JoeSettler

Divided We Fall

2009-12-06T20:54:00.004+02:00

It's a bit disappointing writing this particular post. It unfortunately means that not everyone understands that we are all in the boat together.

If you ask the average Israeli if the Jordan River is our eastern border, I'd say that 95% of the country would agree, even if it is way over the 1967 Armistice Line.

When the freeze was announced, the immediate reaction of the Leftwing settlements in the Jordan Valley was quite clear. They told Barak they aren't "settlers from the territories". They're fellow Leftists like him. The Jordan Valley is of course the eastern border of the State of Israel. Why should the Freeze apply to them?

And then the Chareidim and UTJ jumped on board.

Why should the freeze apply to their towns? They aren't ideological settlers. They moved to Beitar because no one would allow them to build towns anywhere else, and they have no where else to live. Don't punish them because of the settlers. And so on.

And of course the residents of Jerusalem don't understand how their neighborhoods have gotten dragged into the argument and why their construction plans have been frozen (that's right - in Jerusalem too).

What this means is that they really don't understand that we are all in this boat together, Leftist, Settler, Chareidi, Jerusalemites, and even the Chiloni in Tel Aviv.

If we don't all choose to fight this freeze together, all our towns, are going to be destroyed - and then the country itself.

Only if we are united will we have the strength to stand up to the US and Iran.

On the Israeli news tonight they showed Israeli policemen acting in the Settlements. They needed 5 policemen for every settler girl they beat up. Kol hakavod to our settler girls. They showed true strength and determination, and hopefully the other "settlers" will learn the same.

A question was raised. Just a few weeks ago, Barak told the High Court he didn't have enough manpower to properly inspect and track all the illegal Arab construction in the Negev, Galil, Judea and Samaria. Apparently he has more than enough now that he wants it. Is his response to the High Court now negated?

Self-defined Rightists

2009-12-05T18:42:00.003+02:00

Last week the Israeli media ran a convention in Eilat.

One of the issues they discussed is if Israeli media is Left. The consensus that was reached at the panels is that Israeli media is actually Center-Right (and that's coming from Haaretz!).

By the way, Israeli media sources NOT represented at the convention, and certainly not on the panel discussion the media's political persuasions included Makor Rishon, Arutz-7, Radio Kol Chai, and other Rightwing and/or Religious outlets.

Funny how the media could manage to define themselves as Center-Right, when they didn't bother to invite/allow media outlets that are actually on the Center-Right to participate.

Sort of like the Israeli High Court calling itself balanced.

Palestinian Terror attack caught on video

2009-12-02T20:51:00.002+02:00

Video of a Palestinian terrorist getting caught with a knife, and then when the guards turn their back to her, she pulls out a second knife and stabs one of them.

(Graphic)

Who will sit longer in jail?

2009-12-02T00:21:00.004+02:00

Last week a terrorist stabbed two people at the Kiryat Arba gas station.

The terrorist was shot by a soldier nearby.

The husband of one of the stabbed women then got into his car and repeatedly ran over the terrorist.

The husband is now under arrest for attempted murder!!!

This is the proper thing to do to terrorists. This is what guarantees they won't be freed by the Israeli government to try and kill again.

The Israeli news reporter (of course) expressed his disapproval with the man's action in the news report.

You can watch the (warning: graphic) video here:

Hopefully charges against him will be dropped. It would certainly be wrong for him to sit in jail longer than the terrorist he (properly) tried to kill.

Purple is in

2009-12-01T01:14:00.001+02:00

In case you didn't notice, purple is in this Eid Al-Adha holiday.

The Battle Begins

2009-11-30T23:10:00.001+02:00

Building inspectors (with Leftist followers) visit the town of Tekoa to give out tickets to Jews who are building.

Sharon had his thousands, Bibi will have his hundred thousands.

2009-11-28T20:50:00.003+02:00

Bibi, Benny, and most of all Bogie. What is going on that these three would implement a Settlement construction freeze?

None of them are actually interested in “Peace Talks” beyond keeping the Palestinians quiet and not murdering everyone – and the IDF has been doing a good job of keeping them quiet lately. A split in the Labor party, or even a complete walkout is hardly a real threat to the coalition (and Ehud Barak can’t afford to quit the government anyway). Pressure from the Americans? Even spineless Bibi should be able to stand up to their normal threats on a normal day…

…unless this is no longer a normal day and no longer normal threats.

There is only one threat that is scaring Bibi more than anything else, and that is the Iranian nuclear threat. And the only person able (and willing) to stop Israel from defending ourselves against Iran is Barack Obama.

Obama’s problem is that Israel (and Bibi) have rejected his anti-Israel peace plan – for the evil/bad plan it is. But Obama simply can’t afford to lose here.

So Obama is holding Israel’s continued existence hostage to our compliance with his anti-Zionist death trap.

Bibi finds himself between a rock and a hard place… either start carving up Israel which will cause a major multi-front regional war, or Obama will physically/militarily block any Israeli attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities and we face annihilation, which will result in Iran ultimately using nuclear weapons (not necessarily in missile form) against us.

And we are clearly heading towards a regional war, with Hamas in Gaza, with Hizbollah in Lebanon, with US armed and trained Fatah soldiers in Judea and Samaria, and probably with Syria on the Golan. And the US is clearly not standing behind Israel anymore.

Bibi knows that this settlement freeze is just a down payment to the Obama, as already the Obama administration has said it’s not enough (as have the Palestinians)

So he is trying to throw the ball into the Palestinian court, and hopes placing the next step on them will force Obama to reduce his threats against Israel, at least long enough to let Israel take action against Iran.

But Bibi is wrong. Obama is not going to let up on us, and Bibi will keep finding Obama upping the ante, blaming Israel, and even then, in the end, the US will still block Israel’s defense against Iran and we will be alone and required to find a way to act alone.

There is nothing else, nothing else at all, that would push Bogie to vote for a Settlement freeze. And if he voted that way, then the situation must already be far worse than we can imagine.

Having said that, cutting Israel down, will lead to the same results through different tactics. As I said, Hamas, Hizbollah, Syria and Fatah are itching for war. The goals of all four continue to be solely the destruction of Israel. Israel cannot afford to fight a multi-front war, and it is not clear we could decisively win one.

Settlements and Settlers create a big problem for our enemies as our simple presence defends Jerusalem and the center of the country. Cutting down Israel, would simply make any war for them easier for all the obvious reasons.

So our job is to make sure the Settlements expand, grow, and continue to exist. If not then Israel will face another existential battle.

Bibi and his cabinet are doing what they think is the lesser of two evils, and hoping to first deal with Obama and the Iranian threat, and then the regional threat, but Bibi and Co. are wrong, because Obama will never let us deal with the Iranian threat, and at some point we will go at it alone when we feel our back completely in the corner.

But the regional threat will erupt too, and even sooner once the Palestinian dogs smell blood.

Our only option is too strengthen the settlements, which strengthens Israel.

Bibi’s payoffs to Obama are worthless. Bibi knows it, but he sees no other option at the moment.

Whatever Bibi's thinking, we have an obligation to do the right thing and protect and expand our country and our home.

Obama sends spies

2009-11-25T15:28:00.002+02:00

Obama and George Mitchell are sending out spies to Jewish towns.

One theory is that it is to prevent more Gilo gaffs, as until now, Obama administration people have shown a complete lack of knowledge on the ground of the ground.

But more likely it is to just see what they want to destroy.

Here is an article by Ben Caspit of Maariv (no link yet. I'm working on it) via David Bedein.

Ma'ariv , Nov 25 by Ben Caspit -- The Americans are taking off the gloves
and going into the field: In the past few days, American diplomats, who
apparently belong to envoy George Mitchell's team, have started to
travel through Judea and Samaria and tour the Jewish settlements there,
holding interviews and inquiries with the local leaders and other
settlers, in order to get the feel of the situation on the ground.

The first of these diplomats arrived on Monday in the settlement
Efrat. This is Cindy-Noga Trin, a diplomat stationed at the US
consulate in Jerusalem, who appears to belong to envoy Mitchell's team.
She visited Efrat, a large Jewish settlement, and interviewed Council
Chairman Oded Revivi at length, and four additional residents (one of
whom is a relative of Ari Harrow, the prime minister's bureau chief).

Trin arrived in a bulletproofed van, accompanied by a driver and
security guard, and was businesslike and polite. She took out a thick
notebook and filled it diligently. Every word that came out of the
mouth of Council Chairman Revivi, a lieutenant colonel in reserves, who
was elected to his post about a year ago, was written down and filed.
"We want to get a feel on the situation on the ground," she said to
Revivi, "my next stops are Kiryat Arba, and then Tapuah junction."

The conversation was similar to a cross-examination. The bizarre
part of the event was when the US diplomat repeatedly asked Revivi, "why
aren't you continuing to build?" and "who is preventing you from
building?" Revivi explained that Efrat had not received building
permits for the past eight years.

Trin persisted: "The city is supposed to reach 30,000 residents, you
have master plans here, who is stopping construction? And how long
haven't you received permits?" Revivi explained: "Here, in Givat
Hazayit, in the heart of the settlement, there is no expansion of the
perimeter line, there are plans here for 400 housing units, the Housing
Ministry completed the infrastructure at an investment of millions, but
the land is not being marketed." Trin asked, "why?" and Revivi said
that he had no idea, and showed her two other hills (Givat Hadagan and
Givat Hatamar) with the same problem.

Trin took an interest in the way of life in the settlement, the
sources of livelihood and the relations with the Arab neighbors. Revivi
planned a tour for her in the nearby village, Wadi Nis, and coordinated
the matter with the Arab residents, but Trin's appearance with a large
bulletproofed vehicle and security guards caused the village residents
to change their minds.

Revivi told the American diplomat about the good neighborly relations
with the village residents. "There is no fence between Efrat and the
Arab villages. Together with our Arab neighbors, we fought against the
fence and won," he said. "This is the only place where Arabs and Jews
demonstrated today and prevented a fence. Our Arab neighbors have
called twice to warn us against terror cells that were on their way
here, and the warnings proved to be true. We provide Wadi Nis with
doctors, medicines and water, we renovate their water lines, they work
here, we visit there, the relations are excellent and there are
friendships and a lot of mutual help."

Revivi told Trin that although the American initiative looked like a
clever way to bypass the relationship between the governments, he was
very glad for it. "President Obama is trying to solve this conflict by
means of satellite footage," he explained. "If he were to go out into
the field, see things up close, understand that we live here with our
neighbors in coexistence and study the everyday life here, he would
understand the complexity of the story better."

The meeting lasted for more than an hour, in which Cindy-Noga Trin
filled a notebook in small handwriting. The feeling, Revivi said later,
was of a painstaking and detailed cross-examination. She did not miss a
word, and wrote everything down. When she asked him who was stopping
the construction, Revivi raised an eyebrow, since it is the Americans,
and mainly Trin's boss George Mitchell, who are the address for this
question, but he answered nonetheless. Afterwards, Trin met with Boaz
Columbus, principal of the high school in Karmei Tzur, and with Ora
Yanai and Rahel Goshen, Efrat residents who belong to the founding
generation of the settlement. The last one to be interviewed was Eve
Harrow, a relative of Ari Harrow, who deals with public relations.

This surprising visit to Efrat is supposed to be the first of a
series. The Americans are descending on [the settlements] in the field.
Mitchell is determined to understand what is happening on the ground,
and to compare what is happening with what he is being told. All this
is taking place a few days before Prime Minister Netanyahu's expected
announcement of a construction freeze in the settlements-an announcement
that will probably not satisfy the Palestinians. Mitchell may be trying
now to rectify the errors of the past and to check what is being done on
the ground before he issues statements and demands that could complicate
the situation of the sides.

It sounds like this Revivi guy was way too nice to them.

Anger Management

2009-11-22T17:14:00.001+02:00

How many times do we have to hear the same stuff over and over again.

Israel is going to make the Arabs angry if...

Israel is going to make Moslems angry if we don't...

Mubarak's latest is that Jerusalem is going to make all of Islam angry...

Enough already.

If the world wants peace, perhaps a better investment would be in anger management classes for Arabs/Moslems.

Sign of the times

2009-11-20T01:03:00.002+02:00

For the third time in a row, soldiers in the Kfir Brigade (first Shimshon, then Nachshon) hung up a sign saying "Kfir doesn't expel Jews".

The army and the government are terrified. Bibi has gone as far as calling this "insubordination is a threat to all Israeli society".

Officers in the army are saying they will deal with it forcefully, before it gets out of control.

I don't think they even understand how serious a problem they have. These soldiers went through the Expulsion as teenagers, they protested, they saw what happened to their friends and families who were kicked out of their homes. And they have zero intention of expelling another Jew from his or her home.

The government is abusing these soldiers when it forces these purely political decisions on them, and these morally strong and upright young men aren't folding.

This "insubordination" is the best thing that could happen to the army.

It's time that the government comes to terms that they can not blindly count on Jewish soldiers to perform the illegal, immoral and anti-Jewish acts of destroying Jewish communities and homes.

During the expulsion of Gush Katif, the Golani Brigade made it clear they will not participate in the Expulsion - and they didn't. But not many people know about that - which is probably why it was limited to Golani. These soldiers are making their intentions public, and the effect will ripple throughout the army.

It's time the army was returned to its roots - the job of the IDF is to fight the ENEMY. Bibi - stop giving immoral anti-Jewish orders, and you won't have a problem.

It is unfortunate that some people will still say that these soldiers must stop these protest and fulfill their orders to destroy Jewish homes - because otherwise it will lead to the collapse of the Army/State/Society. Get real - these boys are ready and willing to unconditionally fight the enemy- but it is the State who has forgotten who the enemy is.

Obama off the teleprompter again.

2009-11-18T22:14:00.004+02:00

Obama is criticizing the Israeli government for building 900 new housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo stating that construction in Gilo doesn't make Israel safer.

I wonder if Obama realizes how much of an idiot he sounds like to everyone living in Jerusalem – not that he would actually care.

Maybe Obama needs a little geography lesson. Or perhaps he needs to visit for himself (God forbid) to see how his comment on Gilo makes him look like a first class ignoramus.

And he wants to know why 96% of Israelis don't trust or like him?

Unbelievable that there are Jews in America (and 4% of Israelis) that still respect this man.

(The neighborhood of Gilo has 40,000 residents).

Obama (Non)Interference

2009-11-14T19:11:00.002+02:00

Strange how the Obama administration chooses to interfere (or not) with foreign government and their policies.

Knesset speaker Ruby Rivlin received "recommendations" from the George Mitchel's people, not to memorialize Kahane in the Knesset and wouldn't let Michael Ben-Ari get a visa to the US.

Meanwhile, the US won't support the Iranian protesters who are fighting against the Ayatollahs, and cheerfully grants Ahmedijinidad access to the US.

Strange indeed.

A Basic Human Right

2009-11-12T11:24:00.003+02:00

I've heard the anti-Semites make this argument, but Derfner gives the anti-Semites a run for the money with his full-blown repetition.

Derfner seems to be saying that the acquisition of weapons and even nuclear weapons is a fundamental human right that should not be denied to any nation no matter how belligerent or evil their government.

And Israel has no right to stop an enemy country from trying to acquire weapons that will be used against us. And even if Israel had that right it shouldn't use it because it makes our enemies angry at us.

Would Derfner argue that Hamas should be allowed anti-Aircraft weapons to shoot down our planes too? It sounds that way to me.

Radio Yo"Sh

2009-11-10T09:49:00.002+02:00

What could once have been Radio Yesh(a), is now Radio Yosh - Radio Yehuda v'Shomron.

After winning the government tender for the rights, for the next 3 months, Radio Yosh will be running on 98.2 FM. After which presumably it will be assessed and decided if it will continue.

But it wasn't an easy battle.

Even though the group that won the tender, won it unquestionably, Gush Hashalom decided to fight it. Gush Hashalom apparently doesn't believe the residents of Judea and Samaria constitute a geographical region that deserves a regional radio station.

Gush Shalom claimed in court that the radio station would be distinguished as right-wing political and not regional, and in that case the Left deserve a radio station too (sic). I guess Gush Shalom listens to Israeli radio even less than me.

Radio Yo"sh goes on the air within a few days on 98.2 FM

Shlomi's Angels

2009-11-08T07:58:00.002+02:00

Drug deals are rampant in the Sharon region. Dealer have a free hand, and the police need a new method to catch these criminals that are staining the reputation of these innocent citizens of the Sharon region, as people all over the country believe that everyone in the Sharon is either druggie or a dealer.

Police Chief Inspector Shlomi Angel had an idea.

He will run a sting operation and catch these drug dealers red handed.

But how will he do it without his undercover officers being exposed.

Shlomi has an idea. He will send in female officers pretending to be models.

But how will he keep his officers safe from other advances by the drug dealers.

The answer is that his female officers will pose as couple.

So off went Merav and Michelle, put on a convincing act and caught 46 drug dealers.

And Shlomi's Angels were born.

Givat HaEitam Revisited

2009-11-07T22:31:00.002+02:00

A few weeks ago ago I wrote about Nadia Matar and Givat HaEitam.

This weekend's Makor Rishon had an interesting and related story that explains how Nadia and friends were eventually able to go up to the Eitam hill and how it became officially a part of Efrat.

It was around a year ago that that the case of the Eitam Hill went to an army court (which is apparently were some of these cases are disputed). The Jews showed the original purchase documentation, the Arabs of course claimed it was all forged.

The documentation claimed the land was bought in 1947 by a man named Mr. Molcho.

As you all know, the War of Independence broke out a short while later and Gush Etzion was lost, and many of its Jewish residents were massacred by the Arabs.

To prove their claim to the Eitam hill, the Arabs hired the services of a Mr. Aharoni (an Efrat resident). Mr. Aharoni had a company that took aerial photographs of the region, and they wanted to improve the strength of their case, by showing photographs of the region.

Went they got to the judge, Mr. Aharoni spoke up and mentioned an interesting point.

Now nearly 80 years old, back in 1947 Mr. Aharoni was 17 and used to ride around with Mr. Molcho for his protection, and in turns out, he was one of the witnesses to the purchase of Givat HaEitam.

The Arabs immediately withdrew their case, and the land was indisputably designated as Jewish owned land.

A while later one of the Arabs even admitted that they knew the purchase was real, but since Mr. Molcho and his wife were dead, they figured no one would be able to prove it if they took it to court and claimed the documents were forged. They assumed the court would side with them.

Think about that story next time an Arab says a land sale to a Jew is fake.

Taking back the power

2009-11-05T09:32:00.003+02:00

The lack of a balanced set of checks and balances is something that hurts Israel a tremendous amount. The Supreme Court simply has too much power, and particularly the power to override laws created by duly elected lawmakers that they disagree with for ideological or political reasons.

Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman is (re)introducing a bill that will allow the Knesset to ignore a Supreme Court directive to nullifies a law passed by the Knesset, by allowing for a Knesset revote that would require a special majority to allow the law to pass.

This would, first of all, return the power of passing laws that the citizens want back into the hands of those the citizens elected, and not an elite few who have their own political agendas they are promoting.

Second, it would cause the Supreme Court to weigh far more carefully their decisions to knock down Knesset laws, as the Knesset will only allow them to continue to abuse that power so often.

But what happens if the Supreme Court rejects this legislation as "unconstitutional" (Israel doesn't actually have a Constitution)?

That's a paradox.

I guess it would have to go up to the Supreme Court for them to decide.

On a serious note, expect the Supreme Court to fight this tooth and nail.

Full coverage

2009-11-03T13:25:00.002+02:00

Israel pulls out of Lebanon, missiles are introduced that reach all of Northern Israel.

Israel pulls out of Gaza, missiles are now introduced that reach all of Southern and Central Israel (including Tel Aviv).

Now the world demands Israel pull out of (Jerusalem,) Judea and Samaria to ensure 100% coverage.

Great idea.

Har Hebron and Homesteads

2009-11-01T23:21:00.007+02:00

If you haven't had a chance to drive south on 60 you're missing an interesting learning experience.

After you pass Kiryat Arba/Hebron you drive between what are now 2 large Arab villages (where interestingly enough some/many residents actually claim Jewish descent).

But then things start to thin out and you see a sporadic house here, a Bedouin tent there, and some Jewish towns out on some hills and along the road.

As humanity mostly begins to fade away you suddenly see a serious fence to your left, behind it a forest (Yatir forest). At first glance you wonder what it is, perhaps a secret air force base, and you keep driving for a while until you hit the Machsom and realize that this is only the separation fence, a rather serious section of it at that.

Immediately after the Machsom and fence humanity resumes again. Towns. Gas stations (we learned there is apparently no gas station between the Machsom and Kiryat Arba). Eventually you reach Be'er Sheva, and the rest of the South is open to you.

What is so striking is is that along 60 you realize the obvious mistake we Jews are making.

As you pass by the Jewish Yishuvim you see along the road, or a few hills over, you see fenced-in communities huddled together for protection or habit. While at the same time you see new Arab homes, standing alone, stuck in the middle of nowhere, always followed by a claim of land ownership between one house and the next.

There are incredibly open, large barren areas down South, yet instead of taking the hilltops and planting farms, we have chosen to lock ourselves in walled ghettos, abandoning these empty, ownerless lands to those more brazen than us.

We should be building homesteads across all the hilltops and valleys, instead we concentrate on straddling everyone onto a single hilltop, while abandoning everything else around it.

Is it too late to change strategies? Is it possible?

Expansion needs to be done differently.

Click here for an interactive map (Hebrew)

Life and Death in Ur Kasdim

2009-10-31T19:19:00.002+02:00

NYTimes has an interesting article about an ancient graveyard uncovered in Ur.

I thought one part of the article was strange.

Ritual killing associated with a royal death was practiced by other ancient cultures, archaeologists say, and raises a question: Why would anyone, knowing their probable fate, choose a life as a court attendant?

“It’s almost like mass murder and hard for us to understand,” Dr. Monge said. “But in the culture these were positions of great honor, and you lived well in the court, so it was a trade-off. Besides, the movement into the next world was not for them necessarily something to fear.”

Why is the archaeologists assuming they had much of a choice?

And the rain rain rain came down down down

2009-10-30T14:24:00.002+02:00

Shabbat Shalom

Israel passes "Bathroom Break" Law

2009-10-27T19:41:00.001+02:00

Israel passes "Bathroom Break" Law.

And just in time too. It's tough to hold it in between blog posts.

RabinFest starting early this year

2009-10-26T08:30:00.001+02:00

Usually we have to suffer through just the month of November when the media gets on their high horse and starts to deride, castigate and attack everyone who rightfully opposed/opposes the views of Rabin and the disaster that Oslo brought on us.

But RabinFest is like XMas. Some people can't wait for it to happen. Every year the decorations go up earlier, the sales begin sooner, and the music starts streaming from the radio long before the season begins.

Haaretz has the honor of being the first online media outlet to kick off RabinFest early this year, with their article "Rabin's widow describes Netanyahu as a 'nightmare' in decade-old letter".

Apparently its going to be a long November.

Update: Lurker said I missed stuff from yesterday, and even last month, but my find best captures the RabinFest spirit.

Ariel Sharon waking up?

2009-10-23T12:10:00.002+02:00

Is Ariel Sharon awaking from his coma?

Mixed reports are coming from his doctors, friends, and family.

But if he were (and wasn't an awake vegetable), what would he see? How would he see the changes he wrought, and the disasters he brought down us?

Would he do Tshuva? Would he try to fix it? Would he try to make it worse?

There was a tongue-in-cheek post (and it's somewhere on the Muqata blog if you care to find it) years ago discussing just that. The scenario was that Sharon returned from his coma (and Heaven) repentant in every way.

Your thoughts?

How the dinosaurs really died

2009-10-21T10:51:00.002+02:00

In honor of Parshat Noach.

Hattip: JerusalemCop