Staying Real in Israel
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May we merit to experience the Final Redemption and the coming of the Messiah duirng THIS Passover season, this season of Redemption for the Jewish People…

We will spend the nexte 36 hours or so preparing for and enjoying the Passover Holiday and its Seder with our family, hoping that when we open the door tonight, Elijah the Prophet will be standing there to announce the coming of the Messiah and the Final Redemption.

It is written in the talmud, in the folio of Sanhedrin, that if you are engaged in planting a tree in Eretz Yisrael and Elijah arrives to announce the imminient arrival of the Messiah, first, finish planting your tree, then, prepare to greet the Messiah…

Tonight, as we celebrate the Pesach Seder, when Elijah arrives, we will complete the Seder, including our family joining in all the traditional songs, Chad Gadyah, Echad Mi Yodayah, Adir Hu…After we finish our four cups of wine, eat the afikomen and sing the songs, THEN and only then will we all go out and greet the Messiah…

May He arrive speedily in our days!

Be back with more after the Passover holiday, G-d willing…

So today they made it official…Ariel Sharon’s temporary replacement is now a permanent one.

Sharon Era Officially Over

“Ailing prime minister declared permanently unfit to head country after 100 days in hospital; Special government session called to declare Olmert no longer temporary replacement”

Thus, Israeli attorney-general Mazuz single-handedly decided the fate of the country.

How? It was Mazuz that took it upon himself to make the decision as to whether or not Ehud Olmert, Sharon’s designated replacement from the Kadima Party, was temporary or permanent. No doctors, no rehab specialists, no supreme court…one lawyer. It all depended upon whether or not Sharon himself was permanently or only temporarily incapacitated.

Apparently, Mazuz knew more than the doctors and everybody else in the world. BUT as long as Mazuz kept it temporary, nobody could challenge Olmert’s appointment, after all, it was internal government business.

Why did he do it? Because liberal, anti-settlement, pro-surrender Mazuz personally wanted to see the dovish Ehud Olmert continue with King Sharon’s unilateral surrender plan. He wanted to be certain that we had the joy of witnessing televised scenes of Jewish policeman breaking Jewish heads, exiling their Jewish brethren from fledgling Jewish communities, like Amona.

He also clearly wanted to see Olmert elected as the next prime minister in the coming general elections. What better way to help his campaign than by letting Ehud grab the glory and media spotlight as acting head of state?

If the Sharon condition was declared permanent BEFORE the elections, it could have been said that, since Sharon was elected to lead the government as head of the Likud party, (the new-born Kadima party did not even exist at that time) it would surely be appropriate (and fair to the electorate) for the replacement to come from the party elected by the people to rule. Not to mention the legal issues, with or without the presently non-existent constitution.

Since everything was only temporary anyway, nothing could be challenged in the courts…Olmert, who just happened to have led the stampede to Sharon’s Kadima party, was designated as the vice-premier, acting prime minister in times of temporary need. What a tremendous advantage Ehud Olmert had over all the other contenders for prime minister in the upcoming elections…he was the instant incumbent!

And now that the election is a done deal, the time has come to declare Sharon permanently out…perfect timing.

We must act now, We must not wait another minute…

Esther Pollard: Bush is Willing to Free Pollard This Week

“Jonathan Pollard’s wife Esther said this morning that U.S. President Bush is ready to free the imprisoned Israeli – but that Prime Minister-designate Ehud Olmert has to make the request.”

It is essential that Olmert and the Israeli government act NOW. The official request must be on President Bush’s desk yesterday…

This heroic Jew has suffered long enough. As Jews around the world celebrate the Holiday of Freedom, Passover, we must bring home to Israel and freedom this man that risked his life for Israel and the Jewish people.

Listen and read more about the Jonathan Pollard case on “The Marty Roberts Show”

There is nothing quite as beautiful as the Negev Desert of Israel in the Spring. The rains have just about ceased, and the wildflower displays are almost surreal in their splendor. The air is cool and crisp, but it’s just warm enough to be out and about in short sleeves. If you are out for a hike, even short pants are in order. Almost everything is green, not the usual shades of brown, with the exception of wild splashes of color that are the wildflowers and the blooming cacti.

Out for my fitness run yesterday, the new growth springing up everywhere was striking.

When we moved to our beautiful little community in the Negev some 12 years ago, the vista was pristine. Our community overlooked what is called a Wadi, or small desert canyon, to the south, with the immature saplings of another Israel National Fund Forest trying to hold their own against the heat and dryness of the harsh desert clime.

The nearest Bedouin community was barely visible, just over the horizon, a small collection of unimposing private homes, some with small livestock corrals. The only sign of religious institutions to be seen were the small synagogues still under construction near the center of our town. Not a mosque to be seen.

The Bedouin, although Muslim, were not particularly “religious”, and extremist elements were almost unheard of. We had to watch out that a pair of jeans hung out to dry in the yard would not be snatched by a “visiting” Bedouin, and it would not be too wise to leave your bicycle unattended in the driveway, but other than theft, which has been a characteristic of wandering desert Bedouin tribes throughout history, no Fundamentalist threat.

Many young Bedouin served in the Israeli Army, and most were good Israeli citizens. Pretty good tractor and bulldozer drivers, too, and they knew where to get the best earth, rocks and plants for your new garden.

As I ran yesterday, I saw that the adjoining Bedouin community was no longer on the distant horizon. It was sinewing itself well down into our Wadi, with buildings, tents and corrals flowing over the hills, almost blending into the now maturing forest.

I also counted SEVEN, yes seven minarets punctuating the vista. A sign of the radicalization taking place in the Israeli-Arab community, even amongst the Bedouin, who previously were quite separate, even antogistic towards their more permanently situated Israeli Arab brethren.

The majority of their building is illegal, as they squat on huge chunks of public land and make it their own by their presence there in numbers. Almost unheard of is the scene of Israeli police forcibly removing Bedouin from their illegally established communities, the horror that we witnessed in Amona, the tragedy of Gush Katif, such scenes not being at all “PC” in today’s Israel, unless the victims happen to be Jewish “settlers”.

It is estimated that one-half to two-thirds of those living in the Bedouin towns are not Bedouin at all any longer, but palestinian Arabs that have used the ploy of marriage to Israeli Arab citizens to infiltrate into Israel. It is that element that is building the mosques, many of them on land that does not even belong to the builders, but to the State of Israel. THIS is the demographic time-bomb being discussed in the media.

The weekly sermons are blasted over the mosque loudspeakers every Friday…We can hear them clearly in my backyard…and the words are NOT words of love. The sermons are shouted out by the fundamentalist Immans, stirring the crowds gathered in prayer into a screaming, murderous frenzy.

The hatred of Jews, even in Israel, is being planted, cultivated, nurtured by fellow citizens of our own country…awaiting the imminent harvest of the inevitable violence to come. Talk is of the next intifada, the next Arab uprising in Israel.

Unfortunately, most of Israel, and, certainly, our leaders are still asleep at the wheel…

The Holy Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) in Jerusalem was and remains the holiest place in the entire universe to Jews and Judaism. Every Jew who prays three times per day, as Jewish Law demands, is careful to face precisely in the direction of Jerusalem. There are beautifully crafted signs in many a Jewish home that indicate which wall of the house is facing towards Jerusalem.

And what if you are lucky enough to ALREADY be in Jerusalem when it comes time for prayer? Which way to face?

You face towards the Old City, in the heart of modern Jerusalem, and aim your body and your prayers in the direction of the Holy Jewish Temple Mount, which just happens to have a couple of big old Moslem mosques sitting on top of it, at least for now.

The two Jewish Temples stood atop Har HaBayit for about 1000 years, until they were destroyed by the Babylonians (Iraqis!) and Romans, respectively. The Jews were exiled from our home in Israel until modern times, when the current ingathering of the Jewish exiles to Israel began and continues to this day.

The Jewish Temple Mount was under Arab control (no Jews Allowed, of course) from the time of the Ottoman Empire until the Israelis recaptured our holiest of sites in 1967, in the Six-Day War. Who doesn’t remember Israeli officer, Motti Gur’s famous declaration,

“The Temple Mount is in our hands”…

Well, not exactly…it was, but not completely, and not for long, thanks to us Jews’ habit of performing a thorough dental examination on every gift horse offered to us, when given a divine opportunity to stake claim to what is rightfully ours, even when said gift-giver is The Creator himself.

Moshe Dayan promptly turned the keys over to the Moslem Waquf, where they reside until this day.

“Visitors will be denied entrance to the Temple Mount on Monday for fears of clashes between them and local Muslims. Tens of thousands of worshippers are expected to flock to Old City on Monday to celebrate Muhammad’s birthday.”

Well, that would most probably be JEWISH visitors being denied entrance…

The Moslems come and go and pray freely at the Jewish holy site, but Jews, when allowed to visit at all, are strictly forbidden to pray. There are Moslem religious inspectors that follow one around, waiting to catch you in the subtlest of lip movement, which might indicate soft prayer, which is absolutely forbidden, if you happen to be Jewish. A prayer will bring a rapid summoning of the Israeli policemen on duty on the Mount, who will summarily dismiss you from the site forthwith, possibly, never to return.

Given the eternal love and attachment of the Jewish people to this holiest of all places in our faith, (almost 2000 years after the destruction of the Temple, we still mourn, fast and cry every Tisha B’Av…still experiencing deep personal sorrow over the loss of our glorious Temples), how do we stand for our own Jewish government preventing Jews from experiencing the special holiness that is present only at this unique site in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital city?
We must cry out until we are not only heard, but until we are answered…

It really bothers me a lot every time I hear of a terrorist organization talking about a “cease-fire” or a “truce” with Israel.

“There will be “no truce with the occupation while there is an open war,” Abu Abdullah  said”

 These are the words of the Islamic Jihad, an avowed terrorist organization. They make no bones whatsoever about stating their reason for existing…they exist to eliminate Israel…period.

The Islamic Jihad is not a sovereign country or even a wannabe sovereign country, hence, the concept of truce or cease-fire is totally irrelevant. Any such talk only gives a criminal, murderous group of terrorists a certain legitimacy that can only help the murderers and hurt the good guys.

Israel can enter into political and diplomatic agreements with foreign governments and make arrangements with their designated official bodies, but terrorist organizations…there is nothing to talk about with them…

They must be eliminated, destroyed, annihilated…

Period

“tradition“- custom or practice taught by one generation to another

We attended a wedding last night near Yavne, in Israel.  There is nothing quite as lovely as a Jewish wedding…the start of another beautiful Jewish family…and it’s especially beautiful in the Jewish homeland, the Land of Israel.

Before a Jewish baby is even one week old, as we bless the new Mom in the synagogue with wishes for a speedy recovery from the trials of childbirth, we are already also blessing the newborn with visions for her future, to “build a faithful Jewish home in Israel”.  When the young couple stands under the “Chuppa”, the Jewish wedding canopy, and enter into the contract of marriage under Jewish Law, it is the culmination, the realization of the blessing first bestowed on the newborn child.

I really DO cry at weddings.  Something about the ecstatic but frightened young couple looking into each others eyes and seeing their future unfolding…or maybe, for me, it’s the parents of the bride and groom, as they escort the end product of their lifetime labor of love forward to their new independant future together, helping them to start the next chapter of their lives, hoping and praying that THIS fruit has not fallen too far from the tree
that bore it. 

I don’t totally understand the free flow of my prolific tears, perhaps that will be the topic of another essay…

As the ceremony builds up to the groom’s declaration, “If I ever forget thee, O, Jerusalem”, and culminates in the crushing of the glass under his foot, an eternal rememberance of our holy capital’s destruction and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people from our homeland, I am used to hearingthe band break out in Jewish-Chassidic song, to the cries of “Mazel Tov, MazelTov” by the gathered friends and family.  A brisk hora is the usual sounds that escort the couple to their isolation room for a quick snack and recovery
prior to the gala party.

Not last night.  No band…there was a DJ,which is OK…there are plenty of Chassidic CD’s around…but after the crushing of the glass, the mega-watt speakers blasted out,

“You know, you make me wanna’ SHOUT…”

It made me wanna cry even more.

I love the old rock and roll, probably even more than most.  I have even been known to appear in a club or two with my “oldies” band.  I can even tolerate the supersonic volume levels and flashing multi-strobes of today’s audio amp systems.  I am, and always will be, after all, a child of the sixties.

But a Jewish wedding is a place for tradition, a time to preserve the old, not to introduce the new.  It is not a time for self-expression, for innovation.  It is the mega-centuries-old traditions, based upon Jewish laws and customs, that bind our generations together, across time and space.  Different Jewish ethnic groups may have developed variations on the theme, but each is a tradition unto itself.  A Jew should never feel out of
place at a Jewish wedding.

There is a certain sense of comfort in knowing that at a religious ceremony there will NOT be any surprises.  The surprises can come in the party to follow, with the young couple finding outlets for expression of the unique form of love that only they have discovered…

But, please, not under the Chuppa.  It’s worked pretty well for about 3000 years.

It is a positive commandment for Jews to remember what Amalek did to us when we were leaving Egypt, as well as to “blot out the name of Amalek”. As to what exactly we are supposed to do to perform this commandment is subject to discussion and “machloket” (machloket means controversy…and what in Judaism isn’t subject to machloket?) This is not the place to discuss how this mitzvah-commandment is to be performed, but the significance of Amalek was powerfully driven home recently…

I was sitting with a group of my friends at our Shabbat-Sabbath “Kiddush Club”, where, after a few “L’Chaims” of top-notch single-malt, the subject inevitably turned to…what else?… politics and palestinians. Our group is rather diverse (or at least it was before the election caused some pretty deep wounds which will require some serious healing before we can all sit together again in peace and tranquility). We have pretty much the entire spectrum of political views represented, although the group is all pretty much religiously observant and wear kippot (yarmulkes) on the head.

One of the more liberal amongst us, a dentist known for his rather high fees, was expounding upon the need for a higher minimum wage in Israel, extolling the socialist leader of the Labor Party, Amir Peretz, and his struggle for the “working class”. We pointed out to him the inconsistency of such a stance in one who chose to designate 99% of the population as ineligible to receive treatment in his own private clinic, since 99% of Israelis could not possibly afford his substantial fees. He seemed to want to have his cake and eat it, too… just so long as Dr. X did not have to personally share his own slice of his just-deserts with those poor have-nots of Israeli society.

This led to a quick change of subject, switching gears to the question of whether or not we Jews have the right to live in all of the Land of Israel, in a Jewish state, a G-d-given, divine inheritance that we believing, Torah-observant Jews generally take for granted as a basic tenet of Torah Judaism.

Well, my fair-weather socialist friend was pretty adament about the fact that, yes we Jews did indeeed have the right to Israel as a Jewish state, but what about democracy as the holy article of faith that it is?… And then the “buts” really started…but we must not impose our will upon another people, but other peoples also have rights, but what if the time is not yet right, but what-if this, and but what-if that…but, but, but…until it seemed as if, according tothe good doctor, we probably would have to just fold up our tents and head back into exile for another couple of thousand years until the Messiah arrives (thousands of years, because my friend also thinks that if the Messiah is coming at all, he or she most likely won’t be arriving any time soon)

So I turned to the attorney on my right, who I thought shared my somewhat stronger views as to our G-d-given rights to the biblical Land of Israel. Surely, he saw things as clearly as I did…Well, not-so clearly…

Here’s where the doubt kicked in.

My friend said, “Well, yeah, sure I believe…it’s clear in the Torah and in all of our teachings that we Jews have a divine, eternal right to the Land of Israel…that it is our inheritence, the greatest gift that The Creator gave to his children, the Jewish people…BUT, what if we are wrong???“.

I said, “What if we are wrong? You have got to be Kidding me!”

“This is what faith is about…this is the meaning of belief!!! Look at our enemies, the jihadist Muslims. Do they have any doubt that what they believe is right? Of course not! That is why they are willing to continue on with their war against us, not willing to consider giving in or compromising on a single point. They are so sure that they are right, that they will continue to fight until the very end for their belief.”

So what is wrong with us Jews? Why don’t we have the same strength of our convictions as our enemies…especially considering that we are right, aren’t we?

If those of us wearing the yarmulkes don’t believe, why are we wasting so much time and energy being religiously observant? Are we just hedging our bets, not truly believing all that is written in the Torah? Is this just some kind of social club, such that we are willing to adopt the rules and customs just to be a part of the group?

I don’t think so.

I left our Kiddush get-together rather disturbed, to say the least. It wasn’t until that evening that the realization struck…

What happened with Amalek, what was so significant that we are commanded as Jews to always remember it, and even to blot out his name…

When the Jews were leaving Egypt after hundreds of years of slavery, Amalek attacked the Children of Israel as they were on their way to the Promised land, to Israel. He was in not-so-hot pursuit, his technique being to pick off the stragglers, the weak ones in the Jewish entourage, as they fell behind the main group.

The role of Amalek as acting Angel of Death assigned to the Jews continued throughout history. He reappeared in the time of King Saul, then, later, in Babylon, Haman of Purim-story infamy was a descendant of Amalek. In Nazi Germany, Amalek was Hitler and, in our time, Saddam and Yasser sustained the Amalek family heritage. Generation after generation, Amalek appears… he tries, and, all too often succeeds, in his mission to exterminate Jews.

Every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical equivalent, so the values of letters in a word can be added up to find interesting mathematical patterns and hidden meanings. Jewish commentators have pointed out that the gematria-numerical equivalence of the word “Amalek” is equal to the value of the Hebrew word “safek”, which means “doubt“! They derive from this the fact that Amalek works his evil on the Jews by exploiting self-doubt, lack of belief, lack of faith, lack of conviction. When we doubt ourselves, when we doubt our principles and beliefs, when we doubt our “rightness”, we are weak. When we are weak, we become easy prey for the Amalek of our generation, whoever he may be.

It is only when we are strong in our belief in G-d and strong in our belief in the truth of the Torah that we have the strength to defeat Amalek…otherwise, we can be picked off, one by one, like the old, tired, weak sheep in the flock…just a matter of time until devoured by the ever-present hungry wolves.

Looks like the US of A is going to be playing the old “take away with one hand, but give it up with the other anyway” game.

Old-faithful Debka reports today:

“Washington suspends direct aid to Palestinian government but redirects part to humanitarian needs through UN and relief agencies”

They continue on to say that the Europeans will be following the same policy (at least until they have their next hot flash and change their mind once again) Oh, yeah, that is until the EU foreign ministers meet next week to plan the next about-face, double-talk retreat from principles.

Since when can we rely upon the UN when it comes to the palestinian enemies (or any other enemies, for that matter) of Israel?

UN ambulances have been use for transporting terrorists, explosives and weapons by the palestinians. As I travel around Judea and Samaria, I can’t help but notice that every one of the UN and Red Cross vehicles are being driven by arabs. It’s not like some neutral, disinterested third-party is operating on the ground here. It is the locals that are paid for and employed by the international agencies. If it’s not in their own personal interest to conribute to the terror war against Israel, all it takes is a few dinars of “baksheesh” to grease the wheels a bit and, “voila”, “Hamas’ wish is my  command…or else we’ll kill you and your family…so just take the money already”…

And how about the constant collaberation of the United Nations with Hizbullah and the terror organizations in Lebanon? The supposed “peace-keepers” and “UN observers” have been caught red-handed participating both passively and actively in the abduction and murder of Israeli soldiers. Is the EU-American collective memory really so short?

And, believe it or not , the Israelis themselves are buying in to this “hall of mirrors” approach to so-called “humanitarian aid” to the “poor” palestinians. Read on and you will see the headline:

“Israel will extend suspension of money transfers to Hamas government headed by Hamas but join international effort to prevent humanitarian disaster”

I am still trying to figure out if Israel’s current problem is that she is just as misguided and mixed up as the Americans or Europeans, or just afraid of them.

Time for the Israeli government to take a stand and stick to it…either the rest of the world will follow, or they won’t.  At LEAST Israel herself will be taking the correct approach against terrorism and her enemies.  Maybe someone else will be paying attention…

In today’s show, I focus on threats by the international controlling body of soccer, FIFA, against Israel.

I talk about the ongoing daily missile barrage against southern Israel, and the measures that Israel’s defense establishment have taken to stop the attacks.

Apparently, Israeli artillery hit a soccer field in Gaza, and FIFA is furious, threatening severe sanctions. The dialogue taking place between Israel and FIFA is incredibly surreal, threatening my sanity, as I share the inside scoop with you…

Not to mention the new, improved missiles and launchers being developed, courtesy of the Palestinian Authority and YOUR tax dollars.

Shabbat Shalom!!!

Missiles Rain on Southern Israel and FIFA Threatens Sanctions After IDF Shells an Empty Field

Has FIFA lost its mind?…Has the entire WORLD lost its collective mind?

The daily missile barrage on Israel continues and even worsens, and we respond by attacking empty fields

…and the Europeans blame Israel for the palestinian soccer teams poor showing

…and for the poor start of the palestinian soccer league…

Is there ANYONE still sane around here?…

Plus…New, improved missiles and launchers against Israel are on the way…

Courtesy of YOUR taxpayer dollars…

All this and MORE…

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As I scan the consecutive breaking news stories that tell of Hamas and their new-found moderate stance regarding Israel, I’m struck by an acute episode of deja vu…

That arab double-speak, so transparent to the sane ones amongst us, few as we may be, but, apparently quite effective wit the the Euro-luni-libero-fools and the US State Department igno-crats, rears its ugly head again…

Try to follow along with me…

LONDON (Reuters) – Hamas is prepared to discuss the concept of a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict that would recognize Israel’s right to exist, the Palestinian foreign minister said in comments published on Friday.

Ahah…We thought that Hamas was a terrorist organization, sworn to the destruction of Israel. They are officially running the Palestinian authority now, after being elected in a landslide victory last month by the palestinian authority arab enemies of Israel. Up until now, in spite of American and European pressure to “recognize” Israel’s right to exist, (oh, please, Hamas, won’t you recognize our right to exist? It would make me feel just oh, so warm and fuzzy inside…) they have refused to consider existing alongside Israel in George W.’s (bad) dream of another palestinian state on Israeli territory. Looks like a major breakthrough here, huh…

OH, wait, what’s this next story…

GAZA (Reuters) – Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar on Wednesday denied referring to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, wording that might have hinted Hamas was recognizing Israel’s right to exist.

A senior Palestinian diplomat at the United Nations said on Tuesday that Zahar, a senior leader of the Islamic militant group, had made the reference in a letter he sent to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan this week.

But a Hamas official in Gaza told Reuters the wrong letter had been sent. The official said Zahar made changes to an initial draft of the letter, such as deleting references to the two-state solution. The older version was mistakenly sent.

The old, “I sent the wrong letter” trick, ehh?

Seems to be different messages going out in Gaza and London. There’s a lot more arabs in Gaza, and they’re much scarier, as well (although the arab-muslim presence in London is not too shabby, and getting stronger every day…just go visit your local southside mosque and check it out…)

Well, I guess it would not be too wise to get real excited about the prospects for a moderate, peace-loving ruling Hamas in the Palestinian Authority controlled areas of Israel…or so MY logical thinking would tell me. Seems like Hamas really does not want their people in Gaza to think that they are going soft on Israel. Obvious, isn’t it?

Maybe not…especially if you are one of those European types I mentioned earlier…

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) – The European Union held out an olive branch to the Hamas-led Palestinian government on Wednesday, saying Europe did not want it to fail and it should be given a chance to change its attitude to Israel.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told the European Parliament that the 25-nation bloc had been disappointed by the government program put forward by the Islamist movement, but there was room for it to change.

Disappointed by Hamas???

Room for it to change???

In pop psycho-babble , I think they call ths disease “co-dependency”…common in children of alcoholic parents, spouses of alcoholics and wives of abusive husbands. They always think that just because they really want someone to change, they will do so…

Unfortunately, experience tells us otherwise…

I would put my money on the same-old Hamas, continuing in their efforts to destroy Israel, no matter what they say to the English-speaking press.

Better safe than sorry, at least when it comes to my continued existence in this world…

Have a GREAT Shabbat!

Some have accused me of being a bit slow on the uptake…maybe I just don’t get it, but how can you explain the Olmert government’s policy towards Hamas…

A refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist and the Palestinian Authority’s continued support of terror activity has granted the IDF the legal right to target and strike the Hamas Palestinian leadership, a member of the IDF General Staff told The Jerusalem Post this week.

“This new reality, in which the PA supports terror, does not prevent terror and does not recognize Israel’s right to exist can legally allow for diplomatic and operational decisions that were not made in the past,” the officer said.

OK, fair enough…sounds reasonable…I applaud the new, more aggressive policy…It sends the right message to the US, Europe and the rest of the world as to just how they should be dealing with Hamas…as a murderous terrorist organization, not a respectable sovereign government…good job, Ehud…

The Post then goes on to report…

Police detained a minister in the Palestinians’ new Hamas government on Thursday morning, the first time Israel has arrested a minister since the Cabinet was sworn in last week, Hamas officials said.

I guess these guys really mean business!…looks like terrorists will be treated like terrorists, not government officials…great message to Israel’s allies…a consistent policy, for a change!

But wait…What’s is this story in Israel’s Ha’Aretz newspaper:

Israel is considering limited contact with the Hamas-led Palestinian government as part of efforts to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the territories, senior government officials in Jerusalem said Wednesday

Is it me, or is there a double messsage here? Are we going to be tough with Hamas, or not?

And who said that we are responsible for the humanitarian needs of our enemies? Unfortunately, when you are at war with an entity, those in control are not the only ones that you are at war with…the sad truth of war is that innocents suffer as well. When the allies went to war against Nazi Germany, Germany and the Germans were seen and treated as the enemy…not just Hitler and his cronies. The same is always true when a state of war exists between nations.

If the Palestinian Authority wants control of land and people, they must take responsibility for those people…they can’t have their “state” and eat it, too…A government is responsible for taking care of its people…feeding them and tending to their welfare, not just taking their money.

When Israel disengages from her enemies, the so-called palestinian arabs, we also disengage from responsibility for the welfare of those people…they elected Hamas…now they have to live with their decision, just as America has to live with Bush, and Israel has to live with Olmert and Kadima …

It’s not fair or possible to have it both ways…either the palestinian arabs are a part of Israel, or they are not…

Either we will fight Hamas and ALL of the terrorist groups to a victorious end, or we will engage them in meaningless dialogue, while they continue to re-arm, build their military strength and gain ever greater international legitemacy…(of course, Hamas refuses to talk to Israel, anyway…they won’t even acknowledge the existence of the State of Israel)

We MUST send a consistent, strong message to Hamas and other terrorist groups, the palestinian arabs and the rest of the world…

• Israel will NOT negotiate with terrorists
• Israel will defeat her enemies, not surrender to them
• The Israeli government and security establishment will consistently take whatever steps are necessasry to secure the security of Israel and her people
• Israel will remain a Jewish state, undivided, with Jerusalem as her capital

• No Jew will EVER be forced to leave his or her home as long as Israel is a Jewish state

The ONLY hope for peace is a strong Israel that can and will defeat her enemies. Weakness and surrender will only lead to more war and years of needless suffering for the innocent people on both sides of the conflict.

It is only when the enemies of Israel are afraid to atack us that there is peace in the region. Every war that was launched against Israel took place when the arab enemy felt that there was a real chance of defeating and destroying the Jewish state.
Let’s win the war now…then we can all live in peace …

In today’s show, I talk about Ehud Olmert’s efforts to put together a new coalition government for Israel.

You can learn just how the Israeli parliamentary system works by listening to the show.

Avigdor Lieberman and his “Israel, Our Home” party will doubtless play a key role in the formation of Olmert’s new government.

I lay out Lieberman’s platform and principles and analyze its implications for the future of Israel as a Jewish state.

In today’s show, I also discuss the threat posed by Israel’s Arab minority, as spelled out in the platform of the “United Arab” party, which received 4 mandates in the current Knesset.

“We’ve got a hot one today!”…Don’t miss the show…

Ehud Olmert is Trying to Put Together Israel’s Next Knesset (Parliament) Government

What role will the “Israel Our Home” party of Avigdor Lieberman play?…

All this and MORE…

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Ehud Olmert will likely be the new Prime Minister of Israel, charged with forming the next government…

Who will be “in”?

Who will be “out”?

What will be his strategy?

This man will almost certainly play a key role in the formation of the next Israeli Knesset…

Will he stay faithful to his principles?

Seems like it’s not “in” to believe in miracles today, is it?

Modern thought would seem have it that only primitive or ignorant people would be so stupid as to REALLY believe that there is a Supreme Creator at all, let alone that he interferes in OUR world in such an unbelievable way as to perform miracles of nature…

Or does it?

Both the Ha’Aretz and Jerusalem Post carried this Reuters story:

The New Testament says that Jesus walked on water, but a Florida
university professor believes there could be a less miraculous
explanation – he walked on a floating piece of ice.
Professor Doron Nof also theorized in the early 1990s that Moses’s
parting of the Red Sea had solid science behind it.

I’ll leave the Jesus-question-thing to my Christian friends to thrash out, but as to Moses and the REED Sea,(that’s Reed, not Red, according to the original Hebrew)…

…Of course it was a strong wind that split the waters so that Moses and the Jews could keep going on their merry way from Egypt to Israel.

…Of course the reason that Pharoah’s soldiers were all drowned under the returning wave of sea water sea was because the wind stopped blowing just as THEY were in the middle of their sea-crossing, in hot pursuit of the Jews!

But that’s exactly the point…the Jewish view of miracles…

The book, “Ethics of the Fathers” , teaches us that all of the miracles of “nature” that would be needed as history unfolds itself through the ages were pre-programmed into the fabric of the universe by The Creator. We acknowledge that the forces of nature are controlled by G-d. We are taught that every single blade of grass has its own angel hovering above it saying “Grow…Grow!”

Yes, it is a miracle every time the wind blows at all, or the grass grows, or a baby is born, but we’re not talking about the little, day-to-day miracles like that. When it come to the “biggies”, the miracles that seem to defy nature (is such a thing really possible if G-d controls all of nature?)…in these cases, the real miracle is WHEN and WHERE the forces of nature act.

“It’s all in the timing…”

“Location, location, location…”

The miracle of the Exodus, the parting of the Reed Sea, is not the fact that the Reed Sea opened to let the Jews pass and then collapsed on the Egyptian pursuers , but the reality that the wind blew at exactly the right time, in exactly the right place to let the Jews pass, and then it stopped at exactly the right moment, when the Egyptian army was in the middle of the sea, and they all were drowned.

Seems quite miraculous to me, primitive and ignorant though I may be…
My Uncle Alan used to tell me, long before I became religiously observant,

You kind of have to pay attention and keep your eyes open to see it…

As to whether or not Jesus walked on water or ice…

I guess it depends upon how you look at things.

Happy Passover…Chag HaPesach Sameach V’Kasher!

Have you noticed who led the U. of Maryland Terrapins to victory in the NCAA women’s basketball championships?

It was Shay Doron of Israel. The starting guard led her team to a huge upset victory over Duke in a dramatic second-half comeback, after being down by 13 at the break.

“…Toliver had 16 points, four assists and just three turnovers in the title game. Final Four Most Outstanding Player Laura Harper and Shay Doron also scored 16 for the Terrapins, who were charter members of the Final Four 25 years ago but struggled before Frese took over the program in 2002….”

Shay was 6 for 6 free throws, coming back to play tough, Israeli style, after being physically pounded by Duke players towards the end of the game.

She came to U. Maryland from Great Neck, NY, but played in Tel Aviv before that, having led the Israel National Team to a Div B European championship in 2005. That same year she also led the US team to victory in the Maccabi games.

Shay, we’re proud of you here, in Israel, but we’re waiting for you to come back home!!!