Boycott Israel

[Sixties Fan]

Top Pro-Palestinian activist explains why he's against Israel
We interview one of the UK's most prolific pro-Palestinian activists... the gaps in his knowledge will shock you. Meet Damian (@cockneyactivist), a left wing Englishman that has organised countless anti-Israel protests. After speaking to Damian at several demonstrations, we genuinely believe he means well and this comes across in the interview. However, we were shocked at the reasons he gave for his opposition to Israel and were alarmed at his lack of knowledge about the conflict. For someone that has spent years and years campaigning against Israel, he comes across as absolutely oblivious to much of the history of the Middle East, the suffering of the Jewish people, the arguments for Jewish statehood and the current reality in Israel. We can't help but think had he been exposed to less biased information, he could have become an ambassador for peace rather than fighting imaginary European colonisers.

To set the record straight:

- Very few Christians in the Middle East were originally Jewish.
- Very few Muslims were originally Jewish.
- Almost all Jews trace their roots back to Israel (according to most DNA studies)
- Jews are not white European colonisers.
- In contrast the Arabs were colonisers, they replaced the indigenous cultures and religions with Islam
- Israel is not a colony of Europe, it is an independent, multi-cultural democracy.
- The Jews that fled Europe were not white colonisers
- they were fleeing persecution.
- The majority (57%) of Jews in Israel are not Ashkenazi.


11/18 Links: Is Anti-Semitism the Only Bigotry That’s Subject to Debate?; Abrams: Riyadh Realpolitik ~ Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

American Trial Attorneys in Defense of Israel: WATCH: British Activist Shows Ignorance of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 

[JoelT1]

What boycott?

Honda And Volvo Open Smart Car Accelerator DRIVE In Tel Aviv, Showing Israel Is Battlefield In Self-Driving Race

“A coalition of car companies has launched a new smart mobility accelerator in Israel, it was announced Wednesday. DRIVE will open with US$8 million in hand to fund its accelerator, coworking space, and prototyping lab. The Honda Silicon Valley Lab, Volvo Cars, Hertz International and Israeli company Ituran are backing the initiative.”

 

[Sixties Fan]

As proof, she pointed to an interview with white supremacist Richard B. Spencer on Israeli television, in which he exhorted Israelis to “respect” him because he’s akin to a “white Zionist.” Predictably, Israelis rejected his cynical attempt at solidarity, yet Robinson insisted that the Jewish state has been infiltrated by “a foreign ideology of hate.” Not only is Israel “on the verge of apartheid,” she said, but it has embraced “naked ultra-nationalism and xenophobia.”

Robinson’s fact-free assertions continued: “Why are academics leaving Israel?” she asked. “Some are seeking to get out because of the ultra-right turn, which makes them feel sick to their stomachs.” When challenged by an audience member to produce supporting data, Robinson backed down, claiming that “the Israeli academic market is really, really tight.” Pressed further, she admitted “maybe you know better.”

(full article online)

Israel a Fascist State? So Says GWU Professor Shira Robinson

 

[Sixties Fan]

David Icke — a former BBC sports presenter who now enjoys a cult following for his stories of “shapeshifting reptilian” Jews controlling the global economy — had been due to appear at a $200 per ticket event entitled “An Evening With David Icke” at United’s renowned Old Trafford ground. Icke booked a meeting room at the club through an associate who did not divulge the nature of the event.

A spokesperson for Manchester United confirmed on Friday that the booking had been made “by a junior member of staff who was unaware of Icke and his objectionable views.”

“The event has been cancelled,” the spokesperson said.

Icke’s planned presence at the stadium of the 20-times champions of English soccer was first revealed by the UK Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA). A posting on the group’s website described Icke as “a modern-day antisemitic hate preacher who uses social media, his books and his stage performances to incite hatred towards Jewish people.”

(full article online)

Top English Soccer Club Manchester United Shows ‘Red Card’ to Antisemitic Conspiracy Theorist

 

[Sixties Fan]

Holocaust denier Alain Soral slapped with fine and short jail sentence; Dieudonne and another English teacher also sentenced

(full article online)

French courts punish promoters of anti-Semitic hate speech

 

[JoelT1]

What boycott?

Honda Steers To Israeli Technology

“Honda is extending its courtship of startups through its Xcelerator program with a new partnership announced Wednesday with DRIVE, a new startup hub in Tel Aviv, Israel that focuses specifically on smart mobility tech, including transportation and automotive solutions. The partnership will see Honda’s Silicon Valley Lab work directly with the DRIVE center, offering “expertise, funding and rapid prototyping opportunities” to some of the facility’s companies, with the understanding that in future these could “evolve into additional business relationships.

Honda isn’t the only partner on board for the new DRIVE center initiative – also joining as sponsors are Hertz Rent a Car and Volvo, among others.

Partnering with, and fostering promising startups is a smart strategy, and one that Honda’s global head of R&D activities Yoshiyuki Matsumoto told me at CES in January is part of the company’s overall approach to finding the best solution to any problem, whether that be through internal sourcing, external partnership or acquisition. the company’s overall approach to finding the best solution to any problem, whether that be through internal sourcing, external partnership or acquisition.”

 

[Sixties Fan]

Israeli designer stars at Serena Williams wedding

 

[JoelT1]

What boycott?

Mercedes Seeks New Input For Autonomous Cars In Israel

“Boasting 5,000 startups, Israel is a leading light in the tech world. Now techies there have cottoned on to the notion of autonomous driving - and Mercedes-Benz doesn't want to get left behind in the rush to design intelligent cars.”

 

[Sixties Fan]

Jews Are From Mars . . . Or Perhaps From Ross 128 - Israel Diaries

 

[JoelT1]

What boycott?

Why General Motors Is Quietly Shopping for Top Talent in Israel So It Can Make Autonomous Cars

“When General Motors Co. decided in March 2016 to buy a small San Francisco-based startup called Cruise Automation for more than half a billion dollars, its purpose was to capture the brainpower and output of a small number of software engineers specializing in autonomous and driverless vehicles.

GM -- since 2008 -- also has been quietly pursuing another strategy to amass driverless software and other "non-traditional" technological talent at its Advanced Technical Center in Herzliya, Israel, just north of Tel Aviv. Like the West Coast of the U.S., the small Mediterranean country has become a major recruiting ground for digital and software talent. Global automakers, including Ford Motor Co., Daimler AG , Renault SA, Nissan Motor Corp. and China's SAIC, have opened technical centers in the country.

After Silicon Valley, Israel boasts the largest number of startups globally at about 6,000, making it fertile ground for new ideas and software expertise useful to automakers. GM's location is shoe-horned among others with familiar corporate high-tech names such as Apple Inc., as well as scores of start-ups. "Hundreds" of startups in the country are dedicated to the automotive business, he said, primarily driven by an abundance of young engineers, entrepreneurs and scientists with advanced skills in software.

Interest among Israeli entrepreneurs in self-driving and autonomous start-ups no doubt has been stimulated in part by the celebrity of Mobileye N.V. the Jerusalem-based machine vision and machine learning company focused on autonomous drive systems. Mobileye agreed to be purchased in semiconductor giant Intel Corp. for $15.4 billion. Intel has said it will transfer the leadership of its self-driving activities to Israel.

Last month, GM staged a hack-a-thon at its Herzliya offices, which it had advertised on Facebook. The contest to create the best computer code in 24 hours attracted 500 young coders, scientists and engineers. GM ordered pizzas and encouraged the two-, three- and four-person teams to spend the night working at its offices. GM awarded the winning team an all-expenses-paid trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Israel is becoming an important hub for automotive and personal mobility future technologies," said a GM innovation manager. As GM was the pioneer in recognizing this potential a decade ago, we are now well-positioned to capture the full potential for the benefit of GM."

 

[Sixties Fan]

Nick Cave: “In Certain Way, BDS Movement is Responsible for My Coming to Israel”

 

[Sixties Fan]

Israel Thrives: Nine Reasons Why Progressives Do Not Understand Their Pro-Israel Friends

 

[Sixties Fan]

Twenty French and European parliamentarians and French mayors who planned to arrive in Israel to show their support for imprisoned Arab terrorists, and specifically meet with convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti, canceled their flight from France at the airport at the last minute, according to a report in NRG.

(full article online)

20 French/European Parliamentarians and BDS Supporters Cancel Trip to Israel | The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com | Jewish Press News Briefs | 1 Kislev 5778 – November 19, 2017 | JewishPress.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Mercedes-Benz opens tech hub in Tel Aviv to secure lead in connected cars

 

[JoelT1]

What boycott?

Renault-Nissan Open Smart Car Incubator In Israel

“World's largest auto manufacturer joins General Motors, BMW, and others in local development of advanced autonomous vehicle tech”

 

[Sixties Fan]

Filmed crossing into Israel with sick kid, mother says all Syrians want to come

 

[JoelT1]

What boycott?

IBM Buys Israel/US Cybersecurity Specialist Trusteer For $800 Million-$1 Billion

“Another exit for an Israeli enterprise startup and a deeper move into Israel by one of the world’s tech titans: IBM announced the acquisition of Trusteer, a specialist in cybersecurity primarily for financial services. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but we have been digging and heard from a source that it’s $1 billion

As part of the deal, IBM will establish a security R&D lab in Tel Aviv, where 200 Trusteer and IBM employees will work on mobile and application security solutions, as well as advanced threat, malware, counter-fraud, and financial crimes solutions. IBM already has other R&D operations in the country, but this will be their first focused on security specifically.”

 

[JoelT1]

What boycott?

Hyundai Motor Invests In Israel’s Most Innovative Start-Ups

• Hyundai Motor focuses on ‘Disruptive Innovation’ to accelerate next-generation automotive technologies
• Dedicated Israel ‘Open Innovation Center’ will coordinate investment and identify creative start-up businesses for R&D cooperation
• Israel operation will work with the newly-formed HTK Consortium for future mobility research
• Hyundai Motor aims to become ‘market shaper’ by leading smart mobility

 

[P F Tinmore]

 

[Hollie]

BDS Fails: Israeli Exports Up 6% in First Half of 2017


In other news:

There were reports of an angry little man seen running down the street screaming incoherently about Joooooooos.