COME TO THE ANTI-DISENGAGEMENT PROTEST RALLY IN CRAWFORD TX APRIL 11, 2005 Posted by Unity Coalition for Israel, March 31, 2005.

YOU ARE INVITED and URGED TO ATTEND AN ANTI-DISENGAGEMENT PROTEST RALLY Monday, April 11th, 2005, 1:00pm - 3:30pm Crawford, Texas Guests from Israel include: Victims of terror, think-tank members, college professors, and other outstanding spokesmen who will be flying to Crawford direct from Israel Join them in an effort to save the 8,500 Jewish residents who are being dispossessed in Gaza and Northern Samaria. Rally busses are available from Colorado, Oklahoma, Tyler, Texas, the Dallas airport and several other locations. For further information, call Pastor Vineyard at 405-943-3326 or email: whbc@windsorhills.org to RSVP By following an inconsistent strategy against terror in Israel, the U.S faces military defeat at the very frontline of the global war on terrorism. A TWO STATE SOLUTION IS NO SOLUTION!!! Download the "UCI Declaration of Concerns: Road Blocks to Arab/Israeli Peace" from http://www.israelunitycoalition.org/aboutUs/doc.pdf The Unity Coalition for Israel (http://www.israelunitycoalition.org) is "the largest worldwide coalition of Jewish and Christian organizations, with more than 200 groups representing millions of people dedicated to Israel. Though we have many different backgrounds, we have one common goal: A Safe and Secure Israel." "Israel is not just a Jewish issue. Millions of Christians resolutely endorse the principle of peace with security for the state of Israel. Because we work closely together and speak with a united voice, our message is being heard!" To Go To Top

AFSI/ZOA CHIZUK MISSION TO ISRAEL - MAY 29-JUNE 7, 2005 Posted by AFSI, March 31, 2005.

Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI and the Zionist Organization of America/ZOA are pleased to announce that spaces are almost completely filled for their Spring mission to Israel which will be held from May 29-June 7, 2005. We will depart from JFK & Newark airports at 2:30 PM on Sunday, May 29, arriving in Ben Gurion airport at 8 AM. Our armored bus will meet us, driven by our trusty driver, Ami, and Israel Danziger, leader of Mishmeret Yesha, who will be our guide. We will head directly to the northern Shomron, visiting the endangered communities of Sanur, Mevo Dotan, Kadim and Ganim. We;ll stay overnight at the beautiful Ashel HaShomron hotel in Ariel where we can enjoy a swim in the beautiful outdoor pool. The next day, Tuesday, May 31, Izzy Danziger will take us to sites in Itamar and Yitzhar where we can witness the training of the rapid response teams that serve the individual communities, in coordination with the IDF. We will try to include as many of the Shomron communities as possible in this visit. Overnight again at Ashel HaShomron, and then on Wednesday, June 1, we will travel to Gush Katif /Gaza for two nights at the Midreshet HaDarom. It is our intention to visit all the communities within the bloc, in order to show our strong opposition to the Sharon expulsion plans. If we discover that we absolutely cannot get into the Gush because of military closures, we will activate our back-up plan. On Friday, June 3, we will visit the holy city of Hebron and its surrounding communities, pray in Kever Rachel in Bethlehem, and then head to Jerusalem, where we will enjoy a beautiful Shabbat. The Kings Hotel in Jerusalem will be our headquarters for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. During our time in Jerusalem we will have tours of east Jerusalem with Dan Luria of Ateret Cohanim, Chaim Silberstein of Uvneh Yerushalayim, and Arye King of Maaley Hazaytim. We will also arrange for early morning visits to the Temple Mount for those who are interested. The Yom Yerushalayim ceremonies begin on Sunday night, June 5, to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem. We will participate in the parade and continue with the ceremonies and celebrations on June 6. As always, a host of distinguished speakers will be included in the AFSI/ZOA program. On our November trip, some of the speakers we heard were: Itamar Marcus, Moshe Feiglin, David Wilder, Daniella Weiss, Ruth Matar, Dror Vanunu, Moshe Saperstein, MK Benny Elon, MK Dr. Arieh Eldad, and Josh Reinstein, spokesman for MK Yuri Shtern. Once again, Rabbi Bruce Rudolph will be making the flight and hotel arrangements for the group, and also consulting on the itinerary plans with Helen Freedman, Glenn Richter, and Charlotte Wahle, the tour planners. The cost of the trip, including flight and hotels, all breakfasts, most dinners and some lunches, is $2000 per person, double occupancy, plus airport taxes ($77). Single occupancy additional cost is $200. Non-AFSI members will be charged an additional $100, unless they prefer to join the organization for the annual cost of $50 per family. Those who wish to make their own travel arrangements, and simply join us for the land part of the trip, are welcome to do so. The cost for the land only is $1000. Israelis, too, are invited to meet us at the airport when we arrive at Ben Gurion and join us for this important solidarity mission. But we must, of course, know about their participation in advance, and they will be charged the land costs. Participants may also extend their trips, or meet us in Israel. It is very important that we know of any deviations from the group travel plans. Please notify Bruce of your specific travel needs, including your preference for JFK or Newark departures and arrivals. His email is: brudolph@health.nyc.gov. Also, let us remind you that passports must have a six month leeway in order to be accepted. If your passport will expire within the next six months, you must renew before departing with us. Please be sure to give us your exact name as it appears on your passport. Another request is that you keep your luggage to a minimum. One bag and one carry-on per person is most desirable, since the bullet-proof buses have less luggage room than regular touring buses. Those interested in joining can learn more about our past missions by going to the AFSI website, www.afsi.org, and looking at the article and photos from the November, 2004 trip. Call AFSI at 212-828-2424 to make your reservation with a non-refundable $100 deposit no later than April 13, or email us at: afsi@rcn.com. Full payment will be required by May 2. Members may charge their costs on VISA or Mastercard. There are very few spaces left. We advise interested parties to sign up as soon as possible. There are those who have also expressed an interest in going with us and remaining in Gush Katif through June and July. Arrangements can be made for this extended stay. Please let us know if you wish to be included in the group that remains. Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI is a pro-active pro-Israel advocacy group. AFSI may be contacted by mail at 1623 Third Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 (Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717); by email at afsi@rcn.com; or by accessing its website: www.afsi.org. Helen Freedman is Executive Director. To Go To Top

SAUDI ARABIA'S MOSLEM TERROR IS BEING IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED STATES! Posted by Women in Green, March 31, 2005.

What happened on 9/11 is going to happen in the United States again, unless steps are taken by the present government to prevent such re-occurrence. Saudi Arabia is one of the main sources of monies to build Moslem mosques throughout America. It also exports into the Moslem congregations in the United States the Saudi philosophy of a gradual takeover of America. The Bush family has close oil ties with the Saudis and that is indeed worrisome. Moreover, the former Secretary of State James Baker's able law firm represents the Saudis in the United States, and serves as a protective shield for the plans and ideas of that wealthy Arab Country. The Road Map Plan is essentially the Saudi Plan, and represents a threat to Israel's and the Holy Land's continued existence. Nevertheless, President George W. Bush has appointed James Baker to head a committee, without bothering to have Israel in any way consulted, in order to pressure Israel, not to obstruct Arafat's confidant Abu Mazen in any way. Abu Mazen, who is no different from Arafat except in appearance, is the co-founder of the PLO, whose Charter calls for the elimination of Israel. That is why it is so very important that you drop everything and come to the Protest Rally in Crawford Texas, on April 11, 2005, led by Pastor Jim Vineyard. (Tel. 405 943 3326) (email: whbc@windsorhills.org). President Bush will be meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Arik Sharon at his Ranch near Crawford on that day, and it is vital that there be a massive turnout protesting the American supported Plan of Ethnic Cleansing of Jews from their Biblical Promised Land. The Evangelical Christians were the decisive factor in electing George W. Bush to a second term. It is they, and only they, who can convince U.S President George W. Bush to change the State Department's and Baker's present policies with regard to Israel. The Holy Land should not, and must not, be taken over by the Moslems. The threat to the values of Western Civilization, nursed by anti-Bible Saudi Arabia, must be fought by anyone who wants the moral values of the Bible to survive. Arab terror and the anti-democratic values of Saudi Arabia must not be allowed to triumph. By having a mass turnout in Crawford, Texas, you will insure that the religious values of the Holy Bible will survive, and that there will be no ethnic cleansing of Jews from their Promised Land. Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

THE "CONTIGUITY DOUBLE STANDARD Posted by Bryna Berch, March 31, 2005.

This was written by Ricki Hollander and Gilead Ini, Senior Research Analysts, www.CAMERA.org After Israel approved building a new neighborhood in Ma'aleh Adumim, a few miles east of Jerusalem, many news reports indicated that such building is objectionable because it would prevent Palestinians from controlling "contiguous territory" in the West Bank, both cutting them off from Arab neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem and bisecting the northern and southern areas of the West Bank. These charges -- an extension of the accusation that Israel is trying to separate the Palestinians into "cantons" or "bantustans" -- are false. Moreover, they demonstrate a double standard in that they advocate contiguity for Palestinians by cutting off contiguity for Israelis. A striking double standard was demonstrated by a March 29, 2005 Ha'aretz editorial entitled "Provocation in Ma'aleh Adumim." The editorialist posited: "...it is difficult to accept the revelation that the government plans to build another 3,500 housing units in the area known as E-1, between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim, and thus obstruct the territorial contiguity needed for a Palestinian state." Acknowledging that "the chance that [Ma'aleh Adumim] will be evacuated is nil," he/she asserted that: "Logic says the area [between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem] should be preserved for Palestinian construction." In other words, Ma'aleh Adumim should be "cantonized" to allow the Palestinians more convenient passage through the West Bank and Jerusalem. The Ha'aretz editorial is clearly spelling out what others in the media only imply -- that Palestinian contiguity (in fact, not contiguity but convenience) should be preserved at the expense of Israeli contiguity. But even the question of contiguity for Palestinians is contrived. Palestinian contiguity in the West Bank would be no more cut off with the so-called E-1 corridor than would Israeli contiguity if Israel were to withdraw to its pre-1967 borders, even with slight modifications. As for Palestinian access to Jerusalem, it would not be precluded by Israel building in a corridor between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem. North-South Contiguity Laura King of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "The building project, [Palestinians] say, will not only cut East Jerusalem off from Palestinian communities in the West Bank, but will place a wide wedge of Jewish homes between the northern and southern West Bank.. That would be a blow to Palestinian hopes for controlling contiguous territory to form a nation." (3/22/05) [emphasis added] The Boston Globe's Dan Ephron asserted: "Critics of settlement expansion said the extension of Maaleh Adumim would nearly bisect the West Bank and seriously set back the Palestinian goal of establishing a contiguous independent state - an aim also articulated by President Bush." (3/22/05) [emphasis added] Greg Myre also touched on the idea in the New York Times, writing that "an expanded Maale Adumim would serve as a barrier between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank. Palestinians traveling between the two parts would face a lengthy detour..." (3/22/05) [emphasis added] The American Heritage Dictionary defines contiguous as continuous without a break or a continuous connection. Regarding Israel and the West Bank, the concept and interpretation of contiguity can best be understood by examining the map of the area. The black X marks the approximate location of the new neighborhood near Ma'aleh Adumim. To the west of the X is Jerusalem. The red line around the X is the planned route of the security barrier, which will include Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem on the Israeli side. Those who charge that Israeli building in Ma'aleh Adumim, and the construction of the Israeli security barrier around the town, severs north-south contiguity disregard the fact that Palestinian-controlled areas would be connected by land east of Ma'aleh Adumim (marked on the map) that is at its narrowest point ~15 km wide. Again, the issue is convenience, not actual connection of the northern and southern areas, since the areas are not actually severed from each other. Moreover, Israel proposes to build tunnels or overpasses to obviate the need for Palestinians to detour to the east around Ma'aleh Adumim. Ironically, many of those who argue for greater contiguity between Palestinian areas, at the same time promote Israeli withdrawal to its pre-1967 boundaries, which (even with minor modifications) would confine Israel to a far less contiguous territory than that of the West Bank. As shown on the map above, the route necessary to travel between northern and southern Israel (e.g. from Arad to Beit Shean) is even more circuitous and at its narrowest, there is also a roughly 15 km wide strip of land between the Green Line (and the Security Fence) and the Mediterranean Sea (near Herzliya). Palestinians Are Not Cut Off From Eastern Jerusalem The Washington Post's John Ward Anderson has reported that building around Ma'aleh Adumim is, according to anti-settlement activists, "the final step in sealing off north and east Jerusalem from Palestinians living in the West Bank." (Feb. 7, 2005) This claim is also untrue. Access to Jerusalem through Abu Dis, Eizariya, Hizma and Anata is not prevented by the proposed neighborhood, nor would it be precluded even if there were a string of future neighborhoods that actually connected Ma'aleh Adumim to Jerusalem. Lee Green is with The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), which monitors the news and TV media for how fair they are in reporting on Israel. The website address is www.camera.org. To Go To Top

IDEAS, IDEAS, IDEAS Posted by Arieh Zaritsky, March 31, 2005.

From the Free Pollard organization (www.FreePollard.org): Tip to Sharon, who's about to visit Prez Bush: DO NOT RETURN WITHOUT POLLARD. Bring Pollard with you. From Dror Vanunu, Gush Katif (a)   Consider moving to Gush Katif: MK Uri Ariel is joining Eitam and Eldad and is moving with his family to the Gush - http://www.a7.org/news.php?id=107660 (H) (b)   Jewish Supporter all around the world - please follow suit. To live in Gush Katif: Call (972) 08-6847.048 of fax 08-6845.128 (with your full name ID#, current address, children ages, preferred settlement, tel #). (c)    PLEASE, make efforts to fly to Israel before (IF!) the evil "Jews' Expulsion Project" starts (around July 25) and join the crowds who would come to bodily block it. (d)   If you are unable to come in person, PLEASE HELP otherwise: * Use the English website for Katif - www.katifund.org - for news etc, and contribute online donations * Tell us about any activities going on in your community for Gush Katif * Forward this message to your friends and add a link to our website. from tsvi november (tsvinovember@hotmail.com) Please consider taking every red cent ear-marked as foreign aid to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA and use these monies to create a fund for the humane re-settlement and rehabilitation (i.e. education and training) of Arab Palestinian refugees, especially those residing in Gaza refugee camps. In addition, link foreign aid to Arab countries to the absorption of these refugees in Arab League states. This program will (1) not cost a penny more to US taxpayers than is currently being expended, (2) courageously tackle the most difficult Palestinian-Israeli issue, (3) have a direct positive impact on Israel's security and (4) defuse the demographic time bomb that constitutes the terror groups' (i.e. Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hizbullah) primary source of strength. Obviously, the entire Arab political leadership from Morocco to the Arabian Peninsula will strongly object to this initiative but going over their royal heads so as to directly help the common people (i.e. the refugees) will do wonders to advance (by example) the concept of democracy in the Arab world at the grassroots level. from Walter James O'Brien (w_obrien@earthlink.net): ...What is needed is an organized crime task force to root out all the "big fixes" and "easy money" deals in place between Arab terrorists and the Peresites which will kick in when the Frankenstinian state occurs. - Jimmy Hoffa did not die, his spirit of kickback and corruption lives on in the REAL Oslo Treaty. From Eliezar Abrahms (abrams32@telus.net): Read "Kick Your Victim Addiction. 12 Steps to Restoring Courage and Freedom" by Aaron Zelman & Claire Wolfe at http://jpfo.org/victimaddiction.htm Arieh Zaritsky is a professor in the Life Sciences Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (http://www.bgu.ac.il/life/Faculty/Zaritsky/index.htm). To Go To Top

IS AMERICA THE SS TITANIC? Posted by Joe Marzal, March 31, 2005.

Too many see the U.S. as Israel's last hope, its sole guarantor of security and survival. This is utterly foolishness and a deadly mistake. The warning signs are everywhere to see, that the unsinkable U.S. Superpower is slowly sinking. Have faith in G-d, ALONE. America has hit the Iceberg called 'Dividing up the Land of Israel.' This essay was written by Douglas Herman and appeared March 28, 2005 on the Strike The Root website. It is archived at http://www.strike-the-root.com/51/herman/herman8.html History's Enduring Morality Tale In 1912 the steamship Titanic was an enormous floating palace with many levels of society enclosed in a single vessel. The upper levels of the ship housed the wealthy and powerful. Below the richly furnished staterooms of the elite, the corresponding levels of society descended to the very bottom of the ship, where the lowest classes lived and worked. "At her launching in May 1911, the British press hailed the White Star Line's 46,000-ton superliner Titanic as "the Wonder Ship," the most stupendous, the most luxurious, the safest ship afloat," wrote Sir James Bisset. Despite the media rapture that heralded the Titanic as the most marvelous ship afloat, several of her crew deserted. "The rumor had started several days before the Titanic left Southampton," said then second mate Bisset. "Newspapers for months had been printing articles extolling her wonderful qualities, but on the morning when she was due to leave Southampton, twenty two men who had signed on in her crew were missing." Despite the media rapture that presently heralds America as the sole remaining superpower, an unsinkable republic and an unassailable democracy, the country appears to be cruising as comfortably into unsafe waters laced with icebergs. The warnings have been forthcoming for a long time now. Similar to the enduring morality tale of the Titanic, where "not one, but many errors brought her to disaster," little hints of disaster indicating a larger tragedy to come have been sent - and ignored - by friendly ships of state all around. Aboard the SS Titanic on her maiden voyage a helmsman firmly took the wheel. Behind him stood two powerful figures, the ship's Captain, Edward John Smith, and Bruce Ismay, the Chairman of the White Star Line. Behind them stood the prestige and power of the owner of the White Star Line, Ismay's father. "There is testimony that Ismay urged the captain to maintain maximum speed," said Bisset, one of the first men on the rescue scene after the sinking. Thus the helmsman aboard the Titanic actually wielded little power, exercised little judgment, aside from spinning the wheel. Those who stood behind him in the shadows set the course and determined the speed (and were wholly responsible for the ship). A New Atlantic Speed Record for her maiden voyage became an enviable goal. All that was required was an increase in power, and thus, speed for the entire voyage. Aboard the SS America, nearly a hundred years later, the helmsman stands at the wheel, looking self-important, nominally in charge. Although the hands of the helmsman certainly grasp the wheel, the course and speed of SS America have been set by others. In the shadows, the power elite plot the new course, having increased power and speed, irregardless of the safety of the vessel. To the privileged class striding the upper decks of the most powerful vessel afloat, there is little cause for alarm, however. After all, capable men control this enormous ship of state and so the leisure class promenade proudly past the stout lifeboats of their diversified investment portfolios, and calmly tell themselves the vessel is unsinkable. Ice warnings arrived throughout the entire voyage, 21 warnings altogether, including seven that Sunday. The Titanic continued steaming at top speed towards the pack ice - growlers and bergs - drifting down from Greenland. The two radiomen aboard the Titanic, Harold McBride and Jack Phillips, passed the warnings to the officers on the bridge throughout the day, but were mostly kept busy sending stock market messages from the wealthy businessmen on board and relaying stock quotes from New York. Aboard the SS Carpathia, steaming east towards the Titanic, Captain Rostron remarked about the great ship on her maiden voyage. "She must be a wonderful ship, but all their newspaper bragging seems a kind of blasphemy, claiming that she's 'unsinkable' and all that kind of thing." The Carpathia would be the first ship on the scene after the disaster. Ironically, Captain Smith of the Titanic had remarked, on an earlier occasion, "I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." On Sunday evening aboard the Titanic, the upper classes continued to dine in opulent splendor before retiring. In the lower levels of the ship, particularly steerage, the common folk passed the time, reassured by the throb of the powerful engines and the stoutness of the steel hull, the swishing of seawater against the steel plates almost reassuring. The prospect of a bright new future, a new American century, appeared almost within their reach. Unknown to anyone aboard the Titanic, whether passenger or crew, a critical design flaw had been built into the construction of the vessel. Inexplicably, Titanic's bulkheads and watertight compartments, did not reach all the way to the top of the overhead ceiling. Should the ship ever be flooded suddenly, her pumps might not keep the seawater from topping the bulkheads. The "unsinkable" Titanic would then quickly sink. Aboard the SS America, the bulkheads and watertight doors likewise did not go all the way to the top. An intentional yet critical design flaw, ignored by passengers and crew alike, revealed that, in an emergency, nothing stood behind the US dollar but mere paper, empty promises, and the weight of massive debt. Still the ship of state sped onward, into uncharted waters incurring mountainous debt while the helmsman swung the wheel according to the dictates of the rich and powerful men behind him. Despite ample and repeated warnings of hazards ahead, from writers and radiomen with foresight, another foolhardy speed record beckoned those in control. Called the Project for New American Century, all that was required was an irrational increase in power and speed to achieve their goal. That and considerable luck. AT 11 PM, the Titanic steamed west at her maximum speed of 22.5 knots, her radioman still sending and receiving stock market directives. A message arrived from the steamship Californian, ten miles to the northwest, that she was stopped for the night by ice blocking her way. Aboard the Titanic, the harried radioman, Jack Phillips, cut him short with the terse reply in code, "Shut up old man I'm busy." The SS Titanic, the largest ship afloat, where "not one but many errors brought her to disaster," was only minutes away from her doom. Aboard the opulent luxury liner, however, neither the passengers nor the crew realized their immediate danger. Indeed, most slept soundly even when the Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 PM and had to be aroused thirty minutes later. By then, at 12:15 AM, the frantic radioman Phillips tapped out his first distress signal - CQD - to be followed ten minutes later by this desperate message to the reply of the Carpathia: "CQD CQD SOS SOS CQD SOS. Come at once. We have struck a berg..." The score of ice warning repeatedly ignored by those who set the speed and course aboard the Titanic had finally caught up to the "unsinkable" liner. "The fact that the Titanic had struck a berg in calm weather on a clear night meant one of three things," observed second mate, James Bisset, of the Carpathia: "insufficient lookout; responses too slow from her bridge; or that the big vessel at her full speed had not quickly enough answered her helm to avoid collision."Full view picture of an iceberg Within two hours the largest ship afloat would be foundering, her engine rooms flooded, her radios failing. Untrained crewmen struggled to launch lifeboats and board hundreds of stunned, reluctant or disbelieving passengers. If the ship was so unsinkable, they wondered, why were they being forced into lifeboats? Many wealthy passengers - and almost all of those in steerage - would drown when the ship sank; there simply were not enough lifeboats. By 1:45 AM, when Phillips tapped his last message, "Come as quickly as possible. Engine room filling up to the boilers," the last lifeboat pulled away from the sinking ship. Bruce Ismay, however, would survive the sinking of the Titanic. "According to evidence," remarked Bisset, "he had jumped into a boat that was being lowered." Like many of those now in command of this ship of state, the SS America, the Ismays of the world always survive. Indeed they thrive, even prosper, whether in disaster or success. Whether Neocon, Bilderberger, Wall Street insider or architect of the New World Order, they're the first ones into the lifeboats with a money belt firmly around their waist. When the collision of the SS America occurs, with a mountainous iceberg of foreign debt amid an ice pack of foolhardy foreign adventures, the ablest survivors will be those least clinging to the notion that the vessel is unsinkable. Indeed, many of the foremost survivors will resemble the 22 crewmen who abandoned the Titanic before she sailed, aware that those who command our beautiful vessel are woefully incompetent or criminally insane. Postscript: Then as now, New York newspapers were pretty unreliable for accuracy: "ALL Saved From Titanic After Collision," blared the New York Evening Sun, of April 15, 1912. The Carpathia arrived at 4 AM, Monday, April 15, almost two hours after the Titanic had sunk. "The increasing daylight revealed dozens of icebergs within our horizon," observed Bisset. "Among them were four or five big bergs, towering up to two hundred feet above water level. One of these was the one that the Titanic had struck." The Carpathia's crew spent the morning rescuing 703 survivors and hoisted 13 lifeboats aboard. Neither the Titanic's captain or her first officer were among the survivors. Captain Smith, aware of the enormity of his error in judgment, had gone down with his ship. One final irony: sometime this spring the vessel USS America will be sunk, somewhere in the Atlantic. Joe Marzal can be reached by email at marzal@myway.com To Go To Top

WHY SHOULD I SHUT UP? Posted by IsrAlert, March 31, 2005.

This essay was written by Leslie White. I'm a Jew, I don't live in Israel, I'm not Israeli, do I have the right to criticize Israel's government or defend it? After all, I'm not affected by what Israel's government does - or am I? We Jews were without Israel for nearly 2000 years. Sometimes things went well, other times not, and lately not well at all. After doing not much to keep us from being wiped out, the nations let us have Israel back - part of it anyway. For the two millennia before that, we couldn't point to a real country of origin. Yes, we hailed from most, if not all, countries around the globe, but those weren't really our countries. At any time, we could be told to leave. With the return of our land, there were now two kinds of Jews: Israelis and the rest of us. Before that, we all lived in foreign lands. The Jews that lived in what the Romans had renamed "Palestine" were not living in their own country either, but under foreign rule. Some Jews think as Jews, others as citizens of the country where they happen to live. These latter can of a sudden face reality. The yellow hate can be as subtle as a non-Jew mocking us with a put-on Yiddish accent. Not all Israelis think as Jews. I'm talking of Israeli Jews when I refer to Israelis. Arabs that were handed Israeli citizenship cannot be considered as Israelis. Some might be loyal to Israel, others consider themselves "Palestinian" and side with the PLO and its malignant outgrowths. There are Israelis who have forgotten the lessons learned by their forbears. They no longer believe in Israel as a Jewish State, a Jewish homeland, a refuge for all persecuted Jews, They want an Israel that is the state of its citizens, be they Israeli-hating Arabs, non-Jewish hooligans - some outspoken anti-Semites from the former Soviet Union - as well as Israelis (Jews) who see nothing wrong in giving more and more of Eretz Yisroel to the Muslim Arabs who want to kill all Jews and turn Israel into an Arab Islamic "Palestine". These anti-Israel Israelis want to see Israel not as a Jewish state, because they dream of a peace where Arab Muslims and Jews embrace as they celebrate their common humanity. Chances of that? As good as that of Muslims expurgating all anti-Jewish rhetoric from their Koran. The Jews who already lived in the reborn Israel, or streamed back there, faced challenges and hardships different from those the rest of us had encountered. From agricultural achievements through Arab massacres, British persecution, to constant Arab murderous harassment, the experience and history of the Jews that built, held, and today defend Israel is unique. The rest of us were on the outside, looking in. Sure, we visited Israel, sent our children to stay in a kibbutz, bought Israel bonds, and otherwise financially supported our land. But most of us weren't on the frontlines, defending the land. All Jews living outside of Israel do not share a history. We have one thing in common though: our ancestors were exiled from what is now Israel. Many of us prayed and hoped for a return of the land and its capital Jerusalem. Not all approve of what the government of Israel does, some even do not want an Israel at all, others see Israel as the only solution to the nations' "Jewish problem." To the Jews in Israel, those of us, who live outside, are "away from home". I want a strong Israel and am exasperated at the contortions for "Peace" at any cost from successive Israeli governments. Some Israeli Jews say, "Come to Israel, make aliyah, only then can you tell us what to do". There are Jews in Israel who feel as I do. On the other hand, there are Jews both outside and inside Israel who "feel the pain of the 'Palestinians'". The Israelis who feel compassion only for the "Palestinians" and not for their own people also want more Jews to come to Israel - to help them hold what they believe to be the moral high ground - giving the "Palestinian" Arabs everything they want (which, in the end, is all of Israel). When we "outside" Jews start to see blood in the eyes of the inhabitants of the nations among whom we live, coming to Israel appears as our only out. That's why we have a stake in the land and what becomes of it. How can we have a right to the land of Israel, if we don't live there? Before and since its rebirth, we have supported Israel with money, words, and by political action among the nations. Doesn't that give us at least some right to have a say about Israel? I know, I know, you Israelis want us all to go there now, to fill the land with Jews, bring our expertise, etc. I don't think that having all Jews in the world in one place is such a good idea. There are those around eager for an opportunity to take out all the world's Jews at one time. Also, if all of us Jews were to leave the United States, who do you think would jump in and with lobbies and voting blocks to pressure the government to squeeze Israel out of existence? Here in America I can say and publish what's on my mind: how Israel should be a Jewish state, not a state of its citizens - many of whom side with the enemies of Israel - and what should be done with these external and internal enemies. If I were to say or publish that in Israel, I could be charged with racism and incitement(1). We Jews outside of Israel do not all feel the same about Israel. There are those of us, and I am one of them, who support Israel, but do not always agree with the actions of the Israeli government. Then, there are Jews on the outside who do not want an Israel at all. There are those who criticize any of Israel's acts unless it is on the road to turning it over to the Arabs. Do they think that Jews will be allowed to live in an Islamic state as fellow citizens of Muslim Arabs? If they look at how many Jews live in the "territories" occupied by the "Palestinians" and how many live in such Islamic Arab countries as Jordan and Saudi Arabia, they can see the chance of that. The acts of the government of Israel do affect Jews living outside of Israel. The Jew wearing a kippa on the way from or to shul is beaten up by Muslims for the sake of "Palestine". Synagogues are defaced with graffiti and firebombed because Israel exists(2). If you are the type of Jew - male or female - who puts on an Arab headdress to march in an anti-Israel demonstration, carrying a sign with the words "Free Palestine!" among a throng shouting "Death to the Zionists!" you probably believe you are fighting for "human rights". As the rally heats up, you pretend not to hear the shouts of "Itbach al Yahud!" (slaughter the Jews) as emotions reach the boiling point, but shout "End the occupation!" hoping that the louder you protest against Israel, the more you show these enemies of Israel with whom you are marching that you're on their side. You don't worry whether you have the right to criticize Israel, you feel it your duty. But say now you have returned the Arab head-dress to your "Palestinian" friends and you're alone, walking home from the demonstration, not carrying your sign. You look - well - Jewish. A bunch of Jew-hating hoodlums spot you. To them you're a Jew, and they blame you for what Israel does. What happens next, I leave to your imagination. That brings us back to the question: Is it proper for you, who do not live in Israel, to speak out for or against the government of Israel? A while back, I said, "the return of our land to us" - to us, not to them, not only to the Israeli Jews. Israel belongs to all of us. You don't want it? Or you feel it isn't yours because you're not Israeli, or you don't agree with how the Arabs are being treated? Think of it, Israel is the only land that will let us in, when there is no other country that will have us. There are Israeli Jews who would disagree that Israel belongs to all Jews. To us they say: "You haven't fought for Israel, you haven't bled for Israel. You do not live there as an Israeli." But we do have a right to it. Our ancestors were dispersed from there, scattered among the nations by the world power of the day. For millennia many of us have prayed for a return of the land to us, the descendants of these ancient Jews that stood up to the world power and paid a terrible price for it. The land is ours - it is the land of all Jews: The Israeli Jews that hold it today and defend it from its enemies and we on the outside who back them up with financial, moral, and political support to keep Israel a Jewish land. I'd say we have every right to voice our opinion. As Israel goes so go the Jews. Without Israel, we are a people without a land again, a people living at the sufferance and mercy of the nations. So when some Israeli Jews say, "Either come home to Israel or keep your mouth shut," I say, "No, not until we have a safe and secure Israel, independent, able to determine its own destiny." The way things are going, looks like I'll be making lots of noise for some time. NOTES: 1. "Section 144B of the anti-racism law states that 'one who publishes a matter for the purpose of incitement to racism, may be incarcerated for five years'; and that 'it does not matter if the publication led to racism or not, and if it contained truth or not.' This means that one may be imprisoned for five years for publishing words which, whether true or not, hurts no one! This is a remarkable infringement on freedom of expression." Professor Paul Eidelberg, "The David Haivri Case," http://foundation1.org/papers-articles/democracy/haivri-freedom-speech.htm 2. "The key issue which divides the British Jewish and Muslim communities is the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. 'Jews are confronted with a rigid Islamist standpoint which concedes no legitimacy to the State of Israel and which justifies terrorist violence against Jews in the name of Palestine, regardless of whether the victims carry Israeli passports. Ben Cohen, "Evaluating Muslim-Jewish Relations in Britain" Jerusalem Viewpoints, No. 527, 22 Shevat - 6 Adar I 5765 / 1-15 February 2005, http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp527.htm Harv Weiner, a businessman in Dallas, Texas, is the founder and moderator of Isralert. To subscribe to IsrAlert, send an email to isralert@aol.com To Go To Top

THE REAL DANGER TO THE ARMY AND TO SOCIETY Posted by Dr. Ron Breiman, March 31, 2005.

The plan to use the IDF for political ends, to expel Jewish residents from their homes in their homeland, will do severe damage to the morale of officers and soldiers. It will rend the fabric of the army and of society and endanger the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Professors for a Strong Israel cautions against using the army and the security apparatus for purposes that have nothing to do with Israel's defense. The transfer will not pass!!! Dr. Ron Breiman, is Chairman of Professors for A Strong Israel (PSI). He can be reached by telephone at 050-5-518 940 in Israel. To Go To Top

GUSH SHALOM TAKES PART IN PRO-PALESTINIAN PARLEY Posted by Yuval Zaliouk, March 31, 2005.

Dear Jewish friends, Here is an extreme example of people and organization without shame. Many would call them traitors if not worst. In stark contrast, you will never read about a conference convened in support of Israel and its policies, in which Palestinians participate. What a very sad state of affairs. If instead of maligning and discrediting the brave Zionist citizens and builders of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, PM Sharon and his government spent 5% of the time to curb the activities of this fifth column inside Israel, things would look a lot better. In times of war, should Peace Now (Gush Shalom) be banned? Boycotted? I wonder... This article was written by Herb Keinon and appeared in today's Jerusalem Post and is archived at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/ JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1112152826237 A three-day "Peace in Palestine" conference in Malaysia concluded Wednesday with a call for a boycott of Israeli products. More than 300 people from 34 countries attended the conference, including five representatives from Israel's extreme-left Gush Shalom and representatives from the extreme anti-Zionist haredi Neturei Karta group. An action plan was released at the end of the conference calling for a center to be established in Malaysia to coordinate the proposed boycott. The Israelis who attended reportedly had to receive special permission from the Malyasian government to enter the country. The center will study how to "organize a selective boycott of Israeli goods and divestment from that country in order to pressure Tel Aviv to withdraw completely from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," the joint action plan said. Other proposals by the activists included urging governments to end military dealings with Israel and encouraging direct aid to the Palestinians and the import of Palestinian products. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said, "These sort of one-sided extreme and anachronistic resolutions do no one any good, neither do they serve the cause of peace. Those who are truly interested in peace should not be conducting boycotts, rather they should be encouraging dialogue." Regev, who would not comment on the participation of Israelis in the conference, said: "If people in Malaysia want to play a positive role in support of peace and reconciliation, it would be effective that instead of just speaking to one side, they chose to speak to both sides." Malaysia has no diplomatic ties with Israel. In 2003, then Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad told a summit of Islamic leaders that "Jews rule the world by proxy" and the world's 1.3 billion Muslims should unite, using nonviolent means for a "final victory." "The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews rule the world by proxy, they get others to fight and die for them," he said at the time. On Wednesday, Chandra Muzafar, president of the Malaysian-based International Movement for a Just World, said groups in the United States and Europe were also attempting a boycott of Israeli products. He did not say when the boycott would be launched and what kind of goods might be affected. "We will not rush into such an action," Chandra told a news conference. "We want to study the various dimensions of this issue before making a move." The conference was organized by the People's Alliance for Peace Malaysia, a coalition of 1,100 nongovernmental associations, religious groups and political parties. Yuval Zaliouk writes the Truth Provider columns. To subscribe, send an email to ynz@netvision.net.il To Go To Top

DAVID PROJECT RESPONDS TO COLUMBIA REPORT ON STUDENT HARASSMENT Posted by Sliwa News, March 31, 2005.

For more information, contact: Dr. Charles Jacobs of the David Project, 617-835-3584 or cj@davidproject.org Biased Committee Ignores Facts, Protects Its Own NEW YORK, March 31 - Responding to the just-released report of Columbia University's Grievance Committee headed by Vice President of Arts and Sciences Nicholas Dirks, Charles Jacobs, President of the David Project in Boston, issued the following statement: This is a biased report by a biased committee, which ignored the facts to protect its own. We expected an unfair report from a committee composed of friends and colleagues - and even a thesis advisor - of the professors it was supposed to investigate. But the report is disgraceful, beyond our expectation. The Dirks Committee failed President Bollinger, who only a few days ago told the press that Columbia professors cannot "use the podium as an ideological platform to indoctrinate a captive audience." The Committee considered only three incidents of professors harassing students worthy of investigation. We know there were many more. It projected blame for the problems on outside forces. While the Committee judged the testimony of Professor Joseph Massad not truthful - he was charged with shouting at a student, "If you're going to deny the atrocities being committed against Palestinians, then you can get out of my classroom!" - the report so gently chided him ("...his rhetorical response to her query exceeded commonly accepted bounds...") that his wrist may not register the slap. The Dirks Committee report tries to silence dissenting professors, upbraiding whistleblowers on the faculty who help students report abuse by other professors. The report admits the University Administration was insensitive, inconsiderate, and even antagonistic to students who complained that anti-Israel professors harassed them. And it admits that students had no effective means to register complaints. But it reduced a major academic scandal to only these narrow bureaucratic foul-ups. Most importantly, the Dirks Committee evades the main issue: the teaching of lies and propaganda by Arabist professors who so demonize Israel that defenders of the Jewish state find themselves in a hostile environment in their classes. The report evades this issue by referring to incidents of biased, dishonest teaching in pedagogical and psychological terms. It classes them as "rhetorically combative" methods or as expressions of "uncongenial views" that - and the issue is reduced to this - make some students "uncomfortable." But the committee never considers the possibility that these "teachings" are lies and propaganda. When Professor Massad teaches that the word "Zion" means "penis" and therefore Zionism is a macho movement, this is not an uncongenial view, but a lie. When at Columbia it is taught that the Jews are Nazis and the Palestinians are the new Jews, and that the Jews slaughtered Arabs in Jenin, these are not "rhetorically combative" modes of teaching; they are blood libels, anti-Semitic provocations, deceptions, and Arabist propaganda. These issues will only fester if "investigated" by friends of the offending professors, many themselves anti-Israel activists, circling the wagons. The only question is: What will Lee Bollinger do to restore academic integrity? The David Project, which promotes a fair and honest discussion of the Middle East Conflict, produced the film, "Columbia Unbecoming." To Go To Top

CHIEF RABBINATE RECOGNIZES BNEI MENASHE Posted by Michael Freund, March 31, 2005.

This is a news item from today's Arutz 7 (www.Israel National News) and is entitled "Rabbinate Recognizes Bnei Menashe as 'Descendants of Israel'" (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=79370). In a historic decision yesterday, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar decided to formally recognize the Bnei Menashe of northeastern India as "descendants of Israel." The Chief Rabbinate has also agreed to send a beit din (rabbinical court) from the Chief Rabbinate to the region to convert them. The Bnei Menashe claim descent from the tribe of Manasseh, one of the ten tribes exiled from the Land of Israel by the Assyrian empire over 2,700 years ago. They reside primarily in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh. In recent years, over 800 members of the community have made aliyah thanks largely to the efforts of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), a Jerusalem-based group that reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund, who took part in yesterday's meeting with the Chief Rabbi, praised the decision. "This is a momentous day, and we are very grateful to the Chief Rabbinate for the openness and sensitivity that they have demonstrated in addressing the issue of the Bnei Menashe. This is the breakthrough that we have all been waiting for, and thank G-d, the remaining 6,000 members of the community still in India will at last be able to come home to Zion." In June 2003, then-Interior Minister Avraham Poraz of the Shinui Party decided to halt the Bnei Menashe aliyah, reportedly because he objected to the fact that they were all religiously-observant and many chose to live in Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. After Poraz' decision was announced, Freund turned to the Chief Rabbinate, and began lobbying to receive official rabbinical recognition of the Bnei Menashe as a means of circumventing the Interior Minister's decision. Yesterday's meeting with the Chief Rabbi marked the culmination of those efforts. Rabbi Eliyahu Birnbaum, a dayan (rabbinical court judge) and spokesman for Rabbi Amar, said that the decision had come after careful consideration and study of the issue. "The Chief Rabbi sent a delegation of two dayanim to India last year to conduct a thorough investigation of the community and its origins. After a thorough review of their findings, it was decided that the Bnei Menashe are in fact descendants of Israel and should be drawn closer to the Jewish people." Rabbi Birnbaum added that once various conditions laid down by the Chief Rabbi are fulfilled, such as the construction of mikvaot (ritual baths) in India, and the dispatch of additional teachers, then the Chief Rabbinate would send a beit din of its own to the area to convert members of the community to Judaism, thereby allowing them to make aliyah to Israel. Michael Freund served as an aide in the Prime Minister's Office to former premier Binyamin Netanyahu. He is Chairman of Shavei Israel, an organization that assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to Judaism. To Go To Top

SAGACITY Posted by Evelyn Hayes, March 31, 2005.

The most sagacious testament of the Jews is the Torah. Its important commandments are: Thou Shalt Not Kill, Steal or Bear False Witness. Using these measures of wisdom for civilization would denounce dubious handshakes, peace frauds and unilateral disengagements for the compensation of jihad suicide killers and rocket smugglers and shooters, stealing and the Big Lie. As it was a custom to scapegoat and blood libel the innocent Jew rather than the terrorist, some Jews who want to be like the masses are bullying their own Jewish brethren, sacrificing them to appease the beast that reformed terrorists also acknowledge as beastly. Would King Solomon give the Land to pan-Jihad a la Iraq and Taliban which destroys Jews who love, plant and have the longest legitimate lease? There are no excuses for eliminating Torah truths and divesting from all that is the Land of Israel, the Commandments for Civilization, the Jewish midos that makes deserts bloom. Muzzling the message fails G-d, goodness, the Jews and their inherited estate of Israel. Compromising with disengagers is not to stand upright for truth, justice and life itself, but to bow and surrender to false idols and death. It is to reward Jihad instead of demanding Torah truth and standards. It is to accomodate evil and sacrifice all that is highly civilized for destructive "anti-dhimmism" and to put the whole world at risk. Evelyn Hayes is author of "The Eleventh Plague, Twins, because their hearts were softened to accept the unacceptable" and "The Twelfth Plague, Generations, because the lion wears stripes." Contact her at haze@rcn.com. To Go To Top

ATTENTION LIBERALS; ABBAS FINANCES HAMAS; PIPES' DANGEROUS DOUBLE STANDARD Posted by Richard H. Shulman, March 31, 2005.

ATTENTION LIBERALS P.A. television's most quoted Quranic phrase about the Jews is, "come let us kill them." Would Jews who derive their views about Israel from the liberal press favor P.A. statehood, if the press publicized the fact that incitement to pogroms is P.A. policy? Or would they seek a new source of news? MISSING FROM ISRAELI ARGUMENT The P.A. and its sympathizers constantly claim that the security fence imposes hardships on them. They don't say how many Arabs are involved per month or what financial burden the fence poses for them. To make their case, they should have to. Mountain out of a molehill? Israel's sympathizers reply that the complainers fail to acknowledge that the fence is intended to prevent terrorism and save lives. By reducing raids and counter-attacks, it spares the Arab population much trouble, so that it actually is good for many of the Arabs. Also, since terrorism is illegal and heinous, the Arabs bear responsibility for the fence's cost to them in money and convenience. They should address their complaints to the P.A.. This argument is unanswerable. It should be put with more self-assurance than it is, so as to prevail. I find it put weakly. Nor am I satisfied with it. Why don't Israel's sympathizers assess how much difficulty the fence does make and for what proportion of the Arab population? Without apologizing, why don't they discuss what steps were taken to reduce the hardships from it? Such a discussion would put the problem in perspective. It might turn out not to be extensive. I don't see how Arab hardship could be extensive. The fence is close to the Green Line. It leaves 93% of Judea-Samaria in the P.A., along with most Jewish communities of that province. What about those now isolated Jewish communities? Have they no hardship, being less protected from Arab terrorism? Where is the sympathy for them? ANOTHER THOUGHT ABOUT "OCCUPATION" We've already explained that: (1) Israel is the legitimate heir to the Territories, under the Mandate; (2) Israel is not an occupier because the Territories were not part of a sovereign state; (3) if they were, Israel would have a right to occupy them after having taken them in self-defense; and (4) Israel would have a right to annex them for security against further aggression from them. The more one thinks about the subject, the more one realizes the malicious falsity of the charge that Israel occupies Judea-Samaria and Gaza. Not having been sovereign, the Territories' are the unallocated portion of the Mandate. The biased world acts as if the Arabs are entitled to them. Part of this act is sincere, being confused by the UN's 1947 recommendation that they be given to the Arabs and the Jews' foolish perceiving in that partition plan validity for Israel's existence. The Mandate already had recognized the Jews' pre-existing entitlement. The UN has little legitimacy to confer or withhold, it being a place of corruption and evil, whose own legitimacy is being challenged. To falsely call Israel an "occupier" implies that Israel has no business there. Do the users of that false term not know that Judea-Samaria and Gaza are key parts of the Jewish homeland? Do they not know that the Mandate's provisions envisioned and mandated Jewish settlement there? What we are seeing is antisemites misusing terms in order to overturn legitimate Jewish claims. Joint report: by Medecins Du Monde, Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, and the Palestine Red Crescent Society, against Israel's security fence. One-sided: The report fails to acknowledge the barrier's purpose and evidence of its success, to reduce Arab terrorist attacks. The report referred to the barrier as "the Wall," although little of it is a wall. Since the image of a wall is starker, the Arabs and their supporters conjure it for propaganda. Essentially the report is an unscrupulous anti-Zionist propaganda piece against Israel, as one has come to expect from NGOs. Testimony: From several dozen complainants, but anonymous. What credibility has it? The report also relies on certain Arab and Israeli organizations, such as Palestinian Environmental NGO Network and "the highly ideological Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions," known for demonizing Israel, not for factual objectivity. Complaint: "The Wall deprives Palestinians (i.e., Arabs in the P.A.) of adequate access to basic services such as water and education, as well as sources of income such as agriculture and other forms of employment. The Wall has steadily added another layer of obstacles isolating, fragmenting and therefore weakening the already fragile Palestinian healthcare system." Denunciation of: "... all other factors and tactics of occupation which restrict the Palestinians' right to live and move freely in the Palestinian territories. It violates both international human rights and ... humanitarian law." "Relying on the biased advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the security barrier, the criticism of Israeli measures to restrict Palestinian freedom of movement again ignores Palestinian terrorism." It "... criticizes IDF searches of ambulances, ignoring the documented abuse of medical facilities and vehicles in Palestinian terror attacks. Assertions: "By annexing the West Bank's water resources and most fertile land and separating the Palestinians from their work in Israel, the Wall also reinforces unemployment and poverty". NGO Monitor explains, "These claims are not backed by reliable evidence and are outside the claimed purview of the NGOs." (IMRA, 2/15.) The assertions are false. Israel did not annex land in Judea-Samaria except for the normal municipal expansion of Jerusalem, but is entitled to annex the whole province. It didn't annex water resources, but is entitled to share them under riparian rights to joint aquifers. It boosted Arab access to water. Note that the biased group takes reinforcement from another, the Intl. Court of Justice. What a lack of humanitarian concern for the Jewish victims of Arab terrorism! One never hears those "humanitarian organizations" condemn Arab terrorism, supported y the Palestinian Arabs as a whole, for hampering Jewish travel and even for mass-murder. ABBAS FINANCES HAMAS Exhorted by the US, the P.A. had frozen Hamas bank accounts. This brought Hamas to a financial crisis, according to Abbas. To induce them to agree to a ceasefire, he unfroze their funds (IMRA, 2/15). So much for the Great White Hope, Abu Mazen who still is financing terrorism! During the ceasefire, Hamas would spend some of the funds to purchase arms, so that afterwards, it would be ready to fight. The rest would be spent on building up popular support for the war. Freezing of funds is an over-rated, almost phony measure. It has but temporary effect, for its hold usually relaxes. Then the culprits get their money back, to do mischief with. Confiscate, instead! "METHODS MATTER LESS THAN GOALS" Daniel Pipes challenges the Administration's invitation to Hizbullah and Hamas to eschew terrorism for politics. The Bush-Rice operative theory hopes that domestic concerns for constituents would mellow the terrorists. Mr. Pipes asks rhetorically whether a Nazi renunciation of violence would have rendered Hitler acceptable; no, because Nazi goals were more important than their tactics. Same for Hizbullah, which seeks global totalitarian domination for Islamism. Bush's hope naively overlooks the record. Totalitarians can meet constituents' needs, along the way to consolidating power over them. Totalitarians use democratic methods, when that is the path to power, but once entrenched, they destroy rival political parties and influences. Totalitarians would not be legitimate participants in democracy, but would exploit it to destroy democracy. Democrats must ban totalitarian parties (NY Sun, 3/22, p.6). Let us clarify this. Fanatics lie about their intentions. Their job is to promise, ours is to disbelieve. So of course Pres. Bush and Sec. Rice are ridiculous in their hopes for goodwill from fanatics. Fixing potholes, what Bush said would preoccupy them, does not disabuse them of their ideology. It certainly did not in Iran, Germany, or the USSR. Let us be careful of our wording and our prohibitions. Totalitarians fail the test of decency and acceptability regardless of some compromises on means and promises on ends. Nevertheless, we should beware of a loose prohibition of totalitarians and "racists," such as Israel's unjustified banning of political rival Rabbi Meir Kahane's political party. They called him a racist as the excuse to ban. What he warned about has occurred. His persecutors now are picking on fellow Jews. Why doesn't Mr. Pipes apply the same criticism, that fanatical terrorists such as Hizbullah, who cannot be trusted with a militia certainly cannot be trusted to rule a state, to the Administration's invitation to the PLO, who are fanatical jihadists with equal determination to destroy Israel and equal hatred of the West? Because Pipes takes the Council on Foreign Relations position of pretending that there are no security and ethical problems in turning Jewish territory over to the Arab common enemies of Israel and the US. MISUNDERSTANDING THE ARABS "The Jerusalem Post writes: '"On Wednesday, the EU is expected to consider whether to add Hizbullah to its list of terrorist organizations. If it does not, it will plainly be a slap in the face to Israel. It will also be a slap in the face to newly-elected P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas... In any case, a policy of support for Israeli-Palestinian peace and for the new PA government cannot be taken seriously when there is a refusal to even recognize, let alone confront, a terrorist group that is openly committed to destroying both." (Foreign Ministry, 2/15). The "Jerusalem Post" misunderstands what the P.A. is about and what it is for. It is about terrorist jihad and it is supported by the EU to destroy Israel. Yes, the EU would be condoning terrorism. However, EU support for the P.A. condones terrorism, whose leader is Abbas. He does not seek peace but conquest, partly by diplomacy and partly by war, just as Hitler once did to many countries now in the EU. Why doesn't the "Jerusalem Post" confront that truth? Hint: Its new editor is a leftist. Leftists don't confront truth anymore, they misunderstand it or they distort it. Richard Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. His comments and analyses appear often on Think-Israel. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com. To Go To Top

RAV MOSHE TENDLER: THE PIKUACH NEFESH  PRINCIPLE Posted by Menachem Kovacs, March 31, 2005.

Even before the government voted to destroy the communities of the Gaza Region, most people were feeling helpless - clueless about how they could personally help change the terrible decree facing the Jewish people. As the Jerusalem protest tent was folding last month, Voices Editor (moi) and Publisher had the opportunity to chat with the respected Yeshiva University rosh yeshiva and Jewish leader Rabbi Moshe David Tendler, shlita. Here are some excerpts of our talk: Many years ago, a talmid of mine married and lived on a kibbutz. After nine years of married life, which included visits to the biggest fertility specialists in Israel, G-d did not strengthen with them with children. He was appointed as a shaliach to America, where the couple consulted with experts in fertility management. None of the doctors they met had the key that the Ribono Shel Olam keeps in His pocket. After almost two years, and no children, they prepared to return to Eretz Yisrael. He asked me if he could see my father-in-law [the great sage of the previous generation HaRav Moshe Feinstein] ztz'l. Like a good Litvak, my father-in-law said to him, 'Did you try everything? The best in Israel? The best in America? You gave up? There's nothing else? Well, now the Ribono Shel Olam will help.' As long as you think you have a better idea, one that the Ribono Shel Olam didn't think of, He waits until you finish. Once you make up your mind that there's nothing to do, then you come to the conclusion, Ein lanu al mi le'hisha'en elah al Aveinu She'BaShamayim.(We have no one to rely on, except our Father in Heaven.) On the way home, they took a side trip to France and to Italy, and by the time they landed home in Israel, she was expecting. They have nine children today, bli ayin hara. I use this story for myself and for others. The trick is to give up. We haven't given up enough. Surely, we have to do everything. Lemaan yevarechecha H' Elokecha bechol ma'asecha asher ta'aseh... (So that Hashem will bless you in everything you do. If you do, Hashem will bless you, and if you don't, He won't bless you.) So you did everything you could possibly do, and you have to have confidence that it will work out fine. The question is, 'Did we do all we could possibly do?' That's the whole shayala (question). Give up when there are some obvious important things to do yet, and then HaKadosh Baruch Hu is not yet involved. Did we do everything possible? I think there is more to do: We must contact the American money men, who support Sharon and the city of Jerusalem. Money talks and money men talk. They should be told that we cannot have confidence in Sharon when military men, Shabak and the secret service all say we're increasing the danger to the lives of Israelis with this act [the Sharon Plan]." We must get the cooperation of the OU (Orthodox Union), the RCA (Rabbinical Council of America) and the Young Israel to organize a march on Washington with very simple signs, 'Bush, would you let this happen in America?' 'Bush, where is your biblical integrity?' We must bring out 50,000 people, as we did for the march on Washington a few years ago. If we do, I am convinced that the Senate will become stronger in its support of Israel. Pikuach Nefesh "There's a klal gadol baTorah. In the gemora, sometimes discussions or controversies end up with the word teiku. What's teiku? Tishbi yetaretz kushiyot ubaayot (Eliyahu HaTishbi will answer the questions we have when he comes). But in halacha, there's no such thing as no answer. When there's no specific answer in halacha for this case, you fall back on principles. Safeik de'oreita le chumra. Safeik derabanan lekulah. (If you have something you're not sure of, if it's from the Torah, you take the stringent approach. If the question is from the rabbis, you take the more lenient option.) There's no specific answer to the problems facing Am Yisrael today. There's no quick answer to the Kassam rockets. But we have a base halacha which says, when in doubt, pasken the halacha as it is written. And what's written, Pikuach nefesh is docheh kol mitzvah she baTorah. (Where there's a life at stake, you can transgress the mitzvoth in the Torah [note: except three]). Therefore, analyze the situation. Am I endangering the life of a Jew by the 'disengagement'? Am I improving their security by doing that? That will be my decision. Pikuach nefesh is docheh kol mitzvah she baTorah. So I ask myself a question, 'Is pikuach nefesh involved here?' The generals say it is. The Shabak says it is. The rabbanim in the hitnachluyot say it is. The people are yelling, 'You're killing me.' So, the 'disengagement' is forbidden. Not because of ahavat haaretz (love of the land), Eretz Shelaimah (wholeness of the land). That confuses the situation. It causes the opposition to demean the machloket (disagreement) into whether we want more territory or less territory. That's not the issue. We want our children not to be killed. Period. On the big issue of what's good for the Jews or bad for the Jews, we've reached an impasse - teiku. When you have a teiku, you go back to principles. The key principle here is pikuach nefesh. That's the big error that's being made now in this whole battle. They [the organizations fighting the dismantling of Gush Katif] are putting too much Zionism into the picture. When in doubt, go with the halacha. And the halacha says clearly, 'This act is endangering the life of Jews.' Oslo was isur me'doreita (forbidden from the Torah) for one reason - not because you felt it was going to fail, but because the signing of Oslo and the reincarnation of Arafat that followed, led to more Jews being killed. That was foreseen by the little rabbanim in the hitnachlayut (Yesha communities). It wasn't seen by the big rabbanim who had trouble deciding whether they do or do not vote with the government. A shayala was asked, Is Oslo good for the Jews or bad for the Jews al pi halacha? They didn't know, so they decided to support the government. That wasn't the issue. If they didn't know, they should have gone back to principles. The first principle, 'pikuach nefesh.' The Infinite Jew What do the proponents say? Will [disengagement] increase or decrease security? 'Well...it will decrease security now. But in the future, it will be good.' There's no such halacha that you kill somebody now because in the future you'll save more lives. That's against the halacha. We don't have that concept of sacrificing a few Jews so you can save a lot more Jews, because to wax mathematical and poetic, a Jew is of infinite worth, and ten infinities are no more than one infinity. Infinity is infinity. What should regular people do? Push this one point. Don't talk about anything else. Don't talk about how much effort [people of Gush Katif] put into building their hot houses, and what a terrible thing it is to uproot someone, or that it is reminiscent of the Shoah. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about one simple thing, 'You're killing our children.' Period. Not here. Not in Gush Katif. You're killing our children in Tel Aviv. The Kassam rockets are getting better. Israel is so small. Add a few more grains of powder to a kassam rocket. If you're not interested in accuracy, and just want blind terror, it will hit Tel Aviv also. If it hits Tel Aviv, then you'll get a reaction. If the first rocket landed in Tel Aviv, they would have wiped out swaths of enemy territory in order to prevent it. Endangering Ourselves I have big investments in Eretz Yisrael - 43 grandchildren and great-grandchildren living here, bli ayin hara. So I'm not exactly an outsider. It cannot be that while I was not looking Israel became a fascist dictatorship country with one man calling all the shots. The fact that Sharon is so resistant to a Mishaal Am (referendum), indicates that he knows he is not presenting a popular plan. If he could have a mandate and a decent majority voting with him, he'd have it his way. We are surrounded by enemies. They're killing our children. Which nation has ever suffered this thing of arbitrary missiles - 'I'll just send out a missile and see whom I can kill' - and it doesn't lead to a declaration of war! It boils down to: we have to do what we have to do. And no one's asking me. [Speaking after the deadly Kassam missiles hit Sderot, Rav Tendler said] Right now, Sharon doesn't understand that he can do whatever he pleases against the Arab terrorists with full support of the people of America. Bush will yell that it wasn't a measured response, and so on. But the majority of Americans today, as anti-Semitic as they are, are pro-Israel, because they hate the Arabs more. It's not from Ahavat Mordechai, but from Sinat Haman. If I were Sharon, I'd make an announcement on the radio today, 'If one more Kassam rocket lands, this geographic area consisting of ten blocks will be destroyed in the morning by bombers. You have 24 hours to take your belongings and leave. Next Kassam rocket, 20 blocks get destroyed. Next, 30 blocks get destroyed.' They'll stop. This is like what Yehoshua did when he came into Eretz Yisrael. 'I will leave you an escape hatch, and you can go out.' The halacha is clear. Pekuach nefesh must be the motivating factor." Rabbi Menachem Kovacs is Director of the Jewish Roots Center of Baltimore, an education and research center on Torah and social science topics. He is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Montgomery College in Maryland. To Go To Top

REVEALING WORD CHOICE AT THE WASHINGTON POST Posted by Eric Rozenman, March 31, 2005.

We think in words, especially regarding abstract concepts like those related to law, diplomacy, and politics. So the words we use reveal much about what we think. That being so, "Budget Vote Clears Way for Israeli Pullout," (Washington Post, March 30), by correspondent John Ward Anderson, is revealing. Tilted, in one direction Reporting on Knesset (parliament) approval of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposed budget - which keeps the government in power and withdrawal of Israeli residents from the Gaza Strip on schedule - Anderson writes: " ... Sharon has made what senior aides describe as a strategic trade-off, winning broad international support for the Gaza withdrawal while consolidating Israel's control over the West Bank and expanding settlements there [emphasis added]." The "settlement blocks" that Sharon insists will become part of Israel in any eventual agreement with the Palestinian Authority comprise no more than eight percent of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). The anti-terrorism security barrier Israel is constructing in the West Bank takes in roughly six percent of the area. Six to eight percent is unlikely to be what a reasonable reader understands by "consolidating Israel's control over the West Bank." Likewise, "expanding settlements there" in The Post's context implies expanding them in all the West Bank, rather than in six to eight percent of it. At best, such writing is unacceptably sloppy. The existence of "unauthorized settlement outposts" is noted, but not Israel's promise to remove them. Israel's commitment under the U.S., E.U., U.N., and Russian "road map" to freeze new settlement growth goes unmentioned. Editorializing by adjectives The Post's Anderson writes that "Israeli security officials have warned of a backlash and reported death threats against the prime minister from conservative religious and ultranationalist groups [emphasis added]." Neither the groups nor their threats are identified, so "conservative religious" and "ultranationalist" groups become synonymous, on the basis of no specifically attributed information, with extremists and potential terrorists. The New York Times' March 30 article on approval of the budget was much more specific: "The Yesha council, which represents most settlers, has been torn between obeying the law and resisting it, with some advocating violent resistance but most urging nonviolent opposition to the evacuation ... Israeli security agencies are also concerned about the Palestinians firing on troops evacuating settlers or the settlers themselves, which could bring down a harsh Israeli response and a reinvasion of Gaza to provide a cordon sanitaire for the operation ... Israeli officials are also deeply concerned about what they call 'Jewish terrorism' - specific threats, officials say, aimed at Mr. Sharon and other ministers. Mindful of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by an angry Jew who hoped to stop the peace effort, security around Mr. Sharon is suffocatingly tight, even when he walks through Parliament." The Times provided readers with more specific, relevant information, including a potential Palestinian Arab threat of violence absent in The Post's account. The Post's use of "ultranationalist," without further detail, is useless - especially when not long ago it was Sharon and his government who were described, without specificity, as "right-wing," "far-right," "hard-line" and "nationalist." Its description of Israeli "conservative religious" groups as potentially deadly resembles the newspaper's references to the Muslim clerics dominating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Republic as "conservative," rather than extremist, reactionary, or even medieval. But in Israel, Sharon's own Likud is a center-right, populist-conservative party. The Masorti religious group - the Israeli arm of Conservative Judaism - is, in religious-cultural terms, relatively liberal. Some Israeli Orthodox Jewish movements are relatively moderate, others "fervently" or "ultra-"Orthodox. But Anderson does not specify to whom or what he is referring, instead tarring all. Unequal time The Post quotes an Israeli political analyst as saying that the Gaza withdrawal is "the first time in 35 years that the right wing has lost ..." The mainstream right, and the separate "right wing" have lost many times since 1970, including over complete evacuation of the Sinai, Yitzhak Rabin's 1992 election, Knesset approval of the Oslo I and II agreements, and Ehud Barak's election in 1999. Yet, Anderson includes this erroneous quote without qualification. Correct Anderson writes "opponents of the pullout argue that it rewards Palestinian terrorism because it was planned as a unilateral initiative and gives Israel nothing in return. Palestinian militant groups have hailed the withdrawal [from Gaza] as a major achievement of their 4 1/2-year uprising against Israel [emphasis added]." By proximity, The Post equates "Palestinian terrorism" with "Palestinian militant groups." That is, it tacitly acknowledges that "Palestinian militant groups" commit "Palestinian terrorism." Readers deserve specificity. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade of Fatah, etc. ought to be directly named and described as terrorist groups, but here at least The Post does not ignore Palestinian terrorism. Anderson correctly describes the Palestinian anti-Israel violence of the past 4 1/2-years as "against Israel" - not, as Post revisionism often has it - an "uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip." As CAMERA often has pointed out to The Post, the "second intifada" began after the Palestinians rejected a West Bank and Gaza Strip state, so the violence could not been a response to "continued Israeli occupation" of those areas. Sloppy writing - in this case broad labels unsupported by specific details - easily becomes misleading writing. Anderson's article is below. "Budget Vote Clears Way for Israeli Pullout" by John Ward Anderson (http://tinyurl.com/4q7vj). JERUSALEM, March 29 - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to pull troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip this year cleared its final legislative hurdle Tuesday when Israel's parliament approved the government's 2005 budget, which opponents had hoped would block the withdrawal or, alternatively, bring down the government. The lawmakers voted 58 to 36 to approve the budget one day after they rejected a proposal to submit the Gaza pullout to a national referendum. Sharon has said he hopes to begin evacuation of the 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza in mid-July and finish in about four weeks. Under Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, first proposed in December 2003, about 8,250 Jewish settlers would leave Gaza, along with the thousands of Israeli soldiers who protect them. The plan also calls for the evacuation of four isolated settlements in the northern West Bank with about 500 settlers. The withdrawal, if it proceeds as planned, would mark the first time Israel has relinquished territory seized in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war since 1989, when the handover of the resort town of Taba to Egypt completed Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula under the Camp David peace agreement. "Sharon had this vision, for whatever reason, and he managed to maneuver it through every stage, even in spite of setbacks in his own party. It's really an amazing feat," said Asher Arian, a senior fellow with the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem. "It's the first time in the last 35 years that the right wing has lost, and they're not used to it, and that's why there's so much anguish and hand-wringing in the country." Opponents of the disengagement plan said they would move their fight from parliament to the streets, and the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of Jewish settlements, warned that settlers might fight what it termed the "expulsion of Jews" from Gaza. Opponents of the pullout argue that it rewards Palestinian terrorism because it was planned as a unilateral initiative and gives Israel nothing in return. Palestinian militant groups have hailed the withdrawal as a major achievement of their 4 1/2-year uprising against Israel. Sharon argues that Israel has wasted too much money and too many lives protecting settlers in Gaza, who are surrounded by about 1.3 million Palestinians. Public opinion polls show that most Israelis agree, with about two-thirds favoring the pullout. In addition, Sharon has made what senior aides describe as a strategic trade-off, winning broad international support for the Gaza withdrawal while consolidating Israel's control over the West Bank and expanding settlements there. In the four years since Sharon took office, the number of settlers in the West Bank has increased by more than 25 percent, from about 193,000 in early 2001 to more than 243,000, according to Interior Ministry statistics. They live in about 120 settlements and 100 unauthorized settlement outposts, amid about 2.2 million Palestinians. Sharon has long been one of the architects of Israel's settlement expansion, and many settlers consider his dogged pursuit of a Gaza pullout to be a betrayal. Israeli security officials have warned of a backlash and reported death threats against the prime minister from conservative religious and ultranationalist groups. The plan cost Sharon his parliamentary majority last year, forcing him to form a new government. In the process, his pro-settlement Likud Party - with 40 members, the largest group in parliament - has effectively split in half. At the same time, some of Sharon's oldest political enemies have lent him their support in recent months, voting in parliament to avert dozens of no-confidence motions and other key votes to keep the government - and with it, the disengagement plan - from falling. Such was the case in Tuesday's budget vote, and the victory did not come cheap. Unable to win a majority in December to pass Sharon's $62 billion spending plan for 2005, the government has been running at 2004 spending levels. If a budget had not been passed by Thursday, the government would have automatically fallen. In the end, Sharon won by luring pro-disengagement parties into his camp, even though some did not like his budget proposal, by agreeing to fund their pet projects and threatening to blame them for killing the Gaza withdrawal if the government collapsed. The United Torah Judaism Party received about $67 million for religious schools in exchange for its five votes; the Labor Party got about $140 million for 19 of its 21 votes; and the secular Shinui Party, the final holdout, agreed over the weekend that its 14 members would vote for the budget in exchange for $163 million in additional funding for universities, reserve soldiers and other projects. The budget sets aside about $510 million to pay for disengagement, including compensation packages of up to $750,000 for each family evacuated. The plan is expected to cost about another $1 billion to complete. Eric Rozenman is the Camera's Washington Director. His essay on the two-state proposal is a classic; see "Anatomy of an Illusion: The Israeli-Palestinian Two-State Solution," http://www.think-israel.org/rozenmanillusion.html The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) monitors the news and TV media for how fair they are in reporting on Israel. The website address is www.camera.org. To Go To Top

THE COMBAT BRAIN Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, March 30, 2005.

The military has yet to look into the physiological status of the Combat Brain of soldiers. (1) & (2) The brain of the Combat Soldier is molded in training to be aggressive, ready to kill, to react swiftly - very swiftly. The Trigger mechanism is instilled by the military during training because this is the necessary role of an aggressive/defensive army. Cool in combat does not mean your adrenal glands hasn't shifted into high gear and your brain has not transferred into its highest state of aggression. Those physiological changes are necessary to fight efficiently and not get killed. In the pre-combat training phase soldiers are taught to "think:kill" and react instinctively as a matter of survival and completion of the assigned mission. Granted, not everyone is alike nor suited for combat roles. Those with passive personalities are generally weeded out or put in positions where their buddies do not have to rely upon them for backup. A weak soldier becomes as great a threat as his adversary. For those in frequent combat, there is a brain change. Certain parts of their brain becomes more functional, even enlarged. Other parts of their brain, not needed for combat, become more recessive, even disappearing as functional sections. They appear as if they are dissolving when seen during Thermal Imaging of the brain. This research is first coming on stream as Thermal Imaging is used on mind-impaired soldiers, coming back from combat. Aggressive bursts make some returning vets susceptible to unpredictable surges of anger in civilian life. The soldier in actual combat becomes a killing machine because that is what the army bought, taught and expects. Sweet, passive soldiers end up as dead soldiers or compromising the lives of fellow soldiers. The Army cannot expect Combat Soldiers to at one moment be a spontaneous killer of the enemy and, in the next moment turn to being a quasi-civilian with all the characteristics of compassion and civility. A schizophrenic soldier (made to order) produces a confused soldier not one thing or the other. Such a soldier is designed to please non-combat lawyers who wish to preserve the image of the military and please politicians. Such officers in military tribunals sit in judgement, quoting from text called "Rules of Engagement" which does not match the adrenalin loaded facts of the moment in battle. Granted, an un-motivated, passive soldier may give the media desired sound bytes and photo ops, but it only extends the length of wars and increase combat fatalities. When soldiers go to war more concerned with being court martialed or complying with a book of rules as thick as the tax code, his instinctive reactions are dumbed down. Restraint first means he shoots last and comes home to honors in a body bag. The heat of battle does not stop in the mind of a combat soldier just because the shooting has stopped for the moment. The level of being alert is still high. The man machine which the Army has designed and built continue to run, day and night. The average soldier/officer probably cannot explain his mind-set in terms of brain function and what controls his actions. The combat directives developed out of wars past do not prepare for the Unconventional wars of the present. We no longer face great armies but rather Terrorists who fade into the civilian population. Everyone becomes the "possible enemy" and often they are. Often the so-called civilians drift in and out of combat mode which, to the trained soldiers makes everyone suspect. American soldiers are being asked to live up to media and political standards which do not match up with fighting UN-conventional wars against Terrorists who fade into the civilian population. In unconventional warfare the book or rules or "rules of engagement" no longer apply - even when a court-martial court does not factor the Combat Brain syndrome into its deliberations. If we don't want them to fight full out as taught, then don't send them into battle. The weight of battle is sufficient pressure without action out scenarios that will be pleasing to the media or politicians back home. The Present Court Martial Hearing for Captain Roger Maynulet in Weisbaden, Germany for what was clearly a mercy killing of an Iraqi is a case in point. While there is testimony of extenuating circumstances, the factor of the "Combat Brain" will likely not be examined as an overriding factor. While Captain Magnulet was known to be a disciplined soldier with an enviable reputation among his men and fellow officers, that admiration came from the fact that he was a good to excellent soldier, trusted by his men to take care of them. That translates into being a forceful, quick-acting combat soldier. Combat is killing when on a mission and cannot, in the leisure of a court room, be quantified - unless you were there from the beginning to end of the mission. A photo or video is not sufficient evidence because it captures only moments of a mission and does not absorb the hours before, the minutes of compressed thinking with a full rush of adrenalin and the Combat Brain in full charge. Nations such as Syria, Iran, Egypt, North Korea and others do not overload their soldiers with unworkable rules of engagement. Only America and Israel has their soldiers hesitating in combat lest they end up in front of a court martial because they couldn't recall all the variables in a book of the rules of engagement which keep changing. Regrettably, the Free West has not come to grips with unconventional warfare which plays by its own rules of engagement - meaning there are no rules. ### 1. "IRAQ SOLDIER A ROGUE OR MERCY KILLER? Court Martial will decide captain's fate" by Carlos Sadovi CHICAGO TRIBUNE March 28, 2005. 2. "ARMY MEDIC ADMITS HE LED HIS CAPTAIN TO KILL WOUNDED MAN" by Carlos Sadovi CHICAGO TRIBUNE March 30, 2005 Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). To Go To Top

"PALESTINE" TO ISRAEL: SEND MONEY Posted by Emanuel A. Winston, March 30, 2005.

When the responsible U.S. Defense News begins to sound like the New York Times on matters dealing with Israel, it's worth a deeper look. When U.S. Defense News reports on military matters, it's excellent, accurate and dispassionate. When it slips over to political matters, one perceives chatty cocktail discussions with a considerable amount of lubricant lathered on. For example, in its March 7th issue, the article "Palestine" To Israel: Send Money: $300 Million Requested For Security Forces, Gear" (1) by Barbara Opall-Rome, she quotes the well-known and notorious Terrorist, Mohammed Dahlan, making the case that the Palestinian Authority (he) needs $300 million over three years for equipment, gasoline, salaries, cars, food and insurance for the Soldier/Police (Terrorists) when they fall in the line of duty. Noteworthy, it is expected that a large percentage of these funds will end up in Dahlan's pocket (secret bank accounts) because Baksheesh is the way business is done in the Arab Muslim Middle East. What Ms. Opall-Rome's story omits is that Dahlan has a well-established record of being a major Terrorist, a planner and organizer of Terror attacks and on-off sidekick of Yassir Arafat. Also absent from Ms. Opall-Rome's story is that Arafat's well-developed conduit for distributing donor money to all sorts of Terrorist organizations remains in place. Should the money stop coming, the new head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) would be history. Dahlan says he wants to establish law and order, dismantle and stop the export of Terror attacks into Israel and foster the disheveled economy (gimme a break!). Abbas has already declared that he will NOT confront Terrorists or disarm them but, rather 'talk' them into peace. He sent PLO troops into Gaza but, they refuse to stop the Terrorists and spend a lot of time drinking sweetened tea and coffee with them. Dahlan complains he must communicate through open phone lines (meaning he wants secure cell phones) and doesn't have tear gas against demonstrators (his or others). He complains that he is forced to release criminals (cum) Terrorists, due to lack of forensic evidence. Terrorists, whether theatrically held by one organization or another, are not really locked up but, rather enjoy the privilege of home until they opt to leave. This is called the "Revolving Door". Note! He has received lists of wanted Terrorists and charges by Israeli Intelligence which has NOT been acted upon. The few who are caught by Palestinians receive the "revolving door" treatment and are out on the street within a few days. Dahlan cannot risk really arresting them because his Terrorist friends would assassinate Dahlah in a heart beat. Dahlan has himself done the same. This report speaks of the PA trying to quell violence and destroying smuggling tunnels from a compliant Egypt. Strangely, they were able to locate these tunnels within days of the deployment of the PA troops to Gaza - which served not only as a media demo but demonstrated that they knew exactly where the tunnels were all along. The report says "unnamed" Israeli officers believe that Abu Mazen sincerely desires to put an end to Terror and violence. This disregards the fact that a suicide bomber from Tulkarem killed 5 young people in Tel Aviv on February 25th. Few Israeli sources believe in Abu Mazen other than Shimon Peres, Sharon's spokesman and a few Left-wing apparachniks. Dahlan is quoted as saying that Israel has to ease restrictions and the International Community has to support a re-building of the Palestinian Security Forces and the Palestinian economy which may take unending years of funding. Some may recall that CIA Director George Tenet did indeed train the PA Security Forces at Camp America and Langley in sniper shooting and electronic interception both of which were then used against Israelis from the Oslo take-over of the 7 cities through today. That, of course is being done again where Arafat's 9 to 12 separate Security Services are to be combined by America's Gen. Ward into two or three more efficiently organized forces. Didn't we do that before when we trained Osama Bin Laden and the Mujahadeen to fight the Soviets, who then attacked America in 9/11 and in Iraq and that is called "Blow-back". Opall-Rome correctly reports that the PA has 62,000 security forces, paid monthly from foreign donors the E.U. (European Union) and tax monies collected by Israel and paid over to this well-oiled distributing system. Unknown to many the reason why donor money keeps pouring in is because the Europeans fear that if they stop then Terror will start. Regrettably, the U.S. shares this attitude. Opell-Rome quotes Ephraim Sneh, a former Israeli Defense Minister, who now chairs Israel's Knesset Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defense who said Israel should be more accommodating to the PA needs. (Yawn) Who really listens to political party hacks who are not regarded as experts in anything, let alone how to deal with Terrorists. Sneh is merely an apologist for the PA, Abbas and Dahlan - and certainly not worth quoting. He goes on to say that PM Sharon must be more understanding and patient - and that the process is political, cultural, economic and then military. He tells the reporter that Abu Mazen and Dahlan needs to gain more popularity, thereby requiring more Israeli support. (Better get the really high boots on because the B.S. is rising higher.) So much for that report. Let's turn to Pg. 34 and the Defense News Editorial of March 7th: "Treat The Disease". (2) Here is the worst cut of all as the Editor weighs in to tell us" "Nowhere is economic renewal a more pressing need than in the Middle East. Whoever, tells us about the poverty in the Gaza Strip and thus reasoning that this is the engine of seething rage may be eating hallucinogenic mushrooms. (The Editor forgets that the Arab Muslim Palestinians' poverty came as a result of unremitting Terror and in so doing, cut themselves off from employment in Israel to include the farms and factories developed by the Jews of Gaza.) Here one sees the pressure by the Bush Administration to force Israel to open her borders to Palestinian workers who, in the past, either sabotaged the work or killed their Jewish employers. (Bush wishes another State of Palestine but, doesn't want to pay for his legacy - He wants Israel the permanent employer of the Arab Muslim Palestinians.) The Editor is accurate in reporting that pledged Arab donor money has yet to arrive. The Editor perhaps doesn't know that the Saudis, the Kuwaitis, and the Gulf State Arabs hate the Palestinians and consider them dangerous to their governments and highly untrustworthy. Some will recall that it was Arafat and the PA working with Saddam Hussein to invade Kuwait resulting in 350,000 Palestinians being evicted to Jordan while Saudi Arabia booted out another 325,000 as untrustworthy and all were deported to Jordan. The Editor goes on to speak about Israel investing money in the territories only to have it disappear into official pockets and thus Tel Aviv (Jerusalem) is wary of investing more. Whose pockets is the Editor referring to? Does he/she mean the settlers or the money flowing into Arafat's old conduits? Who in the hell told this Editor that decisions are made in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem where the Israeli government offices and Knesset (Parliament) sit - unless he/she is referring to the American Embassy in Tel Aviv? This would mean that Israel's decisions are being made by the U.S. pro-Arab State Department. Very likely! Why is Defense News departing from its area of expertise in weapons and front for Washington's political PR? It's really a shame on the American government. Barbara Opall-Rome is excellent when she reports on military matters but, she leaves a lot to be desired when she is used by Israeli political hacks or Terrorists like Dahlan or Abu Mazen (Arafat's co-hort for 40 years in the T business). One can only be reminded of the international journalists parked at the Commodore Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, being handed news releases by Arafat's brother which they had better print as is. They were terrified to go out on the street because they would either be kidnaped or assassinated. As I recall, some ten journalists were killed during that 12 year Civil War Arafat created in Lebanon where 100,000 Christians and Muslims were killed. Getting the news from Arab Muslim sources is merely a trip to LaLa Land. What the professional journalists in the Middle East don't know, they make up and then they believe their own tales. ### 1. "Palestine To Israel: Send Money - $300 Million Requested For Security Forces, Gear" by Barbara Opall-Rome, Gaza City, Gaza US Defense News March 7, 2005 2. "International Aid: Treat The Disease" Editorial Us Defense News March 7, 2005 Emanuel Winston is a commentator and Middle East analyst. His articles appear often on Think-Israel and Gamla. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a research associate of the Freeman Center For Strategic Studies (http://www.freeman.org/online.htm). To Go To Top

ISRAEL ACADEMIA MONITOR TARGETS ANTI-ISRAEL ACADEMIC JEWS Posted by Yoram Shifftan, March 30, 2005.

Israel Academia Monitor (http://www.israel-academia-monitor.com/) provides us with a typical example of how Marxist Jews in Academia ignore that 78% of Palestine was illegally split off from Palestine and became Jordan. They define the 22% of Palestine that remained for the Jews as ALL of "Palestine." They then talk of Gaza and Samaria and Judea as 22% of Palestine - when, actually, it is 22% of 22% of the land intended under the British Mandate as a Jewish State. In this, they follow Peres, the writer Eli Amir and the Palestinians themselves. Note that Schwartz says that Israel military forces overran the bulk of Palestine. What a way to describe the unsuccessful Arab invasion of the brand-new State of Israel! "Is Israel a Democracy? An Interview with Yossi Schwartz" Israel is a racist state that came into being as a colonial project through an alliance of the European Jewish Zionists and the Western imperialist powers. The Zionists sought European support in settling Palestine, and in return the state to be established there would be a regional base for Western imperialism. The US supported the creation of a Zionist state. In 1948, Israeli military forces overran the bulk (78%) of Palestine. The remainder came under occupation in the course of the war of 1967. Dr. Yoram Shifftan has published many articles on Israeli hasbara, in publications such as Ha'aretz, Ma'ariv, Hatzofeh, Hamodia and Ha'Uma, Think-Israel and Jewish Internet Association. To Go To Top

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH FROM JIM VINEYARD Posted by Women in Green, March 30, 2005.

Christian-Zionist greetings to you, sir, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Normally, sir, even as a Christian, I don't cry much. But, today, as I read from Israel, Arutz Sheva, the following, I could not help weeping: "A senior official in Israeli intelligence estimates that at least 100 Jewish residents will be killed in the expulsion process, since these residents have no intention of leaving their homes and farms voluntarily, and since the IDF has every intention of using live ammunition to facilitate the expulsion of Jews from Katif and Northern Samaria, while razing their homes, farms, and synagogues." Why does a fellow Texan, and a fellow Christian weep, sir? Last week, our President MOVED A MOUNTAIN to get legislation passed in an effort to try to save the life of a POOR LITTLE VEGETATIVE LADY IN FLORIDA [WHICH, LET ME BE CLEAR, I'M VERY MUCH IN SUPPORT OF SAVING HER LIFE], but now, we are 'complicit' in the plan to forcefully expel JEWS FROM THEIR HOMES, SYNAGOGUES, AND CEMETERIES, in which the Israeli Government plans on "killing" at least 100 Jews. Sir, cannot someone of your advisors see the inconsistency of these two different positions and remind you that you, sir, profess to be a born-again Christian? Or, Sir, is the ARAB OIL so important to us that we give up ALL OUR CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES? HOW, SIR, DOES THE MESSIAH, WHOM YOU AND I BOTH PROFESS TO BELIEVE IN, LOOK AT THIS SORT OF "DOUBLE DEALING?" In the last few days, sir, at a demonstration of "pro-disengagement LEFTISTS" in Israel, THOSE IN FAVOR OF WHAT THE USA GOV'T IS PUSHING], they sang two anthems. First, they sang "Hatikva", the Israeli National Anthem. Fine, that's good. But, second, sir, they sang John Lennon's song "Imagine" WHICH speaks of if only 'THERE WERE NO RELIGION, NO HEAVEN, NO GOD, ETC." DR. ANITA TUCKER, WHO IS AN AMERICAN-ISRAEL DUAL CITIZEN, LIVING IN THE GUSH, wrote me: "This statement that the Pro Disengagement people made in Tel Aviv tells clearly what this is all about. For this goal of no Religion, no heaven, and NO GOD, they are willing to sacrifice freedom, democracy, and allow the terrorists to re-arm themselves to take over the world against Christians and Jews." Now, sir, Dr. Tucker is one of those Jews who will be deported from her MAGNIFICENT FARM there in the Gush Katif. And, sir, I have no idea what her position might be as far as wanting to stay on her farm, but God forbid, maybe this dear friend of many Christian Zionists like you and I are, sir she might, God forbid, be one of the 100 Jews the Israeli government is planning to bump off. Mr. President [my Israeli friend Colonel (ret.) Yoash Tsiddon-Chatto will dump ice water on me at my boldness], HOW DOES THIS 'DEPORTATION SCHEME - PLANNED MURDER OF 100 JEWS' SQUARE, SIR, WITH THE "MOUNTAIN MOVING" PLAN TO SAVE THE LIFE OF "JUST ONE FLORIDA WOMAN?" Sir, does Terri Shaivo, living in the state your brother governs, have more value than the life of 100 [unfortunate] Jews living in the land that the Arabs (who have the oil we must have) want? Sir, "LAND FOR PEACE" with the Arabs has never worked. God gave that land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God did not give it to Ishmael, Arafat and Abu Mazen! Sir, in Disengaging from so-called "Palestine," we will be 'DISEMBOWELING ISRAEL." WHOSE SIDE ARE WE ON? Sir, the Palestinians have a Great P.R. machine. But, what they lack is the TRUTH. Let's not fall for the often repeated lie, but let us stand up for what is right and what is Scriptural! Sir, the Palestinians have great P.R., but it is really B.S. (Pardon my poor boy from the panhandle of your Texas' French.) Let's not be PC and incur God Almighty's wrath upon US. Sir, the sanctity of Israel and God's continued blessing on America are more important than the favor of the Arabs with their oil. Sir, I would rather walk with GOD'S BLESSINGS than drive IN A LAND GOD HAS FORSAKEN. Your friend and servant, Jim Vineyard, Baptist Pastor, Oklahoma City, OK, March 29, 2005 Ruth and Nadia Matar established Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green), an activist group of women based in Jerusalem. Their website address is http://www.womeningreen.org To Go To Top

THE REAL PROBLEM THAT AFFLICTS THE U.N. Posted by Randy Tate, March 30, 2005.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has just released a plan to enhance his organization's credibility and influence. Before assessing the specifics of that proposal, it makes sense to reflect on what the U.N. has become and what mission the U.N. now serves. It is obviously true that the U.N. is an embattled and broken institution. From the Iraq "oil-for-food" program to unspeakable acts of abuse perpetrated by U.N. employees, the global body finds itself in serious difficulty. But the flaws of the U.N. that are most troubling are not the weaknesses of a particular Secretary General or the inadequacy of certain oversight procedures. The U.N.'s real problem flows directly from this simple fact: a large number of the countries that compose the membership of the U.N. General Assembly have little interest in encouraging and expanding freedom. To the contrary, many of the nations of the General Assembly are actively thwarting the cause of liberty. Even the U.N. Security Council, which possesses the most influence within the U.N. system, includes Russia and China - hardly allies of democracy and the rule of law. Consequently, the composition and operating rules of the U.N. have made the institution incapable of embracing even the most basic human rights. For example, the U.N. has yet to accept a universal definition of terrorism that includes the targeting of innocent civilians. That's absurd and shameful. And it makes the U.N. nearly worthless in a world confronting the likes of al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. So, the U.N.'s problems are about much more than any given scandal or misstep. The true crisis at the U.N. resides in the very nature of the U.N. itself. And that means the U.N. must not be allowed to supercede the authority of free nations committed to representative government. Kofi Annan can propose all of the reforms he wants. But right now the U.N.'s problems are much bigger than anything he or any of his supporters have even begun to address in a serious and meaningful way. Former Congressman Randy Tate is President of Free Nations United. Contact the group by email at info@freenationsunited.com or go to the website: http://www.freenationsunited.com To Go To Top

LORD BYRON'S "THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB" Posted by Rachel Neuwirth, March 30, 2005.

This poem was first published in 1815. It can be found on the web at www.underthesun.cc/Classics/Byron/PoemsOfGeorgeGordonLordByron/ PoemsOfGeorgeGordonLordByron2.html The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, That host with their banners at sunset were seen: Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock - beating surf. And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord! Rahel Neuwirth is a Los Angeles-based analyst on the board of directors of the West Coast Region of the American Jewish Congress and the chairperson of the organization's Middle East committee. To Go To Top

DUTCH BAN OWN FLAG; ISRAELI DOUBLE STANDARD AGAINST JEWS; WHO INCITES AGAINST WHOM Posted by Richard H. Shulman, March 30, 2005.

ARAFAT'S LIAISONS Foreign countries may think that some Arab faction is working with them, when that faction is working more against them. Arafat's balancing act included simultaneous ties with the KGB, CIA, radical Egyptians, and conservative Saudis. (Saudi "conservatism" means conservative about creed, not about its export of radical Islamic ideology.) Based on an agreement of mutual non-aggression, the CIA felt that the PLO was providing security for its agents in Beirut, but terrorism killed its main agent there. (It is believed that Syria played a role in that Syrian-backed truck-bombing.) Officially, the US maintained that it was above negotiating with terrorists. Unofficially, it had ties with the world's leading terrorist, as Arafat then was (MEPF, 11/25 from Miriam Gardner of American Yated Neeman, 11/25). MUSLIM SUES CANADA A Muslim from Kenya was observed video-filming a subway station and a tower in a suspicious manner. The police interrogated him about possible ties to terrorism. He is suing the federal government for $1 million (Op. Cit.). The brief does not state whether he is a citizen. I think that the lawsuit is frivolous. The suspect was acting the same way as terrorists staking out targets (and may even have been doing that). The police took a reasonable precaution. It would adversely affect public safety if police were inhibited from intervening. We Americans wish that people had been more suspicious about the 9/11 perpetrators. NATIONAL FLAG BANNED FROM DUTCH SCHOOLS The Dutch government has decided that the Dutch flag provokes its Muslim immigrants. Accordingly, students wearing the national flag will be suspended. Muslims call Dutch whose cars have the flag on bumper-stickers "racist." "Most schools also ban certain clothing like the Lonsdale brand and combat boots with white or red laces. This is also considered a sign of racism." Immigrants may wear what they wish (MEPF, 3/1 from Miriam Gardner of American Yated Neeman,2/18). Is it because the flag contains a cross? If the immigrants don't like the national flag, they should be invited to go elsewhere. The majority has a peculiar sense of tolerance to cater so profoundly to minority tastes, and let the minority insist on changing the culture of the majority. The majority should ask the minority to defer to it on such fundamentals. It is doubly perverted that the non-Muslim majority kowtows to Muslims who hate them and intend to dominate them in oppressive ways. Muslims claim "sensitivity" as a means of gradually displacing the existing culture. W. Europeans are oversensitive to others' "sensitivity," when they should have some of their own. That would be called self-preservation. NEWS OR PROPAGANDA Al Jazeera often features beheadings. In Islamic cultures, such publicity is considered favorable mention. Thus the TV station is making propaganda in favor of beheadings. The news dispatches are anti-American and anti-Israel. "American troops are portrayed by al-Jazeera as wantonly attacking Iraqi civilians and holy sites." US troops don't, but the insurgents fire from holy sites and therefore draw fire. Their complaint is hypocritical. The station is investing $7 million in facilities in Washington, DC., and anticipates opening others in Canada. Instead of declaring the station a component of the Islamist war on the US, American officials are worried about being accused of cramping freedom of the press. Enemy propaganda should not be allowed in wartime. (Op. Cit.) IRANIAN TV SERIES An Iranian TV series claims that "the Zionists" keep on a ship unwanted children whom they raise in good health and harvest their organs when needed (IMRA, 2/12 from MEMRI). Why doesn't Iran name the ship? Did the Nazis have worse slander? The Iranians are the ones with whom the EU has "constructive dialogue!" Why doesn't the EU evaluate "constructive dialogue?" ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON THE IRAQ INSURGENCY The insurgents take refuge in Syria and patronage from S. Arabia. This war is not a local one reinforced by foreign volunteers. The war was planned by Iran, Iraq, Syria, and S. Arabia. They admit it. The US still does not realize how much cooperation diverse enemies of the US are capable of. If the US is finally to win this war, it must get to the source of it in those several countries. One way is to encourage movements for democracy in them. Our hope would be that they would undermine the regimes and abandon the war (Jewish Political Chronicle, 1/2005, p.23 from Paul Richter, L.A. Times, 1/21). The risk is that the Islamists would win elections and impose harsher regimes dedicated more fully to constant war. Mr. Richter makes other points that time will judge. He predicts that the Iraqi Shiites would neither cooperate with the Iranian Shiites nor emulate them. He thinks that insurgent attacks on holy places result from desperation rather than strength. He contendss that the people of those countries seek American support for internal freedom. In Iran, one supposes they do. In the other countries? ANOTHER UNDEMOCRATIC ASPECT OF ABANDONMENT The Vice-President of the Israeli Bar informed the Knesset that the abandonment law seriously violates civil liberties. Referring "to Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz: "I told him that he's been applying a double-standard when, on the one hand, he determines that the redemption of land by the Jewish National Fund violates the right to property and civil rights, because you have to allow Arabs to purchase such property; and also preserves the rights of absentee land holders [regarding Arabs who have abandoned their property in Jerusalem]. But in relation to the rights of other citizens, the residents of Gush Katif and northern Samaria, suddenly there are no property rights, no human rights, no civi