Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Nuclear War Threats Against Israel and USA

Nadene Goldfoot
                                                                           
Syria's Nuclear Plant
The Iraqis and Syrians threatened nuclear bombing against Israel in 1981.  Major Yadlin and 7 other Israeli pilots bombed Osirak, an Iraqi nuclear reactor built for them by the French.  I was living in Safed, Israel at that time teaching English to junior high students there. 
                                                       
Syrians at Deir ez Zor fighting ISIS
Think what would happen if they had taken over a nuclear reactor.   

 Major Yadlin of the IDF went on to become chief of military intelligence in 2007.  He was in charge of collecting intelligence on the North Korean-built Syrian nuclear reactor in Deir ez Zor. This reactor was on the outskirts of Baghdad and seemed impossible to bomb.  At that time, it was too far from Israel to fly to and bomb.  But they dared, and it happened on June 7, 1981.  The 8 bombers felt they had just prevented another 2nd Holocaust.  In 2004, Yadlin thought they had failed to detect a Libyan nuclear project.  That's when his men discovered in 2006 a huge cement structure in Deir ez Zor hiding a North Korean plutonium reactor.  He shared this knowledge with the PM Ehud Olmert and an American intelligence chief, and both pooh-poohed his worries.  They had been following Aluf (General)  Meir Dagon, head of Mossad and was an Israel Defense Forces Major General who said that there was no Syrian reactor.  By March 2007, intelligence changed their position.  Dagon demanded immediate reaction before the reactor could be started up and before the Syrians found out that Israel knew of their secret.  Yadlin helped with Operation Orchard which was designed to also help Syria's President Assad save face:  no core, no war.  

It went this way:  on September 5, 2007, 4 bombers, escorted by 4 other planes,  These 8 planes dropped 17 tons of explosives on the plutonium plant and flattened it.  Previously, the world had failed to prevent an Arab dictatorship from going nuclear.  The USA failed to act.  Israel was forced to take the initiative and do the job.  

Between 2006 and 2010 Yadlin was the main man in Israeli operations against the Iranian nuclear project.  

There was the Begin Doctrine by Menachem Begin, Prime Minister in June 1981, saying that Israel will not allow any enemy nation to acquire a nuclear weapon, and  Yadlin was following it.   Begin said after bombing in Osirak in Operation Opera, "We chose this moment: now, not later, because later may be too late, perhaps forever. And if we stood by idly, two, three years, at the most four years, and Saddam Hussein would have produced his three, four, five bombs. ... Then, this country and this people would have been lost, after the Holocaust. Another Holocaust would have happened in the history of the Jewish people. Never again, never again! Tell so your friends, tell anyone you meet, we shall defend our people with all the means at our disposal. We shall not allow any enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction turned against us."                                                     
Bushehr Nuclear Plant
Iran's testing of the Shahab missiles
The Shahab-3 represents Iran's first successful acquisition and development of a medium-range ballistic missile that give it the capability to threaten targets (such as Israel) which lie beyond its immediate borders.

The biggest and constant threats of destruction of Israel have been coming from Iran, which is further away from Israel than Iraq or Syria.  They are taking their time building such a bomb by doing it safely, whereas the others were in a hurry.  They built a reactor in Bushehr, another one in Arak, one at a military complex in Parchin, a uranium enriching facility in  Nataz, and an underground bunker in Fordow.  That's 5 different sites!   They are trying to do most of their work with international legitimacy.  Back in 2006 when Yadlin was the IDF's intelligence man, the Iranians had already started to enrich uranium in Natanz.  
                                                        

By November 2007, all 16 American spy agencies called the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) said that there was no good evidence that Iran was trying to build a nuclear weapon.  The NIE didn't want George W. Bush from acting against Iran and starting a 3rd World War.  Yet, 4 different Israeli teams in Mossad and in their military intelligence said Iran was advancing towards military nuclear capabilities and the Americans grossly underestimated the state of the Iranian program. 
                                                          
Iran's Fajr 5, a long distance,  missile heading toward Israel 
Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad

 Israel saw how much Iran wanted to be leader in the Middle East where Saudi Arabia held that title at the time.  It had much to do with being leader in Islamic thinking as much as anything else.  Today, even the Middle Eastern Arab nations are expecting Israel to protect them from Iran who threatens them all.  

As for other nations, France and Britain seem to understand Iran's motivation.  China, Russia and India had been partially collaborating with Iran.  Many countries in Europe were continuing to trade with Iran.  

Israel itself was tied up politically and not quite focused on Iran as it should have been.  In the meantime, Iran's centrifuges have been multiplying and their uranium has been piling up.  
                                                        
PM Netanyahu at UN explaining how close Iran Was to Nuclear Capability
The Democrats walked out when he spoke to the Senate about it.
This is the famous red-line speech  done in 2012.  He asked for international action.  The critical benchmark was 2013-14.  The destiny of Israel was
in Obama's hands.  

In 2009 Benjamin Netanyahu became Prime Minister in April and his feelings were that Iran would be another Nazi Germany of the 21st Century.  To him, the West of the 2000s were more like the West of the 1930s as far as Jews were concerned.  He was determined not to let Jews be led again to some sort of nuclear Auschwitz.  He knew his life's mission was to prevent Iran from going nuclear.  Netanyahu's speech may have had an impact on those who listened in the UN. There was international pressure afterwards.  
                                                                
President  Rouhani of Iran
Hassan Rouhani is an Iranian politician serving as the current and seventh President of Iran since 3 August 2013. He was also a lawyer, academic, former diplomat and Islamic cleric
. 

That brought about Iranian political change of 2013.  
                                                        

 Several of our heads had left for a luncheon that was more important to them.  Now Iran has passed the point of stopping them.  Israel will be forced to choose between being hit by the bomb or bombing the plant.  

What they did not understand is the mindset of the Syrians and how their religion sees things differently.  They are deadly serious but very impressive.  To the Israelis, they were also a more distant problem with the Palestinians taking up all their attention.  Americans had their hands full with al-Qaeda and Afghanistan and Iraq.  

Dimona is Israel's nuclear reactor.  That one reactor has been keeping Israel protected from all the Muslim nations that surround her.  There's always that possibility that Israel will get fed up and use it.  


Resource: MY PROMISED LAND by Ari Shavit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begin_Doctrine

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Happenings In Our Crazy World This Week (June 17, 2014)

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                                        

                    The kidnapping of 3 Jewish school boys by Hamas Terrorists

The biggest disappointment happened last week in Athens when a proclamatiion was adopted by EU foreign ministers and their Arab colleagues.  It was one-sided and said that "it hails the Fatah-Hamas union and praised the Palestinians committed to DEMOCRACY and HUMAN RIGHTS.   Yet Hamas continued to shell Israel more than usual.  The declaration included harsh criticism of Israel.  Seems they can practice terrorism such as shooting  and terrorist acts of kidnapping, and that's okay.                                    
                                                                             
         Judea-Samaria and Gaza  in red, Israel in yellow.  One can see the katusha rocket range from "Palestine."  This week it's still hitting southern Israel from Gaza.  

ISIS, IRAQ  and  IRAN
The USA had  meetings with Iran about Iraq, the state they had a war with in 1980 that lasted for 8 years. Iraq and Iran  had fought so long and hard that the war was down to children fighting.   They met on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland about the ongoing nuclear negotiations and discussed the crisis in Iraq.  They discussed how ISIS threatens many countries in the region, including Iran.   (TIME).
                                                                         
                          ISIS now 35 miles from Baghdad, Iraq

Israel is against such an unparallelled meeting.  Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister, said Iran should not be helped to extend it's sway in Iraq.  Tehran would then have more control in Syria, where the Iranians back President Assad.  They'd get their foot in the door in Lebanan, where they have their Hizbullah allies.  This would wind up softening the American positions on the issue of the Iranian nuclear issue more than they already are, just what Iran would love.  It would be that the USA and Iran would be on the same side of supporting the government of Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki.

It may be that both are rooting for Maliki, but each has their own different reasons.  ISIS, the branch of al-Qaeda, is the enemy in this case, and is the worst Shi'a group in history.  For a group that started with little finances, they fixed that by robbing a big bank in Iraq, so that now they are loaded.  Right now ISIS is about 35 miles away from Damascus, supposedly a well-fortified city.

                                               KIDNAPPING OF 3 ISRAELI TEENAGERS
Two (2) months ago, PA's Abbas asked that Palestine be included in 15 international conventions.  One was the 1989 UN convention on the Rights of the Child...and Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in Armed Conflict.  At the same time they are responsible for the kidnapping of 3 Jewish teenagers by Hamas.

Israel holds the PA responsible for this act.  Hamas terrorists took the boys, of who one holds dual citizenship- USA and Israel.  The terrorists were staying in Judah which is under PA control.  Israel is holding many people in the act of searching for them.  Israel said that the 3 boys' lives are in danger and they will have to move in anyway possible to get information as to where they are to rescue them.  The clock is ticking.  Netanyahu promised that those who try to attack Israeli citizens like this will be hit for doing so.

He asks that the international community condemn this abduction and support Israel's legitimate acts of self-defense.  All the while Israel has been attacked by rockets from Gaza during this period from Hamas.  When a state is under attack by a terrorist group, it is a far more serious situation than if some gang of thieves kidnaps someone for financial gain.

                                                    RANDOM ACTS OF HOSTILITY
Three (3) Palestinians tried to break through the security perimeter of Kochav Yaakov in Judea-Samaria late Monday night and IDF soldiers shot at them, injuring one.  The others got away.

Two (2) firebombs were thrown at the Beit Orot Yeshiva on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem which set off a  fire , but it was small.          

Resource:  www.dailyalert.org
Time
Reuters
BBC News
Prime Minister's Office-Israel
Times of Israel
Wall Street Journal

                                          

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Does Iran Have The Bomb? Jews and USA's Relationship With Iran and Why Iran Is Out to Blow Them Up

Nadene Goldfoot
Iran is displaying uncalled for hatred for Jews and Israel.  Where does this come from?  Let's look at the history of the two entities. Geneticists are finding that body cells contain memory.  I wonder if the people involved are carrying an inherited memory  of their enmity for each other. Of course, oral history and written history continues their attitudes starting with parents.   

538 BCE:  CYRUS of the Babylonian Empire conquered Israel putting Jews in exile in Mesopotamia and Israel, now under Persian (Iran) rule for 200 years.  Jews were later allowed to return to Israel but it was under Persian rule as a Persian province with some local autonomy.
   The Book of Esther shows Jews living in their 127 provinces of the Persian Empire as being numerous and influential in the capital of Susa (Shushan).  Queen Esther, keeping her Judaism a secret, was married to King Ahashueros.  Haman, on the king's council as advisor,  called for death of all Jews.  Esther reveals her Jewishness and her husband turns against Haman, having him hung along with all his sons.  Esther's uncle, Mordechai,  was a descendant of King Saul, Israel's first king and from the tribe of Benjamin.  Haman, on the other hand, was a descendant of the Amalek, a tribe that was not friendly to the Israelites and tried to kill them all.
247 BCE-227 CE  Persia later controlled by PATHIAN EMPIRE. (Iranian people)
____________________________________________________________________________
225 CE Persia under Sassanid dynasty, extending authority over ancient centers of Jewish settlement in Mesopotamia.  Sasanids were heirs of ancient Achaemanean Empire, controlled both sides of the Caspian Sea, eastern part of Fertile Crescent, land between Tigris and Indus rivers.  Zoroastrianism became their religion and language was Pahlavi, or middle Persian.  They were autocratic, and used religion as a tool of the state.  They were people very proud of their heritage.  Constantly at war with the Byzantine Empire of the West with Constantinople being the capital, who spoke Greek.  The Babylonian Talmud (Jewish) was written during this period.  Queen Shushan Dukht was Jewish.

438-457   Zoroastrian religion caused suppression of Jewish observances under Yezdegerd II

468  Sweeping persecution  under Firuz

459-486   Persecutions when alleged murder of 2 magi by Jews in capital Isfahan (city of Jewish foundation supposedly) When Kavaadh I (485-531) adopted and imposed communistic practices of Zendicism.

513-520  Persian Jews joined in revolt led by Mar Zutra II , the exilarch

531-571 Khosrow Anushirayan was the Shahanshah, believed in absolute power, ambitious, reformer and law giver, concluded an eternal peace with  Justinian of Byzantines which lasted less than 10 years.  Persians carried on trade with India and China.
____________________________________________________________________________
635 Arabs led by Caliph Umar defeated Iranians.

641-642  Islam in Arab conquest, brought in more tolerant spirit with reservations.   Jews flourished under the Eastern Caliphate of Baghdad.  Controlled by the exilarchs and paid allegiance to the Gaonim.

700 :  Many sectarian movements like that of Abu Issa al-Isfahani.  Karaism developed from teacher Benjamin Nahavendi.

1100 CE Benjamin of Tudela found many Jewish communities, but some disturbed by messianic movement of David Alroy,  (1160) was a Jewish pseudo-Messiah born in Amadiya, Iraq. Though from Iraq, this affected Jews all over.   "The Jews of Persia had considerable difficulty in appeasing the wrath of the Sultan, and were obliged to pay a large indemnity."

1200-1400 CE Mongol Rule.

1499 Safavid dynasty returned giving Persian independence.  Shiite Islam became very dominant and was highly intolerant in theory and practice.  Jews treated worse than in other parts of the Moslem world.  All manner of restrictions were enforced.

1600   Widespread persecutions of Jews, forced conversions, especially in Isfahan.

1736-1747  Conditions towards Jews improved under broadminded Nadir Shah who tried to create a new religious synthesis.  He set up a Jewish community at his new capital, Meshed where they had been excluded.  When he died, Shiite intolerance became supreme again.

1839 Meshed community forcibly converted to Islam but kept secret fidelity to Judaism as Jedid al-Islam.  Persian Jewry among the most depressed of the world's Jewish communities.  Shahs gave promises of ameliorations which were overlooked.

1898 Schools of the Alliance Israelite Universelle introduced a more modern spirit.   and the Jedid al-Islamd were afraid to return openly to Judaism.  Social and economic status of Jews didn't change but political rights were introduced under the Shah.

1948  Jews began to emigrate to Israel, West.

1960-1970's Many Jews moved  from provinces to Teheran.
1963: Shah of Iran's White Revolution of modernizing Iran.

1963-1964 Khomeini exiled to Turkey for speaking out against the Shah's relationship with USA and Great Britain.
_________________________________________________________________________________
1977-1979 Iran's upheaval forcing shah out of the country, established Ayatolah Ruhollah Khomayni.  Reign of terror followed the Islamic Revolution, trials, executions of hundreds of political and military leaders.

1978  Khomeini Revolution, Jews felt uncomfortable under strict Islamic regime and emigrated for Israel and West.  Population went from 80,000 to 20,000 in 1989.  Khomeini brought in Islamic Republic.  

1979 June 16:  Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (October 26, 1919-July 27, 1980) , who was supported and installed by the USA and Great Britain on September 16, 1941 at the start of WWII,   went into exile.  .  Two weeks later, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran to a greeting by several million Iranians.

1980, September 20-- 1988, August 20:  Iraq-Iran War (1st Persian Gulf War) :  Iraq crossed Iranian border

1981 June 7 Israel blew up the Tammuz-I nuclear reactor in Iraq.  Saddam Husayn greatly humiliated, lost prestige.  Soviet Union had 2,200 advisers in Iraq, helped both countries.  French lent Iraq 5 jets with missiles, England traded more with Iran, USA gave $460 million for grain in 1982 to Iraq. “There is regular cooperation, since the 1980s, between North Korea and Iran. North Korea also helped set up a plutonium nuclear facility in Syria, which was bombed by Israel in 2007, according to foreign sources,” he said."

1982  Israel sold spare parts for American planes to Iran.  

1984:  500,000 military and civilian casualties for both Iran and Iraq; 3 million displaced persons, debt of over $50 billion, destruction of cities, towns, industry.

1984 July:  Iraq asking for peace but still sinking oil tankers loaded with Iranian oil and Iran prepared 500,000 soldiers for a new offensive against Basra.

2003-2013   Ayatallah Khomeini ruling religious person, Ahmadinejad President, calling for destruction of Jews.  Ayatollah "sign of G-d" is a mujtahid,  whose job is to interpret and be sources of imitation, to imitate. He gets blind obedience from imitators.  Iran is working on nuclear energy with North Korea which is felt that their goal is to build a bomb to use on Israel and the USA.

2007 September 6:  Israel blew up another nuclear facility in Syria in Operation Orchard.  "In April 2011, the IAEA officially confirmed that the site was a nuclear reactor." Nobody knew about it except Israel.  It took almost 4 years for this confirmation.

2013-February 5, 3rd Nuclear test by North Korea with Iranian observer,  Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi, father of Iran's nuclear Fordow program. Other Iranian observers were there with him.   Iran has developed a warhead small enoough to fit ballistic missiles.  They have used North Korean prototypes.  North Korea's 3rd test was more powerful than their 2006 and 2009 tests.   "The Iranians didn’t carry out a nuclear test in Iran, but they may have done so in North Korea,” Levkowitz said. “There is no official information on this... but Iran may have bypassed inspections via North Korea. If true, this is a very worrying development.” "Dr. Alon Levkowitz, coordinator of Bar-Ilan University’s Asian Studies Program and a member of the BESA Center for Strategic Studies, told The Jerusalem Post this information.

I wouldn't be surprised if we found out that Khomeini was a descendant of the Amaleks.  Such vicious hatred boiling over must be a  reaction from his being exiled out of Iran over the USA connection. The Jews only connection in this is the friendship of USA in backing Israel plus Persia's former attitudes towards Jews.  Israel has had to destroy 2 nuclear sites already that would destroy them and the western world.  The fear now is that Iran already has the capability to bomb both Israel and the USA since this 3rd North Korean tests was a positive one.  The window of opportunity may have already shut for Israel to act.  

Maybe I'll try to rent the movie, Altered States from 1988 with William Hurt to see how they handled genetic memory.  If there's a predisposed built in attitude we all carry, it should be altered with reason, you would think.  However, here we are, Israel battling the same old adversaries.  Amazing, isn't it?  

Resource:  The New Standard Jewish Enclopedia on Persia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthia
Textbook:  Middle East Past & Present by Yahya Armajani and Thomas M. Ricks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/etc/cron.html
http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/041600iran-us-timeline.html
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=303499  INFORMATIVE  REPORT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Orchard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Alroy
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071029172916.htm
http://epages.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/deep-dna-memory-theories-can-we-remember-our-ancestors%E2%80%99-lives/

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Iran Thumbs Nose At World in 2010

by Nadene Goldfoot
On February 9th we were notified that Iran has escalated their uranium to 20% purity at their Natanz nuclear plant. That will lead to producing weapons-grade uranium. Who said they weren't interested in making weapons?

The USA's reaction to this news is to plan to develop new, more robust sanctions against Iran in the coming weeks. It doesn't sound to me like we're in a hurry to do so. Evidently what sanctions we've had weren't impressing the Iranians at all.

We have now passed sanctions targeting U.S. companies that provide refined oil to Iran. Both the House and the Senate bill won approval. I am shocked that up till now we have been allowing this to happen. What type of 4 rounds of sanctions have we had up till now? Forbidding Hershey bars to be sold to Iran? We sure haven't shook them up.

Evidently we've been trying to get support from others on the UN Security Council for this 5th round of sanctions which so far haven't been doing the job. We've had support from France and Russia but not China. My feeling is that China is the closest to Iran and doesn't want to irritate them. Besides themselves, China really doesn't want anything to harm the USA because they will never get repaid on their loans to us if we're attacked, and they feel the USA is safely far enough away from Iran. Only Israel is in harm's way, and they have no emotional or financial ties with her.

The only reason I see that Iran wants nuclear weapons is to shoot a nuclear warhead at Israel and destroy her completely. Of course they would then be the head country in the Middle East. They had had a bloody war with Iraq when I lived in Israel from 1980-1985, so are not adverse to attacking other neighbors. They're not of the same stock. They are not Arabs.

Long ago Haman, a head politician in Iran, which was then Persia, plotted and almost succeeded in killing every Jewish person in the land. In the end the tables were turned and he and all his sons were hung. I say that Iranian politicians like Ahmadinejad had better watch out or they might blow up their own country. Before he came into power Israel was getting along quite well with the Shah of Iran. This new religious power is not even listening to their own people. They need a Mordecai to step up to the plate and save them!

Even the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank should be worrying along with Israel. After all, they are in the line of fire. You can't attack Israel without hitting these places on the border. Jordan should be worried also as well as Lebanon. I see Iran feeling these small states are expendable, though. Their goal to destroy Israel is their main thrust that they think about.

Gosh! Iran may have to use their own oil for gasoline. Think of that! I really don't think this round of sanctions is going to do the job. Now maybe if we withdrew all our McDonald's, someone might think about what they're doing.....The closer they're getting to destroy Israel, the more they feel that sacrifice is called for. It's going to take more than sanctions, I'm afraid.

Resource: http://www.theisraelproject.org/

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Palestine Refugee Problem, Not Israel's

Nadene Goldfoot
I remember what propaganda is from WWII. That is exactly what's happening right now about Israel. The big lie that young people are swallowing is that the Arabs were forced to leave Israel in 1948 at the creation of our state. This is a huge lie.

Shmuel Katz, or rather, Samuel Katz, is the author of Battleground; fact and fantasy in Palestine. I read this book ages ago to be knowledgable about the actual events. Shmuel was a member of the first knesset and died in May 2008. He was a biographer and essayist.

The period of 1948 was well documented by many reporters. No one spoke about Arabs being forced to leave by Jews. Neither did any Arab spokesmen comment about such a thing. Why did they leave? George Hakim, Greek bishop of the Galilee told a Beirut newspaper that the refugees would return in a week or two because their leaders promised them that the Arab armies woud crush the "Zionist gangs" very quickly and there was no need for panic or fear of a long exile. Iraq's prime minister, Nuri Said said, "We will smash the country with our guns and obliterate every place the Jews seek shelter in. The Arabs should conduct their wives and children to safe areas until the fighting has died down." An Arab commented in the Jordanian newspaper Al-Difaa, "The Arab governments told us, get out so that we can get in. So we got out, but they didn't get in."

No one expected the ragtag group of Jews to win, but they did! The fact that there are these refugees is the consequence of the action of the Arab states in opposing partition and the state of Israel. The Arab states must share in the solution of this situation and they never have. Instead they have used it as a ploy against Israel. The only state that has taken in refugees has been Jordan, and that was not an easy feat for them.
There were two bad incidents; at Ramle and Lod where Arab civilians were driven out of their homes by Israeli soldiers. At the village of Deir Yassin, we had a massacre created by novice Israelis fighting for their lives, also. That was it during the whole period.

Arabs evacuated numbered 420,000, confirmed by the UN and Arab sources as well as by Jews. The UN provided them with food, shelter, clothing and medical assistance. Because of this, Arabs from all over the area arrived for the handout. The UN had no way to identify people. Everyone signed as refugees to get the free aid. By December 1948 the relief agency was feeding 750,000 and by July 1949 they were feeding a million. Then the Red Cross International Committee joined the group and recognized any destitute Arab in Palestine as a refugee, so 100,000 were added to the list. Now we have a 3rd generation of Arabs all together as "victims of Israeli aggression" and demanding the right of return."

The Arab invasion of Israel at its creation of May 1948 was a crime. It was unprovoked except by its creation by the U.N. 6,000 Israeli citizens were killed then. Thousands were injured. Arabs have not taken any responsibility. Asking Israel to discuss or pay for the refugee problem is Hutzpa.

Resource: The Great Refugee Scam by Shmuel Katz
Battleground Fact and Fantasy in Palestine by Samuel Katz

Friday, June 15, 2007

Barak Returns From the Sidelines

Nadene Goldfoot
Kibbutz born on Abe Lincoln's birthday in 1942, Ehud Barak joined his family as a first son of Ester and Israel. He received a master's degree in engineering-economic systems from Stanford U. in California after majoring in math and physics. Ehud joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), or Israeli army in 1959 and became the Chief of the General Staff with the rank of Rav Aluf, which is the highest one can go. He earned the Medal of Distinguished Service and has four other awards for courage and operational excellence. He and Major Nechemya Cohen are the most decorated soldiers in Israeli history. He's also an expert in krav maga, the official martial art of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Besides being the 10th Prime Minister of Israel, he has just been appointed the country's defense minister besides being Israel's chief of the Labour Party. This comes at a time when Israel needs guidance in security since Hamas has taken over the Gaza Strip.
In 2006 Barak was a speaker at many American colleges talking about the Middle East. He said that Iraq was deteriorating to civil war and the US presence was more a part of the problem and not the solutions. With all his experience, we hope that he will know just what to do to protect Israel at this time.

upgraded 3/27/19