Chronologically Mixed Up?

When I lead tours to archaeological sites, I admit that my chronology can get mixed up a bit.

You know, Iron Age, Bronze Age, and then all this:

Early Bronze Age I           (3300 BCE – 3000 BCE)
Early Bronze Age II
Early Bronze Age III
Early Bronze Age IV
Middle Bronze Age
Middle Bronze Age I
Middle Bronze Age II
Middle Bronze Age III
Late Bronze Age I
Late Bronze Age II A
Late Bronze Age II B
Iron Age I A
Iron Age I B
Iron Age II
Babylonian and Persian periods
Hellenistic period
Early Hellenistic
Late Hellenistic
Roman period
Early Roman
Late Roman          (132 CE – 324 CE)


I looked at this and thought, that's a purposeful mix-up:

The mission that has 18 members of Saudi and French scientists and experts in archeological excavation has discovered at the Yamamah site in Kharj many architectural antiquities of a huge mosque that existed in the early Islamic era in between first and fifth centuries hegira. 

Hegira was in the year 622 CE.

So, the above dating is, what, 7th-12th centuries?

Let's keep things in proportion.

^

Koestler as a Freak Oddity

In his "Promise and Fulfillment", Arthur Koestler, former Revisionist Zionist, former Communist and almost former Jew wrote:

The appearance of the freak-movement of Zionism on the political scene was bound to produce a series of freak-reactions. It culminated in the famous Balfour Declaration, one of the most mprobable political documents of all time. In this document one nation solemnly promised to a second nation the country of a third. 

Let's sort this out.

While the Balfour Declaration was a one-nation promise, it was discussed at the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference attended by many nations.  It was also the basis of the Weizmann-Faisal Agreement.

It was then adopted at the San Remo Conference in April 1920.  And in July 1922, 55 nations agreed to include the Declaration's text in their decision to award Great Britain the mandate over Palestine.

To compare nations, as if the Jewish history and connection to the Land of Israel is equal to that of a community of Arabs - and note: "Arabs" was never in those decisions, only "non-Jews", and for a very good reason -,  is insulting in addition to be totally in error.

The "country" was only that of the Arabs living in it by force of armed invasion, conquest and occupation and underwent the rule of Muslim Arabs (Ommayads, Abbasids, etc.), then Crusaders, then Mamelukes, then Ottomans.  Never did the Arabs establish a separate identifiable polity in the Land of Israel. 

Freak?

Koestler is the oddity here.

^

The Green, No, Red Solution

The solution, as per the Green Party Statement, is:

We recognize that international opinion has been committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, we view the two-state solution as neither democratic nor viable in the face of international law, material conditions and "facts on the ground" that now exist in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Given this reality, we support a U.S. foreign policy that promotes the creation of one secular, democratic state for Palestinians and Israelis on the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan as the national home of both peoples, with Jerusalem as its capital. We encourage a new U.S. diplomatic initiative to begin the long process of negotiation, laying the groundwork for such a single-state constitution.

Source

I am not sure if that "green" is an environment group or an Islamic one.  It doesn't seem to be the Jill Stein vehicle.

No, wait, it seems yes to be.  And their platform includes this:

We recall that ending institutionalized racism (apartheid) in South Africa demanded an unusual, cooperative action by the entire international community in the form of a boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against apartheid South Africa, and that BDS can become the most effective nonviolent means for achieving justice and genuine peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and for the region, through concerted international pressure as applied to apartheid South Africa; and that Palestinian resistance to ongoing dispossession has mainly been nonviolent, including its most basic form – remaining in their homes, on their land; and that while Palestinian armed resistance is legitimate under international law when directed at non-civilian targets, we believe that only nonviolent resistance will maintain the humanity of Palestinian society, elicit the greatest solidarity from others, and maximize the chance for future reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. However, we also recognize that our appeal to Palestinians to continue to resist nonviolently in the face of ongoing existential threats from Israel is hypocritical unless accompanied by substantial acts of international support. 

^ 

Cordoba Calls To Jerusalem

Doesn't this sound familiar to anyone who is acquainted with the Temple Mount, conquered by Muslims in 638CE and turned into an Islamic compound with a mosque and then, eventually, becoming an exclusive site prohibiting any non-Muslim from entering or praying therein?

Here:

When Christians re-conquered Córdoba, they built a cathedral, completed in 1236, in the heart of the mosque. Since then, only Christian worship has been allowed inside the monument, which draws 1.5 million visitors each year. In 2010, two Austrian Muslims were arrested after an altercation with security guards who had stopped them from praying in the monument.
Isabel Romero, president of the Islamic Council, which represents Spain’s two million Muslims, said that in recent years the Catholic Church had showed “a lack of respect to the monument and its history … Just because it is not a mosque now doesn’t mean it was never a mosque. Wiping out eight centuries of history didn’t make sense.”

And the news:

Local authorities in Córdoba have dealt a blow to the Catholic church’s claim of legal ownership of the Spanish city’s mosque-cathedral, declaring that “religious consecration is not the way to acquire property”.

The report, written by the city council’s secretary general, Valeriano Lavela,..says the building does not belong to the church nor to any other organisation or individual. Lavela writes that the church’s acquisition has no legal basis and cannot confer ownership. This, he adds, is not just because the site has since 1984 been a Unesco world heritage site “of exceptional universal value” and therefore cannot be owned by anyone.

Citing Roman law, Lavela argues that the site’s true owners “are each and every citizen of the world from whatever epoch and regardless of people, nation, culture or race”.

...While mass is held in the building, the local bishop has banned Muslims from praying there. In 2010 fighting broke out when a group of Muslim visitors knelt to pray.

I have blogged previously (and back in 2010) on the situation in Cordoba so parallel to Jerusalem.

The structure began as a small Christian Visogoth church before being divided into Christian and Muslims halves in 711. Umayyad Prince Abd al-Rahman I founded the famous medieval mosque in 784 after purchasing the Christian half. The structure was converted into a Catholic cathedral in 1236.

However, in our situation the Jews are denied the rights that Muslims demand for themselves in Spain.

Will we ever be equal, at the least, to Muslims at our holy site?

^

Jordan's Monarch Mocks Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty

From a long interview with Jordan's King Abdullah II:-

Q14: Your Majesty, the Israeli violations against Jerusalem and its holy sites are ongoing. Jordan, under your leadership, is carrying on with its efforts to defend the holy city. What measures can be taken to address these violations?

King Abdullah: We are dealing with repeated violations and transgressions by Israel and extremist groups and their blatant attempts to change the status quo in Jerusalem, including its landmarks, heritage and historical identity, as well as attempts to violate the rights of the Arab residents, make their lives difficult and force them to leave, in addition to tampering with Islamic and Christian holy sites.

We will persist in undertaking our religious and historical responsibilities towards Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, which faces repeated violations by extremist groups. As the Custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, I will continue my efforts to protect these places and stand up against all violations of their sanctity or attempts for temporal and spatial division of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.

Our responsibility towards Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem is a top priority for our foreign policy. We utilise all our capabilities to protect Al Aqsa Mosque which includes the entire indivisible Al Haram Al Sharif in Jerusalem. We have successfully led efforts to adopt this definition at the UN and UNESCO. Moreover, we maintain all available political and legal options to stand against violations and protect holy sites.

The King engages in activity which is in violation of Article 9 of  the peace treaty his father signed with Israel in 1994:

ARTICLE 9
PLACES OF HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE
Each party will provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance.In this regard, in accordance with the Washington Declaration, Israel respects the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem. When negotiations on the permanent status will take place, Israel will give high priority to the Jordanian historic role in these shrines.The Parties will act together to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace.

______________

UPDATE I

If the King is "the Custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem", so why is he interfering with the primary Jewish holy site?

And note what is written in the Quran:

UPDATE II

From March:-

Local authorities in Córdoba have dealt a blow to the Catholic church’s claim of legal ownership of the Spanish city’s mosque-cathedral, declaring that “religious consecration is not the way to acquire property”.
The report, written by the city council’s secretary general, Valeriano Lavela, marks a significant intervention in a long-running row over the building, which lies on the site of a Visigothic Christian church built in the early 9th century and was given to the local bishop by Fernando III in 1236 when the city fell to Christian forces.
...the council’s report says the building does not belong to the church nor to any other organisation or individual. Lavela writes that the church’s acquisition has no legal basis and cannot confer ownership. This, he adds, is not just because the site has since 1984 been a Unesco world heritage site “of exceptional universal value” and therefore cannot be owned by anyone.   
Citing Roman law, Lavela argues that the site’s true owners “are each and every citizen of the world from whatever epoch and regardless of people, nation, culture or race”.While mass is held in the building, the local bishop has banned Muslims from praying there. In 2010 fighting broke out when a group of Muslim visitors knelt to pray.

UPDATE III

Israel will not let Mecca and Medina rules apply on the Temple Mount, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avi Dichter said on Monday, referring to the two holy cities in Saudi Arabia where entrance is prohibited to non-Muslims.

“The idea that what was done in Saudi Arabia – where two cities holy to Islam, Mecca and Medina, are sites where only Muslims have the right to enter – will be done on the Temple Mount is a distorted idea that we will not let happen,” Dichter said. “We will respect the sanctity of al-Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem, and will stand up for our rights on the Temple Mount.”

Dichter noted that there is an attempt under way to conflate the Aksa Mosque with the entire Temple Mount compound.

“Recently there has been a growing tendency calling for the ‘defense’ of al-Aksa,” he said. “This defense has grown a great deal, and from the mosque on the southern part of the Temple Mount they are now talking about the whole area of the Temple Mount. Israel will not let this happen.”

^

Rephrasing Gideon Levy

Gideon Levy pontificates:

One can’t be secular and 

believe in the biblical right to Shiloh...

Why not?

Has not the Biblical historical account been mostly verified by science, by Carbon 14 dating, by archaeological finds?

I would rephrase him:

You need not be religious to believe 

in the Biblical right of the Jews to Eretz-Israel

^

The US Consulate Defies Its Legacy

Found in The United States and Israel by Nadav Safran published in 1963:

And yet today, the Jews resident in Judea and Samaria are discriminated against. Programs, events, activities and grants are prohibited ot Jews simply on the basis of domicile.

Most recent examples:

The consulate promotes this project:

Launched in 2013, STEP supports Palestinian students who have innovative project and research ideas in different fields of applied science, engineering, and technology. The program spreads the culture of science and technology research and innovation through developing capacities and capabilities that enable students to execute unique and original projects, and ultimately enhance their communities’ opportunities in keeping up with the international advancements in science and technology.Applicants to STEP receive a specialized and an intensive training on various topics such as scientific research methodologies and writing professional scientific papers. Furthermore, applicants receive technical and professional support and specialized consultation by Al Nayzak professionals. The first round achieved great success with more than 450 projects submitted by 650 students from various schools in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Only 46 projects by 73 students were qualified to the finals. 

Would Ariel University merit such a grant?

Congratulations to Aqqaba Secondary Girls School in Tuba, the home of the West Banks’s first GREEN SCHOOL! Thanks to a $1.2 million project from USAID West Bank/Gaza, this brand new school features state of the art water recycling systems & the solar panels! Cool, no?

On August 10, it was reported:

Today, a graduation ceremony celebrated the achievements of 78 Palestinian student beneficiaries of the A-PLUS scholarship program, a U.S. Government-funded program implemented through the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and its partner AMIDEAST. This graduation ceremony is part of the multi-year American-Palestinian Local University Scholarship (A-PLUS) program which supports higher education opportunities for financially challenged Palestinian students. The program provides undergraduate scholarships for Palestinian youth to attend colleges and universities in the West Bank and Gaza.

Dorothy Shea, Acting Principal Officer of the American Consulate General in Jerusalem, told the graduates, “The U.S. government has worked to make A-PLUS a reality because this program gives you an opportunity to release your incredible untapped potential.” She added, “The impact of this program lasts far beyond the academic school year and far beyond the lifetime of this project. That’s because this program is not about filling classrooms with students; rather, it is about filling minds with new ideas and skills and possibilities.”
The project targets Palestinian students who are academically talented but who are unable to afford tuition and expenses at local universities and colleges. A-PLUS provides students with scholarships that cover local tuition and fees, books, and transportation costs for the full length of their chosen undergraduate program.
The $1.5 million A-PLUS program began in February, 2010 in response to a 2009 visit by then-Secretary Hillary Clinton, where she expressed a desire to see the U.S. government provide assistance that would enhance Palestinian students’ access to higher education.

Jewish schoolchildren and pupils are not targeted by this project or this Green one.

It's all about "Palestine":

The U.S. Government, through USAID, is the leading provider of bilateral development assistance to the Palestinians, having provided more than $4.9 billion since 1994 for programs in the areas of democracy, governance, education, health, humanitarian assistance, private enterprise, water resources, and infrastructure. Since 2000, USAID has built 3,106 classrooms and renovated 1,255 classrooms. As a result of such activities, 200,000 students study in classrooms built or renovated by USAID.

^

The US Consulate Has Been in Trouble Before

My veteran readers know of my campaign to have the Jerusalem Consulate of the United States to act without discrimination towards the Jewish residents within its purvey and especially those residing in Judea and Samaria.

My research now has brought this to my attention with its strong reference to contemporary events:

One of the most fascinating of these meshulachim [emissaries collecting charity funds for the Jews of Eretz-Yisrael - YM] was Rabbi Chaim (Hayyim) Tzvi (Zevi, Zvi) Schneerson, who came to America in 1869...However, he did not come to America [only] to raise money. His goal was to improve relations between the United States and Palestine through his personal diplomatic intervention. On February 17, 1869, Rabbi Schneerson delivered a lecture at the New York Historical Society by invitation. Shortly thereafter, Rabbi Schneerson traveled to Washington, D.C. As told in Palestine and Roumania: ADescription of the Holy Land: “He lectured twice in the presence of large and appreciative audiences, among them the Turkish ambassador, members of the President’s family, and several of the Ministry and of Congress...

...He then managed to obtain an interview with Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. Rabbi Schneerson pointed out that the American Consul to Jerusalem had been mixing Christian proselytizing with his diplomatic duties. Indeed, the consul had personally tried to entice a Jewish girl to convert to Christianity. Not long after his meeting with Fish, Rabbi Schneerson was invited to meet the President of the United States. Meeting with President Ulysses S. Grant As told in The First Rabbi and Palestine and Roumania: “The story of his visit, reported in The National Intelligencer of the capital city, was that Schneerson, attired in his oriental costume, addressed the President  [on April 20]. Grant then rose courteously to receive the Rabbi who thereupon said: ‘Mr. President, permit me to give my thanks to the Alm-ghty, whose mercy brought me here to behold the face of the chosen by the millions of this great nation.... I come to your Excellency from the East, ... to entreat you in the name of G-d, who created all men equal, to listen to the prayer of your humble servant, standing before you to advocate the cause of his oppressed brethren in the Holy Land. ‘The Israelites in Palestine possess no political or civil rights whatever, and oftentimes deprived of protection by the representatives of the civilized nations which the Christians enjoy, are exposed to violence and arbitrary rule. The only shelter the Israelites occasionally find is in the courts of the different European consulates, where one of their co-religionists is employed either as interpreter or deputy consul, who convey their grievances to the proper channel. This free republic, alone, whose banner covers the oppressed, whose foundation is based on equality, toleration, and liberty of conscience, has no Israelites employed near the consul at Jerusalem. ‘I do pray, therefore, your Excellency, to turn your attention to the deplorable condition of my brethren in the Orient, that the principles of this Government may be truly embodied in its representatives...

...“At the close of his address, the President, evidently deeply moved by the Rabbi’s sincere and feeling words, inquired with interest as to the circumstances affecting the Jews at Jerusalem which might be guarded by the American Consulate; and replied, with his wonted quick decision, ‘I shall look into this matter with care.’ “The Rabbi then closed the interview with the following fervant invocation: ‘Before I part from you, Mr. President, allow me to offer my fervent prayer from the depth of my heart: Alm-ghty G-d, Whose dominion is an everlasting kingdom, may He bless and preserve, guard and assist your Excellency and your family. May the Supreme King of Kings grant you a long life, and inspire you with benevolence and friendship towards all mankind.’ “At its close, the whole crowd, who had forgotten each his own personal interest in the impressive scene which was passing, were seen to be affected, some even to tears; and from some lips a fervent ‘Amen’ was heard in response. The President replied, with evident feeling, ‘I thank you for your wishes and prayers.’...

...Amazingly, as told in Roumania, America and WorldJewry, “The erring diplomat was recalled, to the satisfaction of Palestinian Jewry and the delight of the meshulach who accomplished it...

See also pp. 107-109 of When General Grant Expelled the Jews by Jonathan D. Sarna.

The cause of his anger and demand for the Consul's removal was the assistance Victor Beauboucher gave to Protestant missionaries in the 1868 infamous Sarah Steinberg affair [although one source has her family name as Elkes].  After her parents and older sister had converted and then her parents and brother died (the father had returned to Judaism late in his life), her older sister urged the missionaries to  convert Sarah, who was a minor and hospitalized suffering from the same cholera that killed her brother.  

She was  spirited out of the hospital and hidden by a local 77-year old Rabbi, Aryeh Neeman. The consul himself, with the Consulate security personnel and his deputy, Finkelstein, came on a Friday night and removed her from the Rabbi's custody. The Rabbi was then hauled off to jail on a charge of kidnapping. The Consul's loyalty was first to the Christian missionaries it appeared.

Not only was President Grant involved in the efforts to protect the Jews of Jerusalem but also the German Chancellor (p. 225) as Rabbi Neeman was a Prussian citizen.

Here is a section of the newspaper account from HaLevanon, February 13, 1868 issue:

^

Zionism, American-style

From the October 1852 issue of The Occident

But, after all, it would be much better if a proper system of agriculture could be introduced into our ancient heritage, by which means those who now lack bread might be enabled to obtain it for themselves from the bosom of the earth, which is still as fertile in many places as in olden days. We shall, therefore, be rejoiced to learn of the success of the proposed movement of Mr. Warder Cresson (Michael Boaz Israel), who is himself a thorough farmer, and is about returning to Palestine to open, if possible, an extensive farm outside of Jerusalem in the Valley of Rephaim. To succeed in this worthy attempt, to settle the country anew with a hardy, brave, and independent population, to chase away the prowling Arabs, who render everything insecure wherever they show their horrid visage, would at once strike off the shackles of poverty which now weigh down the spirit of our brothers. How glad we shall be to record in future numbers of our work the triumph of this redoubt­able convert, and we wish him and his labours in the outset a hearty “God speed".

The Occident and American Jewish Advocate (1843-1869), was the first general Jewish periodical published in the United States. 

^

Jesus in ... "Palestine"?

From an academic article*:

...any investigation of Jesus’ itinerary in John—a seemingly straightforward matter of tracking Jesus’ movements in the towns and regions of Roman Judea, Samaria, and Galilee—...

What?

No Palestine?


*

James R Strange, John and the Geography of Palestine, Howard College of Arts and Sciences Samford University, Birmingham, AL

^

This Sounds Familiar

Although written over a century ago in October 1901, this imagined dialogue rings quite familiar, no?

As Naomi Cohen writes in her book on the Americanization of Zionism:

"Dr. Max Nordau, Theodor Herzl’s closest disciple and counselor, set forth the problem in the first issue of the Maccabaean. He said that since Zionism required leaders of substance and stature, the culture of the Westerners and their experience with freedom made them ideal candidates. But, he added, it was impossible to reach the Occidental Jew by the use of reason. He imagined a dialogue between the Zionist (Z) and the Westerner (W) that in part went like this:

Z: Zionism is the only means for preserving Judaism.
W: That is the very fault we find with it. We do not want Judaism to be preserved; we want it to disappear.
Z: Zionism guarantees the Jewish race a future and dignity as a nation.
W: Nonsense. There is no Jewish nation; there is only a Jewish religion, and with that we don’t concern ourselves. Our Jewish past and present is enough of an annoyance to us; what should we want with a Jewish future? No, thanks! National dignity? Is the old clothes trade to become an ideal occupation? Is the Jewish singsong to reach the aristocratic distinction of the military snarl? Are the splay foot and the hooked nose to be the models of manly beauty? We don’t believe in such a shifting about of values, and we don’t want to do it. . . .
Z: Zionism makes freemen and citizens of the [Jews].
W: Legally that’s what we already are; and that’s what we shall be socially, as well, when we have completely sloughed our Judaism, or hidden it so skillfully that even the antisemites cannot scent it out.

^

Louisville, Kentucky 1870

In preparing a research project on Diaspora/Eretz-Yisrael inter-relations, primarily financial support of charity donations, I found this reference in the Havatzelet journal from January 6, 1871:

Aaron Yehuda Yehuda Leib Ish-Horowitz relates in the third paragraph, as Avraham Yaari records in his two-volume study of emissaries from Eretz-Yisrael to Diaspora lands, Shlomo Attias left for America to collect funds but, after leaving New York, while sleeping in a hotel in Louisville, Kentucky in April 1870, a fire broke out and he was killed in the flames.  Rabbi Kleveberg (?) collected money for the his orphans, $48, worth about $1750 at the time, as the mother had also passed away in Jerusalem shortly after her husband died due to malnutrition.

I wonder: is his grave still extant?

In a follow-up report from March 31, 1871, members of the local Jewish community on the Lower East Side with a Rabbi went to Attias' lodgings on Allen Street and, upon opening his trunk, found $446 (worth almost $8000 then).

^

Correcting Amb. Mark Regev

Last week, Israel's Ambassador to the United Kingdom's Court of St. James, Mark Regev, had a letter published in the London Times:

Macintyre is  Writer at Large and Associate Editor on the Times newspaper and was editor of The Times Weekend Review.  His article, to which Amb. Regev was responding, "Our Middle East carve-up is no cause for shame", posited that

The Balfour declaration and other milestones in our imperial history show how hard we tried to do the right thing

Regev, who was and continues to be an outstanding spokesperson and press liaison, was, in his youth, 

a prominent member of the Socialist Zionist youth movement Ichud Habonim

I do not fault him that membership.  Not everyone was in Betar.

However, as I have learned these past few years in appearing before the Habonim English-speaking groups on the movement's year program, the level of cognizance of historical facts can be, well, low.  And so, when Regev wrote, in a clear implication, that the Balfour Declaration is some way dealt with "Arabs", I sent in this letter which the Times actually published (thanks to RM for the pic):

I think it be made clear and repeated, "Palestine" was considered the historic Jewish homeland.  It was in that territory that the Jewish national home was to be, as the Mandate was charged, reconstituted:

Whereas recognition has thereby been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country;

That Britain then whittled away the original territory by first giving away Transjordan in 1922 to a Saudi Arabian refugee and then in 1937-38 suggested several partition plans, and then in 1939 reneged on the meaning of the Mandate's purpose and then in 1947 handing over the Mandate to the UN for yet another partition, does not alter the historic fact: Palestine was to become the Jewish state.

Indeed, Macintyre noted

Crucially the ­declaration also states that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities [my emphasis] in Palestine” — which then made up 90 per cent of the population. Any “marking” of the centenary needs to acknowledge that while the Jewish homeland envisaged in 1917 has been realised, the promise to protect the rights of the Palestinian ­people has not been honoured.

However, there was no "Palestinian people" at that time, at the least, especially in the sense of a separate Arab nation.  The 80,000 or so Jews who had been living in the area of Palestine up until the outbreak of the war, with thousands subsequently expelled by the Ottoman rulers, were as much "Palestinian" as any Arab or Bedouin living there.  Arabs' rights were indeed honored.  Regev was pinpointing that error but missed a chance to be historically correct in the full.

That's why I wrote what I wrote.

I hope that Mr. Regev, in addition to others,  has learned something.

_______________

UPDATE

To be comprehensive, I think the San Remo Conference of April 1920 need be mentioned.

As the minutes show, "Arabs" was mentioned, once, by the British representative in explaining the background of the Balfour Declaration:-

However, except for that single mention, the Italian representative reverts to the normative semantic of "non-Jewish":

as did the French represenative:

and the final, official text also notes simply "non-Jewish communities in Palestine":-

UPDATE II

And the 1924 Convention between Great Britain and America regarding the Mandate:

^

World Vision's Partners in 'Coresistance'

That World Vision NGO that works with Hamas in Gaza?

Guess what:-

Source

Some other groups need investigation.

At least they should be clear about what merits they being awarded "co-resistance" titles.

(h/t)

UPDATE

What I tweeted,

^

On Ruth Margalit's NYT Op-ed

In addition to our column (here) reacting to Ruth Margalit's hit-piece on Netanyahu, read:

ElderofZion

Liel Lebovitz

Ira Stoll

This letter:

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Spokesman, on Press Freedom in Israel

AUG. 1, 2016

To the Editor:

Ruth Margalit’s argument that Israel’s prime minister is taking control of the press (“How Netanyahu Is Crushing Israel’s Free Press,” Sunday Review, July 31) is absurd. Anyone who spends a day in Israel knows that the Israeli press does not pull any punches when it comes to the prime minister, and this is not about to change.

Ms. Margalit’s attack obscures the real story: A longstanding media monopoly in Israel with one-sided views seeks to shut out alternative voices by stifling market competition that would give choices to viewers and readers.

The introduction of the newspaper Israel Today broke this enduring monopoly in the print media and gave Israelis the same choice that readers have in other democracies.

Broadcast journalism reform in Israel remains well behind print. Israel has just two main television channels — and both espouse similar editorial views. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to introduce to the broadcast market the same reform that he introduced into other sectors of Israel’s economy with spectacular results: competition, the very opposite of control.

The opening of the media market is one of the healthiest things for Israeli democracy. Israelis should be able to vote with their remotes — just as Americans do.

DAVID KEYES
Jerusalem

The writer is a spokesman for Mr. Netanyahu.

Another letter in the NYTimes:

Israel and Free Press Debated

AUG. 8, 2016

To the Editor:

Ruth Margalit’s Israel where the media is being “crushed” is simply one I don’t recognize (“Netanyahu crushed Israel’s free press,” Opinion, Aug. 1).

The day after her piece appeared, the left-wing daily Haaretz published a column by Gideon Levy entitled “Stop Living in Denial, Israel Is an Evil State.” Far from fearing a knock at the door in the middle of the night, Levy is one of the paper’s star columnists, and is translated into English for a global audience.

Margalit also dramatically overstates what she calls “the outsize influence” of the free newspaper Israel Hayom, owned by Sheldon Adelson. Circulation figures show that the paper has a 40 percent market share, but it’s very closely followed by Yediot Ahronot at 35 percent, which she admits has taken a “decidedly anti-Netanyahu line.” Left also unmentioned are the numerous other newspapers, radio stations and news websites, in Hebrew, Arabic and English, offering a multiplicity of views in Israel’s hotly contested public space.

Finally, Margalit undermines her own argument by quoting the popular host of a “60 Minutes”-style investigative program, who says that despite any pressure or attacks from the government: “Israeli media remains very critical, very aggressive ... It’s a kind of basic instinct that’s part of our DNA.”

That’s the true picture of Israel’s press.

GAVIN GROSS
Jerusalem

^

The Peter Beinart Fill-in Form

This is Peter Beinart writing:

Obviously, Jews are not like insects. But settlements are like termites in that they undermine the territorial foundation of a viable Palestinian state.

If a politician cannot say that because it echoes anti-Semitic propaganda, then how can we discuss Jack Madoff, whose swindling operation sounds like something out of a Goebbels fantasy?

Obviously Beinart is not a ______ (fill in your preference) but his writing are like ________ (fill in your preference) in that they are


irrational
spiteful
hateful 
undermine Israel
endanger Jews
serve Beinart's Diasporian preference
prevacarious
detestable
nasty
despicable
loathsome
abhorrent
execrable
odious
obnoxious


^

Talking About Duma (Dedicated to Lara from Peace Now)

I am quoted in the Jerusalem Post in a story by Eliyahu Kamisher so:

According to Yisrael Medad, a longtime resident of Shiloh, located around six kilometers from Duma, “no one talks about Duma – we are just looking ahead.”

That's it.  That's all.

I spoke to him for at least twenty minutes.  Oh well.

Peace Now's Lara Friedman, based on that, wrote:

Just a year post-triple murder, @ymedad tells JPost: "no one talks about Duma – we are just looking ahead”

Actually, what was quoted was a very small part of our telephone conversation (and Lara, being so sophisticated and knowledgeable could have surmised that).

I spoke to him and told him of our opposition to the violence that has been perpetartedand that the very first people who complained about the so-called "price-tag" policy years ago were members of the Yesha Council including Dani Dayan and myself. We pleaded with law enforcement agencies to rid us of this stain. I told him how we in Shiloh caught a Mevasseret Tzion kid breaking windows of parked Arab cars at Shiloh and complained to the police.

I actually told him that we do discuss Duma and the fact that the trial is dragging on and despite Moshe Yaalon's statement that he knows who did the bombing, the lack of a clear verdict, unfortunately, assists those who believe in conspiracy theories. I also pointed out that the previous week another firebomb was thrown there causing people to ask if either a Jewish terror group is still active or perhaps there is some truth to the claim that it isn't clear what is happening, and had happened earlier, regarding perhaps internal feuding there.

We do "talk about Duma" but we don't let it interfere with our goal of leading our lives as normally as possible, not allowing people like Lara to sabotage Zionist achievement or others to besmirch our enterprise by the acts of the few, if they are indeed guilty (and I hope the court clears that up soon).

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UPDATE

Lara has now tweeted:

@ymedad corrects the record: a year later he DOES talk about Duma murders. Read for yourself.

^