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Tag: Jews

  • Lee Hsien Loong To Visit Palestine As Part Of Middle East Trip

    Lee Hsien Loong To Visit Palestine As Part Of Middle East Trip

    AMMAN, JORDAN – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong begins his official visit to Jordan on Saturday (April 16).

    He will then travel to Israel on Monday, and to the Palestinian Territories on Wednesday.

    This is Mr Lee’s first official visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Friday.

    “The visit will affirm Singapore’s good relations with Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, and underscore Singapore’s commitment to support the capacity building efforts of the Palestinian people,” the statement added.

    While in Jordan, Mr Lee will be hosted to lunch by King Abdullah II. He will meet Prime Minister and Defence Minister Abdullah Ensour, who will also host him to dinner.

    Mr Lee will also meet Chief Advisor for Religious and Cultural Affairs Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal. He will also meet Singapore students studying in Jordan.

    In Israel, Mr Lee will call on President Reuven Rivlin and meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    He will also meet Leader of the Opposition Isaac Herzog and former President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres.

    In addition, Mr Lee will meet leaders of major Israeli technology companies and visit the Hebrew University, where he will receive an honorary doctorate.

    He will also witness the signing of an agreement between Hebrew University and Singapore’s National Research Foundation to facilitate research collaboration in Singapore.

    In the Palestinian Territories, Mr Lee will meet Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Rami Hamdallah, who will host him to lunch.

    Mr Lee will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of the first President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat.

    PM Lee will be accompanied by Mrs Lee, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State for Communications and Information and Education Janil Puthucheary, and MPs Liang Eng Hwa and Intan Azura Mokhtar.

    During Mr Lee’s absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be the Acting Prime Minister.

     

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Muslims Form Human Shield Around Oslo Synagogue

    Muslims Form Human Shield Around Oslo Synagogue

    REUTERS – More than 1,000 Muslims formed a human shield around Oslo’s synagogue on Saturday, offering symbolic protection for the city’s Jewish community and condemning an attack on a synagogue in neighboring Denmark last weekend.

    Chanting “No to anti-Semitism, no to Islamophobia,” Norway’s Muslims formed what they called a ring of peace a week after Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, a Danish-born son of Palestinian immigrants, killed two people at a synagogue and an event promoting free speech in Copenhagen last weekend.

    “Humanity is one and we are here to demonstrate that,” Zeeshan Abdullah, one of the protest’s organizers told a crowd of Muslim immigrants and ethnic Norwegians who filled the small street around Oslo’s only functioning synagogue.

    “There are many more peace mongers than warmongers,” Abdullah said as organizers and Jewish community leaders stood side by side. “There’s still hope for humanity, for peace and love, across religious differences and backgrounds.”

    Norway’s Jewish community is one of Europe’s smallest, numbering around 1000, and the Muslim population, which has been growing steadily through immigration, is 150,000 to 200,000. Norway has a population of about 5.2 million.

    The debate over immigration in the country came to the forefront in 2011 when Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people and accused the government and the then-ruling Labour party of facilitating Muslim immigration and adulterating pure Norwegian blood.

    Support for immigration has been rising steadily since those attacks, however, and an opinion poll late last year found that 77 percent of people thought immigrants made an important contribution to Norwegian society.

     

    Source: www.haaretz.com

  • John Kerry Warns On Viability Of Palestinian Authority If Israel Continues To Block Funds

    John Kerry Warns On Viability Of Palestinian Authority If Israel Continues To Block Funds

    LONDON – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday expressed concern about the viability of the Palestinian Authority if it does not soon receive tax revenue which has been withheld by Israel.

    The funds have been held back from the Authority since last month in retaliation for Palestinian moves to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    The move would pave the way for the ICC to take jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in Palestinian lands and to investigate the conduct of Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

    While the United States opposed steps by the Palestinians to join the ICC, it has raised concerns with the Israelis about its decision to freeze the transfer of more than $100 million in tax revenue, warning it could further raise tensions.

    The tax revenue is critical to running the Authority, which exercises limited self-rule, and for paying public sector salaries. Israel took a similar step in December 2012, freezing revenue transfers for three months in response to the Palestinians’ launch of a campaign for recognition of statehood at the United Nations.

    The issue of funding for the aid-dependent Palestinians was raised in talks between Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London. Kerry warned of another crisis in the region if the Palestinians did not receive funding.

    “If the Palestinian Authority ceases, or were to cease security cooperation, or even decide to disband as a result of their economic predicament, and that could happen in the future if they don’t receive additional revenues, then we would be faced by yet another crisis,” Kerry told a news conference.

    “We are working hard to prevent that from happening and that is why we have been reaching out to key stakeholders to express these concerns and also to try to work together to find a solution to this challenge,” he said, without elaborating.

    The World Bank warned last year that war in Gaza would contribute to a reversal of seven years of growth in the Palestinian economy.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • IS Is A Result Of The Atrocities Of Israelis And The Failure Of Muslim Governments

    IS Is A Result Of The Atrocities Of Israelis And The Failure Of Muslim Governments

    The emergence of militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) is caused by Israeli atrocities which oppress Muslims and the Muslim governments’ inability to solve their problems, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

    During an interview with Sky News presenter Adam Boulton early this morning, the former prime minister said the evolution of terrorist groups such as Isis was due to their frustration over the state government’s failure to defend Muslims.

    “From what they see, the governments of Muslim countries have not been able to do anything about their problems, particularly over Israel, for example.

    “So, people tend to take law in their own hands,” he said.

    Dr Mahathir, an outspoken critic of the Zionist state, added that it did not mean he supported Isis.

    He acknowledged that the group’s violent reactions were caused by the cruelty shown by the Israeli regime itself.

    “No, it is not justifiable at all. It is all about frustration that is resulting in violence,” he said when asked whether it was fair for Isis to be set up because of the Israeli establishment.

    Dr Mahathir described the struggles of Isis as not in accordance with Islamic teachings but rather due to mere dissatisfaction, especially in the face of powerful countries.

    “I know it is very unfortunate. But it is not the teaching of Islam. It is the expression of their frustration over something that they find themselves unable to resolve, because they are up against a powerful nation,” he said.

    Dr Mahathir (pic, left) said Muslims around the world feel they were oppressed and under attack.

    “But the main thing is, there is this feeling that Muslims generally are being oppressed, their countries are being invaded, and thousands of their people have been bombed and killed. So how do they react to this?” he added.

    Isis was formed in 2013 in Iraq.

    Its members comprise thousands of local and foreign jihadists and former military men who served under the reign of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

    Media reports say Malaysians have also joined their struggle and some were killed during the battles in both Syria and Iraq.

    Malaysian authorities are actively keeping an eye on the activities of those who visited the Arab countries to join Isis.

     

    Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

  • Norway Muslim Plans To Form Ring Of Peace Around Synagogue On Saturday

    Norway Muslim Plans To Form Ring Of Peace Around Synagogue On Saturday

    The headlines have been grim. Europe’s Jews face “rising anti-Semitism“; in some countries, many are leaving in “record numbers.” In separate incidents in recent months, gunmen have targeted Jews and Jewish institutions in Paris and Copenhagen. Even the Jewish dead have not been left in peace, with reports of graves being desecrated.

    But the future of tolerance and multiculturalism in Europe is far from bleak. The bigotry on view has been carried out by a fringe minority, cast all the more in the shade by the huge peace marches and vigils that followed the deadly attacks. And some communities are trying to build solidarity in their home towns and cities.

    One group of Muslims in Norway plans to form a “ring of peace” around a synagogue in Oslo on Saturday. On a Facebook page promoting the event, the group explained its motivations. Here’s a translated version of the invite:

    Islam is about protecting our brothers and sisters, regardless of which religion they belong to. Islam is about rising above hate and never sinking to the same level as the haters. Islam is about defending each other. Muslims want to show that we deeply deplore all types of hatred of Jews, and that we are there to support them. We will therefore create a human ring around the synagogue on Saturday 21 February. Encourage everyone to come!

    According to the Times of Israel, Ervin Kohn, a leader of Oslo’s small Jewish community, had agreed to allowing the event on the condition that more than 30 people show up — a small gathering would make the effort look “counter-productive,” Kohn said. Close to 1,000 people have indicated on Facebook that they will attend.

    “We think that after the terrorist attacks in Copenhagen, it is the perfect time for us Muslims to distance ourselves from the harassment of Jews that is happening,” 17-year-old event organizer Hajrad Arshad said in an interview with Norwegian television.

    “If someone wants to attack the synagogue, they need to step over us first,”posted another of the event’s organizers on Facebook.

     

    Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com