The Ceasefire

After the Pillar of Defense ceasefire, many now understand what we understood after the Zo Artzeinu demonstrations: The Israeli crisis is not on the continuum between Right and Left. It is on the continuum between Israelis and their Jewish identity.

We knew exactly where the Oslo Accords would lead. The huge amount of people who answered Zo Artzeinu's calls and blocked traffic in the entire country understood the reality. Ultimately, we succeeded in electing the Right to rule - against all odds. But Zo Artzeinu refused to politically "cash in" on the tremendous public credit that it had accrued. We understood that the Right also had no solution and that it was also incapable of getting off the Oslo track.

Everyone is angry at Netanyahu now for agreeing to the ceasefire. But Netanyahu's predicament is a precise reflection of post-Oslo Israeli society. If Netanyahu had ordered a ground invasion of Gaza, soldiers would have been killed. After a short period of time, he would have pulled the troops out of Gaza without significant achievements.After all, he had no intention of remaining. The retreat after many more fatalities would have ignited much more virulent criticism.

Read More:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/12498#.ULUWs2cWSyU

Anti-Semitic Qatar casts a giant shadow.

It is bad enough that a small country like Israel has to contend with the likes of Qatar and their fellow travelers in the Arab world, but to have them embraced by the ruling elites in the US and Europe increases the danger to Israel exponentially.

 

“Qatar is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser ‎extent, forced prostitution. [They] voluntarily migrate ‎to Qatar as low-skilled laborers and domestic servants, but some subsequently face conditions ‎of involuntary servitude."These conditions include threats of serious physical or financial harm; ‎withholding of pay; charging workers for benefits for which the employer is responsible; ‎restrictions on freedom of movement, including the confiscation of passports, travel ‎documents, and the withholding of exit permits; arbitrary detention; threats of legal action and ‎deportation; threats of filing false charges against the worker; and physical, mental, and sexual ‎abuse.
 

Read More:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/12502#.ULUU5mcWSyU

France to Back PA’s 'State' Bid, Britain Unsure

France will vote in favor of the Palestinian Authority’s bid for “non-member observer state” status at the United Nations, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told parliament, according to the AFP news agency.

Israeli sources said the French decision “comes as no surprise.”

Read More:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162596#.ULUUH2cWSyU

Israeli KGB

The KGB has staged a comeback in Russia and is active abroad. 

A Danish correspondent who spent many years in Russia—where he was obviously recruited by the KGB, as most other pro-Russian journalists are—published unnecessarily explosive anti-Islamic caricatures and announced plans to reprint Holocaust caricatures from an Iranian newspaper. He even declared that Muslims should learn to accept insults in democracies. That’s a classic KGB provocation.

Russia sells weapons to Iran and supports it in the UN, and aids just about every anti-American force in the world. The KGB has returned to the communist strategy of peripheral conflicts with America and its allies: Russia, though generally anti-Islamist, supports Hamas and Iran. The KGB has established a firm grip over the Russian economy, particularly oil and gas exports, to finance its endeavors. The KGB was mainly a political police before, but has become a for-profit corporation with its own political and business interests.

 Putin’s Russia is a modern East India company on grand scale. The KGB stops at nothing to further its aims. Minor political assassinations at home and abroad and corporate robbery of unfriendly oligarchs do not count. The KGB blew up several buildings in Moscow to blame on Chechens and start the war; Sept. 11 was modeled on those bombings.

The KGB established full control over the Russian media and, in the proven communist manner, left decidedly insignificant media (Russian Internet) free to vent dissent.
Israel was made in Russia’s image. Stalin, a wise monster, knew that the Jews who established a totalitarian communist empire would build its likeness in the Middle East—and backed Israel.

Since their inception, Mossad and Shabak were leftist domains. They didn’t admit the right-wingers and stalked right-wing politicians. Both still hunt the right-wingers; Shabak specializes in installing agents-provocateurs. The security agencies use the license to root out Islamic insurgents to operate against the Jews beyond public control; Shabak’s “Jewish section” applies the refined methods of anti-terrorist operations to conservative Jewish groups. Both Mossad and Shabak have created vast economic empires (Shabak largely with the Palestinians, Mossad farther away).

Israeli security services long ago developed their own political agenda and preferences. They killed prominent Jewish politicians: Kahane, Rabin, Ze’evi, and likely Sharon, and won’t hesitate to impose their will on Israeli society. They might not ignore the tempting example of the KGB’s takeover of Russia.

Jews are hard to spot - Obadiah Shoher

The current procedure of Jewish marriage is doomed. 

Both Israel and the Diaspora countries have abandoned public records on religion. To verify whether a prospective spouse is Jewish is almost impossible. Until the early twentieth century, births and marriages were registered at synagogues. For the last century, the events have been registered in secular institutions; very few Jews maintained religious registration.

In Israel, officiating rabbis seek any ad hoc confirmation of the prospective spouses’ Jewishness: Jewish-sounding names of grandparents, old registration papers, stuff like that. These papers can be forged, and are forged very often.

In America, there’s no way to verify your secular spouse’s Jewishness whatsoever. Her parents came from different countries, their documents are either lost or could be forged, and foreign grandparents are untraceable. Synagogue records are worthless: anyone can attend even Orthodox shuls, to say nothing of the Reform ones. Religious marriage and circumcision are conducted on oral evidence. In practice, less-than-Orthodox Jewishness amounts to the proclamation of one’s self-identification as a Jew.

It seems that in a generation or two the world Jewry will be split into religious Jews with proper synagogue records of their identity, Israelis, and foreigners who identify themselves as Jews. If that seems like a workable scenario, consider the American black Jews—the blacks who announced themselves the real Jews.

In the past, several Jewish sects existed in parallel without much intermingling: Karaites, rabbanites, Nazirites, Essenes, and others. Some of them eventually assimilated, others persevered and now are the sole claimants to Judaism. A reasonable expectation is that various fake Jews, whether blacks or Reconstructionists, will assimilate soon. Those with strong Jewish identity will look to marry Jews with similar identification; some identities will proliferate, others will die out. After a couple of generations, the definition of Jewishness will be clear again.

I ponder the phenomenon of synagogues

 

– including Orthodox ones – that incredibly ban me from speaking, that, in effect, have declared a view of halachic a of a rabbi and talmid chacham as banned from the synagogue.  And the words of the Prophets acquire new and real meaning for me; words spoken by seers and visionaries of broken hearts, who proclaimed in their hurt: “They hate him that rebuketh in the gate and abhor him that speaketh uprightly” (Amos 5).  And: “And I raised up from among your sons, prophets, and from your young men, Nazarities … but you gave the Nazarities wine to drink and commanded the prophets,  saying: ‘Prophecy  not’” (Amos 2).  And: “For it is a rebellious people, children who lie, children who will not hear the Law of the L-rd.  Who say to the seers:  ‘See not!’ Who say to the visionaries: ‘Envision not, unto us correct things, speak unto us smooth things envision deceit.’” (Isaiah 30)    

And so they invite the delusions and the deceit of the leaders who speak to them that which they wish to hear, and the prophet weeps and cries out: “Peace, peace and there is no peace…”

 You think it pleasant to speak painful truths that cause pain to those who refuse to listen and who then react with pain and hate against the one who speaks?  You think it is tranquil to be the messenger that brings forth the reaction, “Kill the messenger?”

Read More:

http://www.barbaraginsberg-barbara.blogspot.com/

Netanyahu Forced to the Right by his Rank and File

By: Yori Yanover

Published: November 26th, 2012
Latest update: November 27th, 2012

Photo Credit: Gil Yohanan/POOL/FLASH90

The Final Top-20 List

1. Gideon Sa'ar
2. Gilad Erdan
3. Silvan Shalom
4. Israel Katz
5. Danny Danon
6. Reuven Rivlin
7. Moshe Ya'alon
8. Zeev Elkin
9. Yariv Levin
10. Yuli-Yoel Edelstein
11. Haim Katz
12. Tzipi Hotovely
13. Miri Regev
14. Moshe Feiglin
15. Yuval Steinitz
16. Tzahi Hanegbi
17. Limor Livnat
18. Ofir Akunis
19. Gila Gamliel
20. Carmel Shama Hacohen

Dan Meridor, Michael Eitan, Avi Dichter and Benny Begin are out.

11:35 PM: The left wing of Likud was taken out of commission tonight, as well as Benny Begin, a right-winger who was ousted, most likely, for his support of obeying the Supreme Court in its decision on uprooting the community of Migron. It is important, however, to keep in mind that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also the Chairman of the Likud party, has some freedom to rearrange some of the names on the list, in light of other considerations, such as realistic spots that must be reserved for women, immigrants, and minorities. Also, in the process of merging the Likud list with FM Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beiteinu, Netanyahu may be able to move some of the names around with the support of the Likud election committee -- as he has done in past elections.

But there is no doubt that the Likud has moved to the right, although the five men at the top of the list are more centrist than most of the men and women behind them in the top 20.

Certainly, it will be more difficult for Netanyahu to pursue a 2-state solution with this list in his camp, and certainly to form a coalition government with Labor or anyone from the left.

Read More:

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/dramatic-surprises-expected-at-likud-vote-count-senior-ministers-dropped-by-primary-voters/2012/11/26/0/?print

MKs Eldad, Ben-Ari Launch ‘Power to Israel’ Party, MK Ariel Warns of Damage to the Right By: Yori Yanover

Michael Ben Ari (R) and Aryeh Eldad under their campaign slogan "No Duties – No Rights," introduced their new party "Power to Israel" at a press conference in Jerusalem, Tuesday, November 13, 2012.
Photo Credit: Miriam Alster/FLASH90

MKs Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben Ari are leaving the National Union party to set up "Power to Israel," with a slogan that translates, roughly, "No Duties – No Rights."

In third place in the list is right-wing activist Baruch Marzel, and in fourth place right-wing activist Aryeh King, known for his efforts to enhance Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. In fifth place you'll find Itamar Ben-Gvir, MK Ben-Ari's media consultant.

Eldad and Ben-Ari announced their new party at a press conference in Jerusalem Tuesday morning.

MK Eldad, a renowned plastic surgeon who decided to devote his life to preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, said at the conference: "We announce the establishment of a new Knesset faction, but you can't talk politics without talking about southern Israel. At this hour, a million civilians are in shelters under the threat of missiles, while a government I can only describe as crazy continues to provide water and electricity to the Gaza Strip. This is one of the things we want to change as we stand as a new faction in the political arena. The lack of security in the south also reflects a picture of insecurity in central Israel. Terrorism threatens us from the outside, and the terror of illegal infiltrators threatens us from inside, and we will deal with both."

Eldad described a vacuum on the right: "Liberman has joined Netanyahu and is now sitting in one list with Dan Meridor. Deri is dragging Shas to the left, to the Oslo days, and therefore there is a need for an ideological right-wing that will say things that have been forgotten: Without duties you cannot have Rights. The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. The National Union is collapsing, this is no way to run a political system. We bless our colleagues, Ketzele and Uri Ariel, who are returning home to the NRP. We have no doubt that they will take care of the national-religious sector, but we have a different agenda."

Eldad was referring to MKs Yaakov Katz and Uri Ariel, his partners in the now abandoned National Union faction, who will be running to the 19th Knesset on the Jewish Home list.

MK Uri Ariel attacked Eldad and Ben Ari's decision in an interview on Arutz-7 (owned by his partner, Katz). "I'm very upset about this move," he said. "We approached them and offered in writing to go together and lead the National Union to winning a lot of seats and to serve as an anchor for the Netanyahu government, but, unfortunately, they chose to split."

MK Ariel warned that Eldad and Ben-Ari will not pass the threshold vote (about 2%) and end up causing great damage to the right and to Israel.

Michael Ben-Ari explained that his new party "means what it says, it's not just talking, it's doing. We will join the coalition not for positions or budgets, but only for the implementation of the principles that will add power to the State of Israel. We represent loyalty to the people of Israel."

As an example of wrongdoing, Ben-Ari added: "MK Benny Begin just boasted of transferring funds to the Arab municipal authorities. Are they paying municipal taxes over there? Are they paying income taxes? First do your duty, then receive your Rights, this is our message."

Incidentally, a recent poll predicted that a new party headed by Eldad and Ben-Ari should pas the vote threshold and receive two Knesset seats.

Mom Driving into the Heart of Darkness

By: Yori Yanover

Published: November 14th, 2012

Photo Credit: Tazpit

We just received this report from the Tazpit news agency: Today at 9:00 AM Israel time, a resident of Gush Talmonim was traveling with her infant (less than a year old) to the city of Modi'in. Some 300 yards before the security checkpoint of Modi'in Illit she drove straight into a crowd of Arab demonstrators with Palestinian flags, who threw down lengths of cables across the highway to block traffic.

As she was sitting there, in her car, with her baby, stuck in a line of motionless vehicles, IDF troops fired tear gas grenades at the Arabs who had reached to within a few yards from the Israeli vehicles.

Israeli media today announced that the frightening event had taken place in Samaria, meaning "out there" in the territories, where anyone who gets in trouble was, basically, asking for it. But that was a lie. The entire event, from a crowd with flags blocking the road to the crowd getting near the stuck Israeli cars, to the IDF rushing on the scene just in time – the whole thing took place only about three miles from Modi'in, well within the safe and recognized and leftist-sanctified "green line."

That's what the media can do to history: if reality doesn't match our concepts, we can always move reality a few miles over to where it fits.

About the Author: Yori Yanover has been a working journalist since age 17, before he enlisted and worked for Ba'Machane Nachal. Since then he has worked for Israel Shelanu, the US supplement of Yedioth, JCN18.com, USAJewish.com, Lubavitch News Service, Arutz 7 (as DJ on the high seas), and the Grand Street News. Now he's here.

I Love Hevron....

By: Tzvi Fishman

Published: November 9th, 2012

As part of our effort to attract our beloved, Diaspora readers with honey, rather than to smash them repeatedly over their heads - in the next few blogs, we will travel the length and breadth of Eretz Yisrael, just like our forefather Avraham did in obeying God’s command, “Arise, walk about the Land through its length and breadth! For to you I will give it!”

Based on a Gemara in Baba Batra 100A, the Ramban explains that Hashem commanded Avraham to walk through the Land out of His love for him, that his offspring might more easily conquer the country, since walking the length and breadth of the Land signified Avraham’s taking possession of it.

So, in honor of the week’s Torah portion of “Chaya Sarah,” let’s start our love affair with the Land of Israel in Hevron. I love Hevron. It’s so powerfully “Biblical.” That’s the best word to describe it. Whenever I’m there, I feel like I’ve traveled 5000 years back through time. The transcendental holiness of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs still saturates the air. The kedusha is so thick, you feel that you can actually reach out and grasp it. Not only is Hevron the gateway to Gan Eden, our Sages teach that all of the Land of Israel is mystically folded up, like a roadmap, under the city. That’s one of the reasons why the Tomb of the Patriarchs is called “Maarat HaMachpelah,” meaning “the Cave that is doubled” or “folded up.” That is also why Jewish settlement in Hevron is so strategically important – whoever possesses Hevron, possesses the Land.
Read More:

http://www.jewishpress.com/blogs/felafel-on-rye/i-love-hevron/2012/11/09/0/?print