Sunday, September 22, 2013

Murder at Shopping Mall in Kenya

The mass murder by radical Moslem terrorists at a shopping mall in Kenya is an example of people who kill in the name of religion. This is not religion but a perversion of religion. The purpose of belief in God is to give meaning to life whether one is a Jew, a Moslem, a Christian, a Hindu, a Buddhist, or any other Religion. These terrorists do not give life meaning but rather promote chaos. If one would say that the opposite of God is called Satan, then Satan is who they represent.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Obama and Syria

President Obama deserves credit for his handling of the Syria problem, at least so far. By holding his fire until the right time and then using the threat of American military power to move Putin and Russia to put pressure on Syria to give up the chemical weapons, he is promoting American interests at no cost to us. Our enemies know that he does not rattle the saber frivolously, but when he is pushed to act, he is ready to unleash American power. He means what he says. He said he would get Bin Laden and he did, something the Republicans were not able to do despite draining our economy, exposing the limits of our military, and weakening our strategic position in the attempt. Now on the news, we see that the leader of Iran wants to talk to us because the economic pressure we have put on his country is working. We should also give credit to Senator Mc Cain for playing the bad cop in good cop bad cop stance that helps President Obama in dealing with Putin. Putin is now in the position of siding with a corrupt frightened Syrian government that probably won't survive. Obama has to keep up the pressure to make sure that the Syrian government loses its ability to use chemical weapons again. He will do it.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Tamar Reef

About 6 years ago, scientists at Ben Gurion University of the Negev designed an artificial reef for the Gulf of Eilat. Researchers from Israel and Jordan cooperated on the project, and now the reef is reported to be teeming with sea life. Not only is it an environmental success, but it also is an example of what can be accomplished when neighbors devote their energies to common interests instead of demonizing each other. It is a small step in the process leading to peace in the region.

Monday, September 2, 2013

The Dilemma of the Israeli People

The Israeli people look around them and see a neighborhood full of turmoil and cruelty. Egypt keeps replacing one dictator with another. The minority government of Syria has brutally suppressed the majority rebels and now has even resorted to poison gas attacks. When the rebels finally succeed, there will probably be a new bloodbath in retaliation against the people who are now in power. The Gaza Arabs claim they will conquer all of Israel and shoot rockets across the border to back up their threat. The Arabs and other people in the Moslem world are taught in their schools that Israel and all Jews are evil. No wonder the Israeli people don't trust the Arab people. Israel is faced with an existential dilemma, continually occupying a land that most Israelis don't want to occupy or giving power to a neighbor that can change into a monster overnight. That is what happened with Gaza. Gaza was supposed to be a test case for Palestinian sovereignty. The Gazans immediately elected a government that expressed hostility toward Israel and acted accordingly. So now independence for the West Bank would bring an Arab state in intimate proximity to the population centers of Israel.
So what is the answer to the dilemma? There is no easy one. First of all, Israel must put itself in as strong a position as possible to face any eventuality. A strong military is essential. Continuing to be a leader in science and technology is important. Israel must turn the demographic clock in its favor by being as inclusive as possible. Separation of church and state is essential. Involvement of religion in government is counterproductive for both government and religion. The law of return must continue to provide a safe haven for Jews from anywhere in the world, but the Hebrew language and culture should be the defining factor for who is an Israeli. Non-Jews as well as Jews who are defined by that culture should be allowed and even encouraged to stay in Israel as long as they support the State of Israel. Everything should be done to make the Israeli Arabs part of Israel by more than just equality before the law. This will require integration and education of all Israelis.
The Middle East is the neighborhood of Israel. It's not the best neighborhood, but history has placed Israel in it. Israel is not going away, and neither is the neighborhood. So the Israeli people will have to make the best of it.