It starts: Mayor of Ashkelon bans Arab workers from schools
It took a little longer than I thought, but good evening from 31,000 feet above the Atlantic. According to my trusty map, we are just about due south of Newfoundland right now, heading across 'the pond.' Air travel in the modern age is quite bizarre. First, we pulled away from the gate and they announced that we have a half hour hold because otherwise we will show up in London before their curfew ends at 6:00 am (you can't land at Heathrow before 6:00). And now we're going over 740 miles an hour and it keeps going up. I don't recall ever going more than a few miles per hour faster than 700....
In the wake of Tuesday's terror attack in Jerusalem, Ashkelon Mayor Itamar Shimoni has banned all Arab workers from his city's schools. 'Temporarily' of course. Here's what it gets rich: The workers were building shelters to
protect the kids from Hamas' rocket fire from Gaza. As you might imagine, the Left is seething....
The mayor explained that the increased presence of Arab workers in
close proximity to educational institutions is potentially harmful to
residents' security, and therefore their employment will stop until the
tense security situation improves.
The contractor which performs the work in the schools in the city is
employed by the Defense Ministry, and it should be noted that the work carried out in Ashkelon is done by Israeli Arabs and not by Arabs living
in Judea and Samaria.
The decision angered Meretz MK Issawi Frej, who accused Shimoni of "racism of the lowest kind.”
“Under the poor excuse of a 'sense of security', Shimoni wishes to
make the city of Ashkelon clean of Arabs and contaminate it with
anti-Semitic racism,” charged Frej. “I call on Interior Minister Gilad
Erdan and on the Chairman of the Local Government Center, Haim Bibas, to
publicly condemn Shimoni and ask him to reconsider his decision with
all its consequences."
The decision was also condemned by the President of the Israel Democracy Institute, former Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner.
But Shimoni was also condemned by Labor MK Nachman Shai of the 'sane' Left, as well as by Ofer Shelach of Yesh Atid, which is in the coalition (one has to wonder for how long). Here's guessing that Shimoni's decision will stand, at least for now. And here's hoping that every neighborhood in Jerusalem makes the same decision.
Labels: Ashkelon, Gilad Erdan, Labor party, London Heathrow Airport, Meretz, Nachman Shai, Ofer Shelah, Palestinian terrorism, personal stuff, racism, Yesh Atid party
Even Leftist MK's now want Netanyahu to pound Hamas
Even MK's on the Left have had it with Hamas at this point. They want Prime Minister Netanyahu to
shoot now and talk later.
Even MKs on the Left pushed Netanyahu to use more force. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) said the prime minister’s job was to provide security and complete quiet to residents of the South.
“If as Netanyahu said, Hamas has been vanquished, he should reach a diplomatic deal under the best terms possible for Israel,” Herzog said. “But if the government will surrender in order to bring about a fake quiet like we had until today, it would prove that it is a weak government that has failed.”
Labor MK Nachman Shai said Netanyahu should end negotiations with Hamas.
“No more talking, shoot,” Shai said. “That is the only language Hamas understands.”
But Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri (Yesh Atid) warned against recapturing the Gaza Strip.
Israel had no desire to control the Palestinians who live there, he said.
As to that last comment (and he's both in the government and a former Shin Bet chief), well maybe. But I think an awful lot of us would be happy if those who cannot live in peace with us would just get up and move elsewhere. Maybe Obama wants them.
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Nachman Shai, Operation Protective Edge, Yitzchak Herzog
MK's deliver withering criticism of Kerry
Some of the
criticism of US Secretary of State John FN Kerry from Israeli MK's is positively withering. They say that the United States harmed Israel's interests.
“America harmed its allies in Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority by ignoring their demands and coming to the table with a plan that was not approved or even semi-approved by any of them," said Agriculture Minister Yair Shamir (Yisrael Beytenu). "Maybe it’s because they have a problem with the regime in Egypt and they thought that by going through Turkey and Qatar, they’d be seen as an honest broker. But instead, they lost the allies that they had and didn’t get any new ones. Kerry lost credibility in the eyes of everyone, and the president ended up undermining him.”
Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely said Israel must reject Obama’s cease-fire proposal, which she said only serves the interests of Hamas. She said the government of Israel must change the rules of the game in the Gaza Strip and defeat Hamas.
Her Likud colleague Danny Danon called upon Obama and his government to "cease firing at Israel."
"We need to withstand the exorbitant pressure that is put on us and deal with the interests of Israel," he said. "Would America cease fire on al-Qaida when it is being attacked? John Kerry is disconnected from reality and ignores the security concerns of Israel.”
MK Eli Yishai (Shas) said “The security of the citizens of Israel must come before our relations with the United States." He said that although Israel owed much to America, "that obligation cannot come at the expense of Israel’s future.”
The criticism of America's handling of the cease-fire proposal also came from the Left side of the political map.
“America has displayed a shameful lack of elementary understanding of how the Middle East works," said Hatnua faction chairman Meir Sheetrit, who ran for president last month. "No matter what America says, it is forbidden to end the war as long as there is a threat of tunnels and rockets. I hope our friends in the US and Europe won’t get in the way by insisting on an immediate ceasefire. The free world must support Israel, not weaken it, and I hope our friends in the US give us their backing.”
MK Nachman Shai (Labor) said Obama’s demand to stop the fighting prevents Israel from maximizing its military and public diplomacy achievements. He said he doubted America's ability to demilitarize Gaza and prevent future war there.
But there were also voices on the Left praising the US and attacking Netanyahu and his government.
Wow. I cannot remember the United States coming under attack by an ally like this. And I cannot remember the United States attacking an ally like this either. The attacks on Kerry are well-deserved.
Messianic? This is beyond Messianic.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Danny Danon, Eli Yishai, John Kerry, Nachman Shai, Operation Protective Edge, Tzipi Hotovely
Canceled!
In the aftermath of the
Hamas-Fatah unity deal, Israel has canceled '
peace talks' that were scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud-Beytenu) said that the PA
“once again has exposed the true unity of purpose between the hamas
terrorists and the Fatah leaders – the annihilation of the Jewish
state.”
"One should not be surprised that those who refuse to even discuss
recognition of the Jewish state in any borders whatsoever, and pays huge
salaries to Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israelis and are doing
time in Israeli jails, finally found his natural place in the warm
embrace of the Hamas murderers.”
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Likud-Beytenu) said that PA head
Mahmoud Abbas “needs to decide if he wants to make peace, and if so –
with whom. One cannot make peace both with Israel and Hamas, a terror
organization that calls for the annihilation of Israel.
"The signing of an agreement on a unity government of Fatah and Hamas
is also the signing of the end of negotiations between Israel and the
PA,” he declared.
...
Jewish Home chairman, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, stated that
“Hamas will continue to send terrorists to murder Jews and Abu Mazen
[Abbas] willl continue to demand their release. Whoever thought of Abu
Mazen as a partner needs to recalculate his route.”
“The agreement joining Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad puts the Middle
East in a new era,” Bennett added. “The PA has become the largest
terror body in the world, just 20 minutes from Tel Aviv. Just as the US
does not talk to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Qaeda, Israel has to state
clearly: no talks with terrorists.”
Does Bennett mean to imply that the 'Palestinian Authority' was anything but a terror organization before this happened?
In the meantime, one of our useful idiots is more bothered by the fact that the IAF
responded to rocket strikes while shortly after the agreement was being signed.
MK Nachman Shai (Labor) said that it was a “serious mistake, in time and
location,” to send the IAF to strike in Gaza while fatah and Hamas were
signing an agreement. “Any action of this nature will be seen as an
attempt to torpedo the Palestinian reconciliation and will present
Israel again as tripping up any chance of an accord.”
Why shouldn't Israel try to trip up a reconciliation between terror organizations?
JPost has comments from
another useful idiot.
On the left, Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu pushed Abbas toward Hamas and then asked the PA
president to choose between Hamas and Israel.
"This request goes
against Israeli interests. Any reconciliation between Gaza and the West
Bank is necessary, as long as any agreement between Abbas and Israel
includes Hamas, which would include the end of violence [from Gaza],"
she explained.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Avigdor Lieberman, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Nachman Shai, Naftali Bennett, Palestinian Authority, Zeev Elkin, Zehava Gal-On
Knesset speaker blasts US hypocrisy for refusing to release Pollard
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, a former prisoner of conscience in the Soviet Union, has
blasted the United States government for its hypocrisy in refusing to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.
Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud Beytenu) assailed Washington
for “hypocrisy,” saying that “this is a severe case and I hope this is
the iceberg rather than the tip of the iceberg. Otherwise, this case is
liable to do damage to our relations with the US.”
“For 28 years,
the US administration has been preaching to Israel about the danger and
the lack of trust that results from spying on allies and today it turns
out the shoe is on the other foot,” the speaker said. “There is no other
way to characterize it other than hypocrisy.”
Edelstein wasn't the only senior Israeli politician to take a swipe at the United States.
"The secret is out,” Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said on
Sunday. “The US is systematically spying on the defense and diplomatic
leadership here in Israel. Is this how friends treat each other?”
“Pollard
was arrested for much less,” Katz said. “I plan on proposing in today’s
cabinet meeting that Israel demand an American statement vowing to put
an end to the surveillance and to immediately release Pollard in light
of the most recent revelations.”
Bayit Yehudi MK Ayelet Shaked,
who heads the parliamentary lobby devoted to advancing the cause of
Pollard’s release, said on Sunday that “the most recent revelations
about spying and surveillance by the US against its ally needs to light a
red light of morality for any logical person.”
“There needs to be
reciprocity in any relationship between countries,” Shaked said. “It is
inconceivable that while Pollard has been rotting in an American prison
for decades for spying, which was considered an unforgivable crime by
the American government, we are now informed that the US has been spying
against Israel, and this is just swept under the rug.”
And it wasn't just coalition MK's who spoke out.
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog told Israel Radio that he hopes
Snowden's revelations will lead to new thinking by the Israeli
government about how to bring about Pollard's release in an effective
manner.
"There needs to be new thinking because the time has come," Herzog said.
...
Labor MK Nachman Shai, who heads the Knesset Caucus on US-Israel
Relations, called for a special meeting of the Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee to discuss the American espionage.
He said that Israel has not spied on the US since Pollard was caught in 1985.
“The silence of Israeli officials following these reports is disappointing and shameful,” Shai said.
“We
cannot let such revelations pass quietly. Like Germany and Brazil, we
should ask the US for clarification, or at least confirmation that such
spying has stopped.”
And in case you've forgotten why Pollard's sentence is so ridiculous:
Pollard has already spent 28 years of the life sentence in a federal prison for passing classified information to an ally.
No
one else in the history of the United States has ever received a life
sentence for this offense, whose median time served is two to four
years.
It's time to free Pollard.
Labels: Ayelet Shaked, Edward Snowden, Jonathan Pollard, Nachman Shai, spying, Yisrael Katz, Yitzchak Herzog, Yuli Edelstein
Labor MK: Boycott Obama's speech
When I made aliya in 1991, Nachman Shai had one of the most recognized voices in the country. Shai, who was the IDF spokesman, was tasked with broadcasting
nachash tzefa (poisonous snake) warnings of incoming Iraqi SCUD missiles during the First Gulf War.
Today, Shai is a Knesset member from the Leftist Labor party. That's why it's a bit of a surprise to hear him coming out with a call for a
boycott of President Obama's speech on Thursday.
“Following the decision not to invite students
from Ariel to the US President’s speech in Israel, I demand that the
Student Union inform President Obama that they will not attend his
lecture on Thursday,” Shai wrote on his Facebook wall.
The US Embassy said it was not boycotting
Ariel University, located in the eponymous settlement deep inside the
West Bank, but rather was only offering tickets to the speech to schools
with which it has a partnership.
Ariel became a university last year after a highly contested political fight.
But Shai said the US was boycotting Ariel students because of where they study.
“It is shocking to think that you can
disqualify students just because they learn in the West Bank. I do not
understand how President Obama wants to conduct a dialogue with the
Israeli public when he is consciously excluding part of it,” he said.
Of course, he's right. We are constantly being lectured by our own Left and by the Obama administration about how one must make peace with enemies. I would not call the students of Ariel enemies of the US (although I'm sure many of them don't like Obama personally), but I have to wonder how the President plans to influence the Israeli public if he's going to exclude people whom he sees as likely to disagree with him.
I really hope that the speech has a question and answer period and that the students take the opportunity to nail him while they can. If you're a student at one of the universities and are going to the speech, I may be able to help you come up with some good questions.
Labels: Ariel University, Barack Hussein Obama, Nachman Shai
Iranian representative speaks at NATO conference
Knesset Members Arieh Elad (National Union) and Nachman Shai (Kadima) walked out of a NATO Parliamentary Assembly Seminar this week, after a representative of the
Iranian government was asked to speak.
“It was an insult to the international community, NATO and Israel to invite Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Hani to speak,” Shai told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. “A state that acts against peace and stability should not have the privilege of speaking at such an event.”
"Representatives of Israel will not listen to a representative of a state that calls to wipe Israel from the map,” Eldad said in a statement. The National Union MK added that the Iranian diplomat should have listed ways to destroy Israel in his speech to the NATO event, which was focused on the Middle East and North Africa.
Shai said that he heard from other delegates that Hani said “interesting things” in his speech on Monday.
The Iranian diplomat reportedly discussed the importance of “human dignity, rule of law, justice and respect for different communities,” Shai said. He also called for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons.
“The Canadian representative said to me that he wasted half-an-hour, and couldn’t believe anything the Iranian said,” the Kadima MK added.
“I think that by leaving the conference, we made [the other countries] feel embarrassed about inviting Iran, which was the right thing to do,” Shai said.
What is wrong with these morons in the 'international community'? Do they really believe that we are Iran's only target?
Labels: Arieh Eldad, Iran, Nachman Shai, NATO
Glenn Beck coming to Israel in July
For those of you who still question where Glenn Beck's true sympathies lie (I see you in the comments all the time), please consider this: The Knesset's Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee has
asked Beck to come to Israel to testify about delegitimization.
Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee chair MK Danny Danon (Labor) invited Beck, a Fox News and radio host and an outspoken supporter of Israel, to address the committee on how to recruit friends of Israel in the US to defend Israel’s right to exist.
“When we face an international wave of hatred of Israel and Jews – which is expressed in Facebook pages and films calling for our destruction – it’s good that Israel has talented friends that can contribute to our public-relations efforts,” Danon said.
The Labor MK added that the July 11 committee meeting with Beck will focus on September’s UN General Assembly, where the Palestinian Authority has said it will unilaterally declare statehood.
“September isn’t just a crisis,” Danon explained. “It’s an opportunity to explain to the world that we are not occupying anything.”
MK Nachman Shai (Kadima) criticized Danon’s “impressive use of his committee for his own political needs.
“Danon is deviating from his mandate [as chairman of the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee] in a way that I think is problematic,” Shai, a former Army Radio commander and Israel Broadcasting Authority chairman, said.
“The Diaspora is something specific. It means Jewish communities, not ‘abroad’ in general,” he added. “The Immigration Committee shouldn’t be discussing hasbara.
“I wouldn’t say no to Beck, I would be happy to host him,” Shai added, “but I don’t understand what he’s doing in the Knesset Immigration Committee."
Beck is also planning to meet with
12-year old Tamar Fogel.
Labels: Danny Danon, Glenn Beck, Nachman Shai, Tamar Fogel
J Street causes a schism in Kadima
Kadima is a party that's known for being so wide open that their brains could fall out of their head. But with four of its MK's speaking at the J Street conference that opens in Washington on Saturday (when else?), a lot of party members are worried they will be connected with an organization that is
doing damage to Israel.
MKs Nachman Shai, Yoel Hasson, Shlomo Molla and Orit Zuaretz of Kadima will address the conference, along with Labor MKs Amir Peretz and Daniel Ben-Simon. J Street tried unsuccessfully to get more senior Israeli politicians to come, including the most dovish minister in the cabinet, Intelligence Services Minister Dan Meridor (Likud).
J Street angered MKs across the political spectrum when it refused to oppose the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, a position that precipitated the Israeli Embassy’s decision not to participate in the conference. Though J Street had hoped the resolution wouldn’t come to a vote and that some of the language would be altered, it objected to the US vetoing a resolution in line with long-standing American policy against settlement construction.
Kadima MKs said they were also upset with J Street for undermining the international effort to prevent the nuclearization of Iran, criticizing the IDF’s handling of the Gaza flotilla and Israel’s Gaza policy, and helping facilitate a visit to Capitol Hill by Judge Richard Goldstone, whose UN-sponsored report accused Israel of committing war crimes during Operation Cast Lead.
“I have my own criticism of the current government, but there have to be limits, and this organization is doing tremendous damage to Israel,” said Kadima MK Ze’ev Bielski, a former Jewish Agency chairman.
“J Street may have good intentions and think they want what is best for Israel, but when they oppose an American president vetoing an anti-Israel resolution at the Security Council and take a hostile position against our naval commandos who were trying to save their lives from goons who wanted to kill them on the flotilla, they cross red lines,” he declared.
MK Shai Hermesh added that he could do his job of trying to topple the government while in Israel, but when he went abroad, he wouldn’t cooperate with any organization that worked against the Israeli government.
“It is too bad that some of my colleagues do not understand the danger of supporting an organization that is working against Israel,” Hermesh said.
Isn't a party leader supposed to prevent things like this from happening? I wonder whether they even asked her approval. Hmmm.
Labels: J Street, Kadima, Nachman Shai, Orit Zuaretz, Shlomo Molla, Tzipi Livni, Yoel Hasson
