"One More Hoax"

Arlene Kushner

They are without shame, and they didn't give up without a real fight: That is, with regard to the accusation by the PA that Israel had "killed" Jawaher Abu Rahma with tear gas in the course of the demonstration at the fence at Bil'in a little over a week ago.

When the IDF, examining the evidence that was available, raised doubts about the story, the response was furious and all sorts of "witnesses" came forward, people who had seen her at the demonstration choking on that tear gas.

But the IDF then acquired additional information, and it became clear that this woman -- for whom a "martyr's" funeral was staged -- had been lying in a hospital for ten days before her death and clearly was not at the demonstration. She died of cancer, and of the improper treatment she received. Picture it, my friends: A mother newly bereaved, probably having watched her daughter's deterioration from cancer over the course of several days prior, facing journalists and, in the midst of what we must assume to be deep grief, recounting a series of lies: Oh, I saw her, she was at the demonstration, and then came home unable to breathe. We want to pursue peace, but how can we when the Israelis act this way?

A bit unfathomable for some -- but the better you fathom it, the better you understand the enemy Israel faces. This mother, with her lies, was convinced that she was serving the larger Palestinian cause.

~~~~~~~~~~

At any rate, there was no "war crime" by Israel, even if PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said there had been.

This is one more instance of multiple such fraudulent instances that have occurred over the years. But, as Arutz Sheva pointed out: "...when their lies are discovered, the damage has already been done and the refutation of the story will receive less publicity than the original libel did."

That's why it's important for each of you to not only know the truth, but to speak out when the accusations against Israel continue. In fact, even if the accusations don't continue, but there is no retraction or follow-up story, it's important to set the record straight.

~~~~~~~~~~

If it's a peaceful demonstration, as Erekat said it was, why did the IDF find it necessary to use that tear gas? Once you see the video available here (the action starts at about 38 seconds), you will understand that it was anything but peaceful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hih2tVi3V4

Over the years that this has been going on, week in and week out, some 200 Israeli soldiers have been hurt by the peaceful demonstrators of Bil'in.

~~~~~~~~~~

I wrote the other day about the PA prison revolving door, and the fact that when six Hamas men -- including terrorist Wael Bitar -- were released, a PA official made the comment that they would have been let go sooner, but had been held for their own safety (meaning to protect them from Israel). I wondered then what had changed, that made the PA decide to accede to Hamas pressure and let them go. The answer, according to the spokesman for the Fatah (PA) forces, is that "Hamas said they would be responsible for the safety of the men...The detainees and their families signed a document stating that they are fully aware of the risks and that they alone bear responsibility."

What a perverted situation. Both Saeb Erekat and Namr Hammad, a political advisor to Abbas, said publicly that the PA keeps Hamas people in prison to protect them from Israel.

They are playing, of course, to Hamas, and not to Israel or the West, in which case they would be talking about how they do cooperative security with Israel.

~~~~~~~~~~

The IDF did capture these men-- including Bitar -- in an arrest raid in Hevron on Friday morning. In the course of the operation, another man, who lived in the building where one of the terrorists had been hiding, was shot and killed. He had reportedly made a sudden move, so that the soldiers thought he was reaching for a gun.

The PA governor of Hevron called the Israeli operation "a campaign of incitement." Incitement? He charged Israel with undermining the PA and sabotaging efforts to end the PA feud with Hamas by arresting these terrorists so quickly after the PA had arrested them.

Did I not say it was a perverted situation?

You will have noted that the issue of what the men in prison had done was totally ignored. But it always is.

~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and there's something else dire that we're being accused of: Destroying chances for peace (which was about to break out any moment) by demolishing the Shepherd Hotel in the Shimon HaTzaddik-Sheik Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.

The hotel and the land it is on are owned by Jews -- it was purchased legally, a full 25 years ago, by Irving Moskowitz -- American financier and major supporter of Jewish building in Jerusalem. It's not exactly as if it was torn from Arab hands yesterday. But what upsets the Arabs is that now that the hotel has gone down, 20 housing units for Jews will be constructed.


Noam Moskowitz

~~~~~~~~~~

Said Adnan Al Husseini, whom the Palestinian Arabs call "governor of Jerusalem": "This hotel is a symbol being ruined, and is sadly not the only one. Many more Palestinian homes will be razed, all this in the future Palestinian capital. If we thought there were some Israelis left who were interested in peace it's clear we were wrong."

Husseini is correct that a symbol is being ruined, but he doesn't realize how telling is his regret in this regard. For this was the home of Haj Amin al-Husseini, who was Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during WWII, a Nazi collaborator, and, not incidentally, a mentor to Arafat.

Daniel Luria, of Ateret Cohanim – which promotes Jewish settlement in Jerusalem -- was on the site as demolition took place and got it right. Said Luria:

"These sounds are special. It’s like destroying Hitler's or Himmler's home. Haj Amin al-Husseini collaborated with the Nazis and set up a Muslim department which was responsible for the murder of 90% of Yugoslavia's Jews. This man wanted to kill any Jew who lived in Israel and therefore nothing is more just and satisfying than demolishing this house.

"The Jews are now returning to our natural home; no one can claim that Jerusalem is not Jewish, and this particular spot is in the heart of Jerusalem. Some Arabs live here, but it is a Jewish area; Simon the Just (Shimon HaTzaddik) is buried here, Jews live right below, the Police Headquarters are located nearby (as are the Jewish areas of Ramat Eshkol, French Hill, and Mount Scopus). The natural process of the Jews returning home is continuing, and with G-d's help it will pick up even more steam."

To this, should we all say Amen!

Of course, the understanding of whose house this was won't stop the outcry from Europeans and other mindless Arab sympathizers who don't get it at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~



© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner, functioning as an independent journalist. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution


see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info