Dear friends,
In Hebrew we say: Ein ra bli tov, there is no bad without good. This seems to be the story of Israel since the beginning of time.
In the book of Judges 14:14 Samson returns to the site at which he fought and killed a lion. The lion's carcass is now sheltering a beehive. Later, Samson propounds this riddle to his companions:
"Out of the eater came something to eat, out of the strong came something sweet"
Two votes were taken yesterday, one in the US Congress and one in the UN. Both futile and meaningless, because the one in the Congress (allowing Obama's Iran "deal" to go through) and the one in the UN (allowing a "Palestinian" flag to fly outside the UN building) do absolutely nothing to promote the causes for which they were intended. The Iran deal will not cause Iran to stop developing the bomb, nor join the family of nations, and flying the "Palestinian" flag will not create a "Palestinian" state.
Some in the extreme-left main Israeli media were quick to declare the vote in Congress a colossal defeat for Israeli PM Netanyahu. The opposite is true. No matter how you look at it, Netanyahu scored a major victory, while Obama's "victory" was nothing but Pyrrhic.
Simply put, those Congress Members who voted for the "deal" will now have to prove even harder their friendship to Israel. In addition, many of them are up for reelection in 2016 and will have a hard time justifying their vote to their constituents, the majority of which are against the "deal."
Another reason is the freedom the vote gave Netanyahu to have Israel act on its own if this is what circumstances dictate.
The following brilliant article by Dror Eydar, pasted below, lists several other reasons for Netanyahu's victory. This article is worthy of hanging on your wall!
As for the "Palestinian" flag, listen to the amazing speech at the UN by the inimitable Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor. Unfortunately this modern-day Aba Eban is ending his term at the UN. Here is the link. Please help make this speech go viral:
Ambassador Prosor's final speech at the General Assembly
So, not all is bad, and in my book, this is
a good way to end the Jewish year 5775. The very long history, heritage,
culture and experience of the Jewish people will prevail.
Am Yisrael Chai - The Nation of Israel Lives.
Happy Jewish New Year to all
of you. May 5776 bring us all more truth and more integrity in everything we do
and say.
Your Truth Provider,
Yuval.
'The
Jewish people will never be silent ever again'
By Dror Eydar
As in the days of the bloody Oslo Accords, today too the Israeli media is
rushing to get behind a dangerous agreement: the one with Iran . I wouldn't
count on this deal, Obama's deal, being a success, and I certainly wouldn't
trust the media's forecasts.
Now that U.S. President Barack Obama has
secured the necessary support to ensure passage of the Iran nuclear agreement
through Congress, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "well-wishers" in the
media are coming out of the woodwork just to say, "We told you so." They even go
a step further and demand that we apologize for supporting Netanyahu's address
to Congress against the nuclear agreement back in March.
But they are the ones who should apologize.
Their foresight leaves much to be desired: The people who opposed Netanyahu's
speech at Congress are the same people who once promoted, with every fiber of
their beings, another deadly agreement, the 1993 Oslo Accords. Like the current
Iran agreement, Oslo was marketed to the masses as a "peace" agreement. These
same people supported Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and promised us permanent
calm on our southern border. Indeed, their ability to analyze long-term
implications appears quite faulty.
Around here, historic events come with a
built in hourglass. Once the sand runs out, the media's interest dissipates. But
for the benefit of the skeptics among our readers, here is a list of the
achievements so far in the battle against the Iran nuclear agreement:
1. Obama and his team have had to withstand a
powerful onslaught of distrust -- the wisdom of their diplomacy and their
negotiations capabilities have been called into question repeatedly. Doubt was
cast over their ability to ensure American interests, be it American interests
in the world or the U.S.'s relations with its allies. This onslaught, which
exposed the administration's weaknesses (and this would be a good time to
congratulate the American media for being courageous enough to go after the
administration -- compare that to the Israeli media's embarrassing sugar coating
of the Oslo Accords and silencing of the accords' opponents), has pushed the
American president into an apologetic, defensive corner. Public opinion among
Americans largely opposes the agreements, as do most elected
officials.
2. In response, the American administration
has been forced to publicly declare its commitment to Israel about a thousand
times and list the generous compensatory steps it would take to appease us --
including both short- and long-term defense and development aid.
3. The old threat of withholding the U.S.'s
veto power at the U.N., leaving us vulnerable to anti-Israel votes, is no longer
on the table. Please take note, Mr. "hold-me-back" serial resigner Mahmoud
Abbas: The last thing Obama needs right now is to prove his opponents' claims
that he indirectly supports the fight against Israel's existence.
4. One of the strongest arguments against the
American negotiators during the Iran talks was that they focused too much on the
nuclear issue and ignored Iran's terrorist activity throughout the world,
especially targeting Israel. On this, too, the Americans have been endlessly
defensive. This criticism could eventually bear fruit in the form of American
pressure on the Iranian tentacles, especially in our region.
5. Even if Obama wanted to punish us or
sabotage Israel or even personally get back at Netanyahu, the Democratic Party
would not let him. Even the Democratic senators who have promised to support
Obama's efforts did so (at least some of them) as a last resort, all the while
apologizing for the problematic nuclear agreement. An election year is upon us,
and the Democrats need the Jewish vote and the non-Jewish pro-Israel vote, which
constitute many, many votes. Opposition to the bloody agreement with Iran
crosses party and sectorial divides among the American public.
6. Moreover, the efforts against this bad
deal, even if it does eventually pass, are laying the groundwork for the next
administration to perhaps reassess both the deal and the U.S.'s attitude toward
the ayatollah regime. In the public sense, the nuclear agreement came into being
without widespread support and without any moral standing. We don't know who the
next American president will be, but it is hard to believe that anyone will
adhere to Obama's radical policies.
7. The adamant and extensive opposition to
the nuclear agreement was important also in that it communicated to the world
that our hands are not tied and that Israel is not bound by it. Despite the
demoralizing efforts made by certain parts of the Israeli media as well as
former Israeli security officials, as far as Israel is concerned, the military
option is still very much on the table, as are a range of other options --
anything our fine boys can dream up.
Israel's brief history has taught us a lesson
or two about the importance of intelligence gathering, and it taught us an
important lesson about the validity of journalistic forecasts.
We have an ancient tradition: When we are
pushed into a corner, we know how to take strong counter action. Our forefather
Jacob sought to avoid a confrontation with his brother Esau by way of sending
gifts, praying and dividing his camp. But when he encountered "the man" --
Esau's representative -- while alone in the camp, he had no choice but to fight
him. The twenty years he spent at Laban's house taught him how to fight like
Esau.
"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled
a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed
not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's
thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. And he said: 'Let me go, for the
day breaketh.' And he said: 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.' And
he said unto him: 'What is thy name?' And he said: 'Jacob.' And he said: 'Thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven with God
and with men, and hast prevailed'" (Genesis 32:25-29).
Jacob had no choice but to fight, and out of
that no-choice struggle, Israel was born -- the Israel that knows how to defend
itself from evil regimes.
And another important lesson can be learned
from this passage: If Israel can struggle with God, he can certainly struggle
with men, even if they are extremely important men.
8. After making the logical points having to
do with political, diplomatic and military conduct, it is important to touch on
the moral aspect: The opposition to evil, however it may manifest itself. Since
2009, the free world has been without a true leader. It is true that the recent
global and geopolitical shifts have been too dramatic to throw on one man's
shoulders, even if that man is the president of the United States. But it is
hard not to point an accusatory finger at Obama and his conciliatory foreign
policy as somewhat responsible for the terrible disarray in the Middle
East.
Where there are no leaders, the head of the
Jewish state is called upon to be a leader, be a light unto the nations, and
demonstrate that it is possible to oppose evil, even when that evil is disguised
with smiles and ingratiating photo ops. The days of exile are over. The Jewish
people have returned to Zion and, having undergone a long, involved process,
have regained mental health. There are times when it is wise to operate behind
the scenes and there are other times when it is best to take the lead and adhere
to the tradition of the man of Benjamin: "Mordecai bowed not down, nor
prostrated himself" even when "all the king's servants, that were in the king's
gate, bowed down, and prostrated themselves before Haman; for the king had so
commanded concerning him" (Esther 3:2). Even when political correctness dictated
it, and even when told to do so by pet Jews who abandoned their people and their
nation in favor of a pot of stew in Persia, America, Spain or
Babylon.
And on a personal note: I was there, at Congress,
when Netanyahu spoke. It was a profound experience that I will carry with me for
the rest of my life. It was impossible not to be in awe of the historical
resonance: The head of an independent Jewish state arrived in the capital of the
world, Washington (Rome of our time), and declared to the world: "The people of
Israel live!" He said that even if the Jewish people remain all alone, they will
fight and never be silent ever again, because this time we can defend ourselves.
In the tradition of our people, we have a name for this: kiddush Hashem
(sanctification of God's name).
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