Thursday, December 31, 2009

Emmanuel Navon: A Sense of Purpose






To end the Year 2009 on an upbeat note, I would recommend the reading of two recently published books: One State, Two States by Benny Morris, and Start-Up Nation by Dan Senor and Saul Singer –provided you read them in that order.

Morris has gone a long way since his self-appointment as a "new historian" poised to question Israel's historical narrative and "myths." In January 2004, he surprised –and shocked- many by declaring to Ari Shavit that "when the choice is between destroying or being destroyed, it's better to destroy;" that "there are circumstances in history that justify ethnic cleansing;" that it was necessary to uproot the Palestinians in 1948; that Ben-Gurion "had carried out a full expulsion –rather than a partial one- he would have stabilized the State of Israel for generations;" that "the non-completion of the transfer was a mistake;" that in circumstances which "are liable to be realized in five or ten years … acts of expulsion will be entirely reasonable. They may even be essential;" that "there is not going to be peace in the present generation;" that "we are doomed to live by the sword;" that "something like a cage has to be built" for the Palestinians; that all Israelis can do at this point is "to be vigilant, to defend the country;" and that "the Arab world as it is today is barbarian" ("Survival of the Fittest," Haaretz, 9 January 2004).

In One State, Two States, Morris shows that the Zionist movement accepted the principle of partition out of political realism from the time it was first proposed by the Peel Commission in 1937. The Palestinians, on the other hand, have systematically rejected the idea, and Arafat only deceived Israel with the Oslo Agreements to implement the "phased strategy." With the steady radicalization and islamization of Palestinian society today, Morris argues, chances of implementing the two-state solution are null.

Morris also shows, no less convincingly, that the alternatives to the two-state solution (including an Arab-dominated bi-national state) are unrealistic and undesirable (as far as Israel is concerned, at least). So there is no alternative to a solution that doesn't work. Great.

Morris is a realist. He realizes that Israel is in a catch-22 type of situation. Probably because he didn't want to end his book on a bleak note, he does suggest a way out by proposing the revival of the "Jordanian option." Nice try, but it doesn't wash. Jordan doesn't want it and, as Morris himself explains at length, the Palestinians will never sign a deal that leaves a sovereign Jewish state in the equation.

Despite his unconvincing attempt to sound optimistic in the last two pages of his book, Morris makes a compelling case: There is no solution.

If you were about sink into despair, then read Start-Up Nation. It will make you realize that Israel is doing just fine without a solution to its protracted conflict with the Palestinians.

As Senor and Singer show, Israel is an unmatched success story despite the absence of peace.

Israel doubled the size of its economy while multiplying its population fivefold and fighting six wars. This phenomenon is unmatched in the economic history of the world.

Israel has the highest density of start-ups in the world, and there are more Israeli companies listed on the NASDAQ than European companies. After the United States, Israel has more companies listed on the NASDAQ than any other country in the world, including China and India. In 2008, per capita venture capital investments in Israel were 2.5 times greater than in the United States, more than 30 times greater than in Europe, and 80 times greater than in China.

Between 2000 and 2006, Israel fought the five-year Palestinian terrorist war and the second Lebanon War. And yet, during that same period, foreign direct investments (FDI) to Israel tripled, and Israel's share in the global venture capital market doubled from 15% to 31%. In the summer of 2006, just as the second Lebanon war broke out, Warren Buffet bought an Israeli company for $4.5 billion. This was the first time that Warren Buffet bought a company outside the United States. And right after the war, Bill Gates came to Israel saying that the "innovation going on in Israel is critical to the future of the technology business."

Why is that? The bottom line, Senor and Singer argue, is that technological innovation is the ultimate source of productivity and growth, and that Israel is the world leader in technological innovation. The fact that Israel is a country at war does not derail the link between innovation and growth. In fact, Israel has even turned its permanent involvement in warfare to its advantage.

Think about it: among first-world economies, only three (Israel, South Korea, and Singapore) face existential threats, have fought wars for survival, and have a lengthy compulsory military service. And all three countries are economic success stories. In the case of Israel, the army has produced a wealth of military research applied to civilian applications, as well as technology-savvy youngsters who know one or two things about taking risks and making tough decisions. It is no coincidence if many of Israel's most successful start-ups were founded by young Israelis who acquired their technological knowledge, courage, and social networks in the army.

Senor and Singer, of course, are not saying that war is actually good for economic growth. But they convincingly show that the peace=economic growth equation is wrong. In the case of Israel, adversity has generated creativity. Israel has proven its ability to turn problems into assets. It is the lack of water that has turned Israel into a world leader in the fields of desert agriculture, drip irrigation, and desalinization. And it is because France, our main military supplier at the time, decided to abandon us in 1967 that Israel developed its own military industry and became a world leader in that field as well.

Determination is central to Israel's success. During the first Gulf War in 1991, Israelis were instructed by their government to stay home in sealed rooms with their gas masks. The American chip-maker Intel feared that its Israel factory would be paralyzed. But this didn't happen. Intel's Israel engineers braved Saddam's missiles and ignored their government's instruction, and they came to work. It is Intel Israel that designed the chip in the first IBM personal computers, the first Pentium chips, as well as a new product that saved Intel from decline. War did not prevent Intel's Israel plant to become the company's critical manufacturing center.

So the Arab world's constant aggressions, embargos and boycotts have been unable to hurt Israel because Israel is resilient and creative. If anything, the Arab world is only hurting itself because it spends more energy trying to undermine Israel than trying to be productive. The results are devastating. The non-oil exports of the entire Arab world (with a population of nearly 300 million people) are less than the exports of Finland (with a population of 5 million). The Arab world produces almost one third of the world's oil and has benefited from a surge in demand from China and India in the past decade, but this is a mixed blessing. Indeed, it is even a curse –what economists call the "natural resources curse." Because they have oil, Arab economies don't feel the need to innovate, create, and produce. And so they don’t.

The number of world patents registered between 1980 and 2000 was 77 for Egypt, 20 for Syria, and 15 for Jordan. It was 7,652 for Israel. China, which is a main consumer of Arab oil, published in 2003 a list of the five hundred best universities in the world. The list did not include any of the two-hundred universities in the Arab world.

If Israeli technology could help wean the world from oil, the Arab world would lose its only and unreliable asset. Arab countries might then consider making peace with Israel and making their economies more productive –including through economic ties with Israel. And the world's leading economies would be freed from their geopolitical dependency upon unstable and unreliable countries. This only sounds far-fetched if you don't think about Israel's technological exploits. Just think of the electrical car project of Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi. His company, Better Place, is the fifth largest start-up in history. It is developing a revolutionary model to spread the use of electric cars. If Agassi succeeds, as I believe he will, the world's dependency on oil will be dealt a fatal blow.

Ultimately, Israel's success relies on its sense of purpose. Senor and Singer quote historian Barbara Tuchman, who wrote before Israel's high tech boom: "With all its problems, Israel has one commanding advantage: a sense of purpose. Israelis may not have affluence … or the quiet life. But they have what affluence tends to smother: a motive."

The fact that there is currently no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unfortunate, but it is not life-threatening –provided that Israel's keeps its sense of purpose alive and well.

Source: http://www.navon.com

Sunday, December 27, 2009

IDF Blesses Whole World for Holidays




Lt. Col. Avital Leibovitch, head of the foreign press branch of the IDF Spokesperson Unit, takes a moment to wish the world a happy holiday. Whether you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or Druze - the Israel Defense Force is happy to wish you a joyous new year and a peaceful holiday season!

IDF Blesses Whole World for Holidays


IDF: Ballistics Confirm: Gun Found on Terrorist Killed Rabbi on Thursday



IDF Spokesperson December 27th, 2009

Ballistic Analysis Confirms: Arms Found in Terrorist's House in Nablus were the Ones Used to Murder Israeli Father of Seven on Thursday Night

A ballistic analysis conducted on the weapons found in the house of the terrorist Annan Tzubach in Nablus the morning of December 26th has confirmed that they were the sames guns used to murder Rabbi Meir Avshalom Hai. Rabbi Hai, a father of seven and a resident of Shavey Shomeron, was murdered by Palestinian gunfire while driving his vehicle in the area of the village on December 24th, 2009.


Saturday, December 26, 2009

IDF: Terrorists Responsible for Murdering Father of Seven Killed in joint IDF-ISA Operation





IDF Spokesperson Announcement
December 26th, 2009
Terrorists Responsible for Murder Killed Overnight in joint IDF-ISA
Operation

"The Israel Defense Forces will act firmly against those who aspire to harm citizens of the State of Israel and Israeli security forces, and will not rest until those involved in the murderous act are brought to justice," said OC Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrachi, at the end of a joint IDF-ISA operation.

Overnight, security forces entered Nablus in an attempt to locate and arrest the men suspected of involvement in the murder of Meir Avshalom Hai this past Thursday.

Meir Avshalom Hai, [a father of seven and a popular teacher of young children] a resident of Shavey Shomeron, was murdered by Palestinian gunfire while driving his vehicle.

During the operation, IDF special forces killed three terrorists responsible for carrying out the shooting: Raed Surkajy, Assan Abu Sharach and Annan Tzubach.

When he was killed, Annan Tzubach was armed with a handgun and hiding two M16 assault rifles, an additional handgun, and ammunition.

Names of Terrorists Killed During Tonight's IDF Operation:

Nader/Raed A-Gabar Machmad Surkajy, a 40 year old resident of Nablus, is a Nablus Fatah Tanzim activist and has been imprisoned in Israel in the past. Prior to his arrest in 2002, Surkajy was a senior member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and was involved in multiple terror attacks. Surkajy was also involved with the manufacturing of explosives and the establishment of an explosives-manufacturing laboratory in Nablus. Surkajy was arrested in April 2002 and was released earlier his year in January 2009.

Assan Fatachi Naif Abu Sharach, a 40 year old Nablus resident, has also been previously imprisoned in Israel. He is the brother of Naif Abu Sharach, the former head of the Fatah Tanzim in Nablus, who was responsible for planning multiple terror attacks until he was killed by IDF soldiers in 2004.

Annan Saliman Mustafa Tzubach, a 36 year old Nablus resident, a Shahad Al-Aqsa activist and was involved in widespread militant activity within the framework of the Nablus Fatah Tanzim. The group was led by Naif Abu Sharach until his death. Annan served as an arms dealer and supplier. During an attempt to arrest him tonight, Annan was killed after an exchange of fire with the IDF while he was found in a hiding place along with weapons and ammunition. Annan was included in an agreement in which wanted terror suspects were granted amnesty in exchange for a cease and desist in all
terror involvement.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Dr. Aaron Lerner: Israel moving to wartime footing?



Israel moving to wartime footing? Netanyahu invites Livni to join unity government

Dr. Aaron Lerner

Date: 24 December 2009

Israel Radio reports
www.iba.org.il/bet/index.aspx?classto=142&entity_code=601517&site_code=14

That Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu invited opposition leader MK Livni to join in a national unity government in the same way that Menachem Begin joined the government before the 1967 Six Day War. Under the proposal, Kadima would join the government with a number of ministers without portfolio. Livni said she would get back with a response.

The news came just as Israel was rocked by news that a group of Kadima MKs may split from Kadima and join the coalition.

It would appear that the formation of such a national unity government indicates that Israel is facing a catastrophic situation.

It would be a stretch to think that something having to do with Palestinian – Israeli relations could possibly qualify for such a move.

The obvious explanation: Iran!

Dr. Aaron Lerner is a highly respected political analyst and the director of IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis). He can be reached at imra@netvision.net.il.



Yehudit Tayar: It is up to us to save Israel for the Jewish people



Netanyahu, Barak, Peres and the Knesset destroying their own country. Sound familiar?
It is up to us to save Israel for the Jewish people

By Yehudit Tayar

The Apartheid, anti-Zionistic meticulous plans of the Netanyahu/Barak government against Israeli citizens in the heartland of Israel are an ominous omen for the future of the Jewish State. Think of the amount of money that would be poured into the "operation" that this deceitful company of politicians plans to use in order to destroy Jewish homes, freeze any building, cut off communications to prevent any possible enlistment of people coming out to help to protect their fellow citizens. Think of the number of police, the military forces, the amount of money for aerial photography, etc.

Then let us compare this to the current lack of efforts and lack of governmental financial backing for our military operations to protect the citizens in Israel from the continuing violence directed against us. Every day citizens and military all over Israel, not only in Yesha (Judea and Samaria), are being attacked by terrorists with missiles and advanced weaponry.

The media has learned nothing from their collaboration in the previous "operation treason” during which the Sharon government promised both quiet to the citizens of Israel and a "solution for every resident" of Gush Katif and the Northern Shomron. The media collaborated with the government and orchestrated the promotion of this deceitful, traitorous plan. When implemented this plan proved disastrous with the uprooting of our families, living and our dead, and the destruction of our towns, villages and synagogues.

The entire country has paid the price for the Hamas terror-based Gaza that was the immediate result of the operation. The rocket attacks and subsequently the military operation inside of Gaza were the direct result of the destruction of Gush Katif, the small but vibrant area cultivated by Israelis, that so benefited the Arab economy.

Now what will happen to the country following the plans this government has for the center of Israel, the very heartland of Israel - Judea, and Samaria? How will this deter our enemies from within and from outside our borders from planning even more terror against us? One would surmise that the bitter lessons of the mistakes made by previous governments would have been learned. Sadly, the opposite is the case.

That leaves the ordinary people, the residents of Israel who understand the implications of this undemocratic, unlawful plan against us, to protest the land in any way we can. To stop this from happening we must continue to build, we must prevent the forces sent to implement these unlawful anti-Jewish decrees from entering our communities.

Sometimes it is in the hands of the simple people to change history. We must learn from the bravery of the freedom fighters from the time of the Maccabees and from the heroes of the Mossad L'Aliyah Beth. These brave citizens, who against the wishes of the so-called leadership in Eretz Yisrael, continued to bring in Jews from Nazi Europe during the War of Independence to save their own lives and the existence of the entire country.

The compliance by so-called leaders of Israel with the wishes of foreign nations, not in the best interest of the security of Israel, is a tragedy repeated time and time again. It happened first with the British occupying forces in our Land, and now with the pressures from Barak Hussein Obama, Europe and the rest of the world. Those misguided pathetically weak "dreamers of peace at any price" acted like a fifth column. They did not live in reality but rather with some pipe dream that if we only do what the world wants maybe we will be loved or at least left alone.

We have finally come home to our Land as a people and we cannot afford to allow weak, misguided politicians to endanger the future of the Jewish State by dangerous, anti-Jewish plans. It is up to us to fight to prevent this not only for ourselves, the Jewish pioneers in Yesha, but for all Israeli citizens who will pay the price if, G-d forbid, a Muslim Palestinian state is allowed inside our borders.

Yehudit Tayar is a veteran spokesperson for the Jewish pioneers living in Yesha and lives for the past 30 years with her family in Bet Horon, in the Benjamin Region of the Shomron.



Arab Reports: Hamas flexible on prisoner expulsion





Published Thursday (updated) 24/12/2009 17:16
www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=249260

Bethlehem – Ma’an – Hamas is leaning toward accepting Israel’s demand to
deport more than 100 prisoners in an exchange deal that would secure the
release of a captured soldier, news reports said on Thursday.

The Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal reported on Wednesday that Hamas would allow
123 prisoners to be deported in an exchange that would also see the release
of some 1,000 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

Israel wants to deport prisoners who were convicted of carrying out or
organizing attacks that resulted in the deaths of Israelis. Many of the
attacks in question took place in the context of the second Palestinian
intifada against the Israeli occupation.

The swap deal now hinges on the demand to expel these prisoners either to
Gaza or abroad, rather than release them to the West Bank.

Senior Hamas officials from the Gaza Strip were expected to travel on
Thursday to Damascus to meet with the group’s top political leaders,
including Khalid Mash’al, to discuss Israel’s latest response. Hamas
received the response from a German intermediary who visited Gaza on
Wednesday.

The deputy head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Moussa Abu Marzouk said on
Wednesday that Hamas would respond to the mediator within a few days.

Abu Marzouk, one of the leaders living in exile in Damascus, told the
London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat that there had been "unprecedented
progress, but still not enough so that the deal would get underway, because
of disagreements with the Israeli security establishment."

Al-Hayat also reported that, according to Western diplomatic sources, Israel
had agreed to release 443 out of 450 prisoners listed by Hamas, on condition
that 100 would be expelled. Another 500 prisoners would be released in the
deal, but were not specified on Hamas’ list.

Hamas sources also told Al-Hayat that Israel is refusing to release certain
high-profile prisoners, including Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi, PFLP
Secretary-General Ahmad Sa'adat, and Hamas military leader Abdallah
Barghouti.

The issue of expulsion is sensitive for the families of the prisoners. Some
families interviewed by Ma’an said that while they prefer their relatives
unconditional release, they would except exile to Gaza.

Abla Sa’adat, the wife of Ahmad Sa’adat, told Ma’an, "My husband’s position
is that he wants to stay in the country, but under the worst circumstance he
would accept deportation to Gaza."

Deporting prisoners would also put Israel in direct violation of the
US-backed Road Map peace plan. Authored soon after the deportation of
Palestinian fighters after the siege of the Church of the Nativity, the
document obligates Israel to "[take] no actions undermining trust, including
deportations."

Gaza Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar said Wednesday that after delivering
Israel's response, the German mediator left Gaza and returned to Germany for
Christmas. He said the mediator would be returning to the Strip in a few
days, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Israel is negotiating with Hamas through German and Egyptian mediators in
hopes of freeing Gilad Shalit, a soldier captured in 2006 from a military
base by militants who tunneled into Israel from Gaza.

Also on Wednesday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Gabi
Ashkenazi said that returning Shalit home was a national duty.

"Bringing back Gilad Shalit is a national mission, and both covert and overt
actions are being carried out to do so," Ashkenazi told a gathering of youth
groups in the Israeli port city of Ashdod on Wednesday.

"As the chief of staff, I am responsible for every soldier. I feel obliged
to bring him back home; naturally it's better to keep a discussion of the
details to closed forums, but I hope that the mission will be completed," he
said, according to Haaretz.



Israeli Man Killed by Terrorist Gunfire in Samaria






IDF Spokesperson Announcement December 24th, 2009

Israeli Civilian Killed in Shooting Attack in Samaria Region

Shots were fired at a car driven by an Israeli civilian northwest of Nablus

An Israeli civilian was killed on Thursday afternoon (Dec. 24) in a shooting attack near Shavei Shomron, northwest of Nablus. Fire was opened from an ambush or from a car traveling towards the car that the Israeli civilian was in. Vast IDF forces are searching the area to find those responsible for the gunshots. Both Magen David Adom and the IDF Medical Corps forces were called to the site and performed CPR on the victim, however the military doctor was compelled to pronounce him dead on the site.

Israel Army Radio reported that the attack took place on the road between the towns of Einav and Shavei Shomron. The Israeli sustained injuries to the head as a result of the attack and died at the site.

Earlier on Thursday (Dec. 24), it was publicized that a demolition explosive had been detected near Road 443 on December 17 and an terrorist attempt to attack Israeli cars on this same road was thwarted. According to the report, following sounds of an explosion in the area, IDF and Border Patrol forces searched the area of Kfar Beit Niballa, south of Ramallah. In this search a homemade explosive and a diagram outlining the planned terrorist attack against cars with Jewish drivers to be carried out by a local terrorist organization were found. The explosive was found inside the body of a metal fire extinguisher, which, had it been successfully exploded, would have turned into shrapnel.


Phyllis Chesler: Could Jesus Live Safely In Bethlehem Today?




Could Jesus Live Safely In Bethlehem Today?

Posted By Phyllis Chesler On December 24, 2009 @ 9:18 am

It is Christmas 2009, and instead of peace on earth and good will towards all, Muslims are busily blowing up churches and Christians all over the Islamic world.

This is an awful reality but it is neither recent nor unexpected. Perhaps what is even more awful is the world's silence and seeming passivity. We in the West who believe in religious tolerance have not stopped the persecution of Christians in Muslim countries. In the name of political correctness, we have also "tolerated" the often aggressive demands for mosques, public prayer, minarets, and loudspeakers on our own soil even though there is absolutely no reciprocity towards Christianity (or any other non-Muslim religion) in most Arab and Muslim countries.

For example, this year, in a church in Bellinzona (Ticino), in Switzerland, a Nativity scene [1] displays Jesus surrounded by minarets! "The unusual scene is supposed to make people reflect about brotherhood and human rights, after 57% of the Swiss (and 68% in Ticino) recently voted against minarets on mosques. On the crib are verses from the Bible and the Koran on the topic of water."

First they came for the Jews … and indeed, most Jews, all 800,000 of us, fled the Arab and Muslim world in the 1940s and 1950s. No one stopped this "silent exodus [2]" or really cared that it had happened. Individual Muslims and the Muslim governments happily, greedily, confiscated Jewish homes, factories, and farms; those Jews who were not slaughtered were allowed to leave with ten dollars in their pocket. Unlike the Palestinian refugees, the Jews and Israel took care of their own. Unfortunately, the Muslim world turned parasitically to the United Nations and to the world to fund the very Palestinians whom they would not allow to remain in their countries as refugees or citizens.

As to our Christian brothers and sisters:

Two days ago, in Mosul, Iraq, the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Thomas [3], founded in 770 AD, was bombed — killing two civilians and wounding five others. This was the "sixth attack on Christians there in less than a month." Ironically, according to their identity cards, the two murder victims were actually Muslims. However, according to Father Abdul Massih Dalmay of this church, "Christians are being targeted during Christmas time." Father Dalmay feels that the government has not provided enough security for churches at this time and views this as "negligence on their part."

The Syrian Orthodox Parish of the Immaculate Virgin was attacked a week ago. An infant girl was killed and forty people were wounded. Father Faez Wadiha, of this church, says, with irony: "This is certainly a Christmas present for Mosul, a message of congratulations why we are celebrating a feast of love and peace. But we will pray in the streets, in homes, in shops. God is everywhere, not just in churches." The Syrian Catholic Church of the Annunciation , the (Chaldean) Church of St Ephrem, and the St. Theresa Church were all bombed in Mosul in the last month. According to another Christian Father: "These attacks are aimed at forcing Christians to leave the country."

Some might say: There is an unwanted (and perceived as) Christian-American military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. These bombings are in retaliation …well, not so fast. There are other Muslim countries where there is no (unwanted) American military presence and where both Jews and Christians have lived long before Islam even came into being — countries in which Christians are now under siege. Let's look at what's happening to Christians who live in some Muslim countries today.

Egypt

For years now, Islamist "gangs" have been forcibly converting Christian children [4] to Islam by drugging, kidnapping, gang-raping, photographing the rapes, blackmailing, and "marrying" the female child, as young as twelve, to Muslim men. The Egyptian police have been unwilling to stop this criminal activity. Recently, a Christian television channel broadcast a program about this in Arabic. Many Egyptians were shocked. Here is one of the kidnappers' tactics:

"The latest fraud mentioned on the TV program is that Muslim gangs who dress as Coptic priests, offer a car lift to Christian girls and then abduct them. `The Coptic Church has warned its congregation against letting any unknown person dressed as a priest into their homes or accepting a lift.'" (My thanks to John Peter Maher for this information).

A substantial Christian population has always lived in Egypt. They have increasingly been bombed, tortured and murdered. For example, the Monastery of Abu Fana [5] in Upper Egypt has existed since the 5th century — which clearly predates Islam by two centuries. Last year, Bedouin Muslims attacked the monastery, "destroying a small church and burning the monastery's farm. Nine monks and monastery employees were wounded and four others were abducted." Jeff Jacoby writes:

"One of the [abducted] monks had his arm and legs broken," the Egyptian lawyer and human-rights activist Nagib Gabriel later testified. "The other two were tied together with ropes, suspended from a tree, and severely beaten with hoses and sticks. Afterwards, they were placed — upside down and still tied together — on the back of a donkey and shoved off. The monks were further commanded to spit on the cross and proclaim the shahada [the Muslim credo that "there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet"], beaten every time they refused, and even threatened with death."

Pakistan

For a long time now, Christians have been persecuted in Pakistan. Their female children have been kidnapped, forced to convert and forcibly married to Muslims; both priests and believers have been attacked, and often murdered. Earlier this month, in Sargodha, Pakistan (in or near the Punjab), a mob of Muslim villagers, armed with clubs, spades, and axes attacked a showing of a film on Jesus [6], injuring three part-time evangelists very seriously as well as four Christians in attendance. The mob destroyed their appliances and absconded with funds. The mob also turned on Christian villagers who tried to intervene. Apparently, the mob climbed "trees to get a clearer view of the screen. The eyewitnesses said that as soon as the Muslim attackers watched the resurrection and ascension of Christ, they became enraged because their version of Islam forbids portraying an image of a living thing and especially that of a prophet. " As usual, the police refused to register a complaint.

Turkey

Last month, Turkish authorities uncovered a detailed plot [7] by Turkish naval officers to commit violence against their country's non-Muslims in an effort to unseat Turkey's Islamist government. "Entitled the `Operation Cage Action Plan,' the plot outlines a plethora of planned threat campaigns, bomb attacks, kidnappings and assassinations targeting the nation's tiny religious minority communities. …The scheme ultimately called for bombings of homes and buildings owned by non-Muslims, setting fire to homes, vehicles and businesses of Christian and Jewish citizens, and murdering prominent leaders among the religious minorities." Nine hundred and thirty nine Turkish non-Muslims were specifically marked as targets.

And, on December 15, 2009, in Istanbul, in response to a Swiss vote banning the construction of new mosque minarets, a group of Muslims went into a church building in eastern Turkey and threatened to kill a priest [8] unless he tore down its bell tower. Specifically, on December 4, 2009, three Muslims entered the Meryem Ana Church, a Syriac Orthodox church in Diyarbakir, and confronted the Rev. Yusuf Akbulut. They told him that unless the bell tower was destroyed in one week, they would kill him. … Akbulut has been the target of threats, harassment before."

Indonesia

In the rapidly Islamifying Indonesia, in Jakarta, "hundreds of Muslims celebrated the eve of the Islamic New Year last Thursday (Dec. 17) by attacking a Catholic church building [9] under construction in Bekasi, West Java. A crowd of approximately 1,000 men, women and children from the Bebalan and Taruma Jaha areas of Bekasi walking in a New Year's Eve procession stopped at the 60 percent-completed Santo Albertus Catholic Church building, where many ransacked and set fires to it, church leaders said. Damage was said to be extensive, but no one was injured."

Somalia

"Islamic extremists controlling part of the Somali capital of Mogadishu this month executed a young Christian [10] whom they accused of trying to convert a 15-year-old Muslim to Christianity. Members of the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab had taken 23-year-old Mumin Abdikarim Yusuf into custody on Oct. 28 after the 15-year-old boy reported him to the militants. Yusuf's body was found on Nov. 14 on an empty residential street in Mogadishu, with sources saying the convert from Islam was shot to death, probably some hours before dawn."

Thus, Christians and other non-Muslims have been continuously attacked and persecuted in Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Somalia.

Christmas approaches. What about the Holy Land? What kind of Christmas may we expect there?

The Jewish King David was born in Bethlehem [11], as was Jesus. Nevertheless, fewer and fewer Christians (and no Jews) live there year-round; pilgrims come to visit at this time of year but that's about it. According to Benny Avni, writing in the New York Post [12], "fifty years ago, Christians made up 70 percent of Bethlehem's population; today, about 15 percent…Practically the only place where the Christian population is growing [12] is in Israel."

As to the Church of the Nativity, it was treated abominably by Palestinian terrorists [13] who, in 2002, held priests hostage there and treated it as a combination garbage dump and toilet. Israeli forces had to rescue the priests and arrange a cease-fire and surrender.

In the West Bank, churches, Christian cemeteries, and Christian-owned businesses have been attacked and defaced. Christians have been leaving in droves. According to Benny Avni, the current "West Bank Christian population (not counting Jerusalem)…is now less than 8 percent of the population."

In today's Wall Street Journal [14], Daniel Schwammenthal focuses on the persecution of Arab Christians in Bethlehem and especially on how the Western media has refused to cover this fact. When we read about the persecution of Palestinians it is only ascribed to Israel, never to Hamas, Hezbollah, or to the Palestinian Authority. The firebombing of Christian homes and of the only Christian bookstore in Bethlehem, the mass Islamic prayers in Manger Square, the intimidation of students at a Christian Bible college by Muslims who stand outside and loudly chant from the Qu'ran — are all daily realities for Christians in Bethlehem. A Christian spokesman in Bethlehem says: "We have never suffered as we are now suffering."

Only the Jewish government of Israel guards and cherishes the holy places of all religions over which it has sovereignty. Only the Jewish Israeli government has offered permanent asylum to the Baha'i who fled Iran and temporary asylum to the black African Muslims and Christians who fled persecution and genocide at the hands of ethnic Arab Muslims in Sudan.

What in God's name, are we to conclude from all this? Nina Shea, in National Review [15], draws some of the necessary conclusions:

"The disappearance of living Christian communities would signal the disappearance of religious pluralism and a moderating influence from the heart of the Muslim world. Within our lifetime, the Middle East could be wholly Islamicized for the first time in history. Without the experience of living alongside Christians and other non-Muslims at home, what would prepare it to peacefully coexist with the West? This religious polarization would undoubtedly have geopolitical significance. So far, official Washington has not taken this under consideration."

As I've said: What happens to the Jews, at least under Islam, is bound to happen to Christians next. And so it has.

Of course, Muslims persecuted, colonized, and genocidally exterminated other non-Muslim groups too. Let's not forget the Hindus in India who were under genocidal attack for 700 years; the Zoroastrians and Baha'i who were under attack in Iran; and the Armenians who were genocidally exterminated by Turkish Muslims. Armenians are a Christian ethnic group whose members belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. To this day, the Turks still refuse to admit their responsibility.

So, on the one hand we have a relatively passive Christian West which has chosen not to actively stop the persecution of Christians in Muslim lands. On the other hand, we have allegedly "peaceful" Muslims who look the other way as Christians are persecuted and who are, understandably, also unwilling to … die to save Christians. For that matter, they are simply trying to live their lives and they are also unwilling to risk their lives to save other Muslims as well. "Peaceful" Muslims do not necessarily feel responsible for what is happening. Culturally and psychologically, they have been well trained to blame others, never themselves and to never act alone, as individuals, and/or against the family, clan, tribe, or ummah.

For example, the other day, I engaged my taxi driver in conversation. He was a young man from Turkey. He told me that he was a religious Muslim, that his wife wore hijab — and that he was committed to peace.

"Do you understand the Islamic jihadists who massacre innocent civilians in the name of Islam"?

Calmly, he answered. "Madame, they are not real Muslims. No real Muslim would do anything like that. I don't know any Muslims like that." He was very definite about this.

Said I: "But don't you want to stop such criminals from committing atrocities in the name of your religion?"

He remained silent. Perhaps my question embarrassed him or made him sad; perhaps he was angry and could not afford to show it. Perhaps my question even threatened him because it assumed, even demanded, that he should be "doing" something. However, this soft-spoken man expressed no sorrow, no sense of responsibility, no guilt. His practice of Islam rendered him superior to it all; thus, evil had nothing to do with him, he had disassociated himself from it entirely.

As the world celebrates the birth of the Prince of Peace — originally a Jewish rabbi from Bethlehem–let's be clear: In these times, Jesus would not be safe in the city where he was born, neither as a Jew nor as a Christian.

I hope that all Christians who live in a Muslim country are allowed to celebrate this day safely, in tranquility and joy. Merry Christmas.

(Thanks again to Esther [16] for bringing some of this information to my attention.)

Article printed from Chesler Chronicles: http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler

URL to article: http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler/2009/12/24/could-jesus-live-safely-in-bethelehem-today/

URLs in this post:

[1] Nativity scene: http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1000/Nieuws/article/detail/452646/2009/12/23/Zwitserse-kerk-zet-minaretten-rond-kindje-Jezus.dhtml

[2] silent exodus: http://www.pierrerehov.com/exodus.htm

[3] Church of St. Thomas: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j3EKaI2F-IrEVz8KuMSH3ZiDAG6w

[4] forcibly converting Christian children: http://aina.org/

[5] Monastery of Abu Fana: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/23/not_all_tidings_are_of_great_joy/

[6] attacked a showing of a film on Jesus: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/pakistan/12536/

[7] uncovered a detailed plot: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/turkey/12618/

[8] threatened to kill a priest: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/turkey/12559/

[9] attacking a Catholic church building: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/indonesia/13008/

[10] a young Christian: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/somalia/11836/

[11] born in Bethlehem: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04642b.htm

[12] New York Post: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/bethlehem_exodus_jH6iVNuarsPLBceXPzHO6I

[13] treated abominably by Palestinian terrorists: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,52445,00.html

[14] Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704304504574610022765965390.html

[15] National Review: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZWFiNDRhOWZiNjJhYzY0OTE2NzdjNDFiYjJjMTY4ZWM=

[16] Esther: http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/


Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The "Mandate for Palestine" is the Best Reply to "Occupation"




Dear friend,

Have you ever asked yourself why during the period between 1917 and 1947 hundreds of thousands of Jews throughout the world woke up one morning and decided to leave their homes and go to Palestine? The majority did this because they heard that a future National Home for the Jewish people was being established in Palestine, on the basis of the League of Nations' obligation under the "Mandate for Palestine." This historical document laid down the Jewish legal right to settle anywhere in western Palestine, the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, an entitlement unaltered in international law.

The "Mandate for Palestine" was not a naïve vision briefly embraced by the international community. Fifty-one member countries - the entire League of Nations - unanimously declared on July 24, 1922: "Whereas recognition has been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country."

American Support for a Jewish National Home:

On June 30, 1922, a joint resolution (the Lodge Fish Resolution) of both Houses of Congress of the United States unanimously endorsed the "establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people," confirming the irrevocable right of Jews to settle in the area of Palestine – anywhere between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea:

"Favoring the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.

"Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That the United States of America favors the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which should prejudice the civil and religious rights of Christian and all other non-Jewish communities in Palestine, and that the holy places and religious buildings and sites in Palestine shall be adequately protected." [italics in the original]

On September 21, 1922, President Warren G. Harding signed the Lodge-Fish Resolution, endorsing the Balfour Declaration and the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

The U.S. Government (not a member of the League of Nations) maintained that her participation in WWI and her contribution to the defeat of Germany and the defeat of her Allies, entitled the United States to be consulted as to the terms of the "Mandate for Palestine."

The outcome of this request was a "Convention [Treaty] between the United States of America and the United Kingdom with respect to the rights of the two governments and their nationals in Palestine," a relationship governed by international law. The Convention contains the entire text of the "Mandate for Palestine" including the preamble and was concluded and signed by their respective plenipotentiaries in London on December 3, 1924; Ratification advised by the Senate, February 20, 1925; Ratified by President Calvin Coolidge, March 2, 1925; Ratified by Great Britain, March 18, 1925; Ratifications exchanged at London, December 3, 1925; Proclaimed, December 5, 1925.

In ratifying the Convention, the United States of America formally recognized the terms of the "Mandate for Palestine" and the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.

Any attempt to negate the Jewish people's right to Palestine - Eretz-Israel - and to deny them access and control in the area designated for the Jewish people by the League of Nations is an actionable infringement of both international law and the Supremacy Clause (Article VI, paragraph 2 of the United States Constitution), which dictates that Treaties "shall be the supreme Law of the Land".

We collectively and individually must do all we can to support the Jewish people and the state of Israel. There is no more crucial time than today, and I believe that this body has the capacity to help defeat the "Occupation" mantra by insisting that the land of Israel has been given to the Jewish people as of right, and in accordance with existing international law.

Sincerely,
Eli E. Hertz
eMail: eli@hertztec.com