TodayinIsrael

Son of Ilan Ramon killed in training accident

2009-09-13T22:28:00.004+03:00

It is with great sadness I give the news that Asaf Ramon, 21 year old son of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, died in an IAF training flight accident today - over the southern Hevron Hills of Israel. Asaf was the oldest son of Ilan Ramon, who perished in the space shuttle Columbia when it exploded upon re-entry to the earth's atmosphere.

See the full story here and here.

We mourn the loss of yet another Ramon family member due to such tragic circumstances. Our deeply felt condolences go to Rona (wife of Ilan, mother of Asaf) and the rest of the family.

Amazing Invention by 16 yr old Zion Badash

2009-09-04T00:17:00.003+03:00

Look what sixteen year old Zion Badash does in his spare time. Kol hakavod Zion. Amazing country, Israel.

When the Heart Cries Only God Hears

2009-07-17T17:01:00.009+03:00

As our warships pass through the Suez Canal, flexing our muscle against an ancient enemy, and some of the rabbis are arguing over the bracha to say over Bambas (the peanut butter snack of Israel), and the Neuturei Karta and other haredim are rioting in the streets over several issues, the Israeli public is pensive and the always present pain in our heart is starting to awaken. The street, though looking normal, is expressing despair. Today I am feeling the aloneness of Israel as we face the weeks and months ahead, charting a course in war, as always we must against those who try to destroy us.

In the silence of Erev Shabbat we utter this prayer. This song was written by Yossi Gispan and Arlet Tzfadia after the brutal lynching of two of our soldiers in Ramallah in 2000. (note: I don't know why there is an American flag juxaposed with the Israeli one at the beginning of the video...ironic that now the abandonment by our long-time friend is at the doorstep.)

Hebrew & English Words to this song: SH'MA YISRAEL ELOHAY

K'shehalev bocheh rak Elohim shome'a
hake'ev oleh mitoch haneshamah
adam nofel lifnei shehu shoke'a
bit'filah k'tanah chotech et had'mamah

Sh'ma Israel Elohai atah hakol yachol
natata li et chayay natata li hakol
be'enai dim'a halev bocheh besheket
uch'shehalev shotek haneshamah zo'eket.
Sh'ma Israel Elohai achshav ani levad
chazek oti Elohai aseh shelo ef'chad
hake'ev gadol ve'ein le'an livro'ach
aseh sheyigamer ki lo notar bi ko'ach.

Kshehalev bocheh hazman omed milechet
ha'adam ro'eh et kol chayav pit'om
el halo noda hu lo rotze lalechet
le'Elohav kore al saf tehom.

HEAR ISRAEL / HEAR MY GOD
WHEN THE HEART CRIES

HEAR ISRAEL MY GOD

When the heart cries only God hears
the pain rises out of the soul
a man falls down before he sinks down
with a little prayer (he) cuts the silence

Hear Israel my God, you're the omnipotent
you gave me my life, you gave me everything
in my eyes a tear, the heart cries quietly
and when the heart is quiet, the soul screams
Hear Israel my God, now I am alone
strengthen me my God; make it that I won't fear
the pain is big, and there's no where to run away
make it end, for no more strength is left within me

When the heart cries, time stands still
all of a sudden, the man sees his entire life
he doesn't want to go to the unknown
he cries to his God right before a big fall

Language and Three Headed Monsters

2009-07-02T17:38:00.011+03:00

It seems, with regard to Israel at least, there is arising in the world a three headed monster.

Head #1: We have a raving messianic muslim maniac (Ahmadinejad) in Iran desiring to usher in the al-mahdi, (the one to come in the midst of violence and war to bring the messianic age of peace. All infidels will either die or convert to Islam...only Muslims will be left on earth.) In Ahmadinejad's thinking, the chaos and violence he will cause by attacking Israel is in fact the reality of the al-mahdi's coming (in his mind). The fact that Ahmadinejad will attempt to obliterate a goodly number of the most hated infidels (Israeli Zionists) will be a feather in his eternal cap. Ramping up of his nuclear program has much to do with religious fervor.

Head #2: North Korea. Kim-Jong II. Another raving maniac, though neither messianic nor muslim...just given to temper tantrums and bizarre behavior ...also trying to build the country's nuclear capabilities. Now threatening to test a missile towards US territory (Hawaii, Guam, Alaska) this coming weekend...which happens to be the American 4th of July (Independence Day.)

Additionally, North Korea has a ship traveling off the coast of China which is thought to be carrying illicit materials - possibly nuclear. The US naval destroyer USS John McCain is tracking the ship. North Korea has stated that if American ships detain or block the ship's passage, or try to board for inspection (permitted by international law), it will consider the move an act of war and retaliate 1,000-fold. [breaking news: It is reported that after a brief close encounter with the USS John McCain, the North Korean ship turned around but it's destination is unknown at this time.(AP)]

North Korea and Iran are friends and it is known that they are working together to realize their nuclear aspirations. North Korea successfully tested a nuclear device in an underground explosion last April and it is reported that they are assisting Iran in accomplishing the same.

Head #3: Barak Obama (sorry folks)
Obama has actually reacted somewhat properly to North Korea's threat to send missiles towards Hawaii by sending in the USS John McCain, readying a defense system around Hawaii and sounding tough on sanctions. (smile ....as if threatening sanctions to crazy people can be considered tough.) Remember that North Korea is a communist country, not Muslim, so Obama can be tougher. In fact, he is allowed to react and maybe, perhaps, protect American soil, stating [regarding North Korea] that "This administration - and our military - is fully prepared for any contingencies."

But when it comes to Iran, while it is true that Obama would not wish to have it become a nuclear state, he nevertheless, treads very, very softly. Iran, after all, is a Muslim nation....part of what Obama calls "his people". (See earlier post) He still holds out for a diplomatic process to divert Iran's nuclear buildup to peaceful usage, like energy. He thinks he knows Iran, who they are, how they think.

Obama is not a messianic muslim and leaves the ushering in of messianic figures like the al-mahdi to the mullahs and others. But he made it clear in his Cairo speech that while he may believe some Christian rhetoric, he identifies himself with muslim belief and with his people - muslims worldwide.

This is why I identify him as the 3rd head of this arising beast because the ultimate tradition and belief in Islam, even if one doesn't believe in the messianic parts of the faith, is that the world must come under a worldwide caliphate. (Islamic rule). Achieving this goal, as in Christianity's historical footprints to achieve the goal of global Christian faith, can be either a peaceful path or a violent one, depending on the times, current political consensus, the leaders, and the success of one method or the other.

Barak Obama didn't tell us who he was...though, of course, many knew.

In my June 12 post, I outlined many things in the Cairo speech that were signals to the Islamic world as to his position and stance visa-vie Islam...his signals that was he "one of them". But looking past the Cairo speech to other statements or actions in Obama's brief history we can gain additional insight.

Let me mention just one powerful example :

Sharia Law
One of the more ominous developments in America right now is the advancement of sharia financing and sharia law. Other posts will be required to discuss at length this very disturbing phenomenon, but brief but excellent explanations of sharia and it's dangers can be found here and here. [Please note: many of the websites I first visited to link here have been hijacked or have "broken links". hmmm. Tell us something???]

Basically sharia financing is done according to Islamic law, involving adherence to certain restrictions and rules according to the tenants of Islam. (Similiar to halacha in Judaism). But sharia goes way beyond Islamic "halacha" and is completely connected to the entire sharia agenda, including burka covering of women, death to adulterors and more. It is one of the first steps towards a global caliphate. Among many other stipulations which should frighten every non-muslim, sharia financing requires, at minimum, a 2.5% payment of zakat (charity - like tzedaka) given to Islamic causes. Almost all the Islamic causes are tied to jihad (if not all).

Many businesses are suddenly turning to sharia financing to attract Saudi and other oil dollars, or are feeling enormous pressures from certain sectors to comply. Barak Obama's involvement in this should rattle everyone's cage. While he has not come forward in actual words to encourage this trend, he has acted in the courts in a definitive manner, leaving no question as to his position.

AIG, the huge financial company that almost went under in the second-mortgage market bust of 2008, is one of those companies who are sharia compliant in many of their investmensts and products, including homeowners insurance. AIG is required by sharia law to give monies (minimum 2.5% of revenue derived from sharia products) to Islamic charity. AIG was bailed out by the US Govt. to the tune of $150 billion making the US Government an 80% majority owner of this company. An additional $40 billion of federal funds was appropriated to fund and support the government’s interest in AIG...tax payer money. American taxpayer money that is going to fund Islamic "charities" that are engaged in jihad against America, Israel and European nations.

The Thomas More Law Center has filed a lawsuit case against Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and the Federal Reserve Board for the illegal and outrageous fact that American taxpayers are now paying for the war of terrorism against them. It is one thing (still a bad thing) if AIG as a private company is sharia compliant (still illegal in my opinion) but now that the government owns 80% of AIG it is totally unacceptable. Good for the Thomas More Law Center.

Unfortunately, the Obama's administration immediately filed in the courts to dismiss the case. (The US Justice Department on behalf of the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve). Keep in mind that the lawsuit was NOT challenging the government bailout, only that now that the government is the majority owner and taxpayer dollars are funding it, it is unacceptable for AIG to be continue to be sharia compliant, funding Islamic terrorism. (I mean for G-d's sake it should be illegal for any American company, private or public, to be sharia compliant.)

Whether as an act of appeasement to Islam, or in fact, sympathy to, this counter suit by Obama's government is not at all comforting to say the least. Fortunately, there is breaking news just yesterday that the courts disagreed with the government's attempt to silence the objection and is in fact proceeding with the lawsuit... thank G-d. Whether they will be successful is QUITE another matter, but at least there is some awareness of the issues.

This is only ONE example of Obama's administration's coziness to Islamic agendas, and my writing this is by no means an attempt to exonerate the Bush administration on the same issues. George Bush was in fact, very pro-Islam as we all can recall. However, he never gave the kind of address to Islam that has Barak Hussein Obama.

So, to come full circle, I want to return to the Cairo speech and address an issue I promised to write about in my earlier blog and why Obama is lethal for Israel.

About half way through his speech, referring to solving the Israeli, Palestinian tension, Obama said the following:

"..all of us have a responsibility to work for the day....when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the three children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra,when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer. [Ed. note: the phrase "peace be upon them" is a Muslim blessing for the deceased]

It is the "Isra" on which I wish to focus. Remember that much of Islam is replacement theology, a decision to take everything Jewish and make it Muslim. "Isra" is not an actual arabic word, but a usurption of the Hebrew "ysr" (Isra) to claim it for Islam. Specifically, (in Islam) it is the legend of a dream Muhammed supposedly had, taking him from Mecca to "the furtherest mosque" which now is interpreted as Jerusalem, but not originally. Originally, while the furthest mosque physically was Medina [there was no mosque at all in Jerusalem], early Koranic commentators considered the furthest mosque to be "heaven".

During the Umayyad caliphate (661–750), the heavenly interpretation was replaced
with Jerusalem; it was in the midst of unparralled mixtures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam at the time, and the various conquests of Jerusalem in the 600's. The laying claim to Jerusalem is important, as in Islamic tradition, what is "once" Islamic land" is always Islamic, and reasserting Islamic rule is only a matter of time...the battle for that land must never cease until it returns to Muslim control.

But wait, there's more to the Isra' legend that we must understand in interpreting Obama's words. Not only is it that Jerusalem becomes Islamic in this legend, Islam becomes supreme over Judaism and Christianity:

From the Miraj:

"...Muhammad meets Moses, and Jesus in Jerusalem; he then officiates as leader (imam) of the ritual prayer (salat) for all the prophets assembled and establishes his primacy among G0d's messengers."

Obama was NOT saying Jerusalem should be a City of three Abrahamic faiths in the way the West would understand those words. What Obama said was that Jerusalem should be ".. a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra'." In other words, Jerusalem is Islamic land, and Islam supreme. As someone who "experienced Islam on three continents", he knew EXACTLY what he was saying.

The West totally missed what his carefully chosen words conveyed. The Muslim world did not.

In fact, his entire speech as well as news releases about other issues, are filled with the carefully chosen words that mean one thing to Western ears, but quite another to Muslims around the world.

We need to understand Obama's obsessive drive to remove Jewish settlements from Judea and Samaria wholly in the context of his message in Cairo. No matter what he says about America's long term relationship with Israel, Obama's Israel isn't our Israel.

As a People, we seem to have a difficult time understanding duplicity and cover our ears. It seems we just aren't getting it....again. Hopefully, this time, as the monster raises it's ugly head, we will recognize it and know that we have seen it before....before it's too late.

FREE GILAD

2009-06-25T02:18:00.002+03:00

TODAY, JUNE 25, MARKS THE 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GILAD SHALIT'S KIDNAPPING. AN ISRAELI SOLDIER CAPTURED ON ISRAELI SOLDIER BY HAMAS TERRORISTS. HE HAS BEEN HELD PRISONER SINCE THEN.

PLEASE REMEMBER HIM AND PRAY FOR A SUCCESSFUL MILITARY RESCUE

Still A Man of Destiny

2009-06-15T18:16:00.011+03:00

This is a time of testing for our nation. Particularly it is a time of testing for the national camp. The Elections were one test, this 2nd test is much more serious.

The Prime Minister of Israel is someone who probably has more pressure on him than anyone else in the world. Because we have allowed it in the past in order to have friends, we have let these "friends" simply tell us what to do, as if we were their personal possession. And we have acquiesced to many of their demands...or given lip service to agreement.

But today we have elected a man who holds Zionist values, who has the capacity to stand strong in the face of this pressure. And, last night, in his first speech before the nation and the world, in my opinion, he did just that.

But Bibi, no matter what he does or doesn't do, is lambasted by both the left and the right. He is the classic example of damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. The left can do what they want, but I still associate myself with the right and I am appalled at the cat calls to bring down this government.

What are these people thinking? Thank God the calls have died down given a day or two... yet there are still plenty of negative words like betrayal, buckling to America, etc.

As I have said before, if the train is off course and careening at breakneck speed down the side of the hill, the FIRST THING you have to do is STOP THE TRAIN. After that you can figure out how to get it back on the track.

All those who are feeling that Bibi's mere mention of a Palestinian state gives credibility to it and are ready to throw in the towel are not thinking clearly. Like a Palestinian state has never been mentioned by our government before? With whom would they replace Bibi? Tzipi Livni?? who not only wants the PA State to take all of Judea and Samaria but also all of east Jerusalem and the Golan??

Bibi outlined a Palestinian state that cannot exist - one that recognizes us as a Jewish state, one that is demilitarized, one that cannot have Jerusalem, etc. He knows and we all know that that will never happen. So, basically Bibi was saying, in the most clever of ways, "in your dreams, baby."

The PA got it. Not in a thousand years, they said. The Peace Process is dead. Why can't we get it?

Of all the times in our national camp history, we need to support this prime minister.

Obama was embarrassingly put in a corner. He couldn't say Bibi didn't recognize the option of two states...yet he, of course, knows as well it's not gonna work like that. To save face he went right back to "no settlements", but now there's no power in his words, his words have lost their punch.

What Bibi did was give us a platform to restate and affirm our sovereign position. No past agreements have ever worked, and he, better than anybody, can eloquently point that out. He can then say the obvious: "Here's the PA state we would accept. No deal? OK, no deal. End of story. We will annex the entire Judea and Samaria and finally put this subject to rest. It's time to move on."

That of course could be my own dream. But it's possible, and I am a firm believer in the impossible, so certainly I can put my stock in the possible.

America can and most likely will, turn it's corporate back on Israel. They will tighten the screws and in the end, will probably abandon our friendship. America then will truly be a divided nation as the people, for the most part, are with us. But God will not tolerate the turning stance against Israel. I'm afraid for America on many levels.

We, on the other hand, will stand alone in the nations, but with the power of the Almighty as our wings and strength. It's not easy, it will get even harder, but it's the only solution.

I still believe that Bibi Netanyahu is a man of destiny - no matter the pundits cackles and calls, and no matter the well-meaning, but short-sightedness of the leaders of the various Zionist movements.

I don't know about you but I'm checking for my seat belts, and grateful the miklat is now cleared of furniture. But then I'm offering a prayer to heaven to see us through.

Bibi's Long Awaited Speech

2009-06-14T22:29:00.004+03:00

I am really proud of Bibi. He was brilliant. There should be no complaints on the right, but already I see them coming in. We truly are our own worst enemy.

Bibi outlined very clearly that if there was ever to be a Palestinian state, we had to be recognized as a Jewish one. This is clearly something the Palestinians will never, ever agree to ...but it will be on their heads not ours.

He countered every demand of Obama's but in the most eloquent diplomatic way.

He said the "words" Palestinian State, BUT...

He never ever said how big or where it would be. He continually spoke of Judea and Samaria as being ours.
If there is a Palestinian state we must be recognized as a Jewish one
Any Palestinian State would have to be demilitarized - no army, no weapons (a slap in the face to American demands to build up the PA army
Our right to be in this Land is NOT BECAUSE OF OUR SUFFERING THROUGH PERSECUTIONS LIKE THE SHOAH, but because of our eternal right to this Land as Jews. It is and always has been our homeland. The direct opposite of Obama's speech.
No new settlements will be established but building WILL CONTINUE in the established ones...again the direct opposite of Obama's demands
He was absolutely clear about no arab return to the Israel.
He was absolutely clear that Jerusalem will not be divided

The PA heard what he said. Here was Saeb Ereket's response to Bibi's speech:

Senior PA negotiator Saeb Erikat said that “Netanyahu will have to wait a thousand years befire he finds a Palestinian who agrees to his suggestions. He has unilaterally eliminated all of the final status subjects like Jerusalem, refugees and security.”

“I turn to President Obama,” he said – “Netanyahu’s speech is a slap in the face to your speech.”

Too bad and so sad that our own right-wing leadership didn't listen to the words and the intent.

KOL HAKAVOD BIBI. YOU DID IT!!

The Speech in Cairo - Weighing In At Last

2009-06-12T13:03:00.013+03:00

It took me 6-7 careful reads and 4 days of studying Obama's speech before I saw it.

Even though I knew, I was stunned - shocked - when I saw it. Of course it was apparent by everything he said...but still, there it was - completely out in the open.

I had nearly finished writing this piece. I took one last look at his speech, when suddenly, leaping off the page was one word, confirming all that I had just written.

Barak Obama, President of the United States, upon announcing how Muslim communities and countries around the world could achieve better economic development and opportunity through various interaction with, and help from, America, said this:

All these things must be done in partnership. Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments- community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.

If I were giving this speech, (thank G-d I couldn't) directed to a Muslim audience throughout the world, stating how America could help Muslims pursue a better life, I would have said your people. For sure. Never "our people."
A Freudian slip that no one caught....even his excellent speech writers, but then I'm sure that word was not in his notes...or was it?

Let this sink in for a while.
-----------------
My original article follows - basically it drew the same conclusion. Obama's speech can be found at the White House Press website:

***************

Reluctantly I will weigh in on Obama....at last. I know many have been waiting for TodayinIsrael's take on the current round of events - in particular Obama's much awaited speech in Cairo.

I say reluctantly because there is so much to contemplate, it's almost bigger than words..yet words will be necessary to convey at least part of it. These recent defining moments have been a long time in coming - the beginning outward manifestations of all we know that has been brewing beneath the surface. The unadulterated, virulent anti-Jewish/Israel animal has been uncaged again and is standing at the door...

Of course the beast was always there, lurking, making much noise, but it has needed permission to become unleashed...and I believe that Barak Obama has taken the keys given him and unlocked the door.

I want to be frank. When I first encountered Barak Obama in 2000 I knew he was a rising star. It didn't matter that he lost the race for a seat in the House of Representatives, there was something that caused me to be directed to his persona. I knew then, and I spoke it to some, that this man would be the President one day, that he would be a world leader, that it would happen quickly and it would not be good - in fact, it would be very bad.

We have entered that time. While I am no predictor of the future, and I do not know the specifics of how it will all pan out, I do know that the forces against Israel are strengthening quickly and Barak Obama has stepped to center stage at this time in history for a purpose. It is his destiny.

Who is Barak Obama? For all his supposed charisma and having attained the worlds most influential seat of power, he is still just a player in the game. Nevertheless, he is an important player. Perhaps we should take another look at him vis-à-vis this speech, for I think it matters.

It matters because I believe Obama is the catalyst for bringing together the Muslim and the western Christian worlds. Bringing together the two worlds results in only one thing - deep trouble for Israel. Obama states this union as his goal: "I have come here to see a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world.. ...America and Islam are not exclusive...they overlap and share common principles." So together are they in his thinking that Obama recently said that America was a Muslim nation. His statement in an interview on French television was that based on sheer numbers, America would be one of the largest Muslim nations in the world. (btw, not at all true as there are only about 1.8 million Muslims in America (Pew Center report) making it come in about spot #48-50).

This shouldn't be a problem, as he appears to be speaking theoretically, except for one thing. The goal of Islam is to have the world under a global Islamic caliphate. By referencing the US as a Muslim nation, he has moved it from a theoretical idea to an achievable one. Obama has legitimized this goal and I believe he knew exactly what he was saying. His statement should raise enormous questions and many hackles.

Again I ask, who is Barak Obama? He rose too quickly, too slickly for us to know. I was never one to get into the Kenyan birth issue because I thought that regardless of the fact that he may have been born there, his mother was an American citizen and close enough to the 18 year previous citizenship for him to qualify as a US citizen. But something else must have been amiss for him to hide and never reveal his birth information, even going so far as locking up the information with no access and successfully squashing the myriads of lawsuits against his secrecy.

When Obama said in Egypt that he had "known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed" - and he had just reiterated his father's Kenyan muslim history, his own time in Indonesia, and his muslim experiences in America - he revealed something that he has been vehemently trying to deny. For Kenya to be one of the three continents where he experienced Islam, either he was in fact born there or he spent considerable time there...which is not a problem in itself, but because of the secrecy there must be something we are not to know about this Kenyan experience.

His obvious affinity and connection to Islam has never been a secret, but was certainly downplayed during the elections. Now, secure in victory, it seems Obama can take off the outer wraps a bit. His week, including the visit to Saudi Arabia prior to Cairo has been one signal giving: Listen carefully, I am one of you.

Obama's purpose in meeting with King Abdullah before his speech in Egypt was one of recognition of the authority to which he wished to acquiesce. "I thought it was very important to come to the place where Islam began and to seek his majesty's counsel ..."

This was no politically correct gesture prior to meeting with certain nations and/or leaders. I can't recall him coming to Israel, where Judaism began, and seeking the wisdom and counsel of Binyamin Netanyahu or one the Chief Rabbis. For that matter, I have never seen him bow before any other king or leader, but twice now he has bowed before King Abdullah, signifying much).

His speech, his message is really no surprise. From the recesses of his memory and the depth of his adherence to the tenants of Islam, came calls to prayer, quotes from the "holy" Koran, punishment (a revealing word) for those who disagree with the right of women to wear hijabs.

There were some very strange statements, among them declaring that part of the responsibility of the President of the United States is to "fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear." Huh? I don't recall THAT being in the US Constitution.

Obama's speech was rife with assertions that were factually incorrect....yet few seem to notice. (One columnist, Victor Davis Hanson, apparently did and has discussed a number of his incorrect statements on JWR). Most of the glaring misrepresentations were for the purpose of enhancing the "glory of Islam". Crediting Islamic cultural achievement rather than Byzantine as the forerunner to European Renaissance and Enlightenment may be a matter of historical interpretation, but claiming Andalusia and Cordoba to be examples of "tolerant Islam" during the Spanish Inquisition was simply a blatant distortion of the facts. In fact Andalusia fell to Christian monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand at the outset of the Inquisition and Cordoba had been under Catholic control at least 150 years before the Inquisition began.

Crediting the achievements of others to the glory of Islam seemed to be the order of the day. Taking Jewish theology, history and/or Jewish thought and falsely attributing them to either Christianity or Islam is called replacement theology or thinking. It is part of the institutionalized attempts to remove the Promises of God to the Jewish people and apply the Promises to the new religions instead. Claiming Israel as the historic homeland for the "palestinians" complete with a "longing for" Jerusalem, using the very language that Jews have cried out with for centuries and centuries is part of this replacement process.

In one of the more offensive proclamations of his whole Cairo speech, Obama proudly declared that the "holy Koran" teaches "that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as it he has saved all mankind."" An excellent message. The only problem is that this was a (Jewish) Talmudic teaching, written in the 2nd century CE, 300 years before Muhammad was born. (Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.- Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:8 (37a))

How dare he.

He made some startling admissions. He is committed, he says, to help American muslims fulfill zakat (tzedekah or charity), when he and everyone else knows perfectly well that Islamic zakat is set up through many organizations for the purpose of jihad.

But perhaps the most frightening, and unrecognized by the world at large, was his shocking mention of the story of Isra as an example of what Jerusalem should be - a place of three faiths living together (mentioning the meeting of Muhammad, Moses, and Jesus found in the Isra legend). In this Obama sent a VERY specific message to the Arab world. Isra is the legend of the dream of Muhammad ascending to heaven from the "furthest place of worship", which they now claim was Jerusalem. It is because of this "dream" that Islam lays claim to Jerusalem. (At the time of the dream there was no mosque in Jerusalem - Medina was the "furthest place of worship"). In addition, in Islam's convoluted imagination, Moses and Jesus are Muslim prophets, not Jews or in Jesus case - founder of Christianity), and Muhammad is the supreme ruler. This statement signaled to the Muslim world that he, Barak Obama, agrees with their claim to Jerusalem and the supremacy of Islam. (note: this is such an important matter that a new blog is forthcoming on this subject)

Writers across the world have pointed out Obama's egregious slap in the face to Israel, comparing palestinian "suffering" with slavery and segregation imposed by a white colonial power, and comparing their "suffering" with the horrors of the holocaust. My God!! Again, how dare he compare the suffering the arabs who are being abused by their own leaders, to the atrocities committed against Jews in the holocaust.

But there is one more very glaring mistake that shows the erroneous and fateful decision making process in Obama's mind. It is in his description of the aspirations of two peoples for a homeland. Even if one removed everything else from his speech, Obama's insistence that both the Jews and the Palestinian arabs have equal aspirations for a homeland, resulting from equal suffering, entirely wipes out the validity of Israel as the eternal and ancient homeland of the Jewish people - from time immemorial. It assumes, very wrongly, that Jews sought a homeland only as a place of refuge from the horrors of the Shoah. It negates completely the eternal longing we as Jews have always had to return to the Land given to us by God, the place He swore He would bring us back to, the Land and the City we have prayed for and longed for. In other words, equal aspirations for a homeland negates us as the Jewish People, Am Yisrael, and makes us simply Jews among the nations, one of multiple peoples.

I have to admit, we ourselves must share some blame for mistaken notions such as this. We ourselves have spoken that Israel was just place of refuge following the Shoah and shout "never again" (because we now have a homeland where we can govern ourselves. (and that is now debatable). We considered, but rejected, Uganda. American Jews and some of our own leaders often present ourselves as Jews among the nations. We haven't said loudly enough that this is our Land, and always was.

But that's not the issue. The issue is that the leader of the most influential nation in the world has delegitimized Israel's existence as a Jewish people in their own land and has done so as a Muslim. With an understanding of what words mean in Islam as opposed to their common usage in the West, Barak Hussein Obama has delivered a powerful message to the Muslim world.

Unfortunately, it bodes ill for Israel and for Jews.

Obama may be a Christian in practice, but he is a Muslim in thought. At best he is a dual citizen of both worlds, at worst, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It would be nice to give him the benefit of the doubt, but coded words, blatant distortion of fact, and secrecy belie his innocence.

Where there truly is an overlap and shared common principle between Islam and much of the West, the common ground usually has to do with the common belief that Israel cannot exist as a Jewish state, with a common hatred of Israel. The common ground of replacement theology: there is no longer the Promise of God for Jews.

Instead, the truth, Obama said, was "pulsed in the cradle of civilization" and isn't Christian, or Muslim or Jew(ish). God's vision, he said, is simply that we live together in peace...

Two peoples, each aspiring for a homeland because of their similar sufferings...must come to terms with this universal desire for peace. How? Israel must give up the Land.

In the Muslim mind, peace comes when the world is under the global Islamic caliphate. It is the will of Allah.

State of the Nation on Erev Shavuot

2009-05-28T17:11:00.020+03:00

As we have watched the Judea/Samaria situation unfolding between the Netanyahu and Obama governments, it is apparent how much pressure is put on the Prime Minister...every Prime Minister and every government of Israel.

photo: www.israelity.com/tag/photo/page/2

While I abhor the antics and capitulations of the Olmerts, the Sharons, and especially the Tzipi Livnis, it isn't hard to understand why some buckle under and others try to fight it for a least a while.

I don't know if Bibi can withstand the pressure. I wish there was an easy answer to all of this, but there is not. The simplistic answers of many to just tell America to shove it sound noble and brave, but frankly to do that is neither practical nor feasible. We are, whether we like it or not, intertwined with America, much more so than with Europe. We have less trouble telling Europe to shove it... but America?.... that's hard, for a plethora of reasons.

If we cut the ties and the cords that bind us together, we really truly do stand alone. ALONE. For some, that is a really scary proposition, and for a nation that is supposed to always "stand alone", it can get a little wearisome... Have you ever tried to carry life's responsibilities completely alone? Ask any single parent how easy it is. Multiply that 1,000-fold for the nation.

We live in a global society. If we want to wipe out Iran's nuclear facility, we have to fly over US controlled air space. They have to give us permission to fly over and to re-fuel over those areas. We think we can tell America to shove it and then bomb Iran? How would we do that?

It just doesn't work that way, and the pompous and disgusting comments of the Clintons and the Obamas only emphasize that they know full well the vulnerable position we are in.

Bibi is counting on trying to meet a few of their demands to garner support against Iran. He is trying to give where he thinks it will do the least damage. He has remained firm on several issues, something NONE of his predecessors has ever done.

Netanyahu has stated the following:

Jerusalem will NOT become an international City, and the UN flag will NOT fly over it.
The PA and Abbas MUST recognize Israel as a JEWISH State
Established towns and communities in Judea and Samaria will remain as they are and will grow. We will NOT tell the residents they cannot have babies and remodel their homes.

Where he has seemingly capitulated is with the outposts, agreeing to take down the ones deemed to be "illegal". Technically they are. They are homes and houses built without legal permits. To be fair, Netanyahu said in his campaign that the illegal outposts must come down as we are a "law abiding society." (uhmm, that's another story...or several)

But to our subject matter at hand, the obvious answer is, of course, two fold. If the Jewish "illegal" outposts and buildings come down, then so must the arab ones. Indeed, in Jerusalem we have recently seen increased orders to take down many illegal houses (most of which are built on archeological sites and national parks.) If Bibi's government will extend the demolitions to ALL illegal houses, the international community (and Hillary Clinton especially) will go slightly berserk...there are thousands and thousands of illegal arab buildings and houses.

Secondly, the Netanyahu can make the outposts "legal" thus avoiding altogether the need to tear them down. Recently, legalizing an arab town in the Jordan Valley has been discussed. What's sauce for the goose...is sauce for the gander.

This would be my hope. Whether or not it will happen is another matter. I still want to give Bibi the benefit of the doubt, and still believe, of all our choices, he is the only viable candidate to be our Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, we are preparing for a 3-day War Test called "Turning Point 3" with the total and complete involvement of the entire nation. This is not a "little" practice exercise. All the reserves are being called up for miluim (reserve)duty, the coffee shop discussion is on the missing gas masks and the state or location (or lack there of) of the miklot (bomb shelter). There are some odd things about this particular War Game....something's not quite right, but I can't put my finger on it.

Guess there's some serious stuff ahead.

We will move into our holiday, with all of this on our mind. Yet we will be studying Torah, learning, eating cheesecake and remembering that this is the first holiday we celebrated as a nation when we took back Jerusalem in 1967.

That Shavuot, at dawn, after a night of study (a tradition on Shavuot) thousands and thousands of individuals spontaneously began to make their way to the western wall. The preceding days had marked the first time in 2000 years that Jews were able to again pray at the Wall, and to be able to do so on this Shavuot was remarkable. The sight and the feeling and the oneness was beyond description to those who participated. And so each year at dawn on Shavuot, we repeat the experience and do it again...thousands stream toward the Kotel to finish the night of study and reflection and to thank G-d that we are here in Jerusalem. Some do it with their feet, some with their hearts....but for all of us, it is more delicious than the cheesecake.

Because in spite of the foreboding headlines, in spite of statements and threats, and in spite of the worrisome appearance of things to come ... today, 6 Sivan 5769, we can say

Jerusalem, still in Jewish hands.

And that's the true state of the Nation on Erev Shavuot.

Chag Sameach, Shabbat Shalom

Bibi's Strength & Destiny

2009-05-22T11:14:00.004+03:00

Regarding the recent flurry of meetings between the key players of those wanting to fly the UN flag over Jerusalem and internationalize the City, and the sudden entrance of Bibi Netanyahu into those meetings (The Other Shoe Rewritten and Follow Up to the Shoe posts) I wrote .."I am hoping that he is being summoned - and like a diplomatic head of state, listens - but that his answer will be a resounding NO."
Photo unkown source

If Thursday's speeches by PM Netanyahu are any indication of his answer, it appears that, so far at leaset, it is a resounding NO.

Celebrating Yom Yerushalayim, Netanyahu spoke at Merchaz haRav Yeshiva (where so many young students were savagely gunned down in the spring of 2008), and earlier on Ammunition Hill, (the memorial site for those who died liberating Jerusalem in the Six Day War) he said the following: "The flag that flies over the Kotel is the Israeli flag... Our holy places, the Temple Mount -- will remain under Israeli sovereignty forever.”

The pressure will remain, and surely intensify, for Israel to buckle under. Let us hope and pray for Bibi's strength and courage to withstand such powerful forces. We need to undergird him and the most important thing we can say to him is "Yasher koach" (may you be strengthened, or congratulations or thank you for having the strength so that Torah may be upheld) In this case, the upholding of Torah that Jerusalem remains in Jewish hands.

What could be more to the point? Yasher koach, Bibi.

Follow Up to Recent Post

2009-05-16T20:56:00.013+03:00

I ended Friday's blog with some concerns about Bibi and how involved he is with the issue of internationalizing Jerusalem. I hope we did not get our answer, but following his trail this past week looks pretty darn scary.

If you recall, the major players in internationalizing Jerusalem and wresting it from Israel are Jordan (King Abdullah), the Vatican (whichever Pope is in power), Shimon Peres, and now, the waited for catalyst, Barak Obama. There has been a flurry of recent activity between these players; Abdullah and Peres flew to meet Obama immediately preceding the Pope's visit to the Middle East, where he first met with Abdullah in Jordan before meeting with Peres in Israel.

However, on Thursday, Bibi entered the picture. Netanyahu paid a surprise (meaning unannounced to the media) visit to King Abdullah - in Jordan's Red Sea port city, Aqaba. Immediately following that meeting, he flew to Nazareth to meet with the Pope in the Franciscan convent where Benedict was holding court, so to speak. (Interestingly, Thursday was the day the heaviness in Jerusalem was so palpable you could cut it with a knife)

It has now been announced that Sunday (tomorrow), Shimon Peres will meet with Abdullah and of course, on Monday, May 18, Bibi meets with Barak Obama.

It doesn't look good.

I cannot wrap my head around any scenario that would cause Bibi to push for signing over parts of Jerusalem to the UN and/or the Vatican. Can it be possible that he will bend on Jerusalem for the "permission" to nuke Iran? I am hoping that he is being summoned - and like a diplomatic head of state, listens - but that his answer will be a resounding NO.

As Jews we are to put aside our cares on Shabbat, and I did successfully pack this away for the weekend, but I admit I had trouble sleeping peacefully. Maybe it was many things, but perhaps this disheartening news was peeking around the corner in the night.

Nonetheless, I am not ready to give up on Bibi....yet.

And, ultimately, thank G-d, the Tanach teaches that Jerusalem will remain...where she is...in Jerusalem. (the prophet Zechariah). But then again, that's long term.

The real question is...do we care enough about Jerusalem to fight for her? Our immediate future hangs in the balance.

The Other Shoe ...Rewritten

2009-05-15T15:06:00.014+03:00

Reconstructing the article which twice disappeared from my computer screen has proven to be an exercise in futility. However, here is a summary of what I wished to convey along with additional information.

Things are supposed to be settling down to a normal routine here in Israel (an oxymoron if there ever was one) after our Memorial & Independence Days. The truth is there is a real uneasiness in the air. Some days that uneasiness makes us depressed, other days it makes us crazy. (That is - more than usual.) In my From the Hills of Jerusalem blog, I mentioned that it feels like we are waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Part of it has had to do with the anticipated arrival of the Pope and what was going on underneath the surface regarding his visit. (Neither was it so smooth on top of the surface once he arrived as there was much tension over his words - or lack of words - regarding the Vatican's role during the Holocaust in the various speeches). Most of the world has no clue why he was here, and certainly that’s true for Israelis as well. Nevertheless, because it is about us and specifically about Jerusalem, we felt the trembling whether it was understood or not. This past week has been shockingly oppressive in the City.

The shoe that we are waiting to hear drop is more than the mega ton neutron bombs that might be dropped ala Iran, but of course, they are hovering in the background. Each piece is part of a mounting and noticeable offensive building against us…from all sides.

Because the Pope’s visit was largely misunderstood by most observers, but is, in fact, one of the most serious events of the moment, it was primarily that topic I tried to address in my earlier article.

Yes, I was concerned that Netanyahu appointed a “two state, withdraw to the 1967 or beyond borders, abandon most all settlements” person as his US Ambassador (Michael Oren). That is, until I realized that the US Ambassador has no authority to act. He is a PR man, a figurehead. So, let him and Obama chat and babble away, while Netanyahu does what has to be done.

And I was concerned about what Assistant Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon had to say about the Road Map and other previous “commitments” (which the papers identifies as Annapolis) until I realized the media had “slightly distorted” the story. Annapolis was never ratified by the Israeli Government, thus is NOT a previous commitment, and the Road Map clearly requires total abstinence of terror from the Palestinian Authority, so there is less concern for Ayalon’s statements.

No, the real story is what has been going on for many years, and what is escalating now at such a rapid pace that it is dizzying. Every generation has its Hamans and Amaleks. In our generation, despite the powerful attempt, and despite the terrible anguish, the Shoah failed to destroy us as a People. Hence, the next attempt is to wrench the Land of Israel away from us. The hatred against us for having this special Covenant with the Almighty is so intense that the world will stop at nothing in their desire to destroy us and/or our coveted relationship with G-d. Anyone with a brain, whether religious or secular, can see how ludicrous it is for the entire world to go berserk when we build an addition on a house in Judea or Samaria, when we check incoming vehicles for weapons and bombs, when we respond to terror. That’s because this battle isn’t normal, isn’t natural, and is not new.

Part of the plan to remove Eretz Yisrael from Am Yisrael is to wrest Jerusalem from Jewish hands and this particular portion of it has been in the works since we heard the thrilling cry “the Temple Mount is in our hands” upon recapturing the Old City in 1967.

The way it is hoped it will be accomplished is by internationalizing Jerusalem. The key players to date have been Jordan, (the Kings Abdullah) the Vatican (the various Popes), and on the Israeli side to make sure it happens – Shimon Peres among others. It has long been in the works with details far too numerous to catalog here.

However, it is a matter of timing and the timing has not been right until now - for two reasons: 1) There is a simultaneous 4-prong thrust against Israel - Gaza, Judea & Samaria, the Golan, and Jerusalem. All of these fronts have been developing at their own pace, waiting until the time when they would reach their final stages together - or at the same time. 2) There needed to be a charismatic leader to demand and enforce the coalescence of events.

My words are not meant to engender Biblical prophecy, they are written solely from a position of strategic wisdom in battle.

The simultaneous final stages are being reached at this hour in history, and that charismatic leader, Barak Obama, has surfaced in the nation that can most easily put the screws to Israel – the United States. America’s people are with Israel. America as a nation is not. Her agenda is to regain a leadership role amongst the nations by putting the troublesome Zionist cause to rest at last.

You may have noticed a little stream of visitors to Barak Obama last month. First there was King Abdullah of Jordan, then Shimon Peres, both coordinated just before the Pope’s arrival in Israel.

Contrary to popular media reports and even astute Israeli pundits, King Abdullah’s meeting with Obama was not a pre-emptive snub to Bibi, and even Caroline Glick got it wrong regarding Pere’s visit with Obama. It was NOT an affront to Israel that the Peres/Obama meeting was held in semi-secret and not celebrated by the media. He was NOT there to smooth the way for Bibi. He was there for an intentional secret meeting about Jerusalem – it was simply held right under our noses.

Abdullah’s meeting? It certainly was for the same purpose. It is Jordan who still retains Islamic control over the Temple Mount. We did not take it from them in 1967; we left it “status quo”. Arafat’s men (and now Abbas’) seemingly took over the Islamic Wafq, but the Wafq in control is not that of the Palestinian Authority - it is Jordanian. The temporary PA appearance was useful to Jordan, who is biding its time for a purpose. That purpose is an International Jerusalem overseen by a Jordan-friendly Vatican.

Did anyone notice that immediately following the Abdullah/Obama meeting that Obama called for a “new arab initiative” which included raising the UN flag over the Temple Mount and in Jerusalem? Did anyone notice that immediately following the Peres/Obama meeting, the language got bolder? This time it was explicit: a new arab initiative trading the “right of return” of millions of arabs into Israel in exchange for “internationalizing Jerusalem” - taking its control away from Israel.*

Did anyone notice that these meetings preceded the Pope’s arrival in the Middle East– where Benedict first went to JORDAN, and then to Israel. The Pope was very clear about his liason with the Arab world, and his comfort with Islamic rhetoric. He called for a Palestinian State in Biblical Israel, he intimated that arab suffering was a result of Israeli oppression, he removed his shoes and entered a mosque, and met with the mufti on the Temple Mount.

The Pope's meetings with Israeli officials was selective, on both Israel's part and the Vatican's part. The internationalization plan was not mentioned in media coverage, but Benedict's first meeting was with Shimon Peres. In the earlier drafts of the agreements, the Vatican is to be the over-seer of the Holy Sites, something that Jordan is very comfortable with, as there is agreement between the two governements...the most revealing of which is the agreement to remove the Temple Mount and Old City Land from Israel.

I don't think a deal was finalized on this trip, but I do think the groundwork was exceedingly advanced. We are waiting for something else - and I don't know what it is - but something else to be the catalyst to implement the plan.

There is much more about this, but what makes me very uneasy is that Netanyahu paid a visit to King Abdullah in Jordan, in the midst of the Papal visit. How much is he (Bibi) involved in this? Is he a willing player, is he being coerced, or is he biding time himself?

I have enough personal experience with Bibi and reasons regarding him to think that, in the end, whether because of him, or in spite of him, he will be the right man at the helm of Israel, at this critical hour.

I surely hope I don’t have to eat those words.

Shabbat Shalom

*(Note: Early reports, of which I have copy, used this language...within 24 hours the phrase "internationalizing Jerusalem" was removed. Apparently, the language was a little too explicit, and the media decided to remove it.)

The Other Shoe

2009-05-07T15:10:00.019+03:00

Twice I have typed a very long, very detailed article, with many references, regarding what is happening here in Jerusalem...regarding Jerusalem. Now. Imminent. I have worked on it for two days. It has been very meticulously saved, step by step, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. Twice when I got to the very end of the article, it just simply disappears from my screen -- all of it...and it's saved status has disappeared with it.

I cannot explain it. I am not sure I can reconstruct it a third time. But I will try. There is no time before Shabbat to do so... plus...after it just happened a second time....I'm feeling a bit sick in the pit.....

Very weird. Signing off for Shabbat...
marcia

(The only thing it didn't wipe out was the Title... it's the other shoe we're waiting to hear drop...) Look for it next week...maybe.

From Mourning to Morning

2009-04-29T18:50:00.000+03:00

We just completed the observing of Yom HaZicharon, Israel's Memorial Day and the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut, our Independence Day.

The first day is the day we remember our loved ones who gave their lives for the survival of this nation, and the day we stand with the families who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this Land. Yom HaZicharon is a day of deep sadness, a day when we are permitted to remember and to mourn.

For us, a Land so small and a People so connected, there is not one person or family untouched by the loss of someone in war or in terror attacks. Our history as a People is ancient, but our history in restoring this Land is within our collective lifetime, and the losses are fresh - some just a short 61 years ago, some yesterday. For us, it is ongoing and the sorrow is personal and intense.

Remarkably however, in the fading hours of HaZicharon, a torch is lit, and the Day of Remembering is immediately handed off to a Day of Rejoicing.... rejoicing in our rebirth as a nation, rejoicing and celebrating this miracle of our return to the Land of our destiny.

The juxtaposition of the two days is purposeful, because it is recognized that without the sacrifice of those who died, we would not have had the miracle of rebirth. One of the realities of Judaism is expression of the balance between two opposites - things like mourning and joy, mercy and justice - for it is recognized that without the one, the other cannot exist.

So it is with these holidays. The two holidays are linked together, not just on our calendars, but knit together in our collective soul. As a country, we move from somber services and tears to fireworks and BBQ's in an immediate turnaround.

It is not easy. In some ways it seems it is asking a lot of us as a people. I struggle with it. Many struggle with it. Many are unable to make the quick transition.

I am very close to a family who has had many many losses, not all of them war losses, but all connected to this two day period. The sadness of their family at this time of year penetrates my soul, and I find it difficult at first to move forward. Part of me shouts, stop! wait! we need to linger here a little longer.

But the day marches on, the torch has been lit, and slowly, all together as a people, we move out of our mourning into the morning of a different day. I think it would be impossible alone.

You see this is one of the things that defines us as a People and what makes Am Yisrael unique...we do what we do, together. For it would be too much to ask those who have suffered such tragedy to just turn around and change course. But as a People our losses and our joys are shared, and what one cannot do alone can be accomplished all together.

There is yet another secret to Am Yisrael. One might think that it was on the shoulders of those whose loss was less personal, that the families and individuals for whom the loss was deeper were carried. But I think not. It is really the strength of those who have lost the most who carry the rest of us. And yet, it comes full circle, as they strengthen us we can strengthen them....the lines are indistinguishable.

It's who we are as a People.

And so, reluctant as I was to move forward just 24 hours ago, by the end of the day today, spending time with many friends, watching fireworks, tekesim (ceremonies), and enjoying the wonderful food off the BBQ and seeing them smoking all around the country, I felt, at last, some semblance of peace.

Finally I realize the wisdom of the juxtaposition of the Two Days. Without the collective move into celebration, however slowly and hesitantly we go there, we might be tempted to stay in the mourning. We have other very well prescribed ways to give us the needed times of individual mourning. But as a People, it is necessary for us to lift one another up, so that we can face tomorrow.

Because for us, as a People, we see tomorrow bearing down upon us, and we must be together, strong & ready to face it. Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, we are one.

Happy Birthday.

Technical Glitch

2009-04-28T17:32:00.003+03:00

Please note that RSS Feed and Bookmarking buttons have been added to the sidebar with also bookmarking buttons for each post. Due to some technical problems with the interface between AddThis.com and Blogger, the RSS button sometimes produces a blank box. If this happens when you are trying to subscribe to this blog, please refresh the page and try again. If you still encounter problems please leave a comment for me and I will address it with AddThis.com Thanks.

Child Survivor Moshe Gefen

2009-04-21T19:07:00.004+03:00

One story, that of Moshe Gefen, child survivor now living in Israel.

Read it at Israel National News

Some Refections on Yom HaShoah

2009-04-21T10:57:00.010+03:00

Some things to reflect upon this day of Remembrance.

1) Many survivors live here in Israel (approximately 243,000) and sadly so many of them live in poverty. It is estimated that one third of the survivors are desperately in need of financial assistance. How can this be that in the very place they should be the safest and the most cared for, Israeli Holocaust survivors struggle with this kind of insecurity?

Part of it has to do with the cumbersome and elusive nature of Israeli governmental procedures. It is daunting under the best of circumstances to maneuver this system. Additionally, until recently, far too little money was funneled into this very necessary area of government services, although some of that is being corrected.

But there is another hurdle to helping survivors of the Shoah. Many of them are independent and reluctant, even ashamed, to go to the government for help. The survivors aren't always easy to locate, and so in addition to the toll that is taken with memories (whether those memories are locked away or out in the open) there is this added isolation.

Please remember these very important and special people in your thoughts and prayers. If you live in Israel and know some survivors who are not getting the benefits they need and deserve, please contact the office of the prime minister (www.pmo.gov.il), the Jewish Agency or Sherut Leumi (National Service).

JPost published an article about the thousands who still don't receive benefits. Please read it for further information.

2) A very raw issue here in Israel is the separation between Sephardim, Middle Eastern Jews or Mizrahim, and Ashkenazim. During the founding years of the state the treatment of Middle Eastern (Mizrahi) Jews was so shameful and such a painful part of our history that for the most part, it has been swept under the rug. Things have definitely improved over the years, yet there still remains ill feelings between the groups, and a definite Ashkenazi preference in a state that was developed under western tutelage.

Opening this subject is a Pandora's box, and I have very strong feelings about it...perhaps a later series of postings on this subject can be done.

But in light of our remembrances today of the Holocaust, or Shoah, a piece has come to light which demands our attention. It is not the issue of the mistreatment of Mizrahi Jews, but rather discrimination towards the Sephardim in light of the Holocaust. It is in the very remembrances themselves that partiality has taken place.

JPost writer Stacey Menchel tells the story of Stella Levi in a recent article, entitled "It's time they knew our names". Levi, a survivor of Auschwitz , and a Sephardic Jew of Rhodes, suffered discrimination even in the camps because she was Sephardic. She laments, and many agree, that the Holocaust experience has been told almost exclusively as a European Ashkenazi one, and the Sephardic voice from the Shoah is not heard.

The staggering numbers of European Jewry murdered in the holocaust demands our full attention, yet the losses in the Mediterranean Sephardic communities were even more devasting in terms of percentages of communities destroyed, many communities being totally obliterated.

Yet, just as there were many more of European Jewry killed during the holocaust, so have there been many more survivors from that community as well. Part, but not all, of the problem stems from the fact that there just are not very many Sephardic survivors to tell the story and to develop the infrastructure to gather the information.

That, in itself, is a weak argument for the lack of information about the destruction of the Sephardic communities during the war because why, among ANY institute or organization designed to study and perserve the history of those who suffered, would the Sephardic community be left out of the study and preservation in the first place? Shouldn't the story of what happened to world Jewry during the holocaust be the story of all Jews who perished or survived?

Sadly, and to our great shame, the answer is one of discrimination against a minority within our own family...the Sephardim. So rich in our history, so beautiful in traditions and accomplishments, how is it that this segment of our soul has been marginalized and the memories and information of their suffering in the Shoah go unnoticed?

Stella Levi has been working with the Jewish Museum in Rhodes to develop material on the history of the Rodian Jewish community. But where is the rest of the Jewish world in seeking and assisting and wanting to know, not only about the Jews of Rhodes, but about all the Ladino speaking Mediterranean Sephardim?

We need to do some straightening in our own house this Yom HaShoah as we remember.

Yom HaShoah

2009-04-20T18:09:00.005+03:00

Tonight is Erev Yom HaShoah...a Day of Remembrance for those who perished and those who survived in those terrible years.

There is so much, yet so little that one can say. The horror of the holocaust is beyond description, both from a general overall perspective and from each individual story. Seventy years from it's beginnings, 60 + years from the liberation of the camps we still haven't reached the number of Jews that existed in the world before it happened; then more than 16.5 million, today still well below that figure at 13 million Jews worldwide. What's even more sobering is that 70 years from it's beginning and 60+years from it's ending, we seemingly find ourselves standing on the precipice of another.

How can that be? The truth is that it never really ended, it just paused.

On the very day we stop to remember, the Iranian president, someone who has denied the holocaust ever happened, who repeatedly calls for the destruction of Israel, and is currently building his nuclear arsenal to achieve that end, is the opening keynote speaker at a global conference in Switzerland, which was set up basically, to bash, condemn, and plan against Israel.

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised that the US President has withdrawn his country's participation in this fiasco, as have many other countries. Still, several major western countries did attend: Britain, France and others...and yes, people walked out (representing 23 countries), but none of that alters the very fact the conference even took place, and that it did so without uproar, is still shocking

......A quiet silence is settling over the City. There will be ceremonies both tonight and tomorrow. I hear the helicopters approaching Yad Vashem as I write, bringing dignitaries to the locations where speeches will be given and flames of remembrance will be lit. This year the emphasis is on the children of the holocaust. During the "Every Person Has a Name" ceremony, the names of the children who perished will be read aloud.

All places of entertainment, including restaurants and coffee shops are closed this evening. They will reopen in the morning. The message is two-fold. One of the greatest tributes to those who died in the Shoah, and the statement of our hope for tomorrow, is our life today, especially our life here in Israel. But tonight, as we begin our remembrance, it is unthinkable that we should be entertained and make merry.

At 10:00 am tomorrow morning all of Israel will come to a stop. The sirens will sound for 2 minutes. Buses and automobiles will stop wherever they are. Business transactions, teaching, broadcasting, everything comes to a sudden halt, and people will get out of the cars, get up out of restaurant chairs, wherever one is, and stand for the two minute siren, while we remember our past, those who died, those who survived. It is the least we can do.

Two minutes of silence. The silence speaks the loudest...for there is really nothing adequate that one can say. And in the silence, may we also be strengthened with understanding regarding our future.

A Mimouna Story

2009-04-17T10:17:00.005+03:00

See "Chasing the Elusive Moufleta" at From the Hills of Jerusalem.

Photo Jewish Agency

Chag Pesach Sameach 5769 / 2009

2009-04-08T15:17:00.003+03:00

Wishing you a Chag Pesach Sameach

Drawing by Israeli artisit Raphael Abecassis

Please visit From the Hills of Jerusalem for pictures of Pesach in the streets of Jerusalem.

Out of the Starting Gate...First Rounds...

2009-04-06T23:15:00.004+03:00

My apologies for delayed reporting...juggling. Pesach in 2 days!! Myriads to do...

As we watch the Netanyahu Government begin it's tenure, many things will unfold that bear mentioning.

First of all, Bibi is NOT the darling of the media that has been bestowed upon the leaders of the left. So, expect constant trouncing and false reports...it's just the way it is. Bibi is not just disliked by the left, he is hated. I have mentioned this before. It is because he can deliver peace, and peace is not something the left wants to see.

Netanyahu, if he stays on track, can deliver peace by being firm and not capitulating to international pressure, by NOT abandoning our security and our Land...by staying strong to Zionist ideals.

It's been a very long time since the world has been confronted with strength from Israel...with an Israel that knows who she is, an Israel who isn't afraid to say what needs to be said, do what needs to be done, and say "no" to what is not in our best interest.

Having Avigdor Lieberman and Yisrael Beteinu in the government represents important strategic positioning for Netanyahu. These men are not afraid to say it like it is...

Because of that, watch for intensifying pressure to indict Lierberman of "crimes". In case you didn't know, this is always the tactic of choice to remove someone from the government or from his position. It works too, although, ocassionally it backfires and the fraudulant purposes behind the witchhunts are exposed. Lets pray so this time.

International leaders will go slightly crazy, escalate the pressure, and will most likely try to isolate Israel as is already happening. But I can guarantee you, if Bibi and the government will stay firm, it won't be long before our former weakness will change to strength in the eyes of the world...and then, the world leaders will have a very tough decision in front of them...a very serious choice to make.

It will be their last chance to stand with Israel....or not. The consequences were spelled out centuries ago.

Chazak Chazak

2009-04-03T17:17:00.003+03:00

It is clear from yesterday's attack in Bat Ayin that the removal of checkpoints, the removal of barricades serves nothing but to enhance the possibilities of terrorist attacks against Jews.

The immediate response by the Netanyahu government, by a high ranking official, was that if "we have to put back checkpoints that were removed, we will do so." (a summary quote).

So far today we have not heard definite word regarding the checkpoints, altho area wide roadblocks are still in place as the murderer has not been found.

Bat Ayin, a small community - everyone knew everyone - had both the mourning and a simcha to take part in on Thursday. A couple had just been married the night before and the traditional sheva brachot were taking place. See From Tears to Joy.... by Hana Levy Julian in INNews.

2ND UPDATE

2009-04-02T15:10:00.007+03:00

The murdered boy from Bat Ayin has been identified Shlomo Nativ and his age has been reported as 16 years instead of the earlier reports of 13 yrs. His funeral will take place at 5pm this afternoon in the community of Bat Ayin.

The village of Bat Ayin does not have a security fence for ideological reasons and it's residents do not employ arab laborers in general. Whether or not an isolated family did in fact employ an arab worker is not clear at this point. Whether it was a worker inside Bat Ayin or infiltration, it doesn't matter. The only reason an arab would run into a Jewish town wielding an axe is to murder Jews who live there.

It appears that the terrorist was apprehended and disarmed by residents and shot by a memeber of the community security team , nevertheless, he still managed to flee the scene. Conflicting reports remain as to where the terrorist is now, and a home in a near by arab village (Kherbat Tzafa) has been surrounded by Israeli security.

More as it unfolds.

Terror Attack in Gush Etzion

2009-04-02T12:57:00.003+03:00

Details are still unfolding but terrorists wielding axes attacked a 13 year old and a 7 year old in Bat Ayn this morning. The victims were rushed to Hadassah Ein Kerem, where the 13 year old boy has been declared dead, and the 7 year old in serious but stable condition.

The terrorists escaped the scene and while roadblocks have been put up it is felt they have been absorbed into the arab villages already.

I will update as facts become available.

UPDATE: The 7 year old boy sustained severe head injury after being hit by the ax of the arab terrorist. He remains in serious but stable condition and will go into surgery.

Judea and Samaria Council

2009-03-31T22:03:00.004+03:00

And I bless the Judea and Samaria council for blessing Bibi Netanyahu. Thanks guys. (see my previous post entitled Folly and Failure...)

From news brief on Arutz Sheva:

Judea and Samaria Council Blesses Netanyahu
Reported: 20:42 PM - Mar/31/09

(IsraelNN.com) The Judea and Samaria Council blessed incoming Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening. The council also stated that it hopes Netanyahu will lead to a new era of development in Judea and Samaria .....

The Folly and Failure of the National Camp

2009-03-31T12:24:00.017+03:00

The minute Bibi was selected to form the government, the rhetoric and attacks against him began. Actually, that's not true. The rhetoric and attacks escalated, not began, because the attacks started years ago. At each step, the pressure and the hatred against him increases.

Why? How could someone be so vehemently disliked and yet, I believe, secretly admired. Because basically Bibi stands on principle but is a pragmatic Zionist who can actually accomplish some goals forbidden by the left, such as protecting Israel and not capitulating to the enormous pressure to give over our Land to the international hordes.

These international hordes have chosen a small group of Arabs to represent their thirst for this tiny piece of Land, and have sucessfully altered world opinion in their favor. This group of Arabs, now called Palestinians, are also victims of the lust of the nations for Israel's Land, though they have willingingly and enthusiastically accepted their role.

The media, who controls what we read, has always hated Bibi and will not let up on haranging him - G-d forbid, he might be successful in creating a stable and strong nation without giving most of it away.

It has to be next to impossible to stand against this international pressure when the cards are so stacked against you. None of our previous leaders have been able to withstand it, all of them capitulating to the enormous demands of the nations.

That's where lovers of Eretz Yisrael should have come to the rescue for Bibi Netanyahu. They, the believers in this Land not to be divided, not to be given away, should have stood behind and alongside Bibi Netanyahu from the beginning. Instead, much to their shame, the national camp long ago joined the fray against him.

The only difference is that while the world and the media attacks him from the left, the national camp attacks him from the right. Bibi is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

The national camps have always been given opportunities to fortify nationalist leaders who have been positioned in strategic places, but continually the national camps have squandered their opportunities. They have often been the catalyst - not to bolster good but imperfect governments, but to bring them down for the sin of imperfection. As I have written in other posts, there are times to be idealistic and not waiver, but there are also times where one must prioritize and be thankful for opportunities given, for gains made, and put temporary losses aside.

It seems reasonable that we should bury past mistakes on all sides, and make a fresh start. So this time around, when the country was truly fed up with the antics of the left, waking up to the fiascos of Oslo and Camp David, and very importantly beginning to admit out loud the terrible mistake of the expulsion of Gush Katif from Gaza, the national camp had a gift given to them on a silver platter.

Unfortunately, they dumped it in the garbage. Instead of lending Bibi credible professional support, undergirding his vision and campaigning for him on his merits, they chose to enact dramatic antics of their own, executing childish provocations like wading into Arab communities waving flags and confronting the Israeli arabs on national television. Their political "support" of Bibi was made clear that it was really for the purpose of having him meet their demands on national causes.

Embarrassing. What were they thinking?

Some parties, like Jewish Home, did realize the importance of statesmen-like behavior and now, in fact, is a part of the government. I have said it before, but I will say it again: I think that Bibi's decision not to pursue Ichud Leumi was a wise one - I believe they would be a distraction and perhaps destablizing entity within the government.

Now, as Netanyahu prepares to present his government, the criticism has been ratcheted up once again, from left to right. He can't seem to please anyone...either he is too Zionistic, or not enough; even though he has included Labor, he's too far to the right. He has too many nationalists in the government, or not enough; he has given the cabinet positions to the wrong people on the left, or the wrong people on the right. Even though there was a need for a broad based government, now suddenly it's too big, too costly....on and on and on.

The hope for Bibi's success is not with the national camp. It is with the possibility that some on the left will continue their realization of the folly of international appeasement and will hearken back to the understanding that Israel's stability and strength lies in our ability to decide for ourselves what is best for us, and that they themselves will rally around this leader, supporting him.

It is at times difficult to wade through the media reports, for most all of it is speculation or purposeful drama and/or agenda driven. Nonetheless, it is clear that there are far too many individuals and parties in the national camp who are their own worst enemies. If that were as far as the damage goes, it would be unfortunate, but limited to the near-sightedness of the participants.

Sadly however, it is the nation that is at stake, and the damage is profound and extensive. It is time for the national camp to do some real soul searching. I pray that they, as well as many on the left, will begin to wake up, and I pray that Bibi, in spite of an enormous list of antagonists, will achieve unmitigated success with his government and in carrying out his vision.

Yasher Koach, Bibi, may you have strength.

Update 2

2009-03-29T00:32:00.005+03:00

I removed the alert for the missing soldier Sharon Chen because, believe it or not, it appears that it was a scam, a hoax email that has been circulating for a couple of years. Should new light be shed on the incident that would change the status of this information I will inform you, the readers, immediately.

I apologize for publishing the original alert, but it came from several reliable sources (who were also scammed) and it never occured to me/us that something of this nature would be the object of a bad joke. It is inconceivable to me that someone would make light of something so very serious.

Indeed there are a lot of sick people in this world.

Update and Shabbat Shalom

2009-03-27T17:34:00.000+03:00

I will write more on what happened regarding the missing soldier after Shabbat, but all is ok --- we can have a restful Shabbat.

Meanwhile, take a look at the story and hear the songs of Boaz Mauda on my parallel blog From the Hills of Jerusalem.

Shabbat Shalom

Appalling French Boycott

2009-03-24T23:45:00.005+02:00

On March 7, 2009 this group entered a french supermarket and removed all the Israeli products from the shelves in a demonstrated boycott against Israel. Apart from my profound anger about it I am wondering: Did the store just let them do this??? Is France so intimidated by the pro-Palestinian tirades that they were afraid to protect their store? What did they do with the products they removed?

The english subtitles are missing from the youtube version, but basically the spokespersons are saying that Israel is stealing these products from the Palestinians, robbing them of livihood, angrily chastising France for allowing products from Israel into the stores. In one scene they show babywipes from Israel, and sputter that Israel "kills the Palestinian babies" then sells baby wipes to France...and on and on with such garbage.

In sheer illogical rage and hatred, if a product did not say where it was from, it was also pulled from the shelves. Case in point were the flowers...they looked for place of origin and said that since they found none, it had to be removed, just in case it came from Israel.

Add this to the growing long list of 1938 Germany...except this time it is world wide.

We Don't Know Everything

2009-03-20T13:07:00.010+02:00

For all my blase attitude in the last few weeks regarding the political situation in Israel, in recent days Bibi HAS made me a bit nervous.

Of course, everyone is quick to start hurling accusations and it's tempting to be immediately critical of his attempt to bring in Labor, postponing the presentation of his government. But I am no longer going to go that route. I am beginning to see things differently these days.

First of all, there are many things that I don't know. I don't know for one, what is really going on in Bibi's mind, or for that matter what he has discussed with Barak. As I have mentioned before in this column, my first reaction to Barak continuing as Defense Minister is one of revulsion. I think he is out to lunch with his ideas and positions, and diametrically opposed to everything I believe in.

The fact that Netanyahu wants to keep him on as Defense Minister and also to give Labor other key ministerial posts seems to simply reinforce the old diatribe of the National Camp that Bibi is really a secret leftist....of the worst kind, as he pretends to be right of center.

My response to that is just this - we don't know everything. For all we know, Barak could be a secret rightwinger, a secret Zionist, and under Bibi's leadership perhaps would espouse different ideas. Maybe not, but maybe he would "become" more Zionistic for political expediency...to keep his post.

The point is, we just don't know. As I have also mentioned before in this blog, prior to my aliyah I was a dreamer, and since my aliyah, I have become a pragmatist. Unlike so many in the national camp, I really don't have all the answers.

Maybe G-d has a plan I don't know about (is that possible???) or wishes to bring about His Agenda in ways I haven't thought about yet. (Unheard of!!)

To be very honest, when I hear the words of some of the leaders of the national camp and see their actions, I wonder about the wisdom of having them in the government at this time in history. It's not their ideals with which I have a problem, it is the assumptions that are made about the willingness of the people to implement them, and perhaps more importantly, the failure to understand the importance of the timing of the same.

Beyond that, there is a rigidity with which I feel very uncomfortable, and unwillingness on the part of the leaders of many in the national camp to see things any way other than their own. Additionally there seems to be an unwillingness to participate in the practicalities of temporary deferment of hopes and dreams in order to allow for their eventual realization.

The nation is not ready for the realization of all our Zionist dreams because we have veered far too far from them. It will take time and wisdom and yes, even some compromise to reach them. It will take re-education and a track record that will show that Zionism is, in the final analysis, the optimal answer for our dilemma and aspirations.

Often my mullings and thoughts are echoed by other writers at the same time as I am thinking them, as if we are picking up something in the cosmos. Caroline Glick, whose writings are always right on and so eloquently done, addresses some of these same concerns in her column this week. Please read her JPost article entitled "Israel's Balance of Delusion", where she touches on these and other issues.

I am concerned for this nation, indeed for the world. In this perilous hour, we need vision and courage and strength. What we do not need are for the people who carry this vision to confuse personal ambition and power with the mandate to carry it out, or to substitute inflexibility for wisdom.

Deadlines Approaching

2009-03-14T22:52:00.010+02:00

For those not intimate with Israeli politics, following all the news stories regarding the coalition building being done by PM-elect Netanyahu must be almost unbearable. For those of us who DO know the political landscape, even just a little bit, the feelings towards the politicians and the process may range from frustration, disgust and anger, to indifference and laughter.

Perhaps you have read from one news source that Bibi is going to ask for an extension (the two week extension allowed by law), and from another news source that he wouldn't think of asking for an extension. Then, maybe you have read that Likud and Kadima are talking about a unity government again, but from another media outlet that, while some aides have talked together, there have been no changes in position by either side.

I am not so frustrated by the political process as I am annoyed with the media circus. The one that really got to me were reports within the same article that National Union was about to bolt from joining the coalition, and a few paragraphs later that they would be receiving certain specific portfolios.

The truth is that all these stories are pure speculation, gossip, sensational journalism, lashon hara, and more.

As we approach the first benchmark time of one month, it will be interesting to see what has really transpired in these last few weeks. Some of the stories have some basis in fact, others are pure fabrications.

For the general public, the long drawn out process is a given and with our present system, there is absolutely nothing we can do about shortening the length of time and lessening the suspense of the waiting game between elections and government. It is best to turn to the weather, the coming summer, the lingering winter, or....you name it.

Coffee shop talk doesn't even mention politics any more.. Shalit's return, yes, but the forming of the next government? ..... that's passé.

Many call for election reform, but to tell you the truth, I kind of shudder to think what the legislators might come up with as a replacement system. It could end up being far worse.

Meanwhile, buckle up, as we're closing in on the deadline. Then, and only then, the fireworks can start.

Just One Purim Picture

2009-03-12T01:51:00.004+02:00

Shushan Purim is now over with but I couldn't resist taking a picture of this Purim "angel" as I walked down my sidewalk this morning... maybe he's one of the ones who guard my block.

Back to business in the morning.

Please Tell Me This is a Purim Joke.....

2009-03-10T23:38:00.007+02:00

...and if it isn't...it should be!!!

An Egyptian Cleric wants to shut down Starbucks because he believes that the woman in the logo is the Jewish Queen Esther.

Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu of Israel National News writes:

An Egyptian Muslim cleric has called on the Muslim and Arab world to boycott Starbucks because he claims thefemale character depicted in the company’s logo is actually Queen Esther, the heroine in the story of Purim.

The logo shows a woman with a crown, topped by a five-pointed star on her head. Although there is no apparent reference to anything Jewish in the portrayal, cleric Safwat Higazi recently declared on Egyptian television, “The girl in the Starbucks logo is Queen Esther." The video of Higazi's statement was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

LOL - read the whole article here

Who's on First?

2009-03-09T19:45:00.011+02:00

The Ynet headline reads "Olmert: Barak proves Cast Lead was worthless".

A strange yet not surprising debate took place in the Cabinet meeting on Sunday (March 8, 2009). It has been no secret here in Israel that PM Olmert and DM Barak are often in disagreement, especially now in the unfortunate aftermath of the premature ending of the operation in Gaza. Olmert and Barak, both of them trying to save face and/or save their political skins, are each blaming the other for the apparent failure of ending the operation before the objectives were achieved. [Of course, if there were no objectives.....]

Today we see that Hamas has not only re-armed but rearmed with advanced equipment, and is continuing to fire Kassams and Katushas into Israeli towns.

What was disturbing about the Cabinet argument is that everyone had a different understanding of what was going on during the War. Military Intelligence chief Major-General Amos Yadlin seemed to thing there was an agreement with Hamas, Olmert didn't think there was an agreement. Olmert, who was Prime Minister, indicated that the Defense Ministry was in charge of negotiations, but Barak was "in favor of something vague and inexplicit..." - in other words, out to lunch.

Uhm, who was in charge? Barak did say during the War that all decisions regarding the operation came from him and not Olmert, and about Olmert: "He was aware of it [war decisions] , but I don’t think he should deal with such things."

THAT is really scary. If true, we had a Prime Minister who didn't agree with what the Defense Minister was doing, and the Defense Minister saying that the Prime Minister shouldn't be dealing with the things related to the War. omg

And looking ahead, what was it about Barak's decision-making that Netanyahu seems to like, since he wanted to keep him on as Defense Minister, and would he, Netanyahu, be in charge had that happened?

If one ever doubted that our survival as a People is only due to the protection and goodness of the Almighty, one only has to look at the folly that we call leadership and know that we couldn't have survived due to any other reason!

With regard to this recent fiasco, one surely must ask the age old Abbott and Costello question..."Who's on first?"

Serious Coalition Building and Strength Needed

2009-03-08T00:40:00.007+02:00

This is the week Netanyahu must get serious about his coalition building and negotiations with the potential partners in the government.

We are all getting tired of waiting, Bibi, so let's get on with it. More than that, continuing meddling in the affairs of State by the Olmerts and Livnis just keep perpetuating the balygan.

I have chosen not to comment on the various news reports that say Bibi has said this or that, as those reports are very often smoke without fire. They are either spread by Kadima or a media that wants to protect Kadima and bring down Netanyahu.

One thing is certain, it will be tough for Netanyahu to fight not only the international opinion makers, but also our own homegrown ones. That's why it is vital that we rally around him to be a strengthening force.

Let's see what the week brings in the political arena. Meanwhile, Hamas has rearmed and rebuilt, resumed it's rocket attacks full force, and is being strengthened economically and politically by the US and Europe...all predicted months ago or longer by many of us who watch.

Washington has moved swiftly to stack the deck against us. I will address several of these areas and issues in my posts this week.

I think we are heading for a show down...and we need to pray Bibi can stand the course.

Update on Tractor Terror Attack

2009-03-05T19:15:00.005+02:00

As the information becomes available it appears that the tractor terrorist was aiming towards a busload of young women who were dressed in Purim costumes and on their way to Hadassah Ein Karem to cheer up the patients before the holiday.

It's not clear whether the police car got in the way and he picked it up in the jaws of the bulldozer enroute to the bus or if his intent was to use the police car as an additional ramming rod. Somehow an electric pole that had fallen (unclear) blocked him from reaching the bus. When police and civilians began firing on the tractor driver, the girls were evacuated from the bus, several being treated for shock.

A joint effort at killing the terrorist finally accomplished the goal. 100 bullets into him would be too few in my opinion.

Just in, information that the terrorist was a married 26 year old father of one child. He lived in Beit Hanina, an arab neighborhood in the northern part of Jerusalem, however, he did not carry an Israeli ID but a Palestinian one.

This is quite revealing, as it now appears he was living within Jerusalem illegally, and employed by the tractor company. There have been no reports as to what the tractor was involved with construction wise, other than to say that the driver drove his tractor unhindered through the City on his way to the Malha area....that story is still developing.

Terrorist Attack Near Malha Mall

2009-03-05T14:59:00.003+02:00

About 1pm this afternoon another terrorist bulldozer attack took place near Malha Canyion (Shopping Mall). It occured at a major intersection where Begin Highway connects into the Teddy Stadium/Malha Mall area.

Although there are some conflicting reports it seems clear that two police officers were lightly wounded as the bulldozer driver flipped (2x) and dragged the police vechicle. An attempt was made by the Arab terrorist to push the police car into a bus full of girls in Purim costume, then a 2nd attempt was made to ram an empty bus. A pole at the intersection prevented the enormous tragedy of the attempt on the busload of girls, and a taxi driver named "Dor" and another police officer shot and severely wounded the terrorist. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he subsequently died of his wounds.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat arrived at the scene within 30 minutes and complimented the police and taxi driver on the quick actions to subdue the terrorist. An open Koran was found on the floor of the tractor. Mayor Barkat made it clear that some strong measures must be taken against the family of the driver, including destroying the terrorists home. (A tactic with which I strongly disagree, there are other much more effective options than this counter productive measure.)

More later as the story unfolds and reports are more consistent.

Amazing Stories

2009-03-03T17:23:00.006+02:00

While we wait on the formation of the government coalition, with all it's drama, there are other dramas taking place in Israel...amazing ones.

I will recount three of the most recent ones.

Over the weekend two spectacular events unfolded at Beilinson Medical Center in Petah Tikvah. One, a 19 year old girl on a birthright trip from Georgia (part of the former Soviet Union) fell acutely ill with a previously unknown genetic liver ailment. She needed a liver transplant immediately, or would not have survived. The story, told here by Hillel Fendel of Israel National News, is heartwarming and wonderful. Among the many miracles involved was that she needed to obtain Israeli citizenship in order to have the operation and have it paid for, so with the help of the Prime Minister's Office and Netiv, the Russian component of Israel's Foreign Ministry, this 19 year old woman received her citizenship within 2 days! Many more miracles, including the sudden availability of a matching organ. Read the full story here.

Remarkably, the 2nd miracle took place at the same hospital in Peta Tikvah. It involves a double track simultaneous saving of lives of a new baby and the mother giving birth. Also quite a story, in the same article by Hillel Fendel.

The third drama doesn't take place in Israel but is the story of a young man who now lives in Ashkelon and Israel is shaping his new life. He came from a family who had hidden their Jewishness, then reclaimed it - except in the youth of this now 35 year old John Daly, a skinhead group in Florida intimidated and coerced him into their group, not knowing he was Jewish. Too terrified to flee as no one left the group alive, he rose in the ranks of the organization, until one day, his Jewishness was discovered. His is a remarkable story that everyone should read. Even today, his life is in danger, yet he is outspoken about his history and adamant to have the right to be Jewish, no matter the cost. Kol hakavod to John Daly. Read his story in the Jerusalem Post article by Maxine Liptzen-Dorot.

New Information Regarding R.Elyashiv's Statement

2009-02-28T22:09:00.004+02:00

It has been reported this evening that the news stories (see earlier post) regarding Rabbi Elyahsiv's pronouncement that there can be no political compromise on civil marriages in Israel, were false. He has apparently made no such statements.

Rabbis who are close to the religious leader said "Rabbi Elyashiv did not rule out the possibility of civil marriage between non-Jews" and suggested that the rumors were started by Kadima in an effort to undermine the coalition building efforts being undertaken by Netanyahu. (Source:INNews)

Coalition Negotiations Continue As Livni Rejects Unity Government

2009-02-27T15:25:00.013+02:00

The negotiations for coalition partners took a definite turn today when Bibi's second meeting with Livni produced no results towards a unity government. Netanyahu will now need to shore up his natural partners on the right.

(The following discussion has been reported now to be incorrect information. It has been suggested that it was a rumor started by Kadima to thwart the coalition building being undertaken by Bibi Netanyahu. See my later post. I am leaving it in until we know what the correct story is, and if it turns out to be true that Kadima started this rumor for such a purpose, it will show an example of the lengths Livni will go to to unseat Netanyahu.)
What is worrisome today, however, is the announcement by Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, a leading rabbi of the ashkenazi haredim, stating that there could be no compromise on civil marriages within Israel. The ashkenazi haredim are represented by UTJ (United Torah Judaism) and they hold 5 seats in the upcoming Knesset. This announcement could make it difficult for UTJ to sit with Yisrael Beiteinu, whose platform includes civil marriage. If they refuse to sit in the government then Bibi cannot form a majority and we would have to go to elections again.

It should be noted that the civil unions being discussed are NOT for Jews in Israel, but for non-Jews, who cannot get married according to Jewish law anyway. There are no civil unions of any kind allowed in Israel. Non-Jewish residents and citizens who are not part of a religious community must leave the country to get married, and it goes without saying that it is financially prohibitive to have family and friends accompany them for the ceremony.

It's a more complicated subject than I wish to cover in this post, but to make this a stumbling block to forming a government is simply unacceptable, in my opinion. Shas, which represents the sephardic haredim is not opposed to civil unions for non-Jews, and while Shas wields its own club on other matters, it at least is thinking a bit more clearly in this case.

Hopefully, because the rabbi who made this proclamation is not the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi (who is Yona Metzger), the UTJ may not be bound to obey. My understanding is that it is an opinion rather than a ruling. Rabbi Elayshiv is considered a great halachic authority by the haredim however, and they may have difficulty disregarding his opinion. Yisrael Beiteinu, for it's part, dropped the positioning of the civil union issue to the bottom of it's list. Perhaps they could drop it altogether as a condition for joining, but still work very hard to see it passed as a part of the next government.

In our precarious world situation, it behooves all parties to not be so dogmatic.

Next week will bring more coalition news and hopefully some progress.

Meanwhile we are all a little wiped out here in Israel. Sorry for the absence in posts this week...be back on Sunday after Shabbat ...or before.

Text of Netanyahu's Statement at HaNassi

2009-02-22T23:46:00.003+02:00

The following is the text of Bibi Netanyahu's statement on Friday February 20, 2009, after receiving the charge from President Shimon Peres to form the next government.

Mr President,

I deeply appreciate your lifelong commitment to the State of Israel and your tireless work on its behalf, which have continued these past few days.

I accept the task you have assigned me with humility and with a profound appreciation for the enormous responsibility that you have placed upon me -- the responsibility to achieve security for our country, peace with our neighbors and unity among our people.

Mr. President,

As President of Israel, as a great Israeli patriot, you have rightly spoken of the need, also expressed by most members of the Knesset, for unity.

Because at this fateful hour, the state of Israel faces enormous challenges. Iran is developing nuclear weapons and poses the greatest threat to our existence since our War of Independence. Iran’s terror proxies confront us in the North and South and the worst global economic crisis in the last 80 years threatens the jobs and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Israelis.

For many decades, Israel has not faced an accumulation of so many great challenges at one time.

Faced with such extraordinary challenges, we need a new attitude, a different attitude, an attitude that expresses national unity.

These great challenges obligate us to work together and to unite all the forces within our people. I call on the members of all the parties, both those who recommended me [to the President] and those who did not recommend me, to put politics aside and to place the good of the country first.

I turn first of all to the chairwoman of Kadima, Tzipi Livni and the chairman of the Labor Party, Ehud Barak and say, let’s join hands and work together to secure the future of the State of Israel.

I ask to meet with you first to discuss forming a national unity government for the sake of our people and the country.

I know that we have different approaches on many important issues but I also know that we are all committed to working for the benefit of our country and our common future.

That is why I believe that, given the seriousness of the hour and the needs of our country, we can find common ground and a common path that will lead Israel to security, prosperity and peace.

The great tragedies in the history of our people happened when we did not unite in the face of great challenges. But the opposite is true as well. The great victories occurred when we put our differences aside and stood together as one during moments of truth. Today, we face such a moment of truth.

Let us unite, let us join together and ensure our future, our children’s future and our country’s future.

www.en.netanyahu.org.il

Netanyahu and Iran

2009-02-22T01:12:00.005+02:00

With Netanyahu emerging as the upcoming Prime Minister of Israel, so much of the focus is on whether or not he will disrupt the precious "peace" plans that the world, including our departing government leaders, have tried to impose upon us.

Very few have really listened to what came out of his mouth in his first statements. It wasn't about the Palestinian State or our relationship with Europe and America, about which Olmert and Livni were so paranoid.

His first words at a ceremony held at Beit HaNassi had to do with the existential threat from Iran. He said briefly that Iran's drive for nuclear weapons poses "the gravest threat to our existence since the war of independence." Netanyahu has been speaking on this for many years...but few have listened.

His strong words eerily coincided with the news this week that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "suddenly discovered" that Iran does in fact have enough low grade uranium to develop a nuclear bomb right away.

One of the few media outlets taking notice was Investor's Business Daily (IBD). In a stunning editorial that reflects the sobering reality of our precarious world, IBD compares Netanyahu's emerging role vis a vis Ahmadinejad with Churchill's role vis a vis Hitler.

Read this very important article at Investor's Business Daily, entitled Ahmadinejad Vs. Netanyahu.

(hyperlink provided with permission from Investor's Business Daily)

Likud to Kadima to Likud Once Again?

2009-02-21T21:34:00.007+02:00

What I have been mulling around in my mind the last few days was just published in the evening news medias: If Tzipi Livni refuses a unity government with Likud, then several key Kadima members may return to Likud - having jumped ship earlier when Ariel Sharon broke away and formed the new Kadima party.

I am appalled however that Bibi is still mentioning Barak to continue as Defense Minister (and for that matter, Livni as Foreign Minister). I am assuming he feels that under his leadership they would act differently. These suggestions are from the media and not necessarily out of Netanyahu's mouth, so whether they are really still true or not, we cannot be certain. One report tonight said that Bibi was even willing to give Livni veto power over government decisions. Such a position would certainly undermine and undercut the wishes of the electorate for a right wing government.

Bibi is rightfully very concerned that a strong opposition could block every move a right wing government tries to make. So, while a unity government has some advantages, it would have to be carefully put together. It seems to me that some of the good people in Kadima coming over to Likud would give Netanyahu the best of both worlds. An addition of capable centrists to his government would give the broader base he is seeking, but he wouldn't be stymied by the beligerence of Livni and Barak.

At the same time, Kadimas position in the opposition would be weakened. Bibi is still stinging from what he perceives to be his mistake in the late 90's to not form a unity government, but he needs to be very thoughtful and careful, not reactive as he puts this coalition together.

Peres Charges Netanyahu With Task of Forming Government

2009-02-20T16:28:00.006+02:00

The immediate wait is over. Today Peres made the decision to charge Bibi Netanyahu with the task of forming the government coalition rather than waiting until Sunday as he had indicated. It appears he had little choice, as Livni made it very clear she would not sit with Netanyahu. Bibi, for his part will continue to press for the unity government, as he feels it will be advantageous to have a broader coalition.

More on Sunday. We can all rest a little better over Shabbat now that the decision has been officially made and communicated. B'H

Shabbat Shalom

Addendum To The Day's Politics

2009-02-19T19:22:00.003+02:00

Latest is that Peres will meet with Livni and Netanyahu separately, expecting to appeal to them to form a unity government. Interestingly, it is Livni who doesn't want it, Bibi feels it would be advantageous. I don't know, I'm a bit nervous for what Peres might pull in the 11th hour. I hope it goes smoothly tomorrow and Bibi will be given the charge, however, for some reason, Peres is indicating he won't make his announcement until Sunday. Why so long?...the mandate is clear.

In the meetings with President Peres, Labor's Ophir Pines-Paz had something interesting to say about Netanyahu. Discussing who Labor would or would not recommend, it was reported that Pines-Paz said "....Netanyahu is a political, ideological adversary and we do not share the same views," .... "We respect him, but we cannot recommend him. We share some views with Livni, but unfortunately, she opted for Yisrael Beiteinu over the Left in hopes for a rotation with Bibi. She made it easier for us in that sense, by choosing not to be a part of us." (color highlighting mine)

I found it interesting and important that for all the disagreements and negative attacks, this Labor Knesset member still held respect for Bibi. It says a lot for who Bibi is, but also Pines-Paz. I'm not a Pines-Paz fan, but I find it commendable that he spoke in such a way.

7:00 pm Update

2009-02-19T19:00:00.006+02:00

The last meeting is taking place at Beit HaNassi (House of the President), or perhaps is finished. This final meeting was with United Torah Judaism which already signed an agreement with Bibi Netanyahu.

Ichud Leumi endorsed Likud this afternoon, and all three Arab parties abstained, that is they recommended no one. So, with UTJ's recommendation for Likud, the Netanyahu led party will garner the 65 seats projected for them, with Kadima at only 28.

This parallels exactly what the voters wanted, and no matter how Tzipi Livni tries to say the people elected her, not Bibi, it just doesn't line up with the reality of the vote.

Livni continues to state that she will not sit in a Netanyahu led government, and will head to the opposition, joining Labor, Meretz, and the three Arab parties.

Nonetheless, Peres continues to state that he will invite BOTH Netanyahu and Livni to Beit HaNassi tomorrow, presumably to discuss a unity government and to try to persuade both parties to join together.

Quite frankly, this is very annoying, and since the President has the final say to do (unilaterally) whatever he wants, he COULD bypass the will of people and recommend Livni. He could, but I don't think he will. Of course, should he do that, there would be enormous public uproar, AND she can't put together a coalition anyway, so it would fall back to Bibi in the end. It would simply waste precious time and leave the three stooges in limbo power for another couple of months. omg. Let's hope Peres will heed Livni's objection to joining a unity government, and simply hand the request over to Bibi as he should.

I need to remind the readers however, that it's not over yet. !! Now, comes the task of actually putting together the coalition. There will be demands and expectations, and a lot of hammering out of details. There will be budget expectations from each of the parties for certain ministries and programs, and all this will take a while.

Then once the coalition is in place, the budget has to be passed by the whole Knesset, which, remember, will include the opposition. Hmmm. Can you see some dilemmas rising up?

Tomorrow I will briefly discuss the power or lack of power that the opposition parties have and what it means for a government here in Israel when the entire sitting government is right wing, and an entire strong opposition is left wing.

For now, let's wait for Peres to give Bibi the nod...hopefully tomorrow, before Shabbat.

News Flash : Shas recommends Netanyahu Bringing Likud total to 56

2009-02-19T11:54:00.003+02:00

Shas has completed their recommendation meeting with President Peres, endorsing Bibi Netanyahu for the next government:

This gives Likud 56 seats so far, with Kadima at 28 seats

Updating as we go...

Lieberman recommends Netanyahu

2009-02-19T11:25:00.005+02:00

The recommendations by the Knesset parties are starting to trickle in, but the suspenseful waiting for Avigdor Lieberman's vote is now over. Yisrael Beiteinu has recommended Likud for the party best able to put together a coalition.

He added a caveat however, and tried to stipulate it was conditioned on Livni being in the government. Actually there are conflicting reports as to whether he states it as a qualification for his support, or simply a desire on his part to see Livni in the government.

Bibi has said that they also seek a broad coalition, so it was already a given. The question remains of course, whether or not Kadima will sit in a unity government with Netanyahu at the head, and with Shas in the coalition. One news flash on Haaretz indicates Livni has signaled that they will lead the opposition and not sit in the government. This isn't necessarily a good thing for the national camp...it's hetze/hetze (half/half) which I will explain later.

Labor and Meretz are recommending no one. Here is the breakdown so far available in the English press:

Recommendations:
Kadima (28 seats): Kadima
Likud (27 seats): Likud
Labor: No one
Jewish Home (3 seats): Likud
Meretz: No one
Balad (Arab): No one
Yisrael Beiteinu (15 seats): Likud
Shas: Meeting as we speak
Ichud Leumi:
United Torah Judaism:
Hadash (Arab/Jewish)
Ra'am-Ta'al (Arab):

Officially at this point, Kadima has 28 seats and Likud has 45 seats. The expectations are for Shas, Ichud Leumi and UTJ to go with Likud which would give them 20 more seats or 65 total. The Arab parties are expected to follow suit with Balad and Labor and abstain from recommendation.

One never knows in the last minute what the remaining parties will do for sure, so it's not over til it's over....or "someone" sings as they say......so stay tuned.

Meetings Underway - Peres Makes Headlines

2009-02-18T19:30:00.001+02:00

At this hour, a few blocks away, Israeli President Shimon Peres is meeting with Kadima, and shortly thereafter will meet with Likud as the selection process begins. Election Judge Eliezer Rivlin turned over the official election readings to the President earlier this evening and stated that there were no abnormalities. (There had been several reports of abnormalities on election day, but...they seem to either have been forgotten, or were in fact, corrected, or ...who knows?)

Tomorrow Peres will meet with Avigdor Lieberman, Yisrael Beiteinu, discussing to whom Lieberman will throw the weight of his 15 Knesset seats.

The biggest news of the day for the national camp, however, is Shimon Peres's admission that the withdrawal from Gush Katif was implemented in an incorrect way, and he was wrong about how he thought about it. Early reports about his statement were sometimes headlined in a way that looked like he felt he was wrong about supporting the withdrawal altogether.

The President's office was quick to correct that misconception, explaining he was FOR the withdrawal, just not the way it was implemented, especially the lack of coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

Whew, for a moment I thought that the President....ah, well, I guess I will refrain from further comment on this one.

On Hold

2009-02-18T00:01:00.004+02:00

It seems that whole world is on hold (and on edge) a little bit, waiting for the elections results here in Israel to be finalized and a new government to be formed. Nations and heads of nations are offering their opinions and their threats.

Such a tiny country, yet such world wide intrigue.

We are all waiting to see who will be the Prime Minister and what his government will look like - the "64 thousand dollar (shekel) questions."

Speaking of shekels and dollars, the dollar is very high against the shekel right now, as Stanley Fischer, head of the Bank of Israel, continues to buy dollars continues talk of dropping interest rates even more. All this to stave off more fall out from the economic woes in America, where Obama's stimulus package is the biggest news.

Still, when you read an article like one published by Israel National News, stating that Washington might extend some behind the scenes manipulations and meddling to force a unity government with Kadima and Likud, one has to wonder ...doesn't America have enough of it's OWN problems not to try in meddle in ours???

I don't know if such statements are true or not, but we do know that several US Presidents have definitely interfered in Israel's elections in the past. Bill Clinton even sent his ambassador to openly campaign for Shimon Peres when Bibi ran for office in 1996. It is certainly not unprecedented.

Waiting for Thursday........or maybe even tomorrow.......

Oddly Enough...

2009-02-16T18:51:00.002+02:00

....Muqata is reporting that a second Spiderman has lassoed cars on Israel's highways. (See previous post).

This time (the 2nd in 24 hours) it was on Toll Road Highway #6, near Kfar Saba. (Hey, where was Joe Settler this afternoon?)

Election Updates and Today's "News"

2009-02-16T12:03:00.026+02:00

For those (outside of Israel) who are still confused about our elections, let me refresh you on how the political mechanisms works here... and the next steps.

1. Primaries are held in each party in order to create a list of candidates from that party who will await Knesset seats received from the national elections. Each winning candidate in the primary is assigned a certain position on the list, depending on the primary vote, and that position corresponds with the number of seats earned in the national voting. For example, if a party wins 10 seats in the national election, the first 10 people on its list, determined in the primaries, will be "seated in the Knesset." A party must reach a 2% threshold of the popular vote before garnering any seats in the general elections.

2. General elections are held.

3. After the number of seats won by each party is determined*, the President of Israel approaches all the parties in the Knesset to see who they recommend, based on the elections, to form the next government. Usually it is the party winning the most seats, but not necessarily so. There have to be 61 seats held by the winning party to have a mandate to govern. If no one wins the 61 seats, which is normally the situation, then the party most able to put together a coalition to reach a combined 61 seats or above, is the one recommended.

*COUNTING THE VOTES: HERE IS WHERE IT GETS COMPLICATED

4. After the elections, there are TWO ROUNDS OF DETERMINING THE SEATS:

Round One: The popular vote calculated for seats won right away. This includes waiting for the IDF, hospital and prison votes. This has now been completed. The results are as follows:

RIGHT WING BLOC: Likud 27, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Is Our Home) 15, Ichud Leumi (National Union) 4, Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) 3, Shas 11, United Torah Judaism 5

Total Seats 65

LEFT WING BLOC: Kadima 28, Labor 13, Meretz 3, Ra'am Ta'al (Arab party) 4, Balad (Arab party)3, Hadash (Arab/Jewish party) 4

Total Seats 55

Based on these results, even though Kadima won 1 more seat than Likud, the Right Wing Bloc won 65 seats as opposed to the 55 seats for the Left Wing Bloc, so it is thought that Netanyahu has the better chance to form a coalition.

There is plenty of talk, bartering, banter and rumor flying through the media and the street regarding what will happen.

The seat count we have at present is from Round One.

WHY WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR PERES TO APPROACH THE KNESSET:

Round Two has not yet been completed. It will be completed by Wednesday the 18th. What is Round Two??

Round Two: In Israel there is something called Vote Sharing. Prior to the elections, each party has the opportunity to engage in vote sharing. There is a formula (beyond me to decipher) that determines how many votes it takes to make one seat. There will always be left over or surplus votes, not enough to add another seat, that seem to go to waste. To avoid the problem of wasted votes, parties can share those extra votes. Sometimes it might make a difference for one of the parties to gain one more seat by combining the extra votes of the two parties. The agreement with whom to share is made BEFORE the elections.

Here is how the vote-sharing pairing went this year:
Likud with Yisrael Beiteinu,
Kadima w/ Green Party (this pairing is now disqualified as the Green Party did not reach the 2% threshold and has no seats in the upcoming Knesset)
Labor w/Meretz
National Union (Ichud Leumi) w/Jewish Home
Shas w/United Torah Judaism

These calculations are now being made. It is possible that Yisrael Beiteinu's extra votes combined with Likud's extra votes will make an extra seat for the combined parties (Likud 27 + Yisrael Beiteinu 15 = 42 then COULD become 43 seats total)

Peres has stated he will approach no party until that final and official calculation is made. Until then, it is all speculation.

So, Israel is turning to other news now while we wait. Here are some of the more, uhh, interesting headlines, showing we are back to normal.

1. Man dressed as Spiderman lassos cars with his Spider web (ropes) at the Rosh Ha'ayan Junction. (Ynet)

2. A professor of chemistry at Hebrew University was caught (this past Shabbat) cutting the eruv wires in Bayit Vegan neighborhood. (Eruvs are set up to allow religious Jews an area where carrying on the Sabbath is allowable). The police who arrived at the scene beat up the rabbis who refused to get in the police car to testify, as it is against the Sabbath regulations for a religious Jew to ride in a car on the Sabbath. (INNews)

3. Orders have been given to open the Jewish neighborhoods of Hevron to Arab traffic and also talk of opening to the Arabs, another street which links the Jewish areas of Hevron. The second opening would facilitate the rebuilding of Arab stores on those streets. Additionally orders have been give to relinquish checkpoints in the Shomron, a reward for not rioting during the War it is said.
(No one had yet claimed responsibility for the orders, but it is suspected that Barak has done so, perhaps a vindictive last hurrah before retiring to the opposition? - speculation not fact on the who and why). (INNews)

Ahh, Israel. Don't you love it?

To Lighten Your Day....

2009-02-15T20:36:00.004+02:00

....enjoy the blossoms of the almond trees (hashkediya) on my other blog site http://www.fromthehillsofjerusalem.blogspot.com/

Up in the Air

2009-02-15T13:41:00.002+02:00

Israeli pundits are having a field day. What / who / how a political coalition is going to emerge from the present balygan is being predicted and prognosticated every which way. Lieberman left the country, leaving Bibi & Livni to either stew separately or sit together without him. He'll be back in a few days with his final say. Labor is already out, saying they will sit in the oppostion and Olmert is advising Livni to sit in the opposition, favoring Netanyahu to form the government without Kadima. This might sound odd, but....hmmm, there could be a lot of reasons. The given one is that a right wing government will be unstable especially with Lieberman in it, and soon Kadima will be back in.

In addition to the above, whatever coalition comes together STILL has to develop and pass the budget for the new Knesset. IF a budget cannot be approved, then it's back to square one....and Kadima would be asked to come back in and try to form a coalition.

It will be interesting if no one can accomplish the dual tasks ahead, coalition plus budget. Then what???

Stay tuned... Isn't Israel fun? Never a dull moment, for sure.

Caroline Glick On Post Election Future

2009-02-13T15:42:00.003+02:00

As usual, Caroline Glick says it succinctly and directly. Please read her Jewish World Review article regarding the options and consequences that are now in front of Benjamin Netanyahu as he seeks to put together a coalition.

Enter the Netanyahu government

by Caroline Glick

Who won the election on Tuesday night and what do the results tell us about the composition of the next government?

Israeli voters decided two things on Tuesday. First, they decided that they want the political Right to lead the country. Second, leftist voters decided that they want to be represented by a big party so they abandoned Labor and Meretz and put their eggs in Kadima's basket.

These two decisions - one general and one sectoral -- are what brought about the anomalous situation where the party with the most Knesset seats is incapable of forming the next governing coalition. Despite Kadima leader Tzipi Livni's stunning electoral achievement, she cannot form a coalition. Binyamin Netanyahu will be Israel's next prime minister. The Likud will form the next coalition. ............

Read the entire article here

No Surprise

2009-02-12T22:09:00.003+02:00

I wondered in an earlier post who the prisoners who get to vote in our elections might be voting for.

Jameel @ Muqata provided a glimpse from Channel 2:

From Muqata
8:34 PM On Channel 2 TV tonight, we were shown different ballots that were cast by soldiers and the others. Many soldiers wrote "Gilad Shalit" on their ballots.The ballot I found chilling was cast from a prison -- hand-written on the ballot in Arabic was the word: حماس (HAMAS)

Votes in - No Change

2009-02-12T18:32:00.002+02:00

Although Likud was the most popular amongst the soldiers, and the gap between Kadima and Likud narrowed to 20,000 votes (from 36,000) it didn't change the number of seats allocated...Kadima still has 28 and Likud has 27.

There is something here called vote sharing between parties which will now be figured out, but it won't change the status quo either.

More later this evening.

Updates While We Wait For The IDF Vote

2009-02-12T15:25:00.008+02:00

1.) The IDF vote also includes foreign emissaries, patients in hospitals and prisoners. It has been reported however that dozens of soldiers have written in Gilad Shalit for Prime Minister. The soldiers don't forget him, even if the government did. If I were counting ballots these would clearly be a vote against Kadima and Labor. We should know the unofficial numbers by the end of the day. (minus the invalid Shalit ballots).

2) A lot of conflicting reports emanating from Ichud Leumi regarding their meeting with Netanyahu. It is being reported by INN that Ichud Leumi, Shas and United Torah Judaism are meeting to present a united religious faction, which together would bring 20 seats. That would be a good plan.

3) The possibility of Kadima entering Netanyahu's government may not be as horrifying as it sounds. There are some good right wing people in Kadima. Under a right wing government they could return to their former ways.

4) Lastly, the funny story of the day is that Stas Meseznikov, head of Yisrael Beiteinu's negotiating team is saying that Avigdor Lieberman might recommend himself for Prime Minister. Anything is possible in Israeli politics.

A Letter to My Friends in the National Orange Camp

2009-02-11T20:09:00.012+02:00

I have always considered myself a part of the Orange Camp...those vehemently opposed to the expulsion from Gush Katif, fiercely dedicated to the Whole of Eretz Yisrael, totally against a formation of 2 States on Israeli soil.

I am a firm Zionist and believe that "post Zionism" is an oxymoron with regard to our People and our Land.

Yet lately I have found myself at odds with my friends in the national orange camp - over several issues. Some of it will remain "in house". But there is one subject about which I must speak out, and it is this:

I am really sick and tired of the Bibi Bashing that comes from within our camp.

It comes from all parts of the national camp....from leaders to the everyday activist. It runs the gamut from "he betrayed us with Wye and Hevron and we don't trust him" to criticizing his personality, his ego, his personal life, his motives, and on and on.

One would think this criticism is coming from Kadima, and in fact, it is one of the biggest boosters and encouragement to the Olmerts, the Livnis and the left that can be found in Israeli society today. They don't have to say much, our camp is doing their job for them.

Yet out of the same mouths that chastise and criticize and complain, come the words that they are running for the Knesset only to help Bibi. Excuse me, why would Bibi want help from those who don't think he does anything right?

I am sorry to say this, but there is a touch of arrogance about an attitude that boasts that these religious right parties are the ones that will shape and lead the government. Even if there is truth in it (which I am not even sure about) isn't the correct way to quietly go about the business of doing the job rather than self aggrandizement and ultimatums? Professor Arieh Eldad has spoken humbly, practically, and without judgement but unfortunately the same isn't true of many in the orange camp.

In 1998 I was privileged to be a part of Esther Leven's Voices United for Israel and at a meeting in Washington DC to support Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister. There were thousands and thousands of people from all over America. Israel was under great stress and the tension between Bibi and President Clinton was seething. The great encouragement and support for Israel and for Netanyahu personally in that meeting was so powerful and Bibi was so overwhelmed that he choked up and couldn't speak. That encouragement gave him such strength that as he went directly to the White House from the meeting, he told Clinton that Israel would do what it needed to do to protect itself. Clinton was furious, but Bibi stood his ground.

I share this story only because it is obvious to me that as we strengthen, not tear down, those individuals we profess to want in leadership, then they will do the better job.

How about remembering the good things that Bibi has done? Everyone complains about the Wye agreement but how many remember that on the day they were to be signed Bibi nearly derailed the agreement when he asked Clinton to release Jonathan Pollard. Clinton went crazy, and Bibi ended up signing it, for which the right camp was angry, but do we remember that 2 months later Netanyahu then cancelled implementation because Arafat did not live up to his promise? Bibi was the last prime minister "to make a serious effort for Pollard, and is the only one running for office who has actually visited Pollard in prison." (source) How often do we hear that said?

Hevron is continually brought up, how Bibi betrayed us by giving it away. Before Bibi ever assumed the Prime minister's office in 1996 he said, though he disagreed with the commitments that had been made by Rabin with Oslo, he would honor them. He said that at the time the nation was still reeling from the Rabin assassination, and he was trying to stabilize the country. The right camp thought he was just pretending and would really not honor Oslo. When Bibi did honor them, they called him a liar. Not true. While I wish Bibi would NOT have said he would honor them, he was true to his word.

This time around, Bibi has said quite clearly he will not honor the commitments made by the Olmert government and I for one, believe that he means it and will do so - and we need to stand behind him.

In other words, my national camp brothers and sisters, how about giving this man a chance to prove himself? How about coming around him and supporting him, not condemning him for all his past mistakes?

It seems to me that he is the most capable and willing of all the top candidates to accomplish the extremely important tasks ahead of us as a nation.

Let's not ask what he can do for our agenda, but how can we work together to accomplish what is a common goal for everyone in the national camp, Bibi certainly included, to strengthen and protect all of Eretz Yisrael.

Continuing Coverage of Elections

2009-02-11T11:15:00.005+02:00

Let's take a look at the breakdown of seats by Right vs. Left since that is really the important factor in this election.

NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BLOC
Knesset Seats
Likud 27, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Is Our Home) 15, Ichud Leumi (National Union) 4, Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) 3, Shas 11, United Torah Judaism 5

Total Seats 65

LEFT WING BLOC
Kadima 28, Labor 13, Meretz 3, Ra'am Ta'al (Arab party) 4, Balad (Arab party)
3, Hadash (Arab/Jewish party) 4

Total Seats 55

As has been stated, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu has tremendous power to swing the blocs. He is being rightly called "kingmaker" here, as it really lies in his hands whether the Knesset will be a right wing or left wing Knesset.

He has not yet publicly stated his preference between Kadima and Likud -directly - however, he did reiterate his preference for the Knesset to be right wing. He said however, that whoever heads the government has to change their ways. Does this mean he is leaning towards Livni and expects her to change (can a leopard change her spots?) to a centrist/right or did he mean that the government has to change to a centrist/right instead of the balygan it is now.

One of the issues is that neither Labor nor Shas say they will sit with Lieberman's party, so that complicates things a bit.

Anything is still possible. Kadima could convince Lieberman to join them, and then - G-d knows what will happen. But I am praying that the right wing victory will hold.

One thing seems clear...the assumption in the national camp that Bibi had the election in the bag and it was ok to take the vote to the smaller parties was just plain wrong...and somewhat foolhardy. This is why I was so adamant about voting Bibi. It seems odd that something so obvious didn't appear so. While it is true that Lieberman took many votes from Likud, there was also miscalculation on this issue in the national camp. In the final analysis, I believe there were a number of right wing national camp voters who felt like I did and voted Likud, for which I am thankful. One or two more seats and Bibi would have had that victory PLUS the right wing bloc victory which would have made it a sure thing.

On the other hand, if Bibi is successful in putting together his coalition, he has promised he will turn to the smaller parties and it's good to have a number of them represented. The national camp does NOT have an automatic shoe-in however. Bibi COULD, although I don't think he will, put together a coalition of Likud 27, Yisrael Beiteinu 15, Labor 13, and Shas 11, reaching a coalition number of 66, (5 above the necessary 61) but adding the eager right wing independents would bring him to a strong 78, and there is no reason to think that won't happen. (It would depend on whether Shas will sit with Lieberman or UTJ).

Anyway, the game's not over. New information today indicate the results of the IDF and foreign emissaries votes may not be published until February 18, another full week.

Let's hope the rains from Heaven were indication of a strong Zionist government emerging.

Results This Morning

2009-02-11T09:33:00.002+02:00

The good news this morning is that the gap between Kadima and Likud has been narrowed to one seat, with Kadima winning 28 seats to Likud's 27.

However the total right wing has won 65 seats and the left wing 55 seats counting the Arab vote of 11 seats.

For those who are confused by the discussion of who will be the prime minister and the leading party, it is not the popular vote in Israel that leads the Knesset but the party who is most able to form a coalition.

With the IDF vote still out, the final results, as I mentioned last night, cannot be know until they come in...supposedly Thursday, although there are some reports they may be in by the end of the day.

Avigdor Lieberman has tremendous power at this point. If he will stay the right wing he has claimed to be, then Bibi will for sure get the nod to form the coalition.

More in a few minutes.

...Til Morning

2009-02-11T01:24:00.003+02:00

Signing off for tonight....I'll be bringing current results and reactions in the morning. Real votes are starting to come in but it is way too early to tell if they are differing from the exit polls.

Interesting update from Joe Settler posting on Mukata.:

43% of the votes counted :

Votes counted so far: 1135125

Invalidated votes: 14595

Valid votes: 1120530

He also reported massive rainfall and hail falling on the Kinneret! Now THAT tells me something about the election results.... A change in the making.B'H

IDF Vote and Presidential Invitation

2009-02-11T00:08:00.002+02:00

According to Ynet News, the results from the IDF voting will not be available until Thursday, so final results of the election cannot be counted until that time.
I think this bodes well for Bibi as the soldiers see him as a stronger leader than anyone in Kadima.

Peres has said that he will not meet with party factions until next week. Many rumors are floating around as to who will do what regarding coalitions.

Barak has backtracked (surprise!!) and said he will not after all resign. (He had said earlier in the day that if Labor didn't receive 20 seats he could not continue as Defense Minister.) Labor looks like they are receiving 13 from the exit polls.

Remember, actual votes are not in yet..

Comparing Polls

2009-02-10T22:39:00.009+02:00

JPOST now reporting a Kadima win as well:

YNET:Below are the complete results of the Smith-Ynet poll:

Kadima 28
Likud 26
Yisrael Beiteinu 16
Labor 14
Shas 10
United Torah Judaism 6
Hadash 5
Jewish Home 4
United Arab List – Ta'al 4
Meretz 4
National Union 3

According to Channel 1, Kadima won 30 Knesset seats, Likud won 28 mandates, Yisrael Beiteinu won 14 seats, and Labor ended up with 13 mandates. Channel 2's exit poll predicted that Kadima won 29 Knesset seats, Likud came in second with 27 mandates, Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu won 15 seats, and Labor won 13 mandates.

FROM HAARETZ

Most But Not All Exit Polls Show Kadima edging Likud

2009-02-10T22:23:00.004+02:00

With the exception of the Jerusalem Post, most exit polls are showing Livni (28-30) to be slightly above Bibi Netanyahu with 26-28. The Jerusalem Post shows Bibi at 26 but Livni at 23.

Remember that Exit polls are often very skewed, so lets not panic yet. The good news is that the Right definitely won many more seats, and it is doubtful that Livni can form a coalition, in which case, Bibi would be able to. This means however, that we would have Olmert for 2-3 more months.

Personally, I have yet to meet ONE person voting for Kadima.. or even able to say a single good thing about them. It makes me really wonder...maybe the exit polls were taken only of voters who are journalists and news commentators.

I will post the comparative results shortly.

Election Tidbits As We Wait

2009-02-10T21:17:00.005+02:00

By 8pm the percentage has reached 59.7%. Kol hakavod chaverim (friends)

I have been out on the street a bit, in between falling trees and pelting rain and in my mixed but very traditional neighborhood, Lieberman is still a high choice. Almost everyone I speak to says that they don't care so much for the leader of the party they voted for, but voted for the party platform. I find that interesting, as in America, people are truly swayed by the personality of the party leader.

Tonight, I even met my first Meretz voter. When I told him that, we laughed. He is a young man I have known for awhile, but I didn't know his political persuasion. He told me his thoughts and they were very intriguing - they caused me to stop and think about a lot of issues. His reasoning was not without wisdom and I am really glad he said what he did....in short, he expressed some very valid points for voting Meretz. Whether or not Meretz actually expresses these views in their platform is something I will need to investigate, but I liked what O. said.

One sweet election story comes from the Bedouin village of Rahat... home of the IDF NCO, the Bedouin tracker, who was killed at the Kissufim crossing a few weeks ago. It seems the storm knocked out their electricity, but the community was determined not to let that deter their voting. Between candles and the light of cell phones, they are continuing their voting. According to a Ynet report, one polling station official joked that the candles and cell phones were "... creating a very intimate atmosphere."

50% Vote

2009-02-10T18:54:00.005+02:00

In a continued upswing from 2006, by 6pm 50% of Israeli voters have gone to the polls. Some Knesset officials feel the higher turnout was due to the bad weather as those with the day off had little choice of fun outdoor activities.

Could be...this would be a hafook (upside down) result that was good for a change. (...as opposed to the bad weather keeping people AWAY from the polls).

Projections are if the trend continues as people get off work now, the percentage could reach 69%.

We're just chillin', waiting for the results. Keep you posted. Rain and winds dying down..

Pounding Rain and High Winds Election Day Drama

2009-02-10T16:00:00.008+02:00

Jerusalem is experiencing pounding rain and high winds right now, with darkness over the City. Hopefully, the burst will subside shortly. Just before the rains started, but the winds ferocious, half of the tree in front of my house came crashing down at the top of the steps into the building. Thanks G-d I didn't leave just then, as I was thinking to do!!

There is some talk of extending the hours of the open polls if the weather is too severe for too long. We'll see.

If nothing else the weather heightens the drama of the day.

Other reports of drama: Fighting broke out between Labor and Kadima voters at the entrance to Jerusalem according to an INN source. Another fight between between police and party activists in Ramat bet Shemesh. (source) Numerous reports (68 by 2:30pm) of stolen or missing ballots, ballots with Lieberman's name written on the back, forged ballots (also Yisrael Beteinu) smuggled into the voting areas...the list goes on. On David Yalin Street in Jerusalem, a young orthodox man reportedly overturned the table containing the ballot notes and stole all the 'gimmel" slips (United Torah Judaism). Many polling stations in the north never opened either due to the weather or missing ballots or unknown reasons.

The 12,000 prisoners in Israel are happily exercising their citizenship rights, even security prisoners. Voting is high among the inmates - over 80% in 2006. I wonder who they vote for.

This just in: As of 4pm 41.9% of Israelis have cast their vote..up 3% from 2006. Keep going friends!!!!!!!

Election Underway!!

2009-02-10T13:14:00.000+02:00

Surprising the elections pundits, the stormy weather has NOT kept people from voting. By noon 23.4% of eligible Israelis have voted..up 2% from previous elections. Update: By 2pm the numbers are 34%. Mazel tov to us!!!

The mood on the street is upbeat, almost party like in places. I am hoping it is because people feel they really can make a difference and remove the current government and all it's trappings. Of course, here in Israel election day is a public holiday for many or most Israelis in the private sector (not mandatory however) and those who do work can receive up to 200% salary. Grocers and restaurants are usually open and and they, plus those in critical services (transportation, water, electricity etc.), are not eligible for the bonus pay. My local Mister Zol (Mr.Cheap!!) grocers is offering free salad or hummus if you vote. (no "I voted" stickers here in Israel - you just have to tell the truth!)

Lieberman has a very strong backing on the street. A good friend at my cafe was on his way to vote but unsure between Lieberman and Bibi. A young man just back from miluim (reserve duty), he understood the need for strength in addressing our challenges. After talking with him for awhile, he said I had convinced him to vote Bibi, but then he shared his own thoughts that Bibi was stronger now than when he was previously PM. He's learned to be strong, my friend said, and passed the test. My young friend is intuitive and wise, and I hope he is right on this one...I'm counting on it too.

A balygan in Umm-el Fahm, an Arab town in the Shomron. Conflicting stories are emerging about what exactly happened, but it revolves around Ichud Leumi's presence to monitor ballots and Arab rioting to prevent them from being there. Umm el-Fahm is traditionally notorious for ballot fraud. I will address this subject in a later post as the information becomes more clear.

I will be updating throughout the day and evening here in Jerusalem.

Guess I better go get my hummus!!

Election Thoughts Part 3

2009-02-07T18:25:00.022+02:00

Three more days. A sobering time for Am Yisrael. This election is not just any election, this election decides the future of our Land...not forever, as I am still hoping God will have the last Say!!...but at least for the near future. There are many important issues such as the economy and education but the main concern must be our Land. In that context, the position of the potential leaders vis a vis Iran is also crucial.

Briefly, the parties and their "platforms" regarding Eretz Yisrael and Iran, with some comments in blue.

Kadima - (Tzipi Livni) 2 state solution regardless of the reality of any of the dynamics or the players (or lack there of). It supports the unilateral giving up all of Judea and the Shomron, the Golan and dividing Jerusalem and giving half to the PLO for a state. Land give away, appeasement, dependency on Europe. Regarding Iran, follows advice of America and Europe and does nothing. [It needs to be said again that this country is sick and tired of how it's leaders have abused the electorate's wishes and put the country in peril, over and over. Kadima shouldn't be anywhere in the picture as far as garnering seats, yet oddly enough, it remains a viable party. It's hard to understand why it stays as high as it does in the polls...if it really does. It is not too far fetched to wonder if the polls are skewed by the media in their bias for Kadima.]

Likud - (Bibi Netanyahu) Supports a 2 state solution eventually, if ever viable... but not now - only if and when the Arabs who want it are ready, responsible and able. Bibi proposes first trying to strengthen the economy of the palestinian Arabs to see if that moves them towards a future statehood. [In all fairness I don't think he is talking about "giving" them money...but some other method (let's hope so anyway!!) ] If a state is ever viable, it would not include any part of Jerusalem or the Golan, they will remain in Israel's hands forever. In terms of Judea and the Shomron, Bibi has stated that he would not retake Shechem (Nablus), Jenin and the Arab part of Hevron, but would encourage and enable Jewish settlement to expand and increase in the rest of Judea and the Shomron. Illegal outposts all throughout Israel need to come under Israel's laws, including all the illegal arab outposts. (which number in the hundreds if not thousands) Netanyahu would work with the Yesha (Judea & Shomron) leaders for the recognition of many of the Jewish outposts and those not able to come under legal status would be moved or dismantled. Regarding Iran, Bibi feels this is a very top priority and will not allow Iran to become nuclear, even if Israel needs to go it alone to insure that. He understands that Hamas and Hezbollah are Iranian proxies at our door, and is clear that we must destroy Hamas completely, not play a game of cat and mouse. Bibi is also adamant about returning Jewish and Zionist history and values in our education - something removed from the curriculum by Kadima and Labor and other left wing governments. [Needless to say, I don't agree with a 2-State solution, and I would like to see the cities of Shechem and others returned to us. I want to see all Jewish settlements and outposts remain and expand. The idea of helping the economy has never worked... BUT this approach is the only one of the three larger parties which stops the talk of unilateral giveaway, which addresses the illegal arab outposts, which is clear about the Golan and Jerusalem, is clear about Iran and Hamas and is clear about returning Zionist education to our schools. As I said earlier, at this point we need to STOP the appeasement and dismantling of settlements, we can deal with the other issues like Shechem and the rest down the line.]

Yisrael Beteinu (Avigdor Lieberman) Yisrael Beteinu (Israel is our Home) supposedly stands on a secular right wing platform but it isn't totally clear that it is such. Today, Lieberman has made headlines (and garnered votes) by speaking out against the 5th column of Israeli Arabs who have turned against the State. He is advocating an oath of allegiance to Israel and anyone not willing to take it cannot vote or cannot run for office (and perhaps not have citizenship? unclear). In the past he has advocated moving out the borders of Israel (meaning?) and relocating Arabs outside of that in a Palestinian State. He is very strong on Iran, which is also helping him in the polls. The Russian born Lieberman has attracted many from the Russian community and the platform includes civil marriage and other secular issues of importance to various non-religious communities. [It is clear that Israelis are sick of appeasement and want someone to be strong against the rising violence of Israeli Arabs. What is not clear from Lieberman's history, is where he truly stands with regard to a full two state solution and whether or not he really will do what he blusters. In the past he has advocated dividing Jerusalem, was agreeable to Barak's failed (thanks G-d) agreement with Arafat giving away 90% of Judea and the Shomron, so he is not trusted by the national camp - more on this later)

Labor (Ehud Barak) To tell you the truth, what does? Labor stand for? Beats me. Giving away and appeasement etc etc..and never bringing military incursions to victory...never finishing the job. Oy vey.

Ichud Leumi (Yaakov "Ketzelah" Katz) This national camp party, a revitalized National Union is actually the combination of four national camp factions: Moledet, the party started by the late (assassinated) Rechavam Ze'evi (represented by Uri Bank), Hatikva (Arieh Eldad), Uri Ariel who came from Jewish Home Mafdal (although Bayit Yehudi Mafdal still exists, now headed by Dr. Daniel Hershkovitz), and Yisrael Shelanu - the party of Rabbi Volpo and Baruch Marzel, but represented here by Dr.Michael Ben-Ari. There have been several splits and mergers and splits again within these smaller national camp parties - this is the current configuration. Ichud Leumi's platform is very clear: no to a Palestinian State, no to uprooting settlements, no to giving away Eretz Yisrael, no to appeasement; yes to expanding the settlements, yes to developing the Galilee, the Golan and the Negev with Jewish settlement, yes to Jewish education. Jerusalem must remain the undivided capitol of the Jewish nation and the Temple Mount open to everyone, especially allowing Jewish prayer. Regarding Iran and it's proxies, a military solution may be the only realistic answer. [As much as I agree with most, if not all, points in the platform of Ichud Leumi, I am concerned enough about several issues not to cast my vote for this party. ]

Let me discuss three issues, some of them pertinent to my vote for Likud, others simply something I wish to address because of the information we receive in the media or in our circles:

1) Lieberman's meteoric rise in the polls. At the beginning of the election period, Bibi Netanyahu had a very comfortable lead over all the other parties. He had drawn in some very good national camp people to Likud, people like Boogie Ayalon, and Benny Begin, and was showing very well in the polls, expected by all to be the next PM. Suddenly, Avigdor Lieberman is the talk of the town and has sky-rocketed in the pre-election polls, so much so that Bibi's assurance of victory is now tenuous and fragile.

It is very possible that on Tuesday, Likud and Kadima will be tied, or God forbid, Kadima actually win. Usually the head of the winning party goes to the President of Israel (Shimon Peres) and is appointed to try to put together a coalition. Should the two parties tie however, the next runner up is given the honor to suggest to the President who should form the coaltion. Some feel if Lieberman wins the third spot, he will in fact suggest that Kadima once again form the coalition.

Even though people are voting for Lieberman because they think he is a "change" and "hard line", the truth is that his history has shown him to be another political opportunist; thus it is hard to tell what would transpire should the situation occur where he was the one to recommend the party to form the coalition.

The small parties of the national camp have said that they are here to support Netanyahu and keep him to the "right" and to a national agenda, but if Bibi doesn't get in, it is a moot point. While it is very possible Bibi will reach out to the the independent parties and bring them into the coaltion as he has said he will do, most assuredly Kadima or Yisrael Beteinu will not.

The six or seven seats that might go to Ichud Leumi and HaBayit HaYehudi could make the difference between Bibi's victory or not. Therefore I feel it is imperative to keep my vote in the centrist national camp of Likud and do everything I can to assure Likud and Bibi Netanyahu of victory.

2) I want to address briefly the issue of Moshe Feiglin in the Likud and the fall- out from the fiasco of the Likud primary. If you recall, Moshe Feiglin won enough votes to place him #20 on the Likud list...a pretty nice achievement. Bibi, who is definitely not a Feiglin fan, did some gerryrigging to shoot Feiglin down to spot 36, where he can't realistically get a Knesset seat..and actually much to my relief. Nonetheless, it seemed stupid on Bibi's part, and perhaps bad judgement, as he simply brought more attention to Feiglin. Some, if not many, Feiglin supporters are now saying Bibi's decline in the polls is poetic justice for what he did to Feiglin. My answer to that is this: Moshe Feiglin's agenda was never a Likud one, yet ever since he joined Likud, and most dramatically after he won the 20th spot, Feiglin said over and over, he was going to "take over the party"...he was going to transform it to a different party." He says he is returning it to its' roots, but his agenda and the Likud roots are not the same. It seems to me that what Feiglin did and advocated was much worse and along with some other Feiglin issues, it was actually an unfortunate but necessary move on Bibi's part, to protect the broad "Am" ("all the" people) base of Likud .

Which brings me to point three:

3) Ichud Leumi is supposed to be a national camp embracing both secular and religious factions. Indeed, one of the top slots belongs to a strong secular leader - Arieyh Eldad, for whom I have great respect. Nonetheless the party comes across as a religious party, and even though they would deny that characterization if questioned, it is not apparent in their language and statements that they are anything other. This is something they need to think about and address if they desire to reach a broader population. There are thousands of Israelis who want to vote more Zionistically, but will not do so with a religious party. They are secular but fiercely loyal to the State. Ichud Leumi would do well to understand that dynamic if they want to expand their following.

There are some other issues I have with Ichud Leumi, some of it not unique to this party, but things I find myself taking issue with in general within the national camp. They are issues significant for me, but not something I am prepared to publicize at the moment. At some point down the road I am sure I will address those issues, but for now, we have enough to chew on.

Tuesday...a Day of Days ahead. Wish us well and that we act with wisdom in the voting booth. I will update other news as well as we move towards Tuesday.

Election Thoughts Part 2

2009-02-06T15:13:00.000+02:00

Having outlined briefly the political landscape here in Israel in Part 1, it is time for me to write my personal reflections and decisions. If I get too long winded [I did] I will complete it in a Part 3. We'll see by the end of this blog :)

It hasn't been easy. Israeli politics, as I have said, are difficult for a lot of reasons. One reason, which one doesn't really understand until living here, is familiarity. Because the political figures are literally the neighbors down the street, the liking or disliking sometimes has more to do with what the wife said at the hairdresser or what the brother did in a bar mitzva. Or what the candidate himself did in the neighborhood.....did he pay for his coffee at the local coffee shop or did he expect gratis? Everyone knows (or has an opinion) about little personal incidents that form, not political decisions, but personal ones.

This is not true in American politics. Yes, the candidates have neighbors who know them personally, but the candidates don't mingle in public very often. Here in Israel, we are a very tiny country, and everybody knows everybody else's business...literally. Jerusalem is just a small town. So is Tel Aviv, but in different ways. The very intimate access to our politicians, while a lot of fun in many ways, nevertheless sometimes clouds our decision making.

That said, what do I think, how will I vote?

When I was in America (though traveling here very often, and staying for 2-3 months at a time) I was a dreamer. I dreamed about Israel, about Zion and how this is our Land. I fought fiercely both with and through various organizations and on my own, with my own two feet and hands, and with my writing, to support strong Zionist causes. I still do and I still will. This is the Land that G-d gave to Am Yisrael, and it needs to be in our custody.

But since moving to Israel three years ago I have changed. I still am a dreamer for Eretz Yisrael, but I have also become a pragmatist. What do I mean by that?

There are times when gut-level idealist energy is needed to accomplish a goal. There was such a time in our recent history. It was before the disengagement from Gush Katif. That was the time for the full force of the national camp to move in unison to stop the explusion. There was momentum, purpose and frankly, righteousness and truth on the side of the opponents to the expulsion - it could have been and should have translated into victory. That was not the time for pragmatism. Yet, in that moment, misplaced, ambitious and questionable pragmatism took the upper hand and lost the battle.

It was a tragedy. More than the homes and lives of the residents of Gush Katif were struck down. Our nation was dealt a blow with much more serious consequences than when an external enemy attacks. The self imposed expulsion tore deeply into the very soul of our nation, an event and an experience from which we haven't yet recovered.

But now, three and one/half years later, three and a half years of a government that says we are tired of winning, that giving away our land is the only alternative, after Gush Katif, after Lebanon, after Regev and Goldwasser, after Gilad Shalit, after rockets and missles raining down on the south, and continued threats (and very recently - activity - unreported in the mainstream media) in the north, our strength must take a different form than it could have shown in the Gush Katif saga.

Combine those three and a half years with the farce and tragedy of Oslo and we have a very serious situation. The momentum of the country is spiraling towards destruction and if the Kadima mentality gets re-elected, we are in deep deep trouble.

It may sound odd, therefore, for me to say that what we do NOT need now, is a loud shout and cry about how right we were about Oslo, about how right we were about Gush Katif, about how right we were about finishing the wars in Lebanon, and now in Gaza. What we need is for someone to stop the spiral downwards, to stop the give away, to stop the appeasement and after that, we can let the playing field level off, and THEN we can return with idealist fervor.

When I posted Part 1 I was still struggling with my decision as to whom to vote for. But two things have happened this week that have made my decision.

In light of these things, which I will explain in Part 3 (as this post is getting too long :), I now believe that it is imperative to vote for Likud. In today's political arena, with all I am observing, I believe it is the right thing to do, for several reasons, again, which I will explain in the next post.

(And I am very sorry, but Part 3 will have to be a motzei Shabbat article as sunset is on it's way. )

Shabbat Shalom

Election Thoughts Part 1

2009-02-04T13:49:00.013+02:00

I have promised to write a bit about the elections here in Israel. It is a very complicated subject and not so easy to come to logical and effective conclusions. I have decided to break up the election discussion into at least two separate blogs. Part 1 as more of an overview, and Part 2 some specifics. In addition I will add updated and pertinent information as we move closer to Tuesday.

But to begin with, it needs to be said that we have been longing for elections - the whole of Israel - for a very long time. Since the Ariel Sharon fiasco and how he betrayed the electorate that voted in his party, to the continuum of what he did that is the current cadre of irresponsible "leaders", we are longing to rid ourselves of this seemingly never ending farce. These are not leaders, but corrupt heads of parties, and the trio of Olmert, Livni and Barak - the "three stooges" as they are called here - are held in disdain by the entire country for their lack of moral fiber and leadership, for their willingness to always put personal ambition ahead of the needs of the nation, for their folly in going to war with no intent to finish it or win, risking and losing the lives of our precious young men and women in uniform, for leaving the residents of the south alone to face the barrage of daily rockets for years on end....and on and on.

But, Israeli politics, alas how to explain it....even more, how to understand it. It's not democratic as in America, it's not parliamentarian as in Britain. Parties are elected, not people, and whomever is the head of the party which receives the most seats (not direct votes but seats determined by number of votes) is the prime minister. Each party has a list of candidates, and if a party receives 10 seats, e.g., theoretically the first 10 people on that party's list get a Knesset seat. Theoretically.

The problem of course is that people are "moved around and manipulated" for various reasons, some totally "legal", but the result is that the Prime Minister really does have control over the Knesset seats, and of course, his cabinet. And because he has the authority to remove anyone not agreeing with him, well...you can fill in the blanks. No one in the government is responsible to an electorate, only to the party. And to remain in the government a Knesset member must really shift with the party agenda, even if it ends up being diametrically opposed to what it stood for when elected by the people as was the case with Ariel Sharon.

Pretty bleak sounding, eh? It is.

If you are reading this blog you are probably already aware of the political landscape for this election, or know at least some of the major players. Kadima, Olmert's party being now headed by Livni, and Labor, headed by Barak are still led by two of the "three stooges", and not doing very well in the polls of course. Bibi Netanyahu, leader of Likud is either loved or hated, but is expected to win this election. However, some dramatic action on the playing field makes me wonder about that popular assessment.

First is that Avigdor Leiberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, is rising rapidly in the polls, and may upset the Likud lead because many more right wing Israelis are supporting the Russian Leiberman, even though there is much controversty surrounding him.

Parties like the Haredi Shas and the Bayit Yehudi, (Jewish Home), NRP (National Religious Party) and others remain stable as to their positioning from previous elections. Shas of course, is a larger party and garners many seats - 16-17 excpected in this election. Their biggest issues are monies for education and child support and because of their large number of seats will be courted by any party who gets in the top slot.

There are various small parties and the up and coming one for the national camp is the revitalized Ichud Leumi (National Union). Ichud Leumi is made up of both secular and religious Zionists, is the combination of four Zionist parties, and made up of some very fine people in my opinion. It, like Yisrael Beiteinu, threatens the wide lead that Likud enjoys at present because many of the people migrating to Ichud Leumi would have voted for Likud.

I want to say that I think the leaders of Ichud Leumi are men of high moral character, men who are known for their overwhelming support of Israel and loyalty to it's founding principles. Men like Arieh Eldad, and Uri Ariel are tireless workers and supporters of Eretz Yisrael and well known and trusted in the national camp. Newer names to many, like Uri Bank, an American oleh of many years and the well known (but not in the political arena before now) Yaakov (Ketzelah) Katz, founder of Beit El and Arutz Sheva and the man who has assumed the IL leadership, are all outstanding men.

You would think, that I, as a national camp person, would be thrilled to finally have someone or a party for whom to vote, and in some ways I am, but I am not entirely convinced that voting for Ichud Leumi is the way to go. Most of my compatriots are thrilled, excepting those who are part of the Feiglin camp (who is in Likud) and they will probably, though not assuredly, remain loyal to him. Without elaborating on that subject, I need to say however, that I am definitely NOT a Feiglin supporter, in any way shape or form.

So what's the problem? To be very frank, I think there are several problems which I will address in Part 2...thoughtfully.

Barak's Folly

2009-02-02T21:18:00.019+02:00

There is SO much confusion at the national level with our "government leaders". but today was Barak's day to shine. In an interview with Ynet , Barak's explanation for his insipid pre-phoned bombing of empty warehouses and, oh yes, one police station, was this: "If we play our cards right and prevent further escalation than we have a good chance of some peace and quiet."

He went on to say that "it would be unwise to say why we waited to respond to the rocket fire, since Hamas is probably reading this as well."

To add further to his inane announcements, Barak made it clear that he, not Olmert, was the one making decisions: "The prime minister is kept abreast of everything. I briefed him on tonight's actions. He was aware of it, but I don’t think he should deal with such things." [Editorial note: It is quite obvious that NEITHER ONE OF YOU should be dealing with such things]

But his final blurt of stupidity came at Ben Gurion University in Beersheva. Speaking with students there, Barak said that the new Palestinian state could be made contiguous by connecting Judea (what is now Judea, but hoped to belong instead to the Palestinians) with Gaza via a 48-kilometer underground tunnel. Oh my G-d he really said that. Someone should tell our defense minister that in the eyes of Palestinians, tunnels = smuggling routes for weapons, drugs and money.

This is even worse than the Peter Principle (where every employee rises to his or her level of incompetence.)

Sunday News Update

2009-02-01T21:33:00.005+02:00

A busy day ! Just a few things for your perusal.

1) Starting at 7am when 4 kassams were fired into Israel (one landing between schools in Sderot - no one hurt), and extending to 10 am when soldiers were fired upon at the Kissufim crossing, to noon, when four mortars landed in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council (by this time 8 rockets fired into Israel). Then in the afternoon 4 more mortars and 1 kassam fired into Israel, again in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. 3 people wounded. Late this afternoon another rocket hit Sderot. Fatah (you know - the peaceful party headed by moderate Abbas) has claimed responsibility for them.

Folks, I have been counting. Since our unilateral ceasefire (remember we ceased not Hamas - Hamas lulled) there have been 32 rocket and mortar attacks, most of these are 3 -4 rockets in one attack...so taking a figure of 24 of the 32 attacks were multiple rockets we are talking well over 100 rockets fired into Israel. In addition there have been six to seven attacks against our soldiers at the border...one of the attacks killing one soldier and wounding three.

When the media says this is the 3rd attack or the 4th attack since our ceasefire, they are playing games with you.

2) Olmert deliberated all day what we should do.

3) And then he(they) had a brilliant idea, he and Barak. They ordered the IDF this evening to PHONE the Gazan residents to tell them they were going to bomb warehouses and terror centers in Khan Yunis and Rafah. Yes, I said PHONED...with a recorded message. Of course, all the Hamas leaders left the area and who knows what the h...ll they did to prevent the civilians from leaving. My blood pressure has stayed pretty normal throughout this whole affair until I read this report. And Barak has the AUDACITY to say "“Leave it to the Chief of Staff, to the OC [Southern] Command and with all modesty, to me as well,” he said. “We know better what to do and when.”

Playing Games with the lives of the residents of the south and with our soldiers should be a lifetime imprisonment offense AT LEAST, in my opinion

4) It was released for publication today (Army Radio, Muqata, INN) that the US stopped Israel from boarding and/or consficating the arms on the Iranian ship now being held by Cyprus. Excuse me? Are we the 51st state? (rhetorical) There is something very fishy about this ship. (pun not intended). If this is true, and the US itself boarded the ship and then let it go, and now Cyprus has backed off from their original statements of the ship being filled with arms and are saying they will take a second look...something is very strange. A second look? It was announced the ship was carrying arms destined for Syria to go to either Hezbollah or Hamas, and you need to look again to make sure ..what, that they aren't toy guns?????

Some kind of a deal has been made somewhere....and it is beginning to reek!!

5) Speaking of deals....Hamas is "leaking" information that they are initiating a one year truce or accepting Egypts' recommendation. Just before our elections? How convenient. Talk about reeking.

6) Thank G-d the shakedim (shkedim) are blooming, or I wouldn't be able to handle the news today.

Yaron London Speaks out Shocking His Audience

2009-02-01T19:08:00.007+02:00

On a day where there is much news, escalated rocket attacks and high level confusion in our leaders as to what to do about it all, it is worthwhile to add a second outspoken opinion piece in this blogsite. This time the sentiment is coming from the left, but in an about face from the usual rhetoric. Yaron London, a television personality on the left, now feels that there must be an all out no-holds-barred military operation against Hamas.

In a article by Hillel Fendel in IsraelNationalNews, London's surprising article in Yediot Acharonot, and interview with Razi Barkai on Army Radio are discussed. It is very important to hear this (read this).

The truth cannot be ignored any longer. How many people will come forth and with courage state that they now see things they couldn't see before, remains to be seen. But hats off to Yaron London for his forthrightness. Let's not say "we told you so," but be thankful some are waking up. May many more join him.

The article by Hillel Fendel:

London: 'Population that Votes for Hamas Deserves to be Bombed'
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Left-wing television and media personality Yaron London surprised many of his colleagues during the recent war against Hamas by calling for a no-holds-barred military response against the civilian population of Gaza.

London first outlined his views in an article in Yediot Acharonot, and then elaborated upon them for clearly-shocked interviewer Razi Barkai on Army Radio.

“It appears that we have exhausted the options of moderating Hamas fanaticism with measured responses,” London wrote, “and the time has come to shock the Gaza population with actions that until now have nauseated us - [such as] killing the political leadership, causing hunger and thirst in Gaza, blocking off energy sources, causing widespread destruction, and being less discriminating in the killing of civilians. There is no other choice.”..........

Read the entire article here
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129703

Nadav Shragai of Haaretz - An apology is needed

2009-02-01T11:49:00.006+02:00

In light of my posting on Friday - regarding the reason we are in Gaza now being because we "unilaterally withdrew" 10,000 beautiful people from Gush Katif, destroying their homes, their lives, their trust - I want to call your attention to an article written a couple of weeks ago by Nadav Shragai, a columnist/writer for Haaretz. He writes Just say you are sorry [to the beautiful people of Gush Katif.]

His comments and advice to Israel was and still is perhaps the only answer to moving forward. No matter what promises are made by our politicians without this component he suggests, healing will not occur and we will continue in our quagmire. I waited for the mainstream press to pick up his article, alas none did, and it goes without saying that none have followed his advice.

Please forward this to any contacts you have in the government, the media and/or among your friends who were so sure that disengagement was right. We don't need to say "we were right and you were wrong," we just need to say, all of us, even those of us who fought against the expulsion, we are sorry, please forgive us. Because perhaps those of us who fought, just didn't do enough.

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Last update - 01:56 20/01/2009
Just say you're sorry
By Nadav Shragai
Now, after the war and just before the election whirlwind sucks in our politicians once again, it would be appropriate for many of them to go out of their way and visit the mobile-home sites where those uprooted from Gush Katif live. This way they can tell them one small thing: I'm sorry.

Tzipi Livni, Ehud Olmert, Shaul Mofaz and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israel Defense Forces and the police should do this - they, their agents and everyone else who initiated, implemented and aided in using force to uproot 10,000 people from their homes in Gush Katif and Northern Samaria, maliciously and without any real purpose. Everyone who saw some good in the evil of the disengagement and evil in the good of Gush Katif has turned light into darkness and darkness into light. At the very least, they are obligated to make this small apology.

This includes the judges of the High Court of Justice who did not even bother to visit Gush Katif and made due with defense experts acting on behalf of the state "because that is the postion of the court since it was founded." The justices who ruled as they did because they automatically assumed that such a plan "improves the security situation" because "the evacuation reduces the desire of the Palestinians to harm the Israeli population." It would be appropriate for the honorable justices to take a vacation day as an act of forgiveness and go down south for a close-up look at the results of their decisions.

This also includes the media, which provided a challenge for Ariel Sharon and allowed him to turn a prosperous agricultural land, a world full of communities, synagogues, yeshivas and magnificent educational institutions into piles of rubble. Also the heads of the IDF and Shin Bet security service who never spoke in public what they whispered in the backrooms, and the soldiers and policemen who dragged the pioneers of Kfar Darom and Neveh Dekalim from their houses while raining blows on the demonstrators who understood what would come.

The apology must also include everyone who painted those who warned that the rockets from Gaza would reach Sderot, Ashdod and Be'er Sheva as delusional and opponents of peace. Everyone who promised that they would "give it to them" after the first Qassam, but in the end cried about the moral and international constraints that prevented them from doing so, and for years abandoned the south. It must include those who took the name of democracy in vain and aided Sharon in deceiving Likud members and breaking his promises to honor Likud's decisions once it became clear to Sharon that the party's members did not agree with him.

You, too, who paid almost no attention to the hundreds of thousands who tried to stop the evil, who paid no attention to those who internalized the lessons of Oslo and warned that we should not give them land and guns again. You who paid no attention to those who warned of the Hamastan state, foresaw exactly the trajectories of the rockets, and understood that this was something we gave away for free, a further disintegration of our power of deterrence and an adrenaline shot for terror.

Now rise and ask for forgiveness from those who paid the highest price, with their bodies, souls and property for your close-mindedness, arrogance and wickedness. Ask for forgiveness from the Gush Katif expellees, the noble souls who did not steal land from anyone, who made the empty dunes bloom as ambassadors of the State of Israel and who turned into the south's security buffer and absorbed over 6,000 Qassams and mortar shells with their bodies and belongings in the last years of Gush Katif.

Ask for forgiveness from those who swore to "win with love" - who believed and sowed until the very last minute; from those who did not raise a hand against the soldiers. Apologize to those who continued to enlist in the IDF and pay the ultimate price even after they were expelled from their houses, because they understood that the state - the national homeland of the Jewish people, even within limited borders - is still bigger than any mistaken and confused government.

There is no way to know if they will forgive you, but you at least need to ask.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056966.html

A Reminder on Erev Shabbat

2009-01-30T14:08:00.027+02:00

It's been a long weary week - more than a week - it's been a long weary month.... Things are relatively quiet at the border so far today. We did hit a warehouse in Rafiah yesterday (IAF) and conducted a strike which injured a few people in Khan Yunis, but other than that we just received the rockets I reported on last night.

Lots of political jabber here in Israel and lots of meaningless words bantered around the world..still discussing us (Israel), as if the world had absolutely nothing else to talk about.

But, just a reminder, as we sign off for Shabbat, what this Gaza War is all about. Ten thousand beautiful Israelis lived in Gush Katif, farming the sand and producing magnificent crops for Israel and for export. The Arabs in the area were thrilled when the Jews came back into Gaza, because they said, now the land will grow produces and be bountiful again. Only under the Jews does the Land produce.

And they, the local Arabs, participated in and benefited by the bounty.

Elements were there of course, stirred on by western nations and left wing Jews who hate Israel, to stir up trouble. The residents of Gush Katif held their own however, even after the IDF withdrew.

But, when Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and a cowardly Knesset decided to uproot them and destroy their beautiful homes, greenhouses, synagogues and communities, our Land, and our People, went into a deep depression from which we haven't recovered

It haunted us through Lebanon and through thousands of rockets falling in the south and continued trauma of the residents.

Gush Katif Photos MKFremont & GBlech

Until we finally had no choice but to go back into Gaza.

Absolutely true to the words of every opponent to the disengagement.

War Photo by IDF

From lush greenhouses and produce to War because we gave up our Land....not only gave it up, but gave to those who wished to destroy us.

Only when Operation Cast Lead began, did the country sense a whisper of hope again...because of the injustice done to these beautiful people, because the expulsion brought tragedy and terror, because it was felt, finally we will stand up for what is right and defend our land and our people. But,true to the lack wisdom and character on the part of our leaders, this hope was dashed within a short while when, once again, this government snatched victory from our grasp.

Lulls are not the same as cessation...and even lulls, when dealing the kind of enemy we do, produce lethal attacks...which we witnessed last week.

We may be tired of fighting, Mr. Olmert, only because you and your friends never allow us to win. And we are very tired of fighting with the hapless, corrupt and immoral leaders in this country.

Never, Mr. Olmert, will we be tired of winning. We will see that day when we win. And we will see the beautiful lushness of Gush Katif once again marry with the Sea, settled by Jews and belonging, as it should, to Israel once again.

Shabbat Shalom

Quiet Day Only 3 Rocket Attacks and other news

2009-01-29T22:35:00.004+02:00

Since our government continues to deny that rockets are being fired into Israel on a daily basis (SINCE the "ceasefire") it is up to us bloggers, I guess, to set the record straight. Occasionally, Channel 2 or some news site will mention one here and there, and the government finally had to acknowedge one or two as well..like the one that fell in the middle of Sderot this morning.

Here's today's list gathered from Ynet and Muqata:
8:20 am. 3 rockets fell on Sderot
9:50 am. rockets in the Western Negev
2:00 pm false alarm sirens in Petah Tikvah (we were told)
5:45 pm rockets land in Kibbutz Kfar Aza
Morning hours: Terror alert in Tel Aviv... no news as to apprehension of terrorist.

Other news from the day:
1) Shimon Peres stood up for Israel today at the World Economic Congress in Davos, Switzerland. In a debate with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan regarding the Gaza operation, Peres shouted that Turkey would have done the same thing if rockets were falling on Istanbul. Erdogan began raising his voice and wouldn't yield to the request of the moderator to stop, saying "Israel was killing people.." [uh, duh, war, sir?]. Red-faced he walked off the stage. For once I can give kudos to Peres.

2) Cyprus has more guts than the US Navy as it has finally detained the Iranian ship carrying weapons to be unloaded in Syria - destined for either Hezbollah or Hamas. No news as to how long the ship will be detained or what course of action will result. But at least someone has taken the courage to halt it's course.

3) Overseas voters have begun to cast their ballots in Israel's upcoming election. Mostly State, security and El Al personnel and their families, voters went to the booth in New York and London. (Ynet)

Barak changed his mind

2009-01-28T16:05:00.002+02:00

I guess Barak realized how utterly stupid it looked for him to be traipsing off to America and he has decided "in light of the events of recent days" to stay here. I guess if he believed his own words that it was "quiet in the south" others had to inform him...that, hey, ehud, it ain't quiet, not now, never was.... and with the current indecision and confusion, it ain't ever gonna be.!!

9:00 am Update

2009-01-28T09:06:00.006+02:00

1) Barak is leaving for America tonight to meet with American Defense Minister Gates. This in the middle of a War here? Shouldn't our Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, be directing Israel's military first? (rhetorical). Yesterday, as if he has nothing else to do, he oredered the take down of caravans in the Shomron - in the middle of the War, then today he leaves for America? Does this mean we're not going to respond until he gets clearance from America? Why must we consult with America before we do anything? Or does this mean we aren't going to respond at all, and it's just business as usual? (Haaretz/Israel Radio)

2) US Navy reports they weren\t authorized to seize the weapons bound for Hamas when they boarded the Iranian ship in the Red Sea. They simply let it continue on it's journey to Syria where they will be trafficked to the Gaza Strip somehow...or to Hizbollah in the north. (Haaretz)

We think America will help?

(I will be away from my computer for much of the day...check Muqata for timely updates.)

Boker Tov 8:am

2009-01-28T08:39:00.002+02:00

Not much overnight. The IAF bombed three tunnels in the Philadelphia Corridor. We're waiting to see what, if anything, the government decides to do. Don't hold your breath.

Update 11:48 pm

2009-01-27T23:48:00.005+02:00

1.) This??? in the middle of a War? Unbelievable. Barak doesn't have anything else to do?????????

Threat to Caravans in Yesha

Reported: 23:33 PM - Jan/27/09

(IsraelNN.com) Police are expected to try and evacuate caravans in Judea and Samaria on Tuesday. The two areas particularly singled out by the police are Adei Ad near Shiloh and Neve Tzuf near Dolev.

The Binyamin council said: “It is a shame that every time Ehud Barak feels a need to improve his political status he uses the police against residents of Judea and Samaria. He thinks the pictures of Jews being beaten up will improve his support among the radical left.”

2.) According to Ynet, Olmert announced tonight that we haven't yet responded to the attack this morning. (This could mean he doesn't have a clue what to do)

3.) Obama's first call as President went to Mahmoud Abbas, and his first interview was on Saudi TV network Al Arabiya. He told Abbas he would work with him as partners (for peace) (Ynet) and said on Saudi TV that America had wonderful relationship with Muslim countries 20-30 years ago and America can again. Read the whole article @ INNews. .

4) All of this has endeared Obama to Hamas who now seems to like Mitchell. (why not, he is not Israel's friend). same article as above. INNews

Good job America

Fighting for recognition ........

2009-01-27T21:26:00.003+02:00

As usual, several groups are rushing to claim responsibility for the attack this morning at the Kissufim crossing. Ynet report that "An Islamist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda calling itself the 'Jihad and Tawhid Brigades' " has claimed responsibility, Muqata is quoting walla that Islamic Jihad wants the "honors". Does it matter? Anything based in Hamas territory belongs to Hamas (read Iran)...so what's the difference??

Update 5:00 pm

2009-01-27T17:08:00.003+02:00

It has been reported that ground troops have been sent back in to Gaza, reaching Khan Yunis this afternoon, where IAF strikes had already been taking place in response to this morning's attack by Hamas on the IDF at the Kissufim crossing.

To allay any confusion over conflicting reports that the bomb at the border crossing was just "an old device planted earlier, that just now accidentally went off", it is now published that "..... two or three terrorists were seen by local Arabs ... planting the roadside explosive that was detonated as an army vehicle passed." (INNews)

Updates 3:56pm

2009-01-27T15:53:00.004+02:00

Conflicting reports on our response to the attack this morning. Some sources say the IAF did some limited bombing in Khan Younis, others say the response was limited to the border with a fly over sonic boom (Gaza City) - presumably as a warning? Ah...such brilliant strategy. a sonic boom... Haniyeh must be laughing his head off. (although that would be one way to do him in I guess).

The family of the IDF non commissioned officer has requested that neither his name nor his photo be published. It has been reported in some sources he was a tracker which means his identity must remain secret. (Trackers are usually Bedouin and for their protection and that of their family must be not identified)

The Muqata is reporting however that the seriously wounded IDF officer who was flown to Soroka was just very recently married. He is still undergoing surgery at this hour, to remove shrapnel from his head. The name of this officer, according to the sourece, is Aharon Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana.

There has been some talk (and I hope more than talk) about exempting newly married soldiers from being called to the front for one year after marriage...according to Biblical tradition. It is about time we address this situation.

Attack at Kissufim Crossing kills Soldier & Wounds Three More

2009-01-27T14:18:00.007+02:00

Early this morning Hamas attacked our troops patrolling the border at the Kissufim crossing - killing one and wounding three, one of them seriously. Devices laid at the border by Hamas were detonated in addition to mortars being lobbed into Israel. The seriously wounded officer was flown to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva for emergency surgery.

Some response has been taken both at the border and flights into Gaza by our military.

As I reported yesterday, despite the media's obfuscation of the facts, there have been a handful of rocket attacks in the south since the so-called ceasefire.

More as this story updates.

A few news updates

2009-01-26T14:38:00.004+02:00

1) We've been hearing from the media about all the false alarm Tseva Adom's (Red Alerts) in Sderot and Ashkelon and you will hear Barak brag about the 'quiet" in the south. Just thought I would pass on what Muqata is reporting: Apparently the people in these towns are reporting booms following the "false alarms", one of the false alarm booms landing in the Ashkelon southern Industrial zone...... and you wanted to vote for Barak??

2) Amazingly, BBC and Sky news are refusing to air a pro-Hamas video asking for donations to Gaza. They are under a lot of pressure to do so, and for once I must say kol hakavod to these broadcasters. Miracles do happen.

3) It appears that the Gazan doctor (see my earlier post) who lost his 3 daughters in the war, lost them to Hamas bombs and weapons...perhaps a booby trapped house. The investigation is still underway and while I do want to respect his grieving, the truth about the incident must be made known to the public as the initial reports all blamed Israel.

More later...

Gilad Shalit

2009-01-24T22:18:00.014+02:00

I may have to eat my words about election points for Kadima not being the reason for Operation Cast Lead. I see something developing here that makes me want to be really sick.

Gilad Shalit has been held captive for 945 days and suddenly our government has taken an interest in him. Olmert, Livni, and even Barak are talking about him, about his release, how secret "I can't tell you about them now" negotiations are in the works for his release, about how the war in Gaza has contributed to that end. Livni, who could have cared less during 900 of the days, and in fact who, in late December, said "some soldiers never come home" referring to Gilad, has done a rapid about face and is now saying the Gaza crisis will not end until Shalit is returned home. The media is carefully "leaking" bits and pieces of information... today, Amos Gilad, head of Diplomatic Security for Israeli Defense Ministry said we have received "signs of life" for Shalit, and Operation Cast Lead opened new possibilities.

Photo www.onejerusalem.com

If a strong arm against Hamas is what was needed to position Shalit's release - which is what we are being told, why in G-d's Name, was it not done months and months and months ago? Not only would the residents of the south have been spared years of trauma, but one of our sons, who has paid a price very few can imagine, would have been home and safe and among us.

Is it possible that Gilad Shalit become a useful tool as elections draw near? Certainly if there is one thing that would secure a political party's enormous popularity - even more than crushing Hamas - it is the return of a living Gilad Shalit. The nation would be ecstatic...as we should be. Gilad is in all our hearts and we long for his return.

We wondered what deal was given Hamas? Of all the parties running, the one most favorable for Hamas would be Kadima, who, once in power again would let the south wither under rocket attacks just as before, and would be willing to turn over large portions of our land to a Hamas/Fatah entity, now being discussed.

Politically speaking, if this is the case, the strategy is brilliant. Not a soul in Israel would not want the success of Shalit's return.. everyone continues to pray for his safe return.

Will we see a "price to be paid", a sudden breakthrough, nice trade, just in time?

Of course, my heart still has to hope so, but my stomach will lurch at the timing. And trust me, it will make me run as far as possible in the other direction to cast my vote.

Analysis - Lengthy... But Important - Please Read

2009-01-19T16:01:00.050+02:00

Now that our boys are out of Gaza, there are some things that need to be said.

Photo IDF spokesperson

As long as they were in Gaza, in harm's way, as little as possible needed to be said about the motives of the government for sending in our troops - our total and unbending support had to be with the men and boys on the ground.

Knowing full well that the government did not send them in for the right reasons, still I hoped and prayed that in spite of that, we would do what needed to be done. The men were ready. They were primed to push to victory - to crush Hamas once and for all. They were excellent in the field and I prayed that they could complete their task.

Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. Right at the doorstep of success, Olmert and Barak pulled the forces, and once again yanked the victory from our grasp. From what little I do know about IDF Chief Gabi Ashkenazi, he must be aghast at this decision. He did a superb job in directing the troops. He needs our thanks and congratulations, as, do, of course, the men and boys who fought so valiantly. All the troops coming out of Gaza have expressed great disappointment that they weren't allowed to finish the job.

It is all quite obvious that Hamas will simply rearm as quickly as possible, that the civilian infrastructure they hid behind was severely damaged, but not their chain of command...although we were drawing close to the higher echelons before the disgraceful exit.

We know that even though many tunnels were destroyed, there are hundreds still in place, and no one will really stop the weapons smuggling. Hamas has said, correctly, "we know how to acquire the weapons." Israeli intelligence stated early in January that there were already Iranian-made Fajr rockets in Gaza, (London Times) and since we did not hear of their destruction, we must assume they are still there. At any rate Iran has promised to deliver more for future use.

In other words, while we did some damage to the Hamas warehouses, launchers and infastructure, we stopped short of what needed to be done for victory.

But let's get real. The push in Gaza, on Olmert's part, and cooraborated by Barak, had nothing to do with punishing Hamas for 8 years and 8000 rockets on our citizens. It had nothing to do with protecting the south or it would have been done years ago. It had nothing to do with protecting Israel in general, although I swear there were times when I heard the faint beginnings of the ancient and righteous roar of the Lion of Judah in the voices of our so called leaders.

I'm afraid however, that even if there was such a whisper, it has been shut down and silenced and those "in charge" continue on their paths of corruption and betrayal.

So, what was it? Why did we march into Gaza then abruptly march out of Gaza? What exactly were the goals that Olmert has beamingly declared we reached so quickly? There is no doubt in my mind that the whole thing was orchestrated from beginning to end.

Everyone has their take on it. Some think it was Bush pushing Israel for a short lived spurt of strength to make his exit look good, some think it was political manuevering ahead of the elections to strengthen Kadima's hand.

While both of those reasons sound plausible up front, they really don't hold water in depth. It is probable that Bush did want us to go in, but I think he wanted us to hammer Hamas, not tease them and let them go again. Bush's primary reason for this would be to advance Abu Mazen, whom he [mistakenly] thinks is a moderate nice guy and would like to see him in power instead of Hamas. (Abbas himself however has other ideas, like a unity government with Hamas)

If Olmert acted on the advice or request of Bush, then his bizaare behavior regarding Condoleeza Rice and the UN vote and his betrayal of Bush makes no
sense. Nor does his independent decision to not complete the job in Gaza substantiate a response to American intervention...this time. (And frankly, whether one likes Bush or not, or his policies towards Israel, for Olmert to embarass the man he has bragged about as his best friend (Bush) in such a rude manner only highlights the self-serving and egocentric ways of this Prime Minister).

As far as US intentions go, unless it was an after the fact pretense, even the US military felt Israel made a mistake not to complete the victory and squash Hamas.

Something else seems to have motivated Olmert. Certainly his ego manical personality was be a contributing factor, but to what end? Not the Israeli elections. Because if the Israeli elections were the motivating factor, then once again, Olmert would have gone for the kill (pardon the accurate expression).

This country wants our boys to complete the job and destroy the Hamas entity. The nation, both left and right factions, were united in this desire. So if it were election points for Kadima that Olmert was seeking, he would have finished the job. Whoever will deliver that victory is whom this people will elect. As soon as the government declared a one-sided ceasefire, Kadima lost the upcoming election.

That leaves us with the question we posed earlier. What was the whole Gaza episode about?

Without turning this blog into a book, the answer to that taps into my previous promise to write a more detailed analysis of what is happening here in Israel. I will try to offer a brief explanation here.

This Gaza War, I believe, was scheduled to take place from the very beginning as a nod to the globalists who are convening to re-direct the rhetoric about, and manipulation of, Israel. Bush was given a chance to set some groundwork, but he didn't accomplish what had been hoped for, partially because his own understanding of what was expected veered off course from their agenda. Or rather, the agenda of the globalists shifted and Bush was left holding the bag.

The original plan if you recall, has been the infamous two-state solution - Israel and "Palestine" living side by side in peace. This plan, you and I both know, will never happen. Arafat was too capricious and a bit too crazy to actually deliver the Two States from the PLO side. Abbas was groomed to be a moderate alternative...except that he was a bit too lackluster and he couldn't deliver either.

As I said in my 2007 article "Coup in Gaza, So Slick it Squeaks" someone was needed who wore both kefiyah and silk suit, and the charismatic Haniyeh might fit the bill. Hamas, with their enormous but radical street strength, would either be repelled for their radical nature and Abbas would emerge stronger, OR Hamas itself, by its charisma, would deliver the goods themselves.

Hamas was originally brought into the game by Condi Rice's demand that they be allowed to enter into the 2006 Palestinian elections (do you think she was stupid or sly?). The intention was a Palestinian free for all, to see who would emerge on top, and the West, including the corrupt leaders of Israel were playing both cards, one against the other.

It's called hedging your bets.

However, neither the West nor the corrupt leaders of Israel know what they are dealing with and they continually misguess the outcome. Their anticipated scenario began to come undone.

Meanwhile, as the world dreamed on about two states living side by side in peace, certain leaders began to look upon the "one state" solution more favorably ... but not everyone noticed.

Because Bush was the leader of the free world and the original author of the now failing Road Map, in the end it was his own inability to deliver "2 states" which was taken as a sign to forge a new, (read old) path. Love him or hate him, Bush was the leader only of America, and he is not a globalist. He wanted the United States to be the one who solved the "Israeli-Palestinian" issue.

Obama looks beyond the United States and says he is going to unite the world, and he will be the catalyst for global change. And Europe is right on board.

Uniting the world, however, means compromise and embracing at least some of the values of a large portion of that world, and a very very large portion of our globe wants Israel gone...out of the Middle East. Europe has already gone the route of compromise. Accomodating the enormous influx of Muslims onto it's various shores has meant accomodating the principles of Islam...and the European muslim community is at the moment more radical and louder than it's American counterpart. Bat Yeor correctly calls Europe Eurabia in her book of the same name.

Slowly the global rhetoric regarding Israel is becoming more in tune with Islamic thinking, and again, because of their own personal struggles with radical Islam in its midst, European leaders are right on board.

International sympathies held against Israel no longer lie with Abbas and Fatah, but indeed with Hamas, the brave freedom fighters. The scene is beginning to slowly change...have you noticed? Enormous demonstrations in support of Hamas and involvement with them are sweeping the European continent. And the leaders are listening and carefully edging their way towards the same. Lauren Booth (sister in law of Tony Blair) and cheerleader for the cause of Hamas, recently led 10,000 muslims in wild screams and chants": "...we have a message to you, Israel. You’re finished...Israel out, Israel out." [out of London, out of the middle East]. It's the tip of the iceberg.

So, back to Gaza.

Olmert, though corrupt, is not stupid. He wants to be on the winning side. His insatiable and desperate need to be loved by friends in high places is an strong motivator for him, and a useful weakness for others. Israel is not in his vision, but his own political survival is front and center.
AP Photo

Bush? No longer the leader of the free world? Olmert felt free to flip him: "In your face, Bush!!" Europe and the rising star of Obama, who will soon be joined at the hip because of the ideals of a world united....omg yes, bring them on. Not only bring them on, but Israel will bow to their day in the sun. We will initiate a ceasefire with our troops and give it as a gift to the emerging united world.

In fact, Olmert made no secret of his reason for the maneuvers of the sudden withdrawal from this War. His words: "This is not a ceasefire with Hamas. These are understandings with elements in the international community which Hamas, as an illegitimate entity, has no place to be involved in."

By Olmert's own admission the ceasefire had nothing to do with the entity we are fighting, it had nothing to do with a war where thousands of rockets have fallen on our citizens for years, where our soldiers are shot upon and kidnapped, where just now 10 of our precious boys lost their lives and many more wounded. It was an agreement with "elements" of the international community. Who are these "elements" in the international community? What exactly are "these understandings?" Do you think they are for the good and strength of Israel?

I have news for you. Israel is nowhere in the picture in their minds.

There's something else. Hamas. Did you think it strange that Hamas, who has such livid vitriolic rage and hatred against Israel, would simply lay down their weapons and watch while our soldiers walked - WALKED - out of Gaza???

Photo IDF Spokesperson

Something is very peculiar about this scenario, although for our men and boys, I am grateful and trust that it was the Almighty who was really escorting them out.

There is a parallel: Lebanon May 2000. When Barak ordered the sudden withdrawal of IDF troops from the buffer zone in Lebanon, (and 7,000 loyal Southern Lebanese Army (SLA), it's families and officers were forced to immediately evacuate as well), Hezbollah directed the traffic at the border. I spoke with one SLA officer afterwards. He told me "...Hezbollah knew more than the SLA. How come? ...For the first time, Hezbollah didn't kill us or bomb us...because they had an agreement..." (Journey into the Heart of Israel, 2001)

The shock and betrayal was still with him. How could an agreement have been made with Hezbollah? What was promised?

We ask the same. What has been promised Hamas by Europe, by Olmert? Obama isn't even in the picture yet, but the table has already been set. He will be the figurehead of change and he was accorded an honor few have been given: Israel on a silver platter, offered by Israel herself. Israel won't be invited to the dinner because she is the main course.

The drumbeat doesn't come from Obama, he is simply the catalyst.

Where does this leave us? Since our withdrawal, rockets continue to come into Israel, smuggling has resumed and Olmert has said we are willing to pay the terrible price (for Shalit) of 1,000 terrorist and all open crossings into Gaza - meeting all the demands of Hamas....hours after we had them at their throats. Exactly where we were when this started. This is insane.

And I am certain, pre-arranged.

It is a very awful situation and could lead one to despair.

Except for one thing. There is another way to look at this terrible scenario. I am a firm believer in God's destiny for Israel and for the nations. Whether we like it or not (and we usually don't!), but as Jews and as Israel, we have always been a measuring stick for the nations. This war, unlike anything else recently, brought very clear lines of demarcation. Individuals and nations either supported Israel or supported Hamas. It was very black and white with little gray area.

It is said in the Tanach that the nations have a choice where they stand with Am Israel which reflects where they stand with acceptance of God's plan.

Perhaps God was simply taking a vote.

Summary....

2009-01-18T13:11:00.010+02:00

Rocket attacks continue in Kiryat Malachi, Kiryat Gat, Ashkelon...mortar attacks on IDF troops at Eretz Crossing...

All the European big wigs, puffed out chests, entering Israel today to celebrate their assumed** victory over Israel....closing down the major highway between Ben Gurion and Jerusalem... Olmert is beside himself with glee....his friends still love him.

British academics call for Israel to lose the war against Hamas...ceasefire is not enough they say: In a letter in Friday's Guardian newspaper, more than 300 academics said they must do all they can to prevent Israel from winning the war. A cease-fire is not enough, they say, adding: "Israel must lose." "We must do what we can to stop Israel from winning its war," the letter said. "Israel must accept that its security depends on justice and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors, and not upon the criminal use of force. It is not enough to call for another cease-fire...." (JPost)...

Venzueula, Bolivia, Qatar, Mauritania all suspend ties with Israel.

51 soldiers in hospital, 13 civilians, conditions from critical (1) to serious (10) to moderate and good. (Yediot Achronot)

**Tehillim 2:1 Why are the nations in uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain? 2 The kings of the earth stand forth, and rulers take counsel together, against Hashem and against His anointed [Israel] 3[They say] Let us tear their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us! 4 He that sits [is enthroned] in heaven laughs; Hashem mocks them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His rage.

Nine Rockets in the South This Morning

2009-01-18T11:33:00.003+02:00

As we contemplate the ridiculous decision of our government this morning to declare that our goals have been met and we will stop attacking Hamas, even though they have declared no such cessation in their attempt to obliterate us, we worry about our men and boys in Aza, with permission only to respond to fire, not pre-empt an attack and not destroy the infrastructure of Hamas.

And we continue to be concerned for the residents of the south. Nine rockets so far have been launched into Israel this morning, 6 of them in Sderot. Most schools in the south are closed this morning in anticipation of incoming rockets.

What a victory we celebrate!!

Again we must re-iterate...a unilateral ceasefire means only that WE cease firing, not that they do.

How can a resigned prime minister continue to function as prime minister and continue to cause so much damage to our country?

Empty Heads

2009-01-17T23:12:00.015+02:00

When people with empty heads talk to one another it shouldn't matter to the rest of us, unless of course, those empty heads are the leaders of our country.

As the Cabinet passed the unilateral ceasefire declaration tonight, Olmert declared that Israel has met it's goals in the war and we will stop fighting at 2 am.

Unilateral, I remind you, means only one side does the declaration, only one side acts upon it, only one side is bound by it. Hamas has already said it has no intention of stopping.

Our boys are deep in Gaza and we are going to just stop fighting???? Rockets are still raining down on Israel and we are going to stop fighting and just say "we won."?????? Gilad Shalit is still in captivity and we are going to stop fighting and say we are making progress towards his release????

For what then did Dvir Emanualoff die? Or Ro'i Rosner, or Yoni Netanel??? or the rest? For what our our men and boys right now lying in Soroka, and Tel haShomer, and Hadassah?

We have reached WHAT goals???? With a beaming face, Olmert has declared that now "our friends" will help us to try to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. Oh, how nice. Friends like all those who demanded our heads when we finally responded? What about the Fajr 4 & 5 rocket launchers that are already in Gaza? Did we take them out? I think not.

In the middle of a War which is just barely underway, and the enemy is unbowed and determined to fight through to victory, and still shooting rockets and anti-tank missles at us, our leaders just turn to each other and say, "they tried to kill us, we won, let's eat???" Let's congratulate ourselves, let's throw a party with all our friends????

With a straight face Olmert said this: "This is not a ceasefire with Hamas. These are understanding with elements in the international community which Hamas, as an illegitimate entity, has no place to be involved in."

In other words, we have reached an agreement with the world (who despises us for defending ourselves), not with Hamas. The one who is attacking us and killing our civilians (Hamas) has no business to be involved in this ceasefire."

OMG he really said that.

In my university years, with a psych minor, I spent several months working in a mental hospital working with very severely ill individuals. These people would talk to themselves with seemingly intelligent words. They were often very knowlegeable about the world leaders, who they were and what they did. They spoke with seeming authority, both asking and answering their own questions as if they were leaders in that world they had heard about. They were totally detached from reality, and functioned in world of their own, but they were contained in a hospital and harmed no one else.

The heads of our government are exactly that... asking and answering their own questions as if they were really leaders of the world.....totally detached from reality and functioning in a world of their own. The only difference, and the great tragedy, is that these pretenders harm everyone and their babble is lethal.

-------
We aren't surprised of course. But, we had hoped, for the sake of Israel's survival, for the sake of righteousness, and for the sake of the boys and men on the ground in Aza, that in spite of the moral corruption of our government, in spite of their disdain for Israeli lives, and in spite of their detachment from reality that somehow, maybe because our boys on the ground are so dedicated and determined and strong, that maybe, just maybe, we could push on until victory.

For a moment it seemed so. Even Hamas said "What happened to Israel, you are fighting like you did in 1948!!"

For a moment we rallied, for a moment we lifted our head.

For a moment.

What now?

Additional Report of Wounded Soldiers

2009-01-17T19:24:00.007+02:00

It has now been cleared for publication that there were an additional 5 Givati troops wounded over the Sabbath...one seriously, one moderately and 3 with light wounds. In addtion there were the four reported earlier who were apparently wounded in a friendly fire incident and one soldier overnight, bringing to a total of 10 IDF who were wounded over Shabbat.

All have been taken to Israeli hospitals.

Explosive Story Developing: Gazan Doctor at Sheba Medical Center Loses 3 Daughters in War

2009-01-17T18:43:00.005+02:00

Another developing story from the day. Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, a Gazan doctor who works at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, lost three of his daughters today in an IDF shelling of his home, and two more are seriously wounded and were evacuated to Israeli hospitals.

Dr. al-Aish is a fertility expert and well known among Israeli doctors. He recently lost his wife to leukemia.

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the incident and much grief amongst his colleagues. A short time ago, he held a press conference, angry at the IDF for targeting his house which he said had been identified as one to be avoided. According to his story, when he saw tanks pull up to his house he called a journalist to identify his house. He was not home at the time of the shelling.

A mother of 3 soldiers who are deployed inside Aza, Levana Stern, interrupted the press conference and accused him and the Israeli media of propaganda. While her actions may seem inappropriate I believe there are several unanswered questions regarding this incident.

Dr. al-Aish seemed to show no anger towards Hamas, why not? Why were his daughters still in a house in the middle of a war zone if he has free access in and out of Israel and is part of the hospital network here? Why were they left in the house when a tank pulled up in front of it? Why did he leave, leaving them alone in the house? Why did he call journalists when he saw the Israeli tank?

This story has the potential to be quite explosive regardless of whether or not it can be proved that Hamas had fired from that location, or whether or not it can be shown that the doctor was complicit with Hamas' activities in any way.

More as it develops. Information at this stage is from Ynet News linked above.

Sabbath update - Miracle in the South, Serious Injuries in Aza

2009-01-17T18:03:00.000+02:00

This morning during Sabbath prayers an incoming rocket delivered a direct hit to a synagogue in the South. Miraculously everyone had exited the building during a break in the prayers. No one was inside and no one injured. B'H

In Aza, 5 IDF wounded. Overnight, one soldier evacuated to Israeli hospitals with moderate wounds. This afternoon, 4 paratroopers, 2 officers and 2 soldiers were seriously wounded and have been take to hospitals for treatment.

Talks of a ceasefire are to conducted by Israeli cabinet this evening.

For what?

Glitch

2009-01-15T15:22:00.000+02:00

Hooray....technical glitch solved for the moment. :)

NITZAN - SHOPPING AND MORE

2009-01-12T22:50:00.003+02:00

The Israeli spirit....how does one describe it? I guess it's one of those things you have to feel and observe and experience, because words are impossible to explain it.

Today a group of us went to the current home of some of the Gush Katif expellees, to support and encourage them in the midst of the war. The group of about 50 was from Women in Green, and the town is Nitzan -1/2 way between Ashkelon and Ashdod - and where many of the Neve Dekalim families are still living, after 3-1/2 years. The families live in paper-thin caravillas (trailers) and there is much uncertainly about the future. (Trust me, the walls of those trailers are thin; I pounded on one of them and thought for a minute my pounding would break a hole in the OUTSIDE wall. It thumped like the sound of corruagated cardboard.)

Never mind the future..... right now Nitzan is, like the rest of the south, under warnings and attacks from incoming rockets...being shot from the very communities they were forced out of by our government - from the towns where they lived in Gush Katif. If that's not difficult enough, there are no miklatim (bomb shelters) in this area of Nitzan, leaving the families very very vulnerable to any incoming missiles.

To make up for the inadequate protection, the government dropped in a number of rolling sewer pipes, large concrete ones, that are now kept from rolling by wood wedges. I wrote about them in an earlier article with some pictures. Many of the "pipes" are decorated with a story or idea. We added our own touch.

Our group went to Nitzan to tell our friends we don't forget about them, and we want to let them know we are here for them for whatever they may need. One of the things they need is for people to shop their stores... so that's what we did. Some call it Zionist Shopping....shopping to show support for Eretz Yisrael and to support the people under direct attack.

As always, however, we went to strengthen, but we came back strengthened. Because of their emunah and their courage and strength WE were encouraged. Like I said you have to experience it.

Rachel and Moshe Saperstein were our hosts, and Rachel's main concern was not the 2-3 times daily they need to rush into the sewers (pipes I mean) because of Tseva Adom Alerts (Color Red Alerts of impending rockets) but that, G-d forbid, one should occur while we were there. None did happen while we were there, but we heard sirens in nearby Ashkelon about 12:15, and we later learned a grad rocket had hit that city at that time.

Rachel set out coffee and cookies for us in their home, and took us on a tour of the sewer pipes. Each one has a story....just like each family of Gush Katif/Nitzan.

Here are a few pictures and a few stories to share. For a more complete show of pictures check my picasa web: (please note the pictures there are not labeled as yet)

Having some fun! I guess shopping is always fun for women....but there were several men there too

Rachel Saperstein on the left. Anita Finkelstein and Nadia Matar

Shopping in one of the stores

Women (and Men!) in Green decided to decorate one of the sewer pipe shelters...making the statement on it that "The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel"

This pipe is quintessential "Gush Katif":
In addition to showing the beauty of the Sea that was the Gush Katif experience, this sewer pipe says "You expelled the Orange - you received the Red. [alert]"

A man bady injured in Neve Dekalim was given his own "personal" pipe. So edgy and unnerved is he that actually sleeps in it. In this photo one can see his mattress and some personal belongings. (gentleman standing is not the resident, but one of the WIG visitors.)

The picture tells the story. In the background, barely visible is the cardboard house, overshadowed by the storage container to the left, still full of things from Neve Dekalim, and suffering moisture and rodent damage, and the sewer pipe bomb shelter... the saga...but not the ending yet!

Kol Hakavod to Fox's Greg Jarrett

2009-01-11T23:00:00.002+02:00

Absolutely amazing lies from the moment the legal advisor Diana Buttu from Ramallah opened her mouth. Kol Hakavod (job well done) to Greg Jarrett for calling her on it more than once and cutting her off when she continued her propaganda.

German police remove Israeli flag from private apartment window

2009-01-11T19:58:00.006+02:00

This amazing picture shows the Duisburg German police removing an Israeli flag because 100,000 frenzied supporters of Hamas and Hizbollah were demonstrating in the streets against Israel.

The video below was shot by the owners of the apt. who were dumbfounded to see the police break into their apartment and remove the flag. They were in the street to film the demonstration.

Details can be found on http://www.mukata.blogspot.com/ or http://www.jewishodysseus.blogspot.com/

Jack Engelhard - Who Always Says It Like It Is

2009-01-11T17:30:00.005+02:00

The following is a excerpt from an opinion piece written by Jack Engelhard for IsraelNationalNews.com Jack's pull-no-punches writing is always a breath of fresh air. Please go to the link and read the entire article.

Spare the Pieties on Gaza

by Jack Engelhard

Israel is a Jewish State. Is that your problem?

Frankly, given a choice, I prefer the skinheads and other brutes who express their anti-Semitism openly. In such places, we know the enemy.

But please spare me the pieties and the righteous indignation of those “good people” protesting throughout Europe against Israel’s defensive operation in Gaza. True, thousands have taken up banners in support of Israel. At the same time, however, the streets of Europe (and even some in America) are in an uproar. These are the “humanitarians” - the good, the noble, the refined, who chant “peace.”

Now you’re up and about? Now you speak? Where were you when, throughout the years, thousands of jihadist bombs fell on Israel? The streets of Europe were empty. There were no pictures in the newspapers of grieving Jewish mothers and fathers. You called it “peace” as long as the Arabs were doing the killing and the Jews were doing the dying. All was well with the world. ........

Read the full article at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/8494