Operation Protective Edge: The Real Peace Process

P. David Hornik

It was slightly under a year ago that the not-real peace process, the one driven by the U.S. administration and especially Secretary of State John Kerry, got under way. In that “process,” Israel and the ostensibly moderate Fatah wing of the Palestinians, led by Mahmoud Abbas, were supposed to negotiate for nine months and reach a conflict-ending two-state solution.

There was a hitch: to reach that pot of gold, Israel would have to release 104 Palestinian prisoners in phased batches. They could not be car thieves and the like; they had to be terrorist murderers. Sometimes the road to peace has strange bumps in it.

That peace process ended with something less than a bang in April. Even though Kerry’s envoy Martin Indyk admitted that Abbas—insufficiently appeased by the prisoner releases—had “shut down” and stopped talking with Israel by December, both Kerry and Indyk managed to blame Israeli building in “settlements,” primarily Jerusalem, for the talks’ failure.
Now, three months since those talks wound down, Israel is at war. It’s been a fierce war, but it offers more hope of peace than Kerry and Indyk’s “process” ever did.
It offers such hope because, after two days, Israel in Operation Protective Edge is displaying even more stunning capabilities than in its previous war against Gaza-based, mainly Hamas terror, the eight-day-long Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012.

“Proportionality and Other Matters”

There is a widespread – but very erroneous – impression that if an enemy attacks, a proportional response means a nation can only return what was received and no more. That is, the mistaken impression is that if Hamas shot one rocket, we could only shoot one rocket back.

 

International law, however, defines proportionality very differently: it is a question of legitimate military goals and intentionality.  Put very simply, we would not be restricted to only shooting one rocket back at Hamas, but rather doing what is necessary (within certain defined limits) to ensure that Hamas does not shoot any more rockets.  That is a legitimate military goal.

 

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who was the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in 2003, wrote this about proportionality:

 

“Under international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute, the death of civilians during an armed conflict, no matter how grave and regrettable, does not in itself constitute a war crime. International humanitarian law and the Rome Statute permit belligerents to carry out proportionate attacks against military objectives, even when it is known that some civilian deaths or injuries will occur. A crime occurs if there is an intentional attack directed against civilians...or an attack is launched on a military objective in the knowledge that the incidental civilian injuries would be clearly excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage (principle of proportionality).”

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportionality_(law)#International_humanitarian_law

Strategy, not politics

Zvika Fogel

Not long ago, Israel celebrated its 66th birthday. This is a young country from the point of view of history, tradition, culture and legacy. Sixty-six years have passed and we are still surrounded by enemies who refuse to recognize our right to exist. We have developed, built and established a democracy, which with all of its flaws is a source of strength and pride. We have looked toward the future and have known what needed to be done to provide for the next generations.

Our enemies have morphed and changed shape, but have not changed their objective, their way of thinking and approach. They have been stuck with leadership that cannot see beyond its own nose, and which is not willing to pay the price needed to build a future for its people.

But something bad has happened to us in recent years as well. We have lost the feeling of sharing a mutual fate, our sense of responsibility, our spirit of initiative and determination, everything that brought us to realizing that war is the last option -- but that when it is forced on us we have no choice but to win it. The only thing remaining from the spirit that defined us on the eve of the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War is our ability to be pained by loss and embrace the bereaved.

There is no moral equivalence but Netanyahu must act now

Isi Leibler
July 9, 2014
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=5152

The words of last week’s Torah portion resonate loudly, as we read of the non-Jewish prophet Balaam’s description of “the people that dwells alone and is not counted among the nations.”

We have all been traumatized by the events of the past month. No sooner had we absorbed the shocking tragedy of the brutal abduction and murder of the three teenagers and humbled by the exceptional dignity of their anguished parents, we were stunned to learn of the barbaric murder of an Arab youngster by Jews.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the act immediately, even prior to being aware of the motive or the killers.

U.S. President Barack Obama however related to the abduction and murder of the three Israelis in a somewhat muted manner, and only 18 days later, upon the discovery of their bodies. Yet within moments of hearing of Muhammad Abu Khdeir’s murder, he denounced the act in a highly provocative manner, insinuating that it was yet another act in a cycle of violence.

Iron Dome is proving its worth

Aharon Lapidot

Much as in Operation Pillar of Defense and in the almost two years since, Iron Dome saved the day. Over 100 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel on Tuesday, with 40 of them raining down in the span of just one hour on Tuesday night, from Ashdod to Ramat Hasharon, from Beersheba to Beit Shemesh, and even farther.

Only one rocket achieved its goal, hitting and damaging a building in Ashdod. A handful of rockets landed in open areas, including in the greater Jerusalem area. The rest were successfully intercepted by Iron Dome, and no injuries were reported.

In the wake of Operation Pillar of Defense, many commentators attempted to question Iron Dome's success rate, which the IDF Spokesperson's Unit pegged at 85 percent, and criticized its performance. Thankfully, the military dismissed them and the Defense Ministry continued funding the program, which has proved itself once more.

Despite the grouped rocket fire, the system intercepted every rocket believed to threaten lives or property. Truth be told, there is no need for learned commentary -- the public sees the results with its own eyes.

The Myth of Ethnic Inequality in Israel

Ethnicity in Israel is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Both Jews and Arabs are subdivided into ethnic sub-groups, and there are important differences in socioeconomic status among Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, and Arab Druze.

  Steven Plaut
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2014

http://www.meforum.org/3839/israel-inequality

It is commonplace to attribute much of Israel's domestic tensions to supposed Jewish discrimination against the country's Arab citizens.[1] Nearly every Israeli Arab nongovernmental organization insists that such discrimination characterizes the Jewish state in general and its labor markets in particular.[2] The Israeli media routinely interview Israeli Arabs (and non-Ashkenazi Jews) who claim to have been victims of discrimination. These allegeations are echoed by Jewish Israeli academics, think tanks, and journalists, especially on the political Left, not to mention the international anti-Israel movement and the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign. Indeed, the U.S. Department of State has even joined the growing outcry concerning Israel's alleged racist discrimination against its Arab citizens.[3]
Of course, in reality, Israel is the only Middle Eastern entity that is not an apartheid regime, and the apartheid slander holds no water whatsoever save in the minds of the Jewish state's enemies and defamers. Yet discrimination is a scientifically empirical question subject to testing and not a matter of subjective personal opinion. Stripping away the venomous anti-Israel rhetoric, the legitimate question remains whether and how much discrimination really exists in Israel.

Inequality Myths

Ethnicity in Israel is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Both Jews and Arabs are subdivided into ethnic sub-groups, making exploration and analysis of ethnic disparities a complex challenge. In official statistical data on income, Israeli Arabs are treated as a single population group, but this is somewhat misleading. There are important differences in socio-economic status and performance among Arab Christians, Arab Muslims, and Druse. Those sub-categories are in fact amalgams of even smaller divisions. For example, there are interesting differences between "ordinary" Arab Muslims and Bedouins. The Israeli Income Survey sample does not include the Arab population of the "occupied territories," except for East Jerusalem and the small population of the Golan Heights, both of which are formally annexed to Israel.

Op-Ed: When They Ask for a Ceasefire - Not so Fast

Israel's passive policies of measured responses, supplemented by empty threats concerning the endgame, provide a strong incentive for another round whenever the blood-thirsty terrorists feel dehydrated.

Published: Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Dr. Avi Perry

It is a vicious cycle.

Hamas or one of its sister-terrorist organizations initiates a terror attack, launches barrages of rockets. Israel retaliates, most often by bombing empty structures; the terrorists respond with rockets aimed at the Israeli civilian population; Israel retaliates, then threatens critical punishment.

Hamas declares a ceasefire and Israel concurs. And then, following a brief pause—a replay of the same episode.

Something is awfully wrong with this picture. Hamas is the one calling the shots. They initiate, then terminate cycles of violence when the heat rises in their kitchen, making them sweat. And the Israeli government’s policies of retaliations constituting measured responses appear impotently reactive in the face of the Gaza terror machine.

In fact, Israeli passive policies of measured responses, supplemented by empty threats concerning the endgame, provide a strong incentive for another round whenever these blood-thirsty terrorists feel dehydrated.

What an Islamic Caliphate Would Mean for the West

Frontpagemag.com On July 8, 2014

Shillman Fellow Raymond Ibrahim was recently interviewed by CBN News’ George Thomas on the rise of the Islamic State, its aspirations for caliphate, and what all that means for free peoples around the world:

To view video clip, click here

Prime Minister Netanyahu: The gloves need to come off when dealing with Hamas; ground incursion is on the table • IDF launches Operation Protective Edge in efforts to curtail escalating rocket fire from Gaza • Defense minister: We'll exact a heavy price.

Israel Hayom Staff

An Israeli tank stationed near the Gaza border on Tuesday | Photo credit: AFP

"The gloves need to come off when dealing with Hamas," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday, as Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in efforts to curb escalating rocket fire.

Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Speaking at an emergency meeting of the top defense echelon in the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said that "Hamas chose to escalate and they will pay dearly for it."

At the meeting, the prime minister urged the defense establishment to "engage in an unremitting, long and powerful strike in Gaza."

"We must be prepared to go all the way, and a ground offensive is also on the table," Netanyahu said.

One senior defense official indicated Tuesday that Israel was headed toward a large-scale operation in Gaza. He indicated that the IDF was preparing to mobilize additional reserves units and amass forces in the area.

The IDF opted not to make any declarations or define the operation, but officials hinted that the current effort could include a ground incursion in the future.

BBC Warns – Gaza Photos Aren't Really from Gaza

Gil Ronen

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published a short report Tuesday in which it warned that many of the graphic images that are being shared on social media, purporting to show destruction that the IDF is wreaking in Gaza, are not in fact photos from Operation Protective Edge.

“Over the past week the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack has been used hundreds of thousands of times, often to distribute pictures claiming to show the effects of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza,” the BBC wrote. “A #BBCtrending investigation has found that many of these images are not from the latest conflict and not even from Gaza. Some date as far back as 2009 and others are from conflicts in Syria and Iraq.”

Tonight in Israel.....

July 8, 2014

 

 

As you probably know, sirens went off in different parts of Israel just about 4 hours ago - to announce more rockets from Gaza.  We have rec'd them by the dozens.

The Muslims want to kill - with impunity - and the free world is witness to their killing their own as well as others. 

 

On June 12, when the 3 Israeli teenagers were kidnapped  and murdered Hamas insisted that Abbas not help in finding their two terrorists who were missing and identified.  The mother of one of the men said that although she did not believe her son was involved, if he had, she would be proud of him.  Abbas said very little but that was to be expected as

he was too busy distributing sweets and celebrating with his henchmen anyway. 

 

The parents of Gilad, Eyal, and Naftali (who has American citizenship, too) inspired everyone with their hope and faith that the boys would be found safe and returned to their families and the larger Israeli family.  There was a request that prayers be said and good deeds be done in the name of the boys. In addition, the parents asked that people not lose faith should the results not be what was hoped for.  This was their message even as they spoke so emotionally at the dignified burials  which took place together in Modi'in , in the presence of more than 50,000 people.  They asked that everyone keep the boys in their prayers and do acts of kindness in their memories.

 

It must be noted that when the Israeli teenagers were missing and there was so much news about this and the voices of the parents, there was not one word from the President of the U.S.  Sec'y of State Kerry did condemn it but not the President.  Only when the bodies were found did Obama find his voice - and warned Israel to 'show restraint'. 

Who is Ultimately Responsible for the Cold-Blooded Murder of a Palestinian Teenager?

Neil Snyder

In the wake of three murdered Jewish teenagers in Israel, another issue has taken center stage: Jewish revenge killing.  A Palestinian teenager was burned alive, and it appears as though the culprits were Israeli Jews.  That savage murder has struck the soul of the nation because that’s not the way Jewish people are supposed to behave.

Today’s Israel Hayom includes two opinion pieces dealing with the issue: “How do we deal with the shame?” by Uri Heitner and “When the margins become the center” by Dr. Shlomo Yishai.  Both of them raise serious questions that deserve answers, but let’s be sure to identify who the real culprits are.

Yes, it is dangerous when radicals on either side of the political spectrum break out in a fit of anger; it’s more dangerous when radicals assume political power; and it’s more dangerous still when political leaders allow sores to fester to the point that people begin to believe that they must take matters into their own hands. That’s the situation Israel faces now.

US Asks Israel to 'Show Restraint in Response'

The United States on Monday night said it supported Israel's right to defend itself -- to an extent.

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By Moshe Cohen

First Publish: 7/8/2014

Aftermath of rocket attack (illustration)

Flash 90

The United States on Monday night condemned the rocket fire by Hamas against Israel. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday night in the wake of the heavy rocket fire on Israel. Kerry asked Netanyahu to “act with restraint” in his response to Hamas' pounding of southern Israel.
With that, State Department spokesperson Jean Psaki said that the US supported Israel's right to defend itself. “We condemn the firing of missiles at Israel and support Israel's right to defend itself.” Kerry, she said, had spoken to Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and asked both to work towards preventing a further flare-up in tensions.

Cabinet Gives IDF Green Light for Harsher Gaza Action

The cabinet on Monday authorized the IDF to increase its military pressure on Hamas - but to avoid escalation of tensions, if possible.

By Yaakov Levi

First Publish: 7/7/2014, 7:06 PM

Israeli airstrike in Gaza (archive)

Reuters

As rocket fire from Gaza shows no sign of letting up, the cabinet on Monday authorized the IDF to increase its military pressure on Hamas. The IDF intends to add more troops to the brigades it already has poised on the borders of Gaza, officials said. So far an additional 1,500 reserve troops have been called up, to free up regular soldiers in case of need. Meanwhile, the Israel Air Force will increase its targeting of terrorist facilities in Gaza, the army said.
With that, the government decision said that the aim of the IDF operation was not to enter into a wide-ranging military action against Gaza Arab terrorists, but to ensure quiet in the south. In addition, the IDF is to ensure that rocket fire does not spread to cities other than the ones that Hamas and terror groups have been targeting, mostly in the Gaza border area. In addition, extra batteries of the Iron Dome system will be set up throughout southern Israel, officials said.
“Quiet will be answered with quiet,” the government said, adding that it demanded “a cease-fire with no preconditions.”

"Sons of Zion, this is an oath to the Lord of the Heavens: Prepare all the bags you can for your body parts"

"We wish for the blood to become rivers"

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=11935

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik 

Today, Fatah, headed by Abbas, posted the following threat to Israelis:

"Sons of Zion, this is an oath to the Lord of the Heavens:

Prepare all the bags you can for your body parts"

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," July 7, 2014]

Two days ago, Fatah posted a similar threat with a picture of burning houses:

"The sons of Fatah will turn your settlements into balls of fire and increase your horror"

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page,"July 5, 2014]

Earlier this month, Fatah posted a poem including the line "We wish for the blood to become rivers":
"The source of terrorism is the Zionist...
The Zionist, by Allah, is treacherous
O settler, O malicious one
Your time has ended..
O Arabs, enough betrayal:
We wish for the blood to become rivers...
This homeland wants [your] rage -
It does not want you to wait."

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," July 2, 2014]

Obama's Secret Directive Supporting Global Islamism

RAYMOND IBRAHIM July 7, 2014

A recent Gulf News report sheds some light on how and why the United States helped bring the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies to power, followed by all the subsequent chaos and atrocities in the Mideast region.
Large portions of the report follow with my commentary interspersed for added context:

Dubai: For the past decade, two successive US administrations have maintained close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Libya, to name just the most prominent cases.
The Obama administration conducted an assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2010 and 2011, beginning even before the events known as the "Arab Spring" erupted in Tunisia and in Egypt. The President personally issued Presidential Study Directive 11 (PSD-11) in 2010, ordering an assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood and other "political Islamist" movements, including the ruling AKP in Turkey, ultimately concluding that the United States should shift from its longstanding policy of supporting "stability" in the Middle East and North Africa (that is, support for "stable regimes" even if they were authoritarian), to a policy of backing "moderate" Islamic political movements (emphasis in bold added throughout).

Jewish Victims of Arab Terror 1873-1920

MyRightWord

Based on just one site, I collected the names of Jews who were killed by Arabs between 1873 and the Fall of Tel Chai in March 1920.  They were either civilians going about their regular business or guardsmen protecting Jewish property and life from Arab attacks.

Aharon Hershler, January 1873

Yisrael Chaim Sheinboim, April 9, 1881

Rachel Hadad, April 2, 1886

Avraham Yalovski, January 1888

Yisrael Roseman, August 1890

Bechor Moshon, September 1900

Yaakov Avramovitz, September 24, 1902

Yitzhak Cohen, November 24, 1903

Shimon Melamed, April 12, 1909

Yisrael Korngold, April 12, 1909

Dov Schweiger, April 12, 1909

Yaakov Plotkin, November 18, 1909

Pinchas Abramowitz, October 13, 1910

Yehezkel Nissanov, February 2, 1911

Tzvi Bortanovsky, July 5, 1911

My comments to the Algemeiner article of July 6, 14 by Shmuely Boteach‏

Actions

chana givon

July 6, 2014
6:29 pm

 

Many Americans seem not to understand that the ‘language’ of the Middle East is different from that of the West. The effort to impose peace in the region has failed because there is no solution; there is a difference in ideologies with Israel being a democracy and most Arab/Muslim countries having a radical Islamist dogma which demands that it destroy world democracy and create a caliphate with sharia law for all. Rabbi Boteach points out the tragic results of this lack of understanding.

Instead of supporting and strengthening the ties to Israel, the bulwark of freedom in the region, the Obama administration has shown leniency to the PA , even endorsing the new ‘unity government’ that includes Hamas which is on the US terrorist list – an illegal act. Sec’y of State, Kerry threatened Israel that, should it not acquiesce to American demands for dangerous concessions, thereby preventing a ‘peace process’, there would be a third intifada and further EU isolation of Israel. To the enemy this was an invitation to escalate the violence and led to the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers.

International Law Precludes Ceasefires with Terror Groups

International law has precise form and content. It cannot be invented and reinvented by terror groups such as Hamas or by aspiring states.

 

Prof. Louis René Beres

Written for Arutz Sheva. An expert in international law weighs in on the proposal to achieve a ceasefire with Hamas.

Any time there is an announced "cease fire" between Israel and Hamas, it wrongly and foolishly bestows upon that terror organization
(1) an expressly legitimate status under international law; and
(2) a clear and newly incontestable condition of legal symmetry between the parties.
This is never a tolerable jurisprudential arrangement for Israel.
Moreover, no proper system of law can ever permit any sort of compromise or accommodation by a government with criminal organizations, even, in the case of Israel and Hamas, one that might involve a somewhat less formal arrangement than the currently proposed cease fire.
It follows that Israel ought never to unwittingly prop up its criminal adversary in Gaza by agreeing to a cease fire or similar "armistice"; instead, it should proceed immediately to do whatever is needed operationally, while simultaneously reminding the world that the pertinent conflict is between a fully legitimate sovereign state (one that meets all criteria of the Convention  on the Rights and Duties of States, 1934) and an inherently illegal insurgent organization that meets none of these criteria, and that routinely violates all vital precepts of the law of  armed conflict.

Looking evil squarely in the eye

MICHAEL FREUND

After 18 days of Psalms and prayers, tears and tribulations, the people of Israel received a jarring reminder regarding the undeniable iniquity of our enemies. 

           

Arrest of Hamas leader Hassan Yousuf in Hebron. Photo: IDF SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE

            

The announcement on Monday night that the three Israeli teenagers kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists had been found dead near Hebron sent shockwaves throughout the nation.

After 18 days of Psalms and prayers, tears and tribulations, the people of Israel received a jarring reminder regarding the undeniable iniquity of our enemies.

There are those who still refuse to acknowledge this cold, hard truth, and instead choose to cling to futile hopes of Palestinian sincerity regarding reconciliation.
But the abduction and brutal murder of Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel by Palestinians should lay to rest once and for all any such delusions.

Media and Administration disgrace

Two American lawyers, Obama and Kerry, have decided - prior to any investigation- that the burning murder of an Arab boy - still living - was done by Israel in retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of 3 Israeli teenagers in mid-June.  This is a MUSLIM custom to avenge the shame on the family for homosexuality.  The father of the boy initially stated that his own people had committed the crime.  However, Mr. Obama, who did not say a word about the Israeli boys until their bodies were found, found his voice immediately when it came to condemning Israel - with no proof of the accusation. How terrible the crime! Contemptible the unproven charge against Israel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Album Out Soon

Winds Of Jihad By Sheik Yer Mami

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Latest From W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

inds Of Jihad: The Camel Burgers of Lakemba Why is George Soros’ Open Society waging legal jihad for the burqa in France? Macedonia: Albanian Muslims Riot After 6 of Them Are Sentenced For Killing 5 Christians “Respectable” Butt-Bomb Makers, Cultural Sensitivity Training For FGM and ‘Islamophobia’ BS From An Ingrate “Allahu Akbar”- Grand Mosque in Yogyakarta declares presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto as the “war commander of Muslims”… The world is a Mosquerade We Must Learn From China Dialogue Means Da’awa. No real dialogue with Islam is possible. Islamisation at any cost: Obama sides with Muslims against Buddhists Tamil Tiger Chief Arrested For Trying to Revive Movement in Malaysia

Muslims murder homosexual Pali boy, world blames Israel

by sheikyer mami on July 3, 2014

Updated:

Several times in the past when Arabs have accused Israel or “settlers” of killing Arabs, it has turned out that Arabs themselves committed the deed, either for “family reasons” or “criminal reasons” such as a turf war between rival businesses or drug dealers. During the 1987-89 “Intifada” (the first Palestinian war of attrition against Israel), hundreds of Palestinians were killed by other Palestinians under the cover of charges that they were collaborators with Israel, when actually, they were killed for personal or business reasons.–Analysis: Arab Sex and Arab Terror

Hamas is in trouble, we may be too

For Hamas, the kidnapping of the three Jewish teens was a massive failure -- no Palestinian prisoners were freed, Israel devastated Hamas' infrastructure in the West Bank, and it put the unity government in jeopardy and deepened Hamas' isolation.

Yoav Limor

An Israeli Air Force strike in Gaza this week | Photo credit: AFP

This week, Israel was on the verge of exploding: In Gaza, there were growing indications of escalation; in Judea and Samaria, tensions became increasingly more palpable; in east Jerusalem riots raged after the murder of a boy from Shuafat; inside Israel, rage abounded when the bodies of the three kidnapped teens were discovered, to the point of potential vigilante justice by groups and individuals.

Amid this chaos, the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet tried to reach conclusions, convening three emergency meetings between Monday and Wednesday, in efforts to arrive at the appropriate, proportional response. There was no contingency plan ready to be executed. Now, after two and a half weeks of pounding the Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces are running out of targets, and certainly the kind that can be presented to the Israeli public as a triumph.

The Diplomatic-Security Cabinet has made decisions, but they are the kind of decisions that require time and persistence: continuing arrests; confiscating funds; shutting down welfare organizations ("dawah") that spread Hamas' teachings.

Five minutes

David M. Weinberg

Five minutes is all it took for the world to issue the strongest of condemnations following the murder on Wednesday of a 16-year old Palestinian boy from east Jerusalem. Five minutes. Then the fiercest of denunciations swiftly poured in.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rushed to "condemn in the strongest possible terms the despicable and senseless abduction and murder" of Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir. "It is sickening to think of an innocent 17-year-old boy snatched off the streets and his life stolen from him and his family. There are no words to convey adequately our condolences to the Palestinian people."

"Despicable" and "sickening." "Snatched off the streets." "There are no words."

Similarly, Quartet envoy Tony Blair called the murder "horrendous" and "heinous," and said that "the perpetrators must be found swiftly and brought to justice." Blair is so "very worried" about "the unrest in Jerusalem and the West Bank, including assaults on Palestinians, 'price-tag' attacks and settler violence that cannot be tolerated."

Fractured States

Jonathan Spyer
The Jerusalem Post
July 4, 2014

http://www.meforum.org/4745/fractured-states

In the latest evidence of ongoing fragmentation in what was once Iraq and Syria, Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq, this week announced his intention to hold a referendum in the coming months to decide the question of Kurdish independence.
"I have said many times that independence is the natural right of the people of Kurdistan," Barzani told the BBC in an interview. "All these developments [in Iraq] reaffirm that, and from now on we will not hide that the goal of Kurdistan is independence… I cannot fix a date now, but it's a question of months."
Barzani's words reflect the increased self-confidence of the Kurds, following their recent acquisition of the oil-rich Kirkuk area and the effective performance of their armed forces against the jihadis of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – in sharp contrast to the army of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The Islamic Caliphate: the Obama Administration’s Failed Foreign Policy in The Middle East

Majid Rafizadeh
 

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, an Iranian-American political scientist and scholar, is president of the International American Council and he serves on the board of Harvard International Review at Harvard University. Rafizadeh is also a senior fellow at Nonviolence International Organization based in Washington DC and a member of the Gulf project at Columbia University. He has been a recipient of several scholarships and fellowship including from Oxford University, Annenberg University, University of California Santa Barbara, and Fulbright Teaching program. He served as ambassador for the National Iranian-American Council based in Washington DC, conducted research at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and taught at University of California Santa Barbara through Fulbright Teaching Scholarship. He can be reached at rafizadeh@fas.harvard.edu.

Dr. Rafizadeh is a regular commentator for national and international outlets including CNN, BBC TV and radio, ABC, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, RT, CCTV and Aljazeera English. He is frequently quoted in major news outlets including CNN, BBC, Aljazeera and he regularly writes for both academic and non-academic papers such as New York Times International, Foreign Policy, Aljazeera,  Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The Atlantic, Newsweek, Yale Journal of International Affairs, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, George Washington International Review, to name a few. Follow Dr. Rafizadeh at @majidrafizadeh.

As the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (or Islamic Caliphate) pushes across Iraq and other countries in the region, and as they score unprecedented victories in order to establish their Islamic Caliphate, the Obama administration remains indecisive and hesitant to take any assertive position.
Due to their military advancements and practical vision (in contrast to more theoretical underpinnings  of Al-Qaeda), ISIL has been capable of attracting more Jihadist, young people, and wealthy donors who would like to see the establishment of an Islamist Caliphate stretching from Iraq to the West.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Message as Caliph

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Gatestone Institute

http://www.meforum.org/4744/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-message-as-caliph

_{"[F]ear Allah as he should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.... Go forth, O mujahidin in the path of Allah. Terrify the enemies of Allah and seek death.... for the dunyā [worldly life] will come to an end, and the hereafter will last forever."}

_{Abu Bakr al-Husayni al-Baghdadi, Caliph, "The Islamic State" [aka ISIS]}

Marking the beginning of Ramadan, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of "the Islamic State" (formerly ISIS: the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) and declared Caliph Ibrahim, released a new audio message addressed to the Muslim world.
The new speech is most notable for being forthright about Baghdadi's message on the global nature of the Islamic State's struggle. Baghdadi touched on issues regarding the persecution of Muslims in Burma and the Philippines as well as the French restrictions on the wearing of the veil, and he responded to accusations that the Islamic State engages in 'irhab [terrorism].
Ominously, Baghdadi concluded his speech with aspirations for the Islamic State's conquest of "Rome" and the whole world. Such emphasis on the transnational nature of the Islamic State's project corroborates Baghdadi's projection of himself as the caliph and sole representative of Islamic rule on earth to whom all Muslims must pledge allegiance.

Why is This Not Betrayal?

Baron Bodissey

If you appreciate this essay by Fjordman, please consider making a donation to him, using the button at the bottom of this post.

Why is This Not Betrayal?
by Fjordman

It is dismissed as a “crazy conspiracy theory” if one suggests that Western political elites actively support the Islamization of Europe and the Western world. Yet one might argue that this is not a conspiracy theory — or even a theory — merely an observation.

The more Muslims and people who champion Islamic ideas imported into a society, the more Islamic influence there will be in that society. This is basic logic: if you import large numbers of Muslims to a country, you get more Islamization. It’s pretty simple, really.

So let us ask a simple question: Do Western governments allow large numbers of Muslims to settle in Western countries? Yes or no? The answer is obviously yes, as we can easily observe all around us. Western authorities have for decades been in the process of importing large numbers of Muslims to our countries. Since more Muslims means more Islam, this implies that Western authorities actively support the gradual Islamization of our countries.

If you find this to be a provocative observation, then ask yourself the following question: If Western political elites, ruling authorities and mass media really and truly object to the growing Islamic presence in our societies, then exactly what are they doing to curb this growth, apart from some mostly symbolic gestures?

As long as they are not doing anything substantial to halt or even slow down Muslim immigration, they are in fact supporting the continued, gradual Islamization of our countries. There is no other way to put it.

What can be done?

A hard-line option might be to say explicitly that Islamic culture is incompatible with our culture. Therefore, Muslim immigration to all European and Western nations will be immediately and permanently halted. This will probably be seen as too provocative by many people, however.

A more plausible alternative might be to say that while many Muslims might be fine people as individuals, much of the Islamic world is currently in such a state of unrest and turmoil that we need to protect our own societies as much as we can from this. We are therefore sad to announce that we must, for an indefinite time period, suspend any immigration from this part of the world.

An even more moderate solution might be not to say anything about Muslims or Islam at all. Western governments could simply state that our share of the world’s population keeps dropping rapidly. Moreover, we have plenty of problems of our own to deal with. The unemployment rate in several southern European countries is above 20%, with youth unemployment exceeding 40% in some places. It does not make sense in this situation to import millions of more people when we cannot provide work to those who are already here.

With social problems and debt to take care of, we need to put our own house in order first. While we harbor no ill will towards other peoples and nations, we therefore regret to announce that we will have to suspend large-scale immigration from any part of the world until we have put our own house back in order again.

Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah heats up confrontational atmosphere: "Blood demands blood" "Jerusalem, declare a revolution!

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=11913

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

On its official Facebook page, Fatah continues to heat up the atmosphere for violent confrontation with Israel. Photos of burning tires and rioting, stone-throwing Palestinians are posted with texts encouraging Palestinians to "rise up," "declare a revolution" for Israel to "get out."

One post repeated Arafat's infamous statement calling for Palestinians to become Martyrs in Jerusalem, adding that "blood demands blood":

"Blood demands blood; millions of Martyrs (Shahids) are marching to Jerusalem."

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," July 3, 2014]

In another post (above) showing a photo of burning tires and a child throwing a stone, Fatah stated that "I am Palestinian only through my struggle" and "my stone is my weapon":

"My mother taught me that my stone is my weapon;

that I am Palestinian only through my struggle;

she taught me to shout that this is my land, so get out!"

[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page", July 2, 2014]

Yesterday, Palestinian Media Watch reported that Fatah had posted another threat to Israelis:

Don't focus on Hamas alone

Prof. Ron Breiman

The kidnapping and brutal murder of the three youths Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar, and Naftali Frenkel demand an appropriate, significant, and focused response by Israel. There are those among us who call themselves "moderate" and are urging us to use our heads and calling the others -- those they say tend to "respond from the gut" -- "extremists." As of now, it seems like both groups have conservative tendencies: repeating the same thinking and conduct that has characterized Israeli leadership, Left and Right, since the Black September of 1993, when the fraudulent, capitulatory deal with the entire Palestine Liberation Organization was signed.

Then and now, Israeli leadership -- Left, Right, Center, or any other direction -- has made a distinction between two types of enemies: "good" terrorists who need to be given respect and gestures of honor, and "bad" terrorists, who need to be fought. Even when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas forged an open alliance with his twin brother Hamas, President Shimon Peres spoke of him as a friend and legitimized the vermin that Israel's official government is trying to denounce. 

Blind hatred

Nadav Shragai

The rioters who attacked Arabs in Jerusalem's Old City on Tuesday night will probably have trouble believing this, but there were Arabs who cried with us when three boys were buried on Tuesday. I know some of them personally. However, there were also many hateful and malicious Palestinians who rejoiced over the killing of the kidnapped boys. We saw their delight. They did not bother to hide their feelings.

The frenzied people who attacked Arabs in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, and also perhaps the killers of the Arab teen (if, God forbid, it turns out this was an act of revenge), shut themselves off from the law, Jewish morals and basic humanity. Hatred has made them deaf and blind. Rather than serving as deterrence, their actions only expanded the circles of hate and terror and they bound the government's hands, reducing its freedom of action.

Three Israeli teens murdered, what comes next?

David Gerstman    

What we now know about what happened, and what it says about Palestinians, Israelis and Americans

In the wake of yesterday’s awful discovery that Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Frankel had been murdered by the abductors, it’s now clearer what happened.
The Times of Israel reported What happened on the night of the kidnapping:

The prevailing assessment within the defense establishment is that the kidnappers, at least at first, only saw one of the hitchhikers, perhaps Yifrach, who did not know Shaar and Fraenkel. Only once the kidnappers’ Hyundai i35 came to a stop did the kidnappers realize that they would be outnumbered by their hostages within the small confines of the car. This may be what changed the nature of the crime from kidnapping to murder, security sources suggested. …
Recognizing, too late, that the car was not an innocent Israeli vehicle, one of the teens called the police at 10:25 p.m. and whispered, “We’ve been kidnapped.” The call was transferred immediately to a senior officer, who continued to ask questions but received no reply. The call lasted for 2:09 minutes and was then cut off. The officer called the number eight more times, but received three busy signals and reached voicemail five times.

It is likely that shortly afterward the three boys were murdered and taken to the field where they were found buried.

The Encouragers: Jihadists' Agents of Influence

Douglas Murray

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4385/jihadists-influence

While there are people who mass-murder, one factor especially matters: whether around them are individuals, or a circle of individuals, who encourage them to mass murder.
The young men leaving Britain to go fight in Syria are not going in spite of the teachings of certain religious leaders, but because of them.
When Christians, Jews or even other Muslims and others are targeted around the world by Islamists, we even hope that this urge has nothing to do with any of the texts or books or preachings or encouragements in the milieu from which the perpetrators come.

Today in America, Britain and most other Western countries we are still governed by politicians and bureaucrats who refuse to identify the principal form of fanaticism that threatens us. We are governed by elites who hesitate to say -- if they ever say -- what distinguishes the current threat of our time, radical Islam, as the latest group of jihadists, ISIS, establishes beachheads in Syria and Iraq and plants its flag at the border of Jordan and Turkey. In the blancmange of political correctness, which this refusal entails, we hear of the threat of "extremism" and "radicalism" in general. This season there is even talk of "violent extremism" in particular, as though violent extremism is an event like the weather, which could affect almost any sufferer at any time.

Tragedy in Israel

It’s time to end aid to the Palestinian Authority. 

                       

By Rand Paul

 

This week, three young boys were buried in Israel. The victims of kidnapping, they had been murdered by terrorists from Hamas.
The boys, Eyal Yifrach, 19; Gilad Shaar, 16; and Naftali Frenkel, a 16-year-old dual U.S.–Israeli citizen, were like any other children — their lives ready to be lived, their dreams ahead of them. They grew up in a nation that was at war but desperately wanted peace.

It is a peace they did not live to see, nor will others their age if action is not taken.The Obama administration responded with its condolences to the families and to the state of Israel, as well it should have. But it also called, as it always does in situations like this, for restraint on the part of Israel.
How many times must Israel hear this call? Children are murdered — please show restraint. Cafés and buses are bombed — please show restraint. Towns are victimized by hundreds of rockets — please show restraint while you bury your dead once again.

The Jew-Hating Obama Administration

Ben Shapiro

On Monday, three Jewish boys were found dead, murdered by the terrorist group Hamas: Eyal Yifrach, 19; Gilad Shaar, 16; and Naftali Frenkel, 16. Frenkel was an American citizen. The three were kidnapped while hitchhiking some three weeks ago. In the interim, President Barack Obama said nothing about them publicly. His wife issued no hashtags. His State Department maintained that $400 million in American taxpayer cash would continue to the Palestinian unity government, which includes Hamas. Presumably Frenkel did not look enough like Barack Obama’s imaginary son for him to give a damn. Or perhaps Frenkel hadn’t deserted his duty in the American military, and therefore his parents didn’t deserve a White House press conference. Maybe Michelle Obama was too busy worrying about children’s fat thighs to spend a moment tweeting out a selfie to raise awareness.

PA condemns Israel for "collective punishment," but issues no condemnation of murder of Israeli teens

Official PA news agency  

only mentions murdered teens 

in English version of news report, 

 but leaves out murders in Arabic report

 http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=11900

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Today, the official PA news agency WAFA reported two official PA statements, which included condemnations of Israel's "collective punishment" against Palestinians. They made no reference to the three Israeli teens who were murdered by Palestinian terrorists and whose bodies were found yesterday, but merely referred to "the disappearance of the three settlers" as the reason for Israel's "attack against defenseless Palestinian civilians":  

WAFA reported:

"In its 5th meeting, the government condemned the Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip and the broad and ongoing Israeli military attack against defenseless Palestinian civilians in the West Bank since the disappearance of the three settlers."

[WAFA, the official PA news agency, Arabic website, July 1, 2014]

No Comment at US Consulate General in Jerusalem

 MyRightWord

I just checked the US Jerusalem Consulate Facebook page, nothing on the murder of an American citizen, a teenager who was kidnapped, in the area the Consulate oversees.

Odd.

You can participate in a Ramadan quiz as of 45 minutes ago, though.

^

Posted by YMedad

The Curse of Cain

Sultan Knish

After Cain killed his brother, the Lord told him, "A fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth."

But the natural order has been reversed, instead the Abels, if they survive, become homeless
wanderers and the Cains build their Caliphates on the tombs of their victims.

"Cursed shall you be from the earth," the Lord said, and so it has been. 

The earth under their feet may be cursed, it yields nothing but sand and thistles, but they are nomads, forgetting agriculture, remembering only their tradecraft of murder. They become worshipers of death dreaming of the green verdant fields of paradise which they can reach only if they kill enough men, women and children.

Leaving devastation behind them, dead lands, lost cultures, widows and orphans, they claw their way up to heaven on a ladder of bones.

Everything around them dies until the only green is on their flags. They are cursed from the earth and they curse the earth. Where they go, the world dies.

“Baruch Dayan Haemet”

Blessed is the righteous judge.

 

This is the first order of business.  We accept the horror of the Hamas murder of three innocent Israeli students: Naftali Frenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19.

These boys did not die in vain.  We have witnessed for many days now an incredible mood in the nation: a mood of unity, after so much painful dissension. A mood of prayer, even among those who do not usually pray.  A mood of kindnesses and human sensitivity.

 

See here scenes of people gathered after learning the tragic news:

 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/182368#.U7KASJtZrIV

 

Joel K., a reader, wrote, “People from Jerusalem are going to Kikar Zion; in Tel Aviv they are congregating at Kikar Rabin. Everywhere in one central place and lighting memorial candles. Haven't seen this kind of public mourning since Rabin was assassinated.”

Op-Ed: White House's Muted Condolences Will Not Be Enough

This is a time for tears but also a time for some very serious decisions.

Published: Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Prof. Phyllis Chesler

My heart is broken, absolutely broken. Words never fail me but at this moment, only words feel inadequate, even inappropriate. I am, of course, talking about the discovery of three dead bodies which once belonged to three beautiful Israeli souls: Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach.

This is a time for tears but also a time for some very serious decisions. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has confirmed that “Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay. He added that the teenagers were “kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by wild beasts.”

The French foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, is “deeply shocked and upset” by the murder of these boys. He also expressed “horror” and indignation.”

President Obama expressed his "deepest condolences" to the families of the murdered teenagers. He added: “I also urge all parties to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the situation.”
President Obama did not accuse Hamas of this despicable act nor did he say our government would assist Israel in its search for security and justice. Obama has once again called for “restraint” and “stability.”
Does he mean that Jihadists should refrain from Jihad because it is “de-stabilizing” the entire Middle East or does he mean, more likely, that Israel should “refrain” from defending itself?
White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, also said:  "We obviously condemn in the strongest possible terms violence that takes the lives of innocent civilians."

This is a very unsatisfying and peculiar statement. To what is Earnest referring? This could apply to anyone anywhere at any time. It’s lack of specificity is cruel and insulting.

The Secret of ME Conflict Exposed!

Steven Shamrak

For almost 50 years Israel has been blamed for all the problems and instability of the Middle East . With the success of ISIS in Syria and Iraq the true reasons behind the conflict are exposed:

1.    There is a long standing deep-seated hatred, based on theological differences, between Shiites and Sunnis. It behind a religious war currently waged by proxies:

a.     Shiites are lead by Iran with its stooges - Hezbollah, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and Iraqi Shi'a militias.

b.    Sunnis terrorists are funded predominately by Saudi Arabia. They are - Al Qaeda, ISIS, Fatah and many others.

2.    At the same time, both Muslim sects, Shi'a and Sunni, subscribe to the same ideology/goal - global domination of Islam, which presents an existential threat to the Western way of life and does explain the bullish behavior of Muslim countries and communities in the Western world!