AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/25/2002 12:04:00 AM
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Let’s hear ya
Before I take the comments down I want to hear all those who are against a Palestinian state and those in favor. I invite you to write down the solution you propose. You can offer transfer or what ever you want. Try though to keep your arguments in a clean language and do not insult or offend anyone. If you’ll stick to those easy rules I wont take down your comment. Please try to tackle any future questions that could be asked by people that don’t agree with you. Show me what you’ve got.
Update: I’m going to hold off my previous thought of taking down the comments. This way the comments you write for this post will stay online and won’t disappear in a day or two. (Thank you alis for raising the question).
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/24/2002 11:37:00 PM
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I know this may upset some people but…
I’m being criticized from left and right and that only strengthen my believes. Comments will be disabled in a few days till further notice. Things are getting out of hand there and I don’t have the time to deal with all the accusations against my views and me. According to the poll In my blog more than 80% of my readers usually or always agree with me. It’s obvious that those who don’t agree with me will make much of the comments protesting. So due to lack of time I’m not going to fight with them Hey If fine bloggers such as Diane and Glenn don’t use comments so can I.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/24/2002 01:48:00 AM
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To those who recently began to read my blog
As a service to those of you who wonder what are my basic beliefs about the conflict, I’m reposting a post, which sums up my views in general:
Basic stuff
Here are a few basic facts and ideas that I think should be thought of in any kind of discussion about the Israeli – Palestinian conflict:
1) There are around 3 millions Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Soon there will be many more.
2) Israel is not going to deport 3 million people.
3) As any other people on earth the Palestinian deserve their own state.
4) Israel does not want to annex the Palestinian areas, give all the Palestinians citizenships and lose its Jewish majority.
5) Israel will not annex the Palestinian territories and won’t give the Palestinians a citizenship, thus making Israel an apartheid state.
6) Israelis do not wish to control other people.
7) All of the above lead to a creation of an independent Palestinian state on almost all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
8) Israelis want peace and want to put an end to the 100 years of Arab – Israeli conflict.
9) There are around 5.5 million Jews living today in Israel and they are not going anywhere.
10) Israel was always flexible and chose the practical solution, the Arabs/Palestinians always banged their heads to the wall hoping that will lead them somewhere – it didn’t. Israel needs to avoid from adopting this Arab tactic.
August 19, 2002
Other posts I recommend you read: Why the hell do I need them in my state?; No connection to realty what so ever (includes reference to Transfer); Why is it in Israel’s interest
More important posts of mine can be found at this blog's annex: The Basic Idea.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/24/2002 12:59:00 AM
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LGF
You probably all know about the ugly accusations made against Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs, calling it a hate site and so on. I just wanted to show my support for Charles who runs a great Blog, one of my daily reads.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/24/2002 12:23:00 AM
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A pause
Things are getting pretty tense over here. A comic relief will do us all good. Spoons posted one of the funniest captions to an even funnier photo I’ve seen lately.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/24/2002 12:11:00 AM
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Imshin on the settlers' shameful behavior at Havat Gilad
“We are fortunate enough to be living in a democracy. The laws of the jungle are not the accepted laws of the land in Israel. There is an elected government; there is an elected legislative body; there is a judicial system; there is a police force; there is an army. Private citizens who attack policemen, policewomen and soldiers are breaking the law. Therefore they are subject to arrest, trial and, if convicted and if deemed necessary by the court, prison sentences. I see no reason why Israeli law should not apply to Israelis living in Judaea, Samaria and Gaza, unless they prefer to be citizens of the Palestinian Authority, in which case they would be subject to Palestinian law (which they are welcome to). There are plenty of legal ways to express opposition to government policy”.
There is more. Read the rest.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/22/2002 11:45:00 PM
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Achitofel advise
One thing I really can’t stand is when Israel sympathizers (Jews or Gentiles) who do not live in Israel call for radical acts/solutions. Every supporter of Israel is important that’s for sure, and each can hold his own thoughts left or right.
But when someone who lives his comfort life (in the US for example) who calls for transfer, calls the Labor party leaders murderers and claims the party to be anti Zionist - he is out of line.
Is he going to be the one to actually force people out of their homes? Will he find himself living in a divided incited society? Would he share responsibility for another political murder? What does he care? If Israel will follow the insanity way and crush out of history he’ll be sitting in nice home in a nice little suburb somewhere in the east coast. He will hold no accountability to Israel’s faith what so ever.
The same goes for Israel sympathizers that supports the loony left. Someone who calls for immediate withdrawal back to 1967 lines, evacuate all the settlements, surrender to any Arab claim no matter how bogus it is, calls Sharon a murderer, tell on Israel in every anti Israeli forum only to “drive" Israel to an insane way which he think is the right way.
Will he fill the aftermath of those stupid actions? We’ll he face a possible death strike on Israel? Will he be responsible for another political murder? Will he find himself living in a divided incited society? If Israel will follow the insanity way and crush out of history he’ll be sitting in his nice apartment in the bay area living the good life.
Someone wrote a stupid comment to one of my previous posts. He used harsh wards criticizing my post and supported a radical opposite opinion. He wrote that he is surprised to find this post in a supposed to be pro-Israeli blog. This is what he didn’t get: This is not a pro Israeli blog, It’s an ISRAELI BLOG. Okay. I'm not pro Israeli, I am ISRAELI with everything that goes with it, good and bad.
I lived here all my life and probably will spend the rest of them here. I love my country, I care for it therefore I live here. I will be the one to eat the crap those nutcase both in the left and right are trying to feed us from distance staying clean.
You don’t live in Israel but you want to support – that’s great and I thank you for that, but don’t try to push us into extremely dangerous situations while you don’t share the risks involved.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/22/2002 04:17:00 PM
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Identifying the bodies
Till now, almost 24 hours after the horrendous attack, only 7 bodies out of 14 were identified. Among the identified a Druze Border Police officer, and several other Border police officers are missing and presumed dead. According to unauthorized sources some of the dead are Israeli Arabs.
One of the dead is Ofra burger, 56 years old, from Hod Hasharon, (my hometown). Ofra was one of the teachers when I was in Lapid elementary school.
This time the identifying progress is very difficult because the bodies were scorched so badly, it’s impossible to identify them by their looks, only by DNA samples and dental records.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/21/2002 11:27:00 PM
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Silence
At 4:23 P.M. when the car bomb blew up next to the bus at Karkur-Ein Shemer junction I was safely studying at Tel Aviv University. To be exact I was at the Social Science library. The library is a quiet place but still people talk, I didn’t hear anything about the attack until 20 minutes later when I opened one of the computers in the library. Checked my e-mail, then my blog. I noticed a an unusual fluctuation in my counter, sometimes it happens when something bad happens in Israel and people check my blog for that reason. I opened an Israeli news site to read the bad news.
I wrote about this before, how no one talks about terror attacks shortly after they happen. This time was no different. I spent the next 3 hours at Uni and didn’t hear a single conversation about the subject. I can’t say I made any. I talked on the phone with my mother and then with my boss, not a word on the bus bombing. I talked with friends I met before going into class, no word about the horror. The class (Introduction to Psychology) went on as usual, no reference from the lecturer, who was funny as usual, and the students were pretty amused by his jokes, me included.
That’s the way it goes. From outside it looks as if all the people are numb, and on second thought I guess most of them really are. Am I numb as well? I guess I am. I still feel bad when I hear about a new terror attack, some sort of weird acceptances. I usually don’t talk about this with anyone, the only place I discuss those issues are here in my blog with you.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/21/2002 10:23:00 PM
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At least 14 dead, 50 injured
Israeli police officer examines the body of a victim; The burned bus; Firefighters inside the bus; Heavy fire ; Searching for body parts; The wreckage of the bus; Black cloud of smoke; Investigators look at the bus; Paramedics treat a wounded woman; Carrying a victim; Firefighters extinguishing a blaze; The bus burning.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/21/2002 01:00:00 AM
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BODY:
Big mistake
I’m really mad over the events that took in Havat Gilad, the illegal outpost that the army dismantled and the settlers have already begun to rebuild. Whatever sympathy some people in Israel have for the settlers is quickly draining out after their shameful behavior.
The ugly scene included beating up of police officers and IDF soldiers, throwing stones, damaging Army vehicles and intolerable harassments and cursing the soldiers. The nerve, I tell you. Those soldiers guard the settlers sorry asses and that’s the thanks they get.
Each and every illegal outpost should be taken down by all means, no room for compromise. A bunch of loonies are trying to drag a all country to accomplish their crazy ambitions. No one can seize land and build without permits, even if you have your own legally bought land you still can’t build without permits.
No surprise that what begun with breaking the law, settling without government authorization, ended with law breaking, confronting the army.
The order to dismantle the outpost was made by the government, the army is just doing as it is ordered. If the setters have a problem with the decision they should protest in front of the government. I won’t be surprised if more and more reservist soldiers will refuse to do serve their reserve service in guarding those nuts.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/20/2002 01:05:00 AM
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And now it’s Dahlan’s turn
Okay I know this item is a few days old but I didn’t see any reference to it in other blogs and I think it’s important enough to be brought to your attention.
Dahlan resigns, slams PA leadership (Jerusalem Post)
“The Palestinian leadership has never missed an opportunity to commit a mistake, Muhammad Dahlan, who resigned earlier this week from his job as national security adviser to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, was quoted as telling a group of businessmen at a closed meeting in Gaza City.
The London-based Al-Hayat newspaper said one of those who attended the Sunday meeting revealed Dahlan's words to its correspondent in Damascus, Ibrahim Hamidi.
According to the document, Dahlan, who served as commander of the PA's Preventive Security Service between 1995 and 2002, told the gathering he had advised Arafat to stop the intifada after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.
"The intifada is a means and not a goal," the newspaper quoted Dahlan as saying. "We should have turned it into a popular uprising and put an end to armed operations, but we didn't do so. I don't think that we, as a leadership, even have the courage to do so. Dahlan is also reported to have described the Palestinian people as a "mob" inclined to radicalism and rejection. "The leadership should impose its decisions on the people on a number of issues, even if it has to use a stick," he added.
According to Dahlan, "Ben-Gurion agreed to the establishment of a [Jewish] state without Jerusalem in order to form a political entity and strengthen it. He accepted UN resolution 181 and declared the establishment of the state of Israel... But if Arafat had declared the establishment of a Palestinian state without Jerusalem, he would have been accused of treason, even by Fatah."
He added: "There are two trends in the PA; the first says that the people shall suffer and remain steadfast, while the second says that the people have collapsed. Both are wrong. The people are prepared to suffer if they know that their sacrifice would be rewarded with political gains."
On the PA's relations with Hamas, Dahlan said that there is a feeling among members of the radical Islamic movement that the PA does not deserve to continue to exist. Referring to the assassination of PA Colonel Rajeh Abu Lihyeh by Hamas members in Gaza last week, Dahlan threatened, "We have thugs exactly like they do." He described senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi as the "leader of the local Taliban. He thinks that he's Mullah Omar."
Dahlan disclosed that the PA and the US were close to reaching a deal on the Karine A ship, intercepted by Israel earlier this year as it was trying to smuggle weapons to the PA. According to the proposed deal, US Secretary of State Colin Powell was to announce that the ship was intended for Hizbullah, not the PA. In return for the exoneration, the Palestinians were to declare that that any official discovered to be involved in the attempted smuggling would be arrested and tried.
"But because we are so bright, we immediately announced that the Americans had cleared us of any wrongdoing in this affair," Dahlan said. "This led the Americans to believe that they are dealing with a mafia or a gang. As a result, the case erupted into a big political scandal."
Dahlan resigned on Monday to protest the delay in implementing reforms in the PA. Sources close to him said he had been insulted by the fact that Arafat sent him a letter only this week informing him of the decision to appoint him national security adviser. Dahlan denied the newspaper report, saying it was part of a campaign of incitement that is being waged against him.”
Dahlan harsh wards join Abu Mazen's criticism over Arafat. According to some reports it has become a wide spread phenomena, Palestinian leaders criticize Arafat in private talks but dear not to do it in public or in front of Arafat himself.
Dahlan is no saint he is not going to be the savior of Israel and we are not looking for that. What he could be is a moderate rational leader who controls his people with fierce hand. Someone we could try to make business with.
Dahlan, though officially not in office, is the strongest Palestinian in Gaza strip with control of all Palestinian Authority different organizations and great influence over all the different factions of the Fatah. He also retains power and influence in the West Bank.
If he’ll (power) join Abu Mazen (politics) in pushing Arafat out of the picture they may have a chance to succeed. Again that does not promise anything for Israel but at least it will bring a new opportunity to try and come to terms with the Palestinians.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:10/20/2002 12:32:00 AM
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Life After Cal – the end
RB shut down his blog Life After Cal, go and say goodbye.
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