A sad day for Israel

The Jewish people deserve better.
Sometimes, a picture says it all - much better than words could possibly do.

The news today in Israel is dominated by - what else? - Ehud Olmert's resignation. This evening, at 7:30 pm local time, the Prime Minister will meet with President Shimon Peres and formally notify him of his decision to leave his post.

Whatever one thinks of Olmert - this is a sad day for the Jewish state. Our task as a people is to serve as a Light unto the Nations, a bastion of justice and righteousness for all to emulate - and now we must watch as our head of government resigns under a cloud of corruption scandals and allegations.

It has been said that a nation gets the leaders they deserve. But I beg to differ - because I think the Jewish people deserve better and the people of Israel deserve better.

We deserve a leadership that will stand firm and proud and defend the nation and its interests, one that will not cower before others. And we deserve leaders who walk in faith with G-d and uphold the highest ideals of honesty, and integrity.

We really do deserve such things - but the way it looks right now, we'll probably have to keep waiting a bit longer until we get them.

Loose Lips...

from a journalistic point of view, the information is clearly newsworthy and very current. But as Jews, as Israelis - don't they realize the damage such an article could cause?
There is an absolutely astonishing article in Ha'aretz today, one that signifies just how mightily irresponsible Israel's left-wing mainstream media can be.

"Israel asks US for arms, air corridor to attack Iran", screams the headline, clearly suggesting that the Jewish state is making preparations to hit Teheran's nuclear facilities.

The article goes on to list some of the weapons systems that Israel requested from Washington, as well as revealing details of some of the security discussions between the two countries.

Reading the article, one can only wonder why on earth the paper chose to publish such things. What were they thinking?

Certainly, from a journalistic point of view, the information is clearly newsworthy and very current. But as Jews, as Israelis - don't they realize the damage such an article could cause? After all, loose lips sink ships, as the old saying goes.

If Israel is indeed planning to strike Iran is anyone's guess. But better to keep Iran guessing, than to telegraph the play to them in advance, don't you think?

Exploiting the Cease-fire in Gaza

36 months after Israel pulled out, what do we have to show for it? Is Gaza safer? Is Israel safer? The answer is an unequivocal 'no'
Guess what? Three years after Israel withdrew from the area, Gaza is being used as a training ground to attack Jews.

No surprise there: indeed, the Palestinian terrorist organizations are busy exploiting the cease-fire currently in place in Gaza to retrain, rearm and prepare for the next round of conflict with Israel.

That, at least, is what emerges from a report in the Arabic daily A-Sharq Alawsat, whose Gaza correspondent was invited to watch dozens of members of Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades practice urban warfare.

"Since the calm agreement between Israel and Hamas came into play," the paper states, "it has been clearly evident that Palestinian resistance factions, without exception, have taken advantage of the ceasefire by conducting military training for their recruits."

Such training, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees said, also includes practicing how to abduct Israeli soldiers.

A number of the Palestinian terror groups are making use of the abandoned and largely demolished Jewish communities that once flourished in Gaza. "These sites," the Arabic daily helpfully explains, "are regarded as the best environment for conducting military training because they are uninhabited, have sandy hills, and are very close to the seacoast."

There you have it: 36 months after Israel pulled out, what do we have to show for it? Is Gaza safer? Is Israel safer? The answer is an unequivocal 'no'.

Instead, the Strip is now being used as a laboratory for terror. And if it isn't dealt with soon, it will undoubtedly blow up in Israel's face.