During the campaign, Barack Obama made statements -- criticized in several quarters -- regarding his willingness to talk directly with Iran. Now that he is president-elect, he has showed himself to be true to his word. On "Meet the Press" yesterday, he explained that he was willing to conduct talks with Iran "and give them a clear choice and let them make a determination in terms of whether they want to do this the easy way or the hard way.
"We need to rachet up tough but direct diplomacy with Iran, making very clear to them that their development of nuclear weapons would be unacceptable, that their funding of terrorist organizations, their threats against Israel, are contrary to everything we believe in."
This is part of his carrot and stick policy, which would provide economic incentives if Iran cooperated, and a tightening of sanctions if it didn't.
My first response, on reading this, was to wonder: Does Obama truly imagine that Iranian officials aren't already aware of US concerns on the issue, or that Iran cares if what they are doing is unacceptable to the US and contrary to everything Americans believe in?
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It took Iran one day to answer that question:
Hasan Qashqavi, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said today that this policy was unacceptable. He indicated that Iran refuses to suspend enrichment and demanded that the US recognize Iran's "nuclear right."
He also called for Obama to alter the current administration's confrontational policy toward Iran, saying only then could the current impasse be overcome. In other words, "We'll do what we want, and if you want to be on good terms with us, offer only carrots and get rid of the stick."
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Obama's approach -- which strikes me as "pie in the sky" -- bespeaks a certain liberal naiveté. It is predicated on the essential premise that dialogue is possible with all people, as people are essentially reasonable. The problem is that it's not so. There is true evil in this world. It is not accessible to reason, and dealing with it requires a strong stance, not dialogue.
This is the beginning of a very steep learning curve for the soon-to-be president. What scares me is that we are dealing with some very serious evil out there and we need someone at the helm in Washington who knows how to call it.
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Obama's notion of increased sanctions seems to me to be fairly worthless, because the international community has not cooperated in applying the meaningful sanctions that would make a real difference. It's not clear to me what Obama thinks he can do with regard to sanctions, in the small window of opportunity remaining, that would change the scenario.
Mohammad ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has just admitted that international efforts with regard to deterring Iran have failed. "In fact," he said, "we have not moved an inch towards a settlement of the issue..."
ElBaradei -- who is Egyptian -- has never been high on my list of trustworthy or competent individuals. Now he says he has great hope for the situation with Obama coming in. What he proposes is a "grand bargain" between the West and Iran that would give Iran "the power, the prestige, the influence" that it has been after. You see, the whole problem is that Iran hasn't been given sufficient respect, and doesn't like being threatened. In fact, says ElBaradei, the US should also be willing to talk to Iran about grievances going back 50 years.
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Heaven help us! Were we to take ElBaradei's proposals seriously, life as we know it would be destroyed. But what he says is of no consequence, and it's good to know that he's about to retire.
What concerns me is that this man with distorted views thinks Obama represents hope. And the question of consequence is how much Obama will buy into a "be nice" philosophy.
He may not acknowledge it yet, but as I see it, Obama's options are very limited. He has said a nuclear Iran is unacceptable. The Iranians have rejected dialogue. There's no reason to believe sanctions will work. What does that leave?
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At the end of last week, President Bush, speaking at the Saban Forum in Washington, said that the US would not let Iran go nuclear. Calling this a "major threat to peace," he said, "...we have made our bottom line clear: For the safety of our people and the peace of the world, America will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon."
The implication here is that he is not speaking only about the waning days of his administration, but about the policy of his successor.
Meanwhile, the Post learned last week that Israel is developing contingency plans for attacking Iran even if the US does not cooperate.
Obama is taking office at a critical time and will be tested quickly.
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How dumb can we be? That's not my question (although I might ask it), but the question of Alex Fishman, writing in YNet today.
Fishman says the government is keeping a secret the fact that Hamas may possess longer range missiles -- missiles that can reach to the Ashdod port and even Beersheva.
While they're staying mum, the ministers, he reports, are thinking up reasons why a major operation into Gaza would not be good. The list "starts with the argument that we must not irritate the new US Administration." This is an argument I choke on. The responsibility of our government is to the security of our citizens.
Hamas maintains eight brigades with almost 17,000 troops in Gaza. "Hamas is firing rockets at this time because it identified an Israeli weakness. This weakness is an opportunity to create new rules for the lull." What this means is we're on the defensive, and exhibiting great eagerness for that "quiet" -- which is due to be renewed.
"And what will happen if Hamas and the other groups decide that they are no longer interested in a lull? What will all our experts say then?"
Sitting still and waiting for this to happen, at the time and place of Hamas's choosing, is very very dumb indeed.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3635118,00.html
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The prisoner release I wrote about yesterday is being postponed for a week at the request of the PA. Abbas is out of the area and wants to be on hand to greet the prisoners and secure maximum PR benefit.
The big battle between Fatah and Hamas regarding the extension of Abbas's term as president is gearing up.
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I want to return to the issue the evacuation of Beit HaShalom and the ensuing violence. Needless to say, the media is full of commentary and analysis with regard to this situation and there is much that it is important to share.
An article that I urge you to read in its entirety is "Extremism breeds extremism," by David Wilder, the spokesman for the Jewish Community of Hevron. And take heed.
Wilder describes the inequities of the legal/judicial process that the Hevron community has had to deal with, and these inequities should be understood by all.
After painting a grim picture, Wilder says,
"FOLLOWING VIOLENT reactions to the extremely harsh expulsion, which included use of tear gas and stun grenades, I was asked about 'red lines' - and decisions to 'cross those red lines.' Unfortunately we are presently facing situations where the government is crossing all the red lines that previously existed. The transformation of the judicial system, including the attorney-general and the Supreme Court, into an extended arm of the political arena ends all notions of impartiality or objectivity. (emphasis added)
Hebron residents are often labeled extremists. However nothing could be more extreme than the above-described actions of [Attorney General] Mazuz and [Chief Justice] Beinisch. But due to their positions and political ideologies, their extremism is considered legitimate.
"...Hebron's Jewish community opposes and rejects any and all violence aimed at innocent people, be they Arabs, Jews or anyone else. However it is unthinkable and intolerable that Israel's top leadership should change the rules in the middle of the game...Such actions, as we have recently witnessed, quite literally push a large segment of the population into a corner with no way out, creating a dangerously volatile situation. Peace may breed peace but by the same token, extremism breeds extremism.
"The real danger to Israeli society is not a few dozen kids throwing rocks while violently and illegitimately being thrown out of a home in Hebron. The true threat to our country is the warping of the fundamental institutions whose presence is supposed to protect the people rather than terrorize them. The decisions made concerning Beit Hashalom were not based upon justice, rather upon pure judicial terror." (emphasis added)
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702464908&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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Then there is Moshe Arens, former minister of defense and former minister of foreign affairs. He asks, "Where have all the young men gone?"
Arens says all that needs to be said about the behavior of the young people who were violent in Hevron has been said. But the question that still must be asked is what brought them to this place, when most have been raised in religious homes, within the influence of an idealist Zionism. And he ventures an answer:
"The turning point that sent these youngsters off on a deviant tangent was most probably the disengagement from Gush Katif, the uprooting of 8000 Israeli settlers from their homes, and the use of the IDF to carry out this forcible evacuation. In many ways it was the original sin, from which Israel will continue to suffer for years to come. The blow, which was directed at the settlers in Gush Katif was felt by all the settlers in Judea and Samaria and their families as being directed at them, especially as the prime minister stated that it was the intention of the Kadima-led government to continue the process by evacuating settlements in Judea and Samaria. (emphasis added)
"The youngsters in the settlements looked to their elders to avert what they considered a catastrophe, and the elders, backed by a good part of the population of Israel, pleaded with the government and organized mass demonstration in the hope that wisdom would prevail. They stopped short of using violence to oppose the evacuation. No blood was shed in those traumatic days and nights in August 2005, not because of the sensitivity and determination displayed by the army and police, but because the leaders of the settlement movement decided to refrain from encouraging violent resistance to the removal of the settlers from their homes. Is it any wonder that many of the youngsters in the settlements considered their elders as having failed to protect their homes, and that some of them began considering other means of preventing the destruction of their homes in the future?
"What is really surprising is that [neither] the leaders of the country who had ordered the IDF to carry out the disengagement from Gush Katif, those simple-minded souls who claimed they were waging a crusade for a democratic Jewish State, nor the judges on the High Court of Justice who had approved the blatant violation of the civil rights of those being uprooted from their homes, seemed not to realize that they had set in motion a process of alienation of a significant part of Israeli society from the State and its institutions, on whose periphery a frustrated lunatic fringe would emerge. Nor did they realize they were creating a rift in Israeli society that would threaten the unity of the people of Israel. (emphasis added)
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702464896&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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Could it possibly be that what happened in Hevron in the last few days carries elements of a blessing? It does if it causes the nation to take a hard look at what has gone wrong and provides an impetus for doing repair. If the Jewish State does not offer justice, where in this world can it be found?
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see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info
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MACCABEAN RESISTANCE RALLY
“Thus Says the L-rd of Hosts, “They shall build, but I will Throw Down; and they shall be called, ‘The border of wickedness,’ and ‘The people against whom the
L-rd has Indignation for ever. ’ ” Mal’Akhi/Malachi 1:4
At a day in time where many a blind guide is putting darkness for light and light for darkness in the name of peace and security, we who carry the Burden of the L-rd within our hearts must sharpen our focus as the Festival of Lights draws near this Holiday Season. In the spirit of the Maccabees, who overcame pagan occupation within the Promised Land, 165 B.C.E., and under the banner of a non-proselytizing solidarity movement called the Maccabean Resistance, we call on Jewish and Christian groups in America and throughout the world to rally within their respective capitals and local communities during the eight days of Chanukkah.
The Maccabean Resistance will hold a rally in Washington D.C. on December 21st, the eve of Chanukkah:
✡ To denounce a ”two-state solution” for Israel
✡ To warn of further Divine Judgment against our country if its leaders do
not relent from calls to divide even one more grain of Promised Land sand
✡ To proclaim opposition to our foreign policy of pushing Israel to capitulate to the “palestinian” Authority: the whitewashed pLO terrorist organization that still promotes the pLO Covenant’s stated agenda to destroy the Jewish State
✡ To speak out against attempts by our Administration to stifle Jewish growth in the Jewish Homeland
✡ To support Israel’s Divine Right to settle all of Her Biblical Inheritance
✡ To express our unwavering solidarity with the owner and residents of Beit HaShalom (the Peace House) in Hebron, the City where our Biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs rest
✡ To counter the campaign of demonization against the Hilltop Youth and Jewish Homesteaders for their resistance efforts against yet another “palestinian” ploy to steal legally redeemed Jewish Land
✡ To speak out against the Islamic revolutionary agenda that threatens Israel and our entire global village
Bible Believers who call upon the Name of the L-rd of Hosts, the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, must work together to create a unified bloc that will be a force to reckon with during these days of tribulation. The prophetic events related to the rebirth of Israel place the tiny Jewish Nation in the crosshairs of the principalities of darkness that have been unleashed on the earth today. The advent of the modern-day Islamic Revolution with its signature form of expression –- terrorism -- is causing worldwide upheaval. Nowhere is Islam more virulent than in Israel. The Arab-Muslim bloc has been waging an Islamic war by proxy on
G-d’s Land through the so-called “palestinian” people, who are, in reality, Sunnis from the surrounding nations. Rallying together, we will raise awareness among our political leaders and citizens regarding the threat that the Islamic Revolution presents, first and foremost to Israel, then to the rest of civilized society.
By banding together, we can express our solidarity and support for those Jewish Homesteaders who are standing in faith on the hills of Judea and Samaria, the Biblical Heartland of Israel. Under the current leadership of hard-line leftists, there are plans to abandon yet even more numerous thriving Jewish communities that serve as a first line of defense for hundreds of thousands of Jewish residents throughout the Land of Israel. Should a two-state “solution” be realized, most Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria would be uprooted and displaced, just as had happened with the Gush Katif communities, where some 8000 Jewish residents were torn from their homes in August of 2005 and to this day many remain displaced. Jerusalem would be ripped in half and most of Biblical Israel would be plunged back into the dark ages of Arab rule and destruction. If this retreat from Jewish soil were to take place, Israel would be dissected into two sections of indefensible land and the Jewish soul of the country would be decimated. We can, and must, resist the removal of Jewish homesteads from any part of the Land of Israel.
In the footsteps of the Maccabees, therefore, we servants of the G-d of Israel are duty bound to take up our positions in the struggle against the dark forces that are waging a jihad for religious domination over G-d’s Land and His Elect. We must put our faith into action by holding our leaders to G-dly accountability. While G-d is Redeeming His Land and Re-gathering the Remnant of Jacob in accordance with Ancient Prophecies, the nations can participate in this Divine Process, and thus bring Blessing upon their lands, or they can attempt to hinder His mighty Hand and be Wiped Away with the dust of Time.
The Maccabean Resistance rally will take place in front of the White house from noon to three o’clock, December 21, 2008/Kislev 21, 5769 at LaFayette Square, on the north side of the White House.
If you are not able to rally with us in D.C., we urge you to take time from your holiday preparations to make your voice heard within your local communities. You can hold a rally at your representative's office or at a city square. Those who are unable to get out can make phone calls and write letters to their respective leaders. Maccabean Resistance literature, including talking points and informational handouts, can be obtained by contacting us at noretreat@maccabeanresistance.org. We have designed posters that will get noticed and literature that will educate, all of which can be printed from pdf files that are available via Kinko’s or email. T-shirts and hats bearing the Maccabean Resistance emblems are also available. Contact us and we will make sure you are equipped.
Let your voice be heard at the city gates on behalf of righteousness. At this critical time, we cannot be silent on the issue of Israel being divided.
"If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Yerushalayim above my highest joy.” Tehillim/Psalms 137:6
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