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DAILY ALERT

Thursday,
July 14, 2022

In-Depth Issues:

Palestinian Factions Reject Biden's Middle East Visit, Call for Protests (Xinhua-China)
Multiple Palestinian factions and activists have voiced their rejection of U.S. President Joe Biden's visit and called for protests in the West Bank and Gaza.
Maher Mezher, a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Gaza, said that Biden's visit aims to strengthen the U.S. grip on the region, warning against false promises by the U.S.

Iran to Send Hundreds of Drones to Russia for Use in Ukraine - Joby Warrick (Washington Post)
"The Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs, on an expedited timeline," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan revealed Monday.

UN to Review Reports of Torture by Palestinian Government - Matan Kogen (Jewish Insider)
The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) - a subsidiary of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) - convened Tuesday in Geneva to investigate instances of enforced disappearances, violent interrogations and the holding of the remains of Israeli soldiers by the Palestinians.
"For the first time ever, the Palestinian Authority will come under scrutiny at the United Nations for its record on torture," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.

Israel to Send New Batch of Defensive Equipment to Ukraine - Emanuel Fabian (Times of Israel)
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday approved a new shipment of aid to Ukraine's emergency services, including 1,500 helmets, 1,500 protective vests, hundreds of mine protection suits, 1,000 gas masks and dozens of hazmat filtration systems.

Unprecedented Inflation Hammers Iran - Ali Dadpay (Al-Monitor)
The Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) reported a monthly inflation rate of 12.2% and a yearly rate of 52.5% for the Iranian month ending June 21.
This means an Iranian family lost 10% of its shopping power within this 30-day period and is paying 50% more for the same products compared to spring 2021. One wonders if Iranian consumers can hold on much longer.
The writer is an associate professor of finance at Gupta College of Business, University of Dallas.

Israel and Saudi Arabia's Secretive Relationship - Bruce Riedel (Brookings Institution)
Saudi Arabia has a long history of clandestine cooperation with Israel against mutual enemies.
In the early 1960s, when both supported the Royalists in Yemen against the Egyptian and Soviet-backed Republican government in Sana'a, their intelligence services coordinated the delivery of weapons and expertise to the Royalists.
The 1993 Oslo agreement facilitated more behind-the-scenes contacts.
The writer is a senior fellow and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project.

U.S.: Key Islamic State Leader Killed in Syria Drone Strike - Karoun Demirjian (Washington Post)
Maher al-Agal, a top leader of the Islamic State, was killed in a U.S. drone strike Tuesday in northwest Syria, the White House announced.

Video: Rock on the Walls of Jerusalem (Israel Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage-Jerusalem Municipality)
On June 1, 2022, 400 rock musicians and singers came together outside the Old City Walls in Jerusalem to celebrate 55 years of unified Jerusalem with a once-in-a-lifetime performance of "Jerusalem of Gold."

"Jewish Olympics" Kick Off in Israel - Melanie Lidman (Times of Israel)
More than 10,000 participants from 60 countries will descend on Israel over the next two weeks for the 21st Maccabiah Games, the quadrennial "Jewish Olympics" first held in 1932.
U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to attend the opening ceremony in Jerusalem on Thursday evening.

Israel to Bring Prenatal Telehealth to Underserved Palestinian Areas in West Bank - Judy Siegel-Itzkovich (Jerusalem Post)
Sheba Medical Center in Israel has launched a training and health-delivery program for female Palestinian healthcare professionals to provide remote care for pregnant women in the rural Hebron area.
"Our goal...is to provide women with the medical care they need, wherever they are located," said Dr. Avi Tsur, director of Sheba's Women's Health Innovation Center.
"Telemedicine allows us to bridge geographical, political and cultural gaps in the shared vision of optimal health outcomes."

India-Israel Ties Are at an All-Time High - Lev Aran and Yeshaya Rosenman (The Print-India)
30 years after the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, relations between Israel and India have been fundamentally transformed.
Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon noted that agricultural cooperation has resulted in fields that have tripled or quadrupled their yield since adopting Israeli technologies.
There are more Indian students in Israel than from any other foreign country, most doing advanced degrees.

Israeli Innovators Are Busy Solving Problems to Make the World a Better Place - David Suissa (Los Angeles Jewish Journal)
Israel is a country that produces innovation.
From medical care to the environment to artificial intelligence to cybersecurity to green technology to food security to water generation to energy conservation to airport efficiency to countless other areas, Israeli innovations now affect all of humanity.
Why haven't Israel's stunning achievements become a bigger story?
Because the story about what is arguably the world's most useful nation helping humanity disrupts the familiar narrative of a big, bad and guilty Israel.

Saudi Magazine Praises Arab Israelis Who Serve in IDF - Shahar Klaiman (Israel Hayom)
The Saudi magazine Al Majalla, published from London, recently ran a positive cover story about Arab Israelis who serve in the IDF.
"These are...Arabs who chose to volunteer to fight and even sacrifice their lives to defend the State of Israel. These young people, who include women, are proud to be part of the Israeli army."
"One of the young men, A-Raqib Imad, says proudly, 'It's a great honor to hold a weapon in one hand and the Quran in the other to defend my homeland, Israel.'"
Alaa Hassan Kaabia, who spent two decades in the army and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel, said that in the IDF "there is no discrimination and there is total equality and integration."
"Most of the Arab Israelis who joined the army did so for one reason - they want to be part of the country. They want to integrate into civilian society."

Israel's Elbit to Provide Intelligence Systems to European Country (Globes)
Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems announced Wednesday that it has been awarded a $660 million contract to provide intelligence systems to a European country.

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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:

U.S. President Biden Welcomed in Israel - Peter Baker
At a red-carpet airport ceremony on Wednesday, Isaac Herzog, Israel's president, called President Biden "our brother Joseph," declaring that "you are truly among family."
Biden indicated he wanted to restore traditional Democratic support for Israel. In an interview with Israeli television, he rejected Democrats who have denounced Israel as an apartheid state. "There are a few of them," he told Channel 12 at the White House on Tuesday. "I think they're wrong. I think they're making a mistake. Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel is a friend. And I think that I make no apologies."
Asked if he would use force against Iran to stop it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, he answered, "If that was the last resort, yes."
At Yad Vashem, Biden met with two Holocaust survivors, Rena Quint and Giselle Cycowicz, who were interned at concentration camps and, after the war, emigrated to the U.S. With the two women seated on chairs, Biden knelt to their level, spoke with them for several minutes, clasped their hands and kissed their cheeks. (New York Times)
See also Biden Signs Yad Vashem Guestbook - Gilad Cohen
President Biden signed Yad Vashem's visitor's book on Wednesday, writing: "It is a great honor to be back - back to my emotional home. We must never, ever forget because hate is never defeated - it only hides. We must teach every emerging generation that it can happen again unless we remember. That is what I teach my children and grandchildren - never forget." (Ynet News)
See also Video: Biden Visits Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Memorial (AP-New York Times)
See also Biden in Israel: "You Don't Need to Be a Jew to Be a Zionist"
President Biden said Wednesday after arriving in Israel: "I say again, you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist. The fact is that, since [my first visit to Israel in 1973], I've known every single Prime Minister and it's been an honor, formed strong working relationships with each of them. And now, this is my 10th visit. Every chance to return to this great country, where the ancient roots of the Jewish people date back to biblical times, is a blessing, because the connection between the Israeli people and the American people is bone deep." (White House)
Israel and U.S. Announce Strategic Partnership on Advanced Technology
On Wednesday, the U.S. and Israel launched the Strategic High-Level Dialogue on Technology, tasked with establishing a technological partnership on critical and emerging technologies and solutions to global challenges: pandemic preparedness, climate change, trustworthy artificial intelligence, and trusted technology ecosystems. Its purpose is to boost mutual innovation ecosystems, deepen bilateral engagements, advance and protect critical and emerging technologies, and address geostrategic challenges. (White House)
ISIS Planned Chemical Attacks in Europe - Joby Warrick
In 2014, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi recruited Salih al-Sabawi, a Russian-trained Iraqi engineer who had once helped President Saddam Hussein build his extensive arsenal of chemical weapons. U.S. officials learned that Sabawi was working to produce powerful new weapons using highly lethal botulinum toxin and ricin, while also pursuing plans to make weaponized anthrax. His intention, U.S. officials said, was to create a large stockpile of chemical and biological agents to be used in military campaigns as well as in terrorist attacks against the major cities of Europe.
Later that year, Sabawi came under continuous surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies, assisted by Iraqi Kurdish operatives. Pentagon officials decided to eliminate Sabawi before he had a chance to build bigger and better weapons. In January 2015, Sabawi was driving home from work when a U.S. aircraft, most likely a drone, fired a missile that struck his vehicle, killing him. Other strikes targeted Sabawi's small network of labs and production centers. (Washington Post)

News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:

U.S.-Israel Joint Declaration Backs Israel's Security - Jacob Magid
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid will sign a joint declaration on Thursday that includes the administration's backing for extending the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on defense aid signed in 2016 under the Obama administration when Biden was vice president, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. The two countries will also commit to never allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. The statement expresses support for the Abraham Accords and Israel's integration in the region. It also highlights shared concerns over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Biden is seen to have largely deprioritized the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on his foreign policy agenda. While he expressed support for a two-state solution upon his arrival in Israel, he added, "I know it's not [feasible] in the near term." (Times of Israel)
U.S., PA Fail to Bridge Differences, Will Make Separate Statements after Biden's Visit to Bethlehem - Jack Khoury
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President Joe Biden will give separate statements in Bethlehem on Friday, after their representatives were unable to agree on the wording of a summary statement, Palestinian sources said. (Ha'aretz)
Israelis View the Biden Visit - Seth J. Frantzman
Israeli radio commentators were gushing with excitement about the visit of U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday. A U.S. presidential visit is a big deal in Israel. When the Biden administration came to office, some expressed concern that it might rush into a new Iran deal and have tensions with Israel and also downplay the Abraham Accords. These concerns were wrong. The new administration is building on the frameworks of the new normalization deals. There is no return to the negativism of the Obama years, when some in D.C. were pushing for the U.S. to work with Iran and ditch Israel and Saudi Arabia. (Jerusalem Post)
Israel Okays West Bank Construction for Palestinians Ahead of Biden's Visit - Hagar Shezaf
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday approved several confidence-building measures for Palestinians in the West Bank, a day before U.S. President Joe Biden's arrival in Israel. The measures include allowing 5,500 Palestinians with no legal status to be added to the Palestinian population registry, on top of the 12,000 previously approved. Gantz also approved six master plans for Palestinian construction in the West Bank.
In addition, the number of Gazans allowed into Israel for work will increase by 1,500 to a total of 15,000. A new crossing will also be opened in the northern West Bank to allow for Israeli Arabs to reach the city of Jenin more easily. (Ha'aretz)

Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:

Iran

The U.S. Needs a New Plan for Iran - Ariel E. Levite
The Biden administration has opted for a conciliatory approach to lure Iran back into the nuclear deal. It has endlessly reiterated its eagerness to go back into the deal and demonstrated a remarkable capacity to look the other way on Iran's gross sanctions evasion and regional mischief. The Biden team went along with Iran's consistent refusal to talk directly to U.S. officials, procrastination in the negotiations, and additional nuclear transgressions, and failed to insist that Iran should cap its nuclear progress during the negotiations.
Unsurprisingly for anyone familiar with "bazaar-style" negotiations with seasoned Iranian diplomats, 18 months of fruitless negotiations have yielded no deal, allowing a bad situation to deteriorate further. Getting all or even most of the JCPOA's original benefits in checking the Iranian nuclear program is no longer possible. Iran's enrichment has already marched too far ahead to be effectively rolled back. Making headway requires a new U.S. strategy toward Iran combining carrots, coercion, and deterrence.
The writer, former deputy director general for policy at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and head of the Bureau of International Security and Arms Control in the Israel Ministry of Defense, is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (National Interest)
In Iran: A Wave of Arrests of the Regime's Sharpest Critics - Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael Segall
After changes in the top leadership of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization, the regime is stepping up its repression of its critics. Among those arrested was Mostafa Tajzadeh, former deputy interior minister in President Hatami's government who was previously arrested in 2009 and incarcerated for seven years in Tehran's infamous Evin Prison for his involvement in the Green Revolution.
Others arrested included internationally renowned filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-e-Ahmad, who issued a call (signed by 70 other Iranian filmmakers and movie-industry employees) for members of Iran's security services to refrain from assailing citizens demonstrating in the city of Abadan over a building collapse on May 23, 2022, that killed 41 people. (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
Does Iran Have Biological Weapons? - Maya Carlin
The Iranian regime has not admitted to ever possessing biological or chemical weapons. Biological weapons can be easily concealed due to many of the components having dual-use purposes as well as limited necessary equipment. At the end of the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war in 1988, reports linking Iran to its potential pursuit of biological weapons emerged.
British and U.S. intelligence sources divulged that Iran was attempting to produce mycotoxins by purchasing new strains of fungus from the Netherlands and Canada in 1989. One year earlier, speaker of Iran's parliament and future president Hashemi Rafsanjani stated that "we should fully equip ourselves in defense and offensive use of chemical, bacteriological and radiological weapons."
A 1998 New York Times report detailed Iran's attempts to secure former-Soviet scientists who were employed by Moscow's vast germ warfare program. Over a dozen of the scientists targeted by Iran recall being specifically asked "to help Tehran make biological weapons."
In 1996, the Central Intelligence Agency concluded that "Iran holds some stocks of biological agents and weapons. Tehran probably has investigated both toxins and live organisms as biological warfare agents. Iran has the technical infrastructure to support a significant biological weapons program." In 2003, a Washington Post report outlined Iran's production of weaponized anthrax and other pathogens.
The writer is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy. (1945)

An Israel-Arab Regional Defense Alliance

How Israel and Saudi Arabia Plan to Down Iranian Drones Together - Anshel Pfeffer
The regional defense alliance that Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has been talking about has actually been in existence for a while now. The U.S Central Command (CENTCOM) has been coordinating the response to air-defense threats for U.S. allies in the region over the past year, as Israel became part of CENTCOM's region in early 2021.
At this stage, the joint operation relies on existing sensors and interception systems already in use by countries in the region, as well as those deployed by the U.S. These include the X-band radar in the Negev Desert and ship-borne Aegis combat systems in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Working through CENTCOM makes it possible to "fuse" the variety of electronic information gleaned by the various sensors, creating a real-time picture of airborne threats in the region and intercepting them. The urgency in creating such a framework grew out of the successful Iranian drone and cruise missile attacks in recent years on oil installations, cities and military bases in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The efficacy of the new framework was evident in February, when explosive-laden Iranian drones on their way to targets in Israel were intercepted by American fighter jets in Iraqi airspace. A year earlier, in March 2021, Israeli F-35s shot down Iranian drones over other countries in the region. (Ha'aretz)
As Defense Ties with Arab Countries Strengthen, Israel to Sell Drones and Anti-Drone Systems to Bahrain - Dion Nissenbaum
In Bahrain, an Israeli naval officer works with Bahraini and American officials trying to contain Iran's military ambitions. In Morocco, Israeli soldiers recently played a role in America's largest regular military exercise in Africa. Israeli sailors have trained with Arab counterparts in the Red Sea. Israeli and Arab military officials confer together at U.S. Central Command - the American military hub for the Middle East.
Gen. (ret.) Joseph Votel, who served as head of CENTCOM, said, "Israel has the potential to raise the game of all the Arab Gulf partners by virtue of their seriousness, proficiency and innovativeness." In recent months, Bahrain has been working with Israel's Mossad and the Israel Security Agency to train its own intelligence officers. Israel has also agreed to provide Bahrain with both drones and antidrone systems. In 2021, 7% of Israel's military sales went to Abraham Accords countries. (Wall Street Journal)
Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia: Israel-Saudi Normalization "Inevitable" - Joyce Karam
Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Joseph Westphal told The National on Monday that the normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel is "absolutely coming and it's inevitable." "You'll see more and more Saudi Arabia and Israel coming together and [establishing] diplomatic relations."
Westphal added that the U.S. plays a unique role in the security of the region. "We have to step up. We can't say we're going to protect the sovereignty of a country and then when they get attacked, we don't do anything, which is what happened when the Iranians bombed Aramco [in 2019]." (The National-Abu Dhabi)

Palestinians

As Biden Visits, Palestinians Reminded of Their Descent into Autocracy - Shira Rubin
When President Biden visits Bethlehem on Friday, he will arrive in a region that has descended deeper into autocracy. Biden will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, 86, the deeply unpopular president who has stretched his four-year term into a 17-year stint thanks to canceled elections. Palestinian security forces crack down on dissent in any form. The Biden administration has restored $500 million in financial aid to the Palestinians that was cut off by President Trump.
Omar Abu Habib, 32, from the West Bank village of Salfit, said the two-state solution Biden supports, in which an independent Palestinian state would be established alongside Israel, is "impossible." "The only solution is for all the Jews to go," referring to the land that includes Israel, "and to do that, we need armed resistance, like in Gaza." According to the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, only 28% of Palestinians support a two-state solution and 55% would welcome a return of confrontations between Israel and the Palestinians. (Washington Post)
Why Arabs Are Fed Up with the Palestinians - Khaled Abu Toameh
Most of the Arab countries long ago turned their backs on the Palestinians and they can only blame themselves for ruining their relations with the rest of the Arab world. It is ironic that while the EU and the Biden administration continue to talk about providing financial aid to the Palestinians, the Arab countries offer a lot of lip service but, with the exception of Algeria, channel hardly any money to the PA treasury. Consequently, for the past few decades the Palestinians have become almost entirely dependent on American and European taxpayer money.
Arab financial aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has dropped by 90% in the past few years. Moreover, the Palestinian Islamic-Christian Committee for the Support of Jerusalem and the Holy Sites has warned of a "dangerous and unprecedented decline" in the level of financial support provided by a number of Arab countries to Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem.
The Arabs are clearly not as naive as the Americans and Europeans, who are continuing to pour millions of dollars annually on the Palestinians without conditions and without demanding accountability. Had the Palestinians welcomed the many peace accords between Israel and the Arab states instead of condemning them and bad-mouthing the Arab leaders, they would have been in a much better situation today. (Gatestone Institute)
No More Palestinian Authority "Pay to Slay" - Sander Gerber and Michael Koplow
During his visit to Israel and the West Bank, President Biden must make clear that for the PLO mission in Washington to reopen, the Palestinians must stop paying terrorists, and families of terrorists, who have attacked Israelis. Congress in 2018 passed the bipartisan Taylor Force Act, prohibiting U.S. assistance to the West Bank that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority. Congress also linked the reopening of the PLO mission to the abandonment of the policy informally called "pay to slay." Having a system of payments pegged to the extent of the violence inflicted is a moral stain on the Palestinian Authority.
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs reported that in 2018, the PA spent $344 million to pay 37,500 martyrs and prisoners and only $205 million to support 118,000 welfare recipients. The PA should repeal its pay-to-slay law and build a social safety net open to everyone based solely on need. A legitimate social-welfare system must not encourage violence.
Mr. Gerber is a member of the board of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Mr. Koplow is chief policy officer of the Israel Policy Forum. (Wall Street Journal)
Former Kuwaiti Minister: Palestinian Suffering Due to Their Own Leadership
Former Kuwaiti Information Minister Sa'ad Bin Tefla Al-Ajmi wrote in the Saudi daily Independent Arabia on July 8, 2022: For the Palestinians, "the models of heroism in the region, whom they wish to emulate, are people like Saddam Hussein and Qassem Soleimani. The former occupied Kuwait, calling this a step towards liberating Palestine, and the latter claimed that his country had taken over Iraq, Syria and Lebanon as a step towards liberating Jerusalem. We are all familiar with the destruction inflicted by Saddam Hussein on the entire [Arab] nation....As for Iran, innocent blood continues to flow in the countries it has taken over in the name of resistance and liberating Jerusalem."
"Opposing Hamas in Gaza, or the PA in the West Bank, can result in disaster and loss, torture and death....According to independent investigations, 57 Palestinian activists have been tortured to death in the PA prisons and in Hamas' prisons in Gaza. Human Rights Watch likewise states that the PA and Hamas systematically employ torture in their prisons. As for corruption, it has even reached the point of [stealing the international] aid money that is intended for the needy."
"The number of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship [i.e., Israeli Arabs] is currently 1.5 million....How many of these Palestinians have given up their Israeli citizenship in favor of a Palestinian one since the signing of the Oslo Accords [and the forming of the Palestinian Authority] in 1993? The answer is: not even one." (MEMRI)
"Gestures" to the Palestinians Will Not Bring Peace - Bassam Tawil
On the eve of President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East, Israel is once again being asked by the U.S. to make "gestures" to the Palestinian Authority. The PA, of course, is not being required by the Americans to make any "gestures" to rein in terrorism, stop incitement against Israel, or halt payments to families of terrorists.
The U.S. should understand that previous "gestures" made by Israel did not contribute to peace and stability in the region, and did not advance any peace process between the Israel and the Palestinians. On the contrary, Israeli "gestures," such as the release of terrorists from prison and the removal of checkpoints, have been interpreted by the Palestinians as signs of weakness.
The Palestinian Authority has done almost nothing to disarm the terror groups operating under its control in the West Bank, especially in Jenin and Nablus. Forcing Israel to make concessions to the PA and rewarding the PA for bad behavior will only embolden the extremists among the Palestinians. (Gatestone Institute)

Other Issues

Israeli Daily Reviews New York Times' Israel Coverage - Chaim Lax
On July 9, 2022, the Israeli daily Ma'ariv reviewed the New York Times' coverage of Israel during the first half of 2022. It found that Israel received 832 mentions, far more than Turkey (619), Iran (518), Syria (498), Hamas (37), and Hizbullah (22). Of the 118 pieces written about Israel, 53% portrayed Israel in a negative light, 34% were neutral, and only 13% were positive. There were almost no negative articles about the Palestinians, Hamas, or Hizbullah.
The review also noted 204 Israel-related stories that the Times did not mention at all, including 124 that were concerned with Palestinian terror, incitement, and violence against Israelis; 64 that dealt with Palestinian Authority and Hamas corruption and cruelty towards Palestinians; and six that focused on Israel's growing relations with neighboring Arab countries. (Algemeiner)

Anti-Semitism

American Jewish Groups Denounce Presbyterian Church for Calling Israel an Apartheid State - Yonat Shimron
On July 8, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) general assembly voted 266-116 to approve a resolution that stated: "Israel's laws, policies, and practices constitute apartheid against the Palestinian people." It also voted to add May 15 to the church calendar as a day of mourning the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 when Israel was created.
The Jewish Federations of North America responded: "Jewish Federations are not surprised by the latest anti-Semitic action taken by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in its vote to adopt a resolution calling Israel an apartheid state. There was a time when their words mattered. That time is long gone."
"It's a tragedy," said Rabbi Noam E. Marans, director for interreligious and intergroup relations for the American Jewish Committee. "Presbyterians and Jews in the pews need and want each other in order to address the issues that are most challenging in America today. This prevents that from happening." (Religion News Service)

Observations:

Jews Can No Longer Afford to Tolerate the Erasure of Our Identity - Karen Lehrman Bloch (JNS)

Last year, there were nearly 3,000 anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S., an increase of 34% over 2020. This is mirrored in the daily incidents on campus involving blatantly anti-Israel professors, speakers, students and resolutions. Anti-Semitism's dramatic surge has hitched itself to "Palestinianism," an ideology of lies about the Land of Israel combined with a complete erasure of Jews' Judean identity.
Nerdeen Kiswani of the group Within Our Lifetime recently claimed that Jewish community organizations "are Zionist organizations hiding behind Judaism. So every single organization...is a legitimate target."
Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' San Francisco chapter, said, "We need to pay attention to the Zionist synagogues. They are your enemies."
The New York group Decolonize This Place posted online, "Find targets nearby, find where these Zionist fools live, and where there [sic] offices are, and act!"
Israel is not a "settler, colonial" state occupied by "white Europeans." Jews hail from Judea and are indigenous to the Land of Israel.
Despite centuries of persecution, we have remained a people, a nation, an ethnicity - which is not "white," European or "privileged." Before 1948, the term "Palestinian" referred to Jews.

The writer is editor-in-chief of White Rose Magazine, which hosts the Judean Ethnicity Project to reclaim Judean identity as well as our indigenous ties to the Land of Israel.

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