Baffled by bullies, a worried world tittering on the edge still finds time to oppose Israel
By David E. Kaplan
“We have children and grandchildren, we don’t want war,” says an understandably terrified Ukrainian woman shop attendant to Clarissa Ward of CNN on assignment in a town near the ‘border’ – misnomer for frontline – between her country and a poised-to-strike, militarized Russia.

At the other side of the world, the Taiwanese people are no less living in fear – of an invasion from mainland China. Scenarios reminiscent of the 1930s with allied dictatorial appetitive superpowers – one in Europe and another in the Far East – are again threatening war in their regions with uncertain dimensions but certain consequences – human misery.
And all happening during a global pandemic!
If it’s not chilling enough that young children have to see their elders walking around faceless, covered up with masks; that they have to further fear that their seniors are ready to wage senseless wars.
This is insane!
Adding to the theatrics is a global atmosphere of anticipation with dictators playing politics designed to obfuscate and confound while they bide their time. They playfully dangle diplomacy while massing for war.
Make no mistake this is serious stuff. After all, British Prime Mister, Boris Johnson – noted for his comedic antics and partying during the pandemic – was not joking when he said:
“Putin is holding a gun to Ukraine’s head.”
Cunningly coordinated, China is doing the same towards Taiwan.

And as this ‘theatre of the absurd’ plays out, commentators speculate that the predators first want the entertainment or circus for the masses – the 2022 Winter Olympics. And who is the host – none other than by one of the two bullies – China.
The Olympics, which stands for mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play is being hosted by a country that like its Russian counterpart is set to wage UNPROKED war and create chaos.
But before the bullets fly, it will away with a chunk of medals!
Last night I watched movie on streamer with Merle Streep and Leonardo Di Caprio called ‘Don’t Look Up’, which tells the story of two astronomers attempting to warn humanity of an approaching meteor that will shortly destroy human civilization. The meteor is a metaphor for an impending disaster but what was more disturbing was the apathy of the political leadership, totally absorbed in self-interest. Rather than trying to destroy or deflect the meteor it chose instead to try harness its potential wealth by mining it! Can this get more absurd?
Yes it can – for Israel.
While the world faces uncertainty and fallout from the actions of duplicitous players, so does Israel this week that was subjected to another false and “bully” report, designed to undermine its legitimacy and turn a world from facing existential threats to one attacking the Jewish state. Failing to ultimately remove Jews from this earth – despite endless efforts – the strategy has shifted to expunging the Jewish state – Israel.
The bully – Amnesty International whose February 1 report falsely accuses Israel of “Apartheid” has come under justifiable condemnation as being “antisemitic”. Even the Biden administration which is determined on drawing closer to the Palestinian Authority that unsurprisingly praised the report, rejected it as “absurd.” Some U.S. lawmakers denounced it as “rooted in historic prejudices and false narratives.”

Avi Bell, a professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, told JNS (Jewish National Syndicate) that “the big challenge would be to find any claims by Amnesty that are defensible from a legal point of view.”
According to Bell, the nearly 300-page report is “a compilation of tired propaganda, lies and distortions” and “boils down to a simple message: The world’s largest Jewish community should drop dead.”
For Amnesty International, which apart from calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) “to consider the crime of apartheid in its current investigation” and further calling on all states to “exercise universal jurisdiction to bring perpetrators of apartheid crimes to justice”, this NGO bully goes much farther in its declaration of war against Israel.
According to Amnesty:
“This system of apartheid originated with the creation of Israel in May 1948 and has been built and maintained for decades.”
This reference to 1948 exposes Amnesty’s animus, characterizing Israel as illegitimate since its inception.
From this revelatory platform it launched its global calling for a “comprehensive arms embargo on Israel” and for the UN General Assembly to re-establish the Special Committee against Apartheid in order to investigate Israel.

While state bullies like Russia and China have designs to absorb Ukraine (the second largest country in Europe) and Taiwan respectively, the NGO bully Amnesty International is banking on the world’s increasing antisemitism to coalesce in the mission:
– to dismantle the state of Israel.
Israel however sees through the smokescreens and subterfuges, and unlike the populace mostly in a state of denial in the movie “Don’t Look Up”, recognizes the meteor falling to earth for what it is and what needs to be done.
Jews haven’t bounced back after 2000 years and not learnt a thing or two!

While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
In an interview with a leading Israeli newspaper, Amnesty International (AI) trying as hard as they could, striving to justify the double standards employed during this fallacious report, were floundering for logical answers and cogent reasons, laying their dishonesty bare. There is no shortage of countries whose apartheid practices make the old South African model fade in insignificance, let alone what Israel is accused of. Many of these border on failed and rogue states where genocide is the order of the day, gross human rights abuse abounds in the name of ‘law’ and terrorising of their populations continue unabated. But this report as illogical as it is will do what it is intended, to create more hatred.
If one digs a little deeper into some of the interactions that AI has engaged with the likes of the Taliban, and ISIS and referred to “Jihad John” as a gentle soul, does one need any further proof that AI has a specific agenda against one people but supports, yes supports regimes with blood dripping off their hands.
One of the mission statements of Freedom House (FH), an NGO that amongst other things promotes and strengthens democracy, “Freedom House is founded on the core conviction that freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people.
According to FH, Israel stands with a very high score and status amongst the FREE democracies around the world yet AI sees differently. Given the history of AI’s continuous bias – who is to be believed?
Outstanding article – showing the bigger picture of what is happening in the world and what could happen if people would only ‘look up and open their eyes’.
The word ‘absurd’ used to describe Israel being accused of ‘Apartheid’ is actually an understatement. It is utterly ludicrous to try to link ‘Apartheid’ with Israel – when nothing could apply less …. In fact, Israel is the one true democracy in the whole region; whereas there are many countries in the middle east and round the world that would well fit the ‘Apartheid’ description.
However, quote: “ People do not believe lies because they have to, but because they want to”
Maybe there is indeed a meteor headed for this planet. Perhaps it was designed to knock some sense into some people’s deranged, brainwashed heads who ‘believe’ this puerile propaganda and repeat this noxious drivel,