Philip Carl Salzman
Professor of Anthropology at McGill University
The greatest Middle Eastern success in public relations opinion-shaping in the last forty years has been the Palestinian self-definition of themselves as a separate people and as victims of Israel and the West. The entire world, it appears, has been convinced. Europeans and many Americans, not to mention members of the Muslim umma, trip over each other offering sympathy and buckets of money to the Palestinians. The United Nations makes unique arrangements for the Palestinians, and numerous UN bodies devote themselves solely to the needs of the Palestinians. And those same Europeans and Americans, and the members of those UN organs, risk apoplexy in their violent denunciations of Israel—Israel the bully, the oppressor, the colonialist, the racist—for thwarting the Palestinians. Palestinians and their partisans, such as those who will meet at the "Edward Said Conference" at Columbia University on November 7-8, explain their unfortunate situation as a result of Western imperialism and colonialism, which, they explain in terms of "postcolonial theory," are rationalized and encouraged by disparaging "orientalist" stereotypes of Arabs and Middle Easterners. The responsibility for any and all current disabilities of the Middle East, according to postcolonial theory, rests with Europe and America, whose interventions have only victimized and destroyed Middle Eastern society and culture.
There is a certain inconsistency in the Arab and Muslim narrative about imperialism and colonialism. About the period of the 7th to the 18th centuries, when the Arab Muslim Empire spread by the sword from Arabia across all of the Middle East and North Africa to Morocco in the west, to Sicily, Portugal, Spain, and France in the north, and to Central Asia and India in the East, followed by Ottoman conquests in Europe, the narrative of imperialism and colonialism is triumphalist. Endless slaughter, forced conversion, slavery, and wholesale expropriation of property were all for the glory to God, and all good. But the rise of the West, and its relatively brief and limited interventions in the Middle East, are viewed as the height of evil. Why? Because God choose Muslims as his True Followers, and as such, they have a right—no, a duty—to dominate.
The stagnation of the Muslim world in the 19th and 20th centuries, and its relative weakness in relation to the rising West, are today blamed by Palestinian and Arab partisans on Western intrusion in the region. But those directly facing the rising West at the time, the Ottomans and later the Persian Crown, knew that they had fallen behind, and sought Western civil and military technology and goods, and Western administrative and legal systems, in order to modernize and better face the challenge. This response is more consistent with our understanding of human life than the "postcolonial" argument that all is the fault of someone else, in this case, the West. One of the great Marxist students of imperialism, the anthropologist Eric Wolf, demonstrated that local peoples, at least those not murdered or enslaved, are not passive receivers of imperial and colonial culture, but shape their response according to their own culture and vision.
Narratives of victimization, such as the Palestinian one, neglect to account for the active Arab response to the Jews and to Jewish immigration. Explaining all by Western imposition robs the Arabs of Palestine of their agency, and infantalizes them. In reality, Palestinians responded actively: Elite landowners sold the Jews land, while the populace in general closed ranks against the Jews. Following the tribally-based principle of those closer uniting against those more distant, the opposition to the Jews was both organizational and religious. Jews were not kinsmen and, worse, were infidels.
Arab opposition to the Jews, expressed in riots and pogroms, was ratchetted up in the face of Jewish desires for national autonomy and independence. After all, it was believed that any part of the Dar al-Islam must remain under Muslim dominance forevermore. And for a thousand years, Jews under Islam had been a subservient and despised minority, cowering under the power of their Muslim masters. The Arabs in Palestine thought that the Jews could not and would not stand up to them, and they acted on that well established cultural principle. Honor would allow nothing less.
The Arabs acted according to their tradition, according to their lights. They refused compromise with inferiors; they refused to divide and share, rejecting a UN settlement. Instead, they strove for complete victory, as their ancestors had. However, the thousand-year-old conditions did not obtain. The Jews they faced were not dhimma, and they did not cower; against the odds, and with little outside help, they fought and won. The Arab states answered the call, but were ineffectual, and failed. The "Nakba" was self-induced by the Arabs. They demanded all or nothing, and got nothing. But they have continued to hold to the rejectionist position, taking an annihilationist stance toward Israel and the Jews. So in reality the self-induced "Nakba" is self-perpetuating. The successful agitprop that obscures this both to the world and to themselves is also a result of Arab agency. The Edward Said Conference will carry on in the same tradition.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Security for Israel off Agenda
Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The United States and European Union (EU) have blamed Israel for the lack of progress in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and insist on more "goodwill" measures while omitting concerns about terrorist attacks. Previous statements always have included the condition of security for Israel which has been directed to make more concessions to the PA, such as removing checkpoints intended to stop terrorists before they can attack.
However, the latest statement by European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering ignores the issue of security and lays the blame squarely on Israel for failure to conclude negotiations.
The latest statement by European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering ignores the issue of security.
He said that the expansion of Jewish communities and the IDF's maintaining checkpoints in Judea and Samaria "are the two outstanding issues to be resolved in the Middle East conflict." In a recent speech to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Jordan, Poettering said expanding Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria "is undermining the Palestinians' confidence."
He also charged that the checkpoints' "extremely restricted freedom of movement of the Palestinians prevents investment in and recovery of the Palestinian economy." In the past week, soldiers manning the checkpoints have caught several terrorists brandishing weapons and trying to smuggle bombs.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is trying to show some kind of achievement after more than 20 trips to Israel and the PA. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that the question of who is leading the Israeli government is holding up negotiations.
"Once you do get an Israeli government that is fully up and running and ready to actively push forward on that front, we'll see where those discussions lead," he told reporters.
Livni aides: Coalition talks in jeopardy
Despite 'progress' in talks with Shas, Kadima leader's camp fearful government assembly negotiations will reach standstill
Attila Somfalvi
Despite reports of progress made during Sunday's meeting between representatives of the Shas and Kadima parties on the formation of a coalition led by designated prime minister Tzipi Livni, not everyone is optimistic. Aides to the Kadima chairwoman said they fear the negotiations may come to a halt despite the desire by both sides to reach an agreement.
Representatives from Shas and Kadima agreed to meet again on either the end of the Sukkot holiday or on Wednesday morning.
The main point of contention appears to be on the subject of Shas' demand to increase child welfare stipends; Livni is opposed to any deviation from the State Budget. The talks between the two parties have introduced several alternatives that are meant to bridge the gap.
Meanwhile, Livni is expected to arrive at the official residence of President Shimon Peres on Monday to ask for a two-week extension he is allowed to approve under Israeli law, in order to assemble a government.
Negotiations regarding the establishment of a new government have been delayed due to the quick succession of Jewish holidays.
Livni intends to introduce a government as soon as possible, especially after an agreement with the Labor party has already been reached.
While the main effort lies with the negotiations with Shas, negotiations are also underway with Meretz-Yahad and United Torah Judaism.
Livni is aware of the difficulties she will face in running a government which does not have a clear majority in the Knesset, with her main goal being the establishment of a government with the partners of the outgoing government, including Labor, Shas and the Pensioners party.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Barak: Israeli leaders seriously looking at Saudi peace plan
AP and mark weiss , THE JERUSALEM POST
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israeli leaders have been discussing a comprehensive Saudi peace plan and debating how to respond to it.
Barak told Army Radio on Sunday that with individual negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians making little headway, it may be time to pursue an overall peace deal for the region.
"There is room in the coalition of the Saudi plan," he said. "We have interests in common with moderate Arab elements on Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas." He added that President Shimon Peres was in agreement, and that he has spoken about the matter with Foreign Minister and Kadima chair Tzipi Livni as well.
The Saudi peace initiative was first proposed in 2002. It offers pan-Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Arab lands captured in 1967.
The plan offers Israel full recognition and peace, in return for complete withdrawal from the lands Israel captured in the Six Day War and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, and for the right of return to Israel of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
Israel initially rejected the proposal. Last year, outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert praised the plan as "showing a positive approach" and said it would be taken into account in the peace process. But he stopped short of accepting it and rejected its call on refugees.
Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017571280&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israeli leaders have been discussing a comprehensive Saudi peace plan and debating how to respond to it.
Barak told Army Radio on Sunday that with individual negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians making little headway, it may be time to pursue an overall peace deal for the region.
"There is room in the coalition of the Saudi plan," he said. "We have interests in common with moderate Arab elements on Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas." He added that President Shimon Peres was in agreement, and that he has spoken about the matter with Foreign Minister and Kadima chair Tzipi Livni as well.
The Saudi peace initiative was first proposed in 2002. It offers pan-Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Arab lands captured in 1967.
The plan offers Israel full recognition and peace, in return for complete withdrawal from the lands Israel captured in the Six Day War and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, and for the right of return to Israel of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
Israel initially rejected the proposal. Last year, outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert praised the plan as "showing a positive approach" and said it would be taken into account in the peace process. But he stopped short of accepting it and rejected its call on refugees.
Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017571280&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
The Jihadist Vote
CSP Decision Brief | Oct 14, 2008(first posted)
By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
Last week, Barack Obama's campaign was burned yet again for its dalliance with Islamists – those who embrace Islam's repressive theo-political-legal code known as Shariah and who are working for its triumph in the West in general and the United States in particular. The episode is but the latest indication that the Democratic candidate hopes to win the White House by relying, in part, on the Jihadist vote. NBC reported on Thursday that the Obama campaign's latest radical "Muslim outreach coordinator," Mouha Husaini, met last month in one of Washington's Northern Virginia suburbs – the heart of what has been dubbed the "Wahhabi Corridor" – with her predecessor, Mazen Asbahi (who had to resign this summer due to his own associations with Shariah). Even more problematic was the presence at the Springfield event of two prominent Muslim Brotherhood operatives: Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society (MAS) and Nihad Awad of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
As I pointed out in a debate on Tuesday, with a man associated with both organizations and arguably the Bush Administration's senior Muslim official, Suhail Khan, the Brotherhood is an instrument the Islamists have been using to foster a Fifth Column in America. Its stated purpose in this country is to "destroy Western civilization from within." According to NBC, even other attendees expressed concern that the Obama campaign was reaching out to such "politically radioactive" individuals as Bray and Awad.
Unfortunately, this is hardly the only association of this type. Others include the following:
A Federal Election Commission (FEC) employee has reportedly been warning for months about evidence that the Obama campaign has received as much as $200 million almost half of his total donations, in amounts less than $200. That is below the threshold for donor information that Sen. Obama has chose to report to the FEC – unlike the Clinton and McCain campaigns which have reported all donor information. Of the $200 million, between $30 and $100 million is from the Mideast, Africa and other places Islamists are active. It is unclear whether – as seems likely – these funds are coming not only from Wahhabis, Muslim Brotherhood types and jihadists of other stripes but from non-U.S. citizens. That would make such contributions not only worrying but illegal.
Although the FEC has studiously ignored the problem to date, the matter finally appears to be the subject of a formal complaint by the Republican National Committee. Unfortunately, even if the Commission finally bestirs itself to investigate the facts, it seems unlikely to render a finding before the jihadists' and others' votes are counted.
Another question yet to be resolved is whether Senator Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States, a prerequisite pursuant to the U.S. Constitution. There is evidence that Obama was born in Kenya rather than, as he claims, Hawaii. There is also a registration document for a school in Indonesia where the would-be president studied for four years, on which he was identified not only as a Muslim but as an Indonesian. If correct, the latter could give rise to another potential problem with respect to his eligibility to be president. Curiously, Sen. Obama has, to date, failed to provide an authentic birth certificate which could clear up the matter.
Then there is the Democratic candidate's get-out-the-vote effort. In addition to the prospect that its "Arab-Americans for Obama" effort is recruiting Muslim Brotherhood elements to enhance turn-out, the Obama campaign is trolling for voters in problematic places. Some are felons in prison systems long used by Islamists as centers for recruiting converts to their causes.
Some – thanks to a radical group known as ACORN with which Barack Obama has had ties for many years and that has a serial problem with vote-registration fraud – are homeless. Their attitude towards the Islamist agenda, or for that matter any other aspect of national policy, can only be surmised.
Finally, there are the various well-known Islamists with whom Barack Obama has long had ties and/or who are actively promoting his campaign. These include: a former Black Panther convert to radical Islam who calls himself Khalid al-Mansour; an aggressive promoter of Wahhabi influence operations, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal; a virulently anti-Israel and pro-suicide bomber Palestinian professor named Rashid Khalidi; and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who in a speech last February called Sen. Obama "the messiah."
Even Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi has gotten in the act, describing Obama in a videotaped speech transcribed by MEMRI as "a black citizen of Kenyan African origins, a Muslim" (Philip Berg's contention) and declares ominously that "people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa...may even have been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns" to Obama."
The next three weeks afford the American people – and the media, the courts and the Federal Election Commission – an opportunity to get to the bottom of Barack Obama's ties to and affinity for jihadists who have their own reasons for relishing his promise of "change" for this country. Unfortunately, the change his Islamists supporters have in mind is for global theocratic rule under Shariah, and the end of our constitutional, democratic government.
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy and a columnist for the Washington Times
By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
Last week, Barack Obama's campaign was burned yet again for its dalliance with Islamists – those who embrace Islam's repressive theo-political-legal code known as Shariah and who are working for its triumph in the West in general and the United States in particular. The episode is but the latest indication that the Democratic candidate hopes to win the White House by relying, in part, on the Jihadist vote. NBC reported on Thursday that the Obama campaign's latest radical "Muslim outreach coordinator," Mouha Husaini, met last month in one of Washington's Northern Virginia suburbs – the heart of what has been dubbed the "Wahhabi Corridor" – with her predecessor, Mazen Asbahi (who had to resign this summer due to his own associations with Shariah). Even more problematic was the presence at the Springfield event of two prominent Muslim Brotherhood operatives: Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society (MAS) and Nihad Awad of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
As I pointed out in a debate on Tuesday, with a man associated with both organizations and arguably the Bush Administration's senior Muslim official, Suhail Khan, the Brotherhood is an instrument the Islamists have been using to foster a Fifth Column in America. Its stated purpose in this country is to "destroy Western civilization from within." According to NBC, even other attendees expressed concern that the Obama campaign was reaching out to such "politically radioactive" individuals as Bray and Awad.
Unfortunately, this is hardly the only association of this type. Others include the following:
A Federal Election Commission (FEC) employee has reportedly been warning for months about evidence that the Obama campaign has received as much as $200 million almost half of his total donations, in amounts less than $200. That is below the threshold for donor information that Sen. Obama has chose to report to the FEC – unlike the Clinton and McCain campaigns which have reported all donor information. Of the $200 million, between $30 and $100 million is from the Mideast, Africa and other places Islamists are active. It is unclear whether – as seems likely – these funds are coming not only from Wahhabis, Muslim Brotherhood types and jihadists of other stripes but from non-U.S. citizens. That would make such contributions not only worrying but illegal.
Although the FEC has studiously ignored the problem to date, the matter finally appears to be the subject of a formal complaint by the Republican National Committee. Unfortunately, even if the Commission finally bestirs itself to investigate the facts, it seems unlikely to render a finding before the jihadists' and others' votes are counted.
Another question yet to be resolved is whether Senator Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States, a prerequisite pursuant to the U.S. Constitution. There is evidence that Obama was born in Kenya rather than, as he claims, Hawaii. There is also a registration document for a school in Indonesia where the would-be president studied for four years, on which he was identified not only as a Muslim but as an Indonesian. If correct, the latter could give rise to another potential problem with respect to his eligibility to be president. Curiously, Sen. Obama has, to date, failed to provide an authentic birth certificate which could clear up the matter.
Then there is the Democratic candidate's get-out-the-vote effort. In addition to the prospect that its "Arab-Americans for Obama" effort is recruiting Muslim Brotherhood elements to enhance turn-out, the Obama campaign is trolling for voters in problematic places. Some are felons in prison systems long used by Islamists as centers for recruiting converts to their causes.
Some – thanks to a radical group known as ACORN with which Barack Obama has had ties for many years and that has a serial problem with vote-registration fraud – are homeless. Their attitude towards the Islamist agenda, or for that matter any other aspect of national policy, can only be surmised.
Finally, there are the various well-known Islamists with whom Barack Obama has long had ties and/or who are actively promoting his campaign. These include: a former Black Panther convert to radical Islam who calls himself Khalid al-Mansour; an aggressive promoter of Wahhabi influence operations, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal; a virulently anti-Israel and pro-suicide bomber Palestinian professor named Rashid Khalidi; and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who in a speech last February called Sen. Obama "the messiah."
Even Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi has gotten in the act, describing Obama in a videotaped speech transcribed by MEMRI as "a black citizen of Kenyan African origins, a Muslim" (Philip Berg's contention) and declares ominously that "people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa...may even have been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns" to Obama."
The next three weeks afford the American people – and the media, the courts and the Federal Election Commission – an opportunity to get to the bottom of Barack Obama's ties to and affinity for jihadists who have their own reasons for relishing his promise of "change" for this country. Unfortunately, the change his Islamists supporters have in mind is for global theocratic rule under Shariah, and the end of our constitutional, democratic government.
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy and a columnist for the Washington Times
Saturday, October 18, 2008
'Pogroms' and double standards
When young men riot in nearby communities it's a pogrom – unless they're Arab
Jackie Levy
As opposed to the manner in which the media handled the recent events in Akko, the main issue should not have been with the driver who drove on Yom Kippur or the hooligans who attacked him. Rudeness and hooliganism can be found anywhere. It's unpleasant, but it's certainly not fit for a headline story on the evening news. The worrisome development that took place in Akko was manifested through the fact that a moment after that local brawl, someone – and he wasn't Jewish – found it important enough to spread a rumor among Arabs that the driver was killed and that "the Jews are killing us."
We already saw cases, on Holy Days and on regular days as well, where people hurled stones at vehicles. Yet this time around, on Yom Kippur, in Akko, an hour and a half later the streets were teeming with young Arab men armed with sticks and axes.
The Arab spokespeople who brandish the feelings of discrimination that have been accumulated over the years, the lack of equality, and the economic distress are saying things that are true but irrelevant.
According to the same logic, the Jewish residents of Or Akiva were supposed to smash 100 cars in the upscale Caesarea ages ago. The young Arabs in Akko did not chant "death to the rich people." They were talking about the Jews, and in order to stimulate mass riots filled with hatred one needs methodical incitement and an organizing mechanism.
We must admit that destiny has a rather lowly sense of humor. It was destiny that prompted the Akko events to take place a moment after the word "pogrom" turned into a legitimate term among certain strata around here. After an attempted murder of a child in the settlement of Yitzhar (a genuine attempt, rather than a deliberate libel,) youngsters from the community headed to the nearby village and carried out the first "pogrom" in history that did not result in casualties.
Pogrom, therefore, is an incident whereby more than two young people enter an area where they don't live in, in order to express their anger using unfriendly means – as long as those guys are Jewish, of course. If, heaven forbid, they happen to be members of another national group, so we learned, we should immediately note that the word "pogrom" is a harsh term carrying grave historical and associative weight, and therefore it should not be cheapened by being used in this context, etc. etc.
Jackie Levy
As opposed to the manner in which the media handled the recent events in Akko, the main issue should not have been with the driver who drove on Yom Kippur or the hooligans who attacked him. Rudeness and hooliganism can be found anywhere. It's unpleasant, but it's certainly not fit for a headline story on the evening news. The worrisome development that took place in Akko was manifested through the fact that a moment after that local brawl, someone – and he wasn't Jewish – found it important enough to spread a rumor among Arabs that the driver was killed and that "the Jews are killing us."
We already saw cases, on Holy Days and on regular days as well, where people hurled stones at vehicles. Yet this time around, on Yom Kippur, in Akko, an hour and a half later the streets were teeming with young Arab men armed with sticks and axes.
The Arab spokespeople who brandish the feelings of discrimination that have been accumulated over the years, the lack of equality, and the economic distress are saying things that are true but irrelevant.
According to the same logic, the Jewish residents of Or Akiva were supposed to smash 100 cars in the upscale Caesarea ages ago. The young Arabs in Akko did not chant "death to the rich people." They were talking about the Jews, and in order to stimulate mass riots filled with hatred one needs methodical incitement and an organizing mechanism.
We must admit that destiny has a rather lowly sense of humor. It was destiny that prompted the Akko events to take place a moment after the word "pogrom" turned into a legitimate term among certain strata around here. After an attempted murder of a child in the settlement of Yitzhar (a genuine attempt, rather than a deliberate libel,) youngsters from the community headed to the nearby village and carried out the first "pogrom" in history that did not result in casualties.
Pogrom, therefore, is an incident whereby more than two young people enter an area where they don't live in, in order to express their anger using unfriendly means – as long as those guys are Jewish, of course. If, heaven forbid, they happen to be members of another national group, so we learned, we should immediately note that the word "pogrom" is a harsh term carrying grave historical and associative weight, and therefore it should not be cheapened by being used in this context, etc. etc.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The disappearance of law
Caroline Glick , THE JERUSALEM POST
The Arab pogrom in Acre on Yom Kippur was yet another wake-up call. The 200 Israeli Arabs who shattered the windshields of 110 Jewish cars, and burned and looted dozens of Jewish businesses in the city on the eve of Yom Kippur while shouting out, "Death to Jews!" "Allah Akbar!" and "We'll kill you if you leave your homes!" couldn't have made their point any more clearly. They don't like Jews. They don't want peaceful coexistence with Israel. They don't recognize the authority of Israel's laws. They don't accept their identity as Israeli citizens.
If the actual violence wasn't enough to clarify matters, then we have the invitations for the Arab theater festival that began on Thursday, and its program.
Acre's Arab leaders decided to organize their festival in response to Mayor Shimon Lancry's decision to postpone indefinitely Acre's annual Alternative Theater Festival. Fearing continued violence, Lancry opted over the weekend to postpone the annual event that was scheduled to take place this week.
The Arabs called their festival, "Acre Is Not Alone." In the invitations distributed to the Arab residents of the city, the organizers wrote: "We will not surrender to the emergency laws that were enacted after the settlers' [that is, the Jewish residents of the city's] attacks. The settlers are trying to enact an ethnic cleansing of the eastern neighborhoods of the city. We call on Acre's Arab residents to come to the Old City and break the siege that has been enacted against the merchants there. We are organizing these activities to preserve the importance of Acre as a center of Palestinian tourism, culture, history and geography."
So in short, "Acre is not Alone" has been organized to raise Arab awareness of Arab suffering at the hands of the Jews in Israel. Its main attractions include a movie that portrays the Arab riots in October 2000 from the perspective of the families of the Arab rioters killed by police trying to quell their violence against Jews; a one-man play fulminating on the victimization of Arabs in Israel and the Palestinian Authority by Jews; and an "artistic" narration of the plight of an Arab who left Acre in 1948 as a result of Jewish "aggression," and died in a UN camp in Lebanon.
It is important to pause for a moment and set out as precisely as possible what happened in Acre on the eve of Yom Kippur and the following night, after the holiday ended.
On Wednesday night, when as is customary, after prayers ended Jews milled about in the streets that were empty of moving cars out of respect for the holiday, Acre resident Jamal Tawfik drove into the city's predominantly Jewish Ben-Gurion neighborhood. Jewish residents claim that Tawfik was driving at high speed with his windows down and music blasting out of his speakers, in a clear provocation of the Jews. Tawfik denied the allegations.
By all accounts, some Jewish youth approached his car. Some accounts claim that a handful of teenagers hit the sides of his car. Some accounts claim that some teenagers pelted his car with stones. All accounts agree that he exited his vehicle unscathed.
Just after this altercation, a still-unidentified Arab in the Old City broadcast that a Jewish mob had murdered Tawfik via the loudspeakers of a mosque. More than 200 Arab residents then descended on the Ben-Gurion neighborhood with axes and knives. They shattered the windshields of some 110 Jewish-owned cars. They then moved into the business district and looted and vandalized the Jewish-owned stores and businesses. Despite multiple calls for help from terrified Jews, it took the police several hours to appear on the scene. And when they arrived, they did nothing to end the Arab rampage.
The next evening, after the holiday ended, the Jewish residents started a spontaneous protest against the Arab riot. Arab rioters returned.
This time, the police, equipped with riot gear, succeeded in separating the Arabs from the Jews. A group of Jewish protesters, demanding revenge, torched a handful of Arab-owned apartments in mixed neighborhoods. The Arabs continued looting Jewish businesses and attacking Jewish cars. Police arrested rioters on both sides.
In the days that followed, Arab leaders published condemnations of violence "on both sides," and asked Jewish leaders to join them in their statements. Most Jewish leaders in the city refused. As Acre's Chief Rabbi Yoseph Yashar told a reporter, "As long as they speak of the Arab rioters from the eve of Yom Kippur in the same breath as the acts of vengeance carried out by Jews in response, it will be very hard to calm matters down."
On the national political level, Kadima and Labor party leaders have embraced the Arabs' moral equivalence. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and their subordinates have all decried "acts of violence" and "lawlessness," while refraining from making any special mention of the fact that the violence was carried out almost entirely by Acre's Arabs.
Olmert went further than his colleagues. During a meeting with anti-Israel activists from the Arab sector, including the deputy head of the Hamas-linked northern branch of the Israeli Islamic Movement on Monday, Olmert claimed, "There can be no doubt that for years the Arab population has suffered from discrimination that stemmed from a variety of sources."
By making the statement to some of the most extreme anti-Israel voices in Israeli Arab society, Olmert seemingly justified the lawlessness of their followers.
The police have reacted to the Arab violence with now customary passivity. Decrying the police's belated and feckless response to Wednesday night's violence, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz minced no words: "The public security minister [Avi Dichter] and the chief of police [David Cohen] must resign. The State of Israel has become the only country in the Western world where pogroms are carried out against Jews. Physical assaults are carried out against them and against their property amid calls of 'Death to the Jews.' A police force that is incapable of defending Jewish neighborhoods requires a serious overhaul."
WHILE STARTLING, the events in Acre - and the official response to them - are not new phenomena. Last Yom Kippur, an Arab driver from Shibli in the Galilee mortally wounded nine-year-old Tal Zino from neighboring Kfar Tavor. The driver entered the community at top speed on his all-terrain vehicle. Children playing outside the synagogue ran to evade him. Tal couldn't get out of his way fast enough. He ran her over.
As Tal's mother, Haya Zino, told Ma'ariv last Friday, that incident was the first attack against Jews carried out by an Arab operating a heavy motor vehicle. In her view, the more recent murders of Jews in Jerusalem by Arab bulldozer operators are simply a continuation of the attack on Kfar Tavor that killed her daughter.
Two years ago, an Arab mob in Acre violently attacked yeshiva students dancing in the streets on Simhat Torah. The students were forced to flee to their yeshiva, where the Arabs then besieged them. Rather than disperse the crowd, the police simply helped the students escape to their homes through the yeshiva's backdoor.
And in the riots in Peki'in earlier in October 2007, the police refused to confront the Arab mob that attacked the Jewish homes in the village. They allowed a policewoman to be held hostage for several hours and essentially begged anti-Israeli local leaders to intervene on her behalf.
THE EVER-INCREASING radicalism of Israeli Arabs, who today openly and officially oppose the existence of the Jewish state, shows the imbecility of the government's plan to "separate" from the Palestinians by withdrawing from Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.
Given that Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Arabs openly identify themselves as one society, there is no way to separate from the Palestinians.
But the fact that Israeli Arabs are indistinguishable from Palestinian Arabs does not mean that there is no way to contend with their rejection of Israel. To the contrary, it points to the only way to contend with both the Palestinian Arab and the Israeli Arab rejection of Israel: By reestablishing law and order and respect for the law both within the 1949 armistice lines and in the areas Israel took control of in 1967.
Here, it is worth pointing out that in their rejection of the authority of Israel, the Israeli Arab rioters in Acre are little different from the French Muslim rioters who set their country ablaze in November 2005. In both cases, the rioters demonstrated their abject contempt and rejection of the state in which they live, at the same time that their governments were doing everything in their power to appease them as a suffering minority.
Responding to the violence, French voters elected President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy campaigned on a law and order platform. Sadly, since taking office, he has done little to abide by his campaign pledges in this regard.
In Israel's case, no political leaders have made the connection between law and order and Israeli Arab or Palestinian Arab irredentism. Indeed, since the Arab riots in 2000, Israel has simply stopped enforcing its laws in the Arab sector. This is true not only with regard to violent crimes and treason, but also in relation to lesser offenses. For instance, polygamy is illegal in Israel. Yet, over the past decade, the prevalence of polygamy among Israeli Beduin has grown to unprecedented levels.
Last spring the government announced its intention to contend with the issue by forming committees and support groups for children of polygamous marriages and women who are involved in these illegal relationships. No thought was given to the obvious remedy of arresting the polygamous husbands and trying them for their crimes.
And this gets to the heart of the matter. While no doubt, historically, Israel has witnessed discrimination against members of its Arab sector, today, the chief form of discrimination they suffer is what US President George W. Bush has referred to as "the soft bigotry of low expectations." This of course causes both Israeli Jews and Arabs to feel contempt for the law and so increases the tendency of both Jews and Arabs to take the law into their own hands.
But more important, the pro-Arab discrimination of Israel's political and law enforcement arms has facilitated the radicalization of Arab Israeli society. Far from appeasing them, Israel has shown them that they are right to reject its authority. And their rejection of Israel - like their Palestinian Arab brethren's rejection of Israel - only increases as Israel seeks to appease them.
By opting not to assert its authority over Arabs in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, by refraining from punishing their lawlessness and aggression against Jews, and even rewarding it, Israel guarantees that yet more dangerous attacks will soon follow.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
caroline@carolineglick.com
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017555421&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
The Arab pogrom in Acre on Yom Kippur was yet another wake-up call. The 200 Israeli Arabs who shattered the windshields of 110 Jewish cars, and burned and looted dozens of Jewish businesses in the city on the eve of Yom Kippur while shouting out, "Death to Jews!" "Allah Akbar!" and "We'll kill you if you leave your homes!" couldn't have made their point any more clearly. They don't like Jews. They don't want peaceful coexistence with Israel. They don't recognize the authority of Israel's laws. They don't accept their identity as Israeli citizens.
If the actual violence wasn't enough to clarify matters, then we have the invitations for the Arab theater festival that began on Thursday, and its program.
Acre's Arab leaders decided to organize their festival in response to Mayor Shimon Lancry's decision to postpone indefinitely Acre's annual Alternative Theater Festival. Fearing continued violence, Lancry opted over the weekend to postpone the annual event that was scheduled to take place this week.
The Arabs called their festival, "Acre Is Not Alone." In the invitations distributed to the Arab residents of the city, the organizers wrote: "We will not surrender to the emergency laws that were enacted after the settlers' [that is, the Jewish residents of the city's] attacks. The settlers are trying to enact an ethnic cleansing of the eastern neighborhoods of the city. We call on Acre's Arab residents to come to the Old City and break the siege that has been enacted against the merchants there. We are organizing these activities to preserve the importance of Acre as a center of Palestinian tourism, culture, history and geography."
So in short, "Acre is not Alone" has been organized to raise Arab awareness of Arab suffering at the hands of the Jews in Israel. Its main attractions include a movie that portrays the Arab riots in October 2000 from the perspective of the families of the Arab rioters killed by police trying to quell their violence against Jews; a one-man play fulminating on the victimization of Arabs in Israel and the Palestinian Authority by Jews; and an "artistic" narration of the plight of an Arab who left Acre in 1948 as a result of Jewish "aggression," and died in a UN camp in Lebanon.
It is important to pause for a moment and set out as precisely as possible what happened in Acre on the eve of Yom Kippur and the following night, after the holiday ended.
On Wednesday night, when as is customary, after prayers ended Jews milled about in the streets that were empty of moving cars out of respect for the holiday, Acre resident Jamal Tawfik drove into the city's predominantly Jewish Ben-Gurion neighborhood. Jewish residents claim that Tawfik was driving at high speed with his windows down and music blasting out of his speakers, in a clear provocation of the Jews. Tawfik denied the allegations.
By all accounts, some Jewish youth approached his car. Some accounts claim that a handful of teenagers hit the sides of his car. Some accounts claim that some teenagers pelted his car with stones. All accounts agree that he exited his vehicle unscathed.
Just after this altercation, a still-unidentified Arab in the Old City broadcast that a Jewish mob had murdered Tawfik via the loudspeakers of a mosque. More than 200 Arab residents then descended on the Ben-Gurion neighborhood with axes and knives. They shattered the windshields of some 110 Jewish-owned cars. They then moved into the business district and looted and vandalized the Jewish-owned stores and businesses. Despite multiple calls for help from terrified Jews, it took the police several hours to appear on the scene. And when they arrived, they did nothing to end the Arab rampage.
The next evening, after the holiday ended, the Jewish residents started a spontaneous protest against the Arab riot. Arab rioters returned.
This time, the police, equipped with riot gear, succeeded in separating the Arabs from the Jews. A group of Jewish protesters, demanding revenge, torched a handful of Arab-owned apartments in mixed neighborhoods. The Arabs continued looting Jewish businesses and attacking Jewish cars. Police arrested rioters on both sides.
In the days that followed, Arab leaders published condemnations of violence "on both sides," and asked Jewish leaders to join them in their statements. Most Jewish leaders in the city refused. As Acre's Chief Rabbi Yoseph Yashar told a reporter, "As long as they speak of the Arab rioters from the eve of Yom Kippur in the same breath as the acts of vengeance carried out by Jews in response, it will be very hard to calm matters down."
On the national political level, Kadima and Labor party leaders have embraced the Arabs' moral equivalence. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and their subordinates have all decried "acts of violence" and "lawlessness," while refraining from making any special mention of the fact that the violence was carried out almost entirely by Acre's Arabs.
Olmert went further than his colleagues. During a meeting with anti-Israel activists from the Arab sector, including the deputy head of the Hamas-linked northern branch of the Israeli Islamic Movement on Monday, Olmert claimed, "There can be no doubt that for years the Arab population has suffered from discrimination that stemmed from a variety of sources."
By making the statement to some of the most extreme anti-Israel voices in Israeli Arab society, Olmert seemingly justified the lawlessness of their followers.
The police have reacted to the Arab violence with now customary passivity. Decrying the police's belated and feckless response to Wednesday night's violence, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz minced no words: "The public security minister [Avi Dichter] and the chief of police [David Cohen] must resign. The State of Israel has become the only country in the Western world where pogroms are carried out against Jews. Physical assaults are carried out against them and against their property amid calls of 'Death to the Jews.' A police force that is incapable of defending Jewish neighborhoods requires a serious overhaul."
WHILE STARTLING, the events in Acre - and the official response to them - are not new phenomena. Last Yom Kippur, an Arab driver from Shibli in the Galilee mortally wounded nine-year-old Tal Zino from neighboring Kfar Tavor. The driver entered the community at top speed on his all-terrain vehicle. Children playing outside the synagogue ran to evade him. Tal couldn't get out of his way fast enough. He ran her over.
As Tal's mother, Haya Zino, told Ma'ariv last Friday, that incident was the first attack against Jews carried out by an Arab operating a heavy motor vehicle. In her view, the more recent murders of Jews in Jerusalem by Arab bulldozer operators are simply a continuation of the attack on Kfar Tavor that killed her daughter.
Two years ago, an Arab mob in Acre violently attacked yeshiva students dancing in the streets on Simhat Torah. The students were forced to flee to their yeshiva, where the Arabs then besieged them. Rather than disperse the crowd, the police simply helped the students escape to their homes through the yeshiva's backdoor.
And in the riots in Peki'in earlier in October 2007, the police refused to confront the Arab mob that attacked the Jewish homes in the village. They allowed a policewoman to be held hostage for several hours and essentially begged anti-Israeli local leaders to intervene on her behalf.
THE EVER-INCREASING radicalism of Israeli Arabs, who today openly and officially oppose the existence of the Jewish state, shows the imbecility of the government's plan to "separate" from the Palestinians by withdrawing from Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.
Given that Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Arabs openly identify themselves as one society, there is no way to separate from the Palestinians.
But the fact that Israeli Arabs are indistinguishable from Palestinian Arabs does not mean that there is no way to contend with their rejection of Israel. To the contrary, it points to the only way to contend with both the Palestinian Arab and the Israeli Arab rejection of Israel: By reestablishing law and order and respect for the law both within the 1949 armistice lines and in the areas Israel took control of in 1967.
Here, it is worth pointing out that in their rejection of the authority of Israel, the Israeli Arab rioters in Acre are little different from the French Muslim rioters who set their country ablaze in November 2005. In both cases, the rioters demonstrated their abject contempt and rejection of the state in which they live, at the same time that their governments were doing everything in their power to appease them as a suffering minority.
Responding to the violence, French voters elected President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy campaigned on a law and order platform. Sadly, since taking office, he has done little to abide by his campaign pledges in this regard.
In Israel's case, no political leaders have made the connection between law and order and Israeli Arab or Palestinian Arab irredentism. Indeed, since the Arab riots in 2000, Israel has simply stopped enforcing its laws in the Arab sector. This is true not only with regard to violent crimes and treason, but also in relation to lesser offenses. For instance, polygamy is illegal in Israel. Yet, over the past decade, the prevalence of polygamy among Israeli Beduin has grown to unprecedented levels.
Last spring the government announced its intention to contend with the issue by forming committees and support groups for children of polygamous marriages and women who are involved in these illegal relationships. No thought was given to the obvious remedy of arresting the polygamous husbands and trying them for their crimes.
And this gets to the heart of the matter. While no doubt, historically, Israel has witnessed discrimination against members of its Arab sector, today, the chief form of discrimination they suffer is what US President George W. Bush has referred to as "the soft bigotry of low expectations." This of course causes both Israeli Jews and Arabs to feel contempt for the law and so increases the tendency of both Jews and Arabs to take the law into their own hands.
But more important, the pro-Arab discrimination of Israel's political and law enforcement arms has facilitated the radicalization of Arab Israeli society. Far from appeasing them, Israel has shown them that they are right to reject its authority. And their rejection of Israel - like their Palestinian Arab brethren's rejection of Israel - only increases as Israel seeks to appease them.
By opting not to assert its authority over Arabs in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, by refraining from punishing their lawlessness and aggression against Jews, and even rewarding it, Israel guarantees that yet more dangerous attacks will soon follow.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
caroline@carolineglick.com
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017555421&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Shas Says It's Jerusalem or Bust
Gil Ronen
The hareidi-religious Sephardic party Shas wants Tzipi Livni, who heads the ruling party Kadima, to make a commitment not to negotiate over Jerusalem in the talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Shas Chairman, Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai, met with Livni Thursday in her office in Jerusalem, and negotiating teams from both parties met in the evening for an extended, four-hour-long session. The main sticking points, according to leaks from both sides, are Shas's demands for NIS 1.5 billion for stipends to aid families with numerous children and the demand regarding Jerusalem. We want it in writing
Shas demands that Livni provide either a written commitment regarding non-negotiation over Jerusalem, or a publicly-stated commitment to that effect. Otherwise it will not join the coalition, Yishai said. "Jerusalem shall not be part of the negotiations," he told the daily paper Ma'ariv. "We want to get a clear commitment from Livni that she does not intend to raise the subject at all during the negotiations with the PA."
MK Yohanan Plesner (Kadima) said, however, on Friday that the disagreement on the subject o
"We want to get a clear commitment from Livni that she does not intend to raise the subject at all during the negotiations with the PA."
f Jerusalem is not difficult to solve and that a mutually acceptable formula will be reached soon.
Kadima's starting offer to Shas was NIS 400 million for the child stipends. This was later amended to NIS 700 million, according to one leak, or 500 million, according to another.
Bar-On says no
Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On reportedly refuses to approve the transfer of funds, however. He claims the Finance Ministry lacks the necessary funds for such a move, and cites the forecasted loss of an NIS 5 billion in tax collection following the losses incurred by private investors in the current global finance crisis.
Yishai is making tougher demands of Livni than he did when he joined the government of Ehud Olmert in 2006. With Olmert, he only wanted a commitment to release Shas of coalitional discipline if and when votes are held regarding the negotiations with the Arabs who claim the Land of Israel.
Yishai has said that the PA leadership under Mahmoud Abbas is not a partner for peace, and he also disapproves of the idea of signing a "shelf agreement" to be implemented at a later date.
Bush Offers Syria Golan for Iran
Hana Levi Julian
U.S. President George W. Bush offered Syrian President Bashar Assad a secret deal to pull Israel out of the Golan Heights in exchange for Damascus breaking off ties with Tehran, according to a report published Friday in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida. A Palestinian Authority (PA) source quoted in the report said Bush reportedly proposed "a quick and satisfactory solution" to Syria's dispute with Israel over the Golan Heights. The "solution" was to be finalized "within several weeks, before the U.S. presidential elections, in order to push the Middle East peace process, an achievement the president will be able to proudly present before leaving the White House in January," according to Cairo-based journalist Abdel-Wahab Al-Nasser.
The offer allegedly came in a letter sent via PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Damascus for meetings with Assad and other Syrian officials beginning last Saturday.
Abbas's visit was billed at the time as an attempt by Abbas to shore up his political position within the PA due to the fact that his current term in office ends on January 9, 2009, and as part of his effort to reconcile his Fatah faction with the rival Hamas terrorist organization that took over complete control of Gaza in June 2007.
According to the PA source, the real purpose of Abbas's visit, however, was to deliver the secret letter, the knowledge of which was kept secret from the American Ambassador in Damascus and the members of Abbas's entourage. It was delivered personally by Abbas to Assad, said the source, who added that "the United States stressed the importance of this confidential letter outside the usual official channels."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman David Baker said in response to a call from Israel National News, "We have nothing to comment regarding that report."
Comment: The USA will initially dismiss this claim and say it is not true-it represents but one possibility as we, the USA, try to bring stability to this area. The USA is willing to give up our defense for the sake of a President's A Palestinian Authority (PA) source quoted in the report said Bush reportedly proposed "a quick and satisfactory solution" to Syria's dispute with Israel over the Golan Heights. The "solution" was to be finalized "within several weeks, before the U.S. presidential elections, in order to push the Middle East peace process, an achievement the president will be able to proudly present before leaving the White House in January," according to Cairo-based journalist Abdel-Wahab Al-Nasser.
The offer allegedly came in a letter sent via PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Damascus for meetings with Assad and other Syrian officials beginning last Saturday.
Abbas's visit was billed at the time as an attempt by Abbas to shore up his political position within the PA due to the fact that his current term in office ends on January 9, 2009, and as part of his effort to reconcile his Fatah faction with the rival Hamas terrorist organization that took over complete control of Gaza in June 2007.
According to the PA source, the real purpose of Abbas's visit, however, was to deliver the secret letter, the knowledge of which was kept secret from the American Ambassador in Damascus and the members of Abbas's entourage. It was delivered personally by Abbas to Assad, said the source, who added that "the United States stressed the importance of this confidential letter outside the usual official channels."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman David Baker said in response to a call from Israel National News, "We have nothing to comment regarding that report.
Comment: The USA will initially dismiss this as the truth-they will offer it is but one suggestion-they will say, but not mean, the USA will never force anything upon Israel when it comes to its security. do not be taken in by any of this rhetoric and become vigilant in support of the Golan.
The Rage That's Not On Your Front Page
Michelle Malkin
When a few unruly McCain-Palin supporters show their anger at campaign rallies, it's national news. It's an epidemic of "Weimar-like rage" and "violent escalation of rhetoric," according to New York Times columnist Frank Rich. It's the "re-emergence of the far right as a power in American politics," according to Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne. It's a mass movement of GOP crowds "gripped by insane rage," according to newly minted Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman. Too bad they don't give out global awards for the Blindest Eyes in Punditocracy. We've just hit a trifecta.
Are a few activists on the right getting out of hand? Probably. Between massive ACORN voter fraud, Bill Ayers' and Jeremiah Wright's unrepentant hatred of America, and John McCain's inability to nail Barack Obama on his longtime alliances with all of the above, conservatives have plenty to shout about these days.
But a couple of random catcallers do not a mob make. And there's an overflowing abundance of electoral rage on the left that won't make it onto your newspaper's front page.
Last month on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a small, brave contingent of McCain supporters marched through the streets with campaign signs. They were met by a menacing horde of New Yorkers who displayed their disapproval with a barrage of jeers and vulgar gestures. ("The number of middle fingers in the 'progressive crowd' is directly proportional to the number of Ph.D. degrees in the 10-block radius," one of the witnesses wryly observed.) A YouTube video of the confrontation now has nearly half a million views (www.youtube.com and search "Pro-McCain March in Manhattan"). But don't expect to find it on the nightly news. It doesn't fit the Angry Right narrative.
Neither does the near-riotous reaction of Obama supporters to a McCain-Palin sign in Democrat-dominated Prince George's County, Md. Buried in a back local section, The Washington Post reported this week that "pandemonium" broke loose when an unsuspecting businessman erected a "Country First. McCain/Palin." message on the marquee at his Colony South Hotel & Conference Center.
"Operators of neighborhood e-mail group lists cried foul to their memberships. The NAACP logged calls. Community leaders demanded boycotts of the hotel, a common venue for Democratic events," the little-noticed article reported. A black professor called the sign "a stink bomb in the middle of the living room" of Obama land. The poor hotel manager, Alan Vahabzadeh, surrendered. "I didn't even realize it was going to be like this."
Can't blame him for missing the fiery hint from Portland, Ore. -- where two deranged vandals were arrested after throwing a Molotov cocktail at a McCain yard sign in the middle of the night. Nope, that didn't make it into the columns of Rich, Dionne or Krugman. Doesn't fit the Angry Right narrative.
Speaking of "violent escalation of rhetoric" you never hear about:
Obama supporters in Philadelphia sported "Sarah Palin is a [disgusting vulgarism referring to female genitalia]" T-shirts and yelled, "Let's stone her, old school" over the weekend.
An Internet artist has designated Palin an "M.I.L.P." -- "Mother I'd Like to Punch" -- and published a drawing of a man's fist knocking a tooth out of the Alaska governor's mouth and the glasses off her face.
"ABORT Palin" graffiti has sprouted on the sidewalks of Seattle, and "Abort Sarah Palin" bumper stickers are spreading in Web stores.
-- Palin-bashing Madonna performs before an audience of thousands, screeching and threatening to "kick her a**."
-- Getty Images publishes a photo of a man pointing a fake gun at the head of a cardboard cutout of Palin on display at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition building.
And no one blinks. Not a peep from the Obamedia.
But when Palin simply spotlights Obama's longtime relationship with Weather Underground terrorist Bill "We Didn't Do Enough" Ayers?
"Inciting violence," frets NBC reporter Ron Allen. "Concerned for Sen. Obama's safety," agonizes ABC reporter Terry Moran. "Beyond the pale," cries Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. As if the no-holds-barred Obama campaign has ever had a rhetorical pale to stake.
All the world's a Kabuki stage for the selectively outraged over rage.
Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved
When a few unruly McCain-Palin supporters show their anger at campaign rallies, it's national news. It's an epidemic of "Weimar-like rage" and "violent escalation of rhetoric," according to New York Times columnist Frank Rich. It's the "re-emergence of the far right as a power in American politics," according to Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne. It's a mass movement of GOP crowds "gripped by insane rage," according to newly minted Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman. Too bad they don't give out global awards for the Blindest Eyes in Punditocracy. We've just hit a trifecta.
Are a few activists on the right getting out of hand? Probably. Between massive ACORN voter fraud, Bill Ayers' and Jeremiah Wright's unrepentant hatred of America, and John McCain's inability to nail Barack Obama on his longtime alliances with all of the above, conservatives have plenty to shout about these days.
But a couple of random catcallers do not a mob make. And there's an overflowing abundance of electoral rage on the left that won't make it onto your newspaper's front page.
Last month on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a small, brave contingent of McCain supporters marched through the streets with campaign signs. They were met by a menacing horde of New Yorkers who displayed their disapproval with a barrage of jeers and vulgar gestures. ("The number of middle fingers in the 'progressive crowd' is directly proportional to the number of Ph.D. degrees in the 10-block radius," one of the witnesses wryly observed.) A YouTube video of the confrontation now has nearly half a million views (www.youtube.com and search "Pro-McCain March in Manhattan"). But don't expect to find it on the nightly news. It doesn't fit the Angry Right narrative.
Neither does the near-riotous reaction of Obama supporters to a McCain-Palin sign in Democrat-dominated Prince George's County, Md. Buried in a back local section, The Washington Post reported this week that "pandemonium" broke loose when an unsuspecting businessman erected a "Country First. McCain/Palin." message on the marquee at his Colony South Hotel & Conference Center.
"Operators of neighborhood e-mail group lists cried foul to their memberships. The NAACP logged calls. Community leaders demanded boycotts of the hotel, a common venue for Democratic events," the little-noticed article reported. A black professor called the sign "a stink bomb in the middle of the living room" of Obama land. The poor hotel manager, Alan Vahabzadeh, surrendered. "I didn't even realize it was going to be like this."
Can't blame him for missing the fiery hint from Portland, Ore. -- where two deranged vandals were arrested after throwing a Molotov cocktail at a McCain yard sign in the middle of the night. Nope, that didn't make it into the columns of Rich, Dionne or Krugman. Doesn't fit the Angry Right narrative.
Speaking of "violent escalation of rhetoric" you never hear about:
Obama supporters in Philadelphia sported "Sarah Palin is a [disgusting vulgarism referring to female genitalia]" T-shirts and yelled, "Let's stone her, old school" over the weekend.
An Internet artist has designated Palin an "M.I.L.P." -- "Mother I'd Like to Punch" -- and published a drawing of a man's fist knocking a tooth out of the Alaska governor's mouth and the glasses off her face.
"ABORT Palin" graffiti has sprouted on the sidewalks of Seattle, and "Abort Sarah Palin" bumper stickers are spreading in Web stores.
-- Palin-bashing Madonna performs before an audience of thousands, screeching and threatening to "kick her a**."
-- Getty Images publishes a photo of a man pointing a fake gun at the head of a cardboard cutout of Palin on display at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition building.
And no one blinks. Not a peep from the Obamedia.
But when Palin simply spotlights Obama's longtime relationship with Weather Underground terrorist Bill "We Didn't Do Enough" Ayers?
"Inciting violence," frets NBC reporter Ron Allen. "Concerned for Sen. Obama's safety," agonizes ABC reporter Terry Moran. "Beyond the pale," cries Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. As if the no-holds-barred Obama campaign has ever had a rhetorical pale to stake.
All the world's a Kabuki stage for the selectively outraged over rage.
Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved
Hebron tunnel was loaded with explosives, weaponry
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST
Several hundred kilograms of explosives and weaponry were found in a tunnel that the IDF blew up in Hebron on Tuesday, The Jerusalem Post learned on Thursday.
The 150-meter-long tunnel was discovered by Palestinian Authority security forces on Monday and was immediately reported to the IDF, which sent an Engineering Corps force to destroy the structure.
IDF sources and defense officials said Tuesday that the tunnel had been found empty and that it was unclear what its purpose was. The Post learned on Thursday, however, that several hundred kilograms of explosives and arms were found in a branch of the tunnel and that the PA security forces confiscated it before informing the IDF of the discovery.
Despite several inquiries, it was unclear Thursday night why the IDF did not reveal this information.
While the army believes that dozens of tunnels have been dug under the border between Gaza and Egypt, the Hebron tunnel destroyed Tuesday - large enough for an average-sized person to stand fully erect inside - was the first of such size discovered in the West Bank.
On Tuesday, the IDF said the tunnel had not yet been completed. According to one source, it was far from both the city's Jewish enclave and the West Bank security barrier and therefore raised speculation regarding its purpose.
The tunnel was being dug in the general direction of Route 35 near Tarkumiya.
One possibility, a defense official said, was that Hamas had been digging the tunnel so its terrorists could move freely through the city without being detected by the IDF or Fatah.
Last year, the IDF uncovered tunnels in the Nablus marketplace, but none was so long or sophisticated.
Hebron Jewish community spokeswoman Orit Struck said Thursday she had heard about the weapons cache from the IDF earlier in the day.
They said "it was very worrisome," said Struck, adding that she was concerned but not surprised.
"We feel very threatened, and the danger from the Palestinians has not decreased. There are no peaceful intentions on the part of the Palestinians here," said Struck.
It is precisely because of discoveries such as this one that area settlers object so strenuously to the IDF plan to allow the deployment of a new battalion of some 700 Palestinian policemen in Hebron, Struck said.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017557522&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Caribbean crisis: several Israeli hostages released
Foreign Affairs Ministry confirms that several of the Israeli nationals being held by disgruntled Chinese laborers on isolated Caribbean island freed thanks to negotiations with local law enforcement
Anat Shalev and Roi Mandel
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday evening that the majority of the Israelis held hostage by Chinese laborers on West Caicos, several more remain on the small isolated island.
At present time it remains unclear how many Israelis were on the island, with some of the reports putting the number at 12 and others at 13. At present time it remains unclear how many Israelis were on the island, with some of the reports putting the number at 12 and others at 13.
The hostages were freed following several hours of negotiations between the hostage-takers and local police. Israeli and British diplomats stationed in the Caribbean began working towards resolving the crisis after news of the developing situation was first reported by Ynet in the early afternoon.
One of the 'captive' Israelis spoke with Ynet after his release: "Right now there are six Israelis trapped in a room with the Chinese – and the other six, myself among them, are sitting here in a stationary boat in the marina. There are guys form an unarmed security firm here, and 10 more armed men who are making sure the Chinese don't get to where we are. We're waiting for the other Israelis to be let go so we can leave. The authorities are trying to negotiate with (the Chinese) and get them what they want."
Israel's ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Amos Radian, spoke with Ynet following their release: "In all there were over 10 Israelis on the island, along with four Romanians and three Indians. In all 14 people were let go and six remained. Most of the Israelis were released."
The ambassador said that the negotiations were conducted by local law enforcement officials and a security firm. "To the best of my knowledge some of the payments have already been transferred to them. The authorities here have assured me that none of the hostages are in danger. I believe that in the coming hours the other six will also be released."
The Israelis are employees of the Ashtrom Engineering and Construction firm, which employed the 300 Chinese laborers for a large tourism project. The venture, however, was put on hold due to the collapse of an American.
The laborers had refused to release the hostages until they receive the money promised to them by the Chinese manpower company that hired them for the project. A representative from Ashtrom told Ynet that the company has decided to pay the laborers the full amount demanded.
"The company has decided to pay the Chinese laborers everything, even the money we don't owe them but that the Chinese manpower firm charged them in return for sending them here – just to bring this situation to an end," said an Ashtrom representative, adding that the process was complex and was taking some time.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Narrow Govt Could Bring Shas
Aryeh Haffner
Chairman of the Kadima party and Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni held a meeting Thursday afternoon in Jerusalem with Chairman of the Sephardic religious Shas party Eli Yishai about Shas joining the coalition.
"The eyes of nearly a million children are lifted to Shas… That's not just a [campaign slogan].
Political analysts estimate that Prime Minister-designate Livni is working to form a narrow coalition with the far-left Meretz party and the hareidi-religious United Torah Judaism (UTJ) faction in order to pressure the Sephardic religious Shas party into becoming more flexible in its demands. Though the Sephardic religious Shas party does belong to the current coalition, Shas has predicated its participation in the coalition Livni now is forming on a return of previously slashed stipends to families blessed with many children, and a promise not to divide Jerusalem with in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
Shas Minister of Religious Services Yitzchak Cohen Thursday morning told Israeli media that Shas will not give in on its demands easily. "The eyes of nearly a million children are lifted to Shas… That's not just a [campaign slogan]. Since 2003 those children have been pushed deep, deep, below the poverty level."
Once a narrow coalition would be in place, however, Shas's bargaining position would be much weakened.
At about the same time Thursday morning representatives of Livni's Kadima party and the far-left Meretz party met in Tel Aviv to negotiate Meretz's joining the coalition. One central issue is Meretz's opposition to Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann being a member of the government. Another issue is the Meretz demand for at least one portfolio in the would-be government that might form with its assistance. IDF Army Radio reported after the meeting that Meretz also demanded a chairmanship of a Knesset committee.
Also at the same time, Kadima runner-up for the party leadership Minister Shaul Mofaz called Shas party Chairman Eli Yishai and invited him to bring Shas into the coalition.
Such a narrow coalition could form. MK (UTJ) Avraham Ravitz quickly dispelled claims that one of the Torah Sages to whose advice UTJ conforms had forbidden the hareidi-religious party to sit in a government led by a woman. Ravitz Thursday morning denied that rabbinic advisor to UTJ Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv had ruled that it would be "difficult" to sit in a government led by a woman.
MK Ravitz said, "Rav Elyashiv is accompanying us… He knows that we are conducting negotiations with the head of Kadima, he knows that she is a woman, and he did not forbid us from doing the thing. "We made our requests. To the extent that we are answered, even partially, we do see a place [for us in the government]. Why shouldn't we join the government?"
Indeed, if UTJ does join, that might mean Shas's demands would be met as well. Chairman of the UTJ Knesset faction Yaakov Litzman Thursday morning said that his party's stipulations for joining the now-forming coalition are "identical" to those of the Sephardic religious Shas party, and therefore if a coalition deal can be reached with UTJ there is no reason why Shas would not also join the coalition.
He called the Kadima negotiating efforts to bring in UTJ but not Shas some sort of a "targil" ("exercise" in Hebrew) or trick, since the conditions set by both parties are basically the same. Both are calling for a return to higher subsidies to large families.
Committee on the Present Danger: Letter to Sec. Rice
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Department of State
2201 C St. NW
Washington D.C. 20520
The Honorable Ryan Crocker
Department of State
2201 C St. NW
Washington D.C. 20520
Dear Secretary Rice and Ambassador Crocker:
We, the undersigned members of the Committee on the Present Danger (which seeks to stiffen American resolve to confront terrorism and the ideologies that drive it), wish to express our distress and concern over the Iraq Council of Representatives’ mistreatment of Mithal al-Alusi, leader of the Democratic Party of the Iraqi Nation, and to urge you to condemn its action in the strongest terms
For the “crime” of visiting Israel to attend a conference on counter-terrorism – at a time when both Iraq and Israel are attempting to defend themselves from terrorists – Iraq’s parliament stripped Mr. al-Alusi of his parliamentary immunity, cut the salaries of his security staff, and allowed for his prosecution under a 1950s-era law that would make conviction prosecutable by death.
As Iraq joins the community of democracies, the American people and our government should expect it to act like a free nation. It should not persecute nor prosecute its citizens for having done nothing more than visit a neighboring country and attend a conference to discuss the plague of terrorism – a conference attended by representatives of more than 50 nations. What's more, there is no reason for Iraq to regard Israel as an enemy; nor is it in the interest of the United States for it to do so.
Over the years, belligerence between Iraq and Iran has proved far costlier in human life than that between Iraq and Israel. Iraq suffered some 375,000 casualties from its 1980-88 war with Iran. Iran’s intervention in Iraq in recent years, and its support of extremist militias, has cost both Iraqi and American lives. Yet Iraq’s parliament would not consider stripping the immunity of a member who visits Iran.
Mr. al-Alusi has suffered a great deal for his courage. In late 2004, he attended another conference in Israel and was soon threatened by terrorist groups and Iraq’s own intelligence services. In early 2005, his car was attacked by gunmen – two of his sons were murdered in the assault.
Mr. al-Alusi is not alone among Iraqi politicians in suffering for not treating Israel as its enemy. In July of this year, Iraq’s parliamentarians called on the nation’s president, Jalal Talabani, to resign after he shook hands with Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, in Greece.
Mr. al-Alusi – and all Iraqi citizens, not least members of its parliament – should be free to travel to any country unless such travel is formally banned under law.
(2)
We urge you to express your concern in the strongest possible terms, and to ask that the Council of Representatives immediately rescind its rash decision to strip Mr. al-Alusi of his parliamentary immunity; it also should restore full salaries to all members of his security staff, and protect him from prosecution, persecution, and terrorism.
Sincerely,
The Honorable George Shultz The Honorable R. James Woolsey
Co-Chair Co-Chair
Debra Burlingame Jack David
Jeffrey Gayner Farid N. Ghadry
Lawrence J. Haas Peter Hannaford
The Honorable Jerome M. Hauer Peter R. Huessy
Phyllis Kaminsky Robert J. Lieber
Clifford D. May Andrew McCarthy
The Honorable Robert C. McFarlane Chet Nagle
The Honorable Mark Palmer Robert L. Pfaltzgraff
David Pryce-Jones The Honorable Peter R. Rosenblatt
The Honorable Richard Schifter Ken Schwartz
Max Singer, J.D. The Honorable Stephen J. Solarz
James Strock Raymond J. Tanter
Arnold S. Trebach , J.D., Ph.D. Robert F. Turner, S.J.D.
William R. Van Cleave, Ph.D. Francisco R. Wong-Diaz, Ph.D., Esq.
Moshe Yaalon James G. Zumwalt
Department of State
2201 C St. NW
Washington D.C. 20520
The Honorable Ryan Crocker
Department of State
2201 C St. NW
Washington D.C. 20520
Dear Secretary Rice and Ambassador Crocker:
We, the undersigned members of the Committee on the Present Danger (which seeks to stiffen American resolve to confront terrorism and the ideologies that drive it), wish to express our distress and concern over the Iraq Council of Representatives’ mistreatment of Mithal al-Alusi, leader of the Democratic Party of the Iraqi Nation, and to urge you to condemn its action in the strongest terms
For the “crime” of visiting Israel to attend a conference on counter-terrorism – at a time when both Iraq and Israel are attempting to defend themselves from terrorists – Iraq’s parliament stripped Mr. al-Alusi of his parliamentary immunity, cut the salaries of his security staff, and allowed for his prosecution under a 1950s-era law that would make conviction prosecutable by death.
As Iraq joins the community of democracies, the American people and our government should expect it to act like a free nation. It should not persecute nor prosecute its citizens for having done nothing more than visit a neighboring country and attend a conference to discuss the plague of terrorism – a conference attended by representatives of more than 50 nations. What's more, there is no reason for Iraq to regard Israel as an enemy; nor is it in the interest of the United States for it to do so.
Over the years, belligerence between Iraq and Iran has proved far costlier in human life than that between Iraq and Israel. Iraq suffered some 375,000 casualties from its 1980-88 war with Iran. Iran’s intervention in Iraq in recent years, and its support of extremist militias, has cost both Iraqi and American lives. Yet Iraq’s parliament would not consider stripping the immunity of a member who visits Iran.
Mr. al-Alusi has suffered a great deal for his courage. In late 2004, he attended another conference in Israel and was soon threatened by terrorist groups and Iraq’s own intelligence services. In early 2005, his car was attacked by gunmen – two of his sons were murdered in the assault.
Mr. al-Alusi is not alone among Iraqi politicians in suffering for not treating Israel as its enemy. In July of this year, Iraq’s parliamentarians called on the nation’s president, Jalal Talabani, to resign after he shook hands with Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, in Greece.
Mr. al-Alusi – and all Iraqi citizens, not least members of its parliament – should be free to travel to any country unless such travel is formally banned under law.
(2)
We urge you to express your concern in the strongest possible terms, and to ask that the Council of Representatives immediately rescind its rash decision to strip Mr. al-Alusi of his parliamentary immunity; it also should restore full salaries to all members of his security staff, and protect him from prosecution, persecution, and terrorism.
Sincerely,
The Honorable George Shultz The Honorable R. James Woolsey
Co-Chair Co-Chair
Debra Burlingame Jack David
Jeffrey Gayner Farid N. Ghadry
Lawrence J. Haas Peter Hannaford
The Honorable Jerome M. Hauer Peter R. Huessy
Phyllis Kaminsky Robert J. Lieber
Clifford D. May Andrew McCarthy
The Honorable Robert C. McFarlane Chet Nagle
The Honorable Mark Palmer Robert L. Pfaltzgraff
David Pryce-Jones The Honorable Peter R. Rosenblatt
The Honorable Richard Schifter Ken Schwartz
Max Singer, J.D. The Honorable Stephen J. Solarz
James Strock Raymond J. Tanter
Arnold S. Trebach , J.D., Ph.D. Robert F. Turner, S.J.D.
William R. Van Cleave, Ph.D. Francisco R. Wong-Diaz, Ph.D., Esq.
Moshe Yaalon James G. Zumwalt
Israel to acceptHamas list
Official involved in talks for Gilad Shalit's release says bone of contention between Jewish state, Palestinian group will only be a small number of names on list of prisoners Hamas wants freed
Ali Waked
Israel will become much more flexible in regards to the list of prisoners Hamas wants freed, a source involved in the negotiations for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit told Ynet on Thursday. According to the source, several days after a visit to Cairo by Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad, the Israeli side gave the impression that it plans to exercise flexibility over the prisoners' list and that the bone of contention between Hamas and Israel will eventually revolve around a small number of names included in the list.
Meanwhile, a senior Palestinian source told the Saudi newspaper Okaz that Amos Gilad expressed Israel's willingness to release all the prisoners on the lists submitted by Hamas.
According to the source, the goal of the Israeli delegation to Egypt was to ensure that Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian factions holding Shalit have not toughened their conditions for the negotiations.
The official involved in the negotiations said that the fact that Gilad will likely also be in charge of the Shalit negotiations – in addition to the truce issues and matters related to Hamas and the Gaza Strip – will help advance things, as Hamas wants the Shalit issue solved as part of all of its demands in regards to the Strip.
The source estimated that Hamas members and other organization members who carried out terror attacks and were sentenced to long prison terms, including some who received consecutive life terms, will be freed as part of the deal.
"The Israeli side made an important move in approving half of the list of prisoners demanded by Hamas, but the Israelis understand that this is not enough," said the officials.
"If they wish to see Shalit released, the list must be much more generous," he added.
"One of the formulas being considered is increasing the number of prisoners in exchange for Hamas conceding prisoners which will be vetoed by Israel. We are talking about an extremely limited number of names," the source said.
'Israel will have to live with Fatah-Hamas cabinet'
The official added that in recent months, the Shalit issue has become a significant part of the internal Palestinian conflict between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas.
"Today Hamas first of all demands the release of all of its parliament members jailed in Israel. The problem is that their release could cause trouble for Abbas," the source said, noting that this could help Hamas declare Abbas' reign illegal at the beginning of 2009.
"Israel has a problem. On the one hand, the release of these people is needed for the completion of the Shalit deal, but on the other hand, the release will greatly weaken and critically harm Abbas, (Palestinian Prime Minister) Fayyad and the Palestinian Authority," he said.
The source estimated that this would make Israel change its stance in regards to an intra-Palestinian reconciliation.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has threatened that the establishment of a unity government between Abbas and Hamas will bring the Israel-PA negotiations to a halt, but according to the source, "Israel has no other choice but to accept the inter-Palestinian reconciliation.
"If Israel is really interested in seeing Shalit released, this would mean living with a government co-led by Hamas."
Hamas members have recently said they would accept most of Abbas' conditions for a reconciliation, which include waiving the control over the Gaza Strip in return for taking part in the joint formation of security organizations in Gaza and the West Bank – and in particular in exchange for a commitment by Abbas to let Hamas be a full partner in the PLO and its institutions, a condition the Palestinian president finds it difficult to agree to.
It should be noted that the agreements between Israel and the Palestinians were signed between the Israeli government and the PLO, not between the Israeli government and the PA.
Gilad Shalit was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip 844 days ago.
Roee Nahmias contributed to this report
Meretz 'optimistic' after coalition talks with Livni
Party chairman says meeting with Kadima prime minister designate in her Tel Aviv home positive, sees 'a mutual interest to have Meretz in the government.' Meanwhile meeting with Shas postponed
Attila Somfalvi
After Labor and before the ultra-Orthodox parties – is Meretz headed for the coalition?
Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni sat down with Meretz Chairman Chaim Oron for a private two-hour meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the possibility of bringing the latter's left-wing party into a government under Livni, the prime minister designate and minister of foreign affairs MK Oron described the meeting as positive, and the two have arranged for their respective party negotiators to meet on Thursday morning that the Foreign Affairs Ministry offices in Tel Aviv for talks.
Oron said Livni appears interested in having Meretz join Labor in her fledgling coalition. The private meeting between the two touched on the issues Meretz has conditioned its loyalty on. "The meeting went well and I'd say I'm optimistic. There's a mutual interest to have Meretz in the government," said Oron.
Livni greeting guests at her sukkah (Photo: Eli Uzi)
In September Meretz said it "would not sit in a coalition that would just be playing for time. We'd demand the advancement of a peace process with Syria and the Palestinians; for (the coalition) to address the economic crisis, which could be grave, in accordance with our outlook; and a comprehensive change on the previous government's policies in regards to law enforcement and the attempts against the judicial branch."
Kadima has thus far signed a coalition agreement only with Labor, which has 19 MKs. Kadima itself has 29. Livni must now bring in an additional 13 MKs to form a steady government – however Meretz would bring with it only five MKs.
Livni will run out of the initial 28 days allotted to her to form a government early next week. President Shimon Peres tasked her to do so on September 22nd, after she narrowly defeated Minister Shaul Mofaz to succeed resigning Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Livni is also pursuing ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism. She initially sought to meet with Shas Chairman Eli Yishai later Wednesday night, but the latter was forced to cancel while already en
route to her home due to personal reasons. The main point of contention for Shas remains the issue of increasing welfare stipends for children.
Kadima negotiators, who sat with members of United Torah Judaism in Jerusalem earlier on Wednesday for a three-hour meeting, said they believed an agreement could be signed with UTJ even before Shas. Kadima and UTJ representatives are scheduled to meet again over the coming days.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Region: Why the Middle East is sick
Barry Rubin , THE JERUSALEM POST
We now have the perfect metaphor for the Middle East's political situation. In Egypt, a little boy with cystic fibrosis badly needs a certain medicine. Unfortunately for him, that drug is only produced in Israel, and Egypt's health ministry won't let it be imported.
Unless one understands how this story typifies the region, it's impossible to understand the Middle East. Let's remember that Egypt has been at peace with Israel for over 30 years, and that, nevertheless, its government still does much to boycott, not to mention demonize, the Jewish state. By constantly pursuing a hate-Israel campaign, it stokes an atmosphere of hatred and extremism which also gives ammunition to the Muslim Brotherhood that seeks to turn Egypt into a war-oriented, totalitarian Islamist state.
So tightly controlled is the Egyptian media, so extraordinary the Israelphobia, that the English-language Cairo paper Al-Ahram was considered courageous even to mention the sick boy's family's effort to obtain the Israeli-invented medicine.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian wrote recently: "Admission into [a] state-run hospital is likely to cost one his life." This came shortly after a scandal involving a top ruling-party politician who was discovered selling tainted transfusion blood.
Arab countries cannot develop medicines and hi-tech advances precisely because they are too busy using up the resources for battles against various fantasy enemies of Allah.
SOME YEARS ago, a US official told me about funds that had been offered Egyptian officials to implement a program dealing with Red Sea pollution. But the project involved cooperation with Israel. The official was told that anything helping Israel was unacceptable, no matter how much good it might do Egypt.
In pursuit of its vendetta against Israel and the West, the Arab world is committing suicide - not only the individual suicide of the terrorist, but the suicide of entire societies. On a daily basis, this means rejecting the reforms those societies need. In the long run, it means risking takeover by radical Islamists.
The rest of the world, finding such talk incomprehensible, either thinks it's meaningless jabber, or ignores it altogether. Surely the problem must stem from addressable grievances, fixable misunderstandings and emotional exaggeration? Unfortunately, this is all nonsense.
What's the effective voice in the region? Not the "peace process" concept used in talking with the West, but the "resistance" concept, used in talking among themselves.
Even in countries with genuinely moderate governments, no official or state-controlled newspaper (and very few intellectuals) dare say: Israel is not an enemy; America is a friend; the true struggle is to raise living standards and promote freedom. This is as true at 2008's end as it was in 1998, 1988, 1978, 1968 and 1958.
When asked in a recent poll about their feelings toward al-Qaida, 60% of Egyptians answered "positive" or "mixed." The "positives" no doubt think al-Qaida is right and international terrorism is the best - probably only - way to deal with Israel and the West, no matter what the consequences. The "mixed" have reservations about methods, but believe al-Qaida's fundamental world view is accurate.
Analyzing the poll, analyst Doug Miller said such results were "yet another indicator that the US 'war on terror' is not winning hearts and minds."
Yet the fault lies not with America but with the rulers, journalists, clerics, educators and intellectuals in the Arabic-speaking world. The poll's results are yet another indicator that the war on democracy and moderation is what's winning hearts and minds.
Those defending the status quo mobilize the masses on its behalf, diverting them against foreign devils rather than domestic dissatisfactions. Those seeking revolution stir the masses into bloody upheaval against the status quo. The former ride the tiger; the latter want to set the tiger on its historic masters.
How can the United States possibly tame a tiger trained and owned by others who both whip and feed it daily?
WHAT DOES it matter if Arab notables speak soothingly at diplomatic parties or in Western media interviews while millions at home are inundated by a very different message? Even if the tie-and-suit, polished-manners crowd are sincere, they dare not say the same thing to their people that they whisper into the ears of gullible foreigners.
Here's a more typical rhetoric - coming from Hamas member of parliament Fathi Hammad on al-Aksa television, September 7:
"The approaching victory… is not limited to Palestine. You are creating the ethos of victory for all Arabs and Muslims, and Allah willing, even on the global level. Why? Because Allah has chosen you to fight the people he hates most - the Jews." (MEMRI translation)
Nowadays one can even say this kind of thing in front of the UN General Assembly, as Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did recently, to tumultuous applause. The clapping drowned out his regime's appalling internal repression and economic failures.
It works. This is how Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks to his subjects. And while Egypt's president and Jordan's king personally detest such ravings, they pay the ravers' salaries.
Is Arab victory approaching? Well, no. But this kind of talk has kept the suckers in line for 60 years now. It's just so useful for rulers and revolutionaries.
The younger generation has already been thoroughly indoctrinated. Yet its victory will be as great as that of the little boy (involuntarily) doing his patriotic and religious "duty" by going without the medicine he needs.
The writer is director of Global Research in International Affairs Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017520759&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
We now have the perfect metaphor for the Middle East's political situation. In Egypt, a little boy with cystic fibrosis badly needs a certain medicine. Unfortunately for him, that drug is only produced in Israel, and Egypt's health ministry won't let it be imported.
Unless one understands how this story typifies the region, it's impossible to understand the Middle East. Let's remember that Egypt has been at peace with Israel for over 30 years, and that, nevertheless, its government still does much to boycott, not to mention demonize, the Jewish state. By constantly pursuing a hate-Israel campaign, it stokes an atmosphere of hatred and extremism which also gives ammunition to the Muslim Brotherhood that seeks to turn Egypt into a war-oriented, totalitarian Islamist state.
So tightly controlled is the Egyptian media, so extraordinary the Israelphobia, that the English-language Cairo paper Al-Ahram was considered courageous even to mention the sick boy's family's effort to obtain the Israeli-invented medicine.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian wrote recently: "Admission into [a] state-run hospital is likely to cost one his life." This came shortly after a scandal involving a top ruling-party politician who was discovered selling tainted transfusion blood.
Arab countries cannot develop medicines and hi-tech advances precisely because they are too busy using up the resources for battles against various fantasy enemies of Allah.
SOME YEARS ago, a US official told me about funds that had been offered Egyptian officials to implement a program dealing with Red Sea pollution. But the project involved cooperation with Israel. The official was told that anything helping Israel was unacceptable, no matter how much good it might do Egypt.
In pursuit of its vendetta against Israel and the West, the Arab world is committing suicide - not only the individual suicide of the terrorist, but the suicide of entire societies. On a daily basis, this means rejecting the reforms those societies need. In the long run, it means risking takeover by radical Islamists.
The rest of the world, finding such talk incomprehensible, either thinks it's meaningless jabber, or ignores it altogether. Surely the problem must stem from addressable grievances, fixable misunderstandings and emotional exaggeration? Unfortunately, this is all nonsense.
What's the effective voice in the region? Not the "peace process" concept used in talking with the West, but the "resistance" concept, used in talking among themselves.
Even in countries with genuinely moderate governments, no official or state-controlled newspaper (and very few intellectuals) dare say: Israel is not an enemy; America is a friend; the true struggle is to raise living standards and promote freedom. This is as true at 2008's end as it was in 1998, 1988, 1978, 1968 and 1958.
When asked in a recent poll about their feelings toward al-Qaida, 60% of Egyptians answered "positive" or "mixed." The "positives" no doubt think al-Qaida is right and international terrorism is the best - probably only - way to deal with Israel and the West, no matter what the consequences. The "mixed" have reservations about methods, but believe al-Qaida's fundamental world view is accurate.
Analyzing the poll, analyst Doug Miller said such results were "yet another indicator that the US 'war on terror' is not winning hearts and minds."
Yet the fault lies not with America but with the rulers, journalists, clerics, educators and intellectuals in the Arabic-speaking world. The poll's results are yet another indicator that the war on democracy and moderation is what's winning hearts and minds.
Those defending the status quo mobilize the masses on its behalf, diverting them against foreign devils rather than domestic dissatisfactions. Those seeking revolution stir the masses into bloody upheaval against the status quo. The former ride the tiger; the latter want to set the tiger on its historic masters.
How can the United States possibly tame a tiger trained and owned by others who both whip and feed it daily?
WHAT DOES it matter if Arab notables speak soothingly at diplomatic parties or in Western media interviews while millions at home are inundated by a very different message? Even if the tie-and-suit, polished-manners crowd are sincere, they dare not say the same thing to their people that they whisper into the ears of gullible foreigners.
Here's a more typical rhetoric - coming from Hamas member of parliament Fathi Hammad on al-Aksa television, September 7:
"The approaching victory… is not limited to Palestine. You are creating the ethos of victory for all Arabs and Muslims, and Allah willing, even on the global level. Why? Because Allah has chosen you to fight the people he hates most - the Jews." (MEMRI translation)
Nowadays one can even say this kind of thing in front of the UN General Assembly, as Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did recently, to tumultuous applause. The clapping drowned out his regime's appalling internal repression and economic failures.
It works. This is how Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks to his subjects. And while Egypt's president and Jordan's king personally detest such ravings, they pay the ravers' salaries.
Is Arab victory approaching? Well, no. But this kind of talk has kept the suckers in line for 60 years now. It's just so useful for rulers and revolutionaries.
The younger generation has already been thoroughly indoctrinated. Yet its victory will be as great as that of the little boy (involuntarily) doing his patriotic and religious "duty" by going without the medicine he needs.
The writer is director of Global Research in International Affairs Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017520759&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Livni May Face Elections
Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Shas and leading Labor and Kadima Knesset Members have sharply criticized Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni's pre-Sukkot deal with Labor chairman Ehud Barak, lessening the likelihood she will be able to form a government before her deadline runs out November 3. Barak, who serves as Defense Minister but is not an MK, put his initials on an agreement with Foreign Minister Livni shortly before the Sukkot holiday. The deal gave him the power to veto proposals on changes in the judicial system as well as other items on the Cabinet agenda, a power that severely upset Shas.
Shas sources said the agreement, which has not been ratified by the Labor and Kadima parties, essentially allows Barak to force his views on the government. Shas is holding out for increases in outlays for large families and for a promise that Jerusalem will not be divided in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
MK Tzachi HaNegbi, a key Kadima MK, predicted Wednesday morning that elections will be held if Shas does not join a government coalition.
The worldwide economic crisis has shrunk the forecast for Israel economic growth and government income, tossing a monkey wrench into demands from Shas and other parties for increased government spending.
Livni already has offered more than $100 million for grants to large families, a proposal Shas turned down. Demands by Shas and Labor will cost more than half a billion dollars, and Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On (Kadima), a key Livni supporter, has balked at bloating the proposed 2009 budget.
Livni probably will have to ask President Shimon Peres next week for a two-week extension on the deadline to establish a coalition government and replace Ehud Olmert as Prime Minister. The final deadline is November 3, when President Peres will be forced to ask another party to form a government, an unlikely possibility, or order new elections.
Likud chairman and former Prime Minister Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu has categorically rejected Livni's appeals that he join a national unity government. He has talked with Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in an attempt to convince the Sephardic religious to push for elections.
"At this time we need a government that will bolster Israel's economy and protect Jerusalem… This government cannot do that, and therefore there must be an election," he told the rabbi.
The chances of Livni leaving Shas out of a coalition and going with a government that would include Meretz appear slim. Kadima MK Zev Elkin said that several Kadima MKs would oppose it. "If Livni forms a government with only the Left, it will have no right to exist," he said.
A courageous rabbi talks to the Catholic synod
Isi Leibler
October 15, 2008
Haifa Chief Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen recently became the first Jew to address a synod of bishops at the Vatican. He did so with dignity and diplomacy, and unlike many Jews engaged in interfaith activity, he courageously raised issues that would not have endeared him to his audience.
The achievement of constructive goals in our interfaith activities is frequently undermined by internal handicaps. Many Jewish lay representatives active in the field are ignorant of their own religious heritage and thus incapable of presenting an authentic Jewish position. On the other hand, some rabbis are insufficiently experienced with the world to be able to effectively participate in interfaith encounters. Another problem is that many lay Jewish activists are tempted to regard access to Christian or Muslim groups as an end in itself. They fail to appreciate that sharing platforms and obtaining photo opportunities can be counterproductive if it imposes an obligation to remain silent on "sensitive" issues so as not to "destabilize the relationship."
Cohen was not burdened by such handicaps when he addressed Pope Benedict XVI and a gathering of 253 cardinals, archbishops and bishops. He conveyed to them the meaning of Torah for Jews and also expressed the hope that after such a long and painful history of "blood and tears," his presence at such a gathering was a "signal of hope and love for generations to come." Yet instead of basking in his glory, he diplomatically but forcefully raised the most sensitive issue on the Catholic-Jewish agenda.
Over the past half century, the role of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust has been the subject of bitter controversy. Jewish and other critics have accused him of failing to speak out against the murder of the Jews. They maintain that his silence provided international legitimacy to the Nazis. His critics allege that he was motivated by fear of communism, cowardice and even outright anti-Semitism. Others who say that they have not yet made up their minds on the controversy nonetheless criticize the Vatican for denying independent scholars access to the archives which could shed additional light on the issue.
The prevailing Jewish view is reflected at Yad Vashem by a terse caption under the image of Pope Pius which states: "Even when reports about the murder of Jews reached the Vatican, the pope did not protest either verbally or in writing. In December 1942, he abstained from signing the Allied declaration condemning the extermination of the Jews. When the Jews were deported from Rome to Auschwitz, the pope did not intervene."
The defenders of Pope Pius XII, including the current pope, bitterly refute the allegation that he was anti-Semitic, insisting that he "worked secretly and relentlessly trying to save as many Jews as possible." At a solemn Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on October 8 to mark the 50th anniversary of Pius's death, Pope Benedict promoted his beatification and rejected all allegations that he had ever acted improperly, insisting that Pius had done all possible to halt the murders.
Clearly the Vatican is determined to proceed with the beatification. Although most Jews remain convinced that Pius was guilty, at the very least of the sin of silence in the face of evil, some Jewish interfaith leaders have recently tended to soft-pedal this issue. They fear that continued public expression of the Jewish position could lead to a breakdown in the positive Jewish-Catholic relationship initiated during the term of Pope John XXIII and followed by his successors. Some also insist that we should not be involved in what is unquestionably an internal matter for the Church to resolve. The International Jewish Commission on Interdenominational Consultations had already agreed not to raise the subject when it meets the pope next month - although that may now change.
It is into this maelstrom that Cohen raised this sensitive issue. Many Jews being honored as he was by the Church would have taken the less hazardous path of avoiding controversy. But Cohen has a track record of courageously expressing his views and refusing to bury his head in the sand. Clearly, he has no interest in meddling in the internal affairs of the Church. But he does have a sense of history and feels that for the record, even if Catholics proceed on the path to beatification, Jews are obliged to make their voices heard on such a burning issue.
Cohen also maintains that if our reconciliation with the Catholic Church is truly meaningful, it should understand the depth of our feelings on such a matter and not take offense or permit such expressions to inhibit ongoing good relations.
It was at a press conference preceding his synod address that Cohen dropped the bombshell, informing journalists that he may not have accepted the invitation had he been aware that the meeting of the synod to which he had been invited coincided with ceremonies honoring Pope Pius XII on the 50th anniversary of his death. He said that Pope Pius "should not be seen as a model and should not be beatified because he did not raise his voice against the Holocaust. He did not speak, either because he was afraid or for other personal reasons."
When he formally addressed the synod, Cohen never explicitly referred to Pope Pius XII by name, although it was obvious to whom he was relating. In the most diplomatic manner, he told the synod that most Jews, especially survivors, felt that the pope had failed to condemn the Holocaust. "He may have helped many of those suffering in secrecy, but the question is, could he have raised his voice and would it have helped or not? Only God can answer that. But I have to make it very clear that we, the rabbis, the leadership of the Jewish people, must take account of the feelings of the deceased and cannot simply say we forgive or we forget. It pains us but we cannot endorse that such a leader of the Church now be honored."
He also urged the synod, as religious leaders, to actively condemn Iranian President's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's obscene call for Israel's destruction. "The problem during World War II was that people did not believe what Hitler was saying. Unfortunately", he said, "we had the Holocaust, and we are pained when we remember that not enough was done by the leadership of world religions and other powerful leaders to stop it then. We expect them to do so today. My being here makes me feel that we can expect your help, and I am sure your message will be listened to by influential people all over the world."
Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen is a remarkable spiritual leader, a great scholar and an authentic voice of national religious Jews that is rarely heard. He is admired and respected by all religious groups, including the haredim. Would that we were blessed with more rabbis of such caliber and outlook.
ileibler@netvision.net.il
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017531668&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen: A Rabbinical Role Model
Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen was born in 1927, the eighteenth descendant in a family of Rabbis. He studied at Mercaz Harav and became close to the famous Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. He served in the Haganah and fought with Etzel in Jerusalem in the War of Independence, where he was wounded and became a prisoner of war of the Jordanians.
Subsequently, he founded the Ariel Institute in Jerusalem for the ordination of local and overseas Rabbis. He became Chief Rabbi of Haifa in 1975 and has earned the affection and admiration of all sections of the community, including secular Jews and Arabs.
There is a gentleness and compassion about Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen which is rarely evident amongst his peers. It manifests itself in the manner in which he strives to find Halachic solutions to difficult personal problems, in contrast to those who display their piety by applying the most stringent interpretations. It is also reflected in his approach to contemporary Jewish religious challenges such as conversion, Shmita, divorce and other halachic issues, where without compromising fundamentals, he always strives to harmonize Halacha with the requirements of a modern state.
Being a close personal friend of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, he personally pleaded with him ,unsuccessfully, not to proceed with the unilateral disengagement. Later he bitterly condemned the act saying "I cannot consider an act crueler and more evil than what the government of Israel did in Gush Katif"
Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen represents the best of those religious Zionists who helped to mould a generation of youngsters committed to religious observance as well as being willing to take upon themselves the sacrifices required to defend their state. Rabbi Cohen has also always sought to achieve an accommodation with non observant and promotes the maintenance of a tolerant society. He has said on numerous occasions "I don't divide Jews into secular and religious. To me they are all Jews".
Original article available at: http://www.leibler.com/article/367
October 15, 2008
Haifa Chief Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen recently became the first Jew to address a synod of bishops at the Vatican. He did so with dignity and diplomacy, and unlike many Jews engaged in interfaith activity, he courageously raised issues that would not have endeared him to his audience.
The achievement of constructive goals in our interfaith activities is frequently undermined by internal handicaps. Many Jewish lay representatives active in the field are ignorant of their own religious heritage and thus incapable of presenting an authentic Jewish position. On the other hand, some rabbis are insufficiently experienced with the world to be able to effectively participate in interfaith encounters. Another problem is that many lay Jewish activists are tempted to regard access to Christian or Muslim groups as an end in itself. They fail to appreciate that sharing platforms and obtaining photo opportunities can be counterproductive if it imposes an obligation to remain silent on "sensitive" issues so as not to "destabilize the relationship."
Cohen was not burdened by such handicaps when he addressed Pope Benedict XVI and a gathering of 253 cardinals, archbishops and bishops. He conveyed to them the meaning of Torah for Jews and also expressed the hope that after such a long and painful history of "blood and tears," his presence at such a gathering was a "signal of hope and love for generations to come." Yet instead of basking in his glory, he diplomatically but forcefully raised the most sensitive issue on the Catholic-Jewish agenda.
Over the past half century, the role of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust has been the subject of bitter controversy. Jewish and other critics have accused him of failing to speak out against the murder of the Jews. They maintain that his silence provided international legitimacy to the Nazis. His critics allege that he was motivated by fear of communism, cowardice and even outright anti-Semitism. Others who say that they have not yet made up their minds on the controversy nonetheless criticize the Vatican for denying independent scholars access to the archives which could shed additional light on the issue.
The prevailing Jewish view is reflected at Yad Vashem by a terse caption under the image of Pope Pius which states: "Even when reports about the murder of Jews reached the Vatican, the pope did not protest either verbally or in writing. In December 1942, he abstained from signing the Allied declaration condemning the extermination of the Jews. When the Jews were deported from Rome to Auschwitz, the pope did not intervene."
The defenders of Pope Pius XII, including the current pope, bitterly refute the allegation that he was anti-Semitic, insisting that he "worked secretly and relentlessly trying to save as many Jews as possible." At a solemn Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on October 8 to mark the 50th anniversary of Pius's death, Pope Benedict promoted his beatification and rejected all allegations that he had ever acted improperly, insisting that Pius had done all possible to halt the murders.
Clearly the Vatican is determined to proceed with the beatification. Although most Jews remain convinced that Pius was guilty, at the very least of the sin of silence in the face of evil, some Jewish interfaith leaders have recently tended to soft-pedal this issue. They fear that continued public expression of the Jewish position could lead to a breakdown in the positive Jewish-Catholic relationship initiated during the term of Pope John XXIII and followed by his successors. Some also insist that we should not be involved in what is unquestionably an internal matter for the Church to resolve. The International Jewish Commission on Interdenominational Consultations had already agreed not to raise the subject when it meets the pope next month - although that may now change.
It is into this maelstrom that Cohen raised this sensitive issue. Many Jews being honored as he was by the Church would have taken the less hazardous path of avoiding controversy. But Cohen has a track record of courageously expressing his views and refusing to bury his head in the sand. Clearly, he has no interest in meddling in the internal affairs of the Church. But he does have a sense of history and feels that for the record, even if Catholics proceed on the path to beatification, Jews are obliged to make their voices heard on such a burning issue.
Cohen also maintains that if our reconciliation with the Catholic Church is truly meaningful, it should understand the depth of our feelings on such a matter and not take offense or permit such expressions to inhibit ongoing good relations.
It was at a press conference preceding his synod address that Cohen dropped the bombshell, informing journalists that he may not have accepted the invitation had he been aware that the meeting of the synod to which he had been invited coincided with ceremonies honoring Pope Pius XII on the 50th anniversary of his death. He said that Pope Pius "should not be seen as a model and should not be beatified because he did not raise his voice against the Holocaust. He did not speak, either because he was afraid or for other personal reasons."
When he formally addressed the synod, Cohen never explicitly referred to Pope Pius XII by name, although it was obvious to whom he was relating. In the most diplomatic manner, he told the synod that most Jews, especially survivors, felt that the pope had failed to condemn the Holocaust. "He may have helped many of those suffering in secrecy, but the question is, could he have raised his voice and would it have helped or not? Only God can answer that. But I have to make it very clear that we, the rabbis, the leadership of the Jewish people, must take account of the feelings of the deceased and cannot simply say we forgive or we forget. It pains us but we cannot endorse that such a leader of the Church now be honored."
He also urged the synod, as religious leaders, to actively condemn Iranian President's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's obscene call for Israel's destruction. "The problem during World War II was that people did not believe what Hitler was saying. Unfortunately", he said, "we had the Holocaust, and we are pained when we remember that not enough was done by the leadership of world religions and other powerful leaders to stop it then. We expect them to do so today. My being here makes me feel that we can expect your help, and I am sure your message will be listened to by influential people all over the world."
Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen is a remarkable spiritual leader, a great scholar and an authentic voice of national religious Jews that is rarely heard. He is admired and respected by all religious groups, including the haredim. Would that we were blessed with more rabbis of such caliber and outlook.
ileibler@netvision.net.il
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017531668&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
*****************************************************************************
Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen: A Rabbinical Role Model
Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen was born in 1927, the eighteenth descendant in a family of Rabbis. He studied at Mercaz Harav and became close to the famous Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. He served in the Haganah and fought with Etzel in Jerusalem in the War of Independence, where he was wounded and became a prisoner of war of the Jordanians.
Subsequently, he founded the Ariel Institute in Jerusalem for the ordination of local and overseas Rabbis. He became Chief Rabbi of Haifa in 1975 and has earned the affection and admiration of all sections of the community, including secular Jews and Arabs.
There is a gentleness and compassion about Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen which is rarely evident amongst his peers. It manifests itself in the manner in which he strives to find Halachic solutions to difficult personal problems, in contrast to those who display their piety by applying the most stringent interpretations. It is also reflected in his approach to contemporary Jewish religious challenges such as conversion, Shmita, divorce and other halachic issues, where without compromising fundamentals, he always strives to harmonize Halacha with the requirements of a modern state.
Being a close personal friend of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, he personally pleaded with him ,unsuccessfully, not to proceed with the unilateral disengagement. Later he bitterly condemned the act saying "I cannot consider an act crueler and more evil than what the government of Israel did in Gush Katif"
Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen represents the best of those religious Zionists who helped to mould a generation of youngsters committed to religious observance as well as being willing to take upon themselves the sacrifices required to defend their state. Rabbi Cohen has also always sought to achieve an accommodation with non observant and promotes the maintenance of a tolerant society. He has said on numerous occasions "I don't divide Jews into secular and religious. To me they are all Jews".
Original article available at: http://www.leibler.com/article/367
The Jewish Case Against Barack Obama
Ben Shapiro
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Barack Obama is the most dangerous candidate for the State of Israel since its creation in 1948. He is not, as Professor Alan Dershowitz recently put it, a "true friend of Israel" any more than Jimmy Carter was. He is certainly not "much better for Israel" than John McCain, as potty-mouthed comic dunce Sarah Silverman put it. Any American Jew who votes for Obama ought to be ashamed of him or herself. He is not in line with a single authentic Jewish principle. (Authentic Judaism, by the way, believes the veracity of the Torah, Oral Torah and Talmud, not bagels, lox, Woody Allen and a copy of the Sunday New York Times.) On abortion, Obama is radically pro-choice. He is radically pro-gay rights, celebrating court-ordered gay marriage in states like California. Authentic Judaism is against abortion unless the mother's life is in danger, and against homosexual activity altogether.
And then there's Israel. Professor Dershowitz believes that American Jews should not vote based on "which party or which candidates support Israel more enthusiastically. They should vote based on more general considerations about what is best for America, the world and the values that they hold dear." I largely agree. I believe, however, that any candidate who does not support Israel demonstrates a disturbing lack of allegiance to our only democratic ally in the Middle East and a perverse moral relativism that will hurt America, not merely Israel.
I do feel, however, that American Jews have a special stake in the State of Israel. Israel does not just represent a family connection for Jews. It represents the ultimate protection for Jews the world over. When Arab nations expelled over 800,000 Jews in the aftermath of the birth of the State of Israel, Israel took the vast majority of them in -- as opposed to the Arab nations, which keep Palestinian Arabs in refugee camps to this day. Israel has saved Jews from South America to Russia to Ethiopia. Israel remains the last refuge for all Jews, and a guarantor of their safety, even abroad.
The future of Israel, then, matters to all Jews. By all indicators, it does not matter to Barack Obama, as detailed in a YouTube video counterpart to this column, "The Jewish Case Against Barack Obama".
Obama's foreign policy advisors have been almost uniformly anti-Israel. Samantha Power, one of Obama's earliest supporters, has suggested that American troops be placed on the ground in Israel to protect Palestinian Arabs against "human rights abuses." Power was a senior foreign policy advisor to Obama until she was forced to resign after calling Senator Hillary Clinton "a monster" in March 2008.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor, serves as a foreign policy advisor to Obama. He believes that the Jewish lobby forces America into pro-Israel policy, and he defends Carter's anti-Semitic book, "Peace, Not Apartheid."
General Merrill McPeak, Obama's campaign co-chair, agrees with Brzezinski that the Jewish lobby, based in "New York City, Miami," controls America's Middle East policy.
Robert Malley, who served on President Clinton's National Security Council, has stated that America ought to simply impose its Middle East solution on Israel. He served as an advisor to Obama until the media discovered that he was holding regular meetings with Hamas.
Obama's friends, too, are far too anti-Israel for comfort. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor of 20 years, has blamed America's pro-Israel policy for 9/11. Wright is close with notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, who has proclaimed Obama "the Messiah."
Obama is also friends with former Palestine Liberation Organization spokesman Rashid Khalidi, an ardent foe of the Jewish State. Khalidi held a fundraiser for Obama in 2000. In 2003, he told a Palestinian Arab crowd, "You will not have a better Senator under any circumstances."
Obama himself has demonstrated his ambivalence about Israel. Before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in July 2008, he stated that he supported an undivided Jerusalem. After pressure from Palestinians, he backtracked within 24 hours. He also declares that he will meet the leaders of Iran without preconditions, despite the fact that Iran wishes to turn Israel into radioactive wasteland.
Barack Obama is no friend to American Jews. I challenge Professor Dershowitz to a debate, any time, any place, on that question. I would challenge Sarah Silverman as well, but she will undoubtedly ignore the challenge.
Most of all, I challenge American Jews to hear the true facts about Obama before voting. In Barack Obama, they find a Democrat in the mold of Jimmy Carter, not Harry Truman. Jews -- and Americans more broadly -- cannot afford another Jimmy Carter.
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