I Think I'm In There

From Sara Hirschhorn's op-ed in Haaretz recently:

In fact, some 60,000 Jewish American immigrants have settled in the occupied territories since 1967. Many dwell as contented suburbanites in settlements in wealthy communities like Efrat (just over 11 kilometers – or 7 miles – from Jerusalem) whose moniker is "Occupied Scarsdale", living the yuppie dream over the Green Line.

Their demographic profile over the past three decades fits Friedman well: East Coast, highly-educated, upwardly-mobile, Orthodox and right-wing in their politics both at home and abroad. (This marks a dramatic shift, however; the American Jewish settler generation after the 1967 was not uniformly religious, many voted Democrat and had been involved in the left-wing social movements of their day.)  

Apart from their roles as settler leaders and cadres – and occasionally, a tiny minority who have committed heinous acts of settler terrorism – their priority contribution to the settler movement has been to revolutionize its public relations and global reach. Jewish American settlers have served as English-language spokespeople and “public diplomats” for the settler enterprise, spearheaded lobbying and fundraising campaigns in the United States and Israel, and single-handedly transformed scripture into a soundbite to justify and normalize the settler movement’s agenda to the international community. 

Most recently, American-Israeli settlers, closely linked to Israel's political right wing, led by attorney Marc Zell of the GOP in Israel have even mobilized an expat voting bloc in the West Bank after Trump supporters opened a campaign office in the settlement of Karnei Shomron this fall. David Friedman helped coordinate their efforts and remains in close communication with his friends and allies within the settlement enterprise.

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The "Storming" Bride

This picture is of a kallah, a bride, prior to her wedding visiting the Temple Mount:

It appears in the Arab media and the story at Daily48 (notice the date: the 'occupation' began not in 1967) is that

Sheikh Sabri denounces Jewish bride celebration in the Al-Aqsa Mosque
22 Dec, 2016

The head of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, denounced on Thursday, a Jewish bride's celebration inside the al-Aqsa mosque under the protection of the occupying forces.

In an interview with the site "Daily 48" Sheikh Sabri said: "This alleged action is to exceed what is observed in the visits, and this confirms that the Jews who violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque."
He added: "What we observe in these days is that the Jewish intruders slander the Al-Aqsa Mosque daily."

He expressed his strong condemnation of the storming by the Jewish bride and her wedding blessers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Stressing that the Al-Aqsa is for Muslims alone and it has , no relation to the Jews.

By the way, I know the parents, seen at left, to the bride's right.

UPDATE

I have now learned that the black shawl was forced upon the bride, who had her own veil, so as to lessen the fashion impression and have her present an Islamist fashion look but that nevertheless, she seems to have been the first kallah to have ascended in her wedding dress.


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Hanukkah, Hasmonean, Hyrcanus & ... Archaeology!

From the official IAA press release - and light up with prideful joy:


A Stone Bowl Engraved with a Rare Hebrew Inscription – “Hyrcanus” – Dating to the Hasmonean Period was Discovered In the archaeological excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Givʽati Parking Lot at the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park.


“Hyrcanus” was a common name at that time, as well as the name of two of the leaders of the Hasmonean dynasty 

According to researchers, "This is one of the earliest examples of the appearance of chalk vessels in Jerusalem. In the past, these vessels were widely used mainly by Jews because they ensured ritual purity”.

Who was "Hyrcanus" whose name is engraved in Hebrew on a stone bowl from Jerusalem 2,100 years ago? In 2015 a fragment of a bowl fashioned from chalk (a type of limestone) was unearthed in the Israel Antiquities Authority archaeological excavation in the Givʽati parking lot at the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park. The vessel was published today and immediately aroused the curiosity of researchers.

According to Dr. Doron Ben-Ami of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Professor Esther Eshel of Bar-Ilan University, "This is one of the earliest examples of chalk vessels to appear in Jerusalem. These stone vessels were extensively used by Jews because they were considered vessels that cannot become ritually unclean".

The bowl was discovered during an archaeological excavation beneath the foundations of a miqwe dating to the Hasmonean period, which was part of a complex of water installations that were used for ritual bathing. 

The Givʽati ​​parking site in the City of David is among the largest excavation areas opened so far in Jerusalem. The excavations at the site, sponsored by the ʽIr David Foundation, have so far uncovered a wealth of artifacts from different periods...


Was Hyrcanus, whose name is engraved on the bowl, a high-ranking person, or perhaps simply an ordinary citizen during the Hasmonean period? According to the researchers, it is difficult to ascertain. Since there are few vessels in the archaeological record of this period which are engraved with names, it is not known whether this type of engraving was a routine act or a special tribute. "The name Hyrcanus was fairly common in the Hasmonean period," say Dr. Ben-Ami and Prof. Eshel. “We know of two personages from this period who had this name: John Hyrcanus, who was the grandson of Matityahu the Hasmonean and ruled Judea from 135–104 BCE, and John Hyrcanus II, who was the son of Alexander Jannaeus and Salome Alexandra; however, it is not possible to determine if the bowl belonged specifically to either of them”.


Have a happy and historically-significant Jewish narrative-filled Hanukkah (or however you spell it).

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State Department Spokesperson Flubs It

First, John Kirby at a State Department Press Conference:-

QUESTION: There’s a great deal of fear and trepidation on the potential ambassador nominee to Israel by the president-elect, because of his position on Jerusalem, his position on settlements, and so on. You have any comment on that?

MR KIRBY: Well, I’m not going to comment about individuals that the president-elect is or may be designating for various positions in his administration. Those are his decisions. We respect that. And there’s a process of confirmation that each of these individuals or most of them will have to go through and we respect that process as well, I mean, so the positions that these individuals take are really for the president and his team – president-elect, I’m sorry, and his team to speak to.

Nothing has changed about our views here in terms of the tensions in the region and our policies with respect to Israel, so, I mean, all that we’ve said about the viability and the belief in a two-state solution remain, about the – about our concerns over Jerusalem, all that remains. Our deep concern over settlement and settlement activity also remain, but I can’t speak for what policy decisions with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian tensions are going to be taken by the next administration.

QUESTION: Would you counsel against any departure from long-held practices regarding --

MR KIRBY: I think we’re going to leave – I think we’re going to leave our counsel and advice to the transition team private and between us and the transition team.

And then his words to Andrea Mitchell here at 8:45 or so: 

“Our policy is entirely consistent with that longstanding view about settlements, and to the degree also, not just the illegality of them, but that they are not helping us get to a two-state solution, and everybody says that they want to get to a two-state solution,” Kirby said.

By the way, Mitchell claims that the 'policy' goes back to "Camp David".

Which one Andrea? 2000? 1978?

And that policy fluctuated.

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No Foundation in International Law for the Two-State Solution

From a 1980 Yale Journal of International Law article:

"Palestinian Self-Determination": Possible Futures for the Unallocated Territories of the Palestine Mandate 

by Eugene V. Rostow

There is no foundation in international law for the idea of a second Arab Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. And it would be political and military folly for the West to force Israel to acquiesce in such a scheme. Establishing a new Arab state there would injure Western interests, and advance those of the Soviet Union, by strengthening the Soviet position in the region, and by increasing Arab dependence on Soviet protection. It would weaken Israel, which, since the fall of Iran, is the most important Western ally in the area.

Above all, such a policy would abandon the moral and political obligations towards Israel which the victorious Allies assumed in 1919, and reiterated through the United Nations Charter in 1945. Israel's legitimacy as a state rests on much more than the usual criteria of international law--de facto statehood; membership in the United Nations; recognition; the success of its armed forces; the weight of history; and so on. In 1922, the organized international community of the day, the League of Nations, with the special concurrence of the United States, which was not a member, established the Palestine Mandate. Through that Mandate, it invited Jews to come to live in Palestine as their national home, In reliance on that promise, the Jewish community in Palestine developed, and, with the approval of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations (the successor to the League), became the state of Israel. The solemn obligations of the international community to Israel implicit in these events survive not only as a special moral and historic element in Israel's status within the family of nations, but as a trust still applicable, with other norms and interests, to the task of fashioning a just and durable future for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  

For the West to betray those commitments would be to take another long step towards dissolving the world community organized as the United Nations into a condition of universal war.

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Nuance?

Something is bothering someone who is Koret distinguished fellow and chairman of the core curriculum at Jerusalem’s Shalem College * - Rabbi Dr. Daniel Gordis.

In a column, A Dose of Nuance — Wanted: A vision for a Jewish and Israeli society, published on December 15, he starts off by comparing "the tyranny of dress code and punishment for women living under Islamic State" and his example there was a women who "lifted her veil just enough to get a spoon into her mouth when she was having a picnic with her family" and who then was "sentenced...to 21 lashes with a cable that had metal spikes attached to it" with "the proposed law that would govern women’s dress at the Western Wall" noting that "if the law passes, a woman who wears a tallit could be sent to jail".

Yes, jail is a bit steep, I agree.

But one: the law hasn't passed.  And secondly, I don't think it calls for lashes.

Gordis plods on in outrage:

But what if she simply wears a kippa? What if her sleeves are deemed too short and the haredi community finds that offensive? Will she go to jail? How different will the Western Wall be from areas under Islamic State control? 

To make a comparison, even partially like that, is really odd.  After all, if a Jewish woman appears in a less-covered body, say, short sleeves, on the Temple Mount, she, too, will be removed and maybe even arrested or at least detained.  She won't be lashed, though.  However, the Waqf guards and other Muslims might stone her.  Since that is under Israel's control, I think Gordis could have made that comparison, or at least, in passing, noted the situation.

He continues and charges an MK with "racism", echoing Joint List head Ayman Odehwho accused the MK with "blatant racism and cheap populism"

Likud Party MK and coalition chairman David Bitan made reference to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s infamous comment last election day that Jews had better hurry to vote because Arabs were going “in droves” to the polls. Bitan, apparently, feels that Netanyahu did not go far enough. “I’d rather the Arabs won’t go to the polls in droves, and won’t come to the polls at all,” he said.

Actually, he said a bit more, adding later

“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal,” he said. “In elections, both sides hope its opponents don’t come vote.”

Gordis has that as

What party wants to see its opponents going to the polls? he asked. 

In other words, Bitan, considering the Joint List an Arab party, which it is, spoke of political opponents and was not uttering racialist claptrap.

Gordis also measures Bitan's knowledge or intelligence or both, writing:

his obvious lack of understanding of how democratic systems function, is bad enough. 

But Gordis' real target is Prime Minister Netanyahu who he has been sniping at for a while now as, just for example, in

The Desperation Behind Netanyahu's Holocaust Blunder, October 23, 2015 

Netanyahu overplayed his hand, May 31, 2016

although he has taken hits for his Zionism as well.

Here is what he wrote this past week in the above referenced article:

What makes matters worse, however, is that citizens have no way of knowing, at least as of this writing, what their prime minister thinks about Bitan’s views. Netanyahu, the consummate political survivor, has chosen to let Bitan do his dirty work, and has remained silent during this most recent brouhaha.

and

So, too, with the Kotel...the prime minister has chosen to remain silent in the face of the proposed Kotel legislation as well.

He grinds on and notes that "In about two years, Netanyahu will become Israel’s longest serving prime minister. [This: "According to a study by the Israel Democracy Institute, Netanyahu would pass up Ben-Gurion to become Israel’s longest-serving leader September 23, 2018"]" and asks:

how many of us know what he believes Israeli society should look like? Does he have a vision for how the Jewish state should be Jewish? Does he have a vision, beyond platitudes, for the place that Israeli Arabs should have in a democratic Israel? The fact that few of us can answer those questions is Netanyahu’s greatest failure...our leadership appears stymied; here, too, we are at the whim of political currents no one seems to have the gumption, or principle, to want to confront.

He compares Netanyahu to Ben-Gurion who had "penned thousands of pages, filled with his vision for the society he was seeking to shape" and Menachem Begin, who "left an enormous corpus of writing about the society he thought Israel ought to become."

That's a tall order and a high bar Gordis is setting.

In any case, Netanyahu has a few books which one can purchase:

A Durable Peace, 512 pages

A Place Among the Nations,  467 pages

Fighting Terror, 180 pages

and was an editor of the volume his brother's letters.

How many books did Yitzhak Rabin author?

Gordis does admit that Netanyahu has a problem not of his making:

this prime minister is not going to bring about a resolution to Israel’s conflict; our enemies are nowhere near ready for that.

and he thus has his article emphasizing internal issues:

Do Arabs in Israel count? Do non-Orthodox Jews have any rights? Do we aspire to be leaders of the freedoms of the Western world? Will we be content to become a Levantine backwater? It would be nice to know what our prime minister thinks about all this, to what he aspires. 

These questions are important but, I would hazard a guess, those are two different sets of issues. One very internal and one that Gordis links to relations with Diaspora communities which practice a very non-Orthodox life style with different Judaic-content practices.

As Gordis informs his readers, Netanyahu apologized that his words were not clear and led to a misunderstanding of his actual intentions.  

Before my election, I said Arab voters were going to the polls in droves.  I was referring to a specific political party but many people were understandably offended. I apologized for how my comment was misunderstood. But today I want to go further.  Today I am asking Arab citizens of Israel to take part in our society—in droves. Work in droves, study in droves, thrive in droves,"

Arabs do count and Netanyahu is doing things for them including making sure the law is applied to them equally as to Jews.

I am still trying to figure out why Netanyahu has become such a problem for Gordis, other than not being Begin.

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*
In a promotional message, Shalem presents itself as "not just a college" but "a vision for the Jewish state", an institution that "create[s] leading citizens for Israel...who seek...the betterment of their country...a small group of students poised to make an outsize impact on their country – for Israelis, and for the Jewish people everywhere."







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Maybe Move the US Consulate to Ramallah?

New offer for non-Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria - is there Hebrew in that symbol?

sponsored by US Jerusalem Consulate:

Wold (sic)* you like to study and work in the U.S.? Doing what? Tell us in a comment! Calling all high school and university students! This is your chance to apply for the 2017 Summer Work & Travel (SWT). This fully funded program will give you the opportunity to get a summer job in the U.S. and engage in cultural exchange opportunities. Don’t miss out! 

Note:

Job opportunities: Students who take part in this program are given a summer job and undertake non-skilled work in a seasonal environment. Typical seasonal job types include front desk clerk, sales associate, server, host, ride attendant, and resort worker. Students may work at a U.S. National Park, a mountain or beach resort area, or a popular amusement/theme park in a variety of U.S. states. 

For this program, TechWomen 2017, a professional exchange program designed to enable women in the STEM fields to reach their full potential through five-week mentorships at leading U.S. companies and organizations in the United States. the qualification is

Candidates must be Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza Strip.

Maybe, with the new ambassador arriving soon, the Consulate as is should be shut down and relocated to Ramallah if all it is interested in in "Palestine" and "Palestinian residents"?


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*

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Jewish Liberal Organizations Now Harming Israel

For those following Peter Beinart's articles, one gets the impression that he has been steadily increasing his accusations and incrimination that Israel is more willing to actually harm the American Jewish community (and Mike Davis has been doing that in Great Britain) to protect its policies, especially the presence of Jews who wish to reside in portions of the historic Jewish homeland that were assigned for the future Jewish state but due to pre-1948 Arab terror were intended to be partitioned away.

As I have been in favor of shorter posts, let me now get to my point:  what were those American Jewish leaders* thinking and intending when they declined to participate in a Washington Chanukah party at the Trump Hotel sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Jewish Organizations and Azerbaizhan, just recently visited by PM Netanyahu?  

Were they not sending to exact opposite message: 'we will harm Israel's interests, at the least, to protect our image as liberals'?

And as my friend Jonathan Tobin pointed out, they're harming Israel's interests with a Muslim country.  And this take.

So, who is anti-Israel now?

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UPDATE

There was a demo with protestors.

But there was this, too:

Noah Pollak, director of the Emergency Committee for Israel who participated in the event, said it was well attended. Still holding a jelly doughnut from the reception, Pollak took issue with Jewish organizations that decided to boycott the event because it was took place at the Trump hotel. Speaking of Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Pollak said he was “willing to meet with [Turkish leader] Erdogan, but won’t show up to a Jewish event at Trump hotel.”

And this Jewish Trump opponent got fired.

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*

As Haaretz reports, the Anti-Defamation league, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, and the Jewish Federations of North America are also staying away.

and

the Union for Reform Judaism, Women of Reform Judaism, the National Council of Jewish Women, along with...Ameinu and Peace Now...HIAS

An American Stain

Do we all remember the song "America the Beautiful", words by Katharine Lee Bates?

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

There are a lot of verses but if you look, you'll find these words, too:

America! America! God mend thine every flaw......America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till selfish gain no longer stain The banner of the free!......America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till nobler men keep once again Thy whiter jubilee! 

I searched for those words after reading this:

Joint Statement From the U.S.-Palestinian Political DialogueMedia NoteOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DCDecember 12, 2016

Delegations headed by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Secretary General Saeb Erakat and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Stuart E. Jones met today in Washington for the U.S.-Palestinian Political Dialogue. The Dialogue offered an opportunity for the Delegations to discuss a range of issues of concern at a senior level, including regional matters.

Both delegations strongly condemned terrorism and its supporters in the region and worldwide. The delegations agreed on the threat presented by ISIL, sharing the deep concern that ISIL has dramatically undermined regional stability, particularly in Iraq and Syria, and continues to commit gross, systemic abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law.

Both delegations also discussed the significance of the PLO’s long-standing commitment to non-violence and reiterated their commitment to a negotiated two-state outcome, which is the only way to achieve an enduring peace that meets Israeli and Palestinian security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, end the occupation that began in 1967, and resolve all permanent status issues. They also agreed on the crucial role of civil society, and the need to create economic and political opportunity for the next generation of Palestinians...

There is a stain in those words of summation.

The Palestinian Authority supports terrorism through its payments to terrorists and its incitement campaign and its glorification actions. 

The Palestinian Authority abuses human rights, of its own residents as well as Israelis and violates international law.

The Palestinian Authority violates its own civil society through embezzlement, oppression, lack of freedoms and not governmental transparency.

Woe this America.

Woe these American officials.

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Ottoman Period Seal Restored

Israel Antiquities Authority has a great new story:

The original seal of the sultan Abdul Hamid II, builder of Jaffa's clock tower, is now once again displayed on the city’s famous landmark.  The clock tower underwent conservation measures and engineering reinforcement 

and it became apparent that the original marble seal (tughra) bearing the symbol of Sultan Hamid Abdul II (ruler of the Ottoman Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries) was in a poor state of preservation. 

Conservator Mark Avrahami performed the conservation and restoration work: a new support for the seal was created, the seal, which had faded completely, was accentuated utilizing pigments, and upon completion of the work, the marble plaque was returned to its original location two weeks ago.  

 According to Dr. Yoav Arbel, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The tughra first appeared as the seal of the second Ottoman sultan, Orhan (1326-1362 CE) and has since represented the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, as well as the kingdom itself. The tughra is a monogram that incorporates the sultan’s name, his titles, his father’s name and blessings, along with symbolic characteristics of the Ottoman Empire. It served as the sultan’s official seal for use on documents, public buildings, coins etc.”.  

I hope those desiring a restoration of the idea of an Ottoman Empire in Turkey appreciate this.

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An Alternative Two-State Solution

I didn't expect this from someone whose career was as a tournament-winning professional golfer on the PGA TOUR and its Champions Tour. In 1965 he co-founded and helped lead the PGA TOUR Bible Study:-

From a review:

...the 3rd section discusses the future of the region in the light of Bible prophecy. Two key aspects of Kermit's case are that 1) God gave land to each nation, including Philistia, and 2) Israel NEVER ruled Philistia completely (i.e. never fully obeyed God's directive). Its greatest extent of control over Philistine territory came during the 20-year period of 96-76 BC during the rule of Hasmonean leader Alexander Jannaeus. From this, Kermit argues that modern Israel's occupation of the Plain of Philistia is contrary both to historical precedent and also to the express will of God (44, i.e. He'd given the land to the Philistines, later challenging the Israelites to take it [by trusting Him to give them victory in battle], but they failed to do so [i.e. their fear of the Philistines overcame their faith in God to deliver victory]).

His proposal involves carving out historic Philistia for a Palestinian state, from the usually dry stream "Wadi el Arish" in NE Egypt as its SW border to the seasonal stream "Nahal Sorek" in the NE (between Ashdod and Joppa/Tel Aviv), extending roughly 15 miles inland across what the Bible calls the "Philistine Plain" to the Shephelah (i.e. "lowlands"), to include all 5 historic Philistine cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath. Most of the land would come from Israel, with a small section in the SW coming from Egypt.

And he's still pushing the idea as an alternative two-state solution.

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Did You Know There Are No Jews in the "West Bank"?

No, I am not arguing 'West Bank' vs. Judea and Samaria.

I am basing my headline above on this Facebook post by the US Jerusalem Consulate which reads:

Have you ever heard of the Freedom Writers? It’s an initiative founded by U.S. teacher Erin Gruwel to transform the way educators teach. Erin paid us a visit to work with Palestinian teachers. She said she really loved listening to their stories and learning about love and hope from them. 

See:

It is obvious that Ms. Gruwel, whose book was made into a movie I saw and with which I was impressed, did not visit with Jewish teachers.  We are not considered by the Consulate as "Palestinians" and as I have been documenting for the past decade, on Arabs residing in the Consulate's 'territory' merit, almost exclusively, these enrichment programs, cultural activities, outreach sessions, exhibits, performances, etc.

By the way, the only two languages in the post, you notice, are Arabic and English.

Hebrew is not a Consulate language even though there are some 800,00 Hebrew-speakers in Jerusalem and another 475,000 in Judea and Samaria, the area for which the Consulate is responsible in its role as the US State Department's mission to the area.

This eligibility requirement for a Fulbright Scholarship which was announced by the Consulate is nebulous:

Applicants must be East Jerusalem, West Bank or Gaza residents before and after submitting the application and during the interview process.

I am, however, basing myself on the previous eligibility forms over the years, sure that only Arabs need apply (Jews residing in the area would be told to apply through Israel).  Jews should not be in the "West Bank" and therefore, we're avoided, ignored and, for all intents and purposes, discriminated against.

As you can see, in this "2017 Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA)", as posted here, the eligibility is quite clear:

Applicants must be Palestinians resident in Jerusalem, Gaza, or the West Bank. 

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...And I Have a Bridge to Sell to You

Anyone believe in this?

The liberation of Palestine, from a spiritual point of view, will provide the Holy Land with an atmosphere of safety and tranquility, which in turn will safeguard the country's religious sanctuaries and guarantee freedom of worship and of visit to all, without discrimination of race, color, language, or religion. Accordingly, the people of Palestine look to all spiritual forces in the world for support.

PLO Charter, 1968 version.  Article 16.

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Hollywood and the Two-State Solution

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A 136-Year Difference

The 1880 PEF Map of the area of Shiloh:

The 2016 Map:

Via this site.
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Palestinian Talibans vs. the Biblical Narrative

Are you incensed when you read about Orthodox Jews suspected of painting grafitti on churches and mosques?

Are you angry when you learn that in some cases even arson is involved?

Read this (h/t=RH) and let me know how you feel:-

Biblical Jewish fortress vandalized once again

Fortress built in 800 BCE vandalized in Sebastia National Park, a Jewish and Christian heritage site; culprits smashed a 2,000-year-old marble pillar buttressing the palace in the ancient capital of Israel.

The incident is the second time vandalism has occurred within three months at the archeological site against antiquities directly connected with Israeli heritage...This is not the first time that biblical treasures have been vandalized. Indeed, graffiti was sprayed at the site denouncing Judaism and Christianity, while Christian monuments were defiled, antiquities were robbed, and seats in a Roman amphitheater were damaged.

There was this three months ago, too:

The Parks Division of the Civil Administration in conjunction with the District Coordinator's office and the Samaria brigade removed the Palestinian flagpole at Sebastia upon which a PLO flag had illegally been hung this morning. The Sebastia site, considered to be the site of the ancient city of Samaria, is situated in area C under Israeli civil and military control and therefore the flag constitutes trespassing and illegal use of land.  This is the third time the flag was removed and now the flagpole has been removed as well.

Background here, including this bit:

The PA’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities brochure avoids any mention of Israel or a Jewish connection to the site. It notes that Sebastia was “an important administrative and political regional capital during the Iron Age II and III” and was “a major urban center during the Hellenistic period,” but makes no reference to the Israelite Kingdom or the Hasmoneans. A Palestinian description of Sebastia in a bid to have it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site goes to even greater lengths to omit references to the city’s Jewish history, referring to it as the former “capital of the northern kingdom during the Iron Age II,” and alluding to Jewish figures such as Omri and John Hyrcanus without explanation.

And this.  And this.

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The Official Discrimination Is Still There

Israeli/Jewish institutions being assisted by an American government grant assistance fund sponsored by the Jerusalem Consulate in the total amount globally of $23,000,000 with an award ceiling of $2,000,000.

But the references to "Jerusalem, WB, Gaza", I thought, needed to be checked.  Were Jews or institutions of Jews  residing in the Judea and Samaria communities eligible?

So, I clicked on the link there and looked around and clicked on this PDF document where, in the section on Eligibility I found this:

USOs and OSIs must be open to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, and veteran’s status. However, targeting assistance to certain populations as defined in the Project Description will not be construed as discrimination for this APS.

So, we're back at the official American discrimination policy that disallows Jews residing in Judea and Samaria from applying, except, I presume, through the Embassy in Israel.

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P.S.  Latest event that is avoiding Jewish J&S communities:

Curious about American rap music? Want to see how art and activism can go together? Then come check out the fabulous Aisha Fukushima and her band of “Raptivists” (rap activists) LIVE in concert! #SharingCulture #HolyLandRaptivism

Bethlehem Academy of Music, in cooperation with the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, is pleased to invite you check out the fabulous Aisha Fukushima.

Aisha Fukushima is a Singer, Speaker, Educator, and ‘RAPtivist’ (rap activist). Fukushima founded RAPtivism (Rap Activism) a global hip hop project spanning 10 countries and four continents, highlighting the ways culture can contribute to universal efforts for freedom and justice by challenging oppression with expression. She is a multilingual, multiracial African American Japanese woman whose work is influenced by her global upbringing with roots spanning from her birthplace of Seattle, Washington to her other hometown of Yokohama, Japan.

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