Showing posts with label Eilat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eilat. Show all posts

Friday, November 19, 2021

Palestinians Calling to Boycott Miss Universe Contest Being Held in Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

Reigning ‘Miss Universe’ Rejects Calls to Boycott Israel-hosted Pageant

The Miss Universe Contest is being held in Israel this year on December 12th.  

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, a founding member of the BDS movement, has been calling on contestants to “do no harm to our struggle for freedom, justice and equality by withdrawing from the pageant.”  

"The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was initiated in 2004 to contribute to the struggle for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality. It advocates for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions for their deep and persistent complicity in Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights that are stipulated in international law."  Their interest is a false and biased viewpoint of the struggles the Jews of Israel face today with the Palestinians.  The Palestinians have a mindset of removing Israel from their midst and taking over what they have built, so they are trying to destroy everything imaginable with rockets shot from Gaza and Israeli businesses in Judea and Samaria (BDS) as well as such things as to be a part of the Miss Universe Contest.                         

The South African government withdrew its support for its contestant, Lalela Mswane, because she refuses to abide by an Israel boycott.   Lalela Mswane (born 27 March 1997) is a South African model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Africa 2021. As Miss South Africa, she will represent South Africa at Miss Universe 2021.  (They are siding with the Palestinians by doing so.).  They have succeeded in taking this right away from her.  

“The atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians are well documented,” the government said in a statement, according to AP, adding that it “cannot in good conscience associate itself with such.”

Mswane, who was crowned Miss South Africa in late October, has been facing online harassment since tweeting on Nov. 2 that she is “looking forward” to the event.

“There is a stirring in my soul; a restless, a wild anticipation. I am staring out into the horizon as far as I can,” she wrote.

                                                    

The reigning “Miss Universe” came out on this week against the pressure on contestants to boycott the beauty pageant, which is being held for the first time in Israel next month.

“Everyone with different beliefs, with different backgrounds, with different cultures—they all come together and when you are in there you forget about politics, about your religion,” Mexico’s Andrea Meza told The Associated Press ahead of a tour of Jerusalem’s Old City. 

                                             

                  Miss Universe 2020, Andrea Meza at the National Museum of Indonesia
 
Miss Universe 2020 was the 69th Miss Universe pageant, held on May 16, 2021 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, United States. Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa crowned her successor Andrea Meza of Mexico at the end of the event.

“It’s just about embracing other women,” said the 27-year-old Meza, who is slated to hand over her crown to the winner of the 70th “Miss Universe” pageant in Eilat on Dec. 12.

As a side bar, and coincidence, I just watched a video on my youtube yesterday of Eilat.  It was marvelous.  I had missed seeing Eilat when I lived in Israel from 1980 to the end of 1985, returning to my family in Portland, Oregon for Thanksgiving.  This is such a glamourous city on the water place to hold such an event.  It's on the Mediterranean Sea of southern Israel, a place Israelis like to visit in the winter-time.  I was amazed by the extensive plaza there; all tiled in beautiful patterns. Palm trees were planted all along the way of the video.   Here's a video similar to what I watched.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KWnGaSazIA

                                             

Miss Universe 2021: Adline Castelino makes India proud as 3rd runner up; Miss Mexico,  Andrea Meza,  wins

The Miss Universe pageant is something every girl enjoys watching. The 69th Miss Universe Competition was held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida on the night of May 16th. Representing India at the pageant was Adline Castelino, who put forth some stunning looks in a pink saree inspired by the national flower - Lotus, aced her swimsuit round and looked radiant in a dazzling gold gown with a thigh-high slit on the runway.

At the ceremony, Miss Mexico, Andrea Meza was crowned as Miss Universe. Followed by her, first, runner-up was Julia Gama from Brazil and Janick Maceta from Peru was the second runner up. India's Adline Castelino was crowned the third runner-up followed by Kimberly Perez who was placed as the fourth runner-up at the pageant.
It is a matter of pride that the Indian was among the top 5 at the International pageant.              

In 2019, South Africa, Mexico and Puerto Rico were the finalists, and the three women faced off for the crown as the evening came to a close. Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was named the winner. Because of the coronavirus pandemic delaying the 2020 competition, she has worn the crown longer than anyone.A host has not been announced. Comedian Steve Harvey has hosted for the past five years with a series of blunders.

Miss Cameroon Kossinda Angele and Miss Chile Daniela Nicolas. 

Miss Universe



Resource:

https://unitedwithisrael.org/reigning-miss-universe-rejects-calls-to-boycott-israel-hosted-pageant/?utm_source=pushengage&utm_medium=pushnotification&utm_campaign=pushengage

https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Universe_2020

https://www.pinkvilla.com/fashion/celebrity-style/miss-universe-2021-adline-castelino-makes-india-proud-3rd-runner-miss-mexico-andrea-meza-wins-739712

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalela_Mswane

https://www.insider.com/photos-of-women-competing-to-be-miss-universe-2021-5

Monday, October 18, 2021

ISRAEL IS MOSTLY : The Negev Desert

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                       

    Only 8% of the Israeli population lives in 60% of Israel's land, the Negev.  The Negev is a large desert region in southern Israel. This is the "dry land" of Israel, extending over an expanse of 5,138 sq. miles, 60% of the total area of the country.  Here's where the annual rainfall is less than 200 mm.  

 • The Negev  stretches from Be'er Sheva to Eilat. That's 60% of the state of Israel left almost untouched.  That's because  70% of Israelis live within the triangle between Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. This raises the property value so high that young families have trouble finding a place to live. 

The Promised Land for the Jews was suddenly hacked away by the British who held the mandate after WWI.  They gave away 80% to Prince Abdullah of Arabia who wanted to be a king, and he got Transjordan.  The 20% left then was divided between the Palestinian Arabs and the Jews.  I'd say that the Jews got 10% of the promised land, and out of that, the largest part, is the Negev Desert. 
                                               
       Be'er Sheva during biblical times was the southernmost center for administrative, religious, and judicial center and a place of gathering.  It was settled by re-patriated Jews after the return from Babylon.  After the 2nd Temple was destroyed, it became a fortified post against the Nabateans, and a Roman garrison was stationed here.  It was deserted during the Middle Ages and rebuilt by the Turks in 1900.  

Jews lived here until 1929.  In 1948, the all-Arab population of 5,700 abandoned the town and it became the chief Jewish town of the Negev district.  It was connected to the railway system in 1956 and the Mediterranean-Elath oil pipeline in 1956-1957 and another in 1968,  and is the site of the Ben-Gurion University.  A road was built to Sodom and 2 others to Elath.   Population in 1990 was 113,200. Population in 2021 is 644,278.  
  
The Negev's main city is Be’er Sheva. Here, the Old City is home to the Negev Museum of Art, with contemporary Israeli and international exhibitions. Nearby is Abraham’s Well, a cultural center with interactive exhibits about the story of Abraham. 
                                                
         Day tour from Eilat

East of the city, Tel Be’er Sheva is a prehistoric settlement mound with ruins, plus a lookout tower with desert views.

                                                  

Dimona is a city in the Negev.  Viewed here are its apartment blocks. 
It's 19 miles SE of Be'er Sheva.  It's the center for Negev industries and the site of an atomic reactor. 

Dimona was one of the development towns created in the 1950s under the leadership of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. Dimona itself was conceived in 1953.  It was established in 1955. The first residents were Jewish immigrants from North Africa, with an initial 36 families being the first to settle there. Its population in 1955 was about 300. The North African immigrants also constructed the city's houses. The population was composed mainly of North African, particularly Moroccan immigrants, though immigrants from Yemen and Eastern Europe also arrived, as did Bene Israel immigrants from India.
Dimona is described as "mini-India" by many for its 7,500-strong Indian Jewish community. 
A group of African Hebrew Israelites in Dimona, Israel

It is also home to Israel's Black Hebrew community, formerly governed by its founder and spiritual leader, Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, now deceased. The Black Hebrews number about 3,000 in Dimona, with additional families in AradMitzpe Ramon and the Tiberias area. Their official status in Israel was an ongoing issue for many years, but in May 1990, the issue was resolved with the issuing of first B/1 visas, and a year later, issuing of temporary residency. Status was extended to August 2003, when the Israeli Ministry of Interior granted permanent residency.  African Hebrew Israelites in Israel, officially known as The African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem, is a spiritual group now mainly based in Dimona, Israel, whose members believe they are descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The community now numbers around 5,000. They came from a group of African Americans, many from Chicago, Illinois, who migrated to Israel in the late 1960s. 

Though they are not considered Jews by Israel, it's been quite the situation. Rules had to be bent.   In 2004, Uriyahu Butler became the first member of the community to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF agreed to accommodate some of their dietary and other religious requirements.

Today, young men and to a lesser degree women from the African Hebrew community of Jerusalem serve in the IDF, and they have entered international sporting events and academic competitions under the Israeli flag, as well as having represented Israel twice in the Eurovision song contest.

Dimona is also home to the atomic reactor.
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center is an Israeli nuclear installation located in the Negev desert, about thirteen kilometers south-east of the city of Dimona. In August 2018, it was renamed after the late President and Prime Minister of Israel, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres.  
    Eilat, the great vacation spot in December when its cold in your city. People from around the world come here.  Average October is 92/70; November is 81/60; December is 73/52.  Not bad.  

Eilat's northern beach

Eilat is part of the Southern Negev Desert, at the southern end of the Arabah, adjacent to the Egyptian resort city of Taba to the south, the Jordanian port city of Aqaba to the east, and within sight of HaqlSaudi Arabia, across the gulf to the southeast.  Original name was Elath, and is bound by 4 states;  Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Egypt.  The town was built by  Amaziah and his son, Uzziah, but was captured by Rezin, king of Aram, in the reign of Ahaz and became an Edomite city. It was destroyed by the Crusaders in 1116.  The modern Israeli settlement of Elath was founded after its occupation in March 1949.  This is a great tourist attraction.  

During WWI, the British and the Turko-German armies fought over the Negev.  In the 1947 partition plan, it was allotted to the Jewish state but was occupied by the Egyptian in May 1948, except for the areas already settled by Jews.                           

In the War of Independence, the Egyptians were driven out from October 1948 to March 1949, and Elath reached.  Since that time, the northern Negev has been intensively settled, the mines of the central Negev developed, and a port at Elath constructed.  



Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/be'er-sheva-population 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense_Route_%E2%80%93_Desert_Cities_in_the_Negev

https://www.google.com/search?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Hebrew_Israelites_in_Israel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres_Negev_Nuclear_Research_Center

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel


Sunday, August 22, 2021

True Facts About Jerusalem, Part 6: in 1967: The Six Day War

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

    Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Algeria, Mauritania.  Many came to fight Israel in 1967 and they lost.  As a result, Israel became the governing authority in the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and in the West Bank.  Under the Israeli rule from 1967 to 1992, the Palestinian population of the West bank experienced the highest standard of living of any Arab country with the exception of the oil states.                                                  
                                 Jerusalem 1940  winter

Jerusalem since 1948 was divided into 2 parts.  The Israel section included the whole of the West and Southern part of the "New City", including "Mount Zion" and an enclave on Mt. Scopus.  The city extended westward by the construction of the Knesset and Government quarter with the National Museum and University campus nearby.  The city was the administrative center of Israel as it always had been in ancient times.

 At the outset of the Six-Day War (June 5, 1967), Jordanian troops in the Old City and Jordanian sections of the city bombarded the New City.  The Israeli army reacted and 2 days later, the entire city came under Israel control.               

The Old City is a 0.9-square-kilometer (0.35 sq mi) walled area within the modern city of Jerusalem.  The Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance: the Temple Mount and Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1981.                                                                     

                       Seeing the wall for the first time for these soldiers.  Jews were kept out of this eastern part of the divided Jerusalem by Jordan for 20 years.  Jordan lost this section by attacking and losing the battle.  

 One of the 1st reactions was mass visits to the Western Wall which had been prohibited to Jews for almost 20 years.  On June 29, 1967, the Israeli government formally united the 2 sections of the city and the barriers that had divided them were removed.  The population of the eastern portion of the city--including 139,600 Moslems and Christians--have been incorporated into the total population of 493,500 by 1990.  

 Prime Minister Levi Eshkol from 22 Dec 1964 to 26 February 1969

Background: The special relationship Levi Eshkol  developed with President Lyndon Johnson of USA would prove pivotal in securing US political and military support for Israel during the "Waiting period" preceding the Six-Day War of June 1967.  Levi Eshkol was at the time also Israel's Minister of Defense. 

    1966 Pres.Johnson from Texas, a Democrat;  and First Lady with Israel Pres. Zalman Shazar, also Russian born like Eshkol. In 1963 he became president.   Both Israel's President and PM  were with the Mapai parties.  


According to Michael Orenan American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States, and former member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party and a former Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, .Eshkol's intransigence refusal to change one's views or to agree about something). in the face of military pressure to launch an Israeli attack is considered to have been instrumental in increasing Israel's strategic advantage as well as obtaining international legitimacy, yet at the time he was perceived as hesitant, an image cemented following a stuttered radio speech on 28 May. The Egyptian President Nasser's ever more overt provocations, created diplomatic support for Israel. Eshkol eventually established a National Unity Government together with Menachem Begin's Herut party, conceding the Defense portfolio to Moshe Dayan.                                                

        President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt from 23 June 1956-26 September 1970

An example of Nasser's provocations;  speech on 26 May 1967;  "The Arab people want to fight.  We have been waiting for the right day when we would be fully prepared.  Recently, we have felt strong enough to triumph, with God's help, if we enter into battle with Israel.  On that basis, we have decided to take the actual measures, taking this step makes it imperative that we be ready to embark on a total war with Israel.  

The question is, what caused the 6 Day War?  The previous war was in 1956, The Sinai War that lasted from 29 October to 5 November 1956, a 7 day war when the threat was removed and the blockade against Israel was broken.  Egypt again had played a critical role.  The USSR had been smuggling in  military equipment to Egypt and Syria.  The UN emergency Force in Sinai and Gaza Strip was established in order to separate Egypt and Israel.  For 10 years, they remained in its positions between the two.  The frontier with Egypt was the quietest.  The Gulf of Eilat was open in the movement of ships to and from Israel.  

My facts are that in February of 1966, a revolution took place in Syria, the 9th one since 1949.  The left wing of the Ba'ath Party had the backing of the USSR had seized power.  This new government's policy was of hostility and hatred towards Israel.  By the first months of 1967, tension grew between Syria and Israel. "The Tension was largely due to over 2 years of sabotage activities inside Israel and border incidents, mostly undertaken by the Syrians, who were interested in involving the other Arab states in a further war with Israel.  Fearing Israel retaliation against Syria and in an effort to deflect it,  Egypt began moving its army into the Sinai peninsula on May 15, 1967.   In the middle of May, the tension was exploited by the USSR.  Egypt and Syria led the way to the Six Day War.

They and the Soviet Union spread false reports that Israeli forces were on the Syrian frontier.  At the same time, the UN on the spot reports were saying that no such concentration existed, but these were ignored.  Egypt had its army in Sinai--90,000 men and 900 tanks.  Egypt demanded that the UN emergency Force withdraw and they did.  There went the barrier between Egypt and Israel.  Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to all destined for Israel and called for war. The Arab States, led by Egypt, formed a war pact against Israel.  The armies of Jordan, Iraq and Syria concentrated their forces along the frontiers with Israel.  They said publicly that their intention was to destroy Israel.  

Israel waited for 3 weeks from 15th May for international action to stop the escalation and remove the threat from its frontiers.  But, the Great Powers and the United Nations were incapable of effecting any change in the situation.  On 5th June,, war broke out.  

                                                                    


Israel destroyed the armies that had massed along its frontiers

 and menaced its vital centers.  Cease-fire lines were established along the Suez Canal,  the Jordan River and the Golan Heights.  The Straits of Tiran were once again open to navigation.  Jerusalem was reunified.  

"In a tense Oval Office statement, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu told President  Barack Obama  that Israel would not withdraw to 1967 borders to aid a peace deal with the Palestinians.  "We can't go back!"  PM Netanyahu had rejected the 1967 border proposal.  Obama and Netanyahu, meanwhile, appear to have reached an impasse after two and a half years of rocky relations. The Obama White House was angered when Netanyahu refused a U.S. demand to halt building Jewish settlements in the West Bank."  The "West Bank" in reality is Judea and Samaria, the original land holdings of the Jewish people.  This is a very touchy subject.  It's similar, G-d forbid, of giving Washington DC to the Russians sometime in the not too distant future after losing it to the Chinese.  

Judea and Samaria are the very heart of the Jewish people.  Judea was Judah, our tribe's home, designated by Joshua as our home, from a message from G-d as told by Moses.  A give-away was not in the original plans for the Jewish Homeland.  That was not what Chaim Weizmann had signed onto with the Balfour Doctrine.  Between Britain and Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the Jewish Homeland had been chipped away so much that the Jews were left  with 20% that was being chiseled down to 10% of the Promised Jewish Homeland.  ENOUGH!  The 1967 War was the bloody miracle that gave back the Jewish homeland that had been secretly double-promised to Abdullah  that wanted land because his brother, Emir Faisal,  had been given land.  They lost it in the war.  It means far more to the Jews than it did to Abdullah.  They still held onto the Jews' 80% now called Jordan. 

Arabs are taking a good look at history and why they have been fighting against the Jews' return to their original land.  The Abraham Accords are happening.  Israel is being accepted for the first time since 1948.  Conditions are such that Israel makes a better ally than it does an enemy when both Israel and the Arabs are facing the same enemy, and that is Iran.  The meeting that they had all attended in Khartoum, Sudan, Africa right after the 1967 war where they voiced their 3 NOs  in recognizing or making peace  or having any negotiations with Israel  is a past happening with those facing reality.  

The Abraham Accords are a series of treaties normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, facilitated by the U.S. Administration[1] between August and December, 2020. In the span of five short months, these four Arab states joined Egypt and Jordan in making peace with Israel. The agreements were called “The Abraham Accords” in honor of Abraham - the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam[2].  

 
  

Resource: 

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Facts About Israel, division of information, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, 1973

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Eshkol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_City_(Jerusalem)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamal_Abdel_Nasser

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43106082

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khartoum_Resolution

https://www.jns.org/topic/abraham-accords/?gclid=CjwKCAjw64eJBhAGEiwABr9o2JqZBsRxnM10l4XPfQdaoSaswLqtMbE91wwDQjBhFAYY1w1PPnOj_hoC3HYQAvD_BwE

BIG LIES:  by David Meir-Levi from David Horowitz Freedom Center

CNN

Tonight is the 6th presentation of Jerusalem by CNN. I'll watch it and will present my comments if it differs from my report.  

Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury, produced by Blackfin, is a six-part series that tells the story of one of the most controversial cities in history, through six epic conflicts that shaped and defined it. Narrated by Golden Globe-winning actor Ewan McGregor, the docuseries explores how a small arid town with no natural resources became a place of pilgrimage for three of the most prominent world religions, while investigating how three thousand years of conflicts have led directly to the struggles of today. Spanning from Biblical times to the Roman Empire to the Cold War, and examining the stories of King David, Cleopatra, Saladin, T.E. Lawrence, and more, the series brings the “City of God” to life as never before. 

The premiere episode, “The Kingdom,” tracks how King David conquered and claimed Jerusalem from the Jebusites as the capital for the United Kingdom of Israel, setting the stage for centuries of conflict to come. (This was part I.)

Executive producers for Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury are Geno McDermott, Jordan Rosenblum and Shan Nicholson for Blackfin, Amy Entelis and Lyle Gamm for CNN Original Series. The series will regularly air on Sunday nights at 10pm ET/PT on CNN.