Tuesday 18 November 2014

Don’t be Chickenshits

As part of its continuous, concerted and successful action-plan to hold onto the Occupied Territories, Israel is cold bloodedly taking advantage of today’s murderous attack by two Arabs from East Jerusalem, to slander the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. 

Netanyahu: “the terrorists’ act was a direct result of incitement led by Hamas, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and irresponsibly ignored by the international community…”

Economy Minister Bennet: "Abbas, one of the biggest terrorists to have arisen from the Palestinian people, bears direct responsibility for the Jewish blood spilt … while we were busy with delusions about the [peace] process."

Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz "The hands that held the axes were those of the terrorists, but the voice is that of Abbas." And Foreign Minister Lieberman called on the international community to condemn Abbas' "anti-Semitic statements, which lead to terrible acts of slaughter like the one at the synagogue this morning."

Netanyahu and his senior ministers are lying. More than that, with their inciting defamatory statements, Netanyahu and his cabinet are igniting the fire or at least adding fuel to it. Here is what the head of  the shin bet, Israel’s internal security service, Yoram Cohen, said today: "Abbas is not interested in terror and is not inciting to terror. He's not even doing so behind closed doors." Moreover, Cohen laid the blame for the rising tensions in Jerusalem on visits by right-wing Israeli members of parliament to the Temple Mount and their attempts to introduce legislation, which would change the status quo on the holy site.


A few weeks ago The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has condemned as “disgraceful” a description of Netanyahu, as “chickenshit”, attributed to an unnamed US official. Netanyahu may now be a certified “non- chickenshit” but he should probably not risk asking for a similar certificate to prove that he is not a defaming, inciting liar. It is up to the US and the EU not to be chickenshits and to finally read Israel the riot act.  

9 comments:

  1. Good post, David. Surprising (to a non-Israeli) to see such a contrast between the views expressed by cabinet ministers & the head of Shin Bet.

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  2. Sehr interessant david, das versteht ja alles keiner mehr.

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  3. Das ist starker Tobak!
    Doch zeigen die Jubel-Reaktionen der Palästinenser, wie heillos verfahren die Situation ist und dass man die Verantwortung dafür nicht allein Netanyahu und seinen Gefolgsleuten in die Schuhe schieben kann.

    Ich frage mich, was mit dem von Dir zitierten kritischen Sicherheitschef passiert, aber noch viel mehr, ob ich zu Lebzeiten noch eine Entschärfung dieses Pulverfasses erleben werde. Derzeit sieht es nicht danach aus.
    Das macht mir sehr zu schaffen!

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  4. They enter a synagogue and butcher those who pray there with axes and you conclude that the Jews should be read the riot act?
    Are you sure?
    Are you quite sure?


    As for Abbas, he has made many conflicting statements, usually depending on who he speaks to. There is something for everybody I suppose.
    What did he mean, I wonder, when he challenged Palestinians the other day to "raise rifles against Israel"?

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  5. 1. Not the Jews but Israel should be read the riot act.
    2. Abbas said this in 2007! not "the other day" and he spoke of "raising rifles against the Israeli occupation".

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  6. Excellent piece of research, quoting Cohen.
    It's terrible that Palestinians attack Israeli civilians with axes and that Palestinians are celebrating this awful act. But we do know what climate has led to this: Netanjahu & co. In the ARD the mother (otherwise a relative because next to the father) of one of the killers appealed to the US and to Europe to help them and Israel to get out of this mess, because they are non longer able to and will eventually massacre each other. Quite wise, considering she just lost a son or nephew.

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  7. Du hast recht, das klingt ja völlig verfahren! Gibt es denn in Israel außer dem Sicherheitstypen keine andere größere Protestbewegung gegen diese religiösen Rachesucher?

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  8. Thanks for writing what I discreetly think but, of course, cannot express because I would be immediately conned with antisemitism.

    The official reactions of Israel are just going to fuel more unrest and violent reactions from people who are held, de facto, prisoners and reacting in an unacceptable fashion, that is clear, but to constant provocation from the ultra orthodox.

    When is the diaspora going to react and put some pressure on these guys who are, actually, jeopardising the future of the country?

    It is so sad! When are they going to be told they are not better than the rest of the world and that God could end up chosing someone else as his favourite!!!

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    1. Netanyahu was correct in what he said. Whilst Abbas condemned the killings he went to say (as he has recently said repeatedly before they happened) that Israel should halt what he has kept calling the "invasions" of the holy Al Aqsa Mosque. He also said earlier that the Temple Mount was being "contaminated" by Jews. On 29 October, prior to this latest butchery, the Palestinian daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida was full of accusations that Israel is damaging the holy sites. All such statements are guaranteed to summon the young hot-headed Palestinians to the streets. Even after the tragic event itself, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Abbas' adviser on religious affairs said " We are behind them (the terrorists). The leadership is with them". The Palestinians celebrated and cheered on the streets of Gaza.

      Netanyahu is wholly correct to refuse to meet Abbas until he and the PA end such incitement to violence. The Europeans should back him to the hilt as should every right thinking individual.

      It has been reported that the arm of one of the worshipers at the synagogue was severed - it was the arm on which the teffilim (phylacteries) were wound during morning prayers. That terrible image has strengthened the Israeli view that the struggle against them is only the most recent aspect of an age old war against the Jews.

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