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1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
After Netanyahu comments, Germany says responsibility for Holocaust is ours-Reuters – OCT 21,15-YAHOONEWS
BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government said on Wednesday that responsibility for the Holocaust lay with the Germans, after Israel's prime minister sparked controversy before a visit to Berlin by saying a Muslim elder had convinced Adolf Hitler to exterminate Jews."All Germans know the history of the murderous race mania of the Nazis that led to the break with civilisation that was the Holocaust," Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said when asked about Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks."This is taught in German schools for good reason, it must never be forgotten. And I see no reason to change our view of history in any way. We know that responsibility for this crime against humanity is German and very much our own."Hours before leaving for Berlin, Netanyahu referred in a speech to a series of attacks by Muslims against Jews in Palestine during the 1920s that he said were instigated by the then Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini."Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews," Netanyahu said in the speech. "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they'll all come here.'(Writing by Noah Barkin; Editing by Madeline Chambers)
Israel's Netanyahu heads to Berlin for high-profile meeting with Kerry aimed at restoring calm-By Josef Federman, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – OCT 21,15-YAHOONEWS
JERUSALEM - With no end in sight to weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence, Israel's prime minister headed to Germany on Wednesday for a high-profile meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry aimed at restoring calm to the region.As Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Berlin, a Palestinian stabbed a female soldier near Jerusalem, lightly injuring her, before he was shot and killed by forces. Earlier, Israeli troops shot a young Palestinian woman in the West Bank after she allegedly approached a settlement with a knife.It was the latest in a series of almost daily Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers that erupted about a month ago.During that time, 10 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian assailants, mostly in knife attacks, while 47 Palestinians — including 26 identified by Israel as attackers — have been killed. The remainder died in clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters-The Kerry meeting highlights several days of intense diplomatic efforts to end the violence.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has rushed to the region to urge calm, meeting Netanyahu on Tuesday and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday. Kerry meets the Israeli leader on Thursday in Germany, before heading to the region for talks with Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II this weekend.Before departing, Netanyahu said he hoped his meeting with Kerry would focus on "ways to calm the situation." He said he would ask Kerry to press Abbas to halt what he says is Palestinian incitement fueling the violence.At a meeting with Ban at his West Bank headquarters, Abbas said he would seek a resumption of peace negotiations, based on international resolutions calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and east Jerusalem — terms that Netanyahu rejects.The comments by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders reflected the wide gulf between them as the violence continues.The unrest erupted last month with clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces at a Jerusalem holy site revered by Jews and Muslims.The site is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism and home to the biblical Temples. For Muslims, it is the Noble Sanctuary, home to the Al- Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam and a key national symbol for the Palestinians. The site, captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war, is a frequent flashpoint of violence.The Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to change the longstanding "status quo" at the site, which allows Jews to visit but not to pray. They point to a growing number of Jewish visitors who seek an expanded Jewish presence and prayer rights at the site.Netanyahu says the Palestinian allegations are slanderous incitement. He says the hostile rhetoric, and incendiary videos making the rounds on social media, are fueling the violence.The Palestinians say the violence is the result of living under Israeli occupation for nearly 50 years. Following the collapse of U.S.-mediated peace talks last year, they see little hope for realizing their dream of gaining independence and establishing an independent state.Netanyahu says Palestinian hostility goes back decades, long before Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in 1967.Speaking to a group of Jewish leaders Tuesday, Netanyahu tried to use a historical anecdote to illustrate his point that Palestinian incitement surrounding Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site goes back decades.He mentioned how the Mufti of Jerusalem, noted Nazi sympathizer Haj Amin al-Husseini, also instigated attacks on Jews over lies that they planned to destroy the sensitive Jerusalem site. Then he added how during a 1941 meeting in Berlin, al-Husseini convinced Hitler to destroy the Jews."Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews," Netanyahu recalled. "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they'll all come here.' 'So what should I do with them?' he asked. He said, 'Burn them.'"The comment sparked uproar in Israel for suggesting that al-Husseini convinced the Nazis to adopt their Final Solution to exterminate European Jews.Holocaust experts and survivors slammed Netanyahu's comments as historically inaccurate and serving the interests of Holocaust deniers by lessening the responsibility of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
US official: Anti-Semitism cannot be eradicated, must be diminished-State Department office says combating phenonemon is a ‘major issue’ and that primary focus is on Europe, but PA has also come under scrutiny-By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil October 22, 2015, 3:37 am-the times of israel
WASHINGTON — A week after a State Department report documented an increase in European anti-Semitism in 2014, a senior state department official said Wednesday that combating anti-Semitism is “a major issue for the US government,” acknowledging that efforts were focused on communities considered at-risk rather than on anti-Semitic elements within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.In a briefing, the official who spoke on condition of anonymity lauded the fact that the fight against anti-Semitism overseas “is one of the few issues that remain totally bipartisan” in Washington. The role of the State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism was in fact grounded in Congressional legislation over ten years ago, rather than being a position created at the behest of a a particular presidential administration.The official warned that it was important to strike a careful balance, saying that “it is damaging to the larger cause of fighting anti-Semitism if we overstate the problem and certainly if we understate it.”“Oftentimes I hear rhetoric around ‘are we at the end of the 1930s again, facing the situations that we faced at that time. And I have to say – no we’re not. To the degree that folks say that, I think we do ourselves a disservice,” the official explained, but also added that “if we say that we’re not facing the kind of situation that we’re five years from boxcars to Auschwitz, it doesn’t mean that it’s not important.”The official noted what he termed a “trendline” of anti-Semitism rising after a post-World War II slump. Amid current anti-Semitism, particularly in Europe, the “stakes for historical communities are very high.”The official emphasized that although “anti-Semitism is not limited to Europe,” the State Department sees it as “a larger problem in Europe than in other continents.”European anti-Semitism, he stressed, was far from monolithic. The official described at least four categories present in Europe, ranging from the “old anti-Semitism” of the far right; left-wing ideological anti-Semitism; the anti-Semitism epitomized by the French comedian Dieudonne and embraced by followers on the far-left and far-right alike, and the anti-Semitism of western European Muslim communities, which he described as “associated with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”In many cases, these strains exist alongside each other. “We know through polling that supporters of the National Front in France have high levels of anti-Semitism that are frankly roughly the same as levels that we find in Muslim communities in France,” he noted.The official said that in the State Department’s working definition of anti-Semitism, certain anti-Israel critiques are also interpreted as anti-Semitic.The State Department adopted the ‘Three D’s” definition propagated by Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky. “If you delegitimize Israel, if you demonize issues, that is anti-Semitism, or if you treat Israel with double standards – that Israel has to live up to different standards — that’s anti-Semitism,” the official explained. “Together with that, we make it clear that criticism of Israel is not inherently anti-Semitic, even when the US government may disagree with it.”According to the official, the US government does not primarily see the current upswing in violence in Israel as primarily anti-Semitic, and the official remained vague on the role that anti-Semitism has played in the ongoing tensions.“I don’t think that the US government is primarily looking at these issues through the lens of anti-Semitism,” the official said. “I think that there’s a recognition that when people are killed for being Jews, that is clearly anti- Semitism and through the lens of this type of “three-Ds” mechanism, we look at individual actions or statements and those we have often characterized as anti-Semitism.”The official noted that “the violence, and the killing and the attacks in Israel and in the West Bank are of great concern to the State Department, and we have condemned that type of violence” but that in confronting anti-Semitism, the State Department engages in “triage” – addressing issues that seem pressing.“As things develop, we all hope that the violence ends and doesn’t explode [but] perhaps we will have to change our priorities as we see things develop,” the official explained. “Right now we see our worry as some of these very vulnerable Jewish communities in Europe.”In the past days, the official said, the State Department’s anti-Semitism watchdogs have concentrated instead on the erection of a statue of a World War II-era anti-Semitic figure in Hungary, and on the weekend demonstration in Malmo, Sweden, where participants were videotaped screaming “slaughter the Jews.”Still, the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Ira Forman. met in September with a Palestinian official, where he raised the topic of anti-Semitism on official websites that are affiliated with Palestinian movements.One of the key challenges of the current trends in anti- Semitism, the official emphasized, was that it was much more diffused than under some of the centralized regimes of the twentieth century. The official cited the case of the Soviet Union, when Jewish activists rallying against anti-Semitism in the communist state knew that there was “one single address that we had to go to and deal with the problem and that was the Kremlin.”In contrast, the official noted, modern-day efforts to combat anti-Semitism have to face “literally dozens of leaders” and that in many cases, there isn’t “just one address we can go to.”The official stressed that if opponents of anti-Semitism are honest with themselves, they need to understand that “we’re not going to fix this problem.”“This is not pessimistic and it doesn’t’ take a rocket scientist to understand this – anti-Semitism has been around for at least 2300 years that we know of,” the official warned. “It’s highly likely that not only you and I but our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and our great, great grandchildren will live in a world where there is anti-Semitism.”Instead, policymakers view anti-Semitism as “a faucet.”“If we live in a world where we can’t eliminate anti-Semitism, the real important question is what’s the level of anti-Semitism,” the official explained.“I like to use the metaphor of a fault. You’re not going to turn a faucet off, you’re just going to turn it down.”
Partners for Peace?-October 21, 2015, 11:38 pm-David E. Weisberg-the times of israel
Can one reasonably see President Mahmoud Abbas as a genuine partner for peace? The plain and obvious answer, regrettably, is “no”. It may be worthwhile to articulate why the answer is so obvious.From the perspective of the government and people of Israel, whether or not Abbas is a genuine partner for peace cannot turn solely on whether or not he has positive feelings, desires, hopes, or plans regarding a Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in mutual peace and security. Of course, if he does not truly entertain such positive feelings, desires, etc., then for that reason alone he could not qualify as a genuine partner. But those subjective qualifications, while they are necessary, are certainly not sufficient to make Abbas, or for that matter any other Palestinian leader, a genuine partner for peace.In addition to subjective qualifications, a genuine partner for peace would have to meet a crucial objective test: he or she would have to be a political leader who was strong, effective and persuasive enough to ensure that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians act in a way consistent with the subjective views of the genuine partner. That is, a genuine partner for peace would be a Palestinian leader whose signature on a peace agreement with Israel would in fact usher in a true peace between two states. A piece of paper that is labeled ‘peace agreement’, but that in fact does not substantially diminish the violent attacks launched by Palestinians against Israelis, is merely a piece of paper. Subjective feelings are nice and indeed necessary for a genuine partner, but a ‘leader’ who isn’t followed by the people he purports to lead cannot be a genuine partner for peace.How does Abbas measure up to these two criteria, one subjective and one objective? His objective feelings, I think it is fair to say, are somewhat obscure, because he is in the habit (to use a colloquial expression) of talking out of both sides of his mouth. Sometimes, particularly when he is addressing an audience that he knows includes officials of Western governments (who provide a substantial part of the funding for the Palestinian National Authority), he says things that indicate that his subjective feelings are precisely those that would be necessary in any genuine partner.At other times, particularly when he is speaking to an Arab or entirely Muslim audience, he seems to reveal feelings that are not at all consistent with those of a genuine partner. For example, Abbas addressed an audience of Palestinians this past September and said: “We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way to Allah. With the help of Allah, every martyr will be in heaven, and every wounded will get his reward.” This kind of statement, which certainly could reasonably be viewed as incitement at a time when Palestinians are stabbing, shooting and running over Israelis ostensibly to ‘protect’ the Al Aqsa mosque, raises very real doubts as to his true desire for peace. So, on the subjective side, there is perhaps a question mark.But there is no question mark when it comes to Abbas’ objective ability actually to lead Palestinians as a whole to a peaceful long-term accommodation with Israel. He lacks that ability entirely, and no serious person could conclude otherwise. First of all, Abbas is not, strictly speaking, the president of the Palestinian National Authority at all. He was elected to a four-year term in January of 2005. Elementary arithmetical calculations would confirm that his term as president expired years ago. But his lack of legal authority to act as president of the Palestinian National Authority—or, as Abbas insists on calling it, the ‘State of Palestine’—is a relatively minor matter. The major matter is that Abbas is in fact a ‘leader’ who does not lead and is not followed by the most violent of the Palestinians—precisely those Palestinians who would have to lay down their arms if a true peace is to be achieved.The ‘State of Palestine’ that Abbas purportedly seeks to lead into the international community would consist of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. My research indicates that Abbas has not set foot in Gaza since 2006. It is easy to understand why this is so: Abbas, like most of us, has no desire to be assassinated. Notwithstanding Abbas’ title of ‘president’, Gaza is ruled by Hamas. There is no question that the leaders of Hamas, who believe apparently in all sincerity that they have a religious obligation to destroy the State of Israel and re-establish Islamic control over all the territory of Israel, would eagerly kill Mahmoud Abbas if they had the chance to do so. Their eagerness stems in part from their suspicion that Abbas might be sincere in wanting to be a genuine partner for peace. In any event, a piece of paper entitled ‘Peace agreement between Israel and Palestine’ and bearing Abbas’ signature at the bottom is not likely to impress Hamas or to cause it to alter its beliefs or tactics.Hamas is, of course, only one of a number of Palestinian terrorist organizations that are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. These organizations have members and cells throughout the territories the Palestinians claim for their state. There is no substantial reason to believe that any of the terrorists would follow the ‘leader’ Abbas, if he were to sign a peace agreement with Israel. There is, therefore, no reason to believe that Abbas could actually deliver a Palestinian polity overwhelmingly dedicated to living in peace with Israel. A reasonable person could conclude that it is very likely that a ‘peace agreement’ signed by Abbas would be no more than a piece of paper, bringing no real diminution in the violence perpetrated by Palestinians against Israelis. So, Abbas cannot be considered a genuine partner for peace.One last note: it is sometimes said by Palestinians and their supporters that it is the Palestinians who find themselves without a genuine partner for peace, because Israelis, and particularly Prime Minister Netanyahu, are not truly interested in establishing peace with the Palestinians. If we were to apply the same two criteria to Netanyahu that we just applied to Abbas, I think the results would be as follows. First, Netanyahu, like Abbas, has made some statements, particularly in the course of the most recent election for the Knesset, that might cast doubt on his subjective desires to reach a deal. And, like Abbas, he has also made other statements that seem to be genuinely in favor of a peace deal. So, as with Abbas, we might assign a question mark to Netanyahu’s subjective desire for peace.But, with regard to the ability of Netanyahu, or any other Israeli prime minister, actually to enforce a peace deal reached with the Palestinians, there can be no serious question: the Israeli government could enforce any such deal. Unlike the Palestinian National Authority, the government of Israel exercises real, effective control over the territory of the State of Israel and its people. For those who are keeping score, that means that the current Israeli leadership certainly satisfies one and perhaps both of the criteria, while the Palestinian leadership perhaps satisfies one and definitely fails the other of the two criteria. The Palestinian leaders are the ones who have the most work to do if they are to become genuine partners for peace.
British PM praises Shabbat project-David Cameron hails enterprise – which aims to have as many Jews as possible observe one particular Saturday – as ‘wonderful Jewish initiative’-By JTA October 22, 2015, 3:57 am
British Prime Minister David Cameron endorsed a Jewish community initiative encouraging Jews to observe their Sabbath.Cameron issued a statement Wednesday describing the ShabbatUK project — which aims to have as many Jews as possible to observe one particular Shabbat during the year — as “a wonderful Jewish initiative.”This year’s Shabbat Project will take place on Friday.The British ShabbatUK, Cameron said, “brings together tens of thousands across our country to celebrate the unity and sense of community that has been a hallmark of Jewish life for generations.” But, he added, it “also has a wider message that speaks to everyone in Britain, because we can all benefit from taking a moment to appreciate the value of family, friends and community life.”Camreon concluded his message with the words: “I want to wish everyone taking part Shabbat Shalom.”ShabbatUK is the British variant of the global Shabbat Project – an international drive that began in 2013 in South Africa when thousands of non-observant Jews from that country decided to observe Shabbat together on a set date advertised on social networks.The following year, thousands of members of Jewish communities from across the world, and especially in Europe, also participated and added activities such as group challah bakes.In Britain, some 150,000 Jews are expected to participate this year. Jewish groups organized 600 events for this weekend in Britain, including a massive challah bake that organizers hope will make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.But the British will have competition, as two other challah bakes with hundreds of women are scheduled to take place on Thursday in the Belgian city of Antwerp, which has a large Hasidic population and approximately 20,000 Jews, and in the Parisian suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt.
Merkel sets Netanyahu straight on German culpability for Holocaust-Chancellor says history should not be altered after PM blames WWII Palestinian leader for prompting extermination of Jews-By AFP, AP and Times of Israel staff October 22, 2015, 12:58 am 5
BERLIN, Germany — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday emphasized her nation’s inherent responsibility for the Holocaust, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stirred controversy by claiming that a Palestinian leader gave Hitler the idea of exterminating Jews.Merkel, who hosted Netanyahu for talks, stressed: “Germany abides by its responsibility for the Holocaust.”“We don’t see any reason to change our view of history,” she added.Ahead of the visit, Netanyahu sparked an uproar by suggesting that a top Palestinian religious leader during World War II, noted Nazi sympathizer Haj Amin al-Husseini, persuaded Hitler to carry out the Holocaust, in which six million European Jews were systematically murdered.“Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time. He wanted to expel the Jews,” Netanyahu told the World Zionist Congress on Tuesday. “And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said: ‘If you expel them, they’ll all come here.’ ‘So what should I do with them?’ he asked. He said: ‘Burn them.'”Netanyahu had tried to use the anecdote to illustrate his claim that Palestinian incitement goes back decades, and is not related to Israeli policies.Holocaust experts and survivors slammed Netanyahu’s comments as historically inaccurate and serving the interests of Holocaust deniers by lessening the responsibility of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The US State Department also weighed in, with spokesman John Kirby saying: “The scholarly evidence does not support that position.”Netanyahu on Wednesday backtracked on the claim, denying that he was exonerating Hitler of the responsibility for the Holocaust.Standing next to Merkel, he said the “responsibility of Hitler and the Nazis for the extermination of 6 million Jews is clear to fair-minded people.”At the same time, he insisted that the Grand Mufti’s role should not be forgotten.“He told the Nazis to prevent the fleeing of Jews from Europe and he supported the final solution,” insisted Netanyahu.“The real question should be directed not at me but at [Palestinian Authority] President [Mahmoud] Abbas: Why is he and the Palestinian authority glorifying the official mufti of Jerusalem as a Palestinian icon? “They call him the father of the Palestinian nation. This is a war criminal who was sought for war crimes,” said the Israeli leader.Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday in the German capital, urged the international community to tell Abbas to stop incitement for terror.“If we want to have peace, we have to stop terror. And to stop terror we have to stop incitement,” he said.At the news conference with Merkel, Netanyahu reiterated his belief that Palestinian incitement has fueled recent unrest. He pointed to Abbas’s refusal to condemn a spate of attacks on Israelis, and at accusations that Israel is changing delicate prayer arrangements at Jerusalem’s holiest site.“I think it’s important that the international community demand President Abbas to stop the incitement and stop spreading lies about the Jewish state and about Israel’s policy.”“Abbas joined the Islamists in inciting the recent wave of violence,” Netanyahu said and accused the Palestinian leader of “false” claims that Israel was “seeking to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque” on the Temple Mount.The flashpoint compound, which is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, is located in the southeastern corner of the Old City in Jerusalem. Muslims call it Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) while Jews revere it as the Temple Mount which housed the First and Second Temples.“Israel is the only guarantor in Jerusalem and elsewhere for the sanctity of holy sites,” Netanyahu said.At their news conference, Merkel said she recognized Israel’s “obligation” to protect its citizens.The German leader said she expects a Palestinian condemnation of anything related to terror and noted that such a condemnation was needed if peace talks were to be held.The past few weeks have seen almost daily shooting and stabbing attacks by Palestinian and Israeli-Arab terrorists against Israeli security forces and civilians across Israel and in the West Bank.
After Netanyahu comments, Germany says responsibility for Holocaust is ours-Reuters – OCT 21,15-YAHOONEWS
BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government said on Wednesday that responsibility for the Holocaust lay with the Germans, after Israel's prime minister sparked controversy before a visit to Berlin by saying a Muslim elder had convinced Adolf Hitler to exterminate Jews."All Germans know the history of the murderous race mania of the Nazis that led to the break with civilisation that was the Holocaust," Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said when asked about Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks."This is taught in German schools for good reason, it must never be forgotten. And I see no reason to change our view of history in any way. We know that responsibility for this crime against humanity is German and very much our own."Hours before leaving for Berlin, Netanyahu referred in a speech to a series of attacks by Muslims against Jews in Palestine during the 1920s that he said were instigated by the then Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini."Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews," Netanyahu said in the speech. "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they'll all come here.'(Writing by Noah Barkin; Editing by Madeline Chambers)
Israel's Netanyahu heads to Berlin for high-profile meeting with Kerry aimed at restoring calm-By Josef Federman, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – OCT 21,15-YAHOONEWS
JERUSALEM - With no end in sight to weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence, Israel's prime minister headed to Germany on Wednesday for a high-profile meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry aimed at restoring calm to the region.As Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Berlin, a Palestinian stabbed a female soldier near Jerusalem, lightly injuring her, before he was shot and killed by forces. Earlier, Israeli troops shot a young Palestinian woman in the West Bank after she allegedly approached a settlement with a knife.It was the latest in a series of almost daily Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers that erupted about a month ago.During that time, 10 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian assailants, mostly in knife attacks, while 47 Palestinians — including 26 identified by Israel as attackers — have been killed. The remainder died in clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters-The Kerry meeting highlights several days of intense diplomatic efforts to end the violence.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has rushed to the region to urge calm, meeting Netanyahu on Tuesday and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday. Kerry meets the Israeli leader on Thursday in Germany, before heading to the region for talks with Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II this weekend.Before departing, Netanyahu said he hoped his meeting with Kerry would focus on "ways to calm the situation." He said he would ask Kerry to press Abbas to halt what he says is Palestinian incitement fueling the violence.At a meeting with Ban at his West Bank headquarters, Abbas said he would seek a resumption of peace negotiations, based on international resolutions calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and east Jerusalem — terms that Netanyahu rejects.The comments by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders reflected the wide gulf between them as the violence continues.The unrest erupted last month with clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces at a Jerusalem holy site revered by Jews and Muslims.The site is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism and home to the biblical Temples. For Muslims, it is the Noble Sanctuary, home to the Al- Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam and a key national symbol for the Palestinians. The site, captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war, is a frequent flashpoint of violence.The Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to change the longstanding "status quo" at the site, which allows Jews to visit but not to pray. They point to a growing number of Jewish visitors who seek an expanded Jewish presence and prayer rights at the site.Netanyahu says the Palestinian allegations are slanderous incitement. He says the hostile rhetoric, and incendiary videos making the rounds on social media, are fueling the violence.The Palestinians say the violence is the result of living under Israeli occupation for nearly 50 years. Following the collapse of U.S.-mediated peace talks last year, they see little hope for realizing their dream of gaining independence and establishing an independent state.Netanyahu says Palestinian hostility goes back decades, long before Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in 1967.Speaking to a group of Jewish leaders Tuesday, Netanyahu tried to use a historical anecdote to illustrate his point that Palestinian incitement surrounding Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site goes back decades.He mentioned how the Mufti of Jerusalem, noted Nazi sympathizer Haj Amin al-Husseini, also instigated attacks on Jews over lies that they planned to destroy the sensitive Jerusalem site. Then he added how during a 1941 meeting in Berlin, al-Husseini convinced Hitler to destroy the Jews."Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews," Netanyahu recalled. "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they'll all come here.' 'So what should I do with them?' he asked. He said, 'Burn them.'"The comment sparked uproar in Israel for suggesting that al-Husseini convinced the Nazis to adopt their Final Solution to exterminate European Jews.Holocaust experts and survivors slammed Netanyahu's comments as historically inaccurate and serving the interests of Holocaust deniers by lessening the responsibility of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
US official: Anti-Semitism cannot be eradicated, must be diminished-State Department office says combating phenonemon is a ‘major issue’ and that primary focus is on Europe, but PA has also come under scrutiny-By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil October 22, 2015, 3:37 am-the times of israel
WASHINGTON — A week after a State Department report documented an increase in European anti-Semitism in 2014, a senior state department official said Wednesday that combating anti-Semitism is “a major issue for the US government,” acknowledging that efforts were focused on communities considered at-risk rather than on anti-Semitic elements within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.In a briefing, the official who spoke on condition of anonymity lauded the fact that the fight against anti-Semitism overseas “is one of the few issues that remain totally bipartisan” in Washington. The role of the State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism was in fact grounded in Congressional legislation over ten years ago, rather than being a position created at the behest of a a particular presidential administration.The official warned that it was important to strike a careful balance, saying that “it is damaging to the larger cause of fighting anti-Semitism if we overstate the problem and certainly if we understate it.”“Oftentimes I hear rhetoric around ‘are we at the end of the 1930s again, facing the situations that we faced at that time. And I have to say – no we’re not. To the degree that folks say that, I think we do ourselves a disservice,” the official explained, but also added that “if we say that we’re not facing the kind of situation that we’re five years from boxcars to Auschwitz, it doesn’t mean that it’s not important.”The official noted what he termed a “trendline” of anti-Semitism rising after a post-World War II slump. Amid current anti-Semitism, particularly in Europe, the “stakes for historical communities are very high.”The official emphasized that although “anti-Semitism is not limited to Europe,” the State Department sees it as “a larger problem in Europe than in other continents.”European anti-Semitism, he stressed, was far from monolithic. The official described at least four categories present in Europe, ranging from the “old anti-Semitism” of the far right; left-wing ideological anti-Semitism; the anti-Semitism epitomized by the French comedian Dieudonne and embraced by followers on the far-left and far-right alike, and the anti-Semitism of western European Muslim communities, which he described as “associated with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”In many cases, these strains exist alongside each other. “We know through polling that supporters of the National Front in France have high levels of anti-Semitism that are frankly roughly the same as levels that we find in Muslim communities in France,” he noted.The official said that in the State Department’s working definition of anti-Semitism, certain anti-Israel critiques are also interpreted as anti-Semitic.The State Department adopted the ‘Three D’s” definition propagated by Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky. “If you delegitimize Israel, if you demonize issues, that is anti-Semitism, or if you treat Israel with double standards – that Israel has to live up to different standards — that’s anti-Semitism,” the official explained. “Together with that, we make it clear that criticism of Israel is not inherently anti-Semitic, even when the US government may disagree with it.”According to the official, the US government does not primarily see the current upswing in violence in Israel as primarily anti-Semitic, and the official remained vague on the role that anti-Semitism has played in the ongoing tensions.“I don’t think that the US government is primarily looking at these issues through the lens of anti-Semitism,” the official said. “I think that there’s a recognition that when people are killed for being Jews, that is clearly anti- Semitism and through the lens of this type of “three-Ds” mechanism, we look at individual actions or statements and those we have often characterized as anti-Semitism.”The official noted that “the violence, and the killing and the attacks in Israel and in the West Bank are of great concern to the State Department, and we have condemned that type of violence” but that in confronting anti-Semitism, the State Department engages in “triage” – addressing issues that seem pressing.“As things develop, we all hope that the violence ends and doesn’t explode [but] perhaps we will have to change our priorities as we see things develop,” the official explained. “Right now we see our worry as some of these very vulnerable Jewish communities in Europe.”In the past days, the official said, the State Department’s anti-Semitism watchdogs have concentrated instead on the erection of a statue of a World War II-era anti-Semitic figure in Hungary, and on the weekend demonstration in Malmo, Sweden, where participants were videotaped screaming “slaughter the Jews.”Still, the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Ira Forman. met in September with a Palestinian official, where he raised the topic of anti-Semitism on official websites that are affiliated with Palestinian movements.One of the key challenges of the current trends in anti- Semitism, the official emphasized, was that it was much more diffused than under some of the centralized regimes of the twentieth century. The official cited the case of the Soviet Union, when Jewish activists rallying against anti-Semitism in the communist state knew that there was “one single address that we had to go to and deal with the problem and that was the Kremlin.”In contrast, the official noted, modern-day efforts to combat anti-Semitism have to face “literally dozens of leaders” and that in many cases, there isn’t “just one address we can go to.”The official stressed that if opponents of anti-Semitism are honest with themselves, they need to understand that “we’re not going to fix this problem.”“This is not pessimistic and it doesn’t’ take a rocket scientist to understand this – anti-Semitism has been around for at least 2300 years that we know of,” the official warned. “It’s highly likely that not only you and I but our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and our great, great grandchildren will live in a world where there is anti-Semitism.”Instead, policymakers view anti-Semitism as “a faucet.”“If we live in a world where we can’t eliminate anti-Semitism, the real important question is what’s the level of anti-Semitism,” the official explained.“I like to use the metaphor of a fault. You’re not going to turn a faucet off, you’re just going to turn it down.”
Partners for Peace?-October 21, 2015, 11:38 pm-David E. Weisberg-the times of israel
Can one reasonably see President Mahmoud Abbas as a genuine partner for peace? The plain and obvious answer, regrettably, is “no”. It may be worthwhile to articulate why the answer is so obvious.From the perspective of the government and people of Israel, whether or not Abbas is a genuine partner for peace cannot turn solely on whether or not he has positive feelings, desires, hopes, or plans regarding a Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in mutual peace and security. Of course, if he does not truly entertain such positive feelings, desires, etc., then for that reason alone he could not qualify as a genuine partner. But those subjective qualifications, while they are necessary, are certainly not sufficient to make Abbas, or for that matter any other Palestinian leader, a genuine partner for peace.In addition to subjective qualifications, a genuine partner for peace would have to meet a crucial objective test: he or she would have to be a political leader who was strong, effective and persuasive enough to ensure that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians act in a way consistent with the subjective views of the genuine partner. That is, a genuine partner for peace would be a Palestinian leader whose signature on a peace agreement with Israel would in fact usher in a true peace between two states. A piece of paper that is labeled ‘peace agreement’, but that in fact does not substantially diminish the violent attacks launched by Palestinians against Israelis, is merely a piece of paper. Subjective feelings are nice and indeed necessary for a genuine partner, but a ‘leader’ who isn’t followed by the people he purports to lead cannot be a genuine partner for peace.How does Abbas measure up to these two criteria, one subjective and one objective? His objective feelings, I think it is fair to say, are somewhat obscure, because he is in the habit (to use a colloquial expression) of talking out of both sides of his mouth. Sometimes, particularly when he is addressing an audience that he knows includes officials of Western governments (who provide a substantial part of the funding for the Palestinian National Authority), he says things that indicate that his subjective feelings are precisely those that would be necessary in any genuine partner.At other times, particularly when he is speaking to an Arab or entirely Muslim audience, he seems to reveal feelings that are not at all consistent with those of a genuine partner. For example, Abbas addressed an audience of Palestinians this past September and said: “We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way to Allah. With the help of Allah, every martyr will be in heaven, and every wounded will get his reward.” This kind of statement, which certainly could reasonably be viewed as incitement at a time when Palestinians are stabbing, shooting and running over Israelis ostensibly to ‘protect’ the Al Aqsa mosque, raises very real doubts as to his true desire for peace. So, on the subjective side, there is perhaps a question mark.But there is no question mark when it comes to Abbas’ objective ability actually to lead Palestinians as a whole to a peaceful long-term accommodation with Israel. He lacks that ability entirely, and no serious person could conclude otherwise. First of all, Abbas is not, strictly speaking, the president of the Palestinian National Authority at all. He was elected to a four-year term in January of 2005. Elementary arithmetical calculations would confirm that his term as president expired years ago. But his lack of legal authority to act as president of the Palestinian National Authority—or, as Abbas insists on calling it, the ‘State of Palestine’—is a relatively minor matter. The major matter is that Abbas is in fact a ‘leader’ who does not lead and is not followed by the most violent of the Palestinians—precisely those Palestinians who would have to lay down their arms if a true peace is to be achieved.The ‘State of Palestine’ that Abbas purportedly seeks to lead into the international community would consist of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. My research indicates that Abbas has not set foot in Gaza since 2006. It is easy to understand why this is so: Abbas, like most of us, has no desire to be assassinated. Notwithstanding Abbas’ title of ‘president’, Gaza is ruled by Hamas. There is no question that the leaders of Hamas, who believe apparently in all sincerity that they have a religious obligation to destroy the State of Israel and re-establish Islamic control over all the territory of Israel, would eagerly kill Mahmoud Abbas if they had the chance to do so. Their eagerness stems in part from their suspicion that Abbas might be sincere in wanting to be a genuine partner for peace. In any event, a piece of paper entitled ‘Peace agreement between Israel and Palestine’ and bearing Abbas’ signature at the bottom is not likely to impress Hamas or to cause it to alter its beliefs or tactics.Hamas is, of course, only one of a number of Palestinian terrorist organizations that are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. These organizations have members and cells throughout the territories the Palestinians claim for their state. There is no substantial reason to believe that any of the terrorists would follow the ‘leader’ Abbas, if he were to sign a peace agreement with Israel. There is, therefore, no reason to believe that Abbas could actually deliver a Palestinian polity overwhelmingly dedicated to living in peace with Israel. A reasonable person could conclude that it is very likely that a ‘peace agreement’ signed by Abbas would be no more than a piece of paper, bringing no real diminution in the violence perpetrated by Palestinians against Israelis. So, Abbas cannot be considered a genuine partner for peace.One last note: it is sometimes said by Palestinians and their supporters that it is the Palestinians who find themselves without a genuine partner for peace, because Israelis, and particularly Prime Minister Netanyahu, are not truly interested in establishing peace with the Palestinians. If we were to apply the same two criteria to Netanyahu that we just applied to Abbas, I think the results would be as follows. First, Netanyahu, like Abbas, has made some statements, particularly in the course of the most recent election for the Knesset, that might cast doubt on his subjective desires to reach a deal. And, like Abbas, he has also made other statements that seem to be genuinely in favor of a peace deal. So, as with Abbas, we might assign a question mark to Netanyahu’s subjective desire for peace.But, with regard to the ability of Netanyahu, or any other Israeli prime minister, actually to enforce a peace deal reached with the Palestinians, there can be no serious question: the Israeli government could enforce any such deal. Unlike the Palestinian National Authority, the government of Israel exercises real, effective control over the territory of the State of Israel and its people. For those who are keeping score, that means that the current Israeli leadership certainly satisfies one and perhaps both of the criteria, while the Palestinian leadership perhaps satisfies one and definitely fails the other of the two criteria. The Palestinian leaders are the ones who have the most work to do if they are to become genuine partners for peace.
British PM praises Shabbat project-David Cameron hails enterprise – which aims to have as many Jews as possible observe one particular Saturday – as ‘wonderful Jewish initiative’-By JTA October 22, 2015, 3:57 am
British Prime Minister David Cameron endorsed a Jewish community initiative encouraging Jews to observe their Sabbath.Cameron issued a statement Wednesday describing the ShabbatUK project — which aims to have as many Jews as possible to observe one particular Shabbat during the year — as “a wonderful Jewish initiative.”This year’s Shabbat Project will take place on Friday.The British ShabbatUK, Cameron said, “brings together tens of thousands across our country to celebrate the unity and sense of community that has been a hallmark of Jewish life for generations.” But, he added, it “also has a wider message that speaks to everyone in Britain, because we can all benefit from taking a moment to appreciate the value of family, friends and community life.”Camreon concluded his message with the words: “I want to wish everyone taking part Shabbat Shalom.”ShabbatUK is the British variant of the global Shabbat Project – an international drive that began in 2013 in South Africa when thousands of non-observant Jews from that country decided to observe Shabbat together on a set date advertised on social networks.The following year, thousands of members of Jewish communities from across the world, and especially in Europe, also participated and added activities such as group challah bakes.In Britain, some 150,000 Jews are expected to participate this year. Jewish groups organized 600 events for this weekend in Britain, including a massive challah bake that organizers hope will make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.But the British will have competition, as two other challah bakes with hundreds of women are scheduled to take place on Thursday in the Belgian city of Antwerp, which has a large Hasidic population and approximately 20,000 Jews, and in the Parisian suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt.
Merkel sets Netanyahu straight on German culpability for Holocaust-Chancellor says history should not be altered after PM blames WWII Palestinian leader for prompting extermination of Jews-By AFP, AP and Times of Israel staff October 22, 2015, 12:58 am 5
BERLIN, Germany — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday emphasized her nation’s inherent responsibility for the Holocaust, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stirred controversy by claiming that a Palestinian leader gave Hitler the idea of exterminating Jews.Merkel, who hosted Netanyahu for talks, stressed: “Germany abides by its responsibility for the Holocaust.”“We don’t see any reason to change our view of history,” she added.Ahead of the visit, Netanyahu sparked an uproar by suggesting that a top Palestinian religious leader during World War II, noted Nazi sympathizer Haj Amin al-Husseini, persuaded Hitler to carry out the Holocaust, in which six million European Jews were systematically murdered.“Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time. He wanted to expel the Jews,” Netanyahu told the World Zionist Congress on Tuesday. “And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said: ‘If you expel them, they’ll all come here.’ ‘So what should I do with them?’ he asked. He said: ‘Burn them.'”Netanyahu had tried to use the anecdote to illustrate his claim that Palestinian incitement goes back decades, and is not related to Israeli policies.Holocaust experts and survivors slammed Netanyahu’s comments as historically inaccurate and serving the interests of Holocaust deniers by lessening the responsibility of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The US State Department also weighed in, with spokesman John Kirby saying: “The scholarly evidence does not support that position.”Netanyahu on Wednesday backtracked on the claim, denying that he was exonerating Hitler of the responsibility for the Holocaust.Standing next to Merkel, he said the “responsibility of Hitler and the Nazis for the extermination of 6 million Jews is clear to fair-minded people.”At the same time, he insisted that the Grand Mufti’s role should not be forgotten.“He told the Nazis to prevent the fleeing of Jews from Europe and he supported the final solution,” insisted Netanyahu.“The real question should be directed not at me but at [Palestinian Authority] President [Mahmoud] Abbas: Why is he and the Palestinian authority glorifying the official mufti of Jerusalem as a Palestinian icon? “They call him the father of the Palestinian nation. This is a war criminal who was sought for war crimes,” said the Israeli leader.Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday in the German capital, urged the international community to tell Abbas to stop incitement for terror.“If we want to have peace, we have to stop terror. And to stop terror we have to stop incitement,” he said.At the news conference with Merkel, Netanyahu reiterated his belief that Palestinian incitement has fueled recent unrest. He pointed to Abbas’s refusal to condemn a spate of attacks on Israelis, and at accusations that Israel is changing delicate prayer arrangements at Jerusalem’s holiest site.“I think it’s important that the international community demand President Abbas to stop the incitement and stop spreading lies about the Jewish state and about Israel’s policy.”“Abbas joined the Islamists in inciting the recent wave of violence,” Netanyahu said and accused the Palestinian leader of “false” claims that Israel was “seeking to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque” on the Temple Mount.The flashpoint compound, which is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, is located in the southeastern corner of the Old City in Jerusalem. Muslims call it Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) while Jews revere it as the Temple Mount which housed the First and Second Temples.“Israel is the only guarantor in Jerusalem and elsewhere for the sanctity of holy sites,” Netanyahu said.At their news conference, Merkel said she recognized Israel’s “obligation” to protect its citizens.The German leader said she expects a Palestinian condemnation of anything related to terror and noted that such a condemnation was needed if peace talks were to be held.The past few weeks have seen almost daily shooting and stabbing attacks by Palestinian and Israeli-Arab terrorists against Israeli security forces and civilians across Israel and in the West Bank.
