Israel Matzav

Monday morning link dump

It's time to dump the links I've had sitting open since Friday and am not likely to get to post.

Israel has finally placed its first order for the new F-35 fighter jet. The order is for 25 of the jets, with the contract to be signed in early 2010 and the first jets to be delivered in 2014. Hopefully the Obama administration won't cancel the program and God willing they will be out of office by 2014.

Ron Friedman looks at the financial consequences of a 'settlement freeze.' They're not pretty, and they could put some Israeli construction companies out of business - not to mention leaving a lot of people who have already paid for their homes holding the bag. But hey - the Obumbler doesn't care about the financial consequences of his 'program' in the United States, so why should he care about the consequences here?

The 'settlers' have found their first real enemy - Barack Hussein Obama - and Israel's Hebrew 'Palestinian' Daily is thrilled (although this particular reporter is pretty fair).

There´s no denying it: You can´t count on anyone these days. Israel, which, as is well known, has made good on all of its commitments - and there were many - regarding dismantling of outposts, now stands bewildered in the face of America´s inconsistency.

Behind the American insistence on evacuations, which is polite but unyielding, is a basic grasp of reality. The U.S. is beating up on Israel because it can. President Barack Obama isn´t particularly fond of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And the pressure coming from the administration about a building freeze in the Jewish settlements in the territories is generating a certain amount of support in the Arab countries, without costing the Americans anything. No Jewish organization in Washington is going to come out against the president on this issue.

A UK charity has sponsored the launch of a book called Israel apartheid: A beginner's guide. Given that Britain is well on its way to becoming an Islamic country, it's not surprising that they would consider this 'charitable.'

And finally, the Iranian election is making at least some American academics reconsider their positions on dealing with the mullahs and Ahmadinejad. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have gotten through to the Obumbler yet.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:33 AM