Anti-Israel Fifth Column Within The U.S.

Although somewhat out of style, "fifth column,"  remains, nevertheless, a useful term.  It refers to the people working against the interests of another group, a majority group, while imbedded within the group against which they are working.

Usually a fifth column functions within the country to which it is opposed.  But, as a concept, it is equally valid to include groups that works agains a nation from within a second nation.  Consider the case of Israel.  With Israel and Jews, we find a bipolar situation.  The two poles being Israel and the U.S.  It is a somewhat unique situation that arose from the decimation of the Jewish people in Europe.  You can find Jews all over the world, but the centers of gravity are the U.S. and Israel.  And for this reason, it is in these two locations that the fifth columns seeking to weaken Israel to the point where it can no longer survive are most active.

In the U.S. the forces of Israel's fifth column were brought together by George Soros, who sees the world as a place where there will emerge a common culture.  Although the world is still far from a having arrived at a common culture,  people like Soros find Israel especially annoying.  It is such a unique nation.  It has achieved great growth without the benefit of oil although after almost 70 years this may be about to change.  It is Israel's very success that so annoys Soros.  The cultures of Israel and its Muslim neighbors should be slowly, but inevitably, arriving at a common culture.  Such a common culture would allow the two people to mingle and merge.  But, it's not happening.

Mr. Soros won't stand for that.  His first line of attack is to bring the fight to Jewish organizations that speak up in behalf of Israel.  For Soros, a major enemy is AIPAC, the lobbying organization that presents Israel's positions to Congress.  To undermine AIPAC, Soros launched J-Street, an organization that presumably speaks in behalf of Israel, but in fact takes positions that are contrary to Israel's interests.

Mr. Soros is not the only prominent member of the Fifth Column working against Israel's interests.  Abe Foxman, former leader of the ADL and even more so, Jonathan Greenblatt, while doing valuable work in behalf of the Jewish people, they have taken positions harmful to Israel.  One obvious example was their disparaging of President Donald Trump. They might find Trump not quite to their taste.  They may find him too conservative.  But after two terms of Obama, they should clearly see that, while Trump may, in their eyes, have some imperfections,  he is so much better for America and for Israel than Obama.

In siding so clearly with liberal, U.S. politicians against Trump, the ADL is doing Israel no favor.  Not to be overlooked among those who harm Israel is Rick Jacobs leader of the American Reform Judaism movement.  Even a country as outstanding in matters of human rights as is Israel can still leave room for improvement.  Israelis know this themselves.  But, by his unwarranted criticism of this outstanding nation, Rabbi Jacobs has unfairly damaged Israel's reputation. There are others that I might cited, but let me end with Ron Lauder.  Clearly his heart is with Israel and with the Jewish people.  Unfortunately, as can happen from time to time with super-rich people, they begin to think they know what's better for Israel than Israel's own political leaders.  Israel's leaders, whether from the right or the left, have been in the trenches fighting in behalf of Israel's survival.  Their sons and daughters have died for Israel.  Where does Mr. Lauder get off circumventing Israel's Prime Minister, Beebee Netanyahu?  The hubris of some of these self-appointed Jews is astounding.

Fortunately, we have writers such as Caroline Glick, who writes for the Jerusalem Post, who can help lead us through the blather of so many self-important Jewish leaders.  Besides Ms. Glick, we have Morton Klein, head of the ZOA, to speak the truth and to make clear the reality that Israel faces every day.   Glick and Klein understand the support Israel gets from the likes of the much maligned Sebastian Gorkin.  The also serve to highlight the poisonous hatred of Jews from the likes of Linda Sansour.  In the end, a well informed Jew is Israel's first line of defense.

Crime vs. Popularity: The Presidency

Managing government in a country, where the opinions of the public count can get very complicated.  America's Constitution gives us some guidelines.  But, so does history.  As to history: I'd like to remind my readers of three historical incidents:  The election where JFK beat Nixon.  Our entry into the Vietnam War.  And, the aura that surrounds a president.

The current motto of Democrats like Hillary Clinton is Resist.  She won the popular vote (thanks to California), but Comey's release of Hillary's tapes and hacking by the Russians all favored the ultimate victory by Donald Trump.  Now the Democrats feel they must resist Trump by all means.

However, the victory of JFK over Nixon was also the result of a very, very close election.  It was alleged that LBJ's control over the political machinery in his state and his shady manipulation of that machinery delivered Texas to JFK.  It is further alleged that the truckers union in Chicago illegally delivered Illinois to JFK.  These two wins made possible JFK's win over Nixon.

Nixon was urged to challenge the results of that election.  However, he felt that close elections were something that happens and it would harm the nation for him to now challenge the results. Today things are apparently quite different.

Popularity does make a difference.  You commonly hear that we should never get into a shooting war.  We shouldn't have gone into Vietnam.  We shouldn't have fought in Korea.  We shouldn't have taken out Saddam Hussein.  We shouldn't have meddled in Afghanistan.  The only except in recent history was WW II.

And, if you go by our Constitution, only the Senate can declare a war.  But, that's a rule often disregarded.  The Korean War was a "police action."  (I feel it was a necessary war, but that's just my opinion).  I believe our war in Vietnam wasn't declared until much after the fact.  (The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution).  But, even though today most everyone agrees we should never have taken over from the French colonial power in Vietnam, few bother asking how and why we did.  David Halberstam answers this question in his excellent book, "The Best And The Brightest." a book that was once a best seller, but is now mostly forgotten.  If you're popular that's what happens.

As for the Camelot period:  How does that jibe with JFK's infidelities with regard to his wife?
I guess it's popularity.

And, now we come to Trump.  My goodness, how the Democrats would love to impeach him.  They have just one problem.  No one can point to a crime.  Talking to the Russians is not crime, unless, like Flynn, you lie about it.  Even discussing elections with the Russians is not crime, unless you actually suggest that they do such and such.  Firing the head of the FBI is not crime.  Asking people at the FBI or CIA to down peddle an investigation is no crime unless a grand jury has been impanelled to investigate you, which in this case had not happened.

The Senate has been investigating.  The House has been investigating.  The FBI investigated.  The CIA investigated.  Result: nothing.  Or, should I say, "Until now, nothing."  But hope springs eternal.  Maybe, just around the corner, someone might actually find a crime.  In the meantime, the Democrats enjoy the continuing process of investigating Trump.  They suggest that where there's smoke there must be a fire.  That's somewhat disingenuous when it's the Democrats blowing the smoke.



  

Jews Who Find Israel Imperfect

I was going to title this piece, "Jews Who Hate Jews," but I felt that the word "Hate" generated excessive heat.  Anyway, let me get to the point.  What prompted me to write this item was a question posed to me by my daughter-in-law.  "I have a friend with whom I communicate on Facebook.  The other day she posted an item that declared that Israel's army, the IDF, was criminal.  I'm so upset.  What should I do?  Turn my back on her?  I really don't want to speak to her anymore."

This was my advice:  "Don't disconnect with her.  Better to give her information that might lead her to see the error of her statement.  People who speak as she speaks really don't understand Israel.  Help them out."

Many people can't be dissuaded from some of their opinions.  There's nothing much you can do about that.  But, at least show them a reality that, somehow. escaped them.

First and foremost, it is important to know that what the Palestinians say depends on whom they're talking to.  To the Israelis and the outside world, they speak, "peace, peace, peace."  Many in the west are taken in by that.  But organizations that take the words of Palestinian leaders, spoken to their own people in Arabic, show a very different picture.  When you translate what Abbas says in Arabic, he sounds pretty much Hamas.  They encourage their Palestinian people to remain steadfast until the day they can dislodge the Jews from Israel and regain their lands.

"Nakba," is he Arabic word that denotes the day their land was taken from them and given to the Jews.  They view their land as having been illegitimately taken by Israel.  If your friends, who berate the Israelis, think that what I've just said is too extreme, have them check out what the Palestinians teach their children beginning from the first grade.

How can you justify the behavior of a people who honor men who would climb aboard buses filled with Israeli school children for the purpose of setting off explosives to kill as many kids as they can?  On the west bank, they honor such murderers by naming streets after them and providing their families with pensions.

The borders between Switzerland and Germany, Italy, and France need no walls or fences.  No one has any interest in attacking Switzerland.  The biggest problem faced by the Swiss are the illegal immigrants who want to enter, either to settle, or to transit on to another country.  Compare that to Israel with Gaza on the west, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Syria on the north, Jordan on the east, and the Sinai on the south.  Israel's border with Sinai is increasingly coming under attack by ISIS.

And who protects these borders?  The sons and daughters of ordinary Israelis.  And, to some small extent, they are aided by men from the Druze, Bedouin, and Christian communities.

There are many other issues your friend should be aware of; namely, the lack of interest on the part of the Palestinian leadership in "normalization,"  in their use of NGOs to malign Israel.  And as she might know, well funded Muslim campaigns on American campuses to promote the BDS agenda.

Your friend should also aquatint herself with the Arab culture and how it manifests itself as to their relationship to women and gays.  Pro-Palestinians like to refer to the facts regarding Muslim attitudes toward gays as "pink-washing."  They should take care not to get too close to pink-washing lest some of the pink-wash gets in their eyes.  Then too there is the very nature of the clan oriented Islamic community where the prime objective of the extended Muslim family is to enhance the wealth and power of their particular family.

There are other Islamic concepts anyone who wishes to understand the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians should be aware of.  They include an understanding of the shades of meaning between the words, "truce," "hudna," and "lasting peace."

I believe once your friend has acquainted herself with an understanding of the differences between the Israelis and the Palestinians she will be less glib in her condemnation of the IDF and Israelis in general.