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Thursday, July 31, 2014

When Hamas Took Over Power in Gaza

Nadene Goldfoot                                    
              Ismail Haniyeh of the Palestinian unity government from Hamas,
             Former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority.  

Israel destroyed Haniyeh's home.  "“My house is not dearer than any of the houses of our people,” Haniyeh was quoted as saying on a Hamas website. “The destruction of stones will not break our will and we will continue our resistance until we gain freedom.”  We're all wondering what freedom he is talking about.  He was the leading Prime minister of his people and was to give them better living conditions, but all the money went into tunnels to shoot at Israel from.  During Operation Protective Edge, the leaders have been hiding out in bunkers or Qatar while the civilians have wandered about seeking shelter on their own with directions from Israel that Hamas tells them to ignore.  

"First Intifada began in 1987.. Violence, riots, general strikes, and civil disobedience campaigns by Palestinians spread across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli forces responded with tear gas, plastic bullets, and live ammunition. After the outbreak of the First Intifada, Shaikh Ahmed Yassin created Hamas from the Gaza wing of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Until that point the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza had enjoyed the support of the Israeli authorities and had refrained from violent attacks. However, Hamas quickly began attacks on Israeli military targets, and subsequently, Israeli civilians. The Israeli army killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the first intifada whilst 164 Israelis were killed. Allegedly almost half (1,000) of the total Palestinian casualties were caused by internal fighting among Palestinian factions.

November 15, 1988 "An independent State of Palestine was proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council meeting in Algiers, by a vote of 253 to 46.  The Intifada was not over until 1991.  

The story continues "in June 2002, when Bush in a White House speech pressed for the Palestinians to “to elect new leaders” and “build a practicing democracy.” Bush was initially determined to promote an alternative to Yasir Arafat, but after Arafat died, he continued to urge elections as part of the administration’s plan to build Arab democracies. In February 2005, Mahmoud Abbas won an election to succeed Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority, and at Bush’s urging, agreed to hold elections for a legislative council, which were scheduled for August and then postponed until January 2006".

Remember what happened in 2005 and why.  "And so it went until 2005 when Israel decided to pack up and leave Gaza for the Palestinians who promised to be peaceful neighbors.  Their departure went on from August 15 to September 12, 2005. All  9,000 Israelis left Gaza.  This corresponded to Israel decision to empty 4 Israeli cities in Judea-Samaria also for the Arabs. There were constant attacks on Jews by bombing,from  suicide bombers and other attacks.   Attacks on Jews continued in August on throughout the end of the year from terrorists. "

The Palestinians held an election a first of such an event for these people.  It took place in 2006.  At the time the PLC was dominated by the Fatah terrorists (former PLO under Arafat) movement which held 68 of the 88 seats.  They were not a group of one mind, but had been bothered by a lot of infighting before the elections.  It was the younger men like Mohammed Dahlan who was part of the Oslo Accords that threw out allegations of corruption against Fatah leaders.  There were different factions.  Barghouti was in jail but was able to get out his list of preferred people and was campaigning for Fatah.
                                                                         
Hamas terrorists refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist. They were "based on the principles of Islamism which was gaining momentum throughout the Arab world in the 1980s.   Hamas had been founded in 1987 (during the First Intifada of 1987-1992) as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood."  They had refused to participate in the 1996 elections because it viewed the PA as illegitimate due to its negotiations with Israel.

The idea of a Palestinian Authority dominated by Hamas , on world lists as a terrorist group,  alarmed Western governments.  This caused the reconciliation between the main Fatah list and the Al-Mustaqbal faction that had broken away.

Elections were held on 25 January 2006.  Hamas won 74 seats over Fatahs 45.  Hamas had taken 44.5% of the vote and Fatah had 41.43%.  The Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei resigned and Mahmoud Abbas remained as interim Prime Minister until 19 February 2006 when Hamas leader Ismail Haniya formed a new government.  

According to Haniya, he wrote a letter to President Bush and asked for his new government to be recognized.  He offered to establish a border on the 1967 boundaries and agreed to a long-term truce.   Evidently this is why Obama kept harping on the 1967 borders when he and Netanyahu were on a TV program together and Netanyahu kept explaining why this was not reasonable for Israel to do that.

Haniya said in his letter that they were so concerned about stability and security in the area that "we don't mind having a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders and offering a truce for many years....We are not warmongers, we are peace makers, and we call on the American government to have direct negotiations with the elected government.  He urged the American government to act "to end the International boycott because the continuation of this situation will encourage violence and chaos in the whole region."

What was going on was that international aid agencies had been sending aid for the PA as long as they behaved in a democratic manner and governed well.  The agencies boycotted the Palestinians when Hamas was elected.**  $12 billion from USA and EU coming into the PA budget every year was now in jeopardy.  Israel asked for economic sanctions. Hamas didn't receive the aid they thought they had coming.

Haniya said that President Bush never answered his letter and the USA continued its boycott of Hamas and of Gaza.  The 2006-2007 economic sanctions against the Palestinian national Authority were imposed by Israel and the Quartet on the Middle East against the PA and the Palestinian territories.  Israel and the Quartet have said that sanctions would be lifted only when the Palestinian government has met the following demands:
1. Renounce Violence
2. Recognition of Israel by the Hamas government as had the PLO
3. Accept the previous agreements between Israel and the PA on territorial sanctions on PA ending in 2007.

Hamas  denies that they are terrorists. Here is an example of what terrorists were like.  "The Ma'alot massacre occurred in May 1974 and involved a two-day hostage-taking of 115 people which ended in the deaths of over 25 hostages. It began with three armed members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).  This was similar to the 3rd group (PFLP-Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) who ran in the elections causing Hamas to win over Fatah. They  entered Israel from Lebanon. Soon afterwards they attacked a van, killing two Israeli Arab women while injuring a third and entered an apartment building in the town of Ma'alot, where they killed a couple and their four-year-old son. From there, they headed for the Netiv Meir Elementary School, where they took more than 115 people (including 105 children) hostage on 15 May 1974, in Ma'alot. 

Most of the hostages were teenagers from a high school in Safad on a Gadna field trip spending the night in Ma'alot. The hostage-takers soon issued demands for the release of 23 Palestinian militants from Israeli prisons, or else they would kill the students. On the second day of the standoff, a unit of the Golani Brigade stormed the building. During the takeover, the hostage-takers killed children with grenades and automatic weapons.e  Ultimately, 25 hostages, including 22 children, were killed and 68 more were injured.  When I lived in Safed from 1981 to 85 I saw the cemetery where they were buried and heard about what terrorists had done.  My apartment on the ground floor of a high rising building had bars on the living room window to protect us from terrorist attacks.  

"While Obama sought initially to press Israel to conclude an agreement with the Palestinians, he continued to harbor the illusion that it could be done while pretending that Hamas does not exist. Obama also followed the Bush administration in rejecting the idea of a unity government between Hamas and Fatah when the two parties again agreed to reconcile early last year. The agreement fell apartand not least because of an absence of American support. "

The latest union of Hamas-Fatah in creating Palestine has been accepted by Obama and Kerry without any assurances for Israel.  Netanyahu has added stipulations before he agrees.  Before anything could happen, rockets have rained down on Israel is large numbers bringing about Operation Protective Edge, now in its 3rd week.  A 72 hour cease  fire is to take place tomorrow starting 8 am between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 1.8 million Palestinian Hamas of Gaza have been attacking 8.7 million Israelis with rockets, mortars and missiles as well as the newly found tunnels whereby they pop up and shoot from.  
                                                                     
     1980  Safed, Israel ground floor apartment with bars on windows to protect from terrorists.

  8/1/14 Update   The 72 hour cease fire was broken by Hamas after 1.5 hours by shooting and killing two IDF and kidnapping the 3rd.     This has brought on the end of the cease fire and Israel is reacting strongly.                                                                        
Today's president of Palestine is Abbas.  Prime Minister is Rami Hamdallah.

Resource: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/understanding-hamas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_legislative_election,_2006
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1525/jps.2012.XLI.4.32?uid=2&uid=4&sid=21104544233833 **
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2014/07/1987-first-intifada-getting-to-heart-of.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma'alot_massacre
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112456/george-w-bushs-secret-war-against-hamas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_National_Authority
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/29/fatah-hamas-agree-new-palestinian-prime-minister
http://forward.com/articles/203006/furious-israel-barrage-kills-dozens-after-lull-g/?
Read more: http://forward.com/articles/203006/furious-israel-barrage-kills-dozens-after-lull-g/#ixzz395UYomsO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_Front_for_the_Liberation_of_Palestine

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

One Jewish State Versus a Caliphate or Muslim Empire

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                

G-d started it all by telling the Israelites the exact location and size of the land they were to inhabit after coming out of Egypt.  Moses related the geographical information to his people.  Israel was born and divided between the 12 tribes of Jacob.
                                                                                 
                         King David's Empire                                                  

A kingdom had been created.  It lasted for 210 years and had 19 kings from 9 dynasties.  At one time the kingdom extended to the Gulf of Akaba.  It had to keep fighting with the kingdom of Damascus.(Syria).

                                                                             
 Both kingdoms fell to the power of Assyria.  Samaria, the capital in 721 BCE, fell to Sargon of Assyria.  Judah was the southern end of Israel who held Jerusalem as their capital and had broken off when King Solomon of Israel had died in 922 BCE.  Judah fell to the Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE.  The people remained and lived as they had but under different occupations, and Jerusalem lasted until 70 CE when the Roman Empire burned it down.  So Judah lasted for 992 years after its own creation.  If you count the beginning with Israel's creation of which it was a part of, the children of Jacob lived in the Jewish Homeland for about  4,000 years.
                                                                   
                                 Ottoman Empire

Everyone had empires in those days and afterwards.  In 632 Mohammad died, but he had created what would be called the Islamic Empire after the new religion he had started.  They created Dynasties.  The empire expanded into the Umayyad Dynasty.  Then we was the Abbasid Empire.

The Ottoman Empire lasted for 400 years. it covered 2,007,730 square miles and covered Africa, Asia and Europe.  It was the largest by 1683 under Suleiman the Magnificent.  Countries a part of the Ottomans were: Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Mesopotamia, Syria, Algeria, Palestine, , Romania, Bulgaria, Italian North Africa, and many others in modern Europe.   The Safavids with Shahs had their imperial lands.  There are Shaykhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula which have produced Saudi Arabia, North and South Yeman and Oman.
                                                                               
        Napoleonic Empire: Largest by 1813 with 810,814 square miles of land

Skip over to Europe and they had their empires, too.  The first one that comes to mind is the British Empire that covered so many lands; India among them. The list is vast, but some are Afghanistan and Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Egypt, Bahamas, Belize, and held the mandate over Palestine for 30 years.   There was the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Russian Empire.  Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Swedish Empire.  The Napoleon Empire tried to take over the Russians but didn't succeed.  The weather got to them; all that snow.

Today a splinter terrorist group from al Qaeda, IS, has the goal of creating a Caliphate.  The rule to create such an empire is that one has to be a descendant of Muhammad, and the terrorist from Damascus, Syria, is Baghdadi who says he has such qualifications. He has not proved any of it.  The only proof accepted by modern Muslims of today is a DNA test of which many of them have already taken.  Descendants of Muhammad have been found to be the Hashemites who live next door to Israel in Jordan.  The king of Jordan is just such a descendant.  There are others.  Baghdadi  is a manic killer, beheading everyone that crosses him, and is taking over land through  fear from the occupants.  Baghdadi is a Sunni Muslim.  "The Sunni branch of Islam stipulates that as a head of state, a caliph should be elected by Muslims or their representatives."  He hasn't been elected.  He chose himself.  This man with a Napoleon complex has already warned the USA that he'll see them in New York.  

"A caliphate (in Arabicخلافة‎ khilāfa, meaning "succession") is the political modal of Islam just like democracyCommunismMonarchyDictatorship etc.It is an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader known as acaliph – i.e. "successor" – to Muhammad.  The succession of Muslim empires that have existed in the Muslim world are usually described as "caliphates". Conceptually, a caliphate represents a  (state) of the entire Muslim faithful (the Ummah, ruled by a single caliph under the Constitution of Medina and Islamic law (sharia)."  

Already Baghdadi has taken the border between Syria and Iraq and is working down towards Baghdad.  He's taken Mosul and has caused what few Christians who lived there to leave or convert.  He offered a tax money in lieu of this which was about $450 per head, but that was beyond their means.  Those that could fled to the north with the people there.  The invalids who couldn't move away had to convert or die.  They converted.  

The Muslim Brotherhood is very powerful in the Middle East and also has the goal of creating a Caliphate.  The two must be working in conjunction with each other.  

The West has done away with Empires.  The closest thing to it today is the European Union, which began in 1993.  It's made up of 28 countries of Europe.  7 countries are waiting to be accepted such as Turkey and Serbia.  Bosnia and Kosovo are potential states.   are In a sense, that is an empire.  They use one type of money, the Euro.  If you belong to the EU you have many treats coming to your state.  They can travel as if there were no borders.  There are no religious requirements to belong.  
                                                                           
Israel in yellow and Palestine in red.

  

Palestine under the British Mandate 1923-1948

Israel was promised a Jewish Homeland by the Balfour Doctrine and the League of Nations but immediately saw Britain break off 80% of the land and give it to  Abdullah to make him a king of Transjordan.  Then Israel saw their piece divided into land for the "Palestinian Arabs"  Arafat turned it down in 1948, wanting to wait to take all of the land.  Abbas, leader of Fatah terrorists (former PLO of Arafat),   has united with Hamas to create their own state.  

Now we have the Jewish state of Israel,  sitting in the middle of Muslim states who wish to have the area as all one sweep of Muslims.  How Israel is hurting them by their presence only G-d knows.  Israel could be the piece of the puzzle that keeps them together and on their toes as far as civility goes.  Israel is the hub, the sun among the planets.  They wish to destroy the sun, not caring that they would be destroying themselves if they did.  

There we are.  Israel is fighting to defend their very existence since 1948 and keep their 8,000 square miles of land, one of the smallest states in existence.  It's not much bigger than the USA state of New Jersey . Then we have someone determined to take over the whole Middle East and create it all into a Muslim Caliphate.  Syria alone is made up of 71,998 square miles.  

As IS is taking over land in Iraq, the Hamas terrorists attacked Israel more than usually with a cloudburst of rockets, more than the constant raining down of missiles, rockets and mortars that have been attacking Israel since 2001.  Israel has had to conduct an operation to stop it, but then they always have started up again.  After leaving Gaza in 2005 on the condition of peace from the Palestinians, the situation just got worse.   Besides other incidences of creating a union with Fatah in making their Muslim state of Palestine, they were the instigators of a kidnapping and killing of 3 religious boys in Judea, the finding of a Muslim boy also killed, and riots galore in Jerusalem from the killing of the one Muslim boy. 

 Was this all a coordinated effort?  Hamas knew that the steps just taken would lead to Israel's step of an Operation going into Gaza and so Israel has.   Operation Defensive Edge is in its 3rd week now, finding at least 70 tunnels lined with cement that lead out into Israel for surprise attacks.  Israel's deaths now are up to 53.  They have taken all sorts of steps to preserve their own life in this defensive operation.  Over 1,000 deaths have taken place in the Gazan population even though IDF soldiers have taken huge steps in trying to avoid hitting them.  Hamas makes sure they are in the line of the conflict in order to gain deaths to use against Israel in the media end of the war.  

Israel is fighting for their security and existence.  Muslims want to take their land and create a Caliphate that will force all to convert to Islam.  

Like the 2 boys who connived and killed their parents, they stood in the courtroom asking for mercy because now they are orphans.  The Gazan Arab terrorists have been attacking Israel viciously over many years and now ask for mercy because they are being destroyed.  

Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Former_empires_of_Europe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_that_have_gained_independence_from_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphate
http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/index_en.htm
http://www.iris.org.il/sizemaps/new_jersey.htm
http://empires.findthebest.com/q/32/2513/How-large-was-the-Ottoman-Empire-at-its-greatest-extent
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_countries_were_part_of_the_Ottoman_Empire?#slide=6

Monday, July 28, 2014

Looks Like a 3rd Intifada To Me: Gaza vs Israel

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                       

                                  Israel's Iron Dome after another rocket

We're in the 3rd Intifada or War.  It started with the united government of Fatah-Hamas creating Palestine and okayed by Obama and Kerry.

Immediately after the nod of acceptance, though there was no accepting by Palestinans of Israel nor a peace treaty, and through the occasional bombing into Israel of mortars and missiles and rockets, 3 Jewish boys were kidnapped and killed.  Soon there was a reprisal or event of a Muslim boy killed by a Jewish boy and this was accompanied by a barrage of rocket fire in Israel.
                                                                       
                                              Hamas Terrorist
                                                                           
Rockets launched were of longer range now coming into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.  That was it.  Operation Protective Edge was declared by Israel to put an end to the launching pads sending rockets into Israel coming from Gaza.  Israel had reached the height of their patience.  The usual bombing of a launch site was not working.  The sites had to be put to a stop.  Hamas had declared war on Israel long ago and were terrorists, listed as such by other nations.  Their charter called for the end of Israel and the killing of Jews. Of course they refused to sign any recognition, which would have meant the promise of peace.  John Kerry was chasing after a ghost of a peace settlement.   He could not change their ideology.
                                                                         
                                                  Hamas on the March

The trap was set by Hamas.  Israel entered Gaza. First they announced they were there and for the Palestinians to leave their area before they started bombing.  They told them by leaflets, phones, taps on roofs, and telling the UNRWA.  The USA does the same thing, but I believe Israel goes a step further.

 Every death construed by the Palestinians was a point in their favor, so they were happy to get them all counted.  They had hid their ammunition in hospitals, schools, offices, homes, wherever there was a gathering of people.  Civilians were told not to leave the sites to be bombed by the Israelis.  They were guarding the rockets.  On top of this, Palestinians interviewed call out for freedom, which they had since they voted for Hamas and that's what they have.  Israel is not there.  They left in 2005 and handed the area to the PA who have changed to Hamas.
                                                                           
What Israel has found upon entering have been the tunnels.  They turned out to be gigantic cement enforced tunnels reaching into Israel's nation where they can pop up and attack.  Israel has had to turn from taking out rocket centers to blowing up tunnels.

Israel accepts cease fires but Hamas rejects them all.  The latest is a hospital that has been hit and Israel has been blamed.  The finding is that it was a mortar fired by Hamas that was a dud-landing on the hospital.  I even wonder if they did it on purpose to garner more hatred for Israel.

It's to Israel's advantage in this war to not stack up casualties of Palestinians because each time there are riots and screams from the world.  Anti-Semitism is ruling the attitudes against Israel.  Talk this morning on CNN was of fear for the United States and the intervention of ISIS and other Sunnis into Gaza.

The latest is that a hospital was hit by Hamas with a stray mortar but of course the blame first went to Israel.  Riots are breaking out all over the world against Israel which shows that anti Semitism is well and growing.  Nobody is acting out over Russia who is getting away with taking Ukraine, or the sundry other problems in the world.  Now CNN even mentioned ISIS's possible involvement into this.  At this moment Jews were killed on a Kibbutz  from tunnel rats coming up from Gaza ready to kill.  The UN is calling for a cease fire, but after 5 that Israel had agreed to that was met by deaf ears, neither party are accepting.
                                                                                                   
The Palestinians keep crying for freedom, but they had it.  Hamas was their government.  Jews were out of the picture except for trying to make sure that weapons weren't coming into the land.  Little did they know they were coming in anyway from Iran through these complicated tunnels.  Egypt doesn't want to open their exits either.  Hamas continues to shoot rockets while they call out that they are orphans.  Oh, the talks are on the agenda by all those who talk about the situation but understand little about Hamas goals.

Gaza's main cities are destroyed, but that hasn't stopped the bombing yet.  Soon, soon.  Hamas  has sacrificed over 1,000 civilians in their goal to destroy Israel this time.  About 6,000 are injured.  The hospital has been hit.

All I hear out of the Hamas spokesmen's mouths is their right to Freedom and that's why they are shooting rockets.  Really?  I feel they wanted more freedom to obtain rockets to shoot at  Israel.  It's pretty pathetic.  I notice the cement went into tunnels that have taken at least 2 years to build.  No schools were built.  No hospitals were built.  Do aggressors get to cry about protecting themselves if they are not prepared when Israel fights back?  They are working it and getting Pollyanna types to feel sorry for them.

PS: Over CNN:  Fight to get their food?  There has been no shortage of food in Gaza whatsoever unless Hamas has been turning it all into rockets.  Trucks go in from Israel every day loaded with food.  Their markets and shuks are loaded with food.  Their references are ridiculous.

Did you ever hear the story about the man who wanted to be alone with his wife so he told his children that the ice cream truck was downstairs and he gave them each some money to buy some ice cream.  They ran down the steps happily to find the truck.  He looked out the window and thought, "gee, I'd like to have some ice cream, too, and down he went."  Lesson: People who tell lies wind up believing them.








HOW COUNTRIES CHANGE BORDERS: Rule of International Law

Nadene Goldfoot                                                               

   Jewish soldiers at the Wall in Jerusalem end of Six Day War 1967.  Jordan took the former ancient land of Judah which was decided to be part of the Jewish National Home in 1948.  After the aggressive attack of nations against Israel in , Israel won in 1967, gaining back land stolen.

World War I. The aggressors were the Axis of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria  and the Ottoman Empire against the Allies of England, France, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, USA. The war ran from  1914 to 1917.  The Allies won this war that was started by Germany.  The Versailles Peace Treaty and others  decided on the outcome. The League of Nations helped to decide on outcomes between nations.


In Central and Eastern Europe, the consequences of the First World War were much more dramatic than they were in the West. Imperial power was swept away in Austria-Hungary, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Austria-Hungary collapsed by 1918 and the map of Europe was re-drawn with the creation of new states from the remains of the old. The successor states were Austria, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Each national group was determined to achieve independence from imperial interference. 

  1.  
    The war began with the Austrian attack invasion of Serbia on 28 July 1914, in response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  The USA entered on April 6, 1917.  
  2. The only countries represented in the 1918 armistice which ended the combat were Britain, France and Germany.
By winning, the Allies were able to come into the property of the Ottoman Empire.  They divided it up between themselves and put England in charge of a mandate to decide what to do with the piece called Palestine since 70 CE by the Romans.

 It had been Israel since King David's day who lived from 1010 BCE and died in 970 BCE.  When King Solomon (961 BCE to 920 BCE) died, the southern part of Israel, where the tribe of Judah lived,  broke off from the rest and called themselves Judah, keeping Jerusalem for their capital.

France got the piece that was to become Syria and Lebanon.  The United Kingdom was given Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Palestine- a little later to Palestine and Transjordan.

England decided to give land to the Jews who came to talk with them before the war was even over about their ancient homeland and how they needed their own land back again.  England decided to give their land back to them but would hold a mandate for 30 years on it.  This was due to 2 reasons:
   1. Guilt for the world treating Jews so badly since 70 CE when Jerusalem fell.
   2. Chaim Weizmann, English Jew,  was rewarded for his invention of improving ammunition without which they would have lost the war.

At the same time, they rewarded the same land to Arabs who helped England fight against the Ottoman Empire without which they wouldn't have won against them.  They saw they had much to gain from these Arab lands.  The most important Arab leader, Emir Feisal, was all for the Jews return to this barren land of weeds and mosquitoes and looked forward to the Bedouins there benefiting from the Jewish presence.  However, Haj Amin al-Husseini, Sherif Jerusalem, saw his little kingdom and influence shrink and fought against it by turning the Arabs in his circle to riot.   This caused a change in the English who actually helped Arabs to enter the land from beyond while they worked at keeping Jews out.  They did not want to confront the Arabs there as they had only a small force.  Also, they just happened to be quite anti-Semitic, which was the cause of the Jews to be in need of their own homeland in the first place.   Israel was announced on May 14, 1948.  They were immediately attacked by all the surrounding nations.

Other nations had their disagreements.

1. 1920:  Sweden and Finland fought over the Aland Islands (The Åland Islands formed part of the territory ceded to Russia by Sweden under the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in September 1809. As a result, along with all other parts of Finland, they became part of the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland..End of WWI, went to Finland, have autonomy.

2. 1925: Greece and Bulgaria., Greece invaded Bulgaria.  They had an incident at Petrich.  They both wanted Macedonia and later, Western Thrace. Called "War of the Stray Dog",   The story was that a Greek ran after his dog who crossed their border and was shot by the guards.  On the other hand according to some newspapers of that time, the Greco-Bulgarian frontier incident was caused when Bulgarian soldiers violated the Greek borders, attacked a Greek outpost at Belasitsa and killed a Greek captain and a sentry.  Greece had to pay Bulgaria. killed-121 of Greeks.

3. 1931 Japan and China fought over Manchuria. Japan invaded China's Manchuria.  Now called Northeast China.  Japan had:30,000 – 60,450 men, China had: 160,000 men; killed or wounded ??

4. 1935 Italy and Abyssinia fought over Abyssinia.  Took place in Ethiopia with Italy taking it.  Benito Mussolini's of Italy's attack.  italy loss: Total: ~20,000 killed and ~188,000 wounded or sick; Ethiopia loss: Total: ~775,000 killed or wounded
  1. World War II (1939–1945) Axis powers (GermanyItalyJapan, Hungary,Romania, Bulgaria) versus Allies (U.S., BritainFrance, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia).                                  
Oregon Territory of 1848 covered today's Washington, Oregon, Idaho and pieces of Montana and Wyoming. 

5. Poland:  has fought wars about every year in existence since 964 CE.  lately with Russia, British, French., In late 1800's was part of Russian Empire in area of Poland and part of Russia called Pale of Settlement. .

6. Lithuania (Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth).History from 1009; Created Grand Duchy of Lithuania,   1880's part of Russia, part of Pale of Settlement; Russian troops left in 1993.  

7. USA, Mexico  Treaties broken, USA annexes California, New Mexico, Texas to USA from Mexico.  Austin, Texas was to be a buffer between Comanche Indians and Mexico.  Mexico wound up losing land, Battle of Alamo.

8. Oregon Territory wanted by England-through Canada, USA.  USA won.

9. Pakistan: Created 1947 out of India who was occupied by Britain from 1849 to August 14, 1947; constant attacks back and forth of Muslims and Hindus led to the state, Muslims moving from India to Pakistan.  

10. Israel: land taken from Jews in 70CE by Romans, finally held  Ottoman Empire till 1917-mandated by Britain, State May 14, 1948, attacked immediately, divided into 2 states but Arabs refused, fought instead, Arab wound up occupying Gaza and living in Judea-Samaria (ancient land of Jews). Announced a Palestine with government of Fatah-Hamas unified.  Immediate kidnapping of 3 Jewish boys-then Muslim boy, bombardment of rockets into Israel, over 60 in one day.  Arabs living Judea-Samaria left alone though this is land now in hands of Israel since 1967.  1.7 million Arabs live in Israel with 6 million Jews.

11. Gaza  Part of Jewish Homeland , under Egyptian rule during Ottoman Empire.   Gaza had been subject to military occupation, most recently by Israel (1967–94) and by Egypt (1948–67), and earlier by Great Britain (1918–48)  In 1994, Israel granted the right of self-governance to Gaza through the Palestinian Authority. Jews left it in 2005 for Arabs-no peace treaty-refusing to recognize Israel- who started attacking immediately with rockets, mortars, missiles. In 2007 Hamas terrorists kicked out Fatah terrorists and took over governing which turned out to be attacking Israel all the time.  Rockets, mortars and missiles shot into Israel.   Operation Protective Edge by Israel July 8, 2014.  3rd Intifada has turned into War.

Resource:http://www.johndclare.net/peacetowar1919-1939_redruth.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_I
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_Germans_from_Czechoslovakia
http://formin.finland.fi/public/?contentid=124244&contentlan=2&culture=en-US
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incident_at_Petrich
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasion_of_Manchuria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Italo-Ethiopian_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Poland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Lithuania
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lithuania
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitioning_of_the_Ottoman_Empire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_boundary_dispute
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/250447/live-blog-day-21-operation-protective-edge-updated-1203-am-il.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Strip




Saturday, July 26, 2014

1987 First Intifada: Getting to the Heart of the Fight Between Gaza Terrorists and Israel Gaza Terrorists' Violent Acts on Israel

Nadene Goldfoot                                                               

Israel lost 80% of the Jewish Homeland as promised by the mandate to TransJordan who took it over illegally in 1948.
                                                                                   

What was left to be the Jewish Homeland was again then divided between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs in 1948 who refused the offer to establish a Palestine.

Wars against Israel where Israel has been on the defensive happened in 1947-49, 1956, 1967 and 1973.

The last big war with the Muslim world was in 1973, but fighting continued.  The PLO was shooting at northern Israel and hiding out in Lebanon in 1982 when Israel's friend, Major Hadad of the Christian Militia went in and wiped out Sabra and Shatilla's camp of terrorists.  He was a friend of Sharon,  then General of the IDF.  Fighting continued against Israel.
                                                                   
By 1987 the 1st Intifada started.  It lasted until 1992.
The 2nd Intifada started in 2000.  It  lasted until 2006

A country has not been attacking Israel since 1973.  It has been the Palestinian Arabs who have rejected the Western division of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of Israel.  They have splintered into factions of terrorists.  The main one was the PLO run by Arafat.  They have splintered into Fatah, the new name for the PLO and it's more violent side, Hamas.  You can say that they have been fighting on and off since 1947.

The year 2001 started off with Bill Clinton leaving the White House on the 20th of January without arriving at his goal of bringing peace to the Middle East.  The Bush administration of the USA began.

Ariel Sharon in Israel  won his election over Ehud Barak in February2001.

By February 9th, fighting has been going on with Israeli tanks having to be brought in against terrorist gunmen in battles.  By the 14th, "Israel reimposes a total blockade on the occupied territories, following the deaths of  eight soldiers and civilians, killed when a Palestinian bus driver ploughs his vehicle into a waiting queue. President George Bush condemns the attack, but pointedly refuses to take sides.  Ehud Barak decided he did not want  to serve as Defense Minister.  

No one from the USA came out and said to the terrorists to stop doing what they were doing.  They had no right.  

By March 4th Israel experiences another suicide bomber. Not only did he die but 3 Israelis nearby were killed plus 60 were injured.  By March 26, "A Palestinian sniper shoots dead a 10-month-old Jewish baby in her father's arms, in the flashpoint West Bank town of Hebron. The town is home to 120,000 Palestinians, and 400 hardline Jewish settlers. 
                                                                           

 Hebron is one of 4 very important sacred cities to Jews.  It was a city of refuge.  It's in Judah and is 18 miles south of Jerusalem.  It's here where Abraham bought the land from the Hittites where a cave was.  He buried his wife, Sarah there, mother of Isaac, grandmother of Jacob (Israel).  During the Byzantine Period the city came under Arab rule.  Jews had always lived there since Abraham had bought land.  By 1890 there were 1,500 Jews and many Yeshivot and religious schools.  This was the time Jews from Russia and other parts of Europe were joining the native Jewish population and building homes and cities.  In the fateful year of 1929 and the USA stock market crash, the Arabs were stirred up against the Jews by the nasty Haj Amin al-Hussein, Sherif of Jerusalem who disagreed violently with Emir Feisal who had welcomed the Jews' return.  They massacred  67 Jews of the remaining 700 and the survivors fled.  30 Jewish families returned in 1931.  Riots started again in 1936, with the start of Nazi Germany.  After that no Jews could live there.  The population after the 1967 Six Day War of all the Arab states attacking Israel and Israel surprising everyone by winning,  found 38,310 people living in Hebron.  Israel's success of winning back the land from Jordan caused Jews to return and establish Kiryat Arba Quarter which lies east of the city.  Their population numbered 3,718 in 1988.  

The March 26th attack  caused retaliation on April 3 when  "Israeli helicopter gunships hunted  down hit an Islamic Jihad commander in the Gaza Strip, the first such assassination since Ariel Sharon became prime minister.  By April 16 "Israel launches air, sea and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, capping a day that sees tensions climb sharply all over the Middle East."  

The deal was that the Arabs in Gaza were not to be armed but were to show peaceful intent.  Nobody in the UN is saying boo about their behaviors.  Israel as usual had to take the matter into their own hands.  A reprisal against these terrorists from the UN might have helped Israel.  So far 12 Jews have been killed this year and 60 injured by terrorist acts just from Gaza.  Yasser Arafat is the leader of the PLO terrorists.  

April 17th was a turn of events in this intifada.  For the first time since the intifada erupted, Israeli troops seize back land controlled by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and divide the territory into three parts.  Jews have been living in Gaza at least since 1967.  We hear from the USA on May 5th.  "A draft report by former US senator George Mitchell, who has been investigating the causes of Middle East violence, condemns the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories."  Oh yes, the Arabs are against any Jews and Israel, so naturally they didn't like Jews living in Gaza or gaining some land.  Instead of getting on the Arab's case for attacking Jews, Mitchell reprimands them for living on gained land.  

May 8th and a Palestinian baby is accidently the victim during Israel's retaliation.  Iman Hijjo becomes the youngest victim of the intifada, killed by shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell at the age of four months. The shelling, at Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, was in retaliation for a Palestinian mortar attack."  The very next day on May 9th "Two 14-year-old Israeli boys are found bludgeoned to death in a cave near a Jewish West Bank settlement."

Now Arabs living in Judea-Samaria are mixing in the fracas by May 14th, retaliating and Israeli troops kill five Palestinian policemen manning a checkpoint in the West Bank and launch a major bombardment of security targets in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinians gather outside a West Bank hospital chanting for revenge. An Israeli official admits the policemen were killed wrongly due to faulty information on the 16th of May.  Nevertheless, two days later on the 18th "A Palestinian suicide bomber kills himself and five Israelis at a shopping mall in the northern coastal town of Netanya. More than 40 people are wounded. In retaliation Israel bombs the West Bank towns of Nablus and Ramallah with F-16 warplanes - the first such use of airpower against the occupied territories. Note that Israel had been reacting quickly to attacks.  The score so far now is 12 Israeli deaths, 100 wounded in terror attacks.  

May 21, 2001 brings out George Mitchell who has a one-track mind which works against Israel.  "In his long awaited report on the Middle East conflict, former US senator George Mitchell calls for an immediate ceasefire, to be followed by confidence building measures and ultimately by renewed peace negotiations. Mitchell also calls for a freeze on expansion of Jewish settlements in the (occupied territories).  The problem here is that the so called territories no longer remain in the hands of the terrorists since Israel won the attack in 1967 against them, winning back land of Judea and Samaria which had been planned by the League of Nations and the United Nations to be a part of Israel.  In that aggressive attack in 1948 by Jordan, Israel had lost 80% of its determined to be land.  It was almost like taking it before it was a state-leaving a small piece of 8,000 sq. miles.

The apex of the year happened on September 11th in New York City, which also influenced events in Israel and Gaza as well as the rest of the world.  On September 11, suicide bombers in hijacked airliners attacked the eastern seaboard of the United States, destroying the World Trade Centre and part of the Pentagon.  

In 2004 Israel suffered the deaths of Mordechai Yosephov 49, Afik Zehavi 4, Yuval Abebeh 4, and Dorit Benisian 2.  

And so it went until 2005 when Israel decided to pack up and leave Gaza for the Palestinians who promised to be peaceful neighbors.  Their departure went on from August 15 to September 12, 2005. All  9,000 Israelis left Gaza.  This corresponded to Israel decision to empty 4 Israeli cities in Judea-Samaria also for the Arabs. There were constant attacks on Jews by bombing,from  suicide bombers and other attacks.   Attacks on Jews continued in August on throughout the end of the year from terrorists. 

In 2005 Israel's deaths were Ayala Abukasis 17 and Dana Gelkowitz 22.  

On January 26, 2006, Hamas won in elections over Fatah and were the political party of Gaza.  The USA reaction:  "The election results stunned U.S. and Israeli officials, who have repeatedly stated that they would not work with a Palestinian Authority that included Hamas, which both countries and the European Union have designated as a terrorist organization. In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that a party could not "have one foot in politics and the other in terror.   Our position on Hamas has therefore not changed." .  

Oh yes it did with a change in presidents. Obama and  John Kerry include  them in a Palestine.  So this concludes my question of since when does the USA recognize the terrorist group, still listed as such, as Hamas?  

Israeli had more deaths in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 1214.  

Israel retaliated from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009 with Operation Cast Lead.  
Again they retaliated from November 14, 20112 to November 21, 2012 with Operation Pillar of Cloud.
Now it has become imperative to not just retaliate but to try to put an end to rockets landing all over Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and the southern end starting on July 8, 2014 with Operation Protective Edge.  

Bit by Bit the Palestinians have been biting off pieces of Israel and are still biting with their bombing and media attacks to garner sympathy for themselves.  This is how an aggressor, murderers, turn the tables on those that are defending themselves.  Their desire for their own state was late; 1967 after Israel again won another war against them.  Like the dog who chases cars, they wouldn't know what to do with a state if they had it, except to use it as a place to attack neighbors from.  I lived in Israel from 1980 to the very end of 1985.  Two years after I left, this intifada started.  

Resource: Book:   Letters From Israel (1980-1985) by Nadene Goldfoot about what it was like living in Israel for 2 teachers and their dog from Oregon
 http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/rocket-deaths-israel.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/17/israel
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://www.idfblog.com/facts-figures/rocket-attacks-toward-israel/
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2014/07/all-about-intifadas-terrorism.html
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/middle-east/story/5-things-about-the-israel-gaza-conflict-20140721
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_disengagement_from_Gaza
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012600372.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Hebron_massacre