Sivan Ya’ari from Innovation Africa – Manchester Presentation
21st March 2018
Innovation: Africa are a non profit organisation on a mission to bring innovative solar and water technologies to remote African villages. They have provided over one million people across Africa with access to vaccines, light and water.
To book a ticket to the event please see link below
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sivan-yaari-from-innovation-africa-manchester-presentation-tickets-41943483087
The chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council spells out to Jeremy Corbyn exactly how we view his failure to condemn antisemitism. This is particularly disappointing in the light of a passing of a rule change empowering the party to tackle antisemitism more effectively. WHAT A JOKE!!!!! Thanks Jonathan Goldstein for tackling this head on.
The chair of the Jewish Leadership Council calls on Jeremy Corbyn to atone. The party leader’s deafening silence over anti-semitism on the left is deeply concerning.
Jonathan Goldstein
October 1 2017, 12:01am, The Sunday Times
“We are angry. We are disappointed. We are at our wits’ end. As chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, the umbrella body of the 33 central charities and organisations of British Jewry, I can say with some certainty that this is how the vast majority of our community feels in the wake of last week’s Labour Party conference.
To many, Jeremy Corbyn appeared a hero as he delivered his keynote speech in Brighton. Welcomed onto the stage by crowds fervently chanting his name, he spoke at length about building a more equal society, about rebuilding the NHS, about creating opportunity for the young and ensuring “dignity and security” for the old. He confidently branded Labour as the “political mainstream”.
Yet in all this there was a glaring omission: an utter failure to denounce the pernicious anti-semitism that continues to pervade Labour — its events, its activists, its discourse and far too many of Corbyn’s friends.
Across the community we welcomed the rule change to empower the party to tackle anti-semitism more effectively. Promoted by the Jewish Labour Movement and endorsed by Corbyn and the party’s national executive committee, this was a positive step towards giving Labour the tools it desperately needs to combat anti-semitism and improve its relationship with our community.
Unfortunately, the adoption of the rule change by an overwhelming majority was eclipsed. At fringe events, political activists demanded that both Labour Friends of Israel and the Jewish Labour Movement be ejected from the party.
One speaker, Miko Peled, had the audacity to ask openly: “The Holocaust: yes or no?”, and some of Corbyn’s closest allies, such as Chris Williamson, Len McCluskey and Ken Loach, swept the problem under the carpet by asserting that allegations of anti-semitism were merely “mood music” and a conspiracy to remove the party leader.
One would have hoped Corbyn would use his keynote speech as the perfect opportunity to change the tone, to lead by example.
All he needed to say was: “They have a long record of campaigning for social justice and . . . suffered intolerable racist abuse.
“They have faced hostility and an army of social media trolls. It’s even more important that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish MPs, party members and the wider Jewish community and . . . condemn the anti-semites in our midst. They have no place in our party and our society and we want them out.”
Indeed, and he was absolutely right to utter almost these exact words to condemn the vile abuse that Diane Abbott has suffered in recent months. Yet he remained mute on the anti-semitism that continues to engulf the party under his leadership. To the Jewish community, this is a deafening silence and tacit endorsement from a potential prime minister. Can he not see that we are deeply offended? Does he not care?
A speaker at a fringe event asked: ‘The Holocaust, yes or no?’ Now more than ever Corbyn must stand up for what is right as party leader. Labour may not officially have responsibility for the content of speeches at fringe events, but leadership is about setting an example. There is a moral duty to create safe spaces for people to voice their diverse views, to establish a welcoming atmosphere across the entire party.
Labour is increasingly becoming home “for the many anti-semites, not the few Jews”. It is the few, the minorities in this country, who should be celebrated and protected, not vilified and persecuted.
My challenge to Corbyn and the entire party is clear: unequivocally condemn the anti-semitism in the party and cast out those who assert that this hatred does not exist; build bridges with our community, which has enjoyed strong relationships with every main political party for many years; prove to us that you are true to the values and ideals that you espouse and apply them in equal measure to Anglo-Jewry.
This weekend Jews around the world have observed Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On this day we asked forgiveness for our offences. Our sages taught us that for transgressions against our fellow man and woman, even the Almighty does not grant clemency until we forgive one another.
As we begin a new Jewish year, perhaps Jeremy Corbyn will appreciate and take stock of the harm he has caused and the offence his silence has brought.
The opportunity to begin anew is still there but time is running out.
Jonathan Goldstein is chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, the umbrella body of the British Jewish community
On December 7, 2015, Germany, of all countries, announced its support for the EU labelling of products produced on disputed land sometimes referred to as Israeli “settlements.” Apart from the fact that Palestinians openly consider the entire country of Israel — “from the River to the Sea” — one big settlement, one can only marvel at what is now being imposed by the EU and, this week, by Germany.
Faced with the greatest crisis in its 22-year history — an influx of millions of migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Afghanistan — the European Union spent much of November on its long-debated policy of the labelling of products from the disputed territories of the West Bank, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. On November 11, it demanded that exports (mainly fruit and vegetables) from these areas no longer be labelled “produced in Israel.”
The four-page “Interpretative Notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967“, issued by the EU’s executive body, the 28-member European Commission, makes assumptions about Israel and the territories that have already been challenged by Israeli officials. It begins with the following paragraph:
(1) The European Union, in line with international law, does not recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, namely the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and does not consider them to be part of Israel’s territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli law. The Union has made it clear that it will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders, other than those agreed by the parties to the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP)
If this is the basis for a discriminatory measure, it has little or no legal basis. The claim that their interpretation of Israeli rights in the territories mentioned is “in line with international law” raises the simple question: “which international law?”
Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is fully legal under the terms of UN Resolution 242 (1967), which was carefully drafted to guarantee Israel’s rights to remain there until such time as there is a “Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”
As no secure and recognized boundaries have been established, despite numerous attempts by the government of Israel to bring them about, Israel’s presence there remains entirely legal. And as only Israeli armed forces will be required to withdraw in the event that such boundaries are created, the presence of Israeli settlements there will remain legal under the terms of the original League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, which stipulates that there should be close Jewish settlement in all areas. Those Mandate provisions were incorporated into UN Resolution 181, which called for the establishment of a Jewish and an Arab state.
Similarly, the statement that the EU “will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders” is legally invalid as well as obnoxious. No such pre-1967 borders ever existed. The armistice lines, established in 1949 on the termination of the 1948-1949 war between Israel and its several Arab enemies, are not borders. And as the 1967 war was fought by Israel as a war of defence, its alleged “occupation” (which then included the Gaza Strip) of territories previously occupied by two of the belligerent states (Egypt in Gaza, and Jordan in the West Bank) is fully legal under the international laws of armed combat, principally under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
When the EU’s Interpretative Notice goes on to state that its aim “is also to ensure the respect of Union positions and commitments in conformity with international law on the non-recognition by the Union of Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967,” it clearly does not recognize the validity of a major international agreement, UN Resolution 242, and it gives no proper explanation of what is meant by “sovereignty.”
The many debates over the occupation, international law, sovereignty status and so forth need to be addressed in their own right. Suffice to say here that the EU’s blanket declaration of its enforcement of international law is seriously open to question. And, it must be added, its inclusion of Gaza in the occupied territories takes no account of the fact that Israel withdrew completely from Gaza in 2005 and that no goods exported from Gaza have been labelled “produced in Israel” for over a decade.
The Israeli response to the EU decision was swift. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commented:
“The EU decision is hypocritical and constitutes a double standard; it singles out Israel and not the 200 other conflicts around the world. The EU has decided to label only Israel, and we are not prepared to accept the fact that Europe is labeling the side that is being attacked by terrorism. The Israeli economy is strong and will withstand this; those who will be hurt will be those Palestinians who work in Israeli factories. The EU should be ashamed.”
Netanyahu was backed by the leader of Israel’s main opposition party, the Zionist Union, Isaac Herzog. He said that he “strongly opposes this harmful and unnecessary measure.” Herzog called the ruling “a prize that Europe is bestowing for terror,” and adding that it “serves only one purpose — continuing the hate and regional conflict. Marking these products is an act of violence by extremists who want to further inflame the situation and the EU is falling into their trap.”
Israel’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs expressed further support for the determination that the new legislation is discriminatory. It pointed out the discriminatory nature of the decision: “It is puzzling and even irritating that the EU chooses to apply a double standard concerning Israel, while ignoring that there are over 200 other territorial disputes worldwide, including those occurring within the EU or on its doorstep. The claim that this is a technical matter is cynical and baseless.”
Netanyahu and the Israeli Foreign Ministry are right. There are countless territorial disputes round the world. Ones that stand out are those in which a state illegally occupies or incorporates the territory of another people. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, the country was incorporated into the People’s Republic of China as an “Autonomous Region.” When Spain and Mauritania withdrew from the Western Sahara in 1976 and 1979 respectively, Morocco annexed the area. It still occupies two-thirds of this vast (100,000 square miles) territory, despite the absence of any UN resolution recognizing its sovereignty there. Kashmir is controlled by no fewer than three countries — India, Pakistan and China — each of which holds a different part of the former princely state. This division has led to two wars between India and Pakistan, and remains hotly contested, without a formal international recognition of territorial rights. In 2014, Russia dispatched armed forces, started a war, and annexed Crimea, a territory that had been formally recognized as part of Ukraine. The UN General Assembly subsequently issued a resolution that called on the international community not to recognize any change to the status of Crimea.
All of the above disputes involve territorial claims that are essentially illegal, yet the European Union has never demanded that China, Morocco, Russia, Pakistan or India label goods in ways like those demanded of Israel. There are no labels saying “Product of Tibet (produced by Han Chinese occupiers)”, “Crimean produce under Russian occupation,” or “Western Sahara phosphates (extracted by Moroccan settlers).”
It gets worse. The European Union was a joint signatory (with the US, the UK, China, France, Russia and Germany) to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the notorious deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran that permits it to build nuclear weapons, despite its decades-long repeated violations of its commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In anticipation of the lifting of the sanctions against Iran, European diplomats and businessmen have been packing their bags and heading to Tehran to set up commercial deals that will allow the export of European products to Iran and the import of Iranian goods to Europe: a “Pistachio Deal.” They are being encouraged to do so by European governments, such as the UK through its Trade and Investments wing. But Iran is the world’s biggest terrorism-supporting state, and Tehran is still deeply engaged with fighting in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, while supporting Hamas in Gaza and manoeuvring to increase its influence in the West Bank.
This seemingly innocuous move, taken for purportedly “technical reasons,” clearly reveals the racist, anti-Semitic underpinnings still alive and well in members of the European Union. It singles out Israel for treatment not meted out to other, larger countries, even where their occupation and annexation has led, and still leads to, conflict, crime, terrorism, and even repeated threats of genocide. Such a singling-out reflects the many other ways in which countries, world bodies (such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, or the UN Human Rights Council) isolate Israel and hold it to arbitrary, fabricated standards not applied to any other country in the world.
The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, of which this European labelling is a part, takes the issue of marking products even farther. It does not just involve itself only with capriciously directing commerce; it also tries to muscle academic, cultural, and scientific spheres. The EU directive on labelling is already being cheered as a justification of BDS policy. Ramallah-based Mahmoud Nawajaa, general coordinator for the Palestinian BDS National Committee has said labelling was a “sign that European governments are reacting to public opinion, civil society campaigning and Israeli intransigence and are becoming more willing to take some basic action against Israeli violations of international law.” He did not, of course specify which laws were Israel was presumably violating.
Israel is not alone in rejecting the EU directive. On November 9, a bipartisan group of 36 U.S. Senators, led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), sent a letter to the EU’s foreign policy czar, Federica Mogherini, to protest the EU’s decision. They emphasized the potential of the directive to encourage and expand the boycott movement:
“As allies, elected representatives of the American people, and strong supporters of Israel, we urge you not to implement this labeling policy, which appears intended to discourage Europeans from purchasing these products and promote a de facto boycott of Israel, a key ally and the only true democracy in the Middle East… We are also deeply concerned that enacting this policy would lead to the broader boycott of Israel.”
Similarly, a spokesman for Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party declared that the decision to label settlement products was not a step to protect customers, but would instead create a “stigma” against Israel. He added that the ruling was a “mistake.”
It is not just American senators who find the EU measure offensive. Several academic lawyers specializing in international law have addressed its contents, and have found them inaccurate, contradictory and lacking in justice. One such lawyer, Jonathan Turner of “UK Lawyers for Israel,” wrote in a personal communication on November 11:
Note that the Notice claims at the same time that: It is important that products from the West Bank and “East Jerusalem” cannot be labelled “product of Israel” because (1) the EU (channeling the authority to speak on behalf of “international law”) does not recognize these areas as part of Israel and (2) consumers might be confused and think that the areas are part of Israel.
It is okay for products from the West Bank, “East Jerusalem” and Gaza to be labelled “product of Palestine” because (1) even though the EU doesn’t recognize a state of Palestine, that doesn’t make a difference and (2) magically consumers will not be confused.
In October 2015, just weeks before the EU directive was issued, two international law professors wrote a 35-page summary of the legal issues involved in the process. Eugene Kontorovich, professor of international law at Northwestern University, and Avi Bell, Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law and at Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law, published a paper titled “Challenging the EU’s Illegal Restrictions on Israeli Products in the World Trade Organization”. Among the points they make is that the EU labelling process is illegal according international law:
The EU’s proposed measures restrict Israeli trade in violation of international trade law found in numerous multilateral treaties, including articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade; Articles IX, X and XIII of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs and Article 2.3 and 5.6 of the Agreement on the Applications Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, among others.
The discriminatory nature of the legislation is made clear in a precise manner:
Any justifications the EU could adduce for its policies are undermined by their admittedly discriminatory application. The EU does not have a general set of rules for dealing with occupied territories, settlements or territorial administrations whose legality is not recognized by the EU. Rather, the EU has special restrictions aimed at Israel. This violates the fundamental rules of the GATT/WTO system, under which even otherwise valid trade restrictions are void if not applied uniformly to WTO members. Thus Israel’s successful assertion of its rights in no way involves having the WTO accept its position on the status of the territories.
Finally, they add a caveat addressing the technical point that the territories are not part of Israel:
EU arguments that these territories are not part of Israel are irrelevant in this context. The scope of the WTO agreements explicitly extend beyond a country’s sovereign territory, and include territories under its “international responsibility.” The drafting history and subsequent application of the GATT make clear that this involves territories under military occupation
In a much shorter but comprehensive piece written just after the EU announcement of its new policy, Avi Bell addresses some of the central issues. Like Jonathan Turner, he sees both contradiction and discrimination in the ruling:
The Notice says that when products from the Golan Heights, “East” Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza are sold in Europe, they must not be labeled as “products of Israel” because the EU believes that these areas are not sovereign parts of Israel under international law and, therefore, consumers would be misled if they were labeled “products of Israel.” However, the Notice states that it would be lawful to label products from the West Bank and Gaza as “products of Palestine” (and maybe from “East” Jerusalem as well, though the Notice is ambiguous on this point) even though the EU does not recognize the sovereignty of a state of Palestine. This is because presumably European consumers only care that product labels reflect EU views of sovereignty under international law when this works to the disadvantage of Israel.
He also draws attention to a British legal precedent that contradicts the EU position:
The Notice claims that it is doing nothing more than providing guidance in response to “a demand for clarity from consumers, economic operators and national authorities.” Yet, the Notice not only fails to cite any evidence of this alleged demand, it ignores a British Supreme Court decision that states quite explicitly that there is no such demand — in the 2014 case of Richardson and another v. Director of Public Prosecutions, the Court ruled that “there was no basis for saying that the average consumer would be misled … simply because [a product was] described as being [made in] Israel when actually it was [made in the West Bank].”
It is worth quoting further from this well-argued document. One of Bell’s strongest points is made when he demolishes the EU’s rights to establish international borders and its ability to legislate history:
The Notice presents its position on the borders between Israel and a future state of Palestine as those of “international law” as if the EU had the authority under international law to establish Israeli-Palestinian borders. In fact, not only does the EU lack this authority under international law, the EU is signed as a witness on Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements that state that the borders are to be established only by agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Similarly, the Notice claims that the EU “will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders, other than those agreed by the parties to the Middle East Peace Process” even though there were no pre-1967 Israeli-Palestinian borders. In fact, by trying to establish the pre-1967 Israel-Jordan and Israel-Egypt armistice lines as the new Israeli-Palestinian borders, the EU is trying to force changes to the pre-1967 borders contrary to the agreement of the parties to the peace process. Ironically, the EU is trying to rewrite history as well, since there is no country in the EU that viewed the armistice lines as borders pre-1967.
In the face of so many emphatic legal red lights, it is clear is that the directive would not have been issued at all if there had not been a strong pre-existing EU bias against Israel, its government and its people. Sadly, Europe has clearly returned to its oldest racist hatred. The past decade and more has seen a marked recrudescence of not only the old anti-Semitism in European states, but also the new anti-Semitism — one motivated by a hatred of the Jewish state of Israel. The duplicitous attempt at a distinction between the hatred of individual Jews and the hatred of the Jewish state is demonstrated in the many instances above of unequal application of the law. There are means available for Israel to fight this bigoted “Jim Crow” ruling.[1]
In the 1930s, Jewish shops, businesses and goods were labelled with Jewish stars and the word “Jude.” Everyone thought that this style of crude anti-Semitism had vanished from our towns and cities. Yet today, sadly, the same racism has returned at the highest level of European government.
Denis MacEoin is a former editor of the Middle East Quarterly, a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Gatestone Institute, and the author of numerous books and articles on the Middle East and Islam.
[1] Kontorovich and Bell’s analysis provide important guidelines for how to tackle the problem through legal means:
The “Mandate for Palestine,” an historical League of Nations document, laid down the Jewish legal right to settle anywhere in western Palestine, a 10,000-square-mile area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, an entitlement unaltered in international law and valid to this day.
The legally binding document was conferred on April 24, 1920, at the San Remo Conference, and its terms outlined in the Treaty of Sèvres on August 10, 1920. The Mandate’s terms were finalized and unanimously approved on July 24, 1922, by the Council of the League of Nations, which was comprised at that time of 51 countries. The Mandate weathered the test of time: On April 18, 1946, when the League of Nations was dissolved and its assets and duties transferred to the United Nations, the international community, in essence, reaffirmed the validity of this international accord and reconfirmed that the terms for a Jewish national home were the will of the international community, a “sacred trust.” Some may confuse the “Mandate for Palestine” [The Trust], with the British Mandate
[The Trustee]. The “Mandate for Palestine” laid down the Jewish legal rights in Palestine. The British Mandate, on the other hand, was entrusted by the League of Nations with the responsibility to administer the area delineated by the “Mandate for Palestine.” Great Britain, the Mandatory and Trustee, turned over its responsibility to the United Nations, as of May 14, 1948. However, the legal force of the League of Nations i.e. the “Mandate for Palestine” was not terminated with the end of the British Mandate. Rather, the Trust was transferred over to its successor – the United Nations. Article 80 of the UN Charter recognizes the continued validity of the rights granted to all states or peoples, or already existing international instruments including those adopted by the League of Nations. [such as the “Mandate for Palestine”]
The borders of Jewish Palestine
Map source: Delineating the final geographical area of Palestine designated for the Jewish National Home as described by the Mandatory: “Report by the Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Palestine and Trans-Jordan for the year 1938.” ©
Eli E Hertz – 30.12.15
How often when you encounter thinly veiled or indeed naked anti-Semitism are you met with the riposte: “It is not anti-Semitic to be anti-Zionist; it is legitimate criticism of Israel; you are only raising the false charge to stifle debate/criticism of Israel or to smear the left”, and so ad nauseam?
Well, a significant development occurred this week which may have a considerable bearing on the debate around these issues but has been met by near total obliviousness by friend and foe alike. The reason for the near silence in the press and on social media alike is unclear but maybe because it all occurred thousands of miles away from Israel, the UK and the US.
On 29th June Mr. Justice Moshidi, a high court judge, sitting in the South African Equality Court delivered his judgment in what has been referred to as the Bongani Masuku case. Perhaps because it runs to 56 pages of largely legalistic discourse around the relevant legislation it has not made the impact it might otherwise have done.
READ MORE: Court says SA union leader’s anti-Israel views constitute hate speech.
As someone with a lifetime in the law behind him coupled with a comparably durable study of anti-Semitism i have been asked to assess the significance of the judgment in an (hopefully) accessible fashion.
THE BACKGROUND
Bongani Masuku is the International Relations Secretary of COSATU ( the SA equivalent of the TUC). In early 2009 at a number of meetings organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign he made a number of statements to which the South African Board of Deputies took exception on behalf of the Jewish community.
“As we struggle to liberate Palestine from the racists, fascists and Zionists who belong to the era of their friend Hitler, we must not apologise. Every Zionist must be made to drink the bitter medicine they are feeding our brethren and sisters in Palestine. We must target them, expose them and do all that is needed to subject them to perpetual suffering until they withdraw from the land of others and stop their savage attacks on human dignity. Every Palestinian who suffers is a direct attack on all of us. Cosatu is a tripartite alliance the ruling ANC party. A vote for the ANC is a vote for Bongani” (10.2.2009)
“Cosatu has got members here even on this campus. We can make sure that for that side it will be hell”
“The following things are going to apply : any South African family, i want to repeat it so it is clear for anyone, any South African family who sends his son or daughter to be part of the IDF must not blame us when something happens to them with immediate effect” (5.3.2009 PSC rally at Wits University)
“Cosatu is with you, we will do everything to make sure whether it is at Wits, whether it is at Orange Grove, anyone who does not support equality and dignity, who does not support the rights of other people must face the consequences even if it means that we will do something that may necessarily cause what is regarded as harm”
Unlike the UK, South Africa has a unique and dedicated system for dealing with issues of this kind. Following the collapse of apartheid a new constitution was enacted of which section 9 established a Human Rights Commission. It was to this body that complaint was made, the essence of which was that Masuku’s utterances contravened section 10 (1) of what is commonly known as the Equality Act 2000.
That section was introduced to protect individuals and communities in the new South Africa from what is described as (and defined) “hate speech”. It also provides for remedies in the event that such is proven. In due course the HRC did indeed uphold the complaint and requested that Masuku apologise. He categorically refused. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who had organised the rally at which some of the ‘impugned statements’ had been made denounced the decision of the HRC as a “pack of lies” and went on to accuse the Jewish community of “constant, frivolous and false accusations of anti-Semitism” (sound familiar?!).
Regrettably the HRC has no powers of enforcement of its decisions. For that the issue has to go before the Equality Court, effectively a dedicated subdivision of the High Court of South Africa, again established post apartheid. The Human Rights Commission and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies brought the case to court. The trial hearing itself took place earlier this year with inter alia David Hirsh being called as an expert witness.
On a side note (but one not without significance) some years ago, and in full knowledge of the statements made by Masuku, the University and College Union together with BRICUP (an organisation comprising a number of prominent left wingers) invited Masuku to the UK to deliver a number of lectures. Efforts to have the invitation cancelled were rejected and dismissed as racist. The annual conference of UCU stood by Masuku and declined to condemn his statements.
THE DEFENCE
Masuku contended his remarks were not hate speech. He was referring to Zionists not Jews, he said; a distinction which in this context the judge was later to describe as having “no merit at all”. His comments were intended only as criticism of Zionism and Israel and were either true or fair comment and thus protected free speech. (The right to free speech is protected under South African legislation but is limited by section 10 as outlined above).
I feel sure that Masuku’s defence is one that the reader will have encountered with a frequency bordering on tedium.
THE JUDGMENT
The judgment surveys the legislation involved and the relevant case law which may be impenetrable to many. For the purpose of this article I summarise the main points which I consider to be of significance:
The judge ruled that the ‘impugned statements’ were “offensive and targeted at the Jewish community”. Note that this judgment was arrived at despite Masuku not even mentioning Jews specifically.
References by Masuku to “Wits” (a campus with a significant Jewish population) and “Orange Grove” (a predominantly Jewish area) also constituted hate speech again despite the word Jews not being mentioned.
The defence that the comments were true and/or fair comment had “no merit at all” and that Masuku’s stated intentions behind the remarks were “wholly irrelevant” and that these comments were “unequivocally a reference to Jews”.
The judge went on to conclude that what was done by Masuku was “to instill detestation, enmity, ill will and malevolence towards Jews in South Africa. It is distinct advocacy of hatred – nothing else”. Powerful stuff!
And finally for good measure… “the bottom line… objectively assessed… must readily be understood to be concerning Jews” and that the argument advanced on behalf of Masuku “that the statements have nothing to do with Jewish people… is without credence”.
(For the sake of completeness i add that the judge has ordered within 30 days Masuku to issue a full and unequivocal apology for the remarks made that the judge clearly found to constitute hate speech. A failure to comply with the order is treated in the same way that any breach of a court order might be with the ultimate sanction for disobedience being imprisonment).
ASSESSMENT OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE JUDGMENT: WHY IS THE DECISION SO IMPORTANT?
a. The Source – To my mind, in the near constant struggle and debate around anti-Semitism, this decision is of considerable significance. Why? The battleground is substantially on the left of the political spectrum. Too often it is (falsely) said that allegations of anti-Semitism are made in order to smear the left and that the makers of the allegations are Tories, Blairites, right wing media etc. This source cannot be so readily dismissed in that fashion. This is not a white, male, public school, Oxbridge educated, High Court Judge whose credibility and motives would doubtless be attacked and undermined if the case had been heard in the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. On the contrary, this was the Equality Court enshrined in the constitution of the new post apartheid South Africa as a source of remedy available to those to those affected by racist or sexist discrimination. Who on the left in the UK (or elsewhere) could sensibly seek to undermine the bona fides and impeccable credentials of this court, this judge and this legislation?
b. Anti-Semitic in effect regardless of intention: this judgment clearly establishes that in the judgment of a court it is not necessary to refer specifically to Jews to be guilty of anti-Semitic hate speech. References to ‘Zionists’ or Jewish areas may suffice. It is the context together with an objective assessment of the words used that matters. It follows axiomatically that the stated intention of the maker of the statement is wholly irrelevant. Whether it is anti-Semitic is an objective assessment based on the words used, the context in which they are used and their cumulative effect.
c. ‘Zionist shill’, ‘hasbara agent’: often the reader will have encountered such denunciations. An interesting side issue in the judgment concerned the question of expert evidence. The judge received evidence from David Hirsh called by the SAJBoD and a Dr. Friedman called by the respondent Masuku. It is pertinent to observe that the judge accepted Hirsh as an expert and that the court was assisted by his evidence and how it was given. In marked contradistinction his anti-Zionist/anti Israel ‘opponent’ was referred to in less complimentary terms with the judge questioning his credentials and observing that he “showed that he is partisan which on its own offends the approach and principles to expert testimony”. In other words, the anti-Zionist ‘expert’ was deemed not an expert at all and endeavoured solely to say to say what the side calling him wanted him to say. This is very much worth bearing in mind when this allegation surfaces as inevitably it will.
OVERVIEW
This is a significant and powerful judgment from an impeccable source. It nails the lie that as long as you say Zionist and not Jew it is and cannot be anti-Semitic.
A man supported by and invited by UK left wing organisations has been unequivocally judged to be guilty of racist hate speech.
It demolishes the stock defence that there was no anti-Semitic intent. The test is an objective one. What the maker of the statement says of his intention is irrelevant to the assessment.
In the battle for the truth about anti-Semitism this powerful judgment should be welcomed, applauded loudly and disseminated widely.
Author: Jeff Samuels
Jeff is a former Queens Counsel now retired and living in Israel
Origional Source: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-powerful-judgement-in-the-battle-for-the-truth-about-anti-semitism/
In the 28th Aug 16 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
1. An Israeli-led study has discovered chemicals to stop melanoma spreading.
2. Israeli surgeons saved the life of an Afghan boy.
3. Israelis are building shelters for victims of the Italian earthquake.
4. An Israeli startup uses Artificial Intelligence to increase crop yields.
5. Israel is first to produce a robot that can crawl, climb and swim.
5. A 2000-year-old synagogue has been unearthed in the Galilee.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Breakthrough in search for melanoma cure. Researchers, led by Tel Aviv University’s Dr. Carmit Levy, have unraveled the metastatic mechanism of melanoma (how it spreads to other organs). They have also crucially found chemical substances that can stop the process – promising news for future treatments.
http://www.jpost.com/Business- and-Innovation/Health-and- Science/Israeli-researchers- closing-in-on-cure-for- melanoma-with-new- breakthrough-464749 http://www. israelnationalnews.com/News/ News.aspx/216807
New treatment for fatty liver disease. (TY Karen) Hadasit, the Hadassah Medical Organization’s technology transfer company, and Israel’s BioLineRx are to develop a treatment BL-1210 for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or fatty liver disease. It modulates the immune system to reduce scarring that leads to cirrhosis. There is currently no FDA approved treatments. http://www.hadassah.org/news- stories/NASH-liver-disease. html
Physiotherapy using Virtual Reality. Israeli startup VRPhysio matches virtual reality and physiotherapy to help patients exercise and speed up recovery. The system includes a headset, a mobile app, weights and body sensors to monitor body movement and a set of virtual reality games that aim to make exercising more fun.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ vrphysio-uses-virtual-gaming- to-help-pain-in-neck/
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=mq0v1tQD1CA https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=-QFUVXJ7TwE
A device to cure pelvic floor prolapse. (TY Dan) Israel’s POP Medical has obtained US FDA approval for the marketing of its medical device for treatment of pelvic floor prolapse. 20% of the women in the world suffer from this condition at any given moment, and 30% at some time in their lives.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/ article-pop-medical-awarded- fda-nod-on-pelvic-device- 1001144762
Diagnosing sleep apnea in pregnancy. (TY Nevet) 25% of pregnant women may suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) but receive no treatment. Now researchers from Israel and the USA recommend a new diagnosis, ‘‘Gestational Sleep Apnea” (GSA) to properly describe, diagnose and treat OSA in pregnant women,
https://www.afhu.org/time-to- wake-up-to-a-new-diagnosis- with-gestational-sleep-apnea/ news/
http://www.obstetanesthesia. com/article/S0959-289X(16) 00038-8/abstract?cc=y=
Helping the visually impaired. (TY Nevet) Israeli startup RenewSenses develops the EyeCane, a small flashlight-like device that translates distance into sound and vibrations. Also EyeMusic which translates color and shape into music. RenewSenses has just joined Brainnovation – Israel’s Brain Technologies accelerator.
https://www.afhu.org/ renewsense-enters- brainnovation-israels-brain- technologies-accelerator/news/
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=aFsZ6RFRjtI https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jVBp2nDmg7E
New soft material for artificial limbs. Researchers at Tel Aviv University and in the Netherlands have developed a breakthrough material that can be “morphed” into any shape. The programmable metamaterial could be ideal for prostheses or wearable technology in which a close fit with the body is important.
www.timesofisrael.com/new- synthetic-material-may-bring- prosthetic-relief/
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=NxcCtimWxn0
Cardiac surgery saves Afghan boy’s life. (TY Ron) A covert operation has ensured that Yehia (born with multiple heart defects) is the first Afghan to have been treated by Israel’s Save a Child’s Heart organization, joining over 4,000 children from over 50 other countries who have been saved by SACH.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ with-cardiac-surgery-israeli- team-saves-afghani-boys-life/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
100 teachers for Israeli special needs kids. (TY Eli) TALMA, the Israel Program for Excellence in English, has brought some 100 teachers from English speaking countries to Israel to teach English as a Second Language to underprivileged elementary school pupils.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel- News/TALMA-project-brings-US- educators-to-teach- underprivileged-kids-English- 460135
Nursing scholarships for 18 Ethiopians. (TY Karen) Eighteen Ethiopian young men and women have received Lapan scholarships to fulfill their dream of becoming nurses. The Hadassah program helps new immigrants, provides jobs, and strengthens health care in Jerusalem.
http://www.hadassah.org/news- stories/lapan-nursing- scholarship.html
Innovation for all. (TY Dan) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuben Rivlin and ex-President Shimon Peres laid the cornerstone for the Israeli Innovation Center. Thousands of interactive screens, will showcase the Start-up Nation and host an entrepreneurial hub for Israelis of all ethnic and social groupings.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ peres-center-aims-to-showcase- israel-tech-spark-dreams/
http://www.israelhayom.com/ site/newsletter_article.php? id=35151
Israeli and Palestinian Arab joint water programs. (TY Dan) Whilst the global media misreports water issues in the Palestinian territories, the UK is funding two joint Israeli-PA water research programs. “Stream” finds solutions to water problems. “Growth” brings Palestinian Arabs to Israeli labs to study water technology.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/ article-uk-funding-israel- arab-research-cooperation- programs-1001141222
Palestinian Arabs prefer Israeli employers. (TY Adela) A new Palestinian Media Watch report reveals the truth that Palestinian Arabs rather work for Israelis than the Palestinian Authority. Israelis pay twice the wages; Israeli law protects employees (no exploitation or middlemen) and Israeli working conditions are much better.
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx? fi=157&doc_id=18436
Sodastream hires hundreds of Arabs. Israel’s Sodastream was subjected to major boycott campaign when it employed hundreds of Palestinian Arab workers at its Maale Adumim site. Since that factory closed, it has moved to the Negev where it now employs hundreds of Bedouin Arabs.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ sodastream-hires-hundreds-of- new-employees-in-southern- israel
No hardship here. Dulan abu-Saleh, the mayor of Majdal Shams, the largest Druze town in the Golan, told Makor Rishon that the UN Economic and Social Council’s recent statement on the area was “a total joke.” UNESCO had accused Israel of imposing economic and social hardships on his community.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ golan-druze-leader-disputes- un-statement-on-hardship-of- israeli-occupation/
The best university in the Middle East. (TY Nevet) The Center for World University Rankings, based in Saudi Arabia, has ranked The Hebrew University of Jerusalem at number 26 of the 25,000+ degree-granting institutions in the world. The annual rankings also place the Hebrew University at number 1 in the Middle East. https://www.afhu.org/center- for-world-university-rankings- lists-hebrew-university-1-in- middle-east-26-worldwide/about
The 6th best international airport hub. (TY Nevet) Everyone knows that Ben-Gurion International Airport is one of the most secure airports in the world (see here) and the best in the Middle East . Now a recent poll of Travel+Leisure readers’ has ranked it as the world’s sixth best global air hub.
http://www.israel21c.org/ben- gurion-international-airport- among-worlds-best/
Friendship with Kurdistan. For centuries, Kurdistan was once home to thousands of Kurdish Jews. Nowadays, the Kurds tend to see Israel as a role model for an independent Kurdistan; a small nation surrounded by enemies and bolstered by a strategic partnership with the United States.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/ Building-friendship-between- Kurdistan-and-Israel-462556
The first to give aid to Italy. A team of 20 Israeli volunteers from IsraAID is the first foreign NGO to arrive in quake-struck Italy. IsraAID is building temporary shelters for homeless families, distributing food and other items, and providing grief counseling. Israel has also offered to send search and rescue teams.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ israeli-aid-group-building- shelters-for-italy-quake- victims/
http://www.cufi.org.uk/news/ israeli-search-and-rescue- teams-arrive-in-italy- following-earthquake/
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gene sequencing ancient barley. (TY Eli) Scientists from Israel, Germany, the USA and UK have genetically sequenced 6000-year-old barley seeds discovered in the Yoram cave in Israel’s Judean Desert. The DNA-analysis will provide essential information as to the origin, domestication and spread of crop plants.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ 6-millennia-old-but-almost- fresh-masada-seeds-unravel- barleys-origins/
Artificial Intelligence to grow better crops. Israeli startup Prospera uses artificial intelligence to help farmers better monitor their crops. Using in-field cameras and climatic sensors, farmers can irrigate, manage pesticides and fertilizers to achieve maximum crop yields. Prospera has just raised $7 million of funding.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ prospera-raises-funds-to- expand-agro-tech-globally/
Israeli smart glass for Mercedes cars. I reported previously (Sep 2013) about Israeli startup Gauzy and its innovative glass that goes from transparent to opaque and back again. Now Gauzy has been selected to take part in Mercedes-Benz’s accelerator program. Gauzy already has offices in Israel, Hungary and Los Angeles.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ israels-gauzy-to-join- mercedez-benz-accelerator/
Here’s looking at you. I reported previously (in June 2015) on Israeli startup FST Biometrics and its ability to recognize individuals from facial images, voice analytics and behavior. Recent attacks in Europe have prompted a huge rise in demand for FST’s identification technology.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ biometric-startup-sees-surge- in-demand-as-security-woes- weigh/
Games to help learn Math. Israeli startup Matific develops educational math and science games for children in kindergarten and elementary school. It enables students in 20 countries to access superior math tools in 20 languages at an affordable cost. Matific has just raised $45 million of funding to expand distribution and R&D.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ israels-matific-raises-45m-to- expand-math-games/
Engie on TV. (TY Karen) I featured previously (Jun 2015) Engie – the Israel startup which provides an app that connects to your car via Bluetooth and diagnoses mechanical faults. It then helps you contact the repair shops that can fix your problem efficiently at the lowest price. Engie was just featured on Israel’s ILTV daily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=A5mSOL4Kb04
Robot can crawl, climb and swim. (TY Nevet) Engineers at Ben-Gurion University have developed a 3D-printed robot called SAW (Single Actuator Wave-like) that can move quickly, forward or backward, in a wave-like motion over unstable terrain. It can even be miniaturized for travelling internally through the human body.
https://aabgu.org/slithering- robot-is-an-engineering-first/
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=w25zF1bWx5o
http://iopscience.iop.org/ article/10.1088/1748-3190/11/ 4/046004?fromSearchPage=true
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
More efficient deliveries. (TY Dan) Israeli startup Bringoz helps its clients deliver purchases to customers in the most efficient way. Bringoz’s algorithms organize couriers to combine shipments to avoid unnecessary transportation costs. They take into account urgency, route, volume, weather and more.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/ article-israeli-startup-plans- to-revolutionize-shipping- 1001140072
The Australians are landing. A delegation of 10 Australian cybersecurity and fintech startups will take part in an accelerator program in Tel Aviv in September to boost Sydney’s position as an innovation hub. It is part of the Australian Government’s Landing Pads initiative to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Australia.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ aussies-to-storm-start-up- nation-in-search-of- innovation-spark/
Support Israel – buy an ibox. (TY Adela) Now you can counter BDS attempts to boycott Israeli goods by ordering an ibox. The ibox is a surprise box consisting of Israeli products, that is delivered to your door. The specialty ibox will let you hear, taste, see, smell and feel Israel. Profits will benefit organizations fighting BDS.
https://www.jewcer.org/ project/israelbox/ https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ALXJvipJBbA
Hi-tech mutual funds to benefit Israeli investors. The Israeli Government is promoting mutual funds for investing in public and private high-tech companies. In this way, the Israeli public can participate in Israel’s high-tech sector – an area dominated previously by overseas shareholders.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/ article-govt-promotes-high- tech-investment-funds- 1001142404
Israel’s economy is an island of stability. Ambassador Yoram Ettinger’s latest report shows Israel is one of the top five world high-tech powers thanks to billion-dollar investments by Apple, USA, China, Russia and India. GDP has doubled since 2006, FX reserves are over $90 billion, unemployment is falling, etc. etc. Jonathan Adelman also writes a very positive analysis “Israel emerges as a player on the World stage”.
http://bit.ly/2atXxd8 http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Israel-emerges-as-a-player-on-the-world-stage-462251
Oxford University press – latest news. (TY Dan) I reported previously (Feb 7) on the digitizing tie-up between Oxford University press and Israeli start-ups Tiny Tap, Kidoz, and Total Boox. Here is how they have been progressing. http://publishingperspectives.com/2016/07/israeli-startups-oxford-university-press/
Fly from Terminal 1. (TY Janglo) After the new Terminal 3 was opened in 2004, Terminal 1 has been used initially only for domestic flights and check-in, border control and security for international flights. Passengers are bused to Terminal 3 to board the plane. But in summer 2017, passengers could board flights at Terminal 1, eat at restaurants and shop at duty free stores. http://www.ynetnews.com/ articles/0,7340,L-4835318,00.html
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli designer has 4 London shows. (TY SDM) Israeli artist, architect and designer Ron Arad has three major public artworks on display in London, plus a solo exhibition at a Mayfair gallery. His exhibit “Spyre” is a 16-meter high, constantly moving steel sculpture in the Royal Academy’s Annenberg Courtyard.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/ israels-darling-of-design- dazzles-london-with-three- summer-shows/
Take a bite of Haifa. (TY Jacques) A new special sightseeing tour is aimed to show that Haifa has much more to offer than the visit of the famous Bahai Gardens: With the Haifa Street Food tours you can experience the city with your taste buds. http://israelbetweenthelines.com/2016/08/04/take-a-bite-of-haifa/
The vibrant flavors of Israeli food. (TY SDM) The UK’s Telegraph featured the new East-London restaurant “Struck & Cluck” owned by Israel’s Amir Chen. It also mentioned Barbary in Covent Garden, Honey & Co in Warren Street and Shwarma Bar in Exmouth Market – all run by Israelis. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/a-cuisine-without-borders-the-vibrant-flavours-of-israeli-food-i/
If I forget you, Jerusalem. (TY Janglo) A beautiful rendition of “Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim” (If I forget you Jerusalem) by KOLture Shock. Signalling the end of the sadness of the Three Weeks between the fasts of Tammuz and Av. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulNTsAQbMsc
Jessye Norman receives Wolf Prize for music. (TY SDM) 70-year-old American-born iconic opera singer Jessye Norman received Israel’s coveted Wolf Prize for Music. Poor health prevented her from collecting it last year and she almost missed out again this year, arriving in an electric wheelchair after fracturing her ankle.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel- News/Culture/Opera-singer- Jessye-Norman-comes-to-Israel- to-claim-Wolf-Prize-for-Music- 463140
THE JEWISH STATE
Home for all Jews – plus. Arifa and Assad Farajov recently immigrated to Israel from Azerbaijan. Arifa, the wife, is Jewish and a lecturer in Russian literature. Assad, her husband, is Muslim – a former military judge who says “I’ve fallen in love with Israel.” Arifa’s grandmother was a Rabbi’s daughter who also married a Muslim.
http://www.ynetnews.com/ articles/0,7340,L-4827306,00. html
Be fruitful and multiply. The average Israeli household has three children, nearly double the OECD average. But it puts a strain on the childcare system. Israel’s oldest charity, Colel Chabad runs a network of daycare centers across Israel. They provide children nutritious breakfasts, lunches and snacks six days per week.
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/72505/colel-chabad-daycare-centers-changing-lives-building-israels-future
Nine new Rabbinical judges. (TY Sharon) For the first time in nine years, nine new dayanim (Rabbinic judges) were appointed to the Supreme Rabbinical Court – Israel’s highest. They include Rabbis who have served in the IDF. The appointments committee included its first female member, Dr Rachel Levmore.
http://www. baltimorejewishlife.com/news/ news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=37& ARTICLE_ID=76796
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=JVWhwz28aSA
Jerusalem, old and new. (TY Sharon) The Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem used to be known mostly for its garages. But as another tech startup initiative opened in the area, the garages are being replaced with modern office buildings and showrooms. https://rjstreets.com/2016/07/ 28/jerusalem-old-and-new/
2000-year-old synagogue unearthed. The remains of a structure that served as a synagogue during Second Temple times have been unearthed in an archaeological excavation at Tel Rechesh in the heart of the Nahal Tavor Nature Reserve in Israel’s lower Galilee. Eight 2nd Temple synagogues have been discovered in Israel.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=35679
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Labour Whitewashes its Anti-Semitism. Britain’s Labour Party, out of power since 2010, more or less cut its throat when its members (plus fresh recruits who, instead of taking out membership, paid £3.00 to vote in the leadership election in 2015) chose Jeremy Corbyn, a formerly marginalized far left socialist as the new head of the party.
Ordinary Labour voters were horrified, knowing from day one that Corbyn could never lead the party to government and was not himself, remotely Prime Ministerial material. But vast numbers of young extreme left-wingers, flushed with victory and dedicated to an idealistic coming revolution and led by a new Corbyn-worshipping movement called Momentum, were determined to take traditional working- and middle-class voters in a direction that had little or no appeal to them at all. From the outset, Labour was split almost down the centre. And that proved dangerous for the political system in Britain, where government has been unevenly but broadly shared between the Tory and Labour parties in what was effectively a two-party arrangement. With the almost total collapse of the centrist Liberal Democrats, who had just been in an ill-judged coalition with the Tories in government from 2010 to 2014, Britain faced the possibility that the two-party system would founder after many decades should Labour split and leave the country with three unbalanced parties and the real threat of a one-party state emerging so long as neither Labour group remained unelectable.
That something has gone wrong within the Labour party is clear even as I write. Following the referendum vote to leave the European Union, Corbyn came under severe pressure to resign as leader, and a battle ensued with loyal Corbynites in and outside Momentum backing him to the hilt and the parliamentary Labour Party, made up of members of parliament, urged him to bow to the inevitable and go. But so great has been the despair of the radicals that in the seven days up to 1 July, another 60,000 people joined the party, of whom a very large number did so in order to back his own refusal to stand down. If he does not go, pundits predict that the party will split between hardline socialists (backed by most trades unions) and moderates. That will create two parties out of one, with unguessable results for future elections and British governance in a period of political and economic insecurity following Brexit.
With the reputation of a sincere and well-liked man, Corbyn seemed to many a decent bloke who could take Labour’s helm and steer it back to government in a future election. But Corbyn was a man with a radical political agenda and some very unsavoury connections. He had called terrorist organizations Hamas and Hizbullah his “friends”, associated with and funded Holocaust deniers like Paul Eisen, donated to Deir Yassin Remembered, an openly anti-Semitic group, and regularly appeared at their annual conference, chaired the Stop the War coalition, a leading sponsor of the annual al-Quds Day rallies that bear anti-Semitic posters and banners, and expressed a very dim view of the state of Israel, preferring instead to lend his support to the Palestinian cause. In one radio interview given after he acquired the leadership, he was asked five times to condemn the violence of the IRA, and each time he refused to do so. (“This is the man who sympathised with violent Irish Republicanism in the 1980s, invited IRA representatives to the Commons a fortnight after the Brighton bombing in 1984 and, at a Troops Out meeting in 1987, stood for a minute’s silence to “honour” eight IRA terrorists killed in an SAS ambush.” Leo McKinstry, here.)
It was not much of a surprise to anyone when a major scandal wracked the Labour Party in April this year. Almost daily, party members, including some MPs, were suspended from their membership because of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel comments made on social media. Though Corbyn himself, rather weakly, denied that he was an anti-Semite (and, given his credentials as a anti-racist activist, he may well have thought this true in anti-racist terms), it could not be doubted that his rise from obscurity to the leadership had allowed something very unsavoury to surface. It could scarcely be denied that anti-Zionist anti-Semitism had always been around on the far left and that Corbyn shared such views. In a scathing piece written before Corbyn became leader, Leo McKinstry identified his politics thus: “Corbyn is not a serious politician. On the contrary, he is an unreconstructed Trotskyite whose views have remain frozen ever since he attended his first demonstration in the late 1960s. If Ed Miliband was the eternal student union activist, Corbyn is the permanent rebellious adolescent.”
Under Corbyn, the revelations about anti-Semitism in the party were bound to have emerged sooner or later. But, given the flurry of news reports about the suspensions, it was clearly not enough to argue that those who had offended were just rotten apples in a pure and racially neutral basket. In an attempt to prove Labour’s innocence in such matters, on 29 April, Corbyn set up an “independent” inquiry to investigate the extent of anti-Semitism in the party. He appointed a well-known figure, Shami Chakrabarti, to head it. Chakrabarti is a British barrister and public figure renowned as the director of Liberty, Britain’s leading human rights campaigning group. After twelve years in office, she had stepped down in February. David Aaronovitch, writing in The Times, has described her as “the most effective public affairs lobbyist of the past 20 years”. Her political views are reflected in Liberty’s major work to challenge anti-terrorism legislation in the UK.
It was not a good augury for the inquiry when, on 29 April, the day of her appointment, Chakrabarti officially joined the Labour Party, of which she had not previously been a member. From that moment, it was clear that this could no longer be regarded as an “independent inquiry”. To make things worse, on the day Chakrabarti was announced as Chair of the party, the inquiry was expanded to include “other forms of racism including islamophobia [sic], within the party”. Overnight, anti-Semitism was all but sidelined. A major political inquiry with a limited period now covered so many topics that it should, in all justice, have taken years and cost many millions.
In fact, the inquiry did not take long to complete – a mere nine weeks from 29 April to 30 June, when it was finally presented. During that time, submissions were made from a wide range of people. Some important submissions were made by Jews and Jewish organizations like the British Board of Deputies, the Community Security Trust (CST) jointly with the Jewish Leadership Council, as well as Israel-linked bodies such as Labour Friends of Israel, the British Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) (whose meticulously argued submission was authored by Professor Alan Johnson), and left-orientated Engage (whose submission was written by David Hirsh). Several other individuals submitted their own material: links to several of these may be found here.
When the report (entitled The Shami Chakrabarti Inquiry) was published as promised on 30 June, it turned out to be what most Jews and pro-Israel activists had suspected it would be from the beginning: a whitewash. It opens with the words: “The Labour Party is not overrun by anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or other forms of racism”. But nobody had ever suggested that it was. And, given the overarching definition of Islamophobia on the left, together with long-standing Labour campaigns against the injustices of racism in the broadest sense, it seems pointless to include those topics in the first place.
It is, in fact, a remarkable document. It is vague and waffly, a mere 28 pages on, saying almost nothing about the subject under question, anti-Semitism, which is throughout subsumed under general issues of racism. Although there is a two-page list of organizations that had sent submissions to the inquiry, none of the specific points made by any of them appear in the document. This is very weird. Had there not been time to consider them all? Or no time at least to study the many submissions from the mainstream and left-sympathizing Jewish and pro-Israel organizations? If not, why was the period for the inquiry not extended?
Here are some of the side issues Chakrabarti addresses. The use of acceptable language. Avoidance of stereotyping. Careful use of the term Zionist. (As if we never knew.) We should not condemn people who share platforms with bigots and others (a clear defence of Corbyn, who has appeared with a string of anti-Semites, terrorist sympathizers, and pro-Palestinian groups). The text then passes to matters such as “procedural rules”, “complaint procedures”, “publicity”, “the use of suspension”, “advice on disciplinary action”, “training”, and “action to make Labour a welcoming environment for all and sundry”.
Chakrabarti is a lawyer and a bureaucrat, and these facets of her experience are made crystal clear in this document. It concentrates as much on Muslims, Afro-Caribbeans and Sikhs rather than Jews (which is not very much anyway). There is a seven-page Appendix which offers nothing more than suggested changes for the Labour Rule Book (2016). Before that, the list of organizations who had submitted information and ideas to the inquiry, a list that includes anti-Israel bodies like the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Palestine BDSS National Committee, Jews for Justice in Palestine, and Free Speech on Israel – all groups who are anti-Semitic by nature. There are twenty recommendations of little substance, including (No. 20) “The Party should increase the ethnic diversity of its staff”. How startling! You mean the Labour party, the party responsible for all the anti-racist legislation in the UK, had never thought of that before?
There was one very major gap in the proceedings, a gap that signals just how far removed from any understanding of modern anti-Semitism, and that was anything more than a mere passing reference to Israel. Hatred for Israel is the dominant form of neo-anti-Semitism, as any book on the subject will tell you. The original EUMC working definition of anti-Semitism, the US State Department definition, and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, along with others, agree that exaggerated, mendacious, or malicious criticism of the Jewish state, or the setting of double standards for Israel that are used for no other nation, is anti-Semitic. Here is part of the definition:
1. Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
2. Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
3. Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
4. Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
5. Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
6. Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
7. Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.
It is precisely accusations of this kind that make up the bulk of the Labour Party anti-Semitic comments, including statements still being made by some party members, including Jeremy Corbyn himself. To leave that aspect of anti-Semitism unaddressed while making polite noises about how wonderfully anti-racist Labour is, amounts to nothing more than evasion of the most serious kind.
A few days after the publication of the report, on 4 July, Jeremy Corbyn was summoned to appear as a witness to a question session with MPs from the Home Affairs select committee. This small inquisition went on for well over an hour and was televised on Parliament TV (here), where readers may watch it in full. It was something of a gruelling session for Corbyn, as marked from the beginning when the chairman of the committee, Keith Vaz (the longest-serving Asian Labour MP) introduced the report as follows: “Many regard this inquiry as a whitewash because it doesn’t contain any facts or figures, it doesn’t take evidence from some of the principal people accused of anti-Semitism. Why did you think that this inquiry was relevant when it doesn’t reach any conclusions?” and later stated that “it was hardly an independent report” because Chakrabarti had allied herself to the Labour Party on undertaking the job of inquiry chairperson.
A range of questions, some meandering, others (notably those of Chuka Umuna) penetrating, followed. Corbyn proceeded to duck and weave, giving loose answers to well-defined questions, and defending Labour against accusations of racism, relying on his definition of Jewishness as an ethnic matter, slipping past quotations from Labour party anti-Semites by shrugging them aside. His Director of Communications, Seamus Milne, a Trotskyite and former Guardian journalist, was pointedly described by one MP as having openly expressed his admiration for Hamas and its violent struggle against Israel. Corbyn evaded the issue, simply stating that Milne had done sterling work for the party. In a later answer about whether he supported Israel’s right to exist, he agreed it had that right but at once started to pronounce a very negative judgement against the country, a judgement that came very close to precisely the assort of anti-Semitism defined above.
Neither the inquiry report nor Corbyn’s performance before the home affairs committee will have reassured Jews and supporters of Israel in the least. The problem of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party remains unaddressed and likely to remain a thorn in the party’s flesh for a long time to come. As battle rages over whether Corbyn should remain leader of Britain’s second party, with a large majority of Labour MPs calling for him to resign and vast numbers of party members saying he should do no such thing, it is not at all impossible that the party will split, with a moderate membership dumping the far left activists and reforming a Labour Party more in keeping with the humanitarian and electable institution it once was. We have to hope that the anti-Semitism, mainly in its anti-Israel form, will hang on among the communists and Trotskyites, and vanish among the decent people who have rejected Corbyn as a millstone round their necks.
Dr. Denis MacEoin is Chairman of the UK’s North-East Friends of Israel and a Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Gatestone Institute
Israel Is Not An “Occupier” International law defines “occupation” as one power occupying the lands of a foreign sovereign.
In Israel’s case, Israel is not occupying any foreign sovereign’s land; Israel entered the area known as the West Bank in 1967 and took over the authority to administer the land from Jordan, which was never considered to be a sovereign in the area.
In actual fact, Israel and the Jewish people have claims to the area that go far back into history. Anybody who reads the Bible can appreciate the fact that there is a very solid historic legal basis to the claim of Israel with respect to the territories and therefore Israel considers the territories not to be occupied, not to be Palestinian, but as in dispute ‘Disputed Territories’.
We appreciate that the Palestinians also have claims with respect to the territory. Israel considers that its claims are far better based and better documented than any other claims, but Israel is committed to conduct negotiations with the Palestinians in order to find a permanent settlement to the issue.
The Jordanians, who occupied the territory after the 1948 war, annexed it, but this annexation was never really recognized or acknowledged by the international community. At a later stage the king of Jordan voluntarily gave up any Jordanian sovereignty or claim to the territories to the Palestinian people. So the Jordanians came and went, and the issue remains an issue between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
“Palestinian Territories” Is Not a Legal Term
The international community’s constant referral to the “Palestinian territories” is a complete fallacy and has absolutely no legal or political basis. There has never been a Palestinian state, as such, and therefore the territories never belonged to any Palestinian entity. There’s no international agreement, there’s no contract, there’s no treaty, and there’s no binding international resolution that determines that the territories belong to the Palestinians.
In actual fact, even the Palestinians themselves, in the Oslo Agreement that they signed with Israel, acknowledge the fact that the ultimate permanent status of the territory is to be determined by negotiations. Therefore, even the Palestinians accept the fact that this is not Palestinian territory, its disputed territory whose status is yet to be settled.
If the local population owns land, then the administrative power isn’t allowed to take the land or use it. But if the land is not private, the administering power can use the land and enjoy the fruits of the land until sovereignty has been finally determined. So Israel justifiably can use land which is not private land, which is public land, for establishing settlements as long as these settlements don’t take away the private rights of the local population. Therefore, in our opinion, the settlements are not illegitimate.
The Settlements Are Not Illegitimate
There’s one other point, the issue of settlements is a negotiating issue. The Palestinians have agreed with the Israelis that the issue of settlements is one of the issues on the permanent status negotiating table. Therefore, anybody who comes along and claims that Israel’s settlements are illegitimate – whether it’s the EU, whether it’s individual governments, whether it is the secretary of state of the United States, who said so specifically, or the spokesman of the State Department – they’re pre-judging a negotiating issue, which is clearly incompatible with any negotiating principle.
These are issues that have to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians. Therefore, nobody can claim that the settlements are illegitimate or that they’re illegal, as such. They have to be negotiated between the parties.
There’s No Such Thing as 1967 Borders
There’s no such thing as 1967 borders. A border is a line between two sovereign entities. In 1967, there was a ceasefire line that had existed since the 1948-1949 war between the Arab states and Israel and after Israel declared its independence. The Jordanians insisted on inserting in the Armistice Agreement of 1949 a provision which says that the armistice demarcation line is not the final border. Final borders can only be determined in peace negotiations between the parties. So “1967 borders” is a non-existent term and anybody using this term – again, including the U.S. administration and the EU – are simply being misled.
Author: Amb. Alan Baker
Amb. Alan Baker is Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center and the head of the Global Law Forum. He participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, as well as agreements and peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. He served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israel’s ambassador to Canada.
In the 25th Jun 17 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Israeli scientists have discovered a gene mutation responsible for long life.
· The new Israeli soft suit exoskeleton enables stroke patients to walk again.
· Israel’s new First Secretary to Turkey is a Muslim woman.
· Israeli scientists have discovered a support network used by trees.
· Israeli water technology is alleviating drought in Miami.
· Israel is to increase the disabled allowance by 60%.
· Much acclaim for Israeli actress Gal Gadot in “Wonder Woman” movie.
· Part of a 2000-year-old column discovered from the Second Temple plaza.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Gene mutation extends life by a decade. In a study of American male Jews over the age of 100, University of Haifa researchers have discovered a genetic mutation that affects the growth hormone receptor gene. Men with this mutation live on average 10 years longer than those without it. http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Change-in-gene-adds-a-decade-to-the-lives-of-men-only-497162
http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Change-in-gene-adds-a-decade-to-the-lives-of-men-only-497162
Azerbaijan deputy PM has heart surgery in Israel. (TY Hazel) Abid Sharifov, Azerbaijan’s deputy Prime Minister, was flown to Israel after his doctors determined his heart condition was life-threatening. Surgeons at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center unblocked an artery and fitted Sharifov with a pacemaker and defibrillator.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/azerbaijans-deputy-pm-flown-to-israel-for-heart-treatment/
EU loan for flu vaccine trial. The European Investment Bank has granted a 20 million Euro loan to Israeli biotech BiondVax to fund the Phase III trials of its Universal Flu Vaccine.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-20m-eu-loan-to-fund-biondvax-phase-iii-trial-1001193180
Wrist-wearable heart monitor. (TY Dror) Israeli startup CardiacSense has developed a smartwatch heart monitor which is almost as accurate as an ECG machine. Its revolutionary heart arrhythmia detection measures blood pressure using a PPG (photoplethysmogram). Then touch the wristband to get an ECG.
https://www.cardiacsense.com/ https://www.youtube.com/embed/sBfn4_MrJ6Y&t=52s?rel-0
Longer-lasting treatment. I’ve reported previously (here) on the deutetrabenazine treatment for Huntington’s disease from Israel’s Teva. But the reason it is so effective is because Teva replaced some of the hydrogen atoms with the heavier isotope deuterium, so that more of it can resist stomach acids and reach the intestines.
https://qz.com/950643/austedo-for-huntingtons-disease-teva-pharmaceuticals-has-found-a-nifty-way-to-keep-drugs-in-your-body-for-longer/
US approval for spinal treatment software. I reported previously (July 31) on the Mazor X guidance systems for spinal surgery from Israel’s Mazor Its latest module X Align has just received US FDA approval, allowing surgeons to create a 3D alignment plan that simulates the impact of proposed surgery on the patient’s posture.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/mazor-gets-fda-nod-for-spinal-deformities-software/
Two kibbutzniks founded a NASDAQ biotech. Israelis Dror Ben-Asher and Ori Shilo founded the biotech RedHill BioPharma – named after the earth-red hill that the kibbutz overlooked. Now their company is successfully trialing treatments to cure Crohn’s disease, Helicobacter pylori, stomach cancer and much more.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/kibbutz-duo-turned-entrepreneurs-on-quest-to-whip-gut-bugs/
Soft suit exoskeleton for stroke patients. Israel’s ReWalk has unveiled its prototype for a soft suit exoskeleton, to enable many of the millions with lower limb disabilities to walk upright. Initially, the new “Restore” suits will be used to assist stroke survivors, followed by multiple sclerosis patients.
http://rewalk.com/rewalk-unveils-soft-suit-exoskeleton-for-stroke-patients/
Competition to diagnose cervical cancer. (TY Eli) I reported previously about Israeli startup MobileODT (was MobileOCT) that uses smartphones to detect cervical cancer. Now Intel is offering a $50,000 prize to the best algorithm and Artificial Intelligence that can diagnose cancer from MobileODT’s smartphone images.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/intel-holds-competition-to-help-spot-cervical-cancer/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Social impact hackathon week. The Israel Advanced Technology Industries (IATI) organization brought together 35 programmers to make people’s lives better. The event lasted a week and solutions included healthy eating at restaurants, supporting parents with autistic kids, making education more accessible and safer driving.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/social-impact-iati-weekathon-shows-off-thriving-ecosystem/
We’re all connected. This article describes what happened when a mother with three children in hospital contacted Ezer Mizion’s “Linked to Life” What’s App program.
http://www.ezermizion.org/blog/hospital-rounds-via-whats-app/
The first female Muslim Israeli diplomat. Muslim women in Israel are doctors, pharmacists, entrepreneurs, bus drivers, judges, IDF soldiers, etc. (see here and here). Now Israel gets its first Muslim, female diplomat, when Rasha Atamny from Baqa al-Gharbiya becomes first secretary at the Israeli embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-appoints-its-first-female-muslim-diplomat/
Mossad’s rescue of Ethiopian Jews. Israel is the only country ever to have brought blacks out of Africa to freedom. At the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC) ex-Mossad agents describe the rescue of thousands of Ethiopian Jews via Sudan. The first article contains recently discovered films of those secretive events. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4949368,00.html
http://www.iicc.org.il/?module=articles&item_id=12&article_id=7&art_category_id=1#.WUt94elLfIU
Photography brings Jews and Arabs kids together. (TY Hazel) One of many Roots’ co-existence projects brings Palestinian Arab children together with religious Jewish children living in Judea and Samaria to take photographs and learn more about each other. https://www.friendsofroots.net/projects/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/through-a-photography-class-first-exposure-for-israeli-and-palestinian-kids/
Giving Arab kids the gift of hearing. (TY Jake) Due to genetics, the Bedouin town of El Sayed, in Israel’s Negev desert, has the highest proportion of deaf people in the world. They have even developed a unique sign language. A new documentary looks at the impact of Israeli doctors giving the children cochlear implants so that they can hear. Also, a new video to enhance previous (26 Feb) report on implants for Palestinian Arab kids.
http://nautil.us/blog/-the-unusual-language-that-linguists-thought-couldnt-exist
https://www.youtube.com/embed/5etVAr5fPmE?rel=0
https://www.youtube.com/embed/waI82acGLpw?rel=0
IDF medics treat Syrians nearly every day. The treatment of wounded Syrians by IDF medics is continuous, and is carried out on a near-daily basis. It started with one injured Syrian who came to the border four years ago, asking for medical help. Since then over 2,800 injured Syrians have entered Israel for treatment.
https://www.idfblog.com/2017/04/06/46327/
First non-African leader to address ECOWAS. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Liberia, where he was the first non-African head of state to be invited to speak to the members of ECOWAS – the Economic Community of West African States.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-netanyahu-1st-non-african-leader-invited-to-address-west-african-states
Israel’s capital recognized. Jerusalem has been formally recognized as the capital of Israel by the US Senate, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Vanuatu.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/in-90-0-vote-us-senate-passes-bill-commemorating-jerusalems-reunification/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/republic-of-vanuatu-recognizes-jerusalem-as-israels-capital/
Israel is America’s unique ally. The Israel-US relationship is a bilateral bond from which both sides derive considerable benefit. https://www.youtube.com/embed/O-I08LBB_ZY?rel=0
New York goes blue and white. Thousands of marchers generated a sea of blue and white flags along New York City’s Fifth Avenue for the annual Celebrate Israel parade. Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan represented Israel. He also launched a new anti-BDS campaign called “4IL”.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4970455,00.html http://www.4il.org.il/eng/
http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/New-campaign-provides-global-platform-to-fight-Israel-delegitimization-494868 https://worldisraelnews.com/nyc-turns-blue-white-honor-israel-parade/
Conserving birdlife in Turkey. I reported previously (here) about Israel’s Champions of the Flyway bird race, that raises funds to stop illegal trapping of song birds in the Middle East. This year’s race raised over $60,000 to end the illegal practice of hunting and trapping songbirds in southern Turkey.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/israeli-birdwatching-race-raises-funds-for-turkey/2017/04/08/
Israeli global agricultural training in 2016. This article lists just some of the work of Israel’s overseas development agency MASHAV last year. Countries benefitting from Israeli agro-tech included Kenya, India, 11 Latin American states, Paraguay, seven former Soviet states and five African states.
https://www.israel21c.org/teaching-the-world-how-to-grow-food-more-wisely/
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Trees interact with each other. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have proved that mature spruce trees take up carbon molecules in their top branches and pass them down through the soil to nearby beech, larch and pine trees. These travel through underground highways formed by connected root fungi.
http://nocamels.com/2017/02/trees-share-resources-interact/
How jellyfish sting. Researchers at Israel’s Technion and the University of Haifa have explained for the first time the unique mechanism by which the most common jellyfish attack their enemies. They inject toxic material from thousands of microscopic syringes, resembling poisoned arrows, located on each of their arms.
http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Israeli-researchers-decipher-how-jellyfish-shoot-poisoned-arrows-497564
Hold back the desert. (TY UWI) To mark United Nations’ World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on June 17, here is a video showing how Israel is one of the leading countries fighting desertification, that threatens global hunger, disease, and poverty. https://www.youtube.com/embed/NdNCUwUaLfg?rel=0
Terminal 1 renovated. My son was one of the first passengers using the refurbished Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion airport. Passengers of low-cost airlines now check-in, shop for duty free and board planes all from Terminal 1 without being bused to Terminal 3. The terminal handles 33 flights a day and 1.4 million passengers a year.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-ben-gurions-renovated-terminal-1-inaugurated-1001193236
Keeping kids safe on their smartphones. Israel’s SafeMobile is a simple-to-install app that will protect children from unsuitable and malicious content when using their smartphones. CEO Yuval Rapaport was interviewed on ILTV.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/8OcmLUJmM8s?rel=0 http://www.safemobile.co.il/
What on earth is that flower? I reported previously (July 2011) about Israeli app “Bar-Code Flower,” that allows you to take a picture of a flower with your mobile phone, and then tells you its species. Now FlowerzBot from Israeli startup Cnature identifies 1000 flowers and wildlife. Currently in Hebrew, but soon also in English.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-startup-cnature-captures-spring-flowers-in-app/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/nf0vleU1WYQ?rel=0
If the shoe fits… Israeli startup Invertex has digitized the way we buy shoes. It uses 3D imaging and artificial intelligence, enabling smartphones to scan feet in shoe shops or at home and suggest the best buys in-store or on-line. Invertex has just received $2 million of seed funding.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-startup-says-if-the-shoe-fits-consumers-will-buy-more/
Protection against drones. At the Paris Air Show, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems unveiled its new laser-interception system designed to provide air defense against micro- and nano- unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The “Drone Dome” system detects, identifies, tracks, and neutralizes hostile drones using laser beams.
http://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/30080
Cleaning up Brazil’s sewage. (TY Hazel) Brazil is to clean up its sewage problem using the system from Israel’s Paulee CleanTcc for transforming human waste into odor-free, sterilized farm fertilizer. Currently, 60% of the 6.8 million liters of daily sewage sludge generated in Brazil gets dumped back into nature untreated.
https://www.israel21c.org/brazil-looks-to-israeli-tech-to-solve-a-stinky-problem/
Producing water from Miami air. Much was reported about Israel’s Water-Gen, demonstrated by Professor Alan Dershowitz at AIPAC (see Apr 30). Now the Florida suburb of Miami Gardens is partnering with Water-Gen in a pilot project to extract water from airborne humidity and dispense clean drinking water to residents.
hhttp://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Tech/Florida-city-to-alleviate-water-shortage-with-Israeli-technology-497433
VR brings ancient Jerusalem to life. (TY Bennett) A new virtual reality (VR) app brings ancient Jerusalem to life. Available on Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/grwmck6 or on the App Store: http://tinyurl.com/zys24pp
https://www.youtube.com/embed/zDFLG9YxXg8?rel=0
Power if your aircraft engine fails. Israel’s Ashot Ashkelon unveiled HYSKY 60 – its emergency aircraft hybrid engine at the Paris Air Show. The 20kg propulsion unit will provide up to 15 minutes of extra time for light aircraft whose main engine stops working. The system can also add power to assist the plane in taking off.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-ashot-ashkelon-unveils-hybrid-emergency-aircraft-engine-1001193211
Permits for driverless cars on Israeli roads. Israel’s Transport Ministry has granted permits for both GM and Mobileye to test their autonomous cars on Israeli roads. GM Israel general manager Gil Golan said, “What we are developing today in Israel could contribute to and influence the future of transportation, lifestyle and culture generally.” http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-gm-to-test-autonomous-cars-on-israels-roads-1001192727
The future of AR. (TY Estee K) Apple’s Israeli PrimeSense team has developed a 3D camera system intended for Augmented Reality (AR) use. It features a light beam for optical 3D mapping and depth sensing. Connected to Apple’s AR glasses, it can interact with a hovering holographic interface, just by moving your hands.
http://www.techradar.com/news/apple-patent-paints-a-future-of-ar-glasses-and-gestural-controls
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Israel to join World bond index. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli Government bonds will be even more highly desirable shortly, when Israeli bonds are included in the Citigroup World Government Bond Index (WGBI). Financial institutions will then be required to buy Israeli bonds to track the WGBI for their customers.
http://hamodia.com/2017/03/19/israeli-govt-bonds-set-included-citigroup-index/
Unanimous agreement to raise disabled allowance. Government and opposition parties have jointly agreed to the raising of the allowance for disabled Israelis from the current NIS 2,500 to NIS 4,000 in three stages. Housing assistance will also be raised, from NIS 770 to NIS 1,000.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-coalition-opposition-agree-nis-4000-disabled-allowance-1001193795
Beit Shemesh to double in size. The city of Beit Shemesh is expected to double in size in the coming years. Approval has been given for 17,000 new apartments plus 530 dunams of land for businesses, companies, and hotels. In addition, the city will construct infrastructure and improve the city’s parks and public transportation.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227678
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-beit-shemesh-to-double-in-size-1001184442
Innovating diamond technology. The Ramat Gan Diamond Exchange has applied to establish a technology innovation center, to be called Diamond Tech. Its aim is to nurture Israeli and foreign startups in the early stages of the development of technology to be used primarily in the diamond sector.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-diamond-exchange-sets-up-startup-innovation-center-1001193662
Connecting tourists to tour guides. Dani Gadayev, co-founder and CEO of Israeli start-up TopGuides, describes the company’s online platform to connect tourists with tour guides, eliminating the need to pay commission to an agency. https://www.youtube.com/embed/pXy-tS6tuQc?rel=0
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-israeli-app-removes-need-for-middleman-in-hiring-tour-guide/
http://www.ourtopguides.com/home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH9q7TTk_f0
Frutarom expands into Vietnam. Israeli flavors and fine ingredients company Frutarom has purchased a majority stake in Vietnamese company Western Flavors Fragrances Production (WFF). Frutarom intends to build a modern new flavors plant in Ho Chi Minh City and to expand its activity in Vietnam and the region.
http://ir.frutarom.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=185607&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2260257
Bringing Israeli startups to China. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Bank Leumi and Ping An, China’s largest insurance group, agreed to promote and integrate Israeli hi-tech companies into the Chinese market. The agreement was signed as part of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to China.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=41227
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli Opera Festival in Akko. The Israel Opera (Aug 3-5) is performing a new production called Giulio Cesare in Egitto, created especially for the Crusaders Court in Akko. Its singers will also perform the greatest and most popular songs of the late Arik Einstein – one of Israel’s most famous singer-song writers.
http://www.israel-opera.co.il/eng/?CategoryID=826&ArticleID=2453
Tel Aviv White Night. Tel Aviv White Night (Laila Lavan) is the cultural all-nighter of the year in ‘the city that never sleeps’. On 29th June, amazing events will take place throughout the night across the city, from beach concerts and parties, to special exhibitions and tours.
https://www.secrettelaviv.com/magazine/blog/newsletter/best-parties-of-laila-lavan-2017/
Wonder Woman is a hit. The movie “Wonder Woman”, starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot, has received high acclaim from critics and record receipts at the box office. The film has now passed the $600 million mark for worldwide takings. And (TY IsraPundit) it is an inspiring film for many reasons.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Wonder-Woman-wows-the-world-494579
http://www.timesofisrael.com/gal-gadots-wonder-woman-headed-for-over-90m-box-office-hit/
http://collider.com/wonder-woman-box-office-record/
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=19289
Let’s do brunch. Israel is famous for its mouth-watering brunches which include an array of fresh vegetables, local cheeses, Mediterranean omelets, healthy salads, deserts, and of course coffee. With delicious options like these and good company, your weekend’s about to get a whole lot better.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/uqB2wrwkx5Y?rel=0
THE JEWISH STATE
Ethiopia’s biblical link with Israel. In Jerusalem, President Reuven Rivlin told Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn “Your connection with Jerusalem is something that goes to the roots of the Bible, and the connection between our people is not a matter of years, it is a matter of centuries, back to the visit of the Queen of Sheba”. https://unitedwithisrael.org/continuing-biblical-connection-ethiopian-pm-visits-jerusalem/
New Israeli stamps. (TY Jacob Richman) Beautiful Israeli stamps issued in April and June included commemoration of the re-unification of Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, the Golan, Passover haggadot, safe cycling, General Allenby, the 30th Maccabiah and famous Israeli songs.
http://www.history-of-israel.co.il/stamps/index-2017.html
Column found from 2nd Temple plaza. The Temple Mount Sifting Project has discovered the capital of a column that formed part of the double colonnade that surrounded the Temple Mount plaza in Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple. Josephus described the style of the column in his book “The War of the Jews”.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=41549
Bar Mitzvah for 115 orphans. I reported previously (Mar 2013) that Kollel Chabad held a Bar Mitzvah celebration for 111 orphans in Jerusalem on the 111th birthday of the late Lubavicher Rebbe. Now on his 115th birthday Kollel Chabad held another Bar Mitzvah celebration, for 115 orphans.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/115-orphans-celebrate-their-bar-mitzvah-in-jerusalem/
Stand with Jerusalem. On the 50th anniversary of the re-unification of Israel’s capital city, take this opportunity to see it for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/embed/dV4NGgjRaVI?rel=0
Michael Ordman highlights Israel’s latest achievements in the fields of technology, health, business, co-existence and building the Jewish State.
michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
Human Rights Watch published a long, graphics-rich report on Sunday denouncing Israeli semi-pro soccer (football) clubs in towns in the West Bank. A few weeks ago, a group of European Parliament members sent a letter along similar lines to FIFA, the international soccer governing body. The parliament members argue the clubs violate international law, and for good measure, the FIFA constitution, and call for the expulsion of the teams, or Israel itself, from world soccer.
These efforts are all part of a broad Palestinian push to pressure Israeli in international forums. The legal arguments raised in these documents are entirely contrived. They contradict longstanding FIFA practice and create a double standard for Israel. And that’s just not sporting.
The human rights claims in the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report are tendentious — they assert that the local soccer leagues (all quite small-time) are “making the settlements more sustainable, thus propping up” the system. Most of the communities in question are just a few kilometers from the 1949 Jordanian-Israeli armistice line and would remain in Israel in all the major two-state proposals; their residents typically commute to work in bigger nearby cities. It is laughable to think anyone would leave them if the football league moved a few kilometers down the road. In any case, contrary to the HRW’s claims, there is simply no support in international law for prohibiting business in occupied territories, as British and French courts have recently affirmed.
Indeed, Morocco maintains a team, part of its national football federation, in occupied Western Sahara. Yet the HRW completely fails to mention this fact in its report. The human rights abuses in Western Sahara — where the majority of the population are Moroccan settlers and the indigenous population has been heavily displaced — are too vast to recount. No one — including the HRW and the Parliament members — has suggested expelling Morocco on account of its team, based deep in land taken from the Sahrawi.
The football-as-human rights-violation arguments against Israel are tendentious and prove too much. So those campaigning against Israel rely principally on a lawyerly claim about FIFA’s rules: The clubs “clearly violate FIFA’s statutes, according to which clubs from one member association cannot play on the territory of another member association without its and FIFA’s consent,” the members claim.
The problem is nothing in the FIFA statutes that equates “territory” with sovereign territory. Indeed, that would be impossible, since many FIFA members are not sovereign states at all. Instead, territory, as is often the case in international texts, means jurisdiction.
This is because the FIFA is not a border demarcation body. That is why FIFA clearly separates any question of sovereign statehood and territory from FIFA membership by not requiring that member federations be recognized states (i.e. Hong Kong, American Samoa, Faroe Islands, Northern Ireland, etc.). The claim that the acceptance of the Palestinian soccer federation into FIFA constituted a recognition of Palestine as a state and a recognition of its maximal border claims is unsupportable. FIFA membership does not imply statehood, nor has FIFA ever taken a position on preexisting border disputes.
Indeed, FIFA practice makes clear that it never gets involved when teams of one federation play on territory that is the subject of sovereign claims by the state of another member. As often happens, Israel’s critics attempt to portray it as a unique situation. It is far from it.
For example, British Gibraltar’s soccer federation is a member of the international soccer system despite being entirely located on what Spain claims as its sovereign territory. Indeed, Spain protested Gibraltar’s membership vigorously on these grounds. Similarly, the Taiwanese (Taipei) federation is recognized — but that hardly means FIFA has decided to reject China’s claim to the island.
Member states have territorial disputes. FIFA’s recognition of teams has never been understood as taking any position on the status of the territory where the team plays. Indeed, if it does, it would be big trouble for FIFA, and big news. Does this mean FIFA rejects Spain’s claim to Gibraltar, or China’s to Taiwan, and accepts Morocco’s annexation of Western Sahara? No one has ever suggested that any of this is the case. Conversely, the South American regional football association has refused to admit the Falklands Island Football federation, which prevents it from joining FIFA. But this hardly means the Falklands is occupied territory. This probably explains why only 66 MEPs signed the letter when anti-Israel resolutions routinely command vast majorities of the 751-member body.
Moreover, the Palestinian Federation has been a FIFA member for 20 years. When the Palestinian Federation was recognized in 1998, the event barely made news, because everyone understood that it was neither a recognition of Palestinian statehood (this was well before even the nod from the U.N. General Assembly) or a denial of Israeli teams’ rights to play where they had been playing. Indeed, the Israelis did not even protest Palestinian membership, as no one had yet invented the spin that the membership had anything to do with settlement teams. The Palestinians also failed to complain until a couple of years ago, when they began to use FIFA as part of their overall effort to “internationalize” their dispute with Israel. (The head of the Palestinian football association, Jibril Rajoub, has been accused of mixing football with celebrations of terrorism.)
The longstanding acceptance of the Israeli teams is further evidence that no one really thinks FIFA rules mean what they are now said to mean.
Much reliance is placed on FIFA not recognizing the teams taken over and reorganized by Russia after its 2014 invasion of Crimea. Of course, in that situation, Russia invaded its neighbor and assimilated its teams. In other words, the teams in question were ones that Russia had actually taken over. Here, no Palestinian team has been taken over by Israel — indeed, every single one of them has been created during Israel’s supposed occupation. Nor has Israel invaded and overrun the Palestinian Authority, which was established in 1994 — in short, there has been no change in the status quo.
Moreover, FIFA’s 2014 action was not its last word. It has since allowed the creation of a separate Crimean federation separate from the Russian one — and the Ukrainian one. Does that mean that FIFA recognizes that the area is no longer part of Ukraine? Hardly. It means that it realizes that the football pitch is not the Peace Palace.
Author Eugene Kontorovich is a professor at Northwestern University School of Law, and an expert on constitutional and international law. He also writes and lectures frequently about the Arab-Israel conflict.
