Jerusalem News (3 August, 2014, 7 Av, 5774)
Contents:
1. Need to Re-Locate Gaza Population Re-Enters Mainstream Dialogue
Into the fray: Why Gaza must go by MARTIN SHERMAN (forwarded, with comment, by Mark Williams)
2. Kidnapped Israeli Soldier Apparently Killed in Ensuing Battle.
3. Gallup Polls: Protestant Church Attendance as well Republican Party Sympathies mean increased Support for Israel!
As many as 80% of weekly church-attending Republicans are more sympathetic toward Israelis
4. Middle East chaos: history of intermixing ethnic groups, religions, states
5. Video: MK Israel Eichler (United Torah Judaism) said a chapter of Tehilim
(Psalms)[ ch. 122] at a Knesset session for the sake of the IDF soldiers and Israeli
civilians
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1. Need to Re-Locate Gaza Population Re-Enters Mainstream Dialogue
Into the fray: Why Gaza must go by MARTIN SHERMAN
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From: Mark Williams
Subject: Hey Yair. Have you read this?
Quote
"The only durable solution requires dismantling Gaza, humanitarian
relocation of the non-belligerent Arab population, and extension of
Israeli sovereignty over the region."
Sound familiar? ;-)
Shalom bro!
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Into the fray: Why Gaza must go
By MARTIN SHERMAN
07/24/2014 23:37
 http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Into-the-fray-Why-Gaza-must-go-368862
Extracts:
The only durable solution requires dismantling Gaza, humanitarian relocation of the non-belligerent Arab population, and extension of Israeli sovereignty over the region.
We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind.... You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny... That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory; victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
 Winston Churchill, May 13, 1940
We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.
The underlying reason for the inadequate responses to clearly apparent dangers is that Israel,s leaders have been cowered into this moralistic masochism by an aggressive and intolerant triad of left-wing civil society elites (in the legal establishment, the mainstream media and academe), who, through their unelected position of privilege and power, have taken control of the political discourse in the country.
The political discourse determines the elected political leadership's perception of policy constraints and policy possibilities.
Through dominance of the discourse, these elites can control the parameters of Israeli policy-making and impose their worldview of political appeasement and territorial concessions on it.
The reluctance to face unpalatable realities has spawned new terminology to paper over intellectual surrender, and mask unwillingness to accept the need for regrettably harsh but essential policies.
First, we were told that since there was 'no solution' to the Israel-Arab conflict, we should adopt an approach of 'conflict management' rather than 'conflict resolution.'
Now we have a new term in the professional jargon to convey a similar perspective: 'mowing the grass.' This is the name for an approach that entails a new round of fighting every time the Palestinian violence reaches levels Israel finds unacceptable.
Its 'rationale' , Â for want of a better term , Â was recently articulated by Efraim Inbar and Eitan Shamir of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University, as: 'The use of force, not intended to attain impossible political goals, but rather [as a] long-term strategy of attrition designed primarily to debilitate the enemy capabilities.'
Sadly, what we have seen is that far from 'debilitating the enemy capabilities,' because said enemy keeps reappearing, spoiling for a fight, ever bolder with ever-greater capabilities.
It is an open question just how many more rounds of 'mowing' the residents of southern Israel will endure before losing confidence that the government will provide adequate protection and choose to evacuate the area.
No, periodically mowing the lawn is not a policy that can endure for long, Â it simply will not cut it. The grass needs to be uprooted, Â once and for all.
Gaza: What would Einstein say?Â
Albert Einstein famously said that one could not solve a problem with the level of thinking that created it.
Clearly, the problem of Gaza was created by the belief that land could be transferred to the Palestinian Arabs to provide them a viable opportunity for self-governance.
Equally clearly, then, the problem of Gaza cannot be solved by persisting with ideas that created it, Â i.e. persisting with a plan for Israel to provide the Palestinian Arabs with land for self-governance.
The problem can only be solved by entirely abandoning the concept that Gaza should be governed by Palestinian Arabs. Any effective solution must follow this new line of reasoning.
Any other outcome will merely prolong the problem. If Hamas comes out stronger from this round of fighting, it will be only a matter of time before the next, probably more deadly, round breaks out.
If Hamas comes out weaker from this round of fighting, it is only a matter of time before it will be replaced by an even more violent extremist-successor, and thus, once more, only a matter of time until the next, probably more deadly, round breaks out.
The only durable solution requires dismantling Gaza, humanitarian relocation of the non-belligerent Arab population, and extension of Israeli sovereignty over the region.
That is the only approach that can solve the problem of Gaza.
That is the only approach that will eliminate the threat to Israel continually issuing from Gaza.
That is the only approach that will extricate the non-belligerent Palestinians from the clutches of the cruel, corrupt cliques who led them astray for decades.
That is the only approach that will preclude a need for Israel to 'rule over another people.'
Former US President Herbert Hoover, dubbed the 'Great Humanitarian' for his efforts to relieve famine in Europe after WWI, wrote in The Problems of Lasting Peace: 'Consideration should be given even to the heroic remedy of transfer of populations...the hardship of moving is great, but it is [still] less than the constant suffering of minorities and the constant recurrence of war.'
How could anyone, with any degree of compassion and humanity, disagree?
Martin Sherman (www.martinsherman.org) is the founder and executive director of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.www.martinsherman.net
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See Also:
Options for Survival: A Solution to the War in Gaza
by Yair Davidiy (Jauary 10, 2009)
http://www.britam.org/hamas.html
Transfer the Palestinians
Send the Arabs of Gaza to Latin America (3 August, 2014)
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/gaza.html
See Video Clip.
Transfer the Palestinians
Â
Duration:Â Â Â 14.57 minutes
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2. Kidnapped Israeli Soldier Apparently Killed in Ensuing Battle.
2nd Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, aged 23, was kidnapped by Hamas in Gaza on Friday morning (5 July 2014), more than an hour after a 72-hour truce went into effect. After that he was apparently killed in the fighting that took place.
Two other Givati Brigade soldiers were confirmed by the IDF to have been killed in the attack, Â Major Benaya Sarel, 26, from Kiryat Arba, and 1st.-Sgt. Liel Gidoni, 20, from Jerusalem.
Goldin died in Rafah when a Hamas suicide bomber emerged from a tunnel near the Givati force and detonated himself as a diversion. Additional terrorists then attacked Goldin's force, killing two soldiers. Major Benaya Sarel and Staff Sergeant Liel Gidoni.
The terrorists then dragged Goldin into a tunnel and later claimed he was alive.
As soon as Goldin was dragged into the tunnel, other members of his platoon raced in after him to try and prevent the abduction, but they were too late.
During that search, the unit found Goldin's personal effects during the initial search, 20 meters underground.
Their next move was to prevent the terrorists from taking Goldin farther away; they began firing in all directions and destroyed targets in as many areas as possible, including buildings, vehicles and sending smoke down the tunnel in order to kill the terrorists who had taken their commander. It is probable that Goldin also died in that effort but highly unusual for Hamas to admit that as well.
Immediately afterwards, Israel bombarded the Rafah area in shelling. Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, had acknowledged its militants staged an ambush early Friday in which soldiers were killed, but denied holding Goldin.
"We have lost contact with the mujahedeen unit that was in that ambush, and we think that all the fighters in this unit were killed by Zionist shelling along with the soldier, who the enemy says is missing," it said on Saturday.
Hadar was a Givati Brigade 2nd lieutenant who has spent part of his childhood in the UK. His parent taught at Cambridge University.
Hadar was about to get married in the next few weeks.
Hadar has a twin brother and 2 other siblings. The family lives in Kfar Saba on the Sharon plain.
Goldin's family is reportedly distantly related to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. The family, who are modern Orthodox, raised Goldin to love his people and his country, as he told Israel National News in an October 2013 interview upon finishing his officer's training  which he completed along with twin brother, Tzur.
Both his grandfathers were Holocaust survivors who participated in Israel's War of Independence in 1948.
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3. Gallup Polls: Protestant Church Attendance as well Republican Party Sympathies mean increased Support for Israel!
As many as 80% of weekly church-attending Republicans are more sympathetic toward Israelis
August 1, 2014
Religion Plays Large Role in Americans' Support for Israelis
Religious Americans, Jews, and Mormons most likely to support Israelis
by Frank Newport
http://www.gallup.com/poll/174266/religion-plays-large-role-americans-support-israelis.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=plaintextlink&utm_term=Israel%20-%20Palestinian%20Territory
Extracts:
PRINCETON, NJ -- Religious Americans are significantly more likely than less
religious Americans to be sympathetic to the Israelis in the Middle East
situation. Over the past 14 years, on average, 66% of Americans who attend
church weekly or almost every week are sympathetic to the Israelis, compared
with 13% who are sympathetic to the Palestinians. Sympathy for Israel drops
to 46% among those who never attend church, still twice as many as the 23%
who are sympathetic to the Palestinians.
Americans' Â Sympathies in Mideast Situation by Church Attendance
Weekly/almost weekly: Israelis 66% Palestinians 13%
Monthly./Seldom: Israelis 58% Palestinians 16%
Never: Israelis 46% Palestinians 23%
Religious Americans' higher levels of sympathy for the Israelis have been
consistent over the past 14 years, although percentages have fluctuated some
from year to year. The difference between weekly church attenders and those
who never attend has widened slightly in recent years, although it narrowed
again in 2014.
Religious Groups Vary in Sympathy Toward Israelis
Sympathy for Israelis is -- not surprisingly -- higher among U.S. Jews than
among Americans in any other major religious group. More than nine in 10
Jews across the time span surveyed expressed sympathy for Israelis, while
only 2% were more sympathetic to the Palestinians.
Seventy-nine percent of Mormons are more sympathetic to Israelis, followed
by Protestants (66%) and Catholics (59%). The lowest level of sympathy is
among the "nones" -- those without a formal religious identity -- among whom
45% express more sympathy for Israelis and 25% for the Palestinians.
Religiousness Has Effect Within Both Major Political Parties
Americans' political party identification is strongly related to their
sympathies for the two sides in the conflict, with Republicans much more
sympathetic to Israelis than Democrats are. This relationship is also
evident when Gallup recently asked Americans about the justification of the
Israeli and Hamas military actions in the current conflict in Gaza.
Because Republicans on average attend religious services more frequently
than Democrats, it is reasonable to assume that religiousness could be part
of the explanation for why Republicans are more sympathetic to Israelis. But
both party identification and religion independently affect Americans'
sympathies. Church attendance is related to sympathies for Israelis among
Republicans and Democrats, although the relationship is somewhat stronger
among Republicans.
As many as 80% of weekly church-attending Republicans are more sympathetic
toward Israelis, with this number dropping to 65% among Republicans who
never attend church. Among Democrats, there is little difference in sympathy
for Israelis between those who attend weekly and monthly or seldom, but
sympathy drops significantly to 42% among Democrats who never attend church.
Underscoring the possibility that partisanship is likely more influential
than religion on these attitudes, nonreligious Republicans are more likely
to sympathize with Israelis than highly religious Democrats.
Bottom Line
How religious Americans are, as measured by their religious service
attendance, is a reliable indicator of their relative sympathy for Israelis
over the Palestinians in the Middle East conflict. This relationship is
evident among both Republicans and Democrats. Support for Israelis is also
higher among U.S. Jews, Mormons, and Protestants than among other religious
groups.
There are several possible reasons for the relationship between
religiousness and support for Israelis. Many explanations focus on roles
that Israel and Israelis play in the Bible, the centrality of the saga of
the Israelites in the Old Testament, and the promises God made in the Old
Testament to the ancient prophets that he would create a promised land for
them. Some evangelical Christians also connect Israel to their views of the
second coming of Christ at Armageddon.
Although highly religious Christians in the U.S. strongly tilt toward the
Republican Party, and U.S. Jews tilt strongly toward the Democratic Party,
support for Israelis over the Palestinians in the Middle East conflict is
one issue that unites these otherwise politically disparate groups.
For more details on Gallup's polling methodology, visit www.gallup.com.
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
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4. Middle East chaos: history of intermixing ethnic groups, religions, states
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Middle-East-chaos-history-of-Intermixing-ethnic-groups-religions-states
Extracts:
TOKYO -- It has been 100 years since the outbreak of World War I. Three powers -- Germany and the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires -- eventually were defeated, and in the wake of the conflict, numerous nation-states were born. Syria, which is now gripped by civil war, and Iraq, which is fracturing, were once parts of the Ottoman Empire.
   Pursuing the origins of today's problems in the Middle East, one discovers that many arose from the national borders drawn by Britain and France as a result of that war. Those borders were made without regard to the distribution of ethnic groups, tribes, religions or sects.
    In Iraq, Sunni Muslims in the central part of the country have revolted against the political administration led by Shia, who account for 60% of the population and reside primarily in the south. Kurds in the north, meanwhile, have also strengthened their opposition to the central government. These waves of opposition have helped extremists gather strength.
    Sunni extremist forces that repeatedly carried out acts of terrorism within the country and have been involved in the Syrian civil war have taken control of some Iraqi cities, including Mosul. They have widened their zone of support, which straddles the two countries, and at the end of June proclaimed the establishment of the Islamic state. They emphasize the repudiation of national borders based on the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 between Britain and France.
The agreement, negotiated in secret, carved up the Ottoman Empire. Partially revised, it placed Syria and Lebanon within France's sphere of influence, and Iraq, Jordan and Palestine under British control. It became the foundation of the political map of today's Middle East.
    Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which encompassed numerous ethnic groups, religions and religious sects, Turkey itself was reorganized into a "nation of Turkish people." But a nationality and an ethnic group are not the same thing. If people of Georgian descent or Albanian descent share a sense of belonging as Turkish people, they are Turkish. However, there was also an ethnic group that did not share this sense of nationality -- the Kurds, who missed the chance for independence and autonomy in the immediate aftermath of World War I.
The biggest current issue regarding the situation of the Kurds is whether its regional government, which began self-rule in three provinces of northern Iraq under the protection of the U.S. following the Gulf War, is heading toward independence as the Iraqi state fractures.
    The regional government has seized the Kirkuk oil fields, which it asserts are part of the Kurdish region, despite being outside the zone of self-rule. Masoud Barzani, president of the region, has even said he will hold a public referendum on the question of independence. The problem is whether the region can become economically self-sufficient.
    Iraq's Kurdistan region is heavily dependent on Turkey economically, relying on it to supply electricity and improve infrastructure. Crude oil produced within the region and transportation routes all run through Turkey. Over the border, voices have emerged saying that an independent state contained within Iraq's national borders could be recognized.
    What has led to the fracturing of Iraq? Following the collapse of the Saddam Hussein government, which has primarily composed of minority Sunnis, the majority of political power went to Shias after elections.
    There has also been a backlash against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been criticized for becoming dictatorial. Some Sunni tribes have begun cooperating with the extremists, who have managed to quickly gain control of a broad swathe of Iraqi land. Such Sunni tribes also reside in Syria, and are cooperating with forces seeking to overthrow the Bashar Assad government. Political power in Syria lies with the Alawis, who are close to the Shias. Such a complicated regional and ethnic makeup means extremists in the area are operating in a way that transcends national borders.
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5. Video: Â MK Israel Eichler (United Torah Judaism) said a chapter of Tehilim
(Psalms)[ ch. 122] at a Knesset session for the sake of the IDF soldiers and Israeli
civilians
http://youtu.be/Klg4rRf78V8
[with thanks to Kikar Shabbat]
He read Psalms Chapter 122
1. A song for ascents. I shall raise my eyes to the mountains, from where
will my help come?
2. My help is from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3. He will not allow your foot to falter; Your Guardian will not slumber.
4. Behold the Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5. The Lord is your Guardian; the Lord is your shadow; [He is] by your right
hand.
6. By day, the sun will not smite you, nor will the moon at night.
7. The Lord will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul.
8. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from now and to
eternity.
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations
Website: www.imra.org.il