Moadim l'Simcha, a happy holiday to all of you. I know that it's been a while since I posted on this blog - finding the time to sit down and write more than 140 characters has been difficult recently because of work. But it's been quiet today and I thought I would post something.
When does no one care if 'Palestinians' die? When they are killed by other 'Palestinians.' I've been saying that for years, but now, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said the same thing - to Russian Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov.
According to the statement, Liberman protested that the UN is ignoring a
number of killings and executions that have happened in recent days
among the Palestinians in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon, as
well as in Gaza.
“The international community’s ignoring dozens
of dead and wounded shows again the hypocrisy and the double standard
that the world employs by ignoring these grave incidents, while on the
other hand condemning Israel’s justified actions against terrorism,” he
said.
Liberman, according to the statement, expects that the
issue of intra-Palestinian killings will be raised at the next meeting
of the UN Security Council.
Who does he think will raise it? Does anyone really care?
Mladenov’s office issued a “no comment” when asked about the phone call.
...
On Saturday, Mladenov issued a statement saying that he was “deeply concerned” by growing tensions in Gaza.
He
said that over the past decade the Palestinians in Gaza “have lived
through four conflicts, with no freedom, unprecedented Israeli
restrictions, a dire humanitarian crisis, high unemployment, an ongoing
electricity crisis and the lack of political perspective.”
Mladenov
called on all Palestinian factions to allow the Palestinian Government
to assume its responsibility in Gaza. “Gaza is an integral part of the
future Palestinian state and no efforts should be spared to bring about
real national reconciliation that ends the division. Leaders have a
responsibility to avoid escalation and bridge the growing divide between
Gaza and the West Bank that further fragments the Palestinian people.”
'Unprecedented Israeli restrictions'? Really? That would be news to East Germans, Hungarians, Czechoslovaks and ordinary Russians.
And which 'Palestinian Government' does Mladenov expect to function in Russia? The one that is in the 12th year of its four-year term? Or the Hamas 'government' which throws its opponents off building roofs?
No, the world doesn't care when 'Palestinians' or other Arabs die - so long as Israel is not involved. That double standard is anti-Semitism - pure and simple.
Deja vu all over again: As Syrians die, 'flotilla' to arrive in 'besieged Gaza' on Wednesday
Bashar al-Assad must be pleased. As millions starve in Aleppo, Syria, the world is focused on a 'flotilla' headed for the 'besieged Gaza Strip,' which is due to arrive on Wednesday evening.
The all women solidarity ship called “Zaytouna” -- meaning "olives" in
Arabic -- is expected to arrive in the besieged Gaza Strip in two days
after setting off from the shores of Barcelona, Spain last month as part
of the larger Freedom Flotilla aimed at disrupting Israel’s nearly
decade-long siege on the small Palestinian territory, according to a
statement released Tuesday by the International Committee for Breaking
the Siege of Gaza.
The committee said that the 13 women
activists on board are set to arrive in the besieged coastal enclave on
Wednesday evening or Thursday morning after traveling for nearly 2,000
miles, if the ship is not obstructed by Israeli naval forces en route to
the shores of Gaza. The committee called upon
international activists to work on conducting media, political, and
popular campaigns to exert pressure on Israel in order to guarantee a
safe arrival for the Zaytouna solidarity ship and the women aboard.
The
Freedom Flotilla initially consisted of another solidarity ship called
“Amal” -- meaning “hope” in Arabic, but according to the committee the
Amal ship would not participate in the solidarity mission after facing
"unforeseen circumstances" that were out of the control of the
organizers.
'Palestinian' media is reporting that the Israeli Navy has been ordered to stop the ship. And the women on board have been whining to the media that they fear an Israeli 'attack.'
The Zaytouna-Oliva, one of two vessels that set sail from Barcelona
in September in a bid to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, expects
to be 100 nautical miles off the shores of the Hamas-ruled area by
Wednesday morning, according to a South African passenger who talked to Agence France Presse on Tuesday. Leigh-Ann Naidoo told AFP, "We are not worried about what Israel plans on doing."
Spokeswoman
Claude Leotic told AFP, "We fear there will be an Israeli attack" to
prevent the boat from reaching Gaza's shores. As in the past, the
Israeli navy is expected to intercept the boat and escort it to the port
of Ashdod, arresting and deporting those on board.
By the way, there are at least two self-proclaimed Israelis on board. Because after all they're starving in Gaza.
Deja vu all over again: Israel charges UN employee with providing aid to Hamas in Gaza
It's been just five days since Israel charged the head of the World Vision charity in Gaza with siphoning off $43 million for Hamas in the last six years.
Now, an employee of the United Nations' Gaza development agency, UNDP, has been charged with aiding Hamas.
Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said 38-year-old Waheed
Borsh has worked as an engineer for UNDP, the U.N. development agency,
for 13 years. It said he was arrested in July and confessed to using his
position to help Hamas.
The Shin Bet said Borsh used UNDP resources last year to build a
jetty for Hamas' naval forces and that he persuaded his managers to
prioritize the reconstruction of houses damaged in conflicts with Israel
in areas where Hamas members lived.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said it has informed U.N. officials of the
arrest and the allegations and expects the U.N. to "take concrete
measures to ensure that humanitarian activities actually assist those in
need in Gaza instead of assisting the terrorist leaders of Hamas."
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said he was
concerned about a "worrying trend of U.N. exploitation by Hamas."
A U.N. spokesman in Jerusalem could not immediately be reached.
Imagine what would happen if Israel didn't have a 'blockade' of Gaza in place.
Flashback video: Mike Pence (2010): 'Mr. President, Whose side are you on?'
This is Mike Pence (R-In), the Republican candidate for Vice President speaking on the House floor shortly after the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010.
Let's go to the videotape. Comment after the video.
Something tells me you won't find a similar video of Tim Kaine (D-Va), the Democratic candidate for Vice President, challenging President Obama's anti-Israel policies.
#FeelTheBern Sanders appoints 3 anti-Israel 'activists' to write Democratic party platform, Wasserman-Schultz appoints another one as chair, and Clinton appoints... Wendy Sherman
The Democratic party has revamped the way it appoints members of its platform committee, apportioning representation based on votes in the primary. As a result, Hillary Clinton has appointed six members of the platform committee, Bernie Sanders has appointed five, and party Chaircritter Debbie Wasserman Schultz ('I wear my support for Israel to work on my sleeve every morning') has appointed four.
One of Sanders' appointees is longtime anti-Israel activist James Zogby.
Sanders’s choices include James Zogby, a pro-Palestinian activist who
is president of the Arab-American Institute in Washington and a
frequent commentator on Arab-Israeli issues.
On Saturday Zogby
noted recent government shifts under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
that consolidated his right-wing power base.
“His behavior has
been shameful, but so too is the extent to which Israelis, Americans and
others continue to enable his malevolent rule,” Zogby wrote.
The Obama administration has “repeatedly expressed displeasure over
Netanyahu’s settlement policies and his blatant interference in US
internal politics. Nevertheless the administration is now debating
whether to reward his government with a 10 year aid package valued at
$35 billion—while Netanyahu, supported by allies in Congress, is
brazenly holding out for $45 to $50 billion,” he wrote. “And so,
operating with virtually no restraints, Netanyahu continues to maneuver
and to aggressively advance his hard-line agenda. He maintains his grip
on power. Israeli society continues to become more extreme and
intolerant. Palestinians are more despairing and desperate. And peace
more remote.”
Other Sanders appointees include two other anti-Israel 'activists' - Cornel West and America's first Muslim Congresscritter, Keith Ellison.
One of Clinton's appointees is Wendy Sherman, the social worker turned nuclear negotiator, who brought us the disastrous nuclear agreements with Iran and North Korea.
And Wasserman Schutlz appointed as Chairman of the Platform Committee Representative Elijah Cummings, another member of the Hamas 54 (along with Ellison) who called for lifting the Gaza 'blockade' and letting Hamas continue to lob rockets at Israel.
You didn't really think there would be a deal between Israel and Turkey, did you?
So after a weekend without WiFi access (did not even turn on the computer), greetings once again from Boston.
To those of you who thought that a deal between Israel and Turkey would happen, this should remove your delusions. Sultan Erdogan is saying that a deal won't happen unless Israel lifts its 'Gaza blockade.'
“What happens in Gaza is unacceptable, the occupation by Israel must
end," Ibrahim Kalın a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Monday.
On Friday, a day after high level
Turkish and Israeli officials met in London, the Turkish Foreign
Ministry issued a statement saying that “The teams made progress toward
finalizing the agreement and closing the gaps, and agreed that the deal
would be finalized in the next meeting which will be convened very
soon.”
In Israel, both the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign
Ministry declined to comment – as they have done for months – on the
talks.
...
Two major obstacles to an agreement are Israel’s demand that Turkey not
house a Hamas command center in Istanbul, and Turkey's demand that
Israel lift its maritime blockade of Gaza.
Israel has made clear
that it does not intend to lift the blockade of Gaza, which it deems
vital for the country's security, although it is apparently willing to
let Turkey ship some humanitarian aid to Gaza.
According to the
Daily Sabah newspaper, another Turkish demand is that Israel let Turkey
dispatch to the area a floating power-generating ship to relieve energy
problems in Gaza. According to the report, Israel did not reject the
idea and is considering it, although there is concern that it would set a
precedent. This idea was first broached already in 2014.
The Turkish newspaper said that the next meeting between the two countries will take place within the next two weeks.
Hey folks - this deal is not going to happen. The 'negotiations' are a charade, probably to keep Obama happy. Get used to it.
It's come to this: Egypt asks Israel to keep Turkey away from Gaza
Egypt is worried - really worried - about the prospect that Turkey will have a role to play in Gaza, and with 'reconciliation talks' between Israel and Turkey ostensibly taking place, the Egyptians have asked Israel to ensure that Turkey will stay away.
Senior officials in Jerusalem told Haaretz that Egypt expressed its reservations regarding granting Turkey a role in the Gaza Strip, and asked whether Israel had committed to any easing of restrictions in the closure imposed on Gaza.
These officials, who asked to remain anonymous due to the delicate diplomatic nature of the issue, stated that what caused the Egyptian government’s displeasure was Israeli media reports from a few weeks ago, according to which a breakthrough had been reached in reconciliation talks with Turkey, as well as reports in the Turkish media that Israel had agreed to take significant steps in easing the maritime siege on Gaza.
Senior Egyptian Foreign Ministry officials met with Israel’s ambassador Haim Koren and asked if these reports were correct and whether Israel and Turkey are indeed close to reconciling. The temporary chargé d’affaires at the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv delivered similar messages in a recent meeting with senior Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem. Egypt expressed its opposition to any Israeli concessions to Turkey with regard to the Gaza Strip.
Egypt has two concerns: Turkey's support for Mohammed Morsy's Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt, and Turkey's close relations with Hamas.
Last week, Erdogan said that as part of the negotiations with Israel over the agreement, Turkey is interested in sending a ship that would arrive directly in Gaza, providing electricity and delivering construction materials. He noted that Israel has told Turkey that it would lift the siege if aid to Gaza goes through Turkey.
Last week, the Turkish Hürriyet Daily News reported that Turkey demanded that Israel grants it “unlimited access” in providing aid to the Gaza Strip. The report noted that senior Turkish officials said that if Israel allows this, Turkey will consider it a fulfillment of its condition that Israel lifts its siege.
Haaretz's Barak Ravid reports that the tensions between Egypt and Turkey are holding up any Israeli reconciliation with Turkey. Well, good.
Israel and Turkey agree to restore diplomatic ties
More than five and a half years after nine Turkish terrorists were killed in a battle with Israeli commandos on the Mavi Marmara, Israel and Turkey have agreed to restore diplomatic ties.
Israel has agreed to set up a compensation fund - unconfirmed reports put it at $20 million - and Turkey will bar Hamas representatives (or at least one Hamas representative) from its borders. The two countries will also exchange ambassadors.
I guess Erdogan is desperate. Really, really desperate.
Tony Blair met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal twice in Doha to discuss ways to end the Gaza siege, the Middle East Eye website has reported, citing unnamed sources.
The website reported on Monday that the pair last met prior to Blair stepping down from his post as the representative of the Quartet of Middle East power brokers in May.
It was reported that they discussed ways to end the Gaza siege,
including the possibility of a rolling ceasefire, and that Blair's
negotiations were being supported by the UK, the United States and the
European Union. Two Arab states and Israel were also reportedly aware of
the discussions.
Though Blair has stepped down from his post with the Quartet, the discussions are reportedly continuing.
Neither the recognition of Israel, nor the decommissioning of Hamas'
arsenal, would be a requirement for any potential deal, the website
reported.
Wonder which two Arab states? I'd bet on Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday, I reported that 'Israeli Arab' MK Basel Ghattas plans to join the flotilla of fools that hopes to run the Gaza 'blockade' later this week and establish a sea route for Hamas weapons.
Senior Likud MK Zeev Elkin says that Ghattas learned that there is no treason that is unacceptable for an 'Israeli Arab' MK from Hanin Zoabi, who joined the Mavi Marmara in 2010, and has not lost her Knesset seat, despite an elections committee decision that she be barred from running.
Now, Zoabi wants to do it again. After all, it just wouldn't be the same without her. But she's not coming along anyway.
The Marianne av Göteborg, is set to depart within the next few days. Three or four other ships have plans to join the Gaza flotilla, but only the Marianne av Göteborg is currently approaching Israel.
Zoabi
penned a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense
Minister Moshe Ya'alon, and made it clear that she wants to join the
flotilla, however she has decided not to do so because she felt that the
last flotilla was not completely effective, stating "unfortunately the Mavi Marmara did not end the blockade in Gaza."
She said that the Mavi Marmara did not succeed 100 percent, and therefore there is a need for more and more flotillas.
Referring
to Israel, Zoabi said there will be "a need to prosecute those
responsible politically and militarily for the situation in Gaza" if the
blockade remains in place.
"Israel is in control of the
situation, and is responsible according to international law. Those in
Israel cannot expect to live a normal life when the occupation and the
siege goes on in Gaza."
Maybe she's afraid her Knesset immunity won't protect her from IDF responses to an act of war.
A new flotilla of fools may be heading toward Gaza at the end of the month, threatening a repeat of the Mavi Marmara incident three years ago in which IDF soldiers were attacked with deadlyweapons and killed ten Turkish IHH terrorists in response. This is from the first link.
"Freedom Flotilla 3,"
a maritime challenge to Israel's legal naval blockade on the coastal
enclave of Gaza which is controlled by the Hamas terrorist organization,
is preparing to embark in the final week of June and threatens to
potentially cause a flare-up like the infamous 2010 Mavi Marmara.
Mazen Kahil, head of the European Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza, told the Hamas journal Palestine on Saturday that the flotilla ships are currently in the Mediterranean Sea.
The ships are waiting to join the Swedish ship Marianne, which
recently anchored in Italy, on the open sea and from there continue as a
unified group towards Gaza, where they intend to confront the Israeli
Navy - potentially with lethal force as was seen in the Marmara.
Kahil detailed that senior public figures,including former Tunisian PresidentMuncef
Marzouki, members of the European Parliament, journalists, athletes,
artists, as well as radical leftist Israelis will be on board.
He claimed that symbolic humanitarian materials will be loaded on
board the ships to demand Gaza's naval entry be opened - despite the
fact that Israel is allowing hundreds of truckloads of humanitarian and
construction materials to enter Gaza border crossings every day, even as
Hamas rebuilds its terror tunnels for the next round of fighting.
The equipment to be loaded on the ships include solar receptors, children's medicines and medical equipment.
Leaders of the flotilla estimate that Israel will once again block
the naval breach and defend its maritime blockade, but they expressed
optimism that they would be able to eventually reach Gaza and open a
water route for Hamas that Israel has warned would serve as a port for
Iran on the Mediterranean.
In the Mavi Marmara incident, the IDF waited way too long to get the word out on what happened, but when they did get the word out, they did it well. If this happens again, we can only hope they will get the word out faster (hint, hint).
If you're grossed out by the picture above, don't follow this link, because you will see several more like it. And if you're not grossed out by it, you will be when I tell you what it is. It's the corpse of a baboon that starved to death at the Gaza zoo. It's part of a puff piece at the London Daily Mail that blames Israel for the fact that the Gaza zoo has inadequate veterinary care and inadequate supplies, and therefore most of its animals have starved to death.
What the Mail doesn't tell you is how the zoo was used during Operation Cast Lead during 2008-09. That was entirely Hamas' doing.
Let's go to the videotape.
But of course, if they showed you that video, it would ruin the spin that the state of Gaza's zoo is Israel's fault.... Media bias.... It's everywhere....
Hamas is seething over the closure of Israel's crossing points into Gaza in response to rocket fire by the terror organization on Friday. The crossings are closed indefinitely (except for humanitarian emergencies).
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouq early Sunday condemned an
Israeli decision to close crossings into Gaza, calling it "collective
punishment."
"The justifications given by the (Israeli) occupation to shut down crossings are unacceptable," Abu Marzouq said in a statement.
He also criticized the Palestinian Authority for what he called a failure to arrange the entry of goods into Gaza.
"Where
does the PA come in regarding this Israeli closure? And where does it
come in regarding its responsibilities, especially after PA employees
have resumed work at Gaza crossings?"
He said Israel's decision to close the crossings violated international laws and conventions.
Instead
of closing the crossings, he said Israel should establish more
crossings in order to allow for greater freedom of movement for people
and goods in and out of Gaza.
Israeli authorities on Saturday
announced that the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings would be closed until
further notice, following reports that a projectile fired from Gaza
landed in Israel overnight Friday without causing damage or injuries.
They said exceptions would be made for humanitarian emergencies.
Funny how one doesn't hear the 'Palestinian Authority' protesting too much, isn't it?
Hamas' Marzouk threatens new war if 'blockade' is not lifted
In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Hamas deputy politburo leader Moussa Abu Marzouk threatened another war with Israel if the 'blockade' of the Gaza Strip is not lifted. The current truce expires next Thursday. Israel refuses to lift the 'blockade' from its side unless Hamas is disarmed. And no one is even asking about lifting the 'blockade' from the Egyptian side.
The
deputy leader of Hamas, Moussa Abu Marzouk, insisted Thursday that
Hamas won the war, despite the apparent military setbacks.
He
said his group's popularity among Palestinians has increased and that
it would likely defeat Abbas and his Fatah movement if elections were
held today.
Early
this month, a survey conducted by a prominent West Bank pollster found a
significant increase in support for Hamas after the war.
Abu Marzouk warned that failure to negotiate a new Gaza deal and a lifting of the blockade would "lead to another war."
"We
don't want that, and the Israelis, I guess, don't like to see that
(war) again," he said in halting English, speaking in an office in a
Gaza City high-rise overlooking the Mediterranean.
Abu
Marzouk, the deputy of exiled Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal, said the
people of Gaza lived in a difficult situation before the war as a result
of the blockade.
"We
can't put the Palestinians after the war in the same situation," said
Abu Marzouk, who has lived in Egypt for the past three years but has
visited Gaza several times. "They (the Israelis) have to change their
policy."
There are a lot of people in Israel who would love another crack at finishing Hamas off. Hmmm.
Turkey and Norway - two of the most anti-Semitic countries on earth today outside of the Arab world - are offering to pay for a Gaza seaport through which Hamas can bring unlimited weapons.
Turkey and Norway have expressed their willingness in principle to
operate a seaport in the Hamas enclave of Gaza, according to the
Palestinian delegation in Cairo.
According to a report in Israel Today, the government
in Ankara has already announced its intention to send to Gaza over 3,000
prefabricated houses to be quickly assembled, accommodating local Arab
families whose homes were destroyed during Operation Protective Edge.
The seaport proposal gives international credence to Hamas's
unprecedented demands for unlimited transportation and import access.
The terror group has already demanded an international airport in Gaza, a
demand which has been categorically denied thus far in the negotiating
process due to its security threat on Israel.
Turkish Prime Minister and newly elected President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has become an increasingly vocal supporter of Hamas, and has
heavily criticized Israel since Operation Protective Edge began 35 days
ago.
Indeed, Erdogan's country has reportedly become Hamas's lead sponsor since 2013.
...
Norway, meanwhile, called on Israel as an "occupier" to show "restraint"
in the escalation leading up to the current conflict, claiming that
reacting to the rain of rocket fire on Israel would be violating
international law.
“As the occupying power in the West Bank, Israel has a special responsibility under international law," Foreign Minister Borge Brende charged in July. "Neither
statements of its intent to step up its settlement policy in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem, which is in violation of international law, nor
major offensives against Gaza are the way forward."
Israel agrees to open Gaza border crossings... with a big BUT
The 'Palestinian' Maan news agency is reporting that Israel has agreed to reopen the Gaza crossing points to unrestricted trade.
Israel has agreed to lift travel and import restrictions on Gaza, Egyptian sources told Palestinian news agency Ma'an Thursday - including the naval blockade and border crossing restrictions.
But Maan left out one small point.
However, according to the source material - in Al Quds Al-Arabi - Israel's
main condition for Hamas is the total demilitarization of Gaza -
something Hamas is unlikely to accept. Moreover, among Hamas's
unprecedented demands are a seaport and airport, conditions both Egypt
and Israel are unlikely to accept.
Mohammed Deif: 'Our soldiers run toward martyrdom like yours flee from death'
Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif broadcast a message to Israel on Tuesday night on Hamas' al-Aqsa television network. In addition to the message in the title, he said that there would be no cease fire until the 'siege' of Gaza is lifted, and there would be 'no compromise.'
Let's go to the videotape.
Apparently, those 'brave warriors' who are 'running toward martyrdom' do not include the Hamas leadership, which continues to hide in the basement of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.
IHH sending another terror flotilla, this time accompanied by the Turkish military
The IHH terror organization - the same group that organized the 2010 'freedom flotilla' that ended in nine dead during an Israeli navy raid on the Mavi Marmara - says it is organizing another flotilla designed to break Israel's 'blockade' on Gaza, but this one will be protected by the Turkish military.
IHH chairman Bulent Yildrim was quoted by The Middle East Monitor as
telling Gulf Online last week that the activists would set sail as soon
as they receive the necessary permit from the authorities in Ankara
and that the Turkish military would provide protection to the ship.
Diplomatic officials said Jerusalem was following the reports
carefully, but stressed that it was not clear whether the flotilla would
ultimately set sail.
So far there has only been a declaration of intent, with no firm date set, one official said.
Harold Rhode, a senior fellow at the New-York-based Gatestone Institute
and a former adviser at the in the office of the American defense
secretary on Islamic affairs, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview
on Sunday that the real issue in the ongoing conflict is that Turkey
and Qatar are supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas in their
goals.
“[Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has been associated with
the Muslim Brotherhood long before he was prime minister,” Rhode said.
It should now be clear to all that Erdogan “is now out of the bag,”
Rhode said, adding that US President Barack Obama does not speak to the
Turkish leader anymore despite previously describing him as one of his
closest friends among the world’s leaders.
“Erdogan is doing whatever he can to help Hamas,” he said, asserting that it will only hurt the Palestinian people in the end.
Sorry but I'm nowhere near as optimistic as Rhode. I don't know whether Obama still talks to Erdogan or not, but the bottom line is that the United States has been serving Turkish interests in the 'cease fire' negotiations. As far as I'm concerned that's all that counts.
They may not have homes to which to return but Ismail Haniyeh and his friends are still trying to set conditions for a 'cease fire' - ten of them in fact in return for ten years of quiet (they might ever...) - rather than just accepting one unconditionally (link in Hebrew).
1. Israel to move its tanks away from the border and allow 'Palestinian' farmers to work land along the 'security fence.'
2. Free all terrorists arrested after the kidnapping and murder of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach HY"D (May God Avenge their blood), including those released as part of the terrorists for Gilad (Shalit) deal, and ease up on the conditions of 'Palestinian' terrorists in Israeli prisons, including Jerusalem residents and 'Israeli Arabs.'
3. Open the borders of Gaza and allow goods and materials to pass freely, including building materials (used to build bunkers and rockets) and anything necessary to operate Gaza's power plant.
4. Establish a seaport and an airport (they used to have one until Israel had to destroy it at the beginning of the intifadeh) under the supervision of the United Nations.
5. Widen the fishing zone to 10 kilometers from the shore, and allow the use of larger boats to transport goods.
6. Turn the Rafah border crossing into an international crossing to be operated by the United Nations and friendly Arab nations (CiJ comment - Presumably not including Egypt. This is not within Israel's power to decide).
7. International monitors to monitor borders and Israel is forbidden to overfly Gaza. (You mean like EUBAM was in control and fled?).
8. Ease the granting of approvals to pray at al-Aqsa mosque (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem.
9. Refrain from interfering in the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation.
10. Re-establishment of industrial zones (to replace what they destroyed) and improvement of development conditions in the Gaza Strip.
In the meantime, Hamas has announced that it has developed a new rocket, the Ahmed Yassin. No, it doesn't blow up sitting in a wheelchair. Hamas claims it has a range of 180 kilometers and that it carries a particularly large payload.
Peace is at hand!
UPDATE 2:48 PM
JPost and Arutz Sheva now reporting this story, as is Channel 2 television. JPost is reporting that the proposal was presented on al-Jazeera Arabic by Azmi Bishara. Bishara, who fled Israel and now lives in Qatar, suggests that Turkey and Qatar would be better mediators than Egypt, which he claims has too many shared interests with Israel.
How is it that the Mossad has not knocked off Bishara yet? Hmmm.
Why Barack Obama shares in the blame... and so does Hillary Clinton
Yesterday, a Facebook friend in the US whom I have known since he was born (almost literally) wrote the following (I am purposely not linking it and not giving his name and I will delete any comment that names him).
Today
is a terrible day in the long history of the Jewish people confronted
by enemies committed to the age old statement of Haman seeking to
eradicate the Jewish people. But let's stay focused on who is that
enemy and who it is not. This has nothing to do with President Barack
Obama.
Sorry D, but that's dead wrong. Here's Noah Pollak in a brilliant article to explain why.
The murder of the teens and the rocket fire from
Gaza are, of course, entirely the fault of Hamas. But it would be taking
too narrow a view of the situation not to consider the way over the
past five years the Obama administration has shaped the environment in
which these events are unfolding.
A few examples: Israeli intelligence believes the Hamas cell that carried out the abduction was run by a Hamas leader who lives openly
in Turkey. The Erdogan regime has, of course, made Turkey a comfortable
haven for anti-Israel terrorists, allowing weapons smuggling to
Hezbollah, staging the terror flotilla to Gaza in 2010, hosting (and
feting) Hamas leaders, and so on. Obama's protest? None. In fact, a few
years ago Obama said that Erdogan was his favorite Middle East leader,
and Obama over the years has offered nothing but lavish public praise
for Erdogan.
Another example: The Obama administration has
consistently adopted policies whose effect is to make Hamas rule in Gaza
easier. One of the first foreign policy moves the administration
made—you can read all about it in Hillary Clinton's Hard Choices,
where she writes earnestly and proudly about her involvement—was to
pressure Israel to weaken its blockade on Gaza after Operation Cast
Lead, the short war that ended days before Obama's inauguration in 2009.
Every dollar of aid provided to Gaza is a dollar freed up for Hamas to
spend on terrorizing Israelis—and the Obama administration for five
years has been insistent on Gaza receiving substantial aid, and Israel
relaxing its blockade. Clinton and Obama pushed through another
loosening of the Gaza blockade after Operation Pillar of Defense in
2012.
Yet another example: The Obama administration,
including Secretaries Clinton and Kerry, has always insisted that the
U.S. taxpayer should continue funding the Palestinian Authority even if
it forms a "unity government" with Hamas, which after many years of
trying was finally consummated last month. The Obama administration even
coached the Palestinians on how to organize the new unity government so
that the administration would be able to claim that it does not violate
a 2006 law forbidding the funding of exactly such a PA (instead of
Hamas terrorists receiving ministerial positions in the Palestinian
Authority, there are Hamas-approved "technocrats" occupying the
ministries—i.e., cutouts who do the bidding of Hamas).
And thus, with Hamas and Fatah joined in an
Obama-approved unity government that will continue receiving hundreds of
millions of dollars a year in U.S. funding, we arrive at the events of
the past three weeks—the increased rocket fire, the abduction and murder
of the teenagers, and, of course, the administration's admonition that
Israel not respond to events the administration itself has played a role
in bringing about
And all the while the Obama administration insists
on its "unshakable commitment to Israel's security," a phrase invoked
with repetitive meaninglessness. The most important part of that
commitment is being a source of moral clarity on days like today, and
treating an ally like an ally, instead of a problem that must be
contained. The administration has failed on both counts.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
