Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Israel's "Egged" Bus Fired On in Samaria

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

On about the 4th of June and again this morning, an Egged bus driving through Samaria was shot by a terrorist or terrorists.  The attack this morning happened again in  the Palestinian village of Harawa in northern Samaria which is south of Shechem.  Luckily, no one caught a bullet, but the police had to be called to investigate.

The rocket attacks starting up again in Gaza on Israel's westside are being helped by such shootings from Samaria. on Israel's eastside.  
                                                                               

Egged buses also go through Ramat in East Jerusalem.  This is a picture taken in June of 2011.  There are even bullet-proof versions used for travel through Judea and Samaria.  Egged has 57 armoured buses.

Egged was started in 1933.  It is a cooperative owned by members and is the largest transit company in Israel.  Their buses go through most Israeli cities, towns, kibbutzim, moshavim and Judea and Samaria.  

They have 2,861 regular buses and and make 25,767i trips per day for a million passengers.  Most people travel by bus and do not have cars.  They also have tourist buses.  

Things are not always quite in Samaria. In April at Tapuah Junction Evyatar Borovsky,  from  the Jewish village of Yitzhar,  was stabbed to death  in his chest and stomach by Salam Azal,  Palestinian,  who then stole his gun.  Jews living here often find themselves at odds with Israeli security forces as well as the Palestinians.  It had been over a year since an Israeli was killed.  "From Yitzhar, located high up in the hills near Nablus, the Biblical city of Shechem, you can clearly see the entire Israeli coast. That’s why the site was chosen by the IDF to set up a Nahal community in 1983."  Since this town protects Israel below, the Palestinians would love to drive the people of Yitzhar out.  

The group, Americans For a Safe Israel (AFSI) took a bus trip throughout all of Israel and Judea-Samaria starting on October 24, to November 2, 2010 and traveled by bus.  Their report tells all that they saw, including how the Arabs are squatting on land designated for Israel in the C section and how Jews were restricted but the Arabs weren't by the government in power then.  That tells me that Israel was going overboard in trying to keep the peace.  .  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egged_(company)
http://www.jpost.com/Arts-and-Culture/Arts/West-Bank-Terrorist-kills-Israeli-at-Tapuah-junction-311545
http://www.afsi.org/chizukreport2010.htm
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/11801    On Yitzhar

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sunday NightCame With 7 Rocket Attacks

Nadene Goldfoot
Gaza was at it again shooting 7 rockets into southern Israel Sunday night.  Before midnight, 3 rockets fell into the Bnei Shimon region and exploded in an open area.  People knew about it first with the siren sounding.  It broke the silence of 40 days.

By 1:am 4 rockets had fallen in the Ashkelon region.  One must have been caught by the Iron Dome as 3 exploded in open areas.

There had been 12 rockets attacks   in April and 3 in May of which 2 were rockets and one was from small arms shooting.

Though no one was inured, this does wake everyone up including children.  It is unnerving and simply angers most people.  It lets people know that the neighbors are neither friendly or peaceful and cannot be trusted.

http://virtualjerusalem.com/news.php?Itemid=10160
Update: 6/24/13: Ha'aretz newspaper reports that Israel took out 4 targets in Gaza in reply to the 6 rocket attack.  

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Palestinians in Judea and Samaria Act Out

Nadene Goldfoot                                                               

We're always hearing about the rockets, mortars and missiles coming from Gaza and hitting southern Israel.  Judea and Samaria are acting out as well in different ways.

From June 11th to the 17th , 2013, there have been 72 rock throwing incidents of Arabs throwing rocks at Jews, and 15 firebomb attacks.  Before this there was a stabbing incident where Eviatar Borovzky was stabbed to death by a Palestinian.
 
"The name Judea, when used in Judea and Samaria, refers to all of the region south of Jerusalem including Gush Etzion and Har Hebron. The region of Samaria, on the other hand, refers to the area north of Jerusalem. East Jerusalem has been incorporated into Jerusalem District and is under Israeli civilian rule. Jerusalem is undivided today.  That part of the West Bank is thus excluded from the administrative structure that is the Judea and Samaria Area."

By 1967, there were 565,904 Muslims living in Judea and Samaria. By July 1972, there were almost 1 million Arabs living in Israel's administered areas.  640,600 were in Judea and Samaria on land that was 2,270 sq miles.   Today there are about 2,316,700.  As of February 2013, there were 360,000 Jews living in both Judea and Samaria.   There are 1.7 million Arabs living in Israel.  

Judea and Samaria are acting like a buffer zone between 4 million Jews of the Tel Aviv and Netanya corridor.  This original Israelite land is the Iron Dome for the 6 million Jews of today's Israel.  There is nothing else protecting them from the land of Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia,  Syria, and Lebanon and the ultimate Iranian  incursion.  

Resource:  https://www.facebook.com/idfonline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea_and_Samaria_Area
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/02/14/jewish-population-in-judea-and-samaria-on-the-rise/
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/demograhics.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html#we
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/settlers-riot-after-west-bank-terror-attack-6-arrested.premium-1.518394
Facts About Israel, Division of information, ministry for foreign affairs, Jerusalem

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Golan Heights Hit By Mortar Shell

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   

First it was Wednesday mornings hit from Gaza by 3 rockets.  Now at 12:30am Wednesday evening a mortar shell flew into the Golan Heights by the Syrian army.

 It appears they are trying to provoke Israel into making an attack as their government because they also had fired at an Israeli jeep by deliberately aiming at it.  This was no stray hit.  There was nothing else to hit aiming in that direction.

UN Ambassador Ron Proser wrote a letter of complaint to the UN Security Council about it, but most likely nothing will happen.  They never seem to act on messages from Israel; only about Israel.

Resource:  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169118#.UcJX6eeOTqF

Southern Israel Struck by Rockets

Nadene Goldfoot                                          
Three rockets hit southern Israel near the Hof Ashkelon regional council area Wednesday morning, setting off the alarm system in Ashkelon and probably shocking everyone.  That broke the calm of 2 months.  So far this year, 20 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza.  There was an attack when Obama was visiting.

Since November 2012's Israeli Operation Pillar of Defense,  things had been a little better.  Israel had been hit ever since 2001 by Gaza.  Eleven years of living under such attacks was too much.  No government except the attacked Israel was complaining about it.  The  UN did nothing about it.  Neither did all the Human Rights Nations.  Only when Israel responded with Pillar of Defense did we hear any comments, and that was to complain about Israel's retaliation of sorts.  Even that was different from the Palestinian attacks.  Whereas the Palestinians aimed at the populace hoping to hit civilians, Israel went in by air and pinpointed targets with the goal of stopping their ability to continue firing at Israel.  They went out of their way not to hit civilians.  Of course, their militants hide behind women and children in schools and mosques when the going gets rough.

An example of this lopsided attitude which condemns Israel so easily is found in today's news about soccer.

 "A call by 62 top football players, many from English Premier League and first division teams in Europe, condemned Israel’s recent attack on Gaza and the decision by UEFA, the European football federation, to hold its 2013 Under 21 tournament in Israel.  Petitions calling for the boycott of the tournament have been organised by, among others, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK, and former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Frédéric Kanouté "  Kanoute ended his international career in 2010.  The 35 year old 6'4" striker now plays in the Chinese League.  

Where was this group when Israel was being attacked for 11 years?  Now the attack is starting up again.  But the soccer game will be held in Israel on time as scheduled.  Notice that it is the Palestine group leading the boycott.  
The result of this morning's attack was the immediate closure of the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

It looks like the Salafist group are the ones doing the shooting.  They have stated that they will not abide by the rules.

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Palestinians-launch-rockets-toward-Ashkelon-shattering-calm-317015?rz=n_19June13
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169083
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Kanout%C3%A9

Friday, June 14, 2013

What Oslo Accords Failed to Do: Wrench in Progress for Kerry

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                


Twenty-five years ago in 1987, the First Intifada started.  It didn't stop until the Madrid Peace Conference.

Twenty years ago, on September 13, 1993 to be exact, Prime MinisterYitzchak Rabin and Simon Peres, Foreign Minister, along with Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) were at the White House in Washington DC.  They all  signed the "Declaration of Principles" which had all been discussed in Oslo, Norway. Russia and the USA were co-signers.   It stipulated mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO.  The PLO were to stop terrorism and end it's covenant calling for Israel's destruction.

Israel had ratified this accord in the Knesset one week later.  Arafat never could get the PLO to ratify it, announcing this on October 7, 1993.

On May 4, 1994 they had signed the Gaza-Jericho Agreement
On August 29, 1994 they had signed the Preparatory Transfer of Power and Responsibility
On August 27, 1995 they signed the Protocal transferring power to the PA.

"The five-year transitional period would commence with Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Jericho area. (This they have done.)  Permanent status negotiations would begin as soon as possible between Israel and the Palestinians. The negotiations would cover remaining issues, including: Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Israeli settlements, security arrangements, borders, relations and cooperation with other neighbors, and other issues of common interest."

Starting in  the year 2001, Israel was being attacked by rockets, mortars and missiles.  800 rockets rained down on Israel by 2005.  Attacks forced Israel's retaliation with Operation Rainbow and Operation Days of Penitence in May 2004.  In August and September 2005, Israel had pulled out of Gaza.  Since the pullout, there have been more than 12,800 rockets that have attacked southern Israel from there.  Operation Summer Rains from June 28th  to November 26th took place in 2006 when IDF soldier Gilat Shalit was captured.  "Israel's stated goals in Operation Summer Rains were to suppress the firing of Qassam rockets from Gaza into the western Negev  Attacks into Southern Israel have not stopped. 4,000 rockets had rained down on Israel since 2005.  Israel answered the attacks with Operation Autumn Clouds in 2006 and Operation Hot winter in 2008 and Operation Cast Lead in 2009.   Even though there was a cease fire from Operation Defensive Shield in November 21, 2012,  23 rockets and 7 mortars have been shot into Southern Israel in 2013 with only January free of them.  30 Israelis were killed, 1,500 were injured and all the residents have been traumatized.  

This makes the PLO (today's Fatah)  still on the books in Israeli law as a terrorist entity because of not ratifying the Oslo accord.  This is also true in American Law being the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades of Fatah are listed as a terrorist organization.  Such groups are to forfeit US foreign aid assistance.

Two times the Palestinian National Council had never canceled the PLO Covenant.  So David Bedein, head of Israel Resource News Agency and director of Near East Policy Research,  brings up the issue of the fact that there is a reason to renew talks with the PLO or Fatah.   They need to ratify the Oslo Accord and to cancel the PLO covenant calling for Israel's destruction even before they decide to recognize Israel.

Already the Palestinians have let it out that a future Palestine is to have no Jews living in their territory.  They want East Jerusalem, or even have grandiose ideas of having all of Jerusalem.  The Palestinian officials want all Palestine refugees to return and be allowed in their territory.  This would be overcoming  and would drown Israel. There were few Palestinians in Palestine in 1948 and now there are millions.   They have produced textbooks with geography maps showing all of Israel as Palestine and teach hatred for Israelis and Jews.  Fatah and Hamas have no cooperation with each other let alone with Israel, and they have no proper resource for money other than donations from other Muslim countries and groups.  The occupation of so many have been in bomb making and that's about it.

One can see that these are very sensitive matters.    Kerry and Obama are pushing the oppositional Palestinians into discussions with Israel. Why is it so imperative that Fatah sit down to discuss peace with Israel when they haven't a united force for a Palestinian state?     How can Israel even consider being held to discussion with Hamas terrorists who wish to wipe them out?  Is this an act just to get something written on one's resume?

Mahmoud Abbas was first Prime Minister of Palestine and is now the president.  He has just ousted Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister and has replaced him with Rami Hamdallah, another Fatah member who is a USA educated economist.  They have discovered that they are just about bankrupt, owing far more money than a state should that hasn't even been officially  formed yet, even though google hadn't been aware of its standing as yet.

Peace is not ready to be served on the table.  There is much that the Palestinians have to do to become neighbors of Israel.  They're not showing their willingness to live in peace when they teach their children to hate Jews and Israelis as shown by their school textbooks and their cultural programs.  Peace will have to remain in the oven where it is simmering.

Resource: http://www.israelbehindthenews.com/bin/content.cgi?ID=5582&q=1 by David Bedein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bedein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_I_Accord
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/palestine-challenges-hamdallah-government-hebron.html
http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-president-appoints-prime-minister-173034019.html
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-battle-of-fatah-and-hamas-with.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2013/06/kerrys-plan-dud-with-palestinians.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Summer_Rains
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/rocketrange.html










Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Worldwide INTEL Still Expanding, Maybe in Israel

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                  

The birth of Intel Corporation took place on July 18, 1968 in Santa Clara, California.  .  It is the largest multinational semi conductor chip maker in the world.   They make the micro processors found in personal computers.

They have had several branches in Hillsboro, Oregon, where many Israelis have come to work.  Intel has also expanded to Arizona and New Mexico.  Reports from Israel this past weekend tell of Intel's undecided decision about where to build a new chip factory.   The two prospects are Kiryat Gat, Israel or Ireland.  They are almost finished building new fabs in Hillsboro and Arizona.  The new fab in Hillsboro is called DIX where they will work on larger,  and better 450-millimeter silicon wafers.  That will affect fabs all over the world.

It all depends on whether or not they can secure a large subsidy from the Israeli government.  Intel wants Israel to pay 10% of the cost, $300 million to $400 million.  This project could boost the company's employment in Kiryat Gat by 3,000.  There is also another site in Haifa, Israel.

Intel has been leasing  a factory to Micron, but Micron is planning on shutting it down, so Intel is either going to overhaul this (fab) or build a new one according to Haaretz and the business publication "Globes."

Intel expanded in Ireland 2 years ago.

Reference:  Oregonian newspaper, June 11, 2013,  page C4
http://www.haaretz.com/business/shakeup-at-intel-weakens-israeli-execs.premium-1.528166
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/intel_corporation/index.html

Palestine About Bankrupted Before It is Created

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                    

   King Solomon died in 920 BCE and Judea was Created out of Israel, which came to be called Samaria.

For the past 65 years the Palestinian Arabs have refused the opportunity to have their own state, which was offered to them when Israel accepted their offer from the British that held the mandate to the land.  Four wars in Israel's first 25 years where the Palestinians and neighboring states attacked has caused Israel to never know peace.  They still have refused to accept Israel's existence, yet Israel has tried to sit down and talk about peace terms.

Since 1967's Six Day War (June 5th to 11th) ,  when all the Arab states attacked Israel and lost, they suddenly decided they wanted their own state, but have been so busy attacking Israel that they haven't really put their minds to the challenge.                          
                                                            Jordan River
The Palestinian Authority (PA) have been in control of Judea-Samaria for about that past 10 years and have not been able to get the Hamas terrorists and others in Gaza since they have had control from 1972  to settle down and stop attacking southern Israel.  The leadership of both the PA and Gaza cannot come to terms.  What have they done?  Stack up a huge debt.

On  August 12, 2011, it was reported that the USA had given the Gazan Hamas terrorists $100 million and then might hold it back.  "The American threat came in response to a growing attempt by Hamas to exert control over the international organizations that support the many impoverished Palestinians among Gaza’s population of 1.5 million people.Hamas shut down the U.S.-financed International Medical Corps after it refused to submit to a Hamas audit.

As reported on October 23, 2012, Qatar's Emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khaifa-al-Thani,  came to Gaza causing quite a stir by pledging $400 million to Hamas in Gaza.  Usually, the Hamas terrorists get their money from "private donors in Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf states. Iran also provides significant support, which some diplomats say could amount to $20-30 million per year. In addition, some Muslim charities in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe funnel money into Hamas-backed social service groups."

The PA's financial crisis is getting worse, even though they keep receiving handouts from their rich Arab neighbors.  Their PA deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Muhammad Mustafa,  explained on Tuesday their dire state in that they are $4.2 Billion in internal and external debt.  The PA owes $600 million to banks and $1 Billion to international financial institutions.  Gaza has owed Israel 700 million shekels in unpaid electricity bills.  Israel has been giving them electricity when they have fired rockets, mortars and missiles at southern Israel.

The USA had given aid to the Gazan Palestinians annually in the tune of about $500 million.  Besides that, the USA is supporting the UN quite well.  Since they are terrorizing Israel, they are not to receive such money today.                                            
                                                       Gaza City
Mustafa also warned of a growing job crisis because they have more than 250,000 Palestinians unemployed.  This is very bad for the young people.

There are many Palestinian refugee camps set up since 1948 where there have been 3 generations living as such, the longest historical group of people living in this status.  They are dependent on the UN for everything.

Israel's Arab minority in "Palestine"  has multiplied immensely since 1948.  Then the minority population of Arabs in Israel was 126,000.  Their illiteracy was at 95%.  They had a school aged population of 10,000 children, 286 teachers. and 15 university students.  Only 4% of the women gave birth in a hospital and they had absolutely no health services.  Electricity was almost non-existent..  Their farmers had but 5 agricultural machines and they expect to only live to the age of 52.

By 1972 the Arab population in Israel rose to 458,500 and illiteracy was down to 5% with 117,000 school aged children and 5,000 teachers.  The universities now had 1,000 Palestinian students.  93% of mothers gave birth in hospitals and they have 85 clinics and 75 mother and child health stations.  92% of the people had electricity and the farmers had 960 agricultural machines.  The Palestinians could expect to live to age 70.  By July 1972, there were almost a million Arabs living in the administered areas.  640,600 lived in Judea and Samaria on 2,270 sq miles.  388,600 lived in the Gaza Strip of 140 s. miles and North Sinai and 8,000 lived in the Golan Heights on 500 sq miles.  Today, Israel has about a 20% population of Arabs, about 1.7 million.  They are full citizens.

The Palestinians are still not ready to have their own state.  At the rate they are going, they would want 2 anyway since the two groups are never in agreement.  It's a power struggle.  If they would stop trying to take all of Israel and settle down recognize Israel and that it's here to stay, decide to go for peace instead, then work on the parts of state building, they might make it in the next 100 years.

Resource:  http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=603934, (Ma'an News Agency)
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/dispatch/article/how-does-israel-treat-its-arab-citizens/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_aid_to_Palestinians
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/world/middleeast/pledging-400-million-qatari-emir-makes-historic-visit-to-gaza-strip.html?_r=0
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22967.pdf
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/08/wth-us-gives-100-million-to-hamas-controlled-gaza/
http://www.cfr.org/israel/hamas/p8968
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162159

Friday, June 07, 2013

Syrian Encroachment in Golan Heights

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                    

The Golan Heights, Israel has a border crossing along the Israeli-controlled land.  The Syrian rebels overran the border position near the abandoned town of Quneitra early yesterday and held their positions for several hours before the Syrian government troops retook it.  Its importance is that the peacekeepers receive most of their supplies through this position from Israel.  The fighting is also spilling over into Turkey and Lebanon as well.  It's only 1/2 mile away from Israel.

This actual fight caused the 377 international peacekeepers of Austria's contingent who maintain a 40 year old truce to decide to withdraw.  This has caused Israel to feel that they can soon be dragged into the Syrian civil war.  It is thought that the Russians will replace them.

From Israel one can see the Syrian tanks and armored vehicles right across the border.  They can hear the lage explosions all day and see thick smoke and flames rise.  Like back in the days of the American Civil War, tourists in Israel went to the Golan to look across the frontier and watch the fighting along with the TV stations.  Israeli IDF along the border were on high alert.

Night came and things calmed down.  Danny Danon, deputy defense minister of Israel said that they remained on high alert and are watching what is going on in Syria.  They are ready to protect Israel. "The Israeli military did not confirm the crossing was overrun by Syrian rebels, but said the area had been declared a "closed military zone" and was off-limits to journalists because of fighting nearby." Yahoo News

"Also Thursday, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri tapped into the deepening Sunni-Shiite rift stemming from the conflict, calling on Sunnis everywhere to devote their lives, money and expertise to the overthrow the regime, set up Islamic rule in Syria and prevent a U.S.-allied government from taking over after Assad, whose regime is dominated by the Alawite sect, an offshoot group of Shiite Islam." Yahoo News

The Islamic militants have joined the rebels in trying to oust Bashar Assad.  The fear is that they will turn their guns on Israel if this despotic Assad is toppled.  The Syrian government could not guarantee support of the UN, Defense Minister Gerhard Klug said, explaining why they were withddrawing their troops from the station they were to protect.  They were a major contingent of peacekeepers.

There is more danger on the horizen.  Qaradawi, the terrible Muslim leader wanting to have all Jews killed, is entering the fracas.  Al-Qaradhawi Calls On Sunnis To Join Syrian Jihad: "How Can 100 Million Shi'ites Defeat 1.7 Billion [Sunni Muslims]?"
Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, the head of IUMS, also joined the attack on Hizbullah and called for jihad against it. In his Friday sermon on May 31, 2013, he called on young Muslims from around the world to travel to the Syrian city of Al-Qusayr in order to fight Hizbullah there, and said that it was illogical to abandon the Muslims (i.e., Sunni Muslims) in Syria while thousands were coming there to fight against them, referring to Hizbullah. Al-Qaradhawi added: "Anyone who can fight, should fight. I swear that if I could [fight] I would do so without hesitation." He even called the 'Alawites "bigger infidels than the Jews." Memri

Resource: Oregonian newspaper 6/7/13 Syrian rebel offensive jolts Israel by Sebastian Scheiner and Josef Federman, AP
http://rt.com/news/golan-heights-russia-peacekeepers-368/
http://news.yahoo.com/austria-withdrawing-un-troops-golan-heights-161203350.html
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/7219.htm

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Evidence of Nerve Gas Used in Syria

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   

                                                  Rebels fighting in Syria

France is the first to confirm that the nerve gas, Sarin, was used many times and in a localized way in Syria.  This finding shows that it was used at least once by the government.  This information was finally confirmed to the media on Tuesday.  The civil war has been going on for 27 months to date.

Britain acknowledged later that their tests on samples from Syria tested positive for Sarin, too.

The problem has been of confirming what was suspicioned from a distance.  President Obama set the red line and it has been crossed, but by which side?   President Bashar Assad has not allowed any UN investigators into the country.  These confirmations come from samples brought out to be tested.  A UN team said it had "reasonable grounds" to suspect small scale use of toxic chemicals in at least 4 attacks in March and April.

Doctors were also interviewed and so were witnesses of these purported attacks.  There were also amateur videos brought out of Syria of the stricken.  Now they say they need direct samples from victims or from the sites of attacks.

Syria is thought to have the world's largest chemical weapons arsenals including mustard and nerve gas like Sarin, making this very serious for Israel, who has had to arm every citizen with gas masks and the directions for providing for themselves a safe room.

Sending weapons to the rebels is scary business because they are made up of Islamic militants as well who would not flinch at obtaining and keeping chemicals  and then later using them on Israel, for Islamic groups have been no friends to Israel at all.  France's Fabius feels that in one case, the regime and its allies were responsible for the attack.  Britain has found other chemicals, as well as Sarin, in their samples tested.

In the meantime, Assad's troops have advanced toward Qusair near the border with Lebanon and chased rebels from another district on the edge of Damascus on Tuesday.  Now the Syrian government is leading in this civil war that has taken over 80,000 lives so far.  The Syrian army is backed by Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon.  They have announced they have "eradicated the remnants of terrorists" of Qusair."

Reference:  http://www.avaaz.org/en/syria_the_last_straw_c/?bTtDAdb&v=25488
Oregonian Newspaper, 6/5/13, page A9, Europe:  Nerve gas used in Syria by Greg Keller and Karin Laub, AP and Assad's troops gain ground by AP.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/syria-levels-warning-at-israel-in-wake-of-qusair-victory/

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Too Much Trust in The Free Syrian Army Rebels And Why

Nadene Goldfoot                                              
The Free Syrian Army is commanded by General Salim Idris.  This group much history in engaging in joint operations with the Al-Nusra Front which is better known as the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda in Iraq.  Gerneral Idris disavowed the Al-Nusra Front in order to get American military assistance. He denied that the Front was a terrorist group and tried to stop the Americans from blacklisting it.  If he thinks they're kosher, he will go on collaborating with them.  Last October these two groups seized a Scud missile base together.

The Free Syrian Army isn't much better than the Syrian National Council which is already controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood.  Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force.  The Islamist brigades like the Muslim Brotherhood's Tawheed Brigade and the Islamist Farouk Brigades are the strong leaders of the Free Syrian Army.  It was the Farouk commander who was seen on video eating a Syrian soldier's lungs.  This goes along with what I saw on Syrian TV between 1980-85 in a demonstration of Syrian strength which was meant to scare the beejeebees out of their enemies.  It scared me plenty.

Everyone in the area of fighting the Syrian government seems to already be members of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Idris's 2 deputies, Abdelbasset Tawil of Idleb  has ties to a Salafist Jihadist group, Ahrar al-Sham.  Their goal is to create an Islamic state in Syria.

It is known that fighters and commanders routinely go from one brigade to another.  They have loosse affiliations of militias and are held together by fundraising and ideology.  YouTube videos mark their celebrations of kills and is the way they raise money.  Militias fight among themselves over control of assets like bakeries and oil wells.

Americans are questioning whether we are going from declaring war on Islamic terrorism to arming Islamic terrorists by  John McCain's trip to Syria where he met with General Salim Idris.  McCain is pushing for the USA to have a no-fly zone and to arm these Syrian Sunni rebels with heavy weaponry.  Every time I hear things like this I think that they will soon be used against Israel as they'll get into those hands that would love to attack Israel.  John is confident that the weapons from the USA would go to the "right" hands.  John is snowed enough to say that the rebels are not al Qaida and are not extremists.  He says that al Qaeda only makes up a small percentage of all the rebels.

Right now, only food and aid are going in to displaced people.  The rebels are holding Qusayr after 3 weeks of battle.  They are not going to allow the Red Cross into the city until the battle is over.  The rebels are fighting against Hezbollah terrorists who are allies with the Syrian government.

Assad's government has been terrible.  He has ruled like Czar.  The question is, given the Muslim Brotherhoods' influence, are the rebels any better?  Is this a step up or a step down.  Now Syria is under control of Iran and Iran answers to Russia.  Syria is receiving all sorts of weapons that will ultimately, give them a day or two, be used against Israel, for that is Iran's ultimate goal.  Well meaning Syrians have had to escape the madness and find themselves in refugee camps or other points of refuge.  What sort of government awaits them if they ever find they can return to their deserted homes.

With Israel caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, they would prefer al-Qaeda, says the website algemeister.  That shows you how bad Assad has become.

Resource: http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/looking-for-a-few-good-men-in-syria/print/
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/04/3433289/syrian-rebels-still-battling-to.html
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/06/04/israeli-officials-wed-prefer-al-qaeda-run-syria-to-an-assad-victory/

Differences in Ideology Keep Arabs Away From Peace Negotiations

Nadene Goldfoot                                          
                                            Map of Islamic World with Israel in Red.
                                                      See if you can find Israel.
On May 14, 1948, Israel became a state among the nations.  The Arabs of the area were also offered a state of their own and have resisted acceptance of such, though they cry out that they want their own state as well.  The problem is that the state they want is part of the small acreage that makes up Israel.

Here's a difference in ideology.  Israel's population is made up of 6 million Jews and 1.7 million Arabs and others.  It was created as the one Jewish state in the world on 8,000 sq miles and is to be the haven for Jews who have suffered from anti-Semitism for 2,000 years or more, depending on what attack we are starting from.  There are only 14 million Jews left in the world.  We make up only 0.02% of the world population.

 There are already 48 Muslim majority states, possibly even more so depending on the material one is using.  Wikipedia as of 2011 said this.    Islam is the 2nd largest religious group in the world.  There are 1.62 billion Muslims in the world making up 23% of the world population.  They already claim 5,120,000 sq. miles of land.

There is no comparison here.  One is on the verge of extinction and the other's numbers are bulging, both in land and in population.

The Arab Palestinians will not come to terms with the Israelis.  They are bickering over the issue of established Jewish villages, town and cities they refer to as "settlements,"  a very poor choice of a noun describing this population.  That's because they lie in the A or B section of Judea-Samaria, the Jewish land the Jordans have labeled as the West Bank that they want for their state.  This is because of the 1967 War when Arabs attacked the Jews of Israel and the Jews won, which meant that they inherited legally land which was originally to be theirs in the first place by the law of 1920 through the League of Nations.  It's funny how this worked out.  The Arab greed for Israel meant that they lost what they had to Israel. I'd swear that Ha-Shem (G-d) stepped in and ran  interferrence for Israel.

At the same time, the Arabs keep on announcing that their state is to be all 100% Muslim and there are to be no Jews allowed.  Thus there is the matter of boundaries, and allowing the Jews in section C to be a part of Israel rather than to be displaced.

The Arabs are not bending over backwards in displaying any neighborly tendancies.  Instead, their texbooks for schools do not show Israel on their maps in Geography lessons.  Instead, Palestine is written as the name.  Is this a Freudian slip?  No, this is their true intention.  Their pre-schoolers are taught to admire suicide bombers.  These are their heroes instead of Superman.  What a philosophy this is!

Moshe Ya'alon is the Israeli Defense Minister.  He spoke on Monday  to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, a group made up not only of Jews but Arabs as well who are in the Knesset.  His topic was "Prospects for Peace with Palestinians."  He told them that we are ready to begin immediately without preconditions and discuss all the issues.  Israel's aim is not to rule the Palestinians.  Israel wants to advance the diplomatic process but Abbas is avoiding this by setting preconditions.  Israel is not about to pay any more futile prices just to get them to come to the table.

Resource: http://www.dailyalert.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country
lookisrael.com/files/jewishnmuslims.php-problem in retreiving.  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_world

Monday, June 03, 2013

Our Nemesis: Qaradawi

Nadene Goldfoot                                                            

86 year old Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a radical Muslim Brotherhood  religious leader, who is the world's leading Islamic scholar, arrived in the Gaza Strip recently to show his support for Hamas terrorists who aim to destroy Israel.  This hate-filled leader came as the leader of a delegation of 50 senior Islamics from 14 countries in order to urge Palestinians to continue the struggle against Israel.  Being he is the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, he has power and influence.

One of his directions to Hamas  with its 1.5 million Gazan population was to not give up one inch of land to the Jews.  There is to be no concession on their demand of their "right of return" of millions of Palestinians to their pre-1948 villages and towns inside Israel."  This tiny state of Israel has 6 million Jews and 1.7 million Arabs.  It was created by Jews for Jews and is their refuge.  Being that there are  48 Muslim majority states or countries in the world already, Palestine would be the 49th.  It not only would be majority Muslim but is to be 100% Muslim.  They have no intentions of allowing Jews into their state.
                                                                       
He still insists that "Palestine" was never Jewish!  Evidently he refuses to read history books.  The Muslim Brotherhood should be embarrassed with this denial, as bad as Ahmadinejad saying that their was never a Holocaust in which the Nazis had killed 6 million Jews!  His denial of our history of almost 3,000 years of Jewish life before Mohammad was even born is ridiculous.  Obviously he's not about to talk about King Solomon who was so wise that the whole world had heard of him, even the Queen of Sheba.

So he preached to the gullible Hamas terrorists that "Palestine" has always been Arab and Islamic.  Always Islamic.  Amazing since Mohammad was born in 570 CE and died in 632 CE.  Jews go back to Moses who died in 1271 BCE when he commanded Joshua to enter Canaan and lead the Israelites into the land.  Jews eventually got around to accepting the idea of having a king and chose Saul, and then King David followed from 1010 BCE to 970 BCE and his son Solomon from 961 BCE to 920 BCE, and set up the monarchy of kings in the Empire of Israel and  then in the Empire of Judea.  Jews were overtaken in 70 CE when Jerusalem fell, but not all left.  However, all this history seems to be either unknown to these uneducated killers or ignored and denied outwardly.

Getting down to facts, Qaradawi is not too happy with Abbas ever sitting down to talk peace with Israel.  He's always pushing for jihad as the only tool to get what they want.  The Palestinians seem to be brainwashed into wanting to destroy Israel.  They love to hear his anti-Semitic remarks, so turned out to meet him by the thousands.  His banter is to speak of Israelis as "treacherous aggressors."  In 2009, one of his sermons was that "Allah, take this oppressive Jewish Zionist band of people.  Oh Allah, do not spare a single one of them.   Oh Allah, count their numbers and kill them, down to the very last one!"

At the same time, John Kerry, US Secretary of State was talking to the Israelis and Palestinians with opposing goals than the Egyptian-born Qaradawi.

Qaradawi was expelled from Egypt by Sadat for his extremism.  He found comfort living in Qatar, and from there espouses his hatred for Jews on al-Jazeera TV.  He has the run of Qatar pretty much, being best friends with the government.  The USA will not allow him in the country but Britain says he is a "moderate" and allows him in.  To me, that is a political and business decision being so many Muslims live in England already.  It was not an ethical decision.

Qaradawi is known for justifying suicide bombings against Israeli civilians and other such forms of death for them.  He has said that he himself would strangle Jews if he could, but he is crippled and stays in his wheel chair most of the time.  He has put out a fatwa  telling his congregants to kill Jews.

This is not the usual conflict over land that one sees on the surface.  Down deep this is a religious conflict of the goals of Islam versus the survival of the parent religion, Judaism.  This is unfortunate, because it is extremism in Islam that has taken over a lovely religion brought to Arabs, the children of Ishmael and Esau who had left the house of Abraham so long ago.  Originally Mohammad wanted his people to also hear and follow what was in the books of Jews and Christians and he used his own words to bring it to them, but somehow along the way, jealousy crept into the message which is being used today.  Any Islamic preacher bringing a message that differs from Qaradawi is under threats.

The message seems to be making the rounds, as I just heard that someone has been receiving death threats for being Jewish.  Are we back to the 1930's?  Are more tolerant Muslims going to allow such an attitude that Abraham, 4,000 years ago tried to end?  For he did not only teach us that there was one G-d instead of the multitude people believed in that caused all such demonic acts as human sacrifice and such.  His teaching brought on Moses, who gave us the recipe for decent living that Mohammad admired so much, calling Jews and Christians, "People of the Book."  We were not to be killed because of that.   Why is religion in our life, in our DNA to find and to question about morality if not to have a world of peace for one and all?
                                                             
Qaradawi is the "Joker" but  who is Batman?  Who is brave enough to counter this evil message in the world which has created such non-thinking robots-ready to carry out his orders?

Resource:  http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3714/qaradawi-israel by Khaled Abu Toameh
http://www.adl.org
http://archive.adl.org/NR/exeres/788C5421-70E3-4E4D-BFF4-9BE14E4A2E58,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm
http://www.meforum.org/646/the-qaradawi-fatwas

Sunday, June 02, 2013

Why Hezbollah (Party of God) Must Not Get Russian Shipments of Jets or Missiles

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

Hezbollah, founded in 1982 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is located in Southern Lebanon but established by Iran.  They are next door neighbors to Syria.

This Shi'a Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group have expansionist goals of establishing an Islamic  state across the Arab world, eliminate Israel and fight Western "Imperialism."

They are responsible for all sorts of terrorist activities:

1. Shootings, rocket attacks, bombings, kidnappings, and suicide bombings.
2. 241 US marines were killed by suicide bombers driving a truck.
3. Bombing of US marine barracks and embassy in Beirut, 1983.
4. Beheading US CIA Chief, William Buckley, in Beirut, 1985
5. 29 killed in bombing of Israeli Embassy, Buenos Aires, 1992.
6. 96 killed in bombing of Israeli Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, 1994
7. 813 terrorist attacks, 1990-1995
8. 3 Israeli border guards kidnapped and murdered in 2000.
9. 183 terrorist attacks from May 2000 to May 2004.
10. Initiated a war across internationally recognized border of Israel by kidnapping 2 Israeli soldiers and killing 8 and shelling northern Israeli towns in 2006.

11.  Supports Palestinian terrorist groups.
      a. Set up cells in Judea-Samaria and Gaza.
     b. Continuously attacked across the Israel/Lebanon border

The rebels in the civil war in Syria do not want the government of Syria to get the shipment of missiles and jets from Russia that are due to arrive. Nine hours ago the Syrian rebels and Hezbollah, who is fighting on the side of the Syrian government,  exchanged fire in Lebanon.  About 15 were killed inside Lebanon near Baalbek of which only one was a Hezbolla terrorist.  "Thousands of civilians are believed to be trapped as pro-government forces - including Hezbollah fighters - battle rebels."  Meanwhile the Red Cross is mired in another city, Qusair,  that is being attacked.  

Resource:  Israel 101, from StandwithUs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22746675