Wednesday, July 05, 2006

The current situation in Israel

Here are some thoughts on the situation.
  1. The government is all talk and no action. So far the military action has been mostly cosmetic, blowing up empty buildings etc. What did bombing Haniyeh's emoty office accomplish? What has firing hundreds of artillery shells into empty fields accomplish except to waste money? Israel has become like the boy who cried wolf. Does anyone remember what Rabin said right after Oslo? Remember last year before the disengagement Sharon and Mofaz said if 1 Kassam falls on Israel we will strike back with all force. How many Kassams have fallen and what has been Israel's response? The Palestinians have figured out that Israel is all talk and no actions. Do you think that the latest threats realy concern them? Unfortunately, they have no credibility.

  2. The left wing is arrogant and incredibly blind. Yossi Beilin was on the radio this morning saying how we need to negotiate etc. Not only is he not embarrassed to show his face after the disasters that he and his friends have created he is still giving bad advice. He stated this morning that we, Israel can bring peace. What an arrogant and stupid statement. He is the ultimate racist, discounting the Palestinian contribution. If the Palestinians don't want peace then he can spout off from here until tomorrow and there won't be peace.The fact is that the Palestinians have no interest in peace and all Yossi Beilin and company are doing is encouraging to continue with violence.

  3. Olmert's התכנסות plan is DOA. The average person on the street has woken up and realized that it is a recipe for absolute disaster.

  4. there has been a lot of dicsussion about the halacha of pidyon shvuyim and how much can you pay. RHS and many others (see for example כיצד פודים את השבויים? ) hold that today we are in a state of war with the Palestinians and therefore the regular rules of Pidyon Shvuyim do not apply. During a war we would not allow any kind of exchange for prisoners.

    We see this in last weeks parsha
    במדבר כא, א: "וישמע הכנעני מלך ערד יושב הנגב כי בא ישראל דרך האתרים, וילחם בישראל וישב ממנו שבי",

    Chazal comment that they captured 1 shifcha, to save her they did not negotiate but rather went out to war.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Olmert & Peretz need to follow Teddy Roosevelt's dictum: "Speak softly, but carry a big stick."

Instead, they spout off with all kinds of threats, but use no stick.

TR also said, when an American citizen named Perdicaris was kidnapped for ransom: "Perdicaris alive or Raisuli (the terrorist-kidnapper in that matter) dead." Israel needs to make it known to the Palestinians, "Shalit alive or Haniyeh, Meshaal & their compatriots dead." Not threaten; do it!

Anonymous said...

What else can the government do?

If they sit backa dn do nothing they look weak? If they litterally launch a war who do they point their guns at? Who is a combatant and who is a civilian? If they take back Gaza permanently there will be a most brutal and bloody uprising and I am sure the deaths will be in the thousands. And if Israeli troops were to stay there they would be in the middle of the worst type of quagmire. So what do you propose the governmnet do instead?

bluke said...

Unfortunately this government and previous governments let the situation deteriorate until it has reached the point that it has. It is clear to just about everyone that the disengagement was a huge mistake and we are paying dearly for it. All the threats from the past that were not carried out (remember Sharon and Mofaz's comments before the disengagement about what would happen if there were Kassams after the disengagement) have helped create the current situation.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget how the frum supported both Oslo and Disengagement, because of ... Pikuach Nefesh.

Where is the Cheshbon Nefesh? Where is the acknowledgement of error? Were are the apologies?

The frum world is showing its Tum'ah. How few dare to protest against the leadership.

Disaster is approaching from Gaza. It's Punishment. It will hit the guilty and who did not cry out in protest. May HaShem have Mercy.

Anonymous said...

bluke:


Practically if you were in government what would you do now?