Boker tov, Boulder!

Rocky News from the Mountains

I'm so bad about email. I have thousands of them, many if not most unread. I sign up for things...

Anyway, I was making a minimal effort to clean it up when I realized there was a note I hadn't seen from a friend back in Colorado. He sent me the link to this awful letter to the editor published Dec. 26 in the Rocky Mountain News. (Note especially the references to Spielberg's "Munich"):

Unsurprisingly, the word "occupation" did not appear in David Brooks' Dec. 13 column on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict ("Spielberg's 'Munich' omits one thing: evil"). Israel's 38-year occupation of Palestinian lands is the elephant in the room that must not be mentioned. If the occupation and Israeli theft of Palestinian lands, with the concomitant Israeli state terrorism against Palestinians, can be glossed over, it is hard for people to understand what the fighting there is about. It then becomes easier to miscast all Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation simply as acts committed by radical Islamists who want to exterminate Israelis.

It is also important to note that all Israeli settlers in Gaza, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Syria's Golan Heights were and are there illegally. In addition, Israel's "apartheid" wall is stealing even more Palestinian territory.

Acts of terrorism, whether committed by fanatic Arab-hating Israeli settlers, by the Israeli military, or by Hamas or the Islamic Jihad, must be condemned and stopped. However, using even more violence in an attempt to stop the terrorism only provides more fuel to the "perpetual motion machine" of violence mentioned by Spielberg. Instead of using violence, we must deal with the root cause of the conflict by ending the unmentionable occupation and removing all the illegal Israeli settlements.

Ron Forthofer
Longmont

It blows my mind that the man writes that "all Israeli settlers in Gaza... are there illegally." I don't think he realizes how true that is: since the Expulsion of All Jews from the Gaza strip back in August, it is illegal for a Jew to even be in Gaza, much less live there. Forthofer should go, he'd like it.... it's Jew-free.

Thank G-d, my friend responded. I don't know if it got published, but here is his letter to the editor:

While it's hard to understand the racist hatred of Ron Forthofer published in the Rocky's letters to the editor on December 26, 2005, it's clear he wishes the state of Israel did not exist. In raging against Israel's so-called "illegal occupation" of "Palestinian lands", Forthofer studiously ignores well-established facts about the status of the land and its acquisition by Israel. Among Forthofer's oversights is the fact the UN has determined land acquired by Israel in defensive wars dating back to its founding in 1948 is recognized as "disputed" and its disposition is subject to future negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.

It's difficult to fathom how the UN, not known as a bastion of pro-Israel sentiment, can so clearly enumerate the status of the land as "disputed"while Forthofer, a well-educated man with a Ph.D can draw a much more narrow conclusion. I am at a loss to understand how a man with the dedication and talent to earn a Ph.D, which presumably requires the ability to do research, can conclude "Israeli theft of Palestinian lands" and "illegal occupation"have occurred when in the history of the world, no nation or state by the name of Palestine has ever existed.

Forthofer proceeds to demonstrate his complete ignorance of the Israel/Arab conflict by creating, from whole cloth, the existence of Israeli terrorists.Despite wave after wave of horrible terror attacks which pre-date the modern state of Israel, there has been only one case of Israeli terrorism againstPalestinian Arabs. Unlike the well-organized, well-funded and popularly supported Palestinian terrorists who have posters praising their evil acts posted in their towns, or soccer fields names after them, this single instance of Israeli terrorism was immediately and thoroughly investigated and the lone perpetrator condemned.

In 1948, the modern state of Israel was founded by a long overdue act of the United Nations. Populated descendents of Jews who had lived their for millennia, immigrants from eastern Europe and thousands of sick, horrified, or orphaned Holocaust survivors the newly born state of Israel was attacked by all of its Arab neighbors within hours of its birth. Their goal was to destroy the state of Israel and kill every last Jewish man woman and child living there. Since 1948, the goal of Israel's Arab neighbors hasn't changed and Israel has fought several defensive wars for its very survival.

During these wars Israel has captured land from its enemies. Since then, Israel has become the ONLY nation in the history of the world to cede land captured in a defensive was to its enemies in the hope for peace.

Few acts bespeak a complete lack of humanity more than the Arab desire to erase Israel and its inhabitants from the face of the earth when all they want is to live peacefully in their ancestral homeland. Sadly, when an educated man stands up in defense of evil given ample access to historical fact, I believe this lack of humanity has indeed been exceeded.

Kol hakavod, my friend.

the process of Israeli deterioration

I was trying to think of something cheery to post because it is New Year's Eve, and we all need something to be happy about. We'll have to find that in our personal lives, though, because the news is not at all reassuring.

This from My Orbiter Dicta deserves to be widely read.

.... At the beginning of the week one of the commanders of the Islamic Jihad was interviewed by Shlomi Eldar of Channel 10 News. He analyzed, with sharp clarity, the process of Israeli deterioration.

First, he said, we fought with stones, and you said with stones you can't beat an army.

After you were worn out and did not respond to stones, we started shooting. Then you said you'd stop it within a few days. So apparently you couldn't, or didn't want to.

Afterward we started the suicide bombings and you said they were not strategically dangerous.

Then we began shooting the Qassams, and you said, what can Qassams do.

And now, with improved Qassams we are already firing on Ashkelon.

2005 - A Winning Year?

Nominations are in. Voting begins January 9.

Update

DEBKA

The Gaza-Egyptian border crossing at Rafah reopened Friday night.

It was commandeered in the morning by armed Palestinians sending the European monitors to withdraw to Israel. DEBKAfile’s sources disclose the Palestinian Authority ended the standoff by shelling out a sum running into tens of thousands of dollars to the gunmen.

A hefty sum was apparently paid, too, for the release of the abducted Scottish family. The Brits paid the Palestinian Authority, who then paid the terrorists, probably after skimming some off the top for themselves. This way, you see, the Brits can't be said to have negotiated with terrorists. But they did. And they paid for the family to be released.

And the Palestinian Authority is paying terrorists to stop taking over border crossings and running off the EU monitors.

It's a mess, but it could be worse.

Good Shabbos. Chag Sameach.

AQ claims its first hit on Israel

AP: Zarqawi's "Al-Qaeda in Iraq" Claims Rocket Strike on Northern Israeli City from Lebanon via Daily Alert:

Al-Qaeda in Iraq said Thursday that it fired a barrage of rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel this week, in a rare claim by the group of a direct attack against the Jewish state. The statement, on an Islamic Web forum where al-Qaeda in Iraq often posts statements, could not be independently verified.

Without referring to the claim, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, the head of Israeli army intelligence, said Thursday in an interview with Israel's Channel 10 TV,

"Today al-Qaeda is turning its focus to the heart of the Levant - Syria, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, the countries around us, and to Israel."

The group's branch in Iraq, led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been battling U.S. and Iraqi forces for two years and leading a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and kidnappings in that country. But al-Qaeda in Iraq has been expanding attacks to other parts of the Arab world. It claimed to have carried out a Nov. 9 triple suicide bombing against hotels in the Jordanian capital, Amman, that killed 60 people. (AP/USA Today)

AQ's claim leaves confusion at the New York Times.

If you follow that link to the Times, you will note that Michael Slackman writes,

"While no one was seriously injured, Israel retaliated by firing missiles at a camp for a militant Palestinian group... operating just outside of Beirut"

-- as if Israel somehow over-reacted.

He doesn't mention, and may not even know, that one of the terrorists' katyusha rockets landed in the den of a Israeli civilian home. According to Arutz Sheva, "the parents were in the bedroom and went into shock. Their child was unharmed."

I can guarantee you that Mr. Slackman, unless he's off his rocker, would not want to tolerate a katyusha rocket coming into his den, with his children in the house, even if "no one was seriously injured." In leftist language, this would be a violation of one's personal space.

I hope the Israeli missiles hit their target... and Mr. Slackman should hope so too.

Happy New Year? Mazal tov!

I am grateful to today's Dry Bones cartoon for reminding me of something I had completely forgotten: the birth of Jesus was followed - on the eighth day of life - by his bris, that is, brit milah the covenant of circumcision.

And what is eight days after Christmas?

If you enjoy this sort of Connect-the-Dots, there's the obvious connection between a bris on the eighth day, and the eight days of Chanukah, but here's some more from Chabad in Cyberspace, via Beverly Hills Chabad:

There are allusions in the Torah to Chanukah, though the events leading up to the festival occurred much later: "In the beginning, G-d created the Heavens and the earth... and G-d said, 'Let there be light...'." Light--ohr--is the 25th word in the Torah.

The re-dedication of the Holy Temple and the re-lighting of the Menorah took place on the 25th of the month of Kislev.

[funny, Christmas also falls on the 25th... of December]

When the Jews traveled through the Sinai desert, they stopped 42 times. The 25th place where they encamped was Hasmona. Mattityahu, the head of the Hasmonai family, led the revolt against the Greeks.

The Sanctuary in the desert was completed on the 25th of Kislev, eight months after the Exodus from Egypt....

Jewish teachings explain that the 25th of Kislev was set aside for the future re-dedication of the Holy Temple by the Maccabees.

What in the world?

See Soccer Dad for enlightenment.

EU monitors flee the Gaza-Egypt border

AP / Washington Post

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian policemen angry over the killing of a fellow officer stormed the Gaza-Egypt border crossing Friday, firing shots in the air and forcing European monitors to close the border and flee, Palestinian and European officials said.

About 100 policemen entered the Rafah compound and took up positions alongside border patrol officers at the customs section of the crossing, Palestinian security officials and witnesses said.

The European observers - responsible for monitoring the crossing and ensuring the terms of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement are upheld - fled the area, officials said.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties....

On the fifth night of Chanukah

from Naomi Ragen

Friends,

My son came home from the army today. There was an unexpected knock on the door, and there he was, my skinny, tall soldier, carrying a duffel bag that weighs twice what he does, a rifle flung over his shoulder. I guess a mother who never had a son in the army won't understand what it feels like to hug your boy in his army uniform, even before he puts the gun down. He looked tired, but had a big smile on his face. "So good to be home!" he said. "I'm starving." So of course, I started running around, emptying out the refrigerator to find all the things he likes to eat, frantic I had no warning, kicking myself for missing ingredients. But we managed to pull together a meal.

And then he got on the phone. All his friends from his pre-army program were coming over, the boys from Carmey Hayil, that little place on the little hill in the Galilee I wrote about last year, which your donations kept from closing down, the place which taught my son and his friends so much about being a Jew, being a man, and serving the people and land of Israel. The bond they formed there was so strong. The life changes and values they made there so enormous. The support of the Rabbis and teachers so uplifting, it has kept them all firm and clear in their spirits as they do the work of protecting this country, never forgetting to take out time to pray and learn, as well as do their jobs as soldiers.

And soon the house was full of young men. All of them a little taller, a little older. One of them handed me flowers. Such beautiful young men, who are going to make wonderful husbands and fathers one day, God willing. I made them some pizza, and we lit Chanukah candles together. I watched my son and his friends sitting around the table, trading army stories, laughing about getting into trouble with their senior officers for talking back, trading ideas on how to spend their precious free time until they have to return to their units, their young faces alive with ideas, and plans, and joys.

And then I thought I'd leave them alone to have fun. I went into the other room. I put on the news. A homocide bomber attempting to enter into Israel from Kalkilyah (where the Passover Seder bombers came from; how they entered Netanya the night I and my family were there) blew himself up, killing 21 year- old Israeli soldier Uri Binemo, a checkpoint guard, who stopped him from bringing death to Israel's children during Chanukah.

"Ima," my son told me later. "You just don't understand what kind of place we are living in. Everywhere in Israel where there is a town, just above it, just nearby it, is an army outpost which watches over it."

I thought of Uri's mother as I watched my son's friends walk out, on their way home to their own families. I thought of our beautiful little country,surrounded by enemies. And I thought of the miracle of Chanukah, where the few defeated the many; how they made it possible for Jewish life to go on. And in my heart I prayed that God would watch over our soldiers and guard them, they way our soldiers guard us.

Naomi

Amen, Chag Sameach.

Scottish family kidnapped by Palestinians

A handout picture released by Palestinian rights group Al Mezan shows kidnapped Briton Kate Burton in Gaza December 29, 2005. Palestinian security officials hunted on Thursday for the human rights activist and her parents who were abducted in the Gaza Strip, but officials reported no immediate progress. REUTERS/Handout

Scotland Today:

Palestinian security chiefs are holding talks with the kidnappers of a young Scottish woman abducted at gunpoint on the Gaza Strip. Kate Burton from Glasgow was seized by gunmen in the town of Rafah.

At the centre where Kate Burton works colleagues not surprisingly are concerned, but they are not overly worried. Kate speaks Arabic well along with three other languages. She had been working for the United Nations in the region for about a year before joining the Al Mezan Human Rights Centre.

Jhada Snunu, from the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, said: "She was really very cooperative. She was helping the legal aid unit here in the centre, because she was dealing with the detainees in the Israeli jails."

Kidnappings are not uncommon in Gaza. Over one and a half million people live in what could be called the world's largest refugee camps.

Of course, if you live in a refugee camp, then it's understandable and acceptable that you kidnap people.

I don't know where the writer gets his figure of 1.5 million. Perhaps he is referring to UNRWA figures (as of 31 March 2005) which show a total of 1,259,813 registered refugees in all 59 camps (including ten in Jordan, twelve in Lebanon, ten in Syria and eight in the now-Palestinian-controlled-Gaza strip). The only Palestinian refugees in Israeli-controlled territory are some of the 181,241 in the disputed "West Bank." The other million-plus are in Arab-controlled territories.

Consequent to the Oslo accords, authority over 12 out of 19 camps in the "West Bank" passed to the Palestinian Authority. Thus, as I understand it, out of 59 Palestinian refugee camps, only seven are under Israel's security control. The other 52 are Arab-controlled.

Too bad the writer didn't know this information, or worse yet, didn't think it relevant.

What a mess. The UNRWA sports an annual budget of $339.3 million, but clearly states that it "does not run refugee camps." So who does? And why would the Arabs... Palestinian, Jordanian, Lebanese and Syrian... want these people in camps? Hmmm?