Jewish Russian Telegraph

Dovid Margolin: In this week’s Torah portion -- Path To Freedom Through Courage

Dovid Margolin:

In this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Bo, G-d commands the Jewish people to take a lamb on the 10^th day of Nisan, keep it in their homes for a few days, and then sacrifice it to G-d on the 14^th of Nisan. This sacrifice was called the Korban Pesach. 
Why were the Jews commanded to keep the lamb in their homes? What was the reason for keeping this lamb in their homes so many days in advance? Our Sages explain that in the land of Egypt a lamb was  considered to be a god, and therefore when their Egyptian neighbors would ask them why they had a lamb in their homes, the Jews would be able to unabashedly answer that they planned on slaughtering it and offering it as a sacrifice to G-d Almighty. 
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that because of the strength and the self-sacrifice the Jews displayed when they fearlessly explained to the Egyptians that they planned on sacrificing the Egyptian idol to G-d, the Jewish people were taken out of exile. 
It is explained that the redemption of the Jews from Egypt is a foreshadowing of the redemptions of the future. We all know that the Torah is not a storybook and its lessons are applicable today, just as they were before. The Jewish people at the time of the Korban Pesach [the Pesach Sacrifice] were on an extremely low spiritual level; nevertheless they were redeemed from their exile in Egypt through an undaunted act of strength and the willingness for self-sacrifice. The message for us is that we too will be taken out of our current exile through acts of strength and fearlessness.  
The Rebbe explains that we must do all Mitzvos [commandments] with force, but especially the Mitzva to love your fellow Jew. We each must do our part to speak to our fellow Jews about Torah and Mitzvos, and if we fail once then we must try again. Even if the person you speak to closes himself off, you cannot let yourself be intimidated, and you must try again. The Rebbe says that when a person shows strong feelings against your words this means that there is something deep down that is bothering him. Therefore you must try again and again, until you have some kind of a positive affect.      
The Rebbe additionally explains that even while you are not yet successful, each of us must understand that it is not the fault of the other. It is not the fault of the person that you are speaking to. The Torah explains that “words that emanate from the heart, enter the heart,” it is therefore our part to make the words that we speak earnest.  
The same way that the Jewish people left Egypt completely unafraid, so too now when we act forcefully and fear no one, all of the obstacles before us will be removed, and we will merit a complete end to this current exile with the coming of Moshiach, may it be now.   

posted by: jrtelegraph

Russia: Murdering Civil Rights Lawyers and Independent Journalists

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

The body of lawyer Stanislav Markelov, who was shot dead on a central Moscow street

January 25, 2009

By Brian Whitmore

Stanislav Markelov took on a lot of cases most lawyers in Russia wouldn't dare touch. He represented terrorism suspects, muckraking journalists, and Chechen civilians who accused the Russian military of abuse.

After Markelov was shot dead in broad daylight in downtown Moscow on January 19, many of his colleagues said they were certain it was this habit of challenging the authorities in the courts that cost him his life.

"I see this as an assassination that was clearly politically motivated. I don't know if this was an act of vengeance, a warning for others, or something else," Yury Shmidt, a prominent Russian defense attorney who has represented his share of Kremlin opponents, tells RFE/RL's Russian Service.

"But I have no doubt that this assassination is strictly associated with his professional activities."

Markelov was killed after holding a press conference decrying the early release of former Russian Army Colonel Yury Budanov, who had been imprisoned for strangling to death an 18-year-old Chechen woman, Elza Kungayeva, during an interrogation nearly nine years ago. Markelov had represented Kungayeva's family.

Also killed in the attack was Anastasia Baburova, a journalist for the liberal opposition weekly "Novaya gazeta."

Journalists who dare challenge the Kremlin have long been the targets for harassment, imprisonment, and assassination in Russia. Now, observers say that defense attorneys who irritate the authorities also appear to be at risk.

Will lawyers join journalists in the crosshairs?

"It is a disgusting symbol of our times that a lawyer and a journalist were killed at the same time," says Igor Yakovlenko, head of the Russian Journalists' Union. "Lawyers and journalists don't go along with [Russia's authoritarian] regime of 'sovereign democracy.' They are two new categories of outcasts."

In recent months, the Kremlin has made a series of moves to bring the judicial system under greater political control. The State Duma has passed legislation eliminating jury trials for a series of crimes including terrorism, hostage taking, the organization of illegal armed formations, mass disturbances, treason, espionage, sedition, armed rebellion, and sabotage. Legislation is also in the works to significantly broaden the definition of treason and espionage.

          [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Yoram Ettinger: The Palestinian Pandora's Box

Yoram Ettinger, Ynet, January 23, 2009:

The mild reaction by Arab countries to the Hamas-driven Palestinian predicament in Gaza refutes the assumption that the Palestinian issue is a top Arab priority and that it constitutes the core cause of Arab hostility toward the West, USA and Israel.  In fact, the Arab reaction has reflected overall Arab attitude toward the Palestinian issue since 1948, through the 1982 Israel-PLO war in Lebanon and the First and Second Intifadah, irrespective of the identity of the Palestinian leadership: Haj Amin al-Husseini, Shukeiri, Hammuda, Arafat, Abu Mazen or Haniyeh.

Arab countries have always showered Palestinians with rhetoric, but they have refrained from significant support.  During the 2009 Gaza War, Arab countries rejected the call for an emergency session of Arab leaders on behalf of Gaza.  They have limited their meek support to a gathering of Arab foreign ministers, calling for a UN emergency session.  Saudi Arabia dismissed the suggestion to employ oil as a weapon.  Riad prohibits pro-Palestinian rallies and its religious establishment issued a weak proclamation on behalf of the Palestinian struggle.  The Gulf Cooperation Council focused on economic and monetary issues during its December 30, 2008 meeting, according lips service to Gaza.

A similar reaction occurred during the 1982 Israel-PLO war in Lebanon, which erupted on June 4.  The Arab oil producing countries convened in August to discuss the price of oil, dismissing the proposal to use the oil weapon on behalf of the PLO.  The summit of Arab leaders was deliberately delayed until September, following the expulsion of the PLO from Beirut.

Arab leaders have systematically demonstrated how secondary the Palestinian issue has been in their order of national priorities.  For instance, Arab financial support of the PLO was less than 10% of Arab financial support to the anti-Soviet Muslims in Afghanistan.  In 1988, the Arab League convened on behalf of the First Intifadah, committing itself to $128MN immediate support, followed by $43MN monthly assistance.  Less than $100MN was actually transferred to the PLO, compared with over $1BN annual support to Afghanistan during 1978-1988.  In 2002, Saudi Arabia pledged $600MN for the Second Intifadah, but only $100MN has been transferred so far.  Other Arab countries made a $55MN monthly commitment, but – as expected – they have once again failed to deliver.

Recent precedents have led Arabs to consider the Palestinians a potential treacherous, subversive, explosive Pandora's box, which could undermine their survival.  On the other hand, Palestinians blame Arab leaders for the "1948 Debacle."  In 1948/9, the Arab League made it clear that the war against the Jewish State was not launched because – or for – the Palestinians.  It declared the provisional Palestinian government null and void, while Egypt and Jordan expelled the Palestinian leadership from Gaza, Judea and Samaria. During the late 1950s, and in 1966, Arafat, Abu Mazen and their Fatah colleagues were evicted from Egypt and Syria for subversion.  In 1970, they were decimated in Jordan, following an attempt to topple the Hashemite regime ("Black September").  In 1975/76, they were clobbered by Syria (in Lebanon), as a result of their assault on the central government in Beirut ("Black June").  In 1983, they lost their base in Tripoli, Lebanon, after they failed to challenge the dominant local militia. In 1987, Egypt killed scores of Palestinians, who demonstrated on behalf of the First Intifadah in the Rafah refugee camp in Sinai/Gaza. In 1991, Kuwait expelled 300,000 Palestinians for collaboration with Saddam's plunder of the sheikhdom. Since 2003, thousands of Palestinians have fled Iraq, due to their identification with the Butcher of Baghdad. The Red Carpet, which welcomes Palestinian leaders at the UN and in Western capitals, is transformed into a shabby rug upon landing in Arab capitals.

What do Arab leaders know - about the Palestinians - which has escaped Western and Israeli policy-makers?

Arab leaders have not dedicated themselves to advance the Palestinian cause.  They have not regarded the Palestinian issue as a premier link in the formulation of their policies.  Domestic, regional and global factors have impacted inter-Arab, Arab-Western and Arab-Israel relations much more than the Palestinian issue.  Palestinians do not possess veto power over Arab policy-making.

Since the 1993 Oslo Accord, Israel has subordinated its national security policy to the resolution of the Palestinian issue, switching its focus from the Israeli-Arab path to the Israeli-Palestinian path.  Dozens of initiatives, conferences, summits, agreements and cease fires have yielded a series of short-lived illusions of peace and security, which were promptly crashed by an unprecedented Palestinian wave of hate-education, violation of commitments and terrorism. In fact, the roadmap toward the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict does not go through Ramallah or Gaza, but rather through Cairo, Amman and other Arab capitals, as evidenced by Israel's peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, which have withstood Palestinian opposition and an on-going Israeli war against Palestinian terrorism.

A policy which is based on an erroneous assumption – that the Palestinian issue is supposedly the crown jewel of Arab policy – constitutes an erroneous policy. It exacerbates regional instability, fuels terrorism, promotes war and diminishes the prospects for peace.

Israel should base its policy, toward the Palestinians, on the track record of the last 100 years, and especially the last 15 years, which have featured the failure of Land-for-Peace on the Palestinian track.

Lessons of recent history, Israel's minimal security requirements and the need to minimize motivation for Arab terrorism, highlight the necessity to solidify Israel's control of Judea and Samaria.

posted by: jrtelegraph

Betar Après Arcadi Gaydamak

Jerusalem Post:

The Last Word: The end of the (brief) oligarch era at Betar?
Jan. 23, 2009
Jeremy Last , THE JERUSALEM POST

It has been only three-and-a-half years since Russian-born billionaire Arkadi Gaydamak bought what was then a failing Betar Jerusalem, and already the dream is nearly over.
Just six months ago, Betar was on top of the world, celebrating winning an historic league and cup double after claiming the Israeli Premier League title for the second year in succession.
But unfortunately for the vast majority of those involved in the club at the time, the bubble was about to burst.
And burst it most certainly has.
Suddenly the richest club in the country is in a state of disarray.
When the entire top level management team was sacked in a stunning cull four months ago, few understood what was going on, especially when the individuals in question were mostly not replaced.
Now there is talk of most of the star players being offloaded in the summer and it has become clear that the global economic crisis has hit Gaydamak, and Betar, in a big, big way.
There have been reports of the club cutting costs in every manner possible, including canceling the hot meal served to the players after training sessions.
But the most intriguing question hanging over the whole situation is with regards the owner himself - where has Gaydamak disappeared to?
Arkadi has not been seen or heard from since leaving the country in mid-December and his absence is causing no shortage of problems.
Last week, former Betar owner Moshe Dadash claimed he had been appointed as the new boss at the club by Gaydamak. A day later, club chairman Itzik Kornfein denied Dadash's claims.
In any case, it seems obvious that the Gaydamak days are all but over, and we will likely be seeing a very different Betar Jerusalem next season.
The air of confidence which drove Betar to the top of the league for two years has already disappeared; soon the star players who arrived in the capital amid such fanfare at such a high cost will also be on their way out.
For many Betar fans, the current situation is being viewed as a disaster. Gaydamak was hailed as a messiah by a large section of the club's supporters, who held up banners with pictures of him and sung his name during games.
Without the millions he pumped into the club, it will almost assuredly be unable to attract the highly paid players.
However, if these fans take a step back, they may soon understand that Gaydamak's influence wasn't all good for Betar and the change may prove to be positive for the club's future.
All too often, Arkadi used Betar Jerusalem as his own personal PR tool, rarely worrying about the long-term future of the operation.
If a staff member wasn't to his liking on a particular day, be it the press officer, chairman or even the coach, Gaydamak would show them the door, seemingly on a whim, without considering the implications.

The big question mark now is over what will come next.
Fortunately for Betar fans, the prospects of Dadash retaking control appear far dimmer than last week. Such a move would not be prudent, as the larger-than-life character is widely seen as being responsible for driving Jerusalem into financial disarray in the 1990s.
On Thursday, rumors began circulating that former Gaydamak adviser Yossi Milstein is considering launching a takeover bid with a group of investors, including another former Betar owner, Meir Fenigel.
This partnership between old and new could be the best way forward for the team in yellow and black.
What Betar needs is a mature, financially solid management team who can end the oligarch era, one in which a tempestuous owner used the soccer club as his personal toy. [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Broadcasting Authority to Clamp Down on B’Tselem Reports

B'Tselem -- self-hating Jews, friends of Hamas, apologists for murderers. They enjoy great respect from the American Jewish establishment; this is too bad. Finally authorities in Israel are starting to pay attention to this fifth column committed to fight propaganda war against their own people.

Arutz Sheva:

 
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) is working on a new set of guidelines to help it weed out the bias from sources such as B’Tselem.

The initiative is the result of a request by the President of Israel Media Watch and former Minister of Public Security, Dr. Uzi Landau. In a letter to IBA Chairman Moshe Gavish, Landau asked a series of questions based on research showing that B’Tselem – a left-wing human rights organization – generally releases one-sided and sometimes deceptive information.

“Does the IBA deeply check the veracity of B’Tselem reports before they are broadcast?” Landau asked.  “Why does the IBA not note when reporting on B’Tselem that it has a very clear political and ideological agenda?  Is the IBA aware that it has become a propaganda tool in the hands of an organization that wishes to advance its own controversial ideology, without great concern for accuracy? Is the IBA aware that by its very publication of B’Tselem reports, it is hurting its own reputation for truthfulness?”

Guidelines Being Composed Right Now
In his response to Landau, Gavish acknowledged that despite the importance of this matter, it has not yet been dealt with.  Gavish wrote that a new set of guidelines is in fact currently being composed, and its principles are already being brought to editors’ attention. 

Gavish included in his letter the protocol of a recent top-level IBA meeting, in which took part IBA Director Moti Shklar, Ethics Committee Chairman Yuval Karniel, Television Committee Chairman Yaakov Shoham, and others.  Material submitted by Israel Media Watch regarding B’Tselem was discussed.

The participants agreed that it is their obligation to check the data of B’Tselem, and similar organizations, before publicizing it.  However, they said, it is impossible to do so in an absolute manner.  It was therefore decided that, when a given report causes harm to a third party, that “aggrieved party” must be afforded an opportunity to have its response publicized during the report in question.

It was also resolved that before recycling the report in subsequent news broadcasts, deeper checks of the data must be conducted.

JCPA vs. B'Tselem
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs published a report in October showing that B’Tselem had reported exaggerated and inaccurate numbers of dead Palestinian civilians in clashes with Israeli troops.

Yonatan D. HaLevy, author of the report, wrote that Israel’s security network “barely does anything to combat its enemies who are trying to rule the message and the data that are fed to the news outlets and to create the ‘historical truth.’” [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Daniel Pipes: Why Avigdor Lieberma Is Gaining With The Electorate?

Daniel Pipes:

The Gaza War's Impact on Israeli Electoral Politics

by Daniel Pipes
Tue, 20 Jan 2009

         

Ehud Olmert launched the Gaza attack on December 27 and Israel goes to the polls on February 10, so the fighting's electoral impact has been closely watched. At first, Ehud Barak being minister of defense and head of the Labor Party translated into gains for Labor. But as the fighting wore on, a surprise development took place, one that has potential significance for the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"Lieberman gained most from war, surveys say," writes Gil Hoffman in the Jerusalem Post, referring to Avigdor Lieberman of the Israel Beiteinu Party. Five recent polls (by Panels for the Knesset Channel 99, the Kadima Party, Israel Beiteinu, Dialog, Ma'agar Mohot) found Israel Beiteinu winning, respectively, 15, 15, 15, 14, and 13 seats, in some cases even with or leading Labor.

Why this surge in support? Israel Beiteinu officials explain that

the party's rise in support actually began before the war began on December 27, but it intensified as a result of anti-Israel demonstrations during the operation in universities and Arab towns. There were calls of "death to Israel" at the protests and the mayor of Sakhnin, who receives an NIS 27,000 [US$7,000] monthly salary from the state, said he would be "honored to be a shahid in Jerusalem."

"Such vocal protests supporting Hamas while our soldiers were in Gaza made people realize that it's stupid to give benefits to people who support terrorist groups that are trying to kill our soldiers," an Israel Beiteinu official said. "People said, ‘Enough is enough,' and only Lieberman was addressing that issue. While other leaders were out of touch on this issue, Lieberman captured the people's voice."

Avigdor Lieberman of Israel Beiteinu.

To capitalize on the anti-Arab sentiment, Israel Beiteinu's television, radio and Internet ads will highlight anti-Israel quotes from Arab MKs. Israel Beiteinu has also led the effort to ban Balad from running for Knesset.

The quote refers to the fact that Lieberman has made his name urging a tougher policy toward disloyalty among Israeli Arabs. For one example, note this report in The New York Sun on a talk he gave, when deputy prime minister in late 2006, to the Middle East Forum:

"The conflict includes not only the Arabs in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, but Israeli Arabs also," Mr. Lieberman said. "The linkage between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Arab population — it will destroy us, it is impossible. What is the logic of creating one and a half country for one people and a half country for the Jewish people?"

Mr. Lieberman spoke of requiring Israelis to sign a commitment to loyalty to the Israeli flag and to its national anthem, and of requiring service in the army or alternative national service. Citizens who refuse to sign the declaration, he said, could continue as permanent residents of Israel, working, studying, and receiving health care benefits, but they could not vote in national elections or be elected to national office. … He said he would also deny Israeli citizenship to extreme anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish groups, such as the Neturei Karta, which sent representatives to this week's Holocaust denial conference in Tehran.

Mr. Lieberman said the "close linkage" between Israeli Arabs and the Arabs of the Palestinian Authority is a result of Israeli "weakness." "If we will be more strong, more tough, they will be more loyal," he said. "They are really afraid about their future."

He defended his statement that Israeli Arab parliamentarians who went to Damascus and met with Hamas should be shot, and he said Americans would understand that position. He asked whether one could imagine an American congressman or senator going to Tora Bora during the war in Afghanistan and meeting with Osama bin Laden, then returning to a seat in Congress.

Comment: If, as seems to be the case, Lieberman's views are getting traction in Israel, this is a major development. Israeli Arabs have recently shown signs of becoming overt enemies of the Jewish state and have been recognized as such by Shin Bet (which calls Israel's Arab population a "genuine long-range danger to the Jewish character and very existence of the State of Israel."); these polls may signify that the electorate has begun to focus on this, the ultimate Arab-Israeli battleground. (January 20, 2009) [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Pioneer Camp Artek Nearing Bankruptcy

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

Soviet Pioneer Camp In Peril

January 23, 2009

Boris Novozhilov, the director-general of the once-famed Soviet pioneer camp Artek, has declared a hunger strike and appealed to the Ukrainian government for urgent action to save the vast resort from a complete collapse.
Many staff members believe that Artek has been brought to the brink of bankruptcy intentionally.
Since its inception in June 1925, a vacation at Artek was considered an honorable award for Soviet children. In its heyday the year-round Crimean camp hosted 27,000 children annually.
Its prestige wound down after the breakup of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the young pioneers' organization in 1990, but it remained a popular vacation site.
The camp has experienced financial difficulties in the past few years. Now, with the adoption by the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada of the state budget, which did not provide funding for Artek, it seems to have lost all hope for recovery.
The resort's total debt, according to the Ukrainian Audit Chamber, has reached $5 million.
Artek spokeswoman Yelena Mekh places the blame with the Ukrainian government: "The situation that has evolved as a result of failure by the state on its promises and failure to comply with several regulations, has led the [Artek] center to a situation where it faces massive job losses -- 1,100 qualified teachers who constitute the backbone of Artek."
Local Crimean authorities, backed by commercial developers, have been litigating with Artek over a few pieces of premier beach land and essential roads that the local government attempted to snatch in 2006.
Artek officials believe the resort is being forced to declare bankruptcy. "That would be a logical assumption," says Yelena Mekh. "The camp spreads across 208 hectares, which is top-grade Crimean seaside land with a high market value."

-- Russian Service/Pavel Butorin [link]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Ronald Kessler : Obama's Gitmo Windows Dressing

Newsmax:

Obama’s Terror Script Pacifies Left, But Includes Safety Clauses
Friday, January 23, 2009 3:49 PM
By: Ronald Kessler    
During President Obama’s second day on the job, he sought to appease the left wing of his party by issuing orders that appear to curtail the war on terror but actually do not.
First, he ordered that the Guantanamo Bay military prison camp be closed within a year. But Obama said he now will have to figure out what to do with the prisoners — something President Bush had been trying to do for years.
Obama supporters had claimed that countries that had refused to take the prisoners when Bush was in the White House would embrace Obama and therefore welcome the prisoners when he became president. With one or two exceptions, that has not happened.
As for sending prisoners to the United States, members of Congress with maximum security prisons in their jurisdictions are raising objections to shipping in terrorists. If a home cannot be found for them within a year, Obama will simply extend his order.
Second, Obama said interrogations now must be conducted under conditions imposed in the U.S. Army Field Manual, meaning that no coercive interrogation can be used. But again Obama equivocated, saying that an interagency commission would look into whether other interrogation tactics should be used when nonmilitary agencies such as the CIA question terrorists. Such exceptions probably would appear in classified form.
Moreover, if the CIA believed a terrorist had information about a plot to wipe out New York and Washington with a nuclear device, you can be sure that Obama would override his own order and permit coercive interrogation, including waterboarding, to avert a disaster. Obama is no fool, and since he has been receiving daily intelligence briefings, the president has gotten a dose of reality about the threats we face.
Third, Obama said the CIA no longer would be allowed to operate secret prisons. Guess what? With the transfer of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other top terrorists to Guantanamo, the CIA closed its secret prisons years ago.
For all the criticism of the detention facility, the fact is that Guantanamo detainees receive more privileges than U.S. citizens receive in American prisons. Maj. Kyndra Rotunda, a former military lawyer assigned to Gitmo, tells Newsmax that Australian Taliban member David Hicks demanded — and received — an $800 Brooks Brothers suit to wear in court. Despite the spiffy suit courtesy of U.S. taxpayers, Hicks was convicted.
Another detainee was offered his freedom but responded by saying, “No, thanks.” The detainee said the weather was not very nice in his country then, and he’d rather be released in the spring. [read more]

posted by: jrtelegraph

Natan Sharansky: How To Rebuild Gaza

Bloomberg:

Obama, West Can Help Gaza by Passing Up Hamas: Natan Sharansky

Commentary by Natan Sharansky
Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- With the end of full-scale fighting in Gaza, all eyes will turn to rebuilding. We can and should expect that the U.S., Europe, Israel and the Arab states will, not too long from now, start pouring billions of dollars into construction, investment in business, education, energy and other projects in the Gaza Strip.
The rebuilding of Gaza is one of the most important foreign- policy challenges facing President Barack Obama in his first 100 days in office. His goal, along with that of other interested parties, should be nothing less than creating a viable and peaceful life for the Palestinian people.
But how is this to be achieved?
The most important principle is recognizing that whoever is in charge of receiving and distributing these funds will determine the future of Palestinian life in Gaza. Whoever is in charge of the reconstruction will hold the keys to power there for the foreseeable future.
Obviously, this job can’t be entrusted to Hamas. By giving it authority over reconstruction, we would be guaranteeing that the funds would go not to Palestinians’ actual welfare, but to rebuilding Hamas’s arsenal and re-asserting its grip over Palestinian life, all with the stated aim of destroying Israel -- just as Lebanese reconstruction after the 2006 war ended up strengthening Hezbollah and letting it rearm.
Israel has achieved its successes by reaching agreements with Egypt, the U.S., and Europe, while ignoring Hamas. Hamas had no role in ending the war; it should have no role in building the peace.

Reduced Power
Right now, Hamas’s rule over Gaza is at an unprecedented low. In addition to its devastated military capability, it has lost the stranglehold over a Palestinian population that has come to understand the direct link between their suffering and the policies of their regime.
At this moment, we should do everything in our power to deepen Hamas’s political isolation rather than relieve it. This means working not with Hamas, but with the Palestinian Authority, to create a new political reality on the ground. But as far as reconstruction is concerned, the PA can’t be the answer, either. The Palestinian Authority is, simply, far too corrupt.
For years after the PA was established under Yasser Arafat, the West accepted his insatiable appetite for graft and racketeering as a necessary evil for maintaining power.

Rampant Corruption
As a minister of Industry and Trade in the Israeli government involved in numerous efforts to help promote the Palestinian economy, I saw this corruption first-hand: Public money was routinely funneled into private accounts; joint economic ventures were agreed to only on condition that they directly benefited the family businesses of PA leaders; and joint industrial zones had to be kept entirely under the control of the PA because, as it turned out, all Palestinian employees were being forced to give up a significant part of their salaries as kickbacks to bureaucrats.
The result wasn’t merely the funneling of hundreds of millions of Western dollars away from the daily needs of Palestinians into the coffers of Arafat and his cronies, but ultimately the rise of Hamas: Hamas was elected, after all, because of popular backlash against the PA’s corruption.

New Regime
The only way to give real hope to the Palestinians in Gaza is through the creation of an international body that consists of the U.S., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the European states -- a structure whose first order of business should be to establish a mechanism for making sure that every project contributes directly to Palestinian life, not politics.
No longer can the refugee camps be centers of misery and fanatical indoctrination; no longer can the industrial zones and private businesses be hijacked for the comfort of the ruling elites and their families.
In other words: If the new Gaza regime isn’t built on real standards of transparency and accountability, then all these billions will be an investment not in peace, but in perpetuating the misery of Palestinians -- and in the inevitable next round of conflict. But if such a mechanism can be made to work, we may yet see a better day for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

(Natan Sharansky is chairman of the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies, a former Deputy Prime Minister and author of the recently published Defending Identity by Public Affairs.)

To contact the author of this column: Natan Sharansky at natans@shalem.org.il

posted by: jrtelegraph

Russian Jews: Supporting Spirit of IDF Fighters

JRT Public service announcement:

RJCF Partnered with Zionist House to Support an exciting and timely program run by the Friends of the IDF:

Supporting Spirit of IDF Fighters

“My battalion spends a lot of time in the Gaza Strip-the pressure is unbelievable! When you have a chance to get some rest and relaxation, you find yourself smiling and even laughing. Your spirits are lifted!” -Jeremy, Staff Sergeant with the Givati Brigade

The SPIRIT Program is an exciting program launched by the FIDF focusing on the personal well-being of Israel’s combat battalions and units. Combat soldiers spend a week of rest and relaxation at facilities built by FIDF. Experience has shown that as little as one week of physical and emotional renewal in a care-free environment is critical for maintaining morale. The SPIRIT program also reminds soldiers that their heroic hard work and sacrifices are appreciated. Over 13,500 soldiers benefited from the SPIRIT Program in 2007.

The SPIRIT program’s state-of-the-art rest and recreation centers were built by FIDF specifically with many of the amenities these young soldiers enjoy. They include:

• All-inclusive meals and snacks
• Air-conditioned rooms with cable TV
• Swimming pools and saunas
• Interactive games and dance halls
• Internet rooms
• Movie theatres
• Sports courts and equipment
• State of the art auditorium
• Entertainment crews throughout the day
• Nightly entertainment by popular Israeli artists

Please write in the note section: Spirit program. Click to DONATE

All RJCF donations to this program will be matched DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR by Zionist House

posted by: jrtelegraph