WAR OF PERCEPTION

Jew News 'Weekend Roundup'

Ettinger: Preemption our Only Option on Iran

By IsraelNN staff

Former Israeli liaison to the United States Congress Yoram Ettinger believes that Israeli leaders focus on the wrong people when they visit the U.S. Instead of worrying first and foremost about the president, leaders should focus on the congress, he says.

"It seems to me that it behooves an Israeli prime minister who goes to Washington to focus first and foremost on the sovereign, and the sovereign is the American people,” Ettinger explained on IsraelNN TV. “And the representatives of the sovereign are first and foremost the legislators on Capitol Hill.”

The current attitude in the American administration is “a source of concern,” he believes, pointing to America's willingness to talk to Iran for the next six months as proof. The U.S. has agreed to postpone action on Iran “as if there haven't been talks over the last six years that have played into the hands of Iran,” he says.


What Israel must make clear to the U.S. when it comes to Iran, according to Ettinger, is that there is no option other than preemption. “We do not have the option of deterrence or of retaliation.... We only have the option of preemption and prevention,” he said.

Regarding rumors that Netanyahu has promised not to carry out a surprise attack on Iran, Ettinger is skeptical. If Israel were to inform the U.S. prior to a strike on Iran, both Israeli and American interests would suffer, he says.

In addition to explaining Israel's position regarding Iran, Netanyahu must discuss the dangers of creating a Palestinian Authority state in his meeting with U.S. President Obama, he says. A PA state would undermine American interests in the Middle East and worldwide, he explains, and Netanyahu must “introduce the Obama administration to the reality” that a PA state would create.

U.S. Court: Arafat Responsible for Terrorist Murders

By Maayana Miskin

A United States court ruled Thursday evening that the Palestinian Authority must compensate the children of Yaron and Efrat Unger, who were murdered in a terrorist attack in 1996. Former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat bore responsibility for the slayings, the court determined.

The court ruled that the couple's children should receive the $116 million that they were awarded in a previous verdict.

Yaron, 26, and Efrat, 25, were shot and killed by a PA terrorist as they drove near the city of Beit Shemesh, southwest of Jerusalem and west of Gush Etzion. Their infant son was in the car but survived the attack.

The couple was survived by their children Dvir and Yishai, who were two years old and nine months old respectively at the time that their parents were murdered.

Yaron held U.S. citizenship, a fact that later allowed his family to seek damages for the killing. Dvir and Yishai filed suit five years ago under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1991, which allows foreign terrorist groups to be sued for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

The PA appealed, arguing that it was not responsible for the attack, which was carried out by a member of Hamas, and not of the ruling Fatah terrorist group led by Arafat. The Ungers argued that Arafat's PA provided a safe haven for Hamas and allowed terrorists unfettered license to attack Israeli civilians.

Judge Ronald Lagueux blamed the PA's loss on Arafat's policies. “These choices were the intentional, deliberate and binding decision made by the PA's dictatorial leader. Defendants must now accept the consequences of these decisions,” he wrote in his verdict.

Arafat's policy of refusing to recognize the U.S. court system's authority played a large role in the verdict as well. When the Unger children first filed suit, the PA refused to give witness depositions or to share evidence with the Ungers' attorneys as it was required to do, leading to a default verdict in favor of the Ungers.

PA attorneys later appealed, arguing that they had not understood the U.S. court system, but that argument was rejected.

An Israeli court has ruled that the Unger children may take steps to force the PA to pay them if the U.S. court were to rule in their favor.

A second defendant in the case, Hamas, has made no effort to defend itself.

Pope Pleases PA Muslims, Disappoints Christians and Jews

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Pope Benedict XVI winds up his grueling week-long “Bridge for Peace” Middle East tour Friday morning, leaving behind disappointed Christians and Jews but satisfied Muslims and Palestinian Authority leaders.

His visit is the second papal pilgrimage to the Holy Land in recent years, following by nine years Pope John Paul II’s trip, which concluded several months before the outbreak of the great terror war known as the Oslo War, or the Second Intifada. Pope Paul VI visited in 1964.

Benedict XVI was not in a great hurry to visit Israel, but the Vatican pushed him into the trip, the Canadian National Post stated. The pope wanted to make his trip contingent on Israel’s agreeing to turn over valuable property to the Vatican.

Israeli Christians, almost of them Arab, were astonished that the pope did not visit Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), which is a center of Christian tradition. This may have been because of security concerns: police revealed Friday morning that they had specific information of attempts to interrupt the papal entourage. The 3,000 faithful who attended an open-air mass in Jerusalem were outnumbered by security forces.

“Israeli security blamed the Arab organizers,” according to the National Post. “Local Christians blamed Israeli security. The routine is well known, but the result looks the same — Christians feeling as if they are left holding the short end of the stick.” The pope’s visits to two holy shrines in Jerusalem were relatively short, but he spent much more time with rabbis and Muslim clerics.

Media Bias

Yad VaShem Holocaust Museum Director Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, former Chief Rabbi of Israel and one of the most widely respected and popular rabbis ever to serve in that position, was openly critical of Benedict XVI. The German-born patriarch’s speech at Yad VaShem was charged with emotion but omitted specific references to Germany or the Nazi movement, of which he was a member in his youth.

The Vatican immediately defended the Pope, saying that he was an involuntary member of a Nazi squad that he left in order to enter the priesthood. Foreign media several times this week repeated, and often condemned, criticism of the speech by rabbis as well as by Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud).

However, the media, and the pope himself, played down or ignored a tirade by a Muslim cleric in the pope’s presence Monday night. Sheikh Tayseer al-Tamimi, a senior religious leader in the Palestinian Authority, accused Israel of "murdering women and children [a destroying mosques and Palestinian cities."

Media dutifully reported the outburst and then dropped the subject but continued to refer to rabbis’ criticism of the pope. A rare exception was Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, a popular American journalist and author.

He commented in the Washington Post, “Without debating either the accuracy of his claims or the sincerity with which he [Tami spoke, the Sheikh's behavior points to his lack of desire for peace or even reconciliation. His behavior points only to his desire to enlist the Pope in his own version of events.

“But more disturbing than the Sheikh's boorish behavior is that this is the man the Palestinian Authority would send to this important meeting. Is this the best that they can do? Is this really the message that they want to send?”

The Pope‘s Pro-PA Speech

Despite the outburst by the PA Muslim cleric, the pope rallied behind PA demands for a new Arab state in Judea and Samaria -- on the land that Jordan occupied from 1948 to 1967. During that time, Jordan prohibited Christians and Jews from entering holy sites.

He implicitly backed the PA demand that millions of foreign Arabs be allowed to immigrate to Israel based on their being descendants of approximately 700,000 Arabs who fled the Jewish state while the Arab world fought to annihilate it in 1948.

Pope Benedict also held 'interfaith' talks with Muslims, in a sharp reversal from Vatican statements last year that ruled out theological discussions between Muslims and Christians. He took off his shoes and entered the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount the morning after Sheikh Tamimi’s harangue.



The pope stated, “One God is the infinite source of justice and mercy.” This was a reference to the Common Word appeal by Muslim scholars for a Christian-Muslim dialogue based on the two shared principles of love of the Almighty and love of one's neighbors, according to religion blogger Tom Heneghan. However, the blogger's research noted one glaring flaw.



“After noticing the echo of the Common Word appeal in Benedict’s address, I checked to see whether his Muslim hosts were signatories of the document,” he wrote. “They weren’t. In fact, the only Palestinian I could find who has signed it is Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi, the head of the Islamic courts in the Palestinian territories,” and the same cleric who railed out against Israel on Monday night.

U.S. State Department Denies Deadline on Iran Talks

By Maayana Miskin

The United States State Department denied Friday that it had put a deadline on talks with Iran. Earlier in the week it was reported that the U.S. had decided to give dialog a chance until October, but would then turn to tougher sanctions if Iran refused to comply with international investigators.

"We're not interested in setting any deadline. And we're not interested in setting any kind of specific or even notional time-line,” said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly.

"We're not going to let this string out forever, of course,” he added.

The Obama administration has decided that isolating Iran “didn't work,” Kelly said. Instead, the U.S. will hold dialog with Iranian leaders in an attempt to convince the country to open its nuclear program to international investigators, without resorting to further sanctions.

However, the administration has also warned of “crippling” sanctions if dialog fails.

Israel has expressed concern that unlimited dialog with Iran could allow Iran's government to avoid sanctions while actively pursuing nuclear weapons. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called on the international community to set a three-month limit on attempts at dialog.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will leave for the U.S. on Saturday night, and will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the Iranian threat.

According to Channel 10 news, Netanyahu has expressed concern that the U.S. and Europe will agree to a situation in which Iran stops its nuclear program “on the threshold,” leaving it with the ability to create a nuclear weapon in a short period of time if the political situation were to change.

Tony Blair: Iranian Threat and Two-State Solution are Contingent

By Avraham Zuroff

Tony Blair, Mideast envoy of the Quartet, told the United States to push Israel and Arabs for a two-state solution as soon as possible. The remarks were made on Thursday, ahead of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s meeting next week with President Barack Obama at the White House.

In a speech that was delivered in the U.S. Senate, the former British prime minister stated that the only possible solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is two states for two nations. According to Blair, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are in favor of the idea. However, “both of them are in doubt whether this could happen,” he said.

“The opportunity is already here,” Blair told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “However, the window of opportunity won’t remain if not taken advantage of. As President Obama has identified, this is the most opportune time to take advantage of."

"President Obama has made it very clear that this is a strategic priority for the United States to advance towards a negotiated two-state solution," the Mideast envoy said. "This is an issue that Secretary of State Clinton is very familiar with and understands and knows deeply," he added.

However, Blair feels that the Iranian nuclear threat should be intertwined with advancing the two-state negotiations. “If we want to make progress also on the Iranian question, and take that to a peaceful resolution, then progress in the Israel-Palestinian question is an important part of doing that,” he said.

Blair thinks that now is the right time to make peace, due to the Arab nations’ stated promise to recognize the State of Israel on condition that it agree to a Palestinian State in all the land that was restored to Israel in 1967.

However, Blair realized the obstacles in the way of peace in the Mideast, including the Iranian nuclear threat. Blair also commented that Israel would not agree to a Palestinian state if it were unsure if its neighbor is stable and well managed.

The committee head, Senator John Kerry (Dem.) agrees that there is no alternative to negotiations. “All of us understand that peace won’t come to the Middle East easily or speedily,” Kerry said. “I am a partner to Blair’s optimism that the present invites us to an opportunity that we must not forsake,” the senator added.

During Monday’s meeting with President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to push the issue of the Iranian nuclear threat. He has in the past stated that the acceptance of a two-state solution is contingent on the PA's recognizing the State of Israel as a Jewish State. Otherwise, he claims that there cannot be advancement in negotiations between the sides.

The two-state solution, supported by the United States and most of the world, calls for a Palestinian Authority state in Judea and Samaria, leaving Israel barely 11 miles wide in some areas. Referring to the dangers of ceding the strategic real estate, Israeli statesman Abba Eban remarked at the UN in 1969, “I do not exaggerate when I say that it has for us something of a memory of Auschwitz.”

'PA Army May Rebel’ if Israel Does not Agree to Peace Demands

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

The growing Palestinian Authority army may rebel in two years if a new Arab state is not created soon, according to a dovish journalist’s analysis of comments by Lt. Gen Dayton, who is training the soldiers.

Speaking at a recent Washington symposium sponsored by Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel think tank, Dayton stated in response to a questioner, “There is perhaps a two-year shelf life on being told that you're creating a state, when you're not.”

His comments were tantamount to a warning that a rebellion is around the corner if Israel does not agree to PA demands, according to investigative journalist Robert Dreyfuss, writing in The Nation magazine.

“To my ears, at least, his subtle warning is that if concrete progress isn't made toward a Palestinian state, the very troops Dayton is assembling could rebel,” wrote Dreyfuss, who also has authored a book blaming the United States and Israel for having allegedly encouraged the existence of Hamas as a way to weaken former Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat.

In his speech to the think tank, Dayton praised the PA army’s ability and allegiance to law and order while acknowledging that Hamas accused the PA forces of “collaborating” with Israel. The American army officer added that each faction believes it is fighting for an independent PA country.

Dayton cited several examples of cooperation between Israeli military and security officials and the new PA army, which the U.S. has touted as an enemy of terrorism.

He conceded that most of its actions have been aimed against criminals and against Hamas, most evident during the IDF’s Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign in Gaza. The forces do not operate in the middle of the night, when Israeli soldiers carry out nightly counterterrorist maneuvers to arrest wanted terrorists.



In his speech, Dayton did not detail methods used by the PA security forces, but Human Watch Rights has accused bother the PA and Hamas of resorting torture to as well as summary executions. One PA Arab is on death row for the stated crime of selling property to Jews.

He focused on the “national security interest of the United States to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute” and his re-shaping the PA forces. He said that his position as U.S. Security Coordinator was created “to allay Israeli fears about the nature and capabilities of the Palestinian security forces,” a term used instead of "soldiers" in order not to conjure up an image of a military force in the PA.

However, his comment on the consequences of the failure to establish a new PA state indicated that the PA army - or special force - might use its counterterrorist training to attack Israel as well as possibly rebel against the PA.

Several terrorist attacks and attempted attacks the past two years have involved PA security forces. In January, 2008, a PA security officer, a PA clerk and a third terrorist were involved in the murders of Ahikam Amihai and David Rubin who were hiking near Hevron. One of the victims managed to kill one of the attackers before succumbing to his own wounds. A third youth escaped unharmed.

The two remaining terrorists turned themselves in to the PA after fearing that Israeli soldiers would arrest them. Then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not demand their extradition, and a PA court sentenced them to 15 years in prison.

Coming Up: 3 New Anti-Missile Systems in 4 Years

By Hana Levi Julian

Israel will have three different levels of missile defense systems within the next four years, according to a high level military assessment.

Israel Air Force commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan made the prediction Wednesday at a conference on missile defense at the Fischer Brothers Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, in Herzliya.

The commander said that the Iron Dome system, designed to intercept Kassam and Katyusha rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza, would be operational and deployed along the border by summer 2010. The Iron Dome, produced by Raphael Advanced Weapons Systems Ltd., will be deployed against short-range artillery rockets and 155-mm artillery shells with ranges of up to 70 km.

A second system called David's Sling that intercepts medium-range rockets is expected to be operational within four years. The system, under development by Raphael and Raytheon, includes Stunner, a terminal missile defense interceptor that can destroy short-range ballistic missiles, medium and long-range rockets and cruise missiles.

The system uses a special warhead that detonates any target in the air within seconds, and can handle multiple threats simultaneously.



The Arrow III system against long-range missiles will be operational soon after, Nehushtan told participants at the conference. The system is a more advanced version of the current Arrow II anti-ballistic missile system, produced jointly by the U.S. and Israel, which proved accurate and effective in IDF testing last month.

The system successfully knocked out a missile designed to mimic an Iranian Shahab, launched over the Mediterranean Sea as well as other targets in 14 intercept trials at high and low altitudes. Arrow batteries are currently deployed near Haifa and Tel Aviv.

The Arrow II anti-missile system was deployed near the coastal city of Ashkelon during the counterterrorism Cast Lead military operation this past January and was successfully used to help Home Front command detect missile launches by Gaza terrorists.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak also gave the green light for the IDF to purchase the Vulcan-Phalanx anti-missile defense system from the United States earlier this year. The system is used for early warning and interception of short-range Kassam rockets and mortar shells.

The Vulcan Gatling gun component of the system can fire up to 6,000 shells per minute and cover a 1,200-square meter area. The Phalanx radar component which is used to detect missiles and mortars that are being fired provides a 20-second alert window within which civilians can race for cover.

Its major advantage over the current Color Red rocket alert is that it also detects mortar shells, which elude the present system. The first Vulcan-Phalanx system will be delivered this winter, if the U.S. cooperates.

Until all of the new systems are up and running, however, the IDF is not effectively providing security for Israel’s southern residents, Nehushtan said. He added that the IAF is also looking into laser solutions for intercepting long-range ballistic missiles.

'JEW NEWS' WEEKEND ROUNDUP

1. Rav Lau Cautious on Papal Visit

by Hillel Fendel

Israel’s former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau explains Pope Benedicts’s two “mistakes” and how he differs from the last pope – but says we shouldn’t rebuff his visit to Israel.

Speaking with Arutz-7’s Hebrew department, Rabbi Lau, now the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, said:

‘The current pope is totally different than his predecessor. John Paul II was a bishop in Krakow during the Holocaust, saw the Holocaust with his own eyes, and did not agree to baptize any Jewish child given over by his parents to Polish neighbors or to a church for safekeeping. He said, ‘We owe a debt to our older brother, the Jewish People.’ These are facts; I can even name names."

“But the current pope was born in Germany and was a member of the Hitler Youth," the rabbi said. "I don’t know if he was in the German Army, but his background is totally different than that of his predecessor.”

The Vatican’s official biography for Pope Benedict XVI states, “During the last months of the war he was enrolled in an auxiliary anti-aircraft corps.” His Wikipedia entry states, “he was drafted at age 16 into the German anti-aircraft corps. [ then trained in the German infantry, but a subsequent illness precluded him from the usual rigours of military duty.”

The Pope's Two Grave Mistakes

Rabbi Lau, himself a child survivor of the Holocaust, stated that the current Pope “made two grave mistakes, in my opinion, in his relations with us over the past year, casting a shadow over the entire issue. First, he agreed to reinstate Bishop Richard Williamson, who denied the Holocaust, and who said there was no systematic murder of Jews. [Williamso said that what happened was that ‘only’ 200 to 300,000 Jews died in the war, but not in the Holocaust, because he says there was no Holocaust. He also said there were no gas chambers. The pope agreed to reinstate him after he apologized – but even then he didn’t retract his words, but said only that he wouldn’t have said them if would have known that they would offend his friends in the Church…”

Pope Benedict’s second grave error, Rabbi Lau said, “was at the Durban II conference two weeks ago. Everyone knew that it would be a stage for incitement against Israel and that the star would be [Iranian President Mah Ahmadinejad… But despite this, the pope announced that his representatives would attend and that he blesses the participants. Many countries boycotted the conference, including the U.S., Poland and Germany, but the pope sent a delegation. The European delegates who were there left the hall when Ahmadinejad spoke – but not the pope’s delegates. They remained there throughout the whole speech.”

Despite the above, Rabbi Lau says, “We must not rebuff the visit. We need not bend over backwards or flatter him, but it should not be rejected. This is a visit initiated by the pope himself so that he can follow in the footsteps of his predecessors. We must welcome him, if only for the fact that millions of Jews still live in the Diaspora, and many of them in places where the Catholic Church is strong, such as Latin America, Poland, Ukraine and elsewhere. We must not give our enemies ammunition or pour fuel on the fire; we must not endanger even one Jew.”

2. Another Cash Infusion for Hamas
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

For the second time in two months, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has approved the transfer of millions of dollars in cash to banks under the Hamas regime in Gaza. Kibbutz activists are attempting to prevent the cash infusion, while a legal forum observes that Netanyahu had previously opposed the very same policy by the Olmert government.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu instructed officials to authorize the transfer of 54 million shekels (12 million U.S. dollars) from banks in the Judea and Samaria half of the Palestinian Authority to banks in the Hamas-controlled PA in Gaza. The authorization was issued just after talks between the Prime Minister and Tony Blair, the lead envoy of the Quartet (the U.S., the European Union, Russia and the United Nations).

The ostensible purpose of the monies to be sent to Gaza banks is to help pay the salaries of PA employees in the region. However, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' spokespersons say that the sum covers only a quarter of the needed monthly payments.

Kibbutz Movement and Land of Israel Forum Oppose

In reaction to the decision to send money into institutions under the Hamas regime, activists from the Kibbutz movement blocked Erez Crossing into Gaza on Thursday. Kibbutz activists said they would do what they could to block physical access to Gaza, in the hopes of preventing the influx of cash. Their primary demand is that Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, held captive and incommunicado by Hamas since 2006, be given treatment equal to that accorded PA prisoners in Israeli jails before any further money ends up in Hamas-controlled territory.

The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, meanwhile, has requested that the Israeli government halt the money transfer altogether. "All the cash which enters the Gaza Strip adds up to the cash balance of the branches of the banks, which absorb the money," said Nachi Eyal, the Legal Forum's General Director. "The cash finds its way to the whole banking system in Gaza, including the National Islamic Bank which Hamas opened last month."

This means, Eyal continued, "that the government of Israel is lending a hand to the strengthening of Hamas, and is aiding the terrorist organization which seeks [Israel' destruction by, amongst other things, providing salaries to the Hamas personnel." Of more concern is that "the cash is used to pay for the goods smuggled through the tunnels of the Philadelphi line, and perhaps even for the weapons which will return to Israel, mostly to Sderot, Ashkelon and the belt around Gaza, in the form of Kassam rockets."

Not the First Time

The Legal Forum director added that Netanyahu, who had previously opposed such transfers, received a mandate from the public to lead the government in a different direction than that espoused in the previous administration, "in which Israel subsidized Hamas."

But this month's planned cash transfer to the Hamas regime is not Netanyahu's first. In April, the government authorized the transfer of an identical sum of 12 million dollars to Gaza's banks. That transfer also received its final approval from Netanyahu following a meeting with Blair at which the PA's need for back salaries was outlined. 

3. European Shechita in Danger
by Hillel Fendel

Despite the EU Parliament's vote Wednesday to legalize “shechita,” the Jewish method of humane animal slaughter is still very much in danger.

It was reported on Thursday that the European Jewish Community “hailed” the European Parliament’s vote to legalize the traditional Jewish method of slaughter into European law. However, it was later clarified that in fact, the Parliament only has consultative status in this case, and that the European Union’s Council of Agricultural Ministers will have the final say when it convenes next month.

“Shechita,” as the Jewish method of animal slaughter is referred to in Hebrew, is currently forbidden in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania; Switzerland permits shechita for poultry only. Switzerland and Norway are not member nations of the EU.



Though the EU Parliament vote represents a significant victory for the coalition of the European Jewish Congress, as well the Conference of European Rabbis and Shechita EU, the fight is far from over. The Parliament resolved only to “introduce laws” that would be binding across Europe to allow animal slaughter "in accordance with religious rites.”

However, the final text of the proposed amendment to EU law will be brought before the above-mentioned Council in June – but not necessarily in a manner favorable to Jewish interests. The Council, which will convene on June 22-23 in Brno, Czech Republic, will vote on a proposal to require that all animals be pre-stunned before slaughter.

If the regulation passes, EU Member States would ban a practice that has been governed by halakhah (Jewish Law) and observed by Jews for thousands of years. Pre-stunning is forbidden by Jewish Law, and thus a ban on kosher slaughter in the European Union may be a reality as of next month.

A spokesperson for the European Jewish Congress, which has been spearheading efforts to legalize shechita all across Europe, confirmed to Israel National News that “only if the Council decides to pass exactly the same proposal as amended by the Parliament will this change of legalization take place.” The spokesperson further acknowledged that though the Council must take the Parliament vote into account, it is “unlikely” that the same vote will pass in the Council.

"The regulation must not be drafted to allow Governments in Europe to threaten our culture and our freedom to observe our religion," said Philip Carmel of the Conference of European Rabbis. "We will be working very closely with Member States to achieve a satisfactory outcome for all Jewish communities in Europe when they agree upon the final text in June."

Rabbi Michael Melchior, former chief rabbi of Norway and a former Knesset Member, has said that kosher slaughter is more humane than the more common methods of animal slaughter. "The shechitah process ensures that the animal loses consciousness immediately," he explained. "We have been dealing with this issue for many years, and there are many scientific studies that back us up."

The anti-shechita campaign has been viewed as anti-Semitic by many Jews in Europe. When Holland outlawed the kosher slaughter of large bulls in 2002, Rabbi Melchior responded, "They simply don't want foreigners, and they don't want Jews. I won't say this is the only motivation, but it's certainly no coincidence that one of the first things Nazi Germany forbade was kosher slaughter.”

“I also know,” the rabbi said, “that during the original debate on this issue in Norway, where shechitah has been banned since 1930, one of the parliamentarians said straight out, 'If they don't like it, let them go live somewhere else.'" 

4. AIPAC Blasted Over PA State
by Gil Ronen

The largest pro-Israel lobby group in the U.S., the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is coming under fire from both left and right for the position it has adopted regarding a possible PA state. In the group’s conference this past week, AIPAC delegates were asked to endorse two congressional letters that express unequivocal support for a “viable Palestinian state” while insisting that PA terror come to an “absolute” stop.

According to a report on JTA, the move by AIPAC was an attempt to find a “middle road” and reconcile differences between the U.S. and Israeli governments over the idea of a “Palestinian state.”

In a statement, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) said it “opposes this move by AIPAC because supporting or promoting a Palestinian Arab state under prevailing conditions is seriously mistaken and because AIPAC is thereby supporting a major policy affecting Israel's vital interests despite the fact that the Israeli government has not supported such a policy.”

“ZOA is mystified that AIPAC is supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state despite the fact that Mahmoud Abbas refuses to accept Israel as a Jewish state and other PA leaders refuse to accept Israel at all,” the press release said. “AIPAC has always said that it supports the policies of the Israeli government, but it now supports a Palestinian state while the Netanyahu government has taken no such position,” it added.



ZOA called AIPAC’s letter-endorsement campaign “especially troubling” because it promotes Palestinian statehood while Mahmoud Abbas refuses to accept Israel or even to depict the country on PA maps; continues to permit incitement to hatred and murder of Jews in the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps; does not arrest and jail terrorists; retains the Fatah Constitution’s calls for terrorism and Israel’s destruction; and honors vile terrorists.



Peace Now, Too

From the other end of the Jewish political spectrum, Americans for Peace Now encouraged activists to call lawmakers and to say one of four pre-worded sentences, including, “I am pro-Israel, and I want you to support the Obama administration’s peace efforts in the Middle East" and, “I am pro Israel, and I want you to support the president’s effort to open the window for responsible engagement with a Palestinian unity government.” 

5. Call for Mass Attack in US
by IsraelNN staff

Al-Jazeera recently aired footage of Kuwaiti professor Abdallah al-Nafisi. In the video, translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Nafisi expresses ardent support for terrorism, and suggests that terrorists use biological warfare against the United States in order to kill hundreds of thousands of civilians.


Nafisi also suggests that Muslims pray for the success of white supremacist groups that seek to carry out attacks within the U.S.

In addition, Nafisi attacks those in the Arab world who he perceives as traitors, to laughter and applause from his audience. Among those in the Arab world who should be silenced using “any means possible” are journalists who oppose terrorism, anyone who supports dialogue with Jews, and senior Palestinian Authority officials Saeb Erekat and Mahmoud Dahlan, Nafisi says.

One group that has won Nafisi's support is Hamas. According to Nafisi, Hamas' virtue is made clear by the fact that its politicians are personally involved in attacking Israel.

Another group Nafisi praises is Hizbullah, which he claims has advanced weapons laboratories and even exports weapons to eastern Europe.

6. PA Arabs Want Pope on Their Side
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Arabs in eastern Jerusalem told Reuters they intend to exploit next weeks’ papal visit to involve the Pope in a “war for each piece of land…every tile in the house” in the capital. The statements add evidence to charges

 that the Pope’s visit already is involved more with politics than religion.

Adnan Husseini, former director-general of the Muslim Waqf department in Jerusalem and now special advisor to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, told the news agency, "There is a battle on every piece of land in Jerusalem. In every room, every house in Jerusalem there is a battle.”

He said he will tell the German-born Pope about what he calls “harsh” Israel policies, which include demolitions of illegally-built Jewish and Arab homes alike. Husseini said he wants to get the Pope actively involved because he is sure the United States, which has criticized the demolitions, is not “capable of putting pressure on Israel.

Pro-Arab activists complain that existing legislation, which bars people from rights in the city if absent for more than seven years, is aimed at Arabs. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat recently announced a new building plan that provides new housing units for Arabs, but Husseini charged that if the municipality were serious, it would not demolish existing units.



The Vatican already has run into a political minefield with statements from its veteran diplomat, Cardinal Renato Martino, during the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign in Gaza, which he compared with a Nazi camp. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor responded, “We are astounded to hear from a spiritual dignitary words that are so far removed from truth and dignity.”

A sharper reaction came from Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who stated that the clergyman’s comments are like others “used against Israel by terrorist organizations and Holocaust deniers.”

Intentions by Arabs to exploit the Pope’s visit were made clear last month, when Arab Catholics visited the Vatican and gave him a black and white checkered keffiyah, the Arab scarf that is associated with Yasser Arafat. The Pope obligingly wore the scarf while talking with the Arab delegation.



Other planned stop filled with political innuendo is a trip to the Arab city of Sakhnin in the Galilee, where the town mayor in January led inciting crowds against the Operation Cast Lead campaign. Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov has unsuccessful tried to convince the Vatican to avoid meeting the mayor because of his “support for terror.”



Israel has succeeded in changing the itinerary so that the Pope will not be able be photographed at the separation barrier, one of the favorite targets for anti-Zionists who call it the Apartheid Wall. Palestinian Authority legislator Essa Qaraqie said Thursday that the papal entourage will pass near the barrier but that military officials prohibited Arabs from building a stage.

The last time a pope visited Israel was in 2000, several months before the outbreak of the Oslo War, also known as the Second Intifada. The visit by Pope John-Paul II, who was born Karol Józef Wojtyla, also was laced with politics.

Shortly before the pope arrived, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem told an Italian newspaper, “Too many lies about the Holocaust, Wojtyla free us from the Jews. Six million Jews dead? No way, they were much fewer. Let's stop with this fairytale exploited by Israel to capture international solidarity. It is not my fault if Hitler hated Jews; indeed they were hated a little everywhere. Instead, it is necessary to denounce the unjust occupation endured by my people. Tomorrow I will ask John Paul II… to support our cause.” 

7. Supreme Court Avoids Jewish Law
by Maayana Miskin

The Supreme Court rarely makes use of Jewish law in its rulings, according to a study released this week. The study found that Supreme Court President Justice Dorit Beinisch was the most averse to using Jewish sources.

The study was conducted by Doctor Yuval Sinai of Yishma, the Implementation of Hebrew Law group at Netanya Academic College.

Dr. Sinai found that the frequency at which Jewish law was used as a source when deciding cases varied widely, depending on the judge in question. Justice Elyakim Rubenstein was most likely to quote Jewish sources, Sinai found, and did so in 77 rulings, which constituted 27 percent of his total rulings.

Court President Dorit Beinisch, on the other extreme, quoted a Jewish source in just a single ruling. “Not only that, but she clearly took efforts to avoid quoting Biblical verses or Talmudic sources in her rulings,” Sinai said. In addition, he said, Beinisch expressed displeasure on at least one occasion with Rubenstein's use of Biblical verse in his verdicts.

Deputy-President, Justice Eliezer Rivlin was also unlikely to quote Jewish sources, and has done so only twice, Sinai found.

Sinai also examined the behavior of past judges and found that Justices Jacob Turkel and Mishael Cheshin were both relatively likely to quote Jewish sources, with 18 percent and 12 percent of their rulings respectively citing Jewish law. Former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak quoted Jewish law in six percent of his rulings.

Jewish law is one of the sources to which justices are asked to refer, along with international law, treaties signed by Israel, and legal precedent in other countries.

The Supreme Court, as the High Court of Justice, has often been asked to rule on subjects relating to Jewish practice in the state of Israel, such as the question of whether conversions performed by non-orthodox Jewish groups should be recognized as valid for purposes of aliyah (immigration), whether same-sex marriages performed abroad will be recognized in Israel, and whether Christians of Jewish descent who consider themselves Jewish should be allowed to immigrate to Israel as Jews.