Doc's Talk: “Bad Scene on Several Fronts”

Sunday, March 23, 2014

“Bad Scene on Several Fronts”

Where to start? Last Tuesday, four IDF soldiers on the Golan Heights were injured – one severely – by an explosion near the border. The IDF, convinced that Assad’s forces and not rebels were responsible, retaliated with several “strategic” hits on Syrian army sites – reportedly attacking the headquarters of the 68th and 90th Divisions of the Syrian army in Quneitra, as well as other locations.

Subsequently, Hezbollah (which operates in support of Assad’s army in Syria) took responsibility for the attack on the four soldiers, saying that it was “ready for war.” The attack, Hezbollah leadership is reported to have said, was in retaliation for Israel’s alleged attack last month designed to take out high-end ballistic missiles designated for Hezbollah.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Hezbollah-takes-responsibility-for-bombing-in-Golan-says-they-are-ready-for-war-346050

The expectation from our side is that their saber-rattling talk about being ready for war aside, Hezbollah, stretched thin, is not truly contemplating “war.” At this time, at any rate.

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On Thursday morning, there were media reports about “intense” Israeli activity over southern Lebanon. It was said that Israeli jets performed mock raids, and a drone was involved. Additionally, a huge Israeli air balloon carrying surveillance equipment was launched over Lebanon. (See URL above.)

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Last night, a joint force made up of the IDF, Shin Bet, and the Border Police's elite Counter-Terrorism Unit entered Jenin to arrest much sought-after Hamas member Hamza Abu Aleija – the son of Jamal Abu Aleija, a head of Hamas's military in Judea and Samaria (note: Judea and Samaria, not Gaza!) who is serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison for acts of terrorism.

Intelligence had revealed that Hamza Abu Aleija was about to begin a campaign of attacks on a community and on army positions in Judea and Samaria.

Abu Aleija's campaign was being orchestrated by Hamas in Gaza. “Hamas members released in the Gilad Schalit prisoner release deal played a role in the terror plot, according to intelligence gathered by security forces.” (Emphasis added) The implications here could not be more obvious.

The sort of operation described here is routine – many people don’t realize that this is what guards Israel from major attacks by terrorists. In this instance, because Abu Aleija was on the verge of acting, it was considered “an immediate terror alert."

Many times, a terror suspect is apprehended without incident. Although sometimes there is a furor, as local Palestinian Arab residents of the area attempt to protect the suspect.

On this occasion, “the suspect barricaded himself in his home and refused to surrender himself, the IDF said. After ignoring calls to end the stand off peacefully, the suspect, armed with an M-16, opened fire on security forces, injuring two soldiers lightly, and attempted to escape.

“Soldiers returned fire, killing the armed suspect.
“Soon afterwards, a violent disturbance broke out, in which armed Palestinian rioters fired on security forces, and hurled explosives, firebombs, and rocks.” The army considers this a most serious incident. Two SWAT team members were injured in the confrontation.
“Security forces returned fire, killing two rioters, and injuring six others. Three Palestinians were arrested during the disturbance.”
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Police-special-forces-kill-Hamas-operative-in-Jenin-346146
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Following this incident, the army released a brief statement: “The IDF will continue to act to defend Israeli civilians." This is exactly what should be said, and done.
Border Police Commander, Major General Amos Ya'akov, visited the two injured SWAT team members on Saturday night, giving them encouragement and congratulations.
"’You have manifested courage, professionalism and extraordinary determination This operation joins many others which have prevented terrorist organizations from getting what they want - and have proven that the long arm of Israeli security will catch up with them. The entire people of Israel owe their lives to the unit and its fighters, who risk their lives every day.’" (Emphasis added)
And Amen to this comment. Everyone should understand what these brave fighters do, day in and day out.
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See how the PLO news agency WAFA, reporting from Ramallah, described the above situation:

”Spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, condemned Saturday the ongoing Israeli escalation of targeting Palestinians...

”...Abu Rudeineh said that Israel is pursuing a systematic policy of murder against the Palestinian people that is meant to cause the destruction of everything.

“Abu Rudeineh held the Israeli government fully responsible for this escalation and called upon the US Administration to ‘act quickly to prevent the collapse of everything.’”

http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=63493

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Speaking of Ramallah, Abbas returned there on Thursday, after his visit to the White House, behaving as if he had secured great things. He pledged to the crowd that greeted him that he would not surrender their rights, i.e., he would not compromise on anything no matter what Obama said. “Be assured, we will be victorious.”

The JPost on Friday cited an Israeli government source as saying that Abbas’s behavior was “reminiscent of the return from Camp David in 2000, when it appeared that the Palestinians were celebrating the failure of the peace talks. The second intifada broke out shortly thereafter.”

http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Abbas-returns-to-Ramallah-promising-Palestinians-they-will-be-victorious-346093

At a Fatah emergency meeting today, Abbas told those assembled that nothing less than a fully sovereign state with east Jerusalem as its capital is acceptable.

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According to news reports, one of the things Abbas asked of Obama during their meeting is that he intervene with Israel for the release of Marwan Barghouti - who was instrumental in the launching of the second intifada and is serving five life sentences for his role in multiple terror attacks – and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leader Ahmad Saadat – who orchestrated the assassination of Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi in 2001.

He can ask, but these releases are not going to happen.

In fact, the release of Israeli Arabs from our prisons, at the behest of the PA, is looking as if it, too, is not going to happen. It had better not.

For some while, we had been seeing conflicting reports in the media regarding Israel’s commitment to let out Israeli Arabs. What now appears to be the case is that the Americans promised the PA that these releases would take place when Israel had not agreed to them. (This is what can happen when the two parties speak separately to the US, and are not speaking directly to each other.)

Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA has tracked the fascinating sequence of events, for which Kerry is directly responsible:

http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=63480

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But with all of this, it is the beginning of a new week, and we should seek what is uplifting, as well.

Yesterday, Jerusalem pretty much shut down, in order to make way – with great fanfare and sense of fun – for the Jerusalem Marathon. The weather was fantastic; the colors of the official shirts of the participants were eye-catching. People came out to cheer the runners – over 25,000 in all, some 2,500 of whom hailed from close to 55 different countries.

The winner was Ronald Kimeli Kurgat from Kenya, who completed the course in two hours and sixteen minutes, the fastest time yet for this Marathon.

Athletes participate in the fourth international Jerusalem marathon March 21, 2014.

Credit: Reuters

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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner, functioning as an independent journalist. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.

If it is reproduced and emphasis is added, the fact that it has been added must be noted.

See my website at www.arlenefromisrael.info Contact Arlene at akushner18@gmail.com

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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

Sunday, March 23, 2014

“Bad Scene on Several Fronts”

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Lost Historical Moments

WHAT Golda Meir actually said...

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

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

About Me

God Bless the USA- Lee Greenwood remembers 9-11