December 17 update
Dear friends,
Before we begin, take a moment to hear musicians from all over the world playing in support of Israel:
What a beautiful, moving sound!
Let’s take a look at a country that I don’t think we have talked about before, The Netherlands. In their recent election Geert Wilders, head of the Partij Voor de Vrijheid, or Freedom Party, was elected overwhelmingly to be the new Prime Minister. A controversial figure, Wilders’ platform is decidedly pro-Israel, containing these declarations:
· The Dutch embassy in Israel must move to Jerusalem, that Jordan (78% of the original Mandate for Palestine, and still Judenrein, “Jew-free,” by law) is the only true Palestinian state, and PVV does not favor the creation of another one.
· Support for Israeli settlements in Judea-Samaria (the West Bank).
· Opposition to the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, subordinated to the Sharia.
· Commitment to fighting Antisemitism, as defined by the IHRA, and as promulgated, especially “from an Islamic point of view”.
There are now over a million Muslims in the Netherlands, contributing to a shocking increase in antisemitic activity in a country that traditionally had little antisemitism. The open borders policy of the European Union has led to a virtual Muslim invasion over the past ten years in almost every European country. What could not be achieved by the sword during the Battle of Tours in 732 CE is now being accomplished by way of demographics. This paradigm shift in population is causing a good deal of pushback among traditional European ethnicities and is beginning to be reflected in election results such as those in The Netherlands.
In many European countries, those Muslims who have become citizens are declining to participate in elections, which could otherwise have swung the election results. This is the opposite of what is happening in the United States, where Muslim immigrants are becoming very involved in local and national politics, leading to such phenomena as “The Squad.” Several upper Midwestern states contain cities in which the entire city council consists of Muslim immigrants. These cities tend to be hotbeds of antisemitism.
Geert Wilders' Freedom Party Prevails
Another hostage has been murdered in Gaza. Inbar Haiman, 27, of Haifa, was taken captive at the Nova music festival. Her death was confirmed today. As usual, Hamas has not returned her body.
The tragedy that was reported yesterday of the three hostages accidentally killed by IDF fire is being investigated intensely. While we all mourn their loss, it is important to try to understand the surrounding circumstances. Hamas has been using intense psychological warfare to unnerve the IDF troops. These methods include setting up ambushes using recordings of babies crying, children talking in Hebrew, shirtless men with bombs hidden under their pants while waving white flags, booby-trapped toys, and children’s backpacks. One such ambush was narrowly averted just prior to this incident, as I reported yesterday. The toll that this takes on our troops is inhumane.
The IDF has found the largest terror tunnel to date right next to the Erez Crossing, only 400 meters away. The tunnel extends over 2.5 miles and is large enough to drive vehicles through. It is equipped with electricity, ventilation, sewage, communications, and rails for transporting weapons and fighters.
The Erez Crossing was a key ingress for Gazans entering Israel for both medical treatment and work. Over 18,500 Gazans with work permits used the crossing on a regular basis. These were the Gazans who served as advance scouts for Hamas, giving them detailed information on every community and home where they worked and had been welcomed by their Israeli employers.
Largest Terror Tunnel Uncovered
Which brings us to the “innocent civilians” of Gaza. As we have discussed several times, it was these “innocent civilians” who scouted out the targets for murder, dismemberment, rape, and slaughter. It was these “innocent civilians” who initially elected Hamas to rule over them in 2006. These were the very Gazans who followed the Hamas fighters through the gaps in the fence and gleefully participated in rape, looting, and kidnapping. These were the Gazans who celebrated in the streets when the Hamas murderers and kidnappers paraded their captives, some of them naked and bleeding.
These are the parents who send their children to “summer camp” to learn how to shoot and behead Jews, who teach their children that Jews are the sons of pigs and dogs, and who glorify suicide bombers. These are the mothers who are praised for sending their children out to blow themselves up, as long as they can take some Jews with them. These are the mothers whose sons called back to them to brag about how many Jews they had killed and raped.
Before we get too weepy about the plight of the poor, innocent civilians of Gaza, think about the fact that without the ACTIVE collaboration of the populace, there could be no Hamas. Yes, it was Hamas that caused the war that is now bringing suffering to all of Gaza. But who elevated Hamas to that level in the first place? From what pool does Hamas draw its fighters?
There is a reason that Egypt refused to take Gaza back along with the Sinai when they signed the peace treaty with Israel. In fact, Egypt refused to make peace if it meant they would be forced to take back Gaza. There is a reason that no other Arab country is willing to admit Gazan refugees. (Of course, in fairness, the other Arab countries have been unwilling to admit ANY “Palestinian” refugees.)
Save your concern and pity for the actual victims of this war, the Israelis of the Western Negev, who were slaughtered, burned alive, beheaded, raped, and kidnapped, whose homes and communities were destroyed. The world is quickly forgetting who the real victims here are. It has been only ten weeks, and already the world is turning its back on Israel, bored with hearing about the atrocities committed by the murderers of Hamas. It took about 25 years for the world to forget the Holocaust. They have speeded up their game since then.
Eventually, this war will end. Hamas will be destroyed. Those “innocent civilians” will be faced with a decision: what next? They have fertile land, with beautiful beaches and a great location on the Mediterranean. Gaza could become a tourist haven, like Cyprus. It could become a center of commerce, like Singapore. Or, if they choose not to deviate from their current path, it could become another hellhole, like Somalia.
If they choose peace, Israel would gladly help them to develop their economy and rebuild their homes. They could have done it when Israel pulled out in 2005 and left behind all the infrastructure that had been built by the settlers of Gush Katif. Everything was left intact for the benefit of the Gazans at that time. Instead of using the flourishing greenhouses and other infrastructure to boost their economy, they destroyed them and razed them to the ground. Will that be their choice again? If they choose continued war, then all bets are off. The choice is up to them.
Is Bibi bowing under pressure from the United States and the families of the hostages? There are reports that new talks have begun with Hamas. The chief of the Mossad, David Barnea, reportedly met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to discuss a possible new deal for the release of more hostages. Naturally, no details have been released yet.
In the interim, fighting continues. Israel remains determined to completely destroy Hamas and will do so, whether in Gaza, in Judea and Samaria, or elsewhere. Of this, there can be no doubt, whatever the outcome of the negotiations may be.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, along with its strike force, has extended its tour in the Eastern Mediterranean. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its accompanying vessels continue to cruise in the Gulf of Oman, while other US warships maintain their positions in the Red Sea. These ships are remaining in place to respond to threats from the Houthis and other Iranian proxies, or from Iran itself. These threats are both to Israel and to commercial shipping in the region. Keeping the Red Sea and the approaches to the Suez Canal open are a priority.
Before I remind you of all the things that you can do to help, go back to the beginning and play the opening video one more time, just to soak up the beauty and inspiration. It’s worth a second hearing!
We have spoken before about the effects of the war on Israel’s economy. Small businesses are the most badly affected, along with the agricultural sector. Large businesses have redundancy, they can more easily afford to continue to function with part of their workforce off on reserve duty. But small businesses, which may only have a handful of employees, are badly hurting, not only from lack of employees, but because many of their customers are either on reserve duty, evacuated from their homes, or if they usually cater to tourists, simply non-existent these days.
One of the things that you can do to help these small businesses is to shop online at our Mitzvah Marketplace. I have recommended this before for sending support packages to soldiers and evacuated families, but you can also shop there for yourself or others. Whether you are looking for candles, books, jewelry, a magnificent tulip crafted from the remains of a Kassam rocket fired at Sderot from Gaza, (this is a really cool item, we have two), chocolates (Israeli chocolate is better than Swiss!), or other items, check it out. You can get some very nice things and help an Israeli small business at the same time.
I have mentioned the Alexander Muss High School in Israel before, in regards to their online classes. AMHSI has two campuses, one in Hod HaSharon, near Tel Aviv, and our new one in Beersheva, which just opened this Fall. This is an ideal school for high school students looking for a study abroad program. It is fully accredited, and works with the student’s home school to make sure that all appropriate classes are offered, in addition to those classes unique to Israel. Students take trips all over the country, learning history at the sites where things actually happened, along with Hebrew and more.
When the war began the students rushed to help in any way they could, packing boxes of supplies to send to the soldiers and evacuated families. They also, all on their own, began an online fundraising project for the evacuated families which has raised (last I heard) about $250,000! These are some amazing kids!
They were all (over their objections, but to the relief of their parents) evacuated back to the States fairly quickly, as soon as flights could be arranged. Now the dorms are being used to house evacuated families.
When the war is over and the dorms are no longer needed for evacuees, AMHSI will be ready to resume their usual classes. If you have or know of a high school student who would like to study abroad, take a look at the Muss program. You can’t find a better program in the world.
In the meantime, you can take Israel 101 online classes from Muss. These classes are only $18, or free for Muss alumni.
If you are able to go to Israel now yourself to volunteer, there are at least three possibilities. If you are a nurse, doctor, or other medical professional of any specialty, you can volunteer through EmaCare.
If you are in better shape than I am and prefer to volunteer on an army base, click here:
For other volunteer opportunities, click here:
JNF Volunteer in Israel Missions
It is almost the end of the year. Now is the time to make your year-end tax-deductible donations. Here are the two organizations that I highly recommend. These are NOT the only good, legitimate organizations out there, but they are the ones that I work with and recommend. If you choose to place your donations elsewhere, please make sure that the organization you choose is legitimate and that its finances are transparent. I recommend checking out any organization that you do not know personally at Charity Navigator.
These two both have the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator, 4 stars.
JNF-USA Israel Resilience Campaign
Magen David Adom Emergency Fund
AM YISRAEL CHAI! AM YISRAEL ECHAD!!
(The People of Israel live! The People of Israel are One!)