This Is Why Ukraine and “Palestine” Are Not the Same

Watch video version here.

Middle East affairs (particularly that of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict), terrorist organizations, human rights abuses, and information warfare are topics that I have been studying and blogging about for 9 years now. To see uneducated, ill-informed, selfish people compare the goals of terrorist organizations to that of the Ukrainian people is absolutely unacceptable and dangerous. We cannot downplay the murderous acts of terrorists and extremists who attack Israeli civilians (by the way these terrorists are of the same breed as those who terrorized Americans on 9/11 and attempted to in 1993- if you know then you know or look it up), by claiming those terrorists are in any way in the same position as the Ukrainians are in now. Here are some reasons why. 

 
Earlier this week Gigi Hadid compared the Ukrainian cause to that of the Palestinians’. She and her counterparts have clearly been struggling with some sort of amnesia because comparing the situation in Ukraine to the situation in the Middle East- specifically that of Israel and the Palestinian Territories- is an absolute disrespect to all of the people not only suffering from Russia’s actions (which at this point may as well be every human being), but also to Jews all over the world who are directly affected by the false claims of Israel’s existence being comparable to Russia breaking international laws and committing war crimes while attacking its neighboring sovereign country Ukraine.
 
Let’s get some things straight here. 
 

It is both Ukraine and Israel, not Russia and the Palestinian Territories- that are examples of freedom including that of speech, sexuality, religion, press, and self-expression. Palestinians are living in territories under the leadership of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (both of which are Iranian proxies and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood which are both leading sponsors of terrorism). They are absolutely not free to express themselves in these ways. LGBTQ individuals are murdered mercilessly, civilians are used as human shields, children are taught to murder and women and young individuals are encouraged to act as self-sacrifices for the sake of murdering their unwelcome neighbors… who by the way are there legally (will get to that later). 
 
Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East, and gives Palestinians and Arabs more freedom than their own countries do. Over the past several days, Israel has brought Arabs and Muslims home to their countries in the rest of the Middle East, when their countries left them stranded. There are many Israeli former soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine right now. It was Russia, by the way, who oppressed Jews- not allowing them to hold certain jobs or to practice Judaism. Today, the Ukrainian President is himself a proud Jew and has even said, “We know what it’s like not to have an own state. We know what it means to defend one’s own state and land with weapons in hand, at the cost of our lives. Both Ukrainians and Jews value freedom, and they work equally for the future of our states to become to our liking, and not the future which others want for us. Israel is often an example for Ukraine.”
 
There are Ukrainians guarding synagogues and Torah scrolls during this war. Israel is sending a ton of aid to Ukraine and accepting Ukrainians into Israel. The Palestinian “leadership” is nowhere in sight. Except when trying to compare their “cause” to that of the Ukrainians’.
 

Putin said that he wants to de-Nazify Ukraine (as if he is one to talk) and has many Russians believing that what he is doing is not just acceptable, but right! He has enforced a law that will have people thrown in to jail for up to 15 years for using certain words in regards to the WAR or speaking out against it. He has officially criminalized independent war reporting and anti-war protests. He has censored and blocked non-government media. 
 
Same with Palestinian territories. Palestinians are brainwashed, made to believe that Israel is their worst enemy, so much so that it is worth committing suicide if could even kill even just one Israeli (as we have seen this week Palestinians committing stabbing attacks in Jerusalem risking their own lives for the sake of their country when all along, they have had many opportunities for normal negotiations aka communicating and setting standards as opposed to murdering people right and left). It is dangerous to support Israel as a Palestinian. Lies upon lies are fed into the minds of Russians and Palestinians alike. As a child of former refugees from Russia, I have heard first-hand about the lack of freedom and equal opportunity experienced by those who were living in the former Soviet Union. Putin is now returning Russia to Soviet-era operations and way of life. 
 
We haven’t yet even mentioned the holding of power in office. The last elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council were held in 2006. Mahmoud Abbas is in the 17th year of his Palestinian presidency. Putin first became president in 2000 and was reelected in 2004. At the time, Russian presidents were limited to two terms in power, so Putin returned to being PM before becoming president again in 2012 – an election embroiled by allegations of fraud. He has been president ever since, after being re-elected in 2018. In 2021 he signed constitutional amendments into law, allowing him to run for president two more times, potentially extending his presidency to 2036.
 
Also let’s talk about where these two individuals come from, and their ties to terrorism. This isn’t even a comprehensive list. 
 

Putin is a former KGB spy. The KGB was the main security agency for the Soviet Union. “The Soviet Union, through KGB personnel and its allies, provided training, weapons, and funding to guerilla and terrorist groups throughout the world to undermine the interests of the United States and its allies in strategic countries” (US Department of Justice). 
 
“In the battle for empire between East and West, the Soviet security services had long been deploying what they called their own “active measures” to disrupt and destabilize their opponent. Locked in the Cold War but realizing it was too far behind technologically to win any military war, ever since the sixties the Soviet Union had found its strength in disinformation, in planting fake rumors in the media to discredit Western leaders, in assassinating political opponents, and in supporting front organizations that would instigate wars in developing countries such as the Middle East and Africa and undermine and sow discord in the West” (Politico). 
 
“Among these measures was support for terrorist organizations. Across the Middle East, the KGB had forged ties with numerous terror groups, most notably with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a splinter group of the Palestine Liberation Organization that carried out a string of plane hijackings and bomb attacks in the late sixties and seventies. Top-secret documents illustrate the depth of some of these connections. They show the then-KGB chief signing off three requests for Soviet weapons from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Wadi Haddad, and describing him as a ‘trusted agent’ of the KGB” (Politico). 
 
The Palestinians today, by the way, as well as other Middle East countries, are the ones who are siding with Putin. 
 
Historic ties bind many Palestinians with Moscow- those who studied in the former Soviet Union, which provided aid and comfort for years to the Palestine Liberation Organization. In the early 1970s, several groups affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization carried out numerous international terrorist attacks. US policy accepts that elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization have advocated, carried out, or accepted responsibility for acts of terrorism. The Palestine Liberation Organization was responsible for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Today, the Palestine Liberation Organization continues to exist; however, most of its leaders have now become top Fatah officials in the Palestinian Authority. Fatah-related militia groups, such as the Tanzim, Force 17 and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade played a leading role in Palestinian violence during the Second Intifada, including suicide terrorist attacks, ambushes, and shootings of Israeli vehicles and facilities. Current Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas was a long-time secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization and is now also its Chairman (Anti-Defamation League). 
 

Ukrainians have bravely joined together to fight for their home, culture, history, safety, freedom and rights to self-determination. So too with Jews living in Israel. 

 
The British Mandate incorporated the “Balfour Declaration” of 1917. It called for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people on land to which they have always had historical ties. Jewish people have maintained ties to their historic homeland for more than 3,700 years. A national language and a distinct civilization have been maintained. 
 
Many Jews, mainly from Eastern Europe were immigrating (more like returning after their ancestors had been expelled) there in increasing numbers especially due to WWII. Arabs demanded resistance to immigration and that led to rebellion in 1937, followed by continuing terrorism and violence from both sides. The UK considered various options to bring independence to a land devastated by violence, but handed the issue over to the UN.
 
The Jewish people were given land under the UN Partition Plan of 1947. The land, mainly what is now Israel, was split between Palestinians and Jews. The Jews accepted the offer from the UN, while the Palestinians rejected it. That led to 5 major Arab countries attacking Israel, with Israel ultimately winning its War of Independence- a true miracle. The “refugee crisis” was created by the Arab countries who told Palestinians to leave so that they could destroy the newly created state of Israel and then have the Palestinians return to the lands they claimed to own although that land was controlled by the British before they handed it to the UN. 
 
When the Arab countries lost, instead of taking in the Palestinian refugees they created, they left them on the doorsteps of a country they failed to destroy. And blamed that on Israel not allowing itself to be annihilated. The Palestinians have rejected opportunities to live in peace with Israel, time and time again. 
 
Why are Gigi and Bella Hadid, multimillionaires living in California, considered Palestinian refugees? Because Palestinians refugee status gets passed down through offspring. Well, I am a child of refugees and so are majority of my Jewish friends. Even many non-Jews. However, we do not have refugee status. I don’t want it. I have no desire to be classified as a refugee. But this tells you something about the Palestinians. Instead of choosing peace, they choose war. This is not about land for them, it is about from the river to the sea… there will be no Jewish state whatsoever. This issue of refugees could have been solved, just like other refugee crises. Instead, they resort to terrorism and harassment of those they failed to murder because they were unhappy with the partitioning of a land that did not even belong to them. This says a lot. 
 
It was Zelensky who even asked Israeli PM Naftali Bennet to mediate conversations between Ukraine and Russia. Bennet met with both parties on Saturday and refrained from personally condemning Russian offensive in Ukraine in order to maintain Israel’s ability to operate against Iranian proxies in Syria, where Russia controls the skies (Ukraine and Israel essentially share the SAME ENEMIES). 
 

If anyone is looking to destroy foreign entities, it is Russia and the Arab countries that are aligned with Palestinians. Ukraine and Israel have been and continue to defend themselves in order to survive. 
 
It is the Palestinian leaders and Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who refuse to negotiate with Israel. Just like Russia- using force over innocent civilians instead of sitting down at the table to talk. It was Putin who signed an agreement recognizing Ukrainian sovereignty. Palestinians won’t recognize Israel’s right to exist in any shape or form. Clearly this is the case of Putin with Ukraine. Only difference is that Ukraine gave up its nukes, while Israel continues to be one of the strongest countries which is why it still continues to exist (thank G-d). Now for some reason America is making it easier for Iran to get nuclear weapons. Haven’t we seen what happens when bad guys get such power?
 
And Russia has the audacity to state that Western sanctions imposed over the conflict in Ukraine have become a stumbling block for the Iran nuclear deal. Russia wants a written guarantee from the United States that Russia's trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran will not be hindered in any way by the sanctions (Reuters). 
 
Why are we giving so much power to terrorists?
 
The Russian mission in the United Nations (why is Russia still in the UN?) even had the audacity to state their concern over Israel’s legal and peaceful control over the Golan Heights (which by the way was annexed by Israel after preemptively striking Egypt in 1967 and winning that war). Soviet Union military alliances in the 1950s and 60s- mainly supplying Arab countries with military aid- as well as their supplying false intelligence to Egypt stating that Israel was massing troops to attack Syria- were some factors that led up to that war in the first place (Jewish Virtual Library).
The hypocrisy never ends. The more the media and others entertain this game of lies and murder played by terrorists, the more dangerous the world becomes. 
 

We may not have missiles flying over our heads right now, but we know that we are not untouchable. 9/11 was not an attack that happened because some people were bored and had nothing better to do. It was a thought-out master plan that succeeded in its goal: attack the West. 
 
There is a reason Israel is America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. There is a reason why the Arab world sees Israel as the Little Satan and America as the Great Satan. Fighting Israel, especially now, would be shooting ourselves in the foot. We need to stand together as free nations, as those who enjoy the benefits of freedom, to prevent terrorist entities from acquiring even more power. 
 
Israel is not perfect, but it has always stood for freedom and Western values- which both the Arab world and Russia are vehemently against. We are seeing this from Russia in the worst way right now. These are extremely important points to understand. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking Israel is the same as Russia. It is Israel that has been fighting Russia indirectly all along. It is Israel that is on the side of truth when it comes to this play of powers. 
 
Better yet, focus on Ukraine right now. The reason I write this is to respond to people who want to create hatred towards Israel, by using current events in Ukraine to support their own rhetoric. This is shameful and disgusting. Gigi and Bella Hadid should be held accountable for ignoring the true pain and suffering of the Ukrainian people by instead trying to create nonexistent ties with Palestinians who are nowhere to be found in support of Ukrainians as they fight for everything they have. Also, for siding with groups that have called for the destruction of freedom- both in Ukraine and here in the US. This is extremely concerning. 
 
Take a stand. Share the truth. Your personal safety ultimately relies on it. 

Responding to Common Questions

PDF version here. 

QUESTION 1: 

If Israel is the chosen land for all religions, and the Jews do want to live in unity with everyone - why do the Jews have the right to declare it a Jewish state and not a Muslim state? 

ANSWER:

First off, we declare it a Jewish state because we have that right. Do not forget that the British had control over the land that is now Israel. They then gave the responsibility to the UN and the UN had decided to make a Jewish state. They gave land to Jews and Palestinians. Jews accepted and Palestinians/Muslim countries rejected. Muslims chose war. What were Jews to do? Die?

The Jews won in the War of Independence. They declared statehood. Why can’t they? There are 22 MUSLIM STATES. NO ONE EVER DENIED THEIR RIGHT TO DECLARE MUSLIM STATEHOOD. WHY CAN’T JEWS DECLARE JEWISH STATEHOOD? 

The people who refuse to live in unity are the Palestinians and Arabs who do not want to come to the table and negotiate, have rejected peace offers, and REJECTED THE ORIGINAL 2 STATE SOLUTION WHICH WAS 1947 UN PARTITION PLAN.  The Palestinians had opportunities for statehood so many times and rejected. That is the sole reason there is no Palestinian state. It is not Israel’s or the world’s requirement to make them happy. Making them happy would be to “wipe Israel off of the map.” Why does the world have to do as the Palestinians demand just because they were displeased with the LEGAL partitioning of the land?

Jews do not deny anyone else’s relationship to the holy site. NOT SO WITH THE PALESTINIANS. During the 2000 Camp David Summit, Yasser Arafat said that no Jewish Temple ever existed on the Temple Mount. A year later, the Palestinian Authority–appointed Mufti of Jerusalem, Ikrima Sabri, told the German publication Die Welt, “There is not [even] the smallest indication of the existence of a Jewish temple on this place in the past. In the whole city, there is not even a single stone indicating Jewish history.”  HISTORY AND ARCHEOLOGY PROVE OTHERWISE. Its identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.” More authoritatively, the Koran—the holy book of Islam—describes Solomon’s construction of the First Temple (34:13) and recounts the destruction of the First and Second Temples (17:7). Just to name a few examples, though I shouldn't have to give a rundown of history. 

Jews were even going to allow the internationalization of Jerusalem! When Jordan invaded East Jerusalem, it divided the city for the first time in its history and drove thousands of Jews—whose families had lived in the city for centuries—into exile. Jordan barred Jews and Israeli Muslims from their holy sites. TALK ABOUT NOT LIVING IN UNITY WITH OTHERS! PREPOSTEROUS! Consequently, the UN partition plan, including its proposal that Jerusalem be internationalized, was overtaken by events. Side note: these are also the people who celebrated in the streets passing out candy when 9/11 occurred. 

Jews are not the ones who create issues of not living in unity with everyone. Jews have 4 quarters for 4 different groups of people. Even the Temple Mount- Muslims won't let anyone but themselves there- they claim it is there’s even though it is holy to others too. Israel does not do that, yet is blamed for not being fair! While Jews allow everyone to come to the Kotel. Israel does not deny access to anyone. Even recently, there have been more citizens of Muslim countries visiting Israel, while several Muslims countries do not allow Israelis to visit there’s. There are 13 countries that do not recognize the state of Israel and do not admit Israeli passport holders (photo below). 

AND IF THE SITES ARE SO HOLY TO THE MUSLIMS, WHY DO THEY DISRESPECT THEM? When Jordan took over Jerusalem, the place was in ruins!! No way to treat one’s holy site, eh? Many Muslims, with the approval, and sometimes incitement, of the Waqf and Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, have desecrated their own holy places by using them as armories and instigating riots against non-Muslim visitors and the police trying to protect them. “We contaminate our mosques with our own hands and feet, and then blame Jews for desecrating Islamic holy sites,” according to Middle East scholar Bassam Tawil. “If anyone is desecrating Islamic holy sites, it is those who bring explosives, stones, and firebombs into Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Jews who visit the Temple Mount do not bring with them stones, bombs, or clubs. It is young Muslim men who are desecrating our holy sites with their ‘filthy feet’” (a reference to Abbas’s slur against Jews visiting the Temple Mount).One explanation for Palestinian violence on the Temple Mount is that riots are a proven method for provoking an Israeli reaction with the intent of tarring Israel’s reputation. 

Israel is holy to all religions- specifically Jerusalem- but it is not THE holiest for the Muslims as they claim it to be. They only started claiming that to be true when Jews came into the picture. Jerusalem is only Islam’s 3^rdholiest site and they do not even pray towards it like Jews do. Only after the destruction of the Second Temple, control of the Temple Mount passed through several conquering powers. It was during the early period of Muslim control, in the seventh century, that the Dome of the Rock was built on the site of the ancient temples. And they don’t even treat it that well while claiming everyone else is the issue.

QUESTION 2:

Why does it have to be a Jewish run government if the indigenous people are Muslim and according to their beliefs, it is their chosen land as well? 

ANSWER:

Muslims are not indigenous to Israel. It is the Jews who are the aboriginal tribe based on their presence in the Holy Land for more than two thousand years. Of all the people who lived in the area at that time, such as Phoenicians, Moabites, Philistines, only the Jews remain today. The Arabs, however, are not native to “Palestine”; they are aboriginal to Arabia. “Judaism, the Hebrew language, and the Jewish people were established in the Holy Land for about a thousand years” BEFORE THE EMERGENCE OF ISLAM. 

If it is their chosen land then they can live there too. They had opportunities for peace and refused. So I am not so sure they really want it so bad. It seems they claim they do because they need to claim the Israelis are causing issues for their desire for “freedom” and “statehood.” If they want to live peacefully among others, then stop bombing us and sending terrorists to murder us. If they want to move around peacefully, stop threatening Israelis. What are Israelis supposed to do? Allow terrorists to enter and murder them? Americans wouldn't allow this. British wouldn’t. Why do Israelis have to? GAZA WAS GIVEN TO PALESTINIANS AND LOOK WHAT THERE IS NOW. CHAOS! This answers your question. 

Why can’t it be a Jewish government? (I want an actual answer to this.) What is the issue with it being a Jewish state? It was created to be. 

Besides, there ARE Arabs and Christians sitting in the government. An Arab in the past has even sentenced a Jew to prison. Arabs have so many freedoms and rights in Israel that they don't even have in Muslim countries!

On July 19, 2018, Israel adopted a new Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People. The law provoked controversy inside and outside of Israel. 

This clause is consistent with the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, which sought to “encourage . . . close settlement by Jews.” It does not “prescribe or authorize any particular policies” unlike, for example, the state constitution of Hawaii, which authorizes land policies to promote homesteading by ethnic Hawaiians and provides preferential land policies for them. Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that Arabs have a right to create residential communities in Israel that exclude Jews but Jews do not have the same right to exclude Arabs.

One indication of the double standard applied to Israel is that no international uproar followed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ declaration that not “A SINGLE ISRAELI” would be permitted to live in a Palestinian state (Noah Browning, “Abbas wants ‘not a single Israeli’ in future Palestinian state,” Reuters, July 29, 2013).). WHY IS NO ONE CALLING OUT ABOUT THIS STATEMENT OF HIS (besides for me, of course). 

In the case of the Nation State Law, members of Knesset voted by a 62-55 majority to approve the legislation. This is democracy in action. Still, like Americans, Israelis can challenge laws in court, and three Knesset members have already done so, one sign of the health of Israel’s democracy. Another indication is the ability of Israelis to vote for new representatives who could revoke or alter the law if they can convince a majority of all Knesset members a change is warranted.

 Source: Jewish Virtual Library

Two-State Solution?

Someone posted on Facebook about how calling for a two-state solution could be seen as being antisemitic. 

While I do not believe that those who do call for this solution are doing so out of animosity, I do think that people who claim a two-solution is possible are either ignorant or ignore the reality of the situation which is that the Palestinian leadership and many Palestinians have made it clear that they have no intention of living peacefully with Jews as their neighbors. 

This was what I wrote in response. 

"Of course a two-state solution would be ideal but many Palestinians and the leadership which they elected are (very openly) vehemently against living with Jews as their neighbors. Even in the West Bank where you have Jews and Palestinians living side by side, we have run into so many issues (and lost lives) because many Palestinians simply do not believe Jews belong there. So when people are against the two-state solution many are coming from that perspective which is that it clearly won’t work. One side simply refuses to be satisfied. A Palestinian state was offered many times. Land was given up (Gaza in 2005 look at what happened) and offers were rejected. So to say a two-state solution is the way to go sounds nice but it hasn’t ever worked in the past. And knowing what Palestinians say openly and proudly about not ever going to live with Jews, as well as the number of Jews killed because of that mentality... it’s sort of fair to see why people might think it’s anti-Semitic. Jews have done enough to appease and shouldn’t have to put their safety on the line any longer to make people who hate them satisfied which is what a two-state solution would take. Calling for a two-state solution is ignoring the facts and essentially saying that Israel should put its safety on the line and concede to further abuse."

Skewed News, Illegal Building by Palestinians, Lack of Recognition of Israel's Legal Borders

SKEWED NEWS ALERT and learning opportunity! 

A couple of weeks ago, a member asked about this and I am re-sharing it because others may have the same question or may be confused when they see something like this in the news. PLEASE read below where it says “IMPORTANT.”

QUESTION: Does anyone have information as to what the truth is in this situation? I fail to believe the article is truthful. (Article here)

ANSWER: In the article it does say that Israeli authorities gave her a notice saying the building was constructed without the correct permits. It was also located on a site where houses have been razed twice before. Clearly the owner was aware of this and there were issues before, which she ignored. These illegal buildings also pose a risk to IDF stationed on the border.
There are Palestinians building homes very close to the border with Area C, and the IDF sees this as a security threat. Israel has dealt with issues like this in the past, with Palestinians building closer and closer to Area C. We know this is dangerous for Israelis living in other parts of the West Bank (areas where they are legally allowed to enter, Jews are not allowed to enter area A as it is run completely by the Palestinian Authority). After all, it had been near Bethlehem where Dvir Sorek was murdered not very long ago. 

IMPORTANT: Many times, the media will simply listen to claims made by Palestinians and other news sources. They will blindly believe that the area they are referring to is truly under control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). HOWEVER, as we know, many Palestinians do not recognize Israel’s borders and so claim that a certain area is under PA control although it is not. They will simply state that where they are standing and 20 miles over into Israeli territory is theirs as well. This is what happens when you are trying to make peace with a people who ignore all your efforts and legal boundaries. It creates issues. Then when they build in illegal areas and have their buildings destroyed (with fair warning!!!), they blame Israel. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND! I do not know what the specific situation was in this case, but this occurrence is not uncommon. Many Palestinains do not recognize Israel and so therefore do not acknowledge Israel's borders. We also know that the media loves to victimize the Palestinians and so will coddle basically anything they claim to be true when in fact it's all lies. 

Some more info on Palestinians and Area C: 

Ever since a decision in January 2012, the EU has been committed to the expansion of illegal Palestinian settlement in Area C in conjunction with the PA. This is in blatant disregard of the Oslo accords, which the EU purports to uphold. The objective is to create continuous Palestinian settlement throughout the West Bank and thereby isolate and strangle Israeli communities.

This arrangement raises numerous issues such as settlement building in Area C: According to the Oslo Accords, Israel is legally allowed to build there i.e. the Palestinian negotiators agreed to it. Despite this, Israel is often accused of settlement expansion against the wishes of both the Palestinians and many in the wider international community. Also, the influence of the European Union and other foreign governments: Palestinian communities in Area C have benefited from foreign aid and development. The Israeli government considers this to be political meddling. European aid for Palestinian construction in Area C is regarded as illegal by Israel.

It is often alleged that Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria is “gobbling-up” Palestinian lands in Area C. This is nonsense, as a straightforward encounter with basic facts makes clear that most of Area C is breathtakingly empty: the Judean desert, the northern Samarian desert and the Jordan Valley. These precincts are mostly nature reserves, firing zones and grazing grounds, amounting to more than half of the land in Area C (200,000 of the 350,000 hectares, or 500,000 of 860,000 acres).

All Jewish and Arab inhabitation of Area C cover only about 40% of the land mass. That consists of about 200,000 Palestinians in 25 towns and hundreds of unorganized hamlets, with homes sitting on 8% of the territory and agriculture on another 25%. There are also 400,000 Israelis living in Area C, and their settlements sit on only 2.5% of Area C (which means that their population density is currently more than six times as much), with plans for expansion to another 7%.

Israel Education and Activism Seminar

Today I am sharing a presentation that I gave a couple of months ago on Yom Hazikaron. I have shared this presentation with quite a few people now. 

I discussed what happened in Israel🇮🇱 during the last escalation. I gave an overview of the history of Israel, discussed Gaza, the terrorist parties involved, and global terrorism. I basically gave the big picture into the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as well as information that is useful when understanding why these issues exist and how to stand up to anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.

I am sharing the powerpoint presentation here. 👇🏻 This presentation will also be on my blog (linked on the top👆🏼 of the group) and in the files section of this group. Therefore, it can be accessed at any time. 

Link to the PowerPoint presentation: https://docs.google.com/file/d/1CFH_Nkt4PJfQJVOIuRXOsbwrxzxasfFZ/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=mspresentation

I want to note that I cover a lot of information and I had only 50 minutes to cover a topic that requires much more time than just that. I am also politically incorrect (for those of you who have been following me for some time now must know that). I believe that it is vital to share facts and history, and sometimes certain things need to be mentioned in order for individuals to be properly educated and aware of what is going on.‼️

Some more resources that I shared with the group before the presentation:

2 short videos:
Basic background of conflict: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EDW88CBo-8&t=237s
Why isn’t there a Palestinian State: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76NytvQAIs0

Short info packets:
10 things you should know about the Gaza riots: https://static.wixstatic.com/…/46fc49_35c5c1150d3c4023b888d…
Debunking the Apartheid Myth: https://docs.wixstatic.com/…/46fc49_a846b739379a478f92d466c…
Overcoming Anti-Israel Challenges on Campus (for those of you going to college or back to a university campus): https://docs.wixstatic.com/…/46fc49_1a69394e34754a1c9bacb5b…

Photo missing from the presentation: Web of Terrorist Organizations

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7

PART 8

Is a Two-State Solution Possible?

 📣 Read for your own knowledge! I like to share questions I recieve from others and my responses, because these can be good learning opportunities for others. ⤵️ This info is all on the blog (pinned to the top of this page) if you ever want to refer back to it. I am also sharing this in honor of November 30th coming up next week, which is marked in Israel as an official commemoration of the expulsion of the Jews from the Arab countries and, later, from Iran. Let us remember how our people were expelled, and understand that now we are being forced to share what is less than 1% of the Middle East- the only Jewish state- for reasons that are not valid. 

QUESTION: Do you believe in a two-state solution?

ANSWER: First off, this land that is now called Israel was initially split (a two-state solution) between Jews and Palestinians by the United Nations by the Partition Plan in 1947. The Arabs and Palestinians rejected it and launched a war of annihilation against the Jewish state… which is why we have this issue in the first place.

Theoretically it would be nice, but I don’t believe it will work because of history and the current attitude exhibited by the Palestinian leadership. Many Palestinians and their leaders do not want Jews in Israel (or anywhere, really). The Palestinian leadership and many Palestinians chant death to Israel, and to Jews in general. Israel made so many offers that were rejected and the ones that were accepted did not bring peace (ex: Gaza in 2005 was given up for peace and Israel was told there would be but look what’s happening now). 

Even when Israel in 2000 offered to create a Palestinian state in all of Gaza and 97% of the West Bank- Yasser Arafat rejected the proposal without even making a counter offer. Arafat, according to chief U.S. negotiator Dennis Ross, was not willing to end the conflict with Israel. The Palestinians subsequently instigated a five-year war of terror that claimed more than 1,000 Israeli lives.

Either way, Israel legally acquired this land in the 1967 war which, by the way, it was attacked by Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Israel defended itself and won, and then the Arabs got angry. To learn more about the peace process, visit: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/myths-and-facts-peace 

The Palestinians demand that all settlements be dismantled from the West Bank and Jerusalem. While they maintain that Arabs have the right to live in Israel, they deny the right of Jews to live in Judea and Samaria. 

History shows the Palestinians are never happy with what they are given. That’s just the reality. If they truly want peace we would have had peace long ago. Palestinians have been offered a state of their own several times: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/images/mf2017.pdf#page=259 

Israel cannot go back to its 1967 borders, as many claim it should and is morally required to do, and should not even have to because it is not safe for Israel. The Palestinians will continue to attack and target Israelis (as they are doing now from Gaza), and the span of land will be too narrow (Israel is already small as it is) so their rockets will be able to reach all of Israel. Also, this land was legally acquired during the war (which Israel did NOT start).

People believe Jews kicked out Palestinians, however many of them chose to leave on their own when the Arab countries told them to leave so they could bomb the Jews and get rid of them, which to their surprise they were not able to do because Israel won. This was the Israeli War of Independence, fought between the newly declared State of Israel and five Arab nations. So they can’t leave expecting for others to be killed and then when they aren’t killed complain that they don’t have land. That’s just not how anything works. 

QUESTION: Why not let the Palestinians govern themselves, give a little bit more land on Gaza Strip and West Bank, allow easy travel to holy cities that are in Israel or make it so they can move to those places easily? Let The Arab nations take them. 

ANSWER: Israel has instituted checkpoints for one reason – to prevent Palestinian terrorists from infiltrating Israel. Without checkpoints there were Palestinians entering Israel to carry out terrorist attacks. The Palestinian Authority (PA) made a strategic choice to use terror to achieve its aims and something had to be done to protect the Israeli population. If the Palestinian Authority was fulfilling its obligations to dismantle the terrorist networks and disarm the terrorists, and its security forces were taking adequate measures to prevent Palestinians from planning and launching attacks, the checkpoints would be unnecessary.

Israel tries to balance its security concerns with the welfare of the Palestinians, and is especially sensitive to the medical needs of Palestinians. Thus, many Palestinians are allowed to enter Israel to receive treatment from some of the finest medical facilities in the world. Many Palestinians also work alongside Israelis in hospitals and factories, etc. 

We already gave all of Gaza in 2005. Palestinians now target Israelis with incendiary kites and balloons despite already having all of Gaza. West Bank was already offered and rejected.

Israel wants Arab nations to take the Palestinians, especially because they were the ones who told them to leave when Israel was declared a state and then left them as refugees when they lost to Israel. Jordan is high percentage Palestinians, yet they wont accept the "refugees.”

To learn more about the refugee issue, go here: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/myths-and-facts-the-refugees 

After transferring responsibility for virtually the entire Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority, Israel no longer controlled any refugee camps and ceased contributing to UNRWA. Meanwhile, in addition to receiving annual funding from UNRWA for the refugees, the PA has received billions of dollars in international aid and yet has failed to build a single house to allow even one family to move out of a refugee camp into permanent housing. Given the amount of aid (approximately $5.5 billion since 1993) the PA has received, it is shocking and outrageous that more than half a million Palestinians are being forced by their own leaders to remain in squalid camps.

What is UNRWA- the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees?

Important read!!!

Originally envisioned as a temporary agency, UNRWA was created in 1949, following the unsuccessful attempt by several Arab states to destroy Israel. Over time, UNRWA developed into the only U.N. organization whose stated mission is to assist a specific group of refugees, Palestinian Arabs. All other refugee populations in the world fall under the jurisdiction of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Importantly, UNRWA’s definition of “refugee” is not dependent on need and even applies to citizens of recognized states, such as Jordan.

Oddly, UNRWA considers individuals living in areas ruled by Palestinians—as well as descendants of those who fled during and before Israel’s 1948 War of Independence—to be Palestinian “refugees.” As CAMERA has noted, according to UNRWA’s spurious definition, the twenty-year-old, Los Angeles-born millionaire fashion model, Bella Hadid, is considered a “refugee” from a seventy-year old event that occurred after Arab countries rejected a U.N. plan for a Jewish state and an Arab state, opting for war instead. Further, UNRWA has become the only refugee agency in the world whose purpose is not to resettle refugees (“UNRWA Has Changed the Definition of Refugee,” Foreign Policy Magazine, Aug. 17, 2018).

Instead of helping resettle refugees, UNRWA schools and facilities have been used to promote hatred and murder of Israelis. For example, a March 7, 2016 ceremony at an UNRWA school in Gaza City celebrated stabbing Jews. UNRWA officials have posed with maps erasing Israel and have been caught disseminating antisemitic materials.

Indeed, according to a 2014 report by The Center for Near East Policy Research, terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad “control the UNRWA stations in Gaza” and in 2012 “UNRWA in Gaza elected Hamas to all 11 seats in the UNRWA’s teacher union and to 14 out of 16 sets in the employees and service sector union.” Hamas is a U.S.-designated terror group that rules the Gaza Strip and calls for Israel’s destruction.

Read the rest of the article here: https://www.camera.org/article/the-washington-posts-unredeemable-reporting-on-unrwa/

Does Israel Want Peace?

Note: Video may not work on cellphone

Don't Be Misled - Israel Wants Peace

By: HonestReportingVideo

MYTH

“The Palestinians have never been offered a state of their own.” 

FACT

The Palestinians have actually had numerous opportunities to create an independent state, but have repeatedly rejected the offers:

• In 1937, the Peel Commission proposed the partition of Palestine and the creation of an Arab state.
• In 1939, the British White Paper proposed the creation of a unitary Arab state.
• In 1947, the UN would have created an even larger Arab state as part of its partition plan.
• The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace negotiations offered the Palestinians autonomy, which would almost certainly have led to full independence.
• The Oslo agreements of the 1990s laid out a path for Palestinian independence, but the process was derailed by terrorism.
• In 2000, Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to create a Palestinian state in all of Gaza and 97 percent of the West Bank.
• In 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered to withdraw from almost the entire West Bank and partition Jerusalem on a demographic basis.

In addition, from 1948 to 1967, Israel did not control the West Bank. The Palestinians could have demanded an independent state from the Jordanians.

The Palestinians have spurned each of these opportunities. A variety of reasons have been given for why the Palestinians have in Abba Eban’s words, “never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”

Historian Benny Morris has suggested that the Palestinians have religious, historical, and practical reasons for opposing an agreement with Israel. He says that “Arafat and his generation cannot give up the vision of the greater land of Israel for the Arabs. [This is true because] this is a holy land, Dar al-Islam [the world of Islam]. It was once in the hands of the Muslims, and it is inconceivable [to them] that infidels like us [the Israelis] would receive it.”
The Palestinians also believe that time is on their side. “They feel that demographics will defeat the Jews in one hundred or two hundred years, just like the Crusaders.” The Palestinians, Morris says, also hope the Arabs will acquire nuclear weapons in the future that will allow them to defeat Israel. 

From: JewishVirtualLibrary.org
Book By: Mitchell G. Bard 

What's With the Fence?

SECURITY FENCE
Source: Camera On Campus

Many claim that its purpose is to separate, harass, or isolate Palestinians . . .

Running more or less along the borders of the West Bank, Israel's security fence is meant to do just what its name states—provide security for the people of Israel. The security fence has one goal: To deter, and, it is hoped, prevent terrorists living in the West Bank from infiltrating Israel and harming or killing Israeli citizens. 

• Since its completion, suicide bombings in Israel have become a rare occurance. This is despite the fact that 40% of Palestinian Muslims support suicide bombings.
• Israel's security fences along the Gaza Strip, Egyptian border and West Bank have helped to drastically limit the success of terrorism, drug smuggling, and other crime.
• Many countries have put up border fences along their borders such as the United States and India. Having a border crossing where people are checked [or a checkpoint] is also standard practice.

  Above: A typical section of the security fence. Source: IDF

• Israel has changed the location of the border fence in areas in which the Supreme Court has ruled that there could be a better location that will impede less on the lives of people in the area.
• The route of the border fence is based on what would be the best from a defense perspective.
• Less than five percent of the fence is made of concrete. This was done to protect civilians from sniper fire. The majority is either chain link or barb wire.

Above: How the concrete section of the barrier protects civilians from snipers. Source: Jewish Virtual Library.