"I love Tikun Olam תיקון עולם - Breaking news on the Israeli national security state"

2022-06-20 21:29:24

HomeAboutContactSubscribeDonate to Tikun OlamComment RulesPrivacy PolicyTikun Olam תיקון עולםBreaking news on the Israeli national security stateFeatured PostAlmog, Once Sought for War Crimes, Named Jewish Agency Head IDF Gen. Doron Almog escaped arrest in UK after government authorities warned him of arrest warrantJune 17, 2022 By Richard Silverstein 5 CommentsMaj. Gen. Doron Almog, former head of IDF Southern CommandAfter a year of stalemate among Israeli political parties seeking to dole out a plum patronage job as chairman of the Jewish Agency (JA), the Party bosses have settled on former Maj. Gen. Doron Almog as their choice.Almog served as chief of the IDF’s Southern Command from 2000-2002, which includes Gaza. He was accused of war crimes, including depopulating a Gaza “buffer zone“:Most notable was the systematic demolition of over 1,100 Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip and the widespread razing of agricultural land, turning neighborhoods and fields into desolate moonscapes. Over ten thousand people lost their homes, many of them refugees displaced for a second or third time in their lives.Wanted poster: Almog (r.)He rendered thousands homeless in the name of creating a No Man’s Land which would deny Palestinian militants “cover” from which to attack Israeli forces.  This was Israel’s response to the second Intifada and multiple terror attacks by Palestinians, which ended in 2000.Doron changed Israel’s relatively open former policy of issuing work permits to tens of thousands of Gazans offering menial jobs (usually in construction) inside Israel.  The new policy of separation was a precursor to the policy of siege and blockade implemented after Hamas won a legisltative victoy in the 2006 Palestinian elections.So in a strange, macabre way you could call him a pioneeer of Israeli military strategy.  An innovator in pauperizing and suffocating Gaza.   His depopulation strategy in response to Palestinian acts of resistance (aka “terrorism”) is a form of collective punishment and a cornerstone of Israeli policy. It is also a war crime.Almog presented his strategy as a huge success to a Washington Institute for Near East Peace audience.  WINEP is Aipac’s think tank.  Israeli intelligence and military officers often spend sabbaticals there.  For some who had hoped for advancement  but been disappointed, this is a parting gift for services rendered.  Almog was later  passed over for promotion and retired from the army:“Almog, who is regarded as a leading candidate for the army’s deputy chief of staff post, emphasized the importance of creating a buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the fence. On the Palestinian side of the Gaza fence, Israel created a strip three-fifths of a mile wide, which was bulldozed and declared a no-go area for Palestinians. Those who enter have been arrested or shot, often fatally.”Cover-Up: Rachel Corrie’s MurderAnother crime with Almog’s fingerprints is the murder of Rachel Corrie, the American ISM volunteer who was killed by an IDF bulldozer in Gaza.  She was putting her body between the vehicle and the Gazan homes the army intended to raze (per Almog’s eradication policy).  Despite then-PM Ariel Sharon’s firm pledge to then-US Pres. George Bush that Israel would conduct a thorough investigation, Almog made sure that never happened.  A military advocate investigator taking a statement from a solider who’d been next to the driver in the bulldozer, was interrupted by a Colonel dispatched by Almog:…According to a military police investigator’s report…the “commander” of the D-9 bulldozer was giving testimony, when an army colonel dispatched by Major-General Almog interrupted proceedings and cut short his evidence. The military police investigator wrote: “At 18:12 reserve Colonel Baruch Kirhatu entered the room and informed the witness that he should not convey anything and should not write anything and this at the order of the general of southern command.”…Another army document strongly suggests that Major-General Almog opposed the military police investigation. Dated 18 March 2003, a military police investigator petitioning a judge for permission to conduct an autopsy on Ms Corrie’s body said that “we arrived only today because there was an argument between the general of southern command [Almog] and the military advocate general about whether to open an investigation and under what circumstances.” The judge granted the request provided the autopsy would be done in the presence of a US diplomat as the Corrie family requested. But the inquest was carried out by Israel’s chief pathologist without any US official being there, in apparent violation of the judge’s ruling.That’s how things are done in Israel.  When the general tells you to do something, you do it regardless of whether it is legal, moral or anything else.  He’s protecting the army. He’s protecting his job, rank, and you (the bulldozer commander) from being held accountable for your crimes, the ones he ordered.  And if you committed a crime, then he did. And by God, that will never happen.  But now here, we can say he did.Almog’s response to The Independent story is classic surly, pompous, self-serving military braggadocio:Major-General Almog denied halting Mr Valermov’s testimony. “I never gave such an order, I don’t know such a document. I conducted my own investigation, I don’t remember what I found. There were 12,000 terrorist incidents when I was general in charge of southern command. I finished seven years ago, if they want to invite me [to testify] they know the address. I certainly didn’t disrupt an investigation, this is nonsense. In all of my service I never told anyone not to testify.”Asked if he gave an order to harm foreign activists interfering with the army’s work, Major-General Almog responded: “What are you talking about? You don’t know what a general in charge of command is. The general in charge of command has 100,000 soldiers. What are you talking about?”Note that in response to a direct question whether or not he ordered his soldiers to run over Corrie, he doesn’t deny it.  He merely deflects by saying he’s not responsible for one IDF bulldozer which murders a foreign peace activist.  That is a near admission Almog was responsible for her murder.  Of course, as commander he was never held accountable.His new job adds insult to this injury.  Give him one of the plumiest jobs in Israel after committing war crimes. It’s the Israeli way.By the way, we have no way of knowing whether he’s invented the terrorist incident figure or not.  And he knows we don’t.  So he will blow it like smoke in your face to confuse the issue.  My educated guess is that he’s inflated the actual figure by a factor of ten or more.This is the way of the general in Israel. If he says “sun” you say “sun.”  Even if it’s the moon.  If he says something never happened, it never did-even if it did.  And if you can follow that twisted logic, then you are a master at understanding the structure of Israel’s garrison state mentality.Almog is not a particularly unusual example of the species of homo IDF horribilis.  He’s no worse than the average IDF general and certainly no better.  They have a job to do–that’s controlling Palestinians by any means possible.  Treating them, as Gen Raful EItan once said, like drugged cockroaches in a bottle.  If an American gets in the way of doing that job, she’ll be mowed down without hesitation.  Let the prime ministers worry about the political fallout, while the military men do a dirty job, so every other Israeli can sleep at night.Almog, and every Israeli general, plays the Jack Nicolson role in A Few Good Men. Change a few words and you have Almog and all the rest:Col Jessup: Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Rachel Corrie, and you curse the IDF. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know — that Corrie’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall — you need me on that wall.I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it.…I don’t give a damn what you think!The only difference between Jessup’s US army and Israel’s is that there is no accountability in Israel’s system.  There is no military prosecutor holding him accountable.  Because it is the military justice system’s responsibility not to hold him accountable. There certainly are Israeli Jessup’s.  But they are given medials and promoted for defending the nation from “terrorists.”Almog’s Near War Crimes ArrestIn 2005, Almog was invited by a UK NGO to speak on the status of “Arab citizens of Israel.” If that isn’t a bitter irony, I don’t what is.  The man responsible for mass devastation in Gaza is going to tell Britain how well Israel treats its “Arabs.”As his plane was en route to Heathrow, human rights lawyers petitioned an English court and obtained a warrant for his arrest for war crimes.  However, diplomats (either the Foreign Office or Israeli embassy) alerted Almog, and while UK police refused to enter the plane to serve the warrant, the plane refueled, turned around, and flew back to safety and impunity in Israel.Almog in his role as champion of the Israeli disabledThis is the man who the Times of Israel boasts has “impeccable credentials.”  While they’re referring in part to his military service, they’re more likely pointing to his charitable work since leaving the army.  He had a severely autistic son, Eran, who died in 2007.  As a result, he built a rehabilitation center for children with physical and mental disabilities.  Perhaps as a way to assuage his guilt at the crimes he committed as a general.  But that would be giving him too much credit.His conscience is no doubt untroubled by what he did.  He is like former IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz, who was asked if he had any pangs of conscience when he dropped a bomb that would kill civilians:… If you… want to know what I feel when I release a bomb, I will tell you: I feel a light bump to the plane as a result of the bomb’s release. A second later it’s gone, and that’s all. That is what I feel.” -Dan Halutz, interview with Ha’aretz, 21 August 2002No word on whether Almog devotes a simlar (or any) amount of attention to the thousands of amputees, children and men, disabled by IDF snipers during the March of Return.This is the man the State of Israel and world Jewry has entrusted with the Jewish Agency leadership.  They think they are appointing a righteous warrior with the heart of a saint.  But they are appointing a killer with no conscience, who decided after he stopped killing to make some sort of amends by serving the needs of the disabled.  Does that cancel his prior acts?  Not if you ask me.Year-Long Leadership Stalemate Confirms Jewish Agency’s Irrelevance and DysfunctionAfter a year deadlock in which the clique of Israeli political parties sought to resolve an impasse which left what is essentially a patronage job unfilled, they finally agreed on Almog.  For his charitable work, the far right Israeli government had earlier awarded him the Israeli Prize, the country’s highest award.  That, in turn, helped him win the JA job.The Jewish Agency top job brings with it a generous salary higher than that of the prime minister.  As of 2015, the group’s fundraising chief earned even more, $750,000, which is three times as much as then-chairman, Natan Sharansky. His (and all JA’s leaders have been men) job is to distribute the $365-million (down over $100-million since 2009) provided yearly by Diaspora Jewish communities to Israeli projects and to dole out benefits to political allies.Many question why a country with a rip-roaring economy and massive technology and arms industry should need or receive such largesse.  Why can’t such a country meet its own needs without the charity of others?  Thus, JA is a relic of a bygone era, when Israel truly needed such assistance, and it enjoyed a closer and more equal relationship to the Diaspora. With the decline in collaboration and fundraising, the Agency has lost relevance and influence.  This damning Haaretz editorial captures this perspective:There is no need for a parallel mechanism [government ministries] that, like the other “national institutions” such as the Jewish National Fund and Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal, are used mainly as slush funds for conducting political tasks far from the eyes of the state comptroller. Israel has no need for these organizations and Diaspora Jews have no interest in them. They are mainly hotbeds of corruption and nepotism…It can only be hoped that Almog…will refuse to continue to schnorr from the world’s Jews in order to fund an organization that lost its reason for existing……His mission now must be to shut down the Jewish Agency, once and for all.An example of JA’s impotence is the long-term battle for gender equity at the Kotel.  Women of the Reform movement led a decades long fight to daven with equal status to men.  They also demanded the right to convene egaliatarian prayer services, including reading from the Torah.  Instead of being shunted to the side like lepers, they wanted full access in a location as visible as that of the men.  To the ultra-Orthodox grey-beards who controlled the site, this was a desecration of the sacred order.  Male protesters spat on the women and ripped prayer books from their hands and tore them apart.Into the fray, jumped Sharansky as head of an agency that was supposed to mediate between Diaspora and Israeli interests.  He worked out a compromise acceptable to the women’s movement.  The Netanyahu government at first accepted the proposal.  But the Haredi leadership lobbied against it and the prime minister eventually folded.  Sharansky had failed and only proven his own irrelevance and that of the Jewish Agency.Sharansky originally earned the top job because he had been a hero of the Russian refusenik movemenet, and later a stalwart of Likud Party politics. Issac Herzog, the most recent leader, was a prominent figure in the Labor Party whose father had been Israel’s chief rabbi.  The son used the JA position as a springboard to the presidency of Israel.  JA offers a cushy job, a reward for service to the Zionist movement, an affirmation of one’s status as a political Mandarin, and a perch from which one can dole out the benefits of political patronage.American Jews who donate to Jewish federations should know that not only does a substantial portion of their donations go to the Jewish Agency to spend as it sees fit; but the JA supports Israeli settlements beyond the Green Line.  This belies the claim that American Jews and our leadership support a two-state solution. You cannot support two states while stealing Palestinian lands, which is what the settlements do.  The slogan “Jews are Jews wherever they live” is disingenuous. A Jew who betrays Jewish values by oppressing another people and shouting racist, genocidal slogans on Jerusalem Day, deserves no support from anyone, let alone Diaspora Jews.It’s no wonder giving through federations to Israel (and JA) has plummeted over the past decade.  Many donors understand their funds are supporting a racist, right-wing ideology diametrically opposite to their own.  They should, and have taken their money and invested it elsewhere.  Unfortunately, some of those donors may be so disappointed they may never give to any Jewish charity, and instead donate to local cultural and educational institutions.Israel is possibly the only nation in the world with a Diaspora community raising billions of dollars over decades, which are doled out to communities via a process that resembles political patronage.  Diaspora Jewish leaders benefit from the status they earn as machers among Israel’s political elite. And Israeli leaders take pride in doling out the dollars to their political allies in various Israeli communities.  It’s a win-win for both sides.  But a lose-lose for donors.In a sense, Almog’s new job only confirms the militaristic nature of Israel society. Generals are rewarded not merely for their service to the nation, but for their success in suppressing Palestinian resistance and national rights. In return for mowing the lawn, you are given the keys to the kingdom–the entire (Zionist) estate.Sara Netanyahu Testifies in Libel Trial Against Ehud Olmert She claims my report alleging she was hospitalized in a Viennese psyciatric clinic was "fake news"June 12, 2022שרה נתניהו מעידה במשפט לשון הרע נגד אהוד אולמרט היא טוענת שהדיווח שלי לפיו אושפזה במרפאה פסיכיאטרית וינה היה ‘חדשות מזויפות’ NOTE: Since this is a long, detailed post–for those interested in specific content regarding the Netanyahu testimony yesterday–the post is divided into four sections.  The introduction, the Hebrew testimony, the English translation and the […]Hindutva Hate and Judeo-Hate: Eating Fruit of the Same Poisonous Tree BJP smear of Prophet Mohammed mirrors Israeli attack against Muslim holy siteJune 10, 2022Important Donor Announcement Thanks to all of you who have donated to support my journalism and this blog.  Independent Arts & Media, my fiscal sponsor, is switching its donation processing from Paypal to Flipcause (see donation button to the right).  I understand how convenient Paypal is for many of us. It makes the giving process […]Israel’s Paroxysm of Judeo-Hate Vile chants of 70,000 Judeo-terrorists-in-the-makingJune 1, 2022בממשלה מרוצים ממצעד הדגלים וטוענים שמדובר בקומץ או מיעוט שקראו קריאות גזעניות- תשפטו בעצמכם: pic.twitter.com/Kc76J2XZRr — Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) May 29, 2022 https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1531203284379258880/pu/vid/1280×720/qFl8L1wcz6il2rH4.mp4 Though I featured here some videos of the fascist chants of the 70,000 “celebrants” at Jerusalem Day, this new video shows the nadir of Nazi-like hate even more starkly.  These are […]Jerusalem Day = Nuremberg Day Riots break out in Palestinian neighborhoods retaliating for today's hate-filled Israeli spectacleMay 29, 2022NOTE: I did an interview with Jeremy Rothe-Kushel for his podcast.  It was devoted to the murder of Shireen Abu Aqleh and the Yossi Cohen scandal.  UPDATE: In the aftermath of the Jerusalem Day “festivities” throughout East Jerusalem, Palestinian have decided they’re “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.”  Mass violence […] Palestinian Refugee, 1948 Nakba: grandaughter and grandfather Neve Shalom, Dove of Peace Jerusalem Hope, Palestine Poster Collection Offering Reconciliation, Parent's Circle exhibition Mohammed Said Kalash bowl, Offering Reconciliation, Parent's Circle Tsilya Aguf, Ukraine 1930s (Centropa) Ketubah, Iran Shushan Machzor (New York Public Library) Mishneh Torah Maimonides Sarajevo Haggadah Sarajevo Haggadah, Mah Nishtanah Bibi Netanyahu (Vanity Fair) Naftali Bennett, Lebanon war criminal: "I've killed many Arabs." Sabra Hulk (Mysh ) A Problem of Self Image (Mysh ) "Promises," Israeli & Palestinian Boy Rabbi Menachem Froman z"l (Rina Castelnuovo) Rabbi Menachem Froman z"l & Palestinian Imam Great Day on Eldrige Street, Klezmer musicians Yale Strom, Eldridge Street shul Eldridge Street Shul Besa Albanian-Muslim Righteous Gentile (Norman Gershman) Daniel Barenboim, West-Eastern Diwan Orchestra Hebron Palestinian in IDF gunsight (Breaking the Silence) Archipelago of Palestine Bedouin: I am Invisible East Jerusalem shouk Balian Armenian ceramics, Olive Tree Jerusalem pottery, 1972 Balian ceramics, Jerusalem Dancing Gazelles Balian Ceramics Balian Armenian ceramics, Jerusalem (2004) Balian ceramics, East Jerusalem Pincus and the Pig: a Klezmer Tale Im Tirzu: a Fascist Movement Marcy Silverstein (grandfather) and semi-pro baseball team circa 1920 Pete Seeger & Bruce Springsteen, 'This Land is Your Land' (Justin Sullivan/ Getty) Leonard Baskin: Ruth and Naomi, "Five Scrolls" Ben Shahn, "You Have Not Converted a Man" Study for Goyescas, Ben Shahn Allegory, Ben Shahn The Phoenix, Ben Shahn Ben Shahn Ecclesiastes Ben Shahn Warsaw 1943, Martyrology, "These I Remember" Ben Shahn's Haggadah Black Lives Matter, Seattle Shavuot papercut, Poland Hamsa with Star of David Quran, Turkey, 19th century Harriet Tubman, I Go To Prepare A Place For You (detail), Bisa Butler, 2021 Arboretum 2015 Arboretum fall color Fall color, Washinton Park Arboretum, Seattle Rhododenrons, Washington Park Arboretum Gee's Bend African-American quilt Gee's Bend quilt Gee's Bend quilt, Ana Mae Young Gee's Bend quilt Gee's Bend quilt, stripes Gee's Bend box quilt Gee's Bend quilt, stars Gee's Bend quilt Gee's Bend quilt, flags Armenia-Palestine: We will mourn with you. (WATAN) Washington Arboretum, frozen pond fall leaves New Jewish Agenda, Celebrate People's History Mt. Ranier Mosque celing, Iran Tomb of Esther and Mordechai, Hamadan (Iran) Mosque ceiling, Qom Iran Palestinian embroidery, Bethlehem Palestine embroidered Tatreez Institute (Wafa Ghnaim) Palestinian embroidery Palestinian Floral Thobe (WATAN) Palestinian child's quilt Tatreez Institute (Wafa Ghnaim) Palestinian dolls YWCA Jerusalem Fabric of Our Lives, YWCA of Palestine Palestinian embroidery, Bethlehem Chagall window, Hadassha Hospital chapel Mosque ceiling, Iran Shah-e-Cheragh Shrine, Shiraz Golestan palace, Iran Golestan Palace, Tehran (photo: M. Ganji) Timche-Ye Amin Od-Dowleh, Kashan (photo: M. Ganji) Ramallah nursing students take a lunch break. (Tanya Habjouqa) The Gaza Parkour & Free Running team practice in a Khan Younis cemetery, Gaza. (Tanya Habjouqa) Toy delivery van on Gaza Beach Highway. (Tanya Habjouqa) Mt. Rainer from Sunrise Trail Support Tikun Olam (tax-deductible)Follow Tikun OlamFacebookTwitterRedditRecent PostsAlmog, Once Sought for War Crimes, Named Jewish Agency HeadSara Netanyahu Testifies in Libel Trial Against Ehud OlmertHindutva Hate and Judeo-Hate: Eating Fruit of the Same Poisonous TreeIsrael’s Paroxysm of Judeo-HateJerusalem Day = Nuremberg DaySearchCategoriesArchivesArchivesSelect Month June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 PagesPhoto GalleryPrivacy PolicyTerms of UsePublications (author page)Middle East EyeThe Nation MagazineAl JazeeraJacobinNew ArabComment is FreeMint Press NewsTruthoutSeattle TimesMideast PeaceA Land for AllThe New ArabMarkaz ReviewFree HaifaDefense for Children InternationalVisualizing PaiestinePalestine Deep DiveJewThinkMichah's Paradigm ShiftOccupation MagazineProgressive MediaContrary PerspectiveCanadian DimensionGlobal VoicesChallenging Christian ZionismVashti MediaJewish Voice for LabourScheer PostMetaLog inEntries RSSPrivacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. 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