Israel's response to the November 29, 2012 UN Vote

By:- Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought”

The November 29, 2012 UN vote to upgrade the Palestinian Authority (PA) to a "non-member observer state” – in violation of the 1993 Oslo Accords - was an expected derivative of Israel's policy towards the PA since 1993 – critical concessions, retreats, indecisiveness, submission to pressure and appeasement.

What has Israel done since 1993?

Unprecedented Israeli concessions – such as
a) the legitimization, importation and the arming of 60,000 Palestinian terrorists from Sudan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia  b) the evacuation of Gaza and 40% of Judea and Samaria – resulted in unprecedented Palestinian hate-education and incitement, terrorism and non-compliance.

The flabbier the Israeli policy and the frailer the Israeli response to Palestinian terrorism, the more flagrant is the Palestinian abrogation of agreements.
For instance:-
a) 270 Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists between 1978 and the 1993 signing of the Oslo Accords, compared with some 2,000 murdered since Oslo, mostly by PLO terrorists.
b) In 2000, Prime Minister Barak offered to uproot all Jewish settlements; Mahmoud Abbas and Arafat responded with unparalleled wave of suicide-bombings in the pre-1967 area of Israel.
c) Prime Minister Sharon's 2005 uprooting of 25 Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria and Gaza induced an unprecedented barrage of missiles on pre-1967 Israel.
d) Israel's inaction in the face of the 2009-2012 amassing of long-range missiles in Gaza triggered a daily barrage of missiles at pre-1967 Israel.

The post-Oslo conduct by Mahmoud Abbas and Arafat – role models of intra-Arab subversion and international terrorism, Holocaust deniers and allies of the Communist Bloc, Khomeini, Saddam Hussein Bin Laden, North Korea and Hugo Chavez - has reaffirmed that the PLO does not change its spots, only its tactics. Mahmoud Abbas is not troubled by the size – but by the existence – of the Jewish State in the Middle East.

The systematic Palestinian effort to leverage terrorism and diplomacy, in order to eliminate the Jewish State, behooves Israel to resurrect the steadfastness and defiance which characterized most Israeli Prime Ministers from Ben Gurion (1948) through Shamir (1992).

What should Israel do?

a) Israel should extend Jerusalem's municipal lines, which is a prerequisite for the transformation of Jerusalem's steady decline into long term growth, through a dramatic upgrade of Jerusalem's infrastructures of transportation, industry and housing.

b) Greater Jerusalem should stretch from Gush Etzion and Nokdim (south) to the Dead Sea (east), Mt. Ba'al Hazor (northeast) and Kiryat Sefer (northwest),

c) Israel should embrace the former Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy Report. The July 2012 report reconfirmed that according to international law, Judea and Samaria are not "occupied territory,” since no foreign entity was sovereign in the area in 1967. The 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention is not applicable since it prohibits the coerced transfer of people to settlements, while Israeli settlers have settled of their own volition. Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria are legal. The Jewish State's historical and legal rights in Judea and Samaria are based on the 1922 British Mandate. These rights were preserved by Article 80 of the U.N. Charter, which provides continuity of Jewish rights in the Jewish Homeland. And, the report calls on Israel to allow construction in the settlements, enabling Israelis to directly purchase land in Judea and Samaria.

d) The Israeli law should be applied – and transportation infrastructure should be upgraded in area C, which is controlled exclusively by Israel according to the Oslo Accords.

e) All VIP benefits, by Israel, to all Palestinian officials should be annulled, pending the elimination of hate-education and incitement from the PA education, divinity and media sectors.

Such steps would trigger international resentment and possibly sanctions. However, pre-1993 Israeli defiance, under harsher circumstances, was initially condemned, but then rewarded with an enhanced posture of deterrence and respect. It demonstrated that Israel would not sacrifice dire national interests on the altar of convenience and wishful-thinking. For example, Prime Minister Ben Gurion defied the 1948/1949 US pressure/embargo to refrain from a declaration of independence, to "end occupation of the Negev” and to avoid the incorporation of – and construction in – Jerusalem and declaring it the capital of Israel. Prime Minister Eshkol dared the 1967 US pressure against preempting Egypt and the reunification of – and construction in – Jerusalem. Prime Minister Golda Meir withstood the 1970 US pressure to repartition Jerusalem, authorizing the construction of four more neighborhoods, the home of some 150,000 Israelis. Prime Minister Begin defied the 1981 US threats and punishments, applying Israel's laws to the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Shamir rebuffed US pressure to freeze settlements, but US-Israel strategic cooperation expanded unprecedentedly.

Will contemporary Israeli leaders follow in the footsteps of Ben Gurion – Shamir? Or, will they sustain the self-destructive Oslo state of mind, ignoring the Palestinian reality and that in the Middle East either you eat from – or become part of – the menu?

What U.N. Recognition of Palestine Really Means

This article by Anne Bayefsky appears on National Review Online.

To comprehend what went down at the U.N. on Thursday when the Palestinians were given “non-member observer state status” by a vote of 138 for, 9 against, and 41 abstentions, consider these statements made in New York over the course of the day:

• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, U.N. “Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People” event; (statement delivered by Foreign Minister Riad Malki, New York, Thursday morning: “Israel’s admission to the United Nations in 1949 was accompanied by two conditions: Israel’s commitment to . . . the return of Palestine refugees to their homes…”

• President Abbas, General Assembly, New York, Thursday afternoon: “The Palestinian people . . . miraculously recovered from the ashes of Al-Nakba of 1948 which was intended to extinguish their being. . . . Israeli occupation is . . . an apartheid system . . . which institutionalizes the plague of racism.”

• Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour, opening of a Palestinian U.N. exhibit, New York, Thursday evening: “Today we have legislated a Palestinian state with the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital.”

So the real deal is this. Israel’s legitimacy is not recognized by the Palestinian leadership. It is conditional and it is conditioned upon alleged prerequisites (of a right of return and the end of a Jewish state) that have not, and will not, be met.

The Palestinian narrative is a fiction. It is deliberately crafted to mirror that of the Jewish people, beginning with the biggest lie of all — that the catastrophe of the creation of the state of Israel is equivalent to the Holocaust.

Israel is alleged to be akin to apartheid South Africa, so that its legitimacy is continually in jeopardy. After all, the South African regime had to be destroyed by lethal politics.

And the whole point of the exercise was to legislate — that is, impose — results on Israel on Palestinian terms. Negotiations are a joke. The U.N. will do Palestinians’ “negotiation” for them.

No wonder the outcome was met by the loud applause of a room full of the representatives of dictators and thugs (the majority of U.N. members are not full democracies), and NGO/“civil society” hacks who had been brought in by the U.N. Division for Palestinian Rights. (A letter of Division Director Wolfgang Grieger states that he had personally reserved at least 100 spots in the gallery.) Sitting in the gallery myself, I noticed that during Abbas’s lengthy speech the outbursts of clapping across the gallery would commence before the translation of Arabic sentences into other languages had finished. It was an exercise in what one might call Benghazi-style spontaneity.

The only question that remains, therefore, is this. Now that decades of Palestinian intransigence and belligerence have been richly rewarded by the U.N. majority, how soon will Palestinians start targeting and harming Israeli Jews with impunity again? .

So once again, as in World War ll, based on the fact that all European countries did not have the guts to vote (apart from the Czech republic) , Israel and the Jews are being cast into the wind.

FIFA to Rebuild Gaza Stadium

Now FIFA is pledging to rebuild the soccer stadium in Gaza that the IDF targeted during Operation Pillar of Defense (original story is  here on FIFA website, near the bottom of the page).

Does FIFA not know that the reason it was targeted was because it was used as a long-range rocket launching site? This is the site from which rockets were fired toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

See the tweet from the IDF during the operation: https://twitter.com/IDFSpokesperson/status/270578093431853059

Below is the infographic about the stadium.

How Bad Reporting goes on and on

A summary of the simply dishonest reporting that is on going whenever Israel responds to the constant provocations by Hamas can be seen in this short video.

This just confirms the need for constant vigilance by readers and viewers plus writing to the media sources whenever such instances occur

Summary of "Pillar of Defense"

With the ceasefire agreement regarding the fighting in the south coming into effect following eight days of operations, it is quite clear that, in spite of the “victory celebrations” going on in Gaza, the IDF has surely accomplished the main goal in Operation Pillar of Defense of inflicting severe damage to Hamas and its military capabilities.


As a result of IDF operations, the command and control apparatus of Hamas was significantly struck and the targeting of broad terrorist infrastructure, facilities and military bases, as well as the destruction of dozens of smuggling and explosive tunnels.


During the operation, the IDF damaged and destroyed significant elements of Hamas' strategic capabilities, among them. Amongst those capabilities were long-range (over 40 km) and hundreds of short- and medium-range rocket launchers. These actions have severely impaired Hamas' launching capabilities, resulting in a decreasing number of rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip. The 'Iron Dome' defense system has accomplished high rate of successful interceptions (84%) and Hamas' accuracy with regards to hitting populated areas within Israel remained below 7%.


IDF soldiers, in regular and reserve military service, gathered in assembly areas and prepared for the ground operation. Their time was used for training and improving their operational capabilities.


Over the course of Operation Pillar of Defense, the IDF targeted:-

a) over 1,500 terror sites including

b) 19 senior command centers, operational control centers and Hamas' senior-rank headquarters,

c) 30 senior operatives, damaging Hamas' command and control,

d) hundreds of underground rocket launchers,

e) 140 smuggling tunnels,

f) 66 terror tunnels,

g) dozens of Hamas operation rooms and bases,

h) 26 weapon manufacturing and storage facilities

i) dozens of long-range rocket launchers and launch sites.

Senior Operatives Targeted:

• Ahmed Jabari, head of Hamas' military wing - targeted on November 14

• Hab's Hassan Us Msamch, senior operative in Hamas' police - targeted on November 15

• Ahmed Abu Jalal, Commander of the military wing in Al-Muazi - targeted on November 16

• Khaled Shayer, senior operative in the anti-tank operations - targeted on November 16

• Osama Kadi, senior operative in the smuggling operations in the southern Gaza Strip - targeted on November 17

• Muhammad Kalb, senior operative in the aerial defense operations - targeted on November 17

• Ramz Harb, Islamic Jihad senior operative in propaganda in Gaza city - targeted on November 19

Number of Rocket Launches Toward Israel During the Operation:

• November 14: 75 rockets

• November 15: 316 rockets

• November 16: 228 rockets

• November 17: 237 rockets

• November 18: 156 rockets

• November 19: 143 rockets

• November 20: 221 rockets

• November 21 (Until 21:00): 130 rockets
   (It should be noted that a further 20 rockets were fired after 21:00 hrs)

Rocket Launched Towards Israel:

• Total number of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip: 1,506 rockets

• Number of rockets hit open areas: 875 rockets

• Number of rockets hit urban areas: 58 rockets (3.8%)

• "Iron Dome" interceptions: 421 rockets

• Failed launching attempts: 152 rockets

Israeli Casualties:

• Fatalities: 5

• Injuries: 240

• Suffering from PTSD : ?

Even the Disabled are Under Attack

Aleh Hanegen is the village caring for Israel’s disabled. They are under attack from HAMAS


• In the past 24 hours, a rocket landed in the Safari Center of Aleh Negev-Nahalat Eran and another rocket injured one of our workers in a direct hit to her car on her way to the night shift in the village.

• Residents have been sleeping in sheltered rooms in Aleh Negev and Aleh Moriah in Gedera, including highly-dependent residents requiring round-the-clock nursing care.

• Homeland Security and VIP officers visited the village to review safety measures in effect, while social workers provide ongoing support to staff.

• A Day Care center opened in Aleh Negev for children of workers. The children happily interacted with young residents from the hospital wing.

• Although school is officially closed; vocational programs and therapies are being held inside residences or sheltered rooms.

• Aleh Bnei Brak has taken in 2 disabled youngsters from the south of Israel; they are currently staying in the residence and attending the school on premises. The facility remains on high alert; all residents are moved quickly and efficiently into protected shelters when sirens sound.

• Evacuation procedures were practiced in Aleh Jerusalem after the code red alarm sounded on Friday night. A dedicated team of volunteers signed up to sleep in the residences every night.

• In addition to absorbing disabled people from the southern region who lack shelters in their own homes, Aleh Negev is currently caring for a Thai man who was injured in a previous rocket attack near the Kissufim Crossing. During every siren, staff provide him with lots of emotional and physical support.

The staff and volunteers at all of Aleh’s facilities have been exemplary in their dedication, performing their jobs under fire. They are on duty round the clock, putting their lives on hold to ensure the safety of residents and preserve an air of normalcy and calm

The Palestinian and the "Settler"

A story received from a Jewish citizen in Gush Etzion, a Jewish community in the West Bank near Jerusalem depicts the reality of life which is somehow very different t the "stories" reported in the media:


Location:- Friday night, Shabbat, the synagogue in an Eastern Gush Etzion settlement.


We hear an alarm on Friday night. We think and wonder, but do not do anything. Then a loud explosion is heard. Sirens of the security forces are sounded and messages broadcast on the need to find shelter.

Then there is another alarm, and this time everyone runs downstairs to the room underneath the synagogue to take cover. Children and grandchildren in our arms to get down as soon as possible.

The phone rings. The Emergency squad member holding the mobile phone which is on although it is Saturday and answers.

The voice is a voice he is used to hearing. The voice on the line speaks with an Arab accent: "Pinni, Shabbat Shalom," says Muhammad, with panic in his voice. "Pinni, an alarm has sounded and there are explosions, what are we supposed to do?"

Muhammad is a friend of Pinni, from a neighboring village, an Arab village. They have no shelter and are not aware of the rules behavior under missile attack.


Pinni explains to Muhammad that we are under missile attack from Gaza, and to go inside his house and to stay away from windows.

"Thanks Pinni," admitted Muhammad and apologized that he had called on Saturday.


This is reality, Arab "Palestinian" calls to a befriended "settler" to get instructions on how to defend himself against his brother Palestinian offensive missiles from Gaza.