"Jews constitute less than one-tenth of one percent of Spain's citizenry, and the community maintains a very low profile. Clearly, then, Spaniards' firsthand knowledge of Jews is extremely limited, if not nonexistent. And yet they seem to hate us with unbridled passion."
"And then there was a recent poll commissioned by Spain's Education Ministry, which found that more than 50% of students between 12 and 18 said they would not want to sit next to a Jew in school."
Whereas attention is exclusively focused on Spain, one would be surprise if their Portuguese neighbours didn't feel the same about Jews. The Jewish population in Portugal is reduced to around 1,000-1,200 individuals ... worse than Spain. (See here, here and here)
Source: article in TJP
Ask Jews which country they consider to be the European hotbed of anti-Semitism, and you will probably get a variety of responses. Some will no doubt invoke Poland and Germany, in light of the Holocaust, while others will insist that France has become the home of modern anti-Jewish sentiment on the continent. Still others may argue that the Swiss or the Hungarians are competitive candidates for this dubious distinction.
And yet, if three recent studies and a host of nasty incidents are any indication, then the top spot, as it were, would belong to Spain, which is far and away the most rabidly anti-Semitic country in Europe.
Last fall, the Pew Global Attitudes Project published a wide-ranging study on how Jews and Muslims are viewed in various countries. It found that 46 percent of all Spaniards hold negative views of Jews - by far the highest percentage recorded in any non-Muslim country. The runners-up, Russia and Poland, trailed Spain by 10 or more percentage points.
Pew also found that Spain was the only country in Europe where the percentage of those holding negative opinions of Jews exceeded those with a positive view, with just 37% of Spaniards viewing Jews favorably. By contrast, 50% of Poles, 64% of Germans and 73% of Brits have positive views of Jews.
Ample evidence supporting Pew's findings could be found in a study released in February by the Anti-Defamation League on "Attitudes Toward Jews in Seven European Countries." It revealed that more than half of those surveyed in Spain embrace classical anti-Semitic stereotypes regarding Jewish power, loyalty and money.
And then there was a recent poll commissioned by Spain's Education Ministry, which found that more than 50% of students between 12 and 18 said they would not want to sit next to a Jew in school.
No matter how one looks at these figures, they are indisputably harsh, and signify that anti-Semitism in Spain is profound and deeply-rooted.
WHAT MAKES this phenomenon even more troubling is the fact that there are so few Jews in Spain. With just 20,000 out of a population of some 40 million, Jews constitute less than one-tenth of one percent of Spain's citizenry, and the community maintains a very low profile. Clearly, then, Spaniards' firsthand knowledge of Jews is extremely limited, if not nonexistent. And yet they seem to hate us with unbridled passion.
Events in recent months have unfortunately borne this out. In May, Israeli Ambassador Rafi Shotz was a victim of Spanish anti-Semitism. While walking home after attending a soccer game in Madrid, he was accosted by three men who hurled a torrent of anti-Semitic slurs his way, calling him a "Jewish dog" and "dirty Jew."
In mid-January, the windows of Barcelona's Chabad house were smashed by unknown perpetrators, who sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti on the building. Two weeks later, a man wielding a baseball bat was apprehended after striking a Barcelona synagogue and then attacking one of its employees.
And then, of course, there was the outrageous decision earlier this year by Judge Fernando Andreu of Spain's National Court to investigate senior Israeli defense officials for the 2002 assassination of senior Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh. The Spanish parliament later took steps to rein in this judicial adventurism.
Various reasons have been offered in an attempt to explain Spain's rising intolerance. These include deep-seated prejudices rooted in the medieval anti-Semitism of the Catholic Church, the rising political power of the far Left which is hostile to Israel, as well as the Spanish media's unbalanced and often biased coverage of the Middle East.
BUT MORE IMPORTANT, perhaps, than the causes behind this phenomenon is the perennial question: What can be done about it? A key part of the answer may lie with the Bnei Anousim (Hebrew for "those who were coerced") - the descendants of Jews who were forcibly converted to Catholicism centuries ago yet continued to cling to their Jewish identity.
Because of their personal background and historical connection with the Jewish people, many Bnei Anousim feel a strong affinity toward Israel. As citizens of Spain, they are perfectly positioned to serve as goodwill ambassadors for the Jewish state, and many of them are more than willing to do so.
Take, for example, Rafael Perez of Zaragoza. He launched a popular Web site in Spanish, Kolisraelorg.net, which promotes Israel and its cause in Spain's often hostile cyberspace. Others, such as Dr. Itzhak Kalafi and his wife Nuria Guash in Barcelona, blog about Israel and work to counter anti-Zionist propaganda in the local press.
Nevertheless, Israel has yet to make use of their talents and commitment. For reasons known only to itself, the Foreign Ministry has done little to reach out to Bnei Anousim, despite their readiness to help. This oversight is a grave mistake. It is simply unthinkable that Israel would fail to tap into this natural pool of support, especially when the overall atmosphere among the Spanish public is so dour.
Clearly, Spain's Jewish problem will not go away overnight. Indeed, 500 years may have passed since it expelled its Jews, but the country still seems to have trouble tolerating even a small Jewish presence.
But that doesn't mean that more cannot be done to improve the situation, and reaching out to the Bnei Anousim seems like a good place to start.
The writer serves as chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), a Jerusalem-based group that reaches out to the Bnei Anousim in Spain, Portugal and South America.
- Spain to limit judges' jurisdiction; includes probe against Israelis
- Hay una carta para Zapatero (Desde Sefarad)
- EU-funded Palestinian NGO leading the 'Spanish inquisition'
- 46 per cent of Spanish have a negative/very negative view of Jews (52 percent in Spain have a negative view of Muslims)
- Catalunya government: a Palestinian holocaust is taking place
- Spanish and Basque NGOs Join Palestinians and AIC in Boycott conference
- Spain : a pacifist country but ... an arms exporter
- Spanish unique expertise on Jewish bankers' genealogy
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Monday, 1 June 2009
Norway: Mosque visited by Queen connected to Jamaat-e-Islami
The imam who on Monday received a visit from queen Sonja herself, has participated in the blessing of suicide actions targeting all adult Israelis. Mehboob-ur-Rehman is an imam in the Islamic Cultural Center, which this week received a celebrity from the royal family, in connection with the opening of an art exhibition.
Rehman is an honorary member of the European Fatwa Council, which as late as in 2003 declared a fatwa stating that suicide actions are actions which "please Allah" and that all adult Israelis are legitimate targets.
"The acts of martyrdom which the Palestinians carry out in their resistance fight against the Zionist occupation may not be reckoned as illegal terrorism, even though there should be innocent civilians among the victims" the fatwa declares, according to the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews
-------------------------------------------
The Islamic Cultural Center mosque has never hidden where they get their ideological inspiration: from Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, an organization considered to be an extreme group on the extremist side of the religious and political landscape.
When the Norwegian royal family wanted to visit a Muslim community in Norway for the first time ever on Monday, they chose the Islamic Cultural Center. It's unclear if Queen Sonja was aware of the links between the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo and religious extremist groups in Pakistan.
Spokesperson at the palace Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen says that the Queen was there after having received an invitation to open an exhibition, and added that generally that Royal family doesn't comment on the reasons for their appearances.
Per Sandberg, Deputy head of the Frp (Progress Party), thinks the royal family can naturally visit whomever they want. But, he says, he would have wished the queen didn't legitimize a mosque with radical attitudes. She could have visited a mosque with moderate points of view. It's a paradox that so many Muslims in Norway follow radical movements within Islam after they come to Norway.
Laila Bokhari, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, says that Jamaat-e-Islami is a fundamentalist and conservative movement. One of the movement's top leaders, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, is, at best, unclear about his attitude towards al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, according to Bokhari. Ahmad was invited by the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo in 2004 to give a speech.
Fahrat Taj, originally from Pakistan, is writing a doctoral dissertation on human rights and Islam. She say that the Islamic Cultural Center, via its ideological links to Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, puts itself on the fundamentalist wing. Taj says that in Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami is considered to have connections with al-Qaida. It's typical that Jamaat-e-Islami is now one of three political groups who don't support the army's operations against extremism in the Swat area.
According to the Pakistani press, around 1990 Qazi Hussain Ahmad has several meetings with bin Laden. After the terror attack against the US on September 11, 2001, he said the Jews were responsible. When one of the top leaders of al-Qaeda, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, was arrested in 2003, he was found in the home of then important member of Jamaat-e-Islami. Several experts consulted by Aftenposten emphasize, however, that Jamaat-e-Islami was never a part of bin Laden's terrorist network.
Mehboob ur-Rehman, an imam at the Islamic Cultural Center, sits on the European Fatwa Council headed by Egytpian Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Earlier this year al-Qaradawi congratulated Adolf Hitler for punishing the Jews during WWII.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Aftenposten (Norwegian) and Islam in Europe (English)
See also:
- Norway: Islamic Council rejects Qaradawi
- Oslo: Queen visits mosque
- Oslo: Imam blames 9/11 on US in college lecture
Rehman is an honorary member of the European Fatwa Council, which as late as in 2003 declared a fatwa stating that suicide actions are actions which "please Allah" and that all adult Israelis are legitimate targets.
"The acts of martyrdom which the Palestinians carry out in their resistance fight against the Zionist occupation may not be reckoned as illegal terrorism, even though there should be innocent civilians among the victims" the fatwa declares, according to the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews
-------------------------------------------
The Islamic Cultural Center mosque has never hidden where they get their ideological inspiration: from Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, an organization considered to be an extreme group on the extremist side of the religious and political landscape.
When the Norwegian royal family wanted to visit a Muslim community in Norway for the first time ever on Monday, they chose the Islamic Cultural Center. It's unclear if Queen Sonja was aware of the links between the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo and religious extremist groups in Pakistan.
Spokesperson at the palace Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen says that the Queen was there after having received an invitation to open an exhibition, and added that generally that Royal family doesn't comment on the reasons for their appearances.
Per Sandberg, Deputy head of the Frp (Progress Party), thinks the royal family can naturally visit whomever they want. But, he says, he would have wished the queen didn't legitimize a mosque with radical attitudes. She could have visited a mosque with moderate points of view. It's a paradox that so many Muslims in Norway follow radical movements within Islam after they come to Norway.
Laila Bokhari, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, says that Jamaat-e-Islami is a fundamentalist and conservative movement. One of the movement's top leaders, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, is, at best, unclear about his attitude towards al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, according to Bokhari. Ahmad was invited by the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo in 2004 to give a speech.
Fahrat Taj, originally from Pakistan, is writing a doctoral dissertation on human rights and Islam. She say that the Islamic Cultural Center, via its ideological links to Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, puts itself on the fundamentalist wing. Taj says that in Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami is considered to have connections with al-Qaida. It's typical that Jamaat-e-Islami is now one of three political groups who don't support the army's operations against extremism in the Swat area.
According to the Pakistani press, around 1990 Qazi Hussain Ahmad has several meetings with bin Laden. After the terror attack against the US on September 11, 2001, he said the Jews were responsible. When one of the top leaders of al-Qaeda, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, was arrested in 2003, he was found in the home of then important member of Jamaat-e-Islami. Several experts consulted by Aftenposten emphasize, however, that Jamaat-e-Islami was never a part of bin Laden's terrorist network.
Mehboob ur-Rehman, an imam at the Islamic Cultural Center, sits on the European Fatwa Council headed by Egytpian Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Earlier this year al-Qaradawi congratulated Adolf Hitler for punishing the Jews during WWII.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Aftenposten (Norwegian) and Islam in Europe (English)
See also:
- Norway: Islamic Council rejects Qaradawi
- Oslo: Queen visits mosque
- Oslo: Imam blames 9/11 on US in college lecture
Samson and Delilah in Antwerp: a curious and unattractive interpretation, Sarah Nathan-Whyte
"[...] Samson standing triumphantly above the crowd wrapped in a suicide belt, and it was a frankly nauseating moment to see an Old Testament hero portrayed in this manner."
"The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ..."
"How can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives."
Source: article by Sarah Nathan-Whyte at EJP
ANTWERP (EJP) --- The news that Camille Saint-Saëns opera Samson and Delilah was to be given a new production by an Israeli-Palestinian team in Antwerp caused some interest and a certain amount of disquiet, not to say consternation, amongst the Jewish population of this Belgian city and not entirely without justification.
It was a curious and unattractive interpretation causing a dichotomy between political over-simplification and total confusion. The production was directed by veteran Israeli Omri Nitzan and his Palestinian protegé Amir Nizar Zuabi, the young, polite, good-looking and young man born "on the wrong side of the wall".
To be fair his point of view was easier to understand than that of his Jewish colleague.
What was the idea ? Simply to reverse the ethnicities of the protagonists/antagonists... Samson (Torsten Kerl) becomes a Philistine, Delilah the Jewish princess (Marianna Tarasova). So far, so seemingly simple.
What went wrong? Apart from muddle-headed thinking the staging often verged upon the silly, confusing and, to a non-Gentile audience, disturbing. The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ...
The problems much of the audience had, but not all, were manifold, but the details are too numerous to mention in this interpretation.
The final moments of the opera saw Samson standing triumphantly above the crowd wrapped in a suicide belt, and it was a frankly nauseating moment to see an Old Testament hero portrayed in this manner.
The idea of oppressor versus oppressed is scarcely an original idea, but the result of this ill-conceived production was, almost to be expected in today's political climate, one-sided and left many people bewildered and uncomfortable ... how can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives..
Musically the evening was saved by the orchestral playing led brilliantly by Tomas Netopil.
However, much of the blame for the above must be taken by the Flemish Opera itself for the endless publicity on every page, newsletter and programme showing a young stone-throwing Palestinian child (on stage she is needlessly killed). The opera itself was carried along afterwards by a series of debates and lectures, even a Samson and Delilah weekend.
Other reviewers may have seen this differently, but to this one it felt like a successful propaganda exercise.
See also
- Belgian opera shows Jew raping woman in anti-Israel piece
- Belgian Jews criticize Flanders Opera for staging anti-Israel premiere
- View from America: Eyeless in Antwerp - Intifada at the opera
"The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ..."
"How can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives."
Source: article by Sarah Nathan-Whyte at EJP
ANTWERP (EJP) --- The news that Camille Saint-Saëns opera Samson and Delilah was to be given a new production by an Israeli-Palestinian team in Antwerp caused some interest and a certain amount of disquiet, not to say consternation, amongst the Jewish population of this Belgian city and not entirely without justification.
It was a curious and unattractive interpretation causing a dichotomy between political over-simplification and total confusion. The production was directed by veteran Israeli Omri Nitzan and his Palestinian protegé Amir Nizar Zuabi, the young, polite, good-looking and young man born "on the wrong side of the wall".
To be fair his point of view was easier to understand than that of his Jewish colleague.
What was the idea ? Simply to reverse the ethnicities of the protagonists/antagonists... Samson (Torsten Kerl) becomes a Philistine, Delilah the Jewish princess (Marianna Tarasova). So far, so seemingly simple.
What went wrong? Apart from muddle-headed thinking the staging often verged upon the silly, confusing and, to a non-Gentile audience, disturbing. The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ...
The problems much of the audience had, but not all, were manifold, but the details are too numerous to mention in this interpretation.
The final moments of the opera saw Samson standing triumphantly above the crowd wrapped in a suicide belt, and it was a frankly nauseating moment to see an Old Testament hero portrayed in this manner.
The idea of oppressor versus oppressed is scarcely an original idea, but the result of this ill-conceived production was, almost to be expected in today's political climate, one-sided and left many people bewildered and uncomfortable ... how can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives..
Musically the evening was saved by the orchestral playing led brilliantly by Tomas Netopil.
However, much of the blame for the above must be taken by the Flemish Opera itself for the endless publicity on every page, newsletter and programme showing a young stone-throwing Palestinian child (on stage she is needlessly killed). The opera itself was carried along afterwards by a series of debates and lectures, even a Samson and Delilah weekend.
Other reviewers may have seen this differently, but to this one it felt like a successful propaganda exercise.
See also
- Belgian opera shows Jew raping woman in anti-Israel piece
- Belgian Jews criticize Flanders Opera for staging anti-Israel premiere
- View from America: Eyeless in Antwerp - Intifada at the opera
Friday, 29 May 2009
Concert marks end of Polish Year events in Israel
"The Polish government and the Israeli Postal Company issued a common stamp, featuring the famous Polish Jewish freedom fighter Berek Joselewicz, who commanded the first Jewish military formation in modern history and was a colonel in the Polish army during the uprising of Poland against imperial Russia in the late 18th century."JERUSALEM/WARSAW (EJP)---A Chopin and Gorecki concert performed by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra last Sunday in Jerusalem marked the official end of the Polish Year in Israel.
During the past 14 months a multitude of cultural events, exhibitions, performances and various art projects were presented to the Israeli audience by Polish artists, often in concert with local Israeli talents.
The Polish Year in Israel was a venture of the Polish Ministry of Culture and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinated by the Warsaw-based Adam Mickiewicz Institute, which aims to promote Polish culture abroad.
While the institute promotes Polish culture worldwide, the yearlong event held in Israel was unprecedented in its magnitude, as the Polish government made a special effort to strengthen Poland’s ties with the people of Israel and to present them with a more wholesome view of Poland today.
The opening event, performed in April 2008, was a premiere production of 'Madame Butterfly' directed by Polish Mariusz Trelinski, conducted by Daniel Inbal of the Israeli Opera and performed by various local Israeli talents.
The opening events were attended by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The joint Israeli–Polish productions continued throughout the year featuring some notable names such as the Israeli Habima Drama Company, performing together with the Wspolczesny Theatre from Wroclaw.
The cultural events were enthusiastically received by the Israeli audience, with theatre and opera halls overcrowded with visitors during many of the shows.
To mark the end of the year of events, the Polish government and the Israeli Postal Company issued a common stamp, featuring the famous Polish Jewish freedom fighter Berek Joselewicz, who commanded the first Jewish military formation in modern history and was a colonel in the Polish army during the uprising of Poland against imperial Russia in the late 18th century.
The Sunday’s closing concert was attended by Poland’s first lady Maria Kaczynska.
Further cultural cooperation between Poland and Israel is still to come. Next week, the Biuro Podrozy Polish theatre company from Poznan will perform an extravagant production of 'Macbeth' at the first International Theatre Festival in Tel Aviv.
Source: article by Gigi Luz in EJP
- Polish Year in Israel is on!
- Drawing together - the first Israeli-Polish comic book
- Lublin's archbishop heralds new era of Polish openness to Jews (and Israel?)
Dieudonné’s mixed message to Christians, by Seismic Shock
"Soral sees Serbian Christians as patriots heroically fighting crime and corruption, but sees Algerian Christians as neocons, evangelists, and CIA agents. Gouasmi sees French Christians as the 'Palestinians of France.'"
Source: Seismic Shock
Standpoint Magazine carries an article this month chronicling the severity of antisemitism in the banlieues of Paris and in wider French society, and the attempts of Jewish communities in France to confront this bigotry. The murder of Ilam Halimi, in what appears to be an antisemitic murder, highlights the severity of the situation.
Whilst French Jews, and wider French society, worry about the rise in antisemitism, antisemitic French comedian Dieudonné is claiming that France is controlled by Zionism and Zionist interests.
Dieudonné is leading an "anti-Zionist" list of candidates for the upcoming Euro elections in Ile-de-France, consisting of Far Right Front National members. The French government have tried, and failed, to ban Dieudonné’s party. Dieudonné is linked with Holocaust deniers and the French Far Right.
Dieudonné’s candidates include French sociologist Alain Soral and Yahia Gouasmi, who claims that "behind each divorce, there is a Zionist."
Gouasmi is trying to win Christian votes:
"Christians are strangers in their own homes. They are the Palestinians of France. Christians, wake up!"
Indeed, Dieudonné is winning support across French society. Some Christians, it seems, are taking Gouasmi’s advice:
Francis, who described himself as a "Christian student", joined Dieudonne out of a hatred for "multiculturalism" after deciding he “could no longer identify with the values of French society."
So, does Dieudonné’s anti-Zionist party really care about Christians? Alain Soral, talking about the persecution of Christians in Algeria, claimed:
"… yesterday, Phillipe Val criticized the Catholic Church for not drawing attention what’s happening in Algeria to the so-called "Christians" who are persecuted. But what he didn’t say was that it’s not Catholics who are being persecuted in Algeria, but Christian evangelists who are agents of the CIA; neoconservative agents."
In 2008, BBC News reported that four Algerian converts to Christianity were fined by the state for "worshipping illegally", and BosLifeNews reported the imprisonment of Christians in Algeria and the closure of churches.
Clearly persecution of Christians in Algeria is widespread, yet Soral only sees persecution of 'evangelists', whom he equates with CIA agents. To complicate matters further, Soral bemoans the US involvement in Serbia and praises Serbian "patriots":
Serbia, the first Christian country to have been bombed by a “Christian” coalitian in Europe, since 1945, has still not finished healing its wounds. In the grip of American occupation, Albanian mafia and Saudi money, the Serbian patriots nevertheless continue to resist. Fiercely …
Soral sees Serbian Christians as patriots heroically fighting crime and corruption, but sees Algerian Christians as neocons, evangelists, and CIA agents. Gouasmi sees French Christians as the 'Palestinians of France.'
Dieudonné’s candidates at best present a mixed message about Christians (and consider what kind of message he sends out to Jews and Muslims). Then again, Dieudonné’s campaign isn’t really about any of this – it’s about freeing France from the grip of the Zionists.
Whilst the pro-Palestine movement in France has commendably rejected Dieudonné, it is nevertheless important not to ignore the threat which Dieudonné poses in the upcoming European elections, and to listen carefully to what he is saying and whom he is campaigning with.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Amnesty Anti-Israel Obsession Continues to Undermine Moral Principles
“Amnesty’s publications in the region portray Israel as among the worst human rights violators in the Middle East (second only to Iran). In 2008, Amnesty issued more in-depth reports (9) and “Wire” articles (22) on Israel than any other country.”Amnesty in 2008: Anti-Israel Obsession Continues to Undermine Moral Principles (NGO Monitor)
* In 2008, Amnesty again focused disproportionately on Israel’s response to aggression from Gaza, and led the NGO campaigns accusing Israel of “collective punishment” and “war crimes.”
* Amnesty’s publications in the region portray Israel as among the worst human rights violators in the Middle East (second only to Iran). In 2008, Amnesty issued more in-depth reports (9) and “Wire” articles (22) on Israel than any other country.
* The data indicate that media attention and ideology, in contrast to universal human rights, drive Amnesty’s agenda. Amnesty’s anti-Israel press releases consistently reflect the organization’s role in influencing international public opinion.
* Amnesty International’s 2009 Annual Report (for events in 2008) further demonstrates the NGO superpower’s highly biased approach. Amnesty grossly distorts the conflict, selectively reports events to erase the context of terrorism, ignores human rights issues not consistent with the political agenda, and repeats un-sourced and anecdotal claims.
* Amnesty promotes an overwhelmingly Palestinian narrative of events, blaming Israel for the end of the Gaza ceasefire and the weapons’ smuggling tunnels under the Egyptian border.
* The section on “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories” employs highly exaggerated language and absurd allegations. Amnesty accuses Israel of “unprecedented use of force” in Gaza, “virtual imprisonment,” and bringing the Palestinians to the “brink of human catastrophe,” and charges that “impunity remained the norm for Israeli soldiers.”
Full report here
- Did HRW and Amnesty protest at giving Ahmadinejad a platform at Durban II?
- "Amnesty ... let the Jews down in Durban", Simon Wiesenthal Center
- Amnesty International: Abolishing Israel's Right to Self Defense
- Amnesty’s obsession with Israel
- European NGO Amnesty International: relentless and disproportionate focus on Israeli "violations"
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Is the Consul of Belgium in Jerusalem the only 'diplomat squatter' in the planet ?
"The Belgian Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni claiming that Belgium does not recognize Israel's claim to the villa, basing this on the fact that it had been declared absentee property 60 years ago. The letter said Belgium would be willing to discuss the issue after Israel reaches an accord with the Palestinians over Jerusalem. No such accord is on the horizon."
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Clément Weill-Raynal writes that Léo Peeters, the consul general of Belgium in Jerusalem, is probably the only 'diplomat squatter' in the planet ... (Léo Peeters consul de Belgique à Jérusalem, seul 'diplomate squatter' de la planète: "However, this dispute is only a matter of civil law. But the Belgians continue to argue that they will only pay rent on the day the question of Jerusalem is settled by international agreement and when all the Palestinians who have been dispossessed for sixty years are compensated. The new owner, David Sofer, now claims more than two and a half million euros in arrears. An Israeli court will, within fifteen days, consider the case. But the Belgian Foreign Minister has indicated that no Belgian representative will appear before the Israeli courts.")
--------------------------------------------------
Source: article by Etgar Lefkovits in TJP (Dec. 22, 2008)
A luxurious Jerusalem villa that has served as the residence of the consul general of Belgium since 1948 is at the center of a bitter legal dispute over unpaid rent, Israeli officials said Monday.
The issue, which has drawn in government ministries, could turn into a diplomatic spat.
The story begins in 1948, when the building known as the Salameh Villa in the city's upscale Talbieh neighborhood was declared an absentee property and transferred to control of the Israeli Custodian General.
Considered one of the city's most beautiful structures, it had originally been built for an affluent Christian Arab contractor, Constantine Salameh, whose family apparently signed a rental agreement with the Belgian government around the time of the War of Independence.
The officials said the family received rent for the property during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1983, the Salameh family sold the villa to the State of Israel. The sale was mediated by Israeli businessman David Sofer, who was granted an option to purchase the property, which he did last year.
Multiple attempts by Sofer - and previously by the state - to collect rent from the Belgians went unanswered, the officials said.
"They ignored us, as if we didn't exist," one official involved in the case said, noting that the Belgians were in one of Jerusalem's most desirable villas rent-free.
Earlier this month, Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann acceded to a request by Sofer that he be allowed to sue the Belgian government for nonpayment of rent. Friedmann's permission to bring suit, as well as to seek an eviction, was required under the terms of the sale to Sofer, the officials said. They added that by law, a property owner can claim seven years of back rent, which in this case amounts to around NIS 10 million.
The property, which is surrounded by gardens, is valued at about $15 million. The Belgian Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni claiming that Belgium does not recognize Israel's claim to the villa, basing this on the fact that it had been declared absentee property 60 years ago.
The letter said Belgium would be willing to discuss the issue after Israel reaches an accord with the Palestinians over Jerusalem. No such accord is on the horizon.
Following consultations with the Justice Ministry, Livni responded that the real estate dispute was strictly a legal issue with no political ramifications, the officials said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said Monday that the only reason the ministry had stepped in was because a foreign consulate was involved.
The Belgian consulate general in Jerusalem declined comment on Monday.
--------------------------------------------------
Clément Weill-Raynal writes that Léo Peeters, the consul general of Belgium in Jerusalem, is probably the only 'diplomat squatter' in the planet ... (Léo Peeters consul de Belgique à Jérusalem, seul 'diplomate squatter' de la planète: "However, this dispute is only a matter of civil law. But the Belgians continue to argue that they will only pay rent on the day the question of Jerusalem is settled by international agreement and when all the Palestinians who have been dispossessed for sixty years are compensated. The new owner, David Sofer, now claims more than two and a half million euros in arrears. An Israeli court will, within fifteen days, consider the case. But the Belgian Foreign Minister has indicated that no Belgian representative will appear before the Israeli courts.")
--------------------------------------------------
Source: article by Etgar Lefkovits in TJP (Dec. 22, 2008)
A luxurious Jerusalem villa that has served as the residence of the consul general of Belgium since 1948 is at the center of a bitter legal dispute over unpaid rent, Israeli officials said Monday.
The issue, which has drawn in government ministries, could turn into a diplomatic spat.
The story begins in 1948, when the building known as the Salameh Villa in the city's upscale Talbieh neighborhood was declared an absentee property and transferred to control of the Israeli Custodian General.
Considered one of the city's most beautiful structures, it had originally been built for an affluent Christian Arab contractor, Constantine Salameh, whose family apparently signed a rental agreement with the Belgian government around the time of the War of Independence.
The officials said the family received rent for the property during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1983, the Salameh family sold the villa to the State of Israel. The sale was mediated by Israeli businessman David Sofer, who was granted an option to purchase the property, which he did last year.
Multiple attempts by Sofer - and previously by the state - to collect rent from the Belgians went unanswered, the officials said.
"They ignored us, as if we didn't exist," one official involved in the case said, noting that the Belgians were in one of Jerusalem's most desirable villas rent-free.
Earlier this month, Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann acceded to a request by Sofer that he be allowed to sue the Belgian government for nonpayment of rent. Friedmann's permission to bring suit, as well as to seek an eviction, was required under the terms of the sale to Sofer, the officials said. They added that by law, a property owner can claim seven years of back rent, which in this case amounts to around NIS 10 million.
The property, which is surrounded by gardens, is valued at about $15 million. The Belgian Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni claiming that Belgium does not recognize Israel's claim to the villa, basing this on the fact that it had been declared absentee property 60 years ago.
The letter said Belgium would be willing to discuss the issue after Israel reaches an accord with the Palestinians over Jerusalem. No such accord is on the horizon.
Following consultations with the Justice Ministry, Livni responded that the real estate dispute was strictly a legal issue with no political ramifications, the officials said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said Monday that the only reason the ministry had stepped in was because a foreign consulate was involved.
The Belgian consulate general in Jerusalem declined comment on Monday.
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