Stop Funding the Palestinian Authority: Petition to the US and the EU

"The tragic kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers is the latest result of ongoing PA incitement against Israelis and its glorification of terror. Funding the PA is equivalent to funding terror..."

Eerily Deja Vu  (10 July 2014)

"[This] is an op-ed I wrote in 1990, right after the murder in Rishon Lezion of seven Arab itinerant laborers by Ami Popper (who's still doing life and who unlike homicidal Arabs hasn't been released to ransom hostages or to win a presumed peace-partner's goodwill). Have a read ... it could well have been written today:..."

We Are Not The Same  (07 July 2014)

"In this highly emotional time with so much senseless violence and tears of anguish, we are flush with emotions and some of us are left with a sense of despair and wondering if Israeli society, too, is one that does not value life or have any sense of morality. Though it may seem out of place to say at this time, it must be said: we are not the same..."

An Open Condemnation of the Murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir  (06 July 2014)

"We unequivocally condemn the horrific murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir. It was unjustifiable under any circumstances. The killing was reprehensible and we hope that the criminals who did this sickening act are found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law..."

After Jewish, Arab Murders, Netanyahu Compares Israeli, Palestinian Societies  (06 July 2014)

"At a condolence call on Sunday with the families of three Israeli teens abducted on June 12 and killed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted the difference between the reactions to the deaths of the trio, and Israeli reactions to the murder of a Jerusalem Arab by suspected Jewish extremists last Wednesday..."

Evil Murderers of Palestinian Boy Provide Fodder For Israel's Jew-Hating Enemies  (06 July 2014)

"On Sunday, Jews all over the world woke up to the news that Israeli authorities had arrested six described as 'Jewish nationalists' for the murder of 17-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir. They were sickened and horrified by that news. There were no candies in the streets. There were no calls for streets to be named after the alleged murderers. There were no glowing interviews with their parents in the Israeli press, or suggestions that they were heroes or martyrs. There were no governmental officials hedging their bets about the evil acts. That's because there is zero moral equivalence between Israel and those it fights..."

VIDEO:  As Arabs Riot Across Israel, Swastika Flag Seen Hoisted Above Palestinian Town  (06 July 2014)

"As dozens of Gaza rockets were launched into Israel on Sunday and Arabs rioted across the country, partially in response to the slaying of an Arab teen allegedly by Jewish extremists, a Nazi flag bearing a large black swastika was seen waving above the Palestinian village of Beit Ummar..."

BBC's James Reynolds Reports From Jerusalem  (06 July 2014)

"On July 4th Reynolds produced two filmed reports for the BBC television news about the funeral of Mahammed Abu Khdeir, both of which were also promoted on the BBC News website's Middle East page. Both those reports appeared two days before it was announced that six suspects had been arrested by the police on July 6th on suspicion of having carried out the kidnapping and murder..."

The Blessings of the Mothers  (04 July 2014)

"As I start making Shabbat this week, ... My mind is with these mothers. Maybe this whole thing isn't about the boys - maybe it is about the mothers. Theirs and ours. Ours showed grace this week and unlike me, they kept their anger to themselves. They were the definition of strength and dignity while the rest of us wanted to smash and scream and cry. Theirs showed pride in the agonies that others were caused; pride in the evil that their sons had done. There was no dignity, no grace..."

ADL Blasts Anti-Israel Groups for 'Shocking, Shameful' Failure to Condemn Slaying of Israeli Teens  (04 July 2014)

"ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said, 'It is shocking and shameful that the same groups who swiftly condemn in the strongest terms any perceived misdeed by Israel do not seem to have an ounce of moral outrage left to speak out against the murder of three innocent Israeli teenagers. ... It is easy for these groups to pay lip service to principles of justice, human dignity and nonviolence... Those principles apparently do not extend to Israel. ... Many had the audacity to challenge the fact that the teens were even kidnapped at all.'..."

An Eye For an Eye Leads to Blindness  (04 July 2014)

"Even as Israel sent its forces in a house-to-house search for the three missing teenagers, critical Palestinian and foreign voices were heard condemning Israel for imposing 'collective punishment' on Palestinian society. Was this criticism justified? Or was it part of a Palestinian narrative to pick on Israel at every opportunity to gain global sympathy, even as they commit horrendous crimes on innocent Israelis, including youngsters and babies?..."

Crocodile Tears Over the Cult of Death  (04 July 2014)

"Barely had Israel assimilated the shock and grief over the murder of the three kidnapped Jewish teenagers, ... than it had to confront a horrible new development. At the time of writing, it is not known who abducted and murdered an Arab boy, 17-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir, the night after the funerals of the three Jewish teens. ... If Jews did murder this boy, that would be appalling. No excuse whatever could be made for it. Jews do not do vengeance. Jews do justice..."

More BBC News Promotion of Unproven Rumour Surrounding Murdered Teen  (04 July 2014)

"BBC television news coverage of the rioting in Shuafat and other districts in Jerusalem after the discovery of the body of Muhammed Abu Khdeir on July 2nd has included two reports ... by the BBC's Christian Fraser..."

Always Look on the Bright Side of Death  (04 July 2014)

"Gotta love the BBC's endless profound propagandising for Palestinians. Three teenage Israeli boys are taken away and shot to death by Palestinians. Cue PR problem. Then, Palestinians boy is also brutally murdered. We don't know by whom but the BBC were quick to make it pretty clear that it was by Israelis 'in revenge'..."

Obama White House, Media, Hamas Push New Blood Libel  (03 July 2014)

"The world has moved from ignoring kidnapped and murdered Jewish boys directly to blood libels. It wasn't enough for the world to go silent about the seizure and murders of Eyal Yifrach, 19; Gilad Shaar, 16; and American citizen Naftali Frenkel, 16. It wasn't enough for the United States to continue sending $400 million worth of funding to their murderers, the Hamas Palestinian Authority-Islamic Jihad unity government. Now the Obama administration and the media are determined to establish a moral equivalence between those who murder Jewish boys and the Jews themselves..."

'Three Down Six Million To Go'? Yolande 'Death' Knell Reports  (03 July 2014)

"The BBC has been repeatedly broadcasting an incendiary audio interview with relatives of the Palestinian teenager killed in Jerusalem as tensions between Israelis and Palestinians are 'dangerously high'. ... It must be a serious editorial misjudgement to broadcast what is nothing more than a highly emotive, provocative incitement against Israelis and any who support them. The interview is one long 'blood libel' against all Israelis..."

Palestinians Fake Kidnap Report of Youth by 'Israeli Settlers'  (03 July 2014)

"A group of Palestinian villagers in northern Samaria (the West Bank) on Wednesday night made a false '911' call to Israeli Police, saying that a youth had been abducted by 'Israeli settlers'. ... The report comes in the wake of massive Arab rioting in Jerusalem over the killing and burning of the body of an Arab youth, discovered in a forest on the outskirts of the city Wednesday morning..."

More Unchallenged Hamas Propaganda on BBC World Service's Newshour'  (03 July 2014)

"As Israel was preparing for the funerals for the three murdered Israeli teenagers ... on the afternoon of July 1st, the BBC World Service Radio's 'Newshour' programme saw fit to broadcast an interview with Isra Almdallal, described as 'Director of Foreign Affairs at the Palestinian Government Information Office'..."

Murad Abu al-Hija Should Be Expelled  (03 July 2014)

"Murad Abu al-Hija is a medical student in the Technion in Haifa. As a response to the kidnapping of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali, he wrote: '3 goals for Palestine without taking part in the World Cup.'..."

Times of London Adds Fuel to the Fire  (03 July 2014)

"It may well be that Khdeir was killed by Jews. That's harrowing to contemplate. But until more info's available, premature coverage only adds fuel to the fire. The Times of London's a case in point:..."

A Horrific Murder  (02 July 2014)

"If there is one thing we as a nation have experienced this week, it is the searing pain of the heinous murder of a loved one. If 16-year-old Mohammad Abu Khdeir was killed by a Jew seeking revenge, which according to news reports the police suspect but have not yet confirmed, this is a horrific crime that Jews across the spectrum condemn vociferously. Such barbarity can have no foothold in our nation..."

Why Shouldn't Israel Carry Out Retribution Against Hamas?  (02 July 2014)

"Israel has said that it will carry [out] acts of retribution against the Islamic group Hamas for its kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers. Predictably, Palestinian authorities and Western Leftists/liberals are saying that Israel shouldn't do anything of the sort. Israel should, instead, carry on carrying on with the 'peace process'..."

Three Murdered Teens: Irish Times' 'Cycle of Violence'  (02 July 2014)

"According to this headline for an Irish Times editorial, a 'cycle of violence' has started following the murders of three Israeli teens by Hamas terrorists:..."

An Apologist for Hamas in The Telegraph  (02 July 2014)

"Writing in the Daily Telegraph, director of the Council for Advancing Arab-British Relations, Chris Doyle engages in the well-worn ploy of describing recent events in Israel as part of a 'cycle of violence and revenge.'..."

We Don't Know Anything. But Here's What We Do Know  (02 July 2014)

"At this time, no one knows who killed Mohammed Abu Khdeir, or why. Different media are spinning the story differently: ... That lack of knowledge is not stopping irresponsible news outlets from claiming that they know what happened. Particularly egregious is The Independent, which doesn't only claim that extremist Jews killed the youth, but that 'Israel' murdered him..."

'Let Us Wait Patiently'  (02 July 2014)

"A Palestinian teenager has been killed in Jerusalem. ... The BBC has already decided... the teenager was killed by Israeli extremists in revenge of the killing of three Israeli teenagers by Palestinians..."

Financing Terrorism  (02 July 2014)

"I pay lots of taxes. Some of my money supports the U.S. Special Forces, and that pleases me. I have no problem helping fund the U.S. National Park Service or the Centers for Disease Control. I am, however, a tad uneasy about my tax dollars - and yours - going to support terrorists. The U.S. government gives more than $400 million a year to the Palestinian Authority..."

The Time Hs Come For America To Stand Up  (02 July 2014)

"The teens' abduction and murder was supported by Palestinian society as a whole. While Israelis were united as never before in worry and prayer for the missing boys, Palestinian society was united in its expressed delight at the abduction and murder of the boys..."

Cartoonist's Cynical Take on Murdered Teens' Funerals  (02 July 2014)

"Guardian Cartoonist Steve Bell, ... is no stranger to anti-Israel bias. Even so, his latest 'commentary' about the funeral of the three Israeli teens murdered by Hamas terrorists pushes the envelope on cynicism and a lack of compassion..."

It's Not the Occupation, It's Islam  (02 July 2014)

"The bodies of the three murdered Israeli teenagers, ... will be met by the same ghastly parade of pallbearers who accompany every victim of terrorism. The reporters will scribble down something about 'settlements' and the 'Cycle of Violence'. The diplomats will urge restraint and remind everyone that the only solution can be found through negotiations with the terrorists. And the pundits will put it all into perspective burying [Naftali, Gilad, and Eyal] under layers of words and weighting their coffins down with stones of forgetfulness. But all the empty words about the 'Occupation' and the 'Cycle of Violence', the invocation to a peaceful solution that is always about to arrive, but never does, and the maps that cede more territory to terrorists are addressing a problem that doesn't exist..."

What Will Save Israel  (02 July 2014)

"So I am not a blogger, I am just another Israeli who has been living by watching the news for the past 18 days. I am also an American which means that I think I am even angrier than an Israeli at the White House's reaction or rather lack thereof. My thoughts this morning, this horrible morning after hearing the news that our three teenage boys were murdered. ... what kind of animals shoot three teenage boys whose only crime was that they were waiting at a bus stop... The answer is - the kind that ... The list goes on. I came up with this without looking for attacks towards Israelis online, I just remembered..."

Ben-Dror Yemini - What the Heck?  (02 July 2014)

"Ben-Dror Yemini writes ... 'Those who carried out the attack wanted to act not just against Israel. They wanted to act against the calm as well, against the cooperation, against the PA. They sought to inflame the situation. There is no need to give them what they want.'  I see... no, wait, I don't see. So, let's start with this sentence by sentence..."

Nine Comments on a Helen Feinberg letter  (02 July 2014)

"From Philadelphian Helen Feinberg's letter in the NYTimes:..."

Modeling Faith and Love  (02 July 2014)

"So it turns out that the three families of Naftali Frenkel, Gil-ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach knew almost from the beginning of this ordeal that one or two of the three boys were likely to have been killed in the course of the kidnapping on June 12. ... yet all three families exuded optimism, faith and positive energy for 18 long days. ... thanking everybody for their efforts, in their upbeat, affirming and unassuming way. What amazing people! What noble people! How they raised the spirits of an entire nation; united an entire nation; comforted an entire nation!..."

There Is No 'Cycle of Violence'  (01 July 2014)

"Three Israeli teenagers, Naftali Fraenkel, Gil-ad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach, were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood on their way home from school only because they were Israeli Jews. Their Palestinian Arab murderers, as identified by Israel, did not know their victims and they did not care. The objective was to attack some hated Israelis, and perhaps exchange them or their bodies for jailed murderers. Any random Jews would do. So it has been for some 100 years in this long war against Jewish national sovereignty and equality among the nations. Long before the 1967 war and the 'occupation' provided an excuse for hate and murder, such acts of inhuman violence were common..."

The Message Needs to Be Clear and Convincing  (01 July 2014)

"The War of Independence is still not over; we must still pay the price of freedom. These pure and innocent boys join the multitude of Jews who gave their lives for our right to live as free people in our land. After 2,000 years, we returned from an extended and terribly costly exile. We believed the return to Zion would put an end to the bloodshed that had become our lot on foreign soil. We hoped that our matriarch Rachel would finally be able to stop crying for her lost sons. Yet we are still unable to rest in tranquility..."

Three Murdered Children: Why Can't the Media Say Terror?  (01 July 2014)

"Today, the entire country of Israel is in shock and mourning for the three Israeli children who were kidnapped and then murdered. Can there still be a reluctance to call Hamas what it is - a terrorist organization? If Hamas is not a terrorist organization, then that word has no meaning."

Where Are the Palestinian Mothers?  (01 July 2014)

"The Israeli government has identified two prime suspects, ... both of them Hamas activists. They are entitled to a presumption of innocence. Less innocent was the view offered by Mr. Abu Aysha's mother. ... 'If he did the kidnapping, I'll be proud of him.'  It's the same sentiment I heard expressed in 2005 ... by a woman named Umm Iyad. ... What kind of society produces such mothers? Whence the women who cheer on their boys to blow themselves up or murder the children of their neighbours? ... I just have yet to meet the Israeli mother who wants to raise her boys to become kidnappers and murderers..."

The Moral Equations of the New York Times  (01 July 2014)

"[T]he New York Times printed an article purporting to demonstrate the 'asymmetry of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the value of lives on both sides'. ... powerful Israelis and helpless Palestinians. By comparing an Israeli mother who retained hope for her son, with a Palestinian mother whose son had lost his life, the article set up a  false 'asymmetry' with the insinuation that more value is placed on the lives of Israeli youth than on those of Palestinian youth. ... The real asymmetry, however, lies in the different attitudes and values each society teaches its youngsters - the widespread glorification of 'martyrdom' in the name of killing Israelis, on the one hand, vs. the relentless effort to preserve lives, on the other..."

BBC World Service's 'Newsday' Gives 'Open Mike' to Azaam Tamimi's Hamas Propaganda  (01 July 2014)

"Azzam Tamimi is an Hamas-linked, terror-supporting, suicide bombing-lauding racist who thinks that Jews are not entitled to self-determination and that Israel (or 'this cancer' as he refers to it) should be destroyed. Azaam Tamimi is also the person the BBC World Service apparently considered most suited to answer the question appearing in the bizarrely phrased promotional Tweet below for the July 1st edition of its radio programme 'Newsday':..."

BBC's 'Newsnight' Facilitates Barghouti Claim of 'International Law' as an Excuse for Murders of Teens  (01 July 2014)

"This is at least the second time in the past two weeks that the BBC has provided a platform for Barghouti's exploitation of the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers as an opportunity to promote his political propaganda. Since the beginning of this year, Barghouti has been wheeled out by the BBC on at least six separate occasions to provide interviews ... and each time, regardless of the topic, those interviews promote the exact same jaded inculcations. ... Why exactly did the 'Newsnight' editorial team - which, based on past BBC experience, should have been able to predict exactly what Barghouti was going to say - think that this was an appropriate occasion for the repetition of standard 'one size fits all' political propaganda which provides no new information or insight to audiences on the topics supposedly being addressed: the kidnappings and murders of three Israelis by terrorists..."

Making Excuses Already  (01 July 2014)

"I tuned into the BBC Today programme this morning before 7am. I was informed that the savage murder of the three young Israeli boys 'may' have 'an unauthorised kidnapping' that 'went wrong' and thus is no reflection on the good name of Hamas. ... they instinctively default to the position that any terrorist act carried out is somehow a rogue one, not planned and most certainly not authorised. Just wait for this story to develop when Israel responds to the Hamas barbarism and John Humphrys can sigh about how this 'sets back the peace process'."

The 'Alleged' Murder of Three Teens  (01 July 2014)

"The Wall Street Journal still has a reputation as a credible news source with a tradition of adherence to the facts, so it was with some trepidation that I slid my Wall Street Journal from its plastic sleeve this morning, hoping and praying that the editors ... had not buried the story of three brutally murdered teens on page 17 or 26. They didn't. The Journal buried the story ... on page 1 for all the world to see..."

An Entire Community Joins the Mourner's Kaddish  (01 July 2014)

"Despite frantic prayers and more than two weeks of desperate searching, the saga of the three kidnapped boys ended with the mourner's kaddish, the traditional prayer for the dead, with three families clasped in prayer and an entire country standing behind them..."

The Insistent Humanity of the Bereaved  (01 July 2014)

"The news that the bodies of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel had been found on Monday afternoon surprised very few Israelis. But it was shattering nonetheless. The cold-blooded killing of Israelis in acts of terrorism has, horribly, always been a fact of life here. The memories of the Second Intifada a decade ago ... are still fresh for most Israelis, even if largely forgotten by the rest of the international community. ... [Each of these families has] refused to be tainted by the inhumanity that robbed them of their beloved sons. Our hearts go out to them."

From One Rachel to Another  (01 July 2014)

"The entire worldwide Jewish community and many supporters of Israel are now grieving the deaths of Gilad, Naftali, and Eyal. Every person who followed the news the past two-and-a-half- weeks felt as if they knew these wonderful boys and their families. What touched me most the past few weeks was the strength and faith of the boys' parents, particularly that of Racheli Frankel..."

The Cult of Death That Took Away Our Boys  (01 July 2014)

"My heart is heavy. I feel loss and despair. Today I watched the funerals of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Sha'ar and Eyal Yafirach, ... As I watched the simultaneous live streaming of the three funerals, prior to burial in Modi'in, ... I witnessed love, warmth and compassion bursting from every fibre of their families' being. I listened to the heart-wrenching eulogies of parents, siblings, teachers. I witnessed their family's love of their community, the Jewish people, humanity, G-d..."

Why Hamas Denies the Kidnappings  (30 June 2014)

"Normally, Hamas is proud of their terror attacks. This time they are denying it. The question is, why? This can now be answered, based on the background information now being revealed:..."

Palestinians Attack Damage Ambulance Carrying Bodies of Murdered Teenagers  (30 June 2014)

"The Israeli ambulance that carried the 3 murdered teenagers bodies away was attacked and damaged."

The Curse of Cain  (30 June 2014)

"After Cain killed his brother, the Lord told him, ... 'Cursed shall you be from the earth,' ... and so it has been. ... It is not murder that makes it impossible for Abel to live with Cain says the State Department, says the European Union and says the New York Times. It is Abel's fields and houses that provoke Cain. ... Abel does his best to appease Cain with gifts of the earth, but the earth is useless to Cain. ... What can he harvest when everything dies at his touch? All he can offer is a harvest of death. ... There is no use negotiating with Cain. There is no compromise that he will accept. Cain is his own curse. He loves death and that is all he will ever have. His acolytes cry, 'We love death, you love life'..."

New York Times Equates Mother of Dead Israeli Teen With Mother of Dead Terrorist  (30 June 2014)

"[A] story by Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren tries to compare the pain and heartache of the mother of one of the kidnapped Israeli teenagers, Rachel Fraenkel, with the pain of a Palestinian mother, Aida Dudeen, whose son was killed after attempting to ambush an Israeli search party looking for the missing boys. ... The truth, which is ever harder to find in The New York Times's coverage of anything to do with Israel, is that there is nothing at all to compare about the two mothers, their suffering, or the moral validity of their claims...."

The New York Times Double Standard Again  (30 June 2014)

"No one is more enamored with stone-throwing Palestinian teen-age boys than New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief Jodi Rudoren. Nearly a year ago (August 5, 2013) she described stone-throwing attacks against Israeli targets merely as 'a rite of passage and an honored act of defiance' - indeed, a 'game'. She romanticized assaults by a 17-year-old Palestinian whose five brothers and father had already served prison time for heaving rocks through the windshields of passing automobiles..."

Tomorrow's BBC Headline Today  (30 June 2014)

"Three dead teenagers responsible for innocent Palestinian deaths..."

Moral Equivalence No Answer to Terror  (30 June 2014)

"Now that the bodies of the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers have been found, we can expect the usual chorus of pro forma condemnation of terrorism and sympathy for the victims to be voiced by many world leaders. But the willingness of so many of the same people to treat deliberate attempts to target civilians by the Palestinians as morally equivalent to the fate of those Arabs killed while conducting violence against Israelis gives the lie to their pose of objectivity..."

Mourning Together  (30 June 2014)

"We are a people who treasure life, surrounded by those who revere death. The grief is intense. It is a tragedy beyond words. The news of the death of the three kidnapped youngsters turned the Israeli nation to weeping and brought caring people around the world to communal mourning. ... young boys returning from yeshiva were murdered - while the young children of Palestinians were given sweets to celebrate the joyous tidings of their capture and taught to turn the agony of the three Israeli families into a jubilant three fingered salute. Yes, this is an ideal time to reflect upon the difference between the value Israelis and Arabs place upon life. While the head of Hamas 'blessed the hands of the heroic kidnappers', Israeli surgeons used their hands to heal the wife of the PA President Mahmoud Abbas secretly ensconced in a Tel Aviv hospital. We are a people who treasure life. We are surrounded by those who revere death and rejoice in killing. That is why the moralizing of ... the liberal media is so appalling to us. That is why our pain is so intense this time..."

May God Avenge Their Blood  (30 June 2014)

"May their memories be a blessing... Eyal Yifrach... Gilad Shaar... Naftali Frenkel."

The Deepest of Pain  (30 June 2014)

"Tonight and tomorrow, this week and this month and this year and beyond, we will mourn for Eyal, for Gilad, for Naftali. Perhaps already tomorrow, they will be buried. Their families will continue to be surrounded by love and community and they will never be able to think they didn't do all they could to bring them back. They will never be alone with their pain and from the love of a nation, they will draw what comfort they can. The mothers each have other children who need them ... they will help their families, and we will help them. And we will curse the culture that birthed these killers. That too is our right. This is a culture that celebrates the death of a child, three children..."

Our Boys  (30 June 2014)

"The terrible news has just come in. I have much to say, but this cartoon is the first."

With One Heart  (30 June 2014)

"To be Israeli: It means to feel with one heart. It means to cry with joint tears. It means to mourn their child as your own. It means to grieve for a brother like he was yours. For the past 18 days, we have cried together and prayed together. We have hoped together and we have feared together. We have rallied around our troops searching day and night..."

Bodies of Three Kidnapped Teens Found  (30 June 2014)

"Israeli searchers on Monday discovered the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, who were abducted on June 12, north of Hebron in the West Bank..."

Massive Tel Aviv Rally for Kidnapped Teens Ignored by BBC  (30 June 2014)

"[T]he BBC's coverage of reactions in Israel to the kidnappings has to date been limited ... BBC audiences hence remain unaware of how the general public in Israel views the incident ... Thus, an important part of the context to this story, vital for comprehension of why Israel as a country acts as it does, continues to be ignored by an organization which is committed to the enhancement of 'audiences' awareness and understanding of international issues'..."

When Does the BBC Call a Kidnapping a Kidnapping?  (30 June 2014)

"[T]he vast majority of recent BBC reports on the subject of the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers on June 12th have refrained from describing the youths as kidnapped, instead preferring to use more ambiguous language such as 'missing', 'apparent abductions', 'believed seized', or 'disappeared'. ... It is therefore interesting to take a look at how it portrayed another kidnapping seven years ago - that of BBC reporter Alan Johnston in the Gaza Strip..."

BBC News Report on Kidnapping Suspects Downplays Hams Connections  (28 June 2014)

"[T]his report downplays the level of the two suspects' known membership of Hamas, erases from audience view that organisation's international terror designations and record of kidnapping attempts and encouragement. In addition it promotes cherry-picked statements made by Hamas leaders regarding the organisation's involvement in the kidnappings..."

Uncomfortable Truths From the Gush Etzion Kidnappings  (27 June 2014)

"On Thursday Israel released the photographs of two Hamas operatives, Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme, identified by the IDF as the ones who grabbed three of our Jewish children two weeks ago. All we have to know about the values of these two men can be summarised by the comment of Abu Aysha's mother - that if her son did take part in the kidnapping, she was proud of him and hoped he would continue to evade capture..."

Yolande Knell's 'Analysis' of Teens' Kidnappings Breaches BBC Editorial Guidelines  (26 June 2014)

"As readers no doubt recall, last October the BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit reaffirmed the corporation's commitment to the section (4.4.14) of its own editorial guidelines on impartiality in which it is stated:..."

Israel Reveals Identity of Hamas Kidnappers  (26 June 2014)

"Israel has published the names of Hamas terrorists who kidnapped three Israeli teens in Judea and Samaria two weeks ago. The terrorists are Marwan Kawasme and Amer Abu Aysha, Hamas operatives from Hebron..."

Mothers of Kidnapped Boys Continue Campaign for Their Freedom  (26 June 2014)

"After returning to Israel from Geneva, where they met with the UN Human Rights Council, the mothers of the three kidnapped Israeli youths ... went to the Knesset Wednesday for a meeting organized by Member of Knesset Shuli Mualem-Refaeli. Members of every party except the Arab parties were present to show their support..."

BBC Radio 4's 'Today' Programme Continues Template Coverage of Teens' Abduction  (25 June 2014)

"Ambiguous presentation of the kidnappings and lack of presentation of the context of dozens of previous attempts and plots to kidnap Israeli soldiers and civilians; Eradication of any mention of both public and official Palestinian praise for the kidnappings; Patchy mention of concurrent missile attacks from the Gaza Strip solely in the framework of reporting on Israeli responses to those attacks; Eradication of any mention of caches of weapons and explosives discovered during the search; Emphasis on the notion of the search as 'punishment' of the Palestinians; Portrayal of the search for the teenagers as escalating tensions, rather than the kidnapping itself; Implication that the search for kidnap victims will bring about the collapse of the PUG, rather than the kidnappings' perpetration by a party to the Palestinian unity deal."

Eighth BBC Article on Search for Kidnapped Teens Ignores Attack on Ramallah Police  (25 June 2014)

"As this report and its predecessors show, BBC News has adopted a template for reporting on this search and rescue operation. The kidnappings themselves are reported in ambiguous terms, Palestinian public and official lauding of the act is erased from every report, along with the seizure of weapons caches. Missile fire from the Gaza Strip is afforded a cursory 'last-first' mention only when Israel responds and the notion of 'punishment' of Palestinian civilians is promoted. None of the BBC News website's reports so far has ventured out of the boundaries of that editorial template."

Celebrating a Kidnapping  (25 June 2014)

"From the Israeli viewpoint - and, one would have hoped, the perspective of the Western world - abduction is simply wrong. The kidnapping of minors is particularly evil. Is it really too much to ask for categorical condemnation when the kidnapping victims are Israeli youths? Sadly, the answer from many quarters appears to be 'yes'..."

VIDEO:  This is Israel - Benny Gantz Speaking to the Soldiers  (25 June 2014)

"IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz speaking to the soldiers - THIS is Israel."

Rumors...Rumors...Rumors  (25 June 2014)

"Rumors are flying around Israel today, as they have since the start of this horrible ordeal. Once again, I go scrambling through websites to find whether something has happened..."

VIDEO:  Why the UN is an Abomination  (25 June 2014)

"No words are needed. Call for restraint? The Palestinians are working to maintain order? The boys are just 'missing'? ... Nation by nation, they line up... and show their truest nature. Amazing how these people, one by one, are allowed to get away with such lies... meet the UN abomUNation. It makes me ashamed to breathe the same air as they do."

Day Twelve Ends in Bufuddlement  (24 June 2014)

"Day Twelve began in Israel with news of an amazing speech by Rachel Frenkel at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. But later in the day, disappointing news was released. The Israeli Cabinet has voted to reduce the crackdown on Hamas because of the start of Ramadan in the coming days. If only the Palestinians would show half the amount of concern for our sons as the Israeli cabinet does for theirs, we might have a chance at peace..."

Israel 'Provoked' Palestinians With Search for Kidnapped Teens  (23 June 2014)

"On Friday June 20th a filmed report about the search for the kidnapped Israeli teenagers by the BBC Jerusalem Bureau's Yolande Knell [was titled] 'Thousands mourn Palestinian teen killed in clashes'..."

The Collective Punishment Canard  (23 June 2014)

"Eleven days have now gone by since the abduction of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas terrorists. But rather than international sympathy building for the victims, their families, and a nation that has become transfixed by their fate, it is, instead, the Palestinians who appear to be winning the pubic-relations battle over this incident..."

Idiot of the Day Award  (23 June 2014)

"The Idiot of the Day Award goes to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki who said:..."

BBC's 'Echo Chambers' Blog Promotes Inaccurate Information on Kidnapped Teens  (22 June 2014)

"The BBC News website blog titled 'Echo Chambers' ... purports to present audiences with 'a review of the best commentary on and around the world'..."

Day Ten  (22 June 2014)

"Ten days since the boys were kidnapped; ten days since their parents spoke to them. Israel continues to pray, to hope..."

Palestinians Play the Victim Again  (22 June 2014)

"To listen to officials like ... Riyad al-Milaki, the kidnapping is either an Israeli hoax or the act of Jewish criminals rather than terrorists. This variant on 9/11 truther myths is a mixture of the traditional imagery of anti-Semitism as well as modern disinformation. But like PLO official Hanan Ashrawi and [her] boss Abbas, al-Maliki's real complaint if that the focus on Jews suffering at the hands of Palestinian terrorists helps 'turn Israelis from aggressors to victims'..."

Nicky Campbell 'Contextualises' Kidnapping of Israeli Teens on BBC Radio 5 Live  (21 June 2014)

"Campbell's attempt to compare the kidnapped Israeli teenagers with convicted terrorists, his claim that the issue of those terrorists convicted by a due process of law 'gives ... some perspective' to the topic of three youths kidnapped whilst travelling home from school, his odious implication that the teens were in fact to blame for their own abduction because they 'were in the West Bank illegally' and that their being forcefully held by parties unknown is comparable to the detention of Palestinians illegal infiltrators into Israel, clearly calls into question the impartiality of this item."

It's Time to Stop Infantilising the Palestinians  (21 June 2014)

"The jubilant reaction of many Palestinians to the kidnapping of three Israeli teenage boys has been met in the West with a bit of a shrug. ... [D]espite all [their] whooping and cheering ... the Palestinians will likely pay a very small price in the international community or global public opinion. Why? In part, because [of] an anti-Zionist mindset that has taken root in the West, and at its heart [an] unexamined assumption..."

Two More Misleading BBC News Reports on Search for Kidnapped Teens  (20 June 2014)

"Continuing a theme promoted in the previous report, the article opens with a description of the kidnapped youths as 'missing', despite the fact that one of them managed to make a phone call reporting the abduction - a point which the BBC has so far failed to report in any of its articles on the topic..."

Bring Back Our Boys? Who Cares!  (20 June 2014)

"When Michelle Obama jumped on the #bringbackourgirls campaign, the BBC were all over it. Yet they seem largely disinterested in the #bringbackourboys campaign when it comes to the three teenage boys kidnapped by Palestinian savages..."

Is Israel Overreacting to the Kidnapping?  (20 June 2014)

"[P]rayers for the safe recovery of the boys are being drowned out in the court of international public opinion by complaints from Palestinians that Israel's efforts to ferret out the terrorists are an overreaction or that is it inflicting 'collective punishment' on innocents even if those complaining about disproportionate use of force are also the same people who have been promoting a social media campaign supporting the kidnapping and mocking its victims..."

The Godfather's Goodfellas  (19 June 2014)

"Don Mahmoud Abbas's feelings have been deeply hurt. Three Israeli boys fell prey to Hamas abductors who set out from his turf and retreated back to it. But how dare insensitive Israelis insinuate that the Godfather is tainted by his pact with the most infamous ringleaders of Hamastan's Murder Incorporated and its offshoots?..."

Where Is the President On This?  (19 June 2014)

"John Kerry condemned the kidnapping (a little late, but unequivocally). The White House (that is, a social media staffer) posted a tweet that 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families'. But as far as I can see, the President has not personally made a statement,..."

A Fourth BBC Report on Kidnapping Refrains From Reporting Palestinian Celebrations  (18 June 2014)

"Five days and four reports after this incident began, the BBC still has not informed its audiences of the celebrations and other expressions of support for the kidnappings on the Palestinian street, along with the inflammatory rhetoric from Hamas, the PA and Fatah. Clearly, BBC audiences cannot understand this particular 'international issue' if they continue to be told only selected parts of the story."

YOUTUBE:  Kidnapping of Israeli Teens: Accurate Media Coverage?  (18 June 2014)

"While the real story is about three Israeli high schoolers who were abducted by the terrorist group Hamas, many in the media prefer to make the story about the settlements. Others ask why they were hitchhiking anyway, as if to blame the victims for the crime."

VIDEO:  Threats Against Israeli Arab Teen Who Slammed Kidnapping  (17 June 2014)

"In the video, ... 17-year-old Mohammed Zoabi of Nazareth called for the release of the three teens, affirmed his own identity as an Israeli, and urged PM Benjamin Netanyahu to stop negotiating with Palestinian terrorists. Another relative, the controversial MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad), distanced herself from his comments ... and said that, ... the kidnappers were 'not terrorists'..."

BBC's Evan Davis Promotes Notion That Search for Kidnapped Teens is 'Collective Punishment'  (17 June 2014)

"Listeners to the June 16th edition of the BBC Radio 4 'Today' programme ... heard presenter ... Evan Davis introduce an item ostensibly on the subject of the kidnappings of the three Israeli teenagers. As readers will soon see, that item rapidly became a platform for political campaigning, both by his first guest and by Davis himself, with his adoption and use of the language and narrative used by anti-Israel campaigners quickly dispelling any impression of that famed BBC 'impartiality'..."

Still No BBC Reporting on Palestinian Celebrations of Kidnappings  (17 June 2014)

"Visitors to the BBC News website's Middle East page on the morning of June 16th found a new article on the subject of the ongoing search for three Israeli teenagers which replaced the previous two reports. ... All versions of the article encouraged BBC audiences to view statements made by an internationally designated terror organization as being on a par with statements issued on the basis of intelligence reports and evidence..."

Where Our Children Are  (17 June 2014)

"I don't know where the boys are. I'll start off by saying that. But I do know where our children are... at least a whole bunch of them. ... I passed Elad [today], the city where Eyal, the 19 year old student lives with his family. ... I know where our children are. They were standing, dozens, perhaps hundreds, at the entrance to Elad - small children and bigger ones. ... They were carrying pictures and signs ... And they were waving Israeli flags - not just holding them - but waving them back and forth with all the pride and strength you can imagine..."

The Death Penalty for Terrorists is Both Appropriate and Legal  (17 June 2014)

"Following the kidnapping of three Jewish teenagers, probably to be traded for thousands of Arab prisoners in Israeli jails, a Facebook page was created calling for a terrorist to be shot every hour until the three are returned. ... Although this is both illegal ... and impractical ... it is easy to understand why this solution is embraced by many..."

Hamas Kidnappings: A Constant Threat in Israel  (16 June 2014)

"Last weeks' Hamas abduction followed dozens of attempts to kidnap innocent Israelis. Since the beginning of 2013, Israel has foiled 64 planned abductions, many of them at the hands of Hamas terrorists..."

Sky News: It All Started When Israel Went Looking For the Boys  (16 June 2014)

"Possibly some of the most cynical and downright ugly reporting on the kidnapping of three Israeli teens has come from Sky News. First the headline:..."

NY Times: Israeli Rescue Attempts Destabilize Relations With Palestinians  (16 June 2014)

"Israel's attempts to rescue three kidnapped teens are endangering Palestinian-Israeli relations, reports the New York Times today. ... Once again, the Gray Lady conforms to its well-worn narrative in which, regardless of the reality on the ground, Israel stars as the wrecking ball of peace. ... it is not Hamas' kidnapping ... that is responsible for eroding Israeli-Palestinian relations. Rather, The Times singles out Israeli efforts to bring the boys home as the key cause of friction..."

Why HRW's Ken Roth Won't Condemn Kidnapping of Israeli Teens  (16 June 2014)

"[T]he head of Human Rights Watch is refusing to unequivocally condemn Thursday's kidnapping of Israeli teenagers, emphasizing instead that they attended school in an 'illegal settlement', ... In all of history, was there ever a case where the head of a human rights group issued a statement concerning innocent hostages - while they were still in the hands of kidnappers - which deliberately connected them to an 'illegal' act, let alone devoting half the text to it?..."

In the Heart of Every Israeli  (16 June 2014)

"I'm going to try to put into words what many/most of us here are feeling. On the very simple level, we feel for parents whose children are missing. And not just missing - stolen - by very, very bad people who hate them and everything they stand for. People who think nothing of murder and torture. People who believe that they are in the right and that these boys are prisoners of war. We feel for the parents who don't know if their children are being beaten, fed, allowed to go to the bathroom or even if they live. We feel for the children who are terrified, alone, completely unaware of what will happen to them..."

BBC Reports on Kidnapping of Israeli Teens  (15 June 2014)

"After having initially ignored the search in Judea and Samaria for three Israeli teenagers abducted on Thursday night, the BBC News website finally got around to reporting the story on the afternoon of June 14th..."

Kidnapping Teens or Building Homes: Which Hurts Peace?  (15 June 2014)

"Covering the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, they just couldn't resist editorializing about settlements..."

A Request To All Americans  (15 June 2014)

"I would like to ask my American relatives and friends who voted for Obama to write to him and tell him that three Israeli children have been kidnapped. Maybe he doesn't know it yet... since he hasn't bothered to issue a single word of protest or condemnation..."

As Israel Bands Together Over Their Kidnapped Boys, the World's Silence is Deafening  (15 June 2014)

"As the brilliant Simon Wiesenthal famously said, 'for evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.'  In the case of the three young Israeli boys who were kidnapped late Thursday night by Islamic terrorists while heading home from school, far too many people have done worse than nothing. ... Or perhaps not..."

Arabs, and Israeli Far-Leftists, Mystified By Thousands of Jews Praying For Kidnapped Boys  (15 June 2014)

"Arab media have been covering the massive prayer vigils at the Kotel and in synagogues, especially fascinated by the idea of so many people crying for the safety of three kidnapped teenagers: Apparently, praying for the welfare of others is an alien concept to these Arab newspapers. The impression is not so much that they are gloating over the Jews' tears as that they are surprised..."

The Hug of a Nation  (15 June 2014)

"This morning, as they always do, 45 minutes after the hour, the newscaster introduced the sports announcer. And in doing so, he added, 'even though we have more important things on our minds.' The sports announcer agreed, and then continued on with his report. That's the way it is here in Israel today - we have more important things on our minds..."

Palestinians Praise Kidnapping of 3 Israeli Teenagers  (15 June 2014)

"Soon after Thursday's kidnapping, terrorist organizations praised the attack and urged Palestinians in Judea and Samaria to hamper the IDF's efforts to locate the boys. Senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials have called for the kidnapping of more Israelis, with the insidious intention of trading them for convicted terrorists. Upon hearing of the abduction, Palestinians handed out candy in the streets and posted messages lauding the incident on social media sites..."

Worry, Fear and Anger in Israel  (15 June 2014)

"Israel as a whole spent Shabbat immersed in pain. Clusters of people speaking only of three bys who have been kidnapped, ... Mothers looked at their own sons and cried, understanding the pain of others mothers who cannot hold their sons this day. ... As I walked to the synagogue Friday night, I saw fireworks coming from Arab villages in three directions..."

The Kidnapping is a Casus Belli  (14 June 2014)

"The kidnapping of three Jewish teenagers in Judea Thursday brings home a fact that might not stand out in abstract discussions about the significance of the Palestinian Unity Government, or the various 2-state, 1-state, or any-number-state plans..."

The Kidnapping of Three Israeli Teens  (14 June 2014)

"Just Friday morning, after my son left home to return to his yeshiva, I sat there folding laundry and reflected on how good it feels to lead a life full of assumptions. For four years, from 2000-2004, through the War of Terrorism in which Arab terrorists murdered over a thousand innocent Israelis, we lived an assumptionless life. When our daughters went into town to buy new shoes, we could not assume that they would return home safely. When our sons got on a bus to go to school in the mornings, we could not assume that they would reach school alive. When our husbands left for work, we could not assume that we would ever see them again. During those years, every departure was accompanied by a fervent prayer and every return by fervent thanks. But Operation Defensive Shield cleaned out the terrorists' nests, arresting and incarcerating thousands of Jihadis whose most cherished dream was to kill Jews. And slowly, slowly, our busses, cafes, and malls felt safe again. Slowly, assumptions crept back into our lives. Surely last Sunday when Rachel Frankel, Bat Galim Shaar, and Iris Yifrach kissed their sons goodbye and waved them off to yeshiva, they assumed that they would come home on Thursday night as they did every week..."

Teen Captives Deserve Whatever They Get Because They Are Jews: World Media  (13 June 2014)

"Three Jewish boys were abducted by Palestinian terrorists while trying to catch a ride home from school Thursday night. And as far as the foreign press is concerned, it's their own damned fault. ... The boys deserve whatever they get, according to the media, because they are Jews and Jews have no right to be located anywhere that the Palestinians demand be cleansed of Jewish presence. And the Palestinians demand that Gush Etzion be emptied of Jews. So the boys, who dared to be located in Gush Etzion, had it coming. And the blame doesn't end with the victims. In trying to rescue them, the Israeli government is also committing an unpardonable crime - against Palestinian unity, no less..."

Hamas Terrorists Behind Abduction of Israeli Teens  (13 June 2014)

"Palestinian terrorists kidnapped three Israeli teenagers late Thursday night in the Judea and Samaria region. On Sunday morning, the IDF confirmed that Hamas terrorists were behind the abduction..."

3 Yeshiva Teenagers Missing Near Hebron: Kidnapping Suspected  (13 June 2014)

"Remember all the terrorist prisoners that Netanyahu was forced to free from Israeli prisons because Kerry said it was the thing to do to keep Abbas at the peace talk table?  Well, now we have 3 missing teenagers..."

The Agony of Israel  (13 June 2014)

"At this moment, the Israeli government has allowed the media to release some news related to something that many of us have known about for hours. It's a small country; people talk. ... Three boys are missing. For hours, people have been writing that they have been kidnapped... it is a definite possibility..."

"Thus saith the LORD,
which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night,
which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the LORD of hosts is His name:
'If those ordinances depart from before me,' saith the LORD,
'then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before me forever'"
(Jeremiah 31:35-36)

"For the LORD will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance"
(Psalm 94:14)

"They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even forever"
(Psalm 125:1-2)

© Bayith Ministries     http://www.bayith.org     bayith@blueyonder.co.uk