Egypt Enters Sinai

Nadene Goldfoot
After the 1973 war with Egypt, we had a peace treaty in 1979 and Israel agreed to withdraw its troops and citizens from the Sinai and return it to Egypt in return for normal relations and a restriction on the number of Egyptian troops to enter Sinai, especially near the border with Israel.

Cairo, Egypt has just  moved  aircraft and tanks in the Sinai for the first time since the 1973 war with Israel.  The reason for this was to chase Islamist militants involved in the August 5th attack.

Egypt's defense minster, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi telephoned Ehud Barak and talked about coordinating with Israel on these Sinai military operations.  This was reported through Al- Hayat, the Arabic-language news agency.  Sisi affirmed their commitment to keeping the peace treaty with Israel in the phone call.

Speculation was whether their relations could break down or not with this military build-up for the counter-terror operations.  President Morsi of Egypt  is of the Muslim Brotherhood, and they're not hep on being peaceful with Israel.

A big rally has been going on in Tahrir Square questioning the Muslim Brotherhood. On August 12th, Morsi dismissed top generals who were obstructing his orders, Morsi said.  Journalists were insulting him, so the claim goes, and they are in trouble.

Former Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin feels that what they are doing is that they are showing a significant effort to deal with terrorists, and this he approves of.

This move into the Sinai comes after an attack earlier on Egyptian border guards that left 16 dead.  They were also trying to breach the border with Israel.  Israel knew about the plans before it even happened and had warned Egypt about it.  Then Israel agreed to their sending in more troops to control the terrorists.

Secretary of state Hilary Clinton added that it was most important to produce transparency on these military moves in the Sinai.  After all, she backs up her statements  with money.  It would be reassuring if this was not necessary, but I don't think it would happen without this carrot.  Perhaps future practice will eventually become natural and one day will happen without such bribes.  It's nice to not have to hurry into war for both sides.  There are enough problems .

Resource:  http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=282434#
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=282484&R=R1
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/24/morsi-vs-egypts-pres/

Fighting Words of Abbas Over Jerusalem, City of Peace

Nadene Goldfoot
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Arabs simply will not recognize that there is known history about Israel's most important city and capital, Jerusalem.  In denying this important history, he shows he is simply a denier, like Ahmadinejad is about the Holocaust.  The reason is far more reaching than Abbas's personal outlook on the Middle East, however.  It has to do with the Islamic grand scheme of things.

He was quoted as saying on Tuesday, "Jerusalem is a Muslim and Christian city, and there will be neither peace nor security until the Israeli occupation, settlements and settlers leave the city."  Note that Israel is not an occupier and cities and towns are not settlements which are things we had in the West of the USA in the 1800's.  The population living in these cities are not "settlers."  These are political words used to give a mental picture which is wrong.

He carried on with, "Jerusalem's identity is Arab, and the city's and Christian holy sites must be protected from Israeli threats."  Nobody has worked harder than Israel in protecting all religious places.  This didn't happen at all under Jordan's domain before 1967.  Jerusalem was built by King David, the Jewish king in 1,000 BCE , and it's identity has always been a Jewish one.  Jews have prayed for 2,000 years every day that we should not forget Jerusalem.  It's been part of our history for over 3,000 years now.  It is the heart and soul of Judaism and is where the 2 Temples were built for G-d.   What Abbas rants causes nausea for me.

Abbas ended with the threat that "there will be no peace or stability before our beloved city and eternal capital is liberated from occupation and settlement."  It's not and never has been Islam's eternal capital.  Mecca and Medina are the 1st and 2nd holy cities for Islam and they lie in Saudi Arabia.  Only the story about Mohammed going up to heaven on his horse is set in Jerusalem, so they say.  Jerusalem is  mentioned 0 times in the Koran but at least 600  times in our Tanach (Old Testament).  The city of Jerusalem is never mentioned by name in the Islamic Koran.  Islamists think it is referred to with just the words like city or town without a name attached. If anyone finds it in there, you should inform  Daniel Pipes who was offering a million dollars to anyone who could.  

Abbas was definitely not trying to make points with Israel's Knesset.  Everything he says is an affront to Jewish senses.  Somebody is living in the twilight zone if they think that Jews are going to pick up and leave Jerusalem.  Only the Jews have talked about having peace with these outlandish neighbors which must contain some reasonable people who wish for the same thing, but peace certainly hasn't even started with the table-talk.  There are 1.4 million Arabs, the majority being Muslim, no doubt, who are already citizens of Israel and I pray who have higher goals in life than fighting with Israelis.

Our thoughts and hope are reflected in Ha-Tikvah, Israel's National Anthem with these few lines: "The hope of two thousand years---to be a free people in our own land---In the land of Zion and Jerusalem."  My prayer this lovely Friday, Erev Shabbat is "So let it be."

Resource: http://frontpagemag.com/2012/ronn-torossian/as-un-head-travels-to-iran-abbas-pledges-no-jews-in-jerusalem/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=f77897a2cd-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/jerfacts.htm
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2012/02/claiming-jerusalem-is-in-the-koran

How Qatar's Outlook Affects Jews, the USA and Even London

Nadene Goldfoot
Sheik Yusuf. Al-Qaradawi has a most mixed attitude towards Jews. He is the Islamic spokesman in Qatar.   and has recently put out a fatwa against all Jews, but had made comments in the past that were more accepting of our religious people.

 He came into my spotlight not too long ago when Qatar was the sponsor for Arabic classes in our local Portland high school, Lincoln High.  This classroom  teacher was responsible for bringing in a hip-hop Palestinian group whose degradation of Israel caused Jewish students at Lincoln to be quite upset.  Come to find out, Qatar is in the education business among other things, and had sponsored another school here as well as in other spots throughout the USA.  Their religious leader is the Egyptian who sought refuge in Qatar, Sheik Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who happens to be a radical Muslim Brotherhood organizer and who broadcasts over al-Jazeera TV.

As long as you don't advocate the existence of Israel, you're an okay Jew in his eyes.  This was shown in May 2008 when he spoke with the visiting rabbis from Hareda, the anti-zionist Neturei Karta sect.  Qaradawi said, ".There is no enmity between Muslims and Jews...Jews who believe in the authentic Torah are very close to Muslims."  He said he believed that our relations became strained with the emergence of Zionism and the establishment of Israel and said that Muslims are against the expansionist, oppressive Zionist movement, not the Jews.  I wish somebody could explain to him that Jews are only trying to live on the speck of land granted to them through much hard with with the British Empire who held the responsibility of the land.   In fact, 80% of what was decided to be the Jewish Homeland was turned over to the Arabs.   In fact, according to Islamic goals, it is Islam who is trying to regain another Islamic Empire again.  For starters, they advocate taking Jerusalem and refuse to even see our Jewish connection with the city.

Qaradawi was forced to leave Egypt in 1961 and went to Qatar then.  He is viewed by many as the #1 spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.  He has been banned from the the USA since 1999, UK in 2008 and France in 2012.

Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani is the King of Qatar. His father was Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani and mother was Sheikha al-Atiyyah.  In 2011 when visiting the White House he made it known that the issue important to him was to establish a Palestinian state.  This small country or state has 744,029 citizens.  Workers that immigrated to work there are not counted.  77.5% are Sunni Muslims of the fiqh Hanbali in this Muslim  state.  Many of their college aged people study in the states and we have people there studying as well.   Qaradawi has written many fiqhs of his own, such as az Zakat and al Jihad.

Qatar just made the news because the Qatari monarchy, who seems to be made up of the relatives of al-Thani, just bought 1/5 of BAA.  This means he bought a piece of Europe's busiest airport.  Seems as if London's Heathrow Airport is the busiest of any airports anywhere in Europe or the USA.  Their operator is BAA Limited who operates many airports in the UK.  They include 2 in London and 2 in Scotland.

Qatar's royal family has many faces shown to the USA.  Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been found to have plotted attacks against the USA and the Sheikh al-Thani allowed him to continue.  He was the mastermind of 9/11.  He had been behind the coordination of the mass air bombing plot with his nephew, Ramzi Yousef, who was behind the World Trade Center attack.  The big secret just revealed is the connection Qataris have with Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group.  Jihadists are even reporting that they trained in Qatar.  Bin Laden was hosted by Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani before the Khobar Towers bombing that killed 19 Americans in Saudi Arabia  on June 25, 1996.  .

I'm wondering if Qatar might now be more interested in making a profit than using airports to assist terrorists and destroy airplanes.  They're not just into oil, but are high rollers with Harrods,  Barclays, the London Stock Exchange,Canary Wharf, the Shard, a new pyramidal glass skyscraper over London.  In fact, they may have now replaced the House of Windsor as the monarchy with the money.

They even have competition with Abu Dhabi's royalty.  When you start with oil, you can invest big time.


Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusuf_al-Qaradawi
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/daniel-greenfield/al-qaeda-allied-qatar-buys-into-europe%E2%80%99s-busiest-airport/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=88eb597e80-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khobar_Towers_bombing

Egypt: Life Before the Muslim Brotherhood

Nadene Goldfoot
Egypt was a secularist state in the 1920's. They received their independence from Great Britain on February 28, 1922.   They were in the majority, but existed without any such organization like the Muslim Brotherhood had started simply because they were the majority in their outlook about religion.  Some were even agnostics and didn't care about Islam or any other religion.  They believed in the separation of religion and state and they believed in the freedom of religion within the state.  What happened?

So far, they weren't different in their philosophy of the United States.  They were people that believed in the importance of Islamic culture.  Even the Christian Copts didn't disagree with this.   Islam was identified with all aspects of their life.  Atheists said they were also Muslims, just like they said they were Egyptians.  All shades of believers cooperated with each other.  Secularists could ignore Islam, practice it privately in their own homes, but no one believed in imposing it on the nation of Egypt. Omar Sharif was a well known movie actor who starred with Barbara Streisand once. He was a Christian Lebanese-Syrian who was born in Alexandria and remained an Egyptian. Of course he had a major role in "Lawrence of Arabia."  

One well known secularist living between the World Wars I and II was Taha Husayn b: 1889).  He was a blind genius, educator and humanitarian educated at Azhar and France.  He rejected religious fundamentalism and the colonialists (British) desire to dominate the Middle East.  He returned from France to Egypt in 1919, advocating the use of critical methods in research and had a love of Western thought.  He became a threat and was soon branded as a heretic, since he advocated liking the civilization of Europe.

Another secularist was Ali Abd al-Raziq (b: 1888-d: 1966).  The 1920's found Islamic world  in an uproar because the Turks had exiled the Ottoman sultan and abolished the caliphate.  He thought the caliphate had been harmful for them and claimed that Muhammad was not into creating government, but had started an ummah (community).  He stated that Mohammed was a prophet, not a political leader and that different governments weren't a concern of G-d.  Governments should be judged by human reason, so that it wasn't necessary for all Muslims to be members of one state, have the same government or ruled by one caliph.

Through world War II, Egyptians had little political independence.  They thought only about loyalty to Egypt or to Islam or to both.  They weren't Arabs and didn't pay attention to events concerning them.  By 1936 the Anglo-Egyptian treaty was signed, but 3 years later found the British still occupying Egypt.  WWII started in September which caused more troops to enter, and yet Egypt wouldn't declare war on the axis, Germany because they thought Germany would win the war.  So in 1942 the British surrounded the royal Abdin Palace in Cairo with tanks and King Faruq was given the ultimatum to either appoint Nahhas Pasha as prime minister  or leave the country.  He agreed and they cooperated with the British.  There was a lot of corruption in their government.  The German General Rommel was defeated and Americans landed in North Africa.  Today Egypt has 82.2 million people. 90% are Sunni Muslims following Shafi'i fiqh and Islam is the state religion.

Israel was re-born May 14, 1948 and the very next day, 6 neighboring Muslim states attacked her:  Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria.  Israel only had a population of 650,000 and were up against states totaling 40,000,000, which was like a miracle to the Jews.  Jews were fighting for their very existence.  The Arabs felt differently about the whole thing.  The Arabs point out that they had entered the fight with only 70,000 soldiers of which only 10,000 had any good training.  Israel, just a day old, had 60,000 of the Haganah, they figured including 300 British trained officers and 20,000 veterans of WWII and 3,000 Palmach commandos.  The war stopped on February 24, 1949 with 2 cease fires.

Israel did have problems with Egypt after this.  Egypt continued to be belligerent with Israel after an armistice agreement was signed.  They closed the Suez Canal to Israeli shipping.  On August 9, 1949, the UN Mixed Armistice Commission upheld Israel's complaint that Egypt was illegally blocking the canal.  Ralph Bunche, UN negotiator stated that there was to be free movement.  By September 1, 1951 Egypt was ordered to open the Canal to Israeli shipping.  Egypt refused.  By early 1954, Egypt's Foreign Minister, Muhammad Salah al-Din said that "The Arab people will not be embarrassed to declare:  We shall not be satisfied except by the final obliteration of Israel from the map of the Middle East." President Gamal Abdel Nasser imported arms from the Soviets for a confrontation with Israel.  He announced on August 31, 1955, "Egypt has decided to dispatch her heroes, the disciples of Pharaoh and the sons of Islam, and they will cleanse the land of Palestine....There will be no peace on Israel's border because we demand vengeance, and vengeance is Israel's death."  

The heroes turned out to be Arab terrorists, or fedayeen, who were on the border and sometimes infiltrated into Israel and committed acts of sabotage and murder.  These attacks were a violation of the armistice agreement provision that prohibited this.  Escalation continued with the blockade of the Straits of Tehran, and Nasser nationalized it in July of 1956.  Nasser said, " I am not solely fighting against Israel itself.  My task is to deliver the Arab world from destruction through Israel's intrigue, which has its roots abroad.  Our hatred is very strong.  There is no sense in talking about peace with Israel.  There is not even the smallest place for negotiations."  

Not even 2 weeks went by and on October 25, Egypt signed an agreement with Syria and Jordan with Nasser in command.  Israel, backed by Britain and France, attacked Egypt on October 29, 1956.

Egypt didn't give up hope of smashing Israel.  Nasser continued to make speeches threatening war.  Terrorist attacks were happening more frequently.  By May 15, 1967, Israel's Independence Day, Egyptian troops moved into the Sinai massing near Israel's border.  In 3 days the Syrian troops were ready to fight along the Golan Heights.  Nasser told the UN force to leave and they scuttled away.  On May 22nd Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to all Israeli shipping.  Nasser challenged Israel to fight almost daily.  "Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel.  The Arab people want to fight..We will not accept any...coexistence with Israel.  Today the issue is not the establishment of peace between the Arab states and Israel...The war with Israel is in effect since 1948."  Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon sat on the border with Israel while Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation backed them up. The war started June 5 and ended June 10, 1967.     In SIX (6) days, Israel won against 250,000 troops, more than 2,000 tanks and 700 aircraft had ringed Israel.  Though Israel won the battle, 777 of their men were killed and 2,586 wounded.  This is the same proportion as the US lost in 8 years of fighting in Vietnam.

Still, on July 1, 1967 Egypt began shelling Israeli positions near the Suez Canal and on October 21, 1967, Egypt sank the Israeli destroyer, Eilat and killed 47.  Less than one year later they shelled Israeli positions along the Suez Canal.  A War of Attrition went on for 16 months with Israel's deaths of 600 soldiers and 127 civilians.  2,000 soldiers were wounded and 700 civilians were wounded.  Israel also lost 15 airplanes.    

October 6, 1973 on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews, when most were attending synagogues asking G-d for forgiveness for their sins, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel.  At least 9 Arab states, including 4 non-Middle Eastern nations, actively aided the Egyptian-Syrian war with men and money.  It looked like the Arabs might win, so nobody tried to stop it like the Soviet Union or the UN.  Israel won again, and it ended on October 25, 1973 and this ended with Sadat visiting Jerusalem on November 29, 1977 for 36 hours, but being assassinated later on October 6, 1981.  He had signed a peace treaty with Israel on March 26, 1979.  Israel has about 7.5 million people, of which 1.4 million are Muslims.

Islam has become the state religion. Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood has been voted in as President in the state's first experience at democracy on June 24, 2012.    The question we wonder about is if he will keep the peace treaty.  He plans to visit Iran in a few days, Israel's nemesis.  

The Muslim Brotherhood rose because of the colonial occupation by the British.  Devout Muslims felt humiliated to be ruled by Christians.  Another reason was that the Egyptian educated and middle classes had become so secularized so fast, causing the deterioration of Muslim laws (Sharia) and institutions.  Turkey was also another cause, which Egyptians saw in their alterations a de-Islamization there as well.  When the caliphate was abolished, it was like the end of the world to the religious Egyptians.

Militant Muslims were religious people of the fundamentalist Wahhabis of Arabia and the militant Jamal al-Din al-Afghani.  The Muslim Brotherhood, al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin, organized between the 2 wars,  was the largest and most influential of the militant groups.  It had a military zeal and organization similar to a medieval Ismai'li group called the Brethren of Sincerity.  They copied another aIsmai'li organization, the Assassins in its militancy and methods.

Now their charter sounds like all the rhetoric that Egypt had proclaimed and that Iran is now copying.  They had been kept out of politics by Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt because they were so extreme.  With the uprising of the Arab Spring, Mubarak was jailed in February 2011.  There is no parliament, no constitution and no restrictions on presidential powers in Egypt right now.

Resource: Textbook: Middle East Past &I Present by Yahya Armajani and Thomas M. Ricks, used at Portland State U.
Myths and Facts, a concise record of the Arab-Israeli-conflict by Mitchell G. Bard, PhD, and Joel Himelfarb
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/19/newsid_2520000/2520467.stm
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/egyptisrael.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/06/201262412445190400.html
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=282067
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Sadat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Sharif

Ahmadinejad Rants and Raves

Nadene Goldfoot
Ahmadinejad is beating the wardrums against Israel again just like he has been since at least 2005.  Before that it was Khamenei that called Israel a "cancerous tumor" that must be wiped out.  .  Evidently the scuttlebut about Israel's possible attack is making Ahmadinejad  nervous.

It is his rantings that are causing Israel to take a defensive stand and the development of Iran's nuclear power being almost completed, so he's bringing on the problems to himself this way.  I think he wants trouble.  Israel has reason to believe that Iran is bent on their genocide.  Since genocide was already used on the Jewish people taking 6 million of them, it is no wonder that Israel would be sensitive to this country's rantings, a country who sided with the Nazis.

Friday "Ahmadinejad spoke to an anti-Israel protest in Tehran and told the audience of worshippers at Tehran University after nationwide pro-Palestinian rallies  that the Jewish state was a "cancerous tumor that will soon be excised. "  This was in his Quds (Jerusalem Day) address, threatening Israel with the takeover of Jerusalem this way.  He continued to threaten Israel by saying that the nations of the region would soon finish off Israel and that then there would be no trace of Americans and Zionists.  What?  This sounds like a direct threat of using atomic weaponry.

He said that Israel's existence is an insult to all humanity.    He called Israel "a corrupt, anti-human organized minority group standing up to all divine values."  Then again he spoke with  vitriolic incrimination with a  black and white scarf Palestinians wear around their neck.  "Today, confronting the existence of the fabricated Zionist regime is in fact protecting the rights and dignity of all human beings",  Ahmadinejad told the people that Israel was the Westerner's tool to dominate them.

He went on to blame Jews for triggering World Wars I and II and of taking over control over world affairs and had become dominant over the US government.  They just lay it all on Israel's lap. This comes from Iran's leadership that denies the Holocaust's occurrence.   Even the US National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor thought his comments were "hateful and divisive."  Vincent Floreani , French deputy foreign ministry spokesman firmly condemn these outrageous and unacceptable statements and backed Israel's right to live in peace.

They set US and Israeli flags on fire and chanted their death mantras of "Death to the US" and "Death to Israel" during the rally.

All this talk makes one wonder about the sanctions that are supposed to turn Iran around.  I'm afraid there are forces stronger than sanctions that are in control here, keeping Iran impenetrable to the forces of peaceful living.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/tumour-israel-soon-destroyed-ahmadinejad-091548418.html
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-israels-existence-insult-humanity-093922735.html
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=281615
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GSmpzgkCBo&feature=share interview of Iranian lady in Tehran by Israel TV. 

GREAT VIDEO OF ISRAEL;Vibrant Israel of Advanced Technology: Olympian Contenders

Nadene Goldfoot
Most people's idea of Israel now is a war-torn desert.  This land bridge that lies between Africa, Asia and Europe is about the most talked about piece of real estate in the world and is a unique place to visit.  It's even a major rest stop for migrating birds.  There's every culture and religion represented here in this little space of about 8,000 square miles, which is the size of New Jersey, USA, one of our teeny states.  Israel only has 7,116,200 people, but they're all special.

Here's a video showing many of the aspects of Israel.  We visit countries because we need a break and hope to see different things; taste different foods, see different ways of life.

I'm sad to read John Canzano's column stating that the world was against the USA in the Olympics because we represent everything others reject and that we are the Ugly Americans still.

Many have taken the position of hatred for Israel because they had the courage and fortitude to establish their state after 2,000 years of yearning for it, and they haven't fallen.  We saw in the 1972 Olympics the massacre of 11 Israeli Olympians for their courage of even showing up to compete.  This year a few other athletes wouldn't even practice next to the Israelis without a divider.  A minute of silence was refused by the head of the Olympics for the 11 Israelis massacred so as not to anger those that ordered it to happen. They had the weak excuse that if they did that, they'd have to do the same for those who were the killers.

It used to be that the Olympics were based on country first and that people had national pride.  Greg Miller writes, telling us that this is now a more mobile, informed and blended world.  People shouldn't be judged on where they came from but just appreciated for their own amazing feats.  I think we need both.  First in life we have to like ourselves, and this comes from pride for our country as well as our family and ourselves.

I'm still proud of everything Israel has achieved in its 64 years and pray that they continue to do so.  It was wonderful to see Israel represented in the Olympics. this year and remain safe.

I hate to look forward to a land that has all blended together without any distinguishing points to be appreciated.  Israel will always remain unequaled.

Resource: http://www.youtube.com/embed/tLgdb6r0MQ4?rel=0  sent from Gerard Robins
http://www.lookisrael.com/files/justbig.php
Oregonian Newspaper, 8/14/12 Letters to the Editor, page B5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Olympics_one_minute_of_silence_campaign

Iran Plans Nuclear Weapons; Get Hit With Earthquakes

Nadene Goldfoot
Tehran, Iran has progressed towards the manufacture and assembly of a nuclear warhead.  This makes Iran the biggest problem Israel is facing.  Iran must never get nuclear weapons.

Israel is suspected of having the Middle East area's only nuclear arsenal, but have never used any, even though they've been in some tough spots.  This is the difference.  It's been enough to let people think they have this force.  They're not about to go half cocked and use anything like it.  Israel  values life; those of their own and of others.  They're not anxious to test what happens when they die and have no 72 virgins to greet them upon death.  The toast they make is "L'chaim!  "To Life."

In order to protect the lives of their citizens, they have spent a lot of money for protection.  In this category they have the Iron Dome, a method of catching missiles, an SMS system for warning of imminent missile attacks and the Arrow 2.  .  They have worked on this consistently in view of Iran's progress.

Another group to worry about and watch are Lebanon's Hezbollah militia who are right on their border.  Of course, Syria is said to have chemical weaponry they might use on their own people.  Then again they are right on Israel's border as well.  Israel has had to pass out gas masks to their whole population several times already.  The 7.8 million population only has enough gas masks for half the population so far today.

The problem in Israel has been the southern area who have been in striking distance of Gaza with Hamas Terrorists firing at them almost constantly.  They need bomb shelters for 700,000 citizens now.   Hospitals need to be fortified.  Ashkelon's hospital  has had to go underground being they are within striking distance of Gaza already, but 70% of the hospitals need further fortification.

While Israel is extremely worried, being so much closer and on the hit list at the top, the USA has been less worried.  Our intelligence services say that they just suspect Iran is seeking a weapons capability but that no decision has been taken on actually making one.  Is the USA going to wait till Iran strikes first with nuclear weapons?  Netanyahu feels that sanctions haven't been a deterrent.

While all this worry in Israel has been going on, something happened in Iran on Saturday.  They were hit with 2 earthquakes, which have filled up their hospitals since about 5,000 people were injured.  The first was a 6.4 and the 2nd was 6.3 that struck 11 minutes later.  That was a double whammy.  They occurred 37 miles NE of Tabriz and 30 miles NE of Tabriz.  The quakes have killed almost 300 people.  They've had 60 aftershocks and are lacking enough tents and supplies so that people had to sleep in the night air without protection.  Homes were destroyed and livestock also were killed.  About 36,000 people were in the quake area and received emergency shelter finally.

One thing you can bet on.  Israel always goes to earthquake hit areas to help out, but won't be going to Iran.  They would not be welcomed at all, no matter how much help they could offer.  That's the way it is in the Middle East.  this East Azerbaijan province is a mountainous region neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia in the north.  Tabriz itself was not hurt.  It looks like the Iranians got a reminder of what happens when a country is under attack, even when when coming from Mother Nature.    They did experience earthquake devastation before in 2003 when they had a 6.6 earthquake.

I wonder how their centers for manufacturing nuclear weapons hold up in these earthquake rumblings.
update: 8/14/12  Iran is now saying it will take help from any country.  Israel isn't offering any after being rebuffed in their 2003 earthquake when Iran said "anyone but Israel."

Resource:http://news.yahoo.com/two-quakes-iran-kill-180-injure-1-500-013750093.html
 http://news.yahoo.com/two-quakes-iran-kill-180-injure-1-500-013750093.html
http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Everyone%20Else/pages-15/Well-obviously-Israel-isnt-offering-aid-to-Iranian-quake-victims-Scrape-TV-The-World-on-your-side-2012-08-12.html
update:  http://www.timesofisrael.com/having-been-rejected-by-iran-once-before-israel-does-not-renew-offer-for-earthquake-aid/

Romney Spoke In Israel: Palestinians' Excuse for Not Being Productive

Nadene Goldfoot
It seems that the Palestinians took offense when Romney spoke in Israel pointing out the differences in economic vitality between Israel and the Palestinians.  He mentioned that as he looked at the city and thought of the accomplishments of the people of Israel, he recognized the power of at least culture and a few other things.  He cited the innovative business climate and the Jewish history of thriving in difficult circumstances.

Palestinian Labor Minister Ahmed Majdalani called the statement "a clear racist spirit."  He felt insulted.  The Palestinians noted that Romney wasn't addressing the stifling effect of Israel's occupation and used that as an excuse as to why they were not a productive group of people.  What kind of spirit do the Muslim Religious Leaders display by putting fatwas on all Jews everywhere to be killed?  How racist can they get?

I would reply that if they put their energy into work instead of bombing Israel with missiles, mortars and rockets constantly, they could become a different productive culture as well, but right now their culture is all wrapped up in doing in Israel!  How dare he use "occupation" as a crutch.  The only reason restrictions have come about is because of their murderous behavior towards all Israelis.  Saeb Erekat, senior Palestinian official is now blaming Romney's comments as hurting the US efforts to restore Washington's standing in the Muslim and Arab world.  Well, what was it getting the USA?  Were the Palestinians coming to the peace table with Netanyahu?  No!  Nothing Hillary was saying induced them to respond in a positive way.

Israel does not want to have to deal with war, contrary to other's beliefs.  "As Golda Meier had said, "We hate war. We do not rejoice in victories. We rejoice when a new kind of cotton is grown, and when strawberries bloom in Israel."  This is a far different culture than what the Palestinian Arabs have developed.

The Palestinians interestingly reminded readers that there are 57 Muslim and Arab countries while US diplomats are exerting every effort to explain their position.  I think Romney has far more knowledge of the region  than Obama ever has had, so they are in for a surprise, which they just realized.  57 Muslim countries exist and they want to add one more-Palestine.  I'm behind times;  I only had listed 48 Muslim majority countries.  Who else are they counting?  Are they including England and France already?

Israel withdrew all Jewish people from Gaza in 2005 in the offer of peace, and what they got instead was the slap in the face of bombings.  Their homes became the grounds from which death-harboring rockets were fired from.  Any restriction of trade and movement there is due to their bringing in these weapons to use on Israel.  They refuse to have any peace pact with Israel or live in any sort of peaceful life such as Mexico, the USA and Canada enjoy, or England and France, etc.  It's a state of war.  The same goes for Judea and Samaria.  Fatah and Hamas have joined together in their desire to destroy Israel.  What do they expect?  They are receiving far better treatment than they ever gave to Jews who had lived in Muslim lands.  Their people are existing by being on the dole with the United Nations!

They speak of Occupation.  It was Jordan who occupied Transjordan and took it over when it was originally planned by Britain who held the Mandate to be part of the Jewish National Home, and then Britain gave in to them because of their demanding nature and Britain wanting to keep a hand in the Middle East.  Then Jordan occupied Judea and Samaria illegally, as that certainly was to be part of the Jewish National Home as well, having been the original Judah.  Jews had lived in Gaza since the beginning of Jewish history and that was given up for a peace we didn't receive as well.

Jews have treated Palestinians like people, but it hasn't been reciprocated.  What they teach their children in schools is disgusting.    In Muslim countries like Syria, Jews were less than 3rd rate non-citizens.  They were called "dhimmis" and had to pay special taxes.  Testimony against Muslims didn't count in courts.  They were forbidden to ride a horse to town; forbidden to wear Muslim clothing; forbidden to carry arms; prohibited to build or repair places of worship.  They were oppressed, suffered from extortion and violence by local authorities and the whole Muslim population.

In Aleppo in the 19th century, money was extorted by officials on every pretext, petty bullying was a commonplace thing, and if a Jew walked in the market, people would throw stones at him, trying to kill him.  Others might try to pull his beard or his ear locks, spit on his face and just be an abused person.  By 1831, Christians had full equality but not Jews.  1840 saw an economic slump in Syria so that they pulled out the Damascus blood libel.  In the 1850's Christians were treated with violence again.  1936 saw anti-Jewish riots on Jews in Damascus and again in the late 30's.  Jews were stabbed by activist Muslims.  By now a Nazi delegation visited Damascus so that propaganda grew and German and Arab youth organizations developed and were against Jews.  As it turned out, Jews were held prisoners in Syria and not allowed to leave, and if they tried, were killed.

One of the differences in cultures is another comment that Golda Meier said that is quite deep.  "When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons."  I think Romney recognizes this difference quite easily.

Resource:  http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2012/07/30/romney_angers_palestinians_with_pro_israel_comment/?page=2
Book:  From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters, page 60-65 on Syria
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Golda_Meir

Twelve Years of Shelling Southern Israel Continues

Nadene Goldfoot                               
                                                          Sderot at top and Ashkelon on the bottom
Yahoo news reports that Israel's Iron Dome Air Defence System stopped a rocket that was aimed at Ashkelon, Portland's, sister city on Tuesday. It lies 8.1 miles north of the Gaza border and has a population of about 113,000.   That's like shooting at the hand that feeds them, as Ashkelon houses the Barzilai Medical Center's hospital that assists Arabs,  even if they are from Gaza as well as Israelis. This 500 bed general public hospital services 502 square miles.  It's a level 2 trauma center and is Israel's foremost center for trauma care and nurse training.

The Gaza border shot 1600 Kassam missiles in 2006 and the hospital treated 1400 patients with acute and post traumatic stress disorders and diseases that same year.  Each year they have 100,000 emergency admissions.  Their 500 beds allow 1 bed per 1,000 residents which is the lowest in the country as they serve over 500,000 people.  The nurses get no breaks as they have 150% constant occupancy each year.  Their cafeteria has been converted into hospital bed space as well.

Then on Friday Hamas terrorists shot a rocket into the Eshkol region which usually covers Nir Oz and Nirim Yesha..  Later today 3 rockets were shot at Sderot, a city of 24,000 which is the closest town to Gaza. Sderot happens to be right in the line of fire, being  less than a mile from the border and is caught under constant attack, shock and confusion with the people having daily fears and suffering from a silent threat daily.  They have been paying the heavy price of having their community shelled constantly.  Thousands of their families have been living under constant fire.   No casualties or damage happened, except people had to seek refuge in bomb shelters, and the bombing shatters their lives for both children and adults.  Just from 2007-2008 they were hit with 771 rockets and 857 mortars, making this happen at least 3 to 4 times daily.  

It was in June of this year that the terrorists fired dozens of rockets into Israel who replied with several air raids, killing 15 terrorists.  However, this type of bombing into southern Israel has been going on since  2000, climaxing what Israel had hoped to be once and for all on December 27, 2008 with Operation Cast Lead.  Up to this point Israel had taken about 12,000 rocket, missile and mortar hits. The UN never said a peep against the terrorists, and I presume just thought that Israel should be the sitting ducks and deserved the shelling due to their silence.

2008 was the last straw for Israel.  In that year alone they were hit with about 3,000 rockets and mortar bombs.  Perhaps that came about because in June 2007, Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and overthrew the acceptable Palestinian Authority.  Abbas had to leave and go to the Judea-Samaria area to live and Hamas set up a radical Muslim entity.  Then they really were following the Muslim Brotherhood Code.

Iran and their sidekick, Syria supported Hamas who now used Gaza as its launching pad for terrorism against Israel.  They have more than 20,000 armed operatives in Gaza and kept improving the range of the shelling.  By late 2008 they could reach some of Israel's largest and most populated cities.  Israel suffered from deliberate attacks which caused them deaths, injuries and lots of property damage.  Business had to close and tens of thousands of Israeli citizens had to leave their homes for bomb shelters.

Israel tried several methods of stopping the affront through proper channels like appealing to the UN Secretary General and many presidents of the security council as well as overtures to diplomats directly and through intermediaries with no luck.  They were only able to see the Palestinian terrorists escalate in their cross-border attacks and raid Israeli territory in June 2006 and even kidnap an IDF soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit.

After much warning of what would happen to the whole world, not just to Gaza, Israel resorted to force, feeling it was high time and a proportionate response to the attacks.  The IDF did more than the USA soldiers would have done in avoiding or limiting harm to civilians in Gaza.  They were rewarded by a punishing report from South Africa's Goldstone Report, which Goldstone himself had to apologize for later, admitting it was wrongly reported to him by his comrades.  The damage had been done, however.  The attack against Israel has caused them much harm politically.

Has Goldstone or anyone else in the UN tried to stop the continual attacks of Hamas on Israel?

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/gaza-militants-fire-rockets-israel-military-160928600.html
http://www.mfa.gov.il/GazaFacts/About/Operation-Cast-Lead-against-Hamas.htm?DisplayMode=print
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sderot

Does Abbas Use Israel's Innovations?

Nadene Goldfoot
The video below tells it all.  Israel is extremely innovative and has come up with all sorts of inventions that have helped the world, many of which are in the medical world as well as technologies that we have come to love and expect.

I am in awe of this teeny little state who is surrounded at least on 3 sides by enemies that have been trying to destroy them, from the Palestinians on the West side to Iran way in the East as well as Lebanon and Syria in the North.  Iran threatens with atomic bombs and Syria has chemical weapons. For the past 6 years they have also been continually bombed by the Palestinian Arab terrorists from Gaza as well, so the Southern Israeli population spends a lot of time in bomb shelters.  Besides the immediate dangers, there is also the UN who has managed to single out Israel as the one and only terrible country in the world, causing many to side with them.

To top it off, there are people who want to boycott, divest and sanction Israel's products in  destructive BDS movements.   They just want to punish Israel for trying to stay alive.  This is a situation for only the best of psychologists or sociologists to understand.  Anybody else would crumble under the stress Israelis live under, but for them they just keep inventing.

BDSers see everything Israel does as a crime, and in my opinion, twist facts as only the UN bias views things.  To these misinformed, hateful, judgemental  people, Israel has "denied Palestinians their fundamental rights of freedom, equality, and self-determination through ethnic cleansing, colonization, racial discrimination, and military occupation."

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, chief  of the Palestinian political group, Fatah and main negotiator has been refusing to sit down and talk to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for a long time, now.  Hillary Clinton only pressures  Netanyahu to do this but never Abbas, so Netanyahu just offered to release 124 Palestinian terrorist murderers from Israeli prisons in exchange for a meeting with Abbas. Of course, as usual, Abbas refused.  Did he want more of an offer?  Actually, he wants a settlement before he sits down to settle anything.  It's "give in to his wishes" and then he'll sit down, and that's the way it has been going on.  Netanyahu thinks that this is why people sit down and talk,  to decide on things together; some give and take on both sides of an issue.

This only brought on an attack against Israel by the Obama administration.  They are also angry now because Israel's Supreme Court, led by retired Supreme Court justice Edmond Levy, came out with the decree that their communities that go beyond the 1949 armistice lines are legal!  The findings were published this week and say that under international law, they are legal.  This is not new as it has been the position of Israel since 1967 and even since 1922.  Israel has held the right to sovereignty over Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem as well as all the land Israel took control over during the 1948-1949 War of Independence.

In the mandate that Britain held up till May 14, 1948, Britain was to facilitate settlement by Jews on the land, including state lands and wastelands not required for public purposes.  They were not to prohibit Jewish settlement and they did so  in every way possible.  They went against the requirement that they were to help Jewish settlement.   They took horrible action to prevent Jewish settlement, such as not letting Jews in the land in the late 30's who were escaping the Nazi persecution, even to the point of turning back shiploads of Jews needing their promised homeland, thereby causing their ultimate deaths. Then they went ahead and opened the land up to the Arabs, instead.

Israel is bucking a lot of negative pre-determined viewpoints about their state that say that their land, once said to be a nice piece, like a 9 X 12" sheetcake, shouldn't be any bigger than a postage stamp, and having shrunk to that size, should now give up more land called Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem.  Actually, Jordan (Transjordan) was to be a part of Israel originally.  And I ask, just who has been the people who have been denied their fundamental rights of freedom?  Who has been racially or religiously discriminated against?  Who's still the scapegoat in this world?

Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iIoSesQB2U
http://www.bdsmovement.net/bdsintro
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com  (my latest posts on Britain, the mandate and events)
From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/caroline-glick/obamas-spectacular-failure/

Swedish Muslim Possible Bomber of Israeli Bus in Bulgaria

Nadene Goldfoot
Mehdi Ghezali, 36 year old Stockholm, Swedish born Muslim welder  whose parents were Algerian and Finnish has been fingered as the suicide bomber of the Israeli tour bus in Bulgaria and a Hezbolla operative.  That wouldn't surprise me one bit as Malma, Sweden, is full of Muslims who hate Jews and have driven out many of them.  Jews had found safety in Sweden from the 2nd world war days and many had settled in Malma.

Sweden of course is denying that he is the bomber, but they can't find him.  Netanyahu is blaming Iran, who supports Hezbolla.  Iran is denying involvement in this Burgas attack which means nothing as they always deny involvement in Israeli assassinations.  For months they have been trying to mass murder Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Kenya, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus..  This time 5 Israelis including a pregnant woman were blown to smithereens  as well as the Bulgarian tour guide and the bomber.  Some 30 were injured and flown back to Israel.  It's possible he didn't mean to be killed in the placing of the bomb on the bus.  DNA tests are being used for identification.

Ghezali had arrived in Bulgaria 5 weeks before the bombing and got to the airport by taxi.  Somebody else gave him the bomb.  That somebody must have known of the habits of Israel using the Bulgarian seaport as a tour place at this time of year, which tells me that someone at the resort may have been in on it.  Israelis have used the resort for high school graduates before they go into the service.

Ghezali had a fake American passport and a fake Michigan driver's license.  He has a wikipedia page showing past involvements and was held in Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba in 2002.  He attended a Muslim religious school and mosque in Britain before traveling to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan where he was captured.  Sweden had dropped all charges against him for criminal misconduct before his capture.

The authorities even have a video clip of him walking around before the blast at the Burgas International Airport.  He had a backpack, and was casually dressed wearing a baseball cap and had long dark hair and a slight mustache.

Israeli and Bulgarian officials are investigating the attack.  The FBI and CIA have joined them as well.  The police may have come to the conclusion that this man was the suicide bomber after reading his rap-sheet and knowing that he was seen in the airport just before the bombing and not found afterwards, do you think?

It has been brought to my attention that this attack on Israelis has not warranted enough interest in our local papers or TV to make the news, though it has been reported on the web.  Evidently Israelis can be murdered without much interest to the rest of the world, which is a shunda.  That Israelis cannot travel or vacation without fear outside of Israel is a terrible shame.  Of course the land most likely to be responsible is the one who has cursed and hated it the most:  Iran.  It's not a puzzlement to Israel but the obvious.  .

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehdi_Ghezali
frontpagemag.com/2012/davidhornik/the-burgas-attack-irans-terror-war-against-israel/print/
news@israelnationalnews.com Arutz Sheva Bulgaria:  Iran-Financed Hizbullah Behind Terror Attack by Chana Ya'ar
http://www.examiner.com/article/israelis-accuse-hezbollah-of-attacking-bus-outside-bulgarian-airport

Israeli Bus bombed in Bulgaria: 6 Dead

Nadene Goldfoot
Bulgaria, on the coast of the Black Sea,  is a state that trades with Israel. It used to be a part of the Ottoman Empire also, and then later became a Communist state, now gone Democratic.   I remember loving the Bulgarian jam that I bought in Israel in the 1980's.  Not long ago Israelis could be tourists in Egypt, but I wouldn't recommend it today.  Since Israeli tourists can't visit its own neighbors,  Bulgaria was a destination for a trip.  154 Israeli tourists flew from Tel Aviv to the Burgas airport in Bulgaria and were aboard one of 7 Israeli tour buses by 5pm when it was bombed by terrorists.  They had been headed for a resort some 30 miles away.

Now 6 people are reported  killed and 32 injured with 3 in ICU when the bomb exploded Wednesday.  A suspicious package was found on the bus.  Dan Shenar, head of security at the Israeli Transportation Ministry had requested some increased security when they found it.

Israel has feared that Hezbollah would attack Israelis in connection with the 4th anniversary of the assassination of Imad Mughniyah, their military commander and have blamed Israel's Mossad.  There was a Hezbollah plot earlier uncovered.  Hezbollah may be from Lebanon, but they get their support from Syria and Iran.   Also, today was the anniversary of an attack 18 years ago in Buenos Aires when the Jewish Community Center was bombed, killing 85 people.

Resource: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/18/world/europe/bulgaria-israel-blast/?hpt=hp_t2
http:;//www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=277989
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_AMIA_bombing

Plans on the Table-Do They Include Deep Throat?

Nadene Goldfoot
Deep Throat is a guided bomb-unit 28 (GBU-28) and weighs 5,000 pounds.  It is laser guided and was used in Operation Desert Storm to penetrate Iraqi underground command centers.  2 were dropped.

During former US President George W. Bush's administration (2001-2009) in 2005, the USA sold 100  bunker-penetrating bombs and refueling aircraft to Israel, possibly  thinking they would be used to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.  By 2006 Israel accelerated the request and finally 55 units were delivered in 2009 as the order had been deferred for 2 years.

When Obama entered the White House,  he approved a string of Israeli requests to purchase advance armament.  Netanyahu requested the approval of the sale of advanced refueling aircraft as well as GBU-28 bunker-piercing bombs during a recent meeting with Leon Panetta in March 2012.  Obama instructed Panetta to work directly with Ehud Barak, Israel's Defense Minister, on the matter.  He indicated that they looked favorably on this request.

WikiLeaks exposed discussions about it about discussions in 2009 noting that it should be quiet to avoid allegations that the USG is helping Israel prepare for a strike against Iran.

The USA sold some to South Korea after North Korea had a practice bomb drill.  They were to be delivered sometime between 2010-2014.

Israel had on December 23, 2011 received bombs fused to prematurely detonate before penetration.  "According to the Jerusalem Post on December 23, 2011 the US Justice Department announced that it had reached a settlement with Kaman Corp. which allegedly substituted a fuse in four lots of fuses made for the bombs. Under the settlement, Kaman Corp. will pay the government $4.75 million. "  Kaman Corp is a USA corporation.  

Resource: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/24/140773755/u-s-sells-bunker-busters-to-israel
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-asked-panetta-to-approve-sale-of-bunker-busting-bombs-u-s-official-says-1.416900
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-28
http://www.kaman.com/

Clinton's Greeting in the Middle East

Nadene Goldfoot
Egypt's military head, field Marshal Hussein Tantawi warned today  after Hillary Clinton left that he won't let the Muslim Brotherhood dominate Egypt, even though Hillary  had advised him to work with Egypt's elected Islamist leaders, so he wasn't very happy with her suggestions. He stated that "Egypt will never fall.  It belongs to all Egyptians and not to a certain group--the armed forces will not allow it."  The military has cut Morsi's powers and has taken over the job of writing a new constitution.

Egypt itself wasn't happy with her either,  boys holding placards showed they hated Israel just a little more than they hated her.  Her motorcade was hit with shoes, tomatoes and a few water bottles.  The people called out "Monika, Monika, remembering her husband's affair just to irk her.

While Egypt's liberals were for the Arab Spring, the liberals and Christians are now accusing Clinton and Obama with forcing the Muslim Brotherhood down Egypt's throat to curry favor with the Islamists.

With that greeting behind her,  Hillary then met with Prime Minister Binyamim Netanyahu in Jerusalem on the last leg of her trip abroad.  She was there to talk about Iran's nuclear power and the stalled peace process with Hamas and Fatah.

As usual, southern Israel at that moment was hit with a rocket at around 9:30pm.  An Israel News Daily article explained what happens is that first the scream of the Color Red rocket alert sounds.  15 seconds later a rocket explodes.  This time it was a short-range Qassam and it exploded somewhere in the western Negev.  Security personel have to go out to locate the site where it exploded.  Israelis must stay in their shelters for 10 minutes after its impact to make sure it's not being followed immediately by another which can happen.

An hour later, another attack did come, this time against the nearby city of Sderot, which is the closest to the Gaza Strip.  This rocket exploded in a field on the outskirts of the city.  Hillary should visit the southern part just to see what it's like and what the population endures from the terrorists.

Resource: Oregonian 7/16/12 page A3, In Egypt by AP
arutz sheva,, Rocket fire Aimed at southern Israel by Chana Ya'ar
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/157910
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/157915

Anti-Tank Missile Aimed at Farmers

Nadene Goldfoot
An Israeli air force  pilot killed one terrorist Thursday in response to the many attacks on southern Israel by Hamas terrorists this past week.  The attack happened east of Gaza City.

Earlier the IDF armored corps artillery forces attacked a Hamas terror cell  that operated within Gaza.  They were ready to launch an anti-tank missile at Israeli soldiers patrolling the security fence.

On Monday, Kibbutz Yad Mordechai was targeted  by an anti-tank missile along with sniper fire aimed at a group of farmers in a field and cars including a child's infant seat that was directly targeted.  A bullet hole pierced the back of the infant's seat.  Luckily, the 7 month old wasn't in it at the time.  The kibbutz, started in 1930 by Polish Jews, relocated to its present site a few miles south of Ashkelon in 1943.  It remembers its founders fighting the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto.  In 1948 they were attacked by Egypt.

Southern Israel has endured at least 300 strikes by Gazan terrorists so far this year.  This puts all of southern Israel in jeopardy as they never know where they will land.  .

Ashkelon, Portland's sister city, is the home of Barzalai Hospital where all people, both Israelis and Arabs can come for their wounds and find medical assistance.  They've had to go underground in order to continue helping people, and that means to dig down to a lower level for protection. The  Ashkelon Marina is well known in the yachting community as a center for International rallies and regattas.  It's famous marina is large enough for 600 ships and is located between two beaches.  

    

Resource: Arutz Sheva news@israelinationalnews.com Terrorist Dead in IAF Strike on Gaza by Chana Ya'ar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Mordechai
http://www.ashkelon-marina.co.il/

Restaurant Hit in Southern Israel by Machine Gun Fire

Nadene Goldfoot
Southern Israel's Monday rocket attack also included machine gun fire that came from the Gaza Strip.  They hit two cars and a restaurant wall in a plaza.  No one was injured but that must have been a shock.  The terrorists must have moved their location of firing as usually they hit open fields with rockets.

Shells found were from an 0.5-caliber automatic machinegun, reports  Ynet News.  This brought out both soldiers and police to check out the area.  People in the restaurant were quite surprised, I'm sure.

This of course caused retaliation by the IAF who hit two Hamas centers in south Gaza overnight.  No injuries were reported.  Evidently from reports, the terrorists had fired a missile into the Eshkol region and were shooting at cars with the machine guns.  It is thought that they couldn't have seen the restaurant from their point, so that could have been wild shooting.


Resource: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4253338,00.html
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gaza-rocket-hits-israel-army/972542/
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n282669

What the Fight Between Jews and Arabs Is Really All About

Nadene Goldfoot
Actually, The modern effort to establish a national homeland for the Jewish people began in 1839 with the petition by Sir Moses Montefiore to Sa'id, Khedive of Egypt, for a Jewish homeland in the region of Palestine.


Finally, November 29, 1947 was the day the UN decided to recommend the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state.  The Jewish state would be even smaller than what was later decided by Armistice Lines in 1949, after all the Arab nations had attacked the new-born Israel.   It was only a little more than half of western Palestine, about 15,000 square km or 6,000 square miles and that was including the semi-arid Negev Desert.  In contrast, Egypt has 386,000 sq miles. Today Israel amounts to 7,992 square miles.

 At the time there were already 7 Arab states in the same area:  Egypt, Iraq, Syria Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Transjordan.  The area of land they already had was 230 times larger than the planned Jewish state and had a population 60 times more than the Jews, who numbered about half a million, or pretty close to 600,000.

At this time the Arabs wanted the Jewish land as well.  This is what they fought the Jews about.  There were no "occupied territories" to fight about The Arabs were guaranteed their state out of the Jews' promised Jewish Homeland. There weren't any Arabs living in refugee camps.   In fact, their portion was 7/8 of all of Palestine on both sides of the Jordan River.  All 7 states would invade Israel.  It was a ratio of 7:1.

They even refused to recognize the Jewish claims to the land.  That hasn't changed as we saw on the Geraldo show last night that Palestinian legislator, Dr. Hanan Ashrami vehemently denied Jews any history to Jerusalem or the land at all.

Palestine was quite a large piece of land as known at the time of the British Mandate of 1918 at the end of World War I.  In the map above you can see the Dead Sea.  February 1919 Emir Faisal, the recognized Arab leader of his day was also  in the act of striving for  the creation of an Arab political independence in Syria where he was a king for a brief time and Iraq where he ruled for 40 years.  He signed a formal agreement with Dr. Chaim Weizmann for cooperation between the two over the projected Arab state and the projected reconstituted Jewish state of "Palestine"  Faisal saw the borders proposed as moderate and proper.  The Zionists included what became Mandatory Palestine on both banks of the Jordan as well as NW Galilee up to the Litany River, later included in S. Lebanon, part of the Golan Heights, later included in Syria and part of Sinai.  

What the League of Nations was establishing was separating the  "state of Palestine" from Syria. They had the mandate over the Ottoman Empire that had lost the World War I.  Britain saw that Palestine would control its own source of water power and irrigation on Mount Hermon in the east to the Jordan.  This was of great importance since the success of the new state would depend upon the possibilities of agricultural development. " The mandate formalised British rule in the southern part of Ottoman Syria from 1923–1948."


 " It was recommended the the Jews be invited to return to Palestine and settle there, being assured by the Conference of all proper assistance in so doing that may be consistent with the protection of the personal (especially the religious) an the property rights of the non-Jewish population, and being further assured that it will be the policy of the League of Nations to recognize Palestine as a Jewish state as soon as it is a Jewish state in fact. "


The League of Nations Report said:  "It is right that Palestine should become a Jewish state, if the Jews, being given the full opportunity, make it such.  It was the cradle and home of their vital race, which has made large spiritual contributions to mankind, and is the only land in which they can hope to find a home of their own;  they being in this last respect unique among significant peoples."


Instead of following Emir Faisal's wishes which would have had a good outcome for all, the Arabs followed the advice of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and attacked the Jews instead.  The Grand Mufti was in cahoots with Germany.  " as shown in a memo written November 2, 1943 from Heinrich Himmler to an anti-Balfour Declaration meeting: 


"To the Grand Mufti:
  "The National Socialist Movement of Greater Germany has, since its beginning, inscribed upon its flag the fight against world Jewry.  It has, therefore, followed with particular sympathy the struggle of the freedom--loving Arabians, especially in Palestine, against the Jewish interlopers....." 


The British had compounded the Jewish efforts by doing everything in their power to keep them out of the area.  It was truly a miracle that Israel was pronounced a state as the British Mandate was up and they left on May 14, 1948.


Reference: http://www.colostate.edu/orgs/ESA/general.html
Book: Battleground, Fact and Fantasy in Palestine by Samuel Katz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Israel
Book:  From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Mandate_for_Palestine_(legal_instrument)

Original Borders of Israel 1271 BCE

Nadene Goldfoot
Moses lived from about 1391 BCE to 1271 BCE.  The Borders of Eretz Yisrael were dictated to Moses by G-d  as found in Numbers 33:52 to 34:21. " The land of Canaan is to fall to you as an inheritance. The fact remains that Moses never did get to enter Canaan but certainly was able to be knowledgeable about the geography through this communication. .

The  southern side shall be from the Wilderness of Zin at the side of Edom, 
Your southern border shall be from the edge of the Salt Sea to the east.  The border shall go around south of Maaleh-akrabbim, and shall pass toward Zin; and its outskirts shall be south of Kadesh-barnea; then it shall go out to Hazar-addar and pass to Azmon.  The border shall go around from Azmon to the stream of Egypt, and its outskirts shall be toward the Sea.

The western border:  It shall be for you the Great Sea and the district; this shall be for you the western border.

This shall be for you the northern border:  from the Great Sea you shall turn to Mount Hor.  From Mount Hor you shall turn to the approach to Harnath, and the outskirts of the border shall be toward Zedad.  The border shall go forth toward Zifron and its outskirts shall be Hazar-enan;


You shall draw yourselves as the eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shefam.  The border shall descend from Shefam to Riblah, east of Ain; the border shall descend and extend to the bank of the Kinnereth Sea to the east.  The border shall descend to the Jordan, and its outskirts shall be the Salt Sea;

 This shall be the Land for you,  according to its borders all around".  In the map above, the brown shaded areas were not yet taken by the time Joshua, the Israelite commander and successor of Moses,  died.  Moses had directed him to to lead the people in the conquest of Canaan.  Judah and Samaria are included inside the borders of Israel being they are on the West side of the Jordan River; thus the incorrect name of "West Bank," given to the area by the Jordanians.

Knowing the borders of Israel became important because of the many commandments that are to be followed only inside this land.  Notice that the border begins at the extreme southeast and goes from there to the west, then northward, eastward and finally, southward. to join the original starting point.  The Jews could not bring themselves to eliminate all the Canaanites.   The Northern shaded area with the Lebanon Mts. remained as Lebanon.  King Solomon was able to get Cedar trees from there to use in the Temple through trade and friendly relations.  .

Reference: Tanach, The Stone Edition; the Torah/Prophets/Writings; the 24 books of the bible by Rabbi Nosson Scherman by Mesorah Publications, ltd.

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

Justice Edmond Levy Rules: ISRAEL HAS RIGHT TO LIVE IN JUDEA-SAMARIA

Nadene Goldfoot
Judge Levy is not the first legal expert to say that  Israel has,  according to international law,  the legal right to live and build in Judea and Samaria.  Eugene Rostow and Stephen Schwebel have also ruled that they are not breaking international law.  They just investigated their position once again and take the same stand as found earlier.

Israel, a land where justice has always been extremely important, from times of their very beginnings with Moses to the present,  revisited the their legal status once again to get a new read on it by retired Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy.  He headed a committee that has been examining the legality of Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria and  declared on Tuesday that Israelis have a legal right to settle the region, a decision that Israel had already come to take after winning the 1967 war. 

 Israel was attacked in 1967 by surrounding states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria, who lost.  The UN has upheld a ruling that Israel is breaking international law of building in what they call the Palestinian territory citing the 4th Geneva Convention.  It should be mentioned that the UN is also top heavy with 48 Muslim majority countries who would rather get rid of Israel entirely and find fault with her at every possible moment.   In fact, Syria is up again to serve on the Human Rights Council of 2013 along with such countries as Pakistan and Venezuela.

Israel was promised by the mandate holder, England, in the Balfour Declaration to have a Jewish Homeland in Palestine.  The original decided piece was lopped off and 80% of it was offered to the Palestinian Arabs who rejected it and have continued to do so for 64 years!  This included Judea and Samaria.  Actually, they were being piggish in wanting Israel's piece as well and in my opinion, weren't after a state but after a way of getting rid of the Jews. At that time they had not voiced any claims of nationalism at all, being Arabs coming from many of the surrounding countries whereas the Jews were in dire need of a homeland and wanted their own homeland back once again after a 2,000 year wait for it.  To the Jews, the land was holy.

At the very least, Jews have this right to live in the lands that they control under the agreements with the Palestine Authority, he has stated.  The establishment of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, which the press calls "West Bank" is in itself, not illegal.

"The laws of "occupation" do not apply to the unique historic and legal circumstances surrounding Israel's decades-long presence in Judea and Samaria."

The report continued to say that the 4th Geneva convention's part addressing the protection of civilian persons in time of war-on the transfer of populations does not apply, and  wasn't intended to apply to communities such as those established by Israel in Judea and Samaria.

There were some criticisms for Israel in the report, though.  The problems were the dozens of new neighborhoods that had been erected without government authorization but not halted by the government, either, and without a link to the mother community.  Several had been built outside the legal jurisdiction allotted to the community .  The ruling is that they are to operate within the confines of the law and this must be enforced better in the future.  This situation is undoubtedly why Netanyahu had this committee formed.  

The committee gave recommendations to be followed.  Future problems of unauthorized communities will be dealt with from now on in a faster manner.  Rules are now clear and must be enforced.

Judge Levy, born in Iraq, was an active criminal lawyer.  He was appointed to the supreme court in 2001.

Resource: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=4945
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/07/05/hillel-neuer-syria-is-heading-for-a-seat-on-un-human-rights-council/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Levy
http://israel-nadene.blogspot.com/2010/11/international-law-concerning-judea-and.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/06/part-ii-on-international-law-concerning.html

Are Jewish Towns and Cities Eating Away Palestinian Lands?

Nadene Goldfoot
What are the Palestinian lands that are being settled by Jews?  The Palestinian leadership had been offered their own state back in 1947 when Israel was offered theirs.  In fact, Israel was promised their own homeland way before that which was including the “West Bank” (Judea and Samaria) which had originally been the Jewish Homeland, but the Palestinians rejected their offer, and kept rejecting it in years thereafter.  The English had cut off 80% of what was to become Israel and it was instead offered to the Arabs.

The Jews did not come into the West Bank again until the 1967 Six Day War when Israel was attacked by Jordan, Egypt and Syria,  and surprising everyone, won the battle.  That meant that Israel had the opportunity to take back East Jerusalem and unite it with the rest of the city under one mayor.  They did not move anyone out in doing so.

No Palestinians were moved out of Judea and Samaria.  Jews did move there.  It so happens that many families had been living there before 1948, like in Hebron,  and were attacked, killed and forced to flee for their lives, so now Jews have moved back again.  If Palestine is ever created, they plan to have no Jews living there at all.

Israel does patrol Judea and Samaria to keep people safe, as the Palestinians are known to attack Jewish communities.

The Arabs refused to take their land   every time it was offered, therefore there is no Palestinian land as yet, or may never come about at this rate.  They refuse to sit down and discuss terms with Israel.  For 64 years the land has remained "Occupied Territory" of Judea and Samaria.    There is no reason why Jews cannot build homes there except that the world community refuses to accept this fact..  

For the sake of peace with the Arabs,Israel left the Sinai in 1979 and disbanded 18 settlements.  Israel left Gaza in 2005 and disbanded 21 settlements.  Israel left the area in Judea and Samaria in 2005 disbanding 4 settlements we deemed illegal.  Israel  turned over the area to the Palestinian Authority to govern all civil situations but maintains the right of security enforcement  there.

The position of successive Israeli governments is that all authorized settlements are entirely legal and consistent with international law.In practice, Israel does not accept that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies de jure, but has stated that on humanitarian issues it will govern itself de facto by its provisions, without specifying which these are. The scholar and jurist Eugene Rostow has disputed the illegality of authorized settlements.

Under Israeli law, West Bank (Judea Samaria) settlements must meet specific criteria to be legal. In 2009, there were approximately 100 small communities that did not meet these criteria and are referred to as illegal outposts.

According to the Oslo accords of the 4th Geneva convention, both Israel and the Palestinian Arabs were barred from changing their status quo but both have built.  International law is listened to, but is not THE law of the land.

While 164 nations call the West Bank- Occupied Palestinian Territory, “the government of Israel holds that only territories captured in war from “an established and recognized sovereign” should be considered occupied territories.”  In my opinion, this would act as a deterrent for further attacks on a country.  They cannot just attack and get away with it without  paying the price.  This is what these 164 nations are trying to allow:  no penalty for attacking Israel in the 1967 War.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_settlement