Jerusalem News
(August 30, 2020, 10 Elul, 5780)
Contents:
1. EU Funds Grants to Protect 'Palestinian Identity of East Jerusalem'
By Hana Levi Julian
2. George Soros Funds "BLM"
3. What is the hardest truth about the George Floyd incident?
That all of this protesting? all of this rioting? by Kenny Nguyen
4. Did Sweden's coronavirus strategy succeed or fail? by Maddy Savage
5. How Did Sweden Flatten Its Curve Without a Lockdown?
6. France and Greece Face Turkey Down.
7. Shamrak Report. Is Israel a Future Energy Power?
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1. EU Funds Grants to Protect 'Palestinian Identity of East Jerusalem'
By Hana Levi Julian
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/eye-on-palestine/palestinian-authority/492607/2020/08/22/
Extracts:
Newly-released information from the European Commission shows that in 2019, the EU authorized seven grants allocating some 11.8 million euros for projects in Jerusalem for implementation by NGOs, some of which were specifically geared towards the European Union's 'urgent need to preserve the Palestinian identity of East Jerusalem.'
One of the NGO projects in eastern Jerusalem even sought to 'protect Islamic and Christian Waqf religious and cultural heritage properties against Israeli violations and threats.' (italics added)
Of the 38,447 grants listed on the European Commission's updated Financial Transparency System (FTS) authorized worldwide in 2019, the only examples dealing with 'religious and cultural heritage properties' in a highly conflictual framework are embedded in the Palestinian Authority context, according to a report published Friday by the NGO Monitor watchdog organization.
The EU's politicized framework regarding Jerusalem is shared by some troubling actors, including the EU-designated terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
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2. George Soros Funds "BLM"
Here are facts about self-professed 'I am not a Zionist' radical George Soros' role in funding the antisemitic, anti-Israel platform, posts, policies, promotions, and resources of the group Black Lives Matter (BLM)/Movement for Black Lives (M4BL).
https://zoa.org/2020/08/10441094-zoa-here-are-the-facts-radical-anti-zionist-george-soros-funds-antisemitic-groups-black-lives-matter-m4bl/
Extracts Only:
Soros funds: BLM directly; so-called 'racial justice' groups that demonize Israel; anti-Israel groups that wrote the anti-Israel antisemitic portion of the BLM/M4BL platform; the major anti-Israel BDS 'resource' group on the BLM/M4BL platform; viciously anti-Israel members of that BDS group; the anti-Israel lawfare organization that filed a lawsuit to assist violent BLM actions and that promotes spurious BLM-anti-Israel intersectionality; the Al Haq organization run by operatives of designated terror organization PLFP, whose anti-Israel agenda is openly promoted by BLM's tweets; and at least four Jewish organizations that have defamed and attacked ZOA for pointing out BLM's antisemitism.
And these items may only be the 'tip of the iceberg.'
I. Soros' Newly Announced $220 MILLION (!) to Black-Led Racial Justice Groups, Including Demonizers of Israel:
The fact that Israel-demonizer Barber's organization is a top recipient of Soros' $220 million speaks volumes about Soros' agenda.
II. Soros' Open Society Funds BLM:
According to an October 2015 Open Society Report, Soros' Open Society granted $650,000 directly to BLM group.
Soros' FPOS also supports numerous related groups, such as the 'Racial Justice Action Center' ($200,000 reported in 2018), which partnered in a report 'The Most Dangerous Thing Out Here is the Police'; and the Center for Popular Democracy ($850,000 reported in 2018), which features BLM on its homepage and demands police defunding as the only way for Black people to find real liberation.
III. Soros- FPOS Funds Organizations That Wrote BLM/M4BL's Antisemitic Platform:
A major Soros grant-making vehicle, the Foundation to Promote Open Society (FPOS), contributes heavily to the following 'Organizations Currently Working on Policy' that authored the anti-Israel, pro-BDS, antisemitic policies of the BLM/M4BL official platform.
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3. What is the hardest truth about the George Floyd incident?
That all of this protesting? all of this rioting?
by
Kenny Nguyen
'https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-hardest-truth-about-the-George-Floyd-incident
Extracts:
The democrats or the Left Media kept on pushing that the cops killed George Floyd because they were 'Racist' and that they hated black people.
In case you dont know, a few days ago a British media had to leak the body cameras from America.
Thats right, we needed another country to help us reveal the truth from our OWN country (by the way, thanks Britain). Heres the body camera:
In the video, it's CLEARLY shown how the officers werent even using excessive force at first. They actually tried to de-escalate the situation. Now, granted you can tell that George Floyd was CLEARLY not fully conscious because he was super high on drugs.
George Floyd claimed he was claustrophobic in a big police van, even though George Floyd was perfectly fine driving in a car that was half the size of the police van. The cops werent pushing him, shoving him, talking down on him. They stood by him patiently and even offered to roll the windows down.
Around 7:45 of the video, George Floyd says 'I can't Breathe'. when he's standing up. He's saying 'I cant breathe'. when he's lying on top of a police officer. George Floyd is saying 'I cant breathe', when no one is TOUCHING him.
The whole narrative was that George Floyd ONLY said that he couldnt breathe when Derek Chauvin was kneeling on his neck.
But its not true. George Floyd said he couldnt breathe even when no one was touching him. he said he WANTED to be put on the ground.
If you looked at George Floyd's autopsy reports, you would see that George Floyd had a LETHAL overdose of fentanyl and meth.
In case you dont know what fentanyl is, fentanyl is a more powerful and dangerous drug compared to heroin.
While yes, Derek Chauvin did deal the killing blow, it IS 90 percent positive that George Floyd also died from drug overdose. He had 11 ng of fentanyl inside of him, thats enough to kill him. Not to mention, but when you overdose on fentanyl, you cant breathe.
Even if we can debunk the drugs, we cant deny the fact that George Floyd was resisting arrest, and the cops were NOT RACIST.
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4. Did Sweden's coronavirus strategy succeed or fail?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53498133
By Maddy Savage, BBC News, Arsunda, Gavleborg
Extracts:
More than 5,500 people have died with Covid-19 in this country of just 10 million. It is one of the highest death rates relative to population size in Europe, and by far the worst among the Nordic nations. Unlike Sweden, the rest all chose to lock down early in the pandemic.
Latest figures suggest Sweden is getting better at containing the virus. The number of daily reported deaths has been in single digits for much of July, in contrast with the peak of the pandemic in April, when more than 100 fatalities were logged on several dates.
There has also been a marked fall in serious cases, with new intensive care admissions dropping to fewer than a handful each day. Though still not as low as elsewhere in Scandinavia, it's a clear improvement.
"It feels good. I mean, finally, we are where we hoped we would be much earlier on," says Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist leading the strategy. He's admitted too many have died, especially in Swedish care homes. But he believes there is still "no strong evidence that a lockdown would have made that much of a difference".
Sweden has largely relied on voluntary social distancing guidelines since the start of the pandemic, including working from home where possible and avoiding public transport.
There's also been a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, restrictions on visiting care homes, and a shift to table-only service in bars and restaurants. The government has repeatedly described the pandemic as "a marathon not a sprint", arguing that its measures are designed to last in the long term.
The unusual strategy has attracted global criticism, with even some of Dr Tegnell's early supporters saying they now regret the approach. ....
But according to clinical epidemiologist Helena Nordenstedt, there's no consensus in Sweden's scientific community that the strategy as a whole has failed.
The strategy was not designed to protect the economy either, but the government argued keeping more of society open could limit job losses and mitigate the impact on business.
Research from Scandinavian bank SEB in April suggested Swedes were spending at a higher rate than consumers in neighbouring Nordic nations.
Despite this, various forecasts predict the Swedish economy will still shrink by about 5% this year. That's less than other countries hit hard by Covid-19 such as Italy, Spain and the UK, but still similar to the rest of Scandinavia. Sweden's unemployment rate of 9% remains the highest in the Nordics, up from 7.1% in March.
"There's been less disruption for the generation now growing up - in terms of learning. That may produce benefits further down the line when [they start] entering the labour force," Karolina Ekholm, Professor of Economics at Stockholm University.
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5. How Did Sweden Flatten Its Curve Without a Lockdown?
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/87812
by Kristina Fiore
Extracts:
Despite never implementing a full-scale lockdown, Sweden has managed to flatten its curve, prompting its health leadership to claim victory -- but others question the cost of the strategy, as the country has a far higher death toll than its Scandinavian neighbors.
... on a per-capita basis, Sweden far outpaces its Scandinavian neighbors in COVID deaths, with 567 deaths per million people compared with Denmark's 106 deaths per million, Finland's 59 deaths per million, and Norway's 47 deaths per million. The Swedish figure is closer to Italy's 581 deaths per million.
The Swedish Public Health Agency has not openly stated that herd immunity was its goal, though many suspect this was the intention. Tegnell told reporters last week he thought the recent trends indicated that immunity was now widespread in the country. But with rates of antibody positivity around 10%, that seems impossible. (Officials at the agency did not respond to MedPage Today's request for comment.)
At the start of the outbreak, only high schools and universities closed; daycare and elementary schools have been open. Businesses have also remained open, but typically at reduced hours, and restaurants have functioned at reduced capacity.
Swedes have been asked to keep their distance in public, refrain from non-essential travel, and work from home when possible. Gatherings of more than 50 people are also banned. People age 70 and over are advised to stay away from others as much as possible.
Masks were never required and aren't commonly worn.
This response hasn't changed over time, through the June surge and into today's decline, so there's no definitive explanation for the flattening, though, and experts have several theories.
"Even without a strict lockdown order, many businesses allowed employees to work from home, and universities are offering distance courses to the students," Ding told MedPage Today. "Individuals are also taking personal hygiene more seriously, as items like hand sanitizers and single-use gloves are often sold out in pharmacies and grocery stores."
... a study by the Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital recently found that about 30% of people with mild or asymptomatic COVID showed T-cell-mediated immunity to the virus, even though they tested negative for antibodies.
"This figure is [more than] twice as high as the previous antibody tests, meaning that the public immunity to COVID-19 is probably much higher than what antibody studies have suggested," Ding told MedPage Today. "This is of course very good news from a public health perspective, as it shows that people with negative antibody test results could still be immune to the virus at a cellular level."
Summertime is another factor that may account for the decline, which began around late June -- not directly because of the weather, but social factors related to it.
Swedes are "outdoors more, and students are not at school," said Anne Spurkland, MD, a professor of immunology at the University of Oslo in Norway.
Also, "perhaps Sweden has finally gotten better control over the disastrous spread of the virus in nursing homes which to some extent can explain their relatively high death rates," Spurkland told MedPage Today. About half of Sweden's 5,730 deaths occurred among those in elder care homes.
... If the goal of avoiding a lockdown was to spare economic woe, its success has been limited.
According to Business Insider, "international tourism and trade are decimated. ... Sweden's National Institute of Economic Research predicts Sweden's GDP will fall 5.4% in 2020, after predicting a 1% rise [in] December 2019. It also expects unemployment to rise around three percentage points, to 9.6%, between the end of 2019 and the end of 2021."
Spurkland said it's still "too early yet to conclude whether the Swedish approach was the wisest over all," as it remains to be seen whether Norway and other countries that did lock down will avoid a second wave of infections in the fall.
Yet she cautions that choosing to take on a higher case load may have health consequences far beyond the immediate infection.
"What we have learned these months is that COVID-19 is not only about death, it is also about ill health," Spurkland said. "Quite a number of people going through the infection have long-term symptoms, that may be stopping them from resuming their daily life. We do not know yet how large a proportion of those who get the virus will fall into this category, but it is certainly a concern."
"So when deciding on taking a herd immunity approach to handle a totally new virus we do not know anything about," she said, "the Swedish government has also unknowingly put the general population at risk for much long-term ill-health caused by the virus."
Furberg doesn't see it that way: "I am very proud of the way Swedes have adapted to the restrictions and regulations and I believe the Public Health Agency of Sweden has picked a good-enough strategy for our country."
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6. France and Greece Face Turkey Down.
Erdogan Needs New Enemies by Burak Bekdil
The Gatestone Institute
August 22, 2020
Extracts:
Turkey evidently has deep ire for any deal that may help stabilize one of the world's most volatile regions. On August 3, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned an oil agreement concluded between a US-based company and Syrian Kurds for the development of oil fields in northeastern Syria. In northwestern Syria, where Turkey controls small pockets of land, Ankara threatened to respond militarily to potential attacks on its forces.
There are "hotter" disputes, as well. Ignoring international efforts to find a diplomatic solution to maritime border disputes with its traditional Aegean rival, Greece, on August 10, Turkey resumed oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean Sea -- only days after Turkey's government said it would delay offshore surveys to seek a diplomatic resolution with Greece.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for Turkey to be sanctioned and accused its government of violating the rights of Greece and Cyprus. In the face of increasing Turkish assertiveness, Macron also ordered the French Navy to the Eastern Mediterranean to provide military assistance to Greece. In a further move, France signed a defense deal with Cyprus. The agreement came into effect on August 1. The two-year Defense Cooperation Agreement covers energy, crisis management, counter-terrorism and maritime security cooperation between Cyprus and France.
While the standoff was deepening, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis convened his national security council. A statement issued after the meetings was reminiscent of pre-war times: "We are in complete political and operational readiness," Minister of State George Gerapetritis said on state television channel ERT. "Most of the fleet is ready to be deployed wherever necessary."
If you add to that perilous picture the Cypriot, Israeli and Egyptian navies, Turkey is up against formidable naval forces in the Mediterranean. In one dangerous incident on August 14, two warships, the Greek Navy's Limnosfrigate and Turkey's TCG Kemalreis, collided in the Eastern Mediterranean.
... Yeni Safak, a fiercely pro-Erdogan newspaper, suggested that the Turkish military should invade 16 Greek islands.
In Turkey's southeast, Iraq blamed Ankara for a drone attack that killed two high-ranking Iraqi military officers.
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7. Shamrak Report. Is Israel a Future Energy Power?
There are about 250 billion barrels of oil in oil shale in Israel, similar to the amount of oil Saudi Arabia has. Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen, a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds, from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced.