What Really Happened in the Middle East?

Dear Friends of Israel

In light of the recent conference being held in Sharam al Shiekh, everyone should look at this presentation sent to us by Bruce Tuchman.
This is WHAT THE ARABS REALLY WANT IN THE MIDDLE EAST!,

What Really Happened in the Middle East?
A 10-minute flash video produced by the Terrorism Awareness Project.
Terrorism Awareness Project is a program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center.
Click here to View the Video

A Home for Israel’s Soldiers

Let’s keep away from the political scene this week.

After all, people do try and live normal lives in Israel.

But we will stick with the IDF and see how they’re doing on the home front.

Well, the good news is the Government has recently approved the establishment of a number of military neighborhoods in the Negev.

Since IDF training bases will now be moved south, hundreds of career soldiers will need new homes.

And based on the success of the first such neighborhood - Zahala in North East Tel Aviv – and others such as Reut-Maccabim, Kohav Yair and Kfar Yonah, that’s good news for the local economy.

One of “our aims is to arouse the hard hit real estate market in the Negev – both qualitatively and quantitatively,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Jackie Suissa, Head of Housing Projects in the IDF’s Human Resources Division.

“And it’s a 20% savings on market prices for every family.”

Such neighborhoods also raise the value of the rest of the city too.

The army’s aim is to provide its top ‘employees’ with choice physical living conditions so they are not tempted away to Hi-Tech, business or other fields.

And for the career soldiers, knowing who your neighbors are before you move is also a big plus!

However, there are of course those who oppose this particular ‘military strategy.’

Professor Yossi Katz, Head of the Geography Department at Bar-Ilan University, argues these neighborhoods will just create elites and widen the socio-economic gaps in their host cities.

And since career soldiers are traditionally moved from job to job, he claims there’s no guarantee that families who buy houses will actually live there. Especially when the Negev is not so attractive in terms of education, culture, sport etc.

Or the environment.

The Greens were out demonstrating this morning against the Government’s decision.
“We are against the establishment of these training bases before the pollution failings – which cause breathing problems, birth defects and ,miscarriages – are dealt with,” says Didi Zilberman, spokesperson of the student environmental group at Ben-Gurion University.

“Why endanger the lives of soldiers unnecessarily?”

The problem is the nearby Ramat Hovav Industrial Park, notorious for its heavy air pollution.

In response, the Government claims the highest pollution standards have been maintained there for the last year and a half. At any rate, whatever the arguments for and against, I’m sure a solution will be found pretty quickly...

Unlike the political situation we wanted to keep away from this week!

Hamas!

Has the world woken up now?

Have Bush and Rice seen sense?

Have Olmert, Peres, Barak and the rest of the Israeli Left recognized their mistakes over the last decades?

Do they finally understand you cannot make peace with terrorists?
People (a compliment) for whom human life is disposable.
Who have no god but themselves...
People who cannot be trusted to keep any agreement...
Who do not know the meaning of the word compromise, or mercy.
Peace is not just the absence of war.
Peace is that two peoples can live side by side without fear.

Open borders; healthy economies,sharing resources...

Yes, there is a Palestinian people who want to live a quiet, normal life like you and me.

Who want to see their children educated, prosperous and living in a reality free of hatred and bloodshed.

But if we haven’t heard their voice yet, what chance do they have now?

Dear President Bush, Prime Minister Olmert and other world leaders with a conscience, Now is the time to FIGHT terror And wipe out this cancer.
No negotiations. No summits. No superficial Saudi suggestions.

Yes, do your best to save innocent lives by all means.
But the aim must be to eliminate Hamas. And all it represents.

Not only for the survival of Israel, but for the sanity of the whole
wide world.

Finally – Shimon is a Winner!

Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who up to now has had one of the longest and disappointing carriers in Israeli political history finally came out on the long end by his election to the presidency today by a final majority of 86 parliamentary votes. His two rivals, Likud MK Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin and Labor MK Colette Avital conceded in favor of the 83 year old Peres who will take up his new post as President of the State of Israel on July 15.

Peres lost out to Moshe Katsav for the post in June, 2000, and since then has been involved in a number of political ventures including being part of the governments of both former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and present Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The largely ceremonial presidency is a 7 year post which includes officiating at important state functions such as Memorial and Independence Day celebrations, Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations, and officially receiving new ambassadors and other high ranking foreign dignitaries; duties which Mr. Peres is more than qualified to undertake.

Following the scandalous end to the presidential term of Moshe Katsav, who has been accused of numerous crimes of sexual misconduct, including rape, Mr. Peres should bring an air of dignity and respectability back to the Presidency which is sorely needed in Israel today.

Peres will perform his duties well, and be remembered afterwards in a similar favorable light as former presidents such as Haim Herzog and Yitzhak Navon.

We wish him well and our best wishes in his new endeavor.

"We will name the babe Muhammad!"

Great Britain's Muslim population, particularly Muslims living in greater London, is growing so fast that it is now acknowledged as the most prolific minority group there today. In fact, so fast is this ethnic group increasing in size, one only has to walk through the maternity ward of most British hospitals to see how many babies are being born to Muslim parents.

One recent indication of this phenomenon was a revelation that the most popular name being given to new born males in the U.K. is Muhammad, the prophet and historic founder of the religion known as Islam. Not that the name Muhammad hasn't been popular with Muslim mothers outside of the U.K. At least 1 in 3 new-born Muslim males are given the name Muhammad, especially those born into fundamentalist Muslim families. That the name has become popular amongst the fastest growing segment of Gt. Britain's population indicates that the future trend for this country's demographic make up is obvious to all.

The British government is trying to tighten up immigration policies to make it more difficult for new immigrants to enter the U.K. Despite this effort, however, a considerable number of new immigrants from Muslim countries continue to enter the U.K. each year; many of them illegally. This fact, coupled with a high birth rate for Muslim women of 6-8 children per childbearing Muslim woman compared to less than three for non-Muslim women, means that a Muslim population that is now approached 5 million is expected to double in the next 15 - 20 years.

Like other Western countries where minority immigrant populations have grown considerably, the British government has no one to blame but themselves for maintaining an 'open door' policy for peoples who originated from former British colonies and Commonwealth countries, particularly India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and more than half of the African continent. Muslims from these countries naturally took advantage of British generosity, especially after the partition of India in 1947. On a smaller scale, Muslims from Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and the territory which became the State of Israel in 1948, also came to live in Great Britain following the end of the Mandate period.

Muslims living in London, Manchester, and other major cities have established their own neighborhoods and culture, a phenomenon which has become even more evident with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. The recent 2005 bombings in central London were carried out by young Muslims of Pakistani origin, and at least three of them held British nationality. As the Muslim population increases, so will undoubtedly an increase in Islamic radicalism, which could result in further suicide bombings.

This is the reality of the 'brave new world' that Great Britain will have to cope with; especially the government which comes to power after Prime Minister Tony Blair leaves office in only two weeks. With the name Muhammad now the most popular name for a male child, it probably won't be long until Amira or Fatima will be the name of choice for female newborns as well. This possibility is definitely something for the Archbishop of Canterbury to ponder; especially with more Muslims attending mosques on Friday than Anglican Christians attending churches on Sunday.

And will this someday result in Canterbury Cathedral someday becoming the Great Mosque of Canterbury? Only time will tell.

War or Peace? Israel's 'new' polices towards Syria

Syria's President Bashar Assad claims that the Israeli government, especially Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, is sending out "mixed signals" in regards to possible peace negotiations with Syria. Olmert's recent announcement that his government is ready to enter into serious negotiations with Syria involving the Golan Heights, is coming on the heels of both countries preparing for a future military conflict over the territory taken by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War.

Assad, who recently declared that his country is ready to retake the "Heights", sees Israel in a much weakened position following last summer's Lebanon II war. Basking in his so-called "re-election" for another 7 year term as president, Assad seems more determined to reclaim his country's ownership of the territory still being held by Israel. Olmert, for his part, is offering to return nearly the entire Golan Heights, except for small sections around the Sea of Galilee, including Hamat Gader, one of the important sources of the Jordan River and a major water source for Israel.

Giving back this territory to Syria, which would include the entire Mt. Hermon Ski area as well as most of the eastern shore of Lake Kinneret, would mean that Syria will once again be sitting literally on Israel's doorstep. It would also mean that Syria would have full access to Israel's most important fresh water source, and could literally pump out the same water now being used by Israel. Some of the regions best fruit crops, especially apples, are grown on the Golan; and more recently world-class quality wines are produced there as well.

More than 30,000 Israelis live on the Golan Heights, as well as several thousand Druze who still claim Syrian nationality. Returning the Golan to Syria would necessitate relocating these people back to Israel – a feat much more difficult than the disengagement from Gaza in August, 2005.

The Golan Druze, however, are still loyal to Syria despite receiving various services from Israel including medical.

Many analysts agree that Prime Minister Olmert is offering up the Golan Heights out of a position of weakness; and that a stronger leader would not have considered this gesture to one of Israel's worst enemies. Still, other political leaders including Yizhak Rabin, and even Binyamin Nantanyahu have made similar offers in the past.

Both Israeli and Syrian military forces have recently staged military exercises on each other's respective side of the border; and intelligence reports indicate that the Syrians are repairing and cleaning bomb shelters and bunkers on their side of the cease fire line. Syria reportedly has hundreds of Scud-type long range missiles aimed at central Israel, including major population centers like Tel Aviv. And if Syria and Israel were to go to war, The Hezbollah in Lebanon would certainly "join the party".

Present day realities show that returning the Golan Heights to Syria is not as simple as returning the Sinai to Egypt. If this is not believable, then all one has to do is to go to the Golan and see this reality 'on the ground' Still, peace – even a cold one like the current relations with Egypt and Jordan, is still better that no peace at all, many declare.

That may be true, but can the Syrians really be trusted to abide by a peace treaty? And who would gain most by a final agreement. Possibly both countries, if they take it seriously.

How to Understand the Media

So what’s new in Israel at the start of another week?

Well, we’re another week closer to the school holidays (I’m still in denial.)

And the dollar’s thankfully climbing up again.

And somewhere up there in the headlines is the Jihad spokesman saying: “We wanted to return with a kidnapped soldier.”

He is of course referring to the failed attempt (Saturday) by a 4-man heavily-armed terror cell. They managed to infiltrate into Israel but the IDF caught them before they had a chance to do any damage.

That’s pretty serious, right?

Solid proof about who the terrorists, the aggressors, the inhumane kidnappers are, right?

Something the world should know before they accuse Israel of all sorts of despicable crimes, right?

When was the last time Israel’ terrorists kidnapped a 19-year old soldier from a neighboring army?

Anyway, let’s see if the world media has put this on their front pages this morning...

CNN?

Well in the 12 Top Stories we have Paris Hilton, the Belmont Stakes, Bush ‘in awe’ of the Pope and cyclists losing their clothes in an oil protest.

All of course critical to world peace.

Ahh, but wait! Here’s something. When you click on ‘Latest Updates,’ one of the stories begins:
“Israeli airstrikes target Gaza locations”
And the last paragraph of that piece reads
(my underlines):
“On Saturday, one Palestinian militant was killed when a small group of Palestinian gunmen crossed the border and engaged Israel Defense Forces in the Kissufim area of Israel, Palestinian sources said. The gunmen crossed the border in a Jeep and exchanged gunfire with the IDF, according to an IDF spokesman. It was unclear who fired first. An Israeli official said the purpose of the gunmen was apparently to kidnap an Israeli soldier. The IDF would not confirm the Sunday airstrikes were retaliation for that incident.”
Ummm, no terrorists here. And was the poor “militant” part of this “small group” or not?

And kidnapping soldiers does not seem to be such a big deal, does it?

And if the airstrike was retaliation, maybe this could have been the first paragraph in the article to indicate that Israel was not the aggressor in this instance?

OK. Thanks CNN for your unbiased reporting.

What about the BBC?

No. Didn’t make the front page.

How about Middle East news?

Ah! Here it is! A secondary link:

“Gaza militants launch Israel raid”

At least that’s a headline accusing someone else...

And those annoying militants get everywhere don’t they?

But if you read on, apart from the militants, the story actually does seem quite unbiased:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6737617.stm

Although there’s only a minor mention of abducting a soldier.

OK. Let’s try one more.

Reuters.

Here we have a “Rival Palestinian factions fight Gaza gun battles” headline link.

But no mention of the terror cell or any planned kidnaps.

This is nothing new.

Media bias against Israel and the refusal to call terrorists terrorists is as much a fact of life as waking up in the morning.

I don’t blame them.

Paris Hilton in jail and naked cyclists are far more interesting and sell much better
than yet another Middle East incident. But our role is not to believe the media.

Our role is to know the facts and know why Israel is fighting the Palestinians.

And appreciate why kidnapping soldiers is such a serious offence against humanity.

Let’s face it.

Israel is by no means perfect.

But this is a war we have to win.

And if after 9/11, dozens of bus bombings in Israel and elsewhere, kidnapped soldiers,
Muslim riots in Europe, Hamas, Fatah, Hezbollah and more,

Israelis, World Jewry and our other supporters are not 100% convinced
of that, What will it take to convince them?

Special Commemorative DVD on the Six Day War

On this 40^th anniversary of the historic Six Day War, the war that not only changed the face of Israel, but history itself, IMP is proud of offer this special film which dramatizes the State of Israel's victory over the armies of three Arab countries.

Follow Me illustrates in full detail the events leading up to this war, which broke out on June 5^th, 1967, and ended a mere six days later with Israel's conquest of the entire Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank of the Jordan.

Besides earth-shaking events, the film includes the conquest of East Jerusalem from the Jordanian Army, including such historic battles as Ammunition Hill, and the Old City, including the first exposure of the Kotel or Western Wall of the Second Temple to Israelis since 1948.

Now, more than ever, be sure to add this power-packed account of the IDF's greatest military victory, and event which changed the course of history.

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The Best of British Manners

Last week’s British University and CollegeUnion’s decision to boycott Israeli academics should come as no surprise to those who are familiar with Jewish history.

As Professor Uriel Reichman, President of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, said Thursday night, the British boycott is "a modern reformulation of Judenreine," a German expression used by the Nazis meaning "Jew free," describing areas they had emptied of a Jewish presence.

Yes, once again, like it or not, anti-Semitism rears its ugly head.

Whether it’s setting fire to a Swiss synagogue a couple of weeks ago, or boycotting Israeli academia, anti-Semitism is still alive and well, despite its advanced
age.

Israel is just the excuse. As events have proved time and again, Jews all over the World suffer when Israel tries to defend itself.

It happened in 2000-2001 with a spate of anti-Semitic attacks all over Europe, and it’s happening now as Israel tries to halt the Kassam cascade on Sderot.

WHY?

Anti-Semitism is as natural as the sunset.

Ever since Esau hated Jacob, the world has been programmed to hate the Jews.

British academics would obviously deny this, but the reason for anti-Semitism is clear:

The Jews taught the world to love their neighbors and strangers, share with the poor, respect the elderly, help the weak, uplift the oppressed...

Judaism gave the World its concepts of humaneness and morality... that man’s essence is his soul and not his body... and that greatness is achieved not by dominating others but by controlling one’s own animal instincts and striving to become like God.

As Hitler himself said:

“I am freeing Man from the restraints of an intelligence that has taken charge, from the dirty and degrading self-mortifications of a false vision called conscience and morality, and from the demands of a freedom and personal independence that only a very few can bear.”

Yes, humankind and British academics can no longer fritter away their lives according to their whims and passions. Life involves responsibility and meaning. And subservience to a Higher Power instead of indulging in unrestrained physical desires. That is the message the Jewish people bring to the world.

And that’s why they hate us.

Yes, they say it’s because we’re too rich or too poor; because we’re capitalists or communists, because we attack innocent Palestinians or we don’t defend urselves
at all...

But the real reason is that these people are not willing to take responsibility for their own lives and immoral, selfish behavior.

If Israel and the Jewish people would begin to realize that too, and see themselves with the same clarity as Hitler did, we could teach the British and the other anti-Semites a thing or two about manners.