Unapeasable?

Greetings,

As informed readers will know Israel is a couple of days away from a general election. As in any democracy,in the heat of the election  both left and right are  making assumptions on who would be best to make Israel strong or on the left make peace with the Palestinians .

Israel has a string of domestic issues which need, in my humble opinion,to be addressed as priorities over any peace conference: as for Iran then if that country poses a threat it should be dealt with by Israel, rather than begging the US to do it for Israel.

However on the subject matter of peace, I'm pretty much relaxed over what will happen. No Israeli gov't will be able to come to any kind of comprehensive peace at the expense of security or the survival of the Jewish state. Why? Because as long as there are in effect 2 arab Palestinian states one of which is controlled by a vicious terrorist group, who  are dedicated to Israel's destruction then there can be no peace. On the west bank, Israel cannot withdraw without it becoming a new Gaza and Abbas has been nothing but intransigent. 

I recall the time when Clinton negotiated the last serious attempts at peace. Arafat got everything he could possibly have got-including control of east Jerusalem- and he walked away. Then we had the wave of terrorism which forced Israel to build a security barrier to stop this and save lives.  And this was supposed to be the moderate Arabs, not Hamas.  From that moment on I personally became utterly convinced that Arab Palestine would never come to peace with Israel, because the leadership is unappeasable  and has no care for its own people: jihad or secular terrorism is far more important. 

I really do want and pray for peace, but it simply won't happen until Hamas is gone and the Palestinian leadership is ready to negotiate in good faith.I have no idea about what this would be like,  probably a self governing west bank, which Israel has suren auren but sadly I simply don't see peace  anytime soon.

 However this doesn't  mean we should feel depressed or downbeat. May we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem as ever:

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they prosper that love thee. 
Peace be within thy walls, And prosperity within thy palaces"

[Psalm chapter 122: 6-7]

Learn, study work...

Greetings all

This is the latest of those posters of the adopt a disaster, adopt a Adopt-a-Kollel! campaign in Israel (following austerity cuts) :

The Hebrew Bible does of course write extremely poetically about how the Torah and studying it, is worth more than gold or precious jewelry. However the sages also, in my view at least, also talk about finding work and doing a trade and working for a living. There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING which says one shouldn't work alongside Torah study and neither do I see that secular study is in any way a bad or wrong this: aren't we supposed to be the light unto the Gentiles? How can we do this stuck under a rock?. 

This is what I find so depressing about the situation in Israel: that working to provide for oneself or if married ones family is somehow illegitimate or wrong as opposed to full time study in the yeshiva or k. I cannot see why a system would be so opposed to doing so, nor can I understand the resistance to serving in the IDF. It is terrible that haredi families are suffering and in some cases starving. But this is entirely down to the dogma of the system that they've been brought up in. That has to change in order to prevent a terrible catastrophe for the Jewish people. I really do hope that after the next election in Israel, whatever government is formed is one that is committed to helping the Haredi out of this situation, which doesn't mean going back to dishing out cash like there is no tomorrow,  but does allow for a 'reformation' to this system,  which is hurting so many of the Jewish people. 

I hadn't forgotten....

.... that tonight in 1938, one of the most infamous pogroms occurred. I wasn't sure if I wanted to discuss this,  as I often get lost for words and my emotions, especially anger and hurt, get the better of me. However, my sister has put her brief thoughts down in a way I can't on subjects such as this one, here.

Thoughts on Gaza

David here,

So there is a cease-fire agreement in place between Israel and Hamas.  For Israel a lot has been achieved, such as destroying the terrorist tunnels and hitting the terrorist cells hard. But there has been a cost on lives and money: $2.5 billion, 70 Israeli dead and 2,000 Gazans, not all terrorists have lost their lives.

Then  there is the backlash against the Jewish diaspora community, the terrible relationship between Israel and the US... and seemingly most media outside of Israel was hostile to her. Bibi's popularity has slumped, despite overwhelming support for the war in Israel, his cabinet seems quite divided.

So no one comes out a clear winner. But for the various parties involved, my personal view is that Israel stopped too early, probably due to US and European pressures. However much  this has effected the political landscape, it won't alter the fact Hamas is still there.  Sooner or later, when they've rearmed they will start to attack Israel again. The cycle will continue until Hamas is gone or Israel. And it won't be Israel disappearing.

Is it is over... it seems to be over.... for now

David here,

I am taking a quick dive back into blogging, for this article.

It looks like the current military conflict is Gaza is coming to an end or at least  a long pause, whilst some form of ceasefire is arranged between the 2 sides in Cairo. It has been a tough fight, one in which many Israelis & Palestinians died, not because of Israeli 'imperialism', but because of the sheer intransigence of Hamas. Millions of pounds of aid were misspent by terrorists building these tunnels and the resources of Gaza were all ploughed into projects, not for the welfare of the territories people, but for terrorists purposes. To be sure Israel has NOT overthrown the terrorist regime, which would have been my aim. I can appreciate why Israel did not do so, for various strategic and political reasons. My only fear is that in a couple of years, if not months, this whole thing will happen again, as the terror network is still there .But at least the tunnels are gone and Hamas have been dealt a severe blow.

In respect of the Palestinian threat to join the ICC : this is an utter joke. Not that Israel should recognise this kangaroo court, but  even if it did, I doubt the Pals will go for this, other than by way as a negotiating chip. Why? Well put simply the reason why so many in the west fall for Palestinian propaganda is because the media like 'real time' information and the Hamas give them that, or more accurately lies and utterly ridiculous lies at that. The IDF is often slow to rebut these charges, because they are a modern western PROFESSIONAL fighting force and therefore do thorough investigations when things apparently go wrong, have armies of lawyers, investigators etc  & most of the time when reports are issued, we often see half of what has been claimed by the UN/media/Hamas is a load of distorted and twisted untruths, but by that time the media circus has moved on, so the mud and propaganda victory sticks with one side . The problems for the Pals is that all of this is kept and documented by the IDF, so their lies would be exposed in the full glare of reality if it ever went to a court (not, note, that it should, as Israel has no case to answer anyway).

As for the impact on this for British politics, I won't comment as such on this, because that is my brother Sam's patch (read his blog here). All I will say is that this war has yet again exposed some ugly latent anti-semitism , which is sad because the bulk of the British population- the silent majority- are with Israel and against the terrorists. That we have idiots like the liberal democrats calling for an arms embargo and voter (Islamic) grubbing fools like the Labour party is unfortunate. And then there is Lady "principle" Warsi, to which one asks where was your principle on other occasions it was called for when it comes to 'morally indefensible' outrages ? 

Finally, as ever, we must thank the men and women of the IDF, the young flowers of Israel, who have had to do the fighting to protect the Jewish homeland. Our thoughts are with those who have not come back. May they not be forgotten. As we have said in Britain on Monday, "they gave their today, for our tomorrow". 

G-d bless you all.

A one state solution ?

Over at rationalist Judaism, Rabbi Slifkin has noted that the recent conflict in Gaza has seriously called into question (at least presumably in Israel) of the 'one state solution' ,see his article here.

I have to admit a couple of years ago, in fact until recently I harboured a belief in the 2 state solution. My opinion is gradually changing toward a one state solution in which Israel officially annexes the West Bank, Gaza and Golan as the only possible solution. My rationale for this is in part based on Rabbi Slifkin's arguments in the article, but more widely that Israel simply cannot be secure without practically controlling the borders, airspace and a military presence in any Palestine state, ergo Palestine would be nothing other than a client state of Israel at best; at worst it would be seen as an 'occupation' by another method. The idea of a one state solution does create issues in itself, as I noted in the comments, to to which I will further add on this post  and  elaborate on, after  giving the matter some further thought  : 

• What will Israel do with the Arab population?

• Could the WB be given some form of self rule, but with Israel in control of the security and foreign policy ? (probably wouldn't work and would be decried as a 'Bantustan').

• Should the Arabs of the disputed territories be given, like those in 'Israel proper', full  Israeli citizenship? Logically this would make sense.

• If they are given full citizenship where will this leave the demographics of the world's only Jewish state? OK, even if the hereditary 'refugees' are  given citizenship of the countries they currently live in and granting Israeli citizenship only applied to people living in the 'disputed territories', that would still significantly reduce the Jewish majority. However, at present there is somewhat of a baby boom going on in Israel; as Israeli women are conscripted into the army and then have children later on in life,which plays havoc with traditional demographic predictions and of course Israel could soon see the arrival of 600,000 Jews from France. So whilst demographics are an issue, I don't see them as being  a total stumbling bloc to a one state solution.

• Would points 3 and 4  not lead to a Yugoslavia or Syrian situation, i.e. a permanent aggrieved minority, who have traditionally be taught to hate Israelis & eventually lead to the destruction of Israel being a homeland for Jews? 

• Alternatively, could the Arab population be given compensation and money to relocate in other Arab countries (again another logical choice) in which they would feel more comfortable with? Be reminded that after the Gulf war Kuwait unilaterally expelled 400,000 Palestinians from its territory, but without compensation or help to relocate. In this idea we would be talking about voluntarily relocation with cash and support. So the idea is not as horrendous as it sounds.

• Would this relocation work? 

•  Who will pay for this relocation? 

• How will Israel persuade its biggest ally, the USA, of the merits of this plan, given that the US is officially committed to the idea of a 2 state solution? 

• How will the other Arab states be induced to accept this plan? 

•  Am I wrong  to even consider this as a serious alternative to a 2 state solution? 

For the UNRWA, with love...

Judaism into the C of E?

David here, 

It seems to that my sister Hannah  has been thinking (always an interesting sign) about the possible reunification of Judaism and using the Church of England as a model (don't worry, she did ask me to post a response to these ideas)  : 

' the problem of a national state religion depends upon the culture you are in. I'll give my country, England, as an example; England has a national Church with Bishops in the Parliament, but we are hardly a theocracy like Iran. When Henry VIII created the Church of England and broke away from Rome there resulted about 100 years of war, strife and persecution on and off, back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism . That was bad. But eventually the C of E became a giant moderated compromise of the different brands of Christianity (Catholic, Evangelical and Liberal) , because the English had had enough of extremist religion in the form of the Puritans of Cromwell. & of course, eventually, non Anglicans obtained tolerance and then political rights, Catholics got the vote and Jews re-entered the country after a decade of civil war in 1656. Today the Anglican or Episcopalian Church is seen as one of the most moderate brands of Christianity. Could not Judaism do the same? So, imagine if Sephardi, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform were all in one grouping .The problem with Israel is that Israel has surrendered the Rabbinicate to the worst excesses of Haredi Judaism- a distinct minority in Judaism. That is the problem, not religion per se.'

We can ignore the sweep of history here and also overlook the fact that the Anglican Church, precisely because it wields together numerous fractions into one body, often divisive fractions at that, it always seems somewhat incoherent & about to tear itself apart. 

But is she right or wrong? Should we put aside our various traditions for the sake of greater unity or just accept the current status quo of agree to disagree with our religious differences, but be united when it comes to defending the overall 'arch' of Judaism in respect to Israel, male circumcision, kosher slaughter and general Jewish welfare ?

I agree that SOME form of 'reformation' of the Israeli Rabbincate is required, but is this a step too far for Orthodoxy? Or is the idea of, say, restoring a Sanhedrin of  Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Sephardi Rabbis & Sages too much to happen before the coming of Messiah? And to add to this, do we not have to wait until Messiah comes for a new Sanhedrin and then a new Temple in Jerusalem? Or should we at least seek to be more co-operative between Jewish traditions and denominations, even as we acknowledge in maturity our glaring theological differences?  

Reflections on Gaza, 20 days later

Are we under siege ? 

In the European diaspora with the pogroms in France, the increasing anti-semitic attacks in Britain, the feeling in Germany's Jews that' it is 1938 again', a brutal attack on a Rabbi in Morocco,the calling by elements of the Turkish press for Turkey's Jews to collectively 'apologise' for Gaza, along with their Prime Minister's (an apparent NATO ally) outrageous remarks about Israel, the media hostility toward Israel defending herself ...

In Israel there is  the diplomatic flurry for Israel to come to terms with terrorists who wish to see the destruction of the Jewish people, whilst  the brave men and women, Jews and non Jews alike of the IDF are fighting in fierce battles to stop the terrorism that has been the bane of the Children of Israel ever since Israel pulled out of Gaza nine years ago.

As for what happens now : we need to sit tight and realise we are all in the long haul of bringing the terrorists to book . We need to continue to pray and support Israel and the IDF as well as those in the diaspora community who feel that are under threat. We must also Daven for the very men and women, the young flowers of Israel who serve in the IDF, in doing what they have to do, namely defend the people of Israel against all harm and in so doing being willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice in their blood and possibly, their lives.We also need to find muster and a prayer for Israel and for our diaspora, that our leadership will model themselves on the Israeli leadership of Moses, the steadfastness of Deborah, the spiritual guidance of Samuel, the faithfulness of Hannah, the courage of Esther, the military prowess of David and the wisdom of Solomon.

Above all, we as a people need to continue to follow Hashem and pray that he will, via the brave men and women of the IDF, swiftly deliver the children of Israel from harm. May we be able to see the coming of Mashiach and the end of all wars & universal peace as it is said "The L-rd will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be one L-rd, and His Name the only Name." [Zechariah 14:9].

Two other concluding thoughts. Firstly over at Esther's Place, she reminds us that Jews have used their wits and intelligence to defend ourselves in centuries before and that this is a key part of the equation today : 

"The one thing that we must remember is that we Jews have often had to defend ourselves and our religion, when we had no Israel and no IDF. We did so on the back of our wits, belief & sheer courage : does anyone remember the disputation of Barcelona? So today there is an Internet and yes it can be full of disturbing messages and arguments. 

We must regain that voice quickly and win the argument .It is not social media that is the problem, rather we must remind ourselves that we are Jews and we have never been afraid of defending our faith when necessary, often with the most powerful weapon of all: words, writing and debate. So today we must remember that whilst opponents have a voice so do we. Let us make them hear us. Let us win the argument once more. "

Secondly and finally, after gross hypocrisy of the latest UN resolution (where is their consideration for the ethnic cleansing of Iraq's Christian minority?) ,Ambassador Ron Prosor tells it how it is :

John Kerry as Odo?

David here,

Well it seems that the failing shambles that is the lame duck Obama Administration (see this Telegraph article) in the persona of  Secretary of State John Kerry, is upsetting even the uber liberal Israeli  Haartez newspaper or at least one of its correspondents who writes :

Kerry isn’t anti-Israeli; on the contrary, he's a true friend to Israel. But his conduct in recent days over the Gaza cease-fire raises serious doubts over his judgment and perception of regional events. It's as if he isn't the foreign minister of the world's most powerful nation, but an alien, who just disembarked his spaceship in the Mideast. For a few moments Friday one could not avoid recalling the things Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said about Kerry, and admit that despite the fact that it wasn't appropriate, he may have had a point.

Ouch.

But some clearly already have sensed Kerry's other worldliness:

Ed Miliband: "We oppose the Israeli incursion into Gaza"

David here,

If there is any doubt as to whether or not I would ever vote for Labour or its leader Miliband,at the next general election, it has been removed following Miliband's decision to oppose Israel's military intervention in Gaza . At least Prime Minister Cameron has been as supportive, very supportive as he can be given the notorious pro-Arab Foreign Office Britain has always had . Why Miliband does this is unclear : what is the point about boasting (albeit incorrectly) that he would be 'the fist Jewish Prime Minister', when he decides to sock Israel in the balls during this most testing of times, that is war?  What is the point of him praising Israel and gushing about it when he comes up with statements like this, which are clearly pandering to the Islamic vote in the UK? 

So OK Miliband, before  you go criticising Israel,  answer these questions.

Explosive warheads are raining down on Birmingham.

Do you :

A. Get the British army to shoot back at the enemy positions

B.Seek out and destroy all the launch sites and the factories and warehouses where these rockets are being made and stored.

C.  Mobilise the full force of the British defence forces against this terrorism

Or  :

D. Show up at Birmingham with a white shirt that you're waving around like a white flag ( the favourite colour of the left) and demand everyone to stop it, because you might get to be a Prime Minister

E. Have a group hug with your supporters and pray for peace.

F. Roll over and go back to sleep & join the UN in calling Britain, which is defending itself against terrorism as being guilty of war crimes.

Father Gabriel Nadaf on the current conflict

David here,

Much to my interest and delight, one of the leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church in Israel, Father Gabriel Nadaf, penned the following on Monday, whose sentiments and views I can thoroughly concur with : 

"Edmond Burke, the 18th century Irish philosopher and political theorist, said, ‘The only thing necessary for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.’ Therefore, we are all brothers in the face of evil, with no regard to religion, race, and faith. The outcry about the atrocities we are crying out together. As the spiritual father of the Israeli Christians Forum, who encourages the recruitment of Israel Christians to the IDF and  full integration of Christians into the Israeli society, I would like to turn to you with a plea to support and back Israel, our Holy land, and its defense forces. The country is under fire and our soldiers are fighting against terrorist organizations, whose sole purpose and goal is to destroy the State of Israel. 

In the name of the Israeli Christians, I am crying out to the whole world: Wake up! Terrorism acts don’t allow any chance for peace. If Hamas doesn’t safeguard its own people, Israel cannot be held responsible for their safety. Hamas is supposed to be protecting its own people but unfortunately, like all the terrorist organizations, it does the opposite, takes advantage of the Civilian Gazan population, and sacrifices its people (women and children). Therefore, the death of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza is the sole responsibility of Hamas. 

They are the only ones to blame.Israel complied with Egypt’s offer of a cease fire, but Hamas refused. Israel cannot sit idle while the barrages of rockets are being fired on its civilians and it cannot allow the infiltration of terrorists into its space through tunnels whose sole purpose is killing Israeli civilians. The one big difference between Hamas and Israel is that the lives of Israeli civilians are very precious to the State and it will do everything in its power to protect them, regardless of religion. 

Since the takeover of Hamas of Gaza, it has done everything to force the Christians to disappear and flee from Gaza. They hate the Christians no less than they hate the Jews. Hamas is part of the Al-Qaida ideology and resolutions cannot be reached with them. Their refusal of the cease fire is a clear testimony to that. 

Instead of reinforcing the State of Israel and the security it provides for the Christians and all of its citizens, it’s being boycotted and there are continued attempts to weaken it, which will lead to us becoming an easy prey like all the countries around us. The State of Israel is at the forefront of the battle against the terrorism that is trying to swallow the whole world. The flame of terrorism is going to reach every corner of the world and no country will be immune from the terrorist attacks. What is happening in Syria, Iraq, and Gaza will be happening in your country if you continue to do nothing. 

Therefore, we all have to come together in unity and uproot terrorism. We should not be complacent and accept terrorism as a fact of life. We have to stop being indifferent about terrorists, who are exploiting our freedom and good spirit. I am calling on you, on behalf of the Israeli Christians, to support the IDF and the State of Israel in Operation ‘Protective Edge’ and to fight terrorism with us, in order to protect the Holy Land. For, if God forbid, our country falls in the hand of terrorists, a catastrophe will befall the entire world. May God bless you and bring justice and peace to the world. Amen!"

So Much for Israeli 'apartheid'

One of the biggest lies that people say of Israel is that it is an 'apartheid state', which is of course utter rubbish, but a lie people believe.

 So here  positive examples of this myth busted : 

I. Muslim soldiers in the IDF, defending Israel's borders 

II. This is Colonel Raslan Alian who is Druze,  commander of the elite Golani  Brigade & one of the most decorated unit of the IDF. He was wounded during the current conflict and has lost 13 of his men in fierce fighting; whilst recovering in hospital he said that he wish to 'get back to his men' (as any good CO does). 

III. This is Monaliza Abdo  a Christian Arab, who volunteered to serve in the IDF, watch her story here .

 

May Hashem be with the brave soldiers of the IDF & may all stand shoulder to shoulder as   brethren as they seek to defend Israel from the harm of the terrorists.

Speaking out against Global Anti-semitism

All, 

David here. Our Haredi brothers have got this one right : 

"As Israel applies itself to the task of rooting out terrorists in Gaza, and destroying their tunnels and rocket launchers, there have been, as always when Israel acts to defend herself, condemnations of her effort to protect her citizens from an enemy bent on murdering them. 

Seizing on the tragic consequences of even as just a war as the one Israel is conducting against Hamas, the condemners vehemently protest Israel’s actions – and, in the time-honored tradition of Jew-hatred, wax violent against Jews, wherever they may be. 

And so, we have come to witness over recent weeks hatred and violence directed toward Jewish communities in France and other countries. Such incidents are reminiscent of an earlier, darker time in our history when hatred of Jews was openly and unabashedly expressed both verbally and physically. Witnessing these attacks today is a stark and chilling reminder that the scourge of anti-Semitism remains a malignant reality in the modern world. 

Without questioning the sentiments or actions of the French government, or of the other governments involved, the fact that these incidents have primarily taken place in Europe, where just decades ago many “ordinary citizens” were complicit in the persecution and extermination of Jews, is not lost on us. Neither is the fact that these incidents come at a time of sharply rising anti-Semitism among the European populace, as indicated in various polls and studies. 

The pretense that these attacks are not anti-Semitic, but merely a reaction to current events in the Middle East, is cynical and decidedly false. When a Paris mob besieges and throws bricks at a synagogue with 200 congregants inside, it is anti-Semitism. When a synagogue north of Paris is firebombed on Friday night and sustains damage, it is anti-Semitism. When a 17-year-old girl — referred to as a “dirty Jewess” — is assaulted on a Paris street by having her face pepper-sprayed, it is anti-Semitism. When a kosher grocery is torched in the Parisian suburb of Sarcelles, it is anti-Semitism. When a Moroccan rabbi is pummeled into unconsciousness as he is walking to synagogue, it is anti-Semitism. When anti-Israel demonstrations in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, Turkey and other countries are accompanied with calls to “slaughter the Jews,” with chants of “death to the Jews,” with slogans like “Hitler was right,” it is anti-Semitism. Pure and simple. 

We have raised these concerns with our State Department and have been assured that these developments, and their grave implications, are being taken by our government with the utmost seriousness. We have every faith and confidence that the United States will not stand by idly and that these blatant manifestations of animus against Jews will be responded to in a meaningful and effective manner."

Small but significant

Hi All,

It's me, Hannah! 

Following the large demonstration on Saturday by the pro-Palestinian side, which such novel placards as'Israel: hitler would be proud' & the second weekend of pro-Palestinian &Jew hate fuelled violence in France. This is a picture from a peaceful counter pro-Israeli demo yesterday, attended by both Jews and Christians :

We might not be as large as the Islamic community, but our voice has a right to be heard and our voice stands with Israel & her people, right now, despite the upsurge in Anti-Semitism. As that placard says the loyalty and commitment of British Jews to Britain & her Queen has never been in doubt. We have contributed so much to British life, despite being a tiny minority.Our contributions have been positive and we have lived here as a group since 1658, maintaining our religion, whilst also integrating into wider society. 

Here is a link to of  British Jews who have significantly contributed to society.  You will note that when it comes to science , politics, writing &entertaining, these have their own pages, given the lists are so large.  All this from a minority which has never been more than 1% of the total British population!

Which is why, now more than ever, I am proud to describe myself as a Jew and a British  Jew of the Sephardim  in particular. 

G-d Save the Queen  !

G-d defend Israel ! 

Hypocrisy of the left

Dudes,

It's Sam here.

One thing that pisses me off in the recent demos against the conflict in Gaza by the extreme left is the blatant hypocrisy which comes with the territory. e.g. whilst the UN, the protesters and informed opinion were criticising Israel's policy, in Iraq, Christians were being told to convert to Islam or die. No outrage there and no outrage against the massacres of Syrian and Iraq civilians which number in hundreds of thousands, but actors who have no care whatsoever in killing civilians or not. That is what gets me most about how this conflict is perceived or argued over. The hypocrisy of singling out Israel and unjustifiably demonising her. 

Especially when Israel was founded as a left wing ideal, is EXACTLY the find of regime a left winger should approve of, in terms of free elections, free speech, equality of all citizens, gay rights etc etc; especially when compared to the rest of the regions governments. But it seems the far left would rather throw its lot in with ISIS, HAMAS, Saudi (where women can't drive) and Iran (run as a theocracy). If any one tried any of these in the west they'd be squealing about it; when the assisted suicide bill was being debated the lefties were highly critical of religions getting involved.

Yet when it comes to foreign policy.... 

Gaza thread

Readers, David here.  I've decided to add this thread which is a forum for people to add their thoughts, prayers and discuss the current conflict, especially it is now in a ground war phase, with all the heartache and worry that this causes those who have (the great majority of us) relatives one way or the other serving in the IDF. I believe that this blog is best served as a niche, as  we are not an adequate news service. There are many forums or blogs which will give you up to date information & be able to give post after post of this; we feel here we would be just echoing these blogs and there is no need to do that. We do not feel we can do these things with our limited resources here, so this shall be our ongoing discussion thread of this conflict. 

May Hashem bring back the men and women of the IDF safely, may they do their duty and may their mission be accomplished . Amen.

NOTE : When this disappears off the front page I am going to move it to the 'pages' column on the right, so people know where it is if they wish to come here to discuss these issues. 

Still here, still proud, still Jewish!!

Hi All,

After been spat upon yesterday & following the news that in France there was a near pogrom against  Jewish people,  when the terrorists ignore a ceasefire, all I have to post (thanks to housemate for finding this) :

Indeed as even our American Haredi brothers have said :

"Today’s news brought the report that Hamas has rejected an Egyptian-brokered cease fire, while Israel’s cabinet has expressed its willingness to abide by its terms. Once again, Hamas has shown what it truly is — a terrorist organization bent on wreaking death and destruction, not only upon Israel, but upon its very own people. Its aim is to reject peace and coexistence and its violence is intended to take Israelis and Palestinians further from the negotiating table. 

We express our deep appreciation to President Obama for his strong support of Israel during this difficult and desperate time.The U.S.-funded Iron Dome defense system has proven to be invaluable asset and has saved countless lives. The close military cooperation between the U.S. and Israel that has taken place over these past years has clearly played a critical role in assisting Israel in responding to the terrorist threat it faces now and on an ongoing basis. As both Americans and Jews, we are proud that our country remains a stalwart friend of Israel. 

In light of Hamas rejectionism, we urge President Obama to strengthen even further American resolve in dealing with the terrorist threat it poses. We should make clear to the world that the consequences of continued fighting for Gaza and its civilian population rest squarely on Hamas’ shoulders. We should make clear to President Abbas that a Palestinian Authority that includes Hamas is not a partner for peace. And we should make clear that Palestinian violence will have a detrimental affect on American support — both diplomatically and financially. 

Only through the strong and unequivocal support of the U.S. for Israel will Palestinians realize that peace, nonviolence and coexistence are their only options."