Tag: Israel

ANARCHY AND ANTI-SEMITISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

The anarchy we have been witnessing on college campuses is not merely about antisemitism. It is not merely about Israel. It is not merely about the Palestinians. It is not merely about the war in Gaza. It may have begun as such. But it has metastasized into a war on America itself. The anarchists are flat-out announcing their evil and sinister intent by displaying signs with words such as “death to America.”

Yes, these anarchists, for that is what they are, are out to destroy America, itself. They are not “demonstrators.” They are not “protesters.” Those characterizations are way too benign and grossly misleading. They are criminals and anarchists pure and simple. They have trespassed on school and city property; they have threatened students, primarily but not exclusively Jews, and have prevented them from attending classes. Just listen to the chants “death to America” and “we are Hamas.” That tells you all you need to know, and we’d best pay attention. This is not just about Jews, Israel, the Palestinians, or the hostages. Their aim is broader and more sinister. It is to destroy America, itself.

One thing we should have learned about Hamas, Hezbollah and all the other radical Muslim terrorist groups by now. Their hatred is not limited to just Jews. They also hate Christians, Blacks, Hispanics, women, gays and anyone else who is not a “true believer,” even Muslims that are not of their particular sect. Wikipedia lists seven different Muslim sects – Sunni, Shia, Wahabi, Salafi, Berelvi, Sufi and Deobandi. Each one hates all the others, and they have been at each other’s throats for centuries.

If the terrorists get the chance, they will slaughter all of us. Non-Jews beware and heed the famous words of Martin Niemöller who was a prominent Lutheran pastor in Germany in the 1920s and early 1930s. His famous quote regarding the Nazis was true then, and it is still true today regarding radical Muslim terrorists.

“First, they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then, they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist. Then, they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then, they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

These riots are not spontaneous. They are well-planned and well-coordinated through social media. Many of the rioters are not even students. We know this because many of those arrested have produced identification that shows they are in their mid or late 20s. It may have started as a student protest, but it has been hijacked by anarchists, and the authorities need to treat them as such. The truth of the matter is that we have no idea who most of them are. We don’t even know if some of them are even US citizens. Some of them are likely illegals who crossed the open southern border; some of them could very likely be foreign-based agitators looking to foment trouble. We need to stop treating them as misguided, misinformed, rowdy students.

Where are our leaders? Where are the presidents of these universities? Moreover, where are our elected leaders – President Biden, Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, and Chuck (the “”Chameleon”) Schumer to name a few? None of them has taken any effective action. To my knowledge, none has even condemned the riots.

Biden refuses even to address the matter. He wouldn’t even answer a question about it at his last press conference. He seems oblivious to the entire matter. It makes me wonder if in his cognitively-challenged state he even knows about the riots. In my view, Biden’s lack of attention to these riots is not an anomaly. It is eerily consistent with his ignoring the loss of American lives resulting from his hasty, ill-advised withdrawal from Afghanistan, his lack of empathy for all those murdered by illegal aliens, his ignoring the East Palestine tragedy for a whole year, his failure to empathize with the families of slain police officers, and many other tragedies.

Hochul and Adams have been nowhere to be found. They appear to be overwhelmed and incapable. The worst, however, is the Chameleon. It is one thing for the others to exhibit a lack of support and empathy for Israel and the Jews, in general. But Schumer is Jewish, and he represents a heavily Jewish constituency. Moreover, he is the Senate Majority Leader, one of the highest-ranking politicians in the country. He has enormous influence. Unfortunately, all we have gotten from him are empty platitudes and “The Speech.” Frankly, his attitude disgusts me. I wrote a whole blog about him a few weeks ago, and I don’t want to waste any more time and space on him at the present time. (Full disclosure – some governors, notably Governor Abbott in Texas and Governor DeSantis in Florida, have taken effective action, but they have been the exceptions.)

It is clear to me that the Dems are trying to walk a fine line to avoid offending the radical left wing of the Dem Party in an election year. They are willing to sacrifice America and Israel, our one reliable ally in the volatile and strategically critical ME to win an election. So far, that strategy has been backfiring as they have been offending all sides. All of them have shown a total lack of leadership at a time when we need it desperately. Instead of addressing the matter, they waste time, energy and money trying Donald Trump on bogus, politically-motivated matters. The longer they sit on their hands and ignore the problem the worse it will get.

Conclusion

For those of us who know our history these riots are eerily similar to those in Germany in the 1930s. Those, too, were ignored, and we all know how that turned out.

So, what can we do? What should we do?

In no particular order, I advise the following initial actions:

  1. Prompt decisive action.
  2. Biden and Congress should express clear, unequivocable support for Israel and condemn the rioters’ actions.
  3. Biden should reiterate that the State Department has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, and anyone who claims to be a supporter, or worse, a member will be prosecuted. If they are a student, their school will suspend and/or expel them. If they are here on a visa or illegally they will be deported.
  4. The federal government has the hammer. It should use it. If these riots were aimed at any other group – Blacks, Hispanics, women, or gays, for example, the government would have cracked down immediately. But with respect to Jews, it doesn’t seem to care.
  5. The governors should consider utilizing state troops to restore order.
  6. Donors should strongly consider cancelling further donations (as a few have done already).
  7. Pressure should be brought on the presidents of these universities to resign immediately.
  8. Schools should investigate whether radical tenured professors who support terrorist groups can be terminated for cause.
  9. Perhaps, schools could require all students to view a tape of the October 7 massacre and even the concentration camps of the Holocaust in order to gain an appreciation of the horror of those events and gain some perspective.
  10. Parents don’t get a free pass either. Any self-respecting parent whose kid is spouting such hateful antisemitic garbage should be horrified. I don’t think they raised their kids that way; at least, I hope not. Also, they should reconsider if they want to continue to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for these universities to “educate” their kids.

The deterioration of America’s social and moral fabric as exhibited by these riots is most shocking to me. Our college-age kids may be well educated, but many of them are ignorant of history, are devoid of common sense and a sense of right and wrong, have a distorted view of current events, and are easily manipulated by social media and radical professors. It should be shocking to you as well. We’re talking about America’s future leaders. I hope and pray that it is not too late to repair the damage.

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IRAN’S BLATANT ATTACK ON ISRAEL

Once again, the powder keg that we call the Middle East is in danger of exploding. Unfortunately, this seems to recur every few years. Israel has been in a virtually constant state of war ever since its founding in 1948. Many observers are fearful that this situation could easily morph into a wider war, or even WWWIII. Before you scoff at that remember your history. WWI commenced following the assassination of one man, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a deranged Slav activist named Gavrilo Princip. That set off a chain of events that culminated in WWI. It doesn’t take much to light a powder keg. To illustrate the gravity of the situation President Biden took the unusual step of interrupting his vacation on the beach to return to DC to deal with it.

The following comments are based on multiple news reports unless stated otherwise. The situation is very fluid, and by the time you read this it may very well have changed.

Normally, Iran has attacked Israel indirectly through various proxies such as Lebanon, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah that it supports through financing, training or other means. This time Iran launched a massive direct attack of some 300 drones and rockets. Incredibly, Israel with some help from the US, UK and Jordan managed to thwart the attack destroying 99% of them. Israel employed its Iron Dome defense system and also a new defense system it called “David’s Sling.” As I write this the only reported casualty was a seven-year-old girl.

Many Israelis and Jews the world over are very concerned by the possible ramifications of Iran’s blatant attack. Why did Iran do it? Why did it attack Israel directly instead of employing proxies as it has normally done? The ruling mullahs had to know Israel would likely retaliate against them. They had to know that their attack could very easily set off a chain of events that would culminate in a much broader war involving multiple nations.

In the wake of the attack many analysts have posited the opinion that Iran sensed weakness in the Biden Administration and the US’s resolve to support Israel and it determined to seize on the opportunity to attack. One strong possibility was that Iran was emboldened by Biden’s recent well-publicized criticisms of Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Indeed, he has been pressuring Israel to show “restraint” in retaliating against Hamas in Gaza; he has called for Netanyahu to resign; he has threatened to withhold aid; and he has threatened to reassess the US’s staunch support for Israel. Moreover, Biden has continually shown weakness in foreign policy, in general, since he has been in office. From Iran’s point of view, it would be reasonable that there would be no significant consequences for the attack. Indeed, speaking on ABC’s Good Morning America National Security Council spokesman John Kirby cautioned that a response “could result in the conflict spreading,” the implication being that Israel should just let it go. Biden was less discrete saying that Israel should just be satisfied that 99% of the drones and rockets were shot down and “take the win.” I guess the Iranian rulers were not deterred by Biden’s simplistic, vague and inane warning of “don’t.” Finally, you know that our other enemies, Russia, China and North Korea, are paying close attention to developments and re-assessing their own foreign policies.

As reported by Mark Dubowitz and Behnam Ben Teleblu in the NY Post Iran is claiming that the attack was in retaliation for Israel’s recent bombing attack, which killed several senior Hamas officials including General Mohammad Reza Zahedi who reputedly played a significant role in the planning and execution of the October 7 terror attacks. Of course, that is a specious argument as that bombing was, itself, in retaliation for those attacks. Afterwards, Iran warned Israel against any “reckless behavior” in retaliation vowing it would engender a much more robust response. Regardless, Iran has left itself open to a significant retaliatory attack. Israel would have a plethora of rich targets to choose from including Iran’s oil refineries and nuclear bomb facilities.

Following the attack Israel’s war cabinet met immediately to discuss how to respond. Ominously, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured that Israel had been prepared for such an attack and vowed it would “respond accordingly.” War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz asserted that Israel “would take the actions [against Iran] that it deems appropriate [and] exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us.” It’s safe to assume that Israel will brook no interference from the US, the UN, or anyone else.

Israel has few friends in the world, and it will need the unwavering support of the US to survive this war. In view of the current lukewarm relationship between Israel and the US it is appropriate to wonder how strongly the US will support Israel. In my opinion, such concern is warranted. True, President Biden has assured that the US’s support for Israel is “ironclad.” But wait, isn’t that the same Joe Biden who abandoned hundreds of Americans and Afghanis who had supported us for years at great personal risk to an uncertain fate due to his ill-advised and ill-timed withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan? Isn’t that the same Joe Biden who has been assuring us for three plus years that the southern border is secure when anyone with two eyes can see evidence daily that it is not? Isn’t that the same Joe Biden that has been assuring us that inflation is under control when a quick trip to the grocery store or the gas station tells you it is not? Isn’t that the same Joe Biden who brags about his modest working-class roots in Scranton but yet has managed to accumulate a published net worth in excess of $10 million, excluding any surreptitious payments from foreign governments for access and favors, even though he has never held a job outside of government service? Of course it is. Biden is well known for saying one thing and doing another. Furthermore, Biden’s recent lukewarm, wishy-washy, often contentious attitude toward Israel would suggest his support for Israel will be far from “ironclad.”

Meanwhile, in other developments:

  1. In various US cities “activists” cheered and celebrated after learning that Iran had launched the attack on Israel.
  2. Despite Iran’s claim that the attack was a “retaliation” the IDF views it as a desire to “escalate” the ongoing conflict.
  3. Various media outlets in the US and elsewhere published scathing criticisms of Biden’s “timid” policy toward Iran and mocked his ineffectual “don’t” admonitions to Iran.
  4. Campaigning in PA former President Trump attributed Iran’s attack to the US having shown “great weakness,” and it “should not have happened” and “wouldn’t have [if he were president]”. Many would agree.
  5. In the US and elsewhere groups of “activists “have been taking to the streets disrupting traffic brandishing flags of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah while burning the American flag and chanting death to America, death to Israel, and death to Jews. More on this later.
  6. Some commentators predicted that oil prices would “surge,” the extent of which would depend on how long and how extensive the fighting turns out to be.
  7. Appearing on Sunday Morning Futures John Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence, delineated an extensive list of Biden’s “blunders” with respect to relations with Iran and opined that the US’s “fractured” relationship with Israel emboldened Iran to launch its attack. Many other commentators have expressed similar thoughts.
  8. Israel has augmented its forces in southern Gaza, which many believe is an indication it will attack Rafah. Located on the border with Egypt Rafah is Hamas’ last refuge in Gaza. In addition, it houses an estimated one million displaced Palestinian non-combatants. Biden has advised Israel “don’t,” but Israel is not inclined to heed his advice. According to today’s NY Post an attack is “imminent.” As always, Israel will do its utmost to minimize civilian casualties, and as always it will be severely criticized if there is but one.
  9. Appearing on CNN PA Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, strongly disagreed with Biden’s statement that the US would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran. He added that he would never “capitulate to the fringe” of the Dem party, as Biden has.
  10. Appearing on Fox News Sunday John Kirby called on China to help “de-escalate” tensions in the ME. Good luck with that.

So, what can the US do? Biden convened a meeting of the G7 to examine diplomatic solutions. Fine as far as it goes, but I don’t have much faith that diplomacy, by itself, will resolve this situation. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal reported that he moved two destroyers to the region as a deterrent.

Short of war, which no one wants, the best course of action would be to reinstitute sanctions. Put together a consortium of nations. Strangle Iran financially. Freeze the $10 billion of its money that Biden has unfrozen. Convince other countries to cease importing Iran’s oil. We could even resume domestic drilling (not likely). Fighting wars takes money, lots of it. If Iran doesn’t have money, it can’t finance war or even terror activities. Passing an aid package would be a good idea, but so far Congress has been unable to do so. Typically, each party is blaming the other for that.

Conclusion

In his foreign policy regarding Israel Biden has continually tried to walk a tightrope worthy of the Flying Wallendas’ circus act. He is trying to please both Jewish voters and the far-left radicals in his party. So far, he has pleased neither. With typical lack of clarity and decisiveness, which has characterized his entire foreign policy, Biden recently made two contradictory statements regarding support for Israel. On the one hand, he reaffirmed the US’s “ironclad commitment” to Israel, but then as reported by CNN he also informed Israel that the US would not participate in any “offensive” actions against Iran. Huh?

As the expression goes, “actions speak louder than words.” As I said above, Biden consistently says one thing then does another. His mendacity knows no bounds. He is willing to sell out Israel, a staunch and reliable ally and the only one in the ME, in order to win an election. According to the polls his support among Blacks and Hispanics has been sharply declining, and in my view, he is kowtowing to the far left because he is terrified he will lose their support as well and hence the election.

These people he is courting are despicable. They are antisemitic and anti-American. Many of them are not even citizens. They are here on work visas or college visas or perhaps illegally. They are guests in the US and have no right to chant “death to America.” In my opinion they should all be deported. If Biden really truly intends to support Israel, he needs to communicate that to Iran clearly, decisively and definitively and above all act like it. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that.

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CHUCK SCHUMER – POLITICAL CHAMELEON

Chuck Schumer has been a strong supporter of Israel for all of his nearly 50-year career in public service – until last week. Now, I sense that his formerly strong support of Israel has waned. Furthermore, he has not been as supportive of American Jews as he should be in light of the recent plethora of antisemitic incidents in our schools and in general. He has not condemned, criticized, or even commented. His silence has been most disappointing as he is in a unique position. Many Jews feel he should be more outspoken. What has caused this seminal change? See below for my opinion.

In my view, Chuck Schumer is the consummate politician, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. He epitomizes what I always say about politicians: their best abilities are to get elected and to get re-elected. He sees the seismic shift in the Dem Party to the left on major issues, plus away from Israel, and toward antisemitism that we all see, and he is reacting to it. Sure, he could stick to his guns and resist the trend. He could continue to espouse unwavering support for Israel, but the politician in him won’t permit him to do it. His overriding instinct of preserving his Senate seat against a possible primary challenge in 2028 won’t permit it (even though four years is a lifetime in politics). Moreover, his desire to maintain his Majority Leadership position in the Senate won’t permit it. And so, we have “THE SPEECH.”

Schumer began his political career in the NY State assembly in 1975. In 1981 he was elected to the House of Representatives. In 1998 he was elected to the US Senate. Currently, he is serving his 5th term, which makes him the longest-serving senator ever from NY. He has worked his way up to the very influential post of Senate Majority Leader.

For most of his career Schumer has been a staunch and outspoken supporter of Israel. This was understandable since he is Jewish, and he has represented a heavily Jewish constituency.

For instance:

  1. In 1994, Schumer joined the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Congress in a campaign to petition the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Palestinian-American charity the Holy Land Foundation, which by the time it was shut down in 2001 was the largest Muslim charity in the US.
  2. In June 2010, while speaking at an Orthodox Union event in Washington D.C., Schumer expressed support for Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which was then a controversial topic.  He buttressed his position by denoting statistics to demonstrate that the Palestinian citizens of the West Bank were experiencing “economic prosperity”, crediting this to their government’s cooperation with the Israeli government on combating various terrorist groups.
  3. When the Palestinian citizens of the Gaza Strip voted to be governed by Hamas he advocated for Israel to “strangle them economically until they see that’s not the way to go,” while also stating that Israel should continue providing “humanitarian aid” to Palestinian civilians.
  4. He has steadfastly supported Israel in its various conflicts involving others in Gaza and elsewhere. He defended the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2007 as being justified not only because it kept weapons out of the Palestinian territory, but also because it showed the Palestinians living there that “when there’s some moderation and cooperation, they can have an economic advancement.”
  5. In May 2017, Schumer co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, Senate Bill 720, which made it a federal crime, punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.
  6. In May 2018, Schumer praised Trump for opening the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, saying, “I sponsored legislation to do this two decades ago, and I applaud President Trump for doing it.”
  7. In the past he has frequently criticized the Palestinians for opposing a Jewish state or even a two-state solution, although presently he appears to be supporting the Biden Administration’s party line of a two-state solution.
  8. Schumer was a co-sponsor of a Senate resolution expressing objection to the UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israeli settlement-building in the occupied Palestinian territories as a violation of international law.

The US and Israel have been strong allies since Israel’s inception. Some of you students of history may recall that the US under President Harry Truman was the first country to recognize the State of Israel a mere eleven hours after it declared its independence. Over the years through Administration after Administration both Republican and Democrat, both liberal and conservative, the US and Israel have forged and maintained a symbiotic relationship that has worked out very well for both countries. The US has realized that Israel is its only reliable ally in the dangerous, mercurial and strategically critical Middle East, and Israel has realized that the US is its only staunch and powerful defender in an otherwise very hostile world.

Unfortunately, it appears clear to me that the US’s support has grown tepid in the last few years. It began in the Obama Administration, and the trend has accelerated under the Biden Administration. Both Biden and his administration have exhibited anti-Israel and pro-Iran and Hamas attitudes, particularly with respect to the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attacks. More on that later.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has long had a contentious relationship with certain US presidential administrations. Most notably, I recall President Obama declined to invite him to the White House during his 2015 visit to the US in March 2015 to address Congress. Obama’s excuse was that it was policy not to meet so close to an election, but many interpreted it as a snub.

The Netanyahu-US relationship has deteriorated significantly following Hamas’ terror attack of October 7. Briefly, the Biden Administration has been pressuring Israel to exercise “restraint.” It has been pressuring Israel not to retaliate militarily. It favors negotiation and cease fires. It has been trying to balance its policy between the anti-Israel far left wing of the Dem Party and the majority of the rest of the country. Based on the polls I have seen it is not succeeding, and there is much concern. Many people in the US, particularly Jews, have interpreted the foregoing as anti-Israel and antisemitic. Israel has been adamantly pursuing a strong military response. Its attitude is that Hamas will continue to attack prospectively unless and until it is totally wiped out. It resents what it perceives as US interference.

Hence, we got “The Speech.” Essentially, Schumer threatened Israel. He said, in part, that “it’s become clear to me that the Netanyahu coalition[‘s reaction to Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack] no longer fits the needs of Israel. … If Netanyahu won’t step down and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance [the US will be forced to] play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage.” President Biden doubled down by calling it a “good speech” that had been cleared in advance by his staff.

The speech was interpreted by many as blatant and inappropriate interference in the elections of a sovereign nation and a clear threat. “Do what we want or else.”

Reaction was immediate and fiercely critical. Benny Ganz, Israeli’s opposition leader stated “Israel is a strong democracy, and only its citizens will determine its leadership and future.” Former PM Naftali Bennett, no fan of Netanyahu’s, stated “we are an independent nation, not a “banana republic.” In the US Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, called the speech “unprecedented,” and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called it “just plain wrong.”

CONCLUSION

I would characterize it in stronger terms as a “sell-out” and “antisemitic.” In my experience such outrageous, blatant interference of a nation’s self-governance should be limited to dictatorships with massive human rights violations, not a staunch and reliable ally. Furthermore, every nation has a right, even an obligation to its citizens to defend itself in a manner in which it sees fit. Think what our reaction would have been if after the Japanese sneak attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 or the terror attacks on 9/11 if the world had urged us to stand down and not retaliate with force. Why should Israel be any different? Because it’s a Jewish state? You decide.

So why did Schumer give that speech? It was especially odd especially given his past support of Israel. Only he knows for sure, but I think he wanted to ingratiate himself with the members of the far-left wing of the Dem party, many of whom have expressed clearly antisemitic opinions. They are small but vociferous, and they have been pressuring the Biden Administration to scale back its support of Israel. They are particularly influential with the election looming. I don’t think Schumer is antisemitic, but, as I said, he is a political chameleon, and he perceives the trend of his party is to offer only tepid support to Israel in its fight with Hamas.

I seriously doubt that Israel will allow itself to be bullied by the US or anyone else, so it remains to be seen if the US will follow through on its threat.

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ANTISEMITISM AMONG YOUNG AMERICANS

The following is my opinion based on a plethora of news reports and personal experience and observation over my lifetime. Of course, you are free to disagree. Unlike the radical left, I welcome dissenting opinions. Unless I time traveled while I was asleep last night and woke up this morning in Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany circa 1935 this is still America, and the Bill of Rights is still in force.

What are the schools teaching our kids? What kind of biased information are they presenting to them as “facts?” These are rhetorical questions. Anyone paying attention has come to realize that the schools have been radicalizing our children. An entire generation of children has been indoctrinated by the radical left. Many of them are being taught to hate America and any Americans who look, think, act and worship differently from them. Moreover, Caucasians are being portrayed as the oppressors of minorities. In some of the more radical school districts this indoctrination is beginning as early as grade school or even pre-school. [Note: I’m not referring to all kids and all schools, just a goodly portion of them.] 

As has been the case for some 5,000 years the focal point of this hate has fallen disproportionately on the Jews. Make no mistake, the criticisms of Israel regarding the Israel-Hamas War are “code” for antisemitism. There is no need to analyze this hate in detail in this blog. Most of you are fully cognizant of the history of Israel and the Jews, and I have discussed the current situation thoroughly in previous blogs regarding antisemitism The issue here is the radicalization of young adults and what it bodes for the future.

Most of us have seen on TV and read about the disturbing and violent protests on our college campuses. In my view, this is primarily the result of the aforementioned bias in America’s education systems. By the time these kids go to college their indoctrination is well and firmly established.

Before the advent of COVID most parents had limited, if any, involvement in or knowledge of the details of their children’s school curricula. Typically, they were busy concentrating on their own lives and trusted the school systems to educate their children. 

Since the advent of Covid and the resultant school shutdowns they have, by necessity, become more involved, and many of them have come to ascertain that their school systems have betrayed that trust. Consequently, there have been frequent well-publicized clashes between parents and school boards. 

This bias is continuing in many, if not most, institutions of higher learning. College is supposed to be a venue where young people are exposed to a variety of ideas and experiences. It is an integral part of the maturing process of children into adults. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. Often, it has been the opposite. Led by far-left administrators and faculty many schools have been shutting down views and values that are not in accord with their own. This trend has permeated into even our most reputable colleges. It’s enough to make parents question why they should spend hundreds of thousands of dollars or take on massive debt to pay for their child’s college education.

For example, most of us have seen all or part of the recent sworn testimonies given by the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Pennsylvania Universities before Congress. Although antisemitism has long existed on many, if not most, college campuses to some degree these universities have become the lightning rods of the issue. The aforementioned presidents all refused to condemn antisemitism, evaded the question of whether or not the antisemitism on their respective campuses (including calls for genocide of Jews) violated their schools’ codes of conduct, and failed to express support for Jewish students, many of whom are extremely fearful of the hostile environment to which they are being subjected on a daily basis. Those responses have provoked a severe backlash from many donors, alumni, and politicians, predominantly Republicans. The presidents came across as arrogant, pompous, supercilious, and condescending. Penn’s president resigned; as of yet, the others have not. Noted Harvard alum and former Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz was particularly vehement in his condemnation of Harvard’s board for failing to terminate President Gay.

Gay has come under increased fire in another area. Recently, the NY Post disclosed that she has been accused of multiple instances of plagiarism. It actually used the term “serial plagiarism” to describe her actions. It further denoted that the school was cognizant of these accusations and had been conducting a secret investigation into the matter. The story has since been picked up by various other media outlets, and it has even attracted the attention of Congress. According to the Post a bipartisan group of Congresspersons has introduced a resolution demanding Gay resign or be fired. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has added these charges to its current investigation of antisemitism. In the wake of all this pressure and negative press why hasn’t Gay been fired? Good question. It’s just speculation on my part, but perhaps, it is because she is a black female, and the stuffed shirts at “Hahvid” are afraid of a lawsuit. Incidentally, on a humorous note, read Gay’s fatuous justification of her response or lack thereof: “We [Harvard] embrace a commitment to free expression – even views that are objectionable, offensive [and] hateful [unless] that speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies against bullying and harassment. That speech did not cross that barrier.” Huh? Calling for genocide is as hateful as it gets, and in her opinion that did not meet Harvard’s standards for hateful speech?! Wow! I rest my case.

CONCLUSION

A recent Harvard/Harris poll disclosed some extremely distressing news regarding antisemitism among 18-24-year-olds. Some of the results were inconsistent, even contradictory, but the general gist concurs with what I believe most of us have observed to be true. For example:

  1. Although a majority of respondents still expressed support for Israel the 18-24-year-old age group was the only demographic group that did not. It should be noted that support for Israel grew stronger among the older age groups reaching its highest level in the 65+ group.
  2. Approximately 60% of the overall respondents advocated a two-state solution, although both Israel and Hamas have repeatedly rejected that idea.
  3. Some 2/3 of the 18-24 group thought that Jews, as a class, are oppressors. In the interest of being fair and balanced I should denote that one publication, The Volokh Conspiracy, went so far as to state that “we should not give much weight to that question” as it “is poorly worded and at odds with other data.” But it was the only dissenter I found, and also the other age groups were not misled by the wording.
  4. Approximately 60% of the 18-24s thought Hamas’ attack of Israel was justified based on Palestinians’ grievances even though it was widely viewed as genocide. The Times of Israel interpreted that as the 18-24 group endorsing genocide of Jews, but I wouldn’t go that far. I would view it as one of many inconsistencies.
  5. Some 64% of the 18-24s stated a cease fire should be contingent upon the release of all hostages and Hamas being booted from power, but 67% of the 18-24s were in favor of an unconditional agreement that would retain the status quo.
  6. 63% of the 18-24s conceded that antisemitism is prevalent on college campuses. Another inconsistency, if not contradiction, was that 53% opined that college students should be allowed to advocate Jewish genocide on campus without punishment even though 70% recognized that such talk constituted “hate speech.”  
  7. As another example of a contradiction, a majority thought Israel should be “ended” and replaced by a Palestinian state or entity such as Hamas. However, 69% opined that Israel does have “the right to exist.” Those statements are mutually exclusive.
  8. And, most disturbing, 20% of the 18-24s thought the Holocaust was a “myth.” This boggles my mind in view of all the eyewitness and photographic evidence of it.
  9. The survey asked who was responsible for antisemitism on campus. The results were all over the place and surprising – has always been present – 24%, students – 20%, left wingers – 18%, school administrations and staff – 11%, foreign funding and student groups – 11%, professors – 7%, and none of the above – 9%.

My original reaction to the survey results were shock, dismay and anger even though I am fully cognizant that widespread antisemitism is and has been omnipresent. Despite the inconsistencies and outright contradictions of some of the answers in my opinion the basic results are accurate. It is clear that 18-24s are more antisemitic than the overall population. I think it is due to a combination of antisemitism, disinterest, ignorance and indoctrination. 

What I have found most glaring is the thought in some areas that Israel should not retaliate with all its might. How ludicrous and idiotic. I should like to remind those morons that in the entire history of the world there has not been one other case where an attacked party has been urged not to retaliate against an aggressor. Can you imagine our response if after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the world had told us to standdown? Yet, much of the world, including many in the Administration, has done just that. 

Regardless, the result of the above survey is yet another reason to fear for the future of America.

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Israel’s Perilous Position

At the present time, Israel is in the most perilous position it has ever been. That includes 1948 when it first came into statehood. Like now, in 1948 it was surrounded by enemies who wanted to destroy it. However, in 1948 it had at least one strong supporter, the United States. Now, Israel is still surrounded by enemies who want to destroy it. The difference is that its one strong, unwavering ally, the US, has not been so dependable. I firmly believe that this change in attitude, after over 60 years of staunch support, has occurred either at the direction of or with the concurrence of President Obama. No other explanation makes any sense.

Consider:

1. President Obama has allowed his personal dislike for Benjamin Netanyahu to impact his foreign policy toward Israel. Seasoned politicians and diplomats know that regardless of your personal feelings toward the other person, you conduct your business with him in a professional manner without insults or snide remarks. Apparently, Mr. Obama doesn’t subscribe to that tenant. Over the past six years he has repeatedly ignored, “dissed” and criticized Mr. Netanyahu. For example, he was “too busy” to meet with Mr. Netanyahu at the White House or in NY when Mr. Netanyahu addressed the UN a few years ago. (As I recall, he was either playing golf or attending a fund raiser.) In addition, he overreacted, like a petulant child, when Mr. Netanyahu accepted an invitation to address Congress on the Iran nuke negotiations recently.
2. While treating Israel in this manner, the US has been placating Arab terrorists and militant leaders at every turn. To quote the “Wall Street Journal” in a recent article, Mr. Obama has the “capacity to ‘wish away’ some terrible realities, not the least of which is the Islamist intention to destroy America and enslave the West.” Mr. Obama famously apologized to the Egyptians for past actions, whatever they might have been; during a visit to Saudi Arabia, he bowed down to the King; he declared a “red line” to Syrian President Assad, which he then ignored when Assad failed to comply; he first ignored, then soft peddled the (“JV”) ISIS terrorists, which have proceeded to take over much of Iraq and Syria and have demonstrated an unlimited capacity for terror and savagery; and he has entered into negotiations with Iran, an untrustworthy, unrepentant sponsor of terrorism, which will likely result in the US’s tacit or explicit concurrence with Iran’s possessing nuclear weapons with the capacity to deliver them.
3. Last, but not least, he has strongly hinted that the US will support a two-state solution to the Palestinian situation. The proposed two-state solution would place a Hamas-controlled entity just a few miles from Israel, which would threaten the very viability of the country.

There have been many other examples, but I think you get the point.

CONCLUSION

In 1948 President Truman took all of eleven hours after the UN vote to recognize Israel, which set the tone for the rest of the Western world. Whatever you may have thought of Truman, he was decisive, and he invariably did the right thing. Can you just imagine the scenario if Obama would have been President back then? Probably, there would be no State of Israel today.

The US and Israel have had their minor differences through the years, but the US has always been there to support it, and Israel knew it would do so when “the chips were down.” Now, things are not so certain. Make no mistake about it, Obama’s actions and inactions toward aggressive, terrorist-sponsoring countries and his attitude toward Israel and its leader, Mr. Netanyahu, have provided loud and clear signals to the Arab states and the rest of the world as well. In diplomatic circles even subtleties carry significant meaning, and Mr. Obama has been anything but subtle.

His diplomatic policy in the Middle East purports to be even-handed. Many people doubt that, but even if one were to accept that as the case, what is the rationale and justification. On the one hand, we have a staunch, loyal ally for over 60 years and the only democracy in the region; on the other hand, we have countries that finance, support and harbor terrorism against the US and the rest of the Western world. It seems pretty clear what our policy should be and where our support should lie.

Compounding this situation is the fact that formerly outspoken supporters, such as Chuck Schumer and Steve Israel, have been strangely silent. (Perhaps, Schumer is lying low because he has designs on replacing Harry Reid as minority leader, and he feels that if he speaks out he will lose Obama’s and Reid’s support. Many people subscribe to that analysis.) I urge supporters of Israel to lobby their Congressmen or women to put pressure on the Administration. If not, I fear that (1) the US will agree to a “sweetheart” nuke deal with Iran the result of which will threaten not just Israel, but the whole Western world, and (2) the two-state solution will pass in the UN, which will destabilize the Middle East further and threaten Israel’s very viability as a nation.

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NETANYAHU AND OBAMA

Clearly, Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Obama have a problem with each other. They disagree on most political issues, which is not surprising. After all, Netanyahu has a military background and is a staunch conservative. Also, his country is surrounded, in close proximity, by States that despise it and have sworn to “wipe [it] off the face of the earth.” On the other hand, Obama is strongly liberal and more pacifist, in nature. Furthermore, his country is further removed from the violence of the Middle East. The issues in the Middle East are serious to the US, but, for Israel, they are literally a matter of life and death. That said, there is much evidence that they also dislike each other personally. This is more problematic, because it has hindered their ability to work in concert to resolve issues of mutual importance.

For example, recently, they quarreled over Netanyahu’s addressing Congress regarding the US-Iran nuclear negotiations. Obama retaliated by delaying congratulating Netanyahu on his re-election for a couple of days. Additionally, he appointed Rob Malley, a reputed Hamas sympathizer, to a key post as special assistant to the President on Middle East affairs. Now, Obama has threatened to withdraw its support of Israel in the Security Council over the two-state Palestinian issue, which would be devastating. Presumably, this is just a bluff, but the way Obama has been acting since his re-election, you never know. Since his re-election Obama has demonstrated time and again that he’ll say and do anything. It’s like he is not afraid of any consequences or thinks he is immune to them. One thing for sure is that without the US’s veto the measure would likely pass in the Security Council and the UN. These retaliatory actions seem spiteful and petty, if not downright childish, but they are merely the latest manifestations of this mutual antipathy. This has been going on for years. Jennifer Rubin, writing in the Washington Post, has opined that the “gross pettiness and rudeness [regarding Obama’s latest actions] are there for all to see.”

In my opinion, whether or not Obama agrees with Netanyahu’s reservations regarding Iran’s nuclear program or the establishment of a Palestinian state, it would be mutually advantageous for them to discuss it, not in the press but privately and respectfully. The fact of the matter is that Netanyahu has voiced valid concerns regarding Iran, which need to be addressed. Furthermore, regarding a Palestinian state on his border, he has denoted that the geopolitical situation has changed significantly since it was first proposed and agreed to, in principal. The Palestinians have now aligned themselves with Hamas. Therefore, Netanyahu feels a Palestinian state on Israel’s border would, in reality, mean a state controlled by Hamas. This, he feels, would be intolerable for Israel’s security and would threaten its very viability as a nation.

CONCLUSION

Netanyahu and Obama are trading insults and “dissing” each other like they are in the first grade. “He started it. No, he did. No, it was him.” Someone has to be the proverbial adult in the room. They both need to take a breath. It’s time they both grew up and realized the harsh reality of the current situation, which is that Israel and the US have a symbiotic relationship. They need each other’s support. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and is our staunchest ally in that extremely volatile region. Conversely, the US has always supported Israel. It is Israel’s only friend in the world, and Israel needs its continued support to continue to exist.

Let’s not lose site of the greater picture. It should not be Obama vs. Netanyahu. It should be Israel and the US working in concert as they always have. The issues facing the two countries are much bigger than any individual person. Netanyahu and Obama will be gone from the political scene soon enough. Iran, with its extremist and unstable leadership, must not be allowed to obtain nuclear capability. It’s as simple as that. At stake is not just the survival of Israel and peace in the Middle East, but the safety and security of the entire world.

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TUNNELS OF TERROR

Imagine waking up suddenly out of a deep sleep in the middle of the night to the blaring sound of sirens. You are confused and disoriented. Your first thought is, what’s going on? Is that my alarm clock? Is it morning already? Then, you quickly realize it is not a dream; it is not morning; it is an air raid; and you have 15 seconds to get to the shelter. Or, you are 5 years old and in kindergarten class or the playground, and you have to find a shelter in the same 15 seconds. 15 seconds! That’s all the time you have. 15 seconds possibly separating you from life or death. That is how Israelis live every day. Israel is being attacked with approximately 300 rockets per day, day after day. The attacks are unrelenting.

Some young Israelis who were interviewed on television stated matter-of-factly that they have lived that way all their lives. They pointed out that whenever one goes to a particular location one immediately scopes out the location of the nearest shelter much like some of us might scope out the nearest bathroom. Of course, they don’t like living like that, but they are used to it. I’m sure most objective people would agree that is unacceptable. I’m sure that most Americans, if faced with such rocket attacks from, say, Canada, would advocate strong and swift retaliation.

But, that is not the worst of the situation that Israel faces. Recently, the world has learned that the Hamas terrorists have, over several years, constructed a massive network of tunnels from Gaza into Israel. Some fun facts about these tunnels:

1. They reach several miles into Israel.
2. They are more than 50 feet below ground.
3. They are very sophisticated and well-constructed. They are reinforced with concrete. They are large enough so that an average-sized man can walk upright through them. They have tracks so they can accommodate heavy machinery.
4. There are believed to be in excess of 100 such tunnels.
5. Many of them terminate at schools and hospitals and are designed to target children and/or sick people.
6. Ironically, they have been built, in part, with supplies and power provided by Israel to the Palestinians for humanitarian purposes – rebuilding homes and schools – (obviously not for this purpose).
7. The funds required to build them has come from Iran, Syria and Qatar, and possibly, indirectly from the US, which has been providing millions of dollars in “humanitarian” aid to the Palestinians.

According to Israeli army spokespersons, by now, they have destroyed most of the tunnels, and they are intent on destroying all of them. One can only hope.

CONCLUSION AND PREDICTION

Let’s not forget who the aggressor is in this conflict. Clearly, it is Hamas, with the overt support of Iran, Syria and Qatar, and in my opinion, the covert support of the other Arab states and terrorist groups in the area. Remember, Hamas’ charter proclaims that Israel must be destroyed.

President Obama has said Israel is entitled to defend itself, but then his proxies, like Valerie Jarrett and John Kerry, have criticized Israel for doing so with too much vigor and success. The Administration is trying to have it both ways. They want to appear to be standing by Israel for political purposes and, at the same time, placate the Arab states in the area. Anyone who cares about Israel should not be fooled. I would much prefer that the US were more forcefully and definitively in Israel’s corner regarding this conflict. After all, Israel and the US have always been allies. When the country was born, President Truman took all of 11 hours to recognize it, giving it instant credibility as a nation. Israel has been the one nation in the Middle East that the US has been able to count on for unqualified support. One the other hand, the other side hates us, mocks us, and has attacked us several times.

No wonder the Israelis have strong doubts of the sincerity of the US’s support. From what I can see, their attitude is: regardless of the hostility of the UN, regardless of the anti-Israel/anti-Semitic demonstrations in many countries, regardless of the mixed signals emanating from the US, we will press on until we achieve our goals. We will not be deterred.

Whether you support Israel or not, you have to admire their tenacity and toughness. They remind me of the kid in high school who, although not the biggest nor the strongest, was nevertheless, the toughest, the most fearless, the one you didn’t want to mess with. Born into adversity, surrounded for its entire existence by enemies who have publicly vowed to destroy it, with few, if any, allies in the world, living more or less continually under the threat of war, Israel has persevered.

My prediction is that this conflict will follow the same predictable pattern as all the previous ones. The Arabs start it; Israel retaliates strongly and forcefully; and at some point the world convinces Israel it has made its point, so to speak, and it is time to cease hostilities. Hamas will acquiesce, because it is getting its butt kicked and will want to survive to fight another day. We are almost there, but not quite yet. I think Israel has a little more work to do, which it will accomplish shortly.

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JEWS AND PALESTINIANS CAN CO-EXIST PEACEFULLY

We are being bombarded continuously with examples of conflicts between Jews and Palestinians. The latest example is the war in Gaza, which has been dominating the news coverage of the area. As a result, the world at large is under the impression that all Jews and Palestinians are at each others’ throats. They can never find common ground. They will never be able to co-exist. This is misleading, counter-productive, destructive, and just plain wrong.

It is understandable that wars, terror attacks, and saber-rattling sell newspapers and drive television ratings, but it is important to realize that there are far more examples of Israelis and Palestinians living together and interacting peacefully. As anyone who has lived in or visited Israel knows, many Jews and Palestinians work together and live together in harmony. Most of them want to raise their families and earn a living in peace. When I was in Israel some years ago I witnessed this firsthand, particularly in Haifa.

As an illustration of this point, below please find a copy of an email I received from an American who has been living in Israel and who has been experiencing this first-hand.

“It’s war here. Even though living in the North, it’s quiet (aside from the tears and mourning from friends and families of the fallen soldiers who are from up here), I can honestly say that I wouldn’t mind a break from it once in a while. And, I’m not alone. One of my friends decided to go on a 3-day detox. (Not from sugar or wheat, but rather social media, like Facebook and Twitter). Another friend decided not to participate in the community event in which we created care packages for the soldiers on the border with Gaza – in a way to “protect her children from too much”.

One way I’ve been taking a break from all of this is by continuing to attend my weekly singing group on the kibbutz. Another break I’ve been taking is by continuing to teach yoga each on the kibbutz. In other words, instead of crawling up into a ball and literally escaping, I’m
escaping by continuing to live.

And this past week, I did something a little different. I decided to attend a basketball game. Just to escape. Last year, I used to attend the weekly Jezreel Valley League basketball games, which my husband was a part of playing on the Hannaton team, until he started to suffer some back pain and decided to quit. But, this past Monday night, he got a phone call from one of the guys on our kibbutz, asking if he’d be willing to sub in because too many of the men on the team weren’t around. (They’re “too busy” defending our country.) And, my husband agreed. Yet, when I walked up to the court, 5 minutes into the beginning of the game, I thought someone was playing a trick on me. Why? Because all I heard was yelling in Arabic. On the court of Kibbutz Hannaton. It didn’t take me long to realize what was going on. The opposing team was coming from a neighboring community in our municipality. A Muslim one. But, the yelling wasn’t anything you may be hearing out of the words of Hamas terrorists or even any recent anti-Israel demonstrations, such as: “Kill the Jews!” or “Destroy Israel!” “Jews back to Birknau. Hitler was right!” Instead, the yelling was the typical yelling you hear on a basketball court. “Hey, ref! That was a foul! Are you blind?” “Double dribble!!!!” “Back court! Back court!” “Nu, ref? Can’t you count? How long you gonna let him stay in the key?” It was beautiful. The whole game.

Even though our team was at a disadvantage and didn’t play too well, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Just the thought of it. The image. Two communities. Two religions. Playing basketball in peace. Giving each other hi-5s and hitting each others’ butts at the end of the game.
Walking off the court together. Going home. Peacefully.

It was beautiful. Especially during these times when so much of the media is being showered with anti-Semitism. Calling Israel an apartheid state. Oh, how little do they know. That Israeli Arabs are full-fledged citizens here. That have freedom of religion. And freedom of speech.
And freedom to an education, just like the Jews.

Sure, there’s discrimination. Just like there is in the States. Israel is not perfect. Is there such a perfect place in the world? But, believe me, there’s more discrimination against many of the lower class Jewish citizens than there is against the Israeli Arabs.

Did you know:

1. That my dermatologist is Arab?
2. And so is the surgeon who stitched up my son’s tongue when he split it open
running down a hill two years ago;
3. And so is my dental hygienist.
4. And so are 98% of the contractors my husband works with.
5. And so are the majority of people living in the Galilee (where my family and I live);
6. And so is about 20% of the entire Israel population;
7. And so are about 15 people making up the Israeli Parliament;
8. And did you know that I am woken up each morning (at 4 AM, thank you very much)
to the Muslim “call to prayer” (and then 4 more times throughout the day) from
the surrounding Arab communities’ loudspeakers. *****

So, when I read the anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli propaganda (and anti-American propaganda) and sit with not knowing what to do with it (except continue to share articles on Facebook), I think I’m going to just sit with staying stuck on beautiful for a while.
Beautiful that Israel has reached a place where two basketball teams, Jewish and Muslim, can come together and play peacefully. Without wanting to kill one another. Without denying each other’s existence. Just living. And, letting live. Just Beautiful.”

CONCLUSION

I think this beautiful email says it all. It is straight from the heart, a first-hand account that belies all the bu*****t put out by the terrorists, hardliners, the press, and certain politicians. I am sure there are thousands of others who feel the same way and would have similar experiences to relate. I have nothing I can add, except too bad that the world press doesn’t publicize these types of stories instead of focusing solely on the negative and violent ones.

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KERRY AND ISRAEL II

I have criticized Secretary of State John Kerry’s attitude toward Israel in this space previously. For example, in May Mr. Kerry compared Israel to an “Apartheid state,” an outrageous comment, especially coming from the Secretary of State. During the past weekend Mr. Kerry “doubled down.” During an interview with the Fox Network’s Chris Wallace he uttered a snide and sarcastic criticism of Israel’s retaliatory attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza. As we know, Israel is doing everything it can to limit civilian casualties; it is even giving advance of where and when it will attack so that civilians can vacate those areas. But, Hamas, on the other hand, is doing everything it can to inflate them, most notably by placing its rocket batteries in or near schools and hospitals and by forcing civilians to stay in harm’s way. The inevitable result has been to inflate the number of civilian casualties. Mr. Kerry’s snide and sarcastic comment, which he thought was off-camera, was that Israel was conducting a “hell of a pinpoint operation.” When pressed by Mr. Wallace to explain his apparent criticism Mr. Kerry ignored the question and continued with the Administration’s talking points.

We all know that all politicians possess an uncanny ability to lie, mislead and obfuscate. Otherwise, they would not have managed to be elected or appointed to high office in the first place. The difference between Mr. Kerry’s public and private comments has been stark. Which do you suppose reflect his true beliefs? As the kids would say, “duh.” I think it is fairly obvious that Mr. Kerry’s private comments about Israel and the Middle East, not his public ones, reflect his true opinions. In addition, as Secretary of State his comments, attitudes and actions are perceived by the world to be representative of those of the Administration and Americans, in general.

Hamas knows it cannot defeat Israel militarily. The only way it can prevail is by winning in the court of public opinion. Therefore, its game plan is to incur copious civilian casualties, make sure they are written about in the press and shown on television and on the internet, wait for the world’s innate bias against, or, in some cases, hatred toward Jews and Israel to play out, and force Israel into a settlement favorable to Hamas. Civilian deaths mean nothing to Hamas’ leadership. To them and their fanatic followers, life is cheap. This situation is reminiscent of Ho Chi Minh’s comment during the Viet Nam War telling the US, and I paraphrase, you will kill 10 of ours for every one of yours we kill, but in the end, you will tire of the killing, not us. That proved to be true.

Meanwhile, Jews should be mindful of the vitriol that is out there. Some of the blogs are non-sensical, not fact-based, and very poorly written, but they are an indication of how some people feel. A sampling of blogs:

1. …besides the bribe money factor – the other problem is politicians have no idea how many Americans do oppose Israel and the US Zionist corruption.”

2. “Politicians depend on political consultants to advise them… many of [the] principles [of these consulting firms], are Jewish…have made pro-Israel[i] statements themselves…”

3. It is a brilliant strategy. They [Jews] control the media, the think tanks and most probably influence polling companies.”

4. “The situation here is obvious. John Kerry knows that if he tells the truth and expresses his real thoughts and feelings, he will be targeted for destruction by the Israel[i] lobby. Barack Obama and Kerry have been intimidated into supporting another disastrous Israeli policy.”

The latest development is that because a rocket was exploded near the airport in Tel Aviv, the FAA has suspended all flights to Israel, because it believes the area is unsafe. It is reasonable to conclude that the FAA was acting with the concurrence of the Administration. At first blush, that sounds reasonable, but then how come flights to Afghanistan, Pakistan or the Ukraine, among others, have not been suspended? Are those areas not just as dangerous, if not more so? Last I heard, a civilian airliner had already been shot down over the Ukraine, accident or not. Many observers have opined that the FAA’s real motive for this action is to pressure Israel, through what amounts to a partial economic boycott, to tone down its retaliatory attacks. At the same time, we are providing approximately $47 million of aid to Gaza whose citizens have elected Hamas terrorists as their government.

CONCLUSION AND PREDICTION

Mr. Kerry’s tepid, if not hostile, attitude toward Israel is consistent with that of the Obama Administration as a whole, which, I suppose, from Mr. Obama’s perspective makes him the perfect person to represent him in the Middle East. Don’t forget Mr. Obama’s veiled threat to Israel that if the peace talks were to fail Israel would be to blame. Or, how about his comment that Israel has a right to defend itself, but…. not TOO vigorously.

Meanwhile, Iran is proceeding to develop a nuclear capability, and the US is doing nothing significant to stop it. All we have done is threaten sanctions, then back off, then hold meetings, then repeat the process, like a broken record. I don’t think anyone takes us seriously anymore. Eventually, Israel, in order to protect itself, will have no choice but to make a pre-emptive strike against Iran, for which it will no doubt be roundly criticized by the world, including the US.

The Administration, in its misguided effort to be politically correct and not offend anyone, has been trying to stay in the middle of the road here. Is that appropriate? Hmm…, let’s see. On one side is an avowed terrorist group that has sworn to obliterate Israel. It even states that in its constitution. Furthermore, it is closely allied with people who have repeatedly criticized and attacked the US, physically. On the other side, is our one friend and ally in the region. To me, it’s an easy and obvious choice, but then I didn’t go to Harvard, so maybe I’m missing something.

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TURMOIL AND NUCLEAR TERROR IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Right now, I believe the Middle East is considerably more dangerous than it has ever been before. Consider:

1. Iran continues to develop its nuclear weapons capability. This is the same Iran that has funded various terrorist groups, fomented civil war in Iraq, declared a Jihad against the US, and vowed to “wipe Israel of the face of the earth.”

2. Syria is in turmoil.

3. Iraq is embroiled in a civil war between the Shias and the Sunnis. For all intents and purposes, it is no longer a viable nation. ISIS has been gobbling up territory seemingly at will as any organized resistance has melted away. For the uninitiated, ISIS is an extremist splinter of al Qaeda, which al Qaeda, itself, has labeled as too radical. As they have expanded their territory they have captured weaponry that the US originally had provided to the Iraqi army. At some point in the future, they may be returning this weaponry to us in a less than pleasant manner. Even worse, in the last couple of days it has been disclosed that they have captured fissionable material, which means that they now have the capability to make nuclear bombs. True, they lack the ballistic capability to “deliver” these bombs, however, they can and likely will manufacture “dirty” bombs, which can fit in a suitcase. Setting off one of these “dirty” bombs in a mall or train station can do significant damage. Congressman Peter King and others have warned that the threat of such dirty bombs being detonated in the US is very real.

4. Israel and the Palestinians are engaged in an undeclared war in Gaza. The Palestinians have the backing of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad with whom they have formed a “Unity Government.” The conflict was precipitated by the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers last week, one of which was an American citizen. Israel responded with rocket attacks and bombings. Since then, there have been a series of reprisal attacks back and forth. It has been raining rockets with no end in sight. Non-combatants are dying. Reportedly, Hamas is targeting Israeli civilians, including children. On the other hand, the Israelis, in an attempt to minimize civilian casualties, have been providing advance warning of their raids so that Palestinians civilians can vacate the targeted areas, although there have been reports that Hamas has forbidden these civilians to leave. (It seems that Hamas is more interested in creating martyrs than in saving lives.)

5. The turmoil is threatening to spread into other countries, such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

In the midst of all of the foregoing, what has been the response of the US, the supposed world leader? After all, these situations did not sneak up on us; they have been months if not years in the making. Has it done anything to rein in Iran? Has it attempted to settle the conflict in Syria? Has it taken any action to deal with ISIS? Drones? Bombings? Anything? The ISIS army is not hidden in mountains, jungle or caves. It is right out in the open traveling on major roads in large convoys and very vulnerable to attack. Has it come to the aid of its one ally in the Middle East, the only one that doesn’t hate it and repeatedly try to attack it? The answer is no, no, no, no, no, and NO.

The situation with Israel is particularly egregious. Throughout his Presidency, President Obama has given Israel the cold shoulder. His support has been tepid, at best. He has continually provided concessions to the Muslims, even their terror groups, despite the fact that they have publicly vowed to destroy us. In this case, it took Mr. Obama over a week to reach out to Israel, and, even then, it was only after several world leaders had already done so – Angela Merkel of Germany, David Cameron of the UK, Stephen Harper of Canada, Francois Hollande of France and even Ban Ki Moon of the UN. Build a consensus, and lead from behind indeed. And what action did Mr. Obama finally take? Did he pledge support? Did he condemn the violence of the Muslim terror groups? Did he threaten to withdraw the $440 million in foreign aid we currently provide to the Palestinians, and, indirectly to Hamas? Nooooo. Obama’s response was to caution Israel against responding too violently. Reportedly, he told Mr. Netanyahu that, yes, Israel could defend itself, but not too strongly. Well, I ask you, what does that mean? What kind of half-hearted support is that?

As it is, Mr. Netanyahu has been strongly criticized within his country, even among his political allies, for not responding strongly enough. For example, there have been reports in the Israeli press that Avigdor Lieberman, the foreign minister and heretofore one of his strongest supporters in the coalition government, may withdraw his support. If so, that will force a “vote of confidence,” which Mr. Netanyahu may very well lose ending his term as Prime Minister.

CONCLUSION AND PREDICTION

It appears to me that most Americans are not taking the current situation in the Middle East as seriously as they should. The attitude seems to be “The Middle East is in turmoil again. What else is new. We don’t need to get involved. We’re tired of fighting. We have a big ocean between us and them.”

Well, I’m not advocating “boots on the ground” for several reasons, which, due to restrictions of time and space, I don’t want to get into at this time. But, there are many other actions that could be taken to stabilize the region, such as reinstating sanctions against Iran, withdrawing foreign aid to terrorists, droning and bombing ISIS and re-affirming support of Israel.

As it stands now, the US has left a power vacuum in the region and the bad guys are rushing to fill it. We need to take our heads out of the sand, stop hiding under our beds. The harsh truth is that the longer we wait, the worse it will get and the harder it will be to remedy it.

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