Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Israeli and Arab Doctors Break Every Stereotype in the Middle East


Video Of The Week -    Israeli And Palestinian Doctors Work Together- https://tinyurl.com/yaj5lu2k


For the full article go to: https://tinyurl.com/ybwmmvh4
By Phil Schneider -  August 15, 2018

Israeli and Arab doctors work together every day of the year. And they service Israeli Jews and Arabs every day of the year.  Hadassah hospital serves as an island of the best side of humanity in the State of Israel.

For the last bunch of decades, Arab, Jewish, and Christian patients continue to receive identical care in Israeli state-of-the-art hospitals.  Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, a state-of-the-art hospital even precedes the State of Israel by a few decades.  Despite all of Israel’s Arab-Israeli issues, racial and ethnic tensions are relaxed by the multi-ethnic doctors who serve the population.  They serve everyone with respect, professionalism, and understanding.  It is a given that everybody receives the same high-level treatment.

A Jew saving an Arab’s life in a Hospital


In this short clip, NBC features a liver transplant from an Israeli Jew to an Arab man. Who performed the operation? Jewish and Arab doctors at Hadassah Hospital.  This kind of thing happens all of the time in Israel. The media does an excellent job in this clip pointing out the beautiful human side of Israeli Jewish and Israeli Arab doctors. Almost everyone at some point visits a hospital in Israel. It is truly an island of calm and peaceful cooperation between all Israelis.

A model for all of Israel?


But Israeli hospitals are so much more than that.  They are a perfect example of what Israeli society could one day become. Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs can learn a lot from Israeli and Arab doctors. When the focus of people’s energies is to better the society they live in despite differences, then you end up with stories like this. Will the Arab population in Israel choose to channel their energies into positive activities? Or will they continue to struggle against the existence of Israel?

The model and the choice is there. Perhaps one day, the State of Israel will become more like Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

The founders of the United States of America succeeded in keeping religious passions at bay by encouraging free enterprise.  Perhaps Israel will succeed one day in a similar vein when the citizenry of the State have a non-religious focus that will dominate their lives.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2018

THE GRAVE DANGER OF MEDIA BIAS


Video of the week - Hamas's Accomplishments in 13 years! ! https://tinyurl.com/yahyzbvj

 JPost, by Adam Milstein  20-8-2018
For the full article go to; https://tinyurl.com/y777hsct

This past May, the Los Angeles Times ran the headline “A Baby Girl Dies in the Haze of Gaza,” which told a story about eight-month-old Palestinian Layla Ghandour, who was allegedly killed by inhaling tear gas used by Israeli defense forces. This story was tragic and upsetting. It was also untrue. The New York Times and other major outlets published similar stories, framing Israel and Israeli soldiers as child-killing villains, amplifying Hamas’s false narrative about Layla’s death.

Following this wave of coverage, Layla’s cousin admitted that Hamas paid his relatives to lie to the media about Layla’s cause of death. In reality, Layla died from a preexisting blood condition. Of course, the family of a deceased baby deserves any rational person’s sympathy, but when the media falls prey to Hamas propaganda that uses the death of an innocent baby to degrade Israel, no one, except for Hamas, wins. Even today, this story continues to be available for a wide audience to read and reference, without any disclaimer that it is based on falsified information. 


Then, amid this summer’s Great March of Return protests, each one a violent attempts to cross into Israel’s borders and kill civilians, the LA Times reported on June 18 that “about 130 protesters have been killed by Israeli troops.” In fact, the group of “protesters” consisted of a significant number of armed and active Hamas combatants. The Times ignored this fact and the intent of this march, as prior to this coverage, a senior Hamas official had admitted that most of the Gazans who died in the protests were Hamas members, terrorist operatives with the intention of killing innocent Israeli men, women and children.

This misinformation matters because media outlets have great power. They shape the way we understand the world and, ultimately, drive our behavior. It is no exaggeration to say that their activity can have life-and-death implications. The pattern in coverage of the New York Times and LA Times is a case study that drives home a critical point for society.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the New York TimesWashington Post and other media outlets neglected their obligation to disseminate truth and remained virtually silent as Nazi Germany carried out the mass murder of Jews in Europe, relegating stories about Jewish genocide to short briefs on their back pages. While Jews starved in ghettos and concentration camps, watched their family members perish and were stripped of their humanity, they wondered where the world was. The press remained largely indifferent and the reluctance of editors of major outlets to report widely and consistently on these horrors contributed to consequences that the world will never forget. Newspapers and radio news broadcasts failed to fulfill their part in educating the American public about the horrific crimes committed by the Germans.

The role of journalists is to shine a light where there is darkness, to tell the stories of the powerless and hold the powerful to account. 

We must hold the media accountable for honest reporting. We must reject and condemn stories that spread inaccurate information and newspapers that fail to broadcast corrections as dramatically as they broadcast untruths. If journalists fail to understand that antisemitism is a deeply embedded bigotry that persistently impacts their understanding of the world – and a hatred that is central to Hamas’ political actions – they cannot accurately report on actions at the Gaza-Israel border. A story pinning the death of an innocent Palestinian baby on Israeli soldiers should raise a red flag. Journalists must present facts and a careful understanding of the nuances that shade coverage of complex situations. A headline taken out of context should not be tolerated.

Media bias and misreporting are more than just a nuisance. They blur our vision for a better world. When we cannot see clearly, we risk our values, our democracy and ultimately, our humanity. 

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Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Arson terror from Gaza continues to devastate southern Israel


Video Of The Week - Fire kites from Gaza burning Southern Israel - https://tinyurl.com/y9u892xh

When is it "News"?

From MFA Newsletter 8-8-2018: https://tinyurl.com/y8gahovy

Since late March, southern Israel has been plagued by “arson terror” – Palestinians in Gaza release incendiary kites and hot-air balloons, causing devastating fires that have destroyed thousands of acres agricultural crops and grazing land. 

Southern Israel, especially the areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip, have been suffering since late March from "arson terror" - Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border release kites and hot-air balloons with attached incendiary material. The wind blows the kites and balloons to the Israeli side, causing fires that have destroyed thousands of acres of crops and grazing lands, forests and nature reserves, killing animals and destroying their habitat.

From 30 March to 4 August this year, there have been 1,316 fires - an average of 20-22 a day. Over 7,400 acres have been damaged or destroyed. Much of the summer wheat crop was lost, either to the fires or due to too-early harvesting. Hundreds of chickens and turkeys suffocated to death from smoke inhalation. People with asthma and other lung diseases are also suffering from the polluted air. In Nahal Grar, dozens of beehives, each with about 70,000 bees and 30-50 kilos of honey,  were destroyed by fire. Farmers in the affected areas have filed 180 claims for compensation, valued at around 3 million USD.

The Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services reports a large increase in the number of people seeking treatment at Hosen Centers, which offer psychological-emotional support and therapy. In centers located throughout the northern and western Negev (Eshkol, Hof Ashkelon, Shaar HaNegev, Sderot and Sdot Negev), 834 people were treated between March 21 and July 1 - a 308% increae over the period from January through March 20.

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Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Hysteria over nation-state law



Video Of The Week - Israel Nation State Law - https://tinyurl.com/ydhqopoa

For the full article in the JP by Isi Leibler go to; https://tinyurl.com/yb2s43ha

It is inevitable - and laudable - that there are debates and differences over most new legislation. However, that does not justify the global hysteria generated over the recently passed nation-state law, which the clear majority of Israelis support. Many critics simply did not read the law, which is purely declarative and in no way detracts from the existing rights of minorities. Others merely echoed the exaggerated criticism in the press.

On the other hand, had the government not made certain mistakes, much of the criticism could largely have been pre-empted. It should have accepted MK Benny Begin’s amendment, which included two phrases: “full equality of rights for all its citizens” and “Jewish and democratic state.” In practical terms this was repeating the obvious but would have made it more difficult for those seeking to slander Israel.

The second error was the failure to informally consult minorities, especially the Druze whom Israeli Jews genuinely love and admire. Many Druze have been deceived; the new law in no way discriminates against them.

The suggestion that this law denies the rights of any minority is humbug and allegations that it represents “extreme” nationalism would not be substantiated if one accepts the premise that Israel is a Jewish state. I would in fact challenge critics to display one clause that denies the rights of minorities which were initially incorporated in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. They were reaffirmed in Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, passed in 1992, whose stipulated purpose was “to protect human dignity and liberty, in order to establish in a Basic Law the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”

a)     Is not Israel entitled, as the nation-state law says, “to exercise national self-determination” on behalf of the Jewish people without in any way depriving minorities such as the Arabs of their democratic rights?

b)     Is not a Jewish state entitled to reinforce its national anthem, reiterate that Independence Day is a national holiday, restate support for its flag and encourage Jewish immigration? Is that a declaration of extreme nationalism?

c)     Is not a Jewish state entitled to reiterate that its national language is Hebrew? In order to avoid any other misunderstanding, specific mention is made in this clause that this “does not harm the status given to the Arabic language before this law came into effect.”

d)     Is not a Jewish state entitled to reiterate its support for settlement construction as articulated in the Declaration of Independence?

The principal (but not sole) source of the shrill hysteria (as distinct from moderate critics) emanates from those with a record of demonizing or criticizing Israel. They include the European countries that have always sought to besmirch Israel, progressives and large segments of Diaspora Jewry, particularly Americans.

It is important to note that this law was democratically enacted and supported by the nation. A poll last week showed 58% of Israelis supported the bill with 38% opposing. The projected strength of Netanyahu’s Likud in the next election also increased from 30 to 33 seats after the bill was passed.

The criticism voiced by the Europeans is particularly offensive because many of them have similar constitutions and are governed by similar laws. Most countries are officially Christian. Many are officially Muslim and a few are Buddhist. Where is the rationale for castigating Israel for describing itself as a Jewish state? Indeed, almost a dozen European countries, including England, have official state religions. The Basic Law is more liberal and does not stipulate that Judaism is the official religion of the state.

In Israel, the opposition parties bitterly condemned the law even though seven years ago, the now defunct Kadima Party headed by Tzipi Livni, who now leads the charge of “radical nationalism,” was promoting a very similar bill.

The leading elements hysterically assert that the bill is racist, discriminates against minorities and has transformed Israel into an apartheid and fascist state. They represent the far Left and their media mouthpiece is Haaretz.

The reality is that most Israeli Arabs are happy to live in Israel which is stable and the only genuine democracy in a region of barbaric conflict and dictatorships. While they strive to elevate their roles in society, they enjoy a higher standard of living and far better opportunities than they would in any Arab country. An increasing number are engaged in professions and one need only enter an Israeli hospital where Arab and Jewish doctors and nurses treat Jewish and Arab patients on a basis of equality, in order to repudiate slanders of apartheid or racism.

The rule of law applies to Arab citizens as it does to any other Israeli and they enjoy total freedom of religion.

There are legitimate grounds for criticizing the law, particularly errors of omission by the government due to a lack of foresight, but the hyperbole employed by some of those opposing it is malicious and will serve to foment hatred within Israel and provide aid to those nations seeking to besmirch us.

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