December 1, 2023 in the National Post

The lies, denials and innuendos about Israel distributed by United Nations and its affiliated agencies have long been outrageous. But this week, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reached a new low that illustrates its veracious appetite to take advantage of the war by spreading lies to raise money.

Yesterday, I received an email from Marta Malaspina, a member of UNRWA’s so-called Digital Fundraising Team. I could not believe that she wrote that the “ongoing war in Gaza comes after 75 years of continuous displacement and dispossession.” Nice wordsmithing, if only it were honest.

In reaction, I sent her the following note: “Hi Marta, I am baffled how someone seemingly educated like you can spread lies to raise a few dollars. I just received your email saying that 'the ongoing war in Gaza comes after 75 years of continuous displacement and dispossession.' No, Ms. Malaspina, it comes after the Hamas attack of October 7th in which Palestinians murdered 1,200 Jews in cold blood. Why can’t you be honest?"

Obviously, I continued, “We will expose these lies and encourage our own government in Canada to stop funding UNRWA because it’s not truthful. Your note again proves it in writing. So, your fundraising email, because it shows the true colours of UNRWA, will bring about the defunding of UNRWA.”

This is already happening. This week, after spending nearly $1 billion on UNRWA over the last five years, Germany announced it is freezing all funding.

“UNRWA is not making a contribution to a peaceful solution,” Max Lucks of Germany's Greens said. “Not a single cent from Germany should reach teachers who glorify the terror of Hamas.”

Similarly, the European Union has moved to withhold 39 million euros (C$58 million) from Palestinian groups, including from UNRWA.  These NGOs are often accused of inciting hatred against Israel. The EU and other funders have demanded UNRWA and other agencies enforce contracts that require their schools and programs to be monitored. However, none of this has proven effective.

“The problem is that Israel actually needs UNRWA,” one highly-placed official in the organization told me in confidence WHEN WAS THIS?. UNRWA seems to believe serving Israel and the Palestinians themselves. They have our government convinced to the tune of $100 million in funding plus some additional emergency money.

I told the official that several years ago that my organization, the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, did try to reach out to UNRWA in the hope of finding a way to work together. But since that time, I expressed, “I can see now that UNRWA unfortunately, is holding the Palestinians themselves hostage.”

I explained to the UNRWA official that the organization itself, and its staff, unfortunately is spreading lies, and that this week’s fundraising letter is yet another example. UNRWA “is the only refugee organization in the world for one specific group (the Palestinians). Unlike other societies that promote co-existence and assimilation of refugees, UNRWA has not promoted integration into the societies in which Palestinians have moved." For some examples, see Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

That means, I explained to the official, that UNRWA is the problem to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Therefore, there needs to be a completely new system that is organized to aid the Palestinians and provide humanitarian relief, but with an objective of developing a sustainable society.

A new internationally funded entity needs to push for growing cooperation instead of isolation and absorption of refugees into their current places of residence. Holding Palestinians prisoners in this false narrative that one day they might “return” is counterproductive. It builds anger and frustration and limits the vision for a bright future.

Additionally, UNRWA schools have been teaching anti-Israel and antisemitic materials while turning a blind eye when their schools become rocket bunkers for Hamas. The result is a vicious society that committed heinous crimes against innocent Israelis on Oct. 7. We need to hold UNRWA and its funders accountable for the crimes committed against the innocent Jews and foreigners who were murdered and kidnapped on that day.

Malaspina and her fundraising team at UNRWA had the audacity of disregarding the barbarism that took place on that black day. She called for “solidarity” with the Palestinians but not with the Jewish women who were raped and the Jewish children who were mutilated by the very people her agency supports.

This level of denial and distortion needs to be called out. Given these blatant facts, UNRWA must be removed from Gaza alongside Hamas. A new non-permanent humanitarian relief program must be created to build a new society that can co-exist peacefully with Israel. Anything else will be detrimental to both Palestinians and Israelis living in the region.

Avi Abraham Benlolo is the Founder and CEO of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.
National Post

Saturday November 17, 2023

The images of premature babies outside incubators in a Hamas-controlled hospital and the tragic deaths of women and children in Gaza evoke deep emotions, emphasizing the equal preciousness of all life. Israel makes every effort to preserve life, while Hamas uses its population as human shields, sacrificing them for gullible western sympathy.

By now we know that these hospitals housed and covered up Hamas' terrorism against Israel. One wonders if many of the doctors and staff at these hospitals were not Hamas operatives themselves.

But Prime Minister Trudeau, known for his empathetic communication, went overboard against Israel again by declaring "The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop." It made Canadians wonder just whose side Trudeau is on — Canada's democratic ally or the jihadists?

His statement was so over the top hurtful it sent a shudder down the Jewish community in Canada and it provoked an immediate reply from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said: "It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust ... The forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism."

Ever since our prime minister wrongfully implied Israel was to blame for an errant Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket that hit Al-Ahli hospital, that sent thousands of Antisemitic rioters to our city streets (in reality, the rocket didn't even hit the hospital, only the parking lot).

Canadians are puzzled about Mr. Trudeau's moral clarity, and ability to differentiate between terrorists and a democratic state defending itself.

After the horrifying brutality of the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered (the vast majority civilians) and 239 hostages taken, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, and Italy, issued a joint statement condemning the attack with moral clarity and a clear strategy.

Mr. Trudeau initially appeared to be in agreement, acknowledging Israel's right and obligation to defend itself against Hamas. Western nations emphasized that Hamas, as a terrorist organization, did not represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people.

However, concerns arise as Mr. Trudeau seems to have shifted away from both moral clarity and a viable strategy in this war against terrorism. His concern about human life lacks proper assignment of responsibility for civilian deaths in Gaza. International law is not a suicide pact; rights come with responsibilities, and intent in war is seminal.

Senior Hamas member Ghazi Hamad's statement, that Oct. 7 should be repeated, underscores the proud commitment to atrocities and the intention to repeat them until Israel is eliminated. In such a scenario, what actions would Canada take when faced with an existential threat?

Mr. Trudeau's declaration that Israel's defence is unacceptable due to civilian casualties implies a demand for Israel to fight with both hands tied behind its back. Imposing such conditions on a defending ally seems impractical and potentially detrimental to their survival.

But Israel's survival may not be atop of Trudeau's list, it seems. Recently, Canada announced an increase in funding to the infamous United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA). It's the same organization that has said more about Israel in this war than about Hamas hiding its munitions in its schools.

Despite our incessant warnings that money is fungible and therefore the organization is indirectly subsidizing antisemitic curriculum in its schools and worse, helping incentivize terrorism (through payments to martyrs), our prime minister turned a blind eye. We even published a comprehensive report on funding of Palestinian terrorism on the matter that was signed by Judea Pearl, whose son Daniel was beheaded by Pakistani Jihadis and by Stuart Force, whose son Taylor was murdered by Palestinian Jihadis.

Leading up to the Hamas massacre, the murder of dozens of Israelis was partly and indirectly funded by UNRWA, which receives funding from Canada. When one Canadian diplomat called our reaction to Canada's $100 million allocation "harsh" we wondered just how out of touch with its own complicity in driving Palestinian terrorism our government is. Does this response still seem harsh in the face of such brutal massacres of Jews? Or is it still okay because local politics trumps morality?

The money we and other western democracies give the Palestinians went to building the tunnel system in Gaza, rather than to improving Palestinian lives. The Hamas rockets fired at Israeli citizens are made possible by our aid money. And the massacre itself, quantified by the sadistic hatred of the jihadists, can be linked to the school textbooks that teach hate in UNRWA schools.

How is it possible that Hamas leaders who are basking in the sun in Qatar are worth $5 billion? Most were once labourers on construction sites. Its because they have taxed our aid money and siphoned it into their personal bank accounts, instead of helping and uplifting Gazans. They want them to live in squalor and misery.

Mr. Trudeau's inversion of truth is not dissimilar to the leftists moral bankruptcy of blaming the Hamas massacre of Jews on Israel. Even UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had the audacity of alluding that the killing of Jews was brought on by themselves. Its the post-colonialist, woke, perversion of reality. Its like saying the horrific murder and treatment of our indigenous population by colonizers was their own fault.

In truth, the blame of the death of civilians on both sides is on Canada and other western nations. Our tax dollars continue to perpetuate Palestinian animosity against Israel by keeping them in a refugee holding pattern, unlike any other refugee group on earth.

Trudeau owes Israel and the Jewish community an apology for putting the blame on them, rather than on where it truly belongs — on Hamas. Hamas is centrally responsible for the deaths of civilians on both sides, but Canada and the West need to recognize that by funding UNWRA we a unwittingly or irresponsibly have contributed to this disaster.

Avi Benlolo is the Founder and Chairman of The Abraham Global Peace Initiative. Aurel Braun is a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Toronto and an associate at Harvard University’s Davis Center.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/opinion-hamas-massacres-funded-by-western-aid-money

We have always stood up for others. Who stands up for us now?

Author of the article:Avi BenloloPublished Nov 03, 2023  •  Last updated 8 hours ago  •  3 

A number of years ago, I participated in a press conference alongside a group of Holocaust survivors to denounce the heinous and barbaric gassing of entire villages by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Following the so-called Arab Spring and his own citizens’ calls for freedom, al-Assad had murdered between 350,000 and 500,000 men, women and children, which constituted a genocide.

Surprisingly, there were no demonstrations on the streets of the Middle East. There were no rampaging mobs converging on London Bridge or burning tires in the suburbs of Paris. In Toronto and major cities across America, there were no demonstrations by pro-Palestinian groups calling out what was undoubtedly a real genocide. All was quiet.

When Egypt cracked down on dissidents, when mobs of people rampaged through Libya and Tunisia calling for their freedom but were murdered by their own governments by the dozen, our university campuses remained silent. Unions hardly raised a fuss, if any. There were no hate-crime incidents, and students in schools did not dress up like Hamas terrorists for Halloween. It was as if the world had turned a blind eye.

Nonetheless, we spoke out in the dead of winter on a bitterly cold day, surrounded by every media outlet available to our city. These Holocaust survivors, having walked in the shadow of death, now in their 80s and 90s (most have now passed away), found the courage and righteousness to speak out for Syrians — a Muslim nation that has been at war with Israel for 75 years.

We have always stood up for others. Even now, you see some Jewish groups speaking out for Palestinians in Gaza, albeit mostly misinformed. But now, with surging antisemitism here at home and around the world, we boldly wonder, where were the school walkouts for the 1,400 Jews who were brutally massacred on Oct. 7?

Where are the pro-Palestinian demonstrations demanding that Hamas return the 242 Israelis and foreigners held in medieval-like conditions in Gaza? Where are the candlelight vigils and the calls to stop bombing Israeli cities and towns with crude rockets aimed at civilian populations? Where are the so-called international human rights organizations that eagerly promote the Hamas narrative but remain silent over the 500,000 displaced Israeli civilians?

The world hasn’t been silent; but not in a good way. Instead, it has given voice to extraordinary antisemitism. This week, a woman was filmed in Toronto tearing down posters of children who had been kidnapped by Hamas. This unfathomable, antisemitic loss of a moral compass is a stark reminder of the boycotts the Nazis practised before the Holocaust.

Speaking to a U.S. Senate panel this week, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that antisemitism is reaching “historic levels” in America. While Jews make up only about 2.4 per cent of the U.S. population, they account for 60 per cent of all religious-based hate crimes, he said. Nearly every major city is reporting sharp increases, in some cases doubling or more, as has been the case in Toronto.

Threats made against Jewish students have caused Cornell University to cancel classes today. At Harvard, a group of students was filmed harassing a Jewish student. Here in Canada, students at Toronto Metropolitan University’s law school and York University have published declarations that promote violence, leaving Jewish students wondering if they are safe.

Director Wray’s warning that “the Jewish community is targeted by terrorists (really) across the spectrum” emphasizes the looming threat to America and Canada. The growing radicalism on our campuses and in our streets is inspired by Hamas and may lead to homegrown violent extremists and foreign terrorist organizations jeopardizing the safety and security of our nations, not just the Jewish community.

The extreme rise in antisemitism is hardening the Jewish community. We see those on our campuses and streets who sympathize with Hamas and emulate its virulent hatred as being not much different from the Nazis. Our only recourse is to strengthen our resolve and determination and stand firm with Israel. Holocaust survivors are now almost gone, but we are here to carry forward their fight in the name of Never Again.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/avi-benlolo-the-extreme-rise-in-antisemitism-is-hardening-the-jewish-community

The decades-long push to delegitimize Israel has led to a reprehensible willingness to excuse the largest mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust

Author of the article:Avi BenloloPublished Oct 13, 2023  

In a recent encounter at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., a Fox News reporter approached U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, pressing her to condemn the tragic events involving the loss of innocent lives in Israel at the hands of Hamas. Tlaib chose not to respond and continued walking.

In two moving speeches at the White House this week, President Joe Biden passionately condemned silence and complicity. Not since the Holocaust, he said, had so many Jews been murdered. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that, “There is only one place for Germany — the place at Israel’s side.”

But the past week has been marked by an overwhelming sense of moral dilemma, stemming from the heart-wrenching loss of over 1,300 lives along the Gaza border. Some victims were still asleep in the early hours of Saturday when Hamas terrorists invaded their homes, committing unspeakable acts of violence.

Reports of around infants being decapitated and burned alive in Kfar Aza — a village that fell victim to acts of brutality that can only be likened to a bygone era of feudal barbarism — defy adequate description. Even seasoned reporters, who were present to document these horrors, were profoundly shaken by what they witnessed.

Elsewhere along the Gaza border, thousands of young adults gathered at a music festival to celebrate “friends, love and peace.” But their joy was short-lived. Palestinian terrorists indiscriminately opened fire on them, surpassing even the ruthlessness of groups like ISIL.

Over 260 young people, most in their 20s, were murdered in cold blood. Many were shot as they desperately tried to flee. They were unarmed and bewildered, yet the Hamas terrorists showed no mercy, killing innocent civilians and raping young women next to the dead bodies of their friends.

In addition to these massacres, there were numerous kidnappings. Hamas terrorists abducted an estimated 100-150 individuals, including children, women, teenagers and even a Holocaust survivor. Those they killed suffered a gruesome fate, their bodies dragged naked through the streets of Gaza, desecrated and humiliated. For those held captive, it’s feared that torture and ransom may await them.

Representative Tlaib’s refusal to condemn these horrors raises questions about the moral underpinnings of the international Palestinian solidarity movement. The chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” takes on a haunting dimension considering these events. There’s little doubt about what would happen to the State of Israel and its citizens if they were to lay down their weapons even for a day.

Tlaib is part of a generation of advocates who have long called for Israel’s eradication, a sentiment that can be traced back to the Durban Conference on racism and xenophobia in South Africa in 2001. This event laid the foundation for the delegitimization and defamation of Israel, including the unfounded claim that it is an “apartheid state,” mirroring tactics legitimately used against apartheid South Africa.

Radical leftists, unionists and academics joined the Palestinian cause in South Africa, often masking their deep-seated antisemitism. Upon their return home, they launched and supported campaigns such as “Israeli apartheid week” and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against the Jewish state.

For nearly two decades, university students have been exposed to falsehoods about Israel and, by extension, the Jewish people. These beliefs became normalized in global organizations like the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, all of which echoed and reinforced these baseless allegations.

In Toronto, the annual Al-Quds Day event has long been permitted to take place at the footsteps of the provincial legislature. Originating in Iran, the event draws leftist and Islamist groups, forming an unlikely coalition united by their hostility toward Jews and their call for Israel’s destruction. Last weekend’s events are exactly what they were calling for.

Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, has persistently fought against these campaigns to delegitimize it. The country has proudly championed human rights, advanced LGBTQ and women’s rights, celebrated coexistence and played a leading role in promoting these values in the region.

Despite these efforts, the Palestinian campaign of defamation, coupled with deeply rooted antisemitism, has continued to legitimize and embolden hatred against Israel, specifically among progressive leftists and far-right white supremacists.

Recently, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that Adolf Hitler “fought the Jews because they were dealing with usury and money.” For centuries, these words have been spoken by rabid antisemites to mobilize violence against Jewish communities.

While governments, like Canada’s, have condemned antisemitism, they have simultaneously continued to fund the Palestinian narrative by channelling money to organizations like UNRWA. This funding has sustained schools in Gaza and the West Bank that promote violence and hatred against Jews.

Let me be clear: any country that condemns Hamas but is still sending money to the Palestinians — including Canada’s Liberal government, which pledged this week to continue funnelling around $55 million annually in development assistance and aid to Gaza and the West Bank, thus allowing their governments to divert resources to terrorism —  is complicit in the crimes that are being committed against Jews in Israel.

The shocking loss of Israeli lives represents the culmination of years of emboldening Hamas and other terrorist organizations by delegitimizing Israel and allowing antisemitism to flourish. Even in the face of war crimes and heinous acts, the Palestinian movement refuses to unequivocally denounce such actions. Some media outlets, including the CBC, which are heavily influenced by the Palestinian narrative of “resistance,” have adopted policies that inaccurately label terrorists as militants.

Social media is rife not just with antisemitic Palestinians, but with people who hold influential positions, including doctors, union leaders and academics, posting messages denying the barbarism that took place. If they cannot deny it, they blame Israel and the Jews for inviting the murders, decapitations and rapes. This should be condemned vigorously by all.

Reflecting on our historical experiences, particularly the Holocaust, we understand the dangers of complicity. The brutal murder of six-million Jews and millions of others occurred because hundreds of thousands of people played a role, be it as journalists, train operators, contractors, doctors, lawyers, mothers or fathers. They perpetuated the propaganda and antisemitism they were exposed to, which ultimately led to the genocide. The same is applicable today.

For those of you who identify as pro-Palestinian and remain silent in the face of Hamas’ heinous acts, it’s crucial to examine your moral compass. Such silence has far-reaching consequences — not only for the present, but for the future of humanity.

National Post

Avi Benlolo is the founder and chairman of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.