All Is Not Quiet in Israel/Gaza: Presidents Keep Working

Nadene Goldfoot
We may not be reading articles about what's happening in Israel right now, but Ashdod just saw and felt a rocket fall in their neighborhood on Tuesday morning.  The IDF air force responded overnight by hitting 2 rocket launching sites and an arms storage facility.

That makes 858 rockets and mortars that have been shot into Israel this year so far.  119 of them were shot in the latest round that fell into Israel.  The Iron Dome also intercepted 110.  Dozens fell inside the Palestinian territory.

Besides this one rocket shot during the new ceasefire, Gazans were rioting near the border fence trying to damage it.  The IDF were forced to shoot at them and injured 7.  So the IDF must remain alert to problems that keep happening.  Jerusalem Post has an article saying that Hamas is counting on Jews leaving the country because they feel they have scared them enough to leave if another round of shooting starts up again.  They don't know the resistance these people have to their adversity.

In the meantime, Fatah, living in Judea and Samaria territory have Abbas who is going to the UN to become a state of sorts.  There already are 48 Muslim majority states, and this would make 49.    The United States will not be able to veto this as it'll take place in the General Assembly, but not surprising, France said they will go along with it.  What do they care?  They're not neighbors.  They're not involved.  What the USA has done is threaten Abbas that they will cut off  the annual $500 million aid if they make the bid without any negotiations and peace terms with Israel.

Why I"m against it is that it gives Fatah clout that they will use against Israel, making a solution even farther away; definitely in the time of the Messiah, no doubt.  Abbas is intent on retiring with this accomplishment, as he'll be 78 years old on March 26, 2013. If he gets this bid, it'll also mean his political survival if he wants it, as he took over leadership from Arafat when he died 8 years ago.    Only someone like Israel's President Shimon Peres, who'll be  90 years old on August 2, 2013, has the stamina and intelligence to keep working for the public.  This Polish-born dynamo is the grandson of a Rabbi in a line of Rabbis.  He seems to know how to live with stress, and is in good shape.

Resource:  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4304605,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-28/abbas-tries-to-outflank-hamas-with-return-to-un-statehood-bid

Muslim Brotherhood and Pharaoh Mohammed Morsi

Nadene Goldfoot
Yesterday while we Americans were eating our Thanksgiving dinner, the top leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood denounced Morsi's peace efforts and urged a holy war to "liberate" Palestinian territories, which means all of Israel.

Old Mohammed Badei, General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood,  thinks Israel knows nothing but force, but that is the only deterrent that seems to stop such a group as the Muslim Brotherhood; that and baksheesh  or money.    He's all for Jihad and said it's an obligation.  All Muslims are to "back their brothers in Palestine and supply them."

That is exactly what Iran keeps on doing.  An Iranian 150 ton freighter named "Cargo Star" left Bandar Abbas port on Sunday, November 18th with a load of 220 short-range missiles and 50 improved long-range Fajar-5 rockets for Gaza.  These Fajars are newer with longer range capabilities than what was recently used.  they have a 200-kilo warhead and the others were 175 kilos.  It is 85 km or about 53 miles from Gaza to Tel Aviv.

Iran is adamant about the fact that they are bankrolling Palestinian terrorists and will not be letting Morsi be a moderate.  This of course would be running contrary to Tehran's plans and interests of destroying Israel.

Morsi, however, says he will abide by Egypt's 1979 treaty with Israel that Mubarak was following, established by Sadat.  He has quite a challenge of restoring order, solving crises that come up, and restraining the radicals he had helped to brain wash.  He just gave himself greater authority Thursday by neutralizing a judicial system by declaring that the courts are barred from challenging his decisions.  That's helpful.  The public might become very angry over this move, though.  It's not democratic of him.  He says it is necessary to protect the revolution that toppled Mubarak 2 years ago and to become democratic.  The pro-reform leader, Mohamed El Baradei wrote on  Twitter,  "Morsi today usurped all state powers & appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh."  Mass protests have been called for to dissolve his declarations.

Resource: http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/Muslim-Brotherhood-Israel-cease-fire/2012/11/22/id/465095?promo_code=F53B-1&utm_source=Debka&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1
http://www.debka.com/article/22541/Iranian-arms-ship-carries-fresh-improved-Fajar-supplies-for-Gaza
Oregonian Newspaper page A 10,  Egypt's Morsi grants himself broad powers , AP by Hamza Hendawi

Israel's Relationship With Gaza

Nadene Goldfoot
Back in 1948 when Israel was declared a state on May 14th, Gaza had been under Egyptian control and was the only part of the British Mandate held by the Egyptian forces.  Jews lived there and had been there for centuries.

When the 1967 War occurred and Israel won against her many aggressive neighbors, it came under Israel's control being Egypt was one of the losers. Since the Palestinians kept attacking Israel, protective measures had to be taken.  The uprisings were called Intifadas.

The 1st Intifada started December 6, 1987 in Gaza.  It was a violent attack lasting 4 years.  Palestinians threw 3,600 molotov cocktails, 100 hand grenades, 600 assaults with guns or explosives at soldiers and civilians.  27 Jews were killed and 3,100 were injured during this time.  1,100 Palestinians were killed in combat with the IDF.

This is the difference between the two entities.  Gaza targets civilians while Israel targets the weapons and only the leaders of terrorist groups who plot the death of their civilians.  Israel takes every precaution to protect is people while the terrorists put their rocket launchers amid women and children.

The 2nd Intifada occurred in September 2000.  It was a large terrorist campaign.  Israel decided to move all its Jewish citizens out of Gaza in the name of peace in 2005.  They left businesses for the Palestinians as well as homes.  They have been repaid by constant rocket shelling since the moment they left.  The population voted in Hamas, a terrorist organization for their government.  They seem to be in step with the Muslim Brotherhood Charter which calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of all Jews.  Other terrorist groups have also branched off from them.  Over 4,000 rockets, mortars and missiles have fallen into Israel since it withdrew from Gaza, and that's not counting the present attack that started last Wednesday. on the 14th by hitting an IDF vehicle and killing a soldier and wounding the other 3 while on patrol of the perimeter.  

 Under disengagement plans, Israel retained exclusive control over Gaza's airspace, and has the right to patrol and monitor the external land perimeter of Gaza Strip and the coastline.  Israel provides water, electricity and communication infrastructure for these people.

If there are any problems in the line of food, medications, medical supplies, fuel, or electricity, Hamas should be addressed since it is in their responsibility, not Israel's if there are any shortages.  Israel keeps bringing these things in by truck.  What Hamas does with it is something that can be questioned.  They have been most busy stockpiling their armory with over 12,000 rockets brought in from Iran and then through Sudan and Egypt.

The reason Israel must guard what goes in Gaza is that they are at war.  When a neighbor keeps shelling you and will not sit down and discuss peace terms, you are at war.  They have managed to get thousands of rockets into Gaza and Israel is trying to stop this without an air or land incursion, but when it does not stop, this is the only alternative.

The ugly truth is that Israel keeps on trucking in goods to make sure there are no scarcities and at the same time must try to prevent arms getting into Gaza.  Yet there are do-gooders (?) who insist there are and come on flotillas trying to break the law already established to bring in boatloads of who knows what.  What they are doing is just feeding into the Palestinian right to bomb the Jews out of existence.  Do-Gooders they aren't.  They are aiding and abetting an enemy of Israel.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza%E2%80%93Israel_conflict
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVbXmQQAcKY&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/intifada.html
http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/judentum-aktenlage/il-ps/EncJud_gazastreifen-ENGL.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel

Three Lost Syrian Tanks Who Are in Israel's Golan Heights

Nadene Goldfoot
Are they really off track?  Three Syrian tanks entered the Golan Heights, home to 18,000 Jews, and  belonging to Israel on Saturday.  It's a demilitarized zone.  The distance from the Golan to Haifa is only 60 miles!  The violence in Syria seems to be spilling into Israel now.  These tanks haven't left yet.  They have been attacking Syrian rebels.  The is the first incursion in the past 40 years.

Of course Israel has complained to the UN about it.  Israelis have reported hearing the shouting of  "Allahu Akbar!"  The UN response is low-key saying it didn't see the Syrian armor as an immediate threat.  So for them it's okay for an enemy to park 60 miles from a major Israeli city and make war on its people from Israel and of course they won't turn an then attack Israelis.

However, Israel is not stupid.  The IDF is ready to defend Israel.  The area is very small consisting of 250,000 acres , but surely these tanks know where they arrived.  The Golan Heights was a part of the 1967 War that Israel won against huge odds of the many Muslim countries against tiny Israel. The word "Heights" tells you of the terrain.  It is from 400 to 1700 feet high and overlooks the Huleh Valley.   The Golan Heights is important to Israel for their security measures.  Otherwise an enemy can bombard Israel from on high. The Arabs would bombard kibbutzim along the upper Jordan Valley. " In a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the Syrians overran the Golan Heights before being repulsed by Israeli counterattacks.  After the war, Syria signed a disengagement agreement that left the Golan in Israel's hands".  Many Israelis live there today.  There is one major city and 32 towns.   In 1985 the population, include the Druze was 22,500.

 Our history goes way back with the Golan Heights.  It had come into Moses's hands when King Og ruled the  Amorites of Bashan. Og, referred to as a giant,  was killed by the Israelites at Edrei   The kings of Israel had to fight the Aramaeans from Damascus here.  Golan had been a city of refuge for the Jews.  It was a capital in 2nd Temple times and had a Jewish settlement until the 5th Century CE.

In the meantime, Islamic Syrian militants made an assault on a Syrian airbase in the north.  They were trying to disrupt strikes by Syrian warplanes and helicopters.  These government planes hit targets in the Damascus suburbs and killed at least 10 and wounded dozens.  So if that's where the rebels were, why are the tanks in the Golan Heights?

The Golan Heights would be big enough for 400 settlers in Oregon who would have bought 640 acre plots that had been offered to them for $1 per acre in the Homestead Act of 1862 with one farmer being shorted. Then again, since most couldn't afford this, 320 acre plots were sold off.

Resource:  http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=290414&R=R1
Oregonian newspaper 11/3/12 page  A2 Developments in the Middle East:  Syria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Og
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/golan_hts.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/golanstats.html
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/homestead-act/