Egypt Not Against Israel Again
Nadene Goldfoot
It looks like my source misunderstood a map he or she had seen from Egypt's airline.  I'll leave my story, but the explanation is at the end.  To have seen a map without Israel on it caused some panic.  The upcoming Muslim Brotherhood is still causing consternation among us all, so we are quick to be wary of problems. 

Egypt seems to learn the hard way that they shouldn't cross Jews.  They did it the first time in the Exodus when they told Moses that he and his people could leave, then chasing after them only to be drowned in the sea.  They repeated their folly by joining their brothers in attacking Israel at its birth and continually in the many wars after that.  It's been heaven-sent since Sadat made peace with Israel and Mubarek carried on with the peace.

Not now can Israel depend on their peace with the coming change in their political order.  Suddenly Egypt Air, the main airline in Egypt removed Israel off of their map.  they are showing Jordan reaching the Mediterranean Sea.  Are they anticipating the near future?  If so they certainly are wrong, or is this a continuation of the brain washing that the Palestinians maintain in their schools. 

Their subsidiary, Air Sinai has been flying to Israel daily.  Ben Gurion Airport will not be on their map.  I wonder if they'll ever land there again and if so, how will they find it?  Egypt Air has been flying to Israel 4 times a week but when the uprising in Egypt started, the flights were halted but had started up again.  This airline has had an increase of 27% in 2010 from 2009, so if they don't land in Israel they're going to lose some of their profit.  Evidently they don't care.

It's too bad that Mubarak wasn't the mentch that Sadat was.  The Egyptian people might have been treated better and more democratic meansures could have transpired.  With the fall of his regime, I see the Muslim Brotherhood stepping into the forefront with their hateful rulings against Jews and Israel, and here is  one big indication of their powerful influence.  All this is happening at the same time Gaza is stepping up its attack on Israel.  Egypt, don't be surprised when your plans backfire as it has done in the past.  Treat Israel badly and you'll get only the backlash.  Treat Israel well and you will be rewarded with peace, happiness and many Israeli tourists.

PS The map shown on the link is the route map of Egyptair showing their destination cities – to which I referred in my email yesterday. Air Sinai destinations are not shown as they are not Egyptair. The Israeli borders are shown. It seems someone is misreading the map.  from Keith Grenville.
http://keithgrenville.wordpress.com/

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4046460,00.html

Attacks in Israel: Jerusalem and Ashkelon
Nadene Goldfoot
The morning news greeted me with the horrific news that there had been an explosion in Jerusalem that has killed one 59 year old woman and injured 50 others.  It was from a bag left at the bus stop in the center of Jerusalem where an Egged bus 74 was waiting.  The bag was seen to be left by a man and contained about 1-2 kg of explosives packed with shrapnel.  This happened on Shazar Avenue.

MK Shai pronounced that warfare has begun again.  The quiet period is over.  Salam Fayyad has denounced the attack.  At the same time his Fatah group recognizes and rewards terrorists who get their names on different things in their community.  Fatah does nothing to deter such activity.  They only keep the pot boiling, then announce to the outsiders that they feel so badly. 

France wants Israel to reign in with the retaliation, but what does a nation do to terrorists who  attack civilians continuously?    Just because Israel is an established nation with an army is not reason to not show terrorists that they cannot get away with killing their people.  Giving into  their demands does not get a desired affect.  It only enboldens them to take more and more as the past has shown.  Only a peace that is discussed and accepted can be the answer to a war. 

At the same time, 7 mortar shells were shot into Ashkelon.  Ashkelon is Portland, OR's sister city which holds the large hospital for all in the region.  Lately it has become a main target.  of the "admired terrorists."
3/25/11 from Debka File : The woman killed in the terrorist bomb blast in Jerusalem Wednesday is identified as Mary Jane Gardner, a British citizen.

http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=213442

Ashdod, Ashkelon: Grad Rockets and Mortars Hitting Israel: Nine Palestinians Killed
Nadene Goldfoot
A Grad rocket rocket was shot into Israel landing near Ashdod today.    A rocket slamed into Ashkelon. 

All this happened in retaliation to Israel's retaliation for the 54 rockets that fell into Israel the day before.  Israel in turn killed 5 terrorists and accidently hit 4 civilians  of which 3 were under age 18.  Tuesday when they came across a  terror cell in Gaza preparing to launch a long range rocket into Israel.  The problem is that Hamas stations the attacks among civilian areas, in this case a house in Gaza. 

France is worried and has called on both Hamas and Israel to  show restraint.  This is after Hamas pummeled Israel with 54 rockets, mortars and missles, the most in a long time.  I suppose France would just take the beating or wait for the USA to come to their rescue.  It amazes me that these countries never think to tell Hamas to lay off. 

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=213329
http://www.jpost.com/
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=213293

Brainwashed Palestinians

Nadene Goldfoot
There is a daily quiz program coming from the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria that ask contestants to name 5 cities found in Palestine.  The winners get $100 for a prize.  They are naming  cities such as Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Ramle, Safed, Nablus and Lod.   Only one of these cities is in so called "Palestine."  All the rest are in the 8,000 square miles that makes up Israel. 

The Palestinian leaders in telling such lies probably have started to believe it themselves.  Certainly the average Palestinian is being guarded from the truth of the history of their people and of the Jewish people.  They turn to such savage behavior as the slaughter of the Fogal family in Itamar from being fed so many lies.  We cannot expect a nation to want peace with Israel under these circumstances.  The nations that are accepting Palestine's creation now without any provisions have  a blind eye and a heart that is necrotic and who obviously have dumped truth. 

I think it a little weird to find that Palestinians are still living in places called refugee camps in fellow Arab lands after 63 years of the establishment of Israel.  They are being kept there to ferment their hatred and to be used as pawns against Israel.  They are not citizens of these countries so are without rights.  If they are still listed as refugees they are on the dole from the United Nations and do not work.  Thus it is the United Nations that are continuing an Apartheid situation.  How ironic it is that they are the first to accuse Israel of Apartheid behavior when it is Israel who has tried everything to get these people to work and live in peace. 

Nablus is the only Palestinian city.  Judea is to the south of it.  It is 26 miles east of Tel Aviv and 39 miles north of Jerusalem. 
1980-1985: I lived in Haifa for 10 months and then moved to Safed and lived there for almost 5 years.  I visited Acre to see where my 3rd cousin, Stanley Goldfoot had been  imprisoned by the British. 
History of the Palestinians: Try reading -From Time Immemorial-the origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine by Joan Peters....It's a book Noam Chomsky refuses to recognize.
3/22/11: from Victor Sharpe: Actually Nablus is the ancient Jewish city of Shechem, which was where the Arc once rested. In Roman times, it was called Neapolis, which in time became Arabized into Nablus. But the only city the Arabs ever founded in the geographical territory known as Palestine was Lydda near present day Ben Gurion airport. Nablus, therefore, is not a Palestinian Arab city.


http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=408&fld_id=408&doc_id=3360
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4772
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nablus

Who Wants Peace?  Not Palestinians:
Mortar Attacks Shows True Goals
Nadene Goldfoot
Last week two ships loaded with missiles and other weaponry were stopped by Israel and searched. 
Today  on Shabbat the Palestinians hit Israel with at least 54 mortar shells within 15 minutes, hitting two Israelis citizens, a husband and wife with shrapnel. They also hit a house.   The mortars were just like the ones that Palestinians tried to have smuggled in.  Israelis  had to stay in their bomb shelters. for safety.  This affects a good chunk of Israel.  One has to realize that Israel is only made of 8,000 square miles and it would take 12 Israels to fit into the state of Oregon.  Israel's shape is narrow and long, and bombardment from Gaza hits the width of Southern Israel. 

This has come about after Hamas and Fatah rallied to join together again.  Obviously Hamas has no goal to make peace with Israel.  Their primary goal is to destroy Israel, instead, and this time their armed group, the Izzadin Kassam Brigade also were involved with the attack along with other smaller groups.    At this rally reporters were beaten up and detained. 
This was the worst attack from Gaza in two years.  Hamas even beat up reporters on the scene again and they took away their cameras and other equipment. 

Israel responded with tank fire and air strikes.  They aimed at militant targets.  Hamas had aimed for civilian centers and usually bombards Sderot and Ashkelon and any people in between.  For those within a few miles from the border, they get no warning siren.  There isn't time for one. 
I wonder if Hamas wasn't all charged up after the slaughter of the Rabbi's family at Itamar and are reacting to the desire of the young Gazans who want to unite with Fatah's Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.  They celebrated so much over the slaughter by passing out candies and celebrating in general that they decided to take on all of Southern Israel once again in a big barrage. 

Former President Ronald Reagan was just shown on TV talking about how after the USA is attacked we have the right to fight back in return to protect our citizens.  This is what Israel has done all along; never the aggressor out for blood but responding  after being attacked.  Ever since Israel left Gaza in the name of peace,  Israel has been under constant attack.  Yet, all the nations of the UN are voting in favor of the Palestinians having a state without coming to any peace agreement with Israel.  In voting this way they are taking away East Jerusalem, which in turn will cause the Palestinians to covet and take all of Jerusalem, and there will be no end to it.  Japan voted against Israel.  So did Brazil.  As I see all the nations turning against a people who come from the time of the creation of the 10 Commandments, from practicing justness for the past 5,000 years, who knew fairness before any other nation, I lose all respect for these nations.  They voted without lifting a finger to convince the Palestinians to make peace.  They just want to make a decision thinking that will be the end of that; even if it means the end of Israel. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110319/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110319/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_gaza
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=212838
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=212844

Found: Weapons for Gazans on Iranian Ship Off Israel's Coast
Nadene Goldfoot
Israel took over the ship,  Victoria, originating in Iran some 200 nautical miles off of Israel's coast that was bound for Gaza.  It was connected to the Iranian ship that went through the Suez Canal a few weeks ago.  They found about  50 tons of weapons on board.  Chinese-made C-704 anti-ship missiles were found which would have threatened Israeli installations and navy vessels.  The Iranian ships had docked in Syria two weeks ago and then containers were loaded with these weapons.  Many 60 and 120 mm mortar shells were also found. 

A Farsi (Iranian) language manual for the missiles was in the cargo, linking Iran to the arms smuggling.  Though Egypt and Turkey were destinations, Israel feels they didn't know about the weapons, but that the recent two ships that went through the Suez Canal were connected. 

Rear Admiral Rani Ben Yehuda of Israel said it's important to inspect ships in accordance with international law.  This attempt to smuggle arms shows the need for inspections. 

In our newspaper carrying the story from Washington Post-Bloomberg-the reporter had to interject the wording of "what officials alleged was a ship carrying Iranian weapons".  I guess the fact that they did find such weapons and took pictures of them is not good enough for their readers. 

Next to the article was another with a picture about the Gazan Palestinians who are Hamas supporters in a rally calling for the melding of the two Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah.  Thousands were calling out to their leaders to end their feud.  That's quite scary to me as Hamas is overtly violent and is calling for the destruction of Israel.  Their charter doesn't allow any acceptance of Israel.  I wonder if they are feeling emboldened after the massacre of the Fogal family in Itamar, now.  It took two attemps for Abbas to make a public statement about that not being an acceptable act while Hamas, feeling such a bloody act was justified, was celebrating it with candy and rejoicing. 

Resource: http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/Articlelayout/CdaArticlePrintPreeview/1,2506,L-404
Oregonian Newspaper p. A4: Israeli says weapons carrier seized

Why There Are Jewish Settlers in Judea and Samaria

Nadene Goldfoot
The word, Jew-comes from the name, Judea.  We have been living in Judea since before the time of King David, when Hebron was his first capitol before Jerusalem.  Please read my  article on Hebron that I had written in 2008.  Many of our people perished in 70AD when the Romans overtook us and burned Jerusalem and carried away prisoners, but some Jews were able to surive and continued to live in the land.  Judea and Samaria was our home. 

It's hard to imagine the end of an empire, but that's what happened to our Jewish country.  Being it became the crossroads of many, other nations may have tramped over it but never had settled there to build a country.  The land went to seed and became a wasteland of swamps and deserts.  It remained like that until the 1880's when Jews, driven from persecutions in Russia, started returning in groups called aliyahs.  They returned to face mosquitoes and malaria, planted eucalypus trees in swamps to drain them, and other Jews followed.  Though the land had been on the map of the Ottoman Empire, they certainly left it as it was, barren.

By the 1920's the Jewish National Home had been buying land in Eretz Yisrael for a future home.  The end of WWI gave Britain a mandate to maintain the land, and they in turn rewarded Chaim Weizman for actually making it possible for them to have won the war with his inventions, so rewarded him with the Balfour Doctrine of giving the Jews their homeland back again.  When a sheik heard about the deal, he complained enough to get more than half of the land for himself without having done a thing for England.  The Jews were given a small plot of unsavory land, instead of the original deal. 

All our history in Judea and Samaria was ignored.  Somebody else was in a more favored position.  It wasn't till 1967 when Israel, an established nation through the United Nations, who had gained their country through buying land at high prices, saving England and thus the whole Western Europe from collapse, who had done all the legal necessities to establish a country in 1948, was attacked by all the Arab nations surrounding it again.  Israel gained back its ancient land of Judea and Samaria.  One against many.  Many felt that this was indeed a miracle. 

There were established cities that had never died out like Nablus.  Jews had been living there continually, only to suffer a huge massacre of over 700 persons in 1929.  Again Jews went there to resettle.  There are more than 500,000 Jews now living in Judea and Samaria.  Itamar lies in the mountains of Samaria.  About 1.5 million Arabs also live in their towns. 

Over one million Arabs live in Israel proper and are Israeli citizens with all the rights of Jewish citizenship except for one thing only:  they are not expected to serve in the army.  Yet the Palestinians expect to expell all Jews out of Palestine when they create their state.  As Bret Stephens has said, "Israel's consistent mistake since the peace process began nearly 18 years ago was to suppose that conspicuous displays of reasonableness and moderation would beget likewise on the other side. The reality has been closer to the opposite."  Israel has a pluralistic society housing every religion under the sun, in which Arabs are even serving in the knessset, yet Palestine is to be Juden-free (no Jews allowed) and completely Muslim. 

http://israel-nadene.blogspot.com/2008/12/hebron-ancient-city-of-judah-judah-was.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank

Palestinian Authority Rewards Terrorism Against Israel 
Nadene Goldfoot
The Palestinian leaders have done everything possible to brainwash their people into hating Jews and Israel since 1948.  Since 1967 they have  continued to educate everyone in their schools, on TV and in families in order to hate and fight against Israel.  Maps show no Israel.  Music is full of hatred encouraging a takeover of all of Israel, not just East Jerusalem. 

Itamar Marcus and Nan Zilberdik have written an op ed exposing the Palestinian mind and how this type of encouragement has brought on the slaughter of the Itamar family in Samaria.  Abbas sent a message just two months ago supporting terror by awarding $2,000 to the family of a terrorist who attacked IDF soldiers.  Last week a newspaper, al-hayat Al-Jadida announced a football tournament named after their first female Palestinian suicide bomber, Wafa Idris.  Three weeks ago a TV program, under the direct control of Abbas's office, broadcast a video glorifying another terrorist, Habash Hanani who entered Itamar in 2002 and murdered 3 students.  They name things like summer camps after terrorists who kill.  The Palestinian leaders encourage such behaviors.  This is the way Abbas's Fatah is continuing to fight against Israel, and they are considered moderates by our government.  Those that commit such offenses will simply be rewarded, either financially, with notoriety, having places named for him, and of course, reward in paradise. 

Now, it came to Abbas to respond to the world press.  His first response was "mealy-mouthed" and similar to Hamas's reaction of the slaughter as being deserved.  Someone must have gotten to him, for today in the Oregonian he is said to have actually responded again, but only after Israel criticized his leadership for his weak response to such an ungodly act.  He spoke in Arabic.  I have a feeling that he finally saw the photos of the dead children that made even him finally feel something.  Netanyahu and his cabinet has finally accused the Palestinian Authority of their indirect role in encouraging such violence.  This is something that we have all known about.  It's common knowlege that their educational system in Judea and Samaria has been teaching hatred and is trying to rewrite Israel's history, and we all know of their naming places after terrorists.   

How can the Big Four expect a peace settlement with such warped messages being taught to the Palestinians.  How have they been able to ignore such behaviors in their demanding that Israel give into the Palestinian demands before a so called peace discussion ever starts?  Have our leaders not not been prepared with such knowledge or do they just have a blind eye or heart?  More likely they just don't care to realize what the outcome would be.

The Palestinians  are not ready for a peace process.  Neither is the Palestinian Authority.  They'll have to re-educate and brainwash themselves first in order to teach their people to have any sort of peace.  I'd like to think that Abbas meant what he said on the radio.  To be real, it must have been written for him by a publicist.  Now we'll just have to watch in the next few years and see who is rewarded for this bloody slaughter. 

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=4802  Itamar Marcus
Oregonian 3/15/11, page A3 Palestine's president decries Jewish killings
Wall Street Journal, 3/15/11 article by Bret Stephens-excellent,

Itamar-Town in Samaria-Am Yisrael Chi (The People of Israel Live)

Nadene Goldfoot
The head of the family that was murdered in Itamar on Shabbat in the middle of the night  was a Rabbi who taught in the town's Yeshiva.  He was the opposite of a violent man  His baby had her throat cut.  So did his 11 year old son.  The 4 year old was stabbed in the heart.  Bloody slaughter seems to be the only way to solve things in the minds of Palestinian terrorists.  I have seen the pictures of the deaths of this family and it is truly shocking. 

Israel's government is outraged, also.  They were contemplating building 1,000 homes for every person killed, but have decided to build 500 more homes in Judea-Samaria as their reaction to these deaths.  It stands as a sign of life and survival amidst hatred and killing.  No doubt this is going to hit the Palestinians in the kishkas, but I'm sure Israel is trying to teach that hatred and slaughter is only going to hurt themselves and that a discourse and smoking of the peace pipe is the only way to behave in today's world. Running away from the table accomplishes nothing.  They can't scare away Israelis or bully them to get their way in this claim of this piece of land. 

The Oregonian printed an article in today's paper about the killings that comes from the McClatchy-Tribune.  I take note of the sentence that says...Most of the international community views the settlements as illegal because they are built on land seized by Israel during the 1967 war.   I wonder if the reporter or the international community remembers just how Israel came to have this land. It was attacked by the surrounding Arabs that became known as the Six Day War in which with odds no gambler would bet on, though outnumbered and outdone by weaponry, Israel  won the war.  In doing so, they found themselves in control of Judea and Samaria, land that was promised to them in the creation of Israel in talks with Britain before 1948, who was the overseer of this land when the Ottoman Empire fell due to the 1st World War when they were allied with Germany.  It wasn't like Israel decided they wanted the land and SEIZED it.  At this point I feel the international community is disgusting in their constant condemnation  of Israel.  Whatever has happened, Israel to them can do no right.  Israel is under the barrage of missiles and bombs and is criticized for defending themselves.  As if in a game of dodge ball, how dare Israelis dodge! 

The people of Itamar are not people that are opportunists out to make some sort of financial killing.  Despite the crazy world that we live in of drugs, alcohol, and cheating people out of money, there are still a handful of Jews who are awed by their religion and study it.  Think of the Llamas of Tibet.  They are people who study the Torah and take it to heart.  They are trying to live a good life and revere the land of their fathers, the place Ha Shem led them to in order to come to these states of mind.  That's why the land Itamar sits on was chosen. 

The latest news is that the slaughter was done by Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Fatah's military wing.  That figure as it had to be someone living in Samaria or even Judea.  and Fatah controls the area.  Their brothers in Gaza celebrated the deaths by passing out candy and acting out in a jubilant manner.  This is how they celebrated USA's 9/11.  Of course Hamas claims the act was justifiable.  When people think that the slaughter of children in such an act of bloodletting is justifiable, the earth is in a heap of trouble. 

Reference: Stand With Us
Oregonian 3/14/2011




   

Death Comes to Itamar
Nadene Goldfoot
In the mountains of Samaria near Nablus lies a community made up of 160 families.  They grow organic crops and raise sheep and goats.  Would you know if they were Jewish or Muslim from this description?  Do you think both groups, doing similar activities could get along?

Evidently not.  This community is made up of Orthodox Jews from Jerusalem.  The community is named Itamar 27 years ago, the name of Aaron's youngest son.  It was established in 1984, an auspicious year bearing the name of a famous American book.  On March 12th a Muslim terrorist entered the Fogel  home and slaughtered the whole family of five:  the two parents Udi 36, Ruth 35, Yoav 11 year old, Elad 4 year old and 3 month old Hadas, a baby girl.  They were  stabbed.  Shots were heard by others, so either the father was trying to protect his family or the terrorist had the gun to frighten them.  The mother was no doubt still nursing.  The grandparents and three children survive. 

This community had just been planning to expand their libary shelves and add a few more books.  One gets tired of the same old ones.  Now they have a burial to attend.  This needless slaughter on religious people will not deter them from living there.

 Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Palestinian Authority to condemn the attack.  .  The IDF will also be searching for the killer.  Netanyahu said that terrorism is not going to make  any decision on  Judea and Samaria.  President Obama has also condemned the terrorism and has asked Abbas to also condemn the act. 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itamar
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=211863
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=211843
http://idfspokesperson.com/2011/03/12/five-family-members-murdered-in-itamar-terror-attack/
added 3/14/11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zex4tJCgz_g

Our Sabra Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu

Nadene Goldfoot
Benjamin Netanyahu, 62,  was born on October 21, 1949 to Professor Ben Zion Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and lived in Jerusalem until he was a teenager.  It was then that his father, a history professor, moved the family to the States so he could teach Jewish History. 

They returned in 1967 when Benjamin joined the IDF and was in the Six Day War.  He was wounded there.  When he left the IDF he was a captain. 

He went to MIT in Boston and studied political science and also attended Harvard to continue his studies.  He studied international business as well.  Benjamin was affected by his older brother, Yoni's "Jonathan" death in 1976 when he was a part of the Entebbe rescue group. 

Benjamin became prime minister from 1996 to 1999 and again became prime minister in 2009.  He speaks such perfect English that I was thinking that he was born in the States.  No, he was born and raised in Israel, which means he is a Sabra. 

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/State/Benjamin+Netanyahu.htm

Oil and Gas Found in Israel
Nadene Goldfoot
After sitting for 63 years surrounded by countries with oil and not having any, scientists have actually discovered oil and gas in Israel.  Israel may have the 3rd largest deposit of oil shale in the world.  Gaddafi in Libya is selling oil for over $100 per barrel and the price may go easily to $5 per gallon or higher very soon. 

There are about a trillion barrels of oil in the world to be brought up to use.  800 billion of them are in the Middle East and North Africa.  Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq are rich with oil.  Oil has been found in the USA but naturalists have been keeping it from being used.

In 2004 natural gas was discovered in Israel.  Scientists figure that by 2013 more can be used.  There is a field that they figure can be used for export.  Most of the gas is in Israel's jurisdiction.  I guess Israel wasn't forgotten about after all. 

http://www.jpost.com/Features/FrontLines/Article.aspx?id=211676
http://www.oilinisrael.net/oil-in-israel-articles/haifa-gas-discovery-bumped-to-5-trillion-cubic-feet

Palestinian Pressure for Statehood Acceptance from Britain

Nadene Goldfoot
Britain has not joined the USA in agreement about a Palestine at this time.  Instead, it is raising their status of their London office.  William Hague, Britain's Foreign Secretary  commented to his parliament that they have given aid to the Palestinian Authority (Abbas and his group).  They also work with them.  Now they will join other countries to upgrade their status to the level of a mission.  He's holding talks in London with Abbas. 

This means that the general delegation office in London of Palestinians becomes a Palestinian mission and the head will now be known as the head of the mission.  This affects their visa for all of this group.  It just falls short of giving them formal diiplomatic status which would also mean that they recognize a Palestinian state.  It shows that they have recognized their government to have built a foundation of a viable Palestinian state, building institutions, but are not to recognise them yet. 

They are following in the footsteps of France, Spain and Portugal. 

They say they want to see an urgent return to negotiations based on the 1967 borders.  They say they will work with all parties to press for a breakthrough.

I say that this is only  bringing pressure on Israel, and not on Abbas to sit down and really discuss the facts for peace.  They're certainly showing that Britain is a follower and not a leader, and they are showing their past preference for  the Arabs and not to the Jews.  Just look at the history of the Balfour Declaration, the White Papers,  the giving of arms to Arabs when they left the area.  These decisions are made on Israel's continued building in the settlements due to not having any peace proposals discussed, not from the fact that Palestinians have continually been attacking Israel with bombs, missles, hitting civilian populated areas, teaching hatred in their schools and other such non peaceful practices that make this decision impossible. Or is it based on the fact that Palestinians in Gaza have sworn to kill all Jews and their state.  Only a peaceful activity of buildi;ng due to the Palestinian's continued unacceptance of Israel is said to be at fault by the world. 

Imemc.org also has pointed out that Norway has upgraded the Palestinian representative in Oslo.  Also, they list 7 South American nations have formally recognized  the PLO state on the 1967 borders.  Ecuador just recognized it last week and Paraguay thinks they will by Spring of this year.  They say that Israel feels this move is telling the leadership that they don't have to have direct negotiations.  Israel must have negotiations with them and that if a unilateral move  is to happen, it is not acceptable.  The USA also agrees with this. 

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=211166
http://www.imemc.org/article/60283?print_page=true  by Alessandra Bajec-International Middle East Media Center is the Palestinian wesite in Judea/Samaria

Around Nablus, Bomber Ready and Waiting

Just south of Nablus at a checkpoint, border police found a man concealing 5 pipe bombs and 3 Molotov cocktails all ready to use.  Nablus is the largest Palestinian city in Samaria, which is also called the "West Bank."  Supposedly this area, under Abbas,  is peaceful, but the Palestinians  living there are still being fed the ideology of Hamas.   It's sad because we just heard at an AIPAC meeting how some Palestinians are working well with Israelis, giving us some hope that perhaps life could be possible between the two. 

Israel has to remain forever alert.  Just last month Israel took down a checkpoint making movement easier for the residents in the area.  Perhaps that was done too soon. 

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=211330
AIPAC Dinner Meeting 3/6/11 Portland, OR.

Clashing of Israelis and Palestinians Near Nablus

Nadene Goldfoot
300,000 Israelis live in over 100 towns in Judea and Samaria.  They're started to clash with the Palestinians who also inhabit the land.

Palestinians claim that they had a confrontation with Israelis today near Nablus and that the Israelis had damaged their trees. and that the Israelis attacked them again.  Palestinians started throwing rocks at them, says Ibrahim Wadi, age 50.  Then, he continued, soldiers came and fired at them, wounding several.

According to the IDF, Palestinians were throwing rocks at the soldiers who were trying to break up the group.  They couldn't so fired at their legs.  They reported that the Israeli residents also fired at the Palestinians and wounded three. 

The IDF were firing rubber-coated steel pellets.  An officer did fire live bullets at a man who came at him with an iron pick and and other who tried to drag away an Israeli resident. 

Another Palestinian, Raed Odeh, said an Israeli fired an assault rifle and soldiers used live bullets, rubber bullets, tear gas, and everything. 

The Palestinians were taken to their hospital who said one of the eight was seriously wounded and that most suffered leg wounds.  Tension is running high between the three groups.  The Palestinians are claiming all of Judea and Samaria as part of their future state. 

Nablus was the Jewish city of Shechem  where Abraham had been.   Now it is the largest Palestinian city with a population of 50,000. 

Come to find out, last week was "Day of Rage", and the Palestinians had attacked the Gilad Farm outpost in Samaria where 15 settlers were injured.  The border police were accused of shooting rubber bullets at the Gilad Israeli residents and they say they used paint balls.  Three buildings had been destroyed by the Palestinians.  It seems that the Israelis  have taken the law into their own hands now and are giving either paybacks or are teaching the lesson of "don't mess with us or you'll get it back in kind.". 

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Nablus.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110307/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel-palestinians
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=211142
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=210164&R=R2
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-wounded-by-idf-fire-during-clashes-with-settlers-near-nablus-1.347757
Oregonian Newspaper 3/8/11 page A5 West Bank Shooting

Hamas Instigates Reconciliation with Fatah

Nadene Goldfoot
Khaled Mishaal, top Syrian influenced Hamas leader, attended the opening of the 8th Al Quds (Jerusalem) International Foundation Conference in Sudan's capital yesterday.  He is most happy about the fall of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and of Tunisia's capitulation to the rebels as he thinks that this is a return to their natural state.  He said it  is the time for Hamas and Fatah to join together in jihad against Israel.

He wants to "liberate" Jerusalem from Israel and is planning a battle for it.  He didn't differentate about whether he meant the Eastern part or all of Jerusalem.  The meeting was covered by Jordan's newspaper.  Twenty-eight countries representatives attended.  One goal of this conference was to mobilize efforts to bolster the Palestinians in exposing Israeli plots, according to the organizer of the conference. 

How will Fatah in Judea and Samaria react while they are now enjoying a measure of freedom of expression and a standard of living that is better than many of their Arab neighbors?  They have been fairly quiet about rebelling against Abbas.  A change to unite with Fatah might be seen as  being supportive of that political group instead of their own.  Do they really want to rock the boat right now? 

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=35167
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaled_Mashal
http://allafrica.com/stories/201103050210.html
http://www.dailyalert.org/ by Joel Greenberg

                          Offering a New Plan for Palestinians
Nadene Goldfoot
Probably the reason the Palestinians haven't sat down to talk about making peace with Israel is that they already had it in mind to go to the United Nations Security Council to create a Palestine and thus avoid having to make a fair deal with Israel.  Here are the countries who are permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, UK and the USA.  There are 10 other non permanent members that are appointed:  Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Columbia, Gabon, Germany, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Portugal and South Africa.  Looking at the makeup of this group, I can see that Obama's veto  was the only single voice speaking out for Israel, although I would have expected better of Germany.   The first time Netanyahu said he'd accept a Palestinian state next door was in 2009.  He said that a prerequisite was that they lay down their arms and that they refused to do. 

Israel is opposed to such as move saying that there must be negotiations to end the conflict and establish a Palestinian state.  To me, there are just too many conflicting goals here, and Israel is standing to lose every right and line of protection that they may have.  Such things as creating a Palestine according to Palestinian wishes will be driving every Jew out of Judea and Samaria.  It would allow millions of Palestinians in that are living in other locals and overwhelm the population.  This would be a shift in population only designed to drive Israel into the sea or extinction.  The question will be resting on the Security Council's shoulders.  14 of the 15 members sided against Israel over the building issue. 

Netanyahu has come up with a proposition that will be unveiled in May.  He is proposing the creation of a Palestinian state "within temporary borders with guarantees about talks on final status issues".  He would put a partial freeze on construction in some smaller towns,  but building in the major cities in Judea/Samaria as well as East Jerusalem would be  allowed.  This matter is the bone of contention with the Palestinians. 

Palestinians have been busy talking in Brussels with the Quartet.  The Quartet is the Middle East Quartet of peacemakers.  The four groups are the United States, Russia, European Union and...the United Nations.  To me this looks like the whole world's representation and not a foursome.  Their decisions will be announced in Paris.  The Quartet has been trying to get both the Palestinians and Israel together to talk about a peace pact.  Palestinians walked out and refused to negotiate when they couldn't get their way.    It turned out to be a case My Way or the Highway. 

Next week Quartet representatives will talk with Netanyahu's team in Jerusalem. 

Reference: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110304/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianspeace/print Israel eyes diplomatic initiative to end isolation by Hazel Ward
http://www.un.org/sc/members.asp
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526222,00.html

  Put Palestine on the Back Burner
Nadene Goldfoot
From my view of Palestine and Israel, the Palestinians have done nothing to show that Palestine would be a viable and honorable state existing next door to Israel.  That this should be a requirement doesn't seem to qualify as a number one position in anyone's list of pre-requisites other than Israel, who must put up with their destructive ambitions. 

On the Palestinian's side, they have shown that they cannot even get along with each other shown by splitting in two being Hamas and Fatah plus a number of other smaller factions bent on destruction of Israel.  They didn't just split like a political faction might do, but they fought each other bitterly to the death.  Right now they are contemplating  teeming up against Israel again since they didn't get a veto passed against Israel in the U.N.  I guess with Gadaffi gone in the Human Rights Council, they have lost their clout. 

Is it in the world's best interests to declare land a state that harbors such ambitions as to destroy its established neighbor?  Would they wish this for themselves?  Will the world self-destruct if there isn't a 48th Muslim state created which would put the only Jewish state in the world on the sacrificial altar? 

Israel has just now come out with the statement that they really don't see at this time a way of making any peace deal with the Palestinians.  The Palestinians aren't  giving in an inch in their demands.  This is something that Israel has done over and over in the name of peace that rarely comes.  Palestinian leaders deplore that Israel would still have military control over land.  The reason is that their neighbors are always dropping bombs, missiles,  and mortars on them as well as trying to kill civilians on Israeli soil . So, when the times have changed and Palestinians change their tune dramatically, then this might take place.  I wouldn't look to see a peace pact between the two very soon though Netanyahu and the government are trying to come up with some alternative ideas.  Look for an announcement in the next few weeks about it.    The problem still lies for Israel in how to live in such a dangerous neighborhood.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110303/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
http://www.mideastweb.org/peaceplans.htm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703300904576178643972653546.html

                           Palestinians, Fatah and Hamas Join to Boycott USA and Obama
Nadene Goldfoot
This boycotting happened last week but never made it into the Oregonian.  I guess they don't take it seriously.  The Palestinian Authority has called for boycotting all American products and aid.  The reason they are so mad is because the USA vetoed their anti-Israel resolution that they wanted passed.  Even though President Obama asked the Palestinians not to boycott our country, they did it anyway. 

Both Fatah and Hamas have called for A Day of Rage against the USA and Obama.  Last Friday Fatah's Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, residing in Judea/Samaria or West Bank, said that he wants to meet with Hamas, occupying the Gaza Strip and a consistent enemy of Israel,   to join together in the creation of a Palestine.  Who didn't know that this is the ultimate conclusion of these two groups who were united not long ago. 

This reaction doesn't surpise me at all.  What surpises me is that so many did not see it coming.  Now I don't think that the world will respond in their favor, and they may be rich in weapons supplied from Iran to use against Israel, but I doubt if they are rich in money in order to boycott American goods.  Anyway, usually they receive things for free.  About the only group that may go along with this call are other  Muslim countries in the Middle East, but then they are all in an upheaval right now with governing problems of their own.  Many of them are looking to the USA for assistance already. 

One accomplishment in their call of "boycott them" is that it shows the world what their state of mind is like.  Maybe then people will see what Israel has been facing and understanding all along.  You either go along with what they want or suffer the consequences. 

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=209546  from AIPAC

                              Libya: Chairman of UN Human Rghts Committion 2003
Nadene Goldfoot
Libya has been the chairman of the U.N. Human Rights commission since 2003.  Najat Al-Hajjaji was the man in the seat.  When they were voted in, the USA opposed the vote done by secret ballot.  Libya was backed by 33 countries.  Only 3 brave countries voted against this while 17 abstained.  The African nations backed it. 

Now, finally in 2011 it has been suspended.  With Libya's terible behavior of killing its own people, they have had to step down from this position. 

All the while it is the UN's Human Rights who has attacked Israel.  I've always felt that the UN Council has been a lopsided group of countries that were against Israel no matter what they ever did. 

There are 192 nations making up the United Nations. 

One group of the 10 top picked to set good examples  of human rights are in the order of from one to ten:
Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Finland,  Germany, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Norway and Belgium. 

The USA didn't make it in the top ten.  I think it's time to move the UN building.  Maybe we can save some money by doing so. 

  Creating a Palestinian State

from Dr. Dore Gold's interview by Michael Tuchfeld
Nadene Goldfoot

The Palestinians are going to ask the UN Security Council again to create Palestine for them.  I'd like to point out that Hebrews arrived in present day Israel under Joshua, and afterwards were led by King David.  Independent Hebrew Kingdoms were a fact for more than 1,600 years in what the Romans later called "Palestine."  It was Judea that was renamed Palestine because the Romans were trying to dejudaise it.  Thousands of Jews remained in large communities such as Jerusalem, Safad (where I lived) Tiberias and Hebron.  There were Jews in smaller communities also such as Gaza, Rafah, Ashkelon, Caesarea, Jaffa, Acre, and Jerico.  Many Jews have remained in the land up to 1948 when it again became Israel.  Right now Palestinians have been trying to whitewash our connection with the land, even with Jerusalem.  This is a travesty to history. 

The American position has been that the UN was not created to deal with political issues such as Palestine and Israel's needs.  In doing this, what will happen is that the UN will predetermine the borders without any negotiations.  America uses its veto because it's been in American interests to do so and hopefully will veto this again. 

The settlements are a very sensitive issue.  This vote is designed to take Israel back to the 1967 borders.  This took place from June 5th to June 10th 1967 in what is called "The Yom Kippur War" or the Six Day War, when Egypt, then known as the United Arab Republic, Jordan and Syria all attacked Israel on their holiest of holy days, The Day of Repentence, when all of Israel was fasting.  The world must recognize Israel's needs of security in this geography and not allow this to happen.  

Only Carter's government hadn't felt  that the Israeli settlements were legal, and he's been accusatory of Israel ever since his presidency with his books and actions.  They all thought the settlements were an obstacle to peace, however.  I hope that they now see that it isn't settlements that deter peace but the unwillingness  of the Palestinians who have refused to accept even a cupful of a Jewish Israel who have kept peace from happening.  Even Professor Rostow from Yale Law School stated that Israel had the right to build in the settlements.  I feel that as long as the Palestinians were unwilling and continue to do so to this day to stop fighting Israel, and come to a peace settlement, Israel had the right to inhabit the land that was not only formerly theirs for upteen generations, but that all the Arab countries had sacrificed in their zeal to attack and kill off Israel.  Blood-letting acts deserve an effect, and that is to have lost Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem and whatever else they think they should obtain.  Why on earth should they be rewarded for their horrible greedy behavior? 

It was Arafat who asked for a building freeze on the settlements  and luckily Peres and Rabin refused to do this.  Arafat then gave up and told Abbas to sign the Oslo Accords in 1993.  Legally, Israel has no legal reason to stop construction because of this signing. 

My opinion is that the Palestinians are still imbued with hatred for Israel and Jews and are in no way ready to be good neighbors and not be a threat to Israel.  Gaza must be considered as well as the West Bank and it is as hateful as a hungry rattlesnake who is striking with missiles and rockets constantly.  Much change has to happen before they prove themselves to be trusted. and ready for nationhood. 

After living through a horrible attack of many Muslim countries in 1967 and winning, why should Israel be punished to go back to those impossible-to-defend borders, especially at a time when it needs a better defensive position?  This has become a very unstable era in the Middle East.  I'd like to see a time when the UN starts pressing the Palestinians to instead accept Israel as being a Middle East member who is there to stay after their struggles of 63 years.  Like Oprah Winfrey says, hating only hurts your own body.  Or like my idol, Golda Meir had said, when the Palestinians start loving their own children as much as the Jews love theirs, then there is hope for peace between the two.  She would not have been surprised at how Palestinian chldren  have been sacrificed by their own parents in their hatred for Israel. 

Reference: http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&TMID=111&LNGID=1&FID=573&PID=0&IID=6243

Dr. Dore Gold, a former Israeli UN Ambassador, is president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. 

Alan Dershowitz: The Case for Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War

Palestinians Boycotting Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

Nadene Goldfoot

Boycotting any goods from Israel has been the Palestinian's latest bullet into the heart of Israel.  They  even boycotted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Tuesday night that was playing at Carnegie Hall.  Perhaps the weather was against them for the turnout was sparse, but the effort was visual with posters, etc. against Israel.  Inside the audience filled the auditorium even though protesters were yelling through bullhorns and littering the sidewalk with handbills against Israel comparing Israel to South Africa's apartheid.    Zubin Mehta conducted as usual.  The orchestra played the national anthems of both the USA and Israel.  They'll continue on their circuit coming to the West Coast but not to Portland, unfortunately. 

This was happening at the time Israel was bombed with Grad rockets.  They are constantly attacking Israel but crying how terrible their fate is with Israel. 

All this time Israel has been the only democratic country in the Middle East.  Now they all have the fever of attaining a democracy for themselves and the Palestinians are on the bandwagon calling out that Israel is one of the despots.  Many Egyptians will fall for this out and out lie no doubt as well as others.  The two Iranian ships that just went through the Suez Canal to dock at Syria were carrying weapons meant to be used on Israel.  Maariv Newspaper reported Wednesday that the two ships were carrying missiles, rifles and ammunition and night vision gear.  Evidently Egypt didn't even ask let alone search the ships. 

Resource: http://vigilantsquirrelbrigade.blogspot.com/2011/02/fakestinian-protest-as-iisrael.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/arts/music/24orchestra.html
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2147372&Language=en
Pamela Geller's Atlas Shrugs

              Katusha Attacks from Gaza
Nadene Goldfoot
Yesterday evening a katusha grad rocket hit Beersheva.  This was the first time since Operation Cast Lead that this has happened.  Then a lot of attacks followed.  Avigdor Lieberman told the Israeli UN delegation to submit a complaint to the U.N for these attacks. 

This morning an IDF patrol was out along the Gaza border as usual but this time were fired on by mortar shells  along the fence.  Several Israeli tanks were fired on East of Gaza City.  The IDF fired back at this Jihad cell group and 10 Palestinians were wounded.   Three Palestinians were known to be militants from Al Quds Brigade, a radical IAslamist Jihad group of which one died later.  Patrols had found 12 bombs along the fence in the past two months. 

Later the Gazans fired a Grad rocket at Beersheva, which is only 25 miles from Gaza.  It's a city of 200,000.  The rocket made a big crater alongside a badly damaged home.  Also, three mortars had been fired at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.  They hit a football (soccer) field.  Four Israelis were treated for shock, two of which were children.  They said many homes shook.  Earlier, 6 mortar shells had fired on Sdot Negev. 

Two Palestinians were wounded when they were collecting gravel near the border.  That's their story.  Why would anyone be collecting gravel?  Isn't there enough rocks in Gaza that they would have to look near the fence? 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110223/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictgaza
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=209584
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201122413827437111.html
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142501

             When Israel's Jerusalem Was In Jordan's Hands                                   
Nadene Goldfoot
Some of Israel was once in Jordan's hands. This was because when Israel declared itself a state in May 1948 with the UN in agreement, Jordan then invaded and occupied East Jerusalem.  They drove out the Jews living there and into exile from their homes.   Jews were not allowed to live in their ancient historic places.  While Jordan illegally occupied the land for 18 years, Jews could not go to the Wailing Wall "Western Wall" in Jerusalem.  They could not visit the Tomb of the Patriarchs or even Rachel's Tomb.  Finally, the War of 1967 put an end to the first time division of Jerusalem and Israelis were able to be in all parts of it. 

The Masada, a place of last refuge for Jews before being attacked and killed by the Romans and now a place of initiating IDF soldiers as well as a tourist attraction was forbidden to Jews until March of 1949.  This is when IDF  units moved from Be'er Sheva to the Dead Sea at Sodom and Ein Gedi.

March 1949 was  a time that an armistice was drawn up between Jordan and Israel.  If one remembers, Jordan was the land that was supposed to go to Israel originally and instead they complained so much that they got it instead.  Then on April 24, 1949, an armistice line was agreed on at Rhodes.  It was not a border but just a line where the fighting stopped.  This fighting happened when Israel was attacked by all surrounding nations when it declared itself a state.  It's called the War of Independence.  Moshe Dayan and Yosef Tabenkin were brigade commanders then and wanted to capture the Old City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron at that time but were stopped by the cease-fire of October 22, 1948.

The Jordanians treated Jerusalem with much disrespect while it was in their hands.  The cemeteries were vandalized.  They uprooted tombstones, and then plowed the land which scattered skeletons and bones all about.  38000 tombstones were smashed or damaged and used for flooring for their latrines and for paving material for roads.  They made 4 roads right through cemeteries.  The graves of famous personages were destroyed.  The Intercontinental Hotel was built right over a cemetery as well as a gas station.  The Mount of Olives, a cemetery that Jews have used for 3,000 years and held 150,000 graves, was desecrated when in Jordan's hands along with others. 

As Oregonians study Oregon in the 4th and 8th grades and take field trips to sites to remember their history, so do Israeli students.  They take trips to the tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  These are their reminders that the Land of Israel is the ancient homeland of the Jewish people.   Many of us had been gone for 2,000 years, but we have returned to join the remnant left here and are building it up again.

Much has been said about the 1967 borders.  This line shouldn't deter Israelis from going and remembering their history and why they live in Israel.

Just as Americans remember their history of 1776 and the Revolution, Israelis cannot forget their leaders who fought for the creation of Israel before and after May 1948.  They have the right to study and see the places.  Whatever would have happened to the Jewish religion if Jews did not remember Pesach "Passover"?  These historic sites should be held in esteem just like any other country's historic sites. 

Resource: http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/jews-connection-to-the-land-must-not-be-s   by Moshe Arens, Born 1925 in Lithuania, immigrated in 1948; US ambassador to USA in 82-82; Minister of Defense in 90-92 and Jan 99.  Engineer educated at MIT. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_of_Olives
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/3/Moshe%20Arens

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Jerusalem.html

Egypt and Israel's Peace Treaty: On a Slippery Slope in Danger of Crashing

Nadene Goldfoot

Young Egyptians who demonstrated for democracy and higher wages are among the anti-American and anti-Israeli group of demonstrators who still view Israel as an enemy.  So said Michael Laskier, professor of Mid-East studies at Bar-Ilan University. 

Already the anti-Israel cleric, Yusuf al-Qardawi, has called for the "conquest" of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque.  This came into Israel's domain after 1967's war in which Israel regained Jerusalem.  It also is a Jewish holy site.  This is Islam's 3rd-holiest site.  Yusuf had been exiled and was living in Qatar for many years and probably now is ready to get even.  Debka File also pointed out that he is a  Sunni who though exiled previously, now was allowed to lead the victory assembly at Taher Square on February 17th with a call to march into Jerusalem for taking over al Aqsa.  He even justified suicide bombings against Israelis.  Also, he is pushing to open the Egyptian-Gaza Strip border allowing Hamas freedom to fight against Israel in a bigger way.  He is all for jihad.  This radical preacher, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, was allowed his way in this demonstation. 

The soldiers had left the area and the Muslim strong armed moved in.  Opponents were dragged away.  This is not what the freedom demonstrators had bee asking for, but they now have it amonst them leading the way. 

A major cause for concern is that for the first time in 30 years two Iranian ships that have gone through the Suez Canal on their way to Syria.  Netanyahu feels Iran is out to broaden its influence by doing this at this time.  Egypt had no reason to stop them as they said they were not carrying weapons.  I wonder if they bothered to inspect them.

The peace treaty had brought about many positive things.  40% of Israel's natural gas has come from Egypt.  Recently the pipe lines were attacked and damaged. Egypt also has been halting the flood of African immigrants through Egypt into Israel which was above and beyond what Israel could take care of.  People foreget that Israel is a wee little country.  Egypt has also been halting weapons coming into the Gaza Strip for Hamas to use against Israel.  Because of maintaining the peace, the USA has been generous in its aid to Egypt.  Laskier is afraid that Egypt may not actually break the peace but will not keep it, either, at the status quo. 

The danger is that many reporters and countries think that the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing to fear because Egypt regained the country through "peaceful" means, but note what they are now doing and getting away with.  Though Yusef was allowed the star role in the demonstration on the 17th, articles published on the 18th show none of what was happening in the Brotherhood's rise to power in Egypt. 

Now the question in my mind is just how strong will the young university students and others who only want a democratic state and prosperity be in fighting off the demands of the Brotherhood?  Already they were put down on this night of the 17th. 

Reference:  Oregonian Newspaper, February 22, 2011, page A5, "Cold peace" turns chillier in Mideast
http://www.debka.com/article/20688/
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/egypt/110217/egypt-muslim-brotherhood-US-foreign-policy

Disagreeing with Obama Over Israel and It's Makeup

Nadene Goldfoot        from Jonathan Tobins's article, How Pro-Israel is Obama?  Assessing the United Nations Post-Veto Fallout

The UN just had a vote brought up against Israel by the Palestinians which the USA vetoed, thank goodness.  However, there are many points that Obama and Israel supporters do not see eye to eye on. Hillary made mention on ABC News on Sunday that Jewish presence there, referring to Judea and Samaria and East Jerusalem, was "illigitimate" which is not following protocal at all.  It stinks! 

More than a quarter of a million Israelis live in Judea-Samaria, so called West Bank.  More than 200,000 live in parts of Jerusalem that had been illegally occupied by Jordan before 1967's war.  Obama has fought Israel on building homes in existing Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem which to me and others is ridiculous.  He is trying to do away with the fact that Israel already had said it would do away with remote settlements for a peace accord and those that in the Bush administration were already facts to be respected would remain in Israel's hands.  Obama is messing with Israel's capital, Jerusalem, and its 40 year old Jewish neighborhoods. 

I feel there should have been a time limit as well for the Palestinians to come around and make peace with Israel if they really want and need their own state so badly.  Israelis have waited now for 63 years and they haven't done it yet, no matter what has been offered to them.  That's ENOUGH!  I feel that this fact alone gives Israel the right to go ahead with their life and build in Judea-Samaria, their ancient homeland.  Otherwise, it just sits there as a wasteland, waiting.  When you come right down to it, the Palestinians, who came from many other countries in the first place and who were looking for jobs with  the returned Israelis, do have 46 other Muslim countries that they could live in other than what they claim to want now.  Look at Jordan.  It is home to many so called Palestinians. 

For Obama and Clinton to end this with saying that the Jewish state's position on the issue of settlements was illegitimate and that Israel threatened peace and devastate trust shows that the USA has very little respect for Israel.  To me they are putting their head in the sand and refusing to see just who is threatening peace and cannot be trusted.  Many see that the Israel-USA relationship has lessened a great deal since the Bush administration.  Actually, other presidents have never accepted Israel's position on territory, new towns or borders, but then they are not the ones living there or seeing it through the eyes of the Israelis, either.  They are most likely seeing the situation as it affects them personally.  They make decisions without having studied the personalities involved or knowing the psyche of the Middle Easterners. 

Does the American administration think that giving the Palestinians East Jerusalem and all of Judea and Samaria will cause them to sign a peace treaty and....keep it?  Do they think this will bring Hamas around?  They were given Gaza on a silver plate and they only became more violent and haven't stopped yet.  No.  The Palestinians, unfortunately, are not thinking with American heads.  They want more; the extinction of Israel, and no one has counseled them as to why this is a bad idea.  The American administration only seems to be contributing to the Fatah and Hamas belief that they are right to want the death of Israel. 

I think it is most unwise to even think of having a peace treaty as long as Hamas remains Israel's enemy.  When these former PLO groups, Fatah and Hamas can jointly be acceptable peace-loving people and care for the lives of their children to be long and safely lived, then peace can be  obtained.  Fatah is not ready for peace, not as long as they teach in their schools that there is no Israel on the map, or teach hate for Israelis, I know they are not truly into a peaceful accord.  They seem to have taken just one important step in the right direction, and that is to not fire upon Israel.  Of course, they are allowing the Hamas Gazans to do all of that.  Abbas or others in his party have no  authority over Hamas.  When these two Muslim groups can become peaceful with Israel, we will all celebrate.

Resource: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0211/tobin022111.php3?printer_friendly

Americans, Canadians & Others of Multinational Force in Sinai Trapped

Nadene Goldfoot

We have a group of Americans and Canadians and some from other countries that are part of the Multinational Force stationed in Sinai. This came about after the UN's 1979 attempts failed. By 1981 the USA, Israel and Egypt signed the "Protocol of the Treaty of Peace". They have been policing the area under this peace treaty. For the past three weeks they have been locked in their camps under Hamas and Bedouin siege.

Egypt's army then transferred 900 men of their 18th Division battalions to Sinai to stop the lawless rampage going on there. A request was also sent to the Army Council from Washington.

On February 12th, Saturday night, Israel's Defense Minister, Ehud Barak phoned the Egyptian council head, Defense Minister Mohamed Tantawi. He thanked him for helping.

Ehud Barak also welcomed the military's pledge to honor the peace treaty. The Egyptian 76 year old field marshal's manner with Barak was "curt and to the point" rather than cordial. Too bad he doesn't care to emulate Sadat, who was a mentch. I have a feeling that the only reason he helped was that the USA was involved. If it were to rescue Israeli tourists, he wouldn't have had the heart. I say this because of other comments I've read about their job not being to come rescue Israelis from Palestinians. Tantawi, we all thank you for doing the right thing. I hope you feel pride in saving lives and know that Hamas is being unreasonable.

The Sinai happens to be Egypt's responsibility right now. In 1982 Israel had to withdraw-again for the sake of peace with Egypt, who has turned out to be honorable. Since then it has become a tourist attraction with its coral reefs, Sharm el Shiek city which Israel had to leave, and of course, Mt. Sinai. The Sinai Desert is what Jews crossed in the Exodus from Egypt.

The Multinational Force is made up of 11 countries. Recently it has had 425 men from the Illinois National Guard there. Uruguay had 87 men.

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

Debka @thejmg.com Debka Newsletter 2/18/2011-Exclusive Report

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

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

Wondering About Iran's Warship in the Neighborhood

Nadene Goldfoot

A warship belonging to Iran is getting very close to Israel by planning to go through the Suez Canal tonight. We know that Iran has threatened Israel with extinction and has called Jews every name under the sun. Admiral James Burnell-Nugent, former commander-in-chief, fleet, of Britain's Royal Navy, described the action as a form of mischief.
"I would put it in the manipulative, stirring the pot category, rather than the military, strategic category.
"And the more wound up the Israelis get over it, the more the Iranians will be laughing."

"For warships to pass through the canal, approval from the ministry of defense and the ministry of foreign affairs is needed and this applies to all warships owned by any country," a Canal official told Reuters. No notice had been given so far.

I'm sitting here in safety in Oregon, but as a dual citizen with Israel, I would hope that Israelis feel some concern, for I do. It's interesting that Britain takes such a move so lightly, but their lives are not threatened. Iran isn't just any old country.

Anytime a country shows such hostility and hatred towards Israel, Israelis are going to be cautious and question their movement. Radio report said that they will be docked in Syria for a year. Syria is friends with Iran.

“It is strange for the Iranian Navy to use the Suez Canal since it really doesn’t have anything to do in the Mediterranean Sea,” one official said. They haven't gone through the Suez Canal since 1979. It's been 32 years.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110216/wl_nm/us_israel_iran_warships
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110216/wl_nm/us_egypt

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=208566

America's Unawareness of Muslim Brotherhood's Influence

Nadene Goldfoot

The Pew Research Center published interesting facts of Egypt's and Turkey's Muslim attitudes two months ago. This is the % of approval.

Egypt and Turkey's %

1. Stoning people who commit adultery: 82% 16%

2. Whipping/cutting off hands for theft and robbery: 77% 13%

3. Death penalty if one leaves Muslim religion: 84% 05%

They found that 59% side with fundamentalists in modernizing their country and 27% agreed with the modernizers.

The question of whether suicide bombings are justified showed:

54% justification

8% often

12% sometimes

34% rarely

46% never be justified.

A question should have been asked "when is there justification?" Mohamed Morsy spoke Thursday with a reporter and would not commit his movement to keeping the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. His group is opposed to Zionism and kept saying that the Muslim Brotherhood does not use violence but felt that Palestine was "resistance, " and resistance is acceptable by all people and is the right of people to resist imperialism. I am shocked to think that they see Israel as imperialists.

The New York Times has not been a help-mate to Israel at all. Barry Rubin also comments about this. This newspaper, which the Sulzberger family has founded in New York, has been publishing damaging articles such as Thomas Friedman's "Egypt delivers shock and awe" where he puts blame on Netanyahu for not making peace with the Palestinians, when it is the Palestinians who will not even come to the peace table. In fact, Palestinians have been offered half of the original plot that Israel was to have, and succeeding peace plans were not accepted by the Palestinians. They have been offered peace deals from 1948 to now and haven't taken them. They bide their time. They're planning on a complete take over of all of Israel. Proof of my statement is wanted, so look at the maps they produce. Where is Israel? They call it Palestine. Look at the missles and mortars they shoot into Israel that still go on to this day. So Friedman has the chutzpa to blame the Prime Minister of Israel instead. Another instance is their "Bumbling Brotherhood" which Dr. Essam el-Erian, a Brotherhood spokesman, wrote that Israel must know that it is not welcome by the people in this region. I would agree with this statement, but is he implying that they should leave? It is it from the NY Times? Reporter Scott Atran also wrote that the Brotherhood "wants power." He's right on with this statement, but do people understand what type of power they stand for? Egypt hasn't been like Iran. He also stated that the Brotherhood is receiving flack from Al Qaeda, of all groups, and is being accused of acknowledging the existence of Jews! He made mention that Tony Blair of England was well aware of the seriousness the Muslim Brotherhood stands for. Yet the American government is not admitting to this fact. In fact they are putting out their opinions that they are not powerful at all nor ever will be. There's a lot of history that they are not taking into consideration.

If Israel were imperialists they wouldn't have offered the choice parts of their own piece of Israel to the Palestinians in 1947-48 that weren't accepted. It's not Israel that has started the many wars; it's been the greedy Muslim nations that surround them who want their land.

Are Egyptians getting a complete education on what has transpired between Israel and the Muslim nations? No. Many can't even read. They have to rely on gossip and propaganda and it's against Israel. I would also bet their their history books, read in college, are not giving the true facts of history, either. They'll be in the same position that Palestinians were when Obama insisted that they be given the democratic opportunity to vote, and they voted in Fatah. Probably even the ones who were more liberal were forced by threats to vote this way. So much for Democratic voting in a non-democratic environment.

President Obama said that he was bringing in a new partnership between the US and the Muslim world when he spoke in Cairo in 2009. Now his staff "seems to be encouraging a transitional outreach to the Muslim Brotherhood". In pressuring Egypt's Mubarak to step down immediately, which he may have to do tomorrow, Egypt is ripe for a transition that will include the brotherhood again that could take over the whole country. Turkey has done just this. They had been in the Western group but now are leaving it. They have become one of the backers of Hamas terrorism.

It is most naive to think that just because we haven't seen the Muslim Brotherhood in the protests in Egypt on TV means that they lack the ambition to be in power. Give them an inch and they will take the whole foot or even the yard in their good time without your knowledge.

Resource: Jerusalem Post http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx/id=206969

http://www.liquida.com/blog-news/16983309/egypt-united-states-nyt/

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/02/how-would-democracy-in-egypt-change-the-muslim-brotherhood/70926/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/opinion/03atran.html

http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-york-times-not-just-anti-israel-but.html

Islamic Jihad Kassam Rocket Attack

Nadene Goldfoot

The terrorists of Gaza who call themselves the Islamic Jihad attacked Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council in southern Israel Tuesday the 8th with 4 rockets. First they fired 2 kassams hitting a field and parking lot and damaging a vehicle parked there. Three hours later they fired another volley of 2 rockets. The town of 6,000 lies between Beersheva and Ashkelon.

Evidently these rockets are made by the terrorists themselves and are classified as a simple steel artillery rocket which were developed by the military arm of Hamas. Since 2000 they have killed 22 Israelis and one Thai national. Israelis have a 15 second warning of an attack being they are close by. They cause more psychologicl harm than anything.

A 12 ship flotilla is preparing to arrive on May 31st with anti=Israelis. They had better not be carrying surgar, potassium nitrate (fertilizer), TNT or urea nitrate (fertilizer) for these things are used in making Kassams. This is why the ships must be inspected.

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=207335
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sha
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket

Another Bigger Flotilla Planned for May

Nadene Goldfoot

25 nations are planning to take part in a 12 ship flotilla to Israel carrying construction material, electric generators and a desalinization plant. They plan to get there on the 31st of May to commemorate last year's flotilla of 6 ships.

That's very nice that they want to help out people who cannot afford much, but the question remains as to just what reason they are doing this. Do they realize that this is wartime between Gaza and Israel in that Gaza has vowed to destroy Israel and kill all Jews? It appears that these people do not respect Israel. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel or sign a peace treaty. They have kidnapped an IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, and refuse to release him. Hamas has brought about the need for Israel's blockading Gaza. As long as they keep shelling and hating Jews, the blockade needs to continue.

However, if this group will allow their ships to be searched for materials Israel cannot allow to go through that will bring harm to its citizens and will go to the port requested, it is fine and dandy. However, the first flotilla was not compliant and that brought about the problem they incurred. It seems to me that if they were just doing a good deed they would have gladly allowed their ships to be searched, and at least 5 of the six did. It was the largest ship who resisted boarding and searching.

Last year's Turkish ship had connections to radical Islamist groups. They were connected to the Free Gaza Movement which is a pro-Palestinian Human Rights organization with activists that are backed by such people as Tutu and Noam Chomsky. al-Qaida and Hamas, terrorist groups, have a history of arms smuggling and that may be the flotilla's primary purpose. Thus the need for inspection.

It seems to me that Israel is bearing the heavy financial burden of Gaza even though they have pulled out completely for the sake of "peace," which they haven't received at all. They have been continually fired on with missiles and mortars. Do the organizers of this next flotilla ever think about this fact? I'm afraid that they certainly have and they are willing adjuncts in a war against Israel.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110207/wl_mideast_afp/israelconflictgazaturkeyeu
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/31/AR2010053103445.html
http://www.theage.com.au/world/facts-about-the-flotilla-and-gaza-20100601-wv8t.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0601/Gaza-flotilla-Why-the-blockade-makes-sense-for-Israel added 2/8/2011-Excellent by David Makovsky