On January 3, 2021, HonestReporting, in conjunction with UNRWA: Stop Teaching Hate, launched a “We the People” White House petition with the goal of inducing the Trump Administration to reveal the true number of Palestinian refugees alive today that were displaced during the 1948 war following Israel’s declaration of independence.
Now, with our help, the truth has been exposed by outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The revelation came after a concerted campaign by HonestReporting that garnered widespread media attention.
We also produced a related video that, to date, has garnered about three-quarters of a million views and spurred people to action at the grassroots level.
We suspended funding to UNRWA, which is riddled with waste, fraud & concerns of support to terrorism. UNRWA is not a refugee agency; it’s estimated <200,000 Arabs displaced in 1948 are still alive and most others are not refugees by any rational criteria. https://t.co/SdyigJPHiH
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 14, 2021
HonestReporting is extremely proud to have played a role in an initiative that stands to positively impact Israel, millions of Palestinians who have not been afforded the opportunity to fulfill their potential, and the broader Middle East.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message congratulated Joe Biden for his inauguration as the 46th US president, while urging him to build on the series of peace deals the Trump administration brokered between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors. Netanyahu also called on the new American leader to work with Israel to confront “the threat posed by Iran.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will reportedly be the ruling Fatah faction’s presidential nominee in the prospective Palestinian elections, according to an announcement by PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. However, other Palestinian officials have criticized the decision, arguing that the Fatah Central Committee first needs to convene to devise a slate of candidates.
Abbas, 85, issued a decree last week ordering the first Palestinian elections in over 15 years. There are currently three votes scheduled: parliamentary elections on May 22,; presidential elections on July 31; and elections for the Palestinian National Committee — the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization — on August 31.
The Israel Defense Forces are planning to conduct large scale military drills this summer. “The structure of the exercises, which are being prepared, will include scenarios on several fronts in the north and the south…,” the IDF said in a statement. Units from each regional command, branch and directorate will take part in the war games.
Four surprise simulations have already been organized since the appointment of Aviv Kochavi as Chief of Staff in January 2019. Previous exercises included testing the military’s ability to handle a West Bank kidnapping, a war against Hezbollah, countering a massive cyberattack and responding to maritime threats from the north.
Sunday, January 31
Webinar and Q&A – ‘How to Make Your Point and Keep Your Cool!‘
Has Israel become a dirty word? Do you feel as if you’re banging your head against the wall? Join us to learn the secret to getting your point across effectively. Due to popular demand, we are rerunning this webinar, updated with live Q&A.
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As Trump Exits, the Full Mossad Story on Normalization Into Focus (Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post)
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Is the European Union Combating or Whitewashing Antisemitism? (Abraham Copper and Manfred Gerstenfeld, Newsweek)
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The Return of a Lost Tribe of Israel, 27 Centuries Later (Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21C)
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Frequent New York Times Opinion Writer Was Secret Iranian Agent, Federal Prosecutors Charge (Ira Stoll, Algemeiner)
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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Tu B’Shvat (Naama Barak, Israel21C)
