The Mumbai Massacre

While the terror in Mumbai's streets may seem thousands of kilometers away, the drama unfolding there as Indian commandos battle the gunmen is all too familiar.
The carnage in Mumbai (Bombay), India's financial center, is a dreadful reminder of the threat still posed by jihadist terror to the world's democracies.

Over 125 people have been killed, and hundreds of others injured, in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that began on Thursday on civilian targets throughout the city.

Watching the scenes unfold (there is a live feed available at: http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/video_streaming.php), I recall the numerous times I have visited the city, with its bustling streets, beautiful synagogues, and kind and warm people.

Indeed, India and Israel share a great deal in common: both are vibrant democracies in seas of tyranny, both have restive Muslim populations, and both have been the targets of Islamist fundamentalist terror.

While the terror in Mumbai's streets may seem thousands of kilometers away, the drama unfolding there as Indian commandos battle the gunmen is all too familiar.

We pray that the Indian forces will prevail over the terrorists as quickly as possible, and that the hostages being held by the gunmen - including Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah - will soon be set free.

Don't Watch Where You're Going

what the prez is suggesting is that we just have to "close our eyes" to reality and put our faith in our enemies - which is hardly the wisest way to go about anything, let alone negotiating away the future of the country
Shimon Peres has done it.

He has succeeded far beyond any of his predecessors, and made one of the most remarkably obtuse public statements ever made by an Israeli president (and there's plenty of competition for that coveted title).

Speaking to a group of Diaspora Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on Monday, Peres said that "making peace is a little bit like marriage - you have to close your eyes and accept what is possible to accept."

Leaving aside what the remark says about the president's view of his own wife, Peres' statement is highly revealing about what the father of Oslo sees as the best way to forge a deal with our enemies.

Essentially, what the prez is suggesting is that we just have to "close our eyes" to reality and put our faith in our enemies - which is hardly the wisest way to go about anything, let alone negotiating away the future of the country.

I wouldn't want a bus driver who "closes his eyes", nor a surgeon, a quarterback or any other professional who slams shut his lids before proceeding. 

Why, then, would we want our political leadership to do so?

If this is the kind of thinking that guides Israel's would-be peacemakers, then the kind of peace they are after is most certainly one that we can all do without.

Your tax dollars at work

The police will be providing security today for reputed criminals planning to attend another criminal's burial. Does this make sense to anybody out there?
In a classic mob-style hit yesterday in Tel Aviv, reputed mafia chieftain Yaakov Alperon was killed in broad daylight when an explosive device went off as he got into his car.

According to Israeli media reports, various leading underworld figures are expected to attend Alperon's funeral today, and since police fear the outbreak of an "all-out mob war", they will be out in large numbers to provide security at the event.

Yes - you read that correctly. The police will be providing security today for reputed criminals planning to attend another criminal's burial.

Does this make sense to anybody out there?

Hmmm, let's see. The government says it doesn't have enough money to protect Jewish communities adjacent to Gaza from Palestinian rocket fire, and it claims it lacks the funds to invest in improving the country's hospitals, schools and other vital infrastructure.

It also insists that the police lack the necessary manpower to enforce traffic laws or crack down on crime.

But when it comes to safeguarding members of the mob, there seems to be no problem marshalling up the necessary funds.

It is nice to see our tax dollars being put to good use.