tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32219708561419374492024-03-14T06:14:27.921+00:00Proud ZionistProud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-78291514653181356392012-07-11T23:53:00.000+01:002012-07-11T23:53:19.239+01:00Guardian Reveals: Jewish Zionists In Israel’s Jewish Zionist Army<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Extraordinary revelations <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/11/mutiny-fear-israeli-army-zionists?newsfeed=true">from the Guardian</a>:</div>
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<br /></div>
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In the large study
halls, millions upon millions of young Jewish men are bent over religious books or debating
in pairs the meaning of their extremist religious bloodthirsty texts. Many wear
the large knitted kippa associated with the settler movement and extremist religious
Jews – you know the type, those really Jewish Jews who study – and even
practice – Judaism, and who might even live in some parts of Israel that Jews
and Israelis say are part of Israel. A few have great big guns by their side
which they shoot with wild abandon at innocent Palestinians.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This scene is typical
in settlements all over the West Bank – all over Israeli towns in fact, as well
as Jewish Homes Of Plotting, globally – where the hesder yeshiva movement has
gained strength in recent decades. The programme, backed by the Israeli Defence
Forces allows crazy religious Jews to combine intensive theological study with
a shortened period of military service. Frankly, we can’t decide which is worse
– a Jewish army, or Jewish studying.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For these young
religious Zionist Zealots, serving in the army to defend the illegitimate state
of Israel, even going so far as to try and protect the settlers from
Palestinian murder attempts (which the Jews then use as an excuse to accuse certain Palestinians of trying to murder Jews), is a crucial element of a
theology that at its centre has the horrific and sinister aim of sustaining the
existence of the Jewish population.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But some critics fear
the influence and advancement of these highly motivated soldiers could turn the
traditionally secular IDF into an ideological instrument and create conflicts
over whether the men's duty is to obey their rabbi or their commanding officer.
Because whilst their commanding officers order these soldiers to run amok with
their weapons killing innocent Palestinians for fun, the Rabbis would tell them
to run amok with their weapons killing innocent Palestinians <i>as their religious duty</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gabriel Slater, 20, a <i>hesder
yeshiva</i> student who will begin army service within weeks – so it’s
probably too late to stop him - said the programme had helped him to develop
strongly held ideological and religious goals, which are probably something to
do with <s>running amok</s> <s>shooting with wild abandon</s> murdering Palestinians
babies. "<i>I have deep beliefs and I'm going to the army to fulfil
them</i>," he said, in a really deep, growly, threatening voice that would
shake anyone to their very core. He expected to face dilemmas – "moments
of difficulty" – in the military and planned to consult his rabbi if he
felt he was being asked to "cross a boundary", suggesting that if
asked to murder more Palestinian babies than he is comfortable with, he will consult the Rabbi – who will most
likely tell him to kill ten times more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there are bigger
questions about whether such soldiers would agree to participate in military
operations to evacuate Jews from West Bank settlements. If there is ever a
peace deal with the Palestinians requiring a large-scale evacuation of tens of
thousands of settlers, the issue could become critical. But if we’re denied the
Jew versus Jew scenario, my suggestion is, just let the Palestinians drive them
out. Brandishing their weapons, the Peaceful Palestinian Freedom Fighters For
Peace will drive the Jews into the sea! Finally, a solution!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pro-settler religious
Zionists (unscaled levels of dangerous crazy!) are reaching the higher ranks of
the military. According to the army magazine <span style="color: windowtext;">Bamahane</span>, in 2010 one in eight of company
commanders in ground forces came from West Bank settlements; the same year, a
majority of top commanders in the elite Golani brigade were religious Zionists.
Yes, it is hard to believe the chilling fact that in the army of the Jewish
state of Israel, there are Jews – Jews who act like Jews! – who believe in
defending the Jewish state! Hard to believe, but true. Seriously. I’m not
lying. I swear on the Very Liberal Atheists’ Bible. <o:p></o:p></div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-1288892400635732402012-05-08T19:54:00.000+01:002012-06-08T18:06:17.197+01:00No Pain = All Gain<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333;">In a very astute <a href="http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-genius-of-likud/">blog post on the Times of Israel</a>,
Marc Goldberg analyzes the pros and cons of Israel having a right or left wing
government, pointing out the significant fact that “<i>When Likud is in power
fewer Israelis die... [because] there is less chance of war when Likud is
running the show.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 140%;">This may seem contrary to the left leaning MSM, who
relish portraying Netanyahu as an extreme right wing hawkish warmonger – but
the fact is there have been no wars under Netanyahu.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 140%;">Goldberg explains:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #333333;"><i>“Likudniks aren’t interested
in rocking the boat by changing anything. They will approve more settlements —
more than the left would like to see and less than their own partners in
government want. They will not try to make peace with anyone — they won’t even
sit down with the Palestinians — and in the meantime, everyone, on both sides
of the wall and in Gaza, will get on with their lives, firm in the knowledge
that their daily routine won’t come under threat…It is when the left is in
power and politicians attempt to actually make things better in the long run
that the attacks begin.”</i></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Goldberg is correct but he misses out one thing: in
August 2010 (the </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138501"><span lang="EN-US">same month Abbas made statements</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333;"> that he’d support a war on
Israel if other Arab countries joined in, and eulogized one of the terrorists
behind the Munich Olympics massacre), Netanyahu and Abbas agreed to begin
direct peace talks together – however this resulted in </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/peace-yearning-palestinians-murder-four.html">Palestinian extremists responding</a> with a
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Palestinian_militancy_campaign">campaign of terror attacks</a></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"> on Israeli citizens. It would have been
understandable if Israel had pulled out of the talks then, but Netanyahu
didn’t. The talks petered out when </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/double-standards-and-double-standards.html"><span lang="EN-US">Abbas refused to recognize Israel</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333;"> as a Jewish state, in
return for a settlement freeze. Attempted terror attacks also decreased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333;">So whilst under Likud the situation could remain
relatively calm (as in not engaged in an actual war), according to Goldberg “<i>In the long term, the left may offer
the eventual possibility of normalization of relations with the rest of the
Middle East, a state of Palestine alongside ours, and a corresponding
improvement of our standing in the international community. But in the short
term, that spells nothing but more hardship.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Call me a cynic/psychic/crazy religious Jew, but
Mashiach will come before that scenario plays out – and I don’t just mean that
as a figure of speech! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #333333;">It doesn’t seem worth it to take the risks for an
impossible solution, just to see if it will make people like us better. Elder of
Ziyon has written a great piece explaining why the <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/why-is-status-quo-unsustainable.html">status quo is not actually as ‘unsustainable’</a>
as people think:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333;"><i>“A
genuine peace is one where Israel's neighbours do not even fantasize about
attacking Israel. Not one where they are coerced into not attacking by an
ephemeral government, not one where they do not attack because of the military
consequences - but one where they simply have no desire to...”</i></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333;">Currently
the Palestinians have not demonstrated why this would be possible, with no
serious efforts made to end incitement to hatred and terrorism, and the
brainwashing of children with this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin-bottom: 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333;"><i>“The
best we can ever hope for realistically is a detente where the weaker party has
no desire to stir things up, even if it covets everything owned by the other”</i> - <b>because the repercussions outweigh the benefits</b>. “<i>This means that the best that
Israel can hope for is a "Palestine" that keeps a short leash on its
terrorists out of fear. Not love, not friendship, but fear. And<b> </b>this is exactly the status quo today...
Anything that upsets this status quo will inevitably increase the danger to
Israel's citizens.</i>”</span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-78988114076286199592012-04-25T23:52:00.000+01:002012-05-08T19:24:42.452+01:00Happy Independence Day, Israel!<div>
This time of year is always an emotional one for Jews and for Israel.</div>
<div>
Last Thursday was Yom Hashoah when we remember the 6 million men, women and children who died in the Holocaust.<br />
<div>
Last night and today, less than a week after, is Yom Hazikaron when we mourn the victims of terror attacks and the 22,993 soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend and protect our homeland Israel.</div>
<div>
This is immediately followed by Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, reminding us that those lives were not lost in vain, but also that Israel's very existence is a miracle to be celebrated.</div>
<div>
May G-d protect our soldiers, people and country Israel so we may celebrate many more Independence Days.</div>
<div>
Happy 64th Israel!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DU6HlpjK0co" width="560"></iframe></div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-81131134435107784952012-04-09T22:07:00.001+01:002012-05-08T19:24:06.581+01:00Responding To Terrorism<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I should probably just change the title of
my whole blog to ‘Better Late Than Never’, but here goes anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">A month ago on Friday 9<sup>th</sup> March,
Israel decided it’d had enough of the continuous yet intermittent rocket fire
from Gaza (50 over the last two months), and responded to the <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4200605,00.html?">two rockets
launched that morning</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">As well as targetting Palestinian terrorists
about to fire more rockets into Israel, the <a href="http://www.idfblog.com/2012/03/10/popular-resistance-committee/">IDF
killed the leader</a> of the <a href="http://www.idfblog.com/2012/03/10/popular-resistance-committee/">PRC</a> Zuhir
al-Qaisi, and another member, who were involved in the kidnapping of Gilad
Shalit. The IDF had intelligence that al-Qaisi was planning a terror attack
along the Israel-Gaza border, similar to one the PRC had carried out last
August along Israel’s border with Egypt. In that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_southern_Israel_cross-border_attacks">multiple-stage
attack</a>, eight Israelis were killed when Palestinian terrorists attacked
them in their cars and buses with guns, missiles and a suicide-bombing. In the
days following, two more Israelis were killed by rocket fire.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">After Israel killed the PRC leader last
month, terrorists bombarded Southern Israel with over 300 rockets in the space
of just four days. Myself and friends and family would flock to Facebook to
find updates from friends and family in South Israel on their status, inbetween
them flocking to their bomb shelters. In response the IDF targetted weapons
depots, manufacturing facilities and rocket launching sites in Gaza. 24
Palestinians were killed, 20 of whom were terrorists, most whilst actually in
the process of preparing to launch more rockets. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">At the funeral of one of the terrorists,
Palestinian gunmen fired into the air, with one bullet striking an eight year
old boy in the head. This was of course <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/two-more-gazans-killed-during-funeral.html">blamed
on Israel</a>, although Palestinians later revealed the truth. Two days later
the child died, and the day after that two more Palestinian teenagers died from
trigger-happy Palestinians’ gunfire at another terrorist’s funeral.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">A picture of a young Palestinian girl was
circulated online, originally <a href="http://www.idfblog.com/2012/03/12/photos-gaza-aerial-strikes-proven-false/">tweeted
by Khulood Badawi</a>, who claimed it was “<i>another child killed by Israel</i>”. It was
discovered that the picture was from 2006, and the girl had died in an accident.
Meanwhile it transpired that Badawi works for the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs as an ‘Information and Media Coordinator’,
with <a href="http://honestreporting.com/exposed-un-media-official-responsible-for-false-photo-tweet/">Honest
Reporting calling for her dismissal</a>: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“<i>it
is absolutely unacceptable that a UN employee working specifically on
dissemination of information to the media and public tweets malicious and false
information to libel Israel... [when it] is trying desperately to defend more
than 1 million of its civilians from the incessant murderous rain of Gazan
rocket terror</i>”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/153874#.T2pqqcXUMfU">Ron
Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to the UN</a> also called for her dismissal, pointing
out that she was “<i>actively engaged in the
demonization of Israel, a member state of the United Nations. Such actions
contribute to incitement, conflict and, ultimately, violence</i>.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">A week later in an indescribably horrific <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4204742,00.html">terrorist
attack at a Jewish school in France</a>, an Islamist fanatic rode up on a
motorbike and murdered a Rabbi, Jonathan Sandler, his 3 and 6 year old sons
Gabriel and Arieh, and 8 year old Miriam Monsonego, the daughter of the school
principle. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Strangely, the EU Representative for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/eus-catherine-ashton-compares-kids.html">Catherine
Ashton appeared to compare the attack</a> to “<i>what is happening in Gaza</i>”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Perhaps unsurprisingly, the French-Algerian
terrorist Mohammed Merah, who was a member of Al Qaeda, claimed that his
actions, which also included the murder of three unarmed French soldiers was to
“<i>avenge Palestinian children</i>”. He was
killed after a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17473207">32
hour siege</a> on his apartment, in which he injured several French police
officers, preventing him not only committing further attacks but also from
spewing any more excuses for his barbaric, evil acts. Possibly the best
response to Merah’s comment about Palestinians came from the <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/154011#.T4NDkZn2YfU">Palestinian
Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad</a>, who stated: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB">"This
terrorist crime is condemned in the strongest terms by the Palestinian people
and their children... No Palestinian child can accept a crime that targets
innocent people. It is time for these criminals to stop marketing their
terrorist acts in the name of Palestine and to stop pretending to stand up for
the rights of Palestinian children who only ask for a decent life”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In any case which Palestinian children was
Merah referring to? Which children in Gaza was Baroness Ashton talking about?
The ones brainwashed into wasting their lives by becoming terrorists? The ones oppressed
by their own government? The children killed when they’re exploited by
terrorists and used as human shields, who launch rockets into Israel from
civilian areas? Or the ones killed in accidents because they’re surrounded by
militants building weapons or ‘symbolically’ firing guns at terrorists’
funerals?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It has been pointed out again and again by
pro-Israel activists that the actions of most supposedly ‘pro-Palestinian’
activists do nothing to help the Palestinians, in fact do the opposite. There
seems to be a link; and somewhere between all these incidents there are lies,
distortions and exaggerations about Israel’s actions that far from helping
solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict simply trigger cycles of violence, not
only manifested in antisemitism against Jews and Israel but with the much wider
target of ‘the West’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Our battle for support for Israel and the
truth may sometimes seem unwinnable, but there are constant reminders of <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4213529,00.html">successes</a> and
the <a href="http://hurryupharry.org/2012/04/08/i%E2%80%99m-a-pro-israel-muslim-so-why-did-ujs-ban-me/">importance</a>
of this battle, and who knows the effect that each of these instances can have.
So whether it’s blogging or tweeting or demonstrating, we have to keep
spreading the truth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Most importantly, everyone should see the
words of Eva Sandler, who lost her husband Rabbi Jonathan and her two young
sons Gabriel and Ariel in the France school shooting. In a heart-wrenching <a href="http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1808989/jewish/Massacre-in-Toulouse.htm">article
on the Chabad website</a>, she referred to Pesach, which Jews worldwide are
currently celebrating, and wrote:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB">“</span></i><i>Along
with our tearful remembrance of our trials in Egypt so many years ago, we still
tell how ‘in each and every generation, they have stood against us to destroy
us.’ We all will announce in a loud and clear voice: ‘G-d saves us from their
hands.’… The spirit of the Jewish people
can never be extinguished; its connection with Torah and its commandments can
never be destroyed.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-7104662261069222822012-01-08T00:09:00.003+00:002012-01-08T00:11:26.016+00:00Rabbis Condemn Charedi Extremists<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've been very upset by recent goings-on in
Israel, and for once the left aren’t fully to blame! Two incidents have rightly
caused outrage throughout Israel and the Jewish people worldwide, both right
and left wing, religious and secular.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first is of a young Dati Leumi (or
‘Modern-Orthodox’) girl being insulted and spat on by so-called Charedi
(‘ultra-Orthodox’) men in Beit Shemesh for not adhering to their extreme
version of modest dress for Jewish females.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The second is a Jewish female Israeli soldier
being harassed by another so-called Charedi man for refusing to move to the
back of the bus (just because she’s a woman) on a route between Jerusalem and
Beit Shemesh.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Inevitably this was followed by demonstrations
in Beit Shemesh, with extreme Charedim on one side, and Dati Leumi and the
secular on the other (how often does that happen?!). In demos and in the media
though, not much has changed for the secular and left-wing, who have used the incidents
as another excuse to show their hatred of and contempt for the religious,
portraying some fringe extremists as representative of the wider Orthodox
community.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thankfully, the top Rabbis and religious leaders
in Israel and around the world have demonstrated why they are in those positions, with their
unequivocal condemnations of those who have abused the Jewish religion with
their extremist interpretation of it, in a similar way to extremist Muslims who
abuse Islam with terrorism ‘in Allah’s name’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Chief Rabbis said the Charedim cannot impose
their views on the rest of the population and if they want segregated buses
they should run their own bus line – the Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar said “<i>A
person can be strict about himself, but not about others.</i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> If the Charedim want to be strict in their own buses, let them. But
imposing it on other people is irrelevant.</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One Rabbi points out on his blog </span><a href="http://thinkingtorah.blogspot.com/2012/01/modesty-and-women-problem.html?spref=fb" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thinking Israel</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
that the Jewish laws regarding social interaction and relationships between men
and women are there precisely to “</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">facilitate a non-sexualized public space</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">” where men and women can interact in a ‘neutral’ way, not to segregate them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ironically, the fact that some Charedim are so
concerned with hiding women away only makes the whole situation worse, as they
would “</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">identify sexual stimulation in the slightest reminder of a woman</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">”.</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>“In most places that the Shulkhan Arukh addresses modesty, the man is
instructed to restrict his gaze and not to look at a woman in an
inappropriately sexual manner. But it doesn't say that a woman is required to
button up in order to prevent or ‘protect’ the man. Men are expected to take
care of their sexual drives and to control their eyes and minds... modesty in
the public arena is not achieved by suppressing women; it is not women who are
to pay the price... any man who has a problem must take care of his problem on
his own.” </i></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rabbi Schochet, a columnist for the London
Jewish News <a href="http://www.shul.co.uk/readArticle.php?article=83">wrote on his blog</a>:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>“Both these men [involved in the incidents] have
been described as ‘Charedi.’ This is typically taken to mean ultra-Orthodox. I
take umbrage to that definition. I think of myself as ultra-Orthodox but believe
these ‘Charedi’ men to be a disgrace to Jewish society.”</i></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Maimonides states that if a pious individual
acts in a way that the general population would consider inappropriate, this
person is performing a </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">chilul Hashem </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>(lit. desecration of
G-dliness)”</i>, which is breaking the third of the 10 Commandments - 'Do not take
G-d’ name in vain'. He continues:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>“If this is, as it is justifiably argued, a
fringe group, then that can only be made obvious with vocal protestation. There
could be no greater kiddush Hashem (lit. sanctification of
G-d’s name) to counterbalance the chilul Hashem. In the words of
King Solomon: 'There is a time to be silent and a time to speak'."</i> </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rav Ovadia Yosef of Shas <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4171723,00.html">addressed theextremists</a>, saying <i>“We do not hate seculars. On the contrary – we love them and
bring them closer. ‘Love your neighbour as yourself' is the entire essence of the
Torah.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He wrote that <i>“</i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">he could no
longer remain silent after seeing extremists ‘humiliating and insulting people
in public, despising and cursing, and causing discomforts among the late Torah
sages'"</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, noting that </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"the Torah promotes graciousness and peace." </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He warned:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>“Do not let the dignity of Torah and Judaism be mocked and
humiliated, as this is our life and longevity, the secret of our existence
throughout our years of exile, and we must respect each other and bring
people's hearts closer to G-d."</i></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In my opinion, the Charedi extremists need to stop
checking how girls and women are dressed, go home, learn some more and then
practise what they’ve learned, because I don’t recall the Torah anywhere saying
to spit on and shout abuse at girls and women. Or just take off their hats and
stop pretending that they represent Judaism in any way.</span>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-28657807803750053732011-11-19T23:06:00.002+00:002011-11-20T12:07:07.044+00:00Yachad And Sephardis<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately, as long as Yachad still exist and spew out self-righteous "pro-Israel, pro-peace" commentary (that manages to demonise Israel and push peace further away by absolving Palestinians of blame for the stalemate), I cannot ignore them. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yachad were riled by a </span><a href="http://www.thejc.com/blogs/sephardi-spirit/yachad-not-sephardim" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">blogpost on the JC website</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, stating "</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">you almost certainly will not find much love for Yachad in any Sephardi community</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">", as </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"<i>Jews from Middle Eastern descent, after living for years among Arabs, tend to know slightly more about the people Israel are dealing with. They understand the Arab ideologies which lead to persecution, violence and death of Jews. They understand Israel's need to protect itself.</i>"</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It is undeniable that a Sephardi Jew who has experienced Arab persecution (or indirectly through relatives) would likely be more concerned about security needs than anything else. However there are always exceptions in everything so of course many Ashkenazis with no experience of Arab persecution still understand Israel's security concerns, and do not support Yachad; and there will also be Sephardis, whose very existence may only be due to their ancestors joining </span><a href="http://www.forgottenrefugees.org/index.php" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">almost 1,000,000 Jews in fleeing for their lives</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, who still don't get it.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yachad were defended in a </span><a href="http://proisraelpropeace.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/sephardim-and-yachad/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">post on their blog</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> listing countries from where their Sephardi supporters have origins. I don't think anyone was in any doubt about the fans Yachad may have from these countries</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">: Egypt (the Muslim Brotherhood), Turkey (the lovely Erdogan, who after </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2010/07/flotilla-updates.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">sending Israel a ship of terrorists</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> initially let his people die rather than </span><a href="http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=246070" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">accept aid from Israel</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> when hit by an earthquake), Iran (Ahmadinejad, who wants the whole of Israel "wiped off the map", not just the settlements).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What the blogpost fails to address is "Sephardi Spirit's" challenge: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"<i>let's see Yachad tackle the more thorny problems such as incitement against Jews in Palestinian school text-books, or the medieval-style antisemitism coming out of the mouths of Hamas leaders, and their point-blank refusal to accept the idea of a Jewish state in the region. Those are the real obstacles to peace... Yachad has done absolutely nothing to demonstrate any sort of commitment to fighting the delegitimisation of Israel.</i>"</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Going back to my last </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/11/yachads-search-for-themselves.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">post about Yachad</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, since I wrote it I've discovered more about Yachad's favourite news-source, 972 Magazine, who Yachad continuously </span><a href="http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/halloween-horror-for-israel-as-yachad-appears-on-campus/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">endorse and defend</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. </span><a href="http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/972-magazines-joseph-dana-wows-the-palestine-society-at-soas/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Richard Millet blogged</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> last week about some of their writers; Larry Derfner, who was fired from Jerusalem Post for justifying the Eilat terror attack in August which killed 8 Israelis; Joseph Dana, who said that a third intifada would be "<i>unproductive</i>" (never mind the terrorism aspect), and made one of the most ridiculous claims I've ever heard, that "<i>Almost everything we can accuse Hamas of we can find the equal and sometimes worse situation inside of Israel</i>". Yachad can hardly be accused of endorsing this claim, though, as they seem to ignore the existence of Hamas altogether.</span>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-977212071398396862011-11-15T01:00:00.006+00:002011-11-28T11:59:14.850+00:00Yachad's Search For Themselves<div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The left-wing, <a href="http://britishisraelcoalition.org/British_Israel_Coalition/News/Entries/2011/8/1_Zahava_Raymond__Does_Yachad_represent_you.html">supposedly "pro-Israel, pro-peace" group Yachad</a> have professed a disclaimer on their blog that "<i>the views of the bloggers do not necessarily represent the views of the organisation</i>", presumably hoping that with all the criticism they have had so far, at least they won't have to take responsibility for the content of their blog.</span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Regardless, the last two blog posts very accurately do reflect Yachad's confused, contradictory viewpoint. Which is fair enough, it's their blog. </span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Darren Cohen </span><a href="http://proisraelpropeace.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/speaking-the-truth-even-when-it%E2%80%99s-not-easy-to-stomach/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">starts off by mocking the "3 Ds"</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, delegitimisation, double standards, and demonisation "</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>that have become the archetypal regurgitation of many within the higher echelons of many Zionist institutions</i>". Then, after acknowledging </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the hypocrisy of much of the criticism and indeed hatred Israel receives</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">", he compares the treatment of Israel by its enemies to Yachad's plight, applying the 3 Ds to Yachad, as though no criticism of them can be legitimate!</span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cohen states that: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>To safeguard the future of Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State, it needs to act urgently to ensure that a viable two state solution is actualized and that the dream of peace can become a reality. This line of thought is now widely accepted by the mainstream and is nothing new. In spite of this, Hannah [Weisfeld] and the organisation she represents are still demonised as naïve at best and anti-Zionists at worse.</i>" </span></blockquote></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Despite what Cohen may think, Yachad's critics are not anti-peace, or against the two state solution. We're just </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-palestinians-bid-for-terror-state.html" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">against what Yachad thinks is the right way to achieve this</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. Cohen has very shrewdly observed our concerns about Yachad - are they naive or are they anti-Zionist? It's hard to tell, and similar to the question we ask of a lot of Israel-bashers: are they ignorant, or are they antisemitic? There's another possibility, which I think applies to many Jewish critics of Israel - cowardice. Understandably many Jews are overcome by a need to fit in with society's majority to avoid being a target, and if that means having to be critical of Israel, so be it.</span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cohen is offended by the accusation of 972 Magazine (who are strongly endorsed by Yachad) being pro-Hamas, "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">a slanderous and unsupported accusation</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">", but he's obviously not done his research. </span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On 972, Palestinian </span><a href="http://972mag.com/fatah-hamas-reconciliation-key-for-palestinian-strategy-to-end-the-occupation/13907/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Aziz Abu Sarah wrote that Hamas</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">’ “</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">decision to reconcile with Fatah indicates their support of the PLO’s new approach [the bid for statehood]. Hamas has no better ideas to offer the Palestinian people on how to end the occupation. It had to make a choice between the status quo or actively working with Fatah and the other Palestinian factions on creating a Palestinian state.</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">” Then he criticised that “</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Israeli government ignored that Hamas had been giving clear signs of its willingness to accept to the two-state solution.</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">” Israeli-American writer Mairav Zonszein, <a href="http://972mag.com/hamas-condemnation-of-bin-ladens-killing-bad-pr/14040/">seemingly forgetting that Hamas is a genocidal terrorist organisation</a> found it "</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">perplexing</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">" that they would condemn the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and wondered why they didn’t suggest instead that he should have been tried. (as though they </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">privilege</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> their own people with trials!) And it’s not only Hamas they support. Another writer, Roee Ruttenberg <a href="http://972mag.com/flotilla-gaza-bound-once-again-as-anniversary-is-remembered/15445/">expressed support for last year’s flotilla</a>, and the Turkish ‘charity’ who backed it, the IHH, who have links to terror.</span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cohen then makes an extraordinarily absurd statement, that the double standards of Yachad’s critics were:</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“<i>highlighted by the fact that a leading member of the American Zionist Organisation wrote a piece criticising Israel’s government for allowing the Gilad Shalit prison exchange and yet no one bat an eye lid. Apparently, it is unacceptable to criticise Israel for being too ‘right-wing’, but to criticise the government for a ‘left-wing’ deal that the vast majority of Israelis supported is deemed acceptable.</i>”</span></blockquote><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Gilad Shalit’s release was one of the most jubilant yet painful, emotionally charged events in Israel’s recent history. I have never in my life felt so torn in my emotions, so unbelievably relieved and happy that an Israeli soldier’s life was saved after five years of torture, but at the same time so grief-stricken for the families of terror victims who had to relive their horror all over again, sickened at the celebrations of terrorists with no remorse for their actions, and fearful for the future, for the safety of Israel’s citizens and soldiers, my family and friends in Israel, from Haifa to Jerusalem to Be’er Sheva. So I can understand those who were against the deal, even though, </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/10/gilad-shalit-to-be-freed-at-last.html">as I’ve explained</a><span class="Apple-style-span">, </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/10/gilad-finally-home.html">I supported it</a><span class="Apple-style-span">. I don’t look at it as a matter of politics, left or right wing; to me it was simply about taking the opportunity to save a life.</span></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As for Yachad having “</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">proven over and over again that it is a vociferous pro-Israel voice</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">” and that “</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">it is not acting to demonise or attack Israel</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">”… where have they proven that? Because if I was ignorant of the conflict and got all my links from their Facebook and Twitter, I’d be worse than ignorant - I’d only know one half of the story.</span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cohen’s second blog post </span><a href="http://proisraelpropeace.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/the-boycott-divestment-and-sanctions-movement-does-nothing-to-end-the-occupation-and-everything-to-further-it/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">again mentions the 3 DS</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, this time in describing how the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is harmful and counterproductive. Despite this, he commends boycotts as “</span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">n</i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>on-violent resistance to oppression</i>”. Yachad’s official line is that they do not support boycotts, but they were also <a href="http://www.yachad.org.uk/blog/responding-to-the-anti-boycott-bill">very much opposed to</a> <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/09/boycotts-and-freedom-of-antisemitic.html">Israel’s proposed anti-boycott law</a>.</span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yachad would do well to clear up their own confusion and contradictions, and save their critics the trouble.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> </span></div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-11701002648629426482011-10-18T22:38:00.005+01:002012-08-27T13:46:23.476+01:00Gilad Finally Home!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrXz3-rm8wv-BtZUncgN3c0m4F6wgnEnn7xRVrYyVfhhZBxLWYcbYmYv0ds_JTluycqcxrHVJoO__p-ofveCqSb6greMVpqfQngXSHx4FqW28r5YOtPXHLnAXfdrwqB3jofL1VEr0OxQ/s1600/gilad1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664978932647861010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrXz3-rm8wv-BtZUncgN3c0m4F6wgnEnn7xRVrYyVfhhZBxLWYcbYmYv0ds_JTluycqcxrHVJoO__p-ofveCqSb6greMVpqfQngXSHx4FqW28r5YOtPXHLnAXfdrwqB3jofL1VEr0OxQ/s320/gilad1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 315px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">I am ecstatic that Gilad has finally been released and is home with his family, thank G-d alive and well.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">As well as he could be under the circumstances; Hamas are capable of anything, so the fact that Gilad is alive and in good physical and mental condition is nothing short of a miracle. The symptoms of malnutrition and lack of sunlight is probably the best anyone could have dared hope for.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">In the first stage, Gilad was taken to Egypt where he was <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/10/one-reason-shalit-looked-so-ill-at-ease.html">forced into a torturous interview on Egyptian TV</a>. His sharp breathing and discomfort were there for everyone to see, although it was only later that we found out there were actually armed Hamas men in the room with him. On top of that, the interview was interpreted wrongly, and of course the mainstream media repeated this false translation. When asked how he felt, Gilad replied "I don't feel so well", but this was translated as "I feel good". Asked if he would campaign for the release of other Palestinian prisoners, he said yes, <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4136451,00.html">as long as they stop attacking Israel</a>, but was <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8835305/Israelis-shocked-at-Egypt-TV-interview-with-Gilad-Shalit-minutes-after-release.html">quoted as simply saying he'd be happy</a> for them to go back to their families.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">After that Gilad was turned over to Israeli care, where he <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKjooHJigRU">underwent medical check ups</a>,<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEHhNq4sOU4">changed into an army uniform</a>, and was then <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL8SwgnKVY8">flown to meet Netanyahu</a>, who took him to be<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7aPdVDA1E">reunited with his family</a>, after which Gilad and his family were then all flown <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09AvGG6Jkqc">back to their home</a>in the North of Israel.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Hundreds of Palestinian terrorists were released in exchange, some to Egypt, the rest to the West Bank and Gaza, where Hamas announced in a massive ceremony that they would continue trying to capture Israeli soldiers so they could use them to get more terrorists freed. Some media were bizarrely optimistic that the fact that Israel had to communicate with Hamas for the deal was a step forward that means they could negotiate in the future as well (?!).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Despite this, <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/10/gilad-shalit-to-be-freed-at-last.html">like I said previously</a>, I still believe Israel made the right decision. Leftist critics of the deal though, have a <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/richardlandes/100114766/whose-racism-reactions-in-israel-palestine-and-elsewhere-to-the-gilad-shalit-prisoner-exchange/?">strange logic</a>. They complain about the "message" that <a href="http://cifwatch.com/2011/10/18/100s-of-guardian-readers-view-release-of-shalit-for-1027-terrorists-as-evidence-of-israeli-racism/">one Israeli is worth 1000 Palestinians</a>, and one Guardian reader even said "<i>The Palestinians should have operated on a one to one exchange basis</i>"! Can Israel do nothing right!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Jerusalem Post highlights several <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=241964">Jewish </a><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=241964">religious perspectives on the issue</a>: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i>"The Mishna prohibits redeeming captives 'for more than their monetary value' to foster 'society’s welfare' [tikkun olam]"</i>, whether literally an large ransom sum, or the cost by encouraging future kidnappings.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">On the other hand,:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>"Maimonides (1135-1204) states: 'There is no commandment as great as the redemption of captives.</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>"And Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488-1575), in his Shulhan Arukh, notes: 'Each instant that one fails to redeem captives when it is possible to do so, it is as though one has shed blood.'</i></span></span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Meanwhile <i>"</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i>Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has argued that in cases such as Shalit’s, the clear and present danger to the life of the hostage outweighs the potential danger to Israelis who might become the future targets of the freed terrorists."</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Adrian Blomfield of the Telegraph <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8833050/Gilad-Shalit-release-Israels-continuing-obsession-with-soldiers-and-conscription.html">discusses why so many Israelis supported the deal</a>, despite the security risks and the political cost of bolstering Hamas. He quotes Avi Shavit of Haaretz, that:</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 23px;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 23px;">Israel's main asset in human and security terms is the sense of mutual responsibility that its citizens and soldiers feel towards one another. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 23px;">Without this feeling, there is no meaning to our lives here. Without this feeling, we have neither army, security, nor the ability to protect ourselves.</span></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i>"Rightly or not, Shalit has become a symbol of mutual responsibility. And therefore his forthcoming release will not only be the redemption of a captive and the saving of a life and the return home of a son. Shalit's release will be the realisation of Israeli solidarity."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.48em;">JPost </span><a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=242129" style="line-height: 1.48em;">sums it up perfectly</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.48em;">:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i>"This collective willingness to expose ourselves to the risk of a future terrorist attack, if necessary, to secure Shalit’s release speaks volumes about Israelis’ strong sense that we are all in this Zionist project together, in good times and in bad.</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i>It’s not that we are insensitive to the feelings of past terrorist victims’ families and loved ones. Nor are we unaware that many, even most, of those who will be released will return to violent terrorism – and that by paying a ratio of 1 to 1,027 we are encouraging future kidnappings.</i></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i>It’s just that none of these potential future dangers seems to be able to trump the fact that right now an IDF soldier’s life is being saved."</i></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">The past can't be changed and the future can't be predicted with absolute certainty, so I, like many, believe it was most important to focus on the present, and support whatever had to be done to save Gilad. And we did. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664977162038756690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSDcdyHuBx8cnSHsb49NOECrGoAXEoRMZXbT_3Cnb9EuTjH_NxUVmACdWW2ke8AbOg45fYm47xgkD-4ttu2JYEGXnxY9nVjADXIOvrkSXYuY6eFzvRQOs5hMp3r8L9mzu-ModZdXb1x0/s400/gilad.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 270px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span></span></div>
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Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-51514919323005354732011-10-16T20:59:00.018+01:002012-08-27T13:47:19.444+01:00Gilad Shalit To Be Freed At Last<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Israel has agreed a deal with Hamas to release over 1000 Palestinian prisoners/terrorists, in return for the release of Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive for over five years, in unknown conditions, with barely any contact between him and the outside world.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Anything can still happen, and even now it's not clear what condition Gilad is in, physically and mentally, but I am overwhelmed with joy at the thought of him finally returning to his family. At the same time, though, Israel is paying a high price for his freedom.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> <span class="Apple-style-span">As if it's not bad enough that Israel is having to release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists, the <a href="http://cifwatch.com/2011/10/14/guardian-publishes-letters-arguing-shalits-release-in-exchange-for-1027-terrorists-is-unfair-to-hamas/">Guardian readers can voice only concern for these terrorists</a>, and their portrayal in the media, sympathising with the:</span> </span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> "<i>thousand nameless, faceless Palestinians without identities, histories, or grieving families... where is the coverage of the Palestinian prisoners rotting in Israeli jails... inhuman treatment at Israel's hands</i>".</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">..."<i>William Hague reckons Shalit’s captivity was 'utterly unjustified'. How else would 1,000 Palestinians have obtained their freedom? When are Palestinians going to get some recognition as people, every bit as important as Israelis?</i>"</span></span></span></span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Again we're faced with that question: are these people just ignorant, or are they antisemitic? If the Guardian did give these terrorists the coverage that they deserve, the details into what they did, the reasons why they're in jail, then would the Guardian readers reconsider whether these murderers deserve to "<i>obtain their freedom</i>" by holding an innocent boy hostage for five years, and whether they should be viewed "<i>as important as Israelis</i>"? Or would they still have sympathy for the murderers of innocent civilians? I fear it's the latter, but since they wondered about these "nameless Palestinians' identities", here are <a href="http://cifwatch.com/2011/10/14/guardian-publishes-letters-arguing-shalits-release-in-exchange-for-1027-terrorists-is-unfair-to-hamas/">a few of those who will be released</a>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<ul style="line-height: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Abdel Hadi Ghanem, an Islamic Jihad terrorist responsible for the 1989 hijacking of Egged bus 405, driving it over a cliff edge, killing 16 Israelis.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Fahad Schludi, a terror operative who took part in the 1993 abduction and murder of IDF soldier Yaron Chen.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;">Bassam Abu Sneina and Riyad Asila, who are serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of yeshiva student Haim Kerman.</li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Nael al-Barghouthi, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1978, for murdering an Israeli security officer.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Yehiya As-Sinwar, who was one of the founders of Hamas’ security forces in Gaza and was involved in the abduction and murder of IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman. He is also the brother of one of the terrorists involved in Gilad Shalit’s kidnapping.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Jihad Yarmur, who was convicted of Nachshon Wachsman’s murder.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Ahmed Najar, former head of the Silwad terror cell, which killed 3 Israelis in six shooting attacks during the al-Aqsa Intifada.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Mohammed Hamada, who was convicted of planning a rocket attack on Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Ruhi Musteha, a senior operative with Hamas’ military wing.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Husam Badran, the former head of Hamas’ military wing in the West Bank, who orchestrated the deadly terror attacks at the Tel Aviv Dolphinarium in 2001, at the Park Hotel in Netanya in 2002 (which killed 30) and at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001 (which killed 15).</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Muhammad Duglas, who was implicated in the Sbarro attack, and is serving 15 consecutive life sentences for the murder of 19 Israelis.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/10/details-on-first-set-of-prisoners-ynet.html">Amina Mona</a>, a young woman who lured a lovestruck Israeli teenage boy by the name of Ophir Rahum to a Palestinian city over the Internet, only to have him killed by waiting terrorists.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/10/soon-to-be-free-terrorists-who-should.html">Update: Some more terrorists who shouldn't be</a><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/10/soon-to-be-free-terrorists-who-should.html"> released:</a> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Walid Anajas, from Ramallah, a commander of Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. He was given 36 life terms in 2002 for his involvement in a number of suicide bombings, including that of a Jerusalem cafe in 2002, in which 12 people lost their lives.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Nasser Yataima, who planned a suicide bombing which killed 30 people as they were about to celebrate the Passover festival at a hotel in March 2002, was sentenced to 29 life terms.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Khamis Zaki Aqel, a member of the Qassam Brigades, which carried out a string of suicide bombings and other attacks, was arrested in 1992 and sentenced to 21 life terms. It was not immediately clear for which crime he was sentenced.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Majdi Muhammed Amr, arrested in 1993, is serving 19 life sentences after being found guilty of coordinating the work of suicide bombers, including one who blew up a bus in the northern city of Haifa in March 2003, killing 17 people. [He also murdered David Cohen in a drive-by shooting in July 2001.]</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Maedh Abu Sharakh was also sentenced to 19 life terms for his role in planning the Haifa bus bombing.</span></span></li>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">I have also read that other terrorists being released are those who with their bare hands lynched and murdered two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000, an incident so horrific, that leaves me feeling as sick and shaken by the memory of it as I felt when I watched the tv footage all those years ago</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">, as well as desperately wanting never to have to remember or acknowledge it, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">that I could barely bring myself to type this paragraph. If anyone doesn't remember or know about that attack, if you have the stomach for it, please google it, it's probably even on youtube, but I can't and won't look for links.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Probably most of those being released <a href="http://cifwatch.com/2011/10/16/what-the-guardian-wont-report-terrorist-responsible-for-sbarro-massacre-id-do-it-again/">feel no regret</a>, and why would they when they're rewarded so much for their actions by their leaders - the Palestinian leaders who the world thinks Israel should <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-palestinians-bid-for-terror-state.html">reward for their incitement with land and a state</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">But despite all of this, I still believe Israel is making the right decision. After all, there is no other choice. Perhaps mistakes were made in the past and opportunities wasted, but at this moment, we have to simply take whatever we can get, do whatever we can to free Gilad and not leave him languishing any longer.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">As a plus side, some top Palestinian terrorists, who Hamas campaigned for in previous talks, are <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/10/details-on-first-set-of-prisoners-ynet.html">not being released</a>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Marwan Barghouti who was sentenced to five life sentences for his role in the murders of Israelis during the al-Aksa intifada</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">bdullah Barghouti who is serving out 67 consecutive life terms for building the bombs that murdered 66 people</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Ahmed Saadat who headed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and was responsible for the assassination of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze'evi</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Hassan Salama, a Hamas leader who was convicted of murdering 67 Israeli citizens</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Abbas a-Sayed, mastermind of the Park Hotel suicide bombing in which 30 Israelis were killed on the eve of Passover 2002</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">brahim Hamed, who was found guilty of involvement in terrorist attacks that led to the death of 82 Israelis</span></span></li>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">It hardly even feels a victory, looking back at all the carnage and trauma they caused.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">This is the most miserable, bittersweet I've ever felt writing a post, and it's not even over yet. Please G-d Gilad should be home with his family soon, alive and well, and every terrorist who ever caused pain and suffering to innocent people should feel a thousand times more what their victims felt.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-52014659523272401042011-09-26T01:12:00.014+01:002011-11-14T22:21:27.253+00:00On The Palestinians' Bid For A Terror-State<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In a speech filled with <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/09/fisking-abbas-speech-at-un.html">lies, hatred for Israel, and a refusal to accept any responsibility</a> whatsoever for the Palestinians' part in the conflict, Abbas on Friday made his bid to the UN for a Palestinian state, without negotiations, and without Palestinian concessions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It is interesting to note who is for and who is against the bid. Against includes The Times and J Street, because although obviously both are pro a 2 state solution, <a href="http://jstreet.org/position-paper-on-un-action-on-israeli-palestinian-conflict/">J Street explain</a> “<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">we do not believe that, in the current context, it [the bid for statehood without negotiations] will advance peace, enhance security and improve conditions on the ground.</span></i>” Which sums up why most rational people are against it.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Meanwhile the UK version of J Street (but evidently a lot more <s>stupid</s> naive), the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://britishisraelcoalition.org/British_Israel_Coalition/News/Entries/2011/8/1_Zahava_Raymond__Does_Yachad_represent_you.html"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">questionably “pro-Israel, pro-peace”</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> group </span><a href="http://www.yachad.org.uk/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Yachad are for it</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">, because they “<i>believe it represents a historic opportunity to advance and expedite the peace process... to be recognised as a state will require the Palestinian leadership to take on the obligations of behaving like a state.</i>” The Guardian of course, is also for it, as they appear </span><a href="http://cifwatch.com/2011/09/20/the-ideologically-inspired-tortured-logic-which-informs-yet-another-anti-israel-guardian-editorial/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">not to want the Palestinians to have to make any concessions at all</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">, whether engaging in land swaps, recognising Israel as the Jewish state, or tearing up their agreement with Hamas - you know, the antisemitic, genocidal terror organisation.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So let’s have a look at just some of the reasons why the Palestinian state Abbas asked for is, to put it lightly, a bad idea.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.thecommentator.com/article/446/guardian_group_leads_uk_charge_on_reckless_palestinian_bid_for_unilateral_statehood_at_the_un">Robin Shepherd observes</a> that:</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“<i>There is one party to this dispute that most emphatically does not support a Palestinian state, if that means long-term acceptance of the State of Israel: the Palestinians themselves… opinion polls have consistently shown that the Palestinians only support the idea of a Palestinian state sitting side by side with Israel as a stepping stone to a future one state solution in which they rule over the Jews (assuming they are ruled over and not slaughtered or “driven into the sea” as they are wont to say)… a comprehensive poll by the Israel Project in November 2010 showed 60 percent of Palestinians agreeing with the proposition that: ‘The real goal should be to start with two states but then move to it all being one Palestinian state’</i>”.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">On the day of the bid, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/09/fatah-official-describes-plos-real.html">Abbas Zaki, told Al Jazeera</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> that regarding Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ bid for 2 states, “<em>Abbas understands... everybody knows that the greater goal cannot be accomplished in one go. If Israel withdraws from Jerusalem, evacuates the 650,000 settlers, and dismantles the wall – what will become of Israel? It will come to an end. If we say that we want to wipe Israel out... It's not [acceptable] policy to say so. Don't say these things to the world. Keep it to yourself</em>.” This might seem like a stupid thing to say to an internationally aired news channel, but the truth is the mainstream media either don't make the effort to know, or don't care about the difference between what Palestinian officials say in Arabic and what they say in English.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Palestinians often depict a map of the <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/09/ramallah-rally-shows-map-of-all-of.html">whole of Israel as representing “Palestine”</a>, whether in <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/08/full-destruction-of-israel-is-only-red.html">newspaper cartoons</a>, or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j8YI9tqTHQ">Fatah’s own logo</a>, which was on <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001224.html">Abbas' official document to the UN</a></span>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Abbas himself, speaking for the Palestinians, <a href="http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=231249">will not recognise Israel as the Jewish state</a>, as he has said numerous time, including on 27<sup>th</sup> August to the PLO Central Council: “<i>Present to us something sensible, don’t present to us ‘The Jewish State’, we will never accept it... The Quartet cannot force upon us the character of the state [of Israel], or that we should recognize the nature of the Israeli state</i>”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">And he <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/09/abbas-gives-speech-cementing-his.html">didn’t change his mind</a> between then and 22<sup>rd</sup> September, the day before the bid, when he told 200 representatives of American Arabs of Palestinian descent “<i>we will not recognise the Jewish state... <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">we will only accept that Palestine be free of settlers and soldiers</span> [i.e. Jews]</i>”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Which is what the PLO’s <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">ambassador to the US, Maen Areikat, said on 13<sup>th</sup> September, that any future Palestinian state it seeks with help from the United Nations and the United States should be </span><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/09/plo-ambassador-confirms-palestine-would.html"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">free of Jews</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">.</span> He later explained he meant settlers and soldiers (so, still Jews then), but last year he made a similar statement during an interview with Tablet magazine. Asked whether “<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Any Jew who is inside the borders of Palestine will have to leave</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">”, he responded “<i>absolutely</i>”.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Let’s not forget that </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/abbas-extremism-continues.html,"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Abbas is a Holocaust denier</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefaef; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">, he </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/abbas-goes-more-hamas.html">denies the Jewish historical connection to Israel</a>, rewrites the history of the conflict, and is <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/03/incitement-and-violence.html">responsible for his government’s incitement of hatred and violence towards Israelis and Jews</a>, through Palestinian childrens’ tv programmes, honouring and glorifying terrorists with processions, video tributes, naming streets, schools, town squares and youth groups after them; and <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/148217">rewarding the families ofterrorists with payment</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">About a year ago, the PA Minister of Prisoners’ affairs Issa Karake honoured a Palestinian woman, Latifa Abu Hmeid, with a plaque inscribed with the names of four of her sons who are serving sentences in Israeli prisons, all of them for their involvement in the murder of Israeli civilians in numerous terror attacks. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_358369187">Karake stated: “</a><a href="http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=2982"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">The Palestinian mother is a central partner in the struggle</span></i></a><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">... It is she who gave birth to the fighters, and she deserves that we bow to her in salute and in honour.</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Two weeks ago, Karake stated that "<i>The recognition of the [Palestinian] state means... that the </i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_358369191"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">struggles of the prisoners </span></i></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_358369191"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">[i.e. terrorists]</span></a><a href="http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=5679"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> are legitimized</span></i></a><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> and legal according to UN Resolutions</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">”.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So it isn’t surprising that last week the Palestinians’ statehood campaign began with Abu Hmeid, the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=5656"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">mother honoured for giving birth to murderers, leading the procession</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> to the UN offices in Ramallah, where she handed over a letter to the representative there of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon calling for the UN to recognise a Palestinian state.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Probably the most obvious reason why the statehood bid is a bad idea, yet people still need to be reminded of it, is that Israel left Gaza in 2005, uprooting thousands of Israeli citizens from their homes there. Hamas then took over, throwing out Fatah and firing over 10,000 rockets on Israeli civilians. Israel would need to ensure that the West Bank would be under the control of moderates, and that weapons would not be smuggled in, which would mean that practically every city in Israel would be in range.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Why could Abbas possibly object to negotiations with Netanyahu that would address these problems? And why would people, people who call themselves pro-peace and pro-Israel, support Abbas in this?</span></div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-31122440406165467992011-09-04T21:11:00.001+01:002011-09-04T21:12:02.487+01:00Boycotts And Freedom Of Antisemitic Speech<div class="MsoNormal">Contrary to what some people may assume, I’m sadly not paid to blog by the Israeli government or anyone else, but I have just been preoccupied with more Zionisty stuff (that I’m also not paid for), and with my alter-life and job (which I am paid for!)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">So, back to business.</div><div class="MsoNormal">There was a lot of fuss made about Israel’s supposedly undemocratic “anti-boycott law” passed in July, which allows victims of boycotts to sue the boycotters. Apart from the fact that the law simply enables Israelis to defend themselves and their businesses, the law is <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=229260">not dissimilar to some in other countries</a> as well, including America. The most obvious point to make though, is the fact that the very premise of the boycotts is not only wrong but also mostly antisemitic (see section on Israel in the <a href="http://www.european-forum-on-antisemitism.org/working-definition-of-antisemitism/english/">definition of antisemitism</a>).</div><div class="MsoNormal">So the fact that the anti-boycott law might be seen as infringing on freedom of speech is pretty irrelevant, as it is in other cases. For example whilst most media will not allow a terrorist the airtime/column space to call for Jihad, many (see: The Guardian, Haaretz) will allow terrorists and lefties to express support and understanding for other terrorists, usually only if they’re Palestinian “freedom fighters” killing Israeli “colonialists” or something. But there’s a very, very fine line between understanding and supporting terrorism, and actively calling for it, so although media might be berated for restricting the former, and even firing a columnist for it, as the Jerusalem Post just did, most normal people will understand.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyway it turns out though that perhaps we don’t have so much to worry about with regards to the boycotts. When boycotters have highlighted the Israeli “settler” products they want people to avoid, those companies have <a href="http://muqata.blogspot.com/2011/07/who-does-boycott-hurt.html">reported an increase in sales</a>, because the majority of people living in Israel are not lunatics and actually care about and support the country they live in. </div><div class="MsoNormal">An interesting question is raised: “<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><i>If Ahmed Tibi, an Israeli citizen currently living over the Green Line (making him a Settler) were to open a factory, would the Left call for its boycott too? Or are their calls to boycott actually racist and only targeting Jews?</i>”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">The irony is that even <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/07/bds-fail-at-new-gaza-supermarket.html">most Palestinians don’t boycott Israeli products</a>; as EoZ says, they just want to live their lives, they don’t <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/07/leftist-magazine-palestinian-arabs.html">obsess over politics the way the fanatical left do</a>. </div><div class="MsoNormal">On Thursday night anti-Israel activists staged a noisy <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/proms/8736402/BBC-Proms-radio-broadcast-pulled-after-Israel-protest.html">protest inside London’s Royal Albert Hall, where the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra was playing</a>. The music was disrupted several times by the protestors’ hysterical singing and shouting, and BBC Radio took the concert off the air. Success? Not really. The protestors were drowned out by thousands in the audience who booed them and chanted “out, out”, then cheered and clapped as they were removed. Perhaps many people in the audience support Palestinian rights, and oppose many Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, but anyone with an ounce of sense can see that essentially “terrorizing” an orchestra (in which people of all religions and nationalities, including Palestinian are or have been involved), is not a legitimate form of protest. It can only be antisemitism.</div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-13835960089096515862011-06-21T22:01:00.001+01:002011-06-21T22:03:46.321+01:00Gilad Shalit Billboard CampaignA billboard of Gilad Shalit has been put up in Manhattan, for one month, near the headquarters of the UN, to mark five years that Gilad has been held by Hamas, since 25th June 2006..<br />
<br />
I apologise that I didn't blog this earlier (I only opened the email from Gal Sitty, the campaigner, now), but thankfully the campaign succeeded in raising the $10,000 needed to fund the billboard. Please G-d this amazing campaign will succeed in bringing about Gilad's freedom soon and in good health.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPiD8XDoEf2suYqiUnU0BtigZaAl9sJfFhAFDqoAfKB9ALMo_VyEo8UhnBz4VQ-WM9svY-BMfghHYi53DmgO4LIcVrC-e3mZqMPyKO34biPjGwOVkuAjEyRVJEI0GIHeJqjDfjpXXmjM/s1600/gilad+billboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPiD8XDoEf2suYqiUnU0BtigZaAl9sJfFhAFDqoAfKB9ALMo_VyEo8UhnBz4VQ-WM9svY-BMfghHYi53DmgO4LIcVrC-e3mZqMPyKO34biPjGwOVkuAjEyRVJEI0GIHeJqjDfjpXXmjM/s640/gilad+billboard.jpg" width="538" /></a></div><br />
More about <a href="http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=219764">Gal</a> and the <a href="http://epicstep.com/campaign/231/free-gilad-shalit/">campaign</a> here.Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-80568275237717990302011-05-26T16:03:00.000+01:002011-05-26T16:03:35.740+01:00Amnesty "Debate": Yes, Israel Controls The MediaThe<a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/amnesty-hosting-antisemites.html"> Amnesty-MEMO event</a> on "Complicity in Oppression: Does the Media Aid Israel" that took place on Monday sounds as bad as expected, and it can't really be called a debate when only one point of view is aired. All of the speakers believe that Israel controls the media, and Jonathan Hoffman and <a href="http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/abdel-bari-atwan-at-amnesty-i-get-worse-coverage-than-hitler-would-in-the-jewish-chronicle/">Richard Millet</a>, who attended said that no pro-Israel questions were taken. <br />
<br />
Millet points out that Amnesty's defence of the event doesn't really stand, that “<em>Those who disagree with MEMO, or indeed any apsect of the event, are of course welcome to attend and make their point in a reasonable way.</em>”<br />
<br />
Millet quotes Greg Philo (the author of the <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-bbc-bias.html">book that Tim Llewellyn, another speaker, endorsed in the Guardian</a>) complaining that the BBC would say things like "<em>Israel's attack on Hamas enters its second week</em>" when it should say "<em>Israel's attack on the Palestinians</em>". Well, perhaps you could call that bias if Israel did deliberately target civilians. But, as all the evidence proves, Israel did not deliberately target civilians.<br />
<br />
Philo also complains that: <br />
<em><blockquote><em>"As a consequence [of the pro-Israel media bias] although the public had sympathy for the Palestinians, they wanted the Palestinians to stop firing rockets at Israel. He quoted a woman in one of his focus groups who said: 'When I saw the pictures of the dead children, it was dreadful. I was in tears. But it didn’t make me feel that the Palestinians and Hamas were right. I think the Palestinians haven’t taken the chance to work towards a peaceful solution.'"</em></blockquote></em>So first Philo whines that people want the Palestinians to stop firing rockets at Israel, and then he whines that people think the Palestinians aren't doing enough to advance peace! Because in his mind firing rockets is advancing peace?!<br />
<a href="http://thejc.com/blogs/jonathan-hoffman/amnesty-hosts-deluded-self-obsessed-conspiracy-theorists">Hoffman relays that when Abdel Bari Atwan spoke</a>: <br />
<blockquote><em>"The first thing he did – to prove that 'the Israel Lobby' was out to silence him – was to hold up the JC’s front page: 'How Was This Hatefest Allowed on Campus?' Atwan is convinced that the 'Israel Lobby' is to blame for the fact that he is not invited as a guest on TV shows, and he thinks he gets 'worse coverage than Adolf Hitler'." </em></blockquote>Hoffman points out "<em>Has he considered that it might just have something to do with the fact that he is an extremist who says that he will 'dance in Trafalgar Square' if Iranian missiles hit Israel?</em>".Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-89249406516393127642011-05-25T23:25:00.001+01:002011-05-26T12:11:55.059+01:00Failed Attempts To Undermine Netanyahu's SpeechCriticisms of <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/full-text-of-bibs-speech-before.html">Netanyahu's excellent - and brutally honest - speech</a> at Congress were varied, from the Palestinians, to the Liberal Intellectual Journalist, to the <a href="http://engageonline.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/as-a-jew-logic-is-not-appropriate-in-public-debate-david-hirsh/">'As A Jew' Jew</a>:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/abbas-extremism-continues.html">Abbas' "moderate" Fatah</a> <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/fatah-netanyahus-speech-was-declaration.html">interpreted Netanyahu's outline for peace as a "<i>declaration of war</i>"</a>, by which they actually meant <i>"we're bored, we want to start a war</i>". They would've had this reaction whatever Netanyahu said in his speech. Except, perhaps, if he said that all the Jews are just going to curl up and die to solve all the world's problems.<br />
<br />
The AP's Josef Federman wrote a "Fact check", attempting to <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jW0Bgaqz36VpiiIp5yMQreaUG_1w?docId=34b3911b039f4ad7a23b903b9c1b3d1c">contradict Netanyahu's speech with "facts".</a> To Netanyahu's statement "<em>You don't need to send American troops to Israel.</em> <i>We defend ourselves</i>", Federman says that Israel receives military aid from America every year. Whilst America's assistance is undoubtedly helpful, Israel is painfully aware that we can't rely fully on others to defend us. A mere two years after the Jews were nearly wiped out in the Holocaust, the Arabs tried to do it again to the Jews in Israel, but our collective army succeeded in defending the Jews and Israel. The other point, which Honest Reporting makes, is that <a href="http://honestreporting.com/bibi-coverage-one-speech-multiple-stories/">Federman is deliberately taking Netanyahu's statements out of context to fit his own agenda</a>. In this case, Netanyahu's followed that statement by saying "<em>You've been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own</em>."<br />
<br />
At Netanyahu referring to Israel as a democracy, Federman objects that the Palestinians in the West Bank can't vote in Israeli elections. Well, why would they? They're ruled by a Palestinian government. I'm not allowed to vote in Israel either.<br />
<br />
When Netanyahu called Hamas the Palestinian equivalent of Al Qaida, Federman protests that Al Qaida criticises Hamas as being too moderate. Oh, well if Al Qaida says it, it must be true! Federman also says that whilst Al Qaida preaches global jihad, "<i>Hamas says its struggle is solely against Israel</i>". First, even if that was true, does that mean Hamas can be excused for murdering Jews, as long as they're Israeli Jews? Second, it's not true; Hamas' charter calls for the murder of all Jews. Silly question for Federman: whose side are you on?! Obviously, he chooses Hamas; which is fine, each to their own. But don't pretend to care about the accuracy of the statements Netanyahu made in his speech ; Hamas certainly aren't bothered by that sort of thing, they have bigger issues, like the fact that Israel exists.<br />
<br />
Predictably, the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/may/25/israel-binyamin-netanyahu">Guardian ran an article today criticising Obama by a token 'As A Jew' Jew, Jane Eisner</a>. I think they have a cycle of whose turn it is to bash Israel. First it's a white person, then an Arab, then a terrorist (usually from Hamas), and then a self-hating Jew, and then it starts again. You can't say they aren't diverse!<br />
<br />
Eisner starts off by making sure everyone knows she speaks for all American Jews: Netanyahu's "<i>third audience was the American Jewish community. People like me</i>."<br />
<br />
She then, with admirable honesty, explains why she's writing this article in the first place: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">"<i>whether the prime minister's spirited defence of the status quo and his reluctance to offer a way back to the negotiating table will be received well by the White House is an open question. And that puts American Jews in a difficult, uncomfortable situation." </i></span>It's very rare for these type of Jews to admit that their criticism is because of fear of world opinion on Israel and Israel's supporters.<br />
<br />
She states the obvious, that Jews want there to be harmony between the leaders of the US and Israel, but I give American Jews more credit than Eisner does. I think American Jews (and most Jews in outside of Israel) don't take the easy way out when they find themselves in the "<i>difficult, uncomfortable situation</i>" where there is friction between the leaders. They stand up for what they believe is true and right - and like all of Israel's supporters, we'd rather be alive and hated than dead and loved.<br />
<br />
Eisner doesn't seem to be in that camp though: The leaders' relationship "<i>got awfully bumpy at times. I fear the impasse is only growing. It need not be this way</i>". Her main concern is Israel's relationship with America; never mind the consequences for Israel if America's ideas don't turn out to be very good ones, never mind all the lessons we've learnt from the Holocaust and after, like how only we are able to ensure our own survival. As long as Obama likes us!<br />
<br />
She then revels her own ignorance when she claims that many, like Obama have acknowledged that "<i>the borders of Israel before the 1967 war, before the 43 year occupation, are the starting point for negotiations with Palestinians</i>". They weren't borders, they were ceasefire lines. The land is disputed, not occupied. And it makes more sense that the starting point for negotiations would be for the Palestinian leaders to demonstrate an interest in peace, rather than continuous incitement to terrorism and rejection of Israel's legitimacy. As <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/obamas-speech-and-1967-lines.html">Netanyahu has explained</a>, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded">1967 lines are indefensible</a>*, and "<i>were not the boundaries of peace, they were the boundaries of repeated wars</i>".<br />
<br />
Eisner complains:<br />
<blockquote>"<i>Netanyahu's defiant stance puts us in a heart-wrenching conundrum. We can choose to support his view of the world, in which an aggrieved Israel bears no responsibility for the occupation and for the impasse in negotiations... But most of us don't want further procrastination but an end to the conflict, which has stained Israel's moral standing in the way that occupation and continued violence does to anyone</i>". </blockquote>Well if that's how she sees the conflict, then it really shouldn't be a "<i>heart-wrenching conundrum</i>" for her. She claims "<i>Most of us, I bet, hoped that Netanyahu would have issued a bold, creative speech that would have moved the process forward.</i>" Speak for yourself, Jane Eisner. Most of us just wanted Netanyahu's assurance of his commitment to the security of Israel's citizens. If the Palestinians want to talk about peace, we're waiting.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*That video is not a solution to the conflict, it is just to show how Israel would be most secure.</span>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-33664600683073979882011-05-24T21:01:00.000+01:002011-05-24T21:01:55.866+01:00Abbas Extremism ContinuesIn the last few days we've seen Abbas demonstrate more and more extremist tendencies.<br />
<br />
First he <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/abbas-goes-more-hamas.html">re-wrote the history of Israel in the New York Times</a>, blaming the entire situation on Israel and absolving the Palestinians of an blame, ignoring all the peace proposals they have rejected.<br />
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Then he <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/obamas-speech-and-1967-lines.html">rejected Obama calling the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation an obstacle to peace</a>, saying "<i>Hamas is a part of Palestinian society".</i><br />
<br />
<i></i>Now, for anyone who was still in doubt about his views, he <a href="http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=5042">denied the thousands of years old Jewish connection to Israel</a>, and said "<i>Netanyahu, you are incidental in history. We are the people of history. We are the owners of history</i>". As PMW point out, even the Koran makes no reference to a Palestinian people, whereas the Jewish history in Israel has been corroborated by archaeological finds.<br />
<br />
Abbas' statements are not shocking, they're just idiocy, what's shocking is that he is taken seriously as the Palestinian leader. This blog post isn't about that though.<br />
<br />
It turns out Abbas is worse than I thought. In 1984 (yes it may have been a long time ago but he was 50 years old), <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/print/commentary/exposing-abbas-5335">Abbas wrote a book in Arabic in which he denied that</a> gas chambers were used to murder Jews in the Holocaust, and that it was a "<i>fantastic lie</i>" that six million Jews were murdered. He acknowledged that some were killed, but apparently this was because it was the aim of "The Zionist movement", who "<i>led a broad campaign of incitement against the Jews living under Nazi rule, in order to arouse the government's hatred of them, to fuel vengeance against them, and to expand the mass extermination</i>".<br />
<br />
The fact that Abbas is a virtual Holocaust denier and crazier conspiracy theorist than he's appeared to be<br />
just makes all his current actions make a whole lot more sense. I was thinking that maybe joining Hamas has started to affect him, but really he's just showing more of his true colours that he's been attempting to hide all these years behind his reformed, supposedly "moderate" character. Maybe that is the effect Hamas have been having on him, who knows. The only certainty is that Abbas is extremist and untrustworthy, and not a really great prospect as a partner for peace.Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-71208241904854834812011-05-24T13:30:00.004+01:002011-05-24T13:39:33.624+01:00On BBC BiasThe Guardian really plugged the Israel haters yesterday; as well as publishing a <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/obamas-speech-and-1967-lines.html">letter from the senior editor of the pro-Hamas MEMO</a>, they also published an article<a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/amnesty-hosting-antisemites.html"> alleging that the BBC is biased <i>towards</i> Israel, by Tim Llewellyn, another of the speakers at MEMO's debate</a> yesterday on the same subject.<br />
<br />
Llewellyn's agenda is evident from the beginning. In the second paragraph he claims: <br />
<blockquote><em>"The BBC coverage of Israel and Palestine, where another state continually kills and oppresses Arabs, is replete with imbalance and distortion". </em></blockquote>His summing up of the conflict, as Israel intentionally and maliciously oppressing the Palestinians for no apparent reason is simply absurd and the fact that he follows this by lecturing the BBC on "<em>imbalance and distortion</em>" renders his entire article a joke.<br />
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He lists ways the media is supposedly biased towards Israel, according to a book co-written by Greg Philo, also a speaker at the debate:<br />
<blockquote><em>"They find that the Israeli explanation of why it went to war on a mainly defenceless Gazan population is the one broadly accepted by the BBC. It was a 'response' to Palestinian rockets. The Palestinian case, that the Israelis violated a ceasefire that had held for nearly five months in November 2008, and that the Gazans had endured many years of intensifying siege and blockade, which had reduced them to stagnation and penury, was rarely put, if at all... The BBC repeatedly stressed the word [Israeli] 'retaliation'".</em> </blockquote>But Israel didn't go to war on the "<em>defenceless Gazan population</em>", it targetted Hamas and the evidence is in the ratio of civilians to terrorists killed; much lower than in other conflicts, with Hamas confessing to over 700 terrorists being killed, all this bearing in mind all the precautions Israel took to minimize civilian casualties, and the fact that Hamas used the Palestinians as human shields. Also it is undeniable that the war was a response - Hamas fired about 200 rockets into Israel in November 2008. They are entirely to blame for the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, so Llewellyn's complaints are void.<br />
<br />
<blockquote><em>"They cite a BBC reporter saying: 'Israel feels itself surrounded by enemies, with reason.' They add: 'We have not found a commentary noting that 'Palestinians feel themselves to be subject to a brutal military occupation, with reason.' Israel's official view is given as fact, they say, but the Palestinian view, on the rare occasions it is found at all, is not. Israelis 'state', Palestinians 'claim'."</em></blockquote>The first point above is true, the media hardly ever cite the real reasons for the conflict, how aside from the fact that Hamas want to destroy Israel, they also constantly act directly against the <em>Palestinians</em>' best interests. As for the second point, it's just not true - Palestinians' lies are constantly repeated as fact (eg. Israel murdered a peaceful protestor with tear gas), and when the truth comes out (she wasn't even at the protest, she died of medical issues), the media never report what actually happened. On the rare occasion that they do say the Palestinians "claim", well, it might be because it's not unheard of for Palestinians to tell outright lies. (eg. Palestinians "claim" Israel eats Palestinian babies; Palestinians "claim" there is no Jewish connection to the land of Israel etc etc).<br />
<blockquote><em>"Israeli attacks are always reported as retaliation to Palestinian violence or rockets, and the idea that Palestinian rockets, however ineffective, are armed resistance to Israel's hammering from land, sea and air is rarely broadcast. The daily indignities and brutalities of the siege and the occupation and the shelling and shooting of civilians are virtually absent from BBC consciousness unless an attack on Israel sparks interest."</em></blockquote>Here Llewellyn shows that he views rockets targetted at innocent civilians as a justified "response" ("<em>resistance</em>") to Israel killing the terrorists who fire the rockets. That and the fact that he calls the rockets "<em>ineffective</em>" when just <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/04/boy-in-hamas-schoolbus-attack-dies-of.html">last month an Israeli schoolboy was killed,</a> is insane and obscene. And whilst it is constantly reported when Palestinians are killed, whether they are terrorists, or civilians where terrorists had just fired rockets from their back garden, the most common, almost daily, Palestinian attacks deliberately targetted at Israeli civilians (whether by rocks or rockets, both can be fatal) are rarely reported, much less when they <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/hamas-promo-video-brags-about-targeting.html">celebrate and boast about it</a>.<br />
<blockquote><em>"what is missing from the coverage is the view that the Palestinians are engaged in a war of national liberation, trying to throw off an occupying force. Any Israeli casualty is headline news, shown in high quality images. BBC teams are based in West Jerusalem, de facto Israeli territory, and are on hand. Arab casualties may be shown in reports of a funeral, usually agency film, the victim anonymous"</em></blockquote>This is just so untrue I really wonder where they get their "evidence" for this. Again Llewellyn demonstrates that he views Israeli citizens, whether a three month old baby or a 16 year old schoolboy or a pregnant woman, as legitimate targets because they are "<em>an occupying force</em>". And again, his second point is a blatant lie. Not only are Palestinian deaths reported in great detail - both visually and in words - and often out of context (if it's civilians ignoring how they are used as human shields, if it's terrorists showing their families mourning), but Israeli deaths are reported with much of the focus on how it would be considered Israel's fault, for example where the victims are called "hardline" settlers as though it's ok to kill a baby just because she lives on land that the Palestinians claim is theirs.<br />
<br />
When Philo and Berry interviewed students, they found that they:<br />
<blockquote><em>"were largely unaware of the Israeli occupation, often believing the Palestinians are the occupiers. Few knew that Hamas had been democratically elected in January 2006. 'I had the impression they were a terrorist group from watching the BBC' said one respondent."</em></blockquote>Which is a bizarre quote to use to try to back up their claims of BBC bias, because everyone know Hamas <em>is</em> a terrorist organistaion, even they don't try to hide it - and just because they were "elected" doesn't change that fact. Just Journalism "recently addressed how a <a href="http://justjournalism.com/media-analysis/mediaguardian-alleges-pro-israel-bias-at-bbc/">BBC profile of Hamas downplayed</a> the Islamist group’s targeting of civilians and its extremist ideology."<br />
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If all that wasn't bad enough so far, Llewellyn ends the article by claiming that after 9/11: <br />
<blockquote>"<i>Israel and its friends were quick to capitalise on 'terror' and 'Arabs' and massively enhanced their propaganda here, gaining access to BBC staff at all levels</i>". </blockquote>So not only is he accusing Israel (or the "Zionist/Jewish lobby") of forcing the media to report what they tell them; he also accuses Israel of exploiting "terror" in quote marks, as if it doesn't exist and Israel's never experienced the consequences of terrorism. It's more than just ironic that Llewellyn's <a href="http://www.zionismontheweb.org/antisemitism/EU-definition-of-antisemitism.htm">antisemitic implication of Jewish control over the media</a> claims that the media is afraid of being called antisemitic, because this very claim seeks to undermine defenders of Israel and balanced reporting as "playing the antisemite card".<br />
<br />
<div>I've found fisking this article to be totally surreal, I can't quite believe the lies I've read. And it's even more surreal that I'm having to write in defence of the BBC's reporting, especially considering that there are so many instances where they clearly are biased <em>against</em> Israel.<br />
<br />
For example, <a href="http://justjournalism.com/bbc-focus/bbc-correspondent-portrays-israeli-fears-as-pr-ploys/">Just Journalism found Wyre Davies</a>'<strong> </strong>BBC:<br />
<blockquote><em>"analysis of Israel’s negative response to the Fatah-Hamas unity deal declines to engage directly with the reasons why Israel might be perturbed by Hamas being brought into the process, alternatively choosing to portray a gleeful Netanyahu with a new ‘message’ to ‘take to the wider world... </em></blockquote><blockquote><em>Davies denigrates any treatment of Hamas as a terrorist group, making absolutely no reference to the organisation’s long history of killing and maiming Israeli civilians in targeted attacks, which is the basis for the application of the terrorist label. He makes no reference to, nor takes account of, high profile recent statements by Hamas leaders that they will never accept Israel and want to see it expunged from the Middle East."</em></blockquote>Meanwhile I look forward to Philo. Berry and Llewellyn's defence of <a href="http://justjournalism.com/the-wire/ofcom-rules-against-press-tv/">Press TV</a>. </div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-12523146549856692822011-05-23T19:05:00.009+01:002011-07-04T21:53:17.106+01:00Obama's Speech And The 1967 Lines<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">The senior editor of MEMO (the <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/amnesty-hosting-antisemites.html">pro-Hamas group who are tonight, hosted by Amnesty holding a debate called "Complicity in Oppression: Does the Media Aid Israel?</a>"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #000033; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">)</span>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/23/obama-empty-rhetoric-on-israel">Ibrahim Hewitt<b><span style="color: #333333;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b>wrote in to The Guardian complaining about Obama's speech</a>; that negotiations on land would "r<i>eward Israel for its illegal settlement policy</i>" (disputed, not illegal), that a non-militarised Palestinian state would be "<i>at the mercy of the Israel Defence Forces</i>" (not such a bad thing; it's an indisputable fact that if the Palestinians put down their weapons the conflict would end but if Israel put theirs down they would be destroyed); that Israel is a Jewish state and that the US is committed to Israel's security. How terrible. </div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's not surprising that the Israel-bashers are disturbed by Obama's professed support for Israel, but the speech wasn't all good. Hewitt says that since Israel accepted the two-state proposal in 1947, (which the Palestinians rejected, as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/abbas-goes-more-hamas.html">Abbas forgot to mention in his NYT op-ed</a>), Israel should have no case not to go back to what Hewitt calls the "<i>1967 borders</i>", which is similar to what Obama suggested: "<i>We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps</i>". <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Obama correctly called it lines, unlike Hewitt, because they were never borders. But if Israel did go back to the pre-'67 lines, Gaza would be part of Egypt, and the West Bank in Jordan. There never was a Palestinian state. The most obvious point to make, which<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/video-of-netanyahus-stunning-speech-at.html">Netanyahu did, brilliantly, is that those lines are indefensible</a>, leaving Israel only nine miles wide - "<i>these were not the boundaries of peace, they were the boundaries of repeated wars</i>". They were unsustainable, and the only reason Israel is (bli ayin hara)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-is-status-quo-unsustainable.html">more stable now than it was then is because it<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>can</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>defend itself</a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>because</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>it won that land when the Arabs started the '67 war. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Just Journalism point out that the coverage of Obamas' speeches about Israel (in The White House, and at the AIPAC conference)</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://justjournalism.com/the-wire/media-highlights-us-israel-spat-under-reports-president%E2%80%99s-condemnation-of-hamas/">focuses almost exclusively on his demands on Israel rather than his condemnation and demands of the Palestinians</a>, such as that</span></span></span> </div><blockquote><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"<i>the recent agreement between Fatah and Hamas poses an enormous obstacle to peace. No country can be expected to negotiate with a terrorist organization sworn to its destruction. We will continue to demand that Hamas accept the basic responsibilities of peace: recognizing Israel's right to exist, rejecting violence, and adhering to all existing agreements. And we once again call on Hamas to release Gilad Shalit, who has been kept from his family for five long years</i>."</span></span></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">Meanwhile Honest Reporting observe that whilst Netanyahu's response to Obama was reported in the New York Times as "<i>Netanyahu Responds Icily to Obama remarks</i>", what didn't get that sort of coverage was<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://honestreporting.com/abbas-responds-icily-to-obama-remarks/">Abbas' response, his complete rejection of Obama</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>calling the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation an obstacle to peace, saying that after all, "<i>Hamas is a part of Palestinian society</i>".</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's quite frightening how<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/abbas-goes-more-hamas.html">since Abbas joined Hamas he's abandoning any pretence of wanting peace</a>. He is just one step away from openly advocating terror attacks on Israeli civilians.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-1177442679407316902011-05-22T19:19:00.002+01:002011-05-23T19:28:10.770+01:00Amnesty Hosting AntisemitesTomorrow Amnesty International in London is hosting a debate called "Complicity in Oppression: Does the Media Aid Israel?", by the pro-Hamas Middle East Monitor Online (MEMO).<br />
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MEMO is run by Dr Daud Abdullah, a Hamas supporter who signed the "Istanbul Declaration", which calls for "<i>Resistance against the Jewish Zionist occupation</i>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span>and attacks on any ships who attempt to block the smuggling of arms to Hamas. MEMO also have articles written by Khalid Amaryeh, including one where he denies that Jews (or, as he calls them, "<i>these pathological liars from Eastern Europe</i>") have any historical connection to the land of Israel. Another <a href="http://justjournalism.com/the-wire/just-journalism-spokesman-exposes-middle-east-monitor-writer%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98kike%E2%80%99-slur/">MEMO article, by Kathleen Christison</a> discusses "<i>Zionist influence over civil society and policymakers</i>" and, you think she won't go there but she does, "<i>Jewish influence in the economies, the film industries, the media and academia in key Western countries</i>". MEMO also recently published an article by by <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelweiss/100084962/why-is-amnesty-hosting-a-hamas-friendly-publisher-of-racists/">Skeikh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel,</a> who raised money for Hamas and claims that Jews use the blood of gentile children to bake bread.<br />
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Michael Weiss's piece in the Telegraph criticises the relationship between Amnesty and MEMO, and asks readers to ask Amnesty why they are hosting an event by an antisemitic organisation.<br />
<br />
In response to the piece, Khalid Amaryeh* of MEMO wrote another <a href="http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/amnesty-and-middle-east-monitor-israel-hatefest-love-in/">article comparing Israel to Nazis</a>, which is not only absurd and insulting to the 6 million Jews who were killed, but also, by definition, antisemitic. And in the comments section on Richard Millett's blog post on the issue, he <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelweiss/100087135/amnesty-international-memo-and-the-palestinian-writer-who-calls-jews-kikes/">wrote to another commenter, "<i>I don't give a damn whether you are a kike or not</i>"</a>.<br />
<br />
Naturally, none of the above is the most concerning part of the event. <a href="http://hurryupharry.org/2011/05/21/amnesty-memo-and-the-psc-a-recap/">From Harry's Place</a>:<br />
<blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">"The speakers at the MEMO / PSC event include</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://hurryupharry.org/2010/12/05/abdel-bari-atwan-hatred-lies-and-lse/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Abdel Bari Atwan</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">, who will “dance in Trafalgar Square” if Iran nukes Israel, loves Israelis-are-Nazis abuse, and was a fan of Saddam Hussein;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://hurryupharry.org/2011/05/16/the-wisdom-of-tim-llewellyn/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Tim Llewellyn</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">, a freelance Israel hater with quite a taste for antisemitic language; and Victoria Brittain, who has made a career out of promoting some of the worst extremists. Abu Qatada of Al Qaeda, for example, is a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/feb/18/civil-liberties-law-abu-qatada" style="text-decoration: underline;">victim</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">of 'casual racism'."</span></span></i></blockquote>Overall, this is not at all surprising from Amnesty. These so-called <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2009/10/amnestys-disproportionate-response.html">"human rights" organisations</a> have a long history of <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2010/04/times-human-rights-watch-corruption.html">controversy and corruption</a> in their links with terrorists, antisemites and their supporters, and <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2009/10/hrw-founder-calls-it-anti-israel.html">singling out Israel</a> for <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2009/08/human-rights-watch-amateur-report.html">condemnation</a> and<a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/04/judge-goldstones-guilt.html"> unfounded accusations</a>. Recently, Human Rights Watch even took the opportunity when <a href="http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2011/05/human-rights-watch-cleans-up-their.html">Osama Bin Laden was killed, to criticise</a> "<i>the US and other countries who resort to torture, ill-treatment, and other violations of [terrorists'] basic rights</i>", but later changed this statement, realising that most people probably didn't really appreciate their preaching equivalence of terror victims and the treatment of terrorists.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelweiss/100089054/memo-re-publishes-anti-semite-and-amnesty-still-has-no-problem-hosting-the-event/">UPDATE:</a> </b>(23/5/11)<b> </b>*After just last week calling someone a "kike", Amaryeh wrote an article on Hamas' website - more specifically, of their "armed wing".<br />
<br />
Also, The Guardian today published a <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/obamas-speech-and-1967-lines.html">letter from the senior editor of MEMO</a>, and an article by one of the speakers at the debate, Tim Llewellyn, arguing that the BBC is biased <i>towards</i> Israel. (that would be the day!)Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-9335406511003457472011-05-19T20:55:00.002+01:002011-05-24T15:48:58.980+01:00Abbas Goes More HamasThe Fatah-Hamas reconciliation is not good for anyone who wants peace, as it just means Fatah siding with Hamas, who still <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/04/fatah-join-hamas.html">want Israel's destruction and refuse to negotiate</a>*. It's not surprising then that the <a href="http://cifwatch.com/2011/05/06/slouching-towards-hamas-a-tale-of-two-guardian-editorials/">Guardian is fully behind the reconciliation</a>, especially considering that when they released the <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/01/palestine-papers-negotiations-lies-and.html">Palestine Papers</a> in February, they demonstrated that they were actively against the very idea of the Palestinians making any concessions for peace - what the Guardian actually <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/01/guardians-amazing-suicide-resurrection.html">called weakness - and they legitimised Hamas</a>.<br />
<br />
But Hamas are not the only problem. In the New York Times op-ed this week, Fatah's leader Abbas wrote an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/opinion/17abbas.html?_r=1&ref=opinion">outrageously distorted op-ed, rewriting the history of Israel</a>, and, apart from all <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/03/incitement-and-violence.html">Fatah's incitement to terrorism</a>*, the op-ed suddenly makes it so clear why Abbas hasn't negotiated: he's not only in denial about the history of Israel, he<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/05/was-mahmoud-abbass-family-expelled-from-palestine/238999/http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/05/was-mahmoud-abbass-family-expelled-from-palestine/238999/"> lies about his own history</a>.<br />
<br />
He wrote that in 1947, after it was proposed that Israel be divided into two states, <i>"Zionist forces expelled Palestinian Arabs... and Arab armies intervened. War and further expulsions ensued... Minutes after the State of Israel was established on May 14, 1948, the United States granted it recognition. Out Palestinian state, however, remains a promise unfulfilled."</i><br />
<br />
Of course he wouldn't mention that the Palestinians rejected the proposal, and that the armies of Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan invaded Israel with the sole intention of killing all the Jews, to get us out of the way. Really, the Nakba is just mourning the failure of finishing the Holocaust.<br />
<br />
He claims <i>"we have been negotiating with the State of Israel for 20 years without coming any closer to realizing a state of our own... Negotiations remain our first option".</i><br />
<br />
Again, Abbas ignores the facts - that over the years the Palestinians have <a href="http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/01/20/portraits-of-the-peace-process-in-its-92nd-year/">refused a 2 state solution seven times, including Abbas himself only in 2008</a>.<br />
<br />
Whilst Hamas may be the terrorists, Abbas sure isn't interested in peace either. His issue is with the very existence of Israel, not settlements. He couldn't be more clear about that than if he joined Hamas. Oh, wait.<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE:</b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">* And who reiterated that<a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/hamas-responds-to-obama-we-will-never.html"> they will never recognise Israel</a> in response to Obama's Middle East speech</div><div style="margin: 0px;">* And a new <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/moderate-peace-loving-pa-putting.html">Fatah law granting terrorists in Israeli prisons a monthly salary</a>.</div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-20685639786471971172011-05-16T21:01:00.001+01:002012-08-27T14:14:53.021+01:00Terrorism On Nakba DayNakba Day, when the Palestinians mourn the establishment of the State of Israel, kicked off yesterday morning with a terror attack in Tel Aviv. An Arab truck driver <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=220575">deliberately crashed into several cars</a>, shouting "Allahu Akbar". He injured 17 and killed one, a <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144188?">29 year old recently engaged man, Aviv Morag</a>.<br />
<br />
In another incident, in East Jerusalem two Israeli policeman were <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4069105,00.html">deliberately run over</a> by a car at a checkpoint.<br />
<br />
Two terrorists were arrested as they were caught <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/210473?">trying to enter a Jewish settlement, armed with knives</a>, no doubt wanting to carry out an <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/03/palestinians-murder-jewish-family-and.html">attack similar to that on the Fogel family</a> in March.<br />
<br />
Later, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eight-said-killed-as-idf-fires-on-infiltrators-from-syria-and-lebanon-1.361841">thousands of Syrians and Lebanese broke through the borders</a> into Israel and violently rioted against the IDF, injuring some of them. When tear gas and other riot dispersal methods didn't work, the IDF fired warning shots but were finally forced to open fire. About 12 "protestors" were killed overall, some by Lebanese forces, some by mines on their own side of the border.<br />
<br />
In other riots around the country, <a href="http://idfspokesperson.com/2011/05/15/updates-regarding-todays-west-bank-riots/">hundreds of Palestinians</a> threw rocks, molotov cocktails, flares, firebombs, burnt tires, damaged the Gaza border and other property, and <a href="http://idfspokesperson.com/2011/05/15/qalandiya-rioters-use-ambulance-for-cover-while-hurling-rocks/">hid behind ambulances as they launched their attacks.</a><br />
<br />
It is highly likely that Syrian President Assad actively encouraged the invasion to divert attention from his forces' killing of 800 Syrian protestors. Ironically, some of those who entered Israel weren't protesting but were<a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068829,00.html"> fleeing the danger in Syria</a>. One said:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"I'm tired of living in Syria, we'd rather die than see more bloodshed. We've crossed the border in order to stay with our families, away from all the killing in Syria. We ask the powers that be in Israel to help us stay and not send us back."</i></blockquote>
Surely there's got to be a smarter option than illegally breaking into a country along with a violent mob of hundreds.<br />
<br />
The protests weren't just about commemorating Nakba day though; a while ago hundreds of thousands joined a Facebook group calling for a third intifada - and for Arabs from the surrounding countries to march into Israel, which is exactly what they did.<br />
<br />
Around the world, Palestinian supporters held demonstrations in support of a third intifada, including in London where there was also a counter-demo, a pro-Israel, pro-peace rally.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://londonbds.org/2011/05/16/nakba-day-demo-outside-the-israeli-embassy/">third intifada demonstration was supported by the "peaceful" BDS</a>, but at the demo itself there was no pretence of peaceful aims. The <a href="http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/naqba-day-extremists-spew-hate-outside-israeli-embassy/">pro-Palis chanted <i>"victory for the intifada"</i></a>, called for jihad against Israel and for Israel's destruction, waved the flag of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, and <a href="http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/49007/arrest-during-israeli-embassy-nakba-day-protest">chanted <i>"khyber al-Yahud"</i>, which means <i>"slaughter the Jews"</i></a>. Well, at least they were honest!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE:</b> One Syrian confessed that he was shot in the legs in the Nakba Day protests after he tried to kidnap an Israeli soldier. There were probably other similar incidents. Either way, for only 12 of the hundreds who swarmed into Israel to be killed, whilst attacking soldiers, or by mistakes from their own side, reflects the extraordinary restraint taken by the IDF.Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-29124334445286128162011-05-09T10:35:00.000+01:002011-05-09T10:35:58.821+01:00Israel Memorial Day: Yehi Zichram BaruchToday is Yom Hazikaron when we remember the 22,867 soldiers who lost their lives defending the state of Israel and the 2,443 civilians who were murdered in terror attacks; 13 in the last year, from a pregnant woman, to a three month old baby, all victims of shootings, stabbings, or rockets.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144011">Netanyahu quoted</a> from the Book of Jeremiah,<em> “Our grief is overwhelming, our hearts ache, where will we find comfort? The prophet said: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for their work shall be rewarded.’”</em><br />
<br />
Netanyahu said :<br />
<blockquote><em>“We shall find solace in building the land and the people, in striving for days of peace, and in our knowledge that their work shall be rewarded and their heroism shall be remunerated” </em><br />
<br />
<em>"If the fallen soldiers were with us today, they would have witnessed countless miracles throughout the years... Those who fell in all these operations, campaigns and wars to protect Israel, would probably be surprised how Israel has turned from a state verging on the desert with only meager resources into one of the most developed, prosperous and advanced countries in the world. My friends, none of this would have happened if not for the young men and women who sacrificed their lives to ensure our existence."</em></blockquote>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-199085838521261222011-05-02T18:34:00.000+01:002011-05-02T18:34:10.873+01:00Fatah And Hamas Disagree On Bin LadenUS forces have finally found and killed the world's most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden, who was behind 9/11.<br />
<br />
Naturally most of the world is rejoicing, but Bin Laden's death seems to be the first surprising hurdle for the <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/04/fatah-join-hamas.html">potential joint Hamas-Fatah government</a> that was announced last week, who of course can't agree on a joint reaction to this.<br />
<br />
A <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/palestinians-bin-laden-s-death-is-good-for-the-cause-of-peace-1.359375?">Fatah spokesman</a> said "<i>Getting rid of Bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide</i>", but Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh <a href="http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=218821&R=R1&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">mourned Bin Laden</a>, saying "<i>We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior... We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood</i>."<br />
<br />
Um, again... we're supposed to try and make peace with the people who want Israel's destruction and worship the terrorist who caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people all over the world?<br />
<br />
Honest Reporting point out two things you <a href="http://honestreporting.com/the-only-2-things-you-need-to-know-about-osama-bin-laden-and-israel/">need to know about Bin Laden and Israel</a>. First, that he hated the West more than he hated Israel, it was not America's support for Israel that drove him.Second, that, Al Qaida like recognition for their actions, and according to Bin Laden's former bodyguard, blaming the Mossad for Al Qaida's terror attacks is "<i>nonsense and an attempt to cast doubt on the ability of the Muslims to do something of this sort.</i>"Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-80076193161600735662011-04-28T21:13:00.002+01:002011-04-28T21:14:21.568+01:00Fatah Join Hamas<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hamas and Fatah have <a href="http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=218157">agreed a reconciliation</a> to be followed by elections. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hamas' position regarding Israel, of course, remains the same. An official confirmed: <i>"Our plan does not involve negotiations with Israel or recognizing it. It will be impossible for an interim government to take part in the peace process with Israel." </i>In short, Fatah have joined the terrorist group. This could only lead to disaster for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Netanyahu has said: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>“Peace with both is impossible, because Hamas aims to destroy the State of Israel and says that openly. I hope that the Palestinian Authority will make the right choice – that it will choose peace with Israel. The choice is in its hands."</i></span>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-33175433142862803792011-04-24T18:19:00.012+01:002011-05-16T18:57:36.033+01:00Jew Murdered In Terror Attack By Palestinian "Policeman"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">A 24 year old <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=217700">Jewish father of four from Jerusalem, Ben Yosef Livnat was murdered this morning</a>, and four others injured, when they were shot in their car after visiting Joseph's Tomb to pray, by Palestinian terrorists (who were also policemen), <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4060142,00.html">screaming "<i>Allahu Akbar</i>"</a>.</span> </span><br />
<br />
Baruch Dayan HaEmet, may his loved ones be comforted.<br />
<br />
Following the terror attack, <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143680">Palestinians set fire to Joseph's Tomb</a>.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.oyvagoy.com/2011/04/24/imagine-if-it-had-happened-in-jerusalem/">Chas Newkey-Burden writes</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"Contrast the situation there with the Old City of Jerusalem, where the Israeli authorities painstakingly protect the rights of all faiths to visit and pray at their places of worship in dignity and comfort...</span></span></i></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Israel deserves enormous credit for the way it governs the Old City of Jerusalem, allowing all faiths to enjoy their holy sites. Were Israel to behave how the Palestinians did in Nablus today, one can only imagine the global outrage. Imagine for a moment that some Arabs were shot by Israelis as they left the site of the Dome of the Rock. Imagine that following this, some Israeli youths set fire to the Dome of the Rock. We would be talking about global outrage, possibly even talk of World War Three breaking out.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Yet when that chain of events happened in Nablus this morning it merited little coverage, condemnation or even reflection...</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: italic;">I hope that one day, Israel is given due credit for the way it so beautifully governs the Old City of Jerusalem, proving itself once more a moral example to the world."</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An<span class="Apple-style-span">d</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: inherit;"> people wonder why Israel is reluctant to give the Palestinians control over land where the lives of Jews, if they dared visit, would be in the hands of Palestinians with guns.</span></span></div>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3221970856141937449.post-51962400244917051222011-04-17T20:44:00.000+01:002011-04-17T20:44:25.698+01:00Boy In Hamas Schoolbus Attack Dies Of WoundsThe Israeli boy injured in the <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/04/hamas-strike-israeli-school-bus-fire-50.html">Hamas rocket attack on his schoolbus</a> has <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4058157,00.html">died of his wounds</a>.<br />
May his loved ones be comforted. Baruch Dayan HaEmet.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile two of the Palestinians arrested over the <a href="http://proudzionist.blogspot.com/2011/03/palestinians-murder-jewish-family-and.html">murder of the Fogels</a> have been <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057894,00.html">found guilty.</a>Proud Zionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05064872191654615859noreply@blogger.com0