The Implications and Consequences of Expulsion for the Jewish People
Kassam Lands Near South Ashkelon: None Wounded
Molotov Cocktail at Rachel’s Tomb, No Casualties
Mortar Lands Near IDF Troops Near Gaza Fence
Related Report: IDF Engineers Targeted in Mortar Attack
Hebron: 2 Palestinians Arrested for Stoning Vehicles
IDF Troops Nab Palestinian Carrying 22-cm. Knife
Several Attacks Reported in Judea and Samaria
Stones Thrown at Israeli Vehicles North of Hebron
Photos: Arabs Ransack Samuel’s Tomb, Vandalize Hevron Graveyard
Making the Case Against Genocide, by Caroline Glick (Jerusalem Post)
“Esteemed friends of Israel, such as Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz and former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, could get no information from the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Defense Ministry or the IDF’s Spokesman’s Unit. No one could be bothered to talk to them. No one had time to help them help Israel.”
Excerpts;
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an evil man. But he is not a stupid man. Indeed, he is smart and fastidious. He understands power and how to get it. And he understands that the purpose of a nation’s foreign policy is to sell ideas and messages and to build coalitions that enable a state to achieve its national aims. Due to his understanding and his abilities, Ahmadinejad has achieved significant success in advancing his policy aims of defeating the United States, destroying the State of Israel, and acquiring nuclear weapons.
Kadima Proposes Handing Judea and Samaria to Europe, by Aaron Klein (World Net Daily)
Full Text;
A member of PM Ehud Olmert’s Kadima party proposed transferring control of Judea and Samaria to a European task force until the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Following the establishment of the state, the strategic territory would be handed to security forces associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Gush Etzion Promoting Image with ‘Lamed-Heh’ March, by Anshel Pfeffer (Jerusalem Post)
Excerpts;
About 600 soldiers and high-school students marched throughout Thursday night in the Jerusalem Hills, recreating the route taken 59 years ago by the fabled “Lamed-Heh” (the Hebrew letters representing the number 35) who were killed in battle on their way to help relieve the siege on Gush Etzion during the War of Independence.
This is not just a lesson out in the field. The battle of the Lamed-Heh, four months before the state’s establishment, is still material for historical dispute and also has current and future political relevance.
Barghouti Pardon a Campaign Issue
Commentary;
This is essentially a repeat of Peres’ statement of 3 months ago. Leftist Elitist message to the Islamic enemy; terrorism, murder and kidnapping pays — handsomely! MB
Full Text;
A number of foreign diplomats have been asking candidates for the Israeli Presidency whether they would be willing to pardon Tanzim head and convicted murderer Marwan Barghouti. A popular Arab leader seen as key to peace in the region, Barghouti has been in Israeli prison since being convicted for participating in the murder of five Israelis. There is speculation that he will be freed as part of a deal for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
Olmert Says Lebanon War Was a Success, by Ronny Sofer (Ynet)
For context on some of the glaring failures last summer’s Lebanon action, click here, here and here.
Excerpts;
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday evening that the second Lebanon war was a success.
Olmert spoke at a meeting with the Israel Defense Forces General Staff members, where he heard the lessons drawn from the war and praised Resigning Chief of Staff Dan Halutz .
The major conclusions and findings of the various teams that investigated the failures of the war were presented to the prime minister at the meeting. Former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Shomron, who examined the work of the General Staff, came to the meeting to present its actions during the war.
Listening Posts in Syria Track IDF Movements
Palestinian Gunmen Fire at Canadian, German Diplomatic Missions in the West Bank
Palestinians Open Fire at IDF Troops Near Jenin; No Injuries
IDF Forces Arrest Seven Palestinians in West Bank
Rocks Thrown at Israeli Car near Shechem
2 Kassams Land in Negev; No Damage or Wounded
Corrupt Elite Decried at Herzliya Conference, by Ezra HaLevi (Israel National News)
Journalist Ari Shavit: “‘The development towns, the agricultural communities and the settlements are where the loyalty lies,’ he said. ‘It is amazing that the very people the state neglects most are those who remain faithful to the state. There is a certain type of Jewish identity that cannot be defined that is alive there.’”
Full Text:
The high level of government corruption and the influence of Israel’s wealthiest families on the functions of the state were the hot topics on the last day of the Herzliya Conference.
“This platform, which proved itself more than once in the past, is made up of thousands of combat troops, combat supporters, and headquarters’ soldiers. Each one requires his own training and attention, but most of all, each one needs a leadership that talks to him or her in the right way, according to rank and position; a leadership that conveys the sense that the ship’s helm is manned by captains that see far into the future.”
“We must rid ourselves of the notion that someone else will fight for us – the Americans, Palestinian leader Abbas, the Lebanese government, or a multinational force. There’s no substitute for IDF action and capabilities, and only the IDF can constitute the security wall around us.”