BDS Licked!!

 Video Of The Week - UN Abuses its Power to Demonise Israel https://tinyurl.com/mpc6zm8f

Lessons of Ben & Jerry's: Boycotting Israel isn't Low-Risk

For the full article by Emily Schrader go to https://tinyurl.com/5bf87j4v

This past week the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever, made a major announcement effectively nullifying the 2021 decision by the board of Ben & Jerry’s to boycott Israel (and Palestinians) in the West Bank. But while this was absolutely the right economic and moral decision by Unilever, and really should have happened much sooner, it doesn’t mean the war, even over ice cream, is won.

The official response of Ben & Jerry’s again confirmed its opposition to its parent company’s decision, in a stunning display of hypocrisy. The ice cream brand wrote in a tweet, “We are aware of the Unilever announcement. While our parent company has taken this decision, we do not agree with it.... We continue to believe it is inconsistent with Ben & Jerry’s values for our ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Values?  Ben & Jerry’s sells ice cream, not defense technology. Its self-righteous statement also neglects the fact that both Israelis and Palestinians pay the price for the ridiculous policy of boycotting the West Bank. Even more absurd, Unilever operates in Iran, heavily in China, and as of April 2022 was still selling ice cream in Russia while Putin’s forces were committing war crimes on a daily basis.

Ben & Jerry’s has always presented itself as a progressive company, taking positions on many issues within the US, such as police conduct. But Ben & Jerry’s also openly supported the Iran deal – while being silent on the violent oppression of Iranian dissidents.

The company hasn’t issued any statement of condemnation or boycott of China for its ethnic cleansing of Uighur Muslims, its illegal organ harvesting, its oppression of journalists, or its antidemocratic takeover of territories such as Hong Kong. In fact, the company sells ice cream in China. Most recently, Unilever even invested $112 million in a new ice cream factory in China.

Why?  Because Unilever cannot risk upsetting the Chinese Communist Party with how deeply entangled they are. But Israel? Low risk, high social reward – at least in some progressive circles that believe Israel is the be-all and end-all of everything wrong with society.

What Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have now learned, however, is that attempts to boycott Israel are not as low-risk as they may have thought.  In the months following Ben & Jerry’s announcement to boycott selling ice cream over the Green Line, lawsuits were filed over the illegal termination of their contract with Ben & Jerry’s Israel. Additionally, multiple US states, including New York and Illinois (where boycotting Israel is illegal), began divesting pension funds from Unilever in response. Unilever’s stock also paid a heavy price, dropping 25%.

And that is the most important lesson for companies considering taking similar steps to selectively target Israel: It is no longer low-risk to promote antisemitic ideologies in the name of social justice, nor should it be. The economic pressure on Unilever worked because it was forced to, literally, pay the price.

Unfortunately, this won’t be enough to stamp out the antisemitic sentiment behind the BDS movement and the attempts to sanitize and repackage Jew hatred by companies like Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream manufacturer’s response to the entire ordeal demonstrates that it has learned nothing, and will continue to promote misleading ideas of what’s happening in Israel.

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Unprecedented Meeting With Arab States Re Iranian Threat

Video Of The Week -Israel’s Iron Beam Even Better Than Iron Dome - https://tinyurl.com/bpbhk43y

The Wall Street Journal reports that top military officials from Israel, Egypt, Jordan Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as representatives from the U.S., Bahrain and UAE, discussed the shared Iranian threat

Israel took part in a secret, U.S.-initiated meeting of top military officials from throughout the Middle East in Egypt in March in order to discuss combatting the shared threat of Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The talks, held at Sharm El Sheikh, included senior military officers from Israel, Egypt, Jordan and two countries with whom Israel does not have relations: Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain sent officers to the meeting as well, the report said, and Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of the U.S. Central Command, represented the United States, which convened the gathering.

The Wall Street Journal report said that this meeting was the first time that such a range of senior Arab and Israeli officers were gathered by the United States to talk about a shared threat.

According to the report, it was made possible by a series of regional shifts: fears of Iran shared by the states, strengthened ties under the Abraham Accords as well as Arab states’ desire to acquire Israeli arms and defense technology.

Biden's Mideast visit could advance Israel-UAE-Saudi defense alliance

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U.S. lawmakers aim to help integrate Israel, Arab states' air defenses against Iran

The recent attacks by Iran and its proxies against Saudi infrastructure and other targets in the Middle East have prompted the coalition of Israel and a number of Arab countries in the region to develop a joint mechanism for detecting and intercepting missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. 

There has already been security coordination on this matter between the Israeli defense establishment and its peers in some of these countries. This cooperation includes operational coordination, the exchange of relevant intelligence about threats, visits by delegations and joint training between Israeli and foreign air forces.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz told lawmakers last week that what he dubbed the "Middle East Air Defense Alliance" is already operational. "Over the past year I have been leading an extensive program, together with my partners at the Pentagon and in the U.S. administration, that will strengthen the cooperation between Israel and countries in the region," he said, according to an official transcript. "This program is already operative and has already enabled the successful interception of Iranian attempts to attack Israel and other countries."

Part of the United States’ plan to strengthen Israeli military cooperation with other regional states includes air force cooperation "against Iranian attempts to harm countries in the region with rockets, cruise missiles, and drones,” Gantz said.

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Half of UNHRC Members Opposed Action for Victims

 Video Of The Week - Col. Richard Kemp Blasts U.N.'s Pillay Commission https://tinyurl.com/y398td75

For the full Article from UN Watch go to - https://tinyurl.com/bddbnx86

Nearly half the countries on the UN's top human rights body—which the U.S. is now seeking to rejoin, and which opens a 3-week session on Monday, June 21st—are using their membership negatively, opposing instead of supporting action for victims of arbitrary detention, torture and other abuses, according to a new report released by UN Watch. UN Watch's scorecard measured all 47 UN Human Rights Council member states based on their 2020 votes on resolutions concerning victims in such places as Belarus, Burundi, Eritrea, Iran and Yemen, as well on resolutions that define human rights concepts. Thirteen countries were rated as having “Destructive” voting records, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Namibia, Nigeria, Qatar, Senegal and Somalia. Another 10 council members were rated as having “Very Destructive” records, including Eritrea, Mauritania, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sudan and Venezuela. When 60 percent of the UN Human Rights Council is composed of tyrannies and other non-democracies—absurdly, China, Cuba and Russia this year joined existing members such as Libya, Pakistan and Venezuela—it's no surprise that so many use their votes to oppose action against the world’s worst abusers, or to support counterproductive resolutions that legitimize dictatorships and terrorists. Even worse, most of the world’s worst situations of widespread abuse never even come to a vote, with major violators of human rights such as China, Cuba, Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Zimbabwe enjoying complete impunity at the UNHRC, escaping any censure or scrutiny in the form of council resolutions, inquiries or special sessions. Only 24 of the 47 Council members had mixed or positive records. Twelve countries received a “Constructive” score: Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, and Ukraine. These countries contributed constructively to the council’s work between 70% and 89% of the time. Four countries received a “Very Constructive” score: Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Marshall Islands. This means that these countries contributed constructively to the Council’s work more than 90% of the time by supporting key council actions that promoted human rights and democracy, and opposing those that were counterproductive. Eight countries received a “Mixed" score—Argentina, Armenia. Bahamas, Chile, Fiji, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay—meaning that their contribution was positive only some of the time, and they also supported counterproductive council actions or abstained. According to the UN Watch scorecard, more than a third of key council resolutions that were adopted last year were prejudicial and counterproductive. These include two Cuban-led resolutions categorizing Western sanctions on Syria, Russia, Venezuela and other dictatorships as human rights violations, a Chinese-sponsored resolution “promoting mutually beneficial cooperation” which erodes protection of individual rights in deference to “the priorities set by the states concerned,” and a series of resolutions on the Arab-Israel conflict, sponsored by Islamic states, which promote the narrative of Hamas and of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime.

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How Ol' Blue Eyes Tricked the FBI

 Video Of The Week - Secret Saudi Arabia Israeli Talks - https://tinyurl.com/2p9n3x5d 

For the full article by Nati Gabbay go to; https://tinyurl.com/2bt7d4xc 

It was March, 1948 – in a few weeks, the State of Israel would declare its independence.

The Haganah organization was working back channels in order to arm the Jewish population in what was still officially Mandatory Palestine. Fighting was already underway.   At a room in a New York hotel that served as the Haganah’s de-facto local HQ, Teddy Kollek planned his next moves: His mission, on David Ben-Gurion’s orders, was to transfer funds to the captain of an Irish ship, docked not far away and loaded with ammunition. Once the transfer was made, the ship was set to sail to the Land of Israel.  But Kollek, who years later would become famous as an iconic mayor of Jerusalem, faced a difficult problem: as a known Haganah operative, U.S. federal agents were monitoring his every move. Every member of his team was being watched as well. He knew there was no way he could get the money out of the hotel on his own to pay the captain. The fate of the arms delivery the Haganah so desperately needed was unclear.

Next to the Haganah’s secret headquarters, in the very same building, was the famous Copacabana nightclub. Haganah agents would sit at the bar and drink alongside the cream of New York’s entertainment scene. One of the establishment’s frequent visitors was none other than Frank Sinatra.

“I went downstairs to the bar and Sinatra came over, and we were talking,” Kollek later recalled. “I don’t know what came over me, but I told him what I was doing in the United States and what my dilemma was.”

The next day, in the early morning hours, Teddy Kollek left the building holding a bag. FBI agents followed him. At the same moment, Frank Sinatra left out the back exit, carrying a million dollars in a paper bag. He went down to the pier, made the delivery to the captain, and waved goodbye to the ammunition ship as it sailed on its way.

“It was the beginning of the young nation, I wanted to help.” Sinatra later told his daughter Nancy.

Well after Israeli independence was declared, Frank Sinatra would continue to accompany the young country for many years. And everything he did, he did with love. His way.

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Watergen makes Water from Air for Syrian Medical Facility

Video Of The Week - Israel's Watergen makes Water from air for Syrian Refugees - https://tinyurl.com/bdhexcbj 

For the full article from 21c, By Sarah Levi go to - https://tinyurl.com/bdhexcbj 

The first unit, installed last month, provides fresh drinking water to 500 internally displaced people per day. A second unit will soon be installed.

Israeli company Watergen has provided one of its water-from-air generators to a medical facility in the Syrian city of Raqqa in a collaborative partnership with the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees (MFA), a humanitarian organization comprised of faith-based and secular supporters aimed at supplying aid to Syrian refugees.

The ongoing civil war in Syria has left some four million Syrians internally displaced in the country’s northern region where they lack access to clean drinking water, electricity, healthcare and education.

According to UN Security Council report, “people in Syria’s north and northeastern regions remain unable to reliably access sufficient supplies of safe water for reasons both environmental and man-made.”

Raqqa, a former ISIS stronghold, has suffered severe infrastructure damage from Syria’s civil war, along with severe weather conditions that have left the city in need of a sufficient supply of clean drinking water.

Watergen, based in Petah Tikva, manufactures atmospheric water generators that produce clean, fresh drinking water from the moisture in the air without having to connect to a water source. The generators use a standard connection to electricity or solar panels and can produce up to 6,000 liters of drinking water per day.

The generator in Syria is powered by solar energy and was the first of several installed in Raqqa’s medical facility.

According to MFA Executive Director Shafi Martini, “The first unit, installed last month, has been providing fresh drinking water to 500 internally displaced people per day. A second Watergen generator will soon be installed in another area medical facility, and MFA plans to set up additional units in hospitals and schools throughout northern Syria.”

While Israel does not have diplomatic ties with Syria, Watergen President and CEO Michael Mirilashvili said, “Throughout history, conflicts have often been centered around controlling water sources. Today we are doing the opposite: building peace and a common future around a groundbreaking Israeli technology.”

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Israel Signs Free Trade Deal with UAE

 Video Of The Week - Israel to Help Solve Europe’s Energy Shortage - https://tinyurl.com/yckrfs2k 

For the full article from the JPost by LAHAV HARKOV go to https://tinyurl.com/2p84zx99

Ambassador to the UAE Amir Hayek succinctly announced the signing of the agreement on twitter, tweeting "Done!" in response to a previous tweet on the topic.

Israel entered its first-ever free-trade agreement with an Arab state, when Economy Minister Orna Barbivay signed the deal with her counterpart in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

Ambassador to the UAE Amir Hayek succinctly announced the signing of the agreement on Twitter, writing “Done!” in response to a previous tweet on the topic.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised the FTA as “historic” and the fastest to be signed in Israel’s history. He thanked Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed Bin Zayed for accelerating the process.

 “We are continuing to warm the peace between the countries,” Bennett tweeted.

On Monday, Barbivay said her visit to Dubai was “of strategic importance to the economic relations between the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Together we will remove barriers and promote comprehensive trade and new technologies.”

Israel and the UAE established full diplomatic relations in August 2020, in what is called the Abraham Accords. Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco followed soon after.

“Together we will remove barriers and promote comprehensive trade and new technologies,” she added.

Israel and the UAE established full diplomatic relations in August 2020, in what was called the Abraham Accords. Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco followed soon after.

Israel has 19 free agreements, including the one with the UAE. Israel also has a more limited free-trade agreement with Jordan, but the new deal with the UAE is much broader and is similar to those with the United States and the European Union.

The free trade agreement is the UAE’s second, following one with India earlier this year.

This agreement covers 96% of the trade between Israel and the UAE, which stood last year at $885 million.

That is more than double Israel’s $330m. in trade with Egypt in 2021, even though the two countries have had a peace agreement since 1979.

According to the Economy and Industry Ministry, the level of trade in 2020 stood at $120m. and at $1m. in 2010.

The FTA signing went forward as planned, even though the UAE criticized Israel a day earlier for allowing Jews to visit the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.

“The UAE today strongly condemned the storming of al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard by extremist settlers under the protection of Israeli forces,” a statement by the Emirati Foreign Ministry read, calling on Israel “to take responsibility for reducing escalation and ending all attacks and practices that lead to the continuation of tensions.”

There was no documentation of violence by Jews or Israelis on the Temple Mount this week, though some did pray at the site in contravention of the rules for Jewish visitors. Some Muslims threw rocks at visitors and police from the Aqsa Mosque.

The UAE statement came a day after the annual Jerusalem Day flag march through the Old City, which was mostly peaceful, though some Jews and Muslims chanted calls for violence and there were some minor clashes, leading to about 50 arrests.

Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.

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Nakba? Arab Regimes Told "Leave Your Homes"

Video Of The Week -Shireen's Death - "BLAME" Israel - https://tinyurl.com/yt4ss76f

For the full Article by MEMRI go to: https://tinyurl.com/sh4hzaw2

On Nakba Day this year (May 15, 2022), Ibrahim Al-Madhoun, a Gazan journalist affiliated with Hamas, published an article on the Hamas website palinfo.com discussing the reasons for the Nakba and for the situation of the Palestinians today.

The following are translated excerpts from his article:[1]

"We are now marking 74 years since the loss of Palestine and the dispersal of its people across the world in what is known as the Nakba [literally, the catastrophe]. This [is how we refer to it] because of the torments and the [harsh] consequences that have been suffered by every Palestinian for decades, which we could not have imagined would ensue. The Palestinian people is a living people that adheres to its identity and its land, is rebellious by nature, makes sacrifices and is capable of defending its land. However, the loss of Palestine for all this time raises many questions and queries.

"When our parents left their lands, their cities and their homes [in 1948] they left their money, belongings, clothing and jewelry behind, and took with them only the deeds to their homes and their keys, because [they thought] they were leaving only temporarily. Had they realized it would last [longer, even] for a single year, they would have preferred to die in their homes, their orchards and their fields.

"Sadly, the armies of several Arab regimes had a hand in persuading the people and the villages to leave and to abandon their homes, on the pretext of protecting [the villages] and fighting the Zionist gangs. The Palestinians believed and trusted them and the families left, hoping that the Zionist gangs would be defeated and their strength would be broken…

"Palestinians sold their wives' jewelry to buy a single rifle to defend their village, but the Arab armies collected their weapons and promised them they would fight on their behalf. They took the weapons and sent the [Palestinian] fighters away, and then they withdrew without putting up a fight.

"Had the Arab leaders only supported the Palestinian fighters with weapons and funds, or refrained from interfering and let them to do as they chose, Palestine would not have been lost. But they did not do that. [Instead] they interfered, planned, came together -- and then simply handed over the country [to the Jews].

"Today the ball and idea are back in the same court and the Arab regimes are playing the same role of colluding with the occupation. These regimes are besieging our people, fighting it and treating to it with hostility, and pressuring it to surrender its weapons and surrender to "Israel." The Arab regimes condemn our Palestinian people in Gaza for possessing weapons and insisting on manufacturing rockets and building tunnels. They [are trying to] convince it to hand over all of this, but today our people are [more] aware and experienced, and thus the Nakba will not recur as long as our people is armed and as long as the jihad fighters build their tunnels.

"The occupation gambled on the Palestinians surrendering of losing their sense of identity. Its leaders said: The adults will die and the younger ones will forget. But the next generations of Palestinians are [even] more attached and committed to their land. The Zionist idea was defeated to the core, as was the occupation's plan to diffuse the Palestinians and destroy their identity.  We are moving closer to Jerusalem with every rocket produced by a member of the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas' military wing], with every tunnel built in the east of the [Gaza] Strip, with every knife and explosive belt in the West Bank, with every intellectual, pen and voice in the Triangle [the concentration of Israeli Arab towns and villages in northern Israel] and the Galilee, and with every voice and key in the refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Today there are more than seven million Palestinians in historic Palestine between the [Mediterranean] sea and the [Jordan] river, and another seven million outside [Palestine]. Not even one of these Palestinians who has forgotten his rights or his land or who considers forgetting Palestine or renouncing his right to return.

Today, 74 years after the Nakba and one year after the Sword of Jerusalem Campaign in Gaza [i.e. the May 2021 Hamas-Israel military conflict], and after the heroic operations carried out by individuals and by organizations in the West Bank, the ribat [mobilization on the frontlines] of the residents of Jerusalem at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the fidelity of the '48 Palestinians [i.e. the Israeli Arabs] to their national identity, the struggles of the Palestinians outside Palestine, their longing to return and their direct participation [in the struggle] – we are closer to victory and liberation. We are on the verge of the return that we discern from afar, and here we come."

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