Revering a master of delusion

[Source: Jordan Times, September 18, 2017]

This post is triggered by developments announced a few days ago. See "AJC calls on Justice Department to pursue Ahlam Tamimi extradition" [Jewish Insider, July 13, 2023]. The call by one of America's most important Jewish organizations is a significant event.

The Jordanian dictator - otherwise known as King Abdullah II - is a master of delusion.

His victims include the entire spectrum of American influencers: politicians, journalists, Democrats, Republicans, Jews, non-Jews. All revere and praise him as a progressive leader.

But for me it is the leaders of major American Jewish organizations whose reverence is the most repugnant.

It impedes their interest in fighting for justice for the three Jewish Americans murdered in the 2001 Sbarro terror bombing in Jerusalem spearheaded by Hamas operative and Jordanian citizen, Ahlam Tamimi. 

The charges against her were initially signed off in a US Federal court ten years ago this week. But they were kept sealed and secret at that time. 

They became public much later, on March 14, 2017. Here's the official Department of Justice announcement: "Individual Charged in Connection With 2001 Terrorist Attack in Jerusalem That Resulted in Death of Americans"

Among the sixteen victims was my daughter Malki, 15. She was just one of eight Jewish children targeted by Tamimi and her bomb. Though Tamimi, as the AJC's letter last week explains, faces terror charges in Washington, she is kept safe by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

[Source: Jordan Times, February 3, 2023]

Despite this, key executives of numerous major American Jewish organizations continue to meet formally with Jordan's ruler. 

Two photos - one at the top of this post and another on the right - are among many my husband and I have found online via Arab sources - showing the meetings they frequently attend (annually and sometimes more often than that) at King Abdullah's invitation.

With one or two exceptions, they do so without ever publicly demanding that Tamimi, whom Abdullah harbors, is extradicted to Washington despite her indictment by the United States. The extradition treaty, signed and ratified by Abdullah's father in 1995, and in effect from then onwards, doesn't move him one iota.

Nor does it move any of those influential Jewish leaders.

They are all under the spell of the "king's" stardust.

Shame on them all.

Is Israel's Minister of Welfare both opposed to institutionalization and in favor of it?

Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs Ya'akov Margi

[Photo Credit: Miriam Alster/FLASH90]

Israel currently has a Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs who is impressively skilled at speaking out of both sides of his mouth. 

When Ya'akov Margi addresses people with disabilities and their activist supporters, he is a passionate champion of their rights to equality. He assures them that he and his staff will endeavor to enable all of them to leave institutions for independent living in the very near future.

He did this in March 2023 at a committee hearing into the report of another committee headed by retired judge Shulamit Dotan. The Dotan Committee's recommendations relate to a new law passed by the Knesset in June 2022: the Welfare Services for People with Disabilities Law, discussed here [in Hebrew].

The committee recommended closing all the institutions for people with disabilities within the next five years and replacing them with solutions within the community. 

It is no surprise that the law's passage was hailed by activists as "dramatic" and "historical" and raised high hopes that Israel would at long last follow the rest of the developed world in shutting down its large, locked, isolated institutions that today house some 18,000 of its citizens with disabilities.

Behind those walls, the basic human rights of these citizens are denied on a daily basis, repeatedly resulting in neglect, abuse and occasionally death.

It is obvious that the new law's achievements will largely depend on the stance of the incoming Minister of Welfare. He will determine the details of the many outstanding regulations that must be established.

One crucial subject, a fraught one, will be budget. Cash will need to be re-channelled away from the institutions to individuals with disabilities.

For years it has baffled many of us who abhor institutionalization that Israel, otherwise such a progressive country, remains in relation to this specific issue mired in the Dark Ages.

It has, however, become increasingly clear that much of the foot-dragging is rooted in the huge profits pocketed by the operators of those institutional facilities. All of the government benefits accruing to the residents of their institutions reach the operators. The Ministry does not trouble itself to demand detailed accounts of the distribution of those funds.

The less those operators spend on staff and care of their residents, the more cash they themselves retain. The many cases of abuse and neglect at those institutions leave little room for doubt about the operators' priorities.

Hence it should not come as a surprise to discover that they exert pressure on politicians to evade the new law and the Dotan Committee recommendations. After all, the status quo is working fine for them.

Usually, though, the public can only imagine the exchanges taking place between those operators of institutions and our politicians.

So it was highly unusual - and shocking - to read of the open assurance made by Minister Margi to one of those operators, less than three months after his address at the committee hearing I mentioned above. 

Image source: The ADI website (Click to enlarge)

Some details:

• According to an early-June 2023 public relations handout, Minister Ya'akov Margi, accompanied by other Ministry officials, visited the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran rehabilitation village. 
• Alongside its integrated nurseries, rehabilitation center and therapy pool stands a closed institution housing some 163 residents, ranging from children to adults.
• At the conclusion of their tour of the premises which included the institution - or, as it's referred to on the ADI site, the "residential homes" - Minister Margi lavished praise on the enterprise. “I am more than happy to be here today. This place has grown immensely and the entire subject of rehabilitation has blossomed."
• He concluded with these words: “We must copy this village model to other parts of Israel.”

None of this has been reported in the mainstream media yet. Only ADI itself and the B'Hadrei Haredim news site, have publicized it.

But what's abundantly clear is that Minister Margi is eager to spread the curse of institutionalization even further throughout Israel than it currently is.

And the hell with that "historic" new law.

A travesty of justice and Netanyahu's role

March 20, 2017

Responding to this past Tuesday's murder of Meir Tamari, a young husband and father of two, in a terror shooting attack ["Victim of West Bank shooting attack named as 32-year-old father of two Meir Tamari"], Prime Minister Netanyahu, quoted on this Israel government site, offered predictable condolences and assurances. 

He concluded with this promise to arrest and punish the perpetrators:

"Our forces are now pursuing the terrorists in order to settle accounts with them - and they will be settled soon. As we have reached every terrorist and settled accounts with them until now - we will do the same this time."

Most Israelis probably accepted that as, at worst, a hackneyed statement. But certainly not an infuriating one.

But when parsed, as it ought to be, it is clear that Netanyahu was circulating a bald-faced lie. His boast "as we have... settled accounts with them until now - we will do the same this time" flies in the face of his past actions.

 
Here is why.

The sad passing on Wednesday of Chana Nachenberg, the 16th victim of the 2001 Sbarro Pizzeria bombing, should remind everyone of that lie. Yet it is my husband and I and only a handful of others who have noted it. 

Our daughter, Malki, 15 years old, was among the original fifteen Sbarro victims. Her absence relentlessly torments us to this day.

The chief orchestrator of that Hamas bombing, Ahlam Tamimi, was freed by Netanyahu in the 2011 Shalit Deal - at the urging of his wife Sara as he himself explained ["PM says wife convinced him to go ahead with Schalit prisoner deal" Israel Hayom] to the German news magazine BILD in 2012. 

It was Sara, says Bibi, who urged him to execute the Shalit deal and release 1,027 convicted and unrepentant terrorists. They included Tamimi whom Netanyahu handed her to Jordan's King Abdullah II under the guise of "exiling" her as he termed it in his address to his constituents. 

In truth, he was returning her to her family and to the home in which she was raised in Jordan's second-largest city, Zarqa. Some exile.

There - and in Amman where she has resided since 2011 - she has enjoyed a high-profile life replete with TV interviews, hosting gigs, award presentations and all the coverage a proud mass-murderer could wish for.

 
A minor kink in her glorious life has been her indictment by the U.S Department of Justice (at first under seal in 2013 and then unsealed in 2017) and the subsequent public American demand for her extradition by her protector, Jordan's Abdullah.

1995

The demand is based on a valid extradition treaty dating to 1995, signed and ratified by the U.S and by King Abdullah's father, King Hussein. The State Department has asserted numerous times [here for instance] that the treaty continues to be in force, valid and binding.

But not to worry, King Abdullah has navigated his way around all that, has ignored the demand, has declared the treaty "not ratified" and has won a cadre of supporters in the U.S. Congress on both sides of the aisle.

Abdullah's Jewish admirers, who are numerous and include influential individuals and large, prominent organizations,  have also assisted his rejection of the demand. Their continued regular, reverential meetings with him and their silence on the subject signal to him that they are fine with his evasion of justice.

 
Who cares whether the mass murderer whom he is shielding slaughtered Jewish children - eight of them?

Finally, King Abdullah's position regarding the extradition demand has been buttressed by none other than Netanyahu. Informed sources have quietly suggested to my husband and me that our prime minister, off the record, has urged Jewish leaders not to touch the Tamimi matter - and not to pressure the king to comply with the U.S. government's demand.

Is this a man determined to settle scores with terrorists? Actions speak louder than empty condolence messages.

Clearly, justice for murderers of Israelis is not on Netanyahu's list of priorities.

Drugs and hope: An update

Haya in the hydro pool last week

I thought a med update for Haya would be appropriate, so here goes.

She has been entirely off Keppra for nearly one week. She had been receiving 1,500 mg of it twice/day for several years. 

Her neurologist's instructions were to reduce her dosage by 250 mg. every 2 weeks. She admitted the move was a shot in the dark - just "something to try". But since it's known that epileptics can become inured to drugs after taking them for long periods, I embraced it. 

One less med sounded appealing.

I adhered to the weaning regimen, more or less, at times extending the two weeks by a few days. But I weaned her off the last 250 mg much more slowly. 

First I removed the nighttime 250 mg. and then two weeks later, removed the morning 250 mg.

Whew. It was a huge relief to see no repercussions. 

The last med we weaned her off successfully was cannabis But about two years before that we made an attempt at removing Vimpat. It triggered status epilepticus and a hospitalization.

So for now, Haya is only two anti-epileptics: Fycompa and Vimpat. Quite an achievement!

The new med

Here she is (above, right) having her first hydro session minus Keppra:

And while I'm aware of that birthday promise I made to opt for realism over optimism, I can't help hoping that deleting Keppra will bring some minor improvement. Not fussy about that - any shred of heightened functioning would do us.

Alongside the Keppra weaning we've introduced the new drug that the neurologist recommended to treat her kidney stones. It's Urocit-K and she gets one pill 3 times/day.

If those stones were painful, and I understand they tend to be, then I hope Haya is enjoying some relief already.

We can only hope and guess.

Where does Speaker McCarthy stand on US justice?

US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy
with Jordan's King Abdulla II and Crown Prince Hussein [Image Source]

As U.S. Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, addresses Israel's Knesset today, it would be apt to note whom he visited just prior to that event - King Abdullah of Jordan. 

As is obvious from the photo on the right, to call it a warm encounter is an understatement. It is also very disturbing.

Saturday's get-together came on the heels of a recent meeting the two had in Washington D.C. in January. At that tête-à-tête, McCarty lavished this praise on his buddy:

“From my perspective, our relationship, our friendship and your work to bring peace is just integral to where we go in the Middle East.”

Lest anyone imagine McCarthy challenged Abdullah on either occasion regarding any of his positions, the following press release by Jordan's monarchy left no doubt that did not happen:

McCarthy said, "Jordan is the very first country I chose to visit as Speaker. There’s a reason for that. They are a strategic ally in the Middle East and share America’s commitment to peace, prosperity — and most importantly — stability in the region." [Times of Israel, April 30, 2023]

Apparently McCarthy is not at all troubled by Jordan's harboring of a self-confessed Hamas terrorist who also happens to be a fugitive from the U.S. Dept of Justice. She is none other than Ahlam Tamimi, who murdered 15 men, women and children in the Jerusalem Sbarro bombing of 2001 which she orchestrated. Among the innocent victims was my child, Malki.

McCarthy's "love affair" with Abdullah is unfazed by that ruler's refusal to accede to the U.S. demand for her extradition and for justice to be done. It was made in 2017 under the 1995 treaty which Abdullah's father King Hussein enthusiastically signed, ratified and publicized.

Speaker McCarthy, tell us please: How does that reflect that Abdullah "share[s] America's commitment to peace, prosperity - and most importantly -stability in the region."

It is high time McCarthy made his devotion to Abdullah contingent on handing over Tamimi to the U.S. to stand trial for her murder of two U.S. citizens - one of them, Malki.

Because, really, justice absolutely ought to be "integral to where we go in the Middle East".

Love and realism

Today is my daughter Haya's 28th birthday. 

I found this post (above) on my Facebook feed and was struck by the resemblance of this photo to her. 

Oops, it is her. 

I had momentarily forgotten that I submitted her photo to the Families SCN2A Foundation Facebook group some months ago.

While I am aware that there is no improvement down the road for Haya, I wish her, at the very least, a year of stability free of crises and of hospitalizations. 

I'm opting for realism over optimism these days

We love you Haya.

Silver linings and slippery slopes

My murdered daughter Malki and the ruins of the Sbarro

pizzeria minutes after it was bombed by terrorists

Everyone grieves differently; naturally. Not surprisingly, families of the victims of terror are often alienated from each other by their varied ways of grappling with their tragedies.

But one particular approach to loss has become, I hesitate to brand it thus, trendy among the general public.

Increasingly, the media - whether social or mainstream - spotlights the parents of murdered children who emphasize the "silver lining" message. By that I mean the positives that their loss has provided them.

It might be the not-for-profit that they have founded in their child's memory. Or the new outlook on life they've embraced in the wake of their tragedy. Or the overwhelming support and love of their relatives and friends they've received. Or the conviction that the heavenly goodness in their child's murder exists but simply evades our limited comprehension.

Those are topics deemed acceptable and publishable.

But anger, doubt, confusion or the desire for justice and the imprisonment of the murderers are not. They have become taboo emotions nowadays.

This sentiment is reminiscent of the one that reigned in Israel after Holocaust survivors settled here. The society those victims joined clearly signaled to them - and sometimes even told them explicitly - that mentioning their horrific experiences and unfathomable grief was not welcome.

Another spreading trend is to deny terrorist acts the label "terrorism". More and more global news services refer to them as "events in a cycle of violence" or "responses to the occupation" and so on. It is a phenomenon that both enrages the murdered victims' families and encourages fresh terrorism.

Recently, the global news source CNN crossed a red line in its reporting on the April 7, 2023 Jordan Valley shooting attack that resulted in the murder of the Dee family's wife/mother and two daughters. As reported by CAMERA on April 11, 2023, two CNN correspondents described that terror act with language never before used in that context.

Frederik Pleitgen said:

“But earlier in the West Bank, there was a shooting incident where a car received a bullet shot, or gunshots, with the family in it. It was a mother and her two daughters, and the two daughters were killed in that crash.”

CNN's Isa Soares adopted the same wording. 

Both journalists later reported the shooting of a Palestinian youth, aged 16, by Israeli forces during a military operation. The ages of the Dee daughters were never cited by Soares or Pleitgen, although one was 15 years old.

I shudder to imagine how they would have recounted the Sbarro bombing of August, 2001 which took our angel Malki from us forever. Perhaps

"The Sbarro pizzeria in central Jerusalem received a 10 kg explosive from which 15 men, women and children took shrapnel and died."

For some reason, nobody among Israel's journalists or politicians chose to weigh in on CNN's terrorism denial other than Israel National News which merely reprinted CAMERA's report.

This conduct sets a dangerous precedent that cries out for our protests.

Yet Israel's silence shouldn't surprise us. My husband and I have encountered the same indifference in our quest for justice for our Malki.

Her self confessed murderer, Ahlam Tamimi, sentenced in Israel to sixteen life terms, enjoys utter safety and freedom in Jordan. She is protected by its autocrat, King Abdullah II, who has, since 2013 ignored US demands for her extradition under a treaty signed and ratified in 1995 by his father, King Hussein.

The fact that Tamimi has engaged in public incitement to terrorism from widely-viewed TV and social media platforms does not interest Israel. Consecutive governments have nurtured their intimate friendship with Jordan since her release in the Shalit "Deal" of 2011. 

Meanwhile Israeli journalists - even so called "right wing" and religious ones - have ignored our pleas for their coverage of this travesty of justice.

Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Day of Remembrance, is an appropriate time to call attention to the current status of terrorism and its victims. We are on a slippery slope toward rampant terrorism denial. That will increasingly threaten Israel's security.

Israel's leaders, politicians and journalists must take a stand. Call out those - like CNN - who report about the terror attacks as "car crashes". Stop rewarding those - like Jordan - who shield fugitive terrorists and reject treaty-based demands for extradition.

The consequences of continued silence could be grave.