The Jewish Journal included our criticism of singer John Legend's anti-Israel, anti-Semitic remarks in its coverage of Legend's appearance of “The Mehdi Hasan Show" on MSNBC.

Singer John Legend called for Israel to be held to a “higher standard” in a September 20 appearance on MSNBC, arguing that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is “not fair,” The Algemeiner reported.

Mehdi Hasan, host of “The Mehdi Hasan Show,” pointed out that Legend had tweeted “Palestinian Lives Matter” in May during the Israel-Hamas conflict and asked Legend how he became an advocate for Palestinian rights. Legend responded that he learned “what justice meant” through reading the works of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and writer James Baldwin.

“When I see what’s happening in Palestine, to the Palestinian people, where they’re clearly not being able to experience [the] full rights that they deserve, it’s an extremely unfair and difficult life they’re forced to live,” Legend said. “I had to say something. It’s not fair, it’s not just, and given that Israel is the recipient of so much American aid and support and named as one of our strongest allies, we should hold them to a higher standard, and what they’re doing with the Palestinian people is not fair and it shouldn’t be done in our name and with our resources contributing to it.”

​Some Jewish groups criticized Legend for his remark. Stop Antisemitism tweeted to Legend that “Egypt is the recipient of nearly the same amount of aid as Israel and controls Gaza’s southern border. Why are you speaking only of Israel and ignoring Egypt??”

They added in a follow-up tweet: “Why did @johnlegend make no mention of the 4500 terror rockets blast into Israel in 11 days from Gaza?  Those rockets were also made ‘in your name’ and with your tax dollars.  Again why is your grievance only with Israel?”

B’nai Brith International similarly tweeted that they were “disappointed” with Legend’s remarks.

“Legend falsely accuses #Israel of ‘unjust’ treatment of Palestinians, while failing to mention the Hamas terror threats Israelis face every day,” they wrote. “We urge Legend to apologize for his anti-Semitic remarks.”

​On the other hand, Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, tweeted in support of Legend. They argued that he was “speaking out for Palestinian rights and the need for the US to finally hold Israel accountable.”

​Hanan Ashrawi, former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, similarly tweeted that Legend’s comments took “courage, empathy, & moral clarity.”

(November 12, 2019 / JNS) Jewish and pro-Israel organizations condemned the rockets fired from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday, following the latter assassinating Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior leader Baha abu al-Ata in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

“Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Islamist terrorist org backed by Iran, is again attacking Israel with 100’s of missiles aimed at civilians. We stand w our friend & ally Israel at this critical moment & support Israel’s right to defend itself & bring an end to these barbaric attacks,” tweeted U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

“The U.S. fully supports our partner & ally Israel in their fight against terrorism and the terrorist group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),” tweeted U.S. special envoy to the Mideast Avi Berkowitz. “The Administration strongly condemns the barrage of rockets on Israeli civilians and continues to monitor the situation. It’s clear that the main obstacles holding Gazans back are Hamas and PIJ who put violence ahead of bettering the lives of the people of Gaza.”

“Palestinian Islamic Jihad is an Iranian-backed terrorist group. Its goal is to destroy Israel. It operates in Gaza, targets Israel with rockets & puts countless Israeli and Palestinian lives at risk. Last night in a precision strike, Israel took down a leader of the terror group. … The group is trying to kill and terrorize Israelis by indiscriminately firing at Israeli cities and towns,” tweeted AIPAC.

In a statement, J Street said it is “deeply concerned by the latest escalation between extremist militants in Gaza and Israel, in which the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has launched a barrage of rocket attacks against Israel following an IDF operation that killed a senior PIJ leader. We strongly condemn these rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. At this time, our thoughts are with the residents of southern and central Israel, with the IDF forces working to keep them safe and with all civilians on both sides of the divide.”

“We support Israel’s right to defend itself against acts of terror. We also urge Israeli and Palestinian leaders and the international community to take all possible steps to prevent a further escalation of armed conflict,” continued J Street. “Time and again, we have seen such escalations fail to resolve this conflict in any way, and instead lead to greater suffering and instability both for Israelis and for the people of Gaza.”

“Our thoughts are with the people of Israel who have been subjected to 150+ rocket attacks from the Iranian-backed, Islamic Jihad in Gaza since early morning. We stand in solidarity with Israel and the thousands in bomb shelters. We hope tensions will deescalate quickly,” tweeted the Anti-Defamation League.

“Once again, Israelis are being barraged by rocket attacks from Gaza, which have caused schools to close in much of the country and disrupted life for millions,” Jewish Federation of North America spokesperson Rebecca Dinar told JNS. “Federations stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel’s resilient citizens across the nation and send prayers for peace.”
Schools and certain public buildings in the Tel Aviv area and southern Israel were closed as a result of the rocket attacks.
Jewish Community Relations Council spokesperson Jeremy Russell told JNS his organization is “deeply concerned about the attacks targeting Israeli civilians this morning, and our thoughts are with the people of Israel as they once again face an onslaught of indiscriminate rocket fire—this time aimed at cities and towns—from terrorist groups in Gaza. We hope that a cease-fire can be arranged quickly and without further suffering.”

“The terror campaign by Tehran-backed Islamic Jihad underscores once again Palestinian and Iranian intention to sow chaos in the region,” B’nai B’rith International CEO Dan Mariaschin told JNS. “No nation would tolerate such attacks. Where is the global outcry against this terror campaign?”

“Praying for the safety of Israelis under rocket attack and thankful for the strong defenses that keep the nation safe. May these attacks end and peace and security be restored swiftly,” tweeted Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center, the political arm of Reform Judaism.

“We stand with the Israeli people and strongly condemn the more than 150 rockets fired on Israel from Gaza in the past 12 hours. We’re also grateful for the Iron Dome missile defense system, which is saving countless lives in Israel,” tweeted the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

“Last night, in a surgical strike, Israel killed the commander of a terrorist group who was responsible for scores of terrorists acts and was about to launch more,” said Democratic Majority for Israel president and CEO Mark Mellman in a statement. “Fortunately, civilians were not killed in the airstrike, which prevented imminent terrorist attacks.”

He added, “All people of good will should join in publicly condemning these attacks and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Republican Jewish Coalition spokesperson Neil Strauss simply told JNS, “We condemn PIJ and strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Jewish Community Relations Council spokesperson Jeremy Russell told JNS his organization is “deeply concerned about the attacks targeting Israeli civilians this morning, and our thoughts are with the people of Israel as they once again face an onslaught of indiscriminate rocket fire—this time aimed at cities and towns—from terrorist groups in Gaza. We hope that a cease-fire can be arranged quickly and without further suffering.”

In terms of ending the rocket fire, U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov is expected to arrive in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to launch negotiations, reported Israeli media outlet Kann.

Reactions from Congress

Members of Congress, including Jewish ones, reacted to the latest between Gaza and Israel.

“Rockets from Islamic Jihad continue to hit Israel, following Israeli operation to kill terrorist leader. This indiscriminate rocket fire against civilians must be condemned. Israel has the absolute right to protect its people from these attacks,” tweeted Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.).

“Today, more than 150 rockets have been fired into Israeli communities by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. I condemn these indiscriminate attacks that have injured civilians, & fully support our ally Israel & its right to defend itself against these attacks,” tweeted Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.).

“Israel has a sovereign right to defend her citizens from indiscriminate terrorist attacks. She experienced 100+ rockets launched at civilians today. I just led a bipartisan Israel trip w/ Congresswomen to deliver a commitment to Israel’s safety & security,” tweeted Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).

“Nearly 200 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel today, indiscriminately putting Israeli civilians in danger as schools and shopping centers have had to close. Israel has a right to protect its citizens and defend itself, and such terrorism deserves full condemnation,” tweeted Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).

In light of the current wave of unrelenting attacks against Israel's legitimacy, B'nai B'rith International joined B'nai B'rith Europe, local lodges and dozens of other Jewish organization to rally in support of Israel outside of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

B’nai B’rith is highly critical of the report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) “independent, international commission of inquiry” into Israel’s defensive operations against Hamas in Gaza during the summer of 2014. The report inherently lacks credibility and should not be taken as a serious evaluation of the necessary counterterrorism actions of the Israel Defense Forces. 

B'nai B'rith International's Israel/Middle East policy includes issues such as fighting terrorism; supporting Israel's right to defend itself; preventing Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons; preserving the unity of Jerusalem; promoting the rights of Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries; and supporting direct negotiations between the parties to the Middle East conflict while affirming the importance of Israel's critical security needs.

Photos below courtesy of Israel In Switzerland:

Jewish leaders converged on the State Department to discuss rising anti-Semitism across the globe, which is of “deep concern” to the Obama administration, US officials said this week.

Meeting with the group for four hours on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry shared in worries over “the prevalence and pervasiveness of anti-Semitic threats and attacks,” the State Department said.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski and Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Ira Forman led the discussions, attended only briefly by the secretary. Several other senior State Department officials participated the meeting.

Jewish representatives included leaders from the Jewish Federations of North America, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, B’nai B’rith, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and European Jewish communities.

[...]

On Iran, the secretary was firm in stating that negotiations over that country’s nuclear program would not be extended past it’s November 24 deadline.

“I think he wanted us to communicate the message to Israel,” the source stated. “I think the message was quite serious: That he is frustrated about what is happening. They [the administration] feel they invested a lot in it [peace negotiations].”

El legislador realizó una conferencia en la sede de la B’Nai B’rith sobre: “Uruguay, Israel, América Latina y el Terrorismo”.
“Estamos acá para apoyar lo que siempre hemos apoyado, conceptos como la libertad y los valores”, sentenció.

Reflexionó: “En el enfrentamiento entre el Estado de Israel y el terrorismo está en juego un sistema de valores y quienes creemos que la libertad y la democracia son valores supremos no podemos y no debemos estar del lado del terrorismo sino condenarlo con todas nuestras fuerzas”.

Amorín señaló que en Uruguay, “la posición por parte del gobierno es muy negativa” a través de manifestaciones y “actitudes infelices e inapropiadas”.

Recordó que “el presidente José Mujica dijo que los bombardeos de Israel son un genocidio, expresión que es notoriamente falsa y que además ofende y provoca a la colectividad judía en nuestro país”, aseguró.

[...]

Prof. Danny Ben-Moshe, another Melbourne-based academic who analyzes anti-Semitism, agreed there had been a shift within Australian Jewry but stopped short of describing it as “seismic.”

“The collective well-being of Australian Jewry has been adversely affected,” Ben-Moshe told Haaretz. “Jews are neither as free nor as safe as they were prior to this war.”

[...]

More than 200 Jewish pupils were evacuated for several hours while the bomb squad sent a remote-controlled robot to an abandoned car outside the school after community security officials had called police.

[...]

In the wake of the incident on Jewish pupils on a school bus in Sydney, Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, wrote earlier this month: “There are alarming developments and chilling signs that are making the Jewish community here less comfortable, less confident and very worried that the flames of anti-Semitism are burning more furiously at home.”

On the latest edition of Radio JAI, Eduardo Kohn, B'nai B'rith director of Latin American Affairs, discusses several important issues facing the continent's Jewish population. 

Topics include: the Gaza conflict has been used as an excuse for anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views to propagate in Latin America and Europe; and anti-Israel stances in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba and Uruguay make life difficult for the native Jewish populations.

Listen to the full podcast below:

"¿Qué le pasa a Latinoamérica que no se da cuenta que una vez que los demonios salen afuera es muy difícil volver atrás?", advirtió el dirigente comunitario, quien además reiteró que "el objetivo de Hamas es exterminar a los judíos donde sea que se encuentren".

Sin embargo, Kohn se mostró esperanzado, ya que "todavía hay muchos gobernantes y académicos que no quieren el terrorismo" y elogió al expresidente uruguayo, Julio María Sanguinetti, quien en las últimas semanas defendió al Estado de Israel y condenó el terrorismo de Hamas. 

[...]

"Yo las pintadas que he visto en Uruguay no he visto que digan algo contra Israel o Palestina, pero las pintadas dicen fuera judíos y muerte a judíos; nos pusieron una acá en la entrada de la institución. Entonces me parece que estamos en un terreno peligroso y en ese caso todos los estados deberían tener mucho cuidado con el lenguaje que usan porque si no podría entenderse como una justificación a alguna barbaridad o una incitación para alguna cosa. No me gusta caminar por Montevideo y encontrarme con carteles que dicen muerte a los judíos. La ruta Interbalnearia tenía 5 kilómetros la semana pasada con esos carteles y eso es responsabilidad del Estado. El Estado debería cuando hace una declaración pensar que en derecho internacional es mucho más práctico los sustantivos que los adjetivos", criticó Kohn en entrevista con radio Oriental.

"Yo no me acuerdo que el Mercosur se haya reunido antes del 2009 o antes del 2012 o antes de ahora, porque antes de las guerras se tiraron 500 misiles contra los civiles israelíes y no me acuerdo que el Mercosur ni concretamente nuestro país haya hecho ninguna declaración sobre que la población civil israelí estaba corriendo a los refugios constantemente, 15 segunditos para correr, de que los civiles estaban en peligro", ahondó Kohn en su crítica a la postura oficial. Y agregó: "Si uno califica crimen de guerra, y si es un estado y si es una cancillería por lo menos debería ajustarse a lo que dice el derecho internacional; no se debe jugar con lo que dice el derecho internacional".

El director de la B'Nai B'rith América Latina, Eduardo Kohn, aseguró que "es llamativa" la actitud del canciller Luis Almagro al utilizar una bufanda con la bandera palestina, en un momento en donde las relaciones entre Israel y Uruguay están tensas.

"Justo esto sucede en una semana en el que el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores ha dicho que Gaza es un gran campo de concentración; campo de concentración es Treblinka, Autzwitch. No es campo de concentración un lugar en donde hay misiles en cantidades industriales, donde hay hospitales, casas, shoppings, carreteras, caminos, autos, gente viviendo. Eso es muy ofensivo, porque todos los que han pasado por campos de concentración deben sentir, como ciudadanos uruguayos que son, deben sentir que los han ofendido en una forma muy fuerte. Además, el gobierno de Uruguay ha hablado de la palabra 'genocidio' y todos sabemos lo que eso ha provocado," dijo Kohn al ser consultado por El Observador.

"Esta misma semana el ministro dijo por segunda vez de que las organizaciones judías (...) tenían que criticar la guerra y las acciones de Israel en Gaza. No es bueno que se le diga a ciudadanos uruguayos que salgan hablando en contra de Israel. Con Israel tenemos todo el afecto y sentimos como judíos que es el único país judío que hay en el mundo. Nosotros salir, como uruguayos, a emplazar o decirle algo a un gobierno que fue elegido por los ciudadanos de Israel, nos parece un emplazamiento que sólo trae confusión y puede traer otro tipo de reacciones, como grafitis y frases agresivas que estamos viendo en Montevideo."

Según Kohn, "las opiniones por este conflicto, es público y notorio, que han sido confrontacionales entre Uruguay e Israel. Pero Israel sólo quiere tener paz, tranquilidad  y la mejor relación con todos los países. En el caso de Uruguay mucho más, porque fue central en la creación del Estado de Israel."

Leaders of several Jewish organizations met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to express concerns about recent actions and comments made by U.N. officials.

[...]

According to participants in the meeting, the organizational leaders raised several issues, including the recently announced U.N. Human Rights Council investigation into Israel’s conduct in the fighting in Gaza, which the communal leaders argued had been framed in a biased fashion against Israel, and the appointment of Canadian legal academic William Schabas to the probe given his past criticisms of Israel and its leaders.

The Jewish leaders also objected to critical statements made about Israel by officials with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency and expressed concern about UNRWA facilities in Gaza being used to store rockets. They also objected to Moon’s recent statement accusing Israeli of committing a “criminal act” in shelling a U.N. school.

[...]

“The secretary-general reiterated that he fully understands Israel’s legitimate security concerns but also stressed the need to show restraint in their actions in Gaza so as to avoid civilian casualties,” said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, according to a report by The Associated Press.

On the latest edition of Radio JAI, Eduardo Kohn, B'nai B'rith director of Latin American Affairs, discusses several important issues facing the continent's Jewish population. 

Topics include: a detailed critique of the U.N. Human Rights Council's biased committee on Gaza, a look at the rising anti-Semitism in Latin America and a warning against the UNASUR presidential meeting with PLO spokesman Riad Al Maliki, who has already demanded a release "condemning Israel for war crimes."

Listen to the full podcast below: 

Eduardo Kohn, director ejecutivo de la Bnai Brith para Latinoamérica, criticó con dureza a la ONU, organismo que decidió impulsar la apertura de una comisión investigadora para juzgar a Israel, pero que no hizo nada similar con los 200.000 muertos en Siria, los decapitados de Irak o los presos de Cuba.

More than 400 Jewish leaders, rabbis, and Holocaust and genocide scholars have signed a public statement denouncing accusations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

The statement was organized by The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, based in Washington, D.C. It follows a July 9 claim by Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, that Israel is "committing genocide," an August 1 assertion by Fatah foreign affairs spokesman Nabil Sha'ath that the situation in Gaza is "a Holocaust," and an August 1 accusation by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan that Israel is guilty of "Hitler-like fascism." 

"The Holocaust was the deliberate, systematic mass murder of six million innocent Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators," the statement by the 400 leaders notes. "By contrast, Israel is acting in legitimate self-defense against Hamas terrorism. Israel has no interest in harming innocent civilians, and indeed has done its utmost to avoid civilian casualties, whereas Hamas deliberately targets Israeli civilians. Any comparison between Israel and the Nazis outrageously distorts Israel's actions and trivializes the enormity and nature of the Holocaust."

The signatories include:

*  Prominent figures in the American Jewish leadership, including David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee; Michael Siegal and Jerry Silverman, the chair and president, respectively, of the Jewish Federations of North America; David J. Michaels, Director of UN and Intercommunal Affairs for B'nai B'rith International; Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg and Prof. Walter Reich, past chairman and past executive director, respectively, of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; and leaders of the American Society for Yad Vashem, the Simon Wiesenthal Center; the National Council of Young Israel; the Religious Zionists of America; and the Wexner Foundation.

Eduardo Kohn, B'nai B'rith International's Director of Latin American Affairs, spoke with several Uruguayan news outlets, condemning "latent anti-Semitic" graffiti found on buildings and dumpsters in Montevideo.

Kohn blames comments made by the country's president and foreign minister regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict for having incited a wave of anti-Jewish sentiment in the general population.

Here is a review of what publications in the country are writing:

“En Uruguay hay antisemitas como los hay en todo el mundo, pero decir que hay antisemitismo, como movimientos organizados, no solo es aventurado, sino que no es exacto”, dijo el director de la B’nai B’rith, Eduardo Kohn, quien elogió las leyes uruguayas que condenan toda manifestación de discriminación.

Kohn explicó que las pintadas en contra del pueblo judío no son nada nuevo, pero sí la cantidad y el tenor con que se han manifestado en los últimos días, coincidente con el conflicto entre Israel y Hamas en la franja de Gaza.
“En otros períodos de guerra, incluso con Hamas, han existido episodios antisemitas, pero no una andanada, como la que está ocurriendo en estos últimos 20 días”, agregó.

[...]

“En Uruguay hay antisemitas como los hay en todo el mundo, pero decir que hay antisemitismo, como movimientos organizados, no solo es aventurado, sino que no es exacto”, dijo el director de la B’nai B’rith, Eduardo Kohn, quien elogió las leyes uruguayas que condenan toda manifestación de discriminación.

Kohn explicó que las pintadas en contra del pueblo judío no son nada nuevo, pero sí la cantidad y el tenor con que se han manifestado en los últimos días, coincidente con el conflicto entre Israel y Hamas en la franja de Gaza.
“En otros períodos de guerra, incluso con Hamas, han existido episodios antisemitas, pero no una andanada, como la que está ocurriendo en estos últimos 20 días”, agregó.

On the latest edition of Radio JAI, Eduardo Kohn, B'nai B'rith director of Latin American Affairs, discusses several important issues facing the continent's Jewish population. 

Topics include: the anti-Semitic messaging of the Venezuelan government in criticizing Israel, and a condemnation of the Uruguayan president and foreign minister accusing Israel of "genocide," inspiring vigilante anti-Semitism.

Listen to the full podcast, below:

El director ejecutivo de la organización B'nai Brith Latinoamérica, Eduardo Kohn, se refirió en su columna semanal en Radio Jai a las repercusiones en Latinoamérica luego del operativo Margen Protector mientras rige el cese del fuego de 72 horas. 

Además criticó las convocatorias del presidente venezolano a manifestarse contra Israel y en apoyo al pueblo palestino y condenó las expresiones del mandatario uruguayo José “Pepe” Mujica contra el Estado judío. “Los que odian a Israel quieren que sea el país de la guerra. Los gobiernos han instalado el antisemitismo de Estado”, denunció.

[...]

A total of 32 Christian clergy attended the press conference, along with several rabbis, including Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis.

The press conference came after several other Christian denominations sent a letter to the White House and members of Congress calling for an “investigation” into the security assistance Israel receives from the United States.

Among the groups signing the letter were the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Pax Christi and the United Methodist Church. These same groups made a similar request in 2012 that was rebuffed.

B’nai B’rith International issued a statement decrying the letters and saying the letters make plain the fundamental misapprehensions of its signatories, who see the “underlying causes” of the conflict as Israeli “occupation” and the “siege” of Gaza, as well as the failure to reach a two-state solution.

“Are the denominations who signed this letter aware that Israel completely withdrew from Gaza nine years ago?” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “It even uprooted every single Jewish settlement community there, yet was rewarded with relentless terrorist attacks.”

B’nai B’rith also rejected the letters’ calls for Israel to lift “the Gaza siege.”

“This, however, is clearly not the solution to ending recurring bloodshed because unconditionally ending blockade measures would allow the further, unfettered mobility of armaments and Palestinian terrorists,” the statement said.

“Why would these denominations pin the cause of the conflict on Israel, America’s key democratic ally, yet ignore those complicit in the atrocities carried out by Palestinian terrorists?” asked B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel Mariaschin in the statement. “Repeatedly over the past week, rockets have been uncovered at UN schools in Gaza and cross-border infiltration tunnels were revealed to have been constructed with imported materials, not to mention the indiscriminate firing of rockets putting innocent civilians constantly at risk. Those civilians also include a Christian community that, unlike elsewhere in the region, is free and continuously growing.”

On the latest edition of Radio JAI, Eduardo Kohn, B'nai B'rith director of Latin American Affairs, discusses several important issues facing the continent's Jewish population. 

Topics include: a criticism of the UNHRC special report on Israel, a condemnation of the outrageous decision by Brazil to call the Brazilian ambassador to Israel, which shows contempt for Israeli civilians under Hamas bombings in the last decade.

Listen to the full podcast below:

“Hamas encontró aliados en nuestra América, que sin duda creen que es más fácil atacar a una democracia que condenar a quien usa el terror como sistema, de lo contrario no se entendería ni el lenguaje que usan ni mucho menos las acciones que toman”, analizó. 

La alta comisionada de la ONU para los Derechos Humanos, Navi Pillay, dijo ayer durante una reunión del Consejo que “hay una alta posibilidad de que algunas acciones militares de Israel en Gaza puedan constituir “crímenes de guerra” para condenar las acciones militares del Ejército de Defensa Israelí en Gaza.

“Sra Pillay, usted y toda la ONU saben que los 3.000 misiles que ha recibido Israel en estos últimos 30 días son lanzados desde casas, edificios, mezquitas, hospitales donde lógicamente viven civiles, el que los retiene y los hace morir como mártires es Hamas. Entonces no se confunda sobre quienes comenten crímenes de guerra y quien está matando a su propia gente”, arremetió Eduardo Kohn, quien además acusó a los países latinoamericanos ante el conflicto.

“Brasil ha usado la retórica del uso desproporcionado de la fuerza y ha acusado a Israel de poner en peligro la estabilidad del Medio Oriente. Ha llamado a su embajador de Israel en consultas, una expresión que en estos casos significa una sola palabra: vergüenza”, enfatizó Kohn.

The Israel-Gaza conflict has dominated international headlines, inspiring civil unrest and prompting discussions of terrorism vs. national sovereignty. 

Eduardo Kohn, B'nai B'rith director of Latin American Affairs, penned an op-ed offering background on these discussions for El Observador, the second largest daily newspaper in Uruguay. 

Kohn places the responsibility for Operation Protective Edge squarely on the Hamas terror network, explaining the organization's charter, philosophies and ultimate goal of Jewish annihilation.

Read the entire op-ed in Spanish, below:

El Debate De Medio Oriente Llegó A Uruguay
El director de B´nai B´rith para América Latina, Eduardo Kohn, responde sobre el carácter terrorista del grupo Hamas


Un análisis de la especialista Susana Mangana, publicado en El Observador el viernes 25 de julio, sobre diferencias y similitudes entre el grupo palestino Hamas y otros que operan en la región, provocó diferentes reacciones (principalmente en redes sociales) de integrantes de la colectividad judía del Uruguay.

El Dr. en Diplomacia Eduardo Kohn, director de B´nai B´rith Internacional para América Latina, escribió un texto, reproducido a continuación, en el que da su visión sobre Hamas.

La realidad no es teoría, son los hechos

¿Quién es Hamas?

De acuerdo con la Carta Fundacional del Movimiento de Resistencia Islámica (Hamas es un acrónimo), publicada el 18 de agosto de 1988, la misma es una organización islámica que tiene objetivos precisos.

En su preámbulo señala:”Israel existirá hasta que el Islam lo destruya, de la misma manera que destruyó a otros en el pasado”. 

En su artículo 13 establece que “Palestina es una tierra islámica. La liberación de Palestina constituye una obligación individual para cada musulmán dondequiera se encuentre. No existe ninguna solución al problema palestino que no sea por medio de la Yihad”.

Hamas no es un movimiento de resistencia como se ha podido leer en estos días, sino que es un grupo que tiene como objetivo buscar los medios posibles para exterminar a los judíos. Y en ese contexto, su primera etapa es destruir al Estado de Israel. 

¿Pueden hacerlo? Hoy, gracias a Irán tienen armas como para intentar sus objetivos. Cuentan con 10 mil misiles que llegan a cualquier parte de Israel y  les da la capacidad de asesinar a casi 4 millones de personas. 
¿Por qué no lo han logrado si lanzaron más de mil misiles? Porque Israel está decidido a defenderse, grave pecado para quienes desean su desaparición.

Hamas no basa su legitimidad en la búsqueda de un Estado Palestino, como también se ha escuchado y leído. Eso trata de hacer la Autoridad Palestina. Hamas no puede querer construir un Estado cuando el preámbulo de su carta constitutiva ya señala que el gran objetivo es matar a todos los judíos:

“El Día del Juicio no llegará hasta que todos los musulmanes luchen contra los judíos y les den muerte. Entonces, los judíos se esconderán detrás de las rocas y los árboles, y éstos últimos gritarán: ¡Oh musulmán!, un judío se esconde detrás de mí, ven a matarlo”(Artículo 7).   

Bajo esas premisas, para Hamas los civiles muertos no cuentan. Son mártires y escudos humanos; sus escuelas y hospitales son refugios para sus misiles. Porque los verdaderos refugios construidos por Hamas en Gaza son para sus  armas y sus líderes, no para sus civiles.

Los ciudadanos israelíes tienen refugios para ocultarse, el ejército tiene armas para enfrentar misiles, y esa parecería ser su culpa mayor. Se califica de desproporcionado cuando  un Estado defiende a sus ciudadanos, cuando reacciona frente a una amenaza constante. Pero así funcionan las democracias: los ciudadanos exigen seguridad a sus gobernantes, y los gobiernos deben actuar en consecuencia.

Mezclar a Hamas con procesos de paz y diálogo político es falsear los hechos que están a la vista. Para Hamas, Israel debe ser borrado del mapa; allí debe existir un estado islámico. Así lo expresó,una vez más, públicamente, hace dos días en Irán el Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, líder máximo en Irán y mentor ideológico y material de Hamas.
Bajo los objetivos de Hamas, es muy cínico hablar de paz en Gaza. Hay allí 2 millones de palestinos que son  rehenes de una idea de exterminio del vecino.

La Autoridad Palestina debería reconocer públicamente los hechos. Mientras ambos, Autoridad Palestina por debilidad, y  Hamas , por sus ataques y su  violencia, sigan alentando la confrontación, la hipocresía intelectual y política que también ronda por estos lares , que acusa de uso desproporcionado de la fuerza a quien se defiende, y legitima el terror defendiéndolo sin pudor, los palestinos seguirán siendo víctimas de un marco de vida insostenible. 

Si la ONU actuara de acuerdo a lo que escribieron y soñaron sus fundadores, no habría 200 mil muertos en Siria, ni 4 millones de israelíes amenazados por misiles, ni palestinos sin esperanzas. Pero mirando sesgadamente y acusando automáticamente, se logra que  Assad siga siendo Presidente, que Hamas reciba de Estados miembros de ONU  miles de misiles, y que Mahmoud Abbas sienta que habla a la pared cuando pasea por las capitales de países árabes muy ricos y sordos.

Los que insisten en legitimar a Hamas desde sus cómodos sillones de tecnócratas, desde sus atalayas más o menos intelectuales, o desde sus odios políticos, respaldan la sinrazón de la confrontación y avivan las hogueras. 

Ambos pueblos merecen algo bien distinto para empezar, al menos, para comenzar a superar la triste realidad de los hechos.