Doc's Talk: They are dead:Hizbullah transfers two coffins to Red Cross representatives

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

They are dead:Hizbullah transfers two coffins to Red Cross representatives

Jul. 16, 2008
YAAKOV KATZ, HERB KEINON, TOVAH LAZAROFF and Jpost.com staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Two coffins, according to Hizbullah containing the remains of captured IDF reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were brought to the Naqoura crossing on the Lebanese side of Rosh Hanikra and transferred to the care of the International Red Cross on Wednesday morning.

Israel gave the Red Cross documents that would aid the identification process of the Israeli troops.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the long-anticipated exchange got underway as convicted murderer Samir Kuntar and four Hizbullah operatives captured during the Second Lebanon War were driven from Hadarim prison near Netanya to an IDF base in the North. 23 Red Cross trucks loaded with the bodies of 185 Lebanese and Palestinian combatants drove from a cemetery near Kibbutz Amiad to Rosh Hanikra, where they were set to be transfered to Lebanon in the final stage of the deal.

At the Rosh Hanikra border crossing the IDF prepared Tuesday for every possible scenario - from the soldiers returning in coffins to the possibility that one, or even both, will come home alive.

A helicopter was put on standby nearby in the event that Regev or Goldwasser would need to be evacuated to the hospital for immediate medical care. IDF sources said the Northern Command was coordinating with a nearby hospital where a medical team would be on standby as well.

The army has also deployed combat troops near the crossing in case Hizbullah uses the swap as a diversion to stage an attack. The IDF said it believed Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah would leave his bunker and make a special appearance to greet Kuntar upon his arrival in Beirut.

"We are preparing for every possible scenario," a senior IDF officer told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. "While there are estimations as to the status of the soldiers, we will not know for certain until Goldwasser and Regev are returned to Israel."

However, the consensus in the IDF is that both men were killed during the cross-border abduction attack on July 12, 2006.

The prisoner exchange will begin at 9 a.m. when Regev and Goldwasser are transferred to Israel. The IDF Rabbinate, together with forensic teams, will then begin the process of verifying the identities of the kidnapped soldiers. IDF sources said that if the bodies could not be identified, the helicopter would fly DNA samples to the L. Greenberg Institute for Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv.

Once the IDF is sure Goldwasser and Regev have been returned, Israel will transfer Kuntar and the four Hizbullah prisoners to Lebanon.

Israel will then receive a coffin with body parts belonging to IDF soldiers killed in the war, and in response will transfer to Lebanon 12 bodies of Hizbullah gunmen killed during the war.

Senior defense officials, including OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, and Israeli negotiator Ofer Dekel, architect of the deal with Hizbullah, will be present in Rosh Hanikra during the swap.

On Wednesday morning, the families of the two reservists plan to stay in their hometowns, with the Goldwassers waiting in Nahariya and the Regevs in Kiryat Motzkin, near Haifa. They want to hear the news in the privacy of their homes, away from the public eye.

Throughout Tuesday, the soldiers' parents gave interviews to the media in which they maintained, as they have for the past two years, that their sons were alive, even as they acknowledged the possibility that Wednesday morning might mark a bitter end for their hopes.

"No one has proven to us that they are dead," said Goldwasser's mother, Miki, who said she looked forward to hugging her son on Wednesday for the first time in two years. "We are looking forward with hope."

Tzvi Regev, Eldad's father, said he, too, was hopeful, despite the rumors of his son's death.

Goldwasser's wife, Karnit, made no public statements. But her father, Omri Avni, said, "We understand that the situation is not good, but no one knows for sure what will happen tomorrow."

Earlier in the day, the cabinet voted 22-3 to approve the deal, even though it was told by the relevant security bodies - the Mossad, Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) - that the 80-page report delivered by Hizbullah a few days ago on the fate of IAF navigator Ron Arad, who was captured alive in Lebanon in 1986, was completely unacceptable.

Mossad head Meir Dagan reportedly told the ministers that the report was a "fraud."

The cabinet communiqué issued after the meeting, which said the government had decided to ratify its decision of June 29 to approve the guidelines of the prisoner swap, stipulated that the government "absolutely rejects" the Hizbullah report, and that it did not meet the conditions of the "agreement regarding the fate of Ron Arad."

The communiqué said Israel would continue its efforts "to receive all possible information on the fate of Ron Arad," and called on German mediator Gerhard Konrad to continue looking for credible information on the missing airman.

The same ministers who voted against the deal in June - Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On, Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann and Construction and Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim - objected on Tuesday as well.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the cabinet that the report on Arad added nothing to the knowledge about what had happened to the navigator, and that Israel owed it to itself, the Arad family and the nation's soldiers to continue investigating his fate. At the same time, and with "all the pain," it was necessary to conclude the deal to bring Goldwasser and Regev home, he said.

Barak also said Israel must not become complacent, and needed to take advantage of the calm in the Gaza Strip to work for the return of St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit, abducted in June 2006.

"Difficult decisions will have to be made here in Jerusalem, and also in the Gaza Strip," Barak said.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1215330982807&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Comment: Watching the "exchange" unfold on Israeli TV, I am repulsed by the entire event. Hizzbollah up to the last moment played on the nerves of the Israelis-he stood before the TV cameras, would not indicate if our soldiers were dead or alive until he said, here is your answer: two coffins were then presented to the world. CNN did not report on the cruelty of this presentation or process nor did the Israeli press. I will have more on this inhuman experience in a later post today.

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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