By Gerald A. Honigman
MichNews.com
As I was walking my two-year old Chocolate Labrador Retriever, Tess (Contessa for you royals out there), along the ocean this morning, I found myself daydreaming. Not being able to fish today, I just admired the clear, calm ocean and felt sorry for myself for having my son, Jonathan, and my fishing trip cut short by rain the other day. I don’t get the boat out often…yet we do need the rain (but why then!?!?)Well, in a semi-trance brought on by Mother Nature, I started to think “what ifs?” as Tessa took me for a walk. Like many Labs, she flunked out of obedience school.So, here’s the picture generated by my neurons on this Florida summer day…
Israel carried out new elections later this summer. Olmert and his pathetic crew have been given the boot, and a mixture of old and new faces have come to the fore. A depressed Israeli public, thirsting for peace and tiring of war, finally woke up in August and realized that both parties in a conflict must want peace for it to occur. The painful truth--obvious to some, but avoided by too many others--finally sunk in: The only long-term “peace” their Arab enemies have in mind for Israel is the peace of the grave. Makes no difference whether it’s the State Department’s alleged Arafatian Fatah good cops or Hamas bad cops.Olmert’s opposition ran away with the election.The day after taking office, the new Israeli Prime Minister made a phone call to Fatah’s Abbas. Olmert, pressured by the American President, and Secretary Rice and her Foggy Folks, had released hundreds of millions of dollars in tax funds, eased security restrictions, and so forth to prop up Abbas in the wake of Hamas’ Gaza victory. Abbas and his staff were now called to a meeting with the new Israeli leadership.Previous, concrete, one-sided concessions by Israel in return for Fatah’s promises had only led to the shedding of more Jewish blood--and Arabs laughing at the Jews falling for their Trojan Horse and destruction in stages traps due to pressure from, ironically, their American best friends.But, those days were now gone. Baruch HaShem.

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