Baku speaks with one voice in support of the Aliyev regime’s aggressive campaign – but change may be in the air
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Rashida Tlaib slammed for false anti-Israel tweet
The Palestinian-American congresswoman was taken to task after her post about Israeli soldiers beating Palestinians is proven to be a lie.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was slammed this week by Jewish organizations and outed by Twitter itself after falsely tweeting that Israeli soldiers had beaten innocent Palestinian teens.
One of the leaders of the so-called Squad of progressive and anti-Israel Democrats, Tlaib had tweeted a video Sunday from the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), a pro-Palestinian NGO, which had claimed it had footage showing IDF forces attacking “Palestinians celebrating the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in occupied Jerusalem.” She commented, “This is the violent apartheid government of Israel. Don’t look away.”
The problem was – as the social media site pointed out in a context box – that “This was not an attack by Israeli police. A brawl broke out amongst young Palestinians at Damascus Gate & Israeli police separated them to restore peace.” Twitter also attached a link to a Jerusalem Post article covering the incident.
The video was subsequently deleted, but not the congresswoman’s comment, which has by now been viewed some 1.5 million times.
Pro-Israel groups immediately jumped on Tlaib, both for what she had done and not done.
“Please stop with the lies!” StopAntisemitism tweeted back the same day. “Israeli police came to stop different groups of Palestinian teenagers from killing each other and causing more harm/damage than they already were.”
On Monday, the watchdog group added, “Why have you not deleted your tweet yet? It’s is [sic] false and you are doing nothing but inciting more hatred with your lies.”
HonestReporting tweeted more moderately, “No Rashida! Palestinian teens were fighting each other and causing a public disturbance. Israeli police came in to restore the peace. Spreading lies and misinformation is unbecoming of a congresswoman.”
Arsen Ostrovsky, an international human rights lawyer and CEO of The International Legal Forum, countered one image with another on Tlaib’s page. He showed a picture of thousands of Arabs praying together on the Temple Mount, saying, “Actually THIS is Israel. Peaceful Friday Ramadan prayers in Jerusalem. But don’t let the facts and relentless Jews hatred get in your way.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition, which supports the GOP on the grassroots level, did not limit its criticism to the Michigan representative alone.
“Another day, another blatant anti-Israel lie by @RashidaTlaib – and no one in House Democratic Party leadership will hold her accountable,” the group posted.
A few House Democrats have pushed back at Tlaib at times, but she has never been punished by the party itself for her hateful comments.
The pro-BDS congresswoman has made many antisemitic and anti-Israel remarks in the four years she has served in the House.. The charge of Israel being “racist” and an “apartheid” state is among her favorite false statements, and she can always be counted on to blast Israeli attempts to uproot Palestinian terrorism, wholly focusing on the “Palestinians as victims” narrative.
The post Rashida Tlaib slammed for false anti-Israel tweet appeared first on World Israel News.
‘Outrageous’ for Biden to lecture Israel on domestic issues, says Nikki Haley
“We should let Israelis decide this themselves,” the former ambassador and presidential candidate said of judicial reform.
By JNS
“It’s outrageous for Joe Biden to lecture Israel on a matter that is entirely their domestic concern,” Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and presidential candidate for 2024, said in a statement that the campaign provided JNS and that she posted on Twitter.
“We would never want the Israeli government to push America on issues surrounding our Supreme Court, and they wouldn’t do it,” she added. “We should let Israelis decide this themselves.”
Legal experts recently told JNS that the White House and U.S. State Department have criticized Israeli judicial reform in bad faith.
“You get this sort of pious talk coming out of these characters, but they are as anti-democratic as you could possibly imagine with respect to the way in which they do this business,” Richard Epstein, law professor and director of the Classical Liberal Institute at NYU Law, told JNS of the Biden administration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected U.S. President Joe Biden’s intervention in the debate. Nonetheless, Netanyahu declared on Wednesday that U.S.-Israel ties remain “unshakeable.”
The post ‘Outrageous’ for Biden to lecture Israel on domestic issues, says Nikki Haley appeared first on World Israel News.
Selected Articles: Fires in the Streets of France Illustrates Anger over Pension Reforms
Fires in the Streets of France Illustrates Anger Over Pension Reforms
By , March 30, 2023
Discontent with President Emmanuel Macron is mounting in the aftermath of his executive enactment of a controversial pension reform bill that would …
The post Selected Articles: Fires in the Streets of France Illustrates Anger over Pension Reforms appeared first on Global Research.
Saudi journalist visiting Israel hints Riyadh wants role in administering Jerusalem holy sites
Amid hopes of expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia, Saudi journalist visiting Israel hints that Riyadh may demand influence over Jerusalem holy sites.
By Baruch Yedid, TPS
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently condemned what it called the “flagrant invasion” by “Israeli settlers” of the Al-Aqsa Mosque square, under “the protection of the Israeli occupation forces.”
Such measures, it claimed, “undermine peace efforts and contradict international principles relating to the holy places.”
In recent years, there has been a rising Saudi interest in Jerusalem’s holy places.
According to Saudi journalist Abdel Aziz Al-Khamis, “Settlement of the Al Aqsa issue is a key condition for the establishment of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”
Khamis was speaking in Jerusalem, participating in the Israel-Africa-Arab Conference organized by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Participants from 30 African and Persian Gulf states discussed the possibilities of expanding the Abraham Accords, and increasing cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism, national security, food and water security, and environmental concerns.
Israelis looking to expand peace agreements with the wider Arab world see the Saudis as a key domino. Although the Saudis have not signed the Abraham Accords, they gave their blessings to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to proceed in 2020.
Acknowledging that more Arab countries will presumably follow the Saudi lead in normalizing relations with Israel, Khamis implied that Riyadh would like to have a role in Jerusalem’s holy sites.
“After the Abraham Accords, there were many Israelis who thought that Saudi Arabia would be the next country to sign an agreement with Israel,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia has a significant role in the Arab and Muslim world and therefore sees critical importance in regulating the holy places for Islam in east Jerusalem. This is a condition for peace and agreements,” he stressed.
Tellingly, Khamis did not refer to the Palestinians. In response to participant questions, he instead said that “security in the Red Sea and a solution to the issues related to Israel’s relations with the countries in Africa, are important pillars of any future agreement.”
Khamis summed up his words and said, “When we come to talk about peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a new approach and a fresh way of thinking must be taken, but in any case, east Jerusalem and the holy places will be at the heart of the agenda from the Saudi side.”
The Israel-Jordan peace treaty of 1994 enshrines Jordan’s custodian role over the Temple Mount. Jordan oversees and funds the Islamic Waqf, a trusteeship which administers the Temple Mount’s daily affairs.
The Temple Mount, where the First and Second Temples were built, is the holiest site in Judaism. The delicate status quo governing it goes back to 1967, when Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan during the Six Day War. Fearing a religious war, then-defense minister Moshe Dayan agreed to let the Waqf continue administering the holy site while Israel would maintain overall sovereignty and be responsible for security.
The post Saudi journalist visiting Israel hints Riyadh wants role in administering Jerusalem holy sites appeared first on World Israel News.
Jewish centenarian sisters know what it takes to have happy and mentally sharp lives
Shirley Hodes (106) and Ruth Sweedler (102) read, walk regularly, stay curious and connect with others.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
Jewish sisters Shirley Hodes and Ruth Sweedler both have already passed the 100-year mark in their lives, and yet still remain vibrant and active, as an interview this month by CNBC revealed.
Hodes (106) and Sweedler (102) say that their financially insecure upbringing in a large family was ultimately a help to them rather than a hindrance. The two were the youngest of eight children in an immigrant family where “every part of our lives was making do,” said Hodes.
On the other hand, “We had maybe the bare necessities, but we had the necessities.” That included a library card, which allowed them to cultivate a life-long love for reading that she said “is the best thing for your mind” as it enables one to constantly learn new things, which both sisters love to do.
They also gained an appreciation for what they did have. As Hodes put it, “When you have the important things in life, you have to realize it.” She is “thankful for a wonderful life,” she added, and that sense of gratitude plus her “decent health,” she says, “sustains me and keeps me going.”
Other things they learned growing up in a large family were how to speak up for themselves, get along with others and surmount conflict. All of these helped them become “better people,” according to the elder sister.
Although work is generally considered today as a begrudged necessity so life can be enjoyed outside the job, it was something the two enjoyed very much. “It’s satisfying to “make full use of your talents,” Hodes said. “It makes life so much pleasanter.”
For her part, Sweedler was an amateur actress in local theater. Although not religious, she was also “very active” in her synagogue, she said, and in several Jewish organizations.
Connecting with others is of prime importance as well. Both loved their (now-deceased) husbands and families, with Sweedler saying “Nothing is better than a good marriage.” She talks regularly with other residents in her Connecticut nursing home, as she “loves people” and likes to “have an up-to-date conversation about what’s going on in the world.”
Hodes, who is 800 miles away in a similar facility in North Carolina, is “always” interested in other people’s stories and backgrounds, being of a curious cast of mind – which also keeps her mentally active, she pointed out.
Acknowledging that physical fitness was an important factor in aging well, they both pointed out that going simple worked fine for them. Even after she married, Hodes had to save money when she could, and walking “was the cheapest thing you could have that I enjoyed.” While striding for several miles a day is beyond them now, both sisters make sure to take a walk regularly, whether indoors or out.
“Keep your body in good shape and your mind in good shape,” Sweedler summed it up. “Then you’ve got it made.”
The post Jewish centenarian sisters know what it takes to have happy and mentally sharp lives appeared first on World Israel News.
Fires in the Streets of France Illustrates Anger over Pension Reforms
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Tens of thousands expected at pro-judicial reform march in Tel Aviv
Supporters of judicial reform and right-wing government will demonstrate in Tel Aviv, tens of thousands expected to participate.
By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News
Supporters of the right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the proposed changes to Israel’s judicial system will hold a large demonstration in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening.
Tens of thousands of Israelis are expected to take part in the march.
The “Liberty March,” organized in part by Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu, encourages those who voted for the current coalition to take to the streets and make their voices heard, after weeks of left-wing protests and an apparently illegal labor strike left the country paralyzed.
Maor Tzemach, CEO of the Your Jerusalem NGO, told World Israel News that his organization will be participating in the march.
“In the anti-judicial reform protests, we see a lot of danger regarding the definition of Israel as a Jewish State, which could lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state and the division of Jerusalem,” Tzemach told WIN.
“It’s important for us to participate in the [pro-judicial reform protests] to safeguard the security of Jerusalem, because we are very restricted right now by liberal courts and bias in the justice system. Currently, there are laws which are meant to keep Jerusalem united and reinforce sovereignty in the city, which can’t be passed.
“We call on everyone who supports judicial reform to come to the protest.”
A promotional video for the march notes that in recent weeks, left-wing protesters have “closed [the streets], burned, and put the country on strike. And we’ve been sitting with our arms crossed, doing nothing.”
The video urged citizens “from the right-wing camp” to join the march “in the heart of ‘the State of Tel Aviv,’” a term that is used to describe the liberal enclave as disconnected from the majority of Israel.
The route of the protest march was approved by police in advance, unlike numerous left-wing demonstrations that have seen Ayalon Highway blocked.
Marchers will meet at the Tel Aviv Museum at 7 p.m. After several activists will speak, the march will continue on Kaplan Street, where left-wing protesters have staged Saturday evening demonstrations since Netanyahu’s return to power in December 2022.
The post Tens of thousands expected at pro-judicial reform march in Tel Aviv appeared first on World Israel News.
We expect Tories to re-hash failed anti-social behaviour laws. Why is Labour?
Video: Dr. McCullough US Senate: To Save Lives Pull the COVID-19 Vaccines Off the Market
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