Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts

Monday, June 21, 2021

In Honor of Pride Month Here is a List

I love Facebook.

Simple really. it connects me with friends and family around the world and I get to judge people from the safety of not being anywhere near them.
I recently put up a post stating that Israel recognizes same-sex marriage



It got 55 reactions - nice.
But it also got, for the first time, a 'missing context' addition.
Let me just clarify, I see (and actively seek out) much more controversial stuff on Facebook. There are friends of mine who are so Facebook naughty that they are banned more often than they're allowed on the platform - I'm looking at you, Ken and Larry.
The truth is very simple. I did not want to be a naysayer and post something like 'Israel recognizes and respects same-sex marriage, as opposed to the Palestinians who recognize and then kill the happy couple'
I didn't want to say that Hamas or the PA throw gay men off rooves, or that they drag their bodies through the streets behind motorbikes, or that officially there is a 10-year penalty for being gay (not sure how that works).



There was no mention of the fact that in the Palestinian National Authority, selling land to Jews is a crime punishable by death. That has nothing to do with LGBTQ rights, it's more about how the death penalty is still used there.
So Facebook used independent fact-checkers, which on the surface is awesome. And then I saw that it was USA Today. The last time I read that paper it was literally 8 pages. Not 8 pages on sport or on politics, just a total of 8 pages.
So Mr. Facebook, below is what I originally wanted to say. But now I'm going to state, categorically:
Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and Gaza routinely used torture and other ill-treatment with impunity - source Amnesty
Consensual same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Gaza and the West Bank and is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment - source Amnesty
Well done Facebook, by criticizing my innocuous, flippant image, you made me more aware of just how horrific the LGBTQ community life is in Gaza and the West Bank.
Now go do something about it.




Thursday, June 17, 2021

Starting at the End

The rise of antisemitism has led to me feeling very uncomfortable indeed. With hatred and fingers being turned to Israel the arguments that turn antisemitism into anti-Israel rage could/should/would be silenced now. 

Here is the ending. 



Let's see how much hatred spews at Israel now that their democratically elected ministers have office. 

kthanxbai! 

Jumblerant

Monday, May 2, 2016

Anti-Semitism. Who, what and why?

There has been a significant rise in anti-semitism in the UK recently, as well is in mainland Europe.

Finally one of the main political parties had to suspend a few of their Members of Parliament due to their anti-semitic positions.

I cannot understand this hatred of another religion for no obvious reason. As someone who is very pro-Israel, I cannot understand why it gets picked on so much in the UN and on campuses across the world.

Howard Jacobson explains why. A real eye-opener and fascinating to listen to.



kthanxbai!

Jumblerant

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Bigger and Better

The EMS units here have changed their emergency tones from a wail to the European undulating racket so as not to scare the public.

In the office where I work, we keep the window open a crack so that we can hear the siren.

We had a siren again yesterday morning, and another one today, at around 10 am.

It doesn't make my blood boil. It doesn't drive me into a rage of hatred. It simply makes me sad that in 2014 ANYONE has to be in their bomb shelter or protected area.

We should be bigger than this, we should be better than this.

If you want 'facts' about Gaza, you can find them below / here.

If you want opinion about the war, here are some videos:

From the US Senate:



From a famous US Jew (parental consent is advised):



In all honesty, I'm just tired of it all. "You killed 3 of ours so we're going to get 33 of yours" who are we? The Crips and the Bloods from West Side Story?

Peace and love guys, peace and love.

kthanxbai!

Jumblerant

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Gaza Facts

There are 3 common mistakes I'm tired of seeing. I don't want to get into political arguments right now, just set straight some facts.

English: Map of Gaza Strip, Stand December 200...1. Gaza is the most densely populated city in the world:

Gaza city is not even in the top 85(a). In fact, there are many cities that are denser than Gaza. For example, London, Cairo and New York.

2. Gaza is occupied by Israel:

Gaza has been 100% cleansed of Jews in 2005. In the same year, Israel also formally declared an end to Israeli military occupation of the Gaza Strip. Presently, There isn't a single Israeli soldier on Gazan soil. Israel doesn't fully control Gaza's borders either, since the strip has a Southern border with the sovereign state of Egypt. The latter fully controls at least one crossing, but chooses to keep it closed for their own political and economic reasons.


3. Gaza is one of the poorest regions in the world:

Gaza Strip's Human Development Index is usually around the 100th in the world (out of 177) (b). Higher than Egypt or Syria, but lower than the Palestinian average.
Life expectancy in Gaza is around 107th in the world, higher in fact than Glasgow (SNP likes to flaunt this). The Palestinians are the largest per capita recipients of foreign aid in the world and the 8th fattest nation in the world. By all global accounts, Palestinians are neither rich, nor poor, but strongly in the middle.

(a) WikiPedia - List of cities proper by population
(b) WikiPedia - Human Development Index

kthanxbai!

Jumblerant

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Sirens, Home and the Iron Dome

A few people have asked me to write about my experiences in the last week or so, here in Israel.

Just a few fun facts for you: I'm a father of 2, husband, employee, manager and, obviously, like to think of myself as just another normal guy.

Siren Song

It was with a sense of disbelief that I walked into the air-raid shelter at work last Wednesday morning. This is the kind of thing everyone was expecting:



But this is more like what it was:



So it didn't phase us that much.

And then that evening we had the siren at home.

A different kettle of fish altogether when you have to gather up your kids and put them in the protected room.

The mere fact that every structure built after the Gulf War has to have a reinforced room, by law, tells us all a bit about what kind of area we live in!

Luckily, this time around, we need only stay int he shelters for 10 minutes, and there is no 'all-clear' sounded. People just decide when it works for them.

English: Iron Dome CRAM launcher near the town...

Iron Dome

What a game changer! Or is it? Similar to the Patriot Missile System int he Gulf War, I think we're going to be hearing a lot about 'near misses' and shrapnel falling all over the place, but for right now, it is keeping us mentally safe too.



Not to give too much away, but there is an Iron Dome unit about 1km from our home, and boy is it reassuring when the rockets blast off! Scary, loud and somewhat worrying just how thin our defensive line is, but altogether I wouldn't say 'no' to it.

Funny side note - I was reading the blog post Game Changer by In From The Cold all about Iron Dome and its benefits, when I heard a couple of loud bangs yesterday. yes, it was the Iron Dome at work again.

Politics

I don't care about the politics. I care about people I don't know throwing explosive rockets at my house.

Here is a politician talking about the situation:




So for now there is talk of a cease-fire. Thats great. It just doesn't take the threat away, it just leaves it standing. An en passe that cannot be resolved.

Having said that, Hamas is getting attacked on TV and elsewhere by it's old friend, Egypt:



So whatever happens in this region in the next 12 months is anyone's guess!



Although I doubt we'll see a one state solution any time soon.

kthanxbai!

Jumblerant

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Colourful Semitism

Antisemitism is on the rise. Whether it is from the rocks and firebombs thrown in the Caucuses, the salutes of French comedians and soccer players or the ink from newspapers, it is all against the Jews.


Image of New Statesman Cover from wikipedia co...
Image of New Statesman Cover from wikipedia commons (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
No-one is surprised. There are no cries of 'leave the Jews alone'. I've written about it before here and here. That's fine. That's why Israel exists, you know like all other religions have their own country because they've been the recipients of hatred so much, like the Christians who have....sorry. The Muslims have...

Anyhoo, I was reading a few articles about the rise of antisemitism from such august bodies as The Guardian, The BBC, The New Statesman, The Jerusalem Post and of course, The Times of Israel and realized that if only the Jews had followed the more colorful of their ancestors, maybe the hatred wouldn't be so fanatical?

Over at Buzzfeed they have some great photographs of Russia in the early 20th Century from the Library of Congress, and I found this amazing image that would have made antisemitism nothing if not more colourful!




kthanxbai!

Jumblerant
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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

SodaStream and Hating Israel

There has been a lot of hate and anger sent against Israel in the last few months (years, decades...) but none has been as obviously anti-Semitic as the BDS (boycott, divest and sanctions) attitude to a Super Bowl advert this year.

Her amazing-ness the Scarlett of Johannsen has come forward as a spokesperson for a fizzy water maker. Big deal. Ah, but that fizzy water maker is made in Israel. Oy vey! Stop the harlot from selling their wares. Its despicable. Its not fair on the kids.

Anyway, the factory in Israel is actually very supportive of it's workers, the majority of whom happen to be Palestinian.


Have a super day now!


kthanxbai!

Jumblerant
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Monday, September 2, 2013

The British, The Americans and Syria

Personally I have checked that our gas masks are ready and our sealed room is provisioned.

I still prefer to laugh though, so here is something allegedly written by one of the funniest men alive, John Cleese:

From JOHN CLEESE 


English: John Cleese in May 2008.
English: John Cleese in May 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Syria and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.
The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels ..
John Cleese as a civil servant in the halls of...
John Cleese as a civil servant in the halls of the Ministry. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be right, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is cancelled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the last final escalation level.

Regards,
John Cleese ,
British writer, actor and tall person

And as a final thought - Greece is collapsing, the Iranians are getting aggressive, and Rome is in disarray. Welcome back to 430 BC.


kthanxbai!

Jumblerant
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Monday, May 13, 2013

Will The Media Show You This Photo?

Having worked alongside some fine men in the military and police in Israel, and other countries. I can assure you that this border policeman is using the utmost control that you can imagine.

But I guess this photo isn't worth publishing:


Let's break it down a bit further;

The policeman is armed, probably with a standard M16A2, also, almost definitely with a magazine in already, although as he is not wearing a helmet, I assume that he does not have a round up the chamber. He is not even touching his weapon.

Now let's see how many members of the 'International Press' are in this image, discounting the one who took the photo;


At least five that I can see.

So this policeman is having the following done to him that any law enforcement agent I know would arrest someone for:

1. Someone in his face, not keeping a respectful distance
2. Touching him, whilst not illegal, is exceptionally close to 'assaulting an officer'
3. Initiating a fight with a law enforcement agent. This man holding the flag doesn't look to me, that his purpose is to give the nice officer a hug. 'Incitement'

With at least 6 members of the international press present, the photo and video footage of this policeman showing exceptional restraint doesn't get any air time. I guess he just needs to follow the stereotypical image of an Israeli thug and needs to bash this man around the head to get his 15 minutes of fame.

I can promise you that if the man holding the flag were to do what he is doing to an American or British policeman he would already have been laid out flat on the floor with the 'bracelets' being put on his wrists.

I guess the truth just hurts too much...

kthanxbai!

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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

A Letter to the World from Jerusalem

I read this letter over the weekend and was amazed at how accurate it was.

Having lived in Jerusalem between 2001 and 2010 I can completely understand where the author is coming from:


A Letter to the World from Jerusalem
by Eliezer Ben Yisrael
I am not a creature from another planet, as you seem to believe. I am a Jerusalemite like yourselves, a man of flesh and blood. I am a citizen of my city, an integral part of my people.

December 1917. Jewish Legion soldiers at the W...
December 1917. Jewish Legion soldiers at the Western Wall after the British take-over of Jerusalem 
I have a few things to get off my chest. Because I am not a diplomat, I do not have to mince words. I do not have to please you, or even persuade you. I owe you nothing. You did not build this city; you did not live in it; you did not defend it when they came to destroy it. And we will be damned if we will let you take it away.

There was a Jerusalem before there was a New York. When Berlin, Moscow, London, and Paris were miasmal forest and swamp, there was a thriving Jewish community here. It gave something to the world which you nations have rejected ever since you established yourselves - a humane moral code.

Here the prophets walked, their words flashing like forked lightning. Here a people who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, fought off waves of heathen would be conquerors, bled and died on the battlements, hurled themselves into the flames of their 
burning Temple rather than surrender, and when finally overwhelmed by sheer numbers and led away into captivity, swore that before they forgot Jerusalem, they would see their tongues cleave to their palates, their right arms wither.
Jews Place of Wailing, Jerusalem
Jews Place of Wailing, Jerusalem 
For two painfilled millennia, while we were your unwelcome guests, we prayed daily to return to this city. Three times a day we petitioned the Almighty: “Gather us from the four corners of the world, bring us upright to our land; return in mercy to Jerusalem, Thy city, and dwell in it as Thou promised.” On every Yom Kippur and Passover, we fervently voice the hope that next year would find us in Jerusalem.

Your inquisitions, pogroms, expulsions, the ghettos into which you jammed us, your forced baptisms, your quota systems, your genteel anti-Semitism, and the final unspeakable horror, the holocaust (and worse, your terrifying disinterest in it) - all these have not broken us. They may have sapped what little moral strength you still possessed, but they forged us into steel. 

Do you think that you can break us now after all we have been through? Do you really believe that after Dachau and Auschwitz we are frightened by your threats of blockades and sanctions? 

We have been to Hell and back a Hell of your making. What more could you possibly have in your arsenal that could scare us?
I have watched this city bombarded twice by nations calling themselves civilized. In 1948, while you looked on apathetically, I saw women and children blown to smithereens, after we agreed to your request to internationalize the city. It was a deadly combination that did the job. British officers, Arab gunners, and American made cannons. And then the savage sacking of the Old City; the wilful slaughter, the wanton destruction of every synagogue and religious school; the desecration of Jewish cemeteries; the sale by a ghoulish government of tombstones for building materials, for poultry runs, army camps - even latrines.

And you never said a word.

You never breathed the slightest protest when the Jordanians shut off the holiest of our places, the Western Wall, in violation of the pledges they had made after the war - a war they waged, incidentally, against the decision of the UN. Not a murmur came from you whenever the legionnaires in their spiked helmets casually opened fire upon our citizens from behind the walls.

Your hearts bled when Berlin came under siege. You rushed your airlift "to save the gallant Berliners". But you did not send one ounce of food when Jews starved in besieged Jerusalem. You thundered against the wall which the East Germans ran through the middle of the German capital - but not one peep out of you about that other wall, the one that tore through the heart of Jerusalem.

And when that same thing happened 20 years later, and the Arabs unleashed a savage, unprovoked bombardment of the Holy City again, did any of you do anything?
The only time you came to life was when the city was at last reunited. Then you wrung your hands and spoke loftily of "justice" and need for the "Christian" quality of turning the other cheek.

The truth is - and you know it deep inside your gut - you would prefer the city to be destroyed rather than have it governed by Jews. No matter how diplomatically you phrase it, the age old prejudices seep out of every word.

If our return to the city has tied your theology in knots, perhaps you had better re-examine your catechisms. After what we have been through, we are not passively going to accommodate ourselves to the twisted idea that we are to suffer eternal 
homelessness until we accept your saviour.

For the first time since the year 70 there is now complete religious freedom for all in Jerusalem. For the first time since the Romans put a torch to the Temple, everyone has equal rights. (You prefer to have some more equal than others.) We loathe the sword - but it was you who forced us to take it up. We crave peace - but we are not going back to the peace of 1948 as you would like us to.

We are home. It has a lovely sound for a nation you have willed to wander over the face of the globe. We are not leaving. We are redeeming the pledge made by our forefathers: Jerusalem is being rebuilt. "Next year" and the year after, and after, and after, until the end of time - "in Jerusalem!"

----------------------------
This "letter" (written by Eliezer Whartman) first appeared as an editorial in the summer of '69 in the Times of Israel (long defunct). Some of the sentences do not fit today's situation perfectly, but the point of the letter, and its passion is as on the mark as it was over 40 years ago.

Who should read this letter? People - nonJews or Jews - who think that Jerusalem does not belong to the Jewish People, and only to the Jewish People. And what about Jews who love Jerusalem and want to see it and all of Israel in Jewish hands? This letter 
is wonderful at strengthening our resolve. Enjoy it.

kthanxbai! 

http://jumblerant.blogspot.com
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Sunday, April 7, 2013

A Few Forgotten Facts

Sadly the group known as 'Anonymous' tried to bring down the internet in Israel today. I'm not sure why, but  it has something to do with the Palestinians and their desire to kill all the Jews.

Well, they might have made a minor misjudgement in this case as the Israeli hackers instead broke into the main Anonymous website and put this up to educate them. And if ever you thought that Israel needed defending, here's your list of reasons why:

A Few Forgotten Facts

1. Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.

2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.

4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.

7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.

8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.

9. In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.

10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution, and slaughter.

11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.

12. Arab refugees were intentionally not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.

13. The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.

14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.

15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.

16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.

17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.

18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.

19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.


 kthanxbai!

 http://jumblerant.blogspot.com
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