Showing posts with label Ryan Jones. Show all posts

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Israelis Establish New 'West Bank' Settlement, Say Trump Will Support Them - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Israelis Establish New 'West Bank' Settlement, Say Trump Will Support Them

Thursday, February 22, 2018 | Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Topics:

While unwavering in his support of Israel, US President Donald Trump has quietly echoed his predecessors in labeling the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria as problematic.

But a group of Israelis on hand for the construction of a new settlement on Wednesday insisted that once he understands the importance of their enterprise, Trump will change his tune.

The new settlement is called "Amichai" and is situated not far from the biblical town of Shiloh in central Samaria. It is being built, with government approval, for those Jews forcibly evicted from the unauthorized settlement of Amona several years ago.

This week saw the first temporary houses erected in Amichai, with more permanent homes to be constructed in the coming months.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, settler leader Avi Roeh said of the expected international backlash:

"This is a beneficial period and we, as the State of Israel, must take advantage of this, including by declaring sovereignty over the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

"I think that the American administration is completely with us, and the moment that we explain the importance, [the US] understands it, because it is disconnected from the pressures of the Arab countries."

PHOTO: Bulldozers late last year began preparing a barren hilltop for the new Jewish settlement of Amichai. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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Sunday, January 28, 2018

Christian Nuns in Bethlehem Subjected to Violence, and the Media is Silent - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Christian Nuns in Bethlehem Subjected to Violence, and the Media is Silent

Sunday, January 28, 2018 | Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Topics:

Christians

Every Israeli slight against Christians, whether real or perceived, becomes the topic of international headlines.

Take for instance the occasions of anti-Christian graffiti scrawled on churches in Jerusalem by a handful of radical Jewish youth. As upsetting as those incidents were, no real harm was done, and both the authorities and local Jewish community were quick to stand with the wronged churches.

And yet, Israel was falsely lambasted in the mainstream media as a place unwelcoming to and even hostile toward Christians.

So, it's more than a little curious that a far more severe trial being faced by Christian nuns in nearby Bethlehem is being all but ignored.

Middle East Concern, one of the few organizations willing to expose the plight of Christians living under the Palestinian Authority, reports that portions of the St. Mary's Coptic Convent in Bethlehem have been unlawfully taken over by a local Muslim family, and the nuns living there exposed to routine physical abuse.

Sisters Maria and Esther have filed official complaints against the Mahatna family, but Palestinian Authority courts have failed to take any real action.

The convent remains partially occupied, despite the fact that the nuns filed their first complaint back in April of 2017, when a female member of the Muslim family, Rania Mahatna, assaulted Sister Maria and caused damage to the property.

It was when the nuns were on their way to the police station to file that initial complaint that a second major incident occurred. Rania's brother, Rami, along with a gang of friends, stopped the nuns' car and attacked it with iron bars.

A police officer who witnessed this attack reportedly later changed his testimony when questioned in court.

The nuns and their lawyer believe the Mahatna family has connections within the Palestinian Authority that it is using to obstruct justice in this matter.

This is not an isolated case. But, because Israel and the Jews aren't involved, it receives little, if any attention. Highlighting it simply wouldn't fit with the narrative that Israel is behind all the woes of the local Christian population.

PHOTO: Illustration. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

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Thursday, January 25, 2018

Trump White House Scorns Palestinian Leaders for Crying to Europe - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Trump White House Scorns Palestinian Leaders for Crying to Europe

Thursday, January 25, 2018 | Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Topics:

America

The Trump White House was none too impressed by the Palestinian leadership's temper tantrum following the president's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

And the Americans were downright scornful after the Palestinians then went crying to Europe and attempted to eject Trump from the Middle East peace process.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was in Brussels this week in a bid to convince the European Union to supplant the United States as the primary third-party broker in the peace process.

Abbas has insisted that following Trump's Jerusalem declaration, the Palestinians will no longer accept American leadership in seeking a resolution to the conflict.

But the Europeans poured cold water on Abbas' ambitions.

While the EU did sympathize with Palestinian anger over Trump acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, they nevertheless stated that no final status agreement could possibly be reached without American involvement.

"No effort will ever bring the two sides to the table if the international multilateral framework does not include the United States," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

A day later, a White House official who spoke to reporters about the issue could hardly conceal his disdain for the Palestinian leadership's behavior.

The official noted that the European nations' own frustration with Trump's position notwithstanding, "they all want to work with the US, despite the Palestinian reaction."

As for that fresh hostility for America emanating from Ramallah, the official added that "frankly, I don't believe the Palestinians believe the US can be replaced in this process."

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Sunday, January 7, 2018

Trump Follows Through on Threat, Slashes Aid to Palestinians - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Trump Follows Through on Threat, Slashes Aid to Palestinians

Sunday, January 07, 2018 | Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Topics:

America

One thing is becoming certain - you dismiss US President Donald Trump's threats at your own peril.

For decades, Middle East despots and warlords were conditioned to shrug off American pressure, knowing full well that the White House didn't have the guts to follow through.

Some might argue that it's not about guts, that presidents like George W. Bush and Barack Obama were being diplomatic by necessity. But then, why apply pressure or issue warnings in the first place, as both former presidents often did? Making threats when everyone knows you have no intention of following through is the opposite of effective.

Well, those days are done under Trump, and the Palestinians just learned that lesson the hard way.

Last Thursday, Trump tweeted that he was questioning the usefulness of massive American financial aid to the Palestinian Authority when it continues to incite against Israel and won't come to the negotiating table.

Just days later, it was revealed that Trump had significantly slashed US contributions to UNRWA, the special UN body set up to cater solely to so-called Palestinian "refugees."

Until now, the US covered a full one-fourth of UNRWA's operating costs.

Three Western diplomats confirmed to Israel's Channel 10 News over the weekend that Trump had frozen $125 million in annual aid to UNRWA, about one-third of the annual US contribution.

The sources added that Trump could increase the cut to $180 million if the Palestinian Authority fails to get the message and rejoin the peace process.

UNRWA has long been criticized for allowing itself to be exploited by radical elements within the Palestinian power structure. In Gaza, the organization's schools are routinely used as cover and storage facilities for Hamas forces, and the textbooks by which it teaches Palestinian children are laced with anti-Israel vitriol.

Successive American presidents have been aware of these problems, but have taken no concrete action for fear of upsetting the Arab "street."

PHOTO: A Palestinian child hits his shoes on a picture of US President Donald Trump, painted by Palestinian art activists in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, January 04, 2018. (Abed Rahim Khatib/ Flash90)

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Saturday, December 16, 2017

Living in an Unabashedly Religious Society - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Living in an Unabashedly Religious Society

Friday, December 15, 2017 | Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Topics:

Israel

This article was first posted in December 2016. As we are again in the midst of celebrating Hanukkah, we thought it would be of relevance to our readers.

I’ve been in Israel a long time now. But it still never ceases to amaze me, having come from the “Christian” West, how unabashedly religious Israeli society can be.

Now, take note that we live in a secular part of town, and all the people around us are “secular” Jews.

And yet, at my 5-year-old’s Hanukkah party today the entire class and all the parents were belting out a popular Israeli rendition of Psalm 147:12–13, which reads:

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.

My daughter does not attend a private school. This is a public, taxpayer-funded kindergarten. And as a matter of course they teach the children to acknowledge and praise God.

And since it was Hanukkah, I was also again struck by how openly Israel hails its national heroes, in this case the leaders of the Maccabean Revolt that brought about the restoration of the Temple.

I simply can’t imagine this taking place today in my home country of America.

Children can barely mention the word “God” in school, let alone pray. And any teacher who dared to actually instruct his or her students to acknowledge the Most High would be dismissed on the spot.

The attitude toward national heroes is similar. Sure, American students learn about their nation’s historical figures and what they did. But there is no praise and adoration, no deep desire to emulate those actions.

I have never seen an American child praise the exploits of say, Theodor Roosevelt, in the way I see these kids every year lifting aloft the memory of Judah Maccabee.

It simply wouldn’t be politically correct.

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Monday, December 11, 2017

The Rules of the Peace Process Just Changed - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

The Rules of the Peace Process Just Changed

Sunday, December 10, 2017 | Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Topics:

Peace Process

"The Palestinians need to know: the rules of the game have changed. The ship changed direction. I recommend that they not test Israel's patience with their terror threats."

That was the reaction of Israel Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to US President Donald Trump's declaration recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

For decades, the Middle East peace process has operated on the formula of pressuring Israel for concessions in hopes of moderating the Palestinians. The thinking was that if Israel would just offer enough, the Palestinians might honor their own commitments.

On Wednesday, December 6, 2017, Trump officially declared that formula had failed.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas wasn't entirely wrong in declaring that Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital had killed the peace process.

The peace process as we've known it for the past 23 years did die last week. Or, at least, the way it's been implemented thus far died.

The rules of the game until this point have revolved around putting pressure on Israel to meet Arab demands. Those rules have produced nothing but more tension, division and conflict. The news rules, as Trump presented them, appear to revolve around acknowledging historical truth and accepting present reality, and insisting that the Arabs do the same as a baseline for negotiations.

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Thursday, February 22, 2018