No Victory for Israel

Despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's claims, Israel did not achieve a decisive victory in Operation Cast Lead.

Israel's leaders claimed from the start that Operation Cast Lead had three main goals, delivering a blow to Hamas, ending rocket fire against Israel, and ending arms smuggling into Gaza. Their first failure was to even include the return of captured soldier Gilad Shalit on the list -- evidently "leave no soldier behind" is no longer on the agenda of Israeli leaders.

Hamas was hit, but besides that, none of the Operation's objectives were achieved. Rocket fire against Israel did not end! Hamas terrorists fired at least 20 rockets at Israeli cities every day of the war. On Sunday, after Israel had already declared a cease fire, Hamas still fired 20 rockets at Israel. The fact that Hamas decided to stop on Monday is because of their decision, not Israel's. And when Hamas will decide to start launching rockets again is their decision, not Israel's.

Arms smuggling to Gaza will not end. Notice that no deal whatsoever has been announced with regard to the arms smuggling, just some vague assurance that Egypt will act to end arms smuggling into Gaza. Israel had that assurance before this war started – it didn't help much then, and it won't help much now either. There is no international force, no Israeli force, and no Egyptian force in place – in short, there's no one to stop Hamas from rearming.

Gilad Shalit. Israel's leaders haven't even mentioned him except for some vague assurances that they're working to bring him back. The Israeli people have had those assurances since Shalit was captured and they know how much they're worth. My heart goes out to Gilad. I hope he doesn't know that his government has deserted him. At least his people hasn't. Olmert says it doesn't help to publicly mention Shalit. The public must mention Shalit as much as possible and with G-d's help he'll come home safely.

Israel has decided to leave Gaza for political reasons, whether it's for Obama's inauguration or because Olmert-Barak-Livni decided that no continuation of the war would help their political future. The bottom line for Israel's people is that rockets will one day return to the south, and the IDF will be back in Gaza whether they like it or not.

The people of Israel must hold their leaders responsible in the upcoming election for failing to decisively destroy Hamas and end terror against Israeli citizens.

Jews -- We've Got A Friend...

Quotes and Notes Corner: 'Die or Embrace Islam'

Religious Jews are in a good position, I think, to understand Islamic scholarship on the text of the Koran. Some of it is reminiscent of the Jewish style of commentary. Commentary on the Koran is called tafsir and the most important tafsir is that of Ibn Kathir. Kind of like "the Rashi" of Koranic exegesis - but even more authoritative.

With that in mind, let's look at some Koran verses with their tafsir of Ibn Kathir.

The Koran, Al-Tawba, verses 29-30 says:

(29) "Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth among the People of the Scripture, [fight] until they pay the jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." (30) "And the Jews say:
"Fight against those who believe not in Allah..." -- The Koran
Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!"

Ibn Kathir comments: "This honorable verse (29) was revealed with the order to fight the People of the Book, after the pagans were defeated, the people entered Allah's religion in large numbers, and the Arabian Peninsula was secured under the Muslims' control. Allah commanded His Messenger to fight the People of the Scriptures, Jews and Christians, on the ninth year of Hijrah, and he prepared his army to fight the Romans and called the people to Jihad announcing his intent and destination."

The Koran, Al-Tawba, verse 5 says:

"So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."

Ibn Kathir explains that "slay the idolaters wherever you find them" means "on the earth in general... executing some and keeping some as prisoners." The Koran's exhortation "and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in every ambush," is saying, "Do not wait until you find them. Rather, seek and besiege them in their areas and forts, gather intelligence about them in the various roads and fairways so that what is made wide looks ever smaller to them. This way, they will have no choice, but to die or embrace Islam," according to Ibn Kathir.

And then Ibn Kathir clarifies further our understanding of Islam: "These verses allowed fighting people unless, and until, they embrace Islam and implement its rulings and obligations." But Ibn Kathir does not depend on his own interpretation alone, he quotes the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as recorded in the most accepted book of Hadith (Islam's collection of Muhammad's instructions and personal example): "Ibn Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said, 'I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer and pay the poor-tax.'"

Ibn Kathir says that Koran 9:5 is called "The Verse of the Sword" and that it "abrogated every agreement of peace between the Prophet and any idolater, every treaty, and every term." He quotes from another section of the Hadith saying, "No idolater had any more treaty or promise of safety ever since [this verse] was revealed."

Now, bearing all this in mind, along with the fact that Hamas is an Islamic fundamentalist movement whose members consider the Koran their constitution, some simple questions present themselves:

Who in their right mind would sign any deal, of any kind, with any of them?

Researched, compiled and presented by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz