Israel's Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein announced today that the Government of Israel will not seek to prosecute MK Hanin Zouabi (Balad) and other leftists who took part in the Gaza flotilla in 2010.
Zouabi and others were aboard the Mami Mamara in 2010 along IHH members who prepared an ambush and attacked the IDF Naval Commandos who boarded the ship after it attempted to break the Gaza blockade and refused to sail to the Israeli port of Ashdod to have its cargo checked.
Three of the commandos were invalided out of the service because of injuries they suffered during the attack.
This is the equivalent of our own government's refusal to prosecute Code Pink after they cheerfully gave over $600,000 to the people who were shooting at our troops in Fallujah.
There is no real rationale for this kind of decision whatsoever, unless the Israeli government is afraid of being attacked by the usual suspects for prosecuting a treasonous Arab politician who unfortunately has Israeli citizenship.
It's simply a green light for even more egregious acts.
I'm not sure what's going on in the case of Israel, however, in America it really isn't a fear of being attacked or any thing. Its just that a number of our citizens believe that Code Pink is right and America is wrong and, as such, they should not be prosecuted.
ReplyDeleteWhile this particular belief is held by about half of the American population as a whole, it is held by about 75 to 80% of the people who hold important policy making and policy implementation positions within the US government. When half of your population and at least 75% of your decision makers symapathize with an enemy, it is going to be rather difficult to confront this enemy in any meaningful way.
Since half of the population sympathizes with Code Pink, Iran, Al Qaeda, and the like and at least 75% of Government decision makers within the government bureacracy sympathize with the afore mentioned groups, the policies they call for and try to implement are policies that call for strategic concessions to be made by the US and in general appeasement related policies. The thinking is "if only we give them more perhaps they will work constructively with us" or "they don't like us because of our past policies, if only we are more contrite they will work with us more constructively."
This is where America's diplomatic efforts run off the rails. It is all predicated on what must America do and what conessions must America make. Adversaries and potential adversaries are never expected to do much of any thing or to make any meaningful conessions.
Finally, the media eggs all of groups like Code Pink and the like on by constantly heaping lavish praise on them and advocating for the position of Iran and other US enemies.
I have little patience for anyone who suggests the US is going to attack Iran. The media and the 75% of US officials who support Iran and America's enemies would simply sabatoge the effort!!
What if we are not approaching this right? Maybe all of the talks of concessions and America's diplomatic approach are only conveying weakness and are actually encouraging our enemies. If this is so, then all the attempts at conessions and the tireless media effort to undercut a military option against Iran are only serving to weaken us and are actually encouraging our enemies to expect even more concessions.
This is the dynamic at work in America. Maybe something simillar is at work in Israel. Actually, I think all of Western Europe suffers from this afflicition to a degree but the affliction seems far more acute in the case of America than with any Western European country.
It's just the usual double-standard justice, there's one law for Leftists & Arabs, another law for Jews, particularly religious Jews & ''settlers'' - Weinstein would much rather arrest rabbis than traitors in the Knesset.
ReplyDeleteThere's a not-very-funny joke about an Arab arrested for terrorism for stabbing a Jew. When in court before the judge, the judge asks the Arab, ''so how fast was the Jew moving when he ran into your knife? ''
Look at the commotion about the so-called ''price-tag'' vandalism. You would think it was the major threat to the country (and I'm not excusing this by any means) - some graffitti on a mosque and the media goes wild & the entire political establishment issues condemnation. But a synagogue was torched by Arabs and it didn't even make the news.
And just to let you know, the article in the Jerusalem Post on the subject had one comment after the other saying Weinstein should be fired - and the JPost periodically erased the comment section, at least three times that I noticed.
I laugh every time some jackass here talks about the ''rule of law'' .......
Terry, Eilat-Israel
The Jerusalem Post is not what it once was,Terry. And I have that first hand.
ReplyDeleteWhat's going on I think is that the GOI just decided for political reasons that prosecuting an Arab MK right now might get them more problems than it was worth.Weinstein was just following orders.
Needless to say,that doesn't make it right and as I said, I think it was ultimately a stupid decision.
Eh, it'll all work itself out eventually.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rob
Rob, the JPost was just wishy-washy before, now it's moving more & more to the Left. I can't see how this is a very smart business model, imitating Haaretz is a sure-fire way to alienate readers.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read it, there's a good article at Sarah Honig's Blog, I think the title is ''Hating Wholeheartedly'' - about our poisonous Left.
I don't think Weinstein was ''just following orders'' (now that's a phrase with unpleasant connotations) - that's how the Judiciary system works here, dominated by Leftists. And Netanyahu is afraid of the Left, anyway, he wants to be everything to everyone & so, pleases no one. It's a poor strategy since the Left hates him regardless.
The Left is in a panic, hysterical, since more & more, Israel is moving to the Right.
Shabbat Shalom.
Terry, Eilat - Israel
"Eh, it'll all work itself out eventually." Uh, how is it going to work itself out? In the case of Israel, the Jews have a divine land grant from God himself for the land on which the state of Israel exists on and are guaranteed eternal existence. As far as I know, no other peoples have this guarantee. To the best I can tell, America has no such guarantee.
ReplyDeleteDoes this all work eventually for Israel when God intervenese supernaturally to destroy enemies? Since America faces simillar problems with groups like Code Pink and others, does this all work out eventually for America when it is destroyed by its enemies, taken over by its enemies, or torn to shreds?
I wish I could share your optimism that this is all going to work out eventually inspite of horrific decisions by our governments. Bottom line: by refusing to deal decisively with groups like this it is a virtual certainty that Israeli Jews and Americans will be killed because of this deriliciton in duty by government officials.
The claim I was only following orders has been used way to many times throughout history.
In the case of Jewish Israel, I'm reminded of a story in the Book of Esther. Don't remember exactly how it went but the basics of it are Esther is told to take the case of the Jews befor the King of Persia because Hannan wished to annihalate them. She was told that if she failed to do so that she and her family would perish but that deliverance for the Jews would rise from another place. Essentially she was where she was for a time such as this. A simillar thing may be true of Mr. Weinstein also.
Hi Terry,
ReplyDeleteYou're right,it's a lousy business model. The problem is that the other one wasn't working either. There's a wonderful saying attributed to Jesus in the New Testament ( Matthew, I believe) where he says: "thou art neither hot nor cold, so I will spew thee out of my mouth."
That's Netanyahu and the JP's problem precisely. They will either get a clue or disappear.
I think the legislation to have the Knesset nominate and vote on Supreme Court judges rather than having them nominate their own successors is a good one, and it will eventually happen. Israel, despite it's ancient heritage and accrued wisdom is still a very young democracy. G-d willing, it will work itself out, with time.
Hi Poster!
Merry Christmas.
If you believe in the Divine Plan, than of course it works itself out, according to G-d's will, no?
That's why Esther was able to defeat Haman, even though all the cards were stacked on his side.
That applies to America too, as far as I'm concerned. A bunch of farmers, tradesmen and landowners without anarmy or navy defeat one of the mightiest powers of the 17th century to win their independence, go on to settle a continent and create the richest, most powerful and free country ever known to man?
If you read it in a novel, you'd think it was science fiction, but it all happened.
Regards,
Rob
Thanks Rob. Do you celebrate Christmas? How ever you celebrate the season may God's riches, blessings, and mercy shine on you and yours in abundance!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you abut the founding of America. Actually if it never happened and one tried to sell the story as science fiction novel or as a science fiction movie, I don't think it would sell. The story is just to unbelievable!!
The biblical scriptures contain numerous examples of the miracles that God has performed on behalf of his people Israel. The miracles that God performed on behalf of the people who founded America are in many ways every bit as miraculous as those performed on behalf of Israel. In some ways perhaps even more miraculous because they were performed for Gentiles.
The reason God blessed the founders of America so richly and the reason he has blessed our nation so richly throughout much of its history is because the citizens of the nation at its founding and until recent decades patterned its social, economic, and forign policy based upon the principles found in the biblican scriptures.
In recent decades our nation has turned awasy from those principles to a large extent. As the nation, its people, and its leaders have abandoned these principles, the nation has lost God's divine blessing. The only way to recover these blessings is to return to these founding principles. Unitl this happens America cannot expect to be an exceptional nation again. God cannot and will not be mocked.
As Terry points out more and more of Israel is moving to the right. Unfortunately in America this is not so. Americans on the whole are moving further to the left, so much so that politically America is a left of center nation. As such, its hard to see signs of hope that America is going to make the ncessary adjustments.
You've probably noticed from my writing that I tend to be pessimistic. If there is a point of optimis, it is in the story of the dstruction of Sodom and Gamorrah. Had there been even ten righteous in the city, God would have spared it from its fate. I think there are at least ten righteous in America. Also, many of America's citizens are active in missionary work and are actively praying for their country and the world. God willing we will get this right and our nation will be pulled from the brink. Going to wrok on being more optimistic in the coming year.:-)
Thanks for the kind wishes, Poster.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't celebrate Christmas, but it doesn't stop me from wishing my friends that do the happiness and blessings this season brings.
I don't really feel the nation has turned away from its founding principles. It just seems that way because there is an elite that has, and they have a media megaphone and they're disproportionally loud.
Don't be fooled. And work on the optimism. If you believe in G-d's ultimate plan, as you seem to, you likewise believe that He performs good, not evil.
Best Regards,
Rob