🇮🇱 Netanyahu, on who exactly Israel belongs to: "This is the nation-state of the Jewish people. Others have rights, but first and foremost, this is OUR nation-state." So are non-Jewish Israelis just like second-class citizens, then? That's the message from the PM?? They have rights, but it's not THEIR country... Writer: Michael

I welcomed the opportunity on Friday to meet with the Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon. Ed Miliband. While we share fervent hopes for a future of peace and security in the Middle East, I explained why I believe the UK Government’s intended sanctions will be counter-productive and even endanger such a vision of peace. I told the Foreign Secretary that many within the UK Jewish community will view such measures with deep dismay, at a time when the vilification of Jews, Judaism and the Jewish State has already reached unprecedented levels. The intended policy will not influence Israeli decision-making in the way the Government intends. Instead, it risks inflicting real harm across the region. Given the obvious challenges of defining and implementing such measures, there is a clear danger that they will spiral into a de facto boycott of trade with Israel more broadly, damaging the long-term relationship between our two countries and threatening the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Palestinian workers. These measures will also disproportionately affect British Jews because of our close religious, family, charitable and educational ties to Israel. Over recent years, we have seen repeatedly that when rhetoric towards Israel escalates, hostility towards Jews is never far behind. I strongly condemn the reprehensible violence perpetrated against Palestinians by a small number of extremists, yet the UK Government’s proposals will only embolden the tiny minority who support such criminality, while penalising countless others who abhor it. The stated justification for punishing an ally in this way, is Israel’s long-planned construction of homes in the E1 area. Yet successive peace efforts, from Oslo to Camp David and beyond, have envisaged a final agreement in which this area would remain under Israeli sovereignty. It is therefore difficult to escape the painful conclusion that domestic political considerations are driving foreign policy, the impact of which is negative both for prospects for peace in the Middle East and for the UK Jewish community.

The JLC is deeply concerned by reports that the government is preparing to announce measures to prohibit or restrict trade with Israeli settlements. Throughout the summer, we have urged the government to avoid irreversible steps that could further damage the UK’s relationship with Israel and have a harmful impact on the UK Jewish community. We share concerns about settler violence and extremism. However, there is a deeply troubling question of why Israel is being singled out for this form of economic action. If the government proceeds with this approach, it would be the latest in a series of punitive acts taken towards a supposed ally of this country. The harsh reality is none of these actions have had any influence on the situation on the ground. As Israel approaches pivotal elections on 27th October, we urge the government to carefully consider that the only impact of further interventions will be to embolden extremist factions within Israel. We also urge the government to consider the unintended consequences for our community of the proposals that are being considered. These include the risk of harming the legitimate connection between British Jews and places of great religious, cultural and historic significance, including the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. Broad, untargeted measures may inadvertently become a wider boycott of Israel, giving legitimacy to those who reject Israel's very existence, and placing increased scrutiny on British Jews at a time when antisemitism in the UK is more prevalent and more violent than ever.

Hasan Piker isn’t a Republican-created distraction. He’s a fringe Democrat-created liability. Blaming Jewish Americans for hatred or violence directed at them is antisemitic. @hasanthehun is deplorable. Every Democrat should be able to say that without an asterisk and get back to the issues voters care about most. I discussed that and more on @TheStoryFNC:

The Zionist messaging cycle: “It is antisemitic to criticize the Israeli state because what you’re really doing is blaming all Jews for Israel’s actions,” “Which is an attack on all Jews, because all Jews are inextricably tied to Israel” ???

“Conflating Jews with Israel Is Dangerous – Whether by Antisemites, U.S. Politicians, or the Israeli State” Amid the outrage over Hasan Piker’s remarks, a Jewish professor of Israel studies argues it’s important to acknowledge what Israel’s actions fuel.

“the party’s antisemitism problem is veering into dangerous political territory that could eventually cost Democrats Jewish support at the ballot box, to say nothing of the moral implications.” The Left’s Antisemitism is Still Festering - @DavidMDrucker

A bigot makes a fantastic discovery: the love of Zion and Jerusalem is inherent to the indigenous Jewish people. She calls Judaism’s oldest prayers “Zionist,” imagining this to be an indictment of Jews, when in fact she is proving the ancient and unbreakable Jewish bond to Eretz Yisrael (and exposing her own ignorance). The Lord has sent the Jews many antisemites over the centuries. Mercifully, most of them are just dumb.

Jews have been reciting the zionist Amidah prayer for 2400 years. It was made up by rabbis. They pray it 3 times a day. The notion that jews are inseparable from zionism is their choice to make and sustain. So far, the vast majority (~90%) continue to support the existence of 'israel' aka zionism. Not surprising when their prayers and religious lives contain zionist teachings. They can reform the Amidah. Change the outdated and supremacist sections. There's at least six: - Section 10, 11, and 14 which call for the usurpation of Palestine and displacement of native population. - Section 1, 12, and 17 which establish a mythical 'spiritual-bloodline' supremacy model and actively target post-Torah divine revelations. They can always opt to change and exist as a religious community without supremacy or stealing land. They can also just repent. They are actively choosing not to do either.