RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2024/01/why-the-cause-of-israel-is-that-of-all-the-west/

There are a number of important features about Israel’s actions in Gaza against Hamas which have not been made in public commentary but need to be pointed out. If one thinks that Israel’s drastic actions against Hamas in response to the horrifying atrocities of October 7 are unjustified, consider this: if the Cuban government launched thousands of rockets and missiles at targets in Florida, and then followed this up by landing hundreds of trained terrorists in the United States, where they murdered 240 Americans at a music festival, and then invaded a nearby American town, where they killed or kidnapped everyone there, beheading American babies or burning them alive, what do you think the reaction of the president of the United States would be—any president, from either party? The response is not hard to predict: within a week or so, Havana would be a heap of smoking rubble, resembling Berlin or Dresden in 1945, destruction enthusiastically supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans. The response of the Israeli government, supported by the vast majority of its citizens, is hardly surprising.

Another notable facet of the Gaza conflict is that, as I write this, no Arab or Islamic state, even the most extreme, has given more than lip-service support to Hamas, if that. Indeed, Egypt and Jordan, Israel’s neighbours and military opponents in the 1967 and 1973 wars, have not lifted a finger to help Hamas or any other extremist Islamic group.

However, arguably the most important feature of this conflict and the support and hostility it has engendered is also very clear, but seldom commented on directly. Almost without exception, Israel’s supporters have been conservatives and those on the political Right, its opponents left-wingers and radicals (apart, of course, from Western Muslims, the largest local bloc opposed to Israel’s actions). Moderate centre-Left elements, such as President Biden and most of America’s Democratic Party, have also been strong supporters of Israel—at least so far. But those clearly on the political Left have been, to a man or woman, strongly hostile to Israel, regularly whitewashing the barbaric attacks against Israelis—in Israel itself, not in Gaza—carried out by Hamas terrorists, and totally hostile to Israel’s military response.

In the historical context of attitudes towards Jews during the past 150 years or so, this represents a near-total reversal of support for and antipathy to the Jews, and it is important to analyse the reasons for this reversal. In my opinion, perhaps the most important factor in this great shift has been the existence of the State of Israel, especially the nationalistic, tradition-minded and militarily powerful and successful nation it has become, its military prowess a necessary response to the deadly antipathy of its enemies since its establishment in 1948. The strategies and values embodied by Israel have almost entirely negated the bases of pre-1945 anti-Semitism, in which hostility towards the Jews was largely based in the fact that, almost uniquely, they were an ethno-religious group without either a state or a contiguous and distinct area of residence, but were, to their enemies, always outsiders, regardless of where they lived, and moreover, were seen as continuously engaged in a vast international conspiracy of evil.

https://www.jns.org/israeli-left-pushing-pa-control-of-gaza-and-future-palestinian-state/

While for most Israelis, Oct. 7 was a wake-up call to the dangers of a Palestinian state (a Jan. 10 poll found 74% opposed to the idea), within weeks of the massacre a New Israel Fund (NIF)-supported think tank started working to shape Israeli policy for the “day after.”

In their vision, the “day after” means a two-state solution in which the Palestinian Authority would become the government of the new country.

Mitvim (its full title is The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies) partnered in October with the Berl Katznelson Foundation, another NIF-funded organization, to form a working group composed of “Israel-Palestinian experts from various disciplines, research institutes, academia and civil society organizations.”

Aware that public opinion has soured on a Palestinian state, the Mitvim-Katznelson task force nevertheless argued that it would be missing a “historic” opportunity if matters were to be swept along by public opinion rather than trying to shape them.  

Documents on Mitvim’s website, first brought to light by Israeli news site HaKol HaYehudi, describe the working group’s main goal as the creation of “a stable political-regional order, based on the two-state solution, and on a regional defense alliance, led by the United States with inter-Arab involvement.” This would lead to what Mitvim terms “deep security.”

To achieve this goal, the group will present the Palestinian Authority as the “only alternative” to Hamas. According to the documents, the group will work to create a distinction in the minds of Israelis between Hamas—pro-terrorist and against any kind of settlement with Israel—and the P.A., portrayed as opposing terrorism and in favor of agreement.

http://bit.ly/3HFNQb3

*Irrespective of Israel’s wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, Intel, the semiconductor giant, confirmed a $25 billion investment in Israel, leveraging Israel’s brain power, which has enhanced Intel’s competitiveness in the global market.  Over the last 50 years, Intel has invested over $50 billion in Israel, establishing 4 research and development centers, despite the potential for wars and actual wars and terrorism. Intel will expand its Israeli chip factory, in order to diversify its manufacturing potential amid a chip arms race (New York Times, December 27, 2023).

*Challenged by a unique environment – top heavy on terrorism and war, but low on natural resources and rainfall – Israel has bolstered its do-or-die state of mind, with defiance of odds, risk-taking, frontier, pioneering, optimism, patriotism, can-do and out-of-the-box mentality. This has yielded a robust flow of game-changing commercial, defense and dual-use technologies.

*Israel entered the current wars with positive economic indicators, such as debt-to-GDP ratio in the low ‘60% (compared with 123% in the US) and an all-time high foreign exchange reserves of $200 billion.

*Intel’s $25 billion investment in Israel is driven by the Israel’s unique competitive edge, as detailed in the following October 23, 2023 report by the St. Louis-based Stifel Investment Bank ($390BN asset management):

“We believe that there are several key factors supporting the resilience of the Israeli market in the face of conflict, and the confidence of large multinational companies making large acquisitions in Israel, including during wars.

“Some of those key factors include:

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20315/palestinian-suffering

Palestinians in Lebanon are “prevented from employment in 39 professions such as medicine, law and engineering… are socially marginalized, have very limited civil, social, political and economic rights, including restricted access to the Government of Lebanon’s public health, educational and social services and face significant restrictions on their right to work…” — United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees, updated September 2020.

Arab citizens of Israel…. can own, buy and sell property, can vote and run in national and local elections, have equal access to free public healthcare, education and other services…. Many Arab Israelis serve in senior positions in hospitals, universities and colleges, courts, the civil service, and even in the Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces.

Neither Syria nor Lebanon grants citizenship to the Palestinians living there…

[W]hat is happening inside the Syrian detention centers against the Palestinians is “a war crime by all standards.” – Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, alquds.co.uk, November 29, 2023.

By ignoring the profound suffering of the Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon, these self-proclaimed “pro-Palestinian” activists and groups are once again proving that their goal is not to help Palestinians, but only to make Israel into a pariah state.

If these activists and groups want to end the suffering of the Palestinians, they should be demanding that the Arab countries end their discriminatory and repressive measures against their Palestinian brethren. The activists and groups should also be raising the plight of the Palestinians at every available international platform instead of blaming Israel.

The real anti-Palestinians are not the Israelis at all, but the same old racist Jew-haters and antisemites who cannot be bothered to learn the truth when it comes to the actual human rights abuse of Palestinians: it is delivered from the hands of Arabs.

As the world’s attention is focused on the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, including South Africa’s false “genocide” charges against Israel at the International Court of Justice, in Syria Palestinians are worried about a new government law that considers them “foreigners.”

By labeling the Palestinians as “foreigners,” the Syrian government is seeking to deprive them of the ability to purchase real estate. Like the majority of the Syrians, most of the Palestinians are Arab Muslims.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/honoring-the-75th-anniversary-of-israels-first-free-elections/

January 25 is the 75th anniversary of Israel’s first open and free elections for its national legislature, the Knesset. Contrast that with the last time Palestinian Arabs had elections for their parliament—it was in 2006. And in 2006 the Hamas terrorist organization overwhelmingly won those elections. As a result of the Hamas win the Palestinian Authority’s presidential elections were postponed indefinitely and Mahmoud Abbas, elected in 2005, has never allowed elections again.

In its first 75 years Israel has had 25 national elections. Israel’s 1949 elections took place eight months after the Jewish State declared its independence and a month before Israel and Egypt signed its armistice agreement. In other words Israel was still at war when they held their first elections.

Israel’s commitment to free elections was without a doubt extremely important to Israel’s founding fathers otherwise they would not have held elections while a war was ongoing. Multiple parties led by Arabs participated in this initial Israeli election. Israel has always been an extremely vibrant democracy. Its politicians and jurists, as well as everyday Israelis, have gone to great lengths to ensure that anti-democratic ideas are marginalized while also protecting civil rights at the same time. None of the Arab nations that have fought wars against Israel have shown any interest in regular, free elections like the ones we have in the United States. Not one.

At the same time it is well worth noting that back in 2006 former president Jimmy Carter had a lead role in legitimizing Hamas as a political entity when nearly all Westerners had seen it as a terrorist organization up until then.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/palestinian-pay-for-slay-hamas-oct-7-israel-gaza-antony-blinken-ramallah-2dce9a22?mod=opinion_lead_pos3

Recently we told you that Palestinian Authority law requires the Oct. 7 terrorists to be compensated financially for a massacre well done. Now the PA has taken steps toward making that a reality. It acted just in time for Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Ramallah.

Last Wednesday’s Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, the PA’s newspaper and mouthpiece, announced 23,210 additional “martyrs,” using the Hamas-supplied Gaza casualty figure that includes every dead Hamas terrorist. The PA pays a one-time lump sum plus a monthly stipend for life to the families of any “martyr” killed attacking Israel or in a confrontation with Israel.

The PA also recognized 3,550 new prisoners held by Israel since Oct. 7. Most were arrested in West Bank counter terrorism raids, though 661 are Hamas terrorists from Gaza. They, too, will receive PA salaries, which rise over time such that the most gruesome crimes yield the biggest payments. This practice has helped earn the program its “pay for slay” moniker.

Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch explains that “the PA does not differentiate between Hamas terrorists who committed atrocities after invading Israel on Oct. 7, the Hamas terrorists killed by Israel in the ensuing war, and civilian non-combatants killed in the Gaza Strip while being used as human shields by Hamas.” All are treated as heroic martyrs to be compensated by the PA, whose activities are subsidized with Western aid.

The headlines have been full of specious accusations of “genocide” against Israel. Here is a pro-Israel argument from Spiked magazine in England: https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/01/13/these-accusations-of-genocide-bring-shame-on-humanity/

These accusations of ‘genocide’ bring shame on humanity South Africa’s case against Israel is the most absurd and sinister spectacle of the 21st century so far. Brendan O’Neill

Read it all: The last line is “I accuse you of dishonoring the values of Enlightenment, truth and reason by falsely accusing the survivors of genocide of being genocidal.”

As Michael Ordman details weekly, Israel contributes more to the life expectancy and to the better standard of life for billions of people than all the hypocritical and anti-Semitic participants of the kangaroo trials in South Africa. rsk

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR

US charity provides $7 million in supplies. (TY UWI) US non-profit Operation Israel has provided more than $7 million worth of supplies, medical equipment, and protective gear to IDF soldiers since Oct 7. 10,000 soldiers with a total of more than 50,000 items, including ceramic vests, ballistic goggles, and tactical gear.

https://www.jns.org/3pm-us-based-volunteers-helping-to-equip-idf-fighters/  

https://www.operationisrael.org/

https://www.livenowfox.com/video/1382593   https://www.operationisrael.org/donate

Free food for troops. (TY Yanky) Anyone in uniform can get a free pizza at Jerusalem’s La Piedra – the only Israeli pizzeria in the World’s Top 50 Pizza Guide. Also, free food (monthly) at Muffin Boutique; Friday buffet to lone soldiers at Piccolino; at Aroma Beit Kama soldiers eat free; and Hamal Hamatok (the sweet war room).

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-779932

Italian Jewish leader cooks for the IDF. (TY UWI & I24 News) Italian Jewish leader Riccardo Pacifici, the Vice President of the European Jewish Association, cooked for soldiers in Israel’s southern city of Sderot. He cooked pasta, sauces, and other foods to lift the spirits and hearts above the conflict.

Special delivery. At the IDF’s Emergency Logistics warehouse in Ramla, young soldiers of the “Special In Uniform” program join regular recruits to pack food and clothing, and prepare equipment to be delivered to IDF units across Israel. Their enthusiasm, diligence, and resilience contribute to a unique, positive atmosphere.

https://www.jns.org/soldiers-with-disabilities-contribute-to-israels-war-effort/

Operation Suitcase. (TY Yanky) Several members of UK’s Sussex Jewish Representative Council have just completed Operation Suitcase. They visited Israel with 13 suitcases, ten with supplies for the army units they visited, two with chocolate for children, and one filled with black wool for knitting woolly hats for soldiers.

https://www.thejc.com/community/sussex-group-extends-solidarity-to-israel-i0o3tekv

Kibbutz closed but the factory is open. Kibbutz Sasa near the Lebanese border has been evacuated to protect residents from Hezbollah attacks. But employees of the Plasan armor factory inside the Kibbutz are working around the clock producing body armor plates for bulletproof vests and bolt-on armor kits for military vehicles.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/shield-of-israel-at-evacuated-kibbutz-sasa-an-armor-factory-toils-to-protect-troops/

Green energy kept cellular networks running. The Oct 7 fighting crashed the Gaza border electricity grid and disrupted mobile communications. But networks supported by Israel’s Phinergy (see here previously) based on innovative “green” aluminum-air technology, kept going, providing essential connectivity.

https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-phinergy-backup-prevented-collapse-of-cellular-networks-on-october-7-1001461554

Wounded soldier is treated at father’s hospital. Dr. Roni Eichel, head of neurology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, was relieved when one of his IDF soldier sons woke up in SZMC’s intensive care unit. A bullet / shrapnel penetrated his ceramic vest but stopped short of the thorax and any permanent disability.

https://www.jns.org/a-wounded-soldier-ended-up-being-treated-at-his-fathers-hospital/

Book of Psalms found in Gaza. IDF soldiers have found a Book of Psalms dated 1986 in the home of a Hamas terrorist in Jabalia, Gaza. It contains a personal dedication to an Israeli Shmuel Goldring. The sender has been identified but at the time of writing, the recipient has not.

https://www.jns.org/israeli-soldiers-find-hebrew-book-of-psalms-in-gaza-home/

IDF soldier finds reporter’s house sign in Gaza. 19 years after Amiel Yarchi was evacuated from his home in Netzarim during the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers in Gaza retrieved the name plaque that was on his house. Amiel reported the find on the Kipa News site that he works for. See the photos.

https://www.jns.org/19-years-on-idf-soldier-finds-gush-katif-evacuees-house-sign-in-gaza/

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

A new way to treat Sleeping Sickness. Scientists at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have been able to destroy the genetic code of the trypanosome parasite that the tsetse fly infects with, to cause trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). It opens the way for development of RNA-based therapies to prevent transmission of the disease.

https://www.israel21c.org/scientists-discover-new-way-to-tackle-sleeping-sickness/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43263-6

Battlefield medic simulation training.  IDF medics have been receiving training using computer-controlled, anatomically correct, mannequins to learn key lifesaving procedures for use on the front lines. The Israel Center for Medical Simulation (MSR) based at Sheba Medical Center also trains civilian and overseas medics.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-tech-medical-simulation-training-arrived-just-in-time-for-idf-medics/

Medicare pays for ReWalk exoskeleton. Medicare Administrative Contractor Noridian Healthcare Solutions has paid the first ever claim by an eligible Medicare patient for a personal exoskeleton from Israel’s ReWalk. ReWalk is now an authorized medically necessary device when prescribed for a patient with spinal cord injury.  

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/01/05/2804599/32993/en/First-ReWalk-Personal-Exoskeleton-Claim-Paid-by-Medicare.html

Award for pressure sores detection. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s IR-MED (see here previously) has been awarded the “Most Innovative Non-Invasive Diagnostics Technology Developer 2023 – Israel” by UK-based Corporate Vision Magazine for the company’s PressureSafe device and technology platform. 

https://www.ir-medical.com/about-us/#Awards  https://www.corporatevision-news.com/winners/ir-med/

PTSD device is Best Startup. Israel’s GrayMatters (see here previously) was named the Prix Galien USA Best Startup 2023 winner. Its technology uses an EEG headset device to read biomarker activity in the amygdala. AI software, including an Avatar, relaxes the part of the brain which is overactive in people suffering from PTSD.

https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-startup-graymatters-treats-ptsd-with-avatars-1001463926

EMT volunteer saves her own niece., United Hatzalah volunteer Adele had just left her mother’s Rehovot home when she was alerted that her niece was choking back at her mother’s apartment. She quickly returned and used Heimlich thrusts, plus back slaps to clear trapped food from her niece’s mouth.

https://israelrescue.org/stories/a-family-emergency-emt-saves-her-own-niece-from-choking/

The effect of missing genes. Williams syndrome is caused by 25 missing genes. Tel Aviv researchers have discovered the function of one of the deleted genes – Gtf2i. Its absence impairs the production and regulation of mitochondrial organelles in the brain’s neurons. Impacts include dental, cardiovascular, and visual problems,

https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-781703