The Poor Arabs in Israel

The Unfortunate Arabs that remained in Israel instead of running away in 1948 make up about 20% of Israel's population. That's about 1.4 million people. Surrounding Arabs are having a fit because Israel has not been driven into the sea since they have brought the practice of democracy into the Middle East. Now other Arabs will see how these people enjoy rights they have never had before. Don't bother explaining all this to the likes of Richard Polak, though. This US Human Rights official only wants to come and convict Israel of treating the Palestinians unfairly, but refuses to check out the Palestinian's treatment of Israel.

83% of the Israeli Arabs are Muslim, and of those most are Sunni. Bedouins living in the Negev make up 10%, Christian Arabs are 8.5% and are mainly in Haifa, Nazareth and Shfar'am. They are Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics. 8.3% are Druze and most live in northern Israel. Circassians are Sunni Muslims but not Arabs and live in northern Israel also. There are only about 3,000 of them, and I had some in my junior high class in Safed.

There were Arabs living in my government building in Safed. Usually they want to live in their own villages and administer their own city and personal affairs. They run their own schools and teach in Arabic, an official language in Israel along with Hebrew. They are being affected by their close proximity to Israelis, though. They watch Israeli TV along with Arabic stations, read Hebrew newspapers, have Arab companies listed and are active on the stock exchange in Israel, and L-rd help us, many are wearing modern Western-style clothing. In Haifa they not only might own restaurants but dine in restaurants along with Israelis, shop in the malls and attend the movie theaters. The only ones who must serve in the army are the Druze and the Circassian men. The others are excused.

Besides all this, Arabs have been in every Knesset since 1948. They make up 10% of the 120 members. There are 3 Arab political parties and 12 Arab politicians including 2 Druze who were voted in. The parties are Hadash-a left-wing party from the Communist Party, Balad, established in 1996, and Ra'am Ta'al, the largest party. Besides having their own parties, there is an Arab member in Kadima and 2 in Labor.

Arabs are found in other Israeli government positions. The Israeli ambassador to Greece is an Arab, Ali Yahya. The deputy consul general is San Francisco is Ismail Khaldi, and Reda Mansour is consul general to the SE USA. A supreme Court Justice is Salim Joubran, appointed in 2004. Majalli Whbee is Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Oscar Abu-Razek is Director General of the Ministry of Interior. The assistant commander of the National Police is Jamal Hakrush, and he is the highest-ranking Israeli-Arab Muslim police officer since 1948.

Arabs are also in Israeli society which includes sports, entertainment and journalism. Rana Raslan was Miss Israel in 1999. She was from Haifa. Walid Abulafia, one of the wealthiest men in Israel, runs his family's 100 year old bakery and is now into real estate and construction. Majd al-Haj, sociology professor at Haifa U, just became dean of research in 2005. Many Arab students attend here where there are other Arabs on the faculty. Asala Shahada won a gold medal in the Maccabiah Soccer Games. He said he was a proud Israeli. Khaled Abu Toameh is one of the best journalists in the country and works for the Jerusalem Post and US News and World Report.

By not attacking Israel with rockets and hatred, these Arabs have integrated into Israeli society very well and are enjoying a good life. Actually, they are a model for other countries. The worry for their fellow Arabs is that they are too contented. This will certainly give ideas to their own people who do not live in a democracy.

People like Richard Polak are so intent on finding fault with a small state that fights back against terrorists and refuses to go under that they refuse to see what is happening to it. They come to the arena with a prejudicial attitude against Israel and refuse to waver.

The surrounding Arab countries are right to get hysterical about a democratic country in their midst. This is going to upset all their future plans. It's going to be much harder to keep their people in the dark now. That must be why they have used religion to get them all excited and demonstrate against Israel.

Reference: The Israel Project

United Nations Bias Against Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

The United Nations has been overwhelmingly topheavy with Arab voters. They have been biased against Israel constantly. The new members have been selected who follow this recipe of hatred and hypocrisy.

Robert Falk was appointed overseeing Israel's conduct in the Palestinian territories. He has a history of comparing Israeli treatment of Palestinians to Nazi atrocities against Jews. There's nothing like starting with someone who is already prejudiced. He is not impartial as you would want from a juror in a trial. He is a Princeton international Law scholar that is against Israel from the start.

He is replacing John Dugard from South Africa. He was almost as bad and had compared Israel with their treatment of Palestinians to apartheid practiced in his own South Africa, which was a policy of the white toward blacks that did discriminate.

Israel's ambassador to the U.N., the Canadian ambassador, and Florida Congresswoman Iliana Ros-Lehtinen said, "This sad occasion reinforces the need for the United States and other responsible nations to demand fundamental reform of the United Nations."

After hearing of the appointment, Israel's foreign Ministry said that it would not allow him to enter the country after hearing his statements. Israel will deny him a visa to enter Israel, Gaza and the West Bank until a September meeting of the council. Then Israel will ask that he investigate Palestinian human rights abuses against Israel. Israel will also protest against his appointment, in that he certainly cannot be a fair man who comes in with a preconceived bias against Israel.

This is so offensive to every Jew and Israeli. Jews lost 6 million of their people in the Holocaust. They of all people in the world know what it is like to be oppressed and destined for slaughter. The Golden Rule of doing to others as you would have done unto you came from the Jewish religion. To attack Israel with the statement of them being like Nazis to Palestinians who are raining rockets on them and trying to kill them is indeed a convoluted mind set. The victims of hatred are being told they are the Nazis.

The United Nations and these two officials seem to forget that there has not been a peaceful moment between the Palestinians and Israel since 1948. Palestinians have been constantly plotting and scheming and attacking, trying to drive Israel out. They have not had much time in the past 60 years to learn to live with each other except for the ones who did not leave hoping to gain Jewish property in doing so. Those who remained are citizens and have everything Jewish citizens have except that they don't have to serve in the army. No other state or country in the world would have to accept the treatment Israel has been given by an antagonizer. Yet all the pressure is always on Israel. Hundreds of atrocities are overlooked by the U.N. who only use a magnifying glass on Israel. Any other country would just wipe out their enemies in one blow, or at least try. Israel has lost many young men and women in their attempt at patience and hope that somehow, the Palestinians would want to live in peace.

We Americans complain in the comfort of our homes that the Iraq War has gone on for seven years. Israel has bars on their living room windows or depend on bomb shelters they visit constantly and have even had to wear gas masks. They've been under attack for 60 years. Living like that, they find the organization that is to be fair and impartial and help to settle worldly problems blames them; not only blames them but calls them the most vilest of names; Nazi. Oh United Nations, you're not what you were designed to be. You're a cancer in the body of humanity.

Reference: Fox News on TV 3:50 pm.

Haaretz Newspaper

Nadene Goldfoot

Hamas Attacks Own Gaza Gas Source

Four terrorists from Gaza crossed the Gaza-Israel border Nahal Oz at a fuel terminal and killed two Israeli civilians in their 30's. They had wanted to kidnap Israeli soldiers and have a trade-off for Palestinian terrorist prisoners. The terrorists had also hit a kibbutz. Ten rockets fell on it in thirty minutes.

After this happened, Israel used a plane to hit their car and a house in Gaza where terrorists were hiding. Israel had been warned that there would be an explosion on the border crossing. This was the place where imported fuel went into Gaza. Israel had cut it's supply before because of its use against Israel. Petrol is used in making rockets which they in turn fire against Israel. Not all of the supply was kept from Gazans. This happened right after a new supply of fuel was delivered by the European Union. The terminal may be completely destroyed now, so that their own people may not be able to get any supplies.

The Necessity of Israel

For Jews, Israel is a necessity. David Grossman, Israeli writer, said that reality has made a Jewish state necessary. "Since the world has failed to defend Jewish existence, there is a need for a place for the Jews to implement their culture and their values and their language and their history, a place in which to recover." In the late 30's America refused to admit thousands of Jewish refugees running from Nazis. They could have been saved from the gas chambers and death if there had been an Israel.

The first Zionist Congress was held in 1897 called the Basle program. Herzl asked Max Nordau to write one sentence of what Zionism was to achieve. He wrote that Zionism is meant to create for the Jewish people a homeland in the land of Israel, assured by international legitimacy. That’s what was accepted May 14, 1948.

Like Nazi Germany, Iran sees no necessity of Jews. Hamas terrorists are funded by Iran and follow Iranian dictates. They base parts of their charter on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which is a hatefilled anti-semitic paper. They are interested only in destroying Israel, not building a state of their own. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a Holocaust denier who has called Israel a "filthy bacteria."

Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group has as its goal the elimination of Israel and of murdering Jews in the whole world. " Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said in a speech, "If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jews. Notice, I do not say the Israeli.". Their attack upon Israel was unprovoked recently.

Many feel that the Annapolis peace process started last year by President Bush is a farce. Olmert is not a popular Israeli Prime Minister and his coalition is unstable. Bush doesn’t seem to have any interest in understanding the dispute between Arabs and Jews. Condoleezza Rice is educated in Russian history, not the Middle East and is said to be ignored in the Middle East, possibly because she is a woman, and Abba’s authority is so weak that he is only listened to by those in the "West Bank."

Thoughout all the turmoil and war in Israel, scientists and doctors have continued to invent things of benefit to all nations. More could be created with less worry about their existence.

Reference: Atlantic Magazine, May, Is Israel Finished? by Jeffrey Goldberg

Construction in Israel

by Nadene Goldfoot

News of Israel's building plans after Condoleeza Rice left has hit the wires. Why is Israel defying the US by promising not to build and then stating that they are building?

It's all in understanding what was promised. Both sides still have a different interpretation of what's allowed to happen.

One of the coalition members in the Israeli Knesset is Shas, who wants building to proceed. Netanyahu has asked Shas to leave the coalition. However, Olmert promised them 800 new housing units in Betar Illit in order to keep them in his coalition. Netanyahu and Olmert belong to different parties, so they have a difference of opinion.

Olmert explained at a Kadima meeting that building in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem as well as in the major settlements will continue as they are in Israel under any agreement with the Palestinians. He said that Israel is not building new settlements.

Netanyahu felt the government was freezing construction in the settlements and not allowing their growth. He said Palestinian settlement was being encouraged. He also voiced that soon Jerusalem and the security of the country will be in danger.

Condoleeza Rice had said no expansion. Did this mean more settlements or more homes? I take it that Israel translated the term to mean no more settlements. Having taught English in Israel for 5 years, one does need to be careful with terms used.

Meanwhile, our papers are coming out stating that Israel is planning on building homes on Palestine's future state. This isn't how Israel sees it at all. The numbers I have seen for new homes are 1,400 to 1,700 in the American press. Rice also promised that she will be more "vigilant in monitoring" Israel, like Big Sister is watching! So we have Rice giving the orders to Olmert and Olmert and Netanyahu sparring with each other.

The rockets keep flying into Israel while terrorists keep attempting to creep in, but are stopped by the roadblocks Rice wants taken down.

Reference: Jerusalem Post

USA Today

CBS News

Hezbollah Rumbles Against Israel

The Middle East has heard of attacks and retaliatory threats between Israel and Hezbollah. Neither side expect a war soon, but the Hezbollah guerrillas have Iranian backing, and they are the ones threatening Israel's existence. They also have increased their rocket range and say they can hit most of Israel now.

Israel has its hands full in the south with Gaza, on the East with the West Bank, and on the North with Hezbollah. At least the West contains the Mediterranean Sea, and we do have a Navy. During the last conflict, my ex-town of Safed was hit as well as another city I had lived in; Haifa. Now I hear that the rockets have a vaster range. The Gang is ganging up again on its lone victim, Israel. These bullies have no other agenda other than to wipe out Israel. In their cities probably no one convenes to talk about how to make their citizens more comfortable in life. They must just talk about rockets.

Palestinian Terrorist From 2002 Arrested

Omar Jabar, Hamas terrorist, was arrested near Tulkarm in the West Bank. He had planned a suicide bombing at an Israeli hotel during Passover that killed 30 Israelis and injured 150 in 2002 who were in the middle of their meal.

This had led to the recapturing of the West Bank. Jabar had met a contact in 1994 when in prison. This contact became the suicide bomber, and Jabar was the recruiter and trainer for Hamas in the West Bank. He was told to establish a Hamas militia to fight the Palestinian Authority, which would have been Fatah.

Jamar bought weapons and recruited men to fight with the goal of creating a Hamas cell like the ones in Gaza.

With this alert to brewing trouble in the West Bank, it's no wonder that Israel is ready to open a new police headquarters in an area outside of Jerusalem that will serve the West Bank. Israel is also sending new vehicles and equipment to Fatah's security forces. Israel is also easing travel restrictions for West Bank businesses.

Reference: AFP via Yahoo News

Reuters via Yahoo News

World Tribune.com

Sderot: Enduring 20 Plus rockets in Two Days

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   

Sderot: Enduring 20 Plus Rockets in Two Days

Hamas has struck Sderot with more than 20 rockets in the past two days. They injured two people. Since Israel's incursion stopped, the terrorists have used their time to smuggle and produce more rockets. During that time Egyptians and the Americans had been trying to achieve a ceasefire, and Hamas did for several days only. The Islamic Jihad, sponsored by the Iranians, continued to fire missiles and conducted sniper attacks on Israeli civilians.

Reference: World tribune.com

Mahmoud Ridha Abbas, no Moderate

by Nadene Goldfoot

Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah terrrorists, has a different style than Hamas terrorists. He appears to be a moderate, but is not really any different in his goals than Hamas is.

Mahmoud is about six months younger than myself. He was born March 26, 1935 in Safed, where I also lived. At that time Safed was a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Israel was born May 14, 1948, and that's when his family became refugees. Many fled the city with the promise from their leaders of being able to return quickly and claiming Jewish lands. His family went to nearby Syria and settled there. In Syria he attended school and graduated from the University of Damascus. Then he went to Egypt and studied law. After that he studied at the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow, where he received his Ph.D. His thesis, completed in 1982, was called "The Secret Connection Between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement.

At this time, I was living in Safed, Israel. We had moved there in 1980. I taught at the Junior High. I had Arab students in my classes, and Arabs living in my building. Arabs and Jews got along quite well during 1980-1985 when I was there.

In 1984, a book was published in Arabic by Dar Ibn Rushd published in Jordan. It was called "The Other Side: the Secret Relationshihp Between Nazism and Zionism". It was from his thesis. The Arabs had sided with Nazi Germany during the World War II. They hadn't stopped pushing to condemn Jews.

In 2003 Abbas was appointed Palestinian Prime Minister, and was heavily criticized as a Holocaust denier. He denies it, and had argued about the figures of murdered Jews, stating that he thought only a few hundred thousand Jews had been killed.

Abbas is a leading politician in Fatah. He led the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Dept. He was the Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee since November 11, 2004, when Yasser Arafat died. People call him a moderate. He is probably one of the few well educated Palestinians who has been in politics. He has negotiated with Israel and says he's for a two-state solution. However, he shows no willingness to compromise on any issue.

He expects to have all of Jerusalem as the capital of his future Palestinian state. He will not share sovereignty over the Aksa Mosque by giving the Palestinians all that's above and Israel all that's below the mosque. He calls East Jerusalem an occupied territory.

He wants Israel to pull out of all Palestinian lands "occupied" in 1967. Then he wants 4.5 million refugees ( he says there's that many) to return to their original homes. That would equal the number of Jews in Israel. It would totally destroy Israel. He speaks of their suffering for the past 60 years. I note that his family did not suffer, and neither did he. They had moved and made a good life for themselves. So he refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish State because he has grandiose ideas of making it a Palestinian one.

Abbas speaks moderately to Western journalists, but expresses his true feelings in Arabic. He told Jordan's newspaper, al-Dustur that he may return to fighting against Israel. He isn't doing it now because he feels that the Palestinians can achieve their objectives without fighting, as they are viewed negatively abroad with weapons.

Abbas was #2 under Arafat and a founder of the Fatah terrorist organization. In February 2008 he took credit for starting the terror against Israel. He fired the first shot in 1965. He taught resistance to many there and around the world. He even said he trained the Lebanese Shiite terrorists. He takes credit for teaching Hizbullah terror and resistance as they trained in his military camps.

In 2004 he said he would not fight against any Palestinian, and would shield terrorists from Israel. That is why he has not taken any measures against terrorism. In 2005 he called Israel the Zionist enemy when an Israeli tank fired two shells into a field in response to Palestinian mortar attacks that killed 7 and wounded 6. He called the terrorists "martyrs.".

Some say he is a pragmatist, but no moderate. He wants to create a facade in order to receive funding and support from abroad and stay in power. He's hoping that the UN or the USA will force Israel to give up land.

He's clever and well-educated, but he's no partner to Israel. As long as he stays in the "West Bank", he's leading a pretty quiet and safe life. If I met him, I would tell him that his family shouldn't have run away from Safed in 1948. He might have still been living there as others are. But then, he may have not received all that higher education where he falsely learned about the Nazis and the Holocaust.

Reference: Mitchell Bard: Is Mahmoud Abbas a Moderate Interested in Compromise?

Wikipedia: Mahmoud Abbas

Iran-Behind the Scene to Destroy Israel

In September 2000, Yasser Arafat teamed up with Iran's Ali Khamenei for jihad against Israel. Arafat promised that Gaza would become a 2nd Southern Lebanon and Iran promised to supply his Fatah terrorists with money and weapons. By January 2002 Israel exposed them, and Arafat severed the agreement.

Hamas is the 2nd terrorist group in Gaza. Because they are Sunni Muslims and take their religion very seriously, they didn't want to be under the control of the Iranian Shiites. However, in 2005 they joined with Iran against Israel and Iran has been training and supplying them with weapons.

Israel finds itself fighting against Hezbollah in the North and Hamas on the West. It has problems stopping Katusha and Qassam rockets from coming into the country. Everytime they go into Gaza to stop the rockets at the source, the international community screams about the casualties inflicted. Reclaiming Gaza again will result in casualties on both sides and then they'll be back to square one again.

Hamas wants a ceasefire. That will give Hamas time to be equipped with Iranian weapons, and when Hamas breaks the truce, Israel will find the enemy armed to the teeth.

Hezbollah and Hamas could attack jointly now, and reach all the areas of Israel with rockets. To top it off, by 2009 Iran will have nuclear weapons. This is the worst scenario that Israel has ever faced.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain feels that a Palestinian State would stop the plans of the terrorists, but the recent shooting of teen age boys in an Israeli school was done to stop the peace process. Peace and a new state is not Iran's goal. The terrorists are now lackeys of Iran who really want to get rid of Israel.

Reference: CBS News, Israel, Iran Practically At War by Yossi Klein Halevi

Hamas Twists Words

Hamas says they want Israel to end all "acts of aggression" in the Gaza Strip. What they mean is that they want Israel to stop firing back when they are the ones who are the aggressors by firing rockets into Israel.

By calling Israel the aggressors, the newspapers and media pick this phrase up and assume that Israel is the aggressor. Israel is in the act of defending itself.

Then Hamas, controlling the situation, slips in demands that are unreasonable to Israel like wanting to control the crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip. They want to openingly bring in weapons and ammunition instead of having to smuggle them in.

It's obvious that when they stop firing rockets into Israel, Israel does not fire back. Israel is not about to give control to Hamas as it means death to Israel. The defiant Hamas continue to not recognize Israel and renounce violence. Their double talk calling Israel's defensive action an act of aggression is not fooling Israel. What's horrible is that it usually fools the gullible world.

Reference: Yahoo News: Hamas sets terms for ceasefire with Israel

Israel Builds West Bank Housing

by Nadene Goldfoot

I imagine that people are groaning in America over the fact that Israel announced that it's going to allow some 330 units to be built in Givat Zeev. This settlement already has about 10,000 Israelis living there.

I thought about why Olmert is allowing this to happen. The announcement is causing the Palestinians to be furious. An senior official said the project was "another slap in the face of the peace process."

I had to laugh at that. What does he think constant shelling from the Gaza Palestinian terrorists is doing? Are they missiles of love? The Palestinians are lucky that I am not Prime Minister. For every rocket they shoot at Israel, I would take 10 feet or a mile, some quantity more of land that we had set aside for a future Palestinian state. Perhaps they would learn by the cause and effect principle not to be terrorists to Israel, but to actually sit down and negotiate honestly and fairly.

We lived in Safed, Israel for over five years in an Israeli government building. Our rent was $8 per month. We were poor immigrants. I was an English teacher. You don't get rich in Israel very easily. In my building were Israelis and Arabs and us Americans. One day a water pipe broke and water gushed down to our level and into my apartment. While I started to sweep out the water, an Israeli and Palestinian woman came to my rescue. The three of us fought the oncoming water until it was gone. We laughed while we worked trying to speak to each other. We settled on Hebrew as the language to use, and mine was very minimal. The chore became fun with my newly found friends. If only the rest of that area could get along with each other.

The West Bank became part of Israel once again when Israel won it in the War of 1967 when Israel was again attacked by the surrounding Arab countries, and Israel won. So the land they want to build on has been empty for 41 years. The Palestinians were offered the opportunity to have their own state in 1948, but had turned it down as they have ever since then, opting instead to fight Israel and hoping to gain the state of Israel itself.

Israel has Palestinians living in it. Some are Christians. Some are Muslims. Palestinians are even in the Knesset. They lived in my building and went to the school where I taught English. I saw junior high children helping each other to study Hebrew and Arabic. I even had Circassian Arabs in my English class. This living experience will not happen in the future Palestine, I'm afraid. It will be free of Jews. It's like the fact that Jordan's people come to Israel for work, but I haven't heard of Israelis going into Jordan for any reason. We're probably not allowed there. We can go as tourists to Egypt, though.

The area Olmert is allowing for building was not part of the West Bank that is to be the future Palestinian State. The building was to start in 1999, nine years ago, but was put off by an uprising of Palestinians. The land does belong to Israel. For 60 years the Palestinians have not created a state. In the meantime, part of Olmert's cabinet said they would pull out their support of him if he didn't allow it. This could cause his fall.

Building some type of living units is not as provocative as shooting rockets at people. It shows the desire to go forward with life and take care of the needs of your people. Why wait any longer? After 60 years, things haven't changed. Arabs still hate Israel for being there and show it with shootings, attacks on children, and wars. They're hated for being Jewish.

In the meantime, America is sending over a Lt. General who is an envoy for Bush for joint meetings to see who is fulfilling their obligations under the road map agreement. I know he'll jump on Israel for building. Imagine, America is all excited over our contractors building homes which is a big no-no according to the road map. Has anyone flown over quickly while Israel is being attacked with rockets trying to stop the Palestinians? I guess that's allowed. Will this general be brave enough to jump on the Palestinians for shooting rockets at Israel?

Reference: Oregonian Newspaper page A8, 3/10/08

An Honor to Kill Jewish Boys

There has been a terrible attack on a Jewish school in Jerusalem where 8 young boys from the ages of 15 and up were slaughtered as they studied. At least 10 others were badly injured, of which one 16 yr old is in serious condition from chest wounds. Claiming the "honor" is the Galilee Freedom Battalion Martyrs of Imad, some sort of branch of Hamas. The killer was able to come in through East Jerusalem where there are no barriers between Jews and Muslim residents. Israel since the attack is on a state of high alert. Citizens feel let down by the Israeli government for not having a stronger security. The guards at the door of the school had been shot and killed.

In Gaza, Palestinians celebrated the bloody attack by firing guns in the air. They also handed out candy and gave prayers of thanks at their mosques.

Their greatest feats in the past has been attacking women and children wherever they can. I visited a cemetery in Safed made up of children in the local school where the terrorists had attacked them. This is not a war between armies. These terrorists hide amongst their own population and fire rockets at Israel. Then Israel is condemned for firing back, aiming at terrorists and terrorist strongholds only but because they are set in civilian areas, cannot help but kill them, too. Sadly, there is no other way to approach Hamas and get them to stop shelling Israel with rockets.

Hamas screams that we are occupying Gaza, though we left in 2005 completely. People left their businesses there in perfect condition only to find out that Hamas destroyed them. G-d forbid that they take them over and continue the businesses. They prefer to be on the United Nation's dole. The only occupying Israel is doing is having their planes in the air and ships in the sea trying to keep Israel secure from these fanatics. This they don't want. If they were an accepting people primed for peace, patrolling the skies and sea might not be a chore for Israel, but under the circumstances, a necessity.

We all know the terrorists scheme to drive Israel into the sea. We're onto them. Olmert has not backed down on the peace process. It's still in the works.

Ashdod in the Line of Fire

Ashdod was warned last December that it was in danger of rocket firing from Hamas terrorists if they were able to extend the distance of their rockets. Ashdod is a city half the size of Portland with about 204,000 citizens and it's less than 25 km from the Gaza strip. Sderot has been receiving the most shelling and now Ashkelon has been hit several times. Ashdod could be next. They have prepared with alarms which Ashkelon does not have. Ashdod is the 5th largest city in Israel and is a port like Portland, Oregon. 60% of imported goods come through here.

Terrorist groups have been smuggling in TNT through the Egyptian border, said the Police sapper Dep. Cmdr. Michael Kardash.

The first Kassam rocket hit Kibbutz Nir Am in January of 2001. From then to December 2007 71,463 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israeli civilian targets.

Israel is trying to avoid an all out push into Gaza to finally stop the shellings. They have had to sit back and watch Sderot being shelled and the city become deserted by half its population. Now that a much larger city is possibly in danger, they must do something to prevent this loss.

Ashdod is only 43 miles from Jerusalem and Beer Sheba.

The land is very small. When one town is hit, all are in danger. This is why the IDF has had to act quickly. They knew it was just time that terrorists needed to extend their distance for the rocket firings.

References: Jerusalem Post Newspaper

USA Today: Israel turns up heat on Hamas: 18 killed in Gaza

Hamas Abuses Own People

For the sake of propaganda, Hamas is abusing its own people in Gaza. In January they staged a picture of the Hamas government meeting by candlelight to emphasize the limited electricity they are receiving from Israel. The sunshine is seen coming in from the window curtains being it was 1:00pm. In other pictures show protests in the streets and Palestinians marching down sidewalks with everyone carrying a lit candle. However, a streetlight is shining in the background.

They have found that to play the part of the victim brings in positive publicity for their cause. Hamas actually forced businneses to close. They want to keep people thinking they are on the edge of starvation so ordered bakeries to close for two days in a row. Actually they were preventing people in this way to be able to buy bread. They created their own crisis by doing this.

In truth, there is enough fuel and flour for the bakeries to keep running for two more months, though Hamas leaders have stolen most of the fuel to fill their own cars. They've even stolen medicine supplies from hospitals in Gaza.

At first, Israel was going to limit fuel supplies, so the Israeli fuel company, Dor, offered the Palestinians shipments of gasoline which they refused! It interferred with their "poor you" policy.

Where does Gaza get its electrical power? They have an electrical plant in Gaza and Israel sends sends them power to run it. 2/3 of Gaza's electricity comes directly from Israel. 70% of the fuel we send to Gaza is still flowing, even during the border closings. It wasn't Israel who turned off the electricity; Hamas ordered the power plant in Gaza to shut down its turbines. Since the rest of their electricity comes from Egypt, this really did not matter. The Gaza plant is really not productive. It's sort of like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

The people do not seem to be so penniless as we think. When they broke down the fence and got into the Egyptian side, they spent more than $100 million in the first few days. Hamas people have lots of money. They've been seen to have suitcases full of millions of dollars. Terrorists are well fed and housed. Maybe that's why they become terrorists.

They have announced that what they want sent to them is not food or medicine. They only want weapons, men and money. They continue to smuggle in arms. In fact, in July 2007 Hamas kept more than 60 trucks of Israeli fruit and veggies from arriving on the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Gazans certainly have voted in the right leadership. They will continue to suffer through their own hands.

Reference: Mitchell Bard: Myth: Crisis in Gaza is Israel's fault.

Terrorists Use Human Shields

Palestinian terrorists have made it a practice to use human shields for their own protection while they fire rockets at Israel. In the fight against terrorism, Israel had sometimes accidently killed the terrorists' homes and cars in their counter-strikes. Israelis have an inate moral feeling for their enemy. Left-wing groups have been quick to criticize their own army, so the Air Force has upgraded their weapons and can now strike terrorists with minimal or no collateral damage.

Terrorists had better watch out. They can now be pinpointed much better. Israel also has devices they have developed that can find explosives without causing danger to themselves.

One thing that worries me is the human chain the Gazans had planned along the border. They have recently broken the fence between themselves and Egypt, and probably are planning to do the same to gain entrance into Israel. The Gazans had hoped for 40,000-50,000 people to turn out, but only about 4,500 did. Probably every Israeli man must have been on milueem and stationed there. It probably looked like a confrontation. Though it turned out to be peaceful, the rockets continued shelling Israel causing injury to a little boy.

The Palestinians's goal is to see Israel eliminated. Yet they cry to the world about Israel's blockade In return, Israel will not have any dialogue with them until they change their attitude. Because of all the rockets fired into Israel, Israel has limited supplies of fuel and other goods into Gaza. The Hamas terrorists had made matters worse by fighting against the Fatah terrorists who were more accepting of Israel. Hamas is saying to Israel, "I hate you. Be dead. We will do everything to destroy you, " and then they wonder why Israel does such things as have blockades and condemns them for it.

In the meantime, Lebanon is causing Israel worry by their threatening posture. I'd say that the Israeli scientists have created aids just in time.

Reference: gerardrobins@sbcglobal.net

Hezbollah Threatens Israel With Destruction

Hezbollah is a true bully. It feels they can kill but not be killed, or woe to anyone who defends themselves. Since Lebanon's Imad Mughniyeh, a top militant leader, was killed, Hezbollah blames Israel. They say it is a part of Israel's plan to make war on Lebanon now. Hezbollah's chief said Israel was destined to disappear.

Israel has been quite busy guarding the boarder of Gaza and Israel. Hamas, the terrorist group in Gaza, continues to fire rockets into Israel while Israel has only used economic pressure and military blockade in return. The Islamist terrorists control Gaza now, but have asked the European Union to pressure Israel to lift this. They do not plan to stop the bombing, however. It's all one way.

Because of all the threats, Israel has to tighten its security everywhere. Planes have had to tighten security. One thing that they have had to do is keep Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem shut, though they had promised to reopen them under the peace plan. I wonder if they understand why they can't be opened now. The area is not peaceful. They are surrounded by terrorists who threaten them with extinction. Israel can never let down its guard.

References: AFP, Reuters, BBC News, AP News, UPI, BBC News, Adnkronos.

Ahmadinejad's Talking Like Hitler

President Ahmadinejad of Iran has called Israel a black and dirty microbe. He said we are the Zionist regime and that we are unleashed like a savage animal onto the nations of the region. This was broadcast on Iran's national TV station.

This type of talk has spurred the underlings of Ahmadinejad. A general who is the commander of all of Iran's armed forces said that the world will soon hear of the Zionist's destruction. This was alluding to nuclear or radioactive weapons. Another chief called Israel a cancerous microbe.

This threatening eruption of language might be in response to the fact that Mughniyeh, the Iranian terror tactician was killed. Israel has been accused of the death though they deny it. Whether we did it or not, we're accused. Their comment was that they, the Iranians, are a pure and pious people and accuse Israel of celebrating his death. My comment is that Israel never celebrates the death of its enemies. We learned that lesson long ago when we cheered when Moses led us across the water and the Egyptians were drowned. We were told not to cheer or celebrate an enemy's death. They matter also. So I think that Ahmadinejad, who would cheer if something happened to a Jew, thinks that we would do likewise. What he doesn't understand is that we are just the opposite in every way.

Iran is bragging that they are into nuclear warfare. They claim that now Tehran has a center to work on a nuclear bomb, and they were setting up a center to produce warheads. Is our UN listening? Where are the inspectors? They have been threatening us for a long time, now and calling wolf. Someday that wolf may actually appear!

Reference: Debka file from gerardrobins. DEBKAfile is an Israeli based English language open source military intelligence website. (from Wikopedia)

The Paschal Lamb, Sderot

What Israel Is Doing About It

Israel has been hit innumerable times by rockets since 2005, yet the Palestinian authority of Abbas is doing nothing about it but watching and threatening Israel if they retaliate. They tell us that we're harming the peace process. What peace?

Israel has been at a standstill, afraid to act as a normal country for fear of "hurting the peace process." Since no one it stopping the shelling, it has decided to build more than 1,000 homes in East Jerusalem. Now, this is making the Palestinians mad, and so what? Peace talks mean nothing when Israel is continually shelled and people are dying, maimed and shell-shocked into PTSD. For every rocket fired into Israel, I would build 100 more homes in Jerusalem. Maybe then they would get the message. They love to die as then they are martyrs, but homes? That they are fussing about profusely. We hate to kill, so in order to ease our conscience, it has been decided that Israel will also build a new city for Arab residents. This has never been done before. It will be in the Galilee. Israel has 1.2 million Arabs that are descendants of the 160,000 Palestinians who stayed in the Jewish state after the 1948 war when the rest of the Arabs fled after being told by their leaders to flee and then come back when the Arabs had won the war. Israel now has 7 million people. Sheetrit is the minister in charge from the Kadima party in Israel.

In the meantime, Sderot continues to be shelled. Israel is very disappointed that their act of evacuating from the Gaza Strip had not caused the Palestinians to build the infrastructure for a state and show their willingness to coexist with Israel. They traded land for terror instead of receiving peace. Tuesday, on the 7th of February, 20 Kassam rockets landed in the Western Negev, and one hit a garage next to a home in Sderot, which caught on fire and sent three people into shock. Just Wednesday, on February 8th, two homes in Sderot were hit by Kassam rockets. It caused the man inside to suffer from chest pains and was taken to the hospital. Two other residents fell down while looking for shelter from the rockets. Several people suffered from shock. The rockets do not have to be atomic sized to cause harm. They may not be from the USA stockpiles, but they are causing great harm nevertheless. Will all this shelling cause the residents to flee, leaving the city vacant for the vultures to take over? I think not. In the meantime, Olmert's constituants are not happy with the government for not responding to the attacks. They are threatening to topple the government. Can you blame them?

References: Mitchell Bard-#58: Sderot: The Human dimension

AP via Yahoo! News

AFP via Yahoo! News

Deaths in Israel from Suicide Bombings

I left Israel at the end of 1985.
Since June of 2001, there have been 541 Israelis, tourists and foreign workers killed in 131 Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel.

The latest just killed an Israeli woman near Dimant, Israel, and was the first since Jan 29, 2007, a whole year ago. Since the Gaza fence problem just started with Egypt, the killer seemed to get through to Israel.

Reference: Yahoo News from Associated Press