Archive
Clinton voices support for Argentina’s demand for extradition of Iran’s defense minister
WASHINGTON, D.C (WJC)–US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington is backing Argentina in its call for Iran to extradite the suspects in 1994 AMIA bombing. “Argentina and the United States cooperate closely in the fight against terrorism,” Clinton said at a joint press conference with Argentine FM Héctor Timerman.
“Argentina, of course, has been a victim of terrorist attacks on its own soil, and we support Argentina’s pursuit of justice for those tragic and deplorable acts,” she added.
Argentina has issued warrants for the arrest of Iranian Defense Minister Ahmed Vahidi and five other Iranians, as well as a Lebanese national, for planning and carrying out the bombing of the AMIA, which claimed the lives of 85 people.
In January, the United States showed it was ready to help Argentina prosecute the suspects in the attack, through its Embassy in Buenos Aires. The AMIA center was the second anti-Semitic terror attack in Argentina, coming two years after a car bombing destroyed the Israeli Embassy. Twenty-two people died in that attack, and 200 were wounded.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress
Commentary: Inappropriate for U.S. State Department to send Muslim cleric to Arab countries
By Shoshana Bryen
Shoshana Bryen
WASHINGTON, D.C. –The State Department has confirmed that Feisal Abdul Rauf – who wants to be the imam of a mosque at Ground Zero – is taking a State Department funded trip to the Middle East to foster “greater understanding” about Islam and Muslim communities in the United States.
“He is a distinguished Muslim cleric,” said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley. “I think we are in the process of arranging for him to travel as part of this program, and it is to foster a greater understanding about the region around the world among Muslim-majority communities.” Rauf is reportedly going to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar.
What a load of hooey.
We know a lot of rabbis, some ministers and a few priests. We would be appalled to have the government of the United States, which by law favors no religion, sending a rabbi to Israel – or the former Soviet Union or France or Argentina, where there are communities of Jews – to talk about how Jews live in the United States. Having a priest travel to the Vatican, Honduras, Ireland or the Philippines to describe the lives of American Catholics would be outrageous. Likewise, ministers to Sweden.
What business is it of the American government to send a Muslim to Muslim-majority countries to talk about Islam? How offensive is it to think that the American government is using American tax dollars to fly a non-government person around the world to promote the activities and lifestyle of a particular religion? Better to send a non-Muslim American government official to talk about American religious freedom, cultural diversity and the virtues of the secular, democratic state.
To the speculation that Rauf will engage in fund raising for the proposed mosque at Ground Zero, Mr. Crowley said, “That would not be something he could do as part of our program,” he said.
We’re so relieved. And we’re so sure he will do only as the American government desires.
But Debra Burlingame, a 9/11 family member told The New York Post, “‘We know he has a fund-raising association with Saudi Arabia,’ … noting that the Saudis have contributed money to underwrite programs by the American Society for Muslim Advancement, a not-for-profit that Abdul Rauf runs with his wife and that is one of the sponsors of the Ground Zero mosque. ‘He’s going to the well, and how can they say they do or don’t know what he’s doing?’”
To be entirely clear, JINSA believes Ground Zero is a battlefield cemetery – the site of a battle for the liberal democratic state. We oppose the building of a Muslim sectarian monument there because regardless of what its supporters say, it will be widely understood in the Muslim world as a battlefield monument in the name of Islam.
Does the State Department really think Rauf (who said in English that the United States bears responsibility for 9-11) will tell the Saudis, Bahrainis and Qataris that he is building a monument to cultural understanding, interfaith relations and peace in New York because America is a good, safe and decent place for Muslims as long as they understand the secular, democratic nature of the United States? And that he doesn’t want their money because Americans will fund the mosque?
And how will the State Department know?
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Bryen is senior director of security policy of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, longtime JINSA supporter and national board member.
The Jews Down Under~News of the Jews of Australia and New Zealand
Garry Fabian
Compiled by Garry Fabian
Jewish congregation prepares to sue New Zealand government over shechita
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 23 July 2010 (Press Release)–The Working Group on shechita of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation has tried to engage further with theMinister of Agriculture.
The Minister is firm in his resolve to preserve his position, which does not give the Jewishcommunity a secure continuing supply of kosher meat, and only offered an unacceptable short term option. Accordingly agreement could not be reached. This is disappointing and has meant turning to progress the work on a legal action.
A leading law firm has been engaged and has prepared draft proceedings. These are currently being reviewed by a QC and a final decision will
be made following receipt of his advice.
Resources are being put in place to fund this course of action. We will continue to keep you informed of progress.
Garth Cohen, Michael Stiassny, Geoff Levy respectively, President AHC, Chair AHCTB, Chair NZJC
B’nai B’rith Australia/New Zealand has taken a lead donating A$ 5000 to the New Zealand Jewish Community to assist in financing the legal challenge, which is estimated to costs in excess of NZ$350,000
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Israel a marker in Australian elections
SYDNEY, 28 July - Malcolm Turnbull reaffirmed his “unequivocal support” for Israel at a New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies plenum on Tuesday night.
Turnbull, the incumbent, presented his credentials for the upcoming federal election, alongside his fellow candidates in Wentworth, the ALP’s Steven Lewis and the Greens’ Matthew Robertson.
The men did not debate each other, rather each was given an opportunity to address the gathering, which also included a question and answer session.
Turnbull said there may be occasions when “we may not agree with the tactics” of the IDF, but stressed there was a big distinction between the
strategic issues Israel faces and tactics used by the IDF.
“It is not realistic for us sitting here in Sydney in the safety of Australia to try and second guess and critique how the IDF handles a particular mission,” he said.
“Where Israel needs our support is in the fundamental strategic question, and that is in ensuring that Israel’s security is protected.”
Turnbull slammed the Rudd-Gillard Government’s record on Israel, singling out Australia’s abstention at a United Nations vote on war crimes in Gaza.
Turning his attention to local issues, Turnbull criticised Labor for its failure to introduce an emissions trading scheme, its bungled insulation program and “the billions wasted” in the Building the Education Revolution (BER) program.
In response, Lewis outlined the many benefits that the BER brought to Sydney’s Jewish schools, while defending the Labor Party’s record on Israel.
“The Australian Labor Party has been and remains a friend and strong ally of Israel,” he said, pointing out Australia diplomat “Doc” Evatt’s role in the establishment of Israel and the Government’s resolution last year in
congratulating Israel on its 60th anniversary.
Lewis also pointed out Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s efforts, as education minister, in getting Holocaust studies included in the draft national school curriculum.
He warned the meeting that a vote for Turnbull was really a vote for Abbott. “I have a genuine fear that this country, led by Tony Abbott, will take a path down a conservative road that will not be in the interest of all of us,” he said. “I ask that you vote for me and ensure that Julia Gillard can return and continue the good work that she has started.”
Greens candidate Matthew Robertson expressed his gratitude at being given the opportunity toaddress the forum before outlining the need for
“urgent action” on climate change.
Conspicuously, Robertson did not mention Israel. When asked during question time about the Greens’ policy in light of their frequent criticism of
Israel, Robertson said the Greens supported “the right of the Israeli people to live within safe and secure UN-mandated borders”.
“The Greens take support from the core principle of peace and nonviolence, and we wish to see a safe and secure resolution to the conflict in the Middle East,” he said
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Jewish Veterans at mainstream venue
MELBOURNE, 29 July - Victoria’s Jewish ex-servicemen and women will find their diaries filling quickly, as the organisation representing
them tries for a new lease on life.
To set the ball rolling, the Victorian Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (VAJEX) is planning its first ever military “pilgrimage” service at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance on August 1.
“It’s to commemorate the Jewish dead who fell in war. The thinking is that VAJEX, in its 81 years, has never, as far as we know, had a service at
the Shrine. We’ve taken a step forward with this, and it has been in the planning for a year,” VAJEX president Ben Hirsh told The AJN.
Addressing the initiatives that will hopefully inject new vigour into the association, Hirsh said: “To keep going, we’ve changed the rules to
admit non-service members, and we’re hoping many more who had relatives in the forces will join. It’s to keep alive a Jewish organisation that’s being going since 1929.”
The service will feature a shofar-blowing ceremony by Rabbi Phillip Heilbrunn, and will include VAJEX patron Major General Jeffrey
Rosenfeld and chaplain Rabbi Dovid Gutnick. The gathering will take place beneath a VAJEX flag, which will fly from dawn to sundown, and the organisation’s banner.
Other events planned in the coming months include a commemoration at the graveside of Sergeant Issy Smith of the Imperial Army’s Manchester Regiment in Fawkner Cemetery on September 12, and a gathering at Brighton Cemetery on October 8 to honour the memory of Australia’s greatest
military figure, Sir John Monash, 79 years after his death.
The organisation will also be taking part in the annual Monash commemoration at State Parliament on August 6.
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Church vs State
CANBERRA, 30 July – As the roof body of Australian churches urges its members to consider A boycott of goods produced by Israeli settlements,
tensions have flared between Christian and Jewish leaders. Are interfaith relations heading to a new low?
Australia’s roof Christian body is urging Australian churches to boycott goods produced by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The motion, which also calls for a end to the blockade of Gaza, was passed by the National Council of
Churches in Australia (NCAA) in Canberra last week. Affirming the solidarity of the NCAA with Palestinian Christians, the resolution states that the NCAA will advocate and act for the end of the occupation of the Palestinian people.
It also “calls on the member-churches of the NCAA and the wider Australian community to consider a boycott of goods produced by Israeli settlements
in the occupied Palestinian territories”.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Robert Goot said in a letter to the NCAA that the motion came “as a complete and most unpleasant surprise.”
“We feel that we have been badly let down by people we have long thought as our friends”, Goot said. ECAJ vice-president and president of the ACT Jewish Community, Dr Anita Shroot had addressed the forum on behalf of the ECAJ. “I felt welcomed when I was there and then I was shocked and reeling when I got a note from Robert about what happened”, she said. “Frankly I have
quite a few real friends who were there, but there is obviously an element that swung the motion”.
NCAA general secretary Reverend Tara Curlewis said this motion does not mean the NCAA supports theboycott. “We were asked to consider this by the
heads of the churches of the Middle East, so we are asking our churches to consider the proposal by looking at the positives and negatives of it”, Rev Curlewis said.
The Australian Christians Supporting Israel is one organisation that was not happy with the motion.
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Opposition Leader criticises Government policy on Israel
MELBOURNE, 30 July - Speaking at an Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce lunch in Melbourne lastt week Opposition Leader Tony
Abbott took the opportunity to criticise the Rudd-Gillard Government’s record towards Israel.
“I have to say that it’s a little disappointing, given the deep affinity between the Australian people and the Israeli people that the current Australian Government has somewhat weakened our longstanding bipartisanship on Israel,” Abbott said before the crowd of more than 1000 businesspeople and Liberal Party faithful.
“I want to reiterate here today, the Coalition’s unshakable commitment to Israel’s security and I want to assure you that a Coalition government
would never support a one-sided United Nations resolution against Israel to curry favour with an anti-Israel majority in the General Assembly,” he said.
He continued: “And we would never overreact to any international incident, because we appreciate that Israel is under existential threat in a way
that almost no other country in the world is.”
He told guests, including dozens of the nation’s finest journalists, who were following Abbott’s campaign trail, that Australia needs to appreciate that “a diminished Israel diminishes the West”.
The Opposition Leader also used the opportunity to pay tribute to the achievements of the local Jewish community. He commented that Australia is
the only country in the world, apart from Israel, where Jewish people have occupied the highest offices, including as the governor-general.
Among guests at the Crown Casino lunch were Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, Shadow Minister for Finance Andrew Robb, Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu and former treasurer Peter Costello.
Costello, who travelled with Julia Gillard to Israel last year for the Australia-Israel Leadership Forum, delivered the vote of thanks, endorsing his former cabinet colleague’s tilt at the top job.
“Tony Abbott is a man of commitment and a man of drive,” Costello said. “I know he was party of a very successful government, I don’t know that about Julia Gillard.”
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Major boost for school security
CANBERRA, 2 August – The $20 million fund for school security has been topped up with another $15 million, much of it likely to be given to Jewish schools.
Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor announced the program extension at Melbourne’s Beth Rivkah Ladies College on Tuesday.
Joining him for the announcement were ALP incumbent in Melbourne Ports Michael Danby, and fellow Jewish Labor MP Mark Dreyfus, who is re-contesting the seat of Isaacs.
The announcement received bipartisan support, ensuring it would be a done deal whoever becomes prime minister.
“The Government must intervene where necessary to assist schools that have more danger or more risk associated with them,” O’Connor told a school
assembly of senior Beth Rivkah girls. “It ensures that those schools are able to dedicate more resources to the primary purpose of education.”
A Liberal party spokesperson confirmed that a formal announcement regarding its own promise will be made by the Coalition in coming weeks.
Like the previous rounds of funding distributed over the past two years, the program will continue to support those schools at risk of racist or religiously motivated attacks.
“This will allow our schools to use education funding for education purposes,” co-chair of the Australian Council for Jewish Schools Nechama Bendet told the minister. For Jewish schools, she emphasised, spending money on protecting students was “not as a matter of a choice, but of necessity”.
Danby personally thanked the minister for his assistance and praised his party for its commitment to education.
“Brendan, I really appreciate the seriousness with which you and your advisers address this issue,” he remarked.
“If you were looking objectively at the amount of resources either in building classrooms, beautifying playgrounds, funding for some of these schools that didn’t get their correct allocation, like Yeshivah and Beth Rivkah, or
programs like the security funding, you’d have to say this was a golden period of government support for all schools in Australia, including Jewish schools.”
Dreyfus commented that a week earlier had been the anniversary of the bombing of a Jewish centre in Argentina, which killed 85 people in 1994.
“I wish that had never happened, but having been to Buenos Aires since then, I can say that I don’t want to see in Australia the kind of security arrangements that every single communal facility – every school, every synagogue, everymeeting place – of that very large Jewish community has, I never want to see that in Australia.
“One way in which we can deal with that is the kind of additional expenditure met by the Government for security arrangements in our schools.”
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Habonim celebrates seven decades
MELBOURNE–Habonim Dror will commemorate 70 years in Australia next month with celebrations planned for Melbourne and Sydney.
Melbourne’s reunion event at the Glen Eira Town Hall on August 7 will feature a show and light supper, while Sydney will be treated to dinner
and dancing on August 28 at a yet-to-be-decided venue.
Melbourne organiser Robyn Davis said the event is for people who have attended Habonim anywhere in the world.
“It will be an opportunity for all past members of Habonim to get together, talk, dance, celebrate and talk about their time at Habonim,” she said. “It’s a very special event to signify the role that Habonim [has] played within the
Jewish community – it also has demonstrated that it has been a community in itself.”
Head of Sydney’s Parents and Friends of Habonim Peter Royal said the initial venue chosen for the gala reunion is now too small.
“We have been bowled over by the level of response from people,” he said.
He said around 300 people are expected to attend, adding that absolutely anyone who has been involved with Habonim worldwide, including in
South Africa and South America are welcome to join the celebration.
“The idea is to try and have anyone who had any association with the movement participate in the Habonim 70th, to have a fun time and to get
together, and get to know other people who were in the past movement or in the present movement,” he said.
Royal said it is important for all Jewish children to belong to a youth movement, whether or not it is Habonim.
“The whole idea is synagogues give you a reason for why you’re Jewish, schools teach you the history of the Jewish people and the youth
movements teach you how to have fun and be proud to be Jewish.”
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Fabian is Australia bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World
Justice sought for victims of AMIA bombing
BUENOS AIRES (WJC)–several hundred people have commemorated the 16th anniversary of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish center, in which 85 people died and hundreds were injured. Speakers at the ceremony, which was organized by the group ‘Memoria Activa’ and attended by former Argentine President Néstor Kirchner, called for justice and highlighted the fact that nobody has yet been brought to trial over the worst terrorist attack in the history of South America.
Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón laid a wreath in honor of the victims and addressed the gathering outside the reconstructed AMIA building, which on 18 July 1994 was hit by a massive blast from a car bomb. According to the prosecutor in the case, Alberto Nisman, the attack was masterminded by senior figures in the Iranian regime and carried out by Hezbollah operatives. Garzón criticized the slowness of the Argentine justice system and said: “Belated justice is no justice”. He added: “When will we finally understand that the fight against impunity is the responsibility of all of us?” Garzón, who as a Spanish judge investigated former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, called on the United States to provide “real support” so Iranian officials accused of involvement in the AMIA bombing stand trial.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the attack, the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, in a statement urged the international community to do more to bring about justice for the victims. Lauder said it was “blatantly obvious” that Iranian and Hezbollah officials had masterminded the bombing. He said: “On this sad anniversary, we express our solidarity with the survivors, the families of the victims, and with the Argentine people. We applaud the remarkable efforts undertaken by the Argentine authorities and Prosecutor Alberto Nisman in recent years, to determine who committed this atrocity. However, yet another year has passed, and justice still hasn’t been done. This is because the regime in Iran – a sponsor of terrorism world-wide – is refusing to cooperate. No wonder: one of the main suspects, wanted by Interpol, is none other than Ahmadinejad’s current defense minister, Ahmad Vahidi…!”
The WJC president urged the United Nations and other international bodies to do more against state-sponsored terrorism. “It is not just Jewish communities world-wide that are affected by terrorism, but Jews are often the first to suffer attacks. Governments that aid, finance or protect terrorists must be named and shamed,” Lauder declared.
Meanwhile, the Latin American Jewish Congress, the regional branch of the WJC, held a conference on fighting terrorism which was attended by parliamentarians, officials and Jewish leaders from across Latin America.
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Preceding provided by the World Jewish Congress
Switching cars to natural gas would achieve energy independence
By Shoshana Bryen
Shoshana Bryen
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) wouldn’t claim to be an expert on the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, but we have long supported diversifying our energy resources – oil, natural gas, nuclear, coal, wind and solar – and our sources of supply – domestic and foreign.
President Obama said in his speech, “Oil is a finite resource. We consume more than 20 percent of the world’s oil, but have less than 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves.” He stressed energy efficiency, green energy and “a comprehensive energy and climate bill to make clean energy profitable… Old factories are reopening to produce wind turbines, people are going back to work installing energy-efficient windows, and small businesses are making solar panels… Some have suggested raising efficiency standards in our buildings like we did in our cars and trucks. Some believe we should set standards to ensure that more of our electricity comes from wind and solar power… [We have to] “seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels.”
It would make sense to slash the percentage of the world’s oil America consumes. And the source of our oil imports matters greatly, as Providence and geology put a great deal of it under countries currently governed by people with interests inimical to ours. But building efficiency standards, thermal windows and wind turbines won’t do it and a “comprehensive climate bill” is a red herring.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA), the source of government energy statistics, tells us that most of the oil used in this country goes into transportation – gasoline and diesel fuel for cars, trucks, buses, railroads, boats; jet fuel; and the fuel oil used for tankers and other large vessels. (2/3 of the transportation oil is turned into gasoline for cars.) Other uses of oil – heating, factory operation, electricity generation, etc. – have declined considerably. According to the EIA, “while oil continues to account for more than 95 percent of all the energy used for transportation in the United States, oil accounts for less than 20 percent of the energy consumed for other, stationary uses, down from 30 percent in 1973.”
The American “addiction to fossil fuels” is really a car problem. Americans won’t give up their cars any time soon, hybrids only nibble the edges of the problem, and when gas prices fall, sales of bigger cars rise (now, for example, as compared to the $4.25/gal we paid after Hurricane Katrina). What if we tried something radical – a public-private partnership?
The public part would be the President making a national security finding that importing oil from the Persian Gulf and Venezuela is a threat to American national security interests. He could mandate that American automobiles run on natural gas, which is in abundant domestic supply, within a specified amount of time. Existing cars could be retrofitted (they do it in Argentina) and new cars can be configured. The mandate is the public part. The private part would be auto companies producing the cars and gasoline stations (or “filling stations” as they used to be called and will be called again) creating the infrastructure to make the profit.
The 20 percent of current oil usage that is not transportation-related could come from Canada.
It is not the only way, of course, but any serious move would take a truly bold President – one who understands that imported oil funds terrorism and anti-Americanism around the world, and believes domestic oil is a risk for other reasons. It would take a President who would be pleased, not upset, by the howling of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Russia as oil prices fell in response to diminished American purchase.
It would take a President who is serious.
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Bryen is senior director of security policy of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, longtime JINSA supporter and national board member.
Roll call on Gaza flotilla portrays the values of international community
By Shoshana Bryen
Shoshana Bryen
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Israel was victimized twice this week, first by terrorists hiding yet again among the civilian population (one Turkish-sponsored jihadi boat traveling with five more-or-less civilian boats) and second by a world all too ready to blame Israel for the violence engendered by those who sought a bloody death for themselves and any Jews they could take along. By the end of the week, things began to look more normal-those who are already against remained against; those who try to split the difference split it (consider the “abstain” list below); and a few stood honorably above the rest.
1) Italy, Netherlands and the United States voted against resolution A/HRC/14/L.1, “Grave Attacks by Israeli Forces against the Humanitarian Boat Convoy” in the UN “Human Rights” Council. It is of note that the major Italian newspapers supported Israel editorially as well. In the United States, public opinion ran strongly in Israel’s favor, as usual.
After a nasty and public denunciation of Israel by President Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Kouchner, France abstained, probably reminded that in 1985 French commandos sunk a Greenpeace ship in what was called Opération Satanique. (You know what a threat those satanic environmentalists pose to Paris.) France was joined by Belgium, Burkina Faso, Hungary, Japan, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Ukraine and UK.
Voting in favor of the commission whose conclusion is in its title were Angola, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovenia, South Africa, and Uruguay.
Surprised?
2) President Obama: He almost got it right in a TV interview, but missed the essential point. “You’ve got a situation in which Israel has legitimate security concerns when they’ve got missiles raining down on cities along the Israel-Gaza border. I’ve been to those towns and seen the holes that were made by missiles coming through people’s bedrooms. Israel has a legitimate concern there. On the other hand, you’ve got a blockage up that is preventing people in Palestinian Gaza from having job opportunities and being able to create businesses and engage in trade and have opportunity for the future.”
The President doesn’t know, or didn’t say, that Hamas is responsible both for the attacks on Israel and for the misery of the Palestinians in Gaza. Instead, he wanted to “work with all parties concerned-the Palestinian Authority, the Israelis, the Egyptians and others-and I think Turkey can have a positive voice in this whole process once we’ve worked through this tragedy. And bring everybody together…”
Aside from the fact that Turkey is fully complicit in the incident and thus should forfeit any seat at any future table, the Palestinian Authority has not represented Gaza Palestinians since Hamas evicted it in a bloody putsch in 2007. Instead of hoping to “bring everybody together…” the President should be working to evict Hamas from Gaza, for the sake of the Palestinians as much as anyone else.
3) The Czech Republic: Small countries that know what it means to disappear when others find them inconvenient stick together and we are grateful that they do. The President of the Czech Senate, Dr. Přemysl Sobotka, told Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, “As a doctor, I certainly regret any loss of life, but there is no doubt that this was a planned provocation designed to drag Israel into a trap… Many in the European community feel as I do, but they are afraid to speak out publicly… I support the position that views Hamas as a terrorist organization… It is too bad that European countries present an unbalanced position on this matter. Unfortunately, the positions of the international community are not always to my taste, particularly in Europe.”
We are reminded that 18 months ago, the Czech foreign minister issued this statement: “I consider it unacceptable that villages in which civilians live have been shelled. Therefore, Israel has an inalienable right to defend itself against such attacks. The shelling from the Hamas side makes it impossible to consider this organization as a partner for negotiations and to lead any political dialogue with it.”
And finally…
4) Mesheberach: During the Jewish Sabbath service, there is a prayer is for those who are ill or injured. The “Mesheberach” includes the name of the person for whom the prayer is offered and, in an unusual practice, the name of the person’s mother rather than his or her father. Whether in the synagogue or not, we hope readers will remember the six soldiers injured while protecting the people of Israel:
Dean Ben (son of) Svetlana
Roee Ben (son of) Shulamit
Daniel Lazar Ben (son of) Tina Leah
Yotam Ben (son of) Dorit
Ido Ben (son of) Ilana
Boris Ben (son of) Eelaina
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Bryen is senior director of security policy of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, longtime JINSA supporter and national board member.
Scuds to Hezbollah indicate true purposes of Iran and Syria
By Alex Liff
Alex Liff
SAN DIEGO–Following is an open letter sent to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Friday, April 23:
Dear Senator Feinstein,
I am a long time resident of California, a citizen of the United States, a voting and an involved member of your constituency. I am writing to you today to express concern and solicit your explanation regarding an aspect of a statement that you made yesterday in connection to some very troubling developments in the Middle East. According to published reports, yesterday you stated the following: “”I believe there is a likelihood that there are Scuds that Hezbollah has in Lebanon. A high likelihood. The rockets and missiles in Lebanon are substantially increased and better technologically than they were and this is a real point of danger for Israel.”
As a senior member of Senate and the head of the important Senate Intelligence committee your pronouncements carry a lot of weight and importance. So the statement above was timely, right on the money and critical for calling the world’s attention to this new, dangerous and very destabilizing development. As you are well aware the transfer of this type of technology into Hezbollah’s hands has been significant in several respects:
It has once again shown that the Syrian regime, which initiated this transfer, has no interest in playing a constructive role in the region and contrary to Senator Kerry’s pronouncement a few weeks ago, is not committed to peace. Therefore, I call on you to object to President Obama’s plan to send our ambassador to Damascus after a 5 year absence.
For the first time in history, a purely terrorist group, Hezbollah, has acquired weapons that can cause massive, indiscriminate civilian damage and do so very quickly. As you very well know, all of Israel is now within the terrorists’ bull’s-eye.
This transfer has crossed the so called Israeli Red line which was clearly stated on numerous occasions and is bound to elicit a justified reaction from Israel, whose government has a duty to protect its citizens from this new mortal danger. This step has significantly increased the chances for a new and significant Middle East conflict.
Given the above you are to be applauded for coming out with the statement denouncing this development and focusing attention on it. I support you actions in this regard completely and unequivocally.
However you then proceeded to make the following statement which frankly was quite baffling “There’s only one thing that’s going to solve it, and that’s a two-state solution”.
The above statement was not accompanied by any kind of explanation and so one was left to fill in the blanks. In the statement you essentially linked the aspirations of an Iranian financed, created, supported, radical terrorist Lebanese Shia organization with the goals of the Sunni Palestinians and their ongoing conflict with the state of Israel. In other words if one is take your words literally, all that needs to happen to resolve this bit of an issue is the establishment of the Palestinian state.
With all due respect Senator, I beg to differ with your premise and propose that the statement above is completely erroneous, short sighted and does nothing to help us deal with real issues at hand. As an ordinary citizen of course I don’t have access to the kind of intelligence information that you have at your disposal but I am a student of history and have been following Middle East for a long time now. Here are the facts as I see them.
Hizbollah is radical Islamist Shia organization which was created by Iran shortly after the 1979 revolution that brought to power one of the most extreme, radical, hate mongering regimes in the world today.
The burgeoning Shia majority in Lebanon had long been dispossessed and marginalized in Lebanon by the ruling Sunni and Christian elites who were typically wealthier, better educated and had more opportunities for advancement. So when the Iranian mullahs beckoned they found a very willing audience of their Shia cousins who were all too happy to link forces with them. In turn, for Iran, the Shia of Lebanon represented a wonderful opportunity to expand their influence in the region while starting to build a deadly noose around their main adversary, the state of Israel.
Initially Hizbollah’s main focus seemed to be on resisting Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon but that factor ceased to exist after Israel’s hasty withdrawal in 2000. Nevertheless, Hizbollah never stopped its subversive activities in Lebanon or its Iranian financed, Syrian facilitated arms build up.
In fact most of the atrocities committed by Hizbollah never had anything to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but were ordered and executed on behalf of their masters in Tehran who had their own regional goals. We all remember the Beirut marine barrack bombings, the Khobar tower attacks, the Jewish center attack in Argentina and the recent Hariri assassination in Beirut. None of these events had anything to do with the desire to promote a separate state for the Palestinians.
If Hizbollah is so concerned about the Palestinians they could start by helping the hundreds of thousands if not millions of them who are housed in squalid refugee camps. In fact the opposite is true, the Lebanese have completely disenfranchised these folks, denying them basic rights and keeping them locked up in miserable conditions. There has been no attempt whatsoever to integrate, resettle or even improve the basic daily conditions of that group. The truth is that for Hizbollah and the rest of the Arab world, Palestinians are simply a convenient lever to use to continue to question Israel’s legitimacy.
I can go on, but hopefully these are all facts familiar to you and your staff. The point is that there is absolutely no connection between the Sunni Palestinians’ desire for a state and Hizbollah’s Iranian dictated objectives. Their goal as stated on numerous occasions by head of Hizbollah, Sheikh Nasrallah as well as President of Iran, Ahmadinajed is the complete and final destruction of Israel. In fact, Nasrallah was quoted on several occasions, stating that his utmost wish was for all Jews to gather in Israel so that Hizbollah can eliminate them all once and for all. I hope you would agree with me, those are not the words of a man, whose goal is a peaceful resolution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.
Senator Feinstein, I hope you will agree with me, the historical facts do not support in any way your statement linking the resolution of the Hizbollah issue with the two state solution. Stating so is misleading, confusing and flat out wrong. These types of statement prevent us from dealing with and resolving real issues in the region but worst of all they detract us from focusing on the real problems at hand.
As a senior and powerful senator, you are privy to much information which is not available to regular citizens like myself. All I can do is look at the historic facts and interpret them intelligently. As the old saying goes, “the truth may not always win, but it is always right”. The truth, as underpinned by recent undeniable history, is that Hizbollah, is nothing but an extension of a dangerous, fanatical, radical Iranian region whose goal is the total and complete annihilation of one of our staunchest and most important allies, Israel. The latest moves by the Hizbollah is just one of the numerous steps it has taken to bring that goal closer to the reality. That reality has absolutely nothing to do with the Palestinian issue or the so called two state solution.
Senator Feinstein, it is my humble request that you look at the facts carefully and not fall into the common traps of repeating old, overused mantras, which have nothing to do with reality. As Iran is racing to acquire game changing nuclear technology and Hizbollah is arming to the teeth, it is imperative that the leaders of our great country take the time to understand the situation and make conclusions based on actual facts and history, not fiction or empty one liners.
I thank you for your attention and look forward to hearing your views on this topic.
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Liff, born in the Soviet Union and a former resident of France, has an MBA from Stanford with a Global Management certificate. A well-traveled student of the Middle East, he currently resides in San Diego.
Memorial honors Jewish victims of terror abroad
Jean Goldie Orta and Natan Sharansky
JERUSALEM (Press Release)–The Jewish Agency for Israel held a special ceremony on Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers Monday (April 19) to honor the memory of Diaspora Jews murdered in terrorist and anti-Semitic attacks abroad, as well as Jewish Agency emissaries killed while serving abroad.
Lighting this year’s torch in memory of the fallen was Jean Goldie Orta, daughter of the late Norma Rabinowich, who was murdered in the terror attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai in November 2008. Rabinowich, a Mexican citizen who had been traveling in India, had applied with the Jewish Agency representative in Mumbai to immigrate to Israel, where she planned to join her daughter.
“Both we and our enemies know that our strength comes from the Israel Defense Forces — and from the entire Jewish people who identify with the State of Israel,” said Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky at the ceremony. “In the war against the State of Israel and the Jewish People there are no boundaries. Our enemies attack us not just in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, but in Argentina, France, Britain and Mumbai.”
In all, some 200 Diaspora Jews were murdered in anti-Semitic attacks abroad since the founding of the State.
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Preceding provided by the Jewish Agency for Israel
Copy of ‘Schindler’s List’ on sale for 2.2 million dollars
(WJC)–One of the remaining five copies of the famous ‘Schindler’s List’ has been put up for sale for the price of US$ 2.2 million. German industrialist Oskar Schindler created the list of names to save Jews from deportation to the Nazi death camps. It contains details of 801 men along with their occupations and birth dates. “It is the only one [of the lists drawn up by Schindler] remaining in private hands,” Gary Zimet, the New York-based seller of the document, said, explaining that it would be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Schindler's list
The list was compiled by Schindler and his Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern. It was featured in Steven Spielberg’s famous 1994 movie ‘Schindler’s List’.
Schindler gave the Nazis up to ten different lists of names. Only four others are known to have survived. One is kept in the US Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, another one at the German Federal Archive in Koblenz, and two others are at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
Schindler compiled the lists to prove to the Nazis that the workers on it were essential to the war effort. He emigrated to Argentina with his wife, Emilie, after the war but returned to Germany in 1958, where he died in 1974 at the age of 66. He is buried in Jerusalem and was named a Righteous Gentile Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress.
