Doc's Talk: "Hold Fast"

Sunday, March 09, 2008

"Hold Fast"

Arlene Kushner

At Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming-in of Shabbat) services last night at Shir Hadash, my shul in Jerusalem, my rabbi, Ian Pear, addressed the anguish of the massacre at Yeshivat Mercaz Harav, as undoubtedly did rabbis all over Israel. I cannot speak for what the other rabbis said, but the good Rabbi Pear spoke words that went straight to my heart. They merit repeating here, in brief summary. What happened is incomprehensible, he said, and he is not going to try to explain it theologically, for he cannot. These boys were doing what they should have been doing: studying Torah. And it was the very beginning of Adar, when joy is said to be increased. And yet they were blown away.

Maybe, he said, some day we'll look back on this and see that the terrorist was reported to have shot off more than 500 bullets -- round after round -- before he was stopped, and we'll marvel that "only" eight were killed. But that thinking does nothing to comfort the families of those who died, and is no comfort to the rest of us now either.

And yet, said Rabbi Pear, this much he knows: Those who planned this terror thought that by hitting at our heart, they would destroy us -- we would crumble from within. BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHO THEY'RE DEALING WITH. This tragedy will not destroy us, it will make us stronger. Each in his or her own way will act in response to what happened to build Israel and the Jewish people. In the memory of those who were killed, and for their sakes. There will be building done in Israel, that would not otherwise have been done. Torah will be studied. Tzedakah (charity) given. Schools established. Words written. And we will grow and be stronger.

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And so this I ask of each of you. Mourn what happened here. Feel the rage that is so appropriate. But don't feel defeated by it. Let this obscene act move you to greater support and defense of Israel. Let it fuel you to find purpose in your acts, knowing that we must win and cannot -- not ever -- surrender to the forces of evil.

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I ask this of you, too: Please pray for those who were most seriously wounded in the attack.

Naftali ben Gila

Yonatan ben Avital

Shimon ben Tirza

Nadav ben Hadas

Reuven ben Naomi

Elchanan ben Zehava

(Ben = son of, and what follows in each instance is the boy's mother's name, as this is how prayers for healing are done in the Jewish tradition.)

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Updated news: According to the Post, eight people have been arrested in conjunction with the terror attack. Police say that the terrorist Alaah Abu Dhein was not known to them and did not meet the typical profile of Palestinian attackers.

Jerusalem District Police Chief Aharon Franco says the attack had nothing to do with recent events in Gaza, as it was in the planning before they took place. Perhaps this is so, but I've become terribly cynical. This is potentially a politically loaded statement that might help absolve Olmert of the need to launch that attack into Gaza. We'll see.

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I had reported that the family of the terrorist had constructed a mourning tent (where condolences are offered to the family) in east Jerusalem, and hung out the Hamas flag. Apparently they also hung the Hezbollah flag. Police have made them take both down.

Extended family in Amman attempted to put up a mourning tent and the Jordanian police made them take it down. So what are we afraid of? Cultural insensitivity?

MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) is demanding that the mourning tent indeed be taken down: "There cannot be a situation whereby the government of Israel, in its territory, is allowing people to honor such a vile and despicable murderer."

MK Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud -- opposition leader) has made a strong statement reflecting the same sentiment. "...This has to be stopped. That tent should be taken down today, yesterday."

And MK Zevulun Orlev (NU-NRP) is making a further demand -- that the family's citizenship (residency papers?) be revoked and they be deported to Gaza. His statement is a clear response to those who say there should not be collective punishment: "The Hamas flags ...prove that this is a family of terrorists."

I doubt that anyone in the government is listening. An aide to Public Security Minister Avi Dichter has said, "They have a right to mourn him."

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There had been an announcement at one point that Hamas was taking credit, but Hamas has withdrawn this, saying it was based on "confused information."

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There is serious talk on-going regarding ways to handle the Israeli-Arab community at this juncture. Right now Judea and Samaria are sealed, so that no Arabs from outside the Green Line can enter. And yesterday, Friday Muslim prayers at the Temple Mount were limited only to men over 45 with ID cards.

Other than this, I have no information on how the government plans to respond to the attack.

Olmert has made an inane statement about how we'll defeat these terrorists just as we defeated Hezbollah. Hezbollah, he says, "hasn't dared to fire a single rocket in a year and a half." No, they've just been too busy rearming. He's got to do better than that.

~~~~~~~~~~

I knew it... I really didn't want to hear it, but it's so predictable, I knew it was coming:

An unnamed Israeli official, speaking off the record, has said the peace process will not be halted by this terror attack, "so as not to punish moderate Palestinians for actions by people who are not just our enemies but theirs as well."

This business of exactly who a "moderate" is within the Palestinian community really needs to be better defined.

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Here's what JINSA says about this (Report # 753):

"...it would make much more sense to stop all presumed 'peace talks' until the radicals have been defeated and defanged.

"...These are not moderate people. These are people sucked into a vortex of ever increasing anarchy, death-worship for themselves and others, poverty, misery and radicalism. 'Negotiating' with their 'representatives' won't help them or Israel. If the Palestinian territories have become a disaster for their own people and the source of naked aggression against Israel, the better course of action would be to cancel the 'peace process' until the 'war process' has been addressed..."

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Egypt is reportedly trying to work out a cease fire with Hamas -- that is, to get Hamas to stop launching rockets at us, which would presumably move us to stop plans for any major action into Gaza. This seems to be what Rice convinced Mubarak to try to achieve, to mollify Abbas, rather than participation in supervising the crossing at Rafah. Hamas is said to be holding out for a commitment by Israel to stop pursuing their people in Judea and Samaria as well. That is not going to happen.

And while Abbas has said he will return to the negotiating table, I've read one report that says he's going to bide his time until Egypt succeeds. (He hopes.) Should Egypt succeed it would be a disaster.

~~~~~~~~~~
see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk