Gaza Fires 2 Grad Rockets Into Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

Grad rockets are the bigger kind than the usual rocket. One was fired into Netivot which is 9 miles east of Gaza and another into Ofakin which is 15 miles from Gaza. The terrorists most likely get them from Iran. There was damage but no one was hurt.

Netivot is a city in the southern part of Israel with about 26,700 people. They have 11 high schools. Sderot is to its north and Ofakin is to the south. Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzseira is buried here. This Moroccan tzaddik and kabbalist, known as Baba Sali, died in 1984. Many people come here to pay their respects and to pray at his tomb.

Ofakin is 20 kilometers or less than 20 miles west of Bersheba with a population of 24,800. It's made up mostly of North African, Indian, Russian and Ethiopian Jews. The city has 8 high schools. It has one of the 14 tennis centers in Israel with 6 courts. A soccer stadium is also in this city.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netivot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofakim

Middle East in Turmoil

Israel's Neighbors Want Democratic Values

Nadene Goldfoot

Joining Tunisia and Algeria in riots against their respective government are Yemen, Jordan and Egypt. Egypt is on Israel's west side and Jordan is on the eastern side.

Egypt is the 5th largest country in the Middle East and is a country of 77,100,000 people of which 90% are Sunni Muslims who have a state religion and a semi-presidential republic. It's a poor country with a GDP of 5,491. News on television just said that internet and twittering had been stopped in this 5th day of rioting but had just started up again. I was saddened to hear that rioters had entered a famous museum and had torn off the heads of a couple of mummies. That's the trouble with rioting. People get too carried away and start destroying. It's no wonder that the government came out with tanks and they in turn have killed many people now. Our TV news said that street venders may be college graduates but can't find jobs. Prices are high and Mubarak has put money in his homes but has not invested it for the people. I guess there's no need to do so when he's got a lifetime position. He's 82 years old and still has black hair. I can't believe it's been 30 years of power for Hosni Mubarak. I can't imagine having a president for that long a time. Thank goodness we vote every 4 years for one and they can only serve for 8 years at the most. Egypt has been receiving US Aid for the past 60 years. In 2009 its FY (Foreign Operations Budget Request) was 551,255,600. In 2010 the FY was 20,700, 790. Egypt is the 2nd largest recipient of US money. Egypt has signed a peace treaty with Israel. It has honored the peace made by Sadat. I taught with an Egyptian Jewish lady teacher in our English department. Where there used to be many Jews living in Egypt, there are very few left there now.

Yemen happens to be the 16th largest country with a population of 23,013,376 where 99% of the people are Sunni and Shi'a in their Islamic state which has a Presidential republic. Their GDP is only 2,335. Yemen was where Ofrah Haza, the Israeli singer, had come from. She was my very favorite when I lived in Israel from 1980-1985. Sadly, she has died. Yemen wants a change in government from their President Ali Abdullah Saleh who has ruled them for the past 32 years with a corrupt government. Oil is the country's only source of income. The country is the poorest of all the Middle Eastern countries. The police only have used batons against rioters as that's all they could afford. The country has no proper sanitation nor paved roads. Our USA government gave them 250 million in the last 5 years and gave them 300 million in 2010 while expecting to give them 250 million or more in 2011 to fight terrorism as it's been a haven for al-Qaida militants.

Jordan is the 30th largest country with 5,568,565 people of which 95% are Sunni Muslims with a state religion and a constitutional monarchy which has a king. Their GDP is 4,886. Jordan has been having many demonstrations for the last few years but this time it was over price increases and economic austerity. It started on January 4th at the U. of Jordan which is outside of Amman and spread to four other towns. This happened while King Hussein was in Washington at a meeting so his brother, Crown Prince Hassem had to take over and ask for calm. Jordan has also been receiving US Aid for 60 years. In 2004 it received 400 milion dollars per year from USA. Its FY in 2009 was 515,749,676 and in 2010 the FY was 336,398. Jordan has signed a peace treaty with Israel.

Update: 1/30/2011 NBC this morning stated that Egypt receives 1.3 billion from USA.

Lebanon's government collapse, which I wrote about on January 12th in this blog, has continued to have riots and just voted in Nijib Mikati of Hezbollah to lead the new government. There has been 7 shot in continued rioting in clashes with Shiites in Beirut. Harari said that he didn't want to be in the Hezbollah coalition but may change his mind as today he said it's just a Sunni Clan family riot. Lebanon, on Israel's northern border, is the 35th largest Muslim state with 4,196,453 people where 60% are Muslim and the rest Christian who are of a mixed Shi'a/Sunni Islam and is not of any state religion supposedly with a Parliamentary democracy. Their GDP is 11,270. In 2004 Egypt was receiving 2.2 billion dollars per year from USA.

Right now Israel is surrounded by rioting states buffered by Gaza and the West Bank. It's not a pretty picture. Welcome to 2011.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110130/wl_nm/us_egypt
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_yemen_protest
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1186285.html on Jordan
http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/money/
http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/cbj2011/
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/29/time_for_the_us_to_put_its_money_where_its_mouth_is http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_egypt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_muslim_majority_countries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_%E2%80%93_United_States_relations
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/after-riots-and-rage-lebanon-is-ready-to-move-on-1.339397
NBC Meet the Press 1/30/2011

http://shmuelkatz.com/wordpress/?p=590&Source=email

Time Magazine's Israel Article Knocking Only Democratic State in Middle East

Nadene Goldfoot

The January 18th article "Israel's Rightward Lurch Scares Some Conservatives," has bias, distortions and shows a complete lack of understanding both Israel and the Middle East.

It made ridiculous accustions and neglected to include very important facts which I will repeat.

1. Oaths of allegiance are expected in most democratic countries. Immigrants have had to give them upon wanting citizenship in the United States. That means 3 of my 4 grandparents had to swear this oath.

2. Citizenship can be taken away for various reasons like undermining "national interests. The democratic countries of Italy, Germany, France and Great Britain do this.

3. In the United States a bill was proposed last year to add that if you join a foreign terrorist organization or engage in or support hostilities against the USA or its allies you would lose your American nationality.

4. America has a Foreign Agent Registration Act called FARA which requires that any organisation that lobbies in the US that receives money from foreign individuals, or foreign governments must register as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice and permit the Attorney General to inspect all of its activities.

5. Democratic countries do not accept foreign government intervention in its domestic affairs by funding domestic groups engaged in criticism of a particular policy or be allowwed to attack the very foundations of the state. They would probably say to mind your own business or to butt off.

6. Debate goes on in Israel's government including the Likud party over the best way to deal with the problem of foreign government funding of local NGO's which are non governmental organizations that have social aims with political aspects. Russia has 40,000 of them while India has 3.3 million. What if the French goverment was funding a British NGO that was designed to eliminate the monarchy? What if Iran was funding American NGO's that were to force the withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East? Can't the countries make decisions for themselves without this meddling from another country? What rights do they have to control a country's decisions?

Israel is made up of people who feel they hold a valid opinion and their opinions are heard in this country. David Ben Gurion used to tell the joke where he's talking to President Truman who tells him that he's president of 300 million people. David Ben Gurion answers that this is nice, but he is Prime Minister of 3 million presidents. Besides such outstanding people as Moses and Einstein, we also have people that are imperfect who do not have the highest values or don't wear halos. Therefore, Netanyahu announced at the opening of a Bible Quiz show that he condemned people with racist feelings against Arabs who did not want to rent apartments to Arabs, which happened in Safed, I believe. America had this same problem of racial inequality with Blacks. He contrasted this with the fact that in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria-area controlled by the Palestinian Authority) they have a law that if a person sells land to Jews they are condemned to death. In the Middle East Christians are persecuted by Muslims, and under their law gays are hanged in a public square and women are stoned for adultery.

In Israel women, gays and minorities' rights are protected. Even the 20% Arab population in Israel enjoy freedom of speech and religion and protection in courts and the rule of law.

Israel has been under a microscope by the foreign press ready to pounce on every decision made in this tiny country who only hope to say something detrimental as that is what sells their articles. If they bothered to look they would see that Israel upholds its democdratic values while it is threatened more than any country on earth today. It has to defend itself against a war of agression for Muslim neighbors, terror campaigns and to hear heads of state promising to annihilate it. It isn't Israel banning minarets and headscarves like the Swiss and French.

In Israel the reporters are able to write their terrible accusatory coverage about Israel without fear of being killed for it. It's not like the Palestinian Authority "Abbas" threatening an Italian TV station (RAI) because they broadcast the film of a Palestinian mob lynching 2 Israeli soldiers causing the Italian station to apologize for showing it. Shame on the Italian station! Apologizing for showing the truth, yet. In America, CNN did something like that in 2003. They didn't show their coverage about Sadaam's regime because that would mean that their people couldn't work safely in Baghdad. Makes you wonder about what we see on television and how it's controlled, doesn't it? And now I see that even Time Magazine isn't giving us a fair or honest story, either. They have gone over to the other side, writing a biased and unbalanced article about Israel.

I watched an American History TV program about a secret government society who meet in a grove. The narrator commented that if we walked in on them, we wouldn't understand what we were seeing and would take it as something else again. They have a giant 40 foot owl on their dias and quite a ceremony. Are the reporters like that in Israel not understanding many things they might see without asking about them first? Or do they only ask the Palestinian Authority, I wonder?

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization

Letter by Ron Dermer, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Time magazine's managing director, Mr. Stengel. 1/18/2011

West Bank to Receive Ammunition Foiled

Nadene Goldfoot


Judea/Samaria "West Bank" had people in Florida ready to ship them arms. And for why? Supposedly Palestinians living under the guidance of Abbas wanted to make peace with Israel.


A Cuban has come over to Florida and made friends with Palestinians living in Hialeah. In May 2009 Yanny Aguila Urbay, 24 from Cuba, was the go-between for his 23 year old partner, Abdalaziz Aziz Hamayel, in buying hundreds of stolen high powered rifles, grenades and explosives to be sent to the West Bank His problem was that he was dealing with a police officer, Pete Perez, in Miami.


Aguila's partner who lived in Coral Gables wanted to buy 300 M-16 rifles for a possible $1,300 each. They wanted M-16s with silencers, 200 grenades, 200 IEDs totaling $380,000 with a discount of $120,000. Hamayel was interested in buying cell-phone and remote-control detonators.


Hamayel told Policeman Perez that he was interested in buying the cache for his people "over there," meaning the Palestinian Authority of which Abbas is the head. He was video-taped dealing inside a vehicle and handling guns, grenades and other ammunition. Hamayel went to Jordan, then came back to Chicago and finally Miami where he was arrested.

This tells me that Israel has to be more than careful about armed dissinence in Judea and Samaria. All are not peaceful there.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/09/two_hialeah_men_arrested_on_te.php
http://freedetainees.org/category/yanny-aguila-urbay
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0111miami_west_bank.php3?printer_friendly

Stuxnet Virus in Iran

Nadene Goldfoot

Iran has told the world that their nuclear program only has the best of intentions. They just need the power, as if oil in their backyard isn't enough. At the same time they have threatened Israel in the worst possible ways, saying they will destroy the country. They do not jest.

If Iran gains atomic weaponry, all countries are in danger who are within range. Even such places that are fairly close such as Saudi Arabia would be in harm's way. Remember, Iran and Iraq had a war going on from September 1980 to August 1988. Iran is not an Arab country. They differ in their Muslim religion. Iran is Shiite, Iraq is Sunni. Miracle of all miracles, the stuxnet virus, found in July 2010 was able to find its way into Iran's computers and has set back their nuclear program by two years, which was announced in the middle of December 2010. It's thought that by June of 2012, they just might have the problem cleaned up.

The German conputer consultant, Langer, analyzed their program's code. Those countries worried feel the virus was almost as good if not better than a military strike. No one was killed in the process. However, I have read that a few computer scientists have been executed already over it.

In December of 2010 the stuxnet virus was still infecting Iran's computer systems at the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and the reactor at Bushehr. This is the most advanced and aggressive malware in history. Iran may have had to throw all their computers out and also may have had to rebuild their centrifuges as well as buy a new turbine for Bushehr. Iran had 62,867 computers infected with stuxnet which will have to be replaced.

Mossad's Meir Dagan thought that Iran wouldn't have the bomb till 2015. If the virus hadn't come along, he thought they would have had it by 2011. Now he's projected 2014 as the date for having the bomb. Iran is trying to speed things up with Russian scientists who want to back off, saying that Iran could have another Chernobyl because they are not into safety standards.

Even J Street's Susskind remarked that "there are creative ways of working around military brinksmanship." This is something he does not complain about.

It's thought that when Iran is weak, they will become more recalcitrant. The leaders plan on small points to expect from them first, before getting to the bigger issues.

Iran is the only clerically ruled country in the world but also is a presidential republic. It's definitely a theocracy that many Muslims are not deeply happy about. A country with a population of 70,495,782 of which 98% are Shi'a Muslims. They have a military power made up of 545,000. Yet only 53% of Iranians are actually Persians. (Persia was the original name-therefore they have many immigrants). Many Jews used to live in Persia since the days of Queen Esther "Hadassah". 50,000 Jews left for Israel. My professor in Israel had come from Iran and had seen his friends hung for small infractions and for being Jewish. I have a relative who escaped at age 16 on a camel and saw several of his friends shot in the act.

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=199475 12/15/2010

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/01/18/2742605/do-stuxnet-revelations-allow-breathing-room-or-create-more-pressure-on-iran
http://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/iran-and-islam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/01/israel-tests-on-worm-called-crucial-in-iran-nuclear-delay.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet

Dr. Jonathan Adelman's Speech 1/24/11 in Portland, OR

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Muslim_majority_countries

Flies in the Ointment for Peace Between Palestinians & Israelis

Nadene Goldfoot

The biggest fly of all is that the Palestinian authority refuses to accept Israel as a state for Jews. We cannot have but one state in the world while they have 48 Muslim majority countries. A Palestine would be the 49th. Though there are almost the same number of Jews in the USA as in Israel, Jews in the USA make up only 2.2% of the population.

One of the points to discuss is the return of Palestinians from 1948. They and their descendents have now grown to 5 million, a number that is absolutely imposssible to accept. At one point our prime minister had said we could take in 100,000, that that was not accepted. With their practice of plural marriages in which a man may have 4 wives, they have produced children four or more times faster than any other group in the world.

First off, the Palestinians refused the offer in 1948 for their half of Palestine from the British. They been refusing such offers ever since. As recently as 2008, Israel's PM Ehud Olmert offered to end the "occupation" and to give Palestinians 94% of Judea and Samaria and the other 6% from land in a land swap and PLO leadership said "NO." That was a great deal. This shows how badly the PLO does not really want or need a state. They have other goals in mind. I breathed a sigh of relief on this. I feel that since all the Arab states attacked Israel in 67 and lost, Judea and Samaria can stay under Israel's occupation since that was a part of our Jewish land long ago. This is the land of our beginnings, of our history. At any rate, even with the act of giving it away to the Palestinians, it wasn't accepted, so that proves they really don't want it or the responsibility. As the auctioneer calls out, "Going, going, GONE!"

In 2010 Abbas refused to negotiate with Netanyahu unless Israel accepted his preconditions for negotiating which would mean giving into the items that are to be discussed. This is so ridiculous it's pathetic. This means that Abbas is not about to discuss anything as a "mentch". And he hasn't, even with pressure from the USA and possibly even a little from the UN.

Now the war has also become a war with words. Palestinians are out to erase any mention of Jews in Israel, Samaria or Judea. They have published items saying that there is no connection to Jews from the Western or Wailing Wall which is Judaism's holiest site. This is where all Jews head for in Jerusalem and say special prayers. This wall was built in 20 BCE by Herod and it took 11 years to build. It was circling the 2nd Temple and also supported it. This has become an open air synagogue where tens of thousands of Jewish celebrants come to worship. It's where Bar Mitzva's are celebrated. Now the Muslims are claiming that the only reverence to be observed is that their Prophet Muhammad tethered his winged horse, Buraq on his journey from Mecca to Jerusalem in the 7th century AD. Islam was born with Mohammad in the middle 600's AD. It's the last of the three major religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Palestinians continue to teach hatred for Jews in their schools and on their TV programs, especially the ones for children. This doesn't show any chance to have a peaceful affair with Palestinians, ever. They're trying to push Israel back "today" to the 1967 borders. "Tomorrow", as they said in 1948, they most likely will be pushing Israel into the sea if they can get away with it.

Palestinians paint with lying words of information calling Israel criminals and get away with it with the biased international "human rights" of the United Nations. However, Israel was just cleared in the flotilla mission of Turkey, much to Turkey's disappointment, no doubt. Israel is being called criminals because they won't lay down and die. They do outlandish things like protect their citizens and they fight terrorism acts. Israelis intend to live and keep their religion alive with them.

Why haven't Palestinians ever accepted the multiple offers of having their own state? It's thought that they may be trying to force Israel into accepting them all into one large single state. That would wipe out the Jewish reason for creation and Israel would become another Muslim state in short time, losing even its name.

Israel is being shelled by rockets, mortars and missles from Gaza on the Southwest. They have at different times, and are in danger today from Lebanon, now taken over by Hizbollah so that's from the North. On the East is Judea and Samaria, under constant pressure from their brothers in Gaza to let loose and attack, which they have on occasion. When will the Palestinians realize that they all are threatened by Iran if they become capable of atomic attacks against Israel. If Israel is hit, they all will die; Gazans, Palestinaians in Judea and Samaria, and yes, even the one million Arab citizens in Israel. So it's not just Jews that can be eliminated. It's time they all decide to turn their weapons into plowshares and do some planting of food and goodness instead of giving everyone a bellyache of hatred. Palestinians could learn and benefit from Israeli Jews. Their lives could be much happier.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-western-wall

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-dershowitz/the-palestinian-leadershi_b_794519.html from Professor Alan Dershowitz, author of "The trials of Zion" and many others.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/usjewpop.html

Abdullah Abu Rahmeh

Palestinian Protester

Nadene Goldfoot

In 2002, Palestinian protesters were getting so violent against Israelis that a fence had to be built by Israel to shield Israeli citizens against attackers. In some places it is a wall; in other places a wire fence.

Abdullah Abu Rahmah was a 39 year old schoolteacher from the village of Bil'in in Judea/Samaria "West Bank". Since 2005 they have been demonstrating against this wall of protection called a security barrier because it keeps them from a direct path to their fields, and causes an inconvenience. So did stone throwing and rioting against Israelis.

Every Friday from 2005, Rahmah led a group of villagers in a parade carrying flags and placards while they chanted slogans along with the intrigued international and Israeli activists to the barrier. I have learned that the chants are not nice at all. They're about taking over israel. the international people would not understand Arabic and had no idea what was being said. Of course, at the end of the parade were the Israeli IDF wearing riot gear that they had learned was necessary to wear in these events. They were prepared to meet force with tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray and arrests if necessary.

A year ago Rahmah was arrested and was told he was to serve a year in prison and his time would be up by November 18, 2010. Why? He was a leader and was arrested for incitement and organizing an illegal demonstration. He was also charged with stone-throwing and arms possession. The defense tried to make a point that there was no proof of the latter accusations. He served in Ofer Military Prison.

The army just extended his stay in prison by 4 months saying it was because they felt that he would go back to "inciting" again if he were released.

He sounds like a case any defense would love to work with. He's married and the father of 3, and a schoolteacher. He seems to stand for unarmed resistance to the security barrier and has raised international awareness, which is easy to do nowdays. Anything against Israel attracts the international community who climb aboard the bus.

The Oregonian newspaper even mentions today that the European Union foreign policy chief, Lady Catherine Ashton, "deplores" the continued imprisonment of prominent Palestinian activist Rahmeh whose belief is that Palestinians have the right to engage in peaceful demonstrations.

I say that most likely these demonstration have never been peaceful. Both Palestinians and Israelis can become highly emotional and excitable, and no doubt these are. I'd like Ms. Ashton to come on down and keep the group peaceful without causing a riot or throwing stones at the IDF. It's not easy to be a teacher nowdays and keep a class quiet let alone angry demonstrators chanting hate slogans.

Since Rahmeh was arrested, no doubt the court system has investigated the case and found that Rahmeh was quite the leader and is afraid he will instigate the group more. Perhaps they have been fairly quiet since he has been in prison.

I worked with teen agers in a Residential Treatment Center who were judicated by the courts to be there. It was like being in prison only continuing their education and getting counseling and learning new habits, for they were there as sex offenders. A system was in force whereas they were rewarded for good behavior with outings such as roller skating, movies, and such. Their behaviors were monitored throughout the week and demerits were given for problems they caused. I'm wondering if Rahmeh didn't do a few things that caused a demerit system which added on months after the year he was sentenced. He sounds like a nice guy, but in this situation, one never knows.

Israel is up against a lot of problems and is trying to solve them. Very few people in these positions are American citizens with American training. They've been attacked and hated since they were born and are prepared for the worst. We as Americans or Europeans cannot imagine what Israelis have been through. We must walk in their shoes to see what it's like to be amidst neighbors who are out for your destruction. Their children have to be in an ROTC program in high school and serve in the army. Ours don't. Life is quite different. Men serve every year for a month until they are 55. If the IDF is concerned about his release, they have to have good reason.

How about Lady Catherine Ashton and her friends doing something about Israel's soldier who was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists, Gilad Shallit. Has anyone other than Israelis begged and pleaded for his release? I don't think so. He's been held as a hostage since June 25, 2006 by Hamas terrorists. That'll be 5 years in June. I wouldn't be surprised if there's no outside protesting going on about him. I know his wife and parents have been doing most of it.

I'm glad to hear that Abdullah Abu Rahmah is known to others as a peaceful fellow. He's got to prove it. I'm a teacher, too, and know that we have the ability to sway our people and classes. If he really is on the road to peace and feels he's another Ghandi, more power to him. He just shouldn't incite violence and get arrested. He could find peaceful channels like meetings with the powers that be like the court systems, attorneys, chairmen, mayors, etc. He could cut out the protests that cause harm, because that's not getting the fence to come down or bringing on a peaceful atmosphere between the two peoples.

Reference: http://publicblognewspostingservice.com/2010/12/07/abdullah-abu-rahmeh-west-bank-school-teacher-viewed-as-an-instigator-of-violence-palestinian-protest-leaders-case-has-sparks-scrutiny-with-israel/

Oregonian Newspaper 1/23/11 page A11 Image on Facebook gets a Palestinian in trouble
http://972mag.com/972-magazine%E2%80%99s-person-of-the-ear-abdullah-abu-rahmah/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704895204575320851852473996.html

Terrorists Working from Inside USA Against Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

A radical iman, Mohammed Qatanani, is the head of one of New Jersey's largest mosque. He has participated in rallies and programs against Israel. Last March demonstrators chanted calling for Israel's destruction, a chant used at pro-Palestinian rallies. They call for a Palestine state that stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterrnean Sea, completely doing away with Israel. Qatanani told the people at his rally that Palestine will be free one day and that they would "see it very soon by your actions, by your standing for justice; justice, freedom, the liberation of the land will be very soon".

One of his close friends is Governor Chris Christie, Republican, who praised him at a Ramadan breakfast at the mosque when he was the US attorney. When the governor was the US Attorney, Fort Dix defendants were accused and then convicted of plotting a mass casualty attack on the New Jersey military base as an act of jihad. Christie later said his office was not a party to the case but that after 9/11 he had found the iman to be very helpful in strengthening relations with the community. However, his bio states: "One of Chris’s finest moments was when he led the team that thwarted terrorists' plans to attack our military men and women at Fort Dix".

The iman preceding Qatanani, Mohammed El-Mezain, was convicted of illegally routing millions of dollars to Hamas in 2008. Qatanani himself has supported Hamas and was even related by marriage to a leading Hamas operative in Judea/Samaria. Qatanani had to return to a New Jeresey immigration court where the Department of Homeland Security was trying to have him deported. When he originally filed for a green card in 1999, he failed to disclose a conviction in an Israeli military court for being a Hamas member and providing support to them.

During the trial, Christie's assistant US attorney, Charles B. McKenna, testified as a character witnesss for Qatanani. Other support came from sheriffs of Bergen and Passaic counties and Rep. Bill Pascrell, Democrat. Qatanani admitted that the was in an Israeli prison for 3 months but didn't disclose this. He also admitted being in the Muslim Brotherhood, leaving in 1991 as he had no time. This group works at spreading Islamic law, like a grand jihad to eliminate and destroy Western civilization and make their religion over all others. However, strangely, the judge ruled for Qatanani. in 2008, not accepting Israel's documents. In 2009 this was overturned and that the Israeli evidence was authentic.

An alien who supported a terrorist organization is inadmissible to the USA. This type of misrepresentation is used to deport people. Governor Christie has supported Islamists such as Qatanani and a Sohail Mohammed, who he nominated to be a state judge. Mohammed represented clients who were alleged to be connected to terrorists. and so is a counsel to the American Muslim Union or AMU. One of their newsletters claimed that a Zionist commando orchestrated the 9/11/terrorist attacks. This is the type of conspiracy theory being thrown about against Jews today. In a state which is 37% Catholic, New Jersey's Jews make up 2% and Muslims 1% of the population. New Jersey has the 2nd largest Jewish population in the states. The first is New York.

I can only ask why Governor Christie isn't more cautious in his dealings. What's in it for him? Why did all those people testify for Mohammed and Qatanani? Homeland Security has known for a long time about them. While certain Muslims complain of courts using words such as "Islamic militants" by telling us not to equate actions with religion, part of that is right. Not all Muslims are militants. However, the militants just so happen to be Muslims, so this is going to happen. The Chinese families instill in their children to be good and not bring shame to their families. What are the Muslim parents doing? This is a philosophy all should take to heart. Children can harm the good name of a family by their actions. In the Muslim world, there are a lot of things going on that are against our government, both here and in Israel. Another example is a longtime professor at the U. of South Florida, Al-Arian, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide goods and services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He's the leader of the group and is Muslim. Jihad comes from Islam. It is designed to destroy us; our religion, and our culture with Islam taking over. Not all Muslims may be involved, but those that are are very influential. Where are the Muslim groups that are counteracting it?

Update: 1/27/11: Mohammed Qatanani, Palestinian, is facing deportation. He has a trial coming up in May in Newark. He continues to say that "West Bank" occupation is unacceptble and that he is not a silent man on this matter. He also stated that he was not detained in Israel so that's why he didn't put it on the form for the states.

I'm upset with anyone that is not willing to make peace with Israel who is living in Judea/Samaria. If Palestinians are unhappy about the occupation, they shouldn't have ganged up on Israel and attacked her in 1967. Qatanani should have urged Abbas to sit down with Netanyahu and discuss peace instead of instigating riots calling Israel's destruction.

Resource: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0111/emerson012011.php3?printer_friendly

Added: 1/27/2011: http://newyorkermen.multiply.com/links/item/210/Imam_Mohammad_Qatanani_Faces_Deportation

http://www.state.nj.us/governor/about/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Christie

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2008/04/new-jersey-imam-is-member-of-hamas.html

Backing Terrorism Instead of Residences

What's Illegal to UN is not Terrorism

Nadene Goldfoot

Back in 1947-48, the UN passed the resolution that created Israel legally. That was back in the days when I had such great faith in the UN born in 1942 under Roosevelt being the institution that would bring peace to the world when I was only 14 years old. How naive I was to trust this. After all, we had already had a similar group that had expired, The League of Nations created in 1919.


Since Israel's birth it has had to fight for the right to exist from that very same hour of birth in 1948, then in 1956, 1967, 1972, 1982, and continuously since then. The UN has grown with more Arab nations belonging to it, ever ready to think of more ways to wipe out Israel. Not once has the United Nations ever protested to the Arabs to leave Israel alone and stop attacking. No, they supply the terrorists with more money and weapons instead. They've kept Palestinians living in camps and on the dole from the United Nations of which the United States is the main supplier. Arabs keep them there but do not feed and clothe them. To the Arab leaders, these unfortunates are pawns in a chess game. They bring about sympathy for their cause living such as they do. They're probably into their 3rd generation by now of living in such a manner.


After the major war of 1967 which Israel managed to win, Judea and Samaria fell to Israel as well as Eastern Jerusalem. Israel announced that Judea and Samaria, called the "West Bank" by Jordan, was now an administered territory. Administered is a term used to designate control but not sovereignty. Israel had accidently come to control its old homeland once again.


Pakistan also has administered areas in its northwest. It has 7 tribal agencies and 6 smaller regions that it administers.


The British seem to be the biggest user of administered territories. British Columbia, Hudson's Bay Territories or Rupert's Land, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Vancouver Island were all once Britain's Administered territories. These all are now a part of Canada. They also had administered territories in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe and in the Pacific.


Judea and Samaria would not have come to Israel had the Arabs not attacked Israel. With the British, their administration probably has a different history of needing raw products and overtaking a piece of land along with the inhabitants.


The Arab nations have given a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlements. These are not army bases or stockpiles of uranium. These are villages and towns with families causing no harm, living inside the Green Line. The draft has almost 120 co-sponsors, all Arab, of course with some of their friends. It's thought that the USA will veto it if voted on now. They're including East Jerusalem in the statement, calling it all a big obstacle to peace. Netanyahu never intimated that E. Jerusalem was a part of any deal. It is part of our capital.


I say that the big obstacle to peace is the Gaza Strip with Hamas and the assundry of other terrorist groups firing rockets, mortars and missles at Israel. Lebanon's terrorism threatening from the north isn't helping either. Syria adds fuel to the fire and Iran keeps its threats and money working up the terrorists. The UN has no business threatening Israel being they have never helped Israel at all.


Diplomats in Washington have tried to tell Abbas not to submit the resolution because the administration of President Barack Obama would feel awkward vetoing a resolution that they agree with. Now we know where Obama stands. They could vote on it after a conference in Munich, Germany, where Quartet members will meet on February 5th. Rosemary DiCarlo, US Deputy Ambassador says the position should be resolved in direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The USA's position hasn't changed. Abbas is trying to slip this in for leverage in case they ever do sit down to discuss a peace deal. And we thought President Richard Nixon was tricky.
http://www.jpost.com/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110119/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_un/print

Palestinians Fly Flag in Washington While Compatriots Shell Southern Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

Hamas has asked other militant groups in Gaza to stop firing at Israel, but asking hasn't stopped them. Today terrorists set off a bomb on the border near IDF troops on a routine patrol. Then they were seen handling explosives. One was shot and killed and the other two were wounded.


Five more mortar shells were fired into southern Israel today from either the Popular Resistance committees or the Alliance of Militants from different Palestinian factions who claimed responsibility.


They seem to be getting their ammunition from the Egyptian border. Egypt patrols the 9 mile boarder with Gaza, but not very efficiently.


While southern Israel was being shelled, Palestinians were raising their flag with permission in Washington D.C. at their diplomatic mission amid applause from a small group of officials.

Florida's Ros Lehtinen is opposing the move to recognize Palestine. “Raising this flag in DC is part of the Palestinian leadership’s scheme to manipulate international acceptance and diplomatic recognition of a yet-to-be-created Palestinian state while refusing to directly negotiate with Israel or accept the existence of Israel as a democratic, Jewish state,” she charged in a statement.

This certainly is chutzpah to me. Here they are shelling Israel while flaunting their flag in the USA, buttering up the future voters to uphold their demand to become a state without having to go through any peace production with Israel. The USA held its ground once. I pray they will not allow this to happen at this time until an actual peace is not only stated in English but upheld in Arabic as well.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=204222

President of Tunisia Leaves in Unprecedented Move

Prime Minister Fills Gap

Nadene Goldfoot

Tunisia is the 23rd largest Muslim country in the world with a population of 10,383,577 of which 98% of the people are Sunni Muslims. It is on the Mediterranean Sea right across from Italy but sitting between the much larger states of Libya and Algeria. Islam is the state religion of this Presidential Republic. The president, 74 year old Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has just issued a state of emergency and dismissed his government. He has taken off for a Gulf country after ruling for 23 years. His people were left angry about the high unemployment and corruption. They had been demonstrating in the capital demanding that he leave.

The Prime Minister, Mohammed Ghannouchi, 69 or 70 years old, has stepped into the seat of power. The schools have been shut down. The military has closed the Tunisian airspace. As a precaution, 3,800 British, Irish and German vacationers have been evacuated by a tour operator. This country's main income has been from tourism.

WikiLeaks call Tunisia a "police state" with corruption and say that the president had lost touch with his people. Washington's Mike Hammer said the USA is an ally of Tunisia in the war against terror but condemns the violence against the civilians which has been going on.

Evidently President Ben Ali made a speech mentioning the need for respect for basic human rights and much-needed political reform by promising new elections within 6 months. Thursday night he was on TV promising not to run in 2014 and slashed prices on sugar, bread and milk. Even so, the people rose up in protest. This powerful leader has been brought down by massive public outrage.

This was the only Muslim nation that was occupied by the Germans in the 2nd World War. Tunisia gained their independence in 1956 and became very anti-semitic. The state destroyed much Jewish property in their "Urban Renewal Projects." By 1967 20,000 Jews were left there. There has been many anti-semitic attacks throughout the years. The cities of Zarzirs and Ben Guardane saw much of it.

There are 1,300 Jews left there today when in 1948 there was a Jewish population of 105,000.

Al Qaeda's terrorists blew up the oldest synagogue in Africa which was in Tunisia and killed 11 German tourists and 6 Jews that were there.

40,000 Jews had immigrated to Israel in 1967.

There was the possibility that Tunisia's president would take on the role as a bridge for dialogue between Israel and its neighbors, but he broke all diplomatic ties in 2000 during the first intifada. He was going along with his Muslim brothers. Israel never had any diplomatic relations with Tunisia.

1/18/2011: 2:15pm: Sharansky reports that there are 1,500 Jews in Tunisia. They are to be locked inside the Jewish Quarter for their own protection. Some are now interested in making aliyah and leaving Tunisia for Israel.

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=203651

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/tunisjews.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Tunisia_relations

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=204209

Venus Williams, Ambassador for Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

The United Arab Emirates has a population of 5,432,746 Sunni Muslims of which Islam is the state religion. Surpisingly, only 76% of the population are Muslims. It has a federal constitutional monarchy which is no surprise in that we know it's not a democracy.

Dubai is one of the seven emirates or provinces with a population of 1,306,000 and lies south of the Persian gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. They hold the Dubai Championships Tennis Tournament. In 2009 Israel's female Shahar Peer was denied a visa and could not participate. This is no surprise, as Israelis are not usually allowed into any Muslim country. Israelis can't even be in the "back of the bus!" We can't get in the door.

In 2009, Venus Williams, USA's outstanding tennis player and Grand Slam Champion, was not about to allow Israel's Shahar Peer to be denied the opportunity because she was Israeli. Venus wouldn't play and give anyone else the opportunity to challenge her title there unless Shahar could also play. Because of this excluding Peer, the WTA fined Dubai $300,000. Part of the fine went to Peer and her doubles partner, Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany.

This did it. Shahar was allowed to enter the competition in the winter of 2010 but had to be surrounded by guards. She also had to play on the most secure court which was not Center Court all week.

Who would have had the guts to call Dubai on this anti-semitic act and challenge this country? Without Venus, a #1 contender, the event would have been nothing. They conceded.

Venus played Shahar and Venus won in the semifinals. It must have been a great game for both. We should all commend Venus for her brave act of standing up to the deliberate snub that Dubai had been practicing. She commented that as a black woman, her family had gone through similar treatment, coming from the south. She said that this was professional tennis 2010 and excluding an athlete was not acceptable. Peer now has the ranking of #19. She has played Venus many times and always loses to her. This is a valuable experience for her.

"For her stance on this issue, Venus Williams was honored in New York with an award from the Anti-Defamation League. If Williams' support doesn't sound much like a revolutionary position, consider how few athletes in this sport, and others, seem willing to comment on any political matter."

It looks like professional athletes can do much in being ambassadors for peace.

This year's event will be held from February 14 - 20, 2011. Venus will be returning along with Caroline Wozniacki. Shahar Peer, now #13, will also be returning.

Resource: Venus Williams and Israel

http://www.haaretz.com/news/venus-williams-hails-brave-peer-after-winning-uae-tourney-1.270632 from 2009

http://www.cbssports.com/tennis/story/13888561/venus-had-peers-back-in-dubai-and-peer-never-forgot from Sept 5, 2010

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/tennis/dubai-tennis-championship-to-host-the-best-again
Wikipedia

Israel, Scapegoat of Middle East, Blamed Again

Nadene Goldfoot

Lebanon, Israel neighbor to the north, just experienced its year old unity government collapse. The cause was Hezbollah's ministers and allies resigning. Why seems to be because a U.N. Netherlands-based tribunal is investigating the 2005 assassination of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, denounced the investigating tribunal as an Israeli project. That's a pretty wild accusation considering the U.N. is mostly run by Muslim countries and Israel is constantly at fault, according to them.

Just recently Israel was blamed for sending "Moses, the "Mossad" vulture" to Saudi Arabia to spy. The poor vulture was wearing a tracking device on his leg that aids endangered species, and Israel was studying the movements of vultures for science. Bandar bin Saud, the Saudi nature authority finally admitted that there was no truth that the bird was linked to espionage, only misunderstanding about the tracking device. He even admitted that Saudi Arabia uses one similar to follow rare birds.

Lebanon's government fell while Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of the slain leader was consulting with Obama in Washington. His father had been assassinated in a suicide bombing that killed 22 other people. He was a Sunni Muslim, a hero to his community. He was even backed by many Christians who liked his efforts to reduce Syrian influences in Lebanon.

I remember living in Israel when in 1982 Sharon let Major Hadad, a Christian Lebanese leader and friend of Israel, have the lead in going into the camps of the PLO in Lebanon with his men. They had been firing Katusha rockets into Israel from there. Just before we had moved into our apartment in Safed, we passed by an apartment building that had had a katusha rocket fall in the rear of it. That fact was my introduction to Safed in 1981.

It turned out to be a bloody and quiet attack. Christians were the minority then but the leaders in the government. It was the Muslims who were attacking Israel and Hadad was great about keeping them from our border. Israel later had to initiate "Operation Grapes of Wrath in April 1996 because of the attacks coming from Lebanon. The Hezbollah were terrorists, following Ayatollah Khomeini, and attacking not only Israel but any Western influences.

Things seem to have fallen apart since Syria has taken over so much. It was hard enough when Lebanon was divided religiously, but it was working better than today with Syria's influence. Now we have had no protection from northern terrorism. So finally, the UN is investigating a six year old assassination, a cold-case, you might say. This has upset the Hezbollah faction so much that they shut down the government. Yes, things are not going smoothly in 2011.

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

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=202766

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_hariri_tribunal/print

Israel's Capital Is Jerusalem; All of It

Nadene Goldfoot

1967 saw Israel attacked by surrounding countries and winning the war. As a consequence, Israel was able to take all of its beloved Jerusalem back, which means that East Jerusalem fell into Israel's hands. That's the consequence of attacking and trying to kill Israelis and driving them all into the sea. They took their chances and lost. East Jerusalem was being held by Jordan, but they had lost it. Moral of this story is: DON'T ATTACK ISRAEL!

Nothing has ever been signed or said orally that Israel would not continue life or building in all of Jerusalem. The Shepherd Hotel has been declared absentee property and was announced in 2009 that it would be torn down to make way for sites for homes in East Jerusalem. On Sunday the bulldozers did their job, clearing the site for 20 new homes. The title of the hotel went to an Israeli firm who sold it in 1985 to a US Jewish fellow. This business deal was all done according to Israeli law and the government was not involved.

Netanyahu commented that Israel is not stopping Jews from buying real estate. Arab residents of Jerusalem can buy or rent property in all Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem and Jews can buy or rent property in all Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. It's a democracy.

I think Obama and Clinton have forgotten how this works, because Hilary Clinton, while on a tour of the US Gulf Arab allies in Abu Dhabi, called this transaction a disturbing development and that it undermines peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution. This criticism from Clinton produced the comment from Netanyahu that Jews have a right to live anywhere in Jerusalem.

I say Hockey Pucks to that. I'm sorry to say that my government is backing a group of terrorists who continually shell Israel's cities. When they quit shelling and killing, then Israel might believe that they are interested in a peaceful solution. There's lots of differences here that need to be settled, and Abbas can't face Netanyahu and talk about them. One of these differences is that half of the Palestinians are in Gaza and only want to destroy Israel.

190,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem and areas next to the Judea/Samaria area which was annexed to Jerusalem's municipality. 250,000 Palestinians also live there. Israel has over a million Palestinian citizens who are also in the government. They have the same standing as the Jewish citizens.

It's terrible that the international community, of which the USA is a part of, does not recognize Israel's claim that Jerusalem is its capital. I think that's deplorable. Jerusalem has always been a Jewish capital, a Jewish center, the holiest of holy cities to Jews. To have allowed Jews to be attacked in so many wars leading up to 67 and just watching and then to reward the Palestinians by giving them East Jerusalem in particular, doesn't make sense at all. What in the world is Jerusalem to them? They only want East Jerusalem as their capital because Jews now have Jerusalem once again. What do nations learn if they can attack and kill and receive no consequences that will teach them to live in peace? Right now they have learned that they can attack Israel and get away with it and receive no comdenation from the international community yet let Israelis live in East Jerusalem-aha! That's the crime in the world. Heaven help us. Lord, do they know what they do?

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110110/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel-netanyahu

Continued Rockets and Mortars Hitting Israel

Nine Days=20 Rockets and Mortars

Nadene Goldfoot

1/10/11 Three more rockets hit the outskirts of Ashkelon, city of 120,000 and the sister city of Portland, Oregon. These were rockets of a farther range as Ashkelon is 12 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.

20 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel since the 1st of the year. Three people were injured on a kibbutz of which two were in serious condition. The Islamic Jihad took responsibility for these last attacks Saturday where 4 mortar shells and a few hours later 3 Kassam rockets fell.


This was followed by a firefight between the terrorist militants and Israel's IDF in which a soldier was killed by friendly fire. Air strikes from Israel have been following attacks.


Hamas seems to be increasing the tension, trying to pull Israel into another Operation Cast Lead in order to pile more castigation upon them.


Yet at the same time, Hamas is saying that they don't want a repeat of that operation and are saying that they'll even stop the terrorists during this unofficial ceasefire. It's interesting that they talk about a ceasefire when what has really happened is that their side has increased their offensive against Israel dramatically. In the next confrontation they say they will fullfill the dream of their fathers and take over Israel. So you know that any ceasefire is not for the sake of talking about a Peace between Palestinians and Israelis; it's just to reconnoiter their terrorist troops and reload or rearm.


Israelis are getting mighty irritated about the constant rain of fire upon them.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110109/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictgazapolitics

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=202833

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110110/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_violence

Oregon & Its Counties (above)

Population in Israel

Compared to Oregon, USA
Nadene Goldfoot

I live in Oregon. It's hard for most of my neighbors to picture how small Israel is. For instance, Oregon has 3,825, 657 people, or about 3.8 million. Israel has 7, 695,000. Out of this 7.5 million, 5,802,000 or 75.4% are Jewish; 1,573,000 or 20.4% are Arabs and 320,000 or 4.2% are probably Christians and others.

In size, Oregon is 97,073 square miles with land making 96,184 square miles. It's 395 mile from east to west and 295 miles from north to south.

Israel, by contrast, is made of 10,762 square miles including Judea and Samaria, so Oregon is about anywhere from 10 to 12 times bigger, which also depends on what you are including as making up Israel. Including just the Golan, it is 8,019 square miles. Israel is 290 miles long and including Judea and Samaria, administered areas, is anywhere from 71 to 84 miles wide, or in one place could be as little as 6 miles, depending on what you're counting. It used to be the joke that one didn't put their arm out of the window of the train or it would be in Jordan. The state of Virginia is close to Israel in population with 7,882,590.

There are 192,800 Jews living in East Jerusalem, and this is because Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. In all of Jerusalem there are 795,291 as of January 1, 2010. About 464,527 are Jews with 228,690 being Arabs.

Tel Aviv, the 2nd largest city has 404,400 population. There were around 16,000 in Safed, where I lived from 1981-1985. By 2008 the population had grown to 32,000.

67.1% of the Jews in Israel were born in Israel, so they are called Sabras. 22.6% are immigrants from Europe and the USA, of which I had been one. 5.9% were born in Africa and 4.2% were born in Asia.

There are 194 countries in the world and Israel is one of the smallest, but there are only 192 countries that are members of the U.N. The Vatican City and Kosovo are not members. Many think Taiwan should be included, and if they are counted, would make 195 countries.

So though Israel has almost twice as many people as Oregon has, it is about 1/12th in size. That's probably why most Israelis are living in high-rise apartment buildings. Very few actually get to live in a home. A few homes that I saw in Safed had been dug out of an earthquake that happened over 100 years ago. They were able to renovate the structure into a lovely home, though. I remember a wonderful use of potted plants inside the living room which made it look lovely. Doug Silverstein, author and retired principal also lived in a house. I loved to visit him, being I had never lived in an apartment building before and fought the elevator in my first experience in Safed.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Israel-LOCATION-SIZE-AND-EXTENT.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safed

Reality About West Bank Towns

Nadene Goldfoot

First of all, "settlements" is such an antiquated term. A few Jews are living in Judea and Samaria, their ancient homeland. To be exact, 393,900 Jews are living in 122 towns or villages. This is only 12% of Judea and Samaria's total population and much less than the over a million Arab population in Israel., for Arabs make up about 20% of Israel. Settlement is such a political word used to make one think that the area is only temporary, used by squatters and is illegal. I won't use it. People should be reminded that this was land talked about in the bible that belonged to the Jews and was only called "West Bank" under Jordan's control.

60% of the Jews live in four towns; Ma'ale Adumin, Betar Illit, Modi'in Illit and Gush Etzion. These are all near the Green Line and the plan is to include them inside the Israel line in any agreement that will create a Palestine. Logistics deem this a sensible thing to do.

The other 40% are scattered in small communities that might have to be evacuated in exchange for peace since "Palestine" is to be Juden free. This would be at the Arab's demands, not Israel's.

Itamar is a village near Shechem, the 4,000 year old Jewish city in the mountains of Shomron " Samaria." This is where the remains of Joseph are entombed. It is also called Nablus by the Arabs. Itamar was created in 1984, so it's now 27 years old. It was named for Aaron's son's. Aaron was Moses's brother who was designated as high priest. Since Itamar is so close to Arabs, they find driving on the road dangerous. Right now they are trying to renovate their library, and need more books. A settlement's last thoughts would be on libaries, and here they are needing to renovate theirs. They have about 120 families. In June of 2002, a mother and her three children were shot and killed by Arab intruders who broke into their home. I, for one, would be most sad to see this community having to disband after all the living and love that this Yishuv have given this place.

Other villages equally important are Bracha, Yitzhar and Elon Moreh which also are nearby Itamar in the Samarian hills.

Israel also had to endure this exchange in 1982 when thousands of Israelis were moved from the Sinai in the Egyptian Peace Treaty. Also, Israel had to move 8,000+ Jews from the Gaza Strip in 2005 hoping that this would affect the Palestinians to negotiate an end to the war. In this case, it only increased attacks on Israel, so it had the opposite affect.

Any construction now going on in Judea-Samaria is inside the borders of established towns. People are only building on a lot next to a home that is empty, which is a normal development.

There have been no new towns built since 1999. The last place that went up was Negahot in the Hebron hills.

Israel has had Judea-Samaria under their control for about 42 years now, ever since 1969's war when Israel was attacked and won. Towns built since then make up less than 1.7% of the territory's area.

Palestinian Arabs had been talking to Israel and the peacemakers for 17 years without thinking of expecting a precondition of a "settlement freeze." Why all of a sudden? When this condition was thrown out on the table, Netanyahu went along with it and froze building for 10 months, the condition he put on the table. Did the Arabs come to terms or talk about peace during that time? No. They wasted it, so in September 2010 construction requests were acted upon. Palestinians had sat on their duff for 9 months, just remembering what was to be in the 10th month. Then, finally, they agreed to have one round of talks but saying they would go home if the freeze was not continued. Prime Minister Netanyahu was ready to freeze construction for another painful 3 months but after talking to the USA, America dropped the idea, which I think was the smart thing to do. That would just give them more ideas of stalllng and gaining time to keep from signing any peace agreement. After All, Netanyahu was chomping at the bit, ready for bear. He had all his points to cover in a row. He's an excellent debator.

I'm really disgusted with newspaper reporters who make out like Israel is screwing up the works by having millions of Jews building "settlements" in the "West Bank." and this is keeping these Palestinians from having a homeland. Not so. I think this is the only issue that they are aware of in the relationship of Israel and "Palestine." Their facts of history and current events are lame.

I would call the Muslims "land hungry". After all, they only have 23 states of their own. Actually, there are 47 states or countries that have 50% and more Muslim population in the world. These so called "Palestinians" are not true Palestinians at all. The "Palestinians" are the people who lived in what was called Palestine before 1948. That included a lot of Jews. My neighbors, the Padrows, had been born in Palestine and came to Portland, Oregon from there. Mimi's parents had an orange grove. Her relatives had a hotel in Tel Aviv. I believe that the riots of 1929 caused them to move to the states. That's when Arabs were slaughtering Jews. Mathew was a dentist and a pharmecist, so he found that he could quickly make a living here. His son, Ben, went on to become at professor at Portland State U. Joan was my best friend and playmate. The Arabs calling themselves Palestinians include Arabs living there also, but most of them came just a little earlier from nearby Arab states looking for work with the new Zionists who were building and creating something out of swamps and deserts. As it turns out, there were very few Arab families living in what became Israel. Their need to be there was to look for work. Jewish people were there to escape from Pogroms and anti-semitism and for religious beliefs.

Judea and Samaria were in the plans to be a part of Israel in the beginning of British thinking after 1917 when it fell to them to administer. After getting the Jewish leaders all stirred up and thinking that they would be given a goodly piece of land for their new country, the British backed off from their promise and whittled down the land to almost nothing. Our Jewish leaders took what they were finally given anyway, needing it as soon as possible. At the same time, the Arabs refused their half, for that was what the whittling was for, and they showed no desire at that time to have a country. So it has been since then.

After many failed attempts to eradicate Israel in the many wars, these "Palestinians" are choosing to fight a different kind of fight along with the regular rockets and missles they bombard Israel with. Wanting a state is now the cry from them.

It would be nice if reporters actually studied the dynamics of the Middle East before they were sent out to write about Israel and Palestine. There's a big picture that they're missing, and so their readers comprehend a very mishapen picture of reality.
Reference: Dr. Mitchell Bard #376 Is Settlement Construction Preventing the Creation of a Palestinian State?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itamar
http://www.shechem.org/itamar/eindex.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Muslim_majority_countries
http://www.chabad.org/special/israel/points_of_interest_cdo/aid/588228/jewish/Shechem.htm

Threatening Attacks on Israelis and its IDF Soldiers

Nadene Goldfoot

We have 300,000 Israeli Jews living in Judea-Samaria and 200,000 living in East Jerusalem. Yet the future Palestine State wants both places for themselves minus Jews and won't talk about any peace plans. This makes for a very unsettled environment.

A rash of attacks have been happening against the IDF. Saturday night, an Arab was arrested in Gush Elzion, which is south of Bethlehem. He was trying to stab two female IDF soldiers.

Mohammed Daraghmeh tried to stab the IDF soldiers at their Hamra checkpoint northeast of Nablus. He went into the wrong lane purposefully after being warned and was told to stop but didn't. He acted like he was also trying to stab the soldiers there but was found to be holding a bottle. The soldiers reacted quickly and shot and killed the menacer. When a soldier's life if threatened, they don't take it lightly. This action closed the checkpoint.

Five Arabs were arrested for trying to plant rockets in the Teddy Football Stadium in Jerusalem, where soccer is played. Shin Bet caught several men who were plotting to avenge Operation Cast Lead two years ago in Gaza. Mussa Hamada and Basem Omri of East Jerusalem, both Arab Israeli citizens, were the plotters. They were members of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. They had already collected a number of pistols and were scouting out the area looking for the best place to plant the rocket. Shin Bet uncovered much Hamas activity going on in Jerusalem.

English-born Kaye Susan Wilson and her good friend from the states, Christine Logan were hiking in the forest outside of Jerusalem a few weeks ago when they were attacked by two Arab men. They were both tied up and stabbed. Wilson freed herself later only to find her friend dead. The IDF started the search for the killers by checking out a nearby hospital, thinking they may have also been hurt in the attack. So far they haven't been found.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110102/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictshooting

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Five-Arabs-arrested-for-plotting-rocket-attacks-in-a-stadium/articleshow/7206491.cms

http://www.arrse.co.uk/current-affairs-news-analysis/154763-american-hiker-killed-israel-arab-attack.html

Ganging up on Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

Europe, Russians and Palestinians are ganging up on Israel and the USA. Saeb Erekat, Phd, an important Palestinian negotiator who lectures at An Najah U. in Nablus in Political Science, is pushing Israel to accept 7 million Palestinians in the "Right of Return" deal of Arabs who fled the area in 1948 when 7 Arab armies attacked Israel when it first declared itself a state. The fact that the number has gone from around 600,000 to 7 million does not deter him. Nor does the fact that they were not forced to leave by the Israelis but told to do so by their Arab leaders. Nor does he ever bring up the fact that a like number of Jews were forced out of the Arab countries and had to flee to Israel minus all their possessions. This is part of history that the Arabs want to forget about.

This admirer of Arafat has credentials in "Peace." How can he think that what he is demanding is a peaceful action? I guess it depends on what side of the fence you sit on as to how you view the world, no matter what you have studied in college. It's all how to use your learning to suit your personal needs.

Not only do they want to flood the country with Arabs, but they want all of Jerusalem for themselves. One can see why Netanyahu expects to have a pow wow with Abbas, even though Abbas is threatening to go to the UN to declare Palestine a state. Perhaps this is why Abbas is not bothering to come to the table. What he is demanding is out of line and he knows it. I think he is even embarrassed to demand in person such things. It's like the Middle Eastern way of shopping. One asks for a very high price and then both negotiate down to an amount that both can live with. I see Abbas starting at a ridiculous price that cannot even be considered.

http://www.debka.com/article/20451/

http://www.nad-plo.org/main.php?view=nav_about-us2
http://www.palestinehistory.com/biography/palestine/palbio47.htm

Security Barrier in Judea-Samaria

Nadene GoldfootA security barrier is up in the Judea-Samaria area near the 1,800 populated Arab village of Bil'in, which lies 7 miles from Ramalla in the center of Judea-Samaria. The Arabs held a demonstration-rally consisting of about 1,000 people. Some people crossed the barrier and put the Palestinian flag on top of the IDF outpost while others broke apart a 30 meter section of the fence. Then the crowd became very rowdy and hurled stones at the IDF. They had been allowing a non-violent protest to continue up to this point. When it became very dangerous with stones flying, the IDF fired tear gas into the crowd. In this crowd was the Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad, Mustafa Barghouti and Nabil Shaath, most likely instigating the crowd. If they weren't helping to cause the uproar, the crowd could have been showing off because of their presence.
The village lies next to the barrier and the ancient Jewish town of Modi'in, well known in history in the Chanukah story. Bil'in happens to be the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, a stronghold of Fatah. No wonder that many Fatah heads were in attendence. The beef the people have is that the barrier separates the village from 60% of its farmland, so they have had to create a different path to get to their crops.

Since 2005 they have held weekly protests where they arrive wearing gas masks while chanting obscenities at the soldiers such as calling them fascists. This demonstration always drew buses of tourists to watch. They put on quite a show.

Since March 15, 2010, the IDF closed the area, calling it a military zone which kept spectators out from 0800 til 2000 on Fridays when protests would commence. It was not closed to the Arabs.

Jawher Abu Rahma, 36 year old woman, inhaled the fumes, stumbled and fell. She was taken to the hospital where she died. Evidently she had said that she wanted to be a martyr, and it came true. She died like several brothers before her. Her body was wrapped in the Palestinian flag and 3,000 mourners followed her body to burial.
The problem in keeping demonstrations peaceful is that they never stay that way. People in the Middle East can become very worked up and excitable, which is what happened. They turn into a dangerous situation. If people were peaceful in the first place, a security barrier would not be thought of or necessary to put up. This tells you something of the situation here.
There was a follow-up protest in Tel Aviv with about 200 in attendance. Israel has asked for a medical report but it has been refused. Palestinians are calling this a war crime.
Breaking the barrier is quite costly. This will cost hundreds of thousands of NIS to repair.
Resource: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=201774
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110101/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictprotesttoll
http://www.haaretz.com/news/bil-in-protesters-dismantle-section-of-west-bank-separation-barrier-1.263651
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bil