What can i do?

People ask what they can do to help Israel. 1. Send out talking points to everyone on your lists. 2. If in USA, CALL or EMAIL your Senator/Congressman Call (202) 225-3121 Senate and House members can be reached through the Capitol switchboard E-mail your Senator http://cqrcengage.com/aipac/app/write-a-letter?3&engagementId=53451 E-mail your House member http://cqrcengage.com/aipac/app/write-a-letter?1&engagementId=53444 Find your Member of http://cqrcengage.com/aipac/search NOTE: notable development (reported here) in Hamas’s war against Israel: “Yesterday Hamas launched – and then bragged about launching – three long-range M75 rockets targeting Israel’s nuclear reactor in the city Dimona. Iron Dome had to knock one of the rockets out of the sky; the other two landed in open areas.” Omri comments: “A terrorist attack against a nuclear reactor is straightforwardly defined as nuclear terrorism by the UN’s 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. This isn’t a close, debatable interpretation. It’s part of the black-letter definition at the very top of the convention[.]” Hamas is likely to try again; if they succeed, writes Omri, they will have pulled off against an Israeli city what the UN considers to be an act of nuclear terrorism: “The Israeli reaction to an unconventional terror attack is impossible to completely foresee, but it’s safe to say that Israel’s missile defense system prevented a catastrophe yesterday.” Now what might a “reasonable” response look like? Congressional action on these resolutions possible as early as tomorrow. As Hamas continues to target Israeli civilians, it is critical for the United States to reaffirm its support for its ally Israel, including its right to live in peace and to defend itself. Senate and House members are circulating resolutions supporting Israel's right to self-defense in response to the barrage of rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. The resolution also calls on Hamas to immediately cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel. The House resolution (H.Res.657) is spearheaded by Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Tom Cole (R-OK). The lead sponsors for the Senate resolution (S.Res.498) are Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Charles Schumer (D-NY). Sample Phone Script: "I am calling the Senator/Representative to urge him/her to cosponsor and vote for the resolution defending Israel's right to self-defense and condemning the unprovoked rocket attacks against innocent Israeli civilians." Background More than 11,000 rockets have been fired into Israel since the Jewish state unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. After enduring more than 500 rocket attacks from Gaza in the past two weeks, Israel has launched Operation Protective Edge to defend its citizens. Israel made multiple efforts to defuse the situation with Hamas, but was rebuffed repeatedly. Hamas is intent on killing, maiming, and terrorizing innocent Israeli civilians wherever they live or work. Hamas has targeted Israelis in numerous cities, including the major population centers of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, putting the majority of Israelis at risk. Talking Points The United States must stand with Israel as it takes steps to defend its people. Israel made every effort to avoid hostilities, but Hamas’ aggression left it with no choice but to respond. The deliberate targeting of innocents by Hamas is an unacceptable act of terror that no country can tolerate. Hamas has approximately 10,000 rockets and the majority of Israelis live within rocket range. Virtually all of Israel is now under attack by Hamas, with over 100 rockets falling daily now.

Talking points vis Hamas

· Aipac's talking points on Israel/Hamas Hamas Aggression Forces Israel to Defend Itself After enduring more than 400 rocket attacks from Gaza in the past three weeks, Israel has launched Operation Protective Edge to protect its citizens. Hamas is intent on killing, maiming, and terrorizing innocent Israeli civilians wherever they live or work. Today Hamas rockets ranged as far north as Tel Aviv and its suburbs, putting most of Israel’s population at risk. The United States must continue to stand with Israel as it takes steps to protect its citizens. The Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepted dozens of rockets fired at Israel from Gaza during the last week. Israel has made every effort to avoid hostilities, but Hamas aggression left Israel with no choice but to respond. Israel made several efforts to defuse the situation last week, but Hamas rebuffed every Israeli feeler. On July 3, it proposed a “quiet for quiet” formula to Hamas. A Hamas source responded, “We will not agree to ‘quiet in exchange for quiet.’ If Israel does not agree to our demands, I expect we will continue this battle.” Instead, Hamas announced outrageous demands, including the unthinkable step that Israel not respond to ongoing attacks from Gaza. On July 7, terrorists in Gaza dramatically stepped up attacks on Israel, launching more than 80 rockets in a day. In a further provocation, fanatics attempted to tunnel into Israel to carry out a significant terrorist attack, but were thwarted when their explosives detonated prematurely. In response to these assaults, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Protective Edge on July 7. Since the start of the Operation, the IDF has targeted more than 150 terror sites in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s aim is to protect Israeli civilians and destroy Hamas’ terror infrastructure. Hamas’ escalation worsened an already tense situation between Israel and the Palestinians. The June 12 abduction and subsequent murder of three Israeli teenagers by two suspected Hamas members prompted Israel to launch Operation Brother’s Keeper, an effort both to retrieve the boys and to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank. The murder of a Palestinian boy by Jewish extremists further exacerbated tensions, leading to riots in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. Unlike the Palestinians’ response to the kidnapping of the three Israeli teenagers, Israelis across the political and religious spectrum — politicians, educators, rabbis, commentators — strongly denounced the murder. “I unequivocally condemn the murder of a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “Murder, riots, incitement, vigilantism — they have no place in our democracy.” Israel quickly tracked down and arrested the teen’s suspected murderers. Gaza terrorists exploited this tension by abandoning all pretense of restraint and initiating an onslaught of rockets. They have launched nearly 400 rockets at Israel since June 14, targeting Israeli population centers such as Tel Aviv, Be’ersheva, and Ashdod. Hamas released a video taunting Israelis, telling all residents of Be’ersheva to flee or face death. Israel’s response to the ongoing terrorism from Gaza is proportionate and in compliance with international law. Israel’s military operation is an act of self-defense, a right enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Israel’s actions to stop Hamas rocket attacks are proportional to the risk over half of Israel’s population faces, including the prospect of mass casualties. Nevertheless, Israel uses pinpoint targeting to do everything it can to limit casualties in Gaza. While Israel makes every effort to minimize civilian casualties, international law precludes Hamas’ ongoing regular use of civilian shield to protect legitimate military targets. Article 28 of the Fourth Geneva Convention clearly states, “The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.” The responsibility for civilian casualties when those civilians are used as human shields lies with the party that deliberately places them at risk, namely Hamas. America must continue its strong support for Israel’s defensive actions. It is critical for the United States to reiterate its support for its ally Israel, including its right to live in peace and to defend itself. No other country in the world faces daily rocket attacks against its civilians, nor would any other country tolerate such violence. “We strongly condemn the continuing rocket fire into Israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. “No country can accept rocket fire aimed at civilians, and we support Israel’s right to defend itself against these vicious attacks.” Hamas’ ongoing violence against Israel underscores the need for PA President Mahmoud Abbas to renounce the Hamas-backed unity government. Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system, which the United States has helped fund, will again play a vital role in protecting Israeli lives. Without defensive measures like Iron Dome, Israel’s indigenous early warning system and extensive bunker facilities, Israeli civilian causalities would likely be significantly higher. The United States should continue efforts to ensure that Israel has the necessary resources to meet the growing rocket and missile threat in the region.

Operation protective edge

Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. This operation is an effort to stop the recent escalation in Hamas terrorism and missile fire. Talking Points: Since the beginning of the year, over 450 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel. Yesterday alone, 80 rockets were fired into Israel. Once again, the residents of southern cities such as Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Be'er Sheva have returned to the bomb shelters. Today, a missile fired at Tel Aviv was stopped by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. Israel has blamed Hamas for the brutal murder of three students kidnapped on their way home from school. In the coming days, many will criticize Israel's actions while glossing over the necessity for them. As we pray for the safety of the Israel Defense Forces and innocent civilians on both sides of this conflict, we must not be silent. We must know our facts and speak out in Israel's defense. Israel must not be condemned for doing what any responsible government would do to protect its citizens from terror. We must not permit Israeli defense to be equated with Hamas aggression. The world says Israel should act proportionally. Does that mean Israel should do the same and fire 450 rockets indiscriminately into Gaza? Instead Israel will go in, risking all the young lives, and try and find the terrorists one by one, while they hide behind children and shot from mosques and hospitals.

Different reactions to murder to Jewish and Arab kids is the main issue:

Different reactions to murder to Jewish and Arab kids is the main issue: This is from Ruthie Blum..."Israelis from across the political spectrum reacted similarly, rushing to denounce “price-tag” actions committed by Jews. Some went as far as Haaretz‘s Chemi Shalev, who blamed Israeli society as a whole for the murder. “The gangs of Jewish ruffians man-hunting for Arabs are no aberration,” he wrote. “Theirs was not a one-time outpouring of uncontrollable rage following the discovery of the bodies of the three kidnapped students. Their inflamed hatred does not exist in a vacuum: It is an ongoing presence, growing by the day…nurtured in a public environment of resentment, insularity and victimhood.” Naftali Frenkel’s grieving uncle, who transcended the political fray, nevertheless said, “If a young Arab man was murdered for nationalistic reasons, then it is a horrifying and disgusting act. There is no distinguishing blood from blood. Murder is murder, whatever the nationality or age may be. There is no justification, no forgiveness and no atonement for any murder.” No such outpouring of outrage was heard from the Arabs in Israel or the Palestinian Authority when the Israeli boys were found dead, however. On the contrary, when the Israeli boys were abducted, Palestinians accused Israel of staging the event for propaganda purposes, and left-leaning Israeli commentators initially focused on everything from the irresponsibility of people who hitchhike to the larger issue of whether Jews should be in the West Bank altogether. Meanwhile, Arab Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi even justified the abduction, denying that the kidnappers were terrorists. “They are people who don’t see any way to change their reality and are forced to use these means until Israel will wake up a little, until Israeli citizens and society will wake up and feel the suffering of the other,” she said. This was nothing compared to the reaction of the mother of one of the two prime suspects in the kidnapping: “If he did [it], I will be proud of him,” she told Israel’s Channel 10. “I raised my children on the knees of the (Islamic) religion. They are religious guys, honest and clean-handed, and their goal is to bring the victory of Islam.” She also criticized the Palestinian Authority security forces for assisting in the search for the teens, saying, “May Allah take revenge on them … [for] helping the IDF.” It is this attitude — not one of “restraint” — that Arabs throughout the Middle East are imbibing in their mothers’ milk. It is this attitude — not the so-called “occupation” — that spurs Hamas to fire missiles at Jewish nursery schools. It is this attitude, just as rampant in the Palestinian Authority as it is in Gaza, which is being instilled and cultivated in Palestinian children by their parents and educators, while Israeli children are taught to yearn for peace. There are exceptions to the rule in both societies. Israelis who commit crimes against Arabs are shunned by all but a tiny minority. They are held legally accountable by the police and the courts. They are held morally accountable by a majority of the public. Arabs in the Palestinian Authority and in Gaza who commit crimes against Jews are lauded by all but a tiny minority. They are assisted by police and the courts. They are rewarded financially by the authorities and boosted socially by a majority of the public. When Muhammad Abu Khdeir’s killers are apprehended by the Israel Police, they will be brought to justice, whether they are Jews or Arabs — and whether their motivation was nationalistic, criminal or family-honor-based. And Israelis will mourn both his passing and the horrific manner of his death. No matter what emerges from the investigation, however, the Palestinians will turn him into a martyr to exploit his memory as an additional weapon in their war against Israel. Ruthie Blum is the author of “To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama and the ‘Arab Spring.’” This article was originally published by Israel Hayom

Parashat Balak and mourning the 3 dead Israeli teens

They do not deserve a state

By Bret Stephens-Wall Street Journal

Where are the Palestinian Mothers?

In March 2004 a Palestinian teenager named Hussam Abdo was spotted by Israeli soldiers behaving suspiciously as he approached the Hawara checkpoint in the West Bank. Ordered at gunpoint to raise his sweater, the startled boy exposed a suicide vest loaded with nearly 20 pounds of explosives and metal scraps, constructed to maximize carnage. A video taken by a journalist at the checkpoint captured the scene as Abdo was given scissors to cut himself free of the vest, which had been strapped tight to his body in the expectation that it wouldn’t have to come off. He’s been in an Israeli prison ever since.

Abdo provided a portrait of a suicide bomber as a young man. He had an intellectual disability. He was bullied by classmates who called him “the ugly dwarf.” He came from a comparatively well-off family. He had been lured into the bombing only the night before, with the promise of sex in the afterlife. His family was outraged that he had been recruited for martyrdom.

“I blame those who gave him the explosive belt,” his mother, Tamam, told the Jerusalem Post, of which I was then the editor. “He’s a small child who can’t even look after himself.”

Yet asked how she would have felt if her son had been a bit older, she added this: “If he was over 18, that would have been possible, and I might have even encouraged him to do it.” In the West, most mothers would be relieved if their children merely refrained from getting a bad tattoo before turning 18.

***

I’ve often thought about Mrs. Abdo, and I’m thinking about her today on the news that the bodies of three Jewish teenagers, kidnapped on June 12, have been found near the city of Hebron “under a pile of rocks in an open field,” as an Israeli military spokesman put it. Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, 16, had their whole lives ahead of them. The lives of their families will forever be wounded, or crippled, by heartbreak.

What about their killers? The Israeli government has identified two prime suspects, Amer Abu Aysha, 33, and Marwan Qawasmeh, 29, both of them Hamas activists. They are entitled to a presumption of innocence. Less innocent was the view offered by Mr. Abu Aysha’s mother.

“They’re throwing the guilt on him by accusing him of kidnapping,” she told Israel’s Channel 10 news. “If he did the kidnapping, I’ll be proud of him.”

It’s the same sentiment I heard expressed in 2005 in the Jabalya refugee camp near Gaza City by a woman named Umm Iyad. A week earlier, her son, Fadi Abu Qamar, had been killed in an attack on the Erez border crossing to Israel. She was dressed in mourning but her mood was joyful as she celebrated her son’s “martyrdom operation.” He was just 21.

Here’s my question: What kind of society produces such mothers? Whence the women who cheer on their boys to blow themselves up or murder the children of their neighbors?

Well-intentioned Western liberals may prefer not to ask, because at least some of the conceivable answers may upset the comforting cliché that all human beings can relate on some level, whatever the cultural differences. Or they may accuse me of picking a few stray anecdotes and treating them as dispositive, as if I’m the only Western journalist to encounter the unsettling reality of a society sunk into a culture of hate. Or they can claim that I am ignoring the suffering of Palestinian women whose innocent children have died at Israeli hands.

But I’m not ignoring that suffering. To kill innocent people deliberately is odious, to kill them accidentally or “collaterally” is, at a minimum, tragic. I just have yet to meet the Israeli mother who wants to raise her boys to become kidnappers and murderers—and who isn’t afraid of saying as much to visiting journalists.

***

Because everything that happens in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is bound to be the subject of political speculation and news analysis, it’s easy to lose sight of the raw human dimension. So it is with the murder of the boys: How far will Israel go in its retaliation? What does it mean for the future of the Fatah-Hamas coalition? What about the peace process, such as it is?

These questions are a distraction from what ought to be the main point. Three boys went missing one night, and now we know they are gone. If nothing else, their families will have a sense of finality and a place to mourn. And Israelis will know they are a nation that leaves no stone unturned to find its missing children.

As for the Palestinians and their inveterate sympathizers in the West, perhaps they should note that a culture that too often openly celebrates martyrdom and murder is not fit for statehood, and that making excuses for that culture only makes it more unfit. Postwar Germany put itself through a process of moral rehabilitation that began with a recognition of what it had done. Palestinians who want a state should do the same, starting with the mothers.

Write to bstephens@wsj.com