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HOW LAVENDER SAVED ISRAEL!

Instead of breathing death, they could breathe in lavender – a rescue solution in the face of unbearable reality.

By Forest Rain Marcia

I don’t particularly like lavender, but a farm dedicated ONLY to lavender?! I thought that would be something worth seeing. I never imagined I’d hear about lavender saving Israel but then in Israel, you never know what you will discover.

Beauty and the Feast. A visual feast of shrubs and tranquility greets the visitor to moshav Kanaf on the Golan.

Azizo Lavender Farm is located in the community of Kanaf in the Golan Heights. The name “Azizo” is inspired by a Latin inscription discovered on a lintel of the ancient synagogue in Deir Aziz, where modern Kanaf now stands. Farmer Dan and his wife Lilach chose this name to honor the deep historical connection to the land and the water source by the same name that sustained the ancient community and continues to nourish their lavender fields today.

Golan’s Past – Sights & Sounds. Near Kanaf are the ruins of a Jewish village from the Talmudic Period where visitors can walk around an ancient synagogue and imagine the voices of prayer that were heard here 1500 years ago.

The place is beautiful and full of purple accents – and fresh lavender smells much better than the lavender scent used in perfumes and detergents.

Farmer Dan happily explained the history of the business, growing and harvesting lavender. His lavender brought a small but crucial revolution to Israeli households. Everyone used to use moth balls to protect clothes – an effective but terrible-smelling solution. The first Azizo product was small bags of lavender to use instead. They work so well and last so long that some Kanaf residents still use the ones they bought in 1987!!

Farmer Dan and his wife Lilach from moshav Kanaf/ Golan Heights

The farm now sells a large variety of products made with their lavender – everything from chocolate, liqueur, honey, and lavender ice cream to lavender-based toiletries.

Nice, wholesome, and a little boring until suddenly farmer Dan told us about October 7th.

We didn’t know to ask. Who would think that a flower farm in the north of Israel had anything to do with the horrors of the Hamas invasion in the south?

Deep Purple. A floral fragrance lingers above this Lavender field on moshav Kanaf on the Golan Heights.

On October 7th Dan got a phone call from a woman begging for help. Her husband was among those evacuating bodies of the massacred to the Shura Camp near Ramla in central Israel for identification. Within hours, the rooms of the camp were piled to the ceiling with bodies and the smell was unbearable.

The soul could not deal with what they were seeing. The task needed to be done but the workers were becoming physically ill.

“You have to help me!” she pleaded.

The next day the Shura teams received Dan’s solution – small bags of lavender which they inserted inside their face masks and lavender oil they could drip on the masks themselves. Instead of breathing death, they could breathe in lavender.

The invaders massacred Jews to try to disconnect us from our land. Flowers born of the ancient love story between the Jewish People and our ancestral homeland, between this land and her People, saved the day.

Loving Lavender. “Farmer Dan” at home with his lavender on his moshav Kanaf on the Golan Heights overlooking the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).


Flowers protected those doing the unspeakably horrible and deeply sacred work of identifying the massacred. They enabled the families of Israel to get much-needed answers. We used sheer determination and technology too but we needed flowers, a blessing from the land herself to finish the job.

Think about that.



About the writer:

Forest Rain is an American-born Israeli who lives in northern Israel. She’s a branding expert and storyteller. Her passion is giving voice to the stories of Israel illuminating its profound events, cherished values, and exemplary role models that transcend borders, casting Israel as an eternal wellspring of inspiration and strength for a global audience.

Forest Rain made Aliyah at the age of thirteen. After her IDF service, she co-developed and co-directed a project to aid victims of terrorism and war. These activities gave her extensive first-hand experience with the emotional and psychological processes of civilians, soldiers, and their families, wounded and/or bereaved and traumatized by terrorism and war (grief, guilt, PTSD, etc). Throughout the years, she has continued to voice the stories, pain, and strength of traumatized Israelis to motivate others to provide support and counter the hate that threatens Jews in Israel, around the world, and Western civilization itself through the understanding that what begins with the Jews never ends with Jews.

Inspiration from Zion: https://inspirationfromzion.com/






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).

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 24 June 2024

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond

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THE ISRAEL BRIEF- 17-20 June 2024
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(1)

AN OPEN LETTER TO NALEDI PANDOR

South Africa’s outgoing foreign minister showed ZERO concern for Israelis that experienced a massacre and whose women were raped and abused by the very people Pandor embraces.
By Rolene Marks

AN OPEN LETTER TO NALEDI PANDOR
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(2)

AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS ARE FAILING THEIR PEOPLE

If Africa is inept at solving problems on its doorsteps, how does that make it adept at solving the problems of others a continent away? Go figure!
By Kenneth Mokgatlhe

AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS ARE FAILING THEIR PEOPLE
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(3)

Father’s Day with Hamas Terrorists

It’s not every day that I read headlines at home in Israel and think of classic American folk-rock songs. In fact, it has never happened before. Until recently.
By Jonathan Feldstein

Father’s Day with Hamas Terrorists
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LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

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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).



Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 26 May 2024

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond

Home

Like this content? Please share and tweet it to your friends and followers.

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Also available on YouTube @The Israel Brief  – Simply click on the red subscribe button to receive alerts when a new report is posted.



What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page and YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.

THE ISRAEL BRIEF – 20-23 May 2024
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Lay of the Land’s ‘Photo of the Week’
The Hamas monsters Israel faces with and whom the world assists

Three Minutes of Horror : Chilling footage from kidnapping of IDF female troops.
What has become of them?
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Articles

Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.


(1)

BIDEN’S BLUNDERS

A failure to recognize that Israel’s war must be to defeat not appease Hamas and other Iranian proxies
By Jonathan Feldstein

Joe’s Jitters. As the US election nears, Bidens “ironclad” assurances seem more and
more deficient of the ‘iron’ content.

BIDEN’S BLUNDERS
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(2)

AN OPEN LETTER FROM ISRAEL TO SOUTH AFRICA’S FOREIGN MINISTER NALEDI PANDOR

If you can vote in Ramallah but not in Tel-Aviv, is South Africa ‘stage-managing’ who it wants to vote and not vote?
By Kenneth Mokgatlhe

Dangerously Divisive. “Is it possible Minister Pandor to love and support Palestine without hating Israel and its people?” asks the writer, an independent columnist studying at Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

AN OPEN LETTER FROM ISRAEL TO SOUTH AFRICA’S FOREIGN MINISTER NALEDI PANDOR
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(3)

SOUTH AFRICA’S FOREIGN POLICY MORALLY ADRIFT

Obsessed with trying to undermine Israel at every opportunity, South Africa ignores genuine genocides closer to home.
By Allan Wolman

Selective Sight.  South Africa has only eyes for Palestinians a continent away, while closer to home, counties are ablaze like here in the Sudan on 1 September 2023.

SOUTH AFRICA’S FOREIGN POLICY MORALLY ADRIFT
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(4)

THE ARAB VOICE – MAY 2024

Perspectives and insights of Israel’s current war with Gaza from writers in the Arab media

While many of these articles are heavily slanted against Israel, Lay of the Land  views it important for its readers to be exposed to the conversations throughout the Arab world that impact Israel and the Jewish world.

THE ARAB VOICE – MAY 2024
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LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

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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).



I AM BLOCKED FROM VOTING IN SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONAL ELECTION

If you can vote in Ramallah and not Tel Aviv, is the ruling ANC manipulating who of its nationals abroad can vote?

By Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe

It is so disappointing to me that I won’t be able to execute my national duty to vote for my desired government on 29 May. For the first time since I was eligible to vote in the 2009 general elections, the ANC government will make it impossible for South African citizens in Israel to cast their vote to bring about much-needed change in government. I was told a week ago by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials that I should go to other missions outside Israel to vote, such as Ramallah, Aman or Cairo. Really? That is effectively telling me:

 “You can’t vote!”

The illogical decision to shut down South Africa’s embassy in Tel Aviv is starting to impact negatively on South African citizens studying or working in or touring Israel. I could not reach out to anyone at the IEC when the online registration was giving me problems. Although I am pleased that I finally did manage to register to vote, it worries me that without an embassy, South Africans in Israel might be prevented from taking part in the upcoming elections.

Selective Voters. South Africans queuing up at Trafalgar Square to vote in South Africa’s 2014 election, a right now being denied to prospective voters in Israel.

The IEC and the SA government are duty-bound to ensure that all South African citizens in the diaspora can participate in the upcoming extraordinary elections, which will mark the 30th anniversary of the first historic and inclusive elections in 1994 when a charismatic statesman, Nelson Mandela, led the ANC to its outright victory. I am writing this column from Israel where I’ll be based even during these important elections where I want to help escort the ANC out of our Union Building. Just as people lined up in the long queues to vote for the ANC in 1994, while in Israel I want to do the opposite by adding my name to those voting to uproot the ineptitudes and delinquents from public office.

Following a resolution taken by the ANC at its elective conference in 2017, the SA government decided to downgrade its embassy in Tel Aviv. They have since moved from a downgrade to an entire shutdown of the office. Paradoxically, while the embassy is closed, there remain some cultural and economic ties between the two countries.

Closed for Business. “It’s outrageous that South African citizens arrived at the South African embassy in Ramat Gan to find a notice stuck on the door saying, ‘This office will be closed until further notice’,” says South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) National Director Wendy Kahn.

I am a student at one of the universities in Israel where I was awarded a prestigious scholarship. This scholarship makes it possible to send between $200 to $250 to my family back in South Africa. Do we know the importance of remittances? For those who do not have an idea, remittances (money earned from foreign countries and sent to another country) are essential for every economy as it is a critical source of external finance for South Africa. This money plays a meaningful role in combating hunger and poverty, especially in African countries. I am an active economic player, not a burden like many who are dependent on the state for their daily survival.

Most African embassies are operating their embassies to help their citizens on issues that may arise while in Israel. As my country decided to pack their bags and leave us in the cold, it gets lonely when my colleagues from other African countries visit their embassies in Tel Aviv when mine is not there. What I normally do is just join them and learn about the cultural, social and political aspects of other countries because I cannot simply keep on complaining about the ANC’s hostility against Israel.

We are South Africans who went to various countries to look for greener pastures while retaining our full South African citizenship. It was through all the concerted efforts of our forefathers that we achieved suffrage. A right to vote is a pre-requisite of any democracy; we have a right to have a say on who should preside over our polity. It is therefore the responsibility of our government to work together with the IEC to ensure that we become part of the decision-making process.

The Bold and the Beautiful. Back in 2021, Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane, who defied the South African government that pressured her to boycott the contest because it was being held in Israel, told The Jerusalem Post that “If I had not come to Israel to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.”

The ANC’s dislike of Israel has led the government to take the most moronic decisions in the past, such as attacking South African artists like Black Coffee (Nkosinathi Maphumulo) who had been booked to play in Israel, while ‘ordering’ Miss SA, Lalela Mswane not to participate in the Beauty Pageant held in Israel in 2021. Orlando Pirates was told it could not play with an Israel-based soccer team last year. David Teeger recently lost his captaincy in the South African Cricket Under 19 side for expressing, as a loyal Jew, his support for Israel.

Defying the Dopes. Despite pressure from BDS South Africa, Orlando Pirates – seen here celebrating winning the 2023 Nedbank Cup – refused in 2023 to heed calls to refrain from playing a friendly game against Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv. (Photo: Sydney Mahlangu, BackpagePix)

It is important to stress the importance of voting to all South Africans in the country and all those in the diaspora as it remains our only tool to affect positive change. We have to come to understand that there is no politician or political party that wields power as of right; it is we, the voters, who decide to whom to give this power. We have to elect competent, ethical, and incorruptible political leadership into public office. For all South Africans in the diaspora, especially in conflict-ridden areas like Israel, Sudan, and Ukraine, it should be made possible for everyone to participate in this upcoming historic election. There is a need for all citizens to participate in spearheading political change in our country. 


About the writer:

Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe is a political writer and researcher based at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.






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).

“G-d’s country?”

Brisk walks and swims along Sydney’s southern stunning beachside suburb of Coogee led to intense ‘reflections’ – not only from the sun!

By Solly Kaplinski

I really didn’t want to go. I felt I couldn’t leave Israel during these times especially with three grandchildren in the army, but my brother, Benny, was celebrating his 70th birthday and with my late mom z’’l (Of Blessed Memory), Sima’s words ringing in my ears about how important family is, I made the brief trip to Sydney, Australia, 35 hours door to door! How could I not be with him? He had also celebrated my 75th birthday with me in Israel!

On the Waterfront. Away from war in body if not in mind, the writer (right) with his brother Benny enjoying Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

I had in fact been to Australia several times during the course of my work for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Charles Jordan, JDC representative and later, JDC Executive Vice President during his visit to Australia in August / September 1947 to scout out places of refuge for Shoah survivors remarked:

“They call this: God’s country, and right they are. It has about the same climatic conditions as California, and there is an attractive blend of old and new architecture and landscaping, each community striving to outdo the other in developing its environs, parks, and playgrounds. As I watch these happy people here enjoying the benefits of truly civilized living, I see before me the faces of those for whom we care and knowing as I do of the migrant need of this country for an increase in population, I wonder how many of them who need it most will find their way to this heaven”.

In fact, JDC helped almost 20,000 Holocaust survivors reach and settle in Australia post the Shoah years. Coming to G-d’s country with nothing but the clothes on their back, the survivors laid the framework and foundation for building the local Jewish population into one of the most successful, thriving Jewish communities in the world in terms of health, education, welfare, philanthropy – and a strong identification with Israel, which continues unabated – to this day. They also contributed massively to the success of Australia as a whole.

I thought about “G-d’s country’’ in Sydney as I took my early morning brisk walks and swims and marvelled at the sight of Bondi beach and its magnificent promenade – a haven of hustle and bustle, people of all ages, shapes and sizes, worshipping their bodies, the sun god – and the pint, a truly seductive lifestyle, with people swimming in the surf from before 6.00 a.m. till way past twilight, people of all ages involved in exercising and priming their bodies, and youngsters on the beach engaged in life-saving activities and games. The nippers – as they are called – learn beach safety and awareness skills, in a fun and healthy environment. A paradise.

This is the Life – or is it?  Beneath the veneer of ‘the good life’,  in post-Oct. 7 Australia, Aussie Jews are shaken by increasingly bold displays of hatred amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Benny lives a mere 25-minute walk from Coogee, perhaps one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – besides Muizenberg in Cape Town! We swam there several times and on the last occasion, we were lazily drying off when Benny asked me – I guess out of concern, whether given what’s happening in Israel, I would ever consider leaving and coming to live in Australia. I must admit I was momentarily thrown off balance by his question. I had never thought about this possibility even for a moment during our 25 years in Israel – except perhaps fleetingly, during the judicial reform chaos envisaging an out-of-control government with no judicial restraints. I had a flashback to a visit I had made to Israel back in the 90’s to interview prospective Hebrew and Jewish Studies teachers for Herzlia High School in Cape Town, when buses, restaurants and night clubs were blown up in Jerusalem – and all over Israel, with huge casualties. I was travelling on a bus with my daughter Tali who had made Aliyah on the day she matriculated from Herzlia – and I asked her whether she wasn’t afraid to be in Israel. She turned to me and replied:

“Dad, you see those mountains in the distance, the Judean desert, they belong to me – and I, I belong to them.”

Shifting Sands. Not far from the glorious sandy beaches, only 3 days after the massacre of Jews on October 7, protestors in support of the Hamas attack, hold a rally outside the Sydney Opera House on October 9, 2023 chanting antisemitic slogans.  (Photo: AAP IMAGE/DEAN LEWINS VIA REUTERS)

And similarly, thinking about Benny’s question, I responded to him saying:

“Everything in Israel matters for me: from the trauma and the angst and the bereaved and the mourning – and the hostages, to the words in the last letter of a soldier who fell in battle: ‘I am going into this war knowing I might not be coming back, but I believe wholeheartedly in what I am doing. We have no other country, and now it is my turn to defend it, and fight the battle of all the civilians, soldiers, babies, elderly and women who were helpless in the face of Hamas’ brutality. This is the way my parents raised me, this is what I believe in, I hope you will remember me,’ – from sheer joy at our resilience, how when the chips are down, Israelis rally to the cause like no one else on this planet; how more than 100,000 Israelis returned from their vacations abroad when the war broke out to serve in the IDF – to all the bottom-up initiatives that Israelis engage in to help our fellow citizens. I embrace all of this – a life of genuine meaning and fulfilment, like never before. I own it; I wrap my arms around it. It all belongs to me – and I, I to it. Now more than ever.”

True Colours. Australia’s Green Party have been widely condemned for failing to support a motion condemning Hamas. (Photo:  NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman)

And then I thought of how Benny, out of fear, had removed the mezuzah off his front door, how we needed to speak in hushed tones, sotto voce, when people were around us. I wondered whether I should remove my Magen David while on the beach, which I have not removed in more than 60 years. I defiantly kept this precious symbol of my proud Jewish identity on!  I thought about the explosion of Jew-hatred in Australia that just about everyone that I met in Sydney referenced to the point of being fearful. I thought about the Greens, the third-biggest political party in Australia, blatantly antisemitic with rarely an official eyebrow being raised and about the normalization of antisemitism and the future for Jewish children – and grandchildren.

Homeward Bound. Israelis abroad scramble to return to join reserve IDF units or just to help as seen here as young passengers wait in a line to enter a flight to Israel at the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens, Greece, October 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
 

Yes, Jewish diasporas have limited life spans as per our history – sometimes with devastating and tragic effects. And while Jews in these communities act as strong advocates and lobby groups for local Jewish needs and for Israel, I thought again about Australia, or for that matter, the country of my birth, South Africa, and Europe and ‘der goldene medina’ – America?

G-d’s country? I think not.



About the writer:

Solly Kaplinski headed up Jewish Day Schools in Cape Town, Toronto and Vancouver before making Aliyah with Arleen almost 25 years ago. His professional life in Israel is bookended by working at Yad Vashem and then at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Solly is also the author of the novella A World of Pain: A Redemptive Parable? His three daughters, their spouses and an egalitarian minyan of grandchildren all live in Israel. 





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).

FOREIGN POLICY FOR HIRE

South Africa’s geopolitical influence should not be rented to the highest bidders

By Kenneth Mokgatlhe

The recent decision to drag Israel into the United Nations’s International Court of Justice (or World Court as it is known by many South Africans) has honestly divided the country; some praise their government while others are dissatisfied with the move. There is no doubt that there will be a price to pay for our actions in the international arena and sadly, the poor will pay that price.

While politicians will use human rights, justice, or equality as drivers of their country’s foreign policy direction, we know that the primary driver of such an important policy is often always self-interest of those in power. In the case of South Africa, it is the African National Conference (ANC), the governing party, which is using political means to satisfy itself and its historic allies. The nature of South Africa’s case at the World Court is not about South Africans; the government’s involvement will not have any direct or indirect material benefit to the poor South Africans.

Charge of the Light’weight Brigade. Enjoying the limelight at The Hague, who really was behind South Africa falsely accusing Israel of genocide?


South Africa’s decision to drag Israel into the World Court seems to come from a well-meaning place; a strategic political move that will remind local voters about the party’s reputation as a defender of human rights. They may be criticised for bad governance but they will always be known for their role as the defenders of the vulnerable during South Africa’s struggle for freedom from the oppression of apartheid. It is known that people are not happy with the ANC’s performance in government and this case will have a fundamental impact in the coming elections.


It also appears that the ANC-led government is subjecting itself to being used as a lackey by both Iran and Russia. Is the decision to approach the World Court solely coming from Pretoria? There are several indicators that make it difficult to say “yes”. The ANC has become cozy with the Iranian government and Hamas, a terror group supported by Iran, both of whom advocate for the elimination of the State of Israel and killing of Jews.

Wrong Side of History. Disagreeing with their government’s support of Russia in its unprovoked war on Ukraine, protestors hold placards outside the Russian Consulate in Cape Town, Feb. 25, 2022.

The ANC hosted Hamas which killed more than 1300 innocent Israelis on 7 October 2023, including a few Africans who were there for study purposes. Hamas also abducted more than 240 women, children and the elderly, and raped, tortured, burned, and maimed their victims. They were hosted and welcomed into the ANC’s headquarters, Luthuli House. In just a few days after the 7 October massacre, South Africa’s foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, also called Hamas’ leader to show and commit unwavering support to a bloody terror group. A summary of this call was flagrantly published by Iran on the official website of its foreign ministry.

Shared Values! Three days after the massacre in Israel by extermination squads from Gaza, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (l) meets his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, in Pretoria on August 10, 2023 where they expressed that they share “common views” concerning the Middle East. (Photo by Press TV)

On its own, Hamas couldn’t have the military resources to carry out their October 7 vicious attacks. The fact that they are still able to fire rockets at Israel shows that they have military backing from Iran. We know from Palestinians and Hamas leaders that Iran provides military training, logistical support and financial assistance to Hamas.


Is it a wise move for South Africa to associate with Hamas and Iran? I think not, so, why is our country not instead associating with Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or Jordan in a quest to look for a more permanent solution? None of these pro-Palestinian governments have taken Israel to the World Court.


If South Africa genuinely wants to arrest the Israel-Palestine impasse, why is it difficult to use bilateral relations to condemn what they believe goes against their moral values directly with Israel? When you get angry and disengage how is it going to positively impact the outcome? South Africa chooses to go out and make noise while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan are looking for a solution by engaging both parties directly, not through the media or on the international stage as South Africa has chosen to do.

There are political and security concerns between Israel and Palestine that have persisted for years which means that there should be a more sustainable, permanent, and political solution. An order from the World Court is a temporary means which does not sustainably or permanently solve the problem. Many people are hypocritical because they choose to blame Israel when it is defending itself by taking the fight to Hamas, but they keep quiet when Hamas is provoking and killing the Israelis. Every country has a moral duty to go all out and protect its people against any threat, big or small.


It is hypocritical of our government that took Israel to The Hague but showed a middle finger to the International Criminal Court when it issued a warrant of arrest against Al Bashir for crimes against humanity by refusing to arrest him while in South Africa. Subsequently, South Africa ignores the acts of crimes against humanity in Ukraine by a thuggish Russia. The ANC government has never issued a statement or acted against what Vladimir Putin is doing to Ukraine. They are so fixated on Israel and would do anything to demonise it.

Bosom Buddies. Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speak during a Russia-Africa Summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Oct. 23, 2019.

South Africa is a country that borders Zimbabwe whose people have been subjected to acts of violations and terror by ZANU-PF in the full view of the ANC, and they are keeping quiet about it just as they have done for years. There are no bilateral efforts to try and fix the appalling situation in Zimbabwe or other parts of Africa. I think that South Africa’s geopolitical influence in the region and continent should not be rented to the highest bidders. Instead, we should be using our influence to address our national, regional, and continental problems. What are we saying about the political and security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo?



About the writer:

Kenneth Mokgatlhe is a political writer and columnist studying Master’s at Ben Gurion University in Israel.





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).

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR – WEEK 16

South Africa weaponizing International Law against Israel has proved it’s a strategic pawn and active proxy in Iran’s international Jihadi terror machine

By Harris Zvi Green

January 19, 2024

My dearest friends,

We’re still on a high from Omer’s wedding to Adi last Thursday evening. Two very special moments will remain with me for the rest of my life. These moments vividly reflect the emotional swings we, as a country and a people, are currently experiencing.

Immediately prior to breaking the glass recalling the destruction of the Temple, Omer stopped the ceremony and asked those present to remember his friends who so unselfishly gave their lives in defense of their country and their people. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

An hour or so into the wedding meal, the 10 soldiers in Omer’s combat unit surprised him by arriving in full military kit. The IDF organized a minibus to bring them directly from Gaza to be with Omer at his once-in-a-lifetime celebration. These soldiers hadn’t showered or shaved for days. They were a sorry sight but their faces carried smiles from ear to ear.

From Gaza to under the Chupah.  Not a dry eye at this wedding when the groom, the writer’s grandson, Omer, spoke of his fallen comrades.

There’s no question that Israel was humiliated on October 7. What happened should never have happened. There are no excuses. Around 1,400 Israelis – civilians and soldiers – paid the ultimate price. The media are fantasizing countless scenarios regarding the image that will best memorialize victory for one of the two sides to the conflict.

My daughter hit the nail squarely on the head with the message she posted on our family WhatsApp group.

She wrote: “As we stood under the Chuppah (the wedding canopy), I recalled that this wedding was due to have taken place six weeks earlier. However, the bride and groom elected to continue defending their country and defer their wedding to a later date. When the groom, in a voice choked with emotion, recalled the memories of his fallen comrades in battle, I realized we are the clear winners of this terrible war.”

Our enemy tried to kill us. They raped our women. They kidnapped our elderly. They continue to taunt us with fake news. They seek to throw fuel on the fire by attempting to deepen the rifts and increase the tensions between the different factions in our society. They’ve even hijacked the International Court of Justice to accuse us of committing a genocide. They’ve tried every dirty trick in the book.

South Africa’s Moral Descent. While South Africa presents its evil accusations against Israel at the ICJ totally insensitive to the hostages still being held by the murderous Hamas who South Africa warmly embraces, protesters wave flags and pictures of the hostages, including baby Kfir Bibas, outside the court in The Hague. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

Our enemy failed. They achieved exactly the opposite of what they set out to do. They brought us together. They failed to break our spirit. We know exactly who we are and what we’re fighting for.

The charges brought by South Africa against Israel for alleged acts of genocide in Gaza continue to cause me no end of frustration. In my opinion, they are ridiculous to the extreme.

I’m not a jurist or a lawyer. But I do know that for a law to be respected and upheld, it must be based on universal and ethical principles and be binding on the parties to the conflict. Provisions of the law must resonate with basic common sense. More specifically, International Law must be adjudicated by an independent judiciary and applied equally for the benefit of mankind.

The Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly. It underlined the international community’s commitment to ‘never again’ after the atrocities committed, particularly against the Jewish people, during World War II.

In other words, the legal convention developed in the wake of the Holocaust to protect humanity from a repeat performance, is now being applied against the victims of that Holocaust.

By its actions, the South African government appears to be completely unaware that on October 7, 2023, Hamas perpetrated a heinous act of savagery in which around 1,400 Israelis were murdered. Women were gang raped, children were brutally killed and elderly people were murdered in their wheelchairs. Others were butchered simply because they were Jewish. One hundred and thirty-six Israelis remain in hostage. Their captors have denied them their rights under the Geneva Convention to visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In addition, over the past 15 weeks, at least 11,000 rockets were randomly fired from Gaza into Israel. This figure doesn’t include hundreds of rockets launched by Gazan terror groups that misfired and landed in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas Charter is nothing less than a call for genocide against the Jewish people and their nation state. The actions of Hamas since taking control of the Gaza Strip amplify their total commitment to their charter.

Yet, Israel has been summoned to appear before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide while the leaders of the Hamas politburo continue working out in the gyms of Qatar’s leading hotels.

Something has gone very wrong. I feel insulted to the core.

The government of South Africa is, by its actions, complicit in the Hamas massacre perpetrated on October 7. By weaponizing International Law against Israel, the South African government has proved it’s a strategic pawn and active proxy in Iran’s international Jihadi terror machine.

Hunting for Jews. Hamas killers, who South Africa supports now as its “legal arm”, ignores the October 7 massacre where Israelis were butchered and shot at random like the Israeli civilians in this car attending a music festival for peace.

Genocide is defined in Article II of the Genocide Convention as a crime committed with the intent of destroying a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. It does not include political groups or cultural genocide.

So, let’s consider the following data published by the US Census Bureau International Database. The population of the Gaza Strip grew from 245,000 in 1950 to 394,000 in 1967 to 1,100,000 in 2000 to 2,100,000 in 2023. Do these numbers support the claim that Israel has committed an act of genocide in the Gaza Strip? Of course, they don’t.

The aim of the exercise at the International Court of the Justice is not to find Israel guilty of committing genocide. The aim is to slander and to demonize Israel in order to justify the multitude of war crimes perpetrated by Hamas against Israel.

My condolences to those mourning their nearest and dearest. My wishes to the injured for a complete and speedy recovery. May God protect our brave soldiers. May the hostages soon be reunited with their families.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and better times ahead.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Harris Zvi Green.



About the writer:

Harris Zvi Green was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Aged 77, he made Aliyah 53 years ago. An accountant by profession, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for a number of Israel based hi-tech companies. He is married to Phyllis. They have 3 married children ,13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Harris Zvi Green is a founder member of Truth be Told, an organization engaged in public diplomacy on behalf of Israel.




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).

LETTER FROM ISRAEL AT WAR – WEEK 10

While Israel fights to survive, the world votes at the UN to support those who want its demise.

By Harris Zvi Green

December 15, 2023

My dearest friends,

This week began with the Brit (circumcision) of our great-grandson, Achiah Chaim. It was a particularly emotional event for both Phyllis and I. All our tribe members, with the exception of our serving grandchildren, Linor and Omer, were present. Being able to celebrate together as a family at this stressful time was wonderful. It showed us that every cloud has its silver lining.

The Brit was performed in a unique garment made by my grandfather in honor of my father’s Brit 113 years ago. Since then, it’s been used at the Britot of all the males born into my father’s dynasty. This garment now spans five generations.

Generational Garment. The Brit (circumcision) this week of the writer’s great-grandson, Achiah Chaim, was performed in this garment made 113 years ago by the writer’s grandfather, a tailor by profession, who arrived in Cape Town, South Africa in 1902 from Poland via Leeds, a major textile center.

Later in the week, Omer was home for a 24-hour break. It was great catching up with him and hearing his experiences of the past few weeks. Both he and Ori have since returned to their frontline units.

There’s been no movement on the release of the hostages. The fighting has intensified. Casualties continue to rise.

As predicted, the international community, through its multitude of irrelevant and corrupt institutions, has made a conscious decision to ignore the October 7 massacre which claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis.

At this time, 129 hostages remain in captivity. Their state of health and well-being remains unclear. The Red Cross hasn’t visited them since they were taken hostage. One of my readers branded them, the “Red Double-Cross”. Indeed, an appropriate description for such an impotent and politically motivated organization. The Red Cross has become an integral part of the Hamas terror machine.

Red Cross Disappoints. There is much anger against the Red Cross at its failure to protect the lives of Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity. Seen here is Israel’s Foreign Mister, Eli Cohen together with families of Hamas hostages at the Red Cross in Geneva on November 14. Israeli relatives of hostages have complained that the Red Cross has refused to bring medication to their loved ones, with some even claiming Red Cross personnel told them to sympathise with the Palestinians.

Of course, the humanitarian aid being poured into Gaza doesn’t include life-saving medication for the hostages. It does, however, include ammunition for Hamas wrapped in packages of rice and transported in UN humanitarian bags.

Unfortunately, none of this bothers any of the 153 member nations of the United Nations General Assembly who voted in favor of imposing an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza. If implemented, this resolution will only serve to fuel the Hamas war machine. Implementation of the resolution will prolong the conflict. It’ll also enable the genocidal Hamas leadership to escape punishment for their war crimes and make future, bloody rounds of the conflict inevitable.

The resolution may not be enforceable but it does empower the proponents of terror. It gives them the moral ground to redefine the narrative and continue their acts of terror.

France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many European countries were amongst the countries who supported the resolution. Shame on them.

An amendment to the resolution proposed by the US condemning Hamas for its attack on Israel was rejected.

Nothing UN’usual. In a predictable vote, the UN General Assembly voted again with an overwhelming majority for an immediate ceasefire that if implemented would only serve the Hamas war machine and prolong the conflict. No less predictable, was the rejection of an amendment to the resolution proposed by the US condemning Hamas for its attack on October 7 that began the war.

As Abba Eben, one of Israel’s legendary diplomats, said more than 50 years ago, “if Algeria introduced a resolution declaring the earth was flat, and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions”. The numbers have barely changed.

What’s become of the Judeo-Christian values that were once fundamental to our civilization? I can only conclude these have been blown away by the Jihadi tornado howling across our planet.

The international community has betrayed Israel. Their acquiescence is a crime. They are complicit in fueling the tidal wave of antisemitism engulfing our world.

It seems I wasn’t the only person appalled by the statements and attitudes expressed by the Presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT at last week’s Congressional hearing. One of the Presidents has since resigned her position.

What a pity the US Congress doesn’t have the authority to summon heads of nations and those representing international institutions to similar hearings.

The UK advertising company commissioned to manage the campaign aimed at promoting awareness for release of the hostages was forced to renege on its agreement with the organizers after receiving thousands of complaints and personal threats to its staff. After just six days, the campaign was terminated with immediate effect. I was convinced that releasing a baby aged less than a year not to mention the 80-year-olds and the women, represented a value that would resonate favorably with the British people. Apparently, I was mistaken yet again.

Obviously, terror, or whatever the BBC wants to call it, works. The British people may not want to be involved in Israel’s problems, but for their own good, they need to understand these are their problems just as much as they are ours.

Freedom of speech in the UK has become yet another victim of Jihadi terror. There’s no such thing as selective freedom of the press. It’s either black or it’s white. There are no compromises or exceptions.

It doesn’t end there.

Jewish communities in Europe are becoming increasingly isolated. Places of worship and Jewish schools require special security. Displaying Jewish religious artifacts in public is considered dangerous. Who would have believed that less than 80 years after the Holocaust, our world would, yet again, sink to this depth of moral bankruptcy?

The Danish government announced it intends calling up military reservists to protect its Jewish community of around 6,000 souls.

The skies are grey. The sun has stopped shining. Even the horizons have distanced themselves. But we will prevail, even if we have to do it on our own. We only have ourselves to rely on. Sadly, the world has failed us.

My condolences to those mourning their nearest and dearest. My wishes to the injured for a complete and speedy recovery. May God protect our brave soldiers.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and better times ahead.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Harris Zvi Green



About the author :

Harris Zvi Green was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Aged 77, he made Aliyah 53 years ago. An accountant by profession, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for a number of Israel based hi-tech companies. He is married to Phyllis. They have 3 married children ,13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Harris Zvi Green is a founder member of Truth be Told, an organization engaged in public diplomacy on behalf of Israel.






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 THE DARKEST DAYS OF HUMANITY

Evil again descends on the land and Jews feel alone in a hostile world

By Justine Zwerling

I would like you to look into my eyes and my daughters’ eyes. Please.

In the darkest days of humanity, you need to make some decisions, take a deep breath, and check your moral compass

This is my voice day on day 67 of this war. I am a mother, wife, sister, daughter in a war zone with two kids, one with special needs.

Since Saturday morning 7th October; we are alive, not ok, not safe – and my husband has been serving on the front lines since that first morning saving lives. Before you form an opinion or express outrage at Israel, you need to remember the following:

  •  240 innocent civilians were abducted from Israel into the Gaza Strip by HAMAS. They ranged in in age from a 9-month baby to 85 years of age, 40 children under the age of 18. These innocents were kidnapped in the midst of a vicious attack against Israel during which thousands of children, elderly, women, children with special needs, and men were slaughtered, raped, gang-raped butchered, burnt alive, and severely wounded.
  • The hostages held captive by Hamas have faced not only the threat of physical harm but also the imminent risk of sexual violence, and torture – tools of terror and humiliation. We know from testimony from those released that at least 10 male and female hostages were sexually assaulted. The psychological trauma they endured  is more than we can bear. 137 men and women, including 10 men over the age of 70 remain hostage.
  • The international community’s failure to condemn these acts unequivocally and pressure Hamas to release all of the hostages is a gross betrayal of these innocent victims.
  • Over 1,200 people have been murdered, 378 soldiers have fallen, and 5,400 people have been wounded.
  •  Over 20,000+ enemy rockets and countless hostile aircraft intrusions have occurred and continue to. As I type, the ground  is shaking.
  •  Hamas terrorists are walking around Gaza with CHILDREN as human shields.
  •  My life and every breath have always been about co-existence and still is – this horrific war is about terrorist savages, not about Palestine and Israel. Each day I support and speak to my Palestinian, Druze, Christian, Sikh, Hindu friends, Emirati, Bahraini, Moroccan, Jordanian, and beyond not just the incredible Abraham Accords Countries.

Many of you on social media have always asked me to lean in and help on multiple campaigns from Black Lives Matter, Neurodiversity, Women’s Pay Gap, and the list goes on.

I always did.

Where are you now?

World, where is your outrage?

“Decolonization” necessarily implies a Jewish genocide, thus it is unacceptable to any reasonable person – if you do support that you are agreeing to murder me and my children.

It means you have chosen to support the dark side. The evil side.

You may be reading this while you drink your tea, comfortably, scrolling through which football game to watch, which item of clothing to wear/buy, which holiday to book, or which tickets to buy for your next theater performance.

This is not our reality.

This is not my family’s reality.

This is not the Jewish and Palestinian people’s reality right now.

You have a choice to make.

But it is not about choosing a team It’s about choosing between evil and humanity.

Now that you’ve looked into our eyes, please go to a mirror and look into yours.

And tell me whose side you’re on.



About the writer:

Justine Zwerling, Head of Middle East Shore Capital, supports companies with their growth journey and to raise capital on London Stock Exchange; listing on AIM, and the Main Market. Her career centres around entrepreneurship combined with a life purpose to develop the support structures surrounding women on their journey and neurodiversity. She founded the Jewish Women’s Business Network, Co-Founder of Gulf Israel Women’s Forum, Founding Member of UAE Israel Business Council. Volunteer for SAHI, Vibe Israel, Athena Fund, Autism awareness and Avi Solomon, blind runner, running with vision. She is a lucky mum of two lovely girls and a wonderful patient husband.





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).

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Time to shift from Reason to Rough when confronting mass murderers – a letter from Israel

By Harris Zvi Green

October 10, 2023

My dearest friends,

Yet again I find myself sitting in the same armchair, watching the same television screen, listening to the same panelists and wondering if the periodic rounds of violence with our Gazan neighbours will ever end. The Bold and the Beautiful has passed the 9,000 chapter mark. We’re on our way.

But this isn’t simply another round of violence. This round is much more serious. Last Saturday, hundreds of young people enjoying an open-air party were brutally murdered by a frenzied brigade of the Hamas terrorists. Kibbutzim were invaded and occupied by another group of fanatic Hamas militants. Entire families including women, octogenarians and children were either murdered, seriously wounded or taken hostage. Others were abducted and are currently imprisoned in underground tunnels in the Gaza area.

To crown it all, missiles are now raining down on towns and cities in south and central Israel. Hezbollah forces are engaged in provocations along the Lebanese border while Iran continues to pursue its dream of developing a nuclear weapon. Israel’s armed forces are now fully mobilized.

Yes folks. Israel has now joined the elite group of countries who have suffered a 9/11 experience.

Like all the previous rounds of violence, this round of violence needs to end but it needs to end very differently than the way in which the previous rounds ended. Israel will prevail. We have no choice. We have no other country. We are proud of what we’ve achieved. We’re back in our ancestral homeland and we’re here to stay.

We aren’t interested in more ceasefire agreements with meaningless “guarantees”. We are tired of trying to defend ourselves with our hands tied behind our backs. We’ve been there. We’ve done it. It simply doesn’t work. What also doesn’t work for us is what the International Community refers to as International and Humanitarian Law.

Legal systems can only work when their regulations are respected by both sides to a conflict. The provisions of International Law may be relevant to conflicts between Switzerland and her neighbours or to conflicts between the United States and Canada. They have absolutely no relevance in the Middle East. Applying the noble principles enshrined in International and Humanitarian Law to the Middle East conflict will only increase the number of civilian casualties.

Under International Law, the principle of proportionality requires that even if there is a clear military target it is not possible to attack it if the expected harm to civilians, or civilian property, is excessive in relation to the expected military advantage.

In the context of the Arab-Israel conflict, this is completely outrageous.

Hamas continues to exploit International and Humanitarian Law to its advantage by deliberately building arsenals of lethal weapons and bunkers for its military operatives under hospitals, schools and mosques. Missile launchers are positioned in the heart of civilian neighbourhoods. Their “innocent” civilians serve as human shields.

So how exactly does the International Community, the out-of-touch jurists at the International Court of Justice, the pompous academics in their ivory towers and the misguided self-styled “Human Rights” activists suggest Israel deals with its animalistic neighbours?

Is it reasonable to expect that Israel deploys its foot soldiers to wander through the booby-trapped streets of Gaza to collect the stockpiles of arms and ammunition, dismantle the rocket launchers and free those taken prisoner?

Why should Israel be expected to put the lives of their soldiers at unnecessary risk? Surely these innocent lives are more important than those of the “innocent” Gazan civilians who celebrate the murder of Israelis and provide economic support and shelter for their terrorist brothers.

The time has come to destroy the entire military and civilian infrastructure in Gaza – all the symbols of sovereignty – from military to police to banks to public transport to electricity to water and sewerage. Rebuilding the infrastructure must be conditional on the release of all the prisoners including the bodies of the soldiers held hostage by the Hamas regime for the past 9 years. We’ve exhausted the options of blockades and switching the electricity on and off. They never worked.

I’m not seeking revenge. What I’m saying is anything but politically correct. But being politically correct won’t bring peace or even co-existence. I know this sounds drastic. Some of you may even consider it barbaric. Others may want to redefine their relationships with me, but can any of you suggest a more effective way to deal with a genocide of this proportion?

The penny needs to drop. The International Community must recognize that the noble principles enshrined in International and Humanitarian Law are not relevant to the Middle East conflict.

Sincerely yours,

Harris Zvi Green.



About the witer:

Harris Zvi Green, born in Cape Town / South-Africa. Graduated from the University of Cape Town with a B. Com. degree and immigrated to Israel 51 years ago. He served as the Chief Financial Officer at a number of Israeli hi-tech companies. He is now retired. Married with three married children and is the proud grandfather of 13 grandchildren.





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).