European tourists being sacrified to cover up Islamist threat

Tel Aviv, 7 November 2015

Sitting on beautiful Tel Aviv beach this afternoon (where sadly tourists are few and far between) I was thinking about something I wrote in June - when British tourists were massacred on a beach in Tunisia.  I wrote that the UK Government and media were partly to blame for the tourists' deaths due to the obsession to downplay and cover up the Islamist threat. This obsession is not restricted to Western Europe and the USA. The fact that 23 flights per day from Russia to Sharm El-Sheikh were still operating after last Saturday's bombing of a Russian plane by ISIS is confirmation of this (many flights from the UK were operating also right up until 3 days ago). The obsession not to be seen as 'Islamophobic' was surely also the reason why almost all media 'talking heads' for 5 days after the Russian plane bombing were still insisting that this must have been an accident - despite the fact that ISIS had not only claimed it as a bombing publicly within minutes but had posted a video of the plane blowing up in mid-air.

Now we discover that the British Government has known for months about the specific threat and lack of security at Sharm El-Sheikh airport and also that a British plane was attacked by a missile there in June. Yet these facts were also withheld from the British public. It is also important to note that, while the media focuses obsessively on what happens in Israel, it has ignored the fact that the entire Sinai peninsular has been a war zone for three years. Most of the British public are also unaware of the multiple terrorist attacks specifically targeted against tourists that have taken place in Sharm El-Sheikh and the rest of Sinai in the last 10 years.

I wrote this in June:

I am certainly not suggesting people should be frightened away from visiting places because of the threats of terrorism. But it is interesting that, while millions of Brits holiday in Islamic Mediterranean countries - where they are regarded as disgusting infidels by the bulk of the population and where there is a real and imminent terrorist threat to them -  only a handful of (non-Jewish) Brits ever visit Israel.  This is mainly because of the perception - again promoted by the government and media - that it is Israel which is the place to be avoided for reasons including the terrorist threat. Yet, while Muslim terrorists certainly continue to target native Israelis, attacks targeting foreign tourists have been almost non-existent because of effective Israeli security. Contrast this with 'security' in the Muslim countries where, in most cases, the 'security' people have been working with the terrorists when attacks happened.

While the government and media continue to peddle the 'Islam is a religion of Peace' lie and the 'Islamic terrorism has nothing to do with Islam' lie, uninformed European tourists will continue to be murdered for believing it. And they could be holidaying instead in the sun of Tel Aviv and Eilat.

Tel Aviv, 7 November 2015

Tel Aviv, 7 November 2015

Sunset, Tel Aviv, 7 November 2015

Brief view from Israel

Tel Aviv beach yesterday: pleasant but quiet

Veiled Muslim women in central Tel Aviv supermarket

I spend a lot time in Israel and, having arrived Tuesday after last being here just before the current round of anti-semitic attacks started 4 weeks ago, the change of mood is even more dramatic than expected. The streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are, as expected much quieter than usual (even allowing for it being November) but people who were previously most determined to embrace their Arab Muslim neighbours and co-workers have had a really rude awakening and admit to being genuinely nervous in their presence.

And, for the first time ever, even the most left-wing and laid back Tel Avivians now recognise the scale of bias and lies being propagated by Western media - whenever I have spoken with them about that before they refuse to believe there is such bias. For example, yesterday morning a Canadian 'tourist' came into our local mobile phone shop (whose genial owner we know well). He wanted a sim card and started asking why Israeli soldiers were deliberately killing Palestinian children. The owner (who in the past would have laughed off something like that) told the guy he was not going to sell him a sim card and that he should f*ck off. Good job too.

One piece of good news is that the kid who was critically injured during the Pisgat Za'ev stabbing (he is in my nephew's class at school)  is recovering at home. However, he is in a traumatized state - scared and screaming when anybody -even friends -  comes near him.

The beauty of Israel

Yesterday I posted about seeing the black flag of ISIS raised in the Muslim Arab village opposite my friend's apartment in Pisgat Ze'ev in North Jerusalem. In total contrast one of the children at my friend's apartment was celebrating her 9th birthday. The beauty, joy and hope in this child's face is a perfect example of the Israel that is never shown in the main stream media. Below are other photos taken in the last week during the festival of Succoth and Simchat Torah.

Birthday girl in Pisgat Ze'ev

Sukkah by the Wailing Wall

Tel Aviv beach

Sukkah by the Wailing Wall

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Family eating in cummunal sukkah

Sukkah in King David Hotel Jerusalem

Carmel market Tel Aviv

Carmel market Tel Aviv

Simchat Torah, Rabin Square Tel Aviv

Soldiers and a child near the Wailing Wsll

Tel Aviv sunset

Sukkah in Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem

Wailing Wall at night

Rolling Stones stuff the antisemitic Israel boycotters and strut their stuff in Tel Aviv

Just been to see the Rolling Stones at Hayarkon Park Tel Aviv. There will be many other reviews of the concert so I will keep this short. We actually spoke to some members of the Stones' entourage at the Dan Hotel after the event and they were very happy they made the decision to come - one ridiculed a 'last minute attempt by Roger Waters' to stop the gig going ahead which Sky News disgracefully promoted (to keep up their policy of only presenting Israel in a negative light).

The Stones put on a great show and really seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. Mick Jagger even spoke some half-decent Hebrew.

Israel as a tourist destination

Cafe Mezzada, Tel Aviv, 18 Feb 2013

One of the ramifications of the ingrained anti-Israel atmosphere in the UK in the last few years has been what amounts to effectively a boycott of Israel as a tourist destination. At times this takes the form of genuine political intervention such as the ban imposed by the Advertising Standards Authority on allowing Jerusalem to be included in any advertising of Israel holidays; even when the main-stream Travel Agencies do include Israel in their holidays and cruises they refer to 'the Holy Land' and not Israel by name.

But mostly the 'boycott' is due to simple prejudice and ignorance. For example, the average British person assumes Israel is far too dangerous a place to visit (I go 5 or 6 times a year and every time people - including Jewish friends - find it incredulous) - yet will think nothing of going to Egypt (and other Arab and Muslim countries) where terrorism and violence against tourists has been a much greater threat for years. And those Brits who avoid Israel on 'ethical' grounds flood to Muslim countries (Egypt, Turkey, Dubai etc) which are among the worst human rights abusers in the world. Of course, while negative stories about Israel dominate the British news, the far greater problems in Muslim countries go unreported; even major terrorist attacks in Egypt (such as last week's suicide bombing of a Korean tourist bus in near Taba) failed to make the main British news.  This explains why, even a year after the Egyptian Sinai became a genuine war zone, there are still dozens of flights to Sharm el Sheikh from the UK every day. In stark contrast there has not been a single direct flight to Eilat from the UK for the last 3 years. British tourists who pour into places like Sharm (5.5 hours flight) and Dubai (6.5 hours flight) for winter sunshine breaks are completely unaware that there is equally hot winter sun in Eilat (4.5 hours when there were direct flights).

So, after all that, it is nice to report that Britain's most popular daily newspaper the Sun has today finally featured Israel in its weekly travel section (albeit after about 800 consecutive weeks in which both Sharm el Sheikh and Dubai have been featured). And it's a good report too (you can just about read it all if you click on it).

Sun Travel Section, 22 Feb 2014

And, since I just arrived back myself, I thought for a change I would post some pictures:

Bograshov Beach: The sign says “I’m a beach not a giant ashtray – OK?”	Bograshov Beach

“Apartheid” Israel: an elderly Arab couple are given special care at Ben Gurion airport		Shuk Ha-Carmel

Hilton Beach	Sunset over the Marina Tel Aviv

Apartheid Israel?

Totally unremarkable: Israeli Arabs dining in Kosher restaurant in Jewish neighbourhood of Jerusalem

Here is a typical scene you will see everywhere in mixed Jewish-Arab areas of Israel. Because of the poisonous anti-Israel propaganda that permeates the Western narrative, visitors to Israel are often surprised by such scenes. Remember this when some leftist idiot starts talking about Israeli 'apartheid'. Also remember where the real apartheid lies in the Middle East.  Israeli Jews cannot step foot in Palestinian controlled areas without risking their lives - indeed it is becoming increasingly dangerous for Jews to enter many Arab neighbourhoods and villages even inside Israel. The Palestinian leadership has made it clear that not a single Jew will be allowed to live in any future Palestinian state. But at least that will make any future Palestinian state entirely consistent with the apartheid policies of every other Arab state.