An Open Letter To The World by Rabbi Meir Kahane

Shlomo Avineri: "The Arabs are the Same Arabs and the Sea is the Same Sea"

No, Shlomo Avineri did not say that. Who did, and what was the background?

The popular slogan of the Arabs during the Israeli War of Independence was to "throw the Jews into the Sea." They tried, but failed miserably,

Many years later, Israeli politician Yitzchak Shamir came up with the gem, “The Arabs are the same Arabs, and the sea is the same sea”. Israel's leftists were convinced that the time was ripe for peace with the Arabs. Today's Arabs are not the same bloodthirsty followers of Haj Amin al-Husseini that we knew way back when. They accept us! They are ready for reconciliation! If we only give the "palestinians" a state, we will all live happily ever after. Against this warped version of Middle Eastern reality Shamir coined his famous phrase.

Now, Shlomo Avineri, who served as Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1975–77, and was an early proponent of negotiations with the terrorist Palestine Liberation Organization, recently wrote the following in Ha'aretz:

The basic Palestinian position, which usually isn’t always explicitly stated, is totally different and can be easily detected in numerous Palestinian statements. According to the Palestinians’ view, this is not a conflict between two national movements but a conflict between one national movement (the Palestinian) and a colonial and imperialistic entity (Israel). According to this view, Israel will end like all colonial phenomena – it will perish and disappear. Moreover, according to the Palestinian view, the Jews are not a nation but a religious community, and as such not entitled to national self-determination which is, after all, a universal imperative.

According to this view, the Palestinians see all of Israel – and not just the West Bank and Gaza – as analogous to Algeria: an Arab country out of which the foreign colonialists were ultimately expelled. Because of this, Israel – even in its pre-1967 borders – never appears in Palestinian school textbooks; because of this the Palestinians insist never to give up their claim to the right of return of 1948 refugees and their descendants to Israel.

Although he may not realize it, Shlomo Avineri is admitting that Yitzchak Shamir was right. “The Arabs are the same Arabs, and the sea is the same sea”. Avineri has finally grasped what Shamir knew decades ago.

This is, of course, a total denial of the Israeli Leftist creed. However, I do not see these people joining the Likud or the Jewish Home party. Cognitive dissonance is a permanent resident in the psyche of the Israeli leftist. They will continue to propose freezing, evacuating settlements, "two states for two peoples" etc. as a remedy to every ill.

Even More on the Mufti and Hitler

Interview With Uri Sherki (in Hebrew) : How to Deal With the Current Wave of Terror

From the History Channel: More on the Grand Mufti and the Nazis

The Turban and the Swastika

Here's a documentary that deals with the close relationship of the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini with the Nazis:

Courage in the Face of Terror

That's the name of the game. The Jews here in the land of Israel, thank God, have shown and are continuing to show their courage in these times of bloodthirsty Arab terrorism.

In his epic code of Jewish law, Maimonides explains that a person, in respect to character traits, should look for "the straight path":

This [involves discovering] the midpoint temperament of each and every trait that man possesses [within his personality.] This refers to the trait which is equidistant from either of the extremes, without being close to either of them.

Therefore, the early Sages instructed a man to evaluate his traits, to calculate them and to direct them along the middle path, so that he will be sound {of body}.

For example: he should not be wrathful, easily angered; nor be like the dead, without feeling, rather he should [adopt] an intermediate course; i.e., he should display anger only when the matter is serious enough to warrant it, in order to prevent the matter from recurring. Similarly, he should not desire anything other than that which the body needs and cannot exist without, as [Proverbs 13:25] states: "The righteous man eats to satisfy his soul."

Also, he shall not labor in his business except to gain what he needs for immediate use, as [Psalms 37:16] states: "A little is good for the righteous man."

He should not be overly stingy nor spread his money about, but he should give charity according to his capacity and lend to the needy as is fitting. He should not be overly elated and laugh [excessively], nor be sad and depressed in spirit. Rather, he should be quietly happy at all times, with a friendly countenance. The same applies with regard to his other traits.

This path is the path of the wise. Every man whose traits are intermediate and equally balanced can be called a "wise man."

In another work (Commentary on the Mishnah, chapter 4 of the introduction to Pirkei Avot), Maimonides specifically states that courage is a "middle path" trait, lying between cowardice and being fearless. Adopting the character trait of courage, along with the other medial character traits, is a mitzvah:

We are commanded to walk in these intermediate paths - and they are good and straight paths - as [Deuteronomy 28:9] states: "And you shall walk in His ways."

Somebody wrote that, "The streets of Jewish West Jerusalem are eerie and still." Well, Jerusalem is a big city, and I do not know what street he was refering to. All I know is that while things may be less bustling than usual, people are still going to synagogue, to work and to anywhere else they need to be. After all, this is not the first wave of terror for most of us. There is a hightened state of alertness. Some of us are taking extra precautions. But eerie and still streets? Not in my neighborhood!

It's a privilege to be here at this time. It's a privilege to be a part of this courageous nation.

The Foolish Notion of "Linkage" in US Foreign Policy

The notion that solving the "Palestinian Problem" is the key to solving the Middle East's other problems is, and has always been, an idea that could only be held by someone who is not well versed in the history of this region and the population inhabiting it. Now let's take a look at an interesting exchange between journalist Jeffrey Goldberg former Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross:

Goldberg: Come back to President Obama and his understanding of this conflict. When I interviewed him in the beginning of 2008, when he was running for president, he referred to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as “a constant wound,” one that spilled over into other areas of the Middle East. He appeared to be a believer in the linkage argument—that if you fix this, other problems in the Middle East might get fixed as well. Based on what you’ve observed, has he left linkage behind?

Ross: I think he has now. Certainly it stayed with him for a while. But reality debunks this notion now. It’s very clear that if you solve this, you’re not stopping one barrel bomb in Syria; you’re not going to stop an existential struggle in Egypt; you’re not going to—

Goldberg: —Yemen’s not going to get any better.

Ross: I think if you look at statements the president has made in the last year, you see for the first time a kind of acknowledgement of that. There was never an acknowledgement of that before. It weighed very heavily on the administration at the outset for sure. They saw it as being one of the sources driving terrorism. And so there was a kind of a traditionalist mindset on the conflict.

Jeffrey Goldberg, a long time Obamaphile, ascribes this foolish notion to the President of the United States. Dennis Ross affirms this, saying that, "Certainly it stayed with him for a while". Is it any wonder then, that President Obama is perceived here by the Prime Minister of Israel and others (including myself) as "hopelessly naive", as Goldberg himself put it? Of course Obama was and is not alone among decision makers in the United States regarding this matter.

The good news is that as Ross noted, "reality debunks this notion now". The truth is, reality has always debunked this notion!

How long will it take for opinion shapers and policy makers in the United States to understand that they are similarly mistaken about other things here, for instance their hostility towards Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria? Don't hold your breath!

The End of Days and the United Nations

This is probably one of the best known Biblical prophecies, perhaps because the Isaiah Wall across the street from United Nations headquarters in New York City:

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

The prophecy starts out by telling us that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem will become the most exalted place on earth, not only for the Jewish People, but for all of mankind:

And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

Add then:

And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The nations will desire to learn the ways of the God of Israel. The law shall go forth from Zion, not from Rome, New York City, Mecca or Geneva! And finally:

And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Who will judge between the nations? One could say God Himself, but most of the classical commentaries say that "he" refers to the Messiah. Since his rulings will be universally accepted, the nations will beat their swords into plowshares, and their tanks/missles/assault rifles into who knows what. The Messiah will settle all disputes peacefully!

Now lets take a look at the Isaiah Wall:

What's written on the wall is the second half of verse 4, "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." This butchered quote, taken out of context, totally destroys the message that Isaiah was trying to convey! Universal peace will not be brought about by a bunch of diplomats in New York City! It will only happen when the nations will recognize God's sovereignty! The nations will realize the folly of their ways, and will seek instruction from God. Then the International Court of Law will be in Jerusalem, and "He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples."

In the meantime the UN, which was created with good intentions, is a morally corrupt institution. Much has been written about its obsession with passing anti-Israel resolutions, the negative effects of UNWRA, and its various "councils" of scoffers. But, "He that sitteth in heaven laugheth, the Lord hath them in derision." Eventually, the UN will be designated to the dustpan of history, and Isaiah's true vision will be fulfilled.

Do Not Call Them “Terror Victims”!

Please read the awesome eulogy of Rabbi Eitan and Naama Henkin, by Eitam's brother Yagil. The entire eulogy is fantastic, however this in particular caught my eye:

The Torah world lost one of the great rabbis and leaders of the next generation, and the academic world lost an excellent researcher.

This is not surprising, as he comes from a family of great rabbis. You can see some of Rabbi Eitam Henkin's writings on his blog. If you examine his work, you will probably agree with his brother that he was indeed destined for greatness. HY"D!

Terror Will Not Prevent the Redemption of the Jewish People

That's the story. The Arabs, with every act of barbarity here in the land of Israel against the Jewish People, are really harming themselves more than anybody else:

And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.

The iniquity of the Arabs grows from day to day. They are on the way out, slowly but surely.

I was at the kotel today. The People of Israel Live! Here's a pic: