Gaza op inevitable

Last week's barrage of Kassam and mortar fire from Gaza into the surrounding communities has set a new record for the residents living there. This collective suffering has reached a point of no return.

Israel's leadership must provide an answer to its citizens who are living under Hamas rocket fire, a definite answer. In the absence of such an answer from the government, I would like to state the truth as I see it.

Why is the government not preparing a major operation intended to break Hamas's strength and hold on the Gaza Strip? Such an operation is inevitable, because Israel cannot and will not resign itself to the existence of an Iranian terror base on its borders forever.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (9)

Obama's AIPAC speech - a pleasant surprise

From my point of view, last week's most meaningful event was my participation in the AIPAC conference which took place in Washington. AIPAC is the biggest and most significant pro-Israel organization that exists in the United States. It acts as a lobby to the Senate and Congress and it succeeds, almost always, in passing legislation that is favorable to Israel.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (21)

The fall of Lebanon and the rise of the West Bank

Amid the excitement of last week's events - the announcement of  negotiations with Syria and the developments in the latest Olmert  corruption scandal - not enough attention was paid to the most significant event of the week: the fall of Lebanon in oil-rich Qatar.

In negotiations that took place under the sponsorship of the Qatari  ruler, the Lebanese government surrendered to the demands of Hizbullah and Syria: the pro-Syrian military chief General Michel Suleiman was  nominated for the presidency, Hizbullah would appoint a third of  cabinet ministers (11 out of 30), Fuad Saniora would no longer remain  prime minister and Hizbullah's demands for the renewed division of  voting areas which would enhance its Parliament representation in the next election was also approved. Under Lebanese law, a third of government ministers have veto power on every decision. The moment 11 ministers are Hizbullah members, every decision made in Lebanon has to first be approved by Teheran and Damascus.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (10)

Israel@60: Successes and failures

Last week was marked by the Independence Day celebrations of Israel's sixtieth birthday. The day's events were especially beautiful and moving. This day should also be a day for reflection and self-inspection.

What have we achieved in the last 60 years?

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (4)

Exodus remembered

Holocaust Remembrance Day left its indelible mark on the whole of last week. At the beginning of the week, Yossi Harel was brought to rest - the commander of the ship carrying 'illegal immigrants' under the British Mandate period called 'Exit Europe' more commonly knows as the 'Exodus'.

This ship set sail in the summer of 1947 with 4,500 Holocaust survivors to the shores of Israel. The British prevented its arrival by force and after commandeering the ship still at sea, a battle broke out between the British forces and the 'illegal immigrants' and these people, after a long and difficult journey in which they wandered at sea for two months, were sent back to Hamburg port in Germany.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (8)

Put an end to Hamas' regime

The deterioration of the situation is Gaza is still in full swing. The barrage of Kassams on Sderot and the firing of rockets at Ashkelon is a calculated escalation on the part of Hamas. It is a retaliatory action for the successful targeted killings of terrorists who, in the absence of the assassination on Wednesday morning, would have executed an attack that would have extracted a high price from us. It is important to mention this fact since there is a general feeling that the IDF is not doing enough and that is completely untrue.

Even so, the frustration here is still high inasmuch as the rockets keep coming despite the offensive operations that the IDF is undertaking in Gaza, and the range has been expanded to include Ashkelon. With frustrating and confusing conditions, come futile ideas - defeatist and adventurous especially. Therefore, it is important to state clearly what is possible and what is necessary.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (71)

The new Gaza reality

The use of bombs to breach the border wall between Gaza and Egypt along the 'Philadelphi' route has a Hamas signature. The fact that the border is now completely open significantly changes the reality on the ground - a reality shaped by the IDF's exit and Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip.

From an economic perspective, the removal of the barrier holds no long-term importance. In the short-term, thousands of Gazans are able to purchase basic products at cheap prices at the Egyptian Rafah and Al-Arish. It will be "rejuvenating" for them to get out of Gaza, after the months of suffocation they underwent due to Hamas's rise to power and Israel's counter-measures since.

However, even if the border with Egypt remains open, Egypt cannot serve as the economic front that Israel had been for Gaza until last June. Poor Egypt is not an attractive destination for Gazan imports. The prices offered in Egypt for agricultural products and light industrial materials from Gaza would be much lower than the prices they would be able to obtain in Israel. No investments would be made in a Gaza run by Hamas and the destroyed private sector will not rise without economic relations with Israel. Even if this border breach is considered an achievement for Hamas, it cannot feed the 1.5 million people in Gaza.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (18)

Two grave scenarios unfolding

Last week's most pressing event was undoubtedly President Bush's visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. And not only because of the frustrating traffic congestion that gripped Jerusalem, the ceremonies, the dinners and the provincial bickering about who was invited and who was not.

This visit was vital for us Israelis in that the leader of the most powerful country in the world came and reminded us and the Palestinians of the importance and urgency of reaching a mutual agreement. Based on the cynical and mocking media reactions, one could have thought the conflict was Bush's problem and not ours. Alternatively, one could see Bush and Condoleeza Rice as a bothersome couple that pushes us to deal with an issue that perhaps holds no importance, for anyone.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (20)

The Egyptian-Saudi conspiracy

Since Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip, all border crossings have been closed between Gaza and Israel and between Gaza and Egypt.

The passage of goods for humanitarian purposes is conducted temporarily through the Sufa crossing or the Kerem Shalom crossing which is essentially a border delineation. In the tunnels dug between Sinai and the Rafiah area in the Gaza Strip - a phenomenon Egypt has still not managed to control or shut down - the smuggling of weapons and arms, money and operatives are a common occurrence.

When the time came for the pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj), PA leader Mahmoud Abbas coordinated with Israel the passage of hundreds of pilgrims through Jordanian bridges, where once on the Jordanian side, Saudi officials were to be waiting to stamp their passports. The gesture was meant to bolster Abbas's political standing and prevent Hamas operatives from making their way to training facilities in Iran and to other meetings.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (15)