SPECIAL NOTICE:
Modern Israel’s 66th Independence Day begins in 1 hour.
Chag Sameach!
UPDATES 7 pm, Israel time, May 5 2014:
*The Islamic Wakf called on all Muslims today to rally “to save the Al-Aksa Mosque” by coming to the Temple Mount so that “Jews” cannot ascend on Israel Independence Day tomorrow.
Four days ago, in a lecture at the University of Virginia, former President Bill Clinton–supposedly a great friend of Israel–wistfully recalled how he had almost persuaded Israel to give up the entire Temple Mount to the Muslims back at the Camp David talks in 2000 between Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak.
As you may not remember, Clinton had even persuaded the ridiculous Barak to build a compound for Arafat on the Mount complete with a special road to enable him to move easily between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Thank goodness that Arafat was stupid enough to refuse Barak’s egregious turnover of Israeli sovereignty of Judaism’s holiest place.
In his speech, Clinton went on to arrogantly remark that he thought, however, that Israel “deserved” the Western Wall plus about 16 meters that extends into the tunnel beside the Wall.
Thank you Bill Clinton.
Your humble servant was thinking about all of this today as Clinton “wannabe” John Kerry announced that he was going to release the “position papers” that had evolved over the last few months of Israel concessions. The irony, of course, is that the concessions that Kerry will say that Israel agreed to were not really concessions at all unless a final agreement was reached.
But it won’t make any difference to the world. When everyone sees that Netanyahu was willing to agree to withdraw to here and there, and to concede this and that, they will think that these “withdrawals” and “concessions” should be the starting points of any future “negotiations.”
Who knows what Netanyahu was willing to concede on the Temple Mount?
TODAY’S BLOG:
It has been an extremely traumatic Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) in Israel.
Emotionally wrenching ceremonies have taken place all over the country mourning Israel’s fallen soldiers and terror victims, and Israeli television has broadcast non-stop stories of bereaved families who have lost sons and daughters and fathers and mothers.
The climax of this public outpouring of emotion was the service on Mt. Herzl this afternoon featuring PM Netanyahu.
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As was reported in this blog several days ago, a letter had been written to Netanyahu urging him not to come. The bereaved families simply could not understand how Netanyahu could have possibly approved the release of Palestinian terrorist murderers over the course of the last six months.
Netanyahu should have listened.
As soon as he rose to speak, Netanyahu was met with an unprecedented protest as numerous audience members rose, held up red banners (symbolizing “blood on the hands”), and walked out.
This picture was taken as Netanyahu began to speak (he is at the podium). Picture source: ynetnews.
Others began shouting at the prime minister making it impossible for him to talk.
One of the most vehement protestors (source: ynetnews).
The protester in the picture above repeatedly shouted “Mr. prime minister, you are freeing the murderers of our children.”
This scene continued for about five to ten minutes.
When the situation had calmed down, Netanyahu dissembled: “The decision that was made was difficult, it goes against the value of justice – everyone feels this way. The complicated reality in our region has created a situation in which, for the last four decades, the governments of Israel had to make decisions that were hard to bear – over and over again. I know I will meet you here, but I viewed it as my responsibility as the prime minister of Israel. I salute your bravery and resistance.”
The truth of course is that Netanyahu’s release of Palestinian murderers was unjust in every conceivable way, and there was no “complicated reality” that forced him to release anyone.
The only responsibility he had was to enforce justice and act like the Prime Minister of Israel and not as the lapdog of John Kerry and Barack Obama.
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.