American Jewry Responds to the Pressure Israel Meme

I’ve said it before, I simply do not believe American Jewry would hang Israel out to dry. Tough love the US Administration called it, policy based on an uncomfortably close relationship between far left wing agenda ridden groups & the White House, namely Jstreet. Pressure Israel, Israel is the obstacle, settlements are the obstacle..

J-street’s own bogus custom polling is designed to elicit distorted conclusions & produce media sound-bytes. It’s designed not to engender cooperation or strengthen the US Israel strategic relationship but to push a selective agenda. Sadly for J-street, the highly respected and authoritative yearly AJC polling of American Jewry is now out, and the results are not pretty for the Jstreet crew like Beilin, Ben-Ami or Daniel Levy.. 

American Jews have taken a sharply hawkish turn on Iran, with a majority now supporting a U.S. military strike to end that country’s nuclear weapons program, according to this year’s Survey of American Jewish Public Opinion, released on Wednesday by the American Jewish Committee. [...]

In the survey, 51 percent disagreed “with the Obama administration’s call for a stop to all new Israeli settlement activity, with 41 percent agreeing with that policy.

“That’s a significant shift, and the Obama administration is at fault for putting too much emphasis on the issue of settlements,” said Seymour Reich, a former president of the dovish Israel Policy Forum (IPF). “As a result, the Netanyahu government has outfoxed the administration — and taken American Jewish public opinion along with them.”

Ummm huh.. So much for the cooked claims by Jstreet to the contrary. But wait, on Iran it gets even worse for the pacifist appeasing anti-Israel crowd. In fact it gets much worse. We already know that in Israel the Obama policy has dramatically failed, that support for the US President is below 5% while Netanyahu is soaring in consensus. What we learn is that there is what is being termed ‘Unease’ within the American Jewish community at large over these pressure Israel policies as well, and that when it comes to Iran & existential threats – Even the Liberals get hawkish..

I advise reading the whole thing, because it is a real eye opener

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Yaakov Katz at JPOST has an interesting piece about the 2006 Lebanon war up today. It’s a report on an IDF research article and it comes to some ugly conclusions..

• Israel failed to execute the last war as well as Hezbollah
• Israel needs to prepare for hundreds of 5 man Guerrilla teams infiltrating Israel in coming conflicts
• Hezbollah is armed to the teeth with advanced weapons
• Israel needs to prepare for a possible scenario where it has “No US Ally or Support”

We’ve already seen a waning of our US alliance under Obama, and a crimp on weapons from the US.

What is of particular interest is the guerrilla raiding teams aspect.

One notes that the catalyst for the last war itself was in fact two or three such teams carrying out a similar attack across the northern border against an IDF patrol, with the goal of killing & capturing IDF soldiers. Using the rocketing of Israeli civilians as a diversion, two such teams ambushed IDF humvees on patrol with RPGs and weapons fire, killing at least three soldiers & abducting Goldwasser & Regev – Who themselves were probably either dead or mortally wounded in the ambush.

Other raiding teams were lying in ambush within Lebanon itself, waiting for the IDF Tank response to cross the border in hot pursuit – Directly toward the intricate Hezbollah bunker & mine networks leading to further IDF losses. The result was the full outbreak of war, where Israel faced village after village stocked with these small teams armed up with advanced RPGs & anti-tank weaponry, complete with advanced armor piercing shaped warhead charges.

In 2000, another similar ambush occurred. That time however Hezbollah were wearing UNIFIL / UN uniforms and driving UN vehicles as their diversion & cover. They attacked a smaller IDF patrol destroying their vehicle, and hauled off three IDF soldiers who again were most likely either dead or mortally wounded.

Large scale raids

The prospect of Hezbollah scaling up this strategy is clearly a serious threat, dozens of such teams or even hundreds as mentioned in the article could create havoc in Northern Israel – Even a mini insurgency going on for some time, in a frightening hide & go seek manner relying on local ‘Arab Israeli infrastructure’ & villages for shelter or supplies, while seeking to kill untold numbers of Israeli civilians.

Unlike traditional threats, Israel could not rely on choppers, heavy weaponry or tanks to counter this terrorist rush. They’d have to be engaged by elite combat forces in close quarters. It should also be noted that these teams would not be Hezbollah regulars, but Iranian trained Revolutionary Guards serving Hezbollah as proxy fighters, these are the most heavily armed & best trained fighters terrorism can currently buy.

Hezbollah is in reality an army with the full Iranian weapons arsenal that employs terrorist tactics, this differentiates them somewhat from traditional guerrilla threats like those faced by the US in Iraq or Afghanistan, and represents a serious challenge. Hezbollah’s heavier weapons & longer range rockets require full logistics & abilities beyond any terror group to maintain & launch, light years beyond what any normal insurgency can muster. How do you engage with an army that does not follow any rules of war on any level? Worse, one who’s main goal is the killing of civilians and causing civilian damage / casualties as opposed to engaging in normal warfare.

The Syria Factor

Also of note, comments by Syrian President Bashar Assad to the effect that this is the manner Syria intends to fight Israel going forward. In 2006, Assad & Syrian Ministers hinted that Syria could resort to ‘Armed Resistance’ & Guerrilla Warfare to retrieve the Golan Heights.

Unable to defeat Israel with their conventional forces the Arabs & Iranians have now fully also invested themselves in terrorism & missiles that target civilians, instead of just tanks or planes to fight. It’s not very honorable, but it sure can kill a lot of innocent people.

Serious Challenges

Let’s hope IDF reforms past, present & future are gearing up to counter these realities. Its no small challenge as Israel needs to counter traditional warfare threats from tanks & planes. Missile & rocket threats from tens of thousands of short medium range weapons on multiple fronts. Missile threats from large long range ballistic weapons probably armed with WMD. A full terrorist threat comprising of gunmen & suicide bombers, and now a combination Guerrilla / Terrorist threat armed with conventional advanced army weapons.

SoccerDad provides a stunner of a Link update:

Using his rather impressive encyclopedic knowledge, SD points out to me that he has read something similar to the report being referenced here on Hezbollah previously! - In fact reading the link he sent my mouth kinda opened a bit. Written a decade ago, Israel’s current Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz warned of a nearly identical threat from Israel’s seam line with Judea & Samaria in reference to the Oslo accords, and the arming of PA security forces by Israel.

Reprinted from Commentary Magazine, December, 1999:
WHEN THE PALESTINIAN ARMY INVADES THE HEART OF ISRAEL

Yuval outlines in very specific terms the dangers to critical infrastructure, civilians, the military and the entire state that small groups of Palestinian guerrillas in a mass assault could  inflict. It’s a prophetic & sobering analysis, one which has left me with an entirely new facet of respect for Mr. Steinitz, while equally leaving me scratching my head somewhat as well.

Where were the IDF big thinkers?

Spanning all that time until now? How come these issues have not been addressed seemingly on multiple borders, and why have we seen in many ways now more than a decade of mediocre IDF strategic thinking, culminating in the painful 2006 Lebanon war? Is it merely complacency or something far more troubling.

Israel’s own Lebanon War Winograd Report blasted the IDF for their lack of out of the box strategic thought, compounded by having a Labor Union chief playing Defense Minister & a negligent Prime Minister. We’re going to need a better effort from our political echelon, regional commands & our upper mid level commanders. Hopefully, the mere fact that we are finally seeing the IDF internalizing, thinking & discussing, while simultaneously reporting & researching means the IDF has come to the same conclusion.

Ehud Barak’s sad Lebanese legacy

Equally, I would like very much to point out that the current Defense Minister Ehud Barak, while serving as the Prime Minister around the time Steinitz penned his own analysis above compounded this situation badly. Barak opened up this second northern front by precipitously & delusionally withdrawing from the Lebanon security corridor in the middle of the night. A move which was stunning in its lack of strategic planning or thought on so many levels it left me in tears when I watched it unfold on the news a decade ago.

He did so with no political deal whatsoever to fill the void left by the dismantling of the Phalange (Israel’s Christian Lebanese Militia allies) and withdrawal of IDF forces from Lebanon, let alone a secured peace deal. Without a doubt the single biggest strategic bungle of the last decade by far. We already know the results of that poor strategic thought on the part of Barak – It’s known as South Lebanon, now a mini self enclosed Iranian terror state which manifested itself in less than 5 years. One imagines he took something away from this & other stunning failures like Camp David II, which resulted in the most brutal terror assault Israel has ever seen.

I’m going to stop now, I’m feeling disillusioned & I have so much more to say I could go on forever. You could write a book about the issues in this post but I promised my readers I would hold post lengths and I’ve already doubled this post’s word count.

It’s not my fault, Gerstman found Pandora’s Box!

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Old Habits Die Hard

On the anniversary of the despicable 1973 Arab Yom Kippur surprise attack / war, Iran & Arabs took the opportunity to launch missiles & threats against the Jewish State.

Iran tests most advanced missiles capable of hitting Israel
Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles can carry warheads and reach up to 2,000 kilometers; EU foreign policy chief Solana “concerned” about tests

Violence wasn’t limited to our Iranian friends, missile & rocket attacks against Israel & the IDF from Gaza also punctuated the Jewish Day of Atonement complete with anti-tank weapons & gunfire..

(IsraelNN.com) Gaza terrorists fired three rockets at southern Israel over the course of the Yom Kippur holiday. One rocket landed within Gaza, while two others hit open areas in Israel. [...]

In central Gaza, terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF patrol near the Gaza security barrier. The patrol returned fire. Gaza Arabs reported that two people were lightly wounded by IDF fire. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a separate incident in central Gaza, terrorists attacked IDF troops with gunfire. No injuries were reported among the soldiers.

In Jerusalem: Firebombings, Arson

Security forces faced attack in Jerusalem as well. In the Isawiya neighborhood in the northern part of the city, Arab rioters attacked Border Police officers. A total of 20 firebombings were reported in the area, as were dozens of rock attacks. Six officers were lightly wounded; one required hospitalization. Isawiya rioters also set fire to trees in the neighborhood. Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames [...]

Articles go on listing other attacks..

But why should any of us really be surprised that Iran or Gaza or Arabs lack respect for Israel or Judaism in any shape manner or form? These same entities cannot even be bothered to respect THEIR OWN people, let alone any one else. No Human Rights, no respect for Women, no respect for other religions or even fellow Muslims who don’t follow their own perverted version of violent, radical Islam.

I thought about the danger & conflicts coming soon a lot over Yom Kippur.

I was supposed to be more forgiving, more enlightened, more humble.. I failed somewhat. The Rabbis tell me we need to do more to be a light unto the nations. But this coming year is not about defending or leading other nations, it is about defending the Nation of Israel. Even in the deepest darkness, Phosphor also glows brightly.

“The Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps”

Indeed, we can look to the heavens for defense & inspiration, but the Torah commands us to defend ourselves as well. This coming year is not about the quiet, humble studious Jew. It is about the rarer iteration, the Jew who takes up arms to defend everything holy to him. Was I remiss in my Yom Kippur duties this year?

I prayed not for repentance, but for Israel. I prayed for PM Bibi, I prayed for our young Men & Women, for the IDF & a Yad Hazakah – A Strong Hand.

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I Like My Terrorists Extra Crispy

On the eve of the Jewish day of atonement, judgment overall seems to have come early for these three terrorists preparing to launch rockets from Gaza at Israeli civilians. Stunningly clear IDF UAV video captures them setting up for launch, only to be roasted (literally) by Israeli counter-fire before they can attack with their rockets Saturday.

It’s a testament to the skill, vigilance and frankly unbelievable efforts Israel’s defense forces exhibit keeping us safe day in & out. Gd bless them, and all Am Israel this Yom Kippur.

Gmar Hatima Tova.

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Realpolitik

Overall, it has been hard to define any underlying strategy to Obama’s wild & unconventional foreign policy reactions. Clearly Realpolitik is in effect, as there’s little discernable moral high ground or sweeping American exceptionalism to be found in these weird machinations and appeasement efforts spanning the globe from Jerusalem to Honduras, or from Tehran to Venezuela or Poland.

What we have seen are enormous doses of moral & cultural relativism washed down by chunks of appeasement to unsavory nations & characters, all usually at the expense of America and allies.

Video: Remember when?

Obama’s top National Security Adviser Samantha Power of Realist & Harvard fame - Hey, let’s send American troops to Israel in order to protect Hamas & the Palestinians from Israeli Genocide!

The realists are on the rampage in Washington it seems.. Buoyed by a President well known during the campaign as a foreign policy Mr clueless (one infused with radically left liberal influences for good measure), a President himself now being being described as weak & timid. 

Nothing Pleases Realists More than a Good Israel Bashing!

Israel is the Realist obsession.

Carter, Brzezinski, Baker all of ‘em realist heavyweights are well known ‘Israel Lovers’. Chas Freeman, of the House of Saud is another big Israel proponent.. and of course who can forget the realist philosopher king and co-author of the Israel Lobby smear, Harvard’s very own Professor Walt?

You can’t forget them because they are always there, either tapping or at times loudly banging the squeeze Israel to oblivion drum.. it’s a central tenet of realist policy it seems.

Here’s Walt admonishing Obama for not schooling the naughty Israel child even harder this weekend.

It’s a robust fantasy piece where he asks such burning questions as:

• “Why is Netanyahu defying Obama so openly?”
• followed by the riveting “Why is Obama letting Netanyahu thwart his efforts?”

The real question we should be asking is why are Walt & his realist pals all so eager to destroy the American Israel alliance? Or perhaps, why are so many of Washington’s prominent realists all seemingly Israel haters? Maybe we could all debate how it is when the nonsense they are peddling fails strategy wise, those who call for the sacrificing of allies like Israel proceed to then blame (again..) Israel? Convenient.

Why not just blow the Israelis right out of the sky?

You know, take the gloves off and shoot directly at America’s allies in order to appease a Nuclear Iran! Crazy old man talk? Not for a realist Israel hater. For such an individual the notion of American air force pilots engaging with and firing at Israelis is a dark and deep fantasy that seems so normal it can just be expressed out loud, casually in the cause of Realpolitik as Brzezinski advocates this weekend:

“We are not exactly impotent little babies,” Brzezinski told The Daily Beast in an interview published Sunday.

“They have to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch? … We have to be serious about denying them that right. That means a denial where you aren’t just saying it. If they fly over, you go up and confront them. They have the choice of turning back or not. No one wishes for this but it could be a ‘Liberty’ in reverse.”

The USS Liberty was a US Navy technical research ship accidentally struck by the OAF on the fourth day of the Six Day War, after being misidentified as an Egyptian warship. [...]

Yeah! All of it goes nicely with the latest Ahmadinejad genocidal speeches, or Carter himself calling everyone racists for not worshipping ‘Mr. my policies are craptacular in chief’ like he does. In the end, we need to get tougher with those damn Jooz, they are walking all over us & our Arab benefactors.. er I mean President Obama. We aren’t ninnies or fairies, we’re Jooo haters dammit and we need to start acting like it! No one ‘wishes for it’ per say, we just fantasize about it.

Nothing to see here, move along.

This is like Kennedy, who didn’t kill that poor young woman.. He just drove her into the lake and left her there to drown / die. There’s a big difference on the left, you have to look at the Realpolitik! Incidentally, Brzezinski is no pioneer. Plenty others on the left long ago joined the Israel Derangement Syndrome crowd. This UK Socialist leader was calling on America to attack Israel in defense of Iran moons ago. He must also be a hate.. uh, Realist.

Reminds me also of Mr. Garlasco of HRW, who doesn’t advocate for Germany in WWII per say, he just fantasizes about it & collects Nazi medals.. Or Pat Buchanan who’s not a Nazi apologist, but rather a ‘historian of Hitler’ – Pat just ‘fantasizes’ about all kinds of alternate WWII scenarios you know, for historical purposes.

Meanwhile, Israel’s deputy FM Danny Ayalon puts all the fantasies squarely away, and states Israel’s military option is on the table. Someome better notify Carter, uh I mean Obama.. and scramble those US fighter jets out of Baghdad for the interception..

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Why would we in Israel, be at all concerned about this US administration’s commitments on Iran or anything else for that matter?

The suggestion is down right silly! After all it isn’t as if..

• Obama reneged on the Bush / Sharon settlement agreements.
• Obama reneged on the Eastern European Missile Defense Shield.
• Obama reneged on barring Iranian Uranium Enrichment as a pre-condition for Iranian talks
• Obama reneged on supporting Iranian democracy protesters in lieu of the Supreme Leader.
• Obama reneged on isolating Syria and shielding Lebanon from Syrian re-occupation
• Obama reneged on supporting Latin American allies like Honduras or Colombia

So now it’s the Poles and Czechs.. No big deal, it’s not as if Iran is even a threat. Who needs Missile Defense any how. It’s not as if the Iranians are developing nuclear weapons or have threatened to destroy Israel on numerous occasions either.

Don’t you worry. Not in Israel or even in America now that US appeasement has reached stratospheric heights, because it’s not as if President Obama is an appeaser either. Man o man, this guy can LEAD!

Video: 33 Minutes – The time required for a nuclear armed missile to reach American Shores

Precisely the system versus Iran now scrapped in Europe to defend America & allies, by President Obama today.

It’s being ‘re-designed’. Given a little bit of the ‘ole Hope & Change mojo’ which has been working out so well lately..
Awesome!

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Might be a few Jews there..

I’m heading up to Jerusalem today. Normally such a 35 minute trip from sunny South Tel-Aviv involves Old Citiage, a little Wall fun (Pink Floyd not included). Perhaps a few slices of Apple Pizza. However today this particular Hashmonean pilgrimage is for another worthy cause (not that pizza scoffing isn’t worthy).

I’m going to the 2nd International NBN Jbloggers conference. Last year I had a wedding to attend – But this year I’ve finally hit it big in the scheduling department, meaning I’ve got a wedding tomorrow night instead.

There are two things we can take away from this.

• A) I must be a really great wedding guest seeing as I am perpetually invited to one, though still single.
• B) Clearly either Gd himself, or perhaps Barack Obama.. has made the waters recede to allow me to attend pilgrimage personally this year.

Don’t you worry, you are also favored in the eyes of the big guy and can attend virtually through some online video at the link above. Big thanks to all the sponsors and bloggers, see you there. If not, there’s always Twitter @Jbloggers where you can also take part – Albeit in 140 characters or less and minus a few knishes.

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Thanks.. But No Thanks

Plenty of action on the rogue regime front this week, with Iran delivering what it calls a ‘new proposal’ to the p5+1 for “Negotiations”. There are a number of interesting aspects to this proposal.

Chiefly among them is the fact that Iran has flatly refused to discuss or cease its nuclear program, or table uranium enrichment issues which constitutes the number one demand from the West.

Clearly, this is a stalling & delay tactic. But the Iranians in charge over there in Iranistan are a clever bunch. They’ve zeroed in specifically on comments made by the Obama administration, and used them to their own advantage in order to build on some unlikely allies – The hard left in the US and even within Obama’s own administration. The proposal has been leaked and within we can glean some interesting insight into Iran’s squeeze play..

The proposal, submitted by Teheran on Wednesday to representatives of the P5+1 group of nations – - the US, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – says Iran is prepared to enter into dialog and negotiation in order to lay the ground for lasting peace. It lists a wide range of issues for discussion, including nuclear disarmament, trade and investment and protecting human dignity.

Although the proposal makes no mention of Israel, it calls for “joint efforts and interactions to help the people of Palestine draw up a comprehensive, democratic and equitable plan in order to help the people of Palestine to achieve all-embracing peace, lasting security and to secure their fundamental rights.”

It also calls for “promoting the universality of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” and “putting into action real and fundamental programs toward complete disarmament and preventing the development and proliferation of nuclear chemical and microbial weapons.” [...]

Iran seizes on issues publicly declared by Obama as priorities, cynically portends to be champions of these issues while attempting to replace itself in the hot seat with Israel. The complete disarmament mentioned is in regards to ALL nuclear weapons on the planet, a stated (somewhat absurd) pet project of President Obama himself, and a clear call to focus on Israel’s own nuclear capabilities. The innocent Iranian regime playing international moral leader.

Even more classic, this is exactly what apologists for the Iranian regime want to hear. Iran is clearly banking on those same apologists to be champions in their delay tactics. Lacking any credibility internationally whatsoever of late, the hard left & those that champion engagement with no real end game are Iran’s only outlet. So Iran lays it on mighty thick just for them, with ample bait to the softies in the Obama administration to boot!

Apparently in some quarters it is already working..

According to the document, “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that within the framework of principles of justice, democracy and multilateralism, a wide range of security, political, economic and cultural issues at regional and global levels could be included in these negotiations with a view of fostering constructive cooperation for advancement of nations and promotion of peace and stability in the region and the world.”

The US and Russia were at odds on Thursday over Teheran’s proposals, with American officials saying they fall short of satisfying international demands, and the Russians saying there was something to talk about. [...]

Justice, Democracy MULTILATERALISM. All the buzzwords and music to engagement eager grand bargainers ears are hear.  In return for some appeasement everything can be magically solved! Security, political, economic problems, cultural issues.. PEACE ON EARTH!!!

This is some pretty devious & clever stuff. Iran delays for 8 months after previously delaying in talks for 6 years, and just as things look ugly for them sanction wise they pull the steak off the table entirely, while baiting the biggest suckers with all the trimmings instead.

All the while the not so subtle offering of a juicy dessert for Iran & its proponents – the focus on Israel in particular, in combination with a cynical play on Obama’s own declared sensitivities regarding nuclear weapons, disarmament and overall Hope & Change. This US Admin already lit a fire under the Israel nuclear pot this spring, Iran is just stepping up & stirring it. After all, how could they disregard that very large Obama gift? Instead they’ve wrapped it in a pretty hope & change bow & re-gifted it right back.

Obama’s Administration is vulnerable

In a normal world we could dismiss it all out of hand, but so far US foreign policy is not operating in a normal world. Months of engagement failure have only now just barely begun to contain Obama’s hope & delusion. Most of that reality slowly creeping in is as a result of Congressional & European displeasure, not any overt acknowledgment that the policy is naive despite the protestations of Denis Ross.

The door is still wide open, and even the September deadline is already slipping back to 2010 in regards to implementing any sanctions. If Iran’s play can whip up enough support in the ‘US engagement at all costs community’ with their little switcheroo – We could be right back at square one, and Iran will be pleased as punch along with having the ability to deliver a nuclear one.

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