RUTHFULLY YOURS

Pressure is mounting across Europe against Sharia-inspired practices such as the wearing of the burqa. The latest move in Spain is another significant development

“While other towns in Spain have banned the veil in publicly-owned buildings, Reus is the first of the ban garments like the niqab and the burqa on the streets.

“The ban has been introduced for reasons of “security” and “coexistence”, according to El País newspaper.”

Other European countries such as Belgium and France have introduced similar, nationwide bans which were upheld as legal by a recent ruling from the EU.

The Local added:

“Spain’s Supreme Court in March 2013 annulled previous burqa bans introduced by a number of Spanish municipalities on the grounds that local authorities do not have the jurisdiction to regulate fundamental rights.”

It remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will now respond.

DAVID SINGER IS A LAWYER AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST IN AUSTRALIA

The failure of many Gazans to leave their homes and seek safer shelter after ignoring Israeli leaflet drops, mobile phone calls and even the firing of harmless warning shots as a last resort has been a major contributor to the increasing number of civilian deaths and casualties in Gaza.

This phenomenon has presented a perplexing problem for Israel as it continues its determined drive to destroy the Hamas arsenal of rockets, rocket launchers, weapons caches and extensive network of tunnels located in, under or in the vicinity of densely populated housing areas of Gaza.

Former US President Bill Clinton hit the nail squarely on the head with this prescient statement on 17 July:

“Hamas was perfectly well aware what would happen if they started raining rockets on Israel. They fired a thousand of them, and they have a strategy designed to force Israel to kill their own civilians so that the rest of the world will condemn them…

… In the short to medium term, Hamas can inflict terrible public relations damage on Israel by forcing it to kill Palestinian civilians to counter Hamas.”

The strategy was given expression by Hamas MP Fathi Hammad in 2008:

“[The enemies of Allah] do not know that the Palestinian people has developed its [methods] of death and death-seeking. For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry, at which women excel, and so do all the people living on this land. The elderly excel at this, and so do the mujahideen and the children. This is why they have formed human shields of the women, the children, the elderly, and the mujahideen, in order to challenge the Zionist bombing machine. It is as if they were saying to the Zionist enemy: “We desire death like you desire life.”

U.S. Evacuates Tripoli Embassy Personnel by Land to Tunisia Posted By Bridget Johnson

The Defense Department was called in to evacuate all staff from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli in what the State Department called a “temporary staff relocation” to Tunis.

Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said “at the request of the Department of State, the U.S. military assisted in the relocation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli” today. There were reportedly 150 staff there including 80 Marines.

“All embassy personnel were relocated, including the Marine security guards who were providing security at the embassy and during the movement,” Kirby said. “The embassy staff was driven in vehicles to Tunisia.”

“During movement, F-16′s, ISR assets and an Airborne Response Force with MV-22 Ospreys provided security. The mission was conducted without incident, and the entire operation lasted approximately five hours.”

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the U.S. is “grateful to the Government of Tunisia for its cooperation and support” and that the staff would travel “onward” from there.

“Due to the ongoing violence resulting from clashes between Libyan militias in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, we have temporarily relocated all of our personnel out of Libya,” Harf said in a statement this morning. “We are committed to supporting the Libyan people during this challenging time, and are currently exploring options for a permanent return to Tripoli as soon as the security situation on the ground improves. In the interim, staff will operate from Washington and other posts in the region.”

“Securing our facilities and ensuring the safety of our personnel are top Department priorities, and we did not make this decision lightly. Security has to come first. Regrettably, we had to take this step because the location of our embassy is in very close proximity to intense fighting and ongoing violence between armed Libyan factions,” she continued.

“We will continue to engage all Libyans and the international community to seek a peaceful resolution to the current conflict and to advance Libya’s democratic transition. We reiterate that Libyans must immediately cease hostilities and begin negotiations to resolve their grievances. We join the international community in calling on all Libyans to respect the will of the people, including the authority of the recently-elected Council of Representatives, and to reject the use of violence to affect political processes. Many brave Libyans sacrificed to advance their country toward a more secure and prosperous future. We continue to stand solidly by the Libyan people as they endeavor to do so.”

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com
http://blogs.jpost.com/users/just-look-us-now

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Spine support cage gets US & EU approval. Formal US and European clearances have been granted to FLXfit, the world’s first 3D expandable interbody cage, developed by Israel’s Expanding Orthopedics. The minimally invasive implant corrects spine deformities.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/267920091.html
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/01/bc-expanding-orthopedics-idUKnPn1LPyK+4d+PRN20140701
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg-f92vK6FA

Safer cancer radiation therapy. Israeli startup Convergent RNR has developed MercyBeam, to improve radiation therapy for patients. A patented lens collects most of the X-rays from any standard X-ray generator and focuses them at the tumor. It increases the therapeutic dose where it’s needed and not at surrounding tissue.
http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/radiation-therapy-is-about-to-get-much-kinder/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xltOvraGxCM

New process to diagnose blood clots in pregnant women. Researchers at Soroka University Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University have developed a simple way to identify clotting problems early in pregnant women. The team used a point system to determine a baseline to diagnose clotting disorders.
http://www.jpost.com/Health-and-Science/New-alert-to-diagnose-blood-clots-in-pregnant-women-362544

Eating whey protein before a meal helps control diabetes. (Thanks to Michael H) Israeli researchers have discovered that consuming whey protein before a regular breakfast reduces blood sugar spikes after meals and also improves the body’s insulin response. Thus whey protein could help diabetics control blood sugar.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140707212746.htm

An app for diabetics to get immediate help in a crowd. (Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israeli Shlomi Aflalo developed HelpAround, a crowdsourcing application for people with diabetes and other chronic diseases. It allows them to communicate and get immediate help from people in the vicinity.
http://nocamels.com/2014/06/helparound-app-helps-diabetics-find-immediate-help-in-a-crowd/

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

$1.75 million donation to Israeli disabled charities. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust is giving $1 million to SHALVA, The Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel. Also, $750,000 to Beit Halochem-Tel Aviv, which provides services for disabled IDF veterans.
http://www.jta.org/2014/07/16/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/u-s-trust-awards-1-75-million-to-israeli-agencies-for-disabled

Israeli re-elected to UN committee on women. (Thanks to Hazel) For the third year in a row, Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari of Bar Ilan University has been elected as a member of the United Nation’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/35714-140628-israeli-elected-to-un-womens-rights-committee

Israel named Tier 1 nation in combating human trafficking. Israel has been awarded the highest ranking for its efforts to combat human trafficking in the U.S. State Department’s 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report. It praises Israel’s efforts to identify and rescue trafficking victims and take punitive steps against traffickers.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=18293

Muslim Zionist and an IDF officer. Ala Wahib is the operations officer at a key IDF ground forces training base and the highest-ranked Muslim officer in the Israeli army. He said, “I believe in the Muslim faith, and I will never abandon it, but I think that Zionism is more than a religion.” Please read his amazing story.
http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2014/07/13/an-officer-and-a-muslim-zionist/

IDF field hospital for injured Gazans. The IDF has set up a field hospital at the Erez border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, mainly for women and children from Gaza. It will include a delivery room.
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/IDF-sets-up-field-hospital-at-Erez-border-crossing-for-injured-Palestinians-363541 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ls3WpCmwk

Israel allows aid into Gaza. Despite ongoing rocket fire at Israel from Gaza Strip, some trucks of goods including medicines, food and basic products entered Gaza from Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4541153,00.html

Hebrew University of Jerusalem 22nd best in the world. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has ranked 22nd among the world’s top universities according to the Saudi Arabia-based Center for World University Rankings. CWUR evaluates the top 1,000 universities using objective academic and research indicators.
http://www.afhu.org/hebrew-university-ranks-22nd-in-world-universities-list/news/#.U8jzP0D58kQ

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Green fabric printing. Israel’s Kornit Digital Printing has developed water-based inks that are entirely organic, 100% non-toxic, vegan friendly and compatible with all types of fabric. The company’s high-speed DTG printers are “revolutionizing” the industry with single step fabric printing and no additional finishing.
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/07/15/israels-kornit-offers-green-fabric-printing/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeJVeYQik_w

Student villages built from recycled shipping containers. The Ayalim Association has built a series of ‘student villages’ throughout Israel. The latest in the city of Lod, not far from Israel’s international airport, has been constructed out of recycled shipping containers.
http://www.greenprophet.com/2014/06/ayalim-to-inaugurate-shipping-container-student-village-in-lod/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KImNWBP_Ue0

Mini-farms can feed a hungry world. (Thanks to Hazel) Israelis Moti Cohen and Mendi Pollak won the $20,000 top prize in the Pears Challenge. Their Livingbox “mini-farm” can grow vegetables anywhere, with a self-sustaining “closed loop” of energy and nutrition. The idea can help feed a billion needy people.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-mini-farm-could-feed-third-world-hungry/
http://www.livingreen.co.il/?lat=en

Saving water in agriculture. Israel’s Netafim has completed a successful international pilot project of its uManage platform, which helps farmers to monitor irrigation/fertilizer performance and yields. The software analyzes wind direction, weather forecast, temperature, radiation, soil moisture and fertilizer.
http://israelnewtech.com/2014/07/netafim-innovation-saves-water-agriculture/

The world’s first photonic router. (Thanks to Nevet – www.broaderview.org) Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have demonstrated for the first time a photonic router – an atom-based device that enables routing of single photons. It is a step towards building quantum computers that can process huge amounts of data.
http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/the-world%E2%80%99s-first-photonic-router#.U8voN0D58kQ

Graduating in the greenest building in the Middle East. 32 Tel Aviv University Environmental Masters graduates received their MAs and MSc’s at a ceremony in the brand new Porter School of Environmental Studies Building.
http://en-environment.tau.ac.il/news/graduation_ceremony

Israeli designs Singapore Airport’s bio-dome. (Thanks to NoCamels.com) Israeli architect Moshe Safdie is building a huge bio-dome at Singapore’s Changi Airport. It will contain lavish gardens and fluid waterfalls that will pour down from the dome’s roof. The dome will connect Changi Airport’s terminals 1, 2 and 3.
http://nocamels.com/2014/07/man-of-the-world-moshe-safdie-designs-singapore-airports-incredible-bio-dome/

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Israel employment rate rise is highest in the OECD. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has reported that between 2010 and 2014, Israeli employment rose 13% compared to the OECD average of 2%. The employment rate for Israeli women was 6.5% higher than the OECD average.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israels-employment-rate-rise-highest-in-oecd-1000955483

Tel Aviv Stock Exchange joins Europe. The General Assembly of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) unanimously approved the application of Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) to become an Affiliate member. FESE has 21 Full members, 20 Affiliates and two Observer members.
http://www.tase.co.il/Eng/NewsandEvents/PRArchive/2014/Pages/PR_20140618_2.aspx

We’re at war, and the stock market is up? Go figure! Jon Medved, CEO of Israel’s OurCrowd is extremely bullish about the financial resilience of Israel’s economy during the current fighting against Hamas terrorists.
http://ourcrowd.ontraport.net/c/s/szj/zG6e/6/9P/sW4/62eN1b/szfaOQ8oaP

China boosts Israel ties. A Chinese delegation, headed by Ren Zhiwu – deputy director-general of the High-Tech Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) – arrived in Israel, the first time the high-level government team has come to Israel.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/high-level-visitors-boost-israel-china-business-ties/

Vietnam’s trade with Israel surges 53 per cent. Trade between Vietnam and Israel increased significantly during the first half of this year, reaching US$426 million or increasing 53 per cent year-on-year.
http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/257701/trade-with-israel-surges-53-per-cent-in-h1.html

Unlimited coffee is now available in New York. Israeli start-up “Cups” is expanding its virtually unlimited coffee supply to New York. Using Cups app, individuals pay a fixed rate of $45 dollars a month to receive a coffee of their choice at participating shops every half hour. Or $27 dollars a month buys one coffee per day.
http://cupsapp.com/ http://www.fastcompany.com/3009385/tech-forecast/cups-the-app-for-coffee-addicts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBUjEIETTbI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER2bRfiZS80

25 Israeli start-ups to watch. Forbes magazine has listed 25 Israeli startups to keep your eye on in 2014. It says that Kaltura is most likely to be “one of the next billion-dollar exits” thanks to its wide-ranging video solutions platform. It also likes Petbnb, which pairs traveling pet owners with caretakers for their pets.
http://www.israel21c.org/news/forbes-highlights-25-israeli-startups-to-watch-in-2014/

Google’s $100m Europe fund to invest in Israeli startups. Five years after launching its Google Ventures investment fund, the Internet giant announced yesterday that it was launching a similar fund in Europe. sources informed “Globes” that Google will also use the fund to make investments in suitable Israeli start-ups.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-google-ventures-sets-up-100m-europe-israel-fund-1000953628

Mobileye is a $3-5 billion company. Israeli collision avoidance solutions developer Mobileye is looking to raise $150 in funding from its US public listing. Mobileye has developed a camera-based system mounted in vehicles that reads the road ahead and is designed to help drivers avoid accidents.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-mobileye-ipo-valuation-1000957258

Leviathan gas field is larger than expected. The estimated size of Israel’s largest natural gas reserve was raised by 16 percent. An updated analysis based on 3D seismic surveys has calculated the field to hold 21.93 trillion cubic feet (620 billion cubic meters.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/leviathan-natural-gas-field-16-larger-than-expected/2014/07/16/

CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT

Israeli caves named UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee added Israel’s 2,000-year-old Beit Guvrin-Maresha caves to its prestigious list, during its annual meeting in Qatar. The bell caves consist of thousands of chambers and networks. Israel now has a total of eight World Heritage sites.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4533844,00.html

Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys to perform in Israel. The Beach Boys are coming to Israel in 2015. “America’s Rock Band” has produced a record thirty-six US Top 40 hits, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone Magazine ranks the Beach Boys as the 12th greatest artist of all time.
http://www.touristisrael.com/beach-boys-tel-aviv-israel/13322/

Tony Bennett due in Israel in September. After a 60-year musical career, Tony Bennett is finally coming to Israel. The 88-year-old American singer, known for his deep baritone voice, will perform at Tel Aviv’s Charles Bronfman Auditorium on September 14.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4536763,00.html

David Blatt is the first Israeli to coach in the NBA. David Blatt has accepted an offer to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers. Blatt, who steered Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Euroleague basketball championship this season, is the first Israeli head coach to make it to America’s NBA.
http://www.jpost.com/Sports/Blatt-closing-on-Cavs-head-coaching-job-360031

THE JEWISH STATE

Visit Nahal Teninim – Nature reserve and Roman aquaduct. Nachal Teninim (Aligator stream) is a wonderful national nature reserve and is home to a Roman dam and aquaduct that brought fresh water to Caesarea. Also features an ancient rock quarry, a byzantine flour mill and waterfalls.
http://villarimona.com/teninim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44l7VCydtAw

New mosaic discovered in ancient synagogue. A mosaic depicting a non-biblical battle scene has been uncovered in a 5th century CE synagogue in Northern Israel. It features a group of soldiers and elephants clad in armor. It might be a depiction of Alexander the Great meeting Jewish high priest Jaddua (Simon the Just).
http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-synagogue-mosaic-depicts-bloody-jewish-legend-121825413.html

IDF rescue team honored 20 years after AMIA bombing. AMIA leaders came to Israel to mark AMIA’s 120th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the attack on AMIA’s center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and injured hundreds. Ariel Cohen Sabban, AMIA treasurer, said, “We will never forget that Israel helped us.”
http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-rescuers-honored-for-role-after-amia-jewish-center-attack/

Six new bus lines in Judea and Samaria. As residents of Judea and Samaria express concern over the frequency of public transportation and the resultant need to hitchhike, the Egged bus cooperative has launched six new routes and announced improvements to several others.
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Egged-adds-six-new-bus-lines-in-Judea-and-Samaria-361216

Christian NGO brings Sderot Holocaust survivors to Jerusalem. Israel Always, a US-based Christian NGO, is caring for a group of 20 Holocaust survivors who have been bombarded by rockets in Sderot. It has taken them to Jerusalem, where it is providing free hotel accommodations, meals and activities.
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Christian-NGO-brings-Sderot-Holocaust-survivors-to-Jerusalem-368555

1.75 million friends of Israel. With nearly 1.75 million members, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) calls itself the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States. At their annual summit in Washington, CUFI leader David Brog said, “we have to speak out and be a voice for Israel”.
http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2014/7/22/while-gaza-conflict-rages-cufi-summit-rallies-christian-support-for-israel#.U88rXSh8uTA=

Open Hearts, Open Homes. (Thanks to Howard) As in previous years, the Jewish Community Center, Bergen County, Washington, New Jersey is running a program that provides respite and fun to Israeli teens that live along the Gaza border. Please can other communities in the USA offer this kind of mitzvah (good deed).
http://www.yjcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39

WHAT HAMAS PLANNED TO DO WITH THE TERROR TUNNELS

http://israelmatzav.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/what-hamas-planned-to-do-with-terror.html

The prime danger, the second half of the terror strategy that has required us to send our troops into Gaza, has turned out to be Hamas’s cross-border tunneling, the scale of which was not publicly known until the last few days. Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog spoke Tuesday of the “unimaginable” mega-terror attack Hamas is believed to have been planning — sending hundreds of terrorists swarming through those tunnels to massacre Israelis in the Gaza-envelope kibbutzim and moshavim. Netanyahu said Sunday that the intended Hamas attacks on kibbutz kindergartens, homes and dining halls would have been “catastrophic.”

HAMAS’ NEW YEAR SURPRISE…AND JOHN KERRY’S CEASE-FIRE
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/600/825.html?hp=1&cat=875&loc=1

http://israelmatzav.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/hamas-new-year-surprise-and-john-kerrys.html

Maariv – Israel’s third largest circulation daily – is confirming that Hamas planned a mass terror attack on southern Israel on Rosh HaShannah, the Jewish New Year, a little more than two months from now.

According to the report, Hamas planned to send up to 200 terrorists through many tunnels that lead into six different kibbutzim, moshavim and villages around Gaza’s borders. The terrorists’ mission was to have been the mass murder and kidnapping of as many Jews as possible. Although the newspaper does not make the connection, I suspect that this map likely shows some of the places involved, and explains why the battle of Shejalya earlier this week was so important.

The IDF was aware of the tunnels, and as a result, the soldiers who were sent to destroy them over the past week knew exactly where to go. But the IDF was not aware of the specific plan for a mass terror two months from now – that came from interrogating Hamas terrorists who were captured this pas week.

During the course of Operation Protective edge, the IDF discovered that the tunnels did not go straight as it assumed, but the tunnels intersected with each other, to allow the transfer of terrorists from one tunnel to the next. The tunnels inlcuded storage rooms for weapons, tranquilizer drugs, anc cables to tie the hands of potential kidnap victims. The idea was to kill as many people as possible, and bring back many more to ransom for “Palestinian” terrorists languishing in Israel prisons.

According to Maariv, the tunnel digging started several years ago, and in the last year Hamas terrorists have been working three shifts per day, around the clock, in order to add 15 meters per day to each tunnel. Hamas has spent hundreds of millions of dollars (actually, euros) on the tunnels, which money could have gone to pay for schools, hospitals, bomb shelters, etc.

Surely Secretary of State John Kerry knows of the extensive labyrinth of tunnels in Gaza. Surely he knows that far beyond the rockets these pose a mortal threat to Israel that no country would accept. And surely he knows that the Israeli military is meticulously searching and destroying the tunnels and that this will take time, perhaps weeks and not days. Then why in the world would he publicly offer a truce proposal, especially one purportedly dressed up with some pro-Hamas goodies from Qatar?

One explanation is that he is foolish beyond our wildest imagination, entirely disconnected from reality. He maybe thinks Israel bluffs like his boss does, or maybe he does not understand that Israel’s “right to defend itself” must include destruction of the tunnels. Perhaps he is deluded to think Israel wouldn’t publicly spurn him.

Another possibility is that this is yet one more sign of President Obama’s antipathy toward Israel. He’d rather Israel not complete its task, not eradicate Iran’s agents and not demonstrate that hard power is not only available but also essential to defeat those who would destroy you. There might be some extended rationale for this, but it boils down to Obama’s determination to appease bad actors in the cause of a temporary cessation in violence.

In either case, Obama and Kerry have more egg on their faces, having just reinforced how irrelevant to the Middle East they have become. If anything, we’ve learned that the president is content to let events play out. His “policy,” whether with Iran or Russia, consists of wishful thinking and empty threats. And we’ve also learned that Israel will pay a great price in blood, treasure and diplomatic vilification to survive. No, the Jewish state is not going to commit national suicide. That is true when it comes to Hamas, and Iran is well. Israel is simply not going to allow itself to be bullied into surrender, which is what leaving deadly tunnels in place would amount to.

BRITAIN’S Jews are suffering an anti-semitic backlash against Israel’s military action in Gaza with attacks, bomb threats, bricks thrown at a synagogue and “Hitler was right” banners.

About 100 hate incidents have been recorded by police and community groups this month — more than double the number that monitors would usually expect.

Many are said to have been carried out by young Muslim men and, in some cases, the attackers have invoked the Holocaust.

The most serious incidents being investigated include:

•A rabbi who was attacked by four youths outside a Jewish school in Gateshead

•Bricks being thrown at a synagogue in Belfast, smashing windows on two consecutive nights

•A group of Asian men who drove through a Jewish area of Greater Manchester, shouting “Heil Hitler” and hurling missiles at pedestrians

•A man using Twitter to call for a Jewish neighbourhood in London to be bombed so “Jews feel the pain” of the Palestinians.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, angered by the mounting death toll in Gaza — which yesterday passed 1,000 — have even taken to the streets with placards declaring: “Hitler you were right!”

In a separate incident, a BBC journalist has been reprimanded after appearing to suggest that western politicians had failed to intervene in the Middle East crisis because they had been “bought” by the Jews.

More than 1,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have died as a result of Israel’s military strikes against Hamas, Gaza’s Islamist rulers, since the start of the conflict.

Diners were tucking into their falafels in Pitzman, a celebrated kosher restaurant in the Jewish district of Paris when the owner got a call to say a mob of youths was heading his way. He just had time to pull down the metal shutters before 30 or so gathered outside, screaming “Hamas resistance”, “Israel assassin”, “Death to Jews” and “We’re going to slit your throats”. Inside, customers cowered in fear for 20 minutes before police intervened to break up the mob.

The incident, on Wednesday, came at the height of the most traumatic week for Europe’s Jews in recent times. In the past few days, at least eight synagogues were attacked in France; like Germany, the country is struggling to keep the Middle East conflict off its streets.

As France’s 500,000-strong Jewish community looked at the headlines in horror, the media grappled with the question of who is responsible for the upsurge of anti-Semitic violence in a country still scarred by the memory of the Nazi occupation.

Crucially, it is very different from the anti-Semitism of the past. Gone, mostly, is the threat of the old-fashioned, tattooed, neo-Nazi skinheads. They have been replaced by second or third-generation immigrants from France’s former colonies in north and west Africa.Among the 15,000 or so pro-Palestinian protesters who marched through Paris to denounce Israel’s raids on Gaza, most came from the impoverished, crime-ridden suburbs where their families have lived since their arrival in France, and where almost every balcony has a satellite dish to capture Arab television channels.

Some reports described them as Muslim radicals, but this is simplistic. Their influences are a patchwork consisting of Islamist propaganda, the French far right, the extreme left and a sense of social disgruntlement nourished by unemployment.

Take, for instance, Ahmed, a 29-year-old youth worker who is a member of a gang calling itself the Gaza Firm, which consists mainly of supporters of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the capital’s football club.

He said 30 or so members of the firm, most wearing black T-shirts, had joined the march to protect anti-Israeli protesters from the Ligue de Défense Juive (Jewish Defence League), an extremist organisation of Jews involved in numerous violent incidents. Ahmed gave the impression that he would have been quite happy to meet the league for a punch-up in the same way that PSG fans regularly clash with supporters of Olympique de Marseille.

5,000 attend banned demonstration Place de la République (see my earlier post here with photos.)

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve set forth, in a solemn address to the nation, a severe warning to organizers and potential demonstrators. The right to demonstrate is indeed respected in France. Over 60 demonstrations of support for the Palestinians have been held in France, only 5 have been banned. The ban is based on a thorough examination of all available evidence from social media and other sources. The risk of disturbing the peace is too great. The organizers have not given convincing proof of their ability to control the crowd. The ban was upheld by the court. It is the law of the land. We cannot tolerate expressions of anti-Semitism masked in support for Palestinians. Synagogues were attacked, Jewish property was destroyed, public property was smashed and riot police were attacked.

Approximately one half hour later the crowd started to gather at Place de la République. By 3 PM it was estimated at 3,000 and at the height of the demonstration, at 5,000. Journalists tweeted, cameramen filmed, riot police stood firm, and nobody rounded up the lawbreakers and carted them away. As the story always goes, it started out as a good-natured gathering, lots of women and children, nothing objectionable, well almost nothing. A jihad flag is clearly visible at the foot of the monument to the République alongside the “moderate” Palestinian flag. Israel was called dirty names. The media were accused of pro-Israel bias. You have to understand jihad to know that these guys are dead serious.

Unless you present their Islamically pure version, unless you display the same slogans, repeat the same war cries, show the same hatred as they demonstrate, you are a pro-Zionist puppet. Prime Minister Valls is capped with a kippa, President Hollande waves an Israeli flag. As the afternoon wore on journalists were kicked, threatened, pushed around. Mike and camera were grabbed away from an I-Télé crew.

That was the good-natured part of the demonstration. It went on for about two hours and, surprise, as it was dispersing, some 500 (maybe it was more like a thousand?) tough guys started to attack the police. A rumor reportedly triggered the change in temper—the Jewish Defense League was on its way. Or already there. In which case it would be logical to attack the police, don’t you see?

The battle went on for two hours. The security detachment provided by the organizers was a pushover. The usual smashing was enjoyed by all. Teargas filled the square. It is reported that 50 people were pulled aside and about 30 of them actually detained.

The police surrounded the mob, pushing them gradually…to the metro station. Yes, that is how it was described. They evacuated the smashers by sending them into the metro station. And on their merry way.

HB MOUNTAINMAN

First of all as an ecumenical gesture, I would suggest to the Presbyterian leaders who have voted to divest from any company dealing with Israel, to use this freed up and untaxed income to invest in cement factories which deal with Hamas. This cement-millions of cubic feet of it- that Hamas has purchased using donations to Gaza has not been used to build schools, hospitals, recreational facilities or factories. Instead, it has been used to construct dozens of tunnels through which Hamas terrorists-some of them dressed as Israeli soldiers- go through into Israel in order to kill civilians.

While they are at it, the Presbyterians and many others who are sympathetic to Hamas might either invest in or make a direct group purchase of Kalshnikovs, rockets and other ammunition that Hamas regularly stores in schools, hospitals and private homes. When you are getting sympathy and money as victims, perhaps you might want to invest that in things that will actually help your people. Since that won’t happen, perhaps Hamas sympathizers could convince some enterprising munitions factory to make grenades in the form of small textbooks and rocket launchers in the form of hospital beds.

The Palestinians are indeed a poor people. First they had a leader like Arafat who had the opportunity to create a state when, in Oslo, Israel agreed to withdraw from a large swath of the West Bank and from East Jerusalem and recognize an independent Palestine. Instead, Arafat incited the intifada, embarked on an unprecedented spree of terror and carnage throughout Israel and promised his people that they would get all of Israel. In retrospect his reasoning was logical. A stateless people would continue to get donations, from which Arafat could and did take hundreds of millions of dollars .

He wisely salted it away in European banks. His photogenic widow now sits on almost a billion dollars which had been intended to help the Palestinians but now helps her live a nice life in Europe.

Hamas uses its money to make perpetual war but then complains about living conditions in Gaza. Fortunately for Hamas, it has rags like The Guardian in England and many publications in the US calling it a “militant” group instead of savage terrorists. At a certain point, “victims” whose only purpose is to victimize others and , in the process, victimize their own people should have lost the confidence and support of their people.

In Gaza, however, hatred trumps self preservation. Instead of being self imposed victims, the people of Gaza would do well to have the leaders of Hamas permanently embedded into their precious cement. Is that a concrete enough proposal?