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The German diplomat spoke during a tour organized by Peace Now, Yesh Din and Emek Shaveh.

By JNS

German diplomat Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, who represents the European Union in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, said on Wednesday during a visit to Samaria, “There is no such thing as Area B and C, it’s all Palestine.”

Areas A, B, and C are three administrative zones in Judea and Samaria established under the Oslo Accords. Area A is under Palestinian Authority civil and security control. Area B is governed by P.A. civil control but joint Israeli-Palestinian security. Area C, roughly 60% of the area, is fully under Israeli civil and military control.

Von Burgsdorff also said that “what we’re seeing in Homesh is not just a violation of international law … it’s a violation of Israeli domestic law.”

He was referencing the Knesset’s vote in March to repeal articles of a 2005 law banning Israelis from residing in the four communities in northern Samaria—Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim—that were evacuated during the disengagement.

The EU on Wednesday issued a statement saying it is “gravely concerned by and condemns the decision of the Israeli authorities to allow Israeli citizens to establish permanent presence in the outpost in Homesh.”

Von Burgsdorff made his comments during a tour for senior EU diplomats organized by three left-wing Israeli NGOs opposed to Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria—Peace Now, Yesh Din and Emek Shaveh.

The tour included a visit to the archaeological site of Sebastia (biblical Shomron), the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the eighth and ninth centuries BCE.

The group also met with Palestinians from the village of Burqa overlooking Homesh.

Peace Now said in a statement, “The most extreme and dangerous government in the country’s history is dragging us to disaster. Instead of evacuating the outpost in Homesh and taking care of security, the government is investing our funds in the development of the area, giving rewards to criminality, violence and robbery, and harming security.”

The Nachala Settlement Movement condemned the group’s visit: “The cooperation between ‘Peace Now’ and the European representatives with the aim of undermining the Jewish hold on northern Samaria illustrates the ridiculous and ludicrous situation of the movement’s representatives and the entire initiative.

“The name Homesh is after the five daughters of Zelophehad, who in their love for the Land of Israel [the Book of Numbers] refused to give up a physical part of it.

“The city of Shomron was founded 1,500 years before the Roman Emperor Sebastian [Augustus—the Greek sebastos, or “venerable,” is a translation of the Latin augustus] was born. Ignorance and stupidity lead the group of ‘Peace Now’ and the European Union to the mouth of the abyss,” the Nachala Settlement Movement said.

A European Union document that was leaked towards the end of 2022, outlining EU strategy to help extend Palestinian control over Area C of Judea and Samaria, reveals “a gross violation of Israel’s sovereignty and jurisdiction by purported allies,” Naomi Kahn, director of the International Division for Regavim, an Israeli NGO that deals with land issues, told JNS at the time.

The EU has long been actively supporting the Palestinian side of the conflict, demanding that Israel not evict illegal Palestinian squatters while working to establish facts on the ground against Israel’s interests, as documented by NGO Regavim.

World Israel News contributed to this report.

The post EU envoy: ‘No such thing as Area A and B, it’s all Palestine’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Gaza-based terror group enjoys strong support from PA Arabs as embattled Mahmoud Abbas’ popularity continues to decline.

By World Israel News Staff

Representatives from Hamas won a plurality of seats on Birzeit University’s student council, in a clear example of the terror group’s growing popularity among Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria.

Hamas was awarded 25 seats out of 51, with the Fatah party that currently governs the region trailing behind at 20, and various smaller political groups picking up the remaining six seats.

Because Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has refused to hold national elections since 2006, the university vote constitutes a rare opportunity to measure the sentiments of Palestinian voters.

Octogenarian Abbas is wildly unpopular among his constituents, with the vast majority expressing that they wish for him to resign. Rumored to be in poor health for years, Abbas has failed to appoint or acknowledge a public successor, leaving a political vacuum that may be leveraged by Hamas after he dies.

Birzeit University officials told media that within PA-controlled enclaves, the educational institution’s elections are taken seriously by the public as a whole, due to their lack of opportunities to express their political opinions.

“What makes the election at Birzeit University significant is that it reflects the different political perspectives in Palestinian society,” Iyad Tomar, head of the election committee and dean of students at Birzeit University, told Reuters.

“It is the only place where we can exercise our democratic right and vote,” Anan Safi, a student who voted for the Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), said to Reuters. “We don’t have presidential or national elections.”

Critics of the PA, like the late political activist Nizar Banat, are often prosecuted by the entity. Speaking out against PA corruption may lead to imprisonment or even murder at the hands of the body’s security forces.

Notably, while Hamas concentrates extensive resources on campaigns aimed at attracting supporting in PA-controlled areas in Judea and Samaria, the terror group does not permit elections in universities in the Gaza Strip.

The post Hamas wins Palestinian university elections, proving growing support in PA-controlled areas appeared first on World Israel News.

After nearly nine months on the run, Maher Asayed was finally arrested by security forces.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A terrorist who participated in a shooting attack on a bus carrying IDF soldiers that wounded several was arrested by security forces overnight Wednesday, following a manhunt that lasted almost nine months.

Maher al-Sayeed, 50, was detained in a collaborative operation between the Israeli army, Shin Bet intelligence agency, and the special forces Yamam unit, the authorities said in a statement on Thursday morning.

Al-Sayeed was reportedly arrested in the town of Bukin, a small Palestinian Authority-controlled municipality near Jenin. He was transferred into the custody of the Shin Bet.

In September 2022, l-Sayeed, along with his son and nephew, opened fire on a bus full of IDF soldiers as it traveled on an isolated stretch of Road 578 in the Jordan Valley. Two soldiers were shot and evacuated to the hospital, with one in serious condition and the other categorized as being lightly wounded.

Both soldiers have fully recovered since the attack.

Another four soldiers and the driver of the bus were lightly wounded from glass, shrapnel, and the bus’s sudden braking during the attack.

“The attack was committed by a cell driving a pickup truck, which overtook the bus and opened fire, and attempted to set it on fire,” Col. Meir Biderman, the commander of the 417th territorial brigade, said in a media statement in September 2022.

“The soldiers on the bus returned fire, which caused the terrorists to flee.”

Asayed fled the scene with his accomplices in a vehicle, which they later torched in an attempt to hide evidence.

Al-Sayeed’s co-conspirators were caught near the scene of the attack and burning car and immediately taken into custody, but Asayed successfully fled on foot and has been the subject of a manhunt ever since.

The post Terrorist who shot and wounded soldiers nabbed after months-long manhunt appeared first on World Israel News.

Former President Trump slams Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Truth Social after the Florida Governor announces his 2024 presidential campaign.

In a particularly bizarre post, Trump wrote, “Rob, my Red Button is bigger, better and stronger, and is working (TRUTH!), yours does not! (per my conversation with Kim Jung un, of North Korea, soon to become my friend!).

The post ‘RED BUTTON’? Trump roasts DeSantis’ 2024 presidential launch, refers to ‘friend’ Kim Jung un appeared first on World Israel News.

A fundamental error that is often made in contemporary discourse regarding historical events is understanding human history in terms of “purity and stain.” There is no room for evaluating the past as morally complex and various historical actors as human beings with imperfect knowledge and mixed motivations. Once a person, institution, or event is anachronistically adjudged as stained by the contemporary moral orthodoxy, it is reduced to moral and historical anathema and no aspect of it can be celebrated nor can any fruit of it be appreciated. European colonial history has fallen victim to this approach to understanding the past, but Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral and Pastor Theology at the University of Oxford, has written Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning to provide a more nuanced way to think about the West’s colonial record, specifically that of the British Empire. The book is not a history of the British Empire, per se. Rather, it is arranged thematically and not chronologically and engages many of the most controversial elements of contemporary discussion regarding the Empire including slavery, racism, conquest, nationalism, genocide, exploitation, and violence. 

Postcolonial academics approach the British Empire from a far more critical starting point than Biggar does. To defend sweeping and systemic denunciations of the British Empire, Biggar argues, they must demonstrate that the moral stains of the colonial period are fundamental features of the British Empire in toto. To do so they must assume the simplicity of the Britsh Empire, thus why they so often refer to it as a single “project.” Biggar never engages the subject in this way. Rather, he begins by rejecting the possibility of understanding the subject as if it had a single architect or a homogeneous aggregate of moral, political, or economic motives. The motivations that animated the British Empire, he argues, were complex and varied over time and space. The roots of the Empire began in 1066 with Norman conquest and extend into the present day. They extend from the British Isles to every continent of the world, including Antarctica. Any attempt to extract the essential features of such a vast subject inevitably will be forced to generalize so broadly that their conclusions are meaningless. Critics of Biggar’s work are unsurprisingly those who accept such one-dimensional and simplistic accounts of British colonial history and reject Biggar’s assertion that the subject is complicated and multifaceted and is, therefore, immune from too simplistic and unnuanced evaluations.

Colonialism, however, encountered controversy even before it was published. The book was originally slated to be published by Bloomsbury, which had approached Biggar in 2018. As late as 2020, the publisher was enthusiastic about the manuscript, but in March 2020, Bloomsbury contacted Biggar to say, “We consider that public feeling on the subject does not currently support the publication of the book and will reassess that next year.” It is impossible to know how well the book would have sold without such an unusual path to publication, but it is currently “Number 1” among new releases in its category on Amazon and widely reviewed. So, Bloomsbury opted to buy out Biggar’s contract, accept a financial loss, and hand a commissioned project to a competitor because of “public feeling?” Such a turn of events demonstrates just how important this work is across several fronts.

A survey of reviews for Colonialism suggests that many reviewers miss the point of the work. Reviewers challenge it as history, as polemic, and as apologetic. But, Biggar never identifies it as such nor does the form or substance of the work warrant a conclusion that it is any of these things. It is not an unvarnished and triumphalist treatment of Britain’s imperial past. In fact, Biggar includes in a litany of evils attributable to the British Empire both specific harms and unintended harmful effects. He affirmatively points out that this list includes horrific and lamentable evils such as “brutal slavery; the epidemic spread of devastating disease;…policies of needlessly wholesale cultural suppression;…unjustifiable military aggression;” among others. Yet, in contrast to Biggar’s admissions against British imperialism, few if any postcolonial accounts of the Empire contain any positive accounts of any incidents of charity or benefit at all. I suspect that, at the very least, the people of Hong Kong would much prefer British colonial rule to their current persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, not that there is not much acknowledgment of that among Biggar’s critics.

Taken on its own terms, Biggar’s work accomplishes exactly what the author intends: challenging the anti-colonialist “public feeling” that is a result of a reductionistic, overly simplistic moral assessment of the British Empire. The endnotes account for nearly 200 pages of this responsibly researched and convincingly argued work. Those who refuse to take it seriously simply cannot be taken seriously themselves.

Most concerning about the response to this work and its relatively simple thesis and is the question about the place of civil and reasoned discourse in the public square. Biggar’s book is not a screed in favor of slavery, genocide, or any number of social ills. He implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) accepts the concept of “empire” as a morally neutral political arrangement and surveys the checkered record of the modern world’s largest and most influential empire. Are his presuppositions correct? Are empires by definition immoral? Seems like an interesting question to debate, but most anti-colonialists seem to assert the affirmative (while also condemning all stripes of nationalism, too). What is the critical mass of evils that would render the entire British Empire irretrievably stained and justifying plenary condemnation? Biggar suggests that if such a theoretical critical mass exists then the historical record does not support the conclusion that it was ever reached. But reading the anti-colonialists alone seem to suggest that that threshold is anything less than absolute and unambiguous purity.

Colonialism is an important book that engages a timely subject. With the ascendency of a new British monarch from a new generation who is now reigning over the British Commonwealth rather than an empire, debates about the colonial legacy of Great Britain are important in Britain and her former colonies, including the United States. The implications of the debates are significant, too. Questions about economic reparations, national and religious identity, the morality of “western values,” and many more are impacted by this debate. Biggar helpfully contributes by offering a reasoned, measured, well-researched, and intelligent articulation of one of the most frustrating answers to every complex question: “It’s complicated.” 

The post A Moral Assessment of the British Empire: It’s Complicated appeared first on Providence.

The small community of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was struck by a tragedy on Monday when Angel Mercado-Ocasio, 19, suffered a traumatic brain injury at a baseball field.

According to reports Mercado-Ocasio was helping along with the rest of his team take down a makeshift dugout when it collapsed on him.

The Central Penn College freshman and Harrisburg High School standout athlete passed away on Tuesday at the Holy Spirit Hospital, despite first responders’ efforts to revive him.

The news of Mercado-Ocasio’s untimely death has caused shock throughout the Central Penn College community, with President Linda Fedrizzi-Williams expressing her grief in a statement: “Our Central Penn College family is devastated by the loss of Angel. As friends who have become family, we are mourning the heartbreaking loss of one of our own, a promising young athlete who senselessly lost his life while helping others enjoy the sport he loved so much. No words can adequately express our anguish.”

Mayor Wanda Williams also voiced her condolences for the Harrisburg local, saying, “Anytime someone passes, we lose a little bit of who we are. It hurts even more when it’s one of our own. Angel was our son, a proud Harrisburg Cougar, and a standout, promising young athlete. He died helping others around the sport he loved. It’s heart-wrenching. Angel embraced so many people, and now we need to embrace his memory.”

Francisco Escudero, a teammate, told WMTV of Mercado-Ocasio’s determination. He said, “He didn’t care who he was going up against. I feel like he had whatever he had in him to try and beat the opponent,” said fellow teammate Francisco Escudero.

This tragedy is made more difficult since blame has been placed on Angel’s baseball coach, Gerardo Diaz, who said, “I tried my best to protect him. I got mad at them. I told them to stop playing around, but kids will be kids. I still feel responsible.”

People’s Brains and Bodies Are Not Protected Against Attacks by Electromagnetic Waves and Neurotechnologies

By Mojmir Babacek, May 24, 2023

In 2020, the American Academy of Sciences wrote in the report on attacks of American diplomats in Cuba and …

The post Selected Articles: People’s Brains and Bodies Are Not Protected Against Attacks by Electromagnetic Waves and Neurotechnologies appeared first on Global Research.

The COVID “Killer Vaccine”. People Are Dying All Over the World. It’s a Criminal Undertaking

Prof Michel Chossudovsky, May 24 , 2023

An Interview with Satan on the Eve of His Retirement

Dr. Emanuel Garcia, May 19 , …

The post This Week’s Most Popular Articles appeared first on Global Research.

It’s official. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his run for the presidency on Wednesday, challenging former president Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023

The post ‘GREAT AMERICAN COMEBACK’: Ron DeSantis Running for President appeared first on World Israel News.

The broadcaster must stop its policy of calling Israeli settlements ‘illegal’ while banning even the use of the word ‘terrorist,’ MK Ohad Tal demanded in a letter to the media giant.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

MK Ohad Tal recently blasted the BBC for what he said are skewed journalistic guidelines when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which result in incitement to terrorism, and he demanded change.

“As a member of the Israeli parliament, it has come to my attention that proscribed terrorist groups are routinely alleging that their slaying of Israeli civilians is justified in view of “crimes” (sic) committed by Israel,” the Religious Zionist Party legislator wrote to BBC Director-General Tim Davie, attaching a long list of articles to back up his claim.

“These terrorist groups say their terrorism is a “natural response” to these “crimes.” Tal said.

At the same time, “the BBC routinely and repeatedly disseminates that ‘settlements… are illegal under international law,’ he wrote, with another lengthy list backing his charge.

According to the BBC guidelines, as quoted by Tal, its journalists “can aim, where relevant, to include context to the effect that all settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.”

Since “the BBC is generating high-frequency messaging alleging Israel commits ‘crimes,’ and … terrorist groups are using the very same message” to defend their murder of civilians, he charged that the company’s “guidelines and practices appear to, inadvertently, I’m sure, be fanning terrorism,” the lawmaker wrote.

However, he continued, “the BBC’s guidelines not only fail to recommend using the word ‘illegal’ to describe terrorism – they even prohibit the very use of the word ‘terrorist’ – other than as part of a quote.”

The MK then quoted another relevant passage from the BBC guidelines: “We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as… ‘insurgent’, and ‘militant.’ We should not adopt other people’s language as our own; our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom.”

Tal gave suggestions “in the interest of fairness.” These included presenting terrorism as illegal and changing the “context” regarding the settlements to reflect the fact that many experts in international law have affirmed that Israeli settlements are, in fact, legal. He referred the BBC to specific statements on the subject made by legal giants Prof. Alan Dershowitz, who taught for decades at Harvard Law School, and Prof. Eugene Rostow, former dean of Yale’s law school.

Mattot Arim, an Israeli NGO that became aware of the letter, told World Israel News: “There is no question that since the Tal letter, the BBC is indirectly complicit in the endless terrorism against Israelis, in the sense of helping terrorists behave illegally by actively reporting and overemphasizing anti-Israel illegality rhetoric, even though this rhetoric is directly used by terror organizations as justification for terrorism.

“Before the letter, Mr. Davie could claim he was unaware, that he assumed settlement legality was simply a legal issue of property ownership,” the NGO said. “But now that he has received from MK Tal detailed lists which prove that such rhetoric is a direct trigger for terrorism, Davie now needs to decide whether to continue to be complicit. Will the BBC under Davie’s leadership willingly continue carrying a banner for terrorist groups?”

The BBC has yet to respond to Tal’s letter.

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