In 1818, English author Mary Shelley published her first edition of“Frankenstein, or the modern Prometheus”. This is the tale of the creation of a grotesque creature based on a cadaver taken through a series of pseudo-scientific experiments. In the book, Dr. Victor Frankenstein attempted and achieved the impossible. He managed to bring “life” into something that shouldn’t be alive. In a sense, Dr. Frankenstein decided to play God and created the monster that over the years has become known itself as “Frankenstein”.
Currently, there is a growing trend within the European Union that could very well lead to the birth of yet another grotesque creature that would come to being ex nihilo, or out of nothing. I am talking about the bringing to life of a country that never existed for a people that has been created for the sole purpose of supplanting the people who belong. I am talking about the creation and birth of PALENSTEIN!
For several years now, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas –currently in the tenth year of his 4-year term (you read it right!)– has been pushing hard on as many doors as he could for the recognition of Palestine. He relentlessly makes his yearly appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, each September to plead with the world for the establishment of Palestine. He managed to get the UNESCO to recognize Palestine in 2011. But we must also realize that many countries around the world already recognize The Palestinian bid for statehood. Many of these countries have a substantial Muslim population or are blatantly anti-Israel. Of course, as you have heard me mention for a while now, anti-Israel really means anti-Semitic. The United Nation did approve the recognition of the State of Palestine in 2012, yet no European Union member countries had officially followed suit.
Yet, more countries than you might think actually support the birth of PALENSTEIN (134 since the first bid of 1988). But what we are seeing develop at this moment is unique and somewhat symptomatic of the times we live in. The European Union has now decided to jump on the politically correct bandwagon in what appears to be some sort of a snowball effect started by Sweden on October 3rd, 2014. Even though Hungary, Poland and Slovakia recognize Palestine and are part of the EU, they did so before joining. Keep in mind also that these countries are three of the most virulently anti-Semitic in Europe.
New Prime Minister of Sweden from the Red-Green party, Stefan Löfven made the announcement that Sweden now recognizes Palestine. The statement he made, following his declaration was so antithetical to a genuine solution for two co-existing states that it makes one wonder if he even read it before it was officially made. He said: The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law. A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognize the state of Palestine.
What went through his mind? A two-state solution does “require mutual recognition” but it is a known fact that neither Abbas nor his partner Khaled Mashal (Hamas’ leader) want to recognize Israel, while Israel is willing to negotiate if it is indeed a two-way street. Mahmoud Abbas has claimed numerous times that he refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish State.
Additionally, as we have seen recently with the Gaza War, “a will to peaceful co-existence” is a move that only Israel is prepared to make. And if anyone believes that the settlements are the road blocks to a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn!
But, the creation of PALENSTEIN is getting even closer since, in a bold move following Sweden, the British Parliament passed a resolution (274-to-12) to recognize Palestine. While the vote was not binding on the British government it is highly symptomatic of the tide of change taking place in Western Europe right now. The betrayal continues to grow.
France–the European country with the largest Muslim community–is also considering recognizing Palestine. Prime minister Laurent Fabius is ready to make the move if as he said on October 15: “It brings peace to the region”. Maybe Mr. Fabius would like to pitch in on the purchase of the Brooklyn Bridge?
It is interesting to note that Sweden’s Muslim population has doubled in the last 14 years to reach an estimated total of 40% by 2030. Britain will be 40% Muslim, the Netherlands 45%, Germany 40% as well as France over 50%. All within the next 15 years. This basically means that these countries–once bastions of the “Old Europe” will cease to exist as democracies. Eurabia (term coined by author Bat Y’or in her seminal work of the same title) is well on its way, and faster than we think. The European Union shouldn’t try to play God!
Maybe we should look at these events as the birth pangs of the last days. The European Union nearly concerted betrayal of Israel proves only one thing and that is the fact that Mashiach is on His way back. When in the Bible I read that the whole world will turn against Israel, I never wondered why, because I knew all along that HaSatan the ultimate enemy of Israel and of course of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is behind it all.
…and in that day, I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem
(Zechariah 12:9)
Archives for 2014
ISIS: The Exponential Growth of a Pandemic Threat!
by Olivier J. Melnick
ISIS soldiers on the street (The Associated Press) |
By now, there are not that many places in the world where the acronym ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) or ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) remain unknown. ISIS also known as IS (Islamic State) has acquired quite a ruthless, bloody reputation in just a few months. When it was first announced that they were a splinter group from Al-Qaeda, we witnessed an almost “tongue-in-cheek” yet blasé reaction from most people. Little did we all know about the rapes, crucifixions and beheading that were about to take place. Now we know and yet, very little is being done to nip ISIS in the bud. The bold Caliphate declaration by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on June 29, 2014 ( the first day of Ramadan) was a surprise to most, but it remained unchallenged. It is a long shot to expect the rebirth and growth of an Islamic caliphate, but we must remember that even if the Third Reich was short lived, it decimated millions in its destructive path.
To be sure, Islamo-fascism wasn’t born yesterday. It has plagued much of the Middle East for decades and has even spread beyond on many occasions. Much of modern terrorism has been Islamo-fascist terrorism. By this I do not mean that all Muslims are terrorists, absolutely not! Yet, if we were to tally up the terrorism of the last fifty years, almost every terrorist WAS a Muslim.
But is ISIS a terrorist group or is it even much more than that? While it is clear that their actions totally fall in line with terrorism, we must also understand that as a declared caliphate–albeit not officially accepted–they are not acting as a terrorist organization within a state or country. ISIS is not like Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram or even Al-Qaeda. By their own admission, they are a state and because of that, they qualify for a response proportionate to their barbaric, brutal attack on Western civilization. They qualify for a full-blown retaliation. No sanctions, not boycott, no talks… RETALIATION! Let me clarify what I mean, I mean war! ISIS IS ACTING AS A TERRORIST STATE and not a terrorist organization! An all out war against ISIS on the ground might be the best use of resources and the only way to put an end to this slaughter.
ISIS is very impressive and attractive to a myriad of radical Islam aficionados (Muslims or not). ISIS has managed to attract followers from various corners of the planet with their supremacist ideology “hell bent” on beheading the infidels. We shouldn’t underestimate the danger posed by this new group’s ability to attract previously uninterested people to Islam. They have an uncanny ability to draw people to their evil ideology that is what makes them a real but very unpredictable danger.
Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas and many other terrorist groups always had a following, but because of their lack of organization, lack of funding and lack of “proper” exposure, they always were partially successful at best. ISIS has mastered all three. They are organized. As a matter of fact they have a structure that is more akin to a government with a military wing than that of a terrorist group.
They have a pretty steady cash flow that now comes from some of the oil fields they have seized recently. Some statistics say that they might be generating between $1M and $4M daily. No matter how we look at it, they generate much more than any of the other terrorist organizations including Al-Qaeda.
As for their exposure, they get it from videos and brochures distributed as if they were running an advertising campaign, and in a sense they are! They also have an extremely strong presence on the social networks.
ISIS has been planting cells all around the world and continues to do so. Additionally, in countries like the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK, they have been recruiting on the streets through a process known as Da’wah meaning “invitation”. People are invited to inquire about Islam and even convert through dialogues on street corners. As a result, almost every country in Europe has seen people join Islamic training in Syria and/or Iraq.
ISIS has declared jihad against the whole world. But how did they get so far, so fast? It can be argued that the vacuum created by the removal of dictatorial leaders in the Middle East is what made room for groups like ISIS. The Saddam Hussein, Qaddafi and Mubarak of the region might have been ruthless dictators within their own restrictive police states, but they also managed to keep a lid on Islamic extremism. Now ISIS is quickly filling the void.
ISIS’ exponential growth continues both territorially and demographically. They are not only expanding their borders in the Middle East, but they are also establishing their following globally. From their standpoint of a global caliphate, they are successfully establishing a network while the world is watching like a deer in headlights.
While ISIS poses a threat to all, including Israel, they currently are focusing on “purging” Islam of all the Shi’ite Muslims who stand in the way of their establishing their hegemonic caliphate. This, of course, doesn’t mean that Israel is currently unaffected by ISIS, but simply that they, as a target, might be on the back burner. There is no doubt in my mind that if ISIS gets too close to Israel and puts the Jewish state at risk, Mr. Netanyahu will respond swiftly and appropriately.
So, as the Ebola virus continues to spread in Africa and is even starting to affect other continents, the ISIS virus appears to also be spreading in and beyond the Middle East. From isolated to epidemic to pandemic, the ISIS virus could do a lot more damage before it is contained, but it will never be contained with band aids or compresses. Major surgery is needed and fast.
It is time for civilized people to unite against the Islamic State. It is also time for the more liberal among us to realize that ISIS is the new Nazis of the Middle East, not Israel!
In the meantime, all of us who believe in the power of prayer know what to do. We must:
• Pray for the United States to quickly and powerfully go after ISIS and incapacitate them
• Pray for the safety of those within the destructive path of ISIS
• Pray for ISIS members to be released from the bondage of Islamism
The Lord is far from the wicked but He hears the prayers of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29)
2014 UN General Assembly: Deceptive Chutzpah versus Righteous Chutzpah!
Yesterday ended the week-long yearly gathering at the United Nation known as the 69th General Assembly where numerous countries of the world come to share their concerns, pleas and/or demands.
It all started with a four-minutes Climate Summit opening act by “newly appointed United-Nations messenger of peace” Leonardo DiCaprio. I found it less that convincing because as a private jet and mega yacht owner, DiCaprio cannot possibly expect to be taken seriously by the representatives of the global community. Has the UN lost all discernment or are they another victim of postmodern relativism? Have we entered a new chapter in mankind’s history when truth doesn’t really matter any longer?
I think we could get a good answer to this question if we were to take a closer look at both speeches by Palestinian Authority’s leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
One was characterized by deceptive chutzpah and the other by righteous chutzpah!
Being Jewish, I might be accused by some of being biased and blindly pro-Israel. But like I have said before, being pro-Israel doesn’t mean that one is anti-Palestinian, sadly, the opposite is seldom true!
Frankly, I am not biased, I am just interested in factual truth–something most of the world and as it appears, the UN, are not so attracted to. But don’t take my word for it, instead, why don’t we look at both sides, compare and assess?
Mahmoud Abbas delivered a speech, laced with lies, accusations and hatred albeit protected by a thick veneer of victimhood. Amazingly, it garnered a rather long final applause from the gallery, generated I suppose, by all the UN representatives in favor of the “State of Palestine”. from Abbas’ transcript, we can glean statements on Israel and the recent Gaza War such as: “the scale of this genocidal crime is larger, and that the list of martyrs, especially children, is longer.” or another quote that could be taken verbatim and put in the mouth of Mr. Netanyahu and become truth about Hamas and Gaza, yet it came out of Abbas’ mouth: “This last war against Gaza was a series of absolute war crimes carried out before the eyes and ears of the entire world, moment by moment, in a manner that makes it inconceivable that anyone today can claim that they did not realize the magnitude and horror of the crime.”
Abbas had the audacity to accuse Israel of genocide! Excuse me Mr Abbas, but you might need a history lesson or two in order to understand what a true genocide is. Then again, we must not forget that Mr. Abbas’s doctoral dissertation titled: “The Other Side: The secret relationship between Nazism and Zionism” states that the Holocaust had far less victims than claimed and that Zionists collaborated with Nazis, ludicrous at best!
Genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic killing of a particular ethnic group. If anything, Hamas could be accused of having a genocidal agenda on their own people after we witnessed how they didn’t hesitate to put civilians (including children) in danger. We know that they have genocidal tendencies when it comes to Israel, but to their own people…seriously?
But wait, it gets worse when he dares to say that:” At the same time, I affirm that our grief, trauma and anger will not for one moment make us abandon our humanity, our values and our ethics; we will always maintain our respect and commitment to international law, international humanitarian law and the international consensus.”
How can he possibly keep a straight face while making such a statement? Humanity, values and ethics are the last thing that Hamas and by proxy Fatah and Mr. Abbas were interested in. It is well worth noticing that Mr. Abbas cared to mention the Palestinian teenager deplorably killed by Jewish teenagers. This was an unacceptable act of retaliation for the three abducted and murdered Jewish teens, who of course were not even mentioned by Mr. Abbas. Was this a case of selective memory?
Mr. Abbas also talked quite a bit about the settlements. Even though I don’t agree with the labeling of the land as “occupied territories”, the issue of the settlements is a very difficult one to handle. Yet, any honest, truth-seeking observer in the region knows that the keeping or relinquishing of land has no bearing on the issues at hand and/or on peace. A development here or a kibbutz there will not change the fact that Mr. Abbas refuses to recognize the existence of Israel.
Hitler and his Nazi cohorts refused to recognize the Jewish people’s right to exist. This made it very easy for them to justify their annihilation. Mr. Abbas is no different in his ideology and makes the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people a necessary and unavoidable step in the establishment of the State of Palestine. For this, he gets a lot of support from many Muslim states such as Iran and several terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas and others. This and so much more of his caustic tirade was deceptive chutzpah.
Then came Mr. Netanyahu’s speech, just two days later. In his presentation, The Jewish Prime Minister jumped right in by denouncing radical Islam and stating truthfully that Israel was just a starting point in their destructive agendas:” everywhere we look, militant Islam is on the march. It’s not militants. It’s not Islam. It’s militant Islam. Typically, its first victims are other Muslims, but it spares no one. Christians, Jews, Yazidis, Kurds – no creed, no faith, no ethnic group is beyond its sights. And it’s rapidly spreading in every part of the world.
Responding to Mr. Abbas’ accusations of genocide, He proceeded in explaining all the steps taken by the IDF to prevent the unnecessary death of civilians in Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu compared both sides stating: Israel was doing everything to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties. Hamas was doing everything to maximize Israeli civilian casualties and Palestinian civilian casualties. Israel dropped flyers, made phone calls, sent text messages, broadcast warnings in Arabic on Palestinian television, always to enable Palestinian civilians to evacuate targeted areas. No other country and no other army in history have gone to greater lengths to avoid casualties among the civilian population of their enemies.
Hamas embedded its missile batteries in residential areas and told Palestinians to ignore Israel’s warnings to leave. And just in case people didn’t get the message, they executed Palestinian civilians in Gaza who dared to protest. No less reprehensible, Hamas deliberately placed its rockets where Palestinian children live and play.
He also impressed upon the UN delegates that the Islamic State of Iran was possibly the biggest threat to Israel and to the West. Especially if it soon becomes the Nuclear Islamic State of Iran.
Mr. Netanyahu’s speech was in many ways a response to Mr. Abbas’ one. As such, and based on factual truth and not relative truth, He delivered a passionate message of righteous chutzpah that should be taken very seriously.
What will come out of the 69th UN General Assembly has yet to be seen. But I have lost confidence in an institution that was once a beacon of hope and peace in a developing world. The United Nations have become so politically correct that they are blinded and even wooed by speeches like the one delivered by Mr. Abbas. Of course it doesn’t help when the vast majority of the delegates are anti-Israel to start with.
I applaud Mr. Netanyahu for his boldness and like him, I will quote Isaiah 62, but not just verse 1 , I would like to also add verse 2, because I do believe that God Has a glorious future for Yisrael:
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her salvation like a torch that is burning.
The nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
And you will be called by a new name
Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.
If the few remaining friends of Israel like you and I do not speak on her behalf and support the only democracy in the Middle East, the next speech we hear might be her eulogy, God forbid! (Well, He actually does forbid it in Jeremiah 31:35-37).
Modern French Anti-Semitism Didn’t Happen in a Vacuum! Part III
Modern French Anti-Semitism Didn’t Happen in a Vacuum! Part II
It was the most devastating pandemic in the history of mankind, responsible for the death of about 75 million people worldwide (25 million in Europe alone) in just a few years. To be sure, Jewish people also died during the “Black Death “, but generally in lesser numbers. The regulated kosher laws that religious Jews were bound to follow, forced them to maintain a stricter diet and hygiene, and thus resulted in less death in the Jewish communities. While the reduced number of Jewish casualties could partially be attributed to Jewish customs and kosher laws, it didn’t stop the masses from slaughtering and destroying over 200 Jewish communities, accusing them of poisoning the wells of Europe.
As the last quarter of the 19thcentury was approaching, Jews were about to experience another major shift in anti-Semitism. Racial anti-Semitism was about to emerge on the scene. From ancient theological anti-Semitism to modern ethnic and cultural anti-Semitism, the hatred of the Jews was soon to pick-up more momentum. In 1894 France, at a time when Jewish people thought that their emancipation had prevailed, Captain Alfred Dreyfus (an Alsacian Jew) was accused of treason against the French Government. The French Revolution of 1789, and Napoléon, had brought a hope of equality and integration into French society for French Jews, but anti-Semitism, as a temporarily inactive volcano of hatred, had just spewed its lava again. As the Dreyfus trial went on, mobs of angry Frenchmen were shouting “Death to the Jews” on the streets of Paris.
(to be continued)
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- …
- 11
- Next Page »