Pesach concluded last night here
in Israel, and will end at dark tonight elsewhere. My hope is that each of
you has had a joyous and meaningful holiday -- and that the joy and sense of
purpose it conveyed will remain.
I'm going to go backward in this
posting and look at some of what has occurred during the days that I was
away from my computer. But I want to begin here with an excellent talk
by Chief Rabbi of England, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who just weeks
ago addressed the AIPAC Conference in Washington DC. (With
thanks to Rebecca M.) It sets an important tone for us.
Rabbi Sacks begins by
addressing the state of the world, with its growing anti-Semitism, which
today takes the guise of anti-Zionism. And then...then he speaks about the
glories of Israel -- most specifically about Israel as the most
stunning expression of the Jewish commandment to choose life. No
editorial comment is necessary.
For the serious content, begin at
1:30 minutes into the talk:
After you listen to what
the rabbi says, you may want to share his words. It is rare indeed
for people to hear the things that Rabbi Sacks is saying.
~~~~~~~~~~
The issue of the apology by Prime
Minister Netanyahu to the Turkish people for mistakes in handling the Mavi
Marmara incident that may have lead to the deaths that ensued continues to be a
hot subject of discussion.
It is clearer now than when
Netanyahu first offered that apology precisely how much pressure had been put on
him. Obama's campaign to secure Israeli-Turkish "reconciliation" hardly
began with his visit here, and Secretary of State Kerry was involved as
well.
Of particular note is this, from
Herb Keinon in the JPost:
"The timing of the apology was
carefully considered...and it was done during Obama's visit to make it
seem like a gesture to the US president and thereby make it easier to sell to
the Israeli public." (Emphasis added)
All that drama of the phone call
on the tarmac. I hope the Israeli public knows by now that it's been
"had."
According to Gonen
Ginat:
"Every letter in that apology was
calculated. Every word was debated. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and U.S. President Barack Obama personally decided what to
say." (Emphasis added)
Isn't that great? The
American president putting words into the Israeli prime minister's mouth
because he, Obama, "needed" the apology. Needed it even though he
knew, says Ginat, that "Erdogan's anti-Semitism will continue to burst
forth."
~~~~~~~~~~
Phone calls from British Prime
Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Netanyahu in the
wake of the apology leads to a plausible suspicion that the EU
or some of its members were also pushing for this.
The hard truth,
however, is that this attempt to "fix" matters via the apology obscures deeper
problems. Minister Naftali Bennett (Habayit Hayehudi) said last week,
"It seems that since [the] apology, Erdogan is doing everything to make Israel
regret it. He is running a personal and vitriolic campaign..."
And it goes deeper than this. As
Ely Karmon wrote in Haaretz:
"Although the diplomatic and
economic relations between Israel and Turkey could be (note: "could be" not
"have been") reestablished quite quickly, the sensitive military and strategic
cooperation is much more difficult to achieve, in view of the deep
changes in the ranks of the Turkish military and intelligence
echelons..." (Emphasis added)
~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel Pipes, who was adamantly
opposed to the apology, concluded last Thursday that:
Perhaps after all the apology was a good thing. For
a relatively inexpensive price – some words – Israelis and others have gained a
better insight into the Turkish leadership's mentality. It's not that they
suffer from hurt pride but that they are Islamist ideologues with an
ambitious agenda. If the misguided apology makes this evident to more
observers, it has its compensations and possibly could turn out to be a net
plus. (Emphasis added)
I wish the
wake-up would be that easy.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Turks have apparently agreed to stop pursuing legal persecution of Israeli military figures connected to the Mava Marmara incident, although this is not all together clear -- just as it is not clear that Erdogan really intends to reinstate full diplomatic relations with Israel. The Turks declared that they now have a significant role in the "peace process," and were disabused of this notion by Israel. They also declared that Israel will now stop the blockade of Gaza. While national security advisor Ya'akov Amidror, has made it clear that this is not the case -- and that the naval blockade is still in force, it does seem that there will be a further loosening of restrictions regarding goods allowed into Gaza via land crossings.
Negotiations are proceeding with
regard to how much compensation will be paid by Israel to the Turkish families
of those who were killed. Turkey is demanding one million dollars per
family, while Israel is offering one-tenth of that.
To top it all off, Erdogan
maintains a strong relationship with Hamas and has announced that he will be
visiting Gaza later this month (something that is decidedly not to the liking of
the PA).
Amos Gilad, head of the Defense
Ministry's Diplomatic and Security Bureau, says, regarding Erdogan's
boasts: It's important to distinguish between the "foam and the
wave." True. A nice metaphor. But there's a whole lot of bombastic
anti-Israel foam on top of that wave.
~~~~~~~~~~
I close on this subject by sharing
what Caroline Glick had to say (emphasis added):
"On Saturday [ a week ago], the Arab League convened in Doha, Qatar and
discussed Israel’s apology to Turkey and its ramifications for pan-Arab policy.
The Arab League member states considered the prospect of demanding
similar apologies for its military operations in Lebanon, Judea, Samaria and
Gaza.
The Arab League’s discussions point to the true ramifications of the apology for Israel. By apologizing for responding lawfully to unlawful aggression against the State of Israel and its armed forces, Israel did two things. First, Israel humiliated itself and its soldiers, and so projected an image of profound weakness. Due to this projected image, Israel has opened itself up to further demands for it to apologize for its other responses to acts of unlawful war and aggression against the state, its territory and its citizens from other aggressors."
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/caroline-glick/the-meaning-and-consequences-of-israels-apology-to-turkey/
The Arab League’s discussions point to the true ramifications of the apology for Israel. By apologizing for responding lawfully to unlawful aggression against the State of Israel and its armed forces, Israel did two things. First, Israel humiliated itself and its soldiers, and so projected an image of profound weakness. Due to this projected image, Israel has opened itself up to further demands for it to apologize for its other responses to acts of unlawful war and aggression against the state, its territory and its citizens from other aggressors."
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/caroline-glick/the-meaning-and-consequences-of-israels-apology-to-turkey/
~~~~~~~~~~
Every time I write about Syria, I
say the situation is deteriorating further. And that's all there is to
say. There is no good ending in sight there.
Sometimes, as I contemplate the
situation, I am astounded, that we in Israel sit here peacefully and
prosperously, directly at the border of the mayhem to our northeast. I
would like everyone to contemplate this.
The rebels -- a dubious and hardly
moderate bunch -- are gaining in territory and in strength. Arab countries
and Turkey have done airlifts of weapons to the rebels: There have been in
excess of 160 military cargo flights by Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar,
with some CIA coordination regarding such matters of acquisition of the arms to
be shipped.
The CIA has also been sharing intelligence selectively with certain rebel
groups.
On the other hand, Iran is still supplying Assad with weapons, with the
Iraqis permitting use of their air space for their delivery.
~~~~~~~~~~
Our military is exceedingly
wary of spillover into the Golan Heights that encroaches on Israeli
territory. The Syrian territory across the line from the Israeli
Golan is no longer controlled by Assad's forces.
OC Northern Command Maj. Gen Yair Golan, understands that Syria's disintegration "could bring
Iran to our very doorstep" via terror groups along the Golan Heights
border. Thus he suggests that:
"one of the defensive measures that we of course cannot rule out is
creating a defensive buffer zone on the other side of the border, together with
interlocutors who will have an interest in cooperating with us against other
elements who threaten them too."
The IDF will also soon deploy a new intelligence and reconnaissance unit at
the border with Syria.
~~~~~~~~~~
But it's not just movement of terror groups into the Golan that is of
concern. There is also the "spilling over" of the conflict that involves
shooting into Israeli territory. Just over a week ago, Syrian gunmen fired
at Israeli military patrols in two separate incidents -- once on Saturday
night when they shot at an IDF jeep on patrol near the border.
IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said at that point,
"Our understanding is that it wasn't stray fire."
A second incident occurred the next day, when automatic weapons were
fired at an IDF patrol.
The IDF then fired a guided missile at a Syrian
machine gun nest near the border, destroying it. Whether it was a rebel or a
government site is unclear.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon: said the Syrian fire
was a "violation of Israel's sovereignty. We take the fact that Syrian
shots were fired at an IDF patrol in Israeli territory last night and this
morning very seriously.
"Any ... fire from the Syrian side will be answered
immediately by silencing the sources of fire when we identify them."
Specifying that this was government policy, Ya'alon
stated: "Israel will respond immediately to any violation of Israeli sovereignty
or fire from the Syrian side,...We will not allow the Syrian army, or any other
element, to violate Israeli sovereignty by firing on our territory."
Amos Gilad (identified above) further clarified that there
is a response even if the shooting into Israel was unintentional.
"Israel should not be the target of any attack -- because after all,
if you accept something that was unintentional, that could lead to something
intentional in the end."
~~~~~~~~~~
As there have been numerous incidents of wounded Syrians coming into
Israeli territory, Israel has bolstered the teams of medics who
are prepared to respond to these situations. They are working out of a
medical facility that has been situated in an IDF post near the
border.
Very seriously injured Syrians are brought into hospitals in northern
Israel for treatment. Something else people need to be made aware
of.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Jobar Synagogue in Damascus, said to be built on the location where the
prophet Elijah anointed his successor, Elisha, was 2,000 years old.
Credit: thegatewaypundit
It has now been looted of its priceless artifacts and burned to the
ground. Each side is blaming the other.
~~~~~~~~~~
The PA is now saying that the US will announce a peace plan in two
months. This has shown up in multiple sources. However, it essential
to remember that it is the PA and not the US saying this. This comes
after expressions of deep disappointment in Obama by PA officials,
who had said they don't expect much to happen. All that Secretary of
State Kerry has had to say is that talks have been very positive.
There are rumors, as well, regarding what the US -- i.e., Kerry --
would like Israel to do to bring the PA to the table. I'll pass on
discussing these, as they are unverified.
~~~~~~~~~~
Reports continue to surface of increased Palestinian Arab violence in Judea
and Samaria, and planned terrorist attacks that were thwarted.
For example, the Shin Bet and the IDF, working together in the first two
months of this year, broke up an extensive Tanzim (Fatah) terror network based
in the village of Beit Fajjar, not far out of Bethlehem. They were
responsible for a series of shooting and firebomb attacks on Migdal
Oz in the Gush Etzion area, and admitted that they intended to continue
such attacks in Gush Etzion.
~~~~~~~~~~
The latest Arab illegal encampment adjacent to E1, set up to protest
Obama's visit, has been taken down. Two-hundred police accomplished the
eviction, which was not resisted, within 30 minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~
Egypt is falling apart. Literally. As this posting is already
long, I'll come back to this in further detail at a later time. Suffice it to be
said here that because of an economic crisis, and resultant hunger, the
population is demonstrating actively against the Brotherhood regime. Chaos
and civil war are possibilities not far down the road.
Former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Zvi Mazel, describes the situation
here:
I had been advised by one of my Arabic speaking sources some months
ago that the Egyptian army, which preferred to avoid involvement if possible,
was still a force to be reckoned with, and might reassert control at some point.
Mazel suggests something similar, with the prospect of the military
averting that chaos or civil war. The only potential problem is that the
Morsi regime has now allowed Brotherhood people and other
jihadists into the military academy, in an effort to change the political
orientation of the military.
~~~~~~~~~~
Last here today is very good news as natural gas from the Tamar
reservoir in the Mediterranean Sea began flowing to a terminal in the port of
Ashdod on Sunday.
The gas from the Tamar field will supply 50 to 80% of Israel's natural gas
needs over the next 10 years.
After a $ 3.5 billion
investment over a period of four years, during which drilling and exploration
was done, the project has now come to fruition.
Tamar is
thought to have reserves of up to 238 billion cubic meters (8.4 trillion
cubic feet). The field, roughly 130 kilometers (81 miles) west of Haifa, is
owned jointly by Noble Energy, an American company, and three Israeli firms,
Delek, Isramco and Dor Alon.
The reserves are
expected to save NIS 13 billion in market a year, and yield NIS 450 billion in
state revenue over the next 25 years.
Credit: Albatros
~~~~~~~~~~
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Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner,
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