Palestinians throw shoes at U.N. Secretary-General
On Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Israel and the Gaza Strip, where he called on Palestinians to stop launching rockets into Israel – such as the eight rockets fired into southern Israel the day before his visit. He also called on Israel to ensure the “freedom, human rights and decent life and dignity of the Palestinian people.”
Does he mean the kind of dignity with which they greeted him?
“I thank the people of Gaza for the warm welcome,” he told the news conference, provoking laughter among local journalists. “I met many people who were waiting for me at the entrance.” Upon arrival in Gaza, Ban’s convoy was met by dozens of Palestinians throwing shoes, sticks and stones at it, protesting against what they saw as a slight against Palestinians jailed in Israel.
The article further explains:
Many of those protesting as the UN convoy passed by were family members of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. They hit the vehicles with signs bearing slogans accusing Ban of bias towards Israel and of refusing to meet the relatives of Palestinian prisoners.
Considering Ban Ki-moon heads an organization that has approved viciously anti-Israel measures, that denied Israel a seat on the U.N. Security Council, and that called six of their ten emergency sessions about Israel, we have to wonder what on earth these Palestinians think a bias against Israel would look like.
Comments (0) »Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 9:31 AM | Stand for Israel
Hamas says Gaza not “occupied”; U.N. disagrees
Gaza
Recently, Hamas “foreign minister” Mahmoud Zahar said what everyone with eyes has known since 2005: Israel no longer occupies the Gaza strip.
You’ll remember that, in summer of 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in a controversial and wrenching event that witnessed the terrible images of Jewish soldiers removing Jewish residents from their homes – often by force. Whatever your position on that action, the result was obvious to anyone: Israel ceased to occupy Gaza.
Even senior members of Hamas get it. But the U.N. still doesn’t.
Comments (2) »Friday, January 6th, 2012 at 2:43 PM | Rabbi Jonathan Greenberg
Protecting Israel from terror
Responding to the recent escalation of rocket fire stemming from the Gaza strip, IDF Chief Benny Gantz addressed the Israeli Knesset’s Defense Committee and stated that the Israeli army will eventually have to “launch a major offensive in Gaza,” in order to restore security to the southern Israeli cities that are under constant attack.
If and when the IDF launches a military offensive in the Gaza strip it would be the second of such operations since Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2006, which ended all military presence in Gaza and uprooted thousands of Israeli residents from the Gush Katif settlements.
While many in Israel thought that quiet would prevail as a result of the disengagement, the exact opposite has been true.
Since Israel’s evacuation of Gaza, Hamas has violently taken control of the strip and has launched a campaign of terror against the Jewish state. Islamic Jihad – which like Hamas receives support from Iran – has flourished in the Hamas ruled Gaza and is now responsible for many of the rocket attacks against Israel.
Israelis understand the necessity of launching a military offensive in Gaza to diminish the power of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and to deter terrorists from continuing to fire rockets into southern Israel. However, there is a great concern that anything short of retaking control of the strip and establishing the IDF as the sole power in Gaza will not lead to long term security in southern Israel.
Therefore, the more hawkish Israeli citizens believe that the army should reassert its power in Gaza to permanently root out Hamas and Islamic Jihad. However, realistically speaking Israel is not going to retake control of the Gaza strip in light of the political and diplomatic consequences that would ensue. Hence, any future operation in Gaza will be limited to destroying smuggling tunnels and terrorist training bases, confiscating or obliterating all weapons that are found, as well as capturing or killing Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.
Unfortunately, a limited operation will only lead to temporary security for southern Israel. Even a highly…
Read More » Comments (27) »Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at 12:07 PM | Amichai Farkas
Hamas’ terror tactics in Gaza
Via the IDF Spokesperson, here’s a revealing video explaining how Hamas amasses arms in the Gaza Strip — and use those arms to terrorize Israel.
Comments (15) »Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 9:43 AM | Stand for Israel
Israel-Turkey ties worsen – to Israel’s dismay
The current state of Israeli-Turkish relations has been frustrating to many Israelis who up until recently considered Turkey to be the Jewish State’s most treasured friend in the region. Many Israelis remember growing up in a time when hundreds of thousands of Israelis traveled to Turkey annually, trade between the two countries was blossoming, and the Israeli army sold weapons and traded intelligence with its Turkish counterpart.
Unfortunately, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan has chosen to turn his back on years of cooperation with Israel and instead has decided to work against Israel by aligning with Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas. The most current ruffle in Israeli-Turkish relations was sparked by Turkey’s insistence that Israel apologize for the death of nine Turkish citizens on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship last summer.
My friend Ofer was born in Israel to parents who had immigrated to Israel from Turkey when they were children. Ofer remembers visiting Turkey routinely throughout his life, first as a young boy with his parents, and later on with his wife and kids. “It’s very sad to see what’s happened to Turkey since Erdogan became their president,” Ofer told me. “I had traveled to Turkey many times and was always treated warmly by the Turkish people.
“The Turkish people are very friendly and most of them have fond memories of the large Jewish communities that once dwelled in Turkey,” Ofer stated. But when asked if he would travel back to Turkey again, Ofer replied no. “Turkey used to be a great place to visit, but the way their government deals with Israel, it is clear that we are no longer welcome.”
Ofer is glad that Israel did not grant an apology for the flotilla incident. “Our soldiers were only protecting themselves on those ships. I was once a soldier myself and I know what it’s like to be attacked, and you have only a few seconds to save your life. Our soldiers did the right thing on that ship last summer and our government acted wisely by not apologizing for those deaths.”
Comments (1) »Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 4:34 PM | Amichai Farkas
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