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February 25, 2007

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 | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

January 03, 2007

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 18, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 09, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 05, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 28, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 25, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 21, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 19, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 16, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 15, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 14, 2006

Roundaround

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

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

August 13, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 12, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

August 11, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 10, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)

August 09, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 08, 2006

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 | | 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 | | 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 | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)

August 07, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 06, 2006

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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 05, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 04, 2006

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 | | 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 | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

August 03, 2006

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 | | 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 | | 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 | | 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.