Tag Archives: israel

Speculations on what happened to the adopted Yemeni children by Jay Gutman

I am about to give away a scoop. Some would say drop an H-bomb, given the history and nature of the scandal. But since no one really pays attention to all the other stuff I do, no one will pay attention to this one.

Part I

In the 1950s and 1960s and beyond, 1,053, mainly Israeli children of Yemeni descent, disappeared. The parents were told that the infant died. The parents were not given the child for burial and were sent home from the hospital. No death certificates were given.

The parents were struck with grief and incomprehension. Most parents being recent arrivals to Israel, they thought it was customary in Israel for the government or the hospital to bury stillborn or dead children, when the custom would be the burial by family with all the traditions that go with it. Some mothers and fathers had their doubts, and thought mistakes were made, as the child was born healthy. Some husbands even accused their wives of killing the baby because they had suspicions it was an adulterous baby.

yemeni001_400Over the years, grief struck families more or less organized, and protests were held in 1994, led by a Yemeni rabbi. The protests turned violent, led to the exchange of gunfire, one protestor was killed by snipers, and a dozen protestors, including the rabbi, were sent for lengthy terms in jail. The rabbi got 8 years.

5 Yemeni children resurfaced out of the 1,053, adopted by Ashkenazi families, whose foster families were specifically told not to tell their Yemeni child that he or she was an adopted child. It was mostly male babies who were given up for adoption. Another 60 or so are said to have been found, with question marks on the rest.

Where did the Yemeni children go? Here’s the scoop. They were adopted by Arab families from the Middle East. You heard me, Arab families from the Middle East. And I am one of them.

To avoid raising suspicions, the children were given up for adoption to Arab Muslim or Christian families from the Middle East who were expats living in Europe or North America or elsewhere, mostly diplomats. Adoption is illegal in all Muslim countries, and the Arab families’ extended families were to be kept in the dark about the adoption as adoption is illegal. So the children were given up for adoption to Arab expat families in Europe, North America, South America, who would tell their families back home that they had been pregnant.

Why Yemeni children? Because physically Yemeni children have the same complexion as Arabs from the Middle East, the Yemeni children could easily be confused as being the biological children of the Arab families.

The Yemeni children would often grow up as outcasts in their foster families from the Middle East, anywhere from Mauritania to Morocco to Algeria to Tunisia to Libya, Egypt or Jordan, Lebanon or Syria. Saudi Arabia tended to be avoided because Saudi Arabian diplomats tend to be posted for lengthy amount of periods abroad, never to move back to Saudi Arabia.

The rest of the Article, HERE!


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Explosives missing in Gaza

A large stockpile of unexploded weapons has disappeared in Gaza, before United Nations experts were able to dispose of it safely. The explosives, including aircraft bombs and white phosphorus shells, were fired by the Israeli military during its recent offensive in the Gaza Strip.

UN officials said they were urgently trying to establish where the arms had gone and have called for their return. Israel has accused Hamas of taking the stockpile, which was under Hamas guard.

So, what are we expecting now? A provocative act that will turn in flames Gaza once more or a series of terrorists acts? And if something happens what will be the truth, terrorism of provocation?

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Israel in general election

Voting is taking place in Israel in an early election called by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is stepping down. The favourite to become prime minister is Binyamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing opposition party, Likud.

But his opinion-poll lead has been reduced in recent weeks by Tzipi Livni, who heads the centrist Kadima, the largest party in the government. Mr Olmert announced months ago that he was standing down in the face of corruption allegations. An attempt to form a new government without elections failed.

The choice is the hawks or the vultures?

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Israel warns escalation

Israel has dropped leaflets on the Gaza Strip warning residents that it is to escalate its military action.There is speculation the leaflets may mean Israel will adopt new tactics in its battle with Palestinian militants.
So how much worst things can be? How many more kids need to die before they understand that what they are doing is provoke more bloodsed in the Middle East and now the game has a new name, revenge! do we have to wait untill the 20th of January and Barrack Obama before somebody can act and do something to stop all that?

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Gaddafi attacks Obama on Israel

Libya‘s leader has strongly criticized US presidential candidate Barack Obama for saying Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel.

Col Muammar Gaddafi said he was either ignorant of the Middle East conflict or lying to boost his campaign. Mr. Obama was speaking to pro-Israel lobbyists in the US last week. Referring to him as “our Kenyan brother”, Col Gaddafi also said Mr. Obama might suffer from an inferiority complex because of his African origins.

The issue of race could make Mr. Obama’s behavior “more white than white people”, Col Gaddafi suggested, rather than acting in solidarity with African and Arab nations. The comments came during a speech to mark the 38th anniversary since the US evacuated Wheelus Air Force base in Tripoli.

Times are definitely changing!!!

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Israeli warning, nuclear Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Iran‘s nuclear programme must be stopped by “all possible means”.

Speaking during a visit to Washington, he said Tehran must be made to see it would suffer devastating repercussions if it pursued atomic weapons. The US and others have accused Iran of building nuclear arms capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.

Mr. Olmert’s US visit comes as he faces pressure at home over corruption allegations, which he denies. “The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means,” Mr. Olmert said in his speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee – a lobby group.

“The international community has a duty and responsibility to clarify to Iran, through drastic measures, that the repercussions of their continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will be devastating,” he added.

Is it just me or this is a déjà vu? Didn’t they say the same things about Iraq? Where all these led with Iraq is …known, what remains is to see where they are going to lead Iran!

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Hezbollah spy to Lebanon

An Israeli citizen convicted of spying for Hezbollah in 2002 has been deported to Lebanon.

There are rumors that the release of Nasim Nisr could be part of a prisoner swap between Israel and Lebanon. Mr. Nisr was born in Lebanon to a Jewish mother and a Shia Muslim father. He left the country in 1982 and became an Israeli citizen.

When his jail sentence ended a month ago, Israel opted to revoke his citizenship and deport him to Lebanon. Mr. Nisr was driven to the border crossing near Lebanon’s southern town of Naqoura in an unmarked white jeep and handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The wall moved from Berlin to the Middle East and unfortunate Lebanon always in the middle!

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