Why the U.S. Will Continue Funding the Palestinian Authority

Posted on October 23, 2015October 23, 2015 by Denise Simon

BDS in London is taking part in the protests and violence in Israel.

WashingtonExaminer: With all the recent yet constant violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank in Israel, the culprit for the incitement and bloody conflict is at the hands of the Palestinians. The United States for years has provided funding and will continue to do so even with Israel’s blessing. The ‘why’ is even more terrifying.

Why the U.S. won’t cut off aid to Palestinians

Lawmakers want to reduce or eliminate the $500 million a year in aid and security assistance the United States gives to the Palestinian Authority amid evidence that its leaders are inciting violence against Israelis.

While that might be satisfying in some ways, concerns that a cutoff would make the situation worse are likely to win out. Israeli officials oppose such a move, fearing that it may cause the Palestinian Authority to collapse.

“Israel doesn’t want a collapse because it will collapse in Israel’s lap,” David Makovsky, director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Still, the problem of anti-semitic incitement in Palestinian society, much of it officially created and encouraged, remains a serious obstacle to a peaceful settlement of the basic conflict with Israel and the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.

The issue is at the center of talks this week between Secretary of State John Kerry and leaders in the region, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II.

“We have to stop incitement, we have to stop the violence. And I think it’s critical,” Kerry said before his meeting Thursday with Netanyahu in Berlin. He’s set to meet with Abbas and Abdullah on Saturday.

The Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday adopted a bipartisan resolution calling on Abbas to “discontinue all official incitement and exert influence to discourage anti-Israel and anti-semitic incitement in Palestinian civil society.”

It also directs the State Department to track and publicize incidents of incitement by Palestinian authorities.

But there’s a bipartisan desire in Congress for a more active U.S. approach to the problem. At a hearing before Thursday’s vote, experts gave lawmakers options besides an aid cutoff.

“The problem is we’ve been condemning incitement for decades but we never do anything about it.” said Elliott Abrams, a former top adviser in the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations, who argued for targeting the personal finances of Palestinian leaders who incite violence, and barring them from the United States.

Abbas “keeps doing it because he never pays a price for doing it,” Abrams said. “It’s a very cynical game. And as long as he pays no price, he’ll keep it up.”

He and others also suggested U.S. officials target the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which is dominated by Abbas’ Fatah movement, by closing its office in Washington and cutting off funding to incitement activities.

The PLO is “a bloated and opaque organization that has consistently stymied democracy,” said Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

The United States also needs to think beyond the leadership of Abbas, who’s in the tenth year of a four-year term largely because there are no good alternatives to his rule, and nurture a new generation of Palestinian leaders, he said. More here.

The genesis of the recent violence per Congressional testimony:

by: Foundation for Defense of Democracies

A Third Intifada?

Mr. Chairman, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has flared again. The violence can best be characterized as a concerted campaign of knife attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel, peppered with other attempts at vehicular homicide and even bombings. Since October 1, eight Israelis have been killed while dozens have been wounded in no less than 44 attacks. It’s unclear yet whether we can call this a third intifada. For it to be characterized as such, it would require the full backing of Palestinian leaders across the political spectrum. Despite the incitement of both the Fatah and Hamas factions, it’s safe to say that neither has committed fully to an all-out conflict right now with Israel. I will explain below why they are holding back.

Temple Mount Tensions

Mr. Chairman, the Palestinian narrative right now focuses on their rage over purported Israeli attempts to change the status quo on the Temple Mount/Haram ash-Sharif, the site holy to both Jews and Muslims. There are troubling signs that this unrest was premeditated. Indeed, it looks like the resumption of the unrest that erupted in June 2014 before last summer’s 50-day war between Israel and Hamas. The name given to the unrest, then as today, was the “Jerusalem Intifada.” The epicenter of that violence, then as today, was the Temple Mount.

The Temple Mount is one of the thorniest issues in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is a deeply meaningful and holy site to both Muslims and Jews. Keeping the peace at this site has been a delicate issue since Israel conquered the Old City in 1967. The Israelis control the territory, but they have allowed for Jordan, with input from Palestinian religious authorities, to administer the site. For years, Israeli law prohibited Jews from praying on the site, but Israel’s Supreme Court overruled this in 1993. In recent years, the number of Jews that have gained access to the site during hours proscribed by Israel and the administering authorities has increased. This includes some Israeli politicians and religious groups who seek to assert Israeli sovereignty. But according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, access to the Temple Mount compound is still overwhelmingly Muslim. Indeed, over the last year, there have been approximately four million entries by Muslims, 200,000 by Christians, and just 12,000 by Jews.

To be clear, the status quo has not changed. Israel controls access to the site as a means to maintain the delicate peace, but it does not involve itself in matters of religious practice or prayer. Yet, over the last year, a disturbing pattern has developed. Palestinian elements, apparently led by the PLO, have led an effort to stoke religious tensions at the sensitive site with wild reports that Israel is trying to “Judaize” or undermine Muslim rights to pray there. At the forefront of this campaign to foment hate is WAFA, a news agency effectively controlled by the PLO. As one Arab newspaper noted, WAFA is one of the Palestinian “governmental media institutions.”

In January of this year, the chairman of the PLO’s Jerusalem Affairs Department, Ahmed Qurei, warned of an Israeli plan to register the al-Aqsa Mosque as an Israeli state property to be officially run by the so-called Tabu (land registration) office. The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage (AFEH) claimed this was setting the stage for a Jewish synagogue over parts of the holy Mosque. Qurei further stated that Israel was “Judaizing” the mosque and re-building the “alleged” Jewish Temple. “This is the most serious [action taken by Israel] that jeopardizes the future of the holy city,” he said.

The following month, WAFA cited Qurei warning about assessments made by Israeli engineers and contractors for new archeological excavations under the Temple Mount. In a press release, Qurei said that the Israeli government was trying to “empty the area [of] its indigenous citizens as a prelude to take over the land for the sake of settlement expansion.” The PLO news agency, WAFA, added to the tensions claiming that nearly a thousand Israelis “stormed” the al-Aqsa compound during the previous month.

In March, WAFA issued a report stating that Jewish settlers were preparing to storm the al-Aqsa compound. The report alleged, “Jewish groups that define itself by the name of the alleged ancient Temple are preparing for the Jewish holiday Passover by mobilizing the largest number of settlers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque and perform religious prayers in its yards.” This was followed by a report that Israeli police, “physically assaulted and beat up [a ten-year-old girl], who along with other worshipers chanted religious slogans against a group of Jewish fanatics who entered the Mosque to perform religious rituals.”

The wild and unsubstantiated charges continued through the spring. WAFA in April claimed that, “Jewish settlers…broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound through [the Dung Gate] bridge, and toured its yard under the heavy protection of Israeli police units.” In May, the PLO mouthpiece claimed several Palestinians were arrested “at the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City for chanting religious slogans to fend off settlers’ attempts to tour the mosque’s yards. The two elders…were physically assaulted by the police before they were arrested.”

During the summer, the Palestinian leadership called for an emergency Islamic summit “in light of latest Israeli escalations at al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.” This came on the heels of reports that Israel had seized land adjacent to the eastern wall of the al-Aqsa mosque, and that settlers were continuing “attacks against al-Aqsa mosque,” and insulting the Prophet Mohammed while on the al-Aqsa compound.

In September, Mahmoud Abbas complained to the UN General Assembly that, “extremist Israeli groups are committing repeated, systematic incursions upon Al-Aqsa Mosque, aimed at imposing a new reality and dividing Al-Haram Al-Sharif.” Soon after, Hamas declared a “day of rage” in the West Bank. Several Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israelis. Abbas took this as a cue to warn of an “intifada that we don’t want” if escalations at al-Aqsa continue.

As violence gripped Jerusalem, WAFA continued to complain that, “Jewish fanatics resumed their provocative visits to al-Aqsa Mosque.” The rhetoric has only increased, fanning the flames of conflict as Palestinians have taken to lone-wolf style attacks to stab Israelis on the streets.

In an effort to calm tensions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered police to prevent Israeli ministers and members of Knesset from entering the Temple Mount. The Israelis continue to make it clear that even when Jews visit the Temple Mount, they are not to pray there. Israeli security personnel enforce this strictly. However, the PLO continues to fan the flames of conflict. Their problem appears to be the very presence of Israelis and Jews on the Temple Mount.

– See more at: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/testimony/words-have-consequences-palestinian-authority-incitement-to-violence#sthash.h7XR057c.dpuf

Sheik of Terror Protected by Qatar, White House Approves

Posted on October 21, 2015October 21, 2015 by Denise Simon

Al-Qaradawi’s popularity among the Sunnis has grown because of the massive use he makes of electronic media, mainly television and the Internet. One of his most important tools is the Al-Jazeera TV channel, which broadcasts his popular program “Life and Islamic Law,” viewed by tens of millions of Muslims.
Al-Qaradawi has often exploited the program for blatant anti-Semitic propaganda and incitement (see below). He was also one of the founders of the IslamOnline website in 1997, which often quotes him.
Al-Qaradawi refers to his religious views as “moderate Islam,” which seeks to balance intellect and emotion. He has positive attitudes toward reforms in Islam, which he calls “correcting perceptions which were corrupted.” He is considered one of the foremost propounders of the doctrine of the “the law of the Muslim minorities,” which provides the Muslim minorities around the globe with space in which to maneuver and compromise between their daily lives and Islamic law. The aim of implementing his doctrine is to unite and unify Muslim minorities to make it possible for them to live under non-Muslim regimes, until the final stage of spreading Islam to the entire world.
At the same time, building a bridge between the exigencies of Muslim emigrants’ daily lives and Islamic religious law also includes regarding taking over Europe as Islam’s next target. In 2003 al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa declaring that “Islam will return to Europe as a victorious conqueror after having been expelled twice. This time it will not be conquest by the sword, but by preaching and spreading [Islamic] ideology…The future belongs to Islam…The spread of Islam until it conquers the entire world and includes the both East and West marks the beginning of the return of the Islamic Caliphate…”

The ‘go-to’ country in the Middle East for Barack Obama, Susan Rice, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry has been Qatar. al Qaradawi, a major leader of the Muslim Brotherhood is not on the U.S. terror list due in part to Qatar for intervening but he is on the United Arab Emirates list.

Sheik Yusuf al Qaradawi is the Theologian of Terror. The document is here.

He operates freely in Qatar as does the Taliban 5 that Barack Obama released from Guantanamo in exchange for Army deserter, Bowe Bergdahl.

For a full and terrifying background, there are several WikiLeaks cables proving his global Muslim Brotherhood ties and fatwas.

The threats al Qaradawi makes to Egypt began at least in 2008 where the Iranian Shiite Imperialism will reign in Egypt. The threats continued in 2013 where Qaradawi called on Muslims worldwide to wage jihad in Egypt.

(Per raw translation, including words that don’t translate well into English:)

Al-Qaradawi when he praises Allah of low turnout in elections by $ 600,000 «concert» included 15 country-led and 200 members of «terrorist» festive, however, overturned on Al-Qaradawi, the reaction to the terrorist group, reprimand for failing to support their candidates from either party, or other, despite many Community financial support during the past few days in support of a number of candidates who were supporters of the terrorist group.

The sources said that businessman brothers is guaranteed by “alazomh” which cost nearly $ 600,000, where attendees were distributed Hidayat also represented in “gold coins”, explaining that the celebratory “gloating” also saw the closed meetings between his brother, the leadership and representatives of the Government and the country’s security apparatus, Qaradawi asked to celebrate a few Egyptians vote turnout in the elections to Qatar to increase funding for the terrorist group in Egypt, located on its territory.

Qaradawi of Qatar requested the necessary amount estimated at about 5 million dollars under the pretext of revival demonstrations community again in Egypt, and Egyptian embassies in several countries as a kind of pressure on the current system of compensation for the failure of the community to introduce her supporters in the first almerglh of Parliament, until the country’s leaders responded to the brothers, said: “getkm disappointment. Glad no.. Da mafeesh and don’t sell you candidate got the votes guaranteed win “.

The sources confirmed that the country refused to provide any support during that period only after establishing a clear vision and an action plan during the coming period both inside or outside Egypt, to embarrass Egypt in any way, Al-Qaradawi has responded that it already during these days, and that he agreed with the characters of foreign nationals to assist them in the development of such a scheme.

Western Wall as Muslim territory….WHAT?

Posted on October 20, 2015October 20, 2015 by Denise Simon

Does the Bible matter? Does archeology matter? Does history matter? Does the United Nations matter? Defund the United Nations…PERIOD.

Israel’s Ambassador to UNESCO says the resolution is “a total Islamization” of a site that is revered by both the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

JPost: Israel is working to thwart a draft UNESCO resolution which declares that the Western Wall in Jerusalem – the most holy site in Judaism – belongs to al-Aksa Mosque compound.

The draft text to be voted on Wednesday in Paris states that UNESCO “affirms that the Buraq Plaza is an integral part of al-Aksa Mosque/al-Haram al-Sharif.”

Israeli Ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama Hacohen called the resolution “a total Islamization” of a site that is revered by both Jews and Muslims.

The six-page draft resolution – submitted by Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to the UNESCO Executive Board – broadly condemns Israeli actions in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.

At no point does the resolution mention the Jewish historical connection to Jerusalem, which dates back to biblical times. Nor does it reference the Temple Mount or the Western Wall, which was part of the retaining wall King Herod built for the Temple Mount more than 2,000 years ago. It also relies solely on Arabic names for the holy sites on and around the Temple Mount. More here.

Arab nations ask UN to designate Western Wall as Muslim territory

FNC: False rumors about Israel’s designs on a site held sacred by both Jews and Muslims helped trigger the bloody wave of attacks plaguing Jerusalem, but a tangible plan by six Arab nations to purge the Jewish State’s claim to its holiest location will be voted on Wednesday by the United Nations’ cultural arm.

A UN draft decision circulated by Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates reviewed by FoxNews.com “affirms that the Buraq Plaza is an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” – a statement that would specifically fold the Jewish Western Wall into Islamic domain on the Temple Mount.

“This is a clear endeavor to distort history, in order to erase the connection between the Jewish People and its holiest site, and to create a false reality,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Monday statement.

“This is a clear endeavor to distort history”

– Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement

The glut of recent attacks by Palestinian terrorists is partially a reaction to unsubstantiated rumors that Israel sought to change the status quo at the Temple Mount, a location of iconic Jewish and Muslim structures which is overseen by an Islamic trust known as the Waqf. Ironically, Arab countries responded to the rumors of a status quo shift with a concrete proposal for a status quo shift.

The Western Wall is a remnant of a retaining wall that supported the second Jewish temple. Jews are not permitted to pray on the Temple Mount by rabbinic decree, so the Western Wall is the closest they can venture to their most hallowed grounds.

A vote had initially been expected Tuesday in Paris, but UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova sought to delay it. The Bulgarian diplomat, who could be a candidate for UN Secretary General when the position opens up, issued a statement Tuesday saying she “deplores the recent proposals under discussion by the UNESCO Executive Board that could be seen to alter the status of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, and that could further incite tensions.”

The statement adds: “The protection of cultural heritage should not be taken hostage.”

The five-page draft decision, which only acknowledges the Jewish state as “Israel, the Occupying Power,” was circulated by the six Arab states because Palestine is not a member of the UNESCO Executive Board. The portion that would push the Western Wall into Islam’s purview is only a sentence on the second page. Much of the rest of the document largely blames Israel for past and present violence and further stresses an Islamic claim to everything on the Temple Mount.

The final page attempts to strengthen Palestinian links to other contested areas by reaffirming traditional burial sites for several major biblical figures claimed by both Jews and Muslims “are an integral part of Palestine.”

UNESCO initially approved a resolution designating Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron as “integral” parts “of Palestine” in 2010. That decision prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ask, “If the places where the Jewish nation’s forefathers and mothers – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel – were buried 4,000 years ago is not part of the Jewish nation’s heritage, then what is a heritage site?”

Fox News’ Jonathan Wachtel contributed to this report.

Obama Stands with Palestinian Violence

Posted on October 18, 2015October 18, 2015 by Denise Simon

Words Have Consequences: Palestinian Authority Incitement to Violence

WITNESSES: Mr. Elliott Abrams

Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies

Council on Foreign Relations

Jonathan Schanzer, Ph.D.

Vice President for Research

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Mr. David Makovsky

Ziegler Distinguished Fellow

Director

Project on the Middle East Peace Process

Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

October 22 is going to be a busy day on Capitol Hill. First Hillary testifies again before the Gowdy Benghazi Committee, but in other room, there will be testimony on the Palestinian Authority inciting the violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The Obama Intifada

Column: How coddling Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas led to terrorism in Israel

FreeBeacon: More than 30 dead in Israel as Palestinians armed with knives attack innocents. What’s responsible? A campaign of incitement, which slanderously accuses Jews of intruding on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and murdering Arab children in cold blood.

And who is legitimizing this campaign? None other than Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, whom President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have long held up as a peacemaker. “I think nobody would dispute that whatever disagreements you may have with him, he has proven himself to be somebody who has committed to nonviolence and diplomatic efforts to resolve this issue,” Obama told writer Jeffrey Goldberg in 2014.

That’s a strange view of commitment. This is the same Abbas, remember, who rejected then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s absurdly generous 2008 peace offer. The same Abbas who resisted negotiations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 10-month settlement freeze in 2010, which Obama demanded explicitly on the grounds that it would give Abbas the cover he needed to begin talks. Abbas finally relented to Saudi pressure, and attended a few meetings with Netanyahu that September. But under no definition of what the word “negotiation” actually means were these meetings for real: The freeze was about to expire, the get togethers were perfunctory, and nothing of significance was discussed. The farce ended soon after.

It is a lie to say that Mahmoud Abbas is committed to a diplomatic resolution. Just as it was a lie when, the other day at Harvard, Secretary Kerry attributed the bloodshed to “a frustration that is growing” because of the “massive increase in settlements over the course of the last years.” As Elliott Abrams points out, there has been an increase in the population of the settlements, but not in their size. As if the settlements have any connection to what’s happening in the first place: The terror gripping Israel is the result of a Palestinian leadership so adrift and corrupt, so aggrieved and conspiratorial, that it encourages the radicalization of its youth and promotes an atmosphere of hatred and murder. More here.

***

Yeah, Obama was financially funding the enemy of Israel too!

Congress Looks to Cut U.S. Aid to Palestinians Amid Terror Campaign

Resolution would cut $5 billion in aid as a result of violence

FreeBeacon: Momentum is building on Capitol Hill for a new congressional resolution that would cut more than $5 billion in U.S. aid to the Palestinians as a result of an increase in violence that has claimed the lives of at least eight Israelis and wounded many more, according to a copy of the measure viewed by the Free Beacon.

The bill comes amid criticism from lawmakers about the Obama administration’s response to the terrorism and efforts to blame Israel for the violence.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Tex.), among others, has demanded that Secretary of State John Kerry resign his post in light of accusations by the administration that Israel has fostered the violence as a result of its policies to combat Palestinian terrorism.

Rep. Martha McSally (R., Ariz.), a retired Air Force colonel, is now seeking to hold the Palestinian Authority directly responsible for the terrorist acts by cutting off U.S. taxpayer aid to the governing body, officials of which have called for more violence against Jewish people in recent days.

The resolution, a copy of which was obtained by the Free Beacon, calls on the Obama administration to more strongly condemn the Palestinian violence and seeks to condition continued U.S. aid on the Palestinian government’s acceptance of a Jewish state.

The measure “demands, as a condition of continued United States aid … that the President re-certify that the Palestinian Authority (PA) government, including all ministers, has publicly accepted” Israel’s right to exist.

McSally’s measure would “freeze all United States funding to the Palestinian Authority until their leaders openly increase efforts to end their incitement of violence.”

The resolution also expresses concern about the Obama administration’s continued use of executive authority to continue paying the Palestinians despite the government’s support for terrorism against Israel.

It expresses concern “about the use of national security waivers to continue supplying aid to the Palestinian Authority,” according to the text.

The measure also suggests that no U.S. aid should be given to a joint government that includes Hamas, the terrorist organization that rules over the Gaza Strip.

The Obama administration has come under fire from the pro-Israel community in recent days due to its statements blaming Israel for the violence.

Kerry, for instance, inaccurately stated that so-called Israeli “settlement” growth, the construction of Jewish homes in Jewish neighborhoods of Israel, is to blame for Palestinian violence.

“There’s been a massive increase in settlements over the course of the last years,” Kerry said. “Now you have this violence because there’s a frustration that is growing, and a frustration among Israelis who don’t see any movement.”

John Kirby, a spokesman for the State Department, similarly accused Israelis of committing “terrorism.”

“Individuals on both sides of this divide are—have proven capable of, and in our view, are guilty of acts of terrorism,” Kirby told reporters earlier this week following questions about the spike in violence.

Kirby also noted that the administration has seen “credible reports of excessive use of force” by the Israelis against Palestinian “civilians,” several of whom have attempted to murder Jews in recent days.

“We routinely raise our concerns about that” with the Israeli government, Kirby said.

Cruz has demanded that Kerry resign over these comments.

“Once again Secretary Kerry and his staff have proven themselves utterly unfit for the positions they hold,” Cruz said late Thursday. “Mr. Kirby should immediately retract his offensive assertion that Israel is ‘guilty of acts of terror’ or resign, and Secretary Kerry should immediately disavow these remarks or resign.”

Obama on Wrong Side of UNRWA and Israel

Posted on October 16, 2015October 16, 2015 by Denise Simon

Palestinians Set Fire to Joseph’s Tomb Ahead of ‘Day of Rage’

JERUSALEM — Hundreds of Palestinians entered the Joseph’s Tomb compound in the West Bank town of Nablus late Thursday and set it on fire, severely damaging the Jewish holy site in what Israel called a “despicable” act.

The overnight violence came amid calls for another “day of rage” in the region and looked set to further escalate tensions in which at least 40 people have been killed over the past two weeks.

On Friday, an Israeli soldier was stabbed and lightly wounded at a Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The attacker had disguised himself as a news photographer and was shot dead, the IDF added. Security officials pledged to hunt down those behind the attack on the tomb, which is said to contain the remains of the biblical patriarch, Joseph.

IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said: “The burning and desecration of Joseph’s tomb … is a blatant violation and contradiction of the basic value of freedom of worship. The IDF will take all measures to bring the perpetrators of this despicable act to justice, restore the site to its previous condition and ensure that the freedom of worship returns to Joseph’s Tomb.”

He said the IDF would “make the necessary repairs in order to allow worshipers to visit the holy site.”

Masked Palestinians and a Palestinian flag were seen at the site. Palestinian firefighting teams extinguished the blaze.

The WAFA news agency reported Friday that Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the incident and created a committee to investigate the tomb’s torching. He also ordered that it be repaired immediately.

Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad called for a “day of rage” in the region Friday following afternoon prayers in the mosques.

Demonstrations were also planned at West Bank points of friction, including Rachel’s Tomb, the Kalandiya checkpoint, and the Judea and Samaria intersection near Ramallah. Hamas also called for protests in Hebron, Tulkarm, and Nablus.

SUBJECT: U.N. 16 Oct.meeting re Jerusalem unrest:

QUOTE:”Uptick in weeks of violence has raised fears that a third Palestinian intifada, or uprising, might erupt. (Reuters)”

FULL TEXT:The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday[16 Oct. to discuss an upsurge of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, diplomats said.

The urgent talks were requested by council member Jordan following a meeting on Thursday of Arab ambassadors who expressed alarm at the escalating situation.

The meeting comes as another attack took place on Friday after Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian who they say was “disguised as a news photographer” and who allegedly stabbed and wounded a soldier in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, the army said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly called for calm following weeks of violence that have left at least 30 Palestinians dead. Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour told reporters that the situation was “very explosive” and called on the Security Council to “shoulder its responsibility” with action to quell the violence.

Israeli security forces deployed massively in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday as Jews armed themselves with everything from guns to broomsticks. The uptick in violence has raised fears that a third Palestinian intifada, or uprising, might erupt.

UNRWA employees:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GENEVA, October 16, 2015 – UN staffers are using the imprimatur of their official positions to incite Palestinian stabbing and shooting attacks against Israeli Jews, with one UN-identified employee calling on Facebook to “stab Zionist dogs,” according to a new report issued today by UN Watch, the Geneva-based non-governmental organization that is accredited by the United Nations with the mandate to monitor the world body’s compliance with its charter.

UN Watch submitted the report today to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNRWA chief Pierre Krähenbühl, and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power, whose government’s $400 million annual grant makes it the largest funder of UNRWA.

“The UN and top funders of UNRWA such as the United States government must act immediately to terminate employees who are inciting murderous anti-Semitism and fueling the deadly pandemic of Palestinian attacks against Israeli Jews that have claimed innocent men, women and children, aged 13 to 78,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.

“Despite UNRWA’s promise, in wake of our previous report, to take action and dismiss UNRWA perpetrators of incitement, there has been no accountability whatsoever,” said Neuer. “On the contrary, UNRWA’s main response has been to try and intimidate UN Watch.”

“We call once again on Ban Ki-moon and UNRWA to immediately terminate their employees who incite to murder. Moreover, we call for the establishment an independent commission of inquiry, to include representatives of the U.S., the EU (gave $139 million), the UK ($95 million), and other top UNRWA funders, to investigate the culture of impunity for perpetrators of racism and incitement that pervades UNRWA.”

“UNRWA’s strategy of impunity, denial and deflection only enables more incitement and violence. It’s time to put an end to the pattern and practice of UNRWA school principals, teachers and staff members posting antisemitic and terror-inciting images, indicating a pathology of racism and violence within UNRWA that must be rooted out — and not buried, as UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness has attempted to do by calling for boycotts of newspapers or NGOs that dare to report these incidents of hate,” said Neuer.

“We’re urging the UN to finally recognize that these despicable posts, published on Facebook accounts run by people who openly identify themselves as UNRWA officials, constitute a gross violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence,” said Neuer.

Report on UNRWA Teachers
and Other Officials
Inciting Violence & Antisemitism

UN Watch Report
October 16, 2015

1: “STAB ZIONIST DOGS,” SAYS U.N. EMPLOYEE HANI AL RAMAHI

Hani Al Ramahi, who identifies himself on Facebook as a “Projects Support Assistant at UNRWA” (screenshot here), posted the violent image below last Thursday, on October 8th, in which a keffiyeh-clad man stares down the camera as he grasps a knife, bearing the Palestinian colors, daubed in blood. “Stab Zionist dogs,“ reads the caption.

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Hani Al Ramahi for using the name of UNRWA on an account that incites violence and terrorism.

_________________________

2: U.N. EMPLOYEE IBRAHIM ALI GLORIFIES
KNIFINGS, MOLOTOV COCKTAIL ATTACKS

Ibrahim Ali, who lives in Hebron and identifies himself as an UNRWA employee on his Facebook page (screenshot here), posted this video on his timeline on October 6th (screen captures below), which glorifies a gruesome series of terrorist attacks, including shootings and stabbings, of Israeli Jews.

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Ibrahim Ali for using the name of UNRWA on an account that promotes violence and terrorism.

_________________________

3: HIBA MIARI, UNRWA TEACHER, CELEBRATES STABBINGS

Hiba Miari, identifying herself on her Facebook page as an UNRWA teacher (screenshot above), celebrated the recent Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israeli Jews with a cartoon that she posted online on October 11th. A masked Palestinian is shown playing music on a violin made of a giant knife — the kind used for stabbing. The picture was deleted after it was first exposed by the blogger Elder of Ziyon, though UNRWA has never condemned the incitement or announced any punitive action.

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Hiba Miari for using the name of UNRWA on an account that glorifies and romanticizes violent acts of terrorism.

_________________________

4: UM KARAM, UNRWA TEACHER, GLORIFIES STABBING SERMON

Um Karam, who identifies himself on his Facebook page as a teacher at UNRWA (screenshot above), posted the infamous video of mosque sermon in which Sheikh Abu Rajab pulled out a knife and, with violent stabbing motions, exhorted Palestinians to murder Jews in the name of Islam.

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Um Karam for using the name of UNRWA on an account that promotes murder and terrorism.

_______________

5: SOUHAIB FAYYAD

Souhaib Fayyad, who identified on Facebook as part of UNRWA, celebrated the stabbing of Israeli Jews by turning his Facebook profie picture, on October 12th, into an image of a dagger, morphed out of the Facebook “Like” icon. UN Watch captured the image below before it was removed. Fayyad’s actions were documented by the blogger Elder of Ziyon, and his UNRWA-linked Facebook page has since been deactivated. UNRWA has never condemned its employee’s incitement or announced any punitive measures.

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Souhaib Fayyad for using the name of UNRWA on an account that promotes and condones murderous acts of terrorism.

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6: MAHMOUD ABU ZAKARI

Mahmoud Abu Zakari, identified on his Facebook page as an UNRWA social worker, celebrated the stabbing of Israeli Jews on October 11th, by turning his profile picture into an image of a hooded youngster clutching a large knife, ready to strike (below).

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Mahmoud Abu Zakari for using the name of UNRWA on an account that promotes and condones acts of violence and terrorism.

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7: MAEN DAJANI, U.N. TEACHER, DEFENDS STABBER

Maen Dajani, identifying himself on his Facebook page as a teacher with UNRWA, joined in the PA-Hamas campaign to demonize Israeli self-defence against stabbings as “executions of teenagers,” when he shared a post on October 14th (screenshot below) purporting to illustrate that Israeli media had photoshopped a knife into the hand of a 15-year-old “martyr” who attempted to stab an Israeli. Dajani, who failed to reply to another user’s comment on his post in which the photoshop claim is conclusively refuted, was first exposed by the blogger Elder of Ziyon.

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Maen Dajani for using the name of UNRWA on an account that excuses violence and terrorism.

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8: UNRWA’S SALEH MOHSEN ADVOCATES VIOLENCE

Saleh Mohsen, identifying himself on his Facebook page as an UNRWA employee, celebrated the outbreak of Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israelis by calling, on October 4th, for a “West Bank Intifada”:

On October 9th, this UN employee shared a post on his timeliine calling for a “Third Intifada” (see three hashtags below) and then, on the same day, turned his profile picture into the violent image of a masked stone-thrower (see below), as first exposed by the blogger Elder of Ziyon.

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Saleh Mohsen for using the name of UNRWA on an account that promotes violence and terrorism.

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9: UNRWA’S “ARAB IDOL” MOHAMMED ASSAF
ADVOCATES “WEST BANK INTIFADA,” GLORIFIES VIOLENCE

Mohammed Assaf, UNRWA’s “Youth Ambassador” and most famous personality — an “Arab Idol” winner who is a key fundraiser and face of the organization, appointed by UNRWA’s Commissioner-General — has been using his UN imprimatur to glorify violence throughout his Facebook timeline. In the image above, Assaf glorifies three Palestinian youths who attacked Israeli Jews as holy “martyrs” (Shahid).

Recommendation: UNRWA should fire Mohammed Assaf for using the name of UNRWA on an account that promotes violence and terrorism.