What Does The Land of Milk and Honey Consist of Today?

 Nadene Goldfoot

   Nadene Goldfoot

      "good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey..."1 Honey here (and elsewhere in the Scriptures) is generally understood to be a reference to fruit nectar, specifically date honey—not bees' honey. (Chabad)                                                                      

                     I'd say that Israel is the land of falafels today.    

                                    

The original Jewish Homeland of Israel was to be 17,500 sq miles of which 45% is in Transjordan.  The entire area was occupied by the Israelites under David and Solomon (Kings 5:4).   The West Bank has an area of 5,628 square kilometres (2,173 sq mi), which comprises 21.2% of former Mandatory Palestine (excluding Jordan) and has generally rugged mountainous terrain. The total length of the land boundaries of the region are 404 kilometres (251 miles).

Israel's area is approximately 20,770 km² (8,019 sq mi), which includes 445 km² (172 sq mi) of inland water. Israel stretches 424 km (263 mi) from north to south, and its width ranges from 114 km (71 mi) to, at its narrowest point, 15 km (9.3 mi).

Israel lost almost 80% of what was promised to them in 1922 to Abdullah of Saudi Arabia by the decision of Britain who held the 30 year mandate.  What was left for the Jewish Promised Land was mostly a desert land.  Israel lives on the edge of the desert.  A large part of Israel is the Negev which is mostly desert.  Jerusalem is on the threshold of the Judaean Desert. More than 60 percent of Israel is desert. Negev, the largest desert in Israel, sits in the southern region of the country; it's home to the Ramon crater.  Its main city is Be’er Sheva. Here, the Old City is home to the Negev Museum of Art, with contemporary Israeli and international exhibitions. Nearby is Abraham’s Well, a cultural center with interactive exhibits about the story of Abraham. East of the city, Tel Be’er Sheva is a prehistoric settlement mound with ruins, plus a lookout tower with desert views.                                                                              

         2nd Giveaway:  Israel has lost more land to the Palestinians.  Israel was left with a sliver.  

The Negev's northern part is a prairie and the southern is mountainous.  

The Sinai Desert has throughout history been the region separating the Land of Israel from the Land of Egypt.  

                                                                  

            Tel Aviv: founded in 1909-Jews exiled during WWI by the Turks

                 Grew under British Mandate.  Population in 1990 was 317,800.  

                Iraq shot scud missiles at Tel Aviv during Gulf War in 1991.  

  Tel Aviv has been called The World's Vegan Food Capital, as it possesses the highest per capita population of vegans in the world, with many vegan eateries throughout the city. Tel Aviv is home to Tel Aviv University, the largest university in the country with more than 30,000 students.

The Coastal Plain and its eastward incursion is the Valley of Jezreel.      

                                                                

The Mountains rise to above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet).  Safed and Jerusalem are about at the same heights on top of their mountain.  In the north is the Galilee. Mt. Meron near Safed is 3,692  feet high;  Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel.

Mt Canaan near Safed is 3,149 feet high  and Mt Herzl in Jerusalem is 2,741 feet high.  The lowest is Mt Gilboa in the Jezreel Valley of 1,631 feet high.  

In the center is Judea and Samaria, called the West Bank by Jordan.  

The Jordan Rift Valley contains the Jordan River which links 2 internal seas;  Lake Kinneret of 665 feet, and 220 meters below sea level--and---the Dead Sea which is the lowest place in the world.  It is 392 meters, 1,286 feet below sea level.    

The Arava Valley stretches between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea.  

Israel has 4 rivers:  Jordan  of 157 miles, Yarkon of 16 miles, Kishon of 8 miles and Yarmuk of 5.5 miles.                                         

Modern Israel hasn't had permanent boundaries.  Until 1967, its boundaries consisted of temporary armistice lines, agreed upon in 1949, the year after its birthday.  Since 1967 and pending a peace settlement, cease-fire lines demarcate the area under Israeli control.  The cease-fire lines are 842 km (523 miles) long, compared with the armistice lines which were 951 km (570 miles) long.  Most of the urban regions of Israel are  less than 2 hours from the nearest cease-fire lines.  Before 1967, the armistice lines bisected Jerusalem and were 20 minutes away from Tel Aviv.     East Jerusalem was reunified in June 1967 with West Jerusalem.  It's one city, the capital of Israel as it always has been since King David (1010 BCE-970 BCE).                    

Israel has 3 different climates to dress for:

1. Coastal plain:  has mild winter with rainfall mostly between November and March.

2. Mountains: Safed-Cool to Cold winter with rainfall mostly between November and March.  Occasionally there is snow.  Summers are hot and dry  with cool evenings.  School had no heat, so I taught in my coat, never taking it off.  

3. Desert and Jordan Rift Valley:  It has mild winter with rain in the northern part of the Valley, and is cool at night with hot summers.  Jerusalem temperature goes from 48-59 F to 66-82.  That's nice because they are situated in the Judean Hills. 

                                                        

     Above in blue is Area C -Israeli Controlled land.                                            The Jordan Valley in orange, to be annexed. This is the            section of Judea-Samaria allocated to Israel by the Oslo Accords.  
 

The Jordan Valley found in Judea-Samaria was almost annexed by Israel officially but the peace with 2 countries stopped it from happening as peace came first and foremost.  The Valley is Israel's farmland.  

• Agriculture is the leading economic sector in the Jordan Valley, due to its unique climate. The strong sun radiation and below average rainfall encourages fruits and vegetables to grow with relatively low infestation, resulting in high quality crops.
• Agricultural production in the Jordan Valley, cultivated over an area of about 33,000 dunams, is valued at about 500 million Shekels annually. It is a major producer of dates, table grapes, peppers, herbs and spices, cherry tomatoes, eggplants, citrus fruit, pomegranates and more.

Judea and Samaria  (West Bank)

The Judea and Samaria Area covers a portion of the territory designated by the ancient names Judea and Samaria. Samaria corresponds to part of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, also known as the Northern Kingdom.    Judea corresponds to part of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, also known as the Southern Kingdom. The terminology was also noted by the UN in the 1947 partition plan, when it stated “the boundary of the hill country of Samaria and Judea starts on the Jordan River..  "

This is the heartland of ancient Israel.  It's the land of the 12 tribes of Jacob.  The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had to fight all the Arab nations that reached them in 1967 and Israel miracuously won against all the massed Arab armies.  This had been until 1948 part of the British Mandate of Palestine.  Between 1948 and 1967 it was ruled by Jordan, which annexed it in 1950.  That's because Abdullah of Saudi Arabia wanted land and Britain gave it to him.  By winning, Israel gained this area from Jordan. This was a miracle of all miracle because Israel did not start this war.  The Arabs had fought against them in: 

1. War of Independence: 29 November1947-1949.

2. Sinai War-29 October-5 -November 1956

3. Six Day War-5 to 11 June 1967

4. War of Attrition-1968-7-8 August 1970

5. Yom Kippur War-1973 

Israel has been the winner each time but never started the  wars.  They have had to always fight defensively.  

 By July 1972, 640,600 Arabs lived in this area of 5,900 sq.km-2,270 sq mi.

Thereof, 2,155,743 Arabs live in the West Bank,  and 391,000 Jews live in the West Bank. Approximately 214,600 Jews live in East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem, once administered by Jordan, came under Israeli occupation after the 1967 Six-Day War. 

 The total population of the West Bank surpasses 3.2 million. The last census taken in 2007 shows that the Palestinian Arab population is 2,345,000. ... The primary religion throughout the West Bank is Muslim, with up to 85% practicing this religion.  The total population of all Jewish towns in the West Bank was nearly 400,000 in 2014, excluding East Jerusalem.

Resource:

Updated 10/13/20 

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/624194/jewish/Why-is-Israel-called-the-land-of-Milk-and-Honey.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea_and_Samaria_Area

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposals_for_a_Jewish_state

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_statistics_for_Israeli_settlements_in_the_West_Bank

facts about israel, Division of Information, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Judea and Samaria, Our Ancient Homeland, Now Our Disputed Homeland Awaits a New Decision

Nadene Goldfoot
                                                                       

Our Promised Jewish Home-Land from League of Nations 1920

No one has lived in ancient Israel as reclaimed country.  It has remained as "gone to seed", unwanted, untouched, except for all the empires that have tried to own it and have been overtaken by new ones.  The last to supervise this land were the Ottoman Empire of Turkey, who had overseers there to collect overly high taxes from poor native farmers who gladly sold out their land to the Jews returning from 1880 onward.  There were Jews there as well, joining other natives, people who had been brought in by the Assyrians back in 721 BCE when they had made an exchange of people after kidnapping the Israelites, many of whom were able to return later by the good graces of the King of Persia, King Cyrus. 

King David's Jerusalem, is in Judah, now Judea, which is known to non-Jews and others as the West Bank.  King Saul's capital was Samaria, which refers to the land surrounding Samaria.  As you can see from the map above, Samaria is the North and Judea is the Southern part of the disputed land originally part of the Jewish Homeland, promised to our Jewish leaders by the League of Nations and the United Nations, but given away by the British who held the 30 year mandate.

Until 1967, Jordan held Judea and Samaria because of Great Britain's giving away 80% of the promised Jewish homeland to Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia who needed land and people.  They got our original homeland of Judea and Samaria.  By the miracle of winning the 1967 War when Israel was attacked by all the Muslim countries, they regained their land from Jordan who had held it illegally anyway.

Before 1948, all people living in Palestine, renamed as such by the Romans in 135 CE, our land that once was Israel, included Jew and Arab alike.  So today, Palestinians are the Arabs and they have been living here for the past 53 years since 1967 and during this time have been under the Israeli sovereignty.  In a few days that should change to the Israeli annexation of established Jewish towns and cities in this part of the land that is Israel's disputed homeland.  The problem is that the Palestinian Arabs have been wanting to have their own state and will call it Palestine, made of Judea and Samaria.  Their state will house no Jews.  No Jews will be allowed to live there.  That must be realized by people banging their drums for a 2 state solution.
                                                                       

Fatah and Hamas, a dangerous political proposed Palestine
and the EU can't understand why Israel isn't happy about them
or why Israelis might feel defensive when they are too close by

The problem has been that the Palestinians are like the land, so divided up in their intentions towards Israel.  Some have been emphatically violent since 1967 and their Kartoum Conference in Africa where they signed on as never having peace with Israel, and nothing has changed since then.  This is where Hamas comes from, the terrorists.  Because they also run the government of Gaza, they are friendly and want to unite with Judea and Samaria's leadership, with the PA and Abbas. This is a very untrustworthy group of people, several being former active terrorists.

People are saying that the planned annexation could lead to a 3rd Intifada, and 50% of Israelis support this move.  25% would like the USA to give their backing to an annexation.  31% of Israelis oppose extending sovereignty because of the rattling of sabers from outsiders.  Let's face it.  A Palestinian State is a threat to Israel's security.  How can people not see this while clamoring for a state alongside of Israel?  There are Israelis who would like to annex all of Judea and Samaria, but this plan is picky;  only towns and cities, about 19 of them, with a population of 20,000 or more are expected to become part of Israel's domain.

The Jordan Valley is included in this annexation and they are not a part of any planned Palestinian state as it is, so they will actually benefit.

The Jewish population living in Judea and Samaria has grown.  When the British with the 30 year mandate oversaw the land, they kept Jews out of the country while letting in Arabs which was the opposite thing they were to do according to the mandate---they were to help Jews to build their Jewish Homeland.  They should be sued for breach of promise.  The Jewish population has now grown from 5,000 to over 460,000.  The brave Jews who have entered and chose to live here are mostly Orthodox Jews, more religious who came for religious reasoning.  All the sites of their history are of this part of the land, and they need to be preserved and remembered.

Prof. Yoram Ettinger gave a much lower estimate, by contrast, of just 1.7 million Arabs living in the region of the number given by the Palestinians.  They are known to give false numbers including dead relatives.  At any rate, they do have a higher population than the Jews living there.  

Facts are this:  there is no peace plan of a Palestine and Israel going on today.  Trump's plan has been immediately rejected by the Palestinian Arabs.  It seems that they have been routinely doing so for all these years anyway, so haven't really changed.  They never liked John Kerry's plans that gave them more.  Abbas has refused to speak with Netanyahu during Obama's 8 years as president.  Trump is offering the Arabs a state with his plan, such as it is.

Face it.  Israel left Gaza, lock, stock and barrel for the Palestinians and they took it and started shooting at Israel and really haven't stopped.  Israel had a taste of being the good guy and getting it between the eyes.  Not again.  The two- staters want unbelievable action from Israel and nothing from the Palestinians.  They actually expect Israel to again leave 90% of Judea Samaria by evacuating from their established towns and cities and dividing Jerusalem now that it is a united city again in Israel's land.

700,000 Jews including those living in East Jerusalem live in 131 towns in Judea and Samaria.  About 30% live outside of blocs deemed part of the ABC division anyway.  Israel would have to evacuate 93 towns and about 140,000 Jews.  After the Gazan experience of evacuation of 9,000 Jews and how that went over, it's not going to happen again.  The result has been 15 years of violence from Gaza.  They fear that the Judea-Samaria will turn into Hamatan-land of Hamas terrorists and their weapons.

Since 1967 the Palestinians led by Arafat and now Abbas, have been deviously attacking Israel every which way including boycotting, divestments and sanctions.  1973 came along and Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan which ruined their plans.

Israel has been holding territory that the Palestinians planned to claim as theirs.  They have not advanced their position these last 12 years and it's been a stalemate.  Much is depending on Trump's re-election.  If Biden becomes President, he will change and back the Arabs as he has said he would.

What the commentators have left out is that Jews continue to make aliyah to Israel and many are religious Jews, wanting to live in Judea-Samaria.  Rabbis are speaking that this is the time, and it's not a political reason but a religious one. We all recognize that this is a unique period with the coronavirus pandemic, for sure, harming economic and political factions in the world.  We are living in a period we thought we would only read about, not live through.  Though Israel is surrounded by enemies including Iran, they remain strong and ready to face such problems.   These Jews want to live under Israel's umbrella of  protection, something they haven't been able to do under the present situation.  That means that the Arabs would be protected as well if they're not the attackers.

Netanyahu was just in the USA speaking to US heads about the annexation.  Nothing was decided.  Will they give the support they said they would?  Can Israel afford to take on this responsibility of defending Jews in Judea-Samaria?  Just recently American surveyors were in the land helping the Jews to get these facts, facts they need to know no matter what the outcome will be.  The move is said to be happening within a day.

Update 6/29/2020:  Following the release of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan in January, Netanyahu altered his sovereignty plan, calling for the application of Israeli law over about 30% of Judea and Samaria – including most of the Jordan Valley – under the framework of the Trump plan.

Under the coalition deal with Blue and White, Netanyahu is permitted to formally introduce his sovereignty plan to the Knesset and government only from July 1st  https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgxwJWXbpcjpRdZbTvzJKZXVkFgSB

Reference https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/understanding-the-application-of-israeli-sovereignty-to-the-west-bank
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgxwJWXXVJwgcNBLjnwPqjfTKlwQc
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/opinion/a-settlers-view-of-israels-future.html
https://www.jta.org/2020/06/10/israel/israel-could-annex-parts-of-the-west-bank-on-july-1-heres-what-you-need-to-know  This one shows how befuddled some of the people are who live in Judea-Samaria.  They don't know if they want annexation or not from one minute to the next.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgxwJWXWNMlGcPdsKFJrNGnfbRpTk Here Blattner lists many references to read on this topic.   
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/18/878305307/netanyahu-plans-to-annex-parts-of-the-west-bank-many-israeli-settlers-want-it-al NPR found another religious Israeli that doesn't want the annexation to happen.  Amazing!
To read what Ron Dermer said will cost me a $ so I won't be reading or listing it.  There's plenty enough to read without paying for one man's opinion that no doubt will be against Netanyahu and ceding the towns and cities starting on July 1.  Several references sent to me were like that; and I was unable to open them for free.

Refuting Noam Chomsky's Comments on Oslo Accords and Israel-Part III

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                      

  Noam Chomsky claims that one of Israel's slow and steady US-backed policies is to take over the Jordan Valley.  It is the border between Israel and Jordan in the north and  is the border between Judea-Samaria and Jordan in the south.  

Both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs live in the Jordan Valley. There are 28 Jewish villages in the region – including Mehola, Bekaot and Ma’aleh Ephraim – that comprise approximately 15,000 residents. The Palestinian inhabitants of the Jordan Valley live in 10 cities and villages – including Jericho, the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority (PA) – that have a total population of approximately 50,000.

An option reportedly offered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for maintaining Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley for ten years following the signing of a peace accord during which time PA security forces would be trained to assume control over the region. PA President Mahmoud Abbas, however, rejected this plan and PA officials said the proposed arrangements were totally unacceptable. 

Allon viewed the Valley as of vital strategic importance for Israel, most importantly by providing a buffer zone between Israel and its enemies to the east, much like the Sinai Peninsula in the west. Israeli military presence in the region would ensure the demilitarization of a future Palestinian state by stopping arms smuggling across the Jordan River. It would also provide Israelis with safe and secure access to the Dead Sea, Jordan River and Sea of Galilee.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu staunchly holds to this view and has repeatedly said that Israeli presence in the region is crucial to establishing and maintaining peace with the Palestinians. Uzi Dayan, former head of Israel’s National Security Council, believes that the Valley “envelopes” the State and extending Israeli sovereignty to the region is the only way to protect Israel from heightened terrorism.

Does one blame Israel about putting protection at the top of their list?   They've suffered from it so much. This view isn't one of taking over-but of protecting Israel from attack. It happens that the Palestinians want all of the Jordan Valley to be part of their Palestine, says Al Monitor, who wrote that Jordan Valley is essential for a viable Palestine state.    

Noam Chomsky then continued by talking about the Oslo Accords.  He said that "for 20 years, the US and Israel have been dedicated to separate Gaza and the West Bank in violation of the accords that they had accepted"  Notice that not a word was mentioned about what Abbas, the presumed leader of the Palestinians, had been doing.

The Oslo Accords started in January 1993.  They were about Israel's withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and Gaza so that the Palestine Authority could be a self government  for an interim period until permanent arrangements would be established.  By February 1993 Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was told how the meeting of January went with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs , Shimon Peres, and the Norwegian mediators.  The final signing was done in Washington DC.  These were bilateral agreements.

By August 4th, Rabin had some hopes it would succeed.  Yasser Arafat of the PLO was the leader of the Palestinians at this time.  "This was due to his understanding that the Palestinians have agreed to several terms: Approval for maintaining the present settlements; acknowledgement of Israel’s responsibility for the safety of its citizens within the territories; and that all options will be open for negotiations towards a permanent solution."  
                                                                                   

Oslo Accord Signing September 13, 1993 of Rabin, Clinton and Arafat

Bill Clinton was USA's president at the time.  The Americans had been doubtful of anyone coming to an agreement and were now awestruck that there had been one by August 30th.  On September 13th it was signed.  "The declaration of principles was instrumental for the future Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area (signed in May 1994) and the Taba Agreement (signed in July 1995)."

True, at this point not all the people of Israel thought the agreement was perfect.  "Accusations concerned the relinquishment of the historical homeland of the Jewish people while undermining Israel’s safety."  Rabin was a PM from Labor, and this was a leftist political party.  The Knesset voted on a no confidence-and the results were 61 for the Agreement, 50 against and 8 abstentions.  

What the Oslo Accords did was to create the PA, Palestine Authority.  "The most important issues are the borders of Israel and Palestine, the Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem, the question of Israel's military presence in and control over the remaining territories after the recognition of the Palestinian autonomy by Israel, and the Palestinian right of return. The Oslo Accords, however, did not create a Palestinian state.  This was to be the start of a Peace Process.  

What Chomsky neglected to say was that they ended  "after the failure of the Camp David Summit in 2000 and the outbreak of the Second Intifada."   It started in September 2000, when Ariel Sharon made a visit to the Temple Mount, seen by Palestinians as highly provocative; and Palestinian demonstrators, throwing stones at police, were dispersed by the Israeli army, using tear gas and rubber bullets."   Similar to a war, these attacks on Israel went on till February 8, 2005.  Rockets, mortars and missiles rained down on Israel from Gaza.  This is when Sharon decided to get out of there, hoping this bombardment would have reason to stop.

Now, who is in violation of the accords?  It was the Palestinians who started the rioting who need very little reason to start one.  A reaction from Sharon on the Temple Mount which is in the eastern part of the Old City of Jerusalem?  Do you know how many visitors, tourists go to the Temple Mount each year? If you are a Christian, you may.  Jews cannot even be caught moving their lips in prayer near the site.   The place is the site of our 2nd Temple!  We allow Jordan to have reign over it as a mosque covers our site today.  Is this really reason to start a war and kill Jews?

To Jews, this is our most holy site.  So we go to the Western Wall, formerly called the Wailing Wall, also in eastern Jerusalem.  To Muslims, this, they think, is the site of the farthest mosque Mohammad visited on his flying horse, but I have proven this impossible.  There was no mosque built here till after Mohammad had died in 632.  After 70 CE the Romans had built their own temple over our 2nd Temple which they destroyed.  Then Calif Omar had built a temporary mosque in 638 after Mohammad had died in 632.  It was about this time that Muslims were going out into the world converting people to Islam.  Finally, it was Calif Abd al-Malif in about 738 that replaced the temporary structure by Omar.  This is now called either the Mosque of Omar or the Dome of the Rock that sits right in the center of the Temple area in Jerusalem.  The Muslims fight to defend a mosque that wasn't even built in Jerusalem during Mohammad's famous flight.  Mohammad lived in either Mecca or Medina at the time which is in Arabia.  He could not read or write, so this history had to be dictated by him to a scribe.  2

Israel left Gaza completely in 2005.  Gaza was taken over by Hamas terrorists.  The Palestinians living there voted for Hamas, so it was democratically decided in January 2006.  This was not a part of the Oslo Accords.  They kicked out the PA leader, now Mahmoud Abbas,  who had taken over from Arafat after he had died on November 11, 2004 in France.

Since 2001, Israel has been hit by 15,200 rockets and mortars from Gaza." Since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, terrorists have fired more than 11,000 rockets into Israel. Over 5 million Israelis are currently living under threat of rocket attacks."

"More than half a million Israelis have less than 60 seconds to find shelter after a rocket is launched from Gaza into Israel. Most rockets launched from Gaza into Israel are capable of reaching Israel’s biggest cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, " In 2014 they did hit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, causing Israel to go into Gaza in Operation Defensive Edge to find the sources and stop them.  

On July 7, 2014, the IDF launched Operation Protective Edge in order to restore quiet to the region and stop Hamas terrorism. The single goal of the operation is to stop Hamas’ incessant rocket attacks against Israel’s civilians.  Since then, over 1,000 rockets have been launched at Israel of which 754 hit Israel and about 201 were stopped by the Iron Dome Missile Defense System.  It's the M-302 missiles confiscated from the KLOS-C weapons seiure that hit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem already.  

                                                                       

Unified Hamas and Fatah Ready to Rule Palestine

So, according to Noam, Israel and the USA are guilty of separating Gaza from the West Bank?  His argument is moot.  As attacking Israel with mortars, rockets and missiles is an ongoing occurrence, who sees a peaceful partner anymore?  Besides, the USA has already helped them to unify and so Hamas is now in Judea and Samaria along with Fatah.  Nations are already recognizing them, yet they haven't recognized Israel yet as a Jewish state.  

Noam stated that, "for the crime of voting the wrong way,(when they voted in Hamas) the US instantly decided, along with Israel, to punish the Palestinians for the crime of voting the wrong way.   A harsh siege was instituted, other punishments;  violence increased;  the United State immediately began to organize a military coup to overthrow the unacceptable government.  

The harsh siege he mentions has to have been the blockade of Gaza Strip that started in 2007 and continues to the present time.  Why?  To stop their access to ammunition to use against Israel.  

Other punishments?  This is so general.  By who?  What?  The inference is Israel, of course, but it was Egypt who did something they may not have liked.  "Prior to its 2011 opening of the Rafah crossing, Egypt maintained that it could not fully open its side of the border since completely opening the border would represent Egyptian recognition of the Hamas control of Gaza, undermine the legitimacy of the Palestinian National Authority and consecrate the split between Gaza and the West Bank."  

He blames the USA of organizing a military coup to overthrow the unacceptable government. 

   " That's quite a familiar practice.  I won't go through the record. " he stated.  

"Sanctions were imposed after Hamas refused to renounce violence, to respect previous agreements and to recognize the State of Israel."  After the Hamas takeover, ", Egypt and Israel largely sealed their border crossings with Gaza, on the grounds that Fatah had fled and was no longer providing security on the Palestinian side."  

"In July 2007, Israeli officials planned an opening of the Rafah border crossing in order to allow stranded Palestinians to return, but the plan was cancelled after Hamas threatened to fire on the refugees." 

"A Jerusalem Post article mentions Hamas' complaints that since June 2008 the P.A. does not grant passports to Gazans anymore, thereby "preventing tens of thousands of Palestinians from being able to travel abroad."

Any discomfort Hamas Gazans were facing, to answer all of Noam's complaints, were brought onto themselves by their lack of seeing where their actions were leading them.  They lacked foresight.  Instead of manning up, they blame Israel or the USA or both for their problems, and Noam falls right into their way of thinking.  This has been a typical problem of the whole Middle East, one big fight over power.  Read THE STRONG HORSE-power, politics, and the clash of Arab civilizations by Lee Smith 2010.  

Noam continued with  "There was an immediate Israeli escalation.  That was the end of the November  (2006) agreement, followed by major Israeli onslaughts.  What?   So general.  How can I reply to this?  "What was going on in 2006? 

 "Egypt, fearing a spill-over of Hamas-style militancy into their territory, kept its border with Gaza largely sealed. Israel was dealing with Hezbollah rocket attacks that year in the Israel-Lebanon War" that started July 12, 2006.  This was Israel's 2nd Lebanon-Israel War.  The 1st on happened in 1982 when I lived in Safed.  I was there, baking cakes for our IDF to eat at little kiosks set up with coffee for the young soldiers, but  this one lasted about 33 days.  2006 was the year of disengagement for Israel from Gaza.  They did have their hands full of life and death events going on.  

The only thing I finally found happening between Gaza and Israel in November 2006 was "The 2006 shelling of Beit Hanoun by Israel which happened on 8 November, when shells fired hit a row of houses in the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun,   killing 19 Palestinians and wounding more than 40.  The shelling followed Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in completion of a week-long operation code named Operation "Autumn Clouds", which Israel claimed had been intended to stop the Qassam rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian militants.  Israel apologized and attributed the incident to a technical malfunction."   Again, their attacks on Israel brought this on themselves.  You know the old adage; people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.  

Israel sealed the border completely on 17 January 2007 in response to rocket attacks on southern Israel and Palestinian militant attacks on crossing points between Israel and Gaza.  Noam's comment was that the Hamas election was a fair election.  My thought has always been, how can you expect terrorists to hold a fair election when they want to be the winners and do not fight fairly by anyone's standards?  They have pelted southern Israel since 2001 with rockets, mortars and missiles which fall in civilian territory.  They're not soldiers fighting against soldiers.  The city of Safed where I lived for 5 years had previously seen its school children attacked while in school by these terrorists.  The graveyard of the children is right in Safed.  

Noam stated in his argument on page 3 that Hamas's force in taking over Gaza was by pre-empting a US planned military coup to overthrow the elected government of Hamas.  What a nice idea.  Too bad it didn't happen.  

What I found is just the opposite. I found "The Battle of Gaza, also referred to as Hamas' takeover of Gaza was a short military conflict between Fatah and Hamas, that took place in the Gaza Strip between 10 and 15 June 2007. It was a climax in the Fatah–Hamas conflict, centered on the struggle for power, after Fatah lost the parliamentary elections of 2006."  

"The battle resulted in the dissolution of the unity government and the de facto division of the Palestinian territories into two entities, the West Bank governed by the Palestinian National Authority, and Gaza governed by Hamas.

The ICRC estimated that at least 118 people were killed and more than 550 wounded during the fighting in the week up to June 15."   According to this research, it was Hamas who actually won the election but Hamas took over anyway in a battle.  So Noam had this  all mixed up. Israel and the USA had nothing to do with the outcome.  I believe it was Obama's idea to have a democratic election.  

Noam spoke saying,: "The attack on Gaza increased substantially at that point, major Israeli onslaughts." Such general slander, making the reader feel that of course he is right somehow.  What was going on was that in: 

 2005,   401 Qassam rockets were shot into southern Israel from Gaza.  

2006, 1,716 Qassam rockets were shot into southern Israel from Gaza.

2007, 1,271 Qassam rockets were shot into southern Israel from Gaza.

This is not even counting the mortars and missiles.

Then he speaks again with "finally, in January 2008, another ceasefire was reached"  Yes, since the firing into Israel didn't stop.  In 2008 Israel was hit with 1,399 Qassam rockets.  He said, "Israel publicly rejected the ceasefire, said that it (Israel, I presume)  would not abide by it.  Hamas (of course) observed the ceasefire, as Israel officially recognizes, despite Israel's refusal to do so."    

My rebuttal  is right in Wikipedia: "The 2008 Israel-Hamas ceasefire was an Egyptian-brokered six-month Tahdia (an Arabic term for a lull) "for the Gaza area", which went into effect between Hamas and Israel on 19 June 2008.   According to the Egyptian-brokered agreement, Israel promised to halt air strikes and other attacks, while in return, there would not be rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. Once the ceasefire held, Israel was to gradually begin to ease its punishing blockade of Gaza.

During the initial week of the ceasefire, militants fired rockets on Israel. During the next 5 months of the ceasefire, Gazan attacks decreased significantly for a total of 19 rocket and 18 mortar shell launchings,  compared to 1199 rockets and 1072 mortar shells in 2008 up to 19 June, a reduction of 98%".  Note-they never stopped, only decreased.  Some ceasefire that was from Hamas.  

Chomsky no doubt would love to see our 8,000 square miles chopped up more and handed to ruthless killers called Hamas terrorists.  The Jewish Homeland was awarded to the Jews but the Brits handed over 80% off the top to Jordan already, and now everyone wants to take more; East Jerusalem, our capital, the Jordan Valley, etc.  What's to be left for the Jews but a piece large enough to be a broom closet.  Let's cut out the crabbing and complaining, Noam, and be realistic.  Are you for Israel's existence or aren't you, because everything points towards your not feeling a whit about this little state who needed to be reborn after 2,000 years of its people being kicked around.  

Resource: https://www.knesset.gov.il/lexicon/eng/oslo_eng.htm 1

Messages From a Syrian Jew Trapped i;n Egypt;  discussing Taba Agreement results.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia on the Temple, mosque
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Intifada

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/11/12/363346575/israeli-jews-divided-over-right-to-visit-jerusalem-holy-site
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-temple-mount-story-behind-riots-in.html 2
http://templemountdestruction.com/e/History/tabid/183/Default.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gaza_%282007%29
http://www.idfblog.com/facts-figures/rocket-attacks-toward-israel/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock  finished in 691
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque_of_Omar_%28Jerusalem%29 built in 1193
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/hizattacks1.html Hezbollah attacks 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Lebanon_War
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/lebanon2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza%E2%80%93Israel_conflict
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_shelling_of_Beit_Hanoun
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gaza_%282007%29
http://www.quora.com/How-many-rockets-are-fired-by-Hamas-into-Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_ceasefire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Valley_%28Middle_East%29
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/easternstrip.html
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/03/jordan-valley-israel-occupation-palestine-peace-kerry.html
http://www.meforum.org/370/can-arabs-buy-land-in-israel- CAMERA