www.aipac.org December 31, 2008
SPECIAL REPORT: HAMAS' ASSAULT ON ISRAELIsrael Responds to Seven Years of Life Under Fire
Hamas Rockets Kill Four, Strike Schools in Beersheba
With Iran's Help, Hamas Upgraded Its Military Might
American Leaders Support Israel's Defensive Actions
Israel Transfers Aid to Gazans Despite Rocket Attacks
AIPAC Urges Support for Israel's Right to Self-Defense
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Israel Responds to Seven Years of Life Under FireFor the past seven years, Hamas and other Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist groups have fired thousands of rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians. And for seven years, Israel demonstrated extreme restraint in the face of these attacks. Last summer, Israel agreed to an Egyptian-mediated tahdiyeh, or period of calm, which Hamas used to strengthen its rocket arsenal rather than prepare for peace with the Jewish state. When Hamas terminated the tahdiyeh earlier this month and then dramatically increased its attacks, Israel was forced to defend its citizens. "Life in the south under missile barrages had become unbearable," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said over the weekend. "In such a situation we had no alternative but to respond." The overwhelming majority of Palestinians who died from Israeli strikes were Hamas members, according to U.N. data.
Hamas Rockets Kill Four, Strike Schools in BeershebaFour Israelis were killed and dozens more wounded this week as Hamas relentlessly pounded southern Israel with rockets and mortars, The Jerusalem Post reported. For the first time, two rockets landed in the major southern city of Beersheba on Tuesday, striking a kindergarten. Another rocket slammed into an empty Beersheba school on Wednesday. The Iranian-backed terrorist group has fired more than 100 rockets at southern Israel this week, striking homes, farms and factories in the cities of Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod—home to Israel's largest port. Three rockets also hit the city of Yavneh, just 12 miles from Tel Aviv and the northernmost point a Hamas rocket has hit to date. About 500,000 Israelis are now within range of Hamas rockets.
With Iran's Help, Hamas Upgraded Its Military MightHamas has worked tirelessly, with Iranian assistance, to improve its ability to attack Israel, according to analysis in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. In recent years, dozens of Gazans have traveled to training camps run by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. As a result, Hamas has successfully transitioned from a terrorist group to a more organized paramilitary organization. Hamas' rockets have improved dramatically in range and lethality from the new materials smuggled through tunnels under Gaza's border with Egypt. Because Hamas began to bombard Israeli towns with rockets over the past two weeks, Israel decided that it could no longer tolerate the presence of a Hizballah-like paramilitary organization on its southern border and responded with force.
American Leaders Support Israel's Defensive ActionsAmerican leaders from the Bush administration, Congress, and President-elect Barack Obama's staff have voiced strong support for Israel's defensive actions in the Gaza Strip. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe called Hamas "nothing but thugs," while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added that the United States holds Hamas responsible for the renewal of violence in Gaza. David Axelrod, President-elect Obama's senior advisor, reiterated Obama's statement from his visit to Israel in July. While standing in Sderot, Obama said, "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing." [view video] Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said the United States "must continue to stand strongly with its friend and democratic ally." Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), the House Republican whip, called Israel's response "justifiable and understandable." Click here to read more quotes from American leaders.
Israel Transfers Aid to Gazans Despite Rocket AttacksAs Israel targets Hamas terrorists in Gaza, the Jewish state is making every possible effort to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the coastal strip [view video]. An Israeli Foreign Ministry delegation met on Sunday with representatives of international aid organizations in order to ensure the entry into Gaza of critical items such as food and medical supplies. "We will see to the needs of the population in Gaza and will do our utmost to prevent a humanitarian crisis that will impinge upon residents' lives," said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Since last June, Israel has facilitated the transfer of 17,000 truckloads of goods into Gaza, according to Israeli government statistics. Israel also continues to supply some 70 percent of Gaza's electricity.
AIPAC Urges Support for Israel's Right to Self-DefenseIn a press statement, AIPAC urged Congress and the Administration to stand firmly with Israel as it strives to defend itself against a renewed assault by Hamas terrorists. "We applaud the bipartisan coalition of American leaders who have stood up in support of Israel's right to defend its citizens, a clear sign of the strong ties between the United States and Israel," said AIPAC President David Victor, adding that "AIPAC is outraged that the U.N. Security Council failed to recognize Israel's right to self-defense in its statement on Sunday, a right enshrined in the U.N.'s founding charter. Moving forward, we urge the administration to stand with Israel at the United Nations as it acts to defend itself in the face of continued violence from Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. It is important that we never equate Israeli defensive measures with Hamas terrorism."
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
conference of presidents alert
Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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Wednesday,
December 31, 2008
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In-Depth Issues:
Israel Allows Humanitarian Aid into Gaza (AFP)
"A convoy of 109 trucks carrying international humanitarian aid was authorized to pass on Tuesday through the Kerem Shalom crossing," an Israeli military spokesman said.
On Monday, Israel allowed more than 80 trucks filled with aid to pass through the same crossing.
Israel will permit additional trucks with humanitarian aid into Gaza on Wednesday, despite the fact that at least 40 rockets were fired at Israel Wednesday morning. (Ha'aretz)
See also Israel: Abundance of Medical Supplies Sent to Gaza - Hanan Greenberg (Ynet News)
Col. Moshe Levi, head of the IDF District Coordination Office in Gaza, said Wednesday that since the start of the IDF operation, unprecedented amounts of medical equipment have been allowed into Gaza, including medicine and blood units.
In addition, ambulances sent from the West Bank and donated from other countries were allowed in.
Levi also accused Palestinian Health Ministry officials of preventing the injured from leaving Gaza to receive medical treatment in Israel.
"Gaza hospitals have not collapsed, and international organizations have not reported a collapse and even point out that the medical equipment sent there is improving the hospitals' efficient activity. Regarding food as well, we have not received official complaints; there are large amounts of food in the Gaza Strip and there is no crisis in this regard," Levi said.
Israeli defense sources said Gazan officials are trying to create a false picture of a humanitarian crisis.
Israeli Security Chief: Hamas Has Been Hit Like Never Before - Barak Ravid (Ha'aretz)
Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Chief Yuval Diskin told the Cabinet Wednesday that the current Israel Air Force offensive in Gaza has caused unprecedented damage to Hamas' infrastructure and personnel. Hamas "has been hit like it has never been hit before," he said.
Diskin said Hamas' ability to govern has been seriously damaged, and that senior Hamas officials are hiding out in Gaza's hospitals, where they have disguised themselves as doctors and nurses."
In addition, "many Hamas officials are hiding in mosques." Dozens of mosques have been turned into weapons warehouses and command centers, he added.
Diskin also said the weapons factories used by Hamas have been wiped out and dozens of tunnels used to smuggle arms have been destroyed.
He said Hamas is currently trying to repair the tunnels, in order to evacuate their leadership to Egypt.
A Fatah Friend Is Supporting the Israeli Air Force - Jeffrey Goldberg (Atlantic Monthly)
I've been talking to friends of mine, former PA intelligence officials (ejected from power by the Hamas coup), and they tell me that not only are they rooting for the Israelis to decimate Hamas, but that Fatah has actually been assisting the Israelis with targeting information.
One told me that one of his comrades was thrown off a high-rise building in Gaza City last year by Hamas. "Let the Israelis kill them," he said. "They've brought only trouble for my people."
See also Fatah Loyalists: Gaza Operation Is Allah's Revenge for Hamas Actions - Avi Issacharoff (Ha'aretz)
"Many people blame Hamas for the recent deterioration, but they are afraid to say anything," said A., a resident of Jabalya in Gaza.
"Most Palestinians will not say anything bad about Hamas. They are afraid for their lives....But in private conversations you hear the true criticism against them."
Israel Targets Terror Labs Funded by U.S. Islamic Group - Patrick Poole (Pajamas Media)
Israel Defense Forces aircraft bombed suspected Hamas terror laboratories located at the Hamas-run Islamic University of Gaza (IUG).
The IUG science and technology lab was financed and constructed with the assistance of the Dublin, Ohio-based Arab Student Aid International (ASAI).
The organization's primary benefactor is Prince Turki Ben Abdul Aziz, a former high-ranking Saudi government official and half-brother to King Abdullah.
The IUG has been used for weapons storage, launching rockets, and holding hostages.
See also Fatah: Abducted Israeli Soldier Was Held at Islamic University of Gaza - Ronny Shaked (Ynet News)
Iran Sets Up Court to Try Israelis Over Gaza (Reuters)
Iran has set up a court to try Israelis for the air attacks in Gaza and to try in absentia any people who Tehran says have committed crimes, Iranian judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said Tuesday.
Jamshidi called on all Palestinians who have been affected by the Israeli operation in Gaza to file complaints.
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* Palestinian Rockets Reach Deep into Israel
Palestinians in Gaza fired two rockets at the Israeli city of Beersheba, located 28 miles from Gaza, on Tuesday evening. The mayor of Beersheba told Israel television that one rocket hit an empty kindergarten. (AP)
See also Gaza Rocket Strikes School in Beersheba - Yanir Yagna
A Grad rocket fired by Palestinians in Gaza directly struck an empty school in Beersheba on Wednesday morning. After holding emergency consultations with the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command, authorities in Beersheba had decided on Wednesday there would be no school in the city. The army shut down schools on Wednesday in all towns within 30 km. of Gaza. More than 40 rockets struck Israel on Tuesday, striking Ashkelon, Ashdod, Sderot, Kiryat Malachi and Kiryat Gat. One rocket scored a direct hit on a kibbutz dining hall. (Ha'aretz)
See also Israelis Worry about Cover as Rockets Reach Deeper - Ari Rabinovitch
For many residents of southern Israel, the fighting in nearby Gaza is measured in the number of seconds they have to take cover when Hamas rockets rain down. In Ashdod, where a woman was killed by a rocket on Monday, about 40 seconds elapse between the "Code Red" warning and the blast of impact. The city is 22 miles north of Gaza and had been untouched by Hamas rocket fire. The rockets have killed four Israelis since the fighting began Saturday. In Ashkelon, 12 miles from Gaza, the "Code Red" warning gives people about 30 seconds to find shelter. But the impact is perhaps most felt in small Israeli border communities where residents can see Gaza from their backyards. There, they have only a 10-second warning of incoming rockets. (Reuters)
* U.S.: Gaza Cease-Fire Can't Be One-Sided - Matthew Lee
Secretary of State Rice on Tuesday kept up steady U.S. calls for a "durable and sustainable," but not necessarily immediate, cease-fire in Gaza and rocket attacks by Palestinian militants based there. In phone calls with Israeli and Arab leaders, Rice pressed for a durable solution to the fighting that is not used by Hamas to launch more attacks into Israel. State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said, "It can't be a cease-fire in which one side uses it to launch periodic attacks." Meanwhile, the State Department announced a new contribution of $85 million to UN relief efforts to assist Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. (AP)
See also Behind Closed Doors, U.S. Seeks Israel Exit Strategy - Paul Richter
While publicly declaring strong support for Israel, the Bush administration is increasingly nervous about the campaign in the Gaza Strip and is urging its ally to settle on a timetable and exit strategy, say foreign diplomats and Middle East experts close to the discussions. U.S. officials are concerned that the campaign could drag on without destroying Hamas, and might even bolster support for the militant group - just as the 2006 Israeli campaign in Lebanon strengthened Hizbullah. (Los Angeles Times)
See also Bush Calls Arab Leaders Over Gaza - Tabassum Zakaria
U.S. President George Bush on Tuesday called Palestinian and Egyptian leaders about the crisis in Hamas-ruled Gaza and emphasized the need for a lasting cease-fire, the White House said. Bush spoke with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and also called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to thank him for "the positive role" that Egypt is playing, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. (Reuters)
* Egypt: Gaza Border to Stay Shut Until Abbas Back in Power
President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday ruled out reopening Egypt's border with Gaza. "We in Egypt are not going to contribute to perpetuating the rift (between Abbas and Hamas) by opening the Rafah crossing in the absence of the Palestinian Authority and EU observers in violation of the 2005 deal," Mubarak said in a televised speech. He added: "We say to our Palestinian brothers: restore your unity. We warned you several times that any refusal to renew the truce would push Israel to attack Gaza." (AFP)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
* Olmert: Gaza Offensive to Go On Until Israel's Aims Are Achieved - Amos Harel and Barak Ravid
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday, "The Gaza offensive has begun and will not end...until our goals our reached, we are continuing according to the plan." The government said Tuesday it was prepared to work with France and other governments on increasing aid flows into Gaza. "We want to see convoy after convoy of humanitarian support and we are willing to work closely with all relevant international parties to facilitate that goal," the prime minister's spokesman, Mark Regev, said. "At the same time, it is important to keep up the pressure on Hamas, not give them a respite, time to regroup and reorganize," Regev added. (Ha'aretz)
See also Israel Rejects French Proposal for 48-Hour Gaza Truce - Barak Ravid, Amos Harel, and Avi Issacharoff
Israel on Wednesday rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour cease-fire in Gaza. "That proposal contained no guarantees of any kind that Hamas will stop the rockets and smuggling," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. "There's no such thing as a 'humanitarian cease-fire'," an aide to Prime Minister Olmert said Tuesday. "Gaza is not undergoing a humanitarian crisis. We're constantly supplying it with food and medications, and there's no need for a humanitarian cease-fire."
Israel's terms for a permanent cease-fire include a complete cessation of all rocket and mortar fire from Gaza by all Palestinian organizations; a ban on armed men approaching the border fence with Israel; complete Israeli control over the Gaza border crossings; Egyptian efforts to stop the weapons smuggling into Gaza from the Sinai Peninsula; and a supervisory mechanism to ensure that Hamas is meeting its commitments. (Ha'aretz)
* Ashdod Still Recovering from Shock of Palestinian Rocket Attack - Shelly Paz
Irit Sheetrit, 39, a mother of four from Ashdod who was killed in a Palestinian rocket attack, was buried on Tuesday. "The Jewish people have been hunted forever only because they are Jews, and this is the reason for Irit's death. She is a victim for the sake of the Israeli people, a victim of hatred," said the rabbi who eulogized her. Sheetrit's eldest daughter is a soldier, and the youngest is in fifth grade. Ashdod is Israel's fifth-largest city and is home to 250,000 people. (Jerusalem Post)
See also Despite Rocket Strikes, Israelis Vow to Soldier On - Isabel Kershner (New York Times)
* Rocket-Spotting in Sderot - Abe Selig and Diana Gershman
On the top of a hill near Sderot, curious residents looked down across the plain and into Gaza, less than a kilometer away. Black smoke could be seen rising over Beit Hanoun and Jabalya as Israel air force planes and helicopters launched assaults on rocket cells operating below. Suddenly, white trails of smoke could be seen shooting out from inside Beit Hanoun, following freshly fired rockets. "They're firing on Ashkelon!" someone yelled. Then another trail, towards the south. "That one's heading for Netivot!" another voice called out. And then another trail, this time more difficult to make out. "Run! It's heading over here!" another voice cried, and sure enough, the "Color Red" warning began to sound as the small crowd that had gathered, with no shelter in sight, lay on the ground and prayed for the best. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
* Defeating Hamas for America's Sake - Benny Avni
By routing Hamas in Gaza, Israel can improve its security - and perhaps enhance prospects for eventual peace in the region. But the defeat of a U.S.-certified terrorist group will also be a boon to America's strategic interests. Washington can do itself much good by helping Israel achieve victory, by providing the diplomatic space for Jerusalem to get the job done. Should Israel fall short again, Iran - which also backs Hamas - will carve yet another notch in its gun. Furthermore, Hamas must be defanged before any political progress can be achieved. (New York Post)
* Hizbullah Will Defend Iran - Not Palestinians - David Schenker
Despite Hizbullah's strong rhetorical response, it has still not fired a single rocket into Israel in defense of the Palestinians. Hizbullah's primarily Shiite constituents in southern Lebanon are war weary and have not completely recuperated from the last war. Moreover, Hizbullah and its political allies appear to be well positioned for the spring 2009 Lebanese parliamentary elections, and another war would risk undermining the organization at the polls. The writer is director of the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
* Israel, Hamas, and False Moral Equivalence - Alan M. Dershowitz
The firing of rockets at civilians from densely populated civilian areas is the newest tactic in the war between terrorists who love death and democracies that love life. The terrorists have learned how to exploit the morality of democracies against those who do not want to kill civilians, even enemy civilians. The attacks on Israeli citizens have little to do with what Israel does or does not do. They have everything to do with an ideology that despises - and openly seeks to destroy - the Jewish state. (Christian Science Monitor)
* When a Regime Uses Its Citizens as Tools of War - Fania Oz-Salzberger
Imagine your next-door neighbor - with whom you have had a long and bloody feud - pulling out a gun and shooting into your windows from his own living room, which is densely packed with women and children. In fact, he's holding his daughter on his lap as he claims he will not stop till your family is dead. Police are unavailable. What should you do? Finally, as one shot hits your child's bedroom, you decide that enough is enough. You attempt a surgical strike: aim at the shooter's head, try to spare the innocents. This is what Israel is doing. The writer is Professor of Modern Israel Studies at Monash University in Australia and a senior lecturer in law and history at Haifa University. (The Age-Australia)
See also What Would You Do? - Amy Weiss
What would you do if a stalker had been threatening you and your family, you had a restraining order, and in the middle of the night you heard a rustling outside the window. When you confront the person who has invaded your home, do you only hit him a couple of times because you aren't exactly sure if he was going to just scare you or maim you and your family while they were sleeping? You wouldn't stand in the hall and say, "Excuse me, could you please leave immediately before I get really mad?" Rabbi Amy Weiss is the executive director of The Initiative for Jewish Women in Houston. (Houston Chronicle)
* One Effective Way to Stop the Rockets - Moshe Arens
The only effective alternative is for the Israel Defense Forces to take control of the rocket launching sites in the Gaza Strip. In World War II, the Allies understood that the only way to put a stop to the shelling of London by German V2 rockets was for Allied armies to reach the launching sites in Western Europe. Nobody has yet found a way of defeating an enemy without invading their territory. That is how wars have always been won, and if we are going to defeat Hamas and stop the rockets from raining on Israeli civilians, that is what we will have to do. The writer served as Israel's Minister of Defense three times. (Ha'aretz)
See also Air Power Alone Won't Force the Hamas Response that Israel Wants - Jeffrey White
Hamas will attempt to sustain rocket attacks for as long as possible to demonstrate its potency and to create pressure within Israel to end its operation. Hamas will also likely attempt to carry out suicide attacks within Israel and against the border crossing points. Israel does not want to return to the cease-fire conditions, which left much of the political and security initiative with Hamas and allowed it to expand its military capabilities.
Israel's use of air power limits Hamas' ability to respond, but also limits the scope of damage Israel can inflict. It is questionable whether air power alone will force Hamas to respond the way Israel wants, since it could attempt to ride out the attacks until diplomatic pressure forces Israel to end IDF operations. The writer is a defense fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (Jerusalem Post)
* Fight Fire with a Cease-Fire - David Grossman
After the heavy blow that Israel has dealt to the Gaza Strip, we would do best to halt, turn to the leaders of Hamas and tell them: Until last Saturday, we restrained ourselves in responding to the thousands of Kassam rockets fired at us. Now you know how severe the retaliation can be. So as not to add to the death and destruction that has already taken place, we intend, unilaterally and absolutely, to hold our fire for the next 48 hours. (New York Times)
See also Cease Terror, Not Cease-Fire - Editorial
It is way too premature for Jerusalem to be entertaining thoughts of a cease-fire. It is Hamas that needs an exit strategy to extricate it from a devastating situation of its own making. Let us keep our eyes on the prize. The government has rightly declared the imperative to change the security environment in the south and stop Hamas from attacking our population. No country - not Britain, France, Russia, Turkey or the U.S. - would tolerate missile attacks on its homeland. Neither can Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Observations:
Time Once More to Blame the Jews - Wesley Pruden (Washington Times)
* The Israelis finally get enough of the constant rain of rockets on their border towns and villages, fired by Hamas thugs recognized by nearly everybody as international jackals, and strike back to stop it. Guess who the villains are.
* Those thugs have become expert at retail death, killing one or two Jews one day, occasionally three or four on another. Death-by-rocket in Ashkelon and other cities in southern Israel is bad, but, like other urban inconveniences, not something to "overreact" to.
* Because the Hamas terrorists have perfected provocation as an art of war, the blame is attached to Israel by those always eager to "blame it on the Jews," and by a media unable to make distinctions and eager to draw moral equivalence between provocateur and the provoked.
* Much of the world long ago decided that it would no longer be moved by the suffering of the Israelis, nor impressed by their patience in the face of extreme provocation. The Israelis are friends of the Great Satan, after all, and so deserve whatever retail death their enemies can deal. We must give the provocateur a pass.
* The tragedy is that none of this is necessary. The Palestinians could have a two-state solution if they would only take it. But they are determined to win a one-state solution bought at the price of a second Holocaust. This is the reality that Israel's critics in the West willfully refuse to acknowledge. The Jews can expect to be made the villains of the piece - again.
The writer is editor emeritus of the Washing
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
View this page at www.dailyalert.org
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DAILY ALERT
Wednesday,
December 31, 2008
Daily Alert Needs Your Support
In-Depth Issues:
Israel Allows Humanitarian Aid into Gaza (AFP)
"A convoy of 109 trucks carrying international humanitarian aid was authorized to pass on Tuesday through the Kerem Shalom crossing," an Israeli military spokesman said.
On Monday, Israel allowed more than 80 trucks filled with aid to pass through the same crossing.
Israel will permit additional trucks with humanitarian aid into Gaza on Wednesday, despite the fact that at least 40 rockets were fired at Israel Wednesday morning. (Ha'aretz)
See also Israel: Abundance of Medical Supplies Sent to Gaza - Hanan Greenberg (Ynet News)
Col. Moshe Levi, head of the IDF District Coordination Office in Gaza, said Wednesday that since the start of the IDF operation, unprecedented amounts of medical equipment have been allowed into Gaza, including medicine and blood units.
In addition, ambulances sent from the West Bank and donated from other countries were allowed in.
Levi also accused Palestinian Health Ministry officials of preventing the injured from leaving Gaza to receive medical treatment in Israel.
"Gaza hospitals have not collapsed, and international organizations have not reported a collapse and even point out that the medical equipment sent there is improving the hospitals' efficient activity. Regarding food as well, we have not received official complaints; there are large amounts of food in the Gaza Strip and there is no crisis in this regard," Levi said.
Israeli defense sources said Gazan officials are trying to create a false picture of a humanitarian crisis.
Israeli Security Chief: Hamas Has Been Hit Like Never Before - Barak Ravid (Ha'aretz)
Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Chief Yuval Diskin told the Cabinet Wednesday that the current Israel Air Force offensive in Gaza has caused unprecedented damage to Hamas' infrastructure and personnel. Hamas "has been hit like it has never been hit before," he said.
Diskin said Hamas' ability to govern has been seriously damaged, and that senior Hamas officials are hiding out in Gaza's hospitals, where they have disguised themselves as doctors and nurses."
In addition, "many Hamas officials are hiding in mosques." Dozens of mosques have been turned into weapons warehouses and command centers, he added.
Diskin also said the weapons factories used by Hamas have been wiped out and dozens of tunnels used to smuggle arms have been destroyed.
He said Hamas is currently trying to repair the tunnels, in order to evacuate their leadership to Egypt.
A Fatah Friend Is Supporting the Israeli Air Force - Jeffrey Goldberg (Atlantic Monthly)
I've been talking to friends of mine, former PA intelligence officials (ejected from power by the Hamas coup), and they tell me that not only are they rooting for the Israelis to decimate Hamas, but that Fatah has actually been assisting the Israelis with targeting information.
One told me that one of his comrades was thrown off a high-rise building in Gaza City last year by Hamas. "Let the Israelis kill them," he said. "They've brought only trouble for my people."
See also Fatah Loyalists: Gaza Operation Is Allah's Revenge for Hamas Actions - Avi Issacharoff (Ha'aretz)
"Many people blame Hamas for the recent deterioration, but they are afraid to say anything," said A., a resident of Jabalya in Gaza.
"Most Palestinians will not say anything bad about Hamas. They are afraid for their lives....But in private conversations you hear the true criticism against them."
Israel Targets Terror Labs Funded by U.S. Islamic Group - Patrick Poole (Pajamas Media)
Israel Defense Forces aircraft bombed suspected Hamas terror laboratories located at the Hamas-run Islamic University of Gaza (IUG).
The IUG science and technology lab was financed and constructed with the assistance of the Dublin, Ohio-based Arab Student Aid International (ASAI).
The organization's primary benefactor is Prince Turki Ben Abdul Aziz, a former high-ranking Saudi government official and half-brother to King Abdullah.
The IUG has been used for weapons storage, launching rockets, and holding hostages.
See also Fatah: Abducted Israeli Soldier Was Held at Islamic University of Gaza - Ronny Shaked (Ynet News)
Iran Sets Up Court to Try Israelis Over Gaza (Reuters)
Iran has set up a court to try Israelis for the air attacks in Gaza and to try in absentia any people who Tehran says have committed crimes, Iranian judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said Tuesday.
Jamshidi called on all Palestinians who have been affected by the Israeli operation in Gaza to file complaints.
Search
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Media Contacts
Back Issues
Fair Use News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
* Palestinian Rockets Reach Deep into Israel
Palestinians in Gaza fired two rockets at the Israeli city of Beersheba, located 28 miles from Gaza, on Tuesday evening. The mayor of Beersheba told Israel television that one rocket hit an empty kindergarten. (AP)
See also Gaza Rocket Strikes School in Beersheba - Yanir Yagna
A Grad rocket fired by Palestinians in Gaza directly struck an empty school in Beersheba on Wednesday morning. After holding emergency consultations with the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command, authorities in Beersheba had decided on Wednesday there would be no school in the city. The army shut down schools on Wednesday in all towns within 30 km. of Gaza. More than 40 rockets struck Israel on Tuesday, striking Ashkelon, Ashdod, Sderot, Kiryat Malachi and Kiryat Gat. One rocket scored a direct hit on a kibbutz dining hall. (Ha'aretz)
See also Israelis Worry about Cover as Rockets Reach Deeper - Ari Rabinovitch
For many residents of southern Israel, the fighting in nearby Gaza is measured in the number of seconds they have to take cover when Hamas rockets rain down. In Ashdod, where a woman was killed by a rocket on Monday, about 40 seconds elapse between the "Code Red" warning and the blast of impact. The city is 22 miles north of Gaza and had been untouched by Hamas rocket fire. The rockets have killed four Israelis since the fighting began Saturday. In Ashkelon, 12 miles from Gaza, the "Code Red" warning gives people about 30 seconds to find shelter. But the impact is perhaps most felt in small Israeli border communities where residents can see Gaza from their backyards. There, they have only a 10-second warning of incoming rockets. (Reuters)
* U.S.: Gaza Cease-Fire Can't Be One-Sided - Matthew Lee
Secretary of State Rice on Tuesday kept up steady U.S. calls for a "durable and sustainable," but not necessarily immediate, cease-fire in Gaza and rocket attacks by Palestinian militants based there. In phone calls with Israeli and Arab leaders, Rice pressed for a durable solution to the fighting that is not used by Hamas to launch more attacks into Israel. State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said, "It can't be a cease-fire in which one side uses it to launch periodic attacks." Meanwhile, the State Department announced a new contribution of $85 million to UN relief efforts to assist Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. (AP)
See also Behind Closed Doors, U.S. Seeks Israel Exit Strategy - Paul Richter
While publicly declaring strong support for Israel, the Bush administration is increasingly nervous about the campaign in the Gaza Strip and is urging its ally to settle on a timetable and exit strategy, say foreign diplomats and Middle East experts close to the discussions. U.S. officials are concerned that the campaign could drag on without destroying Hamas, and might even bolster support for the militant group - just as the 2006 Israeli campaign in Lebanon strengthened Hizbullah. (Los Angeles Times)
See also Bush Calls Arab Leaders Over Gaza - Tabassum Zakaria
U.S. President George Bush on Tuesday called Palestinian and Egyptian leaders about the crisis in Hamas-ruled Gaza and emphasized the need for a lasting cease-fire, the White House said. Bush spoke with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and also called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to thank him for "the positive role" that Egypt is playing, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. (Reuters)
* Egypt: Gaza Border to Stay Shut Until Abbas Back in Power
President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday ruled out reopening Egypt's border with Gaza. "We in Egypt are not going to contribute to perpetuating the rift (between Abbas and Hamas) by opening the Rafah crossing in the absence of the Palestinian Authority and EU observers in violation of the 2005 deal," Mubarak said in a televised speech. He added: "We say to our Palestinian brothers: restore your unity. We warned you several times that any refusal to renew the truce would push Israel to attack Gaza." (AFP)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
* Olmert: Gaza Offensive to Go On Until Israel's Aims Are Achieved - Amos Harel and Barak Ravid
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday, "The Gaza offensive has begun and will not end...until our goals our reached, we are continuing according to the plan." The government said Tuesday it was prepared to work with France and other governments on increasing aid flows into Gaza. "We want to see convoy after convoy of humanitarian support and we are willing to work closely with all relevant international parties to facilitate that goal," the prime minister's spokesman, Mark Regev, said. "At the same time, it is important to keep up the pressure on Hamas, not give them a respite, time to regroup and reorganize," Regev added. (Ha'aretz)
See also Israel Rejects French Proposal for 48-Hour Gaza Truce - Barak Ravid, Amos Harel, and Avi Issacharoff
Israel on Wednesday rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour cease-fire in Gaza. "That proposal contained no guarantees of any kind that Hamas will stop the rockets and smuggling," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. "There's no such thing as a 'humanitarian cease-fire'," an aide to Prime Minister Olmert said Tuesday. "Gaza is not undergoing a humanitarian crisis. We're constantly supplying it with food and medications, and there's no need for a humanitarian cease-fire."
Israel's terms for a permanent cease-fire include a complete cessation of all rocket and mortar fire from Gaza by all Palestinian organizations; a ban on armed men approaching the border fence with Israel; complete Israeli control over the Gaza border crossings; Egyptian efforts to stop the weapons smuggling into Gaza from the Sinai Peninsula; and a supervisory mechanism to ensure that Hamas is meeting its commitments. (Ha'aretz)
* Ashdod Still Recovering from Shock of Palestinian Rocket Attack - Shelly Paz
Irit Sheetrit, 39, a mother of four from Ashdod who was killed in a Palestinian rocket attack, was buried on Tuesday. "The Jewish people have been hunted forever only because they are Jews, and this is the reason for Irit's death. She is a victim for the sake of the Israeli people, a victim of hatred," said the rabbi who eulogized her. Sheetrit's eldest daughter is a soldier, and the youngest is in fifth grade. Ashdod is Israel's fifth-largest city and is home to 250,000 people. (Jerusalem Post)
See also Despite Rocket Strikes, Israelis Vow to Soldier On - Isabel Kershner (New York Times)
* Rocket-Spotting in Sderot - Abe Selig and Diana Gershman
On the top of a hill near Sderot, curious residents looked down across the plain and into Gaza, less than a kilometer away. Black smoke could be seen rising over Beit Hanoun and Jabalya as Israel air force planes and helicopters launched assaults on rocket cells operating below. Suddenly, white trails of smoke could be seen shooting out from inside Beit Hanoun, following freshly fired rockets. "They're firing on Ashkelon!" someone yelled. Then another trail, towards the south. "That one's heading for Netivot!" another voice called out. And then another trail, this time more difficult to make out. "Run! It's heading over here!" another voice cried, and sure enough, the "Color Red" warning began to sound as the small crowd that had gathered, with no shelter in sight, lay on the ground and prayed for the best. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
* Defeating Hamas for America's Sake - Benny Avni
By routing Hamas in Gaza, Israel can improve its security - and perhaps enhance prospects for eventual peace in the region. But the defeat of a U.S.-certified terrorist group will also be a boon to America's strategic interests. Washington can do itself much good by helping Israel achieve victory, by providing the diplomatic space for Jerusalem to get the job done. Should Israel fall short again, Iran - which also backs Hamas - will carve yet another notch in its gun. Furthermore, Hamas must be defanged before any political progress can be achieved. (New York Post)
* Hizbullah Will Defend Iran - Not Palestinians - David Schenker
Despite Hizbullah's strong rhetorical response, it has still not fired a single rocket into Israel in defense of the Palestinians. Hizbullah's primarily Shiite constituents in southern Lebanon are war weary and have not completely recuperated from the last war. Moreover, Hizbullah and its political allies appear to be well positioned for the spring 2009 Lebanese parliamentary elections, and another war would risk undermining the organization at the polls. The writer is director of the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
* Israel, Hamas, and False Moral Equivalence - Alan M. Dershowitz
The firing of rockets at civilians from densely populated civilian areas is the newest tactic in the war between terrorists who love death and democracies that love life. The terrorists have learned how to exploit the morality of democracies against those who do not want to kill civilians, even enemy civilians. The attacks on Israeli citizens have little to do with what Israel does or does not do. They have everything to do with an ideology that despises - and openly seeks to destroy - the Jewish state. (Christian Science Monitor)
* When a Regime Uses Its Citizens as Tools of War - Fania Oz-Salzberger
Imagine your next-door neighbor - with whom you have had a long and bloody feud - pulling out a gun and shooting into your windows from his own living room, which is densely packed with women and children. In fact, he's holding his daughter on his lap as he claims he will not stop till your family is dead. Police are unavailable. What should you do? Finally, as one shot hits your child's bedroom, you decide that enough is enough. You attempt a surgical strike: aim at the shooter's head, try to spare the innocents. This is what Israel is doing. The writer is Professor of Modern Israel Studies at Monash University in Australia and a senior lecturer in law and history at Haifa University. (The Age-Australia)
See also What Would You Do? - Amy Weiss
What would you do if a stalker had been threatening you and your family, you had a restraining order, and in the middle of the night you heard a rustling outside the window. When you confront the person who has invaded your home, do you only hit him a couple of times because you aren't exactly sure if he was going to just scare you or maim you and your family while they were sleeping? You wouldn't stand in the hall and say, "Excuse me, could you please leave immediately before I get really mad?" Rabbi Amy Weiss is the executive director of The Initiative for Jewish Women in Houston. (Houston Chronicle)
* One Effective Way to Stop the Rockets - Moshe Arens
The only effective alternative is for the Israel Defense Forces to take control of the rocket launching sites in the Gaza Strip. In World War II, the Allies understood that the only way to put a stop to the shelling of London by German V2 rockets was for Allied armies to reach the launching sites in Western Europe. Nobody has yet found a way of defeating an enemy without invading their territory. That is how wars have always been won, and if we are going to defeat Hamas and stop the rockets from raining on Israeli civilians, that is what we will have to do. The writer served as Israel's Minister of Defense three times. (Ha'aretz)
See also Air Power Alone Won't Force the Hamas Response that Israel Wants - Jeffrey White
Hamas will attempt to sustain rocket attacks for as long as possible to demonstrate its potency and to create pressure within Israel to end its operation. Hamas will also likely attempt to carry out suicide attacks within Israel and against the border crossing points. Israel does not want to return to the cease-fire conditions, which left much of the political and security initiative with Hamas and allowed it to expand its military capabilities.
Israel's use of air power limits Hamas' ability to respond, but also limits the scope of damage Israel can inflict. It is questionable whether air power alone will force Hamas to respond the way Israel wants, since it could attempt to ride out the attacks until diplomatic pressure forces Israel to end IDF operations. The writer is a defense fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (Jerusalem Post)
* Fight Fire with a Cease-Fire - David Grossman
After the heavy blow that Israel has dealt to the Gaza Strip, we would do best to halt, turn to the leaders of Hamas and tell them: Until last Saturday, we restrained ourselves in responding to the thousands of Kassam rockets fired at us. Now you know how severe the retaliation can be. So as not to add to the death and destruction that has already taken place, we intend, unilaterally and absolutely, to hold our fire for the next 48 hours. (New York Times)
See also Cease Terror, Not Cease-Fire - Editorial
It is way too premature for Jerusalem to be entertaining thoughts of a cease-fire. It is Hamas that needs an exit strategy to extricate it from a devastating situation of its own making. Let us keep our eyes on the prize. The government has rightly declared the imperative to change the security environment in the south and stop Hamas from attacking our population. No country - not Britain, France, Russia, Turkey or the U.S. - would tolerate missile attacks on its homeland. Neither can Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Observations:
Time Once More to Blame the Jews - Wesley Pruden (Washington Times)
* The Israelis finally get enough of the constant rain of rockets on their border towns and villages, fired by Hamas thugs recognized by nearly everybody as international jackals, and strike back to stop it. Guess who the villains are.
* Those thugs have become expert at retail death, killing one or two Jews one day, occasionally three or four on another. Death-by-rocket in Ashkelon and other cities in southern Israel is bad, but, like other urban inconveniences, not something to "overreact" to.
* Because the Hamas terrorists have perfected provocation as an art of war, the blame is attached to Israel by those always eager to "blame it on the Jews," and by a media unable to make distinctions and eager to draw moral equivalence between provocateur and the provoked.
* Much of the world long ago decided that it would no longer be moved by the suffering of the Israelis, nor impressed by their patience in the face of extreme provocation. The Israelis are friends of the Great Satan, after all, and so deserve whatever retail death their enemies can deal. We must give the provocateur a pass.
* The tragedy is that none of this is necessary. The Palestinians could have a two-state solution if they would only take it. But they are determined to win a one-state solution bought at the price of a second Holocaust. This is the reality that Israel's critics in the West willfully refuse to acknowledge. The Jews can expect to be made the villains of the piece - again.
The writer is editor emeritus of the Washing
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Best new year resolution-come to synagogue
New York Times explains why going to synagogue should be your main new resolution 2009
By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: December 29, 2008
If I'm serious about keeping my New Year's resolutions in 2009, should I add another one? Should the to-do list include, "Start going to church"?
Does religion increase self-control? Join the discussion.
This is an awkward question for a heathen to contemplate, but I felt obliged to raise it with Michael McCullough after reading his report in the upcoming issue of the Psychological Bulletin. He and a fellow psychologist at the University of Miami, Brian Willoughby, have reviewed eight decades of research and concluded that religious belief and piety promote self-control.
This sounded to me uncomfortably similar to the conclusion of the nuns who taught me in grade school, but Dr. McCullough has no evangelical motives. He confesses to not being much of a devotee himself. "When it comes to religion," he said, "professionally, I'm a fan, but personally, I don't get down on the field much."
His professional interest arose from a desire to understand why religion evolved and why it seems to help so many people. Researchers around the world have repeatedly found that devoutly religious people tend to do better in school, live longer, have more satisfying marriages and be generally happier.
These results have been ascribed to the rules imposed on believers and to the social support they receive from fellow worshipers, but these external factors didn't account for all the benefits. In the new paper, the Miami psychologists surveyed the literature to test the proposition that religion gives people internal strength.
"We simply asked if there was good evidence that people who are more religious have more self-control," Dr. McCullough. "For a long time it wasn't cool for social scientists to study religion, but some researchers were quietly chugging along for decades. When you add it all up, it turns out there are remarkably consistent findings that religiosity correlates with higher self-control."
As early as the 1920s, researchers found that students who spent more time in Sunday school did better at laboratory tests measuring their self-discipline. Subsequent studies showed that religiously devout children were rated relatively low in impulsiveness by both parents and teachers, and that religiosity repeatedly correlated with higher self-control among adults. Devout people were found to be more likely than others to wear seat belts, go to the dentist and take vitamins.
But which came first, the religious devotion or the self-control? It takes self-discipline to sit through Sunday school or services at a temple or mosque, so people who start out with low self-control are presumably less likely to keep attending. But even after taking that self-selection bias into account, Dr. McCullough said there is still reason to believe that religion has a strong influence.
"Brain-scan studies have shown that when people pray or meditate, there's a lot of activity in two parts of brain that are important for self-regulation and control of attention and emotion," he said. "The rituals that religions have been encouraging for thousands of years seem to be a kind of anaerobic workout for self-control."
In a study published by the University of Maryland in 2003, students who were subliminally exposed to religious words (like God, prayer or bible) were slower to recognize words associated with temptations (like drugs or premarital sex). Conversely, when they were primed with the temptation words, they were quicker to recognize the religious words.
"It looks as if people come to associate religion with tamping down these temptations," Dr. McCullough said. "When temptations cross their minds in daily life, they quickly use religion to dispel them from their minds."
In one personality study, strongly religious people were compared with people who subscribed to more general spiritual notions, like the idea that their lives were "directed by a spiritual force greater than any human being" or that they felt "a spiritual connection to other people." The religious people scored relatively high in conscientiousness and self-control, whereas the spiritual people tended to score relatively low.
"Thinking about the oneness of humanity and the unity of nature doesn't seem to be related to self-control," Dr. McCullough said. "The self-control effect seems to come from being engaged in religious institutions and behaviors."
Does this mean that nonbelievers like me should start going to church? Even if you don't believe in a supernatural god, you could try improving your self-control by at least going along with the rituals of organized religion.
But that probably wouldn't work either, Dr. McCullough told me, because personality studies have identified a difference between true believers and others who attend services for extrinsic reasons, like wanting to impress people or make social connections. The intrinsically religious people have higher self-control, but the extrinsically religious do not.
So what's a heathen to do in 2009? Dr. McCullough's advice is to try replicating some of the religious mechanisms that seem to improve self-control, like private meditation or public involvement with an organization that has strong ideals.
Religious people, he said, are self-controlled not simply because they fear God's wrath, but because they've absorbed the ideals of their religion into their own system of values, and have thereby given their personal goals an aura of sacredness. He suggested that nonbelievers try a secular version of that strategy.
"People can have sacred values that aren't religious values," he said. "Self-reliance might be a sacred value to you that's relevant to saving money. Concern for others might be a sacred value that's relevant to taking time to do volunteer work. You can spend time thinking about what values are sacred to you and making New Year's resolutions that are consistent with them."
Of course, it requires some self-control to carry out that exercise - and maybe more effort than it takes to go to church.
"Sacred values come prefabricated for religious believers," Dr. McCullough said. "The belief that God has preferences for how you behave and the goals you set for yourself has to be the granddaddy of all psychological devices for encouraging people to follow through with their goals. That may help to explain why belief in God has been so persistent through the ages.
By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: December 29, 2008
If I'm serious about keeping my New Year's resolutions in 2009, should I add another one? Should the to-do list include, "Start going to church"?
Does religion increase self-control? Join the discussion.
This is an awkward question for a heathen to contemplate, but I felt obliged to raise it with Michael McCullough after reading his report in the upcoming issue of the Psychological Bulletin. He and a fellow psychologist at the University of Miami, Brian Willoughby, have reviewed eight decades of research and concluded that religious belief and piety promote self-control.
This sounded to me uncomfortably similar to the conclusion of the nuns who taught me in grade school, but Dr. McCullough has no evangelical motives. He confesses to not being much of a devotee himself. "When it comes to religion," he said, "professionally, I'm a fan, but personally, I don't get down on the field much."
His professional interest arose from a desire to understand why religion evolved and why it seems to help so many people. Researchers around the world have repeatedly found that devoutly religious people tend to do better in school, live longer, have more satisfying marriages and be generally happier.
These results have been ascribed to the rules imposed on believers and to the social support they receive from fellow worshipers, but these external factors didn't account for all the benefits. In the new paper, the Miami psychologists surveyed the literature to test the proposition that religion gives people internal strength.
"We simply asked if there was good evidence that people who are more religious have more self-control," Dr. McCullough. "For a long time it wasn't cool for social scientists to study religion, but some researchers were quietly chugging along for decades. When you add it all up, it turns out there are remarkably consistent findings that religiosity correlates with higher self-control."
As early as the 1920s, researchers found that students who spent more time in Sunday school did better at laboratory tests measuring their self-discipline. Subsequent studies showed that religiously devout children were rated relatively low in impulsiveness by both parents and teachers, and that religiosity repeatedly correlated with higher self-control among adults. Devout people were found to be more likely than others to wear seat belts, go to the dentist and take vitamins.
But which came first, the religious devotion or the self-control? It takes self-discipline to sit through Sunday school or services at a temple or mosque, so people who start out with low self-control are presumably less likely to keep attending. But even after taking that self-selection bias into account, Dr. McCullough said there is still reason to believe that religion has a strong influence.
"Brain-scan studies have shown that when people pray or meditate, there's a lot of activity in two parts of brain that are important for self-regulation and control of attention and emotion," he said. "The rituals that religions have been encouraging for thousands of years seem to be a kind of anaerobic workout for self-control."
In a study published by the University of Maryland in 2003, students who were subliminally exposed to religious words (like God, prayer or bible) were slower to recognize words associated with temptations (like drugs or premarital sex). Conversely, when they were primed with the temptation words, they were quicker to recognize the religious words.
"It looks as if people come to associate religion with tamping down these temptations," Dr. McCullough said. "When temptations cross their minds in daily life, they quickly use religion to dispel them from their minds."
In one personality study, strongly religious people were compared with people who subscribed to more general spiritual notions, like the idea that their lives were "directed by a spiritual force greater than any human being" or that they felt "a spiritual connection to other people." The religious people scored relatively high in conscientiousness and self-control, whereas the spiritual people tended to score relatively low.
"Thinking about the oneness of humanity and the unity of nature doesn't seem to be related to self-control," Dr. McCullough said. "The self-control effect seems to come from being engaged in religious institutions and behaviors."
Does this mean that nonbelievers like me should start going to church? Even if you don't believe in a supernatural god, you could try improving your self-control by at least going along with the rituals of organized religion.
But that probably wouldn't work either, Dr. McCullough told me, because personality studies have identified a difference between true believers and others who attend services for extrinsic reasons, like wanting to impress people or make social connections. The intrinsically religious people have higher self-control, but the extrinsically religious do not.
So what's a heathen to do in 2009? Dr. McCullough's advice is to try replicating some of the religious mechanisms that seem to improve self-control, like private meditation or public involvement with an organization that has strong ideals.
Religious people, he said, are self-controlled not simply because they fear God's wrath, but because they've absorbed the ideals of their religion into their own system of values, and have thereby given their personal goals an aura of sacredness. He suggested that nonbelievers try a secular version of that strategy.
"People can have sacred values that aren't religious values," he said. "Self-reliance might be a sacred value to you that's relevant to saving money. Concern for others might be a sacred value that's relevant to taking time to do volunteer work. You can spend time thinking about what values are sacred to you and making New Year's resolutions that are consistent with them."
Of course, it requires some self-control to carry out that exercise - and maybe more effort than it takes to go to church.
"Sacred values come prefabricated for religious believers," Dr. McCullough said. "The belief that God has preferences for how you behave and the goals you set for yourself has to be the granddaddy of all psychological devices for encouraging people to follow through with their goals. That may help to explain why belief in God has been so persistent through the ages.
Civilian casualties?
have read how the "world" worries about Palestinian civilian
casualties. The fact is the vast majority of these "innocent" civilians
support the destruction of Israel and the continuation of rocket attacks
against Israeli citizens who live in Israeli towns and even kibbtzim. One
wonders how come the "world" registers strong protests only when Arab
civilians are killed but have been quiet while civilians in Israel have
been killed and wounded for the past several years by Hamas rockets and
kassams? Why the double standard???
It should be noted also that in contrast to Arab terrorists the
Israeli military is doing its best not to harm even the pro-Hamas civilians
in Gaza but targets only those Arabs who engage in terrorism. When Arab
civilians are killed or wounded it is unitentional or what is termed as
collateral damage in military operations against terrorists. Another
difference between us and Arab terror groups is the amazing scene of one
hundred truckloads of food and other humanitarian aid coming from Israel to
the Gaza population even while the rocket shooting goes on and several
Israeli civilians are killed and wounded. I wonder if the world media
even mentions this???
casualties. The fact is the vast majority of these "innocent" civilians
support the destruction of Israel and the continuation of rocket attacks
against Israeli citizens who live in Israeli towns and even kibbtzim. One
wonders how come the "world" registers strong protests only when Arab
civilians are killed but have been quiet while civilians in Israel have
been killed and wounded for the past several years by Hamas rockets and
kassams? Why the double standard???
It should be noted also that in contrast to Arab terrorists the
Israeli military is doing its best not to harm even the pro-Hamas civilians
in Gaza but targets only those Arabs who engage in terrorism. When Arab
civilians are killed or wounded it is unitentional or what is termed as
collateral damage in military operations against terrorists. Another
difference between us and Arab terror groups is the amazing scene of one
hundred truckloads of food and other humanitarian aid coming from Israel to
the Gaza population even while the rocket shooting goes on and several
Israeli civilians are killed and wounded. I wonder if the world media
even mentions this???
Monday, December 29, 2008
USCJ on Gaza
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism supports Israel in its response to the unremitting violence directed toward its citizens from Gaza.
Although United Synagogue's leaders realize that many Palestinian lives are at risk and grieve for them, and acknowledge with great sadness that some already have been lost, we see no other way for Israel to protect its citizens, who have been the targets of unremitting savage violence directed at them by Hamas. We feel great sadness for the people of Gaza, who have been betrayed by Hamas, which has brought them nothing but violence, starvation, and misery. Israel is doing what it must do -- no civilized country can leave its citizens unprotected. The great irony of this attack coming from Gaza, from which Israel has tried to disengage since 2005, should not be lost on any observer.
We are heartened by the response of the United States, coming both from President George W. Bush's administration and from President-elect Barack Obama. We pray that the violence soon will end and that the people of this battered region finally will find peace.
Although United Synagogue's leaders realize that many Palestinian lives are at risk and grieve for them, and acknowledge with great sadness that some already have been lost, we see no other way for Israel to protect its citizens, who have been the targets of unremitting savage violence directed at them by Hamas. We feel great sadness for the people of Gaza, who have been betrayed by Hamas, which has brought them nothing but violence, starvation, and misery. Israel is doing what it must do -- no civilized country can leave its citizens unprotected. The great irony of this attack coming from Gaza, from which Israel has tried to disengage since 2005, should not be lost on any observer.
We are heartened by the response of the United States, coming both from President George W. Bush's administration and from President-elect Barack Obama. We pray that the violence soon will end and that the people of this battered region finally will find peace.
Kudos
Re:Gaza Hamas trying to kill Jews Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg jewu 462 B"H
Yashar koach Rabbi Ginsburg!
It's very inspiring to hear such words from you.
A video in defense of the Land of Yisrael using Torah as its foundation.
May you inspire your students and their students to also speak like this important issue.
PS:
The Lubavitcher Rebbe on Israel's Security
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5070501500310146810
Freilechen Hanukah!
Yashar koach Rabbi Ginsburg!
It's very inspiring to hear such words from you.
A video in defense of the Land of Yisrael using Torah as its foundation.
May you inspire your students and their students to also speak like this important issue.
PS:
The Lubavitcher Rebbe on Israel's Security
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5070501500310146810
Freilechen Hanukah!
flatten hamas
Slideshow: Israel launches air strikes on Gaza Play Video Mideast Video: Israel defends actions Reuters Play Video Mideast Video: Israel prepares for possible Gaza invasion AP AP – Israeli soldiers work on a tank at a staging area near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern … GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel's air force obliterated symbols of Hamas power on the third day of its overwhelming assault on Gaza on Monday, striking a house next to the Hamas premier's home, devastating a security compound and flattening a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
My new video and on the parasha on youtube
New Videos
New Nazi era movies Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg jewu 461
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmQbEC3gGBc
Positive affirmations jewu 460 Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF_I-8AKf2g
Maimonides class 2 Messiah Jewu 459 Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX2mkfna008
Jewish jokes 6 Jewu 458 rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoFVIVIRY_E
My Videos on the parasha Vayigash
Parashat Vayigash Joseph meets his jewu 303 Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ianS2ArXUWA
New Nazi era movies Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg jewu 461
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmQbEC3gGBc
Positive affirmations jewu 460 Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF_I-8AKf2g
Maimonides class 2 Messiah Jewu 459 Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX2mkfna008
Jewish jokes 6 Jewu 458 rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoFVIVIRY_E
My Videos on the parasha Vayigash
Parashat Vayigash Joseph meets his jewu 303 Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ianS2ArXUWA
Testimonials
Dear Rabbi Ginsburg,Your recording of the Hallel, which I found on Youtube, was extremely helpful to me. It enabled me to lead the Hallel this past Shabbat at our Synagogue in MI. I am familiar with the service, but had never led the Hallel. Your presentation helped me to secure all the melodies.Todah rabah,
Dear Rebbe Ginsburg,
I just watched your video about "Jews, Hanukah, and the Christmas dilemma JEWU 290." I found it thoughtful, menschlich, generous of spirit, and above all, helpful. Thank you and happy Channukah.
Sincerely,
Jamey
www.longdistancejewishconversion.blogspot.com/ for those wishing to convert to judaism
About Us
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg B.A. in religion from the University of Chicago-valedictory orator. Masters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary -Krasne Award for outstanding student. He was a National Merit scholar and the 1974 USA National High School Debate Champion. He has been adjunct faculty of St. Catherine College and Metropolitan University, teaching Bible and Judaism. He is currently Rabbi of the Ezra-Habonim, Niles Township Jewish Congregation of Skokie Illinois.
He was recently the featured rabbi on Time.com and CNN.com online for his
fantastic contribution in Jewish education via his videos which have been viewed over 2,000,000 times. Past National Debate champion, National Merit Scholar, Valedictory Orator University of Chicago, awarded Krasne Prize for outstanding student at the Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbinical School
He has served as volunteer President of the Minnesota Rabbinic Association and Niles Township Clergy Assocation in Illinois, Excutive Committee of the State of Israel Bonds Rabbinic Cabinet
Dear Rebbe Ginsburg,
I just watched your video about "Jews, Hanukah, and the Christmas dilemma JEWU 290." I found it thoughtful, menschlich, generous of spirit, and above all, helpful. Thank you and happy Channukah.
Sincerely,
Jamey
www.longdistancejewishconversion.blogspot.com/ for those wishing to convert to judaism
About Us
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg B.A. in religion from the University of Chicago-valedictory orator. Masters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary -Krasne Award for outstanding student. He was a National Merit scholar and the 1974 USA National High School Debate Champion. He has been adjunct faculty of St. Catherine College and Metropolitan University, teaching Bible and Judaism. He is currently Rabbi of the Ezra-Habonim, Niles Township Jewish Congregation of Skokie Illinois.
He was recently the featured rabbi on Time.com and CNN.com online for his
fantastic contribution in Jewish education via his videos which have been viewed over 2,000,000 times. Past National Debate champion, National Merit Scholar, Valedictory Orator University of Chicago, awarded Krasne Prize for outstanding student at the Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbinical School
He has served as volunteer President of the Minnesota Rabbinic Association and Niles Township Clergy Assocation in Illinois, Excutive Committee of the State of Israel Bonds Rabbinic Cabinet
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