Isn't it ironic that the UN now has to deal with real problems in the Middle East? Just a short period of time after the UN Security Council overwhelmingly voted to condemn Israel once again, and only thanks to a remorseful US veto with apologies, the resolution did not pass. Now this scam of a world body has to deal with Human Rights Violations all across the Middle East especially in Libya .The death toll keeps rising into the thousands and there is a threat of biological attacks against their very own citizens by none other then that human rights champion ,Kadafi. The great leader of the Libyan nation that has been sitting on the UN human rights council and very helpful in bringing anti Israel hatred to that body.
Soon the entire Middle Eastern Arab world will be on fire. All the excitement about Egypt is starting to subside as we see countries like Libya with a huge leadership gap starting to turn into another Afghanistan over night. We all know the true reason behind the unrest in the Middle East; it’s the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
If only the Jewish state would just keep denying their citizens, who have lost many close relatives defending their homeland, the right to live in peace and raise their families and work their fields and live the good life side by side, the way it was before the Oslo Accords . Israel of course is to blame, responsible for all the conflicts in this region and even world wide.
Wasting precious time condemning Israel all the time masks the true evils around the Middle East. These regimes are at best not gunning down their citizens in the streets, yet they are denying people basic human rights and the ability to feed their family. Being killed for speaking out, or tortured for the sport of it, runs rampant in these countries. But the UN, Obama, the EU, Russia, is constantly pressuring Israel to allow another such state, to exist, right next door. The UN concerns themselves very little about this tiny Jewish State that is sitting in between all of this upheaval where hatred death and destruction toward Israel is part of the rants by the protestors.
Labeling the settlements illegal only encourages more violent behavior against the US and of course Israel. The leaders of the world are shaking in their boots as the price of oil is starting to boil over. Leaders starting with that magnificent orator in the White House are so confused they don't know which way to turn.
Osama’s engagement policy, constant bashing the State of Israel, glorifying the Muslim world while knocking the legs out of Americas' strong world standing, has caused a domino affect that is spreading throughout the Arab world.
It is so ironic that just last Friday all members of the Security Council minus the administrations apologetic veto, declared the settlements illegal! Hooray! They did again they condemned Israel.
This is already taken place as Egypt, Yemen Tunisia Algeria and even Iran was starting to heat up. The UN didn't have time to deal with a serious crisis that was threatening the entire Middle East if not the entire world, but they did have time to condemn Israel.
Statements by the Obama administration, Russia and the circus quartet, i.e. the EU quartet should begin streaming out any time now! The Israelis and the Palestinians need to find a way to negotiate. This is the root of all the problems that are taking part across the Arab world. Israel has to find a way to make it happen. Israel must stop building homes for their young families to move into. There should be no medical facilities for these illegal settlers and of course new schools and places of worship only infuriate the Arabs living on these Jewish lands.
I know that seems over the top even for me, but just wait a few more days and weeks .Didn't take long for the international media to condemn the Netanyahu government for not being more sympathetic to the Egyptians on the street. It won't be long now: Israel must sit down and negotiate a two state solution ...bla.. bla.bla..... We have heard it all before.
Luckily, there is a solution to all the upheaval in the Middle East. It seems to always come down the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Let's just have the intelligent world body, the UN, demand that the kingdom of Jordan, hand over land for their occupied Palestinians. The Palestinians can then set up a state living side by side with Israel and of course Jordan. This will finally solve that long overdue misplacement of the Palestinians and reward them the state they truly deserve. There will then be one more Arab state burning up the skies. At least it won't be happening on the on the Jewish Homeland of Judea and Samaria.
A View from Jon's Place
March 1, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Misguided Euphoria
Now that euphoria over regime change in Egypt is beginning to subside, it is time for a reality check. The western world seems to think that holding elections are a key to democratic reform and a way to empower the citizens of a previously oppressive country. Time and time again it has been proven that in the middle east , elections don't necessarily bring about positive changes that the population is yearning for.
We are all aware of elections in the middle east that have not brought about feelings of empowerment for the average person in the street. First, we can look toward Lebanon that is now facing a government that is being controlled by the terrorist group, Hizbullah. Lebanon once considered the Middle East Riviera, is now being lead by none other than the notorious terrorist leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah has recently threatened to capture the Galilee region , an undisputed area of northern Israel, from deep beneath the ground in a secure bunker. Democratic leaders don't usually lead and govern while hiding in bunkers last I or anyone else has checked.
we can look toward the Palestinian area where calls for elections by the Bush #2 administration, has led to Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip and a strong divide between the Palestinian people and is a major roadblock in trying to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority is still in office though is term was up in 2009, because there haven't been new elections. Abbas keeps promising or threatening to resign from office , and only reneges to do so due to begging and promises of more financial aid that continues to pad the pockets and Swiss bank accounts of the PA leaders and not assist the people it's intended for.
Gaza on the other hand is ruled with an iron fist by the terrorist group Hamas. They don't recognize Israel's right to exist and don't honor any current Israeli-Palestinian interim agreements. They are responsible for launching rockets into Israel and threaten the stability in the region. As Israel permits more and more goods to enter Gaza, Hamas has confiscated many products and slowed the free flow of goods because it reduces their profits from illegal tunnel trafficking from Egypt. The media unfortunately hasn't had the desire to report these events. They are too busy condemning Israel for not permitting more goods to cross into Gaza such as cement and steel that will be used by Hamas to restore their military capabilities and ready them for the next confrontation with their sworn enemy , the Jewish State.
Now that the newly crowned revolution is happening in Egypt, top leaders in the movement that brought down Hosni Mubarak, are calling for the suspension of natural gas shipments to Israel which is a clause included in the peace agreement between the two countries. The Muslim Brotherhood which is poised to be a major player in the new government, has time and time again called for the suspension of this treaty. With more and more Egyptian troops entering the Sinai Peninsula to restore order, the situation can quickly get out of hand and Israel will be faced with a hostile presence once again on this southern border.
We don't know what the outcome in Tunisia or Algeria will be. Yemen which is fighting Al-Quida insurgents is also very unstable, while the newly appointed Justice Minister in Jordan is calling for the release of the jailed murderer of 9 Beit Shemesh girls who were gunned down in 1997.
Though Israel is not ruled by an Iron fist and their citizens from all backgrounds enjoy many freedoms , there are still many problems with their parliamentary system. They don't have a system in place where by their national elected officials are chosen directly by the people. Citizens can only vote for political parties and therefore unlike democracies in the US and Western Europe they lack the ability to remove elected officials from office as was just witnessed in the previous two elections in the US. This unfortunately leads to many corruption scandals . The elected officials' loyalties are to the political parties and not the voters they are supposed to represent.
Thomas Friedman and Roger Cohen, voices for the notorious basher of the Jewish State, the soon to be defunct New York Times , are quick once again to take a swipe at Israeli leaders for not being supportive toward the revolution that is going on in Egypt. It must be easy for these elite Jewish journalists to sit in their comfortable ivory towers, while Israel with its tiny geographical size must look at all events especially drastic change in leadership and the effect on its' safety and security. This tiny country realizes that what excites others in far away lands does not necessarily mean more peace and security for its' citizens and the children of future generations.
A View from Jon's Place 2/17/2011
We are all aware of elections in the middle east that have not brought about feelings of empowerment for the average person in the street. First, we can look toward Lebanon that is now facing a government that is being controlled by the terrorist group, Hizbullah. Lebanon once considered the Middle East Riviera, is now being lead by none other than the notorious terrorist leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah has recently threatened to capture the Galilee region , an undisputed area of northern Israel, from deep beneath the ground in a secure bunker. Democratic leaders don't usually lead and govern while hiding in bunkers last I or anyone else has checked.
we can look toward the Palestinian area where calls for elections by the Bush #2 administration, has led to Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip and a strong divide between the Palestinian people and is a major roadblock in trying to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority is still in office though is term was up in 2009, because there haven't been new elections. Abbas keeps promising or threatening to resign from office , and only reneges to do so due to begging and promises of more financial aid that continues to pad the pockets and Swiss bank accounts of the PA leaders and not assist the people it's intended for.
Gaza on the other hand is ruled with an iron fist by the terrorist group Hamas. They don't recognize Israel's right to exist and don't honor any current Israeli-Palestinian interim agreements. They are responsible for launching rockets into Israel and threaten the stability in the region. As Israel permits more and more goods to enter Gaza, Hamas has confiscated many products and slowed the free flow of goods because it reduces their profits from illegal tunnel trafficking from Egypt. The media unfortunately hasn't had the desire to report these events. They are too busy condemning Israel for not permitting more goods to cross into Gaza such as cement and steel that will be used by Hamas to restore their military capabilities and ready them for the next confrontation with their sworn enemy , the Jewish State.
Now that the newly crowned revolution is happening in Egypt, top leaders in the movement that brought down Hosni Mubarak, are calling for the suspension of natural gas shipments to Israel which is a clause included in the peace agreement between the two countries. The Muslim Brotherhood which is poised to be a major player in the new government, has time and time again called for the suspension of this treaty. With more and more Egyptian troops entering the Sinai Peninsula to restore order, the situation can quickly get out of hand and Israel will be faced with a hostile presence once again on this southern border.
We don't know what the outcome in Tunisia or Algeria will be. Yemen which is fighting Al-Quida insurgents is also very unstable, while the newly appointed Justice Minister in Jordan is calling for the release of the jailed murderer of 9 Beit Shemesh girls who were gunned down in 1997.
Though Israel is not ruled by an Iron fist and their citizens from all backgrounds enjoy many freedoms , there are still many problems with their parliamentary system. They don't have a system in place where by their national elected officials are chosen directly by the people. Citizens can only vote for political parties and therefore unlike democracies in the US and Western Europe they lack the ability to remove elected officials from office as was just witnessed in the previous two elections in the US. This unfortunately leads to many corruption scandals . The elected officials' loyalties are to the political parties and not the voters they are supposed to represent.
Thomas Friedman and Roger Cohen, voices for the notorious basher of the Jewish State, the soon to be defunct New York Times , are quick once again to take a swipe at Israeli leaders for not being supportive toward the revolution that is going on in Egypt. It must be easy for these elite Jewish journalists to sit in their comfortable ivory towers, while Israel with its tiny geographical size must look at all events especially drastic change in leadership and the effect on its' safety and security. This tiny country realizes that what excites others in far away lands does not necessarily mean more peace and security for its' citizens and the children of future generations.
A View from Jon's Place 2/17/2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Right of Return
What exactly is this concept of right of return that the Palestinians keep referring to? Does anyone really expect us to believe that Israel is going to open up their borders and allow seven million so called Palestinian refugees, the number the Palestinian negotiators are using, and the current population of Israel including their Arab citizens, to relocate anywhere they wish within the pre 1967 borders of Israel? Why do the Palestinians need their own state if they want to move to Israel? Who is going to live in the new Palestinian homeland if they all move to Israel? According to these numbers there will only be approximately 1 and half million Palestinians living in the new Palestinian state and over seven million Arabs living within the pre 1967 borders of Israel. It should seem quite obvious to even the novice observer to the Middle East situation that these numbers don't add up.
That's correct the numbers don't add up. Those of us who are of sound mind and body must come to the following conclusion the Palestinians don't want to live side by side with the Jewish state. They want all of current Israel as their new Palestinian homeland. We all have seen maps produced by the Palestinian Authority that depict Palestine as stretching from the Jordan River until the Mediterranean. There is no depiction of the state of Israel anywhere on the map. There is even a tourist advertisement in the British issue of National Geographic that invites people to visit Palestine. The ad depicts tThe ad depicts westward to the m of Return from the negotiations , there is no reason to try to move ahead on any other obsticulhe state of Palestine to includes the entire area from the Jordan River westward to the Medditeranean. Visit Hebron, Jericho and of course the Capital of Palestine, Jerusalem. Obviously they have different plans in mind for the future landscape of the Middle East, excluding the state of Israel.
That brings us to The Israeli politicians and their unbelievable team of negotiators. Where did they get their training? They haven't got a clue. Who needs to discuss final borders, status of Jerusalem, security concerns and of course the biggest joke of all, "Right of Return". Why is opposition leader, Tizpi Livni , keep blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu and his coalition for the stalemate in the current negotiations? Wasn't she the head of the negotiating team for previous not yet convicted Prime Minister Olmert? Did they not offer the store including all of its contents to the Palestinans and was smacked right in the face with a response that Israel is not offering them enough? Why are members of the labor party who are currently in the coalition threatening to leave this month or next month or even in 4 months if there isn't any progress in the negotiations? Of course that's a joke because Barak the Defense Minister and current head of Labor knows all too well that he is in no position to walk away from his current portfolio as defense minister.
The time has come to put together a new negotiating team that perhaps can be made up of a cross section of the population that has a better understanding of how negotiating works. Mainly, you give something and you get something in return. Or, you state your position and listen to the other side's position and you try to meet somewhere in between. This isn't Nuclear Physics or sending someone to mars this is basic negotiating 101. Leaving issues like the right of return for and the division of Jerusalem and final items on the agenda is absolutely ludicrous. There shouldn't be any continued discussions with the Palestinians until the Israelis stand strong once and for all, removing this nonsensical idea of the right of return from the final status arguments. We all realize that it is a non starter and should not be allowed to be used as a negotiating ploy. Who negotiates the fine print of any deal or transaction before the price is agreed upon? If Israel cannot remove the Right of Return from the negotiations, there is no reason to try to move ahead on any other obstacles that are sure to follow.
A View from Jon's Place
01/09/2011
That's correct the numbers don't add up. Those of us who are of sound mind and body must come to the following conclusion the Palestinians don't want to live side by side with the Jewish state. They want all of current Israel as their new Palestinian homeland. We all have seen maps produced by the Palestinian Authority that depict Palestine as stretching from the Jordan River until the Mediterranean. There is no depiction of the state of Israel anywhere on the map. There is even a tourist advertisement in the British issue of National Geographic that invites people to visit Palestine. The ad depicts tThe ad depicts westward to the m of Return from the negotiations , there is no reason to try to move ahead on any other obsticulhe state of Palestine to includes the entire area from the Jordan River westward to the Medditeranean. Visit Hebron, Jericho and of course the Capital of Palestine, Jerusalem. Obviously they have different plans in mind for the future landscape of the Middle East, excluding the state of Israel.
That brings us to The Israeli politicians and their unbelievable team of negotiators. Where did they get their training? They haven't got a clue. Who needs to discuss final borders, status of Jerusalem, security concerns and of course the biggest joke of all, "Right of Return". Why is opposition leader, Tizpi Livni , keep blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu and his coalition for the stalemate in the current negotiations? Wasn't she the head of the negotiating team for previous not yet convicted Prime Minister Olmert? Did they not offer the store including all of its contents to the Palestinans and was smacked right in the face with a response that Israel is not offering them enough? Why are members of the labor party who are currently in the coalition threatening to leave this month or next month or even in 4 months if there isn't any progress in the negotiations? Of course that's a joke because Barak the Defense Minister and current head of Labor knows all too well that he is in no position to walk away from his current portfolio as defense minister.
The time has come to put together a new negotiating team that perhaps can be made up of a cross section of the population that has a better understanding of how negotiating works. Mainly, you give something and you get something in return. Or, you state your position and listen to the other side's position and you try to meet somewhere in between. This isn't Nuclear Physics or sending someone to mars this is basic negotiating 101. Leaving issues like the right of return for and the division of Jerusalem and final items on the agenda is absolutely ludicrous. There shouldn't be any continued discussions with the Palestinians until the Israelis stand strong once and for all, removing this nonsensical idea of the right of return from the final status arguments. We all realize that it is a non starter and should not be allowed to be used as a negotiating ploy. Who negotiates the fine print of any deal or transaction before the price is agreed upon? If Israel cannot remove the Right of Return from the negotiations, there is no reason to try to move ahead on any other obstacles that are sure to follow.
A View from Jon's Place
01/09/2011
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