The 'Nine Days' of Av, 2017

On the Hebrew calendar, tomorrow is the 9^th day of the Hebrew month of Av. That means that tomorrow will be the last of the first nine days of Av. 

In Judaism, these first nine days of Av are called, 'the nine days'.

These nine days culminate with a 24+ hour fast on Tisha B'Av--the ninth of Av. We fast on the Ninth of Av because that is a day of national tragedy for the Jewish people. 

For example, on Tisha B’Av both Jewish Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. They were destroyed more than 400 years apart. But their destruction took place on the same calendar date, the ninth of Av.

Other Jewish Tisha B’Av tragedies include:

-133 CE: The Roman governor of Israel ordered the site of the Holy Temple be ploughed under;

-1095: The First Crusade began, in which an estimated 10,000 Jews lost their lives in the first month;

-1290: The Jewish communities of England were expelled, making England essentially Jew-free for more than 350 years;

-1492: Queen Isabella of Spain issued her edict that the Jewish population be expelled from Spain; her edict  inaugurated the Spanish Inquisition;

1942: The deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto to the death camp at Treblinka commenced'';

1994: The Argentine Jewish community center in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people and wounding approximately 300 more.

(These dates from Avner Zarmi, “The Most Calamitous Date of the Jewish Year”, pjmedia, July 30,  2017)

Our Oral Law, the Talmud, adds more detail to Jewish calamities that fell on the 9th of Av. You'll find these details in tractate Taanit, (26a-26b).

These dates of calamity are not limited to the 9^th Day of Av. In our Jewish tradition, all of the days from the beginning of Av to the 9^th Day are days of special 'negative' significance. These 9 days are considered by many to be a period with significant calamitous potential.

This year, both in Israel and around the world, we can see how clearly the ‘9 Days’ are not ‘propitious’. This year, the ‘9 Days’ began July 24, 2017. They will culminate tomorrow with the 9^th of the 9 Days, Tisha B’Av.

Read the headlines below. They come from this year's '9 days'. These headlines tell a tale of danger for Jews:

-Simon Kent, “Anti-Semitic Attacks in UK Soar Amid Warnings of Spread in ‘Hatred and Anger’”, breitbart, July 27, 2017;

-Adam Shaw, “Palestinian UN Envoy Refuses to Condemn Slaughter of Israeli Family: ‘Do Not Expect All Palestinians to Be Angels’”, breitbart, July 25, 2017;

- Christine  Douglass-Williams, “World Council of Churches again defends Palestinian jihadists over Israel”, jihadwatch, July 29, 2017;

-Joel Pollak, “California Imam Prays for Allah to ‘Annihilate’ Jews in Public Sermon”, breitbart, July 24, 2017;

-Robert Spencer, “Catholic Churches in Jerusalem blame Israel for Muslim violence, deny Biblical roots of Temple Mount”, jihadwatch, July 24, 2017;

-Daniel Siryoti, et al, “Jordanian protesters demand end to peace treaty with Israel”, israelhayom, July 30, 2017;

-Erez Linn, “Anti-Semitic incidents in Britain at record high, new report finds”, israelhayom, July 28, 2017;

-Daniel Siryoti, et al, “Police on high alert in Jerusalem as Palestinians call for 'day of rage'”, israelhayom, July 27, 2017;

-“Amid crisis, Israel dismantles Temple Mount metal detectors”, israelhayom, July 25, 2017;

-Trey Sanchez, “Palestine Wants No Security at Temple Mount, Calls to ‘Defend’ Site Against Israel”, absolutetruth, July 26, 2017;

-Benny Avni, “Malice on the Mount: The hate behind the latest Mideast crisis”, newyorkpost, July 24, 2017;

-Lior Akerman, “The Al-Aksa intifada”, jerusalempost, July 27, 2017;

-Michael Laitman, “Who is sovereign on Temple Mount?”, jerusalempost, July 26, 2017;

-Taamara Zieve, “UK watchdog: record number of anti-Semitic incidents in first half of year”, jerusalempost, July 27, 2017;

-Ben Lynfield, “PLO official: removal of metal detectors doesn’t solve Temple  Mount crisis”, Jerusalempost, July 26, 2017;

-Jeremy Sharon, “Temple Mount is ‘for Muslims and Palestinians only’”, jerusalempost, July 26, 2017;

-Dov Lieber, “At the Temple Mount, it’s not about metal detectors, it’s about sovereignty”, timesofisrael, July 26, 2017;

-“ Hamas declares Temple Mount ‘victory,’ calls new ‘day of rage’”, timesofisrael, July 26, 2017;

-“ ‘Intensify’ struggle over Temple Mount, Fatah urges”, timesofisrael, July 26, 2017;

-“ Protesters at Israeli Embassy in US slam Temple Mount security measures”, israelhayom, July 30, 2017;

-“ 'Removal of metal detectors puts all Jews at risk'”, arutzsheva, July 25, 2017;

-“ Hotovely: Security on Temple Mount meant to save lives”, arutzsheva, July 26, 2017;

-Shimon Cohen, “Israel's policemen are 'sitting ducks' on the Temple Mount”, arutz sheva, July 26, 2017;

-Gary Willig, “Did State Department copy old reports to whitewash PA?”, arutzsheva, July 26, 2017;

-Eldad Benari, “UN chief urges Israel to show 'restraint'”, arutzsheva, July 27, 2017;

-“Abbas wants to fan the flames”, arutzsheva, July 27, 2017;

-Tal Polon, “PA officials: We defeated Israel over Al-Aqsa”, arutzsheva, July 27, 2017

Israel does not live in peace. Jews everywhere are under pressure. Those who wish to destroy us rise against us. They hate us. They call repeatedly for a Day of Rage against us. 

That is the Tisha B'Av-2017 story these headlines tell us. It is a story of Jews surrounded by hate. It's a story that has been unchanged for more than 2,500 years.

If you choose to remember any of these headlines from the 9 Days of 2017, it should be this one headline: Fred Menachem, “Why the Temple Mount crisis is calling me home, to Israel/ I often turned my back on Shabbat, yet I now seek it” , jerusalempost, July 30, 2017. 

We should remember this headline because it reminds us to Whom we owe our survival--to the One Above, the One who gifted Shabbat to us, the One who protects Israel. 

If you remember anything today, remember the 9 Days. Remember the tragedies of Tisha B’Avs past. Remember the hate that clings to Tisha B'Av today. Most important of all, remember who will Redeem us. 

You don't believe you should turn  to G-d? Fine. Go to the UN. Go to the EU Parliament. Go to US Democrats. See how they will protect you.

Turn to HaShem, our G-d. There's no one else out there who will protect you. No one.

Friday cartoon on Sunday: the meaning of 'no metal detectors'

(Last update: July 31, 2017)


Once again, Friday's cartoon doesn't appear until Sunday. Once again, last week's cartoons (available as of July 28, 2017) didn't pass muster.

Our standards are high around this blog. We don't print just any cartoon. We print almost any cartoon.

This morning, a good cartoon popped up. It's dated July 28th. I didn't see it until today. 

Today's cartoon is a double-header. They both come from the world of Palestinian media. They come to you via the good work done by the website, Palestinian Media Watch, which tracks Arabic media--and then publishes that which proves that the Palestinian Authority does not foster a 'culture of peace'. 

These cartoons come from the official Fatah Facebook page. Fatah is the political party, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, which controls the totalitarian-run Palestinian Authority. The two cartoons were posted originally in Arabic on July 25, 2017 and July 27th, respectively.

The first is titled, "Fatah cartoon: Israel removed metal detectors out of fear":

from: Nan Jacques Zilberdik, palwatch, July 28, 2017

Two days later, on July 27, 2017, the Fatah Facebook page showed a second cartoon. This was titled, "Victory is better than sleep":

from: Nan Jacques Zilberdik, ibid


The defeated. practically shoe-less  Israeli (Netanyahu?) drags his 'war' equipment away from the 'battlefield'. 

As 77% of Israelis say they disapprove of their government's removing the metal detectors from the entrance to the Temple  Mount, I'd guess that close to 100% of Palestinians celebrate their removal. True, I don't have a poll to support this observation. But then, no one in Israel needs to do a poll to see how overwhelmingly Palestinians support the detectors' removal.

No polls are necessary to validate a second point: Palestinians are ecstatic over what they perceive to be a defeat of Israel over this issue.

These cartoons paint a lovely picture for the Palestinian public. They show a fearful and defeated Israel--and joyous Palestinians.

In case you  miss the point of these cartoons, here's a headline that explains what the removal of those metal detectors means to Palestinians: Dalit Halevy, "PA leader: we are sovereign in the land", arutzsheva, July 30, 2017). 

This is not a joke. It's what Palestinians truly believe. They have defeated the Jews at their (the Jews') holiest site. To Palestinians, that means sovereignty for the Holy Land itself has fallen to the religion of Islam.

Yes, the 'sovereignty' referred to in the news story (Halevy, ibid) refers specifically to the Temple Mount. But the larger reference--to Israel itself--is inferred. The headline captures how the Palestinian leadership thinks.

Palestinians are joyous. They feel that, through the Holy Temple Mount, they have taken control of Israel. 

For Israel, this is not a benign joy. It will not lead to peace. It will lead to more violence.

You don't believe that? Stay tuned.

What does Mahmoud Abbas want?

In a speech before the UN General Assembly in September 2016, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas said he wanted to "coexist alongside the State of Israel in peace and security and as good neighbors"  ("Abbas' full speech at the UN General Assembly", haaretz, September 22, 2016). He also said that:

-There is no conflict between us and the Jewish religion;

-He supports "the efforts to confront terrorism, extremism, sectarianism and violence;

-His hand "remains outstretched for making peace".

These are wonderful sentiments. But since that speech, Abbas has shown that he doesn't believe a word he said. 

During the last 10 months, Mahmoud Abbas has done three things: (1) declared war against the holiest sites of Judaism; (2) inflamed violence against Israel and the Jews of Israel; and (3) stretched out his hand, not to make peace with Israel, but to ennoble Arabs who have committed acts of terror against Israel.

For example, he declared war against the Jewish religion by getting UNESCO to 'unJewish' the two most important Jewish holy sites in the world (the Temple Mount  in Jerusalem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron). UNESCO voted to proclaim these two sites to be Muslim only. UNESCO even declared the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron to be a 'Palestinian World Heritages site' (Tovah Lazaroff, et al, “UNESCO rules Cave of Patriarchs as Palestinian”, jerusalempost, July 7, 2017).

Abbas inflamed violence against Israel through his political party, Fatah. When Israel recently announced it would place metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount following a recent Arab terror attack that spilled onto the Temple Mount, Abbas' Fatah, which he runs with an iron fist, didn't call for peace or calm.  It called for an Arab 'Day Of Rage' in Jerusalem  (Adam Rasgon, "Fatah calls for 'Day of Rage', jerusalempost, July 18, 2017). In case you don't know, a call for a 'Day of Rage' is a call to Arabs to rush into Jerusalem to riot, destroy and throw Molotov cocktails.

Once Israel had decided to remove the 'offending' metal detectors from the entrance to the Temple Mount, Abbas didn't call for a return to normal life. Instead, he encouraged  Arabs to continue rioting (Nan Jaques Zilberdik, "Abbas encourages Palestinians to keep rioting in Jerusalem", palestinianmediawatch, July 26, 2017). 

He has stretched out his hand repeatedly not for peace with Israel but to honor 'martyrs' who have been killed by Israelis as they (the so-called 'martyrs') have tried to kill Jews in Israel. Abbas doesn't call these individuals an obstacle to peace'. He honors them. He names streets, schools and tournaments after them. He's even created a program that incentivizes the killing of Jews (Eli Lake, "The Palestinian Incentive program for Killing Jews", bloomberg, July 1, 2016).

   
So far as Mahmoud Abbas is concerned, Christians can use metal detectors to protect their Vatican. Muslims can use metal detectors to protect their Holy Mosque in Mecca. The Jews, however,  may not protect their Holy Temple Mount. They must be forced by threats of rioting to remove metal detectors from the Temple Mount--even after Arab terrorists had desecrated the plaza of the Temple Mount, making such protection necessary. 

Israel, fearing Arab riots, has surrendered. It has removed the 'offending' metal detectors. 

But Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't stop there. He went further. Apparently, removing protective metal detectors from the entrance to the Temple Mount wasn't a sufficient appeasement in the face of Arab outrage. Almost at the same time the metal detectors were being removed, Netanyahu announced he wanted to surrender 'land for peace'. The 'land' he chose was closer to Tel Aviv than to Jordan, leaving Tel Aviv exposed to rocket fire from such a close (future) 'Palestinian' enclave.  

Abbas got it right when he called the events of this week a victory against Israel. The Palestinian Authority was also right when it termed the events of this week a defeat for Israel.

Arabs are sensitive to appearances. They are alert to actions that suggest defeat and weakness. They know well what weakness and defeat look like.

They know full well how Netanyahu--and Israel--look right now. In this incident with the Temple Mount metal detectors, both Netanyahu and the entire Jewish state  have 'weakness' and 'defeat' written all over them. 

To celebrate, Palestinians have increased the intensity of their rioting in and around Jerusalem. 

Once the metal detectors disappeared, Islamic clerics allowed Muslims to return to the Temple Mount for prayer. They didn't just go to the Temple  Mount to pray. They went to riot (David Rosenberg, “Arabs riot on Temple Mount after metal detectors removed”, arutzsheva, July 27, 2017).

Judging from Abbas' actions and public statements to Palestinians, he is not a man who wants his people to live in peace with Israel. Clearly, he wants something different.  

What does Mahmoud Abbas want? He wants to see Israel firebombed. He wants to see Arabs stoning Jewish-owned cars on highways. He wants to see Israel torn apart by Arab rioters rampaging through Jewish streets.

He wants Israel destroyed--stone by stone, street by street, highway by highway and city by city.

Our Jewish Prophets of Old tell us that, in the days before our Final Redemption, the enemies of the Jewish people will attack Jerusalem. They will attack in order to conquer the Temple Mount for the last time. 

Right now, it looks  like we're living that Prophecy.

Israel's leaders, our Palestinian enemy and Abbas' greatest contribution to economics

(Last update: July 24, 2017)
Last week, Arabs who embrace the terror of the 'Palestinian  Cause' murdered two Israeli policeman in Jerusalem's Old City. Within a matter of  minutes, the terrorists had run up to the Temple  Mount, which was close by the attack. They were killed on the Temple Mount by Israeli police. 

To protect Israelis from future terror attacks on or near the Temple  Mount, Israeli officials ordered the placement of metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount. These detectors are similar to detectors found at the Islamic shrine at Mecca, the Vatican and airports around the world. They are everyday images virtually everywhere you travel.

Apparently, Muslims in Israel are outraged that Israel should put up metal detectors. Arab leaders have called for a 'Day of Rage' over this issue. That 'Day of Rage' has, so far, lasted five days. 

Here's a cartoon that captures the reason behind the rage that has hit Israel over these metal detectors. The cartoon comes from the jewishpress. The cartoon is by Asher Schwartz. It's titled, "Your security ends where my religion begins".  It's dated July 22, 2017:













Arabs have suggested many times that Israel does not have the right to defend itself. They rage and riot and murder to make this point. They posture with slingshots and strut with fiery Molotov cocktails. They are insanely outraged to see Jews protecting themselves against Islamic terror attack.

How will Israel respond to all of this? We don't know.

We don't know if Israel will stand strong or fold under pressure. We don't know how many Jews will die before this insane religious madness ends.

But we do know this: our leaders are uncertain. They do not stand firm.

They're afraid. They make a decision (to put up the metal detectors), then question their own decision. 

In the face of 'unfathomable' hate, our leaders become afraid of their own shadow. They have lost their way. 

Our enemy is not afraid. Our enemy is not uncertain.

Unlike our Jewish leaders, our enemy is not lost. He has found his way. 

He will kill. He will riot. He will stone policemen. He will send women, boys and even girls to stab Israeli soldiers. He will send his children on suicide missions to attack Jews.

He will celebrate his child's death as a religious 'martyrdom'. Then he will sit back, to collect a monthly income for life from the Palestinian Authority. The amount he receives will depend upon how many Jews his child has killed.

Killing Jews yields a higher return for more people in the Palestinian Authority than winning a lottery. It's Mahmoud Abbas' greatest contribution to the theory of economics. Right now, he's giving out more than $350 million US dollars a year for these payments. Abbas has made terror the biggest component within the Palestinian Authority's export business. It equals almost 50% of the income made from Palestinian exports, as of 2011, the latest figures easily available.

No wonder Palestinians rage. If they die while they riot, their families receive a windfall. 

For individual Palestinians, metal detectors, religion, rioting and killing Jews go together better than baseball and hotdogs in America.  Certainly, the payout is better.

How will all of this madness end?

G-d knows.

Friday cartoon: Islam and terror

Some people say Islam is a religion of peace. Some say it is the religion of peace, suggesting that this particular religion exemplifies 'peace' better than any other religion. Others disagree. They say Islam is not a religion of peace. They say it's the religion of terror (John Burger, "Islam: religion of peace or font of terror", aleteia, January 21, 2015). Still others say Islam is a religion of peace, all right. But it's been hijacked by terrorists (or, alternatively, extremists) (ibid).

Certainly, two things are true when Westerners talk about Islam: first, it's politically correct to say Islam is a religion of peace. Second, it's 'Islamophobic' if you put 'Islam' and 'terror' in the same sentence.

Now that we've got that straightened out, let's put analysis aside. Let's talk about reality.

Here's a cartoon from Israel. It's about Islam. It's about terror (please note: I do not use 'Islam' and 'terror' in the same sentence). This is not a cartoon about religion. It's not about politics. It's just a picture about reality in Israel: 

from: dirouge, at arutzsheva,  July 19, 2017

It's an ugly cartoon. But then, it depicts an ugly reality.

In Israel, relatively few people have much to say about the extent to which Islam provokes bad behavior (notice how I do not use 'Islam' and 'terror' in the same sentence). 

We don't spend a lot of time thinking about Islam and the world. We're too busy looking over our shoulder, worried about hearing the words, 'allahu akbar!'. 

We don't care about Islamic theology. We care about staying alive.

We're Jews. We don't know much about Islam. We know a lot about being the targets of terror. 

We're realists. We know that those who seek to murder us like to shout out the name of their god while they attack us. 

Do we need to know anything else?

In Jerusalem, metal detectors humiliate Muslims!

The saga of 'anti-Palestinian metal detectors' at the Temple Mount continues (see below). The outrage caused by these metal detectors frightens Israel's leaders. They don't know if they should keep the detectors in place or take them down to appease 'Palestinian' leaders and local Islamic clerics (Raphael Ahren, Dov Lieber, "Amid protests, Israel weighs taking down Temple Mt. metal detectors", timesofisrael, July 19, 2017).  

While our Jewish leaders fiddled with this question, Arabs in eastern Jerusalem threw rocks and firebombs at police (Stuart Winer, "Rioters clash with police around Jerusalem over Temple Mount metal detectors", timesofisrael, July 19, 2017). The Fatah organization, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, called for 'Palestinians' to march on security checkpoints in Judea-Samaria (ibid)--essentially, calling for mass disturbances against security forces.

If you advocate peace through a two-state solution, please note that the Arab-Israel war is far from over--and is much   
farther from a peaceful resolution than you realize. This 'metal detector' story proves how far away peace really is. 

The 'metal detector' uproar is 'fake news'. Metal detectors throughout Israel are a non-issue. But now, 'metal detectors' becomes a 'Palestinian war-cry' to provoke rioting.   

In Israel, metal detectors are almost ubiquitous. They stand at entrances to all kinds of buildings, especially in Jerusalem. In the city where I live (outside Jerusalem), I have to pass through a metal detector--a process that includes a baggage search--every time I go into our community shopping mall. There are no exceptions. 

I have never seen anyone--Jew or Arab--put up a stink while going through our metal detector. I have never seen anyone--Jew or Arab--complain about having a bag searched or pockets emptied. 

I see  the same thing in Jerusalem. That is, I have never seen anyone in Jerusalem--Jew or Arab--put up a stink about any metal detector anywhere. Everyone I have ever seen at these devices passes through them acting as if they understand/accept the need to use detectors to help create a 'safe place' for them. 

This doesn't mean no one ever complains. But it does say that this one person's experience is clear: so far as I can see, metal detectors are not a problem.

It's not like Israel is the only place Muslims see a metal detector. Arab governments use them, too. 

For example, in 2011, the Saudi government announced it would install metal detectors at Mecca's Holy mosque (Riazat Butt, "Explosives detectors to be installed at gates of Mecca's holy mosque", guardian, August 15, 2011). There were no Arab protests or violence over this announcement (Zvi, "The hypocrisy of denouncing metal detectors at the Temple Mount", elderofzyion, July 17, 2017). 

No Arabs protested when metal detectors were installed for certain Christian sites in Egypt (ibid). No Arabs protested when metal detectors were installed for other Christians in Qatar (ibid).

More to our point here, no Arabs complained that the Saudi metal detectors at a revered Islamic holy site (in Mecca) had 'humiliated' them. No Arab complained that the Saudi metal detectors were a 'collective punishment' against Muslims (Ali Waked, "Exclusive: Fatah official: Israeli metal detectors at Temple  Mount are 'collective punishment' of Muslim worshipers", breitbart, July 18, 2017). No Arab politicians called for a Day of Rage anywhere in the Arab world because of new metal detectors. No Arab cleric anywhere in the Arab world announced that metal detectors are religiously unacceptable because anyone who passes through them will have their prayers to Heaven nullified (see below). 

The King of Saudi Arabia (Salman) has spoken out about the Israeli metal detectors. He said metal detectors aren't a problem at holy places (Hana Levi Julian, "King of Saudi Arabia personally intervenes in Temple Mount Crisis, says metal detectors routine in holy places", jewishpress, July 18, 2017). They are, he said, routine in holy places because of the threat of terror (ibid). When he heard about metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, he expressed no reservations about them (ibid).

These comments by the Saudi King are significant for three reasons. First, the Saudis have used metal detectors at their own holy site for almost six years with no reported outrage from anyone; second, the holy site in question (in Saudi Arabia) isn't an  anonymous holy place which few know about, or a holy place considered to be less holy than the Temple Mount. That Saudi holy place is the holiest Islamic site in the world; and third, the Mecca site isn't a seldom-visited shrine where few would have to walk through a metal detector.  It's the largest gathering site in the world (Kate Nelson, "Haj 2016: when is the annual Mecca pilgrimage? Who goes? Is it safe? Everything you need to know", theindependent, September 6, 2016). It attracts millions of Muslims each year (ibid).

So if Muslims accept the metal detectors at Mecca without complaint, how do Muslims in the Palestinian Authority react to Israel installing its own metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount after a terror attack? They
claim it 'humiliates' them ("Palestinian Authority says aim of Temple  Mount metal detectors is to humiliate worshipers", elderofzyion, July 17, 2017).

'Humiliation' to an Arab isn't a small thing. It's a very big deal. 'Humiliation' and 'honor' may be as important to Arabs as Shabbat observance is to Jews--perhaps even more important. Arabs tend to define their entire reality--and justify much of their violence--through the concepts humiliation and honor (Mahmood Delkhasteh, "Humiliation: the catalyst for Arab's revolutions", huffingtonpost, no date, retrieved July 20, 20). The sense of humiliation especially has been said to lie at the core of Arab violence (ibid).

 The practical result of this 'ideology of humiliation' is that when Jews install metal detectors to protect against terror, PA Muslims declare, "humiliation!" They become violent. They riot. They howl with rage:

-The Jordanian Parliament called for Jordan to cancel its 1992 peace agreement with Israel because Israel installed these detectors (Dalit Halevi, "Jordanians: cancel peace agreement with Israel", arutzsheva, July 15, 2017);

-The Jordanian Parliament praised the killings (Deborah Danan, "Jordanian Parliament praises Temple  Mount terror attack", breitbart, July 17, 2017);

-Fatah, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas' ruling political party, called for violence because Israel installed the detectors ("Fatah calls for violence and rage following terror attack", arutzsheva, July 16, 2017);

-Hamas, Fatah's partner in governing the PA, called for Israelis to be murdered because of the insult Israel had given to Muslims by installing the detectors ("Hamas calls for more violence after Temple Mount attack", ynet, July 15, 2017);

-Fatah declared the metal detectors to be a 'terrorist procedure' . For that, Fatah called for an Islamic 'Day of Rage' (Fatah calls for Day of Rage amid  new Temple Mount security in wake of attack", timesofisrael, July 18, 2017);

-No less an Islamic cleric than the Mufti of Jerusalem issued a religious edit: the prayers of any Muslim who goes to the Temple  Mount through the 'Zionist' metal detectors will be rendered invalid in Heaven (Jameel, "Mufti: allah won't accept prayers through a Zionist metal detector", jewishpress, July 18, 2017). 

The Palestinian Authority wages war against Israel. On the diplomatic front, this war is white-hot ("Arabs call on ICC [International Criminal Court] to investigate Israel", arutzsheva, July 20,  2017). On the religious front, the heat of PA Jew-hate almost melts the pavement in Jerusalem.

By July 19, 2017, the US Administration became alarmed by the rage. It expressed 'concern' over the Temple Mount troubles (Eldad Benari, "White House 'concerned' over Temple Mount", arutzsheva, July 20, 2017). The US said it was 'monitoring' the issue (ibid). 

Some in Israel have become frightened by this 'concern'. They begin to panic (Nitsan Keidar, "Will Israel cave on Temple Mount security?", arutzsheva, July 20, 2017).

Will the PA win this battle? It could. Metal detectors at the Temple Mount are a horrific, unacceptable 'Zionist' 'humiliation'. For the PA, there's only one cure for such humiliation--violence, rage and rioting. 

In Jerusalem, there is no peace between Arab and Jew. There is only the 'humiliation' of metal detectors. 

Thee will be no peace in the Arab-Israel war.

A picture of Muslims bowing--and a Jewish prophecy

Perhaps you've seen recent news from Israel about the Temple Mount (Udi Shaham , "Muslim authority protests Temple Mount security measures, blocks entrance" jerusalempost, July 16, 2017). The Muslim Waqf, the authority referred to above, is angry. So far as it is concerned, the Jews are the cause of that anger.

Here's the story: on Friday morning, July 14, 2017, three Arabs shot and killed two Israeli police officers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Liel Leibovitz, "Palestinian terrorists murder two Israeli police officers  in shooting attack on Temple Mount", tablet, July 14, 2017). Moments later, the three attackers were killed by other police on the Mount (ibid). As a consequence of the attack, Israeli officials shut down all access to the Mount (ibid). 

The Temple Mount was shut down for less than two days. During that shut-down, Israeli police searched the Temple Mount area for weapons other Muslims might have hidden there to use in future attacks against police and Jews on the Mount.  Police also initiated an investigation into who might have assisted the attackers. 

Two days isn't enough to do a complete search of the Temple Mount, so the search wasn't as thorough as it might have been. Still, police found dozens of  hidden weapons, including knives, cudgels, spikes, unexploded munitions and stun grenades (Judah Ari gross, "Police uncover weapons, but no guns, in Temple Mount searches", timesofisrael, July 16, 2017). Police arrested eight Arabs, including 3 Waqf officials who work on the Temple Mount ("Temple Mount terror weapons hidden days in advance", jewishpress, July 16, 2017).  Police also concluded that the terrorists had brought their weapons up to the Temple Mount in the days leading up to the attack (ibid). 

In the end, with Arab outrage growing over the closing of the Mount, Israeli authorities reopened the Temple Mount on Sunday, July 16, 2017--with new metal detectors installed at all points leading up to the Temple  Mount ("Israel to reopen Temple Mt.on Sunday; 3 Waqf officials held", timesofisrael, July 14, 2017). 

This was done for obvious reasons. Weapons had been found hidden on the Temple Mount, a serious attack against police had just taken place on the Temple Mount and Arab incitement against Jews on the Temple Mount was beginning to grow.

Israelis are accustomed to passing through a metal detector. Municipal buildings, public transportation centers, many stores and government buildings in Israel use them. They are not offensive to Jews.

But these same metal detectors are very offensive to the Muslim authority which runs the Temple Mount. Even though the metal detectors the Israeli police installed were not located on the Temple Mount itself--but at entrances to the Temple Mount--Muslims became outraged (Judah Ari Gross, "Worshipers protest metal detectors as Israel reopens Temple Mount", timesofisrael, July 16, 2017).  

Arab anger at Israeli defensive actions following an Arab terror attack is nothing new for Israel. Apparently, Arabs get very offended when Jews do something to make Israel safer for Jews. 

To protest this horrific Jewish offense (installing metal detectors at the entrances to the Temple Mount), the Waqf ordered that Muslim prayers on Sunday should not be done at the Temple Mount, but at the entrance to the Mount.   

Here's a picture (from the timesofisrael) of that protest worship outside one Temple Mount entrance.   








This picture is the focal point of this essay. Consider how the worshipers bow as Israeli police stand before them. 

Israel MK (Member of Knesset) Bezalal Smotrich saw this picture and remembered a posuk (sentence) from the Prophet Yeshayahu. He remembered Yeshayahu 60:14, and the words, "The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; and those who despise you will bow down at your feet" (loose translation, but accurate). 

Look at this picture. What do you see?

MK Smotrich superimposed words from this quote onto the picture and sent it to the internet. The picture certainly seemed to show those who despise us bowing down at our feet.

I found this picture at the blogsite, lifeinisrael, dated July 17, 2017 as 'Tweet of the Day". 

What are we looking at in this photo--a scene of outdoor prayer? A protest? A Biblical prophecy come true? Some kind of eerie coincidence?  Or, a harbinger of a Biblical-driven future?

Stay tuned to get the answer.

New Israel Fund cries 'foul'. We shouldn't care

The New Israel Fund (NIF) is an organization that dedicates itself to one goal: to strengthen and expand what it calls pro-democracy, progressive forces in Israel (NGO Monitor-homepage-search-New Israel Fund-New Israel Fund-NGO Monitor,  January 15, 2017). To achieve this goal, the NIF puts its money where its mouth is. It's backed more than 900 organizations over the last 38 years. 

The NIF wants social justice (New Israel Fund homepage-About). It's paid out more than $300 million US dollars to get it (ibid). It's still waiting to get it. 

In practice, however, the NIF isn't about justice of any kind for Israel . It's about funding organizations that are closer to the viciously anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (NGO Monitor, ibid) than to Israel. 

The NIF is comfortable with its anti-Israel bed-fellows. It's given financial backing to such Israeli anti-Israel NGOs as Adalah, Breaking the Silence, +972 Magazine and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (ibid). It has also backed the Israeli anti-Israel NGO, B'tselem (NGO  Monitor-search- B'tselem-B'tselem-NGO Monitor, November 24, 2016).

These organizations are not pro-Israel. They don't help Israel. They delegitimize it.

B'Tselem, in particular, makes a regular habit of accusing Israel of Apartheid, war crimes, forced deportations and abusing 'Palestinians' (ibid). Like all its brothers-in-slime who receive NIF money, it operates to harm Israel by using unsupported (and sometimes false) allegations of deliberate and systematic abuses against innocent 'Palestinians' (New Israel Fund-NGO Monitor, ibid). 

If there's one unifying statement that captures what these NIF-backed organizations aim to do, it's this: they aim to delegitimize and criminalize the State of Israel.

The NIF is, in other words, a bona fide 'progressive'. Like all progressives, it's decidedly anti-Israel. It's hard to tell if there's an anti-Israeli Leftist cause in Israel the NIF doesn't like.

You may wish to make note of this 'resume' because Talia Sasson, current president of the New Israel Fund, is almost screaming mad (Ido Ben Porat, "NIF president fries back at Netanyahu", arutzsheva, July 17, 2017). She's angry that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to delegitimize the NIF.

How ironic. The most prominent organization to fund efforts in Israel to delegitimize Israel is outraged that the Prime Minister of Israel should attempt to delegitimize it. 

What's Tali Sasson's problem? There are protests popping up all over Israel concerning an investigation against Netanyahu for supposedly inappropriate behavior during the purchase of submarines from Germany. The protesters don't like the way Israel's Attorney General (Avichai Mandelblit) has been handling the investigations (ibid). Protesters claim he hasn't been tough enough on Netanyahu.

They don't clamor for an honest investigation. They clamor for Mandelblit to indict Netanyahu (ibid). They'll settle for nothing less.

These protests have popped up in Petah Tikva, Be'er Sheva, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nahariya, Netanya and Haifa (Oded Shalom "From a small Petah Tikva square to a nationwide protest", ynet, July 17, 2017). They could be the major anti-Netanyahu Leftist effort this year. 

The Prime Minister has gone on TV about all of this. He's said these protests are financed by the New Israel Fund (ibid). He claimed the protests are designed to exert improper pressure on Mandelblit (ibid). 

He may be right. He may also be responding to a Leftist-generated swell that appears to be growing against him (from what I have seen, most Israelis see this scandal as just more politicking). But the more tired Israelis get about this 'scandal', the louder the protests get. 

Netanyahu suggests that the NIF is working to 'bring down a Prime Minister' (ibid). He's said these protests are irresponsible and illegal--because protesters may not have requested proper permits to protest (ibid).

The New Israel Fund cries 'foul'. Yes, at first, Sasson simply denied the allegations (News Brief: "NIF director: we would consider funding A-G protests", arutzsheva, July 16, 2017).  But then, the next day, she expressed outrage that, as she said, Netanyahu was trying to 'delegitimize' the NIF (Porat, above) .  

How ironic.  Talia Sasson has no problem backing the delegitimaztion and criminalization of the sovereign State of Israel. But she becomes outraged that the Prime Minister of this sovereign State should try to delegitimize her anti-Israel efforts. 

The Left everywhere is like that. Leftists seem to feel they have an unfettered entitlement to libel anyone they wish. But should anyone use the same harsh words against them, they cry. 

Like many who are self-centered and arrogant, Leftists love to 'dish it out'. But as soon as someone criticizes them, they turn into two-year old's throwing a tantrum. 

The NIF is no different. We shouldn't care if it cries. 

Friday cartoon from Israel: get Netanyahu!

Today is Friday.  It's time for another cartoon. This cartoon is from Israel.

For background, consider that there's a media frenzy gripping Israel's media industry. The frenzy focuses on at least two supposed corruption scandals that center on Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Although nothing of substance has emerged against Netanyahu, some in the media write as if Netanyahu's corruption is as obvious as the nose on his face. True, there's no evidence (so far) of criminal activity (Adiv Sterman, "The media closes in on Netanyahu", timesofisrael, July 14, 2017). But that hasn't stopped some in Israel from covering these stories as if it's patently obvious the PM belongs in jail (ibid). 

The frenzy to get Netanyahu reminds one of the anti-Trump media frenzy in the US. That frenzy wants to get Trump impeached. In both instances, the frenzy is ugly.

Today's cartoon comes from Haaretz, a Left-leaning paper which is no fan of the Rightist Netanyahu. This cartoon portrays Netanyahu and his 'cronies' sweating over police investigations--and in the process, getting all tied up by their telephone records (at least, that's  my interpretation). 

The  cartoon is  by Eran Wolkowski. It appeared in Haaretz July 13, 2017.                                         . 




 




I don't recognize the 'cronies' portrayed in the cartoon. But the figure in the foreground is, I'd say, Netanyahu. They're all worried. 

Israel politics can get nasty. It's unpleasant, to say the least. It's also embarrassing because the media, which should be unbiased, makes itself look like gaggle of clowns by portraying Netanyahu prematurely as a criminal just seconds away from getting arrested. 

It's gotten so bad, it doesn't matter  any more if Netanyahu is actually guilty of something. The frenzy is so outrageous that, if Netanyahu is guilty of a crime, there will be plenty of people in Israel who will claim he's been railroaded by a vicious Left that'll do anything to remove him from office.

But then, Israel takes heart. The US is no better. The media there can't wait to lynch Trump in some way or other. 

Why are two allied leaders under such horrific pressure? It's been said that the days before Redemption will be wild. Perhaps these political witch-hunts are harbingers.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, there'll be plenty of work for cartoonist in Israel--and the US.