Inanity, Insanity and a Portent of Calamity

This week saw at least three events that stood out for their level of inanity, insanity and portending calamity.

Vatican City Must Abandon Its Christian Character
The first item that caught my eye this week - and knocked me off my chair for its sheer ridiculousness - was the statement by Roman Catholic Archbishop Michel Sabbah on Wednesday that a state defined as Jewish is unacceptable and should be reformed.

Leaving aside the fact that Sabbah never critiqued the self-defined Arab and Islamic
Green is the color of Islamic conquest and supremacy.
states in this region for a moment, isn't Archbishop Sabbah an official representative of the sovereign state called "Vatican City," last remaining link to the defunct "Holy Roman Empire"?

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall that Vatican City does have some sort of official state religion. No?

Juden, Raus!
The next item that I can't resist commenting on I refer to as "insanity," but on a more serious level, it actually amounts to a disgrace.

It seems that Knesset Member Yoram Marciano (Labor) is in favor of another Disengagement. This time in Lod, the city adjacent to Ben-Gurion International Airport and well within the 1948 armistice lines (a.k.a., the Green Line). Yes, you read that right - Marciano has publicly advocated expelling the Jews of Lod. Why? Well, because they are live in fear and find themselves under constant anti-Semitic attack by some of their Arab neighbors. Naturally. Isn't that the general national policy now, anyway?

It is eminently clear that someone who thinks that the proper response to anti-Semitic violence is that Jews be expelled from their homes cannot possibly be a Zionist or a
We of the enlightened Left only ever propose expelling Jews.
Jewish patriot. Given that, I will point out an observation that should concern Marciano strictly as a non-sectarian Israeli leader.

Experience shows that expelling the victims does not end the violence perpetrated by thugs; it merely forces them to change targets. When the Christian Arabs in Lod come under attack, will Marciano propose "disengaging" them? And after that, when Sunnis turn on Shiites, will the Shiites have to go?

Allow me to assume that Marciano would answer my rhetorical questions thus: "Of course not! Don't be racist! We of the enlightened Left only ever propose expelling Jews."

Green. Peace.
The final bit of craziness for the week is the news that the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem are to be illuminated with green lights tonight. City Hall, under Mayor Uri Lupolianski, claims that the color was selected as a sign of Jerusalem's commitment to the environment, in conjunction with Greenpeace and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

I am not in principle opposed to such gestures in honor of the environment, but I wonder if it escaped the notice of the Jerusalem honchos that green is the color of Islamic conquest and supremacy. Well, timing is everything.

You see, these are also the days of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and the season of the Muslim Haj pilgrimage.

Either the event planners at City Hall are abysmally ignorant of the holidays of their Muslim neighbors, and this is a coincidence, or they are well aware of the significance to Muslims of lighting up Jerusalem in green on their holiday - and that is precisely why they did it. If it is the former explanation, then I am shocked at the utter stupidity; if the latter, and City Hall simply wants to deceive non-Muslims as to the purpose of the green lights, then those lights portend far worse things to come.

Satire: Israel Launches New Defense Plan For Sderot

Following the Israeli security cabinet's decision to refrain from a full-scale military retaliation against rocket attacks from Gaza, state leaders have announced a national defense policy aimed at increasing protection for the shell-shocked Israeli town of Sderot.

At a press conference held at a fitness gym, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak named the new defense strategy: "Run, Jew, Run!"

Defense Minister Ehud Barak, sporting a Reebok sweat suit, explained, "In our times, a Jew who is not physically fit puts his life in danger, so we are allocating 4 million shekels from the defense budget to open fitness gyms throughout the Sderot region. Each street in Sderot will be assigned a personal trainer to get 'em all in good shape so they can run faster from the Arab Kassams."

Before continuing, the two State leaders screened the following realtime implementation of the "Run, Jew, Run" plan.

Prime Minister Olmert explained that sending troops into Gaza is not an option because "some of them may get hurt and killed."

CNN's Ted CommonSense asked, "Then why does the State of Israel invest resources into training soldiers if the executive branch is afraid to use the army?" Olmert replied that IDF training gets soldiers in top physical form so they too can participate in the new Run Jew Run National Defense Policy.

CommonSense pressed further, "But ten civilians have been killed from Arab Kassams and mortar shells…" Olmert cut off CommonSense and said. "If we send the army into Gaza, then not just ten, but rather tens of soldiers will get killed. It's simply not worth it."

CommonSense retorted: "But what if 100 civilians get killed from improved rockets?"

All eyes shifted to the Prime Minister. There was silence in the room. Had the policy makers taken such a scenario into account? Suddenly, a look of confidence came over Olmert's face as he declared, "Will going into Gaza bring these 100 people back to life? It will only get more soldiers killed! It's not in our interest."

One of the founders of the Four Mothers Movement in the audience stood up and shouted, "Olmert is right. If a Prime Minister cynically uses an army to protect the country's civilians, it will only get soldiers killed. Mr. Olmert is protecting our soldiers.
Defense Minister Barak thanked the Four Mothers Founder for her words and noted that it was the foresight of the Four Mothers that led his own administration in the year 2000 to pull Israeli troops out of Lebanon and abandon the region to Hizbullah terrorists.

.The Press Conference proceeded with a demonstration of the new defense program. First, Defense Minister Barak noted that the Sderot early warning system gives 15-seconds advance notice of rocket impact. Barak then darted into an impressive sprint around the conference hall to prove the operational mechanism of the new plan.

Barak's coach held up the stopwatch for all to see and declared: "14 seconds and 56 hundredths of a second!"

Bowing his head and lowering his voice, Prime Minister Olmert recalled how Jews ran from their pursuers for generations. "This is our national heritage," explained Olmert. "Our forefathers ran from Egyptian taskmasters, and from Babylonian, Greek, and Roman soldiers. In later years, we ran from pogroms and inquisitions.  Why break this glorious tradition now?"

Health Minister Yaakov Ben-Yizri (Pensioners Party) estimated that the monies saved to the health system by strengthening the physical fitness of the population would cover the proposed purchase of Harley Davidson motorcycles for the elderly who cannot make the 15-second dash to safety.

CNN's CommonSense:  "But some civilians don't have the faculties required to speed on a motorcycle to safety. What about them?"

Prime Minister Olmert exchanged whispers with the Health Minister, punched a few numbers into a calculator, and then replied: "According to our calculations, the 'Run, Jew, Run' plan provides a solution for 98% of Israelis. Just as my predecessor Yitzchak Rabin said, 'it's a calculated risk.' If some old or handicapped Sephardim in Sderot get hurt, this is the price we have to pay."

A long-bearded Sderot resident (formerly of Gush Katif) was granted the last question. "Why not start by intensive bombing on Gaza from the air? This would reduce the risk to our soldiers who would follow with a ground offensive to halt the Kassams altogether."

Olmert: "Are you suggesting that we bombard kindergartens in Gaza?"

Sderot resident: "Mr. Prime Minister. We are fighting terrorists. Civilians will be killed in this struggle. It's either their kindergartens or ours. Which do you choose?"

Olmert: "I choose yours." An aide whispered into Olmert's ear and the Prime Minister quickly clarified, "I mean ours. I choose our nurseries and kindergartens. And besides, let's say we conquer Gaza. What do we do after the war?

Sderot resident: "We should stay there. Remember how few terror attacks there were before the 1995 Israeli pullout from Gaza under the Oslo agreements? The concessions of the Peace Process are precisely what brought about an escalation in attacks. In the Gaza region, we can rebuild the flowering Jewish towns and restore what was literally Israel's most advanced agriculture enterprise."

At that point, a Yassam Police Unit apprehended and beat the Sderot resident and brought him to the Serious Crimes Unit in the Petach Tikvah Police station. The Prime Minister announced that the suspect would be investigated for "incitement to genocide" and proclaimed that Israeli democracy would always provide a platform for the free expression of all opinions "provided that they are within reason."

Prime Minister Olmert concluded saying that if the "Run, Jew, Run" Defense Plan proves itself in the case of the Sderot region, it would be extended to Greater Tel Aviv just in time for the government's proposed withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.

Ze'evi Murderer in Jail - What about his Protectors?

"It is my opinion that Neve Gordon has gotten into bed with neo-Nazis, Holocaust justice deniers, and anti-Semites." -- Dershowitz
At long last the Palestinian assassin of an Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Ze'evi has been formally sentenced.  Haaretz reports: "Hamdi Qur'an was convicted of the 2001 murder and other terror activities. He was taken into Israeli custody in 2006, after international monitors left the Jericho Prison, where he had been held."

But there is more justice that needs to be done.  What about the "solidarity protesters" who served as human shield for Hamdi Qur'an when he was being hidden inside the Palestinian Authority offices in Ramallah by Yassir Arafat? Back when the IDF was attempting to apprehend the murderer?

Just to remind you, groups of anti-Israel "solidarity protesters" illegally entered Ramallah in violation of Israeli law and army regulations in order to prevent IDF forces from apprehending terrorists being hidden at the time by the PLO in violation of its Oslo obligations.  Among the terrorists being so protected was Hamdi Qur'an..  The "human shields" protecting him included some Israeli far-leftists. 

Among those who illegally interfered with Israel's efforts to apprehend Qur'an was Neve Gordon, a radically anti-Israel far-leftist lecturer in political science at Ben Gurion University.  Gordon may be best known for having his anti-Israel articles published on the Neo-Nazi web site of Ernst Zundel, for his campaign of defamation against his own army commander, and for his recent shilling on behalf of Neo-Nazi Norman Finkelstein.  Gordon joined anti-Semites and jihadniks in a conference supporting Finkelstein, where he proliferated anti-Semitic misrepresentation of the "Zionist Lobby" as an anti-democratic bogeyman.

To right - Gordon as human shield for Qur'an:    

Gordon was arrested for his illegal interference with IDf anti-terror operations.  Prof. Alan Dershowitz last year described Gordon thus: "It is my opinion that Neve Gordon has gotten into bed with neo-Nazis, Holocaust justice deniers, and anti-Semites. He is a despicable example of a self-hating Jew and a self-hating Israeli."  Officials at Ben Gurion University have long backed Gordon's anti-Israel and Solidarity-with-Terrorists activism.

We are wondering - is there room in Qur'an's cell for those who illegally served as his human shield?