How Much Anti-Semitic Nonsense Can Be Packed Into One Speech?

The PLO's ambassador to Chile endeavors to find out:

Addressing members of the “Gran Logia” Masonic Lodge, Jada’a said that Palestinians “don’t recognize the existence of the Jewish people” as there is not, in fact, any such people.

“This is not my personal analysis. Here we can refer to the Jewish Israeli professor from the University of Tel Aviv, Dr. Shlomo Sand, in his book ‘The Invention of the Jewish People.’ A Jew with Israeli passport announces that, the so-called Jewish nation is a made up invention. Because a religion cannot be a people,” he said.

Sand believes that contemporary Jews are descended from the Khazar people from the Caucasus and are not connected to the Biblical Israelites. His ideas are widely opposed both in academia and among Jews.

“Until 1896 when a group of academic intellectuals, financial advisers, majority being non-Jewish Europeans, decided to create the Zionist movement with one pretext/excuse; the creation of a homeland for the Jewish people. Although the truth is that this (the goal) is to protect their plans of dominating life in the entire planet,” he added.

Jada’a also recommended that his listeners read the The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a Czarist forgery published in the early 20th century purporting to expose the inner workings of a global Jewish conspiracy.

Bonus for citing to the "Jewish Israeli" Shlomo Sand, given that Sand has declared his desire to "cease considering myself a Jew.

UPDATE: PA President Mahmoud Abbas has summoned the ambassador back to Ramallah.

Israel Invites Chilean Miners To Visit

Savvy move by the Tourism Ministry.

The Dark Side

This article, on how to keep the trapped Chilean miners sane as they await what might be a four-month long wait for rescue, is very interesting. But my favorite part was the inverse-Yoda advice given about the perils of darkness:

The men used tools they have underground to establish a light source and to power their head lamps – after food and water sources, establishing reliable access to light is critical to staving off psychological deterioration.

“The most important thing, aside from keeping physical needs satisfied, is to help them keep a positive frame of mind,” Dr. Suedfeld said. “Darkness is disorienting. It leads to uncertainty. That leads to anxiety and fear.”

And that leads to the dark side! Wait -- that's circular.

Anyway, hopefully the officials down in Chile have some good consultants available to advise them on how to keep tensions to a minimum amongst the trapped miners. Their situation is precarious enough without them fighting all the time.