"I agree that we must continue to draw upon the lessons  learned from the Holocaust and make sure young people understand the  consequences of hatred and apathy. As a result, our board is honoured to join  with other school boards in Ontario and with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal  Center in this important work."

  - Brian Beal, Director Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District  School Board, explaining why his Board joined Friends of Simon      Wiesenthal Center's January 27th Initiative to commemorate the Holocaust in schools across Ontario.
 

Intelligence Brief: March 6th, 2017

1. President Trump Signed New Travel Ban Earlier Today

CNBC reports President Donald Trump signed a new executive order earlier  today which temporarily bans immigration and travel to the United States from  six Muslim-majority nations: Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Syria, and Libya. The executive order is a revised version of an earlier executive order signed  by Trump in January which sought to temporarily ban immigration and travel  from seven Muslim-majority nations, including the six  already  mentioned, plus  Iraq. That executive order caused widespread global  outrage, spurred protests at airports across the United States, and was successfully challenged in court by the  state of Washington. Following that original order, the Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a press release saying there should be no blanket ban on entry to the United States  based on nationality, religion, or ethnicity. 

2. Israeli and Palestinian Blood on Saudi Hands

A report released in late February  by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) includes the alarming revelation showing Saudi Arabia and the Arab  League are responsible for shedding both Israeli and Palestinian blood. The  report quotes former Palestinian Foreign Minister and chief negotiator  Nabil Shaath saying former Saudi King Abdullah (then the Saudi Crown Prince)  gave the Palestinians a billion dollars to finance the second Intifadah in  2000. Speaking on Egyptian TV, Shaath said he met the Crown Prince in Jordan  and was promised Saudi Arabia would give half of the money and the Arab  League the other half. "That was the money that enabled us to survive in  the three years of the Intifada," Shaath explained, in a damning  statement that proves the Saudis' sponsorship of global terror.

 3. Iran Tests Advanced  Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile System

State-media in Iran reports the Iranian military has  successfully tested its new advanced aerial defense system, the S-300,  which was delivered by Russia last fall. The test reportedly included a  variety of artificial targets, mirroring both enemy aircraft as well as enemy  cruise missile systems. The proven functionality of the new S-300 system is  thought to significantly increase Iran's self-defence capabilities, and has  the potential to increase the risk to foreign pilots during potential  pre-emptive strikes against Iran's nuclear program by foreign powers such as  the United States or Israel. Despite Israel's efforts to dissuade Russia from  selling the technology to Iran, the system was eventually sold in full late  last year.

4. Netanyahu: Iran Responsible for More Than 80% of Israel's  Security Concerns

Citing information from Israel's intelligence community,  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today told media that Iran is responsible for more than 80% of the Jewish State's  security concerns, noting "since the attack in Argentina, Israel has  gotten much stronger. Iran initiated and planned it, and Hezbollah, which  does what it [Iran] says, carried it out." Netanyahu also mentioned  Iran's activity in the Golan Heights, observing, "Iran is the  greatest generator of terrorism in the world" and that Israel's  "red-lines are thick and clear, and we do not hesitate to act in order  to preserve them."

5. Embassies in Israel a Diplomatic Double-Standard

Israeli news anchor and political commentator Eylon  Aslan-Levy has penned an incredible piece published in this month's edition  of Tower Magazine highlighting the global hypocrisy regarding locating  foreign embassies to Israel in Jerusalem. Although no major Western  powers hosts an embassy in the city, Levy notes all of those same major  Western powers have consulates in Jerusalem which deal directly with the  Palestinian Authority. In effect, their de-facto embassies to the  Palestinians are located in Jerusalem, while they refuse to do the same for  Israel - a double-standard at the highest of levels. Levy concludes ". .  . Palestinians enjoy the privilege of diplomatic missions in the very same  city, without any qualms in the international community about the effective  hypocrisy."

 6. FSWC at Work

During a Tour for Humanity presentation of the 'Global  Perspectives workshop' at a Peterborough high school on Friday, a serious  discussion ensued concerning the brutality and inhumanity of the Pol Pot  regime and the Cambodian genocide in the late 1970s. FSWC educators explained  the similarities between Pol Pot's recruitment tactics, primarily among young  Cambodians, and the propaganda techniques employed by the Nazis with the  Hitler Youth Program during WWII. Visit www.tourforhumanity.com to learn more about the human  rights-based programs offered to schools on FSWC's award-winning mobile  tolerance classroom across Ontario.

 PHILANTHROPY CORNER
 FSWC is a designated Canadian charitable organization that provides tax  receipts for charitable contributions. A donation to FSWC is tax deductible  and provides an incredible footprint of direct action in our community. If  you want to change lives and provide for positive community development,  consider extending your philanthropy to Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center  this year. Give with Purpose. Make it count.