tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-299837862024-02-20T01:29:36.186+02:00The Galilean Word
Responsible News & Views About G-d, Israel & The Jewish People from The Galilee Institute for Practical Zionism, Winner of 2008 IDF Reserve ShieldMichael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-82385686669758441232015-04-22T11:22:00.000+03:002015-04-22T11:22:04.185+03:00Israel Alone By BRET STEPHENS - WSJ<h1 class="wsj-article-headline" itemprop="headline" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Chronicle Display', serif; font-size: 40px; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Israel Alone</h1>
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Previous quarrels between Washington and Jerusalem were about differing Mideast perceptions. Now the issue is how the U.S. perceives itself.</h2>
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<div class="byline" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: 'Whitney SSm', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 2.2rem; margin: 0px 150px 2px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #666666; display: inline-block; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By</span> <div class="author mobile-scrim hasMenu" data-scrim="{"type":"author","header":"Bret Stephens","subhead":"The Wall Street Journal","list":[{"type":"link","icon":"bio","url":"http://topics.wsj.com/person/A/biography/5463","text":"Biography"},{"type":"link","icon":"twitter","url":"http://twitter.com/StephensWSJ","text":"@StephensWSJ"},{"type":"link","icon":"email","url":"mailto:Bret.Stephens@wsj.com","text":"Bret.Stephens@wsj.com"}]}" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #666666; display: inline-block; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="name" itemprop="name" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #0080c3; font-size: 1.4rem; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">BRET STEPHENS</span></div>
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Recent conversations with senior Israeli officials are shot through with a sense of incredulity. They can’t understand what’s become of U.S. foreign policy.</div>
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They don’t know how to square <a href="http://topics.wsj.com/person/O/Barack-Obama/4328" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0080c3; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Barack Obama</a>’s promises with his policies. They fail to grasp how a president who pledged to work toward the abolition of nuclear weapons is pushing an accord with Tehran that guarantees their proliferation. They are astonished by the nonchalance with which the administration acquiesces in Iran’s regional power plays, or in al Qaeda’s gains in Yemen, or in the Assad regime’s continued use of chemical weapons, or in the battlefield successes of ISIS, or in Russia’s decision to sell advanced missiles to Tehran. They wonder why the president has so much solicitude for Ali Khamenei’s political needs, and so little for Benjamin Netanyahu’s.</div>
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The most tempting approach is to wait Mr. Obama out and hope for better days with his successor. Israel and the U.S. have gone through bad patches before—under Ford in the 1970s, Reagan in the early ’80s, Bush in the early ’90s, Clinton in the late ’90s. The partnership always survived the officeholders.In a word, the Israelis haven’t yet figured out that what America is isn’t what America was. They need to start thinking about what comes next.</div>
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So why should it be different this time? Seventy percent of Americans see Israel in a favorable light, according to a February Gallup<a class="icon none" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-alone-1429573067" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 30px 30px; color: #0080c3; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"> poll</a>. The presidential candidates from both parties all profess unswerving friendship with the Jewish state, and the Republican candidates actually believe it. Mr. Obama’s foreign policy is broadly <a class="icon none" href="http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2015/03/18/polls-show-voters-want-muscular-foreign-policy-not-obama-aimlessness" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 30px 30px; color: #0080c3; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">unpopular</a> and likely to become more so as the fiascoes continue to roll in.</div>
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Yet it’s different this time. For two reasons, mainly.</div>
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First, the administration’s Mideast abdications are creating a set of irreversible realities for which there are no ready U.S. answers. Maybe there were things an American president could have done to help rescue Libya in 2011, Syria in 2013, and Yemen last year. That was before it was too late. But what exactly can any president do about the chaos unfolding now?</div>
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Shakespeare wrote that there was a tide in the affairs of men “which taken at the flood, leads men on to fortune.” Barack Obama always missed the flood.</div>
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Now the president is marching us past the point of no return on a nuclear Iran and thence a nuclear Middle East. When that happens, how many Americans will be eager to have their president intervene in somebody else’s nuclear duel? Americans may love Israel, but partly that’s because not a single U.S. soldier has ever died fighting on its behalf.</div>
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In other words, Mr. Obama is bequeathing not just a more dangerous Middle East but also one the next president will want to touch only with a barge pole. That leaves Israel alone to deal as best as it can with a broadening array of threats: thousands more missiles for Hezbollah, paid for by sanctions relief for Tehran; ISIS on the Golan Heights; an Iran safe, thanks to Russian missiles, from any conceivable Israeli strike.</div>
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The second reason follows from the first. Previous quarrels between Washington and Jerusalem were mainly about differing Mideast perceptions. Now the main issue is how the U.S. perceives itself.</div>
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Beginning with Franklin Roosevelt, every U.S. president took the view that strength abroad and strength at home were mutually reinforcing; that global security made us more prosperous, and that prosperity made us more secure.</div>
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Then along came Mr. Obama with his mantra of “nation building at home” and his notion that an activist foreign policy is a threat to the social democracy he seeks to build. Under his administration, domestic and foreign policy have been treated as a zero-sum game: If you want more of the former, do less of the latter. The result is a world of disorder, and an Israel that, for the first time in its history, must seek its security with an America that, say what it will, has nobody’s back but its own.</div>
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How does it do this? By recalling what it was able to do for the first 19 years of its existence, another period when the U.S. was an ambivalent and often suspicious friend and Israel was more upstart state than start-up nation.</div>
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That was an Israel that was prepared to take strategic gambles because it knew it couldn’t afford to wait on events. It did not consider “international legitimacy” to be a prerequisite for action because it also knew how little such legitimacy was worth. It understood the value of territory and terrain, not least because it had so little of it. It built its deterrent power by constantly taking the military initiative, not constructing defensive wonder-weapons such as Iron Dome. It didn’t mind acting as a foreign policy freelancer, and sometimes even a rogue, as circumstances demanded. “Plucky little Israel” earned the world’s respect and didn’t care, much less beg, for its moral approval.</div>
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Perhaps the next American president will rescue Israel from having to learn again what it once knew. Israelis would be wise not to count on it.</div>
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Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-86918469754705291682015-03-11T07:52:00.002+02:002015-03-11T07:56:35.752+02:00Dr. Mordechai Kedar Op-Ed: Why Does the Arab World Long for Labor to Win?<div class="divTtl" id="divTtl">
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The Arab world dreams of the day Herzog and Livni might be at the helm of the Jewish state.</h2>
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Dr. Mordechai Kedar</h2>
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<strong>Honest disclosure I:</strong> I have been acquainted with
the Herzog family for decades, ever since I was a child, and at various
points in my life I crossed paths with all three Herzog brothers, Joel, Brigadier <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD1">General</span> (Res.) Michael and MK Yitzchak. I have always held this aristocratic family in great esteem for their generosity, deportment, <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD2">intelligence</span>
and erudition, as sons of Israel's late sixth president Chaim Herzog
and grandchildren of the late Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Halevi Herzog. Ambassador Abba Eban, a significant political and cultural figure on
his own, was their uncle. An aristocratic family in the deepest sense of
the word.</div>
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<strong>Honest disclosure I</strong>I:
During the second half of the nineties, once I had finished my army
service, I was active in the "Paths to Peace" organization, the younger
and religious brother of "Peace Now". I gave peace a chance the European
way, but our Arab neighbors disappointed us.<br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>Honest disclosure III</strong>: At various times, I have suggested a Middle East peace plan for us and our neighbors, "<a href="http://www.paltestinianemirates.com/" target="_blank">The Eight Palestinian Emirates Plan"</a>. I
am openly against the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and
Samaria, one that will without doubt turn into another Hamastan and
lead inevitably to the next war.<br />
<br />
<strong>Honest disclosure IV</strong>: I openly support the Jewish Home party's list.<br />
<br />
<strong>Let us start with the head of the Labor party, Yitzchak Herzog:</strong><br />
<br />
Years of <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD5">research</span>
spent studying Arab discourse, media and culture - in the original
Arabic - have led me to the incontrovertible conclusion that most of the
Arab population hopes the day will come when Herzog is prime minister
of Israel, for that day - at least according to the viewpoint of most
Arabs <strong>-</strong> is the beginning of the end of the state of
Israel .The reason is simple: Herzog is seen as a person of weak
character, unimpressive and spineless. He did not serve as a combat
officer and was, instead, an officer in my unit, 8200, which is made up
of brilliant nerds with the obligatory round-framed eyeglasses.<br />
<br />
Herzog's
gentle way of speaking and the unconfrontational terminology he uses,
those that make him attractive to Israelis who want to think like
Europeans and Americans, have convinced the Arab world that Herzog is
the only way to soften Israel enough to step all over it and turn it
into a dishrag that can be wrung into oblivion.<br />
<br />
The Middle East's
agenda is set by stereotypes and images, and the image Herzog projects
is so weak that any threats Israel might pronounce would be met with
derision. The distance from that derision to all-out war is a short one.<br />
<br />
In
the Middle East, anyone who proclaims non-stop that he wants peace,
projects the image of someone who is afraid of war because he is weak,
thereby awakening the militaristic adrenaline glands of his neighbors,
who then resemble nothing so much as eagles and vultures hovering over a
dying cow.<br />
<br />
And the opposite is just as true: anyone who radiates
power, strength, threat and danger enjoys comparative
tranquillity because the bullies leave him alone. This is the reason the
Arabs hated and respected Ariel Sharon and Moshe Dayan – they were
afraid of them. Sadat made peace with Israel because he could not defeat
the Jewish state despite the surprise factor he had in opening the Yom
Kippur War and his early success in crossing the Suez Canal. Hussein
also made peace with Israel, hoping it would use its power to help him
face the Baath party of Syria and Iraq. Arafat agreed to a <em><a href="http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-hudaibiya.htm" target="_blank">hudabiyya</a> </em>peace - that is, a temporary "peace" for as long as the enemy is too strong to defeat – after the failure of the first intifada.<br />
<br />
Yitzchak
Herzog at the helm of the government is the sweetest dream the Arab
world can imagine, because it is proof that Israeli society is tired,
exhausted, lacking the motivation to protect the country and ready to
pay any price for a paper that has the word "peace" written on it.
Herzog at the helm of the government will be subject to pressures from
the Arab world – and from Obama's White House - because he creates the
impression that "this time it will work", or shall I say, "Yes, we
can".<br />
<br />
The pressures he will undergo will be much greater than
those exerted on Netanyahu, because the White House and the Arab
world will sense that his days as Prime Minister are numbered and
therefore, they must make every effort to squeeze as much out of him as
they can for the short period that Israelis will let him function before
waking up to realize the imminent catastrophe and removing him from his
seat as they did to Ehud Barak when he gave in to Arafat.<br />
<br />
Yitzchak
Herzog may bring about harmonious relations with the White House and
perhaps even with the angst-consumed leaders of Europe, but he will
bring a war of blood, fire and tears to the area called the Middle East
where only those who are truly powerful, threatening and determined to
deter their enemies survive.<br />
<br />
<strong>Let us continue with MK Tzipi Livni, Herzog's rotation partner in what the two self-titled "The Zionist Camp":</strong><br />
<br />
Tzipi
is the other aspect of the sweet dreams of the Arab world, a woman born
and raised in a courageous Revisionist family, a home filled with
healthy and strong Zionist principles. She began her political career in
the Likud, but became more and more spineless, deteriorating from party
to party, until she joined up with the other leading invertebrate,
Yitzchak Herzog.<br />
<br />
To the Arab world, Livni symbolizes and
represents the dispirited and weary Israeli, those who have had enough
of the struggle for survival and are willing to offer their necks to the
slaughterer hoping that he will butcher them gently if they
speak politely.<br />
<br />
The internet tells us that in the eighties, Livni was actually a Mossad agent in Europe, and<a href="http://http//www.alankabout.com/various_files/studies_and_reports/34322.htm" target="_blank"> several Arab websites tell</a>
of the "special services" she did for the state of Israel.These
services are understood in the West as undercover and secret, but in the
Middle East the expression is interpreted in a totally different
fashion. We can imagine how they will react on the web in the Arab world
and what our image will be if she becomes prime minister.<br />
<br />
However,
the problem with Tzipi Livni is not just about her image, because in
her case, our neighbors have proof that Livni hasn't the foggiest idea
of how to navigate the complex, thorny paths of the Middle East: she was
Foreign Minister during the Second Lebanon War, and was the Israeli
architect of Security Council Resolution 1701 that allowed the Hezbollah
– already clear in the phrasing she espoused – to renew and <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4">enlarge</span>
its rocket arsenal. I would expect someone with a law degree to
comprehend the built-in failure in the way the resolution was phrased,
but Tzipi Livni did not even reach this minimal legal test. Is there
anyone in his right mind who would hire her to prepare a contract for
renting out his apartment?<br />
<br />
What is strange is that instead of being ashamed and keeping her mouth shut, Livni even defended Resolution 1701 in public, <a href="http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/772/917.html" target="_blank">strangely calling it </a>a resolution that "created change in southern Lebanon".<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: red;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="ArticleFloat"><img src="http://f.a7.org/images/q_top.png" /></span></i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="ArticleFloat">Only in Israel do the spineless have the nerve to ask the public for another chance to sit for the Middle East <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD6">exam</span> which they are sure to fail once again.</span></i><i><span class="ArticleFloat"><img src="http://f.a7.org/images/q_bottom.png" /></span></i></span></b></span></blockquote>
She is right about one thing. It surely did <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3">create</span>
change in southern Lebanon, but one that is bad for Israel. Instead of
demilitarizing Hezbollah – which many countries agreed was necessary
after the Second Lebanon War – this resolution allowed Hezbollah to
rearm. Livni's failure in phrasing the resolution and its implementation
should have left her far away from any Israeli decision making
positions, and certainly from those that have anything to do with our
geopolitical reality.<br />
<br />
<strong>In sum</strong>: Only in Israel do the spineless have the nerve to ask the public for another chance to sit for the Middle East exam
which they are sure to fail once again. Only in Israel does the
public's collective memory go only as far back as the last television
debate, the slogan heard yesterday and the latest spin a candidate
spread this morning at the advice of his media consultants because it is
popular and easy to recall.<br />
<br />
Not one of the soul weary people –
those who talk non-stop about "peace" – can deal in a suitable manner
with the cruel and difficult cultural environment in our neighborhood,
one which, in the best case, will kick him in the rear as a warning
before plunging a dagger into his neck.<br />
<br />
The Herzog-Livni
duo is the last thing I would recommend to lead the state of Israel, as
long as we want to survive in the "New Middle East" – not the Shimon
Peres fantasy world of that name, but the one where what is new is
"Islamic State". Perhaps, in the far-off future, when and if the
surrounding cultural atmosphere turns into something like America or
what it was once in Europe, we will be able to consider these two soul
weary people as leaders of Israel.<br />
<br />
However, while the Middle East
looks the way it does and functions the way it does at present, there is
no choice except to leave them nailed to their seats in the opposition
consisting of other spineless "round eyeglasses" so they can raise
shrill voices to criticize the nation's leaders, while those
leaders radiate power, strength and credible threats.<br />
<br />
This
is the bitter reality in which we attempt to survive. I am not the one
who created it, and I bear no guilt for the situation we are in. I am
just the messenger who is charged with explaining to my readers what not
everyone understands about the culture in our neighborhood. It is a
culture that only provides quiet and tranquility to the leader who
succeeds in persuading his neighbors that he is invincible and that they
had better leave him in peace for their own good.<br />
<br />
This is an
ongoing mission, especially since every once in a while some
"brilliant" figures appear, claiming to have just patented their
invention of the wheel and found the way to be accepted by our
neighbors as a legitimate and welcome entity.<br />
<br />
My advice? Learn Arabic.<br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Dr.
Mordechai Kedar is a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at
Bar-Ilan University. He served in IDF Military Intelligence for 25
years, specializing in Arab political discourse, Arab mass media,
Islamic groups and the Syrian domestic arena. Thoroughly familiar with
Arab media in real time, he is frequently interviewed on the various
news programs in Israel.</em></div>
</div>
Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-36212728481064390382014-03-10T14:03:00.001+02:002014-03-10T14:05:09.800+02:00Dr. Mordechai Kedar: Iran Serves Israel by Attempting to Fight the Reality in Gaza <h2 class="entry-title" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Antic Slab', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://mordechaikedar.com/iran-serves-israel-attempting-fight-reality-gaza/" style="color: rgb(17, 38, 92) !important; font-size: 20px !important; line-height: 29px !important; text-decoration: none;">Iran Serves Israel by Attempting to Fight the Reality in Gaza</a></h2>
<div class="post-content" style="background-color: white;">
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">by Dr. <strong>Mordechai Kedar</strong></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">I will begin with a comment: This article is not based on any </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">intelligence reports </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">because I do not have such data. It is just an analysis based on media reports.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every Israeli media outlet is giving extensive coverage –and rightly so – to the capture of the long-range missiles shipment from Iran to the Gaza Strip. According to the reports, these missiles were produced in Syria, flown to Iran and transported from there by sea in a roundabout route to Sudan to continue their way overland to the Gaza Strip. They were produced in Syria in order to divert suspicion from Iran, by the location of production as well as the route by which the missiles would have arrived to Gaza.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No doubt this was an amazing success on the part of the intelligence organizations and the Navy. The Iranians’ well known intentions were exposed once again, and we can only hope that additional such transports have not succeeded and will not arrive successfully in the Gaza Strip. All of the Israeli spokesmen speak about the strengthening of Hamas and its intention to acquire game-changing weapons that will present a strategic threat to the State of Israel. There are those who believe that Iran is interested in fortifying Hamas for the coming “judgment day” connected to the Iranian nuclear project, to attack Israel with missiles from the south in addition to those that will arrive from the North, sent by Hizb’Allah.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of these assessments ignore one basic thing: Today there is total break in relations between Hamas on one side and Syria and Iran on the other, because the rulers of Syria and Iran are furious about Hamas’ behavior and lack of support for the Syrian regime in its war against the jihadists who are flooding the country, sowing death and terror. Hamas is considered by Iran and Syria as a movement that has betrayed its benefactors: Syria, which hosted the Hamas leadership for many years and Iran, which financed it with a great deal of money and armed it with piles of weapons. In light of this situation, Syria and Iran can not be counted on to aid Hamas with so much as a box of matches, much less strategic missiles. So how can the missile delivery be explained?</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my opinion, the only explanation is that this missile delivery was not intended for Hamas, but rather to other organizations, one in Sinai –Ansar Bayt al-Maqdas, apparently – the other being Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. These two organizations serve the current Syrian-Iranian plan today. This plan has three main objectives:</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">To present a strategic threat to Israel with missiles from Sinai and from Gaza to deter her from attacking Iran. This threat will be realized if an Israeli attack on Iran is actually carried out.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">To spoil the close relations between Israel and Egypt.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">To take revenge on Hamas for its betrayal of Syria and Iran.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first objective is clear. The second one also does not require a thorough explanation because every missile that is launched from Sinai into Israel increases Israeli demands for Egypt to put an end to the chaos in that area, while the the Egyptian army has limited ability to meet these demands. If there is open warfare in Sinai the jihad organizations in this area can use missiles against Egypt itself, and this would not be counter to Iranian-Syrian interests.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The third objective – to take revenge on Hamas – does require an explanation. Israel sees Hamas, correctly to a great extent, as responsible for whatever is done in the Gaza Strip, and especially for attacks on Israel, even if these attacks are carried out by rogue organizations such as Islamic Jihad. In the past there have already been incidents in which this organization has fired on Israel, and Israel has responded with an attack on Hamas installations. The more painful the attack on Israel, the more intense was the attack on Hamas.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Syrian-Iranian plan is to allow Islamic Jihad to launch strategic missiles toward Israel so that Israel will attack Hamas, thus Israel will take revenge on this organization, a revenge which Syria and Iran can enjoy vicariously. In this way, these countries will achieve a double objective: harming Israel so that she will then harm Hamas.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If this explanation is correct, Israel must take a strategic decision regarding its relationship to Hamas, and it is faced with two possibilities:</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Hamas movement is a terror organization exactly like Islamic Jihad, and a Jihad attack on Israel justifies an Israeli attack on Hamas, even if this organization took no part in Islamic Jihad’s operation. In the long range, Israel must find a way to take down the Hamas regime because of the strategic threat that this organization poses to Israel. The overthrow of the Hamas regime will allow the PLO to take over the Strip once again and unite it with the other half of the Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. This policy is based on the assumption that the Palestine Liberation Organization indeed desires peace with Israel, including the willingness to be a good neighbor and the willingness for mutual recognition.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Israel does not see the Palestine Liberation Organization as a partner for peace, and indeed Israel has no interest in allowing this organization to take over Gaza once again. The Hamas movement has been serving Israeli interests since its takeover of Gaza in 2007, by splitting the Palestinian Authority into two parts and putting an end to the Palestinian dream of establishing one state. The Hamas regime in Gaza provides Israel with a logical reason, that the world can accept as well, to form a future arrangement in Judea and Samaria that will leave Israel with a way to prevent the establishment of another Hamas state, whether by retaining a military presence or by dividing the territory into a number of sections.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first possibility would justify an all-out Israeli war on Hamas in order to strengthen the Palestine Liberation Organization, while the second constrains Israel to leave the Hamas regime in place because it weakens the PLO and serves Israeli interests. Until now Israel has not announced publicly what its policy is regarding Hamas, and the ambiguous situation allows her to act according to the second possibility as a matter of routine, and to activate the first possibility if any organization attacks Israel.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite the advantages of this ambiguous situation, it is advisable in my opinion for Israel to adopt a clearer policy, with a strategic objective: since the Palestine Liberation Organization has not abandoned its plan to eliminate Israel, Israel must put an end to the dream of establishing a state under this organization’s rule. The Hamas movement began the process in Gaza, and Israel must continue it in Judea and Samaria in order to establish seven emirates in this area in the seven cities, leaving the rural expanse in Israeli hands.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These seven city-states would leave the majority of the Arab population in Judea and Samaria free from Israeli control, and Israel could offer Israeli citizenship to the residents of the rural expanse. These city-states would be based on the local clans, which are concrete entities and not the visions of some Palestinian intellectuals and Israeli bleeding hearts, who dream of a unified Palestinian people in Gaza, Judea and Samaria.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Palestinian people exists in exactly the same way as a Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan or Sudanese people exists. Middle Eastern societal reality is rooted in a culture of the tribe, ethnic group (Arabs, Kurds, etc.), religious group (Muslim, Druze, Alawite, Christian, etc.) and sectarian group (Sunni, Shi’ite, etc.). Only a state that is based on one homogeneous group can survive in this region, and provide its citizens with a reasonable way of life.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Israel must base its policy on reality as it exists, not on dreams and visions of a new Middle East. Hamastan in Gaza is a state, and we must recognize this reality. Iran is attempting to overturn reality with missiles, and thanks to Intelligence and the Navy we got only a warning, and not missiles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">======================================================================================</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<b style="line-height: 22.5px;">Mordechai Kedar</b><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"> (born 1952 in Tel Aviv; </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language" style="color: #11265c; line-height: 22.5px; text-decoration: none;" title="Hebrew language">Hebrew</a><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">: מרדכי קידר; </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_language" style="color: #11265c; line-height: 22.5px; text-decoration: none;" title="Arabic language">Arabic</a><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">: مردخاي كيدار) is an Israeli scholar of Arabic literature and a lecturer at </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-Ilan_University" style="color: #11265c; line-height: 22.5px; text-decoration: none;" title="Bar-Ilan University">Bar-Ilan University</a><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">. He holds the Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University. His website is: http://mordechaikedar.com/</span></div>
</div>
Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-87143738755935091882014-03-05T14:49:00.000+02:002014-03-05T18:36:37.969+02:00BREAKING NEWS!! Israel Intercepts Syrian Manufactured Missiles on High Seas<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">BREAKING NEWS!!
BREAKING NEWS!! BREAKING NEWS!! BREAKING NEWS!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Early Morning - March 5, 2014 – STAY TUNED FOR
UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15.75pt;">Israel’s navy and special forces have intercepted
a cargo ship carrying Syrian manufactured missiles heading for the smuggling
tunnels between Egyptian Sinai and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Preliminary Highlights (14:15 JST):</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="line-height: 15.75pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
IDF’s Shayetet 13 naval commando unit, reinforced by elements of other elite commando
forces, boarded and took control of the merchant vessel Klos-C which was
sailing under a Panamanian flag, at around 05:00 JST.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 15.75pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Among
the hundreds of missiles hidden in shipping containers marked as and carrying
sacks of concrete were dozens of M-302 advanced missiles with a range of over 200
kilometers (125 miles).The M-302 is manufactured in Syria based on Chinese
technology legally licensed by China.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 15.75pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">This
is the largest missile shipment captured since the Karine-A in January 2002.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; line-height: 15.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 15.75pt;">There was no resistance from the </span><span style="line-height: 21px;">international</span><span style="line-height: 15.75pt;"> crew of 17 and
no casualties have been reported on either side.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
Klos-C was captured just north of Eritrea on the Sudanese-Eritrean border which
is over 1,500 kilometers (930 miles)
from Eilat Port and Israel’s southernmost coast after the shipment was tracked by
intelligence forces for weeks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">IDF
naval commander Gen. (Admiral) Ram Rotenberg personally oversaw the operation from
the sea.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“The IDF will continue to operate against the
Iranian attempts to arm regional terrorist organizations, who intend to
continuously ignite our borders. We will continue to employ all the necessary
means in order to prevent the armament of terrorist organizations and will
combat the Iranian smuggling attempts that threaten the security and
sovereignty of the State of Israel.”</span></blockquote>
Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-79163451889814589182014-01-21T16:59:00.003+02:002014-01-21T16:59:40.472+02:00“I Am Ashamed!” by Rabbi Yaakov Luft<h5 class="_5pbw" data-ft="{"tn":"C"}" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 22px 0px 0px;">
<div class="fwn fcg" style="color: grey;">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.38;">Transmitted by Yehudah Glick as told in first person by Rabbi Yaakov Luft:</span></div>
</h5>
<div class="mbs _5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5px;">
(Translation by Dr. Mike Cohen)</div>
<div class="mbs _5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<br />Rabbi Luft: “About a month ago I ascended the Temple Mount as part of an interfaith group of some 30 members of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish clergy. This particular group was invited to The Mount and greeted there by the Mufti of Jerusalem as representives of The Universal Peace Federation (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upf.org%2F&h=CAQHEQJCV&enc=AZMFTBznF3db00i7Wx2Y3AutVVxry8M-j82doA9EjD6uqzCYyLzWfoHXsrpdlne8aLEPOZvo2RytSClXa_iLjNuNAY8U241vVIDf6sny4MbROxXfcwLQmVy1AcnsjH1i3ig&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.upf.org/</a>) a global network of individuals and organizations dedicated to building a world of peace centered on universal spiritual and moral values called which was holding its international interfaith conference in Jerusalem.<br /><br />The Waqf provided us with a guide who gave a detailed history of Jerusalem which followed the narrative as printed in the fliers we were handed. During the Q&A the guide was asked “Why can this holy gathering pray together, each according to his own faith and custom, everywhere we visit in the Holy Land - the Western Wall and in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre included - but is prevented from doing so here on the Temple Mount, the holiest and most important place on Earth for the Jewish people?”<br /><br />Our guide responded that the question itself was “hostile” and “illegitimate” since the entire goal of the Jews was to “take control of the holy sites of others” as the Jews have “nothing holy in Jerusalem, not even the Western Wall.”<br /><br />Among the guests were five or six Jews. The Waqf representative met us at the Shalshelet Gate and, in full earshot of the foreign guests, made sure to inform us that no ascension would be allowed for people wearing a kipa (Jewish skullcap) but that a generic - non-symbolic hat was permissible. I struggled with the insulting concept of having to cover my traditional head covering in order to comply with the Waqfs ban on religious Jewish symbols vs the value in being part of the group and being able to challenge the warped narrative. There were significant leaders from around the world with us, including important Christian leaders from the United States so I decided to suffer the humiliation in order to achieve the greater goal of making sure the tough questions were asked and the intellectually insulting answers were heard by all.<br /><br />The entire group of international pastors, priests and sheiks heard the Waqf guide deny any Jewish connection to Jerusalem in general and the Temple Mount in particular. They saw the Waqf representatives single out the religious Jews for individual humiliation. They heard the revisionist narrative as well as the Waqf instructions not to touch any of the prayer books or Qurans in the mosque as the touch of a non-Muslim “contaminates” the books.<br /><br />At the conclusion of the visit a sheik from Norway approached me with tears in his eyes and admitted “I am ashamed.”<br /><a href="http://www.upf.org/upf-news/141-africa-middle-east/5441-jerusalem-consultation-to-prospects-for-conflict-resolution-peace-and-stability" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.upf.org/upf-news/141-africa-middle-east/5441-jerusalem-consultation-to-prospects-for-conflict-resolution-peace-and-stability</a><br /><br />Universal Peace Federation Official Home Page, Ambassadors for Peace, Peacebuilding<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upf.org%2F&h=NAQH-h7UA&enc=AZPvdI7Q3q5SIphHcs0dlxRSBaYVaYx-XBMa0uPyQmqKcPSvQSPIqtxf-14MLzQ9caytDxnI6jb_KzAEchyPcjVtRNONs-_biXkom3Opz6zksmgg0o0jUkXwn8Pd2Xaua7w&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.upf.org</a></div>
Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-28157617438048505052014-01-02T21:35:00.001+02:002014-01-02T21:36:33.337+02:00Mike Cohen - My Comment for Today<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;">Mike Cohen's new (G-d willing daily) personal opinion blog can be found at </span><a href="http://miketcohen.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://miketcohen.blogspot.com/</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"> for those who care what he thinks. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;">Responsible News and Views will continue to be published right here on the Galilean Word: </span><a href="http://galileanword.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://galileanword.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May 2014 bring with her peace, joy, happiness, health, prosperity and love for all!</span></div>
Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-81500468242039001612012-07-11T02:08:00.000+03:002012-07-11T02:12:28.054+03:00The sin of omission is sometimes graver yet<br />
Letter to the editor from username: pundit02@yahoo.com<br />
Sent at: Jul 10 2012 at 06:46 pm EDT<br />
RE: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/10/3100306/berkley-faces-ethics-review<br />
<br />
To the Editor:<br />
<br />
As the agents of record for so many Jewish publications all over the world I would think that it would behoove the JTA to give all the facts of interest pertinent to a story that will probably be carried by most of them.<br />
<br />
While it is true that U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) has been a stalwart of pro-Israel policy in the U.S. Congress, and would most definitely be the same on the Senate side, I find it difficult that the JTA fails to note in this story that her opponent in this year's senate race, incumbent U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV), is equally strong on issues regarding the US-Israel bond and was in fact the senator chosen by the co-sponsors to introduce the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2011, legislation that serves to strip the president of his/her "waiver power" and finally relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel's capital city of Jerusalem where it belongs. <br />
<br />
I am a staunch independent and in any race I choose to look at the person running, their record their policy and their character, not at their particular party affiliation. In this case, I believe the JTA should have done the same - acknowledge in the body of the story that both candidates seeking to represent Nevada would be a strong vote for a strong and everlasting US-Israel alliance.<br />
<br />
The sin of omission is sometimes graver yet.<br />
<br />
Dr. Mike Cohen<br />
Zionism, Post-Zionism & The Arab Problem<br />
http://www.drmikecohen.info<br />
<br />
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<h2 style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Pro-Israel lawmaker Shelley Berkley facing ethics review</h2>
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July 10, 2012</div>
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WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, a pro-Israel lawmaker, potentially complicating the Nevada Democrat's bid for the U.S. <nobr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="FAtxtL" href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/10/3100306/berkley-faces-ethics-review#" id="FALINK_2_0_1" style="background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(243, 91, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(243, 91, 0) !important; display: inline !important; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Senate</a></nobr>.</div>
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The investigation announced Monday, and backed by Democrats and Republicans on the committee, will focus on allegations that Berkley's championing of <nobr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="FAtxtL" href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/10/3100306/berkley-faces-ethics-review#" id="FALINK_1_0_0" style="background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(243, 91, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(243, 91, 0) !important; display: inline !important; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">kidney</a></nobr> care benefited her husband, a leading <nobr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="FAtxtL" href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/10/3100306/berkley-faces-ethics-review#" id="FALINK_3_0_2" style="background-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(243, 91, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(243, 91, 0) !important; display: inline !important; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">kidney specialist</a></nobr> in Nevada.</div>
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"The Committee notes that the mere fact of establishing an investigative subcommittee does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred," said a statement from the Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives.</div>
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Berkley's office said she was "pleased with the committee’s decision to conduct a full and fair investigation, which will ensure all the facts are reviewed."</div>
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Her successful efforts to block a federal bid to close a kidney transplant center saved part of a practice co-owned by her husband.</div>
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Berkley, widely considered as among the most pro-Israel members of the House, was seen as one of a handful of chances for the Democrats to pick up a Senate seat in a year when they are defending most of their seats. She faces incumbent Sen. Dean Heller, who was named to the seat after fellow Republican John Ensign resigned in a scandal.</div>
<br />Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-39684081894983009732012-07-05T01:53:00.000+03:002012-07-05T02:03:06.171+03:00Committee Report: Judea and Samaria<br />
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<big><b><big>For Immediate Release - July 4, 2012</big><br />Contact: Esther Levens - <a href="tel:913%20648%200022" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" value="+19136480022">913 648 0022</a></b></big></div>
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<big><b><a href="http://www.uc4i.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">WWW.UC4i.org</a> </b></big></div>
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<big><b><a href="mailto:voices@unitycoalitionforisrael.org" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">voices@<wbr></wbr>unitycoalitionforisrael.org</a></b></big></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Prime Minister Committee Report:</span></span></h2>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><big>Israelis Have a Legal Right to Settle All Judea and Samaria</big></b></h2>
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<b><big><br /></big></b></div>
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A Committee appointed by Prime Minister Netanyahu to examine the legality of Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria has issued a statement today, Tuesday, July 4, 2012 - Israelis have a legal right to settle that region. Retired Israeli Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, who heads that Committee, declared:<br />
<ol>“According to international law, Israelis have a legal right to settle all of Judea and Samaria, at the very least the lands that Israel controls under agreements with the Palestinian Authority. Therefore, the establishment of Jewish settlements [in Judea and Samaria] is, in itself, not illegal.”</ol>
The committee was established by the Prime Minister to determine and cement the legal status of the outposts in Judea and Samaria, with an emphasis on communities that were not built on privately owned Palestinian land but their status was still in doubt due to legal bureaucracy.<br />
<br />
The committee issued its report that was subsequently handed over to Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein. In the report, Levy wrote:<br />
<ol>“upon completing the committee’s tasks, and considering the testimonies heard, the basic conclusion is that from an international law perspective,<strong>the laws of ‘occupation’ do not apply</strong> to the unique historic and legal circumstances surrounding Israel’s decades-long presence in Judea and Samaria.”</ol>
<ol>Quoting the report: “Likewise, the Fourth Geneva Convention [relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War] on the transfer of populations does not apply, and wasn’t intended to apply to communities such as those established by Israel in Judea and Samaria.”</ol>
<ol>“...dozens of new neighborhoods have been erected, without government authorization and at times without a contiguous link to the mother community. Several were built outside the legal jurisdiction allotted to the community. This prevalent phenomenon has required large amounts of funding therefore the committee finds it hard to believe that it was done without the government’s knowledge.”</ol>
In conclusion, the report said:<br />
<ol>“we have discovered a phenomenon within the Israeli settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria that does not befit a country that upholds the rule of law. From now on, it must be made very clear to the proponents of the settlement enterprise and to the political echelon that they are to operate only within the confines of the law, and the various law enforcement institutions must decisively enforce the law in the future.”</ol>
The committee’s recommendations include the following:<br />
<br />
The government must clarify its position on the issue of Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria to prevent varying interpretations of its policy; a new community will only be built after the government or an authorized ministerial committee has approved it;<br />
<br />
the expansion of a community outside the bounds of its authorized jurisdiction must first be approved by the defense minister or a ministerial committee on settlements, in coordination with the prime minister.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, the committee declared that the encouragement provided by the government to the settlement enterprise constituted authorization. According to the committee, communities that were built on land owned by the state, or privately owned Israeli land, with the help of government bodies could not be classified as “unauthorized” due to the absence of an official government decision to authorize them.<br />
<br />
The very assistance provided by the government in their establishment constitutes implicit authorization.<br />
<br />
Under these circumstances, the report concluded, the evacuation of such communities would be impractical and another solution, such as compensation or land swap, should be implemented.<br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>Therefore, the committee recommends in its report, the government should avoid issuing demolition orders for these communities because it is the government itself that created this situation in the first place.</strong><br />
<br />
It was also recommended that the government should speed up the examination of the communities whose status isn’t defined. They suggested that the government define these disputed communities’ status in terms of evacuations or demolitions only after a thorough investigation and a full legal proceeding. In order to ease the lives of the residents, the committee suggested the establishment of special courts in Judea and Samaria specifically to settle land disputes.<br />
<br />
To prevent uncertainty and to promote stability, the committee encouraged Israelis and Palestinians to record their land purchases within an agreed upon time frame of between four and five years, after which anyone who did not complete the process would lose rights to property. The committee further proposed that Israelis would only be allowed to purchase land in Judea and Samaria under the auspices of an authorized body.</div>
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Americans who support Israeli sovereignty over all of the land designated to "reconstitute the ancient Jewish homeland" (quoted from the landmark decision at San Remo, Italy, April 25, 1920) rejoice at the definitive findings of this committee. Israel has finally cast off the bonds of false accusations and is no longer accepting the false designation of "occupation". That terminology is finally put to rest by the findings of PM Netanyahu's Committee.</div>
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It is truly a "landmark" decision handed down by this authoritative source.</div>
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The UCI Campaign to move the United States Embassy is substantiated by this edict which validates the Supreme Council of Allied Powers granting of rights by the Supreme Council of Allied Powers international law. This ruling adds credence to the Unity Coalition for Israel (UCI) campaign to promote the United States becoming the first nation to accept the legality of International Jewish claims to Jerusalem as the eternal Capital of Israel. The Congressional purchase of the land on which to build the Embassy was completed after passage of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 was approved overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress.</div>
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The original Embassy Act reflects the will of the American people. Therefore in our campaign we urge Congress to finally pass House Resolution 1006 and companion Senate bill ????; together they will eliminate the Presidential waiver granting the President the right to defer implementation of the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem every 6 months for "security reasons". All presidents since 1995 have used this waiver to delay the move, thus repeatedly thwarting the public outcry for action.</div>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><big><br /></big></b><br />
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<b style="background-color: white;"><big>--"NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM"-- </big></b></div>
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is the prayer repeated by Jews all over the world for more than 3000 years.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">W</span><span style="background-color: white;">e hope to gather in Jerusalem in 2013 for the U.S. Embassy ground-breaking that can soon become reality!</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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#30#</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1449736416&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1449736416&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1449736416&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1449736416&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-80286399267484813612012-07-03T23:31:00.001+03:002012-07-03T23:47:36.491+03:00Supreme Court vs. Israel<br />
The A Monkey Wrench In The Works – The Supreme Court vs. the Declaration of Independence<br />
<br />
by Haim Misgav<br />
<br />
The declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel was anchored constitutionally in the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom. Ever since, it was determined, basic human rights must be founded upon recognition of the worth of man, the sanctity of his life and upon his existence as a free man, and all these must be fulfilled in the spirit of the principles appearing in the Jewish state’s Declaration of Independence.<br />
<br />
One need not be a distinguished legal scholar in order to understand that this document grants clear preference to Jews. The Jewish state is supposed to be the national home of the Jewish people – exclusively. Its gates will be opened wide before Jews alone. The borders of the Jewish state were not determined in the Declaration of Independence nor were the borders of the Land of Israel, as all that mattered to the founders of the State of Israel was to emphasize that the Land of Israel was from time immemorial the homeland of the Jewish people in which its spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped and in which it created national and universal cultural assets and bequeathed the eternal Book of Books to the entire world.<br />
<br />
At the same time, it is important to remember that the rights of the Jewish people to the land of Israel were also recognized in international documents; both in the November 2, 1917 Balfour Declaration and in the League of Nations Mandate, granted to the British. Thus, universal legitimacy was granted to the historic connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel and to the Jewish people’s right to reestablish its national home.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the Jewish people themselves, or at least large segments of it, once again fail to believe in the vision of the founders of the Jewish state. Led by phony elites, which are manifest in the central governmental institutions, the Supreme Court, the State Attorney’s office, at the upper echelon of elected officials or at central junctions of the media and the cultural world, decisions are made, which, for all intents and purposes, deny the very right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.<br />
<br />
Thus the Supreme Court decisions validate the baseless thesis that the territories conquered in the Six-Day War are subject to the early nineteenth century Hague Regulations and the Geneva Convention because those territories are occupied by the State of Israel in a “belligerent occupation”. Those decisions, adopted with the agreement of the Office of the State Attorney, first and foremost suffer, obviously, from moral flaws as they ignore the fact that there is no difference, legal or otherwise, between the territories conquered in 1948 during the war of Independence and those conquered 19 years later.<br />
<br />
The Arabs have not relinquished one or the other – however, ironically, they receive legal support for their claims from the Supreme Court of the Jewish state.<br />
<br />
It is unfortunate that many Jews do not believe in their ability to sustain the national home of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The legal system and all of its subsidiaries has mobilized, not for the first time, in support of the Prime Minister’s delusional course of action. The Attorney General has already initiated “special” courts for the settlers in the true Bolshevik tradition. Blatantly anti-democratic actions are being undertaken in every corner of our public life. The Prime Minister’s office acts as if it owns the country. Cronies are appointed to the most prominent positions. Anyone who doesn’t fall into line – is dismissed in shame.<br />
<br />
If what is happening now is not stopped – and it is hard to envision any public force able to stop what is happening – the fate of the State of Israel will be bitter indeed. The vision of its prophets and founders is liable to collapse all at once.<br />
Haim Misgav<br />
<br />
The declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel was anchored constitutionally in the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom. Ever since, it was determined, basic human rights must be founded upon recognition of the worth of man, the sanctity of his life and upon his existence as a free man, and all these must be fulfilled in the spirit of the principles appearing in the Jewish state’s Declaration of Independence.<br />
<br />
One need not be a distinguished legal scholar in order to understand that this document grants clear preference to Jews. The Jewish state is supposed to be the national home of the Jewish people – exclusively. Its gates will be opened wide before Jews alone. The borders of the Jewish state were not determined in the Declaration of Independence nor were the borders of the Land of Israel, as all that mattered to the founders of the State of Israel was to emphasize that the Land of Israel was from time immemorial the homeland of the Jewish people in which its spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped and in which it created national and universal cultural assets and bequeathed the eternal Book of Books to the entire world.<br />
<br />
At the same time, it is important to remember that the rights of the Jewish people to the land of Israel were also recognized in international documents; both in the November 2, 1917 Balfour Declaration and in the League of Nations Mandate, granted to the British. Thus, universal legitimacy was granted to the historic connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel and to the Jewish people’s right to reestablish its national home.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the Jewish people themselves, or at least large segments of it, once again fail to believe in the vision of the founders of the Jewish state. Led by phony elites, which are manifest in the central governmental institutions, the Supreme Court, the State Attorney’s office, at the upper echelon of elected officials or at central junctions of the media and the cultural world, decisions are made, which, for all intents and purposes, deny the very right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.<br />
<br />
Thus the Supreme Court decisions validate the baseless thesis that the territories conquered in the Six-Day War are subject to the early nineteenth century Hague Regulations and the Geneva Convention because those territories are occupied by the State of Israel in a “belligerent occupation”. Those decisions, adopted with the agreement of the Office of the State Attorney, first and foremost suffer, obviously, from moral flaws as they ignore the fact that there is no difference, legal or otherwise, between the territories conquered in 1948 during the war of Independence and those conquered 19 years later.<br />
<br />
The Arabs have not relinquished one or the other – however, ironically, they receive legal support for their claims from the Supreme Court of the Jewish state.<br />
<br />
It is unfortunate that many Jews do not believe in their ability to sustain the national home of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The legal system and all of its subsidiaries has mobilized, not for the first time, in support of the Prime Minister’s delusional course of action. The Attorney General has already initiated “special” courts for the settlers in the true Bolshevik tradition. Blatantly anti-democratic actions are being undertaken in every corner of our public life. The Prime Minister’s office acts as if it owns the country. Cronies are appointed to the most prominent positions. Anyone who doesn’t fall into line – is dismissed in shame.<br />
<br />
If what is happening now is not stopped – and it is hard to envision any public force able to stop what is happening – the fate of the State of Israel will be bitter indeed. The vision of its prophets and founders is liable to collapse all at once.<br />
<br />
<br />
--<b style="font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;">Dr. Haim Misgav</b><span style="font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"> is an attorney and a lecturer at the Netanya Academic College as well as at Bar Ilan University. His book, </span><i>Conversations with Yitzhak Shamir</i>, is available here: <br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VFRM2I&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
NATIV ■ Volume Eighteen ■ No. 3 (104) ■ May 2005 ■ Iyar 5765 ■ Ariel Center for Policy Research<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.acpr.org.il/nativ/2005-3/2005-3-contents.htm#A Monkey Wrench In The Works – The Supreme Court Vs. The Declaration Of Independence" target="_blank">A Monkey Wrench In The Works – The Supreme Court Vs. The Declaration Of Independence</a>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-12239372114151760712012-06-08T17:31:00.002+03:002012-06-08T17:34:28.360+03:00Second-chance holiday by Rabbi Shlomo RiskinShabbat Beha'alotcha 5772<br />
Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:1-12:16<br />
June 8, 2012<br />
<br />
<h3>
'In the second month [Iyar] on the afternoon of the fourteenth day, he shall prepare it [the second Passover Sacrifice]; and he shall eat it with matzot and bitter herbs' <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Numbers 9:11) </span></h3>
<br />
One of the many injunctions in this week’s portion is that of Pessah Sheni – “second Passover” – a “second chance” for anyone who was ritually impure on Passover to bring the festival sacrifice and eat it four weeks later. At this time, though there would be no festival and no prohibition of hametz (leaven) one could partake in this delayed Passover sacrificial meal with matza and bitter herbs.<br />
<br />
Although the analogy is not completely apt, this strange combination of Passover, hametz and matza sparked within me some significant childhood memories which may contain important lessons regarding our attitude toward different kinds of “religious” observances.<br />
<br />
Throughout his life, my paternal grandfather, Shmuel, was a communist. In Czarist Belorussia, he organized the workers in his father’s factory to protest against their boss. In 1906 he escaped from Siberia to New York and opened a woodworking business, which he handed over to the workers as soon as it became profitable. He was a Yiddishist – an atheist who wrote a regular column for the Freiheit (the New York Yiddish communist newspaper) – and he truly believed that “religion was the opium of the masses.”<br />
<br />
When I was about three years old, he crafted for me a miniature “stool and table” set as a special gift; it remains in our family until this very day. He then asked me to try to place my fingers in the manner of the kohanim during the priestly benediction; when I did it successfully, he kissed me on the forehead and admonished me: “Remember, we are kohanim, Jewish aristocracy. Always be a proud Jew.”<br />
<br />
As he left the house, I remember asking my mother what “Jew” and “aristocracy” meant.<br />
<br />
Another childhood memory is of a train ride we took together from Bedford-Stuyvesant, where I lived, to Kings Highway, where he lived. Two elderly hassidim boarded the train and sat directly opposite us; three neighborhood “toughs” began taunting the hassidim and pulling at their beards.<br />
<br />
My grandfather interrupted his conversation with me and looked intently at the drama unfolding in front of us. As soon as the train came to a stop, he lunged forward, grabbed the three hoodlums, and literally threw them out of the compartment. Trembling with fear, as the doors closed with the toughs outside, I asked my grandfather, “Why did you protect them? You aren’t even religious.”<br />
<br />
Nonchalantly, he responded, “They are part of our Jewish family. And you must always protect the underdog.<br />
<br />
That’s what Judaism teaches.”<br />
<br />
And now the point of my reminiscences. In the Brooklyn of my childhood, there were two Passover Sedarim; the first we celebrated at the home of my religious maternal grandmother, and the second with my communist grandfather. On his dining room wall hung two pictures, one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (who he thought was bringing communism to America) and the other of Joseph Stalin.<br />
<br />
On the beautifully set table were all the accouterments – matza, maror (bitter herbs), haroset, the egg and the shank bone – but on the side were fresh rolls for family members who preferred pumpernickel to the “bread of affliction.” We read from the Haggada and my grandfather read passages from Marx, Engels and Shalom Aleichem about communist idealism and our obligations to the poor. For an 11-year-old who adored his intellectual and idealistic grandfather, there seemed to be no contradiction between the different foods and the various and variegated readings.<br />
<br />
When I came upon the fascinating law of Pessah Sheni, the “second chance” Passover sacrifice that features the roasted meat, the matza, maror and haroset together with the hametz and without the usual festival prohibitions, this was the closest thing I could imagine to my grandfather’s Seder. An evening that featured the “peoplehood” and familial aspects of a celebration which taught us to identify with the slave, the stranger, the downtrodden, but without fealty to God who placed restrictions upon our diet and our activities. My grandfather was “far away” from the traditional definitions of observance; he was even “defiled by death” – the spiritual death of communism that had captivated his intellectual world like an evil, seductive slave woman <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Rav A.Y. Kook, Iggarot R’eya 137</span>).<br />
<br />
Such a Seder has no staying power; to the best of my knowledge, none of my Riskin cousins have Jewish spouses or attend Passover Sedarim. By the end of his life, my grandfather himself understood this. In our last discussion before his fatal heart attack, while reclining on the bed of a Turkish bath, he told me of his great disillusionment with communism after reading of Stalin’s anti-Semitic plots against Jewish doctors and Yiddish writers of the Soviet Union.<br />
<br />
“I gave up too much too soon for a false god. I yearn for the Sabbaths of my parents’ home. I now understand that all of communist idealism is expressed in the words of our Prophets and experienced in the Passover Seder. You are following the right path…”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OVwKqug5aNZIlBp4ESH7qlZPfBq7qSyjLYuzslCx3AqEEtVOWYW3rM219zQ7LmuC7bFTiUVWfCiiumBDKmvyl8la_ZuXh62r6ZviJmnOv_NHvwho8ykhxln06YwG5CTf9wteeA/s1600/560305_363510540358888_125342830842328_1007295_1988261580_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OVwKqug5aNZIlBp4ESH7qlZPfBq7qSyjLYuzslCx3AqEEtVOWYW3rM219zQ7LmuC7bFTiUVWfCiiumBDKmvyl8la_ZuXh62r6ZviJmnOv_NHvwho8ykhxln06YwG5CTf9wteeA/s320/560305_363510540358888_125342830842328_1007295_1988261580_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is the founder and chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and Graduate Programs, including the Center for Jewish & Christian Understanding and Cooperation (<a href="http://www.cjcuc.org/">http://www.cjcuc.org</a>) and chief rabbi of the Israeli city of Efrat.Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-76766634457639947942012-05-08T22:16:00.000+03:002012-05-08T22:16:01.886+03:00Media: It’s about Iran and the Arabs… Mofaz: It’s about the Jews!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; text-align: justify;">So, Benjamin Netanyahu and Shaul Mofaz reached an agreement that
saved the country hundreds of millions of NIS, saved us all from a needless
election campaign, and put us exactly where we would have been after the dust
and election stickers were cleared (give or take a dozen or so coalition
members and sans the new stock of celebrity politicians – but don’t you worry,
they will be here soon enough).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What fascinates me in all this is not the fact that we are not
going to elections. If you read what I posted Sunday and stated on the radio
this week and last – THAT is no shocker. What is a shock and really fascinating
is how little the media and pundits think of the all-new and powerful Mofaz. Fact
is that they think so little of him that they are completely ignoring his
entire statement in the Knesset from 02:30 this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Big mistake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Shaul Mofaz made it abundantly clear that his singular motivation,
his overriding goal in making this deal with Netanyahu is election reform. All
the rest is gravy. He repeated himself over and over and yet - nada! It’s all
about <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and the Arabs they continue to clamber and claim - and Mofaz says no! It’s all
about the Jews! It’s about how decisions are made in the Jewish State!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Amazing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I tend to believe the man. I served under him during Operation
Defensive Shield ten years ago and learned that he is no dummy. He is also no
political novice. He maneuvered cleverly for the past few years and ultimately took
control of his party. Rather than crash and burn in a futile election cycle he
made peace with his rival so that the two of them can figure out how to stay in
power 18 months from now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mofaz listed the four major issues on the table right now and then,
over and over, repeated and reiterated that election reform was job one! He
went as far as to state that if that is all this coalition of 94 achieves in
the next 18 months – it would still be worth it! He took no jobs; he asked for
no positions; he didn’t even ask to get rid of Ehud Barak at this point. All he
is looking for is a way to use the next 18 months to save his own political
career via a new election system. Works for me said Bibi! Let’s give it a try!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Will they succeed? G-d only knows. But together they are much
stronger than each of them on their own. Since no real issues separate the two,
only political enmity and personal ego, they may find a key that works – or at
least gives them both a better shot at keeping the rest of the pack at bay - on
that agenda they can agree as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What leads me to this conclusion? Just listen to the man! He says
so straight and honest and to the cameras. He explains this motivation in clear
words that cannot be misinterpreted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So why do the pundits and the media choose to ignore him? Because
he pulled a fast one and did the unexpected – political pundits who make up
much of our news cycle and information don’t like that. They don’t like
surprises and they don’t like being woken up at 02:30 in the morning to be told
that their headlines and their fancily concocted Op-Eds are no longer valid. It
happened with the Netanyahu victory over Peres in 1996 and it happened again
last night. The guys who were shown up in 1996 still use every waking moment to
try and punish him for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Professor Amnon Rubinstein, former Minister of Education
representing the fringe-left, anti-Zionist yet ultra-honest Meretz party, went
to sleep early that night in 1996 and awoke to what he called “a nightmare.”
Yet, honest man that he is, he is the only Israeli pundit to tell the people
the truth this morning. In a guest blog post on the Hebrew Walla site
Rubinstein calls the coalition “shaky” and “short-lived” - this blogger agrees
on both counts. He also points out that the one bright and shiny spot in this
agreement is the off-chance that they will in fact focus on what Mofaz said
they will focus – election reform. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Also interesting to note who stopped the presses and who didn’t.
Center-left leaning Yediot Achronot and center right-leaning Israel HaYom
stopped the presses, trashed the old paper and produced a new one. Left-leaning
Ma’ariv and the hard-left agenda setter Ha’aretz both chose to stick to the
“Supreme Court evicts Jews” headline. On which side of the political fallout do
each of these papers fall? Who stands to gain? Who stands to lose?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">“All politics are local,” said the great <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> speaker </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">Tip O'Neill. In <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, since
even G-d is a local call, all politics are actually party politics and all
party politics boil down to personal politics<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">Watch this pair closely my friends. Some of us
are not going to like what we see. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">About the Author:</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">IDF Lt. Col. (Res.) Mike Cohen, PhD <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is the editor of “Zionism, Post-Zionism & The Arab Problem” (Hebrew: 2011 Gefen Publishers, Jerusalem; English: 2012 Professors for A Safe Israel & Westbow Press) and the </em>first “Traveling Scholar” appointed by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin for his Center for Jewish & Christian Understanding & Cooperation, a member of the Ohr Torah Stone Educational System in Efrat, Israel. His website is: drmikecohen.info</em>
</span></div>
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<br /></div>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-78265311436274268732012-05-06T00:00:00.000+03:002012-05-08T03:40:59.345+03:00Elections in 2012? Not So Fast Jose…<br />
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<st1:city style="line-height: 150%;" w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Garamond;">YERUSHALAYIM</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Garamond; line-height: 150%;">, <st1:country-region w:st="on">ISRAEL</st1:country-region>:
Very few people know the real reason <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> jumped from preparations for
another summer of disruptive street demonstrations by bored young people who
want free housing in the center of Tel Aviv to mourning the prime minister’s
father to a vicious election campaign all in less than 24 hours.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">I for one am not convinced that we are in a true
election cycle just yet and no – I’m not claiming to be one of those in the
know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">What I am advocating is that we all take a deep
breath and look reality in the face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">Many of the MK’s supposedly voting to go to
elections will not be reelected. Many of those sitting in government will not
be in the next government. Since we know that the majority (if not all) of the
people in those seats care first and foremost for numero uno, why are they so willing
to suddenly shorten their term in office? I contend that they are not doing
this willingly – something else is motivating the move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">We have to take a good hard look at the goings on
that started late last week and continue “with fervor” at this moment as the
“campaign” kicks off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">There are a number of factors that may have caused
the “need” for elections – some personal, some political, some visible and yet
others less visible. More convincing, to my mind, are the reasons NOT to go to
elections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">Let’s take a look at some arguments – shall we?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">1. Several seemingly powerful people were looking
at the upcoming summer and wondering where it was leading them on a personal
and party level. To name but a few:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-family: Garamond;">Avigdor
Lieberman (Minister of Foreign Affairs, head of secular Zionist Yisrael
Beiteinu party) is fearful that his indictment will be upheld and that he will
have to face a trial on fraud and racketeering charges; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-family: Garamond;">Eli
Yishai (Minister of Interior Affairs, political leader of Sephardic religious
Shas party) is spooked by the possibility of the return of Aryeh Deri, the
powerful leader of Shas past who has completed his court-ordered political
exile and is vying for a return to power; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-family: Garamond;">Shaul
Mofaz (leader of the opposition and the Kadima party, former Chief of Staff and
Minister of Defense) is interested in solidifying his role at the head of Ariel
Sharon’s creation (Kadima) and in “cleaning house” of any memories of Ehud
Olmert and Tzippy Livni. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-family: Garamond;">Ehud
Barak, the defense minister and leader of the Atzmauth faction (with no party,
or electoral power behind them) is holding on to a tenuous positions as the
prime minister’s left-leaning fig-leaf and designated “settler” basher. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">2. Yair Lapid, the bright star of the moment,
starts putting together his own political grouping, flirting with Tzippy Livni
who, despite reports of her political demise, has yet to chirp her last
political statement on the Israeli scene. Many truly powerful people, popular
names in banking and industry are flirting with this new party as well (as we
see by the way in every Israeli election cycle).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">3. Former PM Ehud Olmert, former IDF Chief of
Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Mossad director Meir Dagan and former Shaback
director Yuval Diskin among others yapping away in public, voicing their
personal opinions on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and the need to stop the bomb. This new epidemic of “formers” taking to the
microphone and the media shook many in the Israeli establishment and caused an
uproar that called the current leadership into question. Elections allow these
statements to be used and abused by friend and foe alike and people such as
Mofaz did not want to get stuck holding the cup for all of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">4. Mitt Romney solidifying his place as the GOP
nominee for president means that the race is on domestically in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
If elections take place in Israel while the American campaign is at its peak
the current administration will not have the time, resources or energy to get
involved in internal Israeli affairs – as happened to Netanyahu last time he
faced off against Barak in 1999 – when then president Clinton sent money and
advisors to help the Labor leader unseat the Likud one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">5. The Knesset calendar which includes the
expiration of Tal Law and the need to legislate a more just and equal system of
responsibilities, the budget (always a hot ticket item), and the Supreme
Court’s insistence that it alone will decide where and how Jews will live in
Israel, created many cracks in the society – cracks that are broadened by an
election cycle but can also be temporarily fixed by a new coalition agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">There are many more and I can go on for a while,
but I will stop here as I think the point has been made: personal issues, legal
issues, court issues, budget, legislation, party politics, US elections AND
Iran, all make for a good reason to shake things up, find new partners and make
new agreements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">BUT! And here is the big one – in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> one does
not have to go to elections in order to shake up the government infrastructure.
As we saw when Barak was having internal problems as leader of Labor, all one
has to do is “reshuffle” the seats, add some chairs, give more people a
personal body guard, a bigger car, a budget and a title, and walla! We have a
new coalition agreement and a new government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">Will some bolt if this is done – oh yes – no
question there will be threats. But think of it this way – if Netanyahu trades
up – say brings in Mofaz and his 28 seats – as a stay against a move by
Lieberman (15 seats) or Shas (11 seats) – even if both bolt (which they won’t)
– he still has a net gain of two, and less headache from a potentially strong
opposition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">Livni has already quit the Knesset and by law has
to be reelected to come back, Deri is not in until he finds (or founds) a
political home and gets elected; Lapid is still an outsider along with his
fancy partners at least until new elections are held; Lieberman is bringing in
some heavy names such as Yair Shamir (son of former PM Yitzchak) and Ze’ev
Jabotinsky (grandson of) to shore up his flank (and his party in case he has to
resign); and Barak is political dust in the hands of Netanyahu. As Netanyahu
learned this week – his biggest headache and gamble is within his own party
ranks – all this does not add up to a PM who wants new elections. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">I am not saying we are not going to elections – I
am not saying we are. I am just saying – lets wait and see how the cards fall
and (if and) when the election law is passed – then we can start the new party
(or parties)…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;">My experienced political gut tells me we are in
for a Netanyahu-Mofaz surprise…<o:p></o:p></span></div>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-3355850022943487542012-04-26T06:04:00.001+03:002012-04-26T06:04:37.208+03:00Happy Re-Birth Day Israel!<br />
By IDF LTC (Res.) Mike Cohen, PhD<br />
April 25, 2012<br />
<a href="http://drmikecohen.info/">drmikecohen.info</a><br />
<br />
YERUSHALAYIM, ISRAEL: Jews the world over rejoice today as the modern miracle of Israel celebrates 64 years. There are those among us who would boycott her. There are those among us who would sanction her. There are those among us that would sing her praises all the while acting against her best interests. The question is – why?<br />
<br />
On the right, there are those who are unhappy with the decisions of Israel’s leaders. Firing mid-level officers for doing their job after months and months and months of “showing restraint” and sending the police to drag Jews out of their homes while allowing massive illegal Arab building to continue unabated in the Galil and elsewhere does not help this cause.<br />
<br />
On the left, there are those who are unhappy with the decisions of Israel’s leaders. Passing laws that legalize Jewish settlement in all parts of the Land of Israel, protecting Israel’s civilians with roadblocks and military might while holding hard-core murderers and terrorists in jail does not help this cause.<br />
<br />
So who is the “true” supporter of Israel? Who has her best interest at heart? Which side is the right one and which is wrong?<br />
<br />
In Israel, there are at least 24 hours a year where this question, for the most part, is put aside. These 24 hours are followed, with nary a second to breathe in between, with 24 more where again, for the most part, these questions are put aside.<br />
<br />
Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut – the Day of Remembrance and the Day of Independence - find the vast plurality of Israel standing in unity. We unite as a people at the worst of times – and we also unite as a people at the best of times. We may argue the merits of this decision or that until our faces are blue – but if G-d forbid something horrible happens – or by the grace of G-d something great happens, suddenly, left and right unite.<br />
<br />
Why? How is it that we can put aside our disagreements, be they petty or of major consequence, at our moments of greatest emotion? Would it not be logical that when emotions are highest and the adrenaline is pumping hardest – we would become more ornery? More upset with each other? More divisive?<br />
<br />
No. This is not the Jewish way and it never has been.<br />
<br />
We are a people of extremes. We have always been a people of extremes. We have extreme intellectual faculties, extreme opinions, extreme rules, extreme ideas, extreme dreams and extreme ideas. (Please don’t get me started on the extreme levels of pressure we put on ourselves and our children and the infamously extreme levels of Jewish guilt we all live with.)<br />
<br />
We are also a people of extreme successes and failures. Just look at the world news – for every Jew winning a Nobel Prize in this discipline or that – a Jew is failing us all and going to jail for his/her crimes. For every victory in the field, there is a failure of command, leadership or political courage that causes us to beat ourselves up from the right, the left, and more often than not – from both. Yet, when faced with the news of each extreme success and each extreme failure – we put aside our differences and look at that person as a brother, a sister, a member of the tribe, for better or for worse – as a fellow Jew.<br />
<br />
In his seminal 1956 address Kol Dodi Dofek (The Voice of My Beloved is Knocking) the great Rav Yosef Ber Soloveitchik zt”l (The Rav) analyzed the miracles of Israel’s re-birth and found at least six knocks of HaShem at the doors of humanity. Each of these knocks, (military, political, educational, religious, sociological, communal) was unique but dependent. They may have been independent knocks but they were all very dependent on one another to be heard and acted upon. The changes that each knock of HaShem represented were in and of themselves extreme – and called for major changes in the global society and the Jewish one if they were to be heard and acted upon. The knocks of HaShem called for an unprecedented and extreme level of unity. The knocks called for an extreme level of hand holding and cooperation between diverse groups who traditionally did not get along.<br />
<br />
A people of extremes, the survivors of extreme hate in Europe, Asia, Africa and in fact in America of that era too, were called by HaShem to hear Him knocking for extreme change, to come together in extreme unity and to help Him build an rejoice in an extreme miracle.<br />
<br />
We Jews are an extremely tight knit family. Families fight and argue, yell and scream, rant and rave – especially when things are stable. But push a family into the corner, or provide it with reason for celebration – and, usually, family members they will come together in profound and extreme ways.<br />
<br />
This is the simple answer to such a profound question. This is the reason why we can sing and dance together, cry together, mourn together, fight together, defend together, celebrate together and build together. We are a family, a family re-born in our home after 2,000 years of dealing on our own with our neighbors cruelty and brutality and our own despair at separation from each other.<br />
<br />
We are a family of extremes, of diverse opinions and a multiplicity of priorities. Yet we are a family. We fight each other within like a family and we protect each other from outsiders like a family.<br />
<br />
Let’s recognize the extreme miracle of Israel’s re-birth after 2,000 years.<br />
<br />
Happy Re-Birth Day Israel! Welcome Home to the Family of HaShem!<br />
<br />
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<br />
IDF LTC (Res.) Mike Cohen, PhD is the first traveling scholar appointed by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s Center for Jewish & Christian Understanding & Cooperation, a member of the Ohr Torah Stone Educational System in Efrat, Israel. He is the editor of the recently published book Zionism, Post-Zionism & The Arab Problem (Hebrew: 2011 Gefen Publishers, Jerusalem; English: 2012 Professors Press & Westbow Press). His website is: <a href="http://drmikecohen.info/">drmikecohen.info</a><br />
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<br /></div>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-38399802042733013862012-01-08T05:27:00.002+02:002012-01-08T05:30:42.746+02:00CJCUC Appoints Dr. Mike Cohen as its Traveling ScholarCJCUC Appoints Dr. Mike Cohen as its Traveling Scholar<br /><br />January 3, 2012<br /><br />EFRAT/ISRAEL: With the mandate to assist and enhance the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation’s (CJCUC) relations with the Christian communities in North America, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has appointed Dr. Mike Cohen as the first “CJCUC Traveling Scholar.” Dr. Cohen has served as CJCUC’s Israel faculty member since the Center’s establishment in 2008. He has taken leave of his position at Bar-Ilan University’s Overseas Program in Israel to accept this appointment.<br /><br />Since Rabbi Riskin’s appearances on Glenn Beck TV during the Restoring Courage events in Israel, the number of Christian clergy and leaders wishing to bring the Rabbi’s message of a Religion of Peace to their congregants has risen dramatically. “I am honored to serve Rabbi Riskin’s vision and help in a small way to facilitate a new dawn in relations between Christians and Jews,” Cohen said. “At a time when Israel appears to be isolated on the international stage, we have learned that Christians worldwide have come to be our stalwart supporters. It is imperative for both ancient biblical faith communities to join hands and bring a prayer of peace and friendship to the world.”<br /><br />With over two decades of experience in the development of relationships between Christian and Jews, as a political and security strategist, and a veteran officer in Israel’s elite counter-terrorism forces, Dr. Cohen “brings a unique perspective about what the Restoration of Zion means in biblical, theological and modern day terms,” Rabbi Riskin remarked. During Israel’s Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, Dr. Cohen was assigned as an IDF reserve officer to the National Emergency Response & Negotiation Team in Bethlehem tasked with handling the multifaceted and potentially explosive crisis surrounding the Church of the Nativity’s seizure by terrorists.<br /><br />“Dr. Cohen and I are friends from our days at the Israeli Consulate in New York, where we both served in different ministries fostering relationships between Israel and the North American Christian communities,” CJCUC’s Executive Director David Nekrutman said. He added, “This appointment gives CJCUC a huge opportunity to expand our network into Asia and Europe, while Dr. Cohen continues to advance the relations in North America that I have developed over the last four years.”<br /><br />Cohen is a graduate of Yeshiva University and the City University of New York. He is the editor of Ordinary People Extraordinary Spirit and is now working on a project that will highlight the non-Jewish contributions to the rebirth of the Jewish State. To book Dr. Cohen at your place of worship, please contact CJCUC at 516-882-3220.Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-34941363137458569782011-05-19T11:32:00.000+03:002011-05-19T11:32:31.509+03:00In U.S., Hopes for Arab-Israeli Peace Still Low, but Up Slightly<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/147614/Hopes-Arab-Israeli-Peace-Low-Slightly.aspx?utm_source=add%2Bthis&utm_medium=addthis.com&utm_campaign=sharing&utm_term=Hopes-Arab-Israeli-Peace-Low-Slightly">In U.S., Hopes for Arab-Israeli Peace Still Low, but Up Slightly</a>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-52538248882201239092010-05-24T18:04:00.003+03:002010-05-24T18:12:04.683+03:00Eli E. Hertz: Proximity Talks (1)<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFheTYyOe4jl0b3-i1kgmdIC9zibtODHDfN9OkcyDf0qPSCzI03cmxT_DsBbvuhRYcbs2UQoYM2FjQW5ZQVxFzKqzpOrjdT-BM6rIZLFghjQU2Ts6-yzdOZmmFJWZOB0jHZR4Pxw/s1600/reply-banner.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyStqnWiKmy3janLcAzv0pfOWrbdUgyo3e00sx9CyRtoKkGp06EtTelcv1Xp9bdM6astec0q2cZ2MXjSftCX_FJlBQJ2PrXrgV_eemnSsFpKc9tibNrRtiH14g-Srbbp0vjJujg/s1600/header4_left.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 33px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyStqnWiKmy3janLcAzv0pfOWrbdUgyo3e00sx9CyRtoKkGp06EtTelcv1Xp9bdM6astec0q2cZ2MXjSftCX_FJlBQJ2PrXrgV_eemnSsFpKc9tibNrRtiH14g-Srbbp0vjJujg/s200/header4_left.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474853483945038882" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"The truth may not always win, but it is always right!" - Eli E. Hertz</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Palestinian Arab aggression against the territorial integrity and political independence of Israel cannot and should not be rewarded.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />May 24, 2010 | Eli E. Hertz<br /><br />Professor, Judge Schwebel, the former President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) explains why Israel has the better title in the territory of what was Palestine, including the whole of Jerusalem:<br /><br />"(a) a state [Israel] acting in lawful exercise of its right of self-defense may seize and occupy foreign territory as long as such seizure and occupation are necessary to its self-defense;<br /><br />"(b) as a condition of its withdrawal from such territory, that State may require the institution of security measures reasonably designed to ensure that that territory shall not again be used to mount a threat or use of force against it of such a nature as to justify exercise of self-defense;<br /><br />"(c) Where the prior holder of territory had seized that territory unlawfully [Jordan]; the state which subsequently takes that territory in the lawful exercise of self-defense [Israel] has, against that prior holder, better title.<br /><br />"As between Israel, acting defensively in 1948 and 1967, on the one hand, and her Arab neighbors, acting aggressively, in 1948 and 1967, on the other, Israel has the better title in the territory of what was Palestine, including the whole of Jerusalem."<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFheTYyOe4jl0b3-i1kgmdIC9zibtODHDfN9OkcyDf0qPSCzI03cmxT_DsBbvuhRYcbs2UQoYM2FjQW5ZQVxFzKqzpOrjdT-BM6rIZLFghjQU2Ts6-yzdOZmmFJWZOB0jHZR4Pxw/s320/reply-banner.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474854246225840162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 183px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><a href="http://www.mythsandfacts.com/">http://www.mythsandfacts.com/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-79542937317733227912010-04-14T14:05:00.004+03:002010-04-14T14:21:06.858+03:00<br><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgft7Gf0bmu94hfWPpUFsQjIAsMpYWJfji-Oy4AjfLnabAW0xU7BAY8ZwBK580BDq6oQMUNxnOgAXbSi05ClTIQhRbN_qu5nlYgwckTj7PZXL5W8lBIKZ0LbFvQaVAgeSwqQNaAgw/s1600/imra.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 275px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 83px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459949298983272354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgft7Gf0bmu94hfWPpUFsQjIAsMpYWJfji-Oy4AjfLnabAW0xU7BAY8ZwBK580BDq6oQMUNxnOgAXbSi05ClTIQhRbN_qu5nlYgwckTj7PZXL5W8lBIKZ0LbFvQaVAgeSwqQNaAgw/s400/imra.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><em><strong>JTA coverage of AJC Poll leaves out that American Jews overwhelmingly think Arabs want to destroy Israel not get back territories </strong></em><br /></strong></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><br />[<em><span style="font-size:85%;">Comment by Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: In the recent poll conducted by the American Jewish Committee among American Jews - the answers were as follows</span></em>:<br /><br />10. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel.”<br /><br /><strong>Agree 75%</strong><br />Disagree 20%<br />Not Sure 5%<br /><br />OK that may not be very PC of them. But isn't it newsworthy?]</strong><br /><br /><br />2010 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ijITI2PHKoG/b.5915517/k.D620/2010_Annual_Survey_of_American_Jewish_Opinion.htm">http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ijITI2PHKoG/b.5915517/k.D620/2010_Annual_Survey_of_American_Jewish_Opinion.htm</a><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 243px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 101px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459950349206678226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFhc9uGpKGG0VmcmRnpASMKCV_rfqzFnRgtOScK_dQSPvMYDtbusQiwMOxut7z48QvTEmrqDiLJugkxFHVQIbB49-yPeyCl-QikEiOkc6hdQQOFs9PlrxvAFbuMN36HKgqoOcNA/s400/JTA-logo.jpg" />Poll: Obama struggling with Jews, but not on Israel<br /><br />By Ron Kampeas · Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) · April 12, 2010<br /><br />WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A new survey shows President Obama struggling with American Jews -- but not on Israel-related matters.<br /><br />The American Jewish Committee poll of U.S. Jews found that Obama's approval rating is at 57 percent, with 38 percent disapproving. That's down from the stratospheric 79 percent approval rating among Jews that Obama enjoyed about a year ago, in May 2009. The AJC poll was conducted March 2-23 and surveyed 800 self-identifying Jewish respondents selected from a consumer mail panel.<br /><br />Obama's advantage among Jews versus the rest of the population appears to be eroding. The latest Gallup polling shows Obama with a national approval rating of 48, nine points below Jewish polling. Last May, general polling earned him 63 percent approval, 16 points below Jewish polling.<br /><br />Despite the drop -- and weeks of tensions with the Netanyahu government -- Obama still polls solidly on foreign policy, with a steady majority backing his handling of U.S.-Israel relations, according to the AJC poll.<br /><br />It is on domestic issues that the president appears to be facing more unhappiness.<br /><br />Jewish voters are statistically split on how Obama has handled health care reform, with 50 percent approving and 48 disapproving. On the economy he fares slightly better. Jewish voters who favor his policies stand at 55 percent, while 42 percent disapprove.<br /><br />The last AJC poll on the views of American Jews, released last September, did not address domestic issues, so there's no measure to assess any change in support on the specific issues of health and the economy. Indeed, this is the first poll in at least 10 years in which the AJC has attempted to assess views on the economy and health care. However, Jewish voters in solid majorities describe themselves as Democrats and as liberal to moderate in their views, and traditionally list the economy and health care as their two top concerns in the voting booth.<br /><br />Matt Brooks, who directs the Republican Jewish Coalition, said the relatively low score on domestic issues underscored what he said was a steady decline in Democratic support among Jewish voters.<br /><br />"This indicates a serious erosion of support," he said. "It's a huge drop. There's no silver lining" for Democrats.<br /><br />Ira Forman, the director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, countered that the poll did not account for Jewish voters who might be disappointed with Obama from a more liberal perspective -- for instance, over his dropping from the reform bill of the so-called public option, which would have allowed for government-run health care.<br /><br />Additionally, much of the AJC polling took place before Obama's come-from-behind victory on March 21, when the U.S. House of Representatives passed health care reform, Forman said. Since then, Democrats have said they see a turnaround in the president's political fortunes. "The narrative was the president was in the tank," Forman said. "This was when it was thought his initiative was dead."<br /><br />Obama fares strongly with Jews on homeland security, with 62 percent approving and 33 percent disapproving -- a sign that Republican attempts to cast Obama as weak on protecting the nation have had little impact in the Jewish community.<br /><br />He also scores 55 percent approval on how he handles U.S.-Israel relations, which is virtually unchanged since last September, when his handling of the relationship scored 54 percent approval. At that juncture, the tensions between Washington and Jerusalem were kept at a low bubble and were confined to U.S. insistence on a total freeze of Israeli settlement, and the Netanyahu administration's reluctance to concede.<br /><br />The latest questions, however, coincided almost exactly with the period when U.S. officials accused the Netanyahu government of "insulting" the United States by announcing a new building start in eastern Jerusalem while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting, and when the president refused to make public gestures of friendship during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's subsequent visit to Washington.<br /><br />A question on Obama's handling of Iran's nuclear capability showed a statistical dead heat on the approval side between last September -- 49 percent -- and now, at 47 percent. However, disapproval ratings rose moderately, apparently borrowing from the "uncertain" column: Back in September 35 percent disapproved; now 42 percent give a thumbs down.The marks compared favorably, however, with Bush administration figures.<br /><br />Bush scored 33 percent approval ratings on Iran in 2006, the most recent year that AJC asked the question.<br /><br />Support for U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran to keep it from making a nuclear bomb appeared to drop slightly. Asked about a U.S. strike, 53 percent said they would support one, and 42 percent were opposed, as opposed to 56 percent and 36 percent last September. On an Israeli strike, 62 percent supported and 33 percent opposed, as opposed to 66 and 28 percent in September.<br /><br />The only other question in the most recent survey directly addressing Obama's foreign policy also showed strong support for the president: 62 percent of respondents agreed with Obama's decision to deploy an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. This contrasts with the consistently negative Jewish assessments of Bush's handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, except in the period immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.<br /><br />Approval of Obama's foreign policies contrasts with increasing uneasiness in the Jewish establishment with the administration’s approach. Several influential pro-Israel organizations have spent months, to little avail, pleading with the administration to confine its disagreements to back rooms.<br /><br />A handful of prominent Jewish backers of candidate Obama also appear to have had second thoughts. Most pointedly, in a New York Daily News column Monday, Ed Koch, the former New York City mayor and a supporter of Obama during the 2008 general election, said he was "weeping" because the president had "abandoned" Israel.<br /><br />And Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), perhaps the most influential member of the Senate's Jewish caucus, on Sunday pointedly avoided answering a question on ABC's "This Week" about whether he agreed with a Netanyahu confidante who said Obama was a "strategic disaster" for Israel.<br /><br />Brooks predicted a tide of defections. "You'll have a number of candidates" in areas with a strong Jewish presence "asking him not to campaign for them," he said.<br /><br />David Harris, AJC's executive director, cautioned that low approval ratings did not necessarily translate into electoral losses.<br /><br />Brooks said that he would advise GOP candidates to hammer Democrats hard on foreign policy, particularly in tight races in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Florida, where Jewish voters trended less liberal than on the coasts. "If Republican candidates are smart, they will make Democratic candidates in these races answerable to whether they support Obama's policies of pressuring Israel," the head of the Republican Jewish Coalition said.<br /><br />Jewish Democrats are already preparing a response strategy of arguing that the relationship remains close on defense cooperation and other matters, despite heightened rhetoric on settlement differences.<br /><br />Harris suggested that the polling showed that the American Jewish public would prefer to imagine a closeness rather than deal with tensions. Obama and Netanyahu scored similar solid majorities -- 55 percent and 57 percent, respectively -- on how they handled the relationship.<br /><br />American Jews "don't want to be forced to choose," Harris said. "They would rather say a blessing on both your houses than a pox on both your houses."<br /><br />According to the survey, 64 percent of Jews think Israel should, as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians, be willing to remove at least some of the settlements in the West Bank. But 61 percent rejected the idea that Israel should be willing to "compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction."<br /><br />The poll had a margin of error of plus/minus 3 percentage points. Interviews were conducted by the firm Synovate, formerly Market Facts.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/04/12/1011547/ajc-poll-obama-struggling-with-jews-but-not-on-israel"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/04/12/1011547/ajc-poll-obama-struggling-with-jews-but-not-on-israel</span></a><br /><br /></span></p><br /><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-86757749097784906932010-04-14T13:55:00.006+03:002010-04-14T14:23:30.342+03:00Great Britain: Western Wall Not in Israel!!<br><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnfd_yIdjdM6JzeusgYeTvMKxKp5q3sRwIVEOKqbSm60GjB0rxVsBR5Zh6VG3uV9LBCVDkL-1F-zraJc_Gmo9MtH2NQ32p6JfOEhpEM3lFoCZr6U0zVpdLxUJT4lJUXOYMySCSg/s1600/heading.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 42px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459945721589330530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnfd_yIdjdM6JzeusgYeTvMKxKp5q3sRwIVEOKqbSm60GjB0rxVsBR5Zh6VG3uV9LBCVDkL-1F-zraJc_Gmo9MtH2NQ32p6JfOEhpEM3lFoCZr6U0zVpdLxUJT4lJUXOYMySCSg/s400/heading.gif" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Israeli tourism ad banned for using photo of East Jerusalem Advertising Standards Authority rules poster showing Western Wall and Dome of the Rock 'likely to mislead'.<br /></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">By Mark Sweney Wednesday, 14 April 2010<br /></span></em><br />An Israeli tourist office press campaign has been banned by the UK advertising regulator for including pictures of East Jerusalem, part of the Palestinian occupied territories.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhk1CZ0DjvgaD7r1rKoiWGt2CWV91JgGLe07qWi2t4Q62IILlqOewV4EUzhkcpjRjU6XlXWg8-k_jpW3tROn5H4kAfBqNxV_QwAEVZvnOp6Cg02PRqEiN05MzhFpmNcG6I2kCDQ/s1600/ObamaAtWall.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 296px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 311px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459952067394865010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhk1CZ0DjvgaD7r1rKoiWGt2CWV91JgGLe07qWi2t4Q62IILlqOewV4EUzhkcpjRjU6XlXWg8-k_jpW3tROn5H4kAfBqNxV_QwAEVZvnOp6Cg02PRqEiN05MzhFpmNcG6I2kCDQ/s320/ObamaAtWall.jpg" /></a>The Israeli Government Tourist Office (IGTO) press ad stated that a tourist can "travel the entire length of Israel in six hours" and featured a range of photos of destinations in Israel including a picture of Jerusalem.<br /><br />A complaint was received by the Advertising Standards Authority that the image showed the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock, both of which are in East Jerusalem and part of the occupied territories of the West Bank.<br /><br />The ASA said that readers of the ad were likely to assume that all the places featured in the ad were within the state of Israel.<br /><br />"The status of the occupied territory of the West Bank [is] the subject of much international dispute, and because we considered that the ad implied that the part of East Jerusalem featured in the image was part of the state of Israel, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead," added the ASA.<br /><br />The ASA banned the ad and told the IGTO not to imply that places in the occupied territories were part of the state of Israel.<br /><br />Replying on behalf of the IGTO, the State of Israel Ministry of Tourism (SIMT) said the ad provided "basic, accurate information to a prospective UK traveller who wanted to know what to expect in Israel".<br /><br />The SIMT said that the present legal status of Jerusalem was irrelevant unless there was an unnecessary attempt to "interpret the straightforward message of the ad in a manner that went beyond what consumers were likely to understand from the ad".<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2N1O9C4aj_s18H5_IAI7r5JIxJ1ZOXMdDd2lWiP7LdbWsUCeuTD0BzO1kOcUZe-eHed9Ye0JVdKhgnHgD7fe6w1T8lIb8SXQh_rtjAkdcBpSRBelen3QFWA6bP8IxnoH0A90mw/s1600/obama_wailing_wall_s1-274.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 274px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 190px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459952064405368722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2N1O9C4aj_s18H5_IAI7r5JIxJ1ZOXMdDd2lWiP7LdbWsUCeuTD0BzO1kOcUZe-eHed9Ye0JVdKhgnHgD7fe6w1T8lIb8SXQh_rtjAkdcBpSRBelen3QFWA6bP8IxnoH0A90mw/s320/obama_wailing_wall_s1-274.jpg" /></a>Last year an IGTO ad campaign was banned by the ASA after 442 complaints for showing a map of Israel that included the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights.<br /><br />• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email <a href="mailto:editor@mediaguardian.co.uk">editor@mediaguardian.co.uk</a> or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.<br /><br />• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">http://www.guardian.co.uk</a></span><br /><br /><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-63141870053168266622010-04-14T13:31:00.007+03:002010-04-14T13:43:49.187+03:00IMRA Poll: Israelis Oppose Obama Plans<br><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_TphtN0Olv4-hchedWKHIg57-Q5SCm8QrI_gt1Qq29jqogbWudJOz_GfU4CCdytBHOhrgFNPfO2DX20_q9cy-luOH3eP-PjtjzgHv2Zj4rqLGtj1RTRzDdgiqdJCRjHVMs8tZg/s1600/image005.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 275px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 83px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459939970327577218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_TphtN0Olv4-hchedWKHIg57-Q5SCm8QrI_gt1Qq29jqogbWudJOz_GfU4CCdytBHOhrgFNPfO2DX20_q9cy-luOH3eP-PjtjzgHv2Zj4rqLGtj1RTRzDdgiqdJCRjHVMs8tZg/s320/image005.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Maagar Mochot Poll: Israelis oppose Obama imposed deal, division of Jerusalem and relying on American guarantees in deal with Palestinians</strong><br /><br /><em>Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 14 April 2010</em><br /><br />Israeli Jews overwhelmingly oppose (83%:8%) President Obama imposing a Palestinian-Israeli agreement and also oppose (70%:19%) freezing construction in Jerusalem according to a telephone poll of a representative sample of 503 adult Israeli Jews, by Maagar Mohot Survey Institute (headed by Professor Yitzchak Katz) carried out 11-12 April.<br /><br />The poll, that was commissioned by Independent Media Review & Analysis (IMRA), also found that respondents believe (69%:13%) that the division of Jerusalem with international control of the Old City would lead to ongoing conflict rather than peace for generations.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459940042617422066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPy2KSReeUA0W1-mZveR2VahSg2ZADj5xAhlCuA5AWSJhywvMqwDDt7N9hpYre6v9sOP1au-vgELlzPZ7lH_46zEwZq8qLG-3Cm5aAik91Up6ey5qqP6nbkiVFivbr9gMI0NQJCA/s320/2b.jpg" />Israeli Jews overwhelming (79%:9%) support Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's position that Israel must control the Jordan Valley in any arrangements with the Palestinians.<br /><br />The poll also found consistent rejection of relying on American guarantees in arrangements with the Palestinians. Respondent overwhelmingly (80%:12%) reject the proposal that the U.S. could deliver on a guaranty that a Palestinian state would remain demilitarized. Israeli Jews also reject (69%:22%) the suggestion that Israel could relinquish territories that are today considered critical for its security if the U.S. signed a defense pact with Israel.<br /><br />Respondents also consider it improper (68%:16%) for Israelis who support plans opposed by Netanyahu to encourage President Obama to impose their plans.<br /><br /><strong>Complete Results</strong>:<br /><br />Telephone poll of a representative sample of 503 adult Israeli Jews, by Maagar Mohot Survey Institute (headed by Professor Yitzchak Katz) carried out 11-12 April 2010.<br /><br /><em>Poll commissioned by Independent Media Review & Analysis (IMRA).<br />Survey error of +/- 4.5 percentage points.</em><br /><br />#1 In your opinion, should Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu agree to the demand of President Obama, according to which Israel should freeze construction in Jerusalem for an unlimited period of time?<br /><br />Yes 19% <br /><strong>No 70% </strong><br />Don’t know/other replies 11%<br /><br />#2 How would you describe the physical situation existing today in Jerusalem?<br /><br />31% There is separation between western Jerusalem that is composed of Jewish<br />neighborhoods and eastern Jerusalem that is composed of Arab neighborhoods.<br /><br /><strong>52% Jerusalem is a mosaic of Jewish and Arab neighborhood that are located very close to each other.</strong><br /><br />17% Don’t know/other replies<br /><br />#3 One of the proposals for a peace arrangement is the proposal to divide Jerusalem between Jewish neighborhood under Israeli sovereignty, Palestinian neighborhoods under the sovereignty of a Palestinian state and the Old City under international administration. Would this arrangement bring peace for generations or ongoing conflict?<br /><br />Peace for generations 13% <br /><strong>Ongoing conflict 69%</strong><br />Don’t know/other replies 18%<br /><br />#4 Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu argues that Israeli must make sure that in any arrangement with the Palestinians Israel controls the Jordan Valley in order to prevent the transfer of rockets and missiles to the Palestinians in the West Bank. <br /><br />The Palestinians also demand control of the Jordan Valley and part of the Dead Sea. Should Israel insist that Israel control this area in any arrangement with the Palestinians?<br /><br /><strong>Yes 79%</strong> <br />No 9% <br />Don’t know/other replies 12%<br /><br />#5 There are those who claim that if the United States guarantees that the Palestinian State will not be armed that Israel can be certain that the Palestinian State really won’t arm itself with weapons. Do you agree with this claim?<br /><br />Yes 12% <br /><strong>No 80% </strong><br />Don’t know/other replies 8%<br /><br />#6 There are those who claim that Israel can forego territories that today are considered critical for its security if Israel signs a peace pact with the United States. Do you agree?<br /><br />Yes 22% <br /><strong>No 69% </strong><br />Don’t know/other replies 9%<br /><br />#7 According to various reports, President Obama will try to impose an arrangement on the sides according to which, among other things, Israel does not control the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem is divided. Do you want President Obama to impose his plan on the parties? <br /><br />Yes 8% <br /><strong>No 83% </strong><br />Don’t know/other replies 9%<br /><br />#8 Is it proper for Israelis who support arrangements with the Palestinians that do not agree with Binyamin Netanyahu’s position to encourage President Obama to impose their positions on the parties?<br /><br />Proper 16% <br /><strong>Improper 68% </strong><br />Don’t know/other replies 16%<br /><br /><em>Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)<br />(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)<br />Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730<br />INTERNET ADDRESS: </span><a href="mailto:imra@netvision.net.il"><span style="font-family:arial;">imra@netvision.net.il</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Website: </span><a href="http://www.imra.org.il/"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.imra.org.il</span></a></em><br /><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-61921475410423949832010-04-13T18:55:00.003+03:002010-04-13T19:25:13.565+03:00Travel&Leisure Magazine: Jerusalem among the top cities in the world<br><br /><br /><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DbLPy7c4jjI1tdUm-PP2Aps4M4BbChEmh07x-BSz14_3iORVQUe4rcidvG9w05qlOPD90ILkFSEUf9aD1xbiRF3X8CYbqlMuVl9GWyu9jKqUU8X5yf73CbZAAomydpcoI0iwVA/s1600/travel.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 82px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459652273325592642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DbLPy7c4jjI1tdUm-PP2Aps4M4BbChEmh07x-BSz14_3iORVQUe4rcidvG9w05qlOPD90ILkFSEUf9aD1xbiRF3X8CYbqlMuVl9GWyu9jKqUU8X5yf73CbZAAomydpcoI0iwVA/s320/travel.gif" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:arial;">Travel & Leisure Magazine: Jerusalem among the top cities in the world</span></strong></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">Tuesday, April 13, 2010<br /><br />According to the prestigious Travel+Leisure Magazine, Jerusalem is ranked as one of the top destinations in the world by their discerning readers. In an annual poll of its online readers published earlier this week, the capital was ranked 17th in the ‘World’s Best Cities – Overall’ list, ahead of popular destinations such as London, Paris and Barcelona. Among the cities in the Middle East, Jerusalem was ranked third (behind Cape Town and Fez, Morocco). Tel Aviv did not make the top 20 list, though it did rank seventh among cities in the Middle East and Africa.<br /><br />Jerusalem attracts over two million tourists a year, with about 80% of all tourists visiting the holy city. The city also contains within it the most visited sites in Israel, including the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Via Dolorosa, Yad Vashem and the Mount of Olives.<br /><br /><em>The first design-led luxury lifestyle hotel in Jerusalem and Israel</em><br /><br /><strong>Mamilla Hotel, Jerusalem, enters Conde Nast Traveller UK edition’s Hot List 2010</strong><br /><br />Tuesday, April 13, 2010<br /><br />The Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem has entered UK Conde Nast Traveller’s 2010 Hot List - one of the international travel industry’s most prestigious selections of the best new hotels of the past twelve months. The Mamilla opened in June 2009 as the first design-led luxury lifestyle hotel in Jerusalem and Israel.<br /><br /><strong>Hot List</strong><br />The Hot List is the annual barometer of the premium hotel market, awarding properties based on critieria such as design, facilities, innovation and service. Published in the May issue of the UK edition of Conde Nast Traveller magazine - the leading luxury travel publication in the UK and an authoritative voice in the travel industry globally and online - the Hot List is based on anonymous hotel reviews from experts across the world, who heed the magazine’s ‘Truth in Travel’ policy by paying room rates and not accepting ‘freebies’. The result is a powerful snapshot of current trends, developments and key players in the increasingly competitive high-end hotel industry.<br /><br />The Mamilla Hotel combines spectacular design (by Moshe Safdie and Piero Lissoni), a prime position just minutes from the historic wonders and profound beauty of the Old City of Jerusalem, luxury accommodations, a world-class Rooftop restaurant and – above all – a pioneering approach to service and hospitality that offers something distinct and new to the hotel market in Jerusalem and Israel. The hotel concentrates on providing a lifestyle experience for guests that immediately appeals to the emotional needs of a well-travelled, demanding and in-the-know clientele, be it through design, food & drink, physical and spiritual engagement in the Holistic Wellbeing retreat, or the powerful, uplifting effects of this magical city.<br /><br />The hotel is delighted to be included in the 2010 Hot List, as Massimo Ianni, COO of Alrov Luxury Hotels, says: <em>"From the outset our goal was to open in Jerusalem a truly modern, world-class hotel that will be adopted and enjoyed by a global, well-travelled audience. Our hotel should act as a story-teller - a window through which guests can see and experience the very best of Jerusalem - and this wonderful acknowledgement by Conde Nast Traveller will spur us to continue to work towards this, and to do it with pride.”</em><br /><br /><strong>Opening-up Jerusalem</strong><br />The Hot List accolade comes soon after February’s announcement that the Mamilla has become the first hotel in Israel to join leading international hotel marketing company Design Hotels. The inclusion in the 2010 Conde Nast Traveller Hot List is an exciting development in furthering the hotel’s commitment to opening up Jerusalem to a wider audience and to providing a new, pioneering hospitality experience in Israel and beyond.<br /></span></p><p align="center"><br /><br /><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=9659124902&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=9652294926&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0863433081&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /></p><br /><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-37354232489470685192010-04-13T18:40:00.000+03:002010-04-13T19:27:45.877+03:00Barry Rubin: Palestinian Poke Obama in the Eye!<br><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NVMHLK4hHxZ9RRFAiIE6kcC1wNajXwDTcLq9-gektwSicZduBCoSLzgzIv1H8l2qFROHArKySacuH4T52roIvZ0H5CBDQK11IxvuUK9YTkYmOh5EYZoxwwGxVbjtc0dPxSdv5g/s1600/gloria_logo_complete.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 118px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459655559578601522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NVMHLK4hHxZ9RRFAiIE6kcC1wNajXwDTcLq9-gektwSicZduBCoSLzgzIv1H8l2qFROHArKySacuH4T52roIvZ0H5CBDQK11IxvuUK9YTkYmOh5EYZoxwwGxVbjtc0dPxSdv5g/s320/gloria_logo_complete.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Palestinian Leaders Do It Again!<br />Throw Away Opportunity Obama is Giving Them and Poke Him in the Eye</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">By Barry Rubin*<br />April 13, 2010<br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.gloria-center.org/gloria/2010/04/palestinian-leaders"><em><em><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.gloria-center.org/gloria/2010/04/palestinian-leaders</span></em></em></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />With their unerring skill at erring, Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders are throwing away still another opportunity President Barack Obama is giving them. If Obama is the most pro-Palestinian president in history, his counterparts don't seem to appreciate it very much. It is the Palestinian leadership, not Israel, that will ultimately make Obama look like and be a failure in all of his peace process efforts.<br /><br />Brief history:<br /><br />--Last spring, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas in his first visit to Washington made it clear he wasn't interested in a negotiated solution but just planned to wait for the West to force Israel to give him everything he wanted.<br /><br />--In September, Abbas stood nearby as Obama said he wanted serious final negotiations within two months, then refused while Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was ready to talk right away.<br /><br />--Shortly thereafter, Obama asked Abbas not to push the Goldstone report as a sponsor in the UN. Abbas agreed, then broke his word within 48 hours under internal pressure.<br /><br />--At the end of last October, Obama's Administration made a deal in which Israel would stop all construction on West Bank settlements though it could continue in east Jerusalem. While Obama hoped this would get talks going, Abbas demanded an end to construction in Jerusalem, too, which he knew Israel would </span><span style="font-family:arial;">not accept. Indeed, he demanded it precisely because he knew Israel wouldn't accept it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5AUpSaIptDrJz9Cti4aj05RxKqGrUqZNwGO7uAUmMrlauBdVKIei-KJE3L4f0NZfcwiRHN3sMwuBMtWjbVHzeZwYnZUi3m136V4-Xabv-5o3RFs7o5EwIIhO5A0JbeZX4R-KhQ/s1600/israel_nbr90.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 387px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459655884996570306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5AUpSaIptDrJz9Cti4aj05RxKqGrUqZNwGO7uAUmMrlauBdVKIei-KJE3L4f0NZfcwiRHN3sMwuBMtWjbVHzeZwYnZUi3m136V4-Xabv-5o3RFs7o5EwIIhO5A0JbeZX4R-KhQ/s400/israel_nbr90.jpg" /></span></a>--Finally, Abbas agreed to indirect talks but was "saved" when suddenly the U.S. government accepted the PA's position on Jerusalem construction. Yet even that has not been enough to make the PA support Obama's policy despite the fact that it was so slanted in their favor.<br /><br />Of course, the U.S. criticism of Israel and the crisis following the announcement of some future Jerusalem construction have been the main news. But that's because the Obama Administration is ready (sometimes it seems, eager) to criticize Israel but did ot ever criticize the PA during its own fifteen months in office. This last point--which I have repeatedly pointed out--has become so embarassingly obvious that finally the State Department made a small peep. [See note at end of article.]<br /><br />So it is easy to miss the fact that by their behavior the Palestinian leadership has lost any possible material gain from the administration's attitude.<br /><br />Now, here we are in the biggest crisis of U.S.-Israel relations in more than a quarter-century, arguably the biggest crisis in a half-century, since the Eisenhower Administration pressured Israel to withdraw from Sinai in 1957. Not only is the administration really angry at Israel, but it is considering a plan--though this might never happen--to try to impose a solution.<br /><br />So what's the PA stance? To denounce the idea of an imposed solution! Such a plan according to press reports would give them a lot of what they want--1967 borders, a quick state, minimal conditions, all of pre-1967 Jordanian-controlled Jerusalem. Not bad, eh? But the Palestinians would have to make some concessions, like settling refugees in the state of Palestine rather than flooding Israel with Palestinian Arabs in an effort to paralyze and destroy its society.<br /><br />On the PA's radio, chief negotiator Saib Arikat (choose your transliteration) said--what a delicious Freudian slip this is--that the Palestinians "don't want new ideas." His proposal is that the United States just recognizes Palestine as a state immediately and urges the UN to accept it as such, followed no doubt by huge international pressure for an immediate unconditional Israeli withdrawal from everywhere in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.<br /><br />This isn't going to happen, of course. But once again it signals U.S. officials, if they bothered to look, that they will get no cooperation, not even the tiniest concession, and the barest minimum of kind words from the PA. This also makes clear why a solution is impossible and why it would not solve all U.S. problems in the Middle East.<br /><br />Because even if--this is just for the sake of explanation--the Obama Administration were to give the Palestinian leadership 99 percent of what it wants, it would still have to force it to concede 1 percent. Also it wojld forecolose--at least in theory--wiping Israel off the map. That would lead to the political settlement being denounced by all Islamists, all militant Arab nationalists, and many Arab governments.<br /><br />I'm not even sure if the Egyptian and Jordanian media would applaud Obama. The latest Palestinian poll (Palestinian Public Opinion Poll no. 40, Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah National University, pril 8-10, 2010) asked:<br /><br />"Do you accept the creation of a Palestinian state on the area of the 1967 borders as a final solution for the Palestinian problem?"<br /><br />Of those polled, 44.7 percent (and this is after 17 years of supposed moderate policies by the PLO following the Oslo agreement) said "no." While 51.7 percent said "yes," remember that they were almost certainly assuming the Palestinians would get the precise pre-1967 borders plus the right to move to Israel for almost anyone who wanted to do so.<br /><br />And so if Obama were to implement any conceivable negotiated solution--even an extremely pro-Palestinian one by Western standards--he'd be labelled as the man who sold out the Palestinians and go down in history as a betrayer and Zionist imperialist. I'd bet money on being able to collect a considerably large set of clippings denouncing him as worse--more "anti-Muslim" and "anti-Arab"--than George W. Bush! And if you think that isn't likely then, forgive me for saying so, you don't really understand how Middle East politics work.<br /><br />The United States would not be portrayed as a hero because it created Palestine but a villain because it robbed the Arabs of getting everything some day. Terrorism against American targets would go up, as it would argued that the Americans had forever destroyed the chance of wiping Israel off the map. Of course, terrorism against any Palestinian leaders who agreed to such terms would also break out. Abbas's knowing this is one of the reasons he will say "no" to everything.<br /><br />And don't ever forget that little detail: If Palestine is proclaimed a state, presumably Hamas is the legal government of about half of it, despite the fact that it is a terrorist, antisemitic, genocide-seeking client of Iran which won't even accept the agreement that makes Palestine a state. Here's one example of the ridiculous situation that would prevail: If the Hamas government wanted to import long-range missiles from Iran and Israel tried to stop it by intercepting them with its navy, would the UN then be able to accuse Israel of an act of aggression against a sovereign state?<br /><br />Again, nothing is going to happen, not because of Israel but because the PA will torpedo any U.S. effort to solve the issue no matter how bad the terms seem for Israel. Meanwhile U.S. policymakers will pretend this isn't happening, that the United States isn't constantly being insulted by the PA.<br /><br />Unless you understand the above, the whole story of the Arab-Israeli and Israel-Palestinian conflict makes no sense.<br /><br />Question 1: During the four years of the Obama Administration's term in office, will his officials ever publicly criticize the PA for anything it does, including honoring terrorists who killed Americans? Prediction: No it won't.<br /><br />Question 2: During the four years of the Obama Administration's term in office, will the Palestinians make any material gain due to his being so supportive of them? Prediction: No they won't because the extremist goals and intransigence of their leadership will prevent thus.<br /><br />Note: At last the State Department issues a very mild criticism of the PA, after ignoring for almost two weeks the issue in question. On April 8, it made the </span><a href="http://em-sender4.com/fb/fb/9A9484A4A44BBD58ED031EA678C4D98C8E3C6356BCB0A57920BF8B08BD9D63EE6411435FA56DE73E7D63694466BC155E/show.aspx"><span style="font-family:arial;">following statement</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">:<br /><br />"Regarding the Middle East, we are disturbed by comments of Palestinian Authority officials regarding reconstruction and refurbishing of Jewish sites in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. Remarks by the Palestinian ministry of information denying Jewish heritage in and links to Jerusalem undermine the trust and confidence needed for substantive and productive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. We also strongly condemn the glorification of terrorists honoring terrorists who have murdered innocent civilians either by official statements or by the dedication of public places hurts peace efforts and must end. We will continue to hold Palestinian leaders accountable for incitement. "<br /><br />But this isolated statement seems to have been made for form's sake and when compared to the administration's outrage at Israel looks quite limited. I predict we won't be hearing about any follow-up to these issues.<br /><br />What makes this particularly ridiculous is that the PA named a square in honor of a terrorist who murdered both Israelis and Americans--for more on this issue see </span><a href="http://em-sender4.com/fb/fb/9A9484A4A44BBD58ED031EA678C4D98CC12BD0E1DF08E22B93129D54D9B245EA586C2DCD5571605656252DF0B1828F43/show.aspx"><span style="font-family:arial;">HERE</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">--during Vice-President Joe Biden's visit yet there was no talk about the United States being insulted nor was there any major crisis with the PA declared by the U.S. government. Indeed, well after the affair happened, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was insisting that the deed had been done by Hamas, an absurd error which--to my knowledge--has never been formally corrected by her office.<br /><br /><br /><em>* Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), with Walter Laqueur (Viking-Penguin); the paperback edition of The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan); A Chronological History of Terrorism, with Judy Colp Rubin, (Sharpe); and The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley). To read and subscribe to MERIA, GLORIA articles, or to order books, go to <a href="http://www.gloria-center.org/">http://www.gloria-center.org/</a>.</em><br /></span><br /><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0143113798&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0230604072&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0471739014&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765620472&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=019515715X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0230605877&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-57331972612568337842010-04-13T18:34:00.001+03:002010-04-13T18:40:09.860+03:00IDF: Terrorists Were Heavily Armed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8G5jQeHg4L9SoD7K-TbNudz5vGjW3AZ2imag_DbgHfg0meZGzyWGUJj9YKBmMY_IFHfNmf1gaUFlWq6qz9AQ5T6KdWLn715RucEx6wC7f1LoVkNtOqwTmy9LXt90Oo133pbwCA/s1600/idfspox.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 75px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 116px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459646982282245666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8G5jQeHg4L9SoD7K-TbNudz5vGjW3AZ2imag_DbgHfg0meZGzyWGUJj9YKBmMY_IFHfNmf1gaUFlWq6qz9AQ5T6KdWLn715RucEx6wC7f1LoVkNtOqwTmy9LXt90Oo133pbwCA/s200/idfspox.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">IDF Spokesperson April 13th, 2010<br /><br /><strong>Four Terrorists Targeted This Morning were Heavily Armed</strong><br /><br />IDF searches following this morning's incident near the central Gaza Strip security fence, turned up the bodies of terrorists associated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. The IDF found explosive devices, assault rifles, hand grenades and additional weaponry on the bodies.<br /><br />Earlier this morning, an IDF force identified a number of suspicious persons planting explosives along the security fence in the central Gaza Strip. The force fired at the suspects, and confirmed direct hits. Four militants were<br />apparently killed and two injured as a result of the shooting.<br /><br />The presence of Palestinian civilians in the area adjacent to the security fence in Gaza is used by terrorist organizations as cover for their activities, including planting explosive devices, planning terrorist attacks and attempts to kidnap IDF soldiers. For this reason, the IDF considers this a combat zone.<br /><br />On March 26th, an IDF officer and an IDF soldier were killed and two soldiers were injured, during an exchange of fire with terrorists who were planting explosive devices along the security fence.<br /><br />Approximately 350 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since Operation Cast Lead last year.<br /><br />The IDF operates defensively on both sides of the Gaza Strip security fence on a routine and daily basis, in order to locate and thwart terrorist efforts and to ensure the safety of Israeli residents in the area.<br /><br />The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the citizens of the State of Israel and will continue to operate resolutely against anyone who uses terror against it. The IDF holds Hamas as solely responsible for maintaining peace and quiet in the Gaza Strip and its surrounding area.<br /><br /></span>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-37219588974156600102010-04-13T12:29:00.001+03:002010-04-13T13:42:39.023+03:00IDF: Gaza Terror Attack Thwarted<br><br /><a><href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T8FJ9EceeVZRyzGFTA0ciSnQBJE7wPHcaSVoSOskx5w0km5v9NUdr1RgARoBiUcvtQy9g98RpKu6MEPl_ErdOZy3-8S8O_7ZjzE73MYLRrgiOt_ThhXIGBku1KwuE2yOJjkX2A/s1600/idf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459567623443042210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 75px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T8FJ9EceeVZRyzGFTA0ciSnQBJE7wPHcaSVoSOskx5w0km5v9NUdr1RgARoBiUcvtQy9g98RpKu6MEPl_ErdOZy3-8S8O_7ZjzE73MYLRrgiOt_ThhXIGBku1KwuE2yOJjkX2A/s200/idf.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">IDF Spokesperson April 13th, 2010<br /><br />IDF Thwarts Attack Along Gaza Security Fence<br /><br />Earlier this morning, an IDF force identified a number of suspects planting<br />explosives along the security fence in the central Gaza Strip.<br /><br />The force fired at the suspects, identifying direct hits.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459568786191169298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 184px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 32px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2_D4YaJ_ik_iqa8j3Q_jimnDrXqEsAP2biZlG7hfGMKc165UVOiYTHOzVxJoiaDWLArNFvmDTqr2QwPgORLn0wbDisOiWiRtDpk5fQnVRQSEVfICbiyQn90tQrSuGG5tXOhvAg/s200/reuters_sidebar.gif" border="0" /></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em><strong>TGI NOTE: Please take note of the media bias in the following Reuters report</strong></em>:</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Gunman In Gaza<br />By REUTERS<br />Published: April 13, 2010<br /><br />GAZA (Reuters) - A Palestinian gunman was killed and three were wounded in Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip Tuesday, Palestinian medics and the Israeli army said.<br /><br />The Palestinian death was the first in the Islamist Hamas-ruled territory since three gunmen and two Israeli soldiers were killed more than two weeks ago in the most serious clash between the two sides in 14 months.<br /><br />A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad militant group said Israeli tanks fired shells and a helicopter launched a missile at its men east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.<br /><br />An Israeli army spokeswoman said: "An Israeli force identified a number of suspects planting explosives along the security fence (with Gaza). It fired at the suspects, identifying direct hits."<br /><br />A Palestinian hospital source said the three wounded men were in serious condition.<br /><br />The Gaza Strip is controlled by the Hamas movement, which wrested control of the coastal enclave from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction in 2007.<br /><br />Hamas has largely held its fire since a costly three-week war with Israel in the opening days of 2009 in which some 1,400 Palestinians, <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><em>mainly civilians</em></strong></span>, and 13 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed.<br /><br />But smaller factions like Islamic Jihad have ignored the de facto truce by firing rockets and mortar shells into Israel.<br /><br />(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Ralph Gowling)<br /><br />Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters<br /><br /></span> </p><p> </p><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-77801804680645588722010-04-13T02:36:00.000+03:002010-04-19T16:36:52.276+03:00Prof. Efraim Karsh - Palestine Betrayed<br><br /><a align="center"><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0300127278&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"A brave and exceedingly important piece of work."-David Vital, author of A People Apart </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><em>"With Isaiah Friedman, Efraim Karsh is the preeminent scholar-spokesman of the Revisionist (politically-rightist) Movement in Zionism. I consider this latest of Karsh''s books, Palestine Betrayed, a work of meticulous, even exhaustive scholarship which must be taken with the greatest seriousness and respect by historians of diverse points of view. Indeed, any student of modern Israel will ignore at their peril its sheer cornucopia of factual revelations." - Howard Sachar </em><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></a><strong>About </strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300127278?ie=UTF8&tag=thegalileei07-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0300127278"><strong>Palestine Betrayed</strong></a><strong><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thegalileei07-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0300127278" width="1" height="1" /><br /><br /></strong>The 1947 UN resolution to partition the British Mandate over Palestine irrevocably changed the political landscape of the Middle East, giving rise to six full-fledged wars between Arabs and Jews, countless armed clashes, blockades, and terrorism, as well as a profound shattering of Palestinian Arab society. Its origins, and that of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict, are deeply rooted in Jewish-Arab confrontation and appropriation in Palestine. But the isolated occasions of violence during the British Mandate era (1920–48) suggest that the majority of Palestinian Arabs yearned to live and thrive under peaceful coexistence with the evolving Jewish national enterprise. So what was the real cause of the breakdown in relations between the two communities?<br /><br />In this brave and groundbreaking book, Efraim Karsh tells the story from both the Arab and Jewish perspectives. He argues that from the early 1920s onward, a corrupt and extremist leadership worked toward eliminating the Jewish national revival and protecting its own interests. Karsh has mined many of the Western, Soviet, UN, and Israeli documents declassified over the past decade, as well as unfamiliar Arab sources, to reveal what happened behind the scenes on both Palestinian and Jewish sides. It is an arresting story of delicate political and diplomatic maneuvering by leading figures—Ben Gurion, Hajj Amin Husseini, Abdel Rahman Azzam, King Abdullah, Bevin, and Truman —over the years leading up to partition, through the slide to war and its enduring consequences. Palestine Betrayed is vital reading for understanding the origin of disputes that remain crucial today.<br /><br /><strong>About the Author</strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Efraim Karsh is professor and head of the Middle East and Mediterranean Studies Programme, King’s College London. His books include Islamic Imperialism: A History; The Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Palestine War, 1948; Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography; and Empires of the Sand: The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East, 1789–1923.</em></span></span><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=071468063X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0300127278&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thegalileei07-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1404218424&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p><br /><br>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29983786.post-18914703518686498932010-04-12T12:29:00.001+03:002010-04-12T12:31:22.252+03:00IDF: 17 Explosive Devices Uncovered Near Tul Karem<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3RCx-WxffS-ovnNkR0n1XaKwIONpX3G66ZQACDMvoWgZ4QRYX8NhYYq_R5uDEhRbPVFi4wuvOpAejskrsp_-EVbFQu5DTVjcaK46KHDxWicubEyzBwrYj38pXO6bXQcTcec3Cw/s1600/idf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459181057518666610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 75px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3RCx-WxffS-ovnNkR0n1XaKwIONpX3G66ZQACDMvoWgZ4QRYX8NhYYq_R5uDEhRbPVFi4wuvOpAejskrsp_-EVbFQu5DTVjcaK46KHDxWicubEyzBwrYj38pXO6bXQcTcec3Cw/s320/idf.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">IDF detonates 17 explosive devices near Tul Karem uncovered by PA forces<br /><br />IDF Spokesperson 11 April 2010 , 14:57<br /><br /></span><a href="http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/10/04/1103.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/10/04/1103.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Palestinian security forces uncovered 17 explosive devices near Tuk Karem area and transferred them to the IDF. Military sappers detonated the explosives in a controlled manner.<br /><br />Despite the relative calm in the area, terrorist attempts by Hamas and Hezbollah continue in Judea and Samaria region. The move however, indicates a positive cooperation between the Palestinian security apparatus and the Israeli security forces.<br /><br />Earlier this month, Palestinian forces transferred an explosive device weighing 12 kilograms attached to a gas ballon in Jenin. The IDF forces detonated the explosive in a controlled manner causing no casualties or damage.<br /></span>Michael Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15088996848564966196noreply@blogger.com