Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sen. Joe Leiberman said Iran has "failed the test." The Democrat from Conneticut made his statement as he led a U.S. Congressional delegation to the Saban Forum here in Jerusalem, Monday.
The delegation included Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-DE) and Congressman Howard Berman (D-28th CA). They all addressed the Iranian nuclear threat.
Kaufman said Iran's nuclear program raises a "great deal of concern, while Berman said there's a "short time clock" and Graham said if Iran got a nuclear device, it would be a "game changer."
Watch a collection of their comments below.
They made strong comments, but whether there is the political will or the military might to stop Iran remains to be seen. The future of the Middle East and the world seems to be resting on how the West, the U.S. and Israel deal with this issue.
Last week, Israel's Prime Minister visited U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House. In an unprecedented move, the meeting took place at night with no press, no photos (other than the White House photographer) and little fanfare.
The meeting seemed symptomatic of the strained relations now between the Netanyahu government and the Obama administration. We asked author Joel Rosenberg-- here in Israel leading a Jerusalem prayer summit-- for his analysis of the current state of U.S.-Israel relations.
Watch his comments below.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often framed by the numbers. The conventional wisdom is that many more Palestinians are being born than Israelis. Given this “fact,” many analysts - and world leaders for that matter - presume Israel must give up land (the West Bank) because the number of Palestinian Arabs will simply overwhelm Israeli Jews.
This obviously was former President Bill Clinton’s presumption when he declared on Sunday at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem that Palestinians are having children at a faster rate. He declared the only two things that haven’t changed since 1993 are geography and demography.
Since Palestinian demography (birth rate) exceeds Jewish demography, he said the Jewish state must concede geography (Judea and Samaria or the West Bank), in order to secure demography. He concluded, “If you (Israel) want to be a democracy and a Jewish state, you have to cut a deal.”
Not so says the American-Israel Demographic Research Group. Contrary to Clinton’s assertion and conventional wisdom, they provided CBN News with numbers that present an entirely different picture.
For example, they document the following statistics:
• The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) inflated its census. For example, they say the PCBS inflated the number of Arabs in Judea and Samaria from 1.5 million to 2.5 million. Their census also includes about 400,000 overseas residents. The World Bank documents a 32 percent gap between the numbers given by the PCBS and the Palestinian Ministry of Education.
• The Arab fertility rate has “decreased below 4.5 births” in the West Bank.
• The number of Israeli Jewish births from 1995 to 2008 has increased, while the number of Arab births has stabilized.
• Arab and Jewish fertility rates are the same in Jerusalem, 3.9 births per woman, the first time that has happened since 1948.
• In Judea and Samaria there has been a net annual Arab emigration of more than 10,000 On the other hand, Israel has benefitted from its immigration, or “aliya,” since 1882. Even Israel’s demographers haven’t projected waves of immigration; yet this phenomenon has added millions of Jews from around the world to Israel’s population.
• They conclude that “There is a demographic problem, but it is not lethal. They demographic trend is Jewish. Anyone claiming that Israel must concede geography in order to secure demography is either mistaken or misleading.”
Friday, November 13, 2009
Jesus exhorted His followers to "... Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 6:27, 28 Many of us know that scripture but seldom have to live it out before the world. David, Leah Ortiz and their son Ami have had to walk through this scripture since March 2008. At that time, then 15 year old Ami Ortiz opened a Purim gift basket disguised as a bomb. The explosion nearly killed him. Since then, he and his family have had to walk through an excruciating physical and emotional ordeal. Their story has gone around the world. Now after eighteen months, Israeli police apprehended the bomber "Jack" Teitel. On Thursday, he was arraigned in court for the Ortiz bombing and several other attempted murders and murders. He was asked by a reporter, "You are completely pure in what you did?" His reply? "Absolutely. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve my God."
Earlier today, we interviewed Ami Ortiz for an upcoming story. We asked him if he had forgiven "Jack" Teitel. He said he did and bore no hatred for him. It was remarkable to hear his reply. Before we left, we got to see the Ortiz family praying. Leah Ortiz prayed for both Jack Teitel and his wife. It moved me to hear Ami's mother pray for the man who tried to kill her son. As noted before, many of us know what Jesus said about how to treat our enemies. However, few of us seldom have to live it out in such a public and visible way.
The Ortiz's continue to ask for prayer, that the Lord will sustain them during this time. And please pray for "Jack" Teitel and his family. The Ortiz family is.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Last week, Dore Gold, former Israeli ambassador to the UN, confronted Judge Richard Goldstone, the author of the recent UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Committee) report condemming Israel for its actions during the Gaza war earlier this year.
Some believe Goldstone caused irreparable diplomatic damage to Israel with this report. The debate between Gold and Goldstone took place last week at Brandeis University.
Here's how Gold began his remarks:
The UN Gaza Report is the most serious indictment of the State of Israel bearing the seal of the United Nations since the UN General Assembly adopted the infamous "Zionism is Racism" resolution in 1975, which it subsequently repealed. The language of the report and its assertion that Israel intentionally attacked Palestinian civilians involves and amounts to an assault on Israeli society as a whole. For the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF is a citizens army, an army that is made up of the people of Israel. The report simply distorts the very essence of what Israel stands for and provides fuel for those seeking its deligitimization.
The debate marked the first time Goldstone met publicly with an Israeli official. According to the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby, "It would not surprise me to learn that he is in no hurry for a second."
If you'd like to see this significant debate, you can click here.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Ehud Yaari is one of Israel's top military analysts. He recently wrote an excellent analysis of the issues facing Israel as Iran pursues nuclear weapons. Here's an excerpt:
Israel has no great appetite for taking on Iran on its own, recognizing the difficulties involved in an attack, as well as the potential that Iran could retaliate either with its Shehab-3 missiles, already operational, by embarking upon a large-scale terrorism campaign or by having Hezbollah ignite a conflict on the Lebanese front. "Many view the military option as the '"worst possible course" other than tolerating an Iran equipped with nuclear warheads. The Israeli leadership would, therefore, prefer action by the United States to stop Iran from acquiring a bomb, either through diplomatic dialogue, effective sanctions, or - if it came to it - military strikes. Needless to say, a U.S. attack is bound to be much wider in scope and more devastating than any blow delivered by the Israel Defense Forces.
At the same time, many in Israel feel strongly that the country does possess the military capability to launch a successful strike against a limited number of Iranian nuclear installations to delay the pace of Iran's nuclear program by at least a couple of years. At least some in Israel believe that Iranian reprisals would be more restrained than public warnings from Tehran might indicate and that Hezbollah may attempt to employ its long-range Iranian missiles in a manner that would not necessarily lead to full-scale war. The argument would be that although the organization's long-range missiles are effectively under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Qods Force, Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah would hesitate to provoke the Israelis into undertaking an all-out counteroffensive. Some Israelis argue that Iran would not necessarily retaliate against the United States and its Arab allies in the Gulf or Iraq for fear of compelling President Obama to strike back.
Yaari also makes the point that Israel's political and military leadership often refrain from public debate about the Iran problem. I would agree. We've been reporting on this story for several years and consistently Israeli officials deflect the issue about Israel attacking Iran. They make the point Iran is a global problem, not simply an Israeli problem.
For those interested in this situation (and it is a global problem!) I would heartily recommend his analysis. If you'd like to read his entire commentary, you can click here.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
In the biggest arms seizure in its history, Israeli commandoes captured more than 500 tons of weapons bound for Hezbollah. If you'd like to see some of the footage of the raid and the weapons they found, you can click here:
In the video, you'll notice containers marked "IRISL," which stands for "Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines." Some of the containers actually bore the markings of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. While Hezbollah claims the weapons were not meant for them, the chief spokesperson for the IDF told CBN News those claims are "not serious." They maintain it's no secret Iran is arming and funding Hezbollah and has become its main supplier of weaponry, with Syria as its next biggest supplier.
Some people have asked how Israel could seize this ship. They acted under the auspices of UN Council Resolution 1747. That resolution specifies, "Iran shall not supply, sell or transfer directly or indirectly from its territory or by its nationals or using its flag vessels or aircraft any arms or related material, and all States shall prohibit the procurement of such items from Iran by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in the territory of Iran."
Yet Iran transfers arms in three main ways to Hezbollah. One is by air into Beirut's airport, the other by land from Syria and the third by sea. One defense analyst told us both land and air leave larger "intelligence signatures," which makes smuggling by sea more attractive. Five hundred tons of weapons would require Iran to use 20 planes, which is more expensive and easier to track.
The weapons cache was huge - 500 tons - ten times the weapons seized by Israel in 2002 when they caught the Karine-A trying to smuggle 50 tons of weapons to Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. The weapons were also surrounded by bags filled with a substance making it difficult to scan. Obviously Israel acted on intelligence to track and seize this cargo.
While this definitely represents a blow to Hezbollah and Iran, financially, diplomatically and militarily, Hezbollah still possesses a prodigious amount of weapons. Some estimates put their arsenal at 34,000 rockets. That's more rockets than Hezbollah had in its possession before the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Israel may have won this round, but it's just one more chapter in the ongoing Israeli-Iranian war. Given Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, the next round could potentially be a lot bigger.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
One of the most talked about books here in Jerusalem is called The Israel Test. Written by American author George Gilder, it offers a fresh perspective on the Jewish State.
With Israel beseiged in the U.N. and other international forums, it's a welcome tonic to many Israelis weary of what they see as a blatant attempt to delegitimize Israel.
CBN News sat down with Gilder during his recent visit to Israel and explained what he means by "The Israel Test" and it's significance to the United States.
Watch more about what Gilder has to say, here and here
Many of you may have heard of the recent Goldstone Report. It's the United Nations report alleging Israeli war crimes during its war earlier this year with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
While many nations have castigated Israel for the way it handled the war, on Oct. 16, Col. Richard Kemp, the former commander of British forces in Afganistan, painted an entirely different picture before the UN Human Rights Council.
Click here for the video clip or read a transcript of his address below. His version of events on the ground fits in with the version we heard earlier this year from retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Thomas McInerney.
Thank you, Mr. President. I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia; and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK Government's Joint Intelligence Committee.
Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.
Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population.
Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents.
The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights.
The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy's hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks.
Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes.
More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas' way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians.
Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from attacking them with rockets.
And I say this again: the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare. Thank you, Mr. President.
On Tuesday night, Oct. 20, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a bold challenge to Israel and a statement to the world. He called for an alternative to the world's dependence on oil within the decade.
It's a bold vision but he asserts not an impossible one. It's one more example of why some people - particularly after his recent U.N. speech - have started calling Netanyahu the "leader of the free world," a title usually reserved for U.S. presidents.
"Making the Impossible Possible - Finding Alternatives to Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy"
". Therefore, tonight I would like to talk to you about one of the more significant matters on the global agenda: eliminating the world's dependence on fossil fuels, particularly oil. We all know the simple truth: dependence on oil endangers the world. It is a threat to our security, our economy and the environment. Our security, because dependence on fossil fuels strengthens the dark regimes that encourage instability and fund terror with their petrodollars.
Our economy, because if we don't develop alternative energy sources, the demand for fossil fuels will increase and the supply will decrease. This will lead to an increase in prices, which in turn will adversely affect global economic development in countries that import fossil fuels - which is the majority of countries. This will cause serious economic harm. Environmentally, because the pollution from fossil fuels poisons the air that we breathe, the water that we drink and the food that we eat. Our dependence on oil harms us and the Earth every day, and has done so for decades.
To counteract all this, we must set a goal: we must free ourselves from our dependence on oil. I know it seems impossible, but believe me - it is possible. Sometimes all it takes is one or two inventions to make a breakthrough and change the world. Look at salt during the 19th century. Until the beginning of the 20th century, salt was a luxury item used to preserve food. Caravans of camels carried salt through the Sahara Desert, and the salt was traded for gold. Entire empires became rich trading salt, because of the world's dependence on salt. But two inventions were made. The first was the canning process and the second was refrigeration, and all at once the world's huge dependence on salt was eliminated. As a result, the salt empires crashed almost overnight.
Is Israel the country that will discover the breakthrough that will free the world of its dependence on fossil fuels? I believe so because Israel has two significant resources that provide us with a good chance of doing so. We have the minds and the hearts, the capability, the will. Israel is very advanced in the technological fields - agro-tech, hi-tech, nanotechnology, solar energy, battery technologies and renewable energies. Naturally, we are leading candidates to create a global revolution in the clean energy field because of this capacity.
Here is the essence of what I'm saying. It's possible to change the world. The greatest changes in man's history occurred when there was not only a technological change, but a conceptual change. For many generations, hundreds of thousands of years, man was a hunter-gather. He went to seek out food. He had to go great distances, chase animals to get the protein he needed, or to look for berries or fruit to gather so he'd have the nutrients that were needed for life.
These nomadic hunter-gatherer patterns changed one day, because man realized that the food was right underneath his feet. And that was the day that agriculture was born. We are hunter-gatherers for energy. We go to the depths of the oceans. We seek energy from the bowels of the Earth and distant lands. But the energy is right under our noses. It's all around us. It's bountiful. It's in the sun. It's in the wind. It's in the water. We just have to tap it.
I think we have the capacity to develop this. Our Nobel Prize winners were mentioned - yes, we have per capita more Nobel Prize winners than any other country, than any other people. We have the second largest concentration of technological capacity; in terms of venture capital, the highest per capita by far. We have scientific publications and we have patents in abundance. So we have the capacity, including in these areas - the development of energy from hydrogen, from water, the development of solar energy and other energies. We have the brains, but we also have the will.
Because think what this will mean for our national security. Think of what it would mean for our future if the world ended its dependence on fossil fuels, and especially on oil. By changing this dependence, we can change the world. I don't know which technology will triumph. Yesterday, Ray Kurzweil, who hasn't changed a bit in 35 years - I remember you from MIT, Ray - you gave us a course on entrepreneurship and you proceeded to be an entrepreneur, like Shimon Peres, in your own great scientific capacities. Yesterday you said that the efficiency of solar energy doubles every two years. You said that we live in a very brief generation that will develop the energy of the proximate future. If that's the case, then we're in good shape. But I say let's make it happen faster.
If we have placed a man on the moon, surely we can harness the energy of the sun. What I propose to do today is to establish a nation commission of scientists, engineers, business and government people to set a goal that within ten years, we'll have a practical, clean, efficient substitute for oil. I think it's possible. I think we can make the impossible possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have never been accused of being a disciple of government intervention. However, sometimes the private market simply cannot create the critical mass of activities needed to make such a big change. Sometimes it needs a push and support from the government. Finding an alternative to oil is a critical matter for the State of Israel must deal with - with regard to geopolitics, security concerns, environmental concerns, to secure the future and to change the world's order of priorities.
Therefore, I repeat my announcement that I am going to establish a national commission comprised of scientists, manufacturers, engineers, businesspeople and government officials, with the goal of formulating a practical plan for efficient development in technologies and engineering in order to replace fossil fuels within the decade. I ask the minds and talents who are here, and around the world, to help.
It is not in our interest alone. The resources need not be exclusively Israel's. Most of the world shares this interest. But Israel has a strong and clear interest in achieving this. "For out of Zion will come Torah": We are commanded to bring a new light to the world. God willing, with your help and the help of many others around the world, we will make the impossible possible. Thank you."