STOP THE ROCK ATTACKS!

April 21, 2013

Driving into Jerusalem this morning I saw a familiar face just after passing the security checkpoint in Gush Etzion (yes for those who don’t realize it, Jews who live in Judea and Samaria also have to go through security before entering major cities. “Checkpoints” are not just for Arabs).

I stopped the car after realizing it was my old friend and work colleague who was trying to get a ride to work in Jerusalem, as he has been doing his miluim (reserve army service)  in the Gush for the past week, and was given two days off.

In one hand he was schlepping his army-green colored duffle bag while over his other shoulder was his IDF-issued M-16.  Since he wasn’t on duty he was in his “civilian” work-clothes.

We got caught up on life when the subject turned to what had been keeping him busy while in the army for a week. More than anything his unit has been dealing with DAILY rock attacks being carried out by Arab youth and teenagers directed at the soldiers near the Northern entrance to Efrat from the nearby village of Artas.

According to the soldier (whose identity I’m keeping private), from dawn till dusk Arabs from the nearby Beit-Lechem (Bethlehem) neighborhood of Deheishe   (referred to by some as a refugee camp, but that’s a posting within itself) have infiltrated the village with the goal of throwing rocks and firebombs at Israeli motorists trying to enter Efrat.

As we know, from recent tragedies, and there are many examples, rocks are murder weapons – finally acknowledged as such in the recent ruling against the terrorists who murdered Asher and baby Yonatan Palmer HY’D.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4363168,00.html

I’ll pause here to remind you that baby Adele (Adele Chaya Bat Adva) a three-year-old girl wounded in such an attack remains in critical condition and needs your prayers for a speedy recovery.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4356683,00.html

Back to the subject at hand – thanks to the continuous presence of the IDF soldiers, on one hand the road has become relatively safe since when soldiers see the rock throwers approaching, they intervene, but on the other it’s the soldiers themselves who are bearing the brunt of the attacks.

The most frustrating aspect in this deadly game of cat and mouse for the soldiers is that THEIR HANDS ARE TIED. While they don’t lack the motivation to put an end to the rock throwing, their orders only allow them to fire rounds of tear gas at the gathering mobs, as they are not allowed to use live fire.

According to my friend the only time they are allowed to use their weapons is when they feel their life is in immediate danger if an approaching Arabs has an already lit firebomb (Molotov cocktail) in-hand ready to throw.

If not all of those conditions are met – and these are decisions the soldiers are forced to make in a split second, then only tear- gas rounds may be fired to disperse the stone throwers.

In other words, if the Arab is using a rock – teargas. If the firebomb is not yet lit – teargas. If the firebomb has already been thrown – teargas.  Lately, the Arabs have also been throwing stun grenades, which release shrapnel, and the protocol according to my friend has not officially been established in terms of what is a “legitimate response,” in that case.

The most blood-boiling fact my friend told me this morning, which I did not see ANYWHERE in the press, is that just a few weeks ago, a soldier stationed in this very village LOST AN EYE, when suffering a direct hit by a rock.

For the rest of his life he will only have the use of one eye, while his attacker’s crime as we’ve seen time and time again is justified or downplayed by many members of the mainstream media – as in “these are only pebbles,” or “rocks are a non-violent means of protest,” or in one of the most incitement-laced columns I’ve ever read – by Ha’aretz reporter Amira Hass – rock throwing is the “birthright” of the “Palestinian” children.

I applaud Nadia Matar and the Women in Green organization and dozens of residents from Gush Etzion for holding an event at the northern entrance of Efrat 10 days ago and raising awareness on this issue.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/167003#.UXOO68ph7ic

But after learning about the IDF soldier who lost an eye, and the fact that the rock throwing takes place literally almost every day (the Arabs stayed home yesterday because of the rain, giving the soldiers a much needed reprieve) it’s obvious that the situation is worse than we know.

It’s time for our elected officials – those in charge of issuing the orders to the IDF to untie their hands so that they  can defend themselves, and successfully put an end to the rock attacks emanating from Artas and all other popular points of attack throughout Judea and Samaria.

Please help raise awareness, and INSIST from your elected members of Knesset that the rock attacks must stop once and for all.

For many Israelis last week’s winter storm was a blessing. At least five straight days of rain, and then snow, turned a large portion of the country into a winter wonderland.

Schools were cancelled, businesses where closed, children and adults alike were outdoors building snowmen, having snowballs fights and making snow angels.  Overall it was just a relaxing break from reality in a country where vacations are few and far in between.

And let’s not forget that one of our main sources of drinking water the Kineret (Lake of Galilee) rose to its highest point in years, some say ending a drought, which has been prevalent over the past five+ years.

Unfortunately, not everyone was able to celebrate. In the gated community of Bat Hefer, home to a diverse population of 1,500 families – both religious and secular, situated near Netanya, and whose Eastern border is literally the security barrier between Israel and Palestinian Authority city of Tulkarem, last week’s storm was nothing short of a humanitarian disaster.

The nearly successive precipitation caused the nearby Shechem River to overflow its banks.  The pressure of the rushing water on the Tulkarem side pushing up against the security barrier, literally broke a gaping hole in the structure sending a high-current river of over one million cubits of rushing water, mixed with mud and sewage flowing into Bat Hefer within an hour.

At first families who saw water seeping into their basements and ground floors got out mops thinking it was just a natural result of the rain. But then the water kept coming, and rising and rising inside their homes, reaching nearly 2 meters high in certain neighborhoods.

One resident, a 60-year-old man who was outside at the time that the rushing river came through the community fearing that he would be swept away in the current, put his arms around his outdoor pergola and held on for three straight hours, until he felt safe to let go.

While perhaps not on the level of the recent hurricane ‘Sandy’ in the US, for this community the damage was devastating.

• Over 400 homes sustained some form of damage
• 180 cars were swept away or destroyed
• 60 families lost EVERYTHING, and their homes are uninhabitable. These families are currently renting apartments or living with family and friends around the country, as it’s estimated that it will take more than a half a year to renovate their homes
• Public parks, sports fields, the basketball courts, and hockey rink, were completely destroyed beyond use
• And much more

The community’s secretary (mayor) Yoni Ari, who gave me a tour of the disaster site, and who has barely slept since the storm – working around the clock to help the families in need, says that rough estimates indicate the damage will amount to over 50 million NIS.

According to Ari, the community is currently in negotiations with the government, specifically with the Prime Minister’s office, to discuss the greatest amount of compensation possible in order to help the families in need.

The hardest hit families says Ari, are not only those who lost their homes, but those whose insurance policies for one reason or another will not cover the loss (Ari explains that some families, may only have had either property insurance, but not homeowners insurance or vice-versa).  Also several families after paying off their mortgages were completely uninsured, never imagining a disaster of this kind in a quiet suburban gated community, which Ari explains is nearly crime-free.

Despite it all, Ari is grateful for the people of Israel from near and far who have pitched in as volunteers to help. Neighboring communities arrived with “economica” (chemical cleaner) to help clean houses from the mud and sewage. Neighbors also opened their homes to the now homeless as they sought long-term temporary living options until their homes are repaired.

Dozens and dozens of bags of clothing, blankets, sheets, shoes, kitchenware, space heaters, etc. were donated to those affected.

*I personally must thank friends new and old from communities including Gush Etzion, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Ramat Beit Shemesh, Kochav Ya’akov, Maa’le Adumim, and even MIGRON, for filling my car to maximum capacity and giving me the opportunity to drop off some of these items in Bat Hever. It was truly appreciated.

In addition, clothing companies including Fox, and companies that sell cleaning products and materials were gracious enough to donate inventory towards the cause.

The next step in the long road to recovery is assisting those monetarily who lost so much.  Here is the information on how to donate in Israel through the community’s foundation.

Emek Hefer Region – Central Cultural Fund

Bank Leumi

Branch 717

Account number 41860057

The community is also currently trying to figure out how to accept tax-deductable donations from abroad.  Once I have that information I will share it.

While it will take some time, I’m confident after spending a few hours in Bat Hefer, meeting with community leaders and residents and witnessing their resolve first-hand they will overcome their version of “Sandy.”

Anything that you can do to raise awareness, or assist financially would be greatly appreciated.

IDF strike in Gaza

I’ve been to the Western Negev town of Sderot more times than I can count. For nearly three years from 2008-2010, I was in the beleaguered city regularly, as many as 2-3 times a week, doing PR work for the town’s Hesder Yeshiva. Therefore I am hardly a stranger to the Tzeva Adom (code red) early warning system and having to literally run for my life to the nearest shelter within 15 seconds. But my visit to Sderot yesterday was like no other.  In short, Sderot is a real life warzone.

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Here is my latest op-ed from the Algemeiner news website:

Click Here

Israel, Shmisrael: Is This Where We’re Headed?

Here is an endorsement/thank you  letter I received from the CAMERA organization after conducting media training sessions all over the East Coast for groups of their members and student activists. Contact me today, to book a media training session for your community!

View CAMERA Endorsement letter

Below is my first op-ed column as an “infrequent” Jerusalem Post columnist. The column will be called “A View from the Hills” and focus on life in Judea and Samaria. This article is on Michael Palmer who lost a son and infant grandson in an Arab terror attack this past September. I strongly believe the nation of Israel and all our friends worldwide must come to the support of Michael Palmer and his family while those accused of the murder are on trial. Contact me to find out about the next scheduled court hearing.

‘A view from the hills’

Asher and Yonatan Palmer – HY’D

Wednesday, April 18 marked the resumption of the unprecedented military trial of a five-member Palestinian terror cell accused of murdering an Israeli father and his infant son using a rock as their weapon of choice.

On September 23, 2011, 25- year-old Asher Palmer and his son Yonatan, strapped in his car seat, were murdered in a precisely plotted attack, on the road between Kiryat Arba and Jerusalem. Terrorists laying in wait in their car hurled a rock at Asher’s vehicle causing him to lose control and plummet off the road into a ditch killing him and his son.

Asher, whose parents made aliya from New York in 1985, left behind a wife who was pregnant with the couple’s second child.

Originally, the police dubbed the incident an accident or an apparent suicide. Several days later it was revealed to the Palmer family that there was unequivocal evidence proving that this wasn’t an accident or a suicide, but pre-mediated murder carried out by a Palestinian terror cell.

Click here for the rest of the article.

My latest op-ed in the Jerusalem Post

The government recently decided to back the High Court of Justice ruling to evacuate the community of Migron by August 1, 2012. Per an agreement facilitated between Minister Bennie Begin and the residents of Migron, the community will be re-located just 2 km. away from its current site.

The Court’s rationale for tearing down a Jewish community over the so-called Green Line only to rebuild it almost literally just down the road is that the land on which Migron stands is, according to a 2006 petition filed by Peace Now, privately owned Arab land.

Here is the rest of the article

Beinart’s Philosophy is Hardly Zionism

Zion Square is probably the most popular downtown Jerusalem thoroughfare for Israelis and tourists alike, connecting the Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall to Jaffa Street. On Independence Day the square is packed with thousands of revelers celebrating the establishment of the State, and the return to Zion after thousands of years of Jewish exile.

It is thus ironic that “Zion Square” is also the name chosen by extreme left-wing writer Professor Peter Beinart for the title of his blog featured on the Daily Beast website. That irony is derived from the fact that Beinart’s blog, along with his upcoming book titled, “The Crisis of Zionism,” or a recent incendiary New York Times op-ed called “To Save Israel, Boycott the Settlements,” prove that his philosophies should in no way shape or form be perceived as a legitimate form of Zionism or a celebration of the existence of a modern day Jewish State.

Read the rest at the link below.

http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/03/20/beinarts-philosophy-is-hardly-zionism/

The heart of a community

One year later, residents, friends and family of the Fogel family gathered to commemorate their lives

The new Beit Midrash in Itamar dedicated to the Fogels

Leah Goldsmith pulls back the curtains from her living- room window to reveal a breathtaking view. In the distance, just a few kilometers to the north of her home in the Samaria community of Itamar, she points out the twin peaks of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. She explains that in the Torah, Moses commands the Children of Israel that as soon as they cross the Jordan River into Israel, a special ceremony will be held at the site of these two mountains.

Read the rest of the article on the Jerusalem Post website.