GUEST POST: Time Magazine vs Truth

Time Magazine vs Truth
(a guest post by Mr. Cohen)

This essay is a critical analysis of the article titled:

“World Beyond Hope” by Karl Vick, published in

Time Magazine, on 2018 May 28, on page 26.

______________________________________________
In this article about the Palestinians in Gaza, 3 of the 4 pictures
show Palestinians suffering. There are no pictures of Palestinians
holding weapons. Their protests are described twice as peaceful.
______________________________________________
In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the
Palestinian protesters in Gaza repeatedly attempted
to destroy the security wall that protects Israel from terrorists.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

protesters were armed with knives, clubs and Molotov Cocktails.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians in Gaza have repeatedly dug underground

tunnels into Israel, so they could kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians in Gaza have repeatedly sent kites loaded

with flammables into Israel, which has caused numerous

fires, which has destroyed both crops and nature preserves.

 

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians in Gaza shot thousands of rockets and

missiles into Israel, mostly aimed at civilian targets.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that the

Palestinians have repeatedly rejected peace offers from

Israel, peace offers that would have given them 99%

of what they wanted.

[Or more accurately, the Palestinians were offered 99%

of what they told Western audiences they wanted,

to mislead the Western audiences to believe that

they would accept something less than the total

destruction of Israel, to make themselves seem reasonable.]
 

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Muslim hatred against Israel and Jews is often inspired

by Islam’s most important sacred writings: the Koran

and Hadiths. Additionally, Muslim hatred against Israel

and Jews is often inspired by the famous anti-Jewish

forgery titled: “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”,

which is a perennial best-seller in the Muslim world.

This article never mentions the fact that Palestinian

schools and Palestinian mosques teach hate

and lethal violence against Israel and Jews.

This article never mentions the fact that the

Palestinian Authority (PA) gives cash rewards

to the families of terrorists who died while killing Jews.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that
thousands of Israeli Jews have been murdered by
Muslims, with countless bombings, car-rammings,
knifings and shootings; the victims have included
teenagers and children and pregnant women.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas, the organization that rules Gaza, is officially

committed to killing ALL Jews, all around the world:

even those Jews who never visited Israel, even those

Jews who are not Zionist, even those Jews who are

anti-Zionist. This is written in the Hamas Charter.

______________________________________________

This article said: “Hamas is SEEN AS
a terrorist group by the US and Europe.”

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas has repeatedly pushed Palestinian civilians,

including children, directly into the line-of-gunfire,

so the news-media could report that Palestinians

were killed by Israeli gunfire.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas uses children to dig underground tunnels into

Israel, so they can kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas creates shelters to protect themselves,

but no shelters for Palestinian civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas uses Palestinian civilians, including children,

as Human Shields.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Hamas killed hundreds of Arabs and Muslims,

without trial and without civil rights, because

they were seen as violating Islamic law [Sharia]

or because they were viewed as opponents of Hamas.

All this, and author Karl Vick describes Hamas not

as a terrorist group, but merely as being “SEEN AS

a terrorist group”, as if their status as terrorists

were a mere opinion, that is subject to debate.

______________________________________________
Last, but not least, we speak about the Israelis, who
are the only people portrayed as villains in this article.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis warned Palestinian civilians in advance about

their military activities, to reduce civilian casualties. 

This kind of warning is extremely rare,

and you can count on one hand the number

of armies that offer this type of warning.
 

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

every day, Israel sends trucks filled with food and

medical supplies to Gaza. This inconvenient fact

is routinely omitted by news reporters who want

to promote the false idea that Israel is trying to

kill all the Palestinians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israel supplies Gaza with water and electricity,
even when terrorists from Gaza shoot dozens
of missiles and rockets at Israeli civilians.

What The New York Times Isn’t Telling You
About Israel’s Gaza ‘Blockade’
www.algemeiner.com/2018/04/08/what-the-new-york-times-isnt-telling-you-about-israels-gaza-blockade/

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis practiced great restraint; they waited for many

months to respond with military force, even when

they were being attacked with thousands of rockets

and missiles from Gaza, which were mostly aimed

at civilian targets.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis practiced great restraint; they waited for many

months to respond with military force, even when

they were being attacked with underground terror tunnels,

designed to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israelis practiced great restraint; by waiting for many

months to respond with military force, even when

they were being attacked with kites loaded with

flammable materials, flammable materials that

started big forest fires and crop fires.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israeli is the only democracy in the entire Middle East,

and the only country in the entire Middle East

with modern standards of civil rights, including

freedom of religion and equality for women.

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

in Israel, Arab citizens have voting rights and are

elected to membership in the Israeli Supreme Court

and membership in the Israeli parliament [the Knesset].

In this article, there was no mention of the fact that

Israel’s government gives money to mosques,

where Muslims gather for prayer.

______________________________________________
CONCLUSION:  The article “World Beyond Hope”
by Karl Vick contains no context and no balance;
it is a one-sided propaganda essay that whitewashes
the numerous wrongdoings of Arabs and Muslims,
while portraying Israel and Jews and one-dimensional
villains who just want to kill innocent people for no reason.

Another article, which was featured on the front cover

of Time Magazine, attributed 100% of the blame for

Middle East violence on Israel and Jews, while attributing

0% of the blame for Middle East violence on Arabs

and Muslims. I do not remember the name of this article,

but the front cover displayed a large six-pointed star,

like the six-pointed star on the flag of Israel.

______________________________________________
“Furthermore, journalists located in any Arab town
know that if they write anything not favorable to
the Arabs, they can face physical danger.”

SOURCE: article by Ralph Dobrin:
Why Peace in the Middle East Remains Illusive
www.jns.org/why-peace-in-the-middle-east-remains-illusive/
______________________________________________

Dennis Prager said:

“Israel, it ought to be recalled, is the only country in
the world targeted for annihilation.  That has been true
from the day it was proclaimed as a state in 1948 until today.

It was true before Israel was forced to conquer East Jerusalem,
Gaza and the West Bank. 

It was true after three Israeli prime ministers: Yitzchak Rabin,

Ehud Barak, and Ehud Olmert, agreed to give up virtually all of

Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinians to set up a Palestinian state. 

It was [still] true after Israel have every inch of Gaza to the Palestinians.

All of which proves that when Palestinian spokesmen say

they want peace, they do not mean peace WITH Israel,

they mean peace WITHOUT Israel.”

SOURCE: Why I am in Israel and you should be

by Dennis Prager, December 2015, Country Yossi

magazine, December 2015, page 48

 

***********************************

Articles about Media Bias against Israel
from Aish HaTorah:
***********************************

Why is the Media Biased?
www.aish.com/jw/mo/48917482.html

4 Reasons Why the Media is Biased against Israel:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/4-Reasons-Why-the-Media-is-Biased-against-Israel.html

Dishonest Reporting: Media Bias Against Israel:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/48932327.html

The Media: Destroying Jerusalem Again:

www.aish.com/shraga_blog/The-Media-Destroying-Jerusalem-Again.html

European Media and Anti-Israel Bias:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/48924097.html

Palestinians: Western Media's Ignorance and Bias Palestinians:

www.aish.com/jw/mo/Palestinians-Western-Medias-Ignorance-and-Bias.html

------------------------------------------------------------------

Huge source of high-quality pro-Israel videos:

www.youtube.com/user/PragerUniversity
------------------------------------------------------------------

An Insider’s Guide to the Most Important Story on Earth

by Matti Friedman, 2014/8/26
www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/183033/israel-insider-guide

SUMMARY: This article exposes intentional anti-Israel bias in the news media.

It is still VERY relevant, even though it was written in 2014.

==================================

Facts about Israel from Daily Forest dot com:

==================================

“Israelis invented voice mail technology.”

Israel is proud to have the world’s highest rate of
entrepreneurship of women and people over the age of 55.

“The Jewish State has more museums per capita

than any other country in the world.”

Out of all the countries in the Arab-Muslim world,

Israel has the highest life expectancy for Arabs.
The life expectancy is 79 years.

“If you were to take a look inside a Pakistani passport,

you would see that it read, “This passport is valid for
all countries in the world, except Israel.”

==================================

Please check out these pro-Israel web sites:
==================================
www.camera.org

www.HonestReporting.com

www.memri.org

www.ActForAmerica.org

www.aish.com

www.IsraelLawCenter.org

==================================

Pro-Israel Articles from Aish HaTorah:

==================================

www.aish.com/jw/me/Ten-Ways-Israel-Is-Treated-Differently.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/13-Facts-about-Israel--the-Middle-East.html

 

www.aish.com/jw/s/The_Pro-Palestinians_Real_Agenda.html

 

www.aish.com/ho/i/Menachem-Begin-on-the-Lessons-of-the-Holocaust.html

 

www.aish.com/jw/me/Why-Are-There-Still-Palestinian-Refugees.html
 
www.aish.com/jw/me/The-Arabs-Real-Grievance-against-the-Jews.html

 
www.aish.com/jw/me/Col-Richard-Kemp-on-Israels-Moral-Army.html

http://5tjt.com/why-israel-is-the-worlds-best-nation-an-amazing-article-in-an-italian-paper/

==================================

Articles Refuting BDS from Aish HaTorah:
==================================
www.aish.com/jw/me/The-BDS-Smokescreen.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/BDS-The-Attempt-to-Strangle-Israel.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/BDS-and-Anti-Semitism.html
 

www.aish.com/jw/me/Fighting-BDS-in-the-Name-of-Human-Rights.html
 

www.aish.com/jw/s/Winning-the-BDS-Battle.html
 

www.aish.com/jw/s/10-Ways-You-Can-Fight-BDS.html

www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/13/bds-founder-confirms-movement-is-about-ending-the-jewish-state/
==================================

Articles about the Palestinians
from Aish HaTorah:
==================================
www.aish.com/jw/me/Golda-Meir-on-the-Palestinians.html

www.aish.com/shraga_blog/The_Palestinian_Money_Pit.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/The-Truth-about-Palestinians.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/Believing-Palestinian-Lies.html

www.aish.com/jw/mo/Staged-Palestinian-Photos.html

www.aish.com/jw/s/The_Pro-Palestinians_Real_Agenda.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48882577.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48897862.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48883522.html

www.aish.com/jw/me/48908777.html

==================================

Articles from Mr. Cohen:
==================================

Who are the Palestinians?

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/06/who-are-palestinians.html

Did Captain Kirk believe in negotiating with terrorists?

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/can-jews-learn-from-captain-kirk.html

Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:

www.algemeiner.com/2017/10/27/israel-cannot-withdraw-from-the-west-bank/
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html

www.jns.org/in-gaza-flare-up-new-york-times-obscures-cause-and-effect/

==================================
Mr. Patrick Condell has no Jewish ancestors
and no religion that might cause him to favor Jews.

Please read these short pro-Israel articles that

expose the Palestinians by Mr. Patrick Condell:
==================================
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/boo-hoo-palestine-by-pat-condell.html

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/patronising-palestinians.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-great-palestinian-lie.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/useful-idiots-for-palestine.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/israel-and-united-nations.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/why-do-muslims-always-blame-jews.html

 

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/liberal-hypocrisy-over-gaza.html

Thank you!

GUEST POST: Basic Middle East Facts

Basic Middle East Facts
(a guest post by Mr. Cohen)
--------------------------------------

Israel is the ONLY real democracy in the entire Middle East,
and the most pro-American country in the entire Middle East.

The other countries in the Middle East are brutal dictatorships,
with: no free press, no freedom of religion, no real elections,
few rights for women, and are jam-packed with: illiteracy,
racism, anti-Semitism, hate for women, and hate for America.

Total number of Muslim nations: 57

Total number of Arab nations: 22

(with total land area 350 times the size of Israel)

Total number of Jewish nations: 1

(65% the size of New Jersey, one of the smallest states)

If a Palestinian State were created, it would be

the 58^th Muslim country and the 23^rd Arab country.

Israel’s “West Bank” has been an almost-completely-self-governing

Palestinian area since 1995. The same is true of Gaza since 2004.

 

Last but not least, Jordan (an Arab nation more than three times

the size of Israel) was part of the British Mandatory Palestine,

and was originally intended to be part of the Jewish homeland.

 

Jordan ** IS ** Palestine. In year 1970, Yassir Arafat’s

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) attempted to take

control of Jordan, because they recognized that Jordan is Palestine.

In 1978, Shimon Peres told Menachem Begin:

"Jordan is also Palestine".

www.timesofisrael.com/jordan-is-also-palestine-peres-once-told-begin/

For many years, the Catholic Church refused to recognize both

Israel and Jordan, because both countries are the Biblical “Holy Land”.

President Ronald Reagan said this in year 1980:

“Israel and Jordan are the two Palestinian states envisioned

and authorized by the United Nations. Jordan is now recognized

in some 80 per cent of the old territory of Palestine…”

SOURCE:

http://daphneanson.blogspot.com/2017/09/david-singer-king-abdullahs.html

CONCLUSION:

The Palestinians already have a state: It is called Jordan.

Jordan is more than three times the size of Israel.

Gaza and the West Bank are de facto Palestinian States,

therefore the Palestinians already have three states.

_______________________________________________

Now for a rarely-discussed, but very important

Basic Middle East Fact:

Harvard Law Professor Alan M. Dershowitz said:

“…if Israel’s military power were ever to be diminished
to the point that the combined armies of the Arab world

could defeat it, I believe there would be another Holocaust. 

No Arab dictator who could defeat Israel and forebore

from doing so would survive the continuing frenzy for

jihad [Islamic holy war against non-Muslims]. 

And an Arab military victory over Israel – unlike the
Israeli victories over the Arabs – would not result in

a mere occupation or even detention of Israeli Jews. 

It would result in a mass slaughter, designed to rid
Arab holy land of Jewish intruders. Most Jews
know this, though they rarely speak of it openly. 

But then again, most Jews did not speak openly
about the Holocaust before it happened, while it
was happening, or for several years after it was over.”

SOURCE: Chutzpah by Alan M. Dershowitz
(chapter epilogue, page 352) published in year 1991
by Little Brown & Co ISBN: 9780316181372 ISBN:  0316181374

_______________________________________________
Please also read: If Daniel Were Alive Today
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-daniel-were-alive-today.html

 

Please also read: If Isaiah Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-isaiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Ezekiel Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-ezekiel-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Jeremiah Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-jeremiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Ezra Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-ezra-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Nehemiah Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/04/if-nehemiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Joshua Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/05/if-joshua-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: Refuting the Fans of Vashti:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/02/refuting-fans-of-vashti.html

Please also read: Who are the Palestinians?
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/06/who-are-palestinians.html
_______________________________________________
PLEASE help by making a PayPal donation to:
FourCupsOfWine@gmail.com
THANK YOU!!
______________________________________________

Outsiders Caused Today's Middle East Instability

Inventing "Palestine" sic isn't the only bad move by various foreigners, outsiders, which has caused major instability in the Middle East. The resulting violence has been causing mayhem and death all over the world already.

With the exception of the State of Israel, every other country and their borders were drawn by outsiders who not only had no idea what residents wanted, their culture or history, but even more dangerous, these new countries were fictitiously based. Various Arab "nationalisms" were romantic fantasies and not native, home-grown drives and ideologies. Again, only the Jewish Zionist Movement was native to the Jewish People based on the Bible, History and the Jewish Religion. There had always been Jews in the Middle East Land of Israel, even at the height of Exile. From the the Biblical Time of the Exodus from Egypt, there had always been Jews from south of Gaza to north of the Dan, from the Mediterranean Sea to east of the Jordan River. Yes, even after the Davidic Kingdom was conquered, not only didn't the Jewish People fully desert the Land, but it prayed for and planned its return. Finally, about a hundred and fifty years ago, the Zionist Movement began, the necessary tool for the rebirth of a modern Jewish State.

None of the other countries that exist in the Middle East today have such a history, people and culture, and that is why there is so much violence. Look at these maps and the anarchy caused by the helter skelter drawing of borders and inventing countries and peoples.

Historic Political Borders

1600 The two primary rulers in the region were the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. The Ottoman Empire began in the 1300s in what is now Turkey. Between 1516 and 1517, the Ottomans conquered the Arab provinces. The Safavid Empire, based in what is today Iran, lasted from 1501-1722.

1600
The two primary rulers in the region were the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. The Ottoman Empire began in the 1300s in what is now Turkey. Between 1516 and 1517, the Ottomans conquered the Arab provinces. The Safavid Empire, based in what is today Iran, lasted from 1501-1722.

1880
In the 1700s and 1800s, the once-powerful Ottoman Empire started to lose power. Great Britain, France, and Russia were on the hunt for new territories to conquer and began to interfere in the affairs and territories of the Ottoman Empire and Egypt.

1920
In 1919, the British and French implemented the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement and divided the Arab world into nation-states. The League of Nations recognized these borders and allotted "mandates" to the French and British to govern these states until it was determined that they were ready for independence.

2002
These are the current internationally recognized boundaries in the Middle East. Disputed boundaries are indicated with a dotted line.

The Morning After... If Obama Bombs Syria

The proposed or threat of an American attack on Syria brings up more questions than solutions.  Even listening to Ruthie Blum on Israel Hayom didn't help me feel like it would be a good thing.



Since I'm in the year of mourning for my mother, I content myself with watching just the news on television, mostly BBC, Europe and Bloomberg.  So, I've been hearing a lot about the United States President Barack Hussein Obama and his attempts to get the support of Congress and foreign countries for his proposed attack.

There are some very serious problems with his plan. 

• One he wants to replace Bashar al-Assad with the opposition, which isn't in favor of American plans.  And they certainly aren't western and freedom-loving.  You can best describe the opposing sides as "the devil and the deep blue sea."
• Obama is trying to convince the Americans that this attack won't require any American soldier to land in dangerous Syrian territory.  If that's the case, how does he expect to destroy all of the nerve gas? 
• And if he doesn't totally destroy the nerve gas, what's the point?

It's pretty obvious that if the opposition gets into power and has nerve gas, they'd use it, too.  I consider it terribly naïve to think that there are such differences between the Syrian sides.  Remember what has been going on in Egypt.  The world, especially Barack Hussein Obama, enthusiastically celebrated and praised the change of regime and "democratic elections" in which Mohammed Morsi was elected president.  He didn't last very long, because the Egyptian public is volatile.  They aren't the same culture and nature as Americans or even Europeans.

The more I listen to the news, the less I want an attack on Syria.  It will only destroy the fragile peace that now exists in the Middle East, and if this area becomes a true war zone, no place, not Europe, America, Africa or Asia will be safe.  Is that the legacy Barack Obama wants to leave on this earth, be known as the man who started World War Three?

The Morsi, Syria, Lebanon etc Lesson for Israel

I should hope that this principle is taught in "Introduction to Political Science/International Relations" courses, the required prerequisite for anyone interested in learning how governments and history really work.

International treaties require stable governments or they are useless.

Maybe I'm naïve.  I must admit that I have no formal academic training in Political Science or International Relations.  I've just been following the news, international of course, for over half a century.  Yes, I'm old.  I've seen countries and super-powers come and go.  I remember the irony of Mao, when his Communist Red China population was forced to wear one type of jacket as he mocked the United States as a "paper tiger."  Today the Chinese have a stronger and more materialist economy than the USA, and their Communism is long gone.

I remember American government leaders quaking at the thought of an attack from the USSR, which today doesn't exist.  But the Americans, who claim to be the strongest and most powerful country in the world, still fear Castro's poverty-ridden Cuba.

To be honest, I don't have too much respect for the "experts."  How many predicted the events I lived through?  I prefer my common sense.

According to Jewish Law, an insane person can't sign an important contract. Potential aka wannabe converts who are mentally unstable can't be converted to Judaism. One has to be fully rational to make such a life-changing decision. If a woman is married to a man with serious psychiatric problems, his ability to give her a get for divorce can be affected.

PHOTO - AFP/THOMAS SAMSON

Considering the instability, anarchy in the Arab world, how can the Israeli Government even think of signing any sort of "peace treaty" with anybody?  And certainly the so-called Palestinians sic have no reliable track record to attempt an "enemy country in a country" which has never been peaceful/successful.  Have you ever heard of West Berlin?

REUTERS/Stringer

Israel is the one economically successful, democratic, stable country in the Middle East. 

Lots of Arabs are also being killed in Lebanon
Saudi, Gulf throw weight behind Egypt after Morsi ousted
Too late for Obama to act on Syria
Report: U.S. to Warn Israel in Advance of Syria Attack, Security Officials Say Assad Unlikely to Retaliate Against Israel  (Has the USA ever predicted these things correctly?)
Russia to U.S.: Don't Repeat Your Past Mistakes in Syria
Here’s How Kerry, Hillary and Obama Let Assad Get Away with Murder
Iran Draws ‘Red Line’ against US Intervention in Syria

Why risk everything for an experiment AKA "Peace Treaty" sic that will inevitably result in war, death and destruction?

Surprising Common Sense From Reuters, the "Israel-Arab Conflict" Shouldn't be a Priority

Hat tip: IMRA

"Popular wisdom" is that the most dangerous and worrying "conflict" in the world is between Israel and her neighbors.  That's why United States President Barack Hussein Obama has assigned his Secretary of State John Kerry to ignore the instability and violence in Syria, Egypt etc.  and concentrate his energies and budget on forcing Israel to kowtow to Arab demands... and that's just to get the Arabs to the negotiating table.

Bli eyin haraa, not to rock the boat, things have been pretty calm here in the heart of Judea/Samaria.  Loads of Arabs are stocking up on food and fancy clothes in Sha'ar Binyamin, buying them in Rami Levi and Yafiz.  As they finish Ramadan, this is our busy season.  For some very peculiar reason this seems to really annoy Obama, and he wants it to end.  I guess he wants us to suffer like his Egyptian friends are.

So I was pretty surprised, pleasantly so, to see IMRA's update about this Reuters article/opinion piece.

Analysis: Israeli-Palestinian riddle won't answer Middle East's wider woes
Much has changed in the Middle East since the last talks broke down in 2010. Autocratic leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have been ousted, Islamist radicalism has spread and sectarian warfare between Sunni and Shia Muslims has surged.
More than 100,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict and violence has flared again in Iraq, with over 1,000 killed there in July alone, many at the hands of Al-Qaeda. Tensions over Iran's disputed nuclear program have also risen, while a struggle for power between Islamists and the military is playing out on the streets of predominantly Sunni Egypt.

Following the principle about "voting with their feet," I'd say that a large percentage of the Arabs here are happy with the status quo. They enjoy the peace and the advantages of being under Israeli rule.  They have excellent healthcare, a network of roads, fresh water, electricity, telephone service/networks,  employment and commercial opportunities.  Yes, they've never had it better.  And there's no place in the Arab world where they would have it better.

During the nineteen years that Jordan illegally (recognized only by two countries, Great Britain and Pakistan, held the land east of the Jordan River, (Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley) they did nothing to develop and improve the infrastructure.  When Israel liberated it in the 1967 Six Days War, the telephone system was still the old via operator one, there was no running water or electricity.  When we moved to Shiloh in 1981, we'd see that generators were turning off electricity every night.  There would be public service announcements in the Israeli newspapers about various Arab towns having been hooked up to the water or electricity lines.

Arabs in the Middle-East have more pressing things on their mind than the Israel-Arab "Conflict."

Last year crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square, celebrating the election of the Islamist Mohamed Morsyas president, chanted: "in millions we shall march to Jerusalem." Today, the square is filled with supporters of the army which ousted Morsy last month.
These Egyptians are preoccupied with their own problems. "Of course a peace agreement would be a blessing from Allah to us and all Arabs, but first we must rid ourselves of the dictators and tyrants who steal from us and bend to the West," said Faris Ismael, the owner of a bakery in downtown Cairo.

The American Crystal Ball: 'Palestine' by 2030*'

The Jerusalem Post reports that the United States "experts" are predicting:

'Palestine' by 2030*'

New US intelligence report predicts that in less than two decades, a Palestinian state will exist, but key issues such as Jerusalem's status are likely to remain unresolved; China's economy to overtake US.

Photo: REUTERS/Ali Jarekji

It is likely that unofficial actions will lead to a Palestinian state by 2013*, US intelligence analysts cited by AFP said Monday.

"On the one hand, if the Islamic Republic maintains power in Iran and is able to develop nuclear weapons, the Middle East will face a highly unstable future," a new intelligence report said. "On the other hand, the emergence of moderate, democratic governments or a breakthrough agreement to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could have enormously positive consequences."

*Is it supposed to be 2030 or 2013?  I copy/pasted from the Jerusalem Post.

Nu?  Can we really take anything like that seriously?  I'd also doubt anything predicted by "US intelligence," an oxymoron for sure.  That's especially when it comes to anything to do with Israel and the Middle East.  You've certainly heard the saying:

“Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for that rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge”  Erwin Knoll quote

Personally, I don't see any reason to trust the intelligence of American Intelligence.  They and other international groups like the United Nations, Europe etc all come to these "problems" with preconceived notions that skew their conclusions completely.

Does everyone remember the Oslo Accords?

Dry Bones

The recent UN recognition of Palestine as a state ends the Oslo Accords of 1993.

This cartoon is about one of the failures of the now defunct agreement.

 

A Soldier's Mother just posted an excellent piece about European "non-intelligence."

I just can't get over this. I'm trying to understand the urgency. Britain's Foreign Minister says there is an "urgent need to restart the peace process."

I'm all for peace but honestly, what is so urgent today, this week versus last month. One hundred rockets rained down on Israel in a single day - and I heard nothing from the European Union about urgently seeking peace. A mother was attacked in her home, stabbed as she defended her children - silence. Two years ago, an infant was murdered beside her mother, her father and two of her brothers...silence, no urgent need.

There's no need, to put it mildly, for us Israelis to pay any attention to these foreign fake experts.  Their faux intelligence will only get us into more danger, because they don't see things accurately and they don't care about our safety and future.

One of my pursuits is to correct misunderstanding of Hebrew words and terms.  The word נביא navi is usually, more like always, translated as "prophet."  And most people consider a prophet as one who can see the future:

definition of prophet
noun

• 1a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God: the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah
• (the Prophet) (among Muslims) Muhammad.
• a person who advocates or speaks in a visionary way about a new cause or theory: he is repeatedly hailed as a prophet of modernism
• a person who predicts what will happen in the future: the prime minister ignored the prophets of doom

But I see the word נביא navi very differently, more like the passive of בא "come."  That's the recipient of something, a message or task, from G-d.  None of these American or European predictions and judgements have anything to do with G-d.  So I'm not taking them seriously.  I don't care what the foreigners or Israelis who follow them, meaning the Left and Center, think.

We're now in the middle of the eight day holiday of Chanukah.  And the message of Chanukah is very clear.  We must not follow foreign gds, religions, philosophies etc.