DECIET 101 - (Betrayal of a sacred trust)

Deceit 101

The Defense Minister takes pride in threatening the continued existence of many small Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. At least now we know how much “spine” was shown in Washington. The bitter truth of the current Israeli government surfaces, like scum on a pond. It is sadly funny how one by one, each party head proves to be a true politician, all except the defense minister, who remains true to his words.

We are taught, everything is for the good, and so it is with at this stage also. For anyone who was unsure as to the stand of the Likud leadership, now knows. Whoever thought the Ministry of Defense is about protecting the Jewish State now knows better, whoever thought that the left cares about a Jewish State now should know better. They have buried themselves politically for the future, as they have proven, their loyalty lies only within themselves. The numbers of those that believe in a safe and strong Jewish state continue to grow higher, the opponent’s days are numbered. Honestly, how long can this weak union last. I had hoped for at least a little political savvy from our Prime Minister, I had hoped that he would respect the democratic process and the will of a people, but, c'est la vie, he had his chance to be a real leader, a world leader.

As we get ready for Chapter 2 in “Bibi’s Believe It or Not” we must rejoice that the true face of these actors have surfaced. At least now we know whom else we can’t trust, again. Now I know that what the Prime Minister sees, we don’t. Who are we but the small citizen? But what do we see? We see that Jews may be evicted again from their homes, we see that the those that asked us to vote for Likud were wrong, again, and we see that the lack of unity among the right wing parties once again shoots us in the foot. We see weakness in our leaders, again, and treachery in their midst.

When will we learn? Each party and their rhetoric about who is more true to the “cause”, who loves Israel more, who will put up a fight. In the end, because they can’t even get along, we of Yehuda and Shomron and all of the Jewish people in the world will suffer. They love to yell more than they love to do, and in the end they lost out. Now all they have left is to demonstrate and make noise, shout and wave their fists…. big deal.
As they are busy fighting amongst themselves, the left rejoices and plots against the continued existence of the Jewish State. Wake up boys, the game started years ago. Time is not on our side.

Still, one cannot understand the hatred of the left, how they despise our heritage and identity. A law is about to be passed claiming that the celebration of “Nakba” or the Catastrophe of Israel, will be forbidden, makes sense to most normal people. But those on the left say it is a limitation on the democratic right of free speech. Of course they play by a double standard, if it is against anything Jewish in character it is all right, if it causes displeasure and harm to the religious part of Israeli society, it is good, and if it helps the sworn enemies of Israel, then it is democratic. Of course, the opposite is considered fascist and racist.

The rumor mill has it that Obama’s upcoming speech in Egypt will have some of the most damaging elements towards Israel that our people have yet to hear from any US Administration, and we in Israel will once again be asked (or told) to agree to an imaginary peace process, that will almost definitely take its toll in bloodshed.

The Obama Government is proving to be the most arrogant, ignorant and threatening administration Israel has known for quite some time. How they can ignore the reality of Abbas and his ilk is truly an insult to the American people. The “chutzpah” the US shows towards Israel, who are they to dictate how many children we may bear, how many children may live alongside their parents. In the end, we have our own to thank for that, for they too believe the lies and are responsible for this travesty. I doubt they will wake up soon, isn’t “change” wonderful?

How fitting for this speech to be made in Pharaoh’s neighborhood, hopefully we will see the same end result and miracles that we experienced in our past, where the Jewish people emerge a strong and unified people in their land.

Marc Prowisor
Director, Security Projects
One Israel Fund
Office: 516 239 9202 x15
Cell: 972 54 2237727 (Israel)
Global: 856 393 4777
Fax: 516 239 9203

marcpro@oneisraelfund.orgwww.oneisraelfund.org

http://yeshaviews.blogspot.com/

What Took 'Em So Long?

Zoth Hanukkah 5769

Everyone else is jabbering on about the attacks in Azza, while I sit here in front of my computer screen in an area proving to be one of the safest places to be in Israel, b'il eyin hara: Efraim (Central Samaria), safe from rockets from Azza and Lebanon, safe from bomb attacks in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv,...for now.

Funny how people are also asking ME if I am scared to live where I do, let alone travel around by tremp, and unarmed.

Don't worry, the gub'ment has plans for us, too. Then I'll start to get worried, and have to snap out of my complacency.

In the meantime, I'll also provide my 10ag on the current goings-on in Azza.

What I want to know is what took 'em so long to bomb Azza?

Sure. They've gone in beforehand, but it was always a half-ass job, going only into the limited areas allowed by big brother and sister George and Condi, followed by the requisite, quick retreat. OR it was those lovely targeted assassinations, carefully avoiding "innocent civilians" (Central Samaria), known to every other country as "collateral damage."

There are a few theories as to what took 'em so long....

1. Election Ploy
This will get votes for Livni (Kadima), and for Baraq (Labor), showing the center that even though they want to continue "piece" negotiations with the Arabs, they can be tough like Netanyahu (Likud) says he will be, and not as wishy-washy like Olmert (Kadima). They can spin the incessant threats to strike Azza, and taking so damn long to do so, as a clever strategy, taking the Arabs by surprise.

Hey, even I'm beginning to believe that Ehud Baraq isn't such a buffoon after all. Tzippy Livni was actually pretty effective in her interview on Fox & Friends. I mean her Godless/Torahless approach is completely wrong, of course, but she certainly demonstrated that she knew her audience. Her biggest mistake was thinking that making a case to the American public was in the least bit important. (...and too bad they kept calling her "Zippy.")

Did I say that there were a few theories? Well, actually, I can only think of two.

But you're not gonna like this last one...

2. Fear
The wealthy, Ashkinazi powers that be were not in such denial of the Arab threat after all. The rockets did not actually have to reach Tel-Aviv before they were able to snap out of it. They knew that it was only a matter of time before the rockets reached Ashdod, you know, where there are actually some of those "nice" neighborhoods. After all they had reached Qiriyath Gath. Even though no one cares about Qiriyath Gath, it was an indicator of just how close the rockets were getting to the Ashkinazi, leftist headquarters of North Tel-Aviv. (See the map below to see just how close.)

No one cares about Ashqelon either. But the rockets inching closer to the power station there was problematic to the powers that be. Losing one-third of the country's power, due to lack of inaction, will lose you votes, even from "piece" negotiation-pushing Leftists, addicted to electrical appliances.

Translation into American terms: Rich white people were going to start getting killed.

I told you, you weren't going to like it.

(Click the map to enlarge it)

Red dots indicate locations having been hit from the south or north. Half red indicates having been hit on the outskirts of the city. Netanyah's outskirts were hit, but publicity over this was hushed up.

Ashqelon, Qiriyath Gath, and S'deroth are indicated by red dots , but not labeled. Be'er Sheva has not been hit,...yet.

The map demonstrates how the rockets have been creeping closer to Tel-Aviv as well as to Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY????

Blogmaster: This cartoon from A7 says volumes...It expresses the frustration, the attitude and feelings of guilt that the Soldiers and Commanders in IDF feel when they see the enemy given a free hand in the relentless murder of Israeli citizens. I'll say it again: Shame on you Ehud Barak, and Shame on you Ehud Olmert. Hamas must be squashed like a cockroach, you know it, we know it, and the world knows it. You are making Israel the laughing stock of the world. No other nation would tolerate such aggression. You say you have authorized the IDF to make battle plans...what dreck! Everyone knows that the IDF stands at the ready and have been so since last summer. Your lies make you look like idiots because you actually believe that we will swallow them. It is time that the Citizens of Israel take the appropriate action necessary to throw our crooked and disgraced politicians out and while we are at it...let's make sure that the crazies who want to pacify our enemies never warm a seat in the Knesset with their cowardly toucheses again. When we vote, we must vote for the preservation of Israel. In my heart of hearts, I know that the future of Israel is not in the hands of the politicians...our future is in the hands of our Soldiers and their Commanders in the IDF. Please, turn them loose on the enemy before it is too late. Already you have allowed Hamas to arm themselves to the teeth, train as a regular military force, and build complex defenses that will surely cost our soldiers dearly. The Israeli blood that will most certainly be shed when you decide that the time has come to go into Gaza will be on your hands forever.

"WE HAVE CREATED A NATION OF SUICIDE PEACEMAKERS!"

Reclusive Syrian Jews Denounce Hebron Eviction

By Michael Orbach
Wed. Dec 24, 2008
http://www.forward.com/articles/14797/

The recent eviction of Israeli Jewish settlers from a contested building in Hebron has provoked a loud and angry retort from the usually publicity-shy Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn.

In a December 17 gathering that attracted some 300 Syrian Jews, including the community's leading rabbis, speakers rallied around one of their own: a local women's shoe wholesaler named Morris Abraham, who has played an unlikely role in the Hebron controversy.

"We have created a nation of suicide peacemakers," Abraham told the crowd gathered at Congregation Ahaba Ve Ahva, off Ocean Parkway, referring to the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and its supporters. Repeatedly, Abraham asserted his claim to have purchased the Hebron building from a local Palestinian.

It is Abraham's claim that now lies at the center of the controversy. And the government's treatment of his claim appears to have produced this rare public outcry from his insular community — one of the quietest, most conservative and wealthiest in New York.
"Morris is a very popular person in our community," explained Charles Dweck, a Brooklyn Syrian Jew who, like Abraham, works as a wholesaler.

The Syrians' harsh reaction could have implications for elections scheduled in Israel this February. The community is known as an important source of political contributors for hawkish Israeli political parties, as well as to Shas, a Sephardic Orthodox party.

Abraham, who is 40, says that together with his father, he bought the contested property in Hebron — called the House of Peace by Israeli West Bank settler supporters — through a middleman in 2004 for, he says, $1 million. Other reports in the press cite a price of $700,000.
The deal was midwifed by the Hebron Fund, a Brooklyn-based group that provides financial aid to Israeli settlers in Hebron. Its executive, Yossi Baumol, also spoke at the rally.

With Israeli settlers in Hebron asserting a right of permanent Jewish rule over the overwhelmingly Palestinian city, in part through land acquisitions, Palestinians who sell properties to Jews face the possibility of execution by other Palestinians. After settlers moved into the Hebron site in 2007, its Palestinian owner went to court in Israel, claiming the alleged sale was fraudulent. Abraham presents a video and documents that purport to confirm his purchase.

Last month, Israel's Supreme Court gave the government custody of the property, pending resolution of this suit. And on December 4, Israeli security forces evicted the settlers and took control of it. The evicted settlers proceeded to riot and commit arson against the town's Palestinian residents as the security forces stood by, an event Olmert condemned as "a pogrom." Seventeen Palestinians were reported injured.

Abraham, an unpretentious man with a black velvet kipa and mild Brooklyn accent, told the audience at the synagogue, "Because there were young rioters doesn't mean the government can take land away that was bought legally."

Abraham said he was motivated to purchase the Hebron property as a religious Jew. According to the Hebrew Bible, the ancient city was King David's original capital before he moved it to Jerusalem. Hebron is also home to the Cave of the Patriarchs, a site holy to Jews and Muslims, where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives are said to be buried.

Abraham claimed a personal connection to the city, as well. He said his grandfather lived there and escaped a 1930 massacre by Arab residents that killed 68 Jews, many of them members of Hebron's long-settled Sephardic community. He said the alleged purchase was also a business investment; the 40,000-square-foot property was to be renovated to fit 30 apartments to be rented for $300 to $500 per month each, he said.

In a community that reveres its rabbis' words as holy writ, close to 20 community rabbis and leaders attended the rally, most notably Syrian Chief Rabbi Saul Kassin.

The atmosphere was rife with disgust for what speakers declared was the anti-religious nature of the government. Parallels were drawn between the fight for the Hebron property and the Soviet Jewry struggle.

"We are more into business than politics," said Abraham Dayan, a silver haired gentleman with a heavy accent whose wife waited for him in a blue BMW as he discussed the quiet nature of the Syrian community. "But we are very Zionistic, one of the most in the world. [The community] has taken to heart what the government did and considers it unjust vis-à-vis religion and Judaism."

A MESSAGE FROM HEVRON

Time to soul-search

David Wilder
December 21, 2008

This is being written on Erev Hanukka, the holiday of light. In Hebrew we greet each other with the traditional blessing, "Chag Urim Sameach" – "Have a happy holiday of lights." I just came inside from photographing two wondrous events. First, the construction of a huge Menorah on the Abu-Sneneh hills, opposite the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. It was from these hills that infant Shalhevet Pass was murdered by a terrorist sniper over eight years ago. It was from these hills that such terrorists shot at Jews in Hebron, in their homes, on the streets, into their automobiles, for two years. Tonight, the light of Hanukka will shine forth from these hills, radiating the brilliance of the miracle of the Maccabee's victory against Hellenization, as far as the eye can see.
When I finished filming the menorah from afar, I found Hebron's kindergarten and nursery school kids playing outside in the newly renovated playground, the Hyman and Ruth Simon play center. Some of the children were adorned with crowns on their heads, the remnants of the just concluded Hanukka party. They looked so happy, their faces so full of delight, that I stopped and photographed them too.

So, on the face of it, the article should be filled with festivity and joy. But, alas, the events filling our lives are not always so enchanting. Shabbat, for example. Two young women, aged sixteen and seventeen, were walking down from Kiryat Arba in Hebron at 10:15 in the evening. When they reached the bottom of the hill, at the crossroads leading to Ma'arat HaMachpela, two Arab men started walking towards them. The girls took off. One of the Arabs caught up to B., knocked her down and sat on top of her. The other girl, behind her, started throwing rocks at him, while at the same time both began screaming. No one heard them. There weren't any soldiers to be seen. (However, about 100 meters up the road at least a dozen border police were guarding the sealed up Beit HaShalom, ensuring that no one try to retake the structure.) B. struggled with her attacker, and somehow, miraculously, in her words, managed to escape from under him.The girls finally found an army jeep and reported the attack. However the soldier and officer in the jeep didn't take them seriously enough to report the attack to their superior officers. Hebron's security chief wasn't informed about the attack until 12:30 at night. The army had totally ignored it.

The next morning the girls and their families met with the military commander of the area, Col. Udi Ben-Mocha. When they complained that there weren't any soldiers in the area he replied that he didn't have enough manpower to place soldiers everywhere (except, of course, next to Beit HaShalom.) This, in spite of the fact that numerous times Israelis are attacked at the very location where the girls were attacked, on Shabbat and during the week, when rock-throwing Arabs hurl blocks at passing automobiles.
And now to the main task at hand.

Since the expulsion from Beit HaShalom, many articles have been written lambasting the Hebron Jewish community and the struggle against the expulsion. I previously wrote an oped piece which was printed in the Jerusalem Post. However, it seems that was not enough. I don't have the time or stomach to respond to each and every article written, but I have no choice but to deal with one of the most problematic of these essays. I hope my response will satisfy all those who have requested my reaction to each and every one of these articles.

Before responding: I know that my response will upset some of those who read it, perhaps even people I work with and have dealings with. However, I cannot sit back and quietly accept such hateful slander, which is based on outright lies.

Last Shabbat one Rabbi Mitch Wohlberg, rabbi of a Baltimore 'modern orthodox' congregation, spewed out a sermon whose subject was terror. The sermon, widely disseminated on internet is titled, "Terrorists in our midst." I will try to relate to this work of self-hate point by point, but not necessarily in the order it appears in the sermon.

How does Wohlberg relate to building?: "The settlers who took over a home in Hebron under questionable circumstances, spurring confrontations with the Israeli government and with the local Arabs, called the home "Beit Ha-Shalom – House of Peace… occupied by settlers in Hebron…."

Wohlberg has already decreed that the 'occupation' is 'questionable.' Why? Brooklyn resident Morris Abraham paid some one million dollars for the building and has the documents to prove the purchase. A film of the Arab counting the money appears on internet, as does a cassette of him stating that he sold the building.

The police and soldiers were acting by orders of the government, which in turn was acting by order of the Supreme Court." This is not true. The Supreme Court did not order the government to expel the Jews from the building. They ruled that the state was legally enabled to expel us, but did not order them to do so. The decision to go ahead with the violent confrontation was made by Ehud Barak in the midst of high-level discussions with leaders of the Hebron community aimed at preventing the confrontation.

there are Jews living in Hebron and across the West Bank who do not accept the decisions of Israel's Supreme Court or of its government leaders." My article in the Jerusalem Post relates to the judicial terror used against Hebron.

"The settlers who took over a home in Hebron … spurring confrontations with the Israeli government and with the local Arabs…" This is a lie. Jewish families lived in Beit HaShalom for twenty months 'peacefully,' with almost no confrontations with the Arabs living in the area. The Jews and Arab walked the same street in front of the building, without any misconduct by any of the Jews living or visiting there.

"these same Jewish terrorists have thrown stones at Israeli police and soldiers. They have uprooted the olive trees of Arabs, attacked Arab women and old people, have vandalized mosques and Muslim cemeteries..." Again, these accusations are out and out lies. In January, 2008, Efrat Weiss writing in the Hebrew internet site ynet and the daily newspaper Yediot Achronot wrote: "The head of the Israel Police's Hebron district, Commander Avshalom Peled told Ynet that "from my experience in the Hebron and Gush Etzion area, the activity on the part of the militant left can be severe and dangerous."
Hebron police have recorded a drop in disturbances involving Jewish settlers over the past year and noted an improvement in the dialogue between the settler community and police…"In the past we did not have any problems with the leftist organizations, but all this changed recently," another police official said. "Their activity has become more extreme in nature, and it may result in (an eruption of violence)."… "The leftists antagonize the settlers in the hope that the settlers will attack them," a police official said.The left-wing organizations have become an even greater threat than the anarchists.""

What factual evidence can Wohlberg supply to prove that Jews in Hebron have uprooted olive trees, vandalized mosques and desecrated cemeteries? Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron, as well as Ma'arat HaMachpela have been desecrated time and time again, without any reaction by Israeli security forces or international media, or, for that matter, Rabbi Wohlberg.

It is true that about 2 weeks before the expulsion a small group of kids drew Jewish stars on stones at an Arab cemetery and wrote slogans on a nearby mosque. They were immediately requested to leave the building and the vicinity and the others were instructed, in no uncertain terms, that this was not to happen again. Again, for almost 2 years Jews lived in that building without any such incidents at the cemetery or mosque.
What does Wohlberg call us?: " So what should we call Jews who similarly threaten people? There is only one word: "Terrorists."

Rabbi Wohlberg, how many Arabs were injured or killed by 'Jewish terror?' Why did you neglect mentioning Eliyasaf Asban, a sixteen year old who was hit in the head by a block hurled by an Arab. Eliyasaf was standing next to Beit HaShalom speaking to his brother and friends when the attack occurred. His skull was crushed and he was nearly killed, remaining unconscious and in critical condition for days after being hit. The Arab who tried to kill him still hasn't been arrested, despite the fact that the police know his identity. Yet the Jews are terrorists, being compared in the same breath with the monsters who murdered hundreds, including Jews, in India: " The terrorists who attacked in Mumbai were members of a terrorist organization called Lashkar-E-Taiba…"
Wohlberg, at the beginning of his sermon, describes what he calls a 'pogrom.' Yet he refrains from describing the 'attempted lynch' against two Jews from Kiryat Arba who where trying to get their kids out of Beit HaShalom and were forced to shoot in order to save themselves. One of the men is under house arrest, despite demands by the prosecutor's office that he be kept in jail, because a magistrate court judge stated that it is not clear that he was responsible for the events which forced him to shoot in self defense.

There were, as has been stated by myself and other representatives of Hebron's Jewish community, incidents which occurred before and during the expulsion which were not planned, nor are they considered to be acceptable or legitimate forms of protest. However, as repugnant as some of these events were, let's examine another, similar scenario:

Last week, (as reported in ynetnews [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3640883,00.html] and other media networks) Israeli security forces conducted a mass training exercise to ostensibly practice dealing with riots. However, sources participating in the exercise told that much of the time was spent practicing how to expel people from their homes. Some of the police played themselves – expellers, while others were transformed into 'settlers' being thrown out of their homes.
As a result of this 'training exercise' fifty four police were injured due to the fact that "the rioters" apparently used excessive force on "peacekeeping" officers during a mock disturbance."

In other words, police beat police – on both sides. The expellers beat the expellees, who hit back. And this is police vs. police! So what, Rabbi Wohlberg, do you have to say to that?! If that's what happens during a 'mock disturbance' between police, what do expect kids to do in a 'real' situation?!

And of course, will you condemn the Arabs who tried to rape and murder two young Jewish women on Friday night in Hebron, Rabbi Wohlberg?

I would like to now conclude with several comments:

1. As I wrote in the Jerusalem Post: "It should be clear. Hebron's Jewish community opposes and rejects any and all violence aimed at innocent people, be they Arabs, Jews or anyone else." By the same token, we reject desecration of any kind by anyone. We are not terrorists, Rabbi Wohlberg. We are Jews who love our country, our land and our people. And we live what we believe. Our lives are dedicated entirely to G-d, to the Jewish people and to Eretz Yisrael, and we do not, nor will we ever apologize for that.

2. Jews have not ever conducted 'pogroms' against anyone. You forgot, in your Shabbat spiel, to recall a true Hebron pogrom, which took place in August of 1929, when 67 Jews were murdered by Arab masses, with the survivors then expelled from the city of Abraham by the then occupying British. You also forgot to mention the war against the Jews, when Arabs shot at us for two years, killing scores, including a ten month old baby in Hebron proper.

3. I would like to see what you would do, Rabbi Wohlberg, when, due to growing anti-Semitism in the United States, one fine Saturday morning, masses of police, FBI, and other security troops show up outside your shul, while you are in the middle of a sermon, and start forcibly removing you and your congregation from you pulpit and your seats. Will you walk out like sheep on the way to the slaughter, or will you fight back, refusing to be treated like subhuman beings? After all, 'dina d'malchuta dina' – right, Rabbi Wohlberg? If they want to expel you, they can – that could be the law of the land, right, Rabbi Wohlberg?

Don't think it couldn't happen. In Germany they didn't think it could happen. In Hungary, they didn't think it could happen. Ditto other countries in Europe.

Rabbi Wohlberg, we will not be, here in Hebron or anywhere in Israel, sheep led to slaughter. We are being dealt with as 3rd class citizens with laws being circumvented and at best, rewritten, to deal with over 300,000 people, including 'settler fanatics' who live not only in 'occupied Hebron,' but in 'the occupied Jordon Valley' and the 'occupied Golan Heights.'

Don't fool yourself or your congregation Rabbi. You too will be thought of, and dealt with, as 'occupiers' of downtown Baltimore. I suggest you stop breathing fire against kids, who despite their good intentions may have erred, and begin soul-searching yourself: who are you, what are you, and what do you really believe in? Because, judging from last week's sermon, the answer to these questions are very very unclear.

Self-Restraint or Adequate Force???

Self-Restraint Prolongs the War.
by Prof. Paul Eidelberg

US Admiral Bull Halsey said, "Hit hard, hit fast, hit often." Rationality and responsibility are qualities quite foreign to those who shape Israel's policy toward its enemy, the Palestinian Authority. Their policy is "Hit softly, hit slowly, and hit seldom."
In Hebrew this policy is called havlaga - "self-restraint". This policy is motivated by fear of world opinion, perhaps also by the desire to display Israel's moral superiority vis-à-vis the cruelty of her Arab enemies. It is an utterly inane and immoral policy.

Havlaga prolongs the war. It therefore increases the number of Jewish as well as Arab casualties... Yet this has been the policy of Israeli prime ministers and their cohorts since the signing of the Israel-PLO Agreement of September 1993. How demoralizing, how revolting! And yet, not a single party in the Knesset protests against this cowardly and self-destructive policy. Even the religious parties, which proclaim the principle of pikuach nefesh - "saving life"...

The Jewish people are known (even by their enemies) for their kindness and mercy, which is why Arabs store weapons in hospitals and schools, and shield themselves behind women and children. In time of war, however, "do not show [your enemy] any pity" (Deuteronomy 7:17), on which verse the Ramban comments: "Through the mercy of fools all justice is lost."

Justice, justice is what Israel stands for: justice has ever been the sacred cause of the Jewish people. Today, however, inasmuch as Israeli governments display no confidence in the justice of Israel's cause, is it any wonder that the Jew-haters of this world now question whether Israel has a right to exist, indeed, call for Israel's eradication?

Happy and Joyful Hanukkah!
May the courage and spirit of the Maccabees always remain with us!

(ZOA) is deeply disappointed with Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s decision

December 10, 2008

ZOA STATEMENT:

THE FORCED EVICTION OF THE

JEWISH RESIDENTS OF HEBRON'S BEIT HASHALOM

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is deeply disappointed with Defense Minister Ehud Barak's decision to unnecessarily and forcibly evict the Jewish residents of Beit Hashalom (Peace House). Beit Hashalom is a large building in Hebron strategically overlooking Worshippers Way, the access road to the Cave of the Patriarchs. It was apparently purchased by an American Jew from its Arab owner for close to $1,000,000 and transferred to the Jewish Community of Hebron in a legal transaction that is now being challenged in the Jerusalem District Court. Up until the last moment before the eviction, it was abundantly clear that Mr. Barak could have avoided last Thursday's violent confrontation by continuing to negotiate through the good offices of the local regional council.

To the best of our knowledge, there are legal documents, videotapes and audiotapes attesting to the legitimacy of the sale of Beit Hashalom by its former Arab owner to a Jewish owner. Having at first confirmed the sale, the former Arab owner has now recanted, for fear of Arab retribution. Remember, Palestinian Authority law calls for the death penalty for selling land to a Jew.

After refusing to consider the aforementioned video and audiotape evidence, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that "it will be possible to act in accordance with Squatters' Evacuation Law" and evict the residents. Therefore, until the Jerusalem District Court decides on the legal ownership of the structure, authorities may remove the tenants. This does not mean they are required to be removed, as was confirmed in no uncertain terms by former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Yaakov Turkel who said, "The ruling does not obligate the State to act to evacuate the Jews, but rather gives them the freedom to decide whether to do so or not."

It should also be noted that Israeli Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish unfairly "biased" the panel by unilaterally removing two justices, including Orthodox Justice Edmond Levy. Our understanding is that both of the removed justices might have been more sympathetic to the Jews of Hebron. Justice Beinish substituted two justices, Ayala Procaccia and Salim Joubran, who are known to be hostile to Jews in the territories. But even with these unsympathetic justices, they did not rule that the Jews of Beit Hashalom House are required to be moved but only authorized the removal if the government made that decision.

Approximately twenty-four hours prior to the violent eviction, ZOA's Israel Director, Jeff Daube, was in Beit Hashalom for the official opening of a ZOA branch office. The intended purpose of the office was to serve as a focal point for visits to Beit Hashalom; to raise public awareness about the strategic importance of the structure's location for access to the Cave of the Patriarchs; to express solidarity with the peaceful Jewish residents of Beit Hashalom; and to affirm the right of Jews to live in peace in Hebron. Hebron is the city of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and the first capital of the State of Israel during the reign of King David.

Due to the escalating crisis, even this short ceremony commemorating the opening of the ZOA's office had to be curtailed. When news broke about the forced evacuation of Beit Hashalom, Mr. Daube said, "I was hopeful earlier this morning – especially when I heard that negotiations were ongoing – that a nonviolent resolution could have been found to the Beit Hashalom dispute, so I planned another visit later in the day. I was obviously wrong. As an Israeli citizen, a proud Jew and a Zionist, I am deeply troubled by my government's behavior in forcibly uprooting the residents of Beit Hashalom before the Jerusalem District Court decision has been made as to the building's legal owners. Apparently those Arabs who are dancing on their rooftops and clapping gleefully at the sight of Jews being forcibly removed from Beit Hashalom understand the implications of this rash and misguided act far better than we." This act may send a message that the Jews are less committed to the Land than the Arabs; delegitimizes the Jews of Judea & Samaria; encourages more Arab intransigence; and sends a message that the Arabs are winning, which will only cause them to demand more concessions and could even promote more Arab violence.

The ZOA cannot help but question the motivation for this tragic action in light of Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai's denunciation of Barak's "strange and wretched" decision on the same day as the Labor Party primaries. Yishai had told Barak that he should wait for a court ruling on the evacuation before ordering the security forces to carry it out (Ha'aretz, December 4).

MK Arieh Eldad also lashed out at Barak, saying that he was responsible for all those wounded in the lightening-quick raid in Hebron: "Barak sent the IDF and police as part of the left-wing's election campaign and the blood of the casualties is on his hands."

MK Uri Ariel said: "Defense Minister Barak violated all the understandings with him, and he has provided proof that he cannot be trusted."

Yechiel Leiter, former Deputy Director General of Israel's Ministry of Education and former Chief of Staff to Benjamin Netanyahu, said that to evict the Jews was not judicial but rather political. "If it was a matter of law, then the law must be distributive, i.e, must be applied to all sectors alike. There are thousands of orders against illegal Arab structures that are not being implemented..."
Even a member of the Kadima party, MK Zev Elkin, called on Minister of Defense Ehud Barak to avoid a confrontation with Peace House activists in Hebron. Elkin said: "Barak is trying to get the Left to love him and save himself and his party on the back of the Jews of Hebron. We must negotiate with the settlers otherwise Barak and Olmert will be responsible for repeating the mistakes of Amona."
Many have also asked why Defense Minister Barak has flexed his muscles against innocent civilians in Beit Hashalom, while failing to defend the Western Negev communities from Gaza terrorist rocket attacks. Ashkelon's outgoing mayor, Roni Mahatzri, perhaps said it best on Saturday: "We saw that when the defense minister wishes to show determination and resolve, he knows how to do that; he did it while handling the case of the house in Hebron. I would like to see the same determination when it comes to the rocket fire."

While the ZOA is troubled by the fact that the defense minister chose to resort to what he surely knew would be a violent confrontation, the ZOA does not condone and, in fact, strongly criticizes the random and senseless acts of violence and vandalism committed by some Jewish youth, however few. Noam Arnon, the leader of the Jewish community of Hebron, expressed the same sentiments. It is the responsibility of parents, educators and community leaders to provide these often well-meaning young people with the proper guidance to channel their energies in a manner that allows their voices of protest to be heard, without compromising their potential to serve as ambassadors of a truly inspired Zionism.

Nevertheless, as Mr. Daube reported based on his observations and conversations, the overwhelming majority of young people at Beit Hashalom were there to make a non-violent, positive statement of support. Notwithstanding the few "hotheaded" young people, there was an overall sense of a desire to avoid confrontation. "I sat in on one meeting conducted by an adult leader, who instructed a large group of teens on exactly how to act with grace and dignity in the best tradition of Ghandi and Martin Luther King, should police forces enter to forcibly evict them. They were even given emergency phone numbers in the event that they were detained," recalled Mr. Daube.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said: "We are also troubled that the forced violent eviction took place before the Jerusalem District Court determined the legal ownership of Beit Hashalom. Even if the District Court rules against Jewish ownership, the ZOA urges that every peaceful avenue be explored before there is ever again a forcible eviction.

"The ZOA sincerely hopes that ways could be found to avoid future Gush Katifs, Amonas, and Beit Hashaloms, so that we will never again witness Jews being dragged from their homes by force. This is not good for Israel. This is not good for the Jewish people."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
December 9, 2008
The Bostoner Rebbe Shlita, Rav Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, released the following statement this week regarding the expulsion of Jews from Chevron's Bet HaShalom and subsequent comments on the matter from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"I was shocked by the rumor that the prime minister attacked the Jews of Chevron, who exhibit mesirus nefesh for Eretz Yisrael, labeling them law-breakers and their actions a pogrom. Pogrom is used for those who have abandoned any semblance of humanity and exhibit animalistic behavior. We must daven that what occurred will not occur again in the future."
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Following Letter Was Faxed to Israel's Ambassador and Consul to Canada:

December 5, 2008
The Honorable Ambassador of Israel,
Her Excellency Miriam Ziv, Ottawa, ON
And The Honorable Amir R. Gissin,
Consul General of Israel, Toronto, ON
We are writing this letter on behalf of Toronto Zionist Council. We are appalled by the continued anti settler venom being spewed forth by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other ministers and the brutal attack that expelled the residents of Beit HaShalom, a building which was purchased 100% legally by Mr. Morris Abraham.
How dare Mr. Barak allow the forces under his command to use stun grenades and tear gas against Jews – men, women and children – who were living peacefully and legally in a building in the Jewish homeland! How dare he have the audacity to say that the state must enforce the High Court decision to evict them, when he knows very well that the High Court issued no such ruling!
Mr. Barak needs to be stripped of his position as Defense Minster at once, for his illegal and immoral actions against our brethren in Beit HaShalom . With Jewish blood being spilled like water in Mumbai at the hands of the very same terrorist murderers who threaten our brethren in the State of Israel every single day – and while Hamas missiles continue to terrorize southern Israel, it is hard to believe that Mr. Barak can waste precious Israeli soldiers and Israeli police – that are needed to safeguard the population everywhere – and sending them instead to Hevron to evict Jews who posed no threat anyone – from their home..
He has a sworn duty to protect the lives of all our brethren in Israel and not just those people who support him politically. We demand that Mr. Barak cease and desist from his war against the settlers in general, and the residents of Beit HaShalom in particular!
I am sure you are acquainted with the lethal ambush which resulted in the massacre of 12 Israeli soldiers – that the Arab friends of Barak perpetrated not that long ago – on the very same road, "Worshiper's Way" where Beit Hashalom is located and how pleased the IDF was when it was disclosed that the building was finally in Jewish hands, thus making easier their task of protecting the visitors going to Machpela Cave, the burial place of our Patriarchs.
We said it before, and we will say it again and again until this selective oppression STOPS! We will not stand idly by and watch the government of the State of Israel treat our brethren like this.
Our organization was the driving force in staging two very successful "Israel Malls" in Toronto during the worst times of the 'Intifada' when tourists were avoiding Israel and the merchants on Midrachov Ben Yehuda (and other shopping centers) were standing in front of their stores trying to entice the few pedestrians to come in and buy something.
Your government should wake up to the fact that Israel's only true friends in the world are the Zionist Jews of the diaspora. With the blatant lies that some government ministers spread about the residents of Yehuda and Shomron, the deliberate provocations against them, their labeling true Jewish patriots and pioneers as 'internal enemies of the state', and the illegal and brutal expulsions, all they will accomplish is alienating us and all other supporters of Israel.
If this persecution and abuse of our brethren won't stop, we will start a campaign to withhold all monetary support while this government is in power. Instead we will advise everyone to channel that money to help our brethren who are being made to suffer by Ehud Barak. He – and others of his ilk – see the handwriting on the wall; that their political careers will be over after the next elections – unless they manage to start a civil war before then.
Please use your positions to influence the few decent people still left in the government that this should not happen!
Sincerely,
Toronto Zionist Council, Yossi Winter, Pres. Izzy Kaplan Vice Pres.

WHO CARES ABOUT GILAD SHALIT?

Blogmaster: Who cares about Gilad Shalit? We say a prayer for him every Shabbat; we think of him every day as we walk free; every time we see a soldier, we think that he or she could be the ”next" Gilad Shalit. What do I mean by "next Gilad Shalit"? Every IDF soldier, Border Police Officer or Policeman knows they could be "next". Next, as another glaring example of the Government's ineptitude and apathy regarding our protectors. We know where he is, so why is he still there? Where are the daring IDF operations of yesterday? More importantly, where is the leadership? It is incumbent on our Government to keep its promise to our soldiers that they will be brought home. After two and one-half years, the promise seems rather empty does it not? The fault does Not lay with the IDF commanders...the fault lies directly with Ehud Barak. Once again Mr. Defense Minister, get off of your touches and do your job! Rescue Gilad Shalit - Alive!


The Shalit story, more than 870 days later



By Guy Senbel for Guysen International News
Samedi 25 octobre 2008 à 07:50

Editorial of the week, October 25, 2008

We would like to bring the attention of our readers this week to the situation regarding the release of Gilad Shalit, Israeli soldier and French-Israeli citizen, held as a hostage by the Hamas in Gaza for more than 870 days. Along with journalist Florence Aubenas, who was a former hostage in Iraq, and popular Sephardic French singer Patrick Bruel, Noam Shalit, father of the young soldier hostage in Gaza, held a press conference on Wednesday, October 22, in Paris. Noam Shalit came to Paris from his home in northern Israel to ask the French government to get more involved in working for the release of his, 852 days after he was seized.

Noam Shalit is asking this of the French government because his son is also French, just like Ingrid Betancourt, held for several years by the FARC in Colombia. Public opinion still sees her as the former Franco-Colombian hostage. France got involved in her release and gave Ingrid Betancourt a hero’s welcome when she arrived in her country of adoption. She became the French ambassador for the concept of freedom, and is now leading a political battle in the name of justice.

The image of Gilad Shalit is not the same as that of Ingrid Betancourt. The media often paints a picture of him as simply a prisoner of the Hamas. As a corporal in the IDF, the Israeli army often pictured negatively by the press, Gilad Shalit was doing his military service. His image is of prisoner of war, no doubt the reason why mobilizing public opinion for him has been so difficult. Seizing him as a hostage was a political act. Kidnapping a soldier while he is doing his military is a military act. Should people not mobilize for him simply because he was seized while serving in the army?




It all began on June 25, 2006, when a Hamas commando attacked an Israeli military post on the edge of the Gasa Strip. Two IDF soldiers were killed and another, 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit, was seized and dragged across the border into Gaza.




From that moment there were attempts to mobilize public opinion in France and in Israel.. But the not-very-dynamic initiatives were poorly coordinated, so little happened. One notable exception was the effort made by deputy Rudy Salles beginning the fall of 2007, when disquieting information was circulating about the poor health of soldier Shalit in the hands of the Hamas. Salles publicly called on French authorities “to do what they could to intervene for the release of Shalit.”




The Paris mayor’s office had hung a huge photo poster on its building facade of Ingrid Bettancourt, kidnapped and held by the radical leftist FARC guerilla group in Colombia for several years in the jungle with hundreds of other Colombians. Bettancourt has duel French-Colombia citizenship, as Gilad Shalit has dual French-Israeli citizenship. The mayor’s office did not replace the Colombian deputy’s photo with that of Galid Shalit. But the 16th arrondisement or district mayor’s office did put up its own giant Shalit poster.




Noam Shalit came to Paris for his captive son on Wednesday, September 22. He said his release was urgently needed and that public opinion had to be mobilized. The Shalit father is counting more than ever, since Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president, on the strong influence of France in parts of the Middle East. The message is: “there is another French hostage to be released.”




Gilad Shalit is indeed French. It was in the name of France that Noam Shalit came to Paris and asked the French government to mobilize its resources for the release of his son.




Journalist Florence Aubenas, a former hostage in Iraq, feels no ambiguity about mobilizing French resources for Gilad. “He wore a uniform, and obviously does not have the same role that I did when I was kidnapped as a journalist,” she said pointedly, “but it is the status of victim of arbitrary detention that comes first.” Aubenas called on French colleagues “not to let ourselves be blinded by the high-charged and emotional context in France that surrounds the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”




News from the Middle East reflects the political dimension of the entire Shalit story. Negotiations with the Hamas for his release have been going almost nowhere on and off for two years. First secret and then with full media coverage, they highlight the diplomatic role played by Egypt, the chief mediator in the region. Negotiators were recently preparing an accord based on a prisoner exchange. There was talk of 1000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli public opinion took no offense at the large number. In fact, several thousand Israelis demonstrated next to the Gaza border on Sunday, October 19. The mobilization is spreading, several months after the bodies of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were exchanged with the Hezbollah for a particular vicious Lebanese Shiite terrorist killer, Samir Kuntar, and several other men.




Noam Shalit was also in France to launch the official support committee for his son, with the help of Hervé Morro, the former spokesman for the support committee to release Ingrid Bettancourt in Colombia.Tonight we are thinking of Gilad Shalit, hostage of the Hamas in Gaza for more than 870 days.

EXTREMISM BREEDS EXTREMISM

Blogmaster: Regarding "Extremism breeds extremism" The blatant extremism and provocation in the Hebron Jewish Community lies not with the Jewish residents who make their home there, make their businesses there, send their children to school there, and attend Synagogue there...The agent provocateurs in this case are Ehud Barak and the Arabs that he secretly encourages to attack Hebron's Jewish population either by direct communication or by the actions (or lack thereof) that he commands the IDF to take. Make no mistake, the IDF and the Border Police are not the villains here...Barak is the villain and he is pulling the strings and is directly responsible for whatever has happened or will occur in the future. He is a snake in the grass whose driving forces are purely political with no regard for the Jews of Hebron or the Land of Israel. He must not be successful in his bid for more power. On the contrary, Ehud Barak and others of his ilk have damaged Israel enough. Look not at his previous accomplishments as a hero of the IDF...examine the Ehud Barak of today...they are different personalities entirely and the Barak of today must go!

Dec. 7, 2008

DAVID WILDER , THE JERUSALEM POST

EXTREMISM BREEDS EXTREMISM

Following the expulsion of families from Beit Hashalom in Hebron, during a radio interview with the BBC, I was asked about our future plans. When I responded that the community would continue to purchase property in Hebron, the interviewer asked, "But won't that just cause more violence?" I answered, "If I bought a home in London and was told that a Jew purchasing on 'that side of the city' would cause a violent reaction, how would that be viewed? Probably as anti-Semitism and racism. Why then can't a Jew buy property in Hebron, just as people purchase homes all over the world?"
Another common question I've had to field from journalists is, "Don't you think this has all gotten out of control?" My response is quite simple: "Of course it is totally out of control. That's not the question. The question is who is out of control?" Clearly, in my opinion, those who have lost control are those democratic institutions which are designed to protect citizens from despotic leadership.
FOLLOWING PURCHASE of Beit Hashalom for close to $1 million, the Hebron community found itself under attack from numerous sources. Rapidly the question of our legitimate presence in the building made its way to court. The original court decision found enough evidence supporting our claims to prevent immediate eviction. However, harsh restrictions were imposed, including denial to install windows and to hook up to the Hebron municipal electric grid. Only in the middle of a major snowstorm did the defense minister allow installation of windows in the building last winter.
Due to the political sensitivity of the case, we soon found ourselves opposite a Supreme Court panel hearing the various issues involved. That panel was composed of Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and Justices Edmond Levy and Uzi Fogelman. Levy is religious. Following a break in the court hearings, Beinisch changed the panel, removing Levy and Fogelman and replacing them with Justices Ayala Procaccia, who is known to be one of the most left-wing justices on the court, and Salim Joubran, the only Arab on the court. Beinisch, it must be noted, is not known for her right-wing ideological opinions. Two leftist justices and an Arab were left to decide the fate of the Jews living in Beit Hashalom. If that's not a stacked deck, nothing is. So wrote retired District Court judge Uzi Struzman, calling the court's final decision blatantly political.
In that decision, the court ruled that it would not examine the evidence presented, including proof of authentication of the legal sales documents, a video of the seller receiving and counting the money received for the building, and an audio recording of his description of the sale and receipt of the money.
Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz, when presented with new evidence in the case, specifically the audio cassette, refused to meet with community attorneys or examine the proof of purchase.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced only two weeks ago his intention to legalize all the illegal Beduin construction in the South. Yet he gave the go-ahead to violently expel all residents of the building in the midst of advanced high-level negotiations which would have allowed him to forgo the brutal confrontation.
These are examples of nothing less than terror - administrative terror, utilized by the highest echelons of the country's democratic institutions to further their own political beliefs against loyal citizens of the state, in this case, residents of the Hebron Jewish community.
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.
Hebron residents are often labeled extremists. However nothing could be more extreme than the above-described actions of Mazuz and Beinisch. But due to their positions and political ideologies, their extremism is considered legitimate.
It should be clear. 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, expecting the other side to play by the old ones, while they play by the new. 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.
The writer is spokesman of the Jewish community of Hebron.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet

BARAK vs. HIMMLER - IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO?

DEFENSE MINISTER BARAK & GESTAPO AND SS CHIEF HEINRICH HIMMLER - IS THERE A CHARACTER DIFFERENCE?

Both are megalomaniacs and narcissistic beyond comprehension. Barak could care less about the result of his reckless actions, as long as his plans are accomplished and with the intended result. We have seen these results before in Gush Katif and we will continue to witness such despicable behavior until Mr. Barak is but a bad memory in the Government of Israel. All we have to do is to ask the simple questions...Is Barak Good For Jews? & Is Barak Good For Israel? Who can answer in the affirmative! He needs to go and all those with the same disregard for the people and the land of Israel must follow! Enough is Enough!

Arlene Kushner says it very well below:

_______________________________________________________________________________

November 4, 2008

"Shameful"

How else does one describe the actions of the government -- and most specifically of Defense Minister Barak --last night and today?

A review of the sequence of events regarding Beit HaShalom in Hevron since I wrote roughly 24 hours ago:

Late yesterday, the leadership of the PA released statements regarding the tensions surrounding Beit HaShalom. Saying that settlers were committing "a despicable crime" in attacking innocent Palestinians, they indicated that president Mahmoud Abbas was thinking of calling an urgent meeting of the Security Council to discuss the situation.

Maintaining that "the presence of the Jewish settlers in the city is a serious provocation," they demanded that the Israeli government remove them from Hevron.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh called the violence "an organized terror campaign," as the settlers "constitute a real danger to the Palestinians and their lands."

The PA security officer for Hevron declared, "The Israeli government's failure to stop the settlers is threatening our security plan. We have been working hard to restore law and order and our efforts have thus far been very successful. But what the settlers are doing now poses a major threat to our efforts."

~~~~~~~~~~

Now, this was grandstanding -- a political ploy, based on gross distortions and exaggerations of the situation. It is clear, has been clear for many, many years, that the Arabs don't wish to share Hevron, but wish the Jews gone completely. This attitude fueled the 1929 Hevron massacres. Now the PA saw their chance to make their case.

It was the place of our government, then, to respond to this by exposing the ridiculousness of the charges:

Palestinians weren't attacked in a "terror campaign." There were altercations between Jews and Palestinians that, according to eyewitness reports, were begun by the Palestinians. One Jewish boy was seriously injured when a rock was thrown at his head by a Palestinian on a roof.

Jews are in Hevron by right of a 4,000 year tradition as well as by law -- per an Oslo agreement. The Jews are not leaving Hevron.

Whatever has transpired has been within the area of Hevron controlled by Israel. PA security forces don't operate in this area and the situation in no way affects their ability to do their job.

~~~~~~~~~~

But the Israeli government didn't do this. Perhaps they were responding defensively, perhaps they welcomed what the PA officials said as providing a rationale for getting tougher. I cannot be sure. I was startled to read one statement about how "pogroms against Palestinians" would be prevented. Pogroms?

Then, too, there is the fact that the Labor primary was held today and Barak may have been playing "big man" for potential supporters.

Whatever the motivation, they did get tougher. It was announced that policy had changed and Border Police were going to be making arrests. The road to Beit HaShalom was closed at 5:00 PM. A resident of Kiryat Arba, who was present, recounted to me today the appearance on the scene of the Yassamnikim -- from what is called the "special reconnaissance unit." The toughest -- most ruthless -- of troops, they were very active in the Gush Katif expulsion and are called out for "special" situations such as demonstrations.

She said that they came in full gear, and she saw stun grenades (which cause a loud sound and emit a flash or smoke) tossed into a crowd that was not violent, as well as girls, who offered no resistance, picked up "like rag dolls."

~~~~~~~~~~

This morning there was a period of hopefulness, with reports that Barak was meeting with representatives of the Yesha Council and the Hevron Jewish community in order to reach a compromise. What the Hevron community proposed was that the residents of Beit HaShalom be permitted to stay in the house until the final court decision, but that all those who didn't live there be required to leave, with the understanding that the residents would also leave quietly if the final decision was against them.

Barak left the meeting and promptly declared that evacuation of the house would proceed. The Yesha Council and Hevron community, feeling a sense of betrayal, were greatly angered -- they don't believe Barak negotiated in good faith at all.

~~~~~~~~~~

Six hundred troops -- both IDF and Border Police -- came to Beit HaShalom, circling around from the back of the building (down a hillside where Arab houses sit). Tear gas was tossed into the building. Some troops went in, others remained outside. The house was evacuated with excessive use of force. My information is that 28 residents and protesters were injured.

~~~~~~~~~~

Barak is now patting himself on the back for "upholding the law" [as if the law required an evacuation of the house] and protecting the integrity of the State. Others are echoing him. Misrepresentations of the situation abound in media sources.

I cannot emphasize enough that Barak precipitated this crisis. When the High Court said that the government could choose to evacuate the house for the period before the final decision was made, or not, he had the option of doing nothing. That would have been entirely within the strictures of the Court, and had he decided to leave the situation alone, there would have been no tension, no violence. It was Barak's declared intention to do an evacuation of the house that brought out the young people.

But as late as this morning, even after all of this, there was a way to arrive at an equitable resolution without violence: What the Jewish community of Hevron proposed was fair and reasonable. It would have dissipated the crowds of supporters and reduced local tensions, and it assured that the residents would leave quietly later if findings required them to. Barak didn't choose to go this route, and his failure to negotiate in good faith further exacerbated anger.

~~~~~~~~~~

There are reports now of "settlers" rioting and damaging Palestinian houses in the area, in anger and frustration at what has transpired. I am loathe to give these reports full credence -- I simply don't know at this point.

What I do know is that attorney Yossi Fuchs, who's as decent and straight as they come, has filed a complaint against the Hevron police commander and the regional IDF spokesman for a false report they issued today stating that a Jewish activist had sprayed a police officer with acid and caused him serious injuries -- a report that was picked up by media sources.

Fuchs was able to determine, with a simple check, that no ambulance had been called to Hevron, no medical personnel drawn upon, to treat a police officer with acid burns. He suspects the deliberate spreading of a libelous falsehood.

And as this did happen, it is important to view other reports with a jaundiced eye until there is final verification of facts.

~~~~~~~~~~

Will the court finally find in favor of the Jewish community of Hevron and acknowledge that Beit HaShalom was legally purchased and is theirs? If there is justice, it will. But I am not necessarily expecting that justice, nor is the community. (May we all be pleasantly surprised!) In any event the Jewish community of Hevron has made it clear that they are working on other house purchases.

They are still my heroes.

~~~~~~~~~~

And so "shameful" remains a good way to describe what went on in Hevron today. One week after Jews in India were attacked by Islamic jihadist terrorists because they were Jews, we see Jews facing off against Jews here in Israel. The father of Rivka Holtzberg (z"l) asked the government to keep things quiet at least for the shiva week, but it was not to be.

"Painful" is another.

~~~~~~~~~~
see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info

"REMEMBERING GUSH KATIF"

Blogmaster's Opinion: Arlene Kushner almost always gets it right, and in her assessment below, she is 100% on target. The most pressing observation is her comment about Ehud Barak and his ineptitude as a military tactician and planner. Who in their right mind would make such a (for lack of a better word, I will echo Arlene’s adjective…)” STUPID” analysis of what should be done militarily when dealing with Hamas and the projected aftermath of a military campaign. With leaders like Barak, Olmert and the rest of the over the hill gang, the future of Israel is grim. We need real leadership that will put Israel and our people ahead of everything else. The name of the game is OUR SURVIVAL. To hell with world opinion and to hell with Hamas, Fatah, and the rest of the terrorist palestinian leadership. Israel…from the river to the sea – Retake Gaza, and relocate the current inhabitants to the West Bank, or preferably, to Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon...IMHO.

August 12, 2008

"Remembering Gush Katif"

It is now three years since the expulsion of Jews from the communities of Gush Katif in the southern Gaza Strip and other communities in the northern Strip. This was likely the single most shameful act in Israel's history and has wrought nothing but misery in all respects. What has been the result with regard to the Hamas takeover is there for all the world to see.

Drawing less attention is the plight of those who were taken from their homes, many of whom remain in temporary quarters and have been slighted by the government in critical ways.

It is my experience that the residents of these communities are among the most Zionist in the nation, demonstrating courage and the most admirable of values. Their situation should not be ignored.

There are reports from Arabs who worked for these Jews in agricultural ventures that the communities -- most notably Netzer Hazani -- built with such devotion, have been razed so completely that nothing remains but the sand from which they rose.

The residents of the Gush Katif communities aspire not only to build again, but ultimately to return to Gaza. I applaud this.

Hopefully in time there will be the opportunity to explore this on-going situation in greater depth.

~~~~~~~~~~

According to Haaretz, Olmert has offered the Palestinians a "peace plan": 93% of Judea and Samaria. The question of Jerusalem to be left up in the air for now. And a passage between Gaza and the West Bank area to be permitted only if Fatah were to re-take Gaza.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was obvious that this wouldn't fly: The Palestinians are not about to compromise -- cannot compromise with Hamas setting the agenda. Just days ago PA prime minister, Salaam Fayyad had said that the chances of a peace deal were "nonexistent."

(More on Fayyad below.)

~~~~~~~~~~

And sure enough, Abbas has already rejected the offer.

What Abbas's spokesman said was:

"The Israeli proposal is not acceptable. The Palestinian side will only accept a Palestinian state with territorial continuity, with holy Jerusalem as its capital, without settlements, and on the June 4, 1967 boundaries."

Got that? June 4, 1967 boundaries. What he's referring to are armistice lines, not boundaries at all. But the point is that there is no compromise. And can be no deal.

The spokesman said that Israel's proposal was "a waste of time."

An Israeli official, cited by Haaretz and speaking on condition of anonymity, actually said something similar. Explaining that Olmert was merely trying to establish his legacy, he declared:

"There is going to be no agreement, period."

~~~~~~~~~~

Back to Fayyad, who recently said:
"The whole world must know that ending the conflict requires an end to the Israeli occupation of the lands that were occupied in 1967, including east Jerusalem. We don't distinguish between a settlement that was built today and one that was built 35 years ago."
Please know, Fayyad is considered by far the most moderate of the PA leaders.
The Palestinians, he declared, won't make any more concessions. More?
He is, he says, incensed by our treatment of the West Bank and Gaza as two separate entities -- as if this is our invention, designed to split the people. The hard reality is that there are two entities and two peoples.
~~~~~~~~~~
Fayyad is proposing a new, transitional government for the PA that includes neither members of Fatah nor of Hamas, to govern until there are elections. I don't imagine this will play well.

He says the position he currently holds in the PA government is his last -- he has no intention of continuing and is putting to rest rumors that he will run for president.

~~~~~~~~~~

Khaled Abu Toameh has reported in the Post that Ahmed Qurei, who is head of the PA negotiating team, was in Washington recently and came away discouraged by the administration's unwillingness to put further pressure on Israel. Seems we're not "flexible" enough and need to make more far-reaching concessions.

Reportedly, Rice told Qurei that the Bush administration has itself concluded that a peace agreement will not be possible this year. There is unease about pressuring Olmert because it may backfire on Kadima's chances to form a new coalition after Olmert resigns. If Kadima fails to do this, and we go to elections, the chances of further negotiations taking place are a great deal slimmer.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, two days ago Qurei proposed something else. Likely a bargaining ruse from his side, it absolutely wouldn't play from ours in any terms. If, he declared, Israel won't pull back to the '67 lines and make a Palestinian state in everything beyond the Green Line a reality, then it will become time to work on one-state solution, with the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria demanding residency Blue Cards. A disaster in the making.

~~~~~~~~~~

WAFA, the Palestinian news agency reported today that Egypt is going to be inviting all Palestinian factions to Cairo for dialogue as of next week.

~~~~~~~~~~

Regularly now, the "ceasefire" is being broken by rockets fired on Israel from Gaza. Yesterday a rocket fell near a kindergarten in Sderot.

~~~~~~~~~~
In relation to this, it is important to note a stance Defense Minister Ehud Barak seems to be taking now. While forever stalling, he has repeatedly made comments about the fact that a major military operation in Gaza is not far away. But now he's shifted.

In an interview on TV on Sunday, he said that even if the IDF went into Gaza and destroyed Hamas, "down to the last office and the last activist," in the end "we would have to achieve a truce, and we would have to deal with the same parties as before."

This is a reason to not go in? Excuse me, but this is one of the stupidest statements from a military man I've yet to hear. Sure you have to deal with your enemy after you defeat him. But the point is that you'd be dealing with him from the vantage of having vanquished him and the parameters of a truce would be decidedly different.

We also, it should be noted, would increase deterrence power across the board if we took out Hamas, giving many others serious pause.

~~~~~~~~~~
see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info

3,320 Years Ago...the problem still exists!

Time to “Leave Egypt”.

by Steven Shamrak.

I wrote this article 5 years ago. Unfortunately the problem still exists.

Every year Jews celebrate the exodus from Egypt and freedom from slavery. It took place 3,320 years ago. It was a fundamental event in Jewish history. At the same time, it symbolizes not just freedom from physical slavery. The Passover reminds us that internal freedom of mind and spirit are even more significant. This freedom allows us real freedom of choice.

Jews have nothing to apologise for. We have the right to live in peace on Jewish land in our own country. We lived in Gallut (exile, slave mentality) for too long. It is time to say – “NO more”!

I am ashamed and feel sorry for those Jews who have no self-respect and are helping enemies to destroy Israel. Why do they hate themselves so much?

I do respect non-Jewish people who do not know and do not care about the Arab-Israel conflict. They are honest hard working people who have their own problems and interests. At the same time, there is a danger when opinions are formed under the influence of selectively presented information, provided by mainly a press that is biased against Israel. People become attached to the belief system they have adopted and it is difficult to change it. For Jews the understanding of the conflict and support for Israel is existential! I would like to remind all of them:

1. Israel is on a front line of the war between Arab-Muslim expansionism and Western democracy. This war has already shifted to America and Europe.

2. According to the UN’s own legal opinion: Judea, Samaria and Gaza do not belong to any country at the moment. Therefore, it is wrong to call them ‘Occupied Territories’. They used to be a part of Jewish land 2000 years ago and were allocated by the League of Nations for the creation of Eretz-Israel in 1922. There was never an Arab country in Palestine.

3. So-called Palestinians are Arabs and Muslims who moved to the territories during the last 130 years, after the Zionist pioneers started to revitalize the land.

4. Arabs have no intention of living in peace with Jews. When former president of Egypt Nasser was asked: Why do you continue to fight Israel after so many defeats? His answer was: “Because. We need to win only one war!” Please make no mistake, the Arabs’ aim is total destruction of the Jewish state!

5. Arabs do respect charisma and strong leadership. It is time for Israel and her government to show it and end terror.

6. Enemies and so-called friends have never treated Jewish people as equals. They will never support Israel unconditionally regardless of facts. They do not care about facts and deliberately distort or falsify them (remember the fake massacre of Jenin and how much noise they made about it).

7. After 60 years of wars and terror, it is time to become an Independent nation with self-respect and be equal among equals. No more double standards!

8. Israel was created to fulfil a 2000 year-old national inspiration of Jewish people. Jews have the right to regain control over all Jewish land. The time is NOW!

At the same time, I am ashamed and feel sorry for Jews who advocate destruction of Israel. Why do they hate themselves so much?

Enemies Know Jews Well - Plan for Demise of Israel!

“The PLO proceeds through phases, without changing its strategy. Let me tell you, when the ideology of Israel collapses, and we take, at least, Jerusalem, the Israeli ideology will collapse in its entirety, and we will begin to progress with our own ideology, Allah willing, and drive them out of all of Palestine," Abbas Zaki, the PLO's ambassador to Lebanon, told in an interview to Lebanon's NBN TV. The enemies of Israel, regardless of their political or religious shade, are not hiding their plan, which remains the same, for the future of Israel and Jews – total obliteration of the state of Israel and “Throw Jews to the Sea!” And they are betting on current Jewish apathy, political correctness and self-destructiveness of Israeli society, as well as an inept, corrupt and self-hating leadership. For how long will we continue kidding ourselves by participating in this bogus peace process?

According to a recent poll, 65% of Israeli Jews oppose the State of Israel making any further withdrawals from Judea and Samaria (the land commonly known in the US as “the West Bank”), while only 24% support more withdrawals. By continuing the policy of surrender of Jewish land to the enemy Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his fellow Oslo traitors, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Tsipi Livni etc - all oppose the will of Israeli populace and are obliterating the Jewish National dream.

IRON DOME = TISSUE PAPER & LIES

Iron Dome system found to be helpless against Qassams

By Reuven Pedatzur,
Haaretz Correspondent
Last update - 03:19 22/02/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/956859.html

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was surprised to learn last Sunday that the Iron
Dome defense system, which was approved last year and was supposed to
protect Israel's citizens against Qassam rockets, is not capable of
alleviating the distress of Sderot inhabitants. "Recent tests found the
system to be effective against rockets fired from more than four kilometers
away, but not against those fired from closer range," Haaretz noted that
same day in its lead story. Because Sderot is less than two kilometers from
Beit Hanun, from which the rockets are being fired, Iron Dome will be
helpless against them.
The upshot is that the prime minister, who just two months ago declared that
"we will not fortify ourselves to death," was compelled to approve
recommendations to fortify 8,000 homes in Sderot and the communities of the
"Gaza envelope," to the tune of NIS 300 million. Such protection is
necessary because these homes lie within 4.5 kilometers of the Gaza Strip.
But a mere day later, it turned out that the plan was too ambitious and that
budget shortfalls meant that only 3,600 homes in Sderot and the Gaza
envelope can be fortified within the next two years. The solemn declarations
to fortify the homes, revoked only hours later, are just the latest chapter
in a gloomy saga replete with deception, lies, concealment of the truth from
policymakers, groundless promises to Sderot residents, the unexplained
rejection of the arguments for examining additional defense systems other
than Iron Dome, and bizarre decisions made in the Defense Ministry.
The decision to focus on the development of Iron Dome raises so many
questions that an examination of the process that led to it is in order. The
questions include, for example, whether the decision was influenced by
considerations relating to commercial bodies, the likely implications of a
deal to export this defense system to a foreign country which is not located
in the NATO continents (America and Europe), and the motives of some of
those involved in the process. It may well be that nothing concrete lurks
behind these questions, but we must not ignore the need to find satisfactory
answers for them.
The fact that Iron Dome is not effective against short-range rockets and
therefore cannot protect Sderot was long known to the system's developers
and to the Defense Ministry officials who chose to focus on it. For some
reason, they decided not to go public with their information. When the
Defense Ministry officials, led by the defense minister, promised that the
residents of Sderot would be protected after the installation of the Iron
Dome system, they knew they would not be able to deliver on this promise.
One need not be privy to classified information in order to understand that
Iron Dome is not the solution to the Qassam rockets. The data are public
knowledge: The Qassam's speed in the air is 200 meters per second. The
distance from the edge of Beit Hanun to the outskirts of Sderot is 1,800
meters. Therefore, a rocket launched from Beit Hanun takes about nine
seconds to hit Sderot. The developers of Iron Dome at Rafael Advance Defense
Systems know that the preparations to simply launch the intercept missiles
at their target take up to about 15 seconds (during which time the system
locates the target, determines the flight path and calculates the intercept
route). Obviously, then, the Qassam will slam into Sderot quite a number of
seconds before the missile meant to intercept it is even launched.
But besides not being able to protect the border communities, Iron Dome will
also not be able to cope with rockets that are launched much farther away.
According to data available from Rafael, the average flight time of the
intercept missile to the point of encounter is another 15 seconds. In other
words, to intercept a rocket using Iron Dome requires at least 30 seconds.
This is the time it takes a Qassam to cover six kilometers.
The disturbing question is why no one bothered to apprise the prime minister
of this simple calculation, to make it clear to him that Iron Dome, in the
development of which his government decided to invest hundreds of millions
of dollars, will not be able to protect Sderot. The questions multiply when
it emerges that on January 13 an urgent personal letter was sent to Defense
Minister Ehud Barak by the head of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, Alon
Schuster. He referred to the Qassam's short flight time, noted that the
reaction time of Iron Dome is too long to cope with the rockets, and added
that the system is incapable of protecting Sderot and many of the
communities bordering the Gaza Strip.
The reply of the Defense Ministry was sent to the council head on February
10. The letter is signed by attorney Ruth Bar, the defense minister's
assistant. "The analysis [done by the Defense Ministry] found that in regard
to the threats that were identified by the warning system during
April-November 2007, one Iron Dome battery has the ability to cope and cover
an area far larger than that of Sderot. The capability of Iron Dome to cope
with mortar shells has not yet been examined in depth. I will add that the
issue of the flight time cannot be detailed in this letter, owing to
security considerations."
The money issue
An examination of the economic aspect also casts grave doubts on the
decision to choose Iron Dome. The cost of each intercept missile will
probably be about $100,000. (Rafael claims the cost of a missile will be
about $40,000, but given the cost of similar missiles, that does not seem
reasonable.) In contrast, the cost of making a Qassam rocket is well under
$100,000. So, if the Palestinians produce thousands of Qassams, the Israeli
defense establishment will have to respond by manufacturing thousands of
Iron Dome missiles, at a prohibitive cost of hundreds of millions of
shekels. On the assumption that this information is known to everyone
involved, it must be asked, again, how it came about that Iron Dome was
chosen as the preferred solution to the Qassam rockets while other options
were vehemently rejected.
The decision was made, seemingly, via a proper, orderly procedure. The
Defense Ministry set up a professional committee to look into the matter,
headed by Yaakov Nagel, the deputy chief for scientific affairs of the
ministry's Directorate of Defense R&D. The committee examined 14 proposals
for anti-rocket defense systems and chose Iron Dome. Two defense ministers
approved the choice - Amir Peretz and Ehud Barak.
However, the impression of an orderly decision-making process is upended
when it turns out that the senior staff at the Defense Ministry's R&D
directorate strongly rejected the proposal to bring into Israel the
laser-based Nautilus defense system, whose development is nearly complete
and whose effectiveness was proved in a series of tests (100 percent success
in 46 tests, including success in intercepting mortar shells).
Nautilus was developed in the United States in conjunction with Israel, but
the Israeli defense establishment ended its participation in the project in
2001. The Americans went on with it, improved the system and changed its
name to Skyguard. Northrop Grumman, the company that is developing the
missile, promises that it can be delivered within 18 months at a relatively
low cost. The Nautilus system itself, devised to protect Kiryat Shmona
against Katyusha rockets, can be installed in Sderot within six months. By
comparison, the development of Iron Dome will take another three years.
The major advantage of Skyguard is its use of a laser beam for
interceptions. The beam travels at the speed of light, allowing the system
to intercept short-range rockets like the ones aimed at Sderot. The cost of
implementing the laser system is also far lower than Iron Dome. The cost of
launching one laser beam will be between $1,000 and $2,000. On February 6,
2007, Mike McVey, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Directed Energy
Systems business area, sent a letter to Ehud Olmert, with copies to the
defense minister at the time, Amir Peretz, and the then director general of
the Defense Ministry and present chief of staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, undertaking
to install in Israel an operational system within 18 months and at a fixed
price ($177 million for the first system). As far as is known, McVey has not
received a reply to this day.
Asked why Israel rejected the laser system, the Defense Ministry's spokesman
replied: "The Nautilus system is defined as exemplifying technologies and
not as an operational instrument. Bringing the Nautilus system into Israel
today will cost about $100 million, and it might take up to two years for
the system to become active. The Nautilus system is operationally inferior
to the Iron Dome system, is far more costly and does not provide an answer
to volleys of missiles, as Iron Dome is meant to do. Tests of Nautilus did
not achieve the goal of 100 percent hits but far less, and even that under
optimal conditions, which, regrettably, do not exist in the western Negev."
The reply is studded with inaccuracies, to say the least. The Nautilus /
Skyguard will not be "far more costly" than Iron Dome, but probably "far
less costly." Nor is it clear what the Defense Ministry spokesman is
referring to when he states that Nautilus "did not achieve the goal of 100
percent hits but far less." For his part, the IDF Spokesman, who was also
asked to comment on the decision not to acquire the laser system, copied the
reply of the Defense Ministry spokesman. Former air force commander Major
General (res.) David Ivry is one of those who favors adopting the laser
system, but the ministry's R&D directorate did not accept his position.
Another former air force commander, Major General (res.) Herzl Bodinger,
also tried to persuade the ministry to purchase the laser defense system,
again to no avail.
Buy blue-and-white
Part of the explanation for the opposition to the laser system may lie in
remarks made by Shimon Lavie, from the R&D directorate, who was the officer
of the Nautilus project in the United States, on the "Fact" TV program,
broadcast on Channel 2 last December. "We in the directorate are responsible
for developing blue-and-white [Israeli-made] systems, which the Nautilus was
not. We had hoped for intense cooperation with Israeli firms. If that had
happened, it might have had an influence [on the decision about whether to
acquire the laser system]."
Another question concerns the extent to which decision-makers were
influenced by an export deal with a foreign country not among those under
the jurisdiction and protection of NATO. Under the deal, said country was to
purchase the Iron Dome system and share in financing the project. Also worth
looking into is the influence exerted by MK Isaac Ben-Israel (Kadima), a
professor and retired major general, who was formerly head of the R&D
directorate, on the decision to choose Iron Dome. Until not long ago,
Ben-Israel was an enthusiastic advocate of the laser-based system,
explaining his position in detail in an interview with the newspaper Makor
Rishon in December 2006. "The limited range between the launch site and its
target allow a very short time for intercepting efforts," he said, and
stressed the high cost of rocket-based interception systems. "Those the
issues decide in favor of the laser weapon," he added. What made him change
his mind?
In a conversation this week, Ben-Israel denied that he had changed his mind
regarding the anti-rocket defense system. He says he continues to advocate
the laser-based defense, but believes that the technology by which the laser
beam is produced in Nautilus / Skyguard is obsolete. A little more than a
year ago, Ben-Israel still believed that the laser system was preferential
and efficient. It would be interesting to know what caused him to consider
this system obsolete not long afterward. When asked if he serves as an
adviser to the Singapore government, he said that being an MK does not allow
for it. When asked if he had served as an adviser to the Singapore
government in the past, he said: "I don't have to answer that question."
It is possible that some of the answers to these questions will be
forthcoming in court. This week, 50 Sderot residents petitioned the
Jerusalem District Court against the defense minister, requesting that the
court instruct the minister "to install and operate in the city of Sderot,
within six months from today, the laser-based intercept system (known as
Nautilus) to provide an immediate solution to the shelling of Sderot by
Qassams; to instruct the completion of the laser-based intercept system in
its full operational version, known as Skyguard, and to order deployment of
Skyguard systems for defense of all Western Negev settlements ... within two
years from today."
Sderot inhabitants continue to wait for fortification of their houses and
installment of a system that will stop the Qassam barrages. In the time that
has elapsed since the decision to develop Iron Dome, they could at least
have had their houses fortified. Will the public again require the help of
the court to figure out what is really going on in the corridors of the
Defense Ministry, because the policymakers, who are supposed to supervise it
and examine the peculiar decisions made there, are not doing their job?
*** Balanced Middle East News ***
MidEastweb http://www.mideastweb.org
Subscribe - mail to mewnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com