Part 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN6Cm…
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Film and Edit by Yaakov Lepon at King David Studio- Jerusalem 2014
We went to the south to show solidarity and support to the troops who were preparing to defend the country.
This is what jews do for their brothers in time of need…
(BRIEF HISTORY: In a broad gesture for Peace, with no preconditions, Israel withdrew its citizens from Gaza in the summer of 2005 and gave it to the Palestinians. Hamas, the controlling terrorist regime of Gaza, has since launched over 12,000 rockets and mortars AT Israeli citizens. The families of Sderot have been on the receiving end of the majority of rocket fire.)
Purity vs Impurity: choose Life and Purity
The Garden of Purity Rabbi Shalom Arush’s amazing new edition to his English-language literary garden will help you realize your fantastic potential to live a happier, more fulfilled life. This book is a practical, comprehensive and reader-friendly manual to personal holiness, the key to every blessing in a Jewish man’s life. We all appreciate the virtue of loyalty. Loyalty begins with the love between husband and wife, then extends to the love of one’s children, one’s family and one’s nation. The same principle of loyalty applies to our relationship to The Creator; He alone sustains us and grants us every blessing in life. The holy covenant – the brit that is carved in the flesh of every Jewish male – is our pact of loyalty with The Creator. We therefore refer to the brit as “guarding personal holiness”, for like a loyal honor guard, we guard our covenant with The King of Kings. Only when a person attains holiness, can he begin to love his wife and enjoy true marital bliss. This is the exact opposite of what modern society thinks; for that reason, divorce is so widespread today, something that this book intends to prevent. Personal holiness is a prerequisite for true and lasting love, and every other blessing in life, such as ample income and wonderful children, as we’ll learn in this book.With Hashem’s Grace, through this book, Hashem will grant you a sweet and good life, true marital bliss easy and ample income, righteous and pious children and more spiritual and material abundance than you ever dreamed of. Don’t miss this ultimate life-changer! 400 pages deluxe softcover, translated by Rabbi Lazer BrodyISBN: 56-1860
Covenant of peace – marriage Covenant of peace – singles Book by Rabbi Shalom Arush, author of “Garden of Emuna” the sanctity of human affairs, the meaning and implications of spirituality and materialism, and the right way to achieve it. In this book, Rabbi explains and explains the Torah, and the great sages of Israel how by saving element, any Jew – win congregate in the Holy and altitude ascents work gained prominence as the name of the righteous. As usual, the rabbi explains and explains things from the point of view of faith, facilitator and guide step by step in a clear and straightforward in a simple and affordable. Special Edition for married men – highly recommended! 459 pages, paperback.בריתי שלום – לנשואים ספרו של הרב שלום ארוש, מחבר “בגן האמונה” על ענייני קדושת האדם, משמעותה והשלכותיה הרוחניות והגשמיות והדרך הנכונה להשגתה. בספר זה, הרב מבאר ומסביר על פי התורה, דברי חז”ל וגדולי ישראל כיצד על ידי שמירת היסוד, יכול כל יהודי באשר הוא – לזכות לכנוס פנימה לקודש ולרום המעלות בעבודת השם כפי שזכו גדולי הצדיקים. כדרכו בקודש, הרב מסביר ומבאר את העניינים מתוך נקודת השקפה של אמונה, מנחה ומדריך שלב אחר שלב בצורה ברורה ועניינית באופן פשוט ושווה לכל נפש. מהדורה מיוחדת לגברים נשואים – מומלץ מאד! 459 עמ’, כריכה רכה. מק”ט: 42-1691
Gay and lesbian couples wed at Pride Parade!
Impurity
hedonists demonstrated in Tel Aviv
Gay and lesbian couples wed at Pride Parade! http://www.telaviv-fever.com/index.php/2009/04/gay-and-lesbian-couples-wed-at-pride-parade/
17August2014 http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2014/08/the-face-of-peace.htmlLast night, a little over 1,000 Israeli hedonists demonstrated in Tel Aviv in favor of peace with Hamas. The pro-hedonist anti-emuna Israeli media gave them more coverage than they gave to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s funeral, may his saintly soul intercede on our behalf, where nearly 1,000,000 people attended. Will they ever learn? How are people willing to sacrifice the Land of Israel and the long-term welfare of the Jewish People just to satisfy their bodily appetites and trample the Torah? Surely, lust overrides intellect. Haven’t they learned from the Disengagement? Such people don’t want to be confused by the truth, especially when truth tells them that their bodily lusts are forbidden by the Torah. So, rather than fighting against their bodily lusts, they fight against the Torah. That in a nutshell summarizes the entire ideology of the hedonists, who among others, are members of the current Israeli Government coalition. Until their pleasure and business center of Tel Aviv was threatened, they did little to make life easier on the missile-ridden cities and towns of the south.
Hamas rocket-team commander being interviewed by AlMayadeen News as he prepares rockets for launching a mere two days ago – See more at: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2014/08/the-face-of-peace.html#sthash.aMhIQqqe.dpuf
Look at the above photo of a Hamas rocket-team commander being interviewed by AlMayadeen News as he prepares rockets for launching a mere two days ago. He is at the entrance of a tunnel and underground launching pad, one of the many that are still unknown to Israel. All he awaits is the command from Hamas HQ – a hatch opens up in the ground, and a 4, 6, or 8-missile barrage gets fired at Israel. This can happen at any moment.
Hamas tunnel crew commander being interviewed on AlMayadeen 2 days ago – does this look like the face of peace? – See more at: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2014/08/the-face-of-peace.html#sthash.aMhIQqqe.dpuf
Hamas tunnel crew commander being interviewed on AlMayadeen 2 days ago – does this look like the face of peace?
Rav Shalom Arush writes in The Garden of Purity how lust drives people insane. How can a sane person think that Hamas will ever make peace? When they were given all of Gaza on a platter in 2005 by the hedonist Israeli government, they only used it as a springboard for more war. Since the disengagement, we’ve had nothing but intermittent war and terror.
As Israel negotiates in Cairo, Hamas is feverishly building more rockets, as you can see in the Al Jazeera video from yesterday:
كتائب القسام تكشف عن تصنيع صواريخ “جي 80”
Published on Aug 16, 2014
خصَّت كتائب عز الدين القسام قناة الجزيرة بصور حصرية قالت إنها لعملية تصنيع صواريخ “جي 80” كانت قد استخدمتها في حربها على إسرائيل أثناء عدوانها على قطاع غزة.
تقرير: طارق الرفاعي
تاريخ البث: 16/8/2014
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades singled out Al-Jazeera with exclusive pictures, which it said were of the process of manufacturing the “G80” missiles that it had used in its war against Israel during its aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Reporting: Tariq Al-Rifai
Broadcast date: 16/8/2014
And, the tunnel problem is far from over, as you can see in the Al Mayadeen video from two days ago, which shows Hamas activity in an assault tunnel, one of the many still unknown to Israel, as you see below:
الميادين تدخل أحد الأنفاق الإستراتيجية للقسام …
I wouldn’t call this the face of peace. Would you?
J80 missile production going on right now in Gaza – the missile has a range that enables it to reach both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Image above – J80 missile production going on right now in Gaza – the missile has a range that enables it to reach both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
The only way to attain lasting peace in the holy Land of Israel is to rid it of publicly flaunted debauchery and government-sanctioned trampling of Torah. This means that we must make a peace treaty with Hashem. Until then, don’t expect to see the face of peace on our neighbors, who are none other than a stick in Hashem’s hand. It’s time for teshuva – the sooner the better.
– See more at: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/#sthash.3Hxyy9ks.dpuf
We all want to minimize civilian casualties, but wars in urban areas are chaotic. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, of the victims of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq from March 2003 to March 2008, nearly half, 46% were women and 39% were children.
By contrast, according to the UN, (Not friendly to Israel) 12% of all Palestinians killed in Gaza were women and 23% were children, far lower than the percentages killed in U.S. airstrikes in Iraq.
However, men, most likely combatants, killed by the US only 15 %, but most casualties by Israel have been men 65%!
Despite this superior Israeli record the White House, Pentagon, and State Department have all accused Israel in the harshest terms of doing too little to prevent civilian casualties. Yet Israel’s record on this score is much better than America’s.
Lest anyone complain about Mohammed Deif’s wife and child being killed (with him?), consider this about Osama Bin Laden’s sudden demise:
Osama bin Laden was killed in the raid, as were three other men and a woman: bin Laden’s adult son Khalid,[90][91] bin Laden’s courier (Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti), al-Kuwaiti’s brother Abrar, and Abrar’s wife Bushra.[57]
On the other hand, when the US killed Anwar al-Awlaki, they also killed Anwar al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son as “collateral damage” in a car with another person – so, Awlaki (target) died, the other man (who may or may not have been a target) died and a teenager died. Score? Either 33% or 66% collateral on one hit – and both Awlaki and his son were US citizens.
The US shouldn’t talk to Israel about civilian casualties….
17August2014 Moshe Phillips and Benyamin Korn http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/08/17/how-hillary-clinton-enabled-hamas-construction-of-terror-tunnels/
Much has been said and written about the terror tunnels that Hamas built in Gaza. But too little has been said about who it was that put the cement into Hamas’ hands, thus making the construction of the tunnels possible in the first place.
Until now.
In a bombshell revelation, Dennis Ross, the senior Mideast policy adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2011, has admitted that it was he who was assigned the task of pressuring Israel to ease up on its military blockade of Gaza.
“I argued with Israeli leaders and security officials, telling them they needed to allow more construction materials, including cement, into Gaza so that housing, schools and basic infrastructure could be built,” Ross revealed in the Washington Post on August 10. “They countered that Hamas would misuse it, and they were right.”
Not that Hillary’s State Department had been acting independently of the White House on the issue of cement. For example, Vice President Joe Biden told interviewer Charlie Rose on Bloomberg TV in 2010: “We have put as much pressure and as much cajoling on Israel as we can to allow them to get building materials” and other forbidden items into Gaza.
But now that Mrs. Clinton is attempting to distance herself from the president’s debacles in foreign affairs, Ross’ admission shows that it was she who sent her personal envoy to push for a policy that ultimately enabled Hamas to build the terror tunnels.
Israeli officials have long been justifiably concerned about the danger of dual-use items such as cement. On the one hand, cement could be used for innocent purposes such as home construction, in the hands of a peace-seeking, trustworthy government. But in the hands of untrustworthy elements – such as the Hamas terrorist regime that rules Gaza – it could also be used for other purposes. Such as terror tunnels.
President Obama recently remarked, in his much-discussed interview with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times: “Because Israel is so capable militarily, I don’t worry about Israel’s survival.” Secretary Clinton evidently shared that dismissive attitude when she sent Ross on his mission to put cement into Hamas’ hands.
It seems Obama and Clinton forgot that Israel is the only country in the world that is threatened with annihilation by a nearby regime rushing to build nuclear weapons. Israel is the only country in the world that, in the space of just 65 years, has been forced to fight four major defensive wars and five smaller ones in order to survive. Israel is the only country in the world whose next-door neighbors have built dozens of tunnels into Israel to perpetrate massacres of civilians.
Today, at least thirty-two terror tunnels later, we know that Clinton, Obama and Ross have been wrong, while Israel is right.
Hamas spent between $1 million and $10 million to build each of those tunnels, using as many as 350 truckloads of cement and other supplies per tunnel, according a report in to the Wall Street Journal, quoting Israeli military officials.
And it is “likely that there are additional tunnels” that the Israelis have yet to uncover, according to the Journal’s report.
Instead of lethal purposes, the materials used for each tunnel could have built 86 homes, or 19 medical clinics, or seven mosques, or six schools. But Hamas had other priorities.
And Secretary Clinton consciously turned a blind eye. Just as she turned a blind eye to other aggressive and anti-peace behavior by the Palestinians, such as the Palestinian Authority’s sheltering of known terrorists, its payments to imprisoned terrorists, the anti-Israel and anti-America propaganda that fills the PA-controlled media, and the anti-Semitic hatred in the textbooks used in the PA’s schools.
What are the real-life consequences of ignoring such Palestinian actions? An entire generation of young Palestinians have grown up incited to hatred of Jews and Israel, and glorifying terrorists as heroes and martyrs.
What are the real-life consequences of Mrs. Clinton putting cement into Hamas’ hands? The tunnels into Israel were used to carry out the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit and numerous other attacks in which Israelis were murdered. They were being prepared to carry out a mass coordinated attack on Israeli towns and kibbutzim this year on Rosh Hashanah.
Imagine a scenario in which a surgeon decided that she wanted to employ a controversial and risky technique. She was warned repeatedly that it was too dangerous, but proceeded anyway and in the process nearly killed the patient. Surely that would be deemed malpractice. The surgeon probably would be barred from ever again practicing medicine.
Secretary of Stated Hillary Clinton committed diplomatic malpractice. Her own top aide has revealed that it was she who put the cement into Hamas’ hands, even after Israel warned repeatedly that doing so was too dangerous. And Israel continues to suffer the consequences.
Another lesson of the Gaza war: Even as we condemn Hamas’s diversion of cement from the construction of housing to the construction of terror tunnels, let us not forget that it was Hillary Clinton who pushed through the policy that made those tunnels possible.
Moshe Phillips and Benyamin Korn are members of the board of the Religious Zionists of America.
Col. Richard Kemp on the IDF & Hamas in Gaza
Published on Aug 14, 2014
Address hosted by StandWithUs and Shivtei Yisrael synagogue in Ra’anana, Israel. Former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, Col. Richard Kemp has a distinguished military career and is an expert in counter-terrorism. Col. Kemp spent significant time in Israel during the IDF’s defensive campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, “Protective Edge”.
Rav Ovadia Yosef’s Funeral
Published on Oct 8, 2013
Over 850,000 mourners escort the rabbinical leader of the generation to his final resting place, Jerusalem, October 7, 2013
Many people are disappointed that the recent round of hostilities, aka “Operation Protective Edge” or “Gaza War, 2014”, did not end in a decisive, clear-cut military victory for Israel. Indeed, in boxing, this would have been a split-decision, where in the absence of a knockout, the winner would be decided according to the points given by three judges at ringside. Militarily, Hamas claims victory, maintaining that their leadership and their power to fire rockets against Israel’s cities have both emerged unscathed. Israel claims victory, citing its successful campaign against the Hamas assault tunnels and the overall damage it did to Hamas. Nevertheless, no one in Israel can guarantee that all the tunnels have been destroyed. Furthermore, as we witnessed right before the recent ceasefire was declared, Hamas still succeeded in firing rockets on Israel’s southern cities and villages.
As the military and diplomatic smoke clears, the outcome of the current “Protective Edge” operation is identical to the outcome of the “Cast Lead” and “Defensive Shield” campaigns of 2008 and 2012. If the same pattern of hostilities continues, we can expect an additional war within a year. Why? There were four years between “Cast Lead” and “Defensive Shield”, and two years between “Defensive Shield” and “Protective Edge”. Continuing the pattern logically, there would be one year until a renewal of hostilities. And, what’s worse, the seeds of a new intifada (Arabic for civil uprising) seem to be sprouting, for terror in Jerusalem has once again reared its ugly head.
The above seemingly factual and logical look at our military and political situation in regard to Gaza is deceiving, for it doesn’t take emuna into account. With emuna in mind, the recent Gaza War has been a dazzling victory for Israel, not only against Hamas, but against the entire world. Let’s see what we have gained, thanks to Hashem’s limitless love for His People in Zion:
1. Jewish Unity – Unity among the Jewish People has always been a rare commodity. The lack of it led to the destruction of our Holy Temple, to exile and to Diaspora. Yet, this war saw our entire nation come together. Soldiers were flooded with food and gifts. The morale and spiritual reinforcement of the troops in battle was phenomenal. Outside of the traditional hate-mongers in the self-serving media, one can feel a true change for the better in regard to interrelationships among various sectors of the Israeli population. This is the unity that is a prerequisite for Moshiach.
2. The Hamas Doomsday scheme foiled – Most likely, Israel will create several investigative committees into the “failures” of the recent war, the most prominent of which is the military’s and the intelligence community’s gross underestimation of the tunnel threats. By way of the tunnels, many of which led to the hearts of the Gaza-area kibbutzim and villages, Hamas had planned to send at least 2,000 of its best fighters through ten different tunnels this coming Rosh Hashana. Simultaneously, ten different Israeli villages would have each been attacked by some 200 terrorists with automatic weapons, grenades and anti-tank missiles. Women and children would have been kidnapped and taken back to Gaza. With the Hamas terrorists wearing Israeli combat fatigues, the ensuing battles would have been utter bedlam, Heaven forbid. Hashem foiled the terror attack of history, for Hamas did not plan on this war, which was premature in their strategy.
3. The Emuna that “it’s all for the best” – the kidnapping and heinous murders of the three Yeshiva boys, martyrs Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frankel and Eyal Yifrach, may Hashem avenge their sacred blood, was a tragedy that all of Israel took to heart. No one understood how such a disaster could be for the good. But in retrospect, we all see that our martyred young men triggered a chain of events that led to operation “Protective Edge” and the discovery of the assault tunnels. The sacrificed lives of our three holy martyrs saved who-knows-how-many thousands of lives and foiled the terrorist plot of the century.
4. An International Victory – the current Gaza War took the mask off of international anti-Semitism. Hashem exposed the nations of the world, that their so-called “anti-Zionism” is none other than anti-Semitism at its vulgar worst. If Israel and the Arabs are fighting, why should Jews be attacked on the streets of Paris and why should synagogues in the USA be defaced? What’s more, Israel withstood tremendous pressure from the American executive branch of government and the US State Department, the UN and international media, all of whom displayed flagrant pro-Arab bias. As a result, the people of Israel are now fully aware of the Gemara’s statement that in these times before Moshiach, there is no one to trust but Hashem.
5. Revelation of Hashem – one can write several volumes about the miracles that took place during the recent war, many of which we saw with our own eyes in my hometown of Ashdod, where hundreds of rockets fell in over seventy different missile attacks. Despite the success of the “Iron Dome” missile-interception system, a number of rockets made their way through and fell in heavily-populated areas. One rocket made a direct hit in a crowded gas station on a Friday morning. Not only were there no fatalities, but a gasoline-tanker truck that held 35,000 liters (about 9,000 gallons) was burned on the outside, but its contents didn’t explode! What’s more, adjacent tanks of propane gas, ever so volatile, also did not explode. This could have caused an explosion that could devastate a tremendous area. And, this is but one miracle of many…
6. An end to the “Might of My Right Hand” Ideology – the war succeeded in showing Israel that Hashem wins wars, not the military. As we mentioned earlier, military intelligence was caught unaware and unprepared. Hamas tunnels were the springboard of two deadly ambushes. IDF equipment, such as the outdated armored personnel carrier that broke down and became a death-trap for its seven crew members, was frequently faulty and vulnerable. As many IDF officers testified anonymously, the government’s hesitation, vacillation and lack of clear objectives severely hampered the forces on the ground. The Israeli Army paid a dear price with the blood of over sixty martyrs. Yet, the IDF fought valiantly. In a phenomenal sanctification of Hashem’s name, Givati Brigade Commander Colonel Ofer Winter invoked Divine assistance by having his entire command say “Shema Yisrael” before they went into battle.
Gaza, 2014 is not only a war of Emuna for the people of Israel. This is a war of emuna for Jews around the globe. For a Jew, Israel – the Land of Emuna – is the safest place on earth. All the spiritual leaders of this generation have said that the Geula, the final redemption of our people, has already begun. Hashem wants us all to come home. And, judging by the stream of Jews who are making Aliya, the ingathering of the exiles is well underway. Thousands of IDF soldiers are proudly wearing tzitzit, what they nickname their “spiritual flak jacket”. We are winning the war of emuna and we will continue to win. Even if you’re still outside Israel, you can and must do your part. Help us spread emuna the world over. The light of emuna must extinguish the darkness of radical Islam – that’s the real struggle, and with Hashem’s help, we’ll prevail, amen!
For a full 90 minutes on Wednesday, Jewish leaders told United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon about the litany of abuses of international rules of warfare – 19 in total – by Hamas in Gaza.
The group included Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, directors of The Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman, Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and representatives from B’nai Brith and Hadassah.
Rabbi Cooper told The Algemeiner on Thursday, “Bottom line, the Jewish world will have to be more proactive on the international stage, not only to defend Israel, but ourselves as well. We will continue to interact with Ban Ki Moon to insure that this important leader will be more responsive.”
In a follow-up note to Ban after their meeting, the SWC rabbis summed up the argument they presented. They said that “we must frankly ask you how many times will the world allow itself to be held hostage by Hamas? This is the third time since 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza that Hamas has brought death and destruction to the people of Gaza. Once again they are using the people of Gaza, the civilian infrastructure and UN facilities in its non-stop campaign to terrorize the Jewish state.”
During the 90 minute meeting, according to Rabbi Cooper, the SWC urged the UN to announce an official inquiry into the use of various UNRWA schools by Hamas to store and launch rockets for the benefit of the UN’s own reputation. They also called on the UN not to permit the UNRWA to supervise the billions in reconstruction funds expected for Gaza.
“The systematic hijacking of previous aid, cement, and building materials by Hamas to build an underground superhighway of terror is scandalous and a violation of the wishes of the donors who did not contribute funds for rockets or tunnels,” they said. “Those who failed to stop such theft and serial abuse of humanitarian aid, must be held accountable and should not have any involvement in supervising or dispersing of future funds.”
They also said that work shouldn’t begin until “the total disarming of Hamas and the destruction of all of the thousands of rockets and missiles Hamas still harbors.”
The Jewish human rights group that works to protect Jews against anti-Semitism also raised that core issue with Ban. “There has been an explosion of anti-Semitism and genocidal hatred against Israel from Europe to Australia,” they said. “Rather than denouncing this toxic situation Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, contributed to it by being so rabidly one-sided in her criticisms of Israel.”
“During her tenure there was no effort to investigate previous crimes against humanity by Hamas, including its own admission that 160 Palestinian children died building their terrorism tunnels. Her behavior demands a public censure from the Secretary General.”
They asked that “with a human rights disaster of epic proportions in Syria, with ethnic cleansing in Iraq, with a difficult situation in Ukraine and with continuing human rights outrages in North Korea,” the upcoming UN General Assembly “not be allowed to degenerate into an anti-Israel hate fest,” and noted that the UNGA will coincide with the Jewish High Holy Days.
“Anymore demonization of Israel emanating from the halls of the United Nations will only contribute to anti-Semitism globally,” they said.
To hammer home their point about Hamas violating human rights, although Israel is accused of doing so by the UN Human Rights Commission, the SWC rabbis left Ban with a detailed list they compiled of the 19 violations made by Hamas, with full notes and citations for Ban to reflect upon.
In further comments to The Algemeiner, Rabbi Cooper said Ban “refused to get involved with the travesty at UN Human Rights Council.”
Read the SWC’s list of Hamas’s 19 violations of the rules of war:
1) Hamas’ rocket attacks directed at Israel’s civilian population centers deliberately violates the basic principles of distinction (Additional Protocol I, arts. 48, 51(2), 52(1).) Any doubt about this is resolved by the fact that Hamas itself has boasted of its intention to hit population centres. It is well accepted in customary international law that intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking part in hostilities constitutes a war crime. (Rome Statute, art. 8(2)(b)(i))
2) Staging of Attacks From Residential Areas and Protected Sites: The Law of Armed Conflict not only prohibits targeting an enemy’s civilians; it also requires parties to an armed conflict to distinguish their combatant forces from their own civilians, and not to base operations in or near civilian structures, especially protected sites such as schools, medical facilities and places of worship. As the customary law principle is reflected in Article 51(7) of Additional Protocol I: The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or shield, favor or impede military operations.
3) Use of Civilian Homes and Public Institutions as Bases of Operation – see (2) for citations.
4) Misuse of Medical Facilities and Ambulances – Any time Hamas uses an ambulance to transport its fighters it is violating the Law of Armed Conflict: Under Article 23(f) of the 1907 Regulations annexed to the Hague Convention IV Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land, which reflects customary international law, it is especially forbidden … [t]o make improper use of a flag of truce, … as well as the distinctive badges of the Geneva Convention. Article 44 of the First Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field (1949)also provides that: … the emblem of the Red Cross on a white ground … may not be employed, either in time of peace or in time of war, except to indicate or to protect the medical units and establishments…
5) Booby-trapping of Civilian Areas – see (2) for citations.
6) Blending in with Civilians and Use of Human Shields – As the ICRC rule states, lilt can be concluded that the use of human shields requires an intentional co-location of military objectives and civilians or persons hors de combat with the specific intent of trying to prevent the targeting of those military objectives.
7) Exploitation of Children – Hamas has paramilitary summer camps for kids. There are reports, from this war and previous ones, of children fighting and being used for tunnel digging. violates the Law of Armed Conflict, including prohibitions against allowing children to take part in hostilities. As customary international law is reflected in this regard in Additional Protocol I, the parties to a conflict must take “all feasible measures” to ensure that children lido not take a direct part in hostilities and, in particular, they shall refrain from recruiting them into their armed forces. (Additional Protocol I, art. 77(2))
8 ) Interference with Humanitarian Relief Efforts – While Israel kept its end of humanitarian truces. Hamas used them to shoot rockets into Israel, including the Kerem Shalom crossing where humanitarian goods are brought into Gaza. All of these actions violate the Law of Armed Conflict, which requires parties to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies and to guarantee their safety. Article 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention requires parties in an armed conflict to permit the free passage of [humanitarian] consignments and shall guarantee their protection. Article 60 of the same Convention protects the shipments from being diverted from their intended purpose, something Hamas has certainly done in the past and is reported to have done in this conflict as well.
9) Hostage-taking – The Fourth Geneva Conventions, article 34, says flatly “The taking of hostages is prohibited.” This is not an “arrest” as Israel-haters claim, and this is not a prisoner of war situation as Hamas has made clear – the purpose of Hamas’ hostage-taking falls under the definition on the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages: “Any person who seizes or detains and threatens to kill, to injure or to continue to detain another person (hereinafter referred to as the “hostage “) in order to compel a third party, namely, a State, an international intergovernmental organization, a natural or juridical person, or a group of persons, to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the hostage commits the offence of taking of hostages (“hostage-taking ‘) within the meaning of this Convention.
10) Using the uniform of the enemy – Additional Protocol I prohibits the use of enemy flags, military emblems, insignia or uniforms “while engaging in attacks or in order to shield, favour, protect or impede military operations”. [3] Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, “making improper use … of the flag or of the military insignia and uniform of the enemy” constitutes a war crime in international armed conflicts when it results in death or serious personal injury. [4] According to some, this is considered perfidy, a war crime. (h/t Joshua)
11) Violence aimed at spreading terror among the civilian population – Rule 2 of ICRC’s Customary IHL is Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited. II It quotes Article 51(2) of Additional Protocol I prohibits “acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population”. Hamas rockets are aimed not only at killing civilians, but also at spreading terror among Israelis.
12)Targeting civilian objects, such as airports or nuclear power plants – Rule 7 of the Customary IHL says “Attacks must not be directed against civilian objects, quoting Articles 48 and 52(2)of Additional Protocol I.
13. Indiscriminate attacks – Besides targeting civilians and civilian objects, Rule 11 of the ICRC CIHL states flatly that “Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. II By definition, every Qassam rocket attack and most of the other rocket and mortar attacks are by their very nature indiscriminate. See also Rule 71, “The use of weapons which are by nature indiscriminate is prohibited.
14) Proportionality in attack – ICRC’s Rule 14 states “Launching an attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated, is prohibited. Rocket attacks against civilians have zero military advantage, so by definition they are disproportionate to their military advantage. See also Rule 18: “Each party to the conflict must do everything feasible to assess whether the attack may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
15)Advance Warning – Rule 20 of the ICRC CIHL states “Each party to the conflict must give effective advance warning of attacks which may affect the civilian population, unless circumstances do not permit. Given that Hamas has used the media and SMS calls to threaten Israelis, it is clear that they have the ability to warn before every rocket attack. Their failure to do so is a violation of IHL.
16) Protecting civilians – Rule 22 of the ICRC Customary IHL states, “The parties to the conflict must take all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population and civilian objects under their control against the effects of attacks. Hamas not only has failed to protect civilians in Gaza by building bomb shelters, they have deliberately put civilians in harm’s way.
17) Attacking medical units – Rule 28 states, Medical units exclusively assigned to medical purposes must be respected and protected in all circumstances. Hamas has shot mortars at the Israeli field hospital, set up for Gazans, near the Erez crossing.
18) Protection of Journalists – Hamas has threatened journalists, implicitly and explicitly, accusing some of being spies and sometimes not allowing them to leave Gaza, making them effectively hostages. Rule 34 states “Civilian journalists engaged in professional missions in areas of armed conflict must be respected and protected as long as they are not taking a direct part in hostilities.
19) Mistreating the dead. Rule 113 says, Each party to the conflict must take all possible measures to prevent the dead from being despoiled. Mutilation of dead bodies is prohibited. Hamas has shown off an alleged chip cut out from the (presumably) dead body of Shaul Orono.
Dan Smithhttp://bit.ly/1p5CB94, August 24, 2014 http://theettingerreport.com/israel-vindicated-by-un-damage-assessment-in-gaza-2/
An analysis of the damage assessment data collected – on the Gaza War – by the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (which has never been biased in Israel’s favor), confirms that Israel attacked Hamas targets in a restrained manner:
*Israel did not retaliate by rote against Hamas’ systematic attacks on civilian targets; Israel bombed areas which harbored Hamas missile launching grounds and facilities, command posts, terrorists homes and hideouts, operational bases, weapon inventory and tunnels.
*Most of the damage concentrated in very limited areas of 25 square meters of less, while most of Gaza was not damaged at all or in a very limited manner. Less than 5% of Gaza was hit by The Israel Defense Forces.
*The most populated areas of Gaza City, Jabaliya, Khan Yunes, Rafah and Deir el-Balah were disproportionally-undamages: damaged in a very limited way or not damaged at all.
*The areas highlighted by the UN damage assessment report are compatible with the Israel Defense Forces briefings on the location of Hamas facilities, especially in the Shuja’iya area, which was the arena of the most intense battles.
*While Hamas concentrated its terror facilities – systetmatically and deliberately targetting Israeli civilians – in densely populated urban areas in Gaza, the vast majority of these urban areas were undamaged.
*Israel demonstrated exceptional efforts to minimize collateral damage – by urging civilians to evacuate ahead of bombings, thus forefeiting the surprise effect – guided by security requirements and not by retaliatory or political expediency.
*Israel followed surgical bombing tactic and not carpet bombing. The attacks were not random nor indiscriminate.
*Most of the Israeli bombing hit areas which housed multiple tunnel entrances and shafts, as well as launching sites for mortars and missiles and other terror-related infrastructures.
*15% of Hamas rockets and mortars were short, hitting civilian targets inside Gaza.
United Hatzalah volunteer Avi Steinhartz was the first to give emergency treatment to 3-month-old Haya Zissel Braun; ‘I detached emotionally in order to give better treatment’.
Ahiya Raved 23october2014 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4583446,00.html
Avi Steinhartz, a United Hatzalah volunteer, was the first to administer first aid to 3-month-old Haya Zissel Braun, the infant who was killed in the Jerusalem Light Rail attack on Tuesday, and images featuring him carrying her have since become a symbol of the deadly attack.
“I took the baby and began to give her CPR. She had serious head injuries, the vehicle ran over her,” Steinhartz said.
“It was a very difficult incident – you have to repress your emotions in order to work properly,” he told Ynet earlier Wednesday.
Steinhartz carrying Haya Zissel Braun, moments after attack
Meanwhile, the medical staff at Hadassah Medical Center managed to identify a woman hospitalized in critical condition as a result of the attack as an 18-year-old citizen of Ecuador, who has been studying in a religious institution in Jerusalem. Her family is still abroad.
Steinhartz did not witness the attack, but was very close to the scene when it took place. Once the infant’s parents spotted him, they ran over and placed the baby in his arms.
Close up video of terror attack
“There was another woman next to me with a head injury, and other wounded people. I notified the call center, and more volunteers arrived shortly,” Steinhartz recounted the incident.
“I began to give her CPR, and once the ambulances arrived, I entered one of them with her. I continued to give her CPR treatment until the ambulance left for the hospital. I did not go with them, but rather continued to treat those who were wounded at the scene.”
Steinhartz immigrated to Israel at the age of 18, and has lived in Jerusalem ever since. As a father of three children, he said that in order to cope with the difficult situation, he had to detach emotionally. “You disconnect so that you can provide better medical care. There were many wounded and many people suffering from anxiety, who were in panic and screaming,” he said.
Haya’s parents at scene of attack (Photo: United Hatzalah)
“This is a very difficult time for residents of the city. Those who are supposed to protect us don’t do so, and deal with other things instead.
On Wednesday night, hundreds of people accompanied 3-month-old Haya Zissel Braun on Wednesday night to her final resting place at Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.
“You were pure. I want you to look down at me and smile,” crying, Haya’s father, Shmuel Elimelech said. “Tomorrow is your three-month birthday. It’s all now in God’s hands. We will remember you.”
Since the attack, there were two stone-throwing incidents in the Jerusalem Light Rail overnight Wednesday and early Thursday. Damage was caused to the Light Rail in the Shuafat area, but no one was hurt.
Jews for Judaism – Responding to missionaries, cults, eastern religions and other challenges to Jewish continuity and connecting Jews to the spiritual depth, wisdom, beauty and truth of Judaism. http://www.jewsforjudaism.ca/
1/2 HOW TO ANSWER A CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY (Jews for Jesus, Messianic Jewish Christians, Michael Brown)
Published on Jun 20, 2012
Part #1 of a 2-Part Lecture: Rabbi Michael Skobac presents Step-by-Step Biblical Refutations to many Christian missionary claims, offering a Jewish response to “Jews for Jesus” and other Christian missionaries who target Jews. Questions should be directed to RabbiSkobac@JewsForJudaism.ca.
2/2 HOW TO ANSWER A CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY (Jews for Jesus, Messianic Jewish Christian, Messiah Yeshua)
Published on Jun 21, 2012
Part #2 of a 2-Part Lecture: Rabbi Michael Skobac
A SIX-MINUTE COUNTER-MISSIONARY COURSE (Jews for Jesus, Messianic Jewish Christians, Messiah Yeshua)
Published on Aug 24, 2012
FORMER JEW FOR JESUS Missionary and Messianic Jew, Julius Ciss, responds to evangelical Christian claims that Jesus is the Jewish messiah. Why has Judaism rejected this assertion for 2,000 years? This short video explains how Jesus did not fulfill ANY of the messianic criteria cited in the Jewish Bible and therefore cannot be the Jewish Messiah! All questions should be directed to RabbiSkobac@JewsForJudaism.ca.
Jewish Assimilation, Christian Proselytizing
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by Joshua Levitt August 1, 2014 https://www.algemeiner.com/2014/08/01/elie-wiesel-condemns-hamas-for-using-children-as-human-shields-calls-on-gazans-to-reject-hamass-child-sacrifice/
Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel KBE (/ˈɛli vɨˈzɛl/; born September 30, 1928) is a Romanian-born Jewish-American[1] professor and political activist. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps. Wiesel is also the Advisory Board chairman of the newspaper Algemeiner Journal. When Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, the Norwegian Nobel Committee called him a “messenger to mankind”, stating that through his struggle to come to terms with “his own personal experience of total humiliation and of the utter contempt for humanity shown in Hitler’s death camps”, as well as his “practical work in the cause of peace”. Wiesel had delivered a powerful message “of peace, atonement and human dignity” to humanity.
Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel on Friday published a full-page ad in U.S. newspapers condemning Hamas for using children as human shields. Provocatively, Wiesel’s paid Op-Ed was headlined, “Jews rejected child sacrifice 3,500 years ago. Now it’s Hamas’s turn.”The body of the letter “invokes the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac to frame the modern conflict between Israel and Hamas,” said Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, whose organization, This World: The Values Network, created the ad campaign.“Wiesel states that though Abraham lifts his knife to sacrifice his own son Isaac, his hand is stayed by God’s own command, thereby rejecting child sacrifice forever,” Boteach said. “Wiesel argues that while the suffering of those in Gaza is immense and a true tragedy, the blame lies solely with Hamas who use children as human shields and stores rockets and ammunition in nurseries, schools, hospitals, and family homes.”Boteach said the rationale of the campaign was “to bring one of the greatest moral voices or our time and one of the most respected human beings alive, who bore witness to the atrocities of genocide and the Holocaust, to respond to the ugly and fraudulent criticisms of Israel and call for an end to the genocidal aspirations of Hamas.”Boteach said, “Hamas’s charter is clear — they seek the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jews wherever they may be found.”“Not only is it unreasonable to ask Israel not to defend itself against rockets launched and tunnels dug by Hamas with the intent to destroy, it is also deeply immoral,” he said. “If Israel did not resist the terrorists of Hamas, it would be guilty of contempt for the lives of its own citizens.”“We all lament the loss of Palestinian life brought about by the murderous Hamas regime,” Boteach said. “This is especially true of the children. That is why we have produced this advertising campaign with Elie Wiesel, to stop the terrorist cowards of Hamas from hiding behind innocent children and pregnant women.”Boteach said his mission is “to promote universal Jewish values and the light of the Jewish people.”“Israel is the supreme embodiment of these Jewish values, in which we all take such immense pride. Israel is a culture of life which promotes the infinite value of life while Hamas is a gay-murdering, women-honor-killing, deeply-misogynistic, stone-age, barbaric-terrorist death cult dedicated to genocide.”“Hamas is an affront to peace-loving Muslims everywhere who should join us in its condemnation,” he said. “And we Jews will join the fight with our brothers in Israel against Hamas until peace prevails.”
The full page Op-Ed ad will appear in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, as well as in ads on social media, while a television campaign is also planned.
As well as a long career as an author, professor at Boston University, and humanitarian, Wiesel, 85, is also Chairman of The Algemeiner’s Advisory Board, and was even approached earlier this year by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to succeed Shimon Peres as President of the State of Israel. Wiesel said he was flattered, but turned down the job: “Why should I be president? Leave me alone. I write books,” he said. In the end, Reuven “Ruby” Rivlin, 74, former Israeli Minister of Communications and the speaker of Israel’s Knesset, and whose family has lived in Jerusalem since 1809, was sworn in as Israel’s 10th president, on July 24th, in the midst of Operation Protective Edge against Hamas.
The full text of Elie Wiesel’s paid Op-Ed is below:
‘Jews rejected child sacrifice 3,500 years ago’
More than three thousand years ago, Abraham had two children. One son had been sent into the wilderness and was in danger of dying. God saved him with water from a spring.
The other son was bound, his throat about to be cut by his own father. But God stayed the knife. Both sons – Ishmael and Isaac – received promises that they would father great nations.
With these narratives, monotheism and western civilization begin. And the Canaanite practices of child sacrifice to Moloch are forever left behind by the descendants of Abraham.
Except they are not.
In my own lifetime, I have seen Jewish children thrown into the fire. And now I have seen Muslim children used as human shields, in both cases, by worshippers of death cults indistinguishable from that of the Molochites.
What we are suffering through today is not a battle of Jew versus Arab or Israeli versus Palestinian. Rather, it is a battle between those who celebrate life and those who champion death. It is a battle of civilization versus barbarism.
Do the two cultures that brought us the Psalms of David and the rich libraries of the Ottoman Empire not share a love of life, of transmitting wisdom and opportunity to their children? And is any of this discernible in the dark future offered by Hamas to Arab children, to be suicide bombers or human shields for rockets?
Palestinian parents want a hopeful future for their children, just like Israeli parents do. And both should be joining together in peace.
But before sleepless mothers in both Gaza City and Tel Aviv can rest, before diplomats can begin in earnest the crucial business of rebuilding dialogue… the Hamas death cult must be confronted for what it is.
Moderate men and women of faith, whether that faith is in God or man, must shift their criticism from the Israeli soldiers – whose terrible choice is to fire and risk harming human shields, or hold their fire and risk the death of their loved ones – to the terrorists who have taken away all choice from the Palestinian children of Gaza.
I call upon the Palestinian people to find true Muslims to represent them, Muslims who would never voluntarily place a child in danger.
I call upon President Obama and the leaders of the world to condemn Hamas’ use of children as human shields.
And I enjoin the American public to stand firmly with the people of Israel who are in yet another struggle for survival, and with the suffering people of Gaza who reject terror and embrace peace.
Let us return child sacrifice to the darkest corner of history, and work towards a brighter future with those who choose life, Arabs and Jews alike, all of us Abraham’s children.
Hamas ‘urban warfare’ manual urges terrorists to exploit IDF’s desire to avoid civilian casualties, says destroying homes bolsters support.
Hamas ‘urban warfare’ manual urges terrorists to exploit IDF’s desire to avoid civilian casualties, says destroying homes bolsters support.
Ari Soffer , 05August2014 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/183757
The IDF has published excerpts from a captured Hamas combat manual on “Urban Warfare”, showing how the Islamist terrorist group exploits civilian casualties – and the knowledge that the IDF will seek to avoid them – to its advantage.
The IDF says the manual was captured in Shujaiya suburb of Gaza City, which was the scene of particularly heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.
Among other things, the manual urges Hamas fighters to exploit the IDF’s desire to minimize civilian casualties, noting:
“The soldiers and commanders (of the IDF) must limit their use of weapons and tactics that lead to the harm and unnecessary loss of people and [destruction of] civilian facilities. It is difficult for them to get the most use out of their firearms, especially of supporting fire [e.g. artillery].”
Echoing official Hamas rhetoric, which glorifies civilians used as human shields as “holy warriors” and “martyrs”, the manual says that the “presence of civilians are pockets of resistance”, in that their presence can contribute to the organization’s war effort in three specific ways:
(1) Problems with opening fire
(2) Problems in controlling the civilian population during operations and afterward
(3) Assurance of supplying medical care to civilians who need it
Apart from the use of human shields, the manual also sheds light on Hamas’s use of the civilian infrastructure of Gaza to rally support.
Much of Hamas’s military infrastructure and hardware is stored in residential homes – usually of its members – complicating the IDF’s efforts to reach them in aerial strikes.
An expose by Indian NDTV highlighted how terrorists deliberately set up rocket launchpads in heavily-populated residential areas, risking severe collateral damage in the event of an IDF retaliation. Thee manual illustrates how even if civilians heed IDF warning to leave – which Hamas encourages them to ignore – the destruction to homes can be used to their advantage as well:
manual-shaiya text
“The destruction of civilian homes: This increases the hatred of the citizens towards the attackers [the IDF] and increases their gathering [support] around the city defenders (resistance forces[i.e. Hamas]).”
Illustrating the point, a recent AFP report told of how a Palestinian civilian returned to his house following the 72-hour ceasefire currently in effect – only to find evidence it had been taken over and used as a military position by terrorists.
“Is this is really my town?” asked Khayri Hasan al-Masri, a father of three who returned to heavily-damaged Beit Hanun in the north for the first time since fleeing for his life when the ground offensive began on July 17. Gaping holes have pierced the walls of his home. There is a mortar in the living room, a bazooka upstairs.
“What am I going to tell my wife and children? I don’t want them to see this! They will go crazy. How can I explain all this?” he sighed, crunching over debris.
New map confirms: the Shuja’iya neighborhood is a terrorist stronghold where Hamas uses residents as human shields. pic.twitter.com/NVTPEbydq4
A video of summer camps run by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, is making the rounds on pro-Israel social media networks again with footage that shows Palestinian children as young as 6 calling for “Jihad against the Jews.”
“The resistance in Gaza is not enough,” says one camper in UNRWA’s school in Balata. “We need to unite and fight together.”
The Lawfare Project, which promoted the video, that was produced by the Center for Near East Policy Research, headed by David Bedein, makes the claim that US and Europe-sponsored UNWRA is abusing children with brainwashing methods that include games aimed at teaching the values of war and the Arab “right of return” to Israeli cities. It portrays children writing names on kites of the Israeli cities that they will one day recapture as theirs.
Children are taught to chant mantras such as “Palestine is an Arab land from the river to the sea. We want Haifa, we want Natanya.” Camp counselors tell stories of how their grandparents lived in places like Jaffa and Jerusalem and the many cars, palaces, villas and ships they owned before the “wolf” came. “Isn’t it true that Jews are the wolf?” asks one counselor.
“I dream that I will return to Sheikh Munis [Tel Aviv],” says one child, roughly 10-years-old. “I hope Abu Mazen will achieve this goal and will not disappoint, he has built great hopes.”
Another adds, “The right of return is our holy right. If not me than my grandchildren [will return].”
The songs that are sung include inciteful lyrics which range from tamer verses like “I will not forget my promise to take back my land” and “collect stones, throw them at Israelis” to the more radical such as “we are the revolutionaries and we are filled with rage”, “when we die as martyrs we go to heaven” and “with God’s help we will wage war.”
Another child who appears to be about 7-years-old is asked who the Jews are. “They are a gang of infidels and Christians,” she says. “I will defeat them.”
An older teenager is filmed as saying, “Attacking stage by stage is not the answer. We need to attack all at once.” He continues by saying “There will never be peace between us and Israel.”
In one instance, an older child explains one of the differences between UNRWA schools and regular schools within the PA. “UNRWA schools teach us about the Naqba,” she says. “Government schools also but the course load is less than our schools. They teach us a lot about the right of return, how life was before 1948.”
The video explains how funding for UNRWA comes from 20 donor nations, with most of the money coming from the US, Canada, and Britain. UNRWA schools hold summer camps on their premises every year in Gaza, Jerusalem, Nablus and Jenin.
UNRWA services 5 million descendants of Palestinian refugees from 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
How a nearly forgotten early 19th century war could provide some guidance in dealing with the Gaza Strip and Mahmoud Abbas.
Joshua Pacht, 22 September 2018 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/22773
While most people don’t know it, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were not the first time the US was involved in fighting terror in the Middle East. In 1801, the United States launched its first war in the Middle East. Known today as the First Barbary War, it shares many things in common with Israel’s current conundrum concerning the Gaza Strip, and may offer some interesting insights into a possible strategy for dealing with the Palestinian Arabs.
In 1801, the North African Coast or the Barbary Coast, as it was known, was a hub of piracy. Nominally part of the Ottoman Empire, the coast which today covered the modern countries of Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, and Algeria was controlled by de facto independent governors known as Beys and Bashaws, whose economies were based on slave trade in non-Muslim men captured at sea.
Western Christan States continually fought unending wars with the Barbary States, never attaining a decisive victory. The Europeans despaired over what seemed to be an unending conflict and capitulated to the local rulers, agreeing to pay tribute to them to ward off the pirate attacks. This strategy only pushed the Barbary States to raise the price of “peace” almost yearly.
This shares much in common with the Gaza Strip, where every ceasefire after every war comes with a higher price than the previous one. In 2014 the ceasefire agreement called for extending Gaza’s fishing zone to six miles off the coast, today it will cost a seaport and airport, and tomorrow you can bet it will cost even more.
Under Thomas Jefferson, the Americans finally had enough. Believing in the concept of free trade on the high seas and no longer interested in paying ever growing tribute payments to the Barbary rulers, The United States sent a naval taskforce to blockade the city of Tripoli.
Sound familiar? Just like in Gaza, The Americans regularly bombarded the city and prevented the entrance of goods and people, and yet this only seemed to increase the local inhabitants’ resolve to fight.
What did the Americans do to force the Tripoltians to surrender? They threatened to switch the leadership.
In 1804, an American army officer and diplomat to the Barbary States named William Eaton led the United States’ first foreign land invasion in its history. Landing in Egypt, Eaton, with a handful of US marines, built a mercenary army to support the claim of one Hamet Karamanli, the brother of Tripoli’s ruler Yusef Karamanli to the throne of Tripoli. The Americans led the force in a 500-mile march to Libya and captured the city of Derna from Yusef’s forces. Facing a legitimate challenge to his rule, suddenly Yusef was a lot more open to a possible peace treaty. Within a couple of weeks, the Tripoltain ruler agreed to a revolutionary new treaty, in which the United States became the first Christian nation to not have to pay yearly tribute to a Barbary State for peace.
What can we learn from this? How we can replicate this in Gaza? The answer may be a man named Mohamad Dahlan, or as he is popularly known, Abu Fadi.
Abu Fadi is the former head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Force in Gaza. During the mini-Palestinian civil war between the PA and Hamas in 2007, it was he who led the PA’s ultimately failed effort to control the strip. Abu Fadi is no friend of Hamas. He has a very good relationship with the US, Egypt, the UAE, and other supposedly moderate Sunni Arab states. The US and indeed much of the world would much prefer to see him in charge of the strip. He also reportedly has a good working (with an emphasis on working as he is an implacable foe of the Jewish State) relationship with Israel and it was he who The US under Bush and the Israeli government supported in the 2007 civil war. Another bonus, he is a sworn enemy of Mahmoud Abbas and could possibly be used to “kill two birds with one stone,” presenting a serious rival to succeed the PA chairman, something which might force Abbas to re-evaluate his continued rejection of peace with Israel.
Abu Fadi is no friend of Israel, having been arrested more than 11 times by security forces in his younger years. However, he is defiantly not the proverbial “devil we don’t know” and during his time in Gaza, he actively cooperated with the Israeli government and proved to be a more moderate leader between the choices of Hamas or himself. His close relationships with the US and moderate Sunni states create an interest for him to work with Israel.
Now more than ever is an opportune time to do this: we have possibly the most supportive US administration in history, Hamas is completely isolated and under siege not just from Israel but from the PA and Egypt as well; On top of all this, Hamas is still struggling to recover from the war in 2014 and has never been more vulnerable..
I propose that Israel stop the trend towards tribute with this new temporary ceasefire deal and invade Gaza with the goal to re-instate Mohamad Dahlan as leader in Gaza. Preferably this would happen through a “treaty” in which Egypt re-occupies the strip and places Dahlan in charge. Even if Egypt refuses to take part, and even without an IDF operation, putting Dahlan in power should be Israel’s goal.
In the best-case scenario, this would force both Hamas and Abbas to surrender and accept peace with Israel and at worst we would have a second PA in Gaza which is still immensely better for everyone Israel, Gaza, and Egypt.
Joshua Pacht is a student studying International Relations and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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Common Palestinian surnames that confirm where ‘Palestinians’ originate from
Why Do All These Rabbis Warn Against Getting the Covid-19 Vaccine?
PRAYER TO BE SAVED FROM CORONAVIRUS
Master of Universe, who can do anything!
Cure me and the whole world of the Coronavirus, because redemption is near.
And through this reveal to us the 50th gate of holiness, the secret of the ibbur, and may we begin from this day onward to be strong in keeping interpersonal commandments (i.e. being kind to others).
And by virtue of this may we witness miracles and wonders the likes of which haven’t been since the creation of the world. And may there be sweetening of judgments for the entire world, to all mankind, men women and children.
Please God! Please cure Coronavirus all over the world, as it says about Miriam the prophetess, “Lord, please, cure her, please.”
Please God! Who can do anything! Send a complete healing to the entire world! To all men, women, children, boys and girls, to all humanity wherever they may be, and to all the animals, birds, and creatures. All should be cured from this disease in the blink of an eye, and no trace of the disease should remain.
And all will merit fear of Heaven and fear of God, O Merciful and Compassionate Father.
Please God, please do with us miracles and wonders as you did with our forefathers by the exodus from Egypt. And now, take us and the entire world out from this disease, release us and save us from the Coronavirus that wants to eliminate all mortals.
We now regret all the sins that we did, and we honestly ask for forgiveness. And in the merit of our repentance, this cursed disease, that does not miss men, women, boys, girls, and animals, will be eliminated.
Please God, as quick as the illness came it will go away and disappear immediately, in the blink of an eye, and by this the soul of Messiah Ben David will be revealed.
Please God, grant us the merit to be included in the level of the saints and pure ones, and bless anew all the fruit and vegetation, that all will be healed in the blink of an eye, and we will see Messiah Ben David face to face.
Please God, who acts with greatness beyond comprehension, and does wonders without number. Please now perform also with us miracles and wonders beyond comprehension and let no trace of this cursed disease remain. And may the entire world be cured in the blink of an eye.
Because Hashem did all this in order for us to repent, it is all in order for us to direct our hearts to our Father in Heaven, and by that He will send blessings and success to all of our handiwork.
הסערה הבאה שרת התרבות מירי רגב הורתה להכניס ללוגו הרשמי של חגיגות היובל לאיחוד ירושלים את המילה שחרור ירושלים במקום איחוד העיר נשלח על ידי איתמר אייכנר אחרי
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From the 1940s until the 1970s, and heightening with the founding of Israel in 1948, nearly million Jews were expelled from their homes across Arab countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Algeria and Iran.
Jews were frequently subjected to pogroms, systemic violence and religious persecution. Their exiles were largely attributable to Arab regimes increasing their hostility toward Jews because of the very existence of Israel.
Today, while stories abound of many Arab refugees, few are aware or even acknowledge this forgotten exodus of Jewish refugees. Only in Israel has Nov. 30, the day after the UN voted to approve the Jewish-Arab partition plan of Palestine, been marked to commemorate their plight.
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Issuer Israel Issuing bank Anglo-Palestine Bank Limited Period State of Israel (1948-date) Type Standard banknote Years 1948-1952 Value 5 Palestine Pounds Currency Palestine Pound (1948-1949) Composition Paper Size 105 × 68 mm Shape Rectangular Demonetized 23 June 1952 Number N# 207999 References P# 16
An important piece of evidence: The British Palestine Exploration Fund survey map – 1871-1877 – The PEF people delineated every wadi, every settlement, tree, and home. They crisscrossed the territory, and an examination of the map shows how empty and barren the land was, and how few people lived there.
“The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity… Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people… to oppose Zionism.” Zuheir Muhsein, the late Military Department head of the PLO and member of its Executive Council.; March 1977, Dutch daily Trouw
London cab driver’s answer to a request from a Muslim to turn off the radio. (You just got to love the Brits.)
A devout Arab Muslim entered a black cab in London .
He curtly asked the cabbie to turn off the radio because as decreed by his religious teaching, he must not listen to music because in the time of the prophet there was no music, especially Western music which is the music of the infidel.
The cab driver politely switched off the radio, stopped the cab and opened the door.
The Arab Muslim asked him, “What are you doing?”
The cabbie answered, “In the time of the prophet there were no taxis, so get out and wait for a camel.”
I wonder how many years (hundreds for sure) Jewish people have lived in Quebec. I don’t believe that they have ever demanded that pork be removed from the school’s menu where their children attend…
Excellent reply by the Mayor of Dorval, Quebec, to the demands of the Muslim population in his community.
Put some pork on your fork.
Too bad the USA doesn’t have the common sense to publish this nationwide, even if they have a muslim in the white house. Should also be posted on signs all along U.S. borders.
Let’s hear it for a Quebec mayor.
MAYOR REFUSES TO REMOVE PORK FROM SCHOOL CANTEEN MENU. EXPLAINS WHY
Muslim parents demanded the abolition of pork in all the school canteens of a Montreal suburb. The mayor of the Montreal suburb of Dorval, has refused, and the town clerk sent a note to all parents to explain why..
“Muslims must understand that they have to adapt to Canada and Quebec, its customs, its traditions, its way of life, because that’s where they chose to immigrate.
“They must understand that they have to integrate and learn to live in Quebec .
“They must understand that it is for them to change their lifestyle, not the Canadians who so generously welcomed them.
“They must understand that Canadians are neither racist nor xenophobic, they accepted many immigrants before Muslims (whereas the reverse is not true, in that Muslim states do not accept non-Muslim immigrants).
“That no more than other nations, Canadians are not willing to give up their identity, their culture.
“And if Canada is a land of welcome, it’s not the Mayor of Dorval who welcomes foreigners, but the Canadian-Quebecois people as a whole.
“Finally, they must understand that in Canada ( Quebec ) with its Judeo-Christian roots, Christmas trees, churches and religious festivals, religion must remain in the private domain. The municipality of Dorval was right to refuse any concessions to Islam and Sharia.
“For Muslims who disagree with secularism and do not feel comfortable in Canada, there are 57 beautiful Muslim countries in the world, most of them under-populated and ready to receive them with open halal arms in accordance with Shariah.
“If you left your country for Canada, and not for other Muslim countries, it is because you have considered that life is better in Canada than elsewhere.
“Ask yourself the question, just once, “Why is it better here in Canada than where you come from?”
“A canteen with pork is part of the answer.”
If you feel the same forward it on.
Judea and Samaria not West Bank
This reminds me of a Morty Dolinsky story from the time he was head of the Government Press Office:
When the late Morty Dolinsky was in charge of the Government Press Office in the 1980s, he once famously replied to a reporter, who asked for information about the West Bank, that he knew no West Bank as he banked at Leumi.
![Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE (/ˈɛli vɨˈzɛl/; born September 30, 1928) is a Romanian-born Jewish-American[1] professor and political activist. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps. Wiesel is also the Advisory Board chairman of the newspaper Algemeiner Journal. When Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, the Norwegian Nobel Committee called him a "messenger to mankind", stating that through his struggle to come to terms with "his own personal experience of total humiliation and of the utter contempt for humanity shown in Hitler's death camps", as well as his "practical work in the cause of peace". Wiesel had delivered a powerful message "of peace, atonement and human dignity" to humanity.](http://www.jerusalemcats.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/elie-wiesel.jpg)
The Face of Peace?
Love of Am Israel
THE IRON DOME 2014 PART 2
Published on Aug 17, 2014
Part 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN6Cm…
Like Us At: https://www.facebook.com/KingDavidStu…
Film and Edit by Yaakov Lepon at King David Studio- Jerusalem 2014
We went to the south to show solidarity and support to the troops who were preparing to defend the country.
This is what jews do for their brothers in time of need…
(BRIEF HISTORY: In a broad gesture for Peace, with no preconditions, Israel withdrew its citizens from Gaza in the summer of 2005 and gave it to the Palestinians. Hamas, the controlling terrorist regime of Gaza, has since launched over 12,000 rockets and mortars AT Israeli citizens. The families of Sderot have been on the receiving end of the majority of rocket fire.)
Purity vs Impurity: choose Life and Purity
The Garden of Purity Rabbi Shalom Arush’s amazing new edition to his English-language literary garden will help you realize your fantastic potential to live a happier, more fulfilled life. This book is a practical, comprehensive and reader-friendly manual to personal holiness, the key to every blessing in a Jewish man’s life. We all appreciate the virtue of loyalty. Loyalty begins with the love between husband and wife, then extends to the love of one’s children, one’s family and one’s nation. The same principle of loyalty applies to our relationship to The Creator; He alone sustains us and grants us every blessing in life. The holy covenant – the brit that is carved in the flesh of every Jewish male – is our pact of loyalty with The Creator. We therefore refer to the brit as “guarding personal holiness”, for like a loyal honor guard, we guard our covenant with The King of Kings. Only when a person attains holiness, can he begin to love his wife and enjoy true marital bliss. This is the exact opposite of what modern society thinks; for that reason, divorce is so widespread today, something that this book intends to prevent. Personal holiness is a prerequisite for true and lasting love, and every other blessing in life, such as ample income and wonderful children, as we’ll learn in this book.With Hashem’s Grace, through this book, Hashem will grant you a sweet and good life, true marital bliss easy and ample income, righteous and pious children and more spiritual and material abundance than you ever dreamed of. Don’t miss this ultimate life-changer! 400 pages deluxe softcover, translated by Rabbi Lazer BrodyISBN: 56-1860
Covenant of peace – marriage Covenant of peace – singles Book by Rabbi Shalom Arush, author of “Garden of Emuna” the sanctity of human affairs, the meaning and implications of spirituality and materialism, and the right way to achieve it. In this book, Rabbi explains and explains the Torah, and the great sages of Israel how by saving element, any Jew – win congregate in the Holy and altitude ascents work gained prominence as the name of the righteous. As usual, the rabbi explains and explains things from the point of view of faith, facilitator and guide step by step in a clear and straightforward in a simple and affordable. Special Edition for married men – highly recommended! 459 pages, paperback.בריתי שלום – לנשואים ספרו של הרב שלום ארוש, מחבר “בגן האמונה” על ענייני קדושת האדם, משמעותה והשלכותיה הרוחניות והגשמיות והדרך הנכונה להשגתה. בספר זה, הרב מבאר ומסביר על פי התורה, דברי חז”ל וגדולי ישראל כיצד על ידי שמירת היסוד, יכול כל יהודי באשר הוא – לזכות לכנוס פנימה לקודש ולרום המעלות בעבודת השם כפי שזכו גדולי הצדיקים. כדרכו בקודש, הרב מסביר ומבאר את העניינים מתוך נקודת השקפה של אמונה, מנחה ומדריך שלב אחר שלב בצורה ברורה ועניינית באופן פשוט ושווה לכל נפש. מהדורה מיוחדת לגברים נשואים – מומלץ מאד! 459 עמ’, כריכה רכה. מק”ט: 42-1691
Gay and lesbian couples wed at Pride Parade!
Impurity
hedonists demonstrated in Tel Aviv
Gay and lesbian couples wed at Pride Parade! http://www.telaviv-fever.com/index.php/2009/04/gay-and-lesbian-couples-wed-at-pride-parade/
The Face of Peace?
17August2014 http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2014/08/the-face-of-peace.htmlLast night, a little over 1,000 Israeli hedonists demonstrated in Tel Aviv in favor of peace with Hamas. The pro-hedonist anti-emuna Israeli media gave them more coverage than they gave to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s funeral, may his saintly soul intercede on our behalf, where nearly 1,000,000 people attended. Will they ever learn? How are people willing to sacrifice the Land of Israel and the long-term welfare of the Jewish People just to satisfy their bodily appetites and trample the Torah? Surely, lust overrides intellect. Haven’t they learned from the Disengagement? Such people don’t want to be confused by the truth, especially when truth tells them that their bodily lusts are forbidden by the Torah. So, rather than fighting against their bodily lusts, they fight against the Torah. That in a nutshell summarizes the entire ideology of the hedonists, who among others, are members of the current Israeli Government coalition. Until their pleasure and business center of Tel Aviv was threatened, they did little to make life easier on the missile-ridden cities and towns of the south.
Hamas rocket-team commander being interviewed by AlMayadeen News as he prepares rockets for launching a mere two days ago – See more at: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2014/08/the-face-of-peace.html#sthash.aMhIQqqe.dpuf
Look at the above photo of a Hamas rocket-team commander being interviewed by AlMayadeen News as he prepares rockets for launching a mere two days ago. He is at the entrance of a tunnel and underground launching pad, one of the many that are still unknown to Israel. All he awaits is the command from Hamas HQ – a hatch opens up in the ground, and a 4, 6, or 8-missile barrage gets fired at Israel. This can happen at any moment.
Hamas tunnel crew commander being interviewed on AlMayadeen 2 days ago – does this look like the face of peace? – See more at: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2014/08/the-face-of-peace.html#sthash.aMhIQqqe.dpuf
Hamas tunnel crew commander being interviewed on AlMayadeen 2 days ago – does this look like the face of peace?
Rav Shalom Arush writes in The Garden of Purity how lust drives people insane. How can a sane person think that Hamas will ever make peace? When they were given all of Gaza on a platter in 2005 by the hedonist Israeli government, they only used it as a springboard for more war. Since the disengagement, we’ve had nothing but intermittent war and terror.
As Israel negotiates in Cairo, Hamas is feverishly building more rockets, as you can see in the Al Jazeera video from yesterday:
كتائب القسام تكشف عن تصنيع صواريخ “جي 80”
Published on Aug 16, 2014
خصَّت كتائب عز الدين القسام قناة الجزيرة بصور حصرية قالت إنها لعملية تصنيع صواريخ “جي 80” كانت قد استخدمتها في حربها على إسرائيل أثناء عدوانها على قطاع غزة.
تقرير: طارق الرفاعي
تاريخ البث: 16/8/2014
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades singled out Al-Jazeera with exclusive pictures, which it said were of the process of manufacturing the “G80” missiles that it had used in its war against Israel during its aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Reporting: Tariq Al-Rifai
Broadcast date: 16/8/2014
And, the tunnel problem is far from over, as you can see in the Al Mayadeen video from two days ago, which shows Hamas activity in an assault tunnel, one of the many still unknown to Israel, as you see below:
الميادين تدخل أحد الأنفاق الإستراتيجية للقسام …
I wouldn’t call this the face of peace. Would you?
J80 missile production going on right now in Gaza – the missile has a range that enables it to reach both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Image above – J80 missile production going on right now in Gaza – the missile has a range that enables it to reach both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
The only way to attain lasting peace in the holy Land of Israel is to rid it of publicly flaunted debauchery and government-sanctioned trampling of Torah. This means that we must make a peace treaty with Hashem. Until then, don’t expect to see the face of peace on our neighbors, who are none other than a stick in Hashem’s hand. It’s time for teshuva – the sooner the better.
– See more at: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/#sthash.3Hxyy9ks.dpuf
US hypocrisy re Gaza civilian casualties
21August2014 http://israelmatzav.blogspot.co.il/2014/08/us-hypocrisy-re-gaza-civilians.html
Lest anyone complain about Mohammed Deif’s wife and child being killed (with him?), consider this about Osama Bin Laden’s sudden demise:
When Israel killed ‘Palestinian’ terrorist Abu Iyad in 1988, his family looked on unharmed.
On the other hand, when the US killed Anwar al-Awlaki, they also killed Anwar al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son as “collateral damage” in a car with another person – so, Awlaki (target) died, the other man (who may or may not have been a target) died and a teenager died. Score? Either 33% or 66% collateral on one hit – and both Awlaki and his son were US citizens.
The US shouldn’t talk to Israel about civilian casualties….
How Hillary Clinton Enabled Hamas’ Construction of Terror Tunnels
17August2014 Moshe Phillips and Benyamin Korn http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/08/17/how-hillary-clinton-enabled-hamas-construction-of-terror-tunnels/
Much has been said and written about the terror tunnels that Hamas built in Gaza. But too little has been said about who it was that put the cement into Hamas’ hands, thus making the construction of the tunnels possible in the first place.
Until now.
In a bombshell revelation, Dennis Ross, the senior Mideast policy adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2011, has admitted that it was he who was assigned the task of pressuring Israel to ease up on its military blockade of Gaza.
“I argued with Israeli leaders and security officials, telling them they needed to allow more construction materials, including cement, into Gaza so that housing, schools and basic infrastructure could be built,” Ross revealed in the Washington Post on August 10. “They countered that Hamas would misuse it, and they were right.”
Not that Hillary’s State Department had been acting independently of the White House on the issue of cement. For example, Vice President Joe Biden told interviewer Charlie Rose on Bloomberg TV in 2010: “We have put as much pressure and as much cajoling on Israel as we can to allow them to get building materials” and other forbidden items into Gaza.
But now that Mrs. Clinton is attempting to distance herself from the president’s debacles in foreign affairs, Ross’ admission shows that it was she who sent her personal envoy to push for a policy that ultimately enabled Hamas to build the terror tunnels.
Israeli officials have long been justifiably concerned about the danger of dual-use items such as cement. On the one hand, cement could be used for innocent purposes such as home construction, in the hands of a peace-seeking, trustworthy government. But in the hands of untrustworthy elements – such as the Hamas terrorist regime that rules Gaza – it could also be used for other purposes. Such as terror tunnels.
President Obama recently remarked, in his much-discussed interview with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times: “Because Israel is so capable militarily, I don’t worry about Israel’s survival.” Secretary Clinton evidently shared that dismissive attitude when she sent Ross on his mission to put cement into Hamas’ hands.
It seems Obama and Clinton forgot that Israel is the only country in the world that is threatened with annihilation by a nearby regime rushing to build nuclear weapons. Israel is the only country in the world that, in the space of just 65 years, has been forced to fight four major defensive wars and five smaller ones in order to survive. Israel is the only country in the world whose next-door neighbors have built dozens of tunnels into Israel to perpetrate massacres of civilians.
Today, at least thirty-two terror tunnels later, we know that Clinton, Obama and Ross have been wrong, while Israel is right.
Hamas spent between $1 million and $10 million to build each of those tunnels, using as many as 350 truckloads of cement and other supplies per tunnel, according a report in to the Wall Street Journal, quoting Israeli military officials.
And it is “likely that there are additional tunnels” that the Israelis have yet to uncover, according to the Journal’s report.
Instead of lethal purposes, the materials used for each tunnel could have built 86 homes, or 19 medical clinics, or seven mosques, or six schools. But Hamas had other priorities.
And Secretary Clinton consciously turned a blind eye. Just as she turned a blind eye to other aggressive and anti-peace behavior by the Palestinians, such as the Palestinian Authority’s sheltering of known terrorists, its payments to imprisoned terrorists, the anti-Israel and anti-America propaganda that fills the PA-controlled media, and the anti-Semitic hatred in the textbooks used in the PA’s schools.
What are the real-life consequences of ignoring such Palestinian actions? An entire generation of young Palestinians have grown up incited to hatred of Jews and Israel, and glorifying terrorists as heroes and martyrs.
What are the real-life consequences of Mrs. Clinton putting cement into Hamas’ hands? The tunnels into Israel were used to carry out the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit and numerous other attacks in which Israelis were murdered. They were being prepared to carry out a mass coordinated attack on Israeli towns and kibbutzim this year on Rosh Hashanah.
Imagine a scenario in which a surgeon decided that she wanted to employ a controversial and risky technique. She was warned repeatedly that it was too dangerous, but proceeded anyway and in the process nearly killed the patient. Surely that would be deemed malpractice. The surgeon probably would be barred from ever again practicing medicine.
Secretary of Stated Hillary Clinton committed diplomatic malpractice. Her own top aide has revealed that it was she who put the cement into Hamas’ hands, even after Israel warned repeatedly that doing so was too dangerous. And Israel continues to suffer the consequences.
Another lesson of the Gaza war: Even as we condemn Hamas’s diversion of cement from the construction of housing to the construction of terror tunnels, let us not forget that it was Hillary Clinton who pushed through the policy that made those tunnels possible.
Moshe Phillips and Benyamin Korn are members of the board of the Religious Zionists of America.
Col. Richard Kemp on the IDF & Hamas in Gaza
Published on Aug 14, 2014
Address hosted by StandWithUs and Shivtei Yisrael synagogue in Ra’anana, Israel. Former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, Col. Richard Kemp has a distinguished military career and is an expert in counter-terrorism. Col. Kemp spent significant time in Israel during the IDF’s defensive campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, “Protective Edge”.
Rav Ovadia Yosef’s Funeral
Published on Oct 8, 2013
Over 850,000 mourners escort the rabbinical leader of the generation to his final resting place, Jerusalem, October 7, 2013
Gaza, 2014: War of Emuna
By: Rabbi Lazer Brody http://www.breslev.co.il/articles/society/current_affairs/gaza__2014__war_of_emuna.aspx?id=26481&language=english
Many people are disappointed that the recent round of hostilities, aka “Operation Protective Edge” or “Gaza War, 2014”, did not end in a decisive, clear-cut military victory for Israel. Indeed, in boxing, this would have been a split-decision, where in the absence of a knockout, the winner would be decided according to the points given by three judges at ringside. Militarily, Hamas claims victory, maintaining that their leadership and their power to fire rockets against Israel’s cities have both emerged unscathed. Israel claims victory, citing its successful campaign against the Hamas assault tunnels and the overall damage it did to Hamas. Nevertheless, no one in Israel can guarantee that all the tunnels have been destroyed. Furthermore, as we witnessed right before the recent ceasefire was declared, Hamas still succeeded in firing rockets on Israel’s southern cities and villages.
As the military and diplomatic smoke clears, the outcome of the current “Protective Edge” operation is identical to the outcome of the “Cast Lead” and “Defensive Shield” campaigns of 2008 and 2012. If the same pattern of hostilities continues, we can expect an additional war within a year. Why? There were four years between “Cast Lead” and “Defensive Shield”, and two years between “Defensive Shield” and “Protective Edge”. Continuing the pattern logically, there would be one year until a renewal of hostilities. And, what’s worse, the seeds of a new intifada (Arabic for civil uprising) seem to be sprouting, for terror in Jerusalem has once again reared its ugly head.
The above seemingly factual and logical look at our military and political situation in regard to Gaza is deceiving, for it doesn’t take emuna into account. With emuna in mind, the recent Gaza War has been a dazzling victory for Israel, not only against Hamas, but against the entire world. Let’s see what we have gained, thanks to Hashem’s limitless love for His People in Zion:
1. Jewish Unity – Unity among the Jewish People has always been a rare commodity. The lack of it led to the destruction of our Holy Temple, to exile and to Diaspora. Yet, this war saw our entire nation come together. Soldiers were flooded with food and gifts. The morale and spiritual reinforcement of the troops in battle was phenomenal. Outside of the traditional hate-mongers in the self-serving media, one can feel a true change for the better in regard to interrelationships among various sectors of the Israeli population. This is the unity that is a prerequisite for Moshiach.
2. The Hamas Doomsday scheme foiled – Most likely, Israel will create several investigative committees into the “failures” of the recent war, the most prominent of which is the military’s and the intelligence community’s gross underestimation of the tunnel threats. By way of the tunnels, many of which led to the hearts of the Gaza-area kibbutzim and villages, Hamas had planned to send at least 2,000 of its best fighters through ten different tunnels this coming Rosh Hashana. Simultaneously, ten different Israeli villages would have each been attacked by some 200 terrorists with automatic weapons, grenades and anti-tank missiles. Women and children would have been kidnapped and taken back to Gaza. With the Hamas terrorists wearing Israeli combat fatigues, the ensuing battles would have been utter bedlam, Heaven forbid. Hashem foiled the terror attack of history, for Hamas did not plan on this war, which was premature in their strategy.
3. The Emuna that “it’s all for the best” – the kidnapping and heinous murders of the three Yeshiva boys, martyrs Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frankel and Eyal Yifrach, may Hashem avenge their sacred blood, was a tragedy that all of Israel took to heart. No one understood how such a disaster could be for the good. But in retrospect, we all see that our martyred young men triggered a chain of events that led to operation “Protective Edge” and the discovery of the assault tunnels. The sacrificed lives of our three holy martyrs saved who-knows-how-many thousands of lives and foiled the terrorist plot of the century.
4. An International Victory – the current Gaza War took the mask off of international anti-Semitism. Hashem exposed the nations of the world, that their so-called “anti-Zionism” is none other than anti-Semitism at its vulgar worst. If Israel and the Arabs are fighting, why should Jews be attacked on the streets of Paris and why should synagogues in the USA be defaced? What’s more, Israel withstood tremendous pressure from the American executive branch of government and the US State Department, the UN and international media, all of whom displayed flagrant pro-Arab bias. As a result, the people of Israel are now fully aware of the Gemara’s statement that in these times before Moshiach, there is no one to trust but Hashem.
5. Revelation of Hashem – one can write several volumes about the miracles that took place during the recent war, many of which we saw with our own eyes in my hometown of Ashdod, where hundreds of rockets fell in over seventy different missile attacks. Despite the success of the “Iron Dome” missile-interception system, a number of rockets made their way through and fell in heavily-populated areas. One rocket made a direct hit in a crowded gas station on a Friday morning. Not only were there no fatalities, but a gasoline-tanker truck that held 35,000 liters (about 9,000 gallons) was burned on the outside, but its contents didn’t explode! What’s more, adjacent tanks of propane gas, ever so volatile, also did not explode. This could have caused an explosion that could devastate a tremendous area. And, this is but one miracle of many…
6. An end to the “Might of My Right Hand” Ideology – the war succeeded in showing Israel that Hashem wins wars, not the military. As we mentioned earlier, military intelligence was caught unaware and unprepared. Hamas tunnels were the springboard of two deadly ambushes. IDF equipment, such as the outdated armored personnel carrier that broke down and became a death-trap for its seven crew members, was frequently faulty and vulnerable. As many IDF officers testified anonymously, the government’s hesitation, vacillation and lack of clear objectives severely hampered the forces on the ground. The Israeli Army paid a dear price with the blood of over sixty martyrs. Yet, the IDF fought valiantly. In a phenomenal sanctification of Hashem’s name, Givati Brigade Commander Colonel Ofer Winter invoked Divine assistance by having his entire command say “Shema Yisrael” before they went into battle.
Gaza, 2014 is not only a war of Emuna for the people of Israel. This is a war of emuna for Jews around the globe. For a Jew, Israel – the Land of Emuna – is the safest place on earth. All the spiritual leaders of this generation have said that the Geula, the final redemption of our people, has already begun. Hashem wants us all to come home. And, judging by the stream of Jews who are making Aliya, the ingathering of the exiles is well underway. Thousands of IDF soldiers are proudly wearing tzitzit, what they nickname their “spiritual flak jacket”. We are winning the war of emuna and we will continue to win. Even if you’re still outside Israel, you can and must do your part. Help us spread emuna the world over. The light of emuna must extinguish the darkness of radical Islam – that’s the real struggle, and with Hashem’s help, we’ll prevail, amen!
For 90 Minutes, Jewish Leaders Tell UN’s Ban Ki-moon About Hamas Abuses, List 19 War Crimes
14August2014 Joshua Levitt http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/08/14/for-90-minutes-simon-wiesenthal-center-directors-tell-uns-ban-ki-moon-about-hamas-abuses-lists-19-war-crimes/
For a full 90 minutes on Wednesday, Jewish leaders told United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon about the litany of abuses of international rules of warfare – 19 in total – by Hamas in Gaza.
The group included Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, directors of The Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman, Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and representatives from B’nai Brith and Hadassah.
Rabbi Cooper told The Algemeiner on Thursday, “Bottom line, the Jewish world will have to be more proactive on the international stage, not only to defend Israel, but ourselves as well. We will continue to interact with Ban Ki Moon to insure that this important leader will be more responsive.”
In a follow-up note to Ban after their meeting, the SWC rabbis summed up the argument they presented. They said that “we must frankly ask you how many times will the world allow itself to be held hostage by Hamas? This is the third time since 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza that Hamas has brought death and destruction to the people of Gaza. Once again they are using the people of Gaza, the civilian infrastructure and UN facilities in its non-stop campaign to terrorize the Jewish state.”
During the 90 minute meeting, according to Rabbi Cooper, the SWC urged the UN to announce an official inquiry into the use of various UNRWA schools by Hamas to store and launch rockets for the benefit of the UN’s own reputation. They also called on the UN not to permit the UNRWA to supervise the billions in reconstruction funds expected for Gaza.
“The systematic hijacking of previous aid, cement, and building materials by Hamas to build an underground superhighway of terror is scandalous and a violation of the wishes of the donors who did not contribute funds for rockets or tunnels,” they said. “Those who failed to stop such theft and serial abuse of humanitarian aid, must be held accountable and should not have any involvement in supervising or dispersing of future funds.”
They also said that work shouldn’t begin until “the total disarming of Hamas and the destruction of all of the thousands of rockets and missiles Hamas still harbors.”
The Jewish human rights group that works to protect Jews against anti-Semitism also raised that core issue with Ban. “There has been an explosion of anti-Semitism and genocidal hatred against Israel from Europe to Australia,” they said. “Rather than denouncing this toxic situation Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, contributed to it by being so rabidly one-sided in her criticisms of Israel.”
“During her tenure there was no effort to investigate previous crimes against humanity by Hamas, including its own admission that 160 Palestinian children died building their terrorism tunnels. Her behavior demands a public censure from the Secretary General.”
They asked that “with a human rights disaster of epic proportions in Syria, with ethnic cleansing in Iraq, with a difficult situation in Ukraine and with continuing human rights outrages in North Korea,” the upcoming UN General Assembly “not be allowed to degenerate into an anti-Israel hate fest,” and noted that the UNGA will coincide with the Jewish High Holy Days.
“Anymore demonization of Israel emanating from the halls of the United Nations will only contribute to anti-Semitism globally,” they said.
To hammer home their point about Hamas violating human rights, although Israel is accused of doing so by the UN Human Rights Commission, the SWC rabbis left Ban with a detailed list they compiled of the 19 violations made by Hamas, with full notes and citations for Ban to reflect upon.
In further comments to The Algemeiner, Rabbi Cooper said Ban “refused to get involved with the travesty at UN Human Rights Council.”
Read the SWC’s list of Hamas’s 19 violations of the rules of war:
Israel vindicated by UN damage assessment in Gaza
Dan Smith http://bit.ly/1p5CB94, August 24, 2014 http://theettingerreport.com/israel-vindicated-by-un-damage-assessment-in-gaza-2/
An analysis of the damage assessment data collected – on the Gaza War – by the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (which has never been biased in Israel’s favor), confirms that Israel attacked Hamas targets in a restrained manner:
*Israel did not retaliate by rote against Hamas’ systematic attacks on civilian targets; Israel bombed areas which harbored Hamas missile launching grounds and facilities, command posts, terrorists homes and hideouts, operational bases, weapon inventory and tunnels.
*Most of the damage concentrated in very limited areas of 25 square meters of less, while most of Gaza was not damaged at all or in a very limited manner. Less than 5% of Gaza was hit by The Israel Defense Forces.
*The most populated areas of Gaza City, Jabaliya, Khan Yunes, Rafah and Deir el-Balah were disproportionally-undamages: damaged in a very limited way or not damaged at all.
*The areas highlighted by the UN damage assessment report are compatible with the Israel Defense Forces briefings on the location of Hamas facilities, especially in the Shuja’iya area, which was the arena of the most intense battles.
*While Hamas concentrated its terror facilities – systetmatically and deliberately targetting Israeli civilians – in densely populated urban areas in Gaza, the vast majority of these urban areas were undamaged.
*Israel demonstrated exceptional efforts to minimize collateral damage – by urging civilians to evacuate ahead of bombings, thus forefeiting the surprise effect – guided by security requirements and not by retaliatory or political expediency.
*Israel followed surgical bombing tactic and not carpet bombing. The attacks were not random nor indiscriminate.
*Most of the Israeli bombing hit areas which housed multiple tunnel entrances and shafts, as well as launching sites for mortars and missiles and other terror-related infrastructures.
*15% of Hamas rockets and mortars were short, hitting civilian targets inside Gaza.
First aid for baby killed in J’lem attack: ‘Her parents put her in my arms’
United Hatzalah volunteer Avi Steinhartz was the first to give emergency treatment to 3-month-old Haya Zissel Braun; ‘I detached emotionally in order to give better treatment’.
Ahiya Raved 23october2014 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4583446,00.html
Avi Steinhartz, a United Hatzalah volunteer, was the first to administer first aid to 3-month-old Haya Zissel Braun, the infant who was killed in the Jerusalem Light Rail attack on Tuesday, and images featuring him carrying her have since become a symbol of the deadly attack.
“I took the baby and began to give her CPR. She had serious head injuries, the vehicle ran over her,” Steinhartz said.
“It was a very difficult incident – you have to repress your emotions in order to work properly,” he told Ynet earlier Wednesday.
Steinhartz carrying Haya Zissel Braun, moments after attack
Meanwhile, the medical staff at Hadassah Medical Center managed to identify a woman hospitalized in critical condition as a result of the attack as an 18-year-old citizen of Ecuador, who has been studying in a religious institution in Jerusalem. Her family is still abroad.
Steinhartz did not witness the attack, but was very close to the scene when it took place. Once the infant’s parents spotted him, they ran over and placed the baby in his arms.
Close up video of terror attack
“There was another woman next to me with a head injury, and other wounded people. I notified the call center, and more volunteers arrived shortly,” Steinhartz recounted the incident.
“I began to give her CPR, and once the ambulances arrived, I entered one of them with her. I continued to give her CPR treatment until the ambulance left for the hospital. I did not go with them, but rather continued to treat those who were wounded at the scene.”
Steinhartz immigrated to Israel at the age of 18, and has lived in Jerusalem ever since. As a father of three children, he said that in order to cope with the difficult situation, he had to detach emotionally. “You disconnect so that you can provide better medical care. There were many wounded and many people suffering from anxiety, who were in panic and screaming,” he said.
Haya’s parents at scene of attack (Photo: United Hatzalah)
“This is a very difficult time for residents of the city. Those who are supposed to protect us don’t do so, and deal with other things instead.
On Wednesday night, hundreds of people accompanied 3-month-old Haya Zissel Braun on Wednesday night to her final resting place at Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.
“You were pure. I want you to look down at me and smile,” crying, Haya’s father, Shmuel Elimelech said. “Tomorrow is your three-month birthday. It’s all now in God’s hands. We will remember you.”
Since the attack, there were two stone-throwing incidents in the Jerusalem Light Rail overnight Wednesday and early Thursday. Damage was caused to the Light Rail in the Shuafat area, but no one was hurt.