11 Kislev 5780
9 December 2019
The Photo of the Day
Parliamentarians from different countries in Samaria yesterday.
Amidst all of the hatred of Israel pouring out of Europe and elsewhere these days, it was refreshing to see 25 sane legislators from around the world in Samaria yesterday demonstrating against any boycott of the area’s products.
The title of the sign they are holding in the photo speaks volumes and alludes to the fact that in the 1930s, nations were silent about the Nazi “boykott” of everything Jewish.
A placard announcing the Nazi “boykott” of Jews, signed by Adolf Hitler. BDS calls for exactly the same thing, and the European Union as an institution has bought into it hook, line, and sinker.
The News on the Israeli Street
The streets are flooded . . .
Weather and more specifically rain is on everyone’s mind this morning as some areas are virtually underwater. Hardest hit has been southern Israel. Here are some photos from last night and today:
Kayaking down a street in Ashkelon last night.
White out conditions on Mt. Hermon this morning:
The view from a snow plow going up the mountain.
Cars under water:
Many roads in southern Israel–and especially in the Negev–are impassable both because of flooding and the danger of flash floods.
Nothing new on the government formation front . . .
Efforts continue to try to woo Lieberman into a right-wing coalition; Yuli Edelstein is apparently trying to cobble together 61 signatures; Gideon Saar is staging a revolution in Likud; and there are all sorts of reports that elements of Kahol Lavan are eagerly searching for a way to make a unity government.
All the while, a new possible election date surfaced yesterday: March 24.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Why Can’t We Just Say It?
Apparently, there is a movement underway this morning, led by Luxembourg FM Jean Asselborn, to have the European Union recognize “Palestine.”
According to reports, Asselborn is taking this action in response to the Trump Administration’s declaration that the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are not illegal.
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To your your humble servant, the recognition of “Palestine” has always been a perplexing situation.
On the one hand, 97% of the countries in the world already recognize “Palestine” as evidenced by the continuing votes supporting “Palestine” in the United Nations. Many of those countries have embassies in Ramallah.
On the other hand, Israel does not recognize “Palestine”, but in reality, there are two Palestinian states.
Anyway you slice it, Gaza is a Palestinian state. It has its own Hamas legislature, its own administrative offices, and even its own army (of terrorists).
It may be small at 365 km2, but it is not as small as Vatican City, Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, the Maldives, Malta, and Granada.
It may be densely populated, but it is not as densely populated as Monaco or Macau (China).
It is simply incomprehensible to me why Israelis leaders seem loathe to jettison the idea that Israel is responsible for Gaza (as I noted in a blog last week in reference to FM Katz’s comments), even though we left that area more than a decade ago.
Also Areas A and B of Judea and Samaria are a Palestinian state with an area of 1,184 km2.
These areas have their own Palestinian legislature (of course, the PLO refuses to hold elections), their own Palestinian administration, and their own de facto Palestinian army (the PLO police).
There are red signs everywhere warning Israelis not to enter the Palestinian controlled areas, and still Israel refuses to call these areas “Palestine.”
Israelis must always beware of red warning signs when traveling in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.
or ones like this:
In sum, it makes no sense not to call Areas A and B, and Gaza, Palestinian states–defined with the area that they currently have.
What do we have to lose? And why don’t we beat the Europeans and everyone else to the punch?
The Palestinians will still seek the elimination of Israel, and the world will do whatever the Palestinians say. But who cares? The world is never going to love us no matter what we do or say (until we no longer exist), but I can imagine a headline tomorrow that reads:
“Israel Recognizes Palestinian States!”
The abominable “two-state solution” mantra might even become a thing of the past.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.