Everything Goes on Facebook

I was upset to learn that Facebook decided this week not to remove the page “Third Intifada” (http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/adl-slams-facebook-for-refusing-to-remove-third-intifada-fan-page-1.351881) despite great grassroots volume, as well as numerous high level appeals to do so. It seems that Facebook is more concerned about supposed freedom of speech despite the fact that it’s a private company, not a public institution, despite standards it sets itself opposing hate speech and incitement. Either that, or Facebook is concerned for a Muslim boycott of the web site. It tells me that Facebook is all about making money over morals, so I have decided to find ways I can use Facebook’s expansive reach to make some money from their social network, just as they make money from me via the same means. I am thinking about setting up my own “fan pages” looking for partners, both on the supply and end user side, using Facebook’s international reach to start up and develop businesses in the following areas. I welcome partners and those interested to send me a message via Facebook to this end. Drugs – illegal drugs are crossing international borders all the time anyway. In some countries, the cash crop of choice is the source of these, and to deny the hard working farmers a means to make a living seems wrong. Crops don’t hurt people, people hurt people. Facebook provides the ideal way to connect the farmer and manufacturer with the smuggler, dealer and end user. In fact, using a direct marketing model, we may be able to cut out the middleman and offer drugs at a lower price. Weapons – countries and major multi-national companies deal in arms all the time. I want to ride the wave of this reality and am looking for partners who can supply an array of weapons from light personal arms to tanks and missiles. In light of the nuclear disaster in Japan I’ll stay away from nuclear weapons, unless there’s a proven market and supply line of course. Human trafficking – look, people do it all the time, and for many of those being trafficked, it’s clear that their lives as sex slaves and the like are far better than they were in the hovels from which they come. Opportunity knocks in many ways and as long as there are people willing to be trafficked, and there’s a market for such a product, I can think of lots of places where women are lining up for these opportunities, and other places where men are lining up for the product. Some men are even willing to pay handsomely to marry such women so I look at this as much as a business as a match making opportunity, enabling people to find the love of their life through the magic of Facebook. Slavery – some may say that human trafficking is a form of slavery so this is redundant. But there are people out there looking to own a good, hard worker as much, or even more than those looking for a good time. The problem is that many of these are rural farmers who are not blessed with the dynamic power of Facebook, so I am hitting a dead end as how to market the product to the end user. I’d especially welcome entrepreneurs who have ideas on this because for a little more than a song, there are good people in developing nations who’d be happy to sell off a child or two to give their child better opportunities than they could be given at home, and make a little extra cash on the side to help sustain those not sold off. Pedophilia – this is the one that I am having the hardest time with because as the father of six children I’d hate to have my kids caught up in it, but there’s a supply and there’s a demand and Facebook is a great vehicle to bring together people who share this same interest. I am sure that there are other areas that one can go into and I’d welcome invitations by entrepreneurial people who want to make some money in a way that is either devoid of ethics, or at least pushes the envelope, via Facebook, using Facebook’s devoid-of-morals model of making money from other such ideas, like promoting a third intifada. Of course this is not for real, but what’s most upsetting is that it probably could go on Facebook because they are devoid of morals. Allowing any person to set up a fan page to incite others to violence is unacceptable. Having authority means exercising responsibility and if Facebook cannot do the later, that means they do not have the former. If Facebook is concerned over a Moslem boycott, I’d tell Facebook to say good riddance. I am not a big “fan” of boycotts. But I will be glad to share with the many companies whose ads Facebook bombards me with that by advertising on Facebook, they are guilty of moral transgressions just as Facebook is itself. Yes, we can click through to all the nice ads and rather than buying anything, we can register our complaint. Not everyone needs to agree with everyone all the time, and I am all for free speech even when I disagree. But calls for a third intifada, to use the free speech parallel, are exactly like yelling fire in a crowded theater. Let’s remember what the first two intifadas brought us: thousands killed and tens of thousands injured. It’s time to call Facebook on the carpet and challenge their morality. And if we can’t beat them, anyone want to join me in joining them?

My Daughter, the Chief of Staff, and National Service

The past few months have seen a virtual roller coaster of errors relating to the appointment of Israel’s next Chief of Staff. During the process, scandals and rumors came to light including the leaking of a forged letter discrediting the general who would ultimately be selected. Following his appointment other leading generals who were passed over for the top position resigned. Then, allegations of illegal activities in the form of expropriating state land to expand his private home emerged. This past week, following two state investigations, it was announced that the newly appointed Chief of Staff would not be elevated to this position, causing a national stir as to who would serve until a new Chief of Staff is selected. This drama took place amid barbs about the backward process in making this critical appointment, allegations of favoritism and cronyism, speculation as to who will get the nod to be the new Chief of Staff, fallout for the politicians who were party to all this, as well as charges against both the outgoing Chief of Staff and the sitting Minister of Defense who is responsible for appointing the Chief of Staff. Is your head spinning yet? I haven't even mentioned the other legal scandals surrounding Israel’s recent past president, past prime minister, sitting foreign minister, several recently ousted cabinet members, and others, based on their own political, legal and criminal wrongdoings. To the untrained eye, one would think that it’s time for Israel to reconsider how it selects its local and national civil servants and elected leaders. This week, amid the breaking news regarding the Chief of Staff, the absurdity of it all came to light in a new way. My daughter is finishing high school and is in the process of determining where she'll spend the next two years doing her mandatory national service. Army or national service is compulsory for most Israelis, though there is no shortage of people avoiding military or national service entirely, or young women disgracefully declaring that they are religious, when they are not, to avoid conscription. Generally, young women who declare and demonstrate that they are religiously observant, for whom military service would compromise Jewish standards in modesty and mixing of men and women in uncomfortable settings, can sign up for national service rather than military service, volunteering in one of hundreds of organizations that service the public in many ways. Juxtaposing the absurdity of the Chief of Staff selection process, I am shocked to see, comparatively, how grueling the selection process is for my daughter to serve in a voluntary position-- admittedly one that is among the most coveted– to work with orphans and other at risk youth who have been taken out of their parents’ homes for their own well being. These childrens’ homes are special nurturing places where the staff and volunteers, and dozens of other children of all ages, become the childrens’ family in every sense of the word. Alumni visit there when on leave from the army. They bring their prospective spouses to meet their family there. The childrens' homes even host weddings or other celebration on behalf of their children, as any parent would. Compounding an absurd internet-based lottery to determine which 16 women will even be eligible for an interview, is the process itself, which is exceptionally detailed and arduous for a 17 year old woman from a sheltered environment and a safe and loving family. My daughter was fortunate to get an internet lottery scheduled interview for two of the three positions she wanted. She had to submit an application covering everything imaginable to be accepted for an interview to a third program. Tonight at 6:00, anyone who has at least 5 fingers and a computer will be “clicking” per instructions to get her a final interview at yet another children’s home. However, before the application process began, my daughter was told that under no circumstance would she get accepted to any of these positions without requisite 'Protexia.' Protexia is an Israeli phenomenon that greases the wheels of everything. Since in Israel “three degrees of separation” is the standard, the expectation is that everyone knows someone, who can get them to someone else, who can get pretty much anything done by asking a personal favor. It’s part of the Israeli DNA. As new immigrants, the best Protexia I have is that I can call a particularly busy and popular Jerusalem bakery on a Friday morning and have a box of hot chocolate croissants waiting for me without standing on line. In the case of my daughter applying for national service, we have pulled every string imaginable, and even considered forging our own letter from Israel’s (long deceased) first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, to my grandparents, immigrants from Poland in the 1930s, saying ‘what a privilege it is to write a letter of reference on behalf of their, as yet unborn, first great grandchild.’ While only 16 young women won spots for the respective interviews via the lottery “system,” Protexia was clear from the first moment on interview day, as 30 young women magically appeared for interviews despite spots officially available for only 16. This will occur two more times for a total of just ten spots. To my daughter’s credit, while we have pretty good resources intervening on her behalf, she is appalled by this process and finds it unfair. I admire how straight and honest she is to think that selection should be determined by merit. But it’s my job as her father to make sure that she’s given every 'string-pulling' opportunity possible. I suggested that rather than awkwardly dropping the requisite names that she’s supposed to drop in this process, hoping that these names mean more than the other names that the other young women will drop, she should go into the interviews saying that she was told she needed to drop so and so’s name, but is uneasy doing so because she thinks that she should be evaluated not based on who she knows, but on who she is. Maybe that would make her stand out in a positive way. Coming back to the Chief of Staff and our other leaders, one can’t help but wonder what process vets out these purported leaders on a national stage in anything remotely resembling the selection process that 17 year old women need undergo to work in a home with disadvantaged kids: undergoing formal aptitude tests, handwriting analysis, psychological evaluation, and be able to articulate what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I can’t help but feel that if half this national service process had been applied to our national leaders, we’d have nixed the candidacy of serial liars, a rapist, forger, and petty and not so petty criminals of all sorts who now receive government salaries, or pensions. Service to our country is still an esteemed virtue in Israel—one that we would like to believe the country’s leaders sincerely value. But these leaders would do well to take example from tens of thousands of young women who undergo a grueling process, just to be selected for a job that in many ways will be the hardest thing they do in their lives. Yet, as hard as my daughter and her peers will work, these will be positive, life-changing experiences that will make them better, more dedicated, empathetic adults, and future leaders in whom we can have pride. Oh…and anyone who has any contacts in any of Israel’s most outstanding children’s homes should please e-mail me off line. A father’s got to do what a father’s got to do.

Recognizing “Palestine”

The only good thing to come out of Brazil and Argentina’s recognition of “Palestine,” as an independent country, and Uruguay’s plan to do so, is that these absurd government decisions make certain recent Israeli government decisions, and then their reversal, look less stupid. (http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=198279) Recognizing “Palestine,” not only does nothing to bring peace to Israel and the Palestinians, but it pushes the prospect of peace further away. It rewards the Palestinians for decades of violence and terror. It disregards all the Palestinians’ obligations since the November 1947 UN resolution to create a Jewish and an Arab state. It is racist. It lends credence to the Palestinian and other Arab claims that Israel has no legitimacy. It helps give birth to yet another country at war with Israel. And it creates the farce of “Palestine” as one state whereas, in fact, an extremist terrorist group that is at war both with Israel and the PA government controls territory that encompasses almost half of the would be citizens of the state that they are recognizing. Since even before its own statehood, Israel has not known one day of peace. It has been subject to terror and war for more than six decades. Palestinian leaders have ignored international agreements and UN resolutions to try to bring peace to the region as if it were their national pastime. Anytime the Palestinians don’t feel that they are getting a fair shake, they resort to threats of violence and actual terror. Why would any country make such an absurd unilateral gesture as to recognize “Palestine” at all, much less in territory that remains disputed, and absolve the Palestinians of the responsibility to come to an accommodation with Israel and make peace once and for all? What incentive do the Palestinians have to join the world of nations if they get a free pass at shirking their responsibilities and aren’t expected to behave in a manner that is according to international standards? Making the Palestinians any less accountable to live in peace and civility as a member of the nations of the world is racist because it says that we just don’t expect normative civil and peaceful behavior from them. How are the Palestinians expected to rise to the occasion and behave as the rest of the nations of the world when there are those who simply don’t expect that of them? The Palestinians deserve better. Recognizing “Palestine” unilaterally according to the 1949 armistice lines is also racist against Jews and goes against the very nature of the 1947 UN Resolution 181 which calls upon Jews and Arabs to live together in peace and harmony, as residents of one another’s countries but citizens of their own. Is it possible that these nations which recognize “Palestine” now believe that Jews are expected to host an Arab minority (some 20%) in their country, but that Jews are forbidden to reside in a Palestinian Arab state, and that their presence is unjust and an alleged obstacle to peace? Why is the same not said of Israel providing full citizenship and equal rights to its Arab minority? Why the one sided racism and delegitimizing of Israel? As long as there has been a territorial dispute in the Middle East, the Arabs have sought to undermine Israel’s very legitimacy. The Palestinian (and others’) claims that there is no historical or religious connection between the People of Israel and the Land of Israel is not just wrong and offensive, it contradicts the very foundation of Judaism and Christianity, and is yet another lie upon which they are building their society, by discrediting ours, rather than by coming to terms with us as neighbors, and our right to be here. All but two (of 22) Arab countries are still in a state of war with Israel. This does not include other “inspired” Muslim countries like Iran, which also don’t recognize our right to exist, and threaten us with war, terrorism, boycotts, and one sided condemnation. What justification does any country have in serving as the midwife for the birth of another country that will not uphold international standards and that will be (remains) at war with a third? Assuming none of the above are really issues, what I’d love to know is which “Palestine” these esteemed countries are recognizing. Is it what’s often referred to as the West Bank which is still (nominally) ruled by the elected Palestinian Authority, whose president has long out served his term and not called for new elections? Is it Gaza which is ruled by terrorists that overthrew the PA in a bloody coup and now rule with an iron hand over nearly half of the Palestinians? Is their recognition of “Palestine” as a state anything more than a game of international make-believe in the hope that by putting a diplomatic band aid on a problem with global implications it will all just be OK? If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, this road is paved in abject stupidity. This decision, at this time, lends reason to think that Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are competing to be the leader of the banana republic of nations. Perhaps they would like to adopt the Palestinians as neighbors and see just how friendly their leaders are. Then again, they welcomed any number of Nazi war criminals, so Israel bashing, anti-Semitic terrorists would be right at home. Recognizing “Palestine” without holding the Palestinians accountable to the responsibilities that statehood brings, will not only do nothing to bring peace, but it will push peace further away, laying the foundation for more bloodshed rather than anything resembling a resolution.

Expressing our thanks to those who helped put out the fire

Expressing our thanks to those who helped put out the fire Now that the devastating Carmel Forest fire has been extinguished, in Israel must mourn the dead and rebuild, while reinforcing emergency preparedness for this and other sort of national disaster. It’s unusual for Israel not to be one of the first countries sending aid to others and, in this case, being on the receiving end. The international support is most noteworthy and appreciated. Those who love and support Israel, and who are grateful for the international support that Israel received, should take a minute to express their gratitude to the following countries’ embassies and leaders in Israel and around the world. With two exceptions, the list below is of the countries and bodies that provided direct aid, what they provided, and their respective embassies and consulates in Israel. If anyone would like to take time to compile a list of the contact information for the respective Presidents/Prime Ministers/Foreign Ministers/ and/or other government representatives and sent to me. I will post on my blog and distribute as well. Please feel free to send these updates to me at no1abba@gmail.com and copy me on your notes of gratitude to these countries for their support. Azerbaijan – 2 helicopters Bulgaria – 1 plane and 92 firefighters Croatia – 1 plane, 8 firefighters and fire repression materials Cyprus – 1 plane and 1 helicopter Egypt – fire repression materials France – 5 planes and fire repression materials Germany – 1 plane, 7 experts in firefighting and fire repression materials Greece – 7 planes, 34 firefighters and fire repression materials Holland – 5 experts in firefighting Italy – 1 plane and fire repression materials Jordan – 3 truckloads of firefighting equipment and materials Palestinian Authority – 21 firefighters and 3 fire engines Russia – 3 planes and 22 experts in firefighting Spain – 5 planes Switzerland – 1 plane, 3 helicopters and a team of 14 Turkey – 2 planes UK – 2 helicopters US – 5 planes, 11 experts in firefighting and fire repression materials Azerbaijan does not maintain an embassy in Israel. Please contact the: Executive Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku city, AZ1066, Istiglaliyyat street, 19, "The President Palace" Fax: (0099412) 492 35 43, 492 06 25 E-mail: office@pa.gov.az Bulgarian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Bulgarian Embassy in Tel-Aviv, Israel send edits 21 Leonardo Da-Vinchi Str. Tel Aviv 64733, Israel City: Tel Aviv Phone: (00972 3) 696 13 61 Fax: (00972 3) 696 14 30 Email: telaviv@mfa.bg Croatian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Tel-Aviv, Israel send edits Canion Ramat Aviv 40 Einstein St. Tel Aviv 69101 Israel City: Tel Aviv Phone: 00972 (0)3 643 8654 00972 (0)3 643 8655 Fax: 00972 (0)3 643 8503 Email: croemb.israel@mvpei.hr Office Hours: Working hours: Monday-Friday 9.00-17.00 Working hours of Consular Section (with clients)/phone: 00972 (0)3 641 3508/: Monday-Friday 10.00-14.00 Croatian Consulate in Jerusalem, Israel Consulate of the Republic of Croatia in Jerusalem, Israel send edits Shaarei Ha'ir Building, 5th Floor 216 Yaffo Street Jerusalem 94 383, Israel City: Jerusalem Phone: +972 (0) 77 777 92 77 Direct No. +972 (0) 50 777 45 00 Fax: +972 (0) 77 777 92 05 Email: honorary@consul-croatia.com Cypriot Embassy in Tel-Aviv, Israel Embassy of Cyprus in Tel-Aviv, Israel send edits 50, Dizengoff Str. Top Tower 14th Floor 64332 City: Tel-Aviv Phone: + 972 3 5250212, 6292546, 6297033 (Amb.), + 972 9 9500948 (Res.) Fax: + 972 3 6290535 Email: tel_avivembassy@mfa.gov.cy Office Hours: Ambassador: H.E. Mr. George Zodiates Office hours: 08:00 15:30 (Mon. Fr.) Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Egypt in Israel 54 BAZEL Street, City: Tel Aviv Phone: (009723) 5464151-5464152 Fax: (009723) 5441615 Prime Minister of Egypt - primemin@idsc.gov.eg French Embassy in Tel-Aviv, Israel Embassy of France in Tel-Aviv, Israel 112 Promenade Herbert Samuel BP 3480 - 63572 Tel Aviv City: Tel-Aviv Phone: [972] (3) 520 83 00 Fax: [972] (3) 520 83 40 Web Site: http://www.ambafrance-il.org Email: diplomatie@ambafrance-il.org French Consulate in Jerusalem, Israel Consulate General of France in Jerusalem, Israel 5 rue Paul Emile Botta PO box 182 91001 Jerusalem City: Jerusalem Phone: [972] (2) 629 85 00 Fax: [972] (2) 629 85 01 / 629 85 02 Web Site: http://www.consulfrance-jerusalem.org Email: diplomat@france-jeru.org German Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Germany in Tel Aviv, Israel 3, Daniel Frisch St. 19. Stock 64731 Tel Aviv Israel City: Tel Aviv Phone: 03-6931 313 / (00972 3) 693 13 12 Fax: 03-6969 217 Web Site: http://www.tel-aviv.diplo.de Email: ger_emb@mail.netvision.net.il Office Hours: Monday through Thursday: 8:00 - 16:00 Friday and Holidays: 8:00 - 12:30 Greek Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Greece in Tel Aviv, Israel Tower Building 3 Daniel Frisch St. 16th floor 64731 City: Tel Aviv Phone: (009723) 6953060 or 609 4981 or 6951088 Fax: (009723)6951329 Email: gremil@netvision.net.il Greek Consulate in Jerusalem, Israel Consulate General of Greece in Jerusalem send edits 31 Rachel Immenu, Katamon, Jerusalem City: Jerusalem Phone: (009722) 5619583, 5619584, 5828316 Fax: 5610325, 5325392 Email: greconje@netvision.net.il Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Italy in Tel Aviv, Israel send edits Trade Tower Building 25 Hamered Street 21 City: Tel Aviv Phone: 972 3 510 4004 Fax: 972 3 510 0235 Web Site: http://www.ambtelaviv.esteri.it Email: stampa.telaviv@esteri.it Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Jordan in Tel Aviv, Israel send edits 14, Rehov Abba hillel Silver Ramat Gan 009723 City: Tel Aviv Phone: 9-723-751-7722 Fax: 9-723-751-7712 Email: jordan1@barak.net.il Office Hours: Monday - Thursday:9:00-3:00 Sunday:9:00-3:00 The Palestinian Authority does not maintain any diplomatic office in Israel and initial searches did not find any address for contacts of the President or Prime Minister in Ramallah. Please contact the: Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations 115 East 65th Street New York, N.Y. 10065 Telephone: (212) 288-8500 Telefax: (212) 517-2377 e-mail: palestine@un.int Spanish Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Spain in Tel Aviv, Israel send edits Dubnov Tower, 3 Rehov Daniel Frisch, Floor 16 Tel-Aviv 64731 City: Tel Aviv Phone: +972-3-6965210/8/9 Fax: +972-3 -6952505/6965217 Email: embespil@mail.mae.es Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem, Israel Spanish Consulate General in Israel send edits Ramban, 53 City: Jerusalem Phone: (+972) 2 563 34 73 Fax: (+972) 2 563 20 59 Email: conspjer@mail.mae.es Swiss Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Switzerland in Tel Aviv, Israel send edits 228 Hayarkon St. Tel Aviv 63405 City: Tel Aviv Phone: 03 546 44 55 Fax: 03 546 44 08 Email: vertretung@tel.rep.admin.ch Office Hours: 9am - 11am Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of Turkey in Israel send edits Rehov Ben Yehuda 1 City: Tel Aviv Phone: +972-3 517-1731 / +972-3 517-6157 Fax: +972-3 517-6303 Back to Top of the Page Turkish Consulate in Jerusalem, Israel Consulate of Turkey in Israel send edits City: Jerusalem Phone: (+972-2 532)-1087 / 2396 / 3310 Fax: +972-2 582-0214 Email: turkudus@netvision.net.il British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel send edits 192 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63405 Consular Section 1 Ben Yehuda Street Migdalor Building, 6th Floor Tel Aviv 63801 City: Tel Aviv Phone: +972 (0)3 510 0166 Fax: + 972 (0)3 725 1222 Web Site: http://www.britemb.org.il/ Email: webmaster.telaviv@fco.gov.uk Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 08:00 - 13:00 Friday 08:00-12:30 American Consulate in Jerusalem, Israel Consulate General of United States in Jerusalem, Jerusalem 18 Agron Road Jerusalem 94190 City: Jerusalem Phone: +972.2.622.7230 Fax: +972.2.625.9270 Web Site: http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov Email: UsConGenJerusalem@state.gov Office Hours: 08.00-16.30 American Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel Embassy of United States in Tel Aviv, Israel 71 Hayarkon Street Tel Aviv Israel City: Tel Aviv Phone: (+972) 3-519-7575 Fax: (+972) 3-517-3227 Web Site: http://telaviv.usembassy.gov Email: nivtelaviv@state.gov Office Hours: 08.00-16.30

Buy My Vote

Buy My Vote Jonathan Feldstein No1abba@gmail.com http://jonathanfeldstein.blogspot.com OK, not really. My vote is not for sale. Seriously. Unless the offer is one that’s just too good to refuse. No, I’m just joking. Seriously. That was a joke. Really. But you can help me decide on whom to vote for. I was very pleased to get my absentee ballot this week and I am planning to exercise my right to vote for NJ’s Ninth District federal election. Since I am 18 I have always voted in local national elections, in New Jersey, and for a time in Georgia. This has continued since I moved to Israel in 2004, and the next election is just around the corner. But I am not sure who to vote for. Having lived in the Ninth District for a dozen years, I am familiar local issues and with incumbent Congressman Steve Rothman’s record, particularly on things that matter to me the most. I also generally have a sense that Congressman Rothman is a decent and honest person. That makes a lot of difference. In the last few years, I am less aware of his voting record and particularly not aware of how he lines up with the current Obama Administration and its’ policies. Candidly, I am not a fan of many of the Administration’s policies, and I am wondering if as a Democrat, Congressman Rothman has been fully supportive of the party line, whether his voting record has differed with that of the Administration’s policies and expectations, if he’s differed with Obama, on what, and how much of a vocal advocate he’s been standing up against Administration policies with which he disagrees adamantly, if any. My vote, and my interests, are based on many things, the economy, security, diplomacy, education, taxes, social security, etc. But I’d be a liar if I were not up front that among the top of my agenda is how any candidate stands, and votes, vis a vis Israel and the Middle East, and whether that candidate is sophisticated enough to see the big picture. Knee jerk support for Israel is fine and something I’d never dismiss. To the contrary, any candidate anywhere recognizing that Israel is the only democracy in the entire Middle East, and America’s best ally here, if not in the world, wins my respect. However, noting here is black and white and I want a candidate who understands the nuance and cultural issues that make this region unique. Visiting Rothman’s Foreign Policy page, http://www.rothman.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=924&Itemid=1, it’s interesting to see that eight of the first ten items relate to Israel and the Middle East and Rothman’s position is strong. Yet, I recall that it wasn’t until former NY Mayor Ed Koch called NY Senator Schumer on the carpet for not speaking up against the Obama Administration’s incessant pushing Israel into a corner, and consequently pushing Israel and the Palestinians further from peace by raising the bar on issues that need to be negotiated, that Senate leader Schumer actually took a stand. What’s Congressman Rothman been doing these past months and how has he, a long time and well known supporter of Israel, stood against the Obama Administration’s unprecedented and one sided pushing of Israel? Rothman’s Republican opponent is Michael Agosta, a man I have never heard of until my ballot arrived. So I checked him out a bit. http://www.agostaforcongress.com . I read his policies, his background, and I believe I have a sense of what motivates him and that he’d be a fine representative of mine in Congress. He lacks Rothman’s 14 years of experience, but then if that were an impediment for anyone advancing professionally, I’d still be stocking shelves in a NJ hardware store. Israel is not the only important issue. Taxes are important, particularly the federal estate tax. I know firsthand, from sending a not insignificant check to the government after my mother died. Repealing the tax cuts that have been phased in over the past decade is a very bad idea. Similarly, the overall global economy is important and the steadily declining value of the dollar is very bad. That’s tied to many things, including diplomacy, and I want an elected official who will help the US stand strong and proud, not in anyone else’s face unnecessarily, but not appeasing others, weak or showing cowardice. The balance between civil rights and security impacts us all because threats to Americans are bad for the world. Iran must be stopped dead in its tracks of building nuclear weapons, by any means necessary. It is the 11th hour. Rothman brings experience, seniority and an understanding of the issues. But just by virtue of being a democrat, he’s tied to a Presidential Administration that I have become less and less a fan of, and if I vote for him, in a way that’s a vote for the Obama Administration, especially if Rothman has not stood up and differentiated himself from Obama on major policy differences, if there are any. Agosta seems to be a salt of the earth guy whose policies are appealing and who, if I support, also sends a clear message to the Administration that I don’t mind sending. But I don’t want to send a message just for the sake of sending a message and am as yet undecided. I recognize that all polls indicate sweeping change in Congress next month, not the kind of change that Obama campaigned on for sure. So maybe my vote won’t make any real difference. Voting to send a republican to Congress in a district that has been democratic for a generation or more may break the democratic control of Congress, and it also may create legislative deadlock. Or, it may bring the Obama Administration more toward the center and actually start to work with the other side of the aisle once the “other side” is much bigger than his side. This is something he campaigned on two years ago but has yet to deliver on that in any significant way. I know enough to ask these and other questions, but I can’t say for sure what the answers are. To that end, I invite and welcome the feedback of readers who have a serious thought on this and the issues I mentioned, and any others that may be relevant. I will weigh serious input seriously. I’d especially welcome feedback from people who live in the district. This will help in my decision making, and also be interesting to see the nature and number of responses. Please send responses to no1abba@gmail.com, or via my blog at http://jonathanfeldstein.blogspot.com. Facebook works too. There’s bound to be someone reading this whose inclination it will be to say that because I no longer live in the district, or in the US for that matter, I shouldn’t vote. I reject that categorically. Not only do I have the Constitutional right to vote, any suggestion that I don’t because I live overseas opens up a huge can of worms about creating second class citizens in any number of categories and violates the rights of all of us. I always have been, and remain, a proud and loyal American. I have worked and paid state and federal income taxes for three decades. I’d like to be able to have the benefit of Social Security which I have paid into for far more than the 40 quarters needed. Not only am I a citizen with the RIGHT to vote, I am an ongoing shareholder with a vested interest in the interest in the outcome of every election and their results. So, even if you may think it, please don’t tell me I don’t have the right to exercise my vote. I wish both candidates well. I invite them to visit my home in Israel when they come for a tour to meet with myself and other constituents, to discuss issues and their respective policies, and to influence my vote and my confidence in them as my elected leader in the next election.

The Farce Behind the Freeze

Formal face to face peace talks have begun, again, between Israel and the Palestinians and with all history, skepticism, and cynicism aside, I know that I share the hope of the overwhelming majority of Israelis that they will succeed. Yet, even before the talks began this week, the Palestinians were looking for excuses to run away from the table. Claiming that ending Israel’s ten month construction freeze in the disputed West Bank makes it impossible to continue talks, predetermining the outcome of the talks before they had started, the Palestinians entered talks with one foot out the door. But talk of the construction in these Jewish communities is a red herring. It’s a farce that has, and should have, no bearing on the talks, even though the freeze itself was a magnanimous and unprecedented gesture to the Palestinians to get them to enter direct negotiations to begin with. That the Palestinians waited until now, it’s even possible to imagine that they waited to sit down to begin talks deliberately in order to use this excuse as a way to end the talks three weeks later. As much as the Israeli position was magnanimous and unprecedented, the Palestinian position is intransigent and obstructive. Before addressing that, it’s important to note that much of the reason why the Palestinians took and maintain their position is due to President Obama's making “settlement” construction the issue that he did. Once he did that, the Palestinians could not be less “Palestinians than the President” and they adopted, and ran with, this hard line and unprecedented position just as a pre-condition to sit to negotiate face to face. The simple reality is that President Obama provided the ladder and pushed Abbas up the tallest tree in Palestine, then pulled away the ladder and left no way for him to climb down. It would be honest and useful if the President acknowledged such to Abbas, even privately, and made it clear that he was wrong. Since then, one Palestinian spokesman after another continue the mantra that it’s “impossible” to negotiate while settlements are being built, forget the fact that it’s Palestinians who do most of the construction and make a livelihood in building these communities, or the fact that it’s just not true. This is another excuse for their not negotiating in good faith, and makes one wonder seriously whether they in fact want an end to the war, violence, and disputes that have served as an impediment to their goal of a Palestinian state, or not. The reality is that until Netanyahu became Prime Minister in 2009, the Palestinians HAVE negotiated with Israel at the highest levels, on a regular and ongoing basis, all the while settlement construction continued. Not only is it not “impossible” to do so, but it’s been done! Underscoring this, an right leaning Israeli group recently bemoaned that they missed Prime Minister Olmert, never a fan of the Israeli right, as under Olmert, there was far more “settlement” construction than in Netanyahu’s tenure. Not only did negotiations take place, refuting Palestinian claims that these talks are “impossible,” but Israel demonstrated that settlements are not an obstacle to peace by unilaterally destroying dozens and evacuating nearly 10,000 of their residents. It is a precedent that was established in 2005 and one that is expected to be repeated under a final agreement with the Palestinians. Denying this reality is like denying that the Jewish people have a legitimate, historical and religious right to Israel that dates back thousands of years even before King David built Jerusalem 3000 years ago. And if the Palestinians weren’t negotiating peace and talking about a resolution of the conflict (which even Abbas admits took place because he said that Olmert’s offers and the Palestinian’s demands left gaps that were still too wide), then Prime Minister Olmert, President Abbas, Foreign Minister Tzippi Livni, and Ahmed Qureia had one of the highest level, and least publicized, book clubs in the world. Netanyahu is correct. One cannot set conditions of terms that predispose the outcome and an agreement on all the issues just to sit down and negotiate. Publically, both Netanyahu’s and Abbas’ remarks were conciliatory. One expects that the thawing of the building freeze notwithstanding, there will be many issues on which the sides differ. But the question is whether the parties want to charter a new path, or revert to historical problems. Most Israelis believe that Netanyahu is sincere about his desire to make peace, yet most Israelis do not believe that about Abbas, or his ability to do so. Historically, September is not an auspicious month in which to begin peace talks based on the September 13 anniversary of the ultimate failure of the signing of the Oslo agreements and mutual recognition between the PLO and Israel (1994), and the failure of the Clinton hosted Camp David negotiations in 2000 that precipitated the Second Intifada leaving thousands of Israelis killed and injured. Other anniversaries of events when moderation was missing – Black September (1970) when the PLO threatened the Jordanian monarchy and were driven out of Jordan in a bloody massacre, and albeit while not directly connected to the Palestinians, the September 11 (2001) attack on the United States, carried out by Muslim extremists, as a brazen act of terror and intolerance. There’s no more vivid reminder of that than the September 5 anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes at the now infamous Munich Olympics (1972), not only of the terror but in the turning on its head of an international event meant to be about good will and competition as another forum for hate, intolerance and anti-Semitism. This week’s murder of four more Israelis continues that trend. Yet in spite of it all, and the historical odds against peace, one hopes that 2010 will bring a more positive outcome and that the death and bloodshed will end once and for all.

On Five Year Old Birthdays and Anniversaries

My soon to be five year old son is the only member of our family with a summer birthday and one of those kids whose school birthday celebration will be bunched up with all other summer birthday kids. He had a hard time understanding that his party last Friday did not make him five years old, so we’ll make another party in two months when he really turns five. Hopefully he won’t feel short changed in his birthday celebrations. As we sat in his class enjoying the birthday rituals, I couldn’t help but think that in one gigantic way, it was hardly a day for celebration. Because that same day, June 25, marked the fourth anniversary of the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Palestinian terrorists. On June 25, Gilad Shalit began his fifth year in captivity with not so much as a letter from home, a visit from the Red Cross or representative of any international body, while existing in conditions far less humane than those under which Israel holds captured Palestinian terrorists--who enjoy cable TV, distance learning, air conditioning and visits from the Red Cross, families and friends. Hopefully Gilad Shalit will come home soon. Very soon. But until then, I will connect his captivity with my son’s growing up. I will now measure Gilad's imprisonment by my own son’s growth, vividly aware of his transition from infant to little boy, of his starting to do things for himself and experience all that life encompasses in five years. I am now more aware of the things Gilad has lost. Of the familial sanctuary stolen from him on the day of his abduction. The week of Gilad Shalit's kidnapping also marks the fifth anniversary of what was then an unrelated event, but has since become more related and relevant. Just days before his abduction, the International Red Cross (ICRC) finally undid a great historical injustice by accepting Magen David Adom as Israel’s member. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Health/MDAadmitted.html) These coterminous events are connected because the Red Cross is mandated to enforce that prisoners worldwide be held under universally acceptable humane conditions. But since then, the Red Cross has held Israel to selective and inconsistent standards. While stating that it cares deeply about Shalit and his well being, http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/israel-shalit-interview-230610, it has been unsuccessful and inept at making any progress on Gilad’s condition. It has never visited him. It has not been able to assess under what conditions he’s being held or his medical condition. It can’t even deliver a letter to him from his family. Yet, while they make claims that they care, on the Red Cross’ own web site under “The ICRC in Israel and the occupied territories” (http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/israel!Open), a sample of some 30 articles and postings display a grossly imbalanced view of their position. Shockingly, of 30 postings, 20 are pro-Palestinian and lay out the troubles of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, positing or inferring that Israel is the sole cause of their troubles. Five postings present either a pro-Israel perspective, or one that at least makes Israel and Israelis look human. The remaining five can generously be described as neutral, except to the extent that of the Palestinians’ troubles noted, it can be inferred from the predominance of the majority of the postings, are Israel’s fault too. Magnifying this imbalance, the tab for “Israel” on the Red Cross web site opens to “Israel and the occupied territories.” Israel can’t even get its own tab, much less a balanced view. And the tab for “Palestine” opens to…you guessed it: “Israel and the occupied territories.” Yet, in neither is there mention of Israel's suffering through a decade of rocket's being fired at nearly 20% its population within 30 minutes of Gaza’s border. Or of Israel's anguish as a result of Palestinian terrorism in the past decade, and since its founding. There’s no consideration of post traumatic stress or the extent to which Israel has had to go to ensure the safety of its citizens. Oh… and did you see any Red Cross condemnation of Hamas, its bloody and illegitimate coup, and the cruel, militant terror state to which Gazans have been subjected under Islamic domination, purging fellow Arab Moslems and Christians? Of course not. Why would the Red Cross document or publicize Hamas’ inhumane treatment of fellow Arabs, let alone their terrorizing and murdering Israelis. While the Red Cross 'claims' they care about Gilad, its deputy head in “Israel and the occupied territories” absolves Hamas of all responsibility because, “Hamas is a non-state party to the conflict. As such, it is not obligated to allow family or Red Cross visits.” http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/pierre-dorbes-of-the-red-cross-has-hamas-agreed-to-anything-you-asked-for-regarding-gilad-shalit-1.297575 These sad facts hardly build one's confidence when the Red Cross’ head of operations for the Middle East states, “We are still working just as hard as we did when Gilad Shalit was first captured.” The Red Cross has a contemptible double standard: To uphold human rights for Gazans, even Hamas and other terrorists, and blame Israel for all their troubles, while making excuses to justify why they have not done anything tangible for Gilad Shalit. If I were the head of the Red Cross, I’d show up in Gaza and begin a public hunger strike until I were allowed to visit Gilad with a doctor, speak with him openly, and deliver a letter from his parents. That’s assuming the head of the Red Cross really cares. In thirteen years, my son will don the uniform of the IDF to defend us from Hamas and any existential challenges we may face. I am not holding my breath that we’ll have peace by then. As Gilad Shalit’s parents have begun a march (http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=179725) to secure their son’s freedom, as a parent of the little boy who will one day put his life on the line to defend the people and State of Israel, I pray that this will be Gilad’s last year in captivity and that he will be home with them soon. Until then, maybe the Red Cross will do something more than pay lip service to Gilad’s cause.

Turkish Acts of War, Genocide, Tourism and Hypocrisy

There’s no sinking the swirling issue of so called “humanitarian activists” sending a flotilla of ships toward Israel last month with the alleged, and their now disproven, goal of breaking Israelis blockade of the Hamas (terrorist) controlled territory; or of Israel’s response, which some say was poorly planned and/or executed leaving several Israeli soldiers with severe injuries and nine Turks on board the now infamous Mavi Marmara dead. And if this is not enough, such other terrorist controlled states as Lebanon and Iran are now sending their own ships to attempt to break the blockade, er, bring “humanitarian supplies” to their terrorist brethren in Gaza. No, that’s not to say that all Iranians, Lebanese or Gazans are terrorists. Of course not. Nor is it to say that there are not legitimate humanitarian needs in Gaza, many of which are met by Israel’s trucking in by scores of trucks a day, thousands of tons of real humanitarian supplies. But it is incontrovertible that Iran is controlled by an Islamic terrorist regime that stole a national election a year ago and continues to threaten Israel’s very existence. It is incontrovertible that Lebanon is controlled to a large extent (and almost unilaterally in the south) by an Iranian proxy in Hezbollah. And it is incontrovertible that Gazans live under the terrorist heel of Hamas which overthrew the elected Palestinian Authority government that once controlled the area in a violent and bloody coup, murdering far more of their brothers than there were dead “humanitarians” on the Mavi Marmara. This is the reason for the blockade of Gaza to begin with. Oh, and that for the better part of a decade Hamas backed terrorists fired thousands of rockets at Israeli towns and cities, and that Hamas backed terrorists kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, now entering his fifth year in captivity without as much as a visit from the Red Cross or ability to correspond with his family forget other breaches of international conventions as to the treating of captives. On the day of Israeli’s boarding, being violently attacked by, and eventually defeating the terrorists aboard the Mavi Marmara, I was in Atlanta at a convention of some 5000 evangelical Christians whose love and support for Israel is almost as unilateral as the hate emanating from Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Turkey and many other ports. Even before the details of the flotilla incident became apparent, support for Israel was uncontested. I received countless prayers for the well being of Israel, blessings for its people and soldiers, and expressions of unconditional love. Most did not know yet that Israel had offered to let the ships dock in Ashdod and transfer humanitarian supplies directly to Gaza. Most did not know yet that the organizers refused to carry a letter to Gilad Shalit from his family. Most did not know yet that the “passengers” were armed mercenaries who videotaped their own plotting to attack Israeli soldiers. Most did not know yet that Israel already sends scores of truck loads of humanitarian aid into Gaza, daily. Most did not know that Israel regularly transports tens of Gazan patients to Israeli hospitals for medical care, daily. While the world rushed to blame Israel before the facts were in, tripping over one another to see who lies and misrepresentations could be more egregious and baseless, and there were countless political and civic leaders, media personalities, and fringe groups who immediately questioned the planning, intelligence, implementation and the outcome of the operation, I felt stranded in a sea of love and support. The participants of the Foursquare Ministries Convention knew instinctively which side was right and did not equivocate. Israel has set up a commission to investigate, and some facts are still being discovered. However, the simple facts are that the Turks basically committed an act of war, nine armed mercenaries were killed by soldiers who were defending themselves, and the Turks had the hubris to demand an apology. Then, if that were not enough, they threatened that if Israel doesn’t apologize it will harm Israeli Turkish relations, and that the Turks will cancel lucrative military contracts. Let’s think about this a moment. Do we really want the Turks (read Iran-west) armed with superior Israeli military equipment and technology anyway? This is like an abusive husband beating his wife so badly that she goes to the hospital, and then he “visits” her to say that if she apologizes for making him beat her, he’ll take her back. She apologizes, and then, as if to make up, buys him a new Leatherman and aluminum baseball bat as a gift. What she should do is to spit in the abusive husband’s face and say good riddance. How do you say good riddance in Turkish? Kurdistan? Armenian genocide? Cyprus? Recently, on the same day, underscoring that there’s no sinking this story, the Jerusalem Post reported three stories related to Turkey, among others, that underscored the irony and hypocrisy of the situation. Turkish Islamist Prime Minister Erdogan is noted as saying that Turkey’s problems are with the Israeli government, not the Israeli people. That’s comforting. One is left to the limits of his imagination as to how the Turks would behave if they really didn’t like us as a people. [“Our problem is with the Israeli Government” (http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=178891)] Two pages later, “The sound of silence: Will Turkey become Like Iran for Tourists?” (http://new.jpost.com/Travel/TravelNews/Article.aspx?id=178922) we are told that Israeli tourism to Turkey has plummeted and is now all but dead. Of course Israelis don’t have a problem with Turkey, its people, or its lovely resorts, only with its budding terrorist government as part of the widening Islamist Iranian axis of those who want to destroy Israel. But the Iranians probably only really MEAN that they want to destroy our government, not the people, State or Land of Israel. Note my sigh of relief. Maybe we should buy them some rocket launchers and kiss and make up. But after reading about the friendly intentions of Turkey’s leaders toward me as an Israeli, and being wooed by the beautiful empty resorts being peddled by Turkish tourism professionals, I read with horror a report that “Turkish Jets Raid Northern Iraq” (http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=178896). How could the peace loving Turks do such a thing? If it were true, the world would surely have an international uproar at least as loud as that leveled at Israel. If it were true, then the world would surely call for an international inquiry. I shudder to think that respectable world media would report on something false, and am comforted in knowing that if the Turks committed such a grave hostility that the world outcry would be loud and unrelenting. Just like the outcry of Turkey’s genocide against the Armenians, its violent and bloody war on Cyprus, or Turkish hospitality and international relations as depicted in the movie “Midnight Express.” Its time to stop giving the Turks a pass and call them on the carpet. The behavior of the Turkish government is hostile and belligerent, and its’ cozying up to Iran is scary, especially to Europe to which Turkey still longs to be associated. Maybe that’s why the Turks can’t find anyone home when knocking on the EU’s door. Turkey has elections coming up and one can only hope that an appropriate barrage of media, formal and social, ostracizing the Turkish government will sway the public to elect new leaders who are in line with the Turkish tradition of secularism and western values, and reject the rising Islamist alliance and extremism. And let us hope that the Turkish army, long known to be a bastion of that secularism, will be able to withstand challenges that one can rightly fear might end up like when their Iranian patrons stole an election in Iran a year ago.

A-Positive Family Tradition

Being the oldest of three sons, whether by design or de facto, one of my roles in my family structure was to “break in my parents” as I used to say. In so many ways, being the oldest comes with unique opportunities, but also challenges. Things that my brothers got away with I’d never have gotten away with, yet my growth and milestones were much more significant because except for the PhD, many of the significant things were ones I did first. The dynamic is the same in my own family where my oldest has complained for years that it’s not fair how much her siblings get away with as compared to her. She’s definitely played the role of breaking us in as parents, as I did decades earlier. However, she also has her milestones measured as benchmarks not just in her own life but in the entire extended family dynamic. She’s been the first to do many things. The most noteworthy of late are her being called up to the army, and on the verge of getting her drivers license. Old hat for anyone who’s done this before, but headline news for us, her siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. All this was trumped, in my mind at least, by my daughter being the first to carry on an important family tradition. Like my mother, and myself, for whom donating blood was/is an imperative and privilege, this week I took my daughter to donate blood for the first time. She was nervous before, and a little pale and dizzy afterward. But as she said, “it’s scary to think about before you’ve ever done it, but once you do it and see that it doesn’t hurt, it’s no problem.” For much of her adult life, my mother was a regular blood donor. She had the most rare blood type and understood how important it was to donate. When she’d hear about a car accident or other disaster locally, she’d go to the hospital to donate without being asked. When someone was in need of her type specific blood and she’d get a call, she’d go to donate at any hour of the day or night. Once, a relative by marriage who shared the same blood type was having surgery and my mother camped out at the hospital in case he needed her blood. My mother instilled the importance of donating blood in me and, when she was no longer able to donate for health reasons, she was pleased to see that I would continue in her tradition of donating regularly. Four years ago, as she lay dying requiring transfusion of tens of units of other people’s blood just to stay alive, it became more clear to me than ever how important this was. There’s a Jewish tradition to donate charity on behalf of someone who is gravely ill in order to find favor in Gods eye and a reversal of the severe outcome. As my mother lay dying I called upon people in most continents of the world to donate blood on her behalf so that she would merit a continued long and healthy life. Since then, my kids know that I have been fortunate to help bring thousands of Americans to donate blood in Israel, to provide a direct and tangible way to help save lives here as a meaningful bond between Americans, Jews and non-Jews, with the people of Israel. On July 9 2006, just weeks after my mother’s death, I arranged to host a group of Iranian Jews from NY to donate blood at Magen David Adom. One woman passionately pleaded with me for her blood to go to the “brave soldiers of the IDF.” I assured her that if there was a need to do so, Magen David Adom would provide all the blood to the Israeli army, but that then, things were peaceful and there was no need for blood in the IDF. Three days later, the Second Lebanon War began, and it’s almost a certainty that her blood went to the early Israeli victims of that war. There are many reasons to donate blood in general, and many more in Israel. Before, during, and after donating blood with my daughter this week, I tried to instill some of the importance of this so it would become part of her. There are many positive things that we do, or should do, but too often don’t do. Diet. Exercise. Homework. Chores of all kinds. We know that there’s a positive value in doing them, but often they slip to the back burner, or off the burner entirely. Donating blood should not be like that. It is a social and religious imperative and, for those who can, it should be a regular event. The privilege to be able to donate blood gives new meaning to the adage “better to give than to receive.” After a late lunch together and some nice bonding time, we walked out of Jerusalem’s central bus station where the blood donation took place. I heard my daughter mumbling something that was inaudible with the background noise of the buses behind us. “What?” I asked. “July, August, September,” she repeated. “What are you talking about?” I asked again, thinking that the blood was not flowing to her head so well. “July, August, September. September is the next time I can give blood.” If it costs me lunch every time, it is an investment that is well worth it. Because on the same day that my daughter was told that she’s ready to take the road test to get her drivers license, one of these new milestones that we as parents have to be broken in for, and four years to the week that her grandmother died, she also accepted the baton from one generation to the next, continuing A-Positive family tradition. Grandma would be very proud. I am. May my kids always be able to give and never receive.

The News of the Day to the Tune of Gilligan’s Island

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip That started with a terrorist plot Aboard six terror ships. The myth was a humanitarian mission, To bring supplies to Gaza. To break the blockade on Hamas To bring needed supplies, to bring needed supplies. With an anti-Israel hidden agenda, The six ships stopped at sea. If not for the provocation of the terrorists The mission would be lost, the mission would be lost. The ship arrived in Israel’s Ashdod port With terrorists, Islamic militants, The Turkish and the Swedes, Anti Semites, “Blind” self hating Jews, And the truth yet to be told. So this is a battle in Israel’s war for survival, Its been going on for a long, long time, The terrorists blame Israel for all their woes, It's an uphill climb. The Israeli government and the IDF, Will do their very best, To make all Israelis safe, From enemies near and far. Few friends, bad PR, jihad, and intifadas, Between a rock and a hard place, Like challenges in days before, and again in our day. So pay attention to the truth my friends, Israel cant get a fair shake, From any of its neighbors, Or from most of the spineless world.