Marty Roberts: Staying Real in Israel
"The Marty Roberts Show"

The US has a lot of nerve…not to mention the UN and the Arab League. Basically, Israel building homes for her citizens in her capital is none of their goldang business!!
First of all, Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish state for more than 2000 years. It has NOT ever been the capital of any other country. Anyone can claim anyplace as the capital of their country, but first, they should have a country, and then, it would help if there was some sort of historic basis to their claim…Neither of which is the case when it comes to so-called palestinians and Jerusalem. In case you forgot, Jerusalem is city #3 in importance to Islam…They pray with their behinds facing Jerusalem. Every Jew in the world faces Jerusalem to pray, wherever they are in the world.
Secondly, if you ask the Arabs living in the neighborhood where the building is slated to take place…They are HAPPY to have the additional housing units in their neighborhood. The tradesmen and shopkeepers cannot wait to start earning money from the increased population in their area. I just heard some of them interviewed on the radio, and, although fearful to speak out in public, that is what they said.
Oh, and I condemn the decision by the US government to build new apartments in Washington D.C….Very counterproductive…(even if you Do look cute wearing that silly black yarmulke)

Biden Condemns Construction Project in Israel’s Capital


U.S. Vice President Joe Biden flatly condemned a years-old city construction project in Israel’s capital late Tuesday, saying it is “undermining the trust” needed to jump-start final status talks with the Palestinian Authority.

Reprinted from INN Hana Levi Julian

“I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem,”
Biden said in a prepared statement. “The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel.”

The term “proximity talks” is the new phrase that refers to final status negotiations between Israel and the PA, so called because the Obama administration will now be serving as an intermediary. PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and his aides have refused to meet for direct talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other top government officials.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also slammed the government’s approval of the project, issuing a statement Wednesday that said “the settlement activity is contrary to Israel’s obligations under the Roadmap, and undermines any movement towards a viable peace process.”

According to the Interior Ministry, which also issued a statement Tuesday night, the authorization for the project, a plan by the Jerusalem District Planning Committee to build 1,600 housing units in eastern Jerusalem, was routine. Interior Minister Eli Yishai said the announcement had been a “procedural matter,” and not a deliberate attempt to insult Biden or anyone else. He added that he regretted the timing and would have delayed the announcement had he been aware it was coming up.

The project, slated for the hareidi-religious neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, had been on the table for more than three years, did not require approval of the prime minister, and has been submitted for public comment – a 60-day process. It is still subject to final approval, and still must be reviewed by the committee. If after that process it passes muster, the project will extend the existing neighborhood by adding an access road from the west, upgrading the current entrance road, and adding apartments on the southeastern side. Each apartment will be approximately 120 square meters (1,290 square feet). The total project will comprise some 580 dunams (143 acres).

The Interior Ministry said in its statement that Netanyahu had been unaware of the plan and its timing.

Biden’s statement was issued at the close of his second day in the region on a visit that was promoted primarily as confidence-building mission meant to emphasize America’s support for Israel. “There is no space between us,” Biden told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during their meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.

The prime minister responded by telling journalists following their two-hour meeting that the American vice president was “a real friend to me, and a real friend to Israel and to the Jewish people.” Biden is the latest in a parade of American officials to arrive in Israel in recent weeks on a mission to keep the Netanyahu administration in line with American policy on Iran and talks with the PA.

Last November, Netanyahu responded to pressure from the White House by authorizing a freeze on construction in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. However, he was unwilling to extend that freeze to the neighborhoods of Jerusalem that were restored to the capital following the 1967 Six Day War — a point of contention with the PA which has refused to resume talks with Israel until those areas are included.

I think that this is what is properly referred to as “cutting off your nose to spite your face”. For what possible reason would the Turks refuse help from the world’s leading experts at search and rescue and disaster response? Once again, that emotion called “hate” has a way of leading to particularly bad decisions…even to the extent of costing human lives…

Turkey rejects Israel’s offer of post-quake aid


Ankara declines Jerusalem’s proposal to assist search and rescue operations following 6.0-magnitude earthquake which hit country’s east

Reprinted from YNet News Roni Sofer

Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the defense establishment to put together an aid proposal for Turkey, following the earthquake that hit the country’s eastern region Monday, only to be rejected by Ankara.

Barak’s office said that Turkey informed Israel that it did not require assistance at this time.

The 6.0-magnitude quake shook the Elazig province in eastern Turkey around 4:30 am (GMT). Some 57 people were killed and over 40 aftershocks have been registered since, the strongest reaching 5.5 on the Richter Scale.

Over a decade ago, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey, killing some 18,000 people. An Israeli search and rescue mission sent at the time was instrumental in saving dozens of lives.

Jerusalem’s relations with Ankara have deteriorated greatly over the past year, in wake of both Operation Cast Lead and Turkey’s failure to mediate indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria.

The growing tensions have seen Turkey cancel a joint military exercise scheduled to take place between the two air forces.

Diplomatic relations between both countries deteriorated further after Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon reprimanded the Turkish ambassador to Israel following a television show which depicting Mossad agents as baby snatchers.

Following the meeting, Ankara accused Ayalon of violating diplomatic etiquette and humiliating its ambassador. Following a Turkish ultimatum, and only after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres were forced to address the issue, Ayalon apologized for his behavior.

Some countries would call this treason, like, for instance, any Arab country in the Middle East that Mr. Copti might choose to live in.(but he doesn’t…he chooses Israel) He is, in fact, a citizen of the State of Israel. Israel, by the way, helped fund this film which is giving Copti his 15 minutes of fame. He had no problem accepting the money and all the benefits of Israeli citizenship. He chooses to live in Israel, not anywhere else, as do all of the Arab citizens of the Jewish State. No one is keeping them here against their will.
How about a little grace? How about a little thankfulness for all the good you have received from your country?
You seem to be taking your freedom and human rights in Israel a bit for granted…
Copti says he doesn’t represent his home country,,the country that facilitated his advance in the movie industry and helped finance his film. I wonder just exactly who he DOES represent?…I guess just old selfish himself…

‘Ajami’ director: I don’t represent Israel


‘I cannot represent a state that does not represent me,’ Scandar Copti says just hours before Academy Awards ceremony

Reprinted from YNet News

“Ajami” co-director Scandar Copti said Sunday that he is not representing Israel at the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, just hours before his film competes in the best foreign film category.

“I am not the Israeli team and I am not representing Israel,” Copti told Channel 2. “It’s a very technical thing. This is how it works at the Oscars. It says Israel because the money comes from Israel. You have an Israeli director, you have a Palestinian director, you have Palestinian actors and Israeli actors.

International Success
‘Ajami’ gets real, aims for Oscar / Reuters
None of Israeli film’s actors imagined low-budget drama would earn nomination for best foreign language film at Academy Awards. Directors’ strategy was to find first-time actors who shared similar backgrounds with characters and who would infuse roles with real-life experience
Full story

“The film represents Israel technically, but I don’t represent Israel. I cannot represent a country that does not represent me.”

Yaron Shani, the film’s other co-director, does not agree with Copti. “It’s an Israeli film. It represents Israel, it speaks in the Israeli language and it deals with Israeli problems. The representation question refers to problems of perspectives and political problems which need to be solved,” Shani said in the same interview.

Following the remarks, Science and Technology Minister Daniel Herkowitz (Habayit Hayehudi) called on Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat to launch an inquiry into the film’s funding by the State of Israel.

“The person who directed the film with Israeli funding may cover himself with Hamas flags tonight. If the film wins an Oscar, this may be a Pyrrhic victory for the State of Israel,” the minister said.

In response to Copti’s remairs, Minister Livnat said, “The film ‘Ajami’ was produced and received an Oscar nomination thanks to funds from the State of Israel, which Scandar Copti now tries to renounce. Without the State’s support, Copti would not be walking on the red carpet tonight.”

She added, “It’s sad that a director who was supported by the State is renouncing those that made it possible for him to create and express himself. Fortunately, all the others who had a part in the film’s creation consider themselves part of the State of Israel and are proud to represent it.”

The film’s directors and stars attended several Hollywood events over the weekend ahead of Sunday night’s ceremony. Copti told Ynet earlier that winning was not the most important thing for him.

“It would be nice to get the prize, but we don’t need it. It’s not a must,” he said.

“Ajami” will be competing in the best foreign-language film category against “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” from Argentina, “The Milk of Sorrow” from Peru, “Un Prophete” from France, and “The White Ribbon” from Germany. It is the ninth Israeli movie to be nominated for an Oscar in this category.

I guess this is what you mean when you call someone a “member of the tribe”…Looks like a real lost tribe, no?
I don’t think you really need the DNA once you catch a look of these guys in their prayer garb, eh? Well, maybe that staff is a bit over the edge…

Report: DNA tests support Zimbabwe tribe’s claim of Jewish roots


British scientists have succeeded in proving the Lemba tribe of Zimbabwe and South Africa descended from Jewish ancestors, according to a report by the BBC.

Reprinted from HaAretz.com

According to the report, the scientists conducted DNA tests on a large sample of the Lemba people, which confirmed Semitic origins dating back more than two millennia.

The BBC says that the 80,000 Lemba tribe members abstain from eating pork, wear yarmulke-like skull caps, conduct ritual animal slaughter, and even put a Star of David on their gravestones.

The report says the tribe has an oral tradition that links them to the ancient Jews. They also circumcise their male children, which is not a common practice in Zimbabwe, but is one of the basic principles of the Jewish faith.

Members of the priestly clan of the Lemba even have a genetic element also found among the Jewish priestly line – known as Cohen.

“This was amazing,” Professor Tudor Parfitt from the University of London told the BBC. “It looks as if the Jewish priesthood continued in the West by people called Cohen, and in same way it was continued by the priestly clan of the Lemba,” he added.

“They have a common ancestor who geneticists say lived about 3,000 years ago somewhere in north Arabia, which is the time of Moses and Aaron when the Jewish priesthood started,” Parfitt told the BBC.

In addition, the report says, the Lemba have a sacred prayer language that combines Hebrew and Arabic, which indicates their roots were in Israel and Yemen.

“We have been a very secretive people, because we believe we are a special people,” religious Lemba singer Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave told the BBC.

The tribe even uses a religious artifact they say connects them to their Jewish ancestry – a replica of the Biblical Ark known as the ngoma lungundu, meaning “the drum that thunders,” which they say was made by Moses.

The tribe’s oral tradition says that centuries ago a small group of men began a long journey carrying the ngoma lungundu from Yemen to southern Africa.

The Ark went missing during the 1970s and was eventually rediscovered in Harare in 2007 by Professor Parfitt.

“Many people say that the story is far-fetched, but the oral traditions of the Lemba have been backed up by science,” Parfitt said.

Despite their “Jewish roots,” many of the tribe are now Christian or Muslim, the report claims. But, says Perez Hamandishe, a pastor and member of parliament, “Christianity is my religion, and Judaism is my culture.”

Since the “international community” doesn’t have a clue what’s going on here, in Israel, maybe it would be best if they just minded their own business. They jump to make judgements and issue decrees, even without understanding the implications of what is going on here. They don’t really have the best interests of ANYONE in mind, just an abiding need to persecute, criticize and condemn anything that Israel does, regardless of what it is about and who may or may not benefit from it.
When it comes to Israel, as far as the international community is concerned, “When in doubt…condemn…”

World opposes Israel building new Arab homes in Jerusalem

The international community demonstrated this week that it is not only the construction of Jewish homes in Jerusalem that it opposes, but rather any sovereign action at all by Israel in the city, including projects to benefit the capital’s Arab residents

Reprinted from Israel Today

Many Arab residents of Jerusalem complain that they are neglected by the municipality when it comes to neighborhood upkeep and investment. So Mayor Nir Barkat this week had planned to officially announce a new project for the Silwan neighborhood on the southern edge of the Old City.

Silwan, known to Jews as the City of David, is an impoverished, mostly Arab neighborhood. In order to reclaim the area’s historic glory, Barkat had wanted to tear down one of its poorer neighborhoods and construct a new park with luxury apartment buildings surrounding it. The current residents of the area were to be temporarily housed elsewhere and moved back into the new apartments upon their completion.

But the Palestinian Authority took the plan as an opportunity to attack Israel, completely ignoring the fact that its primary aim was to benefit the local Arab residents.

“There is no way the Palestinians can accept the demolishing of houses in Jerusalem and the continuation of building settlements for the Jewish settlers,” Palestinian cabinet minister Mohammed Ishtayeh told reporters on Tuesday.

In typical fashion, the UN took the side of the Palestinians, and demanded that Israel halt Barkat’s “concerning” project.

“We’re trying to reduce tensions at the current time, not exacerbate them. Whatever the intentions behind such a project, Israel needs to understand that demolishing Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem demolishes confidence among Palestinians and frankly, also internationally,” read a statement released by the UN Special Coordinator’s Office for the Mideast Peace Process.

The pressure resulted in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoning Barkat on Tuesday to request that he postpone the official launch of the project. The call came just hours before the mayor had scheduled to hold a press conference to announce the project.

The Obama Administration expressed relief later in the day that Barkat had halted what it, too, for some reason viewed as a dangerous initiative.

Barkat told reporters that he is confident the Arab residents of Silwan will all sign on the project, giving him the backing he needs to finally rehabilitate this history-rich section of Jerusalem.

I hope that we can avoid an international incident with Israel’s close allies, the Americans…On the other hand, I REALLY want my gefilte fish on Passover…

Clinton will try to free fish for Passover

US Secretary of state to try to resolve trade dispute holding up huge shipment of American-caught fish destined for seder dinners in Israel

Reprinted from YNet

Free the gefilte fish! Just in time for Passover, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will try to resolve a trade dispute holding up a huge shipment of American-caught fish destined for seder dinners in Israel.

Clinton drew chuckles from a congressional panel when she said that getting nine containers of Asian Carp filets from an Illinois fishery to a processing plant in Israel in time for the Jewish holiday “sounds to me like one of those issues that should rise to the highest levels of our government.”

She made the pledge Thursday to Rep. Don Manzullo, an Illinos Republican. Manzullo said Israel slapped a 120% import duty on the fish, and he asked for help before the first seder on March 29.

“I will take that mission on,” she said.

New Show/Podcast!!!

As if you didn’t know…Across university campuses worldwide, the celebration of “Israel Apartheid Week” is in full swing…But is there any truth to the idea of apartheid in Israel?…In fact, apartheid is alive and well in the Middle East, but it’s location is entirely different from what the anti-semites want you to think…And…What about religious freedom?…The history of the Cave (Tomb) of the Patriarchs (Maarat HaMachpela) bears out why Israel must remain in control of Jewish holy sites in Hebron and elsewhere…All this and more on “The Marty Roberts Show”…Listen to the show below…

Listen to the Show Here…

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No one want to bring visitors to Israel more than yours-truly…but NOT at any cost…
G-d’s mandate to the Jewish People, their “chosen-ness”, calls for us to be a “light unto the nations”. We are supposed to embody the moral standards set out in the Torah (Bible). It is encumbent upon the Jewish State of Israel to portray those moral ideals and proper Torah/Bible values to the world…this ad just doesn’t do it…

Israelis prove that size doesn’t matter

Canadian Council for Israel, Jewish Advocacy release 54-second ad depicting a couple in bed as part of campaign aimed at enticing Canadian university students to visit Holy Land. Not everyone seems to be pleased

Reprinted from YNet News/Shalom Life

VIDEO – If sex truly sells, then the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy just boosted tourism in Israel. In conjunction with the Israeli consulate in Canada, CIJA recently released a 54-second spot as part of the “Size Doesn’t Matter” campaign, which aims to entice Canadian university students to visit the Middle Eastern country.

The ad depicts a couple in bed, with the woman looking at the man’s crotch saying she can’t go there because “it’s too small.” The man replies, “I consider this a spot of worship. It may be small, but it’s brought the driest places to life. Baby, this is paradise.” The camera then pans to Israel maps and pocket guides placed strategically on the man’s lower body parts.

We’re Great!
Israelis recruited to PR Corps / Itamar Eichner
If reserve military duty wasn’t enough for them, Israeli tourists are invited to join efforts to improve State’s image abroad. Ministry of Information launches campaign, complete with training centers. Remember: Israel developed cherry tomatoes
Full story

The video attempts to promote the more attractive side of Israel, but not everyone seems to be pleased. Jewish blogger Richard Silverstein thinks the ad was made in “bad taste” and says it ignores the cultural complexities any tourist will discover while visiting Israel. He says, “I’m simply flabbergasted that Israel would use the promise of fellatio and cunnilingus to promote itself.”

Writer Neal Ungerleider, who is based in New York but spent a good amount of time in Israel, believes the ad was humorous but completely missed the mark in promoting the country itself. He says, “It is hard to believe even a single viewer will show interest in visiting Israel or have a higher opinion of Israel because of the ad. As even a first year employee at an advertising agency will tell you, associating your country with small genitalia isn’t the smartest move to attract tourism.”

This is not the first time, however, that Israeli governing bodies have opted for sex-themed promotional material. In 2007, four bikini-clad women from the Israel Defense Forces posed in sexy army-wear for Maxim magazine’s July issue.

David Saranga, consul for media and public affairs in New York, said to the New York Post that the spread was supposed to improve the image of Israel among men aged 18-38 years old. But the Maxim photos received a lot of backlash from critics and even Israeli female legislators who found the images to be pornographic. Fast forward to present times and Israel promotions continue to stir controversy with the Size Doesn’t Matter campaign.

This is what the world is calling “Israel’s blockade” of Gaza…Some blockade…Once again, what you see in the media has no connection whatsoever with reality…

IDF Spokesperson & CoGAT Update: Weekly Summary of Humanitarian Aid Transferred into the Gaza Strip

Weekly Summary of Humanitarian Aid Transferred into the Gaza Strip

Reprinted from IMRA

Over the last week, a total of 595 truckloads, consisting of 13, 976 tons of
humanitarian aid were transferred into the Gaza Strip from Israel via the
various crossings. Likewise, ten truckloads of carnations were exported from
Gaza to Europe.

Additionally, 255 medical patients and accompanying individuals from the
Gaza Strip crossed into Israel and the Judea and Samaria region for medical
treatment. 222 staff members of international organizations crossed into the
Gaza Strip.

Essential food and humanitarian aid products, including milk powder, baby
food, rice, cooking oil, flour, hygiene products and medicals supplies
including a CT scanner were among the goods that crossed into Gaza this past
week.

Lastly, 1,216,297 liters of diesel fuel and 992 tons of cooking gas also
crossed into Gaza.

We, Israel and the Jews, allow the Muslims to have a mosque on the holiest site to Judaism, the Holy Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They then use this site as a base from which to throw rocks and bottles on Jewish worshipers and tourists visiting the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, below. And this is in response to Israel’s decision to acknowledge the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb outside of Bethlehem as Jewish heritage sites, meaning that the government of Israel will invest money to refurbish the sites and educate students about the historic and cultural significance of these places…
And the world condemns ISRAEL, not the wacko Muslims throwing the rocks…

Riots erupt on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount

Young Arabs barricaded in al-Aqsa Mosque since Saturday evening throw stones at passerby. Stones hurled at police forces in Old City as well. Border Guard officer lightly injured in head. One person detained. Islamic organizations tells followers Jews may lay cornerstone for temple

Reprinted from Ynetnews Efrat Weiss

Morning of clashes in Jerusalem’s Old City: Police forces entered the al-Aqsa Mosque plaza at the Temple Mount on Sunday morning after dozens of Arab youths who barricaded themselves in the mosque on Saturday night began hurling stones at passersby entering the Temple Mount compound.

A Border Guard officer was lightly injured in the head by stones hurled in the Old City’s alleys. He received medical treatment on site and resumed his activity.

Sources in the mosque reported that at least eight worshippers were hurt by tear gas. According to the Palestinians, hundreds of policemen encircled the mosque, demanding that the youths evacuate themselves.

Stones were occasionally thrown at police officers in the alleys of the Old City, including near the Antonia Fortress, which is one of the entrances to the Temple Mount. There were no reports of injuries. One suspect was detained for questioning.

The police reported that some 30 Arab youths had barricaded themselves inside the mosques and that efforts made by the Waqf (the council managing Muslim sites) to remove them had failed. Police entered the mount’s plaza following the stone throwing and closed its gates, and the youths fled into the mosque.

The police then opened the mount’s gates to worshippers, but restricted entrance to the site to male worshippers with Israeli identity cards over the age of 50 and to female worshippers of all ages. Visits to the site continued as usual.

It is estimated that Sunday’s events at the Temple Mount come following the tension that arose over Israel’s decision to include the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem to its list of national heritage sites.

Members of the Waqf and various Islamic organizations, including the Islamic Movement, urged Muslims over the weekend to flock to the Temple Mount, claiming that “radical Jewish organizations have called on their followers to arrive at the mount today and on Tuesday in an attempt to lay the cornerstone for the temple.”

The Islamic organizations also called on Muslims to be on high alert around March 16, when they said extreme Jewish organizations were planning to mark the global day for the temple’s reconstruction.

New Show/Podcast!!!

And a lot of the world buys it…What else is new?…The Israeli government decided to add the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb outside of Bethlehem to the list of Jewish Heritage sites in Israel…The whole world has been throwing a tizzy fit since…The Arabs have not stopped rioting for the past week…Islam is threatening a holy war against Israel…All over nothing…Learn the historical and biblical facts…What is Israel’s intent?…What has history taught us about custody of holy sites in the Middle East?…You are MUCH better off trusting your holy sites to Israel than to anyone else…Plus…U.S. support for Israel is reaching record highs…And…Hot demand for Mossad T-shirts…All this and more on “The Marty Roberts Show”…Listen to the show below…

Listen to the Show Here…

The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, says it best…So, how about it, friends?…

‘Support Israel at this crucial time’

In spite of differences, US Jews must defend Israelis, ambassador says.
Ambassador to the US Michael Oren urged a gathering of American Jews to support Israel despite any reservations or differences of opinion regarding Israeli policy.

Jerusalem Post

“In spite of some of the differences that sometimes divide you and in spite of the differences you may have with our decisions, respect them, for they have been made by the majority of Israelis, through one of the world’s most resilient democracies,” he said Sunday night, addressing the Jewish Council for Public Affairs annual plenum in Dallas, Texas.

In blunt words, he urged American Jews to support Israel while it is at a “crucial crossroads” in the peace process.

“Support us, too, if we decide the peace being offered us is not a real peace and does not warrant those sacrifices and risks,” he said. “Join us in fighting for Israel’s right to defend itself, in fighting for Israel’s right to exist.”

The comments, which seemed directed at the US administration’s frustration with the peace process, also come after Oren softened his view of J Street, the self-described “pro-peace, pro-Israel” lobby. The Netanyahu government has had an uneasy relationship with J Street, and this past fall Oren pointedly declined an invitation to attend the group’s kick-off policy conference in Washington.

But in a February 10 interview with the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, Oren said J Street had moved “much more into the mainstream.”

“The major concern with J Street was their position on security issues, not the peace process. J Street has now come and supported Congressman [Howard] Berman’s Iran sanction bill; it has condemned the Goldstone Report; it has denounced the British court’s decision to try Tzipi Livni for war crimes, which puts J Street much more into the mainstream,” Oren said.

The ambassador opened his talk on Sunday by discussing another speech, given on February 8 at the University of California, Irvine, where 11 students heckled him off the stage. He returned and finished his speech, and the students were later arrested.

“Their goal was to undermine the freedom of expression and at the same time to delegitimize the Jewish state,” he said.

“Civility, the ability to hear others’ opinions and be heard, is an essential weapon in Israel’s defense. We have a case to be made,” he said.

During his talk Sunday, Oren referenced “long-simmering issues” between American and Israeli Jews.

“While Israelis turned toward the center and right,” he said, “American Jews gravitated in the other direction, casting 80 percent of their ballots for Barack Obama.”

Mentioning issues of conversion, he also focused on the “Women of the Wall” incident at the Kotel earlier this month, when 200 women wearing tallit were heckled and called Nazis by haredi men.

“There are good solutions for the issues at the Kotel,” he said during a question-and-answer session. “It will require compromise on everyone’s behalf.”

I guess money talks…or, more likely, European arms dealers are more than happy to see Israel’s enemies get stronger and stronger. The Saudis are not exactly friends of the Jewish State, although they often masquerade as such when it suits their interests in wooing the United states. Good thing Israel has G-d in her corner…

Storm Shadow Cruise Missile

Saudi Arabia Buys MBDA Missiles: Sources

Saudi Arabia has signed a deal to acquire the Storm Shadow cruise missile from European weapons builder MBDA as part of a Tornado strike aircraft update package, said industry sources here.

Read more »

Not to beat a dead horse.but REALLY.whoever killed the Hamas terrorist in Dubai deserves a medal..he (she?) is a major hero..But what do you expect from the European Union, anyway?…

EU condemns Dubai killing and passports theft

Y-Net News

European Union foreign ministers condemned on Monday the use of forged European passports by assassins who killed a Palestinian militant in Dubai, but made no direct reference to Israel.

“The EU strongly condemns the fact that those involved in this action (assassination) used fraudulent EU member states’ passports and credit cards acquired through the theft of EU citizens’ identities,” a declaration on behalf of EU foreign ministers said. (Reuters)

I’m not exactly sure just what makes a road “green”..is it anything like what I remember they did on 5th Avenue in New York for St. Patrick’ Day, when they painted the line green?,,,whatever…I’m happy to see some of Al Gore’s hard-earned(?) dollars invested here, in Israel…
Oh, and anything that might reduce traffic deaths in Israel is CERTAINLY welcome…

Al Gore invests in Israeli road tech start-up

Generation Investment Management led a $10 million investment in GreenRoad Technology

Shmulik Shelah–Globes

Israeli start-up GreenRoad Technologies Ltd. has raised $10 million in a financing led by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore’s cleantech fund Generation Investment Management LLP. GreenRoad’s current investors Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Balderton Capital, Amadeus, and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Green Ventures, are participated in the round.
Read more »