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

Civilian Worker Killed by Terrorists Along Security Fence

Nadene Goldfoot
1500 Israeli workers are employed in adding on more fencing along the Egyptian-Israel Security Fence. It's going to run for 165 miles  from Eilat to the Gaza Strip and is planned to be finished by the end of the year.

 On Monday, 3 terrorists from the Sinai area crossed the border and stalked 2 vehicles used by defense contractors building the new border fence.  The terrorists used PRG rockets, explosives and artillery fire in the dune sector around Nahal Lavan and killed Said Phashpashe (Sa'ed Fachachte), 36 years old Arab Israeli who was one of the men in one of the vehicles.

IDF Golani soldiers, minutes away,  killed two of the terrorists.  One had an explosive device like some sort of bomb strapped on his body and it had exploded when shot.  The soldiers found AK -47 rifles, grenades, uniforms and munitions on the ground.

The surrounding area went on high alert which was not lifted till noontime.  The fear was that terrorists had infiltrated through the fencing.

The terrorist attack came about as soon as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt claimed victory in their "elections."  Since 2011 when Mubarak lost power and control, Israel has been alarmed by the violations happening along the border and fear a lawlessness happening.

The need for the fence is now twofold: to keep out terrorists who are bent on killing and the influx of African migrants who have descended illegally in large numbers on Israel through Egypt's border.

Resource: http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4243734,00.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-israel-egypt-violence-idUSBRE85H0KT20120618

Iran's Missile Threat To America
Nadene Goldfoot
Today it's not just Israel that could be hit in a missile attack from Iran.  The U.S. troops and other U.S. allies are also at risk.  Iran has ballistic missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear or chemical warheads 1,500 miles.  Tehran is developing missiles that could reach the USA.  Countries that underestimate a dangerous country are at risk.

Iran is in competition with Saudi Arabia and Turkey in gaining power in the Muslim world.  Turkey is a neighbor of Iran and Syria.  Years ago in the 80's Iran was fighting against Iraq, another neighbor, but that has been attacked and almost disarmed by the USA due to 9/11. 

Lebanon is a small country that is a neighbor both of Israel, Syria and Turkey, but under domination of Syria.  The Hizballah terrorists come out of Lebanon and have more than 55,000 rockets along Israel's border that can reach almost all of Israel's major population centers.  They have Katyusha rockets with a range of 12 miles and longer range ones that reach out 24 miles.  the Fajr-3 has a range of 28 miles and the Fajr-5/Syrian reaches 45 miles.  Considering places of Israel are 9 miles wide, this is a lot.  One rocket recently overshot and went into Jordan and killed an Arab there, injuring another.  They have rockets with the capacity to go 130 miles and 155 miles. 

Since 2005 there have been 7,000 rocket attacks against Israel.  Palestinian terrorists took control of Gaza in 2007.   Hamas has been in control and the Strip is used to launch thousands of attacks against Israel.  Northern Gaza is used to fire rockets at Israeli towns and cities.  Sderot has been attacked constantlly and now Ashkelon is in danger.  Massive amounts of weapons are smuggled in by sea routes and tunnels.  They also use these tunnels to infiltrate into Israel and carry out attacks.  They are the goal of Israeli air attacks after Israel has been hit. 

The Arab nations outnumber Israel more than 650 to 1 in land and 56 to 1 in population.  Israel has been threatened many times by Iran.  Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Jordan are in revolution where the Muslim Brotherhood is the most organized and dangerous group that is ready to take over. Iran's revolution failed.    Their citizens are rising up against their dictator leaders who have created enemies with lies to keep their people repressed.  Chances are slim for them to become democracies but face the possibility that they  will be dominated by Sharia law which includes hatred and destruction of Israel and the United States.  Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979.  Now that peace is shaky with a new group taking over who may not honor this.  32 years of peace has been good for Egypt as well as for Israel. 

Palestinians must not seek and receive statehood now without negotiating with Israel. New sanctions have to be passed on Iran.  Security assistance has to be maintained with Israel in order to help with their Iron Dome missile defense system.  This is not the time to give up and appear weak. 

Egypt has 220 F-16s.  Saudi Arabia has hundreds of the most sophisticated combat aircraft.  They plan on spending $60 billion on more aircraft.  Turkey has the 3rd largest air force in NATO with the US and UK leading.  They plan on buying 100 of the most advanced American fighter jets, the F-35.  Israel can only afford 25.  What is sad to me is that the USA will most likely sell these weapons to them for the sake of the economy.  This is why Israel needs support.  Somebody is in the business of producing these weapons and Israel must remain strong. 

Reference: AIPAC

Mercenaries on the Gaza Flotilla

Nadene Goldfoot

Operation Sea Breeze

This so called peaceful flotilla whose goal was to bring in a shipment of goods for Gazans by breaking the blockade had at least 50 mercenaries on board trained to attack Israelis stopping the blockade.

Who funded the flotilla in the first place? The radical Turkish Islamic group IHH. The leader of this group had gone to Bursa in NW Turkey and allegedly recruited 50 mercenaries from there. About 350 of the passengers on board were from Turkey. These 50 men were not carrying ID cards or passports but each one had an envelope with about $10,000 in cash in his pocket. They were equipped with night-vision goggles, bulletproof vests, stun grenades, knives, axes and metal pipes and of course the bats we saw used against the soldiers on the video.

It had been repeated so often that Israel took them at their word that they were a peaceful flotilla. The leader of the operation was experienced Vice-Admiral Eliazer Marom who experienced the same type of operation in 2002 when they dealt with the ship Karine A, an Iranian arms ship carrying advanced weaponry to Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

They boarded the same way this time that they did then because this ship was so large that they could not do it any other way. They did not realize how they would be greeted this time. The 13 Israeli navel commandos who make up the unit known as the Shayetet, ranking among the IDF's most elite soldiers, were only armed with paintball guns and 9mm glock pistols for emergency. They were told not to fire, and went through training to be prepared only for mild violence and mostly curses, shoves and spitting in the face.

Now they are met with criticism all over the world for stopping a blockade to the Gaza Strip where Israel is continuing to suffer from missile strikes that no one cares to stop except Israel itself. I haven't heard of any criticism of Gazans continuing their missile attacks. Israelis live a life of Russian roulette never knowing when or where they could be hit.

An IDF officer said, "It might just be that whatever we do these days there will be a Goldstone report waiting around the corner." Gosh, I'd love to transplant Mr. Goldstone to Ashkelon and have him live there for a year and see how he would react.

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=177432

HOW HAMAS HURTS ITS OWN PEOPLE; Israel's Administered Areas After 1967:

Nadene Goldfoot

In 1967, Israel was attacked by massed Arab armies on its borders in what is known as the Six-Day War. The outcome was that Israel won and gained four territories that had been under the British Mandate of Palestine.

1. Judaea and Samaria, called "The West Bank" by outsiders had been under British mandate until 1948. From 1948 to 1967 it was ruled by Jordan, who annexed it in 1950. So Israel gained a part of the original land of King David and Solomon by the Arab's wanting to drive Israel into oblivion, only the tables were turned. Now Abbas has his Palestinians living there along with Israeli towns and villages. This is where they want to create their state of Palestine. By 1972 640,600 Arabs lived in this area of 2,270 sq. mi.

2. The Gaza Strip had also been under the British mandate until 1948. Between 1948 and 1967 it was administered by the Egyptian Military Government. It was not annexed to Egypt. This is where the Hamas terrorists have taken over. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and is still intent on driving her into the sea. They had shelled Israel for eight years (8), driving Israel into finally a defensive action called Operation Cast Lead. They still continue to shell missiles into the area. By 1972 388,600 Arabs lived in this area of 140 sq. miles.

The Basic policy of Israel was that of hoping for a peace settlement. Until it did, they had these objectives:

1. Maintain conditions of security for Israelis and Arabs alike.

2. Enable people to live normal lives without losing contact with Arabs in other countries.

3. Make possible rapid economic development.

4. Encourage co-existence and cooperation between Arabs and Israelis, as an example for relations to come between the two people.

By 1972 things were tranquil and thriving. Local affairs were administered by the local population. Open bridges on the Jordan River allowed movement in either direction between the areas and the Arab States. Arabs and Israelis up to 1967 had lived separately and were starting to live in co-existence.

According to international law, the Israel Defence forces appointed military governors for each area. The commander is the top person, responsible for military and civilian branches. Local affairs were administered by the Arab population through existing bodies as municipalities and police. Israel officials working totaled 500 compared with 12,500 local personnel in these two areas.

There were 23 municipalities and 31 rural councils in Judea and Samaria and 3 municipalities and 7 rural councils in Gaza and N. Sinai. Municipal elections were held in Judaea and Samaria in 1972 in accordance with Jordanian law. 75 % of the people voted and as a result, half the mayors were replaced by new ones.

Up to 1967 the economy of these areas had been stagnating and unemployment was rampant. In September 1967 about 11% of the labor force in Judaea and Samaria were unemployed. By September 1972 less than 2% of the force of 134,000 were jobless.

In Gaza and N. Sinai 19% of men were jobless after the war; in 1972 98% of the labor force of 64,000 were working.

Then Hamas won in their elections. They probably coerced many to vote for them. Terrorism then ruled. From 1990 on, they shot missiles into Israel, and Israel held off from large attacks in return. By 2009 they had to stop these attacks. I wonder if these Arabs in Gaza are so terribly happy now that Hamas is in power. Is life so much better?

With every defensive step Israel takes, there are those who attack them for doing so. What do people think is going to happen if the Arabs attack Israel? Israel has done so much to bring peace into the area, but are rebuked for it. Rational thinking isn't a part of its deterrent's minds. I feel it's all anti-Semitism.

As Israel was trying to bring Arabs and Jews together in work and living conditions, Arabs were teaching in their own schools a hatred for Jews. Leaders of Muslim countries cannot tolerate a Jewish presence in their midst. Only Egypt and Jordan have been beginning to see benefits in having Israel as a neighbor. We've had Jews visit Egypt, which is good tourism. Both countries have lived without fear of war.

Yet I see in my own city, Americans that are not even Muslim, sympathize so much with the Palestinians that they condemn Israel's very existence. Even some Jews have bent so far over with self hatred that they have added their condemnations, joining the mob rule of intelligence. The newspaper prints letters and editorials condemning Israel's every move, but never says a thing about what is happening to Israel. Those of us wanting to defend the outrageous comments never get published.

I lived in Israel from 1980-1985, and experienced the Lebanon War of 1982. At least then we didn't worry about walking bombs. Bombs were found in things, like cartons and loaves of bread and such. I know what it was like to carry ID and have your bags searched at every entrance. I know what it's like to have bars on your living room windows and being in bomb shelters with your students.

What would have happened if Hamas had not been voted into power? There would be peaceful co-existence. Right now Gazans continue to live in hatred with the goal of wiping out Israel. Iran is the biggest spokesman of hatred in threatening through their terrorists to wipe out Israel. Israel has had to arm every citizen with gas masks at this latest threat that is coming from Lebanon.

In the meantime, Egypt was wilting with losing face from 1967's war, and Anwar Sadat in 1972 publicly stated that Egypt was committed to going to war with Israel, and that they were prepared to "sacrifice one million Egyptian soldiers." It happened and was called the Yom Kippur War happening during our most sacred period of fasting and asking for repentance in October of 73. And so it goes. Egypt lost land in that attack, also.

Resource: Facts About Israel 1973 division of information, ministry for foreign affairs, Jerusalem.

Writer Victor Sharpe is concerned about this subject and more and wrote the following:

http://www.thejerusalemconnection.us/news-archive/category/victor-sharpe

wikipedia

Why Have The Oslo Accords Failed?

Nadene Goldfoot

Rabin and Arafat's Dealings

Agreement between Israel and a future Palestine came to fruition August 20, 1993. Rabin, Arafat and Clinton negotiated.

According to the agreement, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and the Arabs had a right of self-government. The Palestinian government was to last for a five-year period. Major issues such as Jerusalem would be decided at a permanent status negotiation that was to come in 1996. They signed a mutual recognition paper. Rockets were fired into Israel intensely starting in 2000 by the terrorists.

The Knesset's left wing supported this agreement while the right wing opposed them, and after a two-day discussion they voted with 61 for the decision, 50 against and 8 abstained.

Palestinians were also divided. Fatah was the group in the negotiations and they accepted while Hamas was against it. They refused to recognize Israel's right to exist in what they called Palestine, which was including the land Israel was on. The fact is that there never was a country of Palestine at all, just an area that Rome had renamed to erase Jewish presence.

On Sept 12, 2005 Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip. Abbas was given authority. In twelve days Hamas fired rockets at Israel. By 2007 896 rockets and 740 mortar shells were fired from Gaza onto Israel. Many Israelis were continuously killed and injured between 1993 and 2000 by terrorists.

One can see that Hamas took over Gaza, winning their elections in 2006, and chased Fatah out into the West Bank. No group speaks for all of "Palestine". For eight years Hamas shelled Israel with rockets leading to Israel's Operation Cast Lead operation. Abbas has been very weak in his leadership. When violence increased against Israelis, the Palestinian Authority did not stop these attacks and instead endorsed them. Operation Cast Lead started on Dec 27, 2008. 1,571 rockets and 1,531 mortar shells had been fired into Israel by Hamas.

Earlier they had turned their guns on Israelis in clashes which left 61 Palestinians and 15 Israeli soldiers dead. Arafat stated among Palestinians that he compared the accord to the Hudaibiya agreement that Muhammad signed with the sons of the tribe of Quraish as a way of justifying signing them. This meant that they were signed not in good faith but as an appeasement.

Israel, on the other hand, refrained from building new towns or villages although the agreement did not stipulate such a ban. It did expand towns already there as the Arabs had not accepted the accords. More people were allowed to move into the towns in Judea and Samaria so that the population grew by about 10,000 each year. Note that all this time the accords were not in effect as the Palestinians did not accept them. Israel was not going to sit around and wait and do nothing. Israel learned quickly not to trust the Palestinians as they were divided and not being compliant. Attacks on Israel had intensified right after the signing and continued.

What the Palestinians have not figured out is that their fears were realized due to their own hatred. Israel did not dismantle their towns in Judea and Samaria for their Palestine to be created and it did expand with more people and more building simply because the Arabs could not come into agreement to recognize Israel and not attack them.

Who are you going to blame? Israel was being compliant even though almost half of their country feared the move. Israel wanted peace. After all, they've been fighting hatred and attacks since their inception. They're living in a very violent and dangerous neighborhood.

As of February 10, 2009, just last year, rocket fire continued from Gaza. The Islamic Jihad admitted that a Palestinian was killed while approaching Gaza's border fence with Israel as he was on his way to attack Israelis. On the 1st of February twelve rockets and mortars were fired into Israel. Hamas said they didn't fire them but they didn't stop them, either. And so it continues.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords

http://www.johnstonarchive.net/terroristm/terrisrael-4.html

Israeli soldier's Letter to a Palestinian Family in Gaza

Part of a letter sent by a reserve Israeli soldier

I can surmise that you are intelligent and educated and there are those in your household that are university students. Your children learn English, and you are connected to the Internet. You are not ignorant; you know what is going on around you. Therefore, I am sure you know that Qassam rockets were launched from your neighborhood into Israeli towns and cities. How could you see these weekly launches and not think that one day we would say "enough"?! Did you ever consider that it is perhaps wrong to launch rockets at innocent civilians trying to lead a normal life, much like you? How long did you think we would sit back without reacting? I can hear you saying "it's not me, it's Hamas".

My intuition tells me you are not their most avid supporter. If you look closely at the sad reality in which your people live, and you do not try to deceive yourself or make excuses about "occupation", you must certainly reach the conclusion that the Hamas is your real enemy. The reality is so simple, even a seven year old can understand: Israelwithdrew from the Gaza strip, removing military bases and its citizens from Gush Katif. Nonetheless, we continued to provide you with electricity, water, and goods (and this I know very well as during my reserve duty I guarded the border crossings more than once, and witnessed hundreds of trucks full of goods entering a blockade-free Gaza every day).

 Despite all this, for reasons that cannot be understood and with a lack of any rational logic, Hamas launched missiles on Israeli towns. For three years we clenched our teeth and restrained ourselves. In the end, we could not take it anymore and entered the Gaza strip, into your neighborhood, in order to remove those who want to kill us. A reality that is painful but very easy to explain. As soon as you agree with me that Hamas is your enemy and because of them, your people are miserable, you will also understand that the change must come from within.

I am acutely aware of the fact that what I say is easier to write than to do, but I do not see any other way. You, who are connected to the world and concerned about your children's education, must lead, together with your friends, a civil uprising against Hamas. I swear to you, that if the citizens of Gaza were busy paving roads, building schools, opening factories and cultural institutions instead of dwelling in self pity, arms smuggling and nurturing a hatred for your Israeli neighbors, your homes would not be in ruins right now.

 If your leaders were not corrupt and motivated by hatred, your home would not have been harmed. If someone would have stood up and shouted that there is no point in launching missiles on innocent civilians, I would not have to stand in your kitchen as a soldier.

You don't have money, you tell me? You have more than you can imagine. Even before Hamas took control of Gaza, during the time of Yasser Arafat,millions if not billions of dollars donated by the world community to the Palestinians was used for purchasing arms or taken directly to your leaders bank accounts. Gulf States, the emirates - your brothers, your flesh and blood, are some of the richest nations in the world.

If there was even a small feeling of solidarity between Arab nations, if these nations had but the smallest interest in reconstructing the Palestinian people - your situation would be very different.

You must be familiar with Singapore. The land mass there is not much larger than the Gaza strip and it is considered to be the second most populated country in the world. Yet, Singapore is a successful, prospering, andwell managed country. Why not the same for you? My friend, I would like to call you by name, but I will not do so publicly. I want you to know that I am 100% at peace with what my country did, what my army did, and what I did.

However, I feel your pain. I am sorry for the destruction you are finding in your neighborhood at this moment. On a personal level, I did what I could to minimize the damage to your home as much as possible. In my opinion, we have a lot more in common than you might imagine. I am a civilian, not a soldier, and in my private life I have nothing to do with the military. However, I have an obligation to leave my home, put on a uniform, and protect my family every time we are attacked. I have no desire to be in your home wearing a uniform again and I would be more than happy to sit with you as a guest on your beautiful balcony, drinking sweet tea seasoned with the sage growing in your garden.

The only person who could make that dream a reality is you. Take responsibility for yourself, your family, your people, and start to take control of your destiny. How? I do not know. Maybe there is something to be learned from the Jewish people who rose up from the most destructive human tragedy of the 20th century, and instead of sinking into self-pity, built a flourishing and prospering country. It is possible, and it is in yourhands. I am ready to be there to provide a shoulder of support and help to you. But only you can move the wheels of history."

Regards, Yishai, (Reserve Soldier)
Resource: Sent from Cousin Denise Bremridge (partial letter)
[Originally published in Hebrew in Maariv - an Israeli daily newspaper]

The Gaza Strip and Israel

Israel was created in 1948, and immediately attacked by all the Arabs. Some Arabs, not many, were living in Palestine at the time. Some heeded their leaders’ advice and fled the area, only to become refugees. Those that stayed became Israeli citizens and make up 20% of the population of Israel. The Gaza Strip stretches for about 22 miles and is only 8 miles wide. The Egyptians attacked Israel in 1948 and went into the Negev and by December Israel had driven them out, except for the Strip. That's how it came to be.

After the war Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip and its more than 200,000 inhabitants but refused to let them into Egypt. Not only that, but Egypt wouldn’t allow them to move to any other country.

In June of 1949, Israel offered to accept the refugees if Egypt agreed to give up Gaza, but Cairo refused. Egypt’s handling of the Palestinians was so bad that Saudi Arabian radio said that Nasser’s regime in Gaza was like Hitler’s rule in occupied Europe in WWII.

In 1952 UNWRA was set up with a fund of $200 million dollars to provide homes and jobs for these refugees, but it wasn’t used at all.

In 1956, Egypt blockaded the Straits of Tiran and Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. Nasser was fighting against Israel. He said his hatred of Israel was very strong and that there was no sense in talking about peace with Israel. 17 maritime powers said at the UN that Israel had a right to transit the Strait. The closure of the Strait of Tiran was the casus belli in 1967.

We had a war that started June 5, 1967 with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and poised and ready to also attack were the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation. Israel came into control of the Gaza Strip by winning the war in six miraculous days. The Gaza Strip was originally in Egypt’s hands . At the end of this 1967 Six-Day War, it fell to Israel because Egyptian forces were ready to launch attacks from Gaza into Israel. We kept sovereignty over the area because the Arab leaders rejected Israel’s offers to return conquered territories in exchange for peace. Every Arab state had rejected UN resolutions 242 and 338. They had called for peace negotiations and the establishment of recognized borders for all states in the region.

The 1967 census found 352,000 people living in the Gaza Strip of whom 172,520 were Arab refugees.

Ralph Garroway, former director of UNRWA, said in 1958 that the Arabs don’t want to solve the refugee problem. They want to keep it like an open sore like a weapon against Israel. Arab leaders don’t give a damn whether the refugees live or die.

Israel kept control of the Gaza Strip and ceded all of the Sinai peninsula in its peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 because Anwar es-Sadat didn’t want to rule over more than one million Palestinians in the Strip anymore.

Israel provided economic assistance. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were moved from camps to new homes. This caused protests from Egypt, who had done nothing for the refugees when it controlled the area. Arabs were given freedom of movement. They were allowed to travel to and from Jordan. Israel was treating them humanely. That was bad for aspiring terrorists who were not willing to accept Israel’s presence.

By 1994, Yassir Arafat rose to power after the Oslo Accords. The Gaza Strip was the center for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. In 1995 Israel built a fence around the whole Strip, with guarded crossing-points. This stopped terror attacks.

Arafat died in 2004 which gave rise to Hamas’s leadership in the Strip. Rocket attacks against Israel rained from Gaza, sometimes 80 per day, hitting civilian sites in Israeli communities in and near the Strip, like S’derot. This is still happening.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon saw the the Palestinian leaders were not enforcing peace that Arafat had signed for at Oslo. Sharon wanted to show the world that he was all for peace, so had Israeli citizens move out of Gaza Strip in August of 2005, and also had several Jewish communities in the northern part of the West Bank move out also.

It was most costly to move 9,000 Israelis out of the Gaza Strip who had been in their homes for 35 years. Israel felt that they had to move because of the Arab’s hatred of Jews is so great that it would be hard to protect them. However, more than one million Arabs are settled peacefully in Israel without need for protection. Israelis felt that putting the Gaza Strip under Palestinian control would be starting the peace process. We haven’t had peace. Shelling of rockets continues, even now because in January 2006, Palestinians in Gaza voted for the Hamas terrorist group, who won on the stand of destruction of Israel and establishing an Islamic state from the river to the sea.

Israel had voted for peace while the Palestinians voted for terrorism. It appears that everyone is now trying to get Israel to return to the armistice lines of 1949, thinking that will bring peace.

The Arabs were threatening, planning and trying to destroy Israel at that time. They attacked us on three sides. This war cost Israel in 6 days twice as many dead in proportion to her total population as the USA lost in 8 years of fighting in Vietnam. For 18 years the Arabs had done hostile acts against Israel, had broken every relevant paragraph in the Armistice Agreements of 1949 which everyone had signed. It meant nothing to the Arabs.

Reference: Myths and Facts by Mitchell G. Bard and Joel Himelfarb

Big Lies: demolishing the myths of the propaganda war against Israel by David Meir-Levi

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia by Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder, D. Phil,

Battleground, Fact and Fantasy in Palestine bySamuel Katz

What International Law Says About Israeli Settlements

Nadene Goldfoot

Jewish Settlements have existed from time immemorial in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and the Gaza Strip. They were recognized as legitimate the Mandate for Palestine and adopted by The League of Nations. Hebron existed throughout the centuries of Ottoman rule as a Jewish settlement. Others were established under the British Mandatory Administration before the State of Israel was created in 1948. Many of these newer settlements were on land that was originally a Jewish community in previous generations. Jewish people have deep historic and religious connections with this land.

For more than a thousand years we have not been prohibited from these settlements until the new state of Jordan was created and their illegal occupation administration from 1948 to 1967 declared the sale of land to Jews as a capital offense. The rights of Jews in these areas and the legal titles to the land that they had could not be legally invalidated by either Jordan or Egyptian occupation when they invaded Israel in 1948. These rights and titles are valid to this day.

The West Bank and Gaza Strip is territory where there are competing claims which should be settled in peace process negotiations. Israel has valid claims to title in this territory based on historic and religious connection to the land and security needs, and also that the territory was not under the sovereignty of any state and came under Israeli control in a war of self-defense. Israel understands that the Palestinians also think they have legitimate claims on the area.

There had been no prohibition whatsoever on the building or expansion of settlements up until the Annapolis Peace Conference. Earlier, the agreements said that this was reserved for permanent status negotiations which would take place in the ending stages of peace talks. It was agreed that Palestinians had no jurisdiction or control over the settlements or Israelis until the conclusion of a permanent status agreement. Are we there? Where are our peaceful partners?

The building of homes has no effect on the status of the area. Many Israeli governments so far have recognized the need for compromise and have voluntarily adopted a freeze on the building of new settlements. Sharon had declared Israel would not build any new settlements but was committed to the existing settlements' needs.

Israel was originally promised at least 4/5th more the size of a piece of land that they received in 1948, but it didn't create a war about it. It was accepted. Since then, chunks have continually been bitten off and this is continuing. We are left with a microscopic bite, and an odd shape at that that can't be adequately protected. What will happen to this little piece? Will it be swallowed whole by the Palestinians?

Reference: Jewish Virtual Library May 2001: Israeli Settlements and International Law

40 YEARS OF WAR

Nadene Goldfoot

Israel has been under pressure ever since it’s birth in 1948 which was celebrated with the surrounding countries attacking with the intent to kill. Being one of the youngest of nations in the world family, it certainly feels the most unloved and unwanted. Yet this child of the world has been waiting to be reborn for over two thousand years.

The Arabs were offered land in a plan that took most of what was promised to become Israel. This would be Palestine, Israel’s neighbor. Never before had there been a Palestine with its own government. It was a new idea to the Arabs, but seeing that Israel was about to be born made the Arab people want their own state of Palestine. Yet they refused this opportunity, though the Jewish leaders went along with it. They missed their original chance.

A miracle happened in 1967 when in six days, Israel accidentally won back land that used to be theirs when Israel was led by King David. It’s many siblings of the surrounding countries were fuming with indignation when this happened, for it was to be the exact opposite. You would think that one tiny country attacked by about eight huge countries would have been consumed and eaten, but the opposite happened.

Israel only wants peace with its neighbors so eventually have given back 94% of the territories they won in the 67 attack in the name and goodwill of peace. The Arab countries are still at war with them to gain only 6% of that territory and Israel has already said it is ready to give up most of that.

The Gaza strip which lies between Israel and Egypt has been completely given up by Israel, and it has been taken over by the two factions of Palestinians who are supposedly making up the waiting to be born new Palestinian State, yet those two factions are fighting each other while shelling Israel with Kassam rockets.

Lebanon, to the north of Israel, also has fighting going on. Factions of Palestinians are fighting the Lebanese soldiers and holding out in Palestinian camps. The fear is that this will spill into Israel again.

These are our "peaceful neighbors that Israel is expected to welcome with open arms. They can’t get along with each other, so how are they ever going to get along with their hated enemy, Israel.

The Palestinian’s life would have been much richer had they hadn’t been so interested in destroying the new state of Israel instead of starting their own state. Forty years of war and hatred are only leading to continued bloodshed.