Do Not Tell Me There’s No Intifada

The going line concerning the rocks, firebombs and attacks against Jews that have been escalating in Judea and Samaria has been that although such events are taken seriously and fully investigated, nobody would honestly believe that these incidents warrant being called an Intifada. After all, these attacks are nothing like the murderous times during the first half of the last decade. The problem with this line of reasoning is these are exactly the types and numbers of attacks which eventually built into the First Intifada in the years leading up to the 1990s. They are also indicative of the lead up to the eventual extreme violence which became known as the Second Intifada which studies have suggested could have been less severe with far fewer fatalities and other casualties had forceful intervention been taken earlier that was eventually called to resolve what became a desperate situation. The current denials will serve the exact same purpose that the evasions served in allowing the ramping up of violence during the previous Intifada. If those tasked with protecting the people and keeping order would step to the plate and act with serious purpose now rather than allowing the violence to become intolerable, then perhaps we can avoid the inevitable this time. We should have learned this lesson after the last episodic violence.

 

 

Of course it is all well and good for some editorialists or even some politicians to sound the alarm, but it will serve no good purpose if the warnings are not resoundingly given repeated calls by the people forcing the issue in the Prime Minister’s office and in his Cabinet meetings. Until the leadership decides to take action rather than trying to sell verbal bromides to calm the nerves of the populous the violence will continue to grow more and more intense until the people demand the necessary actions be initiated. It is not like what is occurring is a new experience which has never before been witnessed as all who were of knowable age remember the growing violence starting the fall of 2000 building until action was finally taken in 2005. Would it not be preferable to have action be taken as early in the process as possible and not allow things to go from bad to worse just in an effort to seek approval before acting? Waiting for the world to agree that the violence has reached a level where an Israeli response would be considered reasonable by the rest of the world is an act of insanity. The world will never believe that any act of self defense by Israel is justifiable so why waste time and allow the fatalities and grievous wounded numbers to grow to unacceptable levels before acting. The violence will not abate by itself and allowing the terrorist rock throwings, fire-bombings, stabbings, shootings, and eventually suicide-bombings to continue to climb is nothing short of inducing self-inflicted violence on the Israeli citizenry.

 

 

Hesitation before the use of force is understandable in any society which holds all lives to be valuable. Hesitation to use force to prevent further violence and threats to life and limb is counterproductive especially against a society which openly brags about their worship of death being superior to your love of life. In such cases those who value life will serve life best by intervening with sufficient force to prevent further threats to life by those who willingly serve violence. The world as a whole will never come to Israel’s defense no matter how reasonable the action or how dire the situation. Waiting for the approval of those who would just as well, if not preferably, desire to see as much carnage dealt to the Jewish population living in Judea and Samaria is beyond farcical and well into absurdity. It is actually even worse, such inaction is criminal and against the teachings of Torah. To quote Rabbi Hillel, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And, if not now, when?” Why, please why, are you waiting before defending the defenseless and, if not now, when?  

 

 

 

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

 

Rockets Lighting Code Red Sirens Again

When the Americans think of rockets they think of their red glare lighting up the darkness. In Israel rockets sound off the Code Red warning sirens breaking the silence of the night sending everyone from great-grandmothers to infants carried in their parent’s arms running for shelters in the darkness. The memory of the Israeli Pillar of Smoke (improperly translated as Pillar of Defense by the Western press) offensive launched against Gaza has faded and the rockets have began to be fired daily, often even multiple times a day, into southern Israel once again. People’s lives had come to a stop, stores were shutting down on some of the worst periods, schools classes cancelled and some workers simply refused to leave their homes and go to their jobs as they feared to leave their children alone when the next rocket attack could come at any moment. The world ignored the incessant rocket fire into southern Israel as most of the rockets missed striking anything of vital importance and casualties were considered acceptable to all except those under attack. The only time the news reports covered these attacks were on the occasion where somebody was killed or hospitalized. The fact that many people were suffering various levels of shock and trauma necessitating treatment and children were having their chances for a normal childhood destroyed never seemed to bother the rest of the world, after all these were only poor Israelis. Much of the world was of the opinion that if things were that bad they should simply move somewhere safe, like maybe as Iranian President Ahmadinejad had suggested to the rest of the world, “Give a piece of your ground in Europe, in the United States, in Canada or in Alaska so that they can create their state.”

 

But once Israel took steps to end the constant barrages of rockets the world suddenly became extremely interested and took to acting. The world with the United Nations, European Union and led by the United States immediately called for restraint and calm and insisted that Israel not send any troops into Gaza as to do so would inflame the Palestinians who would then retaliate and that would simply continue the cycle of violence. Really now, would just continue the cycle of violence? What were the daily barrages of rockets if not the initiator of the cycle of violence? Just because the world only chooses to act when the target of any attack is the Palestinians but completely ignore the month upon month of Israelis being attacked with rockets day and night, unable to sleep comfortably just waiting for the Code Red signal to grab the children from their beds and hustle off to the shelter praying all the time that the siren gave them the full fifteen seconds warning and not less as that increases the chance of being caught out in the open, not the choice place in a rocket or mortar attack. Months of such terrorizing and the world says nothing but as soon as Israel actually does more than bomb an empty building or weapon storage shed the world get all up in a fuss. The only mention of the rocket attacks on Israelis might actually get a mention at the very end of an article describing in great detail the IDF bomb which caused what the world media loves to call overt damage beyond acceptable retaliation for the nuisance rocket attacks. Somewhere the world keeps a scorecard and it is apparently not allowed for Israeli responses to the terrorist rocket attacks upon Israeli civilian populations to do more damage than the rocket fire inflicts as decided by the most wise world appointed keeper of the score. Well, somebody had better awaken the scorekeeper as the rockets are flying out of Gaza and onto Israeli farms, kibbutzim, towns, and cities once again and the IDF will be responding.

 

The rockets have begun to fall more regularly these past two weeks. There had been a lull since the end of the air attacks by Israel during their last offensive which both sides were spared a ground offensive solely because Israel accepted the promises from United States President Obama, the Egyptians all with the added nodding heads of the European Union, United Nations, the world media and whomever else felt their approval was necessary. The media even promised once again to give coverage and monitor to assure the rockets would not go unnoticed again this time forward. Well, the rockets are flying and nobody is reporting once again and just as every former promise, this one too falls shattered by the silence. The rockets will continue to fly and nobody outside of those waking stricken with terror and fear sleeping with an ear out for the Code Red to sound. Nobody cares that Israelis are once again running for shelters at all hours of the day and night or that often the rockets are fired around 8:00AM and 3:30PM to coincide with the times the children are going to and from school. The silenced screams of young babies who not knowing why they have been grabbed from their crib, torn from under the security of a nice warm blanket and now whisked into the night where everyone is running and panicked yells are piercing the night giving them fright and worry that again the world is making no sense will remain silence as the world media does not see their screams are worth their noble mention as these are not the correct screams, the screams they wait are those for which awards are given reporters brave enough to report them. So the nights have their slumbers shattered and frantic parents herd their children out into the night whether under the light of a moon watching overhead or in the clouded night darkness they run and the world remains silent for there are no great recognitions for reporting these peoples plight. The wrong people, the wrong targets, the wrong plight, no, no reporting for yours are not the sympathy the media wishes to cultivate. Only when your government, the all-powerful IDF is called to stop your terrors will the real and special targets face harm and then the reporters will write of misery and broken lives. So, the silent rockets which receive no media mention are once again exploding within southern Israel and the world sleeps softly not bothered with these difficult facts, difficult as they endear no sympathy and thus are unworthy of being told.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Is Boston Beginning of American Intifada?

Israel is at the front cusp of their third intifada. This one thus far could be labeled the brick, rock, block and fire bottle intifada since the attacks are being implemented using large rocks, bricks, cinderblocks, and gasoline filled bottles including a flaming cloth wick (Molotov cocktails). The mainstream media world-wide tends to refer to these attacks by completely omitting the Molotov cocktails and belittling the size of the rocks by using the terms stones or even pebbles. They also refer to those who are launching these projectiles as youths or young teens when in actuality there are young men up through age thirty-five and some are young teens. What they also tend to omit is the use of slings and that many of the road rock attacks are done by launching the large rocks from a speeding car at vehicles traveling in the opposite direction adding the speed of both vehicles to the impact providing often well over seventy miles an hour speed to the impacting rock compared to the windshield it impacts and often pierces.

 

Going back there has been two previous intifada in Israel. The first intifada was implemented by Yasser Arafat and consisted mostly on rock attacks, stabbings and shootings. The second intifada was called by Yasser Arafat and had been planned before he joined in negotiations which he entered planning on walking out and not accepting any offer even if it gave him everything he asked for. The offer he received would have returned 95% of the West Bank, all of Gaza, the eastern half of Jerusalem and exchanges of land to make up lands equal to the 5% of the West Bank being retained by Israel. Yasser Arafat walked out of the negotiations after hearing the offer without even giving any reason for his refusal or making any counter offer or amendment to the offer. Madeline Albright was filmed by news cameras chasing after Arafat pleading for him to please return and negotiate promising they could find an agreement he would accept no matter what he desired. He completely ignored her as if he had to accept anything he would not have been able to implement his intifada and he had already planned everything out. This second intifada was extremely violent consisting of car bombs, suicide bombers, suitcase and carrying bags left in public places containing bombs. Could such murder and mayhem actually ever come to Europe or America? That depends on certain conditions and actions that are taken in the near future and is worth an investigation.

 

The probability of Muslim terror has been found to be related to the percentage of unassimilated Muslim population within the general population. The theory is that when the unassimilated Muslim percentage grows to between ten and twenty percent and there is a potential for radicalization being fomented within the population of sufficient strength, it is likely to cause levels of terror attacks which would be perceived as a societal problem. This alone is insufficient as people do not act in such an antisocial manner without stimulus and causation. This could be initiated by sermons from radical Imams giving sermons in the Mosque or radicalized agenda being taught in the school affiliated with the Mosque. This has been witnessed in numerous locations through northern and central Africa where nations are divided with a strong Muslim centered population bordering a strong Christian or Animist population where most of the violence occurs on the border regions. So, should the population densities begin to attain levels conducive to potential, what forms would such terror take on?

 

To be completely honest, the Boston Marathon bombing is indicative of what can be expected. The targets would be more varied with any place where people congregate becoming a viable target. Such places would be restaurants on special days where there would be people waiting for a table and thus congregated in close proximity. IHOP on a Sunday morning or virtually any restaurant on Mother’s Day would be examples. Also fairs, circuses, sporting events, or grand opening events, especially new shopping malls would also be inviting targets. Targeting would often tend to be aimed toward places with ties to the community and places which people would normally frequent so as to maximize the affects at making people feel uneasy when doing normal everyday life events. This is what is behind targeting family eateries, shopping centers, sports events, and anywhere families would tend to congregate. The aim is to make life so uncertain that everyday life becomes a questionable event and thus public fears are maximized. An attentive and aware public can minimize the threats by learning the signs and indicators which should attract suspicions and then having law enforcement able to make a rapid response and determination quickly with removal or other resolving of any threat with minimal interruption to normalcy. The ability to interdict terror attempts is the best solution that can be applied as it minimizes the threat and that takes away the fear factor which is the entire motivation behind such attacks. Of course the best way to address the potential for terror is to facilitate the assimilation of all peoples making them integrate and become an accepted member of the community. The efforts of every community should assist assimilation and incorporation of all members and peoples as integrated, functioning members of an open and accepting blend of neighborhoods. Fortunately, America has a strong history of assimilation and acceptance.

 

Beyond the Cusp