The Zionist Conspiracy |
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A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews. 
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Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Limits of Yesha "By the middle of this year, 6,000 new housing units will be completed, and 35,000 Israelis are expected to move to the West Bank, more than doubling the territory's current Jewish population and bringing the total to more than 60,000. Israeli officials predict the number will reach 100,000 by 1987, if not sooner, and by the year 2010, they say, the West Bank will contain 1.4 million Jews and 1.6 million Arabs."-Time Magazine report, January 1983 2010 will arrive in seven months, at which time there will be a little less than 300,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria. This is a significant increase from the Jewish population of less than 30,000 in 1983, but nowhere near the prediction of 1.4 million. As a result, the population in Judea and Samaria remains overwhelmingly Arab, and despite all efforts, the international community has not budged from its position that these areas should belong to the Palestinians. What happened? Why has Jewish population growth been relatively modest? The 1.4 million projection was inherently unrealistic and farfetched, but couldn't there have been, say, 700,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria? The biggest impediment to settlement growth is something that is never mentioned: That most Yesha communities were led by dati leumi (national religious) Jews, who wanted like-minded people in their communities. The result has, for the most part, been homogeneous small towns. Secular or traditional Israeli Jews quickly learned that they need not apply for admission. It is hardly a coincidence that "mixed" settlements tend, overall, to be much more heavily populated than strictly religious ones. Thus, a town like Ariel, relatively distant from the Green Line, developed into one of the largest Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. The Oslo process and terrorism did much to curtail settlement growth, but the apathetic response of many Israelis to the resulting suffering within Judea and Samara communities did not occur in a vacuum. The religious nature of most settlements resulted in a majority of non-religious Israelis feeling little identification with Yesha. Unlike the religious, they did not have family and close friends there. They never visited. They did not know people who were murdered there, and they certainly did not feel stung by political pressure aimed at marginalizing those areas. Prime Minister Rabin could even declare that he is prime minister of 97 percent of the people. The mistakes of the past cannot be undone. Even if they were to change their policies, Gush Emunim settlements could not today attract those with different levels of observance, let alone different political and religious ideologies. What can be changed are the sentiments of Israelis toward settlement in Judea and Samaria. Today, there are passionate supporters and passionate opponents of settlement. The silent majority of Israelis sits in the middle. It would dismantle settlements in a peace agreement, but would prefer to retain as many as possible. It does not really identify with residents of Judea and Samaria, but does not want that population to be harmed. The middle, however, has slowly shifted left. This is why a Likud government would try (though Obama will not allow it to succeed) to reach understandings with a hostile U.S. government on limits to construction in Judea and Samaria. The battle for the future of Judea and Samaria is not a battle of hilltops but a battle of ideas. If those who support what remains of Yesha can persuade a majority of Israelis that their way is right, then the U.S. will be unable to impose a pretend peace that destroys almost all of what's left of Yesha. If they fail to do so, their towns could disappear no less quickly than those in Gaza and northern Samaria did in 2005 and those in Sinai did in 1982. Alas, the battle of ideas has been fought by only one side. The ideas that side presents are baseless, in sharp contradiction to reality, geography and common sense. But most passionate supporters of Yesha are still engaged in a battle for hilltops. Last week's conference organized by Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely, presenting alternatives to a "two-state solution," is a belated but welcome step in the right direction. Saturday, May 30, 2009
Yona Baumel Along with the end of Shavuos tonight came learning of the sad passing in Jerusalem yesterday of Yona Baumel, z'l. In shul this morning we went through the weekly ritual of reciting the prayer for Israel's missing soldiers, including Zechariah Shlomo ben Miriam - Zachary Baumel. One wonders how many congregants in our minyan have any idea who Zack Baumel is. In less than two weeks it will be 27 years since Baumel, Tzvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz were captured days into the Lebanon War. Baumel's family made aliyah from Brooklyn in 1970; he was learning at Yeshivat Har Etzion when he was called to serve in Lebanon. It's hard to expect young American Jews to have any idea who they are. After all, they have been long forgotten in Israel. Yona Baumel did everything he could to ensure that some people won't forget his son and his comrades. He devoted his life to finding them, or at least determine their fate. That he died without succeeding in what became his life's mission is a bitter reminder of the apathy toward Arab barbarism. Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Rabin Plan For Peace  We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority. The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines. And these are the main changes, not all of them, which we envision and want in the permanent solution: A. First and foremost, united Jerusalem, which will include both Ma'ale Adumim and Givat Ze'ev -- as the capital of Israel, under Israeli sovereignty, while preserving the rights of the members of the other faiths, Christianity and Islam, to freedom of access and freedom of worship in their holy places, according to the customs of their faiths. B. The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term. C. Changes which will include the addition of Gush Etzion, Efrat, Beitar and other communities, most of which are in the area east of what was the "Green Line," prior to the Six Day War. D. The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif. -Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, October 5, 1995 Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Light of Jerusalem and of Haaretz  The Great Nadav Shragai - Haaretz's token non-extreme leftist - once again sets matters straight: A great joy, not a disaster, befell us in 1967, when we realized a 2,000-year-old dream and returned to our holiest sites, to historic Jerusalem. The 200,000 Jews whom the State of Israel has settled in parts of Jerusalem that lie on the other side of its former border are not an obstacle to peace, but an obstacle to partition. And partition is the greatest possible guarantee of a chaos that would keep peace at bay for several more generations. Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Dealing With The Obama Threat President Obama and his administration represent an existential threat to the future of the Jewish presence in all post-1967 areas, including in Jerusalem. Obama will likely, over the course of the next few years, try to impose a de facto final status agreement under which Israel would withdraw to the '67 borders, with very minor modifications. The Netanyahu government must preempt those attempts by setting forth its red lines. While Israelis want peace and are prepared to make significant concessions for real peace, they are not amenable to making concessions so that Judea and Samaria can resume being a base of terror against Israel. There is also a solid majority among Israelis for keeping the Old City of Jerusalem under Israeli control, for maintaining the Jordan Valley as Israel's eastern border, and for annexing the large settlement blocs. But it will be up to Netanyahu to express his policies in a manner that most Israeli support. Among American Jews, the question remains whether there will be any real opposition to the Obama Administration. American Jews are, overall, much more supportive of Israel and skeptical of bogus peace processes than is generally acknowledged. But among the vast majority of American Jews, there is presently little mainstream leadership expressing even mild concern over Obama's policies. Likely, if any opposition to Obama is ultimately heard, it will start and grow at the grassroots level. The Cynicism of Jbloggers I am amazed at the cynicism of so many Jbloggers. Even people who used to be mild-mannered and tolerant now devote numerous posts to bashing people. And it's not enough to bash people; one must bash their motives too. I am not all that mild-mannered, but I've apparently become a lot less cynical during my six years of blogging. Either that, or everyone else has become a lot more cynical. People make mistakes in practice and in judgment. I admittedly don't have too much patience for this, and have no problem with criticism of things that warrant criticism. But at least I don't jump to the conclusion that people with whom I disagree are evil. Down On Jerry The more I watch the Mets, the more down I am on Jerry Manuel. The man is simply not a good game manager. Manuel loves to pinch hit, often for no explainable reason. He bunts way too often. And the Mets continue repeatedly blowing games due to sheer stupidity. Friday, May 15, 2009
3 Weeks Before, 42 Years Later II  How the cisterns have dried The market-place is empty And no one frequents the Temple Mount In the Old City. And in the caves in the mountain Winds are howling And no one descends to the Dead Sea By way of Jericho. -Naomi Shemer, May 15, 1967 Thursday, May 14, 2009
3 Weeks Before, 42 Years Later "Nineteen years ago, on the night when news of the United Nations decision in favor of the reestablishment of the State of Israel reached us, when the people streamed into the streets to celebrate and rejoice, I could not go out and join in the jubilation. I sat alone and silent; a burden lay upon me. During those first hours I could not resign myself to what had been done. I could not accept the fact that indeed 'they have divided my land.' "Where is our Hebron - have we forgotten her?! Where is our Shechem, our Jericho, where? Have we forgotten them?!" -Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, May 14, 1967, Yom Ha'atzmaut 5727 Happy Nakba Day Observance of the holiday has commenced; chag sameach. May our enemies experience many more nakbas. Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Citi Field I've been to three Mets games this season. So far, I have three issues with Citi Field: 1. It's difficult to see the scoreboard from the first base side. 2. If you're sitting on the first base side, it's very difficult to see down the right field line. If you're sitting on the third base side, it's difficult to see down the left field line. 3. Most importantly, the place is pretty dead. There are all kinds of things to do, places to eat. As a result, a lot of people don't bother watching the game. Even in an early season game, places like Shea, MSG, and Giants Stadium have always come alive at key junctures in a game. Thus far, that does not appear to be the case with Citi Field. Perhaps things will improve later in the season. But it won't be good if the Mets are in a pennant race in September and Shake Shack is still jammed. Friday, May 08, 2009
Following The Path Of Menachem Begin  Some people who opposed everything Menachem Begin stood for nevertheless are now calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to follow Begin's path. Presumably, they mean that just as Begin ceded all of Sinai to Egypt, Netanyahu should cede the Golan, Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. I agree that Netanyahu should follow Begin's path. With the Obama Administration apparently convinced that the way to deal with Netanyahu is via heavy pressure, it is worth recalling the following statement by Prime Minister Begin in 1981, after the U.S. threatened to "punish" Israel for annexing the Golan Heights: "Are we a vassal state of yours? Are we a banana republic? Are we youths of fourteen who, if they don't behave properly, are slapped across the fingers? Let me tell you who this government is composed of. It is composed of people whose lives were spent in resistance, in fighting and in suffering. You will not frighten us with 'punishments.' He who threatens us will find us deaf to his threats. We are only prepared to listen to rational arguments." Six Years I started this blog six years ago, on May 8, 2003. This is post 1,518, which means I've posted much less in the last year than I had previously. For the most part, I've lost my impulse to blog. With Willie and Herm gone, and Bibi and Avery back, there's less to fret about. Bobby Valentine remains 7000 miles from where he belongs, but that may not be enough reason to persevere. Best of all, if Israel demonstrates a bit of restraint, dignity, and discipline, it will surely find greater security than it has ever enjoyed in the past, and the world will achieve peace for our time. Thursday, May 07, 2009
Netanyahu Should Heed Ariel Sharon's Response to U.S. Appeasement   "We are currently in the midst of a complex and difficult diplomatic campaign. I turn to the western democracies, first and foremost the leader of the free world, the United States. Do not repeat the dreadful mistake of 1938, when the enlightened democracies of Europe decided to sacrifice Czechoslovakia for the sake of a temporary, convenient solution. Don't try to appease the Arabs at our expense. We will not accept this. Israel will not be Czechoslovakia. Israel will fight terror. There's no difference between 'good terror' and 'bad terror' just as there is no difference between 'good murder' and 'bad murder.'"-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, October 2001 Wednesday, May 06, 2009
The Moment Of Truth For Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria On Sunday night, Rahm Emanuel told AIPAC's major donors that this is a "moment of truth" for Israel and the Palestinians. It is clear that the Obama Administration will put heavy pressure on Israel to accept a modified version of the Saudi plan. Reportedly, this plan will call for the UN flag to fly over the Old City. Binyamin Netanyahu will have to maintain Israel's relationship with the U.S. while trying to secure better borders for Israel than a near complete return to the 1949 armistice lines. I don't know whether Netanyahu will ultimately succeed, but those at Haaretz who predict that he will quickly renounce all his prior positions will be disappointed. Unlike Ariel Sharon, who surrounded himself with people whose idea of strategy was ensuring the political success of Ariel Sharon, Netanyahu's inner circle consists, among others, of Uzi Arad, Dore Gold, Ron Dermer and Ari Harow. These are people well aware both of Israel security needs as well as its national and historic rights. Like Netanyahu, they also are pragmatists who understand that Israel's negotiating position has weakened due to the egregious concessions offered by Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert. My expectation is that Netanyahu will accept parts of the Saudi plan - but will insist on secure and defensible borders for Israel, per UN Resolutions 242 and 338 - and emphasizing Israeli security needs and its rights in Jerusalem, will then do his best to prevent Obama from imposing his own plan on the parties. Friday, May 01, 2009
Justice Department Finally Ends Its Libel Four years after its filing of phony criminal charges against Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, the Department of Justice has today moved to dismiss its own bogus case. Congratulations to Rosen and Weissman on a belated end to their ordeal. Alas, as I wrote more than three years ago (nothing much changed since) the disgraceful prosecution was met with little protest by the purported "leadership" of American Jewry. | "
