As these words are being written, the door on Israel's military option to destroy the Iranian nuclear threat is being closed tight. An attack on a "hot" nuclear reactor near a crowded city is tantamount to dropping a nuclear bomb on a civilian population. It is not reasonable to think that Israel, which did not muster up the necessary courage to withstand the expected response to bombing cement and steel, will dare bomb a live nuclear reactor. If Israel does not attack Bushehr in the wee bit of time left – and clearly, it won't – we can sorrowfully say that Israel has failed miserably in dealing with this major existential challenge.
While Israeli society is busy with "life and death" issues like the reportedly forged Galant document or the trial of former president Katzav, the curtain is slowly closing on Israel's ability to prevent the modern day Hitler from equipping himself with nuclear weapons.
This does not mean immediate destruction of the State of Israel. It is much more likely that what will happen is a steady deterioration of Israel's sovereignty – a snowball that will be unstoppable using our current tools. A country that is incapable of halting an enemy that threatens to destroy it loses its deterrence and invites intensifying political and terrorist pressure. The "solution", as always, will be total retreat from Judea and Samaria, with an assortment of other solutions on the way to the final one.
This does not really surprise any Israeli. Deep down, the Nation of Israel has come to terms with this reality. The average Israeli lives his life on borrowed time, feels that reality is closing in on him and that the arena on which he lives is shrinking under his feet. The Iranian nuclear threat is one million times too big for the average citizen – no matter how intelligent he may be. In addition, Israelis receive a 24 hour a day brainwashing about Katzav, Galant and the latest reality show – and cannot begin to think about anything serious. They have no choice but to depend on Israel's political leadership.
In this seemingly impossible reality, our current leadership seems to be the best that we can hope for. Our government is exquisitely balanced between the Jewish majority - that has been totally desensitized by the media - and the leftist power elites in Israel's society. This government is being run without any major corruption scandals and maintains a high standard of living and government services for its citizens. What more can we ask for? And if this government did not manage to stop the Iranian bomb – then it must really be unstoppable.
To understand what can be done, we must understand the roots of the failure. Israel lost the battle against Iran in Gush Katif. The expulsion of the Jews and destruction of their settlements was justifiably understood by the world as an absolute admission of the justness of the "Palestinian" narrative. It "proved" that the "Palestinian" claims on the entire Land are true. A person doesn't readily volunteer to give up parts of his home. If he does so, he essentially recognizes the fact that the house belongs to the party claiming that all of it is his.
Since the Expulsion, pressure on Israel has not weakened, as the proponents of the "Disengagement" promised. On the contrary, it has intensified by leaps and bounds. The ethical backbone of those who "compromised for peace" was not strengthened. It completely disappeared. Achmadinijad lectures in the West, while Israel's ministers are wanted as international criminals.
The State of Israel that flees its Jewish identity and attempts to base itself on the values of enlightened man – in other words, on the values of the Western world – finds itself with no tools with which to deal with the international attack against its legitimate right to exist. From the Western mentality arena – enlightened, Christian, secular, seemingly practical – it is no longer possible to supply an answer to the existential threat hanging over Israel. It is amazing to see how although Israel is at its highest point ever both economically and militarily, we cannot effectively counter the most basic threat against us.
There is, though, a different mentality-arena on which we can play. At one point or another, we will have no choice but to stand upon it. No, it is not an expanded alliance with Greece or just one more maneuver on the existing, shrinking arena. It is the Jewish arena. When the State of Israel will firmly plant itself upon it, it will enjoy full justification for its existence. When Israeli society will make peace with its Jewish identity; when it will be willing to fight and make sacrifices for the values that derive from this identity - we will be able to announce our intention to bomb the nuclear reactor in Bushehr, give the civilian population ample time to evacuate – and destroy the threat.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
NEW - “Cuban Missile Crises”
Those who oppose an Israeli strike on Iran say this will trigger Iranian sleeper cells in the US and Canada and thus play havoc in America. This objection ignores the reason why those sleeper cells were established in the first place—beginning in the 1990s—and what they might more readily be encouraged to do if Iran deploys nuclear weapons.
Moreover, Iran is penetrating anti-American regimes in Latin America. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been wooing Venezuela strong man Hugo Chavez. Given Iran’s’ long-range ballistic missiles, if they are tipped with nuclear bombs, one may reasonably expect one or more “Cuban Missile Crises” in the future.
Paul Eidelberg
Moreover, Iran is penetrating anti-American regimes in Latin America. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been wooing Venezuela strong man Hugo Chavez. Given Iran’s’ long-range ballistic missiles, if they are tipped with nuclear bombs, one may reasonably expect one or more “Cuban Missile Crises” in the future.
Paul Eidelberg
Manhigut Yehudit - Feiglin!
Israel needs:
1. Jewish leadership that strengthens and preserves Israel’s Jewish identity.
2. At least 1 hour of Jewish education per day to every child in Israel.
3. End Arab terror and the Iranian nuclear threat with decisive action.
4. Democratize the Israeli justice system.
5. Massively expand worldwide aliyah.
6. Settle Judea, Samaria, the Negev, the Galilee, and return to Gush Katif.
7. Apply Jewish values to domestic policy without any religious coercion.
8. Restore pride to the Jewish nation.
My vote remains with Moshe!!!
Avi
1. Jewish leadership that strengthens and preserves Israel’s Jewish identity.
2. At least 1 hour of Jewish education per day to every child in Israel.
3. End Arab terror and the Iranian nuclear threat with decisive action.
4. Democratize the Israeli justice system.
5. Massively expand worldwide aliyah.
6. Settle Judea, Samaria, the Negev, the Galilee, and return to Gush Katif.
7. Apply Jewish values to domestic policy without any religious coercion.
8. Restore pride to the Jewish nation.
My vote remains with Moshe!!!
Avi
IRS Sued For Discrimination Against Organizations That Don't Share Administration's Position on Israel!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 25, 2010
Z STREET, a pro-Israel non-profit corporation, filed a lawsuit in federal court today charging that the IRS violated the organization’s First Amendment rights. The suit was filed after Z STREET was told by an IRS official that its application for tax-exempt status has been delayed because an IRS policy requires consideration of whether a group’s views on Israel differ from those of the current Administration.
“Not only is it patently un-American but it is also a clear violation of the First Amendment for a government agency to penalize an organization because of its political position on Israel or anything else,” said Z STREET president Lori Lowenthal Marcus, a former First Amendment lawyer. “This situation is the same as if the government denied a driver’s license to people because they were Republicans or Democrats. It goes against everything for which our country stands.”
Z STREET filed for tax-exempt status in January of this year and, despite having met all of the requirements for grant of this status, the application has been stalled. An IRS agent told Z STREET’s lawyers that the application was delayed because of a Special Israel Policy that requires more intense scrutiny of organizations which have to do with Israel, in part to determine whether they espouse positions on Israel contrary to those of the current Administration.
Z STREET is a Zionist organization that proudly supports Israel’s right to refuse to negotiate with, make concessions to, or appease terrorists. Z STREET’s positions on Israel and, in particular, on the Middle East “peace process” differ significantly from those espoused by the Obama administration.
If Z STREET had tax-exempt status, its donors would be able to deduct contributions from their taxable income. The IRS's refusal to grant tax-exempt status to Z STREET has inhibited the organization‘s fund-raising efforts, and therefore impeded its ability to speak and to educate the public regarding the issues that are the focus and purpose of Z STREET.
The lawsuit, Z STREET v. Shulman, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, was filed today in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Z Street | P. O Box 182, Merion Station PA, 19066
Z STREET, a pro-Israel non-profit corporation, filed a lawsuit in federal court today charging that the IRS violated the organization’s First Amendment rights. The suit was filed after Z STREET was told by an IRS official that its application for tax-exempt status has been delayed because an IRS policy requires consideration of whether a group’s views on Israel differ from those of the current Administration.
“Not only is it patently un-American but it is also a clear violation of the First Amendment for a government agency to penalize an organization because of its political position on Israel or anything else,” said Z STREET president Lori Lowenthal Marcus, a former First Amendment lawyer. “This situation is the same as if the government denied a driver’s license to people because they were Republicans or Democrats. It goes against everything for which our country stands.”
Z STREET filed for tax-exempt status in January of this year and, despite having met all of the requirements for grant of this status, the application has been stalled. An IRS agent told Z STREET’s lawyers that the application was delayed because of a Special Israel Policy that requires more intense scrutiny of organizations which have to do with Israel, in part to determine whether they espouse positions on Israel contrary to those of the current Administration.
Z STREET is a Zionist organization that proudly supports Israel’s right to refuse to negotiate with, make concessions to, or appease terrorists. Z STREET’s positions on Israel and, in particular, on the Middle East “peace process” differ significantly from those espoused by the Obama administration.
If Z STREET had tax-exempt status, its donors would be able to deduct contributions from their taxable income. The IRS's refusal to grant tax-exempt status to Z STREET has inhibited the organization‘s fund-raising efforts, and therefore impeded its ability to speak and to educate the public regarding the issues that are the focus and purpose of Z STREET.
The lawsuit, Z STREET v. Shulman, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, was filed today in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Z Street | P. O Box 182, Merion Station PA, 19066
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Manhigut Yehudit Video Channels
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Please bookmark these video "channels" on your computer. Visit often or subscribe. Make sure to rate the video, select as a "favorite" or video that you "like", and forward to your friends!
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http://www.youtube.com/user/JewishLeadership
Economy and Security: By Moshe Feiglin
Israel's economic and security might are at their highest point ever, while its moral standing and ability to preserve the legitimacy of its existence are at an all-time low.
Defense Minister Barak announced this week that he has authorized Israel's purchase of F35 fighter jets from the US. The defense department debated long and hard over whether it is worthwhile for Israel to invest billions for the new jets. Traditionally, the purchase of new jets would set off a mini-celebration in Israel. But this time, it looks like there is nothing to celebrate.
The main argument used time and again to explain why Israel must retreat or why we must not attack Iran is that we will not be able to manage without the American-made spare parts for our fighter jets. This claim is not true. Israel can and does acquire most (and possibly all) of its required spare parts on the open international market – at better prices than from their source.
Israel's continued reliance on American weapons is the perpetuation of the self-loathing mentality that bases Israel's existence on its big brother across the ocean.
It is not even clear that Israel needs these jets. What then, motivates the Defense Minister to authorize their purchase?
The disengagement of the Jews from reality - a.k.a. G-d - leads to its disengagement from its Land. This process of disengagement inevitably results in Israel making "painful concessions." Before these concessions, the US always sends some new weapons system our way, in an attempt to ease the pressure on Israel's leadership and to help it convince the Israeli public to swallow the bitter pill.
Israel should have neutralized the Iranian threat a long time ago, with or without the F35. It did not do so, and probably will not do so until the nuclear reactor is activated in a few days – not because of lack of operational capabilities but due to lack of moral/societal/political resilience. The F35 purchase will not add to this resilience. It will only to serve to make Israel more mentally subservient to the US, aggravating an already bad situation.
Does this mean that Israel should not use American weapons?
An authentic Jewish Israel will use excellent products from around the world – both material and cultural. The authentic Jewish State will conduct diverse and widespread commerce. Its international relations will be based upon mutual respect. Where needed, it will also engage in strategic alliances with other nations. But all of these foreign relations will be predicated upon the focal point – Israel's immutable connection to its G-d.
It was not difficult to anticipate the future of the relations between Israel and Turkey. The reason for the intelligence gaffe on the flotilla was not operational, but conceptual. Trapped in the conceptual world of 'peace,' the IDF could not prepare for war. Israel, incapable of understanding the theological roots of the conflict and the faith that lies at the foundation of all cultures was dazzled by secular Turkey, misreading developments in the country.
Exchanging Greece for Turkey is the repetition of the same mistake. Leadership that does not understand the basic hatred of Esau for Jacob, will continue to rely on alliances on shifting sands. No strategic alliances can help a nation that has lost the faith in its right to exist. Cutting-edge weapons won't help, either.
Israel must prepare itself for the future both economically and militarily.
Israel's economy must evolve so that it will become basically self-sufficient. The world is marching toward major crisis that will decrease Israel's export opportunities. The more that Israel's economy can absorb local products, the less damage we will incur from the approaching crisis. For our long term economic independence as well, we must encourage the manufacture of local products – even if we can currently buy them abroad for less.
This is even more true for weapons development. The Israeli Lavie fighter jet project (eliminated by Yitzchak Rabin) was cancelled due to economic considerations. But if today, the backbone of Israel's Air Force had been based on Israeli jets, it may just be that the Iranian threat would not exist. Not only because of the operational capabilities of the Lavie, but mainly because it would have freed us of our dependence- mentality on the US. Even now, Israel still has options to produce its own jet fighters, with the cooperation and funding of other countries that do not wish to be dependant on American weapons. The choice of the F35 testifies to serious cognitive paralysis.
Israel must make G-d its focal point as it adapts its culture to its Jewish values. When it will do so, it will conduct itself naturally, logically and successfully on every plane.
Defense Minister Barak announced this week that he has authorized Israel's purchase of F35 fighter jets from the US. The defense department debated long and hard over whether it is worthwhile for Israel to invest billions for the new jets. Traditionally, the purchase of new jets would set off a mini-celebration in Israel. But this time, it looks like there is nothing to celebrate.
The main argument used time and again to explain why Israel must retreat or why we must not attack Iran is that we will not be able to manage without the American-made spare parts for our fighter jets. This claim is not true. Israel can and does acquire most (and possibly all) of its required spare parts on the open international market – at better prices than from their source.
Israel's continued reliance on American weapons is the perpetuation of the self-loathing mentality that bases Israel's existence on its big brother across the ocean.
It is not even clear that Israel needs these jets. What then, motivates the Defense Minister to authorize their purchase?
The disengagement of the Jews from reality - a.k.a. G-d - leads to its disengagement from its Land. This process of disengagement inevitably results in Israel making "painful concessions." Before these concessions, the US always sends some new weapons system our way, in an attempt to ease the pressure on Israel's leadership and to help it convince the Israeli public to swallow the bitter pill.
Israel should have neutralized the Iranian threat a long time ago, with or without the F35. It did not do so, and probably will not do so until the nuclear reactor is activated in a few days – not because of lack of operational capabilities but due to lack of moral/societal/political resilience. The F35 purchase will not add to this resilience. It will only to serve to make Israel more mentally subservient to the US, aggravating an already bad situation.
Does this mean that Israel should not use American weapons?
An authentic Jewish Israel will use excellent products from around the world – both material and cultural. The authentic Jewish State will conduct diverse and widespread commerce. Its international relations will be based upon mutual respect. Where needed, it will also engage in strategic alliances with other nations. But all of these foreign relations will be predicated upon the focal point – Israel's immutable connection to its G-d.
It was not difficult to anticipate the future of the relations between Israel and Turkey. The reason for the intelligence gaffe on the flotilla was not operational, but conceptual. Trapped in the conceptual world of 'peace,' the IDF could not prepare for war. Israel, incapable of understanding the theological roots of the conflict and the faith that lies at the foundation of all cultures was dazzled by secular Turkey, misreading developments in the country.
Exchanging Greece for Turkey is the repetition of the same mistake. Leadership that does not understand the basic hatred of Esau for Jacob, will continue to rely on alliances on shifting sands. No strategic alliances can help a nation that has lost the faith in its right to exist. Cutting-edge weapons won't help, either.
Israel must prepare itself for the future both economically and militarily.
Israel's economy must evolve so that it will become basically self-sufficient. The world is marching toward major crisis that will decrease Israel's export opportunities. The more that Israel's economy can absorb local products, the less damage we will incur from the approaching crisis. For our long term economic independence as well, we must encourage the manufacture of local products – even if we can currently buy them abroad for less.
This is even more true for weapons development. The Israeli Lavie fighter jet project (eliminated by Yitzchak Rabin) was cancelled due to economic considerations. But if today, the backbone of Israel's Air Force had been based on Israeli jets, it may just be that the Iranian threat would not exist. Not only because of the operational capabilities of the Lavie, but mainly because it would have freed us of our dependence- mentality on the US. Even now, Israel still has options to produce its own jet fighters, with the cooperation and funding of other countries that do not wish to be dependant on American weapons. The choice of the F35 testifies to serious cognitive paralysis.
Israel must make G-d its focal point as it adapts its culture to its Jewish values. When it will do so, it will conduct itself naturally, logically and successfully on every plane.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Moshe Feiglin Q & A
What is your message to the Israeli public?
I think that we must make the Jewish identity of our state our first priority.
A theocratic state?
Not at all. Israel must be a state that affords its citizens the liberty to express who they really are. I actually oppose religious parties and religious legislation.
So what kind of state are you referring to?
Israel should be a state in which every child in the educational system studies Jewish identity for one hour daily. Our children should know our history, our land, the Bible and the prayer book. Whether or not they choose to pray from the prayer book is their choice (or that of their parents). But at least they should be familiar with the glorious history and culture that informs who they are today.
And what will you do about the Arabs?
Our problems with the Arabs are a reflection of the problems between the Jews. The Left is fanatically anxious to 'solve' the Arab problem so that they will stop reminding them that they are Jews. They erroneously think that if the Arabs no longer hate the Jews, they will also be free of their Jewishness. This psychosis has accompanied the Jewish people for generations. The Arabs have subconsciously identified the obsessive need of Israel's leftist leaders for their recognition. This is a tremendous psychological asset that they use to manipulate us. That is why there will be no peace with the Arabs until we make peace with ourselves.
So you are saying that there is no peace because we try to escape our Jewish identity?
Right. As soon as we free ourselves of our identity crisis, we will have peace with our neighbors.
And what should we do in the meantime?
We must concentrate on the Jews. Israel should give every honorably discharged soldier who wants to get married free land on which to build his home in the Negev, Galilee, Golan, Judea or Samaria. If you travel today along Wadi Ara or the Negev, you will plainly see that the state has de facto provided every new Arab couple with free land.
Secondly, Israel must give its citizens as much freedom of choice as possible. Every citizen should be able to obtain a broadcasting license and to broadcast on both radio and television to his heart's desire (within the confines of Israel's security needs and common morality, of course). Supreme Court justices should be elected by our elected representatives and undergo a Knesset hearing, as is done in America. Israel should have district elections so that our Knesset members would have to answer to their own constituency.
When Israel comes down on the side of liberty and true democracy, it will be free of the identity crisis of the 'enlightened elites' that has been plaguing us ever since the state was born. Israel will be a Jewish state for the Jewish people. At that point we will be able to deal with the challenges facing us – and triumph.
What is your stand on economy?
In a Jewish country the economy should be based on a triangle whose base is capitalism (the right of purchase) and whose right and left sides are faith and lovingkindness. I abhor populist socialism that essentially demands equal distribution of poverty. I believe that the state does not have the right to rob one of his possessions, and it must interfere with the economy as little as possible.
To deal with poverty we must hold district elections and develop community organizations. In doing so we will restore personal responsibility to our citizens and develop the Jewish values of loving kindness and mutual responsibility. The centralized welfare policies currently in effect in Israel have gone bankrupt long ago, and we all feel it. We must develop the traditional Jewish community structure (that the State of Israel essentially destroyed), and in this way erase the phenomenon of hungry children and forgotten elderly.
What is your security strategy?
My security platform is based first and foremost on the justice of our cause. As soon as we lost our feeling of justice, we brought terror and additional security threats upon ourselves. Once, my reserve army unit was able to keep order in all of Shechem. Today, all the elite units put together cannot do so, because we do not believe that we are right.
I believe that true Jewish leadership can significantly reduce the amount of forces needed for security because we will once again make our enemies feel threatened. Israel’s security policy must be aggressive (as when Begin attacked Iraq’s nuclear reactor ), and not a policy of defensive walls, separation fences, bullet proof vehicles and Arrow missiles.
We must strive for a standing army that is strictly voluntary. If there is a threat to our country, we must attack and not leave existential dangers for the coming generations because we feared to deal with them.
I think that we must make the Jewish identity of our state our first priority.
A theocratic state?
Not at all. Israel must be a state that affords its citizens the liberty to express who they really are. I actually oppose religious parties and religious legislation.
So what kind of state are you referring to?
Israel should be a state in which every child in the educational system studies Jewish identity for one hour daily. Our children should know our history, our land, the Bible and the prayer book. Whether or not they choose to pray from the prayer book is their choice (or that of their parents). But at least they should be familiar with the glorious history and culture that informs who they are today.
And what will you do about the Arabs?
Our problems with the Arabs are a reflection of the problems between the Jews. The Left is fanatically anxious to 'solve' the Arab problem so that they will stop reminding them that they are Jews. They erroneously think that if the Arabs no longer hate the Jews, they will also be free of their Jewishness. This psychosis has accompanied the Jewish people for generations. The Arabs have subconsciously identified the obsessive need of Israel's leftist leaders for their recognition. This is a tremendous psychological asset that they use to manipulate us. That is why there will be no peace with the Arabs until we make peace with ourselves.
So you are saying that there is no peace because we try to escape our Jewish identity?
Right. As soon as we free ourselves of our identity crisis, we will have peace with our neighbors.
And what should we do in the meantime?
We must concentrate on the Jews. Israel should give every honorably discharged soldier who wants to get married free land on which to build his home in the Negev, Galilee, Golan, Judea or Samaria. If you travel today along Wadi Ara or the Negev, you will plainly see that the state has de facto provided every new Arab couple with free land.
Secondly, Israel must give its citizens as much freedom of choice as possible. Every citizen should be able to obtain a broadcasting license and to broadcast on both radio and television to his heart's desire (within the confines of Israel's security needs and common morality, of course). Supreme Court justices should be elected by our elected representatives and undergo a Knesset hearing, as is done in America. Israel should have district elections so that our Knesset members would have to answer to their own constituency.
When Israel comes down on the side of liberty and true democracy, it will be free of the identity crisis of the 'enlightened elites' that has been plaguing us ever since the state was born. Israel will be a Jewish state for the Jewish people. At that point we will be able to deal with the challenges facing us – and triumph.
What is your stand on economy?
In a Jewish country the economy should be based on a triangle whose base is capitalism (the right of purchase) and whose right and left sides are faith and lovingkindness. I abhor populist socialism that essentially demands equal distribution of poverty. I believe that the state does not have the right to rob one of his possessions, and it must interfere with the economy as little as possible.
To deal with poverty we must hold district elections and develop community organizations. In doing so we will restore personal responsibility to our citizens and develop the Jewish values of loving kindness and mutual responsibility. The centralized welfare policies currently in effect in Israel have gone bankrupt long ago, and we all feel it. We must develop the traditional Jewish community structure (that the State of Israel essentially destroyed), and in this way erase the phenomenon of hungry children and forgotten elderly.
What is your security strategy?
My security platform is based first and foremost on the justice of our cause. As soon as we lost our feeling of justice, we brought terror and additional security threats upon ourselves. Once, my reserve army unit was able to keep order in all of Shechem. Today, all the elite units put together cannot do so, because we do not believe that we are right.
I believe that true Jewish leadership can significantly reduce the amount of forces needed for security because we will once again make our enemies feel threatened. Israel’s security policy must be aggressive (as when Begin attacked Iraq’s nuclear reactor ), and not a policy of defensive walls, separation fences, bullet proof vehicles and Arrow missiles.
We must strive for a standing army that is strictly voluntary. If there is a threat to our country, we must attack and not leave existential dangers for the coming generations because we feared to deal with them.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Iran Denies Bushehr Activation Will Enable Atomic Weapon
Iran is denying a doomsday message to the world by former U.S. diplomat John Bolton, warning that activation of a nuclear reactor in the Islamic Republic will end the chance to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic weapon.
Iranian officials denied Wednesday that the Bushehr nuclear power plant will produce enriched uranium, or an atomic weapon, after it is activated Friday. Still, to protect its nuclear investment, Iran has vowed to close the Straits of Hormuz if necessary.
On Friday, August 21, Russia is scheduled to begin loading nuclear fuel rods into the reactor, also built by Moscow.
Iranian MP Hossein Sobhaninia has claimed the fueling of the plant “cannot be linked to Iran's nuclear enrichment program; Iran is well aware of its responsibilities.” His colleague, Iranian MP Mohammad Karim Shahrzad added a warning, however, according to a report broadcast by the country's English-language Press TV news network: “The time frame for enrichment activity is a domestic matter,” he said. “It is an issue in which the United States is not entitled to interfere."
Iranian officials denied Wednesday that the Bushehr nuclear power plant will produce enriched uranium, or an atomic weapon, after it is activated Friday. Still, to protect its nuclear investment, Iran has vowed to close the Straits of Hormuz if necessary.
On Friday, August 21, Russia is scheduled to begin loading nuclear fuel rods into the reactor, also built by Moscow.
Iranian MP Hossein Sobhaninia has claimed the fueling of the plant “cannot be linked to Iran's nuclear enrichment program; Iran is well aware of its responsibilities.” His colleague, Iranian MP Mohammad Karim Shahrzad added a warning, however, according to a report broadcast by the country's English-language Press TV news network: “The time frame for enrichment activity is a domestic matter,” he said. “It is an issue in which the United States is not entitled to interfere."
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A New Approach to the Chronic Left Turn: By Moshe Feiglin
Scene IScene II
The Israeli family has answered the Settlerman family's invitation and is coming to their house for Shabbat. Parts of their lifestyle totally contradict the values of the Settlerman family. But the hosts understand that the Israeli family lives with a different frame of reference and that they cannot judge them according to their own values or those of their settlement. The Settlermans also understand that if the Israelis came to them, it means that they understand that something is missing in their lives. The best way to explain to them that they need not look for what is missing at the settlers' doorstep is to relate to them according to the model in Scene I. But the Settlermans turn to the other extreme and decide to allow the Israeli family to act as they always do; to drive their car right up to their house on Shabbat, to turn on the television at full volume and to barbeque on Shabbat afternoon. The Israeli family decides to leave because they do not feel that the Settlermans have anything new to offer them.
How should the Settlermans have acted? The secret is not to try to rectify others, but to suffice with setting basic boundaries past which you no longer feel comfortable. (i.e. On Shabbat, please park your car by the entrance to the settlement) and to focus on the alternative. Of course, it is preferable to do all this with a smile.
Everything we have written till now could have appeared in any of the rightist or religious newspapers. Why are we writing about it in the weekly update?
Let us go ahead to Scene III
The Prime Minister of Israel decides to freeze the settlements for 10 months. Clearly, this is no less a transgression than lighting a cigarette on Shabbat. It is also clear that the Prime Minister is not motivated by hatred of the settlers. He is doing this because, just like in the example above, his frame of reference does not allow for a different solution. In his frame of reference there are Obama, the Turkish flotilla, Goldstone and the European boycott. In order to maneuver between all the pressures, he has to throw them a bone.
Is he right? Of course not!
Does his course of action lead to a solution? Not at all!
But that is how the PM sees reality. Sadly, that is also how the majority of Israelis see reality. Most of the nation is still living within the frame of reference in which women dress according to a different code, most people do not keep the laws of Shabbat and the nation's existential anchor (ridiculously) is Obama and not the G-d of Israel.
How have we dealt with this problem till now?
Judging by the results, not very successfully. We have likely made all the mistakes in Scene I and Scene II. Either we turned the struggle into the goal, or we made appeasement our goal. In either case, we have not tried to present the Israeli Family with a different life alternative. We have never tried to invite the Nation of Israel to us, or even more specifically - to bring our values system to the rest of the nation.
We must not give up on the continuation of building in Judea and Samaria. We must take positive action to ensure that the building freeze will not continue. But we must also remember that in the existing Israeli frame of reference, there is no other solution. It is no coincidence that the most rightist politicians turn left as soon as they get into the PM's chair. They do not have a frame of reference in which they could implement a different policy. Whether we conduct a public relations campaign or we block traffic - if we do not supply that new frame of reference, the final result will repeat itself.
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Why Israel Must Eliminate the Iranian Threat - Prof Paul Eidelberg
The multifaceted proposal outlined below is based on the assumption that Israel has the air and naval platforms required to destroy Iran's nuclear development program and cripple Syria and Hezbollah. However, before being overawed by the problematics and possible ramifications of an Israeli strike on Iran, it must be stressed that Iran does not have to deploy nuclear weapons to bring about the Israel's political demise. Let it only be known that Iran has one or more of such weapons and certain consequences will naturally follow, namely:
Above picture is NYC on Madison Ave
1) Jewish immigration to Israel will dwindle.
2) Emigration of well-off Israelis, especially of professionals employable abroad, will increase.
3) The Jewish birthrate in Israel will decrease.
4) The ratio of Jews to Arabs will decline.
5) The ratio of Jewish to Arab Knesset members will decline.
6) Economic investments in Israel will decrease as will Israel's GDP.
7) Scientific and technological progress will shrink.
8) Israel's military power vis-à-vis its enemies will decline.
9) Israel will cease being a strategic asset to the United States.
10) The country will be utterly demoralized.
That a successful Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would only delay production of a nuclear bomb by two or three years is not an argument against a strike. During the interim the United States will very likely have a new president who will pursue an aggressive policy toward Iran.
Meanwhile, "regime change" may take place in Iran facilitated by overt and covert actions by Israel and/or America. Also, Israel may develop a defensive nuclear shield that would neutralize Iran.
A strike against Iran would have to be followed immediately by Israeli strikes against Syria and Hezbollah.
It would obviously be of enormous importance to target the leadership echelons of Israel's enemies.
Of course, the ramifications of this multifaceted proposal are enormous. Israel will be denounced by the Obama administration, the United Nations, and the European Union. A U.S. arms embargo and economic sanctions will very likely follow.
However, Israel will retain the support of the American Congress and will be cheered by the American people. Indeed, a successful Israeli strike against Iran would have a most a therapeutic impact on American society especially on Evangelical Christians as well as on Catholics. They will rally to Israel's support and be encouraged to magnify their own efforts against the atheism and hedonism spreading throughout the United States.
A successful Israeli strike against Iran will incite imams in a thousand mosques to vent their hatred not only of Jews but of Christian America, and this will expose Islam, as 9/11 failed to do, as the enemy of civilization so awesomely portrayed in this hyperlink:
http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=0861ff3eabea1ceb73e4
An existential crisis of world-historical significance is developing in America. Americans dare not remain silent or "politically correct" while this fabricated religious threat to human freedom spreads across the land (click > Madison Avenue.doc).*
A successful Israeli attack on Iran, the epicenter of global Jihad, will stop Islamic triumphalism and inspire Americans to go on the offensive against this imperialistic evil. Another American Revolution beckons. Is it far-fetched to think that Israel will trigger this Revolution lest America succumb, step-by-step, to the darkest of tyrannies?
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Treasured Nation
And when G-d your G-d will bring you to the Land to which you come to inherit it, and you shall give the blessing on Mt. Grizim and the curse on Mt. Eval. (From this week's Torah portion, Re'eh, Deuteronomy 11:29)
Professor Adam Zartal finished his archeology studies before the Yom Kippur War and soon began his research of the Biblical inheritance of Menashe. In the days after the Six Day War it was still possible to roam freely in the area, and the kibbutznik from Ein Shemer enlisted volunteers to comb the area - meter by meter - in search of archeological artifacts in Samaria. A previous war had left him paralyzed in both legs, but he continued to dig in the area. And his legs and crutches brought him to an amazing discovery: The altar of Joshua on Mt. Eval (pictured above).
Zartal was not looking for the place where the blessing and curse ceremony had taken place because he did not believe the Biblical story. The Biblical archeologists who had come to Israel from Europe and America at the end of the 19th century had all failed to find the altar. Zartal, who did not believe in its existence, did not even recognize the large, unusual structure he had found.
But it was the altar. All the professional parameters proved it without a doubt. The structure fit the dimensions for the altar recorded in the Mishnah and contained large amounts of bones of pure, one year old animals. Even earrings and signet rings created in ancient Egypt were uncovered at the site.
If Professor Zartal's find had reinforced worldwide academia's views on the Bible, he would have won the Nobel Prize. Instead, he encountered a wall of severe opposition to all the solid proofs that he brought. The reason that he was the subject of academic opposition also appears in this week's Torah portion: Because you are a holy nation to G-d your G-d and it is you whom G-d has chosen to be his treasured nation from among all the nations on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2)
Being the children and treasured nation of the Creator of the world is a serious undertaking. It evokes much external and internal opposition. But there is nothing that can change that reality. It is our Jewish destiny and our future - and with G-d's help, we will proudly make it the reality in Israel.
Professor Adam Zartal finished his archeology studies before the Yom Kippur War and soon began his research of the Biblical inheritance of Menashe. In the days after the Six Day War it was still possible to roam freely in the area, and the kibbutznik from Ein Shemer enlisted volunteers to comb the area - meter by meter - in search of archeological artifacts in Samaria. A previous war had left him paralyzed in both legs, but he continued to dig in the area. And his legs and crutches brought him to an amazing discovery: The altar of Joshua on Mt. Eval (pictured above).
Zartal was not looking for the place where the blessing and curse ceremony had taken place because he did not believe the Biblical story. The Biblical archeologists who had come to Israel from Europe and America at the end of the 19th century had all failed to find the altar. Zartal, who did not believe in its existence, did not even recognize the large, unusual structure he had found.
But it was the altar. All the professional parameters proved it without a doubt. The structure fit the dimensions for the altar recorded in the Mishnah and contained large amounts of bones of pure, one year old animals. Even earrings and signet rings created in ancient Egypt were uncovered at the site.
If Professor Zartal's find had reinforced worldwide academia's views on the Bible, he would have won the Nobel Prize. Instead, he encountered a wall of severe opposition to all the solid proofs that he brought. The reason that he was the subject of academic opposition also appears in this week's Torah portion: Because you are a holy nation to G-d your G-d and it is you whom G-d has chosen to be his treasured nation from among all the nations on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2)
Being the children and treasured nation of the Creator of the world is a serious undertaking. It evokes much external and internal opposition. But there is nothing that can change that reality. It is our Jewish destiny and our future - and with G-d's help, we will proudly make it the reality in Israel.
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