I must admit that even I was relieved that there was this 72 hour cease fire on Friday morning even though I believe strongly we must destroy Hamas’ leadership in order to truly stop this insanity.  So when Hamas used the cease fire to intentionally kill 2 of our soldiers and kidnap a third, a feeling of depression came over me that I had never experience before.  I cried.  The collective feeling in Israel for the loss of a soldier in a citizen’s army — where nearly every child serves — was just devastating.  And I could see in the face of his father — myself.  My children.  My loss.  I cried.  And then I got angry.  This was it.  That Israel would no longer be beholden to the machinations of the U.S. and Europeans — Bibi said as much to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro.  And the idea of negotiating through corrupt, Islamic regimens such as Qatar and Turkey was completely immoral.

Since I wrote these words above we have found out that Lt. Hadar Goldin is dead.  To underscore how immoral and corrupt Hamas is you need to understand that people in Israel believe it was better that he is had been killed then taken captive and used as a bargaining chip. And I am sure these feelings were tinged with much guilt for even having been relieved in this way. What an enemy we have.  Talk about violations of the Geneva Convention for taking hostages… but what do you expect from a Terrorist organization who has committed suicide bombings against innocent civilians in Israel for over 20 years, rained rockets on our cities and use their own population for CNN and BBC performances. 

I believe that what Israel is now doing is very sound AS LONG AS we declare an open hunting season on any of  Hamas’ leaders, cowards that they are, as they emerge from their caves.  My understanding is that Israel will not engage in any negotiations with Hamas. Perfect. We will move to a position within Gaza but away from the population centers but this has to be combined with the absolute directive to kill any of these leaders who emerge.  I have no idea whether this is our strategy but I hope it is.  We will then command the field of battle and the momentum going forward.  I just read that the IDF has dropped fliers that say in Arabic and calling on Gaza residents “to pass a message to your leaders hiding underground: The campaign continues. All of the leaders of Hamas and the rest of the terror groups are in harm’s way.”
 
This is the flyer 

We should also think about another profound issue resulting from this conflict.  Can Hamas, Fatah or any Palestinian leader be introspective as to their contribution to the failure of ideology and engagement with Israel when they hate Jews so much and want us dead — even more than the successful development of their own society?  Come to think of it, have Palestinians ever risen up in revolt against their corrupt leadership engaged in their losing strategies. Since their elections are essentially a scam, there does not seem to be a democratic way to change the system unlike in Israel where this happens all the time.  Interesting to understand why this is so. Could it be that Palestinians have so externalized all their problems and issues to be the result of Israel and its “occupation” that there is no INTERNALIZED system to consider the faults of their social and ideological contributions to the problem (except as it relates to Israel and the Jews).  You see this, for example, in the psychology of people who are just incapable of seeing that they are part of the problem and a change in their attitude is part of the solution.  I believe that the Palestinian collective has this problem in spades and it is for this reason that no matter how many times they lose — they continue to see the problem as resulting from the OTHER.   I believe that is why there has never been a serious revolution among Palestinians to change their leadership and direction of their community except with increased extremism towards Israel.  They are profoundly stuck. And with Hamas, the problems are exasperated by their Nazi-like blind ideological hatred of Jews.  In Israel, for example, after the Yom Kippur War and the horrific disaster and near loss of the country there was a deep soul searching as to the root causes of the problem and a special Winograd commission was set up to publicly evaluate and castigate those responsible.  Trust me, at no point did Israel ever think the reason was because the Egyptians were evil people.  We saw it as an internal problem to be understood and repaired.  That is what a vibrant society does. 

I want to cover a couple of issues that we must deal with in the aftermath of this war and getting ahead of what will happen to Israel over the next phase of our conflict with Hamas and radical Islam.  Clearly there are forces out there that want to paint Israel as the aggressor, violator of human rights  and perpetrator of war crimes.  This battle also has major implications on how important constituencies, such as American youth and European undecideds will think about Israel in the future. 

I may be completely off-base but I do not believe that the Israeli Government has either the resources or the necessary expertise to deal with this threat.  This approach will include litigation strategy — both proactive and reactive, both in domestic (U.S., English, French and German courts probably) as well as international courts,  media and messaging, community research, and probably things I have not even considered.

Let’s take, for example, UNWRA.   UNRWA has a number of major structural problems but at the heart of the issue is their unilateral and, I contend, illegal definition of a refugee. As I have extensively written, https://sam-solomon.com/2014/07/27/7-28-2014-lets-talk-about-unwra/, UNWRA, in 1965, created a new definition of a Palestinian refugee that has been denied to all over refugees in the world. This new definition became multi-generational and underscored UNWRA’s mission to return refugees to Israel (they were not that blatant — they just did not endorse “resettlement” which is the same thing). http://www.danielpipes.org/10695/unrwa-palestine-refugees.  I was just reading a reply from UNWRA to one of Daniel Pipes’ articles written nearly 10 years ago (http://www.danielpipes.org/1206/unrwa-the-refugee-curse) where UNWRA claimed that Palestinians are somehow different from all other refugees and hence their unique definition and right for return to their homes in Israel. I quote: “Palestine refugees differ from other refugees because a majority of them continue to suffer the plight of dispossession and statelessness. Rather than their “status” as refugees creating “anguish and discontent,” it is their dispossession and statelessness that lies at the heart of their predicament.”  What hogwash. ALL refugees can claim this.  This response by UNWRA is about politics and employment.

The politics is simple to understand but you ask, why employment? It’s amazing that there are 30,000 UNWRA employees and only about 5,000-6,000 for all of UNHCR throughout the world (UNHCR is the organization to cover ALL other refugees world-wide)  (http://cnpublications.net/2008/01/23/unhcr-and-unrwa-compared/).  It’s employment for 30,000 Palestinians almost all funded by Western countries.

I need to stop here for a moment so you understand the full magnitude of this scam.  Here is the official website of UNWRA for all donors: http://www.unrwa.org/how-you-can-help/government-partners/funding-trends/donor-charts)  I have pulled out the full donor list for 2013 (https://drive.google.com/a/arizal.biz/file/d/0B4_jLzgwVn7dNG5UM3BBazRvQjg/edit?usp=sharing).  As you can see, almost all the money to OPERATE UNWRA, ie, employ Palestinians, comes form Western countries.  Saudi Arabia provides money but for special projects.  What is even more amazing is that you will see, with the exception of Saudi Arabia, these oil-rich Arab countries provide almost NOTHING to their Palestinian brethren.  Except to fund terrorism, of course.  Look at Qatar, the major funding source for Hamas. In 2013 they gave only $1mm to UNWRA while the rest (hundreds of millions) was “direct aid” and you know that means.  Money directly to Hamas to do what they want. That is how they built their rocket and tunnel arsenals.   You should be pissed that, as an American taxpayer, we are major participants in this elaborate fraud.  A fraud that creates co-dependency, a population locked into a belief that they will one day go “home” and that this belief is shared with every Palestinian regardless of when and where they were born.  When can I get on this gravy train?

You see the U.S. is the top funder of this scam – with the support of Israel. Israel feels it needs a place to “address” Palestinian support but this is totally self-defeating.   It has to stop.  All other refugees under the auspices of UNHCR DO NOT have these rights.  This is clearly discriminatory to all other refugees and I contend this violates the rights of all other refugees,  through this discriminatory practice, covered by the UN.  I believe there is a serious legal issue here that has never been properly addressed via the international courts and it is high time that refugee plaintiffs from other conflicts sue the U.N. for this discriminatory practice. http://cnpublications.net/2008/01/23/unhcr-and-unrwa-compared/ should make your blood boil. I am not sure what is the cause but it seems to be part tribute to pay-off the Barbary Pirates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_pirates) and part Western guilt for the U.N. vote on the creation of Israel.  Otherwise, this is just crazy. The correct result will then be to fold UNRWA into UNHCR under the same policies and procedures. And this ludicrous and illegal “right of return” disappears since, at that point, it is clear that resettlement is the only approach as it is for all other refugees.  I believe that UNWRA is the single greatest contributor to the continuation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.  Solve UNWRA and we have taken a major step to resolving  the conflict.  You need to argue this with every person you meet.  You stand on very firm ground.

Let’s now look at Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navi_Pillay) I do not have the time to fully explore this South African’s “jurist” attitudes which appear quite anti-Israel and racist (you will see an example below) (and for my friends who went to Harvard, did you ever meet her there?). Here is someone who helped organized the infamous and anti-Semitic Durban III conference (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durban_III)  after admitting she was incorrect and naive regarding Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being the headline speaker at Durban II (http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2010/12/16/un-rights-chief-admits-being-wrong-on-durban-2-naive-about-ahmadinejad/) — just shows that almost any jerk can get a law degree from Harvard!  Pillay’s behind the scenes involvement in Durban from the beginning demonstrates her anti-Israel and, I believe, “neo” antisemitic attitudes (a term I have defined as antisemitism masquerading as anti-Zionism).  These conferences in South Africa produced the most anti-Semitic, anti-Israel venom imaginable and set the stage for the later vilification of Israel in nearly every international forum and the production, after our Cast Lead intervention in Gaza, of the one-side Goldstone report  which was later repudiated by Mr. Goldstone himself as biased and one-sided. An example of her racist sentiments is exhibited in her statement that  Israel’s occupation is a significant cause of Arab men beating their wives — come on Navi, why not just say that all sexual assaults among Palestinians is because of the Jews? (http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2014/04/08/un-when-palestinian-men-beat-their-wives-its-israels-fault/#more-5506 — btw, www. unwatch.org is an excellent website to read about how crazy and absurd the UN is when it comes to Israel.)   She is supposedly a champion of woman’s rights who seems to be unaffected by the unbelievable violations of woman’s rights throughout the Arab world and with special consideration for Hamas. Her latest antics in the supposed Human Rights Counsel http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Media.aspx and her one-sided judgement of Israel’s conduct of the war without a full accounting for Hamas’ activities in everything from the use of civilians as human shields, launching rockets to civilians cities in Israel next to schools, UNWRA facilities, etc., building tunnels to violate Israel’s sovereignty, murdering over 160 children in building these tunnels, violation of woman rights, intimation and threats to journalists, etc.
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Israel-must-be-probed-for-war-crimes-by-world-powers-UN-rights-chief-says-369589.  The NY Post recently ran this article on Pillay:  http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/meet-anti-israel-anti-discrimination-czar-navi-pillay-article-1.945254  It’s time to expose this fraud.

And while we are on the subject of the U.N., it is a clear violation of UN Charter Chapter VII (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapter_VII_of_the_United_Nations_Charter) for any UN Member threatening to destroy another U.N. member.  Iran’s conduct is beyond the pale and they need to be hauled in front of the ICC for their behavior. Instead, they gave Ahmadinejad a platform to rant against Israel at Durban as well as his annual speech in front of the General Assembly.  Their incitement for the genocide of Israel continues (this is just one of many examples: http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/23/iran-supreme-leader-the-only-solution-for-crisis-is-israels-destruction/) They need to be removed from every committee in the UN and censored by the UN. I doubt that will happen.  You can read more about this obsession with Israel at the expense of serious human rights violators: http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2011/06/07/study-un-rights-chief-navi-pillay-turned-blind-eye-to-worlds-worst-abusers/  Also for your enjoyment: http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/joseph-klein/the-united-nations-propaganda-war-against-israel/

And for the media in Gaza — here is a simple question you should be asking every friend you have in the press.  Where are the pictures of Hamas fighters, funerals of fighters, weapons, missles next to schools, etc.?   Where are the pictures!!  There is a fascinating exchange between the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the NY Times when they were asked:  Where are the photos? Where are the articles? Where are the tweets?    http://www.jta.org/2014/07/31/news-opinion/the-images-missing-from-the-gaza-war and their reply http://www.jta.org/2014/07/31/news-opinion/nyt-on-why-no-photos-of-hamas-fighters-we-dont-have-any-1

Here are a bunch of questions one can ask of anyone in the media regarding biased reporting out of Gaza. http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/the-questions-that-paul-mason-channel-4.html#.U907h6MXITM

Elders of Ziyon has a alot on this media bias.  http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/why-are-only-stories-out-of-gaza-ones.html#.U907tKMXITO.  And once in a while, the truth comes out almost by accident. Of course, this reporter is now upset Israel is using this video for “propaganda” purposes.  You’ve got to be kidding. http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/08/01/finnish-tv-reporter-at-gazas-al-shifa-hospital-its-true-that-rockets-are-launched-here-from-the-gazan-side-into-israel-video/

You have clear evidence of Hamas manipulating the media.  Intimidating them. Threatening them.  I have covered some of this in my prior writings.  Will the media come clean or, like CNN, they will try to whitewash their participation in the propaganda efforts by Hamas.  Here is BBC’s picture on last week’s website — what do you think the news item was?  The caption was about the murder of two Israeli soldiers and the attempted kidnapping of a third.  What does this picture have to do with this caption?

Finally, we need to deal with Qatar in Congress.  It is time. If the U.S. holds that Hamas is a Terror group, and Qatar provides funding to this group, shouldn’t Qatar’s support be illegal?  How can Congress allow the sale of $11 Billion of military hardware to a country that directly supports a Terror organization.  How has the U.S. gotten so in bed with Qatar at the expense of many of its key allies — not just Israel, but Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan?  Could that be why the King of Saudi Arabia just slammed Hamas without a peep about Israel? (http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/08/02/Saudi-King-Publicly-Blames-Hamas-for-Gaza-War/) There is something terribly wrong here and I do not understand why AIPAC is not all over this issue.  I invite your thoughts or if you have better information on the subject, let me know.

Let me leave you with a wonderful article just written by our former US Ambassador, Michael Oren. It is a great read and he really nails it:  http://online.wsj.com/articles/in-defense-of-zionism-1406918952

As always, please pass my blog around.

Thanks and be well.

Sam