Caroline Glick’s excellent article, “Obama’s War on Israel,” overlooks a crucial point. Let me quote again her summary of Obama’s four-part ultimatum to Israel:
First, Israel must cancel the approval of the housing units in Ramat Shlomo. Second, Israel must prohibit all construction for Jews in Jerusalem neighborhoods built since 1967. Third, Israel must make a gesture to the Palestinians to show them we want peace. Fourth, Israel must agree to negotiate all substantive issues, including the partition of Jerusalem (including the Jewish neighborhoods constructed since 1967 that are now home to more than half a million Israelis) and the immigration of millions of hostile foreign Arabs to Israel under the rubric of the so-called “right of return” …
Given this ultimatum, it is not enough to say, as Glick does, that the Palestinians will have no incentive to engage in negotiations with Netanyahu. Connect this ultimatum with Obama’s virtual military embargo on Israel, for example, his decision to divert Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), already on its way to Israel, to the US Air Force base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.
I see here an invitation to Arabs to wage another war with Israel, and this war may well be of world historical significance.
It would be a mistake merely to regard Obama as just a dangerous bungler. It would be more prudent for Jews and friends of Israel to act on the evidential conclusion that Obama is Israel’s most insidious enemy, and that he shares the Muslim objective to wipe Israel off the map!
Prof. Paul Eidelberg
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Ouch! It's my Jewish Identity! By Moshe Feiglin
28 Adar, 5770
March 14, '10
Translated from the NRG website
"Israel's problem is its public relations," people reason as they attempt to explain how it is that Israel is always at the receiving end of the world's criticism and hatred. "Israel simply doesn't know how to highlight all of its positive points."
But the problem is not simply lack of budget for public relations, as the Foreign Ministry would like us to believe. There is also no dearth of eloquent Israelis and fluent English speakers who could take Israel's case to the world. The problem is that instead of explaining its own position, Israel explains the position of its enemies.
When is the last time that you heard an official Israeli representative simply state that this is our Land – without ifs, ands and buts? Simply, "The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish Nation, period." Has the prime minister made such a statement? Any minister? Perhaps an ambassador?
All the torrents of claims against Israel can be distilled to this one simple question: Whose land is this, anyway? But here's the caveat: It is impossible to say that this is our Land without falling back on our Jewish foundations. To avoid that unthinkable eventuality, Israel trades it ultimate playing card for paltry claims that its soldiers are the most humane in the world – and endangers their lives to prove it - and that it is the most democratic regime in the region.
The world, though, doesn't really care if Israel's armed forces are humane. What determines if you are right or wrong is if the ground under their feet belongs to you or not. The most courteous intruder is still an intruder who belongs in jail.
The refusal to admit that this is our Land - or in broader terms, to re-connect as a state to our Jewish identity - has brought Israel to its diplomatic knees. Netanyahu's senior ministers have arrest warrants waiting for them in Israel's capitals and the assassins of arch-terrorist Mabhouh are wanted all over the world while mass-murderer Ahmadinijad is invited to lecture at Columbia University. The modern-day Amalek does not tell the world that he is humane. He explains that he is right. The world accepts this as fact because Israel's leadership plays straight into his hands.
Just like the first Amalek, who attacked Israel when the entire world was afraid to initiate a fight with the nation that had just defeated the Egyptian empire, so Ahmadinijad publicly declares his intention to destroy Israel and proceeds with his technical preparations basically unhindered.
It may be difficult to understand why, instead of losing his legitimacy, Ahmadinijad has managed to place a flashing and threatening question mark over Israel's head. The reason is that the "State of all its citizens" (as per former Chief Justice Aharon Barak) or the "Singapore of the Middle East" (as per President Shimon Peres) or the "place under the sun" (as per PM Netanyahu) is incapable of standing proud and firm behind its identity and justifying its existence. It really is not right to establish another Singapore at the expense of the "Palestinians." And there is plenty of place under the sun on the Canary Islands. It comes at a more reasonable price and will not drag the entire world into endless wars.
For those readers who do not understand the critical implications of our Jewish identity for our very survival, I would like to quote the following story:
In the first Lebanon War in 1982, the IDF essentially forced the PLO terror organization out of Lebanon and into exile in Tunisia. The PLO was in complete disarray. One of the prisoners in the Israeli detention camp, Ansar, was a senior terrorist, admired by his henchmen. His name was Salah Taamari and he was a broken man.
In the book about Taamari, Mine Enemy, penned by Israeli journalists Amalia and Aharon Barnea, Taamari told Barnea of the transformation he underwent in Ansar. While in prison, he had completely despaired of any hope that the Palestinians would one day realize any of their territorial dreams. He was ready to renounce the struggle and was well on the way to convincing his prison-mates that they would never defeat Israel.
Then, one Passover, he witnessed a Jewish prison guard eating a pita. Taamari was shocked, and asked his jailer how he could so unashamedly eat bread on Passover.
The Jew replied: "I feel no obligation to events that occurred to my nation over 2,000 years ago. I have no connection to that."
That entire night Taamari could not sleep. He thought to himself: "A nation whose members have no connection to their past, and are capable of so openly transgressing their most important laws, has cut off all its roots to the Land."
He concluded that the Palestinians could, in fact, achieve all their goals. From that moment, he determined "to fight for everything - not a percentage, not some crumbs that the Israelis might throw us - but for everything. Because opposing us is a nation that has no connection to its roots, which are no longer of interest to it."
Taamari goes on to relate how he shared this insight with "tens of thousands of his colleagues, and all were convinced."
Taamari did indeed convince his co-terrorists and breathed new life into the war against Israel. It is hard to exaggerate the damage done by the pita in the mouth of just one Israeli prison guard on the holiday of Passover.
What does this have to do with the current Jerusalem imbroglio? Here is another story – short and current. This story is not about an anonymous soldier who is disconnected from his Jewish roots, but about the prime minister of Israel, who is estranged from his. On his recent trip to Russia, Binyamin Netanyahu chose the non-kosher restaurant, Pushkin, as the venue for his meeting with Greek PM Papandreou. The whole world was able to watch as the leader of the Jewish nation dined heartily on the finest that non-kosher cuisine has to offer.
One pita in the mouth of an anonymous soldier was enough to sow the seeds of defeat in Israel's triumph in Lebanon. What damage will we suffer from the unkosher food in the mouth of the prime minister of Israel?
March 14, '10
Translated from the NRG website
"Israel's problem is its public relations," people reason as they attempt to explain how it is that Israel is always at the receiving end of the world's criticism and hatred. "Israel simply doesn't know how to highlight all of its positive points."
But the problem is not simply lack of budget for public relations, as the Foreign Ministry would like us to believe. There is also no dearth of eloquent Israelis and fluent English speakers who could take Israel's case to the world. The problem is that instead of explaining its own position, Israel explains the position of its enemies.
When is the last time that you heard an official Israeli representative simply state that this is our Land – without ifs, ands and buts? Simply, "The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish Nation, period." Has the prime minister made such a statement? Any minister? Perhaps an ambassador?
All the torrents of claims against Israel can be distilled to this one simple question: Whose land is this, anyway? But here's the caveat: It is impossible to say that this is our Land without falling back on our Jewish foundations. To avoid that unthinkable eventuality, Israel trades it ultimate playing card for paltry claims that its soldiers are the most humane in the world – and endangers their lives to prove it - and that it is the most democratic regime in the region.
The world, though, doesn't really care if Israel's armed forces are humane. What determines if you are right or wrong is if the ground under their feet belongs to you or not. The most courteous intruder is still an intruder who belongs in jail.
The refusal to admit that this is our Land - or in broader terms, to re-connect as a state to our Jewish identity - has brought Israel to its diplomatic knees. Netanyahu's senior ministers have arrest warrants waiting for them in Israel's capitals and the assassins of arch-terrorist Mabhouh are wanted all over the world while mass-murderer Ahmadinijad is invited to lecture at Columbia University. The modern-day Amalek does not tell the world that he is humane. He explains that he is right. The world accepts this as fact because Israel's leadership plays straight into his hands.
Just like the first Amalek, who attacked Israel when the entire world was afraid to initiate a fight with the nation that had just defeated the Egyptian empire, so Ahmadinijad publicly declares his intention to destroy Israel and proceeds with his technical preparations basically unhindered.
It may be difficult to understand why, instead of losing his legitimacy, Ahmadinijad has managed to place a flashing and threatening question mark over Israel's head. The reason is that the "State of all its citizens" (as per former Chief Justice Aharon Barak) or the "Singapore of the Middle East" (as per President Shimon Peres) or the "place under the sun" (as per PM Netanyahu) is incapable of standing proud and firm behind its identity and justifying its existence. It really is not right to establish another Singapore at the expense of the "Palestinians." And there is plenty of place under the sun on the Canary Islands. It comes at a more reasonable price and will not drag the entire world into endless wars.
For those readers who do not understand the critical implications of our Jewish identity for our very survival, I would like to quote the following story:
In the first Lebanon War in 1982, the IDF essentially forced the PLO terror organization out of Lebanon and into exile in Tunisia. The PLO was in complete disarray. One of the prisoners in the Israeli detention camp, Ansar, was a senior terrorist, admired by his henchmen. His name was Salah Taamari and he was a broken man.
In the book about Taamari, Mine Enemy, penned by Israeli journalists Amalia and Aharon Barnea, Taamari told Barnea of the transformation he underwent in Ansar. While in prison, he had completely despaired of any hope that the Palestinians would one day realize any of their territorial dreams. He was ready to renounce the struggle and was well on the way to convincing his prison-mates that they would never defeat Israel.
Then, one Passover, he witnessed a Jewish prison guard eating a pita. Taamari was shocked, and asked his jailer how he could so unashamedly eat bread on Passover.
The Jew replied: "I feel no obligation to events that occurred to my nation over 2,000 years ago. I have no connection to that."
That entire night Taamari could not sleep. He thought to himself: "A nation whose members have no connection to their past, and are capable of so openly transgressing their most important laws, has cut off all its roots to the Land."
He concluded that the Palestinians could, in fact, achieve all their goals. From that moment, he determined "to fight for everything - not a percentage, not some crumbs that the Israelis might throw us - but for everything. Because opposing us is a nation that has no connection to its roots, which are no longer of interest to it."
Taamari goes on to relate how he shared this insight with "tens of thousands of his colleagues, and all were convinced."
Taamari did indeed convince his co-terrorists and breathed new life into the war against Israel. It is hard to exaggerate the damage done by the pita in the mouth of just one Israeli prison guard on the holiday of Passover.
What does this have to do with the current Jerusalem imbroglio? Here is another story – short and current. This story is not about an anonymous soldier who is disconnected from his Jewish roots, but about the prime minister of Israel, who is estranged from his. On his recent trip to Russia, Binyamin Netanyahu chose the non-kosher restaurant, Pushkin, as the venue for his meeting with Greek PM Papandreou. The whole world was able to watch as the leader of the Jewish nation dined heartily on the finest that non-kosher cuisine has to offer.
One pita in the mouth of an anonymous soldier was enough to sow the seeds of defeat in Israel's triumph in Lebanon. What damage will we suffer from the unkosher food in the mouth of the prime minister of Israel?
The Temple in Jerusalem: Our Raison d'etre
At this week's dedication ceremony for the newly re-built Hurva Synagogue, Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger made the following disturbing statement:
Chief Rabbi: Talk about new temple a lie
"Pay no attention to malicious slander. All we are doing is resurrecting the 'Hurva,' which was destroyed 60 years ago. We have no intention of rebuilding the temple, not this week – unless the Almighty God descends it from the heavens," said the chief rabbi during the inauguration ceremony. (Ynet: March 15, '10)
All of Rabbi Metzger's prayers, blessings and Torah learning revolve around the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Are they all lies? The Chief Rabbi - and all the rabbis who work in an official state capacity on the condition that they leave the Torah in its current state of exile – will not tell the truth.
The truth is that we have every intention of building the Temple! The debate as to the actual construction of the Temple – if it will be built by humans or if it will descend from Heaven or if it will be a synthesis of both – has nothing to do with the basic desire of every Jew to build the Temple.
"And they shall make a Temple for Me," G-d directs us in Exodus 25:8.
He does not instruct us to simply dream about a Temple. He does not instruct us to merely pray for a Temple. G-d commands us to build the Temple.
The Nation of Israel exists to make a dwelling place for G-d on earth. That is why the State of Israel exists, as well. Our mission as Jews is to perfect the world in the Kingdom of Heaven - to crown G-d as King of the world. The geographical location where this mission will manifest is the Temple, on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The world knows the truth. That is why the forces of evil do battle with our grasp on the Land of Israel and on Jerusalem. They are fighting against the universal conscience that threatens to triumph. "The Jew is the conscience of the world and thus must be destroyed" (Hitler, may his name be blotted out). That, in a nutshell, is the battle that Ahmadinijad, Obama and the Europeans are waging against the Nation of Israel. They wish to destroy the Jew and his reshaping of reality into G-dliness – the reality that is grounded in the Land of Israel, via Jerusalem and that necessarily leads to the Temple that Rabbi Metzger insists on relegating to the realm of dreams.
The struggle against the building freeze in Judea and Samaria and the stranglehold closing in on Jerusalem all stem from the same, fundamental question: Will the Jewish People fulfill their mission and live or will we distance ourselves from it and become extraneous, G-d forbid?
All the Torah portions of the previous weeks provide us with the technical specifications for the Temple, bringing it closer to reality. Only the Chief Rabbi and his ilk alienate themselves from the precious charge deposited in our hands, explaining that it is all a lie.
Our weekly Torah portion, though, gives us hope for the future. The entire portion revolves around the service of G-d in the Holy Temple. Near the end, the Torah expounds on repentance. Because in the end, all the Jews will return to G-d. The leftists, the official rabbis, everyone. There are moments, like after the Six Day War, when the Jewish heart opens and longs for the Temple. May we merit to build it soon. All the Jews, together.
Shabbat Shalom,
Moshe Feiglin
Chief Rabbi: Talk about new temple a lie
"Pay no attention to malicious slander. All we are doing is resurrecting the 'Hurva,' which was destroyed 60 years ago. We have no intention of rebuilding the temple, not this week – unless the Almighty God descends it from the heavens," said the chief rabbi during the inauguration ceremony. (Ynet: March 15, '10)
All of Rabbi Metzger's prayers, blessings and Torah learning revolve around the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Are they all lies? The Chief Rabbi - and all the rabbis who work in an official state capacity on the condition that they leave the Torah in its current state of exile – will not tell the truth.
The truth is that we have every intention of building the Temple! The debate as to the actual construction of the Temple – if it will be built by humans or if it will descend from Heaven or if it will be a synthesis of both – has nothing to do with the basic desire of every Jew to build the Temple.
"And they shall make a Temple for Me," G-d directs us in Exodus 25:8.
He does not instruct us to simply dream about a Temple. He does not instruct us to merely pray for a Temple. G-d commands us to build the Temple.
The Nation of Israel exists to make a dwelling place for G-d on earth. That is why the State of Israel exists, as well. Our mission as Jews is to perfect the world in the Kingdom of Heaven - to crown G-d as King of the world. The geographical location where this mission will manifest is the Temple, on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The world knows the truth. That is why the forces of evil do battle with our grasp on the Land of Israel and on Jerusalem. They are fighting against the universal conscience that threatens to triumph. "The Jew is the conscience of the world and thus must be destroyed" (Hitler, may his name be blotted out). That, in a nutshell, is the battle that Ahmadinijad, Obama and the Europeans are waging against the Nation of Israel. They wish to destroy the Jew and his reshaping of reality into G-dliness – the reality that is grounded in the Land of Israel, via Jerusalem and that necessarily leads to the Temple that Rabbi Metzger insists on relegating to the realm of dreams.
The struggle against the building freeze in Judea and Samaria and the stranglehold closing in on Jerusalem all stem from the same, fundamental question: Will the Jewish People fulfill their mission and live or will we distance ourselves from it and become extraneous, G-d forbid?
All the Torah portions of the previous weeks provide us with the technical specifications for the Temple, bringing it closer to reality. Only the Chief Rabbi and his ilk alienate themselves from the precious charge deposited in our hands, explaining that it is all a lie.
Our weekly Torah portion, though, gives us hope for the future. The entire portion revolves around the service of G-d in the Holy Temple. Near the end, the Torah expounds on repentance. Because in the end, all the Jews will return to G-d. The leftists, the official rabbis, everyone. There are moments, like after the Six Day War, when the Jewish heart opens and longs for the Temple. May we merit to build it soon. All the Jews, together.
Shabbat Shalom,
Moshe Feiglin
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act
The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 has several key provisions. It notes that every country designates its own capital, and that Israel has so designated Jerusalem, the spiritual center of Judaism. It states that since the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, religious freedom has been guaranteed to all. And it recalls several previous Congressional resolutions calling for the city to remain united.
The Act then states what henceforth will be not Congressional preferences but the official policy of the United States toward Jerusalem: that it should remain a united city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected; that it should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel; and that the U.S. Embassy should be established there no later than May 31, 1999.
The Act stipulates that fifty percent of the money used to acquire and maintain official US buildings abroad—embassies, for example—may not be spent in fiscal year 1999 if the Embassy has not been opened in Jerusalem by May 31, 1999. It requires the Secretary of State to report every six months on the progress made toward opening the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
The President may waive the fifty percent spending restriction on U.S. buildings abroad beginning in October 1998 for six month periods, and then only if he determines and reports to Congress that such a suspension is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States and details how such interests would be affected.
The Act was adopted on October 23, 1995, by both the Senate (93-5) and the House (374-37).
---------------------------------------------------
Link to full text -
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/Jerusalem_Relocation_Act.html
The Act then states what henceforth will be not Congressional preferences but the official policy of the United States toward Jerusalem: that it should remain a united city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected; that it should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel; and that the U.S. Embassy should be established there no later than May 31, 1999.
The Act stipulates that fifty percent of the money used to acquire and maintain official US buildings abroad—embassies, for example—may not be spent in fiscal year 1999 if the Embassy has not been opened in Jerusalem by May 31, 1999. It requires the Secretary of State to report every six months on the progress made toward opening the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
The President may waive the fifty percent spending restriction on U.S. buildings abroad beginning in October 1998 for six month periods, and then only if he determines and reports to Congress that such a suspension is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States and details how such interests would be affected.
The Act was adopted on October 23, 1995, by both the Senate (93-5) and the House (374-37).
---------------------------------------------------
Link to full text -
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/Jerusalem_Relocation_Act.html
Monday, March 15, 2010
Israel, vassal state of US?
In December 1981, the Knesset passed the Golan Heights Law extending Israeli law to the Golan Heights. In reaction the American administration declared that it would "punish Israel". Prime Minister Begin then issued a statement that he read to the US Ambassador to Israel and released to the public. It reads, in part:
"A week ago, at the instance of the Government, the Knesset passed on all three readings by an overwhelming majority of two-thirds, the "Golan Heights Law."
Now you once again declare that you are punishing Israel.
What kind of expression is this – "punishing Israel"? Are we a vassal state of yours? Are we a banana republic? Are we youths of fourteen who, if they don't behave properly, are slapped across the fingers?
Let me tell you who this government is composed of. It is composed of people whose lives were spent in resistance, in fighting and in suffering. You will not frighten us with "punishments." He who threatens us will find us deaf to his threats. We are only prepared to listen to rational arguments."
---------------------------------------------------------------
As Jews we can only hope that either Bibi defends Israels right to decide its own future or resigns. The Likud vote coming shortly may decide much, or it may simply
be hijacked by Bibi.
We will see.....
"A week ago, at the instance of the Government, the Knesset passed on all three readings by an overwhelming majority of two-thirds, the "Golan Heights Law."
Now you once again declare that you are punishing Israel.
What kind of expression is this – "punishing Israel"? Are we a vassal state of yours? Are we a banana republic? Are we youths of fourteen who, if they don't behave properly, are slapped across the fingers?
Let me tell you who this government is composed of. It is composed of people whose lives were spent in resistance, in fighting and in suffering. You will not frighten us with "punishments." He who threatens us will find us deaf to his threats. We are only prepared to listen to rational arguments."
---------------------------------------------------------------
As Jews we can only hope that either Bibi defends Israels right to decide its own future or resigns. The Likud vote coming shortly may decide much, or it may simply
be hijacked by Bibi.
We will see.....
Friday, March 12, 2010
Feiglin Camp: Bibi’s Apology to Biden will Strengthen Manhigut Yehudit in Upcoming Central Committee Elections
March 12, 2010...
Yesterday’s apology from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu to US Vice-President Joe Biden for Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai announcing the construction of 1,600 new housing units in the eastern section of Jerusalem takes place against the backdrop of the Prime Minister's internal party struggle with the "Jewish Leadership" faction of the Likud led by Moshe Feiglin.
Biden informed Netanyahu of the US administration's displeasure with Israel issuing these housing tenders, and immediately Netanyahu – after stating that the units were announced without his knowledge - pledged that Israel would not actually break ground on these units for “several” years. Applauding the construction of these units, Feiglin's position is that Israel must not yield to pressure to compromise any part of Jerusalem or any other territories liberated in the Arab-commenced war of 1967.
Netanyahu, as head of the Likud, has been ordered by the Tel Aviv District Court to hold Likud Central Committee elections on April 28th. Even before Netanyahu's apology, polls indicated that the Central Committee elections would result in a substantial increase in Feiglin's influence within the party due to the evermore right-leaning tendencies of the Likud membership.
Feiglin’s camp believes that Bibi’s apology is likely to further increase support for Feiglin among the vast majority of Likud members who are against negotiating over Jerusalem.
Feiglin returned to Israel on Thursday from a weeklong tour of the US where he spoke about the importance of electing new Israeli leadership that will act swiftly and firmly to clarify and stand behind the eternal right of the Jewish people to all of Jerusalem and the entire land of Israel and steer Israeli policy away from negotiations that include any building freezes, land swaps or giveaways.
A Feiglin victory in the Likud Central Committee elections would send a strong signal to the Obama administration that the Israeli public does not share in Netanyahu's apology.
Yesterday’s apology from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu to US Vice-President Joe Biden for Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai announcing the construction of 1,600 new housing units in the eastern section of Jerusalem takes place against the backdrop of the Prime Minister's internal party struggle with the "Jewish Leadership" faction of the Likud led by Moshe Feiglin.
Biden informed Netanyahu of the US administration's displeasure with Israel issuing these housing tenders, and immediately Netanyahu – after stating that the units were announced without his knowledge - pledged that Israel would not actually break ground on these units for “several” years. Applauding the construction of these units, Feiglin's position is that Israel must not yield to pressure to compromise any part of Jerusalem or any other territories liberated in the Arab-commenced war of 1967.
Netanyahu, as head of the Likud, has been ordered by the Tel Aviv District Court to hold Likud Central Committee elections on April 28th. Even before Netanyahu's apology, polls indicated that the Central Committee elections would result in a substantial increase in Feiglin's influence within the party due to the evermore right-leaning tendencies of the Likud membership.
Feiglin’s camp believes that Bibi’s apology is likely to further increase support for Feiglin among the vast majority of Likud members who are against negotiating over Jerusalem.
Feiglin returned to Israel on Thursday from a weeklong tour of the US where he spoke about the importance of electing new Israeli leadership that will act swiftly and firmly to clarify and stand behind the eternal right of the Jewish people to all of Jerusalem and the entire land of Israel and steer Israeli policy away from negotiations that include any building freezes, land swaps or giveaways.
A Feiglin victory in the Likud Central Committee elections would send a strong signal to the Obama administration that the Israeli public does not share in Netanyahu's apology.
Will we take the party? Once again, High Court will decide: By Rafi Farber
Remember that vote that the Likud Central Committee was about to have last week? Well, after marathon talks with Likud Central Committee chairman Moshe Kahlon, a sinking feeling that he could not muster the 70% needed to change the Likud Constitution, and a court order implying that even if he did, the vote would be invalidated as illegal, Netanyahu canceled the vote 24 hours before it took place.
Likud elections are scheduled for April 28th. That's 51 days from now. If they happen, then Manhigut Yehudit will more than likely take the party. The reasons are as follows:
1) The faction is expected to more than double their current numbers from 122 to 250, if not triple or even quadruple.
2) If that pans out, we may even take the Likud internal court and law committee.
3) If we do, then there's no way Netanyahu can maintain any semblance of control over his party and he will proceed to form a giant political garbage dump consisting of Likudniks that want nothing to do with Moshe Feiglin, Ehud Barak whose party wants nothing to do with him either, some runaways from Kadima, and - why not - let's just throw Meretz in there or something.
4) The garbage dump, Kadima II: will at first poll very high, which is why he will form it. But then a sudden thought will hit the average Israeli. That thought is: Haven't we seen this before?
5) Likud will be left to those faithful to the land of Israel and their Jewish identity.
That is, if the Supreme Court lets the elections actually happen. What is it they call themselves? The "Guard dogs of democracy" or something like that? So you'd think they'd allow democratic elections to take place. But don't be too sure about that.
Netanyahu has requested a staying order from the High Court to stop the elections. The case is set to be heard on the 25th. That will be the final hurdle for this round of the fight.
Jewish Time for the Jewish State
How many times have you asserted that "everything is under control?" Is that really true? We live in a world that is time-oriented. Everything is scheduled and anticipated and as we perceive it - under control. But do we control our time or does time control us?
The Western approach that plans and controls everything finds its expression is its solar calendar. In the Western calendar, everything works on a precise schedule. Every month has a pre-determined amount of days, there is one day added to February every four years and the sun remains a source of constancy. It makes us feel in control and easy to forget about G-d, Who created the sun and all the rules of nature.
The Moslem calendar is lunar - shorter than the solar calendar. It does not use extra days to balance the seasons. Thus, it is a calendar that travels around the seasons; a Moslem holiday will occur in different seasons in different years. The Moslem calendar expresses a reality in which man is out of control, dependant on outside factors such as "fate."
The Jewish calendar, about which we read this Shabbat, (Parshat Hachodesh) creates the proper synthesis between a calendar that preserves the basis of the seasons like the solar calendar, while remaining in synch with the waxing and waning of the moon. It gives order to our lives, while reminding us that G-d controls the world.
Today, the Jewish calendar is in exile. It has been pre-determined and no longer depends upon the sighting of the new moon and the Sanhedrin's decree of the new month. As we emerge from our long exile and return to our Jewish heritage, we must also return to our Jewish calendar.
"This month is the head of all months for you. It is the first for you of the months of the year." (This week's Torah maftir reading, Exodus 12:2). G-d gives the Jewish People control over the year. It is their wise men who determine when the months will start and when to insert a leap year. The Jewish People control time; time does not control them.
It is time to begin our return to the Jewish calendar. The best place to start is the school system, which can easily schedule its summer vacation and return to school according to Jewish dates. If we would decide that the first day of school would coincide with the first day of the month of Elul, the two months of summer vacation would necessarily be the Hebrew months of Tamuz and Av. When the kids are on vacation, their parents prefer to be on vacation and slowly but surely, Israeli society will return to its Jewish calendar. This will be one more step in transforming Israel from the State of the Jews to a Jewish State that illuminates the world with its message of true freedom for all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Michael Fuah
The Western approach that plans and controls everything finds its expression is its solar calendar. In the Western calendar, everything works on a precise schedule. Every month has a pre-determined amount of days, there is one day added to February every four years and the sun remains a source of constancy. It makes us feel in control and easy to forget about G-d, Who created the sun and all the rules of nature.
The Moslem calendar is lunar - shorter than the solar calendar. It does not use extra days to balance the seasons. Thus, it is a calendar that travels around the seasons; a Moslem holiday will occur in different seasons in different years. The Moslem calendar expresses a reality in which man is out of control, dependant on outside factors such as "fate."
The Jewish calendar, about which we read this Shabbat, (Parshat Hachodesh) creates the proper synthesis between a calendar that preserves the basis of the seasons like the solar calendar, while remaining in synch with the waxing and waning of the moon. It gives order to our lives, while reminding us that G-d controls the world.
Today, the Jewish calendar is in exile. It has been pre-determined and no longer depends upon the sighting of the new moon and the Sanhedrin's decree of the new month. As we emerge from our long exile and return to our Jewish heritage, we must also return to our Jewish calendar.
"This month is the head of all months for you. It is the first for you of the months of the year." (This week's Torah maftir reading, Exodus 12:2). G-d gives the Jewish People control over the year. It is their wise men who determine when the months will start and when to insert a leap year. The Jewish People control time; time does not control them.
It is time to begin our return to the Jewish calendar. The best place to start is the school system, which can easily schedule its summer vacation and return to school according to Jewish dates. If we would decide that the first day of school would coincide with the first day of the month of Elul, the two months of summer vacation would necessarily be the Hebrew months of Tamuz and Av. When the kids are on vacation, their parents prefer to be on vacation and slowly but surely, Israeli society will return to its Jewish calendar. This will be one more step in transforming Israel from the State of the Jews to a Jewish State that illuminates the world with its message of true freedom for all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Michael Fuah
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Moshe Feiglin: One Honest Man
Last night, March 8th, we attended a dinner honoring Bradley Jacobs, z’l - a great champion for the Jewish Nation and Jewish State of Israel. The guest speaker was...Moshe Feiglin of Manhigut Yehudit, the Jewish Leadership Movement.
Years ago I had met Moshe Feiglin at our home in Mevasseret Zion. I accorded him every courtesy in his solicitation for political assistance. However, at that time I had hopes that my friend, Arik Sharon, would rise to political prominence. Well, he did and, to my bitter disillusionment, he adopted a Leftist path, in coordination with U.S. State Department policy to re-partition Israel for the benefit of the Muslim Arab Palestinians. Arik was a great general but, sadly, a failure as a politician in protecting Israel as a sovereign nation.
Which brings me today to Moshe Feiglin. Over the years I have read his statements, interviews and generally agree with his views. Last night as he spoke to a small, intimate crowd, I concluded that I should have paid more attention.
As a professional observer of politicians and the problems that Israel has faced since and before 1948, I saw a man of determination and steel in his spine. I saw in him flashes of Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Theodore Herzl and even bits of Arik Sharon when he was a straight forward military man who understood the maliciousness of our enemies as he protected the State.
These were all subliminal cues for me in evaluating the man, Moshe Feiglin. I was left with the sense that Moshe was a man of many parts and all good for a nation which is mired in political scams and weakness. I saw a man of high intellect, a former officer in the first Lebanon War of 1982 and, therefore, experienced in battle. I saw a man of conviction as a proud, observant Jew who could not be swayed by corrupt politics, bribery or interests which were weighted by Arab oil.
But, could Israel actually stand "One Honest Man" after being acclimated to dishonesty by most past Prime Ministers and political parties who preceded Feiglin? They all showed weakness and lack of pride in their own Jewishness when pressed by the world’s greatest Super Power to surrender and abandon our own Land to please the Muslim world.
Do the Jewish people really want a Jewish State or will they settle for one that accommodates her most dedicated enemies, including the nations of the world who also are craven in the face of demands by the 56 Muslim states?
The people of Israel are no longer surprised when their politicians are caught using their official status to cut illegal deals. When we see the Arabist U.S. State Department easily manipulate such people as Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak, Arik Sharon, Ehud Olmert and, regrettably, Bibi Netanyahu, there is no shock or surprise because that is what the people of Israel have grown accustomed to.
I concluded that Moshe Feiglin would put a proud Jewish Israel back on the map as a democratic sovereign country - not to be manipulated or used as a political door mat. He wouldn’t wait to deliver a killing blow to an existential nuclear threat that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatens.
It’s possible that secular Jews or Leftists might find it hard to accept a truly honest, proud Jewish man as Israel’s Prime Minister. Although many Jews of that description have joined his efforts. Once they believe that Israel can be governed as an honest nation, with courts and Media that are no longer able to conduct legal affairs of State as if they were a political party; no longer siphoning public funds to bribe party hacks; no longer recruiting and training military units (like the Yassam) whose sole mission is to attack Jews and drive them out of their homes - only then will the people of Israel (and the world) understand that honesty and integrity governs. Only when the now officially sanctioned spiral of government corruption is broken that put the world’s demands over the needs of our own people - only then will the Israeli people feel pride in their Government, their nation and, therefore, themselves.
Feiglin’s stated goal is to first win the Israeli primaries for Chairman of Likud. Next, he aims for a re-invigorated Likud to win the election. Then, he plans to "Unite the Right" - form a Jewish Israel bloc with all the parties who identify with Israel as a strong and proud Jewish State - achieving a minimum of 65 seats to lead the State of Israel!!
Feiglin can honestly run under the title of "One Honest Man". While he is a quiet, confident man who has no need to shout or use clever word-games to trick the people, his presence sends a powerful message to those who are willing to listen.
That same message sends shivers through the vested Mafia of the corrupt who will fight with every dirty trick possible to keep Feiglin away from their coveted seats of power.
Good luck, Moshe. We believe in you.
Years ago I had met Moshe Feiglin at our home in Mevasseret Zion. I accorded him every courtesy in his solicitation for political assistance. However, at that time I had hopes that my friend, Arik Sharon, would rise to political prominence. Well, he did and, to my bitter disillusionment, he adopted a Leftist path, in coordination with U.S. State Department policy to re-partition Israel for the benefit of the Muslim Arab Palestinians. Arik was a great general but, sadly, a failure as a politician in protecting Israel as a sovereign nation.
Which brings me today to Moshe Feiglin. Over the years I have read his statements, interviews and generally agree with his views. Last night as he spoke to a small, intimate crowd, I concluded that I should have paid more attention.
As a professional observer of politicians and the problems that Israel has faced since and before 1948, I saw a man of determination and steel in his spine. I saw in him flashes of Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Theodore Herzl and even bits of Arik Sharon when he was a straight forward military man who understood the maliciousness of our enemies as he protected the State.
These were all subliminal cues for me in evaluating the man, Moshe Feiglin. I was left with the sense that Moshe was a man of many parts and all good for a nation which is mired in political scams and weakness. I saw a man of high intellect, a former officer in the first Lebanon War of 1982 and, therefore, experienced in battle. I saw a man of conviction as a proud, observant Jew who could not be swayed by corrupt politics, bribery or interests which were weighted by Arab oil.
But, could Israel actually stand "One Honest Man" after being acclimated to dishonesty by most past Prime Ministers and political parties who preceded Feiglin? They all showed weakness and lack of pride in their own Jewishness when pressed by the world’s greatest Super Power to surrender and abandon our own Land to please the Muslim world.
Do the Jewish people really want a Jewish State or will they settle for one that accommodates her most dedicated enemies, including the nations of the world who also are craven in the face of demands by the 56 Muslim states?
The people of Israel are no longer surprised when their politicians are caught using their official status to cut illegal deals. When we see the Arabist U.S. State Department easily manipulate such people as Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak, Arik Sharon, Ehud Olmert and, regrettably, Bibi Netanyahu, there is no shock or surprise because that is what the people of Israel have grown accustomed to.
I concluded that Moshe Feiglin would put a proud Jewish Israel back on the map as a democratic sovereign country - not to be manipulated or used as a political door mat. He wouldn’t wait to deliver a killing blow to an existential nuclear threat that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatens.
It’s possible that secular Jews or Leftists might find it hard to accept a truly honest, proud Jewish man as Israel’s Prime Minister. Although many Jews of that description have joined his efforts. Once they believe that Israel can be governed as an honest nation, with courts and Media that are no longer able to conduct legal affairs of State as if they were a political party; no longer siphoning public funds to bribe party hacks; no longer recruiting and training military units (like the Yassam) whose sole mission is to attack Jews and drive them out of their homes - only then will the people of Israel (and the world) understand that honesty and integrity governs. Only when the now officially sanctioned spiral of government corruption is broken that put the world’s demands over the needs of our own people - only then will the Israeli people feel pride in their Government, their nation and, therefore, themselves.
Feiglin’s stated goal is to first win the Israeli primaries for Chairman of Likud. Next, he aims for a re-invigorated Likud to win the election. Then, he plans to "Unite the Right" - form a Jewish Israel bloc with all the parties who identify with Israel as a strong and proud Jewish State - achieving a minimum of 65 seats to lead the State of Israel!!
Feiglin can honestly run under the title of "One Honest Man". While he is a quiet, confident man who has no need to shout or use clever word-games to trick the people, his presence sends a powerful message to those who are willing to listen.
That same message sends shivers through the vested Mafia of the corrupt who will fight with every dirty trick possible to keep Feiglin away from their coveted seats of power.
Good luck, Moshe. We believe in you.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Fundamentally Freund: Holy hysteria
You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to recognize the incontestable Jewish nature of Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs.
A new malady is sweeping through the Middle East and beyond, spreading as rapidly as any contagion in recent memory. Like any epidemic, this nefarious virus has left havoc in its wake, claiming an increasing number of victims as it crosses borders and continents with all the speed that broadband can offer.
It is “holy hysteria,” and it has even struck some of the leading members of the international community.
The most common sign of this ailment, as any political physician will tell you, is an irrational overreaction to the Jewish people’s basic and fundamental right to revere its own sacred spaces. In especially severe cases, the symptoms of this illness have also been known to include denying the Jewish historical connection to various holy sites and willfully ignoring the mounds of evidence to buttress such claims.
The latest person to be hit by this dreadful disorder is Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who this week joined the growing ranks of world leaders who have denounced Israel’s recently-published list of national heritage sites.
In a telephone conversation on Tuesday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Mubarak reportedly warned against what he termed “the dangerous implications of the invasion of the Temple Mount and of including the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb in the list of Jewish heritage sites.” Cairo even submitted an official protest to the government over the matter.
Mubarak’s blunt reaction actually seemed downright composed when compared with some of the frenzied responses emanating from the Palestinian leadership, who tried to outdo one another in their condemnation of the Jewish state.
TAKE, FOR example, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who on a visit to Brussels last week asserted that the decision could spark hostilities, labeling it “a serious provocation which may lead to a religious war.” Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza likewise called on Palestinians to launch a new intifada and defiantly declared that “Jerusalem is ours, the land is ours. We will not accept these decisions.”
And at its weekly meeting in Ramallah, the PA cabinet went still further, denying the Jewish link to the burial places of the biblical patriarchs and referring to them in a statement as “Palestinian archeological and heritage sites.”
Not surprisingly, the international community was also quick to side with the Palestinians. The European Union called it a “provocative act,” as did the US State Department, and the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process issued a statement saying he was “concerned” by the decision.
This tempest over tombs is both absurd and offensive, and Israel should not in any way buckle under to the pressure.
Sites such as Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs are part of the national and religious patrimony of the Jewish people, and we do not need anyone’s permission to renovate and maintain them. Our reverence for these sites and attachment to them predates Muhammad and precedes Jesus, and no one has the right to lecture us about where and how we choose to serve God.
In fact, this entire episode provides a revealing glimpse of just how transparently hypocritical our critics have become. After all, it was nearly 15 years ago, in the September 1995 Oslo II Accords, that the Palestinians themselves recognized Israel’s attachment to Rachel’s Tomb. In Article V, Annex I to the agreement, the Palestinians agreed that “the present situation and existing practices in the tomb shall be preserved,” meaning that they clearly consented to Israeli control and use of the site, which has never been anything other than a place of Jewish worship.
So for chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to say last week that Israel’s move amounts to a “unilateral decision to make Palestinian sites in Hebron and Bethlehem part of Israel” is not only absurd, it is patently false.
And since the accords were signed on the White House lawn in front of the world, and were formally witnessed by representatives of both the US administration and the European Union, one would expect them to see right through the Palestinians’ shenanigans.
Worse yet, by playing along with the feigned outrage of the Palestinian leadership, the international community is merely giving credence to their boorish denial of the Jewish essence of these sites.
YOU DON’T have to be a Biblical scholar or a learned archeologist to recognize the long-standing and incontestably Jewish nature of Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs. Arguing otherwise is akin to asserting that the earth is flat, Elvis is still alive and the moon is made of cheese, and that is how the Palestinian claims should be viewed.
Indeed, the late Prof. Ze’ev Vilnai, in his monumental study Holy Tombstones in the Land of Israel, noted that “the Cave of Machpela and the tombs of the patriarchs were known throughout all of the eras, and Jews looked upon them with great esteem” (Vol.1, p. 102). Similarly, regarding Rachel’s Tomb, Vilnai, considered the leading expert on the subject, wrote that it “was known throughout all of the generations, from the earliest ones onward” (Vol.1, p. 149).
But the sad fact is that history and reality just do not seem to matter all that much when it comes to how the world views Israel. Consumed by “holy hysteria,” they prefer to insult and even denigrate our most ancient traditions even as they give the Palestinians a free pass for their refusal to return to the negotiating table.
But let them grumble all they wish. Those who cherish and visit Jewish holy sites will continue to do so, whether or not others approve. And I am pleased that the government will at last begin to invest the funds needed to refurbish and restore them.
We have nothing to apologize for in paying our respects to the founding fathers and mothers of the Jewish people, and it is a blessing that our generation has been given access to their resting places. Treasuring our past, it should be clear, is no sin. But allowing others to trample on it most assuredly would be.
A new malady is sweeping through the Middle East and beyond, spreading as rapidly as any contagion in recent memory. Like any epidemic, this nefarious virus has left havoc in its wake, claiming an increasing number of victims as it crosses borders and continents with all the speed that broadband can offer.
It is “holy hysteria,” and it has even struck some of the leading members of the international community.
The most common sign of this ailment, as any political physician will tell you, is an irrational overreaction to the Jewish people’s basic and fundamental right to revere its own sacred spaces. In especially severe cases, the symptoms of this illness have also been known to include denying the Jewish historical connection to various holy sites and willfully ignoring the mounds of evidence to buttress such claims.
The latest person to be hit by this dreadful disorder is Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who this week joined the growing ranks of world leaders who have denounced Israel’s recently-published list of national heritage sites.
In a telephone conversation on Tuesday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Mubarak reportedly warned against what he termed “the dangerous implications of the invasion of the Temple Mount and of including the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb in the list of Jewish heritage sites.” Cairo even submitted an official protest to the government over the matter.
Mubarak’s blunt reaction actually seemed downright composed when compared with some of the frenzied responses emanating from the Palestinian leadership, who tried to outdo one another in their condemnation of the Jewish state.
TAKE, FOR example, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who on a visit to Brussels last week asserted that the decision could spark hostilities, labeling it “a serious provocation which may lead to a religious war.” Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza likewise called on Palestinians to launch a new intifada and defiantly declared that “Jerusalem is ours, the land is ours. We will not accept these decisions.”
And at its weekly meeting in Ramallah, the PA cabinet went still further, denying the Jewish link to the burial places of the biblical patriarchs and referring to them in a statement as “Palestinian archeological and heritage sites.”
Not surprisingly, the international community was also quick to side with the Palestinians. The European Union called it a “provocative act,” as did the US State Department, and the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process issued a statement saying he was “concerned” by the decision.
This tempest over tombs is both absurd and offensive, and Israel should not in any way buckle under to the pressure.
Sites such as Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs are part of the national and religious patrimony of the Jewish people, and we do not need anyone’s permission to renovate and maintain them. Our reverence for these sites and attachment to them predates Muhammad and precedes Jesus, and no one has the right to lecture us about where and how we choose to serve God.
In fact, this entire episode provides a revealing glimpse of just how transparently hypocritical our critics have become. After all, it was nearly 15 years ago, in the September 1995 Oslo II Accords, that the Palestinians themselves recognized Israel’s attachment to Rachel’s Tomb. In Article V, Annex I to the agreement, the Palestinians agreed that “the present situation and existing practices in the tomb shall be preserved,” meaning that they clearly consented to Israeli control and use of the site, which has never been anything other than a place of Jewish worship.
So for chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to say last week that Israel’s move amounts to a “unilateral decision to make Palestinian sites in Hebron and Bethlehem part of Israel” is not only absurd, it is patently false.
And since the accords were signed on the White House lawn in front of the world, and were formally witnessed by representatives of both the US administration and the European Union, one would expect them to see right through the Palestinians’ shenanigans.
Worse yet, by playing along with the feigned outrage of the Palestinian leadership, the international community is merely giving credence to their boorish denial of the Jewish essence of these sites.
YOU DON’T have to be a Biblical scholar or a learned archeologist to recognize the long-standing and incontestably Jewish nature of Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs. Arguing otherwise is akin to asserting that the earth is flat, Elvis is still alive and the moon is made of cheese, and that is how the Palestinian claims should be viewed.
Indeed, the late Prof. Ze’ev Vilnai, in his monumental study Holy Tombstones in the Land of Israel, noted that “the Cave of Machpela and the tombs of the patriarchs were known throughout all of the eras, and Jews looked upon them with great esteem” (Vol.1, p. 102). Similarly, regarding Rachel’s Tomb, Vilnai, considered the leading expert on the subject, wrote that it “was known throughout all of the generations, from the earliest ones onward” (Vol.1, p. 149).
But the sad fact is that history and reality just do not seem to matter all that much when it comes to how the world views Israel. Consumed by “holy hysteria,” they prefer to insult and even denigrate our most ancient traditions even as they give the Palestinians a free pass for their refusal to return to the negotiating table.
But let them grumble all they wish. Those who cherish and visit Jewish holy sites will continue to do so, whether or not others approve. And I am pleased that the government will at last begin to invest the funds needed to refurbish and restore them.
We have nothing to apologize for in paying our respects to the founding fathers and mothers of the Jewish people, and it is a blessing that our generation has been given access to their resting places. Treasuring our past, it should be clear, is no sin. But allowing others to trample on it most assuredly would be.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Mossad's Mistake - By Moshe Feiglin
Everyone is telling us there is nothing to worry about. The international Mabhouh assassination scandal will eventually evaporate, explain Israel's Intelligence veterans. After all, this is not the first time that undercover security agencies used foreign passports. The main thing is that Mabhouh has been eliminated and that all of our forces – according to foreign reports, of course – are safely back at home.
What, then, is the problem?
The planning was brilliant.
The intelligence gathering – above and beyond.
The execution went without a hitch.
So why the international brouhaha?
Once again we see that the most advanced intelligence organization equipped with the most sophisticated UAVs, state of the art technologies and the most expensive intelligence devices are no match for the preconceptions of the person making the decisions. Intelligence excellence does not help the organization that is fighting yesterday's war.
Stalin knew about the imminent German invasion but his preconceptions did not allow him to use the information that streamed to him on the eve of the attack. Golda knew – from Jordan's King Hussein and other sources – about the impending Egyptian/Syrian attack on Israel, but was surprised for the same reason.
After 9/11, I wrote an article explaining that America was going to lose the war against Iraq. How did I guess? I wasn't privy to a fraction of the information that the decision makers in Washington had. The answer is simple. If a person is entrenched in a preconception, all the information in the world will not help him. I understood that the Americans are incapable of understanding an enemy that is not a state. When the US was attacked on 9/11, President Bush looked for a guilty state. With remarkable stupidity, Saddam Hussein provided him with the return address he was looking for. The Americans certainly did conquer Iraq for a few days. But they lost the war because their preconceptions do not fit reality.
For the very same reason, Israel lost the last two wars that it fought. It looks like the same thing also happened to the Mossad in its Dubai mission.
I assume that the people at the Mossad don't understand what we want from them. For decades, they have been using foreign passports and no problems arose. The enlightened Western world is actually pleased that someone did the dirty work for it and rid it of a menacing terrorist. So why the international uproar? All the intelligence agencies in the world use foreign passports.
The pundits explain that the Arabs are pressuring the British, so they must let off some steam. Soon, they reassure us, all will return to normal.
But it won't. Somebody in the Mossad and the echelon that authorized the Mabhouh mission is still living in the eighties. They didn't notice that the Western world, and particularly the British, no longer sees Israel as the good guy in the story. For them, Mabhouh is a freedom fighter.
If you didn't notice, Israel's most senior ministers are wanted in Europe's capitals for war crimes. No need for sophisticated electronics. All that you have to do is open your eyes to reality. If Israel's leaders are wanted for crimes against humanity, what does that say about our country? In the eyes of much of the world, Israel is no more than a pirate ship sailing on borrowed time.
The world has changed, ladies and gentlemen. Israel can no longer expect the international community to wink its eye and look the other way.
To the esteemed Meir Dagan. Please turn off your computer and your telephones - and think for a moment about Israel's place in the world today.
What, then, is the problem?
The planning was brilliant.
The intelligence gathering – above and beyond.
The execution went without a hitch.
So why the international brouhaha?
Once again we see that the most advanced intelligence organization equipped with the most sophisticated UAVs, state of the art technologies and the most expensive intelligence devices are no match for the preconceptions of the person making the decisions. Intelligence excellence does not help the organization that is fighting yesterday's war.
Stalin knew about the imminent German invasion but his preconceptions did not allow him to use the information that streamed to him on the eve of the attack. Golda knew – from Jordan's King Hussein and other sources – about the impending Egyptian/Syrian attack on Israel, but was surprised for the same reason.
After 9/11, I wrote an article explaining that America was going to lose the war against Iraq. How did I guess? I wasn't privy to a fraction of the information that the decision makers in Washington had. The answer is simple. If a person is entrenched in a preconception, all the information in the world will not help him. I understood that the Americans are incapable of understanding an enemy that is not a state. When the US was attacked on 9/11, President Bush looked for a guilty state. With remarkable stupidity, Saddam Hussein provided him with the return address he was looking for. The Americans certainly did conquer Iraq for a few days. But they lost the war because their preconceptions do not fit reality.
For the very same reason, Israel lost the last two wars that it fought. It looks like the same thing also happened to the Mossad in its Dubai mission.
I assume that the people at the Mossad don't understand what we want from them. For decades, they have been using foreign passports and no problems arose. The enlightened Western world is actually pleased that someone did the dirty work for it and rid it of a menacing terrorist. So why the international uproar? All the intelligence agencies in the world use foreign passports.
The pundits explain that the Arabs are pressuring the British, so they must let off some steam. Soon, they reassure us, all will return to normal.
But it won't. Somebody in the Mossad and the echelon that authorized the Mabhouh mission is still living in the eighties. They didn't notice that the Western world, and particularly the British, no longer sees Israel as the good guy in the story. For them, Mabhouh is a freedom fighter.
If you didn't notice, Israel's most senior ministers are wanted in Europe's capitals for war crimes. No need for sophisticated electronics. All that you have to do is open your eyes to reality. If Israel's leaders are wanted for crimes against humanity, what does that say about our country? In the eyes of much of the world, Israel is no more than a pirate ship sailing on borrowed time.
The world has changed, ladies and gentlemen. Israel can no longer expect the international community to wink its eye and look the other way.
To the esteemed Meir Dagan. Please turn off your computer and your telephones - and think for a moment about Israel's place in the world today.
Haman-dinijad: By Moshe Feiglin
Something about this Purim bothers me. It seems too relevant. Once again, a Persian Haman has emerged - Haman-dinijad - and once again, he has made the existence of the Nation of Israel a topic for debate. Some say that the world is better off with Israel and others that the world is better off without Israel. The 'enlightened' academia has not yet decided, but it looks like the scales are tipping in favor of a world without Israel.
These days are too reminiscent of the thirties. The giddy optimism after World War I was gradually replaced by the foul winds of anti-Semitism and hatred. Slowly but surely, the enlightened world surrendered to the new fashion. Weak politicians made peace with the trend. Frightened Jews closed themselves in their neighborhoods as violent anti-Semitic incidents became routine. The establishment explained that the Jews must ride the murky wave and that with time, it would pass. Only a few Jabotinskys made the rounds of Europe, futilely warning of an impending holocaust.
When I was a boy, I was taught that another Holocaust cannot happen because we have a state. This line of thinking was bolstered by Religious Zionist determinism that declared that the redemption process was a given; despite its ups and downs, it could not stop. I always found comfort in the thought that while the State of Israel could bring suffering upon itself, its existence was guaranteed. Today I no longer think so. The redemption is certainly guaranteed, but on one of the declines on the path that leads to redemption, we can certainly lose our state - at a terrible price.
Every physical holocaust must be preceded by de-legitimization and de-humanization of the intended victims. The Haman of old and today's Haman both rely on the political/conceptual plane before executing their plans of annihilation. The murder of six million Jews would not have been possible if not for the fact that it was preceded by the negation of their honor and basic human rights. Annihilation was simply the next step in the process. The Persian tyrant's nuclear plans are not as dangerous as the public debate that he has managed to arouse and the "Jewish Question" that has once again found its way into public discourse.
The Mabhouh affair is a good example. If it were not so serious, it would even be funny. The entire 'enlightened' world is busy hunting down the cops and protecting the robbers. What does that say about how Israel is viewed today in the world?
If Israel's most senior ministers have arrest warrants waiting for them in Europe's capitals, if 'enlightened' regimes are searching for them as if they were international criminals - pirates - what does that say about the State of Israel? Israel has turned into a pirate ship, sailing on borrowed time. In the eyes of much of the world, the sooner its captain and crew are captured and the ship sunk - the better.
It is more comfortable for the average Israeli to hide his head in the sand and to trust Israel's leadership to deal with this problem. If he or she do not look too Jewish, they can also feel fairly comfortable outside Israel. But that is precisely the syndrome of 1938. The threat is so horrific that the average person cannot integrate it and chooses to ignore it, instead.
This is not a problem that will go away if we ignore it. If you read the Scroll of Esther, you will understand what made Haman hate the Jews. Listen to the current Haman-dinijad and you will find the same paradigm.
The story of Purim begins with a feast that the king, Ahashverosh, hosted in his palace. The feast was actually a celebration of his royal decree forbidding the Jews who had returned to Israel from the Babylonian exile to continue building the holy Temple in Jerusalem. In honor of the auspicious event, Ahashverosh invited the Jews of his capital, Shushan, to celebrate. He made sure that the holy Temple vessels that had been stolen by the Babylonians when they destroyed the Temple were prominently on display.
The Jews were flattered to be invited and were glad to participate in the feast. In other words, they forgot who they were, wanted to prove that they were good Persians and were happy for the opportunity to rub shoulders with Persian high-society. That is where Haman stepped in. If you look at the caricatures in the Nazi Der Sturmer, you will see that the assimilated German Jew aroused the same disgust in the German Amalek.
And what does the current Haman-dinijad say? He says that he has no problem with the Jews. He only has a problem with the Zionists. "It is a shame what the Germans did to the Jews," he disingenuously says, "so let the Austrians and Germans find them a place to live in Europe - not at the expense of the Palestinians." And between us, the Foreign Ministry of the 'Singapore of the Middle East' - as Israel's president defines us - has a hard time explaining why the modern-day Haman is mistaken. If we are not a Jewish state, but rather, a state of all its citizens - as former Chief Justice Aharon Barak claims - then what right do we have to act like colonialists? What right do we have to conquer and expel another nation from its land in Sheikh Munis, a.k.a. as Ramat Aviv?
"It is all the settlers' fault. We will eliminate their settlements and everything will work out," some people in Tel Aviv claim. There were German Jews who also thought that the hatred they were experiencing was because of the Ost Yidden - the Eastern (Polish) Jews. About a year ago, I read an interview with German Jewish Holocaust survivors who are still convinced that the horrors that they experienced could have been prevented if not for the Ost Yidden.
It can't happen to us because we have the IDF? We love to rely on the IDF, its sophisticated weapons and cutting edge technology. But the IDF lost its moral balance in Gush Katif and has not yet regained it. An army without moral balance will not be able to save us.
The Purim story has a happy end. But Jewish history has other stories that do not end quite as happily. We would be wise to learn the Purim story well to understand what caused the turn-about that saved the Jews. It just may help us to deal with the storm clouds gathering on our horizon.
These days are too reminiscent of the thirties. The giddy optimism after World War I was gradually replaced by the foul winds of anti-Semitism and hatred. Slowly but surely, the enlightened world surrendered to the new fashion. Weak politicians made peace with the trend. Frightened Jews closed themselves in their neighborhoods as violent anti-Semitic incidents became routine. The establishment explained that the Jews must ride the murky wave and that with time, it would pass. Only a few Jabotinskys made the rounds of Europe, futilely warning of an impending holocaust.
When I was a boy, I was taught that another Holocaust cannot happen because we have a state. This line of thinking was bolstered by Religious Zionist determinism that declared that the redemption process was a given; despite its ups and downs, it could not stop. I always found comfort in the thought that while the State of Israel could bring suffering upon itself, its existence was guaranteed. Today I no longer think so. The redemption is certainly guaranteed, but on one of the declines on the path that leads to redemption, we can certainly lose our state - at a terrible price.
Every physical holocaust must be preceded by de-legitimization and de-humanization of the intended victims. The Haman of old and today's Haman both rely on the political/conceptual plane before executing their plans of annihilation. The murder of six million Jews would not have been possible if not for the fact that it was preceded by the negation of their honor and basic human rights. Annihilation was simply the next step in the process. The Persian tyrant's nuclear plans are not as dangerous as the public debate that he has managed to arouse and the "Jewish Question" that has once again found its way into public discourse.
The Mabhouh affair is a good example. If it were not so serious, it would even be funny. The entire 'enlightened' world is busy hunting down the cops and protecting the robbers. What does that say about how Israel is viewed today in the world?
If Israel's most senior ministers have arrest warrants waiting for them in Europe's capitals, if 'enlightened' regimes are searching for them as if they were international criminals - pirates - what does that say about the State of Israel? Israel has turned into a pirate ship, sailing on borrowed time. In the eyes of much of the world, the sooner its captain and crew are captured and the ship sunk - the better.
It is more comfortable for the average Israeli to hide his head in the sand and to trust Israel's leadership to deal with this problem. If he or she do not look too Jewish, they can also feel fairly comfortable outside Israel. But that is precisely the syndrome of 1938. The threat is so horrific that the average person cannot integrate it and chooses to ignore it, instead.
This is not a problem that will go away if we ignore it. If you read the Scroll of Esther, you will understand what made Haman hate the Jews. Listen to the current Haman-dinijad and you will find the same paradigm.
The story of Purim begins with a feast that the king, Ahashverosh, hosted in his palace. The feast was actually a celebration of his royal decree forbidding the Jews who had returned to Israel from the Babylonian exile to continue building the holy Temple in Jerusalem. In honor of the auspicious event, Ahashverosh invited the Jews of his capital, Shushan, to celebrate. He made sure that the holy Temple vessels that had been stolen by the Babylonians when they destroyed the Temple were prominently on display.
The Jews were flattered to be invited and were glad to participate in the feast. In other words, they forgot who they were, wanted to prove that they were good Persians and were happy for the opportunity to rub shoulders with Persian high-society. That is where Haman stepped in. If you look at the caricatures in the Nazi Der Sturmer, you will see that the assimilated German Jew aroused the same disgust in the German Amalek.
And what does the current Haman-dinijad say? He says that he has no problem with the Jews. He only has a problem with the Zionists. "It is a shame what the Germans did to the Jews," he disingenuously says, "so let the Austrians and Germans find them a place to live in Europe - not at the expense of the Palestinians." And between us, the Foreign Ministry of the 'Singapore of the Middle East' - as Israel's president defines us - has a hard time explaining why the modern-day Haman is mistaken. If we are not a Jewish state, but rather, a state of all its citizens - as former Chief Justice Aharon Barak claims - then what right do we have to act like colonialists? What right do we have to conquer and expel another nation from its land in Sheikh Munis, a.k.a. as Ramat Aviv?
"It is all the settlers' fault. We will eliminate their settlements and everything will work out," some people in Tel Aviv claim. There were German Jews who also thought that the hatred they were experiencing was because of the Ost Yidden - the Eastern (Polish) Jews. About a year ago, I read an interview with German Jewish Holocaust survivors who are still convinced that the horrors that they experienced could have been prevented if not for the Ost Yidden.
It can't happen to us because we have the IDF? We love to rely on the IDF, its sophisticated weapons and cutting edge technology. But the IDF lost its moral balance in Gush Katif and has not yet regained it. An army without moral balance will not be able to save us.
The Purim story has a happy end. But Jewish history has other stories that do not end quite as happily. We would be wise to learn the Purim story well to understand what caused the turn-about that saved the Jews. It just may help us to deal with the storm clouds gathering on our horizon.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tel Aviv Court Paves Way for Likud Central Committee Elections – Feiglin Gains Expected
Despite Israeli Prime Minister – and Likud Chairman - Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu's best efforts to derail them, Likud Central Committee elections are on track to take place on April 28th (14 Iyar, Pesach Sheni). Moshe Feiglin and his Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) faction are expected to do well in these internal Likud elections. Manhigut Yehudit is currently the largest faction in the Central Committee, and the results of this election should serve to further strengthen Feiglin's growing power in the party.
Netanyahu has pushed hard to have the elections delayed until at least 2012 in order to gain time to register more Kadima defectors to offset the growing base of Feiglin loyalists. Tel Aviv District Court Judge Yehuda Zeft made it clear on Tuesday that elections should go forward as planned stating, “Even if you decide to declare yourselves central committee members for life and that it will also carry on to your children, it doesn’t mean it counts.” In the wake of this warning, Bibi has cancelled a planned Likud internal vote on his postponement, while leaving open his option to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Netanyahu waged an intense personal campaign against Feiglin in the 2008 Likud Party primaries. His goal was to prevent his rival from influencing the structure of the Likud list running in the general election of 2009 and to prevent Feiglin from entering the Knesset at that time. The power of Manhigut Yehudit's grassroots organization behind candidates proclaiming support for strong Jewish values and connection to the entire land of Israel won the day with Likud voters.
Bibi Netanyahu is now concerned that Feiglin's movement will sweep into a stronger position through the upcoming process of selecting a new party Central Committee. The Central Committee of the Likud was the source of the only serious opposition to Ariel Sharon's plan to unilaterally abandon the Jewish communities of Gaza in 2005 and is gearing up to become an insurmountable obstacle to Netanyahu and his current plan to create an Arab state in the Jewish biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria.
Palestine: the Real Apartheid State In the Making
By David Bedein
Wed Mar 2 2010
* "Palestine"is an apartheid state in the making.
* "Israel Apartheid" Week is the time to publicize that fact.
* During Israel Apartheid Week, orchestrated on campuses around the globe, the time has come to put the shoe on the other foot.
In 1948, Apartheid laws institutionalized racial discrimination in South Africa & denied human rights to 25 million Black citizens of South Africa.
In 1948, the Arab League of Nations applied the Apartheid model to Palestine, and declared that Jews must be denied rights as citizens of Israel, while declaring a total state of war to eradicate the new Jewish entity, a war that continues today.
In 1948, at the directive of the Arab League of Nations, Jordan devastated the vestiges of Jewish life from Judea and Samaria, and burned all schules in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.
In 1948, member states of the Arab League of Nations began to strip the human rights of Jews and to expel entire Jewish communities who had resided in their midst for centuries
In the mid 1960's, The Arab League of Nations spawned the PLO to organize local residents to continue the war to deny Jewish rights the right to live as free citizens in the land of Israel - well before Israel took over Judea, Samaria, and the Old City of Jerusalem in the defensive war waged by Israel in 1967.
And since its inception in 1994, the newly constituted Palestinian Authority, created by the PLO, has prepared the rudiments of a Palestinian State, modeled on the rules of Apartheid and institutionalized discrimination:
1. The right of Palestinian Arab refugees and their descendents to return to Arab villages lost in 1948 will be protected by the new Palestinian state.
2. While 20% of Israel’s citizens are Arabs, not one Jew will be allowed to live in a Palestinian State
3. Anyone who sells land to a Jew will be liable to the death penalty in the Palestinian State
4. Those who murder Jews are honored on all official Palestinian media outlets.
5. Palestinian Authority maps prepared for the Palestinian State depict all of Palestine under Palestinian rule
6. PA maps of Jerusalem for the Palestinian State once again delete the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem
7. Recent PA documents claim all of Jerusalem for the future Palestinian State.
8. The right of Jewish access to Jewish holy places is to be denied in the new Palestinian State.
9. The Draft Palestinian State Constitution denies juridical status to any religion except for Islam.
10. No system which protects human rights or civil liberties will exist in a Palestinian State
If that is not a formula for a totalitarian apartheid state of Palestine, then what is?
Wed Mar 2 2010
* "Palestine"is an apartheid state in the making.
* "Israel Apartheid" Week is the time to publicize that fact.
* During Israel Apartheid Week, orchestrated on campuses around the globe, the time has come to put the shoe on the other foot.
In 1948, Apartheid laws institutionalized racial discrimination in South Africa & denied human rights to 25 million Black citizens of South Africa.
In 1948, the Arab League of Nations applied the Apartheid model to Palestine, and declared that Jews must be denied rights as citizens of Israel, while declaring a total state of war to eradicate the new Jewish entity, a war that continues today.
In 1948, at the directive of the Arab League of Nations, Jordan devastated the vestiges of Jewish life from Judea and Samaria, and burned all schules in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.
In 1948, member states of the Arab League of Nations began to strip the human rights of Jews and to expel entire Jewish communities who had resided in their midst for centuries
In the mid 1960's, The Arab League of Nations spawned the PLO to organize local residents to continue the war to deny Jewish rights the right to live as free citizens in the land of Israel - well before Israel took over Judea, Samaria, and the Old City of Jerusalem in the defensive war waged by Israel in 1967.
And since its inception in 1994, the newly constituted Palestinian Authority, created by the PLO, has prepared the rudiments of a Palestinian State, modeled on the rules of Apartheid and institutionalized discrimination:
1. The right of Palestinian Arab refugees and their descendents to return to Arab villages lost in 1948 will be protected by the new Palestinian state.
2. While 20% of Israel’s citizens are Arabs, not one Jew will be allowed to live in a Palestinian State
3. Anyone who sells land to a Jew will be liable to the death penalty in the Palestinian State
4. Those who murder Jews are honored on all official Palestinian media outlets.
5. Palestinian Authority maps prepared for the Palestinian State depict all of Palestine under Palestinian rule
6. PA maps of Jerusalem for the Palestinian State once again delete the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem
7. Recent PA documents claim all of Jerusalem for the future Palestinian State.
8. The right of Jewish access to Jewish holy places is to be denied in the new Palestinian State.
9. The Draft Palestinian State Constitution denies juridical status to any religion except for Islam.
10. No system which protects human rights or civil liberties will exist in a Palestinian State
If that is not a formula for a totalitarian apartheid state of Palestine, then what is?
Monday, March 1, 2010
On Dogs and the Middle East - Paul Eidelberg
Part I
Jews and Christians should not feel insulted when Muslim Arabs call them dogs. Actually, it’s an unwitting form of flattery! Let me explain before you call for my head.
As everyone knows, a dog invariably wags its tail when its master returns home. On the other hand, if its master scolds the dog, the creature’s tail disappears between its legs.
The motion of the dog’s tail reveals its inner feeling, joyful when it sees its master, unhappy when scolded.
What is more, you cannot easily deceive a dog by cooing in a friendly and welcoming voice when you’re inwardly annoyed or angry by his dirtying your Persian rug. The dog’s tail still will go between its legs despite your friendly voice.
Unlike dogs, human beings can conceal their feelings. In other words, a dog is a “sincere” creature, meaning, it will not happily wave its tail and yet have murder in its heart.
The same cannot be said of a human being, who may smile at you, shake your hands, and even flatter you—only to disarm you in order to facilitate his scheme to slaughter you.
The intelligent reader may now understand why it’s so difficult to negotiate genuine peace in the Middle East. Hence, it would be a grave mistake as well as an insult to call Muslim Arabs what they call Jews and Christians.
Part II
Isn’t it amazing that you cannot deceive dogs as readily as Muslim Arabs can deceive Jews, and Christians? Yes, but how are we going to explain the behavior of Barak Hussein Obama—his outreach to Arab-Islamic states, even to such murderous regimes as Iran and Syria?
Alternatively, how are we going to explain the behavior of Israeli prime ministers who have not only released thousands of Muslim Arab terrorists, but have also given them arms, money, and even Jewish land?
Another enigma: We all know that Muslim Arabs have used their own children as human bombs. But how are we to explain the fact that many seemingly civilized people are not outraged by such barbarism? I am referring to Americans and Europeans who, in utter disregard of the Western idea of personal responsibility, blame not Islam but Israel, the original source of that idea?
Has Western civilization with all its emphasis on personal freedom and human dignity lost its bearing, has gone mad? Is evil running amok on planet earth?
Consider the assassination of a Hamas terrorist in Dubai. Shouldn’t decent men applause or at least feel relieved at the end of that murderous villain? Instead, the civilized world blames Israel! The Prophet Isaiah would say—in one way or another: “Woe unto them that call good evil …”
But what does Israel’s feckless prime minister say about ridding the earth of a wanton murderer in Dubai? He denies Israel’s complicity—period! Suppose he had said: “Sorry folks, we were a little late.”
The curious reader may ask: “What has this to do with dogs? In Plato’s dialogue, The Republic, Socrates speaks of three parts of a just city, and he likens the guardians to dogs. Why? Other subtleties aside, the dog represents courage and loyalty, on which the safety and survival of the city depends. Also, a dog is wary if not hostile to strangers. The trouble is that a dog (unlike Barak Obama!) does not readily distinguish between good and bad strangers.
The dog represents the spirited (or “patriotic) part of the city but not its intellectual part; the just city needs both. This applies to a human being, who needs a good heart, the seat of honor, and a good mind, the seat of wisdom (so lacking in America and Israel).
The Muslim Arab has an overweening if not pathological sense of honor. In the place of wisdom he has an abundance of cunning.
Lacking in Arab-Islamic culture is moderation, for Plato, one of the cardinal virtues, the virtue conducive to peace.
This is why there will be no peace in the Middle East—unless Jihadic Islam is relegated to the dust heap of history.
Jews and Christians should not feel insulted when Muslim Arabs call them dogs. Actually, it’s an unwitting form of flattery! Let me explain before you call for my head.
As everyone knows, a dog invariably wags its tail when its master returns home. On the other hand, if its master scolds the dog, the creature’s tail disappears between its legs.
The motion of the dog’s tail reveals its inner feeling, joyful when it sees its master, unhappy when scolded.
What is more, you cannot easily deceive a dog by cooing in a friendly and welcoming voice when you’re inwardly annoyed or angry by his dirtying your Persian rug. The dog’s tail still will go between its legs despite your friendly voice.
Unlike dogs, human beings can conceal their feelings. In other words, a dog is a “sincere” creature, meaning, it will not happily wave its tail and yet have murder in its heart.
The same cannot be said of a human being, who may smile at you, shake your hands, and even flatter you—only to disarm you in order to facilitate his scheme to slaughter you.
The intelligent reader may now understand why it’s so difficult to negotiate genuine peace in the Middle East. Hence, it would be a grave mistake as well as an insult to call Muslim Arabs what they call Jews and Christians.
Part II
Isn’t it amazing that you cannot deceive dogs as readily as Muslim Arabs can deceive Jews, and Christians? Yes, but how are we going to explain the behavior of Barak Hussein Obama—his outreach to Arab-Islamic states, even to such murderous regimes as Iran and Syria?
Alternatively, how are we going to explain the behavior of Israeli prime ministers who have not only released thousands of Muslim Arab terrorists, but have also given them arms, money, and even Jewish land?
Another enigma: We all know that Muslim Arabs have used their own children as human bombs. But how are we to explain the fact that many seemingly civilized people are not outraged by such barbarism? I am referring to Americans and Europeans who, in utter disregard of the Western idea of personal responsibility, blame not Islam but Israel, the original source of that idea?
Has Western civilization with all its emphasis on personal freedom and human dignity lost its bearing, has gone mad? Is evil running amok on planet earth?
Consider the assassination of a Hamas terrorist in Dubai. Shouldn’t decent men applause or at least feel relieved at the end of that murderous villain? Instead, the civilized world blames Israel! The Prophet Isaiah would say—in one way or another: “Woe unto them that call good evil …”
But what does Israel’s feckless prime minister say about ridding the earth of a wanton murderer in Dubai? He denies Israel’s complicity—period! Suppose he had said: “Sorry folks, we were a little late.”
The curious reader may ask: “What has this to do with dogs? In Plato’s dialogue, The Republic, Socrates speaks of three parts of a just city, and he likens the guardians to dogs. Why? Other subtleties aside, the dog represents courage and loyalty, on which the safety and survival of the city depends. Also, a dog is wary if not hostile to strangers. The trouble is that a dog (unlike Barak Obama!) does not readily distinguish between good and bad strangers.
The dog represents the spirited (or “patriotic) part of the city but not its intellectual part; the just city needs both. This applies to a human being, who needs a good heart, the seat of honor, and a good mind, the seat of wisdom (so lacking in America and Israel).
The Muslim Arab has an overweening if not pathological sense of honor. In the place of wisdom he has an abundance of cunning.
Lacking in Arab-Islamic culture is moderation, for Plato, one of the cardinal virtues, the virtue conducive to peace.
This is why there will be no peace in the Middle East—unless Jihadic Islam is relegated to the dust heap of history.
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