Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #15 If The WW2 Allies Had Fought Morally, Nazis and Japanese Would have Won..

 If The WW2 Allies Had Fought Morally, The Nazis and Japanese Would have Won The War

Graves in Shiloh Cemetery, not of soldiers killed in
Hamas-Gaza War  5784

Our Soldiers Shouldn't Die in Vain!

There's a major disconnect between our IDF soldiers on the ground, doing the fighting, and the upper echelons making policy, the government and top officers.

Our IDF soldiers are the best in the world. First of all, most are civilians now serving in the reserves. They've left their families, studies, jobs, businesses, and too many have lost their lives. Their successes in battle are future books and movies.

There's only one problem. The government is weak, groveling to foreign countries and worse. With all the rumors of a "break in fighting," as if it's half time in a football game, releasing terrorists, lots and lots of terrorists from Israeli jails to free a few hostages. 

The State of Israel is also giving fuel, food and other supplies to Gaza. That makes them stronger and more confident fighting against us.

Even more incomprehensible, the State of Israel is warning Gazans before destroying buildings, so "innocent civilians" won't be injured. Now, do you really think the terrorists stay in the buildings to die? A bigger question is: Are there any innocent civilians? They voted in Hamas. They were part of the attack on Israel's south, raping, murdering, stealing valuables. Remember that they were instrumental in giving Hamas all the important information which made the attack so easy. These "innocent civilians" pretended to be friends with the gullible, peace-loving Israelis. Remember that terrorists don't wear uniforms. They look like regular civilians.

Some Israelis, including top army officers and government ministers are proudly bragging that "there was never an army more moral than the IDF."

Moral? 

• What's moral about endangering our soldiers? 
• Wasting our ammunition? 
• Feeding our enemies while battles are still raging? 
• Giving the enemy time to rearm? 

Yes, no other country has ever done such a thing! But it's bad! It's dangerous! Not only does it endanger our soldiers and civilians, it makes it impossible to win the war. Yes, I've said it!!!

Look at history. Can you imagine if during World War Two the allies had warned the Nazis before bombing? Thrown food packages, rather than bombs on Japan? I know know what would have happened. Today we'd be speaking German and Japanese, because they would have won the war.

Don't let our soldiers die in vain and don't cause the defeat of the State of Israel. The United States wants to rule here, which was their plan in 1973. Yes, it's the truth. I suspected it then and over the years learned that my gut was right. It has been confirmed by a few sources, among them Deceit of an Ally by Bruce Brill. 

US President Biden has been very up front about saying that the USA plans on sponsoring/supporting/establishing a "Palestinian State" in the middle of Israel when the war ends. All the "aid" we get is payment/bribery for this. It's a way of controlling the State of Israel. And if you've been following what's happening in the world you know that "from the river to the sea..." is a popular slogan. People all over the world unabashedly demand that Israel cease to exist! 

The Davidka, Israeli made weapon from our War of Independence 75 years ago

Over the years, Israel gave up the attempt to be self-suffiecnt in producing military equipment arms. Even our own inventions, things we still produce need certain parts from the USA, and we have to follow their rules/policies to buy them. We can't even sell those weapons to a foreign country without American approval. 

Bit by bit we've been giving up our sovereignty. We were stronger when we had no allies. That's how/why Gd joined us in 1967 in the super miraculous, legendary Six Days War!!!

Let's fight to win!

Tell Biden and others to butt out. That's the only way we'll really survive! I have no doubt that when foreign countries see us strong and ignoring them, they will give up. That's the only way we'll win and survive. We have no choice. Right now the terrorists and our other enemies are laughing at us, because we're trying to be nice, instead of fighting to win.

Gd willing our Israeli Government will get WISDOM, STRENGTH and that's how we'll win. 

Guest Post: A Self-Destructive Jewish Majority (Parshat Beshalah) by By JJ Gross

A self-destructive Jewish majority (Parshat Beshalah) 

by By JJ Gross

It was recently discovered that a Brooklyn public school, which has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Qatari government, has – for 12 years ­– been featuring a map of the Middle East on which Israel does not exist. The map, which was provided by the Qataris, shows only a country called Palestine. The map was a teaching tool in an “Arab arts class” that is taught by an Arab woman named Rita Lahoud

One can wonder why a New York City public elementary school would have an Arab Arts class in the first place. But then, there is no limit to the extent of the Qatari infiltration of American education. Entire universities have been effectively taken over by Qatari-funded “Near Eastern Studies” departments in a barely disguised, and hugely successful, effort to occupy the minds and agendas of vulnerable college students.

In recent weeks, we have witnessed the result of this Qatari investment, as America’s most prestigious campuses have emerged as hotbeds of virulent antisemitism and vociferous support for Hamas and its murderous rampage of October 7^th.

But what is perhaps most horrifying – but hardly surprising – about this ongoing call for Jewish blood and the dismemberment of the Jewish State, is the significant leadership presence of activists who are not only Jewish, but who claim to be acting against Israel BECAUSE they are Jewish.

Indeed there are entire Jewish organizations – all of them well funded by Jewish donors like George Soros – whose sole raison d’etre is to wage war against Israel. These organizations come replete with their own ordained rabbis, men and women who are members in good standing of liberal Jewish synagogue organizations. These include Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, Truah and Bend the Arc – representing tens of thousands of Jews who truly hate Israel and seek its total annihilation.

The cancer of Jewish self-destruction is hardly limited to the college campus and Gens X and Z.

In the case of Public School 261 in Brooklyn, according to the New York Times:

“ ‘It would be devastating if the (Arab Arts) program were cut,’ Lauren Katzman, the mother of a first grader said. Last week, a broad group of parents, teachers and staff members issued a statement calling for protection of a program that honors the “diversity and Arab heritage of the Boerum Hill neighborhood.” More than 240 people had signed it. Ms. Katzman was among 16 Jewish parents who drafted a separate letter a few days later in a similar vein …”

Yes, it was Jewish mothers and fathers who were loudest in the call to protect Arab studies at their children’s public school. Rest assured there is no parallel Jewish studies program in that school, nor any call for one.

What does all this have to do with Parshat Beshalah? Actually everything. Because the situation in Egypt at the time of the Exodus some 3,000 years ago was very much the same as it is today in the western Diaspora.

It is abundantly clear from the text of all the parshiyot from Vayehi through Beshalah, that the idea of Jewish national redemption was anathema to most, if not all, Israelites living in Egypt.

When the Bnei Israel traveled en masse for the burial of Yaakov in Eretz Israel, they returned to Egypt en masse as well. Despite the fact that the famine had ended, and that Yosef’s status was diminishing rapidly, it occurred to none of them to remain in their ancestral home. Egypt was where they wanted to be.

Now, 210 years later, the idea of national redemption had gained little, if any, traction. Even the midrash – and I rarely reference midrash – tells how only 20% of the Israelites followed Moshe, while the rest – 80% of Bnei Israel – chose to remain behind.

One can readily surmise that the 20% who did leave Mitzrayim were hardly the more successful strata of Egyptian-Israelite society. They were not the corporate lawyers, Wall Street executives, successful surgeons, and movie and media elites of Egypt.

And even the lowest rungs of the social ladder needed the manifestation of miracles and plagues to convince them to leave, so thoroughly Egyptianized were they.

I would take it one step further. Not only did the overwhelming majority of Bnei Israel refuse to leave Egypt, they did everything in their power to prevent, persecute and pursue the small minority who did choose to go. The Israelite majority were not merely indifferent to Redemption and national resurgence, they were actively hostile to it – much as so many American Jewish elitists are today.

The Torah says

וְאָמַ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל נְבֻכִ֥ים הֵ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ סָגַ֥ר עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם הַמִּדְבָּֽר
And Pharaoh  said to the Bnei Israel, they are lost in the land,
the desert has closed them in
(Shemot 14:3)

I believe Pharaoh was literally speaking TO the majority of Bnei Israel who stayed behind and were goading him against their own people (and not, as Rashi tries to explain, that the ל in לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  mean  “of" rather than "to".) And, no doubt, the most rabid pursuers of the Israelites who were camped at the edge of the Red Sea were the the Israelite majority -- who were so in love with Egyptian culture, so patriotic, and so hostile to their own identity.

As the prophet Yeshayahu famously says:

מִֽהֲר֖וּ בָּנָ֑יִךְ מְהָֽרְסַ֥יִךְ וּמַֽחֲרִיבַ֖יִךְ מִמֵּ֥ךְ יֵצֵֽא
Your children rush; your destroyers and those who lay waste to you will come from you.
(Yeshayahu 49:17)

We have seen this over and over again throughout our history. As the famous cartoon character Pogo says, “ We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

provided by JJ Gross

It is time to wake up and realize that our most dangerous enemy is not Iran, or Hamas, or Hizbullah or the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. It is our own people who have become so alienated from themselves, so ignorant and indifferent to the lessons of Jewish history, so addicted to diaspora culture – Egyptian then, American and British, and French today – that they not only choose to disappear, but they insist on harming the rest of us even as they hasten to demographic oblivion.

JJ Gross- New York born and Jerusalem based,  JJ Gross is a veteran blogger at Times of Israel which refuses to publish this posting.  His focus is primarily, but not exclusively, on the parsha. 

Letter to Jerusalem Post -Close, but no Cigar- "Five Words for When the War Ends"

In last week's Jerusalem Post, there was an article, Five words for when the war ends, that almost hit the nail on the head, but the writer wanted the head to also hit the nail. That's why the writer, Sherwin Pomerantz doesn't get "the cigar."

On one hand he admits that he and his fellow "dreamers" should admit that they made mistakes in supporting dangerous policies, like Disengagement, trusting the PA to govern properly and the Oslo Accords. Yes, Pomerantz admits that they should say those "five words:" 

"I'm sorry, you were right."

Unfortunately, after that he wants us to say those words, too, for... honestly, I can't figure out what we did wrong. The latest government coalition finally began to act against the judicial dictatorship proposing judicial reform. Pomerantz blames us for causing the demonstrations against the reform, even though he admits in his article that the judicial needed to be reined in:

"On this same subject, the leadership of Israel’s Supreme Court in the years prior to 2022 also needs to say to all of us, “I’m sorry, you were right!” Their arrogating power to themselves to regularly override the prerogative of the elected representatives of the people to make laws was, in itself, a festering wound that culminated in the push by the Right last year to “take the country” back at they liked to say."

Pomerantz claims that the pro Judicial Reform demonstrations made Israel look weak and vulnerable which caused the Hamas terrorists to attack on October 7. He totally ignores that his friends, the "dreamers," had been calling for reservists, pilots and ordinary soldiers to refuse their army duty. That gave the terrorists the confidence to attack. He and his "dreamer" friends caused us to experience a nightmare that isn't over yet after over 100 days!

Why did the Jerusalem Post publish such a piece?

Here's the letter I wrote to the Jerusalem Post. So far it hasn't been published, and I don't know if it will be. I probably should have saved and edited it the next day to make it clearer and reread the article another few times:

Sherwin Pomerantz almost gets it, OK let's say partially gets it. I have a decade more than him here in Israel, which I'm mentioning, since he made a point saying that he's here forty years in the blurb identifying who he is and why he considers himself qualified to voice these opinions. 

Pomerantz starts off very well admitting that he and his fellow travelers erred in supporting Disengagement, trusted the PA to develop a Singapore in Gaza and thought the Oslo Accords something wonderful should say to those of us who disagreed:

"I'm sorry, you were right."

But then he shows that he still doesn't get it. He can't get a handle the importance of Judicial Reform on the unjust justice system here where, as we just saw in the recent high court action, eight unelected "justices" claim the right to overrule/veto the votes of millions of Israelis, because of politics-- OK they used a euphemism "reasonableness," meaning they just don't agree with the ideology. He's blaming brave Yariv Levin and other coalition MKs who were sent by Prime Minister Netanyahu to Reform the Judicial System, without the backup of Bibi's legendary oratory skills and hasbara. (My guess is that they had been sent to fail, but that would be the topic of a longer letter or an op-ed or whatever.)

It's unreasonable and unrealistic to think that those who control our Department of Justice will voluntarily agree to follow the law, the rule of the Knesset.

The anti-reform demonstrations were funded and led by the same --follow the money-- as those who funded the "crime minister" anti-Bibi demonstrations a few years before. It was the anti-reform and anti-religious demonstrators that were tearing the country apart, like they ripped the prayer books on Yom Kippur. This was not the fault of the government.

And I hate to break it to Pomerantz, but our President Herzog's job is not to be the "national leader." It's more like an American Vice President for formal things and meeting ambassadors. When Biden gave great honors to Herzog during his visit, while pointedly refusing to invite Bibi, it was a diplomatic insult to our PM, actually interfering with internal Israeli affairs. 

Just to clarify, I'm not a Bibiist and didn't vote Likud. I think that his time to retire has long passed. There are many talented potential national leaders in the coalition.

 

 

Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #14 Read & Follow The Bible Tanach

This is basically a quick continuation of my previous War Musing, War Musings #13 We're All Hostages of Hamas, Dangerous Faux Morality & Pressures.

First I'd like to remind everyone that not a single solitary country, besides Israel follows the "war morality" that protects its enemies at the expense/endangerment of its soldiers and civilians. Honestly, I don't mind our being unique or first in some things, but being the one and only in this category is stupidly suicidal, not moral. The Nazis and Japanese would have won World War Two if the Allies had followed such rules.

Considering that Hamas attacked when Israeli society had been severely weakened by dissention, internal problems, makes it most similar the the Biblical Amalek. Amalek attacked the rear, the weak, like the terrorist Hamas. 

Israel's weakest border is/was the southern one with small communities populated by "peaceniks" who were so trusting of their Gazan neighbors that many didn't even have armed local self-defense staff. Many residents trusted their friends on the other side of the border. Afterwards, these friends were recognized in the security films of the surprise attack...

Biblical King Saul, the first Jewish king was ordered by Gd to kill of a Amalek, men, women and children, plus to destroy all of their animals. Saul lost the kingship, because he didn't obey those orders.

Earlier in the biblical narrative we hear Abraham debating with Gd about the destruction of two evil cities. Abraham, like many modern Israelis, worried about the "innocent civilians" who'd be harmed. Gd challenged Abraham to find a number of innocents, my version here, so they could be saved. In the end, not even a minimum amount of innocents were found, and the cities were destroyed. The only survivors were Abraham's relative Lot, plus Lot's wife and two daughters. When the wife looked back, she, too, was killed by Gd.

End of Bereishit Genesis Chapter 18

I Samuel 15

To me, these two stories should be taken very seriously as Gd's instructions today.

Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #13 We're All Hostages of Hamas, Dangerous Faux Morality & Pressures

 

Some of you may not like this, but as I read the newspapers over Shabbat and thought about all the ridiculous things I keep hearing on the news and various talk shows, it all became clear. 

The Israeli Government, which is probably to be called the Third Bibi Netanyahu Coalition, isn't conducting itself as a strong, proud independent government. Actually, it never truly has. I'll never forget hearing him at the International Bloggers' Conference in 2008 saying that when he'll return to the position as Prime Minister, he'll do it as a centrist. I've written and spoken about it many times. That honest statement of his has made all of his failed policies clear to me, and I can't understand why other people don't get it. 

A Centrist isn't a leader, and we can't afford more mistakes.

But back to the theme of this War Musing...

The Israeli Government and public are being bombarded with orders, warnings, slogans that "our priority must be returning the hostages." I certainly have nothing against any of the hostages, nor their families, Right, Left and Center, but the entire State of Israel is in danger. This isn't just another hijacked airplane story. 

Honestly what's the point of destroying the momentum of our soldiers, yet again, needed to totally defeat Hamas, or endanger our soldiers in rescue attempts when it could, Gd forbid, cause us to lose the war. So then the few survivors (we're not even sure how many of the remaining hostages are even alive) end up being killed here in Israel as the country is Gd forbid invaded by more Hamas terrorists and their supporters?

There's an even bigger problem, which has nothing to do with the hostages that Hamas has taken to Gaza. It's the fact that Netanyahu's government and the Leftist War Cabinet are forcing our soldiers to endanger themselves to protect the so-called "innocent Gazan civilians." Please read War Musings #7 *Volunteers Needed to Sort Innocents from Terrorists.

All the warnings and inspections before we bomb a building turn our soldiers into hostages of the "loony left" who are ruling the State of Israel. This policy is unprecedented and perverse. Israel has been guilty of it for decades. We endanger our soldiers, our children, grandchildren, family, neighbors to protect those who are terrorists or protect terrorists. Our soldiers protect us, and we must protect them! 

The people funding the Return the hostages NOW at all cost are the same antigovernmental anti-Likud, anti-Judicial Reform international Leftists who've been working with Ehud Barak and other Israelis for years to endanger the State of Israel. 

We must totally defeat and destroy the enemy. No mercy. It's that simple, a strange adjective for a dangerous and difficult war. We must change leadership to those who understand this.

Gd willing בע"ה

Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #12 Heads Should Roll, Major Security Snafu

The latest sad war news is the misidentification of Israeli hostages for terrorists and their subsequent deaths. Unfortunately, "friendly fire" deaths are common in all wars. It's definitely heartbreaking, but the soldiers have barely seconds to react, and the Hamas Gazan terrorists love playing these mind games and tricks. 

I started working on this post a couple of weeks ago, and now I know why it has taken me so long. Siyata d'Shmaya, the hand of Gd played a role for sure. Those young, tired soldiers had seen their friends and officers die and had certainly been warned not to take chances. Their lives are precious, and they're trying to save the entire State of Israel. These young soldiers are the ones facing the enemy, not those who ensconced in their cushy offices who misread the signs. Read Yaakov Katz's article.

There's no polite way of saying this, but Israel's security experts goofed בגדול bagadole; that means BIG TIME, and I'm not exaggerating at all. It wasn't a simple "maybe." We had real details and films of the Hamas Gazan terrorists training. But for some fatal reason, the higher up "experts" didn't take it seriously. Check out the links below, and let me know what you think.

Kan News

How Hamas built a force to attack Israel on 7 October

IDF elite intel officer warned about Hamas attacks, ignored - report

Unfortunately, as someone who made aliyah even before the 1973 Yom Kippur War, I'm not surprised to hear that lookouts had noticed suspicious movements on our southern border in the months before the "surprise" attack on Simchat Torah. And even more worrying and familiar, deja vu, is the fact that these reports were pooh poohed. Making it even worse was that these alert lookouts were threatened with court martial. 

I hope the lookouts are promoted and all those "superior officers" who threatened them be court marshalled, convicted and deprived of their cushy pensions. 

Unfortunately, half a century after the Yom Kippur War, the "conceptzia" still reigns in the IDF and Defense Ministry. Our totally miraculous victory in the 1967 Six Days War was misconstrued as proof that the IDF Israel Defense Forces is the great victor, rather than crediting Gd Almighty for making all the difference and giving us a quick victory. Entering the Sinai, Judea/Samaria/Jordan Valley and Syria for the Golan Heights weren't even Israeli military plans. Think about it.

In 1967 no foreign country "helped" us at all, so we were on a fast track to Gd's miracles. There's no other explanation. Military experts have no other explanation.

Unfortunately, the Israeli military establishment keeps insisting that our victory was due to their military superiority, brains and skills. That's the misconception aka "conceptzia."

We're paying a very heavy price for keeping the same mindset. Our IDF and military upper echelons need a serious overhaul. Knock down that glass ceiling. 

In recent years Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has kept us from destroying Hamas when we have had chances. For the past decade plus we've been plagued with a series of mini-wars aka "operations" which end in what could be described as military impotence. 

Bibi must be replaced from within the coalition. There's lots of talent in Likud. It's time to bring in strong leadership, no more tired old failed policies. It's time for strong leaders to prove their stuff and save the country. 

We need to win this war!!

Ladies, Let's Pray Together on Rosh Chodesh Tevet נשים, נתפלל ביחד

Gd needs to hear our prayers, and we need to pray together in holiest spot in the world for women's prayers. Yes, Ancient Shiloh, where the Biblical Chana prayed for a son. Her son Shmuel Led the Jewish People for many years and then anointed our first two kings, Shaul and David.

Rosh Chodesh Tevet, Wednesday 13-12-2023, 8:30am

תפילת נשים בשילה הקדומה

ראש חודש טבת יום ד' 13\12\2013 ב8:30

Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #11 Bibi Blinked!

Bibi Blinked and Then Stuffed His Ears...

Many years ago, a fellow blogger (who's no longer on the blogging scene) photoshopped Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu's face in the center of a bagel for me. 

More about the image of Bibi in the center of the bagel... This is what I had envisioned over fifteen years ago after hearing Bibi state that when he returns the position of Prime Minister of Israel, he'd promote centrist policies, since he considered it the proper way to be a national leader. This image of a directionless Netanyahu popped into my head. A true leader must have a clear vision חזון. A centrist stands still, or goes in useless circles. When a country stands still it dies. 

In the Center one circles endlessly repeating mistakes, which is exactly what Bibi and his loyal voters have been doing. Why are people surprised? I've been expecting such a war ever since he began his "Hamas has leaned its lesson" and then he'd agree to a ceasefire, until the next round. Making such a mistake once may be understandable, but to endlessly repeat is is beyond stupid. 

To me it was perfectly clear that the "lesson" Hamas was learning was not that Israel's tougher, but it was how to aim their rockets better. And the icing on the cake for them was how quickly Israel would lie to itself and agree to a ceasefire. 

Now we're paying the price. And considering the perverse sadistic cruelty Hamas has unabashedly been showing to the world, I must admit that not even I ever envisioned something so insanely psychopathic. Having grown up post-World War Two and always hearing that there was nothing worse than the Nazis and the Holocaust, I now have no doubt that Hamas is much worse than the Nazis. 

Netanyahu is my age and was raised by a famous academic historian, so how is it that he doesn't see what I see? How can he trust Hamas? Hamas is proud of the carnage, the rape, decapitation, burning of people. They filmed it and broadcast it unabashedly. How can Binyamin Netanyahu trust them enough to negotiate with them? 

If you say "the Americans forced us," then why should we ever listen to such faux deceitful allies? As we used to hear in old cowboy and indian movies, "they speak with forked tongues." Besides that, as an independent country, Israel must do what's best for Israel and not allow other countries to boss us around. We owe nothing to America!!! 

Check your history, and you'll only find tricks. That includes the so call "aid," which is no more than "shopping coupons" to be used in American "stores" to shore up the American military industries and cripple the Israeli economy. 

Shabbat's approaching, and I must return to my chores and get these awful thoughts out of my head...

Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #10, Paraphrasing Truman: The Buck Stops... Where?

I've been relatively polite about Bibi. 

Remember what Harry Truman said: 

"The buck stops here." 

It's clear that Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu, the man who broke all records as longest serving Israeli Prime Minister is very responsible for every failure. And he brought into his war cabinet others responsible, who made the decisions, policies the State of Israel is suffering from. 

Naïve people voted for him, Likud, thinking Bibi's on the patriotic Right, but he's not.

Photo of Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu I took many years ago at the 1st International Bloggers Conference

I'll say one more thing. Even though I don't vote Likud, for reasons I won't get into now though you can search my blog if you're curious, I'm a member of the party and vote in its primaries. Gd willing there will be elections for a new #1, replacement for Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu after we win this war. There are quite a number a talented potential Prime Ministers waiting in the wings. I hope that only one runs against Netanyahu, or even better that he officially retire.

In the meantime I pray that Gd will give our prime minister the wisdom and moral strength to lead us to victory. That is the most important thing right now!

Israel Attacked by Hamas 2023/5784, War Musings #9 Iron Dome Misused, Misconceptions Abound

Here's the text of a Letter to the Editor I wrote to the Jerusalem Post. It's not in today's paper, and I have no idea if they'll publish it later in the week, and if so how much they'll edit out.

Sky Guardians: The Iron Dome's month of miracle defenses - opinion

I was horrified to see Tiran Goldstein-Tweg's featured opinion piece promoting the Iron Dome for the Nobel Peace Prize. Only our enemies could support such an absurdity. 

We're now into month two of the most difficult and dangerous war in Israel's history because of a "conceptzia" meaning misconception due to the misuse of the Iron Dome. 

The Iron Dome should have been used as a first line of defense to protect Israeli citizens while our military fights to destroy our enemies and their military/rocket infrastructure. Instead, the IDF got very lazy and overconfident, yes-- deja vu post 1967 Six Days War. Our military "experts" sic somehow got into the mindset that they could count on the enemy, Hamas plus, to use up their allegedly limited sic rocket supplies while the Iron Dome caught and destroyed the rockets aimed at Israel. 

Even if the Iron Dome was a lot more effective than it has been these past painful weeks, there's another problem, a fatal flaw. For some inexplicable reason the Israeli Government made a foolish agreement with the Americans. Crucial parts of the Iron Dome are produced in the United States. This has two extremely dangerous faults. 

One is that we have to beg the Americans to permit us to resupply, since they have veto power over selling us necessary parts. And we also had to give them our technology. 

Secondly, but more problematic is the fact that by "sharing production" with the Americans, we strengthen their economy while weakening ours, especially the military industry. We can't even sell our own inventions, if they have even the smallest part from the USA, without American permission. 

It's time Israel becomes a truly independent country. Our great victory in 1967 was because we had no human allies, only the Jewish People and Gd Almighty. I remember that war very well. Gd willing our governmental leaders will realize their misconceptions and fight to win and not listen to foreigners who don't care what happens to us. 

Batya Medad, Shiloh

Parshat Shavua Chayei Sara