JoeSettler made a mistake, and Israel is going to pay for it

It's not often that I'm wrong, and some of you might revel in that I made a mistake, except that the mistake I made is a bad one. Two weeks ago I read into Obama's statement, following his spectacularly bad Syrian fiasco that he would actually be dealing with his mess at home, and finally leave Israel alone. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Even worse, at the UN, Obama made it abundantly clear that he plans to double down on his pressure on Israel. He made it appear that he is linking that to dealing with Iran, though it's clear he won't do anything at all with Iran, that needs doing, except maybe invite Rouhani to dinner and a photo op. So, he just going to concentrate on making things bad for Israel. Obviously feels he hasn't screwed up the rest of the Middle East enough yet, so he needs to destabilize the only stable country in the region. Gee, thanks.


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Holiday greetings from the past

A mosaic from one of the ancient synagogues in Tiberias, displaying the Arba Minim.  The synagogue was built in the 6th century and lasted until the 11th century.  The Crusaders later built their fortress over it.

The mosaic includes a dedication to Prokolos son of Crispos.

See here for an archive of articles about our history in Israel.  

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Hoshana Rabba and Sleepy Hollow

From Encyclopedia Judaica:

From the 13th century onward, there is evidence regarding special popular beliefs connected with Hoshana Rabba. There was a very widespread belief that he who did not see the shadow of his head on the night of Hoshana Rabba [Jameel: From the light of the moon] would die during that year, for Hoshana Rabba was the day of the "seal," wherein the verdict of man (passed on the *Day of Atonement) is "sealed," or the day on which the "notices" of the verdict were sent out (Sefer Ḥasidim, ed. by R. Margoliot (1957), nos. 452–3; Naḥmanides on Num. 14:9; Zohar, Ex., 142a–b).

Hoshanah Rabbah
Germany, 1663.

I guess Hoshana Rabba in Sleepy Hollow in 1790 was less than fortuitous.

The story is set in 1790 in the countryside around the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (historical Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow is renowned for its ghosts and the haunting atmosphere that pervades the imaginations of its inhabitants and visitors. The most infamous spectre in the Hollow is the Headless Horseman, said to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during "some nameless battle" of the American Revolutionary War, and who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head".  HT: Steg

A Pitka Tava to all our readers...

--Jameel



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The Centralization of Israel and a Cashless Society

Centralization in Israel is a two-headed coin (or perhaps a two-headed monster). There’s no doubt, that so many bureaucratic activities go much smoother in Israel than they do in America, because we have ID numbers and cards that are linked to everything. Of course sometimes that doubles the frustration when obvious things need to be manually duplicated over and over for no reason. On the other hand, that centralization provides no flexibility or safety net. Having problems with one government office can easily spill over to an unrelated one, since you’re linked together everywhere on file. And then there is the basic issue of personal privacy and civil liberties. Now the Israeli government is attempting to implement two extreme decisions that threaten civil liberties more than ever. The first we’ve talked about in the past, which is the biometric system that is currently being tested. God forbid that should ever become mandatory. Right now, even though your personal bio-data is out there with different organizations, there is still some semblance of privacy and protection because of the separation that naturally exists between your health fund, the army, the government, and so on. But once that goes away, there goes your privacy. You will have no control over your personal information at all, and you’re reliant on the government, which as we know, is not the most effective of protectors of personal data. The second move is just as scary. The Israeli government is actually considering trying to find a way to abolish cash. There was a unanimous cabinet decision to explore how to do that (Hey Naftali Bennett, I didn’t vote for you to lose my civil liberties – remember that come election time). They want to get rid of cash, and give everyone rechargeable “cash cards” that will allow the government to track every single transaction you do. EVERY SINGLE TRANSACTION. I can’t even begin to describe the civil liberties and privacy violations that implementing this system will create. And if they actually believe this will get rid of cash, or the black market, they’re even stupider than I thought. Bitcoin, gold, barter… you name it. Smart (and dumb) people will find their way around it. Not to do illegal transactions, mind you, but simply to protect their privacy away from the government’s snooping eyes. And then we’ll all be criminals, because of a dangerous legislation which is an intrusive attempt to suck more tax money out of us and spy on us, and not just spy directly, but with data mining too, to study our purchase and transaction behavior, and find every last penny they can suck out of us and understand what we do with it. I guarantee one thing. If this legislation passes, if the party I voted for, and the ones I didn’t, don’t stop this in its tracks, I will do everything (legal) to make sure those people do not get elected again, and be replaced with people who do care and understand the importance of civil liberties and fear the tyranny of government.

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Did Iran and Russia Just Save Israel?

It would be ironic if true, but it may very well be that Iran and Russia (and Syria) just saved Israel (or God did, using them as proxies). Obama stated on Thursday that he's going to be pivoting his focus away from the international arena and instead concentrate on domestic issues and politics (God help America). After having been burnt in Syria, and completely played by Russia and Iran, it's as close to an admission of policy failure and incompetence as you can possibly get. On the downside, it means the U.S. military may not be dealing with Iran if it tries to cross the nuclear red line, but based on what we've heard during the Syrian debacle, it seems unlikely they were going to do so in the first place. A number of respected U.S. military commentators were saying outright that the U.S. could not financially afford a full-scale war with Syria. The U.S. would need to be prepared for escalation into a full-scale war if they were going to undertake even limited military action. So, if the U.S. wasn't prepared or capable of running a small or full scale operation/war in third world Syria, how can anyone reasonably have expected that they would be in a position to do so in Iran? The message here for Israel, is that Israel is going to have to turn directly to their true source of power for this one. On the upside, if Obama feels burned by Syria, the Arab Spring, Egypt, Russia, and everything else International, then maybe, just maybe, he'll leave Israel alone too. Maybe this is the end of Obama trying to embed Hamas into Judea and Samaria, and trying to divide Jerusalem, trying to kick out Jews out of our homes, and trying to promote this latest "peace process". One can hope. G'mar Chatima Tova

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Another Dark Day for America

I think it's fair to say that Putin spit in Obama's face yesterday, and then rubbed it in for good measure. Just the other day, President Obama made a Clintonian-like statement regarding a possible intervention in Syria, “First of all, I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line.” Um, except that Obama did set a red line. On Aug. 20, 2012, Obama said, “We have been very clear to the Assad regime ... that a red line for us is, we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized.” That's a pretty pathetic attempt to extricate himself from a poorly thought out statement, but not unexpected anymore. Obama painted himself into a corner, and he's been trying to weasel his way out of it, ever since he realized that people were listening to what he said and trying to hold him to it. And now Obama apparently believes that Putin has pulled his chestnuts out of the fire. Syria will (maybe) give up their chemical weapons. Russia and Iran(!) will be guarantors of the deal. Of course, Putin wasted no time in using this victory to reposition Russia as the world's new, undefied superpower. He announced he is going to complete the sale to Iran of the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles that he was forced to halt 3 years ago. He's going to build another nuclear reactor in Iran. (And let's not forget Snowden). Everything that America doesn't (shouldn't?) want to happen. So, if you haven't gotten the point yet, Obama just unilaterally demoted the US from being the sole global superpower. He just gave Iran a green light to do what they want without fear of reprisal, and he personally conceded world leadership to Vladmir Putin. September 11 will once again go down in history as another dark day for America.

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Welcome Back Hosni (Part 2)

Back in June I predicted we would see a military coup in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood members killed, Morsi who knows where, and Mubarak back in the reins. http://muqata.blogspot.co.il/2013/06/welcome-back-hosni.html

The first 3 have happened, and now I just read in JewishPress.com that Mubarak may be out of jail in less than a week. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/mubarak-to-be-freed-from-jail-this-week-says-his-lawyer/2013/08/19/

Meanwhile the NYTimes is blaming Israel for wanting the Egyptian military back in charge, instead of Islamic radicals. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/ny-times-blaming-israel-for-egyptian-havoc/2013/08/19/

I find that amusing, because America should want it too - if they wanted a stable, functioning Egypt and to keep the peace treaty viable (which they are guarantors for).

But unfortunately, Obama seems to think the Muslim Brotherhood is the way to go, so he keeps betting on their apocalyptic horse, and if he can't get Islam in control over Egypt, well, then he'll try to bring them into power in Judea and Samaria by creating an opening for Hamas to take over there.

Anyway, the point of this post is simply to toot my own horn, and thank the blogger, Daled Amos, for reminding me of my Mubarak prediction.


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Why the Palestinian Authority Supports the "2 State Solution"

30 Second Video featuring Palestinian Authority Official Abbas Zaki.

He explains that if the Jews leave Jerusalem as well Judea and Samaria, then Israel will collapse.



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Where are all the normal Muslims?

The following appeared yesterday on Farid Ghadry's blog in response to a Muslim attack on two British Jewish teens who were volunteering at a local school for Muslim children in Zanzibar.  Two Muslim men threw acid on the teens, leaving them permanently scarred and "burned beyond imagination.  Why aren't there more speaking up like Farid, a Syrian Muslim? With over a billion on the planet, there must be some to speak up like Farid.  

I indict Islam.

Yes, I indict it for ignoring the terror against two innocent British teens in Zanzibar who were doused with acid. I do not give a damn what the reasons were and what justification those bastard Islamists had to change permanently the good lives of two innocent young teens who were there to help Muslims in the first place.

What is Holy about Ramadan when the Muslim bastards in Zanzibar use it to commit the unholiest of acts?

I am really, really angry.

Where are our Muslim leaders to speak out against such terror and to commit, once and for all, to its eradication?

Where is the King of Saudi Arabia, or the President of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation? Cooperation on what? With the OIC’s silence, how could not anyone interpret “Cooperation” to mean to cooperate to disfigure the innocent?

Where is the Grand Imam of al-Azhar University, or the Arab League, or Ayatollah Khamenei, or the millions of other religious Muslim leaders?

Where is Erdogan of Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood? Why are they silent in the face of such atrocities committed in the name of Islam?

Where are all our collective Muslim voices to indict these senseless acts not even animals in a jungle are capable of?

Islam has become synonymous with terror and the target of justifiable and global contempt. The religion I was born into, and which shelters 1.3 billion people, has turned into a weapon of global destruction against the other 5.7 billion people who do not adhere to Muslim principles.

Islam no longer exists for Islam. Islam exists today to destroy non-Muslims.

I indict all of Islam because the religion that is supposed to support the needy and the helpless has become a cult of terror against the self-sufficient and the enterprising.

I indict all the silent Muslim leaders for their weakness. With their silence, they are feeding these acts of barbarism to define Islam.

I indict them for all the acts of terror committed in the past against thousands upon thousands of innocent people.

I am really, really angry at all the Imams, the Grand Muftis, the Sheikhs, the Mawlawis, the Ayatollahs, the Emirs, the Kings, the Princes, and whatever titles they embrace.

At the end, if they do not indict these acts publicly and courageousely all of them share in the savagery of Zanzibar. That is their legacy.

The Muslim leaders in the OIC and the Arab League must awaken from their slumber by committing serious funds to re-educate our youth and to rid the world of the cancer within, instead of remaining silent or accommodating the evil source of Islamic terror.

It is obvious political correctness and generous aid by the West is not making a difference.

In fact, Western countries have donated hundreds of billions of Dollars in foreign aid to Muslim countries, and we Muslims pay back the West by dousing their children, who came to help our poor and disfranchised, with acid. It is truly sickening.

Something must change. The West must change course to help us find our way, the hard way. This status quo cannot go on.

If you want to help Islam, then it is time to tie your help with what our leaders do or say, and not by how much intelligence they deliver.

Otherwise, stop buying our oil and gas. Let us perish in our own waste. Maybe, then, our leaders will speak out and cooperate with the West based on equality and not based on them forcing Islam upon the rest of the world.

Enough is enough. I am really, really angry.

May those British teens, and all who were injured by Islamic terror in the past, find peace and happiness. May they, and their families, forgive us for not speaking loudly enough.




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