EN MEMORIA A LOS SEIS MILLONES Y EN HOMENAJE A NUESTRA PATRIA, ISRAEL.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Pope Francis is Aligning Himself Against Israel
Pope Francis is Aligning Himself Against Israel
Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/40827/pope-francis-is-aligning-himself-against-israel-opinion/#EbwQRIzSTfBa6Rub.99In a treaty that was finalized in Rome last week, the Catholic Church fired the latest salvo in its 2,000-year-old struggle to disenfranchise the Jewish people. Meeting with Palestinian officials at the Vatican, church officials agreed to formally recognize the “State of Palestine” as part of a deal concerning Catholic activities in the Palestinian-controlled areas.
And just in case anyone failed to get the memo, Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi went to the trouble of going on record as saying, “Yes, it’s a recognition that the state exists.”
This outrageous step is a severe blow to Catholic- Jewish relations and it cannot go unanswered. Israel and the Jewish people should protest this measure in the strongest possible terms and make sure that Pope Francis realizes the damage he has done.
In biblical terms, by recognizing a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, the Vatican is effectively seeking to deny the eternal covenant between God and the Jewish people, to whom this land was promised long ago. This is not only offensive and disrespectful, but disingenuous too. Indeed, one cannot help but wonder: what Bible is the Vatican reading? Whichever one it is, it must be missing some pages, as even a cursory glance at the Scriptures makes clear that God promised to give the Land of Israel to the Jewish people and nobody else. In fact, there are over 150 biblical verses ranging from Genesis to Joshua to Chronicles which state this and reaffirm that Israel would return from Exile to this holy soil.
Take, for example, Isaiah 14:1-2: “The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again He will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land.” Or how about Jeremiah 31:4, where God says: “You shall again plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria.” And there’s Genesis 48:3-4. And Judges 2:1, and Ezekiel 34: 11-13. And Hosea 3:4-5. And Amos 9:14-15. And Obadiah 1:17, Zephaniah 3:19-20 and Zechariah 8:7-8.
Moreover, the Bible stresses that these were not merely assurances, but a Divine oath, one that would never be broken.
“He remembers His covenant forever,” says 1 Chronicles 16:15-18, “the word He commanded for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.’” You get the point. But it seems that the Vatican does not.
In fact, my Christian friends tell me that the words “Palestine” and “Palestinians” do not appear anywhere in the New Testament. Hence, one could argue that Jesus himself would be mystified by the pope’s position.
After all, according to Christian belief, Jesus the Jew was born and raised in Bethlehem, which means there was a Jewish community there, with synagogues, ritual baths, rabbis and perhaps a kosher deli too, centuries before Islam was even founded.
So would the Catholic Church now deem Jesus to have been a “settler” or “occupier” of Palestinian land? For an institution that bills itself as “the Holy See” and which claims to uphold sacred values, the Vatican’s profane involvement in Middle Eastern politics is simply unbecoming.
And given its sordid history of anti-Semitism, book-burnings, forced conversions and Inquisitions, the Catholic Church should think a hundred times over before daring to step on Israel’s toes.
If anything, the pope should be down on his knees pleading for forgiveness from the Jewish people and atonement from the Creator for what the Vatican has wrought over the centuries.
The current attempt to undermine and deny Israel’s right to Judea and Samaria by recognizing Palestinian statehood smacks of “supersessionism,” or replacement theology, a doctrine according to which the Church replaced Israel as God’s chosen instrument nearly two millennia ago.
Over the past 50 years, since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church had slowly begun to acknowledge that the Jewish people are “a covenanted people,” thereby shifting away ever slightly from supersessionism.
But conferring legitimacy on a Palestinian state is akin to suggesting that the Palestinians have replaced Israel as the rightful owners of the land, a position that flies in the face of history, theology and common sense.
It is nothing less than supersessionism via diplomatic means, and a cruel insult to the generations of Jews who longed for Zion while enduring Catholic oppression and persecution.
Israel needs to respond to this affront forcefully. We cannot stand by and watch as our national integrity is called into question. A good place to start would be to withdraw our ambassador to the Holy See, curtail the number of visas granted to Vatican officials, and rule out any possibility of giving the Church the foothold it so sorely wants at the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion.
What a shame it is that after so much progress in Catholic- Jewish relations over the past few decades the Vatican would now betray all the headway that has been made.
But Pope Francis needs to realize that by recognizing the fictitious “State of Palestine” he is aligning himself against Israel, the Jewish people and the bible itself.
And that is something we cannot forgive, nor soon forget.
Reprinted with author’s permission from The Jerusalem Post
Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/40827/pope-francis-is-aligning-himself-against-israel-opinion/#EbwQRIzSTfBa6Rub.99
PRELUDE OF THINGS TO COME....RAZE GAZA TO THE GROUND!!!
UPDATE: Gaza Rocket Hits Israel
Photo Credit: Asher Schwartz
9:43 PM Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon is currently moving patients to the bomb shelters, just to be safe.
9:37 PM The army has officially confirmed one rocket hit in Gan Yavne.
Islamic Jihad has taken credit for the launch, and it was the result of internal fighting within that terror group in northern Gaza.
9:17 PM 5 rockets were launched in the direction of Ashkelon and Ashdod from Gaza.
4 hits, the location of the 5th rocket is still unknown. It might have fallen short and landed in Gaza.
No injuries have been reported.
4 hits, the location of the 5th rocket is still unknown. It might have fallen short and landed in Gaza.
No injuries have been reported.
9:13 PM At this point it appears that 4 rockets were launched at Israel. No official confirmation yet.
9:10 PM Sirens heard around Gaza border, Ashkelon and Ashdod.
Citizens reporting hearing explosions.
Citizens reporting hearing explosions.
9:07 PM Channel 2 is reporting a system error. Some citizens in the area are reporting hearing Iron Dome interceptions overhead.
9:03 PM The rocket alert sirens are going off like crazy in the Lachish area.
No information yet if this is a test, error, false alarm or real.
No information yet if this is a test, error, false alarm or real.
About the Author: JewishPress.com brings you the latest in Jewish news from around the world. Stay up to date by following up on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have something noteworthy to report? Submit your news story to us here.
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| CAREFUL...THIS COULD BE THE BEGINNING... |
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Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/41384/iaf-strikes-gaza-following-rocket-fire-on-israel-idf/#hPEMPV3cruffpeKh.99
and, of course, here is our answer....
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IAF Strikes Gaza Following Rocket Fire on Israel
“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.” (Psalm 144:1)
image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gaza-iaf-fire-airstrike-.jpg
A picture taken on August 23, 2014 shows smoke and fire billowing from a shopping center following an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. (Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon issued a stern warning to Hamas on Wednesday following rocket fire from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday evening. The defense minister said that should Hamas fail to control terror groups in the Gaza Strip, they will “pay a heavy price.” Shortly after 9 pm on Tuesday, a rocket fired from Gaza exploded in southern Israel, setting of warning sirens across the area. The rocket landed near Gan Yavne, located outside Ashdod, the IDF said in a statement. According to the army, the Grad missile was located within minutes of the sirens sounding in the Ashdod and Lachish region.
Israel has no intention of ignoring attacks on its citizens like the one carried out last night by Islamic Jihad forces,” Ya’alon said in a statement. “We will not abide any threat on the residents of the south. If it isn’t quiet in Israel, the Gaza Strip will pay a heavy price.” “I would not advise anyone to test us,” he warned. “We see Hamas as responsible for what happens in the Gaza Strip. It would be better for Hamas to rein in all attempts to fire at Israel and provocations. Otherwise we will have no choice but to respond with even greater force.” Hamas has denied all responsibility of the attack. The rocket firing was due to an internal dispute within the Islamic Jihad terror group, who recently appointed a new commander over its northern regional activities, The Times of Israel reported.
The new commander was to take over operations on Tuesday but his predecessor, who opposed the move, led to led to violence between the commanders’ supporters. The new commander ordered the kidnapping of two operatives working for the old commander. In retaliation, the old commanders followers decided to fire rockets at Israel. Following the rocket attack, the Israeli Air Force launched airstrikes on “terror infrastructure” in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning. The IDF said in a statement that four sites were targeted and confirmed hit in the southern region.
“The reality that Hamas’s territory is used as a staging ground to attack Israel is unacceptable and intolerable and will bear consequences,” IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said in a statement. In response to the rocket attack, Israeli officials called on the government to take a firm stance with Hamas.
Yisrael Beytenu head and former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman said the government must topple Hamas or else appear “weak” in the eyes of the world.
“A government that is not willing to write as part of its guidelines that it intends to destroy the Hamas regime in Gaza is a government that displays weakness,” he stated. “If it does not pull itself together now it might as well end its rule now, immediately after it began, for the benefit of the citizens of Israel and the strength of the state.”
Likud Minister Miri Regev said Hamas, as the ruling power in Gaza, is responsible for any rocket fire emanating from the region.
“It’s too bad Hamas is trying to deteriorate the security situation in the south. Israel must respond to every attack on the citizens of Israel,” she stated.
The last time rockets were fired on Israel from Gaza was on April 23, Israel’s Independence Day.
Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/41384/iaf-strikes-gaza-following-rocket-fire-on-israel-idf/#hPEMPV3cruffpeKh.99
The mask is off. This is who they are. This is CAIR.
The mask is off. This is who they are. This is CAIR.And this is who the media worships, exalts and respects, while attacking and defaming my colleagues and me. The media is our most formidable enemy — not these savage clowns. They can be beaten with one brain cell. The media must be taken down, network by network, quisling by quisling. It’s why the most important work that I do is this website.
As for CAIR, they are a terrorist organization. And that’s who the media has on on Memorial Day: not Robert Spencer, Ibn Warraq, or other defenders of freedom — they have jihadists on to spew their seditious bile against America.
- See more at: http://pamelageller.com/2015/05/terror-group-cair-muslim-organization-questions-if-us-troops-should-be-honored-on-memorial-day.html/#sthash.DGD4Mpnl.dpuf“CAIR: Muslim Organization Questions if US Troops Should be Honored on Memorial Day,” By Girls Just Wanna Have Guns, May 25, 2015Yet, on May 23, Zahra Billoo, the radical executive-director ofVirtually all Americans come together on Memorial Day to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the country’s freedom and safety. Two Council on American-Islamic Relations’ officials spent the holiday weekend differently: Questioning whether U.S. troops deserve to be honored and tweeting that the country was “established upon white supremacy.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group labeled by the Justice Department as a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity andunindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism-financing trial, disingenuously claims that it is a moderate organization. CAIR’sSan Francisco Bay Area chapter, tweeted that she “struggles with Memorial Day each year” about whether to honor American soldiers who died in wars:
She also quoted another CAIR official, Dawud Walid, the executive-director of CAIR’s Michigan chapter, as questioning whether they should honor American soldiers that died in “unjust” wars and occupations. That’s a direct insult to American soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan and those that have returned from Iraq, as CAIR officials consistently describe those wars with that terminology. Billoo quoted Walid as saying:Billoo did, however, find one “soldier” she felt comfortably honoring. On May 26, she promoted an article from the anti-Semitic and anti-American Nation of Islam that asked for help for a “black liberation soldier” named Imam Jamil al-Amin:Al-Amin was a member of the Black Panthers terrorist group and was convicted of murdering police officer in 2000. He is also anti-American, stating “if America doesn’t come around, we’re gonna burn it down,” and “I say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie.” Al-Amin also said, “When we begin to look critically at the Constitution of the United States . . . we see that in its main essence it is diametrically opposed to what Allah has commanded."
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MY TWO-CENTS WORTH.-
LET THEM THINK AND TALK OF THE GARBAGE THEY WANT AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FREEDOMS THAT THESE VERY SOLDIERS DIED FOR...
LET THEM CALLED THEM WHATEVER THEY WANT...AS FOR ME AND MANY MORE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO CALL THEM WHAT THEY ARE..."HEROES."
SO IN A DAY LIKE MEMORIAL DAY AND EVERYDAY LET US CONSIDER OURSELVES LUCKY TO HAVE THEIR SELFLESS EXAMPLE OF DUTY, HONOR AND COUNTRY.
LET US PRAY FOR THEIR SOULS AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND MAY THE L-RD BLESS THEM ALL AND MAY THE L-RD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!
Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit leave the Likud
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8 Sivan, 5775/May 26, '15
Shalom Dear Friends and Partners,
Much has happened since Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit left the Likud just a few months ago. We would like to take this opportunity to give you an update and share the developments and progress that we have made since we set out on our new path.
The results of the Likud primaries made it completely clear that once again, heads of the Likud, including PM Netanyahu, took steps (some of them anti-democratic) against Moshe Feiglin. As such, Mr. Feiglin and the heads of Manhigut Yehudit concluded that the advancement of the idea and dream of Jewish leadership for the State of Israel could no longer be accomplished through the Likud. Clearly, the PM and the Likud MKs will continue to attempt to obstruct the creation of the faith-based Zionist leadership that our movement is attempting to establish. The time had come to respectfully leave the Likud and to set out on an independent path. Our new path is difficult and complex, but with G-d's help, it will lead us to true change and rectification for the State of Israel.
A short while after the decision was made, a major conference was held in the Jerusalem Convention Center. The hall was overflowing with hundreds of activists and reporters who came to hear Moshe Feiglin's decision and plans for the future. Feiglin clearly and succinctly explained that while Manhigut Yehudit had developed in the 'womb' of the Likud, the time had come to be 'born' and begin to independently go forward with a new political movement. The audience was enthusiastic and supportive. The general feeling was that the Manhigut Yehudit activists were tired of being stuck in the political games of the Likud and were excited about setting out on a new and independent path.
Since that dramatic evening, we have, thank G-d, enjoyed much significant progress. Our new movement is taking form and standing on its own two feet. First, a name was chosen for the new movement: " Zehut: An Israeli Jewish Movement".
From the very beginning, we understood that our activists and supporters, both new and old, were determined to actively participate in the Zehut movement from its very inception. We decided to give the public the opportunity to register as founders of the movement, even before it was registered in the Ministry of Interior. The response was most impressive. More than 500 people from all walks of Israeli life, veteran activists from the Zo Artzeinu era and new, young supporters who were waiting for us to leave the Likud joined as founders of Zehut. This fact is even more impressive when we consider that every founder had to pay hundreds of shekels and sign legal documents - for a party that did not yet exist!
hile registering the movement's founders, we began the procedure of registering the Zehut movement in the Ministry of Interior. We are now at an advanced stage of registration. We hope that within two to three months, the Zehut Movement will be recognized as an official political party.
Our members and volunteers, however, did not wait and have begun widespread activism for the new movement. At this point, we are focusing on spreading the word that a new political party, which will create a ruling alternative based on solid Jewish-Israeli identity, has been founded. This is not just another hot-air balloon party that will rise meteorically and then disappear off the face of Israeli politics. Our message is going out in many forms and relying heavily on social media. Moshe Feiglin's Facebook page and the Zehut Facebook page are connecting with new people all the time, spreading the message. A group of volunteers is at work virtually around the clock to advance our ideas in the media. They are preparing videos, articles, press releases, posts and more.
A number of weeks ago, two significant events for the Zehut founders and activists were held. A 'l'chaim' before Pesach and an evening with Moshe Feiglin in his home. Both events were very successful. Hundreds of people turned out and the excitement of creating something new, unique and independent - was tangible in the air. At both events, Moshe Feiglin charted out the course of the movement and followed up with an intense question and answer session in which our members made valuable suggestions, asked challenging questions and actively participated in guiding the new movement.
The media has displayed keen interest in our new movement. Moshe Feiglin is regularly invited to in-depth interviews with a broad spectrum of Israeli media. In his unique and clear style, Moshe presents Zehut's approach to the issues facing Israel. More than once, he has found a listening ear and agreement with an initially hostile interviewer, who had intended to attack the 'representative of the extreme Right' and was surprised to discover a 'faith based liberal' - deep and rigorous.
On the ground, our movement is moving forward. Task forces are coming together on various issues and beginning to work. Soon, we will be seeing Zehut stands at all sorts of events throughout Israel. Their purpose will be to register and connect people to the vision and principles of our movement. In addition, Zehut student groups have been formed - the latest in Ariel University. More student groups are coming together in universities and colleges, where they will advance Zehut's values among Israel's future leadership.
In the weeks ahead we plan to travel throughout Israel, speaking at local gatherings in which Moshe Feiglin and the heads of Zehut will present their vision. These gatherings will spread the message of faith-based identity, advancing us toward leadership of the Nation while adding more and more people to the Zehut ranks.
The faith-based train has left the station and is advancing toward its destination. As opposed to the past, we are now sitting in the driver's seat and guiding the train up the mountain.
We will be happy to continue to work with you. You, our 'human resources', are our strongest and most significant asset. We have been marching together for years, facing difficult and complex challenges. Now, for the first time, we are marching on our own. It is only natural that those who joined us in the back of the train will now join us when we sit in driver's seat. Let us progress together toward the faith-based leadership we have always dreamed of!
In the coming days we will be emailing a detailed plan for the future of Zehut and how you can get involved.
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Friday, May 22, 2015
SHABBAT SHALOM AND THEN NAG SHAVOUT HAMEAGH
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| SUNSET AT MOUNT SINAI
Shabbat Inspiration
On the holiday of Shavuot, which begins at the conclusion of
the Sabbath, we celebrate the great joy of the receiving of the Holy Torah on
Mount Sinai; no less do we also commemorate the eternal relationship between
God and His Nation that was concretized with the giving of this great gift.
Most appropriately, we read the Megillah of Ruth on this holiday which
illustrates the essential bond between God and His people.
Where do we see this in the story of the
Moabite princess who converts to Judaism? Ruth refers to Boaz, whom she
encounters collecting wheat, as a 'go-ayl', her ‘nearest kinsman.’ The 'go-ayl' in Hebrew, had great
significance in Biblical times. In the
Book of Ruth, Boaz is a 'go-ayl' because he is meant to rescue Ruth through a
levirate marriage. In Leviticus (25:25)
the word 'go-ayl' is used to refer to a relative who comes to bail out his
kinsman from debt, saying “His redeemer closest to him shall come. Once again,
the redeemer of a person is his closest relative. God is also referred to as a
Redeemer, as in the “Redeemer of Israel” (Isaiah 49:7).
By referring to God as
our redeemer, we are saying that He is even closer to us than any of our
closest relations. In this way, the Book
of Ruth reinforces the God-Nation relationship that was bonded at the foot of
Sinai, commemorated on the holiday of Shavuot.
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IT IS ABOUT TIME...THANK G-D FOR TZIPI HOTOVELY
Foreign Minister Hotovely: Tell the World ‘God Gave Israel to the Jews’
Israel finally has a Foreign Minister who is not ashamed to say the word "God."
Tzipi Hotovely, new Deputy Foreign Minister.
Photo Credit: Flash 90
Photo Credit: Flash 90
De facto Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told Israeli diplomats Thursday that her policy is to deliver a message to the world that “this land is ours” because God gave it to the Jews.
Hotovely official is Deputy Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu officially has the title of Foreign Minister. In practice, he has placed his trust in her to deal with foreign diplomats.
An Orthodox woman and mother to a baby girl, Hotovely somewhat shocked several Israeli diplomats with a “Dvar Torah,” Hebrew for a short lesson from the Torah. She quoted in brief the Torah commentator Rashi, who cited the interpretation of the first word of the Torah:
Rashi wrote:
Said Rabbi Isaac: It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from ‘This month is to you, (Exod. 12:2) which is the first commandment that the Israelites were commanded. Now for what reason did He commence with ‘In the beginning?’
Because of [the verse] ‘The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations.’ (Psalms 111:6). For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, ‘You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],’ they will reply, ‘The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it (this we learn from the story of the Creation) and gave it to whomever He deemed proper When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us.’
Hotovely added, “We need to return to the basic truth of our rights to this country,” she said. “This land is ours. All of it is ours. We did not come here to apologize for that.”
Her comment that no apologizes are necessary is right out of election campaign of the Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) and its chairman Naftali Bennett.
Hotovely also quoted Rabbi Yehuda Ashkenazi:
If Jews will convince themselves when facing the world that they are right in their ways, they will get along fine.
Haaretz reported that one diplomat said, “This the first time we have been asked to deliver a Dvar Torah to explain Israel to the world.”
It’s about time.
Her speech to the diplomats represents a radical change – a real revolution – in the Israeli government.
Hotovely, a darling of the national religious movement, has shown herself to be a brilliant politician, and she has won the full trust of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, which is not easy.
One of the main reasons Netanyahu named her as Deputy Foreign Minister is because Hotovely never has lashed out at the Prime Minister like other Likud politicians.
She and Moshe Feiglin, whom Netanyahu maneuvered out of the Knesset, believe that the national religious movement is better off working through the Likud party instead of a smaller and ideologically defined faction, such as the old National Religious Party (Mafdal).
Hotovely has succeeded where Feiglin failed. He tried to go one-on-one against Netanyahu. Hotovely plays the game the way politicians are supposed to play it.
Even when the government carries out expulsions of Jews from the homes in Judea and Samaria, she politely disagrees but carries on with the attitude, “He is the Prime Minister, and I respect that,”
Netanyahu can trust Hotovely, who speaks excellent English, to represent the e the government, and she has stated that she will do so even if she personally disagrees.
Foreign media are aghast that Israel has a de facto Foreign Minister who is against the two-state illusion but Netanyahu has brilliantly made Silvan Shalom responsible for the non-existence “peace process” that Israel has to pretend is alive.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++MY TWO-CENTS WORTH.-
IT IS ABOUT TIME...BRAVISSIMO FOR TZIPI!!! MAY G-D BLESS YOU AND GUIDE YOU!!!
WHAT A COMBO...SHABBAT AND SHAVOUT...DOUBLE BLESSINGS
This weekend, we will observe Shavuot, a holiday that commemorates the Jewish people becoming a nation. It is a holiday of joy and celebration, and one on which I cannot help but think of the brave soldiers of the IDF, who protect and defend this nation and their Jewish homeland.
The young men and women in uniform are the embodiment of the very elements that this holiday honors: the people of Israel, the holy land, and the common values that we all share. And instead of celebrating that this weekend, they will be hard at work as always.
Help us support the needs of the brave soldiers of the IDF by making a gift today.
The soldiers of the IDF do not just defend the people of Israel; they defend a history of thousands of years that has generated a proud legacy, religion, and country that has made vast contributions to the rest of the world. As such, they protect all of us.
FIDF has long believed that it is our moral obligation to provide wellbeing and educational support for these soldiers, as well as meet their spiritual needs throughout the year.
On this Shavuot, a holiday at the center of Jewish values and tradition, join us in standing by the soldiers. Let them know that they are cared for, and that their Jewish heritage connects them to their supporters all over the world. Their job is to look after Israel. Ours is to look after them.
Chag SHAVOUT Sameach,
Thursday, May 21, 2015
IN THE WORDS OF HOTOVELY: THIS COUNTRY BELONGS TO US...ALL OF IT!!!!
HOTOVELY: THIS COUNTRY BELONGS TO US, ALL OF IT!!
05/21/2015 23:02 |
| MK TZIPI HOTOVELY, LIKUD |
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely swept into her new office on Thursday using religious-based arguments and telling ministry employees all of the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews. Hotovely, who served as deputy transportation minister in the last government, reworked one of the slogans her previous ministry made well known: “On the road, don’t be right, be smart.” For many years, she said, Israel’s diplomats have tried to be smart, rather than right.
“Many times it seems that in our international relations, more than emphasizing the rightness of our cause, we are asked to use arguments that play well diplomatically,” she told ministry employees. “But at a time when the very existence of Israel is being called into question, it is important to be right.”
Hotovely’s words were also broadcast to Israel’s 106 representations abroad. “The international community deals with considerations of justice and morality,” she said. “We need to return to the basic truth of our right to this land.”
Hotovely quoted the late journalist and settlement leader Uri Elitzur as saying that for the last 40 years, while the Palestinians were demanding their lands, Israel responded that: “We have strategic interests and security concerns.”
Those arguments, she said, were the arguments of a robber.
“If I wear your coat because I’m cold, and I can prove pragmatically and analytically that it really is cold for me, the world will ask a primitive and analytic question: Who does the coat belong to? In this context, it is important to say that this coat is ours, this country is ours, all of it. We didn’t come here to apologize for that.”
Hotovely said the world understands Israel’s security needs, but arguments based on justice and morality always trump those dealing with security concerns. She also quoted from an interview former foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami gave following the breakdown of the Camp David talks in 2000. Ben-Ami, who was Labor’s foreign minister under Ehud Barak, said it was impossible for him to shake the impression that more than the Palestinians want a solution to the conflict, they want to put Israel in the defendant’s dock. “More than they want a state of their own, they want to throw us out of our own. In the deepest sense possible this is a negative ethos,” she said, quoting Ben-Ami. “That is why, as opposed to the Zionists, they are unable to compromise, because they don’t have an image of a society in the future for which it is worth compromising.”
Hotovely told the workers, many of them demoralized that various aspects of Israel’s diplomacy has been parceled off to different ministries, that she would fight to help the ministry restore its status as the central arm of Israeli diplomacy. Hotovely’s comments came the same day that the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that a proposed French UN Security Council draft resolution, being drawn up with New Zealand, sets an 18-month deadline for completion of negotiations leading to a Palestinian state.
The Guardian reported that leaking the details of the draft now “appears designed to put pressure on Netanyahu’s new right-wing government – in which opponents of a two-state solution hold prominent positions – to return to talks.” President Reuven Rivlin, who in the past was a prominent opponent to a two-state solution, met Thursday with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and reiterated the commitment Netanyahu made a day earlier to a two-state solution.
Israel knows the importance of the role Europe takes in trying to bring the 150-year-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians to an end, he said. Rivlin said he was confident the conflict could be overcome with the help of sincere elements from the Western world, but emphasized that in the final analysis, it can be resolved only by an agreement reached by the two parties themselves.
Referring to Netanyahu’s comments a day earlier, Rivlin said all of Israel and “the whole world” heard it. Mogherini was accompanied during her two-day visit by Fernando , the EU’s new envoy to the Middle East Peace Process. Unlike former EU envoys who traveled back and forth from Europe, Gentilini is expected to be permanently based in Israel.
Greer Fay Cashman contributed to this report.
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MY TWO-CENT WORTH.-
GOOD FOR YOU TZIPI...CLEARLY, SIMPLY AND CONCISELY STATED!!!
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| KACH FOREVER! |
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