Terror Attack in the Shomron. Jews killed.

It's very late now, close to 3:30 AM since we changed the clocks tonight in Israel. I'm sitting at my laptop wanting to spill my guts into my blog, and rant and rage at the terrorist attack in the Shomron this evening.

A terrorist dressed up as a Chareidi, Ultra Orthodox Jew, hitchhiked with a car full of Jews who were just trying to do the right thing. Bus service in the Shomron is pretty sparse, and eveyrone gives hitchhikes to everyone...sort of like instant gemillut chasten. At the entrance to the Kedumim settlement, the terrorist detonated himself, blowing up the car and killing 4 Jewish civilians.

It hurts so much going to funerals of terror victims...and I've gone to far too many over the past 15 years.

Yet, I need to look deep down inside me, find the strength, and continue on with determination. This won't deter us from continuing to live our lives here; it only strengthens our resolve, and we aren't leaving.

I knew the driver.

Baruch Dayan HaEmet.

Shabbat Shalom.

Jameel

The Muqata.


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Matza Man

If you haven't gotten this in email yet...click the picture for Pesach flash animation.

Chodesh Tov!


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Dirty Little Secrets: Israel's Military Censor

Yesterday I posted about the Israeli Election day Gaza-launched Katyusha missile attack against Ashkelon in southern Israel. Fellow blogger Don Radlauer raised some issues about the accuracy of some of the details in my posting, as well as questioning the media blackout on the Katyusha incident. After finding the HaAretz article about the issue, we see that there was a media blackout, but Don adds:

"I rather doubt that yet another missile that failed to injure anyone or cause any damage would have significantly changed the election results even if it had been reported the day before"

Now, in my opinion HaAretz is a leftwing newspaper. They openly flaunt leftwing political viewpoints and many of their staff writers have clear political agendas. HaAretz apparently considers the "blackout" to be valid because they blandly justify the use of military censorship!

Although some of the media knew a Katyusha had been fired, the military censor did not allow publication of the report until 8 P.M., thus lessening any possible effect on voting patterns. Israeli right-wingers had been warning of Katyusha rockets from the Gaza Strip for a long time.

Now, I respect Don alot - he moved to Israel, lives in a seam-line community, and has a decent blog even if I don't agree with all his views. This is not a rant against him...rather, I'm rather happy he pointed me to the HaAretz article, since the ramifications are extraordinary (even though Don thinks I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, yet you'll soon see why I disagree).

Since when does the IDF military censor have the authority to censor articles which could possibly "influence voting patters"? The IDF is (supposedly) an apolitical organization -- they are not allowed to make political-based decisions. Since when does the IDF censor's job description include managing "voting patterns" in Israel?

Actually, it's even more amazing that HaAretz printed this. They view the possible external influence of voting patters as an acceptable reason for a media blackout on a very news-worthy issue, and allow the military censor to get away with it.

Why do you think HaAretz considers this censor-worthy?

Could it possibly be because the voting patterns could ONLY be influenced in a way that would drive people to vote more rightwards (as has historically been shown in the past, by terror attacks near election time).

And who was the IDF hiding this information from? The Palestinians certainly knew they fired the Katyusha, so we weren't hiding the information from THEM!

Let's go one step further:

Can you imagine for a second, what would have happened if say (G-d forbid)...a single, lone, religious settler opened fire on a mosque full of Palestinians. Such an action would surely affect voting patterns, don't you think?

It would shock voters out of their complacency and they would vote in droves for Olmert and Leftwing parties as a backlash against "settler extremism." The media have a field day about the dangers of radical settler extremism, radical religious Judaism, and how they need to be "taken care immediately."

Now, can you imagine for a second that the IDF military censor would impose a media blackout on this attack so as not to "influence voting patterns"? Let's take that one step further, can you imagine HaAretz not being in an uproar over a media blackout on THAT story?

If this doesn't strike fear into the hearts of honest, democracy-loving people who value freedom of speech, then I don't know what will.

Let's tone this post down a few notches:

The Israeli media has "dumbed down" the general Israeli population about security issues of this nature; "if no one is killed, it's barely news". Twenty years ago, a Katyusha attack like this would have been headline news.

Today the story is of little importance. Yet, someone took enough trouble to keep this story censored till 8:00 PM, when the effect on the "voting patterns" would be close to nothing. Don is correct -- the media blackout ended on this issue at 8:00 PM (I only heard this on the news around 10:00 PM), yet the entire point of the blackout was to prevent any possible influence on the voting patters. And HaAretz confirmed it.

I guess the IDF deemed that the election day killing of 2 Bedouins in southern Israel by a Palestinian launched Qassam rocket would not influence voting patterns, so that story wasn't censored. Good thing it didn't rain too much that day, or they may have censored the weather report as well.

I wonder what other dirty little secrets were/are kept from the Israeli voting population to prevent any possible shift in our perception of events?

Gotta go, seems like the IDF military censor is knocking at my door right now...



Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Israel's Solar Eclipse

A 82% solar eclipse enveloped Israel in sudden darkness Wednesday. The eclipse began at 11:37 AM, peaked at 12:58, and lasted until 2:13 PM.

As Israel digested the results of Tuesday's election, the sky went dark, the sun was slowly blocked out, temperatures dropped and animals howled, barked and crowed across the Land of Israel. (from Arutz-Sheva)

At work, a bunch of us astronomy geeks went outside complete with a special sun-viewer to watch the eclipse. Besides the actual view of the sun and eclipse, it was very cool watching it get dark outside. See Gemara Sukka 29B...its metaphysically good for the Jewish people, (GH: That's not physics, it's metaphysics)











Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Post Election Analsys...and Sinister Undercurrents

Tuesday morning, Israeli election day. Southern Israel, 11:36 AM. One of the numerous electronic devices on my belt informs me that: Palestinians Fire Katyusha Rocket at Ashkelon.

Previous Prime Minister Yitchak Rabin's promised that Katyusha rockets would never be fired at southern Israel from Gaza... and he said such talk was total nonsense of the hysterial right.

Ariel Sharon said the same thing before the Disengagement.

I was reminded of Yossi Sarid's remarks from 12 years ago:

"A Palestinian state that endangers Israel," declared Yossi Sarid, the Meretz Party leader, "will cease to exist." Sarid actually added that "if one katyusha [Soviet-made rocket] falls on [the Israeli town] Kfar Sava, then [the Arab town] Qalqilya will cease to exist."

Sarid was lying then, just as Olmert is lying now.

Promises, Promises, Promises.

Most Israelies don't bother believing the promises of Israel's politicians anymore, which is why yesterday's voting turnout of 57% was the lowest in Israel's history.

Their promises are worthless.

But for "someone" to impose a media blackout on the Katyusha attack information till 10 PM last night, AFTER the polls had closed? Who would want this information kept from the public? What possible reason could there be to censor such information from the voting Israeli public that a Katyusha missile had been fired at Ashkelon from Gaza? This should be a serious warning of what Olmert and Quadima are capable of doing to manipulate public opinion.

As I've lamented before in the past, Israel has no clue how to negotiate. (except for Amir Peretz, but we don't like him). Olmert already announced that he's willing to evict Jews from the "land we love"...and Abu Mazan should come a' running to discuss it with us.

What better way to start a negotiation, than to openly declare up front what painful concessions Israel is prepared to give up? This is basic negotiation blunder number #1. Israel's lack of PR is blunder #2 -- you can thank Shimon Peres, who in 1993 shut down the PR/hasbara department of the Foreign Ministry, claiming that Israel's peace accords with the Palestinians will be our "PR department." Another genious.

Election Analysis

If you examine the pre-election polling information, not one company put support for Quadima at less than 32 seats.

In fact, only 2 bloggers (that I know of) put the "real" numbers on their blogs: The Muqata...and Rock of Galilee...and we both hit the Kadima number spot on.

(granted, we both overestimated Likud, but that was wishful thinking)

Avigdor Liberman's (Yisrael Bayteinu/National Home) party gained 12 seats at the expense of the Likud, and alot of the diehard Likud people I spoke to yesterday all confirmed that they had switched from Likud to Liberman.

The big surprise was the pensioner's party...that's it. Nothing else was really surprising. The potential right-wing/religious is 51 seats, and that's expected after Sharon destroyed the Likud party.

What's interesting is that even with the pensioners, the Left only has 59 seats (excluding the Arab parties), so they'll be faced with the same dilemma they faced in '92. Will Shas be willing to be the Left's fig leaf once again? For enough money and Misrad HaP'nim, probably, but it's less clear this time 'round. (hattip: RK)

So where do we go from here? Olmert got a lot less seats than he had been dreaming of, and he overshot his promises to cronies and hacks about potential government seats. Expect a boat-load of bickering and backstabbing in the Quadima party.

In Israel, the night after an election disaster (such as Quadima's under 30 seat showing, or Likud's miserable showing), is often reffered to as: "the night of long knives." This is when the proverbial knives come out and everyone stabs everyone else in the back. Expect Silvan "Steve Goodbye" Shalom to be sharpening his against Bibi Netanyahu.

At the end of the day, I think Palestinian terror, and internal political strife is going to keep Israel too preoccupied from additional disengagements in the near future.

Time will tell.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Sign of the Times.

hattip: JoeSettler

Nothing personal...I'm sure there are lots of nice people in Teaneck, but there are lots more 5T bloggers who read the Muqata. (And all I did was post the photo, it came from someone else.)


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Election Predictions.

The Muqata's Israeli Election Prediction is as follows:

Quadima: 28
Labor: 22
Likud; 20
Yisrael Bayteinu; 12
NU/NRP: 12
Shas: 11
Arabs: 5
Degel/Aguda: 4
Meretz:4
Alei Yarok: 2




Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

The Muqata's Endorsement

It's officially election day now in Israel and the polls will be opening around the country in less than 7 hours.

There are 2 forces pulsing through the country on this election day:

1. Extreme voter apathy and disenchantment with the Knesset and government.

2. Dread. The sword upon your neck sort of feeling... This election may very well determine who will be disengaged from their homes. In fact, it almost reminds me of the feeling before Yom Kippur.

It is therefore with great trepidation that I write this blog posting now. The stakes are very high on a national level. People rarely understand the extreme nature of Israeli politics; it's literally a matter of life or death.

Will the government make forced political concessions to Palestinians, instruct the IDF to remove certain key roadblocks, and then within hours the next terror attacks take place claiming the lives of innocent civilians of all ages?

Will additional Jewish residents of Israel be forcibly removed from their homes -- and be treated as traitors by the government and media, thrown to the dogs, lose their livelihoods, and receive minimal compensation (as the public is convinced that every family is receiving $500,000)?

Will the economy stay a free market capitalist enterprise? Will the Labor Union party impose socialist policy on previously profitable companies?

Will the Jewish character of Israel remain, or will there be true separation of Religion and State? Will Israel change the "Who is a Jew?" status to include anyone who believes they are Jewish, regardless of any historical or religious basis?

Will the State stop funding public religious schools?

These questions all exist on a national macro level.

And in my own selfish little world, I may find myself, my friends, and brothers evicted from our homes the same tragic way as this past summer.

I already wrote my list of party eliminations, and now the time comes to make an endorsement.

The bottom line is that only 3 parties are honestly capable of being the core, anchor party of any coalition government.

Quadima

Labor

Likud

Quadima is the non-ideology party. Last week, even before Meir Shitreet opened up his mouth and announced today that he is proud of Quadima being the party with no ideology, I wrote that Quadima is the party of the non-thinking Israeli. My friend Ben-Chorin has an excellent analysis of the corruption and anti-democratic backbone of Olmert and Quadima. This was the party that publicly announced that no inquiry was necessary for the violence in Amona. I hope this party quickly ends up in the historical garbage bin of failed Israeli parties.

Labor's big slogan has been "tough on security" -- they will be tough on Hamas. Don't believe a word of it. The last time Labor was tough on anything was when Rabin evicted Hamas terrorists to Lebanon in 1994. 12 years ago was the last time Labor was tough on Palestinian terror. They will bend over backwards to work out a deal/treaty/agreement with any terror organization, as long as they claim they are making peace-process progress. When the current intifada erupted in September 2000, there were dozens of interim cease-fires with the Palestinians which were naively fostered by the Labor party. Not one lasted more than a week, and it gave the terrorists ample time to reload, rearm, regroup, and laugh at us for being so naively stupid to believe their cease fires. In the economic sphere, the Labor Union party is a free market capitalist's worst nightmare.

That leaves us with the Likud. This party was torn apart by Ariel Sharon -- once a proud party of center/right Israeli politics, it was destroyed, along with the right wing majority by the Sharon family. (Again, see ben-Chorin's erudite analysis). Luckily for the Likud, the vast majority of its self-serving politicians bolted from the party and fawned after Quadima.

While Benjamin Netanyahu may not be the darling of the right, and may be susceptible to external pressures to capitulate to the Palestinians, the Likud and Netanyahu are the only political party and leader with any potential of leading the formation of a right-wing Knesset coalition (assuming the best possible scenario and the rightwing/religious receive a 61 seat majority).

This does not leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. The Likud has mostly abandoned political ideology for uber-pragmatism, yet still remains the only possible alternative to attempt the formation of a rightwing coalition.

To be honest, I could bash a whole slew of parties on a variety of issues. But what's the point?

If you want to vote for Marzel (who may or may not pass the minimum voting percentage), or the National Union/NRP-Mafdal, Yisrael Beitaynu, Aguda or Shas -- I'm not going to convince you otherwise, since they are all potential right wing coalition partners.

Yet without a core, anchor party, there can be no hope for a right wing government.

therefore, I will vote with my head and not with my heart, and cast my ballot for the Likud party this morning.

Yet the Yom Kippur feeling fails to dissipate, and the enormity and difficulty of our situation in Israel leaves me very anxious.

At the end of the day, I would still rather face the music here in Israel, with the bitter and the sweet, as we actively participate in molding the future of Jewish history.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Pre-Pesach Sales in America

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