My answer to Obama

[holyland]

Recently Ognir played a portion of a speech by Obama.

This is my response.

In this speech Obama made the statement that the United States would not recognize Hamas until Hamas recognized the state of Israel and gave up terrorism.  

In fact, Isreal's needing recognition from Hamas borders on the absurd.  They are a 1st world military power in no danger from Hamas.  

Now let's go to the other part of that statement that is the requirement that Hamas forswear terrorism.  For this we want to check some relevant statistics.  

In the year 2006, before Israel launched a full scale military assault on the nation of Lebanon they had already killed 100 people in the Gaza in the first 6 months of the year.
 The intifada, in fact, was started by Ariel Sharon in 2000 when he entered the Al Aqsa Mosque with 1000 soldiers, and in the ensuing violence the first 30 casualties were Palestinian.  
Between 2000 and 2008, Israel killed 1500 people in Gaza.  In the same period of time, Hamas rockets killed 16 Israelis.    That is a 100 to 1 ratio close to it.  So it does seem strange that it is Hamas that is being asked to forswear violence and terrorism.

Our president goes on to say that there is no room at the negotiating table for terrorists.  This is interesting in light of the fact that the precursor organizations from which the IDF was formed were the Haganah and and the Irgun, terrorists organizations, whose military actions in Palestine in the 30s and 40s drove Palestinians out of their homes and villages.

He goes on to say that it was Israel and the PA that warned us about Hamas.  Of course it was.  The PA, even the PLO in its latest reincarnation actually imprisoned Hamas leaders, both political and military.  It is interesting to note that in the first 5 years of intifada, Israel assassinated  hundreds of Hamas members as well as innnocent bystanders.

 He then says that Egypt must assume the responsibility of sealing the border and preventing the delivery of weaponry into Gaza.  Here it is interesting to know that at the time of Israel's genocidal campaign at the end of 2008, and the beginning of 2009 in Gaza, the Egyptian government did indeed seal the border and prevent movement of food and medical supplies into the Gaza.  They even prevented their doctors from going in and treating the wounded.  At that time I saw a series of photographs of hundreds  of wounded in Gaza.  Their bodies were burned beyond recognition and their body parts strewn in the streets.  There were pictures of bodies melted into nothingness under the impact of this mass murder and yet your President asks for Hamas to be disarmed.

Then the President calls for Hamas to recognize the specifically Jewish State of Israel.  This statement is fascinating for a number of reasons.  What Hamas is required to do is recognize not just Israel but the specifically Jewish state of Israel.  Now there's a trick here.  If Hamas does recognize the Jewish state, this will leave the Palestinians who live there, one million of them called Israeli Arabs, but in fact Palestinians, open to deportation to the West Bank.  

He goes on to say he supports an Israel with secure, recognized borders.  This is truly ironic in light of the fact that Israel is the only nation with no borders.    And the reason for this is so that it can continue to expand, as it has done throughout its history, by stealing Palestinian land.

He then goes on to say that Jerusalem must remain the capital of Israel and must remain undivided.  Again, an interesting remark.  Jerusalem has historically been Muslim.  Before the British mandate, it had been under Muslim rule for 13 centuries with the exception of 100 years of Christian crusader control.  At the end of the 19th century Jerusalem was 20% Jewish and 80% Palestinian Muslim and Christian.  Even today, the international community does not recognize Israel's control over, even Western Jerusalem, let alone eastern.  However, President Bush in 2002 "recognized", and I put the word in quotes, Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel.  This is illegal, but it doesn't seem to stop our presidents, be they Republican and Democrat.

Then he goes on to say that we share common interests and values.  I'm not sure what those might be other than destruction of the Muslim world.  And then he makes the remark that those who threaten Israel, threaten us.  This is straight out of the Netanyahu playbook.   We all know that the US was never really threatened by Iraq.  And we also know that we are not threatened by Hezbollah, or by Hamas or kids with rocks.  

He goes on to say that Israel has always faced threats on the front line.  But in fact, Israel has more often been the aggressor than not in its short history.  It has acquired the land it holds, largely by military aggression, and it is in fact, the Palestinians' security, which is threatened.

He goes on to say we will secure Israel's qualitative advantage in the region militarily, and indeed that is the case.  Israel has recently been given a $30 billion grant from 2007 to 2018 in military hardware.  By this they are guaranteed access to the latest in "Gee whiz" military hardware.  Specifically, that seems to mean a delivery of a fleet of the Joint Strike fighter.

He winds up by saying that Israel will no longer be threatened by Gaza.  This is preposterous.  What will be insured is more war on the Palestinians.