Spanish Legislator,Vice-Mayor of Barcelona: The truth about Israel has not been told.

 

Pilar Rahola is a journalist, writer, and former politician....Vice-Mayor of Barcelona and member of Spanish Legislature)

 "To fight against anti-Semitism is not the duty of the Jews, it is the duty of the non-Jews.   As a journalist it is my duty to search for the truth beyond prejudice, lies and manipulations. The truth about Israel is not told. "

Pilar Rahola




Pilar Rahola is a Spanish politician, journalist and activist and member of the far left   Her articles are published in Spain and throughout some of the most important newspapers in Latin America. 


"Why don't we see demonstrations against Islamic dictatorships in London,  Paris, Barcelona ? 

Or demonstrations against the Burmese dictatorship? 

Why aren't there demonstrations against the enslavement of millions of women who live without any legal protection? 

Why aren't there demonstrations against the use of children as human bombs? 

Why has there been no leadership in support of the victims of Islamic dictatorship in Sudan ? 

Why is there never any outrage against the acts of terrorism committed against Israel ? 

Why is there no outcry by the European left against Islamic fanaticism? 

Why don't they defend Israel 's right to exist? 

Why confuse support of the Palestinian cause with the defense of Palestinian terrorism? 

And finally, the million dollar question:  Why is the left in Europe and around the world obsessed with the two most solid democracies, the United States and Israel, and not with the worst dictatorships on the  planet? The two most solid democracies, who have suffered the bloodiest attacks of terrorism, and the left doesn't care. 

And then, to the concept of freedom. In every pro Palestinian European forum, I hear the left yelling with fervor: "We want freedom for the people!" 

Not true. They are never concerned with freedom for the people of Syria, or Yemen, or Iran, or Sudan, or other such nations.  And they are never preoccupied when Hammas destroys freedom for the Palestinians. They are only concerned with using the concept of Palestinian freedom as a weapon against Israeli freedom.  The resulting consequence of these ideological pathologies is the manipulation of the press. 

The international press does major damage when reporting on the question of the Israeli-Palestinian issue.  On this topic they don't inform, they propagandize. 

When reporting about Israel, the majority of journalists forget the reporter code of ethics. And so, any Israeli act of self-defense becomes a massacre, and any confrontation, genocide. So many stupid things have been written about Israel, that there aren't any accusations left to level against her. 

At the same time, this press never discusses Syrian and Iranian interference in propagating violence against Israel; the indoctrination of children and the corruption of the Palestinians. And when reporting about victims, every Palestinian casualty is reported as tragedy and every Israeli victim is camouflaged, hidden or reported about with disdain. 

And let me add on the topic of the Spanish left. Many are the examples that illustrate the anti-Americanism and anti-Israeli sentiments that define the Spanish left. For example, one of the leftist parties in Spain has just expelled one of its members for creating a pro-Israel website. I quote from the expulsion document: "Our friends are the  people of Iran, Libya and Venezuela, oppressed by imperialism, and not a Nazi state like Israel ." 

In another example, the socialist mayor of Campozuelos changed Shoah Day, commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, with Palestinian Nabka Day, which mourns the establishment of the State of Israel, thus showing contempt for the six million European Jews murdered in the Holocaust. 

Or in my native city of Barcelona , the city council decided to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, by having a week of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Thus, they invited Leila Khaled, a noted terrorist from the 70's and current leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization so described by the European Union, which promotes the use of bombs against Israel .. 

This politically correct way of thinking has even polluted the speeches of president Zapatero.  His foreign policy falls within the lunatic left, and on issues of the Middle East , he is unequivocally pro Arab. I can assure you that in private, Zapatero places on Israel the blame for the conflict in the   Middle East, and the policies of foreign minister Moratinos reflect this. The fact that Zapatero chose to wear a kafiah in the midst of the Lebanon conflict is no coincidence; it is a symbol. 

Spain has suffered the worst terrorist attack in Europe and it is in the crosshairs of every Islamic terrorist organization.  As I wrote before, they kill us with cell phones hooked to satellites connected to the Middle Ages.  And yet the Spanish left is the most anti Israeli in the world. 

And then it says it is anti Israeli because of solidarity.  This is the madness I want to denounce in this conference. 

Conclusion: 

I am not Jewish.  Ideologically I am left and by profession a journalist. Why am I not anti-Israeli like my colleagues?  Because as a non-Jew, I have the historical responsibility to fight against Jewish hatred and currently against the hatred for their historic homeland,  Israel . To fight against anti-Semitism is not the duty of the Jews, it is the duty of the non-Jews. 

As a journalist it is my duty to search for the truth beyond prejudice, lies and manipulations. The truth about Israel is not told. As a person from the left who loves progress, I am obligated to defend liberty, culture, civic education for children, coexistence and the laws that the Tablets of the Covenant made into universal principles. 

Principles that Islamic fundamentalism systematically destroys. That is to say that as a non-Jew, journalist and lefty, I have a triple moral duty with  Israel, because if Israel is destroyed, liberty, modernity and culture will be destroyed too. 

 

Hamas: No to Red Cross -Shalit visit

June 23, 2010

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Hamas has turned down another official request from the International Red Cross to visit a captured Israeli soldier being held in Gaza.

Israel Radio reported Wednesday that the request to visit Gilad Shalit, one of several made since his capture in a cross-border raid four years ago, was rejected by the terrorist group Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip.

'Decoy Jews' used to stop anti-Semitic attacks in the Netherlands

Dutch police use 'decoy Jews' to stop anti-Semitic attacks

Dutch police are to use "decoy Jews", by dressing law enforcers in Jewish religious dress such as skullcaps, in an effort to catch anti-Semitic attackers.

 

Bruno Waterfield
Published: 2:36PM BST 22 Jun 2010

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

 

Lodewijk Asscher, Amsterdam's mayor, has ordered the new decoy strategy to cut the number of verbal and physical attacks on Jews, amid fears that anti-Semitic "hate crime" is on the rise.

"Jews in at least six Amsterdam neighbourhoods often cannot cross the street wearing a skullcap without being insulted, spat at or even attacked," according to local reports.

 

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/netherlands/7846704/Dutch-police-use-decoy-Jews-to-stop-anti-Semitic-attacks.html

AP produces misleading text. Local papers reprint it.

 1. The Associated Press (AP) puts online a video clip in which an al-Qaida spokesman issues 6 demands, the first two of which are:

"First, you must pull every last one of your soldiers, spies, security advisers...... and all other American personnel, ships and aircraft out of every Muslim land from Afghanistan to Zanzibar," the spokesman, Adam Gadahn, said.

"Second, you must end all support, both moral and material for Israel." 

2.  The AP  reports the above as follows:    Adam Gadahn set out al-Qaida's conditions for peace with the U.S., including cutting support for Israel and withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g_JBe70QtSzgxcmZWYlmjV7luvsgD9GF4GT00

 So, the AP cuts the 6 demands to two.  It places, first, the demand that the U.S. cut support for Israel -- boosting its relative importance -- and reduces al-qaida's demand that the U.S. remove all personnel from every Muslim land to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.    This is bad and manipulative reporting.


3.  The local newspapers, such as ours in Des Moines, reprint the AP report, including the news that 

"Adam Gadahn set out al-Qaida's conditions for peace with the U.S., including cutting support for Israel and withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan."    

Is it true that al-Qaida's conditions for peace with the U.S. included cutting support for Israel?  Yes.          Was it the most important item listed by the al-Qaida spokesman?   No.   

What impact is made on readers when they see that demand listed first?  

Who bears primary responsibility for the inaccurate report?  The AP
The local newspapers that reprint the AP report depend on the AP for accurate reporting.  The local papers are not going to take responsibility for the content of the AP.  Yet the local newspapers are complicit in publishing inaccurate and damaging material, when they publish such demonstrably inaccurate work by the AP as exemplified here.  

//Mark Finkelstein    jcrc@dmjfed.org    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYFqti9ssIQ&feature=player_embedded

Israel eases Gaza blockade on civiliams, tightens security blockade

Just hours after the dramatic decision  to ease the Gaza Strip blockade and lift various restrictions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  explained the significance of the decision Sunday night. In a closed conversation, Netanyahu said this is "no civilian blockade on Gaza, but only a security blockade."


"The security blockade is tightened now," the prime minister said, "because we have taken away Hamas' ability to blame Israel for harming the civilian population and because our friends around the world are backing us up on this decision and granting legitimacy to the continued security blockade against Hamas."

"We have taken the right decision for Israel from a security and political point of view," Netanyahu asserted.
 --ynetnews
 

Obama and Six Ways Israel is More Secure

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From: Aaron Keyak [mailto:aaron.keyak@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 2:25 PM

Rep. Rothman has identified as "six hugely important developments that have happened in the last month that will provide extraordinary help to protect Israel’s security." Unfortunately, these events have been underreported in the media.

 

Israel's Security: What the Media has Underreported

By Representative Steve Rothman (D-NJ)

 

There are six hugely important developments that have happened in the last month that will provide extraordinary help to protect Israel’s security. Unfortunately, these events have been underreported in the media:

 

1.     On June 9, 2010,  the U.N. Security Council passed a set of new sanctions against Iran with Russia, China, the U.S. and nine others voting in favor, with Brazil and Turkey voting no, and Lebanon abstaining.  While these sanctions will have some additional effects, and are expected to result in even greater sanctions from the Europeans and the U.S., the most immediate, as well as long term benefit of the sanctions is that Russia has agreed not to sell its S-300 anti-aircraft system to Iran!  The S-300 system is extremely difficult to overcome, according to all knowledgeable military experts.  If delivered to Iran, it would be a game-changer in Iran’s military position vis-a-vis Israel.

(Russia now says Iran sanctions ban S-300 missiles)

 

2.     On June 12, 2010, Saudi Arabia agreed to permit Israel to over fly a portion of its territory, should Israel feel it necessary to undertake military actions against Iran.

(Saudi Arabia Gives Israel Clear Skies to Attack Iranian Nuclear Sites)

 

3.     On June 10, 2010, the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, publically stated that Israel should not be forced to end its blockade of Gaza.

(Abbas to Obama: I'm against lifting the Gaza naval blockade)

 

4.     On June 9, 2010, Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas publically declared in Washington, D.C. that he and the Palestinians were ready to recognize that the Jewish people have a right to some portion of Israel and the territories.

(Washington - Abbas Tells U.S. Jews: I Would Never Deny Jewish Right to The Land of Israel)

 

5.      On May 10, 2010, Israel was admitted, unanimously, to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This enables Israel to join the world’s fellow economic powers as a co-equal, first class citizen for the first time.

(The State of Israel Joins the OECD)

 

6.      On May 13, 2010, President Barack Obama announced his intention to give the state of Israel $205 million so that Israel might purchase additional Iron Dome anti-missile defense batteries for deployment throughout the State of Israel.On May 20, 2010, the House of Representatives voted 410 - 4 to affirm President Obama’s decision. The Iron Dome Short Range Artillery Rocket Defense System is designed to intercept short-range rockets, missiles, and mortars launched by terrorists in Gaza and southern Lebanon. It can protect Israel from rockets within a range of 2.5 – 45 miles.

(Obama authorizes $205 million for Iron Dome)

 

All these six items have a major, positive impact on the security of the State of Israel!

 

Each of these six accomplishments was only made possible with the direct, powerful, and demanding insistence of President Barack Obama. In my opinion, the big picture for Israel’s security has improved!

 

There is, obviously, a long way to go, but progress such as this is important not to overlook, ignore, or belittle.

 

Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) is in his seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives.  He serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittees of Defense; and State and Foreign Operations, which appropriate all spending for the United States military, and all foreign aid, respectively.

 

---
Aaron Keyak
Communications Director
Congressman Steve Rothman (NJ-9)
2303 Rayburn HOB
o: 202/225-5061
c: 202/905-6361

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the World bays

Who cares about Hamas's 'reign of terror'?

"The point Toameh constantly makes in one way or another is that it is hypocritical to say you desire a better life for Palestinians and look the other way at Fatah and Hamas abuses. Keep that in mind as the world mobilizes to force Israel to end its weapons blockade." 

By Stephanie Gutmann        June 14th, 2010   http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/stephaniegutmann/100043249/who-cares-about-hamass-reign-of-terror/

 

As President Obama gets ready to send an additional 400 million dollars in aid to “ordinary Palestinians” (most of which will probably end up with a small inner circle of Hamas weapons enthusiasts) it’s worth remembering who is causing the most misery to the people of Gaza.

The Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh has written a blistering essay for the Hudson New York blog headlined, “What About Hamas’s Siege of Gaza?“. He reminds us that while the world bayed about Israel’s naval blockade, “Hamas [has continued] its reign of terror on the local population in general and its critics in particular.”

What is that reign like? Well, here are some snapshots of life in Gaza under Hamas: on June 6, “A senior United Nations official… expressed deep concern at reports that Hamas has broken into the offices of [NGOs] in the Gaza Strip… confiscated materials and equipment, and forced the offices to shut down.”

In late May, masked gunmen raided a UN children’s camp, tearing down tents and burning storage buildings. It’s not known who was behind those masks but earlier what the Irish Times called “a previously unknown militant group, The Free of the Homeland, issued a statement criticising [the UN] for, ‘teaching schoolgirls fitness, dancing and immorality.’” Hamas often uses proxies and has been attempting to impose strict sharia law. In April, as the same Irish Times article points out, Hamas sent “police to break up the Gaza Strip’s first major hip-hop concert [because, it said,] organisers failed to get a permit.”

Toameh was born in the West Bank city of Tulkarm 45 years ago. He was thus able to observe Yasser Arafat’s rise to power and the accompanying loss of freedoms and prosperity as the dictator (who had hopped over from Tunisia) whisked foreign aid money into his personal bank account and took control of media outlets. When Toameh was slightly older, and to avoid Arafat rule, his family moved to Israeli-controlled East Jerusalem and Toameh was educated at the Anglican Church School in West Jerusalem. He went on to get a college degree at an Israeli university; nevertheless his first job out of college was at a Palestinian Liberation Organization newspaper. People are free to move around like that in Israel. I can assure you that you don’t see that kind of fluidity in the Palestinian territories.

Because he speaks English, Arabic and Hebrew fluently, he is one of less than a handful of Middle East reporters who is able to attend Israeli, Hamas and Fatah press conferences without dependence on poltiically-motivated fixers for translation. What I’m trying to say is that he is as good a window into real life as you can find.

It’s a shame there aren’t more Palestinian journalists who can write freely, but if they haven’t, in effect, escaped to become Israeli citizens, they live a life of constant harassment, jailings and beatings by both the Fatah and Hamas regimes.

The point Toameh constantly makes in one way or another is that it is hypocritical to say you desire a better life for Palestinians and look the other way at Fatah and Hamas abuses. Keep that in mind as the world mobilizes to force Israel to end its weapons blockade.