Daily Archives: July 22, 2014

07/22/14

A Proud and Anguished Heart

Arlene from Israel

Before I share news, I want to take the liberty of talking, first, about the anguish in my heart – the tears that I carry inside of me – because of this war we are fighting.

There is, above all, the sense of loss that fine young Israeli men in the prime of their lives are being taken down by the enemy.  I mourn them, and the circumstances that have brought them to their deaths. (see below)

But there is more: There is the sense of inherent and breathtaking injustice that is at the core of what is going on.

I’ve seen it expressed in several different contexts over the years: Muslim Arabs, who face us as enemies, crow that they have a tactical advantage because “Just as they [the Jews] love life, so do we love death.”  While we seek to protect our people, they find theirs dispensable. And oh, what a diabolical imbalance that generates.

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“Might-have-been-horrors” don’t count for the world.

It’s true with regard to the rocket attacks from Hamas. They have launched way over 1,000 rockets since the beginning of the war.  If they had been successful, many many Israeli civilians would have been killed and enormous damage would have been done.  But we have the Iron Shield anti-missile defense and a homefront defense that seeks to protect civilians. So the world pays no attention to the maliced intent of Hamas or to the fact that they are committing war crimes.

In recent days, as well, we’ve caught several Hamas terrorists coming through tunnels on their way to generating massacre and mayhem in Israel.  But that’s the point. We were on the lookout and we caught them.

The world clearly has no imagination about what would have happened, had the Shin Bet and the IDF not been diligent.

So let me provide a reminder.  Three years ago, terrorists made their way into the community of Itamar and slaughtered the Fogel family.  Among those killed was a three month old baby.  Her throat was slit.

Credit: Hezbos

When the terrorists were caught, they expressed pride in what they had done.  Bodily mutilation is the norm, you see, when they murder Jews.

So the world may not care, or may choose to look away. But we here in Israel know.  The possibilities have been seared into our national consciousness.  We know what would happen – Heaven forbid! – if terrorists utilizing tunnels made their way into our communities.

We know that we must do all that we can to assure that this does not happen.  This means taking out those tunnels.  It’s the obligation of the government and the IDF to see it done, to protect the people of Israel.

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But we are dealing with a diabolical enemy that is pleased to sacrifice its own people in order to make matters difficult for us.  Just as their rockets are stored in and launched from civilian places such as mosques and schools, so are the entrances to the tunnels located in civilian areas. Some tunnels open up inside of houses.  Maybe underneath someone’s bed.  Or under mosques.

We warn the civilians that they should leave before we launch an attack – an attack that is essential for the safety of Israeli civilians.  What other nation in the world does this??  I do not believe there has ever been another.  I don’t believe there ever will be another.  It actually puts us at a tactical disadvantage because Hamas knows where we are about to attack.  But does the world notice? Are we praised?  Of course not.

For the local civilians are told by Hamas not to leave when Israel advises them to do so.  They are encouraged to be “martyrs” for their great cause.  Being a martyr means dying in an Israeli attack so that Hamas can leverage the death against us in a PR blitz.  Dead Arab women and children are Hamas’s weapon.  It’s made to look as if Israel uncaringly or deliberately launches attacks on innocents.

More anguish.  There is no joy for us in killing children.

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In various places in the world from Paris to Boston  (pictured), there are orgiastic demonstrations of hatred towards Israel going on.  Because we are “child killers.”


Credit: Israelagainstterror

The venom of anti-Semitism flows in the veins of these demonstrators. But their maliced views of Israel are stoked by left leaning media that can only be described as anti-Semitic as well. (There is no difference between irrational anti-Israel attitudes – imbalanced reportage – and anti-Semitism.)

With it all, they’ve had help from the American secretary of state.  John Kerry had been advised by Israeli officials that we were attempting to do pinpoint operations that would minimize collateral damage.  After having done an interview, and when he mistakenly thought the mike was off, he said, “It’s a hell of a pinpoint operation.  A hell of a pinpoint operation. We’ve got to get over there [to push a ceasefire].”  See it here:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/hot-mic-kerry-mocks-israel-hell-pinpoint-operation_796808.html

And so a pox on the houses of all those who judge us wrongly and all those who wish us ill.

In the end, we know who we are, and we must account only to Heaven.

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Because of who we are, my heart is also filled with pride. And when the anguish has dissolved, the pride will remain.  I could not be more proud to be an Israeli.  I could not be more proud of who the Israeli people are.  Very, very far from perfect, we are heads and shoulders above the rest of the world.

Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer, bless him, says that: “…the Israeli Defense Forces should be given the Nobel Peace Prize… a Nobel Peace Prize for fighting with unimaginable restraint.”

Reminding his audience that the British had carpet bombed Germany after being attacked, he said, “I will not accept, and no one should accept, criticism of Israel for acting with restraint that has not been shown and would not be shown by any nation on earth. I especially will not tolerate criticism of my country at a time when Israeli soldiers are dying so that innocent Palestinians can live.” (All emphasis added)

“Israel did not have to send its soldiers into many of the places they are fighting today. We could have…bombed from the air all the buildings that were being used by fighters to store and fire weapons. But we didn’t. As we have done time after time, we are sending our soldiers into this hornet’s nest of Palestinian terror that is booby-trapped with mines and riddled with subterranean tunnels.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/dermer-idf-deserves-nobel-peace-prize-for-unimaginable-restraint/
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See some of the beautiful soldiers of the IDF (with thanks to Chana G):

http://youtu.be/4IkwXf18FcQ

They sing of not being afraid, and of putting trust in Heaven. This video made me weep.

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Here in Israel we have “lone soldiers.”  Young men who have come to Israel and joined the IDF, while their families are still abroad.  One such lone soldier died in battle the other day: Nissim Sean Carmeli, originally of South Padre Island, Texas. and more recently of Haifa.  The Maccabi soccer team of Haifa put out a call to its fans to attend his funeral “so that his funeral will not be empty.”  More than 12,000 people came.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/183181#.U86mgpvlrIV

This, my friends, is Israel with its largeness of heart.

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We have lost 27 soldiers to date in Gaza.

A couple of days ago, Hamas announced it had kidnapped a soldier in Gaza, but Israel denied this was the case.

Also two days ago a Personnel Carrier in Gaza that was carrying seven soldiers ran over a device that exploded, causing a fire in the carrier.  The original announcement was that the seven had died.  Now we are being told that only six soldiers’ bodies have been positively identified.  I need not spell out the ugly and painful circumstances that have caused a delay in doing this identification.

The one soldier whose remains have not been identified has now been identified as Oren Shaul, which is the person Hamas said it had kidnapped.

Credit:IsraelMatzav

The very best information I have at this point is that while he must be listed MIA until his body is located and identified, the working assumption is that he is, indeed, dead. Hamas may have grabbed his body – although I have heard that the site was under surveillance after the grisly event.  Or, his dogtag may have been thrown a distance away in the explosion, and grabbed by Hamas.  It has been noted that Hamas, after the initial jubilant announcement, has not put up any video of him – which would have been expected for them to make their case.

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Now as to that “ceasefire” that various international agents are pushing.  Eventually, certainly. But it is not going to happen so fast, I’m pleased to report.  Consider some of the elements in play:

[]  Abbas went to Doha, Qatar to meet with head of the Hamas politburo Khaled Mashaal regarding a ceasefire.  Word was that Mashaal was agreeable and was going to come to Cairo to pursue matters further.  However, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas leader sitting directly in Gaza (and identified for some time now as more militant than Mashaal), says that his movement has decided to “end the blockade with its blood and weapons and there would be no return back.”

In other words, he is holding out for a lifting of the naval blockade of Gaza, which is not going to happen.  He is also still demanding the release of the prisoners originally traded for Shalit who had been rearrested recently, something Israel is opposed to as well.

Commented Netanyahu to Sky News Arabic, “If Hamas really wants a cease-fire, I am sure that we can get to that, but they don’t want one.”

http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/US-UN-pushing-hard-for-immediate-cease-fire-368386

As long as Hamas is holding out, we keep fighting.  Terms that are mutually acceptable are going to be hard to come by.  Hamas wants a victory and Israel will not give it one.

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At the same time, Israel, having not yet done all that must be done, at a bare minimum, is not looking for a ceasefire anyway.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon came calling in Jerusalem today. Israel, Netanyahu told him, will “act decisively to end the threat to its citizens.”  It’s time for the international community to hold Hamas responsible for its behavior:  “The international community must take a clear stance…

”I believe that you understand this, it is the right of every state to defend itself, and Israel will do what it needs to do to defend ourselves.

“This is not only our right, this is our duty.”  (all emphasis added)

https://warsclerotic.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/netanyahu-rejects-cease-fire-ban-ki-moon-suports-israel/

The prime minister knows that the nation is solidly behind him if he stands strong in continuing to fight. This is a long post, and it’s impossible here for me to fully convey the sense of the Israeli public with regard to wanting the IDF to keep going.

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Lastly, we have this:

Kerry, who had declared, “we must get over there,” arrived in Cairo today.  Master diplomat that this deluded man perceives himself to be, he was coming to make sure that a ceasefire was put in place without delay.

But when Kerry and his top aides showed up for a meeting with Egyptian President Sisi – oops! – Egyptian security checked them with metal detectors. This is absolutely unheard of, as top American diplomats are routinely offered every courtesy.  Sisi has “dissed” the secretary of state.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/22/kerry-security-check-egypt_n_5608923.html

This contempt from Sisi has been well earned by Kerry.

07/22/14

As Russia’s Isolation Grows, Oil Companies Caught in Middle

The confrontation between Russia and the West took a turn for the worse with the downing of a Malaysian airliner on July 17, and that could spell trouble for several major oil companies operating in Russia.

Just one day earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama slapped sanctions on Russia over its ongoing role in the destabilization of Ukraine. The sanctions prohibited American banks from issuing loans with a maturity of over 90 days to four key Russian companies – Rosneft, Novatek, Gazprombank, and VEB.

“Because Russia has failed to meet the basic standards of international conduct, we are acting today to open Russia’s financial services and energy sectors to sanctions,” U.S. Treasury Official David S. Cohen said in a press release describing the agency’s actions.

The sanctions tightened the economic noose on the Russian economy by targeting companies in Russia’s energy sector. Up until now, western sanctions largely targeted individuals in the Russian elite, freezing their assets or issuing bans on American companies from doing business with them. But with oil and gas accounting for over 50 percent of revenues for the Russian state, if Obama wanted sanctions to have any bite, he had to escalate the campaign by going after Russia’s energy sector.

Until the July 16 announcement, the major western oil companies operating in Russia shrugged off their effects. Companies like BP, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell defied White House pressure to avoid doing business with Russia.

They made a big bet on the likelihood that their billion-dollar projects would not be affected by the deteriorating relationship between Russia and the West.

But the markets took the latest round of sanctions much more seriously than their previous iterations. Rosneft saw its share price decline by 6.2 percent the day of the announcement, and Novatek was off 11.5 percent.

And western companies were not safe either. BP lost $4.4 billion in its market value on July 17. BP owns a 19.8 percent share of Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned oil company that was singled out by Obama’s sanctions. Nearly one-third of BP’s global oil production – or 1 million barrels per day – comes from its investment in Rosneft.

ExxonMobil also has massive business plans with Rosneft. The two companies are drilling a $300 million well in Siberia, and next month they plan on drilling a $700 million well in the Russian Arctic, the country’s most expensive in history. ExxonMobil and Rosneft have also agreed to jointly develop an LNG export terminal on Russia’s Pacific coast. The Houston-based ExxonMobil has thus far maintained that the projects will be unaffected by sanctions, but that has been thrown into doubt after the U.S. Treasury Department’s latest move.

On July 18, Zacks.com, a market research firm, warned investors
Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at the sanctions, saying that they will merely hurt American energy companies. “This means that U.S. companies willing to work in Russia will lose their competitiveness next to other global energy companies,” Putin said. “So, do they not want it to work here? They are causing damage to their major energy companies.”

With financing likely to be increasingly hard to come by for Russia’s major oil and gas companies, several of them are looking east for access to lending. As The New York Times notes, Russian energy companies are becoming more dependent on Chinese finance to pay for their capital-intensive projects. Partly, this is due to China looking for more Russian energy, but it is also because Russia sees the door slowly closing on access to western banks.

The rift between Russia and the West is bound to worsen after in the aftermath of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 being shot down by a surface-to-air missile in pro-Russian rebel territory. And the cumulative effect of recent sanctions could be minor compared to what may be coming. The U.S. could issue far-reaching sanctions, and the incident could help European Union leaders overcome their hesitation over inflicting damage on the Russian economy.

The international community has called for a full investigation, but right now, all roads appear to be leading to Moscow. Perhaps fearing the fallout from the incident, Putin called for a cease fire in Ukraine.

Swept up in the international crisis are the major oil companies – BP and ExxonMobil – who fear their bottom line taking a big hit from Russia’s growing isolation.

Source: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/As-Russias-Isolation-Grows-Oil-Companies-Caught-in-Middle.html

By Nicholas Cunningham of Oilprice.com

07/22/14

A blow to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood as Israel crushes Hamas

By: Ashraf Ramelah
Voice of the Copts


IDF

A few weeks ago shocking news arrived from Israel regarding the kidnapping of three young men. As news first circulated around the world, Israelis braced for the worst and prayed prayers for the safe delivery of the Israeli captives. How would this menacing action unfold for the victims and the country? Finally, we learned of their murders and the arrest of two Arab-Muslim suspects with links to Hamas. This horrific act of aggression against three Jews was committed in the first days of the Islamic month known as “blessed” Ramadan when fighting is forbidden.

The ninth month of the Islamic Hegira calendar is set aside for believers to honor the revelation received by the 7th century prophet. Muslims must be dedicated to fasting, prayer, and charity to the poor. Most importantly, aggression by and against Muslims must cease. Disturbances by outsiders during this calendar month trigger Muslim sensitivities and heighten intolerance. Making this calculation, Hamas attacked Israel in this timeframe knowing it would enhance sentiment. Israel’s retaliation would always be viewed as sacrilegious securing world opinion in favor of Gaza terrorists where empathy is already heavily weighted. Hamas and Gazans remain in the more positive light despite their instigating acts provoking war in the month of Ramadan.

About a week after the kidnappings, Kalid Mashaal, head of Hamas’ political bureau, boasted and blessed the kidnappers publicly with a bold announcement on Al Jazeera TV denying the involvement of Hamas.  Another Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, already anticipating Israel’s counter-attack for the murders that had not yet been discovered (and Hamas rocket fire) appealed to the sympathy of the Egyptian people regarding Hamas’ “victimization,” stressing the importance of the remaining open tunnels between Egypt’s Sinai and the Gaza Strip — ones that Al-Sisi has yet to dynamite shut in his commitment to destroy all illegal passages. Food and weaponry was now in demand by Gazans who needed Egypt to smuggle such provisions through the tunnels, indicated Haniyeh.

Experts in Middle East conflict expected to see a demand on Israel to liberate particular terrorists as a ransom for the kidnapped boys. Such exchanges have been typical of the past. But why not this time? The answer: Hamas wanted to entice Egypt into warfare with Israel in order to help the Muslim Brotherhood regain power in Egypt. Hamas had a broader agenda for the kidnappings, murders, and rocket fire into Israel. Its aggression stirred up pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas opinion by Egypt’s politicians, journalists and media in order to put pressure on Al-Sisi’s new government to help the “oppressed” Gazans. But Al-Sisi ignored the call to militarily aid Hamas deciding not to break Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel.

Hamas intended Egypt to comply with its request. It was meant to be a distraction for Al-Sisi to interrupt his strenuous battle against the Muslim Brotherhood – the beginning of the long-awaited reversal of the damage being done to organized terror inside Egypt. Hamas’ ploy aimed to release Egypt’s MB of Al-Sisi’s grip availing it the time and space necessary to reenergize and regain power. But not only have the hopes of Hamas been dashed regarding its capacity to bait the religious issue and persuade Egypt’s Islamic leaders, but it wrongly predicted Egyptian sentiment mounting negative toward the existence of Hamas’ and its motives. The majority of the Egyptian public is attentive to Israel’s counter-attacks on Gaza with an unprecedented enthusiasm to see Hamas and its terror obliterated.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian military will likely provide humanitarian assistance directly to Gazan civilians. This will bypass the finger pointing and embarrassment certain to come Al-Sisi’s way from the Egyptian Arab-Muslim community and the broader Islamic spectrum if Egypt were to take no action at all. Hamas presents a dilemma for Al-Sisi. Hamas’ terrorism against Israel carries with it the obligation for Muslim entities anywhere in the world to reach out on behalf of Hamas for the sake of Islamic doctrinal hate against Jews, a bond often underestimated by the West.

Another motive of Hamas regards the U.S. and its allies. The White House will discern from Hamas violence and war on Israel, embarrassing as it is to the “peace process” conducted by the U.S. administration, that it is a direct consequence of Egypt’s MB collapse. No setback for the MB will be tolerated. After all, when Morsi was top dog, there was even talk of giving Hamas the northern third of Sinai to call its own. Back in the day, not that long ago, Hamas was of the ruling power and benefits were accruing — some even say with the blessing of the White House. The game has changed in Egypt, and Hamas attacks Israel driving home this point.

Across the Middle East, a dethroned MB struggles to recapture its glory in places like Iraq, Syria, and Libya. The people of these lands are fed-up with the results of the Arab Spring revolts that delivered MB rule to replace horrible dictatorships. Proxies for the MB (Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, Ansar el Islam, et al), militant anti-occupation factions in Gaza forging “victimhood” stories for the world through their aggression towards Israel, fashion and enflame a crisis to bargain for a toppled MB.

When all other direct means to rescue the Egyptian MB to date has been unsuccessful, their message is as if to say, “We will keep the heat turned up for Israel until the road is paved in Egypt to secure the return of power to the MB.” But Egypt, the birthplace of world terror, is steeled in battle to restrain and dissolve the MB — Hamas’ latest aggression is a test of Egypt’s resolve. Meanwhile, Israel demonstrates that Hamas will no longer play their game of extortion with the world at Israel’s expense.

07/22/14

I stand corrected. Shrapnel damage found at MH17 crash site.

By: Nelson Abdullah
Conscience of a Conservative
My post yesterday concerning the lack of evidence of a Buk missile strike on the Malaysian Airlines B777 over the Ukraine appears to be in error. A new photo has emerged on the Financial Times of London web site that offers more proof.

MH17 crash: FT photo shows signs of damage from missile strike

By Mark Odell in London and Roman Olearchyk

©Financial Times

MH17 debris in Petropavlovka, eastern Ukraine. Photo FT/Roman Olearchyk
The first apparent hard evidence that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was brought down by a surface-to-air missile is emerging from the crash site in eastern Ukraine, after experts confirmed on Monday there were signs of shrapnel damage to the aircraft.

07/22/14

Victim: The Healthcare Industry

By: Carol Plato
Victims of Illegal Immigration – A Collection of Essays
Hat Tip: Dick Manasseri

I am Carol Plato. I am from Martin County (Florida), and I am Director of Corporate Business Services for Martin Memorial Medical Center. I have a couple brief stories to tell you about. In 2001 we had a Guatemalan, an illegal patient, in our hospital. He was there from 2001 until 2003. He had over $1.5 million in healthcare services. We forcibly returned him to his home country of Guatemala at our own cost of $30,000. You ask why am I telling you about a case that happened in 2003? Because today that case is not over; we have spent and are spending up to a quarter of a million dollars in legal fees, because his family here in the United States is suing us because they think it was inappropriate for us, to return this illegal patient to his home country.

Currently, as of today, I have a patient from Mexico who has been in my hospital for 760 days. He has severe brain damage; he has no family, no friends. His charges, to date, for almost 2 years is $1.5 million, and we have contacted the Mexican Consulate four times; we have contacted Immigration, and nobody will help us return this patient to Mexico. We are even willing to spend our own $30,000 to return this patient. We can’t get anyone to help us with that.

In 2007 the Florida Hospital Association estimated that there was 100 million dollars in costs for illegal patient care. One of the major problems that healthcare institutions have today, that you need to be aware of, is ongoing care. If somebody comes into our emergency room, we don’t turn them away. But if somebody comes into our emergency room and they have renal failure, and they require dialysis — well, right now I have six patients (illegal, undocumented patients) that we are seeing every 3 days for renal dialysis. For all of this that I’ve talked to you about, we have received no reimbursement. This obviously affects all of us; our healthcare costs are severely affected by this.

Carol Plato, Public Testimony before the (Florida) House Committee on State Affairs, April 8, 2008