‘Next year in Palestine’

Martin Woker

Yisrael Medad/Eli Pollak..
Media Comment/JPost..
09 January '13..

“Next year in Palestine” was the largest headline on the first page of the Swiss Neue Zuericher Zeitung (NZZ), which appeared in the December 29/30 edition of the paper.

The article, written by Martin Woker, an editor of the paper, is not overly friendly to Israel, to say the least. Arguably, the headline itself is a masterpiece of yellow journalism with an anti-Semitic flavor, which has little respect for the feeling of Jews.

For two millennia, the Jewish people have fervently wished for themselves to be “next year in Jerusalem.” The saying expresses the deepest wishes of the Jewish people, who after having been thrown out of the Temple and Jerusalem, prayed and beseeched the Almighty to turn the wheel of history backwards and bring the Jewish people once again into the promised land. Generations of families have instilled in their children the hope that one day they all will be able to return to Jerusalem.

Woker had no regard for these deep feelings, for, after all who cares when a Jew is upset? They misused this saying to express their deep hope that next year there will be Palestinian state whose capital is in Jerusalem.

Woker begins his article with an “objective” description of Israel’s construction program, utilizing the birth of Jesus tale: “Maria and Joseph would not have had to find refuge in a greater Jerusalem pigsty nowadays. There are thousands of apartments under construction or in the planning stages, to the north and east of Bethlehem. The Israeli government is facing harsh criticism from all over the world since these are on occupied Palestinian territory and are limited to Jewish inhabitants only.”

The article goes on to describe the changes taking place in the Middle East and ends with: “Not every struggle for human rights must end in war, as one may learn from the South African example. Accordingly, no one can predict that all the new buildings in Greater Jerusalem will forever be available only to those who today take into consideration only themselves and their ethnically and divinely justified eternal right. It should be clear: God has also lit in the Holy land the spark of unrest of the Orient.”

ISRAEL’S SWISS friends were justifiably upset.

Swiss media ethics and the right of response

YisraelMedad/Eli Pollak..
Media Comment/JPost..
04 July '12..

The Swiss Neue Zueriche Zeitung (NZZ) is a major media player in that country and even considered as the “local New York Times.” And it might very well be that it shares much with not only the Times, but with Israel’s Ha’aretz, as well.

A few months ago, the NZZ sent a new correspondent to Israel, Monika Bolliger, and gives her reports ample space. On June 21, she published two articles, one about the Battir village which was hoping for UNESCO status and the second titled “Entrance fees for access to the synagogue.” The subtitle was: “The Palestinian village Susya will shortly be sacrificed to the bulldozers. The residents built their domiciles without a license, this after they were expelled from their original homes.”

Bolliger then proceeds to describe the tragic history of this poor village: “The village is in reality a collection of tents. ...At least seventy percent of these will be torn down, among these a tent which serves as a clinic, a small village business center, a kindergarten as well as solar panels – the only source of electricity for the village. In 1986 the villagers of Susya were expelled from their center, this shortly after the [Jewish] settlement of Suseya was established close by. ...The residents were expelled from their domiciles without receiving reparations. Having no other place to go to they moved to live on their agricultural areas. Today the synagogue stands as part of a well-kept archeological park, which is accessible only by payment of entrance fees.”

“Susya is in the so-called C-area which is under Israeli military rule. Building licenses must be obtained from the Israeli authorities and are almost always refused. ...In 2001 the army destroyed tents, caves, cisterns and fields and killed animals. At the same time, the settlers built outposts. In 2011, around 70 constructs [of the Arabs] were destroyed. The actual implementation of the latest evacuation order was temporarily prevented by the actions of a lawyer employed by the Israeli NGO Rabbis for Human Rights.”

Bolliger contends that “the settlers threaten the security of the Palestinians.” She cites the testimony of a local Arab resident, Samih Nawaja, who claims that shepherds are routinely attacked by settlers while the army stands by and does nothing.

One of us (EP) wrote a letter to Mr. Markus Spillmann, chief editor of the NZZ, pointing out that the article does not give any right of response to anyone on the Israeli side that is attacked in the article.

Editorial - The Swiss and Iran

JPost Editorial..
21 April '12..

Switzerland, a pivotal banking giant and one under whose aegis much international trade is transacted, is crucial in imposing meaningful sanctions on Iran. Swiss dillydallying can do proportionally greater harm than equivocation on part of other states the same size.

Unfortunately, the Swiss have long failed to put their money where their mouth often is. They persist in doing the wrong thing – or in not doing the right thing – despite much sanctimony.

Last week, we were informed that while Switzerland has purportedly extended financial sanctions against Tehran, it stopped short of freezing the assets of the ayatollahs’ central bank and of imposing an oil embargo in line with actions taken by other Western powers in view of Iran’s ongoing nuclear project.

The Swiss Federal Council did freeze the assets of eight Iranian firms and three Iranian individuals but it did not extend its sanctions to the Iranian central bank, because, in the words of the Swiss Economics Ministry, that bank “is important for the Iranian economy.”

But that is precisely the logic of sanctions – to hit Tehran where it hurts, not to lightly rap it on the wrist. The word from Bern is that it would reconsider at a “later date” whether to ramp up its sanctions.

Roth - Hamas, intolerance and Switzerland

Frimet/Arnold Roth..
This Ongoing War..
15 January '12..




Our friends, the neutral and courtly Swiss, are hosting a delegation of Hamas "parliamentarians" at this moment. The details are in this Iranian press report:

Palestinian parliamentary delegation arrives in Switzerland (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A Palestinian parliamentary delegation of the Hamas-affiliated change and reform bloc arrived in Geneva on Saturday on a few days visit at the invitation of the international parliamentary union (IPU). The three-member delegation headed by Mushir Al-Masri, who is the bloc’s spokesman, is to explain the issue of the Palestinian MPs detained in Israeli occupation jails and the deported Jerusalemite lawmakers. The delegates would attend the 36th session of the IPU human rights committee, which is held twice every year. The Palestinian MPs would have a number of official and public meetings and would attend a conference on the Israeli war on Gaza.

This Hamas excursion to the land of cuckoo clocks and chocolate is filled with activity. On Wednesday, its head - unbelievably - is going to be an honoured guest at the University of Geneva [this Swiss newspaper report has the details].

If there's anyone out there with connections among the intelligentsia of Geneva, or knows where the Swiss keep their evidently-misplaced moral compasses (Zurich perhaps?), we have some suggested links to share with them so that all relevant parties can get a richer, fuller appreciation of what Hamas actual does and not merely what it says. We make this offer because, somehow, the real meaning of terrorism and the horrifying price it exacts from civil societies frequently gets lost when academicians and international-minded diplomats get involved, as appears to be happening in the Swiss Confederation today.

The first is this Hamas TV gem: A call to genocide of all Christians and Jews. Click to view a clearly-expressed, unambiguous message from the people who sent the Hamas delegation to snowy, cheery Geneva. And note the key take-away lines, addressed to the god of Hamas:

Cultural Watch: Great Moments in Syrian Cinema; Qadhafi Meets the Real Cuckoo Clock

Barry Rubin

The Rubin Report

05 September 09

A MEMRI story arrives on the new government-controlled Syrian television series—also on Iranian and Hizballah television—showing how Jews plot world conquest while snacking on murdered children.

Although the MEMRI story doesn’t reveal the surprise ending of the new Syrian television series, my sources tell me that it’s this: The Zionists plan the atomic bomb attacks on Japan in 1945 as part of their murderous efforts. That’s not a joke.

In response to my telling him about this, an Arabic-speaking reader notes another Syrian film he once saw. Here’s the plot:

“The eldest son of the family died and everybody was heartbroken. Shortly afterwards the father of the family died and everybody was distraught. For a moment, they were directionless fearing that their enemies may destroy them.

“But then the second son took hold of the reins and everybody was happy again.

“Hmmmmm..... What could that mean............?”

Of course, my correspondent knew precisely how the plot was put together. The Assad family has ruled Syria for almost 40 years. The eldest son (Basil, not Sonny) ran his sports car into a bridge abutment (though in the other film, the rival mob got him at a toll both), the father (dictator Hafiz, not Vito), died.

But then the second son (Bashar, not Michael) came to power.

Or as the song in The Producers, “Springtime for Hitler” put it (slightly modified):

“[Syria] was having trouble
What a sad, sad story
Needed a new leader to restore
Its former glory
Where, oh, where was he?
Where could that man be?
We looked around and then we found
The man for you and me.”

And since then it’s been springtime for Bashar and Syria. But there was a controversy in the film: It was the first Syrian film to show an actual kiss. This set off a big debate. As my correspondent puts it:

“Apparently the local authorities were outraged. Jews drinking children's blood? No problems.

A kissing scene? Scandal! Outrage!”

And he concludes quite accurately: “True story. That's the thing about Syria. Anything you made up wouldn't be as bizarre as what actually goes on.”



Meanwhile, as aspiring Syrian filmmakers plan future productions of “Citizen Bashar,” “How the Golan Was Won,” and “West Beirut Story,” Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi continues to pack in the audiences with his Borad impressions.

The Libyan ruler, straight from his success at receiving Britain’s surrender--why should the murder of 270 people in the bombing of an airliner get in the way of an oil deal, that country’s prime minister seemed to say—is now conducting a battle against Switzerland. (Incidentally, anyone see a human rights’ group or trade unions calling for a boycott of Libya or war crimes’ trials for that regime?)

Seems that Qadhafi’s youngest son beat up two servants, an activity frowned on in Switzerland, where he was visiting at the time. Of course, that’s how they behave back home. One former foreign student in Libya told me how he returned to his dorm room early to find his Libyan roommate, leader of the campus secret police apparently, torturing another student.

But here’s the important lesson: Switzerland groveled and apologized. In fact, the Swiss president went to Libya to say how sorry he was for letting his government enforce the country’s laws. Qadhafi, however, reneged on his promise to release two Swiss businessmen being held hostage (obviously, he hasn’t learned about humanitarian releases from the British). There is some indication he will continue his assault on the Swiss.

What is the lesson for world leaders, including President Obama?: Just because you apologize doesn’t mean they still won’t come after you.

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