12 Elul 5778
23 August 2018
Quote of the Day:
“Shortening the compulsory service by two additional months, following the four already shortened, is equivalent to reducing by one fourth our regular forces. There is no other army that will defend Israel’s security. I will firmly oppose this issue in the cabinet and the government.”
Yoav Gallant, Israeli Cabinet Minister of Construction and former IDF Commander of the Southern Command, speaking about the Finance Ministry’s demand that military service for men be shortened from 32 to 30 months.
Obviously, Gallant is right. We have no one to defend us except ourselves. By continuing to shorten time of military service in order to fund social programs, we are not supplying needed training to our soldiers and thereby are putting the entire country at risk.
Picture of the Day:
Another nonexistent fire burning down a forest in southern Israel yesterday–this time the Erez Forest (photo Sadan).
Isn’t it astonishing how our government insists on the absurd canard that the launching of incendiary kites and balloons from Gaza has been stopped—all so a possible agreement with Palestinian terrorists in Gaza can move forward?
The News on the Israeli Street
Palestinian terrorism in the last 24 hours . . .
In Judea and Samaria:
*Palestinian terrorists threw Molotovs at Jewish worshipers at Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem.
*Palestinian terrorists placed explosive devices on the road near al-Muayyir.
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*Palestinian terrorists attacked Israelis with “rocks” and Molotovs at Jorat a-Shama, on the Abud Bypass, at Deir Abu Mashaal, Naameh, Yakir, Tekoa, Revava, on Route 458 near Baal Hatzor, Hizma, and near Yitzhar among other places reported to Rescue Judea and Samaria, hakolhayehudi, rotter, and Rescue 443.
On the Gaza Border:
*Palestinian terrorists launched dozens of incendiary balloons and kites–some of which set fires (see picture above) and some of which were extinguished upon landing.
*Palestinian terrorists continued violent outbursts along the Gaza border fence.
About the upcoming concert of Israeli singer Berry Sakharov . . .
As you probably do not know, Israeli singer Berry Sakharov is scheduled to give a concert in Mount Hevron next week. Not surprisingly, a group of Israeli leftists led by other Israeli singers have been trying to force him to cancel his performance.
Why? Because they claim Mount Hevron is in “occupied Palestinian territory.”
Yesterday Hevron Regional Council head Yochai Damari delivered this reply to the leftists:
“The residents of the Hevron region are citizens of the state of Israel . . . [As for the occupation accusation] there are about one million Arabs living in Judea and Samaria who have not lived under occupation since the Oslo Accords . . . they have an anthem, a language, a government that cares for their health.”
Damari could have added a small fact that the world seems to have forgotten: One million Arabs in Judea and Samaria–97% of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria–are living under complete Palestinian control.
Tomato wars . . .
An Israeli tomato field near the Gaza border. Note the unusual way many tomatoes are grown here.
The Chairman of the Vegetable Branch of the Israel Plants Council demanded yesterday that Israel immediately cease importing tomatoes from Turkey.
Cease importing tomatoes from Turkey?
One might well ask why in the world are we importing tomatoes from one of our most vitriolic enemies.
Meir Yifrach had this to say: “. . . Israeli farmers are providing all the demand of the consumers, so there is no shortage of tomatoes and there is no need to encourage imports–imports that could cause financial ruin for hundreds of vegetable growers.”
Yifrach is exactly correct.
It should be added that most of the tomatoes grown in Israel are produced along the Gaza border and in the northern Negev, places where farmers have had to fight fires and dodge missiles and bullets for the last 4 months just to produce crops.
By the way, not only is Israel intent on importing tomatoes from Turkey, but the government has also idiotically eliminated all taxes that the Turks should pay on the imported tomatoes.
Unbelievable.
TODAY’S BLOG:
John Bolton’s Three Noes Yesterday
President Trump’s National Security Adviser reportedly made several significant comments yesterday in Jerusalem.
First, when President Trump reiterated that Israel “would pay a heavy price” for the U.S. moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Bolton said that Trump did not mean that the U.S. would demand concessions from Israel. Bolton said that there was no quid pro quo, and that what Trump meant was that the Palestinians would expect heavy Israeli concessions.
[Our comment: the Palestinians can expect all they want to from Israel, but without U.S. pressure on Israel they can also expect to receive very little.]
Second, Bolton also told Netanyahu that Putin told Trump that Russia and the U.S. cannot remove Iran from Syria.
[Our comment: this is a reflection of the reality of the situation. Iran is so firmly embedded in Syria that there is no hope that they will ever leave.]
Third, Bolton said that the U.S. is not considering recognizing Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights.
[Our comment: it is difficult to expect the U.S. to do something that Israel has never done. It is worthwhile remembering that for some ridiculous reason, Israel has never formally annexed the territory despite the fact that it has held the Heights since the 1967 war–for the past 51 years.
It is also worthwhile remembering that whatever claim the Syrians had to the territory it occupied from 1948-1967 was forfeited by the constant attacks it mounted from the Golan against Israelis living below.
What Israel did do was to pass the Golan Heights Law on December 14, 1981. This Law extended Israeli “laws, jurisdiction, and administration” to the Golan–thereby resulting in a de facto annexation. Again, why Israeli has never established de jure annexation is beyond your humble servant’s comprehension.]
All in all, we might sum up Bolton’s comments like this: no quid pro quo (very positive if true), no Iranian exodus from Syria (very negative), and no U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan (it’s time for Israel to act).
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.