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31 décembre OU-IPA Washington Wire December 31, 2008 OU IPA WASHINGTON WIRE DECEMBER 31, 2008Welcome to the Wire!
OU-IPA Summer Internship ProgramFor twenty summers and running, the OU’s Institute for Public Affairs (IPA) has been cultivating the next generation of community activists with its summer internship program. The program, which provides college-age students with the opportunity to work up close with the legislative movers and shakers in the nation’s political hub, has proven to be a great investment for the career aspirations of these young men and women and for the future of the Orthodox Community.
Applications are now available and are being accepted for the Summer 2009 program. For more information and to apply online, please click here. OU-IPA Legislative Fellowship ProgramThe Legislative Fellowship is an intensive one year position for dedicated individuals their first year out of college. The fellowship allows its participants to advocate in Washington, DC for Jewish values and interests in the public policy arena on behalf of the Orthodox Jewish community. He/she will take part in a wide range of activities including monitoring legislative activity, developing synagogue social action programming, coordinating special events, creating educational materials, and mobilizing the grassroots of American Orthodox Jewry.
Applications are now available and are being accepted for the 2009-2010 program. For more information and to apply online, please click here.
Links OU Defending Jerusalem Website
All My Life's A Cycle - Shabbat Shalom from the OU - Parshat Vayigash
[alerts@ou.org] Kashruth Alert
The Real Story of the Gaza War – please watch and then FORWARD!SPONSORED AD
[Modia] Bulletin important et très utile[Modia] Bulletin important et très utile
1. La paracha de cette nouvelle semaine Vayigache nous apprend 4 demarches essentielles:
- comment se rencontrer dans une ecoute veritable, - comment resoudre les conflits en 7 clefs, - combien et comment la Torah nous fournit ces clefs, - nous ne pouvons le decouvrir qu'en etudiant la Torah avec nos Sages. http://www.modia.org/tora/berechite/vayigache.html 2. Les nouvelles de l'actualite avec leur analyse, mais aussi de nombreux liens d'etudes sur ces questions mises en jeu par le conflit (qu'est la ville de Beer Cheva, cartes d'Israel pour comprendre, l'enseignement du judaisme sur la terre d'Israel, le Rav Kook qui a formule la conception actuelle de l'Etat selon la Torah, etc. Et aussi, comment continuer a vivre tout cela dans la lumiere que nous avons integree a Hanouca. http://www.modia.org/infos/israel2/bulletin109.html 3. Apprendre l'hebreu courant sur Modia: le vocabulaire de la vie et le vocabulaire de la guerre http://www.modia.org/meguila/vocabulaire.html Bonne reflexion, bonne etude, bonne solidarite Yehoshua Rahamim Dipour Yerouchalayim Proportionality and Disproportionality (by Tom Carew)Proportionality and Disproportionality
By Tom Carew ( Dublin , Ireland )
If the enemy is the aggressor, and you are defending your rights — especially your right to live, and live free from terror — then the aggressor has simply forfeited any right to life. The number of the aggressors it is legitimate to kill is whatever number of fatalities will permanently eliminate their threat — not just temporarily halt their current assault, but also their capability to resume their aggression at a future time of their choosing. And the more fanatical they are, the more of them it will prove unavoidable to eliminate — possibly every single one.
So it was with the Japanese dug into 11 miles of underground tunnels on Iwo Jima island in the Pacific in February 1945. That fierce 35-day battle by U.S. Marines saw only 1,083 Japanese taken POWs; the remainder of their 22,000 force were killed.
Consider the estimate of Hamas now with 15,000 in three Brigades (North Gaza, Gaza City, Central, Khan Younis, Rafah), plus 5,000 more in five more terrorist gangs — Islamic Jihad, Fatah, PFLP, DFLP. The level of enemy fatalities (among the six bands of hostile armed elements) necessary to eliminate, and not only the current, but even more the ongoing and increasing threat to Israel, could readily prove to be 20,000. Like Iwo Jima , but so be it. The choice is entirely that of Hamas.
Which is wholly proportionate to the legitimate goal of security for all Israeli civilians.
Recall how King Hussein dealt with the PLO threat in Jordan in September 1970. Five to ten thousand PLO terrorists were killed, while the rest were expelled to Beirut — until Israeli intervention in 1982 sent them to Tunisia
The scale of force needed to defend freedom in any context depends solely on that available to those threatening freedom, not on the wishes of the media, NGOs, or politicians.
And while some 60,000 civilians in UK cities were slaughtered by Nazi bombers in WW II, the Allied aerial counter-offensive to eliminate that evil threat cost 600,000 German lives — a ratio of 10 to 1. Dis-proportionate?
“Disproportionality”
Some 600,000 German civilians were lost due to Allied bombings alone in World Wear II, nearly 1% of their pre-war population. A very large minority had voted for Hitler, as has also happened with the Palestinian Arabs and their neo-Nazi Hamas. The total German dead were 10.82%, which equals 154,592 Gaza Arabs.
The much lower Japanese 3.61% rate dead gives 51,578 for Gaza . By any standard, Gaza Arabs have suffered little — so far.
Notice, however, that both Japan and Germany suffered enough to never want a repeat their aggression.
Let’s hope and pray that this Israeli Government has learned these brutal lessons from history, and that the IDF will be allowed to finish the job in Gaza
But what moral or military or historical logic suggests Israel ’s response to Hamas’ year-after- year bombing of Sderot Israel is “disproportionate”? Some 50% of Sderot’s population of 25,000 have been wounded and traumatized—and half the population has left.
A Just War is to eliminate a deadly threat. Hamas, a proxy of Iran , is such a threat. The “proportionate” casualties they take are whatever it takes to conquer them thoroughly, and to put an end to their capacity to attack Israel
Al-Jarallah: "HAMAS KNOWS NOTHING OF DEMANDS OF LIVING" (by Judith Apter Klinghoffer)Judith Apter Klinghoffer http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/59067.htmlAl-Jarallah: "HAMAS KNOWS NOTHING OF DEMANDS OF LIVING"
You would not know it from reading the papers but as we count down the last hours and minutes of 2008, the war against the Islamist chapter of Hamas' self described "death industry" continues because that terrorist organization as Ahmed Al-Jarallah, the editor of Arab Times, notes knows nothing about the demands of the living:
Hamas — the mule — knows nothing about the demands of the living except backwardness and trading in religion. Generally, the members of this group consider themselves spokespersons of the Palestinians but they endanger the lives of their people. They seem to have forgotten the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) who once said that “guardians are responsible for the citizens.” You doubt Al-Jarallah, read about Hamas' use of hospitals as bases, thing about Hamas Women Vowing to Become 'Martyrdom-Seekers' and Blow Themselves Up Among 'the Apes and Pigs' and watch this use of child as a human shield Then see the Israeli Defense forces fight and remember they are fighting because as Israeli foreign minister Livni says they have no choice. They are fighting to protect life, home and hearth. That it the heart of the matter. NEWS ALERT: ISRAEL 3rd of Tevet 5769 - Tue, Dec/30/08NEWS ALERT: ISRAEL 3rd of Tevet 5769
Tuesday 30th December 2008
[Israel-infos.net] Initiative francaise pour une accalmie a Gaza
The Madoff Madness (by Rabbi Benjamin Blech)The Madoff Madness
by Rabbi Benjamin Blech
Honor and dishonor in the Jewish community.
It's very hard for many people to have a happy Chanukah this year.
It's not just because the world economy is in meltdown and we are frightened more and more by our dwindling bank accounts and impoverished pension plans. It's because the very meaning of Chanukah today seems to be in jeopardy.
The Maccabees may have won a long time ago, but in the age of Bernie Madoff madness the spiritual victory of the Jewish people over the values of Hellenism and Greek culture remains highly doubtful.
Chanukah, unlike Purim, doesn't celebrate the physical survival of Jews in the wake of a genocidal threat. It commemorates our ability to preserve Judaism at a time when the world around us worshiped totally different ideals. The symbol of the holiday is oil because unlike other liquids, oil does not mix with water but maintains its own identity and rises to the top. So too, the Jewish people did not assimilate.
When confronted with a culture that worshiped the holiness of beauty, the heroes of Chanukah maintained their allegiance to the beauty of holiness. The Greeks claimed that beauty is truth. The Jews insisted that only truth is beauty. The Greeks glorified the physical. The Jews insisted the spiritual has greater importance. The Greeks sanctified the gymnasium and the marketplace. The Jews worshiped in the Temple and the house of study. The Greeks idolized wealth. The Jews venerated values.
To those who ask how could the Bernie Madoff scandal have happened, the answer can only be that for far too many Jews today the Maccabees were wrong and the Greeks were right. Given a choice between assimilating with a conspicuous consumption culture that proclaims "he who dies with the most toys wins," or a more modest lifestyle circumscribed by Torah and mitzvoth, the tragedy is that so many Jews opted for the former.
It wasn't too many years ago that Michael Douglas won an Oscar for best actor in the movie Wall Street. In the film Douglas played the role of a fiendishly avaricious stock market speculator. To thunderous applause, in one of the climactic scenes of the film, Douglas tells his adoring audience, "There's a new law of evolution in corporate America. Greed is good." Strangely enough, that seemed to strike a chord among some of the very people who gave the world the Ten Commandments that concluded with the powerful divine edict, "Thou shalt not covet."
Due Diligence?
To understand the Bernie Madoff scandal, it completely misses the mark if we focus our attention solely on the one man who engineered this incredible Ponzi scheme. It isn't shocking, after all, to discover that con men can still be found in our midst. What needs to be analyzed is how it was possible for so many financially astute businessmen, as well as organizations committed to prudent investment policies, to fall victim to the seductive lure of a phony who promised returns that the investors themselves recognized as "too good to be true."
Why were they all willing to assume a level of risk that simply didn't make sense? The answer undoubtedly is because our society was making it clear that it was far more risky not to make outrageous returns on your money, not to have a billion dollars if you only had half a billion, not to be super super wealthy if you are only in the to be pitied category of just the super wealthy.
When being just rich isn't enough, the rich have to risk everything to maintain their social standing.
So where does the real blame lie? Bernie Madoff was taking advantage of a social reality created by us, by our organizations, and yes even by our charities. Honor in Jewish life has all too often been meted out only by the measure of financial, rather than personal, worth. Only the millionaire could become a macher, and only the close-to-billionaire could dream of becoming a major Jewish leader or honoree.
Tell me who your heroes are and I will tell you what you worship, goes the old adage. When scholars are given positions of prominence we can conclude that study represents a prime value. When the wealthy are the only ones allowed on the dais of communal leadership we are making clear what we hold dear as our priority.
Ask our young people today what they want to be when they grow up. If they respond, "to be successful," probe a little further and ask what they mean by that. More often than not they will smile and say, "That's simple; I want to make a lot of money." And why are they so materialistic? There is no wonder about that. It is because we have shown them that that is the ultimate way in which we will evaluate their success. Just look at the role models we offer them as the ones worthy of our respect and admiration.
So our best and our brightest have been going off to Wall Street instead of to professions of communal service, to the banks instead of to the rabbinate, to the marketplace instead of to the meeting places of teachers and scholars. And when they make their first big bundle they'll realize it isn't enough by far. And that's when they will become fair game for the next Bernie Madoff.
Catalyst for Change
Every crisis, it's been said, has within it a seed of blessing. The Madoff scandal, with its 50 billion dollar immediate loss and its ripple effect that may well be equally cataclysmic, must serve as a catalyst for change if we are to imbue it with any meaning. The Madoffs of the world must be deprived of their greatest strength -- the power given to them by a Jewish world that has succumbed to values foreign to our faith and antithetical to our tradition.
We must relearn the powerful lesson captured in the story told by the Dubner Magid, one of our most famous storytellers. He described a father in a little shtetl taking his child to the cheder to learn. It's 6:30 in the morning, bitter cold outside. Father and son are huddled together for warmth. All of a sudden they hear music, a loud fanfare, the sounds of a procession in the distance. People are coming to look, leaving their homes, shouting, "The poretz [the Polish nobleman] is coming!" Suddenly from a distance they see a beautiful carriage approaching pulled by a team of magnificent horses. Right near them the carriage stops. No sooner does the servant open the door than out steps the poretz, dressed in all his finery, oozing of opulence, bedecked in jewelry and the costliest of garments. And the Jewish father, seeing this, gives his child a little tug and says, "Take a good look my child. Because in case you don't learn Torah, that's what you're going to look like!"
As we conclude the festival of Chanukah, we have to identify again with Matisyahu and the Maccabees. It was they who looked at a world tempted by the materialistic visions of Hellenism and warned their fellow Jews that if they traded their holiness for the empty rewards of hedonism, that's what they would look like. And we too, if we make the mistake of choosing gold over God as priority, will be easy victims lying in wait, doomed yet again to Madoff mania. Author Biography: This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/jewishsociety/The_Madoff_Madness.asp Top 10 Articles of 2008Top 10 Articles of 2008
by aish.com
Aish.com looks back at some of the most popular articles of the year.
Top 10 Articles
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This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/spirituality/odysseys/Top_10_Articles_of_2008.asp Life's True Success: Ethics of Fathers 4:1 (by Rabbi Yonason Goldson)Life's True Success: Ethics of Fathers 4:1
by Rabbi Yonason Goldson
The pursuit of happiness begins and ends with inner peace.
Ben Zoma says: Who is wise? The one who learns from every person, as it is said: "From all those who taught me I gained understanding" (Psalms 119:99). Who is mighty? The one who subdues his impulses, as it is said: "Better is one slow to anger than a strong man, and one who rules over his passions than the conqueror of a city" (Proverbs 16:32). Who is wealthy? The one who is happy with his portion, as it is said: "When you eat the toil of your hands you are fortunate and it is good for you" (Psalms 128:2). "You are fortunate" [refers to] this world; "and it is good for you" [refers to] the World to Come. Who is honored? The one who honors others, as it is said: "For those who honor Me will I honor, and those who scorn Me will be degraded" (I Samuel 2:30). Ethics of Fathers 4:1
Our mishna speaks first ofwisdom, rather than knowledge or logic or intelligence. Wisdom is the application of the other three, the faculty of directing the power of the intellect and interpreting information to recognize its deeper significance, its meaning, and its relevance to daily life. One may possess encyclopedic knowledge or be able to perform lightning-fast computations yet remain an utter fool. The qualities of wisdom are patience, judgment, and perspective. Many geniuses lack these, and many of average intelligence posses them to a high degree.
The lessons of life are both great and small, and it is a fool who believes that wisdom trumpets itself from the rooftops. Many of life's most important lessons are broad, sweeping concepts of morality and self-discipline, but the subtleties and nuances that instruct us in applying these general principles to the mundane tasks of living are themselves found in life's subtleties and nuances.
"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and become wise" (Proverbs 6:5). So said King Solomon, suggesting that the smallest creature can teach us one of life's most fundamental lessons. How much more so every human being. Each person has some quality or characteristic that can be instructive, and the wise man knows that wisdom resides everywhere. Moreover, the wise man's insatiable thirst for wisdom is the surest sign of the wisdom that resides within him. Only the fool is content with his understanding of the world around him.
A FOOL'S MISSION
Ben Zoma continues by teaching us the definition of true power. It is not the one who can control others who is genuinely mighty, but the one who can control himself.
The assertiveness of the human ego and the persistence of human desire produce a force of almost limitless power. How much have men accomplished, both for good and for evil, through their relentless quest to gain sovereignty over their fellow men? Empires have been built, empires have been destroyed, and still human beings vie for the opportunity to lord over their neighbors. Fortunes have been amassed, only to vanish in the endless quest for more. Families have been built upon the love of wives and children, only to be shattered by infidelities driven by passion and the desire for virile conquest.
True strength is an internal phenomenon. Like a coiled spring containing extraordinary potential power is the one who can keep rein on his passions and his impulses. Rather than unleashing all their energy in a single, destructive outburst, the truly mighty are those able to release their inner power with control and direction manner to create, to build, and to save. It is the inner battle against anger, jealousy, pride, lust, and pettiness that is the proving ground for true power and true heroism.
More than by any other yardstick, human beings measure success in terms of accumulated wealth. The childishness of this standard should be obvious to all, given the endless examples of exceptionally wealthy people who have lived tragically miserable lives, and of people with limited means who have lived lives of fulfillment and contentment. Consider Hetty Green, the notorious miser who died worth nearly a hundred million dollars but saved scraps of soap, and Mother Theresa, recognized by the world for her saintliness, who lived a life of material austerity.
Much of our confusion concerning wealth is rooted in our confusion concerning happiness. Thomas Jefferson's famous invocation of the pursuit of happiness as one of man's inalienable rights may be source of this cultural dyslexia. Happiness is not something to be pursued. Happiness results naturally and organically from a life lived in pursuit of purpose and meaning.
HAPPINESS WITHOUT SATISFACTION
Most instructive is what Ben Zoma does not say. He does not define the wealthy person as one who issatisfied with his portion. True satisfaction is neither possible nor even desirable in this world. It is our unrealized goals and dreams and aspirations that drive us toward achievement and the fulfillment of our potential. Life's only real satisfaction will come with the reward that is reserved for us in the World to Come.
In contrast, happiness is a function of the effort we put forth toward the realization of life's goals. The degree to which we use our innate abilities and acquired resources in pursuit of meaningful goals - when we understand that our purpose in this world is to strive toward purposeful accomplishment - precisely to that degree will we experience happiness, independent of our success or failure.
That others may have more or less than we do has no bearing whatsoever upon our efforts to make the most of our portion. The person who understands this and makes it the guiding philosophy in his life is the person who is truly happy, and truly rich.
APPRECIATION, THE FINAL FRONTIER
When all is said and done, all of us want to be appreciated for who we are and what we have done. If we believe in our own accomplishments - as most of us do - we expect others to recognize our worth and accord us honor in proportion to what we deserve.
In reality, most of the time our perceptions of ourselves are distorted by subjectivity, and others may find less cause to honor us than we find to consider ourselves worthy of honor. Moreover, the world is a place in which superficial wealth, fame, and power - all the things Ben Zoma has taught us not to value - are the source of honor. Even the truly worthy - especially the truly worthy - frequently receive far less honor than they deserve.
In truth, why should we care what others think about us and what we have done? If my accomplishments are genuinely great, do they become greater when they are recognized by others, or do they become diminished if others are too myopic to see their greatness? Ultimately, it is our own recognition of the value of our deeds that is the greatest reward in this world, and the recognition of the Almighty that will determine our reward in the World to Come.
Far better than seeking honor is to accord honor to others, particularly those whose virtuous deeds go overlooked by many. Within every person resides tzelem Elokim - the spark of the divine image that makes all human beings deserving of respect. By honoring others we honor the Almighty and, at the same time, we confirm our own self-worth.
The one whose first thought is for the honor of others will most surely attract notice and gain honor for himself, both in this world and the next. Similarly, Ben Zoma teaches, the one whose wisdom enables him to see beyond the superficial attraction of wealth, knowledge, power, and honor, the one who directs his greatest effort toward the development of his internal self rather than his external persona, this is the one who will acquire the inner peace that is the ultimate source of incomparable wealth, genuine honor, and true happiness. Author Biography: This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/spirituality/growth/Lifes_True_Success_Ethics_of_Fathe.asp Defending Israel's Operations in Gaza (HonestReporting.com)Defending Israel's Operations in Gaza
by HonestReporting.com
A quick guide to some of the big issues.
This week, Israeli warplanes pounded Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip. The goal of the operation is to strike a major blow to Hamas's terror infrastructure and the ability of Hamas and its allied organizations to launch missiles and mortar shells at Israeli citizens and execute terror attacks of various kinds, such as kidnapping Israeli civilians.
As casualties mount, media coverage of the fighting will form public opinion, ultimately determining Israel's ability to complete the necessary operation. Following is a quick guide to some of the big issues.
Why is Israel bombing Gaza when innocent civilians are being killed?
Israel never targets civilians. The death of innocent civilians is regrettable under any circumstances and every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties. That imperative must be balanced with the need to protect Israeli civilians, who suffer from ongoing attacks from Gaza. But while the Palestinians fire Kassam rockets indiscriminately into Israeli territory, Israel launches pinpoint strikes at Hamas infrastructure. Prior to launching any large-scale attacks, Israel spent many months identifying Hamas' strongholds and training facilities. The Israeli Air Force also managed to hit "secret" targets such as underground missile launchers and arms catches -- a testament to Israel's great effort to ensure that air strikes weaken Hamas without harming innocent Palestinians.
Israel does not want a humanitarian crisis, and Hamas is the cause of the suffering and distress of the population there.
Unfortunately, Hamas has never shown the same level of concern for either Israeli or Palestinian civilians. On one hand, Hamas has fired thousands of missiles into Israeli territory, killing and wounding hundreds.
On the other hand, rather than seeking the well-being of the Palestinians under its control in Gaza, Hamas has exploited its civilian population -- and Israel's reluctance to cause civilian casualties -- by placing non-combatants in and around areas likely to be targeted by Israel. Hamas brings women and children up to the roofs of buildings housing terrorist activity in an attempt to prevent air strikes; it sends civilians to the line of fire; it works out of schools and mosques; it fires rockets out of crowded population centers; and it sends Palestinian mothers to murder Israeli children in suicide attacks.
In addition, many of Hamas' arms smuggling tunnels are hidden beneath the homes of Palestinian civilians.
This cynical use of human shields is illegal under international law and the cause of many needless Palestinian deaths. Therefore, the responsibility for Palestinian civilian casualties lies with Hamas, not Israel.
Isn't Israel's operation a violation of the Hamas truce?
Hamas is responsible for the situation, since it violated the calm, is firing against and attacking Israeli citizens, and is investing all its resources in arming itself and gathering power.
The truce brokered by Egypt was exploited by Hamas not only to employ terror against Israel's citizens, but also to gain strength and massively arm itself with the intention of increasing their capacity for terror and expanding the range of the threat against Israeli citizens. Hamas men were being smuggled out and were being trained in Iran and Syria.
Hamas shoots harmless, homemade rockets, and Israel responds with fighter jets and precision-guided missiles. Isn't that excessive force?
The Palestinians have long cultivated an image of victimhood to win world sympathy and demand Israeli restraint in the face of Palestinian aggression. In reality, the Palestinians' so-called "primitive" Kassam rocket has killed and wounded hundreds of Israeli civilians. The number of casualties would be even higher without Israeli security measures such as early-warning alarms in areas under rocket threat that allow Israelis to escape into bomb shelters. Hamas has also fired medium-range Grad-type Katyusha rockets, placing more than 250,000 Israeli civilians under direct threat of rocket fire.
Given the Palestinian fire power and their willingness to use it, it is clear that the charge of "excessive force" is simply the latest incarnation of the Palestinian strategy of "victimhood." Terror groups fire indiscriminately at innocent Israelis and then complain of excessive or disproportionate force when Israel fires back. But according to internationally accepted laws of war, Israel is permitted to respond with the force necessary to end the conflict.
It is also important to examine the intent behind the use of weapons. Palestinian terrorists do everything in their power to hurt or kill as many Israeli civilians as possible; Israel is using its advanced weaponry to protect Palestinian civilians from harm.
Isn't Hamas entitled to defend its territory against Israeli occupation?
Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in 2005, uprooting thousands of its own citizens in order to uphold internationally-recognized borders in Gaza. The Palestinians have no further territorial claims against Israel in Gaza. But instead of working to improve the quality of life for its citizens, Hamas has focused on improving the range and accuracy of its Kassam missiles and mortars and increasing its store of weapons. The Palestinian rockets, therefore, can only be seen as aggression against Israel with no moral basis.
Palestinians have fired more than 6,000 rockets and mortars into Israel since the Israeli withdrawal -- all without provocation. The rocket fire even continued during the six-months of "calm" in the Gaza area that ended last Friday. Since then, Hamas stepped up rocket fire substantially, launching 170 rockets at Israel over eight days, an average of more than 20 rockets a day.
No country in the world would allow this type of onslaught against its citizens. As President-elect Barack Obama said during his visit to the rocket-battered town of Sderot five months ago, "If someone was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing."
Isn't Hamas the democratically-elected government in Gaza? Why is Israel trying to overthrow it?
Hamas promotes itself as the legitimate power in Gaza. In reality, Hamas is at its core a terrorist organization that refuses to renounce violence or recognize Israel's right to exist. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Hamas came to power in Gaza through a violent coup against the Palestinian Authority government. The international community continues to recognize the PA, under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, as the legitimate Palestinian government in the Palestinian territories. At the same time Israel is fighting terror, the government is deliberately and openly maintaining a political process with the Palestinian government Abbas. Hamas opposes these negotiations and any settlement with Israel, and constitutes an unstable element in the region.
Hamas steadfastly refuses to recognize Israel and continues to launch attacks on its neighbor. Since Hamas refuses to live in peace with Israel, the Israeli government has no choice but to seek Hamas' replacement.
View a short video on the current media coverage.
Foreign Ministry messages from Herb Keinon / Jerusalem Post
Author Biography: This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/middleeast/Defending_Israels_Operations_in_Ga.asp Barry Rubin, "The Gaza War: Is it All So Hard to Understand?"
The Gaza War: Is it All So Hard to Understand?* But why, more than one reporter from highly reputable publications has asked me, is Israel attacking Gaza now? At first, I was astonished: because Hamas cancelled the ceasefire and started massive rocket firings at Israel.
No, they responded, as if I had said something rude. Isn’t it the election, or an attempt to stop the tunnels, or this or that reason?
Absolutely not, I say, it’s like Pearl Harbor, or September 11. If someone announces they are going to go to war with you and then does it, you retaliate and fight.
At that point, the reporters seem to lose interest and bring the interview to an end, as if clearly a person who can say such things is not going to provide any rational analysis. Yet if one cannot even understand this most basic fact, what comprehension can there be of this issue or, indeed, of Middle East politics in general.
There are reasons, however, for this response. Large elements in the West find it very hard to “get,” that is to understand, Hamas or the Palestinians in general—or, for that matter,? Islamists in general, or Arabs in general, or Muslims in general--albeit with all the many variations and exceptions.
Today, people ask, why didn’t the Jews of Poland understand the Nazis were going to wipe them out, at least in the earlier period when escape or revolt was more possible? According to contemporary and later eyewitness testimony because they didn’t think Germans would act in such an unpragmatic manner.
After all hundreds of thousands of Jews were involuntarily contributing to the German war effort. They were making clothes, repairing roads, growing food. Why should the Third Reich destroy a highly effective, very cheap, and low-problem labor force, thus crippling itself and helping to ensure that it lost the war?
Answer: ideology. A doctrine and belief system will make people act in a way that doesn’t fit pragmatic expectations. Why should Hamas start a war against a stronger power? Due to believing itself to be stronger and needs to mobilize mass support. Why should Palestinian leaders reject a state even if it means the end of an increasingly small degree of “occupation”? Due to belief that total victory is inevitable, that compromise is treason, and that their enemies are satanic.
The other big question asked is: what is the solution? How can, as some say, peace be attained; how can Israel, others say, eliminate Hamas? The presumption is that the first or the second is easy, or at least possible.
Answer: Wrong. This is the Middle East we don’t do solutions. Hamas is not going to disappear, nor will it be moderate. Israel, for good reasons, has no interest in occupying the Gaza Strip. Fatah is incapable of retaking control there.
This situation will go on and probably most likely end in some new ceasefire. Hamas will break the ceasefire a bit every week, and smash it altogether every six to eighteen months, repeating the current situation. That isn’t the ideal outcome but it is by far the most likely one.
No matter how much diplomatic aid, sympathy, or money the West gives Hamas—and it has saved Hamas and the PLO over and over from their own mistakes—they will not become grateful or pro-Western. Anti-Western and anti-American sentiment is too valuable and too widespread to disappear. The Palestinians—and Iran’s regime, and Syria’s government, and Hizballah, and other Islamists—need scapegoats. Who else are they going to blame for their problems, themselves?
If you save the terrorists today, they will commit more terrorism tomorrow. If you let them escape the consequences of their own extremism, you can guarantee they will stay extremist and take a lot of the masses with them.
In some ways, the most important—or at least second most important—thing to happen in the Middle East this week is that Hizballah leader Hasan Nasrallah went too far, calling for the overthrow of Egypt’s government.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit responded, “They have actually declared war on Egypt….” And when he says “they” he means Iran, Syria, Hizballah, and Hamas. The Saudis and Gulf Arabs are also drawing lines deeper than ever before. Publicly and loudly, they look at Gaza, and see Arabs and Muslims, and criticize Israel. More softly in public and loudly in private they look at Gaza and see the Iranian axis. This is the Middle East of 2008 and not of 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, or 1998. The Palestinian issue has little effect on any other issue. The real conflict is Iran-Syria against Egypt-Saudi Arabia. Islamists are seeking to conquer the region from Arab nationalists. Radical groups are not interested in happy homelands but jihad and genocide.
And so the issue is not why Israel is attacking Hamas in Gaza now, but why Hamas in Gaza is attacking Israel now.
Note: This article was written for Pajamas Media. http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-gaza-war-is-it-really-so-hard-to-understand/
Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), with Walter Laqueur (Viking-Penguin); the paperback edition of The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan); A Chronological History of Terrorism, with Judy Colp Rubin, (Sharpe); and The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley).
The Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center JWR TODAY: Finally the facts 'bout Israel's 'Disproportionate Force'; K Gourmet: Succulent "stewp" is quick, easy fix; Blankley, Gerson, Stossel; and MUCH more! --- December 31, 2008JWR TODAY: Finally the facts 'bout Israel's 'Disproportionate Force'; K Gourmet: Succulent "stewp" is quick, easy fix; Blankley, Gerson, Stossel; and MUCH more! --- December 31, 2008
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The intersection of faith, culture and politics Wednesday, December 31, 2008 *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:* CLARIFICATIONS A number of readers wrote in yesterday asking if checks for JWR's partnership campaign that were WRITTEN before the end of the year, but RECEIVED in 2009, would still be eligible for a tax deduction. The answer is: Yes. The address to mail your checks can be found at the bottom of: http://jewishworldreview.com/appeal/appeal1208c.html Still interested in helping out? To make online donations via our SECURE online form ... For a one-time donation, please go to: https://www.kerenyehoshuavyisroel.com/keren/jwr/donate.cfm To take the "Dime a Day" challenge, please go to: https://www.kerenyehoshuavyisroel.com/keren/JWR/DualMonthly/index.cfm My HEARTFELT thanks to all who've expressed their kindness! I intend to keep fighting the good fight. That includes making JWR even more user friendly and offering even more material -- different types of features -- that you will gain from. That's what I meant yesterday by "diverse". We have begun discussions with ad agencies and will shortly be following-up with readers who expressed interest in sponsorships. In gratitude and friendship, Binyamin L. Jolkovsky Editor in Chief **<>**<>**<>**<>****<>**<>**<>**<>** [ J E W I S H L I V I N G ] ---> reality check Is Israel Using 'Disproportionate Force' Gaza? By Dore Gold Just the cold, hard facts. Forward to those who want them --- and need them http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1208/disproportionate_dore.php3 ---> ess, ess/ eat, eat! The K. Gourmet By Renee Enna Succulent "stewp" is quick, easy fix http://www.jewishworldreview.com/ess/ess_stewp.php3 *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:* [ D A I L Y I N S P I R A T I O N ] NEW SERIES! "Taking Action" Thousands of years before the term "proactive" was coined by motivational experts, the Jewish Sages gave this indispensable tool for success a name. They called it "zerizus". "Zerizus" is the quality within us that fuels achievement, the trait that takes what we are capable of and turns it into real accomplishment. "Zerizus" is, in the words of author Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, the "joyful willpower" that we all need to make our dreams come true. TODAY: Finish What You Start http://jewishworldreview.com/inspiration/taking_action.php3 <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> [ W O R T H 1 0 0 0 W O R D S ] * Ripleys Believe It Or Not! http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/ripley/ripley.asp * Andy Capp http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/a_capp/a_capp.asp * 9 to 5 http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/9_to_5/9_to_5.asp * Baloo http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/baloo/baloo.asp * Bottom Liners http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/bottomliners/bottomliners.asp * The Born Loser http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/born_loser/born_loser.asp * Bound and Gagged http://jewishworldreview.com/strips/bound_and_gagged/b_and_g.asp * Flo & Friends http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/flo/flo.asp * Frank & Ernest http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/frank_and_ernest/frank_and_ernest.asp * The Grizzwells http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/grizzwells/grizzwells.asp * Herman http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/herman/herman.asp * Mallard Filmore http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/mallard/2000/mallard1.asp * Moderately Confused http://jewishworldreview.com/strips/moderately_confused/mc.asp * Momma http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/momma/momma.asp * One Big Happy http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/obh/obh1.asp * Prickly City http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/pc/prickly_city.asp * The Other Coast http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/toc/toc.asp * Shoe http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/shoe/shoe.asp * State of the Union h http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/sou/sou.asp * The Wizard of Id http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/wiz/wiz.asp * Dry Bones http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/dry_bones/dry_bones.asp * Baloo http://www.jewishworldreview.com/strips/baloo/baloo.asp * Lisa Benson http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/benson/benson.asp * Chip Bok http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/bok/bok1.asp * Brian Duffy http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/duffy/duffy.asp * Bob Gorrel http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/gorrel/gorrell1.asp * Steve Kelley http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/kelley/skelley1.asp * Dick Locher http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/locher/locher.asp * Jimmy Margulies http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/margulies/margulies.asp * Jeff Stahler http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/stahler/stahler1.asp * Wayne Stayskal http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/stayskal/stayskal1.asp * John Trever http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/trever/trever.asp * Gary Varvel http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/varvel/varvel1.asp * Michael Ramirez http://www.jewishworldreview.com/toons/ramirez/ramirez1.asp * " "¤" "¤" "¤" "¤" "¤" "¤" "¤" "¤" "¤" [ PoliticalMavens.com H I G H L I G H T S ] * Cory Franklin: I Ain't Afraid Of No Medical Ghostwriters http://politicalmavens.com/index.php/2008/12/30/i-aint-afraid-of-no-medical-ghostwriters/ * Mark Davis: A political year to remember http://politicalmavens.com/index.php/2008/12/31/political-year-remember-2/ * John J. Pitney,Jr.: A Double Standard in Transcription? http://politicalmavens.com/index.php/2008/12/30/a-double-standard-in-transcription/ * Judith A. Klinghoffer: Israel urged to victory on Hamas http://politicalmavens.com/index.php/2008/12/30/israel-urged-to-victory-on-hamas/ <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> [ T O D A Y I N H I S T O R Y ] On this day in … * 1862, during the American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union (thus dividing Virginia in two) * 1879, Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time * 1891, a new immigration depot is opened on Ellis Island, New York * 1904, the first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, on Manhattan * 1923, Big Ben's chimes are broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC * 1929, Guy Lombardo performs Auld Lang Syne at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City for the first time * 1944, during World War II: Hungary declares war on Germany * 1946, President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II * 1955, General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over $1 billion in a year * 1961, the Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than USD $12 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe * 1963, the Central African Federation officially collapses and splits into Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia * 1974, private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years * 1983, the AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States government * 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is officially dissolved * 1994, this date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14, respectively * 1997, Quaker Oats settles a lawsuit involving the immoral use of child subjects in radioactivity experiments circa 1945-1956 * 1998, exchange rates between the euro and legacy currencies in the Eurozone become fixed * 1999, Boris Yeltsin resigns as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President. ALSO: Five hijackers, practitioners of that "religion of peace", who had been holding 155 hostages on an Indian Airlines plane, leave the plane with two Islamic "clerics" that they had demanded be freed. AND: The United States Government handed Panama Canal control over to Panama as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties * 2004, the official opening of Taipei 101, the current tallest skyscraper in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 feet) * 2006, the United Kingdom pays final installment of Second World War debt to the United States * 2007, Sara Jane Moore, who took a shot at President Gerald R. Ford in San Francisco in 1975, was paroled after 32 years behind bars <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> [ L I F E S T Y L E S ] * How Stuff Works: How aircraft carriers work http://jewishworldreview.com/1208/HowStuffWorks.php3 * Hunt is on for phony POWs http://jewishworldreview.com/1208/phony_POWs.php3 * Dr. Peter H. Gott: Constipation responds to fiber treatment http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gott1.asp * Frugal Living by Sara Noel: Save green by being green http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/frugal_living.php3 <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> [ I N S I G H T ] * Tony Blankley: Now sits expectation in the air http://jewishworldreview.com/1208/blankley.php3 * Gene Weingarten: Citizen Cain't: You, too, can fail a civics test http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1208/weingarten.php3 * BIN LADEN LATEST MADOFF CASUALTY Rips Bernie in New Video --- Andy Borowitz http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1208/borowitz.php3 * Paul Greenberg: The triumph of consensus http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/greenberg123108.php3 * Jonah Goldberg: Samuel Huntington's true vision http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/jonah123108.php3 * Michael Gerson: Support Obama Will Need (THOUGHT PROVOKING!) http://jewishworldreview.com/michael/gerson.php3 * Kathleen Parker: Sayonara and good riddance http://jewishworldreview.com/kathleen/parker123108.php3 * Jack Kelly: Why Hamas succeeds http://jewishworldreview.com/1208/jkelly123108.php3 * Roger Simon: Caroline Kennedy can't cakewalk into Senate http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1208/simon123108.php3 * John Stossel: Of course, Caroline is qualified (REALLY!?) http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1208/stossel.php3 * Robert Tracinski: Planning Is Chaos: The Fraud of Government Intervention http://jewishworldreview.com/1208/tracinski.php3 * Michelle Malkin: The UAW's Money-Squandering Corruptocracy http://www.jewishworldreview.com/michelle/malkin123108.php3 * Walter Williams: Teaching economics http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams123108.php3 * Thomas Sowell: The Art of the Impossible http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell123108.php3 <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> http://www.JewishWorldReview.com/ Want to drop us a note? You may send it to JWR's editor in chief: mailto:blj@jewishworldreview.com EVERY letter is read and valued! ENJOYING THIS NEWSLETTER? WE NEED YOUR HELP AND WE NEED IT NOW! Please help us keep on keeping on. To make a tax-deductible donation, please go to: https://www.kerenyehoshuavyisroel.com/keren/jwr/donate.cfm NOT COMFORTABLE DONATING ELECTRONICALLY? We can arrange for you to send your gift through CONVENTIONAL MAIL. Make your request by pressing reply. © 2008, JewishWorldReview.com: Permission to distribute this newsletter -- NOT articles' text -- is not only granted, it's also ENCOURAGED, as is using the "e-mail a friend" option! <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> DER SPIEGEL INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER - Wednesday December 31, 2008
30 décembre [Israel-infos.net] Trois Israéliens tués par des roquettes - Lundi 29 Décembre 2008
NEWS ALERT: ISRAEL 2nd of Tevet 5769 - Mon, Dec/29/08NEWS ALERT: ISRAEL 2nd of Tevet 5769
Monday 29th December 2008
JWR TODAY: Israel's Response IS Disproportionate; Pruden, Lowry, West, Gaffney and a LOT more! --- December 30, 2008
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Rabbi Benjamin Blech is the author of 12 highly acclaimed books, including Understanding Judaism: The basics of Deed and Creed. He is a professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and the Rabbi Emeritus of Young Israel of Oceanside which he served for 37 years and from which he retired to pursue his interests in writing and lecturing around the globe. He is also the author of 
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