The United States and Israel are today holding the biggest-ever joint missile defense drill ( the Juniper Cobra 10 exercise) that will take into account threats from Iran, Hezbollah and Syria.  A thousand US military personnel will participate along with an equal number of Israelis; the Israeli Arrow 2 Theater Ballistic Missile Defense System and the American Navy's AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System will be tested, along with the US Patriot advanced capability anti-missile missiles.

This exercise has been in the planning for two years, and American military officials arrived months ago to help set things up.  Radar stations -- including the Israeli Green Pine and Super Green Pine systems and the US Forward Based X-Bank Tactical radar -- have been erected around the country.  Seventeen American navy ships are in Israel's territorial waters and air force planes will be involved.

Is this a panacea that protects us in a way that makes deterrence against Hezbollah and Syria unnecessary, or makes it irrelevant if Iran goes nuclear?  Of course not.

Does it make me feel a good measure safer?  Indeed it does.  Iran has to know that we're not sitting ducks and that they very well might not have the advantage of a successful first strike.

~~~~~~~~~~
 
Yesterday President Peres opened the "Facing Tomorrow Conference" here in Jerusalem. President Obama sent a opening message to the conference via video.  The US - Israel relations, he said, were "more than a strategic alliance."

He then pushed for an assumption of some measure of responsibility towards making peace happen now:  "...our moment in history is filled with challenges that...invite pessimism...We can defer action...or we can meet the challenge..."

~~~~~~~~~~

When the president refers to a situation that invites pessimism, he is, undoubtedly, speaking for himself as much as anyone else.  He has confronted only frustration in what he naively imagined would be his speedy success in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian (Arab) conflict.  In the course of what he has been dealing with, there is no question but that the tone he has adopted towards us has become less strident.

~~~~~~~~~~

But, my friends, do not imagine that all is sweetness and light.

In today's edition of Yisrael Hayom (Israel Today), diplomatic correspondent Shlomo Tzesna reports that our government has rejected an American plan that would have called for a summit to be held in a month that would have been followed by intensive final status talks.  Those talks would have been based on an Israeli commitment to reach an agreement for the establishment of a Palestinian state within two years, and would also have required us to commit to a massive withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.

This is the stuff of nightmares. What matters most is the continuing capacity and will of our prime minister and his government to continue to say no.

~~~~~~~~~~

A word about what's happening here:  Obama has backed himself into a corner with the talk of a Palestinian state within two years.  It's not just Obama, although he's been more strident in his approach.  It was true of his predecessors as well. There's always a precipitous rush with regard to finalizing arrangements, always talk -- ludicrous talk -- about a limited "window of opportunity." 

Never is there straight talk about the Palestinians not being prepared for self-rule, not having infrastructure or civil agencies in place.  No talk about building a genuine civil society over a generation or two, with cessation of incitement and renunciation of violence.  There is simply, quick, quick!

Not only is this talk foolish, it's dangerous.  Because once expectations are raised, the Palestinian Arab response, when those expectations aren't met, is violence.  There is particular concern about that now, as the US is training PA security forces -- forces that are being told that they are helping to build a state. Once they see they are not going to have their state within two years, against whom do you imagine they will turn their newly honed military skills?

There's a precedent for this: every time the CIA has trained PA forces, they ended up, in some measure or other, turning against us.

~~~~~~~~~~

After Obama's message was delivered yesterday, Netanyahu spoke.  He challenged Abbas to say publicly what is said behind closed doors: "...to say the truth about peace...and the true way to achieve it."

This is mere rhetoric.  Netanyahu knows full well that Abbas is weak and running scared.  He cannot speak truth and cannot moderate (see below) if he values his life.

And for now there will be no negotiations.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Security Cabinet met yesterday.  There was some interest within that body in debating the desirability of appointing a committee of inquiry to examine Goldstone Report charges. But it was never brought up, because Defense Minister Barak blocked the discussion.  So, here we are again: I don't usually agree with him, but sometimes he is very right indeed.

Israel thoroughly investigated charges at the end of Operation Cast Lead.  We conducted ourselves superbly and have no further need to justify ourselves. 

What was determined was that a team -- under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry -- would be established to fight the Goldstone charges.  Preparation will be done for debate in the UN Security Council, should the report be brought there.

~~~~~~~~~~

I'm finding, astonishingly, some shifting of attitudes in unlikely places:

One of the sources critical of Israel that Goldstone used in his report was Human Rights Watch.  Now Robert Bernstein, who founded this organization, has written a stunning op-ed in the New York Times:

"...I must do something that I never anticipated: I must publicly join the group’s critics. Human Rights Watch had as its original mission to pry open closed societies, advocate basic freedoms and support dissenters. But recently it has been issuing reports on the Israeli-Arab conflict that are helping those who wish to turn Israel into a pariah state...

"When I stepped aside in 1998, Human Rights Watch was active in 70 countries, most of them closed societies. Now the organization, with increasing frequency, casts aside its important distinction between open and closed societies.

"Nowhere is this more evident than in its work in the Middle East. The region is populated by authoritarian regimes with appalling human rights records. Yet in recent years Human Rights Watch has written far more condemnations of Israel for violations of international law than of any other country in the region.

"Israel, with a population of 7.4 million, is home to at least 80 human rights organizations, a vibrant free press, a democratically elected government, a judiciary that frequently rules against the government, a politically active academia, multiple political parties and, judging by the amount of news coverage, probably more journalists per capita than any other country in the world — many of whom are there expressly to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Meanwhile, the Arab and Iranian regimes rule over some 350 million people, and most remain brutal, closed and autocratic, permitting little or no internal dissent. The plight of their citizens who would most benefit from the kind of attention a large and well-financed international human rights organization can provide is being ignored as Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division prepares report after report on Israel.

"Human Rights Watch has lost critical perspective on a conflict in which Israel has been repeatedly attacked by Hamas and Hezbollah, organizations that go after Israeli citizens and use their own people as human shields. These groups are supported by the government of Iran, which has openly declared its intention not just to destroy Israel but to murder Jews everywhere. This incitement to genocide is a violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

"Leaders of Human Rights Watch know that Hamas and Hezbollah chose to wage war from densely populated areas, deliberately transforming neighborhoods into battlefields. They know that more and better arms are flowing into both Gaza and Lebanon and are poised to strike again. And they know that this militancy continues to deprive Palestinians of any chance for the peaceful and productive life they deserve. Yet Israel, the repeated victim of aggression, faces the brunt of Human Rights Watch’s criticism..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/opinion/20bernstein.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

~~~~~~~~~~

Then we have from the Guardian (UK), that bastion of anti-Israel opinion, a marvelous commentary by Harold Evans that speaks of the Goldstone Report as "a moral atrocity." ("Judge Goldstone has been suckered into letting war criminals use his name to pillory Israel.")

"Aren't the British sickened by the moral confusions of their government? ...Now we have the sickening spectacle of Britain failing to stand by Israel, the only democracy with an independent judiciary in the entire region.

"It was to be expected that the usual suspects of the risible UN Human Rights Council would be eager to condemn Israel for war crimes in defending itself against Hamas. If you treat people as the Chinese do the Tibetans...or as the Russians eliminate Chechen dissidents; or as the Nigerians tolerate extrajudicial killings...or as the Egyptians get prisoners to talk (torture) and the Saudis suppress half their population … well, go through the practices of all 25 states voting to refer Israel to the security council for the Gaza war, and you have to acknowledge they know a lot about the abuse of humans. Anything to divert attention from their own atrocities.

"...Britain didn't just abstain. It shirked voting at all...

"...No doubt there were blunders. A defensive war is still a war with all its suffering and destruction. But Hamas compounded its original war crime with another. It held its own people hostage. It used them as human shields. It regarded every (accidental) death as another bullet in the propaganda war. The Goldstone report won the gold standard of moral equivalence between the killer and the victim. Now Britain wins the silver. Who's cheering?"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/20/israel-goldstone-palestine-gaza-un

And so there is hope, my friends. Use these articles as broadly as you can.  (I thank the many people who shared them with me.)

~~~~~~~~~~

It's good news that Israel's Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, will not be attending the J Street  conference, in spite of intense pressure on him by J Street to do so.  A statement released by the embassy alluded to "concerns over certain policies of the organization that may impair the interests of Israel." 

The embassy will be sending a lower level staffer not to "participate" but to "observe" what goes on.

Hopefully this decision will reflect upon the credibility of this organization and give pause to some US officials who were thinking of attending.  A handful of Congresspersons who were listed as participants have already withdrawn because they said they hadn't been aware of the positions of the organization.  Some said that the decisions to attend had been made at staff levels.

J Street has cancelled the poetry reading session of Josh Healey, whom I wrote about yesterday, because there has been publicity about his "poetry," which associated Gaza with Auschwitz, and spoke of "writing numbers on the wrists of babies born in the ghetto called Gaza."

A splendid example of how important it is to get the facts out and reveal the true (anti-Israel) face of matters.

~~~~~~~~~~

You might want to see Lenny Ben David's latest piece, which directs some pointed questions at J Street director Jeremy Ben-Ami.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/showdown-on-j-street/#

~~~~~~~~~~

And it would be in order to send PM Netanyahu a note of appreciation for his decision (for ultimately it was his decision) to keep Oren from attending.

Fax: 02-670-5369 (From the US: 011-972-2-670-5369) 

Phone: 03-610-9898 (From the US: 011-972-3-610-9898)

 E-mail:  pm_eng2@it.pmo.gov.il (underscore after pm)

 ~~~~~~~~~~

PA president Abbas is now saying that if Hamas doesn't sign the reconciliation agreement very soon he's going to order elections for January 24, which is when elections are actually supposed to be held.

But without that "reconciliation" Hamas will not permit voting to take place in Gaza.

~~~~~~~~~~

King Abdullah of Jordan has been a real disappointment for some time now.  At the moment, he's in Italy and granted an interview to a paper there. What he said was:

"I've heard people in Washington talking about Iran, again Iran, always Iran.  But I insist on, and keep insisting on the Palestinian question: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the most serious threat to the stability of the region and the Mediterranean."

Not remotely do I believe he actually thinks this.  So I ask what advantage this brings him, what forces he's chosen to align himself with. 

Just the other day he released a statement regarding the need to protect the Al Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount.  My response: "Come on!  Abdullah?  Who surely knows this is nonsense?"  Abdullah is aware that for many years after 1967 Jordan (not the PA) staffed the Wakf that managed the Temple Mount and found Israel ever "accommodating."  He's not one of the crazies of the Islamic Movement.  Or he hasn't been until now.

~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps Abdullah's current positions can be linked to what's happening in Turkey.  A Post editorial on this subject offers this analysis:

"Turkey's turn against Israel is best understood in the context of its evolutionary transformation from the secular, nationalist and Western-oriented ethos of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to the dogmatic, radical, pan-Islamic and Middle Eastern attitudes of its current rulers. It is senseless for Israelis to ask ourselves what we did to cause Arab, Persian and now Turkish rulers to ascribe the most villainous of intentions to us - for example, conspiring to demolish Muslim shrines on the Temple Mount, or relishing the systematic murder of Arab children. Israel did not lose Turkey any more than it lost Iran or the "moderate" Palestinians.

"The Palestinian national movement under Mahmoud Abbas and Salaam Fayad has been outmaneuvered by Hamas. Any move Abbas now makes in the direction of moderation gets pounced upon as perfidy. This environment has led even a sensible man like Fayad to hold cabinet deliberations on whether Israeli soldiers are stealing the organs of Palestinian youths."

~~~~~~~~~~

We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, of the movement towards democracy and human rights and freedoms in central Europe. A hopeful time, historically, when events suggested growing enlightenment. 

But what a difference two decades has made. I cannot help but compare this with the opposite movement now within large parts of the Arab/Muslim world, away from enlightenment and human freedoms.  A movement towards radicalism and repression.

~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/23/october-21-2009-us-israel-relations.html

An outrage, an act devoid of justice and morality, but not unexpected: 
 
On Friday, the UN Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva, endorsed the endorsed the Goldstone Commission's findings.
 
Specifically, it condemned ("the occupying power") Israel for not cooperating with the investigation; welcomed the report of the "International Fact Finding Mission;" endorsed its findings; and recommended that the General Assembly consider it during its (current) 64th session.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
How bad was this resolution? Bad enough so that Goldstone himself criticized it. While his commission's findings were severely imbalanced and did not genuinely examine Hamas's war crimes or Israel's right to self-defense, they contained some reference to Hamas.
 
Before the vote was taken, Goldstone, who was in Bern for a conference, told a Swiss paper, "This draft resolution saddens me as it includes only allegations against Israel. There is not a single phrase condemning Hamas as we have done in the report."
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
The vote:
 
25 nations in favor: Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia.
 
11 nations abstained: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and Uruguay.
 
Five nations opposed:  Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the US.
 
Five nations did not vote:  Britain, France, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan and Angola.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Several comments here.  Primary among them is my grievous disappointment with Britain and France for declining to vote.  Netanyahu had made the point very clearly to Britain that it was in danger of being charged in similar fashion because of its military operations in Afghanistan.  It fell on deaf ears. 
 
There was a good deal of justification offered by the two nations for their position, but I'm not buying. 
 
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that Britain and France chose not to vote because it would upset negotiations to restart peace talks.  And France's envoy Francois Zimeray, told the Post that his country opted not to participate "to express our strong disagreement" with the fact that the vote was taken so precipitously: "As you know we wanted to improve the text, to enter into true and serious negotiations."
 
The Post reports that the enjoys in Geneva of both nations said they took seriously the report's allegations against Israel of war crimes.  This is the bottom line and what kept them from vetoing the resolution.
 
What British Premier Gordon Brown and French President Nicholas Sarkozy did after making the decision not to vote is send a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu saying they recognized Israel's right to defend herself, and knew that this was a "sensitive issue," but remained convinced that "peace would guarantee Israel's security best."
 
Then they put the onus squarely on us, urging "an independent and transparent investigation of the events in Gaza," the facilitation of "increased access to Gaza," a "halt to settlement activity in occupied territories," and "the resumption of negotiations on the basis of parameters recalled by President Obama in his speech to the UN."  
 
The fancy diplomatic footwork and the positive spin aside, these nations are not with us. 
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
With this comes relief that the US stood opposed.  If this comes before the Security Council, we will be depending on a US veto (see more on this below).
 
It's instructive to note the positions of various other nations.  I've long felt that our future is with alliances in eastern Europe, western Europe to a large extent having been lost. Eastern European nations largely "get it" in a way the west has failed to do, and as our foreign ministry courts them this is to the good.  See that Hungary, Slovakia, and the Ukraine were opposed, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Uruguay abstained.
 
Also important given the shifting climate of international diplomatic relations (and the critical need for us to find alliances beyond our connection with a weakened US) is our courting of African nations.  This Lieberman has also been doing.  And see that Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Gabon abstained.
 
Lastly, I am surprised that India, with which I thought we had a reasonably warm relationship of shared concerns, voted for.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
I share here a link to a video of Col. Richard Kemp -- former commander of British forces in Afghanistan and a military man with tremendous credentials -- who addressed the Human Rights Council on Friday.  You will also see the text of his remarks, but I urge you to see the short -- three minute -- video. 
 
www.unwatch.org/kemp
 
The Goldstone Commission declined to hear Col. Kemp.  UN Watch, an NGO that monitors UN activity, arranged for him to address the Council.
 
The good colonel's message: "the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare."
 
That their own military man so defended Israel makes even more unconscionable Britain's failure to vote against.
 
Please, share this link very broadly, including with your Senators and Congresspeople, who should all see it.
 
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

~~~~~~~~~~
 
Netanyahu has put together a special forum to contend with the vote of the HRC.  "We are now setting out to delegitimize those who try to delegitimize us. We will not tolerate it and we will respond on a case by case basis," he declared. 
 
Among those to be involved are: Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman, and Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman, Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog and Minister Benny Begin.  Senior officials from the prime minister's office Uzi Arad and Ron Dermer and Foreign Ministry Director General Yossi Gal will also be participating. (No Ya'alon?)

A long, hard and very necessary fight.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
What will happen now remains a bit vague. 
 
According to the Post, Palestinian envoy to the UN in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, says they are seeking ways to send the report directly to the International Criminal Court, which would charge individual Israeli leaders with war crimes.
 
More likely is that it will get to the General Assembly, which might send it to the International Court of Justice -- possibly for an advisory ruling.  Then it may well go to the Security Council. But it's a good bet that the US would veto any proposed SC action, because American interests lie in a different direction.  The Americans know full well that even debate on the subject will interferes the "peace process," and Obama is eager to get on with those negotiations.  In fact, Britain and France think along the same lines.
 
The fact that the Human Rights Council accepted the findings of the Goldstone Commission has already had a chilling effect on that "process."  Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders warned about this:  We are going to be considerably less willing to "take chances" for "peace" if we may be blocked in our right to defend ourselves.  What has happened, additionally, is that terrorist organizations -- reasonably assured that there will be no serious international repercussions to their actions -- have been given a green light.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Jonathan Schanzer of the Jewish Policy Center says that the vote in the Human Rights Council marks a "distinct" failure for Obama policy in the Middle East.  He had reportedly indicated to Jerusalem, when the Goldstone Report was first released, that it would die a quiet death in the Council, which enabled him to secure a greater measure of cooperation from Israel with regard to willingness to enter negotiations.
 
But, in the turn of events that has been thoroughly examined here, he was unable to keep Abbas in line on this.

"Apart from his inability to hold Abbas to his word, Obama failed to appeal to the sensibilities of U.S. allies on the council such as Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, who voted in favor of the report. This confirms that the Arab world is still more interested in vilifying Israel than negotiating with it – despite Obama's attempts to engender good will in the Arab world by exacting concessions from Israel.

"More importantly, Obama has conveyed to the Israelis that he lacks sway with the Palestinians. This bodes poorly for future negotiations. "

~~~~~~~~~~

Word is that FL Congressman Robert Wexler (D-Boca Raton area) is about to resign from Congress and become director of the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, in Washington DC.

No loss to the Congressional world, although I suppose he will have to be monitored with regard to his new position.  Wexler was an early, and enthusiastic supporter of Obama. When he was here this past summer he referred to a freeze on settlement activity by Israel as no more than a "tiny tiny gesture."

~~~~~~~~~~

Wexler has also been a major supporter of J Street, which, as it happens, is planning its first major conference next week in Washington DC. 

J Street, headed by Jeremy Ben-Ami, defines itself as "the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement."  But those terms, used so blithely, themselves must be examined.  Pro-peace?  Pro-Israel? By whose lights?

Ben-Ami represents his "progressive" group as being the alternative to AIPAC, and the organization that most genuinely speaks for American Jews today.  He has stated that "We're trying to redefine what it means to be pro-Israel."

~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of months ago, Lawrence W. White wrote a critique of J Street that is biting and incisive -- and worthy of serious note:

"Court Jews were so named because they were Jews who did favors for noblemen in exchange for prestige, social influence, and various privileges not available to other Jews. They were often more concerned with preserving their status and fortunes than in promoting the welfare of their less fortunate co-religionists...

"In the widening divide between American and Israeli Jews over concern for the future of Israel, there are many American Jews who have taken positions harmful to the security of the Jewish state. Some Jews for a variety of reasons wish to establish themselves as 'progressives', with a universalist rather than particularist world view...

"Barack Obama has also needed court Jews. The President, clearly committed to liberal-left solutions to our national problems, campaigned as a strong advocate for Israel...His eloquence and apparent sincerity in speaking of his concern for Israel played a major role in his winning a stunning 78% of the Jewish vote.

"Once he was elected Barak Obama found governing to be more difficult than campaigning. The choices that he has made have led to erosion of support, especially among centrists who had supported him. To be successful Obama needed to retain his base...

"Obama's view of the conflict in the Middle East has been shaped by those with an imperfect understanding of Middle East history and culture...Those around him, including many Jews, encourage this ahistoric and simplistic thinking.

"But the President needs to be sure that in the process of leaning on Israel, he does not lose the American Jewish community. They were needed last year to ensure an electoral majority and will continue to be needed in the future. Having campaigned on a strong pro-Israel platform, and having assured many prominent and well-connected Jews that he was committed to the security and welfare of Israel, he needed a credible way to validate that impression in order to prevent any erosion in support. This is where Jeremy Ben-Ami, the director of the new organization J Street, comes in. Ben-Ami has become the very model of the 'court Jew'.

"...Along with others, including George Soros, Ben-Ami founded J Street last year as an organization that was 'both pro-peace and pro-Israel'.  A key feature of J Street's strategy was to establish themselves as a centrist force.  To achieve this they needed to do two things. First, market themselves as moderate and as authentic representatives of the American Jewish community, and secondly break the influence of AIPAC and other Jewish organizations by re-labeling them as right wing, and not sufficiently committed to the peace process. 

~~~~~~~~~~
 
"During its short history, J Street has built up an extensive list of positions detrimental to Israel.  With respect to Iran, they have defended Iran's nuclear weapons program, and lobbied Congress not to place new sanctions on Iran...They have urged ending sanctions against Syria also, and have favored pressuring Israel to return the Golan Heights to Syrian control.

"They have lobbied Congress to oppose an initiative calling on Obama to pressure Arab governments to normalize relations with Israel, They favor negotiating with Hamas...And when the President awarded the Medal of Freedom to the Durban anti-Semitic ringmaster Mary Robinson, it was J Street that was tasked with defending the indefensible.

"But their most controversial action relates to Operation Cast Lead. Last December, after several months of deadly rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, Israel finally took military action against Hamas to defend its citizens. J Street opposed this action, calling for an immediate cease fire on the first day, claiming that Israel's actions were contrary to the interests of peace...
 
"J Street's strategy is deceptively simple. No matter how damaging to Israel a particular position might be, they follow with the mantra "and we are pro-Israel". That J Street  takes positions inimical to Israel's welfare should be obvious, but it disguises its anti-Israel bias behind repeated declarations of support for the State of Israel...
 
"The claim by J Street that they are pro-Israel is one of the largest con jobs ever perpetrated on the American Jewish community...

"...J Street permits [Obama] to create the illusion that he has the support of the American Jewish community, that he is maintaining his promise to be a friend to Israel, and by doing exactly what a pro-Israel Jewish organization is recommending, he is acting in Israel's best interests...
 
"...As soon as the [organized Jewish] community sees through J Street's claim of being pro-Israel, the game will end. At present however, J Street is an unofficial adjunct of the Obama administration. Its allegiance is to Barack Obama, not to the American Jewish community and certainly not to Israel." 
 
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/obamas_court_jews_the_rise_of.html
 
~~~~~~~~~~

Earlier this month, commentator Lenny Ben David took a close look at some major J Street supporters:

"In August, the Jerusalem Post revealed that J Street’s political action committee received contributions from Arab-Iranian-, and Muslim Americans. State Department officials, a Palestinian billionaire, and board members of the discredited Human Rights Watch and the Iranian lobby were also listed in the files of the Federal Election Commission. Faced with the evidence, J Street’s director Jeremy Ben-Ami responded, 'I think it is a terrific thing for Israel for us to be able to expand the tent of people who are willing to be considered pro-Israel and willing to support Israel through J Street, he said.

"Give me a break. That tent may have come directly from the Saudi king’s compound in Riyadh or Jedda. Research into J Street’s backers indicates a Washington cadre of paid Saudi agents, sycophants, and
factotums. There are not many in that bunch who would be 'willing to be considered pro-Israel.'"

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/why-does-j-street-attract-the-friends-of-saudi-arabia/?print=1

~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/23/october-18-2009-no-surprise.html

Khaled Abu Toameh writes in the Post today about the "forced marriage" between Fatah and Hamas -- the reconciliation being shoved down their throats by Egypt.
 
These two parties -- who "abhor" each other -- are being pushed into a reconciliation of sorts.  I know of no serious analyst who thinks this will really become a stable situation.
 
Fatah, which has signed the agreement, found itself in a position of more or less having to do this as a result of the uproar that followed Abbas's withdrawal of the demand that the Human Rights Council pursue the Goldstone Report (which withdrawal he has since reversed, but not before he had promoted enormous ill will for himself and his party).
 
We're still waiting on Hamas's formal acceptance.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
A little glimpse into how volatile and hostile the situation is:
 
I shared in the last few days the fact that Hamas condemned Fatah for withdrawing its demand regarding the report, and that Abbas then lashed out at Hamas for lashing out at Fatah.
 
But here is a new wrinkle.  According to the Ma'an (Palestinian) news agency on Tuesday:
 
"Abbas accused Hamas leaders of fleeing to Sinai Peninsula in ambulances when the Gaza strip was under Israeli fire last winter..."
 
This is startling. 
 
The Goldstone Report says, "Mission did not find any evidence to support the allegations that... ambulances were used to transport combatants..." (Paragraph 485).  The exceedingly dubious point being that there was no justification for Israel to have stopped or gone after ambulances.  And now Abbas says otherwise, thereby undercutting the reliability of what was said in the report (the very report he has now decided to promote vigorously again).  He was undoubtedly too angry at Hamas people, too busy trying to make them look like cowards, to consider the broader ramifications of what he said.
 
Will Hamas let this pass?  Arab pride should never be discounted.
 
Today Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said that Hamas wants to prosecute Abbas:
 
"A day will come when Abu Mazen [Abbas] will have to answer for his smear campaign against us...in a special court...We demand Abu Mazen name those he claims hid.  I want him to say exactly where he thinks we ran to. This man must stop trying to spread his lies."
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
And in this Middle Eastern soap opera there is even more.  When Abbas began to promote the report, Israel was very angry, and released a statement saying that Abbas had originally urged us not to stop fighting until Hamas was completely defeated.  Needless to say, this does not sit well with Hamas either.
 
But any minute now sweetness and light will break forth and there will be unity between Fatah and Hamas.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
And here's another piece of the Goldstone story:  Alan Dershowitz has written an article in which he maintains that Goldstone is backing down.
 
"In an interview with Jewish Forward, Goldstone denied that his group had conducted 'an investigation.'  Instead, it was what he called a 'fact-finding mission' based largely on the limited 'material we had.'  ...Goldstone acknowledged that 'if this was a court of law, there would have been nothing proven.'  He emphasized to the Forward that the report was no more than 'a road map' for...investigators and that it contained no actual 'evidence' of wrongdoing by Israel."  

http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/10/goldstone-backs-away-from-report-the-two-faces-of-an-international-poseur.php

 ~~~~~~~~~~ 

Things are heating up in the north. 

According to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida, Syria, reluctant to take on Israel directly, is supplying Hezbollah with arms instead.  Reportedly, Syria transferred one quarter of its arsenal of middle- and long-range missiles to Hezbollah, and every part of Israel can now be hit. The paper cites Israeli security forces as the source of its information. 

While senior Israeli defense officials, in more direct statements, are now saying that thousands of weapons caches have been placed in civilian homes scattered in 160 villages in southern Lebanon.  Hezbollah possession of weapons south of the Litani River represents a violation of SC Resolution 1701, which has been largely ignored.  

Having the weapons in the south makes it easier for Hezbollah to access them and increases their reach into Israel.  The fact that they are in homes raises the whole specter of human shields again. 

Much must be made of this now, it seems to me, with all possible evidence provided, so that when we ultimately go after those caches of weapons, we are not again accused of "war crimes." 

This entire issue was in the news this past week because of an explosion of a stockpile of weapons in a home in a village near Tyre.

~~~~~~~~~~

Turkey's behavior -- with regard to its relationship with Israel -- is moving on a path of serious deterioration.  Following the cancellation of joint military maneuvers with us, the Turks announced that they would hold maneuvers with Syria. 

Following this a highly inflammatory and inciteful program was aired on government-controlled TV. The first program this week, in what is planned as a series about a Palestinian family in the West Bank, shows IDF soldiers killing a baby and a young girl, and lining up people for execution. 

Calling this "the gravest form of incitement," Foreign Minister Lieberman said that the Turkish envoy (the previous Turkish ambassador to Israel has left and has not yet been replaced) would be summoned in protest.

~~~~~~~~~~
 
"The Good News Corner"
 
In June, 2002, Boaz Shabo lost his wife and three of their children in a terrorist attack.  In the midst of a week of murderous attacks, a terrorist, shooting wildly, infiltrated the community of Itamar, in Samaria, and entered the Shabo home.
 
Boaz moved with his remaining four children to Kedumim, to be near relatives.  Two years ago, he was married again; his new wife, Hila, brought her five children with her into the family.
 
At the beginning of this year, Hila became pregnant. She delivered over the Sukkot holiday:  TRIPLETS.
 
Said Boaz, "it was a total surprise – something so symbolic that only G-d can understand or explain it. Though it’s impossible to forget those who were killed, this is a very joyous occasion for all of us.

“The way to rebuild is by getting married again… There cannot be a 100% recovery from something like what happened to us; we are always shadowed by the loss of a mother and three children. But with love and with faith, a decision like this brings much joy… Our house is now full of children and life.

"[Our enemies] should know that they will not be able to defeat us.  As the Torah says, the more they oppress us, the more we will prosper."
 
As to dealing with three infants, Boaz said, “It won’t be easy – but a lot of things have not been easy over the past few years. I tried to look at everything from the positive, optimistic side, and put the difficulties aside; I think that 50% of the problems are psychological. If a person says that it will be hard, then it will be hard. But if you decide to try to get up in the morning with a smile, and know you are headed in the right direction, then it will be much easier for you.  You can’t let the obstacles stop you; put them aside.

“I just want to emphasize: Never give in to despair. There is always a light at the top, even if it might involve a hard climb. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, at which can be found light, happiness, faith, and all of our goals.”
 
And this, I think, is the answer to all of the heavy news reported above and on so many days.  The people of Israel have breathtaking resilience, founded in love and faith. And our enemies will not be able to defeat us.
 
(My thanks to my daughter Sharon R. for calling my attention to this from Arutz Sheva.)
 
~~~~~~~~~~

 http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/23/october-15-2009-a-facade-of-unity.html

Daniel Pipes has written an article -- "Peace Process or War Process?" -- in the fall issue of Middle East Quarterly that is brilliant in its conceptual understanding of what is going on with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
 
It doesn't matter what Obama does to advance "peace" here, says Pipes, it doesn't matter how his approach differs from that of the two Bushes or Clinton -- he is doomed to failure.  For, in spite of the differences in the policies of the aforementioned presidents, there is an essential way in which all of their approaches share a common vision: That the conflict might be solved via goodwill.  War would be "finessed" as steps were taken towards peace.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
This, says Pipes, has been the predominant Israeli attitude since the disaster of Oslo in 1993:
 
"...the ultimate mistake lay in Yitzhak Rabin's misunderstanding of how war ends, as revealed by his catch-phrase, 'One does not make peace with one's friends. One makes peace with one's enemy.' The Israeli prime minister expected war to be concluded through goodwill, conciliation, mediation, flexibility, restraint, generosity, and compromise, topped off with signatures on official documents. In this spirit, his government and those of his three successors — Shimon Peres, Binyamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak — initiated an array of concessions, hoping and expecting the Palestinians to reciprocate.

They did not. In fact, Israeli concessions inflamed Palestinian hostility. Palestinians interpreted Israeli efforts to 'make peace' as signals of demoralization and weakness. 'Painful concessions' reduced the Palestinian awe of Israel, made the Jewish state appear vulnerable, and incited irredentist dreams of annihilation. Each Oslo-negotiated gesture by Israel further exhilarated, radicalized, and mobilized the Palestinian body politic to war. The quiet hope of 1993 to eliminate Israel gained traction, becoming a deafening demand by 2000. Venomous speech and violent actions soared. Polls and votes in recent years suggest that a mere 20 percent of Palestinians accept the existence of a Jewish state.

"Rabin's mistake was simple and profound: One cannot 'make peace with one's enemy,' as he imagined. Rather, one makes peace with one's former enemy. Peace nearly always requires one side in a conflict to be defeated and thus give up its goals.

"Wars end not through good will but victory." (Emphasis added)

"...Since 1993, in brief, the Arabs have sought victory while Israelis sought compromise.

"...But who does not win, loses. To survive, Israelis eventually must return to their pre-1993 policy of establishing that Israel is strong, tough, and permanent. That is achieved through deterrence — the tedious task of convincing Palestinians and others that the Jewish state will endure and that dreams of elimination must fail." (Emphasis added)

~~~~~~~~~~

Says Pipes, "This process may be seen through a simple prism. Any development that encourages Palestinians to think they can eliminate Israel is negative, any that encourages them to give up that goal is positive.

"The Palestinians' defeat will be recognizable when, over a protracted period and with complete consistency, they prove that they have accepted Israel. This does not mean loving Zion, but it does mean permanently accepting it — overhauling the educational system to take out the demonization of Jews and Israel, telling the truth about Jewish ties to Jerusalem, and accepting normal commercial, cultural, and human relations with Israelis."

~~~~~~~~~~

America has a role to play here, Pipes tells us.

"...Americans face a stark choice: Endorse the Palestinian goal of eliminating Israel or endorse Israel's goal of winning its neighbors' acceptance.

"To state the choice makes clear that there is no choice — the first is barbaric, the second civilized. No decent person can endorse the Palestinians' genocidal goal of eliminating their neighbor...the U.S. government must stand with Israel in its drive to win acceptance.

"Not only is this an obvious moral choice, but Israel's win, ironically, would be the best thing that ever happened to the Palestinians. Compelling them finally to give up on their irredentist dream would liberate them to focus on their own polity, economy, society, and culture. Palestinians need to experience the crucible of defeat to become a normal people — one whose parents stop celebrating their children becoming suicide terrorists, whose obsession with Zionist rejectionism collapses. There is no shortcut.

"This analysis implies a radically different approach for the U.S. government from the current one. On the negative side, it puts Palestinians on notice that benefits will flow to them only after they prove their acceptance of Israel. Until then — no diplomacy, no discussion of final status, no recognition as a state, and certainly no financial aid or weapons.

"On the positive side, the U. S. administration should work with Israel, the Arab states, and others to induce the Palestinians to accept Israel's existence by convincing them that they have lost. This means impressing on the Israeli government the need not just to defend itself but to take steps to demonstrate to Palestinians the hopelessness of their cause. That requires not episodic shows of force...but a sustained and systematic effort to deflate a bellicose mentality."

http://www.danielpipes.org:80/7653/peace-process-or-war-process

~~~~~~~~~~

The bellicose, non-compromising, nature of the PA is evident once again. This time it's a memo put out by Fatah, which was obtained by the Associated Press.  It says:

"All hopes placed in the new US administration and President Obama have evaporated, [as Obama] couldn't withstand the pressure of the Zionist lobby, which led to a retreat from his previous positions on halting settlement construction and defining an agenda for the negotiations and peace."

Of course, Obama set himself up for this, with the demands he originally made, leading the PA to think he was going to deliver Israel on a silver platter.  This runs completely contrary to what Pipes recommends.  Palestinian hopes that Israel can be defeated have only been strengthened via Obama's posturing. 

Abbas stated, once again, that he would not sit at the negotiating table with Israel until all settlement building had been frozen, including in the occupied territory of Jerusalem.

~~~~~~~~~~

Words matter a great deal and often not enough attention is paid to them. There is, instead, interpretation based on wishful thinking -- or a desire to look the other way.

It had made the news that the US State Department says that any unity government forged by the Palestinians must be based on Quartet principles:

"Commitment to non-violence, recognition of Israel, acceptance of previous agreements and obligations." 

I acknowledge readily enough that there is no way that Hamas will even pretend to commit to non-violence.  (Fatah pretends.)  As to previous agreements, Hamas has spoken about "respecting" them, which is diplomatic word play -- and I don't know if the U.S. would accept that.

But what leaped out at me is "recognition of Israel."  There have been Hamas leaders who have said, "Recognize Israel?  Of course.  It's here.  We acknowledge that it's here."

What's missing from this formulation is the need to recognize Israel's RIGHT to exist as a Jewish state. That, my friends, is something else all together.

~~~~~~~~~~

Will there be reconciliation?  That depends on the day of the week, and the hour of the day.

Today in Ramallah Fatah signed the Egyptian-generated agreement for reconciliation.  According to the Palestinian Ma'an News Service, Hamas is in favor but has not said so publicly yet.  Egypt is requesting a final answer by tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

The very ugly saga of the Goldstone Report continues...

Today the Security Council will be meeting in special session, at the request of Libya, to debate the issue.  Israel has been hard at work in diplomatic circles, communicating to Western nations the need to take a stand here, lest sanction be given to terrorism.

This session is not, however, expected to end with a recommendation that the report be sent to the International Criminal Court.  Founded in 2002, the Court prosecutes individuals charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and the like.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tomorrow, however, the UN Human Rights Council will meet in special session, at the behest of the PA (which has observer status in the UN).  

I stop right here for a moment, however, because I accessed the UN announcement about this and found that it says that the request was made by "Palestine."  Whoa!  There IS no Palestine.  And yet, as I've been learning in discussions with a lawyer here, the UN is perilously close to acting as if the PA indeed is a state.

(Should we be surprised, then, that UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon praised Abbas's involvement in pushing this issue forward?)

~~~~~~~~~~

At any rate, the request was co-sponsored by the following members of the Council:  Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Indonesia, Jordan, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Senegal. 

Discussions in this forum are expected to last for more than a day, and there is speculation that it may send the report to the General Assembly which might send it to the Security Council (GA actions not being binding), which might yet send it to the International Court of Justice, which is the judicial arm of the UN and adjudicates in issues between states.

It is not clear to me, and I have not yet been able to learn enough about the presumed process (such as it may be) to gain understanding as to why two different courts are being discussed and what would determine in which direction the report might be sent.  In his recent statement on the matter, Netanyahu referred to the Criminal Court, when he said it was ludicrous and he would not permit trial of any Israelis within that court.

None of it will do us any good.  But I point out that as the Court of Justice adjudicates between states, there is a legal problem, as Gaza is not a state and is controlled by a terror organization.  But the UN is not likely to let this stand in its way.

I also mention here the fact that process seems to requires the report to come into the hands of the GA first, but that the real action would be in the SC.

~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/23/october-14-2009-the-way-to-victory.html

After five days in the area, and two meetings with PM Netanyahu, that's pretty much how US Middle East envoy Mitchell has left Israel.  There will be no announcement of a resumption of negotiations with the PA.  Netanyahu has made it clear that any freeze on settlements (or "moratorium on building," however that is defined) must be matched by normalization gestures of substance by the Arab world. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, PA president Abbas, playing hardball, said last night that, "There will be no Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty until the occupation of Jerusalem ends. We are determined to safeguard the Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem."

So...there will be no Israeli-Palestinian "peace treaty."

Since the end of the holiday, a fragile quiet has settled over Jerusalem.  Abbas's comments about "safeguarding" the Mosque are not going to help.

~~~~~~~~~~

Following what the NY Daily News referred to as "a brief interlude of decency," Abbas has done a complete turn-about on the matter of the Goldstone Report, instructing the PA envoy to the UN Human Rights Council to seek discussion on it now and not next March: "so that those responsible for crimes against the Palestinian people during the barbaric Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, when Israel destroyed Gaza, its mosques, its hospitals and its homes, can be brought to justice."

What is transparently clear is that he is looking over his shoulder at Hamas, as he takes this position.  Now he explains that the suggestion that the discussion on Goldstone be delayed came as a result of the "opposition of several powerful countries" and was not an initiative of the PA.

"We are working to bring to an end to the intra-Palestinian rift and to sign a reconciliation treaty," he declared, accusing Hamas of exposing its "true intentions" to hurt Palestinian unity efforts by charging that the PA was involved in the delay.

Please, allow me to translate this for you (as it gives me a moment of levity): Abbas is saying that even though the PA withdrew its demand that the Goldstone Report be discussed now, it really had nothing to do with it, and when Hamas leaders get angry with him about this, their true motivation is undermining reconciliation. 

Grappling with this logic, or lack thereof, helps Westerns understand the circumlocutions of the Arab mind and perhaps sheds light on why everything is so difficult here.  Most Westerners have no clue.

~~~~~~~~~~

Barry Rubin says that the PA has double-crossed the US, and not for the first time.  (Will Obama take serious note of this and respond accordingly?):

"The Palestinian leadership is once again shooting itself in the foot. It is throwing away a real opportunity for a state; it is sabotaging its relationship with Western patrons.

"When it comes down to a choice between continuing the conflict and trying to win a total victory that wipes Israel off the map, or making peace and getting a state, the Palestinian leadership always chooses the former.

"And when it comes to choosing between being a bit more moderate and gaining Western support, or being demagogically radical and appealing to the most radical forces, the Palestinian leadership chooses the latter. The Fatah-dominated PA doesn't want peace with Israel; it prefers peace with Hamas, its rival that not only murders and tortures Fatah people but - one  more irony - is the main beneficiary of the Goldstone Report."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1255204772568&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

~~~~~~~~~~

At any rate, as there is considerable ill will between members of Hamas and members of Fatah at present, Egypt has come up with a new plan for finalizing an agreement:  The written understanding would be faxed to leaders of each group, who would sign it and fax it back. 

This would truly be a first.  But this way representatives of Hamas and Fatah wouldn't have to be in the same room and certainly wouldn't be called upon to shake each others' hands.

Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya, member of Hamas's political bureau, told a rally at Islamic University yesterday that Hamas still thinks national reconciliation is the best option for all -- it hasn't been rejected -- but is awaiting the opportune moment to sign the agreement.

Abbas is making noises about holding elections soon (an announcement must be made three months prior to the election) if there is no reconciliation.  But Hamas is warning him not to even think about this.

Stay tuned.

~~~~~~~~~~

Since it seems we're soon going to be back to square one with regard to risk of the Goldstone Report being sent by the Security Council to the International Criminal Court in the Hague (Netherlands), the issue of a US veto in the Security Council becomes critically important once again.

In spite of apparent pressure on Abbas by Obama, we can take nothing for granted. And so, once again, I ask that you make as much noise as possible in the US:

Contact your Congresspersons:

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

And your Senators:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Contact President Barack Obama:

Fax: 202-456-2461   White House Comment line:  202-456-1111

E-mail form via:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

As well as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Fax: 202-261-8577 or 202-647-65434

Main State Department switchboard: 202-647-4000

State Dept. Public Communication Division

(accepts opinions from the public -- best to connect here):

Fax: 202-647-2283   Phone: 202-647-6575

E-mail:  secretary@state.gov

~~~~~~~~~~

Share this by e-mail with others who may be willing to act; talk about the issue so that people understand; call in to talk shows; write letters to the editor.

~~~~~~~~~~

Problems with the report include the following:

[] The mandate by the Human Rights Council -- itself overtly and blatantly anti-Israel -- to the Goldstone Commission, which did the investigation, was biased from the beginning: Only Israel that was to be investigated.

[] Hamas, with its use of human shields, was given a free ride.  When a Hamas leader who testified actually referred to human shields, the report concluded that "it did not consider [the statement] to constitute evidence." Said Goldstone, in open correspondence:  "We did not deal with the problems of conducting military operations in civilian areas [which is what Hamas did].  We avoided having to do so in the incidents we decided to investigate."

[] The commission was nothing more than a kangaroo court, as there were judges sitting on it who stated before the investigation even started that they knew Israel was guilty.

[] Israel's right to self-defense is not mentioned once in the report.

[] "Evidence" presented by Palestinians was accepted without corroboration.

[] The report was based in the main on statements by anti-Israel NGOs (e.g., Palestinian Center for Human Rights).  NGO Monitor -- which called the report "575 pages of NGO 'cut and paste'" -- found numerous false and unsubstantiated allegations that were included.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Elihu Richter, of the Hadassah School of Public Health, charged, in the Post:

"I personally submitted a nine-page, annotated and referenced brief to the Goldstone Commission last July showing that the high male-female ratio of fatalities among Palestinians in Gaza argues for the combatant status of many whom human rights organizations classified as non-combatants. However, the Commission was not driven by the evidence, but by its preset agenda."

Noam Bedein, Director of the Sderot Media Center, who went to testify to the Commission as a private individual who could attest to the suffering of the people of Sderot caused by Hamas rockets, has said that Goldstone actually slept through part of his testimony.

~~~~~~~~~~

For further background on the issues and the bias of the charges, see here (especially "Article and Reports"):

http://www.eyeontheun.org/view.asp?l=47&p=982

~~~~~~~~~~

Today was opening day of the winter session of the Knesset, and it was on this same topic that PM Netanyahu focused:

"The right to have a Jewish state and the right to self defense are two of the basic principles of our people. These two elements are interwoven: Without a state of our own we cannot defend ourselves and without the right to self defense, we cannot run our own country..

"These basic rights are under continuous assault, gaining momentum since the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead [in Gaza]. We must repel this onslaught.

"Israel will not allow its leaders to be prosecuted at The Hague. We reject this absurd state of affairs."

~~~~~~~~~~

Netanyahu has made other points on this subject that merit a mention.  This can stymie the peace process, he says, for Israel will not take risks if our right to self-defense is being denied us.  Never mind that we shouldn't take those "risks" in any event, for other reasons -- the point is valid.  I have no doubt that he intends to give particular parties pause. 

And he has cautioned that nations such as the UK, if they support the report, might find themselves similarly vulnerable in the future -- for example, with regard to military action in Afghanistan.

~~~~~~~~~~

See this piece by Professor Richard Landes.  It is being suggested by Goldstone, he says, that Israel must do a serious investigation of our misdeeds.  But "to paraphrase Ecclesiastes: 'there's a time for receiving rebuke and a time for rebuking...' and the time for rebuke has come."

And so Landes would recommend another sort of investigation.  Israel should investigate the Goldstone Commission that did the original inquiry: the ways in which legal procedure was ignored. 

"Israel must examine the role of intimidation, of advocacy, and of access in distorting and falsifying evidence, the role of political correctness in making us incapable of discussing the problem and the astonishing lack of critical thinking in assessing witnesses."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1255204764414&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

~~~~~~~~~~

Switching topics, let me also recommend a piece from last Friday by the Jerusalem Post editor, David Horovitz, "Watching and Waiting."

"Israel had concluded long before the Obama administration took office that it would ultimately need to rely on itself in grappling with Iran. Everything that has unfolded in the last few months has only reinforced the conviction...

"Israel and the US are maintaining close and constructive coordination on the Iranian nuclear crisis. Concerns and assessments are shared effectively. Nothing that was raised by the US in Geneva came as a surprise in Jerusalem...

"But...Jerusalem's confidence in this administration and its judgment - on Iran and anything else - seems also to have been shaken because of what are considered here to have been costly rookie errors where the Palestinians are concerned...

"In this [Netanyahu's] government's thinking, efforts at negotiation with the Palestinians have been set back because of the exaggerated US demands on settlement, and the reality on the ground has grown more tense in the interim.

"That's bad enough for Israel. But miscalculation by Washington over Iran would have far more profound consequences here.

"Which is why, for all the genuinely excellent coordination between the US and Israel, and the truly wide exchange of information, Jerusalem's silence over the goings-on in Geneva speaks loudest of all.

"America and the other key world players are doing what they see fit with regard to Iran. As will Israel."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=2&cid=1254861904634&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

~~~~~~~~~~

The vision of tough talking, non-politically correct Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman rather appeals to me.  Last week it was revealed that in a secret memo recently he called for less dependence on the US, with closer ties to developing nations.

Today he is in Kazakhstan, eager to show what is possible in terms of our relationships with genuinely moderate Muslim states.

~~~~~~~~~~

The political stance of Turkey: Something else troubling to be watched closely.

A multinational military exercise known as the "Anatolian Eagle" maneuvers -- scheduled to take place between today and September 24 in Turkey -- has been called off because Turkey demanded that Israel not participate. Why?  Some of the planes we would have sent might have been used in bombing runs in Gaza against Hamas.  Once Israel was excluded, the US and Italy refused to participate.   

Since a treaty between Jerusalem and Ankara was ratified in 1996, the two nations have held joint maneuvers 15 times. And so this represents a serious divergence in Turkish policy.  Concern is that the Turkish government, which has been pivotal in certain ways, is shifting from a moderate perspective to one that is more staunchly Muslim.

In light of this, Israeli officials are rethinking military sales and diplomatic support for Turkey, but there are those cautioning that while tensions are now high it is possible that the situation can be redeemed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Rumors have been flying regarding the fact that Ahmadinejad has Jewish roots.  Here's a piece in the Guardian by a journalist who grew up in Teheran and says it is not so:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/05/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-jewish-family?tr=y&auid=5412302

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Good News Corner"

A room from the Second Temple period was discovered decades ago, buried deep in the ground under the Old City.  But no excavation was done because the ancient stones were not stable enough.  But now a new technique has been developed that allows the walls to be supported while rubble within the room is removed. A concrete roof has been erected at the site, which goes six meters deep, and an iron support structure put in place.

Artifacts from both the First and Second Temple periods have been discovered in the course of the excavation. 

The large room, known as the "Hall of Eras," will be opened to the public in due course.

(Because of the recent riots on the Temple Mount, authorities have stressed that this room is not under the Mount and that no excavation was done under it.  The charge being made is that we are digging under the Mount in an effort to destroy the Al Aksa Mosque.)

~~~~~~~~~~

 http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/10/october-12-2009-empty-handed.html

Motzei Shabbat (After Shabbat)

Today we celebrated Simchat Torah here in Israel, ending the holiday season.  Outside of Israel, it will be celebrated tomorrow, and there are some of you who will not see this until tomorrow evening.  But there is so very much to say, that I wanted to pick up, and at least begin.  A very active week it was.

~~~~~~~~~~

Only hours ago, I danced with the Torah.  This is the ultimate in sanity.  Then, as the holiday ended, I turned to the ways of the world and confronted insanity on a number of fronts.

The "ridiculous" that I refer to here is the conferring upon Barack Obama of the Nobel Peace prize.  My mailbox is full of comments about this "happening," but I could not pass without adding my own.

Almost universally the response has been "What?"  What has he done to merit such a prize?  The answer, of course, is nothing.  In fact, even before this news broke (right before the beginning of Shabbat/Chag on Friday), I had been planning to write about Obama's total failure in achieving his goals.  There has been mockery about the fact that he wasn't even able to convince the Olympics Committee to hold the competitions in Chicago.  Never mind that as he courts Arab and Muslim states they defy his requests for cooperation and undoubtedly laugh behind his back, seeing themselves further empowered.  The world is a more dangerous place -- in no way closer to peace -- since he has taken office.

~~~~~~~~~~

What must be remembered is that this prize is totally politicized.  How could anyone take it seriously, knowing that it was awarded to the unrepentant, Jew-hating terrorist Yasser Arafat because he signed his name to the Oslo Accords (which he failed to honor)?

Thus the only questions worth considering, I think, are political ones.  How, if at all, will this impact Obama nationally and internationally?

Over a period of time now, Obama's domestic popularity has been dropping, and it has been my deep hope (shared with many, many others) that this would ultimately limit his ability to carry out goals that threaten to do damage -- that as his coat tails got shorter, members of Congress, eager for re-election, would balk.  Will this award have a serious impact on this scenario?  I'm not certain, at all.  But it's worrisome.

Daniel Pipes, it should be noted, thinks that this award will work against Obama: "the absurdity of the prize decision will harm Obama politically in the United States, contrasting his role as international celebrity with his record devoid of accomplishments."

And internationally?  Will the president of the United States curry more respect because of this?  Could this be a good thing in terms of international leverage?  Or could it motivate Obama to pressure us further?  In many ways a truly weak America is a frightening prospect.  (Nod to Debbie B. here.) The conundrum, of course, is that the president directly impacts how the US is seen.  It's a trick to wish the US well (and oh! I do), while hoping that its chief executive is unable to succeed in advancing his dangerous goals on a variety of fronts.

Here, Pipes is cynical, seeing the Norwegian Nobel Committee as having lauded Obama for using dialogue in difficult situations -- with the political goal of making it harder for him to now use military force against Iran.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZDgzZGQxNjkzNzBkZDBmY2ZkYmVkZDFkMGRlMjFkMjI

~~~~~~~~~~

Just after I had finished my appeal a bit more than a week ago -- with regard to contacting elected officials to block the Goldstone Report from going to the UN -- and had gone to help finish decorating my children's sukkahs, there was a dramatic shift in the situation:

The Palestinians, under pressure from the Western nations and particularly the US (there are reports that Obama may have intervened personally), opted to withdraw until March a demand that the Goldstone Report be voted on. 

The fallout from this has been enormous, however.  Palestinians across the board are furious that Abbas had bowed to pressure.  Not just the radicals, including Hamas, but Abbas's own Fatah party. 

Wrote Khaled Abu Toameh in the Post yesterday:

"The phrase, 'Abbas and Fatah are finished' was uttered by almost every respected political analyst in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the past week."

Explaining that there is widespread perception that Abbas is a pawn of Israel and the US, Abu Toameh said:

"If there's truth to the PA claim that its decision to ditch the Goldstone Report was taken as a result of American pressure and threats, then the Obama administration has effectively undermined and discredited Abbas and Fatah...

"Thanks to the recent mistakes made by the Obama administration, not only has Hamas's power grown, but it would be difficult to find a Palestinian who would agree to purchase a second-hand car from Abbas, let alone accept a peace agreement he brokered with Israel."

~~~~~~~~~~

It is important to mention this, which has the Israeli government furious:

During our military operation in Gaza, the PA encouraged us to take out Hamas, even providing information that led us to certain targets. But once the hostilities ceased, the PA reversed itself 180 degrees, charging us with horrendous war crimes for our actions in Gaza.

This playing both ends against the middle is very typical and should be noted well.

~~~~~~~~~~

Abbas and his party are now attempting to redeem their position in different ways.

Abbas -- who is even being accused of treason -- ordered a "commission of inquiry" to find out what happened with regard to the PA withdrawal of its demands on the report. This is shtuyote, nonsense.

As one PA minister said:

"What's the president trying to tell us -- that he didn't take the decision to kill the resolution...?

"Well, if he didn't take the decision, we want to know who's running the Palestinian Authority."

~~~~~~~~~~

Far, far more serious has been the PA participation in fomenting violence in Jerusalem during the course of this past week of Sukkot -- as many thousands of worshippers flock to the Kotel during this time.  I've written many times about radical elements, such as the Islamic Movement, which have incited violence by telling people that the Jews are endangering the Al Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount. 

But now, Abu Toameh tells us, PA/Fatah people were also involved -- telling Palestinians to save the Mosque from being "destroyed" or "captured" by Jewish "fanatics."  The PA role here has been seen as an attempt to deflect attention from the Goldstone embarrassment.

Last Sunday there were clashes between police and Muslims throwing rocks and bottles, just outside the Old City.  Additionally, stores of rocks were found stockpiled on the Mount, which overlooks the Kotel and the Jewish worshippers. That there was no major incident over the holiday week is due to the diligence of the police and IDF.

There has been concern that the violence in Jerusalem might lead to another "intifada" or war. I will return to this in a great deal more detail in due course.  The ability of the PA to turn in a minute is well documented.

~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly, there are now attempts by the PA to redeem itself by keeping the Goldstone Report alive, appealing to Arab and Muslim states in this regard.  On Wednesday, the UN Security Council met in secret session at the instigation of Libya, which is a temporary member of the Council, to discuss holding a full Council meeting on the subject of the report.  The decision was to hold that meeting this coming Wednesday.

~~~~~~~~~~

Last Sunday, Hamas and Fatah representatives announced that they are about to sign a "reconciliation agreement" on October 22, following a conference to discuss "national unity."

Hamas has since expressed anger at Fatah over its position on the Goldstone Report, and hesitation about proceeding.  It remains to be seen if Fatah will sufficiently redeem itself in Hamas's eyes for plans to continue.

The "reconciliation," such as it might be -- and it would be fragile, certainly -- would not represent a true coming together in unity of the two factions. This is simply impossible. What we're looking at is more of a coalition, forged for pragmatic reasons. 

The implications here are enormous and bear close monitoring.  Every time there is talk of reconciliation, Fatah shifts to a more radical stance.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gilad Shalit is apparently alive. That was determined by our government a week ago Friday, when a video of Shalit -- studied carefully by various agencies -- was received from Hamas in return for the 20 women prisoners we released in exchange.  The video was made in September; no intelligence could be gleaned from it.

And now? There are those (notably Hamas) who say, once again, that a deal is near, and others (notably Netanyahu's people) who caution this isn't necessarily so.

There is talk, which I cannot quite wrap my head around, that the right wing Netanyahu government might agree to Hamas terms that Olmert refused.  That may or may not be.  What is clear is that there is certainly another factor at work:

A Hamas-Fatah "unity" deal would include arrangements for elections early next year.  It seems that Hamas is eager for an agreement on Shalit, with release of many hundreds of prisoners, before such elections take place.  For bringing those prisoners home will enhance Hamas popularity and its chances at the polls.

~~~~~~~~~~

This past week Obama voiced cautious satisfaction over Iran's apparently increased cooperation on nuclear issues.  The Iranians have now agreed to allow inspectors into the recently revealed Qom site.  But there were no discussions on halting uranium enrichment.  Analysts are warning that what seems to be a more conciliatory approach by Iran is consistent with its leaders pattern of weaving between cooperation and resistance, while continuing with its nuclear program.  In other words, smoke and mirrors.

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Good News Corner"

The Nobel Peace Prize is highly politicized. The other prizes are based on very real achievements.  This week, Israeli Professor Ada Yonath of the Weismann Institute won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on protein development in cells and links to bacteria resistant antibiotics.

Yonath is the 9th Israeli to win a Nobel prize since the founding of the modern state of Israel and the 171st Jew to win since the prizes were founded in 1901.  In that time, Nobel prizes have been bestowed on Muslims, who constitute one-fifth of the world's population, nine times.

(Yonath is obviously brilliant in her scientific work, and a source of pride to Israel.  But please, do not attend to any political comments she felt moved to make to journalists regarding the fact that we wouldn't have our soldiers kidnapped if we didn't hold any Palestinian prisoners.  This is clearly not her expertise.)

~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/10/october-10-2009-from-the-sublime-to-the-ridiculous.html

This (z'man simchatenu) is what Sukkot is called.  It begins tomorrow night.  A blessing to be here:  all over,  sukkahs are being erected and decorated.  We are commanded to live in them for the week -- eating and, properly, sleeping in them. 

Even restaurants put up sukkahs, mostly on the sidewalk out front, so religious people can patronize them for the Sukkot week.

As I have indicated, it is unlikely that I will be posting during this coming week.  Priorities: eating and sleeping in the sukkah with my children and grandchildren, and doing tiyulim (in this instance, day trips so very popular during hol hamoed, the intermediary days of the holiday.).

The world is a heavy place.  Often a cruel and awful place.  It is our job to actively defeat the evil and the cruelty.  But there must also be a time for celebration, and for gratitude to the Almighty for His protection and for the blessings that are bestowed upon us.  To all I wish a meaningful and joyful Sukkot. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Let me return to the subject of the Goldstone Report.  I speak, above, of defeating cruelty and evil.  Here is an opportunity to be of real service to Israel at a time when we are beleaguered.

I have been advised that it is important to contact members of Congress to combat advancement of this report.  Please, go back to what I wrote yesterday, regarding the outrageous bias of this report, and advice on what to say in communication with officials. (Or see my posting at http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/ -- it will be second on the home page, after this posting goes up.)

Additionally, here, I offer this, which was put out by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

"When Colonel Richard Kemp, Commander of British forces in Afghanistan was asked about Israel's conduct in Gaza, he replied: 'I don't think there has ever been a time in the history of warfare when any army has made more efforts to reduce civilian casualties and deaths of innocent people than the IDF in Gaza.'"

As you contemplate this -- the fact that Israel is not just innocent of the obscene charges being made against her, but has been extraordinary, absolutely exemplary, in her conduct with regard to innocents -- let it fire your determination to act against this extreme and willful travesty of justice.

~~~~~~~~~~

To locate your Congresspersons: 

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml 

To locate your Senators: 

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm 

~~~~~~~~~~

The more publicity there is on this subject, the more Obama is likely to feel he must block the resolution.  So, please! make noise.  Call in to talk shows, write letters to the editor, submit op-eds to your local papers.  (Letters and op-eds must be concise, unemotional and factual.)  Let the truth ring out loudly. 

Finally, please share this with everyone you can -- both so that others can take these actions, and simply so that people can know the truth.  If you are in Israel, send this to all your friends and relatives in the States.  Put this up on blogs and lists. 

The Western nations represent a minority in the Human Rights Council.  In spite of Netanyahu's efforts in meeting with ambassadors from nations in the Asia/Pacific region, this report is expected to not only be accepted, but to be sent on to the UN.  That is where it must be blocked. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Let me share here a column by Daniel Pipes, Director of the Middle East Forum, "Netanyahu's quiet success." 

It echoes a theme I have been writing about:

"Almost unnoticed, Binyamin Netanyahu won a major victory last week when Barack Obama backed down on a signature policy initiative. This about-face suggests that US-Israel relations are no longer headed for the disaster I have been fearing...

"...On June 4, Obama weighed in: 'The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.... It is time for these settlements to stop.' A day later, he reiterated that 'settlements are an impediment to peace.' On June 17, Clinton repeated: 'We want to see a stop to the settlements.

"And so on, in a relentless beat.

"Focusing on settlements had the inadvertent but predictable effect of instantly impeding diplomatic progress...

"...The geniuses of the Obama administration eventually discerned that this double hardening of positions [by Israel and the PA] was dooming their naïve, hubristic plan to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict within two years.

"Obama's reconciliation with reality became public on Sept. 22, at a 'summit' he sponsored with Abbas and Netanyahu...

"Obama threw in the towel there, boasting that 'we have made progress' toward settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and offering as one indication that Israelis 'have discussed important steps to restrain settlement activity.' Those eight words of muted praise for Netanyahu's minimal concessions have major implications:

Settlements no longer dominate US-Israel relations but have reverted back to their usual irritating but secondary role.

Abbas, who keeps insisting on a settlement freeze as though nothing has happened, suddenly finds himself the odd man out in the triangle.

The center-left faction of the Obama administration (which argues for working with Jerusalem)...has defeated the far-left faction (which wants to squeeze the Jewish state).

"...Hats off to Bibi - may he have further successes in nudging US policy to the right track."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254163544506&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

~~~~~~~~~~

I have vast respect for Daniel Pipes, and concur with him that Netanyahu has conducted himself in a manner that has enhanced Israel's position diplomatically, while taking Obama down a peg and making a fool of Abbas.

But I am not sanguine about the situation that faces us with regard to working with the Obama administration.  Netanyahu has achieved his diplomatic gains by walking the slippery slope of offering some cooperation, while holding the line on several major issues.  Diligence must be the watchword now: Netanyahu must not feel reassured that Obama has mellowed, so that he believes he can now let down his guard.  He must not offer more than it is in Israel's best interest to offer.  And he must stand strong not only for Israeli security, but for Israeli rights.

It occurs to me that working with the "center-left" faction of the US administration that promotes working with Jerusalem may be more dangerous than working with the "far left" faction that does not.

When working with those who are adamant in their hostility to Israel, it is clear what our positions must be. But when working with those who are predisposed to us in a "lukewarm" manner, ambivalence starts to creep in with regard to correct positions.  Do we want to cross or embarrass those who promote working with us or do we want to motivate them to even further cooperation?  Do we want to risk giving the upper hand once more to those hostile to us?  These are dangerous -- inadvertently, I would suggest, almost subversive -- questions that may lead to an entrapment.

For it must be remembered that even those in the Obama administration prepared to "work with" us have in their sites goals for a Palestinian state that are not consistent with our rights and our needs.

Indeed, diligence, on the part of all of us, from the prime minister and members of his coalition, to the average Israeli citizen. The right flank of Netanyahu's coalition, and very much including his own party, will hopefully play a watchdog role here.

~~~~~~~~~~

I must mention Iran here.  As Iran's nuclear capability comes closer to reality and the time for acting draws to a close, the media is filled with commentary on what is happening,

"Dialogue" with Iran is now beginning and the US, incredibly, is taking it seriously.  "Towards the end of the year, we'll be able to calculate how much progress" has been made in talks, intoned a State Department spokesman. 

But, in truth, these talks can be seen only as a farce.  Ahmaninejad, who is supposed to agree to IAEA inspections, is bragging that he'll buy enriched uranium elsewhere.

And so there is serious consideration being given (with China and Russia still intransigent) to stiffer sanctions when talks fails.  The sanctions that will be put in place are likely to be of a financial nature, strangling Iran's capacity to function, rather than involving a blockage of imports such as refined petroleum.  Insurance companies and banks would be high level goals. According to the Washington Post, the "Obama administration is laying plans to cut Iran's economic links to the rest of the world."

Playing into what is happening right now is the public announcement of Iran's second, clandestine uranium enrichment plant. (Note: Western Intelligence knew about this for some time.)  It makes more clear to certain governments (who were slow to see what was staring them in the face) what the duplicitous intentions of Iran really are, and has stiffened many backs with regard to those sanctions.

One of the questions being raised is whether, with the prospect of more serious sanctions, Israel will hit Iran militarily.  That hit would have to come within six months, I believe. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Good News Corner"

I began with a sense of joy and will end with a happy feeling, sharing news of innovative medical advances in Israel and other good things:

[] It is well known that antioxidants protect and work against cancers.  An Israeli doctor, relying upon an ancient herbal remedy text written in Arabic, has discovered (or rediscovered) a plant that may turn out to be a powerful weapon against cancer.

Dr. Fuad Fares -- working in the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa -- has developed an antioxidant drawn from a non-edible plant that grows in Israel.  In early lab tests -- on mice and in vitro cancer cells -- this compound is showing enormous promise ("a dramatic effect"). Ultimately, following more tests, it is hoped that the anti-oxidant can be purified into a new compound that would be ingested much as a vitamin pill is.

At this point the doctor will not reveal the identity of the plant.  Nor is he saying if the Arabic text he is referring to is a text by Maimonides, the great 12th century Jewish scholar and philosopher, who was a  physician and wrote in Arabic.

_____

[] Neurim Pharmaceuticals has developed an answer to insomnia that is far superior to standard sleeping pills, which have side effects.  The product, Circadin -- developed by Neurim's founder, Professor Nava Zisapel of Tel Aviv University -- works with the body's natural processes.

Melatonin, which is released in the body at the onset of darkness, prepares the body for sleep by lowering blood pressure and body temperature. But factors such as artificial lighting, anxiety and aging can interfere with this process.

Explains Zisapel, "Circadin produces melatonin in the same way as the pineal gland: It starts slowly at around 10:00 PM, gets to a peak at around 2:00 AM, and gradually stops by the morning. It releases melatonin in a gradual manner."

Circadin is being distributed now in Israel and some European countries, and is awaiting US FDA approval.  It is expected to be most helpful to people over 55.

_____

A native American tribe, the Coushatta of Louisiana, has reached out to establish a relationship with Israel.

"It is natural that we feel a connection to you and your people," says Kevin Sickey, a chairman of the Coushatta Tribal Council. "You stand for the same fundamental principles and values upon which the sovereign nation of Coushatta was [founded]: freedom and opportunity, justice and deep respect for your history and culture."

Additionally, tribe members felt that they and Israelis  both have ancient languages, spoken by a minority; both struggled for sovereignty against suppressive forces; and both have a deep respect for their ancestors.

Some months ago, in a colorful ceremony highlighted by a traditional “stomp” dance, the tribe signed an unprecedented “affirmation of friendship” (an unofficial document) with the State of Israel.  Asher Yarden, Israel’s Consul General in Houston and members of his staff were present. 

~~~~~~~~~~

This (z'man simchatenu) is what Sukkot is called.  It begins tomorrow night.  A blessing to be here:  all over,  sukkahs are being erected and decorated.  We are commanded to live in them for the week -- eating and, properly, sleeping in them. 

Even restaurants put up sukkahs, mostly on the sidewalk out front, so religious people can patronize them for the Sukkot week.

As I have indicated, it is unlikely that I will be posting during this coming week.  Priorities: eating and sleeping in the sukkah with my children and grandchildren, and doing tiyulim (in this instance, day trips so very popular during hol hamoed, the intermediary days of the holiday.).

The world is a heavy place.  Often a cruel and awful place.  It is our job to actively defeat the evil and the cruelty.  But there must also be a time for celebration, and for gratitude to the Almighty for His protection and for the blessings that are bestowed upon us.  To all I wish a meaningful and joyful Sukkot. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Let me return to the subject of the Goldstone Report.  I speak, above, of defeating cruelty and evil.  Here is an opportunity to be of real service to Israel at a time when we are beleaguered.

I have been advised that it is important to contact members of Congress to combat advancement of this report.  Please, go back to what I wrote yesterday, regarding the outrageous bias of this report, and advice on what to say in communication with officials. (Or see my posting at http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/ -- it will be second on the home page, after this posting goes up.)

Additionally, here, I offer this, which was put out by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

"When Colonel Richard Kemp, Commander of British forces in Afghanistan was asked about Israel's conduct in Gaza, he replied: 'I don't think there has ever been a time in the history of warfare when any army has made more efforts to reduce civilian casualties and deaths of innocent people than the IDF in Gaza.'"

As you contemplate this -- the fact that Israel is not just innocent of the obscene charges being made against her, but has been extraordinary, absolutely exemplary, in her conduct with regard to innocents -- let it fire your determination to act against this extreme and willful travesty of justice.

~~~~~~~~~~

To locate your Congresspersons: 

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml 

To locate your Senators: 

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm 

~~~~~~~~~~

The more publicity there is on this subject, the more Obama is likely to feel he must block the resolution.  So, please! make noise.  Call in to talk shows, write letters to the editor, submit op-eds to your local papers.  (Letters and op-eds must be concise, unemotional and factual.)  Let the truth ring out loudly. 

Finally, please share this with everyone you can -- both so that others can take these actions, and simply so that people can know the truth.  If you are in Israel, send this to all your friends and relatives in the States.  Put this up on blogs and lists. 

The Western nations represent a minority in the Human Rights Council.  In spite of Netanyahu's efforts in meeting with ambassadors from nations in the Asia/Pacific region, this report is expected to not only be accepted, but to be sent on to the UN.  That is where it must be blocked. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Let me share here a column by Daniel Pipes, Director of the Middle East Forum, "Netanyahu's quiet success." 

It echoes a theme I have been writing about:

"Almost unnoticed, Binyamin Netanyahu won a major victory last week when Barack Obama backed down on a signature policy initiative. This about-face suggests that US-Israel relations are no longer headed for the disaster I have been fearing...

"...On June 4, Obama weighed in: 'The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.... It is time for these settlements to stop.' A day later, he reiterated that 'settlements are an impediment to peace.' On June 17, Clinton repeated: 'We want to see a stop to the settlements.

"And so on, in a relentless beat.

"Focusing on settlements had the inadvertent but predictable effect of instantly impeding diplomatic progress...

"...The geniuses of the Obama administration eventually discerned that this double hardening of positions [by Israel and the PA] was dooming their naïve, hubristic plan to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict within two years.

"Obama's reconciliation with reality became public on Sept. 22, at a 'summit' he sponsored with Abbas and Netanyahu...

"Obama threw in the towel there, boasting that 'we have made progress' toward settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and offering as one indication that Israelis 'have discussed important steps to restrain settlement activity.' Those eight words of muted praise for Netanyahu's minimal concessions have major implications:

Settlements no longer dominate US-Israel relations but have reverted back to their usual irritating but secondary role.

Abbas, who keeps insisting on a settlement freeze as though nothing has happened, suddenly finds himself the odd man out in the triangle.

The center-left faction of the Obama administration (which argues for working with Jerusalem)...has defeated the far-left faction (which wants to squeeze the Jewish state).

"...Hats off to Bibi - may he have further successes in nudging US policy to the right track."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254163544506&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

~~~~~~~~~~

I have vast respect for Daniel Pipes, and concur with him that Netanyahu has conducted himself in a manner that has enhanced Israel's position diplomatically, while taking Obama down a peg and making a fool of Abbas.

But I am not sanguine about the situation that faces us with regard to working with the Obama administration.  Netanyahu has achieved his diplomatic gains by walking the slippery slope of offering some cooperation, while holding the line on several major issues.  Diligence must be the watchword now: Netanyahu must not feel reassured that Obama has mellowed, so that he believes he can now let down his guard.  He must not offer more than it is in Israel's best interest to offer.  And he must stand strong not only for Israeli security, but for Israeli rights.

It occurs to me that working with the "center-left" faction of the US administration that promotes working with Jerusalem may be more dangerous than working with the "far left" faction that does not.

When working with those who are adamant in their hostility to Israel, it is clear what our positions must be. But when working with those who are predisposed to us in a "lukewarm" manner, ambivalence starts to creep in with regard to correct positions.  Do we want to cross or embarrass those who promote working with us or do we want to motivate them to even further cooperation?  Do we want to risk giving the upper hand once more to those hostile to us?  These are dangerous -- inadvertently, I would suggest, almost subversive -- questions that may lead to an entrapment.

For it must be remembered that even those in the Obama administration prepared to "work with" us have in their sites goals for a Palestinian state that are not consistent with our rights and our needs.

Indeed, diligence, on the part of all of us, from the prime minister and members of his coalition, to the average Israeli citizen. The right flank of Netanyahu's coalition, and very much including his own party, will hopefully play a watchdog role here.

~~~~~~~~~~

I must mention Iran here.  As Iran's nuclear capability comes closer to reality and the time for acting draws to a close, the media is filled with commentary on what is happening,

"Dialogue" with Iran is now beginning and the US, incredibly, is taking it seriously.  "Towards the end of the year, we'll be able to calculate how much progress" has been made in talks, intoned a State Department spokesman. 

But, in truth, these talks can be seen only as a farce.  Ahmaninejad, who is supposed to agree to IAEA inspections, is bragging that he'll buy enriched uranium elsewhere.

And so there is serious consideration being given (with China and Russia still intransigent) to stiffer sanctions when talks fails.  The sanctions that will be put in place are likely to be of a financial nature, strangling Iran's capacity to function, rather than involving a blockage of imports such as refined petroleum.  Insurance companies and banks would be high level goals. According to the Washington Post, the "Obama administration is laying plans to cut Iran's economic links to the rest of the world."

Playing into what is happening right now is the public announcement of Iran's second, clandestine uranium enrichment plant. (Note: Western Intelligence knew about this for some time.)  It makes more clear to certain governments (who were slow to see what was staring them in the face) what the duplicitous intentions of Iran really are, and has stiffened many backs with regard to those sanctions.

One of the questions being raised is whether, with the prospect of more serious sanctions, Israel will hit Iran militarily.  That hit would have to come within six months, I believe. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Good News Corner"

I began with a sense of joy and will end with a happy feeling, sharing news of innovative medical advances in Israel and other good things:

[] It is well known that antioxidants protect and work against cancers.  An Israeli doctor, relying upon an ancient herbal remedy text written in Arabic, has discovered (or rediscovered) a plant that may turn out to be a powerful weapon against cancer.

Dr. Fuad Fares -- working in the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa -- has developed an antioxidant drawn from a non-edible plant that grows in Israel.  In early lab tests -- on mice and in vitro cancer cells -- this compound is showing enormous promise ("a dramatic effect"). Ultimately, following more tests, it is hoped that the anti-oxidant can be purified into a new compound that would be ingested much as a vitamin pill is.

At this point the doctor will not reveal the identity of the plant.  Nor is he saying if the Arabic text he is referring to is a text by Maimonides, the great 12th century Jewish scholar and philosopher, who was a  physician and wrote in Arabic.

_____

[] Neurim Pharmaceuticals has developed an answer to insomnia that is far superior to standard sleeping pills, which have side effects.  The product, Circadin -- developed by Neurim's founder, Professor Nava Zisapel of Tel Aviv University -- works with the body's natural processes.

Melatonin, which is released in the body at the onset of darkness, prepares the body for sleep by lowering blood pressure and body temperature. But factors such as artificial lighting, anxiety and aging can interfere with this process.

Explains Zisapel, "Circadin produces melatonin in the same way as the pineal gland: It starts slowly at around 10:00 PM, gets to a peak at around 2:00 AM, and gradually stops by the morning. It releases melatonin in a gradual manner."

Circadin is being distributed now in Israel and some European countries, and is awaiting US FDA approval.  It is expected to be most helpful to people over 55.

_____

A native American tribe, the Coushatta of Louisiana, has reached out to establish a relationship with Israel.

"It is natural that we feel a connection to you and your people," says Kevin Sickey, a chairman of the Coushatta Tribal Council. "You stand for the same fundamental principles and values upon which the sovereign nation of Coushatta was [founded]: freedom and opportunity, justice and deep respect for your history and culture."

Additionally, tribe members felt that they and Israelis  both have ancient languages, spoken by a minority; both struggled for sovereignty against suppressive forces; and both have a deep respect for their ancestors.

Some months ago, in a colorful ceremony highlighted by a traditional “stomp” dance, the tribe signed an unprecedented “affirmation of friendship” (an unofficial document) with the State of Israel.  Asher Yarden, Israel’s Consul General in Houston and members of his staff were present. 

~~~~~~~~~~

 http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/10/october-1-2009-season-of-our-joy.html

The Goldstone Report -- which charges Israel with war crimes: the deliberate targeting of civilians -- has now been presented to the UN Human Rights Council, which commissioned it, and which will surely accept its findings after discussion.

There will then be a move to send the report on to the UN Security Council, which, if it accepts it, may send it forward to the Hague and the International Court of Justice.

~~~~~~~~~~

Problems with the report include the following:

[] The mandate by the Human Rights Council -- itself overtly and blatantly anti-Israel -- to the Goldstone Commission, which did the investigation, was biased from the beginning: Only Israel that was to be investigated.

[] Hamas, with its use of human shields, was given a free ride.  When a Hamas leader who testified actually referred to human shields, the report concluded that "it did not consider [the statement] to constitute evidence." Said Goldstone, in open correspondence:  "We did not deal with the problems of conducting military operations in civilian areas [which is what Hamas did].  We avoided having to do so in the incidents we decided to investigate."

[] The commission was nothing more than a kangaroo court, as there were judges sitting on it who stated before the investigation even started that they knew Israel was guilty.

[] Israel's right to self-defense is not mentioned once in the report.

[] "Evidence" presented by Palestinians was accepted without corroboration.

[] The report was based in the main on statements by anti-Israel NGOs (e.g., Palestinian Center for Human Rights).  NGO Monitor -- which called the report "575 pages of NGO 'cut and paste'" -- found numerous false and unsubstantiated allegations that were included.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Elihu Richter, of the Hadassah School of Public Health, charged, in the Post:

"I personally submitted a nine-page, annotated and referenced brief to the Goldstone Commission last July showing that the high male-female ratio of fatalities among Palestinians in Gaza argues for the combatant status of many whom human rights organizations classified as non-combatants. However, the Commission was not driven by the evidence, but by its preset agenda."

~~~~~~~~~~

For further background on the issues and the bias of the charges, see here (especially "Article and Reports"):

http://www.eyeontheun.org/view.asp?l=47&p=982

~~~~~~~~~~

Outraged? Aghast at the overt bias, without even a pretense at evenhandedness, which might lead to punitive measures against Israel?  Good that you should be.  Let every decent person everywhere demand a stop to this.

Dr. Jan Sokolovsky, Executive Director of the International Commission for Jewish Legal Affairs, has put out a call for people to act to block acceptance of this by the Security Council.

The Council has 15 members -- five permanent and 10 temporary. It requires a permanent member to veto the motion -- and the US is the only one that would do this.  Otherwise, it would require some combination of seven abstentions and 'no' votes by temporary members to block acceptance of the report, as nine votes are needed to pass it.  As this is an exceedingly unlikely prospect, the US veto is the only chance to stop this.

There has been indication that Secretary of State Clinton prefers to see the Report kept in the Human Rights Council, and US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice -- who called the report "unbalanced, one-sided, and unacceptable" -- has said the same. But we can take no chances here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Messages are best very brief.  For example (using your words): The Goldstone Report commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council is highly biased and constitutes a blood libel against Israel.  Please expend every possible effort to contain it in the Human Rights Council, and, if this fails, please veto its acceptance in the Security Council.

Contact:

President Barack Obama

Fax: 202-456-2461   White House Comment line:  202-456-1111

e-mail form via:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 

Fax: 202-261-8577 or 202-647-65434

Main switchboard to the State Department: 202-647-4000 

State Dept. Public Communication Division

(accepts opinions from the public -- best to connect here): 

Fax: 202-647-2283   Phone: 202-647-6575

E-mail:  secretary@state.gov 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Anne Bayefsky, who heads Eye on the UN, has put out a joint statement on Goldstone on behalf of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, and the Hudson Institute.  In part, it reads:

"The Goldstone mission will go down in history as the 21st century’s equivalent to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion – a notorious work of fiction which spun a conspiratorial web of deceit and distortion that has fueled hatred of Jews ever since.

"At its core, the Goldstone report repeats the ancient blood libel against the Jewish people – the allegation of bloodthirsty Jews intent on butchering the innocent. Or as the Goldstone mission casts this abomination for a modern audience: Israel 'deliberately…terrorize[d] a civilian population;' Israeli 'violence against civilians w[as] part of a deliberate policy.' (paras. 1211, 1690)

"With this report the UN has come full circle. Rising from the Jewish ashes of crimes against humanity, it now purports to render the Jewish people’s exercise of the right of self-defence as itself a crime against humanity."

~~~~~~~~~~

And so, the world continues in its insane ways, with Palestinians using every avenue possible to try to weaken us.

In yet another version of universal jurisdiction, British law permits private individuals to lodge complaints of "war crimes" against military personnel, even if they are not British and the alleged crimes were committed elsewhere.

Drawing on this, 16 Palestinians from Gaza called on two British law firms to act on their behalf; the law firms -- knowing that Defense Minister Ehud Barak was due in the country shortly --  applied to the courts for an international arrest warrant, claiming that Barak had committed war crimes and breaches of the Geneva Convention during military operations in Gaza.  

~~~~~~~~~~

Barak -- who was on his way to Britain, and received advice from many quarters to turn back -- behaved with admirable determination and courage, refusing to change his plans.

At the end of the day, the court threw out the petition for arrest. This was in response to arguments submitted by the British Foreign Office, which had been in constant consultation with Israel's Foreign Ministry, that Barak was a state guest and therefore not subject to such a law suit. Barak has come to Britain for meetings with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth and Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

Said Barak:

"We do not intend to let terror win. We will not apologize in any way for our just struggle against terrorism. We will do everything possible so that the representatives of Israel, security officials and soldiers of the IDF will continue to freely travel the world. The theater of the absurd whereby those who defend their citizens need to be on the defensive has to end. Otherwise, the world is likely not only to give a prize to terrorism, but to encourage it."

I salute him for this.

~~~~~~~~~~

Our Security Cabinet has agreed to the release of 20 women Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an up-to-the-minute video tape of Gilad Shalit that serves as evidence that he is still alive.  This was worked out by the Germans, who are now mediating negotiations for Shalit's release, and was approved by our negotiating team, headed by Hagai Hadas. 

This is supposed to take place on Friday, amid cautions that this does not mean a deal is almost finalized.

The women scheduled for release have all served at least two-thirds of their sentences, and none was involved directly in the murder of Israelis.  (Indirectly, in a couple of instances, yes.)  It is being said that this 20 would be deducted from the final number of prisoners that Hamas is demanding in exchange for Shalit.

Almost all of the women are from Judea and Samaria, and not from Gaza. What occurs to me then is that if this release takes place, it may have the effect of strengthening Hamas politically in Judea and Samaria.

Wait and see is the best policy here.

~~~~~~~~~~

A hasbara, or public relations, tour of the US coast to coast, I understand, is being planned for this fall with several ministers participating. The topic:  Israeli rights.  This is exceedingly good news, for this subject has been vastly neglected since the beginning of Oslo. 

There has been talk unending about our obligations, and what concessions we ought to make.

And there is talk about our security requirements.  Thus, there has been a campaign for us to establish "defensible borders."  I never liked that.  Yes, of course, we need defensible borders. But if an area of Judea and Samaria -- in the heartland of our ancient heritage -- is not needed for our defense, does this mean it's all right to surrender it?  Not in my book it doesn't.

If the current government, weary with the emphasis on concessions, is now prepared to push our rights and to educate others to the matter, I celebrate.  This is a theme I will return to.

~~~~~~~~~~

 http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/11/10/september-30-2009-goldstone-report.html

I hope that everyone who observed Yom Kippur yesterday found peace and a spiritual high.
 
Now we head for the most joyous of holidays:  Sukkot, which begins Friday night and lasts until Saturday night a week later here in Israel, and a day longer in Galut -- outside of Israel. 
 
Please know that, while I will post a couple of times this week, it is unlikely that I will during the holiday.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
For anyone who makes phone calls from N. America to Israel, be aware that we have ended summer time and are only 6 hours ahead of you now.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
I thank all of those who wrote to inform me that the e-mail form which I had shared for Congressman Tom  Price -- who had sent a letter of support to PM Netanyahu -- is available only to his constituents. 
 
There are several alternative ways of reaching him:
 
There is another e-mail address: tom@mail.house.gov (thanks, Helen F). 
 
Fax him in Washington at 202-225-4656 (thanks, Sandor and Bunny).
 
E-mail Paul Teller, executive director of the House Republican Study Group that Price chairs:   Paul.Teller@mail.house.gov. Explain that you had trouble reaching the Congressman directly but wish to thank him. (Because I have contact with him, that is what I did.)
 
Congressman Price will be pleased to know that you understand that there are friends of Israel in Congress who do not think as Obama does.  Such friends need to know they are appreciated.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
I want to share a fascinating brief video clip of PM Netanyahu giving an interview right after his UN talk last week (thanks, Minka).
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLCpJTchK8Q&feature=player_profilepage
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Barry Rubin had a piece in today's Post, in which he maintains that Obama has now swung away from a anti-Israel approach to something a bit more "evenhanded."  While I do not agree with everything Rubin says, I found some of the points he makes in this particular piece quite interesting:
 
Rubin acknowledges forthrightly that there have been many negative influences on Obama with regard to his attitude toward Israel, most significantly:
 
"Indoctrinated by the far left into the Third World, 'anti-imperialist' narrative, Obama disliked Israel and saw it as evil, taught by such people as Rashid Khalidi, an Edward Said acolyte and Palestinian propagandist, and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an outright anti-Semite."
 
Had matters gone otherwise, he says, the disaster many people foresaw might indeed have taken place.  But, he maintains, there have been some intervening variables that have shifted the situation:
 
[] Obama learned that being anti-Israel was a political liability. As a political animal, he knew this required a shift.
 
[] Congressional members (bless them!) are exhibiting a pro-Israel stance -- which, after a period of silence, has increased as Obama's popularity has decreased.  As he needs them for support on other issues, he prefers not to cross them in great measure on this matter. (This makes our communication with Congresspersons all the more important.)
 
[] "...as always, intransigence on the Arab and Palestinian side was so extreme that even the Obama administration couldn't ignore it. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas was absolutely so uncooperative with Obama, throwing away an incredible strategic opportunity.  Obama thought Arab states would fall in line behind him -- especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- but they refused to help.  It is said that his meeting with the Saudi king, who went into an anti-Israel diatribe, was a particular shock...."
 
So here we see that Obama's pie-in-the-sky plans have come smack up against reality.  He will not admit it publicly, but it has to be dawning on him that it is not Israel that is the problem. 
 
If there were no other evidence, this alone would stand to demonstrate that the Palestinians in particular and the Arabs more generally do not want a Palestinian state (certainly not one "living side by side in peace with Israel").  For they were working with the most pro-Arab US president of all times, and had they cooperated with him, he would have moved in many ways on their behalf.  What they want is Israel's destruction.
 
[] And then this:
 
"[Obama's] attempts to pressure Israel failed, thanks to the Israeli government. A key factor here was the tough, superb maneuvering of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu...
 
"The government could not possibly have handled Obama better."  (Emphasis is mine.)
 
This is where "playing the game" while drawing red lines paid off.  I know that ideological purists would have preferred that Netanyahu would said that we won't sit with the Palestinians, but this worked better. Yes, he said, he'll talk to Abbas without pre-conditions.  Yes, we all want to work for peace. But it's reasonable to demand that the PA state be demilitarized, and that the Palestinians accept Israel as the Jewish state, and that we retain control of Jerusalem.  All non-starters from the PA side, which has demonstrated its total intransigence.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
And so, once again, I provide here contact information for Netanyahu, so that you are able to thank him and encourage him:
 
Fax: 02-670-5369 (From the US: 011-972-2-670-5369) 

Phone: 03-610-9898 (From the US: 011-972-3-610-9898) 

E-mail:  pm_eng2@it.pmo.gov.il (underscore after pm)

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Returning to Rubin.  Among the evidence he offers that Obama is not tilting so very anti-Israel any longer: 

[] Mention of Israel as a Jewish state in his UN address. 

[] A change on settlement demands -- not freeze but "restraint." 

[] Continued US-Israel joint military exercises. 

[] An emphasis on the need for talks without pre-conditions "thus specifically rejecting the Palestinian demand -- which originated with him [Obama] -- of a settlement freeze first."

 [] Not echoing the Arab demand that Israel join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.  

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254163536906&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

So we start the New Year with hope, and a sense of gratitude, and resolve to stay strong. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

A word here about the demand for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.  

It is Arab policy to attempt to undermine the very Jewishness of our state, including from within.  (There are Israeli-Arab organizations that claim it's "prejudicial" for us to have Jewish symbols in the state.) One possible tactic of the Palestinians is to recognize "Israel," but then attempt to push through "return of refugees" so that ultimately what is called "Israel" would become -- G-d forbid -- an Arab majority nation.  The prime minister's demand stands against this. 

Even more importantly, at an ideological/religious level, the Arabs don't accept our existence here. This is at the core of the conflict. Allowing the Jews to have a state in the midst of "Muslim" land is anathema to the Arabs.  This demand, that we be recognized as officially Jewish, exposes this attitude.  It should be a simple thing, yes?  A Palestinian state for Palestinian Arabs, Israel for Jews.  But the Palestinians will never agree to this.  

Perhaps in time people will begin to wonder exactly why -- and begin to get it.  But in the meantime, as long as this is a basic demand for negotiating a Palestinian state, it, de facto, assures that there won't be one for the simple reason that the Arabs are not sincere.  

~~~~~~~~~~ 

In the hours before Yom Kippur, riots took place, first on the Temple Mount, and then spreading to the Old City.  This was precipitated by the visit of a group of 15 Jews, accompanied by a police escort, to the Temple Mount. Muslim worshippers on the Mount threw stones at the visitors and police alike. 

As tensions on the Mount -- which was closed off to worshippers -- subsided, riots began in the Old City.  Apparently rumors were spread of an "invasion" on the Mount by "settlers."  Such claims are common, especially by radical Islamic Arabs in Israel -- seeking a way to foment trouble. 

By Sunday night (the beginning of Yom Kippur!), rioting had spread to the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya, where police reported some 20 firebombs. 

This is an issue of enormous importance.  The Arabs maintain that the Mount is "theirs" and that any Jewish presence represents a provocation.  

Unfortunately, Israel (specifically Moshe Dayan) "fed" this illusion when we took the Mount in 1967 (from Jordan, not "Palestinians") and then -- being the "good guys" and generous -- promptly allowed the Muslim Wakf (trust) to assume supervision of day-to-day Mount activities (under our jurisdiction), as the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque are on the Mount.  That was an act of enormous innocence (or enormous foolishness), as it was presumed that this sharing would be appreciated and good will reciprocated.

It must never be forgotten that the Mount is the most revered of Jewish sites: the locality of a wealth of Jewish tradition going back to Torah, and the place where the Temples stood.  We did not GIVE them the Mount.  Not only, in real terms, is it sacred, it is also a symbol of our ancient Jewish nationhood. 

There have been governments that allowed Arab desecration of archeological ruins to take place on the Mount without intervening for fear of Arab rioting.  So shockingly ludicrous is the situation that Jews are forbidden to pray on the Mount. 

~~~~~~~~~~  

Said PA negotiator Saeb Erekat with regard to this incident:  

"At a time when President Obama is trying to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis, and to get negotiations back on track, Israel is deliberately escalating tensions in Jerusalem. 

"We've seen this before, and we know what the consequences are."    

Undoubtedly, Erekat was referring to the perfectly legal and reasonably managed visit (with a nod from PA security) of Ariel Sharon to the Mount in 2000, which was used as a pretext for choreographed violence that began the Second Intifada. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

IMRA today carries a press release by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights with regard to this incident.

http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=45900 

Dr. Aaron Lerner, director of IMRA, comments: 

"If anyone thought that it was possible to work out some kind of arrangement that relied on the Arabs to act in a pluralistic manner in anything relating to the Temple Mount then take a look at what the leading secular Palestinian human rights NGO has to say about an incident in which some non-Moslems being escorted on a visit to the Temple Mount were pelted with rocks by Moslems." 

Said the press release:
 
"The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the Israeli government's decision to allow Jewish settler groups to enter the yards of the al-Aksa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem...
 
"...East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian Territories that were occupied by Israel following the June 1967 war.

"...Measures taken by Israeli occupation authorities following the occupation of the city, in the foremost, the Israeli Knesset's decision on 28 June 1967 to annex the city, its decision on 30 July 1980 considering 'complete and united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel' and the decision to expand the municipal boundaries, are flagrant violations of international law and United Nations resolutions.
 
"...PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, jointly or individually, to fulfill their legal and moral obligations to ensure Israel's respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) according to Article 1 of the Convention, and believes that the international silence and inaction encourage Israel to act as a State above law and perpetrate more violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law, including efforts intended to establish a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem."
 
Sigh...
 
Our stand against such nonsense must be strong.
 
~~~~~~~~~~

"The Good News Corner"
 
I was charmed by this and hope you will be, as well. Before Yom Kippur, YNet put out a piece regarding Israel's most beautiful synagogues.  Because it was before the holiday, it includes times of services and such, which are now irrelevant.  But if you scroll past this, you will see some absolutely stunning, and very varied, synagogue interiors.
 
Part of what makes it special is precisely that variation, which is the result of the ingathering of the people:  the various cultures that developed for Jews in different places, Jews now come home.  So you see a Chasidic shul, and a synagogue with Indian (Cochin) flavor, Caucasian, and Tunisian, etc.
 
Skim all the way down, and enjoy:
 
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1,7340,L-3781939,00.html
 
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http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/10/22/september-29-2009-post-yom-kippur.html

"What if Israel," writes analyst Herb Keinon in today's Jerusalem Post, "tempered by the harsh reality of the 16 years since Oslo, is not exactly in a giving mood any more."
 
How sweet are those words. 
 
"For Obama," declares Keinon, "the trilateral talks in New York on Tuesday fell far short of his expectations, but for Netanyahu, victory was achieved on multiple fronts."
 
Netanyahu has seen Obama seeming to back down on the settlement issue in frustration, and Abbas meeting with him at the UN even though he said he wouldn't because there was no freeze on settlements, and support coming from all wings of his coalition.
 
(I am sorry, and frustrated, that I cannot locate a URL for this.  Sometimes there is a lag time.)
 
Even the Arab media outlet Al Jazeera declared that Netanyahu had bested Obama.
 
And that's before Netanyahu's stunning speech yesterday, which brought him accolades.
 
Let us pray that strength follows upon strength now, and that our prime minister continues to stand tall on our behalf.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
I now have a URL for the full text of Netanyahu's speech yesterday:
 
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/benjamin-netanyahu-un-speech-full-text-transcript-sep-24-2009
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
You might also like to see a video analysis of Obama's UN speech by John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN and a straight-talking man, who offers somber commentary. (Thank you, Barbara O.) 
 
I have just one correction:  Bolton refers to the pre-67 "borders" of Israel, but, as I pointed out recently, this was an armistice line, not a border. Even our friends don't always get this right.
 
http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=H0vlx4vkiMg
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
According to Khaled Abu Toameh, not only was Abbas disappointed in the three-way discussion at the UN, he had to endure the annoyance of members of his Fatah party who were not happy that he had met with Netanyahu when settlement activity had not been frozen.  In fact, some accused Obama of "humiliating" Abbas by forcing him to attend the meeting when he had said he would not come.
 
But Obama's control over Abbas was of very brief duration, and in the end -- if the Palestinians have anything to say about it --it will be Obama who will be humiliated because his peace plans aren't working.
 
As I mentioned very briefly yesterday, Abbas is now balking at going into negotiations with us:  This is because of "fundamental disagreements" with Israel regarding what should be on the agenda; he finds that "there is no common ground for discussion" with Netanyahu.
 
Translation:  He wants it all, as the Palestinians have always wanted it all, and Netanyahu's government is not willing to talk to them openly about this, about moving back to the Green Line and dividing Jerusalem and taking in "refugees."
 
Additionally, Saeb Erekat, PA negotiator, has reiterated that Netanyahu's demand that we be recognized as a Jewish state is "unacceptable."  (I will, I hope, return in due course to an examination of why this demand is important.)
 
Abbas says that he really hates to cause friction with the US government, but...
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
Obama has set a deadline of two years for establishment of a Palestinian state.  But, he's going no where on this.  This fast-track is not only foolish, it's dangerous, because it lifts Palestinians expectations, setting them up for a fall.
 
Watch:  The Palestinians will blame us for being obstinate, and blocking their legitimate rights, and there will be another Intifada, better known as a war.  And it will be a more difficult war, because US General Dayton is training PA troops. An idiotic move that will backfire.  As I am now doing research on this, I will have a great deal more to say about it. 
 
But better a war than having an Olmert in office who would rush to give Abbas what he wanted. Olmert now brags that no one will offer the PA a better deal than he did. What he forgets is that they wouldn't even take that "best deal." (The Palestinians don't want a 'two-state' solution, they want us gone -- which is actually the short answer to why the demand we be recognized as a Jewish state is important.)
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
The IAEA has been informed by Iran that it has a second uranium enrichment plant. Obama plans to accuse Iran of hiding this facility at the start of G-20 talks.  But how will this affect US talks with Iran is not known, for apparently Obama is still holding on to his plans in this regard.
 
~~~~~~~~~~
 
The time before Shabbat is short (and grows shorter as sundown comes earlier).  I would like to use this remaining time to touch just a couple of bases, briefly.
 
I have been asked by a Canadian member of my list to give proper credit to the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, and I find this a most appropriate request.  Harper has demonstrated moral clarity repeatedly and shown himself to be a marvelous friend of Israel.  He took the lead in deciding that Canada would boycott Ahmadinejad's speech, and I salute him for this.
 
~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
Some days ago, I received a message from Paul Teller, Executive Director of the U.S. House Republican Study Committee (a wonderful House caucus it's good to know about), letting me know that Committee Chair, Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), had sent a letter of support to PM Netanyahu prior to his meetings at the UN this week.
 
The concluding paragraph was this:
 
"The United States must address the Middle East peace process with the strongest of support for Israel.  We believe that members of the Jewish faith should be able to freely and securely live and work anywhere, including in all of historic Israel.  Allow my to assure you that we will not turn our back on promises the United States has made to assist and defend Israel during such turbulent times.  You are a successful democracy, ally, and unconditional friend, and you have our full support."
 
It's reassuring to know that we have friends such as this in Congress.  If you are inclined to thank Congressman Price (it's important for him to know that his efforts are valued), you can reach him here:  http://tom.house.gov/html/contact_form_email.cfm. 
 
Paul Teller can be reached at: Paul.Teller@mail.house.gov.
 
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 http://www.arlenefromisrael.info/current-postings/2009/10/22/september-25-2009-what-if.html