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What Others Are Saying

by Alan Simons

Mind boggling! It’s comforting to know there’s so much happening internationally this week that doesn’t mention the individual named in my headline, nor Covid. And while mainstream media insist of writing about the delivery of the vaccine as if it was the premier night of Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, here are a few important examples you may not have read about.

‘We are Scared’: China Cracks Down on Judaism, Chanukah Celebrated in Secret. An ancient well, the last remnant of Kaifeng’s 12th-century synagogue, has been covered over with concrete.

Israel: World Israel News reports: “Every time we celebrate, we are scared,” said one member of the Kaifeng Jewish community. The government of China has cracked down on “unapproved religion” in recent years, forcing the country’s small Jewish community to observe their religion in hiding, UK’s The Telegraph reported Sunday. He spoke with The Telegraph on the condition of anonymity due to the threat of government retaliation. “Whatever we do, we’re always very careful to make sure the authorities don’t find out…“Why do we have to practice our faith in secret, and live floating on the fringes of society?”… Since 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping has led the Communist Party’s harsh crackdown against foreign influence and unapproved religion. “Their goal is to make sure the next generation doesn’t have any Jewish identity,” one man told The Telegraph, saying that he teaches his children everything he knows about Judaism secretly at home. In an attempt to erase the community’s history, the government has destroyed its monuments. An ancient well, the last remnant of Kaifeng’s 12th-century synagogue, has been covered over with concrete.

Ending a 2-Year Standoff: Turkey Sends Ambassador to Israel

Jordan. Al Bawaba, reports: Turkey has selected a new ambassador to send to Israel after Ankara recalled its envoy in 2018 over the killing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at the hands of Israeli forces, media reports say. The candidate is 40-year-old Ufuk Ulutas, the chairman for the Center for Strategic Research at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, who formerly studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, they said.

First Israeli hospital to provide medical services in Dubai

Jordan: MENAFN reports: Dubai-based Al Tadawi Healthcare Group has forged a partnership with Israel’s Sheba Medical Centre to provide a new range of advanced healthcare services. The joint venture will see Sheba Medical Center becoming the first hospital from Israel to provide medical services in Dubai… As part of the partnership, the Al Tadawi Healthcare Group will collaborate with the Israeli hospital to offer both on-site and remote telemedicine treatments and consultations. The joint venture will be activated in January 2021 when Dubai’s state-of-the-art Al Tadawi Medical Center will launch a diabetes clinic offering preliminary diagnostic consultations through face-to-face meetings with visiting doctors from Sheba Medical Center that will be followed up with daily remote monitoring through telemedicine technology. Sheba and Al Tadawi will later expand the range of medical services they offer, and the medical center will be transformed into a fully functional hospital.

Netherlands to establish National Coordinator against Antisemitism

The Netherlands. NLTimes reports: A National Coordinator for Fighting Antisemitism will be established in the Netherlands next year, Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security announced at a Hanukkah celebration with representatives of the Jewish community, NOS reports. The coordinator will start early next year and will be active for at least a year. They will advise the Ministry of Justice and Security on the approach against Antisemitism and must ensure better cooperation between parties in this fight. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, asked for such a coordinator in the summer. Antisemitism has become increasingly visible over the past years, partly due to social media, Grapperhaus said. “Corona and economic hardship is a breeding ground for conspiracy theories against the Jewish community.” According to the Minister, “the many headed monster of Antisemitism” feels at home in many places. “We must not leave this battle to the Jewish community alone.”

Abu Dhabi doughnut a Hanukkah hit in Israel

Bahrain. Gulf Daily News reports: Customers are lining up at a Jerusalem bakery-cafe for the “Abu Dhabi” doughnut, a date-flavoured confectionery inspired by Israel’s new relations with the United Arab Emirates. Doughnuts, called “sufganiyot” in Hebrew, are a popular fare in Israel during the current holiday of Hanukkah, in which Jews traditionally eat deep-fried delicacies. This year, pastry chefs Itzik and Keren Kadosh put a new twist on the treat. At their Cafe Kadosh, they devised the Abu Dhabi doughnut, filled with cream made from dates shipped by the UAE’s Jewish community, with a nougat crown topped with an edible gold leaf. The new product, Itzik Kadosh said on Sunday, was a way “to appreciate the peace process” upon which Israel and the UAE have embarked.

Morocco-Israel ties ‘already normal’

Kuwait. Kuwait Times reports: Morocco’s relations with Israel are unique in the Arab world and bilateral ties were “already normal” before a “normalization” deal was announced, Morocco’s foreign minister told Israeli media yesterday. Morocco closed its liaison office in Tel Aviv in 2000 at the start of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Morocco’s announcement is widely seen as making it the fourth Arab country this year to unveil plans to normalize ties with Israel through a US brokered deal, following the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. But in an interview with Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper yesterday, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said: “Israel’s relations with Morocco are special and can’t be compared to the relations that Israel has with any other Arab country.”

Senior PLO official Ashrawi to resign, calls for political reforms

Qatar. Gulf Times reports: Veteran Palestinian negotiator and women’s rights advocate Hanan Ashrawi said yesterday she would quit her senior post in the Palestine Liberation Organisation at the end of 2020, and called for political reforms. Ashrawi, 74, did not give a reason for her resignation in a statement announcing the move. But she said that the PLO’s Executive Committee, on which she served, had been marginalised “and from decision-making”. The 15-member committee, the most senior body of the PLO, is headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is not often convened by the 85-year-old leader. “The Palestinian political system needs renewal and reinvigoration with the inclusion of youth, women and additional qualified professionals,” Ashrawi said in her statement, adding that she had tendered her resignation to Abbas.

Chalking out investment priorities should take precedence in UAE-Israel ties

UAE. Gulf News reports: Dubai: Clear areas of mutually beneficial co-operation can be worked out between UAE and Israel… and with access to ample funding. These would include – but not be confined to – sectors such as defense, technology, water and agriculture, according to Mohieddine Kronfol, CIO – Global Sukuk and MENA FI, Franklin Templeton, during a panel discussion at the UAE-Israel Business Leaders Summit. “I think the UAE can provide some capital, logistics support and an attractive tourist destination for consumers as well. “This is the beginning of a long journey, but it is certainly a very positive step.” He was speaking at the first UAE-Israel Business Leaders Summit co-hosted by Gulf News and TheMarker.

Israel says it has established diplomatic ties with Bhutan

Saudi Arabia. Arab News reports: Israel established diplomatic relations on Saturday with Bhutan, a majority-Buddhist nation neighboring India, the Israeli foreign ministry said. Israel’s new relations with the relatively-isolated Himalayan nation did not appear to be related to its budding ties under US-sponsored accords with Arab and Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa. The agreement follows several years of secret contacts between Israel and Bhutan with the aim of establishing relations, the foreign ministry said in a statement. “Israel’s circle of recognition is growing and expanding. The establishment of relations between us and the Kingdom of Bhutan will serve as another milestone in deepening Israel’s ties in Asia,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said. Bhutan has full diplomatic ties with only 53 countries, Israel’s foreign ministry said.

EU steps up fight against antisemitism

Belgium. The Brussels Times reports: The European Council welcomed on Friday a declaration on mainstreaming the fight against antisemitism across policy areas. In its conclusions, the European Council condemned “all forms of attacks on the freedoms of expression and religion or belief, including antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, and underlines the importance of combating incitement to hatred and violence, as well as intolerance.” The Declaration, which was approved last week by the Justice and Home Affairs Council, describes antisemitism as an EU-wide phenomenon and emphasises that the fight against it is a cross-cutting issue involving various levels of government and policies at local, national and European level. The Council expressed its concern at the increase in threats to Jewish people in Europe, and the resurgence of conspiracy myths, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the increase in antisemitic incidents and hate crime.

Families of victims of Iran UIA plane crash ‘threatened and harassed’

UAE. The National reports: Relatives of victims who died in a plane crash in January when an aircraft was accidentally shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have been “threatened and harassed” since the incident, a Canada-led probe into the accident has found… The report said that family members of the crash victims both in Canada and Iran had been threatened and harassed and that in each case of this, Canadian police and national security agencies must investigate and follow up. The report said vital questions about the exact chain of events and decision making remain unanswered… The report accused Iran would not grant Canada the opportunity to appoint an accredited representative to the investigation, which would have provided the North American country with “more first-hand knowledge”. “Instead, despite suffering the greatest loss of life, Canada’s official role in the safety investigation was limited to that of an observer,” it added.

Lebanon jails activist Kinda al-Khatib for ‘collaborating’ with Israel

Lebanon. Al Arabiya reports: Lebanon’s military prosecution on Monday sentenced an activist to three years in prison for “collaborating” with Israel and traveling to the Jewish state, a judicial source said. Kinda al-Khatib, who is in her twenties, was arrested in June and charged with “collaborating with the enemy”, “entering the occupied Palestinian territories” and “collaborating with spies of the Israeli enemy”. Lebanon is technically still at war with Israel and forbids its citizens from traveling there… Prior to her arrest, Khatib on Twitter had criticized Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite movement that fought a devastating 2006 war with Israel. Her family and activists have denounced her arrest as “political” because of her tweets against those in power.

Netanyahu Warns ‘Business as Usual with Iran’ Will Be Mistake

London. Asharq Al-Awsat reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said it would be a mistake “to go back to business as usual with Iran,” signaling Israeli resistance to an expected push by US President-elect Joe Biden to revive the international nuclear deal with Iran. Netanyahu spoke at a press conference with Robert O’Brien. But his comments appeared to be aimed at Biden, who has said the US will rejoin the nuclear deal if Iran agrees to strict adherence. The deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, has unraveled since the US withdrew from it in 2018. “As long as Iran continues to subjugate and threaten its neighbours, as long as Iran continues calling for Israel’s destruction, as long as Iran continues to bankroll, equip and train terrorist organizations throughout the region and the world, and as long as Iran persists in its dangerous quest for nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, we shouldn’t go back to business as usual with Iran,” Netanyahu said Sunday.

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