The Israeli Political Class Image Problem

 

Before getting to the meat of the article I would like to praise something Israel not only got right, carries it off without any hitches and actually accomplished their objective. The article that put a smile on my face and a song in my heart was Secret operation in Syria to rescue last remaining Jewish family. Their mission was to rescue the last Jewish family in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The one thing Israel does extremely well repeatedly throughout her history starting with being the recipient of the European Jews who largely were expelled penniless and then over the next decade had to receive the Jews from across MENA (Muddle East and North Africa) who were also largely relieved from their wealth as well. There was the raid on Entebbe Airport in Uganda and others throughout the years, some which may eventually be covered in books after those involved feel comfortable and the government also allows information to be released. There was one error made but that was by officials after they reached Israel which will hopefully be remedied successfully and all necessary actions be completed as successfully as this operation. The admission on there uncomforting decision being made immediately public is another credit to Israel for having the openness just as was obvious in our historic record which even revealed the slightest mistakes and flaws in the greatest heroes in the Bible, even Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Moses had their flaws revealed even if they were not necessary to the story and solely for the sake of honest recounting.

 

The idea that there are a noticeable number of our current leaders having flaws in their performances and even some in characters, all of which prevent programs which fully reflect Torah and the rest of our laws, such as not settling all the land Hashem promised which all reflects as believable, just as the greatest Jews in Torah and the Bible were flawed though nowhere near with the rate, consistency and severity as our leaders today. Often Israeli leaders appear to be more concerned with their image out in the rest of the world than in performing their supposed assigned task of representing the people they gave promises in exchange for their votes. What their actions are responsible for is made evident in the video below where an English interviewer constantly jumps to interrupt Naftali Bennett shoving the words from virtually every source possible down Mr. Bennett cherry picking and going through these quotes almost without an actual pause to allow Bennett to speak his mind. It becomes obvious that the interviewer chose Naftali Bennett in order to make the point that Israelis are conflicted and that they have no answers to the accusations from the world at large and there are quotes from throughout the range from Prime Ministers to Shin Bet retired commanders, to Presidents all who have given lip service to the two state solution. The entire ambush was to make the record show that almost every Israeli who has been or is in power has supported the formation of the two state solution and that any Israeli who does not support such is a racist, worthless, genocidal lunatics who have no answers and are incapable of even completing a single cogent response. The fact that the interviewer jumped the microphone almost immediately after Naftali Bennett began to express a thought not permitting his putting thought to word to be completed as doing so would have presented a second opinion but that was not the intent, the intent was to ambush Bennett and short rift any pro-Israel record or argument and simply was to spend the entirety of the ugly interview in order to present quotes and other international demands or voted at the General Assembly as valid arguments which are so obviously valid that any refutation must necessarily be pounced upon and denied access to the airwaves.

 

 

 

 

The interview begs the question of what are the most obvious and pressing problems and fatal challenges which make the two state solution impossible to implement. The easiest fruit is to simply quote Mahmoud Abbas speaking in Geneva to a special session called just to give him a platform to denounce Israel for not relenting the lands they have occupied for the last sixty-seven years. We covered this on November 3, 2015, And Abbas Finally Speaks the Truth About Israel replete with the necessary math and the realization of the real intentions and ideas which drive Abbas in his quest against all of Israel. Mahmoud Abbas will be credited with having slipped and actually meaning 1967 and not sixty-seven years ago and thus it will be brushed off as Abbas having a senior moment and misspeaking. The reality indicates Mahmoud Abbas finally spoke the truth in a location where he was recorded and the world could finally bear witness to the bald truth, but the world does not want to hear the truth any more than the interviewer would allow the truth to even be stated during a recorded faux-interview we depicted above. Abbas has often made similar remarks, as had Yasser Arafat before him, when speaking to the Arabs in person or via radio or television. This has also been the central argument which began when the two men with the assistance of the KGB formed the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) in 1964; a full three years before the Six Day War which should get many people to realize the vacuous line of reasoning that now says that the sole aim is to retrieve the lands lost in the Six Day War which the resonating call heard at all too many protests, especially on campuses across the Western World, where it is often chanted, “From the (Jordan) River to the (Mediterranean) Sea, Palestine must be Free!” This slogan leaves no room for Israel and is deadly accurate as to the sole peace Abbas desires to grant Israel, a genocidal cleansing of all of Israel and her Jews declaring such as the second Shoah while threatening to murder the remaining Jews of the world as they join the growing call of the soldiers of Islam to awaken from their slumbers and bring about their blessed age by slaughtering the Jews and all non-Muslims. Their description of these times has the rocks and trees calling to them saying according to Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6985:

 

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.

 

That brings us to the root of the problem. There are numerous Israelis who believe that if only Israel would surrender the right combination of lands and would be sufficiently subservient to the Arabs that they would be satisfied and allow the Israelis to live in peace. They believe that should Israelis just act in a particular manner that they would find some happy magic formula which would allow for Jews to live in peace and everybody would live happily ever after. These Jews would also call for the planting of groves of babble trees as they would shelter us from Islamic violence. Never mind that suggestion being defeatist and leading to every Jew needing to plant their own Gharqad, tree or set of such trees. Doing so ignores all the violence which accompanies any sign of Israeli weakness which is launched whenever the Arabs believe they have seen weakness and even the slightest bit of defeatism as they allocate such actions as a lack of resolve by the Jews and simply another reasoning to apply pressure to gain an even larger surrender eventually leading to the complete defeat of the Jews and their desired goal of chasing the Jews from all of what they see as solely their lands. One can trace ever increase in the levels of violence to a defeatist statement which promised simply another surrender in the face of their violence. The status-quo on the Temple Mount is another example of Jews backtracking when faced with Arab insistence or actions which are the initial claims that the lands do not belong to the Jews and we must therefore surrender further lands as we have to be getting close to the magic formula where some form of equilibrium will be reached. Such statements are defeatist on their own formulae as they recommend some willingness for Jews to surrender more of Eretz Yisroel in order to attain a balance which even on its face proves does not exist. One cannot blame the violence on Israeli actions as often the violence follows words which feed the psyche that believes the Jews to be interlopers unworthy of any claim to these Arab conquered lands as all non-Muslims were effectively removed over the millennia and that it is only Arab loss of faith and face that the Jews were permitted because of perceived Arab weakness.

 

The truth be told, there does exist a formula for existential peace with the Arabs which is really not much of peace as it is a surrender. The peace which Israeli leaders appears to have infected their thinking when they achieve high office or recent retirement is that if only all the land were to be surrendered followed by pleading for the Arabs to pretty please allow us even a postage stamp sized piece of land that then all would be well. These masters of surrender never permit themselves or others to realize the basic truth that the Arabs who are dedicated to terrorism and dealing in death will continue to be the basis of Arab education turning out radicalized teachers from the main Arab factions, Hamas and Fatah. The reality is that there is only a slight difference between Fatah and Hamas and of these two there can only be one in the end, and that will be whichever of the two claims proves to unseat the Israeli claims more completely. The Fatah is mostly nationalist and secular while Hamas is Islamist religious based resistance. Eventually Hamas will win the struggle between these two entities for the hearts and minds as their argument is far more persuasive and the stronger of the two attitudes at their base. Furthermore, the religious fanatics are far more committed to their foes defeat and would never have given even a single line of validation through their negotiations. These religious true believers fuel the fanaticism which leads to homicidal suicide bombings and other forms of terror producing mass casualties which have proven in the past to have gained contrition and erosion of the Jewish positions and thus reinforce the religious fanaticism over the nationalist position.

 

The two Arab foes, Hamas and Fatah, have used these models most effectively with the nationalists pressing the idea that one last concession will bring the entirety of the conflict to a close and while this is being debated in the Knesset and then the following of the fanaticism starts entering a series of violent acts which removes any thought of a peaceful turning over of a limited piece of land and having the level of acts to be deescalated. The reality is that timidity only reinforces the Arab feelings that a complete victor is at hand. This cycle of promise offered, snatched away due to violence, the offer now part of status-quo, new demands of even greater amounts of land followed by greater violence escalating as necessary to force Israeli surrenders. There is only one way to end this slow retreat and that is to refuse to retreat any further and start annexing lands enjoined by the one thing which scares the Arabs the most, continue to call for more surrender. It was Jewish willingness to surrender Jewish rights upon the Temple Mount to the point now that Jews are restricted from visiting the Temple Mount in groups larger than at most a dozen Jews. This permits maximum use of the screamers, biters, and other riotous behavior closing down the Temple Mount to all Jewish visitations. These bowings to Islamic supremacy at our most holy of sites has led directly to Arabic prayers being the sole praying permitted thus refusing praise of Hashem and replacing them with praises of Allah on the Temple Mount with any Jew thought to be praying now resulting in their arrest, full investigative hearings and too often closure of the Temple Mount to Jews entering this holy place at all due to Islamic rioting. It is the permitting of such fanaticisms that has placed Israel in the defense world-wide and behind the BDS campaign which could be nipped at its roots if the Jews would react to such limitations by broadening the personal freedoms for Jews and all others at this holiest of holy places and anything else is purely inviting trouble and an eventual Jewish defeat.

 

 

Backsliding will empower Arab demands and encourage Arab violence. Only exercising our rights and exercising our claims to the lands will end the Arab attempts at supremacy within Israel and in forcing the Jews into Dhimmitude which in the end will bring on the death of the Jewish State replacing it totally by an Arab State in which Jews are Dhimmis taking a subservience to Arab Muslims or facing death, neither of which is acceptable. The first and most important step Israel must start with is speaking our known truths and acting upon them at the same time. This must be followed by our annexation of the lands; something the Arabs will understand and bring them to offer actual compromises and not simply a line of demands from the Jews of Israel. These demands are a direct result of timidity and talk of an approaching compromise as nothing ends any hope of an actual settlement faster than negative public opinion which can take a reasoned and proud Zionist and make him appear weak and ineffectual in an interview where he should have insisted he be permitted to talk and not simply be a prop for the reading of a list of ignorant and an unproductive outing where the Zionists again appeared cowed. Our cause would have been better supported had Naftali Bennett demanded to be heard and when shouted down once again and interrupted after two or three words have threatened to end the interview leaving the British moderator without a foil which made his arguments, his blatant anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and anti-Israel stances more believable than had he been left with an empty studio. I realize that Naftali Bennett is a great supporter of Zionism but when you are being so used one must take actions other than polite demanding your time to express your vision and not just sit there and take insulting breaking in on ones answer every time such that the interviewer had more microphone time than did his guest which is always a sad state of affairs. This interview was an even worse showing than the last Republican debate, another instance where the rules were twisted to put on display the brilliance of the moderators rather than investigate the candidate positions. Demanding fair treatment is not rudeness but rather often a response to bullying rudeness. Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the presumed military wing of Abbas’s Fatah, lauded praises upon the terrorists who shot Israelis near Hevron this past Friday. This action was obviously taken to introduce an escalation of the Stabbing Intifada complimented already with bolder throwing at passing vehicles. Now we will be facing shooting including likely sniper fire in Jerusalem from an Arab populated hill into homes of Jews on the next hill with these shots often from a high caliber weapon so as to penetrate walls even going through two or three rooms before lodging in the other outside wall.

 

 

Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade has Announced that
the Stabbing Intifada is Already Complimented
by Bolder Boulder Throwing at Vehicles, Using
Vehicles as Battering Rams Into Bus Stops and
Light Rail Station. Now There Will be Shooting
and Sniper Fire in Jerusalem From Arab Controlled
Hill into Jewish Homes on the Neighboring Hill.
Additionally the Rioting, Especially the Friday
After Prayer at Checkpoints, Will be Accented
With Loud, Sharp, and Staccato Retorts of
Machine Gun Fire. All This Will Now Endanger
Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and even
Israelis who are Muslims Without
ANY Differentiation at All.

 

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

A Gauntlet Thrown at the United States Feet

 

Reportedly a Russian General strode into the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq and demanded to speak with somebody responsible for military actions and handed the officer a letter after which some curt words were exchanged and the Russian left without further explanation. It has been further reported that there has been a Russian demand that the United States cease all air activity and cease and desist any sorties in the greater Syrian theater or risk a confrontation with Russian aircraft who have orders to defend against United States interference, or so it appears was the implication. Other rumored reports claim that the Russian bombing runs today were concentrated on the areas occupied not by the Islamic State but on the Syrian “rebels” which were trained and working with the United States. This we believe is somewhat a bit of hyperbole as the latest reports claimed that the United States efforts had produced less than two dozen fighters after two years and countless investment in time, money and equipment and that does not sound like anything that would require more than one airstrike. The likelihood is that the Russians were hitting the rebels who oppose Bashir al-Assad which would include potential strikes on United States trained fighters, especially with reports from this past week that they were trading much of their United States provided aid in exchange for free passage through other rebel groups areas in order to avoid a fight which they would likely have lost. So, with the United States continuing to fly sorties, though how few is uncertain, and the Russians presumably threatening to protect Assad and his Alawites and their coastal region from United States air attacks, the question is would the United States attack Assad troops and position or simply contain their strikes to Islamic State positions. Another problem might become a point of contention is if the United States aircraft on missions necessarily cross over Assad’s regions would the Russians attempt to down the United States flights and if such should happen, what would be the reaction from the White House and the Congress.

 

There are too many questions and such complete uncertainty with far too few sources of information to base any hypotheses upon with any degree of accuracy; but why not just fly off the handle and take a stab at this situation and see what we produce and judge it later down the road. Apparently the Pentagon plans to continue with their missions as assigned and ignore the Russian threats probably hoping that it was just so much bluster and sabre rattling. Putin probably feels quite certain that should he push hard enough that President Obama would back down just as he did with the red line fiasco with Assad and the use of chemical weapons which President Putin saved Obama’s bacon as he stewed in pools of indecision and slow and repeated retreats. This is what Putin is basing his boldness upon and has no reason, from the track record which President Obama has compiled, to think differently. The problem is with the Iran deal beginning to tarnish already under the microscope of public opinion, President Obama may be seeking some strong armed acts which he can rebuild some form of foreign policy and military prowess legacy. A desperate man with the clock running out might prove too irrational and unpredictable for anybody to make a safe bet on what actions might be now considered worth the risk. When President Jimmy Carter found himself looking weak he attempted a rescue of the hostages held by Iran and the mission ended in tragedy and dead United States troops including Special Forces and Navy Seals if I remember correctly. A desperate Administration still seeking an uncontested foreign policy legacy which has hung its final shot on degrading the Islamic State and forcing regime change in Syria necessarily removing Bashir al-Assad from being in contention in that process. The Iranians, Hezballah and now Russia have staked their claim to Syria and restoring al-Assad to power and then holding a Syrian election where al-Assad will win reelection by sufficient margin to remove any doubt to his authenticity no matter how unverified the election numbers might be. The Russians have made one thing very clear, despite the overt efforts of the Obama White House’s demands for Assad to be removed from power and not permitted to run in any new elections, as the United States has Assad tried and convicted for his abuses of the men and women who had remained in Syria living in rebel occupied areas and presumed to have joined or be supporting the rebels even if all they were doing was protecting their home and limit their losses, just attempting to survive and not actually backing either side, the two sides will continue to butt heads until President Obama realizes the error of his ways, or so Putin is adamant. The United States does not actually have a dog in this fight while the Russians most definitely have their own pet dog in the fray, Bashir al-Assad, along with Hezballah and Iran, and a potential route towards gaining control over Iraq and Europe and the land bridges between them. The Iranians basically told the world what was the reason and against whom his forces are fighting for and this has been further validated through their actions. The enemy in Syria are the best training facilities built by the Soviet Union back before their break-down and Assad accepted the assistance from the many different sides thus making himself largely responding to the demands and instruction of Russian forces assisting and supplying the tools required to draw Israel into the fight.

 

This multiple fractioned war has coalitions which can be instructive as to who sides with whom and who are the actual players. The initial two sides have all but been destroyed or subsumed by their original parent groups. The Syrian forces of Bashir al-Assad have reacted strongly but with lesser and older weapons than has the Islamic State. The forces fighting with al-Assad currently are the remainder of his military who have stood by his side and watched their power and nation be laid waste and been unable to prevent this horror story. The immediate allies for al-Assad have been Hezballah and originally Iran who are the actual puppet masters working the marionettes. Their final benefactor, forced by the precarious situation faced by Assad and his allies as they had been defeated across the boards, the Russians have jumped into the fray with both feet betting that the United States will accept Russians determining the end results in Syria or be forced to face the Islamic State with little if any assistance from the remaining forces in Iraq as well as Syria using almost universally United States fighting men and women on the ground. The opposition breaks into three distinct groups, the social-Marxists consisting of the leftist forces whose desire was to restructure Syria into a model leftist socialist state. Then there were the Islamist supremacy groups which include all the various factions of al-Qaeda to the Muslim Brotherhood fighting against al-Assad in a semi-symbiotic relationship with the social-Marxists. Then there is the breakaway force which sees itself as the sole preordained leader of all Sunni and eventually all Muslim forces under their self-proclaimed Caliphate. That is the most basic description of the breakdown of the forces before the Russians responded to the sad state of the Alawite troops losses which threatened complete bombing began to systematically strike at the anti-al-Assad forces including the rebels trained by the United States. There are also the forces known as the Islamic State which appear to be a problem to everybody not an active subscriber to their radical agenda who claim they are the core of the new Caliphate. The end result is this self-proclaimed Caliph and his forces will continue to grow unless somebody is forced into committing troops to prevent such advances. From appearances President Obama had been attempting to prevent any large contingent to coalesce around the United States enemies, as well as to force al-Assad from power, without committing any United States ground troops, a tactic which has died gloriously just as predicted and allowed, if not forced, the Russians to appear. This forced Russia to declare their interests and willingness to enforce their side by any and all means required. This will settle the situation in favor of al-Assad by default. The problem is this may not go far enough to eradicate the Islamic State which could surrender their Syrian holdings rather than contend with the Russian troops and simply continue their expansions through Iraq and potentially further throughout the region.

 

 

 

The big, and we mean really big, question is what steps if any will the United States take from the Russian demands they leave the area. Will President Obama press a confrontation and how will he react when any actions, especially sorties flown by United States Air Force and Navy pilots are challenged over Syrian air space and warned to retreat and never return as their assistance is not required nor desired. Will President Obama press the situation to its breaking point of the Russians shooting down an American aviator and taking the pilot prisoner which could happen today of that is the way the cards are being laid out on the table. This current situation with the direct confrontation being pressed and the game of chicken and who will blink first begins. If the glares never blink the other result is a war between Russia and the United States and all the potential ramifications of such a conflict come into play. Our bet is it will get extremely tense and at the last minute some facilitation will be found or Putin will blink first as President Obama is not calling the shots for the United States or he would have turned and run from the first threats as he has done every time he has been challenged. This situation is as serious as or more so than has been played in the media and the media may try to prevent things from boiling over but they will find that beyond their control or even influence. The media can only exacerbate the problem and send things spinning out of control even faster. That is what they must avoid at all costs.

 

Beyond the Cusp