America Discovered by a Jew?

Over five centuries after the famed explorer's death, historians are taking a fresh look at what motivated Christopher Columbus to make his voyage across the Atlantic -- and how his faith may have played into those motivations...

They believe he was a Marrano, or a Jew who pretended to be a Catholic to avoid religious persecution. These historians also theorize that Columbus' main goal in life was to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim control, and that he decided to take his historic quest to North America in order to find a new homeland for Jews who had been forced out of Spain...

While these claims may be difficult to verify, the new portrait of Columbus painted by these scholars adds a complicated layer to the already convoluted sentiment toward the famed explorer...

Columbus' voyage was not, as is commonly advertised, funded by the deep pockets of Queen Isabella, but rather by two Jewish Conversos and another prominent Jew. Louis de Santangel and Gabriel Sanchez advanced an interest free loan of 17,000 ducats from their own pockets to help pay for the voyage, as did Don Isaac Abrabanel, rabbi and Jewish statesman. Indeed, the first two letters Columbus sent back from his journey were not to Ferdinand and Isabella, but to Santangel and Sanchez, thanking them for their support and telling them what he had found...

Columbus' will contained five provisions that some scholars believe to be evidence of the explorer's true faith. Two of his wishes - tithe one-tenth of his income to the poor and provide an anonymous dowry for poor girls - are part of Jewish customs. He also decreed to give money to a Jew who lived at the entrance of the Lisbon Jewish Quarter. (Spanish Catholics of the time of the Inquisition would not do this for Jews or Marranos – “pigs” - Jewish converts! Spaniards hated Jews, but despised Jewish converts into Christianity.)

Food for Thought by Steven Shamrak

In Australia, most of the people and politicians deeply care, at least pretend to care, for the rights of the native people - Aborigines, especially for their spiritual connection to the land. Most of the same Australians do not care or arrogantly reject and are dismissive of the historic and spiritual connection of Jewish people to Eretz-Israel, the Land of Israel! Do you observe the same anti-Semitic pattern of hypocrisy in your country?

Is Israel the Only Culprit?

"Israel is the first, the main and the only culprit in the assassination of Yasser Arafat," said Fatah Central Committee Tawfiq Tirawi who heads the PA commission of inquiry into the Arafat's death. A Swiss investigation found high-levels of radioactive polonium on the former Palestinian leader's remains. (What about Abbas, whose personal fortune is estimated more than $100M, since he took over after Arafat’s death? How about his ‘beloved wife’, who lives in luxury in Paris? And who administered polonium in Ramallah headquarters? Did they want to hide his AIDS problem? Why was he moved to France - the country is renowned for its privacy laws?)

Philippines: First Baby Born at IDF Field Hospital

On Friday the first baby was born at the IDF field hospital set up the day before in the Philippines. The field hospital includes x-ray and delivery rooms. (Israel-‘friendly’ international press does not report this!) Since the IDF delegation - 234 Israeli doctors, nurses and paramedics - to the Philippines landed last Thursday, the unit has treated over 370 wounded - 150 of them children - in a hospital in the city of Bogo. (What have Arabs/Muslims done, beside the terror acts, to help others in time of need?)

Obama’s Failure Brought Back ‘Cold War’ Status Quo

During their two-day visit to Cairo Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu will finalize an advanced Russian weaponry deal for the Egyptian army. Egypt will receive a double-layered system for defensive and offensive needs: a shield against stealth airplane, drone and cruise missile attack, as well as missiles able to reach any part of the Middle East. The Russian Navy may gain Mediterranean port facilities and a foothold opposite the Saudi coast. (Egypt will spend 4 billion dollars on advanced Russian weapons. It does not need the US financial aid!)

Since When is Spying Against an Enemy Illegal?

The Lebanese foreign minister Mansour accuses Israel of stationing "very sophisticated espionage devices" that enable it to "tap into both wired and wireless communication networks." Mansour said lawmakers in his country are planning to draft a complaint against Israel to the UN Security Council for breaking international norms. (What norm? Has the UNSC criticized the US for spying on allies?)

President Obama is Charged in the ICC

Egyptian lawyers have filed criminal terrorism charges in the International Criminal Court against President Obama in addition to the criminal terrorism charges previously filed in Egyptian courts against the president’s half-brother Malik Obama. Malik Obama is a person of interest in Egypt for his alleged management of funds for a terrorist organization based in neighbouring Sudan. President Obama is charged with crimes against humanity for his support of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. (Predictably, this is not main-stream news! So-called free democratic media is not interested in and does not investigate any allegations made against Barack Obama.)

Ultimatum: Cancel Building or Peace Talks Over

The PA president Mahmoud Abbas delivered an ultimatum on Tuesday, saying that unless Israel cancels tenders announced earlier Tuesday on 20,000 new homes in Judea and Samaria he would end the ongoing peace talks. (Israel needs to issue its own ultimatum - “Recognise the Jewish state, stop terror or Peace Talks Over!”) Israel halts plans to build homes in Judea and Samaria. Israeli PM says plans caused “unnecessary conflict” with international community and potentially hindered Iran talks. (Where Israel is concerned, there will always be conflict with the international community!)

Venom of Enemies’ Hate

A PA minister for Religious Affairs, Mahmoud Habbash, has accused Israel of poisoning former PLO leader Yasser Arafat in the same way Jews “poisoned Prophet Muhammad.” Habbash repeated the charge that Jews had poisoned Prophet Muhammad: “When the prophet was dying, he told Aisha (his wife): “I feel the pain of the poison I ate in Khaibar (a Jewish town)’” (The Prophet slaughtered Jews of Medina after they gave him shelter and saved him and his followers from Arabs of Mecca. Well done if they did avenge their brothers and sisters! I wonder - where did Jews of Khaibar get Polonium? :)

Usual ‘Peace Negotiation’ Blackmail Game

The PA negotiating team has resigned and will not participate in peace talks with the Israelis. Ending the talks would be a blow to efforts by the Obama administration to get long-stalled discussions back on track. (Arabs, fake Palestinians, do not want peace with Israel. They make the US exert pressure on Israel to get more concessions, and escalate terror later!)

Quotes of the Week:

"If we had to turn to a military option, because we are left no other option, we must show the world we have exhausted every possible remedy and opportunity." - US Secretary of State John Kerry - Translation: Delay military option for as long as possible and say “it is too late, we can’t do anything about it now” - after Iran has assembled and tested its nuclear bomb!

UN’s Double-standards Based on Anti-Semitism

by Anne Bayefsky

On October 29, 2013, Israel ended 18 months of non-participation with UN human rights mechanisms that are dedicated to its demonization and defeat. The surrender spawned victory laps by the UN, the State Department and bigots in foreign ministries across Europe…

At every session of the UN Human Rights Council, 192 countries divide into five regional groups, meeting out of the public eye to share information, negotiate and assign jobs and resources - 192 of 193 UN members, because Israel is excluded. Even non-UN members such as the Palestinian Authority are allowed to attend regional group meetings.

The regional group to which Israel most naturally belongs is the geographically disparate Western European and Others Group (WEOG). But WEOG - which includes Germany and the United States - refuses Israel equal admission…

There is no human rights explanation for the Human Rights Council’s conduct towards Israel. It denounces Israel alone in over a third of all its resolutions, and has never once condemned the likes of China, Russia or Saudi Arabia…

Now, Western governments could refuse to legitimize the body that sponsors this constant barrage of inequality directed at Israel both before and after October 29. They could at least have ended the exclusion of Israel from WEOG. Instead, they demanded that Israel legitimize the “universality” fraud for a day.

As it played out, countries lined up to denounce “Judaization” (the foul presence of a Jew on Arab-claimed land), make wild accusations about torture and systematic cruelty to children, and repeat the old Zionism-is-racism canard of a Jewish state with a racist constitution…

If Israel had insisted on genuine equal treatment, it would have done the real victims of human rights a favour. Absent American support, Israel’s Prime Minister succumbed to the mob.

‘Ugly Nothing’ at Its Best Again

1. The United States and Israel lost their voting rights at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) a week ago after suspending funding to the organization in 2011 when it admitted “Palestine” as a member. In a controversial decision, UNESCO accepted the PA as a member in October of 2011, after 107 members voted in favour of the motion. Only 14 nations voted against, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Israel. (Anti-Israel feeling is so strong among international bigots that UNESCO is even willing to lose its major financial contributor - US!)

2. The UN General Assembly elected 14 new members to the 47-seat Geneva-based Human Rights Council. Among new members are China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Cuba. This election undermines the rights watchdog's credibility. (Is it really possible to undermine UN credibility? Does it have one?)