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

What a bunch of phoney-baloney…As former head of Israel’s Mossad Ben-Levy just said on the radio…Obama and the US certainly know that there is not a snowball’s chance in Florida of successful peace talks with the palestinians. They know that the palestinians are not at all serious about making peace with Israel. But Obama has another agenda, which he clearly stated at the beginning of his term. He does NOT want to be perceived as an enemy of Islam and the Moslem countries, which by definition makes friendship with America’s best friend, Israel, problematic. So Obama MUST be seen as furthering the palestinians’ alleged goal of carving a state out of Israel’s territory, which means peace talks, however futile they may be.
I would assume that Israel’s leadership is also well aware of this. At least Netanyahu is…Coalition member Labor Party head and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak might be another story…

Biden holds Palestinian talks after condemning Israel


The US vice-president Joe Biden is holding talks with Palestinian leaders, a day after condemning Israel’s announcement of 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in east Jerusalem.

Reprinted from ABC News Australia Anne Barker

Israel’s announcement coincided with Mr Biden’s arrival and came days after Palestinians agreed to re-enter indirect peace talks with Israel.

The vice-president condemned the decision, saying it undermined the trust needed on both sides. He displayed his anger by turning up 90 minutes late to a dinner with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel’s own defence ministry also blasted the move, saying it would affect peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

Mr Biden has since held talks with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank, who say Israel’s decision is dangerous because it will hinder negotiations.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their capital in a future state.

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.

Israel has had a woman Prime Minister….We have a woman leading the parliamentary opposition in the Israeli Knesset, made up of many women members…Our girls serve in the Israeli Army, even in combat units…Many top executives in Israel are women…
But…We still managed to win a prize for sexism in TV advertising…for, of all things, Fairy dishwashing soap…

Fairy dish soap ad deemed most sexist


Panel of judges rules advertisement most offensive to women in 2009 is one in which comedian Gavri Banai, chef Israel Aharoni convince woman to wash dishes

Reprinted from YNet News Meirav Crystal

The television spot for Fairy dishwashing liquid was chosen by the Women`s International Zionist`s Organization as the most sexist advertisement in 2009.

The spot depicts a family sitting down to eat a meal together. At the end of the meal, the hostess’s daughter-in-law refuses to wash the dishes. However, chef Israel Aharoni and comedian Gavri Banai succeed in convincing her to do her duty and all ends well.

The ad was made by Adler, Chomsky, & Warshavsky for Proctor & Gamble, the company that manufactures Fairy. The spot was a awarded the dubious title as part of WIZO’s annual campaign against sexist advertising in honor of International Women’s Day, which takes place on March 8.

The four advertisements ranked most offensive towards women in 2009 after the Fairy spot were for Axe deodorant’s “No one says no to chocolate” in which women are shown fawning over a man because he smells like chocolate; Goldstar beer’s “I’m alone” in which men mock a female soccer player; “Stop pestering – Postinor is here” for the day-after pill which stars the blond women from The Amazing Race; and “Going the distance” for Do It Kitchens win which a woman is seen lying on a kitchen countertop.

The panel of judges was made up of experts from various fields. They chose out of 10 finalist advertisements.

WIZO awarded this annual dishonorable distinction for the first time last year to the Mei Eden commercial in which model Bar Refaeli is seen sensually crawling along the kitchen counter in an attempt to seduce a man with a glass of water.

Jonathan Pollard is a hero. He risked all to protect Israel. He did nothing, really, to betray the United States, Israel’s strongest ally, yet he is paying dearly for his loyalty.
Almost 25 of his 55 years on earth spent in horrible conditions in a US prison. This is how America treats a “spy” for an allied country? For America’s closest friend, Israel?
Spies of enemy nations have not received such harsh treatment.
America, please, release Jonathon Pollard NOW!!!

Special ‘Pollard Haggadah’ Issued


The holiday commemorating G-d’s redemption of His firstborn nation from Egyptian bondage is approaching, and a new Haggadah dedicated to Jonathan Pollard was issued Monday for the occasion.

Reprinted from INN Hillel Fendel

Pollard, 55, is now in his 25th year of incarceration in the United States, sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on one count of transferring classified information to US-ally Israel.

The publishers of the new Haggadah – the ritual text used to guide the annual festive Passover “seder” meal – say that Pollard’s extended imprisonment “is a test for us all regarding the extent of the mutual responsibility that lies at the base of our very national existence. Jonathan Pollard, may G-d strengthen him, has been decaying in U.S. prison for over 24 years, and if we are not privileged to see his release soon, this coming Seder night [March 29] will be his 25th in the prison of that ‘friendly nation.’”

This coming Sunday will mark 8,888 days that Pollard has been in prison.

Some 20,000 copies of the Haggadah will be printed, “and if we need more, we’ll print more,” said Asher Mivtzari, one of the forces behind the project. The book will be distributed in towns all around Israel as soon as it comes off the presses, and will be sold for the token price of ten shekels.

The Haggadah was edited by Rabbi Gabi Kadosh, the rabbi of the northern Negev town Shomriyah, where several dozens expelled Gush Katif families have made their home; he was the rabbi of the Gush Katif community of Ganei Tal for many years. Rabbi Kadosh compiled what many rabbis and public figures have said about Pollard, as well as Torah thoughts on the tremendous importance in Judaism of Redemption of Captives.

Passover was traditionally a time when extra efforts were made to redeem captives. The Book of Our Heritage, by Rabbi Eliyahu Ki-Tov, cites a traditional practice in many Jewish communities “that on the morning of Passover eve, the leaders of the community would go to the jails in and around their town, checking to see if there were any Jewish prisoners, whom they would then attempt to free.”

Asked why no English edition is available, Mivtzari explained that the first priority in the campaign to free Pollard is Israel, where it is hoped that public pressure will be exerted on the government to work for his release. “In addition, the entire project was done amazingly quickly and there was no time to think of adding anything else,” Mivtzari said.

The name of the new publication is “Freedom Haggadah: Let’s not ‘pass over’ our brother Jonathan.” Volunteers will sell it door-to-door, and copies can be ordered at .

From the book’s introduction:
“Jonathan sacrificed his freedom for me, for you and for all of us, so that we would be able to live as free people in the Land of Israel, with our children forever. He simply wanted us to live and not die, that we should not fall victim to the evil schemes of those who hate us and want to destroy us… He is paying a terrible price: separated from his wife and imprisoned in disgraceful conditions that impair his health and endanger his life.”

Can you just imagine when the world gets ahold of this one? UN resolutions, sanctions, outrage, international condemnation…
Bets, anyone on whether or not the double standard rears its ugly head?

Israel: Plans for 3rd Nuclear Reactor


Israel will announce plans this week to build a new nuclear reactor to diversify its energy sector, officials said Monday. Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau has discussed the possibility of cooperating on building a nuclear plant with France and Jordan, the ministry said. The project would be overseen by France and use French technology. Israel already has two reactors, the Dimona reactor in the Negev desert, which is widely assumed to have produced nuclear weapons, and a research reactor at Nahal Soreq near Tel Aviv.

Reprinted from NY Times Reuters

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.

Dr. Lerner at IMRA said it best. He pointed out that the only Jews that US Vice President Joe Biden’s wife will meet while in Israel are dead!! No problem finding live Arabs to meet though…
An unfortunate oversight??..I don’t think so…
Peace now, baby…..

Only Jews wife of VP Biden to meet are dead?


Who is Dr. Jill Biden visiting on her official trip to Israel and the PA?

Reprinted from IMRA Dr. Aaron Lerner

Dr. Biden’s visit:
Israel: – teachers and children at the integrated Peace Pre-school program
at the Jerusalem International YMCA
Israel: – grave sites of Yitzhak Rabin and Theodor Herzl
Israel – Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum
Israel (eastern Jerusalem) – Augusta Victoria Hospital (Jerusalem Arabs)
PA – Al Kamandjati Music Center (Palestinians)
Israel – Bedouin Women Crafts Center in Lakiya (Israeli Arabs)

So who is she meeting in Israel? Dead Jews and live Arabs?]

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release:
March 7, 2010

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN AND DR. JILL BIDEN TRAVEL
TO THE MIDDLE EAST

…
Tuesday, March 9th – Jerusalem

Dr. Biden:

In the morning, Dr. Jill Biden will visit teachers and children at the
integrated Peace Pre-school program at the Jerusalem International YMCA.
This visit will be POOLED PRESS.

In the afternoon, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will visit the national
grave sites of Yitzhak Rabin and Theodor Herzl and lay a wreath. Afterwards,
they will visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum and memorial. Both of
these events will be POOLED PRESS.

In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will have dinner with the
Prime Minister and Mrs. Netanyahu. There will be a pool spray at the top of
this dinner.

Wednesday March 10th – Ramallah, Palestinian Territories and Bethlehem,
Palestinian Territories

…
Dr. Biden:

In the morning, Dr. Biden will travel to Augusta Victoria Hospital, where
she will visit with doctors, nurses and patients and take a tour of the
hospital’s facilities. Dr. Biden will learn about the hospital’s breast
cancer outreach program and will visit the radiotherapy unit. She will also
visit with children and parents in the pediatric cancer care and kidney care
units. This visit will be POOLED PRESS.

In the afternoon, Dr. Biden will visit the Al Kamandjati Music Center in
Ramallah where she will meet with teachers and students, and listen to a
student music performance. Al Kamandjati provides music lessons, workshops
and music programs including concerts for Palestinian children, particularly
those living in refugee camps and in marginalized villages in the West Bank,
Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.

Thursday, March 11th – Tel Aviv, Israel and Amman, Jordan

…
Dr. Biden:

In the morning, Dr. Biden will visit Masada, and in the afternoon she will
visit a Bedouin Women Crafts Center in Lakiya. Both of these visits are
POOLED PRESS

In the afternoon, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart en route to
Amman, Jordan.

In the evening, the Vice President will meet with King Abdullah. There will
be a pool spray at the top of this meeting. Afterwards, the Vice President
and King Abdullah will have dinner together.

Friday, March 12th – Amman, Jordan

The Vice President and Dr. Biden will visit and tour Petra in the afternoon.
This visit will be POOLED PRESS.

Dr. Biden: Details on Dr. Biden’s schedule in Jordan will be released later
in the week.

In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart Jordan en route
Washington, DC.

The US vice president, Joe Biden, is here, in the Middle East to work on re-starting peace talks between Isrel and the palestinians. He is meeting the palestinians, the so-called “moderate” palestiniian leadership, in Ramallah, where they are about to dedicate a public square to a terrorist that murdered 37 innocent Israelis.
1. What kind of peace partner is this for Israel?
2. This is what you call “moderate” palestinian leadership?
3. How can any peace-loving country be expected to talk peace with an entity that honors mass murderers by naming public places after them?
4. Joe Biden, what the heck are YOU doing visiting this place at this time????

VP Biden’s schedule details: visiting Ramallah day before PA officials dedicate square there honoring murderer of 37 civilians (live internet feed of speech to Israelis)


Thursday, March 11th At 11:30 AM local time (4:30 AM ET) the Vice President
will a deliver a speech at Tel Aviv University entitled “The Enduring
Partnership Between the United States and Israel.” Afterwards, the Vice
President will answer questions from university students in the audience.
The Vice President’s speech will be streamed LIVE at:
www.justin.tv/shimongx#r=w7MdF4U~

Reprinted from IMRA

PA to name square for murderer of 37
on anniversary of her attack


Another chapter is unfolding in the ongoing confrontation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the naming of a square after the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi. In December, Palestinian Media Watch publicized that the Municipality of Ramallah planned to name a public square in honor of the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who led the worst terror attack in Israel’s history when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians in 1978. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately protested to the US and sharply criticized the PA for its intention to name the square in Ramallah “after a terrorist who killed dozens of Israelis.”

Reprinted from Palestinian Media Watch
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The official PA daily newspaper reports today that the PA has chosen to ignore PM Netanyahu’s criticism and protests to the US. Not only does it still intend to name the square after the terrorist, but the date chosen for the inaugural ceremony is this Thursday, March 11, the 32nd anniversary of the terror attack.

Since PMW’s exposure of the story, PA leaders have repeatedly rejected PM Netanyahu’s criticism while defending the practice of honoring murderers, whom they honor as Martyrs (Shahids). PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas also referred to the terror attack as “military activities.”

See the timeline of the ongoing dispute below.

After PMW’s exposure of the PA’s naming of the square in December, Israeli PM Netanyahu protested and condemned the intention:

“Today, and a week ago, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s office conveyed a protest to the US against Mahmoud Abbas… that the governor of Ramallah named a square in her [Mughrabi's] honor.”
[Israeli News Channel 2, Jan. 7, 2010]
“Whoever sponsors and supports naming a square in Ramallah in honor of a terrorist who murdered dozens of Israelis on the Coastal Road – encourages terror.”
[Galei Zahal, (IDF radio), Jan. 10, 2010]

Today the official PA daily reports that the Municipality is continuing with this Thursday’s inauguration:

Headline: “Preparations for inauguration of Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square complete”
“The El-Bireh Municipality has completed construction work at the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square in the Um Al-Sharait region, and has commenced preparations for its inauguration this Thursday, the anniversary of Mughrabi’s Martyrdom. The mayor, Jamal Al-Tawil, said that… this year the municipality will celebrate the inauguration of the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square in order to commemorate her memory and her sacrifice as a Palestinian woman who resisted the occupation. City Council member Aida Abu-Ubeid said that the square is considered a symbol of the sacrifice of the Palestinian woman. She also noted that flowers and trees will be planted there, and that a picture of the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi will be placed at the center of the square.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 7, 2010]

There has been no public comment from the Obama administration about the PA’s honoring of the terrorist.

Timeline on Dalal Mughrabi Square debate:

Dec. 31, 2009: PMW releases story of PA’s intention to name square after Mughrabi
Click to view PMW’s release of PA’s naming of square after terrorist.

Jan. 7, 2010: PM Netanyahu protests PA’s honoring Mughrabi to the US
“Today, and a week ago, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s office conveyed a protest to the US against Mahmoud Abbas… that the governor of Ramallah named a square in her [Mughrabi's] honor.”
[Israeli News Channel 2]

Jan. 10: PM Netanyahu opens cabinet meeting with criticism of PA’s honoring Mughrabi
“Whoever sponsors and supports naming a square in Ramallah in honor of a terrorist who murdered dozens of Israelis on the Coastal Road – encourages terror.”
[Galei Zahal, (IDF radio), Jan. 10, 2010]

Jan. 11: PA Minister of Culture, Siham Barghouti, rejects Netanyahu’s protest
“Honoring them this way [by naming places after Martyrs] is the least we can give them, and this is our right.”
[Al-Ayyam, Jan. 11, 2010]

Jan. 17: PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas rejects Netanyahu’s protest
“I do not deny [the naming]. Of course we want to name a square after her [Mughrabi]… [We] carried out military activities; can I then later renounce all that we have done? No, I don’t renounce it.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 17, 2010]

Feb. 3: Ashraf Ajrami, former PA Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs, defends naming
“[PA] talk about Shahids (Martyrs) is considered, from their [Israel's] point of view, extremism and support for terror… Likewise, naming a square after Dalal Mughrabi is [according to Israel] reason for criticism and attack.”
[Al-Ayyam, Feb. 3, 2010]

Feb. 25: Mahmoud Al-Aloul, General Commissioner for Recruitment and Organization, emphasizes importance of naming
“Mahmoud Al-Aloul, member of the Fatah Central Committee and General Commissioner for Recruitment and Organization, emphasized that it is important to continue commemorating the memory of the Shahids (Martyrs) and the Palestinian acts of heroism, and most importantly the anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dalal Mughrabi, heroine of the Coastal Road operation [terror attack], which falls on March 11th each year.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 25, 2010]

Today, March 7: PA daily announces Thursday’s inauguration of square
“The El-Bireh Municipality has completed construction work at the Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi Square … and has commenced preparations for its inauguration this Thursday, the anniversary of Mughrabi’s Martyrdom… City Council member Aida Abu-Ubeid said that the square is considered a symbol of the sacrifice of the Palestinian woman. She also noted that flowers and trees will be planted there, and that a picture of the Shahida Dalal Mughrabi will be placed at the center of the square.”
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 7, 2010

This gorgeous young Israeli lady had to get permission from her commanding officer to attend the beauty pageant…which she won…She is an Israeli soldier on active duty in the army!!!
I bet MY army is prettier than YOUR army (and we fight pretty well, too)…

Miss Israel 2010 crowned


Shavit Wiesel, 20, wins beauty pageant in Haifa ceremony marking competition’s 60th anniversary

Reprinted from YNet News Roni Amar

Shavit Wiesel, 20, of Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel was crowned Miss Israel 2010 on Monday. The Miss Junior Israel title was awarded to Bat-El Jubi; Adi Sassi was named Miss Teen Israel; and the Miss Congeniality title was given to Shel Arazi. Another runner-up was Gal Erez.

Wiesel is an Israel Defense Forces soldier serving in the Teleprocessing Branch and has had a steady boyfriend for the past five years. After her army discharge she intends on volunteering and has expressed a interest in working with children with special needs.

During the ceremony, which was held in Haifa and hosted by model and presenter Hila Nachshon, singer Harel Skaat – Israel’s representative to the Eurovision song contest – and 1973 Eurovision winner Anne-Marie David performed a duet in French.

Other performance included that of singers Maya Bouskila and Moshe Peretz.

Among the judges were LaIsha women’s magazine editor Miriam Nofech-Moses, model and actress Agam Rodberg, singer Amir Faye Guttman and model and presenter Ilanit Levy.

Monday’s event marked the contest’s 60th anniversary and allowed the audience to vote and influence the judges’ choices for the first time.

Hard to believe that such a tiny little country can demand SO much attention around the world. And don’t give me that “Jewish conspiracy-the Jews are running the world” nonsense, either. The world was set up by the Creator with Israel at it’s physical and spiritual center. THAT is the concept of the “chosen-ness” of the Jews. Apparently, G-d’s Chosen people DO have an effect on everything that happens in the world, even the California Senate race.
And it’s not about some Jewish plot…If anyone is doing the plotting, it’s the Big-Guy up in Heaven…

California GOP U.S. Senate race focusing on Israel?


California is broke, its 12.1 percent unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation, housing prices have plunged, home foreclosures have skyrocketed and a drought is threatening the state’s dwindling water supply. There also are plenty of other issues for would-be U.S. senators to debate, including the battered economy and a massive effort to overhaul the nation’s health care system.

Instead, the state’s Republican Senate primary has been heating up over Israel.

Reprinted from Miami Herald By ROB HOTAKAINEN
McClatchy Newspapers

With former Rep. Tom Campbell leading in the polls, his challengers for the Republican nomination – businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore – are taking persistent shots at the front-runner, saying that his record consistently has been anti-Israel.

As a result, Campbell will have to play defense Friday when California’s Republican Senate candidates meet in their first debate.

On Monday, Fiorina, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, asked Campbell to explain why he’d voted against aid to Israel when he was in Congress, why he opposed recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and why he accepted contributions from groups that have been linked to Islamic extremists.

The Campbell camp said that the former congressman had a pro-Israel record and would wait until the debate, which will be hosted by a Sacramento radio station, to respond to Fiorina’s specific charges. Campbell pushed for Friday’s debate as a way to air the charges against him fully.

Fiorina will face some hard questioning, too, however. DeVore plans to ask about her years as the head of Hewlett-Packard, when, he charges, the company made millions by selling printers and other goods to Iran through a distributor in the Middle East.

“This is the time bomb waiting to explode on the Fiorina campaign,” said Josh Trevino, DeVore’s spokesman.

Julie Soderlund, a spokeswoman for Fiorina, called the charges “unfounded attacks.”

“These politically motivated allegations are false, based solely on speculative media reports and are not supported by any verified facts,” she said. “During Carly Fiorina’s tenure at HP the company complied with the law and did not violate U.S. sanctions regarding trade issues with Iran.”

DeVore, who’s running last in the polls, is eager to focus on Israel and Iran and to have Campbell and Fiorina spend time defending their records.

“It’s a great opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with these people and explain why he’s the only consistent conservative with nothing strange to explain about the past,” Trevino said. “I think it’ll be a great contrast.”

All in all, it’s shaping up to be a fiercely contested race, which will be decided in a primary June 8. The winner will try to unseat Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in November.

In advance of the debate, the rhetoric has gotten plenty hot: Last week, one of Campbell’s prominent supporters said that Fiorina’s campaign manager had called Campbell an anti-Semite, a charge that was quickly denied.

James Fisfis, Campbell’s spokesman, said the attacks on Campbell “have sunk to unforeseen depths, going from bizarre to, now, grotesque.”

Campbell, who was elected five times to the U.S. House of Representatives after he took a leave of absence from Stanford University, where he was a law professor, wants Friday’s debate to focus on national security and foreign policy.

In response to the controversy over Israel, Campbell said he’d voted against a $30 million increase in aid to Israel because it would have taken money from an aid allotment for Africa. He said that the Jerusalem measure in 1990 had been introduced by a Democrat as a way to embarrass the George H.W. Bush administration.

Regarding his alleged link to extremists, Campbell says he made a mistake in associating with Sami Al-Arian, a sympathizer of radical Islamic movements. Campbell wrote a letter of recommendation on Al-Arian’s behalf, but he says that even George W. Bush posed for a photograph with Al-Arian in the spring of 2000, when Bush was campaigning for president.

Here’s your chance, guys. Nefesh B’Nefesh makes it as easy as possible for Jews to come home to Israel. They even give you money!…What more could you ask for?
Check out one of these events…

Nefesh B’Nefesh to stage ‘mega’ events in 8 US cities


Aliya group aims for 5,000 olim this year, 100,000 in the next decade.

By E.B. SOLOMONT, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT

NEW YORK – Hoping to encourage 5,000 new olim this year, Nefesh B’Nefesh is holding eight “mega” aliya events in cities across North America this week.

Starting Sunday in New York, the events will feature information sessions and one-on-one consultations for people preparing for life in Israel. The events also will promote the “Go North” program, which offers financial incentives to olim who move to Northern Israel.

But Nefesh B’Nefesh officials, who say they hope to reach 100,000 olim over the next 10 years, will also use the “mega” event as a major push toward that goal. “We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Danny Oberman, Nefesh B’Nefesh’s vice president for Israel operations, who noted there has been an uptick in aliya because of economic reasons in the past year.

Organizers expect some 2,000 people to attend events in New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Baltimore, Toronto, San Francisco, Chicago and Florida. “The vast majority of people attending will be making aliya, if not this year, in the next two or three years,” Oberman said.

The “mega” events will feature practical seminars and workshops about education, real estate and financial planning; ministers from the absorption, health and development ministries will be on hand to answer questions, including Prime Minister’s Office director-general Eyal Gabai and Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom, who will be promoting aliya to the Galilee or Negev.

“We are trying to give them more information about what’s going on there,” because the areas are largely underpopulated, Shalom told The Jerusalem Post. “By coming to Israel, they are real Zionists. If they would like to be extra, Negev and Galilee are places to go.”

Shalom outlined a vision to bring hundreds of thousands of people to the Galilee and Negev by 2020. “The purpose is to try to convince those new olim that are asking to come to Israel to come to settle in the Galilee and the Negev, and not only in the Tel Aviv area or in Jerusalem,” he said.

Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Israeli government are also using the “mega” events to promote a joint initiative to encourage olim to settle in the Negev and Galilee. Under the initiative, olim who move to those communities are eligible for $1,000 from both Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Israeli government.

Oberman said the “mega” events fulfilled two goals: to answer questions about aliya and to create a positive social dynamic among potential olim. Oberman said the timing was critical, since many people who move to Israel during the summer months make their plans several months earlier.

In New York and Los Angeles, special seminars are geared toward medical professionals. For the first time, dentists who are making aliya can begin to take licensing exams in the US.

Since 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh says it has helped bring 24,000 olim from North America and the United Kingdom. This past year, they said close to 4,500 made aliya. This year, the goal is 5,000.

“There’s a very high level of recognition on the part of Israeli government that aliya is critical,” said Oberman.

The Israeli Army is like no other fighting force. And it’s great to see such high motivation of our children, in spite of international pressure to constantly belittle and degrade the IDF. Our sons and daughters are fighting to defend the Homeland of the Jewish people, not only a civic responsibility, but a religious one as well. It is a great “mitzvah”, a fulfillment of a biblical Torah commandment to defend the holy soil of the Land of Israel and its inhabitants.
BTW, proud to say that my son will be one of those “March 2010 recruits”…to a combat unit!!

76% of Recruits Request Combat Positions


2010 shows the highest percentage of recruits joining IDF combat units in the history of the IDF

Reprinted from Israel Defense Forces Website

The current IDF draft is characterized once more by an increase in the desire to join combat units. According to data publicized on Wednesday (Mar. 3) by the Head of the Human Resources Directorate, Maj. Gen. Avi Zamir, at a conference in honor of soldiers injured during Operation Cast Lead, 76% of the March recruits expressed the desire to be deployed in combat units, as opposed to 73% in March 2009. This is the highest percentage of all times of soldiers expressing this desire.

The great demand also presents a few challenges to the Human Resources Directorate. There is, for example, a shortage of soldiers who will serve in combat supporting positions such as cooks, technicians, mechanics, drivers and others.

“We are very satisfied with the data of the upcoming draft, which represents a peak of all times,” said Maj. Gen. Zamir at the ceremony. “This is an excellent youth, with the desire to contribute in the most significant places.”

The March draft will begin on Sunday (Mar. 7) with the new Golani Brigade recruits.

Those pesky Israeli security checkpoints again. Just think of all of those poor inconvenienced palestinians who had to wait on line to get through the checkpoint.
And all they found was 3 measly old pipe bombs…Why, I bet that guy couldn’t have killed more than 30 or 40 innocent Jews with those explosives…

Palestinian carrying 3 pipe bombs arrested near Nablus


A Kfir Brigade force uncovered three pipe bombs while searching a Palestinian man at a checkpoint east of Nablus. The devices were turned over to sappers and the Palestinian was taken into questioning with security forces.

Reprinted from YNet News Habab Greenberg

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.