N. Shuster http://www.jta.org/user/profile/24615 en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Why, oh, why do so many of our "more thoughtful" journalists find it difficult to find anti-Semitism as a motive in the writinigs of our (respected" acadenics? Alfred Rosenberg was an anti-Semite, and so was Josef Goebbels. And they were Phds from universities with an even more "prestigious" reputations than those of Walt and Mearsheimer. In fact, anti-Semitism is very much alive in the halls of America's universities. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Part II, but in her "ignorant" way, her sensible, American compass is a much more reliable guide to the Middle East and Israel's place in it than all the "geniuses" in Obama's cabinet. You seem like a concerned and intelligent person, Can't you see that all this Democratic "wisdom" is lleading us to a "Arab spring" surprise, of a very unpleasant variety? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 daliya: Obama is supposed to be educated. Has his education led him to the conviction that we in the West must bow down to Islam? Must we feel that we somehow have harmed them? Must Israel be a sacrificial lamb to that tenet? How "ignorant" does anybody have to be to see that even though Israel has in ALL instances has deliberately put itself in harm's way in the hope of "achieving peace" with her neighbors, those neighbors have responded with hostility each time! Is Iranian hostility justified by anything Israel has done? Has returning the Sinai and keeping the peace for thirty years not been enough of a goodwill gesture? What is the Egyptian complaint, and why do they act the way they do, thirsting for Jewish blood? So, how educated do you have to be to understand that? Yes, Michelle Bachmann is no Harvard scholar 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Of course, rumours have been flying about as to who, exactly, was responsible for the emergency resupply of Israel in 1973, Nixon or Kissinger? We, Jews, had hoped that Kissinger was the one. For after all, who can be trusted to react positively when other Jews are in peril, but another Jew, especially if he himself has already felt in the scorching and poisonous breath of the hound. Who else could have been a more persuasive advisor at that time? That's why the sense of betrayal here is ever so acute. How could he? But look at George Soros whose political and financial activities continue to be detrimental to Jewish well-being now as Kissinger's apparent indifference could have been at a point of a historical crisis. As one who shook his hand at an occasion in New York a few years ago, I washed mine more vigorously this morning. Nathan Shuster 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Leroy and Ike, don't just take my word for it: SOROS SPENT BILLIONS TO UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY by: Mark Hemingway Commentary Staff Writer November 14, 2010 Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros is sometimes caricatured by his opponents as a left-wing Bond villain, but cut through the hyperbole and there are good reasons why Soros truly is far more threatening than just another wealthy liberal. Soros isn't merely content with spending money to work within the system to elect Democrats, promote liberal policies, and otherwise shape the public debate. He has spent millions of dollars to change the very machinery of our democracy. In a center-right country, it's very hard to elect liberal leaders and enact left-wing policies. So Soros wants less democracy and in some cases wants to do away with elections altogether. According to an American Justice Partnership report, Soros' Open Society Institute has "funneled at least $45.4 million into a highly coordinated campaign to reshape the judiciary and fundamentally change the way judges are chosen in many American states." Soros' millions are funding Justice at Stake, whose explicit goal is to do away with the election of state judges. JAS wants a "merit system" that would empower "nonpartisan" panels selected by state officials to make judicial appointments. These panels would likely be dominated by the state's bar association and legal interests. A similar system for appointing judges is already in place in Missouri, where the judicial selection panel consists of the state Supreme Court's chief justice, three lawyers chosen by the Missouri Bar and three gubernatorial appointees. Soros' OSI argues such a system is necessary because "in recent years big money and special interest political pressure have become a staple of judicial campaigns, raising questions about the integrity of U.S. courts." The newly funded Soros program "seeks to counter the influence of political and special interest groups." Of course, if you're worried about special interests dominating judicial elections, the OSI/JAS alternative is even worse. That's because state bar associations and legal groups are dominated by trial lawyers. Lawyers and law firms are the seventh biggest political donors of "all time," according to Opensecrets.org, and dominate state politics in parts of the country. The judicial system should maintain a necessary degree of impartiality, but America's founders certainly didn't intend for judges to be unmoored from democracy. About 95 percent of America's civil disputes end up in state courts. That's an enormous amount of power, which needs checks and balances. There's a reason why 87 percent of America's judges are elected. There are many signs that Americans are increasingly wary of activist judges imposing liberal policies against the public will. On Nov. 2, voters in Iowa for the first time ever ousted three sitting state Supreme Court judges. All three had voted to legalize gay marriage. And Nevada voters rejected a statewide initiative to implement a judicial selection system like that sought by Soros' JAS. It also turns out Missouri's vaunted "merit system," which was the template for the OSI's initiative, actually increases politicization. For 70 years, the Show Me State's judicial selection process was conducted behind closed doors. The result? A 2009 Missouri Law Review article found 87 percent of judicial nominees in Missouri had donated money primarily to Democrats, in a state where the electorate is near evenly divided between the two parties. After a grass-roots backlash, Missouri changed the rules in October. Residents can now observe the state panel's interviews of prospective judges, nominate potential candidates and determine the panel's votes. Soros is lobbying to preserve the courts as an avenue for enacting liberal policies that won't be supported by popular will. If Soros really cared about corrupt judicial elections, he would lobby for more transparency and more democracy, not less. Mark Hemingway is an editorial page staff writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at mhemingway@washingtonexaminer.com Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Soros-uses-his-billions-to-undermine-democracy-1564707-108011199.html#ixzz15ODpQ6B8 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Nice try Semaya, but no cigar. Well, I DO know Soros' past. In trying to white-wash Soros, you trip over your canoe-sized shoes. Yes, a fourteen-year old facing periil may be excused, especially one coming from a nominally Jewish home where he had already picked up his antagonism towards Jewish hopes and aspirations. But what has this man been doing for the last sixty years? You don't know? He's been spending a fortune - billions! - undermining America AND Israel. Surely, you know that, don't you? How would you describe this devotion and generocity to our enemies' causes? They're not your enemies, you say? Give me Glenn Beck any day. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I have nothing positive to say about Soros, personally, or obout his business or political activities. He is no friend of the Jewish people, nor of Israel. In fact, one can count him among Israel's foes, if you consider the kind of causes he champions and finances, Leroy, (What sort of name is this for a Jew?) when did Beck set standards for Jews? It doesn't happen on his show. He IS baffled about Jewish voting patterns, but so am I. JTA, Are you speaking to me? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Carl Maltzman is perfect evidence of a blinkered Jew whose inability to compare the pro-Israel record of Republican presidents with that of Carter and Obama is obvious enough. Yes, there are some anti-Israel elements in the GOP ranks; however, compared to the Jacksons, Sharptons, Byrds, as well as some others, not necessarily in front ranks, the Republicans have a keener understanding of and sympathy for Israel's struggle and their constituency is Israel-friendly, unlike that of the various components that make up the Democratic party. To have Jews close their eyes and ears to the consistent hostility of their party to Israel (in order to appease their ranks) is beyond belief. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 jpeditor: What's with these ever-so clever Jewish democrats? Why do they continue clinging to the boots that keep kicking them (as Jews) in the face? I find all this both infuriating and puzzling. In spite all of the explanations about unions, tenements of the '30s, Roosevelt (come to think of it he wasn't that good for the Jews either), and the general religious commandment for tikun olam, to which non-religious Jews have become totally devoted at the price of Israel, this behavior signifies a psychological disturbance. And, that's no good. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 How courageous you are in publishing articles admonishing defenders of Jewish and Israeli rights? I have yet to see, your publication attacking Obama and his cohorts for their obvious partiality towards the cause of the enemy of Jews and America. Are you blind, deaf or just incapable of understanding? Pperhaps, it's your dogma that stands in the way of clear vision? N.Shuster 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 It's always nice to hear from people like Leonard Goldstein, so much better informed that some us "whose entire knowledge comes from talk radio." His explanation of the difference between a mosque and a shrine is most helpful and has a kind of travelogue innocence. But the Muslims have still built their shrine, or is it mosque, on the ruins of the Jewish holy site, have they not? And, how does it explain Muslims' intolerance, violent intolerance, to members of other "Abrahamic religions?" How, pray tell, does this explain their triumphalist behaviour? Do enlighten us, pray. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Just became aware of Arthur Waskow's comment re: Jewish (i.e. a few Jews) welcome for the Cordoba Center. This too is, unfortunately, typical behaviour among some Jews: bowing down and scraping before the oppressor. Have they no pride? Does the blood of countless innocent Jews at the hands of the followers of the "religion of peace" not scream out at them? Have they taken their cue from Obama's genuflecting to the king of Saudi Arabia? How pathetic is all this fawning for people who are yet to repudiate, publicly and clearly, Islamofascism and embrace the true spirit of diversity by supporting Jewish legitimate rights in their homeland. Until they do that, I, for one, am not about to be part of this undignified welcoming committee. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 All this hand-wringing about "Islamophobia" does not explain the prolifiration of Islamic "places of worship" in the United States over such a short period of time. Is this what Obama meant with "Islam has vbeen with America ever since its beginningws"? All this Islamicization of America is not at all as innocent as the very all-to-clever writer of this article wants us tio think. We all, Christian and Jews alike, have much to worry about - the article's mindless "tollerance" aside. Who finances all this mosque building? Why does this "cultural center" carry a monicker referring to the Moorish conquest of the Iberian pennislula? Is this some kind of foretelling of Muslim intent here in America? Why does the significance of the name disinterest all the liberal defebnders of "religious tollerance?" The writer's snide style ignores too much as he hits out at the usual bete noires but completely misses the story. It's so tiresome and juvenile. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 No Dreamer; It's not racism that makes some Jews less than enthusiastic about mixed or near-mixed marriages. Two tepid Jews or a couple made up of Jew and a non-Jew do not form a kind of union that will bring forth Jewish children whose Jewish home, Jewish society of which they are a part and a Jewish education - religious and secular - will make certain (Yes, yes, nothing is certain) that continuity of Jewish people and Jewish civilization will emerge. This link in the golden chain requires dedication and seriousness. Even under the best of present circumstances, this task is extremely difficult. The case in question simply makes it impossible. It ain't racism. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Mick Davis, you sure have khutzpah, if you still know what that means. You want to stay in Britain, a notoriously unfriendly place for Jews, and you want Israel to do what it can to make your life comfortable among the native anti-Semites and the arrivals , Jew-haters. As it is, life for Jews in the Diasporah has been made much more pleasant since the re-birth of Israel; however, the Bris decided it was too good for the Jews, and they opened their doors to Jew-hating reinforcements. Israel has to secure its own, and you may join them and have an opportunity to affect policies and decisions. Until then, shame on you. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 We Jews are well known for our intelectual accomplishments which obviously entile the necessity for brains; likewise, we have more than our share of insanity. Here's a most obvious example. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Hey, all those who are shocked by MSNBC's platform provided for Pat Buchanan, you may have not noticed, but both of them are on the same side. Pay closer attention! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Come on people, is there no more important item you could have featured? This is garbage, and there's nothing Jewish in it. Scorpio 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 archie1954: Archie, so it's the "Jewish lobby" that bothers you so? Have you ever heard about the Arab oil lobby, much more powerful than the Jewish lobby? Does that concern you? I didn't think so. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 For God's sake, what would it take for American Jews to notice Obama's "blindness" to Israel's "disproportionate" contributions and act upon this indisputable fact? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 This is a rather sad story of Jews whose connection to other Jews may be rather a slender one. Jews are a community with their rules, traditions and rituals. Not understanding this leads people like Albert Rapp to respond with anger at being "shunned" by other Jews. His definition of Jewishness - a "Jewish" daughter of a non-Jewish mother, for example - will simply not suffice to retain a continuing connection across generations to the Jewish future. Speaking Yiddish which I hold dear, but understand that's it's a severely dwindling group, is simply not enough of a definition of Jewishness. A man as intelligent as Rapp seems to be should be able to understand that. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 So the students interviewed find this moronic bilge "harmless and funny?" Is it possible that these "students" are merely individuals registered at the university, rather than scholars? More than possible. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Why anyone would ever take seriously anything any "Palestinian" spokesman would propose or offer an interpretation of past events is difficult to comprehend? If a state is what these Arabs want (in addition to the 22, 29, etc.), why didn't they declare it at so many opportunities in the last sixty years? Do you know why not? That's not what they want. It's Jews dead they want. Yes, Ira, that what they want. Those like Ira Schwartz who parrot the official Pali line are nothing but the "useful idiots" that Vladinir Lenin so appreciated. They will, indeed, be willing to buy rope for their own hanging. Have a good day! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 The rabbi is to be commended for his plans to make aliyah, although his previous "arrivals" did not seem to stick. On his pronouncements about the president's "meaning well" as he continuous pressure (usually practiced by presidents of a non-friendly variety) on Israel, one can only refer to some other bit of Yiddish wiisdom in rhyme" Not all rabbis are khakhomim: some of them are just naronim. Is this the kind of nareshkeit Rahm Emmanuel has been exposed to? And, is this the nareshkeit that he offers as his advice to the President? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Salman: You ask: "Who cares what sarah Palin thinks?" and I would concur, if so many American Jews did not care so much what Barak Hussein Obama, that thoroughly unAmerican president, thinks. Why would the thoughts of a person completely divergent of traditional and historical American background and attitudes evoke such supportive passions in so many Jewish-American hearts? What more does he need to do (both in domestic polittics and foreign policy) before those mentioned above hop off the death train? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Why should we care? Why are we always frightened by resignations within that political thuggery, the Palestinian "Authority?" If he's lucky he won't be leaving in a box, sorry, on a pallet, accompanied by a frenzied mob. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Carl: Why is it that a non-Jew like Sarah Palin makes my heart soar, and why does a supposed Jew like you sours my day? Is it because she is a "dummy" to speak of and support our yearnings, and you, at the very most a timid and deracinated Jew has internalized the world's hatred of Jews and have made it palatable for yourself by converting this self-hatred into anti-Zionism. Look around the people who stand with you. They are not nice. You'll find yourself among potential murderers of Jews. They hate themselves as much as they hate "Zionists." 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Jason H: You're wrong, just wrong. Whatever possess you to take the side of the "international community" against Israel? At most, this "international community" is indifferent" about Israel's fate (Note the number of non-Islamic states abstaing on UN votes of crucial value to the Jewish states.) At worse, they encourage Israel's enemies to keep on their beligerancy. If you don't see than, then you're either a fool or worse. Your responses suggest a naivety that is very dangerous in a Jew. P.S. I have just returned from a visit to Israel. In Ashdot (site of Egyptian army's fartherst penetration in 1949), after the 1979 Israel-Egypt agreement, Israel swooning at the prospect of peace, invited Egypt to erect a monument to their war dead who fell in the area. That monument stand undisturbed on Israeli soil. No need (or perhaps there is in your case) to tell you that no reciprocal gesture on the part of Egypt honoring Israeli dead fallen in a defensive battle exists anywhere in Egypt. This tells me all I need to know about the aggressors and the defenders that in your mind has become completely perverted. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Jason, how very heroic of Henry to "speak out." Against what exactly? Surely not against Islamofascism? Of course not. Against Arab repeated aggression against the Jewish state? No, not really. In an act of supreme perversion by the enlightened ones, Israel has become a colonialist state, while the Arabs - one of the most aggressive emperial powers known to history - have become passive victims of "Zionist aggression!" You buy into this garbage? How noble to stand shoulder to shoulder with such defenders of human freedom and dignity as Sudan, China, Russia, Syria, Libya and other such paragons of liberty. How courageous of him to join with sworn enemies of Jews and the Jewish state in alliance with other "clear-thinking" people in condemning "Israeli aggression" and "war crimes" while defending herself against a hundred-year assault by one of the most chauvinistic and cruel societies in human experience. Let me ask you something, is it brains that all of you are lacking, or a total inability to empathize with your own people? Have you become such a "member of the human race" that you're incapable of feeling a kinship with the Jewish people? Remember: "If I am not for myself, Who will be for me?" Do you care? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Asking the Israelis why they have not warmed to Obama's "peace-making" is equivalent to shtetl Jews being asked why they don't like the Black Hundreds. A better question is: Why are Jews like Henry Siegman so besotted with Obama that they are incapable of seeing the kind of danger he puits Israel. Or, have Jews like Siegnman become so deracinated and de-Judaized that danger facing other Jews is no longer of concern to them? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Shimon Klein: There were no "Jewish illegal settlements" in Yehuda and Shomron until after three wars against the Jewish state., and decades of refusal (which continues to this day) to accept a Jewish state in their neighborhood. What is wrong with you? What's wrong with Jews settling and building in the above areas? Arabs constitute 20% of Israeli population. Kicking them out would be an act of brutality and racism, wouldn't you think so? Then why do you support the racist policy of Judenrein "West Bank?" Why do you join anti-Semites in supporting them in their Nazi-like animus against Jews? P.S. By morally equating Hamas with "Israeli illegal settlers" you show your lack of morality. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Why does the overwhelming majority of American Jews appears to continue its support of the anti-Israel U.N.? Why does the same majority reject such champions of human rights as John Bolton? Is this not a perversion of reality? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Gerald Goldberg, you are a Jew like I am a Turk. Whereas there were too many Jews involved in the Communist party of USSR, most of whom paid dearly for it in the '30s Purges for their loyalty (mistaken, but nevertheless understood, considering the period preceding the Communist revolution), many more Jews belonged to anti-Communist movements. While Lazar Koganovitch should, indeed, bear his share of guilt for his shameful `sychophancy to Stalin, the thuggish Lavrentia Beria, the Heinrich Himmler of the USSR, was an ethnic Armenian, not a Jew. Stalin, Lenin, Molotov, Yagoda, Dzerzhinsky, etc. were not Jews. Neither was Khrushchev, the master mind of the Ukranian famine. There were enough murderers of all ethnic groups to go around. Nich wahr, Herr "Goldberg"? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 You're right Baillie. Jews can not be trusted. That's why General Sarnoff betrayed America and Admiral Rickover made the country more vulnerable. Yes, there have been some who under a delusion that they were serving a larger cause (Openheimer, the Rosenbergs and even Jonathon -forgot his name) have damaged American security, but overall, the loyalty of America's Jewish citizens can be compared to any other ethnic group. Not that this will convince you. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 If, according to some on this thread, Israel is a threat to humanity and a military power that dominates the Middle East, why is it still just a vulnerable sliver of territory on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean? Why did it allow Egypt to regain the Sinai (bigger than the whole of Israel)? Why did it retreat from Lebanon? Why did it force its own people off the land in Gaza, and took such a long time to respond to the provocations by the Hamas? The Soviet Union which was a power did not retreat from any of the conquered territories after World WarII. That was a military power. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Gary: I commend you on noticing the time of DREk's postings. Is it possible that he is one of those Brits who hasn't noticed that his country is about to be swamped under Sharia law? Maybe he's just trying to find favor in the eyes of the new masters? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 For all your urbanity and articulation, how naive and uninformed you are, DRE. Yes, like Israel, the United States is not a perfect state, having had in its history many mis-steps. BUT, compared to other countries, America's "sins", whether in Latin America or elsewhere fade into insignificance. There is no country in the world, in mankind's tortured history, that has liberated as many, fed as many and comforted as many as has been done by the country to which you derisively refer as the "empire." You obviously have not experienced first-hand the benevolence of those countries that you hold in high esteem. Had you done so (REAL loss of civil rights, depravation of food and comfort, REAL loss of freedom, etc.) and had you had the dubious benefit of this sort of education (not the nonsense spouted by veterans of the "Glorious Sixties") your sympathies would have been reserved for those who merit them and your hatreds for those whose actions (not just against their enemies, but against their own people) would put them neyong the pale of humanity. You have a lot to learn. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 DREk;You have SO MUCH to say, yet your concern with the plight of the Palestinians does not take into account the responsibility of the neighboring Arab states for the present dilemma. Had it not been for their concerted attack on Israel in 1948 and the refusal by the same (except for two) to "get over" their racist and fanatical rejection of Israel, much of today's problems would have been resolved a long time ago. And since, most historians agree that there has been aggression on the part of the Arab states (and a state of war still exists between Israel, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, etc) and that a rejection of resettling these refugees within the borders of their brother-states, and an unprecedented co-operation by the UNRWA in keeping the pot boiling continue to undermine efforts to ease this volitile situation and shift all responsibility for this geo-political malaise on Israel has been a spectacular success on the part of enemies of Israel. For the first time in history, a legitimate state, the re-born Jewish state of israel, establish after a vote of the United Nations (when it was not dominated by tyrants and maniacs of the "third world" and their immoral lackeys) has to justify its legitimate existence and its right to defend itself. There is no precident for this sort of thing. Israel speaks with a clear voice and some listen, Canada being the most magnificent among them. Your puny efforts on behalf of the dark forces that confront the Jewish state will surely be frustrated. Fortunately Israel is not Ethiopia of 1936; it is not helpless, and inspite of the magintude of the problem and of all the malignant forces arrayed to destroy it, Israel will prevail. Do you know why? Because Israel, although not perfect, stands on the side of justice and humanity, while her enemies would take us all into the barbarous past. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Netanyahu, Stay Strong! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Fernando, did you just get on the bus? Waht's all the nonsense about 99.9% of happy Israelis and Palestinians wanting to be a "happy family?" You've got to get your history and facts right before offering those "suggestions." Lot's of homework to do. Where have you been hiding, "Fernandos Hideaway"? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I thought this topic dealt with Jewish revival in Siberia, which is as miraculous an any event in history, but some of the above continue to beat the Goldstone controversy to death. One is about the thrill of the eternal Jew, and the other is about the horror of the eternal Amalek. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 What is it about "progressive" Jews that makes them see red every time some conservative American expresses solidarity with the Jewish people or their religion? The wrong people? Why? While the rate of assimilation is picking up speed and Jewish numbers are dropping precipitiously, a friendly gesture by a conservative commentator sends you to paraxisms? While your children (often products of mixed marriages) are exposed to a continuous barrage of anti-Israel harrangues by their professors, you are worried about the Glenn Becks and Rush Limbaughs? At least the last two are not virulent anti-Semites and enemies of Israel. Yet, the "liberals," much admired by the "enlightened" Jewish community support policies of making nice with Iran and "reaching out" to the Muslim world (who, by the way, consider these gestures a sign of weakness and surrender) take for granted that their Jews will continue to give them their votes. Very strange. There's something definitely rotten in the cucoo land of Jewish America. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 The charges that Israel refuses to investigate violations of IDF regulations for behavior in combat are just a pack of lies. There are at least 80 such investigations going on right now! These accusations, along with charges of "apartheid" and "cruel occupation" are all a part of continuous parade of crocodile teared "outraged humanity's" concern with the plight of the Palestinians (whose conditions have been created and maintained by Arab nations refusal, and UN's collaboration in these aims, to resettle these poor wretches in their sparsely-populated lands) are lies, lies and more lies. A fifty (or is it sixty-) year war against Israel did not start with "apartheid or "cruel occupation" ; it started with the procamation of the Jewish state, long before "settlements" or "occupation of Palestinian lands." Gaza is but the latest episode in that war. Remember that; the war never ended and the three NO's are still practiced by all but two Arab states. For those who still insist that the above is just "Zionist propaganda," I urge an uncomfortable shlep to the Nether regions. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 "Hamas booby-trapped houses and took a number of combatant measures in Gaza. This of course is in addition to firing rockets at civilians in Israel. That’s a war." J.Whitson In the minds of our critics, there were no justifications for Israeli response and therfore, it is guilty of "war crimes." What rot! (As British colonels used to say in old war films.) Since Israel is guilty of "being born in sin," nothing the Jewish state does in its own self-defense is ever justified. So, forget about explaining your pro-Israel position since these views are completely unrelated to reality. In particular, ignore anything that emanates from DREk and his allies. Stay strong! Con afecto to lovers and friends of Israel! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Now that even Ha'aretz has condemned Galdstone hatchet job on Israel, will Jewish "progressives" stop lining up behind Jew-haters? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Why would JTA find it necessary to give a platform to this nobody of niche films? Had his entry been screened at TIFF, you can be certain that the festival audiences would have ignored his pathetic efforts en masse. Why, oh, why does a "Jewish" web-site feel compelled (when others are shunning this "artist") to provide space for an ignorant and obviously disturbed human being? Ari H,, your "non-judgemental" enthusiasm for "cinema arts" dazzles me. Even if the auteur happens to be Leni Riefenstahl? Unlike Greyson, she was a film artist and unlike him, she was good at what she was doing. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Remember your Rosh Hashana resolution: Shun our enemies and agents provocateurs. Shana Tova to all friends of Israel and the Jewish people. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 As George Jonas writes in today's National Post (Canada): "This week the American lawyer Alan Dershowitz wrote in the Jerusalem Post that 'if the methodology and conclussions of (Goldstone's) infamous report were ever applied generally to democracies seeking to combat terrorists who hide behind civilians - as in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq - it would constitute a great victory for terrorism and a defeat for democracies.' Dershowitz went on to say that we don't have to worry because the report isn't intended to establish general principles of international law and is directed - 'for shame' - for shame - only at 'the Jew amongst nations - Israel' Yes, singling out Israel would be shameful, but Mr. Dershowitz is mistaken. Israel is where it begins. It doesn't end there." For those of us concerned with the survival of Israel and democracy in the world in general, we have to take Jonas' warning most seriously. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Thanks, Thomas. Now, a little lesson of Jewish ethics for those who love to advise suicidal tactics for the Jewish state, as if submitting to the enemy is a natural tendency for Jews, and putting oneself under the knife is the preferable option when confronted by one who wishes you dead. 1. Jewish sources are firm on the necessity to perpetuate the species and on defense: "Cut off the arm of the one who raises it to kill you!" The mindless "Better Red than dead" is okay when you're under the influence of LSD. It does not at all apply for Israel, of for any other self-respecting society. 2. On the question of "excessive" responses and "proportionality" : If the Jewish community would actually embrace this "helpful advice, " one Israeli death for one of its enmies, the following would accur: There will be no living Jews in the area, but the Arabs would still amount to 245,000, 000! (This number does not include Persians and other Muslims!) Who could possible advise such a policy (and pretend even-handedness)but a malevolent enemy of the Jews. And, what Jew could possibly embrace this "fair" suggestion" but one is certifiably insane. Thank you for your attention. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I can't figure out who among the above is a fool and who is a knave. Just like Goldstone ("Have an eggroll, Mr. Goldstone..), these articulate individuals - either naive or malevolent - refuse to deal with motivations and Israel's years long restraint in the face of intollerable assault of its citizenry by a gand of terrorists (Its not a yikhes that they were elected by overwhelming numbers of their fellow-terrorism lovers. Let us not forget that democracy was used to bring Hitler to power, and too many Germans voted for him in a free election. Exercise of the franchise is no guarantee of moral results.) For those of us concerned with the security of Israel and the abhorent treatment it receives at the hands of the "international community," let us resolve on this Rosh Hashana 5770 to shun those who will do us harm or those among our own people who encourage our enemies by their support of "justice" for everyone but the Jewish state. Shana Tova, y'all 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Very nice message, convincingly delivered. Preaching to Jews not to harden our hearts seems to to miss the point that without standing up to our enemies (means hardening our hearts0 no beating Jjewish hearts would be left. Much more would be achieved if, instead of telling Muslims what a fine lot they are and how "we share our values with them," Obama would tell them how hard their hearts are in their treatment of their own people and how this cruelty spills over to the way Islamic societies face the world. The Cairo speech WAS a beginning (with reality lapses and historical errors), but only a follow-up as a reminder of the "root causes" - Arab intollerance and unmanaged fury - would do wonders to restore reality in an area wrapped in myth. Complete acceptance by Arabs of Israel as a legitimate state in the Middle East would bring the conflict to aan end; dancing around the problem and asking Jews to "soften their hearts" towards their mortal enemies is just a tap dance. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 •Israel did not deliberately target the civilian population of Gaza and, in fact, made efforts to prevent civilian casualties that no other army in the world would have done. •Contrary to the assertions of Goldstone, Hamas did use Palestinian civilians as human shields. •The Goldstone Report is not objective and is, in fact tainted by bias and politicization, both from the UN Human Rights Council and members of the mission itself. •The report relied upon the contributions of anti-Israel non-governmental organizations and unreliable Palestinian "eyewitnesses." •Israel respects human rights and has a sophisticated legal and judicial system. Hamas does not. Yet the report has created an unjust equivalence of a democratic state with a terror organization. CLAIM: ISRAEL DELIBERATELY TARGETED PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS THE FACTS: •The Goldstone Report states: "While the Israeli Government has sought to portray its operations as essentially a response to rocket attacks in the exercise of its right to self defence, the Mission considers the plan to have been directed, at least in part, at a different target: the people of Gaza as a whole…deeds by Israeli forces and words of military and political leaders prior to and during the operations indicate that as a whole they were premised on a deliberate policy of disproportionate force aimed not at the enemy but at the 'supporting infrastructure.' In practice, this appears to have meant the civilian population." •So why did the IDF drop thousands of warning leaflets, make over 200,000 telephone warnings to Palestinian civilians, abort missile strikes to prevent civilian casualties, open a field clinic for Palestinians on the Gaza border, and transfer tons of humanitarian aid during the conflict? CLAIM: THE REPORT FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF PALESTINIANS USING HUMAN SHIELDS THE FACTS: •While Goldstone maintains that he could not find any evidence of the use of human shields by Hamas, even the terrorist organization admits it. CLAIM: THE GOLDSTONE REPORT IS OBJECTIVE AND UNTAINTED BY BIAS OR POLITICIZATION THE FACTS: •It was clear that one out of the four members of the Goldstone Mission, Professor Christine Chinkin, had already made up her mind, having signed a letter before the conflict had even ended, clearly stating that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to "war crimes" and that Palestinian rocket attacks were not significant enough for Israel to exercise her right to self-defense. •The UN Human Rights Council includes states known for having questionable records with regards to human rights or a history of hostility towards Israel, including Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Pakistan, Bahrain, Mauritius and Qatar. The UNHRC has consistently discriminated against Israel and the mandate for the Goldstone Mission was no different. •The mandate was not supported by many leading democratic members of the HRC – the European Union, Japan, Canada and Switzerland all refused to back the resolution. •The mandate (HRC Resolution S-9/1) for the fact-finding mission was "to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by the occupying Power, Israel, against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, due to the current aggression" -- already determining that Israel had committed "violations of international human rights law " before the investigation even began. •Additionally, the Resolution determined that Israel caused " massive violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people and systematic destruction of Palestinian infrastructure" while demanding that Israel "stop the targeting of civilians and medical facilities and staff and the systematic destruction of the cultural heritage of the Palestinian people, in addition to the destruction of public and private properties." This, too, before any investigation even took place. •As Melanie Phillips notes: "So this 'objective' inquiry had been told before it was even established that the guilty party in Gaza was Israel, designated by the UN as the 'occupying power'; that it was guilty of 'aggression' and 'violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law'; and that the Palestinians of Gaza were the victims of this Israeli aggression." CLAIM: THERE IS NO REASON TO DOUBT THE RELIABILITY OF "EYEWITNESSES" AND NGOs THE FACTS: •Time and again, Palestinian "eyewitnesses" and non-governmental organizations have been proven to be unreliable, giving unverifiable evidence. •Judge Goldstone has a long association with Human Rights Watch, even serving on its board until removing himself when it was pointed out that remaining with HRW would be inappropriate. Yet he cites HRW sources in the Report, including material by the Nazi memorabilia collecting Marc Garlasco, who is currently suspended by HRW pending an investigation. •Some of the Palestinian witnesses heard by the mission were actually Hamas operatives directly involved in terrorism. One such witness, Mohammed Fuoad Abu Askar of Jebaliyeh, was actually a senior Hamas operative who used his house to store arms and ammunition, which lead to the IDF strike against the structure. •The case of Khaled and Kawthar Abed Rabbo, as outlined by CAMERA, offers ample evidence of unreliable witnesses. While the Goldstone committee "found Khalid and Kawthar Abd Rabbo to be credible and reliable witnesses [and] has no reason to doubt the veracity of the main elements of their testimony," Khaled Abd Rabbo and his relatives have given more than a dozen different versions of what happened to them on Jan. 7, 2009. •In addition, as evidenced in the above case, Goldstone failed to take into account the loyalties of different Palestinian factions and the incentive for Fatah or Hamas members to blame Israeli soldiers for killings that were actually part of intra-Palestinian violence. CLAIM: ISRAEL IS INCAPABLE OF HOLDING ITSELF TO ACCOUNT WITHIN A PROPER LEGAL FRAMEWORK THE FACTS: •Goldstone refers to Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists as "armed groups" while the IDF stands accused of targeting Gaza's civilian population. The report has created an unjust equivalence of a democratic state with a terror organization. •In addition, Goldstone calls for both Israelis and Palestinians to investigate alleged crimes. This despite the fact that Israel's legal and judicial apparatus is fully equipped and motivated to address alleged violations of national or international law by its commanders and soldiers. Such allegations are reviewed through a multi-tiered system of independent and impartial proceedings before Israeli investigative, administrative and judicial authorities, including Israel's highest judicial instance, the Israeli Supreme Court. •How can Goldstone imply that Hamas or the Palestinian Authority operates a legal system that comes close to anything resembling that of a western democracy? Expect to see more of the Goldstone Report in the media over the coming days and weeks. This UN report based on the work of investigators who publicized their opinions before the investigation began and reliant on unreliable and tainted sources, delivered exactly what we expected: a drawn out condemnation of Israel's efforts to defend its citizens against Hamas's rockets. In reality, it is the UN Human Rights Council that should be investigated for its complete failure to take action to protect the human rights of Israel's citizens. FURTHER RESOURCES •Gaza Facts: The Israeli Perspective, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs •Goldstone Report: 575 pages of NGO "cut and paste", NGO Monitor •Analysis: Goldstone's kangaroo court report, Gerald Steinberg, The Jerusalem Post •The Moral Inversion of Richard Goldstone, Melanie Phillips, The Spectator •Israel Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren interviewed on PBS •Goldstone's sins of omission, Dan Kosky, Comment is Free •Goldstone Report Inaccuracies, Pts. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Elder of Ziyon •The Goldstone Commisson: Something Happened On The Way to Gaza, Daled Amos •The Goldstone Commission on human shields: Lies and damned lies, Israel Matzav 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Treating Israel and Hamas as virtual equals (as it appears to be the case in the Goldstone report) is the very height of absenity. What more needs to be said? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Thank you, Haviv. Sometimes, I lose heart from the ferocity of the anti-Semitic hatred (yes, anti-semites, both Jewish and others). Ya'sher Koakh. The struggle continues. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 How pathetic we are. Jewish groups don't bring up increassed sanctions against Iran not to embarrass the administration and j Street opposes any sanctions lest Obama is embarrassed/ Akhmadinejad is insulted. Whose side are these "leaders" on? So much for the Jewish lobby. Walt and Mearsheim must be very pleased. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Mr. Schikler, I am not at all convinced by your explanation. For every Pat Buchanan, there are many unabashed friends of the Jewish people and the state of Israel. There are far too many Chomskys, Kleins and J Street "innocents" in your corner than there are among those among the "feared" religious Right I have been a reader of Commentary since the times when it touted itself as a liberal (if not a socialist) publication. But as it, reacting to the changing political scenery, began to turn rightward, most of its readership not blind to reality, followed the editors with great comfort. My search for justice (as well as Jewish survival) and support for democracy found expression on the pages of Commentary magazine in their struggle against Soviet tyranny, Muslim Islamo-fascism and in a world sulivating for Jewish blood, in unconditional defense of Israel. My choice is very simple: I will not make common cause with those who pray for the destruction Israel, undermine America and pretend to be interested in equating Israel with her mortal enemies. I see no comparison at all in the causes. Perhaps, you're right on one factor in particular that a hundred years of American-Jewish Reform and Conservative movements influuence have managed the impossible; they washed the "pintele Yid" out of their adherents. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 What a surprise that so many "progressives" on this thread agree with J Street traitors. I am not shocked by those who in order to save themselves try to distance themselves from Klal Israel, lest they share their fate. " I am not one of them, they say. " You are right to hate them," they add. Remember our history. The Helenists who wanted to be "modern" and sided with Macabees' enemies. Josephus, who watched the slaughter of fellow-Jews from behind Roman lines, and the more recent Judenrat members who hoped to save their miserable lives by cooperating with the Nazis. J Street is of the same miserable lineage. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 It maybe important for some on this thread for Israel to cooperate with those who wish it dead, but I for one am glad that the Jewish state declined the honor this time, and hope will do likewise from now on. The ones who are wringing their fingers over Israel's "outlaw" status are not genuine and their crocodile tears will never be mistaken for anything else. O, Israel, refuse to "engage" with your mortal enemies and their "even-handed" friends. Fight for your dignity and your survival. The whole world may not be your friend, but there are many of us that are with you. The others, how can I put it diplomatically, could go to hell. At least, I hope so. "Israel, cut off the hand tthat is raised against you." 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 So, Obama and his loyalists are complaining that stories of U.S./Israel rift are lies. Never mind that he let the IDF chief of staff cool his heels. Never mind that he refused to delivered the promised and paid for new fighter jets. Never mind that he continued to pressure Israel to continue making concessions, while going easy on his Islamic pals. Etc., etc., etc. Do some of you actually believe that he, a product of an Islamic education, friendship with "Rev." Wright, his "acquaintenship" with Ayres, everyone of them enemies of America and Israel will do good for both America and Israel? Guess who is lying here. It's the one who reached out to the followers of the "religion of peace," the one who demeaned the presidency by apologizing for America and bowing down to Arab tyrants. And what was the Arab response for dragging Old Glory through camel dung? I am completely stunned as I watch seemingly intelligent people supporting the unsupportable.Those of you who fit that category are either stupid or insane My father used to tell me that there are people into whose faces you can spit and they will still swear that it's raining. You certainly appear to be that. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Ha'aretz has always been a shameless liar. Usually it's reason for sedition has been to embarrass "fascis" Israel;li governments. If the current lies, if they are, in fact, lies, will serve to show up the real state of relations between Obama's America and Israel, finally showing pride and a determination to survive, inspite of Obam,a and his "Jewish" henchmen. All to the good. Am Israel Khai! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Fellows: Discussing with reasonable people is very worthwhile, but engaging Kamerad Evans on topics of "Israeli apartheit", "cruel occupation" , "genocidal massacres", "unjustified evictions and demolitions of Arab homes" or anything that has to do with "Israeli perfidy" is an exercise in futility. Like spitting into the wind, it is a silly pursuit. Ignore him, and maybe he'll go away to peddle his wares elsewhere. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Of course, the Israelis who only have their lives to lose, are nowhere near as clever, nor as "committed to peace," as American Jews are. Their "support " for President B.O. is the inverse to that of U.S. Jews'. How stupid they are! Or, are they? If not, who is then? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Had the author listened for any length of time to Limbaugh, he would have realized that that conservative commntator is as unhappy with the Republican party as he is with Obama's Democrats. It is absolute nonsense to lable him a racist or to accuse him of anti-feminism because he did not like Satomajor's decision on the affirmative action case (which a superior court has just thrown out!). Do you like her politically-slanted decisions? Obama sat for over twenty years in a racist church, cavorted with foes of America and Israel, and disagreed with them on everything, right? You actually believe this bilge? Come on, give your readers some credit for brains and sanity. Obviously 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I don't really know who this Waters is, but I am certain that he is part of this wild tribe of loutish screamers. Most of them are not only scruffy dressers in need of a good scrubbing, but their ignorance whenever they open their mouths to opine would appal even some of their semi-literate fans. In the dark recesses of his addled brain he sees Israel as the "oppressor" and "occupier" and wants to support the "oppressed." It's all quite pathetic. Enough said. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 What makes me rather uncomfortable with this "Jewish" publication and this website is the rather neutral tone that it takes in reporting items of Jewish interest. For example, this Ukranian anti-Semite is decribed in the blurb as "controversial mayor." Controversial? Was Bogdan Khmelnitzky controversial? How about Himmler. also controversial? Perhaps, in some people's minds. But surely there was nothing controversial about him in JEWISH minds. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I hate to go to extremes, Ari H., but your comment of respect that ended with "he was good at something" really got me. Many people have been good at many things, but there too many that have been accomplished at evil. Haman was good at villainy. Therefore there is something indecent in wasting decency on scoundrels and villains. That's what Novak was, a scoundrel and a villain. No respect is owed to him. My dear mother (May she rest in peace) used to say: "Sof ganif, tliyah." 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 So Uriel Hellman doesn't like Netayahu's caveats if israel is to agree to share that thin strip of land with a people that still vow to kill Jews, excuse me, practice "resistance" by any means.. How inconsiderate of Israel's prime minister to refuse to dance around the same mulberry tree yet again if the dancing partner keeps insisting on coming to the dance dressed in his favorite suicide belt! Will Israel ever stop issuing preconditions of keeping its people alive? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Archie1954: Wrong again! Jews were unhappy with Durban I. Just Jews and their friends. Not both sides. The anti-Semitic orgy unleashed at Durban was a thrill to many and unleashed a veritable hate-fest in Europe, Asia and South America, especially among "the progressives." Not both sides. I love The "Jewish" Daily Forward's neutrality. Isn't there a specially reserved place for those practicing neutrality at a time of crisis in Dante's Inferno? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Ari H: How long will people like you ("most people think that it was a success"*) continue deluding yourselves (and therefore miss redirecting your energies to the fight against Islamofascism)) with "hopeful" emanations from the latest "congress of ghouls" in Ramalla? Nothing good will come out of this gathering of Arafat worshipers. Didn't they just accuse Israel of "assassinating" their favorite poisonous toad? Please, please, stop creating a new "moderate base". It will only lead to another "shocking disappointment. You must be a religious fanatic who believes in things that have no material reality. * THE SAME 78% WHO VOTED FOR THE MESSIAH 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Blackie: The disgusting monster died as a result of filthy perversion. How can there be so many that actually think that "negotiating peace" with the followers of that ugly poisonous toad can bear any favorable results? What other proof is necessary for the fans of the "peace process" to be revolted by the latest emanation from the Palestinian "Athority." "Authority" in what, corruption, murder, perfidy, dishonesty? Are these the qualities needed in a "peace partner?" It's enough to make one sick! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 It seems that Israelis have no difficulty understanding Obama; they understand him perfectly. That's why they're nervous. It's the American Jews that seem to have gone stupid or pretend to be stupid as the unpleasant and even frightening facts keep smashing into their faces. How long do they intend to ignore these pesky facts? Why don't we try again? It's really not that complicated. Here's an "analysis" of Obama from the Black prospective: THE SOURCES OF OBAMA'S ANTI-ISRAEL POLICY A Reader comment on item: Barack Obama and Islam: An Ongoing Saga Submitted by Bishop E. W. Jackson Sr. * June 16, 2009 Like Obama, I am a graduate of Harvard Law School. I too have Muslims in my family. I am black, and I was once a leftist Democrat. Since our backgrounds are somewhat similar, I perceive something in Obama's policy toward Israel which people without that background may not see. All my life I have witnessed a strain of anti-Semitism in the black community. It has been fueled by the rise of the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan, but it predates that organization. We heard it in Jesse Jackson's "HYMIE town" remark years ago during his presidential campaign. We heard it most recently in Jeremiah Wright's remark about "them Jews" not allowing Obama to speak with him. I hear it from my own Muslim family members who see the problem in the Middle East as a "Jew" problem. Growing up in a small, predominantly black urban community in Pennsylvania, I heard the comments about Jewish shop owners. They were "greedy cheaters" who could not be trusted, according to my family and others in the neighborhood I was too young to understand what it means to be Jewish, or know that I was hearing anti-Semitism. These people seemed nice enough to me, but others said they were "evil". Sadly, this bigotry has yet to be eradicated from the black community. In Chicago, the anti-Jewish sentiment among black people is even more pronounced because of the direct influence of Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. Most African Americans are not followers of "The Nation," but many have a quiet respect for its leader because, they say, "he speaks the truth" and "stands up for the black man." What they mean of course is that he viciously attacks the perceived "enemies" of the black community – white people and Jews. Even some self-described Christians buy into his demagoguery. The question is whether Obama, given his Muslim roots and experience in Farrakhan's Chicago, shares this antipathy for Israel and Jewish people. Is there any evidence that he does. First, the President was taught for twenty years by a virulent anti-Semite, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. In the black community it is called "sitting under." You don't merely attend a church, you "sit under" a Pastor to be taught and mentored by him. Obama "sat under" Wright for a very long time. He was comfortable enough with Farrakhan – Wright's friend – to attend and help organize his "Million Man March." I was on C-Span the morning of the march arguing that we must never legitimize a racist and anti-Semite, no matter what "good" he claims to be doing. Yet our future President was in the crowd giving Farrakhan his enthusiastic support. The classic left wing view is that Israel is the oppressive occupier, and the Palestinians are Israel's victims. Obama is clearly sympathetic to this view. In speaking to the "Muslim World," he did not address the widespread Islamic hatred of Jews. Instead he attacked Israel over the growth of West Bank settlements. Surely he knows that settlements are not the crux of the problem. The absolute refusal of the Palestinians to accept Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state is the insurmountable obstacle. That's where the pressure needs to be placed, but this President sees it differently. He also made the preposterous comparison of the Holocaust to Palestinian "dislocation." Obama clearly has Muslim sensibilities. He sees the world and Israel from a Muslim perspective. His construct of "The Muslim World"is unique in modern diplomacy. It is said that only The Muslim Brotherhood and other radical elements of the religion use that concept. It is a call to unify Muslims around the world. It is rather odd to hear an American President use it. In doing so he reveals more about his thinking than he intends. The dramatic policy reversal of joining the unrelentingly ant-Semitic, anti-Israel and pro-Islamic UN Human Rights Council is in keeping with the President's truest – albeit undeclared – sensibilities Those who are paying attention and thinking about these issues do not find it unreasonable to consider that President Obama is influenced by a strain of anti-Semitism picked up from the black community, his leftist friends and colleagues, his Muslim associations and his long period of mentorship under Jeremiah Wright. If this conclusion is accurate, Israel has some dark days ahead. For the first time in her history, she may find the President of the United States siding with her enemies. Those who believe as I do that Israel must be protected had better be ready for the fight. We are. NEVER AGAIN! * E.W. Jackson is Bishop of Exodus Faith Ministries, an author and retired attorney. Email: bshpjksn@gmail.com 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Hurray for the Ausies. Even though political correctness is making its paralyzing inroads into Australian politics, the citizens of the southern continent are still capable of drawing the right conclusions. If it walks like an ape, growls like an ape and stinks like an ape, you know what, it's an ape! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 So, according to the JTA, only "some Israel's supporters, particularly on the Right" are upset with Obama's awarding of the Medal of Freedom to the "prime mover" of that anti-Semitic Durban One? Would an actual pogrom move them to join those of us who are outraged by Obama's sense of values or perversion of merit, or do they think that their own "even handedness" makes them "acceptable" Jews? "If I am not for myself, who'll be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And, if not now, when?" 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 How timid some of you are. How "sensitive" to UK and US "major reservations." They have always had many more reservations about Jewish "encroachments" on Arab "legitimate rights" than ever about Jewish indigenous rights. Do you know that east Jerusalem is full of illegal buildings put up by Arabs withiout permits? What about Arab inhabitants who refuse to pay their municipal taxes? When will the British prime minister and the president of the United States become indignant about these? Do you know why the Jerusalem city hall does not enforce its own tax regulations? The mayor worries about upsetting the above gentlemen. And you, nice sensitive and timid souls, siding with their interpretation of what's gouing on. Look on the map of the area and tell yourself as to who is encroaching on whom, and then, Jew or friend, stop giving aid and comfort to Israel's enemies. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Hey, hey, let's not get excited and enraged, all you opponents of "that reactionary and unreasonable Right Wing." Being investigated by the Israeli police and being threatened with charges is just a way of doing political business in Israel. Almost every politician worth his salt has been investigated and hounded on a variety of charges, anything from corruption, rape, money laudering, etc., etc. Very few of them have actually resulted in serious consequences. Remember Rabin being charged with skirting financial regulations, Dayan with sexual misconduct, Netanyahu with benefiting from his position? It's just the cost of putting oneself into the public arena. Let's not jump to conclusions about the "born in sin" consevative politicians. And, the saintliness of the Left. Edwards: By the way, Joe Lieberman is a man of principle and an independent thinker. He has certainly demonstrated this by refusing membership in the rhino herd His Connecticut supporters have obviously shown much more common sense and sophistication than you are exhibiting on this site. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Jeffrey: You bet. What will make this film attractive to the makhers of SFJFF is the neutral report by Reuters. The Hamas is an organization that "the West considers a terrorist group." This epic of Arab propaganda is a chronicle of a "Palestinian miltant" who is responsible "for the deaths of 13 Israeli settlers and soldiers." Some militant! And, accordingly, these Gazan "militants" are fighting "against Israeli occupation." Occupation of Gaza? Does it matter to these "freedom fighters?" Or, to the san Francisco "Jewish" Film Festival? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I have attended a lecture by a visiting Arab-Israeli attorney sponsored by the NIF at a local synagogue. Although he was a product of Israeli liberalism, he was not very appreciative of the opportunities offered him. Whereas all of the men present wore hats or kippas, the speaker refused to honor his hosts or showed the courtesy of respecting the Jewish house of worship. When I brought this up at the conclusion of the lecture, he refused to respond, and none of those present took offense. So much for NIF's Jjewish pride and concern with the survival of a Jewish Israel. I am not at all impressed with their activities, except in a most negative way. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 How timid you are, Mr. Kamberg. You obviously have embraced the libel of Jew as the aggressor. Long before there was the "cruel occupation," "the stolen land" and "vile humiliation," long before there was the Hagana, or any other Jewish military defensive force, the Arabs (that's what they called themselves before their national "consciousness") raided Jewish communities and marauded defenseless Jews. Hebron was one such community that has now acquired (and seems to be supported by "enlightened" Jews) the status of a Judenrein location. Surely you know that. Why do you persist in being "even handed?" 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 It warms my old Jewish heart that I live at a time when Jewish impotence in defending our people has been replaced by the capacity to return the pain on those who wish to harm us. "Those who unleash the wind shall inherit the whirlwind." For those whose Jewish values have been metamorphed into a "turn the other cheek" Christian approach, surely they should know that there's nothing Jewish in this kind of "humility." As for that great American patriot, Thomas Paine, perhaps unlike Mr. Karnberg, he would have been proud of the maintenance of civil liberties in Israel (even of its Arab citizenry) and an humanitarian treatment of its enemies. Their ability to retain control under the most severe provocations is to be admired, and the IDF's record of investigating charges of misbehavior needs no prompting from any other countries. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Perotti: When was the last time you have taken a good look at the map of the region? Who is occupying whom? Why is Israel occupying just a sliver on the eastern Mediterranean shore when so much more was allocated to the Jews by history, the British, the Balfour Declaration, the League of Nations, etc., etc.? Has Israel got all the Arabs surrounded yet? Will you be satisfied when these "aggressive Israelis" have finally withdrawn to the Tel Aviv beach? Two miles into the Med? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Disgusted, this is for you, even though you probably think that Jews are far too influential and disloyal to America and that Obama is much too soft on Israel Confused and Fearful Jews of America Prof. Paul Eidelberg Jews in Israel are appalled by the confused state of Jews in America. How could almost 80 percent vote for Barack Obama, a man who, for two decades, attended the church of Jew-hating preacher—to say nothing of Obama’s pro-Muslim attitude? If this were not enough, how could so many Jews vote for a candidate lacking notable legislative accomplishments and executive experience? True, a large majority of American Jews have been voting for the Democratic Party for more than seven decades. Is this symptomatic of a herd mentality? In contrast, one poll indicated that only five percent of Israeli Jews supported Obama. Can it be that the atmosphere of Eretz Israel makes one wiser? If so, does this apply to Israeli politicians? Socrates identified wisdom with virtue. Hmmmm? Polls show that 80 to 90 percent of the Jews in this country deem Israel’s government corrupt. Even the approval rating of the Supreme Court has fallen below 50 percent. This data is more significant in view of the fact that Israel’s media have ever been dominated by the Left, which former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak calls Israel’s “enlightened population.” Can it be that the mentality of Israel’s “enlightened population” has much in common with the herd mentality of the American Jews who voted for Obama? Still, six decades of leftist propaganda cannot but erode the intelligence of many Jews in Israel—more so given the deplorable level of Jewish education in the public schools. Perhaps the most revealing evidence of public confusion the State of Israel appeared in a Dahaf poll of 9 August 2002, when Ariel Sharon was prime minister. Asked, “Is Ariel Sharon a reliable prime minister?” — 63% of Israelis said Yes. Asked, “Do you count on Sharon to successfully lead the nation?” — 57% said Yes. Asked, “What grade do you give to the performance of Sharon as prime minister?” — 63% said “GOOD.” Yet, when asked, “Does Sharon have a diplomatic program?” — only 36% said Yes, while 55% said No! To further illustrate the public’s confused state of mind, when asked “Does the Sharon Government know how to wipe out terrorism?” — only 36% said Yes, while 60% said No! Confronted by the question, “Since the establishment of the Sharon Government, who has been winning the struggle?” — 30% said Israel, 33% said the Palestinians, while 33% said Neither! Surely one may conclude from the answers to these questions that (1) Sharon was NOT a reliable prime minister; (2) he COULD NOT be counted upon to successfully lead the nation; and (3) his performance as prime minister was BAD! To clinch the point, when asked, “Will the frequency of terror attacks change in the near future?” — 67% said it will INCREASE! And when asked, “Do you fear being hurt in a terror attack?” – 77% said Yes! What can explain this paradoxical (and ludicrous) data? How could the same people have such a positive view of Sharon as a prime minister and yet have such a negative assessment of his record on the all-important issue of Arab terrorism? How could they grade his performance as prime minister as “GOOD” and yet anticipate an INCREASE in terror attacks? Perhaps because most Israelis believe that Arab terror is inevitable, and that they knew of no one who could do better than Sharon in preventing it? Probing deeper, however, their pessimism regarding Arab terror, and therefore, their positive view of Sharon, can be explained as the result of many years of brainwashing. For the public has in fact been indoctrinated to believe there is no military solution to the terrorist problem. (Yet there are military experts who reject this negative attitude.) But there is still a deeper level of public confusion in Israel. Underlying the denial of a military solution to Arab terrorism is the denial that there is any solution to the “Palestinian problem.” The public has been given to believe that the Arabs residing in Judea and Samaria (and Gaza) can neither be pacified nor expelled. This is why Sharon, in 2003, supported the establishment of a Palestinian state—now the unambiguous position of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But thanks to Israel’s ruling elites, there is still a deeper level of public confusion. At the root of this confusion is the inability of these elites to take Islam seriously. The truth is that the disciples of Muhammad have a single goal: to destroy Israel. The so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a lethal denial of this truth. But this means that the state of confusion that has long prevailed in Israel, and the fearfulness of Jews on Tisha B’Av, may be attributed, in no small measure, to the mendacity and timidity of Israel’s ruling elites. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 6999 of my spam emails to date. The Professional version does not have this message. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 There's something pathological in Jews apologizing for crimes they did not commit. The sychophancy of this article is enough to cause a diabetic reaction. We have been and continue to be more sinned against than sinners. Yet, the desire to be thought well by those that keep spitting in our faces is a wonder to behold. Did not Jews play an inordinately large part in the formation of the NAACP at a time when their own place in society was not that secure? What was the Black community's response? A rise in anti-Semitism. Did the "progressive Jews" notice this, or are they incapable of insult, unless they're mistaken for defenders of Jewish rights in Israel? So, Gates wrote a blurb for Dershewitz's book. Did not this same Harvard (formerly of CCNY where he developed his "reputation") professor introduce the "thesis" of Jews as the primary actors in the slavery trade? And some of us still thrill at being in his company. Any friend of Omaba is a friend... How lacking in pride we are. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Oh, yes, I forgot. Peace in the area will not be found by stomping on Israel , forcing it to continue withdrawing to accommodate Islamofascist dreams of a Juden-rein "Palestine." Peace will come when the Arabs and Muslims everywhere accept the idea of a Jewish state (not the lip service acceptance). Then, there'll be lots of land for all to settle down and live their lives. There's plenty of desert to go around. Until then, Israel should circle the wagons, prepare to defend itself and get on with your business 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Peter Wedlund: By the standards of Barak Hussein Obama, George W. Bush is beginning to look better and better. While American Jews , in their superior "wisdom," rejected the "stupid" Bush in great majorities and embraced "smart" Obama, Israelis knew both from their experience and in their kishkes who is "good for the Jews." 78% of American Jewish voters turned to Obama, while Israeli Jews in similar numbers in polls rejected the "hope and change" candidate. With Obama at the tiller, it is already becoming clear where America and Israel stand. Are we better or worse off since the new administration with its respect for "suffering Palestinians" and "disrespected Muslims" has taken over? I vote for worse. Of course, there will be many who will try to justify their election choice by denegrating further the object of their scorn. As usual, not that difficult to predict, we will find that the new wizard is but a flim-flam artist with a nasty streak. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Evans: In November 1947. the Jewish population of what was about to become Israel through its representatives, although bitterly disappointed, accepted the decision of the United Nations. The Arabs rejected it and declared war. There have been many wars since and many dead, many dislocations on both sides. This went on for over half century. Israel prevailed, the Arabs lost. They provoked one conflict after another driving themselves and the Israelis to near-insanity. They can not be rewarded for this. In a sliver of a land that is fifty miles wide at its broadest and dangerously ten-miles at its narrowest, there is nothing to reward its tormentors with that would allow Israel to continue living. They cannot demand redress for problems caused by them or their friends. Nevertheless, Israel on many occasions has expressed the desire to help with the final resolution of the refugee problem. Arab response? Not interested. I have been to Israel many times and have been amazed at the accomplishments of its heroic people under circumstances that would have broken others, and therefore none of your links would make me see Israel or its magnificent people as the villains some of your ilk see. I live in the real world. End of story. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Mussa: This business about enlarging the Arab population of Israel is just a lot of nonsense.You are completely off the mark about Moshe Arens, a completely rational and courageous man. He is a political conservative and an Israeli patriot. I don't know about his son, but it's true that there is a wacko left-wing brother who thirty years ago taught at Temple University. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Evans: I see that you are a Johnie-One-Note and a dispenser of tainted links. You refuse to engage in a discussion and have ignored any of the points made in rebuttal. A fair and knowledgable person does not require citations to back up his points. You are neither. Therefore, I find you a jerk, a nudnik and a knave. Get thee gone! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Mr. Evans: It's almost tedious, but I'll try again: Wow! Serious accusations. But are they valid, or mere repetitions of the usual canards by the usual suspects? Expansion? Into Judea? Does the name mean anything to you? Judea (Roman name) is the historic birthplace of the Jewish people recognized by history, religious heritage, the League of Nations, Balfour Declaration, etc., etc. After one betrayal after another, the West "allowed" the Jews to return to a small part of their ancient homeland only to be met with the hostility and violence of the squatters. I guess you mind the Israelis' success of defending themselves. It's the Arabs that are the invaders and the squatters. Why do you uphold their false claims? Anti-Semitism, I ask only. Perhaps it's all quite well-meaning but ignorant. If the American Indian is considered the aboriginal, why do you reject the Jewish people's rights in their own homeland? Land theft? Where? The Jerusalem development land has been bought and paid for. Theft? What has been stolen? Whatever do you think happened to the property of Jews driven out of Arab lands? It's hard to believe that a reasonable person, supposedly educated and pretending to be fair would hold these views In this vision of reality, no Arab population of the area has ever rejected the U.N. partition plan of 1947, no Arab states have ever aggressed against the Jewish state, after beaten on the battlefield the Arab brotherhood refused to recognize, negotiate or have peace with Israel, and even if some of them, forced by reality, developed relations with their Jewish neighbor, these relations continue to be conditional and frigid, not at all meeting the conditions of the original agreements. Surely you know that it is not the first time in history that conflicts bring about dislocation of populations (like the 750,000,00 Jews from Arab lands who have been resettled in Israel and elsewhere), but it's the first time in history that those responsible continue to keep the disposessed in squalid conditions as a strategic weapon against their enemy. As for myself, this is the problem and not at all the choice of Israel No, Sir, it is not Israel that is guilty of the crimes listed in your dispeptic posting, but rather those and their supporters who continue to keep the pot boiling over a fire of intransigence and hatred . 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Ms. Raivich: Thanks for stating what unforunately appears to be a mystery to so many. What is it that makes so many American Jews so very uncomfortable with the facts of Jewish legitimacy in the Land of Israel? Why do so many of them find it difficult to unabashedly defend this right? Why do Arab phony claims and libelous accusations carry such cache with the enlightened amonng us? I think I know what the answers are, but I thopught I'd ask them anyway. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 The very idea that a "pro-Israel" speaker had to be added after protests tells us a lot about the kind of Jews that are in charge of the S.F.Jewish Film Festival. As to "What happened to respect for dissent?" , not as long as Israel's existence continues to hang in the balance. There is no defficiency of "dissent" that it requires an infusion of Jewish-sponsored siding with the enemy. Israel, despite its critics - and they are minions - remains a vibrant democracy with plenty of lively debate and disagreements as to how this insoluble problem is to be solved. The Jewish state does not need (often) "near"-Jews siding with our mortal enemies just to show Mearsheimer and Walt that "we are not like the rest of the Jews." With us, Jews, this is a very long and sad story. From Stalin to Obama, from the Bund to J Street, we have a propensity for hopping on bandwagons proclaiming the new messiahs. We cheered the critics and have done much harm to klal Israel. And, of course, we have always paid dearly for it. For some of the most accomplished people on earth, we can be, and we often are very stupid. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Terry Rowe: So, it's always the others who "engage in name-calling," not you, right? You're such a sensitive and civilized fellow. What about your vicious reference to Lebensraum and Israel? Nazis and Lebensraum, and Zionists and Lebensraum. Both the same, right? To say the least, a rather inappropriate exaggeration, schweinhunt. I see that you are as farmisht about German as you are about the realities of Israel and its needs (to your shagrin) to provide for and protect the people. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Ari H.: "A liberal is one who can never think of a good enough reason to defend himself." And, therefore, never thinking of himself worthy of survival. Rhetoric and propaganda are essential tools in repelling the assault of one's enemies. It has ever been so. Any refusal to engage the enemy (and we have plenty of them...some in rather surprising quarters) is a passport to oblivion. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Thoroughly disgusted: I never called you an anti-semite, altghough you certainly sound like one, and i don't believe for one minute that you represent anything Jewish. Your poisonous bilge spewed against Israel and Jews (Kunstler, Corrie and you, Jews?!) recognizes no other evil but your distorted vision of one of the most enlightened states in the area - a swamp of corruption and cruelt, known as the Middle East. You are a rabbied canine with a mind that is being eaten up some distemper that is difficult to analize from here. But it aint good. Stop polluting this site. Back to the sewer whence you came. Back to Kunstler, Corrie, Klein, Chomsky and other crazies. I've got news for you, the real Jews will still be around long after your spawn has shriveled up and been blown away by the winds of history, as so many others before you. Have a good day. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 To all those who think that some crazy Israeli murderer deliberately slew that innocent anti-Jewish "humanitarian," the late Rachel Corrie: Why were Israelis demolishing a Palestinian home? Do you think that they were doing it just to give themselves pleasure? Why do the Gazan "Palestinians" continue to fire rockets at Israeli civilians? Why does Hitzbola terrorist (considered so in most civilized countries) organization continue their campaign of terror against Israel? (In both cases, there are no Israeli soldiers in those territories,) So what's all thios crap about "occupied territories? Do you agree with them that Israel itself is occupied territory? Even though long before there were Muslims and Arabs, there were Jews inhabiting the land. (I believe that Jesus was a Jew living in Judea - that's Jew-land known so by the Romans). Thoroughly Disgusted, you continue to disgust me, and I am sure others as well. Your rage against the Israelis (i.e. Jews) There has been a lot of victims in this one-hundred year war, and obviously the spilling of Jewish blood by your "innocents" encouraged by "innocents" like Rachel Corrie does not bother you too much. For you, all the Jews murdered over the centuries when they were absolutely impotent in their abilities to defend themselves were the "good old days." Well fellow, them days are over. Murderers of Jews will have to pay and those who encourage and abet these murderers will not find much sympathy in these parts. It's Israel reborn and standing strong that infuriates you so. Well, rage to your black heart's content, and may your hellfire aimed at us, consume you. Have a good day. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Mr. Edwards: Rachel Corrie was the homeowner? How so? Like the late Ms. Corrie, you also have a very strange understanding of the struggle that is taking place, and you are on the wrong side of it. The bulldozer driver could not see this foolish young woman and she refused to get out of the way. And you, and others, think that she is a martyr in a noble cause. I doubt your common sense. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Oh, yes. What is it with these fools who run Jewish Film Festivals? Rachel Corrie in a Jjewish Film Festival? Why? How about "Jude Suess?" Isn't it another film of Jewish interest? After all, we are not all saints, right? Do these organizers think that they are "the good and reasonable Jews" unlike the others who are bigots and flaming "right wingers" unable to reach out to those whose earnest desire is to slit our throats? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Hey, "thoroughly disgusted", you digust me. In fact, you make me puke. Rachel Corrie, like many of these "beautiful" but foolish and ignorant young Americans died as a result of her recklessness. They come to Israel, knowing no history, nor the roots of this conflict. In fact, they are not much different than the kid from California that was captured on the battlefield of Adfghanistan. stupid and ignorant. They bought into Islamofascist propaganda, in which the Israelis are "occupiers" and total strangers to the area, and the whole 300,000,000 Arabs are the innocent and peaceful victims. This is not a distortion of these kids' understanding of the conflict. And, you admire that? Pity. They get in the way and expect that this epochal clash of cultures is but a Sesame Street game, except here the stakes are deadly, and people die. As for you, Jewish blood does not guarantee either brains or even common sense. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Why should Israel have to apologize for a correct statement about the HofJuden whose pro-Israel credentials are suspect at the very least. Let's face it, do you think for a moment that POTUS, whose most important education was obtained under the guidance of "professors" Wright, Khalidi and Ayres, would ever allow his closest "Jewish" advisors to be emotionally tied to Israel and the future of the Jjejwish people? Let's stop being so sensitive about the feelings of those whose advice, if enacted, would lead, God-forbid, to another Jewish national disaster. They can survive the "insults;" can we survive the product of their advice? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 It's all quite sad. Jewish continuity can only depend on a strong Jewish community, not on members (former?) who have already voted with their feet. Chasing after those who have indicated their lack of interest is a mug's game, as they used to say. Are we a religion or a people? We used to think both, but not all definitions can bring us together. We have enough divisions. Accommodating all may prove an impossibility. It is better to be small and strong, than to maintain an illusion of numbers. We are Jews because we are volunteers, even if our numbers are on a decline. Bigger is obviously not better, if compromise leads to dilution. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Imagine all the personi non grata that Israel has had to deal with over the years as they dictated to the Jewish state "what was good for it." Mind you, at the same time they continued "to feel the pain," of those "oppressed" Palestinians. How many of those, particularly Jews, that find Lieberman "unacceptable" have ever complained? But now that Israel has an FM who is undiplomatic enough to insist on Jewish and israeli rights, HE is unacceptable. Disgusting. What is wrong in deploring Mubarak's ( Israel's "peace partner") reluctance to come to Israel? I, for one, find it shamefully undignified for Israeli officials running to Cairo to consult Egypt's dictator, while he refuses to reciprocate. Are Jews guilty of some original sin that makes it proper for them not to accept insult when others spit in their faces? What about our pride< Have these critics of Israel become so undignified themselves that they are indignant when another Jew refuses to be grateful to those who mean it harm? I, for one, am thrilled by Lieberman's "plain talk." 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Come on, people. Jackson's anti-Semitic lyrics are "offensive to some Jews?" And not offensive to others? Are the ones un-offended doped up Hollywood "Jews?" Must you feel compelled to publish this drivel, Boteakh or no Boteakh? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Worthwhile mentioning that 32% of Democrats (the party favored by 78% of America Jewish voters) is consistent with the third of American who blame Jews for the financial crisis. Only 12% of Republicans share their anti-Jewish bias with with Democratic anti-Semites. It's perfectly clear why the vast majority Jewish voters have turned their backs on those hated Bushites. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Robin Margolis: Bless you. As a secular Jew, but no liberal, I am thrilled to know that there are people in this world who want to join our millenial march into the future. What comfort does it give me that some kosher-born Jew has turned his venom on his fellow-Jews? What is to be gained by a growing number of assimilated Jews - whose "religion" is modernism - who provide the most deadly ammunition to our enemies? Many descendants of immigrant tailors and furriers have travelled too far from the devotion of their fathers to dem yiddishn folk and have become uncomfortable and reluctant members of our community. Therefore, to be sure, let's ascertain that the motives of these converts are sincere and that their entry into our peoplehood meets traditional parameters and then welcome them with open arms. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Question Number One: What part of the "Islamic" territory does Israel "occupy"? Question Number Two: Who, for a hundred years, has stood against the re-establishment of the Jewish state? Question Number Three: Do you actually believe that these Jewish "fanatics" are holding back the "peace" that would be ours if these "ruffians" would behave themselves? Stop concentrating your reports from Israel on Jewish "responsibilty" for the breakdown of the "Peace Process." Final Questions: What prevented the "Palestinians" from establishing their state in 1947 and in the next twenty years? Do you continue to accept their excuses now? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 As heartbreaking as Gilas Shalit's mother's plea is, equally as mysterious and infuriating is Israel's impotence when confronted with the challenges of its captured soldiers. It reminds me quite painfully of European Jewry's inability to respond to centuries of murderous outrages directed at them. Are we not told that if Israel had existed in 1939, many of Europe's Jews would have been saved? Well? Remember Antebe? That was a clear signal to the world that Israel will respond to save fellow-Jews. Then how do you account for this more recent political coitus interruptus developed and practiced by Israel over the last thirty years? Has Israel facing unjust charges of "war crimes" given up on its pledge to go any distance? You would have thought (and I am sure we were told) that this past summer's incursion into Gaza was partly to rescue Gild Shalit. No foreign government, even the United States, should be telling Israel not to respond by attempting to extract its military personnel from the foe's captivity.. If they do request such an immoral act, Israel should spit them in the face. Israeli mothers of captured soldiers should not have to go through the indignity of begging foreign governments to intervene on their behalf What is more important than saving Israeli lives and Israel's honor? So? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Why these three articles? What precisely is your point? What? Is the "Palestinian Authority" ready to make peace? What exactly stands in their way? We know, don't we? Jewish settlements in the Land of Israel (which to them is a Jewish lie), and to them all of these are illegal! Even if some in Israel, rendered incapable of rational thought by a sixty-year siege, are blaming their own people for the lack of "progress," you have no such excuse. Why not concentrate on disarming our enemies, instead of making us weak? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 These "settlers'" courage and determination are inspiring. Their disappointment with a series of Israeli governments, under American pressure - but still purely of local government's doing - is compoletely justified. Have we forgotten that the early khalutzim were as welcomed by the "indiginous" population as the more modern versions are by the present "Palestinians." That's something I could understand, But to have Jewish governments cooperate with Fatah (moderate, my foot!) and Hamas (could we agree that they're not!) in their genocidal designs for a Judenrein "Palestinian" state is too shocking to observe! I had hoped that this ghetto-like mentality was left behind in the lands of Jewish helplessness, a profound state of vulnerability and pitiful helplessness that seems to have been forgotten by too many American Jews and their Democratic patrons who are eager to teach the "unbending Jews" a lesson. For their own good, of course!. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 With all due respect to Rabbi Fallick, since when is admiration of Reform Judaism a test of one's loyalty to Israel, Jewish history or jewish rights? Why shouldn't these "fanatics" be as more to live in the ancient Jewish homeland - if not, what does Judea mean? - than ther more recent squatters, the Arabs? Why should not Arabs, whose illegal, permitless and tax-free construction is someow overlooked by Israeli authorities, be subject to the same draconian measures as is exhibitted by Jewish authorities in dragging Jews off their land? Come on Rabbi, I will admit that my secular bias is with those "religious fanatics," my fellow Jews, while yours are with our enemies. We, Jews will never satisfy our eternal enemies by showing them how loving and liberal we are; indeed "how we love our enemies." Very Christian of you. I am sure Buchanan will appreciate you. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 If it weren't so dangerous, it would have been merely boringly predictable. This Tony, whatever his surname is, or whatever his academic credentials are, would have been just another windbag spouting off the usual platitudes about Israeli "violations of international law" if it weren't for the fact that he, as is his ilk, is contributing flammable fuel for the Islamofascist match. Not to understand the Israeli case and to ignore the realities of a sixty-year siege (long before the "occupation" and the 'illegal settlements") is to engage in a horrific fantasy, the kind GeorgeOrwell described as having a particular attraction for the idiot savants of the academe. I wish they would just go away, but I guess we'll have to continue putting up with these incomprehensibly angry children of our people. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 So "Israel still has a long way to go", does it? This is Obama's praise for Netanyahu's concession? I would not at all call this praise at all, rather I would refer to it as a continues tilt towards the Arab side, so that the torment will continue. Why are we so eager to describe poisonous tidbits as nurishing sustenance? Why are we so grateful for being spat at, instead of being kicked? Don't we have any pride? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 By perpetuating the "Right-Wing" bugaboo we diminish the real threat to our liberty and physical well-being from the more obvious villains, mainly the unholy alliance of the Left and Islamofascism. These are our enemies. These are the ones that in the shadow of the Holocaust make European Jews live in fear, that make a mockery of Israel's membership at the U.N. and by shifting U.S. foreign policy, it is showing its ugly head at the White House. Why avert your gaze from those by exaggerating the threat from the "usual suspects?" 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 There is some kind of insanity that makes it impossible for those on the left to perceive reality. Are they not aware of the tragic history of Israel-"Palestinian" relations prior to the "settlements" becoming THE major bone of contention? Are they not they familiar with the history of terror unleashed by the "Peace-seeking" Palestinian Authority every time there appeared a mere chance of a break-through? Why do these members of Israeli society and Jews in the diasporah continue to gnaw on the backbone of Israeli leadership? Is dhiminitude so irresistable to them? If it's not insanity, what does one call this character flaw? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Ha'aretz and the line that it represents is a clear proof of a political malaise rampant in Israel's body politic. What Israeli paper has been quoted more by Israel's enemies? Every time I'm in Israel, reading Ha'aretz makes me ill, literally. With friends like this, etc. I just hope that more and more Israelis are turning their backs to this newspaper pathology. Am Israel Khai! 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Norman Cone: "I am not a fan of settlement expansions..." Why do we always have to distance ourselves from a perfectly natural impulse of all people to provide adequate facilities to accommodate growing population? Besides, surely you don't believe that after exhausting all other objections to Jewish life in that part of the Middle East, our enemies have grabbed on this latest excuse for "Jewish intransigence." Please look at the size of the territory in question, and who says that Arab (and U.N. approved)definitions of jurisdictions are completely free of prejudice and deadly malice? We as Jews should reject these contentions of "occupied territories" of "Palestinian lands" as the lies that they are. Stand behind our Israeli brothers. Tough time ahead? I am afraid so. But don't surrender to those who don't wish you well. No "settlements, under any circumstances" is not a friendly suggestion. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Peter Wedlund: I also believe that courage is required in order to solve problems and compromise. But the goal of peace can not be arrived at if the premise of the problem begins with a lie. In his Cairo speech, President Obama has repeated the canard that Israeli "settlements" are the cause of the "problem" and the impediment to "the peace process." I don't think it is necessary here to rehash history from 1947 to the present to show that the Arab "narrative" of the events is a falsehood that his been embraced by Israel's enemies, both of the Arab and non-Arab varieties. It is that much more painful when fellow-Jews concur with this concocted version of historical events. Considering the tiny size of the area in contention, to ask Israel to make further "painful concessions" is to engage make-belief. But, I suppose, it has ever been so. The Jews are supposed to be thankful for being merely spat at, rather than kicked. It is my hope that Israel will respectfully reject this president's "helpful" mission. Scorpio 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00