Aussie Bagel: June 2007

Friday, 29 June 2007

No job for rabbi as appeal lost
Rabbi Yosef Engel loses Bid

EMBATTLED Adelaide Rabbi Yosef Engel has lost his bid to overturn a court's declaration that his contract to act as rabbi had expired.

The Full Court of the Supreme Court yesterday dismissed his appeal against a District Court judge's decision upholding the termination of his contract with the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation.

The fight is far from over with the parties entering into arbitration and referring the case to the Beth Din in London, a Jewish ecclesiastical court. Rabbi Engel's lawyer, Ron Bellman, said the rabbi was feeling "quite comfortable" because his case was going before a Jewish court.

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Thursday, 28 June 2007

Australia gives another $7m aid to Palestinians
[As Millions of Africans starve to death]

Sydney Morning Herald - June 27, 2007

Australia is to provide $4 million in emergency aid to the Palestinian government, plus $3 million to help refugees in Gaza and Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, now visiting the Middle East, said Australia's contribution to the emergency Palestinian government would provide essential supplies to keep hospitals open and children in school.

Mr Downer supported Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's decision to form an emergency government with Salam Fayyad as prime minister following the violent Hamas takeover of Gaza.

"The formation of the emergency government presents a valuable opportunity to revive the peace process and ensure that the actions of violent extremists do not derail the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people," he said in a statement.

Mr Downer said he welcomed the comments of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said the emergency government would be regarded as a partner for peace.

Australia would continue to engage with the emergency Palestinian government to promote peace and provide humanitarian assistance, he said.

"Australia remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Territories, particularly Gaza, following the recent violence," he said.

The humanitarian assistance includes $2 million in emergency food aid for an estimated 158,000 refugee families in Gaza and $1 million for food, health services, housing, water and sanitation services for 27,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

The new contributions will lift Australia's assistance to Palestinian refugees since July 2006 to $23.2 million.

Mr Bagel: Well $23.2 million in one year for Palestinian refugees [2007] and the latest figure I could find $72.6 million from Australia to Sub Saharan Africa in one year [2004] covering a population of 300 million people living on less than a $1 a day.

Australian aid to Africa

Australia is a very charitable country per head of population, in fact few countries would give more aid per head of population. Australia makes a significant effort around the pacific rim with countries facing humanitarian crisis, but never the less, you can't ignore that Australia is spending 23.2 million dollars in aid to the Palestinians, and $72.6 million in aid to the areas indicated in Africa.
This area has over 300 million people earning less than $1 a day.

Where's the parity? Where's the logic? Are Palestinians starving more than Africans?

If we take for example the United Nations report 'Refugee Nutrition Information System' which is published every year it states quite clearly:

Every year, thousands of individuals are displaced from their homes and homelands because of wars, political conflicts, and natural disasters. The Refugee Nutrition Information System (RNIS) was established in 1993 to collect data and report on the nutrition, health, and survival status of the most nutritionally vulnerable people in the world, including refugees, internally displaced populations, and those who are forced to migrate.

These girls are among more than four million Palestinian refugees in Gaza Strip and the West Bank. A recent report from the Refugee Nutrition Information System found Palestinian refugees to be satisfactorily coping with the nutritional impacts of the latest Intifada.

These refugees were displaced by years of warfare in their own countries. ..

I'm not advocating that Palestinian Refugees shouldn't be helped or receive aid, but surely its wrong the way Countries prioritise the simple comfort of Palestinians over the survival of African Refugees? Don't the UN facts speak for themselves?

References:
SMH: Australia gives $7m aid to Palestinians
Ausaid Map and Africa Figures: Africa Frame Work [PDF]
Australian Government: Overseas Aid

Wednesday, 20 June 2007

Short sighted council makes decision to Twin with Bethlehem

O little town of Marrickville what a fuss you've caused.

THE war in the Middle East has come to the inner west. Marrickville Council last night voted to formalise a sister city relationship with the City of Bethlehem Council, drawing fire from a Jewish community group.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies says the Palestinian council is controlled by the Muslim organisation Hamas.

"Their raison d'etre, as clearly expressed in Hamas's charter, is the destruction of Israel and, worse than that, to kill every Jew," the board's chief executive, Vic Alhadeff, said yesterday.

But Haskell Musry, a Jew who attended last night's meeting, said Mr Alhadeff did not speak for the majority. "I think most of the Jewish community would be unconcerned," he said.

There seems to be a certain irony involved when an individual opens their argument that a national body representing a great number of Jews at all levels is accused of not speaking for the majority and that you as an individual might know what the majority of other Jews might think.

Mr Alhadeff said 10 of the 15 seats on Bethlehem Council were controlled by Hamas and allied parties. Bethlehem's Mayor, Victor Batarseh, however, is a practising Catholic from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Yes, and if you knew about the politics you would know that Bethelhem's Council has a large representation of Christians because that is what is in the town's council charter. This charter was set up In an attempt to stave off the rapidly declining Christian population.

If we refer to the Wikipedia article written specifically on Bethlehem it states with a footnoted reference:
"In 1947, Christians accounted for 75 percent of the population of Bethlehem, but by 1998, their share had dropped to 33 percent."

Some of the major reasons for this were:
"The Palestinian Authority, officially promised equality to Christians of the Bethlehem area, but at times corruption in its judiciary enabled theft from them, and tolerated or even favoured the attempts by religious zealots to enforce Sharia on the Christian population...Under Hamas, the Christian population has continued to suffer from a lack of law and order which has left it susceptible to land theft by elements that take advantage of ineffective courts and the reality that the often affluent, but not politically powerful, Christian population is unlikely to stand up for itself."

The Marrickville councilor Sam Iskander, who put forward the idea,(of the Sister City) says he wants to promote peace and understanding.

Sam Iskander is very active in the Arabic community, he teaches Arabic at a school in the councils area and is the original founder of the Arabic Community school. An active member of the Arabic community, It would seem that Sam has kept himself rather busy advocating on Arabic issues since migrating from Lebanon in 1972.

Now none of this is in any way negative, he is an active member of the community, which is praiseworthy in itself but, he busies himself advocating for Arabic issues. Does it not also make the Councils statement that the Sister City relationship has not been done on political grounds a rather shaky construct? Could not Sam Iskander have put forward that a town in the West Indies, Africa Europe or the Americas might make a suitable sister city partner?

A delegation from Bethlehem led by Dr Batarseh will visit Australia for a fortnight in August. Marrickville plans to present the delegates with gifts, host two dinners and hold a reception for the signing of a sister cities agreement.

One wonders if the restaurant will be another certain Lebanese restaurant. Ironically deemed suitable for a previous large delegation from Japan.

Yes it seems Marrickville council has outstretched its hand to both both a Syrian and a Palestinian city. Both of these countries might be thought of being potentially problematic when it comes to establish Sister city relationships.

This poses the question why Marrickville council hasn't established a sister city relationship with an Israeli city?

The multi cultural diversity of the Marrickville council region goes well beyond just Muslims and Christians. There are many other faiths represented in this area with large assemblies of worship. The council area includes a Synagogue which is one of the oldest in the state of New South Wales.

Marrickville's Mayor, Morris Hanna, said no money would end up in the hands of Hamas. "Our sister city relationships do not involve the transfer of funds to another country," he said, adding that Sydney Palestinians were helping pay for the delegation's accommodation.

Bethlehem already has sister city arrangements with 39 cities.

Marrickville's deputy mayor, Peter Olive, said he did not think Hamas controlled Bethlehem. "I have heard concerns there's a dwindling number of Christians but I think that's attributable to things like the whacking great wall the Israelis have built around the city," Cr Olive said. "So one could ultimately say the council is controlled by Israel."

I find it interesting that under the pretense of the Sister city relationship with Bethelhem being for "to promote peace and understanding" Councilor Olive feels the need to peddle his wheel barrow of ill informed rantings and biased pronouncements.

Cr Dimitrios Thanos voted against the sister-city arrangement because it was "just a travel jaunt."

"But at the end of the day, Hamas is an elected group and the City of Bethlehem is entitled to vote for whoever they want."

A spokeswoman for the Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews, said if members of the delegation belonged to Hamas, they would not necessarily be denied visas.

Any visa applications from delegates would be subject to the usual health and character assessments, she said.

After meeting Mr Alhadeff yesterday, Leichhardt's Mayor, Alice Murphy, said her council would pursue its relationship with the West Bank city of Hebron by raising funds for non-government organisations in the area.

The determination of some members of the Islamic community and especially the Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine [ coalitionforpalestine.org ] a Sydney organisation (whose P.O. box is in Dulwich Hill and is in close proximity to both Leichhardt and Marrickville councils) to get local councils to 'Sister' or 'Twin'; with Palestinian cities, is seen as their first step in their clearly stated aims.

They don't feel the same need to hide the real reasons behind the establishment of Sister city relaionships with Palestinian Cities. They loudly proclaim the real reason, and they're quite proud of it..

Funny enough I couldn't find any information on their web site acknowledging the right of Israel to exist?

Reference:
SMH: O little town of Marrickville what a fuss you've caused.

Saturday, 16 June 2007

Seems Marrickville council might be short a few wise men.

Bethlehem visitors to find no room

A delegation of civic leaders from Bethlehem could be barred from entering Australia to formalise a sister city arrangement with Marrickville Council in Sydney's inner west.

Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews confirmed yesterday that Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh and other delegates from the council - which is controlled by Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation - would have to undergo stringent tests before being granted visas.

"This can involve assessments by other relevant government agencies," he said.

And Alexander Downer attacked the Marrickville sister city plan, revealed in The Australian yesterday.

"I don't have a problem with Bethlehem, but in terms of the individuals there, Marrickville Council is very foolish to associate itself with people who support terrorist organisations," the Foreign Minister said. The council "should not in any way give encouragement to people who support terrorism".

Independent Marrickville councillor Dimitrios Thanos last night denounced the expansion of the sister city scheme to include Bethlehem as "really silly".

"It's become a travel rort," Mr Thanos said. "Every time the councillors want to travel overseas, they name a new sister city and they're off."

But Marrickville Mayor Morris Hanna, also an independent, insisted the arrangement was non-political and would not involve ratepayer funds.

The motion passed by the councillors on Tuesday stipulates that "council host a formal reception for the signing of a sister cities agreement, a tour of Marrickville, two dinners and present appropriate gifts as part of the delegation's visit".

The Marrickville move follows a decision by neighbouring Leichhardt Council in April to proceed with a friendship arrangement with Hebron. Both towns are on the West Bank and are under the control of the elected Palestinian Authority, which has a Hamas majority.

The Marrickville and Leichhardt plans have angered Jewish groups and were condemned yesterday by Waverley Mayor George Newhouse, who has been preselected by Labor to contest the eastern Sydney seat of Wentworth against Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

"This is obviously an orchestrated campaign by activist groups in the inner west," Mr Newhouse said.

"It just makes a mockery out of local government. I don't think it's an appropriate use of ratepayers' money to be wining and dining elements that are associated with a proscribed terrorist group."

References:
The Australian: Bethlehem visitors to find no room
Picture Credit: Cath's Blog; Arabian Adventures
Picture Selection: Mr Bagel

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Sydney local council to partner Bethlehem

A SYDNEY municipal council is set to establish a controversial sister-city relationship with a Palestinian town, despite protests from Jewish community leaders.

Speech by Vic Alhadeff to Marrickville Council

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Ceo Vic Alhadeff Issued an unsuccessful plea to Marrickville Council Members on Tuesday night to reconsider forming a sister-city relationship with Bethlehem.

Councillor Iskandar, councillors, good evening.

My name is Vic Alhadeff, CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. Thank you for the opportunity to address you on the proposal that Marrickville enter a sister-city relationship with Bethlehem, and for a delegation from Bethlehem to visit Marrickville in August.

Profound concerns flow from this proposal:

10 of the 15 seats on Bethlehem Council are controlled by Hamas and allied parties, including Islamic Jihad. (6 Hamas, 1 Islamic Jihad, and 3 Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – including Mayor Victor Batarseh).

Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood which seeks world Islamic domination. It aims to dominate the Christian peoples of the world, the Jews and all other faiths.

It demands that Israel be destroyed.

If that were not enough, it holds the killing of Jews – not just Israelis, but all Jews - as God's will.

To quote from the Hamas charter:

“The time [of redemption] will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews [and kill them] until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!”

Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh – who is due to lead the delegation to Marrickville – said his party “is against the two-state solution acclaimed by the international community.” In other words, he seeks Israel’s destruction.

Before 1991, 70 – 80 percent of Bethlehem was Christian that figure is now less than 15 per cent after a campaign of discrimination against the Christians of the city.

Last month German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, refused to meet the Mayor of Bethlehem because Bethlehem Council is dominated by Hamas identities.

Given the above, I have three concerns:

1. That a Bethlehem delegation will include Hamas members. This means an international guest could address a public meeting hosted by this council and could call for the destruction of Israel and death to the Jews. Will Marrickville seek an assurance that no Hamas members will be included in a Bethlehem delegation?

2. Funds from this council could end up in Hamas coffers, supporting terrorism. It is not permitted by Australian law to fund a terrorist organization.

3. If Marrickville’s objective is peace and goodwill, would it rather consider a sister-city relationship with the Arab-Israeli city of Neve Shalom, whose raison d'etre is coexistence?

Finally, according to Australian law, Hamas is a terrorist organization. According to Australian law, Islamic Jihad is a terrorist organization. They dominate Bethlehem Council, with which Marrickville is considering a sister-city relationship.

Thank-you.

Bagelblogger: Vic Alhadeff in addressing Marrickville council broaches what must be the most controversial of points.

Marrickville councillor Sam Iskandar the chairperson of Tuesday nights meeting stated

“We are not supporting the violence. The idea to educate people about peace and harmony and exchange social experiences,”

If this is so, then why of all the possible cities in the world would you pick a sister city that is so entangled with Hamas and Islamic Jihad? It flies in the face of logic.

The sad reality of the mistreatment of Bethlehem's Christians by Hamas and other Muslim organisations should be a flag of warning regarding Bethlehem Council's desire for 'Peace and Harmony'.

Marrickville council's desire for a sister city arrangement doesn't educate towards Peace and Harmony it simply legitimises the very hatred prevalent in Hamas and that of its majority on the Bethlehem council.

References:
AJN: Speech by Vic Alhadeff to Marrickville Council
AJN: Sydney local council to partner Bethlehem