On this troubling day for Israel, I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts regarding my aliyah plans....unfortunately, my computer decided it was time to take a break....

My armchair analysis tells me, as events seem to be confirming this, that finally the gloves are about to come off.

Even the left can not sit and watch as 2 major fronts are beginning to develop.

In the coming days, I am sure I will be asked by family, if I still intend to go through with my aliyah pre-trip....however...I quickily remind them I was in Israel in 98 when Saddam threatened to rain scuds on Israel....I didnt even give a thought to leaving....and dont get me wrong....Im not gi joe...and I am not battle hardened....However...there just seems to be a quiet pride and confidence that the IDF has my back....and more importantly....Hashem is covering all our backs.

As we enter the 3 weeks....certainly a time in the Jewish calendar that many calamities hit us...let us pray ...say psalms....that Hashem will protect Israel when she needs it most.

Lance:

Karen and I wish you the best on your aliyah. May we follow soon and join you in Jerusalem the Holy.

Robert and Karen,

Hashem willing, very soon...
It would be great to neighbors one day.

Heaven willing, Olmert et al will carry through the idea of getting rid of Hezbollah's infrastructure as well as Hamas'. This would be the best thing for Israel, and of course, the best thing for the Palestinians. Germany and Japan had to undergo massive destruction and death, sadly, in order to start over and change into countries that now are very different; they both had climates of fear, repression and militarism, much like the Palestinians. I know the parallels are not exact..there were cultures to build on, veneers of civilization underneath both in Germany and Japan...but in the long run, they both prospered only after the complete victory of the United States.

Israel clearly needs to do the same here. Hopefully, too, there is some recognition of that, both in the US govt. as well as even in Europe...there is some tacit idea that maybe Israel will do the dirty work that the EU can't be bothered with, that maybe the Jihad and terrorism are not figments of the Jews' imagination but are a world-wide problem, and one way to start to end the problem is to let Israel do what it NEEDS to do to change the equation of what has been going on.

Or maybe I smoked something funny or had weird dreams last night; but I hope I am right.

In the meantime, I would agree with Lance that it's time to pray, to say T'hillim for the people of Israel and more specifically for Tsahal, for the soldiers and air and sea forces forced once again to fight for the right to live in peace, we should be zocheh to see it in our day.

I even pray for the Palestinians and the Lebanese that they get a revelation that this is no way to exist, but that's REALLY asking for miracles!

Robert, the one interesting thing I see is on the Net, Arab and Iraqi blogs that are supportive of ISRAEL, suprisingly, and angry at Hamas and Hezbollah. It might be nothing, but it also might some kind of turn, some hope....who knows?

Our enemies have snatched what is most precious to Israel, its young soldiers. So Israel must hit them back by destroying/taking what is most precious to them. First, their posh headquarters where they live in luxury while 90% of their "people" still live in squalor. Second, their training camps, where they try to pretend they're strong and give their "people" a false sense of esteem. And finally, Israel MUST take control of the Beqaa Valley and burn its poppy fields to oblivion so the drug money stops flowing.

Robert, do you have an inside source on the Syrian air force being taken out? I've been looking for it in the news all day.

May Hashem protect our land, and hear our prayers. May I suggest that everyone reading say at least one chapter of Tehilim - Psalms - and give charity in merit of our soldiers, daily?

Hmmm:

I did not say that the Syrian air force was taken out. I said that Syrian "air defences" were taken out. Which is to say that their electronic defences were taken out. And yes, I do have an source. It was "Yoni" who appears regularly on Hugh Hewitt's radio show. He has vast resources inside the IDF.

Maurice:

I have written essentially the same thing several times. I fear that though the Americans may recognize the truth of this thesis they would never allow Israel to utterly vanquish their Arab enemies. As for the Europeans, they are hopeless, they can't even protect their own capitals from becoming defacto Islamic republics.

Jake:

Here's the problem: once Israel pulls back, the Bekka Valley gets reoccupied by Hizbullah. The Israelis do not want to stay there.

Thank you, I figured you had a source other than the mainstream media sources I've been clicking through.