The Arabs in Israel

By MORDECHAI KEDAR - 02/28/2013

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=304871  

There is almost no Arab community that has lived in its homeland for dozens of years in a truly democratic state.

Israeli-Arab man casts his vote [file photo]
Photo: Ammar Awad / Reuters

The topic of the Arab sector in Israel is politically charged and represents contradicting narratives – one Jewish, the other Arab. Just as there are differences of opinion within the Jewish sector, there are variances in the Arab sector, and attitudes toward the Jewish sector, the state and its institutions can often even represent polar opposites.

To start with, there is no such thing in Israel as one “Arab sector”; rather, there are several Middle Eastern populations, some of which are not Arab, and they differ from one another in religion, culture, ethnic origin and histori- cal background.

WITHIN THE Arab sector here, there are a number of ethnic groups that differ from each other in language, history and culture: Arabs, Africans, Armenians, Circassians and Bosnians. These groups usually do not mingle, and live in separate villages or in separate neighborhoods where a particular family predominates.

a) the Circassians in Israel are the descendants of people who came from the Caucasus to serve as officers in the Ottoman army. Despite their being Muslim, the young people do not usually marry Arabs.

b) The Africans are mainly from Sudan. Some of them live as a large group in Jisr e-Zarka and some live in family groups within Beduin settlements in the South. They are called “Abid,” from the Arabic word for “slaves.”

c) The Bosnians live in family groups in Arab villages.

d) The Armenians came mainly to escape the persecution that they suffered in Turkey in the days of World War I, which culminated in the Armenian genocide of 1915.

IN GENERAL, the Arab sector is divided culturally into three main groups: urban, rural, Beduin. Each group has its own cultural characteristics: lifestyle, status of a given clan, education, occupation, level of income, number of children, and matters connected to women – for example, polygamy, age of marriage, matchmaking or dating customs, and dress.

The residents of cities – and to a great extent also the villagers – see the Beduin as primitive, while the Beduin see themselves as the only genuine Arabs; in their opinion, the villagers and city folk have lost their Arab character. The Arabic language expresses this matter well: The meaning of the word “ Arabi ” is “Beduin,” and some of the Beduin tribes are called “Arab” – for example, Arab al- Heib and Arab al-Shibli in the North.

The Beduin of the Negev classify themselves according to the color of their skin, into hamar (red) and sud (black). Beduin would never marry their daughters to a man darker than she is, because they do not want their grand- children to be dark-skinned. Racist? Perhaps.

Another division that exists in the Negev is between tribes that have a Beduin origin, and tribes whose livelihood is agriculture (fellahin), who have low status. A large tribe has a higher standing than a small tribe.

THE ARAB sector in Israel is divided into

- Muslims, subdivided into Sufis, Salafi

- Christians, subdivided into – Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant

- Druse, the religion of the Druse is different from Islam, and Muslims consider the Druse heretics. Because of this, the Druse are supposed to keep their religion secret.

- Alawites. the Alawites in Israel live in the village of Ghajar, in the foothills of Mount Hermon, and some live over the border in Lebanon. They are also considered heretics in Islam, and their religion is a blend (syncretism) of Shi’ite Islam, Eastern Christianity and ancient religions that existed in the Middle East thousands of years ago.
     

The meaning of the word “Ghajar” in Arabic is “Gypsy,” meaning foreign nomads with a different religion. According to Islam, they not have the right to rule, being a minority, but also right to live, being idol worshipers.

SOME PARTS of the Arab sector are communities that have lived in the land now called the State of Israel for hundreds of years, but a significant part is the offspring of immigrants who migrated here mainly in the first half of the 20th century to work in the Jewish farming communities.

Many migrated from Egypt even earlier, to escape being impressed into forced labor as the Suez Canal was being dug. This is how the al-Masri, Masarwa and Fiumi families, as well as many others, came here, with names testifying to their Egyptian source. Other families have Jordanian names (Zarkawi and Karaki, for example), Syrian ones (al-Hourani, Halabi), Lebanese (Surani, Sidawi, Tra- bulsi) and Iraqi (al-Iraqi).

The Arabic dialect that most of the Beduin in the Negev speak is a Saudi-Jordanian dialect, and because of their familial ties to tribes living in Jordan, when the Beduin become involved in matters of blood-vengeance, they escape to family members in Jordan.

The connection between Arab families in Israel and groups in neighboring countries should not be surprising, because until 1948 the borders of Israel were not hermeti- cally sealed, and many Arabs of “Sham” (Greater Syria) wandered almost totally unimpeded, following their flocks and the expanding employment opportunities.

THE DIVISION between traditional and modern outlooks exists in each group, meaning that in each group there is a subdivision: those who are more connected to the tradition of the group and those who are less connected. Among the young, one sees more openness and less adherence to group tradition, and it can be assumed that the youth of the next generation will generally adhere even less to the group’s traditions. This is obvious among the Beduin groups, because among the young there are more than a few who challenge the Beduin’s socially accepted ways.

Education also plays an important role in the changing attitude toward tradition, because Arab academics are usually less linked to social tradition and the framework of the clan, and live more within the framework of nuclear families (father, mother and children). They also tend to move to more open areas, such as mixed cities like Acre, Ramle and Lod, and even to Jewish cities such as Beersheba, Karmiel and Upper Nazareth, where they adopt a modern lifestyle.

The shift to the city is also connected to a change in the source of livelihood. There are more in the independent professions and fewer in agriculture – a change due partly to the confiscation of the lands of absentees after the War of Independence.

BEYOND THE religious dividing line that differentiates Jews and non-Jews, another basic division exists between the country’s Jewish and Arab sectors in their general approach to the state.

For most of the groups within the Jewish sector, the State of Israel fulfills two roles. One is the political and governmental embodiment of the Jews’ aspirations to return to themselves and to regain the independence and sovereignty over the land of their fathers that was stolen from them after the Second Temple’s destruction.

The symbols of the state are Jewish: the national anthem, which includes the words “the Jewish soul yearns”; the flag, which represents the prayer shawl; the Star of David; and the seven-branched menorah. Hebrew is the official language of the state, and on Jewish holidays, the governmental institutions are closed.

The second role of the state in the eyes of most Jews is functional: to provide its citizens with security, employ- ment, livelihood, health, education, roads, bridges and social services.

For the Arab sector, the first role does not exist. The State of Israel is not the embodiment of their diplomatic and political dreams. The national anthem is not their hymn, the symbols of the state are not their symbols, and our Independence Day is their Nakba (disaster). The second role as well, the functional, is only partly fulfilled in matters of education, planning, roads and infrastructure. One may argue about the causes and reasons, but the facts are clear: How many Arab members are there on government companies’ boards of directors? How may Arab judges are there in the High Court? What is the proportion of Arabs in the academic staff of universities? That said, one cannot ignore the phenomenon of reverse discrimination, either. Laws of planning and building that are observed almost fully within the Jewish sector are very loosely observed within the Arab sector, especially in the Beduin sector in the Negev. How many thousands of buildings have gone up in the Negev without building permits, on land that does not belong to Beduin? How is it that there are no sidewalks in Umm el-Fahm, and the distance between the buildings is about the width of the cars? Another example of reverse discrimination exists in the area of marriage. If a Jew dares to marry a woman before he has completed the process of divorce from his present wife, he will find himself behind bars. But if an Arab mar- ries a second, third or fourth wife, the state pays a monthly children’s allowance for each wife separately and without asking too many questions.

Another case of discrimination in favor of Arabs exists in the area of housing. About 90 percent of the Jewish sector lives in apartments, and about 10% in private houses. In the Arab sector the picture is the reverse.

But the characteristic that most unites the country’s Arab sector is the environment in which they live. All the Arabs in the world live in one of two situations: in dicta- torships in their homeland, or in dictatorships in the diaspora. There is almost no Arab community that has lived in its homeland for dozens of years in a truly democratic state. The Arab citizens of Israel are the only Arab group that lives on its land (especially if you ignore the lands from which they originated) in a democratic regime that honors human rights and political freedoms. This is the reason Arabs outside Israel envy Israel’s Arab citizens and call them “ Arab al-Zibda ” – “butter Arabs.”

Muslim Hypocrisy

OK so we all know about hypocrisy when it comes to the Muslims,


But what kind of a mind sees a market niche in shirts with a mass murder image printed on it ?

And what kind of a mind pays money to wear a shirt with a picture of people being burnt alive?

Westerners think this doesn’t affect them because they don’t see the shirt in their own countries,

This is THE CULTURE of millions and millions and millions of people in Muslim countries – you bet the western counties will be affected by people wanting to buy and wear this shirt. Non Muslims have to realize that they are dealing with people who wear death as a fashion statement. Western people screaming as they are being burnt to death is the message they wear on their everyday clothing as something to show off.


That's OK, just don't burn or deface the Koran!!

Every day Shirts like this are mass produced, marketed and sold by street vendors throughout the Middle East and it's simply OK.

The mass-murder of 9-11 is a celebrated event by millions of people.

Funny how racism and offending other races only applies to whites !!!

The World has Officially turned Upside-down.

This article by a friend of mine Forest Rain Marcia certainly gives food for thought. (Incidentally, she is American!)

Are the French braver than the americans? The US government is making excuses for the attacks on American embassies across the Middle East, ignoring the defilement of American sovereign territory and the US flag, ignoring the flying of the enemy flag on American soil and worst of all – the murder of Americans (including a US ambassador). Moreover the government is blaming and apologizing for a silly movie that supposedly was the excuse to begin riots across the Middle East.

Lynch mobs have become "demonstrators". Rioters are now "protesters".

A movie is "despicable". Murder is excusable.

Outrage is directed at the disrespect to Mohamed. Where is the outrage for the disrespect to America? Where is outrage for the lives of the murdered – who were murdered only because they symbolize freedom?!

On the other hand there is France.

Stephane Charbonnier, editor of French satire magazine Charie Hebdo knew what he was doing when he decided to publish cartoons ridiculing Mohamed. The offices of the magazine had already been firebombed once – by angry Moslems. Ever since, he's been under police protection.

It seems the government, possibly the police requested that the new cartoons not be published – understandably, they did not want to have to deal with more riots and violence.

Instead of being afraid, giving in, giving up, Charie Hebdo decided to publish: "When we attack the Catholic hard right...nobody talks about it in the papers. It's as if Charie Hebdo has official authorization to attack the Catholic hard right. But we are not allowed to make fun of Muslim hardliners. It's the new rule...but we will not obey it," says Stephane Charbonnier, Charie Hebdo editor.

The French government resignedly announced that freedom of speech will be protected, the magazine can publish what they like and violent riots will not be tolerated.

What a contrast!

The quality of the YouTube clip or the French satire is not in question, that is not the point. They may be rude, lewd or stupid – that doesn't matter. Outrage should be at those who believe it is reasonable to murder, burn and destroy as a reaction. Outrage should be at those who use violence and threats to shut up people with a different opinion.

Different opinions are important. We need to be able to voice crazy ideas. We need the silly, the idiotic, the rude and the stupid crazies because with them we get the brilliant crazies, the revolutionaries who won't sit down, shut up, move to the back of the bus. The brave and the morally correct. The trail blazers. Like the man who was brave enough to stand in front of America and the world and say that he dreams of a time when people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. And the man who decided that slavery should be abolished and that it was important enough to fight for. An entire way of life was wiped away when American slaves were freed. That was crazy – but it was also the right thing to do.

Without the low you do not get the sublime. People who want to make idiotic clips or rude cartoons need to be free to do so.

Without the ability to say wild things no one would ever speak of the idea that one day we would use computers that could "talk to each other" at a distance. Or ride in rolling metal boxes instead of using horses, donkeys and camels.

I grew up on an America with ideals. Freedom, justice and liberty for all.

Where is the freedom of speech?

Where is the justice for the murdered?!

And liberty? Where has America gone? What is left?



Vive la France!

The United Nations and Human Rights Abuse

This story by a Muslim lady, Wafa Sultan, a Syrian certified psychiatrist, on October 13, 2011 is asking the questions that should be shouted from every corner of the earth.

The full article can be read at http://www.hudson-ny.org/2485/united-nations-human-rights-abuse

Never did I imagine that one day I would stand outside the United Nations to oppose its perverted conference, to defend against its malicious attempt to single out Israel -- a country that I was taught to hate.

But here I am today, proud to stand for light in the midst of darkness. This darkness brought about by the multiple Muslim countries and their international enablers, who have dishonored the initial objective of the United Nations, only to vilify, and eventually to destroy Israel - the one and the only free democratic country in the entire Middle East.

For the last 1,400 years, since its inception, Islamic ideology has attempted to deprive the Jews of their three most cherished possessions -- their Bible, their Lives, and their Land of Israel.

During my school years, I heard my teachers, family members, neighbors, and the media all bombarding us daily, throughout the Arab world. We, as small kids and young adults, were indoctrinated to share the anti-Semitic vitriol -- to despise and denigrate Jews.
• God condemned the Jews because they falsified the Torah. How did I know it? That is what I was taught.
• Since Jews forged the Bible, they were despised and depicted as pigs and apes. How did I know it? That is what I was taught.
• Jews killed our prophets and were the enemies of Allah. How did I know it? That is what I was taught.
• Therefore, the Jews represent an existential danger to all humanity, so their annihilation, as individuals and as a people, was and would be a legitimate service to God and mankind. How did I know it? That is what I was taught.
•
Yes, killing Jews was always presented to me and my classmates as a religious obligation. We absorbed this evil propaganda with our food and water, and with our school books, each and every day.
As a trained psychiatrist, I assert that seeds of hatred planted in the mind of a child, lead to immense hatred as the child grows into adulthood. Tragically, this hatred generates dangerous actions and even death.

I believe that any nation that grants equal opportunity to every citizen, regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, or gender, thereby, establishes its moral legitimacy. According to this principle, Israel stands alone in the Middle East region, as a nation with moral legitimacy: it grants all citizens equal rights for men and women alike, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech and of the press.

Not a single Arab or Muslim country in the surrounding region does the same. Nor do any of those Arab and Muslim nations allow their citizens personal freedom, or the right to maintain and express opposing points of view.
The United Nations time and again focuses its power on the perpetual manufacturing of false anti-Israel accusations. Painting Palestinians as perennial underdogs provides the perfect cover for their subversive effort.

Without doubt, this trend encourages hatred and violence against the Jewish people in Israel and everywhere else. And that is exactly its point.

Hence, as a woman of an Arab and Islamic background, with that perspective, I join you all today to highlight the hypocrisy of the UN. I challenge the U.N. for neglecting its fundamental mission. They do it under pressure from totalitarian Muslim regimes who put their full faith and credit of their oil wealth behind this anti-Israel campaign.

A Palestinian women's organization reported that Muslim men perpetrate some 40 honor killings annually in the West Bank alone, not including the vast majority of honor killing and abuse of women that go unreported -- as Islamic society maintains secrecy in upholding the popular belief that those "cursed with a sin, [should] hide it."

Where is the UN Human Rights Commission's outcry over the Muslim world's honor killing epidemic? Has the UN adopted the same Islamic philosophy, hiding a societal sin to protect Muslim honor?

I receive countless letters from Arab readers throughout the Middle East, expressing their desperate desire to live as free people with the same human rights we enjoy in the West -- and especially, freedom from Sharia!
One young Arab woman, a student, wrote to me only last month:
"They deprive us of any right to think, and ... remind us each time, how we will burn in hell. They terrorize us, and they do the same with the children. I would like that to stop. I try very hard to change things. I created a little group against sexism. And I hope to be able to defend Arab women one day."

Tell me Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who will defend this young student and her small group fighting Arab sexism and the atrocities committed against Arab women?

Concerning Islamic and Arab violence, the UN remains tragically blind and silent. The UN repeats its denunciation of Israel, the only Middle East nation that grants all citizens the basic human rights this young Arab woman wishes to have for her people.

Those who love liberty and life will strengthen their ties and warm relations with Israel, and stand with her. Israel will continue to shine its light among all nations.

From an Egyptian correspondent

It is encouraging that the Egyptian army has said that it will honour the peace treaty with Israel (my words – “in the foreseeable future”) but who really knows what the future will bring. One of my correspondents received a letter from an Egyptian writer which says:-

“Below is my column from today on Egypt. Since I do not have an opportunity to write in public more than one column per week, I am limited to what I can say. I am extremely distressed by the crew in Washington, and in most European capitals. Media is so corrupted by left-leaning thinking that there is not much of an analysis to be expected in the media that is now competing with facebook, twitters, etc. The dumbing down of thinking is itself a huge problem the West is facing now as it tries pathetically to undertstand/explain politics and history of other cultures when it no longer has faith in its own civilizational values. I despair, and so I follow Samuel Pepys who confined himself to his diaries while London burned and I am trying to devote my time to reading and writing of my own (that of course I might not be able to publish, and even if published few will read).

I am more convinced now, as I wasn't when Paul Kennedy wrote about the rise and fall of great powers, that the West has gone over the tipping point in its terminal decline. That intelligent people, or people who claim to be intelligent, (I have in mind the talking heads in the U.S. media such as Chris Matthews or Fareed Zakaria) cannot make the difference between the sham of the Muslim Brotherhood talking about freedom and democracy and the generic thirst in man to be free. These are the people who have like the Bourbons learned nothing and forgotten nothing.

They are glibly about to put the Lenins of our time into trains heading for Moscows of our time, they find nothing odd that they are pushing for the Muslim Brotherhood to be taken into governing when everything needs to be done to keep the Muslim Brotherhood out even as one carefully negotiate the long historic transition of Arab societies from tribal autocracy and military dictatorships to representative rule and constitutionally limited government. I read you when I can, and I wish that you and others like you were closer to the main media control in the West, or in government.

Take care, and God bless.”

Hello and Goodbye Europe

From the Israeli website YNET one writer is expressing the views and frustrations with a Europe that seems determined to raise the white flag and surrender its independance, its culture and its social norms.

Good morning Europe!

Hello dear continent, for a long time I wanted to write you a few words, as a close neighbor, from here, the Middle East, as one who loves to travel your beautiful landscape, and as one whose parents and roots are planted somewhere across the continent.

You were our home for thousands of years, especially the last thousand years. We knew beautiful days of good neighborly relations, cultural and spiritual prosperity, and partnership in out lives on the continent, just as we knew, and how we knew, hard times of hatred, expulsion, degradation, and liable.

Somehow we survived. Us, and you. To our sorrow, and to your shame, Our affair with you, dear continent, ended by your choice not ours. We could have lived in good neighborly relations and cooperation for many years, but for reasons you chose to keep for yourself you chose to to end and eliminate this partnership-literally. On your land the plan was hatched, on your land the camps were built, on your land the trains moved, on your land the graves were dug, the blood was flowing into your rivers, and in a short time you cut off a significant Jewish presence of a thousand years. Millions of loyal Jewish citizens were eliminated and expelled from your midst. You eliminated not only their lives, but all their contributions to culture, economics, art, spiritualism, academia, literature, medicine, education, commerce, banking, and life in general.

For a long time I wanted to write you, but the opportunity did not come. But this week, after I saw two things-I decided I really must write to you a few words.

First, I have seen reports by all kind of experts in the field of demography, sociology, etc., who claim that within a few years, you, Europe, will become a Muslim continent. In some European countries already 50% of births are by Muslims. If we add to this the low rate of birth by non-Muslims Europeans and the immigration data, in not so a distant future-some say in 10-20 years-you, white, and Christian Europe, will become a Muslim continent.

It is true that you are trying to somehow fight against this phenomenon-against mosques in Switzerland, against women's veils in France, against immigration, and other minute things, but you also know that this train cannot be stopped. There is a plan to build the world largest Mosque in the center of London, and no one will be able to ban Muslim women from wearing the veil. Liberal enlightened European women, who are permissive, know very well that the day may arrive that radical Islam will gain power and the party will end.

Secondly, I also saw the travel warning of many countries warning their inhabitants not to travel to Europe from fear of terrorism. Someone said that it is true that not all terrorists are Muslims, but somehow all terrorists are Muslims.

Slowly and gradually, dear continent, you are beginning to understand whom you are dealing with, what kind of religion and culture radical Islam brings. Suddenly you discover what hatred is, the culture of the Shahids of intolerance, lack of openness, what is rejection and alienation of true democracy, human rights, and women's rights.

Suddenly, radical Islam is stuck in Europe's throat. Not able to spit it out or swallow. Impossible to spit out because of the political correctness of racism and human rights with all its usual Blah, but it is also impossible for you to swallow, because European culture and Christian liberal democratic white cannot contain such extreme elements of culture and religion. It will end in an explosion. Literally.

Dear continent, there is no vacuum in the world. You expelled and killed us, and received instead the Muslim world. In the beginning it was nice and cute, little Mediterranean atmosphere, little oriental sea wind, But with it arrived the storm of radical Islam which threatens to sweep you, our dear neighbor.

Now you are beginning to eat what you have cooked. Suddenly, you find women in veils, fanaticism in the eyes and mosques under every tree. Suddenly you find yourself having to contend with birth rate, culture that has extreme features, terrorism and violence which you have nurtured and ignored. You cannot deny these facts much longer. The conflict is here. we, unfortunately, are experts at this, although, we have our own naive and self righteous people.

The first time, when the Creator decided to destroy His world because the behavior of His creatures, He agreed to give humanity another chance. He asked Noach to enter the ark to try and establish a new core, and foundation to the world. A core that maybe could produce a more deserving humanity. The ark was the chance of the new world, a shelter for a moment.

Will you, dear Europe, be able to prepare for you in advance, a physical, and cultural ark so you can guard yourself and survive? Or aggression, arrogance and hypocrisy will not allow you to admit disaster which you brought on yourself with your own hands, and became a continent who lives on borrowed time?

Muslim Golani fighter in Israel Army

The traditional Israel Defense Forces ceremonial chief of staff sukkah (temporary dwelling for the festival of tabernacles) erected at the head quarters in Tel Aviv will host a special guest next week. One of the soldiers who will be greeted by army head Ashkenazi and will host is Zaid Horani, 21, who graduated his company commanders' course with honors just last week.

The fact that he is Muslim and that his family questioned his decision did not prevent him from enlisting into a combat unit in the army.

"I am very excited," the young Golani soldier told the press. "I still haven't thought about what to say to the chief of staff, but for me the meeting will be very special."

Horani grew up in Akbara, next to Safed, a village made up of refugees who claimed their place following the 1948 War of Independence and for years were not recognized by the authorities. Two years ago Horani notified his family of his intentions to enlist in the Israeli army. Their reactions, which were not all positive, did not discourage him from following his dream.

"Some friends were shocked and others asked me why I would waste three years of my life, but I explained to them that I live in a country where if you want to receive you also have to give," he said. Horani did not settle for "regular" service in one of the units staffed by minority groups, but rather from the start he went for one of the units that most strongly represents the IDF's character: Golani's 51st Battalion.

"At first it was weird. I was asked over and over about my decision, but at no point did I feel any racism," Horani explained. "I am enjoying every minute with the gang. I completed basic training and the company commander's course with honors, and even during my toughest moments, after my mom passed away, I chose to shorten my time at home and go back to being with my friends in the unit."

Horani's unique story and his impressive achievements in such a short period of time led Chief of Staff – the most senior soldier to have graduated from that division – to select him as the representative of his unit in the chief of staff's annual sukkah.

"I am proud to be in the army," the young, gung-ho soldier said. "Even when I come home and talk to friends and explain to them how important it is to serve, I don't succeed at convincing anyone."

Swedish Irresponsibility

So Swedish Foreign minister Bildt is canceling his trip to Israel. Good, the hypocrisy of the Swedish government is there for all to see but, of course, the world remains silent.

At the time of the protests against the Danish cartoons of Muhammad, the Swedish government shut down web sites that were publishing them, so just where is this “freedom of expression” that they currently so vehemently support.

This latest blood libel is just another in a long series in our recent history, and I mean recent, which then cause many, many deaths of Jews by one action or another.

After the accusations of “stealing organs” had been printed, the author Bostrum said on Israel radio on 19th August “I have no idea if it is true” and Jalal Ghaneen wrote in the Jerusalem Post on 24th August “there is no evidence to support the claims”.

A doctor friend of mine told me that there is a whole procedure for selecting suitable organs for transplant. All sorts of tests have to be carried out prior to a transplant and organs cannot be stored for any length of time. Thus the “random collection” from Palestinians who are claimed to have had organs removed is not just unlikely but totally impractical.

So we have yet another Pallywood production given coverage by the gullible media.

Let’s just look at some of these over the last few years:-
- “Israel is persuading Palestinian kids to become drug addicts”
- “Israel is handing out drug laced bubble gum to Palestinian kids”
- “Israel is slowly killing the Palestinians by flooding the market with
cacogenic foods”
- “Israel is marketing computer games that bean radio active rays”
- “Israeli is sending HIV positive prostitutes to spread AIDS amongst the
Palestinians”

And let’s not forget the “major” productions of Pallywood; the Mohammad Al Durah case, the family “killed” on the Gaza beach by an Israeli shell fired from a boat at sea and of course the Jenin “massacres”.

It is about time the press started acting responsibly, alternatively their circulation, already in a downward spiral, will accelerate. As Khaled Abu Tomeh wrote in the Jerusalem Post today “it is sometimes embarrassing to admit to being a reporter”

Israel Helping the Real World

Today, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs opened a symposium being conducted by MASHAV, the Foreign Ministry's Center for International Cooperation and Israel's national agency for international development cooperation, for the staff of its training centers.

It is incredible to visit this center to see how so many in the real world relates to Israel in such a positive waqy. The work of MASHAV does not attract the attention of the world media since it disturbs their agenda concerning Israel. The Deputy FM said, "MASHAV is an important tool of the Israel Foreign Ministry to cope with the growing Iranian presence in Latin America."

Against the backdrop of talks on Israel's accession to the OECD, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, he stressed that "Israel is committed to meeting the challenges of development. MASHAV is a very important element in Israel's foreign policy - morally, politically and economically."

MASHAV conducts an extensive training program both in Israel and abroad in a wide variety of fields, such as agriculture, health, the empowerment of women, socio-economic development and more. The work is carried out at professional training centers, in cooperation with relevant government ministries. To date, over the course of over 50 years, MASHAV has provided hands-on instruction to over a quarter of a million trainees in Israel and abroad.

MASHAV experts translate Israel's desire to share experience and expertise with other countries into action. "The knowledge that we share with the nations of the world helps improve life in many countries while strengthening our ties with them," said the Deputy Foreign Minister

Accusation: Israel is pursuing a policy of genocide towards the Palestinians

As the Durban II conference approaches, more and more accusations are being thrown into Israel's face. Let's look at yet another to read the reality and the facts.

Accusation: Israel is pursuing a policy of genocide towards the Palestinians that is comparable to the Nazi's treatment of the Jews

The Reality:

The Nazi Holocaust perpetrated against more than 6 million Jews in an effort to exterminate that ethno-religious group from the face of the earth is one of the most horrendous acts of evil ever committed by man. A people who has been the victim of the worse atrocities imaginable to man, cannot bear to see human suffering comparable to it, much less commit those acts on its own. To compare Israel's defensive actions to genocide and the Holocaust is not only a form New Antisemitism devised in order to delegitimize Israel but also a propagandistic strategy used by its enemies to paint its actions in the worse light possible.

The Facts:

The Nazi Holocaust perpetrated against more than 6 million Jews in an effort to exterminate that ethno-religious group from the face of the earth is one of the most horrendous acts of evil ever committed by man. National socialist Germany followed a doctrine of racial superiority which not only placed Jews at the very bottom of the classification of the races but also claimed that Jews had been the reason for Germany's defeat in Word War I, having become a parasite feeding of the "fatherland" in order to fulfill their aim of world domination. For these reasons, Jews had to be exterminated.

The world eventually saw this doctrine materialize in the most effective and industrialized systems for human extermination ever devised. Labor camps ensured that the individual lost all physical and personal traits that identified him/her as person. Their belongings confiscated and recycled for other uses. Their bank accounts used as a war chest and some of their bodies used for human medical experimentation. These people who had been made to become numbers were eventually lead into industrialized death camps in which they were gassed and incinerated in order to eliminate all evidence of this preposterous crime.

When what remained of the Jewish people were eventually freed by the allies, they sought to return to the land of their forefathers so that they could protect themselves and not have to rely on anyone else's "charity" in order to preserve their cultural and physical integrity. Yet, the Holocaust is commemorated as a national day of remembrance in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world. This serves as a yearly reminder of that sad chapter of human history so that future generations will remember what men were capable off once and avoid it at all cost.

Regrettably, this goal hasn't been achieved and even in the XXI Century the world still witnesses catastrophes such as the Genocide in Darfur. In this sense, Israel has provided sanctuary to all those who have requested it in light of massacres not unlike the one suffered by the Jewish people. As such, a people who has been the victim of the worse atrocities imaginable to man, cannot bear to see human suffering comparable to it, much less commit those acts on its own.

Israel aims to always be at peace with its neighbors and with all of the peoples of the world; however political and territorial issues have impeded this objective from becoming a reality. Since its founding Israel has been constantly threatened by outside powers and terrorist organizations -such as Hamas and Hezbollah- who have gone as far as stating that their goal is to wipe Israel of the map.

In recent years these organizations have constantly threatened the lives of Israeli civilians by randomly shooting rockets from both Gaza and South Lebanon into Israeli residential and civilian centers. The situation in both cases became unbearable for Israel's population. Hundreds of dead and wounded, children suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder playing in rocket proof playgrounds and millions in material losses. Israel was forced to defend itself and act in the manner that has already been described with regards to civilians trapped in the middle of the conflict.

To compare Israel's defensive actions to genocide and the Holocaust is not only a form New Antisemitism devised in order to delegitimize Israel but also a propagandistic strategy used by its enemies to paint its actions in the worse light possible. As far as numbers go, if Israel was attempting to exterminate or even expel Palestinians, as it's been claimed, their numbers would not have grown as they have under Israeli control. To the contrary, under Israeli control, Palestinians have enjoyed rights unparalleled in any Islamic country in the Middle East, as has been already explained.

There is No Peace Process

Most Israelis believe that the Palestinians don’t want to make a comprehensive peace with Israel in exchange for a Palestinian state, says Professor Barry Rubin. "Hamas doesn’t want it; the Palestinian Authority (PA) is both unwilling and unable to do it."

Therefore the new government being formed is reflecting the realities on the ground. Peace has not been thought of in the Palestinian’s minds with the occupation of the young Palestinians minds with the obsessive thoughts of “throwing Israel into the sea”

After the big risks taken in the withdrawal from Lebanon and Gaza it is clear that this is not the way forward to peace agreements.

Although the international media is rejoicing in bashing Netanyahu even before he takes office no-one is looking beyond the most superficial level of propaganda made by the Palestinian leaders. As Rubin says “the conclusion is unavoidable that there is no possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian peace for years to come. This is regardless of who is Israel’s leader or anything within reason that could be offered."

Mahmoud Abbas is too weak and has insufficient support. While considered relatively moderate, he will not give up the demand for all Palestinian refugees to be able to live in Israel, He has made no attempt to transform Palestinian political thinking or to provide an alternative vision of peace for his people.

There is no moderate alternative Palestinian leader in Fatah or elsewhere.
Schools, mosques, media and other institutions controlled fully or partly by the PA daily preach that all Israel is Palestine, Israel is evil, and violence against it is good. Hardly the most minimal steps have been taken to prepare the Palestinian masses for peace.

Palestinian public opinion polls consistently show overwhelming support for hardline positions, and for terrorism against Israeli civilians.

An unyielding historical narrative still predominates that the whole land between the Jordan River and the sea is and should be Arab Palestine.

There is no peace process it has to be said that the “The emperor has no clothes”.

Testimony of a Gazan

FAUSTO BILOSLAVO from the BBC Panorama programme came to Gaza to look at some of the personal stories behind Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip. The following story is just one of a number that he reported on the programme.

"To die with us is a great honor. We will go to Paradise together or survive until victory. Allah's will be done." In this way Hamas militiamen responded to the entreaties of the Palestinian civilians not to use their homes as positions during the recent Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

With the international spotlights turned off, the Panorama team went to see what happened in Gaza and discovered the other side of the war that has not been told: entire buildings taken hostage, the population used as human shields and, for the dissidents,even today the risk of getting a bullet as "quislings".

And far from theoretical danger: since the end of December, 181 Palestinians have been summarily executed, kneecapped or tortured because they opposed Hamas.

But it is not over: now the Islamic movement that rules Gaza with the Koran in one hand and a gun in the other wants to control everything, including aid and reconstruction.

The building of the Andalous family in the Al-Karama neighborhood of Gaza City has been reduced to a skeleton of concrete. The Israelis have hit hard, and this middle-age Palestinian couple has nothing left but to pick up the rubble of an apartment not yet paid for. They escort us on what remains of the indoor stairs, on the condition that Panorama team uses only their family nicknames. "We knew that it was going to end up like this. Since the early days of the attack the the guerrilla fighters of the Palestinian resistance had positioned themselves in the twelfth and thirteenth floors, with the snipers. Every now and then they tried, to no avail, to shoot down one of those UAVs that the Israelis use", says Abu Mohammed, shaking his head.

In the building, not yet finished, lived 22 families: more than 120 civilians, including women and children. The Israelis had begun calling the tenants' cell phones ordering them to vacate the premises. Then, the militiamen got a more explicit message: a fighter dropped a bomb on the empty courtyard on the other side of road without causing injuries, but opening a huge crater. "A delegation of householders beseeched the militiamen to leave" said the tenant." The answer was: "You will die with us or we will survive together".

On January 13 the Israeli F16's hit the building at 9:30 P.M. "At night we would go to sleep at our relatives' homes: we were saved, but no longer had a home and we still have to repay 9 years of the loan' said a tenant in despair, a veil on her head. The Islamic Bank does not grant exceptions.

And This is in Haifa - Wow

The original aim of this blog was to look at the issues in the north of the country. With the attention being diverted to the south over the last year, many of the postings reflected topics not specifically devoted to the north of Israel.

Last week, I was invited to meet an organisation in Haifa that I feel is totally under reported and, together with my wife, we had an exhillerating experience.

The visit was to MASHAV, the arm of the Foreign Office, the Center for International Cooperation, http://mashav.mfa.gov.il/mfm/web/main/document.asp?SubjectID=17267&MissionID=16210&LanguageID=0&StatusID=0&DocumentID=-1

In this visit we attended the closing ceremony of a 3.1/2 week course dealing with problems in early childhood education. The course language was Spanish on this occasion and as certificates were presented to the participants, we saw representatives from Equador, El Salvador, Guatamala, Panama, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Peru, Paraguay, Dominican Republic and Uraguay. Many of the certificates were presented by the Ambassadors of the countries concerned and the atmosphere was electric.

The MASHAV center is the home where participants live, work, explore new ideas and form friendships. They learn from each other and alos learn about the backgrounds, cultures and traditions of the participants countries.

Seeing all these countries in the same room with Israeli specialists in their field made the present international political climate against Israel seem so far away.

Lunch followed the closing ceremony and we found ourselves sitting with the Director of the Center and the Kenyan Ambassador who had "popped in" to say goodbye before returning home after a 5 year tour of duty in Israel.

At events like this, we realised how much Israel has to offer the world in such a positive way. The conflict in the south seemed so far away.

Open Letter to A Citizen Of Gaza

There is a well known saying of Golda Me'ir, a former Prime Minister of Israel who said of our Palestinian neighbors " we can forgive you for killing our children but we cannot forgive you for making us kill your children". There is a major untold story in the world media which they either know about and don't want to print or haven't taken the time to really understand the Israeli military philosophy.

Below is a letter which I received from a reserve soldier who served in Gaza. I think it shows something of our soldiers feelings which are so foreign to Hamas.

Hello,

While the world watches the ruins in Gaza, you return to your home which remains standing. However, I am sure that it is clear to you that someone was in your home while you were away.
I am that someone.

I spent long hours imagining how you would react when you walked into your home. How you would feel when you understood that IDF soldiers had slept on your mattresses and used your blankets to keep warm.

I knew that it would make you angry and sad and that you would feel this violation of the most intimate areas of your life by those defined as your enemies, with stinging humiliation. I am convinced that you hate me with unbridled hatred, and you do not have even the tiniest desire to hear what I have to say. At the same time, it is important for me to say the following in the hope that there is even the minutest chance that you will hear me.

I spent many days in your home. You and your family’s presence was felt in every corner. I saw your family portraits on the wall, and I thought of my family. I saw your wife’s perfume bottles on the bureau, and I thought of my wife. I saw your children’s toys and their English language schoolbooks. I saw your personal computer and how you set up the modem and wireless phone next to the screen, just as I do.

I wanted you to know that despite the immense disorder you found in your house that was created during a search for explosives and tunnels (which were indeed found in other homes), we did our best to treat your possessions with respect. When I moved the computer table, I disconnected the cables and lay them down neatly on the floor, as I would do with my own computer. I even covered the computer from dust with a piece of cloth. I tried to put back the clothes that fell when we moved the closet although not the same as you would have done, but at least in such a way that nothing would get lost.

I know that the devastation, the bullet holes in your walls and the destruction of those homes near you place my descriptions in a ridiculous light. Still, I need you to understand me, us, and hope that you will channel your anger and criticism to the right places.

I decided to write you this letter specifically because I stayed in your home.

I can surmise that you are intelligent and educated and there are those in your household that are university students. Your children learn English, and you are connected to the Internet. You are not ignorant; you know what is going on around you.

Therefore, I am sure you know that Qassam rockets were launched from your neighborhood into Israeli towns and cities.

How could you see these weekly launches and not think that one day we would say “enough”?! Did you ever consider that it is perhaps wrong to launch rockets at innocent civilians trying to lead a normal life, much like you? How long did you think we would sit back without reacting?

I can hear you saying “it’s not me, it’s Hamas”. My intuition tells me you are not their most avid supporter. If you look closely at the sad reality in which your people live, and you do not try to deceive yourself or make excuses about “occupation”, you must certainly reach the conclusion that the Hamas is your real enemy.

The reality is so simple, even a seven year old can understand: Israel withdrew from the Gaza strip, removing military bases and its citizens from Gush Katif. Nonetheless, we continued to provide you with electricity, water, and goods (and this I know very well as during my reserve duty I guarded the border crossings more than once, and witnessed hundreds of trucks full of goods entering a blockade-free Gaza every day).

Despite all this, for reasons that cannot be understood and with a lack of any rational logic, Hamas launched missiles on Israeli towns. For three years we clenched our teeth and restrained ourselves. In the end, we could not take it anymore and entered the Gaza strip, into your neighborhood, in order to remove those who want to kill us. A reality that is painful but very easy to explain.
As soon as you agree with me that Hamas is your enemy and because of them, your people are miserable, you will also understand that the change must come from within. I am acutely aware of the fact that what I say is easier to write than to do, but I do not see any other way. You, who are connected to the world and concerned about your children’s education, must lead, together with your friends, a civil uprising against Hamas.

I swear to you, that if the citizens of Gaza were busy paving roads, building schools, opening factories and cultural institutions instead of dwelling in self pity, arms smuggling and nurturing a hatred to your Israeli neighbors, your homes would not be in ruins right now. If your leaders were not corrupt and motivated by hatred, your home would not have been harmed. If someone would have stood up and shouted that there is no point in launching missiles on innocent civilians, I would not have to stand in your kitchen as a soldier.

You don’t have money, you tell me? You have more than you can imagine.

Even before Hamas took control of Gaza, during the time of Yasser Arafat, millions if not billions of dollars donated by the world community to the Palestinians was used for purchasing arms or taken directly to your leaders bank accounts. Gulf States, the emirates - your brothers, your flesh and blood, are some of the richest nations in the world. If there was even a small feeling of solidarity between Arab nations, if these nations had but the smallest interest in reconstructing the Palestinian people – your situation would be very different.

You must be familiar with Singapore. The land mass there is not much larger than the Gaza strip and it is considered to be the second most populated country in the world. Yet, Singapore is a successful, prospering, and well managed country. Why not the same for you?

My friend, I would like to call you by name, but I will not do so publicly. I want you to know that I am 100% at peace with what my country did, what my army did, and what I did. However, I feel your pain. I am sorry for the destruction you are finding in your neighborhood at this moment. On a personal level, I did what I could to minimize the damage to your home as much as possible.

In my opinion, we have a lot more in common than you might imagine. I am a civilian, not a soldier, and in my private life I have nothing to do with the military. However, I have an obligation to leave my home, put on a uniform, and protect my family every time we are attacked. I have no desire to be in your home wearing a uniform again and I would be more than happy to sit with you as a guest on your beautiful balcony, drinking sweet tea seasoned with the sage growing in your garden.

The only person who could make that dream a reality is you. Take responsibility for yourself, your family, your people, and start to take control of your destiny. How? I do not know. Maybe there is something to be learned from the Jewish people who rose up from the most destructive human tragedy of the 20th century, and instead of sinking into self-pity, built a flourishing and prospering country. It is possible, and it is in your hands. I am ready to be there to provide a shoulder of support and help to you.

But only you can move the wheels of history.”
Regards,
Yishai, (Reserve Soldier)

Is The EU Coming to its Senses?

In Jabaliya,Gaza, yesterday a senior EU official blasted the "abominable" destruction in the enclave and said that "the terrorist Hamas rulers bear overwhelming responsibility for the war."

"It is abominable, indescribable," said Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, after touring some of the worst-hit places in the territory.

"I intentionally say this here -- Hamas is a terrorist movement and it has to be denounced as such. Blasting the scale of destruction in Gaza, Michel said the European Union, the main donor to the Palestinians, was sick of paying for the same infrastructure that's destroyed over and over again.

Just when will the European taxpayers realize how much of their money is going to waste. Hamas is insisting that all funds are channeled through them - how absurd to accept such a demand. but will the EU really stand by their commisioner? Let's wait and see.

As with Lebanon, the Iranians and Hizbollah rushed to "show" the population that they really cared and started handing over money very soon after the cease fire came into effect. Now Iran and Hamas are trying to do the same thing.

I believe the amount of video evidence of the cynical use of Gazans by Hamas will have some effect on the Gazans but whether they will be able to express themselves remains to be seen.

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) has issued a report expressing its deep concern following verified information documented by its Gaza Program on attacks committed against citizens in the Gaza Strip by Hamas. ICHR demands that the deposed government in the Gaza Strip put an end to extra-judicial killings and assaults against citizens and their personal freedoms. ICHR also urges the deposed government to investigate these attacks and take expedite measures to prosecute perpetrators.

The report demands that
a) immediate measures be taken to put an end to extra-judicial killings and assailment on citizens.
b) an investigation be launched into all incidents of extra-judicial killings and assaults against citizens in the Gaza Strip. Offenders should be duly prosecuted and held accountable in accordance with the law.
c) rights of Palestinian citizens be safeguarded and the rule of law established and promoted.
d) the deposed government bear its assigned responsibility of providing security and safety to citizens.

Just how many Fatah supporters have been killed extra judicially? How many of the civilian death toll is the responsibility of Hamas?

PHONEY WAR CRIMES ACCUSATION

The acusations against Israel are now coming in thick and fast. from "war crimes" to "illegal use of phosphorous bombs, "indiscriminately attacking civilians" ad nauseum.

Allan Dershowitz, the eminent internationally renowned lawyer writes "Every time Israel seeks to defend its civilians against terrorist attacks, it is accused of war crimes by various United Nations agencies, hard left academics and some in the media. It is a totally phony charge concocted as part of Hamas' strategy --supported by many on the hard left -- to delegitimize and demonize the Jewish state."

"Israel is the only democracy in the world ever accused of war crimes when it fights a defensive war to protect its civilians. This is remarkable, especially in light of the fact that Israel has killed far fewer civilians than any other country in the world that has faced comparable threats. In the most recent war in Gaza fewer than a thousand civilians -- even by Hamas' skewed count -- have been killed. This, despite the fact that no one can now deny that Hamas had employed a deliberate policy of using children, schools, mosques, apartment buildings and other civilian areas as shields from behind which to launch its deadly anti-personnel rockets. "

"Just to take one comparison, consider the recent wars waged by Russia against Chechnya . In these wars Russian troops have killed tens of thousands of Chechnyan civilians, some of them willfully, at close range and in cold blood. Yet those radical academics who scream bloody murder against Israel (particularly in England) have never called for war crime tribunals to be convened against Russia. Nor have they called for war crime charges to be filed against any other of the many countries that routinely kill civilians, not in an effort to stop enemy terrorists, but just because it is part of their policy."

The full article can be read at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-dershowitz/the-phony-war-crimes-accu_b_160050.html. The punch is in the last statement that should worry every citizen of the world. Dershowitz writes "If the laws of war in particular, and international human rights in general, are to endure, they must be applied to nations in order of the seriousness of theviolations, not in order of the political unpopularity of the nations. If the law of war were applied in this manner, Israel would be among the last, andcertainly not the first, charged".

My Son Came Home

I received this letter from one of my correspondents this week and she gave me permission to print it. The stories of the war in Gaza are numerous but of course behind every soldier is a Mum who often has difficulty in containing her emotions.

I hope you appreciate the Mother's feelings

My son came home from Gaza just a few minutes ago. He came home as we had sent him off, only more tired, worn and dirty. Thank you Lord forbringing him home. To his wife, his brothers and sisters and his lovingbrood of nieces and nephews. All of us have been waiting patiently these past three weeks to hold him in our arms. Barely able to wait to embrace him, I ran across the highway where his ride had dropped him off. I grabbed him in the middle of the road and cars driving into my yishuv (village) had to veer around this sight of me standing on tiptoes reaching for my tall, handsome son's face. The drivers waved at us. A few rolled down heir windows to say "todah -- thank you" to my son. I whispered Todah again to the Lord.

I helped him toss his heavy bags into the trunk of the car. The heaviest among them being the one weighted down with foodstuffs that Israel's citizens sent to our soldiers. Tens of thousands of kilograms of foodpoured into the bases in the south. Cartons upon cartons of instantsoups, nuts, pretzels, cookies and nosh of every kind. All sent by individuals, families, schools and businesses from throughout the country. We could barely lift his 'booty' and we both shared a laugh as we flung it on to the back seat. The words that had been in my heart for so long melted on my tongue. My eyes drank him in, tall, bearded now and his face and soul, a bit darker than before he left us that Sunday morning. He reached his hand to his head and apologized for the fact that he was bareheaded. In the midst ofeverything his kippa had fallen off. "No matter -- easy enough to replace," I said as his hand slipped into mine.

I reached up to grab his neck and felt his lips touch my cheek, and I knew that his presence,like this, was all that I had prayed for each day since he packed his bags and left before the sun even rose that cold morning. I pulled in front of his apartment, a few kilometers from my home, and as we descended the steps I heard him speak gently and lovingly with his wife at work, telling her how anxious he was to see her.

He turned on the boiler and laughingly told me "I'm not getting out of this shower for the next hour." The bags fell to the floor and he leaned against the kitchen counter to untie his boots swiftly flinging them aside and letting his bare feet rest on the tile floor. He was exhausted and I hesitated to start with the barrage of questions that had been streaming through my head every day, every hour for these past few weeks. He smiled as he opened the bag of goodies and told me about the elementary school children from Mevasseret Zion who had attached notes with their gifts. He spoke with three of them to thank them personally. One child wrote a three page letter and the soldiers in my son's unit were grateful to learn more of this 8-year old's daily life, his favorites ubjects and his fondness for playstation. When they called to speak with him, he was overwhelmed and kept calling them "gibborim" heroes.

"Ima" he said, "I'm tired now, but I have to tell you how extraordinary this nation is. The children who wrote to us, the people who sent their good wishes with their packages of food, the businesses that sent truckloads of goods. The soldiers I served with, each one caring deeply about the other one. Zahal (the army) who made sure that we were well trained and well equipped for our mission. But mostly. Mostly. This was a war that was guided by the Hand of G'd. Everyday we felt His presence -- whether deciding to enter a building by smashing down the back wall rather than entering through the front door, only to discover that the front door had been booby trapped, or searching rooms in a house and uncovering a tunnel under a bed we had lifted where tens of Hamas terrorists were hiding in the hopes of kidnapping one of us, or dozens more stories."

I looked at this child's face and saw the extraordinary young man he had become. Filled with faith. Feeling a passion for those values that have held this nation together for thousands of years. And, his very presence. His very modesty. His deep felt pride at being part of this nation. All of this wrapped around my heart and left me humbled. Humbled and grateful. "And I will lift up my eyes unto the mountains, from where my strengthwill come."

A View from the Border with Gaza

The Israel army is now in a state of "Holding Fire". Everyone here has their opinions on whether this will become a long term status or not. The statements made by Hamas and their "success" does not auger well for the future. But then why should Hamas change? The world is preparing to pump millions of the taxpayers money into Gaza for "reconstruction", the question is how can they avoid their monies being used for the resconstruction of the supply of arms for a future battle?

And what about the residents on the border of Gaza? One of my correspondents writes

What do I think about this cease fire,i t sounds good and like I said it is quiet,I even slept all night from 11:00 PM till this morning at 9:30, first time I slept during the whole night since the war started.

There is a "but" to this so. I want to add in what I call "the media rape of Israel"

I have watched on the world news and on Internet and have seen so many untrue facts being thrown out that damage Israel's reputation, here are a couple just to get the picture:

http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=38&x_article=1588

http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=35&x_article=1586

Schools,religious sites, private homes were targeted by Israel because of weapons or Hammas fighters being in these places and shooting at Israeli targets and Israeli soldiers. Booby traps were found by IDF ground troops in these places and weapons stored also.

Then there is a sad story of a Palestinian doctor that works in a Israel hospital, some of his family members and children etc. were killed by Israeli soldiers. (This gives a wonderful heartbreaking story to the international media, it has all the elements required. Why am I cynical? Pallywood films continued unabated during the war and ...)

Today I hear that doctors found that in a son of his that was seriously injured, the bullet in him was a type not used by the IDF. I have no idea who shot them, only one story will make the main media headlines or articles, and you can guess who it will be.

Israel is not an angel,yes sometimes there are bad apples but which nation is not guilty of this! But also many reporters are not honest in their stories, or do not check out their source of information.. Too many times their reports are so biased, they are willing to believe everything they hear from the terrorists, and question Israelis version of the story.

I wrote a letter to you all yesterday but after I reread it, I saw I was very upset and mad and was ashamed at what I wrote,so I deleted it. Today I am still mad but am more settled down.

War Crimes?

As, in my opinion, the operation in Gaza is approaching a cease fire issues of human rights and war crimes are coming more to the fore.

From a friend living on the border of Gaza, he writes "I saw on the news last night and I was boiling over with anger and was afraid to check my blood pressure, when I heard "Israeli groups call for IDF 'war crimes' probe" and then later " forum of Israeli human rights organizations on Wednesday called on the country's political and military leadership to launch a domestic probe into "suspected war crimes" committed during Operation Cast Lead.

"http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231950849606&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

I immediately wrote a response to the Jerusalem Post:-

I as a resident of a community on the Gaza border,Kibbutz Nahal Oz,want to know why do you (the human rights organisations) keep silent when Israel is being attacked and yet raise all hell when Israel defends herself.Why do you have your press conference in Jerusalem and not Sederot,Ashkelon,Ashdod,Beersheva or even my Kibbutz. I consider all of you Israelis and Jews at this conference traitors to your country and to your people.

If common sense is to prevail and we want to talk in legal terms about war crimes, then surely the following incidents clearly come under the category of "War Crimes":-

a) Shooting rockets and grenades purposely on civilian targets in Israel.
b) Shooting these rockets from within Palestinian civilian compounds such as schools or in close proximity of hospitals or residential buildings.
c) Storing weapons and ammunition in schools, mosques, public offices and buildings and the sort.· Regularly using their own civilians as human shield; particularly children, often forced to be in the most dangerous spots.
d) During fighting with the Israeli forces the Hamas fighters, who wore uniforms at the beginning, changed to civilian clothing or IDF uniforms and continued to fight.
e) Hamas fighters have routinely hid among civilians in hospitals.
f) To the kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit, Hamas did not provide the most elementary rights of war prisoners, such as information given to the other side and Red Cross visits, rights Israel grants even to convicted Hamas terrorists.
g) Children and minors were routinely used by Hamas for military tasks, both battle and auxiliary. The Hamas regime has also educated, indoctrinated and trained children and minors to murderous hatred, to will and techniques to kill.
h) The Hamas leadership embezzled aid money received for the peaceful needs of Gaza’s population and used these extensive funds for war efforts; weaponry, military equipment and constructions, and an enormous military build-up.

Will common sense prevail, maybe I am being naive??

Is the End Near?

If it is true that Israel is nearing the fulfillment of its objectives in Gaza as has been suggested,then maybe the residents of the south of the country will have some peace and an opportunity to reshape their lives and those of theri children finally.

It is said that Hamas has sustained an unprecedented blow, however the issue of the weapons smuggling is critically important, and although UN Security Council resolution 1860 is weak and ineffective, it did recognize that there should be a stop to weapons smuggling. Thus, Israel is continuing its talks with Egypt regarding this matter.

After all the hype of Hamas leader Haniya, it appears that in the field, Hamas terrorists are fleeing from contact with Israeli troops, hiding in hospitals, some of them disguised as medical staff. Further, Hamas is concealing the extent of the damage it has sustained and is not burying its dead, so as not to lower the morale of its cadre.

More worrying for the residents of Gaza is the fact that Hamas terrorists are plundering the humanitarian aid provided by the world and placing the good of their followers above the good of the general public. Hamas is also exploiting the situation to murder Fatah supporters for political reasons. Intelligence indicates that about a tenth of those killed in the Gaza Strip are Fatah members killed by Hamas.

In parallel, Iran is doing everything in its power to support Hamas, including attempting to smuggle weapons and ammunition into the Gaza Strip. However threats have been made by Teheran that aid will cease if Hamas accepts an Egyptian brokered cease fire.

It has to be emphasized time and time again that the IDF is operating against Hamas and its personnel, and not the residents of the Gaza Strip.

While the IDF is acting against Hamas, Israel is making every effort to accelerate and improve the transfer of humanitarian aid to the civilian population but difficulties are created by Hamas, who are waging war in the midst of densely populated areas, while exploiting civilians as human shields.

Israel is continuing with its humanitarian efforts, which include a respite in operations each day for several hours, despite the fact that Hamas is exploiting these lulls to continue shooting at Israel cities and troops, as well as to re-arm and re-equip.

Let us hope for everyone’s sake, a speedy end to this chapter of conflict