Stand for Israel

Day of Solemnity and Mourning

Tisha B'Av, one of the most solemn days on the Jewish calendar, is being observed today. Read Rabbi Eckstein's commentary:

The culmination of the mourning period known as "The Three Weeks" that began on the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, Tisha B'Av is a day of solemnity, sorrow and remembrance: Jews refrain from ordinary pleasures and indulgences, including a 25-hour fast from eating and drinking. Tisha B'Av is one of only two "full" fast days on the Jewish calendar (Yom Kippur is the other): Adults touch neither food nor drink—even water—from sunset until nightfall the following evening.

Crunch time for Israel on Iran

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton forsees an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities before the end of the year:

Iran’s progress with nuclear weapons and air defenses means Israel’s military option is declining over time. It will have to make a decision soon, and it will be no surprise if Israel strikes by year’s end. Israel’s choice could determine whether Iran obtains nuclear weapons in the foreseeable future.

Jeffery Goldberg of The Atlantic adds, " I sense a growing feeling among some Israeli analysts that a strike is almost inevitable."

Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

PA: Arafat supported terrorism

No surprises here to anyone who was paying attention, but it is unusual to hear this coming from a top Palestinian Authority official:

[Mohammed] Dahlan said the international community demanded that Arafat condemn terrorism against Israel in order to win land concessions from the Jewish state, so he did just that. But behind the scenes, Dahlan said Arafat continued backing the use of terrorist violence against Israelis, a fact that Western leaders only acknowledged toward the end of Arafat's life.

Note that in the story Dahlan refers to Arafat's terrorist planning as "honorable," and urges current PA officials to "again employ calculated and carefully-tiimed terrorism as an official tactic." These are the Palestinian "moderates"?

Seven planned terror attacks in Israel

Ha'aretz:

American authorities on Monday arrested seven North Carolina natives who have been charged with plotting to carry out terrorist attacks overseas, including in Israel, Kosovo, Jordan and the Gaza Strip.

U.S. prosecutors said the ringleader of the group, Daniel Patrick Boyd, trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1989 to 1992 and used that experience to set up his own organization to train fighters, raise money and carry out attacks abroad.

Mr. President, talk to us

The editor of Ha'aretz discusses how President Obama is viewed by Israelis:

In his global tours and TV appearances, President Obama has spoken to Arabs, Muslims, Iranians, Western Europeans, Eastern Europeans, Russians and Africans. His words have stirred emotions and been well received everywhere.

But he hasn’t bothered to speak directly to Israelis.

And the effect? Six months into his presidency, Israelis find themselves increasingly suspicious of Mr. Obama. All they see is American pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to freeze settlements, a request that’s been interpreted here as political arm-twisting meant to please the Arab street at Israel’s expense — or simply to express the president’s dislike for Mr. Netanyahu.

Gaza campers stage Shalit abduction

For most people, summer camp conjures up memories of activities like swimming, fishing, horseback riding, and arts and crafts. But it's different in Gaza:

Children in Hamas summer camps reenacted the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit in the presence of top Hamas officials, according to pictures obtained by The Jerusalem Post.

According to Israeli defense officials, more than 120,000 Palestinian children are spending the summer in Hamas-run camps. In addition to religious studies, the children undergo semi-military training with toy guns.

At a recent summer camp graduation ceremony, the children put on a show reenacting the June 2006 abduction of Schalit. Present was Osama Mazini, a senior Hamas political leader, who is in charge of the Schalit negotiations with Israel on behalf of the terrorist group.

A question for all who believe that Hamas can be coaxed into making compromises with Israel through negotiations: Can any group that trains its own children to hate Israel be considered a "partner for peace""?
 

Why Khaled Abu Toameh writes for a Jewish newspaper

Over at AISH, there's a fascinating article about the courageous Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, who does great work reporting on events in the West Bank and Gaza for the Jerusalem Post and other media outlets:

Most of the world believes, often with passionate intensity, that Jewish settlements on land claimed by Arabs limits the chances for peace. Abu Toameh disagrees. "I wish the settlements were the problem," he says, because it can be solved by the Israelis. If settlements were the problem, he argues, then Gaza would now be at peace. After all, the Israelis pulled out in 2005. But the result has been war -- war among the Palestinians, war with Israel. "The real obstacle to peace is not a Jew building a settlement but the failure of the Palestinians to have a government. Is there a partner on the Palestinian side for peace talks? No."

Fatah won't recognize Israel

Just in case you were unsure about the position held on Israel by "moderate" Palestinian leadership, here's senior Fatah official Rafik al-Natsheh to explain it for you:

'We will maintain the resistance option in all its forms and we will not recognize Israel," [al-Natsheh] said. "Not only don't we demand that anyone recognize Israel; we don't recognize Israel ourselves."

That seems pretty clear.

Obama receives Oren at White House

On Monday, President Obama welcomed Israel's new ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren to the White House. Here's a bit of what Oren inscribed in the White House guest book:

"As the grandson of Jewish immigrants who found shelter from oppression in this promising land; as the son of a World War II veteran who fought for freedom from Normandy to the Rhine; and as a scholar who studied and taught at some of America's premier institutions, I am honored to represent my ancestral homeland, the State of Israel, to the country of my birth."

Read more about Ambassador Oren here.

Abba Eban, 1958

From a 1958 Mike Wallace interview with Israeli statesman Abba Eban:

Well, to be quite frank Mr. Wallace, we think highly of our country. We believe that we have achieved a reunion of the conditions of its greatness. This was the people, this was the land, and this was the language out of whose previous reunion great events flowed for us and for mankind, and we believe that the perfection of our destiny in this world can only be found through this great act of restoration which has happened in our lifetime. We wish well to our brethren outside our frontiers, but we do believe that there is a special historic and spiritual quality in the life of a free Jewish citizen in Israel reborn.

Stirring and inspiring stuff. By all means, watch the whole thing.