JEWISH WORLD

By LIEL LEIBOVITZ H ow grim is the state of the world? So dispiriting that even anti-Semites, a proud breed with sturdy traditions dating back thousands of years, seem to falter and fail in their most basic duty, the simple-hearted and passionate hatred of Jews. Recently, we saw two accounts of dereliction of the duties of proper bigotry. First, Jacqueline Kent Cooke, who was arrested after she allegedly said “hurry up, Jews” to fellow patrons at an Upper East Side restaurant before swinging her glass clutch and hit- ting an attorney named Matthew Haberkorn in the head, told the New York Post that she was the real victim here, and in no way an anti-Semite. “We had a really nice dinner and were rushing to go to a friend’s apartment before the clock struck midnight. We were right behind Mr. Haberkorn’s family in the line, but they were taking a really long time looking for their tickets,” Kent Cooke told the newspaper. “So I—ticket in hand—told his mother, ‘Excuse me, I have to get through.’ She clearly didn’t hear what I said, and immediately screamed at the top of her lungs, ‘She called me a Jew!’” Kent Cooke added that she is not anti-Semitic, and added that she has a Jewish grandmother, which makes her one-quarter Jewish. The heiress is slated to return to court next month, where her account will likely be scrutinized. But even if you believe Kent Cooke’s explanation, you’d be harder pressed to feel warm and fuzzy for Wilda Rodriguez. A columnist for El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico’s most popular By RICHARD D. HEIDEMAN T he recent moves at the United Nations by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who sought the vote condemning U.S. recogni- tion of Jerusalem as Israel’s capi- tal, mark the latest use of rejection- ism as a tool in the PA-PLO arse- nal of diplomatic warfare against Israel—and now America. Rather than engaging with Israel and the U.S., the PA and PLO con- tinue to seek international diplo- matic cover to circumvent direct negotiations. The PA’s policy of rejectionism and Mahmoud Abbas’s failure of leadership ham- per rather than advance the inter- ests of the Palestinian people. Moreover, the PA’s encouragement of violence and habitual “days of rage” again demonstrate its com- mitment not only to rejectionism but also to the threat, and use, of terrorism. Both are obstacles to the presumed goals of the Palestinian people: peace, statehood, econom- ic development and a better life for all. Rejectionism is the refusal to accept the legitimacy and right of the Jewish people to a state in their ancestral homeland, and therefore deny the possibility of an agree- ment between the parties based on two states, one Jewish and one Arab. Rejectionism and terrorism are each serious and interconnect- ed threats to peace, as is refusing to engage in diplomacy. The connec- tion with terrorism is narrow and deadly because rejectionism demands not pursuing peace with Israel under any circumstances and at all costs, which creates a climate of hate that has spawned the belief that terrorism is justifiable under the guise of freedom fighting. Various Palestinian terror organ- izations—including the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad), PLO leadership and Hamas—are committed to main- taining violent and murderous campaigns against the State of Israel and her allies. Their intent has never been to establish a Palestinian Arab state, but rather to eliminate the world’s only Jewish and democratic state, and establish another Arab nation from the “river to the sea” in its place. Israel is often caught in this crossfire between terrorists and diplomats. Terrorists justify their attacks upon innocent civilians as tools that are necessary and appro- priate in their quest to force the world to recognize an independent “State of Palestine” without com- pliance with the agreements previ- ously signed between the Palestinians and Israelis. Yet diplo- mats prefer to blame Israel for the lack of peace, making it appear that Israel is the only party at fault and, therefore, the perpetual prob- lem. Moreover, diplomats ignore the fact that what they call the “State of Palestine” is in reality an assumed name, created by little Rejectionism is the refusal to accept the legitimacy and right of the Jewish people to a state in their ancestral homeland. 4 JEWISH WORLD • JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 1, 2018 115 Middle Neck Rd. Great Neck, NY 11021 516-594-4000 The award-winning independent Jewish newspaper of Long Island Publisher & editor-in-chief Jerome Wm. Lippman Assistant Editor Jeff Helmreich Features Editor Barbara Weinblatt Travel Editor Tania Grossinger Editorial Assistant Eli Feldblum Contributors Douglas M. Bloomfield, Shira Dicker, Lawrence J. Epstein, Marcelle Sussman Fischler, Ezra Goldstein, William B. Helmreich, Sandy Portnoy, Joseph R. Rackman, Erica Rauzin, Walter Ruby, Lawrence H. Schiffman, Barbara Schultz, Jacob Stein, Carol Steinberg, Harold S. 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Don’t bother apologizing for your anti-Semitic comments Kent Cooke added that she is not anti-Semitic, and added that she has a Jewish grandmother, which makes her one-quarter Jewish. continued on page 20 continued on page 20 Anti-Semites, the author says, should stand up for their beliefs and do away with making excuses for what they say or write. OPINION COMMENTARY Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas takes part in a general debate of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 20, 2017. Reject Rejectionism Nations need to turn away from anti-Israel policies Friday, January 26 Candles 4:48 p.m. Shabbat ends 5:56 p.m Friday, February 2 Candles 4:57 p.m. Shabbat ends 6:04 p.m