THIS IS A REAL SHOCKER!
OUR TAXES FUND PA & HAMAS
This MyShtetl Exclusive story was read by over 3500 Shtetlers and dozens of chirps were posted – neither the SAJBD nor the SAZF were aware of this startling information – yet both refused to comment. An Israeli Embassy source said this was a domestic issue so they would also not comment – but off the record we were advised that they were aware that some funding existed, but were certainly surprised at the scale of it.
READ THIS INCREDIBLE STORY which we were tipped off to by Shtetler David. We managed to dig up exactly how SA tax-payers’ hard-earned money had been channelled to the Palestinians and exactly how it was supposedly used.
The money first flowed from the SA Department of Foreign Affairs (up to 2009) and subsequently to the renamed Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) from 2010.
We dubbed the series: Not with our taxes!
These massive annual contributions of SA taxpayers’ money to assist Palestinian causes obviously also includes taxes paid by SA Jewry and Israelis living in SA. The information emerged from the answer to a parliamentary question posed by DA MP S Mokalapa and was provided to Parliament from the desk of the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation on 6 August 2010.
And there the information died – in the files of Parliament – until Shtetler David tipped off MyShtetl to it. As MyShtetl’s investigation dug up and analysed the information, we were overwhelmed by the scale of this distribution of hard-working taxpayers’ funds.
So where has all this money been going? READ THIS INCREDIBLE STORY and the MyShtetl table itemising where and when it was paid.
So what's new, and what can
So what's new, and what can the Jewish community do about it?
Zilch.
I wonder if, Heaven forbid, a war should break out between S.Africa and Israel, where would the loyalties of people like Ilan, and Brett lie? One could be sure that many young S.African muslims would join their bretheren, and fight against Israel.
I think it's time to educate our Jewish youth to get out of here a.s.a.p.
David Hersh, Disband SAIPAC, and form A.G.L. (anti-galut league)
SAJBD & SAZF must act The
SAJBD & SAZF must act
The following comment was submitted by Willie Paterson and ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 20:46. Unfortunately, Willie’s post was attached to the graphic and not the story. We have therefore re-posted it in the correct place with our response.
“If our tax money is squandered on funding the Palestinians to eradicate Israel, and that is what they trying to do, we need to more actively raise our voices for the politicians to hear us loud and clear.”
WE TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU, WILLIE.
When you say: “We need to more actively raise our voices for the politicians to hear us loud and clear,” we assume, as we do, that the “WE” in this is the Board and Fed who represent us in these matters – the former between SA Jewry and the SA Govt, the latter between SA and all Jewry with regard to Israel’s interests.
The sad truth is that we brought this to the attention of the Fed, Board & Israeli Embassy as soon as it came to our attention. The latter declined to comment as they saw it as a domestic issue which was understandable.
This is normal journalistic practice (which, as Jewish community media, requires a further degree of sensitivity and circumspect).
As we usually do in this type of circumstance, we asked the major Jewish Orgs: (i) if there was any compelling reason why our publication of this information could compromise the best interests of the community; (ii) if there was any further information they could add or parties they felt we should contact, or associated issues they would like us to investigate; and (iii) to offer a comment regarding their prior knowledge of this situation, and how they felt about it.
The refusal of the Board to comment, however, was troubling. Even though they said they were unaware of these facts, they specifically took the ostrich approach! They requested at the highest level that we NOT say they have ‘no comment’)! We then asked if we could state that their spokespeople were ‘not available for comment’? This, too, was unacceptable to them. Despite our protestations that by not mentioning them it made us look unprofessional in that it would seem we had not contacted them, they rephrased their ‘request’ as a ‘demand’!
Little did we know, at the time, that this was the beginning of the SAJBD and FED’s campaign of refusing to speak to MyShtetl. So, we obliged (which, in hindsight, we shouldn’t have) and acceded to their request and simply pretended that we had been unprofessional and had not approached the Orgs for comment.
We can only suggest that you, and any other Shtetler interested in the answer to this question, direct your question to the Board (sajbod@beyachad.co.za) or Fed (sazf@beyachad.co.za) in the hope that that they may reply directly to you, or post their organisations’ positions here, which they have refused to give to MyShtetl.
It quickly became clear that this was, in fact, the beginning of a new relationship of non-communication between the Fed & BOARD and ourselves. They still do not speak to us (but seem to have a lot to say about us). Nor do they send us their media releases, for reasons known only to themselves.
Therefore, we have no idea if they are, if fact, taking the matter further or not. We guess not.
Clearly our users (the community) expressed their concerns with their reads and comments and felt they had benefitted from the work Shtetler David did by digging this up and the many hours MyShtetl staffers did on the extensive investigation and reportage.
Maybe the Board and/or Fed have done (are doing) something about it and just not telling us. My gut feeling, however, is that they are not.
My guess is that if you direct this query to the Board or Fed right now they will fob it off with the use one of their stock answers, like:
• They may claim they don’t know about it and we never contacted them (which of course we have copies of);
• “We have to weigh up expending our political capital against the possible benefits that may accrue”;
• They may say that they don’t think it is important;
• Or they may claim our report is not true or accurate - even though we have pointed users to the link to the Parliamentary record of the veracity of the outcome of our investigation.
My purely personal gut feeling is that the powers in the ivory towers may simply be acting spitefully because they do not talk to Shtetler David Hersch who first tipped us off to this scandalous situation, or to us.
Or, given the benefit of the hindsight that we are persona non grata at the Board and Fed, they may well agree this is an important issue and that they may be on the case - but just not telling us about it.
PUBLISHER, ANT KATZ
Ilan Solomon is right! The
Ilan Solomon is right!
The present (and future) govertnments and N.G.O's in S.Africa have every justification for supporting the P.A. and their allies.
These people are their ideological and historical allies.
Jewish leadership in S.Africa can squawk and whine till they are blue in the face. Nothing is going to change government policy as far as (non) support for Israel and support for the palestinians is concerned.
As a matter of fact, I submit that the more you complain, the more anti-zionist(semitic) they will become.
Once again I urge our leaders (especially the Religious) to educate our youth with one primary objective. COME HOME TO ERETZ YISRAEL.
I can't believe I've been
I can't believe I've been going for years without kniwong that.