Netanyahu: "The Palestinians Have No Interest In Entering Peace Talks"

Well, it's about time someone admitted it.

“For the last three years, the Palestinians have refused to enter negotiations, thinking they could impose preconditions upon us,” Netanyahu told Israeli lawmakers in a closed parliamentary meeting.

“The Palestinians have no interest in entering peace talks. I’m ready to travel now to Ramallah to start peace talks with Abu Mazen, without preconditions. But the simple truth is that Abu Mazen is not ready,” he said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is widely known as Abu Mazen.

Netanyahu’s comments were relayed by a meeting participant who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.

Abbas says the Palestinians will not resume talks unless Israel stops building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in the 1967 war from Jordan and claimed by the Palestinians as parts of their future state.

Actually, this WAPO article is somewhat..incomplete in details. Not only is Abbas insisting that Israel not build in the areas mentioned (most of whom are going to be off the table in any peace settlement anyway) but Abbas insists that Israel commit to making the pre '67 lines the starting point of the negotiations before any talks occur, and has said numerous times that he's unwilling to make a single concession of any kind to Israel in any negotiations he enters.

In other words, Abbas is only willing to 'negotiate' with the Israelis only if there's nothing much left to negotiate. This is roughly the equivalent of agreeing to go to Las Vegas and place a bet on the roulette wheel only if your winnings are guaranteed in advance.

Another building freeze is off the table, and Abbas knows it very well, which is exactly why he's insisting on it. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu already gave the 'Palestinians' a 10 month freeze as a unilateral concession before in an attempt to get talks going, something that caused him considerable political damage at home. It turned out to be worthless, because the 'Palestinians' stonewalled for 9 1/2 months and then used Netanyahu's refusal to extend the freeze indefinitely as an excuse to bail out of talks. Netanyahu isn't going to make the same mistake twice.

Actually, the reality is that the 'Palestinians' have little interest in living in peace beside Israel, but merely in getting Israel as close to the indefensible pre '67 lines as possible. People interested in living in peace don't display maps of 'Palestine' with Israel obliterated, don't hold up people who've murdered Israeli civilians as heroes and role models and don't preach Jew hatred in their mosques, schools and media:

PA Mufti calls for the killing of Jews quoting Islamic Hadith from Palestinian Media Watch on Vimeo.

Moderator at Fatah ceremony:
"Our war with the descendants of the apes and pigs (i.e., Jews)
is a war of religion and faith.
Long Live Fatah! [I invite you,] our honorable Sheikh."

The official Palestinian Authority religious leader, the Mufti Muhammad Hussein comes to the podium and says:

"47 years ago the [Fatah] revolution started. Which revolution? The modern revolution of the Palestinian people's history. In fact, Palestine in its entirety is a revolution, since [Caliph] Umar came [to conquer Jerusalem, 637 CE], and continuing today, and until the End of Days. The reliable Hadith (tradition attributed to Muhammad), [found] in the two reliable collections, Bukhari and Muslim, says:

"The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight the Jews.
The Jew will hide behind stones or trees.
Then the stones or trees will call:
'Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.'
Except the Gharqad tree [which will keep silent]."
Therefore it is no wonder that you see Gharqad [trees]
surrounding the [Israeli] settlements and colonies.."

Imagine the headlines worldwide if Israel's chief Rabbi had addressed the Knesset and called for genocide against the Palestinians.

Of course the Quartet certainly provides lip service on violent incitement of this kind, but since the 'Palestinians' never receive any penalties for it and the aid money continues to roll in, there's no incentive for them to stop it. Oddly enough, the UN is a member of the Quartet and calling for genocide against a member nation is expressly against Article 2 of the UN Charter...yet they happily continue to fund the 'Palestinian Authority'.

And to refer to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as 'settlements'.

It's well worth remembering that 'Arab East Jerusalem' only became 'Arab' after the ethnic cleansing of every Jew there by the Arab armies after 1948.

The same applies to the 'Arab' areas of Judea and Samaria (AKA The West Bank), where again every Jew living there was ethnically cleansed, just like almost a million other Jews throughout the Arab world after 1948.

Strange, isn't it that an attempted Arab colonization of 19 years based on aggressive war and an occupation the UN itself didn't even recognize at the time is now considered legitimate, while Jewish communities that existed before 1948 on Jewish owned land like Ariel and Gush Etzion are considered temporary 'settlements' after being repopulated by Jews for over 40 years?

And isn't it odd that it's only Israeli building in the so-called disputed areas that continually comes under criticism as an obstacle to peace rather than that of the 'Palestinians'?

Not only East Jerusalem but the 'Palestinian' occupied areas in Judea and Samaria are rife with illegal and often unsafe construction, often done by squatters with no legal title to the land they build on. As I write this, the 'Palestinians' are attempting to build an entire city from scratch called Rawabi using EU and USAid funds in the middle of a primarily Jewish area that will actually encroach on the Israeli town of Ateret. Yet no one, especially President Obama or our State Department has ever referred to 'Palestinian' building as 'unhelpful'.

The truth of the matter is that the fabled two state solution doesn't exist,because there's no deal that Abbas is willing or able to accept that doesn't amount to the Israelis committing national suicide, especially since Fatah is now officially in a unity government with the genocidal Hamas.It's bad enough to have Hamas shooting missiles and mortars at Israel's sparsely populated south. It's quite another to cede the high ground in Judea and Samaria and the strategic area of the Jordan Valley to the same people in easy range of Jerusalem and Israel's densely populated coastal plain.

The real problem here is not building in Judea and Samaria. It's the Arab refusal to live with Jews in peace and equality. Since they insist on getting their apartheid, obscene little reichlet without a single Jew in it and refuse to make any concessions for real peace, there's no reason for Israel to accomodate them any further.

It might very well be time for Netanyahu to name some preconditions of his owntocontinue talks,like taking Jerusalem and the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria off the table, insisting on recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and a formal renouncing by th e'Palestinians' of any fictional 'right of return.' Abbas of course would never agree to any of this since it would be tantamount to recognizing that a peace settlement involves the end of the conflict, but the clarity might be helpful.

If the 'Palestinians' really dislike living in peace next to Jews that much, there are there are 22 Arab countries they can move to where Jews are already forbidden. The Israelis lack that option, in case no one has noticed.

Netanyahu: "The Palestinians Have No Interest In Entering Peace Talks"

Well, it's about time someone admitted it.

“For the last three years, the Palestinians have refused to enter negotiations, thinking they could impose preconditions upon us,” Netanyahu told Israeli lawmakers in a closed parliamentary meeting.

“The Palestinians have no interest in entering peace talks. I’m ready to travel now to Ramallah to start peace talks with Abu Mazen, without preconditions. But the simple truth is that Abu Mazen is not ready,” he said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is widely known as Abu Mazen.

Netanyahu’s comments were relayed by a meeting participant who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.

Abbas says the Palestinians will not resume talks unless Israel stops building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in the 1967 war from Jordan and claimed by the Palestinians as parts of their future state.

Actually, this WAPO article is somewhat..incomplete in details. Not only is Abbas insisting that Israel not build in the areas mentioned (most of whom are going to be off the table in any peace settlement anyway) but Abbas insists that Israel commit to making the pre '67 lines the starting point of the negotiations before any talks occur, and has said numerous times that he's unwilling to make a single concession of any kind to Israel in any negotiations he enters.

In other words, Abbas is only willing to 'negotiate' with the Israelis only if there's nothing much left to negotiate. This is roughly the equivalent of agreeing to go to Las Vegas and place a bet on the roulette wheel only if your winnings are guaranteed in advance.

Another building freeze is off the table, and Abbas knows it very well, which is exactly why he's insisting on it. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu already gave the 'Palestinians' a 10 month freeze as a unilateral concession before in an attempt to get talks going, something that caused him considerable political damage at home. It turned out to be worthless, because the 'Palestinians' stonewalled for 9 1/2 months and then used Netanyahu's refusal to extend the freeze indefinitely as an excuse to bail out of talks. Netanyahu isn't going to make the same mistake twice.

Actually, the reality is that the 'Palestinians' have little interest in living in peace beside Israel, but merely in getting Israel as close to the indefensible pre '67 lines as possible. People interested in living in peace don't display maps of 'Palestine' with Israel obliterated, don't hold up people who've murdered Israeli civilians as heroes and role models and don't preach Jew hatred in their mosques, schools and media:

PA Mufti calls for the killing of Jews quoting Islamic Hadith from Palestinian Media Watch on Vimeo.

Moderator at Fatah ceremony:
"Our war with the descendants of the apes and pigs (i.e., Jews)
is a war of religion and faith.
Long Live Fatah! [I invite you,] our honorable Sheikh."

The official Palestinian Authority religious leader, the Mufti Muhammad Hussein comes to the podium and says:

"47 years ago the [Fatah] revolution started. Which revolution? The modern revolution of the Palestinian people's history. In fact, Palestine in its entirety is a revolution, since [Caliph] Umar came [to conquer Jerusalem, 637 CE], and continuing today, and until the End of Days. The reliable Hadith (tradition attributed to Muhammad), [found] in the two reliable collections, Bukhari and Muslim, says:

"The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight the Jews.
The Jew will hide behind stones or trees.
Then the stones or trees will call:
'Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.'
Except the Gharqad tree [which will keep silent]."
Therefore it is no wonder that you see Gharqad [trees]
surrounding the [Israeli] settlements and colonies.."

Imagine the headlines worldwide if Israel's chief Rabbi had addressed the Knesset and called for genocide against the Palestinians.

Of course the Quartet certainly provides lip service on violent incitement of this kind, but since the 'Palestinians' never receive any penalties for it and the aid money continues to roll in, there's no incentive for them to stop it. Oddly enough, the UN is a member of the Quartet and calling for genocide against a member nation is expressly against Article 2 of the UN Charter...yet they happily continue to fund the 'Palestinian Authority'.

And to refer to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as 'settlements'.

It's well worth remembering that 'Arab East Jerusalem' only became 'Arab' after the ethnic cleansing of every Jew there by the Arab armies after 1948.

The same applies to the 'Arab' areas of Judea and Samaria (AKA The West Bank), where again every Jew living there was ethnically cleansed, just like almost a million other Jews throughout the Arab world after 1948.

Strange, isn't it that an attempted Arab colonization of 19 years based on aggressive war and an occupation the UN itself didn't even recognize at the time is now considered legitimate, while Jewish communities that existed before 1948 on Jewish owned land like Ariel and Gush Etzion are considered temporary 'settlements' after being repopulated by Jews for over 40 years?

And isn't it odd that it's only Israeli building in the so-called disputed areas that continually comes under criticism as an obstacle to peace rather than that of the 'Palestinians'?

Not only East Jerusalem but the 'Palestinian' occupied areas in Judea and Samaria are rife with illegal and often unsafe construction, often done by squatters with no legal title to the land they build on. As I write this, the 'Palestinians' are attempting to build an entire city from scratch called Rawabi using EU and USAid funds in the middle of a primarily Jewish area that will actually encroach on the Israeli town of Ateret. Yet no one, especially President Obama or our State Department has ever referred to 'Palestinian' building as 'unhelpful'.

The truth of the matter is that the fabled two state solution doesn't exist,because there's no deal that Abbas is willing or able to accept that doesn't amount to the Israelis committing national suicide, especially since Fatah is now officially in a unity government with the genocidal Hamas.It's bad enough to have Hamas shooting missiles and mortars at Israel's sparsely populated south. It's quite another to cede the high ground in Judea and Samaria and the strategic area of the Jordan Valley to the same people in easy range of Jerusalem and Israel's densely populated coastal plain.

The real problem here is not building in Judea and Samaria. It's the Arab refusal to live with Jews in peace and equality. Since they insist on getting their apartheid, obscene little reichlet without a single Jew in it and refuse to make any concessions for real peace, there's no reason for Israel to accomodate them any further.

It might very well be time for Netanyahu to name some preconditions of his owntocontinue talks,like taking Jerusalem and the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria off the table, insisting on recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and a formal renouncing by th e'Palestinians' of any fictional 'right of return.' Abbas of course would never agree to any of this since it would be tantamount to recognizing that a peace settlement involves the end of the conflict, but the clarity might be helpful.

If the 'Palestinians' really dislike living in peace next to Jews that much, there are there are 22 Arab countries they can move to where Jews are already forbidden. The Israelis lack that option, in case no one has noticed.

Some Ideas To Help The Palestinians With Their Financial Woes

'Palestinian' unelected Prime Minister Selim Fayyad is claiming that the 'Palestinian' Authority is in desperate financial straits:

The Palestinian Authority is "fast approaching the point of being completely incapacitated" by Israel's refusal to hand over tax revenues belonging to the authority, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday.

Israel's freeze on the taxes and fees it collects for the Palestinian Authority at borders has deprived the government of two-thirds of its normal revenue since Nov. 1, making it hard to pay salaries and fix infrastructure, Fayyad said.

"This is our money," he said. "It has nothing to do with donor assistance or anything like that."

Actually Selim, it is donor money, since all of 'Palestine's' infrastructure and the cost of its government has been derived from donor money ever since Oslo was signed at the beginning of one of the most successful con jobs in history . But aside from that, I sympathize. Who would of thought that the 'Palestinians' announcing Oslo was null and void and deliberately breaking the Oslo Accords and the Road Map they signed by unilaterally going to the UN would lead to such dire consequences!

Seeing as the Fatah ruled PA also gives a nice slice of the aid it receives to the genocidal Hamas and is now putting together a unity government with them, one could hardly expect Israel to finance its enemies, can one?

Nevertheless, the humanitarian in me feels compelled to offer some helpful suggestions to the 'Palestinian' Authority to help improve things:

Get Abbas and Fatah to use the $1.75 billion Palestine Investment Fund for the people that it was intended for. I'm sure Abbas and his cronies from the Fatah Old Guard would gladly want to replace the money they umm..'borrowed' for 'Palestine'. All Selim Fayyad probably needs to do is ask them and I'm certain they'll be more than willing to empty all those bank accounts in the EU and the Emirates and come across.

Right now, the 'Palestinian' Authority sends Sufa Arafat $100,000 per month to support her in her tony apartment in the best part of Paris. Perhaps she could learn to downgrade her lifestyle and live on a bit less.

Neither Jordan or Israel is going to attack 'Palestine'. A large part of the 'Palestinian' budget goes for 'security forces' many of whom are outright terrorists by any definition of the word whom belong to groups like the Tanzim and the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade.One almost gets the impression that the large sums of money spent are more to protect Abbas and his cronies than the people they rule over,but of course that couldn't be true. Large cutbacks would seem to make sense.

The 'Palestinian' Authority payroll is crammed full of no-show jobs and people who get a paycheck for no discernible reason except they're connected to someone in the regime. When the Saudis gave their first financial aid to 'Palestine' they insisted on an audit and Fayyad found over 30,000 paychecks on the PA payroll going out to people that didn't exist before Abbas and the rest of the Fatah Old Guard made him stop. Even the World Bank admits that probably half of the donor money given to the 'Palestinians' ends up being, in the World Bank's words, 'diverted'. A complete audit would likely find millions of dollars worth of savings and money the PA could use elsewhere.

The 'Palestinian' Authority spends millions every month in generous salaries to jailed terrorists convicted in Israeli civilian courts of the most inhumane murders of civilians. Now, I realize that to Abbas and the 'Palestinians', people like the sniper who targeted and murdered 10-month-old Shalhevet Pas in her stroller or the two ghouls that butchered the Fogel family are Holy warriors. But it occurs to me that since their room and board is already paid for by the State of Israel, a great deal of money can be saved and used for more worthy purposes if these killers were axed from the payroll. Ditto with the money Fatah sends to Hamas every month, another savings..

As a side benefit, doing this might even convince the Israelis that the 'Palestinians' aren't trying to encourage terrorism or make it pay for the perpetrators. Call it a sacrifice for peace,no?

As a matter of fact, along those lines here's another suggestion. Since the 'Palestinians' insist this money is theirs, they could encourage the Israelis to put these monies into a fund that would pay damages from civil judgments obtained in Israel's courts by Israeli victims of terrorism who have suffered property loss, lost loved ones or whom need lifetime medical care because of injuries suffered in things like homicide bombing perpetrated by the 'Palestinians'.

Think what a magnanimous and lovely gesture it would be on the part of the 'Palestinians' to suggest this or to at least acquiesce to it! It would cost them nothing since it's money they're not getting their hands on anyway, it would build good will among Israelis and world opinion and it would help make the impression that the bad old days of the 'Palestinians' committing and abetting terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians are a thing of the past.

Just look at how much mileage the Germans got out of what were relatively scant reparations for what was done to the Jews during the Nazi era! This is nothing less than an opportunity for the 'Palestinians' to score a major propaganda coup.

To summarize, steal less, cut the unnecessary fat in the budget and make a few gestures and concessions towards the Israelis 'for peace'.

Yes, yes, I know, afwan, mafi mushkila ‌Sadiqi, you're most welcome.

After all, I'm here to help. Peace!

please donate...it helps me write more gooder!

Some Ideas To Help The Palestinians With Their Financial Woes

'Palestinian' unelected Prime Minister Selim Fayyad is claiming that the 'Palestinian' Authority is in desperate financial straits:

The Palestinian Authority is "fast approaching the point of being completely incapacitated" by Israel's refusal to hand over tax revenues belonging to the authority, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday.

Israel's freeze on the taxes and fees it collects for the Palestinian Authority at borders has deprived the government of two-thirds of its normal revenue since Nov. 1, making it hard to pay salaries and fix infrastructure, Fayyad said.

"This is our money," he said. "It has nothing to do with donor assistance or anything like that."

Actually Selim, it is donor money, since all of 'Palestine's' infrastructure and the cost of its government has been derived from donor money ever since Oslo was signed at the beginning of one of the most successful con jobs in history . But aside from that, I sympathize. Who would of thought that the 'Palestinians' announcing Oslo was null and void and deliberately breaking the Oslo Accords and the Road Map they signed by unilaterally going to the UN would lead to such dire consequences!

Seeing as the Fatah ruled PA also gives a nice slice of the aid it receives to the genocidal Hamas and is now putting together a unity government with them, one could hardly expect Israel to finance its enemies, can one?

Nevertheless, the humanitarian in me feels compelled to offer some helpful suggestions to the 'Palestinian' Authority to help improve things:

Get Abbas and Fatah to use the $1.75 billion Palestine Investment Fund for the people that it was intended for. I'm sure Abbas and his cronies from the Fatah Old Guard would gladly want to replace the money they umm..'borrowed' for 'Palestine'. All Selim Fayyad probably needs to do is ask them and I'm certain they'll be more than willing to empty all those bank accounts in the EU and the Emirates and come across.

Right now, the 'Palestinian' Authority sends Sufa Arafat $100,000 per month to support her in her tony apartment in the best part of Paris. Perhaps she could learn to downgrade her lifestyle and live on a bit less.

Neither Jordan or Israel is going to attack 'Palestine'. A large part of the 'Palestinian' budget goes for 'security forces' many of whom are outright terrorists by any definition of the word whom belong to groups like the Tanzim and the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade.One almost gets the impression that the large sums of money spent are more to protect Abbas and his cronies than the people they rule over,but of course that couldn't be true. Large cutbacks would seem to make sense.

The 'Palestinian' Authority payroll is crammed full of no-show jobs and people who get a paycheck for no discernible reason except they're connected to someone in the regime. When the Saudis gave their first financial aid to 'Palestine' they insisted on an audit and Fayyad found over 30,000 paychecks on the PA payroll going out to people that didn't exist before Abbas and the rest of the Fatah Old Guard made him stop. Even the World Bank admits that probably half of the donor money given to the 'Palestinians' ends up being, in the World Bank's words, 'diverted'. A complete audit would likely find millions of dollars worth of savings and money the PA could use elsewhere.

The 'Palestinian' Authority spends millions every month in generous salaries to jailed terrorists convicted in Israeli civilian courts of the most inhumane murders of civilians. Now, I realize that to Abbas and the 'Palestinians', people like the sniper who targeted and murdered 10-month-old Shalhevet Pas in her stroller or the two ghouls that butchered the Fogel family are Holy warriors. But it occurs to me that since their room and board is already paid for by the State of Israel, a great deal of money can be saved and used for more worthy purposes if these killers were axed from the payroll. Ditto with the money Fatah sends to Hamas every month, another savings..

As a side benefit, doing this might even convince the Israelis that the 'Palestinians' aren't trying to encourage terrorism or make it pay for the perpetrators. Call it a sacrifice for peace,no?

As a matter of fact, along those lines here's another suggestion. Since the 'Palestinians' insist this money is theirs, they could encourage the Israelis to put these monies into a fund that would pay damages from civil judgments obtained in Israel's courts by Israeli victims of terrorism who have suffered property loss, lost loved ones or whom need lifetime medical care because of injuries suffered in things like homicide bombing perpetrated by the 'Palestinians'.

Think what a magnanimous and lovely gesture it would be on the part of the 'Palestinians' to suggest this or to at least acquiesce to it! It would cost them nothing since it's money they're not getting their hands on anyway, it would build good will among Israelis and world opinion and it would help make the impression that the bad old days of the 'Palestinians' committing and abetting terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians are a thing of the past.

Just look at how much mileage the Germans got out of what were relatively scant reparations for what was done to the Jews during the Nazi era! This is nothing less than an opportunity for the 'Palestinians' to score a major propaganda coup.

To summarize, steal less, cut the unnecessary fat in the budget and make a few gestures and concessions towards the Israelis 'for peace'.

Yes, yes, I know, afwan, mafi mushkila ‌Sadiqi, you're most welcome.

After all, I'm here to help. Peace!

please donate...it helps me write more gooder!

A Free People Comes Home - Hebron

This week's Sabbath is a special one, as it celebrates the first purchase by of land in Israel by the first Jew, Abraham, and the beginning of the first Jewish city,Hebron.

As you may know, observant Jews read a different part of the Torah every week, and this week's Torah portion is called Hayei Sarah, because it relates how Abraham purchased the land known as Me’arat Hamachpela, the Cave of the Patriarchs as a tomb for his wife Sarah and himself.

I intended to write a little something about this, but found something that expresses my feelings about the matter quite well, written by David Wilder a spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron. Read it, and you'll understand what this all means and how deep it goes:

Several years ago, on the anniversary of the liberation of Hebron in 1967, I was interviewed by a journalist who queried me about various problems facing Hebron’s Jewish community. His concluding question/statement was, “Well, I guess you’re not celebrating today?”

“Why not?” I replied.

“Well, you have all these problems and issues, how can you celebrate?”

“You just don’t understand,” I answered. “Look at where were we 70 years ago, or 60 years ago. Were we in Hebron? Today I’m here, in the first Jewish city in Israel. I live here, I work here, I’m bringing up my children here. This is my home. True, we have problems. There are ups and downs. Issues must be dealt with. And they will be overcome. But I’m here. And as long as I’m here, I have what to celebrate, and that’s exactly what I’m doing today!”

One of our most special celebrations will occur this weekend. The Torah portion of Hayei Sarah, otherwise known as “Shabbat Hebron,” is an extraordinary event. It is not an ordinary shabbat (which in Hebron is also unique). Rather, it is an event.

Over the past decade, some 20,000 people have capitalized on this special Sabbath to crowd into Hebron and nearby Kiryat Arba to rejoice. Starting on Friday morning, Israelis young and old will begin flocking to the city. Jews from the United States and other countries fly to Israel to be in Hebron for this exceptional occasion.

Well over six months prior to this Sabbath we begin receiving phone calls and emails requesting places to sleep and eat on this auspicious day. Dozens of tents are pitched outside Me’arat Hamachpela, the Cave of the Patriarchs, and Matriarchs. Public buildings are transformed into dormitories, with separate facilities for men and women. It’s the only time of the year when my living room is wall-to-wall people sleeping on the floor.

One year, on Saturday night, a young woman walked into our kitchen to thank my wife. She asked what for. The woman said she had slept in one of our rooms. We had no idea she was there, or where she slept, because the room was already packed.

A huge tent is constructed outside the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, providing meals thousands of guests. Literally every nook and cranny in Hebron is utilized, with people sleeping and eating wherever they can find a few free meters.

All hours of the day and night the streets are full of people walking to and from the various neighborhoods in Hebron. Saturday afternoon, multitudes tour the city, visiting the Hebron Heritage Museum at Beit Hadassah, the tomb of Jesse and Ruth in Tel Rumeida, and the Avraham Avinu synagogue in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. Special Casba tours are also included in the day’s agenda.

The heart of the day’s events takes place at Me’arat Hamachpela. On Friday night, literally thousands of people gather at this holy site, inside and out, to offer joyous Sabbath prayers. Singing and dancing during a huge “Carlebach minyan,” conducted in the Machpela courtyard, is unbelievably uplifting.

But the pinnacle and actual raison d’être for the ingathering begins early Saturday morning.

By 5:15 a.m., thousands make their way to early morning prayers at the Machpela. The entire building is open to Jewish worshipers, including “Ohel Yitzhak,” the Isaac Hall, available to Jews only ten days during the year. The first vatikin service, with the sunrise, is a spiritually inspirational way to start the day.

However, the peak takes place about an hour into the service. A Torah scroll is removed from the Holy Ark and opened. The first person, usually a cohen, or priest, is called up to the Torah. Following recitation of a blessing, the reader begins:

“And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba –the same is Hebron – in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her... and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver...four hundred shekels of silver... And Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre – the same is Hebron – in the land of Canaan...” (Gen: 23, 1-20).

HERE, AT Machpela in Hebron, some 3,800 years ago, Abraham, the first Jew, purchases the first Jewish property in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. It is an amazing thought: here we are, almost 4,000 years later, the offspring of the first Jew, present at that very site which we read about in the Torah. It is all the more astonishing considering that fact that this sacred site was off-limits to Jews for seven centuries, following the 1267 Mamluk conquest of Israel. Only since our return to Hebron in 1967 has this holy place again accessible to any and all who wish to visit or worship here.

If that isn’t a reason to celebrate, what is?

As a result of political anti-Semitism, the first Jewish site of national heritage has become an object of international controversy. UNESCO has recognized our first holy site as a “Palestinian heritage site,” demanding it be removed from Israel's list of “national heritage sites.”

Should this site again be placed under Muslim control, Jews (and Christians) will no longer be allowed to enter and worship at this holy place, as was the case for 700 years, as the Arabs consider it to be a mosque. According to Islam, only Muslims may enter and pray in a mosque.

Support for a continued Jewish presence in Hebron and at Machpela is tangible. Some half a million visitors of all religions visit Hebron and Machpela annually, letting their feet do the talking. Polls show that almost 90 percent of Israelis reject relinquishing Me’arat Hamachpela. Rejection of Hebron and Me’arat Hamachpela is equivalent to chopping off our roots. And we all know what happens to a tree when you sever its roots.

Shabbat Hayei Sarah in Hebron is an affirmation of our people’s right to live and worship freely in our land. This is the embodiment of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva: Lehiot am hofshi, b’artzeinu – to be a free people in our land. Can we be a free people in our land without the first Jewish city in Israel; without free, unlimited worship at the first Jewish holy site in our land?

This Sabbath, some 20,000 people from Israel and around the world will answer that question, at Machpela, in Hebron.

Believe it or not, after the massacres that drove the Jews out of Hebron, after the Arab attempt to commit genocide in 1948, after the 19 year occupation by Jordan that denied Jews any access to this holy place, one of the first thing the Israelis did was to attempt to share this shrine with the 'Palestinians', who likewise claim Abraham as a father.

Israel's reward for this unbelievable generosity was repeated desecration of the shrine by the Arabs and of course, constant incidents of terrorism and murder, including the deliberate shooting by a PA sniper of 10-month-old Shalhevat Pas in her stroller.

Will the Jews ever give up Hebron in exchange for more empty words and promises of peace in the future? I don't think so. That ship sailed a long time ago.

please donate...it helps me write more gooder!

A Free People Comes Home - Hebron

This week's Sabbath is a special one, as it celebrates the first purchase by of land in Israel by the first Jew, Abraham, and the beginning of the first Jewish city,Hebron.

As you may know, observant Jews read a different part of the Torah every week, and this week's Torah portion is called Hayei Sarah, because it relates how Abraham purchased the land known as Me’arat Hamachpela, the Cave of the Patriarchs as a tomb for his wife Sarah and himself.

I intended to write a little something about this, but found something that expresses my feelings about the matter quite well, written by David Wilder a spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron. Read it, and you'll understand what this all means and how deep it goes:

Several years ago, on the anniversary of the liberation of Hebron in 1967, I was interviewed by a journalist who queried me about various problems facing Hebron’s Jewish community. His concluding question/statement was, “Well, I guess you’re not celebrating today?”

“Why not?” I replied.

“Well, you have all these problems and issues, how can you celebrate?”

“You just don’t understand,” I answered. “Look at where were we 70 years ago, or 60 years ago. Were we in Hebron? Today I’m here, in the first Jewish city in Israel. I live here, I work here, I’m bringing up my children here. This is my home. True, we have problems. There are ups and downs. Issues must be dealt with. And they will be overcome. But I’m here. And as long as I’m here, I have what to celebrate, and that’s exactly what I’m doing today!”

One of our most special celebrations will occur this weekend. The Torah portion of Hayei Sarah, otherwise known as “Shabbat Hebron,” is an extraordinary event. It is not an ordinary shabbat (which in Hebron is also unique). Rather, it is an event.

Over the past decade, some 20,000 people have capitalized on this special Sabbath to crowd into Hebron and nearby Kiryat Arba to rejoice. Starting on Friday morning, Israelis young and old will begin flocking to the city. Jews from the United States and other countries fly to Israel to be in Hebron for this exceptional occasion.

Well over six months prior to this Sabbath we begin receiving phone calls and emails requesting places to sleep and eat on this auspicious day. Dozens of tents are pitched outside Me’arat Hamachpela, the Cave of the Patriarchs, and Matriarchs. Public buildings are transformed into dormitories, with separate facilities for men and women. It’s the only time of the year when my living room is wall-to-wall people sleeping on the floor.

One year, on Saturday night, a young woman walked into our kitchen to thank my wife. She asked what for. The woman said she had slept in one of our rooms. We had no idea she was there, or where she slept, because the room was already packed.

A huge tent is constructed outside the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, providing meals thousands of guests. Literally every nook and cranny in Hebron is utilized, with people sleeping and eating wherever they can find a few free meters.

All hours of the day and night the streets are full of people walking to and from the various neighborhoods in Hebron. Saturday afternoon, multitudes tour the city, visiting the Hebron Heritage Museum at Beit Hadassah, the tomb of Jesse and Ruth in Tel Rumeida, and the Avraham Avinu synagogue in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. Special Casba tours are also included in the day’s agenda.

The heart of the day’s events takes place at Me’arat Hamachpela. On Friday night, literally thousands of people gather at this holy site, inside and out, to offer joyous Sabbath prayers. Singing and dancing during a huge “Carlebach minyan,” conducted in the Machpela courtyard, is unbelievably uplifting.

But the pinnacle and actual raison d’être for the ingathering begins early Saturday morning.

By 5:15 a.m., thousands make their way to early morning prayers at the Machpela. The entire building is open to Jewish worshipers, including “Ohel Yitzhak,” the Isaac Hall, available to Jews only ten days during the year. The first vatikin service, with the sunrise, is a spiritually inspirational way to start the day.

However, the peak takes place about an hour into the service. A Torah scroll is removed from the Holy Ark and opened. The first person, usually a cohen, or priest, is called up to the Torah. Following recitation of a blessing, the reader begins:

“And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba –the same is Hebron – in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her... and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver...four hundred shekels of silver... And Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre – the same is Hebron – in the land of Canaan...” (Gen: 23, 1-20).

HERE, AT Machpela in Hebron, some 3,800 years ago, Abraham, the first Jew, purchases the first Jewish property in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. It is an amazing thought: here we are, almost 4,000 years later, the offspring of the first Jew, present at that very site which we read about in the Torah. It is all the more astonishing considering that fact that this sacred site was off-limits to Jews for seven centuries, following the 1267 Mamluk conquest of Israel. Only since our return to Hebron in 1967 has this holy place again accessible to any and all who wish to visit or worship here.

If that isn’t a reason to celebrate, what is?

As a result of political anti-Semitism, the first Jewish site of national heritage has become an object of international controversy. UNESCO has recognized our first holy site as a “Palestinian heritage site,” demanding it be removed from Israel's list of “national heritage sites.”

Should this site again be placed under Muslim control, Jews (and Christians) will no longer be allowed to enter and worship at this holy place, as was the case for 700 years, as the Arabs consider it to be a mosque. According to Islam, only Muslims may enter and pray in a mosque.

Support for a continued Jewish presence in Hebron and at Machpela is tangible. Some half a million visitors of all religions visit Hebron and Machpela annually, letting their feet do the talking. Polls show that almost 90 percent of Israelis reject relinquishing Me’arat Hamachpela. Rejection of Hebron and Me’arat Hamachpela is equivalent to chopping off our roots. And we all know what happens to a tree when you sever its roots.

Shabbat Hayei Sarah in Hebron is an affirmation of our people’s right to live and worship freely in our land. This is the embodiment of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva: Lehiot am hofshi, b’artzeinu – to be a free people in our land. Can we be a free people in our land without the first Jewish city in Israel; without free, unlimited worship at the first Jewish holy site in our land?

This Sabbath, some 20,000 people from Israel and around the world will answer that question, at Machpela, in Hebron.

Believe it or not, after the massacres that drove the Jews out of Hebron, after the Arab attempt to commit genocide in 1948, after the 19 year occupation by Jordan that denied Jews any access to this holy place, one of the first thing the Israelis did was to attempt to share this shrine with the 'Palestinians', who likewise claim Abraham as a father.

Israel's reward for this unbelievable generosity was repeated desecration of the shrine by the Arabs and of course, constant incidents of terrorism and murder, including the deliberate shooting by a PA sniper of 10-month-old Shalhevat Pas in her stroller.

Will the Jews ever give up Hebron in exchange for more empty words and promises of peace in the future? I don't think so. That ship sailed a long time ago.

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Poor Murderers!

Al Arabiya has a heart rending human interest story out today about the ordeal suffered by Nihad Zakout, who's been without her father since 1989, when he was tossed in prison by those heartless Israelis. Now, thanks to the human ransom being paid for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, she's finally looking to seeing her dear father, Mohamed Zakout after all these years. Oh yes, the Israelis allowed her visits but that's hardly the same thing.

The article relates how even President Clinton was moved to feel her pain and promised to do his best to free Nihad's father. Alas, Mr. Bill being Mr. Bill, he didn't follow through. or perhaps he just forgot. But now, thanks to the heroic Hamas kidnappers and their keeping Gilad Shalit a prisoner in isolation for over five years, Nihad can look forward to seeing her dear father again without him being behind bars.

Oh, wait...there is a bit more.

Mohamed Zakout was a construction worker in Tel Aviv who was earning a living for his family. Unfortunately, on March 21st, 1989 he succumbed to Palestinian Rage Syndrome( AKA Mad Dogitis) and stabbed to death the very first Jew he came across, someone unknown to him who just happened to be passing by. He then stabbed to death another passerby and seriously injured a third before the Israeli police arrested him.

Zakout was tried in Israeli civil court and received two life sentences for murder. Imagine, two life sentences merely for ridding the world of a couple of pestilential Yahud! But now, he's finally scheduled to be free, along with a bunch of other 'Palestinian' heroes and receive a tumultuous welcome.

And even better, since he's only forty eight, he can now be counted on to continue the War Against The Jews.

These are the sort of people the 'Palestinians' make role models and heroes out of. It's a very good indication of what 'Palestine' would be like and why the two-state solution that presupposes Israel and 'Palestine' living in peace next to each other is a pathetic myth.

please donate...it helps me write more gooder!

Poor Murderers!

Al Arabiya has a heart rending human interest story out today about the ordeal suffered by Nihad Zakout, who's been without her father since 1989, when he was tossed in prison by those heartless Israelis. Now, thanks to the human ransom being paid for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, she's finally looking to seeing her dear father, Mohamed Zakout after all these years. Oh yes, the Israelis allowed her visits but that's hardly the same thing.

The article relates how even President Clinton was moved to feel her pain and promised to do his best to free Nihad's father. Alas, Mr. Bill being Mr. Bill, he didn't follow through. or perhaps he just forgot. But now, thanks to the heroic Hamas kidnappers and their keeping Gilad Shalit a prisoner in isolation for over five years, Nihad can look forward to seeing her dear father again without him being behind bars.

Oh, wait...there is a bit more.

Mohamed Zakout was a construction worker in Tel Aviv who was earning a living for his family. Unfortunately, on March 21st, 1989 he succumbed to Palestinian Rage Syndrome( AKA Mad Dogitis) and stabbed to death the very first Jew he came across, someone unknown to him who just happened to be passing by. He then stabbed to death another passerby and seriously injured a third before the Israeli police arrested him.

Zakout was tried in Israeli civil court and received two life sentences for murder. Imagine, two life sentences merely for ridding the world of a couple of pestilential Yahud! But now, he's finally scheduled to be free, along with a bunch of other 'Palestinian' heroes and receive a tumultuous welcome.

And even better, since he's only forty eight, he can now be counted on to continue the War Against The Jews.

These are the sort of people the 'Palestinians' make role models and heroes out of. It's a very good indication of what 'Palestine' would be like and why the two-state solution that presupposes Israel and 'Palestine' living in peace next to each other is a pathetic myth.

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Deal Reportedly Reached For Kidnapped Soldier Gilad Shalit's Release

And it's an absolutely horrible one if the reported details are correct

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel and Hamas have arrived at deal that would free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit,who has been in captivity for five years under unknown conditions without so much as even a Red Cross visit.

In exchange, Hamas is reportedly getting the release of over 1,000 terrorists, many of them serving life sentences (Israel unfortunately has no capital punishment) after being convicted in Israeli courts of murdering and maiming numerous Israeli civilians. I can only imagine how the families of the victims will feel seeing these sneering killers walk free.

Among those reportedly on the list are Ahlam Tamimi, who planned the Sbarro Pizza suicide bombing and transported the terrorist bomber to the site and Marwan Barghouti, serving five life terms for planning terrorist operations against Israeli civilians during the Second Intifada that resulted in the murder of a number of civilians.I shudder to think of whom else Hamas has succeeded in getting released, and how many innocent people may die because of it:

The Izaddin al-Kassam brigades presented the prisoner-exchange agreement with Israel for kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit as a "historic victory," claiming that Israel has accepted all the demands of the captors.

Abu Obaida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Izaddin al-Kassam, said that the agreement includes prisoners from east Jerusalem, Israeli Arabs and all females and minors. He also pointed out that two-thirds of the prisoners who would be released in return for Gilad Schalit are serving lengthy terms in prison.

"This is an historic deal," he boasted.

"Hamas will remain faithful to the cause of the prisoners and will continue to work toward securing the release of all of them."

Translation...Hamas has seen that this is a great tactic that works and will try for more of the same.

The deal reportedly calls for the release of 450 terrorist killers within a week, with the rest being freed in two months. One can only imagine what kind of condition Gilad Shalit is in, and I only hope the Israeli government took pains to make sure they're getting a live body back instead of a corpse.

Netanyahu spoke about the difficulty in balancing bringing back a kidnapped soldier and maintaining the security of the citizens of Israel.

"The deal I am bringing to the Government expresses the right balance between all of these considerations. I do not wish to hide the truth from you – it is a very difficult decision. I feel for the families of victims of terror, I appreciate their suffering and distress, I am one of them. But leadership must be examined at moments such as this, being able to make difficult, but right, decisions," Netanyahu said.

"I believe that we have reached the best deal we could have at this time, when storms are sweeping the Middle East. I do not know if in the near future we would have been able to reach a better deal or any deal at all. It is very possible that this window of opportunity, that opened because of the circumstances, would close indefinitely and we would never have been able to bring Gilad home at all."

Netanyahu is recognizing the reality that Egypt's now open and growing hostility would likely preclude a deal of any kind in the future.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he would oppose the deal and vote against it, but was not insisting that his party do so.

This episode says a great deal about the Israelis and the Palestinians, and their attitude towards the sanctity of life.

On the one hand, we have people who celebrate brutal murderers and make heroes out of them for themselves and their children. They were willing to kidnap someone and keep him in inhumane conditions like no other civilized nation would in order to ransom him and free those murderers to kill again.

On the other hand, we have people who view the sanctity of life so seriously they were willing to swallow hard and free these murderers in order to rescue a kidnapped soldier.Because to the Israelis and the IDF, the idea of leaving a man behind is unbearable, especially knowing what they know about the nature of their enemies.

Israel is to be congratulated on its humanity, if not its common sense.

I sympathize deeply with Noam Shalit and the other members of the Shalit family,but I can't help but think that in the end, Israel will pay in blood for this.I pray G-d I'm wrong.

But as with all things, there is one bright spot that occurs to me.

While Gilad Shalit was being held hostage in Gaza, he remained a huge human shield for the Hamas regime.

Once he's home,if hostilities break out between Israel and Hamas that shield is no longer in place and all bets are off.

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Deal Reportedly Reached For Kidnapped Soldier Gilad Shalit's Release

And it's an absolutely horrible one if the reported details are correct

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel and Hamas have arrived at deal that would free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit,who has been in captivity for five years under unknown conditions without so much as even a Red Cross visit.

In exchange, Hamas is reportedly getting the release of over 1,000 terrorists, many of them serving life sentences (Israel unfortunately has no capital punishment) after being convicted in Israeli courts of murdering and maiming numerous Israeli civilians. I can only imagine how the families of the victims will feel seeing these sneering killers walk free.

Among those reportedly on the list are Ahlam Tamimi, who planned the Sbarro Pizza suicide bombing and transported the terrorist bomber to the site and Marwan Barghouti, serving five life terms for planning terrorist operations against Israeli civilians during the Second Intifada that resulted in the murder of a number of civilians.I shudder to think of whom else Hamas has succeeded in getting released, and how many innocent people may die because of it:

The Izaddin al-Kassam brigades presented the prisoner-exchange agreement with Israel for kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit as a "historic victory," claiming that Israel has accepted all the demands of the captors.

Abu Obaida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Izaddin al-Kassam, said that the agreement includes prisoners from east Jerusalem, Israeli Arabs and all females and minors. He also pointed out that two-thirds of the prisoners who would be released in return for Gilad Schalit are serving lengthy terms in prison.

"This is an historic deal," he boasted.

"Hamas will remain faithful to the cause of the prisoners and will continue to work toward securing the release of all of them."

Translation...Hamas has seen that this is a great tactic that works and will try for more of the same.

The deal reportedly calls for the release of 450 terrorist killers within a week, with the rest being freed in two months. One can only imagine what kind of condition Gilad Shalit is in, and I only hope the Israeli government took pains to make sure they're getting a live body back instead of a corpse.

Netanyahu spoke about the difficulty in balancing bringing back a kidnapped soldier and maintaining the security of the citizens of Israel.

"The deal I am bringing to the Government expresses the right balance between all of these considerations. I do not wish to hide the truth from you – it is a very difficult decision. I feel for the families of victims of terror, I appreciate their suffering and distress, I am one of them. But leadership must be examined at moments such as this, being able to make difficult, but right, decisions," Netanyahu said.

"I believe that we have reached the best deal we could have at this time, when storms are sweeping the Middle East. I do not know if in the near future we would have been able to reach a better deal or any deal at all. It is very possible that this window of opportunity, that opened because of the circumstances, would close indefinitely and we would never have been able to bring Gilad home at all."

Netanyahu is recognizing the reality that Egypt's now open and growing hostility would likely preclude a deal of any kind in the future.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he would oppose the deal and vote against it, but was not insisting that his party do so.

This episode says a great deal about the Israelis and the Palestinians, and their attitude towards the sanctity of life.

On the one hand, we have people who celebrate brutal murderers and make heroes out of them for themselves and their children. They were willing to kidnap someone and keep him in inhumane conditions like no other civilized nation would in order to ransom him and free those murderers to kill again.

On the other hand, we have people who view the sanctity of life so seriously they were willing to swallow hard and free these murderers in order to rescue a kidnapped soldier.Because to the Israelis and the IDF, the idea of leaving a man behind is unbearable, especially knowing what they know about the nature of their enemies.

Israel is to be congratulated on its humanity, if not its common sense.

I sympathize deeply with Noam Shalit and the other members of the Shalit family,but I can't help but think that in the end, Israel will pay in blood for this.I pray G-d I'm wrong.

But as with all things, there is one bright spot that occurs to me.

While Gilad Shalit was being held hostage in Gaza, he remained a huge human shield for the Hamas regime.

Once he's home,if hostilities break out between Israel and Hamas that shield is no longer in place and all bets are off.

please donate...it helps me write more gooder!