Israel Sees Terror as Transactional
by Paul Rotenberg
Everything indicates that in the aftermath of a series of terror attacks Israel still insists on seeing terror as transactional. They attack us, we respond by “the same amount” and the Israeli leadership is very careful as to where to apply this exact amount of response.
Israel will never be free of terror if Israel responds on a transactional basis, just as Israel will never be free of rockets if the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister keep announcing how bad it will be for the terrorists if they send one more rocket, but it’s never “too bad." This has been the approach of successive Israeli “leadership” for the past 20 years or more.
This does not just put Israelis at risk, it costs lives, both of Israeli citizens and Israeli soldiers who are forced into dangerous situations that should not have arisen. To be clear, when Israeli leadership does not appropriately respond to terror attacks, it costs Israeli lives.
Israel’s response must be such that the entire world understands that Israel values the life of every one of its citizens beyond limits.
Lapid Sabotaging Israel
- The Orthodox Jewish organization warns that “inflammatory rhetoric” from Lapid increases delegitimization of Israel, fans the flames of antisemitism, and endangers Diaspora Jewish communities. The letter blast Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, saying that the politician is attempting to undermine the Israeli government.
- The Am Echad organization has expressed “grave concern” over actions by Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who apparently is continuing his campaign of hate against the government while visiting the United States. Am Echad told Lapid that “at the very least, large swaths of the Israeli population support the government’s actions and view them as the fruition of election promises. Therefore, it is disingenuous of you to accuse the government of undermining Israeli democracy and calling on American Jews to get up in arms to protect Israel from its own leadership.”
Israel at 75 - Happy Yom Ha'atzmaut!
(Israel Independence Day)
Food for Thought. by Steven Shamrak
I do not blame the 'Ugly Nothing' only for its discriminatory policy against Israel. The United Nations is controlled by the traditional anti-Semitic ugliness of the Western countries - so-called democracies, which are the primary dominant powers in the UN. They have been encouraging aggression of the Arab/Muslim world against Israel, since even before the Jewish state was created.
'Ugly Nazi' Became even Uglier
Russia, the current president of the United Nations Security Council, has refused an Israeli request to postpone a debate on the Palestinian issue on Israel’s Memorial Day. The PA views the decision to hold the debate as a victory. Shortly after Russia assumed the rotating the presidency, the council announced it would hold a session on the situation in the Middle East.
'Israel-Friendly' Jordanian Parliamentarian
A Jordanian member of parliament, Imad al-Adwan, was arrested by Israeli border personnel while trying to use his diplomatic passport to smuggle three bags containing 12 assault rifles, 270 medium and small weapons, and 100 kilos (220 pounds) of gold, worth some $6.6 million. “I don’t think that this episode is connected to Jordan in general, but to an irresponsible criminal act,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
Israel Opens Embassy in Turkmenistan
After visiting Azerbaijan, where he met Azerbaijan's President, Economy Minister, and Foreign Minister, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen arrived in Turkmenistan to inaugurate the Israeli embassy building in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The permanent building of the embassy is located about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the country's border with Iran.
Attorney General - Delusional or Self-Hating Enemy?
AG Gali Baharav-Miara opposed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s decision to ban Palestinians from attending the Memorial Day service, saying “Allowing Palestinians into Israel in order to attend the joint service has already been discussed by the Supreme Court, which ruled they should be allowed to enter under the necessary checks and precautions.” (What would they commemorate? Why precautions are needed?)
Arabs Taken Part in March of the Living in Poland
The Sharaka delegation of 22 Arab participants from Morocco, Bahrain, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, and Israel joined the Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Poland. Sharaka is a non-governmental initiative that grows the impact of the Abraham Accords by transforming the vision of people-to-people peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours into a reality.
Rise of Holocaust Denial and Antisemitism Online
The prevalence of Antisemitic, Holocaust-denying, and Israel-hating content on social media surged by 180% in 2022. Sixty percent of all anti-Semitic flagged posts were found on Twitter, while VK and Facebook followed with 14% and 10%, respectively. Around 64% of the content was classified as Holocaust denial and classic antisemitism, while 36% was aimed at Israel with calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and the desecration of its flag. Only 5% of this content was taken down. All five major networks - TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube - have policies against expressions of antisemitism and Holocaust denial.
Iranian Crown Prince Visited the Western Wall
During the Holocaust Memorial Day, Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi stood on the Western Wall plaza near the central flag pole, alongside hundreds of worshipers who were praying at the site. Pahlavi prayed for peace for the nations and peoples, between Israel and Iran. The prince signed the Western Wall guestbook with the words, "To peace, to freedom, to security, respect of man, and to life together. I bless the people of Iran and Israel." (He didn’t go to Ramallah to meet Abbas, as many so-called friends of Israel, leaders of the Western Democracies, do!)
Quotes of the Week:
“The date was Erev Pesach 1943. Two separate Jewish groups launched the Warsaw Ghetto revolt against the German forces. The groups didn’t work together or even speak with one another. Within four weeks, the Nazis had completely destroyed both groups and quelled the revolt. We are now 80 years later, just having completed Pesach 2023. Yet, once again, two Jewish groups remain, not cooperating and all-too-often not even speaking one with the other. Do we think for even a second that our enemies care if we are ideologically right or left? Whether we are secular or observant? Ashkenazi or Sephardi? The answer is of course not - our enemies didn't care what kind of Jews we were in 1943, and they don’t care now!" - Rabbi David Stav
Why Israel is the Innovation Nation
by Tristin Hopper
“Necessity is the mother of invention” - Plato
Israel routinely ranks number one in the world for per-capita startups, and it has a rate of tech investment that has been as much as 28 times higher than the United States.
It’s often said of Israel that in a land devoid of natural resources, they had to build an economy based on their human capital.
The USB stick was invented in Israel in the 1980s. Israeli agricultural scientists helped to popularize the cherry tomato. And any smartphone is inevitably going to include Israeli code.
Israel is a weird place, with any number of strange conditions that don’t really exist anywhere else on Earth: Small size, lack of water, heavy immigrant population, unusually hostile neighbours. The result is that the country’s scientists keep inventing their way out of uniquely Israeli problems.
Only about half of Israelis are native-born speakers of the country’s national language, Hebrew. In 1997, an Israeli company debuted Babylon, one of the first software programs to offer instantaneous translation of documents and web pages.
The country is largely desert, and almost all of the usual sources of surface water come by way of neighbours that are not particularly fond of Israel. And now, Israel is managing to produce 20 per cent more water than it needs, using huge desalination plants that convert seawater into drinking water. A centralized water management system that repurposes wastewater, replenishes aquifers and moves water around.
The most famous Israeli invention is drip irrigation, a method of watering agriculture developed in the 1950s that, as its name suggests, waters crops using targeted drip irrigation rather than sprinklers.
Israel has been receiving more incoming missiles, and for longer, than any other country on the planet. Iron Dome can block about 90 per cent of incoming rockets and artillery shells. Israel has developed Arrow 3, a quick-reaction missile designed to intercept and destroy the newest, longer-range threats, especially those carrying weapons of mass destruction. The Trophy countermeasure system is designed to detect an incoming anti-tank missile and then cripple it at the last second with a burst of small projectiles.