Hamas in Gaza

Hamas terrorists had taken over Gaza, causing Abbas to leave for the West Bank. Since then, Israel has only allowed humanitarian aid into the area due to the constant shelling into Israel from these terrorists who do not want peace. They don't even want a piece; they want all of Israel. Israel controls the exit and entrances into Gaza and must for their own protection. Terrorists are constantly trying to invade Israel. Israel also has been supplying Gazans with electricity which amazes me. They left the territory in order to promote peace in the summer of 2005 and pulled out the Israeli soldiers and civilian settlements, but were slapped in the face for their actions with the constant bombardment of rockets into Israel. So much for our good actions.

Gaza Strip is an overcrowed territory where 80% or more of the people depend on aid. They are bred on hatred for Jews and for the United States.

In order to foster peace, Israel's agriculture ministry is allowing the export of flowers and strawberries to Europe. This announcement came about before Annapolis's conference. When it is to resume has not been decided, but I bet it would happen if they would stop firing rockets into Israel. They'd better stop soon. This produce cannot wait long.

No Peace with Terrorists

72 hours before Annapolis Peace talks, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired 6 rockets and more than 12 mortar shells into Israeli cities throughout the Negev. It continues. Jerusalem was on high alert Sunday because two terrorists were on their way there to carry out a mass attack. At the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a Palestinian with a knife was planning to stab the first Jew he could find. What is it going to take to turn these people around?

Meanwhile, at the conference itself, the Saudi Foreign Minister said that he refused to shake Olmert's hand. Monday the Saudi embassy in Washington kicked out Israeli journalists who wanted to attend a press conference. The Gulf Arab emirate of Bahrain refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, and of course the Palestinians had refused to accept Israel as a Jewish State, so at the last minute Condoleezza had the wording changed to the Jewish Homeland.

All this pledging to find a road to peace is putting the decision making in the hands of the United States. I hope our next president will honor Israel's wish to continue existing.

References: Michael Freund from Jewish World Review.

Israel the Jewish Homeland

The peace conference is over in Annapolis but the participants have vowed to continue meeting. Iran wasn't invited nor wouldn't have attended. Iran commented that the conference was a failure and that Israel was doomed to collapse. He also said it was a mistake that Syria participated. Ahmadinejad said that Hamas, who is backed by Iran, must have a say in any settlement. Syria said it only attended to get the return of the Golan Heights. They also want full Israeli withdrawal from lands they occupied in 1967. It's amazing that these Arab countries have the chutzpa to demand land they lost after their cowardly attacks on Israel where Israel survived and won. What other countries have won the battle but lost the fight?

Iran feels quite cocky because they now have new missiles that have the range of 1,200 miles. they can reach Israel and US bases. Since 1992 Iran has producted their own jets, torpedoes, radar avoiding missiles, tanks and armored personnel carriers. Iran is not an Arab country but it is an extreme Muslim country. Between 1980-1985 Iran and Iraq were at war. Now all the Arab countries are uneasy about Iran and attended the conference for this reason as well as seeing to the formation of a Palestine.

At the conference, 8 minutes before it started, President Bush received a paper that said that Israel was the Jewish Homeland instead of a Jewish State. Already Olmert had to back down in his earlier statement that the Arabs must recognize Israel as the Jewish State. He had good reason for this. Israel cannot hold the millions of Arabs that want to come into the tiny area and populate it, causing the demographics of Israel to became another Arab state.

Peace is the objective, but these two inept leaders, Abbas and Olmert, have little power. They have just over 13 months to bring it to fruition. In the meantime, even Abbas's Fatah members are demonstrating in the "West Bank" against peace. These are the people he represents. He's already lost the Gaza Strip Palestinians. Who is he speaking for? Bush has already changed his statement of 2004 where he said it was unrealistic to expect that Israel will leave all areas taken in 1967, and now is saying that Israel must end the occupation that began in 1967. That's what worries me. People promise one thing and then change quickly. They're not dependable where Israel is concerned.

References: Oregonian Newspaper: 11/28/07 (8 articles-Amazing!)

Israelinsider Staff 11/27/07

Yahoo News by Ali Akbar Dareini 11/28/07

My Comments

Annapolis Talks Start Today

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:2-4)

Will this meeting be the start of a long dreamed prophecy? Associated Press writers Amy Teibel and Mohammed Daraghmeh write that this will be the first time that Israel and the Arab states and others will sit down to relaunch a peace process. America is pressing for them to release a joint paper today or tomorrow covering the final borders, Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees who left in 1948.

Israel wants to release a broader statement about the two states living in peace besides each other. It has promised to negotiate these issues after the conference.

Condoleezza Rice has visited the two groups eight times this year and could not bridge the gaps that are monumental. Yet she hopes that it will happen after the conference.

Tuesday Olmert will tell the large group that if they want a peace deal they have to stop the attacks of the terrorist Hamas group which continues to shell Israel from Gaza. Syria is attending only to get to talk about getting the Golan Heights back that they lost when they attacked Israel in 1967.

Everybody says they are optimistic about the plans. Hamas does not agree.

Double Speak at Annapolis

The peace talks next week in Annapolis all hinge on the Palestinians accepting the recognition of Israel as a Jewish State. They have been saying that they will not do this. The reason this is so important is because without this Jewish majority, it would become the 22nd Arab state and Israel as we know it would be no more without a shot fired.

The Arabs are saying that Israel cannot claim religious identity, as if they're not. They all belong to the Islamic Conference which is a group of 55 states. England's official religious identity is the Church of England. Most countries are either Christian, Muslim or some other religion. Israel is the only Jewish state in the world. Saudi Arabia does not allow Jews to set foot in their country because they are Jews. Many Muslim countries do not allow Jewish tourists, even.

The UN partition plan of 1947 called for dividing mandatory Palestine "into Jewish and Arab states." Moshe Sharon, professor of Islamic History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem reminds us of the differences in bargaining in the middle east and the west, and there are big differences. The Israeli have always wished "to acquire peace based on the Arab-Muslim acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state. The Arabs' objective is to annihilate the Jewish state, replace it with an Arab state, and get rid of the Jews." (See Itamar Marcus's speech at Portland State U. in my other blog, http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/). So this denial of allowing Israel to claim religious identity is hogwash.

My view is that Olmert has not been tough with the Arabs. We have not been able to retaliate for the past year on Gaza's Hamas terrorist group due to Condoleeza Rice's objections. 2,586 rockets and mortar bombs have been fired from Gaza at Israeli communities since Israel withdrew from Gaza in August 2005. 10 people have been killed by this rocket fire including 4 children. More than 140 people have been wounded by missile fire in the city of Sderot in Israel, and we have promised Condoleezza Rice that we would not to retaliate. This constant bombardment of Israel has unnerved their 180,000 citizens who have only a few seconds to look for safety after hearing the sirens. They live in the cities of Ashkelon, Sderot, Netivot, and over 20 kibbutzim and moshavim. Osnat Ben-Haim's house was struck in a direct hit while her 6 yr old son was eating a sandwich in the kitchen two minutes before a Kassam exploded there. The boy was traumatized.

Rice and Olmert do not know the rules in the bazaar in bartering. A Roman saying is that "if you want peace, prepare for war. Never come to the negotiating table from a position of weakness. Your adversary should always know that you are strong and ready for war even more than you are ready for peace. We're dealing with Middle Eastern mentality and have been thinking with Western ideas. It's not working. Condoleezza's experience with Russian History does not seem to be helping.

Yasser Arafat recognized Israel's right to exist in 1988 but this actually was not accepting Israel's existence. This was double-speak. The Palestinians must accept it as Jewish state, and that Arafat did not do. So, the Palestinians have not accepted Jews as a people. If the Palestinians want recognition of their existence and rights as a people, we expect the same and have waited 60 years for this.

References: A Short Guide to Bazaar Negotions by Moshe Sharon,

The Jerusalem Post November 14, 2007

Israeli Peace Efforts continue Despite Increased Attacks from the Israel Project.org.,

Jennifer Packer.

Arutz Sheva-Israel National News.com "Sderot Waits for Annapolis"

Iran's Nuclear Capability Predicted in Two Sources

In the contraversial book, Bible Code II The Countdown by Michael Drosnin on page 258, it claims that the Bible code warns of an "atomic Holocaust". The copyright of this book is 2002.

Shimon Peres was the Israeli foreign Minister in April 2001. He was a former Prime Minister in 1996, and was the architect of Oslo, the failed peace plan. Peres made a speech in 1996 stating that the "greatest danger facing the world was that the nuclear weapons would "fall into the hands of irresponsible countries, and be carried on the shoulders of fanatics." Peres predicted on September 13, 2002 that the Middle East would become "either peaceful or nuclear" within five to ten years".

That would be from 2007 to 2012 that atomic weapons would be used, and it is Iran that we fear has or will shortly have this capability. It is Iran who has spoken so strongly of wiping Israel off the earth. Iran will probably be attending Condoleezza Rice's peace meeting in Annapolis next week.

Will the Middle East opt for peace and still allow Israel to remain with protection? The two choices lie on the table.

Annapolis Peace Talks

Today's Oregonian has a larger article about the peace talks on page A15. I can't help but be most alarmed at a statement by Condoleezza Rice. She said that "when a Palestinian state becomes a reality, the wider Arab-Israeli conflict will end." In other words, she thinks naively that first they can declare a Palestinian state and then somehow everyone will stop trying to wipe Israel off the map. To me this means that the Palestinians will only be in even closer proximity with the backing which they are now getting of more weapons to turn onto Israel.

The problem is that the surrounding Arab states still have the purpose of kicking Israel out of the land. They have no intention of being accepting and peaceful. This is a part of their religion. They have no reason to be peaceful with Israel. They're getting everything they want without being peaceful: the creation of the Palestinian state, land now belonging to Israel, weapons, and soon they hope for Jerusalem and the populating the land with millions of descendants of the few Palestinians that had run out of the land in the hopes of returning to take over all the Jewish homes and businesses of 1948.

How are the Arabs going to guarantee security for Israel when they are busy arming and encouraging their people to attack Israel? Condoleezza needs to study the history and aims of the Arab people in depth before she brazenly helps to destroy Israel.

Is it that Bush and Rice simply want this meeting and the creation of Palestine on their records of accomplishments of which they have very few? I suppose they think that this creation will compensate for the blunder of attacking Iraq and not being able to manage that. Now that the whole Arab world is even more aroused with hatred, as if they needed a reason, Israel will be the first to be destroyed. Israel is Daniel in the lion's den. I hope we have a fair outcome like Daniel did, but there's nothing fair about this pride of lions.

Earthquaking Event: The Annapolis Conference

A very small article on A6 in the Oregonian tells that the US will host Mideast talks next week as planned originally. Bush hopes this will put the peace process back on the menu. 49 countries, institutions and individuals, including some Arab states and other key nations were invited to the 3 day meeting beginning November 27th. It sounds like a basketball game, 49:1. They hope to cause Israel and the Palestinians to formal peace talks with the backing of the international community. It sounds to me like they are hoping to force Israel to give into the Arab demands with mainly Arab pressure.

The announcement comes at the same time that several earthquakes were recorded in Israel. By coincidence, Olmert is preparing to give away half of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria which the world outside of Israel calls the West Bank, and will even plan on discussing the Arabs "right of return."

Olmert is being so eager to be helpful that he approved arming the Palestinian West Bank forces with 50 Russian APCs (combat vehicles like tanks) , 1,000 rifles and 2 million bullets. The Russians have promised Abbas armored personnel carriers which carry 10 fighters each. These combat vehicles are armed with machine gun mounts designed to hit ground and low-flying air targets. This can hamper Israel's regular counter-terror activities with helicopter support. The helicopter have kept Israel fairly secure by thwarting suicide attacks. The fear is that the APCs will wind up in terrorist hands. This means that Israelis living on the West Bank will need the same type of protection as will the Israeli police who secure the borders. It's that or all the Israelis there will have to move out. The Russian APCs are highly developed. They can protect their men from anything imaginable. Olmert has been trying to get Putin on the US side and be against Iran's nuclear program and also to influence Damascus from its pact with Tehran. Putin is not changing his allegiance. That's why he is definitely delivering the APCs to Abbas.

Olmert has made many big concessions to show his good faith in wanting peace. Israel will allow the export of some agricultural produce from Gaza, where Hamas terrorists have control. This includes flowers and strawberries and much will head for Europe. It's been five months since Israel restricted the export conditions due to the shelling of rockets into Israel which hasn't stopped. All these concessions are being done to bolster Abbas's power as he seems to be more in tune with the peace initiative.

I'm shaking with fear for Israel. The land of Israel is quaking and shaking.

World Court

by Nadene Goldfoot

Reuters News by Jeffrey Heller's "Olmert acts to bolster Abbas before meeting" states that the World Court has branded all Israeli settlements on land captured by Israel in 1967 as illegal. Israel was attacked and gained land by winning, but that is illegal? That was one of the most horrific attacks Israel has had. It freed Jerusalem from the Arabs, and by coming into Israel's hands made the sacred places of all religions accessible. I shouldn't be surprised at a "World Court" deciding this against Israel.

Abt 270,000 Jewish people, some of which are also Americans, live in the "West Bank." 2.5 million Palestinians also live there now. Unlike Israel, where Jews, Muslims and Christians as well as people of other faiths live such as Mormons and B'hais, the new Palestinian state cannot abide any Jews living in it. This is the case of all the Arab countries. Jews are not allowed. They have no intention of becoming a "melting pot" of people. Yet many Palestinians live in Israel and are even represented in the Knesset.

Who does the World Court defend? Why doesn't this court stop the Hamas terrorists from firing rockets incessantly on Israel? Or is that okay with them. Was there a World Court when Jews were slaughtered in the 2nd World War?

This World Court is an arm of the United Nations. The United Nations did recognize and accept Israel as a state in 1948, but since then has not been a supporter of Israel. The United Nations has become a joke. It's mostly controlled by the Arab countries. I had high hopes for the UN at one time, but find it disgraceful now. It's not suprising at all to find that they have made decisions against Israel.

Arab Demands For Annapolis Meeting

It seems to me that the Arabs want the peace process all decided according to their wishes before they ever get to the peace table. What would be the necessity of the meeting? I thought a peace meeting should be a place to discuss, debate, listen and come to some accord. They want their goals all agreed to before they start.

Arabs want Israel to stop construction on existing settlements in the "West Bank". Olmert has already reaffirmed a pledge not to build new settlements. The land is rightfully a part of Israel's territory and Israel does have the right to decide what to do with it. Of course this does not suit the wishes of the losers of the last war. They lost the war but still think they should have the land. According to history, it never has worked that way before. There are consequences in attacking a country and losing. Ask Germany. Ask the Ottoman Empire.

Arabs want prisoners released from Israeli prisons who have been terrorists. Olmert has agreed to release 441 more prisoners.

This morning's paper stated that every Arab country under the sun would like to partake in this meeting, even Greece who is not an Arab state. It's like the vultures are ready to pounce on a single prey and tear it apart. Whether the meeting actually will take place the end of this month is still up in the air. Many are confused. Olmert has been so ready to be in compliance with Condolezza Rice and President Bush that the rest of Israel is almost having a heart attack.

All this expectation while Hamas continues to shell Israel from Gaza is ludicrous. Abbas of Fatah cannot control the Hamas group. Israel still will have not gained a thing from the peace talks. I think it's time that the Palestinians get their act together and talk about peace among themselves first. Perhaps the rest of the crowd can put some pressure on them, that is, if peace with Israel is now their new goal.

Dickering Over Jerusalem

Finally, the news this morning states that Olmert is not going to discuss Jerusalem with the Palestinians until they recognize the Jewish state of Israel. It seems to me that the Palestinians were trying to put the cart before the horse. Here they have not recognized Israel as a state in their midst but have been demanding most of Jerusalem. They have continually been bombarding Israel from Gaza with rockets as well. This doesn't look like peaceful actions to me. Personally, I hope Olmert remains fast in his decision not to give into people who are not showing any good faith. Condoleeza should talk to the Palestinians about showing what good neighbors they would be.

Jerusalem in Annapolis Conference

Jerusalem will be discussed at the conference in Annapolis at the end of this month; that is if the Palestinians cooperate with each other and attend.

The fact is that Jerusalem has meant nothing to Arabs. It has not been a capital under their rule or even a cultural center. The only thing of significance is the Dome of the Rock that is there, being the spot that Mohammed rose up into the sky. Their revered cities in their religion are Mecca and Medina and they are not in Israel.

Jews have been in Jerusalem since bible days of King David and even before. Mitchell Bard's newly published update #281 states that in 1844 there were 7,120 Jews in Jerusalem while there were 5,000 Muslims. By 1931 there were 51,222 Jews to 19,894 Muslims. The latest census of 2005 finds 582,700 Jews in Jerusalem and 240,900 Muslims. This shows that Muslims are less than half the population in this city. Jews have always been the majority in Jerusalem.

Jews are taught that if ever they forget Jerusalem, they should lose their right hand. It is an integral part of their being. Their history stems from Jerusalem. Therefore, why should the Arabs be able to make demands on Jerusalem? When they had control before 1948 they made a mockery of Jerusalem. They deficated on gravesites of Jews, using it as latrines. Christians and Jews were not allowed in certain areas. Now that it is in Israel's control, everyone is allowed into their special sites.

The Hamas and Fatah Palestinian terrorists have already been fighting viciously amongst themselves in the latest demonstration over control. Their infighting may keep them away from the peace process anyway at this time. If Fatah's Abbas attends the conference, he will only be speaking for Fatah. Condoleeza Rice has been pushing Olmert extremely hard to accept conditions with Arabs. Israel rescued Jerusalem in 1967. The whole city has been a part of Israel for the past 40 years. What will happen now?

Who Are the Palestinians?

Nadene Goldfoot
In 1882 the Jews came to Palestine in what was called the 1st Aliyah. There were always Jews there since the days of Abraham, but these people came from Europe for ideological reasons as well as from escaping from pogroms.

Knowing that they were involved in rebuilding the land, Arabs followed them hoping to find work. The Turkish and British administrators took little interest in these Arabs, but kept scrupulous records of Jews entering the territory.  These non-Jewish immigrants came from all parts of the Middle East, including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Transjordan (now called Jordan), Saudi Arabia,  Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, and Libya. These Arabs benefited financially by these European Jewish settlers eager to build a country, and that's why they traveled hundred of miles for the possible jobs.

Palestinians, under the assumption that they are refugees, were either immigrants before Israel's creation in 1948 or the children of these immigrants. When Mark Twain visited in 1867, there were hardly any Arabs in the land at all.

This was all researched by Joan Peters, a Christian reporter who did a fantastic job finding this information. She began by being swayed to help the Palestinian problems of wanting a state and wound up finding out the much different facts that their immigration to Palestine took place during the first half of the twentieth century. People may have condemned Peters' book because of her journalistic style,  such as Professors Noam Chomsky, Norman Finklestein and Porath, but no one has been able to refute her findings.  Joan wrote "From Time Immemorial" the origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine.

Thus, the Palestinians are a mixed group of people who migrated to find work in the Jewish settlements. Now they are going to the peace table in Annapolis, Maryland in late November and demanding part of the tiniest country in the Middle East, Israel. They are backed by all the seven Arab countries who do not want to see a Jewish state in their midst.  Israel is a Jewish state, it's culture is more European and American, and the Arabs have done everything to prevent it's continuance. They have more power than Israel ever has had due to the oil that the Arab countries have and control. There never was a Palestine country. They never had their own country and never even thought of it till Israel was created, and even then they didn't until they lost the 1967 war against Israel.  . They were offered land for a country but turned it down time and time again.  . Though Israel has been attacked and has won its wars with what must be divine help, it's the Palestinians who are calling the shots at this conference and probably future ones, too.  .

Olmert is not exactly popular with his own people right now. Many feel he is ready to give away the baby and the bath water, so if he wants to stay in power, he may have to become tougher with the Palestinians at this meeting. The Palestinians are not happy with Abbas as their representative being he is a member of Fatah, and the Hamas terrorists will not recognize him as having any say in their matters. Under these conditions, Condoleeza Rice will have her hands full. Peace is the objective. Will it mean peace for Israel or a piece of Israel?

Update to August 2013.  Not much has changed.  A peace conference that has started will be going on for the next 9 months.

Resource:  From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters
Book:  "The I:nnocents Abroad" by Mark Twain

Rockets From Gaza While Peace Talks on the Table

Gaza's Hamas has not stopped firing rockets into Israel. When Israel retaliates, it is Israel that draws the harsh criticism, not the Palestinians. Israel has now decided to cut off Gaza's electricity bit by bit every time rockets hit Israeli territory. Being Israel has been providing more than half of their electricity, this should inconvenience them somewhat. Even this will draw criticism from others. Israel decided to do this way back in June when Hamas took over Gaza and fired almost daily rocket fire into towns in southern Israel. The latest firing exploded on a home in Sderot Tuesday, where many of the rockets land.

The Israeli military killed two terrorists of a Palestinian rocket squad. This occurred on our Halloween after they had fired rockets into Israel.

Yet Hamas has warned Fatah's President Mahmoud Abbas today against making concessions to Israel about a proposed peace conference sponsored by the United States led by Condolesa Rice. Khaled Meshaal warned that they were risking their political future by preparing for statehood talks. His reasoning is that no Palestinian is authorised to offer concessions. In other words, Abbas is not seen as the leader of the Palestinians because he is from Fatah, and at this rate, only Hamas's leadership will be considered by Hamas.

Somehow, their plan of having the territory Israel gained after the Arabs attacked Israel in 1967 is being prevented by themselves. Again, their greed to gain all of Israel will prevent them from having a state of their own in peace.

The peace talks are to take place in Annapolis, Maryland at the end of the year which isn't far away. How can Israel deal with half of the Palestinians? The Hamas members of leadership live in Syria now, and they haven't decided whether or not to attend the conference.

Palestinians Lament: Israeli Occupation of Palestine

Ashrawi Hanan, a Christian woman in the Palestinian circle, a rarity at best, has been finding fault with her fellow Palestinian leaders, but also continues to sing the song about Israel's continued occupation of Palestine and that all their troubles stem from this.

Ashrawi has not accepted the fact that the Palestinian cause has been damaged by their unwillingness to accept Israel in their midst, created fairly by the United Nations in 1948. Had the Arab nations not attacked Israel on its birth, and had not the Palestinians jumped ship, they would have enjoyed life in peace. She does not accept the cause and affect fact that the Palestinians have brought about the circumstances they find themselves in.

How can one occupy unfairly land that is theirs? In the beginning, the land belonged to King David and his son Solomon and their citizens. Palestine was never a state or country. It was an area. Then in the 1920's, the Balfour Declaration promised all the land to the Jewish State to be formed. Finally, the United Nations declared a small piece of the promised land to the State of Israel. Is it their fault that they were attacked by seven Arab countries immediately? Is it their fault that they won the fight and in so doing gained land they should have had in the first place? It's amazing to all that the horrible attack in 1948 would cause such an outcome. I think that is only fair. Bullies have to learn that crime doesn't pay. Hatred doesn't pay. They earned their just reward of losing territory.

The possible future state of Palestine has been offered to the Palestinians so many times by Israel that it makes my head spin. Yet they have refused, expecting to gain the tiny country of Israel instead. Greed only leads to loss. When will they learn? Is it possible that the Palestinian leaders have been in complete denial all these years as to why they find themselves without a Palestine? Arab leaders had sided with Hitler in the 2nd world war. It seems they haven't learned to get along or accept others that are different. Leaders like Hanan Ashrawi would do more for their people if they would be more objective and work towards better communication with Israel.

Ahmadinejad's Ranting About Israel

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's tirade against Israel Friday vowed to abolish Israel. He doesn't deny the Holocaust now, he just questions the scale of it. He said Israel is using the Holocaust as a reason for the "genocide" against Palestinians.

Quds Day is the day of Palestinian remembrance of their fight against Israel. It is also being commemorated in Iran. On this day Ahmadinejad blasted Israel's policies and the USA's polices against his nuclear program. Tens of thousands of Iranians marched through Tehran Friday in solidarity with the Palestinians chanting "Death to Israel". Ahmadinejad followed this up with a public call for the entire population of Israel to be deported to Alaska or Canada. He stated that Israel is an "insult to human dignity."

This takes place about two weeks after his visit to the USA where he defended his questions about the Holocaust's existence. This ranting certainly makes it a reality that if he has nuclear weapons, he will use them on Israel.

North Korea and Israel

On September 6, 2007, Israel went over to Syria and dropped a bomb or two on something that wasn't kosher. It has just been released that North Korea had shipped material to Syria that could be very dangerous for Israel.

One of today's editorials in the Oregonian is "North Korea comes in from the cold". It is saying that North Korea disarmed by diplomatic means without the need to use force, and that the same thing could be achieved with Iran.

We have to remember that Syria is under the thumb of Iran, and is rather like a neighborhood community of Iran. Syria probably was building an arsonal of some terrible weapons that would also be used by Iran. Of course the first object of their hatred would be Israel.

The question arises as to why North Korea was involved with shipping material to Syria. They want to remain peaceful with the United States. Are they in compliance and are just trying to make a buck? In 1990, as the editorial stated, North Korea was involved in a huge money-laundering scheme, so money is of the highest importance to this country.

North Korea is close enough to the western coast of the USA to launch a nuclear weapon and hit Oregon. Syria is certainly close to Israel to do the same thing. We need to watch both countries.

Why Israel Dropped a Bomb in Syria Last Month

News is leaking out that North Korea was either building a nuclear weapons plant in Syria or giving Syria the capabilities. Israel found out and dropped a bomb to stop it. President Bush is not disclosing any facts about it, but it is reported that Israel did warn the USA that North Korea was doing this before they struck deep inside Syria. Israel is being challenged about getting rid of its nuclear capabilities. I'm afraid this might be the only threat over terrorists' heads that Israel has. Israel has never used this capability and we all certainaly hope matters never get that bad, for if it does, Israel would also be hurt due to being in such close proximity to their beligerent neighbors. It's been very helpful to have this threat in their pocketful of ammunition.

Gaza Strip Declared Hostile Territory

The Gaza strip has had both the Fatah and Hamas terrorists, two Palestinian groups wrestling for control of the power in the area. Fatah has taken the responsibility of most of the rockets that were fired from Gaza into Sderot, Israel and the Western Negev region of Israel. They also took responsibility for the attack on Sderot on the day before Rosh HaShanah last week.

Now the UN's human rights chief has said she is gravely concerned at Israel's decision to finally declare the Gaza Strip a "hostile territory." Israel has threatened to cut off the fuel and electricity supplies to the area.

How can anyone expect Israel to continue supplying these things when it is constantly bombed by the terrorists there? Have the powers in charge done anything to stop the bombing? No. The only thing that the people will be affected by and thus realize that their actions are not acceptable is to hold out the electricity and fuel supplies. Israel has discussed all the aspects of how to do this and not hurt innocent people living there. They are not doing this without much thought.

By shooting rockets into Israel, the Gaza strip is showing that they are at war with Israel. Israel must take steps to protect itself and punish the people responsible for the shootings. Does anyone else have a better idea?

facts from David Bedein article via Victor Sharpe and AFP via Yahoo News

Bombing Syria Today

I was surprised to read that Israel bombed Syria today, and Israel isn't talking about it. Before everyone gets on Israel's back about being the first to attack, remember that Syria is under the control of Iran, and Iran has threatened Israel with extinction. Both countries are in preparation for war. I imagine that Israel was on a surveilance mission and got caught by their radar. Israel dumped their bombs in a deserted zone and went home. One cannot live next door to a threatening neighbor without a plan for protection.

Middle East Neighborliness

by Nadene Goldfoot

Realizing that Palestine was going to be a state in part of the tiny land of Israel, the Israelis decided to get ready for it by pulling out of Gaza two years ago August 15, 2005. To accomplish this, they had to evacuate their 9,000 Israelis who were living there and the four northern Judea and Samaria (West Bank) communities as they would not be welcome by the Muslims who wanted the land. This meant that Israel had to uproot schools, businesses, synagogues and the only Jewish cemetery. It was a painful process for the Israelis who have had to relocate in other areas in Israel which includes finding new jobs.

In return for this neighborly action, the Palestinians have taken full advantage. Gaza is now a launching pad for rockets. Since then, 1,500 Qassam rockets have been fired into Israel’s Negev region. They have killed six civilians and injured hundreds and even hit areas where evacuees had been relocated.

The Muslims responsible for the rocket attacks are the Iran backed terrorists, Hamas. Others also take credit such as the Palestinian Jihad, the Fatah party’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees. They launch rockets and mortars at Israel almost daily. For instance, from May 15to May 31, 2007, more than 300 Qassam rockets were fired into Israel from them.

Hamas has imported sophisticated weapons into the Gaza Strip. They have smuggled in more than 20 tons of explosives. Manpower has increased to 13,000. They have sent militants to Iran for training and instucting men in Gaza. They are creating a naval guard force.

Examples of their Sharia (Islamic Rule) are:
1. banning public gatherings that do not have permission and instituting beating up of protestors.
2. Closing TV programs that portray the truth about Gaza
3. Kidnapping a Christian female professor who was the girlfriend of a Muslim and forcing them to marry and her to convert to Islam.
4. Forbidding women to wear bathing suits in hotel pools, even those open to women only.
5. Forbidding coffee shops to have men and women customers who sit near each other.
6. Creating TV children’s show where a Mickey Mouse named Farfur taught hatred of Jews.
Israelis aren’t the only ones injured by their takeover of Gaza. On August 7, 2007, a rocket aimed for Israel misfired and killed two Palestinian children and injured seven others. Infighting among the Palestinian groups have caused more than 600 Palestinians to be killed. During the first seven months of 2007, 415 Palestinians were killed, including 28 children, and another 2,022 Palestinians were injured.

This is Palestinians attacking Palestinians. This is the party they voted in.

Hamas is not behaving as if it intends to be a good neighbor. With all these war-like preparations, it is behaving as if it intends to continue attacking Israel. It would be counter-productive for Israel to attack Palestine after all the work of seeing it sitting next to them and with world opinion screaming for the creation of Palestine. Therefore, why else is Hamas prepared for war?

The Religious Goal of the Future Palestine

Nadene Goldfoot

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

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

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


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

The Gruesome Twosome: Syria and Iran

These two countries have teamed up to fight against the West. They have been supplying Taliban and other terrorists in Afghanistan in order to fight US/NATO forces. They're in Iraq with the goal to damage U.S. efforts. Syria and Iran are working in Lebanon trying to crumble the Seniora government, destroy their army and crush the Cedars Revolution by assassinating the MP Eido in Beirut, bombing attacks such as car-bombs and killing civilians. They create terrorist attacks in Lebanon using Syro-Iranian assets. They're also in Gaza hoping to control it. Their funds control Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

By the end of this summer, if their plan goes well, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza will be fully at war. Hamas will be in control with Syro-Iranian backing in the Eastern Mediterranean and will be a terror base of operations. They wish to seize Gaza which would stop U.S. efforts in Iraq and cause pressure against Israel.

These predictions have been made by Dr. Walid Phares who is the director of the future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of "The War of Idea".

Syria has long been viewed as an enemy of Israel. Iran was actually rather helpful to Israel when the Shah of Iran ruled, but now the situation has changed. Hamas already has control of Gaza at this point. Their attacks on Israel are already causing a tough retaliation. If they are supplied with more arms, this will cause a full scaled war with a hopping-mad Israel that won't be forgiving. I don't think Syria can offer Israel anything worth a gamble after seeing what has happened in Gaza. They haven't been that cooperative, and now they are in kahoots with Iran anyway.

By 2008 this gruesome twosome plan to take over as much territory as they can. They forsee Americans limiting their moves now because of the U.S. presidential campaign season. By then it won't be just a new president that will be on the plate. It will be a whole new ballgame.

Attack Israel and Risk Being Attacked

Two years ago Israel withdrew from Gaza and broke down all Jewish settlements there. This past May of 2007, Palestinian groups fired about 300 rockets into Israel from there. Israel was forced to retaliate with dozens of airstrikes against Hamas security and rocket-launcher groups.

Now Hamas has been firing mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades along with sporadic rocket fire. The last rocket happened Tuesday evening, the 3rd of July. Then two more rockets were launched Thursday afternoon.

Thursday the Israeli forces entered Gaza and went about 1/2 mile into the territory east of two refugee camps; Maghazi and Mureij. They came in and left overnight. In the raid they killed 11 people; 9 known militants from Hamas.

Thousands of Palestinians reacted by marching in the street of the camp and firing rifles into the air vowing revenge. According to their game plan, they can attack Israel but Israel is not allowed to retaliate and try to stop the terrorists who fire weapons at them. They react so violently that they must forget what brought the tanks over from Israel in the first place. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you, is the ancient adage. It still applies today. Israel will not put up with its citizens being fired upon anymore. This seems to be a hard lesson to learn. Israel waited a long time to react, perhaps too long. Passivity has not worked with these people. Turning the other cheek shows weakness to terrorists. This is similar to child psychology. If a small child bites his mother, he doesn't understand it hurts until his mother bites him back. Then he gets the message.

Methodists Attack Israel

Methodists Attack Israel

Nadene Goldfoot
It isn't enough that the Muslims have not accepted having a Jewish state in their midst. Now the Methodists of the United States are getting into the act by boycotting 20 companies that do business with Israel. Both President Bush and Senator Clinton are Methodists. They are not in agreement with the church's proclamation.

This report was from the divestment Task Force of the church's New England Conference. The boycott includes the company, "General Electric". Their reasoning to be against Israel seems to come out of Arab propaganda. Again, they are siding with the Palestinians and seem to ignore the realities of the situation. They are concerned with the Palestinians facing unemployment, malnutrition, restrictions on movement, denial of medical care or access to their agricultural lands, humiliation at checkpoints and curfews. There is no understanding as to why there is a situation, and that the Palestinians have been attacking Israel. That doesn't seem to matter to them. This report reeks of anti-semitism.

This is morally offensive stated Alan Ronkin, deputy director of the Jewish Community Relations Council in Boston. His group is going to meet with the local Methodists and try to educate them. This step of "divestment push" which is boycotting, and delegitimizing Israel damage any chances of progess in the Middle East.

Some individuals in the United Methodist Church find this wrong. They are calling for a balanced study of the Middle East conflict which is what the United Church of Christ is doing. I am surprised that people have waited so long to study the situation. At least Senator Obama, a member of the United Church of Christ said he strongly disagrees with the portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict presented by this church. It will be interesting to see what the follow up meeting in Fort Worth, Texas will do.

To me, this shows that people have not read or followed events. They are quick to agree with propaganda from the Arab politics. Anything that smacks of showing how bad Jews are is gobbled up as "the gospel".

Fatah Friendship a Joke

Abbas is unable to control his terrorists in the West Bank as promised. Nablus is a city in the West Bank full of Fatah terrorists. Though Israel is trying to assist Fatah's threatened government, it's militants continue to harrass Israel, and Israel has had enough lately.

Abbas had issued a directive that Palestinians were not to carry illegal weapons or explosives. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a part of Fatah, has been wanting to arm the militants with more weapons anyway.

Israel had to raid Nablus, showing they are not stopping their search for militants bent on destroying Israel. Five Israeli soldiers were wounded in the raid. The Israelis were using rubber-coated bullets. They found two Fatah operatives they had been searching for by putting a curfew on the center of the city and going from house to house searching. Israel has continued to ask Abbas to control his men but he has not done this, so Israel had to step in to police the area. Of course this move has angered the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad saying that Israel was undermining his new government.

At the same time, Israel was involved with fighting in the Gaza which is now controlled by Hamas terrorists.

Though many of us see Olmert as giving the Palestinians too much in the way of land, money and possibly freeing many terrorists when they won't free one of ours, at least we're showing that we act on their attacks on Israel. They can believe us when we say, stop attacking us or else. We don't have to sit around and think about it like they are reacting to their militants.

Terrorist Virus Spreads

Palestinians must be thinking that they were a lot better off under Israeli control these days. Not only has the Gaza Strip become a hellish area to live in but the virus has now spread to the West Bank area. Abbas has no control in either sector despite the hopes of Israel and the United States. Now Egypt is might worried that this sickness will spread to its unsteady population and will hold a summit meeting Monday, the 25th of June, about it. With these two virus strains, Mubarak's hope is that a unified Palestine will be the cure for the disease and not enter into Egypt. They need a vaccine quickly. Israel is not immune.

Democrat Presidents Flip-Flop with Israel

Israel's birth started in 1948 with Democratic President Harry Truman giving the nod to Israel's acceptance. One wonders what Carter has against Israel now that he is going against her in every way. Carter is not only finding fault with Israel, but also the United States and the European Union as well.

Ever since 1948, our American presidents have backed Israel's right to exist fairly well, though they have given the new country many slaps in the face at the same time. Carter now accuses everyone of dividing the Palestinians by supporting Fatah and not Hamas.

He wants to ignore the fact that Hamas is a terrorist organization and not a peaceful political organism ready to take their place in a family. At least Fatah agreed to recognize Israel and live peacefully, though they lack the acrimony needed to carry out their orders. Now that Israel and Bush are trying to help Abbas, the leader of Fatah, Carter is addressing a human rights conference in Ireland, of all places and calling Bush a criminal. I suppose he thinks terrorists are okay if they terrorize Israel. This doesn't go against his "human rights' plan.

How crass can Carter be? To think that I had voted for him unknowingly as a devoted Democrat makes me shudder.

What kind of human rights were practiced in Ireland who had a similar situation in their country between the Catholics and Protestants? Perhaps they are more like the Fatah and Hamas; people of the same ilk but with different political agendas. Together they would love to fight the English.

Carter is in agreement with things said today by Hamas. Both claim that Hamas had won the 2000 election and that it is unfair that the United States has backed the more peaceful candidate. I wonder why we did that? I guess "human rights" is all in the eye of the beholder.

Crossroads for Israel

by Nadene Goldfoot

Israel is facing a most dangerous position right now. It is at the crossroads of making a decision that will bring it peace in the Middle East
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Israel has to make some decisions. Right now the left is in command with Olmert and USA's President Bush. They are backing the Palestinian's Fatah's leader who is now in the West Bank area, having left the Gaza to Hamas. They are hoping to advance their peace process. The question is if this highway to peace isn't giving the terrorists and other aggressive Arab states power. American presidents haven't really been of much help in advancing peace for Israel, though we are led to believe they have.

Arafat had visited with President Clinton many times and Clinton did nothing to stop jihad events even when the US embassy and US warships were bombed. Bush is not attempting to do anything to halt the threats of Iran and Syria when both these countries are threatening Israel's security. No matter what happens to Israel, Bush will be exhalted for trying to bring peace in the area, just like Clinton. In other words, what will happen to Israel is strictly up to Israel's decision right now, regardless of what the United States proposes
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To the right sits Likud's Binyamin Netanyahu and the former IDF chief of General Staff Moshe Ya'alon who state that Israel can't live with a Hamas state on the border. Hamas is supported by Iran who want to crush Israel as much as the Hamas terrorists want to. Even hundreds of Palestinians are fleeing from Gaza and are pounding the door at the border of Israel trying to get in. They fear for their lives because they were Fatah supporters. They're trying to get to the West Bank where Fatah still has control.

So far Olmert and the left are in command. The question remains. How will Israel ever exist with such enemies on its border and the hope of a friendly state of Palestine squelched by the Hamas takeover. Bush just stated that he hopes Abbas will be successful in the West Bank. He was ineffectual in Gaza, however. What will happen if Hamas takes over all the Palestinians?

Update: 3/27/19

Wolves At Israel's Door

by Nadene Goldfoot

The wolves are waiting for a take-over. Iran and it's companian, Syria plan on gobbling up Lebanon and destroying Israel. Next will be the USA in Iraq, and while they're at it, wish to finish them off with dessert by driving them and NATO from Afghanistan.

 Then they can force their compatriots into joining them for dinner. The world will be the next dish on the menu. This should give us all food for thought. Already Russia has delivered MIG-31 fighter planes to Syria which are only appetizers for their voracious appetites. More will come.

Update 3/27/19

Hamas Attacks Northern Israel

by Nadene Goldfoot

Katusha rockets were launched into Northern Israel from Lebanon Sunday afternoon. The rockets landed near Kiryat Shimona where the only department store in the area is. When I lived in Safed from 1980-1985, I prayed that the rockets would miss the Hamishbeer Department Store, which reminded me so much of Meier & Franks in Portland, Oregon. .

They did hit a factory, cars and of course did much damage to the roads. They were fired only 2.5 miles from the boarder of Israel. Four rockets were fired, but one of them was a dud. These were not fired from Hezbollah, who fired them last year. These were from the Hamas Palestinians who just took over the Gaza. The Katusha rockets have a much longer range than the Kassam used in Gaza. Last year's attack on northern Israel which involved Safed lasted for 34 long days when hundreds of rockets exploded in the area, demolishing many beautiful sites in Safed and elsewhere. Luckily, there were no people injured.

Sderot and other adjoining areas in Southern Israel have been attacked and now Northern Israel is being attacked. Israel has held back retaliating up to this point. Something must be done to stop these Hamas terrorists who think they can get away with any show of force against Israel. With new people in the Israeli cabinet, perhaps something will develop. How much patience does the world think that Israel has?

Update 3/27/19

Hamas Attack on Sderot

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   

Sderot, Israel has been attacked by Kassam rockets steadily for the past two weeks. It is not a little border town. Sderot has 24,000 citizens, which means it is a city about the size of Tualatin or West Linn, Oregon. It's larger than the 20,727 people in Roseburg, Oregon. Imagine if of of these Oregon cities were under rocket attack and that half of the population had to flee like Sderot's have had to leave. Many of the citizens here are Jews who are from other Arab lands and had to literally escape to Israel. The newer immigrants are from Russia, a country where practicing their religion was against the law. Many who tried to were put in jail and had lost their jobs.

Sderot was under attack before the 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip but has become worse because of arms smuggling from Sinai into Gaza by Hamas. Thousands of guns, anti-tank rockets and tons of armaments have been brought in over the past year. Most of these are aimed at Israel. The Egyptians are responsible for preventing the smuggling and of course they don't mind seeing Israel hit with Kassam rockets. They are not helping the situation as they should. Half of the population has had to leave the city in the past two weeks. Most all of the children are suffering from post-traumatic stress, just as the children of northern Israel's Kiriat Shimona did in 1980-1985. More than 12 people have been killed by Kassam rockets. The alarm sounds five or more times each day for people to run for the bomb shelters or some kind of cover. Try living there under these circumstances.

Though Prime Minister Sharon and Ehud Bark have promised Israel would respond harshly to continued rockt fire from this area, they are holding back because of the restraining advice from the USA and UN as if they are the aggressors. The fear is that if they retaliate against Hamas, the act will escalate an all out war between Gaza and Israel.

Israel cannot even retaliate by cutting of Palestinian water and electricity or Israel is slandered again. Hamas has not paid for their terrorism against Israel in any way. Though Hamas, a terrorist organization, even terrorizing their brothers who belong to Fatah and live in the same neighborhood, is accepting international aid money that amounts to $400 million dallars more than last year. The Palestinians get $300 per person compared to $44 per person for the poorest people of sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the Palestinians continue to live in poverty. Now we know why.

Gaza Palestinians For Neighbors, Not

The 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip want to become neighbors and have their own government alongside of Israel. To show their friendliness, they continually shot kassam rockets into Israel and kidnapped several Israeli soldiers. Yet they knew they were dependent on Israel since all its fuel and medical supplies have to come through Israel.

Naturally, when shelling started from Gaza, Israel was forced to close all of its border crossing sites with Gaza. After all, the Islamist Hamas's charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, not an exactly friendly thing to do when one wants to move into the neighborhood. This included the Rafah terminal which lies on the border with Egypt that bypasses Israel.

80% of this future Palestinian state depends on foreign aid. They have not come up with the wherewithall to support themselves to any degree as yet. Right now they are living in poor conditions. They have spent much time fighting over who is the supreme ruler of Palestinians, the Fatah group who was in power, or the Hamas group who were supported by Iran. Fatah of course has won in this Gaza Strip.

Israel will continue to supply electricity and water to the people there for humane reasons. Palestinians have enough food in grocery stores to last for several weeks. With all the internal killings going on, Palestinians need a steady supply of blood, which was running low as of yesterday. Early in the week blood was brought in from Ramallah.

Israel said it was ready to supply humanitarian aid there. They wonder who will accept the delivery of such aid on the Palestinian side as at present they know of no one. The takeover by Hamas presents problems as Israel will have no dealings with these radicals who want to kill them, so they have no one to coordinate the border crossings.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat stated that the international community should make sure that no harm comes to these people and that their situation does not worsen. John Ging, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, commented that not only do they need aid but also commercial trade comes through the crossings that are now closed.

One would have thought that for people so dependent on Israel for so many things, they would have shown more neighborliness when preparing for statehood. Fatah is the group that refuses to have peace with Israel and they now rule. Palestine will have to remain on the back burner.

Upgrade 3/27/19 

Barak Returns From the Sidelines

Nadene Goldfoot

Kibbutz born on Abe Lincoln's birthday in 1942, Ehud Barak joined his family as a first son of Ester and Israel. He received a master's degree in engineering-economic systems from Stanford U. in California after majoring in math and physics. Ehud joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), or Israeli army in 1959 and became the Chief of the General Staff with the rank of Rav Aluf, which is the highest one can go. He earned the Medal of Distinguished Service and has four other awards for courage and operational excellence. He and Major Nechemya Cohen are the most decorated soldiers in Israeli history. He's also an expert in krav maga, the official martial art of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Besides being the 10th Prime Minister of Israel, he has just been appointed the country's defense minister besides being Israel's chief of the Labour Party. This comes at a time when Israel needs guidance in security since Hamas has taken over the Gaza Strip.

In 2006 Barak was a speaker at many American colleges talking about the Middle East. He said that Iraq was deteriorating to civil war and the US presence was more a part of the problem and not the solutions. With all his experience, we hope that he will know just what to do to protect Israel at this time.

upgraded 3/27/19 

No Jews Allowed Here

by Nadene Goldfoot

The state of Palestine is to be built upon land that was decreed in 1922 to be a Jewish homeland. 

 Unlike the United States and Israel, the future Palestine is to be free of Jews, Judenrhein, though many Palestinian Arabs live in Israel and even have their own political party. President Bush had told Israel that Israeli settlement in "occupied territories", which meant the West Bank, had to stop. In the hope of peace, Israel froze the expansion of Jewish communities beyond the 1949 armistice lines. Jews who already live in cities like Ariel and Maaleh Adumin cannot receive building permits for any remodeling. There is no building going on in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). Israel also moved Israeli residents of Gaza and northern Samaria completely out of the area just to appease the Arabs.

What have the Palestinians done to cooperate? They have received more foreign aid than nations of Europe under the Marshall Plan. With this money they have supported terrorist groups with arms. They are also supported by Iran and its client state Syria. The Hizbullah in Lebanon are also fed by Iran. Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues to issue daily decrees of wiping Israel off the map and Syria threatens Israel with war one minute, yet states they hope the two countries would resume talks the next minute.  
While Israel has been compliant with the United State's dream of an independent peaceful Palestinian state next to Israel, the Palestinians dream is completely different; that of taking over the whole area.

Ideas from Caroline B. Glick's article: 5 years after Bush's utopian speech about resolving Arab-Israeli conflict, and news bulletins.

Update 3/27/19 +

Gangland: Fatah Loses to Hamas

Nadene Goldfoot

Fatah's Abbas

The two Palestinian factions, or gangs, Hamas and Fatah, fought it out on the border of Israel in Gaza, which lies between Israel and Egypt. The Hamas unity government has been disbanded by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas belongs to the Fatah group, who are the losers in this bloody fight. Hamas has been backed and supported by Iran. Israel actually was helping Fatah by giving them arms, as this group was the best possible candidate for a neighbor. Fatah had recognized Israel's right to exist and had signed on to past peace agreements, but was overcome by Hamas.

This fight started last year when Hamas won parliamentary elections, causing a violent power struggle with Fatah. The partnership started to crumble last month over control of the powerful security forces, who were busy shelling Israel.

Fatah was not the perfect neighbor to be, however. They were unable to stop Kassam rockets from being shot into Israel. They were full of the usual corruption, internal petty quarreling and lacked a strong leadership.

Hamas has put Islamic extremists in control in Gaza. Israel is not planning an invasion into Gaza as this might invite more rocket attacks on southern Israel. The United Nations has taken the strong step to scale back its relief projects there as an answer to the takeover. The European Commission suspended tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid projects in the Gaza Strip due to the escalated violence.

Hamas overran one of Fatah's security bases in a battle of mortar and gunfire today. They marched their foes into the streets without shirts. This was a vendetta of an attack in 1996 that wasn't forgotten. Hamas shot dead seven Fatah fighters after they surrendered. Two examined later were found to be shot in the head at close range, and witnesses told they were killed in front of their wives and children, execution-style. Then they carried one and put him in a sand dune, turning him around and shooting him. The Hamas ignored neighborhood residents' appeals to save their lives.

Iran's tentacles will now be able to reach Israel much easier through Hamas. There they are on the border.

Israel will have to be most wary of its security with such an upset in its future neighbors. Their security cannot even trust mothers. Israel just arrested two Palestinian mothers who were planning to carry out suicide attacks inside Israel. Yet Desmond Tutu expects Israel to improve their human rights records. I don't think he's paying attention to who is breaking human rights's rules. The Israel cabinet decided that water and electricity would be kept out of the conflict, which shows a lot of humanitarian concern. Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister, has not agreed to lift a freeze of Palestinian funds to pay for the connection of a northern Gaza electrical substation to Israel's electrical grid, though. That would be like giving your enemy live ammunition to defeat you. Hamas can easily borrow the money from Iran. After all, Hamas is echoing Iran's threat of wiping Israel off of the map.

United Nations Complains Again

Nadene Goldfoot

That noble organization, the United Nations, has decided to ask Israel to improve on its human rights records with Palestine before their next meeting of the Human Rights Council. 

 Never mind that the Palestinians are fighting each other in Gaza, throwing each other off the tops of buildings and doing all sorts of horrible acts of killing. 

 Don't mention the fact that the Palestinians have been continually shelling Israel from Gaza.  

It's Israel who gets the ticket for neglecting human rights. 

 Forget the fact that Palestinian gangs are fighting the soldiers of Lebanon and killing them.

 It must be Israel's fault. 

 Why is it that the Palestinians can do no wrong?

I wonder when Iran will be called upon for threatening Israel with complete destruction as it makes nuclear weapons. 

 Doesn't this count as an affront to human rights? This at the least is mental anguish.

The lesson here is that bullies rule.

NO LOVE FROM THE BRITISH

Nadene Goldfoot

British labor unions and British universities have shown their disfavor with Israel.

 Now they are calling for professional unions to boycott Israel.

 One wonders what basis they are using to do such a thing. Israel has suffered the slings and rocket attacks of the Palestinians since it's inception, but it's they who are being maligned by the British. 

As history shows, the British were not helpful when Israel was born in 1948, so it shouldn't be a surprise. They are still in character as the correct but dubious country. This only adds foment to the Palestinian Israeli problems. 

This shows that Palestinians can do no wrong in the public eye as long as their adversary is Israel, the scapegoat of all problems.

40 YEARS OF WAR

Nadene Goldfoot

Israel has been under pressure ever since it’s birth in 1948 which was celebrated with the surrounding countries attacking with the intent to kill. Being one of the youngest of nations in the world family, it certainly feels the most unloved and unwanted. Yet this child of the world has been waiting to be reborn for over two thousand years.

The Arabs were offered land in a plan that took most of what was promised to become Israel. This would be Palestine, Israel’s neighbor. Never before had there been a Palestine with its own government. It was a new idea to the Arabs, but seeing that Israel was about to be born made the Arab people want their own state of Palestine. Yet they refused this opportunity, though the Jewish leaders went along with it. They missed their original chance.

A miracle happened in 1967 when in six days, Israel accidentally won back land that used to be theirs when Israel was led by King David. It’s many siblings of the surrounding countries were fuming with indignation when this happened, for it was to be the exact opposite. You would think that one tiny country attacked by about eight huge countries would have been consumed and eaten, but the opposite happened.

Israel only wants peace with its neighbors so eventually have given back 94% of the territories they won in the 67 attack in the name and goodwill of peace. The Arab countries are still at war with them to gain only 6% of that territory and Israel has already said it is ready to give up most of that.

The Gaza strip which lies between Israel and Egypt has been completely given up by Israel, and it has been taken over by the two factions of Palestinians who are supposedly making up the waiting to be born new Palestinian State, yet those two factions are fighting each other while shelling Israel with Kassam rockets.

Lebanon, to the north of Israel, also has fighting going on. Factions of Palestinians are fighting the Lebanese soldiers and holding out in Palestinian camps. The fear is that this will spill into Israel again.

These are our "peaceful neighbors that Israel is expected to welcome with open arms. They can’t get along with each other, so how are they ever going to get along with their hated enemy, Israel.

The Palestinian’s life would have been much richer had they hadn’t been so interested in destroying the new state of Israel instead of starting their own state. Forty years of war and hatred are only leading to continued bloodshed.

IS THERE A MELTING POT IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

Nadene Goldfoot
What is exciting about being an American is learning to live with people of all colors and all nationalities. I found the same thing happening in Israel. Though the country is unimaginably tiny, the diaspora of Jews have returned from every corner in the globe along with non Jews as well from exotic countries. Blacks from Ethiopia moved into the apartment building across the street from me in Safed. There were many English friends with various accents living there, also. My boss was from Morocco. My neighbors were from Arab countries. Many Arabs are living in Israel and are citizens. They have representation in the Knesset with their own party. Others I met spoke French or Spanish. It was an exciting place to live and to meet people. Besides all the people one can meet, the television is full of programs from other countries. I enjoyed viewing movies from Lebanon and Egypt as well as oldies from the USA. England had racier programs than I had ever seen in the states. People in Israel thought you were uneducated if you only spoke one language. One appreciated differences there.

I am taken back with the fact that the West Bank in now governed by Palestinians, and we only have about 500 Jews living in Hebron with thousands of Arabs. These few Jews have just suffered from the Peace Now Movement who demonstrated that they should get out of there. Is there no tolerance for somebody that is not an Arab? That this is happening in what is part of Israel is showing that they have no understanding of a democracy. If Arabs live in Israel, why can't Jews live in the West Bank?

Now days a Jew can be a tourist in Egypt. Jews cannot go to any other Muslim country, however. The odd thing is that Jordanians have been coming into Israel to work, but we can't go there. There is no give and take. It's all take and no give, yet they except Israel to bend over backwards on all accounts.

Why Hebron Is So Important to Jews

by Nadene Goldfoot

In the West Bank lies the town of Hebron, where about 500 Jewish settlers live among 160,000 Palestinians today. Just recently Peace Now Israelis of about 200 protesters were there. Even they may not know of the importance of this town to those who chose to live there.

Our ancestor, Abraham, bought a plot of land which had the Cave of Machpelah so that he could bury his wife, Sarah. This came to be called Hebron. Joshua assigned Hebron to Caleb, and it became a levitical city and a city of refuge. King David reigned there for seven and a half years before moving the capital to Jerusalem.

In 1100 CE the crusaders captured the city and expelled the Jews.
By 1260 through 1517 the Mamluks, who were Muslims, expelled the Crusaders from Palestine and made Hebron their capital, and the Jewish settlement was once again restored. Relations with the Muslims were not great. For instance, they decreed that Jews could not enter Me’arat Hamachpelah and could only go up the first seven steps outside. This was strictly enforced until the liberation of Hebron in 1967. Jews had been treated as Dhimmi , a lower caste group of people who were treated badly.

A Jewish community continued in Hebron in the Byzantine Period and under Arab rule. The modern city is situated somewhat to the east of the historical location and was one of the Jews' four sacred towns. The other towns were Jerusalem, Tiberias and Safed where I have lived. By 1890 there were 1,500 people living there who had a yeshivot and other religious schools. The great Lithuanian yeshivah of Slobodka was transferred to Hebron in 1925.

On the 24th of August, 1929, the Arabs massacred sixty-nine of the 700 Jews living in the town and the survivors fled. It was a brutal massacre. Included in the dead were yeshivah students from New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Memphis, Canada and Lithuania as well is Israeli born people. About 35 Jewish families returned in 1931. They were threatened by the Arabs and the British showed their dissatisfaction.

Jews heard on the day before the massacre rumors of anticipated riots, but they believed nothing bad would happen to them. They thought they were friends of the Arabs based on the fact that they had years of friendship and shared experiences. Besides that, the Arab governor of Hebron, Abdullah Kardos, had promised the Jews that they would not be harmed. The members of the yishuv actually thought that the British would protect them, also. The leaders of the Jewish community decided to bring in Jews on the outlying community closer to the city center for protection just to be on the safe side.

At 2:30 that Friday afternoon a young Arab on a bicycle, returning from Jerusalem, called out to his fellow Arabs that Jews were murdering thousands of Arabs in Jerusalem. Other Arabs then followed him in cars and also shouted that Jews were attacking Arabs.. What had been happening was that the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al Husseini, who later would offer help to Hitler, had been preaching strongly against the Jews. The massacre began. Arab mobs with axes, knives and iron bars screamed, "Kill the Jews!"

Then Arab riots occurred again in 1936 which caused all the Jews to leave again.
It’s population in 1967 was 38,310. After the Six-Day War of 1967, a number of Jews again settled in Hebron, establishing the Kiryat Arba quarter east of the city. There were 3,700 people there in 1988.

There have been other attacks on the Jews. One of many was in 1993. A father and son were murdered in a drive-by shooting, the first victims of terror following the signing of the Oslo accords.
The Jews who live in Hebron have a reverence of the Judea-Samaria (West Bank area) and especially the town of Hebron, loving the area for it’s historical significance. Jews were there before the Muslims. They don’t like the way their ancestors were forced out of the area by massacres and intend to stay there, though it has been a dangerous area. They are reclaiming this land and reminding people that it is a part of Israel now. They have a right to live there.

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
The Story of Hebron: by Toby Greenwald (75 years from Tarpat in commemoration of the Hebron Massacre of 1929.

Oregonian Newspaper 6/6/2007 page A9