The Great Unmasking

The overwhelming Hamas victory in this week’s Palestinian elections is a political earthquake – the kind of seismic event whose aftershocks and repercussions will be felt throughout the region for a long time to come.

But the most immediate result – and the one least talked about by the mainstream media, of course – is that this turn of events constitutes the great unmasking, both of the Palestinians and of Israel’s left.

No longer can it be said that “the majority of Palestinians are interested in peace”, or that it is just “a small band of extremists” on the Palestinian side that stand in the way of regional reconciliation.

The Palestinian electorate has expressed itself loudly and unequivocally – they voted a movement into power whose political agenda amounts to mass murder. It was not a close race or a narrow election victory for Hamas – it was a sweeping and comprehensive triumph, one that was granted to the terrorists by the overwhelming majority of Palestinian voters.

The only possible conclusion one can draw from this is that most Palestinians want to see Israel destroyed, and most Palestinians want a political leadership that will actively advance that goal.

Needless to say, that is precisely what the Israeli Right has been saying all along for the past decade, warning against the creation of a Palestinian entity or its continued empowerment by Israeli retreats.

And that is also precisely what the Israeli Left has refused to believe in its delusory quest to appease our neighbors.

But now, the facts speak for themselves, and they are there for all to see. The withdrawal from Gaza has led directly to the creation of a “Hamastan” alongside Israel.

The only question now is whether this turn of events will at last wake up the Left and cause them to realize the folly of their ways.

If past experience is any indication – don’t count on it.

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What Olmert Didn't Say

In one of his first major policy addresses since becoming Acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert delivered a wide-ranging speech at the Herzliya Conference yesterday covering topics such as economic policy and the future of Israel’s relations with the Palestinians.

But the really interesting part of his remarks was not so much what he said – but what he didn’t say.

Toward the end of his speech, Olmert declared: “I believe in the people of Israel and in the State of Israel. I believe in the genuine will of the citizens of Israel to live in peace, security and tranquillity, and I believe in our ability to achieve this goal when we are united.”

When I heard this, I thought to myself: nice rhetoric. Uplifting, hopeful and even somewhat inspiring.

But then it immediately occurred to me - the leader of the Jewish state failed to mention the most important thing of all: what about the G-d of Israel? What about the Land of Israel? What about the Torah of Israel and the faith of Israel?

Does Olmert not believe in any of those too?

And that, my friends, is precisely the problem in Israel today. Most of our leaders are not men anchored in faith or guided by eternal principles of right and wrong. Instead, they put their trust in man and turn their backs on all that is sacred and revered by our people and our tradition.

As long as that is the case, I’m afraid, this country will only continue to stumble along. After all, we are here by Divine right, and we must not shy away from acknowledging this fact openly and proudly. We need to return to ourselves and to G-d, for unlike our politicians, He will surely not disappoint.

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Who Cares About Fighting Terror?

Palestinian rockets may still be landing near Israel’s cities, but that hasn’t stopped the Government from remaining focused on – what else? – destroying more Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria.

Speaking before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today, IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said that over 1,300 soldiers and policemen will be deployed next week to uproot the Jewish community of Amona, near Ofra, which numbers some 40 families.

Just hours prior to Halutz’ appearance, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired three Kassam rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, underscoring the Government’s continuing failure to stop such attacks.

Nonetheless, Halutz was apparently more interested in discussing the “threat” posed by Jewish families living on Jewish-owned land, rather than ongoing Palestinian attempts to target Israelis.

It is simply mind-boggling that just days after Islamic Jihad carried out a suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv, the Government and army would be expending time, resources and energy to throw more Jews off their land.

Wouldn’t be it more useful to be hunting down terrorists instead?

This is little more than a transparent political ploy, aimed at attracting left-wing voters back to the Kadima party now that it is being headed by Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

With elections just two months away, Olmert apparently has no qualms about (mis-)using the tools of the state to advance his own political ambitions.

And so, once again, it is the valiant and brave pioneers settling the Land of Israel who might just have to pay the price.

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Israel Needs A Ronald Reagan

This past Friday, the Wall Street Journal provided a timely reminder of just how much a great leader can impact the future of a nation.

Noting that it was 25 years ago this weekend that Ronald Reagan was inaugurated President of the United States, the paper stressed how much Reagan’s economic policies contributed to the country’s growth and development in the intervening years.

Even more important, however, was the fact that Reagan set the stage for America’s return to itself and to its values, after the dour and depressing tenure of Jimmy Carter. He inherited the mantle of leadership over a country whose spirit was shattered, an America that had lost its sense of purpose and mission.

Reagan realized that the first and most urgent of tasks was to restore the American people’s confidence in themselves and their cause, and he set about doing so with great result.

Harking back to this period of recent history, it becomes all the more apparent just how much Israel so desperately needs its own version of Ronald Reagan - someone who will stand up to the international community, and especially to our enemies, with pride in his heart, power in his voice and principles in his view.

Someone who will remind the world that the Jewish people are unlike any other, that we are here by right, by Divine mandate, and that we shall never, ever yield this Land of ours. 

Israel needs a leader to put things back into perspective, to remind us that if we return to ourselves, and to our G-d, we can and will find the inner strength to stave off our foes and fulfill our mission as a nation and as a people.

Faith, optimism, pride and hope. As Ronald Reagan showed America, that is truly what a great leader has to offer.

Israelis deserves no less.

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Hollywood Applauds Suicide Bombers

When I woke up this morning and checked the news, I could not believe what I was reading: a Palestinian film that glorifies suicide bombers had won a major Hollywood award.

“Paradise Now”, which tells the tale of two Palestinians who are recruited to become suicide bombers, was named the year’s best foreign language film at the annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles.

Mideast expert Daniel Pipes has described the film as “propagandistic”, saying that it “whitewashes Palestinian suicide bombing”, while Entertainment Weekly highlighted “the dignity bestowed on a pair of prospective Palestinian suicide bombers” by the movie.

Now, we all know that Hollywood does not seem to share the value system of most sane and rational human beings, as the antics of various celebrities make abundantly clear.

But to celebrate a film that “humanizes” bloodthirsty killers? To confer even a shred of legitimacy on the use of human explosives against the innocent?

Are they out of their minds?

The award given to “Paradise Now” only underlines the extent of the challenge that Israel and the West are confronting in the war on terror. It is a battle of ideas, a struggle between worldviews, and there are still far too many on the home-front who have yet to realize, or even to comprehend, the danger that our societies face.

Every pair of hands that was raised, every applause that was sounded for “Paradise Now”, was a betrayal of morality and human values, and a slap in the face to those who have suffered at the hands of the terrorists.

Shame on Hollywood – but more importantly, shame on all of us, for feeding this industry and for giving it so much influence over society and its norms.

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