This blog is moving

Hi everyone,

Please be advised that due to technical difficulties, this blog will be moving. For some reason my browser has problems accessing wordpress.

New details:

URL: http://australianforisrael.blogspot.com

RSS: http://australianforisrael.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Israel’s big mistake

When Ariel Sharon announced that his government was going to remove Jewish settlers from Gaza, I was all for it. I thought that peace would come soon. Most of the Israeli public agreed with me. We were wrong.

Since the disengagement, Sderot and other towns in Israel’s south have been bombarded with Qassam rockets courtesy of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Opinion polls show that Israelis now believe that little has been achieved by Israel’s gesture. Israel gave the Palestinians a sizable amount of land, and they responded by slapping Israel in the face, using rockets against civilians and kidnapping Gilad Shalit.

Former Prime Minister and Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu hit the nail on the head with his remark; “Sharon gave and gave and gave, the Palestinians got and got and got, and my question is, what did we get? Nothing and nothing and nothing.” It was downright irresponsible for Ariel Sharon to just hand over Gaza without setting some conditions.

Sharon should have ordered that Hamas and Islamic Jihad members be expelled or arrested prior to disengaging. Israel is still providing power to the Gaza Strip, because the Palestinian Authority is too corrupt and disorganised to build its own infrastructure.

It is ridiculous that Olmert is sitting on his ass while Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are being held hostage. The Israeli Government cannot, and should not, negotiate with terrorists. They are not rational people, it is impossible to negotiate with them. In exchange for one person, Hamas leaders usually demand that Israel release 100’s of terrorists.

Israel must act immediately to stop the wave of terror in Gaza. The IDF has more troops and superior equipment than Hamas and Islamic Jihad. If the terrorists will not stop firing Qassams, they should be stopped by force. If Hamas will not release Gilad Shalit, Israel must use force to bring about his release.

Ending the bloodshed

As a peace conference takes place in Mogadishu, six children were killed by mortar attacks close to the building in which the conference was being held in the Somali capital. The children were playing football close to the building which was targeted by Islamic terrorists, possibly members of al-Qaeda or the Islamic Courts Union (UIC). The Shabab, militant wing of the UIC, issued a statement saying that anyone taking part in the peace conference was “sentenced to death.” I don’t know how these scum sleep at night, knowing they have children’s blood on their hands. One can only hope that those responsible will be caught and punished, but given the lawlessness of Somalia, the chances are slim.

There is an African Union peacekeeping force operating in Somalia, but it is not enough. More troops are needed, and it is time to ask the UNSC or NATO to step in and put an end to this bloodshed. The Somali Government clearly needs help. America, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, along with many other countries, have the ability to get rid of the UIC and stop the killing. It is disgraceful that so many Governments have stood by while the violence continues, knowing that they have the ability to do something. As Edmund Burke once said, “all that is required for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing.”

Amongst all the violence and bloodshed, heart wrenching stories such as this one have emerged. Many young men have joined militias. They have nothing going for them, and joining a militia gives them a sense of belonging and purpose. Unfortunately, many suffer horrific injuries.

One of the roots of the problem is that the UIC was, and still is, able to get the weapons it needs to continue fighting. The Somali Prime Minister has accused Iran, Libya and Egypt of arming the UIC, but many suspect other nations are also involved in the arming of the Islamists. Djibouti, Syria and Saudi Arabia are suspected of providing weapons to the UIC.

To prevent the UIC killing anyone else, it is time for a strong and large UN force to move into Somalia. Peacekeepers should be searching shipments into the country for weapons. It is time for an investigation into the arming of Islamic terrorists in Somalia, and countries responsible should be punished severely.

There has been enough bloodshed. Too many young lives have been lost. How much longer is the international community going to allow this to continue?

Iran must be stopped

“As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map.”
– Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran.

He couldn’t have made his intentions any clearer. If Iran ever, G-d forbid, acquires nuclear weapons, Israel will be attacked. A nuclear attack would most likely destroy the entire country. Since the UN is unable to find its own ass with a map, America will most likely have to sort this one out.

An American attack on Iran may not be such a bad thing. With great power, comes great responsibility. Iran is a menace and a danger to many countries in the region, and something needs to be done. Those with the power to stop Iran from attacking another country have the moral responsibility to do so.

Lets picture a hypothetical scenario. Nothing is done about Iran for 5 years. Hundreds, if not thousands of Iranians are executed for crimes such as homosexuality; many of them denied a lawyer. While this is going on, the Iranian Government manages to make a nuclear bomb. The fanatical Iranian Government decides it will achieve the goal shared by many Muslims, and destroy Israel. A nuclear missile is launched. Israel and the Palestinian Territories are destroyed. At least 9 million people are killed immediately. Thousands more will die from radiation poisoning and fallout in Israel, Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and eventually Eastern Europe.

Another scenario is the following: The American election is held, George W. Bush hands over the reigns to either Rudy Giuliani (Rep) or Hilary Clinton (D-NY). The President keeps his or her promises to deal with the Iranian threat. The President orders an air attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Britain, Germany, Australia, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and others are asked to contribute fighter jets, as they are US allies. Some of these nations agree and an attack is launched. Most Iranian military and nuclear installations are severely damaged while some are destroyed, with a minimum number of civilian deaths. Iran will find it almost impossible to rebuild its nuclear program in the future.

I have no doubt that everyone will agree that the second scenario is a better option. Israel conducted a similar operation and attacked the Osiraq nuclear facility in Iraq to prevent Iraq from getting nuclear weapons. A similar but larger operation can be done in Iran.

Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons at all costs.

The Crackdown

You might not have heard about Sabrina, the lion who was stolen from Gaza Zoo. That was quite an odd story, but it shows that Hamas are cracking down on crime. The lion was found by Hamas members on a drug raid. Hamas likes to be in charge, and it is flexing its muscles. It is clear to me that Hamas is trying to assert its control over the Gaza Strip, and send a strong warning to other terrorist organizations and criminal gangs. An example of this is what I like to call the roof throwing incident, in which Hamas militants threw a Fatah member off the roof of a 15 story building. Sharia Law is starting to be enforced after Hamas took full control of Gaza, in what some describe as a coup.

Hamas leaders are trying to look good in the eyes of the international community by dealing with crime. They are hoping to get their greedy hands on aid donations, which will most likely be used for weapons if Hamas have a say. It should be remembered that Hamas is a terrorist organization with a goal of destroying Israel.

Enough is Enough, Mr President.

“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence to never practice either of them.”

- Mark Twain

George W. Bush is on his way out. He is arguably the most hated person on this planet. There are many, many questionable decisions he has made. Some of them could even be considered illegal. Yesterday, I was asked the following question: “Should George Bush be held accountable for his decisions when those decisions were made on incorrect intelligence?”

When the US first invaded Iraq, Bush claimed that the Iraqi Government had weapons of mass destruction, and was supporting terrorist organisations. UN weapons inspectors had been in Iraq prior to the invasion, but found no evidence to support Bush’s claim that Saddam’s government possessed such weapons. When coalition forces gained control of the country they began searching for WMD. They found nothing.

Bush’s actions were comical after the US Army reported that no WMD had been found. The CIA was also unable to find any evidence linking Saddam’s regime to terrorist organisations. George Bush said that ‘G-d told me to invade Iraq.’ Either the President is insane or he is lying. At the very least, he could have made up a lie that is possible. I thought killing in the name of G-d was something only Islamic terrorists did, but looks like Bush has jumped on that bandwagon.

Bush may have been given incorrect intelligence, but that is still no excuse for his actions. The invasion of Iraq was necessary only because it would have been unethical to sit back and watch Saddam’s forces kill Kurds and Shi’ites. If the Bush Administration had told the world that the genocide had to be stopped, and not used the WMD as an excuse, maybe they would have more popularity today. The stupid thing is that they had grounds to invade but still felt the need to lie.

Politics aside, the Iraq war was poorly planned and terribly executed. Somebody needs to be held accountable for this, and fired. After the defeat of Saddam’s forced, the US should have set up elections, supervised by international observers. They should have immediately started to reconstruct the country, and could probably have pulled most troops out after 18 months.

The second major war that Bush ordered was in Afghanistan. This was definitely justified, as the Taliban refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden after 9/11, and were responsible for massive human rights abuses, particularly against women. However, this war, like the Iraq war, was poorly planned and poorly executed. American and British planes started bombing Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. Foreign troops have been fighting in Afghanistan since then, but Osama Bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders are still at large. Is the US military so incompetent that it is unable to find one man after 6 years? 

The sad truth is that George W. Bush has always been an incompetent leader. Any leader without honesty and integrity is not fit to be a leader, and Bush has been caught out lying or telling ‘half-truths’ many times. It appears that he has become drunk with power, and views himself as invincible.

It is not only our right to question our leaders and make the accountable for their actions. It is our responsibility to do so. Now is the time for the American people to say “enough is enough, Mr President. You have to get your act together.”

 

Can Blair bring peace?

Yesterday, outgoing British PM Tony Blair was appointed as the representative of the quartet of international mediators for Middle East peace. Expectations are running high, but will Tony Blair bring able to bring a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians?

It is undeniable that Blair has the experience to take on such a role, after a decade as Prime Minister and many attempts to make peace. Arab nations are likely to voice objections in the coming days and weeks due to Tony Blair’s position of supporting U.S. President George W. Bush’s war in Iraq.

Israelis will be happy that a neutral mediator has finally been appointed. Many previous mediators took the position that Israel is at fault and the Palestinians are innocent and poor. It is about time that the international community appointed a chief mediator who will listen to both sides to the story.

Blair has been on good terms with all four Prime Ministers of Israel of this decade, which proves he is willing to keep an open mind and listen to a variety of opinions, from left-wing to right-wing.

I believe Tony Blair will be able to broker a deal in which Israel withdraws from the West Bank (excluding Jewish holy sites) and hands over control of the territory to the Palestinian Authority. Such a deal would probably involve the expulsion of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations from the territory.

Even Blair is not skilled enough to convince Hamas to participate in negotiations. Hamas considers a negotiation to consist of ‘do this or we will behead hostages.’ Their leaders will tell you something different, but actions speak louder than words. Hamas will be left to do as it likes in Gaza, unless it attacks Israel. Hamas usually find it impossible to resist the temptation to send suicide bombers or fire qassam rockets, so Israel will probably have to attack.

It is not a question of if. The real question is ‘when?’ With any luck, Hamas will end up being expelled from Gaza just like the PLO was expelled from Lebanon.

The bottom line is that a full and lasting peace will not be brought by any man. Blair may create a peace between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank, but the possibility is questionable at best. Golda Meir said that peace will come when “Palestinians love their children more than they hate us.”

When hate education in Muslim countries is stamped out, a generation of Muslims will become leaders who have not spent their entire lives being indoctrinated to hate Jews. They will be the ones who bring peace. If hate education is not stamped out there are two solutions:

1) The Messiah will come and bring peace.

2) There will be a war in which one party will suffer losses heavy enough to make them realize their cause is unachievable. Israel will not be that party.

שלום

Anti-Semitism in the UN

Before reading the following blog entry, please read this article from the Jerusalem Post: Click here to read the article

The UN may have given the Jews a state, but since then the UN has turned its weight against Israel. The new United Nations Human Rights Council has made Israel a permanent agenda item. However, the council chose to ignore human rights abuses in Sudan, Myanmar, China, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba, Belarus and Iran.

400 000 people have been murdered in Sudan by Islamic extremists, who have decided to carry out ethnic cleansing. Instead of doing something about this, the UN has focused on chastising Israel.

In Israel, every citizen is free to practice whatever religion they wish. People of all races are treated equally. It has been alleged that Arabs are treated as second class citizens. This is false. Israeli Arabs are entitled to vote and to run for election. There are Israeli Arab mayors, members of the Knesset and ministers in government. Arabs can use the same hospitals, schools and other public facilities that everyone else uses.

Pictured: Two teenagers being hanged in Iran.
Their crime? Homoesexuality.

Unfortunately the UN has once again proven to all that it is biased against Israel. This is partly the fault of Muslim majority countries, which number
more than 50. These countries consistently vote for anti-Israel resolutions, and try to quash anything they consider neutral or pro-Israel. Many nations depend on Arab countries for oil, and will vote against Israel out of fear that Arabs may stop selling oil. Countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia use oil to bully smaller and weaker nations into voting against Israel.

“If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions.”

- Abba Eban
Israeli Foreign Minister, in office 1966 – 1974.

I shudder to think of what the result would be if such a resolution was introduced. As Edmund Burke said, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing.” Until the anti-Israel bias in the UN is stamped out, the UN does not deserve the right to intervene in any issues concerning Israel.

It is sickening and downright irresponsible that the United Nations is refusing to deal with serious human rights abuses because certain countries are run by anti-Semitic governments.

The UN should be ashamed of itself.

 

A Failed State

Picture: Palestinians wait to see if they will be allowed to cross into Israel.

(picture from thereligionofpeace.com)

It took the Palestinians less then 2 years to turn the territory of Gaza into a failed state. Hamas militants have shot people inside the Erez Crossing (pictured) while searching for Fatah officials.

I’ll bet the Palestinians are kicking themselves right now and thinking, “why the heck did we vote for Hamas?” They voted for terrorists, and they will have to live with the consequences of their stupidity. I have no sympathy for a people who chose to be governed by terrorists. The bleeding hearts will disagree with me and call for more humanitarian aid. Why don’t they ask Hamas to spend the money it gets from Iran and Syria on healthcare, food, schools and infrastructure instead of guns and qassam rockets?

I guess the far left doesn’t want to pass up the opportunity to blame Israel for something that is not Israel’s fault. You’ve heard them going on and on about how 9/11 is Israel’s fault, how all conflicts are Israel’s fault and all the other things they blame Israel for.

Well, looks like the Palestinians have stuffed up in Gaza. Somehow I doubt that they will ever be able to manage their own affairs. They behave similar to two young siblings, if left alone, they will eventually fight. Without a babysitter, they will fight and fight because the lack the maturity to deal with issues in a calm and civilized manner.

But who will be the Palestinians’ babysitter?

A Palestinian State? Soon?

Picture: Hamas militants in the Gaza office belonging to Mahmoud Abbas after taking over the compound.

Sadly, Hamas have taken control of Gaza. Thankfully, Hamas are weak in the West Bank. Sadly, the hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians is fading fast.

The Israel – Palestinian conflict could turn out to end with a three state solution. A Hamas controlled Islamic state in Gaza, a Fatah controlled secular Palestinian state in the West Bank, and Israel. The problem is that negotiations could be far off. Israel and Fatah are prepared to talk to each other, but Hamas is unwilling to negotiate with anyone. A Palestinian state including Gaza and the West Bank is impossible, as each territory is controlled by a different organisation.

Many Palestinians in the West Bank no longer wish to be identified with the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. Israel and Fatah should respect their wishes, and negotiate the creation of a Palestinian state (possibly called ‘State of Palestine’) in the West Bank only. Israel should evacuate most settlements, but retain control over Jewish holy sites. The Palestinian state should control the parts of Jerusalem mainly inhabited by Palestinian Arabs, while Israel should retain the areas of Jerusalem with a majority population of Israelis, no matter whether they are Jews, Muslims or Christians. Fatah would be wise to accept such an offer, as they are unlikely to control the Gaza Strip ever again. The security fence should be moved to the border of Israel and Palestine to prevent terrorists from crossing the border.

Hamas should be left alone to run their ‘Islamic territory’ in Gaza. The Palestinians there should not complain that they are being neglected. They voted for Hamas, they can bloody well live with the consequences of their choice. If Hamas or other terrorist organisations attack Israel from the Gaza Strip, Israel should retaliate harshly and destroy important Hamas controlled buildings, and assassinate Hamas members.

There will probably be a Palestinian state in the West Bank, as Hamas will make it impossible for Gaza to be included. Hamas will be shooting itself in the foot, because eventually the organisation will go too far, and the IDF will be forced to act, thus obliterating Hamas.

May the terrorist scum and their supporters rot in hell.
May peace be upon us in this lifetime.

 

שלום