ISRAEL'S HISTORY AND RIGHT TO EXIST

There are some excellent resources that explain the complexities of the problems between Israel and her neighbors. This is but one...

This section of DiscoverTheNetworks examines how Israel came into existence, and explains why it is (contrary to the claims of much of the Arab world and the Arab lobby) a nation every bit as legitimate as any other in the world. In his November 30, 2007 article titled "Israel’s Right to the Land" (published by FrontPageMagazine.com), Sean Gannon provides the following analysis of this topic:

The view that the Middle East peace process ... is essentially a mechanism for the vindication of Palestinian rights over the West Bank and Gaza is widely held ... in Western Europe, where an awareness of Israel’s legitimate claims and entitlements has been a casualty of the predominantly left-wing media’s embrace of the Palestinian cause. Whereas Arab prerogatives are exhaustively documented, the Jewish right to this land is almost entirely ignored. The anniversaries this month of three of the founding documents of the modern Middle East present an opportunity to redress the balance and reassert the Israeli case. Read more....

See also: PALESTINE FACTS

Early History

World War I

The British Mandate

Israeli Independence

Israel 1948-1967

Israel 1967-1991

Israel 1991 to Present

Current Events

More from FrontPage Magazine

For months now, the Palestinian terror group Hamas has been shelling Israeli cities with little in the way of an assertive response. But this weekend, which capped a week when at least 300 Hamas-fired rockets and mortars pounded southern Israel, the Israeli government has at last decided to retaliate... Israel Strikes Back

In early 2005, the Israeli Knesset passed the Disengagement Plan Implementation Law, which was the legal expression of Ariel Sharon’s desire to give the Palestinians in Gaza precisely that which they wanted and demanded; an end to Israeli occupation. But, true to its Charter, that is not enough for Hamas. For only the destruction of Israel and the creation of a first-time Palestinian state “from the sea to the river” will suffice. What has led to the ongoing and massive Israeli precision airstrikes within Gaza against carefully vetted Hamas targets bares this fact to be as true as the sea is deep...The Lessons of Gaza

The core of the Arab-Israeli problem is Israel's "territorial addiction." So declares a December 3 Haaretz article by one Alex Sinclair...'Territorial Addiction' and Academic Debasement

Along with today's TV propaganda in which Hamas depicts itself as a victim, Hamas continues to portray itself as the heroic killer of Israelis... How Palestinian TV is Covering the War

More headlines on the current conflict...

Once again, no surprises. It seems that the world looks the other way whenever Hamas or the PA attacks Israel and then retreats to hide among their own people (making it difficult to weed them out). But as soon as Israel defends herself the vocal critics find a stage.

UN condemns 'disproportionate' Israeli airstrikes in Gaza:

Mr Ban said he condemned excessive use of force which resulted in the killing and injuring of civilians.

The Security Council called for the restoration of calm to "open the way for finding a political solution to the problems existing in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement".

The White House statement is notably more astute:

The White House however, put the main responsiblity for the violence on the Hamas government in Gaza.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the US strongly condemned the repeated rocket attacks against Israel, and held Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire, which she said should be restored immediately.

The problem is that the UN han't got any solutions, and either has anyone else for that matter.

This includes JAVIER SOLANA who always seems to find voice at times such as this, yet lacks any answers:

'The current Israeli strikes are inflicting an unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians and will only worsen the humanitarian crisis as well as complicate the search for a peaceful solution,' EU High Representative Javier Solana said in a statement.

'I call for an immediate cessation of military actions on both sides. The EU has repeatedly condemned rocket attacks against Israel,' the statement said.

Solana's comment came hours after the French government, which holds the EU's rotating presidency until the end of the year, condemned a series of rocket attacks on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip as an 'unjustifiable provocation' and the Israeli response as 'disproportionate.'

Déjà vu? It seems like only yesterday that the "powers" that be were striving to force the division of Jerusalem.

Thanks to Lori for the following news items:

Israel tanks mass near Gaza as jets again pound Hamas

IDF Releases Photos of Hamas Targets, Terror Training Facilities

IAF Destroys 40 Tunnels in 270 Seconds

IAF Warplanes Seen Flying Over Lebanon

Iranian Red Crescent vessel heads to Gaza

Syria, Turkey Break Off Talks with Israel Because of Gaza Op.

Pray for the inoccent Palestinians caught up in this war and pray for Israel.

Joel Rosenberg has a new post

WAR IN GAZA CONTINUES, COULD IGNITE IN NORTH: Pray for peace

Israel retaliates

Israel has finally retaliated. I only have time to post this Headline.

Let's wait and see how the media handles this one!

More....

The toothless UN demands 'immediate' halt to attacks

In a statement released Saturday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to all violence in both Gaza and southern Israel.

"While recognizing Israel's security concerns regarding the continued firing of rockets from Gaza, Ban firmly reiterates Israel's obligation to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law and condemns excessive use of force leading to the killing and injuring of civilians. He condemns the ongoing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants and is deeply distressed that repeated calls on Hamas for these attacks to end have gone unheeded," the statement continued...

No surprise here...

Tibi protests Israeli 'war crime'

Joel Rosenberg has a new post

CHRISTMAS IN THE HOLY LAND: Israel hit by nearly 200 rockets from Gaza this week

The Light of Hope in Darkness

From American Thinker:

By Bruce Walker

In the Mumbai Massacre terrorists particularly targeted Jews, focusing special attention of the Chabad house. The Holocaust denial in Iran and the proliferation of literary outrages like The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion or monstrous tracts like Mein Kampf, are sad proof that hatred of Jews is not limited to terrorists operating in India. The chic Leftists of Europe unite with terrorists in their reflexive hatred of Israel and unspoken anti-Semitism.

Grimly, not just anti-Semitism found violent expression in the generally placid India. This year alone, more than 100 Christians have been murdered in anti-Christian riots on the subcontinent. The ancient Christian community in Iraq is facing slow extermination. The defamation of Christian faith in elite salons has never been more gleeful than now.

As one pundit put it: "Never before in the history of the world have Jews been so universally persecuted; and never before has such persecution fallen, as it does today, upon Jews and Christians alike. It is a sign of the profound disturbances of our civilization" Indeed it is. But Jacques Maritain did not write those words today. He wrote them in 1943 in a book entitled Twilight of Civilization. Maritain was philosemitic and understood the importance of the Jewish people to a moral universe...

Read the article HERE.

Russia provides 10 MiG fighter jets to Lebanon for free

Thanks to the anonymous poster for this news tip.

Russia provides 10 MiG fighter jets to Lebanon for free:

Tony Halpin in Moscow

Russia gave Lebanon ten MiG fighter jets yesterday in a deal to boost defence cooperation.

The MiG29 Fulcrum fighters would be provided free to Lebanon under an agreement on military-technical assistance, the head of Russia’s defence cooperation service said. Mikhail Dmitryev said that the jets would come from Russia’s existing stock.

He said that Moscow was also in talks to supply Beirut with heavy armour, adding that supplies of such weaponry were “now possible after the situation in this nation has stabilised”.

He said: “We view the Lebanese army as the main guarantor of this nation’s stability, therefore the armed forces of this country must be strengthened.” The deal followed a meeting in Moscow between Anatoly Serdyukov, the Defence Minister, and Elias Murrhis, his Lebanese counterpart. Mr Serdyukov said that Russia had received a detailed list of armaments sought by Lebanon.

Read the ARTICLE.

Also....

Missing the Target

By P. David Hornik

FrontPageMagazine.com Friday, December 19, 2008

It was just a few days ago that Russia succeeded, along with its fellow Quartet member the United States, in getting the UN Security Council to pass a resolution on Middle East peace.

Yet by Thursday tensions had surfaced between Israel and Russia over a purportedly imminent Russian sale of an antiaircraft missile system to Iran. The system, the S-300, is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world and would seriously hinder an attempt to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Russia has already sold TOR-M1 surface-to-air missiles to the regime of the mullahs.

A report by Russia’s own RIA news agency claims Russia is now “fulfilling a contract” to deliver S-300 systems to Iran. One site, by no means to be dismissed, says Russia is already physically transferring the systems and it’s a done deal. Jerusalem, though, is interpreting the RIA report as pressure aimed at getting Israel to sell Russia 100 of Israel’s advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Read it HERE.

When Bibi Met Obama

By Dick Morris

FrontPageMagazine.com Wednesday, December 17, 2008

With the election of Barack Obama, the United States has moved dramatically to the left in its foreign policy at just the time that Israel, which seems likely to return Bibi Netanyahu to office in early February, is moving to the right. A collision is almost inevitable. Caroline Glick, the highly astute conservative columnist for the Jerusalem Post, writes that the “international community” believes that Obama “will move quickly to place massive pressure on the next Israeli government to withdraw from Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in the interests of advancing a ‘peace process’ with the Palestinians and the Syrians.” She notes that “people who have been in close contact with Obama’s foreign policy transition team have privately acknowledged that the widespread belief that Obama will move swiftly to put the screws on Israel is fully justified. According to one source who has spent a great deal of time with the transition team since last month’s U.S. elections, Obama’s people are ‘scope-locked’ on Israel.”

Read the rest of the ARTICLE.

Iran and Nuclear Weapons Capability

I recently read an article written by Professor Kaveh L Afrasiabi at Asia Times Online. Afrasiabi argues that Iran is nowhere near Nuclear Breakout Capability. He also contradicts a REPORT by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).

According to Afrasiabi:

By ignoring these issues completely, the respected nuclear experts seem unconvincing in their quasi-alarmist projections of Iran's near-term nuclear weapon capability - the same projections which are indirectly fueling the argument of the more hawkish experts for the military option.

Their report serves as a half-cooked meal for new US policy-makers gearing up for action come next January. But it will surely give them indigestion, as it replicates the coercive approach that is centered on the theology of Iran's "nuclear intentions" and "capability".

“Quasi-alarmist projections”? Prof Afrasiabi may well wax eloquent in the comfort of his study as he critiques the ISIS report. Meanwhile, there are a number of other media reports that should give Israel pause for concern if Afrasiabi is, in fact, mistaken. Israel does not have the luxury of a second chance in the event of a mistake.

Some interesting headlines:

Covert marine operation uncovers Syria's return to plutonium production

Iran rejects Obama's carrot/stick policy

Iran says will not halt nuclear work despite U.S.

Iranian Pres Ahmadinejad circa August 2006

Thanks to Alesia for this one:

Iranian VP calls for Israel’s destruction

Israel's Choice

Some may be able to sleep tight at night, but Israel's defences cannot!

New post by Joel Rosenberg.

Joel Rosenberg has a new post on his WEBLOG.

U.S., Israel and the future:
3 webcasts from San Diego and Jerusalem

I encourage everyone who has a love for Israel and an interest in Middle East affairs to keep track of Joel's blog.

Blaming Israel for Mumbai

"The idea that Israel is responsible for the ‘clash of civilizations’ is not unique. It is often pointed out whenever Osama Bin Laden references Israel, which he rarely does, in the context that Israel and the ‘Middle East Conflict’ are fanning the flames of terrorism worldwide. There was no shortgage of voices after the 7/7 London bombings that wanted to show that Israel and the ‘conflict’ had ‘radicalized’ those who carried out the attacks."

"Jonathan Cook, a British journalist based in Nazareth, is the author of Israel and the Clash of Civilizations. He is a frequent contributer to the U.K’s Guardian and Observer as well as Le Monde and The Herald Tribune. In his book he argues that “from the early 1980s, it was Israeli policy to subdue the Palestinians, fragment Arab rivals, and foster ethnic and religious discord to maintain unchallengeable regional dominance.”"

Seth Frantzman of FrontPageMagazine.Com writes concerning the all-too common phenomenon of blaming Israel for Islamic attacks. The latest excuse to whip Israel is the Mumbai tragedy. You can read the article HERE.

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (Camera) also reported that a recent article in the London Times contained an anti-semitic remark that seemed totally out of context to the Mumbai tragedy:

London Times Coverage of Mumbai Events Includes Anti-Semitic Remark

Blair Urges Council on Foreign Relations to Pressure Israel

by Baruch Gordon

IsraelNN.com) Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for United States President-elect Barack Obama to press hard for Israel to make further territorial concessions to the Palestinian Authority. Blair, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday, also praised Obama’s selections to lead his national security team, most notably former NATO commander General James L. Jones as National Security Advisor for the incoming administration. Jones was until recently the US special envoy for Middle East security and in that role has advocated sending a NATO force to impose a solution in Judea and Samaria. Read it HERE.

Also from Bible Prophecy Today:

"Tony Blair, the former British PM and now the special Peace Envoy to the Middle East for the Quartet, offered praise for President-elect Obama's selections to lead his National Security team and told him that the time is right for a fresh push for progress in the Middle East peace process..."

"If Tony Blair and the Obama team are successful, we will see the prophetic scenario that is called for in Bible prophecy come into better focus. The ancient, Jewish prophet Daniel wrote 2,500 years ago that a world leader from Europe, the area of the revived Roman Empire, indeed would bring peace to the Middle East, Daniel 9:27. Please do not misunderstand. I am not saying Tony Blair is that world leader spoken of in Bible prophecy as the Antichrist; however, I would say Tony Blair is doing everything Bible prophecy calls for.Tony Blair is a perfect prototype of that world leader and is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled."

Note: Personally, I don't see Tony Blair as that world leader. What is evident to me, though, is that the world is ready to accept a world leader, whoever he may turn out to be.

Rockets Fly, The UN Lies

Listen to most media reports and celebrity gushes and you would be inclined to believe that the UN was a paragon of virtue, that it was interested in peace and that it would never take unfair sides in a war.

During the 2006 Israel - Lebanon conflict, UNIFIL forces routinely relayed information to the Hezbollah forces as related HERE by Lori Lowenthal Marcus. This is only one of many reports detailing this incident.

UN prejudice against Israel is an ongoing phenomenon. Arlene Kushner outlines some of the UN’s inconsistencies when dealing with the Israeli – Palestinian issue. Read the article HERE.