The Ripples Caused By Bad Foreign Policy

Fox News posted an article today about recent rocket attacks on Israel.

The article reports:

The 70 indiscriminate Qassam and Grad missile attacks are already 11 more than were mounted in all of 2013, and have prompted dozens of counter-attacks by Israel Defense Forces. But officials believe Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and not Hamas, the terrorist group that governs the territory, is behind the attacks. Hamas’ popularity in the strip is in freefall, as the economy struggles and other groups such as Islamic Jihad vie for public support.

The article explains the sudden increase in the attacks:

The escalation in cross-border fire reflects a power struggle going on in Gaza between the governing Hamas terror organization and other groups, such as the PIJ and other miltias associated with Al Qaeda. Hamas is on the verge of bankruptcy, sources said. The finances of the terrorist state have been decimated since the change of power in Egypt last year that saw General Abdel Fatah el-Sisi take power from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi.

Because Mohammed Morsi was driven out of power in Egypt, the financing of terror in the Gaza strip has decreased. President Obama withdrew American military support of Egypt after the military took control of the country when Morsi attempted to turn Egypt into a Muslim state ruled by Sharia law. As usual, President Obama was on the wrong side of democracy and freedom. Because Morsi is out of power, terrorists have less money. Unfortunately, the Arabs in Gaza will use any excuse to attack Israel. Meanwhile, Secretary of State is looking for a two-state solution. How about we require the Palestinians to recognize Israel’s right to exist and to stop lobbing rockets at Israel before we even consider peace talks? Also, lets stop funding the Palestinian security forces whose only purpose is to attack Israel.

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Mistreating Our Friends (Again)

Haaretz.com posted a story today about America’s denial of Visas to Israeli defense and intelligence officers.

The article quotes a government defense official:

“During the past year, everything has changed: I’ve heard many stories of defense establishment people who weren’t able to renew their visas, and it didn’t make sense to me until I tried to renew my own – and failed,” the official said, adding he would have to cancel a forthcoming trip to the States because of the visa issue.

Evidently the defense and intelligence officers are not the only Israelis having trouble entering the United States.

The article reports:

Late last month, Israeli media reported that the number of Israelis being denied tourist visas to the U.S. has risen significantly in recent years.

According to i24news, which cited State Department data, 9.7 percent of Israelis (12,000 people) who applied for tourist visas in 2013 were denied, up from 5.4 percent of requests that were rejected in 2012 and 2.5 percent that were refused in 2007.

A senior Israeli official surmised that the increase stems from reluctance in the U.S. to allow Israel entry into the Visa Waiver Program. That policy allows travelers from 37 countries to enter the U.S. for business or leisure as visitors for up to 90 days without a visa.

Meanwhile, as I reported on February 11 of this year (rightwinggranny.com):

The Obama administration has issued new exemptions to a law that bars certain asylum-seekers and refugees who provided “limited material support” to terrorists who are believed to pose no threat from the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department published the new exemptions Wednesday in the Federal Register to narrow a ban in the Immigration and Nationality Act excluding refugees and asylum seekers who had provided limited material support, no matter how minor, to terrorists.

So let me get this straight, we have decided to let people with ties to terrorism in and keep Israeli defense and military officials out. Are we confused as to who our friends are?

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A Major Problem With The Road To Peace

Today The Times of Israel is reporting that the Iron Dome missile defense system stopped five rockets that were aimed at Ashkelon. Three other rockets landed in open areas outside the city.

The article reports:

“The IDF response was precise, swift and efficient in eliminating terror capabilities that only exist in order to terrorize, kill and maim Israelis,” read a statement by Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, who later linked to footage of Iron Dome intercepting the rockets:

Until the Arabs in the Gaza Strip stop sending rockets aimed at civilians in Israel, I don’t think peace is possible.

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An Update On A Very Old Story

One of the things we need to remember when viewing events in the Middle East is that regardless of what is going on with any nation’s military at any given time, there is always a propaganda war.

In 2000, the world was shown pictures of 12-year-old Muhammad al-Dura, who was supposedly killed by Israeli troops. Well, that’s not the end of the story–even for Muhammad al-Dura. Yesterday, Scott Johnson at Power Line posted a very interesting update. Muhammad al-Dura was not only not killed by Israeli forces–he was not killed!

The article at Power Line links to a story in the Times of Israel also posted on Sunday.

The article in the Times of Israel states:

Muhammad al-Dura, the Palestinian child who appeared to have been gruesomely killed at his father’s feet in Gaza on September 30, 2000 — as filmed in iconic footage that helped fuel the Second Intifada — was not harmed by Israeli forces and did not die in the exchange of fire, according to an Israeli government report released Sunday, three days before a French court rules on a related matter.

“Contrary to the report’s claim that the boy was killed, the committee’s review of the raw footage showed that in the final scenes, which were not broadcast by France 2, the boy is seen to be alive,” the Ministry of International Affairs and Strategy report stated regarding the television report.

The Israel Times further reports:

The 55 seconds of edited footage, filmed two days after Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, contributed to the October 2000 protest in which 13 Arab citizens of Israel were killed and quickly became the defining image of the second Palestinian intifada uprising and terror war against Israel.

…Sunday’s report embraces what is known as the maximalist approach, asserting that not only was al-Dura not killed by IDF bullets but that, at the end of the raw footage, he was categorically alive. “Contrary to (France 2 reporter Charles) Enderlin’s claim, the raw footage shows clearly that in the final scenes, the boy is not dead. In the final seconds of the footage, the boy raises his arm and turns his head in the direction of (cameraman Talal) Abu-Rahma in what are clearly intentional and controlled movements. This should have been readily-apparent to Enderlin. Yet rather than reconsidering the claim before producing the report, or providing viewers with the full picture so that they could fairly judge the credibility of his declaration that ‘Muhammad is dead’, Enderlin edited out these last scenes from the report, thereby creating the false impression that the footage substantiated his claims.”

Israel soldiers are traditionally very careful to avoid civilian casualties–they understand the bias in the worldwide media against Israel, and they choose not to provide any ammunition for that media. It has taken thirteen years for the truth to come out about the non-murder of this child, and it will be interesting to see any of the major media bothers to report it. Meanwhile enemies of Israel lob rockets at the civilian population daily, and the media somehow does not report that.

 

 

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Consequences Of The American Election?

When America has a weak President, the world is less safe. I am not questioning President Obama’s quest for peace–I am questioning his logic in trying to broker agreements that will bring peace. One of the places where American foreign policy really matters is the Middle East. America’s strong support of Israel often prevents those who wish to see Israel driven into the sea from acting on their wishes. Unfortunately, when America has a weak President, there is no one to prevent the enemies of Israel from acting.

Today’s Jerusalem Post is reporting that Israel fired a guided missile at the Syrian military after two separate incidents of Syrian shells exploding in the Golan Heights.

The article reports:

At the same time, Israel sent a warning message to the UN, saying that any further firing into Israel will result “in a real response,” sources added.

Israel limited its return fire, since its policy is to only fire intensively in response to coming under major Syrian fire. “We didn’t continue firing because this was one mortar we were responding to,” the source said.

“We will not accept any firing into our territory,” he added. “This was a signal to the Syrians, that we will not be so forgiving of everything that lands in a territory.” The source stressed that as of now, Israel and Syria were not a in a conflict situation.

The IDF is currently on standby for a security deterioration on both the northern front and the border with Gaza.

Unfortunately, the United Nations is not going to help Israel in this matter. If the rockets continue to rain on Israel and Israel eventually retaliates, the United Nations will paint Israel as the aggressor. America is not in a strong enough position to exert pressure on Syria to make sure no Syrian shells fall on Israel. The Obama Administration has pretty much sold out Israel, and there is nothing anywhere to cause me to suspect that they will be continuing to do so.

 

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Some Negative Consequences Of The Arab Spring

As much as many people would like to see democracy come to Egypt, it doesn’t seem as if the situation is headed in that direction. Aside from the political tension in Egypt between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, there is another aspect of the impact of the revolution in Egypt.

The BBC is reporting today that there has been a deadly attack in Israel on the border with Egypt that has killed on construction worker and injured another. The construction workers were building a fence along the Israeli Egyptian border.

The article reports:

Israeli officials said at least three gunmen had opened fire at the convoy of vehicles and also detonated an explosive device.

“A terrorist squad opened gunfire and possibly also fired an anti-tank rocket at an area where [Israel] is constructing the border fence,” Israeli military spokesman Yoav Mordechai told army radio.

“Soldiers arrived on the scene and killed one terrorist.”

They said that a second militant had been killed when the explosive device he was carrying detonated and the body of a third was found at the scene.

He said that those targeted were workers completing the border fence.

The workman who died was an Arab citizen of Israel, according to Reuters news agency.

The entire border area, including a major road near the coastal resort town of Eilat, was closed for a few hours after the attack and roadblocks were set up.

Military officials said they believed other militants involved in the attack had escaped back across the border into Egypt.

During Mubarak’s time, the border between Israel and Egypt was kept relatively secure. There were tunnels, but generally the border was not a staging area for terrorist activity in Israel. Since the fall of Mubarak, the border has been used for a number of terrorist attacks against Israel. The so-called Arab Spring will not bring either peace, democracy, or freedom to the Middle East.

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Last Night In Stoughton Massachusetts

Last night Ari Abramowitz, founder of www.LandofIsrael.org, spoke at the Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel, soldier and commander in the IDF reserves, are the founders of TheLandofIsrael.com and the creators and hosts of “Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem”.

Mr. Abramowitz has a number of videos up on YouTube. This is one video that has recently gone viral:

There were a number of things Mr. Abramowitz said last night that impressed me.  He reminded us that although the Holocaust is very important to Israel‘s history, it is not Israel’s justification for being in the land of Israel. He pointed out that although Yad Vashem (the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust) is the first place visiting dignitaries are taken in Israel, it should not be the center of Israel’s claim to the land. The deed to Israel was given to the Jews by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel is the only country in the world that can make that claim.

Mr. Abramowitz also reminded us of the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 2:3), “For the Torah shall go forth from Zion and the word of God from Jerusalem.” Mr. Abramowitz stated that Israel needed to repent and go back to its spiritual roots. Then the Israelis will again begin to see the miracles of God that have brought their country back to life and kept it safe. He pointed out that the battle against Israel is a spiritual one and that America needs to support Israel in order to get back to her spiritual roots. (America needs repentance too, but that’s another article!)

It was an amazing, thought-provoking evening.

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The Proper Use Of Technology

April 10, 2011 Pictured here is the Iron Dome ...

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday Arutz Sheva posted an article about the Iron Dome Israel has deployed to deal with the Kassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip aimed at southern Israel. So far, the Iron Dome has stopped 90 percent of the rockets from getting through. Unfortunately, each Iron Dome anti-missile missile costs Israel $50,000. The Kassam rockets only cost the terrorists a few hundred dollars.

The article further reports:

In addition to the defensive action of deploying the Iron Dome, the IDF also has taken the offensive against terrorists.

It targeted two members of the Popular Resistance Committee terror organization on Friday. The squad was responsible for planning a combined terror attack that was to take place via the Sinai Peninsula and the Israel-Egypt border.

In response to the ensuing rocket and missile bombardment from Gaza, the Israel Air Force targeted several weapons manufacturing facilitates and terrorist cells preparing to launch missiles.

Where is the outcry from the United Nations about the rocket barrages aimed at Israel?

Another interesting fact from the article:

Its (the Iron Dome) deployment this past weekend appears to have defeated Hamas, at least for the time being. The terrorist organization has been talking with the new regime in Egypt for another ceasefire after failing to inflict mass casualties or property damage on Israel.

This is ridiculous. Israel gave up ‘land for peace’ and kept the agreements made with the Palestinians. All Israel got in return was that Hamas had closer places to launch rockets. It’s time for the world to stand together and tell the Palestinians that they cannot have a state until they learn to behave like a civilized nation. Admittedly, a lot of the so-called civilized nations are not acting like civilized nations, but the constant terrorist and rocket attacks on Israel are not something that a supposedly civilized world should allow to continue.

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Sometimes You Must Fight Back

YNET News reported today that Israel fired rockets into the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Qassam rockets fired into Israel on Wednesday night.

The article reports:

Israeli aircraft bombed overnight Thursday an underground tunnel used by terrorists in north Gaza and a terror activity hub in the central part of the Hamas-ruled territory.

There was a second air strike by the Israeli Air Force targeting a Jihad terror cell preparing an attack on the Israel-Egypt border.

The article further reports:

IDF officials said Wednesday that while 2009’s Operation Cast Lead achieved the majority of its goals, the military will not hesitate to stage another Gaza campaign should the security situation in the sector deteriorate.

I wonder how patient America would be with a neighboring country that was consistently launching rockets into civilian areas of our country.

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One Weapon Against Terror Is Paying Attention

 The Israel National News reported today on an incident near Har Bracha in central Samaria. An IDF soldier stopped an 18-year old Arab man who was climbing in the hills approaching Har Bracha. The soldier noticed that the Arab was carrying an unusually large bag. When the soldier grabbed the Arab’s bag and examined the contents, he found two large pipe bombs, a molotov cocktail and ammunition. After a further search of the area, soldiers found a second bag with similar contents.

The article reminds us:

It should be noted that the spot where the Arab was arrested is mere meters away from the former location of the Hawara checkpoint, which was removed at the orders of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Arabs who attempted to smuggle weapons were routinely caught at this crossing, into and out of the Shechem area.

 Somehow, I think they need to put the checkpoint back up.

This is yet another reminder that the quest for peace in the Middle East is not simple. As long as young Arabs are taught that it is noble to kill Israelites, it is futile to even consider negotiations

 
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Do The Rules And Words Of The United Nations Mean Anything ?

United Nations exhibit by OWI at Rockefeller P...

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

This week Israeli IDF sergeant Gilad Shalit returned home to Israel five years after being taken hostage by Hamas. Sergeant Shalit was kidnapped inside Israel in a cross-border raid via underground tunnels near the border with Gaza.

In June 1983, the United Nations passed the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages. The Convention states:

CONSIDERING that the taking of hostages is an offence of grave concern to the international community and that, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, any person committing an act of hostage taking shall either be prosecuted or extradited,

My questions is simple–“Where was the outrage at the United Nations over the kidnapping of this soldier?” To win his freedom, Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, including about 400 with “blood on their hands.” That means they were directly linked to the deaths of Israeli Jews in terrorism attacks. If the United Nations were truly dedicated to peacekeeping, shouldn’t they logically be outraged that there are now at least 400 more terrorists loose in the world? At the present time the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), a 56-member group of Islamic nations, is one of the main power blocs in the United Nations. As long as that is the case, the United Nations will not deal with terrorism or brutal dictatorships–in fact, in some cases it will enable and encourage them. It is time the United States took leadership and started a group of peace-loving democracies as a counter-weight to the United Nations. Then, and only then, will there be a world-wide body of nations attempting to work toward peace.


 

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