“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122: 6
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Jonathan Schanzer—Israel Seeks to Restore Deterrence as U.S. Influence Wanes:
One week after the start of Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge,” also known as Hamas’ “10th of Ramadan War,” Washington is looking on helplessly. President Barack Obama offered to mediate a ceasefire last week, but the move fell on deaf ears—on both sides. Secretary of State John Kerry then made plans to visit to Cairo on Monday in a bid for calm. Egypt soon announced a ceasefire, which was to have taken hold this morning at 9 a.m. The Israelis agreed to the terms, but Hamas balked, claiming it was never even consulted. Rockets continue to fly out of Gaza, and Israeli warships continue to pound targets in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
American diplomacy may have failed thus far, but Washington is still crucial to this conflict in at least one respect. Iron Dome, a missile defense system developed and funded with U.S. assistance, has reportedly intercepted some 90 percent of the Hamas rockets hurtling toward Israeli population centers. The system is 100 percent responsible for the fact that there have been zero Israeli fatalities since this conflict erupted—so far—despite the more than 400 rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups into Israeli airspace. Iron Dome has allowed the Israelis to go on offense, in what has been largely been seen as a one-sided war.
The Israelis are deeply grateful to America for this remarkable technology. But, meeting with several senior Israeli officials last week, I was also struck by their equally strong desire to establish deterrence in a region that grows more dangerous by the day, and where U.S. influence is waning commensurately.
And it’s not just Israel, either. Call it a “pivot,” call it a “rebalancing”—by now, every leader in the region knows full well that the United States is trying to extricate itself from the Middle East. They know that the current Gaza conflict, the ongoing Syria slaughter and other regional upheavals are a collective nuisance to this administration, which has conspicuously failed to craft a consistent or coherent Middle East foreign policy after six years of turmoil.
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SnyderTalk Comment: Israel is paying the price for Obama’s misguided policies. Thankfully, thinking people are beginning to wake up to reality. Those who support Obama’s reckless schemes despite all the evidence are not thinking people. Regrettably, there are far too many people in the world who can’t or won’t think. They are easy pickings for the likes of Obama.
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Aaron David Miller: Why Israel Launched a Ground War in Gaza—Sure, Iron Dome has ensured that there were almost no Israeli casualties from Hamas’ rocket attacks. But Netanyahu can’t allow a new status quo in which Israel is subjected to the disruptions and potential casualties of daily rocket attacks. The responsibility of a government is to guarantee not just security but normalcy. And life isn’t normal today in Israel. Sooner or later Hamas was bound to get lucky. Its missiles, or some terrorists tunneling out of Gaza, would succeed in killing a significant number of Israelis. So Israel had to act now.
Jonathan Kay: Three Reasons why Israel Is Winning in Gaza—This is the third time that Israel and Hamas-run Gaza have done this. A three-week conflict in late 2008 and early 2009 resulted in an Israeli ground campaign and about 1,400 deaths – all but 13 of them on the Palestinian side. In November 2012, a smaller-scale confrontation resulted in about 200 deaths on the Palestinian side, and six on the Israeli side. Hamas continues to rhapsodize about the annihilation of Israel and its Jews, while devoting its meager wealth to the acquisition of more weapons. Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has little choice: No country could sit by idly while its towns and cities are used for target practice by warmongering jihadis. Many of the rockets have been shot down by Israel’s improved Iron Dome missile-defense system, a technical marvel that not only has saved human lives but also has reduced the stress level of the inhabitants of Israel’s largest cities. Yes, some weddings have been cancelled, as well as a Neil Young concert. But that’s pretty thin gruel for those Hamas supporters who see every confrontation as a chance to sweep the Zionists into the sea.
Ron Ben-Yishai: The Gaza Tunnel Threat to Israel—A large group of terrorists entered Israel through a tunnel dug in Gaza and emerged near Kibbutz Sufa, intending a major attack with a high death toll and the abduction of Israeli soldiers and civilians. Fortunately, security forces were waiting for the terrorists. But the danger of the tunnels is far from diminished, rather just further illustrated. No responsible political or military leader can afford to have the kibbutzim surrounding Gaza under constant threat from tunnels. The question of how many more tunnels or offshoots there are cannot be answered without an IDF presence west of the Gaza border fence.
Mitch Ginsburg: Why the Hamas Tunnels Are First Priority in Israel’s Ground Offensive— The sight of 13 Hamas terrorists deployed on the Israeli side of the border, a 10-minute march from Kibbutz Sufa on Thursday morning, probably tipped the scales, after 10 days of aerial war, in favor of a ground operation. But addressing the tunnel threat, which Israel’s technology has yet to credibly counter, is only one part of the mission launched Thursday night. The other aspect is to perform that which was not achieved from the air – thinning Hamas’ ranks, depleting its rockets stores and, most significantly, squeezing the Islamist organization so that it comes back to the table with more reasonable demands. The soldiers and commanders on the western side of the border, inside the Strip, though, cannot consider the application of pressure and the nature of negotiations among their goals. They need concrete aims. The first and likely most significant is the subterranean threat. Israel could have woken up Thursday to an entire kibbutz under siege. Haim Yellin, the head of the Eshkol Regional Council recently told the Times of Israel, standing outside a tunnel discovered several months ago, that many residents in the region are so scarred by the prospect of a tunnel attack that they hear the phantom scratching of shovels when they close their eyes at night.
Hillel Frisch: Create a Different Strategic Balance Against Islamic Terrorism—In 2002, Israel engaged in massive offensives against Yasser Arafat’s PA, its security forces, Fatah and the other terrorist organizations. It temporarily took over the big Palestinian towns, and has been “mowing the grass” ever since through daily preventive arrests of terrorist operatives. This policy, coupled with security cooperation with the PA security services under Muhammad Abbas’ rule, has had a dramatic effect. Terrorism in the West Bank has declined to levels that prevailed before the first intifada and have remained low ever since. Israel has avoided a massive ground attack on Gaza on the assumption that such an attack will have no lasting effects and might even make the situation worse. Destroying the military infrastructure of Hamas could lead to its “jihadization”; to a Gaza controlled by a variety of small jihadist groups at Hamas’ expense who would neither be deterred nor subject to pressure to desist from terrorist activity. Israel should adopt the highly successful anti-terrorist strategy it employed in the West Bank over the past decade and take over Gaza temporarily to destroy the terrorist infrastructure as much as possible. Even if a weakened Hamas was overwhelmed by other jihadistgroups, they might spend more time fighting each other than against the Zionist enemy, as we see today in Syria.
Clifford D. May: Ending the Occupation of Gaza Served to Escalate the Conflict—In 2005, Israel ended its occupation of Gaza. Every settlement, every settler, every synagogue and cemetery was removed. Hamas turned Gaza into a terrorist enclave from which more than a thousand missiles have been fired at Israeli communities in recent days. In this case, it was clearly not occupation that led to conflict. On the contrary – ending the occupation of Gaza served to escalate the conflict. When Hamas and similar groups talk about “occupation,” they’re referring to every square inch of Israel.
Abdallah Hamid Al-Din: Saudi Writer: The Slogans of Resistance Are Empty; The Only Way to Stop Israel Is to Make Peace with It—In a July 12, 2014, article in Al-Hayat, Saudi writer Abdallah Hamid Al-Din wrote: “How should we act today, 66 years after the establishment of the Jewish state, a state that enjoys international support and has a vast arsenal at its disposal?…If one wants to act in the world, one must accept reality even if one does not like it. Israel is part of this reality, and has been since 1948. I do not like [this] world order, but it is a fact. We must believe that every state is entitled to the same rights as any other. Every state has the right to afford its citizens a livable life.” “Do the [Palestinian] refugees and their descendants have the right to return? Yes! Do the Native Americans in the U.S. have the right to return to the regions that were theirs? Yes! Is that going to happen? No! Had I said to the Native Americans, ‘I will uphold your right to return and I will expel the people of America – so remain in your wretched condition’ – that would be patently immoral. The refugees will never return. That’s a fact.” “Ever since the 1947 [UN] partition resolution, the Palestinians’ situation has steadily deteriorated, while Israel’s situation is steadily improving. One does not need a vast amount of historical knowledge to understand that [the Arabs and Palestinians] missed one opportunity after another. Had the Arabs accepted the partition resolution, Israel’s territory would have been considerably smaller than it is today, and had they agreed [to make] peace after the defeat of 1967, their situation would have [also] been better.” “We must acknowledge that Israel cannot be defeated by force today, and for the foreseeable future….True resistance is resistance to illusions and false hopes, and no longer leaning on the past in building the future. Real resistance is to silently endure the handshake of your enemy so as to enable your people to learn and to live.”
MEMRI: Arab World Losing Patience with Hamas—The offensive waged by Hamas against Israel from Gaza has sparked intense criticism in the Arab media. Alongside condemnations of the Israeli counterattack, Arab media voiced sharp and extensive criticism of the Hamas leadership’s handling of the crisis. Media in Saudi Arabia and in Al-Sisi’s Egypt – the leaders of the Arab world’s moderate axis and the main rivals of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement, to which Hamas belongs – accused Hamas of taking unreasonable and irresponsible steps, of trading in the blood of the people of Gaza, and of exposing them to inevitable attacks. The media in Syria also slammed Hamas.
Arsen Ostrovsky: Where Is the Outrage over the Bombardment of Civilians in Israel?—You see, as most people in the UK were waking up this morning, and those in Europe, United States and elsewhere around the world were going about their daily routines, here in Israel over one million people were running for cover from a hail of rockets being rained down by Palestinian Hamas terrorists in Gaza. In the last 24 hours alone, over 120 rockets have been fired on southern Israel. That’s approximately five rockets per hour. By the time I finish this article, odds are that count will have risen to 125 rockets. To put things in context: one million Israelis is roughly 13 per cent of the population. Thirteen per cent of the UK population equates to about 8.4 million people, or the entire population of London.
Brendan O’Neill: There’s Something Very Ugly in This Rage Against Israel—France can invade Mali and there won’t be loud, rowdy protests in Paris. President Obama can resume his drone attacks in Pakistan, killing 13 people in one strike last month, and Washington won’t be besieged by angry anti-war folk demanding “Hands off Pakistan.” But the minute Israel fires a rocket into Gaza, radicals in all these Western nations will take to the streets, publish the names and ages of everyone “murdered by Israel,” and generally scream about Israeli “bloodletting.” (When the West bombs another country, it’s “war”; when Israel does it, it’s “bloodletting.”) Anyone possessed of a critical faculty must at some point have wondered why missiles fired by the Jewish State are apparently more worthy of condemnation than missiles fired by Washington, London, Paris, the Turks, Assad, or just about anyone else on Earth. It is now becoming very difficult to tell where anti-Zionism ends and anti-Semitism begins.
SnyderTalk Comment: I prefer “evil” to “ugly” because it’s more accurate. Don’t expect journalists to use the correct word, though. I fear that most of them can’t see evil, and even if they could, most of them would probably refrain from using that word.
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Netanyahu to UN’s Ban: no symmetry between terror organizations and democratic country
SnyderTalk Comment: Should Prime Minister Netanyahu have to point out something so obvious? Only in an anti-Semitic world.
Hamas publishes cease-fire initiative
Hamas Executed Four Palestinian “Collaborators” Since Start of Gaza Operation
US Jews furious over ‘Washington Post’ cartoon showing Netanyahu punching Palestinian infant
Gaza rocket kills Israeli civilian, Hamas infiltrators wound IDF soldiers
Gaza terrorists attempt to attack IDF forces with explosives-laden donkey
Foreign Ministry warns Israelis against visiting Turkey amid protests over Gaza
European Union calls on both sides to de-escalate situation, end violence
UN Security Council discusses Israeli operation in Gaza
Pro-Palestinian rally banned in Paris, authorized in Marseille and other French cities
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IDF Hits 260 Terror Targets in Gaza
Watch: Hamas Places Civilians in the Line of Fire
MK Zoabi Handcuffed During Arab Protest in Haifa
Watch: Pro, Anti-IDF Protests Erupt in Tel Aviv
Paris: Leftist Protest Banned Due to Anti-Semitism
UN Chief to Visit Middle East in Peace Push
EU ‘Very Concerned’ Over Gaza Violence
Abbas Urges Approval of Gaza Ceasefire
Katz to Erdogan: What About the Armenian Genocide?
Erdogan Slams Egypt’s Sisi as ‘Illegitimate Tyrant’
SnyderTalk Comment: Erdogan must realize that Sisi sees him as a malevolent loudmouth—an Islamist buffoon. It’s easy to understand why.
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Euphoric Hamas needs to hear that Israel will oust it from Gaza if necessary
Egypt won’t amend truce terms to appease Hamas
Israeli killed in rocket strike; 4 soldiers wounded in Hamas infiltration
Livni: All options on table, including bringing down Hamas
Exclusive: Qatar’s ceasefire offer adopts most Hamas demands
In call to PM, Obama pledges support, urges minimal Gaza civilian deaths
Deadline for Iran nuke deal extended by 4 months
Bedouin ‘defenseless’ as man killed, 4 injured by Gaza rocket
Zoabi handcuffed as Arab Israelis in Haifa protest Gaza offensive
Protests worldwide as Gaza offensive intensifies
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UNRWA Strongly Condemns Placement of Rockets in School
Ukraine, rebels argue over wreck, Europeans give Putin ‘last chance’
Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum
Islamic State’s support spreads into Asia
Israeli Think Tank: Hamas Is Committing War Crimes
SnyderTalk Comment: Using human shields is….what? Don’t be shy. Call them out when you know them.
Operation Protective Edge and International Law
Egyptians Increasingly Critical of Hamas
Obama: Israel Has the Right to Defend Itself Against Inexcusable Attacks from Hamas
SnyderTalk Comment: Those are the right words, but Obama’s actions over the past 6 years gave Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda and ISIS and other Islamist terrorist organizations hope that they could get away with murder, literally, and they did. The terrorists did exactly what thinking people knew they would do all along, so Obama’s words of support at this point are empty, late, and inadequate.
Israel Enters Gaza to Halt Palestinian Attacks
SnyderTalk Comment: That’s obvious, but it doesn’t mean that people won’t condemn Israel for defending herself.
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Email Distribution List:
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Genesis 19: 23-29
23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh; 28 and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. 29 Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
SnyderTalk Comment: The phrase “turned into a pillar of salt” is an idiom. It does not mean that Lot’s wife became a literal pillar of salt. It means that she was scared to death—literally. What was she thinking? Why did she ignore the warning and turn to take a look? My guess is that she liked Sodom and regretted its destruction. If we are wise, we will focus our attention on Yahweh and be prepared to abandon everything that is not in keeping with His goals. Read His Name is Yahweh.
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback. It’s also available for free in PDF format.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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Jehovah is not the Name of God
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
