Seraphic Secret: August 2006 Archives

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August 31, 2006

Fully English

A 12-year-old Jewish girl who was beaten unconscious and robbed by anti-Semitic yobs on a bus has spoken out at her disgust that no-one came to her aid.

The girl, who does not want to be identified, was stamped on several times in a racist attack lasting around five minutes while on board a 303 Metroline bus in Mill Hill, north London.

At 6.30pm on August 11, she and a friend were sitting at the back of the bus when a group of around four girls got on at the Concourse, Grahame Park estate, and asked them if they were English or Jewish.

They both replied they were "fully English".

To read the complete story, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 05:24 PM | Comments (8)

Amnesty Interbullah

All during the so-called Intifada, we sat back and read in
disbelief the pronouncements of scandolously named "human rights
advocates" as they ignored blatant crimes against humanity in
the form of homocide bombers that murdered hundreds of
Israeli civilians, choosing instead to focus on fictional human rights
"abuses" of Israeli soldiers trying to protect its country's
civilians.

These organizations haven't gotten better -- only
more blatant.

Left-wing gangs masquerade as "objective observers."
These organizations are, in truth, apologists for jihadist terrorism.

Further, they are enablers of world-wide Jew hatred and the genocidal plans
that Islamic/Arab groups such as Hamas, Hizbullah and the State of Iran
have gleefuly proclaimed.

The liberal media gives these radical, Anti Israel groups a great deal of
column inches, none of it critical, and as Seraphic Friend David Paulin,
a fine journalist who knows the MSM inside out pointed out to me,
this journalistic coverage gives groups such as Amnesty International
a "bully pulpit from which to set forth their radical left wing views."

The war in Lebanon has allowed Amnesty Intl. to lose whatever
credibility still clings to it. Professor Alan Dershowitz
takes them on -- and demolishes them.

God protect us from human rights advocates.

**********

"The idea that a country at war can't attack the enemy's
resupply routes (at least until it has direct evidence that
there is a particular military shipment arriving) has
nothing to do with human rights or war crimes, and a lot to
do with a pacifist attitude that seeks to make war,
regardless of the justification for it or the restraint in
prosecuting it [at least if it's a Western country doing
it], an international "crime."

"In other words, if attacking the civilian infrastructure is
a war crime, then modern warfare is entirely impermissible,
and terrorists have a free hand in attacking democracies and
hiding from retaliation among civilians. Terrorists become
de facto immune from any consequences for their atrocities.

"The more troubling aspect of Amnesty's report is their
inattention to Hizbullah. If Israel is guilty of war crimes
for targeting civilian infrastructure, imagine how much
greater is Hizbullah's moral responsibility for targeting
civilians!

"But Amnesty shows little interest in condemning
the terrorist organization that started the conflict,
indiscriminately killed both Israeli civilians (directly)
and Lebanese civilians (by using them as human shields), and
has announced its intention to kill Jews worldwide (already
having started by blowing up the Jewish Community Center in
Argentina.)

"Apparently Amnesty has no qualms about Hizbullah
six-year war of attrition against Israel following Israel's
complete withdrawal from Southern Lebanon.

"As has been widely reported, even al-Jazeera expressed
surprise at the imbalance in the Amnesty report:"

To read Alan Dershowitz's entire article, please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Regan

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:10 AM | Comments (2)

Gen. Yaalon Blogger Conference Call

Yesterday, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon gave an excellent update on the current situation in Israel.

The General made the following powerful points:

1. The war in Lebanon was mismanaged by the political and senior military leadership of Israel, and was perceived as a victory for Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria.

2. The committee set up by Olmert is moot, as it is clear to that the war was mishandled by Israel's top leadership. Those responsible should resign and avoid a long political process.

3. A two-state solution is irrelevant at this time. No territorial compromise will settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in this generation, and probably not in the foreseeable 50 to 100 years. In the meantime, Israel needs to maintain its security operations and keep control of the West Bank, as it currently does.

4. Disengagement was created by "a culture of spin." The Israeli public was manipulated and deceived into believing that since they had no "partner," they needed to act unilaterally. In the last decade, the Israeli public was confused, deceived and manipulated by the media and political leadership. The public needs to gain clarity to understand the challenges they are facing.

5. During the Lebanon war, Israel foiled NINE major attempted attacks from the West Bank. All were encouraged by Hizbullah.

6. Yesterday, the head of the Shabak (Israel's Internal Security Service) briefed members of Knesset and warned them that Palestinians are smuggling large amounts of weapons into Gaza, and that the current situation is bound to lead to another Lebanon. The only way to avoid this course is for Israel to intensify its Gaza operations, and take control of the Philadelphia corridor.

7. Regarding the IDF - "I commanded the IDF until 15 moths ago... it is the army that stopped Palestinian terrorists, was ready to deal with all charges regarding conventional forces like Syria and the Iranian threat. It didn't suffer from a logistical problem... more soldiers were called up for Disengagement than the Lebanon war. The war didn't even use 10% of the IDF. Again, mismanagement of political and senior military leadership... Politicians will try to blame the military but this was a case of mis-management, not capabilities."

8. On Syria - "I didn't understand the declarations telling Assad not to be afraid. He should have been scared!" Again, mismanagement...

9. On Corruption within Israel's Leadership - "I worry about this phenomenon more than the Iranian threat, and we have to deal with it. Disengagement was because of corruption... the PM (Sharon) saved himself from investigations and unfortunately this still exists and is the most important challenge to deal with. Mismanagement...and incompetence of leadership is an outcome of corruption.

10. On personal plans - "My plan is to live in Israel, to be a part of the Shalem Center, to come out with clear ideas about what should be done... to save the State... in security, strategy, education... So far I am not going to join any political party. I am going to do what is needed for the State in the future, like I did in the past, and like I am doing today.

To go to One Jerusalem and the audio link, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:31 AM | Comments (3)

The Iranian Nuclear Front

Seraphic Friend John, over at the invaluable Military blog Op For, gives us a brief but tantalizing view into Israeli preparations for the Iranian nuclear front. John is no arm-chair general. He grew up in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC, and attended Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia. In 1999, John matriculated to the Virginia Military Institute as a member of the Class of 2003. While at VMI, John majored in History and International Studies and served as the managing editor of VMI's student newspaper, THE CADET. He studied counter-terrorism at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel and commissioned out of VMI's Air Force ROTC program. John has been published in The Washington Post and Richmond Times-Dispatch, and was a contributor to the Encylopedia of World War I and World War II.

*****

"The Israelis are being understandably tight lipped on their plans. But their appointment of an Air Force commander indicates that airpower will be a primary actor in any Iranian theater.

"Expect 5-6 primary targets, with roughly 5 major aimpoints per targets. Iran has certain "must-hit facilities," which will be defended by Iran's newly acquired, state of the art Russian surface to air missiles and the Iranian Air Force.

"One small comfort, however. Iran demonstrated during their war with Iraq that they lacked an understanding of their own technology. Their tactics, which are based on old Soviet doctrinal "mass of force" principles, are obsolete. And the one strategy that has paid off for the Iranians -- asymmetric, low intensity conflict -- is useless against an air assault."

To read the rest of the article, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:12 AM | Comments (9)

August 30, 2006

Suicide of the West

"Since Muslims whose minds are already bent by the propaganda of lies and hatred against America, Israel and the Jews pouring out of the Muslim world are further subjected by the BBC and other media outlets to daily — even hourly — diatribes about the evil of America, the evil of Israel and the fact that Britain is a patsy of evil America and evil Israel, who can possibly be surprised that untold numbers of impressionable young Muslims sign up to rid the planet of this apparent scourge?

"The BBC, whose global influence is equalled only by its culpability, powerfully incites hatred by persistently misrepresenting Israel’s self-defence as unwarranted aggression, and giving air-time to an endless procession of Islamic jihadists, propagandists, anti-Western activists and bigots with rarely even a hint of a challenge.

"The British political and security establishment, meanwhile, still fails to understand that it is not enough to thwart terrorist plots and disrupt terrorist cells but it must also combat the ideology of lies, hatred and paranoia driving certain Muslims to these terrible acts. Not only do they fail to do so, but they have even recruited jihadists into the very heart of government as advisers.

"The mantra justifying this appeasement of extremism is that the vast majority of Britain’s Muslims are “moderate.” True, the vast majority oppose terrorism. But Britain has now effectively defined as a moderate someone who does not support mass murder — and even then, only in Britain."

Melanie Phillips is a brilliant and articulate British journalist. She, perhaps more than anybody else I'm aware of, insists on exposing the self-destructive policies of appeasement and surrender that are on the ascent on the European continent. Her book, Londonistan, should be read by every person concerned about the jihadist threat.

To read the entire essay, vital and filled with crucial information, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 05:36 PM | Comments (6)

Plame Out

"But now we have the final word on who did disclose the name and occupation of Valerie Plame, and it turns out to be someone whose opposition to the Bush policy in Iraq has—like Robert Novak's—long been a byword in Washington. It is particularly satisfying that this admission comes from two of the journalists—Michael Isikoff and David Corn—who did the most to get the story wrong in the first place and the most to keep it going long beyond the span of its natural life."

At last, the facts of the absurd Valerie Plame/Joseph Wilson scandal. Revealed are the lies and distortions relentlessly advanced by the Democrats, and supported by the liberal media. In the end, one must conclude that these players are the painfully familiar left-of-center ideologues motivated by a hatred for President Bush and his policies so zealous that it overshadows what should be the self evident search for truth.

To read the entire article by liberal columnist Christopher Hitchens, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

NY Times: Victimizing the Innocent

Imagine you are the world's most powerful newspaper and you have invested your credibility in yet another story line that is falling apart, crumbling as inexorably as Jayson Blair's fabrications and the flawed reporting on Saddam Hussein's supposed WMD. What to do?

If you're the New York Times and the story is the alleged gang rape of a black woman by three white Duke lacrosse players—a claim shown by mounting evidence to be almost certainly fraudulent—you tone down your rhetoric while doing your utmost to prop up a case that's been almost wholly driven by prosecutorial and police misconduct.

And by bad journalism. Worse, perhaps, than the other recent Times embarrassments. The Times still seems bent on advancing its race-sex-class ideological agenda, even at the cost of ruining the lives of three young men who it has reason to know are very probably innocent. This at a time when many other true believers in the rape charge, such as feminist law professor Susan Estrich, have at last seen through the prosecution's fog of lies and distortions.

To read the rest of this devastating article by Stuart Taylor Jr. please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)

Jewish Heroism

by Hillel Fendel for Debka

A collection of incidents of Israeli bravery and heroism during the recent war in Lebanon.

Offensive Defense

A unit of the Harel Division was charged with taking over the outskirts of a southern Lebanese village from which Katyusha rockets were fired at the Galilee. During the morning hours, the enemy saw that the soldiers had taken over a house, and the terrorists prepared to attack. However, the division's elite Sayeret unit deployed such that each house would be protected from two angles.

The attack began, with the Israelis coming under heavy fire from anti-tank missiles and light weapons, and the terrorists consequently approaching the house. At that moment, the surrounding Israeli forces opened fire from their two directions, killing all the terrorists who were near the house and scattering the others. Our forces suffered a number of wounded, but they were able to hold on without medical treatment until the evening hours, when they were evacuated by helicopter.

The Famous Bint Jbeil Battle

During the early morning hours of July 26, our forces approached the hostile village of Bint Jbeil, just a few kilometers from the Israeli border. They tried to circle around and enter one of the houses, which was apparently near an important Hizbullah headquarters. But the terrorists were heavily deployed in the area, and they surprised the Israelis with heavy fire from atop a high terrace.

A number of soldiers were hit in the first burst of fire, and other soldiers quickly arranged themselves to rescue their comrades - dead or alive - and hit back at the enemy. The ambushing terrorists, however, had the advantage of height, and all who entered their field of fire were vulnerable. Despite this, the soldiers bravely continued the battle, fearing that the terrorists would try to abduct bodies or live soldiers, and stormed the area at great risk to themselves.

The battle was led by commanders, many of whom were hit. In the end, the battle was completed by the lower-ranking soldiers, who killed the terrorists, rescued their friends, and reported by radio that the battle was under control and that they were treating the wounded. Despite the heavy losses - eight soldiers killed - some 25 dead terrorists were counted, and the IDF forces displayed great heroism and determination.

Another Natan Elbaz

At one point during the above battle, Maj. Ro'i Klein - 31, father of two young sons, a resident of Eli in the Shomron - found himself and several of his soldiers cornered in a dead-end alley by Hizbullah terrorists, who threw a grenade at them. Klein made a quick decision, called out "Shma Yisrael" - "Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One" and jumped on the grenade, sacrificing his life in order to save the lives of of his soldiers. His widow said later she prays that her sons will grow up to be like their father.

Klein's act of self-sacrifice was reminiscent of that of Natan Elbaz, a Moroccan Jew who immigrated to Israel without his family in the early 1950's. While serving in the IDF in February 1954, he and a fellow soldier were disarming grenades when the safety cap of one was released. With four seconds left before the grenade would explode and cause a catastrophic explosion in the munitions-filled tent, Natan ran out with the grenade held close to his chest, jumped into a ditch - and, with his death, saved the lives of many others.

Maroun a-Ras

In capturing houses used by the terrorists, the IDF forces found much valuable weaponry, equipment and information. In particular, one home that had been quickly abandoned by Hizbullah turned up advanced observatory equipment, an editing room, maps of both IDF and Hizbullah forces, communications devices and more. Most important of all were anti-tank missiles that had hit Israeli tanks, as well as a Syrian bill of lading for equipment it had sent to Hizbullah. The last item, of course, is critical for Israel's intelligence and foreign relations efforts.

Nearby, an IDF force entered one of the nearby houses - and encountered a Hizbullah cell that had not run away. In the battle that ensued, one or two terrorists were killed, while others hid in inner rooms. A battalion officer - an immigrant from Ethiopia - led the way, and at one point he threw a grenade which bounced off a wall, set off an explosion, caused a door to slam shut - and the officer found himself , wounded, locked inside a room alone against the enemy. However, he continued fighting, and killed another terrorist. Finally, another force of the same battalion blew up an outer wall of the house, killed the other terrorists, and rescued the officer.

The Battle of Andoriya

One of the last battles before the ceasefire went into effect took place in Andoriya, a village from where many Katyushas were fired at Kiryat Shmonah, ten kilometers to the east. A large force of some 600 men, mostly of the Nachal Brigade, descended upon the village after a night-long trek while carrying heavy loads of equipment. They opened fire, but were greeted by a much heavier burst of enemy fire from several directions. One soldier was killed and 12 were wounded, but the force continued with determination, going house to house and yard to yard.

Dozens of rockets and shells were fired at them, by joint Hizbullah and Iranian forces, killing another soldier and wounding 8 more. Nevertheless, the Israelis continued to advance, led by their commanders, until they reached their target, recently abandoned by the terrorists. Hizbullah, well-entrenched in the area, had left rockets, launchers, shoulder-held missiles, and more.

Some of the soldiers ended the battle in a state of dehydration, brought on by a lack of water, difficult conditions before the battle, and the duration of the battle. None of this prevented them from advancing unyieldingly towards their target. The wounded were evacuated under heavy fire. In one case, a medic was wounded while treating a soldier, yet continued treating him until he himself fainted at the door of the helicopter that came to evacuate his patient.

Based on incidents collected by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner

Hat Tip: Seraphic Brother-in-Law, David Singer

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:31 PM | Comments (15)

The Axis of Jihadism

Because for 11 years years, the American public wasn’t informed about the threat that lead to September 11 and because the classrooms and newsrooms of the United States were not educated enough about the global threat of “Jihadism,” we feel it is incumbent on individual citizens to educate themselves about this danger and mobilize to prevent a Future Jihad looming around the world and at home. It is important that American citizens understand who the “Jihadists” are, what they want to achieve, and how they are proceeding. Without this knowledge, the American public will be unable to be part of the political debate about national security and the War on Terror. And if deprived from the support of an informed public, the US Government, now and in the future, cannot sustain difficult decisions pertaining to the defeat of the Terrorist enemy.

To read the rest of this short but very important article, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:38 AM | Comments (2)

On the Border

With all that is happening in southern Lebanon, it was silly of me to wait so long to post this story.

August 2003. I was in Israel, studying at the Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies, located on the University of Tel Aviv campus. After a few days of lecture, we hit the road, traveling to various IDF bases, the Gaza border, law enforcement units, and one very cool trip to shoot firearms with the Jerusalem undercover police.

Several days into the trip, we found ourselves at an IDF outpost on the Israel-Lebanon border. We mulled around the mountain base, chatting with the Israel soldiers, and snapping photographs.

I found myself in a conversation with an Israeli soldier, an American Jew who had grown up in Brooklyn, about the small Israeli unit's mission.

"We keep an eye on Hezbollah," he said. "Two eyes, actually. They're busy up here." I was curious, "what do you mean?"

To read the rest of this wonderful blog entry by Seraphic Friend John at Op For, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)

Not the Hole Truth

Ambulances for Terror

What kind of cold-blooded thugs use ambulances as killing aids or propaganda tools? Islamic terrorists, of course, have an unsurpassed history of using emergency vehicles as tools of their murderous trade. International charities and media dupes have gone along for the ride.

In March 2002, Israeli Defense Forces discovered a bomb in a Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulance near Jerusalem. The bomb, packed in a suicide belt, was hidden under a gurney carrying a Palestinian child. The driver confessed that it was not the first time ambulances had been used to ferry explosives.

Female suicide bomber Wafa Idris, who blew herself up in a January 2002 attack in Jerusalem, was a medical secretary for the PRCS. Her recruiter was an ambulance driver for the same organization, which receives support from governments worldwide and the American and International Red Cross.

To read the rest of the mighty Michelle Malkin's article, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:20 AM | Comments (4)

Dear Moslem Association...

Dear Moslem Association:

As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at Michigan State University I intend to protest your protest. I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey!), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called "whores" in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.

This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems to be very aware of this as you proceeded with your infantile "protests." If you do not like the values of the West — see the 1st Amendment — you are free to leave.

I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option.

Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.

Cordially,

I. S. Wichman, Professor of Mechanical Engineering

For the full story and the inevitable PC fallout, please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Mordechai Schiller

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 06:52 AM | Comments (2)

Pan-Muslim Fiction

Consider, for example, the pan-Arab invasion of the newly proclaimed state of Israel in 1948.This, on its face, was a shining demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinian people. But the invasion had far less to do with winning independence for the indigenous population than with the desire of the Arab regimes for territorial aggrandizement. Transjordan's King Abdullah wanted to incorporate substantial parts of mandatory Palestine into the greater Syrian empire he coveted; Egypt wanted to prevent that eventuality by laying its hands on southern Palestine. Syria and Lebanon sought to annex the Galilee, while Iraq viewed the 1948 war as a stepping stone in its long-standing ambition to bring the entire Fertile Crescent under its rule. Had the Jewish state lost the war, its territory would not have fallen to the Palestinians but would have been divided among the invading Arab forces.

During the decades following the 1948 war, the Arab states manipulated the Palestinian national cause to their own ends. Neither Egypt nor Jordan allowed Palestinian self-determination in the parts of Palestine they had occupied during the 1948 war (respectively, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). Palestinian refugees were kept in squalid camps for decades as a means of whipping Israel and stirring pan-Arab sentiments. "The Palestinians are useful to the Arab states as they are," Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser candidly responded to an inquiring Western reporter in 1956. "We will always see that they do not become too powerful." As late as 1974, Syria's Hafez al-Assad referred to Palestine as being "not only a part of the Arab homeland but a basic part of southern Syria."

If the Arab states have shown little empathy for the plight of ordinary Palestinians, the Islamic connection to the Palestinian problem is even more tenuous. It is not out of concern for a Palestinian right to national self-determination but as part of a holy war to prevent the loss of a part of the "House of Islam" that Islamists inveigh against the Jewish state of Israel. In the words of the covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement, better known by its Arabic acronym Hamas: "The land of Palestine has been an Islamic trust (waqf) throughout the generations and until the day of resurrection.... When our enemies usurp some Islamic lands, jihad becomes a duty binding on all Muslims."

In this respect, there is no difference between Palestine and other parts of the world conquered by the forces of Islam throughout history. To this very day, for example, Arabs and many Muslims unabashedly pine for the restoration of Spain, and look upon their expulsion from that country in 1492 as a grave historical injustice, as if they were Spain's rightful owners and not former colonial occupiers of a remote foreign land, thousands of miles from their ancestral homeland. Edward Said applauded Andalusia's colonialist legacy as "the ideal that should be moving our efforts now," while Osama bin Laden noted "the tragedy of Andalusia" after the 9/11 attacks, and the perpetrators of the March 2004 Madrid bombings, in which hundreds of people were murdered, mentioned revenge for the loss of Spain as one of the atrocity's "root causes." Within this grand scheme, the struggle between Israel and the Palestinians is but a single element, and one whose supposed centrality looms far greater in Western than in Islamic eyes.

This is not to deny that resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a pressing issue. But the regional ramifications of any settlement will be far narrower than is widely assumed. Quite to the contrary, the best hope of peace between Arabs and Israelis lies in the rejection of the spurious "link" between this dispute and other regional and global problems.

The pretense of pan-Arab or pan-Islamic solidarity has long served as a dangerous elixir in Palestinian political circles, stirring unrealistic hopes and expectations and, at key junctures, inciting widespread and horrifically destructive violence. Self-serving interventionism under these false pretenses had the effect of transforming the bilateral Palestinian-Israeli dispute into a multilateral Arab-Israeli conflict, thereby prolonging its duration, increasing its intensity, and making its resolution far more complex and tortuous. Only when the local political elites reconcile themselves to the reality of state nationalism and forswear the false notions of pan-Arab and pan-Muslim solidarity, let alone the imperialist chimera of a unified "Arab nation" or a worldwide Islamic umma, will the long overdue regional stability will be finally attained and the Arab-Israeli conflict resolved. Not the other way round.

To read Professor Efraim Karsh's entire essay, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 06:42 AM | Comments (0)

We, Fighters and Commanders

Friends,

The grassroots movement to remove Ehud Olmert where he can
do no more harm, is growing steadily despite the downplaying
of the rising number of protestors by a hostile, leftist
Israeli media, who still back the Kadima government.

Polls published in Yediot Acharonot say fully 63% of the public want Olmert to
resign. According to YNET, in an article published on August
29, 2006, bereaved families and a few other protesters, including
members of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel,
gathered in Jerusalem to commemorate the 23 year anniversary
of former PM Menachem Begin's resignation, following fiascos
in the first Lebanon war.

According to the bereaved families, who lost their soldier sons in the war, Olmert
refuses to meet with them, despite the heavy price that they
paid for the war in Lebanon. They asked that Olmert "act
like Begin and Golda Meir did" and take responsibility for
the war's failures. (Aviram Zino)

Protest petition by IDF reservists back from the war
By Haaretz Service 21 August 2006 (Thanks to IMRA)
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/753032.html

The following is the text of a petition signed by IDF
reservists who served in the Spearhead Brigade in Lebanon,
in protest at the handling of the war by the government and
senior military officials:

We, fighters and commanders at the Spearhead [Hod Hachanit]
Brigade, were called up to enlist under an emergency
mobilization order [Tzav 8] on July 30, 2006. Our attendance
was complete in all battalions.

As we were signing on the battle equipment and weapons, we
knew that we were signing for much more. We left behind
wives and children, girlfriends and families. We put aside
our jobs and livelihoods; we were prepared to carry out our
mission under the most difficult of conditions, in heat,
thirst or hunger.

At the back of his mind, each and every one of us knew, that
for the just cause of protecting the citizens of Israel, we
would even put our lives on the line.

But there was one thing we were not and would not be willing
to accept: We were unwilling to accept indecisiveness. The
war's aim, which was not defined clearly, was even changed
in the course of the fighting.

The indecisiveness manifested itself in inaction, in not
carrying out operational plans, and in canceling all the
missions we were given during the fighting. This led to
prolonged stays in hostile territory, without an operational
purpose and out of unprofessional considerations, without
seeking to engage in combat with the enemy.

The "cold feet" of the decision-makers were evident
everywhere. To us the indecisiveness expressed deep
disrespect for our willingness to join the ranks and fight
and made us feel as though we had been spat on, since it
contradicts the principles and values of warfare upon which
we were trained at the Israel Defense Forces.

The heavy feeling that in the echelons above us there is
nothing but under-preparation, insincerity, lack of
foresight and inability to make rational decisions, leads to
the question - were we called up for nothing?

We are now on the day after, and it seems that the
immorality and the absence of any shame are the fig-leaves
to be used in order to cover up for the blunders. The
blunders of the past six years and the under-preparation of
the army have been carried on our backs - the backs of the
fighters. In order to face the next battle prepared - and
this may happen soon - a thorough and fundamental change
must take place.

The crisis of confidence between us as fighters and the
higher echelons will not be resolved without a thorough and
worthy investigative commission under the auspices of the
state. When the commission completes its task, conclusions
must be drawn both on the level of strategic planning and
national security, and on the personal level of the parties
involved.

We paid a heavy price in order to fight and come out of the
battle victorious, and we feel this has been denied of us.
We will all attend calls to enlist in the future for any
mission we will be required to complete, but we would like
to know that these missions will be part of a clear
objective and will be carried out by striving to engage in
combat.

As soldiers and citizens we expect a response at your
earliest convenience,

We the undersigned

Fighters and officers of the Spearhead Brigade

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Regan

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2006

Medic in Battle

This letter from Noam, an Israeli Medic with a reserve paratroop unit, is being published exclusively by Seraphic Secret. Noam is originally from California. Karen and I are friends with his family. We heard of this vivid, powerful letter, asked to see it, and then requested permission to make it available to our readership. All operational details have already been published by the IDF. We thank Noam and his family for their cooperation.

**********

Dear Family and Friends,

Most of you know that for the past three and a half weeks I have been called to active duty in my military unit as part of a large call up of reservists. I thought that I would share some of my experiences and thoughts from these weeks with you.

I thought that I escaped unscathed, but last night I found out that a friend was killed late Friday night in a commando operation deep in northern Lebanon. Emanuel [Morano], a high-ranking officer in his unit was what many of us strive to be - a humble, quiet, able, strong willed leader husband and father. He is an example of the Israeli “Sabra” that we all wanted to emulate.

There are many differences that I see between fighting in Israel as opposed to that of the American’s in Iraq. The most important, one that all of you who have been to the country can understand, is that we have an all too vivid understanding that directly behind our backs are the homes of our families. We are defending our land. Ours both geo-politically as well as religiously.

Lying in a foxhole covered by bushes 12 kilometers in, we could hear the air-raid sirens echoing from Zarit (a small settlement situated on the border) as the high-pitched cry crept north through the valleys. We heard the constant pounding of our settlements and cities with Katusha rockets during the days (fortunately the nighttime capabilities of Hezzbola are still limited).

I was called up Friday afternoon 28th of July, about a week after the initial fighting began. The first thoughts were that the regular army would be able to handle the problem, however the Hezzbola had been preparing for six years since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. (No question that they were waiting for this to happen, finding a trigger, when they were ready.) The roads were heavily mined, deep bunkers dug into valley walls, under houses in the towns, stores of munitions spread throughout all the towns of southern and central Lebanon.

The first Shabbat was a call only of the officers. We began planning, reviewing maps, intelligence information, new aerial photos of the villages we were assigned to take. Ours is an airborne unit used for infiltration behind enemy lines. We were to land to the north of the fighting and work our way south. This meant that we had to carry everything on our backs – ammunition, food, and water for more than 48 hours.

On Sunday the soldiers were called up and storage buildings were opened up for the first time in a number of years. We found that the army, who had been working on the premise that there would not be a war in the next few years had not filled stores, updated gear, and in fact, had leant a large part of our gear to some of the units who were already fighting. Gear we could clearly not get back in time.

Each of us, in his own realm, began applying pressure, making calls, trying to find sources for the gear. The medical gear I was to use was all past expiration. Calls to the brigade and up--finally we at least got the medications, IV bags, chest drains we needed. Still missing many backpacks to carry the gear (I remind you this was all going in on our backs…no personnel carriers).

People in the unit started making calls out to get money donated to buy bags, as we understood that we could not rely on the army to get them to us in time, and we had 24 hours before we were supposed to go into battle. Within less than 12 hours, over $25,000 was donated to the unit and much of the gear that we needed was bought. (I did not have time to deal with this side of things, so none of you received any calls. I was busy doing refresher courses to the medics, making evacuation plans, and taking meds that I couldn’t get from the army—out of my hospital). The generous help of everyone outside made it possible for us to be ready on time.

Seeing that in a time of national need everyone helped in whatever way they could has brought back a type of pride that has been hiding away under the cloak of “the government must take care of us.” This was true for the soldiers, but also for the thousands of families who were taken in by complete strangers in central Israel to allow them to escape the danger zone in the North where rockets were dropping daily.

On Monday night we were ready on buses to leave towards the helicopter pads, but we got word that the cabinet had canceled our operation and given us a new one. We had 48 hours to learn our new task – new maps, photos, gear.

This time we got on the buses heading north.

The two hour drive for me was one of the most intense times I have had. A mental preparation for battle. I had been on ambushes in Lebanon, raids on homes in during the Intifada, but this was different. The lack of control over the situation in battle is orders of magnitude greater.

I entered the bus rather frightened, I got off the bus two hours later in solitude prepared for what I needed to do, praying that I would be given the ability to do so properly if put in such a situation, knowing that each soldier in the unit trusted that I had this ability.

The helicopters landed and as we marched towards them, they flew off—the cabinet had once again canceled our mission.

The next night we were sent up in buses to the border - - we were to complete the same mission, only without the helicopters for my unit. We would be hiking in by foot over two nights to prepare the area. New plans, new maps…little sleep.

We crossed the border at the same place where the two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and the tank destroyed a week and a half earlier, its burned skeleton still sitting at the side of the road. Because of the mining, we could not walk on roads – all movement was through the terraces and boulders. Each of us was carrying 17-35kg (37-80 lbs) on his back. And I remind you that these are reservists, our oldest 49 years old, not twenty year old top shaped men in their prime.

After a few hours we reached the village of Kawze which had been captured by another brigade the previous night (I later found out that David, Shlomit’s husband was in the same town the night before). We settled into a few houses at sun-up in order to remain hidden.

During the day the village was mortared. Our sister unit in the village across the valley was shot at with an antitank missile which hit a house they were in. 9 soldiers were killed, another 30 injured. They were too far for me to be of any help. We watched as the air force and artillery bombed the surrounding areas in order to allow them time to evacuate the wounded. Their hit halted our advance for another day, as we needed them to take the village they were in so that we wouldn’t have a bare flank on our next march.

That night we spent in a different house that we hoped was less open to anti-tank missiles. Here I got into an argument with some of the soldiers who took a bag of tobacco from the house. I explained that WE do not take spoils of war, and that the moral character of our army, Tzahal, is what has kept us strong and allowed us to win wars even in the times that all odds were in favor of our demise. In the end they understood. Nothing was taken.

The villages in the south were heavily bombed. The destruction is clear. At first I couldn’t understand the necessity of such damage. Then searching began both in Kowze and in the surrounding villages. In the homes – rifles, missile stores, command centers – all in the homes of “innocent” villagers. These were rooms set aside specifically for these needs – not something set up in the past few weeks. Not something people did not know about. I am sure that most just want to live in peace quietly; the minority ruining it for the others.

On Friday night (a week and a half ago) the religious soldiers davened in the house we were in, we put on our gear and continued our march. This was the tough one. We began at 9:30 hiking across the hills and around the village of Beit-Lief, and then down into a deep valley and up the steep walls on the other side of Shakif A’tzalahani (the ascent was of more than 800 vertical feet). At this point the weight on my back became clear and I could feel the straps begin to dig into my shoulders and waist.

As we went down the valley we could hear helicopters bringing in more of our unit. We saw shoulder missiles being fired at the choppers and missing. We were not detected as we went up the mountain and made it safely to our target point.

Each of us quickly hollowed out a bush, set our camouflage nets and settled in for the day, my Shabbat prayers were said lying in my position – we couldn’t stand during the day. We got word that the chopper carrying our water and food did not take off and we would have to make do.

Water was rationed, as was food.

One of my soldiers had either sprained or broken his ankle on the way up – I could not tell which, and I could not take off his shoe because I needed him to be able to walk. He got a good dose of morphine, we cut off the toe area of his shoes so that I could see if blood flow was OK, and the ankle was splinted using sticks.

That night more units were to be flown in, the soldier was to be evacuated, and water…water was to be brought in so that we could begin the job we had been sent to do…clear the mountain and villages in the area from Katusha launchers.

As the sun dipped into the bush and one could no longer make out clear shapes, the area was scanned by unmanned drones over our heads (like a 24hr/day mosquito flying over your head zzzz zzzz zzzz) we pulled out of our bushes and started towards the area where the helicopters were supposed to land, the soldier with the bad ankle on a stretcher. Ten choppers landed with soldiers coming out of each.

As #11 was about 200 yards off the ground a missile was shot from the village below. In five seconds the chopper had been hit. Like a giant bird hit by a pellet, the pilots tried to straighten her out but then she slowly leaned over to the right and crashed to the ground in a huge fireball that brought daylight for a few minutes.

The following chopper (the one carrying our water) flew over and scanned the wreckage as he was trained, radioed that there is no sense in sending in the doctors and then turned and flew away as quickly as possible. We all lay in the rocks in shock.

The village was down the mountain; we could not even go after the shooters. The helicopter with the medical crew for my soldier belongs to the air force. In these situations, as our soldier was only lightly wounded – they flew to the wreckage where they pulled 4 of 5 bodies of the crew. We went back to our bushes.

We had about a cup and a half of water left per soldier and no water holes in the area (we had carried in chlorination tablets…but to use these you needed a water source) To capture a few houses in the next village – Ya’atar (which was one of the hornets’ nests of southern Lebanon) was an option that we hoped we wouldn’t have to take with dehydrated soldiers.

The air force sent in a plane to airdrop supplies. We had two hours to find the package before daylight. Half the unit went to quickly find the food and water…but could not find it. They returned empty handed. The pilot had missed his mark and the supplies landed in the valley below.

Now it was over 90 degrees and each soldier had about two cups of water for 24 hrs (good thing we practice our fasts). So held down by logistical problems, we stayed hidden in our bushes, not completely useless – our anti-tank unit destroyed a 24cannon Katusha Launcher that we sighted as well as two munition trucks and we guided the air force to a number of additional targets.

After sun down we had two hours to get the wounded soldier to a chopper landing. I understood that we would not make it in time if he was on a stretcher (the territory is boulders, terraces, and uneven fields). I loaded him up on morphine and explained to him that he had to march with us by foot. Aharon marched bravely through his pain. In addition we were evacuating a dehydrated soldier that did not respond fast enough to several units of IV fluids that I gave him (weight off my back).

We made it to the helicopter just in time and loaded the wounded along with the 4 bodies of the pilots found the previous night. The chopper unloaded a special forces unit who were brought in to look for the fifth body in the wreckage and to destroy the leftovers.

We were given 12 bottles of water by the pilots – this was sucked down by the soldiers faster than I had ever seen water drunk. We headed back to the rest of the unit just as we heard another plane over our heads. This time the airdrop was on target and we got our food and water. After everyone had drunk and fed we prepared to head off for our mission but were called back as word came in over secure radio that a ceasefire was to go into effect at 7:00 am the next morning and the cabinet did not want any major operations done that far in from the border (most units were working between 0-2 miles in from the border we were in 6-8 miles).

So after another night in the bushes with katusha’s flying in one direction, artillery, air force and mortars in the other direction we each slept our allotted time, and awoke to the strange sound of silence at 7:00 when the firing ended. In the bush above my head for the first time in two weeks I heard a bird chirping.

We were kept in the area until nightfall, and then marched the whole way back in a 9hr. march to the border. Crossing the border with many smiles, I just walked over to a pile of water bottles and drank about two liters of water, sat on the bus and fell asleep.

And so, for me, it would seem that I walked by this war. I crossed the border, was almost shot at a few times by friendly fire, happily had only a few minor injuries in my unit (shrapnel, sprains, dehydration), quite an experience, but I can’t say that we did any real fighting and that is fine with me. I just hope that the fighting that was done, the lives that were lost will, in the short or long run be for the greater security of our people.

This came out a bit long, and I am not sure if the narrative captures the feelings, the hyperalertness mixed with constant fatigue. The sounds of the night, the comradery, the whistle of bombs as they fall or the groundshaking awe-inspiring power of the strike of air force bombs a few hundred yards away.

I don’t know if you can understand the frustration of being 2 km away from Katusha’s being fired into Israel, knowing that your unit has the capability, but being unable to go and do anything about it because of logistical problems. I guess these are all part of “war” including the confusion and all.

This war like the ones before it has its heroes and its tragedies. The settlement in which Yonatan lives lost four young men in the battles.

Many questions have been raised as to the military preparedness of Israel. Our logistical problems were similar to those of other units from the onset and the need to find donors to purchase goods to the supply problems. Part stems from poor preparation, some from the fact that the last war was fought in 1980 and today’s generals were not yet in command positions back then…these will all be investigated, as will we investigate ourselves in our “microunit” environment to see what we can do better next time around.

I hope that none of us are in the position to need to test our abilities again, though now, after having done it once, I know that I can trust the men who went in with me – their ability, their motivation and their comradery.

May the end of this year, which is quickly coming to a close, and the new one which follows be productive and peaceful to all of the House of Israel.

Shalom,

Noam

Noam is a graduate of Yeshiva University High School of Los Angeles , made aliyah when he was 17, and joined the Israeli Defense Force/paratroopers for his army service. He attended medical school at the Hebrew University. He is a physician at Schneider Hospital in Petach Tikvah.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:24 AM | Comments (2)

Sounding Retreat

American voters are badly served by leaders who suggest that national security can be achieved on the cheap, especially in time of war. The reality is that abandoning Iraq will not save either lives or dollars in the long-run. Such a course will intensify the danger posed to our country and way of life from Islamofascists, their sponsors and friends.

The public must be told the truth. This war is not just about Iraq and will not be over if we retreat from the conflict there. It will likely get worse before it gets better. It will require greater sacrifice – indeed, a national mobilization – if we are to prevail. Those who suggest that the alternative is less painful and costly are at best disingenuous.

In fact, history tells us that confronting foes like ours later, rather than now, under circumstances of their choosing rather than ours, will entail a far higher price in lives and national treasure. Informed voters, given the choice, will reject the lemming-leap of defeatism and its inevitable high toll.

To read the rest of Frank Gaffney, Jr.'s article, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:42 AM | Comments (7)

The Trouble with Democrats

Recently, the hotter Democratic activists have fastened onto a new issue, which they hope may have more traction with the average American voter. It is a demand that America pull out of Iraq. Sometimes it is presented delicately, as a proposal to "redeploy" our forces there to some other, unstated destination by a certain date. Sometimes it is put forward more baldly, as the only way to force the Iraqis to defend themselves.

Lots of Americans have their doubts about our presence in Iraq. But I doubt whether becoming known as "the bug-out party" is what the Democrats really need to add to their current reputation with the American people.

To read William Rusher's entire article, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)

Who & Why We Are Fighting

In other words, every country that calls itself "Islamic" is morally inferior to just about every country in North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, almost every Asian country and many African countries.

No Muslim country treats non-Muslims and their religions anywhere nearly as decently as any Western non-Muslim country (including Israel) treats Muslims. That is why tens of millions of Muslims immigrate to non-Muslim societies and virtually no non-Muslim immigrates to any Muslim society. In every Muslim country, non-Muslims are either systematically persecuted at worst or treated as inferiors at best.

Individual examples (in just the last five months):

To read the rest of Dennis Prager's article, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)

Terrorist Theater Tricks

By - Caroline Glick, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 28, 2006

What are we seeing when we watch events from the Middle East
on our television screens? Is it news or is it terrorist
theater?

Let us observe two media events which occurred on Sunday in
Gaza. Sunday afternoon released hostages and Fox News
journalists Steven Centanni and Olaf Wiig spoke before the
cameras. The fact of their release and their statements were
reported by more than 1,000 news organizations throughout
the world.

At the press conference, Centanni and Wiig, who were forced
by their Palestinian captors to convert to Islam, praised
the Palestinians. Centanni said, "I just hope this never
scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover
this story because the Palestinian people are a very
beautiful, kind-hearted and caring people that the world
need[s] to know more about." Wiig similarly praised the
Palestinians.

While their remarks were covered extensively, no one seemed
to think that the fact that their first post-release
statements were made at a Palestinian Authority sponsored
media extravaganza in Gaza was significant. No one noted
that the men were flanked by Palestinian "security forces,"
and stood next to Hamas terrorist leader and Palestinian
Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. No mention was made
of the fact that the two were initially kidnapped by just
such PA "security officials," or that Haniyeh is one of the
leaders of one of the most fanatical jihadist organizations
in the world, an organization that the majority of the
"beautiful, kind-hearted and caring" Palestinians voted into
office last January.

That is, no mention was made of the fact that until the two
men left Gaza, they remained unfree. No one asked whether
they had been given the option of not giving a press
conference in Gaza. And now that they have spoken, there can
be little doubt that a second press conference by the two
men, in Israel or the US where no one will force them to
convert to Judaism or Christianity or threaten to kill them,
will draw far less media interest. After their press
conference, the two men became yesterday's news.

Conveniently, the same day the PA released the men who its
own forces had kidnapped, Reuters reported that the IDF had
shot a missile at its press vehicle and wounded two
cameramen - one from Reuters and one from Iranian World TV
network - while they were en route to a battle taking place
between IDF forces and Palestinian terrorists. Reuters,
which is demanding an independent investigation into the
attack, is portraying its cameraman Fadel Shada as an
embattled hero who would do anything to bring the truth to
the world.

Yet it is unclear why anyone should believe either Shana or
Reuters. Shana told Reuters that as he was driving to the
battle scene, "I suddenly saw fire and the doors of the jeep
flew open." He claims to have been wounded by shrapnel in
his hand and leg. These are minor injuries for someone whose
vehicle was just hit by a missile.

But then, the photographs taken of his vehicle after the
purported missile attack give no indication that the car was
hit by anything. There is a gash on the roof. The hood is
bent out of shape. But nothing seems to have been burned.
Cars hit by missiles do not look like they have just been in
a nasty accident. Cars hit by missiles are destroyed. Yet
the glass on the windshield and the windows of Shana's
vehicle isn't even shattered. In the photographs taken of
Shana on the way to the hospital in Gaza, he lies on a
stretcher, eyes closed, arm extended in full pieta mode. He
is not visibly bleeding although there are some blood stains
on his shirt, but then his undershirt is completely white.

I did not see these pictures in the media coverage of the
purported IDF attack on the Reuters and Iranian cameramen. I
saw them on Powerlineblog Web site. I did not see any
questions raised from either the Israeli or the
international media on the veracity of Shana's tale, which
of course, provides a nice balance to the Centanni-Wiig
hostage story.

As is the case with the Palestinian war against Israel, one
of the most notable aspects of Hizbullah's latest campaign
against Israel has been the active collaboration of news
organizations and international NGO's in Hizbullah's
information war against Israel. Like their rogue state
sponsors, subversive sub-national groups like Hizbullah,
Fatah and Hamas, see information operations as an integral
part of their war for the annihilation of Israel and defeat
of the West. And their information operations are more
advanced than any the world has seen. As becomes more
evident with each passing day, they have successfully
corrupted both the world media and the community of NGOs
that purportedly operate in a neutral manner in war zones.

It is not a coincidence that I saw the pictures of the
Reuters' vehicle on Powerline and not in the media coverage
of the purported attack. Both the global media and the
international NGO community abjectly refuse to investigate
themselves. As democratic governments and their militaries
have proven incapable of dealing with the phenomenon (in
part because they seek to curry favor with the media and the
international NGO community), the blogosphere has taken upon
itself the role of media watchdog.

Bloggers have become a critical component of the free
world's defense in the current war. During the Hizbullah
campaign in Lebanon, bloggers scrutinized coverage of the
war in a way that has never been done before. Their work has
exposed the dirty secret of the Middle East that the media
has hidden for so many years: The global media and the
international NGO community, which profess to be neutral
observers, are in fact colluding with terrorist
organizations.

The blogosphere, and particularly Little Green Footballs,
Powerline, Zombietime, Michelle Malkin, and EU Referendum,
have relentlessly exposed the systematic staging of news
events, fabrication of attacks against relief workers, and
doctoring of photographic images by Hizbullah with the
active assistance of international organizations and the
global media.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, with its
internationally mandated status as a protected organization,
is particularly culpable. The blogoshere - and specifically
EU Referendum and Zombietime Web sites - have shown that Red
Cross employees in Tyre and Kana fabricated from whole cloth
a tale of an Israeli airstrike against Red Cross ambulances
in Kana on July 23. In an exhaustively documented report,
"How the Media Legitimized an Anti-Israel Hoax and Changed
the Course of a War," Zombietime showed how Red Cross
employees took an old, rusty ambulance and alleged that the
IAF had attacked it with a missile that blew a hole straight
through the middle of the red cross on the ambulance's roof.

The Red Cross allegation was reported as fact by such
"credible" news organizations as Associated Press, Time
magazine, the BBC, ITV, The New York Times, The Guardian,
The Age, MSNBC, The Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both published
accounts of the attack as evidence of Israeli "war crimes"
in Lebanon.

Zombietime clearly proved from simple scrutiny of the
photographs taken of the ambulance, that the hole in the
cross was not the result of a missile attack but the work of
the ambulance manufacturer. It was the hole for an air vent.
The pock marks on the roof were the result of age and decay.
There had been no fire in the ambulance. There was no
attack. It was a complete fabrication, concocted by Red
Cross employees who enjoy their protected status because
their organization has pledged its neutral status in this
and all wars.

One weel later, as EU Referendum reports in a similarly
detailed investigation of the much condemned IAF bombing of
Kana on July 30, (which actually happened a mile north of
Kana at Khuraybah village), Red Cross relief workers
actively participated in the staging of a perverted media
extravaganza where the bodies of dead children were paraded
about before the waiting camera crews for hours and hours.

Rather than demand that the ICRC account for the clear
breach of its binding commitment to neutrality, and rather
than attack the Lebanese Red Cross for its active
collaboration with Hizbullah, the international media has
attacked the bloggers. They are brushed off as "Israel
supporters," and "right-wing extremists." The aim of these
brush-offs is to convince "right thinking" citizens that
they oughtn't have anything to do with these champions of
truth and human decency.

As each day passes, the governments, formal and informal
legal apparatuses, and media of free societies show
themselves to be less and less capable of contending with
the information operations conducted against their societies
by subversive forces seeking their destruction. As each day
passes it becomes clear that the responsibility of
protecting our nations and societies from internal
disintegration has passed to the hands of individuals, often
working alone, who refuse to accept the degradation of their
societies and so fight with the innovative tools of liberty
to protect our way of life. The vigilance of just a handful
of bloggers brought us the knowledge of the corruption of
our media and the network of global NGOs that we have come
to rely on to tell us the "objective" truth.

It is up to all citizens of the free world, who value our
freedom to recognize this corruption, applaud the bloggers
and join them in refusing to allow these corrupt
institutions to cloud our commitment to freedom.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:16 AM | Comments (5)

August 28, 2006

To Stand Alone

"Menachem Begin, by this account, listened quietly for two and a half hours, arms folded, watching every move. Finally, he put his hand up — an almost comic move in the circumstance. Slowly, the table’s attention slid toward him and there was silence. “Excuse me,” he asked, “but are there any Jews in this room?” There several beats of surprised, even confused, silence. The discomfort level was rising. Finally, he added, “Because if so, they should realize that if we wait for allies, we would best spend our time digging a mass grave for that will be the only serious task left.”

To read the rest of screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd's fine article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Enetrtainment Lawyer, Bob G.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Necessary Accounting

By Caroline Glick

Today two groups of protesters are gathered outside the
Prime Minister's Office. The Movement for Quality Government
is demanding the establishment of an official commission of
inquiry, headed by a Supreme Court justice to investigate
the handling of the war in Lebanon. Down the road, IDF
reservists are demanding that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
Defense Minister Amir Peretz and IDF Chief of General Staff
Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz resign.

The critical question arising from the separate protests is
whether or not the country's current political and military
leadership are capable of drawing the proper lessons from
the war. If Israel's national and military leaders are
incapable of drawing the appropriate lessons, then there is
an urgent need to embrace the reservists' demand that both
the political and military leaders of the country resign.

Currently, the Israeli public is referring to the latest war
as the Second Lebanon War. Yet this is untrue. The latest
war was fought on two fronts - Lebanon and Gaza. It was
precipitated by Palestinian aggression against Israel from
Gaza. By referring to the war as the Lebanon War, the
regional nature of the war is ignored. The name does more to
confuse than to clarify what just befell us.

In many respects, the ability of the Olmert government and
the IDF to learn from their experience can be assessed by
how they are reacting to events in the Palestinian Authority
as they have unfolded against the backdrop of Hizbullah's
perceived victory in Lebanon. Specifically, their refusal to
acknowledge the role Fatah and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas are
playing in the current situation is a cause for alarm. This
refusal manifests itself in Israel's reaction to both the
abduction of Fox News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf
Wiig a week and a half ago in Gaza and the continued
captivity of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

Centanni and Wiig were kidnapped by PA security forces
associated with Fatah. When their demand that Abbas pay them
money in exchange for Centanni and Wiig was refused, the
kidnappers sold their hostages to a Fatah terror cell that
currently holds them. That is, Abbas's security forces and
his Fatah movement rather than Hamas are responsible for the
two men's fate.

Moreover, knowledgeable Palestinian sources state with
certainty that Shalit has been held since his abduction in
June in Khan Yunis by Fatah and Hamas terrorists. Khan Yunis
is controlled by forces loyal to Fatah strongman Muhammad
Dahlan.

If Abbas were interested in seeing Shalit released, his
forces would be able to free Shalit at any time. But Abbas
is not interested in releasing Shalit. Rather, he is
demanding that the Hamas government order Shalit be
transferred to his control to enable him to negotiate his
exchange for hundreds of terrorists imprisoned in Israel.
Abbas's dispute with Hamas is over who will get the credit
for springing Palestinian terrorists from prison. Hamas is
unwilling to give up the glory, and so is Abbas. So Shalit
remains in captivity.

Abbas's handling of both hostage situations leads to one
conclusion: He is part of the problem. If the government
wanted to bring about Shalit's release, it would be placing
all the responsibility for his capture and captivity on
Abbas. It would have isolated Abbas in the infamous Mukata
in Ramallah, just as it isolated Yasser Arafat there during
Operation Defensive Shield in 2002. But the government is
doing none of these things.

The government is not acting against Abbas and Fatah because
it is ideologically unable to define Abbas or Fatah or the
Palestinian Authority as Israel's enemy. Olmert and his
colleagues require the fiction of Abbas as a moderate leader
and the fiction of Fatah as a moderate counterweight to
Hamas to justify their planned policy of retreating from
Judea and Samaria and their current policy of continuing
construction of the security fence and removing scattered
outpost communities. Both these policies involve Israeli
relinquishment of control over the territorial expanse of
Judea and Samaria.

The stretegic logic that stands at the core of the
government's policies is that territory is a liability, that
static defenses like the security fence, augmented by the
air force and commando units, will be able to defend
Israel's cities and towns from attack.

Unfortunately, the IDF shares this strategic logic. This
fact was made clear Monday by Division Commander Brig.-Gen.
Guy Tzur in remarks before reserve officers about the
results of the war in Lebanon. According to officers who
participated in the closed meeting, Tzur told them that
Israel was better off for not achieving its strategic
objective of dismantling Hizbullah in Lebanon.

We won the war in 1967 and since then we have been paying
the price of that victory, he said. We won the war in 1982
and for 18 years we were forced to remain in the Lebanese
quagmire, he continued. That is - according to Tzur, who
claimed that he was repeating a statement made by OC Central
Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh - it is not in Israel's
interest to conquer and control territory used by its
enemies to attack it. Victory, which requires us to hold
territory, is by this reasoning, not in Israel's interest.

This was the strategic logic that directed both the
government and the IDF in the war in Lebanon. This was the
logic that brought the General Staff, Olmert and Peretz to
believe that it was possible to win the war with air power
and special forces alone. This was the logic that informed
the IDF's decision to concentrate the belated ground
offensive in the condensed territory of the villages along
the northern border and not order the forces to take over
the territorial expanses around the villages, which
controlled the villages, while quickly advancing to the
Litani River. This was the logic that caused the IDF to
fight against Hizbullah as if it were fighting terror cells
in Jenin.

The IDF reservists who have set up camp across from the
Prime Minister's Office and demand the resignation of
Israel's top political and military leaders are united in
their deep sense of frustration. They share the view that
their fighting methods in Lebanon were unsuited to the enemy
they faced in battle. They are correct.

The IDF's campaign did not permanently diminish Hizbullah's
abilities as a fighting force. It did not stop the missile
attacks on northern Israel. It did not bring IDF hostages
Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev home. The campaign failed to
achieve its stated objectives because it lacked a guiding
strategy regarding the control of territory. Olmert, Peretz
and Halutz based the war effort on a view that Israel must
not control territory. And so they adopted the notion that
it would be possible to destroy Hizbullah from the air. When
that concept was proven false, it was replaced with the idea
that special forces augmented by small numbers of regular
combat forces could clean out the villages along the border
and so deal a heavy blow to Hizbullah. When that concept
proved false in Maroun Aras and Bint Jbail, it was replaced
first by paralysis and then by an intellectual breakdown.

This breakdown led to the belated decision to send in three
divisions. This was the right decision, but rather than let
the troops advance as a massed force and so overrun
Hizbullah positions and take control over the heights
surrounding the villages before being sent in to clear out
the bunkers, the massive forces were deployed as if they
were a small force.

The men were concentrated in condensed areas of the villages
and not fanned out along the surrounding heights. Their high
concentration turned them into easy targets for Hizbullah's
anti-tank missiles. The way the troops were deployed suited
all of Hizbullah's comparative advantages while bringing
neither the IDF's advantage of mass nor its advantage of
firepower to bear.

As became clear after the first several days of engagements,
Hizbullah fought neither an offensive nor a defensive war.
It did not attack IDF formations nor did it defend its
battle stations. Its doctrine is simple: bleed Israeli
civilians and IDF units to break Israel's will and humiliate
it.

Its success in achieving its aim was manifested by the
government's decision to sue for a cease-fire. UN Security
Council Resolution 1701 not only cancelled out any tactical
advantage the IDF had managed to gain, it paved the way for
Hizbullah's rearmament and for the deployment of the UNIFIL
force that will act not to dismantle Hizbullah but to
prevent Israel from taking any further action to win the war
decisively. Yet, still clinging to the view that territory
is bad, neither the General Staff, which insists that Israel
won, nor the government, which is begging anti-Israel
governments in Europe to send their forces to Lebanon, is
capable of understanding what just happened.

This brings us back to the demand for the formation of a
judicial commission of inquiry. There is no doubt that it is
necessary to conduct a serious review of the war in Lebanon
and Gaza. But there is no way that such a review can be
accomplished by a Supreme Court justice. There are two
principal reasons for this. First, an official commission is
a legal body and its proceedings are legal proceedings. But
the issue of why Israel failed to achieve any of its
objectives in the war is not an issue of law. It is an issue
of policy and military operations. Judges are no more
qualified than the average citizen to investigate these
issues.

Secondly, and more importantly, for the past decade and a
half, the Supreme Court has been leading the offensive
against the notion that Israel should either identify its
enemies or defeat them. For the past 15 years the Supreme
Court has been constricting the tactical freedom of the IDF
in Lebanon, Judea, Samaria and Gaza. It has inserted itself
into military planning and political initiatives in a manner
that has undermined the IDF's ability to adequately protect
Israeli citizens and territory from assault by outlawing
tactics that contradict the liberal justices' multicultural
and post-nationalist sensibilities. Indeed, it is just these
sensibilities, and the fear of Supreme Court intervention,
that has tied the hands of successive governments and
General Staffs in attempting to confront the growing
unconventional threats to Israel emanating from Hizbullah
and Palestinian terrorist groups.

From all this it becomes self-evident that both the demand
for Olmert, Peretz and Halutz to resign and the demand that
an accounting be made of the mistakes that led Israel to its
strategic defeat in Lebanon are necessary. It is also clear
that the only way that the proper lessons can be drawn is
for the current military and political leadership to be
replaced by alternative leaders capable of understanding the
nature of the threats that surround us. For both objectives
to be achieved, the only commission of inquiry that should
be established is the inquiry of the citizens of the state
that takes place in general elections.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:21 AM | Comments (6)

August 25, 2006

Scenes from a Wedding

"Is that your bag Ma'am?"
"Yes, yes it is."
The Character Actor plunges through the crush of bodies, grabs Karen's suitcase, and like the characters he always plays, yanks the heavy bag up from the airport luggage carousel, and sets it down right at Karen's feet as if it weighs no more than a feather.
"Anymore I can help you with?"
"No, thank you so much."

The Character Actor smiles and even gives Karen a little bow of the head. I think he did the same little gesture in Goodfellas right before he, actually his character, blew another character to kingdom come. That's the thing about actors: most of them have no lives of their own, they are empty vessels. Even when they are not working, they pull scenes to help them get through real life.

Karen and I exit the terminal.
"That man who just helped you, great character actor."
Karen looks over her shoulder.
"Really, how do you recognize him?"
I shrug. Mr. Modesty. It's what I do.
Karen says, "I never would recognize him, ever."

But I know what Karen is thinking, and it goes something like this: "How is it that Robert can recognize some obscure Hollywood character actor, can remember scenes and full patches of dialogue from films he has not seen in over 20 years, and yet when it comes to relatives, he has no idea who is who in the family?"

It is a mystery.

Karen and I have just returned from a wedding back east. There, as usual, I am confronted with cousins, uncles and aunts, great uncles and great aunts and countless children of first, second and third cousins. And not only do I have no idea how most of these people are related to me--I'm lucky if I can even remember their names.

It's nothing personal. It's just a, er, kinship disability.

Scene One:
Someone comes over to me at the wedding and tells me how much they like Seraphic Secret, how much they enjoyed The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden, and we fall into easy conversation.

Hey, listen, I'm a writer, compliment my work and I turn into a slobbering puppy dog.

Being polite I say: "By the way, what's your name?"
He looks at me, wide-eyed.
"I'm Yossie, Karen's first cousin, Uncle Moshe's son from St. Louis."

Ouch.

Now, I'm pretty sure Yossie hates me. He's thinking I'm some Hollywood snob.

So Karen takes me aside and gives me a complete rundown on that branch of the family, who's married to whom, who the children are. I'm really afraid she's going to start outlining the European roots of the family and then there's going to be a test. She's like Margaret Mead giving a power-point presentation. She's using her most patient kindergarten teacher tone of voice with me, but it's hopeless. I'll never remember all these relatives.

My mind wanders. I'm thinking about the wedding scene in The Godfather. What a great film. What a great way to start a movie. I ponder what little dramas are being played out here, at this Orthodox Jewish wedding.

My imagination kicks into overdrive: That tall woman in the nose-bleed heels over there is sneaking out for a secret tryst with --

"Robert?"
"Yes?"
"You're not taking any of this in are you?"
"Not really."

Scene Two:
Someone, a relative, no idea how he's related or what his name is, comes over to me and tells me that he really likes my blog, and wants to know how I know so much about war and military thought.

"I have seen every great Hollywood war movie ever made, plus I've seen Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai countless times."
"You're kidding?"
"I read a lot too," I add weakly. "The complete works of Sir Charles Oman."
"But... but your blog, Seraphic Secret, you seem so... knowledgable."
"Sorry."

I should have told him that I'm really an instructor at West Point specializing in Fourth Generation Warfare, screenwriting is just a part-time gig.

Disappointed, he walks away shaking his head. Another relative, another enemy. Gosh, if I keep this up, the family may well expel me.

Scene Three:
Another relative approaches, wants to know what I think about the war and Hizbullah and Olmert.
I'm drained. I'm finished. I throw up the white flag.
"I'm just a dumb Hollywood screenwriter, what difference does it make what I think?"
"You did win an Emmy, right?"
"Um, yeah, but that was for a screenplay. Listen, I just write a blog. I'm just an ordinary guy like you."
He smiles. Raises his glass in a L'chaim.

Naturally, I have no idea who he is. But at least he doesn't hate me.

Karen and I wish you all a lovely and meaningful Shabbos.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:32 AM | Comments (23)

Failure to Communicate

Unless there is some element of fear, or at least the suggestion of consequences to come for recalcitrance, why should an Iraqi cease his easy support of Hezbollah, his anti-Semitism, or his cheap support for Islamist terrorists around the block? It would be as if we expected to end slavery outright in the Confederacy around 1862, or rid Germany of Nazis around 1943, or persuade the Japanese fascists to vote in 1944 — before such ideologies have been utterly defeated and the steep price for those who tolerated them paid in full.

So what Mr. Bush is faced with is this nearly impossible paradox of half war/half peace: at a time when most are getting fed up with abhorrent Middle Eastern jihadists who blow up, hijack, and behead in the name of their religion, he is attempting to convince the same American public and the Western world at large to spend their blood and treasure to help Muslim Afghans, Iraqis, and now Lebanese, who heretofore — whether out of shared anti-Americanism or psychological satisfaction in seeing the overdog take a hit — have not been much eager to separate themselves from the rhetoric of radical Islam.

To read the rest of Victor Davis Hanson's fine essay, please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

Hizbullah Did Not Win

The way much of the Western media tells the story, Hezbollah won a great victory against Israel and the U.S., healed the Sunni-Shiite rift, and boosted the Iranian mullahs' claim to leadership of the Muslim world. Portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, the junior mullah who leads the Lebanese branch of this pan-Shiite movement, have adorned magazine covers in the West, hammering in the message that this child of the Khomeinist revolution is the new hero of the mythical "Arab Street."

Probably because he watches a lot of CNN, Iran's "Supreme Guide," Ali Khamenei, also believes in "a divine victory." Last week he asked 205 members of his Islamic Majlis to send Mr. Nasrallah a message, congratulating him for his "wise and far-sighted leadership of the Ummah that produced the great victory in Lebanon."

By controlling the flow of information from Lebanon throughout the conflict, and help from all those who disagree with U.S. policies for different reasons, Hezbollah may have won the information war in the West. In Lebanon, the Middle East and the broader Muslim space, however, the picture is rather different.

To read the rest of Amir Taheri's essay, please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:45 AM | Comments (1)

Red Cross Fraud

On the night of July 23, 2006, an Israeli aircraft intentionally fired missiles at and struck two Lebanese Red Cross ambulances performing rescue operations, causing huge explosions that injured everyone inside the vehicles. Or so says the global media, including Time magazine, the BBC, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and thousands of other outlets around the world. If true, the incident would have been an egregious and indefensible violation of the Geneva Convention, and would constitute a war crime committed by the state of Israel.

But there's one problem: It never happened.

For a complete analysis of this hoax by Lebanese Red Cross workers, and then disseminated by a willfully stupid Western press, please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Jayne.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2006

Emanuel Morano's legacy

By Caroline Glick, THE JERUSALEM POST

At around 4 a.m. Saturday, Lt. Col. Emanuel Morano, a senior
commander in the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret
Matkal), was killed in a fierce battle with Hizbullah
fighters near Baalbek in the Bekaa valley not far from the
Lebanese-Syrian border.

From the details of the commando raid that have filtered
into the media, we learned that Morano and his men were
airdropped into the area by helicopter along with their two
Hummer vehicles, with the mission of attacking a Hizbullah
base in the nearby village of Bodei used by the
Iranian-sponsored guerrilla fighters for weapons smuggling.

Iran is now working steadily to replenish Hizbullah's
surface to surface and anti-tank missile stocks and augment
them with anti-aircraft missiles.

Israel's continued sea and air blockade of Lebanon, which
Kofi Annan is pushing the Olmert government to lift, forces
Iran to resupply Hizbullah by land through Syria and into
the Bekaa valley.

Morano and his men were discovered by Hizbullah fighters
around the heavily guarded enclave and a pitched battle
ensued. Morano was killed, another officer was seriously
wounded and a third was wounded lightly. At least three
Hizbullah fighters were killed and two were reportedly taken
prisoner.

Close air support from helicopters and fighter planes
prevented Hizbullah reinforcements from participating in the
battle or encircling the IDF commandos who were extracted -
with their casualties and prisoners - after a prolonged
firefight.

Morano, 35, was a hero. He was admired and respected by his
soldiers and officers. Those who knew him well agree that
his most outstanding features were his humility and his
Zionism. Morano lived modestly with his wife Maya and three
young children in Moshav Tlamim by Sderot. He never wore his
uniform in his community - he wasn't interested in people
knowing how senior an officer he was. He was in the IDF to
serve his country and his people, not for the glory. He was
a loyal son of Jerusalem.

Exactly a year before his death, Morano's humility and
dedication to serving his country brought him to perform a
different sort of nocturnal mission.

Every night last August - until precisely 52 weeks before
his death - he snuck into Gush Katif to bring food to his
brother David and his family who were besieged along with
the rest of the residents of Gush Katif by a force of some
50,000 IDF and police forces. These forces, who outnumbered
the forces sent into Lebanon to fight Hizbullah a year later
by 20,000, were under orders not to fight Israel's enemies,
but to expel loyal, patriotic Israeli citizens from their
homes and communities, destroy their homes and communities
and abandon their land to Hamas and Fatah control.

David Morano is a major in reserves in another elite IDF
unit. Last year in Neve Dekalim he challenged the IDF to
find one soldier who would be capable of throwing him and
his family out of their home. Taking David's point and
seeking to avoid embarrassment, the senior brass of the IDF
beat a steady path to his door, attempting to convince him
that he must leave.

Sitting in a modestly furnished, book-lined living room,
David repeatedly demanded to be told the strategic rationale
of the expulsions. Why were these senior commanders
following orders to surrender land to terrorists? Why were
they turning 8,500 Jews into refugees in the Land of Israel
in order to carry out a mission conceived by a prime
minister desperate to avoid a felony indictment on
corruption charges from the radical leftist state
prosecution? David kept repeating over and over again that
this was not the reason he and his four brothers served as
combat officers in the IDF. He warned over and over again
that expelling the Israelis from Gaza would strengthen
Israel's enemies and lead directly to another war.

None of the officers who spoke to David could provide him
with answers. The most they could do was lend a sympathetic
ear as they suggested he start packing his bags. They could
not convince him to leave.

In the end, the events had their own momentum. By Friday
afternoon, David and his family were more or less the only
family left on their street.

Everyone else had been expelled Thursday. Over the Sabbath,
the remaining Jews of Neve Dekalim darted around in the
shadows avoiding arrests by soldiers and police. When they
gathered in the synagogue, they were momentarily heartened
to see that a couple hundred were still on hand.

But their spirits were broken. By the end of the next week,
they were all refugees, their homes and communities laid to
waste by IDF bulldozers. Their abandoned synagogues awaited
destruction at the hands of Palestinian mobs which came
three weeks later.

Some of the most charged moments at David's home last summer
came when he expressed his indignation over the way that IDF
Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz and his generals
daily insulted the religious Zionist community. Halutz
threatened to bar the youths who protested the expulsions
from serving in the military. Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, who as
then OC Southern Command commanded the expulsions, talked
about "a lost generation," and demanded an accounting by the
heads of the religious Zionist public for their children who
refused to accept the legitimacy of the expulsions. Maj.
Gen. Benny Ganz, who then served as OC Northern Command,
claimed that the youth who protested the expulsions were a
greater danger to Israel than Hizbullah.

And yet, over the past year, after in many cases having to
submit to humiliating interrogations by the Shin Bet, and
repeated rejections by draft boards due to their
"ideological fervor," thousands of the youths who protested
last summer's expulsions were drafted into the army. Like
Emmanuel and David Morano and their three older brothers,
these soldiers make up the backbone of the IDF's regular
combat and Special Forces units. Like Emmanuel Morano, a
disproportionate number of religious Zionist soldiers have
died in the past month of war.

Last week, Vice Premier Shimon Peres tried to silence the
growing calls for the government and the members of the
General Staff to resign by saying that this is no time for a
war between the Jews. His statement is an insult to the
intelligence.

Demanding accountability from incompetent political and
military leaders who led us into defeat against an enemy we
could and should have beaten is not opening a civil war. It
is the proper response from a responsible public that
understands our leaders are incapable of defending the
country.

Indeed, if Peres is concerned about the possibility of a war
between the Jews, then he should be the first one calling
for the government to resign.

The Olmert government was elected with a platform explicitly
committed to carrying out a war against the Jews through the
conduct of mass expulsions of up to 100,000 Israelis from
their homes and communities in Judea and Samaria.

In the midst of this month's Lebanon war, as it became
increasingly clear that he lacked the will to prosecute the
war to victory, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attempted to buck
up his support in Europe and among the radical Israeli Left
(of which his children and wife are proud members), by
saying that the war in Lebanon would pave the way for the
mass expulsion of Israelis from Judea and Samaria.

Saturday, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni appointed a senior
diplomat Yaacov Dayan as her point man for future
negotiations with Syria. Her decision to appoint an envoy
for talks on surrendering the Golan Heights to Syrian
dictator and Iranian toady Bashar Assad came just days after
Assad announced that he hates Israel, wants nothing to do
with peace and is committed to Israel's destruction.

In light of Assad's statements, there are two logical
explanations for Livni's move. First, like her colleagues in
the Olmert government who also are pushing peace talks with
Assad, Livni may be stupid.

Second, Livni may have appointed Dayan in the hopes of
stirring up internal fissures over the issue of land for
peace. Already the radical leftists who run Israel's media
are engaging in surrealistic debates about the possibility
of making peace with Assad the warmonger. These debates
immediately place religious Zionists on the hot seat for
their stubborn insistence on settling the land which makes
giving it to Israel's sworn enemies all the more difficult
for people like Livni and her friends.

Last summer in Gush Katif, there was no war between the
Jews. Last summer, under orders from Ariel Sharon and
Olmert, the IDF and the police fought a war against the
Jews. David and Emmanuel Morano didn't fight against Israel.
They didn't fight against the IDF.

The Moranos fought against insane policies that victimized
8,500 patriots for no reason other than Leftist
anti-religious prejudice, and that caused Gaza to become a
new base for global jihad. And then, when war came from our
emboldened enemies, as they warned it would, the Moranos
loyally served beside their brothers and countrymen in
defense of Israel.

When the outraged Israeli public sends this incompetent
government and General Staff home, it will not be starting a
war between the Jews. It will be preventing another war
against the Jews.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)

Our Side

I am a normal Israeli teenager. I live in the center of our country, and was therefore spared from the recent bombings which occurred both in the south by Palestine and the north by the Hezbollah. I worried about my fellow Israelis just like everyone else, but what could I do about it?

The night after the ceasefire, my father was looking at online news websites, and he noticed something unsettling. Every single news site showed pictures of the destruction in Lebanon, but made no mention of the destruction in Israel. Not one picture.

So my dad decided to take a trip up to the north of Israel, see for himself the damage that was done there, and document it. He invited me to come along, and I did so. My younger brother joined us as well, and we borrowed my older brother's digital camera.

To read Tamir's entire post, please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Faye B.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)

Israeli Left Takes a Hard Right

I've quoted William Lloyd Garrison before, and I'm going to do it again:

"With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plea; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost."

A while back I wrote about a group of Israeli peace activists whom the recent war in Lebanon has changed into hardliners convinced that Israel is now in an existential war against an implacable enemy dedicated to its destruction.

Well, it's not just an isolated peace activist here and there; it seems to be a trend. Allison Kaplan Sommer offers a piece that appeared in the British Daily Express by Michael Diamond, telling of the shift to the right on the part of a great many Israelis who had previously considered themselves members of the "sane left."

Diamond speaks for many who once considered the Palestinian position to be a case of a reasonable grievance against an injustice. Believing that "with reasonable men I shall reason," these Israelis therefore advocated the return of the territories and the 2000 pullback from southern Lebanon, strategies they predicted would be met with a softening on the part of Israel's enemies.

But it didn't work out that way, although it seemed to the left as though it should have. Instead, the pullout from Lebanon six years ago, and the more recent withdrawal from Gaza, led to a moment of clarity that crystallized as the Katushas rained down on Israel and the press of the world mourned the plight of the Lebanese and ignored the context of what was actually happening there.

The intent of the enemy was exposed, and it turns out it was not the end of the "occupation;" it was the end of Israel...

To read the rest of neo-neocon's fine article, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:29 AM | Comments (1)

Israel's New Hope?

“We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies, we want that we will be able to live in an entirely different environment of relations with our enemies. We want them to be our friends, our partners, our good neighbors, and I believe that this is not impossible.”

“The best defense is a good offense, not a fence. The best way to deal with terrorists is to arrest them or kill them in their beds. . . . what we are doing is leaving a legacy for the next generation that will [have to] deal with Palestinians who believe that terrorism pays, that Israel cuts and runs under pressure. . . . we must stop getting used to these constant missile attacks as if they are rain. . . . I do not see any prospect for peace and reconciliation on the Palestinian side. I needed no sophisticated intelligence to reach this conclusion; I only had to look at their textbooks, posters and so on.”

The first quotation is, of course, from a speech by Ehud Olmert, now Israeli prime minister, to New York’s Israel Policy Forum on June 9, 2005. The second quotation is from a speech by former IDF chief of staff Moshe Yaalon to Manhattan’s Lincoln Square Synagogue on May 8, 2006.

To read the rest of P. David Hornik's FrontPage.com article, please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2006

Cease-Fire Updates Wed, Aug 23

The War of Tammuz is not over.

This cease-fire is fragile, punctuated with killings, and as we all know only serves to allow Iran to rearm Hizbullah through Syria.

And for Israel to clean house politically, and then get down to some serious retraining and then -- a bloodier round two.

After the Yom Kippur War, Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan had the decency, the good graces to offer to resign. They realized that they had blundered badly, that young men had died because of their mistakes -- and so they acted honorably.

Olmert, Perez and Livni are cut from an entirely different cloth, a shabby bolt to be sure.

There is not a hint of honor, not a shred of decency, not a sign that this gang of incompetents are willing to shoulder responsibilty for their actions.

Such mendacity in the Jewish state makes me furious beyond words.

I am relieved to see that reservists are now vigorously protesting, demanding that Olmert and Co. resign.

As always, we turn to Seraphic Friend Jameel for his updates. Karen and I would also like to wish Jameel and Mrs. Jameel a belated happy anniversary.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 05:41 PM | Comments (2)

Amnesty International Unmasked

In the comments section to my post: Jews, Darfur, and the Death of Language, Seraphic Friend Sara claims that the victims of the Darfur genocide "are overwhelmingly Muslim."

As a source, Sara brings forth Amnesty International.

Well, we know that Sara is mistaken. Profoundly mistaken. In fact, in Darfur, there have been over two million murdered over the past three decades. The victims are Christians and Animists. The killers are the Muslim Janjaweed gunmen acting on behalf of the Sudanese government. Sudan is, by the way, an Islamic state.

Amnesty Internationional is certainly not an authoratative source, nor is it an objective organization.

Below is Sigmund, Carl & Alfred's wise and revealing essay on Amnesty International.

**********

The US and Israel are routinely subjected to the most vile of critique, for what are no more than at best, political agendas and at worst, unrestrained bigotry.

The same voices that excoriate the US and Israel don’t give a damn about Darfur, for example. I suppose 400,000 to 800,000 dead aren’t enough yet -- or, perhaps the fact that the victims are black plays a role.

While the GIA was raping children in Algeria, these voices where nowhere to be heard. FGM continues unabated. There are estimates that up to 100 million women have been mutilated.

That begs the question: What makes the US and Israel so special?

Of course, I could go on and on.

We live in a smaller world today. We know that in Mauritania, tens of thousands are murdered or are enslaved every year.

We know that the Copts in Egypt are still being persecuted, as are the Bahai in Iran. In Rwanda, Canadian General Romeo D’allaire almost went off the deep end because nobody gave a damn as he watched hundreds of thousands die, because the UN didn’t want him to ‘get involved.’ And where was Amnesty International? Focusing on Israel, of course and the big bad US.

Let’s be clear -- In five years of the Intifadah (called for by the Palestinians themselves), 3,000 Palestinians have been killed. In Rwanda, the number of dead tally to over 1,000,000.

To read the remainder of this fine essay, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:27 PM | Comments (9)

Politics Cannot Hide the Truth

America and Israel are not the problem in the Islamic world, despite the nightly newscasts and the Stalinesque 'useful idiots' that insist that is the case.

Iraq and Iran fought a war that resulted in the death of over a million people, many of them children, used as fodder by the Iranians.

What is happening in Darfur, the massacre of Christians and Animists by Muslim militia, was not brought on by America or Israel. It has been going for years and and over 2 million have been butchered.

In Algeria, the GIA did not rape and dismember thousands of children because of America or Israel.

Saddam did not invade Kuwait, or threaten Saudi Arabia because of America or Israel.

Churches and Mosques in Pakistan are not set afire with worshippers inside because of America or Israel.

Poison gas was used in Yemen, in the 1960's. The perpetrator? Our friends, the Egyptians.

Universal laws no longer exist in the Arab world.

To read the rest of Sigmund, Carl & Alfred's important essay, please click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)

InHuman Watch

Like most leftist organizations, Human Rights Watch professes to be impartial, but in truth is rabidly anti-Israel. It's no surprise that their Executive Director, Kenneth Roth, is presumably, Jewish. It is a gloomy fact of American Jewish life that those who work hardest for the demise of the Jewish State have been born Jews.

For these Jews however, their true religion is Secularism, Universalism, Marxism, Socialism, Global Warmism, Anti-Wal-Martism -- the new ism on the block. Indeed, for these ideologues of the left, any tyrannical ideology that is allied against America, against Israel, against Judaism and Christianity, against western civilization will do, and as we see from their latest reports, Jihadism bothers them very little.

Yes, Roth and his vulgar gang are just another in a long line of Jewish non-Jews.

They are sickeningly familiar. I have just finished reading Solomon Zeitlin's magisterial Rise and Fall of the Judaean State, and I have seen the Hellenized Roth and his ilk over and over again from 332 B.C.E, when Judaea became a part of the Hellenistic empire, until 135 C.E. when the revolt of Bar Kokhba collapsed. I take great comfort in knowing that men like Roth always end defeated and marked by history as perfidious traitors.

**********

The executive director of Human Rights Watch seems to think that even if hundreds of rockets are being fired from a Lebanese town at Israeli cities on the days before and after an Israeli attack, the Lebanese town should be immune from attack so long as no rockets were fired in the hours immediately preceding the attack. That standard is unrealistic for Israel, which has to plan its military operations in advance and is trying to defend itself from a terrorist group trying to kill Israeli civilians. The alternative to air strikes is ground operations in which Israeli soldiers risk being ambushed. How many Israeli ground troops does Mr. Roth think should die to satisfy his qualms about the timing of Israeli air raids?

To read the rest of this fine article, please click here.

Alan Dershowitz weighs in and slams InHuman Rights Watch for the liars they are. Click here for the truth.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friends, David Paulin and Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:53 AM | Comments (4)

Target: Syria

History suggests that only force, or the threat of force, can win substantial concessions from Syria. In 1998, Turkey threatened military action unless Syria stopped supporting Kurdish terrorists. Damascus promptly complied. Israel may have no choice but to follow the Turkish example.

Indeed, Shlomo Avineri, a former director-general of Israel's Foreign Ministry, argues that his country fought the wrong war: Instead of targeting Lebanon, it should have gone after Syria. The Syrian armed forces are less motivated than Hezbollah, and they offer many more targets for Israeli airpower.

It is, of course, hard for a liberal democracy such as Israel to contemplate war if it hasn't been attacked directly — and Syria has been careful to avoid direct attacks on Israel. (It prefers to fight to the last Lebanese.) Israelis naturally prefer peace. But the choice they face isn't between war and peace. It is between war sooner and on their own terms, or war later and on the enemy's terms.

Max Boot is a wise and knowledgeable military analyst. To read the rest of this fine article, click here.

I also strongly recommend this book by Boot. I started it on a Sunday morning, took breaks for lunch and dinner, finished it by midnight. Essential reading.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

August 22, 2006

Jews, Darfur, and the Death of Language

At this very moment, state sponsored Muslim terrorists, the Sudanese Janjaweed, have murdered more than 200,000 non-Muslims in Darfur.

For those of you who may be somewhat confused, this is genocide.

There are those who might be confused because they rely on the mainstream media for their news; here they see Lebanese Arabs, Hizbullah propagandists, Al Jazeerites and their western enablers accusing Israel of: war crimes, crimes against humanity, and, naturally accusing Israel of committing genocide in Lebanon, and natch, in "Palestine." Next week look for Jewish genocide on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue.

Don't laugh. It's coming.

Anyhow.

It has become increasingly comprehensible why some people, say youngsters between the ages of 6 and 12-years old, and elite university students whose heads have been stuffed like kishke with moral relatavism -- yes, one can see how these two groups would be easily puzzled by such a complicated word and concept as... genocide.

You see, not only is the Muslim/Arab world responsible for unleashing Jihad, and homicide bombers on a near-hourly basis somewhere in the world, but the Uma is also increasingly responsible for the death of language.

You see genocide no longer means the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.

In the Muslim/Arab world and of course for their western enablers, genocide is the charge that Israel has the unmitigated gall to fight for her existence.

Thus: the death of language.

The Janjaweed Muslim terrorists have also raped thousands of these non-Muslim women. Sometimes the Janjaweed rape the women, then murder them. Other times, the Janjaweed enslave these non-Muslim women, forcing them to submit to multiple sexual partners, and then to cook, sew and keep house for their heartless torturers.

More than 2 million non-Muslims have been made refugees and hundreds of thousands of these refugees are slowly starving to death.

(These are true refugees. Not like the Palis; welfare witches who could have had their own state in 1948, but turned it down in favor of war. A war they lost. There are consequences to losing. )

Last month, 9 aid workers were murdered by the Muslim Janjaweed in Darfur.

The UN will not deploy forces because the Dictator of the Islamic Sudanese government, Omar Hassan al-Bashir has threatened "to defeat any forces entering the country just as Hizbullah has defeated Israel."

The French have promised to send at least 15,000 troops, and have vowed to restore order. "We will use whatever military means it takes to remedy this genocide," proclaimed Jacques Chirac.

Just kidding.

Who's protesting?

In the Muslim world, the Religion of Peace, well...

Listen to the crickets chirping.

You can always count on the Arab/Muslim world to be on the side of, well, genocide.

On April 30, in Washington D.C., there was a Save Darfur rally. The largest contingent from any single university or college came from Yeshiva University--over 300 Orthodox Yeshiva students, men and women, attended this rally. Students received kits with detailed background information on the situation in Darfur. The kits also included rabbinic texts describing the nature of Jewish responsibility to protect human life as well as Jewish responses to genocide.

The semicha (rabbinic) students diffidently approached their rebbe. Would he suspend class for a rally? This class is held on all secular holidays, it is not cancelled even if there is a blizzard. The rebbe had a Solomonic solution. He would come to the rally too and give the shiur (class) on the bus. Why should time be wasted when the boys could be learning Torah on their way to Washington?

And so the rally became a true "Kiddush Ha'shem," a sanctification of G-d's name.

And Israel stands accused of war crimes.

Disgusting.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:13 AM | Comments (25)

Hey Kids, Let's Give Back the Golan!

Just when you thought things could not get any nuttier in that sorry excuse for a government in Israel, now comes the idea of rewarding Syria for all her hard work on behalf of Hizbullah, by, y'know, some positive reinforcement: giving back the Golan. This way Syrian artillery can once again sit comfortably on the high ground and, as the Israeli doves would have it, I assume, just peacefully lob shells into Israel.

*****

Dissent within Israel's war Cabinet appeared to spill into the open yesterday with the country's minister for internal security defying an order from Prime Minister Olmert and publicly saying that if Syria was interested, he would endorse negotiating the return of the Golan Heights to the Baathist regime in Damascus in exchange for peace.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:57 AM | Comments (4)

Our Covert Enemies

We have always had our covert enemies, but their numbers were few until the 1960s. But then the elite young men who declined to serve in the military during the Vietnam War set out to write a narrative in which they, rather than those who obeyed the call to duty, were the heroes. They have propagated their ideas through the universities, the schools and mainstream media to the point that they are the default assumptions of millions. Our covert enemies don't want the Islamo-fascists to win. But in some corner of their hearts, they would like us to lose.

To read the rest of Michael Barone's fine article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, David Paulin

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:46 AM | Comments (4)

August 21, 2006

Where Men Were Free

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States... where men were free."

--Ronald Reagan

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, John at OpFor

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 05:19 PM | Comments (0)

The Coming Wars

By Caroline Glick

Since the cease-fire was implemented in Lebanon, we have
heard scattered reports indicating that a prisoner swap with
the Palestinians may be in the works. In exchange for
hundreds if not thousands of Palestinian terrorists now held
in Israeli prisons, IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who has been held
hostage by Palestinian terrorists for nearly two months, may
be released from captivity.

These reports lend weight to the view that things are back
to normal.

Terrorists kidnap Israelis and hold them hostage
and Israel releases terrorists in order to free them.

It is a comforting thought for people like Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert and his colleagues and the members of Lt. Gen. Dan
Halutz's General Staff who continue to believe that it will
be possible for Israel to sign on a dotted line and achieve
"a normal existence."

Unfortunately, the chance that Shalit
will be released is almost as small as the chance that
Israel will be able to achieve a "normal existence."

Palestinian sources explain that the decision of whether or
not to release Shalit is firmly in the hands of the Iranians
and Syrians, and they are not in any mood to horse trade
with the Jews.

Today the Palestinian Authority is nothing more than yet
another Iranian proxy. During the past month of war in
Lebanon, it was the supposedly moderate Fatah terror group
and the supposedly moderate Fatah-led Palestinian security
forces that organized mass rallies in the streets of
Ramallah and Gaza cheering on Hizbullah and calling for
Hassan Nasrallah to bomb Tel Aviv.

Now, in the aftermath of the cease-fire, which handed
Hizbullah and its state sponsors Syria and Iran the greatest
victory in their history, forces in the PA are actively
preparing for a new round of war against Israel.

As Hamas spokesmen have put it, Israel's defeat in Lebanon has
convinced them that it is possible to adopt Hizbullah's
methods to destroy the Jewish state. Amid false reports that
he was planning to dissolve the Hamas government and replace
it with a government of technocrats, Abbas went to Gaza on
Monday morning and asked Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
if Fatah could join his government.

As instructed by his commanders in Teheran and Damascus,
Haniyeh has not yet agreed to Abbas's offer. Rather he set
humiliating conditions which Abbas must accept first. Abbas
already agreed to Hamas's demand that he allow the Islamic
Jihad terrorist organization to also join the government. He
is similarly expected to agree to Hamas's demands that Fatah
join the government as a junior partner and that it abandon
its negotiations with Israel.

Throughout the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian areas of Judea
and Samaria, the Palestinians are gearing up for their next
round of jihad with Israel.

As was the case six years ago,
they are beginning with public executions of Palestinians
accused of helping Israel combat terrorism. Just this week,
a crowd of hundreds hooted and stomped their feet in ecstasy
as unmasked murderers killed one such Palestinian
"collaborator" in Jenin.

So while all eyes are glued on Lebanon, the Palestinians may
well start the next war. And we know exactly how that war
will look. They will use missiles, mortars and rockets that
they will smuggle in from Egypt to kill Israelis in their
homes in the South.

They will infiltrate Israeli cities by
digging tunnels under the security fence around Gaza, and
from Egypt and from towns and cities in Judea and Samaria
and murder us in ever growing numbers. They will receive
money, weapons and combat instruction from Hizbullah and
Iranian operatives in Gaza and abroad and they will attack
us while protesting their everlasting dedication to jihad
and their anger over Israel's "aggression."

Then there is Syria.

Syrian President Bashar Assad's address
Tuesday was a watershed event. After 14 years of beating
around the bush, Syria finally came clean. Peace, Assad
said, is dead. We hate Israel and we want to destroy it. If
not us, then our children will destroy it. All the Arabs
that want peace with Israel are traitors. Long live
Hizbullah and we're going to war to conquer the Golan
Heights as a first step towards destroying Israel.

So Syria is planning to attack us.

Perhaps it will do so while Hizbullah is
carrying out what Nasrallah called the
"building and reconstruction jihad" where with Iranian
funding Hizbullah will rebuild Lebanon for the Lebanese and
so hammer one more nail in the coffin of the Lebanese nation
state and move 10 steps ahead in the Iranian colonization of
Lebanon.

Yes, while Hizbullah goes forward with Lebanese
reconstruction, and with Iranian and Syrian assistance
reequips and upgrades its arsenal of war and rebuilds its
force structure, Syria will likely open a new front on the
Golan Heights.

Like the Palestinians, the Syrians will be following the
Hizbullah model. Assad knows that his antiquated
conventional forces are incapable of conquering and holding
the Golan Heights. But, if Israel fights Syria the same way
it just fought Hizbullah, then that doesn't matter.

Syria, with its arsenal of Scud missiles whose range covers the
entire country and armed with its chemical and biological
arsenals that can act in the best case as a deterrent force,
will be able to kill thousands if not tens of thousands of
Israeli civilians and soldiers in the coming battle and
cause property and economic damage to the tune of tens of
billions of dollars.

Syria believes that it will be able to cause sufficient
damage to make Israel sue for a cease-fire as we just did
with Hizbullah. So like Hizbullah, Syria expects to gain at
the UN Security Council what it could never hope to achieve
on the battlefield.

Specifically, given the precedent of
Resolution 1701, Syria no doubt believes that in exchange
for its aggression, it will receive international
recognition for its territorial demands against Israel; an
international force on the Golan Heights that will make it
difficult for Israel to respond to future attacks; a major
upgrade in its international profile; and billions of
dollars in international assistance to rebuild in the wake
of any damage caused to Syrian infrastructures by IDF
operations.

Behind the Palestinians and the Syrians lies Iran, the
guiding light behind the present jihad. Iran, with its
burgeoning nuclear weapons program, is the single greatest
danger to international security. It is the single greatest
danger to Israel's survival.

To date, Iran has made do with fighting Israel through its proxies,
to great advantage. But Iran has made it absolutely clear that
it intends to join the fray directly -- when it is good and ready.
And of course it will be good and ready when it has nuclear weapons.

If Iran is allowed to attain nuclear weapons, there is no
reason to doubt that it will use them. If Iran attacks
Israel with nuclear weapons, then of course we are looking
at a future war scenario involving not thousands of dead,
but millions.

As all of Israel's leaders have been quick to point out over
the years, the threat of a nuclear armed Iran is not just
dangerous for Israel but for the entire world. Iran has its
Persian Gulf neighbors in its gun sites. It has directly
threatened the US and Europe.

Although this is true, the fact that Iran is a threat to the
entire world does not give Israel the ability to shirk from
its responsibility to contend directly with Iran. Doing so
would be tantamount to signing the death warrant of the
Jewish people.

In the not so distant future, we will find ourselves at war
with Iran.

Today, the choice of whether we fight that war in
our own time, and before Iran gets nuclear weapons is in our
hands.

If we hesitate, if we and the rest of the free world
waste precious time with worthless diplomatic wrangling with
the ayatollahs, war will come to us, but on the enemy's
terms. And we will have only ourselves to blame.

All of these future wars present us with a clear challenge
as a country. We must prepare for war. This means, that
technologically, we must engage in a crash program to find
means to protect our cities from missile attack.

We got off relatively easy this time. Hizbullah chose not to attack our
industrial centers but showed it has the ability to do so
through its missile attacks near Haifa's port and its
attacks near Hadera's power plant.

Militarily, we must not relent in targeting our enemies. The
IDF must target every Palestinian terrorist.

It must reassert control over the international border
between Gaza and Egypt. Israel must accept the reality that the PA is a
terrorist organization, not a legitimate regime, and stop
viewing Abbas and his associates in Fatah as potential peace
partners.

Obviously, Israel must give up the idea of
transferring Judea and Samaria to Palestinian control and
take all necessary measures to stabilize the situation on
the ground in a manner that neutralizes the threat of
Palestinian jihad.

Furthermore, the war in Lebanon exposed the results of years
of neglect of the IDF reserve forces. These forces must be
properly equipped, properly trained for war, and properly
led.

The talk of releasing men from reserve duty at 35 must
be abandoned. The IDF has to accept that it is a fighting
force in war. Commanders have to stop acting like yuppies in
uniform and understand that they have a war to train for and
fight and win.

Finally, Israel needs a political leadership that will be
capable of telling the Israeli public the truth that has
been ignored for the past decade and a half. We are not a
"normal" nation and we are not going to get peace in the
coming years. We are an abnormal nation in our neighborhood
and in the world and will always remain so, as is our right.

Our people must be ready to sacrifice for the survival of
the state and the defense of our freedom to be abnormal. We
need leadership that will tell the Israeli people that a
struggle awaits us but that our democracy, our freedom, and
our values give us the power of creative thought that will
allow us to beat the dull forces of jihad that surround us.

In response to Assad's speech on Tuesday, Foreign Minister
Tzipi Livni said that Assad has to decide if he's on the
side of peace or on the side of war.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz outdid even that when
he said that now that the war
is over, it is time for Israel to get down to the real
business of peace and to set the conditions for a renewal of
the peace negotiations with Syria.

In so responding to Assad's unequivocal warmongering, our
leaders again have shown us that they have learned nothing
and are incapable of learning anything from the disaster
into which they led us with Hizbullah in Lebanon.

There is no missile that is capable of penetrating their walls of
self-deception and delusion. They are blind and deaf to all
evidence that their way of appeasement has failed.

With the Olmert government's stubborn insistence that Israel
won the war it just lost, with the General Staff's absurd
statements that the mission was successful, it is clear that
both our political and military leadership must be replaced
as quickly as possible.

Our enemies give us no time for hesitation.
They plan their next wars in broad daylight as
our leaders squawk in the darkness of their ideological
stupor.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:51 PM | Comments (1)

Looking Into the Abyss

The evidence continues to pour in that the Islamic World is undergoing its own great awakening. So obvious is the phenomenon, even the New York Times took notice of it yesterday. In a story that observed the triumph of Islamism, the combination of orthodox Islam with political power, the Times declared pan-Arab Islamism “a wave already washing over the region.”

Such reports don’t provide comfort. An expansionist and aggressive form of Pan-Arab Islam seems to be something that we as a society currently lack the bandwidth to handle. Instead, we choose to convince ourselves that those who intend us harm are confined to lunatic fringe groups like Al Qaeda.

With the success of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood at the ballot box, this view is becoming increasingly untenable. Also disquieting is the huge popularity that Hezbollah now basks in after its war with Israel.

The comforting false hopes is that there’s some way we can achieve peace in our time by combining obsequious diplomacy and carefully targeted ignorance. This view disregards recent history. Bill Clinton and his lackeys spent eight years assiduously endeavoring to be an honest broker in the Middle East. The distinctions between Israel and a murderous tyrant like Yasser Arafat eluded President Clinton’s highly refined sense of morality.

And what did these policies bring? Blown up embassies, nearly sunk destroyers, an attack on the World Trade Center. None of these things brought a muscular response. In fairness to Clinton, his policies as always reflected the daily opinion polls – as a people, we hoped that if we left the region alone or successfully appeased it, the region could pursue its honor killings, subjugation of women, murder of homosexuals and occasional genocides without bothering us.

But now we've reached a historical juncture where we’re looking into an abyss...

To read the rest of Dean Barnett's extremely important essay, click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)

Lone Soldier: Combat

After being called to emergency reserve duty two weeks ago and much indecision on the part of the officers of how we would be utilized in the raging conflict, my unit was assigned a complicated mission. We were to penetrate some ten kilometers into Lebanon and root out and engage Hezbollah guerrillas that were concentrated in bunkers on a mountain slope facing northern Israel. Intelligence and aerial photographs described a site that was heavily fortified and defended by several cells of well-trained and equipped jihadists. Despite a sustained aerial bombardment by the air force, Katyusha rockets continued to be launched from the area into Haifa, Nahariya, Tzfat. The decision was made that the launchers could only be destroyed and the guerrillas eliminated by ground troops. The problematic nature of the action foreboded heavy casualties on our side. It’s like trying to pull a rattlesnake out of its hole without getting bitten. Mine is a demolition unit, so the mission fell on us. I was honored to be the heavy gunner that would be on the point team.

To read the rest of this gripping account of combat click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:28 AM | Comments (2)

The Man Who Saw The Future

This from Seraphic Friend Naomi Regan. An extremely important interview with former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon.

Friends,

Below is an interview the last IDF Chief of Staff, Moshe (Bogey) Ya'alon gave before he left office last year replaced by senior Israeli do-nothing, air-head politicians who didn't like the truth he had the courage to speak. Dan Halutz was his replacement, and we all know how that worked out. Read his words, and you will see how clearly he saw the situation, and how he was punished for his sanity. We should have listened to Bogey when he said the two-state solution was a mirage, and that we are involved in an on-going struggle no flim-flam is going to solve. See how the reporter's incredulity at his statement of simple truths no one would dispute. He was later lambasted for his appraisal by Avi Dichter, Israel's outgoing chief of intelligence, who was wrong about everything, continues to be wrong about everything, and is now proposing giving Syria the entire Golan Heights.

Naomi

*****

Parting Shots
By Ari Shavit Haaretz Magazine 3 June 2005
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/583843.html

Will he return? My guess is that he will. I used to think he wouldn't. Not under any circumstances. That he would disappear in the Arava desert and be a school principal. That he would go back to the barn on his kibbutz and
organize a volunteer project. But now things look different. Bogey's anger is subdued, but deep. His anxiety about Israel's corruption is almost existential.

Moshe ("Bogey") Ya'alon is not thinking in terms of a return now. All he wants to do is swim in the sea, read books and write. To be with Ada. At the end of the summer they are scheduled to take up residence in a research institute in Washington. But the public dynamic might be stronger than the plans of the outgoing chief of staff. No, he will not enter politics. But sooner or later, he is likely to findhimself leading the volunteer corps of the 21st century. The movement against corruption needs a face. It needs its Motti Ashkenazi - the reservist who led the protest against the government in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. And Bogey Ya'alon is not only the right candidate; he is the only candidate. Among those Israelis who held positions of power during the last decade, there was no one with a cleaner record. A principled ascetic. Honest and modest. An Israeli from another era: a man of truth.

The past few months have been hellishly hard. The affront. The agony. The feeling that rot has spread through the institutions of government. The fear that the rot is slowly infiltrating the Israel Defense Forces, too. But in the days ahead of his retirement, he recovered. So, when the time came to photograph him for this article, it was easy to tempt him to tell jokes.

Thus it happened that on his last Friday in the chief of staff's bureau, this tall, mummified, grim-faced officer had the interviewer, the photographer and the IDF spokesperson in stitches. Joke after joke. One outburst of laughter after another. A Ya'alon you never knew about. A Ya'alon we never knew. Bogey was almost bursting out of his uniform.

What will history say? Simple things: Director of Military Intelligence Ya'alon was one of the first to be suspicious of Yasser Arafat. Head of Central Command Ya'alon was the first to understand that an Arafat war was in the offing. Deputy Chief of Staff Ya'alon shaped the concept of the IDF's war against Arafat. Chief of Staff Ya'alon repulsed Arafat and, together with Prime Minister Sharon and Shin Bet security service chief Dichter, led Israel to a military victory over terrorism.

However, Ya'alon's rigidity and his inability to maneuver politically brought about a situation in which his relations with the government and media power centers were sour. As a result, he was alone throughout the entire course of the war. As a result, the moment the war ended, he was ousted. So that he himself will not be there at the critical moment this summer. He himself will not be there when we discover whether Ya'alon's war was a turning point or an exercise in futility. A war that produces stability or a war that produces more wars.

Reverse asymmetry

Lieutenant General Ya'alon, what was your mission in the past four and a half years?

"I have no doubt that life or fate or history brought me to
the boiling point and the point of decision in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It doesn't begin in these four
and a half years, in which I served as chief of staff and
before that as deputy chief of staff. It begins far before
that. I very much wanted to bring about the end of the
conflict. Very much so. I did not delude myself during the
Oslo period, but I had hope. When I took over as director of
Military Intelligence I started to ask questions. And I did
not get persuasive replies. Gradually the facts I
encountered started to change me. Until at a certain stage I
reached the conclusion that we were in a situation of
reverse asymmetry. That we were in retreat, whereas the
Palestinians were on the offensive. Therefore I thought that
our mission was to create a wall in the face of the
Palestinians. To prove to them that terrorism does not pay.
Yes, to burn that into their consciousness - even if there
are some who do not like that term. Because if we do not do
that, Israel will be in serious trouble. If the terror is
successful, it will continue even more intensively. It is
liable to inflict the next war on us and the next stage.
Therefore the wall of consciousness is essential.

Were you successful in building that wall?

"In part."

Where were you successful?

"The success lies in the fact that in this violent round we
succeeded in making the Palestinians aware of the need to
stop the terrorism. We did this by means of the transition
from defense to offense, from Operation Defensive Shield
[spring 2002] and afterward. You have to understand: a fence
does not solve the problem of terrorism. The fence is an
important means in the ability to prevent infiltration, but
it is not the ultimate means. The ultimate means is the
ability to get to the terrorist in his bed.

"Therefore, the freedom of action we acquired as a result of
taking control of the territory was what generated the
turnabout. It reduced the number of casualties; reinforced
our staying power; improved the economic situation; and
obtained international legitimization.

"In contrast, it made the situation of the Palestinians go
from bad to worse. Losses. Anarchy. The disintegration of
the social fabric. Therefore, even before the disengagement
plan and even before Arafat's death, they started to do some
mental stocktaking. The awareness was forged that terrorism
does not pay. That was the great Israeli achievement in this
war."

But you say the success was partial; what did not succeed?

"If after all this the Palestinians are talking about the
right of return in concrete terms and not just
declaratively, that means we did not succeed in building a
wall in the political sphere. On the Palestinian side, we
still find a viewpoint and thinking in terms of the phased
doctrine. The most significant development in this regard is
the Cairo agreement between Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority
chairman Mahmoud Abbas] and Hamas. What Abu Mazen said in
reference to this agreement shows that he has not given up
the right of return. And this is not a symbolic right of
return but the right of return as a claim to be realized. To
return to the houses, to return to the villages. The
implication of this is that there will not be a Jewish state
here."

In other words, despite everything, despite four years of
war, even Abu Mazen is unwilling to accept the existence of
a Jewish state here?

"Even Abu Mazen. Even after four and a half years of war
against Palestinian terrorism, we have not succeeded in
convincing them to forgo their dreams about the return. All
we succeeded in doing is to convince them that terrorism
does not pay. From other points of view, too, the
Palestinian Authority has not liberated itself from the
Arafat era. When it permits Hamas to take part in the
elections without abandoning its firearms, is that
democracy? It's gangs. Armed gangs playing at pretend
democracy. For the Palestinians it is still convenient to
maintain a gang-based reality rather than a state
foundation."

"I will say what you are not saying: In these four years
there was a phenomenal Israeli military achievement.

"That is what foreign armies are saying."

But there was a failure in translating the military
achievement into a historic political achievement?

"Time will tell. I repeat what I said: we have a situation
of reverse asymmetry. The State of Israel is ready to give
the Palestinians an independent Palestinian state, but the
Palestinians are not ready to give us an independent Jewish
state. Thus the situation here is not stable. That is why
every agreement that will be made is the point of departure
for the next development of irredentism. For the next
conflict. The next war. Despite their military weakness, the
Palestinians feel that they are making progress. They have a
feeling of success. Whereas we are waging a battle of
withdrawal and delay."

Are you saying that historically, Israel is in a process of
retreat and delay?

"Clearly. Clearly."

We are retreating without achievements?

"We are retreating without our having a narrative. Without
our having an agreed story. Look, the whole question is
whether your withdrawal is perceived by the other side as an
act of choice or an act of flight. If it is perceived as a
flight, they will continue to come after you; it is is
perceived as a choice, everything looks different. As of
today, three months before the disengagement, it is still
not clear whether they will treat it as a flight or as a
choice."

Are we heading into a dramatic summer?

"There is no doubt that this will be a dramatic summer.
Until disengagement the interest will be to maintain calm.
What will happen after the disengagement? If there is an
Israeli commitment to another move, we will gain another
period of quiet. If not, there will be an eruption."

How serious is that eruption liable to be?

"Terrorist attacks of all types: shooting, bombs, suicide
bombers, mortars, Qassam rockets. It stands to reason that
in the initial stage they will have an interest in
demonstrating quiet in the Gaza Strip. But if there is an
eruption in Judea and Samaria, Gaza will not remain quiet."

Are you saying that the first violent outburst will come
from Judea and Samaria?

"Yes."

Because that is territory we have not yet withdrawn from?

"Correct. Over the years, the Palestinians have been trying
to show us that territory we leave becomes quiet. I have no
doubt that they will have in interest in demonstrating that
after the pullout from Gaza there will be a period of quiet
there. You left Gaza? You get quiet. You will leave Judea
and Samaria? You will get quiet. Leave Tel Aviv and things
will be completely quiet."

Do you see a return of the suicide bombings?

"Definitely. They will not forgo the suicide bombings. The
suicide bombings and the Qassam rockets have something in
common: they bypass the IDF. They are means of bypassing
Israeli military might and striking at the civilian
society."

By your logic, the Palestinians will now place Kfar Sava in
their sights?

"Of course. It is as clear as day to me. If we get into a
confrontation at the political level, if we do not give the
Palestinians more and more and more, there will be a violent
outburst. It will begin in Judea and Samaria."

So the cities on the border of the West Bank will be in the
situation of the Gaza line settlements? Kfar Sava's
situation will be that of Sderot?

"And Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, too. There will be suicide
bombings wherever they can perpetrate them."

What you are saying, then, is that there is a high
probability of the eruption of a third intifada?

"It is not an intifada. We have to stop calling it an
intifada. It is a war."

Let me rephrase: there is a high probability of a second war
of terror?

"Yes."

Within how much time?

"It depends how the story of this summer is recorded by each
side. And whether the disengagement is implemented under
fire or not."

Will the disengagement be implemented under fire?

"It is very probable that there will be a trickle of fire.
But if the fire is massive, the IDF will distance the
threat. Forces have been allocated for that."

Are you saying that in order to leave Gush Katif - the Gaza
settlement bloc - we will have to enter Khan Yunis?

"If there is shooting from there? Yes, we are deploying for
that."

No stability, everything is open

How long will the evacuation last?

"I don't know."

The chief of the General Staff does not know how long the
evacuation of the Gaza District will last?

"The question is whether we evacuate 8,000 residents or
20,000 Israeli citizens or maybe 50,000. If you evacuate
8,000, it could last three weeks.
If you have to evacuate more, it could take longer."

A minimum of three weeks and a maximum of three months?

"I treat all the numbers on this subject with a grain of
salt."

In other words, we have an open process here?

"In terms of the timetable? Yes. It is not easy to evacuate
people from their homes against their will."

As the one behind the operative plan of the evacuation of
the settlements, what worries you most?

"A subject that worries me a great deal is that there will
be a decision by the elected level in Israel that the army
will not be able to carry out."

Could that happen?

"We are readying for all scenarios. The army will implement
the mission. Even if takes more time, the army and the police will carry
it out. The problem will not be the army's implementation
ability, but the combination of things. You start the
operation and things happen and the government stops you. In
such situations, government decisions can be made during the
course of the operation."

Is that a feasible scenario?

"In certain conditions, everything is possible. And a
situation in which the government has made a decision that
the state is unable to implement is liable to be traumatic."

What you are saying is that the disengagement is not yet a
fait accompli?

"If and when we complete the move, we will talk about a fait
accompli."

Did you say 'if'?

"I have experience. I live in the ambiguity in which I live.
And I live the reality that I live."

Part of that reality is Hamas. Does that organization's
strengthening stem from the disengagement?

"There is no doubt that Hamas has appropriated the
disengagement. But the reason Hamas is getting stronger is
that Fatah is corrupt."

Is it possible that Hamas will take over the Gaza Strip?

"It is."

Is it probable?

"If Fatah continues to behave as it does now, Hamas will
eventually take over the Gaza Strip."

So in two or three years we are liable to find ourselves
facing a Hamas-led Gaza Strip?

"Yes."

Can Israel allow itself a Gaza Strip that is controlled by
Hamas?

"We are strong enough to come up with solutions for
everything. But it will not bring stability. It will oblige
us to be confrontational."

Do you see the IDF returning to the Gaza Strip?

"I do not rule it out."

Do you see additional operations such as Defensive Shield in
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip?

"I do not rule out anything. We are not reaching a situation
of stability here. And when the situation is not stable,
everything is open."

Do you still think Israel is creating a tailwind for its
enemies?

"I do not like the political use that was made of my
professional statements. But to say that in regard to
certain situations one need not be chief of staff."

Overall, are we headed for a situation of dividing the land?

"In the past decade, the government of Israel and Israeli
society decided to divide the land. In the present reality,
I see difficulty in producing a stable situation of
end-of-conflict within that paradigm."

A story divorced from reality

I am not sure I understand what you mean.

"We are talking about a viable Palestinian state. Those
kinds of situations can be created in Europe: Monaco,
Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg. But here the situation
is different. The Palestinian side does not harbor a feeling
of thus far and no farther - not even in regard to the 1967
borders. They are talking about Safed and Haifa and Tel Aviv. And
economically, too, Judea and Samaria and Gaza are not a
viable state."

So are you saying that the thought that a two-state solution
is within reach, is incompatible with reality?

"That paradigm does not bring about stability, no."

You maintain that the two-state solution cannot work. You
maintain that what is agreed by the whole world and a large
part of the Israeli public is without foundation.

"It is not relevant. Not relevant. It is a story that the
Western world tells with Western eyes. And that story does
not comprehend the scale of the gap and the scale of the
problem. We too are sweeping it under the carpet."

What will happen if the world nevertheless imposes a
two-state solution in the years ahead?

"It is difficult to impose things that have no foundation.
Something that is imposed and is unstable blows up."

What alternative paradigm do you posit in place of the
two-state paradigm?

"The paradigm of a far longer process. Far longer. One that
obliges above all a revolution of values by the other side.
Another possibility is to go beyond the paradigm of the
Western Land of Israel, to enter into regional solutions."

Are you proposing to give the Palestinians land that is
beyond the Western Land of Israel?

"We were in that situation before 1967: the West Bank was
connected to Jordan, the Gaza Strip to Egypt. Today it is
not relevant. But let us not delude ourselves. I do not see
stability in the present paradigm and in the present state
of affairs. I do not see a conclusion to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict in my generation."

Is the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Gaza
Strip and in 85 to 100 percent of the West Bank not
feasible?

"That is an idea that does not bring about a stable
situation. No. We can go for that, but from there the
confrontation will continue."

So the establishment of that Palestinian state will lead to
war?

"Yes, at some stage."

Could that war be dangerous for Israel?

"Of course."

Can the establishment of a Palestinian state in the present
conditions create a semi-existential threat to Israel?

"If that solution were to be imposed tomorrow morning it
would bring about the continuation of the irredentism, the
continuation of the conflict."

Is the idea that a Palestinian state can be established
during the current term of office of U.S. President Bush,
and stability achieved, divorced from reality?

"Divorced from reality."

And dangerous?

"Dangerous, of course."

If a Palestinian state is established now, will it
necessarily be a hostile state?

"It will be a state that will try to undermine Israel. As
long as there is no internalization of our right to exist as
a Jewish state, and as long as there is insistence on
concrete elements of the right of return, any such agreement
will be like the construction of a house in which you plant
a bomb. At some stage, the bomb will explode."

So what you are saying is that the idea of an immediate
Palestinian state and of a two-state solution is a mirage.

"We have created a paradigm that generates an illusion. We
have to think in long-term historical terms. Think about a
lengthy process. Not something that is finished here and now
and gives us an end to the conflict. There is no such
solution now."

The sword must remain drawn

So the parting words of the outgoing chief of staff are that
in this generation and perhaps in the next one, too, the
sword will be an integral part of our lives?

"Without a doubt, without a doubt. And let us hope we can
make do with a sheathed sword. In the realm of conventional
wars, we have succeeded. Our sword is sheathed. Why is it
that the army no longer has to fight wars of the 1967 and
1973 type? Because of our might. Because of the advantage we
have acquired, which is mostly blue-and-white. The Israeli
brain, Israeli technologies, Israeli fighters. That is why
the sword is sheathed. But in the sphere of terrorism and in
the sphere of the other capabilities which are trying to
bypass the army and strike at the civilian population, our
sword must remain drawn. It must remain drawn every day."

Is this what Israeli mothers are supposed to tell their sons
and daughters?

"Yes. They have to tell them that they were born into a
society of struggle.

"We should be happy that we have a home to defend. I have
just returned from a visit to the death camps in Poland:
once we did not have that [a home], either. And when we did
not have a home, we saw what happened to us there 60 years
ago. Not only a home for Israelis. For the whole Jewish
people. But we have to continue to struggle for that home.
To fight for our independence."

Are we in the midst of this struggle?

"Certainly. It is less intensive than when five countries
invaded in the War of Independence, but it is not over."

What are you saying to Israelis as you conclude your term as
chief of staff? What hope are you giving them?

"Shortly before the outbreak of the current confrontation I
gave a talk to a group of civilians. At the end of the talk,
a mother got up and said: `What you are saying is that I
deluded my children when I told them they were going to live
in a Western society of abundance; what you are saying is
that we have not reached a situation of peace and security
and we are still a society of struggle.' I told that mother
that what she said was my
recompense: if that is the conclusion she draw from my
remarks, my talk was worthwhile.

"What am I saying to the Israeli public? I am saying that we
are still a society of struggle. We have not reached a
situation of peace and security.
The cup is full. Very full. But it has to be said clearly
that we are a society of struggle. With no illusions.
Without false beliefs that we will resolve it with one move
or another. No. It will not be resolved. And we have to see
that with open eyes. It has to be said clearly. We have to
prepare for the future with forbearance. With staying power.
To broadcast this quiet strength. But under no circumstances
to confuse ourselves with hopes that turn into illusions,
which people try to translate into working plans that do not
connect with reality. And not to immerse ourselves in the
obsession that we are always to blame. We have to understand
that what is now on the agenda is the question of our right
of existence as an independent Jewish state. That is the
subject. That is what we are still struggling for."

Do you harbor an existential fear?

"Of course. In the intelligence appraisal I submitted in
1998 I said that the existential threat lies precisely in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Not Iran and not Syria and not Iraq, which still existed
then. Those are not existential threats. There is one
internal existential threat which concerns me very much, but
I will not discuss it as long as I am in uniform. But the
external existential threat is the Palestinian threat.

"Not that I am not concerned that Iran will have a nuclear
bomb. But I am not worried that the bomb will fall here. I
am worried about submerged processes it is liable to foment
in the region. Whereas in the Palestinian case, I see that a
combination of terrorism and demography, with question marks
among us about the rightness of our way are a recipe for a
situation in which there will not be a Jewish state here in
the end."

Your outlook is exceptional - you are not part of the
Israeli consensus.

"That is nothing new. Since November 1999 I have seen the
writing on the wall: a war is about to break out. And I have to deploy for
war when the situation of the Israeli consciousness is that
peace is around the corner, that by summer of 2000 we will
have peace. But even afterward, even after the fire erupts,
there is a disparity between my conception of the
confrontation and that of the people I work with. I remember
myself coming to cabinet meetings and meetings of the
Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee during the
war and asking myself where they are living and where I am
living. The gaps are enormous. The feeling is that you are
fighting over a hollow arena."

Did you feel alone; that you were not understood?

"Of course. But first of all I felt deep worry. Because when
you have to use force you need the backing of Israeli
society. It is impossible to activate force without backing.
Impossible. I call that intra-Israeli legitimation. I knew
how to explain why we have to demolish homes in Rafah in
order to prevent Katyushas falling in Ashkelon, but I was
stopped because someone saw a photograph of one kind or
another and had something to say. I saw those photographs
every day. But I came with a deep feeling of the rightness
of the way even when I was forced to demolish a house. But
when you do not have intra-Israeli backing, you stop.
Therefore, because of lack of agreement about the diagnosis,
we moved from defense to offense very late. We paid a high
price in human life only because of a lack of understanding
about what happened to us here. Because of lack of agreement
about the story."

That loneliness was a fundamental part of your term, was it
not?

"The most difficult moments of the war came during the
meetings of the security cabinet. You try to exert influence
about a certain matter and find yourself almost alone. You
find yourself without agreement about who the enemy is and
what the war is about. A commander is always alone.
Certainly a chief of staff. But in this case it was far
beyond personal loneliness. It is the understanding that you
perceive the situation in this way and everyone else
perceives it differently. When what is at stake is the fate
of your nation and your country, that is hard. Very hard."

Did your ouster pain you?

"This is not the moment to talk about that. Throughout my
service I tried to eradicate phenomena of a criminal
subculture. As though the law were an off-the-shelf product,
ethics an off-the-shelf product. If you want, you use it; if
not, you don't. And there is above the table and under the
table. And an officer who is vigilant about honesty and
integrity is a dolt. An officer who operates by manipulation
and speculation is smart.

"In my eyes all this is a sickness, and when a sickness
touches senior figures it is already a terminal disease. I
tried to fight against that terminal disease. I waged a war
of principle against it. Therefore, when the moment you are
speaking about arrived, I thought that a very problematic
message was being conveyed. But my feeling is that I lost a
battle, not a war."

Will Citizen Bogey continue to wage that campaign from the
place where Chief of Staff Ya'alon stopped?

"I am still in uniform. I need disengagement."

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:04 AM | Comments (2)

Letter From Israel

This letter comes from our friend Sara Avitzour of Jerusalem. Our friendship began, like many, on the basis of one single shared experience: we had both lost children. Karen and I had lost our Ariel. Sara and her husband had suffered the loss of Timora. But friendships do not endure on the basis of tragedy alone, and over the years we have grown closer with Sara. It is a testament to the depth of our friendship when one understands that our politics are quite opposite. I am on the right. Sara is on the left. But we both recognize that each of us has a deep and abiding love of Israel. We respect one another and listen to what the other has to say.

A few weeks ago, Sara was in Los Angeles and she spent a lovely Shabbos with us. Information hound that I am, I asked Sara to send me a letter when she got back to Israel of her impressions of the war and its effect on the people of Israel.

We thank her for her efforts.

*****

Dear Robert,

You asked me to send you my impressions of what’s going on here, what people are saying and so on. The people I know here are speaking in terms that differ somewhat from many of the opinions you have been publishing in Seraphic Secret.

This is not, I believe, due to ideological differences between the Right and the Left, at least as you have defined these differences. The following represents the views of my husband and his (Sabra) family, all of whom served proudly in the IDF – the men as officers – and see the strength and skill of our military forces as absolutely essential to this country’s survival against real enemies, both from within the occupied territories and from without. I hope you and your readers will find it enlightening.

You write that the IDF had an ambitious and viable plan for eliminating the threat to our Northern regions, and that it was only the “stupidity, inexperience and spinelessness” (I’m paraphrasing you) of the current government that prevented that plan from being carried out; you further impute this failure to the politicians’ blindness as “leftists.”

The implication is that the failures of the present war could be remedied by a change of policy, although this will admittedly be more difficult now that the mistakes have been made. You explicitly claim is that the IDF could and would have won this conflict had the government only allowed it to do so.

Would that this were so.

Most agree that a war, especially a war against guerillas embedded in a civilian population, cannot be won from the air, and that our more ambitious aims in this conflict could have been achieved only by a serious and sustained ground offensive. People are asking grave questions, however, concerning whether the IDF was prepared for such an offensive – even at the late date at which it finally started, let alone at the outset of the war.

First, and most important, for the past two decades the IDF has been implementing a policy aimed at relying more and more on its regular units, and less and less on its reserves, for combat duty. This might make sense, were it not for the fact that the size of the ground forces has not grown in parallel.

There are presently only four infantry divisions. Of these, a large number of soldiers have been trained for specialized duty, such as guarding the Egyptian border or – especially! – policing the West Bank and Gaza. While this has contributed toward the goal of professionalizing the IDF, it has reduced the pool of trained soldiers who could fight a ground war such as the present one.

This necessitated calling the reserves to fill the slack. Unfortunately, however, funding for training the reserve ground forces has been significantly cut; for years my husband has been noting the absence of real combat training for reserve soldiers. The result was that many went into Lebanon insufficiently prepared.

Another failure attributable to military rather than political policy is the almost unbelievable fact that large numbers of soldiers have been sent into battle without proper helmets, flak jackets, stretchers (!) and other essential equipment. A not insignificant number have even had to rely on friends and family to send them sandwiches, as there is not enough food.

I myself received, through my synagogue, two separate appeals in the past week alone for money to purchase food and other essentials such as socks and underwear for our soldiers. My sister-in-law, who lost her husband as a result of IDF disorganization during the Yom Kippur War, asked the other evening, “What have the people who’ve been receiving salaries from the IDF been doing for the past 33 years? How can it be that they’re repeating exactly the same mistakes?”

So what happened? The problem is not cuts in the defense budget, which has actually increased over the past several years. What has happened is that the lion’s share of the defense budget has for some time been going not to the ground forces but to the air force.

This is largely because the United States requires Israel to spend at least half of the American military aid dollars it receives to purchase US-made equipment. This lopsided method of budget allocations explains (to a certain degree) the cuts in funding for reserve training. However, the reasons for the lack of appropriate personal equipment for the soldiers – a relatively low expense – remain a mystery.

The process of downsizing the ground forces available for a conflict such as that in Lebanon certainly did not originate with the present government, but began in the early to mid- 80s, and has continued throughout during the terms of all Israel’s successive governments, both of the Right and of the Left – including, of course, Sharon’s.

As to why it took so long to send in ground forces, it seems the main reason was an extremely high sensitivity to the possibility of Israeli military casualties. This has nothing to do with Right versus Left, but is more a product of the deep importance we give to every life, of which we are all justifiably proud.

In this case, however, the policy-makers may well have made a serious miscalculation which did reduce military casualties, but did so at our civilians’ expense.

There are those who also attribute the original air-only tactics to the fact that our present Chief of Staff is, for the first time in Israeli history, an air force man.

Admittedly, the fact that our prime minister and defense minister were never career IDF officers compounded the problem, as they had neither the knowledge nor experience to question the IDF summit’s recommendations.

I know that you and the vast majority of your readers will disagree, but it bears repeating that a very large proportion of our ground forces have been engaged for decades in what is essentially police work in the West Bank and (until very recently) Gaza. Politics aside, much of the IDF really has been functioning as an army of occupation (whether one likes that term or not), with its attention concentrated on countering threats from the local population rather than from the forces that have been steadily gathering strength beyond our borders.

Israelis are now deeply concerned about the IDF’s ability to defend us in what is indeed becoming an existential conflict. I sincerely hope that our armed forces will learn the appropriate lessons from this fiasco, and will respond by preparing itself adequately and intelligently for the inevitable next battle.

Sincerely,

Sara Avitzour

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:46 AM | Comments (4)

August 20, 2006

The Convert

By Cal Thomas

During the Cold War, American intelligence loved getting its
hands on defectors from communism. The reasoning was that
these people had the best information about the plans of the
other side, information that would help America defeat them.

In the present war against what President Bush has properly
labeled "Islamic fascism," defectors are just as valuable.

The Israel Project, an international nonprofit organization
devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel,
recently made a former leading imam and radical Islam expert
available for media interviews and I had a chance to speak
with him. He goes by the name of Sam Soloman because of
death threats from those not happy with the information he
has about their plans to dominate the world.

Soloman was brought up in the Islamic tradition and became a
"recruiter," which he says is something like an assistant
teacher. One of his responsibilities was "brainwashing
people in the Koran." He tells me "The suicide bombers go
through stages, and the most important stage is not when
they blow themselves up. The most important stage is
conforming them to the (Muslim) ideology. Once they are
conformed to the ideology, the rest is easy. That is the
role I had."

Soloman is in double trouble. Not only did he abandon Islam
and the terrorists' objectives, he has also become a
Christian, which has marked him for death. Born in the
Middle East, he visited Washington from his adopted country,
which he declines to name to protect his family.

Soloman speaks with knowledge, credibility and conviction.
He has memorized large sections of the Koran and tells me,
"There's not a single verse in the Koran talking about peace
with a non-Muslim, with the Jews and the Christians. Islam
means submission. Islam means surrender. It means you
surrender and accept Islamic hegemony over yourselves..."

I ask him about the best strategy for fighting it: "It
cannot be combated simply by force. It needs to be combated
ideologically, spiritually (as well as) through arms."

Soloman says the outlets for Islamic ideology are religious
- seminaries, the madrassas (Koranic schools) and especially
the mosques. "From the beginning, Mohammed used the mosque
to propagate this ideology. It was in the mosque that jihad
was declared (and) that troops were sent to conquer the rest
of the world. The mosque was the seat of government and
Americans are right to be concerned about (their growth)."

He asks Americans to inform themselves about the real
teachings of Islam and not to fall for what various Islamic
groups say it teaches. Soloman says, "The simplest Islamic
book you open" teaches that all unbelievers (in Islam) are
profane people. "Because of the (Koranic) text and what it
says, it incites violence." He begins quoting verses from
memory, too quickly to write them all down. One is, "Slay
the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives
and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush."
(Surah 9:5)

"This kind of tactic of taking verses out of context can be
used against any religious faith," says Ibrahim Hooper,
spokesman for Washington, D.C.-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations, an Islamic civil rights and
advocacy group. "It can and has been used against the Bible
and has been used against the Quran."
These verses deal with the real experience of the Muslim
community at the time when they were under attack. It's not
a general injunction to go out and harm people. The only
people who take it that way are those who want to promote
hostility toward Islam and Muslims. They would object if the
same thing were done to their faith."

Yes, but virtually all Christians and Jews denounce the
infinitesimal few who claim to be Jewish or Christian and
use their "holy books" to justify violence against others as
a direct command from G-d.

Asked whether the Koran commands the killing of or violence
against all nonbelievers, Ali Khan, national director of the
Chicago-based American Muslim Council, replied: "No.
(That's) far from the truth. There's nothing in the Koran,
no verse that I'm aware of, that advocates the killing of
nonbelievers."

The terrorists and those who preach from mosques throughout
the Middle East must be reading a different version, then,
because virtually all of their sermons that I've read claim
their G-d wants them to kill all "infidels."

Soloman says Americans must demand from the leading Islamic
hierarchy, such as the Muslim World League and the Union of
Imams, a fatwa that makes it clear "that this is not what
the text means and that these texts are no longer effective.
They have passed their date. But if they remain effective
and eternally valid, then in America we have a serious
problem."

How serious? He says. "They are infiltrating and undermining
every part of this society. We are promoting Islamic
mortgages, Islamic insurance companies. There are 29 banks
in the United States promoting Islamic banking. Since 1999,
Dow Jones has launched Dow Jones Islamic Index and has
subjected itself to be governed by an international Sharia
board." (Sharia is the religious law of Islam outlined in
the Koran.)

Soloman adds, "The Islamic organizations have their
missionaries and there are active or sleeping cells in this
country." He mentions one, Tablighi Jamaat, "a Pakistani
organization that is hand-in-glove with the Wahaabis, strong
Muslim sects known for their strict observance of the Koran,
and a strong facilitator of al-Qaida and other factions of
terrorism. They alone have 1,000 missionaries in New York,
50,000 across the United States. This is only one
organization. In 1994, I took a map and started putting pins
in it. I found there is not a single state without a mosque.
Since then (the number) has increased."

Americans must see past their natural reluctance to paint
all members of a group with a broad brush and realize our
failure to act now against this clear and present danger in
the ways Sam Soloman recommends will lead to a disaster for
us that is far worse than our Cold War enemies had
envisaged.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Regan

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:25 AM | Comments (5)

August 15, 2006

Olmert Must Go!

From all sides of the political spectrum calls are being raised for the establishment of an official commission of inquiry to investigate the Olmert government's incompetent management of the war in Lebanon. These calls are misguided.

We do not need a commission to know what happened or what has to happen. The Olmert government has failed on every level. The Olmert government must go.

The Knesset must vote no confidence in this government and new elections must be carried out as soon as the law permits. If the Knesset hesitates in taking this required step, then the people of Israel must take to the streets in mass demonstrations and demand that our representatives send Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and their comrades out to pasture.

Every aspect of the government's handling of the war has been a failure. Take relief efforts as an example. For five weeks the government ignored the humanitarian disaster in the North where over one million Israelis are under missile assault. The government developed no comprehensive plan for organizing relief efforts to feed citizens in bomb shelters or for evacuating them.

For the rest of Caroline Glick's article, click here

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

I would like to point out that Seraphic Secret has been saying the same thing since the second week of the war.

Karen and I are leaving town for a few days. I'm not sure if we are going to be able to post any new blogs while we are gone. If not we apologize in advance. Back in a few days.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:33 AM | Comments (4)

August 14, 2006

LA Times: Journalistic Atrocity

"The Los Angeles Times made quite a splash with its lengthy article detailing how American troops allegedly committed atrocities during the Vietnam War 40 years ago. Left-wing bloggers have been swooning over the Sunday showcase piece, "Vietnam: The War Crimes Files." And no wonder. The whopping 4,400-word article, describing alleged atrocities as if they happened only yesterday, was not really about Vietnam: It was about Iraq.

"Only the most obtuse reader could miss that. The authors slipped "Iraq" into the narrative after 400 words, with mentions of alleged atrocities and prisoner abuse there.

"To date, conservative bloggers and readers have paid little attention to “The War Crimes Files.” Presumably, they glanced at it and quickly dismissed it as more agenda-driven reporting aimed at stopping “Bush’s War.”

"In their cursory look, however, those readers missed an intriguing element in the story – and perhaps its most important element. The lead author, Nick Turse, is not a staff writer like co-author Deborah Nelson. He is “a freelance journalist living in New Jersey” who, as an editor’s note mentioned, had uncovered archival material on Vietnam War atrocities “while researching his doctoral dissertation.”

"What the editor's note omitted is that Turse also has a long history of supporting radical leftist causes and writing for radical websites and lefty publications such as Mother Jones and The Village Voice. Hiring him to research and write a piece on Vietnam War atrocities was comparable to hiring a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan to pen a major news article on affirmative action and race relations."

To read the rest of Seraphic Friend Daviud Paulin's fascinating article, click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:59 PM | Comments (1)

Sellout!

"The resolution calls for “delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including by dealing with the Shebaa Farms area.” This is a direct reward to Hezbollah for using the false Shebaa Farms issue to keep terrorizing northern Israel for six years, the UN itself having affirmed that Israel had left Lebanon completely in 2000 and that any further territorial dispute over Shebaa Farms concerned only Israel and Syria.

"The resolution puts Israel on a very short tether in terms of looking out for its future security. “Upon full cessation of hostilities,” it “calls upon the government of Lebanon and UNIFIL . . . to deploy their forces together throughout the south and calls upon the government of Israel, as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon in parallel”—not leaving Israel even a decent interval to try and ensure that Hezbollah does not return to fill the void left by its departing forces."

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:45 PM | Comments (3)

War Diary: Mon. Aug14 '06

Seraphic Friend (The Jewish) Jameel, in today's War Diary, raises some uncomfortable tactical questions about the IDF's force on the Litani River. But don't expect any coherent answers from Olmert and the rest of the incompetents who have mismanaged this war from the very beginning. They have not a clue. And now, in their infinite nothingness, they actually count on, get this, Lebanese troops, who are half Shia, and thus buddies to Nasrallah and Hizbullah terrorists and, this is truly funny, French troops, who will surrender--at the first sight of, well, anyone with a surly look on their face.

Anywhooo, Here's Jameel. Not his real name.

"Only after the Israeli cabinet decided it was going to accept the ceasefire last week, did the "all out ground offensive" take place. IDF troops reached the Litani river on Shabbat, and according to the Israeli government, we now have all the force needed in South Lebanon, up to the Litani river, to keep the area secure from Hizbolla.

"However...yesterday, Sunday August 13th, was the day with the most Katyusha rockets to hit Northern Israel. My question is; the Israeli government will tell you that the Litani is of important strategic value and that a strong IDF/UNFIL/LEBANESE ARMY force needs to be in place in South Lebanon, to keep Northern Israel safe. Yet, that's exactly where the IDF was on Shabbat and Sunday...and we managed to get hit by over 250 rockets! Is it possible they were fired from North of the Litani? If the IDF is in place south of the Litani, and yesterday was our worst day of rocketeering in the 35 days of fighting...then something is very very wrong.

1. Either the rockets are all coming from North of the Litani (in which case, the entire claim that the ceasefire is good for us, because it places an international force in South Lebanon, is a sham)

2. The IDF currently has at least 30,000 soldiers in South Lebanon, south of the Litani river, and yet, we were shot up pretty badly yesterday. Why will any other armed force be able to do the job better?

Food for thought."

For the rest of the War Diary, click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:55 PM | Comments (2)

Over-Reaction!

Go here for an example of typical Jewish over-reaction where diplomacy could easily have solved the problem.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Shayne Zucker

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:15 PM | Comments (4)

Resolution = Regroup, Reload, Rockets Away

"Requests urgently that Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his entire entourage of special envoys, aides, and advisers resign immediately so they can be replaced by Secretariat employees who understand the dangers of moral equivalence and instead of calling for “peace in our time” are prepared to serve the interests of the Free World,

"Stressing that the immediate departure of the current Secretary-General is essential in light of the derelictions and corruption, extraordinary even by U.N. standards, which under his administration characterized the U.N.’s last major effort to cope with a war-mongering tyrant in the Middle East, to wit, Saddam Hussein and the combination of U.N. sanctions and the Oil-for-Food Programme.

"Observes that if this course is followed, Hezbollah will be unable to sustain the attacks that have forced Israel into the current conflict; Lebanon would have an excellent chance of achieving genuine reform and lasting peace; and the rest of the world might yet be spared the suffering, carnage, and widespread ruinous war with which the messianic, totalitarian ayatollahs of Iran and their thug sidekicks in Syria would like to black out the freedom and progress which the United Nations and its Security Council are in fact tasked in the charter to defend...

To read the rest of Claudia Rosett's scathing attack on the odious, corrupt, U.N., please click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:35 PM | Comments (3)

Demand Victory

Dear friends,

Many people are very upset over the military shackles Ehud Olmert imposed on the IDF, preventing it from achieving the only acceptable result regarding the Hizbullah. The half-hearted operation has left the Hizbullah still standing and claiming victory, while more of our soldiers died than needed to.

And now that the cease-fire resolutions by the U.N. have fallen into place, we are in grave danger of this campaign being for naught and the Hizbullah are free to rearm and ready for an even bigger round of terror.

If you agree, please go to http://www.petitiononline.com/1victory/and vote.

And please pass this on to your like-minded friends.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Sister-in-Law, Rena Bakst

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

Nasrallah Rules

"Several times last week, Olmert ordered large Israeli ground units into Lebanon to take out Hizballah. But each time they were sent in, Olmert hesitated. What was sent in was withdrawn, Olmert playing the role of Lyndon Johnson to Nasrallah's Ho Chi Minh. Every time it appeared that the UN would declare a cease-fire, Olmert held his hand. And the Israeli Defense Forces were several times sent in and then pulled back to the outrage of its members and the citizenry it is sworn to defend. One Fox News reporter, standing on the border, told us about nine tanks he saw go into Lebanon and then come right back out again a couple of hours later. Now a large Israeli force is in Lebanon, to serve as sitting ducks for Hizballah attacks, prohibited from conducting offensive operations."

To read the rest of Jed Babbin's article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:38 AM | Comments (1)

Drugged by Political Correctness

"A simple thing happened: We were drugged by political correctness. The political correctness that has come to dominate Israeli discourse and Israeli awareness in the past generation was totally divorced from the Israeli situation. It did not have the tools to deal with the reality of an existential conflict. It did not have the tools to deal with a reality of an inter-religious and inter-cultural conflict. That is why it focused entirely on the Palestinian issue. It made the baseless assumption that the occupation is the source of evil. It assumed that it is the occupation that is preventing peace and causing unrest and perpetuating the instability.

"At the same time, political correctness assumed that Israeli strength is a given. That Israel is insanely strong. Therefore, political correctness disdained any attempt to build and maintain Israeli strength. The defense budget was cut, the values of volunteerism were mocked, the concepts of heroism and fortitude became despicable. Since the Israel Defense Forces was identified as an army of occupation - rather than as an army defending feminists and homo-lesbians from the fanaticism of the Middle East - they had reservations about it, they shook it off and became alienated from it. After all, in the spiritual world of political correctness, power and army have become dirty words."

To read the rest of this fine article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

The British Way

"Britain's successful pre-emption of an Islamicist plot to destroy up to 10 civilian airliners over the Atlantic Ocean proves that surveillance and other forms of information-gathering remain an essential weapon in prosecuting the war on terror. There was never any real doubt of this, of course. Al Qaeda's preferred targets are civilians, and civilians have a right to be protected from such deliberate and calculated attacks. Denying the terrorists funding, striking at their bases and training camps, holding accountable governments that promote terror and harbor terrorists, and building democracy around the world are all necessary measures in winning the war. None of these, however, can substitute for anticipating and thwarting terror operations as the British have done. This requires the development and exploitation of intelligence."

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)

Baby Formula

Friends,

When will people get the idea that dead babies are just a
tool to terrorists? They parade their bodies cynically,
even if they fell off a swing, claiming
world sympathy. And they include them in terrorist attacks,
Why are you going to have to taste your baby formula in
front of airport security? Because
the British terror plot included parents and their baby,
whom they were planning to blow up mid-air, taking a plane
full of soft-hearted passengers (who were no doubt horrified at the
staged and doctored pictures of Qana) with them. Which once
again proves that if you really care about children, you
have to be in favor of destroying terrorists, and not tie
the hands of those fighting them. Below, an article about
it.

Naomi Regan

============================================================

Bottle and Baby Used as Bomb

Daily Telegraph

By Fiona Hudson

August 14, 2006

A husband and wife arrested in the British terror raids
allegedly planned to take their six-month-old baby on a
mid-air suicide mission.

Scotland Yard police are quizzing Abdula Ahmed Ali, 25, and
his 23-year-old wife Cossor over suspicions they were to use
their baby's bottle to hide a liquid bomb.

The theory is one of the reasons security chiefs are now
insisting mothers taste babies' milk at check-in desks
before allowing them to take bottles aboard flights.

The pair are among up to 23 suspects being questioned over a
plot to bring down nine airliners over five US cities,
killing thousands of people in the air and on the ground.

The questioning of the group comes as British Government
sources yesterday revealed many of those suspects posed as
relief workers to travel to al-Qaeda training camps in
Pakistan.

It has also been revealed that security services are
secretly monitoring "dozens" of fresh plots involving
hundreds of suspects which could be unleashed at any time.

One government source said at least 30 priority cases were
under urgent investigation.

"All those 30 are seen as serious, determined attacks that
will happen unless we stop them," the source said.

Police spent yesterday combing through the Alis' east London
housing commission flat for clues.

Cossor took her baby with her to the police station during
last week's raids but her son is now being cared for by
grandparents.

Cossor's grandfather, Nazir Ahmed, 84, said Abdula had
travelled to Pakistan about four weeks ago.

"We didn't understand what the hurry was and why he needed
to go," Mr Ahmed said.

A neighbour at the flats where the married couple lived said
he would be stunned if claims were true.

"I simply cannot believe he could have been involved in a
plot like this. He is religious and seemed to love his
family," the neighbour said.

"I would never have dreamed he could have been involved in
anything like this."

A family friend of Cossor said she had known the arrested
mother 12 years and believed her to be innocent.

"I think it is a case of mistaken identity. The last thing
she'd be interested in is terrorism. They are just simple
day-to-day people going about their own business," she said.

Police in England have reportedly recovered bottles
containing peroxide, including some with false bottoms, from
a recycling centre close to the homes of some of the
arrested suspects.

It has emerged MI5 agents launched covert intrusions on the
homes of some suspects several weeks ago in "sneak and peek"
operations to plant listening devices and gather evidence
ahead of the arrests last week.

Links between suspects in the jet bomb plot and those behind
the London 7/7 attacks have also come to light.

There are reports as many as five of those arrested attended
the same terror training camp in Pakistan as two of the July
7 London suicide bombers.

And US intelligence sources said they believed at least two
of the suspects had trained in Karachi and met al-Qaeda
operatives in the lead up to the 7/7 attacks.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2006

It's Islam, Stupid

Last night, Karen and I were watching ludicrous images on TV of airport "Security" people gathering what must now be a zillion tons of hair gel, toothpaste, perfume, contact lens solution, building a massive mountain of oh-so-lethal material to form, what? I suppose, a tremendous lot to be put up for bidding on e-Bay!

And then this grindingly stupid segment was followed by the now obligatory "Spokesman for some Muslim/American Organization Who Calmly Assures Us That These Terrorists Have Nothing To Do With True Islam."

Oh, really?

I know, maybe the Koran the ACLU is so vigorously insisting we distribute at Gitmo has nothing to do with Islam. Maybe it's really all about, oh, Buddhism.

Y'think?

Anyway, this honey-tongued Muslim/American spokesman somehow, always manages to bring the conversation round to "Is-ra-eli war crimes" and the poor suffering Palestinians.

Let's get this straight right now: The Shia Hizbullah despise the Sunni Palis. Hizbullah are agents of Iran and as such, their main program is a gradual political and military coup of the Lebanese government. Turn Lebanon into a hologram of a state, a Caliphite style appendage of Iran with one job at hand: to make Jihad on Israel.

So: Karen and I watch appalled as this Muslim/American/Spokesman, well, filibusters. The newscaster asks a simple question, and the Muslim/American/Spokesman just blathers away with talking points that have nothing to do with the question.

Everything he says is, big shock here, a big lie.

Let me tell you something: as the blogosphere has unearthed the photofrauds at Reuters, the Pallywoods liars, the Hizbollywood manipulation of the news, it should be obvious to any clear thinking person that for years now, in fact for decades, the Arabs have manufactured a narrative for the so-called Palestinians that has little relation to historical facts.

Rhetoric in the Arab world has always been preferable to reality.

This Muslim/American/Spokesman also somehow ends up, through the back door, defending Hizbullah; and the news anchor, I'm afraid to say, is not bright enough, or just doesn't know enough, to remind the audience that this Muslim/American/Spokesman is, in fact, nothing but a shill for terrorists; that Hizbullah are a gang of genocidiers, whose stated intention, by covenant, and repeated public declaration, is to destroy the state of Israel, to kill all Jews, to wipe out The Great Satan -- that's America, in case you don't read between the lines.

By the way, a little factoid: Hizbullah, up until 9/11, murdered and kidnapped more American citizens than any other terrorist group on the planet, the feather in their cap being the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, the final death toll: 241.

Anyway, I turned from the TV, from the shots of the endless airport lines, from the Muslim/Liar/Spokesman, turned to Karen and said: "These people, these Muslims are guilty of short-circuiting practically every segment of our lives. We can't just blame it on Jihadists. Where are all the supposedly moderate Muslims? You know what I think? I'm pretty sure they're just a figment of the Liberal imagination."

And Karen, the voice-of-reason, the logical sidekick in this partrnership, agreed with me.

Where are the mass protests from the "moderate Muslims?

Where are the editorials from the moderate Muslims?

Where are the books being printed in the Arab and western world denouncing the Jihadists form the Moderate Muslims?

In fact, the only book that's being printed over and over again in the Arab/Muslim World is: "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."

It's the same story everywhere we turn in the Arab/Muslim World, be it Yemen or Detroit. It is Israel's fault. It is Bush's fault. It is America's fault. It is everybody's fault -- except the terrorists; everybody's fault except the religion that spawns these barbarians in every single corner of the globe.

My friend Treppenwitz AKA David, has written an important essay. He has the intelligence to see things that others cannot see, and he has the courage to say things that others will not say -- political correctness warps minds to the point where wars can be the end-result.

Listen to me Seraphic Friends. Treppinwitz has written a post that defines the problem elegantly and truthfully. Trep does not suffer the foolishness of political correctness for he knows that it will get us killed. He knows that we are in a life and death struggle -- not with radical Islam, but with Islam.

*****

"Obviously not every Muslim in the world is actually a terrorist or dreams gleefully of subjugating the world under the heel of Islam. But the ones who don't represent a clear and present threat to us are the exception rather than the rule. To pretend otherwise and formulate our approach to dealing with our enemies based on our experience with this tiny minority of benign Muslims is insanity."

For the rest of this brilliant essay, click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:15 PM | Comments (10)

Disaster

"There is a good reason that Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has accepted UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which sets the terms for a cease-fire between his jihad army and the State of Israel.

"The resolution represents a near-total victory for Hizbullah and its state sponsors Iran and Syria, and an unprecedented defeat for Israel and its ally the United States. This fact is evident both in the text of the resolution and in the very fact that the US decided to sponsor a cease-fire resolution before Israel had dismantled or seriously degraded Hizbullah's military capabilities."

For the rest of Caroline Glick's superb article, click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:46 AM | Comments (5)

August 11, 2006

1930's

The cease-fire document leaves Hizbullah in charge of Southern Lebanon.

By sending in the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL troops, the very troops who have collaborated with Hizbullah in their military build-up for the past six years, this cease-fire assures that Hizbullah emerges not only victorious from this war, but will continue their build-up, learn from this war, and improve their tactics and strategy for the next round of war against the Jewish state.

Syria has emerged from this war far stronger and with more status in the Arab/Muslim world than ever before.

Arguably, Iran has ascended to become the major player in the Middle East -- the role they have been angling for all along.

For all this, the Jewish people can look to a gang of four spineless and truly unwise politicians: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Minister of Defense Amir Peretz, IDF Chief of Staff Dan Chalutz, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni--accidental leaders with no understanding of war, of the enemy, of evil.

And here is their greatest sin, these accidental leaders, they have absolutely no understanding of the magnificent people they have the priviledge of leading. These foolish and silly politicians have not the most basic comprehension that properly unleashed, the IDF would have taken the battle to Hizbullah, to Syria, and it would have been hard and it would have been bloody, but Israel would have emerged victorious.

Of this, I have absolutely no doubt.

The Palis, well, they have, no doubt, sniffed further Israeli weakness and will send in even more homicide bombers. The Israeli government must realize that they must be crushed as the Jihadists they are. For too long we have treated them as a legitimate government. They are nothing but a gang of loathsome murderers.

Ultimately, Condi Rice and President Bush have been unable to sustain the support Israel needed, because Israel's leadership could not show them the way -- they buckled and flip-flopped and looked to the Americans to call the shots. Ultimately the Israelis had no backbone and the Americans were not going to keep them standing strong forever.

This is bad for Israel, bad for America, bad for free people everywhere.

This is a major strategic defeat for Israel. There is no way around it. Olmert has led Israel into its worst defeat in history. When Nasrallah comes out of his bunker and proclaims victory, he will not be lying. It is almost an understatement. Where are the kidnapped soldiers? When will the rocket bombardment into Israel stop? Whom are we trusting here -- Nasrallah?

We are back in the 1930's with poor, dull Neville Chamberlin waving his silly slip of paper in the air and announcing: "Peace in our time."

We are back in a world where left-wing appeasers ruled the diplomatic stage. A world that was but a prelude to the death of approximately 50 million people.

If the allies had moved earlier, with resolve and a firm military response to halt German aggression, thousands would have died -- and millions would have been saved.

Including six million Jews.

Such is the calculus of the peaceniks, the appeasers, the fools, the human rights organizations, the doctors without borders, these groupies of human misery. They claim to do everything to halt war, yet in the process never make a distinction between good and evil, aggressor and victim, right from wrong, and so in the end, they always enable the mass murderers, and give aid and comfort to those who commit genocide.

For Israel, there is not one shred of good news that can come out of this war if the Knesset votes to accept this odious document.

There is one glimmer, one ray of light: A no-confidence vote in the Knesset, leading to the downfall of this gang of fools--every single one of them. A new right-wing government should then arise.

And let it be understood that the mandate of this new government is to destroy Hizbullah.

In addition, it should be clear to any person with a modicum of common sense that any lingering notions of "realignment" is actually code for "surrender."

And this policy must be placed on the ash-heap of history. Only the most insane will cling to this suicidal strategy. One only has to listen to the rhetoric of Hizbullah and Hamas to realize how this realigment has emboldened the Jihadist cause. And for Israel, militarily, ask the wounded, those maimed for life, ask the children who live in bomb shelters, ask the dead.

The IDF are a magnificent army, the only way they can be defeated are by trecherous, spineless politicians. And that is just what has happened.

Let it never happen again.

If you think my 1930's metaphor is over-the-top, well, check out CounterTerrorism's analysis on Iran's stake in Lebanon. It's frightening and all too true.

Chazak Chazak V'netchazaik

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:43 PM | Comments (19)

Surrender Document

Click here and weep.

Words on paper.

Jewish blood is once again cheap. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni have suceeded in making it even cheaper.

These three names will go down in infamy in Jewish history.

This document leaves Hizbullah in charge of Southern Lebanon. By sending in the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL troops, the very troops who have collaborated with Hizbullah in their military build-up, this cease-fire assures that Hizbullah emerge not only victorious from this war, but will continue thier build-up, learn from this war anmd improve their tactics and startegy for the next round.

Syria and Iran have been emboldened.
The Palis, well, they will, no doubt sniff out ZIsraeli weakness and send in even more homicice bombers.

Ultimately, Condi Rice and President Bush have failed miserably and weakened the global war against terror.

The reason The White House has turned on Israel is that the IAF's air campaign took so long and was so ineffective against Hizbullah, that Bush felt the political heat coming down on him.

Again, this comes back to Olmert and Chief of Staff Dan Chalutz, choosing to fight a war on the cheap, from 35,000 feet, and ignoring well-laid battle plans with troops on the ground, that had been prepared just for this contingency--to crush Hizbullah.

No war has ever been won from the air. Olmert, a political hack through and through, thought that he could treat this war as just another political game that he could, somehow, could squirm through.

This outcome, this cease-fire, is a surrender of Israel's sovereignty. This is bad for Israel, bad for America, bad for free people everywhere.

We are back in the 1930's with Neville Chamberlin waving his silly slip of paper in the air and announcing: "Peace in our time."

This was but a prelude to the death of approximately 50 million people.

If the allies had moved earlier, with resolve and a firm military response to halt German aggression, thousands would have died, and millions would probably have been saved.

Such is the calculas of the peaceniks, the appeasers, the human rights groups, the doctors without borders, these groupies for human misery. They do everything to halt war, never making a distinction between good and evil, aggressor and victim, right from wrong, and so in the end, they enable the mass murderers, and help those who commit genocide.

There is not one shred of good news that can come out of this war if the Knesset votes to accept this odious document.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:41 PM | Comments (7)

Darkness

Olmert has accepted the cease-fire deal. I am not surprised. This is a moment of darkness for the Jewish State.

Good and brave soldiers have died.

Citizens have been slaughtered.

A million Israeli citizens have been made refugees and Olmert and his gang of appeasers are folding like traitors, allowing Hizbullah a victory and setting Israel up for future defeats.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:08 PM | Comments (11)

Tyre Power Off

Fox News have just reported that the IAF have hit the power grid of the Lebanese city of Tyre.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:45 PM | Comments (1)

We Interrupt This War...

Seraphic Secret is well aware that The War of Tammuz rages on. We are well aware that fate of the free world rests on the shoulders of tiny Jewish state -- for the world should never forget that the Jews are the canary in the mine of Western civilization.

However, as we continually remind you, we passionately believe that happiness is an integral weapon in our arsenal against our enemies: the Muslim Jihadists and their Western apologists and enablers.

Have you ever noticed that the Left here in America, Europe and Scandinavia are, um, a fairly humorless and grim bunch. I'm telling you, I meet a Lefty and it's always: kvetch, kvetch, kvetch.

In addition, they are the most ungrateful, spoiled gang I have ever encountered. They enjoy the bounty of this great land, yet they seem to live lives dedicated to the proposition that America is the greatest evil on the face of the earth.

I have an offer. I personally will pay for their one-way ticket to: North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Nigera, Liberia, Congo, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Iran, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, Chad, Algeria, Pakistan... gosh, my hand is actually getting tired just thinking about all the wonderful countries this offer is good for.

Anywhoo.

The Green Helmet Guy, remember him? He's the one who magically, and oh-so-convenietly appears in every Lebanese FauxPhoto shot. Well, lucky us, he now has his very own blog!

It's fab-u-lous.

Click here.

Hat tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)

Seraphic Quote

“War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”

-- William Tecumseh Sherman, American Civil War General

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)

IDF On Move

It appears that Israel has rejected the UN appeasement resolution and has launched the Northern offensive.

We can only pray that Olmert will, once and for all, summon up the necessary resolve to prosecute The War of Tammuz as it should have been from the very beginning thirty days ago.

Chazak, Chazak, V'ematz!

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)

War Updates: Fri Aug 11, '06

"Northern Israel is burning.

"Olmert must be hearing his spinmakers and polsters who are returning with distressing news. The people of Israel are not interested in a cease-fire that weakens Israel... and everyone I speak to is angry at Olmert and the government for attempting to negotiate the worst cease-fire terms ever offered Israel.

"During the 4 PM news, the announcer said that "the cease fire is not going as smoothly as hoped, and Israel can't accept the current terms."

Yup, that's Seraphic Friend Jameel with his warm and fuzzy minute-by-minute war diary. Now get this, he pounds the keyboard with one hand and with the other he grills his Shabbos chicken. The man is, uh, SuperJew. I'm in awe. So check out his latest updates here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

Israel to Reject UN Cease-Fire

According to Yoni's sources, Israel is going to reject the cease-fire resolutions being offered by America at the U.N., and will go to war. Click here to go to Yoni's blog.

I don't trust Olmert. He's a hack, incapable of proper military resolve.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

Israel Voices

Great site. Israel Voices.

Real people on the frontlines of the global war against brutal terror. They face missile attacks, border incursions, kidnappings, suicide bombers and unlimited daily threats designed to spread panic and fear. Yet the courageous people of Israel - men, women and children of all ages, diverse backgrounds, and cultures - bravely stand together united to defeat an evil that threatens their nation and free societies throughout the world. Real People. Real Stories. Real Courage. Unscripted. In their own words.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:44 AM | Comments (1)

Bibi Bests BBC

BBC: How come so many more Lebanese have been killed in this conflict than Israelis?

Netanyahu: Are you sure that you want to start asking in that direction?

BBC: Why not?

Netanyahu: Because in World War II more Germans were killed than British and Americans combined, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the war was caused by Germany's aggression. And in response to the German blitz on London, the British wiped out the entire city of Dresden, burning to death more German civilians than the number of people killed in Hiroshima. Moreover, I could remind you that in 1944, when the R.A.F. tried to bomb the Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen, some of the bombs missed their target and fell on a Danish children's hospital, killing 83 little children. Perhaps you have another question?

Hat Tip: Seraphic Mentor: Allan Leicht

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:30 AM | Comments (17)

Israel Must Win

"If, as Rice, Shimon Peres and Olmert himself recommend, Israel holds its fire and waits for a multinational force to deploy along the border, Israel will lose its right to self-defense. The laws of political gravity dictate that a relinquishment of the right to self defense is tantamount to a surrender of sovereignty. If Olmert decides that he would rather have foreigners patrol our borders than the IDF, his message to the world will be clear: As far as he is concerned, Israel does not value its liberty because it is unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to defend it. If Olmert truly wants for foreign forces to be stationed in south Lebanon, he can do us all a favor and agree to Hizbullah’s demand to keep UNIFIL in place. At least UNIFIL, for all its fecklessness, is more or less harmless. It is not empowered to limit Israel’s right to defend itself.

"If Olmert decides to surrender to outside pressures, he will be serving the interests of the forces in Washington who claim that Israel is not worthy of America’s support. An Israel that is unwilling to contend with Hizbullah is an Israel that cannot be trusted as an ally. That is, if he goes along with Rice and her colleagues at the UN and agrees not to fight to win, Olmert will be paving the way for the defeat of pro-Israel forces in US policymaking circles and politics."

For the rest of Caroline Glick's article click here

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

Olmert Must Go

"Ehud Olmert may decide to accept the French proposal for a cease-fire and unconditional surrender to Hezbollah. That is his privilege. Olmert is a prime minister whom journalists invented, journalists protected, and whose rule journalists preserved. Now the journalists are saying run away. That's legitimate. Unwise, but legitimate.

"However, one thing should be clear: If Olmert runs away now from the war he initiated, he will not be able to remain prime minister for even one more day. Chutzpah has its limits. You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power. You cannot bury 120 Israelis in cemeteries, keep a million Israelis in shelters for a month, wear down deterrent power, bring the next war very close, and then say - oops, I made a mistake. That was not the intention. Pass me a cigar, please."

For the rest of this article, click here

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:12 AM | Comments (4)

August 10, 2006

It's Not My Bag

Karen laments: I do not claim any credential from Scotland Yard or Homeland Security, but when I see thousands of travelers inconvenienced by heightened security checks I am confused. A cadre of terrorists plotted to concoct a bomb on board multiple flights to annihilate thousands of innocents. How did they find these terrorists? Did they look through miilions of bags? No. They found guilty people by infiltrating their cells through months of police work.

Why is a little old lady from Pasadena more likely today to have a liquid incendiary device disguised as perfume in her pocket book than yesterday? Did all these innocent travelers suddently become copycats or try to fool the screeners? What is going on here?

Why are the security people looking over here, at the screening points of the innocents, at objects, when they should be looking for more suspects? It is like arresting a gang of bank robbers who happen to use face masks and then outlawing masks. It doesn't make any sense. Terrorists will always find another way to sneak past security. They will always be a step ahead with a new technology for mass murder. You have to prevent a determined terrorist from ever getting on a plane.

You have to find them and kill them.

Stop inconveniencing millions of people because you have uncovered a new terrorist methodology. Look for more terrorists, don't expand the list of contraband. Right now the screeners are functioning like the proverbial seeker who looks for the hidden object under the street light because, "That's where the light is."

I want to go on an airplane with a water bottle without being suspect. I do not want to go on an airplane with a suspicious character who can't explain why he is in America, and hasn't reported to his "so called" university. My bag is clean. My water is real.

Homeland Security, I plead with you: Look for the bombers not for the bomb, especially not in the hands of the least likely people -- the potential victims.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 05:09 PM | Comments (11)

Londonstan

The mighty Michelle Malkin, covers the British terror plot comprehensively-- the MSM refer to it as "the alleged terror plot"--but we at Seraphic Secret tend to believe in, um, what are they called, oh, yes, simple facts.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:41 PM | Comments (6)

London Terror Scare

Here at Seraphic Secret we have no inside information about this breaking story. We sit glued to various TV stations watching the talking heads as they release tid-bits of random information: the words are crushingly familiar: terror, British youths, Al Queda-type plot, highly coordinated action.

At last, someone dares to use the M word: Muslim.

But of course, we all know that no Christian has hatched this murderous plot to kill thousands of innocents. We understand that no Buddhist has decided to wrench several passenger jets out of the sky to protest the Chinese genocide in Tibet, and we all know that Jews do not commit mass murder to protest the Arab world's genocidal designs on the State of Israel, and Jews everywhere.

No, there is only one group and one religion on the face of this earth who use cold blooded murder on others, and on their own, to further their mad religious and political designs -- the Jihadists of Islam.

As I have said, we at Seraphic Secret are not privy to inside details of this grisly and inhuman British Airline plot, but I can guarantee that the terrorists and their Western apologists will calmly assure us that the "root cause" is the "extreme actions by the Zionist criminals in Lebanon."

Such is the Orwelian spin of language we have become inured to.

Notice, if you will, the Arab/Muslim's world criminal and deafening silence regarding Darfur where Muslims are committing true genocide and ethnic cleansing.

The terrorists and their enablers will always have their excuses. They will always have their grievances.

As did the Nazis. As do all evil doers. Their cultures are built on petty grievances. It is easier to complain than to destroy. It is far simpler to try and destroy a truth-telling state than to build a truth-telling state.

Witness Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza. Did the Palestinians proceed to build a functional society? No, they immediatley set about building a bigger and better terrorist infrastructure and proceeded to launch deadly missiles into Israel.

If the chattering classes continue to support and enable these medieval brutes, they will end up as they deserve, as headless corpses under the boot heels of the Jihadists they have so mindlessly enabled.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:12 AM | Comments (1)

War Updates: Thursday Aug 10, '06

Seraphic Friend Jameel keeps giving us his invaluable War Diary.

Read it carefully for you will find: loony lefties in Israel on the march, traitors sending rockets coordinates to the Hizbullah, blood-thirsty Palis marching in glee as Jewish blood flows -- what a shock! And PM Olmert, political hack par excellance, has decided to postpone the ground offensive once again. Probably on advice from his radical leftist wife and children.

Meanwhile, Hizbullah missiles continue to rain down on the Jewish state.

What's that Chinese curse?

Oh, I remember:

May you live in interesting times.

When is it not interesting in Israel?

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:53 AM | Comments (2)

And the Oscar Goes To...

Sit back, pop some popcorn, dim the lights, and treat yourself to the Aish Photo Fraud Slideshow.

Even if you have seen all this before, this little movie puts it all together very neatly.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friends, Eileen & Dr. Daniel Wohlgelernter

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:27 AM | Comments (5)

Lamont: Color Me Pink

It seems that Ned Lamont is not just "a wealthy businessman" as the MSM have so blandly dubbed him. He's a "Pink diaper baby born with a silver spoon in his mouth." Go to our new friends at the Democracy Project for the full story

Correction/ Apology: I wrote previously that Lamont was elected Senator--which he, obviously was not. I thank my commenters for correcting this truly dumb mistake. This was just a primary. But it does look like a shoo-in for Pink Lamont. Lieberman, if he runs as in Independent, will not have acess to the Dems treasury. Clinton and all the rest of the Democratic high-flyers have already informed Joe that they will back Lamont. Slam, dunk. Sad. Very sad.

Hubert Humphrey. Scoop Jackson. Daniel P. Moynihan. JFK: spinning madly in their graves.

The New Democrats cannot be trusted with National Security.

The New Democrats cannot be trusted to be reliable allies of Israel.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:50 AM | Comments (12)

Taliban Democrats

"The narrow primary defeat of veteran senator Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary is more than a loss for one man. It is a loss for his party and for the country. It completes the capture of the Democratic Party by its Taliban wing.

"They used to be "San Francisco Democrats," a phrase coined by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick to describe the party's 1984 convention. But they have now morphed into Taliban Democrats because they are willing to "kill" one of their own, if he does not conform to the narrow and rigid agenda of the party's kook fringe."

To read the rest of the article by Cal Thomas click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:35 AM | Comments (1)

Why They Hate Jews

"Many of the bitter controversies in every corner of the globe inevitably raise the same ancient question: why does the world hate the Jews?

"Whether it’s the angry international reaction to Israel’s efforts to defend itself in Lebanon, or Mel Gibson’s drunken rant in Malibu, the age-old specter of anti-Semitism refuses to disappear. With only 13 million Jews in the world – less than one fourth of one percent of the earth’s population – why does this tiny group inspire such bitter, widespread and often violent animosity?"

To read the rest of Michael Medved's article, click here

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:29 AM | Comments (2)

Multiple Front War

"In fall 2001, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered an impassioned and, some believed, ill-considered speech aimed at America. "In 1938, enlightened Europe sacrificed Czechoslovakia for the sake of a temporary, convenient solution," Sharon said. "Don't try to appease the Arabs at our expense. ... Israel will not be Czechoslovakia. Israel will fight terrorism."

To read the rest of Jonah Goldberg's article click here

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

August 09, 2006

War Updates: Wed Aug 9 '06

Jameel reports from Israel on the day when the big ground push begins. It's also the day when the IDF has taken its worst battlefield casualties so far in The War of Tammuz.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:00 PM | Comments (1)

Rupture

"Relations between the country's political and military leadership are at the lowest point in the country's history, on the verge of a crisis. In addition, there is a growing lack of confidence between Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, the first CoS to hail from the air force, and many of his general staff colleagues from the ground forces, who say he and his "blue clique" [blue being the color of the air force uniform-ed] do not fully appreciate the nature of ground warfare.

"According to informed sources, there is an almost total breakdown in trust and confidence between the General Staff and the PM's office. They have described the situation as "even worse than the crises that followed Ben Gurion's decision to disband the Palmach, and Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan's cynical decision to place all the blame for the Yom Kippur fiasco on the IDF's shoulders."

This article contains details of the original IDF plan to defeat Hizbullah -- a fine plan that Olmert nixed.

Reading this is painful beyond belief!

Read the rest of the grim story at Israeli Insider.

Seraphic Secret has been saying that Chalutz is not fit to be Chief of Staff since the second week of the War. Olmert is a political hack who has mismanaged the government and the war from the beginning. The firing of General Udi Adam is a flagrant political move, completely disgraceful.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Judd Magilnick

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:03 PM | Comments (8)

Top 10 French Middle East Peace Proposals

Is Seraphic Secret anti-French?

No, no, no. Au contraire. We are, how you say, involved in an existential crisis of profound dimensions, and therefore we call upon Monsieur Jake Novak to calrify our structural po-si-tion on the lastest Francias Peace Proposals.

Break out the latte, croissant, a well-thumbed Claude Levi Strausse, adjust your black beret and enjoy.

*****

10) Build cushy, soft, and delicious buffer between Israel and Lebanon: "The Marsipan Line".

9) Lull combatants into deep sleep with 4 1/2 hour French movie filled mostly with scenes where nobody talks.

8) Blame everything on Alfred Dreyfuss, (hey, it worked once!).

7) Distract everyone in the region by proposing the end of guaranteed jobs and pensions.

6) Send in their most revered peace envoy: Jerry Lewis.

5) Offer to re-settle West Bank Arabs on the Left Bank... oh wait, they're already there.

4) Keep Hizbullah aggressions in check with steady diet of vintage wine and cheese.

3) Just hand everything over to Germany, (hey they tried it once!).

2) Delight Israelis and Arabs alike by evicting Suha Arafat from her million dollar Paris apartment.

1) Tell everyone to run away.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:37 PM | Comments (6)

The New (and very scary) IDF Snipers

I'm smiling.

Hugely.

The IDF have called up a group of, get this, ex-Spesnatz snipers who fought in Chechnya. They were considered by the IDF to be, um, too trigger happy for normal duty.

But they are now being unleased on the Hizbullah.

For those unfamiliar with snipers, a good sniper can change the complexion of a battlefield with one bullet. The average soldier in combat sprays and prays, and expends over 125 shells to kill just one enemy combatant. A qualified sniper jacks 1.5 bullets to kill just one enemy soldier.

One shot, one kill. That's the deal.

Right now there's an American sniper in Afghanistan known as "The Man Who Doesn't Miss." This American has got something like 36 confirmed kills. That's serious numbers. The Taliban have given him that name. He's got the Talibs seriously spooked.

It's death from afar. We're talking several football fields. And with a Barrett sniper rifle, a good sniper can make a head shot from a mile away.

Think about it.

The Hizbullah are in for some deep death.

Here's Yoni on the new IDF snipers.

I'm smiling. Can you see me?

P.S. Here's some information on the greatest sniper who ever lived, Simo Haya, a little Finnish guy who had over 500 confirmed kills in World War II. Shot with iron sights. No fancy scope. Awesome.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:12 PM | Comments (7)

Jew Hatred, the UN., and Redemption

BY: FERN SIDMAN

Since the current war began between Hizbullah terrorists and the State of Israel on July 12th, it has been reported by The Jewish Agency that there has been a dramatic rise in anti-semitic incidents directly related to mounting tensions in the Middle East. According to Ynet News, "During the past two weeks, at least 50 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded around the world, ten of which were violent. The most extreme incident occurred July 28th, when a Muslim-American of Pakistani origin went on a shooting spree in a Jewish Federation building in Seattle, killing one woman and wounding five more.

Since the start of the war in Lebanon, Jews, Israelis and Jewish landmarks across the world have been victims of a wave of anti-Semitic attacks: In Turkey two Israeli families were assaulted when merchants learned of their country of origin; a Jewish Community Center was brutally attacked in Australia; a youth vandalized an Oslo synagogue and defecated at the entrance; and in Brazil a synagogue was sprayed with the slogan, 'Lebanon - the real Holocaust."

The report goes on to say that, "recent reports received by the Jewish Agency reveal a difficult picture of an exacerbation of anti-Semitic incidents. Many mass demonstrations worldwide against Israeli policy in Lebanon have descended into violence and unruly incitement against local Jewish communities. Most of the incidents occurred in countries with large populations of Lebanese, Arab and Muslim immigrants. At many of the anti-Israeli protests, demonstrators have waved Hizbullah flags and swastikas and called out slogans comparing IDF soldiers to Nazi storm troopers. The JA further noted that the offices of numerous Jewish communities have reported receiving threatening emails. "

The revelation of these disturbing facts deserves closer examination. It would appear that the rise in anti-semitic incidents is directly related to multiple factors. It is clear that Hizbullah, aided by the worldwide media has launched a highly successful propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting Israel, of portraying Israel as a mammoth and ruthless murder machine bent on wanton destruction with no regard for "civilian" lives in Lebanon. While we know that the contrary is true and Israel takes great pains to minimize civilian deaths and casualties, little can be done to harness the deep seated malevolence that the media and the world has for Jews and Israel. Jew hatred is alive and well as it always has been. Those haters of Jews and Israel need little persuasion as an excuse to manifest their vitriol towards Israel and we can expect much more of the same.

The world remains silent in the face of this banal form of racism, because as students of Jewish history know full well, the Jew has no real allies and the eyebrows of the world are never raised when it comes to confronting Jew bashers. The world stood silent during the Holocaust as it stands silent now. It would be delusional to believe that their will be a impassioned outcry from the world. We are alone and it is best to get used to it.

Speaking of being alone, it also comes as no surprise that on the diplomatic front, the moribund United Nations are busying themselves with condemning Israel and concocting resolutions that will demand that Israeli troops withdraw from Lebanon before Hizbullah terrorists are defeated. There is talk of having an impotent Lebanese army replace Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Talk about having the fox watching the hen house. Let us remember that a great majority of the Lebanese army are supporters of Hizbullah as are the current leaders of the ostensible democracy that calls itself the current government of Lebanon.

We must never forget that Hizbullah representatives are members of the Lebanese parliament. Let us never forget that a great majority of the Lebanese population are steadfast and loyal Hizbullah supporters. Let us never forget that no international peacekeeping force can quell the Syrian and Iranian backed Hizbullah terrorists. They are a well funded and thoroughly trained army of highly skilled militia who are driven by deeply held religious beliefs and passions and are dedicated to spreading their own brand of Islamic fascism.

While the agenda of the United States is to support Lebanon's fledgling "democracy", this will be no easy task. If the United States has learned anything from its involvement in Iraq is that imposing a democracy on a people that does not desire it can be the recipe for civil war, death and destruction. Creating a new world order in the Middle East will be an arduous, if not impossible goal. Hizbullah's agenda on the other hand is to create yet another Islamic state in Lebanon, ruled by Shiite Muslims. Their agenda is one that is within their grasp and within the realm of reality.

The people of Lebanon would clearly welcome a stronger Hizbullah presence in government and in the military. In the eyes of the Lebanese people, Hizbullah is the brave and courageous underdog. A voice of strength and truth and an organization that has a credible track record of helping the Lebanese Shiite population, in the form of providing social services that the people have relied on. Hizbullah has won the hearts and loyalty of its following and they can smell victory. With the exception of the United States, Hizbullah has the support of the world.

The question has been raised as to whether Israel can still win this war. Every day over 140 Katyusha rockets still rain upon Israeli towns and cities on its northern border, and the death toll rapidly climbs. A Hizbullah drone aimed at Tel Aviv was intercepted by Israel this time, but who knows what will occur on their next attempt at mass destruction and genocide. There is no question that the handling of this military operation has been less than adequate.

Time is running short and the hesitation and confusion of the Israeli government has put the Jewish State between a rock and a hard place. Hindsight is always 20/20, however had the government of Israel been able to quash its fear of world opinion and had engaged in a massive ground offensive at the beginning of this conflict, perhaps the situation might look brighter for an Israeli victory over Hizbullah terrorism. The events that will unfold in the days ahead will be crucial in the outcome for Israel.

We are commanded to fear only G-d and to not fear our enemies. It is time for the entire nation of Israel to speak with one collective voice, and with great resolve and determination to declare to the world that we demand that our government use all of its powers to destroy and annihilate our enemies. There is no time for guilt and apologies, rather it is a time to plunge into battle with the goal of the ultimate preservation of the Jewish nation. It is time to know in our hearts that we are commanded by G-d not to fear our enemies, for the Almighty G-d of Israel will be with is.

In the difficult days ahead let us beseech the Almighty G-d of Israel to gird His nation Israel with strength. May our fervent prayers reach the gates of Heaven and may we merit to see victory and salvation.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:33 PM | Comments (4)

Terrorist Church Leader

This from Seraphic Friend Naomi Regan

Friends,

Church leaders who in the past have been at the forefront of
anti-Israel actions, are now revealing their stupidity and
crude anti-Semitism, which for years they have tried to mask
with "ethical" arguments in favor of suicide bombers and
Palestinian terrorists.

Below, a shocking exchange between a Toronto lawyer, and the
Reverend Pushee, co-chair of the Toronto Conference of the
United Church of Canada's Task Group for Ethical Investment
in the Middle East and leader of the divestment campaign
against Israel. This was sent to me by a listmember, who is
also a Toronto pastor, who doesn't support the United
Church's agenda in any way.

============================================================

Dear Naomi,

I think I have received your emails for the last 3 or 4
years and do pray for you and Israel and the whole complex
situation there.

The following article is taken from the National Post
Newspaper (Toronto, Canada). I think you will find it
interesting. The National Post has tried to be
intentionally honest in dealing with the whole situation and
is usually very supportive of Israel.

Pushee is a minister in the United Church of Canada. I too
am a pastor, not of the United Church. I do not identify
with him in any way, and am very supportive of Israel.

United Church Minister: 'Israel is out of control'
National Post, Fri., Aug. 4th, p.A11

What follows are edited excerpts of an email exchange
between Kenneth Wiener and Rev. Lawrence Pushee. Mr. Wiener
is a Toronto lawyer. Rev. Pushee is co-chair of the Toronto
Conference of the United Church of Canada's Task Group for
Ethical Investment in the Middle East.

*************************************************************************

Wiener: In light of [the July 12] unprovoked attack by
Hezbollah on Israel, please advise whether your task force
intends to recommend that the United Church divest itself of
investments connected to Lebanon, Iran and/or Syria.

Pushee: Thank you for your interest in the
nonviolent/economic action of Toronto Conference of the
United Church regarding Israel's destructive policies in the
Middle East. I am assigned the task of answering your
questions concerning our church's possible relationships to
so-called "terrorist" organizations like Hezbollah and the
three Arab regimes you cited.

To answer your question. Of course, we deplore any
provocative action by extremists in Gaza or by Hezbollah,
especially when human lives are destroyed. However, it needs
to be said that Israel's disproportionate responses to any
and all provocations, even when they amount to a response to
the mere embarassment of tunnelling under Israeli security
barriers and abducting a hapless Israeli recruit by
Palestinians, not only cause the international community the
gravest concern, but also the Arab world.

Is this a question of a deficiency in the intelligence
quotients of those who govern Israel? We wonder. This
enigma causes some to wonder if, far from an intelligence
deficiency amongst Israeli government leaders, there is a
deeper purpose at work in Israeli governmental strategy. And
that is: to take every opportunity to destroy any potential
for Palestinians to ever manage to create a viable nation of
their own. Accordingly, Israel military forces bomb all
Palestinian infrastructure and institutions, carry out
illegal assassinations in the best Mafia-style of potential
Palestinian leadership, and arrest democratically elected
Palestinian government leaders as terrorists.

All this to say, Mr. Wiener, that Israel is being so
greedy in such a nasty and murderous way that we find
ourselves very sympathetic to the Palestinian complaints. We
are also working for the survival of Israel in peace and
security with internationally recognized borders as much as
for the same future for a Palestinian state.

We are sick and tired of the pro-Israeli government
lobby in Canada telling us what to understand about the
"security" issues of Israel. We are fed up with the biased
press that focuses on one abducted Israel soldier. Israel is
out of control.

More and more people are going to challenge the
fanatically promoted conventional notions about the
victimization of Israel at the hand of terrorists. If you do
not care, no matter. I gain power from rehearsing the
justice issues involved and I continue to hope that more
Canadians will be coming on side to demand that Israel cease
being a menace to peace in the Middle East

Wiener: The tenor of your e-mail diatribe is one I would
expect from a second year political science, student at
university, not a reverend of the United Church. Hamas,
Hezbollah and their Arab state sponsors are not "out of
control"? Ehud Barak was "out of control"? I note in
responding to me "you gain power from rehearsing the justice
issues involved." I trust you will thus be pleased when I
circulate your e-mail so others can see the tenor of your
response to me.

Pushee: You reveal yourself. As a definite partisan, you are
prepared to share with others, without my consent, my
personal comments to you. This is something that I am
discovering about pro-Israeli government folk, I suppose
because their position is morally bankrupt. This constitutes
a moral defect in yourself.

Now we have eight Canadians dead because of Israeli
military action. Are you a Canadian? Does it matter to you?
Can you honestly imagine that Israel's responses on all
fronts have anything to do with rescuing three Israeli
abductees? Are we talking an Israeli arithmatic here? One
Israeli soldier equals so many Arabs?

So, Mr. Wiener, you can publish my remarks if you like,
but such intimidation and fear mongering are most
ineffectual. I will defend this position with my life. Why?
Because I hear the pain of the Palestinians.

If you can't get that message, if you refuse to even
consider it, I pity you.

By the way, you do have my permission to publish this
statement Do you dare?

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:11 PM | Comments (2)

The Enlightened French

"If the Israelis wanted to eliminate Hizbullah, they only need to look to the French: When they bombed Serbia, over 10,000 civilians in Belgrade were killed -- and that was in Belgrade only. It is estimated that ‘enlightened’ French military tactics resulted in the deaths of up to 30,000 civilians.

To equal that ‘enlightened’ French expression of military might, Israel need not concern itself until there are an additional 29,000 plus civilian deaths in Lebanon."

Once again Sigmund, Carl & Alfred provide some deep analysis into the current War of Tammuz. To read the rest of the story, click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

Israel's Way Out

Since the very beginning of The War of Tammuz, now almost a month old, Seraphic Secret has maintained that the only effective means of dealing a death blow to Hizbullah is to go to the source of this genocidal's gang's logistical, training, and financial support: Syria and Iran. To kill a snake, you must cut off its head.

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen writes in the, huh? Los Angeles Times, pretty much the same thing.

*****

Hezbollah and Hamas attacks have backed it into a corner. Escalation against Iran and Syria might be the best hope.

For the second time in the long history of the Middle East conflict, an enemy of Israel has effectively said: We do not care what you do.

Hezbollah — in choosing not to return the two soldiers it seized on July 12, and in its bombardment of Israel — has declared that it does not care if its war-making leads Israel to attack Lebanon's cities, ruin that country's economy and kill its people. What matters most is inflicting damage on Israel, weakening its morale and goading it to a level of destruction that will incite the world's wrath. The Palestinians said as much with their second intifada and their suicide bombings. But this is different because Hezbollah's daily rainfall of rockets in Israel portends an intolerable military assault without end.

Read the rest of the article here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Love of my Life, Karen

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

Generals & Admirals for Israel

Oh, gosh, this makes me feel so good. Here are 53 American Generals and Admirals speaking out in favor of Israel and her war against Hizbullah. Read the statement and just, well, smile. Great site, I've just bookmarked it.

Here's a vital and poignant paragraph:

"Second, we have a particular interest in the demise of Hezbollah. Until September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was the terrorist organization responsible for more American deaths than any other, including 241 American servicemen in the Beirut barracks bombing and 17 Americans in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. We have not forgotten William Buckley, Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem and Lt. Col. William (Rich) Higgins, USMC."

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, David Paulin

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

Red State Jews

An American leftist gets his moral bearings.

Thane Rosenbaum reconsiders his role as editor of Tikkun Magazine, the sort-of Jewish magazine that defamed Israel's soldiers and her people and sided with her Arab enemies as Jewish children were bleeding in the streets for the last six years.

Now, as each day brings death to IDF soldiers, Israeli civilians, and destruction rains down on Israeli cities, some in the American left finally start to get it.

It took them long enough.

P.S. The confusion of this essay speaks for itself.

*****

The Wall Street Journal

August 9, 2006

By THANE ROSENBAUM

This is a soul-searching moment for the Jewish left.
Actually, for many Jewish liberals, navigating the gloomy
politics of the Middle East is like walking with two left
feet.

I would know. For six years I was the literary editor of
Tikkun magazine, a leading voice for progressive Jewish
politics that never avoided subjecting Israel to moral
scrutiny. I also teach human rights at a Jesuit university,
imparting the lessons of reciprocal grievances and the moral
necessity to regard all people with dignity and mutual
respect. And I am deeply sensitive to Palestinian pain, and
mortified when innocent civilians are used as human shields
and then cynically martyred as casualties of war.

Yet, since 9/11 and the second intifada, where suicide
bombings and beheadings have become the calling cards of
Arab diplomacy, and with Hamas and Hezbollah emerging as
elected entities that, paradoxically, reject the first
principles of liberal democracy, I feel a great deal of
moral anguish. Perhaps I have been naïve all along.

And I am not alone. Many Jews are in my position -- the
children and grandchildren of labor leaders, socialists,
pacifists, humanitarians, antiwar protestors --
instinctively leaning left, rejecting war, unwilling to
demonize, and insisting that violence only breeds more
violence. Most of all we share the profound belief that
killing, humiliation and the infliction of unnecessary pain
are not Jewish attributes.

However, the world as we know it today -- post-Holocaust,
post-9/11, post-sanity -- is not cooperating. Given the
realities of the new Middle East, perhaps it is time for a
reality check. For this reason, many Jewish liberals are
surrendering to the mindset that there are no solutions
other than to allow Israel to defend itself -- with whatever
means necessary. Unfortunately, the inevitability of Israel
coincides with the inevitability of anti-Semitism.

This is what more politically conservative Jews and hardcore
Zionists maintained from the outset. And it was this
nightmare that the Jewish left always refused to imagine. So
we lay awake at night, afraid to sleep. Surely the Arabs
were tired, too. Surely they would want to improve their
societies and educate their children rather than strap bombs
on to them.

If the Palestinians didn't want that for themselves, if
building a nation was not their priority, then peace in
exchange for territories was nothing but a pipe dream. It
was all wish-fulfillment, morally and practically necessary,
yet ultimately motivated by a weary Israeli society -- the
harsh reality of Arab animus, the spiritual toll that the
occupation had taken on a Jewish state battered by negative
world opinion.

Despite the deep cynicism, however, Israel knew that it must
try. It would have to set aside nearly 60 years of hard-won
experience, starting from the very first days of its
independence, and believe that the Arab world had softened,
would become more welcoming neighbors, and would stop
chanting: "Not in our backyard -- the Middle East is for
Arabs only."

It is true that Israel has entered into peace agreements
with Egypt and Jordan that have brought some measure of
historic stability to the region. But with Israel having
withdrawn from Lebanon and Gaza, and with Israeli public
opinion virtually united in favor of near-total withdrawal
from the West Bank, why are rockets being launched at Israel
now, why are their soldiers being kidnapped if the
aspirations of the Palestinian people, and the intentions of
Hamas and Hezbollah, stand for something other than the
total destruction of Israel? And if Palestinians and the
Lebanese are electing terrorists and giving them the
portfolio of statesmen, then what message is being sent to
moderate voices, what incentives are there to negotiate, and
how can any of this sobering news be recast in a more
favorable light?

The Jewish left is now in shambles. Peace Now advocates have
lost their momentum, and, in some sense, their moral
clarity. Opinion polls in Israel are showing near unanimous
support for stronger incursions into Lebanon. And until
kidnapped soldiers are returned and acts of terror
curtailed, any further conversations about the future of the
West Bank have been set aside.

Not unlike the deep divisions between the values of red- and
blue-state America, world Jewry is being forced to
reconsider all of its underlying assumptions about peace in
the Middle East. The recent disastrous events in Lebanon and
Gaza have inadvertently created a newly united Jewish
consciousness -- bringing right and left together into one
deeply cynical red state.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Regan

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:09 AM | Comments (9)

At War: August 22

As Seraphic Secret has written numerous times, Israel is at -- with Iran. And Iran is slowly but surely building a nuclear capability.

There are voices who maintain that Iran would never send a nuclear missile into Israel for two reasons:

1. It would also slaughter Palestinians and
2. It would demolish the Dome of the Rock.

I have pointed out to the worthy Liberals, for it is always Liberals who make these "rational" arguments, that they have absolutely no understanding of Shia eschatology, specifically the eschatology of the Twelfth Imam.

I also point out that the Iranians used one million of their own children as human mine sweepers in their war against Iraq. Why wouldn't they slaughter the Palestinians, who they couldn't care less about. Besides, the Iranians are Persian Shias, not Arab Sunnis, a little distinction our Liberal friends don't quite seem to grasp.

In any case, Bernard Lewis has a fine article in todays Wall Street Journal that details the eschatology of the jihadists. Be prepared to step through the gates of hell.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, David Paulin

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)

Fauxtography

First it was one fraudulent picture. The MSM and their liberal apologists whined that we on the right were out for blood, and judging them on the basis of "just one photo."

How unfair. How judgemental.

Some of us warned that it was just the tip of the iceberg.

On this blog, I wrote that: "the Arab world has replaced reality with rhetoric." A diplomatic way of saying that, well, the Arab world is mired in lies and self-deception. A diplomatic way of saying that the Arab/Muslim world is delusional.

So I was not at all surprised when even more fraudulent photos were revealed, photos purposely cooked to put Israel in the worst light possible.

Call it Nazi/Jihadist propaganda, but fully enabled by the Western media. Himmler and Streicher are cheering from their graves.

And now the mighty Michelle Malkin alerts us to the beginnings of a veritable flood involving, gasp! The New York Times, US News, and what are the odds, good ol' Al Reuters. For the full story, click here.

Gateway Pundit also has a nice photo essay on the photo fraud. This stuff has to be seen to be believed.

These "elite professionals" have, no doubt, helped murder an untold number of Jews; they have helped slaughter an untold number of Americans who have died at the hands of Hizbullah terrorists; they have done this by disseminating the lies of the Jihadist propaganda machine through the publication of false images and stories--let's not forget stories written by lying stringers--for who knows how many years.

Not only do these "top editors" have no shame, they are not even good at their jobs. The blogosphere have caught them red-handed in all their soaring mediocrity. They should all resign in disgrace and exile themselves to Gaza City. Let them live among the barbarians they have cheered on for so long. Let there be some true consequences for their anti-Democratic, and yes, anti-Simetic slurs. That would be justice.

Hat Tip, Seraphic Friend, Jack

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:09 AM | Comments (2)

August 08, 2006

Frenchbullah

Ah, the French, they can always be counted on to cave in to true genocidiers. They did it in World War II when they handed over their Jewish citizens to the Nazis using only French policemen--not a single SS officer participated in the aktion.

Sheesh, not even the Poles can boast of such a grisly distinction.

And now in the UN, the French diplomats have totally caved in to the demands of the Hizbullah, the new Nazis on the block. Yup, the French are speaking up for Hizbulllah; demanding that the IDF exit Lebanon immediately, before any cease-fire can take place.

So useful those French.

Oh, and of course the French inform us, they have no interest in sending any "peace keeping troops" to Lebanon to disarm Hizbullah.

What an absolute stunner.

But of course, they never did. They just like to talk tough, make believe they actually matter in world affairs, when in fact France is merely a hologram of a world power.

Gee, I was so counting on the mighty French army to protect Le Juif.

Can anyone remember the last time French troops actually fought without immediately surrendering?

Sound of crickets chirping.
Endlessly.

Well, at least we have some clarity.

The French are still, well, the French, are a collapsed and sort of silly culture being hijacked by jihadists.

Memo to French Jews: Flee immediately!

At least now the IDF can finish the job that has to be done.

I hear that IDF soldiers are being given liberty now. This usually precedes a big ground invasion.

Look for three ground divisions to be mobilized. That's about 30,000 troops. They will push to the Litani River.

The strategy:
1) To take every single Hizbullah bunker and stronghold.
2) To kill every Hizbullah fighter.
3) To take a few high value Hizbullah prisoners.
4) To hold territory,
5) To destroy as much of Hizbullah infrastructure as possible.
6) To destroy Hizbullah's ability to fire missiles into Israel.
7) To retrieve the kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

Look for more Special Forces Raids.

Start saying Tehillim, Psalms. The gates of hell may well open in the next few hours.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:26 PM | Comments (6)

General IDF Shake-Up

IDF Chief of Staff Dan Chalutz has just appointed Maj. General Moshe Kaplinsky to replace Maj. General Udi Adam in the Northern Command. This indicates that a major ground offensive is about to open up in Southern Lebanon.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:56 PM | Comments (0)

War Updates: Tues Aug 8 '06

Seraphic Friend, Jameel at the Muqata, celebrates his First Anniversary of blogging, and muses on what it means to write about the war in such a detailed manner.

We all owe Jameel a great thanks for all his hard work. And Mazel Tov on his First Anniversary. We expect that he will be around the blogosphere for a very long time.

Click here for his latest War Update.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)

Love and War

The Jewish State is at war.

And yet, true love takes its inevitable course.

Question: What happens to all the couples from the North who have planned weddings for months on end?

They have booked halls, hired photographers, and videographers, seamstresses, caterers, florists, the oh-so-necessary army that it takes to pull off a modern Jewish wedding.

Believe me, I know, Karen and I have, Baruch HaShem, recently been through it. It's like planning the invasion of Normandy--only logistically much more complicated.

So, are the Jews of Israel, specifically Northern Israel, about to let a bunch of genocidal Jihadists get in the way of a chuppah, a Jewish wedding?

That's a big negative.

Read about a mass wedding for the Northern Lovers in Tel Aviv. If this does not send shivers up your spine, welll, maybe you don't have a spine.

A people like this cannot be defeated.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Maurice S

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:19 PM | Comments (4)

Seraphic First Date

Okay, I know Israel is in the midst of war, but as I've said, here at Seraphic Secret we believe passionately in being happy -- no matter what.

We have lots and lots of new readers these days. And many of you may not be aware but for a few years now I've been writing a series called: How I Married Karen.

It's, um, a major embarrassment to Offspring #2, and #3.

All Thirty-Six chapters.

To summarize: Karen and I went to Yeshiva of Flatbush grade school together. I developed a major crush on Karen in 4th grade. Never got over it. (Have still not gotten over it.) Karen had no idea. I loved Karen from afar for many moons. Somehow, we bumped into each other on the upper West Side about 16 years later. I was still in love with Karen. She was still clueless. We dated. We fell in love. We married -- all this after numerous complications, all springing from my rather unhinged mind.

Virtual Jerusalem is now running the wild and whacky story of our long un-courtship as a weekly serial. Here's the story of our First Date. Enjoy. Oh, special bonus. This chapter has a picture of Karen from that very first date. Lovely beyond all words.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:31 AM | Comments (17)

Human Rights?

This organization is a disgrace. It has nothing to do with human rights. It has everything to do with a seething Anti-Israel agenda.

And, yes Human Rights is anti-Simetic.

Seraphic Secret has, until now, refrained from writing about this vile gang of Jew haters -- until now. Until The War of Tammuz, and their inevitable and loathsome public campaign to villify the Jewish state and excuse the genocidal Hizbullah with a mild and token slap on the wrists.

But their latest "report" about Israel's bombing campaign in Lebanon so drips with poison towards the Jewish state, and so misstates the simple facts, is so naive in its basic understanding of who and what Hizbullah is, that I direct you towards the invaluable, and thorough Yehudit and her superb blog Kesher for a thorough disemboweling of this wretched gang of, gosh, what do you call these people?

Lefties?

Not nearly extreme enough.

Loonies?

They are quite sane.

Nihilists?

Maybe.

Useful idiots?

Well, they did go to Yale. Getting closer.

I know: Terrorist Enablers.

Nice.

With help from Seraphic Friend, David Paulin

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:57 AM | Comments (4)

Stop Crying, Start Acting

Lebanon. Their PM weeps, and blames Israel for everything. But don't they bear the lion's share of the responsibility for allowing their country to be host to the Hizbullah?

*****

"On the years gone by since IDF forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Itzik said, "We exploited our exit to build guest houses, and on the other side of the border they exploited it to arm with rockets. When we cultivated agriculture, the economy, tourism, they cultivated the ability to launch rockets...."

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Maurice S

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:21 AM | Comments (1)

CNN... Sing the Hatikvah

Here at Seraphic Secret we believe in positive reinforcement.

Last night, the news service that has come in for so much criticism from this blog, and from so many other pro Israeli blogs, ran a segment that was, well, Karen turned to me and exclaimed: "Fox hasn't done anything as positive for Israel or the IDF!"

Goodness. And Karen is no pushover.

Correspondent John Roberts embedded himself with an IDF platoon somewhere in Lebanon. The men are a Hollywood cross-section of Israeli society, true citizen soldiers: a lawyer, a garage mechanic, a college professor, and, sigh, an actor, who, oh my gosh, is wearing a red kabuki mask on top of his helmet.

Actors!

I feel like reaching into the TV and ripping the mask off his head. Dude, you do not wear flaming red in a combat zone! It's like asking to get wasted by a sniper.

But then, I figure out that Robert's cameraman has probably "cooked" the shot for dramatic purposes. But still, I almost have a heart attack.

Anyhoooo.

What great segment. The platoon leader is a South African oleh. Handsome, with just the right amount of stubble, clearly ready for Hollywood. I'm not kidding the guy's more handsome than Tom Cruise. A born leader, he speaks with simple authority of the mission, the necessity of defending the Jewish people "because the world's record of helping the Jews is not terribly good."

Here's the thing that is so powerful about this five minute segment:

CNN correspondent Roberts is clearly scared out of his mind. The sweat is dripping out of every pore of his body. Hizbullah are everywhere. This is no dog and pony show. Roberts admires and counts on these citizen soldiers to cover his back, his front, his side, his everything.

Clearly Roberts does not view these men as soulless Spartan warriors that Israelis have been portrayed in the media ever since the Six Day War. He warmly portrays them as reluctant warriors fighting a determined terrorist enemy. The men do not make speeches. They are quite John Wayne in their understatement. They make simple declaratve staments, then smile, a bit embarrassed, shrug, then walk away from the camera.

Roberts admires these guys, he identifies with them. He realizes that they are just like Americans.

It was a great segment, and I believe that CNN and John Roberts should be congratulated for this fine piece.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:35 AM | Comments (12)

The 1973 Syndrome

I believe that it is beginning to sink in that Olmert, if not delusional, is at least, the wrong man, in the wrong job, at the exact wrong moment in history. You can be a political hack and be the Mayor of Jerusalem. But you cannot be a political hack and be the PM of Israel--when you are at war with Iran, by way of Hizbullah.

Here's a fine article by Meyrav Wurmser, that comes to much the same conclusion as the previous article by Caroline Glick, but he comes to it from a somewhat different direction.

*****

"Make no mistake; Israel will win this war in any objective sense — as it did in 1973. Hassan Nasrallah and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who crow about this as the beginning of Israel’s collapse because its people have been proven to have no stomach to fight, are deluded. Those who hope that the will of the Israeli people has been broken are betting against reality. What has failed is not the will of the Israeli people, but their leadership and elites. The blindness displayed by those elites toward the future and the recent blindness of the past will no doubt yield political consequences and a reckoning."

To read the rest of the article click here

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)

Revolution

The mighty Caroline Glick paints a portrait of the current leadership in Israel, and the object that emerges is a an all too typical post-modern heap of lies wrapped within deceptions wrapped within incompetencies.

*****

"Here in Israel, the historical period that is being recalled with increasing frequency is the winter of 1973. Then, in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, as Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan sought to place all the blame for Israel's refusal to prepare for Egypt's October 6 invasion, in spite of obvious signs that it was about to take place, on the IDF, demobilized IDF reservists, led by Captain (res.) Moti Ashkenazi, launched a national protest movement. Their demand for accountability forced Meir and Dayan to resign and set the conditions for the Likud's rise to power in 1977.

"There is a palpable sense in Israel that we are on the edge of a revolutionary moment. Our national leadership in the government, the IDF and the media has utterly failed us.

"As we stand poised on the edge of an even larger war, the main question that hangs in the balance is what lessons the Israeli people will take from the current fiasco. Will we continue to believe their fictions, or will we find a way to abandon them and move on with leaders who understand that territory is vital, that the jihad is real, that Israel has a right to defensible borders, and that Israel is not to blame for our enemies' hatred?"

This is how Caroline Glick ends her powerful column. To read the whole piece, and you really must, click here

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

Nasrallah: In His Own Words

Nothing like a little clarity. This fine article from Front Page, allows us a glimpse into the mind of Nasrallah. Let it never be said that we never knew exactly what was in his heart.

So, what animates Hizbullah?

A genocidal program directed towards the destruction of the State of Israel, Jews everywhere, and America.

Sounds mad?

Well, we are back in the 1930's. The only difference being that Hitler made believe that he was appeasable.

And just as it was back then, the chattering classes are telling us that there is nothing to worry about. That we really have nothing to fear from the murderous tyrants.

In fact, we have much to fear from the tyrants and the chattering classes.

Anyone who tells you that this war is about land is either misinformed -- or a blatant liar. This is an existential conflict.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:07 AM | Comments (1)

August 07, 2006

Caution: Fuses Sizzling!

Hemingway famously said that the one great subject matter of literature is: war. Well, Papa did not have the pleasure of reading Treppenwitz's oddball tale of sending his children to the "Family Compund in Connecticut" and the Marx Bros. style Israeli bureacracy that stands in the way of this blissfull vacation.

Here at Seraphic Secret we believe in leavening the grim war news with laughter and irony. No matter what, we insist on being happy people. We smile in the face of the lunatics who want to destroy us. We make fun of their religious and cultural pretentions. At the core, barbarians amuse us with their sweaty bluster.

Anywhoo.

Witness as David, AKA Treppenwitz, pops internal fuses, one after the other, as the mysterious Israeli "travel sticker" haunts his every waking moment.

This is what happens when a country is founded by whacky Russian Socialists.

This post is destined to become a classic.

Click here to read the entire hysterical tale.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:44 PM | Comments (7)

Endless War

"So there it is. In a nutshell, the price of peace in the Middle East is the destruction of Iran's government by force of arms, and possibly the destruction of Syria's government by force of arms, combined with the destruction of the (by then weakened) jihadi groups, and any new state sponsors who might be feeling lucky. The price of long-term peace is ending or containing Islamism. And the consequence of not doing this will be wars for decades, perhaps centuries, to come.

"It is going to be a very violent, bloody and unpleasant couple of decades."

That's how Caerdroia's blog ends. I urge you to read the entire essay because "Jeff" whoever he is, knows what he's talking about, and if you care about Israel, if you care about America, and if you want a hard-headed glimpse into what we're in for, well, this essay pretty much sums up what I think, is the most accurate portrait of what our real-life prospects are for war against the Jihadists.

It's not pretty, but the alternative is genocide and dhimmitude.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)

Hizbullah Terrorist Spills

Here's the thing about these terrorists: once they're in custody, they give over intel very quickly. They are ideal prisoners.

The reason?

No, it has nothing to do with torture.

It's pride.

They are just so darned proud of their horrendous actions that they want to brag. And the Israelis just play these macho braggarts to the hilt. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. Go to Yoni's blog for the full story.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:20 PM | Comments (2)

Iran's Promise: Life to Death

From one of my favorite blogs: All Things Beautiful, a laser-like analysis of the Iranian threat. I have been saying since The War of Tammuz began that Israel is really at war with Iran. Well, this article pretty much backs me up. As always, brilliant graphics.

*****

Iran commands Hezbollah, and the rest of what has now become its vast 'foreign legion', and the sooner the world realizes it the better. Click here to read the rest.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)

Droning On

Fox News reports that yes, the Hizbullah drone shot down by the IDF was indeed carrying a warhead of approximately 80 lbs. and headed for Tel Aviv.

We still have not seen the powerful Zil Zal Iranian missile which means that:

1) Hizbullah are saving their best for the last.
2) The Iranians have not given Nasrallah permission to use the Zil Zal's yet.
3) The IDF have knocked them all out -- highly doubtful.

My vote goes to Number 1.

The Zil Zal is a highly lethal missile with excellent accuracy. If that rocket hits Tel Aviv, that will be a signifigant escalation and expect the "gates of hell to open" as one Fox correspondent correctly noted.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:24 PM | Comments (2)

Hizbulla's Iwo Jima Delusion

Okey-dokey. I always like to post articles that say that the Hizbullah are losing The War of Tammuz badly, that the IDF have a sound strategy, are sticking to it, and I'm just too dumb to see it.

Gosh, if that's true, I am the happiest Jew in the world.

So, head on over to American Thinker and check out Hizbulla's Iwo Jima Delusion.

It will give you a definite lift.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

Shurat Hadin Special Solidarity Mission

Tour Israel With an IAF Helicopter General - Boost the
Morale of Israeli Citizens on the Front lines in the North
and South

As young IDF soldiers are risking their lives in this all or
nothing battle against Nasrallah; as the Government of
Israel is facing down international pressure to halt the
war; and as the people of Israel display their heroic
bravery in refusing to bend to the rocket attacks on our
cities; Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center has announced a
special Solidarity Mission as its response to the Hezbollah
aggression.

The Solidarity Mission will take place August 14th thru
20th.

The tour is Shurat HaDin's way of serving notice on the
terrorist in Lebanon and their allies in Europe that we
cannot be defeated! Israel will win in the North and South
because of the strength, determination and encouragement we
are given by our supporters around the world. The Solidarity
Mission will provide you the opportunity to play an
important role in bolstering Israel's resolve and morale.

Although events are unfolding rapidly, Shurat HaDin has
organized an exciting tour itinerary in the style of its
earlier Missions:

* Receive briefings from high ranking IDF officers

* Tour a wartime IAF Air Force base and watch the Cobra
attack helicopters and pilotless drones as they head out on
sorties to destroy Hezbollah and Hamas targets

* Visit communities on the front lines and meet with the
mayors and families under rocket attack

* Observe the soldiers manning an active Israeli missile
battery in the North

* Visit with wounded IDF soldiers

* Get the inside story from a senior official of the Shin
Bet

* Shabbat in Jerusalem at the Kottel

The tour will be led by I.A.F. Helicopter General Nechemia
Dagan whose pilots are devastating the Hezbollah and Hamas
terrorists on a daily basis. No one better than General
Dagan, with his decades of combat experience, can deliver
the precise briefings of what the IAF is achieving in this
struggle. No one but Shurat HaDin could take you on a tour
of these places at a time like this.

Join with us on the Solidarity Mission. Boost the morale of
the Israeli people as the IDF delivers Hezbollah and Iran a
historic trouncing. Send Kofi and Nasrallah and Jacques the
powerful message that you are with Israel at this crucial
hour - both in body and soul.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A COMPLETE ITINERARY:
EMAIL US:

mission@israellawcenter.org
Visit Shurat HaDin's Website:

www.israellawcenter.org

Call us: (US) 212-591-0073
(Israel) 03-736-1519

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Regan

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)

Dead Drone

The IDF have just shot down a Hizbullah drone that was, apparently, on its way to Tel Aviv. Drones are quite slow, and I'm not sure if this Drone was armed or not, but certainly Hizbullah is trying to demonstrate that it is capable of reaching Tel Aviv.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Love of my Life, Karen

I previously wrote that the drone was packed with with a high explosives war-head. But I have just learned that this information is incorrect.

Update: The drone was not packed with a high explosives war-head.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:02 AM | Comments (2)

The Mood

Fascinating. Anecdotal evidence of the mood in Israel. From a hard-core Israeli leftie.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Maurice S.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)

War Updates: Mon Aug. 7 '06

From Jameel, the minutes go by and so does The War of Tammuz. And believe it or not, another Photoshop fraud. You'd think the people at Al Reuters would learn by now that some of their stringers are, um, what's the word, oh yeah, liars.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:23 AM | Comments (2)

Dhimmitude in LA

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles is apologising to, well go to the Jawa Report to read the rest of this story.

So, Jews of Los Angeles, the next time this spineless politician runs for office, and you go to the polls, try and remember what he did here, and do not vote for this miserable enabler of those who would commit genocide on the Jewish people.

P.S. He's a Democrat.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

Reuters Admits Beirut Photoshop

Reuters withdraws photograph of Beirut after Air Force attack after US blogs, photographers point out 'blatant evidence of manipulation.' Reuters' head of PR says in response, 'Reuters has suspended photographer until investigations are completed into changes made to photograph.' Photographer who sent altered image is same Reuters photographer behind many of images from Qana, which have also been subject of suspicions for being staged. To read the rest of this story click here.

Let's keep this fact in mind: if not for the blogosphere, this outrageous lie would never have been exposed.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, David Paulin

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:38 AM | Comments (4)

August 06, 2006

IAF Over Beirut

It is six o'clock in the morning in Israel.

The IAF are right now flying sorties and bombing Hizbullah strongholds in Southern Beirut. IDF spokesmen say they are targeting buildings where Hizbullah seniors figures have their offices.

After yesterday's wave of bombing of six Fajir 5's into Haifa, these IAF sorties into Beirut are no great surprise. The only question is: will the IAF now bomb Beirut's infrastructure and will they bombard Northern Beirut?

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:39 PM | Comments (2)

Haifa Terror Bombing

Six Fajir 5's rockets have hit Haifi, Israel's third largest city. These Iranian made rockets are packed with an over two-hundred lb. warhead. So far, there are reports of three confirmed dead, a hundred wounded, two apartment buildings crushed, and there are civilians still buried in the rubble. Rescue crews are working frantically on the scene.

Baruch Dayan Emet

The Fajir 5's were launched from Quana, remember Quana? The IDF has now destroyed that missile launcher. Quana continues to be a source of Hizbullah activity.

A second Fajir 5 rocket launcher has been destroyed by the IDF in Tyre.

Source: Fox News correspondent Jonathan Hunt interview with an IDF spokesman

In truth, Israel is at war with Iran.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

Reuters Photoshops Beirut

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Ragen

Reuters sent out a photo showing Beirut in flames. It turns
out that the flames, the smoke and the destruction were not
caused by Israeli bombs but by Photoshop. See
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/ for convincing
evidence that Reuters is, as usual, lying.

It turns out that the Reuters photographer who submitted the
photo ("took the photo" would be the wrong term to use here)
is the same one who submitted the photo of dead the baby in
Qana, the baby who was covered in dust but whose
heart-wrenching pacifier was clean as a whistle. See EU
Referendum's exhaustive collection of images that
indisputably shows the ghoulish display for exactly what it
was-a depraved terrorist photo op: Qana - the director's cut
.html> .

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:43 AM | Comments (2)

IDF Commando Raid in Tyre

CounterTerrorism's look into elite commando unit Flotilla 13's raid deep into Hizbullah territory.

No question, there is much that is still classified from this raid, and will never be declassified. I have no doubt that Flotilla 13, as always, have nabbed invaluable laptop drives, etc. These raids always net a treasure of intel. And in the world of intelligence, one piece of information opens dozens of other doors. Naturally, the Arab world will do everything it can to play down these deep penetration raids, but the damage is incalcuable--in prestige alone. In fact, the Hizbullah and their Iranian and Syrian masters will never really know how much damage is done for the intelligence mined can pay off, in depth, for years and years.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

Iran To Supply Hezbollah with Missiles

2006/8/5
LONDON, AFP

Iran will supply Hezbollah with surface-to-air missile systems in the coming months, boosting the guerrillas' defenses against Israeli aircraft, according to a report by specialist magazine Jane's Defense Weekly on Friday, citing unnamed Western diplomatic sources.

In a meeting, held late last month, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militia called on Tehran to "accelerate and extend the scope of weapon shipments from Iran to the Islamic Resistance, particularly advanced missiles against ground and air targets."

Hezbollah's representatives pressed for "an array of more advanced weaponry, including more advanced SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems," Jane's said.

"Iranian authorities conveyed a message to the Hezbollah leadership that their forces would continue to receive a steady supply of weapons systems,"it added.

"The details coming from the meeting reveal that they are about ensuring a constant supply of weapons to support Islamic Resistance operations against Israel," said Robin Hughes, the magazine's Middle East Editor.

"We are told the latest meeting was attended by senior representatives of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods force which is responsible for training and logistic support for Iranian-backed insurgent groups."

According to Jane's Defense Weekly, Iranian authorities have supplied the militia with Iranian-made Noor radar-guided anti-ship cruise missiles and Chinese QW-1 (Vanguard) shoulder-launched SAMs.

Russian made SAMs will reportedly be supplied at a later date.

Hezbollah has been locked in a more than three-week long deadly conflict against Israel since it kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others on July 12.

Israel has carried out a widespread bombing campaign of southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based, and Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel.

A Hezbollah anti-ship missile also damaged an Israeli corvette off the Lebanese coast in the early days of the conflict, killing four sailors. Israel said the missile was Iranian-built but Tehran denied involvement

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:17 AM | Comments (1)

War Updates Sunday Aug 6 '06

Seraphic Friend Jameel , at the Muqata, lets us know what's happening on the home-front as the clock tick-tocks.

I predict that in future generations, Jameel's war diary will be a valuable historical document. A minute-by-minute account of the War of Tammuz -- the blogosphere at its most powerful.

This Shabbos, Karen and I were talking about Jameel and Karen sniffed at the name. She really hates it. I told Karen his real name. She smiled. When she first saw his blog she raced past it, figuring it was an Arab blog. I said, "Well, probably lots of Arabs figure the same thing and start reading it and get our point of view. Maybe that's Jameel's subversive intent."

Kasren shrugged. She's way too logical for such uber-weird strategies.

Anywhooo. Read Jameel's blog. He's got a great eye and, most important, he brims with compassion.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:45 AM | Comments (5)

And Israeli Bedouins Who are Killed?

Media bias? Hours after 60-year-old Fadia Jumaa and her two daughters, Samira, 31, and Sultana, 33, were killed by a Hizbullah rocket attack on their home in the Israeli-Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe, the international media has so far largely ignored their deaths.

For the rest of this story click here

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, David Paulin

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

Terror Massacre

Twelve killed at Kibbutz Kfar Giladi. This is by far the largest single death toll by a rocket attack in the war.

Baruch Dayan Emet.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)

Desecration

The Brussles Holocaust Memorial has been vandalized. Any chance this desecration is connected to the War of Tammuz?

Duh.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Ragen

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands

This comes courtesy of Naomi Ragen

Ms. Ragen,

I commend you on your integrity towards Israel.

My parents and I are Jewish. My mother and I were born in Egypt and while the political situation was worsening, my father, who was an eternal optimist, believed everything would get better.

Well after the June 1967 war, we were thrown out of Egypt, with 10 Egyptian pounds each (evidence is in each of our passports). Our property, business, bank accounts, jewelry, in short all that we owned was taken away from us.

We ended up in a refugee camp in Naples, from which we started the proceedings to apply for a visa to the US.

We were given rigorous physical tests, had to prove that someone (my aunt) would guarantee our stay and that we would not be a burden to the American government.

After seven months, we were granted the visas and started our lives in the most wonderful, free country in the world.

We worked our way up, never applying to any Medicaid, food stamps or anything. Even though my mother, always known as the woman of steel, had a nervous breakdown at the thought of having left her country of birth penniless, we managed to survive on my initial salary of $90.00 per week for all three of us.

We did not bomb innocent people, we did not get money or goods from the UN. I would actually purchase Pepsodent, Camay, Cadum, Scott Tissue, etc. on the streets of Cairo.

Those were clearly marked "from the UN for the Palestinians".

Arabs steal from Arabs. Arabs do not help each other. The ones who live in the Gaza squalor could have bettered themselves with or without the help of the millions of their bretherens, some who are billionaires. Instead, hate for the Jews is propagated from kindergarten.

Even when I was growing up in Cairo, my books denied the existence of Israel and defined all Jews as the enemy. Iran gives $25,000 to the family of a terrorist who straps himself/herself to a bomb and murders innocent civilians of all ages.

Of all the horrors that I have read, seen on TV, I shall never forget the interview with an Arab woman whose son had caused such havoc when he blew himself up and took with him Israeli children, and adults. She said:
"I have seven other sons who will do the same thing and I am proud of each one of them"

As a woman, a Jew, a mother, I was repulsed, disgusted, dismayed and thoroughly bewildered.

Sorry to have gone into a diatribe, but the inequity which exists in the world, the hatred toward a small state that has flourished, keeps inventing medical breakthroughs, and wants to leave peacefully revolts me daily.

Please continue your good work for Israel. We are all human beings and deserve better than to be inhumane.

Viviane Franco Koenig
New York

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:27 AM | Comments (4)

August 04, 2006

The Slow Motion War

Yesterday, In conversation with my father, A Rabbi and a Ret. Colonel in the US Army, a man I love and admire enormously, he remarked to me, "General Sharon would have handled this war very differently, Robert."

"I know, Dad," I said.

We were both silent for a long moment and then we said goodbye.

I have been writing furiously about this war, The War of Tammuz I have chosen to call it, since day one. I have been alternately depressed, optimistic, hopeful, angry, shattered, but I have never lost faith in the courage and fighting ability of the Israeli citizen soldier and the support crews of the magnificent IDF.

I have been, almost from the beginning, critical of PM Olmert and Chief of Staff Dan Chalutz, and his reliance on air power for so many weeks at the expense of a serious ground offensive.

The intelligence failures are collosal and must be investigated. How has Hizbullah been able to stockpile so many high-grade weapons?

The war has been conducted in slow motion, as if Israel had all the time in the world, as if the United States would not be pressured at some point to impose an unjust cease-fire.

There was a time when the state of Israel hunted down terrorists -- to the ends of the earth, and killed them. It was understood that Jewish blood was not cheap. But the Peace Now movement and the Left in Israel--appeasers speaking Hebrew for the first time in history--ascended, and the Arabs sniffed out weakness, and ever since then Israel has been on the run.

Call it the Viet Nam syndrome.

This war is not going well. The ground offensive we are in now is too little, too late.

My father is quite right. General Sharon would have started this kind of ground offensive on the third day of the war. And it would have been bigger and far more imaginative. He would have moved to crush Hizbullah as soon as possible because Sharon understood the Arab world. He understood that victory in the mind is as important as on the battlefield.

To have allowed Hizbullah to stand and fight this long is a disaster for the State of Israel.

The appearance of weakness is weakness.

Israel is in a very dangerous neighborhood and to appear weak is to invite the local bullies to come and take a piece out of you.

It matters not that Hizbullah have lost scores of fighters. It matters not that their infrastructure has been severely damaged. It matters not at all that Nasrallah must live in hiding for the rest of his life or invite an Israeli missile atop his turban. Nasrallah has withstood what no regular well-equipped Arab army has thus far been able to accomplish. He has fought and he has sent hundreds of missiles into Israel and killed her citizens. Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Libya -- none of them can boast of having achieved this great feat.

Nasrallah is a hero in the Arab world, to Sunni and Shia.

Olmert, Chalutz and Peretz should resign in disgrace. They are the fools of Chelm. A new government and a new Chief of Staff must take charge immediately and right the wrongs of this war.

Hizbullah must be destroyed. The old Israel must be resurrected before it's too late.

Karen and I wish you all a lovely and meaningful Shabbos.

Chazak V'ematz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:02 PM | Comments (13)

Hadera Hit

For the first time, a Hizbullah rocket has hit Hadera. This is the deepest penetration into Israel so far. A sure sign that that their rocket technology is improving, and further a sure sign that the IDF must step up the ground offensive. Here's Yoni's blog.

In Tel Aviv, surely they are listening for a screaming that comes across the sky.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:16 PM | Comments (2)

War Updates Aug 4 '06

As always, Seraphic Friend Jameel at the Muqata gives us a minute-by-minute account of the War of Tammuz. Riveting.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

Ground Campaign Debate

CounterTerrorism Blog informs us that PM Olmert and Defense Minister Peretz are at odds over how aggressively to conduct the ground campaign in Lebanon. Read the entire story and analysis here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

The Delusional

Yesterday, I posted the now well-known statement by Iran's President's call for the destruction of Israel. As a postscript, I addded this:

Look for Liberals to tell us that he really doesn't mean it.

In the comments section Dov Bear challenged: Please keep your eyes open, and if you do spot a liberal saying anything like that, I'd like to know. My hunch is that the liberal who would defend such a horrible statment exists only in the mind of angry conservatives, but if I'm wrong I want you to show me.

You can write me at yourfavoriteblogger@hotmail.com.

Well, this is a public forum and I'm not going to write to Mr. Dov Bear privately.

Anyway, this was not a hard call, for Liberals are easy to read and Mr. Christopher Hitchens, G-d love him, stepped right up and penned an article for the Wall Street Journal where in paragraph three he informed us that Israel has nothing to worry about from the Iranian bomb. Well go here to read the entire essay.

Let me say right here that Hitchens has no understanding of the eschatological underpinnings of the 12th Imam beliefs that animate many rulers of the Iranian regime, or Hitchens would never make such foolish arguments.

The reason he does make such silly "reasonable" arguments is that he's a classic liberal, secular, totally irreligious, hence clueless about Islam and about this particularly whacky sect of Islam.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:20 AM | Comments (18)

Call President Bush

I just found out from a very reliable source that calls to the White House are running 2 to 1 against President Bush's strong support for Israel.

I absolutely do not know where we would be without the unwavering support of George Bush. He gets it.

Please call the White House immediately at (202) 456-1111 and thank the President for standing by Israel, in this her hour of need.

He has been a voice of moral clarity in the wilderness.

Without him, Israel would be totally isolated in the community of nations.

After you call, please forward to ALL of your friends and family.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Mordechai Schiller

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:42 AM | Comments (6)

The Brink of Madness

A familiar place.

By Victor Davis Hanson

When I used to read about the 1930s — the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, the rise of fascism in Italy, Spain, and Germany, the appeasement in France and Britain, the murderous duplicity of the Soviet Union, and the racist Japanese murdering in China — I never could quite figure out why, during those bleak years, Western Europeans and those in the United States did not speak out and condemn the growing madness, if only to defend the millennia-long promise of Western liberalism.

Of course, the trauma of the Great War was all too fresh, and the utopian hopes for the League of Nations were not yet dashed. The Great Depression made the thought of rearmament seem absurd. The connivances of Stalin with Hitler — both satanic, yet sometimes in alliance, sometimes not — could confuse political judgments.

But nevertheless it is still surreal to reread the fantasies of Chamberlain, Daladier, and Pope Pius, or the stump speeches by Charles Lindbergh (“Their [the Jews’] greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government”) or Father Coughlin (“Many people are beginning to wonder whom they should fear most — the Roosevelt-Churchill combination or the Hitler-Mussolini combination.”) — and baffling to consider that such men ever had any influence.

Not any longer.

Our present generation too is on the brink of moral insanity. That has never been more evident than in the last three weeks, as the West has proven utterly unable to distinguish between an attacked democracy that seeks to strike back at terrorist combatants, and terrorist aggressors who seek to kill civilians.

It is now nearly five years since jihadists from the Arab world left a crater in Manhattan and ignited the Pentagon. Apart from the frontline in Iraq, the United States and NATO have troops battling the Islamic fascists in Afghanistan. European police scramble daily to avoid another London or Madrid train bombing. The French, Dutch, and Danish governments are worried that a sizable number of Muslim immigrants inside their countries are not assimilating, and, more worrisome, are starting to demand that their hosts alter their liberal values to accommodate radical Islam. It is apparently not safe for Australians in Bali, and a Jew alone in any Arab nation would have to be discreet — and perhaps now in France or Sweden as well. Canadians’ past opposition to the Iraq war, and their empathy for the Palestinians, earned no reprieve, if we can believe that Islamists were caught plotting to behead their prime minister. Russians have been blown up by Muslim Chechnyans from Moscow to Beslan. India is routinely attacked by Islamic terrorists. An elected Lebanese minister must keep in mind that a Hezbollah or Syrian terrorist — not an Israeli bomb — might kill him if he utters a wrong word. The only mystery here in the United States is which target the jihadists want to destroy first: the Holland Tunnel in New York or the Sears Tower in Chicago.

In nearly all these cases there is a certain sameness: The Koran is quoted as the moral authority of the perpetrators; terrorism is the preferred method of violence; Jews are usually blamed; dozens of rambling complaints are aired, and killers are often considered stateless, at least in the sense that the countries in which they seek shelter or conduct business or find support do not accept culpability for their actions.

Yet the present Western apology to all this is often to deal piecemeal with these perceived Muslim grievances: India, after all, is in Kashmir; Russia is in Chechnya; America is in Iraq, Canada is in Afghanistan; Spain was in Iraq (or rather, still is in Al Andalus); or Israel was in Gaza and Lebanon. Therefore we are to believe that “freedom fighters” commit terror for political purposes of “liberation.” At the most extreme, some think there is absolutely no pattern to global terrorism, and the mere suggestion that there is constitutes “Islamaphobia.”

Here at home, yet another Islamic fanatic conducts an act of al Qaedism in Seattle, and the police worry immediately about the safety of the mosques from which such hatred has in the past often emanated — as if the problem of a Jew being murdered at the Los Angeles airport or a Seattle civic center arises from not protecting mosques, rather than protecting us from what sometimes goes on in mosques.

But then the world is awash with a vicious hatred that we have not seen in our generation: the most lavish film in Turkish history, “Valley of the Wolves,” depicts a Jewish-American harvesting organs at Abu Ghraib in order to sell them; the Palestinian state press regularly denigrates the race and appearance of the American Secretary of State; the U.N. secretary general calls a mistaken Israeli strike on a U.N. post “deliberate,” without a word that his own Blue Helmets have for years watched Hezbollah arm rockets in violation of U.N. resolutions, and Hezbollah’s terrorists routinely hide behind U.N. peacekeepers to ensure impunity while launching missiles.

If you think I exaggerate the bankruptcy of the West or only refer to the serial ravings on the Middle East of Pat Buchanan or Jimmy Carter, consider some of the most recent comments from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah about Israel: “When the people of this temporary country lose their confidence in their legendary army, the end of this entity will begin [emphasis added].” Then compare Nasrallah’s remarks about the U.S: “To President Bush, Prime Minister Olmert and every other tyrannical aggressor. I want to invite you to do what you want, practice your hostilities. By God, you will not succeed in erasing our memory, our presence or eradicating our strong belief. Your masses will soon waste away, and your days are numbered [emphasis added].”

And finally examine here at home reaction to Hezbollah — which has butchered Americans in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia — from a prominent Democratic Congressman, John Dingell: “I don’t take sides for or against Hezbollah.” And isn’t that the point, after all: the amoral Westerner cannot exercise moral judgment because he no longer has any?

An Arab rights group, between denunciations of Israel and America, is suing its alma mater the United States for not evacuating Arab-Americans quickly enough from Lebanon, despite government warnings of the dangers of going there, and the explicit tactics of Hezbollah, in the manner of Saddam Hussein, of using civilians as human shields in the war it started against Israel.

Demonstrators on behalf of Hezbollah inside the United States — does anyone remember our 241 Marines slaughtered by these cowardly terrorists? — routinely carry placards with the Star of David juxtaposed with Swastikas, as voices praise terrorist killers. Few Arab-American groups these past few days have publicly explained that the sort of violence, tyranny, and lawlessness of the Middle East that drove them to the shores of a compassionate and successful America is best epitomized by the primordial creed of Hezbollah.

There is no need to mention Europe, an entire continent now returning to the cowardice of the 1930s. Its cartoonists are terrified of offending Muslim sensibilities, so they now portray the Jews as Nazis, secure that no offended Israeli terrorist might chop off their heads. The French foreign minister meets with the Iranians to show solidarity with the terrorists who promise to wipe Israel off the map (“In the region there is of course a country such as Iran — a great country, a great people and a great civilization which is respected and which plays a stabilizing role in the region”) — and manages to outdo Chamberlain at Munich. One wonders only whether the prime catalyst for such French debasement is worry over oil, terrorists, nukes, unassimilated Arab minorities at home, or the old Gallic Jew-hatred.

It is now a cliché to rant about the spread of postmodernism, cultural relativism, utopian pacifism, and moral equivalence among the affluent and leisured societies of the West. But we are seeing the insidious wages of such pernicious theories as they filter down from our media, universities, and government — and never more so than in the general public’s nonchalance since Hezbollah attacked Israel.

These past few days the inability of millions of Westerners, both here and in Europe, to condemn fascist terrorists who start wars, spread racial hatred, and despise Western democracies is the real story, not the “quarter-ton” Israeli bombs that inadvertently hit civilians in Lebanon who live among rocket launchers that send missiles into Israeli cities and suburbs.

Yes, perhaps Israel should have hit more quickly, harder, and on the ground; yes, it has run an inept public relations campaign; yes, to these criticisms and more. But what is lost sight of is the central moral issue of our times: a humane democracy mired in an asymmetrical war is trying to protect itself against terrorists from the 7th century, while under the scrutiny of a corrupt world that needs oil, is largely anti-Semitic and deathly afraid of Islamic terrorists, and finds psychic enjoyment in seeing successful Western societies under duress.

In short, if we wish to learn what was going on in Europe in 1938, just look around.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

Why They Fight

After 9/11 Brought Radical Islam to the country's attention, some Americans wondered, "Why do they hate us?" Since then, many answers have been offered. But the best way to understand what drives jihadists is an examination of their own words.

To read the reast of this fascinating article click here

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

Broken Windows

Folks, it's time for the Seraphic Secret laugh of the day.

Well, in truth, it's not ha-ha, funny, more like: oh boy, that's got the ring of truth and it' sort of really painfully funny, like slipping-on-a-banana-peel-on-my-coccyx-funny. Know what we mean?

Anywhoooo.

This cartoon comes via Seraphic Friend Antoine Clarke who is perhaps the most clever man I know.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:09 AM | Comments (2)

Failure is Not an Option

Israel's war with Hezbollah is a war to secure its northern border, to defeat a terrorist militia bent on Israel's destruction, to restore Israeli deterrence in the age of the missile. But even more is at stake. Israel's leaders do not seem to understand how ruinous a military failure in Lebanon would be to its relationship with America, Israel's most vital lifeline.

To read the rest of Charles Krauthammer's column click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)

Atlas & Glick in Jerusalem

You must listen to this interview that Atlas conducts with Caroline Glick in Jerusalem. It will absolutely knock you out. Glick fills you in on the oh-so-necessary details of the geo-politics of the Mid-East. This is stuff you will not find anywhere else.

Again, I gotta say it: Atlas has this great Brooklyn/Bronx/whatever accent. It's just so endearing.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:39 AM | Comments (0)

Amateur Hour is Over

As always Caroline Glick is right on target.

The good news is that Israel has not lost the war. We can win. As the IDF’s long awaited ground assault is demonstrating, on a tactical level, the IDF has been able to learn on the go, and learn well.

The bad news is that Israel’s national leadership has so far managed to take every political and strategic advantage that Israel has, and turn it into an impediment. Today, assuming Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will let us win, what three weeks ago could have been a rapid victory will now be costly and slow.

Regionally and internationally, the threats that Israel faces mount by the day. While all eyes are focused on Lebanon, Syria and Iran have both upped . Diplomatically, Israel is a guppy swimming with the sharks. And as the dangers mount, far from learning from their mistakes, Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen Dan Halutz have gone from acting like rookies to acting like amateurs.

And so, as the IDF marches on to an uncertain but still forward marching trumpet, it is becoming increasingly clear that Israel’s chief impediment to victory is its government.

The week began well enough. In his speech before the Mayors Conference, Olmert made a go of speaking in Winston Churchill’s voice. His message of stubborn commitment to victory was so well delivered that even his political rivals admitted he had inspired them. It is true that doubt lurked in the shadows. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s support for a rapid cease-fire showed that the wall of American support was beginning to crack. But Olmert seemed impervious to pressure.

Then came that bizarre State Department announcement in the middle of the night informing the IDF that it would be ceasing aerial bombardment for 48 hours. This, together with Rice’s announcement Monday morning that working with her colleagues at Turtle Bay she would be forcing Israel to end its operations altogether by Wednesday or Thursday, was the first clear indicator that Israel’s leaders had failed to maintain meaningful US support.

By Tuesday, Olmert had replaced his Churchillian face with a one more reminiscent of Bill Clinton. To the amazement of the media and indeed of the entire country, Olmert announced that we had won the war. Addressing the IDF War College, Olmert declared, “If the military campaign were to end today, already today it could be said with certainty that the face of the Middle East has changed… Now [Hizbullah] can never threaten this nation that it will fire missiles at it – because this nation is contending with these missiles and beating them.”

Huh? Olmert went on to say that neither he, nor Peretz nor the members of the General Staff had ever promised us that when the war ends we won’t still face the threat of missiles from Lebanon. Even the normally supportive media admitted that was a bold-faced lie.

Yet the contempt which greeted Olmert’s fabrications and empty declarations of victory did not deter him. In fact, it seemed to embolden him. By Wednesday morning he removed his Clinton mask and went back to being plain old Olmert – the hack politician who was barely elected to Knesset in 2003.

Speaking to news services Wednesday morning, Olmert built on his fantasies of victory. By then not only had Israel changed the balance of power and restored its deterrence, it had actually destroyed all of Hizbullah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Before Olmert’s remarks hit the wires, Hizbullah opened its largest missile attack at Israel to date. In all 231 missiles, including two long-range missiles, rained down on Israel that day.

Of course that wasn’t all Olmert said. He also told the Associated Press that Israel’s “victory” against Hizbullah would pave the way for the implementation of his plan to transfer control of Judea and Samaria to Hizbullah’s most ardent supporters – the Hamas and Fatah-led Palestinians.

Olmert’s empty declarations of victory and his continued obsession with his plan to expel up to 100,000 Israeli citizens from their homes in Judea and Samaria and transfer the areas to the Palestinian Authority are not simply preposterous. They are dangerous.

On the domestic level, anyone who takes a look at both the IDF casualties and the IDF troops and officers themselves will see that talk of withdrawing from Judea and Samaria is a recipe for demoralization. Maj. Ro’i Klein, the deputy battalion commander from the Golani brigade who was killed in Bint Jbail last week, died heroically, when after calling out “Shema Yisrael” he jumped on a hand grenade to save the lives of his soldiers. Klein lived with his wife and two young children in the community of Eli that Olmert has slated for destruction.

So too, Lt. Amichai Merhavia, who was also killed in the battle, lived in Eli. In photographs making their way through the Internet, Merhavia is seen being beaten by police as he passively resisted the destruction of the Gilad Farm in Samaria in 2002. Last summer prior to the expulsion of Israeli civilians from Gaza and the withdrawal of IDF forces, Merhavia sent a private letter to Halutz. In it he explained why he believed the operation was wrong. Halutz reportedly ordered him thrown out of the army. His commanders intervened and Merhavia was placed on a three-week leave.

Between 30-50 percent of the IDF combat troops and officers in the regular army and the reserves are religious. A large percentage of them live in Judea and Samaria. By claiming that a victory in Lebanon will pave the way for them to be thrown out of their homes, Olmert signaled clearly that he doesn’t understand the role of a national leader in wartime, and worse, he doesn’t understand why victory is essential.

Indeed, his declarations of victory themselves indicate that he does not understand the nature of the war Israel is facing or the challenges it must contend with both regionally and internationally. By claiming that Israel has already won when it is absolutely clear it has not, Olmert sends terrible messages to both Israel’s ally the US, and to Israel’s enemies.

He tells the US that it doesn’t have to take us seriously as a client. Since we’re willing to pretend that we’ve already won, we tell America that we will accede to any settlement the State Department carves out with the French and the Russians – even if it involves a total Israeli capitulation replete with land giveaways to Hizbullah and the surrender of Israel’s right to defend itself to some UN mandated multinational force made up of French dhimmis and Indonesian jihadists.

Olmert tells our enemies that they do not have to be concerned that Israel will defeat them because the prime minister of Israel is not planning on doing anything that would involve their actual defeat. This of course emboldens them to widen their attacks.

And our enemies are in fact emboldened. Over the weekend, for the first time, Syrian forces detonated a bomb along the border at Kuneitra in the northern Golan Heights. On Monday, Assad ordered his army to ready itself for war. For the first time, this week Assad allowed Druse leaders in Damascus to openly call for a reconquest of the Golan Heights. And of course, Syria is actively assisting Hizbullah by resupplying its forces and providing logistics bases for them.

Rather than explaining to the world that Syria is in fact a participant in the war and should be treated as an aggressor, intent on pretending that the conflict is limited and so can be wished away Olmert and his government have all but given Damascus a clean bill of health. Not only did the government announce that it would not attack Syrian targets, it reportedly asked the anti-Israeli, anti-American government of Spain to engage the Syrians. And so, on Thursday Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos went to Damascus, ending Syria’s diplomatic isolation initiated after it masterminded the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. While there, Moratinos praised Assad’s leadership and said that Syria “will play a positive role,” in any cease-fire talks. Far from insisting that Syria be shunned for its aggression, Israeli incompetence is paving the way for Syria to be rewarded for it.

Then there is Iran, the mastermind of this war. As each day passes, Iran’s threats and its actions become more and more extreme. Wednesday, the German newspaper Die Welt reported that Iran sent Osama bin Laden’s son Sa’ad, who has been living in Iran since November 2001, to the Syrian-Lebanese border to mobilize Palestinian forces in Syria to fight against Israel.

On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made veiled nuclear threats against Britain, the US and Israel when he said, “Today, the Iranian people is the owner of nuclear technology. Those who want to talk with our people should know what people they are talking to. If some believe they can keep talking to the Iranian people in the language of threats and aggressiveness, they should know that they are making a bitter mistake. If they have not realized this by now, they soon will, but then it will be too late.”

This statement was followed Thursday by his address to the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Malaysia where he again called for Israel to be annihilated.

The undeniable fact is that the nature of the war that Israel is now fighting in Lebanon is not local. It is not about territory. It is about jihad. Hizbullah is not simply a terrorist organization. It is the Iranian army. According to press reports, over the past six years, some 3,000 Hizbullah fighters underwent military training in Iran. Iran and Syria are not simply Hizbullah’s patrons. They are active participants in this war against the West in which Israel is a frontline state.

Yet due to Olmert’s weak and incompetent leadership and Rice’s opportunistic laziness, both the US and Israel are pretending it is possible to see the war as a simple, isolated event. As a result, they are advancing purported solutions, like cease-fires, multinational forces and empty declarations of victory that only increase the dangers.

To date, in the interest of maintaining national unity, Israel’s political opposition, led by Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu, has been unwilling to publicly criticize Olmert for his mishandling of the war. This approach has much to recommend it. But what the government needs right now is some very tough love from leaders like Netanyahu, his fellow opposition members Natan Sharansky, Effie Eitam, Yuval Steinitz and Aryeh Eldad as well as from military leaders like former Chief of General Staff Moshe Ya’alon. These men and others, who understand the nature of the war and the dangers Israel faces, need to force Olmert and his colleagues to listen to reason and change course immediately. Amateur hour must end. A difficult victory awaits us.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:20 AM | Comments (0)

Israeli World Relief: A List

Our Memo: Israel to France was so popular yesterday that we are publishing another list today. This was written by Seraphic Friends: Sigmund, Carl & Alfred. I urge you to visit their site on a daily basis; it is invaluable and often very funny--analytically speaking. In addition--oops, I see our time is up.
*****
Turkey, 1999 - Israel sends 100 tons of relief and a field hospital, as well as a 250 member rescue team. They find 12 survivors and retrieve 146 bodies. The hospital performed 40 major surgeries and delivered 15 babies.

Bosnia, 1992 - In one day, Israel sent 13 tons of food and medical supplies to Zagreb. Israel was the first country to grant Muslim Bosnians refugee status and citizenship, in 1993.

Kosovo, 1999 - Israel sends a 100 bed hospital and 70 medical personnel, as well as 100 tons of aid for the Kosovar refugees.

India, 2001- Following the January earthquake, Israel sends a field hospital and 150 medical personnel. Over 1200 treated and 12 babies delivered.

Nairobi, 1999 - After the American Embassy bombing, Israel dispatches 150 search and rescue, medical and rescue dogs and their handlers. Also sent were 30 tons of sophisticated rescue equipment. Three survivors were dug out of the wreckage.

Mexico City, 1985 - Israel sends search and rescue teams as well as trained S&R dogs to assist, after 2 powerful earthquakes leave thousands buried under the rubble.

Armenia, 1988 - Israel sends search and rescue units and aid following an earthquake that leaves 30,000 dead and 50,000 homeless. Israeli medical teams treat 2500 at a field hospital and evacuate 61 to Israel for advanced medical treatment.

Buenos Aires, 1994 - Israel dispatches 40 search and rescue team members as well as sophisticated rescue equipment, to help in the aftermath of the Jewish Community Center bombing. Many buried victims were rescued and treated.

Afghanistan, 1998 - Israel sends 15 tons of supplies, including tents, blankets, food and medicine after an earthquake hit the northern part of that country.

Colombia, 1999 - Israel sends aid sent to that country after a major earthquake.

Greece, 1999 - Israel send aid and and search and rescue teams to that country after an earthquake.

El Salvador, 2001- Israel send aid after a major earthquake. A medical team was also dispatched.

Vietnamese Boat People, 1977- there were 66 Vietnamese boat people granted refuge in Israel after having been denied safe haven by other countries.

Cameroon, 1986 - An Israeli medical team and supplies were sent to help people after a volcanic eruption. Thousand are treated for respiratory problems and burns.

Central America, 1988 - In response to the devastation of hurricane Mitch, Israeli medical personnel and aid is sent to Guatemala, Honduras, San Salvador and Nicaragua.

Bulgaria, 1997- Medical supplies (over a ton) were sent as a humanitarian gesture to alleviate shortages of medical supplies.

Rwanda, 1994 - As a result of a bloody civil war that left over a million dead and millions more as refugees, Israel send 270 doctors and other medical personnel. A field hospital is established. Over 3000 refugees are treated in a 40 day period.

The list goes on -- Mozambique, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, just to name a few others. And it isn't just about disasters. See this and wonder- wonder, how for even a moment, we would consider seeing Israel the way the terrorists, their supporters, and their apologists want you to see her.

Despite her own trials at home, Israel is on record as coming to the aid of over 140 nations .

And now, Israel accused of a most heinous crime -- attempting to defend her own citizens -- that same obligation that every free country has to her citizens.

Who are her accusers? The terrorists, their supporters, and their apologists.

Any way you cut it, the terrorists, their supporters, and their apologists, are not the moral equals of Israel, the US or any free country. They deserve no place at the table and they cannot be taken as equals in any other venue.

As we said yesterday, recess is over. It's time to declare your intentions and take sides.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 06:30 AM | Comments (0)

August 03, 2006

Foiled Terrorist Kidnapping

Yoni reports that Israel Police and Shin Bet forces successfully foiled the attempted kidnap of a Tel Aviv resident and arrested the would-be perpetrator: a Palestinian woman from the West Bank. Thursday, it was cleared for publication that, pursuant to a tip received by Tel Aviv police, Punta Abu-Aish, aged 21 from Nablus, was arrested near the Tel Aviv boardwalk on July 21st, on her way to drug and kidnap an Israeli with whom she was in contact. The young woman was working with Tanzeem terrorists, a private militia organized by Yasser Arafat.

It should be noted that the Tanzeem tried to blackmail this young woman into becoming a suice bomber. She refused. They kept coming at her. Finally, she agreed to take part in the kidnapping plot.

The Palis are stepping up their terrorist activities. They are angry (big shock) that the world is focused on Lebanon instead of their little violent corner of the world. They have learned that the only way to get the cameras and reporters running to them is to do some serious crime and get it reported as a "struggle." Yup, they've got the international press trained like lap dogs.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:58 PM | Comments (6)

Memo: Israel to France

The Middle East has been growing date palms for centuries. The average
tree is about 18-20 feet tall and yields about 38 pounds of dates a
year.

Israeli date trees are now yielding 400 pounds/year and are short
enough to be harvested from the ground or a short ladder.

Israel the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the
world's population, can lay claim to the following :

The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the
Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in
Israel .

Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by
Microsoft-Israel.

The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel .

Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were
entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.

The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in
Israel.

Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US
in Israel.

The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996
by four young Israelis.

Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S,
Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft,
Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is
the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.

Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate
neighbors combined.

Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per
capita.

According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's
most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to
Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.

Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in
the world.

Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation
by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people --as well as one of the
highest per capita rates of patents filed.

In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of
startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the
largest number of startup companies than any other country in the
world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).

With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the
highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world -- apart from
the Silicon Valley, U.S.

Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind
the U.S.

Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of
NASDAQ listed companies.

Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.

The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the
UK.

On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech
startups.

Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees,
ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and
Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews
(Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.

When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she
became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.

When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli
rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved three victims
from the rubble.

Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship -- and the
highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.

Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing
nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious
freedom, and economic opportunity. (Hundreds of thousands from the
former Soviet Union)

Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process,
an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."

Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.

Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century
with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because
this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.

Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.

Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized,
no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.

An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper
administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical
treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from
treatment mistakes.

Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so
small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the
inside, cancer and digestive disorders

Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the
heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among
those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the
camera helps doctors diagnose heart’s mechanical operations through a
sophisticated system of sensors.

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in
the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over
70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work
force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this
category as well.

A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device,
produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue
light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct -- all without
damaging surrounding skin or tissue.

An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale
solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in
southern California's Mojave desert.

All the above while engaged in regular wars with an implacable enemy
that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by
having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other
county on earth.

AND THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN ENGLAND SAYS :

"ISRAEL IS NOTHING BUT A SH***Y LITTLE COUNTRY"

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Billy 'Pup' Cochrane from Vintage Knives

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:13 PM | Comments (12)

Another Dem Not for Israel

If the Dems retake the House, Rep. Dingell (D-Mi) will chair the Energy and Commerce Committee. They handle oil and stuff. Well, the guys with the oil will love this:

"I don't take sides for or against Hezbollah; I don't take sides for or against Israel," said Dingell on a local TV show. Perhaps he’s on to something. Nothing works in the Middle East anymore, after all; perhaps utter neutrality is our best options. But let’s review the others first.

Read the rest of James Lilek's hilarious article here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:04 PM | Comments (2)

Seraphic Quote

"They come against us full of violence and lawlessness , to destroy us and and our wives and children, and to plunder us, but we are fighting for our lives and our law. He Himself will crush them before us, and you must not be afraid of them."

First Book of The Maccabees

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:28 PM | Comments (2)

I Give Up

Okay, it's official, I give up.

Michael Medved takes a call from a Muslim from Sri Lanka.

"Michael, why do the Jews take the land from Hizbullah?'

"What"

"That is why they start the war"

"Excuse me, Ravi?"

"Yes, all Hizbullah want is to return to their orange groves in Jaffa and Jerusalem, but the Jews, they throw the Hizbullah out of their homeland and now they make war on them."

"Ravi, you really have your facts confused."

"No, no, the Jews do not like Muslim culture and they make war on it."

I look at the clock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

I still give up.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:59 PM | Comments (10)

Improved Missiles

Why so many Israeli civilian casualties?

I have been listening to Michael Medved's brother Jonathan speak from Jerusalem and he just explained that the new Katyusha rockets, smuggled across the Syrian border, have been much improved, thus, their guidance system is able to hone in on civilian targets with greater deadliness.

The question has been asked: why can't the IDF knock out these missle launchers?

The problem is Katyusha rockets are quite small, their launchers can be ferried about in the trunk or back seat of cars, schlepped about on donkeys, even carried about in suitcases or wheeled about in neat little Travel Pros.

Suppressing the Katyusha rockets will certainly be the most dificult part of the Israeli war effort.

On the other hand, suppressing the middle range and longer range rockets is a bit easier as the rocket launchers require a much larger paltform. Israel has unmanned drones flying over Lebanon 24/7. With eyes in the sky looking for these platforms, as soon as one is discovered, it's coordinates are punched in, and an air strike can take it out in as little as six minutes.

In truth, to truly destroy Hizbullah, the war must be taken to Damascus.

Baby Assad and his dictatorial regime must be made to pay for his financial, logistical, and military support for the whole terrorist regime in Lebanon. Let it never be forgotten that Syria occupied Lebanon for over 20 years. That Syria murdered Lebanon's Prime Minister. That Syria has never accepted Lebanon's sovereignty and is moving to annex Lebanon to a Greater Syria.

Sooner or later, Israel must move against Damscus.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:25 PM | Comments (8)

Accountability in the Muslim World

Sigmund, Carl & Alfred are really amped this morning. I think the guys are sitting around, pulling their hair, (beards?) out by the roots, and wondering: what the heck we are going to do about these meshuganas? That's a fancy clinical term, by the way.
*****
Anyone who thinks an immediate cease-fire will contribute to long term or permanent peace is an idiot. As long as the Arab world is determined to produce legions of unter-menschen, defined by victimhood and hate, the prospects for peace are non existent.

As the world attempts to turn reality on it's head and blame the Israelis for the profound and spectacular dysfunctions and pathologies of the Arab world (it's so much easier to blame people that have civilized sensibilties and conscience), it bears remembering the cost of that blindness. Hitler, Pol Pot, Rwanda, Darfur, Algeria and Sierra Leone are just a few examples of what happens when the band plays on.

Read the rest of this scorching piece here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

Video Made the Terrorist Star

So, you want to be a TV news journalist? What are the requirements?

Pretty face: Check.

Hot Bod: Check

Good diction: Check.

Knowledge of Facts: You have got to be kidding.

Here's a fine article that is guaranteed to depress you, which is fine. Look, today is T'shah B'av, and you're supposed to feel really lousy.

Hat Tip: New Seraphic Friend, Philip

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:43 AM | Comments (3)

Lessons from Quana

If you read any article today read this fine piece from the Augean Stables. It actually sent shivers up my spine.

This is not about what we all know to be--well everyone except the MSM--as the Quana hoax. No, this splendid essay delves into ideas that spin off from a depraved culture that is capable of perpetrating such a ghoulish deception. The author does not use academic jargon. The writing is clear, concise, and his view of the world's opinion of Israel is crystal clear. G-d help us.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:13 AM | Comments (6)

New IDF Buffer Zone

The Israeli Defense Force is probing hard across the entire Lebanese border, from Metulla to Marwahin. Eight Israeli brigades, at about 1,000 soldiers per brigade, plus supporting units (engineering, artillery, reconnaissance, communications, logistics) are currently engaged inside southern Lebanon. "IDF troops had established positions overlooking 11 south Lebanese towns and villages up to six kilometers north of the Israeli border," according to Haaretz. The southern Lebanon battle map has been updated to include the position of Israeli troops and current clashes based on news reports.

To read the rest of Bill Roggio's report for the CounterTerrorism Blog click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:56 AM | Comments (0)

The Final Solution - Redux

The President of Iran says that the first step towards achieving peace in the Mid-East is implementing a cease-fire between Israel and the Hizbullah--and then the destruction of the Jewish State. Hey, at least the man is honest. Read the story here.

Look for Liberals to tell us that he really doesn't mean it.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:30 AM | Comments (6)

Rocket's Toll Mounts

The death toll from Katyusha rockets continues to mount in Northern Israel. Yoni's blog has the full story.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

IDF Special OPS

Here's a nice and neat summary of the special ops units the IDF deploys in their never-ending battle against world-wide terrorism. To get into one of these units you have to be a warrior of extraordinary physical and mental abilities.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

The Media's War Against the Jews

The media aims its missiles

By TOM GROSS

Large sections of the international media are not only misreporting the current conflict in Lebanon. They are actively fanning the flames.

The BBC World Service has a strong claim to be the number one villain. It has increasingly come to sound like a virtual propaganda tool for Hizbullah, and as it desperately attempts to prove that Israel is guilty of committing "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity," it has introduced a new charge - one which I have heard several times on air in recent days.

To read the rest of this fine article click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:37 AM | Comments (8)

Babylon

Rabbi Yochanan said that this day (when the spies returned and delivered their derogatory report about Eretz Yisrael) was T'shah B'av eve. The Holy One, Blessed is He, said, "You wept in vain. I will establish this date for you as a time of real weeping for all generations. (Talmud Taanis 29a)

Ari's blog has a fine T'shah B'av primer. Check it out

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

August 02, 2006

T'shah B'av

Tomorrow is the Jewish fast day of T'shah B'av. On T'sha B'av both Jewish Temples were destroyed, first by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and then by the Romans in 70 ACE. Karen and I wish all our Seraphic Friends a meaningful fast.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 06:05 PM | Comments (2)

Mel and the Mad Liberals

Sigmund, Carl & Alfred weigh in on drunken Gibson. As far as this Hollywood screenwriter is concerned, this is the most intelligent discussion of Mel so far. Sig and company take the much larger view and let me tell you, it's not a pretty picture.

By the way, has anybody noted that Mel has come in for much rougher treatment in the MSM than has the vile Muslim murderer who shot five Jewish women at the Jewish Federation building in Seattle, killing Pam Waechter Z"L. You see he was, ahem, crazy. And that's excusable in our victim-based society.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:54 PM | Comments (9)

IDF Baalbek Raid in Detail

From CounterTerrorism Blog, details of Sayeret Machtal's raid deep into Hizbullah's territory. Read the entire story here.

Some of the details that stand out is that Hizbullah took 10 casualties and the IDF none. Several Hizbullah terrorists were taken prisoner. Again, this indicates that the IDF have "read" the enemy, adjusted their tactics, and in the best IDF tradition, their soldiers remain fluid in the field, are not locked into a formal doctrine, and will make creative battle decisions under fire. Thus, we see that Hizbullah continue to take enormous casualties, to lose massive amounts of intel, and time and again are forced to fight on several fronts at once, each time at the the IDF's choosing. This is not how an army, even a suicidal Jihadist group, wants to fight a war.

After you read Bill Roggio's article, check out Op For's analysis of the IDF's emerging war strategy.

As always, the guys at Op For give you a great deal to think about. They are military. They are really smart. They obviously have extensive training in counterterrorism, probably in the best war colleges in the world. We are lucky they are willing to so generously share their thoughts with us.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)

A Screaming Comes Across the Sky

So far today: 231 rockets have hit the State of Israel. One man was killed by a rocket strike at Kibbutz Sa'ar, near Nahariya.

Baruch Dayan Emet.

A fact about these Katyusha rockets: they are packed with ball bearings so as to inflict as much damage on human flesh as possible. They are never aimed at military targets, only at civilian centers. They are weapons of terror used by Hizbullah, a terrorist, Jihadist Shia gang, proxies for the Iranian thugogracy by way of Syria.

The rockets fly in a low, shrieking trajectory. As the rockets travel, the ball bearings inside turn white hot, molten. When the rockets smash to earth and explode, the steel housing and ball bearings spray over an area equal to a football field. Any human being in their path will be cut to shreds. It is an imprecise weapon, but it is deadly and most certainly to be feared, and a whole generation of Israeli children will be psychologically scarred for life by a screaming that comes across the sky.

Thank you Thomas Pynchon.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:47 PM | Comments (6)

Woe Unto Israel

The other day, I wrote of my impatience with the Israeli obsession with National unity. Now, I am joined by Seraphic Friend Jameel at the Muqata. Read his T'sha B'av entry and of his disgust with the current cynical leadership of the Israeli government.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:29 PM | Comments (5)

The Dreadful Places

The selective moral outrage we see emanating from the European capitals, and of course from the Muslim street, would be amusing were it not so utterly morally reprehensible.

Here is their accusation, in fact, a blood libel: Israel is massacring Lebanese civilians, destroying poor, innocent Lebanon.

But forgotten is that Israel dropped millions of leaflets urging southern Lebanese to flee before Israel started bombing Hizbullah positions. In many cases the Hizbullah did not allow the civilians to leave, and then to compound the danger, set up their rocket launchers among civilian apartment complexes making civilian casualties a certainty when Israel struck back in self-defense.

Hizbullah, let it never be forgotten, is a proxie army of Iran, who kicked this entire conflict off to divert world attention from their nuclear stand-off with the United Nations.

Iran, with imperial ambitions in the mid-east, is the new bully on the block, a holocaust denying state, who has time and again boasted of its desire to annihilate Israel, er, the "Zionist entity."

Perhaps what is most telling in the public posture of those who bait Israel and America so viciously, is their utter silence on true genocide.

Where are their self-righteous voices of protest regarding the Janjaweed Muslim genocidiers who have already murdered approximately 700,000 black non-Muslims in Darfur?

Where are the screaming protests in the European and Muslim world about the million refugees the Janjaweed have purposely created in Darfur? These people are dying slow and horrible deaths. Let it not be forgotten that the Janjaweed are the official arm of the Sudanese government, a fundamentalist Islamic state where women "accused" of adultery are stoned to death in public.

There was a civil war in Algeria for approximately 20 years. Over 200,000 men, women and children had their throats slit.

Not one protest anywhere in the Arab world. Not one march anywhere in Europe.

Why is that?

Liberia. A brutal civil war using child soldiers has been going on for, gosh, I don't know, it feels like forever. The details of the the war are so horrible that there are nights I actually wake up in a cold sweat thinking about them. The exact death toll? Unknown, but in the hundreds of thousands. The infrastructure of the country, well, there is none. But look, the life expectancy of a young man is about, maybe, 35. Protests? Zero.

Why is that?

How about the thousand people a day who are dying of hunger in the Congo? For some reason, that never seems to make it to anybody's list of outrages.

Why is that?

I could go on and on. I could name about 50 countries where the death toll is a thousand times higher a day than in Lebanon and nobody sheds a tear--least of all the compassionate Arab world.

Why is that?

I know why, and so do you.

Because Jews are not involved in any of those dreadful places.

Here at Seraphic Secret, every once in in while, we get a piece of mail that just bursts with hatred of Israel. The letter writer practically froths at the mouth with hatred of the Jewish state. It details every sin the Jewish state has ever commited. Needless to say, the sins are mostly delusional. Sometimes, I answer. Look, I get bored here in Hollywood. Mixing with hot-shot directors and empty-headed starlets isn't all it's cracked up to be. Usually, I point out to the writer that he/she/it is a pathological anti-Semite.

Whoa!

They furiously write back. They are so offended. How dare I accuse them of anti-Semitism? They are not anti-Semitic. They are merely anti-Zionist.

Look, when you choose to turn your venom on the only Jewish state in the world, well, guess what, you have a bad case of anti-Semitism and you'd better do one of two things: 1) Join Hizbullah and fight to the death; the IDF will be glad to fulfill your death wish, or 2) take a long hard look at your magnificent hypocricy, and try and figure out why you hate Jews so much.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:42 AM | Comments (10)

IDF Captures Hizbullah Operatives

By YAAKOV KATZ, JPOST STAFF, AND AP

After several hours of intense fighting in and around the hospital in the eastern Lebanon town of Baalbek, which was built by Iran for the express purpose of treating Hizbullah operatives, IDF commando forces on Wednesday morning took a number of Hizbullah operatives captive.

Read the rest of the story here

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

Hizballah's Treasure

This from Yoni:

I just found out a fact that I had not known. If we remember back to the start of this war Hizballah came across the border and attacked an Israeli patrol of two Hummers killing 8 soldiers and kidnapping two.

The next day Israel put a tank across the border which hit a huge anti tank IED, which killed the four man crew. Israel was not able to rescue all bodies of the crew, due to heavy fighting and the bodies being trapped in the rubble of the tank.

After Israel was forced out of the area, Hizballah surrounded the tank. Hizballah terrorists then cut off parts from the bodies i.e. arms, legs, heads to hold these body parts to exert pressure on Israel in addition to holding the two soldiers.

The West must understand the nature of the enemy in order for a victory to be achieved.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:03 AM | Comments (1)

Bloggers Blitz IDF

More and more the blogosphere is moving the MSM instead of the other way around.

This story just in from the Jerusalem Post.

The IDF is looking into allegations raised over the past few days by several pro-Israel, Jewish and conservative Weblogs that Hizbullah may have staged aspects of the Kana tragedy on Sunday, in which some 60 Lebanese bodies were removed from a building that collapsed seven hours after being hit in an Israel Air Force strike...

Read the rest of the story here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Mordechai Schiller

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

On War

The ever level-headed Frank Gaffney points out that America is demanding that Israel cede to an Hizbullah demand after the guns go silent. This is, to put it mildly, outrageous, and a very bad precedent.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

The Theater of Jihad

Let's kick off the day with the mighty Michelle Malkin.

American Thinker on the inconsistencies of Quana.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, David Paulin

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)

August 01, 2006

Hizbullah Does Iwo Jima

So, the questions now are whether Israel moves north of the Litani, how long Hezbollah will resist and what the cost will be to Israel.

Gen. Dan Halutz, chief of staff of the IDF and architect of that air campaign, was hospitalized for the second time July 31, complaining of stomach pains.

Should Halutz go out of commission, his deputy, Moshe Kaplinsky, will take command. Kaplinsky is drawn from army, having commanded the Golani Brigade, with long experience in Lebanon.

This brings expertise on ground warfare to the top spot in the IDF, particularly in combined infantry-armored operations in Lebanon. Israel has focused down on the main battle now. Hezbollah has been focused for a while. As the cliche goes, the outcome is in doubt, in large part because like all wars, the end of this one is political—and the intersection of the political with the military complicates the war enormously.

Read the rest at American Future

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, ShrinkWrapped

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 05:08 PM | Comments (2)

Seraphic Quote

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

-- George Orwell

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:30 PM | Comments (5)

Bug Hunting

Israel and Effects Based Warfare

By John

As the United States established its post Cold War supremacy in the skies, a new type of war order was established, that of "effects based warfare." EBO is the simultaneous application and projection of power, flexibly executed at all levels of command, designed to force the enemy to comply with our will.

To read the rest of Op For's short but illuminating essay click here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)

Dry Bones Demolishes Hizbullah

As always, here at Seraphic Secret, we believe in the therapeutic value of laughter. Tell me have you ever seen a Jihadist laugh? Well, I take that back, they laugh when they talk about annihilating Jews. But I mean, they're not really happy people.

Take a look at this Dry Bones strip. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. As all good comedy, it is laced with an essential truth.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Mordechai Schiller

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)

Beyond the Litani River

The Debka File analyses the current IDF's three pronged push to encircle and destroy the Hizbullah forces. It will not be easy. And it will take several weeks. Prepare yourselves: there will be IDF casualties.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Michael Makiri

Also, and this is signifigant, Yoni reports on the Hugh Hewitt show that Baby Assad has put his army on the highest alert possible. He has passed word down the command structure that Israel is going to attack Syria.

Yoni believes that Baby Assad is looking to manufacture an incident and force Israel to attack Syria and further turn world attention against Israel and force a cease-fire.

Let it be noted that Syria's army is so degraded that his air-force would be shot out of the sky by the IAF so fast it would be a turkey shoot. Syria's tanks are old Russian T-54's, whose range are maybe 1,000 yards. And Syrian gunners have never been known for their markesmanship.

Question: So why would Assad look to pick a fight with israel?

Answer: To look like a hero in the Arab world, to count a quick cease-fire and then come out looking like a hero in the Arab world.

Remember, in the Arab world appearance is all. Look at Nasser after the Six Day War, the most collosal defeat modern Arab armies have ever suffered, yet the Arab street turned this buffoon into a hero.

Baby Assad could be counting on the same inverted logic.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 03:35 PM | Comments (2)

Fierce Battles Rage in Lebanon

Full report in Yoni's blog. There have been three IDF casualties.

Baruch Dayan Emet.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)

Defeat the Enemy

The fine military blog Tigerhawk explains why Israel must hunt Hizbullah down and crush them, or this terrorist gang will rise another day, even stronger, and fight at a time of its own choosing. A fine and well argued article that we can all learn from.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)

Vindication

Um, Treppenwitz thinks I'm right.

And judging by the all IDF troop movements I'm witnessing, I was.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)

War Updates: Aug 1 '06

As always we look to Jameel at the Muqata for an hour by hour update on The War of Tammuz.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)

CNN Assists Jihadists

In CNN's coverage of the current battles between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah, CNN has provided a list of "aid groups" to assist civilians in the "Mideast crisis". One of these groups is the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) group - which has been reported to have disturbing links to Jihadism and recently documented fund-raising links to US State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Hamas.

To read the rest of CounterTerrorism Blog's article go here.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Lance

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)

Guilt vs. Shame

From Seraphic Friend ShrinkWrapped an exceptionally fine essay about Guilt Cultures vs. Shame Cultures and how it impacts the War of Tammuz.

A taste of what ShrinkWrapped has to say:

"Now, the question properly is how can Israel and by extension, the United States, hope to win a war in which substantial portions of their own population and the populations of their natural allies (as per Tom Lehrer, "our current allies, like Germany, and our traditional allies, like France") do not believe we are morally in the right.

"There are a number of ways in which we can win without apocalyptic destruction, if our leaders are skillful enough.

"Ultimately, Israel cannot win this battle because the (guilt obsessed) media and the Shame culture they are fighting will not allow it; however they can operationally damage Hezbollah enough to remove them from the field for a time and perhaps, destroy their ability to threaten Israel in the near future. If they damage Hezbollah enough, the Lebanese army, or a multi-national force, will be able to police the Hudna. In the meantime, in the weeks ahead, while the diplomats deplore the violence, accuse the Israelis of all manner of atrocity, and try to design a lasting Peace, Israel will have a relatively free hand to continue the process of killing Islamists and degrading Hezbollah."

This is an incredibly brilliant essay. Do not miss it.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)

Qana Collapse Staged?

Evidence mounts that Qana collapse and deaths were staged

By Reuven Koret July 31, 2006

It was to be a perfect Hollywood ending for Hezbollah. Just
as the Israeli bombing of the village of Qana in 1996
brought a premature end to Israel's Operation "Grapes of
Wrath," so too a sequel of Qana II could change, once and
for all, the direction of Israel's current summer
blockbuster, "Change of Direction." Ten years ago, world
condemnation of an errant Israeli shell that hit a civilian
compound forced then-PM Shimon Peres to curtail the
offensive against terror bases.

The setting was also perfect: Kana was again being used as a
primary site for launching rockets against Israeli cities.
The IDF reported that more than 150 rockets had been
launched from Qana and its vicinity at Israeli civilians,
wreaking destruction in Kiryat Shmona, Maalot, Nahariya and
Haifa. It was only a matter of time before the Israeli Air
Force would come for a visit, using pinpoint targeting of
the sites used to launch rockets, Hezbollah logistical
centers and weapon storage facilities.

On the morning of July 30, according to the IDF, the air
force came in three waves. In the first, between midnight
and one in the morning, there was a strike at or near the
building that eventually collapsed.

Brent Sadler of CNN reports that the Israeli ordnance did
not even hit the building but landed "20 or 30 meters" from
the structure.

There was a second strike at other targets far from the
collapse building several hours later, and a third strike at
around 7:30 in the morning. There too the nearest hit was
some 460 meters away, according to the IDF. But first
reports of a building collapse came only around 8 am.

Thus there was an unexplained 7 to 8 hour gap between the
time of the helicopter strike and the building collapse.
Brigadier General Amir Eshel, Head of the Air Force
Headquarters, in a press briefing, told journalists that
"the attack on the structure in the Qana village took place
between midnight and one in the morning. The gap between the
timing of the collapse of the building and the time of the
strike on it is unclear."

Gen. Eshel appeared genuinely mystified by the gap in time.
He "I'm saying this very carefully, because at this time I
don't have a clue as to what the explanation could be for
this gap," he added.

The army's only explanation was that somehow there was
unexploded Hezbollah ordnance in the building that only
detonated much later.

"It could be that inside the building, things that could
eventually cause an explosion were being housed, things that
we could not blow up in the attack, and maybe remained
there, Brigadier General Eshel said.

Eshel reported that as recently as two days ago, military
intelligence reported the building area had been used by the
terrorists for storage or firing of weapons. It was a bad
place to cram dozens of women and children.

There are other mysteries. The roof of the building was
intact. Journalist Ben Wedeman of CNN noted that there was a
larger crater next to the building, but observed that the
building appeared not to have collapsed as a result of the
Israeli strike.

Why would the civilians who had supposedly taken shelter in
the basement of the building not leave after the
post-midnight attack? They just went back to sleep and had
the bad luck to wait for the building to collapse in the
morning?

National Public Radio's correspondent reported that
residents of that building had left and the victims were
non-residents who chose to shelter in the building that
night. They were "too poor" to leave the down, one resident
told CNN's Wedeman. Who were these people?

What we do know is that sometime after dawn a call went hour
to journalists and rescue workers to come to the scene. And
come they did, in droves.

While Hezbollah and its apologists have been claiming that
civilians could not freely flee the scene due to Israeli
destruction of bridges and roads, the journalists and rescue
teams from nearby Tyre had no problem getting there.

Lebanese rescue teams did not start evacuating the building
until the morning and only after the camera crews came. The
absence of a real rescue effort was explained by saying that
equipment was lacking. There were no scenes of live or
injured people being extracted.

There was little blood, CNN's Wedeman noted: all the
victims, he concluded, appeared to have died while as they
were sleeping -- sleeping, apparently, through thunderous
Israeli air attacks. Rescue workers equipped with cameras
were removing the bodies from the same opening in the
collapsed structure. Journalists were not allowed near the
collapsed building.

Rescue workers filmed as they went carried the victims on
the stretchers, occasionally flipping up the blankets so
that cameras could show the faces and bodies of the dead.

But Israelis steeled to scenes of carnage from Palestinian
suicide bombings and Hezbollah rocket attack could not help
but notice that these victims did not look like our victims.
Their faces were ashen gray. While medical examination
clearly is called for to arrive at a definitive dating and
cause of their deaths, they do not appear to have died hours
before. The bodies looked like they had been dead for days.

Viewers can judge for themselves. But the accumulating
evidence suggests another explanation for what happened at
Kana. The scenario would be a setup in which the time
between the initial Israeli bombing near the building and
morning reports of its collapse would have been used to
"plant" bodies killed in previous fighting -- reports in
previous days indicated that nearby Tyre was used as a
temporary morgue -- place them in the basement, and then
engineer a "controlled demolition" to fake another Israeli
attack.

The well-documented use by Palestinians of this kind of
faked footage -- from the alleged shooting of Mohammed Dura
in Gaza, scenes from Jenin of "dead" victims falling off
gurneys and then climbing back on -- have merited the
creation of a new film genre called "Palliwood."

There is increasing evidence that the Kana sequel is another
episode in this genre, a variety which might be called
Hezbollywood. The Hezbollah have evidently learned their
craft well.

The current suspension of Israeli military air activity is
supposedly intended, among other things, to be used for the
investigation of what really happened at Qana. It is to be
hoped that there are real journalists on the scene, and
unbiased medical examiners, who will have the courage and
intelligence to sort out the anomalies and contradictions,
and get to the buried truth of what happened.

There is no shortage of victims in Lebanon and Israel these
days. From this vantage point, at this time, it looks like
in the case of Qana, the world's media was duped in a cruel
and colossal hoax by a terror organization that knows no
moral bounds in its exploitation of suffering and
anti-Israel hatred. But, as usual, the only party expected
to pay the full price will be Israelis.

Yes, it would be a Hollywood ending for it all to end in
Qana, exactly as it did a decade ago. But perfect endings,
and perfect crimes, are rarely pulled off in real life.

Israelis will not be able to investigate this claim
directly. The question remains whether honest men and women
of other nationalities will let this likely lie stand or
press for the revelation of the improbable and inconvenient
truth.

Original Article from Israeli Insider

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Naomi Regan

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)

IDF - Big Push

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to "expanded ground operations in Lebanon," after an early morning vote by the Israel's security cabinet. Senior officers in the Israeli Defense Force have pushed for deploying Israeli troops as far north of the Litani River, but the Israeli government has been vague on this point. If the IDF pushes to the Litani River, this would be a shift in strategy from a week ago

To read the rest of CounterTerrorism Blog's article go here.

Let us hope that this is not too little, too late.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

National Unity = National Madness

It is becoming clear that my initial evaluation of the IDF's military response was correct: the air campaign was a foolish strategy. Olmert, the first PM without a strong military background, was cowed by his Chief of Staff into fighting a war on the cheap. And Defense Minister Peretz, well, this is a man who just a few years ago was a member of Peace Now and was holding up signs accusing Ariel Sharon of being a war criminal -- for fighting in Lebanon. That he is now Defense Minister can only be one of those absurd ironies that can only happen in a Jewish State.

I spoke to my brother-in-law, who lives in Israel, the other day and brought up the possibility of a no-confidence vote in the Knesset and bringing in a new government, hopefully led by Bibi Netanyahu. My brother-in-law, Karen's brother, shrugged (over the phone) and said that would not happen. He explained that during war Israelis stick behind the government for the sake of national unity.

"But, the government is botching the war," I sputtered. "They are Moe, Larry and Curly."

I have to admit that I have no patience for this national-unity-type of thinking. It is... madness. We are 21 days into The War of Tammuz and Israel's war objectives seem as far away as when the war first began. Olmert gives fine and noble speeches. Chalutz, well, he fights at 35,000 feet from which no war can be seen much less won. Peretz is a buffoon. Intelligence have failed at all levels.

As always, the only people who have rise, magnificently to the occassion are the brave fighting men of the IDF, and the support staff all over Eretz Yisroel.

A million citizens of Israel, Jews, Muslims, Druze, and Christians, are living lives of fear and desperation in bomb shelters all over the holy land of Israel; children will be psychologically wounded for life.

It is time for this false chimera of national unity to be set aside.

National unity should only exist for a government that serves the best interests of her people. When a government fails at every single turn, that governmnet must be turned out as the incompetents they are.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 10:13 AM | Comments (2)

Israel is Losing this War

An incredibly depressing analysis from The Wall Street Journal by Bret Stephens.

Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Elliot Ganz

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:58 AM | Comments (3)

The Strange Case of Qana

From Seraphic Friend: Naomi Regan

A few things journalists might want to check out, re:Qana.

1. The men parading around with dead children dressed as
"rescue workers" are the same man, photographed again and
again. He's the main actor.
(http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006/07/who-is-this-man.ht
ml)

2. The same man was caught in similar photos in 1996
parading around with a dead child, which means that he is a
professional dead-child parader, a very prestigious job that
has been created by terrorists concerned about CNN's
ratings.

3. A Lebanese blog says that Hezbollah filled the house in
Qana with crippled children who couldn't run away. It then
placed a rocket launcher above them, and waited.

http://www.libanoscopie.com/fulldoc.asp?doccode=994&cat=2)

4. Another possibility - the bodies may be the same ones
paraded around in Tyre a few days before for the benefit of
CNN
(http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006
/07/a_tyre_for_qana.html).

5. If these things don't sound possible to you, that no one
could be that callous or horrible, then let me remind you of
Beslan, where hundreds of children were held hostage on the
first day of school, the little girls raped then murdered, and then the
building exploded.

Might I remind you of the terrorist
massacre of Israeli children in Maalot.

Might I remind you
of the flying of several passenger planes filled with women
and children into skyscrapers. Terrorists are not nice
people.

Other questions: How did that building alone have
so many people when other buildings had none? And why so
many children? And why not a single man? And why,
the building in which they stored the rocket launchers? Why
would people have chosen to huddle there against the bombs
instead of somewhere else unless they were forced to?

And what about the gap of eight hours between the bombing
and the explosion?

Inquiring minds want to know. Isn't that what journalists
used to do, dig beneath the obvious to get the truth instead
of guzzling down and regurgitating staged propaganda like
so much draft beer in a cheap bar?

And another question, if
the death of children is being staged for the benefit of
CNN, then isn't CNN responsible for their deaths?

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)

World Opinion is Worthless

If you are ever morally confused about a major world issue, here is a rule that is almost never violated: Whenever you hear that "world opinion" holds a view, assume it is morally wrong...

Read the rest of Dennis Prager's fine article here.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)

Orwell 2006

From Seraphic Friend and most recent contributor FERN SIDMAN.

When George Orwell originally penned his classic novel "1984", I would venture a guess that neither he nor his readers ever actually envisaged a world that would embrace these warped and twisted values. Fast forward to the year 2006 and we are witness to a world that is being taunted with such strikingly similar values. We live in a world where otherwise educated and civilized people perceive an aggressor as a victim and the victim as the aggressor. Ideals and organizations that are predicated on a theology of terror and espouse a mantra of hate have been elevated to a heroic like status. They have garnered sympathy and support, while the world expresses its unabashed opprobrium towards concepts and countries that espouse justice and respect for life.

We need only look to the current crisis in the Middle East for qualification of the latest version of Orwellian values. The organization known as Hezbollah, an internationally renowned terrorist organization that is being sponsored by Iran and Syria, countries that espouse terrorism and the ultimate demise of Israel and the Western world, staged an unprovoked attack against Israel on July 12th. Since that time, Israel and Hezbollah have been embroiled in a war that raised the ire of the world. The Lebanese people have been used as human shields by Hezbollah whose main objective is to transform the fledgling democracy in Lebanon into another fundamentalist Islamic state.

Hezbollah is a well organized and thoroughly trained band of guerilla fighters who fight their battles while living in civilian populations and blending in with the civilian infrastructure. Since the inception of this current conflict they have fired thousands of Katyusha rockets into Israel from civilian strongholds and neighborhoods throughout southern Lebanon and in Beirut. Civilians are warned each and every time Israel prepares to strike back at Hezbollah terrorists. Thousands of leaflets are disseminated through these civilian areas, imploring all civilians to leave the area.

The recent incident in Qana, which aroused worldwide condemnation of Israel for the killing of 56 civilians, mostly women and children, deserves closer examination. According to writer David Horowitz, "Qana, be it noted was the source of 150 missile attacks on Israeli civilians, and the population of Qana was warned to leave but chose to stay alongside the terrorists. Like most of Lebanon, the population of Qana is on the side of the aggressors, and apparently like most Muslims in this part of the world, death for them is a badge of martyrdom and honor, and a noble pathway to heaven. They are willing instruments of the Islamist jihad."

Further evidence of Hezbollah's intent to place the Lebanese civilian population at risk has been revealed by Israel Insider's Reuven Koret, who filed on a report on 7/31/06 which stated, "On the morning of July 30, according to the IDF, the air force came in three waves. In the first, between midnight and one in the morning, there was a strike at or near the building that eventually collapsed. There was a second strike at other targets far from the collapse building several hours later, and a third strike at around 7:30 in the morning. There too the nearest hit was some 460 meters away, according to the IDF. But first reports of a building collapse came only around 8 am.

Thus there was an unexplained 7 to 8 hour gap between the time of the helicopter strike and the building collapse. Brigadier General Amir Eshel, Head of the Air Force Headquarters, in a press briefing, told journalists that "the attack on the structure in the Qana village took place between midnight and one in the morning. The gap between the timing of the collapse of the building and the time of the strike on it is unclear."

Gen. Eshel appeared genuinely mystified by the gap in time. He said, "I'm saying this very carefully, because at this time I don't have a clue as to what the explanation could be for this gap," he added.

The army's only explanation was that somehow there was unexploded Hezbollah ordnance in the building that only detonated much later.

"It could be that inside the building, things that could eventually cause an explosion were being housed, things that we could not blow up in the attack, and maybe remained there, Brigadier General Eshel said.

Eshel reported that as recently as two days ago, military intelligence reported the building area had been used by the terrorists for storage or firing of weapons. It was a bad place to cram dozens of women and children.

There are other mysteries. The roof of the building was intact. Journalist Ben Wedeman of CNN noted that there was a larger crater next to the building, but observed that the building appeared not to have collapsed as a result of the Israeli strike.

Why would the civilians who had supposedly taken shelter in the basement of the building not leave after the post-midnight attack? They just went back to sleep and had the bad luck to wait for the building to collapse in the morning? "

These are questions that have yet to be answered. Perhaps in the days that follow investigations of this incident will uncover facts that Hezbollah would prefer to hide from the world. Hezbollah has already won the public relations battle. They clearly have the United Nations in their corner, an international governmental body that sits with bated breath at every opportunity to condemn Israel. They have the EU and the Arab countries on their side. South American and Asian countries have chimed in with their vocal and strident condemnation of Israel as well.

Hezbollah has won the hearts and minds of the Lebanese people, however, in retrospect that wasn't an arduous battle. The Lebanese people have thrown their support behind Hezbollah as is evidenced in the composition of the Lebanese parliament. Over 20 percent of the members of this parliament are Hezbollah representatives. The Lebanese people never demanded that their government implement and enforce United Nations Security Council resolution 1559 issued in the year 2000, which placed the responsibility of harnessing Hezbollah forces in the hands of the Lebanese military.

The Lebanese people, particularly the Shiitte population in southern Lebanon, view Hezbollah as a big, warm and giving social service agency. Hezbollah has adroitly filled the stomachs of its constituents, fattening them up, metaphorically speaking for the kill. For the beneficiaries of Hezbollah's outreach and social service programs are now being called upon to pay the piper. They pay with their lives and the lives of the children as human shields for those who gained favor in their hearts for all the "goodness" that was bestowed upon them.

It is of no great revelation that we hear that Lebanese president Faud Siniora praised Hezbollah for its efforts in defeating the Israeli enemy as he attempts to shore up even more support from the Lebanese population for Hezbollah, thereby encouraging even more of them to die as martyrs to an organization that cares nothing for them, their lives or the future of their children.

And yet we hear no sounds of outrage and indignation at the murderous policy of Hezbollah directed at the Lebanese people. We hear of no raucous and explosive demonstrations directed at Hezbollah for placing the lives of its own people in death's doorway. Instead, we are deluged with condemnations and denunciations of Israel's military actions in Lebanon. We hear the world condemn Israel's "disproportionate" response to the constant barrage of Katyusha rockets that have rained down on Israeli cities and towns. We hear admonitions directed at Israel to exercise self-restraint when attempting to defeat their hardened enemy that seeks its destruction.

As Charles Krauthammer stated in his article entitled, 'Disproportionate' in What Moral Universe?' (Washington Post, 7/28/06), "When one is wantonly attacked by an aggressor, one has every right -- legal and moral -- to carry the fight until the aggressor is disarmed and so disabled that it cannot threaten one's security again."

Mr. Krauthammer goes on to state that, "The perversity of today's international outcry lies in the fact that there is indeed a disproportion in this war, a radical moral asymmetry between Hezbollah and Israel: Hezbollah is deliberately trying to create civilian casualties on both sides while Israel is deliberately trying to minimize civilian casualties, also on both sides.

Israeli innocents must die in order for Israel to be terrorized. But Lebanese innocents must also die in order for Israel to be demonized, which is why Hezbollah hides its fighters, its rockets, its launchers, its entire infrastructure among civilians. Creating human shields is a war crime. It is also a Hezbollah specialty.
Had Israel wanted to destroy Lebanese civilian infrastructure, it would have turned out the lights in Beirut in the first hour of the war, destroying the billion-dollar power grid and setting back Lebanon 20 years. It did not do that. Instead it attacked dual-use infrastructure -- bridges, roads, airport runways -- and blockaded Lebanon's ports to prevent the reinforcement and resupply of Hezbollah. Ten thousand Katyusha rockets are enough. Israel was not going to allow Hezbollah 10,000 more."

Today the nation of Israel faces even more deadly attacks from the Hezbollah terrorists. Today the nation of Israel, which represents the values of preserving human life, of upholding the loftiest of moral concepts has been transformed into the world's bogeyman. It is viewed as a giant and ruthless murder machine, which displays a callous disregard for civilian lives. Today the nation of Israel is being raked over the proverbial coals by a world possessed by Orwellian values. Bad is good, right is wrong, justice is injustice. The aggressor is now the victim and the victim is now the horrific aggressor.

Mr. Orwell, wherever you are, we send you a message that your ominous vision has manifested itself. It is a world gone mad, and all vestiges of morality and conscience are slowly and methodically becoming obsolete.

At this most frightening and difficult period in history, those of us left with a modicum of morality, ethics and values must speak out. We must orchestrate a campaign to challenge the purveyors of Orwellian thoughts and to neutralize their vitriolic and incendiary rhetoric.

It is indeed a dark moment in the history of the Jewish people and of the nation of Israel. Our values and ethos must come from our unwavering faith and trust in the Almighty G-d of Israel. Our morals and values must be derived from our G-d given sources of Torah. Our values must reflect the words of our prayers to G-d. Our morals and values spring forth from the divine words of King David in the book of Psalms. It is time to rededicate ourselves to serving our
G-d with devotion and passion.

May the Almighty G-d of Israel protect His nation, Israel and may we see a world that can distinguish between light and darkness and of right and wrong.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

Seraphic Secret

Robert J. Avrech, a Jewish screenwriter, tries to cope with the death of his beloved son Ariel by blogging his way to... What?

August 31, 2006

Fully English

Amnesty Interbullah

Gen. Yaalon Blogger Conference Call

The Iranian Nuclear Front

August 30, 2006

Suicide of the West

Plame Out

NY Times: Victimizing the Innocent

Jewish Heroism

The Axis of Jihadism

On the Border

Not the Hole Truth

Ambulances for Terror

Dear Moslem Association...

Pan-Muslim Fiction

We, Fighters and Commanders

August 29, 2006

Medic in Battle

Sounding Retreat

The Trouble with Democrats

Who & Why We Are Fighting

Terrorist Theater Tricks

August 28, 2006

To Stand Alone

Necessary Accounting

August 25, 2006

Scenes from a Wedding

Failure to Communicate

Hizbullah Did Not Win

Red Cross Fraud

August 24, 2006

Emanuel Morano's legacy

Our Side

Israeli Left Takes a Hard Right

Israel's New Hope?

August 23, 2006

Cease-Fire Updates Wed, Aug 23

Amnesty International Unmasked

Politics Cannot Hide the Truth

InHuman Watch

Target: Syria

August 22, 2006

Jews, Darfur, and the Death of Language

Hey Kids, Let's Give Back the Golan!

Our Covert Enemies

August 21, 2006

Where Men Were Free

The Coming Wars

Looking Into the Abyss

Lone Soldier: Combat

The Man Who Saw The Future

Letter From Israel

August 20, 2006

The Convert

August 15, 2006

Olmert Must Go!

August 14, 2006

LA Times: Journalistic Atrocity

Sellout!

War Diary: Mon. Aug14 '06

Over-Reaction!

Resolution = Regroup, Reload, Rockets Away

Demand Victory

Nasrallah Rules

Drugged by Political Correctness

The British Way

Baby Formula

August 13, 2006

It's Islam, Stupid

Disaster

August 11, 2006

1930's

Surrender Document

Darkness

Tyre Power Off

We Interrupt This War...

Seraphic Quote