Israeli surgeon enables Palestinian teen to stand again

That’s how Yusef Rabaya, a 19-year-old from Jenin, located in the Palestinian Authority territories, received a revolutionary treatment in Israel that has transformed his life and got him walking again for the first time in nearly a year.

Rabaya was born with cerebral palsy and a neuromuscular kyphosis – a curve from the front to the back of his body that looks like a hump.

The disabled resident of Jenin sought treatment in Europe and Boston before having his spine repaired in Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.

By  Brian Blum  

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn’t enter into Israeli hospitals, where patients are treated equally, regardless of citizenship, religion or ethnicity.
When Rabaya hit his teens, the curve became so pronounced that he could no longer stand and was in terrible pain. His parents searched for a cure in Europe, to no avail.

Yusef Rabaya back on his feet. Photo courtesy of Hadassah Medical Organization

Finally, the family made a connection in Boston where surgery was performed to implant rods into his back to strengthen his spine. But the rods broke and Rabaya was now confined to bed in even worse pain.

The solution to Rabaya’s misery turned out to be not in Europe or Boston, but right here in Israel.

Dr. Josh Schroeder, a senior surgeon and spine specialist at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, performed four-hour reconstruction surgery.

It was not easy.

“We needed equipment that is not used in Israel, because the technique and equipment for its implementation are used almost exclusively in the United States,” Schroeder explained.

Four boxes of rods and screws developed by a surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York were dispatched to Jerusalem. The broken rods were removed, new implants were anchored to Rabaya’s vertebrae, and the spinal deformity corrected.

As a result of the surgery, Rabaya can stand again. He is now beginning physical therapy to build up the muscles that deteriorated during the time he couldn’t get out of bed.

Rabaya’s father, Iyad, praised Schroeder and the Hadassah team “who saved my son.

Glasgow Friends of Israel member Edward Sutherland reports on what happened at an SPSC "rally"

ROM HATRED TO SHALOM...

First the Hatred...

Glasgow Friends of Israel member Edward Sutherland reports on what happened at an SPSC "rally"

"From the start, there was an atmosphere of hatred and, on arrival, I was called a ‘fascist’ by a man handing out placards. There was a coordinated attempt by organisers to block the views of 'Zionists' by holding flags or placards in front of our faces and I was repeatedly shoved and sworn at. Particularly aggressive and threatening violence was one man holding one of the large SPSC banners at the front of the demo. Later, as a friend and I were speaking with two of the crowd, I saw the same individual leave in a group of about six men, one of whom glared in our direction and shouted to the others, “Right, let’s get down there!” They then headed down the street towards the stall. Most of the audience seemed swept along by the rabble-rousers on the platform and who saw the demo as giving legitimacy to expressions of anger and hatred."

GFI member Nigel Goodrich continues... On Saturday January 6 members of the public were shocked when a man shouted “Hitler should have gassed the lot of you” at the Glasgow Friends of Israel peace stall. The man had attended a rally minutes earlier organised by the vile Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. A two-year investigation into their activities by Jewish Human Rights Watch revealed that up to 40% of their supporters who post on the SPSC Facebook page regularly post anti-Semitic and/or Holocaust-denying comments. The secretary of the SPSC, twice-convicted criminal Mick Napier, has refused to call out these haters and thus is complicit in accommodating, nurturing and encouraging behaviour which is injurious to community cohesion and puts the Jewish community at risk. As respected journalist Alex Massie wrote in the Sunday Times, “no decent person should associate themselves with the SPSC”. This latest criminal episode eloquently confirms Alex’s assessment.

More hatred on the SPSC Facebook Page...

SPSC adding incitement only three minutes after this hate-post appeared.

On Thursday January 4th the following was posted on the Facebook page of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign:    “I’m sick of this shit and all the useless fucken talking..just shoot these Zionist dogs now, organize weapons to be sent to the Palestinian people so they can fight back…” Instead of removing the post without comment, or distancing themselves from the clear call to murder Jews, the SPSC quickly posted the flagrant reply:    “Are you sick enough of the crimes to do something about it?” This is a clear and unambiguous incitement to violence. We consider this to be a serious hate crime and have reported it to the police and other bodies. The SPSC continues to attract, encourage and nurture vile racists whose behaviour, like that of its secretary Mick Napier, is criminal. COFIS will continue to report all such examples of Ant-Semitic hate-crimes to the police and expose the SPSC for what it is: a nasty, delinquent caucus wanting the liquidation of the democratic Jewish state.

From Hatred to Shalom...

Diminishing returns: SPSC protesters reduced from 150+ in 2016 to a mere 23 (maximum) in 2017, and on only one of the three days of the second International Shalom Festival

COFIS believes that the hatred and anti-dialogue perpetrated by disreputable groups such as the SPSC make no contribution towards peace and should be exposed for what they truly are. By contrast COFIS believes in dialogue between those who are sincere about planning a shared future and living together peacefully. We call this 'coexistence'. We have put on four peace festivals which promoted this vision, the most recent being the highly successful second International Shalom Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe. One of our strongest supporters is the founder of 'Pro Israel, Pro Palestinian Pro Peace', Judy Weleminsky, who is also a major sponsor. Judy commissioned a series of films which tells  the story of how the International Shalom Festival has countered the hatred of the SPSC. You can see the full 23 minute version here. Our sincere thanks to Judy, and the two filmmakers Deb and Christy, a Palestinian.

What can I do to support truth, justice and peace in the Middle East?

You may be astonished to learn that the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, a group that is supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, is not banned in the UK

COFIS supports the excellent work of the Israel Britain Alliance. IBA Director and Scot Michael McCann, a former MP, writes    Despite being responsible for terror attacks across the globe and in particular seeking to kill Jewish people as a number one priority, the UK Government allows Hezbollah to be promoted freely in our country.   The Hezbollah flag has the first letter of Allah reaching up to grasp an assault rifle.   People are walking down our streets with this flag celebrating terrorism and mocking our democracy.   A group of 15 brave cross-party MPs led by Joan Ryan have secured a debate in the House of Commons Chamber to call on the Government to ban Hezbollah. The debate will take place on 25 January. We would humbly request that you send an email to your MP asking them to attend the debate and call on the Government to ban this terror group.

Click to send a letter to your MP

SFI: "Hitler should have gassed the lot of you" - heard in Glasgow last week Read what's happening in Glasgow and in Edinburgh (- watch video )

Nigel Goodrich, a retired head teacher (not Jewish), has been an ardent supporter of Israel to the extent that he founded 12 “Friends of Israel” groups throughout Scotland. I got to know him when I learned that he had travelled from his home near Dumfries to Glasgow to help protect an Israeli stall holder selling Dead Sea Cosmetics in the Braehead Centre, against the threatening loud mouthed individuals from SPSC (Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign) one of whom splashed some irritant liquid on the face of an assistant and as a result some members of that group were  subsequently arrested by the police and charged with a public order offence plus assault.   I wanted to congratulate Nigel personally and as a result made contact with him.  He now makes frequent visits to Israel and has visited me here.  In fact he’s bringing a Christian group here this weeks to tour the holy sites and I shall be meeting him here on Thurs evening here in Netanya. One of his groups “Glasgow Friends of Israel” openly stands on a Pro Peace platform. “Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestinian-Pro Peace” is their banner headline above their kiosk in Buchanan St on a Saturday  where they station themselves to talk to the public, amongst whom they have found many who support their viewpoint.  Here is a report by founder member Nigel Goodrich...  ( and see later the video featuring Nigel ) On Saturday January 6 members of the public were shocked when a man shouted “Hitler should have gassed the lot of you” at the Glasgow Friends of Israel peace stall. The man had attended a rally minutes earlier organised by the vile Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. A two-year investigation into their activities by Jewish Human Rights Watch revealed that up to 40% of their supporters who post on the SPSC Facebook page regularly post anti-Semitic and/or Holocaust-denying comments. The secretary of the SPSC, twice-convicted criminal Mick Napier, has refused to call out these haters and thus is complicit in accommodating, nurturing and encouraging behaviour which is injurious to community cohesion and puts the Jewish community at risk. As respected journalist Alex Massie wrote in the Sunday Times, “no decent person should associate themselves with the SPSC”. This latest criminal episode eloquently confirms Alex’s assessment. More hatred on the SPSC Facebook Page... SPSC adding incitement only three minutes after this hate-post appeared. On Thursday January 4th the following was posted on the Facebook page of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign:   “I’m sick of this shit and all the useless fucken talking..just shoot these Zionist dogs now, organize weapons to be sent to the Palestinian people so they can fight back…” Instead of removing the post without comment, or distancing themselves from the clear call to murder Jews, the SPSC quickly posted the flagrant reply:  “Are you sick enough of the crimes to do something about it?” This is a clear and unambiguous incitement to violence. We consider this to be a serious hate crime and have reported it to the police and other bodies. The SPSC continues to attract, encourage and nurture vile racists whose behaviour, like that of its secretary Mick Napier, is criminal. COFIS (Confederation of Friends of Israel) will continue to report all such examples of Ant-Semitic hate-crimes to the police and expose the SPSC for what it is: a nasty, delinquent caucus wanting the liquidation of the democratic Jewish state.  COFIS believes that the hatred and anti-dialogue perpetrated by disreputable groups such as the SPSC make no contribution towards peace and should be exposed for what they truly are. By contrast COFIS believes in dialogue between those who are sincere about planning a shared future and living together peacefully. We call this 'coexistence'. We have put on four peace festivals which promoted this vision, the most recent being the highly successful second International Shalom Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe. One of our strongest supporters is the founder of 'Pro Israel, Pro Palestinian Pro Peace', Judy Weleminsky, who is also a major sponsor. Judy commissioned a series of films which tells  the story of how the International Shalom Festival has countered the hatred of the SPSC. You can see the full 23 minute version here.  (Ctrl+click) https://vimeo.com/248371408 Our sincere thanks to Judy, and the two filmmakers Deb and Christy, a Palestinian. COFIS supports the excellent work of the Israel Britain Alliance.   IBA Director and Scot Michael McCann, a former MP, writes    Despite being responsible for terror attacks across the globe and in particular seeking to kill Jewish people as a number one priority, the UK Government allows Hezbollah to be promoted freely in our country. The Hezbollah flag has the first letter of Allah reaching up to grasp an assault rifle.   People are walking down our streets with this flag celebrating terrorism and mocking our democracy.   A group of 15 brave cross-party MPs led by Joan Ryan have secured a debate in the House of Commons Chamber to call on the Government to ban Hezbollah.        The debate will take place on 25 January.

In defence of Israel

Gough Whitlam coined a memorable political phrase when he said, “only the impotent are pure”. It’s memorable because it’s so obviously true. And it tells us something intrinsic about the human condition and in particular about politics. If you’re involved in politics, your hands will get dirty, no matter how noble your intentions or how perfect your democracy.

Which brings me to Israel. How can people expect a democratic country, which is surrounded by millions of people who want to kill the Jews, to always behave perfectly when the alternative to defending themselves is extermination? There is no second chance for the Israelis. It’s survive or die.

Context is all in this situation. If Israel was nestled somewhere in the middle of the European Union, different standards would apply. As it is, its neighbours are Hezbollah, ISIS, Fatah and Hamas. And every country surrounding Israel has attacked Israel directly or allowed proxies to attack from their territory. Living constantly on an existential knife-edge means mistakes are bound to happen. What country can always behave perfectly under these circumstances? What human being can remain absolutely pure under these circumstances? And what moral person expects perfection from a democratic country under these circumstances?

The Israelis are acutely aware of how their fragile political situation compromises their morality. The Israeli media is replete with articles outlining in minute detail the often-terrible price that Israel pays ethically in defending itself. The Israelis parse every action they take, and there are as many opinions about the ethics and morality of Israeli defence policy as there are Israelis. It’s a never-ending conversation in Israel. In contrast, morality and ethics are not conversations in the countries surrounding Israel, or in the Palestinian Territories. There the usual conversations are invocations to hatred and murder.

Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and the Palestinian Territories are ruled by criminal gangs who do not allow their people a democratic vote or the simple right to free speech. They are criminal regimes because they teach their children that the noblest action is to kill Jews – not Israelis, I stress, but Jews. In other words, death to the Jews is at the heart of their worldview. To put this in perspective, intentionally harming others is the definition of criminality. This is the case throughout most of the Muslim world, where democracy doesn’t exist and murderous anti-Semitism is the norm.

The extraordinary situation, then, and one that should be widely understood and publicised, is that the Israelis do not routinely behave like barbarians, which is an achievement considering the absolutely appalling intentions the surrounding populations have towards Israel. It’s hard to be decent all the time in the face of never-ending indecency. So, by all means, criticise Israeli actions, that’s one of the vital strengths of a democracy. But remember the Israelis are already doing a better job of criticising Israel than anyone else, and they’re doing it in full cognisance of the fact that their neighbours want to kill them.

The great Thomas Sowell has a simple question when confronted with the ethics of an economic or political situation: in comparison to what? The Israelis are paragons of virtue when contrasted with their neighbours. Nobody, even at his or her best, is pure in intent and perfect in deed when under existential threat. It’s impossible because human beings make mistakes. Impotence is not morality.

The disgrace is that a democratic country that wants to be left in peace is demonised when it defends itself.

Five lies (not counting distortions and errors) in Guardian op-ed claiming ‘Christians being driven out of the holy land’.

Five lies (not counting distortions and errors) in Guardian op-ed claiming ‘Christians being driven out of the holy land’. - by Adam Levick

Though we’re of course accustomed to errors, distortions and omissions in Guardian op-eds about Israel, this piece by the Orthodox Patriarch, suggesting some sort of sinister Jewish plot to ethnically cleans Christians from the holy land, rises to a whole other level of dishonesty. 

Adam Levick..
UK Media Watch..
07 January '18..

A Guardian op-ed by Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, (“Christians are at risk of being driven out of the Holy Land”, Jan. 7th) is full of errors, lies and distortions:

Lie #1

“there is a threat…to the religious status quo, a threat instigated by radical settlers in and around Jerusalem, the heart of Christianity. 

Theophilos’s assertion that “radical settlers” threaten the religious status quo in Jerusalem is not true, as later in the article we learn that the “radical settlers” are Jews who buy property in east Jerusalem. However, Jewish groups purchasing land in (east) Jerusalem do not threaten the “status quo”, at least in regards to what that term typically refers to: access to holy sites, such as the Temple Mount. (Alternatively, if he’s not referring to the status quo at holy sites, he could be making a morally troubling argument that any Jew who moves into areas of the city where Jews were ethnically cleansed and forbidden to live under Jordanian rule is itself a violation of the ‘status quo’.)

Also, note how he characterises Jerusalem as “the heart of Christianity”, but fails, in this paragraph or anywhere throughout the op-ed, to acknowledge the Jewish connection to the city.

Lie #2

(Continue to Full Post)

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The Members of Israel’s BDS Blacklist

The Israeli government has prepared a list of 20 organizations that lead BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) campaigns, such that officials of these groups will not be allowed to enter Israel. Reasonable people can disagree on whether or not banning activists who seek to harm the country they desire to enter is the best policy approach or not. To be sure, the critiques of this policy and similar legislation tend to be highly political instead of substantive.

The organizations listed by Israel include the leaders of BDS against Israel – groups that through their “anti-normalization” and selective application of the universal principles of human rights, fail to promote peace and a two-state framework. Likewise, many of these groups go beyond simple critiques of Israel and instead aim their frustration at the very existence of the Jewish State.

For 15 years, NGO Monitor has tracked the funding and activities of self-proclaimed human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that promote BDS and other delegitimization campaigns against Israel. NGO Monitor’s years of research into many of the organizations on the Israeli government list exposes that many of these groups advocate for a total boycott of Israel – including Israeli-made products, as well as academic, cultural, and sports institutions. This research also demonstrates that these groups are active in campaigns that promote hatred, antisemitism, and even utilize violent language regarding Israelis.

For example, the France Association Palestine Solidarity (AFPS), which receives French government funding, calls for the end of financial ties between French banks and insurance companies with Israeli banks and enterprises, accusing them of being “actors of colonization.” It also legitimizes the use of “armed struggle” against Israelis, as stated in its 2013 charter; in 2017, the group clarified that “support of popular resistance includes attacks against soldiers of the occupation…” AFPS also advocates for theremoval of the terror groups Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) from the European list of terrorist organizations.

The American Friends and Services Committee(AFSC) is active in promoting BDS on campus, at thePresbyterian Church in the US, and in advocating for divestment from Hewlett Packard and Sodastream. According to its “Palestine-Israel Program Director, AFSC rejects “any project, initiative, or activity, in Palestine or internationally, that aims (implicitly or explicitly) to bring together Palestinians and Israelis (people or institutions) without placing as its goal opposition and resistance to the Israeli occupation and structural inequalities.”

The NGO accuses Israel of “apartheid” – an accusation that fits under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism – and promotes a Palestinian “right of return” that, if implemented, would effectually mean the elimination of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. AFSC is also a leader, along with the PFLP linked Palestinian NGO Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), in a campaign that exploits Palestinian children for political gain.

Another group, War on Want, is a leader and mobilizer of BDS campaigns in the UK and has accused the British government of “Arming Apartheid.” War on Want co-sponsored two eventsduring Apartheid Week 2017, tellingly explaining that “IAW 2017 marks 100 years of Palestinian resistance against settler-colonialism, since the inception of the Balfour declaration.”

While it states that it simply seeks to “education the public about the just cause of Palestine and the rights of self-determination, liberty and justice,” American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) denies the self-determination of the Jewish people to their state, stating that “Palestinians are more determined than ever to fight on until total liberation, until every refugee can return, until the land of Palestine is free from the river to the sea!”

AMP provides significant support to the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) by funding the group, speaking at SJP campus events, reposting SJP statements on its website, organizing conferences and seminars for SJP chapters, and facilitating the SJP National Convention.

On campus, SJP is a leader in proposing that their schools divest funds from various companies doing business in and/or with Israel. Through its use of “intersectionality,” SJP campus branches regularly try to hijack various liberal causes for their political goals. For instance, in 2015, SJP at CUNY latched on to the issue of student protests over debt and tuition to promote university divestment from Israel.

SJP’s usual on campus partner, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), is likewise active in raising the issue of campus divestment. A joint April 2016 event at Columbia University hosted by JVP and SJP “Intifada: The Palestinian Uprising,” labeled terrorists, responsible for the deaths of numerous civilians, as “freedom fighters” and completely disregarded the real violence and loss of life – both on the Israeli and the Palestinian side – during the uprisings of the early 2000s.

At another joint event, “The Case for Academic Boycott,” in February 2016, when questioned (by yours truly) why, as a graduate student, under the academic boycott framework, I would be limited in my ability to conduct research on human rights in Israel, the professors on the panel responded by informing me that there was already enough research on the Arab-Israeli conflict, to choose another research interest, and that the importance of the boycott outweighs such research.

In playing a leading role in such divisive campus events, JVP’s strategy is to drive a “wedge” within the American Jewish community, while working towards the goal of eliminating US economic, military, and political aid to Israel. Between March 31 and April 2, 2017,  JVP held its “2017 National Member Meeting” that included workshops such as, “What Makes HP Such a Brilliant BDS Target?” and “BDS: Everything you Want to Know about Municipal Campaigns.” One of the featured speakers included Rasmea Odeh, a PFLP operative convicted for immigration fraud after concealing her role in two terrorist bombings in Israel and who in March 2017, agreed to a plea deal in which she will be deported from the US to Jordan, admitting that she failed to disclose her terrorist activities on her visa application. Similarly, in January 2017, JVP San Diego endorsed a campaign lobbying for the release of Ahmad Sa’adat, the General Secretary of the PFLP terror group.

Additionally,  JVP’s “Deadly Exchange” platform alleges that Israel is implicated in the mistreatment of American persons of color by law enforcement officials due to joint Israeli-American training programs. This argument is simplistic as it is absurd. To suggest that Israel is in any way responsible for centuries-old tensions surrounding the intersection of minorities and policing in America is not only willfully ignorant of history, but hints at a villainous Zionist cabal that is truly to blame.

There are 14 other groups on Israel’s list of NGOs. What they have in common, similar to the NGOs discussed above, is leadership in international campaigns that single out and demonize Israel. Their goals are the isolation, if not dissolution, of the Jewish State, not peace, human rights, or Palestinian sovereignty.