Spot the Dutch Policemen

I read in Arutz 7 today that the Dutch Police May Go Undercover as Jews to Thwart Attacks

Well, all I can say is they better get the costume right so that they don't "stand" out.

Good Shabbos!

Ohr Somayach issues an "apology" to Ma'ale Adumim citizens

For Parshas Baha'aloscha, "OhrNet", yeshiva Ohr Somayach's weekly PDF parsha sheet made an unfortunate mistake by not checking its facts before publishing a short piece on the city of Ma'ale Adumim, causing a lot of its residents to get rather upset.

First off, I do not believe for one second any of the accusations made by some dati-leumi people in Ma'ale Adumim that Ohr Somayach were motivated by anti-Zionist feelings when they wrote these negative comments about their city. I however do believe that it was sloppy research. I also believe that their apology could have gone further. It seems that they managed to upset a lot of people.

Here is the original piece:

I happened to be at a Sheva Brachos in Ma'ale Adumim that Shabbos and overheard a heated conversation about this. I barged into the conversation and expressed my belief that I thought that their suspicions that OhrNet had written this for Anti-Zionist reasons was unfounded. I told them that I knew many of the Rabbanim there and that they would not have done such a thing intentionally.

As a general comment, I want to say that yeshiva Ohr Somayach is an amazing organisation that has done so much for Am Yisrael. It is one of the leading kiruv yeshivas in Israel with branches around the world. It quite simply takes Jewish kids from non-religious backgrounds and fills their Jewish neshamas with Torah and love for Hashem. I know quite a few who walked into Ohr Somayach just to spend a free Shabbos with them "just to see what it was like " and decided to stay. These guys came out 6 years later with smicha with the right to call themselves "Rabbi". The atmosphere is relaxed and you can learn at your own pace and level. The Rabbanim who teach there, including Rav Samett, Rav Eli Merril, Rav Dovid Orlofsky, Rav Zev Leff, Rav Berel Wein, Rav Dovid Gottlieb, Rav Asher Wade and many others are simply brilliant and will answer any question thrown at them by the most argumentative of kids. No question is off limits! Regarding Zionism. From my experience, although clearly being a "black" Chareidi yeshiva, the views of the Rabbanim there range from non-Zionist (Rav Dovid Gottlieb) to pro-Zionist (Rav Berel Wein). All would agree however that it is HaKodesh Boruch Hu's ratzon (will) that we should be here in Eretz Yisrael and show support for the State of Israel.


For those who are mystified over what caused such anger, here is an explanation:

The legend they refer to is actually used today in Arab propaganda, meant for the consumption of Western Xstians . It draws parallels between the supposed "bloody" past of Ma'ale Adumim and the establishment of the modern city.

This legend is attributed to Burchard of Mount Zion, a German Xstian Dominican priest who travelled to the Middle East at the end of the 13th century. The pilgrims he refers to are not Jewish but Xstian pilgrims who travelled to Yerushalayim during the Byzantine period. He wrote about an area called "Maldomim".

Arab tour guides who escort the Xstian tourists around Israel relate this legend to their groups and explain that the robbers were actually Jews who slit the throats of Xstian pilgrims. This of course is another twist on the Jewish blood libel. They then go on to say that the establishment of modern Ma'ale Adumim was built on Arab owned land. They further claim that the Arab inhabitants of the land were forcefully thrown out. All of these are lies but the Xstians tourists lap it up. Simply do a Google of "Burchard of Mount Zion" and you'll get quite a few blog posts about this, written by Xstians who were on tours in Israel.

In the 1980s, the ulta-leftwing movement Shalom Achshav petitioned the High Court to demand that they release information regarding the ownership of the land that Ma'ale Adumim was built on. Before they had even received a response, they published "estimated" figures (which they received from the Arabs) of almost 90% Arab owned land. The figures later released show that 99.5% of the land was state owned land with a dispute regarding 0.5%. The inhabitants of Avu Dis claim to have documents of ownership but these have never been registered and are suspected forgeries.

The erroneous Shalom Achshav figure of 90% Arab owned land continues to be quoted however by the UN as well as Western media. They further claim that Israel forcefully transferred an entire Arab village, destroying their homes and murdering those who resisted. The truth is that there are Beduin who travel throughout the area, living in tents. Some Beduim were encamped around Maale Adumim at the time and were asked to move. There was no destroyed village or any blood spilled.

Burchard's myth of red as blood Maale Adumim as well as the 90% figure is told to all Xstian pilgrims by Arab tour guides as they drive past the area either from or to Jericho.

By the way, it is ironic that the current Head for "Palestine Refugees in the Near East United Nations Relief and Works Agency" a pseudo-name for a vicious anti-Semitic department of the UN that denies all Jewish connection to Eretz Yisrael, is a Mr Matthias Burchard!

I am still puzzled why OhrNet decided, in this very short piece to quote this Xstian legend about Ma'ale Adumim rather than quote from Jewish sources! Indeed, the title of the section states:

 "Selections from classical Torah sources which express the special relationship between the people of Israel and Eretz Yisrael".

It would seem that, at least for this edition, the piece managed to do exactly the opposite of its aim!

The obvious Jewish source which they should have quoted from was of course sefer Yehoshua 15:7. Whilst describing the eastern border of Yehuda's territory, the Tanach tells us that:

"The border ascended towards Deber from the valley of Achor and northward facing Gilgal which is opposite Ma'ale Adumim, which is south of the valley".

Ma'ale Adumim is also mentioned in Meseches Rosh Hashana 22b.

The Gemara quotes the Tosefta which relates that the Baisusim (a sect of Jews who rejected the Torah ShebeAlpeh - the Oral Law) paid two people 200 Zuz each to give false testimony in Beis Din that they saw the new moon. One of the two hired witnesses decided to reveal the plot during his testimony. As part of his eidus before Beis Din, he gave a very strange description of the moon that he saw. He told Beis Din that when he ascended Ma'aleh Adumim he saw the new moon crouching between two rocks. Its head was like that of a calf and its ears were like those of a goat. Its horns were like those of a gazelle and its tail was between its legs.

He said he fainted when he saw it, and that if Beis Din does not believe him he has a bundle of 200 Zuz in his pocket to prove it.

Incidentally, I was listening to a shiur given by a Rav from Ma'ale Adumim who said that if you know the view from Ma'ale Adumim then you'd realise that the witness's eidus that he saw teh new Moon from Maale Adumim shows that he was talking complete narishkite and that the Beis Din would have realised the "joke".

He explained that Ma'ale Adumim is lower down than Yerushalayim with rolling hills in the way. If the new moon could have been seen from Ma'ale Adumim then it meant that it would have been clearly seen by thousands in Yerushalayim. A difficult to see new moon in Yerushalayim could not have possibly been seen from Ma'ale Adumim.

Anyway, on the 19th June, the Ohr Somayach website published a page that admits their mistake although they do not actually apologise to all those residence of Ma'ale Adumim who they had seeing red! (pun intended).

Tyre Straights: Money For Petrol

Tyre Straights: Money For Petrol

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

Now look at the space in the back seats,

You can play the guitar in your MPV.

It's all workin, that's the way you do it.

BUT I need Money for petrol, writing cheques for free.

Money for petrol, writing cheques for free.

I said, I need Money for petrol, writing cheques for free.

Lemme tell ya, them, MPV guys ain't dumb.

Driving so long until yer tuchas is numb,

The engine is a 3.0 Liter automatic,

So you won't get a blister on your little finger or get a blister on your thumb.

You can install a microwave oven, custom kitchen in the dashboard,

Maybe put in a refrigerator, or an LCD colour DVD with TVs.

I should have bought a Ford Mondeo,

Sensible but only having five seats,

Now I get so much nachas,

Driving with my whole family up the high streets.

But I need Money for petrol,

I'm writing cheques for free.

I said, I need Money for petrol, writing cheques for free.

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

I love my, I love my, I love my MPVvvvvvvvvv.

WeJew.com has a nice music video.

Rapper Flotilla Response: "Searching For Justice"

BTW, There is a lot of talk of Israeli businesses boycotting Turkey. A number of clothes shops have removed goods from its shelves. The Jerusalem Post reported that Rami Levi supermarket chain has started a Turkey boycott as well. Personally speaking, I don't think it will affect me. Turkey has always given me inflammation in my feet. Chicken may be more expensive but it’s a lot tastier.

You are NOT alone

This is a shocking video about the bombardment of Anti-Israel propaganda in America's universities:

I heard yesterday that the enemies of the Israel are planning their next stage of attack. This one they hope will prove the most devastating yet. It is another ship to try and break the Israeli blockade. However this ship will not be full of Turkish jihadists. This ship will be full of European and American Jews!

I keep hearing the same thing from Israelis. They say that they don't see the point of arguing our case, not just to the Goyim (The Nations of the World) but also to Jews living outside of Israel! Bombarded with anti-Israel opinions day in and day out there is surely nothing we can do as they have already made up their minds and are no longer listening.

However we should never stop arguing our case because there are those who are listening, those who feel they are in a boat far from land, being tossed about in a storm with nothing to grab hold of. Those who are looking for the truth will hear it. We must continue to get that message out.

Far more painful than any security council resolution in the UN, any statement made by any foreign government or any demonstration held anywhere in the world, is a hafganah (demonstration) by Jews, screaming that we are robbers of the land.

Indeed, the very first Rashi in sefer Bereishis informs us that the only point in relating the story of creation is to remind us that Hashem rules the universe and gave Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish people. Rav Zev Leff explains that this lesson is not meant for the Goyim. No Jewish leader has ever used the lesson of this first Rashi to argue Israel's right to the land with the Goyim. The message is for us, the Jewish people to absorb.

We must first be convinced that Hashem gave Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish people.

See Rav Zev Leff's Parshas HaShavuah here

The original agenda of the Zionist movement of the 19th century was to strip the Jew of his/her Torah and produce a new modern Jew who would return to their national homeland and could hold his/her head up high amongst the nations of the world, sharing common socialist cultural, secular, humanist values. However, what the great Zionist thinkers failed to realise was that the Jew's only claim and indeed connection to Eretz Yisrael is through Torah. What has happened is that a generation of secular Jews both in Israel and outside, have grown up with no concept of our right to this land outside of secular arguments. Most of these secular arguments no longer hold any water today. For instance, that the State of Israel will cause anti-Semitism to disappear. As a result, we are now at a stage where secular Jewish University students in Israeli as well as foreign universities are arguing that we stole the land from the Arabs.

I can just imagine the agony of the departed neshamos (soles) of those early Zionists, who did their best to strip the Jew of Hashem and His Torah, looking down on the their offspring in Rabin Square, screaming for the return of Eretz Yisrael to the Arabs.

Not only is this due to the previous generation's attempt to substitute Torah Judaism with a new religion called Secular Zionism but also their obsession to be accepted as part of the socialist modern, secular, humanist enlightened world. This obsession has led to organisations such as Amnesty International Israel division, accusing their own relatives and friends of being war criminals. They know it's not true yet they cannot argue against their enlightened masters in America and Europe who tell them that they are.

How is this possible? Well if you are convinced that the rest of the world represents enlightenment in all things and they all agree that Israel should not exist then it takes a very strong willed person indeed to continue to resist.

The Asch Experiment

Solomon Eliot Asch was a world renowned psychologist who is most famous for his experiments into the power of group pressure. Asch was a holocaust survivor from Warsaw, Poland. He wanted to try and understand how so many people went along with Nazi doctrine even though on the face of it (according to his understanding), it went against all that he believed that the Europeans believed to be moral.

Here is a video showing the Asch experiment in practice:

Faced with continued and persistent pressure by the group that you are wrong and everyone else is right, most people will eventually yield to the majority, no matter how much they initially understand their own position to be correct.

We see this phenomenon in Parshas Shelach. Only two leaders resisted the other leader's poisonous words against Eretz Yisrael. Calev and Yehoshua Bin Nun.

Rashi explains that Calev's personality was that of a rebel. This word usually has negative connotations but Chaza"l explain that all midos (personality traits) are "pareve", that is, neither good nor bad. It all depends on how these traits are applied.

Rashi explains (BeMidbar 13:22) that Calev split from the others and went to Chevron to davan at the keva of our Avos. He did not care what the others thought of him for he was determined to do what he considered was right in Hashem's eyes. In "Asch" terms, he represents the special individual who has the ability to resist group pressure.

However Yehoshua Bin Nun, despite being a Talmud Chacham and Moshe Rabeinu's main talmid, had the personality that made him yearn for acceptance amongst his contemporaries. Therefore, Moshe had to add Hashem's name to Yehoshua's in order to give him chizuk to resist his fellow leaders who he so much respected and admired but who he knew in his heart were wrong.

Faced with the constant bombardment of an anti-Israel agenda in the world's media as well as both by teachers and fellow students at university, it takes a special individual like Calev to continue to stand up for what he/she knows is the truth. One such individual was the 16 year old boy called Daniel in the video post "Daniel in the Lions's Den".

As the Asch's experiments show, most people are not like Calev. However, it is important to remember what the Asch experiment also showed. That when just one other person supports your position, no matter how many more are against you, 95% of people continue to resist and do not yield to the overwhelming majority position when he/she knows that there is someone else who holds the same position.

We must not leave our fellow Jews alone. It is our job as Yiras Shemayim Torah Jews living in Eretz Yisrael to give those living in Chutz LaAretz the chizuk to resist the lies.

Israel Stands Alone, The Ramba”n’s shul

I’ve just read a truly excellent editorial in an Israeli/American newspaper.

Entitled “Israel Stands Alone”, the editorial discusses the fact that Israel was blamed by the whole world before any of the facts came out. The editorial harshly criticises the American government accusing it of abandoning its closest friend and ally.

It then aims its guns at Liberal Jews and informs us that a liberal secular Jew was far more likely to support the Palestinian cause than support Israel today and that secular Jews were abandoning Zionism where as the trend in the Orthodox community is exactly the opposite with more and more religious Jews identifying with Israel and Zionism.

Read the full piece here: Israel Stands Alone

Oh, did I mention that this editorial appears in this week’s Chareidi newspaper “Yated Neeman? No?

Well, the editorial appears in this week’s Chareidi “anti-Zionist” newspaper, “Yated Neeman”.

The irony is that the cheloni (secular) Israeli press including Ynet, The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz are becoming increasingly anti-Chareidi with articles intended to incite secular Israelis to hatred towards religious Jews. This trend could well be due to Chareidim taking a more active role in Israeli society including the army and politics.

The chelonim look with envy at the Chareidim and their emunah (faith) in Hashem, their commitment to Torah, their solid connection to Jewish history and connection with Eretz Yisrael, their idealism, confidence and enthusiasm in life.

They attack the Chareidim, oblivious to the fact that their traditional friends, the secular liberal left of America have ceased to identify with the leftwing Israelis because, due to assimilation and a total lack of Jewish education, American Jews have ceased to identify with Israel altogether.

Meanwhile, the American Orthodox communities of all streams, are feeling increasingly uncomfortable in the United States under Obama and are looking towards Yerushalayim.

As it happens, I’ve just spent the last two evenings in the Old City with my kids, taking part in school outings. We davened in the newly rebuilt Churva HaRamba”n shul which was destroyed by the Jordanians in 1948 and kept in ruins by the Israeli authorities for decades after liberation because they wanted it kept as a permanent reminder of what the Arabs did. However, because of constant pressure, the shul is now rebuilt and in use 24 hours a day.

I have to admit shedding tears of joy and gratitude to Hakodesh Baruch Hu as we davened Shmoneh Esrei in this beautiful place. Kedusha could be felt bouncing off of every wall.

The current news as well as these outings got me thinking. Surely we are witnessing with our own eyes, the hand of Hashem as He guides us steadily towards Geula Shlemah, beyameinu, Amen.

(Above) The Churva, before it was destroyed in 1948

(Above) After the liberation in 1967, Israel rebuilt the main arch but left the remainder in ruins.

(Below) Now, rebuilt 2010.

  

 

Flotilla Facts Site

Just came across this site. Flotilla Facts at talkGaza.com is a site dedicated to providing information on the developing situation created when the Freedom Flotilla Coalition decided to run the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.

Well worth reading and checking for updates every now and again.

Video: Suicide Activists on the Gaza Flotilla

Excellent short video by Rabbi Shraga Simmons of Aish HaTorah.

"Their ultimate weapon is not a bomb belt, rather the media is their weapon..."

BBC Lies and the sound of chirping

The BBC (The British Broadcasting Con) reports today on the peril of the people in Gaza.

Focus on Gaza hardship after raid

 "The frustrated attempts by activists to sail boats like the Rachel Corrie to Gaza has thrown the spotlight on life inside the territory under Israel's blockade, as the BBC's Jon Donnison reports from Gaza City.

At the Gaza City port, dotted with small fishing boats, a young Hamas policeman dressed in black and with a Kalashnikov tucked under his arm, lent over and smiled.

"Are the Israelis going to let the ship the Rachel Corrie come?" he asked.

I told him it was unlikely. He offered me a resigned look, sucking through his nicotine-stained teeth."

Sounds as if Jon Donnison is practicing his writing skills for the next fictional TV drama production. Do they still have "Play of the Week" on British Television?

The whole piece falls apart however when you introduce some facts.

Israeli media is reporting that Hamas is preventing all the goods brought by the flotilla from entering the Gaza Strip via the land crossing with Israel. They said that if it hasn't come from the sea then they don't want it. Meanwhile, the goods are piling up in Tzrifin army warehouse.

This is surely a major news item which exposes the humanitarian disaster in Gaza as a complete hoax yet no one outside Israel is reporting it. Why?

Melanie Phillips shows photos of the markets in Gaza, packed with food and luxuries on her blog.

Meanwhile, bloggers around the world (such as lgf) are reporting that Reuters news Agency, who supply many of the photos to Western media have doctored the photos of the IDF soldiers being tortured by the Turkish "peace activists". They digitally removed much of the blood and in one case, removed the knife from one of the terrorist's hands.

Now why would they do that? If the major News Agency falsifies documents in such a blatant way, don't you think it deserves a few comments on your TV news or on the Internet pages of BBC, CNN, SKY etc?

Instead all you get is:

Britain offers to help out.

"DESIRE THE RIGHT"

Port Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands looks like a typical sleepy seaside town off the coast of Southern England. It is however in the middle of the South Atlantic.

If I ever became wealthy, (halevai!) this is one of the places I'd love to visit.

Typical English house.

A Land Rover outside every home.

A farm in Scotland West Falkland

Back in March 2010 when Britain began drilling for oil in the waters off the Falkland Islands, Argentina began a renewed military and diplomatic campaign to recapture these islands and its resources. With a potential to yield up to 1.7 billion barrels from these deposits I'm not surprised.

Britain has 1,000 soldiers on the islands although most of them are non combat troops. They also had, for many years, a single Royal Navy ship; the HMS Clyde on permanent station.

Argentinean harassment of Falkland islander's boats has increased and the Argentinean government has threatened to intercept any ships entering what they consider their sovereign waters in order to service Britain's oil project.

Due to Falkland Islanders' justifiable fears as well as questions in Parliament, the government announced that it was sending the destroyer HMS York and a supply tanker but due to other naval responsibilities, this was all they could spare.

HMS York is an old Type 42 destroyer, the same type as the ones that fought in the Falkland's war in 1982. It was a Type 42 destroyer, HMS Sheffield which was sunk by an Exocet missile during that war to liberate the Islands.

This is the response of Her Majesty's government not only despite the renewed Argentinean threats but also despite, what I would have thought would be the added incentive to protect a potentially very lucrative oil deposit. The response is apparently the best that Britain can afford.

I mention this, not only because I believe that Britain should do far more to protect its sovereignty in and around the Falkland Islands and that I think it is a grave mistake that Britian has reduced the effectiveness of its Royal Navy to a fraction of what is needed, through decades of budget cuts, but also to explain my puzzlement regarding the British government's offer yesterday to relieve Israel of the responsibility of overseeing of materials entering Gaza from the sea.

Exactly what will Her Majesty's government have available to guard the waters of Gaza against the next attempt to bring missiles and other lethal weapons into Hamasland?

Maybe a rubber dinghy? That will scare off the Iranian ships I don't think!

Turkey too busy boasting

YNET is reporting that Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper today published photos of the Turkish terrorists on board the Mavi Marmara ship beating IDF soldiers to a pulp.

The newspaper makes the idiotic statement that the IDF tried to censor these photos because they did not want to loose face but that "Turkish technology" managed to extract the photos from wiped memory cards.

Their statement reveals their innate Arab way of thinking despite trying to convince the world how European they are. Just like Arabs, they are primarily concerned with honour and they stupidly try and project this primitive way of thinking onto Israel.

The Turkish paper is so busy boasting, that they haven't even stopped to realise that they are actually confirming Israel's version that those on board were Jihadi thugs and ironically implying that their own government, who called the passengers peace activists, are liars!

Will any Western Media Outlet report on this?

The IDF and The War of the Media: MUST TRY HARDER!

Teacher's Comments: MUST TRY HARDER! See me!

The Jerusalem Post is reporting this morning that the IDF recorded radio messages sent from the Turkish Gaza flotilla to the Israeli navy which contained chilling anti-Semitic language.

The JP gives two examples:

“Shut up. Go back to Auschwitz,” a male voice said in reply. The message was broadcast to the navy from one of the ships, the IDF confirmed on Saturday.

“We’re helping the Arabs go against the US. Don’t forget 9/11, guys”

The problem is that the IDF only decided to reveal these recordings last Friday when it released them to teh press. The JP reports that the IDF placed the recording on its web site but I've spent some 10 minutes looking for it and cannot find it!

Why did it take the IDF so long to release these recordings? It's simply too late. Had they released these to the world a few hours after the event it may well have had a significant impact on the world's media's perception of who these "peace activists" really were. Now, its old news. The world has concluded that Israel committed murder and moved on to the next story. To coin a phrase. Last week's Internet news is today's virtual fish and chips paper.

Excuse the pun but the IDF have missed the boat! Today, the UN as well as the British government are screaming for an international enquiry in order to publically lynch Israel.

Compare this to Caroline Glick's "We Con The World" music video parody which they produced from beginning to end in a couple of days. YouTube shows a million views already with 20,000 comments. Not bad for a bunch of "Amerikayim".

I might post later on today but for now I need to quickly clean this ketchup off my screen and get on with some regular work.

We Con The World

*** UPDATED LINK ***
Hat Tip to C & Z



The Flotilla Choir sings "We Con The World"
Hoping it goes viral.

YouTube has caved into pressure by Arabs and removed the video under the pretence that it breaks copyright law. Caroline Glick of The Jerusalem Post said that she had consulted with legal experts before the making and they assured her that it was 100% legal. However that's the story YouTube are sticking to.

As a result of this, many have uploaded copies of the video onto YouTube so it can be viewed again.

Doing a search of "we con the world" brought up this one:

Lynching on the Mavi Marmara - Part II

*** UPDATED ***

Just take a look at these video clips! Hashem ishmor aleinu!

They clearly show what these "peace activists" really are.

The activists / terrorists videoed these clips themselves but did not want to show you.
Watch and you'll realise why! Why aren't these clips being shown on the BBC / CNN?
Why don't you write and ask them? I'd be interested in their reply if you ever get one.





On Tuesday night I started getting hundreds of hits to my blog. Checking the referring URLS I noted that they are all coming from the BBC web site. I opened the BBC's front page with sick bag in hand. The fourth article down entitled "Commentators respond to raid" caught my eye.

There I saw that my blog was being quoted. Fascinating that considering I'd spent most of the post criticising the BBC's coverage of the affair, the BBC chose to quote the part where I criticised Ehud Barak. In their favour though they did include a link to the full post which is why I started getting all these hits.

A friend had noticed this fact as well and wrote to me with some advice.

"…but bearing in mind that the anti-Semitic BBC thought fit to just quote those few lines might be an indication that, apart from anything else, your comment is fodder for anti-Semites as it indicts Israeli members of the government and puts them in a bad light.

MAYBE and this is just a thought of mine - it would be better, on blogs that you hope the world will read - to stick to FACTS which show Israel's side of the story and put us in a good light and not "wash our dirty laundry in public" as the world is only too happy to do that for us [already]."

OK, my friend is right of course. I'll try and avoid this mistake in the future even if it does mean that I probably won't get the BBC linking to me again. Ah well, I'll live with that. 24 hours of fame is enough for me. I won't hold my breath waiting for them to invite me onto Question Time. That's what the wonderful Melanie Phillips is for.

What I didn't appreciate though was all the Hatemail I received.  This is one that I'm willing to show. The rest were far worse!

***** ***** has left a new comment on your post "Lynching on the Mavi Marmara":

If those onboard were so violent, and heavily armed with knives, and your soldiers just dropped in naively expecting no trouble, why were none of your Commandos were killed? What were they getting stabbed with, plastic knives? You claim that they had their guns taken off them and they were turned against them. Where is the footage of this? Where is the footage of your Commandos opening fire? Maybe the reason your war-mongering government hasn't released the complete unedited footage is because Israeli Commandos actually opened fire on the ship BEFORE they were attacked, maybe? And how incompetent are your Commandos if they can't even hold onto their own weapons?? And even if your soldiers WERE attacked "without provocation" - despite storming the ships with armed troops in the middle of the night in international waters, instead of just boarding them by boat in a non-aggressive operation during daylight hours - why did they feel the need to slaughter NINE people? Is that really self defence? NO. The people of Israel are as blind to the truth as.....Brainwashed!!!!!!!

Once you were the holocaust victims. Now you're the prison camp guards. Shame on you."

Had this guy not written the last two lines then I would have published his comment and discussed his points with him. However, as the last two lines clearly show, he was simply an anti-semite who had long since sacrificed truth and rationale on the alter of hate.

He had an Irish /Catholic name. His first hate comment "The people of Israel are as blind to the truth..." comes straight out of standard Roman Catholic theology. Even if the guy is secular, his hatred of Jews comes from his mother's milk.

Anyone who has travelled through Europe and seen the great cathedrals would have seen statues of the "rejected Israel" - The people of Israel, blindfolded and deserted. Sometimes the blindfold is a snake/serpent with obvious implications.

The church has long since lost its political power over Europe but 2,000 years of institutionalised demonization of the Jewish people lives on in 21st century Europe and Britain.

Strasbourg Cathedral.

Blinfolded, she stands in rags. Notice the broken spear and Bible falling from her hand.

Bamberg Cathedral in Germany.

Blindfolded and in rags, she has fallen from the palace of heaven above

"The Jewish People" Notre-Dame in Paris

Notice the serpent used as a blind fold with obvious implications

Also notice the crown on the floor, fallen from her head.

Reims Cathedral, France

Israel is rejected by the Lord!

She is in rags. Her crown falling from her head.

She is blind, refusing stubbornly to see the truth!

Many Roman Catholics deny the Church's involvement in the Shoah and even claim that they were victims themselves in order to remove any feelings of guilt. Another standard practice to avoid any responsibility is to try and turn the Jews into Nazis. As this guy writes:

"Once you were the holocaust victims. Now you're the prison camp guards. Shame on you."

A Nazi flag flies in front of the-Cologne cathedral, 1937

Even before his anti-Semitic outbursts there was irrationality in his words that could only come from hatred. I just loved his comment that no one can believe the IDF versions because no Israeli soldiers were killed. I've seen this argument on mainstream British news internet sites as well by the way.

Israel will not apologise to the world because more of our soldiers were not hurt or killed to satisfy their doubts. If they cared to check, the hospital reports of the IDF soldiers note serious bullet and knife wounds. (Clearly as a result of the peaceful behaviour of the activists no doubt).

His other comment that he will not believe Israel's account until he sees actual video of an activist taking a gun from a soldier shows me that his attitude, like so many, is that Israel is guilty until proven guilty, as Netanyahu said in his press conference so eloquently:

The only ones who would have such video footage are the terrorists on board and they won't be putting it on YouTube any time soon.

The Jerusalem Post reports that the IDF videos are the most popular on YouTube at the moment. Kol Hakavod to them!

On the subject of YouTube, did you see those videos taken from Turkish TV as well as other videos taken from activists showing the IDF storming the boats, guns blazing? NO? In fact so far there is no video footage of this event. Not a sausage! The day earlier, Turkish TV showed shots of tens of passengers on board these ships with digital cameras in every hand. Yet no one managed to record the most important event? - that of the storming of the boats by Israeli troops!? (See my video clips at the top of the post which I added after I wrote this).

Maybe all the camera batteries were dead from the videos they took earlier of themselves screaming "kill the Jews!" and "Jihad Jihad! ? Just a thought.