit at the Department of Neurosurgery.
During the entire time, Sharon's sons and closest advisers were with him at the hospital. The president, rabbis, politicians and world leaders all prayed for his health.
Demands using site for settlements’ garbage too
Israel refuses to allow Palestinians to use a World Bank funded landfill south of Jerusalem, reports Haaretz.
The new landfill, funded by The World Bank, was intended to serve the palestinian population, but the Israeli administration is refusing the operation of the landfill if the Palestinian Authority who runs the landfill doesn’t agree to serve the illegal Israeli settlements as well.
The landfill is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank. Since it can’t be used, some palestinian communities have to dump their garbage in non authorized sites, risking serious enviromental hazards such as polluting the ground water.
Israel defies World Bank, refuses to let Palestinians use landfill
The Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration refuses to allow the operation of a landfill funded by the World Bank and intended to serve the Palestinian population south of Jerusalem.
The administration is demanding that the Palestinians agree to let the region’s settlements use the site as well, but the Palestinians refuse.
The Al-Minya landfill east of Bethlehem was built in the last two years with funds the World Bank gave the Palestinian Authority. It is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank, with means of sealing the earth to prevent waste from leaking into the groundwater. Another modern landfill, also set up with international funding, is already operating in the Jenin area.
Since Al-Minya is in Area C, its construction required the Civil Administration’s approval. Currently the waste from the Hebron and Bethlehem communities is dumped in pirate sites that constitute serious environmental hazards. Some Palestinian communities dump the garbage in open areas and occasionally burn it to reduce its volume.
Anti-settlement activist Dror Etkes said he visited the Al-Minya site this week and spoke to one of its operators, who told him the site is not operating even though its construction is completed because the Civil Administration insists on dumping the settlements’ garbage in it, too.
A spokesman for the the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the Palestinian Authority, Civil Administration and World Bank advanced the landfill for the waste of the Bethlehem and Hebron regions, as well as for the communities near Jerusalem.
The spokesman said the Palestinians reneged on their agreement to operate the site as a regional landfill that would serve the Jewish settlements as well. For this reason the Civil Administration won’t let the site to operate.
However, the World Bank made it clear in the talks about the landfill’s operation last year that the funds it gave the Palestinian Authority are intended for the Palestinian population. Traditionally, the Palestinian Authority does not cooperate in the use of infrastructure facilities with the settlements, which it sees as illegitimate.
A few waste management sites, however, have served both Palestinian and Jewish communities. The Israeli Tovlan landfill in the Jordan Valley took in garbage from Nablus, a landfill near Ramallah served settlers from the area and the Carmel site in the Hebron area served Israeli communities as well.
Israel refuses to allow Palestinians to use a World Bank funded landfill south of Jerusalem, reports Haaretz.
The new landfill, funded by The World Bank, was intended to serve the palestinian population, but the Israeli administration is refusing the operation of the landfill if the Palestinian Authority who runs the landfill doesn’t agree to serve the illegal Israeli settlements as well.
The landfill is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank. Since it can’t be used, some palestinian communities have to dump their garbage in non authorized sites, risking serious enviromental hazards such as polluting the ground water.
Israel defies World Bank, refuses to let Palestinians use landfill
The Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration refuses to allow the operation of a landfill funded by the World Bank and intended to serve the Palestinian population south of Jerusalem.
The administration is demanding that the Palestinians agree to let the region’s settlements use the site as well, but the Palestinians refuse.
The Al-Minya landfill east of Bethlehem was built in the last two years with funds the World Bank gave the Palestinian Authority. It is the first modern landfill in the southern West Bank, with means of sealing the earth to prevent waste from leaking into the groundwater. Another modern landfill, also set up with international funding, is already operating in the Jenin area.
Since Al-Minya is in Area C, its construction required the Civil Administration’s approval. Currently the waste from the Hebron and Bethlehem communities is dumped in pirate sites that constitute serious environmental hazards. Some Palestinian communities dump the garbage in open areas and occasionally burn it to reduce its volume.
Anti-settlement activist Dror Etkes said he visited the Al-Minya site this week and spoke to one of its operators, who told him the site is not operating even though its construction is completed because the Civil Administration insists on dumping the settlements’ garbage in it, too.
A spokesman for the the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the Palestinian Authority, Civil Administration and World Bank advanced the landfill for the waste of the Bethlehem and Hebron regions, as well as for the communities near Jerusalem.
The spokesman said the Palestinians reneged on their agreement to operate the site as a regional landfill that would serve the Jewish settlements as well. For this reason the Civil Administration won’t let the site to operate.
However, the World Bank made it clear in the talks about the landfill’s operation last year that the funds it gave the Palestinian Authority are intended for the Palestinian population. Traditionally, the Palestinian Authority does not cooperate in the use of infrastructure facilities with the settlements, which it sees as illegitimate.
A few waste management sites, however, have served both Palestinian and Jewish communities. The Israeli Tovlan landfill in the Jordan Valley took in garbage from Nablus, a landfill near Ramallah served settlers from the area and the Carmel site in the Hebron area served Israeli communities as well.
Member of Hamas's political bureau Ezzat Al-Resheq said that the Christian Palestinians are an integral part of the national fabric and important partners in the Palestinian struggle against the occupation. Resheq made his remarks in response to Israel's intention to enact laws in favor of the Christian Palestinians only, excluding their Muslim compatriots in the 1948 occupied lands.
The Hamas official described these laws as discriminatory, and said that Israel's attempts to isolate the Christian Palestinians from their nation and Arab identity through enacting laws serving them alone would be doomed to failure.
He said that Israel pursues racist and unjust policies against the Palestinian people aimed at discriminating between the Muslim and Christian Palestinians, calling on the Palestinians from all spectra to confront such malicious policies.
In another context, Ezzat Al-Resheq welcomed the Dutch pension fund PGGM for its decision to boycott Israeli banks because of their involvement in financing Jewish settlements.
He called on European and international enterprises to follow suit and pressure Israel to end its violations and crimes against the Palestinian people and their land.
The Hamas official described these laws as discriminatory, and said that Israel's attempts to isolate the Christian Palestinians from their nation and Arab identity through enacting laws serving them alone would be doomed to failure.
He said that Israel pursues racist and unjust policies against the Palestinian people aimed at discriminating between the Muslim and Christian Palestinians, calling on the Palestinians from all spectra to confront such malicious policies.
In another context, Ezzat Al-Resheq welcomed the Dutch pension fund PGGM for its decision to boycott Israeli banks because of their involvement in financing Jewish settlements.
He called on European and international enterprises to follow suit and pressure Israel to end its violations and crimes against the Palestinian people and their land.
8 jan 2014
Chairman of the governing coalition in (Israel) Yariv Levin is initiating a series of bills, as well as political maneuvering, to favor Israeli Christian citizens over Muslims, Israeli media reported. Levin, a former military intelligence expert on Arabic language told Israeli daily Maariv “My legislation will award separate representation and a separate frame of reference to the Christian public, distinguishing them from Muslim Arabs.”
“This is an important, historic step that could introduce balance to the State of Israel, and connect us [Jews] with the Christians,” said Levin who hails from right-wing Likud party.
“I make sure not to refer to them as Arabs, because they’re not Arabs.” He added.
One of the bills initiated by MK Levin will allow Christian Arabs to register themselves as just “Christians” under “Nationality” in their ID cards, so they can officially distinguish themselves from Arabs, the daily reported.
The Israeli occupation pursues a racist policy toward Arabs and Muslims and Christians alike in the Palestinian occupied territories, through Judaizing the holy sites and displacing indigenous people from their homes and bringing groups of colonial settlers in their place.
Israeli occupation government already added fifth demand to his US-brokered negotiations with Palestinian Authority that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a “Jewish state.”
According to Juan Cole, a Professor of History of the Modern Middle East and South Asia at the University of Michigan, there is a number of possible meanings for Jewishness: It can mean “those recognized by Talmudic law as members of the Jewish ‘race’ via maternal descent.”
“The latter is the legal definition of Jewishness in Israeli law itself, and for this reason we must presume that it is what Netanyahu has in mind. It can also mean “adherents of the Judaic religion,” and we can explore those implications, as well,” he adds.
“Of the some 6 million self-identified Jews in Israel, about 300,000 are not recognized as “Jewish” by the Chief Rabbi and there is no prospect of them being recognized as Jewish any time soon. They were allowed to immigrate to Israel because they had at least one Jewish grandparent, but if their mother was not Jewish neither are they,”
“So if Israel is a “Jewish” state, is it a state for these (largely Russian and Ukrainian) “non-Jewish” Jews? Many of them are Jewish by religion, but not all are. None of them are Jewish by the Talmud.” Cole argued.
“This is an important, historic step that could introduce balance to the State of Israel, and connect us [Jews] with the Christians,” said Levin who hails from right-wing Likud party.
“I make sure not to refer to them as Arabs, because they’re not Arabs.” He added.
One of the bills initiated by MK Levin will allow Christian Arabs to register themselves as just “Christians” under “Nationality” in their ID cards, so they can officially distinguish themselves from Arabs, the daily reported.
The Israeli occupation pursues a racist policy toward Arabs and Muslims and Christians alike in the Palestinian occupied territories, through Judaizing the holy sites and displacing indigenous people from their homes and bringing groups of colonial settlers in their place.
Israeli occupation government already added fifth demand to his US-brokered negotiations with Palestinian Authority that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a “Jewish state.”
According to Juan Cole, a Professor of History of the Modern Middle East and South Asia at the University of Michigan, there is a number of possible meanings for Jewishness: It can mean “those recognized by Talmudic law as members of the Jewish ‘race’ via maternal descent.”
“The latter is the legal definition of Jewishness in Israeli law itself, and for this reason we must presume that it is what Netanyahu has in mind. It can also mean “adherents of the Judaic religion,” and we can explore those implications, as well,” he adds.
“Of the some 6 million self-identified Jews in Israel, about 300,000 are not recognized as “Jewish” by the Chief Rabbi and there is no prospect of them being recognized as Jewish any time soon. They were allowed to immigrate to Israel because they had at least one Jewish grandparent, but if their mother was not Jewish neither are they,”
“So if Israel is a “Jewish” state, is it a state for these (largely Russian and Ukrainian) “non-Jewish” Jews? Many of them are Jewish by religion, but not all are. None of them are Jewish by the Talmud.” Cole argued.
7 jan 2014
Combo of file pictures showing US journalist Glenn Greenwald (L) and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden still has “very significant” secrets to reveal relating to Israel, says the investigative journalist who first published the whistleblower’s leaks.
"I don't want to preview any stories that aren't yet published, but it is definitely the case that there are a huge number of very significant stories that are left to report," Glenn Greenwald said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 10 aired Monday night.
"There definitely are stories left that involve the Middle East, that involve Israel. The reporting is going to continue at roughly the same pace that has been happening," he said.
Among documents disclosed by Snowden last year was information that the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ had in 2009 intercepted an email address belonging to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and those of other senior Israeli officials.
Following the revelations, Israeli officials demanded that the US stop "systematically spying" on Israel.
"In the close ties between Israel and the United States, there are things that must not be done and that are not acceptable to us," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on December 23.
Last month, several Israeli cabinet members and lawmakers said reports of US spying was an opportunity to press Washington to free Jonathan Pollard, a former US intelligence analyst who has been imprisoned for nearly three decades over spying for Israel.
Greenwald said he understood why Israel would link the NSA spying to the Pollard case.
"I think you are absolutely right to contrast the Jonathan Pollard case with revelations of American spying on their closest allies within the Israeli government, because it does underlie, underscore exactly the hypocrisy that lies at the center of so much of what the US government does," he said.
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden still has “very significant” secrets to reveal relating to Israel, says the investigative journalist who first published the whistleblower’s leaks.
"I don't want to preview any stories that aren't yet published, but it is definitely the case that there are a huge number of very significant stories that are left to report," Glenn Greenwald said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 10 aired Monday night.
"There definitely are stories left that involve the Middle East, that involve Israel. The reporting is going to continue at roughly the same pace that has been happening," he said.
Among documents disclosed by Snowden last year was information that the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ had in 2009 intercepted an email address belonging to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and those of other senior Israeli officials.
Following the revelations, Israeli officials demanded that the US stop "systematically spying" on Israel.
"In the close ties between Israel and the United States, there are things that must not be done and that are not acceptable to us," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on December 23.
Last month, several Israeli cabinet members and lawmakers said reports of US spying was an opportunity to press Washington to free Jonathan Pollard, a former US intelligence analyst who has been imprisoned for nearly three decades over spying for Israel.
Greenwald said he understood why Israel would link the NSA spying to the Pollard case.
"I think you are absolutely right to contrast the Jonathan Pollard case with revelations of American spying on their closest allies within the Israeli government, because it does underlie, underscore exactly the hypocrisy that lies at the center of so much of what the US government does," he said.
The Hashemite kingdom affirmed its refusal of any Israeli domination over the Jordan Valley or any solution that doesn’t consistent with its interests, media sources reported. “We don’t accept any arrangement the Palestinians don’t agree on and prevent the Palestinian domination on their lands,” the Jordanian foreign minister Naser Jodah said in a statement to the Jordanian TV.
Jodah mentioned that 1.2 million Palestinian lived in Jordan as Jordanian citizens therefore “Jordan is responsible for its interests in the area.”
He added that “our interests must be respected and we will not accept any solution that we have no clear idea about it.”
The minister said that Palestine must have “recognized boarders”.
The future of the Jordan Valley, a large agricultural area in the West Bank which Israel wants to keep under its military control after any future peace agreement, has emerged as a big irritant in the five-month-old talks.
Israel infuriated the Palestinians when a ministerial legislative committee approved a bill to annex the area, where a string of Israeli settlements established after the Six-Day war in 1967 stretches along the Jordanian frontier.
The Israeli occupation has defied numerous international demands to stop its expansionist policy in the occupied territories and continued illegal construction of settlements in West Bank and East al-Quds.
Jodah mentioned that 1.2 million Palestinian lived in Jordan as Jordanian citizens therefore “Jordan is responsible for its interests in the area.”
He added that “our interests must be respected and we will not accept any solution that we have no clear idea about it.”
The minister said that Palestine must have “recognized boarders”.
The future of the Jordan Valley, a large agricultural area in the West Bank which Israel wants to keep under its military control after any future peace agreement, has emerged as a big irritant in the five-month-old talks.
Israel infuriated the Palestinians when a ministerial legislative committee approved a bill to annex the area, where a string of Israeli settlements established after the Six-Day war in 1967 stretches along the Jordanian frontier.
The Israeli occupation has defied numerous international demands to stop its expansionist policy in the occupied territories and continued illegal construction of settlements in West Bank and East al-Quds.
6 jan 2014
Israeli President Shimon Peres has commended what he described as “Egypt's war against Hamas”. Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed in a meeting on Sunday with Israeli Foreign Ministry representatives the campaign of incitement launched by some Egyptian parties and media against Palestinian resistance including Hamas.
Peres also said, "We're isolated, but we're not alone. When we were being established, the Arab world wanted to annihilate us. Today the Arab world doesn't think that we're its problem."
Peres also said, "We're isolated, but we're not alone. When we were being established, the Arab world wanted to annihilate us. Today the Arab world doesn't think that we're its problem."
5 jan 2014
Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel al-Jubeir
An Israeli intelligence expert says evidence shows that Saudi Arabia is closing ranks with Israel following a meeting between Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel al-Jubeir and the heads of Jewish organizations in the United Sates.
In a new article in the Jerusalem Post website, Yoshi Milman wrote that the meeting surprised the participants not because of the gathering itself which happened between the two sides but due to harsh remarks made by the Saudi diplomat against the United States.
Similar meetings were held in the past between the Zionist lobby in the US and former Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz who is currently the kingdom’s spy chief as well as the secretary general of the United National Security Council.
Diplomatically, it is unconventional for an envoy to criticize the country where he is based.
In the meeting, al-Juberi took to task Washington for its betrayal policies in the Middle East.
Milman wrote that the gap between Riyadh and Washington is becoming deeper and deeper and this will justify the clandestine and calm relations between Saudi royal family and the Israeli regime.
Seemingly, contacts, exchange of ideas and coordination of positions between senior Saudi and Israeli officials are shaped in the framework of the secret relations, Milman noted.
An Israeli intelligence expert says evidence shows that Saudi Arabia is closing ranks with Israel following a meeting between Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel al-Jubeir and the heads of Jewish organizations in the United Sates.
In a new article in the Jerusalem Post website, Yoshi Milman wrote that the meeting surprised the participants not because of the gathering itself which happened between the two sides but due to harsh remarks made by the Saudi diplomat against the United States.
Similar meetings were held in the past between the Zionist lobby in the US and former Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz who is currently the kingdom’s spy chief as well as the secretary general of the United National Security Council.
Diplomatically, it is unconventional for an envoy to criticize the country where he is based.
In the meeting, al-Juberi took to task Washington for its betrayal policies in the Middle East.
Milman wrote that the gap between Riyadh and Washington is becoming deeper and deeper and this will justify the clandestine and calm relations between Saudi royal family and the Israeli regime.
Seemingly, contacts, exchange of ideas and coordination of positions between senior Saudi and Israeli officials are shaped in the framework of the secret relations, Milman noted.
An Israeli ultra-orthodox rabbi says seminary students in Israel prefer getting tortured and killed to being conscripted into the regime’s armed forces.
Addressing the students of ultraorthodox Haredi seminary schools, he made the remarks in reaction to the ratification of a new draft bill by the Israeli cabinet requiring students of seminary schools to do military service.
Another Israeli rabbi slammed the materialistic objectives of the Israeli army and said Israeli youths evade military service due to their awareness of such mentality.
Recently, around 1,500 Israeli seminary school students gathered in front of a military detention center to protest against the arrest of another student over his refusal to be conscripted into the army.
In response, the Israeli police and security forces attacked the gathering to disperse protesters.
Addressing the students of ultraorthodox Haredi seminary schools, he made the remarks in reaction to the ratification of a new draft bill by the Israeli cabinet requiring students of seminary schools to do military service.
Another Israeli rabbi slammed the materialistic objectives of the Israeli army and said Israeli youths evade military service due to their awareness of such mentality.
Recently, around 1,500 Israeli seminary school students gathered in front of a military detention center to protest against the arrest of another student over his refusal to be conscripted into the army.
In response, the Israeli police and security forces attacked the gathering to disperse protesters.
4 jan 2014
By Miko Peled
I never understood how people could rejoice at the news of a person’s death. I happened to be in the UK when Margaret Thatcher died so I witnessed the celebrations. The expressions of joy as the news of the Iron Lady’s death spread around the country shocked me at first, as people were actually throwing parties to celebrate her death. As I visited different parts of the country, particularly Wales and Ireland, it occurred to me that when Ariel Sharon dies we may see similar outbursts of joy taking place.
Sharon has been in a coma since January 2006 when he suffered several brain hemorrhages that left him in a vegetative state. But now there is news that his kidneys are failing and concerns are expressed in Israel that there is a chance he will die soon.
One can imagine the long eulogies we will have to endure once he is laid to rest: “A hero,” “a great leader,” “a military genius,” all of this will be said and more. The press will recount every military achievement, ever battle he won, every enemy, both military and political that he defeated. His resolve as Israel’s leader will be heralded, and, we will be told, he will be remembered for giving his all to his country.
In my book, The General’s Son, Journey of an Israeli in Palestine, I mention Sharon several times, in his capacity as a military man who was cruel, brilliant and reckless, then as defense minister and finally as prime minister. But it is important to set the record straight about this man before the nauseating outpour of condolences, replete with hypocrisy and lies, that are sure to follow his death.
Ariel Sharon was an ambitious man. He was brutal, greedy, uncompromising and dishonest. He possessed an insatiable appetite for power, glory and fortune. His tendencies as a cold-blooded, merciless killer were evident from early on in his career when he commanded the Israeli army’s Unit 101 in the 1950’s. Unit 101 was an infamous commando brigade with special license to kill and terrorize Palestinians. It operated mostly in Gaza, but also in other parts of the country and beyond. Unit 101 was so brutal in its practices, and claimed so many innocent lives, that even by Israeli standards it was thought to have gone too far and the unit was eventually disbanded.
Sharon went on to be promoted to other commands in the Israeli army earning a name for himself as a promising commander and all were expecting that he would one day be the Israeli army’s top commander, or Chief of Staff. But this was one job he never got, he did better. Sharon entered politics and was nominated to be Defense Minister under Prime Minister Menachem Begin. In that capacity he lead Israel’s catastrophic invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
This invasion left countless Lebanese and Palestinians dead, wounded and displaced. Sharon was also behind the massacres that took place in September of that year in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps near Beirut, and here once again, even by Israeli standards Sharon had gone too far and was removed from office.
Though Sharon was reprimanded for his role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, and was prevented from serving as defense minister, his political career continued nevertheless and his sphere of influence grew. As minster of Housing and Development he contributed more than any other to the racist, anti Palestinian policies and the corruption within the ministry. It is claimed that during his tenure the ministry’s budget was without limits, exceeding Israel’s entire defense budget. He used his full weight to achieve the colonization and displacement Palestinians from what used to be the West Bank.
Surely the most absurd thing ever said about Sharon, is that he was a man of peace. That he “left” Gaza and that he “gave” Gaza back to the Palestinians. That he did it for peace and in return all Israel received were rockets fired from Gaza. The Israeli disengagement from Gaza was a cynical, unilateral move. It allowed Sharon to get the Israeli settlers in Gaza out of his way, close Gaza like a prison and score a few political points with the US administration. It was a cruel move that allowed him to further suffocate the people of Gaza, people that he was determined to destroy from early on in his violent career. But the proud Palestinians would not surrender and served as a constant reminder of the blood with which his hands are stained.
One could go on and on about Sharon and his crimes. As he lay dying, perhaps within days or minutes of his final breath, we must all remember his victims, the countless dead, wounded and displaced and remind the world that this man was not a hero but a criminal.
As I write these words Ariel Sharon is still alive, if one can call it that, and in many ways the state in which he lives now could be the hell he so richly deserves.
Miko Peled is an Israeli writer and peace activist living in the US. Author of The General's Son, The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.
I never understood how people could rejoice at the news of a person’s death. I happened to be in the UK when Margaret Thatcher died so I witnessed the celebrations. The expressions of joy as the news of the Iron Lady’s death spread around the country shocked me at first, as people were actually throwing parties to celebrate her death. As I visited different parts of the country, particularly Wales and Ireland, it occurred to me that when Ariel Sharon dies we may see similar outbursts of joy taking place.
Sharon has been in a coma since January 2006 when he suffered several brain hemorrhages that left him in a vegetative state. But now there is news that his kidneys are failing and concerns are expressed in Israel that there is a chance he will die soon.
One can imagine the long eulogies we will have to endure once he is laid to rest: “A hero,” “a great leader,” “a military genius,” all of this will be said and more. The press will recount every military achievement, ever battle he won, every enemy, both military and political that he defeated. His resolve as Israel’s leader will be heralded, and, we will be told, he will be remembered for giving his all to his country.
In my book, The General’s Son, Journey of an Israeli in Palestine, I mention Sharon several times, in his capacity as a military man who was cruel, brilliant and reckless, then as defense minister and finally as prime minister. But it is important to set the record straight about this man before the nauseating outpour of condolences, replete with hypocrisy and lies, that are sure to follow his death.
Ariel Sharon was an ambitious man. He was brutal, greedy, uncompromising and dishonest. He possessed an insatiable appetite for power, glory and fortune. His tendencies as a cold-blooded, merciless killer were evident from early on in his career when he commanded the Israeli army’s Unit 101 in the 1950’s. Unit 101 was an infamous commando brigade with special license to kill and terrorize Palestinians. It operated mostly in Gaza, but also in other parts of the country and beyond. Unit 101 was so brutal in its practices, and claimed so many innocent lives, that even by Israeli standards it was thought to have gone too far and the unit was eventually disbanded.
Sharon went on to be promoted to other commands in the Israeli army earning a name for himself as a promising commander and all were expecting that he would one day be the Israeli army’s top commander, or Chief of Staff. But this was one job he never got, he did better. Sharon entered politics and was nominated to be Defense Minister under Prime Minister Menachem Begin. In that capacity he lead Israel’s catastrophic invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
This invasion left countless Lebanese and Palestinians dead, wounded and displaced. Sharon was also behind the massacres that took place in September of that year in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps near Beirut, and here once again, even by Israeli standards Sharon had gone too far and was removed from office.
Though Sharon was reprimanded for his role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, and was prevented from serving as defense minister, his political career continued nevertheless and his sphere of influence grew. As minster of Housing and Development he contributed more than any other to the racist, anti Palestinian policies and the corruption within the ministry. It is claimed that during his tenure the ministry’s budget was without limits, exceeding Israel’s entire defense budget. He used his full weight to achieve the colonization and displacement Palestinians from what used to be the West Bank.
Surely the most absurd thing ever said about Sharon, is that he was a man of peace. That he “left” Gaza and that he “gave” Gaza back to the Palestinians. That he did it for peace and in return all Israel received were rockets fired from Gaza. The Israeli disengagement from Gaza was a cynical, unilateral move. It allowed Sharon to get the Israeli settlers in Gaza out of his way, close Gaza like a prison and score a few political points with the US administration. It was a cruel move that allowed him to further suffocate the people of Gaza, people that he was determined to destroy from early on in his violent career. But the proud Palestinians would not surrender and served as a constant reminder of the blood with which his hands are stained.
One could go on and on about Sharon and his crimes. As he lay dying, perhaps within days or minutes of his final breath, we must all remember his victims, the countless dead, wounded and displaced and remind the world that this man was not a hero but a criminal.
As I write these words Ariel Sharon is still alive, if one can call it that, and in many ways the state in which he lives now could be the hell he so richly deserves.
Miko Peled is an Israeli writer and peace activist living in the US. Author of The General's Son, The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.
3 jan 2014
'Palestinians will be happy, as they are being given a desired citizenship'
Op-ed: Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be solved when West Bank's Arab residents regain their Jordanian citizenship
Famous British diplomat and author Harold Nicolson (1886-1968) believed there were two types of negotiators: Warriors and shopkeepers. Warriors use negotiations to improve their position ahead of the next stage of the conflict, while shopkeepers try to reach an agreement which will satisfy everyone. Warriors are here to take, shopkeepers – to give. Warriors see an agreement as a temporary stage, shopkeepers hope to end the conflict through it.
The Palestinian Authority comes to the negotiations as clear warriors. It is interested in going back in time, fixing the past of 1948, expelling 700,000 Jews from Judea and Samaria and replacing them with one or two million Palestinians from Syria, Lebanon and the Arab world. These will be the most dangerous Salafis in the region. Israel wants to end the conflict, but the PA wants to strengthen itself in order to intensify the conflict. Its goal is to go on with the plan to destroy Israel in stages.
The problem begins when the shopkeepers believe they are facing another shopkeeper, and realize that they are facing a warrior – sometimes when it's already too late. Those who understand that these are two forces with opposite intentions and a different language, understand that there is nothing to talk about with what is called "the Palestinian Authority." This means that in a while we will see the failure of what has been called "negotiations" with that PA, which are entirely based on American naivety in the best-case scenario.
A mediators who fails to understand that he is facing warriors against shopkeepers will find it difficult to understand the conflict, and may even be a shopkeeper himself. It's time, therefore, to prepare and come up with a Plan B, after realizing Plan A is impossible. And I mean Jordan.
Just like Egypt was forced to return to the Gaza Strip and to its affairs, the same is expected to happen with Jordan, as it is part of the conflict. It was Churchill who disconnected it from the western Land of Israel as "the Arab state," but it is part of the solution, and it knows that and is interested in it.
After all, the West Bank was part of the Jordanian kingdom in 1967 in the full sense of the word. Jordan completely annexed it, and granted its residents full citizenship. On July 31, 1988, Jordanian King Hussein revoked the full Jordanian citizenship given to the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria and east Jerusalem as part of what he referred to as a "withdrawal." But who revokes his residents' citizenship just like that, and why did it go by peacefully?
The Arab residents of Judea and Samaria will get their Jordanian citizenship back, and Jordan will oversee the civil life in Area A. The IDF will remain militarily in charge of all Judea and Samaria territories, in coordination with the Jordanians, with whom we have a peace agreement, and all the settlement will naturally stay put. The Arabs in Judea and Samaria will vote for the Jordanian parliament, and their passports will be Jordanian.
The Jerusalem issue will also be solved quickly, as Israel is committed in the peace treaty with Jordan to giving the kingdom a "special status" in Jerusalem's holy sites. Israel will be interested in this arrangement, between shopkeepers and shopkeepers. The Palestinians will be happy, as they are being given a desired citizenship, second in its prestige to the Israeli one, and Jordan will be satisfied too. A Palestinian state, which within a short while will be filled with Salafis and al-Qaeda operatives, is a strategic threat to its security.
The only one which won't be satisfied is the Palestinian Authority, which was invented out of nothing in Oslo. But it's not our job to worry about that authority.
Jordanian spokespeople reiterate that the United States and Europe are wrong about Jordan not being the desirable solution, while expressing their reservations and remoteness from the "PA." They also know that a Palestinian solution is bad news for everyone, even for the Arabs living in Judea and Samaria, as a peace agreement with warriors is a contradiction.
Op-ed: Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be solved when West Bank's Arab residents regain their Jordanian citizenship
Famous British diplomat and author Harold Nicolson (1886-1968) believed there were two types of negotiators: Warriors and shopkeepers. Warriors use negotiations to improve their position ahead of the next stage of the conflict, while shopkeepers try to reach an agreement which will satisfy everyone. Warriors are here to take, shopkeepers – to give. Warriors see an agreement as a temporary stage, shopkeepers hope to end the conflict through it.
The Palestinian Authority comes to the negotiations as clear warriors. It is interested in going back in time, fixing the past of 1948, expelling 700,000 Jews from Judea and Samaria and replacing them with one or two million Palestinians from Syria, Lebanon and the Arab world. These will be the most dangerous Salafis in the region. Israel wants to end the conflict, but the PA wants to strengthen itself in order to intensify the conflict. Its goal is to go on with the plan to destroy Israel in stages.
The problem begins when the shopkeepers believe they are facing another shopkeeper, and realize that they are facing a warrior – sometimes when it's already too late. Those who understand that these are two forces with opposite intentions and a different language, understand that there is nothing to talk about with what is called "the Palestinian Authority." This means that in a while we will see the failure of what has been called "negotiations" with that PA, which are entirely based on American naivety in the best-case scenario.
A mediators who fails to understand that he is facing warriors against shopkeepers will find it difficult to understand the conflict, and may even be a shopkeeper himself. It's time, therefore, to prepare and come up with a Plan B, after realizing Plan A is impossible. And I mean Jordan.
Just like Egypt was forced to return to the Gaza Strip and to its affairs, the same is expected to happen with Jordan, as it is part of the conflict. It was Churchill who disconnected it from the western Land of Israel as "the Arab state," but it is part of the solution, and it knows that and is interested in it.
After all, the West Bank was part of the Jordanian kingdom in 1967 in the full sense of the word. Jordan completely annexed it, and granted its residents full citizenship. On July 31, 1988, Jordanian King Hussein revoked the full Jordanian citizenship given to the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria and east Jerusalem as part of what he referred to as a "withdrawal." But who revokes his residents' citizenship just like that, and why did it go by peacefully?
The Arab residents of Judea and Samaria will get their Jordanian citizenship back, and Jordan will oversee the civil life in Area A. The IDF will remain militarily in charge of all Judea and Samaria territories, in coordination with the Jordanians, with whom we have a peace agreement, and all the settlement will naturally stay put. The Arabs in Judea and Samaria will vote for the Jordanian parliament, and their passports will be Jordanian.
The Jerusalem issue will also be solved quickly, as Israel is committed in the peace treaty with Jordan to giving the kingdom a "special status" in Jerusalem's holy sites. Israel will be interested in this arrangement, between shopkeepers and shopkeepers. The Palestinians will be happy, as they are being given a desired citizenship, second in its prestige to the Israeli one, and Jordan will be satisfied too. A Palestinian state, which within a short while will be filled with Salafis and al-Qaeda operatives, is a strategic threat to its security.
The only one which won't be satisfied is the Palestinian Authority, which was invented out of nothing in Oslo. But it's not our job to worry about that authority.
Jordanian spokespeople reiterate that the United States and Europe are wrong about Jordan not being the desirable solution, while expressing their reservations and remoteness from the "PA." They also know that a Palestinian solution is bad news for everyone, even for the Arabs living in Judea and Samaria, as a peace agreement with warriors is a contradiction.
BY RANA AWAISI
Although Israeli law considers racial incitement illegal, the Israeli media consistently provides a platform for extremists who commit racial incitement against groups that Israelis perceive as an "enemy," especially the Palestinian people.
Based on the results of monitoring the mainstream Israeli media (secular and religious), conducted over two years, this article addresses the most prominent cases of racial incitement against Arabs and Muslims, justified by biblical texts and fake historical facts. Every day, the Israeli public is exposed to ideas in the media which influence their perceptions of Arabs and Muslims and solidify existing negative views.
Attributing the Arab-Israeli conflict to religious-historical roots
The trend of viewing the conflict through a religious lens revives, reproduces and distributes religious myths of a perpetual conflict between two sides: one symbolizes "good" and the other "evil". The superior side faces an enemy haunted by inferiority, motivated by envy and jealousy, and driven by a deep wish for revenge.
Explaining political and sometimes tragic incidents in such terms has become part of the Israeli political culture, as expressed in the following quote: "Incapability, frustration, and a sub-conscious sense of inferiority towards Jews have deeply affected all Muslims, turning them slowly into maniacs. It is the war of Ismail against Isaac. It is a war until the elimination of the last Jew" (Yaakov Schoenfeld, published on March 30, 2012 in Hamodia, defined as "the daily newspaper of Torah Jewry").
In an article by Ariel Kahana, published in a newspaper called Makor Rishon on March 14, 2011, we read: "This is what history has shown us, Murder is an innate feature of the Arab people, at least since their path crossed with the path of the Jewish people. This is their character. Jews behave according to 'one hand raises the message and the other works', the Arabs react out of 'will be a brutal man'. This is their character, these are their traits".
Many authors call the Arabs "Ismaelites" when they want to express contempt, as we see in an article by Avi Bentov: "So, these are the Ismaelites, the brutal, the bloodthirsty, worse than animals of a forest, some who eat and some who get eaten. One animal kills the other when it is hungry and also to feed its offspring. Animals don't kill humans without reason, but Arabs do, as they live on the ruins of their victims, the knife in their left hand. They are stupid, and their hands are soiled with the blood of our beloved" (published on the Kikar Hashabat website on March 27, 2011).
Another article by A. Yizhaki, responding to the assassination of the Arab-Jewish movie director Juliano Mer-Kamis in Jenin, stated: "In recent years, the director Juliano Mer-Khamis met his calling in the Jenin refugee camp. He went to live there and worked to develop Palestinian 'culture,' believing it is possible to 'educate' the descendants of people the Torah describes as 'wild.' Reactions from leftist Jews prove that they do not know the truth about the character of their subjects in Ismail's camp. The Palestinian culture of killing, or generally speaking, the Arab culture of killing, strikes very deep. It is so deeply rooted that the Israeli left is not capable of perceiving it as a serious matter" (published in Yated Nee'man on November 4, 2011).
Demonizing Islam
Racism and incitement in the Israeli media are not only directed towards Arabs but also at Muslims. The Israeli media demonizes Islam, falsifies historical facts, and takes verses from the Qur'an out of context.
For instance, in addressing the case of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Dr. Reuven Barco claims that the conduct of Hamas is affected by the "low morals" of the prophet Mohammad: "In addition to a...heritage of violence, the bearded Hamasnics of Gaza, in their operations against Israel, apply two main lessons of the failed siege which Mohammad conducted against Taeif, the city of the 'infidels'. He threw huge stones, injuring civilians, women and children without discrimination". (Published in the daily newspaper Yesrael Hayom on October 19, 2011)
On March 22, 2012, the newspaper Hamodia published an article by M. Shalom, saying: "The world knows how to shut up and ignore when the Jews in Israel defend themselves against those products of Islam, the brutal anti-Semites with their insatiable hunger for terror. Worse still, this world condemns the Jews when so-called 'innocents' get killed and the Jews are trying to defend themselves."
Another report in the same newspaper says: "Islamic terrorists are running a global war. Throughout our painful, bloody history, Jewish children were at the top of the killers' list. Today Arabs and Muslim carry the cross of this bloody campaign".
A website called "News1" published an article by Yehuda Drori on January 29, 2012, describing Islam as the "devil's religion." Drori wrote: "Some people might disagree with my view of Islam as a violent, bloody religion. In order to read about a loving and peaceful Islam, those who disagree have to look towards tolerant academics living in the West, but we know Islam better than them! I can understand how difficult it is for a leftist to adjust his attitude and accept the awful truth: There are no 'good' Muslims. The only goal for Arabs, here at least, is to eliminate us. They constantly promote this idea in their media with non-stop incitement against us. Islam is the devil's religion".
The superiority of Jews and inferiority of Arabs
The theory of a "super race" descending from Isaac - as opposed to an "inferior race" descending from Ismail - is usually accompanied by the theory of the Jews as "God's chosen people" and their religious superiority over the "gentiles." Numerous Israeli writers are convinced that Jews are a "chosen people," superior to non-Jews religiously and culturally.
In Yesrael Hayom on October 19, 2011, Reuven Barco confirms the racial superiority of Jews over Arabs - the latter of whom he calls "the strain of Hagar the slave" - and the religious superiority of the "chosen people". He writes: "the Palestinian prisoners go on a hunger strike with an incredible sense of insolence; they demand rights to welfare, education, food, visits from family members, and watching media. This proves that somewhere in the back of the Palestinian's brain is an implicit recognition of Jewish superiority. They are right; there is a substantial difference between the Jews and the Palestinian Islamists. We are not only talking about Jewish accomplishments in science and the Nobel Prizes won by the chosen people; we are basically talking about Jews who value life compared to the death industry produced by the Islamists".
Racism and incitement
The Israeli media carelessly express extremely racist insults towards Islamic culture, and won't allow facts to melt their entrenched stereotypes. One example is found in Yated Nee'man on March 26, 2012: "As a rule, the Islamic culture thoroughly suppresses citizens' rights wherever they live. It is a culture of terror, racism, humiliation and suppression. Whoever tries to speak up is immediately decapitated".
In the editorial of the same newspaper, on March 25, 2012, we read: "It is also true that many immigrant Muslims have managed to integrate into their new countries, but those who cling to an ideology that wishes to conquer the whole world and put it under the shoes of Mohammad's destructive religion, are definitely not a minority".
In another article written by M. Shalom, we read: "Lying and deception are the most prominent characteristic of the Arabs. They are firmly rooted in Mohammad's religion. The Quraysh Covenant proves that deception is allowed - and even required - on the way to defeating the enemy and accomplishing goals". (Hamodia, May 30, 2011)
It is considered "racist" to oppose occupation and demand that Israel withdraw from the occupied territories. On December 15, 2010, Professor Hillel Weis wrote in the religious newspaper Makor Rishoan that "Islam turned out to be a boot trampling on Europe. European leaders demand that Israel evacuate form Jerusalem. That's racism! Those who invented the term 'racism' have adopted it."
On June 22, 2012, Yaakov Schoenfeld published an article in Hamodia in which he says, "This animal-like thirst for blood drives Muslims crazy. It seems that Muslims are frustrated, attempting suicide and taking the whole world down with them. It seems that history has never witnessed the sort of madness that Islam is exhibiting, as a religion of killing and destruction".
Racial incitement is not absent from the secular Israeli media. As we pointed out earlier by referring to the "News1" website, we now look to Ha'aretz, a paper known for its liberal and leftist views. In an article published on March 17, 2012, the journalist Yisrael Harel wrote: "Those who believe that peace is possible and that the Palestinians are partners should be the first to tell the truth about Palestinian incitement. It's not possible to prove a direct relationship between the killings in Itamar and daily incitement. The reasons are deeper. Over the years whole villages have been slaughtered in Algeria - about 300,000 victims - and thousands of infant throats slit. In Darfur, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere in the Muslim world, people have been massacred. These killings are the outcome of a murderous character, not the incitement led to them".
Severe cases of racism also exist, such as the words of the right-wing radio broadcaster Avery Gila'ad. On June 12, 2012 he said: "we don't want to forget that those who are knocking on our doors are followers of Islam, and that Islam is a disease rampant in the world. The fact that Islam dominates the world and we see it everywhere, and in light of Muslims' wish to impose their thoughts and beliefs, we must be careful in managing our lives". (From Gila'ad's program "The Last Word," broadcasted on Galle Zahal, the radio of the Israeli army).
Following this incident, which aroused much anger, protesters took to the streets, and a complaint was filed with to the government attorney general. Unfortunately, as usual, none of these actions resulted in any changes.
Conclusion
It seems that the Israeli media holds a world view which divides humanity into two parts. The first is the Jews, the descendants of Isaac - who are considered superior religiously and ethnically - and the second part comprises the "terrorist" Muslims and the "brutal" Arabs, the descendants of Ismail.
This supposed "religious-ethnic superiority" is merely an attempt to legitimize the Israeli occupation and the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. Legitimization occurs by dehumanizing and demonizing the "enemy." Those who emphasize a demonic image of Islam are attempting to justify the Western wars against Muslim and Arab countries under the pretext of battling the so-called "global Islamic jihad."
Thus while reading an Israeli newspaper, it is common to find a piece of racial incitement against Arabs and Muslims, and below it, another piece criticizing alleged racism and anti-Semitism among the same Arabs and Muslims who are exposed to systematic racial incitement.
This article was originally published in Middle East Monitor
Although Israeli law considers racial incitement illegal, the Israeli media consistently provides a platform for extremists who commit racial incitement against groups that Israelis perceive as an "enemy," especially the Palestinian people.
Based on the results of monitoring the mainstream Israeli media (secular and religious), conducted over two years, this article addresses the most prominent cases of racial incitement against Arabs and Muslims, justified by biblical texts and fake historical facts. Every day, the Israeli public is exposed to ideas in the media which influence their perceptions of Arabs and Muslims and solidify existing negative views.
Attributing the Arab-Israeli conflict to religious-historical roots
The trend of viewing the conflict through a religious lens revives, reproduces and distributes religious myths of a perpetual conflict between two sides: one symbolizes "good" and the other "evil". The superior side faces an enemy haunted by inferiority, motivated by envy and jealousy, and driven by a deep wish for revenge.
Explaining political and sometimes tragic incidents in such terms has become part of the Israeli political culture, as expressed in the following quote: "Incapability, frustration, and a sub-conscious sense of inferiority towards Jews have deeply affected all Muslims, turning them slowly into maniacs. It is the war of Ismail against Isaac. It is a war until the elimination of the last Jew" (Yaakov Schoenfeld, published on March 30, 2012 in Hamodia, defined as "the daily newspaper of Torah Jewry").
In an article by Ariel Kahana, published in a newspaper called Makor Rishon on March 14, 2011, we read: "This is what history has shown us, Murder is an innate feature of the Arab people, at least since their path crossed with the path of the Jewish people. This is their character. Jews behave according to 'one hand raises the message and the other works', the Arabs react out of 'will be a brutal man'. This is their character, these are their traits".
Many authors call the Arabs "Ismaelites" when they want to express contempt, as we see in an article by Avi Bentov: "So, these are the Ismaelites, the brutal, the bloodthirsty, worse than animals of a forest, some who eat and some who get eaten. One animal kills the other when it is hungry and also to feed its offspring. Animals don't kill humans without reason, but Arabs do, as they live on the ruins of their victims, the knife in their left hand. They are stupid, and their hands are soiled with the blood of our beloved" (published on the Kikar Hashabat website on March 27, 2011).
Another article by A. Yizhaki, responding to the assassination of the Arab-Jewish movie director Juliano Mer-Kamis in Jenin, stated: "In recent years, the director Juliano Mer-Khamis met his calling in the Jenin refugee camp. He went to live there and worked to develop Palestinian 'culture,' believing it is possible to 'educate' the descendants of people the Torah describes as 'wild.' Reactions from leftist Jews prove that they do not know the truth about the character of their subjects in Ismail's camp. The Palestinian culture of killing, or generally speaking, the Arab culture of killing, strikes very deep. It is so deeply rooted that the Israeli left is not capable of perceiving it as a serious matter" (published in Yated Nee'man on November 4, 2011).
Demonizing Islam
Racism and incitement in the Israeli media are not only directed towards Arabs but also at Muslims. The Israeli media demonizes Islam, falsifies historical facts, and takes verses from the Qur'an out of context.
For instance, in addressing the case of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Dr. Reuven Barco claims that the conduct of Hamas is affected by the "low morals" of the prophet Mohammad: "In addition to a...heritage of violence, the bearded Hamasnics of Gaza, in their operations against Israel, apply two main lessons of the failed siege which Mohammad conducted against Taeif, the city of the 'infidels'. He threw huge stones, injuring civilians, women and children without discrimination". (Published in the daily newspaper Yesrael Hayom on October 19, 2011)
On March 22, 2012, the newspaper Hamodia published an article by M. Shalom, saying: "The world knows how to shut up and ignore when the Jews in Israel defend themselves against those products of Islam, the brutal anti-Semites with their insatiable hunger for terror. Worse still, this world condemns the Jews when so-called 'innocents' get killed and the Jews are trying to defend themselves."
Another report in the same newspaper says: "Islamic terrorists are running a global war. Throughout our painful, bloody history, Jewish children were at the top of the killers' list. Today Arabs and Muslim carry the cross of this bloody campaign".
A website called "News1" published an article by Yehuda Drori on January 29, 2012, describing Islam as the "devil's religion." Drori wrote: "Some people might disagree with my view of Islam as a violent, bloody religion. In order to read about a loving and peaceful Islam, those who disagree have to look towards tolerant academics living in the West, but we know Islam better than them! I can understand how difficult it is for a leftist to adjust his attitude and accept the awful truth: There are no 'good' Muslims. The only goal for Arabs, here at least, is to eliminate us. They constantly promote this idea in their media with non-stop incitement against us. Islam is the devil's religion".
The superiority of Jews and inferiority of Arabs
The theory of a "super race" descending from Isaac - as opposed to an "inferior race" descending from Ismail - is usually accompanied by the theory of the Jews as "God's chosen people" and their religious superiority over the "gentiles." Numerous Israeli writers are convinced that Jews are a "chosen people," superior to non-Jews religiously and culturally.
In Yesrael Hayom on October 19, 2011, Reuven Barco confirms the racial superiority of Jews over Arabs - the latter of whom he calls "the strain of Hagar the slave" - and the religious superiority of the "chosen people". He writes: "the Palestinian prisoners go on a hunger strike with an incredible sense of insolence; they demand rights to welfare, education, food, visits from family members, and watching media. This proves that somewhere in the back of the Palestinian's brain is an implicit recognition of Jewish superiority. They are right; there is a substantial difference between the Jews and the Palestinian Islamists. We are not only talking about Jewish accomplishments in science and the Nobel Prizes won by the chosen people; we are basically talking about Jews who value life compared to the death industry produced by the Islamists".
Racism and incitement
The Israeli media carelessly express extremely racist insults towards Islamic culture, and won't allow facts to melt their entrenched stereotypes. One example is found in Yated Nee'man on March 26, 2012: "As a rule, the Islamic culture thoroughly suppresses citizens' rights wherever they live. It is a culture of terror, racism, humiliation and suppression. Whoever tries to speak up is immediately decapitated".
In the editorial of the same newspaper, on March 25, 2012, we read: "It is also true that many immigrant Muslims have managed to integrate into their new countries, but those who cling to an ideology that wishes to conquer the whole world and put it under the shoes of Mohammad's destructive religion, are definitely not a minority".
In another article written by M. Shalom, we read: "Lying and deception are the most prominent characteristic of the Arabs. They are firmly rooted in Mohammad's religion. The Quraysh Covenant proves that deception is allowed - and even required - on the way to defeating the enemy and accomplishing goals". (Hamodia, May 30, 2011)
It is considered "racist" to oppose occupation and demand that Israel withdraw from the occupied territories. On December 15, 2010, Professor Hillel Weis wrote in the religious newspaper Makor Rishoan that "Islam turned out to be a boot trampling on Europe. European leaders demand that Israel evacuate form Jerusalem. That's racism! Those who invented the term 'racism' have adopted it."
On June 22, 2012, Yaakov Schoenfeld published an article in Hamodia in which he says, "This animal-like thirst for blood drives Muslims crazy. It seems that Muslims are frustrated, attempting suicide and taking the whole world down with them. It seems that history has never witnessed the sort of madness that Islam is exhibiting, as a religion of killing and destruction".
Racial incitement is not absent from the secular Israeli media. As we pointed out earlier by referring to the "News1" website, we now look to Ha'aretz, a paper known for its liberal and leftist views. In an article published on March 17, 2012, the journalist Yisrael Harel wrote: "Those who believe that peace is possible and that the Palestinians are partners should be the first to tell the truth about Palestinian incitement. It's not possible to prove a direct relationship between the killings in Itamar and daily incitement. The reasons are deeper. Over the years whole villages have been slaughtered in Algeria - about 300,000 victims - and thousands of infant throats slit. In Darfur, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere in the Muslim world, people have been massacred. These killings are the outcome of a murderous character, not the incitement led to them".
Severe cases of racism also exist, such as the words of the right-wing radio broadcaster Avery Gila'ad. On June 12, 2012 he said: "we don't want to forget that those who are knocking on our doors are followers of Islam, and that Islam is a disease rampant in the world. The fact that Islam dominates the world and we see it everywhere, and in light of Muslims' wish to impose their thoughts and beliefs, we must be careful in managing our lives". (From Gila'ad's program "The Last Word," broadcasted on Galle Zahal, the radio of the Israeli army).
Following this incident, which aroused much anger, protesters took to the streets, and a complaint was filed with to the government attorney general. Unfortunately, as usual, none of these actions resulted in any changes.
Conclusion
It seems that the Israeli media holds a world view which divides humanity into two parts. The first is the Jews, the descendants of Isaac - who are considered superior religiously and ethnically - and the second part comprises the "terrorist" Muslims and the "brutal" Arabs, the descendants of Ismail.
This supposed "religious-ethnic superiority" is merely an attempt to legitimize the Israeli occupation and the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. Legitimization occurs by dehumanizing and demonizing the "enemy." Those who emphasize a demonic image of Islam are attempting to justify the Western wars against Muslim and Arab countries under the pretext of battling the so-called "global Islamic jihad."
Thus while reading an Israeli newspaper, it is common to find a piece of racial incitement against Arabs and Muslims, and below it, another piece criticizing alleged racism and anti-Semitism among the same Arabs and Muslims who are exposed to systematic racial incitement.
This article was originally published in Middle East Monitor
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Sheba Hospital director says former PM's condition deteriorates, suffers 'multi-organ' failure, tests indicate turn for worse. Family friend says Sharon's sons ' understand this is the end'
In the last 24 hours there has been further deterioration in the condition of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and he is still at a critical state. Sharon has been comatose for eight years. In recent days his conditioned worsened as he suffered kidney failure, and his state was defined critical and at immediate life risk. Test results indicate an infection in his blood, as the director of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Professor Zeev Rotstein, informed the press. |
"There is danger to his life; the situation is not getting better," he said.
In the briefing given by Professor Rotstein, he noted that the doctors are noting a slight deterioration in the former PM's organs. "Unfortunately, we see a multi-organ failure that is developing before our eyes, as can happen in such situations," he said. "As of now, the lab test and clinical tests all indicate towards the direction of deterioration. He is not in shock at the moment, but there is definitely slow and gradual deterioration in the functioning of Ariel Sharon's organs."
Rotstein added that "as time passes, it seems the situation is not improving. We usually understand what happens in such scenarios. Sharon's sons are by his bed. They are constantly holding his hand and he is not alone for even one moment. He receives palliative care, which of course include drugs to stabilize his condition in terms of circulatory system and heart vessels. In these situations we always witness infections, and there are signs that there is infection in Sharon's blood, and we attend to it."
Bidding farewell
Sources privy to the family said that Sharon's sons, Omri and Gilad, have come to terms with the situation and are preparing to bid their father farewell. "Unfortunately, they understand this is the end, these are Arik's last few hours or days. It's hard. We avoided this moment for eight years and now it is here, and we cannot avoid it," said an acquaintance of the family.
Since the morning hours, relative and close acquaintances of Sharon have come to the hospital. His sons Omri and Gilad were by his side until the wee hours of the night and returned early morning.
The hospital noted that there have been ups and downs in Sharon's condition in the past few months, however in recent days there is significant deterioration in the functioning of several critical organs in Sharon's body. Sharon, 85, has been hospitalized since January 2006, after suffering a stroke while serving as prime minister. Sharon had a minor stroke in December 2005, after which he underwent a series of treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
Sharon is not admitted at the respiratory rehabilitation department at Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, with his family by his side. His kidney failure requires dialysis; however the unstable condition of his body does not allow that.
"I can't be a prophet. The feeling among the physicians treating him and his family, mainly the boys, is that there is a turn for the worse. Everyone's feeling is that this deterioration is very serious," said Professor Rotstein on Thursday.
In the briefing given by Professor Rotstein, he noted that the doctors are noting a slight deterioration in the former PM's organs. "Unfortunately, we see a multi-organ failure that is developing before our eyes, as can happen in such situations," he said. "As of now, the lab test and clinical tests all indicate towards the direction of deterioration. He is not in shock at the moment, but there is definitely slow and gradual deterioration in the functioning of Ariel Sharon's organs."
Rotstein added that "as time passes, it seems the situation is not improving. We usually understand what happens in such scenarios. Sharon's sons are by his bed. They are constantly holding his hand and he is not alone for even one moment. He receives palliative care, which of course include drugs to stabilize his condition in terms of circulatory system and heart vessels. In these situations we always witness infections, and there are signs that there is infection in Sharon's blood, and we attend to it."
Bidding farewell
Sources privy to the family said that Sharon's sons, Omri and Gilad, have come to terms with the situation and are preparing to bid their father farewell. "Unfortunately, they understand this is the end, these are Arik's last few hours or days. It's hard. We avoided this moment for eight years and now it is here, and we cannot avoid it," said an acquaintance of the family.
Since the morning hours, relative and close acquaintances of Sharon have come to the hospital. His sons Omri and Gilad were by his side until the wee hours of the night and returned early morning.
The hospital noted that there have been ups and downs in Sharon's condition in the past few months, however in recent days there is significant deterioration in the functioning of several critical organs in Sharon's body. Sharon, 85, has been hospitalized since January 2006, after suffering a stroke while serving as prime minister. Sharon had a minor stroke in December 2005, after which he underwent a series of treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
Sharon is not admitted at the respiratory rehabilitation department at Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, with his family by his side. His kidney failure requires dialysis; however the unstable condition of his body does not allow that.
"I can't be a prophet. The feeling among the physicians treating him and his family, mainly the boys, is that there is a turn for the worse. Everyone's feeling is that this deterioration is very serious," said Professor Rotstein on Thursday.
2 jan 2014
Israeli former prime minister Ariel Sharon's health deteriorated further on Thursday, with his "vital organs" failing, the hospital where he has been housed in a comatose state for eight years announced.
"In the last few days, we have seen a gradual decline in the functioning of Ariel Sharon's vital organs, which are essential for his survival," Tel Hashomer hospital director Zeev Rotstein told Israeli public radio.
"His state is classed as critical, meaning his life is in danger," Rotstein said.
"The medical staff and Sharon's family are expecting a turn for the worse," he added.
The 85-year-old's health worsened on Wednesday, as Sharon suffered from "serious kidney problems" after undergoing surgery, Israeli media reported.
News website Ynet quoted medical sources as saying Sharon was taken into intensive care a month ago. His health then stabilized but suffered a "significant deterioration" in the past few days.
The long-time leader of the right-wing nationalist camp in Israeli politics suffered a massive stroke on January 4, 2006, slipping into a coma from which he has never recovered.
Israeli and US specialists said in January 2013 that Sharon had showed "significant brain activity" in an MRI scan, responding to pictures of his family seven years after the stroke.
Concern over the state of Sharon's health comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected in Israel at the start of a four-day Middle East visit aimed at securing Israeli and Palestinian agreement on a framework for final status peace talks.
Sharon was first elected prime minister in February 2001, just months after walking through east Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, in an action that sparked the second Palestinian Intifada.
In November 2005, he left the right-wing Likud to set up a new party, Kadima, frustrated by hardliners opposed to his withdrawal of troops and settlers from Gaza that year and to any further concessions in the occupied West Bank.
In a controversial career stretching back more than half a century, the 85-year-old made it his mission to safeguard national security.
He became convinced that Israel needed to separate from the Palestinians and unilaterally determine its own borders.
Born in British-mandate Palestine on February 27, 1928, to parents from Belarus, Sharon summed himself up in the title of his autobiography: "Warrior."
Impetuous and daring, Sharon proved himself a shrewd politician who pioneered some of the most far-reaching changes in Israeli history.
While his administration was initially seen as the most hawkish in Israeli history, less than four years after his 2001 election, it withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza, Palestinian territory occupied in the 1967 war.
But nothing could redeem Sharon in the eyes of his Palestinian foes. Shortly after his massive stroke in 2006, Hamas said the Middle East would be better off without him.
Dubbed "the Bulldozer" both for his style and his physique, Sharon is also remembered by Arabs as the "Butcher of Beirut" for the massacres of Palestinian refugees at Sabra and Shatila by a Lebanese militia, while Israeli troops stood by.
Radio: Ex-Israel PM Sharon's health worsens
The health of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for nearly eight years, worsened on Wednesday, Israeli media reported.
The 85-year-old, who is at the Tel Hashomer hospital in the city of Tel Aviv, was suffering from "serious kidney problems" after undergoing surgery, army radio said.
News website Ynet quoted medical sources as saying Sharon was taken into intensive care a month ago. His health then stabilized but suffered a "significant deterioration" in the past few days.
The long-time leader of the right-wing nationalist camp in Israeli politics suffered a massive stroke on January 4, 2006, slipping into a coma from which he has never recovered.
Israeli and US specialists said in January 2013 that Sharon had showed "significant brain activity" in an MRI scan, responding to pictures of his family seven years after the stroke.
He was first elected prime minister in February 2001, just months after walking through East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in an action that sparked the second Palestinian uprising.
In November 2005, he left the right-wing Likud to set up a new party, Kadima, frustrated by hardliners opposed to his withdrawal of troops and settlers from Gaza that year and to any further concessions in the occupied West Bank.
"In the last few days, we have seen a gradual decline in the functioning of Ariel Sharon's vital organs, which are essential for his survival," Tel Hashomer hospital director Zeev Rotstein told Israeli public radio.
"His state is classed as critical, meaning his life is in danger," Rotstein said.
"The medical staff and Sharon's family are expecting a turn for the worse," he added.
The 85-year-old's health worsened on Wednesday, as Sharon suffered from "serious kidney problems" after undergoing surgery, Israeli media reported.
News website Ynet quoted medical sources as saying Sharon was taken into intensive care a month ago. His health then stabilized but suffered a "significant deterioration" in the past few days.
The long-time leader of the right-wing nationalist camp in Israeli politics suffered a massive stroke on January 4, 2006, slipping into a coma from which he has never recovered.
Israeli and US specialists said in January 2013 that Sharon had showed "significant brain activity" in an MRI scan, responding to pictures of his family seven years after the stroke.
Concern over the state of Sharon's health comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected in Israel at the start of a four-day Middle East visit aimed at securing Israeli and Palestinian agreement on a framework for final status peace talks.
Sharon was first elected prime minister in February 2001, just months after walking through east Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, in an action that sparked the second Palestinian Intifada.
In November 2005, he left the right-wing Likud to set up a new party, Kadima, frustrated by hardliners opposed to his withdrawal of troops and settlers from Gaza that year and to any further concessions in the occupied West Bank.
In a controversial career stretching back more than half a century, the 85-year-old made it his mission to safeguard national security.
He became convinced that Israel needed to separate from the Palestinians and unilaterally determine its own borders.
Born in British-mandate Palestine on February 27, 1928, to parents from Belarus, Sharon summed himself up in the title of his autobiography: "Warrior."
Impetuous and daring, Sharon proved himself a shrewd politician who pioneered some of the most far-reaching changes in Israeli history.
While his administration was initially seen as the most hawkish in Israeli history, less than four years after his 2001 election, it withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza, Palestinian territory occupied in the 1967 war.
But nothing could redeem Sharon in the eyes of his Palestinian foes. Shortly after his massive stroke in 2006, Hamas said the Middle East would be better off without him.
Dubbed "the Bulldozer" both for his style and his physique, Sharon is also remembered by Arabs as the "Butcher of Beirut" for the massacres of Palestinian refugees at Sabra and Shatila by a Lebanese militia, while Israeli troops stood by.
Radio: Ex-Israel PM Sharon's health worsens
The health of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for nearly eight years, worsened on Wednesday, Israeli media reported.
The 85-year-old, who is at the Tel Hashomer hospital in the city of Tel Aviv, was suffering from "serious kidney problems" after undergoing surgery, army radio said.
News website Ynet quoted medical sources as saying Sharon was taken into intensive care a month ago. His health then stabilized but suffered a "significant deterioration" in the past few days.
The long-time leader of the right-wing nationalist camp in Israeli politics suffered a massive stroke on January 4, 2006, slipping into a coma from which he has never recovered.
Israeli and US specialists said in January 2013 that Sharon had showed "significant brain activity" in an MRI scan, responding to pictures of his family seven years after the stroke.
He was first elected prime minister in February 2001, just months after walking through East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in an action that sparked the second Palestinian uprising.
In November 2005, he left the right-wing Likud to set up a new party, Kadima, frustrated by hardliners opposed to his withdrawal of troops and settlers from Gaza that year and to any further concessions in the occupied West Bank.
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