Posts
8 hours ago
Monday, 3 August 2009
Israel Matzav: Obama and Mitchell to appeal directly to Israelis
Obama and Mitchell to appeal directly to Israelis
According to a report in Monday's New York Times, the Obama administration plans to bypass the Israeli political leadership and appeal directly to Israelis through media appearances on Israeli television and the like (Hat Tip: Memeorandum). No, of course the Times didn't put it that way, but that's what the substance of the report means. Israel Matzav: Obama and Mitchell to appeal directly to IsraelisIn coming weeks, senior administration officials said, the White House will begin a public-relations campaign in Israel and Arab countries to better explain Mr. Obama’s plans for a comprehensive peace agreement involving Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab world.
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Israel Matzav: Every word in Cairo speech was deliberate
Every word in Cairo speech was deliberate
The weekend edition of the Los Angeles Times includes a lengthy report on the preparations for President Obama's speech in Cairo in June. The report talks about the deliberateness with which each word of the speech was prepared and the involvement of the President himself in the preparation. It's worth reading the whole thing (Hat Tip: Memeorandum), but I want to focus on what it says about Israel. Reda All at :
Israel Matzav: Every word in Cairo speech was deliberate
Israel Matzav: Israel allowing hundreds of Fatah terrorists to attend conference
Israel allowing hundreds of Fatah terrorists to attend conference
Apparently fearful of being blamed for the failure of the Fatah conference that's taking place in Bethlehem on Tuesday, the Netanyahu government has agreed to admit hundreds of terrorists to Judea and Samaria to attend the conference. Once admitted, some of the terrorists don't plan on leaving. Israel Matzav: Israel allowing hundreds of Fatah terrorists to attend conferenceAmong those who have been granted entry is Khalid Abu Isba, one of the terrorists who carried out the infamous Coastal Road Massacre.
In the Coastal Road Massacre of 1978, 12 terrorists infiltrated Israel from Lebanon, murdered an American photographer and hijacked two buses. A total of 38 Israeli civilians were murdered in the attack, 13 of them children, and another 71 were wounded.Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Times of London: Iran ready to rock and roll, waiting for Khameni signal
Times of London: Iran ready to rock and roll, waiting for Khameni signal
The Times of London reports in Monday's edition (NOT under the byline of Uzi Mahnaimi) that Iran is ready to build a nuclear bomb and that all that is required is an order from Ayatollah Ali Khameni. Israel Matzav: Times of London: Iran ready to rock and roll, waiting for Khameni signalThe sources said that Iran completed a research programme to create weaponised uranium in the summer of 2003 and that it could feasibly make a bomb within a year of an order from its Supreme Leader.
A US National Intelligence Estimate two years ago concluded that Iran had ended its nuclear arms research programme in 2003 because of the threat from the American invasion of Iraq. But intelligence sources have told The Times that Tehran had halted the research because it had achieved its aim — to find a way of detonating a warhead that could be launched on its long-range Shehab-3 missiles.Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Why the Arabs can't accept a Jewish state
Why the Arabs can't accept a Jewish state
Prime Minister Netanyahu has demanded that the Arabs accept Israel as a Jewish state. That's a demand that the Arabs are incapable of accepting - ever. Mordechai Kedar explains why. Israel Matzav: Why the Arabs can't accept a Jewish stateThus, according to Islam, the State of Israel is not legitimate. From a religious point of view, Judaism is void. The Jewish nation is an invention of the Zionist movement. The land called "Israel" is considered Islamic Waqf land, consecrated for Muslims.
Netanyahu's insistence on recognition of the state as a Jewish nation-state contradicts the Islamic faith, and questions the very essence of Islam, whose relevance is based on the invalidity of Judaism (and Christianity as well).READ All at :
Israel Matzav: Americans becoming more skeptical about Iran?
Americans becoming more skeptical about Iran?
Could it be that the Obama administration is finally awakening to the reality that 'engagement' is not going to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon? That's what Amos Harel argues in Haaretz. The Iranian issue dominated this week's visits by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser James Jones. At first, the Americans had hoped to open a dialogue with Iran in September and conduct a review of this policy toward the end of the year. However, Iran has so far refused to even agree on beginning a dialogue, which might accelerate the schedule: The reassessment will be conducted earlier than planned, and thus sanctions might also be able to commence sooner. The U.S. is well aware that Iran is progressing, and that by mid-2010, it may pass another critical milestone, that of being able to detonate a nuclear device for the first time
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Israel Matzav: Americans becoming more skeptical about Iran?
Israel Matzav: Why Obama can't convince Israelis
Why Obama can't convince Israelis
Jonathan Tobin nails it in explaining why Israelis just aren't going to do what President Obama wants them to do (Hat Tip: American Power). Israel Matzav: Why Obama can't convince IsraelisIn response, the N.Y. Times endorses the Israeli Left’s appeal for Obama to speak directly to the Israeli people by going over the head of their democratically elected government to convince them that he is in a better position to know what is good for Israel.
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Israel Matzav: The 'marriage counselor'
The 'marriage counselor'
In Sunday's New York Times, the inimitable Thomas Friedman tries to play 'marriage counselor' between the Obama administration and Israelis. Here's his bottom line (Hat Tip: David F). Bottom line: Israelis need to understand this is not the Bush administration anymore, where they had the run of the White House; they have a real problem with America on settlements. Mr. Obama needs to understand that on Arab-Israel affairs, the less you say and the more you do, the better off you are. Every word in this conflict has its own history. Get the deal done — a settlement moratorium for some normalization — and that breakthrough will do the talking.
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Israel Matzav: The 'marriage counselor'
Israel Matzav: Why Israel is nervous
Why Israel is nervous
In the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal, former Bush administration diplomat Elliott Abrams gives a summary of US - Israel relations over the years and discusses what's different between tensions in relations with previous administrations and those in the Age of Obama. The entire article is a must-read. Here's his bottom line (Hat Tip: Hot Air). Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Why Israel is nervous
Israel Matzav: Carter's buddy Fadlallah losing patience with Obama
Carter's buddy Fadlallah losing patience with Obama
Hezbullah Sheikh Mohamed Hossein Fadlallah, who met with former US President Jimmy Carter in June, criticized the Obama administration in a sermon on Friday for failing to improve relations with the Arab world. Fadlallah also 'accused' Obama of sliding back into Bush administration policies. Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Carter's buddy Fadlallah losing patience with Obama
Israel Matzav: Fatah conference to call for talks with Iran, condone violence
Fatah conference to call for talks with Iran, condone violence
Fatah's conference, which will be held on Tuesday in Bethlehem, will reaffirm the terror group's rejection of Israel as a Jewish state, and will condone violence against Israelis. Fatah should not recognize Israel as a Jewish state and needs to start a strategic dialogue with Iran, according to a proposed draft of an updated political platform to be discussed at its general conference this week.
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Israel Matzav: Fatah conference to call for talks with Iran, condone violence
On Being Subtle (Or Not)
On Being Subtle (Or Not)
Jeffrey Goldberg is an intelligent and knowledgable fellow. For that matter, so is Thomas Friedman. So when Goldberg starts his week by approvingly linking to a Tom Friedman column which he describes as "important", you follow the link to see what's so inspiring. Or anyway, I did.
Not inspiring. Not even particularly intelligent. Sorry guys.
Friedman would have us Israelis recognize that "the party's over", and that story of the settlements is up, and Obama's historic position is that he's going to enforce that. This is the Obama who, we were assured throughout the campaign, is intelligent, subtle, and comfortable with complex thought processes. Well if so, how come he and his supporters can't get their head around the reality that we're rather good at complexity, too?
A majority of us Israelis would walk away from the settlements in a heartbeat if there was anywhere to walk too. As recently as 2006 we elected Ehud Olmert on a specific platform to disband most of the settlements even without peace with the Palestinians, recognizing how the Palestinians have managed to turn the settlements into their most potent weapon against us. Moreoever, a majority of the settlers themselves would accept leaving some settlements if that would bring peace. (Starting with Avigdor Lieberman).
But not Modi'in Illit, not Beitar, and not, I repeat, NOT Jerusalem. As President Bill Clinton recognized in his diktat of December 24th 2000. As the Palestinian negotiators themselves have recognized, repeatedly (though they may have been fibbing, since said recognition was part of not reaching overall agreement).
Obama's credibility and support in Israel is plumetting because of that distinction. Not becasue he's being mean to our prime minster about Nokdim or Itamar. The more I hear (well, read) important American Jewish pundits such as these two talkng the way they do, the more I'm convinced one part of the present dynamic is the distance between American Jews and Israelis. We're really not seeing the same reality at the moment.
Though, to be fair, as Mark Landler tells us after having talked to George Mitchell, there may be whole parts of the story we don't see right now. That could change things. Perhaps.
Update: Barry Rubin argues against a settlement freeze. He, also, is hardly one to fit the Friedman-Goldberg template of obstinate Israelis.
Not inspiring. Not even particularly intelligent. Sorry guys.
Friedman would have us Israelis recognize that "the party's over", and that story of the settlements is up, and Obama's historic position is that he's going to enforce that. This is the Obama who, we were assured throughout the campaign, is intelligent, subtle, and comfortable with complex thought processes. Well if so, how come he and his supporters can't get their head around the reality that we're rather good at complexity, too?
A majority of us Israelis would walk away from the settlements in a heartbeat if there was anywhere to walk too. As recently as 2006 we elected Ehud Olmert on a specific platform to disband most of the settlements even without peace with the Palestinians, recognizing how the Palestinians have managed to turn the settlements into their most potent weapon against us. Moreoever, a majority of the settlers themselves would accept leaving some settlements if that would bring peace. (Starting with Avigdor Lieberman).
But not Modi'in Illit, not Beitar, and not, I repeat, NOT Jerusalem. As President Bill Clinton recognized in his diktat of December 24th 2000. As the Palestinian negotiators themselves have recognized, repeatedly (though they may have been fibbing, since said recognition was part of not reaching overall agreement).
Obama's credibility and support in Israel is plumetting because of that distinction. Not becasue he's being mean to our prime minster about Nokdim or Itamar. The more I hear (well, read) important American Jewish pundits such as these two talkng the way they do, the more I'm convinced one part of the present dynamic is the distance between American Jews and Israelis. We're really not seeing the same reality at the moment.
Though, to be fair, as Mark Landler tells us after having talked to George Mitchell, there may be whole parts of the story we don't see right now. That could change things. Perhaps.
Update: Barry Rubin argues against a settlement freeze. He, also, is hardly one to fit the Friedman-Goldberg template of obstinate Israelis.
taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
Cease Fire of 2008
Cease Fire of 2008
As one of my readers commented not long ago (I think it was Rashkov), the standard anti-Israel narrative about the ramp-up to Israel's invasion of Gaza earlier this year is that the Israelis broke a six month cease-fire with Hamas: the whole justification for the invasion, which was to put an end to rocket fire at Israeli civilians, was bogus.
A second, only slightly more subtle version, tells that the cease fire began in June 2008, and was broken by Israel in October (I think), when Israel suddenly killed six Hamas men; after that the Palestinians resumed fire, a bit, and the cease fire sort of unraveled.
Either way it's Israel's fault, of course.
At the moment I'm plowing through Israel's report on the Gaza Operation (I'm about half way through). It's fascinating, and I'm learning all sorts of useful things. I'm also following some of the footnotes and links. One link lead me to this document, which is full of of statistics about Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks against Israeli civilians.
Indeed, for about three months there was a bilateral cease fire. The six dead Hamas men were preparing an assault on IDF forces, and thereafter there were ever more rockets and mortars - hundreds, all in all. So the first story is simply a lie. Then, on December 19th 2008 Hamas announced, officially and openly, that the cease fire was annullled; from then until Israel attacked they indiscriminately shot 66 rockets and 63 mortar shells at Israel.
Apparently that particular anti-Israel story is counter factual.
A second, only slightly more subtle version, tells that the cease fire began in June 2008, and was broken by Israel in October (I think), when Israel suddenly killed six Hamas men; after that the Palestinians resumed fire, a bit, and the cease fire sort of unraveled.
Either way it's Israel's fault, of course.
At the moment I'm plowing through Israel's report on the Gaza Operation (I'm about half way through). It's fascinating, and I'm learning all sorts of useful things. I'm also following some of the footnotes and links. One link lead me to this document, which is full of of statistics about Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks against Israeli civilians.
Indeed, for about three months there was a bilateral cease fire. The six dead Hamas men were preparing an assault on IDF forces, and thereafter there were ever more rockets and mortars - hundreds, all in all. So the first story is simply a lie. Then, on December 19th 2008 Hamas announced, officially and openly, that the cease fire was annullled; from then until Israel attacked they indiscriminately shot 66 rockets and 63 mortar shells at Israel.
Apparently that particular anti-Israel story is counter factual.
taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
Shot Across the Bow (or Wing)
Shot Across the Bow (or Wing)
Maybe I'm just too cynical for my own good, but I refuse to take this story at face value. Not that it can't be true, mind you: Israel needs to purchase replacements for its aging Skyhawk trainer-bombers, so it's looking in various directions including at a South Korean plane. That part I certainly hope is true. What isn't credible to me is that anyone takes such a scenario seriously.
Such a transaction must be worth a billion $, or three, and many years of followup purchases. Since 1968 Israel has purchased all its aircraft from the US. Why, earlier this decade when El Al needed to purchase a few civilian jetliners and had landed a fine offer from Airbus, the pressure from the American government was so intense that the deal fell through and the planes were purchased, as they always are, from Boeing. El Al is a private airline; the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is a government agency, all that more susepctible to political pressure.
What's the chance that the appearance of this story in Haaretz at this particular moment reflects a purely commercial deliberation? Pinkt jetzt, as they say in French? No connection whatsoever with the mutual dissatisfaction between the Netanyahu-Obama offices?
I think not.
Such a transaction must be worth a billion $, or three, and many years of followup purchases. Since 1968 Israel has purchased all its aircraft from the US. Why, earlier this decade when El Al needed to purchase a few civilian jetliners and had landed a fine offer from Airbus, the pressure from the American government was so intense that the deal fell through and the planes were purchased, as they always are, from Boeing. El Al is a private airline; the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is a government agency, all that more susepctible to political pressure.
What's the chance that the appearance of this story in Haaretz at this particular moment reflects a purely commercial deliberation? Pinkt jetzt, as they say in French? No connection whatsoever with the mutual dissatisfaction between the Netanyahu-Obama offices?
I think not.
taken fromYaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Israel Matzav: Saudis throw cold water on Obama's 'peace plan'
Saudis throw cold water on Obama's 'peace plan'
At a press conference with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday, Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal threw cold water on President Obama's 'peace plan.' Israel Matzav: Saudis throw cold water on Obama's 'peace plan'I would be remiss if I didn’t express our thanks and appreciation to President Obama and to Secretary Clinton for their early and robust focus on trying to bring peace to the Middle East. I expressed to the Secretary our view that a bold and historic step is required to end this conflict and divert the resources of the region from war and destruction to peace and development.
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Saturday, 1 August 2009
No Negotiations forPeace
No Negotiations forPeace
Powerline analyzes the two recent editorials an Obama's Israel-policy. The one in the New York Times is hopeful and supportive, whle recongnizing there's a problem. The one on the Washington Post is more critical, and contains a crucial point:
But the administration also is guilty of missteps. Rather than pocketing Mr. Netanyahu's initial concessions -- he gave a speech on Palestinian statehood and suggested parameters for curtailing settlements accepted by previous U.S. administrations -- Mr. Obama chose to insist on an absolutist demand for a settlement "freeze." Palestinian and Arab leaders who had accepted previous compromises immediately hardened their positions; they also balked at delivering the "confidence-building" concessions to Israel that the administration seeks. Israeli public opinion, which normally leans against the settler movement, has rallied behind Mr. Netanyahu. And Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which were active during the Bush administration's final year, have yet to resume.
Rather damning, if you ask me: When George Bush was President talks between Israelis and Palestinians were intense, and eventually led Ehud Olmert to make concessions his voters never authorized him to make. The Palestinians, assuming Obama would win the elections in the US, saw no need to respond to Olmert's offer. That was in September, and now we're in August. Ten months have passed, seven of them with President Obama, and there are no talks underway at all.
Powerline doesn't see how Obama can fix things:
As a far more cogent editorial in the Washington Post explains, therein lies the folly of Obama's overbearing demands regarding settlements: it put him in a position where, to be seen in Israel as an honest broker, he now must act in ways that would undermine his status with the Arabs. Had he accepted Israel's concessions on settlements and not overreached, he would not have stumbled into this dilemma.
taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
Israel Matzav: Obama: 'F**k the Jews, they're going to vote for us anyway'
Obama: 'F**k the Jews, they're going to vote for us anyway'
On Friday, I blogged the story of the despicable Mary Robinson receiving the Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. This is from Tevi Troy in The Corner. Israel Matzav: Obama: 'F**k the Jews, they're going to vote for us anyway'Robinson’s record is well known to most Jews with even a passing familiarity with the Jewish media. It cannot be a surprise that honoring Robinson in this way would be anathema to the Jewish community. In addition, I know from having worked in the White House that these selections go through extremely careful vetting of public and non-public databases to make sure that they would not embarrass the president in any way. The staff secretary’s office, which clears all paperwork that goes to the president, would also make sure that all of the relevant offices sign off on important selections before they happen. The two most important sign offs on something like the Medal of Freedom would be the chief of staff’s office, now headed by Rahm Emanuel, and the senior advisor’s office, now run by David Axelrod. For the Obama White House to have made this selection could mean one of only two possibilities: that they did not vet and clear the candidates, which suggests a level of incompetence beyond even missing tax evasions by cabinet nominees. Uncaught tax evasion does not come up on Google; Robinson’s record does. The other, more likely, possibility is that they knew and did not care.
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Israel Matzav: Human Rights Watch reports: Israel v. Hamas and Hezbullah
Human Rights Watch reports: Israel v. Hamas and Hezbullah
Noah Pollak looks at the number of reports Human Rights Watch has issued on Israel as compared with the number it has issued on the 'Palestinians' and Hezbullah and shows very clear bias. Israel Matzav: Human Rights Watch reports: Israel v. Hamas and HezbullahFrom 2006 to the present, Human Rights Watch’s reports on the Israeli-Arab conflict have been almost entirely devoted to condemning Israel, accusing it of human rights and international law violations, and demanding international investigations into its conduct. It has published some 87 criticisms of Israeli conduct against the Palestinians and Hezbollah, versus eight criticisms of Palestinian groups and four of Hezbollah for attacks on Israel. (It also published a small number of critiques of both Israel and Arab groups, and of intra-Palestinian fighting.)
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Israel Matzav: Hamas sponsors mass wedding for little girls
Hamas sponsors mass wedding for little girls
Hamas sponsored a mass wedding on Wednesday night for '450 couples.'
Israel Matzav: Hamas sponsors mass wedding for little girlsHamas dignitaries including Mahmud Zahar, one of the militant group's top leaders, were on hand to congratulate 450 grooms who took part in the carefully stage-managed event.
"We are saying to the world and to America that you cannot deny us joy and happiness," Zahar told the men, all of whom were dressed in identical black suits and hailed from the nearby Jabalia refugee camp.
Each groom received a present of 500 dollars from Hamas, which said its workers had also contributed five percent of their monthly salaries to add to the wedding gift.
The 450 brides shared none of the glamour, taking seats among the audience of around 1,000 party guests: most couples had already taken part in religious ceremonies elsewhere, with more marriages planned for the next few days.
"We are presenting this wedding as a gift to our people who stood firm in the face of the siege and the war," local Hamas strongman Ibrahim Salaf said in a speech.Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Mona Charen on George Gilder
Mona Charen on George Gilder
Mona Charen reviews George Gilder's The Israel Test, which I am now in the process of reading myself. Israel has only recently become a technological and economic powerhouse. It got there after a protracted dalliance with socialism that gave Israel high unemployment, anemic growth, and inflation rates that reached 1000 percent in early 1985. Three catalysts changed everything: (1) the influx of 1 million vehemently anti-socialist immigrants from the former Soviet Union; (2) the addition of a far smaller but still consequential cohort of American Jewish immigrants who had business experience and expertise; and (3) economic reforms urged by Natan Sharansky and Bibi Netanyahu. The results, Gilder writes, were “incandescent.” He cites a 2008 Deloitte & Touche survey showing that in six key areas — telecom, microchips, software, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and clean energy — “Israel ranked second only to the United States in technological innovation.” Israel’s high-tech research and development puts it at the center of the information revolution. Intel’s microchips, Gilder notes, might as well be tagged “Israel Inside.”
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Israel Matzav: Mona Charen on George Gilder
Israel Matzav: Replace George Mitchell with ... George W. Bush
Replace George Mitchell with ... George W. Bush
This is an interesting idea that will never happen. Shmuel Rosner suggests making former President George W. Bush President Obama's special envoy to the Middle East.Israel Matzav: Replace George Mitchell with ... George W. BushI don't think this idea is a viable one - because the parties involved wouldn't be interested. Nonetheless, it's intriguing enough idea for me to mention it. It is from Gregory Levey's article in Newsweek:
[T]here is someone who does - someone who could use a job, someone who argued straightforwardly for a Palestinian state, and yet someone who has the implicit admiration and regard of Israel. President Obama needs a new envoy to the region who can get results - and George W. Bush is his man.Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Human Rights Watch goes to bat for the Islamists
Human Rights Watch goes to bat for the Islamists
The Saudi money collected by Human Rights Watch has been put to use defending Islamists, albeit not in the Middle East. In Nigeria, a member of Boko Haram, an Islamist group likened to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been shot dead while trying to escape police custody. And Human Rights Watch has already indicted, tried and convicted the police (Hat Tip: Norman B).
Israel Matzav: Human Rights Watch goes to bat for the IslamistsA BBC reporter in the city was among journalists shown two films, one apparently showing Mr Yusuf making a confession; the other showing what appeared to be his body, riddled with bullets.
"Mohammed Yusuf was killed by security forces in a shootout while trying to escape," the regional police assistant inspector-general, Moses Anegbode, told Nigerian television.Read All at ;
Israel Matzav: Obama makes an obscene 'gesture' to the Jews
Obama makes an obscene 'gesture' to the Jews
President Barack Hussein Obama has finally decided to make a 'gesture' to Israel and the Jews. It's pictured at top left of this post.The gesture comes in the form of the awarding of the Medal of Freedom to one-time United Nations 'Human Rights Commissioner' and President of Ireland Mary Robinson. At Contentions, Jennifer Rubin explains who Mary Robinson is and what she symbolizes (Hat Tip: Melanie Phillips).
Israel Matzav: Obama makes an obscene 'gesture' to the JewsYou may remember her role in presiding over the infamous Durban I Conference. At the time she joined Rashid Khalidi at Columbia University (no, you can’t make this up), this report summarized the objections to her hiring, given her record in overseeing the infamous Israel-bashing event.
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Israel Matzav: Finally: Israel aims to ban foreign funding of political NGO's
Finally: Israel aims to ban foreign funding of political NGO's
Fed up with foreign governments' efforts to influence Israel's political process through NGO financing, the government has finally decided to ban foreign funding of political NGO's. Israel Matzav: Finally: Israel aims to ban foreign funding of political NGO'sOne of the questions that will have to be addressed, according to an official involved in the discussions, is what constitutes a political NGO. While it seems that there is an obvious distinction between an organization like Hadassah, which funds hospitals, and one like Breaking the Silence, which has a perceived political agenda, the distinctions would have to be spelled out in legislation.
The discussion follows Post revelations that foreign governments are funding of Breaking the Silence, which last week added its voice to a number of NGOs that have issued scathing reports of the IDF's activities in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead.
Israel has already contacted the Dutch and British governments about their funding of the organization, and is expected to soon take up the matter with the Spanish government as well.Read All at :
Israel Matzav: America's pro-Arab Jerusalem policy
America's pro-Arab Jerusalem policy
Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Yisrael Medad points out that American policy on recognizing Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem is even more biased toward the Arabs than is commonly believed. Israel Matzav: America's pro-Arab Jerusalem policyU.S. policy toward Jerusalem has long tended toward the "denial" side of the equation. If an American living in Jerusalem gives birth to a child in either West Jerusalem or post-1967 East Jerusalem, for example, her progeny is not recognized by the U.S. as being born in Israel. The birth certificate and passport will list only a city name -- Jerusalem -- as the place of birth.
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Israel Matzav: Progress? US briefs Israel on upcoming sanctions against Iran
Progress? US briefs Israel on upcoming sanctions against Iran
Haaretz reports that the Obama administration officials who were in Israel this past week briefed the Israeli government on proposed sanctions against Iran (Hat Tip: Save the GOP). Israel Matzav: Progress? US briefs Israel on upcoming sanctions against IranNew sanctions would mainly aim to significantly curb Tehran's ability to import refined petroleum products. Despite its huge crude oil reserves, Iran has only limited refining capacity, so it imports large quantities of refined products such as gasoline.
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Israel Matzav: US Consulate in Jerusalem: All 'Palestinians,' all the time
US Consulate in Jerusalem: All 'Palestinians,' all the time
Paul Mirengoff points to the home page of the US Consulate in Jerusalem, where every item on the page relates to the 'Palestinians' and none relates to Jews or Israelis. Paul calls it a fair reflection of where the Obama administration's sympathies lie and how it sees the city.While Paul's assessment is correct, the problems with the Jerusalem consulate long precede the Obama administration. The consulate, which is located a stone's throw away from the former Mandelbaum Gate, which was the crossing point between Jordan and Israel between 1948 and 1967 (about the only thing that crossed there was the convoy to Mount Scopus that went through once every two weeks during that period), has long seen itself as the US embassy to the 'Palestinians.' It was seen that way 30 years ago when I was a yeshiva student here.
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Israel Matzav: US Consulate in Jerusalem: All 'Palestinians,' all the time
Israel's Report on the Gaza Operation
Israel's Report on the Gaza Operation
Israel has published a report on the Gaza Operation. It's apparently not final, since some of the IDF investigations have yet to be completed, but it deals with a whole plethora of issues, from law and international law to methods of waging war and civilian casualties.
The summary is here; the full report is here.
I intend to read it next week (164 pages), and then I'll come back and comment. I recommend other people join me in doing so. You also might want to see who in the media and blogosphere is relating to it and how.
Since I haven't read it I can't comment on its content. I do however look forward to people relating to its content in a rational way. Statements such as "this is Israeli propaganda, we know that in advance" are not helpful. If anyone reads it and can then explain why it's simply propaganda, I'm listening.
The summary is here; the full report is here.
I intend to read it next week (164 pages), and then I'll come back and comment. I recommend other people join me in doing so. You also might want to see who in the media and blogosphere is relating to it and how.
Since I haven't read it I can't comment on its content. I do however look forward to people relating to its content in a rational way. Statements such as "this is Israeli propaganda, we know that in advance" are not helpful. If anyone reads it and can then explain why it's simply propaganda, I'm listening.
taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
Responsibility to Protect
Responsibility to Protect
You'd think the idea that powerful nations ought to intervene to stop genocides would be a no-brainer. Of course, there's the problem that the sons (and daughters) of powerful nations need not necessarily pay with life or limb to clean up the worst messes humanity makes. That's a legitimate point. And you'd be sure to spot the danger that deciding where to intervene will always be subordinate to the politics of the matter. And of course, inevitably the malicious fools will demand intervention to stop Israel's genocide of the rapidly multiplying Palestinians.
Having said all that, however, I stand by my first statement, that stoping genocide is the right thing to do, even if it has been done only very rarely. My understanding is that it was even agreed upon at the United Nations back in the 1950s, when there was still some hope the United Nations might prove worth its electricity bills.
Apparently I was wrong. The UN is still haggling about the idea, and seems of a mind to drop it. If I follow the argument, it is that the likely candidates to stop genocide are the powerful, rich nations, while the genocidaires are often in poor, undevelped countries, and powerful-rich-vs-poor-undeveloped, poor and undeveloped always have the moral high ground. Or some such argument. Noam Chomsky is at the forefront of the people who'd prefer mass death to American actions to save lives.
Just for the record, by the way: one of the few cases I can think of where outside powers intervened to stop a genocide was in Cambodia. The Vietnamese invaded and stopped the slaughter, backed by the Chinese; most of the rest of the world condemned them for doing so. International politics can be a very strange place.
Having said all that, however, I stand by my first statement, that stoping genocide is the right thing to do, even if it has been done only very rarely. My understanding is that it was even agreed upon at the United Nations back in the 1950s, when there was still some hope the United Nations might prove worth its electricity bills.
Apparently I was wrong. The UN is still haggling about the idea, and seems of a mind to drop it. If I follow the argument, it is that the likely candidates to stop genocide are the powerful, rich nations, while the genocidaires are often in poor, undevelped countries, and powerful-rich-vs-poor-undeveloped, poor and undeveloped always have the moral high ground. Or some such argument. Noam Chomsky is at the forefront of the people who'd prefer mass death to American actions to save lives.
Just for the record, by the way: one of the few cases I can think of where outside powers intervened to stop a genocide was in Cambodia. The Vietnamese invaded and stopped the slaughter, backed by the Chinese; most of the rest of the world condemned them for doing so. International politics can be a very strange place.
taken from Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations
ESSER AGAROTH - Return To French Hill, part 2
Return To French Hill, part 2
Erev Shabbath Qodesh Parshath Wa'Ethhanan-"Nahamu" 5769
Here is the continuation of my story of the bomb attack I survived seven years ago.
Return To French Hill, part 1
Ensuing Aftermath
I got onto the bus in Jerusalem wearing the electric company clothes I was given that morning. More like pajamas than clothes, I did not understand the nurse's concern about my leaving the hospital in hospital clothes. I was grateful for them nonetheless.
I arrived in Ofra, getting off the bus with groceries in one hand, and a sack full of blood and guts infused clothes in the other. I walked the short distance home to my meguron (half a trailer). I had to change clothes; I needed to go to some funerals. I ended up going to only two, the ones held in Ofra for Kindergarten teacher No'a Alon hy"d and her five-year-old granddaughter Gal Eisenman hy"d (Ma'aleh Adumim). They were buried side by side.
I felt compeled to go to more funerals. I wanted to go to all seven of those who murdered. I especially wanted to go to Shmu'el Efraim Yerushalmi's hy"d funeral in Shilo. I taught school with his father Rav Avraham, and knew him well. I had to settle for a shiva' call the next week. I do not know what I was thinking. I did not have the energy to do anything, let alone travel around the country attending funerals.
That afternoon, I called my rav about my clothes. Should they be buried? Yes, he said. Call Ofra's rabbi for specific instructions. As instructed, I wrote a note on the plastic bag filled with my clothes, and left it on one of the benches at the town's cemetery, for the Hevrah Qadishah to deal with.
My friends the Levs in Ofra took care of me that weekend, to the degree that I was willing to let them. I went to the funerals with them, and then they gave me a ride back to Jerusalem that evening so that I could complete some errands which could not wait.
The next day was Friday. I went to work, but have no clue as to what I was thinking. In retrospect, I now see all of the subtle effects the trauma had on me, the effects on the quality and progression of thinking included.
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ESSER AGAROTH - Return To French Hill, part 2
Parshat Va’Etchanan: Seeing the Land
Parshat Va’Etchanan: Seeing the Land
At the beginning of this week’s parshah, Moshe recounts before the Jewish nation how he begged Hashem (God) to allow him to enter the land of Israel (previously, God decreed that Moshe was forbidden from entering, and Moshe was trying to rescind the decree). The following verse describes how Hashem answered him:
“…Do not continue to speak to Me further about this matter. Ascend to the top of the cliff…and see [the entire land of Israel] with your eyes, for you shall not cross this Jordan [river, to enter the land]” [Deuteronomy: 3: 26-27]
If you think about it, Hashem’s reply was rather taunting. Let’s use an example to bring forth our problem: Let’s say you were fasting for a day. Your friend, who wasn’t fasting, surely knew how badly you were thirsting for food. How would you react were he to hold up a piece of pie in your face and say “Hey buddy, I know you can’t eat this right now, but I’ll let you look at it for a while”? This would certainly force your mouth to salivate and increase your desire for food greatly, and the hardest part is that you wouldn’t even be able to satisfy that craving! There couldn’t be anything more annoying and irritating than that!
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Parshat Va’Etchanan: Seeing the LandPosted using ShareThis
Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAETCHANAN: TWO TABLETS- ONE LAW
VAETCHANAN: TWO TABLETS- ONE LAW
by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman
Why were the Ten Commandments given on two tablets? Why not just one? G*d could just have easily put them all down on just one big tablet, or he could have used a slightly smaller sized font.
After all, the finger of G*d, the etzbah elokim, comes in different sizes.
The two tablets represent the two essential revolutionary ideas of Judaism. One is that how we treat our fellow members of humanity is important, too. Religion is no longer the sole business of being nice to the Deity. Up until now there were many deities, and they were all lower case. G*d is symbolically stating that ethical behavior is on par with Deity worship.
Why were the Ten Commandments given on two tablets? Why not just one? G*d could just have easily put them all down on just one big tablet, or he could have used a slightly smaller sized font.
After all, the finger of G*d, the etzbah elokim, comes in different sizes.
The two tablets represent the two essential revolutionary ideas of Judaism. One is that how we treat our fellow members of humanity is important, too. Religion is no longer the sole business of being nice to the Deity. Up until now there were many deities, and they were all lower case. G*d is symbolically stating that ethical behavior is on par with Deity worship.
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Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAETCHANAN: TWO TABLETS- ONE LAW
Friday, 31 July 2009
Israel Matzav: Netanyahu freezes construction in Jerusalem?
Netanyahu freezes construction in Jerusalem?
Haaretz reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu has frozen construction on a 900-unit apartment project in Pisgat Zev. Pisgat Zev is in Jerusalem, but across the 'green line.' It is no more than a few minutes up the road from me. It is also a neighborhood in which Arabs have purchased apartments. This was done late Wednesday night, when most Israelis were busy with the Tisha b'Av fast day and not paying attention to the media (Hat Tip: Racquel R.). Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Obama takes the military option off the table
Obama takes the military option off the table
Dear ,
Watching the news and reading the headlines this past week has been an exercise in frustration and anger.
The Obama administration continues to expend considerable energy to "reassure" Americans and Israelis that they consider the prospect of an impending nuclear-armed Iran to be unacceptable --
but I'm not buying it and I doubt you are either.
My husband and DeNuke Iran co-founder Michael Fenenbock and I are getting angrier and angrier as it is becoming clearer and clearer that Israel is going to be left to deal with what is rightfully a threat to the entire world.
As Ambassador John Bolton wrote in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, it will soon be "crunch time" for Israel.
"Crunch time" is approaching for DeNuke Iran as well.
Michael and I continue to draw on our political experience and our personal resources to develop DeNuke Iran as a viable and effective voice for those who want to collectively take a stand against the non-action of the political leadership around the world, particularly in the United States.
I want to thank you for your continued support. These are indeed dark days, but I am confident we will soon grow to the tens and hundreds of thousands, and then together - collectively - we will make an impact. Please continue to "watch this space" for some exciting announcements in the very near future on how we intend to that. We are not being idle, and we are counting on you to help us successfully execute our plans.
Watching the news and reading the headlines this past week has been an exercise in frustration and anger.
The Obama administration continues to expend considerable energy to "reassure" Americans and Israelis that they consider the prospect of an impending nuclear-armed Iran to be unacceptable --
but I'm not buying it and I doubt you are either.
My husband and DeNuke Iran co-founder Michael Fenenbock and I are getting angrier and angrier as it is becoming clearer and clearer that Israel is going to be left to deal with what is rightfully a threat to the entire world.
As Ambassador John Bolton wrote in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, it will soon be "crunch time" for Israel.
"Crunch time" is approaching for DeNuke Iran as well.
Michael and I continue to draw on our political experience and our personal resources to develop DeNuke Iran as a viable and effective voice for those who want to collectively take a stand against the non-action of the political leadership around the world, particularly in the United States.
I want to thank you for your continued support. These are indeed dark days, but I am confident we will soon grow to the tens and hundreds of thousands, and then together - collectively - we will make an impact. Please continue to "watch this space" for some exciting announcements in the very near future on how we intend to that. We are not being idle, and we are counting on you to help us successfully execute our plans.
Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Why Israel must control the Mount of Olives
Why Israel must control the Mount of Olives
In the summer of 2000, a meeting took place at the home of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef in the Har Nof section of Jerusalem. Those who attended the meeting were other Haredi Rabbis who opposed Ehud Barak's plan to go to Camp David and offer the 'Palestinians' everything they wanted. The leader of those Rabbis was Rabbi Levi I. Horowitz, the Bostonner Rebbe, someone my family has known for many years (as far as I am aware, he is currently quite ill - HaRav Levi Yitzchak ben Sarah Sasha for those who wish to say a prayer). The delegation succeeded in convincing Rabbi Yosef to pull his Shas party out of Barak's government.
The way Rabbi Horowitz and his cohorts convinced Rabbi Yosef to oppose Barak's trip to Camp David was to show him how turning over the Arab villages around the Mount of Olives (Har HaZeitim) cemetery to the 'Palestinians' would endanger Jewish burials in one of the most important Jewish cemeteries (possibly the most important) in the world. Nadav Shragai explains why Israel must continue to control the Mount of Olives cemetery.
The way Rabbi Horowitz and his cohorts convinced Rabbi Yosef to oppose Barak's trip to Camp David was to show him how turning over the Arab villages around the Mount of Olives (Har HaZeitim) cemetery to the 'Palestinians' would endanger Jewish burials in one of the most important Jewish cemeteries (possibly the most important) in the world. Nadav Shragai explains why Israel must continue to control the Mount of Olives cemetery.
Israel Matzav: Why Israel must control the Mount of Olives* The Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, that the Palestinians demand to transfer to their control, is the most important Jewish cemetery in the world. The area has constituted a religious and national pantheon for the Jewish people and the State of Israel, containing the tombs of the illustrious dead of the nation over the course of 3,000 years and serving as a site for Jewish gathering and prayer at the time of the ancient Temple and even prior to it.
* Under Jordanian rule, Jewish access and the continued burial of Jews on the mount was prohibited, despite Jordan's explicit commitment in the Israeli-Jordanian Armistice Agreement of 1949. During the period of Jordanian rule, the cemetery was destroyed and desecrated, and 38,000 of its tombstones and graves were smashed to smithereens. [Many of its gravestones were used to construct a walkway to the Intercontinental Hotel which sits atop the Mount, and which was built under the Jordanians' rule. CiJ].Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Karine A financer convicted
Karine A financer convicted
How many of you remember the Karine A? The Karine A was a ship that was sent from Iran to the 'Palestinians' in 2002 that was carrying over 50 tons of armaments. The IDF captured the ship some 500 nautical miles from Israel's coast. The Arafat aide who arranged that ship, Fuad Shubaki, was captured in Israel's raid on the Jericho 'prison' in 2006. On Wednesday, A military court convicted Shubaki of illegal arms dealing and of organizing and financing the Karine A. Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Karine A financer convicted
Israel Matzav: US may back expansion of UNIFIL powers
US may back expansion of UNIFIL powers
Susan Rice, the American ambassador to the United Nations, told the US House Foreign Affairs Committee this week that the United States does not have the power to expand UNIFIL's mandate in southern Lebanon. However she believes that the Security Council might be willing to expand the mandate. Israel Matzav: US may back expansion of UNIFIL powersAddressing the recent explosion at an arms cache in south Lebanon, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told the House of Representative's Foreign Affairs Committee that while UNIFIL enjoys limited power in the Arab country, its presence still has some value.
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Israel Matzav: Israel allowing cement, metal pipes into Gaza
Israel allowing cement, metal pipes into Gaza
For the first time since the end of Operation Cast Lead, Israel will allow cement and metal pipes into Gaza. The cement and metal pipes are to be turned over to UNRWA for specific construction projects and allegedly will be kept away from Hamas. Israel Matzav: Israel allowing cement, metal pipes into GazaThe transfer of materials is part of the implementation of a United Nations plan devised by UN envoy to the Middle East, Robert Serry, who has submitted to Israel a list of 10 UN-sponsored construction projects in Gaza.
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Israel Matzav: Franklin: FBI AIPAC probe anti-Semitic
Franklin: FBI AIPAC probe anti-Semitic
In an exclusive interview with the Washington Times, former Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin (pictured) charges the FBI with anti-Semitism in its probe of AIPAC - the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States - earlier this decade. Even though he was used as an informant, Franklin was originally sentenced to 13 years in jail as part of the probe, but that sentence was reduced to probation earlier this year after charges against two former AIPAC employees were dropped. Read All at :
Israel Matzav: Franklin: FBI AIPAC probe anti-Semitic
Israel Matzav: 'Palestinian refugees' benefited from Israel more than anyone
'Palestinian refugees' benefited from Israel more than anyone
Israel Matzav: 'Palestinian refugees' benefited from Israel more than anyoneLOPEZ: Can evangelicals save Israel?
GILDER: I believe that facing the most critical Israel Test are my fellow evangelicals, who are inclined to support Israel as the heart of their religion but who also can be gullible about the so-called oppression of the Palestinian Arabs. This is just stupid, because the Palestinian Arabs have benefited more from Israel than any other people — by far.
LOPEZ: What do you mean these wretched refugees benefited from Israel?Read All at :
Israel Matzav: WaPo slams Obama on Israel
WaPo slams Obama on Israel
A flying pigs moment?In an editorial in Thursday's editions, the Washington Post slams the Obumbler for spoiling US relations with only one country in the last six months: Israel.
Israel Matzav: WaPo slams Obama on IsraelRather than pocketing Mr. Netanyahu's initial concessions -- he gave a speech on Palestinian statehood and suggested parameters for curtailing settlements accepted by previous U.S. administrations -- Mr. Obama chose to insist on an absolutist demand for a settlement "freeze." Palestinian and Arab leaders who had accepted previous compromises immediately hardened their positions; they also balked at delivering the "confidence-building" concessions to Israel that the administration seeks. Israeli public opinion, which normally leans against the settler movement, has rallied behind Mr. Netanyahu. And Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which were active during the Bush administration's final year, have yet to resume.
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Israel Matzav: Former commander of Israel's ground forces: Gaza expulsion was 'nonsense'
Former commander of Israel's ground forces: Gaza expulsion was 'nonsense'
For those of you who are fasting today, I hope that you are having an easy and meaningful fast. We have a little more than two hours to go here. I also apologize for not being online sooner. I don't fast well (given that I am a constantly sleep-deprived caffeine addict, that should not be surprising), and because of that, no one in this house will wake me up on a fast day unless it's 10 minutes or less until I have to be in synagogue.Former IDF ground forces commander Yiftach Ron-Tal told army radio today that the expulsion of Gaza's Jews four years ago this week was 'nonsense' from a security perspective, and that although he opposed it, he could not disobey orders.
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Israel Matzav: Former commander of Israel's ground forces: Gaza expulsion was 'nonsense'
An Open Letter to Diaspora Jewry
An Open Letter to Diaspora Jewry
Av 8, 5769, 29 July 09 06:42
by Rabbi Zev M. Shandalov
(Israelnationalnews.com)
While I have only made Aliyah less than a month ago, my dream of Aliyah, and all that comes along with it, has been burning in me for decades. I say this at the outset, so that you should not think I am writing this from the perspective of a three-week-old dream, but rather from a 30-year-old dream.
Tomorrow, world Jewry will collectively mourn for the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, which were destroyed on the ninth of Av thousands of years ago. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? Why, indeed, do we sit on the floor, abstain from food and drink, and cry over the loss of the Beit HaMikdash? Invariably, it turns out to be the hottest day of the year and a very unpleasant one at that. So, why do we fast?
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Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com -An Open Letter to Diaspora Jewry
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