Return the Tanks to Storage

This was written by Moshe Feiglin, leader of the Manhigut Yehudit- Jewish Leadership-faction of the Likud. His website is www.jewishisrael.org

Return the Tanks to Storage: By Moshe Feiglin

15 Sivan, 5767
June 1, 2007

This article is translated from the Makor Rishon newspaper.

"And Moses said, 'Why do you transgress the word of G-d, and it will not succeed? Do not go up because G-d is not in your midst, lest your enemies smite you." (Numbers 14: 41-42)

Empty militarism, Moses explains to the Israelites, will not work. If you do not have a G-d, you will lose.

A population imbued with deep faith used to separate us from the enemy on our southern border. For years, they were the target of thousands of missiles, rockets and terror attacks of all kinds. Neither Guydamek nor Olmert scurried to help them. They also didn't really ask for help. They did not leave and they did not protest. They simply clung tenaciously to the Land of Israel, shielding Sderot and Ashkelon, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with their bodies. They were armed with a decisive weapon -- their sense of justice.

This sense of justice kept them steadfast in the face of the Arab enemy. But their downfall came from an unexpected direction. Their love for their Nation and their Land blinded them to the new reality. They did not understand -- and many of them still do not understand -- that their own brothers exchanged good for bad, foe for friend. They did not understand that for the leadership of the new Israelis, they -- the believing pioneers -- became the enemy to be eliminated. They could not accept that he who marks you as his enemy is necessarily your enemy. They did not defend themselves, lost their homes, livelihood and life's dream and scattered in every direction.

"Don't look them in the eyes," the psychologists prepped the Expulsion soldiers. A huge and estranged army buried itself in the sands of Gush Katif, exposing Israel's southern border. "This army is now going to lose every battle against an external enemy," I said when I returned from Gush Katif. And that is what happened. In a precise replay of the past, the "Disengagement" once again proved that retreats do not give Israel the justification for a painful response to attack. On the contrary: They strengthen the justification of the enemies' claims, motivate them to continue to strike us and deny Israel the moral possibility to re-conquer the lost territory. If you are not a settler, you do not belong here. And if you do not belong here, then get out. Don't stop at any imaginary border. Just leave!

Militant voices are now emanating from all shades of the political spectrum. "There is a military solution," the generals explain. "Kill them without mercy," says Chich at the rally. "There is no way to escape a broad ground offensive in Gaza" former Chief of Staff Ya'alon explains. When the Left demands war, the Right rushes to the front lines first. It is a type of conditioned reflex.
Didn't anybody learn anything from last summer's war in Lebanon?

If the purpose for our return to Gaza is not for the sake of settlement, it will necessarily be for the sake of losing, dieing and running away from its sands. There is no reason for a large scale military operation there if we subsequently return to the international border. And it is impossible to remain in the midst of Gaza without the moral backbone of settlement there. Will Olmert rebuild Gush Katif after our children die in a new military misadventure in Gaza? Will Netanyahu?

So everybody can relax, and put their "War Now" signs back into storage. In the words of Moses, "It will not succeed."

What, then, is my solution? For those who want to live in a normal state with borders that offer the illusion of peace or safety, I have no solution. But that does not bother me, because I have a different goal. I am not looking for a normal state. I am looking for a unique state -- a vital and flourishing Jewish State. I want to settle Jews on every centimeter of land that falls into our hands. I want to establish an exemplary Jewish society that will be a moral model for the entire world -- an authentic "light unto the nations." I believe in G-d and I want to restore Him to our national consciousness. I want to liberate the Temple Mount. I want to take the sense of justice away from the Hamas and Hizbollah and return it to Israel's army. Simply put, I do not want peace. I want to defeat our enemies, drive them from our Land and fulfill our Jewish destiny. Peace will surely follow.

And what are the residents of Sderot supposed to understand for now? They
should understand what the Gush Katif residents refused to accept: The danger is not from Gaza.

The Dumb Mind of a Bigot

While surfing the blogosphere, I came across more anti-semitic rants about Israel, Zionism, the US and how those Jews are just plain evil. In response to a comment that I posted on a leftist Muslim "Americans" blog, one moron posted an ingeniously titled article: "Zionism Sucks".
Just to respond:

Let's get something quite clear: Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism
Every people in the world has a certain land to which it is tied. Every religion has some sort of religious center. Catholicism has Rome, Muslims have Mecca.
Israel is an integral part of Judaism. Many of the religius commandments of Judaism can only be performed in Israel. The Jewish holidays are calculated by the seasons in Israel. Jews are unlike any other people because they are at once a religious group and a national group. Israel and Jerusalem are central to Judaism. When the Jews were exiled by the Babylonians over 2500 years ago, they weeped "If I forget thee O Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its cunning". Three times a day, Jews pray to be returned to Israel and to Jerusalem. Jews declare at the end of every Passover seder "Next Year in Jerusalem!". The Jew has never forgotten his home.
Jerusalem is mentioned over 800 times in the Jewish scriptures. It is NEVER mentionned in the Qur'an. Islam is based in Mecca, that is why Muslims pray in that direction 5 times a day. Jews pray towards Jerusalem 3 times a day.
Why should Zionism be singled out amongst all of the nationalistic movements of all the various peoples in the world, for criticism and demonization? Is French nationalism racist? Can a person say that he loves the Chinese but believes that China should be destroyed and that the Chinese people have no connection to it? The Jews are entitled, as are evry other people, to have a homeland of their own. We deserve our land and we have the right to self-determination, a right that all peoples have. You don't have to be a Zionist- just don't deny that you are an anti-semite.
*****
He also said that Israel should respond to Arab shootings and murderer bombings with "love". This is what I have to say:

Anti-Zionist says:
It will only be solved through loving one's neighbor. And forget about "you can't fight the islamic terrorists with love", because you don't know that. It's never happened before.
*********
Actually, it has. Every time that Israel has extended the olive brach to the Arabs, it has received war and terror. Israel's declaration of Independence declares:
WE APPEAL - in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.

WE EXTEND our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.
When Israel liberated the Gza Strip, Judea and Samaria, the quality of life drastically improved. Israel built schools, hospitals and a modern infrastructure which contributed to the Arab population boom.
Israel has repeatedly sought peace with its Arab neighbours. Israel signed the foolish and dangerous Oslo Accords which would have effectively led to a Palestinian State. Israel's generosity was met with suicide bombings, which only began after Israel offered up so much, and over 1000 dead Jews. The guns that Israel gave to Arab policement were in turn used to kill Israelis.
In 2000 Ehud Barack offered Arafat, may he burn in hell, over 95% of the West Bank and 100 % of Gaza for a Palestinian State. The Palestinians were offered a capital in East Jerusalem and compensation for the "refugees". Yasser Arafat refused this offer and was later blamed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah for being the cause of the derailment of the peace process.
Israel's settlements in Judea and Samaria are not the cause of the Arab anger. The Arabs rioted in 1920-21 and in 1929 and then again in the couple years before the Rebirth of the State, in violent riots that left hundreds of Jews murdered and millions of dollars of property destroyed. What was the Arab anger then. Was it the Occupied land of '67? There will never be any peace because the Arabs want ALL of Israel and will not tolerate any Jews living there.

Preparing for War with Syria

From Haaretz:
The security cabinet decided Wednesday on the establishment of a ministerial forum, made up of 11 ministers, which would discuss the security threat posed by Syria. This forum will be briefed by the Israel Defense Forces on the army's operational plans to prepare for a possible conflict with Syria.

The security cabinet met Wednesday to hear Military Intelligence assessments on the situation on the Syria front.

The majority MI assessment is that while Syrian President Bashar Assad is well placed to carry out a surprise attack on the Golan Heights, seized during the 1967 Six-Day War, he is unlikely to initiate a conflict.

Housing Minister Meir Sheetrit opposed the formation of the panel, saying that the mere convening of such a panel contradicts the message Israel has been trying to convey to the Syrians, that it is interested in diplomatic negotiations and not in war.

The forum will include the seven officials who had the central roles during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Industry Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai, Vice Premier Shimon Peres, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter.

Pensioner Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan, Minister for Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman, Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann and Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer will also participate in the forum.

At the end of the security cabinet meeting, Olmert said that he has so far not received any invitation to begin diplomatic peace negotiations from Syria, but expressed Israel's desire to conduct such talks. Olmert, answering a question posed by Sheetrit, said he is interested in direct talks with Syria, though in the past the minister have been told that the Syrians demand U.S. mediation.

During the security cabinet meeting, Olmert said that Israel is interested in peace with Syria, not war, and is acting on various diplomatic channels in order to deliver this message to Damascus.

"Israel does not want war with Syria... We must avoid miscalculations that are liable to lead to a security deterioration," Olmert said.

The prime minister imposed a blackout on any further details regarding the meeting, his media adviser said.

Olmert had earlier asked his cabinet to stop making statements on the possibility of a war with Syria, which he said threatened to increase tensions with Israel's north-eastern neighbor.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the local media Wednesday morning that while the Israel Defense Forces was preparing for any scenario, including war, the country must not give up on diplomacy with Damascus.

"The IDF has to be ready on all fronts, irrespective of intelligence reports on what is going to happen," Peretz told Army Radio. "But we have to relay to the Syrians that our exercises and preparations are a matter of course, and in no way reflect plans to attack Syria."

"Israel must probe any possibility of diplomacy with Syria," he told Israel Radio.

"A diplomatic process with Syria can change the situation on three fronts in an immediate and dramatic way," Peretz said, referring to Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians. "We have to probe every opportunity for real negotiations with them. We cannot give up on this."

Asked if Israel might initiate a war in response to limited action by Syrian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas on the Lebanese border, Peretz told Army Radio that there is no such intention.

The MI assessments to be presented Wednesday show that the Syrian army is deployed along the Golan Heights with strengthened forces, having moved units of large-caliber rockets, similar to the ones Hezbollah launched against Haifa during the Second Lebanon War, up to the front.

The cabinet was also to hear reports on the growing strength of both the Syrian army and Hezbollah. Intelligence reports note that the Syrian army has improved its fortifications and has received modern, Russian-made antitank and anti-aircraft missiles.

The IDF, meanwhile, continued its preparations Tuesday with an attack on, and occupation of, a "Syrian" village during a major exercise in the Negev.

Observing the exercise were Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. Similar exercises in recent years had involved the occupation of "Palestinian" villages.

The structure of the village was similar to the ghost towns on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which Military Intelligence maintain are being used by the Syrian army as defensive positions against the possibility of an IDF attack.

"We are preparing for the possibility of deterioration both on the Palestinian front and also, if we have to take action, on the northern front," Ashkenazi said after the exercise.

Israel is concerned that Syria might initiate a surprise attack in an effort to make rapid but limited gains on the Golan. The goal would be to capture a small piece of territory that could serve as a catalyst for a diplomatic process that would result in an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

Security sources say there is concern that the Syrian deployments enable the Syrian forces to embark on a sudden, surprise attack. Such action would be accompanied by a massive barrage of rockets from Hezbollah's positions north of the Litani River.

The Israeli concerns have been intensified by the flow of intelligence reports about improved coordination and joint operations among Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.

Commanders from all three forces held joint reconnaissance tours, and their arms procurement is similar, allowing Iran to supply Syria and Hezbollah with munitions and arms in time of war.

For their part, Palestinian militant organizations, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, whose leadership is hosted by Syria, are not part of the joint military preparedness of Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, and there is no information involving them in a military operation along the northern border.

The dominant assessment of Military Intelligence, which has been laid out before the political leadership, suggests that in spite the improved capabilities of the Syrian army, and the risk of a sudden attack, Assad does not intend, at this stage, to start a war with Israel.

One of the scenarios that intelligence has put forth is that the Syrians and the Iranians are worried about an American attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, and they are preparing for the possibility of opening a second front against Israel on the Golan Heights and through Hezbollah in Lebanon in retaliation.

On the other hand, a minority view in Military Intelligence argues that the Syrian preparedness, the training and arms buildup signal Assad's readiness to carry out an offensive in a bid to restore the Golan Heights to Syria because Assad is convinced that Israeli public opinion rejects, at this stage, negotiations for a solution.

Senior IDF officers have put forth a third scenario, in which Syria will succeed in forcing Israel to negotiate the return of the Golan Heights, merely through the threat of military action.

*********

Israel gave the world the image that it was weak and without resolve last summer. Syria had built up troops along its border with Israel. Maybe it plans to attacks, maybe not. Nevertheless, if Syria does decide, G-d forbid, to start a war, Israel must make sure that Syria is not the one who finishes it. Israel's retribution should be swift and harsh.

Jews for Israel?

Today, there are many organizations that support Israel, such as Catholics for Israel, Evangelicals for Israel, even ARABS for Israel (www.arabsforisrael.com.) When there are so many courageous non-Jews standing up for truth and the security of Israel, why are so few Jews doing the same? Why are the staunchest allies of Israel, non-Jews (not that there's anything wrong with non-Jews supporting Israel- I appreciate your gratitude). The answer is that world Jewry still lives with the ghetto mentality of the exile that a good Jew is a quiet Jew. That's why world Jewry was silent during the Holocaust. As a Canadian Jew, an essential read is 'None is Too Many' byt Irving Abella and Harold Troper. It completely documents, along with the anti-semitism of the Canadian government that kept the Jews out during the war years, the complete paralysis and silence of the Canadian Jewish Congress. It was a similar case in the United States. When we say 'Never Again' we do not mean, never another Holocaust. We mean that never again will world Jewry stay silent when Jews are in danger or are being persecuted.
What does the world think when it sees that 60 years after the rebirth of the Jewish homeland, half of the world's Jews continue to live in the exile? Obviously, goes the world opinion, the Land of Israel doesn't really belong to the Jews, or they would go live there. As a side note, this week's Torah portion, Shelach, contains the sin of the Spies, where the Israelites are condemned to wander in the desert 40 years because they rejected the Land by listening to the evil report of the spies. World Jewry, come home. Israel has been waiting for her children for over 2000 years.

Showdown Imminent

By Dudi Cohen for Ynet News:

The countdown to Israel's destruction has begun, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech commemorating the death of Iranian revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on Sunday.
"The arrogant superpowers and the Zionist regime invested all their efforts during the 33-day war, but after 60 years, their pride has been trampled and the countdown to the destruction of this regime has been started by Hizbullah fighters," the president was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency Mehr.

Ahmadinejad added that "with the help of all the Lebanese and Palestinian fighters, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future… Anyone who works for God and believes in the power of the people will prevail."...
He pointed out the Palestinians as an example of a people who draw encouragement from the ways of the Iranian people. "The Palestinian people have begun their movement out of oppression and the world's nations and the Zionist regime will be forced to bow down to the Palestinians and officially acknowledge this people."

Not commenting on the nuclear problem directly, the president hinted that "Khomeini believed that when a nation reaches a point where it makes a decision, no power can tackle it and this is the road Iran is taking."
Ahmadinejaed ended his speech by urging the nations of the world to believe in God, saying, "The final victory, the power of the people, and the destruction of tryants is near."
*********
What is Israel waiting for, as a madman openly incites war against it? How empty our promises of 'Never Again'. 'Never Again' does not mean never another Holocaust; it mean that the Jews of the world will stand idly by while they are being threatened. Israel must show the world its power, beginning with clearing away the terrorist scum from Gaza, Judea and Samaria. It must show the world its might. "The degradation of Israel is the desecration of the name of Hashem" (Rashi, Ezekiel 39:7. The fact that Israel allows itself to look weak is a desecration of G-d's name. Our enemies laugh at us and mock us. It's time to show the world our strength, our Jewish pride, our resolve.
'For Zion's Sake I will not be Silent!!!"

How about "Victory"?

Every day, kassams rain down on Sderot. As Israelis are being killed and homes destroyed, the government and people continue to debate what to do. One opinion is to bomb the locations from where the rockets are being launched in Gaza. Israel should send troops in an engage in door-to-door combat like in Operaiton Defensive Shield under Sharon. The other side believes that no military solution can be achieved and that Israel should sit down and chat with Hamas or Fatah.
I'm on neither side- I believe in "Victory". It is surprising that no Israeli leader talks about winning this war. Israel should bomb the kassam launch site, expell the inhabitants of the villages that allow their homes to be used as bases for terrorists, and settle Jews in their stead. Let the expellees of Gush Katif come home- on the site of a former Arab village.

Another Pride Parade in Jerusalem?

The Gays are at it again. After their last 3 attempts to hold their Immorality Parade down the streets of Jerusalem- each time they were cancelled "coincidentally" by a renewed danger and threat to Israel- the Jerusalem Open House, center for GLBTs, have planned another Pride Parade for June 21. The Parade that was set for 2 summers ago was cancelled since the IDF and Security Forces were busy expelling Jews from their homes in Gaza and N. Samaria and there weren't enough guards to protect a parade of such an inflamatory nature. It was then reschedueled for last Summer, when the Lebanon War broke out and it was then postponed for a few months, until Hamas issued renewed threats of suicide bombings and security was a concern.
(Hmmm.... seems very coincidental that the last three parades were cancelled by threats to Israel's existence or to Jews. Maybe Somebody's trying to send us a message, you know, like what's written in that book lying abandonned on your shelf, the Tanakh, Bible, about how if the Jews immitate the ways of the Canaanites, who were known for thei homosexual and heterosexual promiscuity, the Land would vomit them out?)
Anyways, the Pride Parade is symptomatic of a far worse problem- the moral degradation of Israeli and Jewish society. Israel has lost its Jewish moral compass that will guide it in the world. That is why it cannot take a decisive stand against the existential Arab threat. Imagine a very suggestive and sexual parade marching down the holy streets of Jerusalem, brazenly marching to the Kotel! It shows how far Israel has strayed for its moral role of being a "Light Unto the Nations" and of its covenant with G-d. Most Israeli gays are extreme leftists and many previous parades have been coupled with pro-Arab, anti-Jewish signs and slogans. Such a people have no connection to and care little for Jerusalem but only seek to infuritate the minority of the Jewish People who actually care about that little thing called the Torah! In opposition to the last attempted Abomination Parade, there were stormy protests, outside prayer vigils, a petition which managed to get tens of thousands of votes... but it seems that the a small minority of Gay militants's rights are more important than those of the Jewish majority. Last time, a Modesty Parade was arranged to counter-march the Gay-Priders.
If security was a concern last time, we should remember that Hashem promised to be with the Jewish People in war only if our camps are pure. If we indulge in immoral sexual acts, we will be expelled from the Land!

Support- yes; Missionizing- no

Over two weeks ago, a rabbinic ban was placed on the controversial Knesset Christian Allies Caucus Women's Council Summit. According to the Summit's organizers, the goals of the summit are:
To bring to the attention of the people of Israel the unqualified support Christians have given, and continue to give, to Jewish aspirations in the Land of Israel.

To provide Christian and Israeli leaders with a Knesset forum where they can meet face-to-face, and so enhance communication and co-operation between them.

To reach out to all Christians in order to mobilize support for Israel

*****
That sounds all good and nice but many of the organizers of the Summit see it as a good opportunity to spread the "Word" in Israel. The co-chairwoman of the summit, Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries, is on record for having proclaimed on 60 Minutes that, "The Jews need conversion." The moderator of the event sees Jews for Jesus as a future participant.
So what should the Jewish reaction to Evangelical support of Israel be? Can we accept support, help and love while forbidding missionization? Won't that make us a look like users? Three months ago, Evangelical radio host Jannet Parshall expressed concern that Israel's position would essentially be "We'll take your aid, your support and your tourist dollars, but we won't take your Jesus." Parshall eventually withdrew from the conference because she found that its anti-missionary policy was unacceptable.
We Jews are again caught between a rock and a hard place- or in this case Katyushas and "Kosher Christians" ready to spread the "Word". We are faced with the physical threat of Arab missiles and bombs while at the same time, an equal threat of sprirital destruction. With hundreds of missionaries proliferating throughout the Land and converting at-risk Jews, can we risk giving strength and legitimacy to these spiritual terrorists? On the other hand, can we reject the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews coming to the rescue with a NIS 6.5 million donation to Sderot?
My answer to Evangelical supporters of Israel is thank you very much, your help is very appreciated. If you are motivated by your faith to help the Jewish People, then thanks. However, if you hide behind a garb of friendship and seek to love us to death, I say to you: "I am a Jew. I have my own faith just as you have yours. I do not need any Christian deity to make me complete or saved. My Judaism is kosher without any salvation from you. I have a Torah and a religion and I demand that you respect it just as you would expect that I would respect yous."
If you come to trick me by telling me, as many missionaries do, that I can be Jewish and Christian at the same time, then I answer with the Prophet Elijah's words: 'How long will you hesitate between two beliefs? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.' In other words, either you are a Christian or a Jew; you can't be both. If you, Evangelical Zionist, wish to help Israel, help us physically. In matters of religion, over 4000 years of Jewish survival and continuity shows that we can more that handle ourselves.

Just a Thought

This story is related by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch and can be found on Chabad.org

A Chasid, Reb Yosef Yuzik once asked his Rebbe, "Rebbe, what is a Chassid?"

Replied the Rebbe: "A Chassid is a lamplighter. The lamplighter walks the streets carrying a flame at the end of a pole. He knows that the flame is not his. And he goes from lamp to lamp to set them alight."

Asked Reb Yosef Yuzik: "What if the lamp is in a desert?"

"Then one must go and light it," said the Rebbe. "And when one lights a lamp in a desert, the desolation of the desert becomes visible. The barren wilderness will then be ashamed before the burning lamp."
Continued the Chassid: "What if the lamp is at sea?"

"Then one must undress, dive into the sea, and go light the lamp."

"And this is a Chassid?" Reb Yosef Yuzik asked.

For a long while the Rebbe thought. Then he said: "Yes, this is a Chassid."

"But Rebbe, I do not see the lamps!"

Answered the Rebbe: "That is because you are not a lamplighter."

"How does one become a lamplighter?"

"First, you must reject the evil within yourself. Start with yourself: cleanse yourself, refine yourself, and you will see the lamp within your fellow. When a person is himself coarse, G-d forbid, he sees coarseness; when a person is himself refined, he sees the refinement in others."
Reb Yosef Yuzik then asked: "Is one to grab the other by the throat?"

Replied the Rebbe: "By the throat, no; by the lapels, yes."

How to end Islamophobia

Thanks to Jihad Watch
Tawfik Hamid gives us a plan to end islamophobia:

To bring an end to Islamophobia, we must employ a holistic approach that treats the core of the disease. It will not suffice to merely suppress the symptoms. It is imperative to adopt new Islamic teachings that do not allow killing apostates (Redda Law). Islamic authorities must provide mainstream Islamic books that forbid polygamy and beating women. Accepted Islamic doctrine should take a strong stand against slavery and the raping of female war prisoners, as happens in Darfur under the explicit canons of Shariah ("Ma Malakat Aimanikum"). Muslims should teach, everywhere and universally, that a woman's testimony in court counts as much as a man's, that women should not be punished if they marry whom they please or dress as they wish.
We Muslims should publicly show our strong disapproval for the growing number of attacks by Muslims against other faiths and against other Muslims. Let us not even dwell on 9/11, Madrid, London, Bali and countless other scenes of carnage. It has been estimated that of the two million refugees fleeing Islamic terror in Iraq, 40% are Christian, and many of them seek a haven in Lebanon, where the Christian population itself has declined by 60%. Even in Turkey, Islamists recently found it necessary to slit the throats of three Christians for publishing Bibles.

Of course, Islamist attacks are not limited to Christians and Jews. Why do we hear no Muslim condemnation of the ongoing slaughter of Buddhists in Thailand by Islamic groups? Why was there silence over the Mumbai train bombings which took the lives of over 200 Hindus in 2006? We must not forget that innocent Muslims, too, are suffering. Indeed, the most common murderers of Muslims are, and have always been, other Muslims. Where is the Muslim outcry over the Sunni-Shiite violence in Iraq?

Islamophobia could end when masses of Muslims demonstrate in the streets against videos displaying innocent people being beheaded with the same vigor we employ against airlines, Israel and cartoons of Muhammad. It might cease when Muslims unambiguously and publicly insist that Shariah law should have no binding legal status in free, democratic societies.

It is well past time that Muslims cease using the charge of "Islamophobia" as a tool to intimidate and blackmail those who speak up against suspicious passengers and against those who rightly criticize current Islamic practices and preachings. Instead, Muslims must engage in honest and humble introspection. Muslims should--must--develop strategies to rescue our religion by combating the tyranny of Salafi Islam and its dreadful consequences. Among more important outcomes, this will also put an end to so-called Islamophobia.

Erez's Song

Here is a song by the holy and saintly Erez Levanon tz"l who was murdered by Islamic terrorists while in the midst of prayer. It is called Or Balev- Light in the Heart. The refrain is: "Don't give up and don't despair. You have greatness in you, you have a fire inside. Do what you can, do it with passion because the Supreme Heart is alight within you."
Yehi Zichro Barukh- May his memory be a blessing!

US Ambassador: At least we didn't execute him!

From Arutz-7 news:

US Ambassador Jones: 'Be Happy We Didn't Execute Pollard'

by Hillel Fendel


(IsraelNN.com) Pollard supporters are enraged at US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones for his remarks Monday morning, implying that Jonathan Pollard committed treason or sold US secrets to Israel.

Speaking at a conference at Bar Ilan University on Israeli-American relations, Jones said, "Pollard took money and sold out his country... The fact that he wasn't executed shows that he was treated mercifully."

"Malicious incitement against both Jonathan and Israel" is how an infuriated Esther Pollard, Jonathan's wife, described it.

"For one thing," she told Arutz-7, "the U.S. has no death penalty for the charge on which Jonathan was accused or convicted. It has a death penalty only for treason - and Jones knows that Jonathan was never accused of treason. It is merely because Israel seems to have abandoned its agent in the field that the American Ambassador feels he can get away with talking like this."

"And where is Israel?!" she asked. "How can it be that the US Ambassador says that an Israeli agent deserved to be executed, and Israel is silent?!"

Arutz-7 contacted the Foreign Ministry for its response, and was told that the matter would be checked. The Ministry later issued a statement to the effect that Ambassador Yoram Ben-Ze'ev, the head of the North American Division of the Foreign Ministry, had asked for a meeting with Jones, "in which Ben-Ze'ev reiterated the Ministry's well-known policy on Pollard." Asked to elaborate on the details of this policy, the Ministry spokesman told Arutz-7, "It is well-known."

Such a reaction did not mollify MK Uri Ariel, the head of the Knesset lobby for Pollard. MK Ariel demanded that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni herself demand an immediate apology from Jones. "For spying for a friendly country," Ariel wrote to Livni, "no one has ever received a sentence even close to the sentence that Pollard has served thus far - 22 years! ... The remarks by Jones border on anti-Semitism and a hostile attitude towards Israel..."

"Israel was forced to employ Pollard as its agent," Ariel continued, "only because America betrayed our trust and hid critical information from us regarding chemical weapons and anti-Israeli terrorist plots in Arab nations, in blatant violation of agreements we had with the US which we kept in full... The fact that Israel does not demand his release even after 22 years is endangering an agent that Israel sent on a mission - and also paves the way for statements like those made by Jones."

Mrs. Pollard said, "The remarks by Ambassador Jones fly in the face of former CIA director James Woolsey's opinion that Jonathan should be released already. He is also contradicting former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, who said that the charges against him were inflated to begin with
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Jonathan Pollard has served 22 years for giving Israel information that it deserved according to a treaty that both countries had signed. The information was vital to its security. Pollard is a Prisoner of Zion and we must do everything in our power to fulfill the mitzvah of 'pidyon shvuiim'- Redeeming the Captive.

Portent of Things to Come?

Police in Denmark have found the famous Hans Christian Anderson Little Mermaid statue garbed in Islamic clothing including a full body burka. Is this a sign of the coming Eurabian Night?

Chag Sameach- Shavuot

Over 3000 years ago this day, the entire People of Israel stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and received the Torah. The Jewish People were the only ones to accept it willingly, declaring "We will do and then we shall listen". Previously, G-d had gone to every nation on Earth and asked them to accept the Torah. He went to the Children of Ishamel at Mount Padan and asked them if they would accept his Torah. The Ishmaelites asked what the Torah contained. G-d said that it taught not to murder. The Ishmaelites kindly declined.
Next G-d went to the Children of Esau at Mount Seir and asked them to accept the Torah. G-d told them that the Torah taught not to steal. They also politely declined. G-d went on to every single people in the world and they all refused, except the Jews. Thank G-d that we did.

Shechem will never be Judenrein

7 years ago, at the beginning of the tragedy that is the Oslo Accords, Islamic terrorists desecrated the tomb of Joseph the Righteous, Forefather of the tribes of Menasseh and Ephraim and vice-monarch of Egypt. Brazenly for all the media to see, these murderers took sledgehammers and smashed the tomb, painted it green and then declared it a mosque. The Israeli governement decided to take immediate action- and retreat!
Monday night, on the 41st day of the Omer, one thousand Jews returned to pray at the tomb of their righteous forebearers in Shechem, also know as Nablus. Amid intense security and absolute secrecy, these Jews came illegally to pray at this holy spot. Many Breslover chassidim recited the Tikun Haklali, ten psalms that supposedly rectify the soul and the world. Many blew trumpets, lit candles and even recited prayers to aid the war against the enemies of the Jewish people. The trumpets symbolize the shofar blasts that will herald the day when the Jewish People will be able to walk freely in the Entire Land of Israel in peace, security, holiness and sovereignty.