Treasury Secretary Jack Lew never mentioned “Palestine,” “Palestinians,” occupation, settlements, or even the two-state solution in his speech yesterday; and still he got booed and heckled at an Israeli-organized event in New York city.
“In the summer of 1967 I cast my fate to the wind and hitchhiked from Paris to Jerusalem hoping to live on an Israeli kibbutz, but a caprice of fate found me welcomed and married into a Palestinian family within weeks of my arrival in East Jerusalem, Jordan.” — Iris Keltz reflects on the 48th anniversary of the 1967 war in an excerpt from her forthcoming book, ‘Unexpected Bride in the Promised Land.’
Sarah Levy reports from the ISDEF 2015 weapons expo in Tel Aviv: “After sitting through presentations about the latest in robotic warfare, thermo-vision technology, and “rooster” drones–complete with drone demos–I make my way to the live demo of ‘urban warfare.’ This consists of three soldiers making their way through sand scattered on the convention floor and then bursting into a mock Palestinian house, while a man in a suit and tie narrates their escapades — ‘Now they’re making their way through the neighborhood…wearing gear from Regatta, Surefire, and TL5…They bust into the home! One is shooting out the window–with his Accelerator M16 from IMI Defense and weapons accessories from CAA–while his partner keeps an eye on the door, using his night-vision system from Ogara and laser from Steiner-Optik…Man down! It looks like he’s been shot! Badly! In the leg!…Now they’re carrying him away in a stretcher made by ACS.'”
Are Israeli leaders rational when it comes to the boycott movement? The people behind BDS are “the people responsible for 9/11, for the terror attacks in Madrid and London, and for the 250,000 people already killed in Syria,” Yair Lapid, an Israeli centrist opposition leader, tells a NY synagogue.
Ynet reports: Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with several officials over the weekend regarding the possible plans of action to combat BDS. The talks included Strategic Affairs and Information Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office’s purview includes fighting BDS, as well as other officials from relevant ministries. Netanyahu and Erdan agreed that his office will receive at least NIS 100 million, most of which will go to fighting BDS. Erdan’s office will also receive 10 new positions for employees who will deal solely with the boycott and de-legitimization activities against Israel. The minister mentioned that he is flooded with calls from Jewish leaders from across the globe, who want to join the effort against BDS.
Further signs of the crisis in Israel’s international reputation. Yair Lapid is the former Israeli…
Netanyahu seems besieged by BDS. And vows to attack Gaza if he wants to: “The spreading hypocrisy in the world will not tie our hands.” Is a crisis approaching?
Sheldon Adelson is mounting an attack on BDS campaign this weekend in Las Vegas. Attacks from opponents will not succeed in intimidating BDS advocates, or in denying Palestinians their freedom.
Who says the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign isn’t having an effect? Page 7 of the New York Times today is the Boycott Israel page. Though one article irresponsibly portrays BDS as a threat to Jews, leaving out the sizable support among Jews for the campaign
Silwan in East Jerusalem is being ethnically cleansed, to make way for Jewish settlers. Two Palestinian families were brutally attacked by Israeli police, Electronic Intifada reports