The Abandonment of Gilad Shalit

The Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas is essentially a government in name only - it has no power beyond the edge of Abbas' desk, has done nothing to fight terror, and regularly incites against Israel and Jews.
Israel's government this morning essentially ignored the ongoing plight of kidnapped Israeli serviceman Gilad Shalit and voted in favor of releasing an additional 250 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for..... nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The move was described as a "goodwill gesture" to the Palestinian Authority (PA), but no explanation was given as to just why Israel owes the PA any "goodwill", let alone any more "gestures".

The Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas is essentially a government in name only - it has no power beyond the edge of Abbas' desk, has done nothing to fight terror, and regularly incites against Israel and Jews. So there is simply no point in appeasing it or trying to curry favor with its leaders.

Meanwhile, Shalit has been held by Hamas for over two years. The prisoners being released by Israel could have been used as "bargaining chips" to try and win the kidnapped soldier's freedom. Instead, the criminals and terrorists will now be set free, while Shalit remains in captivity.

What a complete and utter disgrace.

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.