Category: Israel

We Need Israel Palestine Peace Now!

It is a great disappointment to me that I must oppose the behavior of Israel.  Their treatment of Palestinians is appalling.  It is a fact that Hamas’ goal is the destruction of Israel.  Israel has the right to do everything in its power to destroy the Hamas organization.  That right does not include the extreme force used against Palestinian civilians.

 

Fareed Zakaria’s GPS had three smart guests to discuss the Israel Palestine issue on his February 15 program.  His guests were:

–Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalem Center’s Institute for Zionist History and Thought

-Yoram Peri is a former adviser to Yitzhak Rabin and is now a professor at Tel Aviv University and American University

-Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council

Each of these gentlemen clearly expressed his views and of course the two Israelis differed significantly from Mr. Barghouti.  The third party needed to bring this horror to an end is the United States.  There is no other that will step forward to help resolve the intransigence of the Israelis and Palestinians.

 

There is no point in reviewing the history of Israel and the territory it now occupies.  Israel exists and will continue to exist.  The question of its borders and the status of Palestinians both inside Israel and in the Palestinian territories needs to be resolved as quickly as possible.  The reason for this is the growing violence being displayed by everyone. 

 

George Mitchell is the American special envoy to the Middle East for the Obama administration.  Mr. Mitchell chaired the all-party peace negotiations, which led to the Belfast Peace Agreement in Nothern Ireland.  There could be no better person to help bring an end to the this conflict.

An Israeli Beauty – Thanks to Sports Illustrated

 

Americans, you keep asking why we should defend Israel.  Well the answer is obvious.  The newest cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2009 Edition is Bar Refaeli.  Pinups were the thing American soldiers loved during many wars and when there were no wars all young men liked to look at.  As a teenager I had my favorite beauties from Playboy magazine taped to the walls.  Boy, were my parents mad!!  What better reason to keep helping those healthy Israelis?SI Swimsuit Cover Model 2009

 

 

Gaza War is a Mistake

On September 20 of last year I suggested that Israel might go to war with Iran before January 20.  Apparently the Israelis opted for something closer to home.  I believe the motivation is politics.  Two of the leading candidates for prime minister are relatively dovish.  They are Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livini.  They obviously want to show a tough military face to the Israeli electorate.  There is little doubt that the cost of life to Israel’s forces will be small. It is astonishing to me that they would lead their country into war without an exit plan or even a plan on how to win.

 

There is sufficient evidence to support Israel’s contention that Hamas has been hiding their launching facilities inside civilian area.  While Israel has the right to protect its population the cost of civilian lives in Gaza has been too great.  Israel will have to agree to a cease fire without destroying the ability of Hamas to fire rockets at them.  Hamas will declare their survival a victory. The Palestinian people will be emboldened to fire even more rockets into Israel.

 

This is one more issue that will be high on President Barack Obama’s to do list.

The United Nations Continues to Fail

It was with heavy heart that I withdrew my support for the United Nations in 1975 after watching Arab nations induce that body to declare Zionism a form of racism.  United Nations successes have been few.  Its failures have been many.  No one can deny that talk and negotiation is better than war.  The UN has failed to live up to it aspiration of ending wars in this world.  It has never deterred nations from going to war.

 

The current invasion of  Gaza by Israeli forces is just one of the many examples of the UN failure.  The genocide in Darfur is an even more horrifying issue that the UN has failed to stop.  When there was a war between Bosnia and Croatia it was not the UN that brought the fighting to an end, it was the United States.  When Iraq invaded and totally occupied Kuwait it was the United States that led the forces to free that country while the UN quietly stood by.

 

Perhaps the new President Obama will be able to instill life into the moribund UN.  There is always hope that a new voice will bring sworn enemies together.  I will happily celebrate that moment.  There is little evidence that he can bring about that renewed United Nations life.

Imagine the United States Being Attacked – Not Israel

For the next few minutes imagine that you live in a city that is 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the border and your city is being shelled from that neighboring country.  It is just 12 miles from downtown San Diego, California to Tijuana, Mexico. Buffalo, New York is just across a river from Niagara Falls, Canada.  If either of those countries started shooting rockets into the United States, how long would it take for the U.S.A. to retaliate?

 

Israel has been the victim of continuing rocket attacks for many years.  There is a city of 120,000 people that is 10 miles from the Gaza strip.  That city and other towns near Gaza have been shelled with rockets almost daily.  That is the reason that the Israeli government has decided that it must respond.  I doubt that the United States or any other nation would have taken so long as Israel has in responding to those rockets.

 

Israel did occupy Gaza for 38 years.  That occupation ended in 2005.  Their withdrawal was done in the hope that peace would come to that area.  It has not.  Instead the Palestinians have continued their assault on Israel.  There does not appear to be a peace accord on the horizon.  It is likely that other nations will pressure Israel to stop their attack.  It is doubtful that the end of the Israeli attack will bring an end to the Palestinian rocket attacks.

 

There has been no solution to this situation since 1948 when Israel became a free nation.  As long as Israel’s neighboring nations and other Arab groups continue to wage war there will be no peace.

Will Israel go to War With Iran Before January 20?

A war between Israel and Iran is growing more likely every day. These two countries are doing too much saber rattling to ignore.  Perhaps that it is just saber rattling but looking beneath the words is the growing animosity.  Perhaps each wants a scapegoat to justify their leadership.

 

I wrote about the possibility of such a war on September 15.  Today I found this article in the Los Angeles Times print edition entitled Iran leader talks tough on Israel.  Subsequently the Times posted it on their web site.  The article starts with this paragraph,  “Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is Iran‘s top political and military figure, said his country’s hostility to Israel extended beyond the government to the Israeli people as well. In saying so, he was brushing aside recent overtures by top Iranian officials to the Israeli public.”  

 

When you read the last paragraph along with the first you have a disturbing picture that could easily incite Israelis who may view this statement along with Iran’s nuclear program to justify a first strike.  The last paragraph is as follow. “Khamenei said Iran has no problem with Judaism or other religions. “But we are on a collision course with the occupiers of Palestine and the occupiers are the Zionist regime,” he said. “This is the position of our regime, our revolution and our people.”

  

The new Israeli prime minister, Tzipi Livni, is the current foreign minister.  She is the perfect person for the job as prime minister when words rather than swords are needed.

What Has Israel Done That Is So Great?

For starters I must tell you that I am a Jew.  That is my religion.  However, I am not a Zionist.  I am an American and proud of it.  I have never been to Israel.  If I should go there it would be as a tourist.

 

My view is that the U.S. should help all nations regardless of their race, color, religion or origin.  Israel is a parliamentary democracy.  Parliamentary democracy originated in Great Britain.  Israel has been an ally of the U.S. since it came into being in 1948.  Israel has depended upon the U.S. to help defend its borders but no Americans have ever fought there.  Aid has always been in the form of money and military arms.


So what has the U.S. gained from this relationship?  This web site tells it better than I. http://www.ads4israel.com/ . 

 

 

The Bush Mideast Peace Conference At Annapolis

In 14 months President George W. Bush will leave office.  His accomplishments have been few.  There are only three significant things he has done as president.  First he lowered tax rates (this may have been a greater impact on the rich than the poor), second he created a prescription drug program for Medicare participants (some would say this was mainly a benefit to drug companies), and third he was instrumental in removing Saddam Hussein from power (and left this nation with a serious problem in Iraq).

Bush’s mistakes are to numerous to list here.  I want to focus on peace in the Middle East.  His objective is to obtain one really wonderful success that will enable him to be remembered in a positive light.  It’s called “his legacy”.

A reading of history tells us that the likelihood of success is very remote.  Bill Clinton, the master of communications, was unable to bring Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak to agree on a peace settlement.  George W. Bush is not known for is diplomatic talent.  This AP analysis dated November 25 is worthwhile http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071125/D8T4Q05O0.html.  How can he bring two groups that have been fighting for 60 years together in peace?

It is a nice gesture to bring all the Arab nations to this conference but the only two groups needed for peace are the Israelis and the Palestinians.  As long as Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists continue to attack Israel there will not be a sustainable peace.  The Palestinians do not have the will to stop the terrorists.

I expect that the Arab nations will demand land from Israel as a trade for peace.  Israel has already withdrawn from southern Lebanon, the Sinai Peninsula, and Gaza but those withdrawals have not brought any peace.  Will Israel’s withdrawal from the Golan Heights and all of the West bank territories bring peace?  Sorry to say but I do not believe the Arabs will be satisfied until there is no state of Israel.