Israel and The Sin of Expulsion
The Implications and Consequences of Expulsion for the Jewish People
Comments by Dr. Aaron Lerner (IMRA)
“We have learned and memorized the lesson:
#1 The weak and defenseless are doomed.
#2 Doomed are they who do not believe those who threaten to eradicate them.
#3 Doomed are they who remain complacent and do not prepare themselves to thwart the danger.
#4 Doomed are they who entertain the false illusion that they could escape harm and that they could rely on the mercy of strangers.”
For context, click here.
Israel’s ambassador to Holy See tells AsiaNews PM’s visit to Benedict XVI and Secretary of State is important as bilateral talks between Israel and Holy See resume in Jerusalem. The Cenacle on Mt Zion and holy sites around the Sea of Galilee remain sticking points….
THE MAN IN CHARGE OF NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE VATICAN:
Franciscan Fr. David-Maria Jaeger is, by any measure, a remarkable man. Born of Jewish parents in Tel Aviv, Jaeger converted to Christianity and became a Catholic priest in 1986. A noted canon lawyer, he is credited with being the principal drafter and lead negotiator of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and Israel that took effect in 1994. He continues to be involved in negotiations on subsidiary agreements. He is also the spokesperson for the Franciscans who govern the holy sites in Jerusalem and environs.
Pines-Paz Submits Bill to Outlaw Jewish Outreach to Minors
Full Text;
A bill submitted by Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz would prosecute one who assists someone under 18 in becoming more observant – or less.
The bill would possibly affect members of the Chabad-Lubavitch and other outreach movements, as it would dictate penalties for such activities as setting up stands to put teffilin on passers-by. Those who try to shift religious youngsters away from religion would also be prosecuted.
According to Pines-Paz, the phenomenon of young people returning to religion is causing the break-up of families and “causing damage to minors.”
‘Olmert’s Comments May Prove Harmful’, By Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
For context, click here.
“Olmert’s comment was even more surprising considering that in recent weeks he held two four-hour long meetings with former minister Dan Meridor – author of Israel’s newly-formulated defense doctrine – during which he was briefed on the main principles, which include maintaining Israel’s long-standing policy of nuclear ambiguity.”
Full Text;
Gush Katif: Fighting, and Possibly Winning, on Two Fronts, by Hillel Fendel (Israel National News)
Excerpts;
MKs Ariel and Yitzchaki hope their bill for a billion shekels in compensation-increases for the expellees will be brought up for a Knesset vote next week. Some residents are trying another route.
Most of the nearly 1,700 families thrown out of their homes in Gush Katif 16 months ago have still not received the promised financial compensation to help them rebuild their lives. The residents say matters are being held up not only by regular old-fashioned bureaucracy, but by the restrictiveness of the Evacuation-Compensation Law that was passed shortly before the expulsion.
Navy Shoots Four Suspected Terrorists in Fishing Boat
Murder of Golan Heights Girl May Have Been Terrorism
IDF Kills Palestinian Gunman in Gaza
Israeli Baby Lightly Wounded by Rock Throwers
Rock Throwing Causes Damage to Bus near Ofra, No Injuries
Guard Seriously Wounded in Stabbing north of J’lem
Israeli Vehicles Stoned Near Ramallah; No Wounded
3 Palestinians Dismantle Kiryat Arba Guard Post
2 Palestinians Caught Breaking into Kfar Saba Store
Last year, just before Chanukah, a short article appeared on the INN website; “Mortar Shells Filled With Chanukah Light” about the Menorah made from some of the spent Islamic mortal shells which were launched on Neve Dekalim over the years.
Reading about this special Menorah which was lit at one of the Jerusalem hotels which temporarily housed many former Neve Dekalim residents, took me back in time to Philadelphia, in “the “old country” and to a point made by Rav Yehoshua Kaganoff about the pit in which Yaakov was thrown. The point bears repeating.
Our World: Defending the Defensible, by Caroline Glick (Jerusalem Post)
“Olmert’s address to high school students last week in Nahariya where he justified his decision to accept a cease-fire in Lebanon without first securing the release of IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser from Hizbullah captivity was a sign that he may be stupid. Olmert told the students that he accepted a cease-fire because he didn’t want other soldiers to die just to get them home a little faster. They can wait a little longer, he said.
Olmert Acknowledges Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal
Full Text;
In an unprecedented move on Monday, PM Ehud Olmert admitted that Israel possesses nuclear weapons.
In an interview with the German TV network SAT 1, Olmert was asked about the statement by US defense minister Robert Gates regarding Israel’s nuclear ability. The prime minister became enraged when he was asked if the fact that Israel possessed nuclear power weakened the West’s position against Iran.
“Israel is a democracy and does not threaten anyone,” he exclaimed. “The only thing we have tried to do is to live without (threats of) terror, but we have never threatened to destroy another nation. Iran explicitly, openly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map.”
Jews Over the Line, By Nadav Shragai (Haaretz)
Excerpts;
Even more than she is sinning against historic truth in her desire to restore the Green Line to school maps, Education Minister Yuli Tamir is sinning by separating and distancing the community that lives “over the line” from the Israeli collective. Tamir is not only a former leader of Peace Now, one of those who charted the movement’s course; she is also a graduate of countless dialogues, “covenants of brothers” and similar activities, whose purpose was to preserve the weakening Jewish Israeli fabric. But by reinstating the Green Line on maps, Tamir is instituting a kind of ideological persecution against the more than a quarter of a million Jewish citizens who live in Judea and Samaria.