With this morning’s attack at the entrance to Kiryat Arba, the current Intifada continues to creep from knives to guns. In the last few attacks in Jerusalem and now back in Kiryat Arba, Palestinian Arabs have used serious weapons to attack.
These attacks have flipped what appeared to be “random acts of violence” to an armed uprising. The question isn’t where we are, which has become clear to most people in Israel, but how are we going to deal with it?
Incitement and Geopolitical Considerations have Slowed Israel’s Reaction
In order to answer that question, it is important to understand that most of what we are witnessing could have been avoided. The government has gone out of its way to try to politicize the attacks instead of crushing them from the beginning. We can see this most clearly in the ongoing finger pointing at the Palestinian Authority’s use of religious and racial incitement against the Jewish people. Yet one has to wonder where the government has been up until this year. We all know both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, headed up by lifetime President Abbas, utilize children’s TV and radio to brainwash their populace. In fact this has been going on for sometime. Another thing the government has been aware of is the Palestinian illegal arms build up in much of Judea and Samaria.
By allowing this Intifada to simmer behind the point of a knife, the government has fed the notion to the Leaders of Fatah and Hamas that guns and bombs could in fact be used. If the government had crushed the knife attacks in the beginning by going after the leaders’ livelihood and in fact their lives, the Arab street in Judea and Samaria would have gotten it. However, that would have required Bibi Netanyahu and Bogie Yaalon to treat this as a war. They have not been ready to do that yet. Understandably, their hands are tied into a larger geopolitical maneuver and declaring war on the Palestinian Authority would derail in their minds from dealing with Iran, while fending off a hostile White House and State Department.
Given the balance that needs to be struck between geopolitics and a homegrown war within Israel by Arabs who migrated to the Land within the last 150 years, a new approach must be undertaken to withstand the growing violence in Israel.
Implosion of the Palestinian Authority will Bring About a Paradigm Shift
Hints to a new course of action and trajectory by the government has been bubbling up into the media over the last few months. It is no secret that the PA is in the midst of an internal crisis. Most Arabs and others dwelling within the Palestinian Authority areas have grown to hate the leadership as both ineffectual as well as corrupt. Violent Palestinian Authority cops and officials use their power to steal public funds and shake down opponents. With the above facts, the Israeli government seems to be inching towards allowing the Palestinian Authority to collapse on its own in a staged manner. After the collapse local forces from within the various clans that make up the multi faceted Palestinian society can rebuild their relationship with Israel in the proper way.
In that approach, Israel will increasingly move towards a one state solution in a phased manner, all the while ensuring violent elements are removed and reinforcing local leaders.
Crushing the Terror Groups Should Begin Now
Considering the fact that the PA is ineffectual as well as in a free fall, the Israeli government should make it clear that there is no longer any tolerance for any sort of attack. By beginning now it can set the stage for lessening a chance for a complete explosion when the Palestinian Authority’s collapse enters its final phase.
Geopolitics aside, the government in Israel must not only prepare for the day after a Palestinian Authority collapse by speaking about it, but it must be proactive ensuring the violence we have witnessed not only does not increase towards anarchy, but firmly puts it back in its place.
Harry and I discuss the plight of Biafra and Pashtunistan as well as their linkage as Israelites in their war for freedom against a global neo-colonial military system.
Points covered:
Biafra Freedom
Pashtun Situation
British Created a System of Divide and Conflict
Israel needs to Lead Biafra and Pashtun to Freedom
The US and others, while suggesting they are strong supporters of Israel and its need for security, in reality are not promoting peace. Their policies are actually sustaining and rewarding terror.
Let me explain…
President Obama, for example, has repeatedly stated throughout his administration that America’s commitment to Israel’s security is “unshakable.” No doubt these are reassuring words to Israel and its friends around the world. However, his actions contradict his words.
How so? It has been the policy of the US and others to condemn the ‘settlements’ and the ‘occupation’ as the main obstacles to achieving peace with the Arabs. For those who subscribe to said view, where were the ‘settlements’ or ‘occupation’ in 1948 or 1967? They did not exist.
However, in order to see the folly of blaming the lack of peace on these issues, we should look at what the statements imply:
They suggest the US is attempting to be balanced. This is meant to appeal to the Arab world which thinks the US has been too supportive of Israel for many years.
They allow the US to avoid tackling the real issues which are preventing peace.
Placing accurate blame
The Arabs flatly refuse to accept the right of Israel to exist. The charters of the PLO, Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas’s own party Fatah, all require its destruction. Is the US devoting anywhere near as much attention to combating this as they are about condemning ‘settlements?’ Absolutely not. Abbas has repeatedly stated he will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Israeli leadership has consistently committed to recognizing a state for the so-called ‘Palestinians,’ yet is the US applying equal pressure on him to recognize Israel? Again, no.
Another issue is money.
The US and others believe if there is measurable improvement in the overall economic environment of the Arabs it would reduce their “frustration,” which many believe motivates their terror attacks against Israelis. For the uninformed Arab, terror against Jews has been ongoing since the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Moreover, such statements carry with them an implied justification for the terror and provide additional incentive for more of them. In my view, there exists no moral equivalence between justice and terror.
Moreover, after Israel is forced for the umpteenth time to neutralize murderers of innocent civilians, we hear the ever-present catcalls that they are using disproportionate force. My response to this is something I heard years ago- “if the response to terrorism is seen as less acceptable than terrorism itself, we invite more of it.”
If the Arabs wish to express frustration regarding their poor economic condition, I say they have that right. However, they should be expressing it at the appropriate party, and that is not Israel.
The responsibility of the economic plight of the Arabs belongs to their own leadership.
When Yasser Arafat formed the Palestinian Authority in 1994, he promised new hospitals, clinics, educational institutions and improvements to the general infrastructure. He also promised greater employment opportunities. However, instead of delivering on his promises, he took complete control of all media, as well as the flow of money. None of the promised improvements took place. With virtually no independent oversight this became a recipe for corruption.
He and his cronies systematically stole huge sums of money, while the average Arab remained in abject poverty, which is the case today.
Such information rarely gets much attention, and certainly not in Arab media, heaven forbid!
Tracking the money
Here are some rather incredible facts:
Since its formation, the Palestinian Authority has received over $31 billion in foreign aid. In 2014 alone they received well over $2 billion. Of that amount the US provides the most by far- roughly $400 million, followed by the European Commission ($140 million), Saudi Arabia ($103 million), the UK ($95 million), etc. [see chart] In fact the Arabs have received more money than any other group of people in human history. If you take into account historic inflation, the PA has received more money than the US gave to rebuild all of Europe under the Marshall Plan after WW ll,” according to Calev Myers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice who has studied this extensively. The funds were given to 17 countries with a combined population of 300,000,000. By comparison the number of Arabs living in Judea/Samaria, commonly referred to as the West Bank, is just under 3 million, or equal to 1% of post WWll European population. Yet they have been given more money than all of Europe!
With respect to Arafat, while the average Arab suffered, his wife Suha who lived in Paris received $200,000 per month from him. She also is alleged to have received numerous bulk payments, one of which was $11 million according to reports. Where did this money come from? More important, what happened with the vast amount of international aid given to the PA?
When Arafat died in 2004 an investigation showed he had $1 billion stashed away in Swiss bank accounts. Plus, he supposedly was in control of up to $6 billion in assets. His widow refused to reveal the location of the stolen money unless she was awarded a ‘finder’s fee.’ Rumor is the investigative team paid her as much as $40 million. The team was led by Mahmoud Abbas.
The Presidential Guest Palace in Surda, Ramallah being built by Mahmoud Abbas at a cost of $13 Million
Since then, Abbas has traveled down the same road of corruption of his predecessor. His personal wealth is said to be as much as $1 billion. However, since he is not subject to financial accountability, who really knows? He is currently constructing a $13 million mansion for himself.
Another area of fiscal irresponsibility is the PA owes roughly $300 – 400 million to Israel in unpaid electricity bills. Given Mr. Abbas’s accumulated stolen wealth, no doubt he could write a personal check for the entire amount.
In reality the economic well-being of the Arabs has long been in their own hands. However, they have never been able to realize it because their leadership has literally stolen it. Meanwhile, western leaders bemoan the presumed poverty driven frustration as the reason for terror, while international money keeps lining the pockets of corrupt leadership, and the average Arab continues to live in poverty.
Someone needs to have a blunt conversation with Mahmoud Abbas.
As for the Arab health care system, it remains so under developed many of them in desperation come to Israel for needed care. Indeed, in 2014 when tensions were extremely high due to the disappearance of three Jewish teens, who were later found murdered, Abbas’s wife was having surgery in an Israeli hospital. Plus, in the midst of the current spate of terror, which Abbas has fueled with hateful rhetoric, his brother-in-law had life-saving surgery in Israel. Israel even treated the granddaughter of Ismael Haniyeh, Hamas’s leader in the Gaza Strip.
International aid funding murderers
Aside from pilfering money meant to improve the lot of the average Arab, there is another disturbing aspect of how international aid is being used by the PA.
Approximately 16% of their total budget is designated to reward terrorists and their families. This is done under what is called The Law of the Prisoner.
Here’s how it works:
If an Arab commits a crime against an Israeli and is imprisoned he becomes eligible to earn a large monthly income. It can be as much as $3,500, ($42,000 annually) which is five times greater than the average Arab earns. The monthly income is on a sliding scale. The most heinous crimes get the highest monthly stipend.
You’ve heard the old saying “crime doesn’t pay?” These terrorists are proof it does pay. US and European taxpayers are the ones who are providing the “pay.”
Abbas’s actions are nothing short of criminal, plus he is guilty of using international humanitarian aid to reward murderers.
While the likelihood of him being imprisoned is remote, here are few suggestions for the US and others:
Stop blaming Israeli ‘settlements’ and ‘occupation’ for the lack of progress toward peace.
Demand Abbas condemn terror against Israelis and take steps to eliminate it.
Require mutual national recognition and hold him accountable if he refuses.
Demand the PLO, Fatah and Hamas amend their charters which call for Israel’s destruction. (no legitimate peace partner is party to a charter calling for the others destruction)
Insist the PA set up independent oversight and engage in complete financial transparency and accountability.
Demand the Law of the Prisoner be scrapped. Inform the PA financial aid will be terminated if murderers continue to be financially rewarded.
At the end of the day the effort of the US to appear balanced by maintaining the status quo is not only failing to move the peace process forward, it is actually perpetuating an environment which will never produce peace.
What is needed is for world leaders, especially the US, is to get blunt with Abbas as well as the Arabs, and stop trying to persuade Israel to further compromise its security by rewarding those who uncompromisingly seek its destruction with land and money.
One should not think too deeply on Angela Merkel’s words in press conference with Bibi Netanyahu in Berlin today. According to i24 News, the German Chancellor said:
“Now is not the time for a significant step forward [in the two-state solution].”
Angela Merkel has been known in the past as a major backer of the two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The fact that she seems to be pushing the pause button should catch more than a few glances. However, one should not take her pronouncement too far. In the intra-Europe sparring over the refugee crisis, Angela Merkel has been painted (mostly due to her own policies) as responsible for the catastrophic situation that Europe now finds itself.
With the Eastern European countries taking a far tougher approach than herself, she has been struggling to stave of not only a revolt in the EU, but one in her own country. Keep in mind, many Eastern European countries have sided with Israel over the labeling crisis and by doing so they have revealed how fractured the continent is. Merkel achieves a lot with her statement. By backing off of Israel, she can show her interlocutors that she isn’t as clueless about the sweeping hordes of Islamic migrants engulfing her continent. After all Israel has been taking the brunt of radical Islamic violence for years. Letting it drown in the region’s current typhoon of geopolitical chaos would prove how clueless European leaders really are. So Merkel gains the mantel of “principled leader” without forfeiting too much of her open borders policy.
Keeping Israel in Europe’s Orbit
As Israel continues to build on its economic growth with trade deals and energy agreements with a variety of new partners, Europe understands that Israel is in fact poised to surpass it as a global leader and influencer. China and India don’t care about the to state solution, backing it only with lip service. Russia does only what’s best for it and a strong Israel could very well be part of Putin’s plans for the region. Europe is being cut out of everything and losing influence over Israel would not bode well for it.
Backing Israel on the two state solution is ultimately an attempt to lure Israel away from shifting alliances, especially ones that stand diametrically opposed to the EU’s policy in the Middle East.
I have often times shocked my friends in admitting I never vote in American elections. As a dual citizen of both the United States and Israel I am fully eligible to vote, but refrain from doing so. Why? I am what you call a one issue candidate. That issue is the security of the State of Israel. Although I believe our security here is of importance to the electorate in the USA, I feel it is wrong to help sway their vote in order to help my cause, which is overly and rightfully Israel centric.
With all of that being said, I cannot help but comment on the state of politics in my former country. Jews in America have done well in politics. There are Jewish congressmen, senators, and now even Presidential candidates. We have always excelled in all of the countries we have called home. From Joseph in Egypt to Daniel in Babylon/Persia.
We also have a habit (especially in modern times) of overplaying our hand. Nowhere do we see this in the current presidential race as explicitly as the attacks coming forth from the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) against Ted Cruz. These attacks are focusing on Pastor Mike Bickle’s comments in 2004.
““Let me tell you, these 20 million — less than 20 million Jews worldwide, there’s about 5 million in Israel, about another 15 million worldwide, a little bit less than that — those 15 million, God is going to bring them all back. Two-thirds will die in the rage of Satan and in the judgments of God and one-third, every one of the one-third, will be in the land before it’s over and they’ll be worshipers of Jesus … The Lord says, ‘I’m going to give all 20 million of them the chance. To respond to the fisherman. And I give them grace. And I give them grace …if they don’t respond to grace, I’m going to raise up the hunters … And the most famous hunter in recent history is a man named Adolf Hitler.’”
Bickle has endorsed Ted Cruz for President saying the following:
“Our nation is in a great crisis in this hour. We need a president who will first be faithful to honor God’s Word. We need a president who will work to defend religious liberty, uphold our Constitution, keep our country safe and our economy sound, and speak truth to the nation. We have been praying for righteous leaders and Ted Cruz is such a leader. I am enthusiastically endorsing Ted Cruz.”
Ted Cruz has touted the endorsement saying, “I am grateful for Mike’s dedication to call a generation of young people to prayer and spiritual commitment. Heidi and I are grateful to have his prayers and support. With the support of Mike and many other people of faith, we will fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith.”
The above statements are fact. There is no denying what was said and the outlook Bickle has. The real question is, why does it matter? Secondly why is the NJDC making such a big deal about the viewpoint of Bickle?
The Liberal Jewish establishment in America have for years supplanted traditional Jewish teachings with the philosophy of the modern liberal and social justice movements. Judaism, being the moral foundation of the Jewish Nation is covenant centered in outlook. The law was given by the Almighty to be followed and help direct a truly just society. The Liberal Jewish approach to the world is opposite. Liberalism has become the foundation for all things, even Judaism. If a piece of the Law does not fit into a “modern” outlook then it is ejected. By no means am I implying this is an all or nothing affair, but rather I am attempting to stress that way one views the basis of his or her life outlook essentially becomes pivotal foundation for which they judge morality.
Liberal Jews have taken to picking apart anything connected to conservative principles as archaic and primitive. The weapon of choice is often the anti semitic card. This has increasingly become more and more maligned by non-partisan observers, but organizations like the NJDC continue to deploy it. The fact is, many of us Jews on the right in America and in Israel cringe when mostly Democratic Jews who have little or no connection to observancy play the Jewish victim and are “appalled” at the religious viewpoints of devout Christians.
Let’s put it more clearly. Liberal Jews are liberals. Their religion (not their ethnicity) is liberalism. Any theological convictions are at their core in opposition to liberalism. This would go equally for any dedicated co-religionist. Being an observant Jew, I have no qualms in my belief set. I also understand my co-religionists disagree on my eschatological outlook. This is of no surprise since each of us believes our side is right. The question is not how one views the “End of Days,” but rather how an individual acts towards their fellow man up until that point.
From Israel things are Viewed Differently
Israelis do not care if a particular person believes in a different ending to the redemption process. We care about developing our country and want the strongest allies possible. Ultimately our foreign policy is increasingly becoming a neutral one. This means, we have to do what is best for the Jewish Nation. Since what is important to Israel is Israel, then it is very easy to decide who would be the best President. All one has to do is look at a candidate’s record. There has been perhaps no greater supporter of Israel and the Jewish people’s rights to all of the Land of Israel in the Senate than Ted Cruz.
In September of 2014 Ted Cruz was booed off stage at an event supporting the Christians of the Middle East. Why was he booed off stage? For supporting Israel.
“Those who hate Israel hate America,” Cruz told the people attending the event, which he had been invited to address as the dinner’s keynote speaker. “Those who hate Jews hate Christians. If those in this room will not recognize that, then my heart weeps. If you hate the Jewish people you are not reflecting the teachings of Christ. And the very same people who persecute and murder Christians right now, who crucify Christians, who behead children, are the very same people who target Jews for their faith, for the same reason.”
The last statement Cruz made as he walked off stage was, “If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you. Good night, and God bless.”
Calling Ted Cruz an Anti-Semite is despicable. It’s true, he may very well have a Christian eschatological outlook, after all he is a Christian and he is in fact entitled to his religious beliefs. Organizations like NJDC and leading Liberal Jewish politicians would do well to separate Liberalism from their Judaism. When they do that, they may see the only thing they can accuse Ted Cruz is disliking Liberals. In my book, that is perfectly fine.
Bibi Netanyahu has been Prime Minister closing in on 8 years in a row. If you count his first stint as Prime Minister, he has served more than any other Prime Minister other than David Ben Gurion.
He has been able to deal with a very antagonistic Washington administration, while dodging about everything the Israeli political scene can throw at someone. Bibi’s political mastery is perhaps one of the most envied talents around. It also makes him the most despised politician by his enemies.
Part of Bibi’s ability to manage the chaotic Israeli political arena is precisely because of the chaos that exists within it. The ever consummate chess player, Bibi keeps his real views to himself, while he allows his opponents to cannibalize themselves.
Centralizing the Prime Minister’s Office
Prime Minister Netanyahu relies on a loyal circle and the power of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to create a de facto executive branch within the actual government. Under Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister has come far closer to the US Presidency than ever before.
We have seen this most clearly in Bibi’s appointment of Yossi Cohen to the head of the Mossad. Cohen was the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister. He has been a close confidante of Bibi’s for many years and now he heads up the world’s most successful intelligence agency.
We also see this by placing the Foreign Ministry under the PMO. Sure there is a Deputy Foreign Minister who acts as its face, but day to day the PMO runs the show. There are more and more examples of this.
Many pundits are aware of the situation. Even Shelly Yacimovich expressed similar sentiments in 2014, before the current coalition. “This situation is not only ridiculous, it is also reckless,” Yacimovich warned. “The government of Israel is not a political game in Netanyahu’s hands or a nice hobby. It is the sovereign of Israel, the power that runs our complicated lives.”
The centralization has only increased.
Is Bibi Still Inevitable?
Israelis have generally trusted Bibi Netanyahu. This does not mean they like his style or politics, but in a world that appears to be increasingly chaotic, they see him as the most capable of navigating the current ship. That is until the eruption of the present intifada. As days grind on and more and more people are getting killed and hurt, a certain hole is being punctured in the inevitability of the Prime Minister.
So far no real challenge exists, but polls indicate a growing dissatisfaction with Bibi’s handling of the security situation. Could be Bibi’s inability to crush the current violence open him up to being taken down? So far it is not clear. However, it is precisely his obsession of keeping his political opponents at bay, which has seemingly boxed in his ability to deal with the deteriorating security situation.
The obsession at staying in power is a focus that seems to many to take far more energy than unleashing the security forces in a far more proactive way. It’s true, Israeli politics has long been far more akin to a mafia movie like Goodfellas or Godfather than something that actually works in a stable format. With that in mind Bibi has done a good job stabilizing the “game,” and yet, that’s just it, Bibi has spent most of his energy holding things together, not pushing them forward.
Israelis are tired of tough speeches with no action. With everyday that goes by with no solution, weary Israelis are becoming more and more ready for a change, no matter who brings it.
A recent Democracy Institute poll shows support for annexation of Judea and Samaria equal to its opposition. Given the fact that Israelis have endured over 20 years of Oslo education, the poll seems to be indicative of changing attitudes towards Judea and Samaria.
If this poll is accurate, the question arises: What caused the Israeli public to change of course?
Gaza a Turning Point
The destruction and uprooting of Jewish communities in Gaza was hailed at the time as the best chance for peace. Israelis trusted Ariel Sharon and even believed the security guarantees offered by the Bush administration. Over the following 10 years Israelis’ basic assumptions about the world have been proven false. Assumptions include the following:
Arabs are interested in stability
Secularism will win out
America can always be trusted
Giving up land will bring peace
Security experts know what they are talking about
Given the above list, Israelis see no reason to give up on Judea and Samaria. More and more these territories are seen as an integral part of the Jewish nation. However, despite the positive change in attitude towards annexation, other results from the poll should caution those in the Land of Israel camp.
For example, 61% of the Israeli public disagrees with maintaining the status-quo. This result can be seen as a positive affirmation that Israelis want to push some sort of solution forward. The question for those in the National Camp, is whose solution?
Those on the Right should take the opportunity to push forward a clear plan of action in reference to annexation. The goal should be to win the support of the slight majority willing to undergo some sort of geopolitical change. If not, amnesia of past events will eventually take over again and endanger Israel.
The Right needs to educate the country on Israel’s historical rights to all of the Land of Israel and what has been given up over the years. The current culture in Israel and the geopolitical instability throughout the Middle East affords the country an opportunity to reverse some of the territorial setbacks that have occurred in the past.
The French always know how to make noise for themselves. The world is engulfed in multiple proxy wars, radical Islam is spreading, and migrants threaten to destabilize Europe, but never mind all that. The French remain obsessed on finding a “solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The French originally floated a proposal after Bibi Netanyahu won in the last elections. This proposal would essentially force the contours of a solution on the two sides if they did not come to an agreement themselves. In recent days conversation has bubbled up that the French are once again ready to table this proposal. In response Prime Minister Netanyahu stated:
“You certainly heard of the proposal being raised in certain quarters in France, to convene an international conference with the threat at the end that if it is unsuccessful, then France will – to a large degree – adopt the Palestinian position. This will be an incentive for the Palestinians to come and not compromise. The substance of negotiations is compromise and the French initiative, as it has been reported, in effect gives the Palestinians in advance reasons not to do so.”
The French, like the other Western nations believe that the Israel-Palestinian conflict is similar to a border dispute in Western Europe. There is no similarity between the two. When Jewish freedom fighters struggled to defeat the British Empire, paving the way for Jewish sovereignty to be reinstated in the Land of Israel, they were not struggling over a border dispute. The fact is, as long the ruling Israeli political class keeps flirting with negotiations with the PA, the World will keep on insisting on dividing the Land.
Israel is indivisible. Jewish fighters against Britain or any other occupying power that controls a piece of the Jewish homeland, are no different than the Jewish fighters that attempted to push out Rome. The only way the Jewish people will remove the growing international pressure is to insist on rectifying the national injustice that Rome perpetrated against the Jewish people nearly 2000 years ago. To do this, the world must accept that the entire Land of Israel belongs only to the Nation of Israel.
Ten days after being forcibly removed by authorities for entering two building legally bought, 20 Hebron residents are attempting to make their way back into them. This is not the first time there has been a tumult over private land purchases in Hebron. One of the strategies used to strengthen the community is to increase the purchases in the Israeli controlled areas in order to ensure Jewish continuity from Kiryat Arba to the Jewish community of Hebron as well as between the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. After all, Kiryat Arba with its 8,000 plus residents is essentially an extension of Hebron.
One of the first attempts to do this was with the purchase of the Peace House in 2007. Noam Arnon, Hebron spokesman at the time of the original purchase of the Peace House said the following:
″The house of peace, on the main road between Hebron and Kiryat Arba is an additional link in the growth of the City of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. Bonding Hebron and Kiryat Arba, this building will provide homes for dozens, if not hundreds of Israelis, waiting to live in Hebron.″
The first Jewish residents were removed in 2008. Despite setbacks, the house was officially given over in a court ruling in 2012 to the Jewish owners who had bought it. This ruling was held up by the Supreme Court in 2014.
The two buildings in question now stand between the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Jewish Neighborhood of Avraham Avinu. The legal purchase of these properties is clear and so the only question really is why the Defense Minister is balking. We have noted before that he is clearly nervous of a new trend and one that would be hard for him to stop once it gets rolling. If Jews begin to buy properties in Hebron like they do in Jerusalem’s Old City and many of the formerly Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, it will spell the end once and for all of the two state solution in the minds of both Israelis and their Palestinian counterparts.
This may be one of the roots of his fear. Control has belonged to the sons and daughters of the secular Kibbutz movement since the beginning of the State. Turning over the keys to Moshe Levinger’s children is not on Yaalon’s agenda. Yet, at the end he may have no choice. The energy no longer belongs with his camp, but rather has returned to the caretakers that can lead the Jewish Nation to the next stage of their National Redemption.
Reclaiming Hebron represents the most authentic form of Zionism. David’s Kingdom began there and it was there that Moshe Levinger showed the world that the Jews could return to their ancient lands, thus reversing the injustice of the wanton ethnic cleansing of Hebron’s Jewish population in 1929.
In the coming days, the Israeli government will be forced to choose its future. It can either decide to embrace the struggle for true Hebrew Liberation by allowing Jews to freely buy homes in the city of their forefathers or delegitimize their claims to be a government dedicated to furthering the restoration of the Jewish people to the entire ancestral homeland.
Israel, Greece, and Cyprus held a top level three way meeting on building a gas pipeline from Israel and Cyprus to Greece, for exporting gas to Europe. This has been brewing for a while and the reports that we pushed forward previously have come to fruition, indicating that Israel is not waiting for Turkey to decide if they want to be part of the growing detente.
“Our partnership is not exclusive in design or nature, and we are ready to welcome other like-minded actors to join our efforts to promote coordination and cooperation, as well as regional peace and stability,” the three leaders said in a joint statement.
The above statement seems to leave the door open for Turkey at a later stage, but clearly at a reduced role. The energy alliance is quickly growing into something far more concrete as the three leaders talked about coordination on security, hi-tech, energy, and other important issues.
The alliance stands to quickly change the Eastern Mediterranean geopolitical reality, providing a sense of stability in a region engulfed by radical Islamic chaos. The burgeoning partnership is a testament to Israel’s increased standing in the World, despite the claims of isolation due to a lack of movement in the “peace process.”
Last month the Greek premiere Alexis Tsipras called Jerusalem, Israel’s historic capital, which many people saw as a sign that relations between the two countries were moving to a new level of cooperation.
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