👏👏👏 A terrific article from start to finish! Congratulations to the Honorable Irwin Cotler on winning G&S’s Global Peace Prize! It is well deserved! The Honorable Mr. Cotler has had a long and distinguished career fighting for truth and justice! He fought for Soviet Jewish refuseniks and against the evil Apartheid regime in South Africa, to bring the perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide to justice and against the trafficking of women and children. In 2001 at the United Nations World Confidence Against Racism, Colter took a bold stand against antisemitism within the UN and demanded they be principled and oppose racism universally against all people! He called out the organization’s bias against the state of Israel. During the Gaza War, he took a courageous stand against the Great Genocide Blood Libel! Unlike the antisemitic blood libel spewing Navi Pillay, The Honorable Mr. Cotler is a REAL champion of human rights for all! He stood up for Natan Sharansky and he stood up for Nelson Mandela. Unlike Pillay, he is consistent in being a champion of freedom, dignity and equality! She only champions those things when it’s for Gentiles, but she turns a blind eye to the suffering of Jews and said “f*** you!” to the victims of October 7th and the hostages. Irwin Cotler stood up for them when the rest of the world was downplaying or ignoring the horrific crimes committed against them.
Just to provide you with some raw material that might come in handy:
You and I know that Hamas is weaponizing anti-Semitism, and doing it in a particularly depraved manner - optimizing their casualties - or that bloodless term, using 'human shields'. The deaths don't particularly bother them. The publicity has been so grand. And I think its a hard concept for the Western mind to grasp - that a troupe of involuntary suicide bombers, namely their own women and children - would be exploited like this.
Bless the Times of Israel for keeping all its articles. This one is from 2021 - and it centers around a video from Sky News. I call it 'from the horses mouth', because it captures an interview with Mahmoud al-Zahar, one of the chief architects of Hamas: (this article is condensed). You can find the video - and it is worth watching - on ToIsrael's site.
Shortly after ceasefire takes effect, Sky News interviews Mahmoud al-Zahar, who hails terror group’s attacks on Israel’s crowded civilian areas
By ToI Staff 24 May 2021, 7:32 pm
Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar speaks to Britain’s Sky News from his home in the Gaza Strip, on May 24, 2021. (Screenshot: Sky News/ Youtube)
In a rare interview, Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar told Britain’s Sky News that Israel has no right to exist, and said the terror group’s strategy was to target Israeli population centers
“The new element” in the latest round of fighting, al-Zahar said, “is the degree of the resistance movement, particularly in Gaza, to attack the Israeli targets at very important points, including most of the overcrowded area in the civilian society. So for how long the Israeli will accept that, I think this is the main issue.”
Hamas and other Gaza terror groups launched over 4,300 rockets at Israel during the 11 days of fighting, at times forcing people living near Gaza into bomb shelters around the clock.
Stone challenged al-Zahar: “You are firing rockets and missiles from civilian areas here in Gaza at civilians in Israel,” he said. “That’s not acceptable, that’s a war crime.”
Al-Zahar rejected the accusation that Hamas endangers Palestinians. “No single rocket was sent from a civilian area. We [fired] most of the rockets from the border,” he told Stone.
“That’s not true, though, is it? Because we’ve seen video of rockets being fired from within the built-up area of Gaza City at Israeli communities,” Stone responded, to which Al-Zahar replied, “This is not against Israeli communities. This is against Israeli occupation. This is against Israeli aggression.”
We can't interview Mahmoud again. Unfortunately he's dead. But his spirit lives on.
Irwin Cotler’s incredible career reminds us of something important that is missing in today’s public discourse that being nuance. The Honorable Mr. Cotler showed that it is very much possible to oppose BOTH racism and antisemitism! One can stand up against injustices like Apartheid AND call out the blatant bias against Israel at the United Nations! I will now provide some (of the last I can muster frankly) examples of nuance. Oliver Cromwell was a key commander in the New Model Army that stood up to the absolute rule of King Charles I, he laid the early ideological framework for republican governance, abolished feudalism in England, he reformed the military to promote men based on merit, extended England’s second empire in the Americas, was a devoted family man, championed liberty of conscience for most Protestant nonconformists, and allowed the Jews of England to return. However at the same time, Cromwell took over as dictator or Lord Protector of England, dissolved the Rump Parliament, essentially turned England into an authoritarian theocracy, waged brutal military campaigns in Ireland, committed horrific atrocities against the Irish people, he banned music, theatre, whistling, dancing, Christmas, mince pies, and other pursuits that were considered sinful, and transferred thousands of Irish political prisoners and captives to the English colonies in the Caribbean to be used as slaves and indentured servants. Cleopatra ruled Egypt for 20 years, maintained Egypt’s independence against the expanding Roman Empire, stabilized its economy, embraced local traditions, was generally revered by her native Egyptian subjects, and built strong alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony to protect her country and throne during a volatile period in Mediterranean history. But at the same time, she eliminated political rivals and family members, fought a civil war against her own brother, she ruled as an absolute monarch, her alignment with Mark Antony alienated the Roman public and Senate, and her combined naval forces suffered a crushing defeat at Battle of Actium in 31 BC which resulted in the loss of Egyptian sovereignty and her death by suicide in 30 BC.
Let’s say I lived in Germany during the 1940s. I would be a staunch opponent of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, join the anti-Nazi resistance, pass along valuable military intelligence to the Western Allies, oppose the Holocaust, would hide Jews in my home, support every attempt made to assassinate Hitler, would refuse to serve in the Wehrmacht, would sympathize with the people of the occupied countries, would celebrate the Allied victories at El Alamein and Stalingrad, would support Claus von Stauffenberg and the Valkyrie plotters, be relived when Hitler committed suicide and the German government surrendered, and rejoice that the Soviets had taken Berlin. At the same time, I would be a proud German, love German food, music and culture, visit Germany’s castles and the Black Forest with awe, admire Kepler, Gutenberg, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, the Brothers Grimm, Fredrick the Great, and Otto von Bismarck, have sympathy for all the German civilians who were killed in Allied air raids, mourn Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s suicide, condemn the Bombing of Dresden by the Allies, feel sorry for German POWs living in horrible conditions in Allied POW camps after the war, would condemn Soviet war crimes in Germany, and would denounce the mass expulsions of ethnic Germans by the Soviet Union and Eastern European governments.
Let’s say I’m living in Mexico in the 1500s and 1600s. I would oppose the Aztec Empire, rally the other Indigenous tribes to unite to fight against them, welcome the arrival of the Spanish and form an alliance with them, be absolutely horrified by the Aztec’s practices of cannibalism and human sacrifice, admire the Conquistadors, cheer the defeat of the Aztecs, help in building up the Viceroyalty of New Spain and Mexico City, would build friendships with the Catholic missionaries, be delighted by intermarriage between Spaniards and Indigenous people, be proud of our successful biracial society, would help educate Indigenous people on the word of God, discourage Indigenous people from practicing polygamy and encourage them to embrace monogamy, and hire Spanish peasants and Indigenous people alike to work for me at my business. All that being said, I would be shocked and saddened by the large number of Indigenous people who were dying due to diseases unknowingly introduced by the Europeans they were not immune to, call out atrocities and injustices perpetrated by the Spanish against the indigenous people, oppose Indian and African slavery, the encomienda system, the persecution of Conversos, and the Mexican Inquisition, would seek to smooth over tensions between peninsulares and criollos, and would support the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and call for the Spanish to leave the Pueblo alone and let them live and govern themselves as they pleased in New Mexico.
Let’s say I’m living in Europe during the First Crusade. I would be a pious Christian, jump at the chance to join the Crusader Army, heed Pope Urban II’s call to arms, seek to come to the aid of my brothers in Christ in the Eastern Orthodox Church, proudly fight alongside my fellow Crusaders in battle, praise God for the recapture of the Holy City of Jerusalem and liberating it from Muslim rule, protect Christian pilgrims, admire the Knights Templar, and be happy to see the establishment of the Crusader States. But at the same time, I would be critical of Crusaders only fighting for their own gain, publicly denounce pogroms against Jews as sinful and against the word of God, call for the Crusaders to see Jews and Muslims as our Abrahamic brothers, would treat Muslim prisoners with respect, dignity and humanity, would support self-autonomy and freedom of religion for Muslims living within the Crusader states, be shocked and revolted by the Jerusalem Massacre of 1099, and call for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims to all live together as brothers in Jerusalem.
Prof. Irwin Cotler is most deserving of this award!
Excellent choice!
From Betty Ehrenberg (email)
Excellent choice!
Excellent choice!
Great choice! A former Montrealer!
👏👏👏 A terrific article from start to finish! Congratulations to the Honorable Irwin Cotler on winning G&S’s Global Peace Prize! It is well deserved! The Honorable Mr. Cotler has had a long and distinguished career fighting for truth and justice! He fought for Soviet Jewish refuseniks and against the evil Apartheid regime in South Africa, to bring the perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide to justice and against the trafficking of women and children. In 2001 at the United Nations World Confidence Against Racism, Colter took a bold stand against antisemitism within the UN and demanded they be principled and oppose racism universally against all people! He called out the organization’s bias against the state of Israel. During the Gaza War, he took a courageous stand against the Great Genocide Blood Libel! Unlike the antisemitic blood libel spewing Navi Pillay, The Honorable Mr. Cotler is a REAL champion of human rights for all! He stood up for Natan Sharansky and he stood up for Nelson Mandela. Unlike Pillay, he is consistent in being a champion of freedom, dignity and equality! She only champions those things when it’s for Gentiles, but she turns a blind eye to the suffering of Jews and said “f*** you!” to the victims of October 7th and the hostages. Irwin Cotler stood up for them when the rest of the world was downplaying or ignoring the horrific crimes committed against them.
Well deserved and for the right reasons.
Good initiative.
Just to provide you with some raw material that might come in handy:
You and I know that Hamas is weaponizing anti-Semitism, and doing it in a particularly depraved manner - optimizing their casualties - or that bloodless term, using 'human shields'. The deaths don't particularly bother them. The publicity has been so grand. And I think its a hard concept for the Western mind to grasp - that a troupe of involuntary suicide bombers, namely their own women and children - would be exploited like this.
Bless the Times of Israel for keeping all its articles. This one is from 2021 - and it centers around a video from Sky News. I call it 'from the horses mouth', because it captures an interview with Mahmoud al-Zahar, one of the chief architects of Hamas: (this article is condensed). You can find the video - and it is worth watching - on ToIsrael's site.
Shortly after ceasefire takes effect, Sky News interviews Mahmoud al-Zahar, who hails terror group’s attacks on Israel’s crowded civilian areas
By ToI Staff 24 May 2021, 7:32 pm
Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar speaks to Britain’s Sky News from his home in the Gaza Strip, on May 24, 2021. (Screenshot: Sky News/ Youtube)
In a rare interview, Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar told Britain’s Sky News that Israel has no right to exist, and said the terror group’s strategy was to target Israeli population centers
“The new element” in the latest round of fighting, al-Zahar said, “is the degree of the resistance movement, particularly in Gaza, to attack the Israeli targets at very important points, including most of the overcrowded area in the civilian society. So for how long the Israeli will accept that, I think this is the main issue.”
Hamas and other Gaza terror groups launched over 4,300 rockets at Israel during the 11 days of fighting, at times forcing people living near Gaza into bomb shelters around the clock.
Stone challenged al-Zahar: “You are firing rockets and missiles from civilian areas here in Gaza at civilians in Israel,” he said. “That’s not acceptable, that’s a war crime.”
Al-Zahar rejected the accusation that Hamas endangers Palestinians. “No single rocket was sent from a civilian area. We [fired] most of the rockets from the border,” he told Stone.
“That’s not true, though, is it? Because we’ve seen video of rockets being fired from within the built-up area of Gaza City at Israeli communities,” Stone responded, to which Al-Zahar replied, “This is not against Israeli communities. This is against Israeli occupation. This is against Israeli aggression.”
We can't interview Mahmoud again. Unfortunately he's dead. But his spirit lives on.
Irwin Cotler’s incredible career reminds us of something important that is missing in today’s public discourse that being nuance. The Honorable Mr. Cotler showed that it is very much possible to oppose BOTH racism and antisemitism! One can stand up against injustices like Apartheid AND call out the blatant bias against Israel at the United Nations! I will now provide some (of the last I can muster frankly) examples of nuance. Oliver Cromwell was a key commander in the New Model Army that stood up to the absolute rule of King Charles I, he laid the early ideological framework for republican governance, abolished feudalism in England, he reformed the military to promote men based on merit, extended England’s second empire in the Americas, was a devoted family man, championed liberty of conscience for most Protestant nonconformists, and allowed the Jews of England to return. However at the same time, Cromwell took over as dictator or Lord Protector of England, dissolved the Rump Parliament, essentially turned England into an authoritarian theocracy, waged brutal military campaigns in Ireland, committed horrific atrocities against the Irish people, he banned music, theatre, whistling, dancing, Christmas, mince pies, and other pursuits that were considered sinful, and transferred thousands of Irish political prisoners and captives to the English colonies in the Caribbean to be used as slaves and indentured servants. Cleopatra ruled Egypt for 20 years, maintained Egypt’s independence against the expanding Roman Empire, stabilized its economy, embraced local traditions, was generally revered by her native Egyptian subjects, and built strong alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony to protect her country and throne during a volatile period in Mediterranean history. But at the same time, she eliminated political rivals and family members, fought a civil war against her own brother, she ruled as an absolute monarch, her alignment with Mark Antony alienated the Roman public and Senate, and her combined naval forces suffered a crushing defeat at Battle of Actium in 31 BC which resulted in the loss of Egyptian sovereignty and her death by suicide in 30 BC.
Let’s say I lived in Germany during the 1940s. I would be a staunch opponent of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, join the anti-Nazi resistance, pass along valuable military intelligence to the Western Allies, oppose the Holocaust, would hide Jews in my home, support every attempt made to assassinate Hitler, would refuse to serve in the Wehrmacht, would sympathize with the people of the occupied countries, would celebrate the Allied victories at El Alamein and Stalingrad, would support Claus von Stauffenberg and the Valkyrie plotters, be relived when Hitler committed suicide and the German government surrendered, and rejoice that the Soviets had taken Berlin. At the same time, I would be a proud German, love German food, music and culture, visit Germany’s castles and the Black Forest with awe, admire Kepler, Gutenberg, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, the Brothers Grimm, Fredrick the Great, and Otto von Bismarck, have sympathy for all the German civilians who were killed in Allied air raids, mourn Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s suicide, condemn the Bombing of Dresden by the Allies, feel sorry for German POWs living in horrible conditions in Allied POW camps after the war, would condemn Soviet war crimes in Germany, and would denounce the mass expulsions of ethnic Germans by the Soviet Union and Eastern European governments.
Let’s say I’m living in Mexico in the 1500s and 1600s. I would oppose the Aztec Empire, rally the other Indigenous tribes to unite to fight against them, welcome the arrival of the Spanish and form an alliance with them, be absolutely horrified by the Aztec’s practices of cannibalism and human sacrifice, admire the Conquistadors, cheer the defeat of the Aztecs, help in building up the Viceroyalty of New Spain and Mexico City, would build friendships with the Catholic missionaries, be delighted by intermarriage between Spaniards and Indigenous people, be proud of our successful biracial society, would help educate Indigenous people on the word of God, discourage Indigenous people from practicing polygamy and encourage them to embrace monogamy, and hire Spanish peasants and Indigenous people alike to work for me at my business. All that being said, I would be shocked and saddened by the large number of Indigenous people who were dying due to diseases unknowingly introduced by the Europeans they were not immune to, call out atrocities and injustices perpetrated by the Spanish against the indigenous people, oppose Indian and African slavery, the encomienda system, the persecution of Conversos, and the Mexican Inquisition, would seek to smooth over tensions between peninsulares and criollos, and would support the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and call for the Spanish to leave the Pueblo alone and let them live and govern themselves as they pleased in New Mexico.
Let’s say I’m living in Europe during the First Crusade. I would be a pious Christian, jump at the chance to join the Crusader Army, heed Pope Urban II’s call to arms, seek to come to the aid of my brothers in Christ in the Eastern Orthodox Church, proudly fight alongside my fellow Crusaders in battle, praise God for the recapture of the Holy City of Jerusalem and liberating it from Muslim rule, protect Christian pilgrims, admire the Knights Templar, and be happy to see the establishment of the Crusader States. But at the same time, I would be critical of Crusaders only fighting for their own gain, publicly denounce pogroms against Jews as sinful and against the word of God, call for the Crusaders to see Jews and Muslims as our Abrahamic brothers, would treat Muslim prisoners with respect, dignity and humanity, would support self-autonomy and freedom of religion for Muslims living within the Crusader states, be shocked and revolted by the Jerusalem Massacre of 1099, and call for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims to all live together as brothers in Jerusalem.