Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense's One Year Anniversary Against Hamas

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                        

It was just one year ago that Israel had said ENOUGH and after being hit by rockets, mortars and missiles from Gaza since 2001, finally went into Gaza  in an offensive land operation to put an end to the shooting with Operation Pillar of Defense that lasted for 8 days.

It was recalled by both Hamas and other affiliated terrorists in Gaza and in Israel.  Cities like Sderot and Ashkelon were favorite sites hit in Israel.  Where Sderot is very close to the border, Ashkelon is a large major city to the north of Gaza along the sea where a large hospital is that serves both Arab Gazans and Israelis inside a large perimeter.  The strikes have caused the hospital to go to the basement levels in order to take care of their patients.  What seems to be an insane goal to me, the Arabs keep aiming for the city that provides them life when they themselves are injured.

Saturday afternoon during Shabbat, southern Israel was greeted by 3 rockets shot at them from Gaza.  They landed in an open field in Gaza!  The platform they were shot from must have been further back to not make it over the border into Sderot or some other Israeli site.

That was the climax of a week of rockets that were fired.  Last week one rocket again fell short of the border of Ashkelon from Gaza. First the warning siren blared.   The population were driven to take cover in bomb shelters.  The rocket fell just a little way from the border but landed on the Gazan side.

Last Tuesday, a Palestinian Arab managed to get into Israel from Gaza and was caught by the Israeli security forces.  He didn't come over as an immigrant wanting a better life, though.  He had grenades in his pockets.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented that there have been only 35 incidents of rocket fire since then, so this showed a 98% drop of rocket fire since last year's operation.

Will Kerry be successful in bringing about peace between the Palestinians and Israel?  He's dealing with Abbas from Fatah right now.  They have no connection with Gaza, the section that Israel left, lock, stock and barrel in the name of peace that has turned into a launching pad of rockets, mortars and missiles against them.

Hamas's charter shows no sign of ever making peace.   The charter is a 30 page document and as long as it remains their guiding dogma for Hamas or the Palestinian people in mass, the dream of peace remains impossible.  Land is elemental in this problem.  It is religion that is guiding the Palestinian Arabs.  From the Hamas Covenant, we read that "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."  (said by The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory.)  The name "Hamas" means  strength and bravery according to Al-Mua'jam al-Wasit: c1.  They write, "Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious.  It needs all sincere efforts."

That religion is the driving force, from article 6 in their charter, says, "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees.  The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.  Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews." (related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).

I have asked several Muslims about this section often quoted by Westerners who have studied the Koran and it has been explained to me in a very confusing way that either it's not there or its meaning is different and must be studied from another one of Islam's writings.  I get the feeling that it is not interpreted correctly but is often used by less educated Muslims to be the banner for their land fight against Jews in the Middle East.  However, when Muslims of little education read it, it is a very blatant statement and sounds like a dictum to be very aggressive against Jews and to do them harm.

Therefore I see in article 13  that there is no solution in Palestinian thinking  about the  Palestinian question  of a 2 state solution except through Jihad.  Initiative, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.  Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences  are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

Article 32 threatens Muslims that today Jews are taking Palestine and tomorrow it will be one country or another and that the Zionist plan is limitless.  They warn that the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates, and then want to take more land.

I find this laughable because our problem is keeping Israel with a majority of Jews to keep it a Jewish state.  The last thing we need is again to live among the world as we have been, a minority without any rights of our own as has already happened in the past.  It is the Muslims who have been expansionists, forcing everyone to convert to Islam and taking their land and holy sites.  So what they really are fearing is that Jews will suddenly act like they have with the same kinds of goals.  Once they realize we are not about to ape their behaviors, perhaps they will accept us.  Hamas must be educated with some of these more enlightening and realistic ideas to solve this world problem.

 Has John Kerry, Secretary of State of the USA, found out if Hamas has changed its charter yet?  How about Fatah?  Why should Israel make peace with one who is under the spell of the other and will cooperate with fighting against Israel?  Shouldn't that twosome be worked on by the USA first before even thinking of creating another state?  Could they be thinking that this will give Fatah power over Hamas?

Resource:  http://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-fire-three-rockets-at-israel/
Excerpts from the Hamas Charter, produced by StandWithUs.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/police-find-third-body-on-ashkelon-beach/

Fighting Words of Abbas Over Jerusalem, City of Peace

Nadene Goldfoot
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Arabs simply will not recognize that there is known history about Israel's most important city and capital, Jerusalem.  In denying this important history, he shows he is simply a denier, like Ahmadinejad is about the Holocaust.  The reason is far more reaching than Abbas's personal outlook on the Middle East, however.  It has to do with the Islamic grand scheme of things.

He was quoted as saying on Tuesday, "Jerusalem is a Muslim and Christian city, and there will be neither peace nor security until the Israeli occupation, settlements and settlers leave the city."  Note that Israel is not an occupier and cities and towns are not settlements which are things we had in the West of the USA in the 1800's.  The population living in these cities are not "settlers."  These are political words used to give a mental picture which is wrong.

He carried on with, "Jerusalem's identity is Arab, and the city's and Christian holy sites must be protected from Israeli threats."  Nobody has worked harder than Israel in protecting all religious places.  This didn't happen at all under Jordan's domain before 1967.  Jerusalem was built by King David, the Jewish king in 1,000 BCE , and it's identity has always been a Jewish one.  Jews have prayed for 2,000 years every day that we should not forget Jerusalem.  It's been part of our history for over 3,000 years now.  It is the heart and soul of Judaism and is where the 2 Temples were built for G-d.   What Abbas rants causes nausea for me.

Abbas ended with the threat that "there will be no peace or stability before our beloved city and eternal capital is liberated from occupation and settlement."  It's not and never has been Islam's eternal capital.  Mecca and Medina are the 1st and 2nd holy cities for Islam and they lie in Saudi Arabia.  Only the story about Mohammed going up to heaven on his horse is set in Jerusalem, so they say.  Jerusalem is  mentioned 0 times in the Koran but at least 600  times in our Tanach (Old Testament).  The city of Jerusalem is never mentioned by name in the Islamic Koran.  Islamists think it is referred to with just the words like city or town without a name attached. If anyone finds it in there, you should inform  Daniel Pipes who was offering a million dollars to anyone who could.  

Abbas was definitely not trying to make points with Israel's Knesset.  Everything he says is an affront to Jewish senses.  Somebody is living in the twilight zone if they think that Jews are going to pick up and leave Jerusalem.  Only the Jews have talked about having peace with these outlandish neighbors which must contain some reasonable people who wish for the same thing, but peace certainly hasn't even started with the table-talk.  There are 1.4 million Arabs, the majority being Muslim, no doubt, who are already citizens of Israel and I pray who have higher goals in life than fighting with Israelis.

Our thoughts and hope are reflected in Ha-Tikvah, Israel's National Anthem with these few lines: "The hope of two thousand years---to be a free people in our own land---In the land of Zion and Jerusalem."  My prayer this lovely Friday, Erev Shabbat is "So let it be."

Resource: http://frontpagemag.com/2012/ronn-torossian/as-un-head-travels-to-iran-abbas-pledges-no-jews-in-jerusalem/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=f77897a2cd-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/jerfacts.htm
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2012/02/claiming-jerusalem-is-in-the-koran

The Koran and the Jews

We Americans have been taught to respect all religions, rightfully, but Islam is a religion that does not follow this concept. Terrorists have zeroed in on certain aspects in their Koran that are giving them a free hand to kill Jews and Christians. I note that Jews are considered "infidels", also. Anyone that isn't a Muslim is an infidel.

The story as I remember it goes back to around 700AD when Mohammed lived in an area also populated with Jews and Christians, both called, "People of the Book," and he wasn't a part of this group. His people had no book. He was an illiterate man, with a pretty good memory, so heard stories from each of these religions from their book. Finally somehow he wrote his own book, either by learning to read and write or to get help, and presented it to the Jews, trying to get them to switch over and follow him, which he thought would be an easy thing to do. They didn't leave their religion, of course, which angered him immensely. Possibly that is why he has such a hatred for us. We wouldn't convert.

Remember, Mohammed did have quite a time of convincing even his own tribe to follow his teachings. He wound up having to convince people with a sword over their heads. It wasn't easy. He wasn't really a popular man, as I remember reading.

Now it's the fastest growing religion and the 2nd largest religion in the world. On this earth there are 1,482,596,925 Muslims as of 1996. That means that 26% of the people in the world were Muslims. By 2000 they should have numbered 1,902,095,000. Today, it must be at least two billion or more people that are Muslims. Their growth rate is also due to having four wives and many many children that each man is allowed.

In Australia their growth rate was 257.01% from 1989 to 1998. In North America they have enjoyed a 25% growth, either by birth, conversion or immigration. Interestingly, in Latin America they have seen a decline of -4.73%, probably due to a higher popularity of Catholics, though the Christianity growth rate in 94-95 was only 1.46%.

Being that Jews make up only about 1% of the total world population, we have seen a growth rate in Israel, but I doubt if we have much a rate in the USA. We do not proselyze. It's a religion that you are born into if your mother is Jewish. We have always taken in converts that have requested it and are indeed serious in doing so.

Views of Islam Towards Jews

Posted by Abdulameer on 01/06/09 at 3:58PM
Here are some "troublesome" passages from the Koran. Any reader can verify on the Internet that the Koran really does say these things.

--Surely the vilest of animals in Allah’s sight are those who disbelieve. (8.55)
-- The unbelievers are your inveterate enemy. (4:101)
-- Mohammed is God's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another. (48:29).
-- It is unlawful for a believer to kill another believer, accidents excepted. (4:92)
-- Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. (5:51)
-- Make war on them (non-Moslems)until idolatry shall cease and God's religion shall reign supreme. (8:40)
-- Fight against them until idolatry is no more and God's religion reigns supreme. (2:193)
-- The true believers fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan. (4:76)
-- We will put terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. (3:151)
-- I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers. (8:12)
Muhammad, who all religious Moslems are required to consider the perfect model to follow, said this:"You (i.e. Muslims) will fight with the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, 'O 'Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.' "
"I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,.."
"Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him." Vol. 9:57
"No Muslim should be killed for killing a Kafir" A Kafir, according to Wikipedia, is an apostate, and infidel, an unbeliever, someone who does not recognize Allah or Muhammad, who hides the truth, a rejector, ingrate.
There are many more quotations like these from the Koran and the sayings of Muhammad (Hadith). What will Zahar tell us about these verses which are considered sacrosanct by all believing Moslems -- even if they have never read the Koran.

There is hope. In the book, The Faith Club, by Ranya Idliby, a Muslim, Suzanne Oliver, a Christian, and Priscilla Warner, a Jew, all living in New York, get together to solve the problems of recognizing, learning and understanding about each other. I'm sad to say that the Jewish lady knew less than the others about their own faith, and that the Christian seemed to be the more educated in hers, though I'm not surprised. I thought Ranya was wonderful, but I doubt if she was aware of these parts of her Koran. Their book led to the formation of groups similar to theirs in searching for answers, which is a very good thing. I believe that all three were very spiritual ladies, as demonstrated by their search.

This certainly could be the underlying cause of enmity between the Arabs and the Jews in the Middle East and why the Palestinians have been so against having Israel as a neighbor, which was also demonstrated in 1948 when 6 Arab nations attacked Israel at its birth. In trying to force these two different religious groups together in peace is not even on the same level as Ireland's Catholics and Protestants. They at least are both Christian groups. You could say our differences started in 700AD.

There was a time when Jews lived in Arab lands. The Ottoman Empire even invited us there to help out in certain areas, and we left the Russian Empire and its pogroms and headed for Turkey. We never suffered persecution as we did in the Western countries, but were held in 2nd position as citizens under the class of dminnis. Somehow those more enlightened Muslims tolerated us. Times have changed.

What saddens me is to see the Palestinians cheering as they hear of a Jewish person that was killed. Long ago when we left Egypt, we also cheered as the Pharoah's charioteers drowned in the sea that had allowed our passage through, and we were chastised by G-d not to do so, that they also were his children. You'll notice that we haven't cheered in this Operation Lead or any other time. It saddens us to see life taken, also. It's not our choice to kill and we're not trying to, only in self defense. We're trying to get rid of the ammunition and the tunnels that bring it in.

http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm

http://www.islamicweb.com/begin/results.htm

http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/documents/charter.html

The Religious Goal of the Future Palestine

Nadene Goldfoot

The future Palestine is already controlled in Gaza by the political party Hamas. They plan on instituting an Islamist theocracy using their own form of Muslim principles of government law. This is called Hamastan. The law is called Sharia. It deals with all aspects of day-to-day life which means politics, economics, banking, business law, contract law, family, sexuality, hygience and social issues. It’s based on the Koran (holy book of Islam), the sayings of Muhammad, and centuries of debate, interpretation and precedent.

This is very much like Israel’s code of ethics which are based on the Five Books of Moses and the Torah. The ethics of Judaism covers the same aspects and is also based on centuries of debate and interpretations.

The differences in these two groups who both believe in one G-d lies on the outcomes of interpretations. Israel does not cut off the hand of a thief or treat its non Jews as third class citizens as Jews were treated in Muslim countries that also followed Sharia. Israel does not punish its citizens for not wearing a head covering. Jews are allowed to follow the tenets of their religion as they chose to do.


Muslims in Palestine will not have that option. Jews have always had a freedom of choice and the knowledge that they can follow the dictates of their own conscience. They answer only to G-d. Israelis have a religion free from pressure. Palestine will be a ruled by a religion of forced regimen with possible drastic punishment for violations.