HERITAGE FLORIDA JEWISH NEWS, APRIL 18, 2014 PAGE 5A
By Ben Cohen Congress don't condemn this missions serving at the U.N. As the State Department's that he didn't participate in started lightening the sanc-
JNS.org act by the Islamic Republic, As many New York residents lawyers deliberate overthe initial occupation of the tions load on Iran.
then our captivity and suffer- will tellyou, that's the reason Aboutalebi's visa application, embassy, but that he subse- How, though, is that deal
As its next ambassador to ing for 444 days at the hands why, everyyear, our great city hopefully they will bear two quently acted as a translator working out? Why, with the
the United Nations Head- of Iranwasfornothing,"Rosen hosts the assorted dictators, key points prominently in and negotiator for the ter- Aboutalebi appointment, is
quarters in New York, Iran continued. "He can never tyrants, and terrorism spon- mind. Firstly, that former rorists. About as convincing Iran risking the ire of the
has appointed a man who set foot on American soil." sors who fly in for the U.N. PresidentJimmyCarter, inhis a defense as saying, "I didn't U.S. at this delicate stage
participated in the seizure of At the moment, the State De- General Assembly. In the State of the Union address in steal your car, but I did help in the negotiations? Well,
the U.S. Embassy in Tehran partment has not yet decided decadessince theU.N.'s estab- 1980, categorized the hostage to sell it afterwards."the answer seems to be that
in 1979. The decision has whether to grant a visa to the lishment, we'veputupwith-- crisis as an act of "internaL Regardless of what the there isn't much to hope for.
been metwith outrage--and appointee, HamidAboutalebi, among others--Muammar tional terrorism." Secondly, State Department does over Despitenewtalksscheduledin
rightly so. who has served in the past Gadhafi, the deceased Libyan that Aboutalebi, by his own Aboutalebi's visa applica- Vienna for April 8, the mood
"Unconscionable,"saidU.S. as Iran's ambassador toboth dictator; Robert Mugabe, admission, was present at the tion, this whole episode is is grim. "Mutual suspicion
Sen.TedCruz(R-TX),whohas Belgium and Italy. State the mass-murdererwho still embassywithotherleadersof a useful reminder that the remainsgreatandthereisstill
introduced legislation that did acknowledge, through presides over Zimbabwe; and the "Muslim Student Follow- Islamic Republic remains an a fundamental uncertainty
wouldpreventaU.N.ambassa- spokeswoman Marie Harf,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the" ers of the Imam's Line," the enemy--not a negotiating as to what Iran really wants,"
dor from entering the United thatAboutalebi'snomination former Iranian president terrorist group behind the partner with whom we have wrote BBC diplomatic cor-
Statesifthatambassadorisa was "extremely troubling" and notorious Holocausthostage taking, differences, but an outright respondent Jonathan Marcus
knownterrorist."Aslapinthe and cause for "serious con- denier. We do so because, as If Aboutalebi was involved enemy--of the U.S. The inapreciseassessmentofthe
face," said U.S. Sen. Lindsey cerns." None of that means, a civilized participant in the with intimidating or abusing man who named Aboutalebi current situation.
Graham(R-SC)."Adisdainfor however, that Aboutalebi will international community, the hostages, he isn't owning to the U.N. post is President Predictably, the sanctions
the diplomatic process," said be prevented from taking up we are compelled to take up to it--though that doesn't Hassan Rouhani, someonerelief that accompanied the
U.S.Sen.ChuckSchumer(D- his post. a deep breath and respect mean he didn't participate in who has so impressed the November agreement has
NY). "A disgrace," thundered The ObamaAdministrationthe very same principles of some oftheoutragesrecorded Obama Administration with led the Iranians to.behave
Barry Rosen, one of the 52 is in a legal bind, insofarasitis diplomacy that the Iranian overthose444daysofcaptiv- his "moderation" and his like kids let loose in a toy
American hostages held by boundby a 1947 protocol that regime violated so obscenely ity.All he will admit, as he did commitment to the nuclear store. Progress is rapidly be-
Iranian captors for more than grants almost total immunity when it stormed our embassy in an interview with the Ira- deal reached last November
ayear."Ifthepresidentandthe to the diplomats of national in Tehran. nianwebsite Khabaronline, is in Geneva that we've actually Cohen on page 15A
By Hen Mazzig
JNS.org
On March 31, I attended a
disturbing lecture at Wash-
ington University in St. Louis.
It was co-sponsored by St.
Louis Hillel at Washington
University and J Street U.
The speaker, a former Israeli
soldier with the group"Break-
ing the Silence" (BtS), mis-
represented and demonized
the Israel I)efense Forces,
Israel, and Israeli policy. BtS
is known for bringing in
speakers like this, so I could
not understand why Hillel
and J Street U had sponsored
a talk whose only purpose
appeared to: be to misinform
audiences and instill hostility
towards Israel.
As an Israeli reservist who He did not describe thevice in Hebron, Ihadtoadhere be left alone in the streets of itself critically, and debates
hadbeenstationedintheWest Israel or IDF that I know so to international humanitar- the GazaStrip. in Israel are energetic and
Bank, I sat in disbelief as the intimately, ian law and ensure that the It was torture for me to sit promote the full variety of
speaker described attitudes Asareservistandasoldier, I soldiers in the Judea Brigade there quietly and listen to views. Why, then, would he
and policies thatwere entirely hadbeenstationedintheWest were educated about thethe distortions of this former come to the U.S. tocomplain
divorced from reality. Bank. My job was to protect Geneva Convention and the soldierwhohadservedduring about his own army?
The former soldier, Oded the Palestinians' humanrulesofengagement--orface themostviolentperiodofthe I think I know why. It's
Na'aman, claimed that Israeli rights, coordinatehumanitar- punishment. We sometimes, second intifada (2000-2003), becausetherearegroupswho
soldiers are trained to oppress ianaid, and tendtothe needs wentbeyondthesestrictrules when suicide bombers and are parading him around to
the Palestinians individually of civilians living in the West to help Palestinians. Once, snipers were wantonly mur- tell half-truths and lies to
andasapeople, that they ma- Bank.IalwaysfeltthatIsrael's when I served in my unit's dering Israeli men, women, defame Israel. When he was
liciouslymistreatPalestinians concern for the welfare of the headquarters, we arranged a and children. But he never asked that very question dur-
in the West Bank, and that Palestinians was impressive, complex operation sothatmy described the terrorism that ing the question-and-answer
theyaretaughttomakePales- andIwasproudtobepartofit, unit, withthehelpofanother forced the IDF to take mea- period, he said,"I came here
tiniansfearIsraelisoldiers.He My experience taught meunit, could save the life of a sures to protect our families, to tell Americans what their
argued that there are no civil that even during wartime, Palestinianboy livinginGaza . If he has complaints about taxmoneyis funding."Hesaid
rights for Palestinians and Israel made it a priority to whose mother had died.~We the IDF, he should b#.a~ ac:..J ~tl-~tattacking!srae~lw.ithF:16s
that the Jewish people who meettheneedsofPalestinians did some investigating; and tivist in Israel. Soldiersdon't ~:not the:~ight answer;:bu~
now have a state use their even though they had made discovered that his uncle :always do the right thing or that Israel needs to be pres-
powertooppressPalestinians, themselves enemies of the livedinRamallah.Inaspecial live up to the IDF code. They sured. I wondered what kind
I had no idea what he was State of Israel by launching operation in the middle of the should be disciplined. Israel's of twisted thinking would
talking about or what moti- the second intifada, night, we moved the child to policies can be debated. But
vatedhim to lie. I recall that during my ser- hisunclesothathewouldnot Israelisconstantlyexamining Mazzig on page 15A
By Stephen M. Flatow
JNS.org
The controversy over the
Harvard University students
who recently posed, smiling,
at Yasser Arafat's grave sent
a shot of pain through every
one of us who has lost a loved
one in the terrorist attacks
that Arafat and his allies have
waged over the years.
But it must have been partic-
ularly awful for Dr. Alan Bauer,
a Harvard-educated scientist,
to see students from his own
school smiling and enjoying
their visit to the tombstone of
the man responsible for the vi-
cious attack that left Bauer and
his 7-year- old son permanently
maimed.
Bauer and his son Jonathan
were walking on King George
Street in downtown Jerusalem
on March 21, 2002, when a
terrorist from Arafat's Fatah
movement blew himself up.
His explosive device was
packed with metal spikes and
nails, in order to inflict the
maximum amount of pain and
destruction and the defense-
less Israeli civilians walking
by. Three passersby were
killed, 87 were wounded, Dr.
Bauer and Jonathan were hit
by multiple metal projectiles.
Two of the metal spikes pen-
etrated little Jonathan's brain.
The attack was in the news
for a few days, and then it was
out of the public's sight, and
out of the public's mind. Who
today remembers Alan and
Jonathan Bauer? Certainly
not the 50 or so Harvard stu-
dents who recently visited
Israel and the Palestinian
Authority-controlled terri-
tories, paid for by Combined
Jewish Philanthropies (Bos-
ton Jewish's federation) and
Harvard Hillel.
I'm sure Alan, as a Harvard
alumnus, would have appreci-
ated a friendly visit to his Jeru-
salem home and a few words
of sympathy from the Harvard
students. Apparently the tour
organizers never bothered to
check on whether there are
any Harvard graduates among
the terror victims in Israel.
But don't put all the blame
on the organizers. These
students know how to do a
little research on the Internet.
In a few minutes, they could
have learned about Alan and
Jonathan. They didn't make
the time to do that,
But they did make the
time to pose, grinning, at
the gravesite of the man re-
sponsible for that Jerusalem
bombing and so many other
war crimes against the Jewish
people. And they were so proud
of the photo that they rushed
to share it with the world via
social media.
I was disappointed to read
~n article by three Boston
Jewish federation officials,
declaring that criticism of
the Arafat photo-op is "ab-
surd." The most they would
giggle-and-selfie fest at the
grave of an apartheid regime
police officer who tortured or
murdered black activists.
Last week marked the 12th
anniversary of the bombing
that maimed the Bauers. This
week is the 19th anniversary
learned nothing from your attorney. His 20-year-old
years of learning in the pres- daughter Alisa was murdered
tigious halls of Harvard. in a 1995 bus bombing while
Stephen M. Flatow is an she was a student in Israel.
TOC THE2k SS
concedeisthatsomeofthe ofthePalestinianbombing r r
trip organ!zers showed"poor attack in which my daughter ONCE A AIN, AT E WILL LIN
judgment, buttheyrefusedto Alisa was murdered. She | ES'F E A[,S | | A MS WITH PAST 1
condemnthestudents'action, was a student at Brandeis | T {E I NE A'rIoNS]
Theyshouldn'tbetreatingthe University, just a few miles
students asiftheywere babies, down the road from Harvard.
They are young adults who The students at Harvard have
either knew what they were shown as little interest in
doing, or should have. Alisa as they have in Alan or
I was equally disappointed Jonathan Bauer.
to see that Prof. Deborah One of the Harvard stu-
Lipstadt, on her Facebook dents, by the name of Kelsey,
page, wrote this about the last week defended her par-
Jewish officials' article defend- ticipation in the Arafat grave
ing the Harvard students: visit on the grounds that,
"What a thoughtful article. "Acknowledging one person's
Lucky is the community with
such thoughtful leaders who
know how to keep their heads
screwed on straight." As a Ho-
locaust scholar, Prof. Lipstadt,
of all people, should be able to
recognizeArafatwas engaged
in the attempted genocide
of Israel's Jews. She should
have been as outraged by the
Arafat visit, as she would have
been if the Harvard students
had visited Afghanistan and
posed at the grave of an A1-
Qaeda leader, or if they went
to South Africa and had a
lived experience neither ne- FAS
gates nor diminishes another
person's lived experience." /THE MIRAC(.E l
Actually, Kelsey, you have [Z WlSH SORVIVAkI|
not at all acknowledged Ara-
fat's "lived experience"--you
did not write anything about
the mass murders and maim-
ings he perpetrated. And you
have indeed negated and
diminished "another person's
lived experience"--you have
negated and diminished the
suffering of his victims and
their families. Until you
understand that, you have .
DryBonesBIog,com
