How Democracy Dies in Israel

 

Though we had discussed thoughts of this nature we could only obliquely refer to our suspicions but thanks to Caroline B. Glick for her article which is the meat of our commentary and worth reading as her manner and ability to cut to the bone and serve the meat on any subject is particularly poignant and we would feel as if we had deprived our readers of every morsel and fact within her article The Fruits of Subversion which we read in Jewish World Review which is one of many places where Carolyn Glick can be found. The discussion we will attempt will be to delve into some of the ramifications; both the potential, and the other simply dread and hopefully never come to pass. Needless to point out, adding to a Caroline B. Glick article is not a task for the queasy and in this endeavor failure is not only an option but even a probability. I guess by now we can simply assume that Caroline B. Glick is a reporter and editorialist extraordinaire whom we hold in high esteem. Now let us proceed and try and tackle this not so simple task and hope for the best.

 

There has been a shadow government operating in concert with the administration of a foreign power, that of President Barack Obama and the United States Department of State. This government has taken upon itself the pursuit of an agenda which is completely the opposite of that of the elected government. These individuals have taken upon themselves to assist the aims of President Barack Obama and report to the State department, administration appointees and even the Secretary of State or the Director of Central Intelligence Agency any deviations from the presumptive and United States approved policy potentially taken or in the plans of the government in Israel. Examples from the article included reporting the plans for a strike on the Iranian nuclear sites and we might discern that other such treasonous revelations granted the United States and Obama Administration would include any objections or arguments which Prime Minister Netanyahu might have regarding any peace and concessions and any resistance to of President Obama’s carefully laid out agenda which he and his tools in Israel believed to be superior and a better path for Israel going into the future and against the will of the voters and their elected governance. The problem is that this infection had spread throughout much of the highest ranks including the general staff as well as the intelligence community. Caroline Glick mentioned some names but we suspect, as does she more than likely, that the disease is rotting through many institutions who see their job description to include preserving the democracy their politics support, the people be damned, as what do the people know about the realities of the world and the best of paths for the state of Israel. Another place where this rot had held sway since the beginning of the state of Israel and through the same process of self-appointing replacements and choosing those of identical political philosophies while punishing those who hold contrary opinions even to the point of demotions or forced retirement from serving the country is the Supreme Court and likely the entire legal and judicial system.

 

Perhaps this might be a good time to confess that we did not vote for Likud and much of the reasoning was a dislike and distrust of Prime Minister Netanyahu and wished that there was some way of either limiting the number of total years or terms a Prime Minister is permitted to serve and after that set period of time they would need to set aside their leadership of the nation and allow another to be the representative of their party as Prime Minister even if they continued to lead the party. Such an example might be that Prime Minister Netanyahu after serving, say, a decade holding the office of Prime Minister he would need appoint another from the party, or better yet, have the party choose the new Prime Minister designate to represent that position for example it might be Gilad Erdan, Yuli Edelstein, Yerael Kats or any other Likud member in good standing. Perhaps with such a limitation allowing for fresh leadership even if the same party remains as leading the government year after year after year which might prevent the self-appointed demi-gods from perverting the elective process and the choices of the people and destroying the democracy in order, in their minds, to preserve the democracy.

 

Part of the problem, as we estimate the situation, is that due to sclerotic and often paralytic political power structure which retains a small group of leadership holding all of the positions including Prime Minister and his Cabinet that stresses the top positions in the military, courts, intelligence and other political and security positions which are not elected directly or indirectly by the people into using their privileged positions and access to the decisions, plans and other intelligence including both external, internal and even secretive plans which only the very highest military position and heads of intelligence have privilege to acquire and who are trusted by the people not to overstep their boundaries and serve the people and its government. What is even more disturbing is the seeming support these paragons of perfect knowledge, or at least self-perceived as such, have abused their positions and forfeited the trust of the people and the government they are presumably serving have been celebrated and even granted privileged acceptance and praises from their political allies who are leaning on these people of rank to allow for their political goals and views to be implemented through abuse of force and forfeiting the votes of millions of their nation’s citizenry. The actions of the previous Director of the Mossad, Maj. Gen. Meir Dagan, and commanders such as Deputy Chief of General Staff Maj.-Gen. Yair Gola, compared Israeli society to the Nazis on Holocaust Remembrance Day; the General Staff’s vilification of Sgt. Elor Azaria, for killing a wounded terrorist in Hebron; and the drumming from his position as a commander of an Infantry Company of Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner for striking a European leftist instigator who had earlier broken a number of Eisner’s fingers and caused other equally painful injuries which required medical treatment.

 

Ya’alon and General Staff

 

The general policy being empowered by these paragons of democracy, well, at least in their own minds, and that of the extreme leftists, the defeatists, the leftist media which is to say the majority of the mainstream media, the European Union, United Nations, European government and media, and worst of all the anti-Zionist, anti-Israeli Administration of President Barack Obama is one duly leftist in its approach to all policies and completely placating and forgiving empowering the Arab Palestinians and the terror infrastructure and support systems all in the name of peace at any price even to include the complete compromise of the freedom and identity of Israel as the Jewish State. The obvious question is why these generals are not simply forced from service and replaced with other senior officers who hold more reasonable understandings of the power and responsibility of the military to serve the governance elected by the people. One reason is that it is very likely that the Supreme Court would intervene and return these general staff officers and likely find some choice names of officers who are approaching senior positions and blame them for attempting to overthrow the general staff and they themselves would find themselves drummed from service and potentially incarcerated, thus is the established leftist shadow governance. As far as removing such generals from the IDF, such a move would necessarily require the support of the Defense Minister and MK Ya’alon leans left himself and would likely defend these generals and may be partly the reason that Ya’alon was chosen for the position such as to have a person who could work with the generals the IDF offered and not one to shake things up and rock the boat. The entirety of the system of unelected policy experts who are pursuing their own agenda is an echo chamber which amplifies the problem which will take a brave and ready to fall on their political swords for the nation and its people.

 

The final item we will attempt to cover is why it may be time to find a new Prime Minister to replace Netanyahu, from Likud if necessary. The nation needs a bold leader who is willing to take whatever steps are required to enforce the will of the people. Such a person would be, by necessity, somebody with an almost careless outlook and one who does not prefer the limelight and instead simply desires sacrificing to serve the nation and its people. Unfortunately such a person is unlikely as a parliamentary system is not usually capable of taking dire steps even when many see it as necessary. A Parliamentary system most often places a party functionary who has the right pedigree often the result of years of steady service to the party as a dedicated soldier. This is how Ya’alon became Defense Minister as did the rest of the Prime Minister’s inner cabinet. One of the complaints we have often heard was that there was such a seeming dearth of politicians who would be worthy of being the next Prime Minister. Even when other parties are added to the discussion with their presumed additional candidates there are still very few if any additional candidates who might excite the people, or at least none of us here. We did have one we would have hoped would offer themselves as a challenger for the office of Prime Minister as the lead of their party but they made a couple of defeatist comments, one in particular which displayed a serious deficiency which displayed they were not ready for prime time, let alone Prime Minister. If anyone has any ideas on a viable challenger, please encourage them as Israel cannot long survive these closed systems and their ruinous effect acting against the will of the people. The leaders in the legal systems, military, intelligence and law enforcement systems are presumed and designed to serve the people and the government and to implement the desires and policies of same, not take it upon themselves to be gods and rule taking power upon themselves simply because they see themselves as superior to the elected governance. Such is a closed system free of outside forces for change thus not reflecting the will of the people as they serve and should not be placing themselves above the people and their welfare, which is also against Torah.

 

Thank you all,

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Not as Simple as America Safe Europe Not

 

There has been much discussion over the lapses in security follow-through by Belgium Security Forces which may have contributed to both the Paris attack and the more recent Brussels bombing as Molenbeek neighborhood produced both terror cells and much of the planning for both attacks were carried out there. Additionally, the leader of the Paris attacks was captured by Police in that same area. We have heard that Turkey had deported a number of Belgians who had been arrested attempting to enter Syria presumably to join the Islamic State and that the Belgian authorities did little if any follow-through and allowed these people to slip from view of enforcement personnel. There was told that the United States and Israel had both warned Brussels of the coming attack with some information pointing to Molenbeek and bombing of the airport and main subway station, the exact targets. Still, the Belgians did little if anything.

 

From this one might think that the situation in Belgium in general and in Brussels particularly was excessively lax considering the warnings received. What many may not have caught is that much of Europe and the world are similarly not well protected from terrorism. Egypt had a Russian jet loaded with a bomb explode over the Sinai and just this week had another aircraft hijacked by a disturbed individual. Though the hijacking was not technically terrorism, the people suffered through an ordeal which for all intents and purposes was an act of terror. The number of attacks across Europe since 9/11 has far outstripped that of the United States, a fact that almost every news coverage stressed, especially those based in the United States. This begs a few questions as to what are the differences between Europe and the United States which might account for this difference.

 

Could it be as simple as availability as most terrorists can walk to Europe from the Middle East or Northern Africa (MENA) where the United States would take a deal of swimming. That makes entry into the United States more regulated despite its presumed porous southern border with Mexico. One fact many are not aware of is that the southern border of Mexico is heavily guarded and short of bribery one does not cross without proper authorizations which in a strange manner makes that porous southern border of the United States a little safer. But there is a greater difference and it has to do with dividing the authority and assignment for responsibility to prevent terrorist strikes. The fact that the United States has an overriding security apparatus which operates nationally while each state operates locally makes all the difference. When one police force in Europe gets any evidence of a terrorist cell operating within their area, they would hopefully monitor them. But what if their plans are being sent cryptically to a cell the other end of Europe, what would the interaction appear as. Would it be as the Turkish, Israeli and American security warned the Belgians. Even with warnings, would there be in existence the infrastructure in their police to handle such intelligence. Very likely not and this needs to be made evident to those in the United States of their good fortune for being a republic binding the fifty states together in cooperation with set rules and assignments and this is their security which is lacking in Europe.

 

Let’s do a thought experiment. Imagine the United States never did become one nation and instead became fifty nations just as Europe has different nations. There would be different languages spoken in some of the nations due to the primary immigrants and no universal English preferred as was the case for over two centuries. How well would the individual nation states be at handling security? Would they have in place a unified method of securing their airports? Would they have the funding for expensive scanners and detectors for every air terminal? What would they do with individual bits of information from the many varied individual nation states to figure out a grand scale the targets for terror strikes? Remember that the United States had the CIA, the FBI, Military Intelligences, all the individual state, county, city and rural police. All together they might have been able to piece together the 9/11 attacks and prevented them. They had all the pieces and even the computer of one of the conspirators along with all their levels of security and they missed it! Europe has no overriding law enforcement which can operate freely and without any interference from local authorities. Don’t even try to claim INTERPOL which puts out its Ten Most Wanted lists and attempts to coordinate two hands clapping patty-cake from two people across the room from each other, it does not mesh well.

 

 

 

 

That is the problem in Europe, no coordinating body which can gather all the information and coordinate efforts. Even if INTERPOL had the smoking gun they would still require local police and security personnel to act to prevent any catastrophe. There was one article which got the solution correct, but it will require the nations of Europe to make a decision. Will the nations of Europe actually make an effort to cooperate if an overseeing agency is activated and placed responsible for tracking all things terror related and to whom these individual police and security agencies would necessarily need to report all leads and respond to any inquiries. Without their agreement in advance there is no reason for going through the actions as full coordination and cooperation is the key to success, just as it works, mostly, in the United States. What would rankle the nerves of the Europeans the most is that the overriding group would be NATO and would necessarily coordinate with Israeli security services in order to gain the whole picture. There would also be coordination with Egypt, Jordan and any other government willing to share solid and good information and intelligence. We all know that the European will do almost anything not to appear to react as Israel acts. They view the Israelis as paranoid lunatics who howl at the full moon and other imaginary threats. The Europeans are convinced that through respect and deference they can avoid terrorism like has been levelled against Israel, justifiably by most European thinking. Well, that same snake which the Europeans have been financing for decades has finally come home to roost and is killing Europeans and not just Jews. The time has passed where Europe needed to awaken to the threat levels they are facing and it is not too late, but it is imperative that action start and start soon to fight this rising menace. Either Europe will learn from the United States for coordinating across state lines and from the Israelis on how to implement smart security.

 

A final note on air safety. We have done our share of international flying in the past five years and have seen differing levels of security in the United States and elsewhere. We also have had more than sufficient relations with others including one friend whose plane landed in Brussels minutes after the terror attack, their ordeal was harrowing at best and maybe, just maybe, their luggage will find them again some day in the not too distant future. United, American, Southwest and whatever airlines you care to mention with one exception rely on whatever security the airport at which they fly from provides. That is pure insanity as that does not guarantee a level of expertise or efficiency that provides a safe environment for their passengers and employees. Many of these airlines met with Israeli representatives who described the means by which very few El Al aircraft has ever been successfully hijacked. The solution explained by El Al have always been regarded as the best methods for protecting passengers and aircrews but also too expensive and man-hour intensive to be utilized by these other major carriers. They claim passengers would refuse to pay the extra required for such screening while El Al does the multi-layered screening of passengers and background test their crews leading to the safest flying experience possible. Even further, the El Al aircraft are fit with Elbit Systems C-MUSIC anti-missile Protection systems, and that alone is worth the price of the fare.

 

 

 

 

The people at El Al take these incidents very personally. One of the most daring and astonishing stories is well worth reading titled How to thwart a gunman at 29,000 feet, by the only pilot who ever did. Please take the time and read this true story of one pilot who asked the right questions and used every bit of resources he had to foil an armed hijacking using guile, skill and a large dose of chutzpah. Meanwhile, if Europe is going to get a handle on the terror threat they prefer to pretend is not real, they are going to have to accept facts and deal intelligently with the threat and find a means for a coordinated effort by whatever means. NATO is simply the best suited with its current configuration and technical abilities and was designed to protect Europe from threats, that may as well include current terror threats, and let us all realize that maybe the Israelis actually know what they are dealing with and one might learn a thing or two.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

European Refugee Situation Slowly Unraveling

 

Just in case you’ve been all wrapped up in your own particular problems of life, in Europe there are rioting refugees playing a game called ‘Leap Borders’ where Arab refugees from every conceivable area of the Middle East and North Africa, yes, MENA again, jump from one nation to the next hoping to land eventually in Germany, Sweden or Great Britain primarily and settling for France, Romania, Czech Republic or wherever they are not forced beyond the borders and finding a nation with a generous social safety net and accommodations. Hungary was the first and loudest in setting out the ‘unwelcome mat’ as we previously noted but since then there have been other nations to also decide against being welcoming to the flood of refugees. The division between those who have given the sign that they might be willing to accept some number of refugees and those nations whose basic message is ‘don’t stop here’ is the same divide that existed before the wall in Berlin fell, the former Warsaw nations are basically closed while the original NATO nations have been more generous. The one nation which has shown the greatest generosity has been Germany which has said they will accept up to 800,000 refugees and are challenging their fellow European Union nations to take the lead and share in making these refugees welcome.

 

There have been severe problems with refugee rioting in Greece as depicted in the short video below, as if there were not already sufficient problems for the Greeks.

 

 

Also more at the port on the Greek Island of Lesbos

 

 

Then there are the signs that Hungary has their enforced ‘No Vacancy’ sign out.

 

 

Germany, alternately, suffered from anti-fascist protesters clashing with the Hamburg riot police.

 

And further use of violence in Germany against fellow Germans who have a differing view than Ms. Merkel when it comes to her
open border policies. These demonstrators had police using their riot batons rather than tear gas or water cannons.

 

Germany even got a small flavor of what is otherwise a problem only in the Middle East as blood flowed on the streets of
Frankfurt as Turkish and Kurdish protesters assaulted each other and the police attempted to control the skirmish.

 

And more of the same Kurdish-Turkish violence with the police caught in the middle.

 

 

These are but a scratch of the scratch on the surface as one can find many videos on-line depicting the violence both visited upon the refugees and by the refugees. The one trend we have found is that a large percentage of the refugees who are rioting are males who have mostly threatened not just police but also any natives who may object to their trampling their yards or other disgraces and insults. On the other hand, much of the news coverage has shown pictures of families with husband and wife with a number of children and often these people are well educated often with degrees and claim they simply desire to use their education and restart their lives. Additionally we are told that these refugees are coming almost uniquely indirectly from Syria where their lives have been demolished and they truly have nowhere to turn for help. The media picture is so perfect but over the past week it appears the media began to notice that their line was not holding validity as they had desired. Just a few decades ago our entire presentation of the carnage and rioting would have been the media line that these are all families and not hordes of young, military-age young men most without family and all proudly demanding they be accommodated and how they are in Europe to make changes and have the Quran swallow-up the Bible and have all knees bend to Allah and face Mecca five times a day. But be prepared for pictures of scenes like the below.

 

 

 

 

The above is far from the only sympathy inducing, heart grabbing, tear inducing and soul touching image which all started with a picture of one small child who had drowned and washed up on the shoreline of a Turkish beach. Within an hour of the child’s picture being placed on-line it had gone viral and were trending as the top image for the next day to day and a half plucking the heartstrings world-wide. This was parlayed into the insisting that Europe open its borders and take in as many refugees as were to be sent their way. Previous to this recent inundation there had been a steady stream of immigrants entering through Turkey and Greece heading for Germany or Great Britain as well as rafting to Italy and heading generally north to north-west heading for France. Now there are throngs of people streaming across all of Europe showing total disregard for any laws such as the law requiring one to register with the initial country whose borders one crossed to enter into the European Union nations. Of course this as well as tracing the paths taken by these refugees has been made next to impossible as so many laws are being broken the European nations will have plenty of problems even discovering all of the refugees which settle in their nation.

 

 

Arab Child Drowns Producing a European Drowning by Refugees Playing on Collective Consciences as Preface for a Full Scale Invasion

 

 

There has been one fact which has appeared to be omitted to the discussions, namely, why haven’t the wealthy Arab nations taken in even a token number of refugees. The Saudis offered to build two-hundred mosques in Germany. Despite the trillions of dollars that Saudi Arabia and the other oil fiefdoms have accumulated, they do not appear to be all that enthused about opening their borders and taking in some of their brothers and sisters or do they know something that Europe might wish to know as well. Perhaps the Saudi Royal Family knows that the pictures are not depicting an honest portrait of the people breaking across all of the European borders. But the Saudis are fully aware that should they be permitted to build and place Imams in two-hundred mosques that they will have a deeply entrenched propaganda center where only Wahhabis views, prayer books, CD’s and other media as well as controlling the services each thus producing all Wahhabis patrons attending the services at the mosques they build.

 

 

Women and Children refugees from Syria pictured for the better and in depth coverage by international news service storyline avoiding the actual violence and true nature of what is slamming its way across Europe

 

 

Start of the Journey for Arab Women and Children on the outset of the heartstring tugging story of their frantic fleeing from Syrian war in its fifth year to Europe seeking safety and freedom and in no way an invasion as in the above videos

 

 

The problem comes when the media misleads the public and then against the self-preservation of the public. Often those demanding that the illegal refugees be granted citizenship on an ad hoc based solely on fulfilling their drive to produce a desired result, laws and reality be damned. Their desire is to get huge numbers of refugees accepted into their nation and placed in homes or camps or whatever, so long as they do not pose any inconvenience to the high and mighty. After all, one must keep the refugees far from the precious elite. The drive of the uber-leftists does not worry about the pesky little details like housing and shelter, including the Saudis who simply made the generous offer to build mosques. This is the same tune time and again, the leftists desire to be given the accolades while the rabble and the riotous noise is kept from their doors and away from where they shop and take their restive tea breaks every afternoon. After all, these are the elegant ones, the people of great moral convictions, just as long as they are not put out or have to wade through scenes if rioters. These uber leftists are in favor of any and all core beliefs just as long as they are spared any consequences, except for the few who also give aid to the refugees. In this case, they do community work in an effort to back their slogans with actions. They are the true believers and are to be lauded as they give and back all with actual participation and acts of kindness and make a real effort to improve the world around them and everybody else. That is the faith and credit one must give such people. Seeing videos or pictures of such people assisting when nothing was asked of them, especially saving people facing physical threat is absolutely going beyond the sake of courage and always worth noting.

 

Some people make living each day a bit more inclusive and such an assortment of joys and promises there is in one whose love and selflessness allows them to pour out their hearts daily taking strength from their acts they perform and appear indefatigable in all that they perform. Should the world ever be blessed with an abundance of such people almost every problem of the world will be solved in quickness beyond all expectations.

 

Beyond the Cusp