Israellycool

Here he is with another variation of his idiot look.

Previously:

Olmert’s Idiot Look

Olmert’s Idiot Look

In 1901, Dwight L. Elmendorf set out to visit Palestine and document it with photographs (his “only weapon,” as he put it.) He published the pictures in a 1912 book called “A Camera Crusade Through the Holy Land.”

The photographs are quite good, but two are of particular interest.

The first is of the “Mosque of Omar,” the Dome of the Rock:

And another is of the “Wailing Place of the Jews”:

Notice the huge amount of weeds poking through the stones in the “third holiest place in Islam.” It is desolate, and it looks like it was rarely visited.

Compare the floor of the Temple Mount - where Jews wouldn’t visit because of its holiness - with the smooth floor in front of the Kotel.

In 1901, it was clear which people venerated Jerusalem and which people ignored it.

(Cross-posted on Elder of Ziyon)

I know many of my American readers have reservations about him - especially on domestic issues - but Republican Presidential candidate John McCain is sounding the right notes when it comes to Israel.

He seems to understand that our war against the terrorists is not just our war:

“If Hamas/Hizbullah succeeds here, they are going to succeed everywhere, not only in the Middle East, but everywhere. Israel isn’t the only enemy.. They are dedicated to the extinction of everything that the US, Israel and the West believe and stand for. So America does have an interest in what happens here, far above and beyond our alliance with the State of Israel.”

That it does not make sense for Israel to talk with Hamas:

“Someone is going to have to answer me the question of how you are going to negotiate with an organization that is dedicated to your extinction.”

That the US should not dictate policy to Israel:

“I really think that we should understand that the US and Israel are partners. Israel is not a client of the United States. If you are partners, then you don’t dictate what you think the terms of the survival of a nation should be.”

That Israel has the right to respond vigorously to the rocket fire emanating from Gaza:

“I can’t give you a good answer as to how you respond to these rocket attacks..I can tell you that I believe that if rocket attacks came across the border of the United States of America, that the American people would probably demand pretty vigorous actions in response. I think I know my constituency in the state of Arizona, and they would be pretty exercised if rockets came across our southern border.”

And that Iran is a huge threat to the world:

“I think Iran is a threat to the region,” McCain said, adding that not only were the Iranians “obviously pursuing nuclear weapons,” they were also arming and training extremists to send into Iraq, supporting Hizbullah and influencing Syria.

“At the end of the day, we can still not afford to have Iran with nuclear weapons,” he said. “We know they have ambitions that are not just aimed at the State of Israel.”

These ambitions included “destabilization of the entire region upon which the United States’ national security interests rest,” he said.

He also says he supports Jerusalem as the capital of Israel:

Before his arrival in Israel on Tuesday, McCain said he supports Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. He told reporters in Jordan: “I support Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

Of course, I realize there is a difference between saying the right things and doing the right things. After all, how many times have we heard a US President say they promise to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, only to postpone the move?

In McCain’s case, there are some worrying signs, including the mention of James Baker as a possible presidential envoy to the region, and the claim by Israeli journalist Amir Oren that McCain lied about having had said Israel should return to the 1967 armistice lines. And let’s face it, in any event, he would not shun the PA, since any US Government could not be more hardline than the Israeli government. So we would likely end up in a similar situation to that we find ourselves in today - “negotiating” with a bunch of terrorists still dedicated to our destruction.

Update: Yep, not much would change under McCain:

Earlier Wednesday, McCain told Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that he believed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was committed to the peace process and opposed the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip.

At a press conference with Livni, McCain said he had telephoned Abbas, who is based in the West Bank city of Ramallah just a few kilometres away, because he was unable to meet the Palestinian president in person.

McCain said the Western-backed leader wants to move forward in peace talks.

“I again believe that President Abbas wants to get this [peace] process started,” McCain said in Jerusalem.

Update: And again:

The grim situation in the rocket-battered town of Sderot has left a heavy impression on Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who visited there with Defense Minister Ehud Barak Wednesday afternoon.

McCain noted that there have been 900 rocket attacks on Sderot in the last three months, and that a rocket lands there every two hours in average. This puts intolerable pressure on the children and the population in general, he said, adding that this was “no way to spend the Purim holiday.

Speaking at a press conference after touring the town with Barak, McCain stressed the importance of the peace process in bringing an end to the conflict.

The cycle of action and reaction must stop, and therefore the peace process should not be abandoned, he said.

A group of Knesset members has signed a petition calling on President Shimon Peres to pardon Omri Sharon, the corrupt son of former PM Ariel Sharon who is serving a 7-month jail sentence for lying under oath, filing false affidavits, and violating campaign laws.

Their main argument? The sentence will prevent Omri from being at his comatose father’s side, causing father to lose hope which may, in turn, shorten his life.

Deputy Foreign Minister Majalli Whbee told Ynet on Monday that he has signed 30 fellow Knesset members on a petition calling on President Shimon Peres to pardon Omri Sharon.

The request cites the medical condition of the former Likud MK’s father, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, as the main argument for the clemency request.

About three weeks ago Omri Sharon began serving a seven-month jail sentence for lying under oath, filing false affidavits, and violating campaign laws. Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke in early 2006 and has remained comatose ever since.

“We are not underestimating the severity of Sharon’s actions, but we believe that due to the fact that no one has ever been tried for a similar offense, and in light of the medical condition of Ariel Sharon, who has been comatose for over two years, his sentence must me reduced so he may be at his father’s side,” the MKs said in the petition.

“Omri Sharon’s absence may cause his father to lose hope and may consequently shorten his life.”

You can’t make this stuff up.

In case you missed it, Ariel Sharon is in a coma. He currently does not have much of a life, and for all we know is in some kind of spiritual limbo. Extending his current level of existence is not the compassionate option (leaving aside the fact that there’s no proof a comatose person would “lose hope” from the absence of a family member).

In other words, the MK’s reasoning is about as tenuous as Ariel Sharon’s hold on life.

Or even less so.

I’ve tracked down the full text of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s motion for the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel.

The motion that had some ALP and Liberal Party MPs foaming at the mouth.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s motion for the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel

I move:

That the House:

(1) celebrate and commend the achievements of the State of Israel in the 60 years since its inception

(2) remember with pride and honour the important role which Australia played in the establishment of the State of Israel as both a member state of the United Nations and as an influential voice in the introduction of Resolution 181 which facilitated Israel’s statehood, and as the country which proudly became the first to cast a vote in support of Israel’s creation

(3) acknowledge the unique relationship which exists between Australia and Israel a bond highlighted by our commitment to the rights and liberty of our citizens and encouragement of cultural diversity

(4) commend the State of Israel’s commitment to democracy, the Rule of Law and pluralism

(5) reiterate Australia’s commitment to Israel’s right to exist and our ongoing support to the peaceful establishment of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue

(6) reiterate Australia’s commitment to the pursuit of peace and stability throughout the Middle East

(7) on this, the 60th Anniversary of Independence of the State of Israel, pledge our friendship, commitment and enduring support to the people of Israel as we celebrate this important occasion together.

Today the parliament of Australia notes the occasion of this year, being the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel. The story of the establishment of the state of Israel begins with the unimaginable tragedy of the Holocaust. At the Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem the words of the Australian delegate to the 1938 Evian Conference are recorded.

He said that Australia could not encourage refugee immigration because, ‘as we have no real racial problem, we are not desirous of importing one’. Thankfully, later in 1938 the Australian government took the decision to admit 15,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. But by the time the war began only 6,500 had reached Australia.

By war’s end, six million Jews had been murdered.

By war’s end, the international community finally began to look again in earnest at the question of a homeland for the Jewish people. Australia is proud to have played a significant part in the international process that led to the foundation of the state of Israel. Australia’s then Minister for External Affairs, Dr Evatt, was part of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, which recommended in August 1947 the termination of the Mandate for Palestine. And he was chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee meeting on the Palestinian Question that proposed the partition of Palestine.

He strongly believed that the fundamental right of self-determination for the Jewish people and for Palestinians could only be achieved by each having their own state. The resolution that the United Nations adopted in November 1947 reflected that. It proposed the establishment of two independent states one Arab and one Jewish. And Australia was the first state in the historic vote of the international community on that resolution to cast its vote in support of the modern State of Israel.

On 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion declared the foundation of the modern state of Israel. Prime Minister Ben Chifley, too, was closely involved in Australia’s policy towards Israel. In June 1948 he reinforced Evatt’s strong support for a two-state solution when he cabled British Prime Minister Clement Attlee and urged early recognition of Israel, saying that: Such [a] declaration would properly indicate willingness to agree in principle to the recognition of the Provisional Government of Israel, and at the same time willingness to recognise de facto the Arab authorities in actual control of Arab Sections of Palestine.

On 29 January 1949 he announced that Australia would become one of the first countries to recognise the new State of Israel, describing it as ‘a force of special value in the world community’. As President of the General Assembly Dr Evatt then presided over the historic May 1949 vote admitting Israel as the 59th member of the United Nations. On 11 May 1949 the Chifley Labor government opened an embassy in Tel Aviv. Evatt later said that, when working on the question of Israel, he wanted to ensure that the “new State of Israel, whose people had in the past done so much for humanity, would be welcomed, not merely formally but with good heart and good conscience” into the international community.

The 60 years since the establishment of Israel have been full of challenges and full of trials. Similarly, the process for the emergence of a Palestinian state has come along a torturous path. There has been too much bloodshed. But over those 60 years there has also been cause for hope.

We think today of Prime Minister Menachem Begin standing with President Jimmy Carter and Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat, at the White House on March 26 1979 at the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty that followed from the Camp David Accords. Prime Minister Begin used both the Hebrew and Arabic words for peace when he urged: “No more war, no more bloodshed, no more bereavement. Peace unto you. Shalom, salaam, forever.”

We can think, too, of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, shaking hands with his lifelong enemy Yasser Arafat on the lawns of the White House on September 13 1993, saying: We, the soldiers who have returned from battles stained with blood we who have seen our relatives and friends killed before our eyes we who have attended their funerals and cannot look in the eyes of their parents we who have come from a land where parents bury their children we who have fought against you, the Palestinians we say to you, in a loud and clear voice, enough of blood and tears. Enough! All peoples of goodwill yearn for that vision to be realised. It has not been realised yet.

To borrow again from Yitzhak Rabin, a man who tragically paid the ultimate price while pursuing peace: The risks of peace are preferable by far to the grim certainties of war.

We firmly believe the establishment of an independent and economically viable Palestinian state must remain a key objective in the Middle East peace process. This is important for the future. It was important in the vision of 1947. It remains the vision today, just as our objective must be for Israel to exist within secure and internationally recognised boundaries.

Today, we in Australia support the ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority towards a final status agreement by the end of 2008, as launched at the Annapolis Conference in November last year. To support the establishment of a viable and sustainable Palestinian state Australia pledged a $45 million assistance package at the donors conference for the Palestinian territories in Paris on 18 December.

Australia remains, as we have in the past, committed to an effective two-state solution. Over the past 60 years Israel has preserved its robust parliamentary democracy and has built a vibrant society and economy. If anyone wants a dictionary definition of the term ‘robust’ they should spend an afternoon in the Israeli Knesset. That is where you see the definition of ‘robust’ at work. By contrast we are a pack of pussycats in here!

Over the past 60 years governments from both sides of politics in Australia have supported our strong relationship with Israel. That relationship is strong and it is deep and it will remain so. Because we are both democracies, as democracies sometimes we will agree and sometimes we will disagree. That is in the nature of strong relationships. But the underlying friendship between us does not alter.

Australia offers our congratulations to the government and people of Israel on this the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the modern Israeli state. We acknowledge our special history and relationship and we look forward to its continued strength and development into the future.

I commend this motion to the House.

Here’s something interesting that escaped my radar a number of weeks ago.

It looks like tennis superstar Maria Sharapova didn’t really mind the grunts emanating from the Ramat Hasharon audience (see here for what they mean - ed.). It even seems that she plans on returning to Israel soon.

In a secret transaction sighed last week, the Australian Open tennis champion bought a luxury penthouse in the Ir Yamim project, south of Netanya, for NIS 7.5 million.

At the complex, the Russian-born tennis player - who in principle lives in the United States - will enjoy a swimming pool, a luxurious lobby, a gym, and other amenities. The penthouse itself includes 350 square meters of floor space, with three balconies that offer a panoramic view to the Mediterranean Sea, as well as a 350-square-meter rooftop with permits to construct a swimming pool.

Good on her. Especially considering there are plenty of wealthy Jews who won’t bother investing here.

Yesterday, UN envoy Robert Serry gave a report to the UN Security Council. As can be expected, most of the report was more of the same - blaming Israel for how it is dealing with Gaza, blaming settlements for creating a humanitarian crisis (not quite sure how that works), claiming that Israel has not removed any outposts (um, remember Amona? Neve Daniel North? Tapuach West?) and similar naive statements.

As usual, he has no real idea about what Israel should do, only what it should not do:

A different and more positive strategy for Gaza was a humanitarian, security and strategic imperative, for Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.

Any idea what this strategy should be? Well, nothing that can possibly involve the remotest possibility of hurting civilians, of course, so possibly he is calling for Israel to move from “condemning” Qassam attacks into “deploring” them. Perhaps providing them with more potassium nitrate so they can fertilize their crops.

Buried in his speech, however, is something that I have never seen the UN say before:

His visit to Sderot, which had been the target of over 4,300 rockets since 2004, had brought out the physical and psychological damage to the population. Those crude rockets were aimed at hurting civilians and clearly constituted terrorism. Their continued firing was completely unacceptable and must be halted unconditionally.

The “T word” is hardly used even in the Western media to describe Qassams, with sickening words like “resistance” used far more often. The fact that the reliably anti-Israel UN classifies rocket attacks as terrorism needs to be publicized and the Arab terrorists and their friends need to be forced to respond, so that the world can see their hypocrisy.

Question: Which Member of Knesset is most likely to tell a gay man that he makes the Earth move?

Answer: Shlomo Benizri. But it’s not what you think.

Here he is with his idiot look.

Previously:

Olmert’s Idiot Look

Israel: the land of milk, honey, and (possibly) the world’s oldest woman.

An Israeli Arab woman, no less.

Mariam Amash filled in the routine form with anything but routine information. Amash, who recently applied for a new Israeli identity card, said she was born 120 years ago — a claim, if confirmed, that would make her the oldest person in the world. The Guinness Book of Records currently lists 114-year-old Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Indiana, as holding that title.

Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israel’s Interior Ministry, confirmed that Amash, from the Israeli Arab village of Jisr a-Zarka, is listed in the population registry as having been born in 1888. “We’re just not sure it’s correct,” Haddad said.

The listing was based on a birth certificate issued by Turkish authorities who ruled the region at the time, she said. Ministry clerks in an Israeli city near Amash’s village found out about her claim this week when she came in to replace an identity card she lost.

Relatives said she has 10 sons and one daughter, her eldest, now in her late 80s. She has about 120 grandchildren, 250 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great grandchildren, they said.

A granddaughter-in-law, Hamda Amash, 40, said Mariam is a “healthy, active woman. She walks each day and makes sure she drinks at least one glass of olive oil.”

And avoids offending her family’s code of behavior, no doubt.

Update: This poster in a Muslim discussion group seems to know the secret to her longevity.

Masallah she has lived so long ,BECAUSE OF HER DEDICATION 2 ISLAM !

Look who’s here:

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the actress who played Meadow, the daughter of Mafioso Tony Soprano on the award-winning HBO series “The Sopranos,” is currently in Israel on a Birthright tour. According to Israeli newspaper Yediot Acharonot, the 25 year-old actress is in country to explore her Jewish roots. She is the daughter of a Jewish father with Greek and Romanian Jewish roots and a Cuban mother who converted to Judaism after meeting her husband.

Sigler expressed that she is impressed with the Jewish state.

Reuters reports:

The United States has agreed in principle to provide Israel with better “smart bombs” than those it plans to sell Saudi Arabia under a regional defense package, senior Israeli security sources said on Sunday.Keen to bolster Middle East allies against an ascendant Iran, the Bush administration last year proposed supplying Gulf Arab states with some $20 billion in new weapons, including Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bomb kits for the Saudis.

The plan has angered Israel’s backers in Washington, who say the JDAMs, which give satellite guidance for bombs, may one day be used against the Jewish state or at least blunt its power to deter potential foes. Israel has had JDAMs since 1990 and has used them extensively in a 2006 offensive in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government dropped its objections to the proposed Saudi deal in July after securing U.S. military aid grants worth $30 billion over the next decade.

Two Israeli security sources said the United States further mollified the Olmert government with an “understanding in principle” that future JDAM sales to Israel would include advanced technologies not on offer to Saudi Arabia.

“We are checking which of the top-of-the-line JDAMs will become available to us. The agreement is that Israel’s qualitative edge will be preserved,” one source said.

This is idiotic on a number of levels.

First of all, Saudi Arabia can have a trillion dollars’ worth of weapons; they are useless in a kingdom that has no decent army, no military expertise, and utterly no ability to deter any Iranian offenses. If Iran would decide for some reason to attack Saudi Arabia, it would be the US that defends it anyway - the Saudis would crumple on their own no matter what advanced weaponry they own (and they already own quite a bit of it.)

The Saudi arsenal is nothing more than a tempting target for terrorists to get their own hands on advanced weaponry for uses that are far from their conventional intent.

Moreover, in a world where asymmetric warfare is the prevailing wisdom, giving Israel a “qualitative edge” in having “smarter” bombs doesn’t help Israel’s defense a bit. Is there any chance that the Islamists who might end up with Saudi weaponry would care that Israel is somewhat better at hitting back purely military targets? They’ll be using this advanced weaponry against population centers in Israel. As Lebanon showed, Geneva no longer applies in the Arab wars against Israel and giving Israel better offensive weapons does not help much against an enemy for whom death is desirable.

Now, if the US would give Israel technology that can defend against the Saudi bombs - if an encrypted backdoor was placed in the JDAM software that could disable the weapons remotely, for example - then this might make sense. But the fact that Israel’s theoretical future versions of JDAMs might have an accuracy of 3 meters rather than 6 meters is pretty much meaningless.

None of this makes sense. Iran is not deterred in the least by these moves, on the contrary it gives them even more incentive to build nuclear bombs.

This deal might benefit defense contractors but pretty much no one else.

(cross-posted at Elder of Ziyon)