Welcome
Welcome Back
After a long hiatus for the holidays and other events, we're back with a double issue! There has been a lot to cover lately, so I've tried to pick a variety of stories that illustrate the state of the world right now. Unfortunately, it is a grim state. I'll have more to say on it soon. In the meantime, please enjoy the curated content and please share with someone you think would find it interesting.
Must Read
Must see: Police called to UCL over 'violent' anti-Israel protest which left Jewish students barricaded in room
Hen Mazzig, an Israeli peace activist who used to help run the section of the IDF that provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians, spoke at the University College of London (UCL). He was to speak on the prospects for fostering peace, when the event was crashed by pro-Palestinian protestors who were anything but peaceful. After barricading Jewish students and Mazzig in a room, pro-Palestinian protestors literally came in through the windows and subsequently assaulted Jewish students. The protests concluded with the typical pro-Palestinian chant calling for the annihilation of Jews "from the River to the Sea."
Must Read: The colonel's tunnel war
IDF Col. Tomer Ifrach is tasked with neutralizing Hamas terror tunnels. Read this interview in which Ifrach explains his history with the tunnels, the future threat they pose and how he plans on dealing with them.
Israel
Israel's Arab soldiers who fight for the Jewish state
An increasing number of Arabs are joining the IDF and proudly defending Israel. This story highlights the IDF Minorities Unit, which is seeing increased recruitment. Somebody must have been asleep at the BBC's editorial button, because this story is not anti-Israel!
Stones ARE Weapons
Palestinians like to frame themselves as the stone-throwing "David" against Israel's fully-armed "Goliath." Palestinian rhetoric always claims that throwing rocks is simply symbolic and cannot cause real damage. Israelis know the reality that rock throwing can be very serious. Case in point is a 5 year old who was hospitalized with head wounds a few days ago when Palestinians threw rocks at the car in which he was traveling.
IDF Apprehends 2 Eight Year Olds With Knives
The IDF apprehended two eight year old Palestinian boys with knives on their way to carry out an attack. No comment needed.
Palestinian campaign vs Balfour shows hostility to Jewish state undimmed after 100 years
David Horovitz writes about the recent Palestinian move to challenge the Balfour Declaration. This action, Horovitz suggests, proves true Netanyahu's repeated assertion that the true issue Palestinians have is with the existence of Israel in any form, not the settlements.
ISA thwarts Islamic Jihad plan to carry out large-scale terrorist attack in Israel
Proving more than ever that the Israel security fence is needed, Israel recently thwarted an Islamic Jihad plot to launch a large scale attack out of Gaza on a social hall in Israel.
Palestinians who attended Jewish settlement event arrested by their own police
Four Palestinians attended a Sukkot celebration in a West Bank settlement in hopes of fostering co-existence and understanding. The celebration went well, but the four Palestinians were later apprehended and detained by Palestinian security forces.
World
Former Navy SEAL becomes first Jewish governor of Missouri
Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, was recently elected as Governor of Missouri. A Republican, Greitens will become Missouri's first Jewish governor.
Palestine Office Tourism Website Illustrates Absurdity Of Palestinian Narrative
Aussie Dave at israellycool.com brings us this gem of the distorted reality in which Palestinians live. The official tourism website of Palestine claims that Palestine has played an important part in human civilization for more than one million years.
BDS
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement attracting groups with terrorist ties
Jonathan Schanzer and Kate Havard report that the BDS movement's "big tent" has been growing of late. It seems the anti-Israel movement has been cozying up to several terrorist groups, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Northwestern Law Professor Challenges Israel Boycott State By State
We've written quite frequently about Northwestern Law Professor Eugene Kontorovich. In this podcast, he discusses his fight to challenge BDS on a state by state basis.
Anti-Semitism
UK police warn Israel groups not to reveal location of events
The UK Labour party insists that it has no anti-Semitism among its ranks. At the same time, the UK government recognizes that anti-Semitism is a rampant problem among the people. London police warned Jewish pro-Israel groups not to reveal the location of their events and essentially told the groups that they are on their own and that the police can't protect them.
Europeans ignoring antisemitism at their peril, says EU human rights commissioner
The EU human rights commissioner concludes that Europe is ignoring anti-Semitism. Here at the Zionist Press, we call that "business as usual."
Israel suspends cooperation with UNESCO over Jerusalem vote
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recently passed several resolutions (sponsored by Arab and/or Muslim countries on behalf of the Palestinians) denying the Jewish history of Jerusalem. According the UN, Jews have no historical ties to its ancient and modern capital. In response, Israel has suspended cooperation with UNESCO.
Baroness Tonge quits Lib Dems over anti-Semitism row
UK Baroness Jennifer Tonge was suspended from membership in in the Liberal Democrats after she hosted a very anti-Semitic event at the British House of Lords, at which groups were pressuring the UK to apologize for the Balfour Declaration.
Mexican synagogue vandalized twice after Jews lobbied against UNESCO vote
After the Mexican Jewish community (the third largest in Latin America) spoke out against the recent UNESCO votes to deny the Jewish heritage of Jerusalem, a Mexico City synagogue was vandalized twice.
Legal
Religious Freedom? A Judge Bans a Jewish Ritual in California
U.S. District Court Judge André Birotte Jr. recently ruled against Chabad in a case brought against it by animal rights groups over the Jewish ritual of "kapparot." In connection with Yom Kippur, many Jews engage in the ritual of kapparot, in which they essentially swing a chicken over their heads and then slaughter the chicken according to the laws of kashrut. Animal rights groups have been trying to halt this practice for years, and they seem to have found a federal judge to play along. I would expect this ruling to be overturned as a First Amendment violation.
Upbeat
Masters of disaster, IDF field hospital may be recognized as world’s best
Israel has always been known as a leader in disaster response and emergency medicine. Whether in the wake of an earthquake, tsunami or hurricane, Israel can always be seen as one of the first and biggest responders. The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering giving Israel its highest rating for emergency medical teams - something no other country in history has ever achieved.