Friday, April 30, 2010

An Eye For An Eye

The attempted attack that took place last Wednesday the 28th. of April by pro-Palestinian protestors on Israel’s deputy ambassador to the U.K, Talya Lador-Fresher, highlights two main issues I have been earnestly writing about.

The first issue, the pro-Palestinian camp; made up of the fanatical left, Islamo-facists and anarchists, they are nothing more than criminals and thugs who will do just about anything to intimidate and deprive us of our freedom and self-determination. They truly are the modern version of the Nazis brownshirts.

These gangs of thugs disguised as activists are becoming far less afraid of the authorities in their native lands and more willing to use violence against Israelis, Israeli diplomats and the Jews who live in their countries.

Lador-Fresher told the press after the attack on her vehicle after leaving the University of Manchester, “No foreign diplomat should have to go through what I went through.”

This is beyond troubling. What is even more scary is the inability of the local authorities world wide to protect Israeli officials, Israeli tourists and Jews native to the countries in which these outrages take place.

This gets to my second issue: It is high time we the Jews -- not just in Israel, but in all the European capitals and in America -- learn to fight back and not to shirk from getting some blood on our hands.

What we need to do today is similar to what the Jewish gangsters did in New York when the American Nazi party tried to organize rallies in the city. Meir Lansky, Bugsy Siegal and many others made sure that those rallies got broken up real fast. Since then we seem to have lost our backbone. This is one reason why the pro-Palestinian fascists believe they can push us around, threaten us and even physically harm us today. They believe we won’t come out to fight, that we are weak.

This needs to change immediately. We jews who believe in and love Israel must be prepared to meet these people on the streets, ready to fight back physically if it comes to that. We can no longer let these people force universities to stop speeches by Israeli diplomats or professors who support Israel because of the fear factor. That is Nazi Germany of the Thirties. If we let this situation continue we will find ourselves in the same position that our Jewish predecessors were during the Shoah.

There are many ways we, Israel and American/European Jews can go about changing this. First off we need to do all we can to improve the connection and understanding between our communities. More needs to be done to reinforce the importance of Israel not just to Israelis, but to Jews living in America and Europe whether they be Reform, Conservative or Orthodox.

While discovering and reinforcing our common values we can learn also how to defend our nation together.

Of course, the best way is a non-violent way. But if we are met with violence we must be ready to fight back. We should always try to be better than these violent fanatics. But if they believe they can kick us, punch us and bully us into submission, then we must be ready to show them we are more than their match.

Just as we were forced to bloody ourselves in defense of our country, from her Independence until today, we must be ready to get bloodied again, this time on the streets of America and Europe, in defense of Israel and her right to exist.

Networks need to be set up through all of the Jewish institutions, schools and synagogues across America and Europe where Krav Maga is taught for self-defense. This might sound outlandish, but knowing how to defend oneself has become imperative for the safety of our communities.

We need to meet these fanatics face to face when they take to the streets and protest our country’s freedom and our independence. When they attempt to maul one of Israel’s highest diplomats we need to be there, ready to maul them. When they march on the streets of America and Europe, trying to silence Israel and her supporters, we must be there, ready to fight back. When these modern day Brownshirts attempt to threaten us into submission, we must hit back like a bolt of lighting, so they will know well that we are not going to walk meekly off to the gas chambers as we once did.

Those who stand against Israel, those who delegitimize her have declared war, not just on Israel, but on the whole of the Jewish nation. There is no longer any time for niceties: this is war and it is an eye for an eye time.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Today We Remember

Today we remember our fallen soldiers.

Today we remember the boys and girls who gave their lives to defend the State of Israel, democracy and the right of the Jewish Nation to self-determination.

Today we remember the civilians of our country who lost their lives to suicide bombings and the crime against humanity called Islamic terrorism.

We remember these brave souls who gave up everything to defy a world intent on destroying Israel and the Jewish Nation.

We remember our heroes and in so doing, we pass their torch of freedom down generation after generation.

Today, as we remember, though we are filled with this sorrow, still we know our soldiers did not die for nothing.

We remember, we will always remember those who have fallen in defense of our great nation. Because of this we will always be strong and our heroes will not have died in vain.

Today we remember the boys and girls, the men and women of Israel who are no longer with us, but fought to ensure that we would be here ... still strong, still steadfast.

Friday, April 16, 2010

History 101

I wish someone could explain to me what happened to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton is an intelligent woman; she fought tirelessly for Israel as a Senator. She is the spouse of the President who was burned so badly by Yassar Arafat and the Palestinians at Camp David and Taba. She saw first hand how ready Israel was for peace and how much Ehud Barak offered to attain peace and to give the Palestinians their state. Hillary knows very well that both her husband and Ehud Barak were totally betrayed by the PA and Arafat.

With all of this knowledge and a past that should make her capable of understanding why Israel is right, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has assumed an extremely negative attitude towards the Jewish nation.

Most recently Clinton came out against Israel while giving a speech at the opening of the Daniel Abraham Center for Middle-East Peace!

She wrongly put the onus on Israel to do more to restart peace negotiations. She again made comment on how we Israelis supposedly feel we do not need peace and how we are jeopardizing the future of Israel as a democratic, Jewish State.

I guess the big questions to Hillary is: what more does she want us to do? If we (Israel) have to give so much to even get negotiations started, why are we having them? Why does Israel have to give into preconditions while the Palestinians don’t?

Incitement against Israel is being promoted by the supposed moderates of the Palestinian camp, meaning President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah. This incitement and the collaboration of the PA with the radical left in Europe and America has done far more to hurt relations between Israel and the PA and done more to stop peace efforts than any batch of settlements. It was proven and is a fact that if Israel sees the other side is serious and ready to uphold its end of the bargain, she will remove settlements. In fact, Israel has proven that even when there isn’t an agreement (i.e., Gaza) she is ready to uproot settlements to promote peace.

Herein lies the problem. In this relationship, this couple, there is one who is always doing the hard work for peace. There is only one who is constantly paying a high price in sacrifice to attain harmony between our peoples, and it isn’t the Palestinians or the Arabs.

It was Israel that uprooted the settlements in the Sinai Peninsula, left the oil wells we had found and drilled there, left the resort towns we had already started to cultivate and possibly more than anything, abandoned our plans to build enormous solar fields to provide Israel with clean energy. What did Egypt give us in return? A piece of paper with a peace so cold it might not last passed President Hossini Mubarak.

It was Israel that started the Oslo accords and sought peace with the Palestinians. It was Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who paid for Peace with his life, while Arafat turned down statehood and Peace for his people for fear of being assassinated.

It was Ehud Barak who paid for peace politically when he pulled the IDF out of Lebanon, offered Syria all the Golan Heights and the Palestinians all of Gaza, 97% of the West Bank and parts of East Jerusalem. In each case Barak was met with rejection. In each case secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s husband was also burned and firmly backed Israel and put the onus for the failure of Peace on the Arab side.

It was Israel that independently decided to leave the Gaza strip, uproot communities that had been living there for 30 years. What was given in return: 8,000 rockets?

Of course, behind all of these sacrifices and betrayals, there lies the absolute, bedrock fact that no one -- ever -- has demanded that the Palestinians agree to one absolutely necessary, irrevocable pre-condition: the right of Israel to exist as the Jewish state.

This is the problem: the American government seems to believe they can constantly rely on us to pay the price, while the other side offers up feces in return. When we finally say, “Excuse me, we don’t want to eat crap today, thank you very much,” The American government gets angry at us and starts threatening us.

The single biggest roadblock to peace between Israel and the Palestinians is what has always been the main stumbling block: the Palestinian and Arab dream of destroying Israel always comes before the building of a Palestinian State.

It is commendable that PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is attempting to build the foundations of a state in the West Bank (which is in fact, ancient Judea and Samaria). On the other hand just last week Hamas issued threats saying that Prime Minister Fayyad should be arrested and possibly face the death penalty for presenting what would be the only way of reaching agreement; the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in the new state of Palestine.

Hillary Clinton is wrong to blame Israel and to ask Israel to do any more than she already has. The fact that we Israelis are even ready to talk peace is a testament to how much we have already given and how little the Palestinians have. The Arabs have burned Israel too many times for an American diplomat to demand that we do more to attain peace.

As I have written so many times, it is high time for American and European diplomats to start making demands of the Palestinians; it is time for them to live up to their responsibilities, if anyone truly wants peace in the Middle-East.

All you need to do is take a History of the Middle-East 101course to know that the ball is; and always has been in the Arab court!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Oy Veh!

by Shirley Walton

There was a lovely tourist-oriented photo showing the Western Wall (also called The Wailing Wall), with the Islamic Dome of the Rock mosque gleaming its gold dome above the Wall.

With the photo went words to the effect that “you can travel the length of Israel in six hours ... imagine what you could do in four days!” The sky was a cloudless blue and the photo beckoned the tourist to come visit “The Holy Land.”

The only problem is, this photo has been banned in the United Kingdom!

Why in the world do you suppose the Advertising Standard Agency (ASA) would ban such a photo? There were no naked bodies, no salacious language, no cigarettes, no drugs, no crime; just the Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the blue sky.

Because the ASA deemed the photo was “misleading,” since the scene shown was allegedly in “Israeli-occupied territories.” The ASA and other British publications went on to explain that the Dome of the Rock was the oldest Islamic structure in the world (built in the 7th century) and was officially in East Jerusalem, which was being “illegally” occupied by Israel.

While this may seem to be a trivial episode in the greater scheme of the world, it is absolutely typical of the almost constant campaign being waged by groups in Europe and Britain, to delegitimize the nation of Israel.

In truth, the decision by the ASA is far, far more “misleading” than the original photo from the Israeli Tourist Agency and here are but a few reasons why.

Firstly, while the Western Wall is officially over the “Green Line” established in the Old City of Jerusalem after the 1967 War, it is at the outer perimeter of the old Jewish Quarter of the City -- a quarter that the Jordanian army took over in the 1948 War of Independence and literally razed. In other words there is not a single building in the old Jewish Quarter which has not been rebuilt in the last 50 years, since Israel regained the City!

Secondly, while the Dome of the Rock may be the oldest Islamic structure in the world, and was indeed built in the 7th Century, it was built INTENTIONALLY on the remains of the First Jewish Temple, supposed to have been built by King Solomon in 960 BCE, which the Romans destroyed in the 1st century. The Western Wall is the last remnant of that Temple, and is at least 1,000 years older than Al Aksa. It is, without question, the holiest of holy places to the Jews, while the Dome of the Rock is only the third holiest place to Moslems.

Thirdly, as part of several written agreements -- the last being in 1995 and also agreed to by the Palestinians -- Israel has official (and legal) charge of ALL the holy sites in “the Holy Land.” The Israeli Knesset also passed a law right after the 1967 war absolutely guaranteeing the preservation of all holy sites, regardless of religion. They chose, too, to leave management of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa by the Moslem Waqf, which has been in control since Islam reconquered Jerusalem in 1267 CE.

Another such site is Qumram, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered half a century ago. I think few people outside Israel are aware that the Palestinians have demanded that the scrolls -- written by a pre-Christian Jewish sect known as the Essenes -- be given to them. Why? Because Qumram, bordering the northern tip of the Dead Sea, is officially part of today’s West Bank. Therefore, according to the Palestinians, the scrolls are “theirs!”

Last of all, if you take a picture of your back yard to help advertise the sale of your home, and the photo happens to show your neighbor’s flowering magnolia tree over the fence, does that mean your neighbor can prevent you from using that photo to help sell the house? I mean, come on, people!

It’s patently clear that most of the world disliked the Jews less when they were patsies and fall guys -- when they quietly and meekly “allowed” yesterday’s bad guys to exterminate six million Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals

Today’ Jews, particularly the state of Israel, have equally as clearly become today’s bad guys (apparently we should forget Mugabe, Somalia, Darfur, Myanmar, North Korea and 20 other repressive, genocidal regimes). Worse, they’ve become bad guys who are competent and thorough in defending themselves and their democracy (the only one in existence in the Middle East).

And for all of this, Israel is condemned and boycotted because a photo includes a part of Jerusalem that has belonged to the Jews a thousand years longer than the Brits, Celts, Scots, Gaels, Jutes and Saxons even began slaughtering each other to create what would become the British Isles?

Oy veh!

EOF

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Fifth Column

Democracy is an integral part of Israeli society and government; it is also important that we Israeli citizens do all we can to protect this crucial element of our national project.

On the other hand there is absolutely no room for those who use the freedoms of democracy to hurt and destroy the state.

Haaretz has moved from being an important media outlet printing a fairly unbiased page, to a radical paper printing unfounded hateful rhetoric against the state and now to a fifth column.

The reaction of Haaretz to the breaking story of its apparent collusion in espionage with a radical leftist soldier who stole 2000 pages of highly classified military documents is in itself damning.

Last Thursday morning the paper went on a full force blitz accusing everyone from the IDF, the Israeli Government and people like me of being fascists because we find spying and espionage against the state of Israel unacceptable. They have hidden behind the word democracy, knowing full well that what they did would be categorized as outright treason in any other democratic nation.

Uri Blau took IDF documents of the most sensitive nature, documents that would never have been allowed into the hands of a journalist in the most open of democratic societies. Most importantly, he took these documents from an admitted radical leftist, who astoundingly happened to be a soldier in one of the highest offices of the IDF command.

One most wonder how the IDF let a soldier of Anat Kamm’s political views into such a highly sensitive position. Maybe it is because the IDF and Israel are both too democratic and too naively believing in the fairness of democracy that they would actually let someone like Kamm achieve the position she was in.

More significant, however, is the fact that Blau knew perfectly well that Kamm did this with intent to harm the state.That is traitorous behavior -- on his part as well as hers.

Blau is now hiding in London, refusing to return to Israel, lying about not having more of these top secret documents in his possession (Kamm allegedly burned almost 2000 classified documents onto a CD). Knowing he is in a hotbed of radical Israeli hatred (London), Blau is using this to his advantage and accusing Israel of attacks against journalism.

This last incident truly reveals how far across the border Haaretz and the people who write for her have gone. The paper, having lost moderate Ze’ev Schiff to old age, has lost all credibility even as a fairly balanced left-leaning media outlet.

Gideon Levy writes the most Anti-Israel rhetoric based on the most atrocious principles. He, like many of his kind, never backs himself up with facts and blatantly distorts the truth on a regular basis. Bradley Burston is a joke, a champion of self-hating Israelis, a man who skips over facts, or puts aside truths to blame Israeli, no matter how right she is and how wrong the Palestinians are.

Haaretz was bought by the owners of the New York Times. The Times, once supposedly a bastion of unbiased thought -- an amazing example of why the freedom of speech is so important -- has become Anti-Israel in a devious manner, partly explaining the change in Haaretz.

Maybe it is time for a private, independent investigation into wether or not Haaretz has jeopardized national security in the Kamm/Blau affair.

Haaretz, Blau and the rest of their crew are very lucky to be living in a country that is as free and democratic as Israel. Their callous and cynical abuse of Israeli democracy and its freedoms is one of the greatest challenges that Israel faces today.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is a day of great sadness and importance for the state of Israel and the Jewish people. We are remembering the fact that the world allowed the Nazi German regime and their allies in Europe and the world over to mass murder 6 million Jews.

Looking back on this enormous tragedy that befell the children of Israel, we must always remember why Israel and her security is so important to the future of the Jewish Nation.

Todays Nazis are the radical left, anarchists and their supporters and backers.

Those who back them are none other than the Arab regimes in the Gulf and the fanatical regime in Iran. These phony liberals have teamed up with Islamists and ruthless dictators to destroy, and deprive the Jewish people of our rightful home and self-determination.

The Arabs have tried, and still today attempt, to deny their deep involvement in the Final solution.

Those in the Arab world who were closest to Hitler were none other than the leadership of the Palestinian Arabs, especially the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al Husseini. Not only was Husseini present in Berlin during the Shoah; he knew, thanks to meetings with Hitler, of the plan of the Nazi Final Solution. Husseini himself created and presented his own final solution for the Jews of Mandate Palestine with the hope that the Nazis would defeat the British.

Today Israel and the Jewish nation are faced with the same vile, anti-Semitic hatred.

Those calling Israel an apartheid state are not just Anti-Semites they are Nazis. Those are strong words, but they are the right words. These people should know well enough that by using that language they are attempting to negate Israel’s right to exist. That is Nazism.

The self-hating Jews the world over, the false academics, the false liberals, all those who are anti-Israel are anti-Semitic and fascist.

Calling someone a Nazi is a big deal, but those who try to deny the Jewish people the right to their country -- a country that has largely been in our hands throughout history, a land populated by our people throughout history -- is a fascist and a Nazi. Those who wish to use false history and revisionism to deny the Jewish people their history are just as bad as the man who wrote Mein Kampf and those who wrote The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

The hatred and fascism of the Radical Left is clarified when it is revealed that they are willing to put aside all their liberal beliefs to support Arab regimes of the most ruthless, super conservative, chauvinistic policies just to stand against Israel.

Anti-Semitism is rising the world over, mostly led by the Radical left and Islam. Anti-Semitism, though, is still alive and well in its traditional roots of Europe and Asia.

These neo-fascist-pseudo-liberals attempt falsely to blame their vile beliefs and accusations on Israel’s behavior. Of course this is just a ridiculous excuse. Making matters worse are the self-hating Jews and Israeli Jews who sell out and blame Israel for every Arab crime and injustice. They attempt to deflect their Anti-Semitism and Nazism by saying they are Jews and therefore they cannot be Anti-Semites. This is just another falsehood, because they are the worst of all the Anti-Semites.

The truth is -- and it is important for all Jews to remember this -- they hate us and Israel for no other reason than our Jewishness. Because of this we must remember what they did to us during the Shoah and we must acknowledge what our enemies are attempting to do to us today.

Most of all we need to work together, we must work with those who truly support us and we must fight to protect Israel at any cost. Israel is the lone hope against another Shoah. The end of Israel would mean the end of the Jewish nation this time around.