Yitzhak Rabin was Israel’s Trump, Only Worse

Yep, its that time of year again, when almost half of Israel (the Left), accuse the other half of Israel (the Right), for killing former PM Yitzhak Rabin. This annual charade, this orchestrated political frenzy lasts about two weeks, due to the usual discrepancy between his Yahrtzeit (death date in the Hebrew calendar) and the day of his murder, Nov. 4th in the secular calendar.

 

The Left religiously bemoans every year, the loss of the “Peace Process,” and how the “Rabin Legacy” is disappearing. There might be some truth to that. According to a recent opinion poll from the Jewish People Policy Institute, only about 15 percent of Israeli Jews planned to attend memorial events dedicated to Rabin.

 

But what’s not disappearing so fast, is memory of his quick wit. Who can forget Rabin’s diatribe, “They can spin around and around like propellers...”

 

Or, Rabin calling suffering Israelis hiding in bomb shelters, “Crybabies,” because they complained about coming under Hezbollah rocket fire in northern Israel, and called on the Israeli government to put an end to the missile attacks.

 

Earlier in his career, Rabin called the nascent Samarian town of Kedumim “a bloated fart.” And said, “Gush Emunim [the religious Zionist settlement movement]...is comparable to a cancer in the tissue of Israel’s democratic society.”

Rabin regularly belittled Israelis who left the country for greener pastures. He would routinely call Israeli emigrants, “nefolet she nemushot” (the fallout of weaklings).

 

And who can forget his disgustingly coarse description, of victims of suicide bombings as, “Korbanot L’Shalom” (sacrifices for peace), while the nation bled, and screamed out in pain.

 

“The Peace Process must go on at all costs,” could have been his slogan.

 

Name-calling political opponents seems to be something, Rabin and Trump both have in common.

 

Then, there’s their pursuit of the delusionary “Peace Deal,” between Israelis and Palestinians.

 

What they don’t have in common is drinking, smoking, and womanizing. Rabin was a chain-smoker, and evidently an alcoholic too. Trump never touched the stuff. But he has touched a few women in his day. Whereas, Rabin seems to have been a faithful husband.

 

Leah Rabin and her husband certainly were like minded,“Sometimes I think, despite the fact that we are Jewish and the right is Jewish, that it would be easier to find a common language with Palestinians and Arabs,” she told an interviewer once. “Because we [the right and left in Israel] live on two different planets.” In contrast to her rebuke of the Israeli Right, after Rabin’s murder, she said she was moved by the condolences offered by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.

The Talmud, Yoma 22b, will shed some light, R. Huna explained: “Saul sinned once and it brought calamity upon him [he lost his kingship], David sinned twice and it did not bring evil upon him. What was the one sin of Saul? The affair with Agag [not killing the Amalekite king]. What were the two sins of David? The sin against Uriah and that of counting the people to which he was enticed.”
 

Both of David’s sins were considered personal, and he kept the kingship, while Saul’s one sin was of a national-political nature, and therefor he lost the right to rule.
 

Similarly, Trump’s name calling is of a personal-attack nature, so too his other indiscretions were personal.
 

But, with Rabin, the name-calling was meant to delegitimize vast numbers, whole sectors of the Israeli population, so that he could carry out his ill-conceived political policies.
 

And, let’s not forget the “Rabin Legacy.” After firing on the ship, the Altelana in 1948, Rabin, commanding soldiers on the shore, ordered the fledgling IDF to open-fire on defenseless Irgunists in the water, fleeing the sinking ship, killing many.
 

Much Jewish blood was on his hands...
 

While Trump has sworn to protect Americans, beefing-up America’s defense posture and pursuing an “America First” agenda; Rabin helped establish a Palestinian beachhead on the Israeli body politic, a terrorist mini-state in our midst, that has led to thousands of deaths.
 

So, Trump like King David, has had personal failings, but that didn’t cause them the loss of leadership. With all that could be said against Trump, at least he tries to defend America, and protect Americans, from external enemies.
 

That couldn’t be said of the “Rabin Legacy.” Rabin’s sins were of a national-political nature, just like King Saul, and so too, like Saul, he fell. 
 

Pity Yitzhak Rabin didn’t put “Israel First.”

 

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

(c) 2018/5779 Pasko

Elder Aliyah to Israel, Like Abraham and Sarah

Over 30 years ago, as a young rabbinical student in Jerusalem recently graduated from college, I met some members of a Jewish Federation mission from America, in downtown Jerusalem. We began talking, one thing led to another, and I then told them one of my “pet” ideas of the time.

 

Not only did I tell these people on a Federation mission, but I also told others who came for the World Zionist Congress meeting and for the Jewish Agency meetings held later that summer. I was telling everyone in those days about my “idea”.

I pointed out that there were a lot of programs run by the Jewish Agency or funded by various ministries of the Israeli government, to encourage young people to come to Israel. What’s lacking, I said, was assistance from the organized Jewish community, to help finance these young people to get to Israel, or help for those who really fall in love with Israel, and decide to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel), with the aliyah process.

 

Now, three decades later, I am satisfied to see free programs like “Birthright Israel” helping young people get to Israel. And “Nefesh B’Nefesh,” which helps individuals and families, with financial aid, employment guidance and networking, information about housing, banks, schools, the army, etc., help to navigate the bureaucracy, making the aliyah process smoother.

 

Why do I tell you all this? As an introduction to my next “pet” idea.

 

While reading the Torah portion Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1), where God tells Avram (not yet renamed Avraham), to “Go from your land, from your relatives and father’s home, to the land I will show you,” which is the basis for the mitzvah – divine commandment – for Jews to live in the Land of Israel; I thought about this verse in today’s context. Its the Zionist mitzvah – aliyah – par excellence.

 

Yet, Avram and Sarai – later Avraham and Sarah – were not youngsters when they made aliyah. According to the Torah, they were 75 and 65 years old respectively.

 

So here is my new idea, based on G-d’s model: Develop programs like “Birthright Israel,” to send older people to Israel. Many baby boomers have never been there. Elders need to be encouraged to see Israel, make aliyah and “retire” there, to start the next stage of their lives, just as Abraham and Sarah did.

 

You could call it the “Abraham and Sarah Project.”

 

I say “retire,” but most older people today don’t really stop working, and sit around reminiscing about the good old days. With many people living into their 80s and 90s, these days retiring at 66 leaves at least 20 more good years of life. Since today’s retirees are in much better health for their age than used to be the case, they can still be productive contributors to society. Bring those people to Israel; they’re full of life experiences, skills, connections and yes for many, resources.

Unlike younger people just starting out in life, most older adults have worked for many years. They’ve raised families; many own homes, have investments, businesses and property. They won’t come to Israel as financial burdens, but as assets.

 

We should be encouraging our elders to “retire” to Israel, to start chapter two or three or four of their lives. Encourage them to volunteer. Encourage them to start businesses. Encourage them to act as consultants. Israeli businessmen need help getting into markets abroad. These people have a lifetime of connections. The weather is as good as in Florida or California, and it’s the Jewish state.

 

Most people in professional Zionist circles have always encouraged youth to make aliyah. The work was tough. Israel needed soldiers. It wasn't a place for sissies. It still isn’t, but most people don’t work in agriculture or backbreaking labor anymore.

Israel has a modern, developed economy, and the white-collar and entrepreneurial skills of Jews from America, Europe, Australia and South Africa fit nicely into that. Older people can make great contributions to Israel’s economy and to Israeli society.

It was always thought in professional Zionist circles that young people settling down in Israel would act as a magnet to attract their families. It was hoped that parents, brothers and sisters would follow and move there too.

 

I want to propose a new model of aliyah. Older people – grandparents – moving to Israel, pulling their kids and grandkids there.

Their grown children, who also have more wealth and resources than those just starting out in life, will come out for visits. Who doesn't fly across America to visit their elderly parents? They’ll send their kids on vacation to see Savta and Saba, or Bubby and Zaidie – their grandparents, only now the grandchildren will be taking a trip to Israel. Since people are living much longer these days, someone who “retires” out to Israel at 66, might just see their children “retire” out there as well.

 

This is the future. Jewish birthrates are at an all-time low, except in Israel. The aging Jewish populations of America and Europe are growing faster than the general population. While the potential pool of aliyah by young Jews in America and Europe is drying up, the numbers of Jewish retirees is growing.

The baby boom generation must be tapped for the next big wave of aliyah.

It makes sense to reach out to these people. When Grandma and Grandpa move to Israel, they'll be setting an example that will have lasting impact on the family.

Since grandparents tend to be the links to Jewish tradition, it will teach everyone in the family how important being Jewish and living in Israel are. If they open a new business, well, they'll be able to invite someone (their grandson or granddaughter?) from the “old country” to help run it. And although it's not pleasant to talk about, when they die, family members will want to go out to Israel to acquire their inheritances. How many will decide to move to Israel permanently when they already own factories, stores and real estate there?

With all the elderly moving to Israel, whole new industries will pop-up; remember, they're elderly with some money. Geriatric medicine will blossom (aging Israelis will benefit too); adult education will expand; new entertainment places will open. Why can't retirement communities be built, just as in Florida? They can be.

G-d would never have told Abraham to pick himself up and go to Israel if it wouldn't have been good for him. There is a Torah concept, “Ma’ase avot siman l’banim,” (the actions of our forefathers are guides to what we should do).

Rather than just encourage aliyah for the young, Israel and professional Zionists in the exile, must make a concerted effort to encourage aliyah for the elderly. It will be the renewal of their lives, and that will be good for them, and for the Jewish people.

Just as for Abraham and Sara, who started their lives anew, elder aliyah makes sense!

 

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

(c) 2018/5779 Pasko

Hurricane Michael, US Passports, Trump, Jerusalem...the Flood is Coming!

 

Michael is the guardian angel of Israel/the Jewish People. Trump just declared no “Jerusalem, Israel” on US Passports, for American citizens born there. The G-d of Israel uses natural phenomena as his Rod of Judgment. This week’s Torah reading is Noah, the flood story.

 

Have you noticed this? I have, let’s explore each of these four statements…

 

1. Michael is the guardian angel of Israel/the Jewish People.

According to Jewish tradition, Michael acts as the advocate of Israel, and sometimes fights with the angels of other nations to protect the Jews, particularly with the angel Samael, Israel's accuser. Samael is the angel of death, and the title ‘The Satan’ is accorded to him. While ‘The Satan’ describes his function as an accuser, Samael is his proper name. Samael is the guardian angel of Esau and Edom. And, according to the medieval Rabbi, Don Isaac Abarbanel, by extension Rome, Christianity, and Western Civilization. While Samael tempts people to sin, Michael defends Israel's actions.

 

The rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash tell us about Michael’s role as defender. His activities can be seen with the biblical patriarchs. It was Michael who rescued Abraham from the furnace into which he had been thrown by Nimrod. It was Michael, the “one that had escaped” (Genesis 14:13), who told Abraham that Lot had been taken captive, and who protected Sarah from being defiled by Abimelech. Later, he announced to Sarah, that she would bear a son Isaac, and he rescued Lot at the destruction of Sodom.

 

Michael later prevented Isaac from being sacrificed by his father, substituting a ram in his place, and saved Jacob, while yet in his mother's womb, from being killed by Samael, Esau’s angel. Michael prevented Laban from harming Jacob.

 

The midrash says that Michael defended Israel at the time of the Exodus, when The Satan (as an adversary) accused the Israelites of idolatry, pointing out to G-d, that there is no difference between them and the idol-worshiping Egyptians, about to be drowned in the Red Sea. Michael is also said to have destroyed the army of Sennacherib from Assyria.

 

Jewish tradition claims that Michael was first sent by G-d to bring Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, but that afterward, Michael worked to free the Jews from Babylonian captivity. According to the midrash, Michael saved Hananiah and his companions from the Fiery furnace. Michael was active in the time of Esther, “The more Haman accused Israel on earth, the more Michael defended Israel in heaven,” (Esther Rabbah 3:8). And, it was Michael, who reminded Ahasuerus, that Mordechai had saved him. Michael’s activities, have continued to be discussed throughout the medieval and modern periods, and in kabbalistic literature.

 

And, now a hurricane called Michael hit America. America, draw the proper conclusions. The Promised Land and especially Jerusalem, is exclusively for the Jewish People.

 

2. Trump just declared no ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ on US Passports, for American citizens born there.

Despite the United States recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last December, and moving it’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May, American citizens born in Jerusalem, are still unable to list ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ on US passports.

 

In September, 55 House Republicans, sent a letter to President Trump, calling on him to order the State Department to list Israel on US passports, as the birth country, for American citizens born in Jerusalem. The letter stated,“Despite the progress in moving the embassy, the State Department has not yet fully implemented the administration’s policy of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital for purposes of registration of birth, certification of nationality, or issuance of a passport of a United States citizen born in the city of Jerusalem.”

 

In response, a State Department spokesperson explained, “The president has made clear that the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem remain subject to final-status negotiations between the [Israelis and the Palestinians]. We have not changed our practice regarding place of birth on passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad at this time.”

 

Although Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he has the authority to not have ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ listed on US passports. According to constitutional scholar Ilya Shapiro, in Zivotofsky v. Kerry, the Supreme Court ruled that only the president has the power to recognize foreign entities in accordance with the US Constitution’s Reception Clause. “Zivotofsky ruled in favor of the executive; he was not required to comply with the Federal law. Trump, like Obama, can decline to stamp ‘Israel’ on the passport of a citizen born in Jerusalem.”

 

John Sitilides, a Washington-based geopolitical strategist, proposed that Trump may be withholding putting ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ on passports, due to his much-anticipated Mideast peace plan. “President Trump has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but is now emphasizing his support for a two-state solution, and is withholding on the passport issue to maximize US leverage as his diplomatic negotiating team finalizes its proposals. He has publicly stated that Israel must be more flexible now that Jerusalem has been recognized.”

 

But, I already warned about that in a Dec. 2017 article, Palestinians, Beware Jewish Days of Rage, Hanukkah is Coming to Israel! reviewing Trump’s speech, in which he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Notice carefuly, Trump during his speech didn’t say ‘undivided capital.’ Trump continued, “We are not taking a position on...specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem...Those questions are up to the parties involved.” So let’s just be clear. This ‘recognition’ doesn’t preclude the re-division of Jerusalem into the capitals of Israel and a Palestinian state.

 

Trump also said, “Jerusalem is today, and must remain, a place where Jews pray at the Western Wall, where Christians walk the Stations of the Cross, and where Muslims worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

 

Hence, preserving the status quo of the Old City and Temple Mount. A status quo that denigrates Jewish Rights.

 

Then, during his recent UN press conference, Trump said, “Well I'd love to be able to make a deal with the Israelis and the Palestinians. You know, my whole life I was told that's the toughest deal...but we're going to take care of that too...I think we're going to make a deal...”

Trump continued, “...one of the reporters asked about the one state two state, and I said I think the two state will happen, I think it's way more difficult because it's a real estate deal, because you need meets and bounds and you need lots of carve outs and lots of everything...I said well, I think the two state will happen, I think we're going to go down the two state road...”

So it’s pretty clear to Trump, Jerusalem is still on the cutting board, not exclusively for Israeli hands.

3. The G-d of Israel uses natural phenomena as his Rod of Judgment.

I described this in my Aug. 2017 article, Hurricane Katrina, Harvey, and the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. “In fact, the G-d of Israel has been doing this [‘natural’ disasters], since the beginning of the Peace Process. In March 1991, after the first Gulf War, President George H. W. Bush pushed Israel into attending the Madrid Peace Conference. Later that year, at the same time as the conference, Hurricane ‘Perfect Storm’ attacked the East Coast of the United States. Bush, staying at his vacation home in Kennebunkport, Maine at the time, had to be evacuated. His house was damaged.”

 

In my September 2005 article, Israel to America, I Warned You... I wrote, “Well, it’s begun; less than a week after the Israeli army expelled thousands of Jews from their homes in Gaza and Northern Samaria, uprooting 25 communities, American troops were evacuating people from their homes in Louisiana and Mississippi. The greatest ‘natural’ disaster has happened in American history. The Hand of G-d is written all over this one.”

 

Many in Israel and America, Jews and non-Jews at the time, saw “G-d’s Hand” in the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

 

I explained why G-d did this, in my earlier June 2005 article, Israel, Tell America the cold, hard truth warning there, “America, your country is in danger. The G-d of Israel, who has brought His people (the Jews) home after 2,000 years, is watching your every move. Stop pushing Israel into suicidal concessions (giving away parts of its homeland to a non-existent group, the so-called Palestinians), before it’s too late, and your fate is sealed.”

 

As I said then, “The redemption of the Jewish People and their return to the Holy Land (Israel) is an unstoppable divine process...the ‘Palestinians’ won’t stop it, the Europeans won’t stop it, and America won’t stop it. If America continues to promote the ‘rights of the Palestinians’ (what the Bible calls ‘a non-people’ Deut. 32:21), know that you are going against the G-d of History and Jewish destiny, beware!”

I concluded in my Aug. 2017 article, Hurricane Katrina, Harvey, and the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. “Just like when George Bush and Condi Rice worked to promote the expulsion of about 10,000 Gazan and Samarian Jews from their homes, destroying whole communities in the process, in 2005, to curry Arab favor (to gain support for America’s war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq); the Trump administration is continuing to work, to sacrifice Israel, on the Altar of ‘Middle East Peace,’ to gain support of a Sunni coalition of states against Shiite Iran.”

 

I believe this plan continues, note what Trump said in his recent UN press conference:

“When we had – in Saudi Arabia, we had one of the great conferences in history...we had, I believe 58 Muslim countries – their leaders, the kings, the Emirs, the absolute leaders from every – there was nobody in second place, they were the leaders of the whole thing.”

"And unbeknownst to anybody else people would...come up to me and say, “sir, you can’t have peace in the Middle East without peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians...So I heard that from...the King of Saudi Arabia whose a great guy...I know where they’re coming from.”

 

He continued, “I must have had 12 leaders say it...I started to realize that peace between Israel and the Palestinians for the Middle East is a very important thing and we’re trying very hard to get it. I think probably two state[s] is more likely, but you know, if they do a single, if they do a double, I’m OK with it if they’re both happy. If they’re both happy, I’m OK with either. I think the two state is more likely...”

 

4. This week’s Torah reading is Noah, the flood story.

And all this, (the floods and damage from Hurricane Michael and Trump’s holding back full normalization of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in State Dept. policy) comes during the week of learning about Noah and the Flood in the weekly Torah reading.

 

Interestingly, the American scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce, that focuses on the conditions of the oceans, major waterways, and the atmosphere is called NOAA (Noah) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – which had been reporting on the progress of Hurricane Michael.

Notice the parallel, NOAA/Noah, observing the flood brought on by G-d. The Torah describes the evil behavior of Noah’s generation, which is said to be according to tradition, stealing such small amounts that no one could be prosecuted, i.e. ongoing injustice.

 

And, in this generation, BDS, the UN, the ‘Palestinians,’ and yes, the Trump Peace Plan, are all unjust attempts to steal the Land of Israel and in particular Jerusalem, from the Jewish People.

 

But wait, America always helps Israel...

 

Since George H. W. Bush, American policy has been slowly moving to reverse the miraculous outcome of the 1967 Six-Day War. Potentially ripping away parts of the Land of Israel from the Jewish People, and dividing Jerusalem in half; Trump’s election has also led to the ripping in half of American society itself. Democrats and Republicans are guilty in both. Now another hurricane. It’s not surprising that the G-d of Israel is angry, and bringing warnings of disaster to America…

 

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

(c) 2018/5779 Pasko

Reality Check: Palestinian-Israeli Coexistence is a Big Lie

The Barkan Industrial Zone massacre, is just days old, and already the moral watchdogs of the Peace Process are wringing their hands, mourning it’s possible demise. “We shall not allow abominable terrorists to harm coexistence,” is the rallying cry.

President Reuven Rivlin addressing the attack said, “I’m appalled and distressed by the horrible terror attack carried out in the Barkan industrial area...This was an attack against the idea of Israelis and Palestinians coexisting, and living peacefully side by side. I call upon the Palestinian leadership to condemn this despicable terror attack...”

Against coexistence? I thought it was an attack against Jews?

Then Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, comparing the attack to the one at the Gush Etzion junction last month, said, “its unfortunate and disappointing to see a terrorist – for the second time in a short period – do damage to prosperous areas of coexistence such as the Barkan Industrial Zone and the shopping mall in Gush Etzion where Ari Fuld was murdered...The appropriate response to the murderous attack in Barkan is to continue to strengthen the joint industrial zones. We shall not allow abominable terrorists to harm coexistence.”

This is how Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel’s leading papers, reported, “Over 30,000 Palestinians from the West Bank have work permits for the different industrial zones in the territories or for the Israeli communities. To this day, only a few—less than ten—took advantage of the situation to carry out terror attacks (among them was the attack last month in Gush Etzion), so Israel's policy of differentiating between terrorists and the uninvolved population has proven itself, and that is also why the IDF did not impose a closure on the terrorist's village. Despite the grave attack, the IDF will seek to maintain this policy and the coexistence in the industrial zones, which aids both the Palestinian and Israeli economy.”

An example of how Israeli media obfuscates the Israeli public. Five or ten murderous attacks on Jews is five or ten too many...

While describing the IDF search for the murderer, IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Ronen Manelis said that the terrorist had a work permit, yet he managed to enter the factory with a rifle, and that needs to be investigated. “The industrial area is a zone of coexistence where Palestinians with work permits are employed alongside Israelis. We’ll review this incident and decide how to proceed from here. Nevertheless, preserving the coexistence is one of the army’s missions,” the IDF Spokesperson went on to say.

Even settler leaders are on the “coexistence” bandwagon.

After the attack, Yossi Dagan, head of the Samarian Regional Council said, “This is a serious incident in an area which symbolizes a bridge of coexistence in the West Bank. More than 8,000 employees work in the Barkan industrial area, with half of them being Jewish and half residents of the Palestinian Authority.”

Notice the emphasis is on how “coexistence” is under threat, as endangered, as the Jews themselves...

Yet a poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), in September 2018, asked Palestinians to choose between the two-state solution, the one-state solution, or any other third solution, 53% preferred the two-state solution, 24% preferred the one-state solution, and 14% preferred some other solution.

By a 2 to 1 margin, Palestinians want a separate state rather than live with Israelis.

When asked their preferred way out of the current status quo, to “reaching a peace agreement with Israel,” only a very small minority of 14% prefer to keep the status quo.

Clearly smashing the myth of Palestinian support for coexistence...

And, a Jerusalem Media and Communication Center survey, at the end of June 2018, found that more than 61% of Palestinians said they opposed the Oslo Accords (up from 48.3% in March, 2013).

And, that opposition always translates into support for terrorism.

The PSR study also found a large majority, 54% support “resistance” (33% armed attacks and 21% non-violent resistance), to only 39% who think that negotiation is the most effective means of establishing a Palestinian state next to the state of Israel.

Important to note, a Pew poll (Sept. 2013) of global attitudes, surveying the Muslim populations in 11
countries/territories, the only majority to support suicide bombings was found in the West Bank and Gaza. 62% of Palestinian Muslims believe that suicide bombings were often or sometimes justified (37% often, 25% sometimes). Almost double the next closest country, Lebanon with 33% support for suicide bombings.

And, even a Feb. 2014, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Summary, wrote themselves: “The demonization of Jews and Israelis, including by the use of antisemitic motifs; the hatred generated by this incitement is a precursor to violence and terrorism, which relies in part on the dehumanization of the target. The denial of Israel's existence and its delegitimization in any borders, in part by denying the existence of a Jewish people and its historic, religious and cultural ties to the land of Israel...encourages violence and harms prospects for peace, as a true resolution of the conflict is not possible until the Palestinians are willing to recognize Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people.”

Nothing has changed since then. We’re all familiar with Palestinian Authority incitement, and payments to terrorists or their families. So, where exactly is the “coexistence”?

Sarah Vettori, an employee of the Alon factory, who was moderately wounded in the shooting attack, said, “I’ve worked with Arabs for many years, and I'm not afraid. Unfortunately this is not the first and not the last time something like this happens...Obviously, I'll go back to work as usual, I do not think everyone is bad…it’s just the nature of the situation we have in our country. I don’t think it will shake the coexistence we have there…We will all work together and everything will be fine…This is what I am hoping for,” she concluded.

Hope is not a strategy!

Assaf, the manager of the Alon factory, said that he is in charge of 75 Palestinian workers, with whom, he claims, he has a good relationship. “I believe in coexistence, but one [attack] destroys everything.”

It seems many in Israel are mesmerized with the idea of “coexistence” even if it is only one-sided. Only Jews seem to dream of it. In contrast to the Jews fawning for coexistence:

The Hamas terror organization welcomed the terror attack, “The Barkan shooting is a new chapter in our resistance in the West Bank...The incident has proven that the attempts of the Palestinian Authority to normalize relations with the Zionist occupier are unsuccessful...The Palestinian youth want confrontation.”

Daoud Shehab, an Islamic Jihad spokesman, described the shooting attack as reply to “Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, Jerusalem, the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar and the damage Israel causes to the al-Aqsa mosque...We call on our people to rise up against the settlements terror until the West Bank is free from it.”

At least Hamas and Islamic Jihad are openly honest. Is anybody listening?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Ashraf Na’alwa, who carried out the Barkan attack, will receive payments from the PA. “The Palestinian terrorist who murdered Kim Levengrond Yehezkel & Ziv Hajbi will be paid a monthly salary for life by the PA, thus incentivizing more murderous terrorism against Israelis.”

So, Fatah and the PA are obviously against “coexistence” too...

But there are some sane voices out there. Education Minister Naftali Bennett stated: “While Israel endures terrible sadness, Hamas is handing out candies and Abbas is looking after salaries. We must stop this celebration. The State of Israel is obliged to ensure the security of its citizens. We must restore the deterrence.”

And, Minister Yuval Steinitz, responded to the attack in Barkan by saying, “This is another deadly terrorist attack...the basic reason is clear: The anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli education from kindergarten [on] for hatred against Jews, against Israelis – from kindergarten in the Palestinian Authority – at the end of the day, Abu Mazen is to be blamed, because these are the messages of his education system for kids when they are 1, 2, 3 years old.”

When one side dreams of peace and coexistence and the other side doesn’t, that’s a prescription for Asymmetrical Warfare, that’s a prescription for disaster. It lulls the Israeli public into a state of defenselessness.

Israel needs a Reality Check. Palestinian-Israeli Coexistence is a Big Lie!

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.
(c) 2018/5779 Pasko

Trump & Palestine vs. Genesis, Rashi & The Land of Israel

The G-d of Israel does have a sense of Humor. Juxtaposing Pres. Trump’s recent UN press conference where he spoke of his two-state plan, followed within ten days, by G-d’s opinion of that plan.

A few days ago, millions of Jews around Israel and the Jewish world, danced with Sefer Torahs for Simchat Torah. And, this Shabbat, all across the Jewish world, the yearly Sabbath Torah reading will begin anew with Bereshit, the beginning of the Book of Genesis.

The most basic commentary on the Torah, printed in almost all Hebrew editions, is that of Rashi – Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki – the famous 11th century French Biblical and Talmudic commentator.

In the beginning, literally, of Genesis, Rashi asks a question, “Why does the Torah start with the story of creation? Since the Torah is a book of laws for the Jewish People, why doesn't it begin with the first law given by G-d to the Jews, the law for establishing a calendar?”

He answers, the Torah starts with the creation narrative to establish that G-d is the Master of the Universe. Then, Rashi says the most amazing thing that still resonates almost a thousand years later. Based on earlier sources and a thorough knowledge of the meaning of Judaism, Rashi says, “So that if the nations come to Israel and say, you are thieves – in Hebrew, she-kevash-tem, you conquered and occupied – the land from the nations living there, you can tell them that all the universe is G-d's, He created it and gave it to the nations, and when He decided, He took it from them and gave it to us.”

Three things have become starkly clear in our era:

First, that Rashi’s explanation of the Torah has in fact come true. Jews have returned to the Land of Israel, but the UN and many nations claim, as Rashi explained they would, that we stole the land from others, namely the so-called Palestinians.

Second, the Israeli Left uses the same Hebrew root/term – kibush, occupation – to denigrate the miraculous victory of the 1967 Six-Day War. It is the same term, “occupation”, used by most of the world in their criticism of Israeli policies in the “territories,” Judea and Samaria.

Even Ariel Sharon used it at one point to justify his withdrawal from Gaza. It is the language of self-hating Jews – those disconnected from Jewish history and tradition – and the Judeo-paths among the nations. Occupation is when you steal someone else’s land.

The Jewish People liberated parts of the Land of Israel, their Promised Homeland, in stages, first in 1948 and then in 1967 with G-d’s help. The Jewish People didn’t “steal” anything.

And finally, that the only basis for the Jewish People’s national life in their homeland is G-d’s promise as set down in the Bible; not history, not security, but G-d's promise to their forefathers. Only, being rooted in Jewish tradition will guarantee long-term survival, as it did in nearly 2,000 years of exile.

Rashi told the Jewish People, “He took it from them and gave it to us.” And, that’s what every Jewish leader should continuously broadcast on the world stage.

In a recent UN press conference Trump said:

“Well I'd love to be able to make a deal with the Israelis and the Palestinians. You know, my whole life I was told that's the toughest deal...but we're going to take care of that too. Every possible thing is tough about that. I think we're going to make a deal...”

“So at one of our many meetings today, I was with Bibi Netanyahu, a man who I have a lot of respect for. A man who's been extremely nice to me, very happy that I did the whole thing with Jerusalem and the embassy, which by the way we got open in four months...”

And, what is Trump expecting in return?

Trump continued, “...one of the reporters...asked about the one state two state, and I said I think the two state will happen, I think it's [one] way more difficult because it's a real estate deal, because you need meets and bounds and you need lots of carve outs and lots of everything. It's actually a little tougher deal, but another way it works better because you have people governing themselves and – so they asked me about that. I said well I think the two state will happen, I think we're going to go down the two state road...”

“And I'm glad I got it out and Jared, who's so involved, he loves Israel. He loves Israel. But he's also going to be very fair with the Palestinians. He understands it takes two people to be happy, two groups of people to be happy.”

Another Jewish traitor to the Land of Israel?

“Everybody’s got to be happy and that’s why it’s so tough, because there’s been so much hatred and anger for so many years, that’s what probably the number one ingredient of toughness is. But they asked me, I said I think it’s going to be a two state. And you know what I did today? By saying that, I put it out there. And if you ask most of the people in Israel, they agree with that...”

Not true, a recent study conducted by the Left-leaning Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv University, found only 43% of Israeli Jews support the two-state solution, a 20-year low. Even among the Israeli Jewish Left, support fell from 83% to 66%.

Trump continued, “But nobody wanted to say it. It’s a big thing to put it out, it’s a very big thing to put it out. Now bottom line, if the Israelis and the Palestinians want one state – that’s OK with me. If they want two states, that’s OK with me. I’m happy if they’re happy. I’m a facilitator, I want to see if I can get a deal done so that people don’t get killed anymore.”

“When we had – in Saudi Arabia, we had one of the great conferences in history...we had, I believe 58 Muslim countries – their leaders, the kings, the Emirs, the absolute leaders from every – there was nobody in second place, they were the leaders of the whole thing.”

“And unbeknownst to anybody else people would come up to me individual – it wasn’t a set up, they’d come up to me and say, “sir, you can’t have peace in the Middle East without peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.” I said why, what difference – why does that matter so much?

They said, “it just is impossible to make peace in the Middle East unless you have between the Israelis..” so I heard that from...the King of Saudi Arabia whose a great guy...And then, somebody else came up and he wasn’t told, “oh go up and say it,” I know where they’re coming from.”

So, Trump is sympathetic to the Arab position?

He continued, “And I must have had 12 leaders say it, and they just said it. And I started to realize that peace between Israel and the Palestinians for the Middle East is a very important thing and we’re trying very hard to get it. I think probably two state[s] is more likely, but you know, if they do a single, if they do a double, I’m OK with it if they’re both happy. If they’re both happy, I’m OK with either. I think the two state is more likely...”

Trump thinks its going to be two states...

A true Jewish leader needs to stand up, not frightened of Trump or anyone, and declare, “The Master of the Universe took it from them and gave it to us.” The Promised Land belongs to the Jews exclusively, and not to any other nation.

Any Israeli prime minister who can't get on TV, go to the UN General Assembly, or any other meeting with world leaders and say these words, should quit, before rejecting the promises of G-d and participating in a process to help another group take over part of the Land of Israel.

As King David said, “If I forget you Jerusalem” - a term for the entire Land of Israel - “let my right hand wither” - rather than sign any false peace agreement - “let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth....” (Psalms 137: 5-6) rather than agree to foreigners taking over part of the Jewish People's homeland.

Why lie to the Palestinians? Why make them believe they are right, that Israel “stole” their land? Why participate in a peace process? Why fool them into believing that Israel will give them land and a state?

Netanyahu, should tell the world, “He took it from them and gave it to us.”

What’s most important for Israeli leaders and the world to understand is, that no matter what the Israeli government decides to do, it has no Religious Legitimacy in Judaism. No Israeli leader or government has the moral, historical, or spiritual right to take away parts of the Promised Land from the Jewish People and give it to others. It’s not theirs to do with as they please; the Land of Israel is an inheritance from G-d and it is not for one generation to decide what to do with it. It is also for all future generations of Jews. It will never be accepted by Jews steeped in their heritage and tradition, or by G-d.

“Ani Ma'amin...” I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even if he takes a long time to come, I believe every day, he’s coming! It is one of the thirteen principles of faith as codified by Maimonides. The Jews will get back their homeland; the Palestinians will not have a state. So why start now, so close to his coming?

The Land of Israel was promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, the Jews.

The Master of the Universe told them that even though their children will suffer terrible exiles – an educational and cleansing process – in the end, He would bring them home. In the 1948 War of Independence, G-d gave political sovereignty to the Jews for the first time in almost 2,000 years. In the 1967 Six-Day War, G-d returned the Holy City of Jerusalem in its entirety – including eastern Jerusalem and the Temple Mount – to the Jewish People. Hebron – Judaism’s second holiest city – with the Cave of the Patriarchs, the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and King David’s first capital city, before Jerusalem – was returned as well. Truthfully, Judea and Samaria – the so-called West Bank – is drenched in Jewish history and Jewish holy sites. That’s why it’s commonly referred to as the “Biblical Heartland”.

The Jewish People have been brought home.

Those who have built their world-view on security needs and have claimed that we cannot allow a Palestinian state to come into existence because of that, have missed the point. The Palestinians, and the world, are playing the “Peace Card”. Even if they promised up and down, that there would be a thousand years of “Peace”, how can Israel spurn G-d’s promise?

Members of the ruling Likud Party and the National Camp have for years based their claim to the “occupied territories” on historical claim, and, more importantly, have said that for security reasons, they couldn’t give them away. Rather than remind everyone of the Biblical Promise and that it’s non-negotiable.

The Israeli Left, in contrast, has argued for quite some time that control over Judea and Samaria is a security liability and not an asset. They have argued that the only true security is in “Peace” with the Arabs and not the status quo. American presidents, from Clinton to Obama, have basically said the same thing. Trump is following in their footsteps…

The Likud, the National Camp, the Yesha Council, and all those on the “Israeli Right,” who can’t bring themselves to base their claim on the Biblical Promise, have missed the point.

The Israeli Left never had it. The world, well what can we say? Except, “He took it from them and gave it to us.” There is no spiritual legitimacy to retreat from the Land of Israel. There is no spiritual legitimacy in refusing to graciously receive G-d's Promised Land, and fight to keep it. There is no spiritual legitimacy to any of these so-called “Peace” agreements, Oslo, the Roadmap, or the “Trump Plan.”

Netanyahu, tell the world the truth, “He took it from them and gave it to us!”

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.
(c) 2018/5779 Pasko