Special Report: Palestinian terrorist’s letter to family reveals the Islamic ideology and incentives that fuel Palestinian terrorism

On Saturday 19 August, 17-year-old Qutayba Ziad Zahran approached Israeli border police. After Israeli troops asked him to stop, he pulled out a knife and tried to stab them. He was shot dead.

News sources, such as Ma’an and Al Jazeera, were quick to report on the teen’s death using words such as “allegedly” and “according to Israel”, attempts to suggest the teen was innocent, that he hadn’t carried out a terror attack and that Israel killed him in cold blood.

The truth, however, is that Zahran was a terrorist and he died willingly.

Zahran’s final message on Facebook, as well as some of the other messages he left in his final days, speak volumes of the ideology of Islamic terrorists. And you may be surprised to hear that Zahran didn’t mention “Israeli brutality” or the “occupation”, but instead he mentioned “martyrdom”, “paradise” and “to make sure that Allah’s word is the highest word”.

This is counter to what we are told by many politicians and the media who try to tell us this is “not a religious war” and that all this fighting is only “about land”.

You will notice that when a terrorist attack happens in the UK, Europe or America, this same narrative continues. We are told that it is Western actions that caused our people to be slaughtered. Likewise, when Palestinian terrorists stab innocent Israelis to death, we are told that it was Israel’s actions that caused the attack to happen.

This excuse is nonsense and does not explain why ISIS would target a country like the Philippines, a nation that has neither invaded another country nor participated in the recent wars in the Middle East. It also doesn’t explain why “Allah Akbar” is shouted as the terrorists carry out their attack, after all, if religion has nothing to do with it, why do the terrorists shout the name of a religious deity?

In reality this is a religious war. Islamic terrorists carry out their attacks because they believe, according to their understanding, conviction and belief, that they are carrying out the will of Allah and doing what is commanded of them in the Quran.

This evil ideology is what motivates Islamic terrorists to kill innocent people on the streets of Barcelona, London, Paris, Manchester, Nice, Boston and Jerusalem (to name but a few).

When Qutayba Ziad Zahran, a 17-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, drew his knife and attacked the Israeli policeman, he was following that exact same hate filled ideology.

This is evidenced in a letter Zahran wrote to his family and posted on Facebook on the day of his death, in which he made clear that he would carry out a terror attack and was going to die.

Picture: Qutayba Ziad Zahran

He told his father “I have achieved my wish and I am about to die a martyr for the sake of Allah”. He continued “I have left this mortal world, rushing to the immortal life in paradise where I will meet Allah’s chosen prophet… because martyrdom has called upon me after I have been wishing to obtain it for a while.”

To his mother he asked “sacrifice me for Allah’s reward” and said not to cry, but instead to “utter trilling cries of joy because this is your martyr son’s wedding”.

He also gave his mother his three reasons for carrying out the attack; to “die fighting for the sake of Allah, to make sure that Allah’s word is the highest word, and to take revenge for the martyrs of Palestine”.

He then went on to state the promises of the Quran, saying, “The prophet promised that a martyr will intercede for the benefit of 70 of his family members.”

The trouble is that Zahran, and seemingly his family, truly believe that his death will grant him paradise and not only that, but that his whole family up to 70 members will enter paradise as a result.

You may have heard the phrase “the Israelis love life, but the Palestinians love death”. Surprisingly, this phrase has been uttered many times by the Palestinians themselves. When someone believes they will enter paradise through martyrdom, or “death for Allah”, it is not hard to understand why they long for and celebrate death. This is why many parents of martyrs are filmed handing out sweets and celebrating. They are joyful because they believe they and their children, for lack of a better word, are now ‘saved’.

Along with an eternal paradise, Palestinian terrorists are also promised earthly rewards.

According to Palestinian law, terrorist prisoners serving time in Israeli jails and families of assailants killed while carrying out attacks against Israelis are eligible to receive stipends (fixed monthly payments) and other benefits.

This salary is extremely generous in the Palestinian territories. Where a school teacher in the so-called West Bank will earn around £200 per month and a skilled labourer will earn around £320 per month, an imprisoned Palestinian terrorist can receive up to £2,300 per month. If the terrorist dies a martyr, this salary is transferred to the family.

In the past five years the Palestinian Authority has paid more than £1 billion to terrorists. What’s more, they even openly admit it, and despite international pressure, they will never stop paying.

In fact Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month made this vow. His exact words were: “Even if I will have to leave my position, I will not compromise on the salary (rawatib) of a Martyr (Shahid) or a prisoner, as I am the president of the entire Palestinian people, including the prisoners, the Martyrs, the injured, the expelled, and the uprooted.”

We wrote an article at the time all about Abbas’s support for terrorism and the lacklustre response from the British government, which you can readhere. And if you want to hear from a terrorist’s mouth that the incentive of money works, click here.

An important note in these salaries is that certain terrorists receive extra money based on a number of factors. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), there is an additional monthly $78 (£61) supplement for terrorists from Jerusalem and a $130 (£101) supplement for Arab Israeli terrorists. This additional incentive is given because the Palestinian Authority knows that an attack from within is much more painful than an attack from outside. When Israelis hear of an attack in the so-called West Bank, it seems distant, but if the attack happens in the heart of their capital, or by a fellow countryman, then it clearly shocks the public more. Remember, the Palestinian leadership pays terrorists, not because they want freedom, but because they want to destroy Israel.

Another incentive for terrorists aside from the healthy salary is the title of ‘martyr’, one of the highest honours in Islam. A martyr’s funeral procession sees the body of the “hero” paraded through the streets as crowds praise their achievement and celebrate their “journey to paradise”… or at least, that is what they believe.

Along with his religious beliefs, Zahran also wanted to be seen as a hero. In the weeks before his death, Zahran shared a Facebook post of a martyr’s funeral with a body covered in a Hamas flag being carried down the street by a crowd of gunmen and the words “How I long for a procession like this”.

Zahran was born and raised in a society that praises terrorists as heroes above athletes, doctors and firemen. For example, a school in his town was recently named after a terrorist who masterminded the Munich Massacre, in which 11 members of the 1972 Israeli Olympic team were murdered. His religious beliefs lead him to believe that he would reach paradise if he also died attacking Jews.

Qutayba Ziad Zahran was manipulated and lied to from birth to martyrdom. A tactic the Palestinians have enforced in every area of society and used for decades. Why? Because they know it works.

Terror attacks only benefit the Palestinians. The Israelis are always the ones made to suffer. When a Palestinian stabber in his late teens is shot dead, it is chalked up by the media as another Palestinian child killed by Israel. It is a lose, lose for Israel.

As Israel is once again slammed by the media for killing a Palestinian, despite the fact it was just protecting itself, the ‘martyr’ is paraded through the streets and celebrated. And as Palestinian leaders condemn Israel for violence in public, to their own people they praise the ‘martyr’ and “welcome every drop of blood spilled”.

Our media blindly reports against Israel and our governments ignore the reality, but we need to wake up to the truth. Palestinian children are brainwashed and manipulated to hate Israel and the Jews and to sacrifice themselves for Allah. And that is why, for now at least, there will not be peace.

The full letter of Qutayba Ziad Zahran is below (although it does not include the Quranic verse he mentioned about fighting for Allah).

Dear family members… I have good news for you.

My precious father, forgive me.

Here I have achieved my wish and I am about to die a martyr for the sake of Allah, armed with the determination of mujahidin (fighters). I have left this mortal world, rushing to the immortal life in paradise where I will meet Allah’s chosen prophet, peace be upon him, alongside prophets, companions, and virtuous people. You should know, my family, that I haven’t left you because I am fed up with you, or because you were bad to me, but only because martyrdom has called upon me after I have been wishing to obtain it for a while.

My precious mother, forgive me.

Allah’s consent is dependent on your consent, and my wish won’t be realized without this condition. My wish won’t be complete unless you remain patient and sacrifice me for God’s reward by considering me a martyr who died fighting for the sake of Allah, to make sure that Allah’s word is the highest word, and to take revenge for the martyrs of Palestine. Don’t cry over losing me, but rather utter trilling cries of joy because this is your martyr son’s wedding.

My beloved brothers, forgive me.

Be helpful to your mother and father and be patient and sacrifice me for Allah’s reward. Be firm and support each other, and forgive me if I had ever erred against any of you. Continue to cling to God’s religion and hold firmly to the rope of God.

My beloved sisters, forgive me.

Don’t forget what I asked you a few days before I left for the sake of God. Stay by my mother’s side and be sisters to Aisha and al-Khansaa.

Forgive me everybody. If I failed to be helpful enough in life in this world, I won’t fail to be unhelpful to you on the day of judgment, God willing. The prophet promised that a martyr will intercede for the benefit of 70 of his family members.

My will:

My will for you, my family, is that nobody cries during my procession to paradise, but rather distribute dates and utter trilling cries of joy during my martyrdom wedding.

And finally, I will say: see you soon in a paradise, whose width is only equal to heaven and earth and has been prepared for Allah-fearing people.

Our last prayer is thanks be to Allah, the lord of the worlds.

Living martyr,

Qutayba Ziad Zahran

El Al Israel Airlines details Boeing 787 cabin plans

Rendering of Boeing 787 in El Al livery

Boeing

El Al Israel Airlines is preparing to take delivery of its first Boeing 787, which will include ViaSat Wi-Fi, a new premium-economy cabin and lie-flat business-class seats supplied by Recaro.

The Israeli flag carrier is acquiring ​16 787s, which will start arriving in August. The aircraft will enter commercial service on routes to Europe in September, before being deployed on long-haul routes to the US and Far East.

Giving an Aug. 15 update, El Al CEO David Maimon said the airline was rolling out a “massive investment” in advanced seats and upgraded IFE with the 787 arrival, after 18 months of preparations.

The aircraft will feature a new service class, a 28-seats premium-economy cabin, as well as a 32-seat business-class equipped with Recaro lie-flat seats. The economy cabin will be configured with 222 seats.

“High-speed internet by ViaSat will be launched in 2018 on the Dreamliner aircraft fleet,” El Al said. The 787s will also have high-definition Panasonic AVOD IFE.

The new aircraft will be phased in by 2020, replacing El Al’s 747-400s and 767-300s, building on El Al’s 737-900 short-haul fleet renewal which is already underway.

Israel's TowerJazz to set up China chip plant with Tacoma Semi

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli chipmaker TowerJazz is linking up with Tacoma Semiconductor Technology Co to establish a fabrication plant in Nanjing, China to make 8-inch wide wafers, as it seeks a foothold in the world's second-largest economy.

TowerJazz shares jumped 6.5 percent to $26.64 in early Nasdaq trading on Monday.

TowerJazz, which makes chips for smartphones, battery chargers, AC/DC adapters and image sensors, is not investing any money in the plant. But it will provide technological expertise together with operational and integration consultation.

It will receive payments based on milestones during the next few years, subject to a definitive agreement.

Tacoma will be responsible for funding the project, including the construction of the facility, which is being supported by the Nanjing Economic and Technology Development Zone Credito Capital. Funding could also come from third party investors and other entities, TowerJazz said.

TowerJazz noted it had already received its first payment of $18 million from Tacoma.

Under the deal, from the start of production at the facility TowerJazz will be entitled to a capacity allocation of up to 50 percent of the targeted 40,000 wafers per month capacity.

This will provide TowerJazz with additional manufacturing capability and flexibility to address growing global demand.

TowerJazz operates two plants in Israel, one in California, one in Texas, and three in Japan through a joint venture with Panasonic.

Earlier this month it reported a more than 20 percent rise in second-quarter profit and said it was on track for record revenue in the current quarter.

Last year, TowerJazz bought Maxim Integrated Product's 8-inch wafer fab plant in San Antonio, Texas for $40 million in stock.

Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by David Holmes

'Miracle' in Jerusalem testifies to the devotion of Christian pilgrims 1,500 years ago

An important ancient inscription has been unearthed near the Damascus Gate in JerusalemAssaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority

A 'miracle' inscription has been unearthed in Jerusalem that testifies to the devotion of Christian pilgrims just 550 years after the birth of Christ.

The Greek inscription mentioning the Byzantine emperor Justinian was exposed on a mosaic floor near the Damascus Gate.

It was found in a room believed to have been used as a hostel for pilgrims and has 'surprised and excited' the Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists who discovered it.

A 1,500 year old mosaic floor with its Greek inscription was discovered this summer during building work for communications infrastructures.

David Gellman, excavation director, said: 'The fact that the inscription survived is an archaeological 

'The excavation in a relatively small area exposed ancient remains that were severely damaged by infrastructure groundwork over the last few decades.

'We were about to close the excavation, when all of a sudden, a corner of the mosaic inscription peeked out between the pipes and cables. Amazingly, it had not been damaged. Every archaeologist dreams of finding an inscription in their excavations, especially one so well preserved and almost entirely intact.'

The Damascus Gate served for hundreds of years as the main northern entrance to Jerusalem.

Gellman said: 'Knowing that, it is no surprise that this area is rich with archaeological remains. In the Byzantine period, with the emergence of Christianity, churches, monasteries and hostels for pilgrims were built in the area north of the gate, and the area became one of the most important and active areas of the city.' 

Dr Leah Di Segni, of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, deciphered the inscription which read: 'In the time of our most pious emperor Flavius Justinian, also this entire building Constantine the most God-loving priest and abbot, established and raised, in the 14th indiction.'

Di Segni said: 'This inscription commemorates the founding of the building by Constantine, the priest. The inscription names the emperor Flavius Justinian. It seems that the building was used as a hostel for pilgrims. Indiction is an ancient method of counting years, for taxation purposes. Based on historical sources, the mosaic can be dated to the year 550/551 AD.'

The two people mentioned in the inscription are well known from both ancient historical sources and archaeological finds.

The emperor Flavius Justinian was one the most important rulers of the Byzantine period, and was one of the most colorful and charismatic rulers of antiquity. Under his reign, the Roman empire was at its strongest, and its conversion to Christianity was completed. In the year 543 AD he established a large church in Jerusalem, dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, known as The Nea Church.

This was the largest church built in Jerusalem and one of the largest in the entire empire.

The abbot of the church was Constantine. Remains of the church were partially excavated in 1970, in the Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, even then sparking interest among archaeologists and scholars of Jerusalem, throughout Israel and across the globe. This excavation was a part of the Jewish quarter excavations carried out immediately following the Six Day War in 1967.

According to Di Segni, the inscription found near the Damascus gate is fairly similar to an inscription found in the vaults of the Nea Church, currently exhibited in the Israel museum. The same two people are mentioned in the inscription, the emperor Justinian and the abbot Constantine. Di Segni said: 'This new inscription helps us understand Justinian's building projects in Jerusalem, especially the Nea Church. The rare combination of archaeological finds and historical sources, woven together, is incredible to witness, and they throw important light on Jerusalem's past.'

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/miracle.in.jerusalem.testifies.to.the.devotion.of.christian.pilgrims.1500.years.ago/112330.htm

Indian Space Agency, Israeli Counterpart to Formalize Strategic Collaborations

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) says it is looking for greater cooperation with Israel in the field of electric propulsion system of space technology and optical communication technique.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – ISRO chief A.S. Kiran Kumar has said that the organization hopes to soon formalize key collaborations in space technologies with Israel Space Agency (ISA), taking forward a cooperation agreement signed between the two during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Middle Eastern country last month. The agreement mainly focused on developing technologies in the areas of electric propulsion for the small satellites, atomic clocks and GEO-LEO Optical Link.

"We are looking for cooperation in the field of optical communication technique and electric propulsion system of space technology," Kumar said on Monday in New Delhi.

© AFP 2017/ NOAH SEELAM

Indian Air Force Says Shalom To Israel’s Largest Air Exercise

The electric propulsion system is critical for sending heavy-weight satellites in the orbit while the optical communication technology transmits data, using light, from satellite to the earth station.

India’s collaboration with Israel in the fields of communication and aeronautics is low compared to India’s cooperation with other countries like the US, Russia and countries of the European Union.

In 2011, Israel had supplied India with a radar imaging satellite, later named RISAT-2. A nano satellite from Israel was one of the 104 satellites launched by ISRO in its record-breaking feat in February although the first launch of an Israeli satellite was done by the Indian space agency in 2008.

Kumar, who also serves as the secretary of the Department of Space, informed that ISRO has been already working with and share resources with international agencies on collaborative projects.

A case in point: ISRO and NASA’s NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite that can help in providing crucial information on the biomass estimation and agriculture production estimation. The NISAR will also help in studying earth surface deformation, which could provide valuable inputs for future earthquake precursors.

Israel’s Mossad Submits Report Detailing Iran’s ‘Growing Influence in Syria’

Members of Iran’s Basij militia, an internal security force which has had some of its operatives deployed to Syria. (Reuters)

London – The Israeli Mossad agency voiced on Tuesday Tel Aviv’s concern over Iran’s growing power in the region.

It delivered a report on Iran’s influence in Syria to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian city of Sochi on Wednesday.

Mossad Director Yossi Cohen alerted the government to the fact that Iran’s influence, in Syria in particular, and the region in general is growing stronger by the day.

The report noted the constant flow of fighters from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran commanded by Qasem Soleimani and backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It also addressed the supply transports by air and sea. The report was prepared by intelligence analyst Ronen Salomon and published by Russia Today.

Salomon’s research shows that Iran is shoring up its presence in Lebanon through the IRGC’s Quds Force, headed by Soleimani.

The Quds Force works with the IRGC’s intelligence division to carry out operations outside of Iran, with the assistance of the Ministry of Intelligence and other ministries and agencies.

The Iranian presence in Syria, meanwhile, begins at the Damascus International Airport region, the Iranian embassy, Mount Qasioun, which overlooks Damascus, and near the Presidential Palace.

Yedioth Ahronoth, which also published segments of the report, stated that Israeli Air Force carried attacks meant to stop ammunition shipments to Lebanon’s “Hezbollah” both at the Damascus airport and in the Qasioun area.

“These are accompanied by ‘interests sections’ used by the Quds Force in aviation and transportation, such as Iran Air and Mahan Air, the ministries of Islamic culture and direction, science and technology, housing and commerce and trade,” explained Salomon.

He claimed that the Quds Force is occasionally using the Iranian Red Crescent both to insert Revolutionary Guard and intelligence ministry operatives and to transport shipment and military aid by air and by sea, as they have already done in Lebanon, Sudan and Yemen.

Research showed that over the past few years, Iran was able to transport a large number of containers carrying advanced implements of war by sea under the guise of commercial shipments. Among other methods, transpiration is carried out through companies connected to Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL).

Meanwhile, and according to the report, Iran started running an airlift to Syria out of Tehran’s airports and Iranian airbases adjacent to the Iraqi border.

Iran’s activity covers four fronts with the main command stationed in Damascus international airport’s area and is entrusted with the airborne supply array and forces spread over greater Damascus.

Salomon stated some eyewitnesses testimonies of the accelerated construction of military complexes in the coastal strip of northwestern Syria, reportedly linked to armament development and storage.

Recently, Iran has made a concerted effort to gain control of the Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq with the goal of connecting Iran’s bases and those of its Iraqi branches, according to Salomon. This will also be used to achieve control of Iraq’s shared border with Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria.

https://english.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/israels-mossad-submits-report-detailing-irans-growing-influence-syria

Joint Bulgaria – Israeli flight training exercise to be held in September 2017

Written by The Sofia Globe staff on August 23, 2017 in Bulgaria - Comments Off on Joint Bulgaria – Israeli flight training exercise to be held in September 2017

A joint flight training exercise by the air forces of Bulgaria and Israel is to be held in Bulgaria in early September 2017, according to a statement after the Cabinet met in Sofia on August 23.

The statement said that Bulgaria’s government had authorised the entry of Israeli Air Force “non-military” aircraft and their crews for the flight training.

The exercise will involve 42 Israeli aircraft and their crews, as well as 40 Israeli military personnel for co-ordination and technical support.

“The holding of the joint training activities will lead to increased interoperability and expansion of military co-operation between the armed forces of Bulgaria and Israel, as well as to the improvement of the preparation of the units of the Bulgarian Air Force,” the government statement said.

DAN DEPAOLI APPOINTED REGIONAL MANAGING PARTNER FOR THE U.S., CANADA AND ISRAEL AT ANDERSEN GLOBAL

By Chris Bale

  Posted 23rd August 2017

 In Andersen Tax

 0

Andersen Global has announced the appointment of the Regional Managing Partner for the U.S., Canada and Israel, Dan DePaoli. Dan serves on the Board of Directors in the U.S. and has been the U.S. Country Managing Director of Andersen Tax LLC for nearly two years.

Dan, along with two other regional leaders, will focus on specific regional strategies and is part of the larger structure that will support the growth of Andersen Global and its member and collaborating firms. The regional leaders for Latin America and Europe will be announced in the coming weeks.

Dan’s background includes providing tax consulting and compliance services to high net worth individuals and families, while also providing tax and financial services to family offices. Dan began his career at Arthur Andersen over 25 years ago.

“Dan’s collaborative nature combined with his experience on the U.S. Board and as a line partner makes him an excellent fit for this role. He is a steward for our firm and fully embodies the culture and values of our organization,” noted Global Chairman and Andersen Tax LLC CEO, Mark Vorsatz. “I am confident in Dan’s leadership and vision to implement key strategies in this region that will take us to the next level.”

Protein discovered that ‘turns off’ desire for alcohol

Researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre have discovered a protective response in the liver that could be targeted to help treat alcoholic liver disease.

The finding involves a protein called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), which was previously found to help protect mice against diet-related toxicities to the liver.

Increasing levels of the protein – in lab mice – caused them to prefer water over alcohol.

The same protective response may be involved in aversion to alcohol and could therefore be utilised in the treatment of alcoholism.

The study’s co-senior author, Eleftheria Maratos-Flier, said: ‘Looking at the relationship between alcohol-induced liver disease and FGF21 was the next step.’

‘We showed that alcohol consumption induces FGF21 as a protective response in the liver that reduces the degree of alcohol-induced damage,” said Maratos-Flier. “Because humans and mice have similar responses, mice may be a good model for studying this further.’

The study, which has been published in the journal Molecular Metabolism, found that people who binged on alcohol over a one-hour period exhibited massive increases of FGF21 in their blood six hours later. Similar results were seen in mice. Also, in mice bred to lack FGF21, binging on alcohol led to more liver damage than that seen in wild mice, along with an increased expression of genes involved in inflammation and scarring in the liver.

Alcohol was cleared normally in mice lacking FGF21, suggesting that FGF21 does not play a role in acute alcohol metabolism. Also, mice that were bred to overexpress FGF21 consumed less alcohol than wild mice. A similar effect was observed when wild mice were administered extra FGF21.

The findings suggest that the protein has a dual role in alcohol metabolism. The rise in FGF21 in response to alcohol consumption seems to inhibit further drinking. Simultaneously the rise in FGF21 expression in the liver may protect against liver damage.

‘Our results may encourage the development of drugs that mimic FGF21 for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease, and possibly to produce alcohol aversion,’ Maratos-Flier said.

Baghdad schoolmates hold reunion in Montreal

 When alumni of the Frank Iny School, the last Jewish school in Baghdad, held a reunion last week in Montreal, it was a chance to reminisce and catch up with old friends, most of whom had fled Iraq after 1967. For blogger Marcus E. Smith, attending the event was to open his eyes to a close-knit but oppressed community, which he had no clue existed when he was a soldier in Iraq.  

Looking at old school photos
 
Named after its benefactor, the school had been one of many Jewish schools in the city but when it moved to a newly completed facility in the old Baghdad neighborhood of Alwiyah in 1951 it then served as the sole Jewish high school and, thus, a focal point of the now small Jewish community in Baghdad.

Weddings, Bar-mitzvahs, Graduations. The school acted like a magnet, drawing its students and their families closer inward, strengthening the bonds of the community.

Meanwhile, the persecution that precipitated the mass migration abated significantly and the remaining Jewish community carried on working, going to school, and raising their families. Like other Iraqis in Baghdad, they swam in the cool waters of the Tigris and slept away the hot summer nights on their terrace rooftops. They tuned in to radio Baghdad as revolution brought an end to the monarchy in 1958. Regimes came and went in the decade or so following the revolution but daily life continued largely undisturbed for the residents of the Iraqi capital, including the Jews.  At the Frank Iny School the students tackled the most rigorous curriculum in the country, studying their subjects in English and French as well as their native Arabic. The program was so renowned for its quality education that a number of prominent Muslim families sent their children there. Jewish families, wary of what the future held for them in Iraq, sought education for their youth that would provide opportunities abroad, yet they continued to enjoy their lives in Iraq.
​
Attending the cinema with friends. Weekend trips to the countryside. Long evenings at the Jewish country club or at a local café playing games and socializing.On weekdays many went to work alongside Muslim and Christian business partners and clientele. Some Jews called this period in the 1950s and early 60s a “return to normalcy.” Others “a golden age.” Whatever they call it, they all agree that 1967 was a turning point.
 
Many Iraqis continued to conflate all Jews with the Zionist project in Israel, which Iraqis considered an affront to Arab independence. When Israel dealt a crushing blow to its Arab adversaries in the Six Day War of 1967, many Iraqis including some in the government once again turned on their Jewish neighbors.
 
Accused of espionage, their phone lines were cut.Assets were frozen.
Travel restricted.Arbitrary searches, surveillance, and arrests ensued.
Relationships with Muslim acquaintances were tested as associations with Jews could invite trouble.
 
The Ba’th Party coup a year later brought an escalation of this crisis as the new government played up the false claims that Jews were engaging in espionage for Israel. It fabricated evidence of an elaborate spy ring and brought several Jews up on charges in a widely publicized show trial. Nine Jews and three others were convicted and executed, their bodies displayed in public squares in Baghdad and Basra where thousands gathered to celebrate what the state touted as a victory against Zionism and Imperialism.

Read article in full 
 

Ben Yair: 'Give E. Jerusalem properties to Arabs'

The government should expropriate disputed properties in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem and give them to Arabs living in them, The Jerusalem Post has reported former attorney-general Michael Ben-Yair as saying. Ben Yair claims that an exchange has already taken place, with Jews given 'double compensation', as they are able to sue for restitution, as well as  living in Arab property in west Jerusalem.  But this is not always the case. Additionally, the Israeli courts have always protected the rights of the Arab tenants, except where these have failed to pay rent.

Ben-Yair, whose family owned properties in the neighborhood before 1948, was speaking from the house of the Shamasneh family, who are under threat of eviction and supposed to leave their home on Sunday.

“If the Israeli government would have acted decently toward all its residents, including you [the Arab residents], it would have appropriated the properties in the neighborhood [from their Jewish owners who lived there before the War of Independence] and given these properties to the Palestinians who live there today,” said Ben- Yair, who served as the attorney-general under prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Benjamin Netanyahu from 1993 to 1997.

“My family and the family of my cousin who were forced to leave the neighborhood in January 1948 got properties of Palestinians refugees on Jaffa Road and in the Katamon neighborhood in west Jerusalem,” he added.

“They were worth much more than the properties that we left in Sheikh Jarrah.”

Ben-Yair said if Israel will conduct land registration in Sheikh Jarrah, he would demand that the ownership of the building that his family had would go to the Arabs who live in it today.

“The current Israeli law that enables double compensation only for Jews for [lost] properties in east Jerusalem from the times before 1948 is unjust,” he said.

The Jerusalem Post has learned that the Bailiff’s Office issued an order to the Shamasneh family to leave the house it has been living in by last Wednesday, following a Supreme Court ruling from 2013.

After appealing to the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, the family received a five-day extension that will expire on Sunday. The family is now carrying out a legal battle along with activists to prevent the eviction.

Eyal Raz, an activist opposing the eviction, told the Post that the family’s lawyer, Sai’id Ghalia, plans to appeal to the magistrate’s court once again on Sunday.

These kind of evictions happen in cases where Arabs are living in properties owned by Jews from before 1948, who were forced out when Jordanian seized eastern Jerusalem. Under Jordanian rule, these properties were under the jurisdiction of the Jordanian Custodian of Enemy Property, and Arab refugees, mainly from the Jerusalem area, were housed there.

Since Israel reunified the city in 1967, legal disputes have been taking place over some of these properties.

Read article in full