The State of Israel is nine miles wide at its most narrow point. Its area is a total of 8000 square miles (enough to fit inside Florida eight times). It takes less than seven hours to travel by car from Israel’s northern border all the way down to the southern city of Eilat. Israel is one of the only countries in the Middle East that does not have oil resources. It has a limited water supply, and the dubious honor of being surrounded by enemy countries (as well as a few precarious allies).

These facts don’t make Israel seem like an appealing place to visit, let alone live. The location of the Jewish State is not to be envied-on top of all of the previous statistics, members of the global community routinely accuse Israel of “occupying” land and the Jewish Israelis of being “colonialists.” This accusation ignores thousands of years of Jewish history, all of which is irrevocably tied to the land of Israel. Without the years of history and generations of devotion, it would have been easy for the World Zionist Congress to accept proposals to create a Jewish State in Uganda. Instead, delegates were adamant that the ancient biblical homeland of the Jewish people be the location of the modern Jewish State. After all, how could we have Zionism without Zion?

The Zionist movement is one of hope. It survived for thousands of years around the world, as scattered members of the Jewish community gave the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem prominent places in rituals and events. For generations of life in the Diaspora, Jews have prayed towards Jerusalem, have cried over Jerusalem, and have longed for the day when they would be able to return to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. Modern Zionism and the creation of the State of Israel are the products of years of work and hope.

Without the “Zion” in “Zionism,” the national movement of the Jewish people ceases to be unique, and loses its strength. Zionism, which is as defined as the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland, has survived and thrived because of the focal point of the movement: Israel. The continued connection of the Jewish people to the physical land of Israel has been an integral part of the success of the Zionist movement. From the religious and historical connection to the land to the pioneering spirit of the halutizm who turned Israel from swampland to the blooming agricultural marvel that is, the people and the land of Israel have been connected. It is thanks to this bond that modern Israel is an innovator in water technology, agriculture, and has so many trees planted annually: because the land of Israel and the people of Israel are the dual key components when it comes to having a productive, successful State of Israel.

Zionism without Zion would not be Jewish nationalism. It would not exist today and would not have lasted for so many generations, inspiring such devotion to its adherents. The continuous flourishing of the movement is the result of the comingling of national beliefs, identity, and bonds to the land that produced the nation.

Image by edoardocosta.

Keeping the Zion in Zionism is a post from: The Israel Situation

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That is the very question the US Supreme Court was contemplating yesterday. A Jewish boy born in Jerusalem took a trip to the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to pick up his passport. The passport said born in “Jerusalem,” despite the family’s request to say “Jerusalem, Israel.” A Supreme Court case was born.

At Monday’s oral argument in Zivotofsky v. Clinton, the parties pushed dueling narratives of American constitutional authority to establish which of the two elected branches should prevail. The lawyer for the Zivotofsky family, veteran Supreme Court advocate Nathan Lewin, argued that Congress acted under its power to regulate the content of passports and that the country-of-origin line in a passport “is purely an identification of the individual” rather than “an exercise of any foreign policy.” Without any foreign policy implicated, Lewin argued, the president had to follow Congress’ demands.

In a surprisingly unbiased story, the Huffington Post shares the whole story. It is interesting to see the battle over Jerusalem impact a young boy’s passport.

Just to clarify: The boy was born in the Western half of Jerusalem. He was born inside the Green Line. This is proof that the issue does not only concern the 1967 borders and “East Jerusalem,” but the entire future of Jerusalem.

Is Jerusalem in Israel? is a post from: The Israel Situation

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I was horrified to read the details of the trial of Johannes Martarsian, which took place in the Jerusalem Magistrates Court last week.  Martarsian, an Armenian priesthood student, was charged with assault after he punched an ultra-orthodox Jew in the face and made him bleed.  The incident took place in Jerusalem’s old city after the ultra-Orthodox man spat at Martarsian.

Judge Dov Pollock annulled the indictment against Martarsian and wrote, “putting the defendant on trial for a single blow at a man who spat at his face, after suffering the degradation of being spat on for years while walking around in his church robes is a fundamental contravention of the principles of justice and decency.”  Fortunately, in this case, the judge had the good sense not to waste any more taxpayer money on proceeding to a trial.  Throwing the case out of court was exactly the right response to such a disgraceful situation.

The trial has brought to the fore some of the bad behaviour which is prevalent amongst the ultra-Orthodox community.  It seems as though the spitting incident is not an isolated one.  Clergymen from the Armenian church who are based in Jerusalem report that they are frequently subject to being spat and cursed at by ultra-Orthodox Jews.  One Armenian priest said that he wonders to himself if he will be spat at each time he walks by an ultra-Orthodox Jew in the street.  For some priests, it is difficult to simply ignore the repeated incidents of bad behaviour that they are forced to endure.  Johannes Martarsian is an example of one who decided to respond rather than to simply turn the other cheek, despite the fact that Armenian priests are encouraged by their church not to respond to these incidents of gross provocation.

The ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem has an unfortunate reputation for bad behaviour in many different situations.  Women who venture into ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods in Jerusalem like Mea Shearim, and who are not dressed according to the ultra-Orthodox conservative dress code, will already know that they also become spitting targets.  Equally, cars driving through religious neighbourhoods on Shabbat have been subject to stoning attacks.  This has given rise to the famous T-shirt that has been sold in Jerusalem and purchased by thousands of tourists stating, “I got stoned in Mea Shearim”!  Although these types of attacks are unacceptable, there may be some part of a reasonable person that could condone such behaviour where people enter religious neighbourhoods without respecting the norms of the people that live there.

The attacks on the priests seem of a completely different nature.  There is no disrespect of the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle involved, and no violation of the norms by which they live.  Jerusalem is a city which is open to all religions which wish to be present there.  Not only is this a policy which is rigorously adhered to by the Israeli government and the city of Jerusalem, it is also the source of a great deal of tourist Dollars into the city.  At times, it seems as though the ultra-Orthodox community are completely divorced from the society in which they live, and their actions cannot be tolerated by other reasonable people.  The truth is, that some of their actions are so intolerable, that even those who have grown up within their sects and have become used to their social norms, cannot accept the way in which some situations are dealt with.

The types of insults that these young men give by spitting at others created in G-d’s image, have caused me to wonder how they can reconcile this behaviour with their religious beliefs.  The Jewish religion believes in 613 mitzvot (precepts) that observers are required to adhere to.  They are split into mitzvot concerning man’s relationship with his G-d, and mitzvot concerning man’s relationship with his fellow-man.  Neither group has precedence over the other – they are both equally important.  On many occasions such as stoning a car that is transgressing the Shabbat, the justification for the action taken by somebody against his fellow-man is to protect his relationship with his G-d.  In light of the fact that these mitzvot do not enjoy precedence, there is a view that says that the transgression against the fellow-man cannot be justified, even if it is an act to protect his relationship with his G-d.  The act of spitting at the priests, however, seems to serve no religious purpose at all and has no positive side to it.  Rather, it represents an act of unjustified discrimination.  So how much less can this be justified in religious terms?

What is even more unfortunate about this sad situation, is the fact that priests say that reports made about these incidents to the police fall on deaf ears.  Perhaps it is because the police feel that it is impossible to catch the perpetrators and bring them to justice, that no action is taken.  It is also fair to say that Jerusalem’s police force has its hands full with high-level security threats which it is required to take care of on an ongoing basis.  Whatever the reason for the lack of action, it is sends an entirely wrong message about the acceptability of this behaviour.

The ultra-Orthodox community present themselves as representing all that is good when acting in strict observance of the Torah.  Too often, however, the pursuit of individual points of observance causes the individual to lose the wood for the trees.  There seems to be no broader perspective, or ability to see the bigger picture.  This is extremely damaging to the standing of the ultra-Orthodox community in the world in which they are forced to live.  The time has come for concerted action to be taken to change the bad behaviour.  The yeshivot (institutions of religious learning) need to be responsible for teaching their students about the unacceptability of spitting at others.  The police on the streets need to keep their eyes open for such incidents, and act upon them immediately.

Jerusalem is a city that is open to people of all religions to visit and to live in.  While it serves as the capital of the Jewish State of Israel, the government has undertaken that the city will be open to all religions for tourism, learning and worship.  This means that it is not the private domain of ultra-Orthodox Jews, even though it is their religion’s holiest city.  There should be no reason why priests who have come to Jerusalem for the purpose of furthering their religious studies and experiences, should be subject to any sort of bad behaviour by ultra-Orthodox Jews or anybody else.  The time has come to take action to stop this intolerance and insulting behaviour.

A Spitting Shame is a post from: The Israel Situation

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With the Jewish New Year occurring immediately after the UN General Assembly meeting in New York as it just did, it made me take stock of Israel’s current situation compared to last year (which seems like only yesterday).  In particular, I thought about where we were in our attempts to make peace with our Palestinian neighbours at this time last year, and the year before that.  As is the custom at the time of the new year, I thought about the future and what could realistically be achieved over the course of the next year.

The truth is that the peacemaking efforts have remained stagnant for many years.  Israeli leaders have come and gone, and a Palestinian leader has gone and another one come.  We have tried peace conferences in Madrid, Oslo, Camp David, Wye Plantation, Ramallah and Jerusalem.  And yet, the obstacles have not moved even one iota.  We are suffering with precisely the same issues as we have suffered with over the years, some of which seem to be beyond solution.

I heard a good piece of advice from our local Rabbi over the new year period about how to set behaviour patterns for the forthcoming year.  He said that we should close our eyes, and dream of where we wish to be in a year’s time from now.  We should think about the things that we would wish to achieve by then, and then think about the stage that precedes that achievement.  By continuing to think about the step which precedes each stage, we can finally return back to our present situation with a roadmap of how to reach our goal.  Although this sounds good in theory and a little more difficult to implement in practice, the concept is a good one.  It is important to close your eyes and dream a little, and to set objectives which can serve to guide you in your work and private life.

While thinking about all of this, I spent a few moments considering whether Mahmoud Abbas may have done some of his own dreaming for the Palestinian people which he leads.  Maybe the time of the Jewish New Year is not exactly when you would expect him to be considering this matter, but perhaps he would do so after Ramadan or on Ras as-Sana al-Hijreya, the Islamic New Year which falls at the end of November this year.  If he was to close his eyes and dream of what he would like to see for himself and his people at the same time next year, what would this be?  If we are to believe his public statements, this would be an independent Palestinian state.  Clearly there are details such as the borders and capital of this state, but the “big picture” dream, we are told, is the Palestinian state.  This is what he left us believing following his actions and speech at the United Nations.  If this is true, the answer is in his hands.  The Israeli government has agreed to it, and the sponsors in the form of the US and other members of the Quartet have also accepted this point.  All that is required for him to get there, is for him to make a few concessions and to compromise by dropping the detailed demands that he is making, in return for which the Palestinian state will be his.

The problem is that the details seem to be more important than the big picture objective.  He will not accept a Palestinian state unless its borders comply with specific conditions, or until Jerusalem is handed to him as its capital amongst some of his demands.  Although the Jewish people have prayed for more than 2,000 years for their return to Zion, to Jerusalem as the holiest city in the religion, the Jewish state existed for 19 years with Jewish access to only the western side of the city.  This meant that the holiest sites, including that upon which the holy temple once stood, were out of bounds to Jews.  This fact (and the small issue of being attacked on all sides by Arab countries in the region) did not deter the Jews from establishing Israel as the Jewish state.  The truth is that the objective of having an independent Jewish homeland was bigger than any of the details, no matter how important.  I do not get the same feeling that the Palestinians have the same objective.  Somehow, the details are playing a more important role than the headline objective.

My new hope is that his experiences at the UN a couple of weeks ago would somehow change Abbas’s approach to the peace negotiations.  Maybe, by some miracle, Abbas may decide that he needs to acknowledge Israel’s position as a Jewish country in order to make progress with his own objectives?  I am sure that he understands the need to make this concession, and how this may give him the state that he claims to yearn for.  His refusal to acknowledge this critical point is extremely concerning.  Is it possible that holding on to his position is more important than getting his independent state?

There is a real danger that the inhabitants of the Middle East have forgotten how to dream, and are forced to be reactive in confronting daily emergencies.  This would a great pity.  In the case of Mahmoud Abbas, it is not clear whether he has stopped dreaming, or whether the dreams that he is communicating to the outside world are not the same ones as the those that he is dreaming.  Under the current circumstances, his dreams will not be fulfilled, no matter what they are.

My new year’s dream is that Gilad Shalit will be with us and his family, for him to celebrate the new year in freedom next year.  I also dream that Mahmoud Abbas may change his dreams to create the possibility for real peace, although this may be expecting too much.  It is my wish that you will all realise your dreams in the new year, and that our nation’s dream of living in peace alongside our neighbours with mutual respect will be realised.  Shana Tova.

New Year’s Dreams is a post from: The Israel Situation

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A new poll shows Israeli citizens strongly support Benjamin Netanyahu’s positions regarding Jerusalem, holy sites, and future peace deals with the Palestinians. It has to be a two sided process and the opinion of the Israeli people does, in fact, matter. From IMRA:

Jerusalem Poll: Oppose international control of holy places 73%:21%, Oppose construction freeze 67%:23%

Would you oppose or support having part of Jerusalem part of a Palestinian state?

Oppose any part 66% Support some Arab neighborhoods 23% [rest of table not recorded in time]

Would you agree to international control of the holy places within the framework of a peace agreement?

No 73% Yes 21% Don’t know 6%

Should construction be frozen in Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the ’67 lines?

Build 67% Freeze 23% Don’t know 10%

Does Obama Support Democracy or The Palestinians? is a post from: The Israel Situation

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President Obama made a speech yesterday addressing the current political situation in the Middle East. He came out in support of all pro-Democracy movements, which was not a surprise. I was surprised, however, by his staunch anti-Israel statements.

Obama

During his campaign, Obama was clearly a supporter of Israel. He came out with very clear positions regarding Israel (compiled by Ideapalloza):

40) I will bring to the White House an unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security
41) Finally, let there be no doubt: I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel
42) Obama and Biden will make progress on the Israel-Palestinian conflict a key diplomatic priority. They will make a sustained push – working with Israelis and Palestinians-to achieve the goal of two states
43) I will implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade-investments to Israel’s security that will not be tied to any other nation
44) Barack Obama and Joe Biden strongly support the U.S.-Israel relationship, believe that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be the security of Israel
45) He and Joe Biden believe strongly in Israel’s right to protect its citizens
46) Barack Obama and Joe Biden have consistently supported foreign assistance to Israel
47) We have to press for enforcement of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which demands the cessation of arms shipments to Hezbollah, a resolution which Syria and Iran continue to disregard
48) That’s why we must strengthen the hands of the Palestinian moderates who seek peace and that is why we must maintain the isolation of Hamas and other extremists who are committed to Israel’s destruction
49) We can and we should help Israelis and Palestinians both fulfill their national goals: two states living side by side in peace and security
50) I will strongly urge Arab governments to take steps to normalize relations with Israel
51) We also know that we should never seek to dictate what is best for the Israelis and their security interests. No Israeli Prime Minister should ever feel dragged to or blocked from the negotiating table by the United States.
52) I also believe that the United States has a responsibility to support Israel’s efforts to renew peace talks with the Syrians.
53) The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat.

Now, look at his words yesterday:

So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear:  a viable Palestine, a secure Israel.  The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine.  We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.

I do agree with one part of his comments, that Israel shall have secure and recognized borders. However, it is not the place of the United States or any other government to determine those borders.

I have said for months that the only way for any peace agreement to actually work is for a mutually negotiated framework including borders, Jerusalem, and security issues. Obama has clearly undermined Israel’s sovereignty by implying that it will enforce a non-negotiated peace agreement.

Recent Past Presidents

Bill Clinton was much more of a friend to Israel than Barack Obama. Clinton worked hard on a peace deal that was negotiated over a series of meetings and ultimately led to the infamous Oslo Accords.

While the Oslo Accords may have been fair in principle, only one side actually followed their side of the agreement. Israel, while not perfect, did uphold its side of the agreement. All the while, Yassir Arafat continued anti-Semitic incitement and violence toward Israel.

Bill Clinton came to the realization that it takes two sides to have peace, and until the Palestinians are ready to recognize Israel as a country with a right to exist (that includes both Hamas and Fatah), no peace is possible.

Jimmy Carter has been one of the most damaging figures for Israel in modern history. While he did little damage as President, his legacy has left a path showing clear biases, if not open hatred, toward the Jewish State.

I will give Carter credit for helping negotiate the Camp David Accords leading to peace between Israel and Egypt. That peace treaty has held since 1978. It is only now under pressure from the Egyptians.

After his Presidency, Carter has held high profile meetings with known terrorist leaders. He has written books that are clearly one sided and show a lack of understanding of the true issues on the ground. He is an enemy of Israel and the Jewish people.

Congress

The United States House of Representatives and Senate have almost always been supporters of Israel. This goes for both Democratic and Republican representatives and senators.

Just last week, the House Democrats issued this statement:

Half the Democratic caucus in the U.S. Senate urged President Obama to suspend assistance to the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas recognizes Israel and renounces terrorism.

“It is imperative for you to make clear to President Abbas that Palestinian Authority participation in a unity government with an unreformed Hamas will jeopardize its relationship with the United States, including its receipt of U.S. aid,” said the letter sent May 6 to Obama and signed by 27 Democratic senators.

The Real Story

So, what trend do we see here? Democrats are not enemies of Israel, as some would lead you to believe. However, certain prominent Democrats have done significant damage to Israel. Obama is the newest one to join the list.

Public domain image from WhiteHouse.gov.

The Democrats and Israel is a post from: The Israel Situation

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I was out of town this weekend and with the Bin Laden assassination did not get around to posting anything timely for Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Fortunately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did have something to say that is worth sharing here.

Jerusalem:

Tel Aviv:

Today, former President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Moshe Landau, passed away.  He was one of the judges in the Eichmann trial.  I remember that momentous event 50 years ago.  I remember the chilling words spoken by the prosecutor Gideon Hausner.  I remember the story about Miki Goldman, who as a child in the Holocaust received 80 lashes.  He then became a police officer and stood by Eichmann.  He called it the 81st lash.  I remember that the trial left such a deep impression on me as a child, as it did on all the children in Israel, and it exposed us with such intensity, to the horrors of the Holocaust and, no less, to the stories of the survivors.

Sadly, the number of Holocaust survivors living among us diminishes from year to year, but at the same time, our regard for their heroism during the Holocaust and their contribution to the revival of the Jewish people increases, as does our desire to hear their stories.  The memory of the Holocaust is a patchwork of thousands of stories, personal, almost trivial stories that blend into a great account that is horrifying, but also splendid.  Sometimes it is a small object that contains the memory of an entire Jewish family, perished.

Eva Modval was a three-year-old girl in 1939, when her beloved parents bought her a doll for her birthday.  She named her doll Gerta, after her nanny Gertrude.  But during the next five years, Eva’s life was filled with dread and horror as she escaped from town to town and from village to village like an animal hunted down.  How did such a young child overcome such turmoil and terror?  It was her doll that protected her spirit, and she safeguarded the doll.  Eva’s father, the head of her family, was captured and murdered.  Eva and her mother were also caught, but they survived, and after the war they came to live in Israel.

Years later, Eva married and raised a family in Israel, but even as a mother and later on as a grandmother, she kept her little doll, the same doll she carried with her throughout all the hardships of the Holocaust and during the establishment of the State of Israel. Gerta – the Jewish doll.

For many years, Yad Vashem had been asking Eva for that doll.  Eventually, with a heavy heart, Eva agreed to donate the doll to the museum, and this is what she wrote: “My dear doll, maybe you’ll be able to tell the people of today, and particularly the children, what you saw and were you were with me.  You have now become an inseparable part of my people, which has risen from the fire and ashes like a phoenix.”

Eva Modval Haimovitz died a year and a half ago.

Read the entire transcript at the PM office website.

Netanyahu’s Yom HaShoah Remarks is a post from: The Israel Situation

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On a street that I know very well, in a place that I have been many times, a bomb exploded sending more than twenty-five innocent civilians, mostly between 15 and 30 years old, to the hospital. Terror has returned to Jerusalem.

The bombing took place on a busy street in between the Jerusalem Convention Center and the Central Bus Station. The street has many bus stops and is constantly busy.

Some reports indicate that the attack was a suicide bomber. Others say that a bomb was left in a phone booth and detonated once the terrorist had already left the scene. From what I can gather, it was a small explosive device, such as a pipe bomb, rather than the large bombs used throughout the Intifadas.

I will keep you updated as I learn more.

Terror in Jerusalem is a post from: The Israel Situation

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More videos have surfaces showing an orb of light come out of the sky, hover of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, and quickly fly away. The videos were taken late at night on January 28th.

The same event was captured from four different vantage points, that I have been able to find, which gives some credibility to the reports.  Was this a hoax?  Were these visitors from another world?  Were these the guys that built Stonehenge and the Pyramids?  I don’t think we will ever know for sure, but it is interesting to speculate.

Video taken from Old City rooftop:

Video apparently taken from Mount of Olives or Mount Scopus with a cell phone camera:

Video apparently taken from Mount Scopus which shows a distinct flash as the object rapidly ascends:

This is the most recent video to surface. It is closer and higher resolution than the others. It looks like it was taken from Mount of Olives or the Tayelet overlooking the Old City.

So, is this real? Were there aliens in Jerusalem? Please give your thoughts in the comments.

The Temple Mount UFO in Jerusalem: Roundup is a post from: The Israel Situation

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On January 28th, people around Jerusalem reported seeing a strange light hovering over the Temple Mount. Several videos have emerged, and I think it is fascinating. Maybe these are the guys who really built the Pyramids in Egypt?

UPDATE: See more videos and read more at the Jerusalem UFO roundup.

UFO at the Temple Mount is a post from: The Israel Situation

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