Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Egypt Building Wall Against Terrorists

Nadene Goldfoot
In 2006 Hamas terrorists took over in Gaza. Now Egypt has joined Israel's thinking by building a wall along the Gaza border to defend Egypt. It's taken four years and they are tired of dealing with these terrorists. There were about 100 protesters when the news came out.

Resource: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1138786.html

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Young Israeli Rabbi Murdered in Drive-By

by Nadene Goldfoot
A drive by shooting occurred in Israel Thursday where a young rabbi was murdered. Rabbi Meir Avshalom Chai of Shavei Shomron, 40 years old, was hit and killed. He was the father of seven children. This happened in what the general public calls the West Bank. It lies in the Northern Samarian hills so is in what Israelis call Samaria. The West Bank Barrier is planned to enclose on the Israeli side all of the Central-Western Shomron settlements except for the three northernmost, Avnei Hefetz, Einav, and Shavei Shomron, and four Northern Shomron towns, (all the remaining ones other than the two southernmost, Hermesh and Mevo Dotan), but not any of the Mountain Communities. About 20,000 Jews live there, and the area makes up about 10% of Israel.

Israeli Special forces surrounded the Nablus homes of the three Alesa martyrs Brigades operatives in order to arrest them for the murderous attack. The men refused to come out after being called to come out. The terrorist hid in his room and sent his wife out to the soldiers.

In such cases where there is a threat to the troops and a wanted militant refuses to surrender, IDF forces are permitted to open fire in order to neutralize the threat. The risk factor was very high in this operation. The IDF knew that the group that these three belonged to were highly skilled, had firearms and posed a threat.

They followed IDF regulations and first fired protest dispersal ammunition, then fired at the walls, and only lastly fired at the militants. The result was that the troops opened fire and killed them. They can't afford to fool around. Knowing this, a fourth wanted militant turned himself into the Palestinian authorities. Notice here that the Palestinian police were not on top of this as they should have been. It was up to the Israeli soldiers to find these murderers.

In one of the homes, the soldiers found two hidden rifles and two guns. They were taken to the police laboratories to check if they were used in Thursday's attack.

The killers were 38 and 39 years old. One's wife was also wounded in the operation, probably the one sent out by her husband who could have been in the line of fire.

What we see is an Israeli Rabbi murdered in cold blood. The terrorists are using this just as bullies do. They are angry that Israel has punished the killers and are condemning Israel and causing "dangerous escalation" in the West Bank. Israel then gets the blame in the news for self protection.

Interestingly at the same time of this terrible event, passengers on an American airplane were fighting a terrorist of their own who was trying to blow up the plane. One wonders if there was any planned synchonization here, or just an abundance of terrorism happening just before Christmas.

Resource: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137753.html
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Sattelite?cid=1261364507807&pagename=JPost%2FJPArti
Additional information very worthwhile to read: article by Victor Sharpe
http://www.ruthfullyyours.com/2009/12/25/ehud-baracks-dismal-record-victor-sharpe/
BBC News Sat 26 Dec 2009

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Stop Blaming Israel

by Nadene Goldfoot
Some people are blaming the ills of the United States on Israel. They think the whole economic problem we are facing is because we have been backing Israel.

They forget that back when Richard Nixon was president, he said that the United States stands by its friends and that Israel is one of its friends. Even Gerald Ford reaffirmed his commitment to the security and future of Israel because of basic morality as well as enlightened self-interest. He felt the United State’s role in supporting Israel honored our own heritage.

Back then Jimmy Carter said he had a warm and unique relationship of friendship with Israel that was morally right. He stated that it was compatible with our deepest religious convictions and was right in terms of America’s own strategic interests. He said we were committed to Israel’s security, prosperity and future as a land that had so much to offer the world.

Israel has never had to have any American soldiers on their soil in the struggle to fight against terrorism. Instead every able-bodied Israeli has been involved in their own protection. What Israel has had to ask for has been money for weapons. In return Israel has been paying back loans and supplying the USA with everything they can that has been helpful. Not only medical knowlege and advancements but ways of protection against terrorism in airports and other places has been shared with the USA that Israel has been doing.

Ronald Reagan, the Republican, states that Israel was a strategic asset to the United States, something he kept saying even before he was elected. "Only by full appreciation of the critical role the State of Israel plays in our strategic calculus can we build the foundation for thwarting Moscow’s designs on territories and resources vital to our security and our national well-being." He continued: "Since the rebirth oof the State of Israel, there has been an ironclad bond between that democracy and this one. "

George Bush, another Republican stated, "The friendship, the alliance between the United States and Israel is strong and solid, built upon a foundation of shared democratic values, of shared history and heritage, that sustains the life of our two countries. The emotional bond of our people transcends politics. Our strategic cooperation is a source of mutual security. And the United States’ commitment to the security of Israel remains unshakeable. We may differ over some policies from time to time, individual policies, but never over the principle.

Since the Jewish population in the United States is less than six million, it doesn’t explain the depth of the friendship that exists between the two countries. Fewer than 3% of the population could hardly have such a dramatic influence on American foreign policy. The U.S.-Israel alliance is rooted in shared values.

When Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin asked Lyndon Johnson why the United States supports Israel when their are 80 million Arabs and only three million Israelis, the President replied simply: "Because it is right."

Have our people forgotten that? Are they that quick to put the blame on Israel? It’s sad to find that this is happening.

Israel is the only other democratic state in the Middle East. It has been an advantage for the USA to have Israel there.

Now there are people who have given up feeling that Israel is a helpmate and would rather blame all our ills on having backed Israel in different ways, like verbally and monetarily. They see no reason that they should exist. The fact that Israel was sanctified by the United Nations in 1948 means nothing to them. They feel that whoever has the might has the right to exist as long as they don’t have to shell out any money to help.

Are we becoming isolationists in that we are having nothing to do with the world? There’s the old adage, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If we don’t help others, do we expect to be helped? Should China call for full payment right now from us?

Let’s say that there’s nothing in it financially for the United States to back Israel in its right to exist. Renig on our 60 year old friendship. Stop helping Israel out financially. The result will most likely be that Israel will be attacked by the Muslim nations again and they will win. Six Million people will either be slaughtered wholesale or driven out and find themselves homeless again. There will again be no country that will take them in. This happened just before and at the end of WWII. The only country that really allowed Jews to enter was the United States, and at that under certain conditions-that of promised jobs and sponsors that took responsibility for them such as my great uncle and father did. It seems that there have always been quotas on Jews, even to get into medical school or even colleges. Funny thing is that we’ve had way more capable of entering these places and have just had to abide by quotas, keeping very capable and brilliant students out.

What will happen to the USA? They’ve been attacked once on 9/11, but I daresay that will not be the end. The Muslim terrorists will be more brazen and will continue, trying to finish what they had started about 1,000 years ago. They attacked Europe then and there was no Israel then to blame. . It can happen again. One thing that could happen again is anti-semitism in the United States as well as the rest of the world. We’ve all seen and read about this before. When people are down others seem to relish kicking them down even further. It’s been happening in France already.

I was 14 years old when Israel became a state. Now I’m 75 years old and Israel is still struggling to survive and has to dodge missiles. I’m tired of it and I’m not even living in Israel now. Think of how tired Israelis are. It seems that it might just take the Messiah’s presence to stop the attacks so that we can have peace. It is right and just to support a state who have struggled so hard to survive. They could have wiped out a lot more of their enemy if they were just concerned to win no matter how, as some Americans advocate how life should be lived. Israelis have been trying to survive rightously. It wouldn’t hurt to at least pray that they will survive. Right now they're being threatened with atomic warfare by Iran. Would these same people just put their arms out to this enemy and side with them?

I say that the United States has made its own errors that have caused an uproar with the Muslims and has helped to bring about terrorism. Backing Israel may not have helped, but it's not the only reason. Stop blaming only Israel. Israel has been our one good friend. We've been one country that has been paying back loans received from the United States. Besides money, we've shared much more for America's benefit. We're sort of like the Space Program. It was an expensive program and is reaping a lot of technical benefits for doing it. The USA is also reaping benefits from being friends with Israel. What other countries can say that?

The United States was created because Europe lacked a morality that our Pilgrims chose to follow. England had quite a ways to go to give people the freedoms they craved. The United States has been successful because of our differences from the rest of the countries. Our morals have created a strength in the fiber of our people just like the strength and determination found in Israelis. Hopefully, both nations will continue as they are morally good. This must continue.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Settlement Freeze Obama's Take on Situation

"The Obama diplomacy had made a settlement freeze its starting point, when this was precisely the wrong place to begin.
Nadene Goldfoot
Israel has given up settlements before at the altar of peace—recall the historical accommodation with Egypt a quarter century ago. The right course would have set the question of settlements aside as it took up the broader challenge of radicalism in the region—the menace and swagger of Iran, the arsenal of Hamas and Hezbollah, the refusal of the Arab order of power to embrace in broad daylight the cause of peace with Israel."

To me this shows that whatever is said to the Muslim Palestinian terrorists doesn't matter. Obama offered them the moon and they haven't changed their opinion of him or the United States or certainly of Israel. They have a one track mind-to overthrow Israel and that's it. Their agenda is in operation and no one will change them.

Israel is in peril and has been under attack for the past eight years from Gaza, a place we gave up in order to have peace. Our leaving only gave them more room to attack. We are still being shot at from other surrounding Muslim areas. We have been protecting ourselves despite all odds and Obama asks us to put ourselves in more peril by giving up more of our tiny precious pieces of Israel even including the heart of Jerusalem without any preconditions. To ask us to give up any part of Jerusalem is absolutely a slap in the face, a disregard for our culture and history, and even survival. Who in their right mind thinks that Jerusalem and Jews do not go together like apple pie and ice cream. We swore long ago that if we forgot Jerusalem we would give up our right hand.

Now Netanyahu has had to agree to a ten month freeze on even building a porch on an apartment or home in the Judea-Samaria area others call the West Bank or Settlements. Who in Portland, Oregon would agree to not be able to do such a thing to their home?

I ask: if Vancouver, WA attacks Portland, OR and loses in their attack, what punishment is incurred? Portland will take Vancouver. The point is-don't attack in the first place. That's what happened to Israel. All the surrounding nations attacked Israel in 1967 and they lost. Israel survived. Israel then gained a part of the orginal tract of land back that was in the plan to be part of Israel in the first place which was created by Britain. The greedy bullies had lost. Ever since 1967, there has been no peace pact reached with the Muslims. They want all or nothing. Therefore, Israel has the land and should be able to do as it wishes on it, like build a porch to a house! Why does Israel have to agree to a building freeze when the Muslims agree to nothing, least of all, Peace. Here we have Netanyahu bending backwards for peace, and what are the Arabs doing? Probably using the interim to stock up in arms.

In the meantime, we see Iran demonstrating how tough they are and what they can do to Israel and the United States. Kow-towing is only giving them the brazeness they need to take braver steps towards our destruction.

Reference: Wall Street Journal, opinion piece by Fouad Ajami, Foreign Policy Expert of John Hopkins Prof, "The Arabs Have Stopped Applauding Obama" 11/29/09.