Reasonable Doubt: Who/What Killed Jawaher Abu Rahmah ?

Further to my previous post:-

I am not a forensic specialist or a medical examiner and in any case, the body of the Bilin woman, Jawaher Abu Rahmah, is not available for a post-mortem examination. So, let's be clear, if the body is not to be studied, we will never know exactly what caused her death or whether anything was a contributory cause to her death.

Nevertheless, since there are people who are intent upon creating a narrative they claim to be truth and in doing so, seek to create a martyr while pillorying Israel and the IDF, one cannot but try to marshall the various assertions and ask the public: does this sound/appear logical to you?

And if there is a reasonable doubt, then don't allow anti-Zionists to sway you or be influenced by crass Arab propaganda.

Let's start with the scene (thanks to Haaretz - hardcopy edition only):

You will notice two things immediately:

(a) the soldiers are far away and on the other side of the fence. in order for the tear gas to have been used, the Arab side needed to approach the fence and to throw stones, aka, act violently. According to Haaretz, she was 150-180 meters away from the tear gas - still a very long distance for tear gas to have any toxic effect.

(b) they did indeed do that, twice.

So, it started when the Arabs acted violently.

What follows are various comments and observations I've collected and as at the moment not necessarily in any pertinent order other that being relevant to my claim: that there is resonable doubt not to believe the Arab version.

1)
If you look at the video you see that there is no cloud hanging over the valley whatsoever, that's because of the wind.(It was a winter day last friday) If you are at a distance of say 150 meters from where the cannister is falling in such circumstances there will be rarefaction. In the video you can see that a cloud is formed only at the places where the cannisters were falling and only for a few seconds. We have several witnesses who testified that the woman was at least 150 meters away. By the time the gas reached the spot where the woman was standing it would be (I estimate) 10 % gas and 90 % air.

And, when viewing the video but in retrospect isn't it interesting that none of the protesters seem to be running for their lives? They might walk fast through the clouds of tear gas. Some covered their faces. One or two picked up the grenades and threw them back at the soldiers. These same people who are alleging that the IDF used excessive force or was negligent know full well that they are not in mortal peril.

If they thought they were in danger of losing life or limb they would not be so casual.

2)
the NYT's Isabel Kershner's first article on that demonstrators death dated Jan. 1 placed the woman at the protest itself: "A Palestinian woman died Saturday after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli forces a day earlier at a protest against Israel’s separation barrier in a West Bank village." In her Jan. 4 follow-up article, she placed the woman at "a distance": "Her mother said she and her daughter, Jawaher Abu Rahmah, were watching the protest from a distance when a cloud of tear gas wafted their way, causing her daughter to collapse." So she was either there or she wasn't there according to the NYT. If she wasn't there, she was at "a distance" from the event. Does that mean she was 50 feet away, 50 yards away, 1000 yards, half a mile away? We simply do not know. Kershner does not know either since she was physically not there so is totally dependent on the family of the dead woman for information- a family who is not exactly neutral in all of this. How far can a tear gas "cloud" travel anyway before it is dispersed in the air?"

3)
According to Haaretz, she was 150-180 meters away from the tear gas - still a very long distance for tear gas to have any toxic effect.

4)
There is a FB page for Bi'lin, A Village in Palestine, which has photos from the 12/31/10 demonstration. Picture #13 has a guy in an ambulance with blood all over his front, and holding a handkerchief to his nose. Have we heard anything about this?

5)
Her ambulance treatment form.

The report says she was collected from 'home/residential'. Note how long it took the ambulance to get there. She was on a nearby hill, next to her house.

Wrong age.

6)
The Facebook report from the anarchists stated that her death was the result of inhaling CS gas mixed with Phosphorus. But there is no such thing.

Note:
CN, CS and CR cause almost instant pain in the eyes, excessive flow of tears and closure of the eyelids, and incapacitation of exposed individuals. Apart from the effects on the eyes, these agents also cause irritation in the nose and mouth, throat and airways and sometimes to the skin, particularly in moist and warm areas. In situations of massive exposure, tear gas, which is swallowed, may cause vomiting. Serious systemic toxicity is rare and occurs most frequently with CN; it is most likely to occur when these agents are used in very high concentrations within confined non-ventilated spaces. Based on the available toxicological and medical evidence, CS and CR have a large safety margin for life-threatening or irreversible toxic effects. There is no evidence that a healthy individual will experience long-term health effects from open-air exposures to CS or CR, although contamination with CR is less easy to remove.

Remember, Israel uses CS.

7)
Another thing related to her health is that I remember seeing reports that she had a CT scan (10 days?) before her death. She was suffering from an ear infection (her family confirmed this). But from my experience I know that a CT scan is only performed when there are indications that there could be a more severe illness (CT Scans are very expensive). In this case I also remember reading a report that she had spots on her skin and was suffering from disturbances of equilibrium at the time. I think that the reason why she had this scan was that the physician thought of the possiblity of a brain tumor.

8)
Joel Greenberg reports on Abu Rahmah

Note he doesn't use the word "cloud" to describe the tear gas. He doesn't treat the anonymity as a reason to doubt the IDF. Finally in the last paragraph he notes that Israel isn't getting cooperation.

9)
it is not at all clear that tear gas had anything to do with her death. Recall that a cousin reported on Facebook that she was at home 500 meters from the riot location. Another version has her watching the riot at a distance with her mother. Could tear gas have any significant effect "at a distance", in particular at a distance of 500 meters? Maybe she just had a terminal condition of some kind.

The tear gas must have set off a preexisting condition because she alone died and because she wasn't even among those who faced the highest concentration of the tear gas. Yes, this does mean that tear gas may have helped to cause her death, but it negates any attempt to argue that there was any intent to do her or anyone else harm. The truth is that the Israelis used a non-lethal crowd control agent and only because of a particular medical problem, the exact nature of which is unknown because the Palestinians did not perform an autopsy, her respiratory system reacted after she inhaled some tear gas that had reached her position several hundred feet away from the demonstration. Hundreds of protesters amid the highest concentrations of the gas did not react to it as Jawaher Abu Rahma did. Her death was an accident.

But if she were "several hundred feet away from the demonstration" the tear gas would have dissipated before it got to her. In my view, if she were that far away, then she would not have been affected by tear gas. We cannot be sure that her death had anything to do with tear gas at all.

10)
There is no way to know, with confirmation, where she was or what caused her death - and that this is what lays bare the hideous nature of what Abbas and the others are doing: they are making definitive libels against Israel and Jews without having the facts in front of them. Then, point out how many times in the past the Palestinians have done exactly this, and far worse, when the facts were known, and they turned them on their heads.

To be updated...

And see The Lede.


11)
There's something else about Kershner's article. Every time she refers to the IDF's response, she points out that the IDF sources are (for now) anonymous, as if that somehow makes them less credible. Since when is a reporter, a reporter for the NYT no less, squeamish about using anonymous sources? She writes about the potency of symbols. Of course that's how she'd frame the narrative. Exactly as the Palestinians would. Israel would frame it that this is one more incident where Israel is being falsely charged with being careless or malicious in causing the death of an innocent. (al-Dura, Jenin, Cast Lead, Mavi Marmara)

A report dated Jan. 2 from the hospital and signed by two doctors and the director, Dr. Muhammad Aideh, said her death was caused by “unknown gas inhalation” after an “attack by Israeli soldiers as the family said.” Dr. Aideh also said the patient “died from lung failure that was caused by tear gas inhalation, leading to a heart attack.” - "As the family said," is not a medical observation. Here's a Palestinian doctor filling a death certificate and he finds it obligatory to stress that everything happened "as the family said." The official Palestinian narrative already was in full sway and this doctor felt obliged to fall in line. Yet, this doesn't register with Kershner that the doctor might have been coached in what he was supposed to write. After all, what reputable medical examiner would go out of his way to signal that his conclusions were based on what "the family said"? Kershner, however, swallows this Palestinian doctor's report hook, line and sinker.

Note: Eye symptoms are treated by rinsing the eyes with water until the stinging starts to go away. Treatment for breathing difficulties involves helping the affected person get more oxygen in his or her blood. Medications that are used to treat asthma (such as bronchodilators and steroids) may be used to help the person breathe. Burn injuries to the skin are treated with standard burn management techniques, such as medicated bandages. IIf Abu Rahma suffered breathing difficulties due to tear gas, why wasn't she given oxygen or albuteral (or similar medication)? Foaming at the mouth is not a symptom associated with tear gas.

12)
There IS something very screwy going on with this woman's medical history. If the family started out by claiming that she had no medical issues - and if documentation trotted out in the early news cycles seemed to collaborate this - why are they now handing out normal CT scans?

If the point is going to be systematic lying, Palestinian obfuscation about the woman's actual medical history is the place to start.

13)
Does Israel kill Arabs with teargas? Response to Lisa Goldman and Joseph Dana.

And here.


And over at The Lede, found this:

Michael
Ohio
January 7th, 2011
12:51 amI would like some real background on this issue, instead of opinions: (1) In other places where this tear gas is used in the open, has it been found to be deadly? (2) is the use of this tear gas standard for other country's security forces? (3) what are the standard procedures recommended for and used for the tear gas? (4) were these procedures followed by the IDF? (5) what are the standard procedures of other forces that use these chemicals? (6) what does the manufacturer claim about toxicity and usage of the product - do they admit the possibility of complications? (6) statistically speaking, given the fact the IDF has to use tear gas every week, is the individual's death considered within the risk level of product usage by the manufacturer? (7) Does the level of violence or activity at the demonstrations merit the use of tear gas and (8) if not what alternatives could be used to tear gas and (9) does the use of tear gas in these instances conform to usage by other countries (e.g. to suppress demonstrators at G8 conference etc.)?

Nice point here.


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The UK: The Ugly Kingdom

How does this strike your sensitivities?

Welcome to Palestine, the cradle of civilization, where West meets East, North meets South, and where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam took form.

We welcome you in Palestine and hope that you enjoy our cultural richness, deeply compelling history, and legendary hospitality. Over the centuries millions of people have come to visit this beautiful Holy Land and we are glad to welcome you among them.

Ahlan Wa Sahlan

This appeared in the UK, where this ad appeared:

The UK, where the implication that Jerusalem is in Israel brought down on Israel's Tourism Authority the wrath and prohibition of the advertisement regulation board.

UK = The Ugly Kingdom.

(Kippah tip: UK ZF)


UPDATE

Here:-

Britain’s advertising regulator has launched an investigation following a barrage of complaints over a “Travel Palestine” advert in this month’s National Geographic magazine which appears to blot out the existence of the State of Israel.  The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media, told The Jerusalem Post on Friday that in the last few days it had received 60 complaints about the advert – published by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, “the official website for tourism in Palestine” – which appeared in National Geographic’s Traveller magazine.

“I can confirm that the ASA has received 60 complaints about the Travel Palestine ad that appeared in the National Geographic magazine,” an ASA spokesman told the Post. “I can also confirm that the ASA has launched a formal investigation into the ad.”

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Now We Have Koranic Rights

See in this Ma'an story:

A new settlement project in the Jerusalem community of Silwan will see the neighborhood split in two, a spokesman for the area's Land and Real Estate Defense Committee said on Thursday.

The new development, set for 5 dunums of land some of which take up the Silwan valley, a fertile area southeast of the Old City walls known alternatively as the Valley of Jehosaphat, or Kideron Valley.
The area contains a spring, known as Job's Well, and variously identified as the Well of Nehemiah, and En Rogel. Its locally-known name comes from a passage in the Quran, saying a spring burst forth where God commanded Job to stamp his foot. The spring is estimated to be more than 100 meters deep.

Fakhri Abu Diab, the head of the committee, said a development plan for the zone included the construction of public buildings, a network of swimming pools and activity areas...

So, Biblical rights don't count but Koranic ones do???

P.S. But isn't Job's Well in Oman?

Or northeast of "Palestine"? (see: Arabian tradition places the scene of Job s sufferings in the Hauran at Deir Eiyub (Job's monastery) near Nawa. There is a spring there, which. he made to flow by striking the rock with his foot (Koran 38 41), and his tomb.)

Here:

[38:41] Remember our servant Job: he called upon his Lord, "The devil has afflicted me with hardship and pain."


[38:42] "Strike the ground with your foot. A spring will give you healing and a drink."

Talk about religion and politics and land.

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The New Toldoth Aharon Yeshiva Courtyard Building

On Meah Shearim Street:

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Admirable Editorial on Christians. And The Jews?

This New York Times editorial is admirable.

Under Siege

Christians are increasingly under siege in Egypt and Iraq. Over the past year, hundreds have been killed or wounded in attacks, and the violence is further raising political and sectarian tensions in the two countries...Authorities need to find and prosecute all who were responsible.

Unfortunately, extremists have fertile ground in Egypt, where tolerance and diversity were once prized...

...thousands of Christians have fled Iraq since an October siege at a Baghdad church that killed 51 worshipers and two priests, and a subsequent series of bombings and assassinations singling out Christians.

...Extremist attacks must not become an excuse for more authoritarianism in either Iraq or Egypt. But if the two governments do not bring things under control and provide security for all of their citizens, their once richly diverse societies will suffer. Mr. Mubarak and Mr. Maliki need to find the right balance, quickly.

But what about the Jews?

How they were and are treated in almost all the Arabs land (where there are almost new Jews left?) and the Hamas Covenant which is antisemitic? And the material we see over at MEMRI? And the school and educational materials in the Palestinian Authority that are antisemitic?

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"West Bank, "Settlers", "Territorial Dispute" - Sound Familiar?

This story has it all:  "settlers", "west bank", "land", "militia", "dispute", "colony", "pioneers", "territory", "hostilities", "territorial dispute" but it's not about Zionism.

When Gov. Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire chartered the nine Bennington County towns that will mark their 250th anniversaries in 2011, he was busily creating a dispute that could only be resolved by the king of England.

The nine towns he chartered in 1761 are Arlington, Sunderland, Manchester, Sandgate, Dorset, Glastenbury, Shaftsbury, Rupert, and Peru.

Wentworth had been appointed governor of the colony of New Hampshire by the king, but so had Gov. George Clinton of the royal colony of New York, whose eastern boundary was set at the west bank of the Connecticut River. So when pioneers began to arrive on land they had purchased in good faith from the governor of New Hampshire, they were treading on the same territory that was claimed by New York.

Ultimately, this was the reason the Green Mountain Boys formed as an informal militia unit, led by Ethan Allen, to protect the farms they had purchased. A different economic philosophy was at stake as well. Settlers on the New Hampshire Grants farmed their own plots of land, whereas farmers in New York generally rented from large baronial land owners.

After chartering Bennington in 1749 as the first town in "the Grants," Wentworth went on to charter Halifax in 1750; Wilmington and Marlborough in 1751; Westminster and Rockingham in 1752; Stamford, Woodford, Townshend, Newfane, Brattleboro, Fulham (later Dummerston), and Putney in 1753; and Chester, Guilford, and Tomlinson (Grafton) in 1754. Then he waited a few years until the end of hostilities that had resumed between England and France, and then the fall of Montreal, to return to his profitable project. He chartered Pownal in 1760 and soon discovered the benefits of mass production during 1761, the year of interest here.

Because Wentworth realized that only the king of England could resolve the territorial dispute he had created, he took actions which, if adjudicated, would be likely to tip the balance in his favor. Known for enjoying schemes that combined patriotism, religion, expanded jurisdiction, and monetary gain, Wentworth made sure each town he chartered in the Grants had acreage set aside for the so-called Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, for the first settled minister, plus plenty of land for himself.

To give proper attention to politics, he carefully named each town for a prominent political figure who was favored by the king...

It's about America.

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My Semantic Humor in the NYTimes

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Here.

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Oops, There Goes Up Another Fence

Reported:

Greece follows U.S. example by building giant border wall to keep out illegal immigrants

The Greek government has unveiled plans to construct a wall along its 128-mile land border with Turkey in order to tackle the influx of illegal immigrants.
Interior minister Christian Papoutsis said the wall was a necessary measure after more than 100,000 people illegally entered the Mediterranean nation last year.

We have company.

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San Francisco's "Abu-Rahmah"?

Israel is being accused of heartlessness, premeditated murder and other assorted crimes in what can only be termed an accidental death, at worst, of an Arab woman last weekend.

What happens at other locations where there is violence and police?

Let's go to San Francisco:

San Francisco police say a knife-wielding man in a wheelchair stabbed an officer before the attacker was shot.

Officers were called to the Department of Public Health building Tuesday morning by witnesses who said the agitated man was slashing tires on parked cars. An officer was stabbed in the shoulder. The police chief says officers tried to subdue the man with pepper spray and eventually a bean bag round before the shooting.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports the man got out of the wheelchair and walked around at one point. Police released a witness cell phone video showing four officers surrounding the suspect in his wheelchair before the shooting.

The suspect and wounded officer are in the hospital with non life-threatening wounds.

Four policemen and one cripple.

Gee.

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The Sun Eclipse Above Shiloh

Credit: Yaakov Ben-Yaakov

All That's Left Is To Make Fun

The "Eretz Nehederet" satire show took on the person of Rachel Brirchesed, spokesperson of the Yesha Council celebrating the end of the construction freeze:

Full clip in Hebrew here.

Poor people: Left and left-out.

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What I Did On Tuesday

Tour with a German writer from Barkan to Shiloh to Benjamin Region's Visitors Center.

At Barkan and the Barkan Industrial Park:

Credit: David HaIvri

Can Shiloh Land Dispute Be Settled Via Interchange? Access? Annexation?

Expansion. Access. Rights. Memorandum of understanding. Acquisition.

Sounds all like Middle East diplomacy.

But it's all about Shiloh Road, Belgrade, Montana.

Not my home village:

Interchange partners talk about land acquisition

Landowners crucial to the proposed Interstate 90 interchange project at Belgrade listened last week as engineers showed how the major transportation undertaking could affect their land.

“You’re holding a lot of cards and we have to negotiate,” Gallatin County Commissioner Bill Murdock told the owners. “We’re somewhat at your mercy.”

Murdock was talking to Knife River representatives and Tom Davis, who owns a large chunk of land between Alaska and Frank roads. The project is slated to run through a portion of the land owned by both entities.

Little was discussed as to the nuts and bolts of what right-of-way acquisition will cost local governments; the talk mostly revolved around the design of the new interchange. Both parties were largely concerned about access from area roads and how the project would affect potential development in the area.

Knife River representative Rich Allison said the company will annex 80 acres into Belgrade’s city limits that will go toward the city’s contribution to the project. In turn, the city will grant Knife River access to its infrastructure.

Under a memorandum of understanding, Gallatin County, the city of Belgrade and Gallatin Field airport are responsible for acquiring right of way for the project. Typically, the Montana Department of Transportation wants 120 feet of right of way to accommodate future road expansions.

The plan calls for expanding Alaska Road near the interchange to four lanes with a center turning lane and room for sidewalks, Morrison-Maierle engineers said. The road will shrink to four lanes under the interstate and nearby railroad tracks before opening back up again to access the airport.

The project calls for installing two roundabouts to control traffic at the bottoms of the ramps that access the interstate, engineers said. Using roundabouts similar to the I-90 Shiloh Road exit in Billings enabled designers to shorten the two overpasses and saved about $1 million...

That was illuminationg.

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Netanyahu on Pollard

Excerpt of PM Netanyahu’s Speech at the 40 Signatures Knesset Session
04/01/2011

My fellow members of Knesset,

This 40 signatures discussion is usually accompanied by, or even at times focuses on the differences of opinion between us, and I assure you that later on in my speech I will discuss several of the issues you raised in this discussion. However, this time I wish to open my remarks with a subject that unites us all – members of Knesset and the entire country – and that is the release of Jonathan Pollard.

On January 7, 2002, almost nine years ago, I travelled to Butler Prison. This prison is in North Carolina, and I travelled there in order to visit Jonathan Pollard. I entered the prison facility and was led to some sort of break room. I waited patiently for the meeting, and after some time, Jonathan Pollard entered, accompanied by a guard, who was with him throughout the meeting. We shook hands warmly; he sat next to me and we began to talk. I would like to remind you that at that stage Jonathan had already been in prison for over 16 years.

I expected to see a bitter man, an angry, abandoned, frustrated man, but that is not what I found. I found an intelligent, I would even say brilliant man, a calm and realistic man. Jonathan spoke with determination and seriousness. He maintained maximal restraint. I asked him what it was like living in prison and he told me what is was like living there in his special conditions day after day, year after year for over 16 years – 6,000 days.

My friends, over nine years have passed since then, and Jonathan has been in prison for over 9,000 days. I must tell you that he spoke with me about his situation in a very matter-of-fact manner, without any self-pity. I asked him several specific questions regarding the conditions of his incarceration, and he said, in the most laconic manner, “It’s not easy”.

I saw before me a warm Jew, a proud and very Zionist Jew. I have no doubt his inner strength and his special character are the unique qualities that have allowed him to hang on for the 25 years he has been in prison – to hang on and maintain his mental stability. I told him at the time: “I swear to you, Jonathan, that the State of Israel, and I personally, will do what must be done to bring you home to your family, to your people, to bring you back to Israel”. It is true that throughout the years, Prime Ministers, ministers and many others have acted to advance Jonathan Pollards release. Unfortunately, these actions have not yet been successful.

In the summer of 1995, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin asked President Clinton to grant Jonathan Pollard clemency as a humanitarian gesture. In January 1996, then-Minister of the Interior, Haim Ramon, granted Jonathan Israeli citizenship after a decision made by his predecessor, Minister of the Interior Ehud Barak in November 1995. When I became Prime Minister halfway through 1996, I asked the government ministers to combine visits to the prison when they visited the United States – in order to visit Jonathan Pollard publicly. Several people sitting here today who were government members at that time did so.

I see you nodding, Yuli Edelstein. You did that. Limor Livnat, you did that. Ya’akov Ne’eman, Mickey Eitan, Eli Yishai – they also did that. I also asked official government representatives – the Attorney General, Elyakim Rubenstein, Government Secretary, Danny Naveh – to visit him in prison, and they did.

On May 11, 1998, my government made a formal announcement. I quote it now: “Jonathan Pollard was an Israeli agent who was handled by senior officials in an authorized Israeli authority, the Bureau of Scientific Relations. In light of this fact, the Government of Israel recognizes its obligation to him and it is willing to bear the full responsibility resulting from this situation”.

Before the Wye Conference in September 1998, I asked President Clinton to release Jonathan Pollard in the framework of the agreement we were about to sign with the Palestinians. Based on those conversations, I had a foundation, even a strong one, to believe that Jonathan would come back to Israel with me. Regrettably, for me and for you, this did not happen and the reasons for that are well known.

As to the Prime Ministers who followed: Barak, Sharon, Olmert – they all asked American presidents, including Clinton and Bush, to release Jonathan, and the Presidents of Israel also asked. Later on, I served as head of the opposition. I met with President Bush during his visit to Jerusalem. I asked him to release Jonathan Pollard. I wrote him a letter formally requesting that he do so towards the end of Bush’s term.

When I was elected for the second time to serve as Prime Minister, I raised the subject during my first visit to Washington in my conversation with President Obama. Since then, I have raised the subject many times with many heads of state, including during the past several months. You too, members of Knesset, did not spare any efforts over the years to bring about Jonathan’s release, including the letter you recently sent to President Obama signed by nearly every member of Knesset – 109 in total.

I can say today that the Government of Israel, the Israeli Knesset, we all tried and tried and tried and did not succeed. Two weeks ago, I received a letter from prison, from Jonathan, asking me as the Prime Minister of Israel to openly appeal – I repeat openly appeal – to the President of the United States and formally and openly ask for his release. I heard from many of you over the past several days that you support this request. I thought about it, and I know you have pondered it a great deal as well.

I believe that after 25 years that Jonathan has been serving time in prison, after 15 years of unsuccessful efforts to secure his release, I decided that his request must be met, and that it was the right thing to do openly, here from the Knesset in Jerusalem, in a step that represents and unites all the sectors of the nation. I would like to read you to the letter I sent to President Obama about Jonathan.

“Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of the people of Israel, I am writing to you to request clemency for Jonathan Pollard.

At the time of his arrest, Jonathan Pollard was acting as an agent of the Israeli government. Even though Israel was in no way directing its intelligence efforts against the United States, its actions were wrong and wholly unacceptable. Both Mr. Pollard and the Government of Israel have repeatedly expressed remorse for these actions, and Israel will continue to abide by its commitment that such wrongful actions will never be repeated.

As you know, Mr. President, I have raised the question of Jonathan Pollard’s release numerous times in discussions with your administration and with previous U.S. administrations. Previous Israeli Prime Ministers and Presidents have also requested clemency for Mr. Pollard from your predecessors.

Since Jonathan Pollard has now spent 25 years in prison, I believe that a new request for clemency is highly appropriate. I know that this view is also shared by former senior American officials with knowledge of the case as well as by numerous Members of Congress.

Jonathan Pollard has reportedly served longer in prison than any person convicted of similar crimes, and longer than the period requested by the prosecutors at the time of his plea bargain agreement. Jonathan has suffered greatly for his actions and his health has deteriorated considerably.

I know that the United States is a country based on fairness, justice and mercy. For all these reasons, I respectfully ask that you favorably consider this request for clemency. The people of Israel will be eternally grateful.”

That is the letter. I know it reflects all our genuine feelings.

Members of Knesset, on behalf of the entire nation, I wish to send from the Knesset in Jerusalem a message to Jonathan Pollard. Jonathan, you held on for 25 years. Keep strong. The people of Israel strengthen your hand; the people of Israel wait for you; and G-d willing, you will be with us soon.

And Evie Gordon on Tzipi Livini

Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni hit a new low yesterday when she ordered her Knesset faction to vote against a letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging President Barack Obama to pardon Jonathan Pollard — and then had the nerve to take the podium and declare: “I will not turn Pollard into a political issue. We will give our support to every effort to free him.”

...But if there was ever any chance of Obama granting this request, Livni has just killed it by her disgraceful show of partisanship. After all, the Obama administration has made no secret of its preference for Livni over Netanyahu: see, for instance, Hillary Clinton’s ostentatious hour-long meeting with Livni at the State Department last month, even as she allotted only 30 minutes in a side room of the Saban Forum that same weekend to the government’s representative, Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Thus Obama is highly unlikely to do anything that could be perceived as a victory for Netanyahu over Livni...By its vote, Kadima has made it clear that it views freeing Pollard as a lower priority than scoring points off Netanyahu. Livni’s assertion of support for “every effort to free him” is worse than meaningless when her party has just torpedoed the one serious effort actually in train...Now she’s sunk to playing politics on the back of a man who has spent 25 years in jail for serving the state she ostensibly represents. It’s hard to sink any lower than that.

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Helping The Copts

From a blogger friend:-

A few weeks before Christmas, I met a Coptic Christian who lives in the Boston area.

He grew up in Egypt, moved to the U.S. in the late 70s and has paid close attention to events in Egypt. He speaks and reads Arabic fluently. During our conversations, he predicted that there would be violence against during the Christmas season in Egypt.

He asked me to help tell his story and get his warnings out.

A few days before Christmas, he wrote a letter to President Obama asking that he pay attention to the plight of the Coptic Christians in Egypt. I posted it in a blog that I had started largely to give him a place to get his hearing. In the letter, he stated "Sadly, I fear another attack will happen again sometime in the near future." On Dec. 31, an attack took place.

The letter, posted on Christmas Eve is available here.

My friend does not want to go public with his identity.

If you are a blogger, please blog on his letter.

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News From Caroline Glick

From her newsletter:-

We are in the final stages of registering a non-profit organization here in Israel that will be able to accept donations for Latma from outside the US. I hope it won't take more than a few weeks for me to give you the account information of the new group -- The Zionist Incubator.

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Wall Posters

Someone was spreading a rumour that Rabbi Weiss did not approve of the Kashrut of two slaughtering houses and he did not disapprove:

Two posters campaigning against the Chief Rabbinate's activity on behalf of conversions of soldiers:

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What's That Ironsmith Doing?

Art, that's what he's making.

Yossi Gur-Arye from Ofra: yossigurarye@gmail.com
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What Apartheid Roads?

I was being driven around Yesha with a journalist and did my best to snap the licences of the two vehicles before us on those "apartheid" (not) roads:

Those two license plates are PA ones.

Arab residents.

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Netanyahu and His Letter to Obama On Pollard

Netanyahu and the Pollard letter to Obama:

Netanyahu asks Obama to pardon Pollard

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter to US President Barack Obama asking him to pardon Jonathan Pollard who is jailed in the US for espionage. Netanyahu is slated to read the letter at a Knesset plenum discussion later on Tuesday.

So, he seems to have done what I asked about.
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Barack Obama, My Hero (sigh)

Amazing:

Story here.
^

A Different Olive Tree Story - A YESHA Contribution: Green and Environmental-friendly

Olive waste potential, a different olive tree story.

Here:-

A factory set up recently near the West Bank settlement of Nokdim is offering an innovative method of "green" heating: compressed olive-waste logs for the fireplace.

The company, Olivebar, trawls olive presses for pellets and skins left after the production of olive oil. Avi Lorber, one of the owners, told Haaretz that about 60,000-70,000 tons of this material is produced in Israel annually. Although it is meant to be sent to landfills, it is often discarded in open grounds, becoming a pollutant...Lorber has developed a process for turning the waste into compressed logs by mixing it with different materials. The ashes from the logs can be reused as fertilizer, and if the trend catches on, he said, it might stop people from cutting down olive trees for firewood, a practice that has become popular because of rising oil prices.

Great job, there.

What those "settlers" can't do.

^

Estra???

Anyone know what he's talking about?

Northern villagers report new settler vandalism

Published today 14:59 NABLUS (Ma’an) --

Residents of Qusra village in the northern West Bank said that illegal Israeli settlers were behind a series of car-tire slashings and the slaughter of two sheep in their barn overnight.

Locals told head of the village council Hani Ismail they saw at least ten [!!] settlers enter a barn in the Nabuh neighborhood early on Monday morning, and when they entered to survey the damage, two of the animals were killed.

Ismail told Ma'an that the report came less than 48 hours after residents said car tires were damaged by a group of settlers in the area.

Palestinian Authority official Ghassan Doughlas said the latest incidents were likely perpetrated by settlers from an outpost known as Estra, located southeast of the village.

Well, Qusra is not far from Shiloh, to our north-east:

But where is "Estra"?

So, It Was A Blood Libel: The Abu Rahman Hoax

That "poisoned" and "gassed" and "white phosphursized" Arab lady at Bil'in?

She was n't at the demo.

She had been treated in a Ramallah hospital for 10 days previously.

She died of a cancer, lung or of the blood.

The first Hebrew report from Channel 10 News:

צה"ל: המפגינה מבלעין מתה מסרטן ולא משאיפת גז מדמיע שירה צה"ל

20:32 03.01.2011

בצה"ל טוענים כי מות המפגינה, ג'והאר אבו רחמא, בבלעין היה מפוברק. תחקיר צה"ל, שבוצע בעקבות טענות הפלסטינים שהיא מתה משאיפת גז מדמיע שירה צה"ל בבלעין בסוף השבוע, קובע כי היא כלל לא הייתה בהפגנה. ככל הנראה אבו רחמא מתה מסרטן הריאות או סרטן הדם. עוד קובע התחקיר, כי הפלסטינית אושפזה במשך עשרה ימים בבית החולים ברמאללה לפני שמתה ושמדובר בפרשה חדשה שנועדה ליצור דה לגיטימציה לישראל. (אור הלר

Pallywood blood libel.

Delegitimization.


The INN story in English.

IDF Spokesperson report.

UPDATE

This morning's Haaretz:

Following repeated requests, the Palestinian Authority on Monday gave the medical report on Jawaher Abu Rahma's death to Israel's defense establishment. According to military sources, it was difficult to reach clear conclusions from the medical report, as it was mostly written in retrospect after Abu Rahma's death.


Additionally, the sources said, the report contains various medical tests, including a blood test, that were conducted at times when Abu Rahma was supposedly not in the hospital.

Military sources also said that the report did not include Abu Rahma's medical history prior to Friday's incident. According to information received by security officials, Abu Rahma had undergone tests and treatments in recent months apparently connected to a serious disease she suffered from.

Military sources said that there is no evidence that Abu Rahma even participated in Friday's demonstration against the security barrier in Bil'in nor evidence that she died from inhaling tear gas.

^

Where Did This Appear?

This:

When you read the Bible, Torah or historical texts, you may imagine great distances between the Temple Mount, where Solomon built the physical center of Judaism;

(a) the Jerusalem Post

(b) Arutz 7

(c) the Christian Spectator

(d) the Kuwait Times


Answer.

^

The Odd and Evil Alliance

I attended a research seminar at the Hebrew University's Institute for Contemporary Jewry presented by Dr. Charles Asher Small, Director of YIISA, Yale University on "Antisemitism and the University Campus in North America" with Prof. Robert S. Wistrich, Head, Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism, in the Chair.

A picture:

A portion of his discourse related the utter irrationality of leading intellectuals to seek out understandings, alliances and links with the world of Islam.

And sure enough, a bit later, I find this, and come to my conclusion that he was referring, perhaps, to Ron Leshem's suggestion as an example of the lunacy pacing the corridors of academia and the pages of media op-ed pages:

...I say that all progressive, humane and fair-minded people are my brothers and sisters. All fundamentalists, Jews included, who seek to demolish liberalism are the enemies. Yes, we Israelis have made countless mistakes, allowed innumerable opportunities to slip through our fingers — mostly on account of our fears. We must change that. We must form an alliance with all liberal secular Palestinians. But first, we must awaken our younger generation and restore its belief in the future.

Do you know any liberal and secular Palestinians?

Do you think they exist? Do you believe they exist?

Do you think they can withstand an onslaught by Hamas?

Do you think Leshem is sane?

^

The Battle At Shiloh

Was there a battle in Shiloh, in the Hills of Efraim, after the Philistines defeated the Israelites near the lower hill country?

The battle at Even HaEzer was lost.  The Ark of the Covenant fell into the hands of the Philistines and the two sons of Eli the High Priest, Chofni and Pinchas, were killed.   As described in I Samuel 4:-

17 And he that brought the tidings answered and said: 'Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.'

But there's no direct reference to the fate of the city.

We need to read Jeremiah 7  to learn of a hint:

12 For go ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh, where I caused My name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel.

So, was Shiloh destroyed?

We do know that when Yerovam's son, Aviyha, fell sick, the king sent his wife to Shiloh, to have the prophet Achiyah intercede as written in I Kings 14:-

2 And Jeroboam said to his wife: 'Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh; behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who spoke concerning me that I should be king over this people.

What happened at Shiloh?  Was it destroyed and rebuilt?

And later on, we read in Jeremiah 41:

4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it, 5 that there came certain men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with meal-offerings and frankincense in their hand to bring them to the house of the LORD. 6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went; and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them: 'Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.' 7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him. 8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael: 'Slay us not; for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey.' So he forbore, and slew them not among their brethren.

Science in service of archaeology is problematic:

As much as we had all hoped that radar and resistivity would help identify key areas or rooms associated with the area at the tell where the Tabernacle had stood, the radar records were a hopeless jumble of reflections we could not sort out. Most of the tell was too rough and uneven to use the cart radar. However, as excavation proceeds it is entirely possible that limited radar studies might be of value from time to time. Tells can be enormously complicated structures. We were all impressed with the painstaking efforts required of the archaeologist who seeks to unravel their mysteries.

Israel Finkelstein who excavated Tel Shiloh 1980-1984 has now published some very interesting information though:-

The Iron I settlement at Shiloh – Stratum V – came to an end in a violent conflagration that can be observed throughout the site (Kjaer 1930; Finkelstein 1993). This destruction layer yielded several organic samples. Large quantities of charred grain were unearthed in two silos in Area D (Lederman and Finkelstein 1993, 48) and charred raisins and seeds were found in Area C (Kislev 1993). In the early 1980s, these finds had been stored in a laboratory at Bar Ilan University and were not submitted to 14C measurement. With the growing interest in absolute dating of Iron I-IIA assemblages, several samples have recently been cleaned and sent for 14C dating. The results are published here for the first time.

All 14C dates for samples retrieved from Stratum V at Shiloh are presented in Table 1. The first measurement of charred grain (Table 1: 1) was done in a conventional radiometric Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) method (Aitken 1990) at the Weizmann Institute of Science laboratory. The other measurements (Table 1: 2–4) were analyzed in the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) system (Kutscera et al. 1999). They were prepared by the Weizmann laboratory and measured at the AMS facility of the University of Arizona.1 The dates in the table are mean, averaged from a number of consistent measurements done on sub-samples. The uncertainties correspond to one standard deviation; the full probability distribution can be seen in Fig. 2. It is clear that the charred grain found in the two silos in Area D (Table 1: 1–2) represents the destruction date of the site in a margin of a few years. The charred raisins from Area C (Table 1: 3) were found in a group and therefore may also be evaluated in the same way. Yet, the fact that they were found intact seems to indicate that they had been stored as a dry commodity before being charred (Kislev 1993, 354–355); in other words, they do not necessarily represent the final days before the destruction. The seeds from Area C (Table 1: 4) come from flotation of debris above a floor in the pillared storage building; they could have originated from bricks and therefore cannot be used for determining the destruction date (see Note 3).

The destruction date of Shiloh V can accordingly be calculated from the charred grain reported in Table 1: 1–2. But since the dates yielded from the two grain samples and the raisins are consistent with each other, we can also combine the items in Table 1: 1–3. The uncalibrated date for the destruction, reported in conventional radiocarbon years, is 2873±13 BP. This date was obtained by a fit to a constant (see Fig. 1), assuming (for the sake of caution caution) that all these samples are contemporary, representing the destruction time. Using the 1998 calibration curve (Stuiver et al. 1998)2 by means of the 1999 OxCal v.3.3 computer program of Bronk Ramsey (1995) one gets a one standard deviation absolute date of 1050-1000 BCE (Table 1: 1–3, c=0.9), or 1050–975 (Table 1: 1–2, c2=0.2) for this destruction.3

First of all, the was a destruction. The structures were disassembled and fired.

Second, we know when. Between 1050 and 975 Before the Common Era.

This was published too:

...Since Shiloh fell to the Philistines ca. 1100 B.C. or a little later...

Fall of Shiloh (l Sam. 1-4)

Significant architecture from the Iron Age I, the time of Eli, has been excavated at Khirbet Seilun, ancient Shiloh, 17 km south of Shechem. All traces of Iron Age and earlier occupation on the summit of the site unfortunately were removed by later building activity. On the slopes, however, enough material from the Iron Age I period has been found to determine that the settlement at that time was 2 1/2 to 3 acres in size.120

The best-preserved remains from the time of Eli are on the west slope of the site. There, a three-room structure 27 x 11 m, containing a rich assem­blage of pottery, was uncovered. Over 20 pithoi in the complex suggests it functioned as a storage facility. Sophisticated building techniques were employed, such as slope terracing to provide two levels, well-made floors, stone-drum columns, and a rock-cut plastered cistern.121 Israel Finkelstein, the excavator, concluded, "In their plan, constructional method and adap­tation to the slope these structures represent the peak of early Israelite ar­chitecture."122 Because of the advanced technology, Finkelstein believes the structure could not have been built prior to the mid-twelfth century B.C.,123 approximately the beginning of Eli's judgeship.124 He theorizes it was an auxiliary building for the Tabernacle that originally stood on the summit.I25

Psalm 78:60 and Jeremiah 7:12-14; 26:6, 9 indicate that Shiloh was destroyed and abandoned as a result of God's judgment. The archaeological findings dramatically demonstrate that Iron Age I Shiloh was terminated in a fiery destruction:

These buildings were destroyed in a fierce conflagration. Burnt floors were found all over. Collapsed burnt bricks accumulated on these floors to a height of more than three feet. Some of the bricks had been baked by the blaze that had raged here. Roof collapse was discernible in many places. All this dramatic evidence of fire must be associated with the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines after they defeated the Israelites near Ebenezer in the mid-eleventh century B.C.126

The published date for the destruction, ca. 1050 B.C., is based on pottery chronology, which is very imprecise, particularly for the Iron Age I period. A date anywhere from ca. 1104 B.C., Merrill's estimated date for the battle of Ebenezer,127 to ca. 1050 B.C. would accommodate the pottery types found in the destruction level.

120. Israel Finkelstein, ed., "Excavation at Shiloh 1981-1984," Tel Aviv 12 (1985): 168; idem, "Shiloh Yields Some, but Not All, of Its Secrets," BAR 12, no. 1 (January-February 1986): 40; idem. "Seilun, Khirbet," in ABD, 5:1072; idem, "Shiloh: Renewed Excavations," in NEAEHL 4:1369; Israel Finkelstein, Shlomo Bunimovitz, and Zvi Lederman, Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site, Tel Aviv University Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology Monograph Series 10 (Tel Aviv: Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, 1993), 384.
121. Finkelstein, "Excavation at Shiloh," 131-38; idem, "Shiloh Yields Some...of Its Secrets," 37-39; Finkelstein, Bunimovitz, and Lederman, Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site, 20- 31.
122. Finkelstein, "Excavation at Shiloh 1981-1984," 169; cf. Finkelstein, Bunimovitz, and Lederman. Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site, 385.
123. Finkelstein, "Excavation at Shiloh," 168; cf. Finkelstein, Bunimovitz, and Lederman, Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site, 383.
124. Merrill estimates the battle of Ebenezer and the death of Eli took place ca. 1104 B.C. (Kingdom of Priests, 176). Since Eli judged Israel forty years (1 Sam. 4:18), he began his judgeship ca. 1144 B.C.
125. Finkelstein, "Excavation at Shiloh," 169; idem, "Shiloh Yields Some...of Its Secrets," 41; idem, "Seilun, Khirbet," in ABD, 5:1072; cf. Finkelstein, Bunimovitz, and Lederman, Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site, 384-85.
126. Finkelstein "Shiloh Yields Some…of Its Secrets," 39; and idem, "Shiloh: Renewed Excavations," in NEAEHL, 4:1368.
127. Cf. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests, 176 n. 83.
128. K. A. Kitchen, "The Patriarchs Revisited: A Reply to Dr. Ronald S. Hendel," NEASB 43 (1998): 55-56.

And as it is generally considered that King David's lifetime was in the area of 1000 BCE, we have a very good match of scientific evidence matching the Biblical narrative and confirming the reality that was Shiloh.

More resources.

And more.


^

Thursday Night's Game

Our side won.
^

"Settlement Posts" - Devouring 1% But Controlling 42%

Yes, we have another term:

Israelis Have Set up 440 Jewish Settlement Posts in West Bank

Source here.

And how about this math:-

the posts include 144 known settlements, 207 settlement blocs including 109 blocs set up outside the settlements and 96 blocs in the vicinity of settlements, besides 50 Israeli army bases or camps that devoured 1 percent of the West Bank land but control 42 percent of the West Bank''s territory

Can you figure that out?

^

Remember That Facebook Scandal?

Well, there were a few.

The female soldier. Here.

Some male soldiers. Here.

Well, there's another embarassing story:

Placenta Photo Gets Nursing Students Expelled

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Four students who posed for photos with a human placenta have been kicked out of a suburban Kansas City nursing program after one of the pictures was posted on Facebook. 

One of the students, Doyle Byrnes, has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Kansas seeking to force Johnson County Community College to reinstate her before classes resume Jan. 19.

The Kansas City Star reported that Byrnes and several other students were attending a lab course at Olathe Medical Center in November when one of them asked a nursing instructor for permission to photograph the placenta so they could share the experience on Facebook.

The lawsuit against the college and several of its employees said that the nursing instructor responded, "Oh, you girls," but didn't tell them not to do it or that it could result in discipline.  Afterward, Byrnes posted a photo on the social networking site showing her smiling broadly, wearing a lab coat and surgical gloves and leaning over the placenta in a tray. Nothing in the photos identified the woman from whom the placenta came.

So, is it Israeli racism or just being silly that results in embarassing pictures appearing on Facebook?

^

How Many Different Ways Could You Compose A Headline?

Here's a NYTimes headline:

Could you write a different one?

Like

Arab Who Threatened Violence Shot

^

The Pals. Go Classically Cultural With Auschwitz Thrown In

BBC reports:

Palestinian orchestra to hold debut concert in Ramallah

The Palestinian National Orchestra will play a mix of Palestinian classical compositions, as well as some classics such as Mozart and Beethoven. They will also hold concerts on 1 January in Haifa and Jerusalem.

...The group is an initiative of the Edward Said Conservatory of Music, named after the late Palestinian writer and academic, and was formed in 1994. The programme also consists of a piece by the modern Hungarian Jewish composer, Gyorgy Ligeti, both of whose parents were sent to Auschwitz.

About that Ligeti and Auschwitz reference, his mother survived and when Ligeti died in 2006, his funeral was held at the Vienna Crematorium at the Zentralfriedhof.

Crematorium???

And incidentally, they may be playing music but their sports interests are still plain terror.
^

And The Land of Israel Will Be Given

Mossad Chief Meir Dagan retired today and said, among others words, these remarks at the Cabinet meeting:

Mr. Prime Minister,

Ministers,

I hereby finish over 43 years of service to the state. I have had the honor and the privilege of leading the Mossad for the past eight years...

...I was appointed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. I worked under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and I received from them, me and my people, their encouragement, support and backing. I would like, Mr. Prime Minister, to thank you for your support and backing, and I would like to wish you and to the Government of the State of Israel the wisdom to guide the country through stormy seas, and that you will bring Israel to the safe harbors of peace and security, and will see to the needs of its citizens. Work to strengthen the ties between the Jewish Diaspora and the State of Israel so that we may uphold the verse in Ezekiel (11:17) 'I will even gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the Land of Israel.' I did the best I could. Thank you very much."

^

Has Netanyahu Written That Letter of Appeal Yet?

The one to President Obama on behalf of Jonathan Pollard?

The letter he promised to write and send on December 21?

Twelve days ago?

^

To All My Kibbutz Friends, You 'Settlers', You

Do you know to what this term is referring?

"a communitarian settler"

Well, here's the context, from a review of Tony Judt's book, "The Memory Chalet":-

...“Before even turning 20 I had become, been and ceased to be a Zionist, a Marxist and a communitarian settler: no mean achievement for a South London [Jewish] teenager.”

So, you, too, are "settlers", at least in the mind of the radical, progressive, humanitarian camp.

^

Watch Your Step At J Street

You never know what can happen to you if you go to J Street:-

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A teen fell to his death just before ringing in the New Year after slipping off a bridge, according to authorities.

The 19-year-old victim was walking with his family to the Old Sacramento fireworks show when he tried to hop from the I Street Bridge to the J Street off ramp near southbound Interstate 5 just before midnight.

The man apparently did not see the gap between the two bridges and fell between the roadways, falling all the way to the ground.

“There doesn’t seem to be any alcohol involved,” said Lt. Mike Bray of the Sacramento Police Department.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

If he had been Jewish, the story permutations could have been endless.

^

Scenes From Eretz-Yisrael

From friends and acquaintances who walk the hills and valleys of the Land of Israel:

These are from the Tekoan Desert area:

These from near Shiloh, to the east:

^

How Did Jawaher Die? The Versions

There's a story out that seeks to be a horror story

Here's the AFP version:

Palestinian woman gassed at demo dies: hospital

BILIN, Palestinian Territories — A Palestinian woman died overnight after being teargassed by Israeli troops at a West Bank protest, an incident the Palestinian Authority is calling "a war crime."

Jawaher Abu Rahma, 36, died in hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah after collapsing on Friday during a protest against the Israeli separation barrier in the nearby village of Bilin, hospital staff said on Saturday.

The army said in a statement that an "investigation has been opened to determine the exact cause of death," and that it had "unsuccessfully contacted the Palestinian Authority to obtain a medical report from the hospital" about the death.

On Friday, the army said it had used unspecified "means of dispersing demonstrations" against some 250 violent protesters taking part in a weekly rally against the fence near the West Bank village of Bilin.

Here's Arab News:

Israeli troops kill woman protester

RAMALLAH, West Bank: After A long night of suffering, Jawaher Abu-Rahmeh, who was evacuated to hospital Friday after inhaling tear gas during an anti-separation wall protest in the West Bank city of Bil'in, died Saturday.

Palestinian hospital sources said 36-year-old Abu Rahmeh inhaled large amounts of gas used by Israeli forces to disperse the protesters.

The rally was attended by some 1,000 demonstrators. Among the protesters were Israeli, Palestinian and foreign activists including Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The protesters said Israeli soldiers used massive amounts of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators.

Hosni Al-Atari, director of Ramallah hospital where Abu Rahmeh was admitted suffering from gas poisoning, said she did not respond to treatment.

Jawaher Abu Rahmeh was the sister of Basim Abu Rahmeh who was killed in April 2009 when he was hit with a tear gas canister during a protest in the same village. Their brother Ahsref was once shot by an Israeli soldier in an anti-separation wall rally in the nearby village of Ni'lin.

Here's Arutz 7's version:

PA Blames Israel for Woman's Death; IDF Surprised

The Palestinian Authority is blaming Israel for the death of 36-year-old Jawahir Abu-Rahma of Bilin. PA officials say Rahma died on Saturday morning of injuries sustained Friday, when she inhaled tear gas during a clash between IDF soldiers and rioters along the separation barrier.

IDF officials were surprised by the PA allegations. While Rahma was injured in the protest, she suffered only light injuries, and was released from the hospital hours before her death, an official said.

A second IDF source said the army has received “several conflicting reports” regarding Rahma's death, and was looking into the issue. However, PA medical officials have refused to hand over medical documents relating to Rahma's treatment or death, making investigation difficult.

I have been alerted that there's another version:-

Very unconfirmed reports that Jawaher Abu Rahma of Bil'in was actually killed in an honor killing because she was pregnant (stabbed in the back)

No confirmation details yet. But there may be more to this story than the already contradictory Palestinian reports that can't decide where she died (at home or in the hospital).

(Kippah tip: JS)


UPDATE

Carl has a video clip.  Is this Jawaher?

UPDATE

Here.

^

Bravo to Seymour Reich: His Pro-Pollard Letter

I do not agree with his politics and his outlook on Israel but this was a great letter:-

To the Editor:

Re “Israel Plans Public Appeal to Ask U.S. to Free a Spy” (news article, Dec. 22):

As possibly the first American Jewish community leader to speak out on Jonathan Pollard’s behalf and to visit him, along with Elie Wiesel, when Mr. Pollard was incarcerated in a maximum-security prison in Illinois in 1987, and who has discussed his case with every Israeli prime minister since and with Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, I wish to point out several important facts.

Every Israeli prime minister quietly asked his concurrent American president to release Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Pollard was accused of — and pleaded guilty to — passing classified information to another country. Though that country was Israel, an important ally, he broke the law and deserved punishment. The normal prison sentence for his crime, however, is four to five years, not life.

The plea agreement provided that the government would not seek the maximum sentence. But just before sentencing, a classified memorandum from Caspar Weinberger, then secretary of defense, was delivered to the judge, who then sentenced Mr. Pollard to life.

Mr. Pollard has publicly expressed his remorse, and the Israeli government has stated that it will not engage Americans to pass classified information to it.

On humanitarian grounds alone, President Obama should commute Mr. Pollard’s sentence to time served. Mr. Pollard would undoubtedly go to Israel, where he would be part of the news cycle for one or two days and then fade from public view.

Seymour D. Reich
New York, Dec. 23, 2010

The writer, an attorney, is a former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

^

Doing Drugs on J Street

No, no. Not "J Street Doing Drugs" or "Drugs at J Street".

Drugs being done on J Street.

Here:-

Man faces drug charges after routine traffic stop
January 1, 2011

A Richmond man was arrested early Friday on preliminary drug charges by Indiana State Police during a routine traffic stop.

Steven L. Carpenter, 29, of 4868 Cart Road in Richmond was arrested just before 4 a.m. on a count of possession of marijuana (Class D felony) and dealing in marijuana (Class D felony) and lodged in the Wayne County Jail.
Trooper Nate Rainey stopped a truck in the area of South 13th and J streets after the driver failed to stop at a stop sign, according to ISP.
Rainey detected the smell of raw marijuana inside the vehicle and upon further investigation found 126 grams of marijuana and articles associated with the distribution of marijuana.

What were you thinking?

^

The Epitome of Schizophrenic Judaism

I always claimed that my era of growing up a Jew in America in the 1950s was definable as "schizophrenic Judaism".

Jerry Auerbach highlights that here:

In 1934, the Detroit Tigers were in the heat of a pennant race, with a chance to go to the World Series for the first time in twenty-five years. As Rosh Hashanah approached, Hank confronted the choice that American Jews dreaded. Was his place on the field with his teammates, or in synagogue? Hank was not religiously observant and never had been. But as the son of Orthodox Romanian immigrants, he was hardly indifferent to Jewish religious observance, especially on the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.

Hank's dilemma received intense media scrutiny. There was evident bewilderment that any sane person could experience conflict between a pennant race and religion. With precisely nuanced ambivalence, the chief rabbi of Detroit conceded that "from the standpoint of Orthodox Judaism[,] the fact that ball playing is his means of livelihood would argue against his participation" in a baseball game on Rosh Hashanah.

On the rabbi's other hand, however, "it might be argued quite consistently that his taking part in the game would mean something ... to his fellow players and, in fact at this time, to the community of Detroit." It is hardly surprising that one Detroit newspaper joyously proclaimed, "Talmud Clears Greenberg for Holiday Play."

With his Delphic pronouncement, the rabbi shifted the burden of decision to Hank: "Mr. Greenberg, who is a conscientious Jew, must decide for himself whether he ought to play or not." Hank resolved his dual loyalty dilemma as any patriotic American Jew would have wanted: he went to synagogue on Rosh Hashanah morning, and that afternoon, he hit two home runs, propelling the Tigers to a crucial 2-1 victory. It was not difficult, according to the Sporting News, to attribute Hank's heroic contribution to divine approval.

Ten days later, when Hank arrived in synagogue on Yom Kippur, his fellow worshipers interrupted their prayers to give him a standing ovation. But with the pennant virtually clinched by then, the pressure was off. Hank decided not to play that afternoon. His decision not to choose between American and Jewish alternatives, but instead to embrace both has inspired American Jews ever since. He affirmed his commitment as a player on the American team without diminishing his identity as a Jew. It was, by any measure, an iconic moment in American Jewish history.

Many years later, intrigued by Hank's choices, I wrote to him for clarification. "Since you are a historian," he promptly replied, "I'll set you straight on my playing on the holidays." He recalled: "The Chief Rabbi of Detroit was consulted. He claimed that it being New Years day and he found in the Torah that there had been playing ball in the streets of Jerusalem, that it was okay for me to play on Rosh Hashana but not on Yom Kippur." (The rabbi, in his convoluted textual interpretation, doubtlessly was thinking of Roman, not Jewish, children.) Hank's reply perfectly preserved the ambiguity of his decision. Even after fifty years, he still cited rabbinical authority to justify his decision to play baseball on Rosh Hashanah.

Now you understand?

^

Who Will Save and Protect The Christians?

The news:

Egypt bomb kills new year churchgoers

At least 21 dead and more than 70 injured after bomb explodes outside Coptic church in Alexandria
__________

Suicide bomber targets church in Egypt, kills 21

At least 21 worshippers were killed and about 80 others wounded when a suicide bomber today blew himself up outside a church soon after the New Year's Mass in the Egypt .an city of Alexandria, sparking religious clashes between Christians and Muslims

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And if anyone out there who has been following the trend of anti-Christian violence these past few years in almost all the Muslim lands, from the Maronites in Lebanon to the Copts in Egypt to the Catholics in Iraq and on to the Christians in the Palestinian Authority, still thinks that the enemy of Christians is Israel has lost touch with reality.

We need a a campaign to highlight what the real danger to civilization is and to those who try to negate Christian Zionism, well, why don't you go to Egypt, Bethlehem or Baghdad and there go to church.

(read this)
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