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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

DAY 1482: MORE PROVOCATIONS ON THEIR WAY TOWARDS ISRAEL BY LAND, AIR, SEA ...

STILL THERE IS NO WORD ON ANY CHANCE OF FREEDOM FOR GILAD SHALIT.

In the wake of the Mavi Mamara incident Israel is easing restrictions on the landed flow and nature of goods permitted into Gaza. This unfortunately includes construction materials, much of which will inevitably wind up in the hands of Hamas and will accelerate the rate at which Hamas is able to build such things as military bunkers. Ostensibly this increased legal flow of goods into Gaza will cut the bottom out of the black market being run through the illegal tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. If you believe that line, let me tell you, there is a bridge for sale in Brooklyn....

If there is an upside to Israel's conciliation to international pressure to ease the flow of goods into Gaza, it is that Middle East Envoy Tony Blair has stated publicly that "there is no need" for aid to be sent by sea to Gaza, given the extent to which Israel has eased the flow and diversity of aid allowed into Gaza via proper landed channels.

This is an important statement by Tony Blair as antidote to the propaganda venom of Israel's enemies, who have ramped up provocations of Israel by scheduling additional "humanitarian aid" flotillas to violate Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Ships from Lebanon via Cyprus and from Iran via the Suez Canal are either on their way or scheduled for imminent departure towards Israel. The Lebanese ships are reported to be financed by Arab-Iranian Yasser Kashlak, Lebanese businessman and allegedly the primary financial intermediary supplying Iranian funds to Hamas and Hezbollah. The Iranian vessels represent a team effort between The Red Crescent and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard with full public support of Ahmadinijad. An unsubstantiated report of a possible air attempt at blockade running into Gaza of Iranian aid from Egypt needs confirmation. Lebanon and Iran have both given national sanction to the alleged "humanitarian aid" missions of these ships, and have pre-established their rhetoric as to the alleged peacefulness of these missions, stating that on that basis they will blame Israel, should any incidents occur.

The USA has quietly sent a carrier group through the Suez Canal just coincidentally in advance of the uncertainly scheduled departures of "humanitarian aid" ships from Iran. Will this carrier group intercept or deter the Iranian ships? Will other nations such as France, Britain, Italy, or Germany make similar showings in the Mediterranean? Such intervention with or without UN involvement could prevent a regional war.

Perhaps even the UN will do it's duty and warn these so-called "humanitarian aid" ships that, by attempting to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, they are engaging in acts of war against Israel, and that Israel has the right to defend itself, even militarily.

Realistically, expecting any such fair and rational behavior from the UN is less a winning bet than a purchase-offer on that bridge in Brooklyn. But, still, in theory we may expect the UN to do the right thing, and if we do not express just what the right thing is, there is no way to hold the UN accountable for doing the wrong thing.

Speaking of the wrong thing, the right thing, and the UN: is it too much to ask that the UN pass an unequivocal resolution asking Hamas to safely and unconditionally return Gilad Shalit home to Israel, immediately?

TODAY IS DAY 1482 IN THE KIDNAPPING AND CAPTIVITY OF GILAD SHALIT.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

OBAMA DOES SOMETHING RIGHT, CALLING FOR B.P. TO ESTABLISH A $20 BILLION ESCROW FUND TO ANTICIPATE PAYMENT OF DAMAGES DUE TO THE GULF OIL SPILL

WHILE THERE IS SO MUCH THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS NOT HANDLED WELL WITH RESPECT TO THE OIL SPILL, THE IDEA THAT B.P. SHOULD ESTABLISH A MULTI BILLION DOLLAR ESCROW FUND IN ANTICIPATION OF PAYMENT OF DAMAGES IS A BRILLIANT IDEA.

This is a win-win idea that British Petroleum should take seriously. In fact according to a NYTimes News Alert, B.P. has agreed to such a fund. At the present time, unless it's financial picture is a house of cards (not impossible given the 21st Century genius of smoke and mirror accounting practices), then British Petroleum already has the financial resources to make such a fund immediately feasible. By establishing such a fund, it should be obvious that the payment of reasonable damages by B.P. then has a tangible and significant opportunity to mitigate the suffering of those in the Gulf in real time. What may be less obvious is that by setting aside an escrow fund, based on the appearance of a reasonable finite number with respect to anticipated damages, should ease stockholder fears of open-ended risk and restore a positive public relations image for B.P. from both the public and the stockholder perspectives.

Kudos to President Obama for this idea. Kenneth Feinberg, who presently is the TARP Special Master, and who previously directed the Compensation Funds Program for Nine-Eleven victims, will reportedly be in charge of the Gulf Compensation Fund. There could not be a better choice to head this fund. Let us hope that the word "tentative" (used by the NYT to describe the agreement for the implementation of the fund) does not imply "temporary for a short term public relations lift, until such time as B.P. may back out of the agreement, leaving Obama and the USA in the lurch."

TODAY IS DAY 1475 IN THE CAPTIVITY OF GILAD SHALIT.

Monday, June 14, 2010

DAY 1473, WEEK 9, SIGNIFICANT MINERAL DEPOSITS IN AFGHANISTAN, MESHAAL AND ABBAS, HELEN THOMAS, AND $400 MILLION TO P.L.O. FROM OBAMA (GEZINT A'HEYT)

TODAY IS DAY 1473 IN THE CAPTIVITY OF GILAD SHALIT. Week #10 has started with respect to the Gulf Oil Spill. I throw that information in here only because the Gulf Oil Tragedy will have consequences for decades to come, is tantamount in scale to a major military attack on the USA, and may be interpreted as an example of British impact. Make what analogy you will to the Middle East. And, while we are counting, let us remind the world that it should be counting the days of Shalit's Captivity, not only the days of the Gulf Oil Spill.

In different but similar expressions to Charlie Rose, Khalid Meshaal of Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas of the PLO have essentially stated the same thing, namely that Israel must go.. Where to? They do not say. But, Helen Thomas was clear and direct, right to the face of a Rabbi: go back to Russia, Poland, Germany, and the USA! Meshaal said two things: (1) Hamas will make peace with Israel, when Israel has left the Occupied Territories (read, when Israel has left the Middle East, as according to Hamas's Charter, all of Israel and all of Palestine constitute Israeli Occupied Territory); (2) Hamas will "accept" Israel's retreat to pre-1967 borders and will then offer the Palestinian Arabs a plebiscite on the recognition of the existence of Israel. Abbas on the other hand has also stated that Israel must return to the pre-1967 borders, after which time land-swapping might be considered. For two ostensible enemies, these two sure seem to sing the same song. But, why not? They all belong to the Muslim Brotherhood! As to the Helen Thomas Affair, perhaps some good may come of it, if discussions of the matter are sufficiently widespread to educate the world as the the genuine identity of Jews and their right to Israel by dispelling the myth that Jews are European converts and not original Jewish natives by heritage.

Major mineral deposits are reported to have been discovered in Afghanistan into the billions of dollars. Now Afghanistan will have riches other than poppy seeds, hashish, and beautiful mountain scenerry. But, protected and theoretically democratic thanks to the USA and Allies, there is no requirement that Afghanistan recognize Israel, nor is there any similar requirement made of Iraq. But, whoever said that the USA and Allies were devoid of hypocrisy?

May God Bless President Obama, who is doing such a great job of seeing things the way they are and doing the right lawyerly things. Oil keeps gushing into the Gulf from the same busted pipes; but, the lawyers are filing all kinds of paperwork (printed on recycled paper, we hope?) to go after BP; but, alas, not from a mile under the ocean, where there appears to be no mouth big enough to fit over that darn pipe! And Mahmoud Abbas shall return to Judea-Samarea with a promise of $400 million from Obama for construction. How do you spell relief? O-b-a-m-a! Whew! Instead of all that concrete from the "Rachel Corrie" being delivered into Gaza for bunker building, now Obama has funded the PLO with $400 million for concrete, so that now the PLO can build bunkers in Judea-Samarea! This will ease Israeli tensions in a profound way -- that is, in a profoundly negative way!

Friday, June 4, 2010

IS THE "RACHEL CORRIE" A PLANNED MARTYR SHIP? ONE STEP AWAY FROM WORLD WAR THREE!

A FEW YEARS AGO A YOUNG AMERICAN WOMAN WITH MISPLACED IDEALS, WHICH IDEALS WERE KNOWINGLY OR UNWITTINGLY EXERCISED IN SUPPORT OF HAMAS, PLACED HERSELF BETWEEN A MOVING ISRAELI BULLDOZER AND THE HOME OF A TERRORIST, WHOSE HOME THE BULLDOZER WAS THERE BY LAW TO DEMOLISH. RACHEL CORRIE GAVE AWAY HER YOUNG LIFE BEFORE THAT BULLDOZER, A GREAT PERSONAL TRAGEDY MOURNED BY THE ENTIRE WORLD. TODAY AN OSTENSIBLY HUMANITARIAN SHIP NAMED IN HER HONOR IS MAKING IT'S WAY TOWARDS GAZA, DOING SO JUST,BUT, NOT JUSTLY ON THE HEELS OF THE "AVI MAMARA" INCIDENT. THE OPERATORS OF THE VESSEL "RACHEL CORRIE" HAVE PUBLICLY STATED THAT THEY WILL NOT RESIST BOARDING BY THE ISRAELI NAVY AND WILL WILLINGLY BE REDIRECTED TO ASHDOD, ISRAEL.

LET US PRAY THAT THE "RACHEL CORRIE" REACHES SAFE HARBOR IN ISRAEL, AND THAT NO "INCIDENT" OCCURS THAT MAY BE BEYOND THE IMAGINATION OF THE WELL INTENDED, BUT, MISGUIDED HUMANITARIANS OF THE "RACHEL CORRIE".

SUCCESSFUL AND SAFE ARRIVAL OF THE "RACHEL CORRIE" TO ASHDOD, AND THE TRANSFER OF HUMANITARIAN GOODS BY THE ISRAELIS INTO GAZA ON THE BEHALF OF THE HUMANITARIANS OF THE SHIP (LESS THE BUNKER BUILDING CONCRETE), WILL DO MUCH TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF RACHEL CORRIE AND WILL MITIGATE MUCH OF THE ANGER, ANGUISH, AND BLOTTED HUMANITARIANISM OF THE SAD INCIDENT IN WHICH RACHEL CORRIE GAVE HER LIFE AND WILL DO THE SAME WITH RESPECT TO THE SIMILAR RESULTS WE HAVE JUST SEEN AS INITIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE "AVI MAMARA" INCIDENT.

MISGUIDED IN THEIR CONSCIOUS OR INADVERTENT SUPPORT OF HAMAS, THE HUMANITARIANS OF THE "RACHEL CORRIE" MISSION MAY FACE MORE RISK THAN THEY MAY IMAGINE. SUPPOSE SOME JIHADIST TERRORISTS HAVE HIDDEN A BOMB ABOARD SHIP AND SET IT TO EXPLODE IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, IN ISRAELI WATERS, OR EVEN IN THE PORT OF ASHDOD; SUPPOSE THERE IS A SECRET OPERATION ABOARD SHIP INVOLVING JIHADIST MARTYR BOMBERS (BE THEY HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, I.R.A., AL-QUAEDA, SOLIDARITY, ROTE ARMEE FAKTION, OR WHOMEVER), OR ANY SIMILAR SUCH SECRET OPERATION FROM OFF SHIP (SUCH AS JIHADIST OPERATIVES DISGUISED AS ISRAELI NAVY MEN), OR ANY TYPE OF SUCH SINISTER EVENT DESIGNED TO CAST BLAME ON ISRAEL AND TO ENFLAME AND INCITE WORLD OPINION AND WAR: SUCH AN EVENT COULD BE ANALOGOUS TO THE ENTIRE WORLD STEPPING ONTO A LANDMINE IN ONE ILL FATED MOMENT....

LET US PRAY FOR THE SAFETY OF THE "RACHEL CORRIE" FROM ANY ACCIDENTAL OR INTENDED HARM!

TODAY IS DAY 1469 SINCE GILAD SHALIT WAS KIDNAPPED AND MADE CAPTIVE IN GAZA BY HAMAS. SHABBATH SHALOM.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

AVI MAMARA INCIDENT MAY BE PLANNED PRETEXT FOR TURKEY-SYRIA-IRAN AXIS TO WAGE REGIONAL WAR ON ISRAEL.

ISRAEL DEFENDED ITSELF AGAINST A MILITARY ATTACK DISGUISED AS HUMANITARIAN AID; THE INCIDENT MAY WELL HAVE BEEN PLANNED BY HAMAS AND THE TURKISH-SYRIAN-IRANIAN AXIS AS A PRETEXT TO JUSTIFY A BREAK BY TURKEY OF IT'S FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL AND TO JUSTIFY A REGIONAL WAR AGAINST ISRAEL.

The decision of the Avi Mamara to run the Israeli blockade rather than to accept humanitarian escort by the Israeli Navy proves that the Avi Mamara never truly had an humanitarian mission, only a military mission, to publicly attempt to run the blockade and thus provoke an inevitable military response with Israel.

Five of the six ships of the so-called "Peace Flotilla" accepted Israel's promises to accept and deliver the humanitarian aid brought by these ships and to be escorted by the Israeli Navy to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the unloading and distribution of the humanitarian aid would commence.

The sixth ship, the Avi Mamara, chose instead to run the blockade and to provoke violence.

For much of the world, blinded by compassion for the residents of Gaza, all it sees is "disproportionate use of force". At best, much of the world naively seems to think that, if Israel ceases to blockade Gaza, then there will be no reason for the residents of Gaza to make war on Israel. At worst, there are many in the world, who support Hamas and it's goal of utter destruction of Israel. This incident is a profound example whereby the naivety of the former is abused by the latter, the latter having an agenda totally opposite to the former. The former need to see past their naivety and realize that, when Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the residents of Gaza did not make peace with Israel and instead waged war, which is why the Israeli blockade became necessary and was not even instituted until 2007, a year after Hamas kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still captive today (if he is even alive, as he is refused all visits, not even the Red Cross may visit him).

The world should remember that it was the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit that was the first in a chain of events that led to the 2006 Lebanon-Israel War. If war breaks out again this summer, the world may well regard the provocation of the Avi Mamara as the first of a new chain of events leading to war. Given the increasing realignment of Turkey towards a Turkish-Syrian-Iranian Axis, the potential for war this summer takes on a scope much larger than Hamas to Israel's south and Hezbollah to Israel's north.

As well, given the increasing realignment of Turkey towards a Turkish-Syrian-Iranian Axis, and given the choice by Muslim Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey to use the Avi Mamara Incident to vilify Israel (he could have chosen instead to inspire calm), the event of the Avi Mamara Incident may well be interpreted as a deliberate event planned with Turkey's knowledge as pretext to regional war with Israel or to severance of Turkish relations with Israel or both and also to consequence not yet imagined perhaps involving Iran and nuclear weapons.