Opuscula Self-defense: If not for myself, Who will be?

KAMAU BOBB, GOOGLE'S FORMER GLOBAL LEAD FOR DIVERSITY STRATEGY AND RESEARCH wrote in a now-deleted 2007 blog post that if he were Jewish, he “would be concerned about my insatiable appetite for war and killing in defense of myself,” and referred to Jews’ “increasing insensitivity to the suffering (of) others.” (https://tinyurl.com/vfs3cs )

 

FORTUNATELY Google removed Bobb from his diversity position after complaints started to embarrass the company.

I will assume — always a foolish thing to do — that Bobb originated on the Indian sub-continent.

His “killing in defense of myself” smacks of Gandhi.

Gandhi and the nazis

Gandhi said: “Hitler killed five million [sic] Jews. It is the greatest crime of our time. But the Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher’s knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs.....It would have aroused the world and the people of Germany.... As it is they succumbed anyway in their millions.” Mahatma Gandhi, June 1946, in an interview with his biographer Louis Fischer. (https://tinyurl.com/3zuw69da)

Unfortunately, Gandhi was wrong; the world was not “aroused” as the nazis slaughtered Jews, Roma, Communists, mentally and physically disabled and anyone else the nazis determined less than human.  

Gandhi and Hitler (https://tinyurl.com/vx6sy6ps)

 

Gandhi also is quoted writing to the English during the war: “This manslaughter must be stopped. You are losing; if you persist, it will only result in greater bloodshed. Hitler is not a bad man.” (https://tinyurl.com/4pr9uvaf)

Gandhi was wrong — again. Hitler most assuredly was a “bad man.”

Did anyone ever prevail by NOT defending himself against murderers?

 

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And being only for myself, what am 'I'? And if not now, when?¹

 

Had we not defended ourselves

Had Jews not defended themselves in our homeland,

✡.  We would not HAVE a homeland

✡  We would not NEED a homeland since we would be dead at the hands of our “neighbors.”

A little history

1920: Jerusalem and Passover Six Jews were killed and some 200 injured in Jerusalem

1924: Jerusalem 133 Jews and 116 Arabs lay dead

1929: Hebron Death toll was 133 Jews, including eight Americans, and 110 Arabs

1936: April, an Arab attack on a Jewish bus led to a series of incidents that escalated into a major Palestinian rebellion.

1936-39: A total of 415 Jewish deaths were recorded during the Arab Revolt period.

1948: 78 Jews, including 23 women, were killed by gunfire or were burnt when their vehicles were set on fire. A convoy consisting of two ambulances, three buses of medical staff, three logistical trucks and two Haganah armored cars headed up the narrow road to Hadassah Hospital with medical and military supplies with assurances from the occupying English that all was well. It was not.

1948: Independence war; Israel attacked by five Muslim armies (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. Saudi Arabia) and eventually by English-led Jordan.

1956 Sinai Campaign: Operation Kadesh

1967 Six-Day War

1968-70 War of Attrition

1973 Yom Kippur War

1982 Lebanon War: Operation Peace for Galilee

1991 Gulf War

2006 Second Lebanon War.

Source: (1920-1948) https://tinyurl.com/txxwj3f7 and (1956-2006) https://tinyurl.com/nvxn94c7

The frequent attacks from Lebanon/Syria (Hezbollah) and Gaza (Hamas, Islamic Jihad) are a continuing problem.

Defending against leftists

While Israel manages to fend off physical attacks, it fails to prevent or even mitigate attacks by leftist media and politicians eager to have a soapbox on which to rail against Israel and, increasingly, Jews in general.

According to many in politics and the media, Israel “disproportionally” defends itself. Why “disproportionally?”

1: Body count. Israel protects its citizens — ALL of its citizens: Jew, Muslim, other — with safe rooms, warning sirens, and anti-missile defenses to shoot down incoming mortars and drones.

2: Targeting. Israel precisely targets military assets. When it targets multi-use (military/civilian) assets such as a Hamas HQ/media center, it repeatedly warns the occupants to evacuate; that the site about to be eliminated. Missiles from Gaza and Lebanon/Syria so far have mostly been unguided mortars generally aimed at Israeli civilian areas. This is classified as a “war crime,” but this crime rarely is noted by the media.

It is sadly interesting to note that many of the civilian casualties in Gaza during the Spring 2021 campaign were caused by Hamas/Islamic Jihad missiles than blew up or landed in Gaza.

Israel’s major failure is in the field of “hasbara” — public relations.

It never seems able to get its side of the story published n the “major media,” the name newspapers and tv networks.

As an example: the so-called International Criminal Court (ICC) is charged with investigating and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. (https://www.icc-cpi.int/about).

The ICC intends to investigate Israel for war crimes, but it ignores actual war crimes committed by Israel’s enemies. (The ICC also threatens to investigate and try the United States for crimes presumably committed under the previous administration.) The ICC is encouraged in its witch hunt of Israel by several terrorist organizations, including the PFLP and Hamas.

As far as investigating “crimes against humanity,” the ICC chooses to ignore actual offenders.

Of the 197 countries of the world, there are 20, including three territories, considered to be the most societally repressive. Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea and Sudan are at the top of the global list for countries that are among the worst abusers of human rights. To be deemed an abuser of human rights, civil liberties and political rights are the violations assessed, and these particular countries mentioned above have concurrently been on such lists in the previous years. (https://tinyurl.com/27kv6k4e)

Human rights groups believe China, although not mentioned above, has detained more than a million Muslim Uighurs over the past few years in what the state defines as "re-education camps".

There is evidence of Uighurs being used as forced labour and of women being forcibly sterilised. (https://tinyurl.com/yuucd3s7)

Despite the above, the ICC only has time to investigate claims leveled by the very people who attack Israel both physically and politically.

The (dis)United Nations has a “Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices.” (https://tinyurl.com/25wv3393) The committee only recognizes complaints, real or imagined, by Israel's enemies.

As an example, “After recent annual consultations with Member States, the United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices* today expressed deep concern over reports that Israel, while donating surplus COVID-19 vaccines overseas, has failed to fulfill its international legal responsibility and obligation to ensure the vaccination of the Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory. The number of vaccines received so far by the Palestinian people represents only a ‘drop in the sea’, in addressing the overall vaccination needs and containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Against this background, the Special Committee calls on Israel, as an occupying power, to urgently comply with its international legal obligations, to ensure that Palestinians and Syrians under occupation have access to available vaccines, in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

What the “Special Committee” fails to acknowledge is

a. The PLO’s executive refused vaccines from Israel.

b. According to many international law experts, the Oslo Accords specifically place healthcare for Palestinians squarely on the PLO.

c. Israel vaccinated many Palestinians who came into Israel to work (obviously for “selfish reasons” to reduce the spread of the Chinese virus in Israel).

d. Israel allowed Qatar — an enemy state — to land multiple aircraft at Israel’s main international airport with aid for the PLO — aid the PLO rejected because the planes landed at Lod. (Palestine lacks an airport capable of accommodating large commercial aircraft.)

About the only thing the United Nations is united about is castigating Israel at every opportunity and facts be damned.

QUESTION: How much of the above was reported by the media or acknowledged by politicians?

 

To return to Hillel’s question: If I am not for myself,
Who will be for me?

 

 

Sources

1. Hillel HaBavli: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_the_Elder

 

 

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

 

 

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Opuscula Will PLO/PFLP Decision Kill Area “A”?

ABU MAZEN, the alleged “leader” of the PLO/PFLP¹ in Oslo’s “Area A,” is promising to end all cooperation with Israeli security forces.

The problem is, even armed with U.S.-provided weapons, the PLO/PFLP cannot — or will not — prevent terrorists from entering Israel.

The bottom line is that Israel will be forced — by “Palestinians” — to take over and the Muslims will lose yet another piece of land.

 

Map by unnamed person claiming to be an American journalist living in Ramallah (https://tinyurl.com/ybzusjh5)

 

Israel has a right to live in peace and security, and it that means taking over Area A, as it took over all of Jerusalem and much of Judea and Samaria (Areas B and C).

Like Joe Biden; Abu Mazen is tripping over his tongue to the detriment of his constituents.

Area A, shown on the map, above, is ungovernable.

You cannot go from Jenin to Ramallah or Ramallah to Hebron in one contiguous area.

Had the PLO/PFLP come to a peace agreement with Israel before Oslo, the “Palestinians” could have had a real state.

Had the PLO/PFLP even considered President Trump’s grand plan, “Palestinians” could have had a real state — even linked to Gaza (which may be one reason Abu Mazen refused to even consider the plan).

Had the PLO/PFLP come to a peace agreement with Israel, residents of yet another Muslim state could have had better education, better medical care, better jobs (working in Israel or for Israeli firms setting up in the new state), improved incomes, less mothers crying for their dead children (on both sides).

It might not have been a Canada-U.S. relationship (even that one started off with some difficulties) but perhaps more of a Mexico-U.S. relationship.

Israel’s peace deal with Egypt is holding. It’s agreement with Jordan is, admittedly, shaky, mostly because Jordan’s king is threatened by the Palestinians in his kingdom, the “real” Palestine.

As time goes on, the PLO/PFLP is losing support from established Muslim states, in large part due to the non-elected government in Ramallah. (The Europeans still find ways to put Euros into the pockets of Abu Mazen and his cronies and to fund the PLO/PFLP’s “slay-for-pay” coffers.)

Abu Mazen, for his own part, needs Israeli security to alert him to approaching Hamas killers who want his head.

Given that Gaza would be part of Trump’s “Palestinian” state might be why Abu Mazen is so steadfastly against the plan to the point of not even looking at it.

None of the “Palestinian” despots in Ramallah or in Gaza have made any progress toward peace with Israel. Hamas, more than the PLO/PFLP, frequently announces that it’s sole goal it to destroy Israel.

 

Israel without Jews

Yet, in reality, if all the Jews who came after 1900, and their descendants, were to leave Israel, the end result would be lack of medical care for the Muslims, lack of education for the Muslims, lack of science and agricultural advances ... in other words, the land would return to its status when Samuel Clemens (right) toured it in 1867. Then Clemens (Mark Twain) wrote: Throughout Innocents Abroad², Twain explicitly states that the area was desolate and devoid of inhabitants. His group entered Palestine from the north, passing through such sites as the Sea of Galilee, the Banias, Nazareth, Jenin and Nablus.

Riding on horseback through the Jezreel Valley, Twain observed, “There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent – not for 30 miles in either direction. There are two or three small clusters of Bedouin tents, but not a single permanent habitation. One may ride 10 miles, hereabouts, and not see 10 human beings.”

Six hundred years before Twain’s visit, Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, known as Nachmanides (1194-1270), commenting on a verse in Leviticus that describes the curses that will befall the land of Israel, wrote that the devastation “constitutes a good tiding, proclaiming that during all our exiles, our land will not accept our enemies... Since the time that we left it, [the land] has not accepted any nation or people, and they all try to settle it... This is a great proof and assurance to us.”

The 13th-century scholar wrote that Israel will remain desolate until the Jewish People assume control. But when the people of Israel finally return to the land of Israel.

While the Muslims came to Israel and drove out some Jews, the only thing they managed to accomplish was to build on top of Judaism’s most holy site (for their third level holy site — they turn their posteriors to their precious mosque when they recite their prayers; some honor.

Did they bring agriculture to Israel? No.

Did they build colleges in Israel? No.

Did they build cities, great or small, in Israel? No.

In order for a land to be a people’s land, the people have to develop it.

The Muslims did nothing.

To be fair, what Jews remained in Israel mostly were beggars depending on handouts from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. But they DID have cities and they DID have education of a sort, and they DID have a court system.

 

Eyes that cannot see

Abu Mazen, et al, have eyes that cannot see that a lasting peace with Israel back in 1948 would be what today’s PLO/PFLP call “Palestine” would have been much larger and uncontested.

Of course Abu Mazen’s “Palestine” would be ruled from Amman, not from Ramallah, but that apparently was NOT a problem until Israel defeated five invading Muslim armies (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and) Syria). Many “Palestinians” left what was the fledgling state of Israel so the “glorious invading Muslim armies could drive the Jews into the Sea.” Their descendants are living in UN “refugee” camps to this day.

More land was lost for the PLO/PFLP in 1967 when Israel was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and still more land during the “Yom Kippor” war of 1973 led by Egypt and Jordan.

Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt (but Egypt refused to accept Gaza) in exchange for a peace agreement. Jordan was allowed to maintain control of the mosque in return for a peace agreement with Israel. Due to Syria’s continuing belligerency, Israel remains in control of the Golan.

 

An aside: Yassir Arafat was born and raised an Egyptian. He co-founded Fatah in 1959 and joined the PLO in 1967.³

 

 

Sources

1. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is an organization founded in 1964 with the purpose of the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle, with much of its violence aimed at Israeli civilians (https://tinyurl.com/dy2r89u)
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary socialist organization founded in 1967 by George Habash. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization (the PLO, founded in 1964), the largest being Fatah (founded in 1959). As of 2015 the PFLP boycotts participation in the PLO Executive Committee and the Palestinian National Council. (https://tinyurl.com/q5229j3)

2. Samuel Clemens: https://tinyurl.com/y9wqqaur

3. Arafat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat

 

עינים להם ולא יראו * אזנים להם ולא יאזנו

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

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