So, it has finally happened. Ehud Barak has unleashed the security forces upon the residents of a house in Hebron that was lawfully purchased. With orders to bash heads, the police SWAT teams effectively evicted women and children. Twenty people are injured. According to report I just received from the site:
Contrary to what the media report, the expulsion from Bet HaShalom was very violent and MANY were wounded.The Special Forces were specifically searching for Daniella Weiss and Nadia Matar to beat them. Nadia was beaten and was taken to hospital. Reliable sources have informed that the Chevron police are planning to raid the homes of the leaders of the struggle tonight in order to arrest them and send them away from Yesha
In response, there are mass protests blocking the entrance to Jerusalem and the Gush Eztion Junction. No doubt, Barak will cause them to drink the cup of poison, as well. Unfortunately, from my ten years in the Israel Police, I know that the SWAT teams are easily provoked and quickly turn into brutes. (In fact, a cop I partnered with for years in Jerusalem left this unit (YaSaM) because he did not want to beat Jews to a pulp.
The press is hailing this victory over children as a triumph of democracy. Of course, for Haaretz and the rest of its hassidim, democracy is defined by accepting their ideas. anything that deviates therefrom is ipso facto anti-democratic. Indeed, the only democrtic action is that which advances an anti-Jewish, pro-Palestinian agenda. In Barak's case, he has the additional incentive of the Labor Primaries today. Beating up diaboical settlers is great press for the press.
Consider, though, the facts. The Supreme Court did not order the evacuation of the building. It allowed for it. In other words, Barak and Olmert could have waited for the Jerusalem District Court to rule before taking action. They were looking for blood and they got it.
The owners have written and video recorded proof of purchase. The recording even has the seller describing the threats made to his life by the Palestinian Authority. (Don't forget, if an Arab sells property to a Jew he is summarily executed.) [Haaretz, of course, immediately decided it was a forgery. ] However, when we're busy scoring points with the media and the orthodox [Left], what difference do facts make? What difference, for that matter, do the courts make (if you suspect they won't line up ideologically)?
In addition, Barak was well aware that he was giving ammunition to the extremists among us (many of whom are still refugees in their own country after the expulsion from Gush Qatif, or still have scars from being beaten within an inch of their lives at Amona). He wanted them to over react, in order to justify the use of tear gas and stun grenades against them. He got what he wanted. He played the radicals like a violin. Now, I want to emphasize that I am not a supporter of Daniella Weiss (who is, IMHO, severely intellectually challenged and a prisoner of her Gush Emunim memories), or of the Hilltop Youth who are often troubled and verge on Juvenile Delinquency. However, Barak's cynical use of their expected reaction is absolutely contemnable. (I am troubled also that their rabbinic and Lay leaders played into his hands so stupidly.)
IY"H, he'll watch the next Knesset from the opposition, with his other 5-10 MK's.
It is striking to me that a well-trained historian can only see one version of events.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you should say that. First, I was not writing as an historian, but as a partisan (in the tradition of Livy, Sallust, Dante, and others).
ReplyDeleteSecond, I'm not sure what other side there is. My analysis, based upon the legalities and the dramatis personnae lead me to the conclusions I recorded. If new information comes to light, I will be happy to adjust my conclusions.
Geez. It's a good thing Avraham didn't try to buy the Me'arat Hamachpela in 2008...
ReplyDeleteThe last line is priceless. I fear, though, that Barak knows exactly what he's doing and is playing the electorate like a violin.
Kol Hakavod Ehud!
ReplyDeleteLebanon is controlled by Hizbullah, with 40,000 missiles?
Sderot and now Ashkelon suffer from kassamim?
Gilad Shalit is still a prisoner?
That's not important - beating up kids and throwing people from their homes is the sign of a true hero!
I'd love to see what happens when a medieval history professor gets elected mayor of your town. will it be one year or two before the Interior Ministry vacates the council and appoints a new mayor?
ReplyDeleteYou've got to tone down the high-intellect stuff. She did great things as a Mayor and she does great things as an extra-parliamentary activist, even though she may not be the brightest of lights and occassionally shoots off her mouth in the wrong direction - so do a lot of intellectuals - professors and rabbis
BB,
ReplyDeleteThere was once an American political party called the 'Know Nothings.' Perhaps you would like to set up an Israeli branch?
Let's see, academics and/or intellectuals who were great politicians and statesmen: Winston Churchill, Woodrow Wilson, David Ben-Gurion, Zev Jabotinsky, Cicero, Dante Alighieri, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, William Burke, Vlaclav Havel, and the list goes on.
Obviously, my style is a bit high falutin' for you. So, here goes:
Daniella Weiss is a loud mouth, rabble rouser who thinks she's still in Sebastia. You can't be a leader if you live on slogans. In her case, her actions are directly responsible (together with certain rabbinic hot heads) for the unforgiveable attacks on Arabs after Barak's goon squads struck. It may come as a shock to you, but in order to take power we need to win votes outside of AYoSh. Barak knows that. More importantly, Bibi knows that, as does Lioeberman. Any sympathy or support we might have garnered by Barak's pogrom was destroyed by the juvenile rampage afterwards.
First off, I completely agree that attacks on Arabs who are not involved in violence or disruption on their part, or damaging their property must be totally off limits-our struggle is with the regime in power.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I have to agree with my friend Ben Bayit--intellectuals have generally not been successful as political leaders. The list you made above is not accurate: Churchill did not graduate from college, IIRC he went to Sandhurst which did not grant academic degrees. I don't think he was a very good student. Abraham Lincoln had something like ONE YEAR of formal education. Ben-Gurion IIRC was a high-school dropout who later did attend law school but did not graduate. But they were all successful politicians and they respected knowledge and were self-educated. They were NOT "intellectuals", though, i.e. they were not professors, they did not have advanced degrees, they were not specialists in any academic field. Add Harry Truman to the list of great leaders who also never went past the 12th grade.
Woodrow Wilson had many accomplishments but his handling of diplomacy during World War I and after was a disaster. His "14 points" were not really practical, he alienated his British and French Allies, he gave the Germans false hopes about what the post-war settlement was like and he needlessly antagonized the Republicans in the Senate who were willing to meet him half-way regarding American participation in the League of Nations, however he refused to consult them or to compromise, so the whole thing was rejected in the end. (Yes, his poor health also had something to do with this, in addition to his self-righteousness).
Herber Hoover was one of the most intellectual Presidents of all time...how did he fare in the White House? (He was a world-famous mining engineer). FDR, who rebuilt confidence in the American economic system after Hoover had attended Harvard because of "proteksia" and was mostly a party guy there, and didn't do much studying.
BTW-regarding Ben-Gurion's reputation as a "scholar", I tend to believe that it was inflated for PR purposes. Yes, I know he had thousands of books, yet all the biographies I have read about him point out how he was obsessed with politics 24/7, he hated distractions like attending concerts and the such, so this leads me to wonder how much he really read in these books. I believe he wanted to make a good impression on intellectuals (in the years before the creation of the state of Israel, the Jewish intelligentsia was largely anti-Zionist-that is why getting someone like Abba Eban as a spokesman for Israel was a real coup). Thus, I think he would scan the books for good quotes, or he would give them to cronies of his for the same purpose, and then he would use them to impress his guests. (I can't prove this but I believe it is true, I know it is true of other successful but only semi-successful politicians).
Sorry, in the last line, I meant to say "I know it is true of other successful but only semi-EDUCATED politicians".
ReplyDeleteJeffrey stated:
ReplyDelete---------------------------------
It may come as a shock to you, but in order to take power we need to win votes outside of AYoSh. Barak knows that. More importantly, Bibi knows that, as does Lioeberman.
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I note that in today's Ha'aretz, Yoel Marcus, the senior opinion writer, basically endorsed Netanyahu for Prime Minister. He says he has "learned" the lession Sharon learned. This means that the the "Establishment" or "ruling clique" has decided to support the Likud, just as they did in 2001 and 2003. Marcus praises him for putting so many Labor Party people into the party and he even likes Benny Begin.
If this is correct then "WE" are not even running in this election. (I assume the Dr Eldad's party HaTikva, which I joined and will most likely vote for, will at most get 2-3 seats and would be left out of any coalition that the Likud forms). Thus, while I again say that I agree that violence against uninvolved Arabs is inexcusable, it is because it is morally wrong, not because it is "alienating voters from the Likud" because the Likud is NOT on our side. What we need is that it should be unthinkable for ANY government to dismantle settlements, even if it is a gov't of the Left. And this will occur only because they fear things getting out of control by way of passive resistance (blocking roads, non-cooperation with the forces of coercion of the regime, etc). The ruling clique has decided to get rid of of the settlements and to deligitimize the settlers and those who support them. They also eventually intend to dismantle the Zionist state (that is a later goal). Even Meimad's R. Melchior said he could not join MERETZ because of their attitude towards the Jewish nature of the state. This is what we are up against and it is vital that our camp keep its eye on the ball- (I am referring to parties like the ridiculously named "HaBayit HaYehudi" who has already shown that they have thrown in the towel by saying "Education is first". In their ads they only mentioned "settlement" once, at the very bottom-so you see they are too embarrassed to be identified with YESHA just as the Likud now is).
In addition to Y. Ben-David's point, you should really take Woodrow Wilson off the list. He was a fascist, probably the first to hold power anywhere in the world.
ReplyDeleteI think you will all be interested to know that Yoel Marcus in last Friday's Ha'aretz pretty much came out and endorsed Netanyahu. He says he is very impressed with all the Leftists Bibi has recruited for the Likud, even Benny Begin isn't so bad, and he is sure that Bibi has learned his lesson just as Sharon did.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your interpretation of the decision by the High Court of Justice. It did not simply decide the government is entitled to evacuate Bet Hashalom and this decision, IMHO, needs to be examined in context.
ReplyDeleteAs opposed to the bold sweeping pronouncement you made as to the title of the building, the rightful ownership has yet to be proven. The High Court of Justice is not the proper forum to make this determination, rather property disputes are handled by the district courts in Israel; as you noted, the District Court of Jerusalem (Civil File 2025/08) is currently adjudicating this matter, which will be instrumental in permitting the Jewish residents to return to Bet Hashalom if and when they are established to be the rightful owners. It should be noted that the Israel Police laboratories analyzed many of the documents presented by the Jewish residents to cement their claim as to their legal ownership, and they were found to be forged; that said, it should be noted that there are many contradictions in the testimony of the Arabs who claim they are the right owners, and therefore, it is very important for the truth to be established by the District Court.
To the heart of the matter, I would like to hear your thoughts with respect to the manner in which the Jewish residents forcibly seized control over Bet Hashalom on the night of Rosh Hodesh Nisan 5767 with the assistance of 150 men, mostly talmidei yeshiva. While, I, too, deplore acts of aggression committed by the government, in this case, la-aniut da’ati, the initial act of aggression was committed by the illegal confiscation of the home, without coordination with the Civil Authority, as required under law. The Supreme Court had urged the parties to have the building held in escrow until the District Court renders its decision; the Arabs who claim ownership of the home agreed, while the Jewish residents rejected this offer. To my mind, this is why the court ruled that the Jewish residents are deemed to be tresspassers and since the Arabs immediately filed a complaint with the police in March 2007, the court ruled that it was still lawful to forcibly evacute the house from its trespassers.
May Hashem have compassion on His people and His land.
Kohelet,
ReplyDeleteMy sources tell me that the legal case is almost flawless. If Barak had been interested in fairness, he would have gone for the expedited verdict. He wanted y\to bash heads, and he did.
Y. Ben David,
Attendance at school is not the prerequisite of an intellectual (it may even be countero-productive). the people I mentioned were highly educated, thoughtful, and literary. Ben Gurion learned arabic to Study ram bam in the original. Do you honestly deny the value of Churchill's wonderful 'History of English Speaking Peoples'
'Royalty,' the saying goes, 'don't go to public school.'
1. What do your sources say about the alleged findings of the police that the documentation "proving" the validity of the sale is forged? More sinister work from the government of head bashers?
ReplyDelete2. If the legal case is so flawless, then why did the Jewish residents forcibly remove the Arabs in March 2007 when they stormed the house en masse?