The yearly Arab Christmas scam

Every year around Christmas a clever routine has been figured out by the Anti-Israeli campaigners. From the best minds of the unholly Islamist-leftist coalition comes the scam, that shamefully hijacks Christmas, to shock the average Western media consumer. The purpose is, as always, the demonization and vilification of Israel. And it works. Just look at what The Independent twitted on December 25th - the day of Christmas:

No normal human being can remain indifferent in the face of such "injustice". No human being can ignore the suffering of the "poor Palestinians" at the hands of the "evil Zionist occupation". And on the most sacred of holidays, close and dear to everyone in the world too!

A picture is worth a thousand words, and this would, understandably, be the natural human reaction to such an image. I don't doubt that this was the emotion, The Independent Twitter editor was guided by, when he retwitted the image. Yet, since pictures do tell us a thousand words, let's not miss a single one. Look at it closely. What's that lying on the ground on the left side of the image? Besides the foot of one of the paramedics? And in the hand of the other? That's right, it's a gas mask. And why would a "peacefully protesting" "Santa" need a gas mask? Well, that would be why:

Photos by Iyas Abu Rahma.

The scam works as follows: Arab provocateurs dress up like Santa and then go on violent riots against the IDF and/or The Border Police. When the violent riots are suppressed, amazing, perfect, highly effective photos are ready for the gullible world media - photos of struck down Santas!

Works like a charm every year.

Now, here are a few crucially important facts to know and realize about Bethlehem. The believed birthplace of Jesus Christ, has been almost entirely emptied of Christian population. Since the implementation of The Oslo Accords in 1995, the city was governed by the Palestinian Authority. Since then the life of Chrisitians in the town has been made practically impossible by their fellow Muslim Arabs. From a Christian majority under Israeli rule, the Christian population in Bethlehem has dwindled to less than 7% under Palestinian rule, and roughly a thousand leave every year. Most Bethlehem Chrisitians live abroad today. Muslims pretend to be Christians for tourists. Muslims pretend to be Christians for Pope's visits. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

That "peaceful Santa protester"? 93% he's not a Christian.

Christy Anastas, a Christian from Bethlehem, tells her story in Uppsala University earlier this year.

Another popular, recurring line of "narrative" is the "Mary and Joseph meeting the IDF" storyline. "What would happen if Mary and Joseph would come to Bethlehem today?" The fallacy claims "Joseph and pregnant with baby Jesus Mary would be stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, at the security barrier, by the IDF. Oh, those evil Zionists!"

The reality is, as usually, vastly different. If there was no security barrier in today's situation, the couple of Jews, Mary and Joseph, would have been lynched by a crazed Arab mob upon entering Bethlehem. Tragically, this is not a mere "racist slur". Exactly that happened in another Palestinian governed city - Ramallah in 2000. A crowd of some 1,000 Arabs, who were minding their own daily business just moments before, quickly flocked together demanding the blood of Israelis, who mistakenly entered the town. 

So Mary and Joseph, if alive today, would thank God for having the security given to them by the IDF.

The projections of leftist fantasy (left) and the grim reality of Ramallah, 2000.

The reality, of course, infuriates the Islamist-leftist agitator. In reality Israel is the only safe haven for Christians not only in the entire Middle East, but also in the entire North Africa. Israel is the only place in the region where Christians, just like any other religious confession, are free to worship as they please.  Israel is the only place in the region where Christian population actually grows. Israel is the only place in the region where Christians are not only not persecuted, but are encouraged to take an active part in soceity.

Much like in Bethlehem, Christians are persecuted in the entire Muslim world. 

Raymond Ibrahim, author of 'The Al Qaeda Reader', explains.

So, enjoy this beautiful Holiday Season, wether you celebrate Hannukah, Christmas or The New Year. May this season finally bring more quiet than conflict to the world.

And may you use your brain every day this new year!

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The source of violence in the world

How many times have you heard the claim that Israel is one of the most violent places on Earth? The source of violence in the world, in fact? The root cause of global Islamic terrorism? How many world polls have put Israel among the biggest threats to world peace [1, 2, 3, 4]? This claim is repeated way too often and absolutely matter-of-factly, as if it was some common knowledge, an undisputed axiom. It is repeated by highly influential individuals; statesmen, scholars [1, 2], media [1, 2, 3]. Many of those individuals are otherwise perfectly sane and quite intelligent.

So how can they be so ignorant in this matter?

Let's try to put emotions aside and look at the facts. Just some cold numbers.

In the entire (entire!) 154 (one hundred and fifty four) years of the Israeli-Arab conflict a total (total!) of 121,879 people (Arabs AND Jews) were killed. During that period of time we had all-encompassing wars, military operations, Intifadas and also many years of relative quiet. Still that's a lot of people. That's a lot of wasted lives. That's something we all wish to put an end to already.

But let's compare that to some of the other current conflicts. Just a few from the top of my head.

In 2006 the then Mexican President Felipe Calderón proclaimed a war on the drug cartels. Since then, according to a leading Mexican newspaper 'La Jornada', and up to 2012 (6 years) more then 136,000 people were killed as a result of this drug war. That's approximately 11.6% more than the casualties of our entire conflict, except they were slaughtered some 29 times faster. Since the drug war isn't over, it's safe to assume these numbers are much higher today.

Mass protests in Mexico City, demanding justice for the 43 missing students,

recently identified dead, as the violence in Mexico continues. 

Since 2011 (4 years) more then 200,000 people were killed in the ongoing Syrian civil war. That's approximately 40% more, 38.5 times as fast.

Homs, a destroyed Syrian city.

Numbers vary significantly, but the most modest of estimations talk of 2.7 million (million!) dead in the many civil wars in Congo since 1998. These conflicts still continue to this day and the country is in a state of constant crisis. I won't even do the math on Congo.

When was the last time you even heard of Congo?

A fragment of the two million Congolese refugees.

Too bad they don't have a private, unique refugee agency all for them.

Now, don't get me wrong, dear Anti-Semites; I'm not saying that the Israeli-Arab conflict is okay, because in many other places in the world the carnage is much worse. I, just like any other Zionist, am not proud of a single dead. I, just like any other Zionist, wish for the violence to stop. But with that said, a certain sense of proportionality must be implied. My point is - Israel is not "the root cause of violence in the world". It's a tiny insignificant speck in the vast oceans of global violence.

The claim Israel is the reason for the rise of Islamic terrorism is equally absurd. The Syrians are not slaughtering each other because of the "Israeli occupation" of 1967. Nigerian Sunnis don't murder hundreds of other Sunnis because of Israel. The Islamic State is not slaughtering Kurds and Yazidis because Jews go up on The Temple Mount. They can't even show it on a map.

And you'll tell me: "But Israel is a democracy! We hold Israel to a higher standard!"

The moment you hold the Israelis to a "higher standard", you automatically hold the Congolese, the Syrian and the Mexican (who, are democratic as well, by the way) to a lower standard.

Not to speak of the supremacist patronizing of the Palestinians that phrase implies.

Besides, it'll be interesting for you to know, that Jerusalem as the capital of, not only Israel, but also the entire Israeli-Arab conflict, with all its religious and national tensions is much safer right now than such "perfectly peaceful" and "fully democratic" cities like: Edinburgh, Reykjavik, Copenhagen, Toronto, Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, Helsinki, Madrid, Sydney, Oslo, London, New York, Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Rome and Dublin - just to name a few. Speaking in violence rates, Jerusalem is not even on the same planet as Baltimore, New Orleans and Detroit.

So, you see, wether you "hold it to it" or not, Israel is on a higher standard than the absolute majority of countries.

Former AP correspondent Matti Friedman explains CNN the media bias over Israel.

Despite what the media and the academia tell you, the Israeli-Arab conflict is not one of the main, most significant, highly crucial conflicts in the world. While solving it, is obviously an utmost priority to its direct participants, it bares practically zero impact on the planet. Solving it won't solve the world's problems, won't stop Islamic terrorism and won't prevent a third World War.

So next time you hear your local media pumping "Israel this, Israel that" in your local news, switch to something more relevant to you, something closer to home or, perhaps, something truly crucial to the world's security.

Or just try using your brains. It's simple and pleasant.

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