Must See! Howard Stern Defends Israel On The Air

Howard Stern got a call from Hamzi, a Pakistani regular dissing Israel and that's all it took to set off an epic rant.

Warning, extremely NSFW language.

Israel's New Challenge: Defeating The Third Intifada

Israel once again finds itself fighting in Gaza.

The reason's fairly simple. The lust for Jewish blood among a substantial number of the Arabs who identify themselves as Palestinians is simply their strongest impulse, their raison d'être. There is no peace, because one side simply wants the other dead.

There is not a single Israeli civilian or soldier in Gaza today, not since Israel removed the 8,000 Jewish residents who had lived there over 30 years from their homes and gave it to the Arabs who call themselves Palestinians as a sacrifice 'for peace.'

The Palestinians could have built whatever kind of society they wanted in Gaza. But even before Hamas took over, Gaza's main export to Israel was terrorism. Israel, with Egypt's assistance, maintained a blockade on Gaza to curtail the import of heavy weapons, usually emanating from Iran that saved Israeli lives, but cost Israel deeply when it came to the 'international community', who always seem to have special rules when it comes to Israel defending itself. The carnage emanating from Gaza has slowed at times, but literally thousands of rockets, mortar shells and terrorist strikes have emanated from Gaza, and they've never ended. Israelis became used to running for shelter, especially in the south:

 

This latest onslaught saw over 100 rockets in 24 hours rained down on Israel, and with Hamas rejecting offers from Israel of 'quiet for quiet', that's where we stand now. The Israelis have carried out a number of decisive strikes and have called up 42,000 reserves, while Hamas has launched missiles at central Israel, at Jerusalem, and at Tel Aviv, a step they had to know was going to provoke an Israeli ground response.

So what's the story behind the story? Why is Hamas going for broke now, and what does it mean? Whether Israel realizes it or not, they are facing the Third Intifada, although how it unfolds is still developing. Of course, it doesn't look like previous intifadas because circumstances and tactics have changed. But the end goal is the same. And the chief strategist isn't Hamas, but Mahmoud Abbas.


 


Hamas has been isolated by Israel and the new Egyptian government of al-Sisi, who has declared Hamas' parent movement the Muslim Brotherhood an illegal terrorist organization. Weapons coming in from Iran have slowed considerably, and money is tight. A sign of this was the attempt by Hamas ally Robert Serry, the supposedly neutral UN Mideast envoy to illegally funnel $20 million to Hamas in Gaza from Qatar.

The current Hamas and Fatah unity government agreement came about, mostly on Abbas' terms, because of Hamas' sharply reduced fortunes, while Abbas has the UN, the Obama Administration and the EU funding and backing him, even with Hamas now on his team. According to my sources, part of the negotiations also involved joint efforts towards the goal both Hamas and Fatah agree on, the destruction of Israel.

 

The Israelis, already outraged at the unity agreement and the West's apparent willingness to fund a murderous terrorist group like Hamas were further energized by the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens by Hamas operatives, whose mutilated bodies were found shoved into a hole near Hebron. In response, the Israelis began to obliterate the Hamas infrastructure in Judea and Samaria.

But then, the subsequent murder of Arab teen Mohammed Abu Kheidr by what appear to be a trio of Jewish football hooligans suddenly presented Hamas and Fatah with a golden opportunity. It was used as a signal to launch what had already been planned. Vast riots, violence and destruction took place throughout Israel egged on by Fatah while Hamas stepped up its rocket and mortar attacks.

Hamas also had plans to join Fatah in the ground attack on Israel itself. They had a huge tunnel dug from Rafah under Israel's border fence for a massive planned assault on Israeli communities in the south, and tried an amphibious attack on Israel's coast. Both attacks were repulsed with heavy losses. Meanwhile, Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system and the IDF’s air strikes on Hamas' infrastructure were even more effective than Hamas had planned on and that Israel had hoped.

 

Israel's 'peace partner' Mahmoud Abbas has also been doing his part. Fatah has several hundred militiamen in Gaza, including members of the Palestinian Authority security forces who have their salaries paid by Western governments. They have eagerly joined in firing rockets at Israel's civilians. Abbas has done nothing to stop them.

Abbas has several huge assets his old boss Yasser Arafat could only have dreamed about, and they're key to understanding what's being planned. First and foremost, in Barack Hussein Obama, Abbas has a president in the White House who loathes Israel and who sees himself as Palestine's community organizer.

Second, even though Mahmoud Abbas was Arafat's right hand man when it came to terrorism, he was always more of a back room strategist and facilitator. Abbas was content to be the man behind Arafat, leaving the spotlight to the ranting old coward. Because he stayed in the background, he can now be presented as 'moderate Abbas', Israel's so-called peace partner and gifted with millions in aid money and concessions. Even the theft of much of that money by Abbas and the Fatah old guard, the partnership with the genocidal Hamas and the corrupt and anti-democratic rule of Fatah have not been allowed to get in the way of this narrative

And finally, the seeming separation of Hamas and Fatah is a major advantage. Not only can Mahmoud Abbas present himself as a 'moderate' alternative compared to Hamas. Abbas can talk vitriol and hatred towards Israel in Arabic ( or have his surrogates do it) to gin up the crowds while presenting himself as a peace maker to President Obama and the EU. With Hamas now officially part of his team and Abbas controlling the purse strings, his ability to mouth pleasantries about peace while orchestrating violence and war against Israel at the same time is enhanced in a way Arafat's never really was.

During this Third Intifada, Abbas has never once seen fit to condemn the Fatah-driven Arab violence in Israel or the Hamas rocket attacks, or to call for calm. With Hamas now losing the war it started, Abbas has opened up his second front:



He contacted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and got him to issue a statement demanding that Israel exercise 'maximum restraint':

 "I firmly condemn the multiple rocket attacks launched from Gaza on Israel. Such attacks are unacceptable and must stop." 

"I also urged (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to exercise maximum restraint and to respect international obligations to protect civilians. I condemn the rising number of civilian lives lost in Gaza," he said. 

Maximum restraint, against an enemy firing missiles at its civilian population, an enemy who attempted to cause thousands of civilian casualties by targeting Dimona, where Israel's nuclear plant reportedly is?

And you'll notice Ban Ki-moon isn't condemning Hamas for using civilians as human shields, not that Hamas would care anyway, By the way, that's a major violation of the Geneva Convention that the Hamas-Fatah unity government is now a signatory to and promised to abide by. Ban himself took their application.

 


Ban convened a special meeting of the Security Council , but of course, the Palestinian violation of the Geneva Accords wasn't a topic of conversation. Instead, the talk is all about a ceasefire that leaves Hamas and its weaponry in place. Even President Obama suddenly called Israeli PM Netanyahu after weeks of silence, offering to mediate a truce to protect Hamas.

Abbas even had the gall to accuse Israel of 'genocide' against the Palestinian people

“It’s genocide — the killing of entire families is genocide by Israel against our Palestinian people,” he told the meeting of Palestinian leadership at his Ramallah bureau. “What’s happening now is a war against the Palestinian people as a whole and not against the factions.”

“Shall we recall Auschwitz?” he added.

Those words are almost comical in their hypocrisy to anyone who knows anything about Mahmoud Abbas' long history as a Holocaust denier.

Genocide? Imagine what the death toll would be if the IDF wasn’t dropping warning leaflets in advance and doing their best to avoid civilian deaths in an environment where Hamas is hiding behind those civilians in order to do their best to kill Israeli ones.


Ironically, it’s Abbas who has applied for 'Palestine' join the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he plans to charge Israel with war crimes in a sympathetic EU environment.

That's the strategy Abbas and his Hamas partners are going to use in the Third Intifada to attack Israel ..terrorist strikes, sabotage and Arab riots in Israel, continued rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, and increasing diplomatic and legal assaults via the 'International community'.

Here's how Israel can defeat it.

First of all, a ground assault and the defeat of Hamas is a necessity. It won't be pretty, it will not be without cost and it will require Israel to take steps that the usual suspects won't like. But there really is no choice.

Israel doesn't have the luxury of leaving Hamas in place with a secure base to attack her from. This time, the rocket fire penetrated much further north than expected into central Israel. The attempted attack on Dimona, the suspected site of Israel's nuclear facility was nothing less than a real attempt at genocide by Hamas, which fortunately failed. And now that Hamas has demonstrated it can attack the populated areas of Israel, can Israel afford to roll the dice that they'll get lucky again when the next outbreak of attacks by Hamas occurs in a year or so?

Hamas simply cannot be allowed to hang on to its weaponry. The only conditions under which Israel should even consider a ceasefire is demilitarization, with Israel in charge of making sure it's carried out, and an insistence by Israel of the non-recognition of the Hamas-Fatah unity government by the UN, EU and the other western powers. Since that’s unlikely, the next step is to destroy Hamas militarily, and that will take boots on the ground. For all of Israel's attempts to minimize civilian causalities, they are going to occur in fighting an enemy who uses civilians as human shields. Nevertheless, it should be done as quickly as possible, and Hamas' leaders either killed or arrested, tried and imprisoned.

Since Hamas is embedded in Gaza City with a large civilian population, the quickest and easiest way to defeat Hamas is not to send tanks and ground forces into the streets of the city itself, but to drop leaflets giving Hamas 24 hours to surrender and then cut off the water, electricity, food shipments and communications lines to the city while continuing pinpoint air strikes and using loud speakers to demand that Hamas allow the civilians to evacuate. The lack of water in particular will force Hamas to come out to fight on Israel's choice of terrain, not theirs. And Hamas will be defeated and decimated.

At that point, Mahmoud Abbas will likely demand that Gaza be turned over to him. That demand should be refused outright. Instead, Gaza should be annexed by Israel, and at least half to two thirds of its population either transferred to Area A, the part of Judea and Samaria under Arab occupation and ruled by Abbas. Or perhaps some of them could be sent to Egyptian jurisdiction for a suitable quid pro quo by Israel. Gaza, over time can be repopulated with Jews, who will make it the Singapore it always had the potential to be. Repatriation of foreign nationals to their country of origin is not against the Fourth Geneva Convention per se, especially since the UN, to all intents and purposes is treating Palestine like a state. But if necessary, Israel should resign from the Convention, since no one they are likely to be fighting with in the future honors it anyway.

Israel needs to take some advice from an unlikely source, President Obama's White House Mideast chief, Phillip Gordon. This piece of work was speaking at a conference put on by the far Leftist paper Ha'aretz in Tel Aviv Wednesday, and blamed Israel (of course!) for not being serious about peace while rockets were actually hitting the city:

“How will Israel remain democratic and Jewish if it attempts to govern the millions of Palestinian Arabs who live in the West Bank? How will it have peace if it’s unwilling to delineate a border, end the occupation and allow for Palestinian sovereignty, security and dignity?

As an ironic side note, the conference itself had to be moved because of the rocket attacks by Israel's 'peace partners.'

Still, as stupid, bigoted and offensive as Green is, he's actually on to something.Israel does need to delineate a border and allow the Palestinians sovereignty.The only problem is allowing Palestine's unelected dictator Mahmoud Abbas any part in it. The Israelis are constantly told in tones that suggest a used car salesman desperate to close a sale that this is the most moderate Palestinian leader Israel is ever likely to get. If that's true, than the real problem is that Israel actually has no peace partner. It might occur to Green and his ilk that this is the reason why years of negotiations have failed, not Israel's intransigence. Abbas is no Anwar Sadat.

Delineating a border and Palestinian sovereignty are excellent ideas, but it will need to be done by Israel.Once Hamas is militarily defeated, Israel can mark out its borders in Judea and Samaria, annex those areas and relocate any Jews living outside them to Israel, while repatriating any Arab non-citizens living in the Israeli areas to the new borders of Palestine, perhaps with some financial compensation. That’s certainly more than the Arabs gave the almost one million Jews they ethnically cleansed from their countries after 1948.

The ironic thing is that while Abbas will now have the contiguous, Jew free reichlet he wanted, something will become apparent quite quickly.The only real chance for Palestinian sovereignty was always close relations with Israel. 'Palestine' under Arafat and Abbas has always been a corrupt kleptocracy and an international welfare case. All of Palestine's useful infrastructure, the schools, the hospitals, Bir Zeit University, even the zoos were all built by Israel.Fatah has never been able to govern and 'Palestine' will almost certainly collapse anyway in short order unless it gets funding from the EU, the Saudis or Qatar, and they all have other places to spend their money.

At that point of collapse, a new generation of Palestinian leaders may very well be a position to change things, although I have my doubts. In the meantime, 'Palestine' is unfortunately going to have to be treated not as a neighbor but as a hostile entity to be closely watched, and told in no uncertain terms that any aggression, lawfare or otherwise will lead to serious consequences. That’s how a hostile divorce works. They brought this on themselves.

The usual suspects from the international community will certainly squawk, but all one has to do is look at their behavior over the past few years to realize that anything Israel does to protect itself is going to get an adverse reaction. For all their condemnations of Palestinian violence directed against Israel, they were still prepared to support and finance a government containing Hamas as a partner, an organization all of them admit is a terrorist group. They are doing it as I write these words.

But between the EU's financial crisis and the difficulties with Syria, Iran and Iraq, the international community has its hands full. They will voice the usual, expected sentiments, but the fact that there is actually a Palestinian state in part of Area A will mitigate much of it as some time goes by. They have other,much more serious concerns and are will move on after a few weeks.

It is Israel's responsibility alone to defend its people and ensure their national rights, especially given the genocidal enemies they face. Anyone who quibbles at this should remember all of the supposedly iron clad guarantees Israel was given when it retreated from Gaza by United States, the EU and UN, all whom pledged that Gaza would never be allowed to become a security threat to Israel. In the end, none of those guarantees were worth the paper they were written on, and the same thing is true about any proposed security guarantees on Judea and Samaria today.

Many in Israel have an unvoiced, guilty realization as the rockets fall on Israel. They know now that Oslo was a huge mistake, and that ripping 8,000 Jews from their homes in Gaza was not the panacea they thought it was, but an immoral, hateful act that led to the war Israel finds itself in today. I take no pleasure in saying this, but everything those of us predicted who opposed the 'disengagement' has come to pass, and it has left Israel with a choice - to rule Gaza or to suffer repeated carnage from those whom inhabit it now who want every Jew is Israel dead.

That is the truth of the matter, and Israel will have to face up to it if they wish to live in peace.

Here's Why A Disproportionate Response To Terrorism Works

 

Here's a good example of why a disproportionate response to terrorist aggression works.

This morning, three Katyusha missiles were fired at Israeli towns in the north of the country from the Lebanese border.They landed near Kfar Yuval, between the northern Israeli towns of Metulla and Kiryat Shmona.



The IDF responded with heavy artillery fire, and lodged an official complaint with UNFIL, the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon not with any expectation of UNFIL actually doing anything but to document the incident.

 

Lebanon, which has no relations with Israel and is essentially ruled by Hezbollah immediately sent units of the Lebanese army into the area..not to attack Israel, but to find and stop the perpetrators who fired the rockets.

They found and disabled two rockets that had been set up for launch, and already have one suspect in custody. According to the Lebanese, the rockets were launched from the village of Hasbaya, near the border, and the rockets were likely fired by a splinter Palestinian group in Lebanon that identifies with Hamas.

In previous situations, the Lebanese government would have shrugged something like this off, and their military would have actively collaborated in any attack on Israel. But now, things are different. The memory of what happened in Lebanon in 2006 is still strong, Shi'ite Hezbollah has never been all that fond of Sunni Hamas or the Palestinians in general anyway and Hezbollah is otherwise engaged in Syria and in trying to hold Lebanon together.

As much as Hezbollah hates Jews, The last thing they want is a confrontation with Israel, so they stomped on this quick.

A strong response to terrorist aggression works.

Pat Condell: Why I Support Israel

The one and only Pat Condell on Israel, who as always gets right to the heart of the matter.(h/t, The Noisy Room)

BDS Fail At Cornell: Attempted Stealth Anti-Israel Resolution Voted Down

The 'anti-Zioniusts' at Cornell thought they had a pretty clever ace up their sleeves. Terrorist groupies Students For Justice in Palestine put together a Divestment Resolution and slyly inserted it into the calender of the Student Assembly for a vote at 4:30 Pm local time, when many of Cornell's Jewish students would be expected to be leaving campus to celebrate the Passover holidays with their families.

If the initial Resolution passed, it would mean that the substantive vote would take place the following Thursday, in the middle of the Passover holidays.

Unfortunately for SJP, the pro-Israel students rallied with surprising speed, undoubtedly aided by Professor A. Jacobson, a clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School who outed this outrageous attempt at stealth BDS and who also broke the story on his fine blog, Le.gal. In.sur.rect.ion.

The end result? The Cornell University student government voted as follows: 15 in favor of indefinitely tabling the Resolution, eight against tabling the Resolution and one abstention.

My pal Lori Lowenthal Marcus has the story in the Jewish Press:

“I’m very proud of the way the pro-Israel students were able to mobilize so quickly. Now they all can enjoy their Passover holiday,” Jacobson told The Jewish Press by email.{...}

Because the Passover holiday begins on Monday, most Jewish students ordinarily would leave for home during the day on Thursday. If the initial Resolution passed, it would mean that the substantive vote would take place the following Thursday, smack in the middle of the Passover holiday.

That cheap and dirty strategic trick, as Jacobson noted in his blog post describing it, was “reminiscent of the exploitation of the Yom Kippur Jewish holiday in 1973 to launch an attack on Israel.”

And just as effective. They lost. By a lot.

Yes, they did.

Must See - Israeli Minister Naftali Bennett Vs. The BBC

Here we see Israeli economics minister Naftali Bennett making an appearance on the BBC's 'Hard Talk', hosted by one Stephen Sackur, who perhaps needs to learn that in an interview, if you want answers it's usually a good idea to listen, not talk over your guest and let the interviewee finish his sentences.

Nevertheless, Naftali Bennett makes an admirable showing. I especially found it humorous to watch Sackur (who, full disclosure is married to an Iraqi Arab and has always been outspokenly pro-Palestinian) lecture Israel's economics minister (and a multi-millionaire in his own right) on the state of Israel's economy.

Money quote from Bennett: "Would you hand over half of Britain to someone who keeps on killing you?"

Of course Sackur didn't answer that, but in reality the Brits are doing just that in places like Tower Hamlets and Birmingham, although they probably don't realize it yet. So are the French in La Zone and elsewhere, the Swedes in Malmö, and Norwegians in certain parts of Oslo, among others. This also explains a great deal about the anti-Israel sentiment in many European countries; aside from thei rown generic Jew hatred, they have now imported a huge number of Muslim voters with their own religiously inherent anti-semitism, and politicians if nothing else can count votes.

The implicit threats of boycotts against Israel also come from a similar place. Blackmailers of this sort will always do what they threaten to do to you eventually anyway, so Bennett's stance that a strong, secure Israel with things the world wants to buy is more likely to prosper and attract trade and investment than a cringing and vulnerable one makes a great deal of sense.

About That Letter From ’150 Prominent American Jews’

 

My latest is up at The Times of Israel:

Recently a letter was sent a group variously described as ‘prominent American Jewish leaders’ to Israeli PM Netanyahu urging support for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s ‘peace framework’, yet another agreement that Secretary Kerry has concocted that isn’t an agreement.

 The letter, published on the Left wing site Huffington Post was innocuous in its tone to a degree, merely expressing ‘ support of your continued efforts to pursue a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on two states for two peoples’, lauding Secretary Kerry’s ‘extraordinary resolve to advance this process’ and his ‘determined diplomatic effort’, which the signatories believe is an ‘unprecedented opportunity to ensure Israel’s security, to enhance its prosperity, and to avoid the existential threat to the Jewish state posed by bi-nationalism.’

They also express the hope that President Abbas and ‘the Palestinian leadership will be challenged to make important compromises, to end incitement and to demonstrate a genuine preparedness to live in peace alongside the nation-state of the Jewish people.’

All this sounds good, until you read between the lines, examine who signed it and where it comes from.

If this sounds suspiciously like Oslo, The Road Map, the Gaza Disengagement and every other failed attempt to end the conflict between Israel and those Arabs whom identify themselves as Palestinians, there’s good reason for that. What’s asked of the Palestinians is essentially the same things that were asked of Arafat at Oslo – a promise to end the hysterical incitement against Jews, a commitment to ending support for terrorism, and acceptance of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State.What’s demanded of Israel is concrete…the land. And once that land was ceded, the Palestinians dropped any pretense of fulfilling their obligations, as they have to this day.

As usual, the emphasis is not on Israel’s rights, but on Palestinian rights and Israel’s security. Which of course, will somehow be guaranteed by giving the Palestinians even more land and moving Israel back to the same indefensible borders of the 1948 ceasefire lines. Only this time, with the added threat of long range missiles and a nuclear armed Iran.As for that ‘existential threat posed by bi-nationalism’ what that apparently refers to is the myth of an Arab majority in Judea and Samaria, something based on a bogus Palestinian survey back in the 1990′s that demographers like Yoram Ettinger and others have already thoroughly debunked. Yet it’s still swallowed whole by those seeking to twist Israel arm while claiming they are only trying to ‘save Israel from itself’!

Of course, Israel’s prosperity will likewise be affected, but not in the way the signers of this document would have you believe.Imagine the effect on the country’s tourist industry once the PLO is within rocket range of Ben-Gurion, or what foreign investors are going to do once Israel’s industrial and manufacturing heartland are under attack. Imagine how it’s going to affect aliyah, or how many Israelis with vital skills, especially in high tech are going to emigrate. Not to mention the cost of enhanced security and resettling thousands of embittered Jewish refugees.

Even worse, this is the largest scale assault on Israel’s national rights in its modern history,and like Oslo and the Road Map, an attempt to make that assault part of International Law. A brief look at the Treaty of Sevres between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I, the League of Nations Mandate on Palestine and the San Remo Agreement makes it clear that while Arabs living in Palestine were to be accorded civil rights, only the Jews were to be accorded sovereignty and national rights in Palestine, language that matches the Balfour Declaration. The sole Arab claim of sovereign national rights west of the Jordan thus far is the Oslo Accords, which themselves only guaranteed Arab autonomy, not a separate state according to Israeli Prime Minister Yithak Rabin himself, who signed them.

So why would prominent Jews in America push this? Sadly, the answer becomes evident once you look at who signed it and whom they’re connected with.

President Obama may have failed at a number of his policies, but one thing he hasn’t failed at is doing something no other U.S. president ever even considered – making American support for Israel a partisan issue.

As the Pew trust and other reputable pollsters have shown, support for Israel remains the majority position by better than two to one. But break it down by party and you find that support for Israel in the Democrat party is far lower, just over 50%. As the party has moved to the Left, support for Israel has decreased and the narrative of Palestinian ‘victimhood’ has become more popular there.

And many of America’s Jews, who support President Obama and his agenda have moved Left with their party.

It’s no accident that one of the first names on the list of signatories to this letter is none other than President Obama’s consigliere and former chief adviser David Axelrod.

The rabbis on the list are almost universally members of Rabbis for Obama, and a number of others are associated with a group known as the Israel Policy Forum. The IPF was originally formed around the time of the Oslo Accords to lobby for support for Oslo among American Jews and to oppose AIPAC and the Zionist Organization of America, whom were critical of the idea of giving the likes of Yasser Arafat control over anything.

When Oslo imploded, so did the IPF, but it was revived as a front to cover for the Obama Administration’s policies towards Israel.Like J Street and A Jewish Voice For Peace,the IPF received substantial financial support from billionaire and prominent Obama backer George Soros, who has compared Israel to the Nazis. Soros began funding the Israel Policy Forum when it was part of the Leftist think tank the Center For American Progress through his Open Society Institute (OSI).

The Center For American Progress (definitely not a pro-Israel organization) also funds the anti-Israel NGO Human Rights Watch.

The current president of the IPF, Peter A. Joseph is one of those prominent American Jews who signed this letter. Among his other activities, he funds anti-Israel activist Peter Beinart, who has appeared at numerous IPF functions and whom also receives funding from the New Israel Fund, which some Israelis may be familiar with. The NIF also helps fund a number of anti-Israel NGO’s.

The IPF also supported a harsh anti-Israel critic, Charles Freeman when President Obama nominated him as head of the US National Intelligence Council, as well as Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense and Samantha Power as President Obama’s UN Ambassador.

The point I’m making here is an obvious one. While some of the people who signed that letter may be well meaning, they’re the same sort of people whom also thought Oslo was a splendid idea, and they’re perfectly willing to try it again, especially since they won’t be the ones suffering if it fails miserably. It works for them politically as staunch partisans of the Democratic Party and President Obama, it sounds good and the way they see things, it doesn’t affect them otherwise so that’s all that matters. They have no understanding about how a strong and vital Israel affects their pleasant lives in the Diaspora. For others of this group, Israel simply doesn’t count for very much next to their Left wing bonifides, and a number of others simply mean the Jewish State no good, whether they admit it or not. Also, since there’s a decent sum of money available for bashing Israel these days in some circles in America and Europe, some of them are motivated by that as well.

By and large (and I understand how harsh this sounds) a number of the people whom signed this letter are the same class of people whom were adamant about not pressuring FDR to do more to accept Jewish refugees or take steps like bombing the rail lines leading to Auschwitz during the Holocaust even when allied air raids were occurring in the same general locale. They simply didn’t want to know, or to strain their political, financial and social ties.

Read the rest here

Israel's New Defense Minister 'Boogie' Ya'alon Takes Over

One of the best appointments the new Netanyahu government has made thus far is that of Defense Minister Moshe 'Boogie Ya'alon.

A former Chief of Staff of the IDF and a former paratrooper and member of the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces unit, he is a no nonsense soldier who was forced out of the Chief of Staff's position because of his objections to the Gaza withdrawal.

He's also on record as saying that thinking that Israel just needs to give one more piece of land and then it will have peace is a kind of "virus."

Ya'alon went public yesterday, sharing thoughts on Israel's security situation and his priorities as defense minister:

The new defense minister provided the public with a glimpse of his priorities on Sunday, when he used a Facebook post to list the defense issues he will soon be tackling.

First on the list was, naturally, the Iranian nuclear program, which threatens Israel, the Middle East, and global security as a whole. According to unconfirmed yet widespread reports, Ya'alon has, until now, been in the camp of those opposed to a military strike against Iran's nuclear program, preferring to let the US take the lead.

However, even if the reports are true, Ya'alon's stance could change in light of new intelligence or new developments.

Secondly, Ya'alon made reference to the Middle East instability that is washing over nearly all of Israel's neighbors. Under [former defense minister] Ehud Barak's watch, the IDF has made good progress in shifting its focus towards emerging terror threats from Syria - home to an arsenal of chemical weapons - and the Sinai Peninsula, and Ya'alon will be seeking to continue the preparations.

Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza are threats that cannot be separated from the regional instability. Hezbollah, armed with over 60,000 rockets and well trained guerrillas, remains the most formidable enemy in Israel's immediate area. The IDF has spent recent years intensively training itself for the next encounter with the Shi'ite terror group, which is currently attempting to target Israeli civilians overseas. Ya'alon will be briefed in full on these preparations.

The last defense issue mentioned by Ya'alon is the "Israeli - Palestinian issue," - a reference to the stalled diplomatic process vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Ya'alon's position on this issue is well known - he holds that the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is not a viable peace partner at this time.

Yasser Koach, Aluf Ya'alon!

The Palestinian Authority not only isn't seriously interested in negotiating anything or making any concessions, only in having their demands met as Mahmoud Abbas had said many times.

Not only that, but it's questionable whom Mahmoud Abbas speaks for anyway. His term as President ran out three years ago, Fatah's support even in the Palestinian occupied areas of Judea and Samaria is lessening while that of Hamas is growing, and there's no possibility of him delivering on his end of any deal that was made even if he wanted to.

Ya'alon, who was IDF chief of staff when the Second Intifada was defeated is exactly right to put them at the lowest priority.

IDF Takes Out Syrian Arms Convoy En Route To Hezbollah

 

Well, here's some good news to start the morning off with.

The IDF went into action and its pilots destroyed an arms convey en route from Syria to Hezbollah's bases in Lebanon. No one's certain whether the shipment contained any of Assad's chemical weapons, but it apparently did contain a number of sophisticated anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles like the Russian-made SA-17s.

The SA-17s are not the kind of toys Israel would want Hezbollah getting its paws on. The self propelled anti-aircraft missiles are very portable and fairly good in trained hands at hitting something like an F-16 flying at a low altitude. And because the SA-17 and its launching system are easily moved, they're harder to trace and could constitute a surprise for jets flying within its range and not suspecting their deployment at a given target.

Thanks to the IDF, the SA-17s and the other goodies Assad was shipping to Hezbollah are about as dangerous now as last year's burned out Fourth of July fireworks.

Kol Hakavod! Nice shootin'....

You'll recall that I speculated here based on info from Iranian defector and ex-Revolutionary Guards commander Reza Khalili that in retaliation for what the Iranians believe is Israel's complicity in the massive explosion at the Fordow nuclear weapons facility, the Ayatollah's had ordered Hezbollah to launch a missile strike at Israel. That, of course, would launch another war between Israel and Lebanon.

As I also mentioned, the Iranians recently doubled down on Syria, sending in troops and armor to support his regime. Part of the price for that was almost certainly the transfer of some of Assad's arsenal to Hezbollah, and it looks like this was the first installment.

The Israelis certainly seem to think something is in the works. Record numbers of them are updating their gas masks, fixing up their safe rooms and getting prepared for what might be coming.

Stay tuned....

End Game: Obama Declines Meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu

It surfaced today that when Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu requested a meeting with President Obama on Iran during a UN conference in New York at the end of the month, President Obama snubbed him and declined.

Meanwhile,President Obama found time for much more pressing matters, like a appearance this morning on 106.7 FM with DJ Laz AKA “the pimp with the limp.” And then, of course, there's golf. And David Letterman.

This ended in an interesting fashion which we'll get to later. But first, let's analyze what this meant.

The Obama Administration has already signaled to Iran that America no longer supports Israel in the conflict between the two countries and in the event of hostilities, as long as Iran refrains from attacking U.S. interests and facilities in the Persian Gulf such as bases and ships, Israel is on its own.

The Israelis had been starting to openly question the president's non-policy on Iran, which consists of diplomacy that goes nowhere and ineffectual, watered down sanctions that the Obama State Department has cheerfully given waivers from compliance to anyone who's asked for them. Russia, China, and Turkey haven't even bothered asking, and even the Islamist Egyptian government is using part of the aid money the Obama Administration has given them to buy Iranian oil.

The Israelis, who had complied with the Obama Administration's wishes to hold off and give sanctions and diplomacy a chance to work had always assumed that the U.S. and Israel were basically on the same page when it came to Iran's illegal nuclear weapons program.

At this point, they realize they've been lied to and that nothing to Obama Administration is doing is going to stop Iran developing a nuclear weapon. It was never intended to. As a last desperate measure they asked for some kind of actual deadline, a red line the U.S.would consider as a signal to take action to stop Iran from going nuclear, something President Obama has often at least told everyone he wouldn't allow to happen.

The Israelis got their response earlier this week from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when she stated publicly that deadlines on Iran were not on the agenda and that business as usual was just fine...no matter how long it took. The message to the Israelis was that Iran obtaining nuclear weapons was not a priority for the president, and that it was Israel's problem anyway.

Netanyahu's response was predictable.

“The world tells Israel, `Wait. There’s still time,’” Netanyahu said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. “And I say: `Wait for what? Wait until when?’ Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel.”

At that point PM Netanyahu called the White House and asked to meet with President Obama , and was turned down flat.

President Obama's response was probably based on a number of calculations. The primary one, of course, is that he has little understanding, sympathy, or liking for Israel, as he's made clear since the beginning of his administration. President Obama has directly said in so many words that his objective was to improve America's relations with the Islamic world and especially the Islamists he so fond of by creating what he called daylight between the U.S. and its ally Israel. Rather than an important ally, President Obama considers Israel a problem to be managed.

Virtually all his advisers and cabinet picks share this view.As such, there is noway he plans to stop the Iranians from obtaining nuclear weapons unless its a wag the dog situation where he needs a boost in the polls come October.

His feelings about PM Netanyahu are also well known, and the intense dislike between the two men is no secret. President Obama is noted for avoiding difficult situations, and there's no way he wants to be in a room with Benyamin Netanyahu trying to get a commitment out of him on Iran. So he'll vote present.

For that matter, President Obama little charm offensive to try and convince America's Jews to vote for him is pretty much at an end as well.

Anyone paying attention to the Democrat's convention in Charlotte should have noted that every bit of pro-Israel language from the 2008 platform was deleted from the 2012 platform, and according to Democrat spokespeople it was done expressly to bring the platform in line with President Obama's views.

Most of that language, with the exception of a pro forma plank on the status of Jerusalem inserted under dubious circumstances is still there.

President Obama at this point likely feels that he no longer cares that much about the Jewish vote. If he did, a meeting with Netanyahu would have been a perfect opportunity to reassure them and shore up his support. But the president probably reasons he's already raised what money he can raise from America's Jews, and that no matter what, he can probably count on something around 60 percent of the Jewish vote. That drop will hurt, but the president likely figures the Jews will do what they're going to do, and in any event, he's looking forward to showing Putin and Russia some of that flexibility he was talking about to Dmitri Medvedev on that hot mic when it comes to Israel.

Of course, as news of the snub to Israel went viral,the White House went into damage control mode. The president called Netanyahu, they reportedly talked for an hour and according to the White Hose, there never was any snub.

I don't mind telling you that I'd bet my dollar to your dime this is bogus. The reason I delayed writing about this story was because I was waiting for communication from a trusted source on the Israeli side with an excellent track record who is in a position to know exactly what he or she is taking about.

According to my source, not only was the initial snub real, but it was done in an especially insulting manner through a minor White House functionary. The only reason President Obama bothered calling PM Netanyahu is because this story went viral and embarrassed the White House.

The phone call itself was not for an hour, but less than half that time and although specific details were obviously not revealed to me, I was told that overall it was not a pleasant conversation. It was conveyed to me that most of it, contrary to PM Netanyahu's wishes, apparently dealt with future overtures to the Palestinians so dear to President Obama's heart, rather than Iran.

Israel is faced with an existential dilemma that more and more resembles the situation prior to the Six Day War. Its major ally hasn't exactly cut Israel loose as France did in 1967, because most of congress and indeed the American people remain pro-Israel. But President Obama still has a 50% chance of a re-election and a second term during which he won't be responsible to the American electorate, and if he receives that second term the distancing with Israel will accelerate rapidly.

Meanwhile,Iran is progressing towards a nuclear weapon amid threats of a second Holocaust, and the Israelis know that they are on their own and that the world isn't going to intervene.

They are going to have to make some hard choices quite soon, and Bibi Netanyahu knows it.

Passover Greetings From Michele Bachmann

This was sent to me, and I take pleasure in reprinting it.

A Happy Passover Greeting To All My Many Friends In The Pro-Israel Community;

As millions around the world begin to celebrate the feast of Passover at sundown on Friday, April 6, it is important to remember why this celebration exemplifies God’s mercy on His people. When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of their great suffering at the hands of the Egyptians, we know "God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them (Exodus 2:25)."God responded with 10 plagues sent to do unimaginable damage on Egypt in order to deliver His people.

When the first nine plagues did not soften the heart of Pharaoh, the Lord sent his tenth and final plague: the slaughter of the first-born males in each family. By believing and obeying specific instructions from the Lord, the Israelites were spared this horrific plague and ultimately the destruction led to their freedom from Egyptian tyranny. God foretold the liberation of the children of Israel when he told Moses "I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage (Exodus 6:6)."

These promises to the ancient Israelites were near to my heart as I grew up, which is why I took the first opportunity to go to Israel when I was a young woman. The day after I graduated from high school in 1974, I took a flight to Israel. I went to work for the summer on Kibbutz Be’eri near Beer Sheva. Aside from the beauty of the country and deep cultural and spiritual appreciation of the Jewish people, the experience gave me a clear realization: Israel is under a constant external threat. During my time, we worked on the kibbutz from four in the morning until noon, and at all times we were accompanied by soldiers carrying machine guns. While we were working, they were making sure there were no land mines in the fields. As a recent high school graduate, I knew very little of the complex geopolitical threat that Israel faced from all sides of its borders. Today, Israel still faces those threats and more. For this reason, the United States must declare, in no uncertain terms, that it is our policy to utilize all military strength to support and defend our strongest ally in the Middle East, Israel.

On March 4 of this year, President Obama made the case that diplomatic sanctions are working in Iran. His words, "Now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in, and to sustain the broad international coalition we have built,"point to the need to let diplomacy take its course. These are powerful words and I certainly commend both the Bush Administration and the Obama Administration for the increasing economic sanctions on Iran. However, has any evidence surfaced that these sanctions are hindering the development of a nuclear weapon? If Iran had years instead of months, sanctions would certainly be advisable under the circumstances. Unfortunately, report after report seems to lend credence to the fact that Iran is growing dangerously close to having nuclear capability.

Furthermore, there are those that wrongly believe that Iran can be contained or that Iran is strictly Israel’s problem. Make no mistake; a nuclear Iran threatens the safety and security of a region that directly affects the interests of the United States. If Iran were to obtain a nuclear weapon, many surrounding Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, will most likely do everything in their power to obtain one that begins a deadly nuclear arms race. Additionally, Iran has made clear through their intrusion into our own hemisphere that they will not only provide support to rogue nations south of our border, they could also provide secrets of nuclear capability. Just imagine the devastation of a nuclear Cuba or Venezuela.

To Israel, the threat is real and very close. Just over 950 miles away from Jerusalem (roughly the distance by air from Washington D.C. to Miami) is Tehran and their fanatical leadership. The chilling escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran leaves the United States with but two choices: stand with our long time democratic ally or marginalize their position leaving them even more vulnerable to attack. I write this not to express the obvious, but to urge the American public to stand up and demand that our elected officials clearly explain their policies on stopping a nuclear Iran.

The President mentioned "too much loose talk of war" in his March 4 speech. I recognize some may wrongly see this as a call for military action against Iran. Nothing could be further from the truth. Military action should only be utilized when all diplomatic means have been exhausted. However, even with rapid implementation of sanctions on every aspect of the Iranian economy, I am concerned that Iran has more than enough capabilities to not only complete a nuclear weapon, but to use it, if necessary.

In the 38 years since I worked in Israel, I have been privileged to visit the country many times. I always return with a stronger reality and greater concern for Israel's safety and security. However, having returned just two weeks ago from an House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence trip to the country, and having met privately with numerous Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Netanyahu, the dangers our great friend Israel faces today are more acute and more serious than ever.

Friends, feel assured and confident this Passover Holiday, I pledge to do everything in my power to protect and secure one of our most precious allies, the great State of Israel.

A Happy Healthy Pesach,

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

It always helps to know whom your friends are. And Michele Bachmann has always been a principled friend of Israel and the Jewish people.

Michele Bachmann made a number of tactical mistakes in running for president this time that can largely be checked off to rookie's errors and a first time bout with the national dinosaur media. She's undoubtedly learned, she'll be much more prepared next time around, and I expect great things from her in the future.

Gingrich: Palestinians "An Invented Nationality...With An Enormous Desire To Destroy Israel

In an interview with the Jewish Channel, a cable outlet, GOP Candidate Newt Gingrich referred to the 'Palestinians' as an "invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community.":

"I believe that the Jewish people have the right to have a state, and I believe that the commitments that were made at a time," Gingrich said in an interview with Steven I. Weiss. "Remember there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places. And for a variety of political reasons we have sustained this war against Israel now since the 1940's, and I think it’s tragic."

"I mean, we have an armed truce with a Palestinian Authority that’s relatively weak. And on its flank is a Hamas authority which may become relatively weak because it can’t deliver anything. But both of which represent an enormous desire to destroy Israel," he said. "Frankly, given their school system and the hatred they teach in their schools, often with money that comes from us through the United Nations, I mean I think there's a lot to think about in terms of how fundamentally you want to change the terms of debate in the region."

Needless to say, the left leaning Politico had Journolista Ben Smith write this and shill for the two state solution, dropping in references to the 'Palestinian' Authority as moderate...but the fact is, Gingrich is historically correct. There never was a separate Arab nationality known as 'Palestinian' until it became a useful tool to demonize Israel.

The term 'Palestinian' originally referred to Jews living in the British Mandate and was never used for Arabs until after 1948. The Jerusalem Post's original name was The Palestine Post, and the 1939 New York World's Fair featured a Palestine exhibition that focused entirely on the Mandate's Jewish inhabitants.

Ben Smith refers to the 'Palestinian Authority' as having 'typically represented the moderate wing of Palestinian leadership'. I suppose that's true if you consider Hamas or Islamic Jihad as the alternative, but the difference is one of tactics rather that the ultimate aim of making Israel disappear, and I'm certain Ben Smith knows that, even if he writes otherwise.

The reality is that Hamas is still preferred by the vast majority of Arabs who identify themselves as 'Palestinians' and that Fatah is on the way out. So is the fiction of the two state solution, although it's useful for people like the EU and the Obama Administration who need a fig leaf to keep funding the War Against The Jews.

(via memeorandum)

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Pam Geller Suing The NY MTA

Atlas Shrug's Pam Geller is suing the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority for refusing to run the above ad on its subways and buses.

According to an MTA spokesman, the agency “does not approve or disapprove of issue-oriented advertisements based on the viewpoint being expressed,” and that it recently approved other ads that focused on the Middle East. “However, our advertising standards do prohibit language that demeans an individual or group.”

Apparently the word 'savage' was the sticking point.

However, the MTA was perfectly happy to run this ad,which calls the IDF savages by implication:



Aw,isn't that cute? I wonder if the good folks over at the MTA ever heard of Samir Kuntar, an honorary 'Palestinian citizen' who was feted by Mahmoud Abbas himself. Or that Abbas referred to the many child murderers held in Israeli prisons as 'heroes of freedom' and insists they all have to be freed in any peace deal...and that includes the Tanzim sniper who shot little 10-month-old Shalhevat Pas in her stroller.

Maybe if Pam used this picture, it would have made her point a bit more graphically:



That was taken after the non-savages lynched two IDF reservists who wandered across the border accidentally during what was supposed to be peacetime and were literally torn apart by a mob while the 'Palestinian' security forces stood and watched...and participated. They were convicted in an Israeli court of course...the 'Palestinians have never put anyone in jail for murdering Jews.

( sorry about the LGF link...that was back when Chuckles was still sane)

Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center and ace lawyer David Yerushalmi are involved, so this isn't frivolous and has major implications for the way jihad and its adherents are portrayed in the future.

Yaser Koach, Pam!

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Superb Video By Danny Ayalon: The Truth About the Peace Process

A companion piece by Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon to his other superb video, 'The Truth About The West Bank', this one examines the truth about the so-called Peace Process...very well done.

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Taking On Israel Hatred Down Under

A very illuminating video of a panel discussion in Australia, with comic Austen Tayshus (aka Sandy Gutman)taking on two particularly repulsive anti-Israel Lefties.

(h/t Liberty's Spirit, Gates of Vienna, and Daphne Anson)

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Why I'm Boycotting Scotch

This is a tough one, but I feel it's something that needs doing.At least when it comes to certain brands.

The West Dunbartonshire Council in Scotland, in a fit of absolute bigotry voted unanimously to boycott products made in Israel. In fact, the resolution is up on their website.

It reads:

‘This Council deplores the loss of life in Palestine which now numbers well over 1,000. This Council also recognises the disproportionate force used by the IDF in Palestine and agrees to boycott all Israeli goods as a consequence. Officers should immediately cease the purchase of any goods we currently source, which were made or grown in Israel. Officers should also ensure we procure no new goods or produce from Israel until this boycott is formally lifted by WDC.’

No mention of course, of the 'disproportionate force' involved in using civilians as human shields, putting missile site in schools, mosques and hospitals, or shooting an anti-tank rocket at a school bus.

Now, West Dunbartonshire is also the site of some famous distilleries that manufacture some of my favorite brands...and in view of what I consider to be a stand with Hamas and a racist boycott of the only Jewish State on a par with the old Nazi slogan 'Kauft nicht bei Juden'('Don't buy from Jews'), I've decided that the fine products of the following distilleries are going to do without my patronage in the future:


Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd. info@morrisonbowmore.co.uk
Distillers of: Auchintoshan, Bowmore, Glen Garioch, McClelland’s

Loch Lomond Distillery Co. Ltd mail@lochlomonddistillery.com
Distillers of Loch Lomond, Scots Earl, Distillery Select, Glen Scotia, Littlemill, Croftengea, Craigslodge, Inchmurrin, Glen Douglas, Inchfad

Chivas Brothers media.relations@pernod-ricard.com
Distillers of Ballantine’s, Chivas, Royal Salute, Clan Campbell, Something Special, Passport, 100 Pipers, Imperial, Long John Aberlour, The Glenlivet, Glendronach, Strathisla, Longmorn, Scapa, Tormore, Jameson, Paddy, Powers, Walker Special Old, Wisers

This is the best list I have of the addresses of distiller's in the West Dunbartonshire Council region. Please let me know if I missed any inth ecomments section and I'll add them to the list.

Below is my letter to Morrison Bowmore Distillers, and similar ones went out to the other two, focusing on some other brands I've enjoyed:

Dear Sirs;
I've long been a fan of your fine single malt, Auchintoshan. But I'm afraid I won't be drinking it in the future, or any other Scotch made in the West Dunbartonshire area.

Recently, the West Dunbartonshire Council voted unanimously to boycott Israeli products. I saw this on their own website, and the unfortunate nonsense they're spouting makes no mention of the aggression visited against Israel by the Palestinians they're so enamored of..the rockets fired against Israel's civilians, the murder of the entire Fogel family including a 3 month old baby, the naming of streets and public squares after people who murder civilians, the making an honorary citizen out of a child murderer. It's quite obvious the Council could care less.

That's fine, they have the right to voice their opinion and stand with whom they wish, but so do I. And I cannot just ignore their choice to stand with evil and indecency. The symbol of Scotland is a thistle and it's motto, as I recall is 'No one hurts me unharmed'. I've always admired that, and I feel the same way.

So I'm afraid Auchintoshan and I are going to become strangers, along with a few other brands of Scotch I've long enjoyed. I've heard some of the Japanese brands have wonderfully improved their quality, and there are, after all other Scotches produced in other parts of Scotland. And as I'm sure you already know, I'm not going to be alone in that, as this becomes more widely known and more publicized via the Internet. In fact, I'll be publicizing it myself on my own website.

I'm afraid I simply don't have a choice in the matter, as someone who's interested in simple justice.

Regards,
Rob Miller, United States

I urge you to take a stand on this one, publicize this and write them yourselves.

( Hat tip Jameel at The Muqata)

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New Ad Hits Obama Hard On Israel

The Emergency Committee on Israel has a brand new ad that hits President Obama is a particularly telling way - by focusing on the statements of pro-Israel Democrats.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer and Senator Bob Casey Jr. all have starring roles, juxtaposed with a picture of President Obama happily hunkered down with Mahmoud Abbas.

The point is pretty obvious..Israel gets strong support from both sides of the aisle, and it's the president who's out of the mainstream.

ECI board member Bill Kristol said, “We’re the Emergency Committee for Israel. So it’s appropriate for us to thank friends of Israel for stepping up for the Jewish state at this time of testing — even when a president of their own party is unfortunately stepping away.”

Heh!

The ad is being shown on cable in New York and Washington and will run on FOX News, CNBC, CNN and MSNBC.

(Hat tip, Jennifer Rubin)

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Stephen Harper And Canada Defeat Obama On Israel At The G8 Summit

You probably already know that Canada was the first country to formally reject President Obama's call for Israel to retreat back to indefensible borders last Thursday.

Today, the Canadians once again had Israel's back at the G8 summit in Europe.

President Obama lobbied the G8 nations intensely to endorse his notion that Israel should be forced back to the pre-1967 lines and to put the endorsement in the final communiqué of the summit.

He failed miserably, primarily because Canada's courageous PM Stephen Harper and the Canadian delegation adamantly refused to have any mention of the pre 1967 lines in the G-8 statement even though some other leaders wanted to include it.

Instead, the communiqué included an explicit endorsement of negotiations between the two parties to settle all outstanding issues, a defeat for the 'Palestinian' attempt sideswipe them and go directly to the UN.And not incidentally, a diplomatic defeat for President Obama.

Obviously President Obama has now backpedaled on any positive aspects of his AIPAC speech and is back to his original rhetoric.Luckily, that kind of cowardice usually falters when confronted by real courage.

Three cheers for the Canadians and Stephen Harper!

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Some Stubborn, Heroic Israeli Women

Once again, we see evidence that the Jews are home, and they are not going anywhere.

The future belongs to the stubborn...Yasser Koach, ladies.

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The Limits Of Forgiveness

A funny thing happened a few days ago - so funny that at first I thought it was some sort of April Fool's joke.

South African jurist Richard Goldstone published a mewling op-ed in the Washington Post essentially disavowing the infamous Goldstone Report he authored that falsely condemned Israel for war crimes during Operation Cast lead against Hamas in Gaza.

While the Goldstone Report certainly didn't start the movement to delegitimize Israel, it put it on steroids and gave it the imprimatur of 'social justice' and the 'International community'.

The report's outright lies, omissions and bias had been revealed long before by some notable experts, but that didn't stop the EU, the UN Human Rights Council from endorsing it as gospel and the basis for future actions.

And what a prize it was for them! Here, at last proof of how those blood thirsty Jews really behave. It actually referred to Israelis as subhuman, violent and paranoid.And written by a Jew, one of their own!

What actually happened is that the UNHRC, dominated by Muslim countries, wanted to libel Israel and its army formally after the IDF went into Gaza to stop the rocket attacks on Israel's civilians. And they wanted a front man willing to lead the charge and come up with the desired result..someone with international human rights cred, someone whose need for attention and approbation in UN circles would trump any sense of objectivity and preferably a Jew, so they could avoid the overt appearance of anti-Semitism among the credible.

They found that person in South African jurist Richard Goldstone.

Judge Goldstone's problems began after the report was first issued back in 2009.His response to the very valid criticisms of its contents were not to try revising it or tempering it, but to arrogantly double down.He launched what amounted to a PR crusade on the airwaves, and wrote editorials defending the report, three of them in the New York Times...which refused to publish his latest mea culpa for obvious reasons.

He even briefly attempted public debate, but gave that up after several attempts ended in his positions being utterly destroyed verbally, most notably against Dore Gold at Brandeis University in 2009.

And worst of all, he failed utterly to bring the vast majority of Israelis on board in a grand orgy of self-hatred and separate them from their defenders, even those on the Left.He forgot that the IDF really is a people's army, and that the Israelis knew whom their children, family members and neighbors were, even if he hadn't the slightest clue.

The final curtain, as Law Professor Avi Bell relates, had to have come three days before Goldstone's whining little apologia in the Washington Post, sitting there at Stanford Law School with his wife next to him and watching Bell and Peter Berkowitz tear apart Goldstone's abysmal tissue of lies to his face:

Goldstone has refused to disavow the report’s attempt to eliminate laws against terrorism from the international legal codex, and its refusal to acknowledge that Hamas is a terrorist organization. He has not renounced the preposterous characterization of Gaza as territory under Israeli occupation, or the report’s shocking claim that Israel’s limited economic sanctions against the Hamas government are an unlawful form of collective punishment. He continues to remain silent on the report labeling all Israelis liars to stamp Hamas’s anti-Israel libels with the imprimatur of truth. He has not yet expressed remorse about the report’s gratuitous inclusion of anti-Jewish slurs, such as its endorsement of the bigoted claim that Israeli Jews are dehumanized and paranoid.

Goldstone said during the debate that no one has disputed the report’s factual allegations. But this is demonstrably false and Goldstone knew it, because he was looking right at me when I reminded him of this fact during the debate. He did not repeat the claim in The Washington Post. {...}

Goldstone excused the report’s harsh pronouncements of Israeli guilt on the grounds that his mission did not have contrary evidence. But this is both false and irrelevant. The mission had plenty of contrary evidence, including photographs and testimony, which it willfully disregarded. Where evidence was lacking, the responsible course was to admit that the mission did not know what had happened. Instead, the report repeatedly and unjustifiably presumed Israel guilty and Hamas innocent.

And to add insult to injury, after everything, we get this self serving 'apology'? Gosh, he never realized that the genocidal Hamas was never going to investigate themselves? Oh, he's now convinced the IDF didn't intentionally target civilians? He had no choice but to believe the fairy tales Hamas told him and his 'investigators', and if he knew then what he knows now, the Goldstone Report would have "been a different document"...really?

If it had, it never would have been issued, it would have been quietly buried. But the UNHRC knew that when they hired Judge Goldstone, they found the right man for the job. They knew exactly what he and his panel were going to produce beforehand, just as they knew they could depend on Goldstone to hit the studio at places like CNN, NPR and the BBC to work to sell it afterwards.

They used him like the whore he was utterly delighted to be..at least until the fiction cracked and the spotlight wasn't pleasant anymore.

The harm the Goldstone libel has done to Israel is incalculable. It has strengthened the country's genocidal Arab enemies, provided a foundation for continued diplomatic attacks on Israel's legitimacy as a nation, a precedent for the perversion of international law and continued fodder for the continued myth of 'fascist, apartheid Israel' to be recycled over and over again.

Had Judge Goldstone actually come out with a full blown, honest apology, it would not have changed any of that, but it might have been the start of his own personal redemption.

As it is, he couldn't even muster the courage to do that much.

Instead, Richard Goldstone will continue to be the bird that defecated in his own nest, wallowed happily in the muck and now wonders how to get rid of the awful smell.

There's no getting rid of it. It will stay with him the rest of his life.

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