Cozy Corner: Israel Archives

Maybe Dan Brown was right...

James Cameron and the Discovery Channel go for the big one:

Cameron and colleague Simcha Jacobovici used evidence from DNA tests, archaeological surveys and biblical studies, showing that 10 stone coffins discovered in a Jerusalem suburb in 1980 by Israeli construction workers belonged to Jesus and his family.

Some 20 years later archaeologists apparently deciphered some of the names on the tombs in the 2,000-year-old cave as Jesua, son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Mathew, Jofa and Judah, son of Jesua.

The 90-minute Discovery Channel film, produced by Cameron and directed by Jacobovici, will be shown on Channel 4.

The things Israeli archeologists dig up. If true, very interesting. I expect worldwide riots, Christians! (Oh, wait. Wrong religion for that).

Posted by Andy at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Fishing in the Desert

Via Betsy Newmark, this wonderful story of man's triumph over nature: raising fish in the desert. Seems a little odd, of course, but that's what Israelis are good at - coming up with clever solutions to problems:

Scientists here say they realized they were on to something when they found that brackish water drilled from underground desert aquifers hundreds of feet deep could be used to raise warm-water fish. The geothermal water, less than one-tenth as saline as sea water, free of pollutants and a toasty 98 degrees on average, proved an ideal match.

Imagine that. Turning your bright minds to the problems of feeding people, rather than shooting each other and blowing themselves up. Who would have thought to find that in the Middle East?

Posted by Andy at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Moderate Muslim politics on Israel

Via Armed Liberal over at Winds Of Change, we are directed to this 'positive' approach to peace in the Middle East, courtesy of Aziz at Eteraz:

And it isn't as if peace is an intractable solution. In fact it is quite simple: resolution of the conflict requires genuine sacrifice by both parties. The ideal framework would be along the lines of the Taba accords and the King Abdullah proposal. It will require that the Palestinians abandon the right of return, and accept some form of financial recompense in its stead to only those displaced families whose property claims can be verified. It will require that Israel dismantle all settlements in the West Bank, and relocate the settlers. It will require that a administrative body with authority over joint issues such as water rights and transportation be established. It will require NATO security guarantees of Jerusalem as a open city, the capital of both nations. It will require peace through diplomacy with Syria, with Damascus granted economic trade rights, security guarantees, and teh return of the Golan Heights in return for total cessation of military and financial support for Hizbollah. It will require bilateral normalization of diplomatic relations with every Arab country. It woudl require Israel to eventually be invited to join the Arab League and begin to interact with its neighbors as a neighbor and member of the regional identity, not a Western satellite. It will require Arab nations to carry Israeli satellite television as part of their media feeds and absolute sanitzation of all anti-Semitic rhetoric in their educational systems.

In short, it will require that both sides accept as an axiom the humanity of the other, build a regional identity, and foster economic and cultural links.

Before I start, I'll note that Ali and Aziz are among the more moderate, truly peace-seeking Muslims you'll find; and Aziz started this essay with this:

I have become a hardliner in recent years. What moral righeousness the Palestinians had, they have squandered in their support for desperation acts of violence against the innocents in Israel.

But where is the hard line in the peace proposal? Israel has to pay the Palestinians for their land - but what about the displaced Jews from the West Bank? Israel to sacrifice the sovereignty of its capital to foreign countries (Hey, take a look at how well those foreign countries are doing on the northern border...). In exchange for not funding terrorists (something which Syria denies half the time anyway), Israel will concede a lot to Syria - land, trade rights, and security guarantees (of course, none of those for Israel!). Of course, Israel should give up its alliance with the US, so it can join the Arab League. About the only new piece of the proposal is the cleanup of the Arab school system, an unlikely proposition, sadly.

Aziz, I have a better proposal for you. The Arab League should unilaterally renounce violence, terrorism, and the support thereof against Israel. Its member nations should normalize relations with Israel. They should quash terrorists within their borders, and cease to export terrorists or munitions to terrorists. The Arab nations should cease to pervert the UN into an anti-semitic body, and instead focus on the true atrocities around the world. The Arab nations should take action to aid peaceful Palestinian activities, and thwart self-defeating terrorist acts. And the Arab nations and Muslim world should do this without any requirement from the Israelis or Western World. Why?

Only when there is a peaceful partner in the Palestinians will there be a just resolution.

Only when the threat of annihilation has been removed should Israel negotiate with those who vow to destroy her.

As for Taba, remember that the Palestinians were supposed to do very simple things. Renounce the mission of the destruction of Israel. Preserve specific Jewish holy sites. Have a police force, not an army.

Hmmm, 0-for-3. That's a strikeout.

Posted by Andy at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Disproportionate stupidity

Aussie Dave notes the real reason Palestines civilians die during IDF operations:

Most palestinian civilians killed during IDF operations are not killed due to disproportionate force. They are killed due to disproportionate stupidity.

The pictures Dave provides really make the point.

Posted by Andy at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

And the narrative slips a little further...

Kofi wants to "mediate" between Israel and Hizb'allah:

The United Nations will appoint a mediator to try to resolve the issue of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah, Secretary General Kofi Annan said.

``Both parties have accepted the good offices of the secretary general to help resolve this problem,'' Annan said at the end of a visit yesterday to Saudi Arabia, according to the UN. ``I will designate someone discreetly and quietly to work with them to find a solution.''
...
``My mediator should be the only mediator,'' Annan said in Jeddah. ``If others get involved he will pull out because you will get wires crossed. It will be very confusing and it will not be effective, so there must be one mediator and effective channels of communications with both parties.''

Kofi, mediate this: You are aiding and abetting the terrorists. 1701 was pretty clear. Tell Hizb'allah to release the Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, or else. (Feel free to make up an or else like "we'll not denounce the Zionists for two whole months in the UNHRC", since we know you wouldn't be able to back up any other threat.)

Posted by Andy at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Looking for hate in all the wrong places

Jeff Jacoby points out that US airport security is still looking in the wrong places:

Nearly five years after Sept. 11, 2001, US airport security remains obstinately focused on intercepting bad things -- guns, knives, explosives. It is a reactive policy, aimed at preventing the last terrorist plot from being repeated. The 9/11 hijackers used box cutters as weapons, so sharp metal objects were barred from carry-on luggage. Would-be suicide terrorist Richard Reid tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe, so now everyone's footwear is screened for tampering. Earlier this month British authorities foiled a plan to blow up airliners with liquid explosives; as a result, toothpaste and cologne have become air-travel contraband.
...
Israeli airport security, much of it invisible to the untrained eye, begins before passengers even enter the terminal. Officials constantly monitor behavior, alert to clues that may hint at danger: bulky clothing, say, or a nervous manner. Profilers -- that's what they're called -- make a point of interviewing travelers, sometimes at length. They probe, as one profiling supervisor told CBS, for ``anything out of the ordinary, anything that does not fit." Their questions can seem odd or intrusive, especially if your only previous experience with an airport interrogation was being asked whether you packed your bags yourself.
...
But because federal policy still bans ethnic or religious profiling, US passengers continue to be singled out for special scrutiny mostly on a random basis. Countless hours have been spent patting down elderly women in wheelchairs, toddlers with pacifiers, even former US vice presidents -- time that could have been used instead to concentrate on passengers with a greater likelihood of being terrorists.
...
Of course most Muslims are not violent jihadis, but all violent jihadis are Muslim. ``This nation," President Bush has said, ``is at war with Islamic fascists." How much longer will we tolerate an aviation security system that pretends, for reasons of political correctness, not to know that?

Unfortunately, until we get off our high horse about the appearance of racial profiling, we aren't going to get away with actual racial profiling - and that's a shame.

Posted by Andy at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A little interview

The Gaming Blog has an interview between the BBC and a Lebanese. Enjoy it, and Shabbat Shalom!

Posted by Andy at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Troops supporting Israel

Now that's a statement by retired generals. 49 of them.

We, the undersigned, believe that Israel's military operation to remove Hezbollah from southern Lebanon is a correct and legitimate response to the creation of an armed force accountable to Syria and Iran residing within the boundaries of Lebanon and using Lebanese territory to engage in cross-border warfare. Israel voluntarily withdrew completely from Lebanese territory in 2000 under the terms of UN Resolution 1559, but the Government of Lebanon was unable or unwilling to assert its sovereignty in the area Israel vacated.

Read the whole thing.

(h/t: Meryl)

Posted by Andy at 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A plot of land?

Hmmmm:

Israeli troops are collecting bodies of Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon and storing them in refrigerated containers in Israel, the army said on Wednesday.
...
Israel has special cemeteries for Palestinian and Lebanese militants killed in fighting with Israel.

Hmmm. 20,330 sq km. That's 20,330,000,000 square meters. Assuming a 2m x 1m plot, that's about 10 billion possible grave sites.

Now I get the whole martyr strategy. Retaking the land one grave at a time. (Thank goodness there are only 1.6 billion candidates worldwide).

Posted by Andy at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lebanese prisoners released!

Well, Hizb'allah fighters, anyway:

Israel on Monday handed over to UN peacekeepers five Lebanese men who were captured during an Israeli commando raid late on August 1 on the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek, according to a peacekeeping official.
...
The UN peacekeeping official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the prisoners were returned at the Unifil headquarters in Naqoura, just north of the Israeli border.

Hmmm, seems like a good ceasefirely thing to do. Anyone going to return the favor? Bueller? Bueller?

Posted by Andy at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A silly question

The IDF raids Lebanon:

By Sam F. Ghattas, Associated Press Writer
BEIRUT, Lebanon --Hezbollah fighters battled Israeli commandos who landed near the militants' stronghold deep inside Lebanon early Saturday, killing one soldier, in the first large-scale violation of the U.N.-brokered cease-fire between the sides.
Hezbollah said its guerrillas foiled the raid after a gunbattle, and the Israeli army said one soldier was killed and two were wounded, one seriously.
Witnesses said Israeli missiles destroyed a bridge during the raid -- the first major violation of the U.N.-imposed cease-fire that took effect Monday following 34 days of fighting.

The rest of the AP coverage is more like a set of guesses than a report:

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release information to the media, said the Israelis apparently were seeking a guerrilla target in a nearby school but had no other details.
...
Such a bold operation risked scuttling the fragile cease-fire and suggested Israel was going after a major target near Baalbek -- perhaps to rescue two Israeli soldiers snatched by Hezbollah on July 12, or to try to capture a senior guerrilla official to trade for the soldiers.
...
Local media said Sheik Mohammed Yazbeck, a senior Hezbollah official in the Bekaa and a member of the Shura council of the group, may have been the target. Yazbeck is a native of Boudai.

The classic comment, however, is found in non-AP coverage:

Parliament Speaker Nabih Beri, Hezbollah's main ally in government, said he also raised the incident with the envoys.

"If Lebanon had launched a similar act, wouldn't the Security Council have met to impose tough sanctions against it?" Beri asked, adding that he saw the raid as an attempt by Israel to provoke Hezbollah into retaliation and foil the deployment of the Lebanese army in south Lebanon.

Let me answer that one for you, Nabih: Nope. The UN wouldn't. Did you notice any tough sanctions against either of the governments you work for for starting this war? Didn't think so.

Posted by Andy at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

America, Britain, and Israel

What is it that ties us together? It's simple, really: a veneration of Law.

Let's start with the youngest and oldest: the youngest people, and the oldest republic.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I'm hard pressed to find a more beautiful set of words on the planet. In fact, I found them so beautiful, that I have, on several occasions, uttered this oath:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

What is about this document, this concept? In drafting this, our forefathers gave birth to a new nation, one which was greater than all of them (a hard feat!), and which could grow, and change, and survive trials and tribulations; a nation that no single man could encompass, and which each of us could contribute to, and know that our children would inherit. And one which, despite being a democracy, would have constant laws that would survive the trials of the mob.

That, my friends is America. Britain? Ahh, how we love our spiritual parent (on an aside, anyone who doesn't think that war can lead to normalized and pleasant relations has never studied the American Revolution or the War of 1812). Britain was the key to the rule of law:

TO ALL FREE MEN OF OUR KINGDOM we have also granted, for us and our heirs for ever, all the liberties written out below, to have and to keep for them and their heirs, of us and our heirs

Ah, the renunciation of power by a monarch, in perpetuity. From that day forward, every man knew, sort of, where he stood. It took a while for the monarchy to be stripped of the rest of its dictatorial power, but the Magna Carta was the key (and, oddly enough, provided for the rights of Jews, and non-Jews, identically as bankers).

And Israel? The oldest and the youngest. A mere 60 years old, or several millenia, depending on how you count it. Here, too, is Law enshrined in the people and the land, but I look to the Talmud for the true rule of Law:

Why did he say: "it is not in heaven"?
Rabbi Jeremiah said: "The Torah was given to us from Mount Sinai. We do not pay attention to an echoing voice, because on Mount Sinai you wrote in the Torah: "You are to incline after the majority" (Exod 23:2).

Rabbi Nathan met Elijah (and) said to him: "What did the Holy One, blessed be He!, do in that hour?"
He said: "He laughed and said: 'My sons have outshone me! My sons have outshone me!'"

God renouncing the ability to change the law out from under man - does it get any more amazing than that?

And here we have it: the renunciation of the rule of God, King, and Mob. And that is why America, Britain, and Israel often look like inseparable allies: all three are founded in the rule of Law, and the expectation that today's rules will still exist tomorrow.

Posted by Andy at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

The future of the Israeli government

AbbaGav looks at the unlikelihood of a collapse of Olmert's coalition, while Carl sees the anti-Netanyahu campaign already gearing up. A good pair of posts, and a lead into my hope and prayer:

May the ceasefire hold for long enough for Israel to regain balance, but not so long that the proponents of peace at any cost begin paying more to extend it. May it last long enough for a new government to rise in Israel, that will prepare for the inevitable war with Islamic fascists to the east, north, and south.
If I were truly ambitious, I'd pray for the peaceful dissolution of Hizb'allah, but I believe in asking for things that have a chance of happening.

Posted by Andy at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Temple Israel teach in

Seth Brysk, Director of the Israel Action Center of the JCRC-Boston, along with Temple Israel clergy (Rabbis Elaine Zecher and Stephanie Kolin), provided a "teach in" for members of the Temple Israel community tonight.

The evening was well-enough attended to require moving everyone from the the lounge into the main sanctuary. Unfortunately, the acoustics of the sanctuary were not as conducive to the format of the evening, and many of the comments and questions from attendees were difficult to grasp, so Rabbi Zecher's goal of "allow us not just to hear the people in the front to talk at you, but for us to talk with one another" was not easily met.

Seth began with a presentation entitled "Israel in Maps"; a PDF version can be found here. This presentation provided the opportunity for attendees to gain some historical understanding of the border, and the seeds of conflict.

Unfortunately, I felt that in Seth's efforts to be neutrally informative (especially in the face of questions like, "what is the correlation between the Christian fundamentalism of George Bush and the Islamic fundamentalism of Hizb'allah?"), he didn't manage to reach in as an agent of change, with one exception: the myth of disproportionality. When asked on it, Seth noted the standing orders to members of the IDF to not engage in targeting of civilians, and highlighted the extraordinary measures - from leafletting to automated telewarnings - taken by the IDF which place the IDF at increased risk.

There were a few statements made that I will follow up on separately, as I think out the issues they raised for me.

Posted by Andy at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Roundaround

&tIt's already one of those weeks. Here are some notables for your evening:

The Long

The Short

Elder of Ziyon notes that the Palestinian-on-Palestinian death count has reached 50 since Israel reentered Gaza. Hmmmm.
Aussie Dave notes that the French have figured out that they are rude to tourists. From my experience, wearing a baseball cap guarantees rudeness in Paris.
Crossing the Rubicon catches a context shift in the Washington Post's narrative.

Posted by Andy at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

How AbbaGav got his groove back

Apparently, it takes a UN resolution. Nasrallah's Top Ten Objections to the UN Delay-Fire Agreement. My favorite:

9. Nasrallah still has a big backlog of photos he wants Reuters to run.

Welcome back, FunnyGav!

Posted by Andy at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Why they hate us

Soccer Dad has a collection of pieces worth reading about our enemies and why they hate us. This parallels a conversation I had with someone recently: the reason that the forces of darkness - specifically, Islamic Fascism, Islamic terrorism, and mob rule - hate Jews, Israel, and America is quite simple: culturally, we believe in the improvement of the individual, and the power of the individual. This makes us a threat to anyone with a power base built on the denigration and enslavement of the individual. We are a threat to them by our very existence, because we prove that the myths they use to enslave their followers are lies.

Posted by Andy at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Israel's future

Right now, I see two possible short term options: either Lebanon and Hizb'allah buy into the UN decree, or they don't. If they don't, they're clearly taking a play from Arafat's book, as the UN has called this round for them. And why wouldn't Hizb'allah like to see the deployment of a sympathetic Lebanese Army, and a significant number of toothless UN human shields? It only makes the next war harder for Israel. So let's assume they play along.

Unless the kidnapped soldiers come home, Olmert's government will fall. Even if they do come home, his government is almost certain to fall; you can't take one of the world's most professional, best equipped militaries, and have the appearance of a loss to a terrorist militia backed by Iran. Olmert's government needs to be replaced with someone more hawkish. Convergence / realignment / buzzword of the week has been a disaster, which I believe was Sharon's plan. No one who isn't an anti-Semite can possibly look at the situation in Gaza and believe that the Palestinians want peace. The next government will probably be based on the premise of security through prompt application of force.

We'll see another Hizb'allah/Israel fight, and not too far in the future. One possibility is that the next one will have open military coordination with Iran and Syria, which could be either bad or good for Israel, depending on how surprised the IDF is. Either way, I predict that within two years, maybe only one, either Tel Aviv or Damascus will be in flames.

Posted by Andy at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Please, can I have another?

Why am I not surprised that the NY Times reports:

Israel has asked the Bush administration to speed delivery of short-range antipersonnel rockets armed with cluster munitions, the New York Times reported Friday morning. These rockets can be effective against hidden missile launchers.
...
But the Times reports that some State Department officials "have sought to delay the approval because of concerns over the likelihood of civilian casualties, and the diplomatic repercussions." The rockets, the officials told the Times, are fired by the dozen and could be expected to cause civilian casualties if used against targets in populated areas.

Hmmm, the New York Times. And the State Department. Maybe Laurence Simon can start running some form of "leaker bingo."

Posted by Andy at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the River and through the Woods

The IDF moves north:

One month after the outbreak of the war in Lebanon, during which the Israeli army has established a security zone along the border and reached a depth of 12 kilometers into Lebanese territory, the IDF got a 'green light' Friday night to continue north up to the Litani River.

I'm so glad that Meryl's analysis was off. I do wonder if my analysis was correct.

Posted by Andy at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A failure of leadership

Israel Matzav covers a pretty depressing view from Israel Insiders. Apparently, Olmert is playing McNamara to the IDF:

Senior IDF officers have been saying that the PM bears sole responsibility for the current unfavorable military situation, with Hezbollah still holding out after almost a month of fighting.According to these officers, Olmert was presented with an assiduously prepared and detailed operational plan for the defeat and destruction of Hezbollah within 10-14 days, which the IDF has been formulating for the past 2-3 years.
...
Olmert's responsibility for inaction goes much further. The US administration had given Israel the green light to attack Syria. A senior military source has confirmed to Israel Insider that Israel did indeed receive a green light from Washington in this regard, but Olmert nixed it.

Worse is this, if true:

Some senior officers have been mentioning the C-word in private conversations. They have been saying that a coup d'etat might be the only way to prevent an outcome in Lebanon that could embolden the Arab world to join forces with Syria and Iran in an all out assault on Israel, given the fact that such a development would be spurred entirely by the Arab and Moslem world's perception of Israel's leadership as weak, craven and vacillating, and therefore ripe for intimidation.

Posted by Andy at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Putting it together

The US asks Israel to hold off on widening the ground assault:

The IDF General Staff postponed the expansion of ground operations in south Lebanon late Wednesday night, after the security cabinet earlier in the day approved a plan for a widened offensive that would take the army to the Litani River, over 20 kilometers from the border, and beyond, in an effort to prevent the incessant Katyusha rocket attacks on northern Israel.

The troops were already rolling late Wednesday when they were ordered to halt. It appears heavy US pressure delayed the offensive to allow diplomacy to run its course. A senior minister said Wednesday that Israel might delay the expansion for 2-3 days for that purpose.

And then, a terrorist plot to blow up airplanes is disrupted:

A plot to blow up planes in flight from the UK to the US and commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said.
It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled in hand luggage on to as many as 10 aircraft.

Let me draw the lines (not the ones Ace has noted):

Israel is fighting terrorists

The appeasement world calls them resistance fighters

US asks Israel to hold off for a few days

US and UK foil terror plot

Folks have been calling this the First Media War for a while. I'm glad to see our leaders have figured it out. An Israeli assault last night would have fought with this in the news cycle, and the "peace in our time" wing would have focused on that, or called the bombings a "natural reaction." Instead, we get to put, front and center on the world stage, very clear demonstration of the enemy that is radical Islam and its terrorist arms.

In a few days, Israel will begin her attack. She'll have the thirty days, uninterrupted by false diplomatic efforts, to deal with Hizb'allah.

For real coverage of the Londonistan plan, see:
Lorie Byrd at Wizbang (hey, Poli, regret driving her away yet?.
Ace of Spades.
Michelle Malkin wonders if the wandering Egyptians and the Dearborn terrorist supporters are tied in, and notes the spiral evolutionary cycle of Islamic terrorists and airplanes.
Lifelike Pundits takes the opportunity to skewer the anti-war-on-terror-or-anything-related-to-Bush left.
Brendan Loy, newly Orthogonal Moderate prognosticates that air travel will be FUBARed for a very, very long time.
USS Neverdock ups the count to 14 terrorist plots stopped and disclosed in 6 years, and realized that the BBC censors haven't caught up to the news cycle.

Posted by Andy at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)

Round-down

News: 15 IDF reservists killed today.; Two Palestinian women (a bomber and her driver) arrested before they reach their target. In the same story, two Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in their "house in the Jenin refugee camp". Good for the IDF. Folks, once you build houses, you have to stop calling it a camp. This is a refugee camp; Syria starts checking its bomb shelters:
This shelter has also been renovated and Mona does not know where to go in case of an emergency. "This shelter has been sold and bought and we don't even know by who. Once it was open a store for cellular phone equipment, afterwards as a warehouse, and later as a home, before finally becoming a barber shop. The problem is that if it is private property we have no right to enter it in any situation."
Hmmm, maybe Syria is turning towards capitalism....
Commentary: Sandmonkey mocks an anti-suicide bomber public service announcement. Amusingly sad. Of course, we all remember the old ONDCP PSAs, so we shouldn't make too much levity of it.; One of Dave's readers thinks they saw Green Helmet guy on TV - running the country. Hrm.
Random: Meryl got a job. Congratulations! And that means I won't have her one stop shop of news and snark quite as active in the future....

Posted by Andy at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

UNICEF does care...

UNICEF responded very quickly to my last note. First off, I want to commend the Program Services staff for putting up with my heckling and badgering them, and taking the time to educate me. Here's the response, followed by my reply:

(short version: we made up)

Continue reading "UNICEF does care..." »

Posted by Andy at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

UNICEF likes form letters

UNICEF responded to my last set of comments. Amazingly, the letter is exactly the same as the one received on July 28th; with one notable difference. I now have a name, and email address.

My response:

This is the exact same message sent to me on July 28th when I challenged Mr. Lyons' initial message. On July 31st, he sent another message. My challenge to UNICEF, I believe, could not be more clear:

On both sides of the border, children are killed, placed in harm's way, and displaced. We can argue until we are blue in the face about fault; but UNICEF has done a very poor job of highlighting the plight of Israeli children. I do not care whether UNICEF is going to send even one penny to Israel; but every time UNICEF sends out a message decrying the plight of Lebanese children, UNICEF participates in the media war, and chooses the side of Hizb'allah against Israel -- that is, to make Israel appear as an aggressor nation.

What is UNICEF going to do about this? Are you going to monitor the children in Israel, and ensure that aid agencies are taking care of children there? Are you going to direct donors who are interested in helping Israeli children to the One Family Fund, or Le'eman Achai?

Posted by Andy at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Game Theory and Hizb'allah

Slate ponders:

CAN GAME THEORY SOLVE THE ISRAEL-LEBANON WAR?

Israel's strategy for dealing with Hezbollah has been called "tenfold deterrence": Any attack will be met with a far more forceful counterattack. Unfortunately both for Israelis and Lebanese, the strategy did not deter Hezbollah's missiles.

Continue reading "Game Theory and Hizb'allah" »

Posted by Andy at 06:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)

It's a Quagmire, alright

I couldn't resist this article. Thanks to Daled Amos, I've come across this piece describing the quagmire an aggressor is facing in the Middle East. On his own, a theocratic dictator decided to attack one of the most powerful nations in the region, and now has his hands full managing the resulting imbroglio. His original allies are starting to call for him to cut and run, and those who the world think might sympathize? They don't.

Continue reading "It's a Quagmire, alright" »

Posted by Andy at 07:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Haveil Havelim

Haveil Havelim has wandered over to Perspectives of a Nomad. Must remember to submit something for next week; but oh my goodness do I now have reading material for this week. If you want the pulse of the Jblogosphere, this is it!

Posted by Andy at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You first!

Apparently, France and the US have reached a compromise to enforce on Israel and Hizb'allah:

The draft, obtained by The Associated Press, "calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations."

That language would be a major victory for Israel, which has insisted it must have the right to respond if Hezbollah launches missiles against it. France and many other nations had demanded an immediate halt to violence without conditions as a way to push the region back toward stability.

Wow! It's a major victory that a cessation in hostiliites requires the aggressor to stop shooting, too?

The resolution asks that Israel and Lebanon agree to a set of principles to achieve a long-term peace. One crucial element is an arms embargo that would block any entity except the Lebanese government from buying weapons.

Wait a second. I thought that Lebanon wasn't at war with Israel? Isn't that what the Lebanese keep telling everyone? "This isn't our war, it's those wacky militants in the south, who have nothing to do with us, except seats in our parliament, and better equipment than our military!"

Other principles spelled out in the resolution include the disarmament of Hezbollah; the creation of a buffer zone from the U.N.-demarcated border between Israel and Lebanon north to the Litani River; and the delineation of Lebanon's borders, especially in the disputed Chebaa Farms area.

The border was already delineated in 2000, folks. How is this a victory for anyone but Hizb'allah?

The resolution would call for the current U.N. force in Lebanon, known by its acronym UNIFIL, to monitor the cessation in fighting. Once Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the series of principles, the Security Council would then authorize a new peacekeeping force for the region.

Because UNIFIL has such a track record of history?

Any deal will have to gain the acceptance of both Israel and Hezbollah, which could prove difficult.

Umm, I thought it was Lebanon a few paragraphs ago? I see - are we now admitting that Hizb'allah has veto authority over the Lebanese government?

Israel says it wants to continue fighting for up to two weeks to seriously diminish Hezbollah's military capability; Hezbollah's chief spokesman said Thursday the militia will not agree to a cease-fire until all Israeli troops leave Lebanon.

Does that include the two you are holding?

Posted by Andy at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Encouraging signs

It's Shabbat, so time for a sign that maybe, we're repairing the world faster than we are tearing it down.
Via MidEast Youth, and The Offside, teamwork arises:

Around 19:04 on Friday night, the Football Peace Team from Israel and Palestine landed in Zurich. From August 3rd to 6th, the twenty U16 players will participate in the 4th International Swiss U16 Cup in Bad Ragaz (Switzerland).

Seeds of Peace's summer camp is going strong, and I note this encouraging sign:

If it wasn’t for this arrangement of bunks, I probably would have lost out on the opportunity/privilege to integrate with some of the nicest people! I don’t believe that coexistence is the final goal, but integration with the “other side” is.

Posted by Andy at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Give Israel Your United Support

I've been perusing GIYUS for a few days - it's a nice sort of data - but I couldn't stop laughing at Sandmonkey's description on finding it:

This is Genius!

When it comes to psychological warfare, the Israelis don't mess around, do they?

Nope. But then, they don't have the pro bono services of CNN, AP, AFP, and Reuters.

Posted by Andy at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Peace is not the cessation of Violence

A lot of people have been clamoring for "peace" in the Middle East, asserting that a ceasefire would bring it about. Unfortunately, they're wrong, they don't understand peace.

Peace is the ability to not worry that one day, your neighbor will attack you.

Peace is the ability to practice your religion in the way you choose to, and not fear your co-religionists, the religious police, adherents of another religion, or the government.

Peace is the ability to wear what you want, eat what you want, work at the job you want - if the employer wants to hire you - spend your money how you want.

Peace is the ability to say what you want.

Peace is the ability to choose your side, and to choose to fight for it.

Does a ceasefire lead to any of these?

No. Hizb'allah will still be able to attack Israel. Civilians in Israel will still have to worry about rockets from Lebanon or Gaza. Ahmadinejad will still call for the destruction of Israel, as will Hamas, Fatah, and Hizb'allah. Lebanese civilians will still be afraid of Hizb'allah, and careful about what they say.

When your opposition has pledged to destroy you, and is willing to sacrifice themselves, their neighbors, and their children to that cause, peace is not achieved by waiting for them to succeed. Sometimes, peace requires bloodshed.

Posted by Andy at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Wandering Jew

I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling a bit negative today. Meryl brings back an old post about the Wandering Jew:

The world does not like the Jews. Oh no, they say reflexively, that isn’t true. Some people don’t like Jews, but certainly not everyone. No, not everyone. But indifference and inaction is as good as anti-Semitism, because the end result is the same: Dead Jews.

It's a good look at World Jewry over the last 60 years, and public opinion. The one bright point: the US doesn't make Meryl's list. Yet.

Posted by Andy at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It is time to widen the war

Who is Israel fighting against? Hizb'allah, correct? And, as the common wisdom goes, they are a rogue group that has taken control of southern Lebanon, parts of Beirut, areas of the Bekaa Valley; they operate without the consent of the Lebanese government.

Bullshit.

Israel is fighting against Lebanon. Hizb'allah is part of the government. For better of for worse, Lebanon has chosen to not risk a civil war in dealing with Hizb'allah, and has turned over control of their foreign policy to Hizb'allah. But to say that Lebanon isn't part of this war? Either Hizb'allah has invaded Lebanon, in which case the Lebanese need to declare war on Hizb'allah, or Hizb'allah is the paramilitary wing of the Lebanese Army. If Emile Lahoud can't control them, then he isn't usefully the head of state, and there has been a coup while no one was looking.

Israel is fighting against Syria. Syria is blatantly supplying Hizb'allah, with both Syrian and Iranian munitions. Syria is also giving Hizb'allah a flimsy excuse, by "ceding" the Sheba Farms to Lebanon, after Israel left Lebanon 6 years ago.

Israel is fighting against Iran. Iranian President Ahmadinejad today reiterated his call for the non-existence of Israel. Iran is providing both equipment, and technicians to operate them (sometimes) to Hizb'allah. Iran is seeking nuclear weapons; I have little doubt that Iran will use them offensively, either directly or through a proxy, against Israel.

Israel is fighting against public perception. The media likes dead bodies; the Lebanese are happy to show theirs off, while the Jews aren't. Because George Bush sides with Israel, everyone who hates him is either against Israel, or providing back-handed support (we support Israel, but think a cease-fire is the right thing given the humanitarian conditions).

What should Israel do? Declare war. Declare war on Lebanon, for using its paramilitary forces to deliberately target civilians. Force Lebanon to a treaty table. Declare war on Syria, for supplying munitions to Hizb'allah. Declare war on Iran, for calling for your destruction, and for providing Silkworms and Revolutionary Guards to Hizb'allah.

Is this a sane option? No. But there are no more sane choices. War with Iran and Syria is coming; better now than later.

Posted by Andy at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Olmert's speech - as it should be

Ben Caspit proposes what Olmert should declare to the world:

We will not hesitate, we will not apologize and we will not back off. If they continue to launch missiles into Israel from Kfar Kana, we will continue to bomb Kfar Kana. Today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Here, there and everywhere. The children of Kfar Kana could now be sleeping peacefully in their homes, unmolested, had the agents of the devil not taken over their land and turned the lives of our children into hell.
...
Today I am serving as the voice of six million bombarded Israeli citizens who serve as the voice of six million murdered Jews who were melted down to dust and ashes by savages in Europe. In both cases, those responsible for these evil acts were, and are, barbarians devoid of all humanity, who set themselves one simple goal: to wipe the Jewish race off the face of the earth, as Adolph Hitler said, or to wipe the State of Israel off the map, as Mahmoud Ahmedinjad proclaims.

And you - just as you did not take those words seriously then, you are ignoring them again now.

Mute your speakers (some annoying embeds) and read the whole thing.

Posted by Andy at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Temple Mount closed

Hmmm, I guess it isn't surprising:

The largely expected police decision to shut the Mount to Jews and Christians on the fast day came just two days after the the High Court of Justice ruled that members of the Temple Mount Faithful - with the exception of the group's leader, Gershon Salomon - could enter the site on Tisha Be'av if it is open to visitors.

The decision to shut the Mount to visitors, which was made by Jerusalem police chief Cmdr. Ilan Franco, followed an amalgamation of intelligence information that thousands of Muslims were planning to flock to the site to "protect" it from Jews who were planning to visit on Tisha Be'av at the urging of "extremist" Jewish groups, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said.

Hmmm, so let me understand this. Going forward, to block Jews from doing something, all that needs to be done is cry out that one is afraid of the Jews, make a call for your supporters to show up to "protect" against the Jews, and the Jews will block their own? Wow, what a great victory.

Posted by Andy at 06:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Qana Under Review: Astonishing Nobody

Snoopy The Goon is back, and here's his commentary on Qana:

The IAF must own up to the tragic reality, show empathy and humility: these children, women and elderly were killed by our bomb. Everyone, from the pilot that pressed the bomb release button to the IDF CoS, will have to live with the moral weight and personal part played in this tragedy.

It would be grossly unjust to assign sole guilt to the IDF. We cannot ignore the gross miscalculation these murderous bastards took in starting this war, as we cannot ignore the fact that they used Kafr Qana, indeed that building as a launch site for Katyushas with blatant disregard for those innocent lives.

Someone at the IAF was listening, apparently:

Israel Defense Forces' inquiry on the bombing of a building in the south Lebanese village of Qana that killed 56 civilians admits a mistake but charges that Hezbollah guerrillas used civilians as shields for their rocket attacks, according to a statement released early Thursday.
...
In a statement summarizing the inquiry report, the Israeli military said Israel did not know there were civilians in the building. "Had the information indicated that civilians were present ... the attack would not have been carried out," the statement said.

So chalk up an intelligence victory for Hizb'allah - and maybe this wasn't such a farfetched conspiracy theory:

Sunday, Hizb'allah slaughtered 37 children in the village of Qana, in addition to a score of adults. Hizb'allah leader Nasrallah was not available for comment, as he was coordinating his next strikes with Syrian and Iranian government officials in Damascus, but a notional Hizb'allah operative gloated off camera, "We knew we could get the Israelis with this one! 50 of our own people! They are shahid to the cause! And many of them were handicapped, so we have killed two birds with one stone!"

Of course, now Hizb'allah's PR wing can relax, because HRW is on the case:

HRW said Israel's contention that Hezbollah fighters were hiding among Lebanese civilians did not justify its "systematic failure" to distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Hmmm, but what justifies the media's, and HRW's systematic failure to distinguish between them? Oh, the fact that Hizb'allah terrorists dress up in civvies and park their rocket launchers next to residential buildings might have something to do with it?

Posted by Andy at 05:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Converging to Lebanon

Jameel at The Muqata questions Olmert's rationale for pushing the "convergence" plan during this war, and provides a call to action.

Posted by Andy at 05:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Entering Tisha b'Av

I will admit that I am filled with a sense of foreboding as Tisha b'Av begins.

This is a first for me; this day is not one which I have historically observed; merely noted in passing. Nor am I observing it today, other than to mark - and dread - its arrival.

As others have noted, the three weeks leading up to Tisha b'Av are noteworthy for their sorrow, and as a harbinger of the destruction that always happens at this time of year. Our enemies have noted it as well. The Temple's destruction, of course, was the first event. The Second Temple's destruction. The end of the Bar Kochba revolt. The expulsion from Spain. And, apparently, the start of World War I (this was new to me).

I am not surprised to see that, for the first time, Hizb'allah has launched rockets in the nighttime at northern Israel. Nor am I surprised to see that the Islamic Movement is calling on its supporters to gather at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to "protect" it from the Jews going to the Temple Mount to mourn. Does anyone else see a riot happening tomorrow, and it being blamed on the "provocation" of the presence of Jews going to Temple Mount?

I hope I am wrong - that I wake up tomorrow and it is just another day in this war. But somehow, I doubt it. Sleep well, my friends - and my your fast be light, the day be uninteresting, and the sun set on Eretz Yisrael.

Posted by Andy at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For your Wednesday Updates

Head over to Meryl's and Dave's. Dave has bios on fallen soldiers in addition to his usual roundup; Meryl is working on recovering her snark.

Posted by Andy at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's not the timestamps, folks

It's EU referendum vs. the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse over the Qana photo shoot affair, with the Jerusalem Post reporting from the sidelines.

And hey, why shouldn't I add my own commentary?

One of the points that the AP spends most of its energy on is the timestamp argument:

The AP said information from its photo editors showed the events were not staged, and that the time stamps could be misleading for several reasons, including that web sites can use such stamps to show when pictures are posted, not taken. An AFP executive said he was stunned to be questioned about it. Reuters, in a statement, said it categorically rejects any such suggestion.

First off, I'm with Volokh:

I don't think the question of whether or not the photos were staged has any bearing on one's view of the Israel-Party of God conflict (even if they were actually faked, not just stage,that would be the least of Hezbollah's sins). It also doesn't change my view of the overall situation if 60 (original reports) 28 (more recent reports of how many bodies the Red Cross actually found there; of note that the reporters at the scene quoted the higher figure basd on pure hearsay;) or zero (conspiracy theorists) civilians were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Qana. So long as Israel has taken reasonable precautions to limit civilian casualties, as it has, the moral responsibility for any death lies with the Party of God for using Qana as a staging ground for attacks on Israel, knowing (far better than Israel) that civilians had remained in the village and were at risk. So why care if the photos were staged? Well, if that's your attitude, why not just have Oliver Stone recreate the scene and spread those photos around the international media?

That said, I can come up with any number of valid explanations for the timestamps being odd. Maybe the photographers did not have their cameras in the correct timezone; or the timezone was not synchronized with the computer they uploaded to. That accounts for the hour being wrong. And as anyone who uses a digital camera over time knows, the clocks will skew until you manually reset them (NTP doesn't work so well on a non-networked device); my wife and I run into this when we take pictures on vacation and try to create time-based slideshows. So really, those timestamps are irrelevant to the veracity of the "story."

The more damning evidence is the variety of poses and locations of Mr. Green Helmet and the bodies he carries; the precision of numbers that Hizb'allah asserted were in the building, even without bodies being found - while it is possible they had a good census, it may be that the bodies are still under the rubble - because they placed them there. And, lastly, even if this isn't a Pallywood event, the fault still lies with Hizb'allah for the deaths of the civilians. Never forget that.

And, for my last snark, quoting from AP:

"It's hard to imagine how someone sitting in an air-conditioned office or broadcast studio many thousands of miles from the scene can decide what occurred on the ground with any degree of accuracy," said Kathleen Carroll, AP's senior vice president and executive editor.

While I think a lot of people think Kathleen is pointing at all the bloggers criticizing the media, I disagree. She is actually agreeing with us. She is admitting that AP has absolutely no clue what's going on on the ground, but doesn't see that as her problem. That's where we disagree.

Posted by Andy at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Law of Unintended Consequences: Into Bekaa

Into the valley of the shadow ...:

Israel Defense Forces commandos reportedly landed by helicopter late Tuesday night near the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek in what Lebanese security sources described as a major operation against suspected Hezbollah positions.

Lebanese security sources said the troops landed as aircraft launched several strikes near Baalbek, which is located in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. (Click here for map)

One Lebanese officer saying the Israel Air Force presence in the air above the ancient city was "unprecedented."

Captain Ed notes the effect the ceasefire had on the Israeli public:

Israel had seemed ready to shut down its offensive a few days ago, but the Israeli people rose up in indignation at the criticism leveled at them for defending themselves. This shows that the new push may have all of the critics confounded. Israel is not just looking to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon with this new action -- they want to strike at Syria.

Hizb'allah's Qana PR strategy may have backfired. By forcing Israel to slow down, now they're accelerating. While a few days ago, it seemed like Israel would not press the war to its logical next step - sealing the Syrian border - now it is. And maybe, the step after that is possible.

Posted by Andy at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Double your pleasure, Double your money!

Elder of Ziyon has extended his tzedakah matching campaign. You know you want to.

Posted by Andy at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not enough of us protest!

Apparently, protesters at MIT held a small gathering of 60 to protest Israel. This quote caught my eye:

Harvard’s Pierce Professor of Psychology Ken Nakayama, who supported the Harvard-MIT petition to divest from Israel in 2002, was present at the event.

“Harvard professors should take a more evenhanded view and not just be all pro-Israel,” he said in an interview before the event, holding a poster that read “NO U.S. $$$ FOR ISRAEL AGGRESSION!”

While I've known that certain political elements live in a fantasy world, that's a pretty impressive leap, given:

The push for divestment

The Israeli Lobby paper

The Harvard Israel Review noted that "if an undergrad wants to learn about Modern Israel, most of the classes he will end up taking will be about Middle Eastern conflicts. The Harvard faculty thus sends the message that Israel is a troublemaker, worthy of study only in that respect."

Pro-Palestinian professors being invited onto campus to speak

Apparently, the real problem is that professors like Ruth Wisse and Alan Dershowitz are pro-Israel, and proud of it.

Posted by Andy at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

More on Qana

Via Solomonia, we learn that Libanoscopie has a scoop on Hizb'allah's Qana activities (translation):

"The Hezbollah, pinned down by the seven point plan proposed by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which proposes a plan for deployment of the Lebanese army over all of the territory and especially in South Lebanon, and then the disarmament of the militia of the Party of God, wanted to cause the negotiations to fail. It put into operation a Machievellian plan by creating an event that would allow it to cancel this project. Knowing full well that Israel will not hesitate to bombard civilian targets, Hizbullah militants placed a rocket launcher on the roof of a building in Qana and brought disabled children inside, in a bid to provoke a response by the Israeli Air Force, to create a new situation, using the massacre of innocents to regain the initiative in the negotiations."

Maybe this wasn't so farfetched after all.

Posted by Andy at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kudos to YnetNews

YnetNews provides coverage of the analysis of the questionable coverage of Qana:

A number of web logs in the United States and Britain have claimed that a man who appeared in much of the international press's coverage of the Qana bombing lifting children's bodies may have been a Hizbullah agent who staged photo-ops for the international media.

Now if only the The Times and Post would follow suit.

Hmm, does that make this a snark about the absence of coverage in the face of coverage of the analysis of the questionable coverage of Qana?

(hat tip: the everwatchful Dave at IsraellyCool).

Posted by Andy at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Open letter to the Post and the Times

Ombudspersons (Deborah Howell, Byron Calame);

First, I will admit that most of my reading of your papers is to identify what I perceive as their bias against America, Israel, our national security efforts, and our economy. I'll except some of the guest editorials in the Post, as you do a better job of having selections that raise interesting and diverse points of view.

I'm sure by now you are aware of the events in Qana. I'm sure you're also aware - given Hizb'allah's notorious manipulation of the media; Hizb'allah's propensity for martyring the Lebanese in pursuit of their aims; the IDF's assertion that the building did not collapse when struck by their munitions; Hizb'allah's strategic positioning of assets in and around civilian structures; and images of alleged rescue workers and dead children with strange time discrepancies - that many of us who are following the attack on Israel and her war of self-defense closely question the "official" storyline. As fading bastions of investigative journalism, I would find it odd that your papers are *not* investigating these claims, were it not for my first paragraph.

My challenge to you - Investigate. Inform.

-Andy
http://www.cozikin.com/

Posted by Andy at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)

More from UNICEF

Apparently my earlier question didn't get me banned (or maybe it's the use of a different address to email them than we used to donate after the tsunami). More email from UNICEF:

July 31, 2006
Dear Friend,

Yesterday's attacks in Qana are dramatic evidence that children are once again paying the price of war. As hostilities continue, more than a third of those already killed and injured have been children.

With staff in Lebanon since 1948, UNICEF has been able to rapidly assess the situation of children forced to flee their homes. Their number has increased to more than 400,000, and I hope that you will be able to make a donation today to help these children their hour of need.

UNICEF is providing emergency supplies—including essential medicines, nutritional supplements, and water and sanitation kits—and will begin a measles immunization campaign tomorrow to ward off the outbreak of disease.

This is only the beginning of relief efforts in the region. UNICEF needs $23.8 million to save and protect the children caught in this crisis. Please give generously.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Charles J. Lyons
President, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

ABOUT UNICEF and Israel: UNICEF is non-partisan and does not take sides in conflict situations. UNICEF's concern is the safety and welfare of all children, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion or nationality.

UNICEF has no plans to operate emergency relief programs in Israel. As with many other nations that once received assistance from UNICEF, Israel has attained economic security and no longer qualifies as a developing nation according to international standards. Instead, as one of the world's leading industrial nations, Israel provides assistance to UNICEF. For more information, please click here.

Apparently, enough of us yelled at them that now we get a disclaimer. But my response to them, unaddressed by their website:

Mr. Lyons,
How many Israeli children are displaced as a result of Hizb'allah rockets?

Do you care?

-Andy

Posted by Andy at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Yemin Orde needs your help!

Here's a new way to support Israel in her crisis.

Yemin Orde is a youth village / immigrant home located south of Haifa. And it has opened its doors to displaced families from further north, and provided a place of rest for some of its graduates. And, today, they mourn their graduate, Shimon Egda, who fell in battle in Bint Jbael.

They could use a little help. Donate here.

Posted by Andy at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Action Item for the day

According to Orthodox Union, the White House is being inundated with calls opposing President Bush's support of Israel:

Calls to the White House are running 2 to 1 against President Bush’s strong support for Israel. Please call the White House immediately at (202) 456-1111 and thank the President for standing by Israel. He has been a voice of moral clarity in the wilderness. Please encourage your friends and family to call as well.

You've all been encouraged.

Posted by Andy at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What year is it, anyway?

Jeff Jacoby, one of the two reasons I read the Boston Globe, notes that Americans have reverted to September 10th thinking.

Gallup's numbers suggest two things. First, that most Americans, sizing up the warfare in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, recognize that Hezbollah is the aggressor and that Israel is fighting in self-defense. And second, that most Americans believe this fight has nothing to do with the United States.

I wonder, should we just rebrand September 10th as National Naivete Day?

Posted by Andy at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I wonder who that aid worker is?

EU referendum collects pictures from Qana, and notes the mishandling of the dead for PR purposes. I'd note that there are an awful lot of gentlemen in flak jackets and helmets, and wouldn't they look paramilitary, but we can see that Hizb'allah has a very liberal 'dress-down' policy.

Posted by Andy at 07:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Caught on tape

Apparently, the building in Qana did not collapse immediately following an IDF airstrike:

"The attack on the structure in the Qana village took place between midnight and one in the morning. The gap between the timing of the collapse of the building and the time of the strike on it is unclear," Brigadier General Amir Eshel, Head of the Air Force Headquarters told journalists at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, following the incidents at Qana.
Eshel and the head of the IDF's Operational Branch, Major General Gadi Eisnkot said the structure was not being attacked when it collapsed, at around 8:00 in the morning.
The IDF believes that Hizbullah explosives in the building were behind the explosion that caused the collapse.

I will admit, this one left me stunned. Elder of Ziyon has a little more.

Sadly, this has accomplished a little of the Anti-Zionist Alliance's goal: IAF operations over Southern Lebanon are suspended for 48 hours:

Israel has agreed to suspend its aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon for 48 hours, effective immediately, to allow for an investigation into Sunday's bombing that killed 56 civilians, a U.S. State Department official said early Monday.

If I believed there would be a useful investigation, I'd almost support this, but who is going to investigate? The UN, already known to cover up any evidence that isn't "balanced."? The Lebanese government, whose army has taken sides, and has fired upon Israelis?

And some excuses for irrationality: The Palestinians are too distracted to release Gilad Shalit, Iran now must "reevaluate" it's response to the incentives plan around its nuclear capability.

Wow, this is starting to sound like a plot from a science fiction novel.

(bonus hat tip: Dave at IsraellyCool.)

Posted by Andy at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Hizb'allah's deadliest kill yet

Sunday, Hizb'allah slaughtered 37 children in the village of Qana, in addition to a score of adults. Hizb'allah leader Nasrallah was not available for comment, as he was coordinating his next strikes with Syrian and Iranian government officials in Damascus, but a notional Hizb'allah operative gloated off camera, "We knew we could get the Israelis with this one! 50 of our own people! They are shahid to the cause! And many of them were handicapped, so we have killed two birds with one stone!"

For the past three days, Hizb'allah operatives in and around Qana have been playing a cat-and-mouse game, as operatives launch missiles at innocent civilians in towns and cities in sovereign Israel. With each launch, the IAF would target the launchers to protect their own civilians. Meanwhile, other operatives were collecting shahids. These innocent civilians were collected into one large building, "for their safety", and not provided information about Israeli warnings for innocent civilians to leave the village and head north for safety. Rumors that the civilians were held by force could not be substantiated at press time, as none of the shahid were available for comment.

Hizb'allah's public relations department is said to be pleased with their success, as the international media blames Israel for this latest of death of human shields. As hoped, The Jerusalem Post is comparing this to the shelling of Lebanese civilians at a UN outpost ten years ago in Qana. Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, is apparently more resolute than Shimon Peres was a decade ago,

"I express deep regret, along with all of Israel and the IDF, for the civilian deaths in Qana. Nothing could be further from our intentions and our interests than harming civilians - everyone understands that. When we do harm civilians, the whole world recognizes that it is an exceptional case that does not characterize us. In contrast, Hizbullah has launched rockets with the aim of murdering innocent civilians in northern Israel."

In protest, the UN compound in Beirut came under attack from Lebanese rioters. It is not clear if the rioters were aware of the impotence of the UN.

Hamas also seized this opportunity, claiming that Qana would be the excuse for its attacks against Israel. An anonymous terrorist was overheard, "Whew! Now we have a good excuse for the next year or two of murders, bombings, and Qassam launches at women and children in Sderot! Because who knows when Israel will hand us another opportunity like this?"

***

Disclaimer: All quotes by terrorists are made up, and probably fictional. Death of innocents is truly heartbreaking, and while I denounce Hizb'allah for causing these deaths, my sympathy lies with the families of the deceased, and the IAF pilots involved.

Update [31 July 2006: 00:31 UTC-5]: The IDF asserts the building was destroyed by Hizb'allah. Wow. Apparently, I didn't go far enough on this one.

Posted by Andy at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (4)

Heard at a party

A Frenchman, a Texan, and an Israeli are captured by cannibals (Of course, isn't this the norm?). The cannibals explain to their captives that they prefer well-fed meat, so offer each one a last request. The Frenchman proclaims, 'Certainement! Escargot, sauteed in a beure blanc, and a glass of Chateau Margaux 1971!' A few cannibals race off, and return with this meal (where the rest of the Margaux went is another tale). After he finishes his meal, the cannibals toss him in the pot, and start stoking the fire. The Texan declares, 'I'll have a Black Angus porterhouse, two inches thick, cooked medium rare, with a side of taters. And a bottle of Longhorn, while you're at it.' Another group of cannibals runs off, and return with his meal. When he finishes, the cannibals add him into the pot, alongside the Frenchman, who is starting to look a bit peaked.

The cannibals turn to the Israeli, and ask him for his final request. The Israeli looks around, and says, "Please, just kick me in the balls. Really hard." The cannibals look a bit stunned, then, after verifying this is what he wants, do so. As they go to throw him in the pot, the Israeli pulls out a gun, and proceeds to kill the cannibals. He helps the Texan and the Frenchman out of the pot - both looking a bit worse for wear - and the Frenchman gasps, "Why? Why did you not shoot them before they almost killed us all?"

The Israeli replied, "If I'd shot them earlier, you'd have a UN resolution accusing me of disproportionate force up in no time."

Posted by Andy at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If Syria has WMDs, does Hizb'allah?

Power Line notes the likely shipments of WMDs to Syria from Iraq:

Based on this and a number of other reports, it seems likely that some, at least, of Iraq's WMDs were shipped to Syria shortly before the war started in 2003.

Now I have to wonder. If Syria is arming Hizb'allah, and Syria has Saddam's WMDs, are we going to see those WMDs come into play in this war?

Posted by Andy at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Boston support activities at Temple Israel

Temple Israel has a host of support activiities coming up:

Give generously to Or Hadash, our sister congregation in Haifa. Continue below to read the first-hand report of the situation in Haifa from our beloved friend, Edgar Nof, Rabbi of Or Hadash: Congregation Or Hadash.
...
we urge you to join Rabbi Zecher and Rabbi Kolin and other members of the congregation at the Temple on August 15 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. for a briefing on the current crisis and an opportunity to discuss personal reactions and concerns. Joining us will be Seth Brysk, director of the Israel Action Center, JCRC.
...
As I write this lengthy letter, my wife, Irene, and I are preparing to leave Boston on August 3rd for Israel. Our initial reason for the trip was to celebrate the wedding of the son of our intimate friends. Now we’ll travel also as an expression of our solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are forced yet again to fight for the right to live in their own land, free from terror. We pray that our people will be protected from harm and that the day will come soon when it is no longer necessary for them to resort to force in order to defend their children, their land and the Jewish future. I look forward to sharing our stories with you upon our return. My clergy colleagues, Cantor Einhorn and Rabbis Zecher, Morrison and Kolin join me both in this correspondence and in wishing you the very best for the rest of the summer.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Ronne Friedman

Go read the rest of the open letter.

Posted by Andy at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Is Palestine the problem?

He may be a great economist, but Jeffrey Alan Miron doesn't get it. Neither does his recommended read, Matthew Yglesias.

It's usually best in the American context to keep one's criticisms of Israel polite and measured, but there are times when it's better to be blunt in the hopes of achieving clarity. Israel's current war in Lebanon is strategically blinkered and morally obtuse. The idea that the United States or American Jews like me should support it out of friendship is akin to the notion that a real friend would lend a car to a drunk buddy after the bartender confiscates his keys. I understand why the Israeli government and public think this war is a good idea, but they're simply mistaken.

In the interest of bluntness, Matt, let me point out that you've already demonstrated that you're trying to use emotional keywords to justify your point. You call Israel a drunkard, just to get a rise out of us. You also assert that a bartender took our keys, but, um, that hasn't happened yet. Find a better analogy.

The cross-border raid to capture Israeli soldiers was, of course, another matter. But here Israel had options. If they wanted their soldiers back, they could have traded some Hezbollah captives for them. If they wanted to act tough in the face of threats, they could have refused to negotiate and mounted a smallish, well-targeted retaliatory strike that would have garnered significant international support. Instead, Israel chose to escalate a low-intensity border conflict that posed no serious threat to its security into a much larger-scale battle it can't possibly win -- one that will only harden anti-Israeli sentiments in its neighbor to the north.

Here's where Matt just demonstrates a flaw in understanding. First off, negotiating with terrorists - satisfying their demands - just provides an economic incentive for them to continue. They are kind of like spammers; just taking it doesn't make them go away; in fact, they come on stronger. And second, this isn't just retaliation. There isn't an economy, where one Israeli life is worth so many dollars or Hizb'allah lives. One life. One life has the same value as a thousand, or a million. And, frankly, in defense of their home, Israel has the right to flexible response.

Israel and its friends abroad need to face reality -- the problem that needs solving is the Palestinian problem. Were Israel's conflict with the Palestinians resolved, other challenges like Hezbollah would soon melt away. The idea of firing rockets into Israeli towns would appear absurd. Iran and Syria would have nothing to gain from supporting groups that behaved in that manner. Arab public opinion would no longer applaud the firing of rockets at random into Israeli cities.

Hah! And, with one stroke, he tells us the solution. Unfortunately, as the prisoner's plan so aptly elucidates, a not-more-than-one-state solution is all the current Palestinian leadership would accept. Of course, Matthew is right; that solution would lead to no more rockets into Israeli cities.

Matthew does have a point. Until the Palestinian issue is resolved, Israel won't know peace. But until the rest of the Arab world knows war, the issue will not be resolved.

Posted by Andy at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What's a little damage among friends?

SoccerDad asked for a compare and contrast of two articles. On one hand, we have Charles Krauthammer:

Had Israel wanted to destroy Lebanese civilian infrastructure, it would have turned out the lights in Beirut in the first hour of the war, destroying the billion-dollar power grid and setting back Lebanon 20 years. It did not do that. Instead, it attacked dual-use infrastructure -- bridges, roads, airport runways -- and blockaded Lebanon's ports to prevent the reinforcement and resupply of Hezbollah. Ten-thousand Katyusha rockets are enough. Israel was not going to allow Hezbollah 10,000 more.

And, on the other hand, we have Eugene Robinson:

The one thing that's clear so far is that Rice believes that allowing Israel to decimate Hezbollah and drive what's left of the group out of southern Lebanon is such a valuable step toward her "new" Middle East that it's worth crippling a nascent Arab democracy with hundreds of civilian casualties and billions of dollars worth of infrastructure damage.

The obvious contrast is, of course, that Krauthammer puts the damage in context - Israel is doing the bare minimum damage to achieve their means. Robinson doesn't bother. The telling quote, however, is one that SoccerDad left out from Robinson's article:

Rice's predecessors have all discovered that containment, incrementalism, trust-building and similar unglamorous, snail-paced measures are the worst way to handle the Middle East -- except for all the other conceivable ways.

In fact, Robinson is just plain wrong. Israel has a nice, quiet border with Jordan. A nice, quiet border with Egypt. By and large, a nice, quiet border with Syria. What do those three borders have in common? Oh, yeah - Israel kicked their teeth in. And when they came back for more, Israel did it again. And again. And again.

Now, the territories and Lebanon? That's where Israel has tried those unglamorous measures. And, let's see - attacks across her border. Her citizens killed. Her soldiers abducted.

And now, a lot of us think Israel needs to kick some teeth in. Because in the Middle East, power is respected. Diplomacy isn't.

Posted by Andy at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pre-Shabbat Roundup

Before I dive in, a reminder to each of you to take a few moments this evening to send a prayer to Israel. The IDF, the refugees, the stalwarts in their basements, the livebloggers - whomever. Then take a moment and pray for the Lebanese, who need all the help they can get to make it out of this.

Dave at IsraellyCool has done the most amazing job of liveblogging. Really; if you're going to read only one website, this is it. (Well, except for Cozy Corner; don't abandon me!) In today's roundup: New missiles in use by Hizb'allah, Anderson Cooper outs the Hizb'allah press machine, Ha'aretz succumbs to a moment of moral obfuscation, Charles Krauthammer's piece on Israel's restraint and Hizb'allah's lack thereof, Dan Gillerman makes fun of the UN, Walid Jumblatt thinks this is all an Iranian military intelligence gathering operation, Palestinians are murdering solitary Jews, and some Australian editorials. All this, and he points us to the Hizb'allah Dating Service.
Meryl offers us Ha'aretz's laziness (or bias), reporters trying to kill off sympathy for Israel, the divine irony of a Nasrallah hiding in an Iranian embassy, and a brief summary of actions, including a Palestinian attack on a kindergarten. She also points out that the UN has moved their unarmed observers in Hizb'allah-land to locations with lightly armed observers, and suggests that maybe the UN should just evacuate. She also highlights that Bint Jbeil wasn't an ambush. For some reason, though, she isn't taking it easy! Meryl, Shabbat approaches! Go curl up with Tig and Gracie for a few hours!
SoccerDad post the daily Haveil havalim, which includes notes about Hizb'allah using a mosque as a firing position (I thought they didn't do that?), Hizb'allah's training as a regular army (by...?), a discussion of morale with IDF soldiers, and a new assignment. I'll need to look into that one.
After her husband Craig takes over her blog to rip apart David Broder, Betsy Newmark antes up the $10.95 for Internet access and opines on the worst foreign policy blunders of the US. (Elder of Ziyon answers, "Oslo").
Elder of Ziyon follows up with a 2004 video of Palestinians gunmen using a UN ambulance as a transport vehicle. Hmmm, doesn't the ICRC care about that? Or the UN? Apparently not.
AbbaGav posits that just maybe, Nasrallah's refrain is, "Would I say something that wasn't true?"
Despite a DoS attack and a makeover, Solomonia is back it, making fun of the perverse logic of Al-Hayat's columnist. And apparently FNC liked the same Seva quote I did.
Honest Reporting UK heads into Northern Israel.

Elder makes his tzedakah matching challenge, and is looking for the next mensch to do it. Anyone? Even if you're not matching, check out one of the sources on this post, and give!

Posted by Andy at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

More media bias!

AbbaGav gets me thinking:

I recently took a stroll through Yahoo's Mideast Conflict News Photos, as is my wont when I'm looking for something easy to blog about -- if you have a blog that deals even remotely with media bias, you owe it to yourself to wade in there at least once a week because those posts practically write themselves.

And it made me think of this month's Time magazine. The cover story opens with three full page pictures, which I've attached below the fold. You tell me they aren't trying to spin a message?

Continue reading "More media bias!" »

Posted by Andy at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Go read this

I'd seen a few links to Daniel Gordis' Dispatches, but tonight I read this for the first time. A lot resonated with me, but this especially:

It is not lost on virtually any Israelis that the two primary fronts on which this war is being conducted are precisely the two fronts from which we withdrew to internationally recognized borders.
...
without intending to, we called their bluff. And now we know: the issue isn’t their statehood. It’s ours.

Chazak Ve'ematz.

Posted by Andy at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A subjective definition of objectivity

Following up to our earlier discussion of truth, preception, and bias in the media, Ha'aretz covers the Arab media in Israel:

Ashkar, who is 29 years old, has already managed to work for several Arab TV stations, and to write for several newspapers in the north. Despite the terms she plants in her broadcasts, she claims that "our news merely reflects the dilemma that Israeli Arabs live with every day. As the editor, I don't put across my personal views."

Impossible. Something of your views must get across?

"Of course it is expressed in the content, in the choice of the items. That is why I decided, for example today, to interview Bishara rather than MK Majli Wahaba who is part of the establishment and supports the government that is attacking the Lebanese people. It's not that Wahaba never appears on our station, but he does so in other contexts ... I feel that Bishara gives better expression to the feelings of the Arab public of which I'm part. If I'd interviewed Wahaba, I'd have lost my legitimacy in the eyes of this public."

Let's see. You don't put across your personal views. But, you select content which reinforces the views that you subscribe to. Can you not see the vicious cycle you are a party to?

Posted by Andy at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Be strong, and be brave

You can also see this image on the sidebar; transliterated, it is "Chazak, ve'ematz", or, "Be strong, and be brave." Design by Sarah. It's a fitting image to go with this story:

"It's our turn now," said Captain Ori Lavie. "It's our turn to protect the border. And we'll carry out any mission we need to, against any force, in the best way possible. If we don't, we have no right to exist.

"We will not lose this war. We did not start it, but it's our duty to protect the Jewish nation and see to it that the residents of Metula and Haifa can live in peace. If we don't do it, no one will. We waited 2,000 years for our own state, and we won't fold because a group of terrorists think that they can scare us.

"Someone who cannot protect his freedom does not deserve it, When missiles and rockets land on all the northern cities and reach Haifa, and when two of our soldiers have been kidnapped and ten have been killed and dozens have been wounded - this is no time to talk, it's time to fight. From the moment we cross the border, you must be super alert, super sharp. We are threatened from every side. Each of you is responsible for his comrades."

Posted by Andy at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Temple Mount Access Control

From Ha'aretz:

Police on Thursday restricted entry to Jerusalem's Temple Mount to Palestinians under the age of 40 after it received information that a protest was scheduled to take place on its premises after Friday prayers.

Demonstrators were said to have planned an event including 70 wedding ceremonies and a rally against Israel's offensive in Lebanon.

I'll admit, that's an interesting demonstration choice. And the filtering is interesting. We'll see how effective it is.

Posted by Andy at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Midmorning Roundup

Elder of Ziyon has a history of the conflicts in Lebanon. So did AFP, but, shall we say, they left something out?
Donald Sensing at Winds of Change covers the "Not It!" syndrome affecting the world powers. Anyone surprised?
Craig Newmark notes an interesting new record set by Iran, and follows up by pointing us to Mark Steyn's review of Before The Dawn, who notes an interesting trend of warfare death rates across the millennia.
JoshuaPundit gives us a history lesson on land for peace.
Michael Totten talks about the fragility of Lebanon, and plans to head back. I hope he elucidates on the parts of Lebanon not under attack by Israel.
Bill Roggio looks at Hizb'allah's capabilities, and what this may mean for the future of the proxy war with Iran.
Al Qaeda doesn't like that their ratings are slipping to Hizb'allah, and vows to get back into the fight.
Dave at IsraellyCool has a big roundup today. A memorial to the fallen at Bint Jbail; a tech company in Thailand boycotting Israeli addresses; Nasrallah goes to Damascus; Australia notes that a peacekeeping force requires peace as a precondition, and Katyushas continue to fall.
Meryl notes the PR success of an IDF soldier, and that Nasrallah's trip to Syria includes a visit with an Iranian envoy. I assume he's placing an order?

Posted by Andy at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hook, line, and sinker

How much of Beirut has been targeted by the IDF?

(h/t: Meryl)

Posted by Andy at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Support the Troops

&tUpdate: I've reorganized the list, and adding a clear list of links to other aggregators. Comment/ping me if I missed you. Everyone else, open your heart, and your wallet.

Usually, with a title like that, I'd be talking about American troops. But today, the Israeli troops and civilians could really use the support.

Stay informed.: Haaretz.; Jerusalem Post.; YNetNews.; Dave at IsraellyCool is LiveBlogging.; TTLB News Aggregator.
Support the IDF: Send Pizza to IDF soldiers.; Send Burgers to IDF soldiers.; Friends of the IDF provides MWR for the troops.; Libi provides support to troops and the their families.
Support Victims of Terror: You can donate to Magen David Adom.; ZAKA;/a> or Hatzolah Israel in their rapid response mission; One Family in their followup.; Yad Sarah provides medical equipment.
Support Children, Refugees, and Relocation: The UJC is aggregating the North American Jewish federations donations pages; Lemaan Achai is coordinating raising funds to support the refugees congregating in Bet Shemesh; Help JNF; Congregation Or Hadash needs your help to make ends meet in Haifa. They're a reform congregation - the only one in Haifa - which means they don't have quite the same network to fall back on in Israel.; Yemin Orde, the youth village, needs asistance.
Support the Economy: Shopping Israel.; Invest in Israeli development
Voice your Support: Contact the ICRC, and request that they demand access to Israeli soldiers captured by Palestinian (Hamas) and Lebanese (Hezbollah) forces.; Talk about what's going on with your associates!; Voice your support online
Other Lists: JBlogosphere; Soccer Dad; the list at the end of Daled Amos's post; Crisis in Israel
Some Sources: AbbaGav; Centrerion Canadian.; IsraellyCool; Eric and Meryl's original inspiration.

Posted by Andy at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (6)

Quick Israel News Roundup

Iran is sending suicide bombers -- to Lebanon. Watch for large explosions, to be blamed on the IDF, with civilian casualties.
Thank you, IAF, for stopping some counterfeiters. Could you pass some Lessons Learned to the Secret Service?
History repeats itself, in Ramallah (h/t: Dave). There's something funny to be said here. Or maybe sad.
The IDF bombs the UN. Condolences to the families of the four dead. At least UNIFIL now has something to do, clearing rubble on their outpost.
Hizb'allah admits to surprise at Israel's response. Yet they still won't return the soldiers or comply with UN 1559.
The Tories are at it again. Man, I'm glad we kicked them out of America 200 years ago.
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is doing nicely, despite a war and a hike in interest rates. Investor confidence is a good signal for Israel. Consumer spending appears to have moved to the south of the country. Not good news for the North, but good for the country.

And for our daily way to show support: Go buy a nice bottle of Carmel's Moscato di Carmel, and invite a few friends over for a summer afternoon chat about Israel, or hang out with your spouse and enjoy a sunset. In the CozyHouse, we call this the "Soda Pop Wine" - it on the sweet and light end of wines.

Posted by Andy at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

UNICEF only cares about Lebanese children

I just received this email from UNICEF:

Subject: Children in Lebanon need help today
July 25, 2006

Dear Friend,

As hostilities in the Middle East continue, innocent children are bearing the brunt of the conflict. More than a third of those already killed and injured have been children.

With staff in Lebanon since 1948, UNICEF has been able to rapidly assess the situation of the estimated 350,000 children forced to flee their homes. I hope that you will be able to make a donation today to help these children in their hour of critical need.

38 tons of emergency supplies—including essential medicines as well as water and sanitation kits—were sent from UNICEF's warehouse in Copenhagen over the weekend. UNICEF staff on the ground are working around the clock to deliver aid to the children and families isolated by the destruction of roads and bridges.

This is only the beginning of relief efforts in the region. UNICEF still needs $23.8 million to save and protect the children caught in this crisis. Please give generously.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Charles J. Lyons
President, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

I'm not going to try to downplay the effect on Lebanese children - but where's the love for the Israeli children displaced from their homes?

Posted by Andy at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Rice in Palestine

Condi met with Abbas, and the usual statements get made:

In Israel, she reiterated the United States' position that a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon must come with conditions, saying there is "no desire" on the part of U.S. officials to come back in weeks or months after terrorists find another way to disrupt any potential cease fire.
...
"We are exerting all our efforts to release the Israeli soldier [Corporal Gilad Shalit]," Abbas said, adding that he hoped thousands of Palestinian prisoners would also be freed by Israel.

"Israeli aggression in the West Bank and Gaza Strip must stop immediately so we can strengthen the truce and start a political process that aims to end the occupation," he said.

Translation: Condi, We're going to wait until Israel hurts Hamas and Hizb'allah enough to keep things quiet for a year. Abbas, Um, they're close to that, can you make them stop? If you give me that, maybe I can trade places back with Hamas, so they can focus on resistance and I can focus on pretending to moderate?

But this is encouraging:

Earlier Tuesday, Palestinian police clashed with hundreds of Palestinians who were holding an anti-U.S. protest outside a government building ahead of the meeting.
...
Several arrests were made, and three protesters were injured, protest organizers said.

Anti-US protesters arrested? That's actually a good start.

Posted by Andy at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Boston Rally for ....

Solomonia has interesting coverage of an anti-Israel rally at Government Center (Boston) on Friday:

freelance operative Seva Brodsky was in the house, camera in hand -- and there was much jostling, grabbing, profanity and threats of violence directed toward our intrepid defender of Israel and America. The remainder of this post is either submitted by, or based on descriptions from, Seva. The pictures and video are his.
...
In the ensuing commotion, I suddenly noticed that Noah Cohen grabbed my camera and was quietly trying to break off its swivel monitor. This really stunned me -- I didn't expect he would go to such length and engage in criminally punishable behavior, but I guess, he figured he could afford to do so and get away with it, being surrounded by his comrades-in-arms with no police in sight.
...
Why is it that when we Jews have our demonstrations and rallies, we behave overwhelmingly in a civilized manner in the face of the opposition, and if one of us steps over the line of propriety, the rest admonish such a person? Why do we see such a drastic difference between our behavior and that of our opponents and enemies?

Best quote from Seva, while on the cellphone and taping:

"I'll take an inaccurate Katyusha any day over being in the middle of this crowd."

Posted by Andy at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Buying the farm

Zvi Bar'el just doesn't get it:

The government of Lebanon, Hezbollah, the United States, France and the United Nations have all realized now that the key to achieving a long-term and sustainable cease-fire by means of the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south lies in a resolution to the Shaba Farms dispute.

At this stage, however, it is not enough for only Hezbollah and the Lebanese government to agree that the return of the Shaba Farms area would spell an end to the movement's "liberating" role. Syria is no less an important player in this regard. In keeping with maps approved by the UN, the Shaba Farms area lies in Syrian territory, so an official document in which Damascus relinquishes the area would be required too.

The reasons that Syria "relinquished" the Shebaa Farms are simple. First, they know that Israel is unlikely to ever return any Syrian territory - it is occupied by conquest, and Israel has settled the land, and is working it. Second, because Israel withdrew from all Lebanese land - not having entered Lebanon to settle, but just to manage a buffer - "ceding" Shebaa to Lebanon permitted Hizb'allah to use Shebaa as their plausible excuse for fighting. Even if, hypothetically, Zvi's plan were to work it has several critical flaws.

First, it rewards Hizb'allah. Second, it demonstrates that Syria could give Hizb'allah an excuse to fight, recognized internationally, by, say, ceding the Golan to Lebanon. What then? Third, it again puts a terrorist actor on the same footing as a nation-state. The free world must stop appeasing terrorists, and then negotiate with other nation states.

Posted by Andy at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Show support for Israel

Received from a friend:

We join with the Rabbinical Council of America and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations in recommending a mass email campaign to Washington and Israel. Show our brothers and sisters in Israel that we stand with them in this hour of peril, while also sending a message to Washington and the UN that Israel’s actions of self defense are fully justified. It will take practically none of your time and it will cost you nothing. All you need to do is send an email to WeStandWithIsrael@rabbis.org and it will be immediately and automatically be forwarded, with thousands of others, to PM Olmert, Tzahal, The White House, The State Department, and the United Nations. Your message can be as short or as long as you choose, and it will surely make a difference.

Verified at the Rabbinical Council of America website. Another way to Support the Troops.

Posted by Andy at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Tzedakah matching!

We gave to PizzaIDF too early for Elder of Ziyon's Tzedakah matching challenge:

Between now and July 28, for any money that you donate to one of the Israeli charities listed below, I [Elder of Ziyon] will match it, up until we get to a total of $1000.

But that doesn't mean you can't take up the gauntlet. And if one of the listed charities doesn't do it for you, here's an extended list.

Posted by Andy at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Roundup for the week

Haveil Havalim #79 is up, and it's a doozy of a roundup of the Jewish Blogosphere. Thanks to Life of Rubin for putting it together this week.

The best of those I missed this week: Nasrallah Flash Games.

As I go into the workweek, expect lighter blogging; but don't forget to stay informed!

Posted by Andy at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Boots on the Ground

Dave and Meryl are covering it, and I'm off to the beach. But the ground war is on.

In the news articles, note the predictable response from Kofi Annan:

I'm afraid of a major humanitarian disaster

Kofi, here's a memo for you: As long as UN peacekeepers stay out of the way, there won't be a disaster. Pay attention to your own backyard. Spare some cycles for Darfur or Somalia, why don't you?

Posted by Andy at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What is a civilian?

Haaretz gives us a roundup of deaths in the territories, including this one:

Militant, three civilians said killed by IDF fire in Gaza City
Four Palestinians, including three civilians, were killed early Friday by an IDF tank shell fired at the Gaza City home of a Hamas military wing operative, Palestinian sources said.

The IDF confirmed that troops fired a shell on the balcony of the house, saying that the soldiers opened fire only after they identified armed militants attempting to fire an anti-tank missile from the house. The army reported hitting two gunmen.

The casualties include a woman, her two sons and their cousin - one of whom is Mohammed Harara, the operative targeted in the strike.

It's possible that the 3 had no idea what was going on, and are innocent. Somehow, I doubt that. Just because you aren't holding a weapon, doesn't make you a civilian.

Posted by Andy at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (1)

A plea from Or Hadash

Congregation Or Hadash is a reform congregation in Haifa. Worth noting is that it receives little financial support from the state or municipalities. Rabbi Edgar Nof, in response to a large outpouring of concern, sent the following note out, with a plea for aid:

Dear Friends,

Thank you all so much for your beautiful emails, your prayers and your support. I truly appreciate it.
A few days have gone by since I had a chance to address you all. I am sure you have been receiving updates about the situation in Israel. I sincerely thank each and every one of you for your thoughtfulness during these times and for your great concern for our safety. I just cannot answer 345 emails, so I am writing this letter. My family and I are fine, all of our members are fine as well. Most of them left the city. I am the “captain” so I will remain here. Only two of the 30 Or Hadash workers are working now. I will try to tell you in more detail about the events that took place in this past week.
As you can imagine, we have had the most tense week,

Continue reading "A plea from Or Hadash" »

Posted by Andy at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

A new Tariq Aziz?

Ah, we all remember with fondness the wonderful fairy tales of Tariq Aziz, right? It seems he had an apprentice. Amr Salem , the Minister of Communication, speaks for Syria:

Mr Salem said Hizbollah has never targeted Israeli civilians and has kept its attacks focussed on the military. He claimed this was in contrast to the Israeli assaults hitting Lebanon.

"The loss of human life is as bad regardless of which party it is - but I believe the Israeli government is the one who is provoking this kind of action," he said.

The spokesman pointed out that Syria is sending food and medicine to Lebanon and there are several schemes to raise cash for the country.

Asked about allegations that Syria is providing Hizbollah with weapons, Mr Salem cited an incident where Israel destroyed a tractor supposedly carrying weapons, saying it had in fact been transporting aid sent by the United Arab Emirates. He said: "I think it's very clear (the allegation) is ridiculous."

We can only hope that, in the future, there is ample opportunity for Mr. Salem to regale us all with fairy tales about happenings in Syria.

Posted by Andy at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (3)

Moral equivalence

Since Meryl is aghast at Hizb'allah is preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon, I'll use some strong words.

If you dare to consider that Israel and Hizb'allah are even remotely in the same camp of morality, you're an ass. Hizb'allah isn't merely hiding among friendly civilians to force Israel to kill partisan civilians - they are holding Lebanese civilians directly hostage, to force Israel's hand, and to try to force the hand of the world, against Israel.

Hizb'allah is killing Lebanese as well as Israelis. Why? Because in the world of the Islamist anti-Semite, the only thing that matters is the death of Jews and the death of Israelis. At any cost, especially if someone else pays it. They aren't fighting for anything, despite rhetoric about the resistance, the oppression, Shebaa Farms, Gaza, the West Bank, or what not. All they want is to kill Jews/Israelis. And if they have to kill some Lebanese to do that, they're happy to do so.

Posted by Andy at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Lebanon, the failed state

The pain of the Lebanese is palpable. If you start from NZ Bear's MidEast Crisis page, take a look through the Lebanese bloggers, and just feel the agony. But, sadly, the Lebanese have a burden to pay. While many are proud of their democracy, liberal for its location, it is not a free country. People live in fear of Hezbollah, and fear to clean their house, as civil war might erupt.

Into this fertile ground, Iran and Syria wage their proxy war. Whether Israel should go after Tehran and Damascus is another story; they must clean up their northern border. Since Hezbollah hides amongst civilians, civilians will pay the price. This is tragedy.

All I can give the Lebanese is a prayer: Adonai bless you and keep you. May Adonai shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you. May Adonai lift His face to you and give you peace.

Sleep well. I pray that you may come through this trial a free country, one secure in your own borders, and not afraid of any of your neighbors.

Update: Austin Bay captures the essence of Lebanon's "failed state" status. (hat tip: InstaPundit)

Posted by Andy at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not an F-16 after all!

In case you were worried, the F-16 this morning that Lebanese TV was claiming was shot down - wasn't. From Ha'aretz:

The officials said an IAF aircraft targeted a Hezbollah truck carrying the weapons before they could be launched. The force of the blast sent at least one missile flying into the air, but it fell nearby. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under military regulations.
Officials said the destroyed missile was an Iranian-made "Zilzal," which has a range of about 200 kilometers.

As someone who used to work with lawn dart drivers, I'm glad that they weren't hurt.

Posted by Andy at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

News roundup

For those of you not reading the news:

Today, Hezbollah has attacked Haifa (taking out apparently a residential building), Tiberias, Safed/Tzfat, the Golan Heights, as well as numerous locations across northern Israel. The IDF confirms that Israeli ground forces have entered Southern Lebanon; the media thinks it is still up in the air.

Tony Blair calls for international troops - to stop Hezbollah. Only then, he notes, will Israel stop. It's worth the bits to note that unlike Kofi Annan, would-be dictator of the world, he does not call on Israel to not exercise her right of self-defense. Thank you, Tony. Israel opposes this, likely because the UN is ineffective, and would just serve as a shield for Hezbollah operations, rather than stopping them.

Bush's offhand comment: "See, the irony is what they really need to do is to get Syria to get Hizbullah to stop doing this shit and it's over." Thank you, George.

An F-16 downed? The IDF denies it.

The IDF bombs the PA's foreign ministry and a Hamas security force office; Hamas launches Qassams at Ashkelon. An IDF patrol is Nablus was attacked. In an amazing show of restraint, the Al-Aqsa Brigades are going to return body parts to Israel. A Palestinian was stopped at the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem with five kilos of explosives.

Apparently, all three soldiers are still alive - Gilad Shalit somewhere in Gaza, and the two Druze in the Iranian embassy in Beirut.

Posted by Andy at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Keloing Gaza

At the end of this current conflagration, Israel will likely end up once again in control of Gaza, should they wish it. Occupation is a doomed enterprise, when it is Palestinians being occupied by Jews.

But if Israel controls Gaza, they should annex it. Then, applying the logic of Kelo, declare eminent domain on the entire Gaza strip. Given the lack of economic development possible with the current structures and residents, Kelo presents a compelling case for improvement. And, of course, the land value isn't very high right now - who'd really want to buy an apartment building that might be occupied by terrorists?

Anyone in Gaza should be provided an exit visa, and transportation to the border of their choice - Egypt, Syria, Jordan, or Lebanon. We all know how much they care about the Palestinians and want to help them out. Then Gaza can be turned over to developers, and become the Mediterranean tourist hotspot.

Posted by Andy at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I Support Israel

I'm not going to even try to cover current events. For that, you might want to head over to Meryl's or Dave's places.

If you'd asked me a few years ago what I thought needed to happen in Israel, I'd hem and haw. I believed in a two-state solution, but didn't necessarily have a good roadmap. While I acknowledged the suffering of the Palestinians, I didn't blame Israel alone for their condition.

When Ariel Sharon began the disengagement, I did not think that Gaza would turn out well - but believed that it was a long term, win-win situation for Israel - either the Palestinians would take the opportunity presented to them to behave as a sovereign nation - a partner in a peaceable process - or they would behave in a fashion that no rational person - for very wide definitions of rational - would be able to rationalize as being a reasonable reaction to Israel's activities. My wife and I were in Israel last year, and I heard many different viewpoints on disengagement; I believe it was a good idea simply for the reason I stated above.

And now, the drama is unfolding. Israel is a sovereign state, under attack by terrorists operating across international borders, almost certainly receiving material and personnel support from other nation states. Israel's reaction has, so far, been entirely rational. Mine would not have been.

So I support Israel. If Israel chooses to take a page from the "prisoner's plan", and implement a one-state solution from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, I support that. If Israel chooses to defend itself by confronting Syria and Iran on their own soil, I support that. If the United States is drawn into this war, I support that.

Just to be clear on where I stand.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Posted by Andy at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cozy Corner

A husband, father, Jew, and technologist keeps an eye out from his corner in a cozy house.

February 25, 2007

Maybe Dan Brown was right...

January 03, 2007

Fishing in the Desert

November 18, 2006

Moderate Muslim politics on Israel

September 09, 2006

Disproportionate stupidity

September 05, 2006

And the narrative slips a little further...

August 28, 2006