Source: The Washington Post
- BY GLENN KESSLER
- May 21 at 6:00 am
A reader called the other day, asking for a fact check of a bus ad that called for ending U.S. aid to Islamic countries. It turns out the ad, sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, was in response to another bus ad, sponsored by American Muslims for Palestine, calling for an end to U.S. aid to “Israel’s occupation.” This ad suggested that “Americans were sweating” at tax time because of the aid to Israel.
Let’s take a look at the claims in the ads.
The anti-Israel ad
The first salvo was launched by the American Muslims for Palestine, which timed its ads to run during the Cherry Blossom festival. In a news release regarding the ads, the organization said: “Currently, the United States gives Israel more than $3 billion per year in military and other aid. That money largely supports Israel’s occupation, which is illegal under international law and deprives Palestinians of their human rights.”
But spokeswoman Kristin Szremski acknowledged that the link between the U.S. aid to Israel — virtually all of it is military assistance — and Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories is not direct. In fact, successive U.S. administrations have had a policy of not allowing U.S. aid money to be used for settlements. But she argued the money was “fungible,” so in her view U.S. aid indirectly supported policies in the West Bank.
The group calls for an end to aid to the Israeli military, which it believes buys weaponry to subjugate Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Szremski said the group was “not so naïve” to believe all aid would end but wanted U.S. policymakers to use the aid as leverage to prevent further expansion of settlements. This has actually happened in the past, most recently during the George W. Bush administration, when the United Statesreduced the amount available for loan guarantees by an amount equal to the amount Israel spent on settlements; in 2005, the amount was reduced by nearly $800 million. But Israel has not needed loan guarantees in recent years.
Israel is one of the biggest recipients of U.S. foreign aid, but the funds make up only a tiny part of the U.S. budget. (The money does build up over time, however. The Congressional Research Service estimates that Israel has received a total of $121 billion.)
Categories: Asia, Highlight, Israel, Judaism, United States
The Holy Quran and the Jews
Often some of the verses of the Holy Quran about the Jews become a public debate.
The fact of the matter is that the Holy Quran wants to make a case of Islam and of prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him, as continuation of the Jewish prophets and Jesus, may peace be on him, who is also regarded by the Quran, as a Jewish prophet.
Incidentally, one of the chapters of the Holy Quran out of the 114 is named after Israelites.
The ‘negative references,’ about the Jews in the Holy Quran, are only pertaining to the negative actions of certain Jews of the time of Muhammad, may peace be on him.
The Holy Quran does not stereotype them in any negative sense.
Let me collect a few positive references about Jews and everyone in general:
The motivation of both Ads are hated each others,instead of love each other.
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God said; Hate stir up trouble and then conflict and then kill one another.
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Galatian 5:14The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”b 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
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Let us promote love each others.
With all my love