Doc's Talk: "From Day to Day"

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"From Day to Day"

Arlene Kushner

I begin here with a correction regarding yesterday's post, with thanks to the several people who caught it.

This particular error was not insignificant because it might have inadvertently misled some people with regard to the history I was recounting. Hopefully, most of you reading it understood that I was simply -- and temporarily -- off base. Sort of a typo of the brain. The correct information is this:

Jordan captured Judea and Samaria in 1948 (not during the Six Day War), and we secured control of the area after the Six Day War in 1967. The 19 years during which Jordan made it Judenrein -- thus creating the impression that the region was Arab -- were 1948-67. There has been no official statement from Netanyahu with regard to a continuation of the freeze. Although Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren has told US media that construction will be "responsible, restrained and limited." (Uh oh)

Mitchell is here now, and will be meeting Netanyahu tomorrow. Reports are that Netanyahu is also on the phone a good deal of the time, reaching for that "compromise." He won't be meeting with the cabinet to discuss this until next week, at about the same time that Abbas will be meeting with the Arab League. Apparently he will also be meeting with the PLO and Fatah.

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Meanwhile, PA Negotiator Nabil Shaath is still saying that they will walk if we start building:

"Maybe the Israelis will reassess their position and see the whole world is against the continuation of settlement activities."

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Sometimes it does feel like the whole world is against us. France, in a lovely gesture intended to frighten us, recently informed us that this was the case. (Sarkozy is now proposing a peace summit in Paris, which will fix everything.) And the UN's Ban Ki-Moon has referred to our resumption of building as "provocative."

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But in truth, there are people with us. We've got 87 US Senators (a very solid percentage of 100!) who just days ago signed on to a letter to Obama stating "Neither side should make threats to leave just as the talks are getting started." With this oblique reference to Abbas comes a call for Obama to publicly pressure him.

Then there is Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) who just released a statement that said in part:

"Upon the lapsing of the moratorium on new settlements, State Department representatives expressed the Obama Administration's 'disappointment' that Israel would resume its construction of houses in the West Bank. Unfortunately, I believe the Administration's disappointment is seriously misdirected.

"Comments such as those coming from the State Department are not at all unexpected, as the Obama Administration has consistently shown an unprecedented degree of antagonism toward Israel. A few months ago, the Administration chastised Israel for building homes in Jerusalem, despite the fact that Jerusalem is not a settlement, but the capital of the nation of Israel, which was founded and built by the ancient people of Israel 3000 years ago.

"Indeed, it is highly ironic and bewildering that Israel has received more open rebuke from the Obama administration for plans to build houses in Jerusalem than the Iranian regime that threatens Israel with annihilation has received for building a secret uranium enrichment facility to produce nuclear weapons...

"As Israelis celebrate their ability to resume construction on the thousands of dwellings that have sat unfinished throughout this moratorium, I urge President Obama to at long last embrace, rather than alienate, the most vital ally America has in the world."
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And, at least for the moment we even have Richard Cohen of the Washington Post.

I was (most pleasantly!) surprised by a column he just wrote . Suffice it to say that he has not been one of Israel's more eager supporters. But things are so bad that -- in a column called "Obama demands more than Israel can give" -- he truly gets it. In fact, he does a good job of making our case in ways I would have not expected:

"The arena of the Obama administration's incompetence is the issue of West Bank settlements. This is something of a misnomer since some settlements are indistinguishable parts of Jerusalem. Even in the Middle East, common sense can play a role. The Jerusalem-area settlements are not going to be abandoned by Israel. Settlements are how Zionists settled Israel - and the West Bank areas of Judea and Samaria are the heart of biblical Israel...

"...The government of Benjamin Netanyahu complied, under extreme pressure, but only to a 10-month moratorium. For Netanyahu, this was a major concession. He heads a coalition that takes settlements very seriously...

"From the very start, the president has taken a very hard line against settlements, refusing to distinguish between an apartment in Jerusalem and a hilltop encampment deep in the West Bank. He also seems not to understand their religious, cultural or historical importance to some Jews. The Obama approach has been counterproductive. Obama has to husband his credibility. He foolishly demanded something Israel could not yet give. It was bad diplomacy."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR2010092704656.html

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Meanwhile, building has begun on some hundreds of homes in Judea and Samaria: in Tekoa, Efrat, Oranit and other communities. Normally such construction work would not be done on the intermediate days of Sukkot. But it is being done because there is a sense of urgency -- a fear that the freeze that has just been lifted might be reinstated at any time.

Perhaps the nicest news involves the start of construction on some 50 housing units in Ariel, in Samaria, that are designated for people who had been expelled from their homes in Netzarim, in Gaza in 2005.

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I heard MK Danny Danon (Likud) -- a passionate opponent of the freeze -- speak tonight.

He said most clearly it was the case that Netanyahu declined to extend the freeze because he recognized that it was not a viable option politically. Thus maintaining that pressure on him within Israel remains important.

Danon is opposed to a referendum, should there be a deal of sorts with the Palestinian Arabs, because it is too unpredictable, depending, for example, on how the wording is done. His choice would be a call for elections.

He also spoke about the need to attend to Jerusalem and keep her united. There is a great deal of critical importance to say about this, and I will table it for another day.

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I've seen in the news twice now reports that Fatah and Hamas are close to reconciliation. There are tensions between these groups that would render any unity coalition established for the sake of governing all of the Palestinian areas very shaky. But I think it is not a coincidence that this is being raised right now.

Egypt had put forward an agreement for reconciliation quite some time ago. Fatah signed it, but Hamas never did. Now it's being revisited, with, we are being told, many issues resolved. The "only" outstanding issues are the question of when to hold elections -- both for the legislature and for the president, and how the respective security forces would be handled -- whether they'd be merged and who would be in charge of what.

You should not hold your breath waiting for agreement on these issues. However, I've been speculating on how it might serve these two parties to come to some sort of a merger or cooperative coalition at this time. Hamas is opposed to negotiations: would they use this to undermine them? Abbas wants out: would this provide him with what he is seeking?

I have the feeling now that, if I may use this expression, the inmates are running the asylum. The world is crazy. But if Hamas and Fatah should reach agreement, watch for it to get even more irrational, with the members of the Quartet twisting themselves into pretzels in order to find ways to legitimize Hamas as a negotiating partner.

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J Street -- the ostensibly pro-Israel organization that has been blatantly anti-Israel from the time of its founding -- has been exposed. And that exposure is quite something. Please see Lenny Ben-David's piece -- "J Street's Crooked Road -- on his blog, for significant details:

http://lennybendavid.com/2010/09/j-streets-crooked-road-lies-and.html

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The most joyous of religious seasons is about to come to an end, with a holiday of celebration: Simchat Torah: We will dance with our Torah, and then end an annual cycle of reading from the Torah scroll, and begin anew. Here in Israel, this falls on Wednesday night and Thursday. (Outside of Israel, the holiday is extended through Friday.)

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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.

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