10 embassies now in Jerusalem

Columbia's become the 10th foreign country to open an embassy in Jerusalem:

Colombia opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, on Wednesday thus fulfilling one of the campaign promises of conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella.

The opening of the facility restores Colombia’s decades-old friendly relations with Israel — undoing the unilateral rupture of diplomatic ties ordered by Marxist former President Gustavo Petro in 2024. Colombia has now become the tenth country to open its embassy in Jerusalem.

The ceremony took place on Wednesday morning (local Jerusalem time) and was presided over by Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula alongside his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, who described Wednesday as an important day not just for Jerusalem, but for Israel and Colombia’s relations.

Sa’ar, in a social media post, thanked President de la Espriella and recounted a past interaction that both shared in Buenos Aires in the past, when de la Espriella told him, “if I am elected President of the Republic, I will immediately move the Colombian embassy to Jerusalem.”

“He promised, and he delivered,” Sa’ar wrote.

“This is the tenth embassy to open in Jerusalem. Since I took office less than two years ago, the number of embassies in Jerusalem has doubled,” he added. “There will be more, God willing, and soon.”

Well that's exactly why European governments are going to have to start considering there's no longer any point to refusing, because already, those countries who've opened their embassies in Jerusalem are making their dhimmitude into a moot point.

Argentinian president visits Israel, will move embassy to Jerusalem

Argentinian president Javier Milei, an impressive supporting of Israel, has paid a visit with plenty of good things to tell:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday at his office in Jerusalem with Argentine President Javier Milei, who has promised to move his country’s embassy to the capital and designate Hamas a terrorist group.

“I’m delighted to welcome you, President Milei, and your delegation, to Israel. You’re a great friend of the Jewish state. We are delighted with your decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move your diplomatic post there, and also, of course, an embassy,” began Netanyahu.

“We share the desire for prosperity, security and peace. We know that the greatest challenge to peace in our area, but also in yours, is Iran. And we appreciate the cooperation that we are doing with you in security and diplomacy.

“Your stalwart support for Israel in so many forms is deeply, deeply appreciated. Welcome to Jerusalem. Welcome, friend,” added the premier.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted Milei at his official residence on Tuesday evening and presented him with a Hebrew Bible in appreciation of his firm support for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

“The people of Israel have immense warmth and friendship with Argentina, and your visit here exemplifies the unique relationship that we have with Argentina, and the fact that we have so many Israelis whose family originated from Argentina,” said Herzog.

“You have shown your love and affection, both for the Jewish people and the nation-state of the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and we thank you wholeheartedly for this,” he added.

Said Milei: “I have been committed since day one to making sure that my first diplomatic visit as president would be to the State of Israel. Here I am, keeping my promise now.”

Milei also visited Yad Vashem, and certainly has proven an excellent example of a leader. And, he's also paid a visit to Nir Oz, the kibbutz that was hardest hit by the Hamas bloodbath on October 7, 2023:

President Javier Milei of Argentina expressed his solidarity with Israel against Hamas terror Thursday, as he toured the ruins of Kibbutz Nir Oz with President Isaac Herzog of Israel.

Milei visited the burned-out homes and bloodstained bedrooms of Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities attacked by Hamas on October 7, where a quarter of the residents were either murdered or kidnapped. Several of the victims were Argentinian.

Milei met survivors from the community, including Ophelia Roitman, 77, who was abducted and later released in a hostage deal. Roitman had been a teacher at a Jewish school in Argentina before immigrating to Israel.

He also paid a special visit to the home of the Bibas family, who are Argentinian-Israeli. They were kidnapped on October 7, including one-year-old Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage, who recently is thought to have celebrated his first birthday, in captivity.

Irit Lahav, one of the survivors of the attack on the kibbutz, who accompanied Milei during his visit, told Breitbart News that he had cried at several stops along the way, deeply moved by what he had seen.

Later, after walking throughout the community for nearly two hours, Milei addressed journalists.

With explosions resounding in the background from ongoing battles in Gaza nearby, the Argentinian president shared his deep feelings of sorrow at seeing the devastation around him — as well as his commitment to supporting Israel, and the cause of freedom in general.

Milei said that the terror attack represented pure antisemitism similar to the Nazis, and that the free world had to stand against it.

Milei's done the right thing to visit the sites of the tragedy, and we must hope he can help improve the sad situation the world's now fallen into.

7 murdered in Neve Yaakov by Islamofascist from east Jerusalem, and 2 injured near City of David

A tragedy's struck the Jerusalem neighborhood of Neve Yaakov, leaving 7 murdered:

At least seven people were killed and several others were injured, including one critically, in a shooting attack on the Ateret Avraham Synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem on Friday evening.

Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated five injured people to hospitals, including three who were evacuated to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus, and two who were evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital. These include a man about 30 years old in critical condition and a woman about 60 years of age in moderate condition.

Initial reports indicate that a terrorist got out of a vehicle and opened fire at people who were gathered outside the synagogue, opened fire at them, and then continued to pursue frightened worshipers who were fleeing the scene.

The terrorist eventually fled the scene in a white Toyota and was met by police officers who shot him dead.

The terrorist has been identified as Alkam Khairi, a 21-year-old resident of eastern Jerusalem.

He should go to hell. Now we have to contend with terrorist attacks in neighborhoods like these that could've been prevented. And to make matters worse, there was another terrorist attack near the City of David area:

A father and son were injured in a shooting terror attack near the City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem.

The attack to place this morning, the shooter, reportedly a 13-year-old resident of east Jerusalem, was shot by two civilians.

MDA EMTs and Paramedics treated and conveyed two patients to the Shaare Tzedek Hospital. A 23 year old male in serious condition and his fatger, a 47 year old male, in moderate to serious condition, with gunshot wounds to their upper bodies.

MDA paramedic Fadi Dekidek: "We were quickly on scene and saw two gunshot victims. A 47 year old male and 23 year old male. They were fully conscious and had gunshot wounds to their upper bodies. We quickly moved them to the MICUs and conveyed them to Shaare Tzedek Hospital, with the young male in serious condition and the other male in moderate to serious condition."

So this one appears to have been the doing of a young teen. Which shows even younger kids indoctrinated with the Religion of Peace can be extremely dangerous, and that it's possible for them to be trained with firearms. Utterly horrific.

Update: the way the White House press secretary spoke about this, laced with moral equivalence, is also atrocious.

Britain, YES THE FUCKING BRITISH GOVERNMENT, Bans Tourism Ad Because It Mentioning Jerusalem As Part of Israel

From United With Israel:

Claiming it misleads consumers, a British watchdog banned an Israeli tourism advertisement for depicting the Old City of Jerusalem as part of Israel. 

Britain’s official advertisements-monitoring body banned an Israeli government tourism advertisement saying that the Old City of Jerusalem is part of Israel, AFP reports. 

The newspaper brochure shows a panorama of the walled Old City with the text: “Israel has it all.” 

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled on Wednesday that the ad was “misleading” and banned it from appearing again in its current form. 

The ruling was given by the British official body after a complaint was lodged against the brochure, titled “Israel Land of Creation.” 

“We understood that the status of the territories in question was the subject of much international dispute,” the watchdog said. The “territories” referenced to here are Jerusalem. 

“We therefore considered the presentation of the ad would mislead consumers into believing that the Old City of Jerusalem was part of Israel and into taking a transactional decision that they would otherwise not have taken.”

Spitting In Jerusalem

Anti-Christian behavior in Israel:

Globally speaking, the most serious new tension dividing Jews and Catholics is Pope Benedict XVI’s decision just before Christmas to advance the sainthood cause of Pius XII, the wartime pontiff whose alleged “silence” on the Holocaust has long been a subject of polarizing historical debate.

On the ground in Jerusalem, however, Jewish/Christian animus has a much more prosaic cause: Spitting.

Recently, the Jerusalem Post carried a piece quoting Rabbi David Rosen, a veteran of Catholic/Jewish dialogue, acknowledging that incidents of ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting at priests, nuns and other Christian clergy is “a part of life” in Jerusalem. Such incidents have been occurring for the last twenty years and are now on the rise, according to the story, although they appear to be limited to Jerusalem.

The piece quoted a Texas-born Franciscan, Fr. Athanasius Macora, who heads the Christian Information Center inside the Jaffa Gate, who said that he’s been spat upon by ultra-Orthodox Jews as much as fifteen times in the last six months – not only in the Old City, but also outside his Franciscan friary.

The Rev. Samuel Aghoyan, an Armenian Orthodox cleric, said he’s been spat upon fifteen to twenty times, most recently in November.

“I was walking back from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and I saw this boy in a yarmulke and ritual fringes coming back from the Kotel, and he spat at me two or three times,” Aghoyan said.

“Every [Christian cleric in the Old City] who’s been here for awhile, who dresses in robes in public, has a story to tell about being spat at,” Macora said. “The more you get around, the more it happens.”

Israeli authorities have taken these reports seriously enough that the Foreign Ministry convened a meeting with municipal officials in Jerusalem and representatives of the ultra- Orthodox Haredi Community. In a sign that the Israelis are worried about possible international repercussions, that meeting was announced in a press release issued this morning by the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See in Rome.

The press release contained a letter denouncing the harassment of Christian clergy from the Beth Din Tzedek, the tribunal of the Orthodox Jewish Community and the highest instance of the Jewish ultra orthodox community in Jerusalem.

The text of that letter appears below.

* * *
Dangerous Provocation

“Recently, repeated complaints have been made by gentiles regarding recurring harassment and insults directed at them by irresponsible youths in various places in the city, especially in the vicinity of Shivtei Yisrael Street and adjacent to the grave of Shimon the Just.

“Besides desecrating the Holy Name, which in itself represents a very grave sin, provoking gentiles, according to our sages – blessed be their holy and righteous memory – is forbidden and is liable to bring tragic consequences upon our own community, may God have mercy.

“We hereby call upon anyone who has the power to end these shameful incidents through persuasion, to take action as soon as possible to remove these hazards, so that our community may live in peace.

“May the Holy One, blessed be He, spread the tabernacle of a merciful life and peace upon us and on the House of Israel and Jerusalem, as we look forward to the coming of the righteous Messiah speedily and in our time, Amen.

“Signed this day, the 13th of Tevet 5770 (30/12/2009) by the Haredi Community Tribunal of Justice, in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

"The words of the tribunal are clear and simple, and all who hear them and can prevent these deeds will hopefully do so."

Where is ReliaPundit when you need him?

Texas Governor Receives Pro-Israel Award

Gov. Rick Perry receives the Defender of Jerusalem Award:

JERUSALEM – Gov. Rick Perry has received the Defender of Jerusalem Award, which is given to public figures who have demonstrated support and commitment to the state of Israel and its capitol, Jerusalem. The governor accepted the award while on his trip to Israel, where he also met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and business and academic leaders.

“I have long supported the right of a Jewish state to exist in the Middle East and firmly believe in the protection and preservation of democratic states in that part of the world,” Gov. Perry said. “After visiting several sacred and historic sites, meeting with business, civic and government leaders and seeing the day-to-day lives of the people on my trips to Israel, I am even more convinced that a safe, secure Israel is an essential part of stability in this part of the world.”

The Defender of Jerusalem Award was created in 2008 by Guma Aguiar, head of the Lillian Jean Kaplan Foundation, as a tribute to dignitaries within Israel and around the world who have demonstrated strong support for the people of Jerusalem and Israel. The first award was presented to Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Gov. Perry continues to be a staunch supporter of Israel. After a trip to the area in 2007, the governor supported Texas’ divestment from companies that do business with Iran, a main opponent of Israeli freedom.

Additionally, as a result of meetings with Israeli leadership during the governor and first lady’s visit to Israel in 2007, the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce was created to help launch future commercial interests and solidify the strong business and cultural connections between the two states.

Texas is Israel’s fourth largest American trading partner. Texas and Israel’s commercial relationship began with agriculture and natural resources, and has grown in recent years to include a variety of major business sectors, including information and communication technologies, aerospace and defense, medical technologies, homeland security initiatives and renewable energies.

The governor is scheduled to return to Texas on Saturday.

For those so inclined, like me, you can support the good Governor's re-election bid in 2010 by clicking here.

Senator "DC" Kay "Bailout" Hutchison is challenging him in the Republican primary.

Tour of Ancient Jerusalem

One Jerusalem

The indivisible capital of the Jewish state:

President Obama's campaign to take control of Jerusalem from the State of Israel intensified over the weekend.

Michael Oren, Israel's Ambassador to the United States was summoned by the Obama administration and told that Israel must stop building in Jerusalem Jewish homes in what is wrongfully called East Jerusalem. The administration disturbed the Jewish Sabbath to deliver this order because the lame duck President of the Palestinian Authority had asked them to stop Jewish people from moving into parts of Jerusalem.

In the past, Israel would respond to an American request like this with quiet acquiescence. But this time, Israel's Prime Minister, speaking on behalf of his coalition and his country set down a new course for relations between Israel and the United States of Barak Obama.

Netanyahu said, "There is no prohibition against Arab residents buying apartments in the west of the city and there is no prohibition barring the city's Jewish residents from buying or building in the east of the city. That is the policy of an open city that is not divided."

He continued,"We cannot accept the notion that Jews will not have the right to buy apartments specifically in Jerusalem. I can only imagine what would happen if they were forbidden from purchasing apartments in New York or London: there would be an international outcry. This has always been Israel's policy and this is the policy of the current government."

Netanyahu also stated that Jerusalem is the "unified capital of the Jewish people, and sovereignty over it is indisputable."

We applaud Netanyahu and his government for setting the record straight. Send the Prime Minister an email supporting him in this decision. While we have been warning that Obama would move against Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem we are saddened that he has taken this course.

Once again we urge you get as many people as you can to sign the united Jerusalem petition. It is the best way to keep informed about the battle for Jerusalem and to learn about ways you can help defend the capital of the Jewish people.

*The above petition emanates from the One Jerusalem organization.