Jewish Groups Want Stronger U.S. Defense of Israel -Ron Kampeas
Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's national director, said: "The U.S. should reiterate its support and understanding for Israel, that as a sovereign and democratic nation it has the right to act on behalf of its national security and express its confidence that Israel can conduct its own investigation into the matter without the intrusion of international bodies."
"Was there a better way to do this? That's all interesting, but that's not what this is about," he said. "There is bloodshed all over the world, there are people killing people all over the world in deliberate hatred, and nobody is calling for investigations. At the very least the USA should stand with Israel."
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said: "It would have been preferable if the UN and Obama administration had blocked any action implying criticism of Israel for defending itself...."
(JTA)
Israelis Support Stopping Flotilla -Calev Ben-David
A poll of Israel's Jewish population by Maariv found 94.4% agreed it was necessary to stop the Gaza flotilla. The opposition Kadima party has supported the government on the issue, and Netanyahu's coalition has shown no signs of strain over the incident. "There is no need to apologize," said Nechama Perelman, 23. "The army didn't set out to kill people. It's easy to judge from far away, and I don't believe that anything we do will help us be loved by the world."
(Bloomberg)
Israelis: Has the World Lost Its Mind? -Yossi Klein Halevi
The assumption that Israel was right to stop the flotilla - and right to maintain its siege on Hamas-led Gaza - is largely a given in Israel. How, Israelis wonder, can pro-Hamas activists wielding knives be confused for peace activists?
What is pro-peace about strengthening Hamas' grip on Gaza and thereby reducing the likelihood of a two-state solution? For that matter, what is pro-Palestinian about condemning the people of Gaza to jihadist rule?
Israelis watch with cynical astonishment as the UN Security Council urgently convenes to create a Commission of Inquiry - yet another anti-Israel kangaroo court - even as the sanctions effort against Iran's nuclear program falters. They contrast the banner headlines in the world's media over the flotilla with the barely noted news item of recent days that Tehran now has enough uranium for two nuclear bombs.
And as some self-described friends of Israel are publicly wondering whether the Jewish state needs to be "saved from itself," Israelis reciprocate the outrage and ask: Has the world lost its mind?
(Wall Street Journal)
People Known as "IDF Troops" Are Our Children -Merav Batito
It was my child who was grabbed by his legs and thrown off the upper deck of the ship; who was brutally beaten up, stabbed in the stomach, had his arm broken. It was my child who was stunned to discover that the peace activists, the cool youngsters on board the ship - the ones who must be wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt and listening to Bob Marley music - are in fact a bunch of wolves posing as little red riding hood. It was my child who found himself attacked with pipes after he was equipped with a paintball gun and was told a thousand times to be gentle with the peace sailors, lest everything get out of control and the whole world will rise up against us.
(Ynet News)
No Choice, Says Commando Who Killed 6 -Yaakov Katz
"When I hit the deck, I was immediately attacked by people with bats, metal pipes and axes," S. told the Post. "These were without a doubt terrorists. I could see the murderous rage in their eyes and that they were coming to kill us." Lt.-Col. T. said he realized the group they were facing was well-trained and likely ex-military after the commandos threw a number of stun grenades. "They didn't even flinch," he said. "Regular people would move."
Assessments are that members of the group were affiliated with international global jihad elements and had undergone training in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(Jerusalem Post)
Time to Leave Hamastan to Its Own Devices -Aluf Benn
Israel should inform the international community that it is abandoning all responsibility for Gaza residents and their welfare. The Israel-Gaza border would be completely sealed, and Gaza would have to obtain supplies and medical services via the Egyptian border, or by sea. A target date would be set for severing Gaza's water and electricity systems from those of Israel. The customs union with Israel would end, and the shekel would cease to be Gaza's legal tender.
This isn't pleasant, but it is legal. A sovereign state has the right to close its borders, especially when its neighbors are hostile and hate-filled. Israel would also make it clear that it will exercise its right to self-defense by inspecting suspicious cargo on the high seas in order to thwart arms smuggling. That is also how the Western powers behave: They search cargo ships for nuclear weapons and missile components. And if we are shot at from Gaza, we will shoot back - with intent to cause harm. We have already proved that we can do so. This is Israel's opportunity. Instead of arguing with the international community, it should tell it: You want Gaza? Fine. Take it.
(Ha'aretz)
Those Troublesome Jews -Charles Krauthammer
During the October 1962 missile crisis, we blockaded ("quarantined") Cuba. Arms-bearing Russian ships headed to Cuba turned back because the Soviets knew that the U.S. Navy would either board them or sink them. Yet Israel is accused of international criminality for doing precisely what John Kennedy did: impose a naval blockade to prevent a hostile state from acquiring lethal weaponry.
But weren't the Gaza-bound ships on a mission of humanitarian relief? No. Otherwise they would have accepted Israel's offer to bring their supplies to an Israeli port, be inspected for military materiel and have the rest trucked by Israel into Gaza - as every week 10,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are sent by Israel to Gaza. Why was the offer refused?
Because, as organizer Greta Berlin admitted, the flotilla was not about humanitarian relief but about breaking the blockade, i.e., ending Israel's inspection regime, which would mean unlimited shipping into Gaza and thus the unlimited arming of Hamas. The whole point of this relentless international campaign is to deprive Israel of any legitimate form of self-defense. The world is tired of these troublesome Jews, refusing every invitation to national suicide.
(Washington Post)
*
Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's national director, said: "The U.S. should reiterate its support and understanding for Israel, that as a sovereign and democratic nation it has the right to act on behalf of its national security and express its confidence that Israel can conduct its own investigation into the matter without the intrusion of international bodies."
"Was there a better way to do this? That's all interesting, but that's not what this is about," he said. "There is bloodshed all over the world, there are people killing people all over the world in deliberate hatred, and nobody is calling for investigations. At the very least the USA should stand with Israel."
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said: "It would have been preferable if the UN and Obama administration had blocked any action implying criticism of Israel for defending itself...."
(JTA)
Israelis Support Stopping Flotilla -Calev Ben-David
A poll of Israel's Jewish population by Maariv found 94.4% agreed it was necessary to stop the Gaza flotilla. The opposition Kadima party has supported the government on the issue, and Netanyahu's coalition has shown no signs of strain over the incident. "There is no need to apologize," said Nechama Perelman, 23. "The army didn't set out to kill people. It's easy to judge from far away, and I don't believe that anything we do will help us be loved by the world."
(Bloomberg)
Israelis: Has the World Lost Its Mind? -Yossi Klein Halevi
The assumption that Israel was right to stop the flotilla - and right to maintain its siege on Hamas-led Gaza - is largely a given in Israel. How, Israelis wonder, can pro-Hamas activists wielding knives be confused for peace activists?
What is pro-peace about strengthening Hamas' grip on Gaza and thereby reducing the likelihood of a two-state solution? For that matter, what is pro-Palestinian about condemning the people of Gaza to jihadist rule?
Israelis watch with cynical astonishment as the UN Security Council urgently convenes to create a Commission of Inquiry - yet another anti-Israel kangaroo court - even as the sanctions effort against Iran's nuclear program falters. They contrast the banner headlines in the world's media over the flotilla with the barely noted news item of recent days that Tehran now has enough uranium for two nuclear bombs.
And as some self-described friends of Israel are publicly wondering whether the Jewish state needs to be "saved from itself," Israelis reciprocate the outrage and ask: Has the world lost its mind?
(Wall Street Journal)
People Known as "IDF Troops" Are Our Children -Merav Batito
It was my child who was grabbed by his legs and thrown off the upper deck of the ship; who was brutally beaten up, stabbed in the stomach, had his arm broken. It was my child who was stunned to discover that the peace activists, the cool youngsters on board the ship - the ones who must be wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt and listening to Bob Marley music - are in fact a bunch of wolves posing as little red riding hood. It was my child who found himself attacked with pipes after he was equipped with a paintball gun and was told a thousand times to be gentle with the peace sailors, lest everything get out of control and the whole world will rise up against us.
(Ynet News)
No Choice, Says Commando Who Killed 6 -Yaakov Katz
"When I hit the deck, I was immediately attacked by people with bats, metal pipes and axes," S. told the Post. "These were without a doubt terrorists. I could see the murderous rage in their eyes and that they were coming to kill us." Lt.-Col. T. said he realized the group they were facing was well-trained and likely ex-military after the commandos threw a number of stun grenades. "They didn't even flinch," he said. "Regular people would move."
Assessments are that members of the group were affiliated with international global jihad elements and had undergone training in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(Jerusalem Post)
Time to Leave Hamastan to Its Own Devices -Aluf Benn
Israel should inform the international community that it is abandoning all responsibility for Gaza residents and their welfare. The Israel-Gaza border would be completely sealed, and Gaza would have to obtain supplies and medical services via the Egyptian border, or by sea. A target date would be set for severing Gaza's water and electricity systems from those of Israel. The customs union with Israel would end, and the shekel would cease to be Gaza's legal tender.
This isn't pleasant, but it is legal. A sovereign state has the right to close its borders, especially when its neighbors are hostile and hate-filled. Israel would also make it clear that it will exercise its right to self-defense by inspecting suspicious cargo on the high seas in order to thwart arms smuggling. That is also how the Western powers behave: They search cargo ships for nuclear weapons and missile components. And if we are shot at from Gaza, we will shoot back - with intent to cause harm. We have already proved that we can do so. This is Israel's opportunity. Instead of arguing with the international community, it should tell it: You want Gaza? Fine. Take it.
(Ha'aretz)
Those Troublesome Jews -Charles Krauthammer
During the October 1962 missile crisis, we blockaded ("quarantined") Cuba. Arms-bearing Russian ships headed to Cuba turned back because the Soviets knew that the U.S. Navy would either board them or sink them. Yet Israel is accused of international criminality for doing precisely what John Kennedy did: impose a naval blockade to prevent a hostile state from acquiring lethal weaponry.
But weren't the Gaza-bound ships on a mission of humanitarian relief? No. Otherwise they would have accepted Israel's offer to bring their supplies to an Israeli port, be inspected for military materiel and have the rest trucked by Israel into Gaza - as every week 10,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are sent by Israel to Gaza. Why was the offer refused?
Because, as organizer Greta Berlin admitted, the flotilla was not about humanitarian relief but about breaking the blockade, i.e., ending Israel's inspection regime, which would mean unlimited shipping into Gaza and thus the unlimited arming of Hamas. The whole point of this relentless international campaign is to deprive Israel of any legitimate form of self-defense. The world is tired of these troublesome Jews, refusing every invitation to national suicide.
(Washington Post)
*
2 comments:
I live in Kuwait, where support for Israel is illegal and subject to instant deportation if expressed in public. As an ex-resident of Jerusalem and aware of the tensions on both sides, I do think the line you take is remarkably well-reasoned. The Israelis themselves contain a faction which does not value Eretz Israel in the same way as the post-Shoah generation, but unless they are careful, it may be taken from them under others' terms of reference.
How wonderful to have a reader in Kuwait. Thanks so much for your readership and compliment. I spend a lot of time culling the information i post...my wife thinks too much time!
I absolutely agree with your comment about some Israelis not valuing the gift they have...hopefully that will change.
Best,
Bruce :}
Post a Comment