Yom Shnee
Monday
15 Tishrei 5783
October 10 2022
Sukkot Sameach! Happy Sukkot!
The holiday of Sukkot continues. Each day we will post a photo of a sukka:
As I was walking through the orthodox neighborhood of Ramot in Jerusalem yesterday, I was struck by this sukka.
Why was I struck? Because in a neighborhood where Israeli flags are rarely seen, this family has combined love of country with a traditional Sukkot message of the seven foods and fruits found in Israel when the Israelites arrived.
Asking For Your Prayers
The name of the security guard who was badly wounded in the head at the Shuafat Checkpoint shooting two nights ago is David Ben Esther. He is in a coma following complex neurological surgery–and teetering between life and death.
He desperately needs your prayers.
The Truly Disgusting Quote of the Day
“We have no illusions here that I will stand in the rose garden at the White House and receive the Nobel Peace Prize for accepting the two-state solution, but it is important that we create the conditions on the ground for a two-state solution and that includes helping the Palestinian people.
We do not support the growth of settlements, period. I work every day behind the scenes, with the Israelis, to try to slow down or prevent the construction of houses in the settlements. [Israel] is a sovereign country. We can’t dictate to them what they can or can’t do, but I can push as hard as I can to make sure they understand our position.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides speaking at a press conference yesterday
Try to wrap your mind around what Nides said.
First, he is under no delusion that he “will stand in the rose garden at the White House and receive the Nobel Price for accepting the two-state solution . . .” In fact, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is precisely Nides’ delusion, just as former Secretary of State John Kerry’s delusion was winning a Nobel Peace Prize for the Iran Nuclear Appeasement Agreement–both delusions at the expense of Israel’s existence.
But even more, think about the arrogance of Nides’ statement that he will receive the Nobel Prize because he accepts the two-state solution.
The second part of Nides’ statement is just as egregious. On the one hand, he blathers that Israel is a sovereign country, but on the other hand he views it at his responsibility to disregard that sovereignty in the Biden Administration push to “slow down or prevent the construction of houses” in Jewish communities.
“We can’t dictate to them what they can or cannot do?” What a pathetic joke. That is all that Nides and Biden do.
By the way on the subject of sovereignty, part of Nides’ remarks were a fawning endorsement of Yair Lapid in the upcoming election.
Over the years, there have been many lackluster U.S. Ambassadors to Israel, but none of them approach the arrogant Nides in undermining Israel.
The News on the Israeli Street
Israel trembles in fear and loses sovereign action . . .
Yesterday, Israel began testing the new Karish natural gas platform in the Mediterranean, a platform which was never the source of any controversy–but one that PM Lapid bragged about being a benefit of the possible Israel-Lebanon Maritime “Agreement.”
The method of testing is to pump gas from the Israel shore to the Karish platform (the reverse of what will happen when the platform is operational).
However, if you can believe this, our craven government felt compelled to contact the U.S. which in turn contacted Lebanon to let them know that the testing is taking place.
In other words, we cannot even test the platform without telling the U.S. and Lebanon.
And why?
Because Israel is terrified that Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah will follow through on his threat to attack the platform and northern Israel.
At the end of the day, a laughing Nasrallah announced that his threat only applies to the actual movement of gas to Israel–not the testing of the facility.
What has happened to Israel? How have we reached such a sorry point that we cannot even test our natural gas platform without the approval of the U.S., Lebanon, and Hezbollah?
The land giveaway in Area C continues unabated . . .
Yesterday we discussed how the actions of the current government in giving away Israeli land in Area C as well as destroying young Jewish communities there has done nothing but embolden Palestinian terrorism.
Last night and early this morning, the elimination of small Israeli communities continued with Ma’ale Yonatan in Samaria being razed by Gantz, Lapid, and Bar-Lev.
The chairman of the Nachala movement Zvi Sharref had this to say: “The confiscation of building materials tonight joins the dozens of actions that, unfortunately, are being carried out by the Civil Administration in the service of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, against the settlers. Ten meters from Ma’ale Yonatan the Palestinians are building without hindrance and taking over the lands of our homeland.”
What do you think is the effect of an action like the one at Ma’ale Yonatan on the PLO, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad?
TODAY’S BLOG:
“Put A Bullet Between His Eyes”
To understand what happened at the Shuafat Checkpoint two nights ago when Cpl. Noa Lazar was murdered, click on the following link (warning: this video contains material that we all find intensely disturbing).
Yesterday, our lackluster IDF Chief of Staff Kochavi was at the Checkpoint:
Kochavi, listening and blathering as always.
During his visit Kochavi said: “We will have to study the incident and learn the lessons in order to prevent incidents of this type – this is our responsibility and we will do it in the most thorough manner.”
Say what? What in the world needs to be studied?
As another IDF official said (out of Kochai earshot): “Unfortunately, there was no attempt to make contact in the incident, none of the six soldiers responded by firing back, and the terrorist managed to reach the fighters where he fired 8 bullets at zero range. He only stopped shooting when his pistol jammed. After the shooting, the terrorist fled the scene on foot, then got in a vehicle that came and helped him. He remains at large.”
This morning comes word that the soldiers in charge of the Checkpoint will be dismissed.
But before we condemn those soldiers, we would do well to remember how the IDF has actively done everything within its power to neuter our soldiers. Anyone who even shoots a gun in the air at a terrorist is subject to investigation and court martial. One soldier after another has been sent to military prison for trying to defend himself or his comrades.
The Minister of Defense and the IDF General Command have repeatedly made it clear that soldiers are not to take the initiative and are only to fire reactively. The problem with firing reactively, as you can see from the video, is that often there is not time to do so.
In this context, a message that was sent out yesterday by one of the commanders in the Golani Brigade to his fighters in response to the Shuafat attack that should be the mantra of the IDF: “Six fighters and no one bothers to reach for contact and finish the story. I demand of everyone: There is no attack in which the terrorist escapes, do whatever it takes to put a bullet between his eyes!“
That is exactly correct, but it is a message that will fall on deaf ears in the Defense Ministry and General Command–except to probably discipline the Golani Brigade commander who said it.
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.