PDavidHornik

What a lovely entity, let's give it statehood

George Bush is in love, and can't wait to give the Palestinian Authority statehood by the end of this year.

PA sentences 'collaborator' to death

It is likely that PA President Mahmoud Abbas will approve a death sentence imposed on a Palestinian policeman convicted of "collaboration" with Israel, say Palestinian Authority officials.

The policeman, Imad Sa'ad, 25, was sentenced to death Monday by a PA military court in Hebron on charges of tipping Israel as to the whereabouts of four Palestinian gunmen, who were later killed by the IDF....

The PA military commander of the Hebron area, Gen. Samih Saifi, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, saying he hoped it would serve as a "deterrent to all those who betray their people and homeland." He also called on all "collaborators" to turn themselves in to the PA security forces in the West Bank or face the risk of being sentenced to death.

According to Palestinian human rights groups, more than 70 Palestinians have been sentenced to death since the establishment of the PA in 2005. However, fewer than 10 have been executed. Many others either were murdered while in PA detention or have gone missing. Others have had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

Murdered while still in detention--that must be a wonderful experience in Palestinian democracy. Read all of it here.

Olmert's transportation minister sings different tune

Israeli governance is chaotic but I'd rather have it this way than have the whole government be Olmertites.

From Tuesday's Jerusalem Post:

'Land-for-peace will put Iran in Golan'

Giving Syria the Golan Heights will mean bringing Iran there as well, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday overnight after meeting in Washington with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Mofaz was visiting the US as part of Israel-US Strategic Dialogue.

"You must have heard recent statements on the process with the Syrians," Mofaz told reporters, referring to unconfirmed reports that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently sent messages to Damascus indicating Israel was willing to give up the Golan Heights in return for a peace treaty.

"I can only say one thing about that: Due to the fact that there is a strengthening of the radical axis, and Syria is a very central and dominant component of the radical axis, any handover of the Golan Heights to them means Iranians in the Golan Heights."

"We must take this under consideration, not as a statement that creates headlines, but as an issue that will become very tangible and real," he added. "Just as today the Iranians have a foothold in southern Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip, they will have one in the Golan Heights."

"This doesn't mean we shouldn't make peace with the Syrians in the future, it doesn't mean we shouldn't talk to the Syrians, but in this reality the Golan Heights are a strategic asset for Israel and handing it over to the Syrians is tantamount to handing it to the Iranians."

On the subject of Lebanon, Mofaz said Hizbullah had emptied UN Resolution 1701 of its substance by gaining complete control in southern Lebanon and doubling its arsenal of long-range rockets.

The group "is preparing itself for the next campaign," he said.

The demographic myth

One of the main reasons the Israeli population is so "soft" in letting its leaders pursue ruinous policies of handing over land to terrorists is that they've been brainwashed into believing Israel faces a demographic emergency. Shoula Romano Horing gives here one of the best and most concise statements of why the alleged demographic danger is a myth based on cooked statistics and lies.

Profound passage from Glick

Caroline Glick, the unusually brilliant analyst of general issues, has this no less outstanding, more personal column about her love of her acquired language, Hebrew, and the country where it's spoken, Israel. She ends it thus:

People ask me all the time why I insist on living in Israel. Usually I just shrug my shoulders and smile. I, a woman who makes my living from words, find myself speechless when challenged with this simple question.

 I spend several months a year away from Israel working. But every time I go away on a long trip, inevitably after three weeks or so, I begin to feel incomplete. I start to long for the smells of Israel. My ears ache to hear Hebrew all around me. I want to go back so I can walk down the streets on Friday afternoons and smile at perfect strangers as we bid each other Shabbat Shalom.

 Why do I live in Israel? Because Israel lives in me, as it lives in all Jews. It is who we are. And those of us lucky enough to recognize this truth and embrace it in all its fullness and depth are the luckiest Jews in the world.

How beautiful. I too have often been asked why I live in Israel and similarly find it just about impossible to answer. "Because Israel lives in me." That's the answer, so simple and lovely.

Now Shavit blasts appeasement

Last week on Frontpage I criticized Israeli journalist Avi Shavit for being only very softly critical, and largely sympathetic, to Israel's Peace Now appeasement movement. I'd hardly flatter myself to believe Shavit read me and was influenced, but this week he has this remarkable, powerful column blasting--the Israeli and Western Left and . . . appeasement. What inspired him to write it was the sickening sight of the Israeli Left fawning over our visitor for a few days, Jimmy Carter.

Hornik on Spectator

While writing mainly for Frontpage these days, today I have this piece on "Israel's Prospects" at American Spectator.

Hope that sane Israel will prevail

Even many in Olmert's own wishy-washy Kadima Party are outraged at his reported willingness to hand over the Golan Heights to the Syrian terror regime. In the report I linked to only veteran, pathologically obsequious Osloite Yossi Beilin comes out in favor. The quick, angry response covering much of the political spectrum gives hope that the appeasement era is fading and sane Israel will prevail.

Don't worry about that wolf, it's just grandma

Likud Knesset member and defense expert (and former philosophy prof) Yuval Steinitz analyzes on his usual very high level what led the latest U.S. National Intelligence Estimate to so badly distort the picture of Iranian nuclearization. Steinitz convincingly attributes it to reality-denial but could have added the report's authors' desire--out of leftism and pacifism--to undermine any possible plans to handle the threat militarily.

Losing the war of ideas

In this powerful lament Isi Leibler outlines how and why Israel stopped standing up for itself on the world stage and instead allowed Arab anti-Israeli propaganda to prevail. Some of the points are debatable but the article contains much truth. Leibler is particularly insightful on the dire role of the English Web and print editions of Haaretz.

Holiday of freedom

As Passover approaches may the Jewish people be liberated from appeasement. It has in a sense been our worst enemy. The external enemies are very clear about their nature and goals, and it has been within the capacity of the civilized societies to stop them before they can do too much harm. Appeasement prevents  them from being stopped and allows them to cause horrendous devastation. Appeasement is still common among the Jewish people inside and outside Israel despite the constant, daily toll it exacts. In Israel, appeasement is found mainly in the elites and much less among the general population. May we somehow and someday expel it from our midst.