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Israel has to stand up for itself, not just a right but an obligation to it's people.
Israel defends itself. Is it for real?
From "Tuvia Brodie" - Tuvia Brodie
Here are some headlines you may have missed. They--and the commentary beloware for January 15-17, 2014.
-IDF Legend: Ya'alon Is Right, This is Absurd (01/15/14, Arutz Sheva)
-Abandoning Jordan Valley Means Abandoning Security" (01/15/14, Arutz Sheva)
- Israel Advocacy Group 'Spells it Out' for Kerry (01/16/14, Arutz Sheva)
- ZOA: US Anger At Ya'alon A Double Standard (01/17/14, Arutz Sheva)
-Amidror: US Cannot Force Dangerous Deal On Us (01/15/14, Arutz Sheva)
- Report: Yaalon Outburst Provoked by Kerry-led Pressure Campaign (01/16/14, Arutz Sheva)
-Netanyahu slams EU 'Hypocrisy' on New Building (01/16/14, Arutz Sheva)
- Netanyahu: Israel is standing firm on its security interests (01/15/14, Jerusalem Post)
--
The news during this three-day cycle in Israel turned out to be upbeat. For the first time in recent memory, the Prime Minister has dropped the gloves. Thats a good sign.
Right now, Israel needs a fighting Prime Minister.
Last week did not start with an up. It began instead with a blunder: someone in the Israeli government (guess who) made Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon apologize for negative remarks he had made about US Secretary of State John Kerry. The apology made Israel look weak.
The problem here is, who defends Israel? To paraphrase the Jewish Ethics of the Fathers, if we dont defend ourselves, who will?
The short answer is, nobody. The Yaalon apology looked bad because it seemed to tell the world that, given the choice, Israel will bow to the powerful instead of standing firm.
Yaalon had called out Kerry. Then he backed down.
We should be careful about Kerry. In a sense, he is not at this moment Israels real problem. Israels real problem is the new one-two punch combo called, the EU and the PA (Palestinian Authority).
Kerry is not our enemyat least, not yet. Abbas of the PA is our enemy; and Catherine Ashton of the EU is doing a really good imitation of enemy of Israel.
If Israel is to survive the PA and the EU, it cannot be weak.
Heres a lesson to remember: if we dont defend ourselves when attacked, our silence validates the attack. If we validate an attack, we strengthen the enemy.
At the moment, the peace talks strengthen Abbas. Each week, it becomes clearer and clearer: these talks are not about peace. They are about how badly Israel gets demonized, delegitimized and sanctioned after the talks fail.
The talks are designed to fail. Our enemy Abbas predetermined that. He has adamantly repeated that he will negotiate nothing. He keeps saying there will be no peace unless he gets all of his demands.
These talks put Israel into a spotlightand Abbas grows stronger each time Israel looks weak, cowed or without a defense. He lays an ambush for Israeland the EU cant wait to spring it.
Abbas works to guarantee that the talks fail. The EU waits to spring a massive boycott against Israel if the talks fail.
Its a one-two punch. Israel will be cornered, boycotted and then isolated on steroids. Kerry has already said as much.
The talks, in other words, look increasingly like a set-up.
Israels battle is not to get a workable peace treaty. The battle is to avoid the post-talks hit. That battle plays out now-here-today.
Israel must fight for itself--now. If Israel waits until after the talks fail, it will be too late.
With this background, we can see that as ugly as Yaalons apology seemed, the fight to defend Israel may have finally begun. The apology set off a storm. Israeli editorials and op-ed essays came to Yaalons defense. Each editorial and every op-ed essay hammered out the reasons Yaalon was diplomatically correct, if politically incorrect.
There were at least six defences within three days. Every defense repeated the Israeli position: it would not be cornered into a militarily indefensible peace.
It was the best PR Israel could have given its citizens. You couldnt avoid seeing Israel standing up for itself. If you missed one essay, there were three others to catch your attention.
Then a report surfaced to suggest exactly why Yaalon had spoken out in the first place (Report: Yaalon Outburst Provoked by Kerry-led Pressure Campaign). Kerry, it seems, had crossed a diplomatic line.
Do you remember the 2012 US Presidential elections? Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was attacked in the US for interfering with that campaign by appearing to favour Republican Mitt Romney (Senator slams Netanyahu for interfering in US elections, Jerusalem Post, September 14, 2014). Anti-Israel forces in the US had a field day bashing both Netanyahu and Israel: how dare you Jews try to manipulate us?
Well, Kerry has done the same thing, except he didnt do it in public. He did it privately. He did it when no one could see him.
He is reported to have searched out Israel Defense Force (IDF) friends of America and lobbiedor pressured--them to support the American plan. The result was a number of articles in Israels press showcasing IDF support for Kerrys peace.
If Netanyahus behaviour during the 2012 US elections was considered interference, Kerrys secret lobbying was interference on steroids. It was far worse. It was an attempt to manipulate significant Israeli national decision-making by manipulating Israels military to manipulate Israels press.
Now, the US is getting hammered in Israels press for its over-reaching. Now, Israelis are listening a lot more to whats at stake than they had before.
This is good for Israelif it continues.
The reason Israel needs to defend itself now is that Israel has to influence decision-makers who can help off-set Abbas machinations and that EU boycott (above). The decision-makers Israel needs to influence are not the leaders we see in the news. They are instead individuals who willor will notcarry out what their leaders demand.
The advertised leaders for this drama are Catherine Ashton of the EU and Obama/Kerry of the US. They appear to have already decided what will happen to Israel if the talks fail.
The people Israel needs to influence are lower-ranked officials in the US and the EUthe unadvertised specials, if you will. For example, in the EU, there are member countries which, even now, are sceptical about Israels responsibility for no-peace. Some may well be very sceptical indeed about the morality of punishing only Israel for peace talk failure.
These influential officials need to see a vigorous defense by Israel. They need to see Israel fight. They will not help Israel if Israel wont stand up for itself.
In the US, meanwhile, members of Congress are overwhelmingly pro-Israel. Many do not see Israel as the bad guy in the Arab-Israel conflict. Many are ready to support Israelif Israel shows that it deserves that support.
Thats the goal Israel needs to pursue with the US Congress and EU member-states: it needs to make sure VIPs understand that Israel deserves their support.
Is Israel finally ready to do that?
Stay tuned.
Israel defends itself. Is it for real?
From "Tuvia Brodie" - Tuvia Brodie
Here are some headlines you may have missed. They--and the commentary beloware for January 15-17, 2014.
-IDF Legend: Ya'alon Is Right, This is Absurd (01/15/14, Arutz Sheva)
-Abandoning Jordan Valley Means Abandoning Security" (01/15/14, Arutz Sheva)
- Israel Advocacy Group 'Spells it Out' for Kerry (01/16/14, Arutz Sheva)
- ZOA: US Anger At Ya'alon A Double Standard (01/17/14, Arutz Sheva)
-Amidror: US Cannot Force Dangerous Deal On Us (01/15/14, Arutz Sheva)
- Report: Yaalon Outburst Provoked by Kerry-led Pressure Campaign (01/16/14, Arutz Sheva)
-Netanyahu slams EU 'Hypocrisy' on New Building (01/16/14, Arutz Sheva)
- Netanyahu: Israel is standing firm on its security interests (01/15/14, Jerusalem Post)
--
The news during this three-day cycle in Israel turned out to be upbeat. For the first time in recent memory, the Prime Minister has dropped the gloves. Thats a good sign.
Right now, Israel needs a fighting Prime Minister.
Last week did not start with an up. It began instead with a blunder: someone in the Israeli government (guess who) made Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon apologize for negative remarks he had made about US Secretary of State John Kerry. The apology made Israel look weak.
The problem here is, who defends Israel? To paraphrase the Jewish Ethics of the Fathers, if we dont defend ourselves, who will?
The short answer is, nobody. The Yaalon apology looked bad because it seemed to tell the world that, given the choice, Israel will bow to the powerful instead of standing firm.
Yaalon had called out Kerry. Then he backed down.
We should be careful about Kerry. In a sense, he is not at this moment Israels real problem. Israels real problem is the new one-two punch combo called, the EU and the PA (Palestinian Authority).
Kerry is not our enemyat least, not yet. Abbas of the PA is our enemy; and Catherine Ashton of the EU is doing a really good imitation of enemy of Israel.
If Israel is to survive the PA and the EU, it cannot be weak.
Heres a lesson to remember: if we dont defend ourselves when attacked, our silence validates the attack. If we validate an attack, we strengthen the enemy.
At the moment, the peace talks strengthen Abbas. Each week, it becomes clearer and clearer: these talks are not about peace. They are about how badly Israel gets demonized, delegitimized and sanctioned after the talks fail.
The talks are designed to fail. Our enemy Abbas predetermined that. He has adamantly repeated that he will negotiate nothing. He keeps saying there will be no peace unless he gets all of his demands.
These talks put Israel into a spotlightand Abbas grows stronger each time Israel looks weak, cowed or without a defense. He lays an ambush for Israeland the EU cant wait to spring it.
Abbas works to guarantee that the talks fail. The EU waits to spring a massive boycott against Israel if the talks fail.
Its a one-two punch. Israel will be cornered, boycotted and then isolated on steroids. Kerry has already said as much.
The talks, in other words, look increasingly like a set-up.
Israels battle is not to get a workable peace treaty. The battle is to avoid the post-talks hit. That battle plays out now-here-today.
Israel must fight for itself--now. If Israel waits until after the talks fail, it will be too late.
With this background, we can see that as ugly as Yaalons apology seemed, the fight to defend Israel may have finally begun. The apology set off a storm. Israeli editorials and op-ed essays came to Yaalons defense. Each editorial and every op-ed essay hammered out the reasons Yaalon was diplomatically correct, if politically incorrect.
There were at least six defences within three days. Every defense repeated the Israeli position: it would not be cornered into a militarily indefensible peace.
It was the best PR Israel could have given its citizens. You couldnt avoid seeing Israel standing up for itself. If you missed one essay, there were three others to catch your attention.
Then a report surfaced to suggest exactly why Yaalon had spoken out in the first place (Report: Yaalon Outburst Provoked by Kerry-led Pressure Campaign). Kerry, it seems, had crossed a diplomatic line.
Do you remember the 2012 US Presidential elections? Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was attacked in the US for interfering with that campaign by appearing to favour Republican Mitt Romney (Senator slams Netanyahu for interfering in US elections, Jerusalem Post, September 14, 2014). Anti-Israel forces in the US had a field day bashing both Netanyahu and Israel: how dare you Jews try to manipulate us?
Well, Kerry has done the same thing, except he didnt do it in public. He did it privately. He did it when no one could see him.
He is reported to have searched out Israel Defense Force (IDF) friends of America and lobbiedor pressured--them to support the American plan. The result was a number of articles in Israels press showcasing IDF support for Kerrys peace.
If Netanyahus behaviour during the 2012 US elections was considered interference, Kerrys secret lobbying was interference on steroids. It was far worse. It was an attempt to manipulate significant Israeli national decision-making by manipulating Israels military to manipulate Israels press.
Now, the US is getting hammered in Israels press for its over-reaching. Now, Israelis are listening a lot more to whats at stake than they had before.
This is good for Israelif it continues.
The reason Israel needs to defend itself now is that Israel has to influence decision-makers who can help off-set Abbas machinations and that EU boycott (above). The decision-makers Israel needs to influence are not the leaders we see in the news. They are instead individuals who willor will notcarry out what their leaders demand.
The advertised leaders for this drama are Catherine Ashton of the EU and Obama/Kerry of the US. They appear to have already decided what will happen to Israel if the talks fail.
The people Israel needs to influence are lower-ranked officials in the US and the EUthe unadvertised specials, if you will. For example, in the EU, there are member countries which, even now, are sceptical about Israels responsibility for no-peace. Some may well be very sceptical indeed about the morality of punishing only Israel for peace talk failure.
These influential officials need to see a vigorous defense by Israel. They need to see Israel fight. They will not help Israel if Israel wont stand up for itself.
In the US, meanwhile, members of Congress are overwhelmingly pro-Israel. Many do not see Israel as the bad guy in the Arab-Israel conflict. Many are ready to support Israelif Israel shows that it deserves that support.
Thats the goal Israel needs to pursue with the US Congress and EU member-states: it needs to make sure VIPs understand that Israel deserves their support.
Is Israel finally ready to do that?
Stay tuned.