zaterdag 7 januari 2012

Aandacht voor bespuugd Israëlisch meisje is hypocriet

 

Verschillende mensen wijzen erop dat de aandacht voor het achtjarige meisje dat in Beith Shemesh werd bespuugd door ultra orthodoxe Joden in schril contrast staat met de aandacht voor allerlei andere kleine meisjes die onrecht wordt aangedaan. Zoals Sahar uit Afghanistan, op haar dertiende uitgehuwelijkt en vervolgens verkracht en mishandeld door haar nieuwe familie. Of een dertienjarig Joods meisje uit Brussel dat in elkaar is geslagen door Marokaanse leeftijdgenoten omdat ze Joods is. En zo zijn er nog wel meer voorbeelden te vinden. 

 

Het is waar, de media springen er bovenop wanneer het Israel betreft en de daders orthodoxe Joden zijn, terwijl men vaak een stuk terughoudener is wat betreft moslims, want die worden al zo gestigmatiseerd. Dat dat voor orthodoxe Joden minstens evenzeer geldt doet blijkbaar niet ter zake. De religieuze dwang en intolerantie in Israel roept bij mij echter ook meer verontwaardiging op dan wanneer hetzelfde in Iran zou gebeuren, waar ik niet veel anders verwacht. Israel is democratisch, westers, vrij, daar mogen de baardmannen de macht niet krijgen. In Iran hebben ze die al lang. Het Afghaanse meisje roept bij mij wel walging op, en een gevoel van machteloosheid, want alle westerse bemoeienis en strijd tegen de Taliban hebben dit soort praktijken dus niet kunnen tegenhouden. Je leest en hoort overigens wel vaker over de benarde positie van vrouwen in Afganistan, en de vraag is telkens weer wat je daar als Westers land aan moet of kunt doen. Niet veel, zeggen velen dan, een land met dergelijke middeleeuwse praktijken verander je niet van buitenaf. Bij Israel is de teneur anders: 'zie je wel, ze zijn toch niet beter dan de Arabieren ook al beweren ze altijd van wel, ook in 'democratisch' Israel zijn de baardmannen aan de macht. En dan maar klagen over Hamas.' Wat betreft Israel krijgt alles direct een ideologische lading en wordt tegen Israel gebruikt. De vraag is niet hoe zoiets kan en wat ertegen gedaan kan worden. 

 

Dit geldt ook voor de demonstratie waarbij de ultra orthodoxen met Jodensterren op liepen. Walgelijk, maar Hajo Meyer, voorzitter van Een Ander Joods Geluid, vergelijkt Israel ook met de nazi's en Thomas von der Dunk doet dat ook. En in Trouw werd onlangs de holocaust er weer eens met de haren bijgesleept in een suggestief artikel over de Israelische prenatale zorg. Men wil perfecte babies want het uitverkoren volk moet perfect zijn, aldus het artikel, en dit werd vervolgens aan de holocaust gekoppeld. Die vergelijkingen zijn allemaal even walgelijk en goedkoop, bedoeld om sentimenten op te roepen en een simpel goed-fout en dader-slachtoffer beeld te schetsen. Jammer dat onze media wel veel aandacht hebben voor het misbruik van de holocaust door ultra orthodoxe Joden maar er zelf ondertussen op een iets subtielere manier ook aan meedoen. 

 

RP

---------------

 

Aandacht voor Israëlisch meisje is hypocriet

http://www.elsevier.nl/web/Opinie/Afshin-Ellian/326824/Aandacht-voor-Israelisch-meisje-is-hypocriet.htm

woensdag 4 januari 2012 10:08

 

We moeten ultraorthodoxe joden niet verwarren met gewone orthodoxe joden. De ultra's vormen een aparte categorie in Israël - sommigen ontkennen zelfs het bestaansrecht van de staat Israël.

In New York kan de Iraanse president Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad geregeld rekenen op een feestelijke ontvangst door een aparte groep ultra's. Ze zijn het eens met Ahmadinedjad: Israël moet van de kaart worden geveegd. Het levert altijd sexy plaatjes op: Ahmadinedjad lachend naast een ultraorthodoxe jood.

Voor dit soort religieuze fanaten staat niet het welzijn van joden en de joodse staat, maar hun religieuze fanatisme centraal. Het zijn gekken die denken dat het bestaan van de staat Israël de komst van de Messias verhindert.

 

Mishandeld
Die ultra's wisten in de voorbije dagen de aandacht van de wereld op zich te vestigen door het achtjarige meisje Naama te bespugen. Naama kleedt zich in hun ogen niet zedelijk. Het Israëlische meisje uit Beit Sjemesj trok ontzettend veel aandacht, in en buiten Israël. In Israël gingen duizenden de straat op om het immorele en verwerpelijke gedrag van ultra's te veroordelen. Alle Europese media schonken aandacht aan Naama. Een vreemde zaak!

Rond dezelfde tijd maakte de BBC beelden openbaar van een Afghaans meisje dat zwaar was mishandeld door de familie van haar man. Rond haar veertiende - volgens de Afghaanse media rond haar dertiende - werd het Afghaanse meisje Sahar Gul uitgehuwelijkt aan een dertigjarige man. Na een tijdje vroeg de familie van haar man Sahar om zich te gaan prostitueren. Ze weigerde.

Sahar werd daarom gedurende zes maanden opgesloten in een kelder, seksueel misbruikt, uitgehongerd en gefolterd. Ze hebben stukken van haar lichaam afgesneden. Ze trokken haar nagels uit. Uiteindelijk werd zij bevrijd doordat een van haar familieleden een klacht had ingediend bij de politie.

Onteerd
Ik durf hier te beweren dat als er geen westerlingen in Afghanistan zouden zijn, de Afghaanse politie geen actie had ondernomen om haar te bevrijden. Dan zou het in hun ogen een familiezaak zijn geweest.

Ziet u het verschil tussen de zaken, tussen Naama en Sahar?

Naar aanleiding van de berichten rond Naama riep zelfs Shimon Peres, de president van Israël, de burgers op om mee te doen aan de demonstraties en het protest tegen de ultra's: 'Iedereen, religieuzen, seculieren, conservatieven, moet het karakter van de staat Israël verdedigen tegen een minderheid die onze nationale solidariteit probeert kapot te maken.'

Duizenden woedende Israëlische burgers gingen de straat op. De ultra's zijn totaal onteerd, door hun eigen schuld. En laten we de Europese media niet vergeten.

O, wat waren ze blij. O, wat deden ze vrolijk mee aan de strijd tegen de ultra's. Eindelijk krijgen we, vanuit het perspectief van de linkse Europese media, te zien dat ook joodse religieuze figuren zeer slechte mensen zijn.

Dus, wat is de boodschap? Relativeer je kritiek op fundamentalistische moslims!

 

Hetze
En de zaak-Sahar? Het duurde een paar dagen totdat het filmpje over Sahar van de Perzische afdeling van BBC via de Engelstalige afdeling mocht worden verspreid. Ik had zelf de beelden al gezien. De overige Europese media waren terughoudend.

En de antifascistische krant van Nederland, NRC Handelsblad? De krant van rechtsstaat en mensenrechten? O nee, weer moslims! We moeten niet meedoen aan de hetze van Geert Wilders tegen de moslims, dachten ze in de linkse media.

Wilders heeft niets met Sahar te maken. De Afghaanse cultuur, de islamitische cultuur, daar gaat het om.

Voor Sahar ging geen enkele Afghaan de straat op. Mishandelen, vrouwen? Dat gebeurt dagelijkse binnen de kringen van stammen en families! Voor wie zouden ze moeten demonstreren? Wijselijk riep de Afghaanse president zijn burgers niet op om te demonstreren voor de rechten van Sahar en andere meisjes en vrouwen die in Afghanistan op wrede wijze worden behandeld.

Baardmannen
De president kon dat niet, omdat in het Afghaanse parlement achterlijkebaardmannen zitten, die weinig moeite hebben met vrouwenmishandeling. Je kunt ze uithuwelijken. De sharia verbiedt het niet. Al een tijdje waarschuwen internationale organisaties dat de situatie van vrouwen in Afghanistan buitengewoon ernstig is.

Voor Sahar doet niemand iets, opdat de dialoog met de islam en de goede interculturele sfeer niet in gevaar komen.

Het is hard maar waar: was die arme Sahar maar een joodse, trotse Israëlische geweest. Dan zou zij door haar president, haar volk en de linkse media in Europa worden beschermd. In dit geval konden de baardmannen niet verder gaan dan spugen.

Was die arme Sahar maar een Israëlische geweest.



 

vrijdag 6 januari 2012

2011 Top Tien van anti-Israel en antisemitische uitspraken

 

Ik had deze gemist. Het gaat hier niet om de minsten, maar om mensen met een zekere status of positie. Er blijkt maar weer eens uit dat antisemitisme zowel in het Westen als in de Arabische wereld springlevend is, en de opstandelingen in de Arabische wereld er ook niet van gespeend zijn.

 

RP

------------ 

 

Click here for the pdf from the Simon Wiesenthal Center

1. “I come before you today from the Holy Land, the land of Palestine, the land of divine messages, ascension of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and the birthplace of Jesus Christ peace be upon him, to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people…”

- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at his UN General Assembly address, September 23, 2011. Speaking to the world, Abbas omitted any reference to the Jewish people’s connection to the Holy Land. No reference to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, nor King David, King Solomon, or Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. READ SOURCE…


2. “I would like to see accurate statistics of how many Israelis have been killed by the bombs thrown by Palestinians or with the rockets that were launched by them?…. we know that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were killed… neither Turkey nor the Muslims in the region have exerted such cruelty on Israel… Israel is inexplicably cruel, against innocent Palestinians, hiding behind the Nazi Holocaust and seeking victimhood…. Everybody knows what Israel is about.”

- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during CNN Interview with Fareed Zakaria, September 25, 2011. READ SOURCE…


3. “Everything that happens today in the world has to do with the Zionists… American Jews are behind the world economic crisis that has hit Greece also.”

- Zorba The Greek composer, Mikis Theodorakis, winner of the International Music Council-UNESCO International Music Prize, also told Greek TV that he was “anti-Israel and anti-Semitic,” February 15, 2011. READ SOURCE…


4. “I love Hitler…  People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be f****** gassed,”

– The renowned Christian Dior fashion designer John Galliano was fired and later convicted in a French court for his anti-Semitic rants screamed at Jews in a Paris bar. Galliano later apologized. READ SOURCE…


5. “I understand Hitler… He’s not what you would call a good guy, but yeah, I understand much about him and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I’m not for the Second World War, and I’m not against Jews… I am of course, very much for Jews. No, not too much, because Israel is a pain in the ass… I’m very much for Speer. Albert Speer [Hitler’s Architect]… He was also maybe one of God’s best children… Okay, I’m a Nazi.”

- Director Lars Von Trier was thrown out of the Cannes Film Festival after this rant, May 18, 2011. He later apologized. READ SOURCE…


6. “[Jews] want that sucker of Syrian blood to remain and continue to prey and suck blood.They not only want their security, but also to enjoy the sight of Syrian blood being spilled…. Asking myself why Jewish support of Bashar [Assad] increased after they saw the rivers of Syrian blood this mass-murderer spilled in Syrian towns, an old image leapt to my mind, of Jews bleeding people and using their blood to prepare matzas. Logic does not accept this, but the facts prove it.”

– Syrian writer Osama Al-Malouhi, an opponent of President Bashar Assad, posted on an opposition website, October 26, 2011, The Middle East Media Research Institute. READ SOURCE…


7. “Not all the Jews in the world are evil….The ratio is 60-40. Sixty percent are evil to varying degrees, all the way to a level that words cannot describe, while 40 percent are not evil.”

– Tawfiq Okasha, a presidential candidate in post-Mubarak Egypt added that among the 40% of ‘non-evil’ Jews there is only one in a million who is blameless and that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is “one of those Jews who adhere to the Zionist ideology…one of the worst ideologies,” Al-Faraeen TV, October 31, 2011. READ SOURCE…

#6 and #7 originally reported in “Praise Arab Spring, Except for Anti-Semitism” by Jeffrey Goldberg. Bloomberg, November 28, 2011


8. “The source that finances and incites all these international organizations… especially in the Arab world… are led by a single, evil organization, known as Zionism. It is behind all these movements, all these civil wars, and all these evils… Jesus Christ healed the sick among the Jews… and resurrected their dead. [How did they repay him?] “They strived to crucify him until he died…”

“Do the people of the opposition [today]… belong to Christianity or to Islam? No. They are deeply rooted in Judaism and in Zionism… Any intelligent person who reads The Protocols of the Elders of Zion will see the extent of its influence on the politics of our region and the world.”

– George Saliba, Bishop of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Lebanon, Al-Dunya TV, July 24, 2011. The Middle East Media Research Institute. READ SOURCE…


9. “Oppose the moral blackmail of the so-called Holocaust! [“Arbeit macht Frei!”]Truth makes free!”

– Hermann Dierkes, leader of the Left Party in Duisburg, Germany, April 2011. Dierkes posted a flyer on the website with a swatiska morphing into a Star of David and called for a boycott of Israeli products, labelling Israel a “rogue state” and a “warmonger.” “Arbeit macht Frei!” is inscribed on the gates of Nazi concentration camps including Auschwitz and Dachau.READ SOURCE…


10. “The state of Israel is an illegal, genocidal place… to equate Judaism with the state of Israel is to equate Christianity with [rapper] Flavor Flav.”

– Rev. Jeremiah Wright in a speech to thousands of people, June 14, 2011, Baltimore, Maryland. READ SOURCE…

Click here for the pdf from the Simon Wiesenthal Center

 

Ontvangst Haniyeh in Tunesië: "Dood de Joden!"

 

Wat heeft een Tunesiër tegen Joden? Waarom maken Tunesiërs zich zorgen om het lot van de Palestijnen, en niet om dat van miljoenen andere Arabieren die in grotere problemen verkeren, waaronder bijvoorbeeld de inwoners van Syrië die met een steeds bloediger optredend regime te maken hebben? Het antwoord is Arabische propaganda, die via Al Jazeera, Al Arabiyah en talloze lokale media wordt verspreid en een pan-Arabische identiteit moet creëren. En dat doe je nou eenmaal het beste door een externe vijand te creëren. 

 

RP

-----------  

 

Tunisians greet Haniyeh: "Kill the Jews!"

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2012/01/tunisians-greet-haniyeh-kill-jews.html

 

From Point of No Return:

 

Cries of 'Out with the Jews!', 'Kill the Jews!' greeted the arrival at Tunis airport of the Hamas chief in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, StandWithUS (France) reports.

A few hundred people gathered on 5 January at the Tunis-Carthage airport to welcome Haniyeh. As they waited for him they sang antisemitic chants and slogans to the glory of Palestine and the liberation of Gaza. They carried Palestinian flags, the flags of the Ennahda movement, and the black flags of the Salafists.

Ismail Haniyeh was arriving in Tunisia from Turkey for a two-day visit.




CiFWatch adds that the clip also includes "Killing the Jews is a must!" (0:16) and "Chasing away the Jews is a must!" (0:20).

These must be those moderate Islamists we've been hearing so much about.

The YouTube comments include quite a few Tunisians who are deeply embarrassed about this.

 

UPDATE: Translation from commenter Sammish at the Point of No Return blog:

Speaker(One person):"Kick the jews:
Crowd:"Duty" [wajib] (It is a duty)

Speaker:" Expel the Jews"
Crowd: "Duty".

Speaker: "Kill the Jews"
Crowd: "Duty"
 

donderdag 5 januari 2012

Museum van Palestijnse Propaganda?

 

Curator Samar Martha is een kunstenares, die deels in London en deels in Ramallah woont. Elder doet er wat smalend over, maar musea elders vertellen natuurlijk vaak ook een narratief, een versie van een geschiedenis met een boodschap, vaak ook een moreel oordeel. Denk alleen al aan Yad Vashem, dat naast een herdenkingsmonument ook een museum is dat een dramatisch verhaal vertelt.

Vaak is zo'n boodschap "nooit meer oorlog", maar meer nationalistisch getinte musea benadrukken ook de rechtvaardige strijd voor vrijheid en gelijkheid. Kunst is om toch wetenschappelijk en historisch verantwoord te blijven.

 

Hoe dit Palestijnse museum gaat uitpakken, laat zich dan ook raden. Hun staat van dienst op historische eerlijkheid is belabberd, en dat is eufemistisch uitgedrukt. Maar scheef is het wel, dat Unesco en Noorwegen een zulke onderneming gaan sponsoren. Dat lijkt mij alleen gerechtvaardigd bij een museum dat ook echt vrede en verzoening predikt en de partijen dichter bijeen brengt.

 

Wouter

____________

 

 

The Museum of Palestinian Propaganda

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/12/museum-of-palestinian-propaganda.html

 

In 2008, there was a stone-laying ceremony in Bethlehem for a new museum called the Palestinian Riwaya Museum.

Riwaya means "narrative."

It is funded and supported by Norway and UNESCO.

The curator of the museum, Samar Martha, was interviewed recently, and her words make it appear that this cultural institution is really more interested in propaganda than in truth. 

 

Are their specific historical aspects that you wish to emphasize? 

We have only just begun work on the concept. But one important topic will certainly be that of the Palestinian refugees since 1948, because that has very much characterized our self-image. One idea is to ask people who fled from the territory of modern Israel in 1948 and today live in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip or overseas to tell their stories in video interviews. Yet I also wish to illuminate more recent historical events, such as the Intifada and the conflict between Fatah and Hamas in recent years. 

Aren’t these topics quite disputed among Palestinians? 

They are. And that is why all decision-making politicians must be involved in the concept from the very beginning. It is, of course, an important issue who decides about the stories that will be told. We set up a number of discussion groups to deal with these questions. Also, UNESCO, which supports the project, must be convinced of our concept as well as the Peace Center, whose building we are using. 

Why did you come up with the idea of this museum? 

For a simple reason: because we’ve never had such a museum. Internationally, the perspective of Palestinian culture and history is very marked by the Israeli perspective. We would like to counter that with a museum that takes up a Palestinian perspective. ...

Do you plan to also involve Israeli artists or academics in the conception of the museum? 

If they deal with Israeli history is a self-critical way, then yes. 

In the conflict between Palestinians and Israel, violence has not only come from the Israeli side. Will the issue of Palestinian violence also be broached? 

We will make an effort to show many sides. But every national museum has a specific, limited perspective. That is the case all over the world, perhaps with the exception of Germany, where the museums deal very critically with their own history. But for us, the main priority is to portray something like a Palestinian identity.


A museum where politicians must approve the exhibits?

And notice it isn't called the Palestinian Cultural Museum, or History Museum, or even the Palestinian National Museum - but the Palestinian Narrative Museum. The entire point, as the curator shows, is not to portray the truth but to portray a story - and avoid other viewpoints.

Granted, national museums do tend to give the official perspective, but this is not called a national museum. It is specifically located next to the Church of the Nativity to attract tourists to swim in the propaganda it provides.

Interestingly, the Arabic word Riwaya also means "novel" or "fiction." 

 

Haredi voelde zich geprovoceerd door soldate die tussen orthodoxen in bus stond

 
Nog eentje dan, en dan hopen we voorlopig op te kunnen houden met berichten over ultra-orthodoxe Haredi in Israel die een strikte scheiding van mannen en vrouwen nastreven (met de vrouwen natuurlijk op de tweede rang) en daarbij niet schuwen om zelfs kleine kinderen te intimideren en bespuwen.
 
Overigens vond ik de vergelijking met Rosa Parks bijna even ongepast als toen de Palestijnse "Freedom Riders" die maakten. In veel Amerikaanse staten waren destijds wetten die zwarten verboden voorin de bus te zitten, en meer van dat soort zaken; in Israel geldt wettelijk gelijkheid en kunnen vrouwen hiertoe niet gedwongen worden. Ook zijn er bij mijn weten nog geen vrouwen of seculieren gelyncht door de Haredi.
 
Wouter
_____________

Haredi who called soldier 'slut': She acted provocatively

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4170403,00.html

Shlomo Fuchs, who is accused of sexually harassing female soldier on public bus, tells Ynet 'it's the most basic concept: A woman should not stand amidst men'

Aviad Glickman

Published: 

01.02.12, 21:31

The haredi man who is accused of sexually harassing IDF soldier Doron Matalon after she refused to sit at the back of a public bus in Jerusalem, told Ynet Monday that she had intervened in an argument between him and another woman who stood near the "men-only" section of the bus.

 

According to Shlomo Fuchs, 44, Matalon acted provocatively. "She stood amidst the ultra-Orthodox men. It's the most basic concept: A woman should not stand amidst men, just like no woman would go into a men's bathroom. So I called her a slut."

 

Related articles:

 

Fuchs said he was travelling from his home in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood to a yeshiva in Mea Shearim last Tuesday when "some Russian woman stood by the men's seats at the front of the bus."

 

"I told her: 'Lady, you don't have to present a ticket if you have a monthly pass.' She said, 'Thank you very much, sir.' Suddenly I heard someone from the middle of the bus saying, 'She'll stand wherever she pleases.' So I answered 'What business is it of yours?' I couldn't see who was speaking, because the bus was full. I only heard her voice. I didn’t see it was a soldier. I could only make out her head, and I yelled 'slut.'"

 

At this point, Fuchs claimed, Matalon said "Look at you; parasite; parasites, taking money from the State. I protect you."

 

"She protects me? I sit at shul from eight in the morning till midnight and study, and she's protecting me? I protect her," the ultra-Orthodox man told Ynet. "I understood who I was dealing with, so I went back to studying for my test and things calmed down."

 

However, Fuchs said, Matalon continued to argue. According to him, she said "these haredim do what they want. We will bring an end to it. Take him to the police."

 

Fuchs claimed he was not aware of the significance of the word "slut" in the secular world. "I am completely detached from the (secular world). I don’t own a television set and I never have newspapers in the house. People laughed at me because I don't have any idea what women's exclusion is and don't know what happened in Beit Shemesh," he said.

 

"I do not forgive (Matalon). She cannot give back the hours of studying that I lost; she cannot take away the fear that I have when I go out to the street. She shamed us all and made us out to be criminals," Fuchs said.

 

He also claimed Israel Police had deliberately assigned female investigators to handle his case. "I always thought police were supposed to protect me, but I will never forgive them for the nightmare they made me go through. Yes, they harassed me only because I am haredi," Fuchs said. "This is a blood libel." 

 

Asked about the controversial Holocaust display at a recent ultra-Orthodox rally in the capital, Fuchs said, "I sympathize with these feelings of persecution. They tried to present me as though I were the worst criminal in the world, and from this perspective it is just like the goyim treated the Jews for generations.

 

"Let me live in peace. I too sang 'Hatikva' (national anthem) once. I want to be free in our land. Leave me be."

 

Udi Matalon, the soldier's father, said "apparently (Fuchs) is trying to present himself as the victim. This attempt should not be taken too seriously."

 

Meanwhile, Ynet has learned that two women told investigators that Fuchs did not confront Matalon. "The incident on the bus involved a different female soldier who does not fit Matalon's description," one of the eyewitnesses said.

 

Israel deed ook wel eens iets goeds voor de wereld in 2011

 
Twee artikelen over bekende en minder bekende gebeurtenissen in 2011, overwegend maar niet alleen positieve zaken, die weinig in de media kwamen.
 
________________

 

How Israel Made The World A Better Place In 2011

http://actforisrael.org/blog/blog/2011/12/30/how-israel-made-the-world-a-better-place-in-2011/

By Gal Sitty

2011 was a year in which Israel’s continued contributions to the World received increasing recognition. Whether it was disaster relief in Japan, helping to feed people in sub-Saharan Africa, or ground breaking discoveries in science, Israel was at the forefront of the all the major positive developments of 2011.

Here is a piece by piece look at some of Israel’s impressive achievements in 2011:

Chemist Dan Shechtman became the 10th Israeli to be awarded a Nobel Prize. Shechtman’s discovered chemical structures previously thought to be impossible to exist. His groundbreaking work opened up entirely new fields of research.

The Israeli humanitarian relief agency, IsraAID, was the recipient of numerous awards for its efforts in helping the victims of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. IsraAID dispatched medical and post-trauma units to three locations in Japan along with over 20 tons of relief items (see video below). IsraAID established a 2-year plan for relief and rebuilding efforts in Japan and has recently sent its fifth delegation to the country. IsraAID also operated in many more areas of need including South Sudan and Kenya.

Israel became one of the first nations to formally recognize the newest country in the world, South Sudan. Israel has pledged extensive aid in helping the extremely underdeveloped country build infrastructure and develop expertise in agriculture and water management among many other things. As such, Israel was one of the first countries that the newly formed State’s President paid an official visit to.

Many technological breakthroughs that may soon greatly improve our lives and our environment were achieved this year in Israel. The company Better Place unveiled the first electric car with “battery switching” technology that allows drivers to switch out the drained battery for a fully charged one in less time then it takes to fill a tank of gas. Emefcy announced its development of a method to generate electricity from the treatment of wastewater; this could have an exponentially beneficial impact on our environment as wastewater treatment has traditionally been very energy intensive.

New developments in medicine may soon save millions of lives. Of the more noteworthy accomplishments is the development of a “cancer vaccine“, currently in clinical trials, which teaches the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. Israeli scientists also identified a glucose sensing enzyme that can trigger natural insulin production, possibly helping to end Type 1 Diabetes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2011 was a busy year. Here are some less-reported stories from the Holy Land.

http://www.aish.com/jw/id/News_from_Israel_You_May_Have_Missed.html#.TvjRgO9rcDE.facebook

by Yvette Alt Miller 

 

January

Israel received some new immigrants this month: up to 400 bottlenose dolphins, which have taken up residence along the Tel Aviv and Herzliya shores.

Nablus-based food company Alul became the first Palestinian-owned manufacturer to seek kosher certification, for its tehina spread.

Prof. Nava Dekel of Israel's Weizmann Institute for Science established a link between certain antioxidants found in facial creams and infertility. While Prof. Dekel said that this might warrant "more caution" in using certain face creams, it also points to intriguing research in the field of birth control.

Noble Energy announced it had found natural gas off Israel's coast. The company estimated it could produce 16 trillion cubic feet of gas, making this the world’s largest off-shore discovery of natural gas in the past decade.

A Disney Company affiliate announced plans to open a major new amusement park in Haifa. Construction, estimated to cost $170 million, is planned to begin on 20 acres in 2013.

February

Israel welcomed 31 of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 68 days in 2010. The miners, accompanied by their wives, girlfriends, and children, enjoyed an eight day vacation, courtesy of Israel's Tourism Ministry.

Strangers No More won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. The film tells the story of the children from more than 48 countries, many of whom came to Israel to escape genocide and hunger in Africa and other regions, who attend the Bialik-Rogozin school in Tel Aviv.

Israeli start-up company BioExplorers announced they developed a new bomb detector that uses a unique new component: trained mice. The mice, which work in 4-hour shifts, have been found to be more effective than traditional airport body scanners.

March

The European Association for Zoos and Aquaria held its annual meeting in Jerusalem, at Israel's "Biblical Zoo" (so called because all of its animals are mentioned in the Bible). Though small, Israel's Biblical Zoo is a world leader in conservation and efforts to return animals to the wild.

Dalal Mughrabi Square was dedicated in the Fatah-ruled town of Ramallah. The square was named after the terrorist who killed 37 Israelis, including 13 children, in a bus hijacking in 1978. The dedication of the square came just two days after the brutal murder of five members of the Fogel family in a Jewish town on the West Bank.

April

Congolese surgeon Dr. Leon Mubenga visited Israel's Rambam Medical Center in Haifa to learn techniques in treating burn victims, and become the first burn care specialist in Congo. He was sponsored by Israeli charity Moriah Africa, which also donated advanced medical equipment used to treat burns for Dr. Mubenga to bring back home with him.

Golan Heights Winery, based in Katztrin, earned first place at the Vinitali International Wine and Spirits Exhibition, often called the "World Cup" of wine competitions. The winery produces several popular brands of Israeli wines, including Golan.

A 16-year-old boy was killed when missiles fired from Gaza hit a school bus near Kibbutz Sa'ad in southern Israel. The attack was part of a barrage of 45 rockets fired from Gaza in a period of three hours.

Tel Aviv began offering free Internet access in several public spaces downtown, with the eventual goal of becoming an entirely "wireless" city.

May

Internet travel service Tripadvisor revealed that Israel is its 13th most popular destination, ahead of sites like London and Rio. In 2011, Israeli tourism broke all records, producing a shortage of hotel rooms.

University of Maryland Dr. Michele Gelfand, who studied the rigidity of social norms in 33 countries, found that Israel is one of the world's "loosest" countries socially, with high levels of tolerance, acceptance and ease with other cultures. This is due in no small part to Israel’s melting pot society comprised of immigrants from over 80 countries.

June

Jerusalem unveiled dramatic First Temple-era archeological sites, including the remnants of a gate house, a royal structure, and a fortification tower. The oldest remain found in the new sites, a clay fragment, is believed to be 3,400 years old.

Israelis participated in a mammoth, five-day security simulation designed to test emergency responses in the case of missiles being fired on Israel's cities.

Jamal Hakroush became the first Muslim appointed as Israel’s Deputy Police Inspector General. Hakroush said: "I am proud of Israel Police for choosing me based on my qualifications and nothing else. My religion and origin are facts I do not ignore, but I have never, in all my years of service, felt discriminated against or hurt by it."

Israeli aerospace engineer Meidad Pariente invented the "Mayday" app – using GPS technology to send out a distress call when users suffer an automobile accident. Inspired by a family member's car crash, the app senses when there is a sudden deceleration in speed, and asks if the user is okay. Upon failure to respond, Mayday sends emergency messages to five pre-selected recipients.

Hamas set up an appalling Facebook campaign to "abduct a wife” for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. (Shalit was freed on October 18, 2011, after five years in captivity in Gaza.)

Kibbutz Ketura, a few miles north of the Israeli city of Eilat, completed a solar field consisting of 18,000 solar panels which can pump out 4.9 megawatts of electricity per hour of direct sunlight.

July

An Iranian swimmer pulled out of the Shanghai FINA World Championship because of the presence of an Israeli in the competition.

Israel became one of the first countries to recognize the new state of South Sudan after it declared independence on July 9. The date also saw joyous street parties among the many South Sudanese refugees who call Israel home.

Seven hundred college students from across North America came to Israel for an intensive 2-week program of Israel activism training. Aish’s Hasbara Fellowships trains students and provides them support to run successful pro-Israel activities on their campuses.

For the third year in a row, Scientist Magazine ranked the Weizmann Institute of Science as the world's best place to work in academia.

August

Online encyclopedia Wikipedia held its annual conference in Haifa, which beat out New York, Toronto and other cities to host the international event.

As rocket fire from Gaza rained down on Beersheva, 17-year-old Arina Shestopolov Censor became a national hero. Along with her father, she left her bomb shelter, braved raging fires outside, and saved the lives of two injured men. She relied on what she’d learned at age 12 in a first aid book to fashion a tourniquet and save the life of Nati Hagshor, 24, who was so seriously injured she initially thought he was dead. In recognition of her bravery, Ben Gurion University awarded the girl a full scholarship.

September

Roie "Jinji" Sadan, a 29-year-old bicyclist who spent four years cycling 40,000 miles through 42 countries around the world, celebrated the end of his epic trip with a ceremony at the Western Wall.

The Jewish Agency reported that 21,300 people made aliyah to Israel, a 20% increase from the previous year. The new immigrants came from countries all over the world, including Suriname, Thailand, China, Honduras and Congo.

Journalist-turned-politician Shelly Yachimovich became the first woman to lead Israel's Labor Party since Golda Meir.

Israel welcomed the debut of Hala TV, its first full-time Arabic-language TV station.

October

Israeli actress Hannah Maron set a world record for the longest continuous acting career. She began acting in 1931 at age four in her native Germany. She lost a leg when Palestinian terrorists attacked an El Al flight she was on, but she continued her acting career. As she marked 80 years on stage and screen, Maron was preparing for her upcoming role at Tel Aviv’s Carmai Theatre.

Prof. Daniel Shechtman of Israel's Technion Institute won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery of quasicrystals.

Moshe Ami, a 56-year-old father of four, was killed by a rocket fired from Gaza into the Israel city of Ashkelon. Scores of rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza by the Iranian-backed group Islamic Jihad.

Iranian Chess Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami pulled out of aninternational chess tournament in Corsica, rather than play Israeli Grandmaster Ehud Sachar. Calls were made to bar Iran from next year's Olympics in London unless they agree to compete against Israeli athletes.

November

“Drivia” became available as an iPhone app; it keeps sleepy drivers awake by bombarding them with trivia questions.

The Israel Philharmonic announced plans to celebrate its 75th Anniversary, and the 50th Anniversary of Zubin Mehta as conductor, with a series of live concerts streamed on the Internet.

December

Shyne, the former bad-boy rapper now living a chassidic lifestyle in Jerusalem, teamed up with an Israeli record company in a new initiative aimed at bringing Israeli musicians and educators to inspire at-risk youth around the world with music education. The project will kick off in Shyne's native country, Belize, hoping to use music to help some 500 at-risk youth get off the streets and get away from drugs and gang violence.

Apple, the maker of iPods, iPads and iPhones, announced it will open a research and development center in Herzliya, Israel's version of Silicon Valley, as Apple's first R&D center outside California. Meanwhile, Google's Israel R&D center announced it will open an incubator where Israeli entrepreneurs can grow their ideas into great products.