RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14634/arab-israeli-conflict-reasons

The cause of the problem is NOT the land. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, several Arab nations were created by fiat. The Arab world accepted this without any problem, as these were Muslim-majority countries. Rejecting the state of Israel was related to the fact that it is a Jewish rather than a Muslim country.

In this manner, despite the clear discrimination against non-Muslim minorities in most of the Arab and Muslim world (denying equal rights in church construction, for example), many in the Arab world point the finger only at Israel when they talk about discrimination.

The European Union is currently funding a study into Palestinians textbooks, brought about by the findings of the non-governmental organization IMPACT-se, which found in May that “the new Palestinian school [material] for the 2018–19 academic year… was ‘more radical than those previously published.'” … Meanwhile, no one is being educated for peace.

When we add onto all that the sad reality that Palestinian politicians are using the conflict to get billions of dollars in donations, we can understand why this conflict has so far not been solved.

We must salute Jared Kushner’s attempt to bring a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. That said, the Palestinians’ unsurprising rejection of the peace offer requires some scrutiny, especially the true causes of the perennial failure to achieve lasting peace.

Without understanding them, every attempt to solve this conflict, every attempt to make true peace in the Middle East, will always fail.

As an insider with a background as both a Muslim and an Arab, please allow me share with you some insight into the problem.

1. The Arab-Israeli conflict is not about borders. It is about the existence of the state of Israel.

In 1947, the United Nations Partition Plan — Resolution 181 — gave the Palestinians and Arabs control over most of the Holy Land. The rejection of the plan by the Arab nations, and their declaration of war against Israel rather than their acceptance of peace, was the first clear indication that the Arabs’ desire was never to provide a state for the Palestinian people, but rather has been from the beginning to erase Israel from the map. This destructive intent is memorialized in the Hamas Charter, which unashamedly asks for the eradication of the State of Israel. This intent is also aligned with the Iranian leaders’ continuous entreaties to destroy Israel. An evaluation of relevant social media commentary in the Arab world demonstrates a genuine desire by many — if not most — of the Arab population to see the destruction of Israel and the killing not just of all Israeli Jews but of all Jews:

 https://bit.ly/2LRLGdi

The pro-Palestinian Saudi talk has diminished, increasingly replaced by an adversarial Saudi walk.

The shift in the Saudi attitude has been reflected by a reduction of foreign aid to the Palestinians, partially due to the rift between the PA and Hamas, and in protest of PA corruption; a tighter control of monetary transfers by Palestinians residing in the kingdom; and the increase in the number of Palestinians arrested in – and denied access to – Saudi Arabia.

The transformation of the Saudi attitude toward the Palestinians has been triggered by Palestinian ties with entities which challenge and threaten the House of Saud. For example, the anti-Saudi Muslim Brotherhood (the largest Sunni Islamic terror organization), Iran’s Ayatollahs (the leading mortal enemy of the House of Saud), the anti-Saudi Erdogan’s Turkey (which supports the Muslim Brotherhood and opposes Saudi Arabia in Syria, Iraq, Qatar and Somalia), Hamas Palestinian terrorists (supported by Iran’s Ayatollahs and Turkey), Hezbollah terrorists (supported by the Ayatollahs), Qatar (which maintains close ties with Iran and Turkey, as well as with the USA), etc. 

Saudi homeland security concerns triggered the September 12, 2018 policy, which stopped the issuance of visas for the Haj (the major annual pilgrimage) and Umrah (a secondary pilgrimage) to Palestinians from Jordan, Lebanon and East Jerusalem, who possess only temporary travel documents. 

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/07/article/indispensable-netanyahu/

The Israeli prime minister’s diplomatic role has overriding importance for American and world security

After 13 years in office, Benjamin Netanyahu has served long enough to have rankled every Israeli I know. He faces a difficult election on September 17, after failing to form a coalition government following a national election earlier this year. As an American, I avoid taking a view on Israeli politics, but this is a special situation in which Netanyahu’s diplomatic role has overriding importance for American and world security. I have argued since 2009 that the United States has a narrow but important set of common interests with Russia in the Middle East. Thanks in large part to Netanyahu, security cooperation seems effective.

No other world leader could have convened, as Netanyahu did June 25, a meeting of Russia’s national security adviser Nicolai Petrushev and American NSA John Bolton. Speaking in Jerusalem, Petrushev declared, “We pay special attention to ensuring Israel’s security,” calling it “a special interest of ours because here in Israel live a little less than about two million of our countrymen.” He added, “Israel supports us in several channels, including at the UN.”

The Israeli prime minister is the only head of government who has the confidence of President Trump as well as President Putin. Few observers of the region grasp the scope of that accomplishment. Netanyahu did not create a working relationship with Russia by schmoozing its president, but by combining audacious grit and a willingness to compromise. In consequence, it appears possible for the United States and Israel to contain Iran’s imperial ambitions in the Levant without a shooting war. Russia has quietly but firmly discouraged Iran from crossing lines that would provoke actual hostilities, while allowing Israel to conduct hundreds of attacks against Iranian assets in Syria.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14627/arrow-missile-test-alaska

Hitting a missile with a missile is what we do.

American and Israeli missile technology, missile capabilities and production capabilities are closely interwoven. They can be because our defense goals are interwoven. The ability to defend civilians from an enemy — regardless of the weapon the enemy brings to the battlefield — is the first and highest priority of both governments.

At the edge of Alaska, Israeli and American cooperation and coordination produced another test of a more humane way for “free people to rest secure.” Just watch out for those rogue amendments.

The recent Arrow 3 missile test in Alaska, announced on Sunday, was nearly taken out by a rogue. Not a rogue missile, mind you, but a rogue amendment to the to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Earlier this month, Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL) proposed the following language:

“None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2020 may be made available for the research, development, testing, evaluation, procurement, or deployment of a United States shorter- or intermediate-range ground launched ballistic or cruise missile system with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers…”

The prohibition was aimed at the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. But according to one analyst:

(It) would prohibit funding for the U.S.-Israeli cooperative Arrow-3 missile defense interceptor and also severely impact the planning, execution, and evaluation of flight test of the United States Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), integrated testing with friends and allies… The U.S.-Israeli cooperative Arrow-3 missile defense interceptor would be subject to the prohibition in the amendment and as a result the Missile Defense Agency would be unable to provide (funding) as required by the U.S.-Israeli Memorandum of Understanding…

https://saraacarter.com/israel-demolishes-illegal-buildings-international-leaders-media-demolish-truth/?

Last week Israel demolished 13 illegally built buildings which were being erected by Arab Palestinians. Arab leaders screamed “war crimes” and “ethnic cleansing.” That the denunciations were absurd and based on utterly false predicates had no impact on the international response. In a perfect Pavlovian chorus, the media amplified the hysteria, followed by the United Nations the EU and other European leaders who claimed Israel’s action was akin to the destruction of peace in the Middle East. Only the refusal of the United States to join in the lynch mob prevented a formal UN Security Council measure against Israel.

But the real outrage was not Israel’s action in demolishing the buildings. The audacity, and the sloppiness, of the international media and international political leadership is the real outrage.

Because as anyone can see by reading the Israel Supreme Court opinion authorizing these demolitions, every single material “fact” asserted by these outraged protectors of the peace process is wrong:
– The land on which the buildings stood is not under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, but, as explicitly provided by the Oslo Accords, under the jurisdiction, for security purposes, of the Government of Israel
– Instead it was included inside Israel’s security barrier at the request of the very Arabs who are now complaining;
– The Arab complainants had the benefit of years of due process, which they flaunted by continuously disobeying orders of the Israeli courts that required both the Army and the Arabs to maintain the status quo until the courts could assess the legal merits of the Arabs’ claims;
– The Arabs chose to build right up against Israel’s security barrier even though they had clear notice that such construction was illegal because it impeded the Israeli army’s ability to defend Israel’s citizenry from Arab terrorist attacks.
The fact that these realities are completely ignored by all of the outraged international “authorities” is a disgrace.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14620/palestinians-freedom-of-expression

The [Palestinian Committee for Supporting Journalists] revealed that there has been a “marked increase in violations against journalists by the Palestinian security forces in recent months” and said that it has documented more than 104 trespasses since the beginning of 2019.

Thus far, however, the new Palestinian government has dashed these hopes for basic journalistic freedom.

The continued crackdown on public freedoms under the Palestinian Authority means one of two things — both of which are bad news: either the prime minister has no real control over the Palestinian security forces, or he truly cares nothing about freedom of expression and unimpeded journalistic jurisdiction. Neither scenario bodes well for the future of human rights for Palestinians.

During a meeting with a Human Rights Watch (HRW) delegation last week, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh promised that no Palestinian will be arrested or prosecuted for exercising his or her freedom of expression.

“Freedom of expression is a sacred right for every citizen,” Shtayyeh was quoted as saying. “The government has guaranteed citizens the right to express their opinion through constructive criticism, whether in terms of social media or websites.”

Only one day before Shtayyeh assured the HRW delegation that his government would not crack down on Palestinians for expressing their views, however, Palestinian security forces in the West Bank arrested journalist and political activist Thaer al-Fakhoury, 30, for allegedly “vilifying the public authority.”

Fakhoury’s lawyer, Hijazi Obeido, said that his client had gone on a hunger strike after his incarceration. “The Palestinian Preventive Security Force summoned the journalist for an interview and arrested him immediately after his arrival,” Obeido said. “Last Wednesday, he his detention was extended for four days, and not 15 days as requested by the prosecutor-general, due to his health condition.”

The lawyer continued that al-Fakhoury, a resident of the West Bank city of Hebron, had remarked during a court hearing that he was being interrogated about a video he allegedly posted on social media. The video reportedly mentions the names of Palestinians who work with the Palestinian security forces, the lawyer added. The journalist has denied any connection to the video.

http://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

How to stop melanoma turning lethal. Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that fat cells close to melanoma cells cause them to become aggressive and form secondary cancers. Removing the fat cells, calms down the melanoma cells and they stop migrating to the organs. The study also suggests new cancer treatments.

https://www.israel21c.org/israelis-discover-way-to-prevent-melanoma-turning-lethal/

The microbiome impact on ALS. (TY UWI)  A study by researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute shows intestinal microbes can have a direct effect on the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS / Lou Gehrig’s disease).  Certain strains of gut microbes (or their secretions) slowed ALS-like diseases in the lab.

https://www.israel21c.org/major-study-shows-gut-microbes-may-impact-course-of-als/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/treatment-with-gut-microbes-may-slow-progression-of-als-israeli-study/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1443-5

Early warning of TB danger. Some 2 million people die of Tuberculosis (TB) every year. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have developed an algorithm that can predict those whose immune system response to TB infection would put them at risk. These people can then be treated while the level of TB bacteria is low.

https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/first-impressions-go-long-way-immune-system

AI to detect sleep apnea. An international research team led by the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology has developed innovative, Artificial Intelligence-based software to detect obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in which people stop breathing during their sleep. The software can be implanted on a smart watch or bracelet.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-led-research-team-develops-ai-based-model-to-detect-sleep-apnea/ 

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(19)30093-8/fulltext

VR for the elderly. Many elderly Israelis wear Virtual Reality (VR) goggles, not only to have fun, but also to maintain health. Israeli startup VRHealth’s VR therapy platform provides real-time data analytics and warn of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia. It can also jog memory, reduce stress and counter loneliness.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/10/c_137597513.htm

Medtronic partners Israeli stroke detection startup. I reported previously (see here) on Israel’s Viz.ai and its AI brain scan analysis technology. Viz.ai’s new partner is medical device giant Medtronic, who will distribute Viz.ai’s technology in the U.S.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3766812,00.html

Improving treatment results. Israel’s Well-Beat has developed an Artificial Intelligent system that improves the effectiveness of chronic treatment. It provides healthcare professionals with the tools to change their patients’ lifestyles plus communication and motivation techniques to help patients comply with the treatment.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3766801,00.html

Therapeutic farm for teens. The Nachliel farm in Samaria has rehabilitated hundreds of at-risk boys for over 20 years. They cultivate the land, ride horses, swim and catch fish. They learn to navigate, take care of themselves in difficult conditions and most importantly how to look after one another.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266060

The first seven minutes. Israeli emergency organization Magen David Adom has used its “First 7 Minutes” program to train over 3,000 people in 15 countries to respond to mass casualty events. These include Canada, Australia, South America, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Greece and now in the United States.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/266256

https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Antisemitism-anti-Zionism-and-the-occupation-596950

This has two parts: 1) the “occupation of Palestinian territory” and 2) the “occupation of Palestinian people.” Many in the international community and some Israelis, therefore, have accepted what they believe is a threat to Israeli democracy and a corrosive moral problem. But is the accusation true?

The first argument has been refuted extensively, the second has not.

Recently, Micah Goodman wrote in The Atlantic that Israel was guilty of the second offense, and offered a number of suggestions which would minimize this. He and others argue that Israel is guilty of a moral transgression – controlling the lives of “another people,” Palestinians. This resonates with many who are concerned about humanitarian, moral issues. 

Especially for Jews, if Israel is guilty of “stealing Palestinian land,” “depriving Palestinians of their civil and humanitarian rights,” and “persecuting” them, then opposition to Israeli policies is justified. 

For many, such as Senators Lindsey Graham and Cory Booker, and for Joe Biden, the “two-state solution” – an independent Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria – is the only reasonable alternative to what they call the “one-state” situation that now exists. Although simplistic, it is a persuasive argument because it seems to make sense: One nation (Israel) should not dominate another nation/people, the Palestinians.

Missing, however, is a fundamental question: Does Israel have the right, duty and obligation to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state which poses a threat, and to control the lives of Palestinians in order to protect itself? This raises an additional question: Is “the occupation” undermining Israeli democracy, its values and its society?