By Daniel Pipes
Startling developments in Gaza highlight the need for a change in Western policy toward this troubled territory of 1.3 million persons. Gaza's contemporary history began in 1948, when Egyptian forces overran the British-controlled area and Cairo sponsored the nominal "All-Palestine Government" while de facto ruling the territory as a protectorate. That arrangement ended in 1967, when the Israeli leadership defensively took control of Gaza, reluctantly inheriting a densely populated, poor, and hostile territory. Nonetheless, for twenty years Gazans largely acquiesced to Israeli rule. Only with the intifada beginning in 1987 did Gazans assert themselves; its violence and political costs convinced Israelis to open a diplomatic process that culminated with the Oslo accords of 1993. The Gaza-Jericho Agreement of 1994 then off-loaded the territory to Yasir Arafat's Fatah. Those agreements were supposed to bring stability and prosperity to Gaza. Returning businessmen would jump-start the economy. The Palestinian Authority would repress Islamists and suppress terrorists. Yasir Arafat proclaimed he would "build a Singapore" there, actually an apt comparison, for independent Singapore began inauspiciously in 1965, poor and ethnically conflict-ridden. Of course, Arafat was no Lee Kuan Yew. Gazan conditions deteriorated and Islamists, far from being shut out, rose to power: Hamas won the 2006 elections and in 2007 seized full control of Gaza. The economy shrunk. Rather than stop terrorism, Fatah joined in. Gazans began launching rockets over the border in 2002, increasing their frequency, range, and deadliness with time, eventually rendering the Israeli town of Sderot nearly uninhabitableFaced with a lethal Gaza, the Israeli government of Ehud Olmert decided to isolate it, hoping that economic hardship would cause Gazans to blame Hamas and turn against it. To an extent, the squeeze worked, for Hamas' popularity did fall. The Israelis also conducted raids against terrorists to stop the rocket attacks. Still, the assaults continued; so, on January 17, the Israelis escalated by cutting fuel deliveries and closing the borders. "As far as I'm concerned," Olmert announced, "Gaza residents will walk, without gas for their cars, because they have a murderous, terrorist regime that doesn't let people in southern Israel live in peace." That sounded reasonable but the press reported heart-rending stories about Gazans suffering and dying due to the cutoffs that immediately swamped the Israeli position. Appeals and denunciations from around the world demanded that Israelis ease up. Then, on January 23, Hamas took matters into its own hands with a clever surprise tactic: after months of preparation, it pulled down large segments of the 12-km long, 13-meter high border wall separating Gaza from Egypt, simultaneously winning goodwill from Gazans and dragging Cairo into the picture. Politically, Egyptian authorities had no choice but uneasily to absorb 38 wounded border guards and permit hundreds of thousands of persons temporarily to enter the far northeast of their country. Israelis had brought themselves to this completely avoidable predicament through incompetence - signing bad agreements, turning Gaza over to the thug Arafat, expelling their own citizens, permitting premature elections, acquiescing to the Hamas conquest, and abandoning control of Gaza's western border. What might Western states now do? The border breaching, ironically, offers an opportunity to clean up a mess. Washington and other capitals should declare the experiment in Gazan self-rule a failure and press President Husni Mubarak of Egypt to help, perhaps providing Gaza with additional land or even annexing it as a province. This would revert to the situation of 1948-67, except this time Cairo would not keep Gaza at arm's length but take responsibility for it. Culturally, this connection is a natural: Gazans speak a colloquial Arabic identical to the Egyptians of Sinai, have more family ties to Egypt than to the West Bank, and are economically more tied to Egypt (recall the many smugglers' tunnels). Further, Hamas derives from an Egyptian organization, the Muslim Brethren. As David Warren of the Ottawa Citizen notes, calling Gazans "Palestinians" is less accurate than politically correct. Why not formalize the Egyptian connection? Among other benefits, this would (1) end the rocket fire against Israel, (2) expose the superficiality of Palestinian nationalism, an ideology under a century old, and perhaps (3) break the Arab-Israeli logjam. It's hard to divine what benefit American taxpayers have received for the US$65 billion they have lavished on Egypt since 1948; but Egypt's absorbing Gaza might justify their continuing to shell out $1.8 billion a year.

Original Source 
 
 

By Amos Harel,
Senior officers in the Israel Defense Forces have characterized the Winograd Committee's findings on the army's performance in the Second Lebanon War as "nothing less than an earthquake."
The IDF chief of staff is taking action to implement the final report's recommendations, while the military advocate general has announced that the report does not require delaying the advancement of officers involved in the war.
ther officers say the committee "went overboard" on some issues and that many of the problems cited in the final report have already been fixed.
"The committee members know full well what went wrong in the army," one senior officer told Haaretz. "It will take two or three years to repair the damage caused by the war to the IDF and the impression the report made on the public. We'll have to work hard."
According to him, "While it's true that some of the faults have been fixed since the war, the report says bigger changes are needed. Maybe the situation in the army was worse than we thought, certainly when it came to maintaining values."
The officers say IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has identified the erosion of the principles of ...   more »

By Colette Avital  
Tags: Israel, Jewish Agency
Since its inception in 1929, the Jewish Agency has played a crucial role, first, in the creation, and later, in the development, of the State of Israel. After statehood was declared in 1948, the Agency spearheaded the ingathering of Jewish immigrants, and it has played a crucial role in the physical building-up of the country and the galvanizing of its identity. The contribution of the Jewish Agency to the strengthening of Israel, to Jewish education and to our ties with Diaspora Jews has been immeasurable.
In recent years, the Agency has continued to demonstrate to both the Israeli public and to Jews the world over that it still has a vital role to play. Its performance in times of crisis made it the object of admiration. For the Jewish Agency is, by definition, a global partnership between the Jews of the world and those living in Israel: between the World Zionist Organization, the United Israel Appeal (UIA), the United Jewish Communities (UJC) and Keren Hayesod. The various bodies and individuals comprising the Agency's leadership are meant to ensure a wide representation of Jews the world over. These, in turn, coordinate their actions with ...   more »

 By Nadav Shragai,Israel says it is suspending the construction of a neighborhood in the Givat Ze'ev settlement north of Jerusalem, contrary to the prime minister's promise to Shas leader Eli Yishai that there would be no construction freeze in the greater Jerusalem area. The state advised the Jerusalem District Court a few days ago that it would not approve the continued building of the Givat Ze'ev neighborhood. It cited instructions from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to halt construction in West Bank settlements.  
wo weeks ago, Olmert refused to authorize the completion of a new neighborhood in Ma'aleh Adumim. The Housing Ministry and Israel Lands Administration (ILA) started marketing lots for the 600 housing units in Givat Ze'ev's Agan Ayalot neighborhood in 1999, but stopped near the end of 2000 after the eruption of the second intifada. The contractors who had won tenders and paid tens of millions of shekels in development costs and payment guarantees sued the state for breach of contract, demanding to void the deal. But the state has refused to do so in court debates in recent years. A few weeks ago a state representative told the Jerusalem District Court that "the ...   more »

Caught after borrowing offending writing instrument from father
By Bob Unruh
A student has been threatened with a 3-day suspension from school for bringing to campus, and using, a pen with the corporate logo of the Glock company, a large stylized "G" with the letters "lock" inside.
Cooler heads eventually prevailed, and the father reports that he was successful in convincing the school officials to not only withdraw the threat, but also the formal reprimand that already had been placed in his son's educational file.
However, WND previously has reported on a student who was punished for advocating for gun rights, as well as yet another student who was punished for a sketch of a gun. And the newest incident raised concerns among bloggers and participants in web forums.
"Didn't (sic) Ford and GM build guns during WWII… Those products should not be around children, for there (sic) own safety. All teachers with a ford or GM car should have their illegal property crushed today…," wrote "jhud" on one forum. "Also the word springfield, and the numbers .22, .223, .32, .38, .40, .45, 5.56, 7.62, .50, .44 45-70, .450 etc and any math problem with the numbers involved. Also, we ...   more »

 Commission on National Guard cites troop, equipment, training shortages
WASHINGTON - The U.S. military isn't ready for a catastrophic attack on the country, and National Guard forces don't have the equipment or training they need for the job, a commission charged by Congress reported Thursday.
Even fewer Army National Guard units are combat-ready today than were nearly a year ago when the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves determined that 88 percent of the units were not prepared for the fight, the panel said in its report.
The independent commission is charged by Congress to recommend changes in law and policy concerning the Guard and Reserves.
The commission's 400-page report concludes that the nation "does not have sufficient trained, ready forces available" to respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear weapons incident," an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk."
"Right now we don't have the forces we need, we don't have them trained, we don't have the equipment," commission Chairman Arnold Punaro said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Even though there is a lot going on in this area, we need to do a lot more. ... There's a lot of ...   more »

February 1, 2008, 6:43 am Link to This E-mail this Topics Mergers & Acquisitions, Microsoft's Yahoo BidIndustries TechnologyMicrosoft said Friday that it would offer $44.6 billion for Yahoo, the ailing search giant. The surprise offer of $31 a share represents a 62 percent premium to Thursday’s closing share price. Yahoo shareholders could elect to receive either cash or stock.
The proposed acquisition, the largest ever by Microsoft, would give some relief to Yahoo’s long-suffering shareholders, who have seen the company’s stock slide nearly 32 percent this year. It would also create the most formidable competitor yet for Google, the search engine giant.
“This proposal represents a compelling value realization event for your shareholders,” Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, said in a letter to Yahoo’s board sent Thursday.
Rumors had long persisted that Microsoft might make a bid for the company. In its letter, Microsoft said that the two had held talks early last year, exploring a range of collaborative efforts up to and including a merger. But Yahoo had rebuffed a takeover proposal.
Microsoft’s announcement was unsolicited and its premium unusually high, marking it as an aggressive bid that could turn hostile. Shares in Yahoo jumped nearly 59 percent ...   more »

Farmers want the government to renegotiate the 1994 free trade agreement
Farmers: Mexican products are undermined by subsidized U.S., Canadian grains
Pleas have fallen on deaf ears in the Mexican government, farmers say
Mexican officials: Grain prices have been stable in January
From Harris Whitbeck
CNN
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Hundreds of thousands of farmers clogged central Mexico City Thursday with their slow-moving tractors, protesting the entry of cheap imported corn from the United States and Canada.
On January 1 Mexico repealed all tariffs on corn imported from north of the border as part of a 14-year phaseout under the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.
The farmers want the government to renegotiate the 1994 free trade agreement, which removed most trade barriers among Mexico, Canada, and the United States, saying livelihoods are at stake.
"NAFTA is very bad, very bad for Mexican consumers and for Mexican producers," said Victor Quintana, head of Democratic Farmers Front, which organized the protest.
The farmers complain that U.S. and Canadian grains are heavily subsidized and therefore undermine Mexican products.
"The NAFTA agreement is in place and that's that," said farmer Armando del Valle. "But all producers should be under equal conditions, ...   more »

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States said Monday it was "troubling" that China's weapons systems capability exceeded the level Beijing defined as necessary for self-defence.
The head of the US armed forces in the Asia-Pacific, Admiral Timothy Keating, said he was told by Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing that its so-called "area denial weapons" were "to protect those things that are ours".
But he said, "we find it troubling that the capabilities of some of these weapons systems would tend to exceed our own expectations for protecting those things that are 'ours'".
Keating said the United States had "intelligence that reinforces my opinion that China is developing, fielding and has in place weapons that could be characterized as having, amongst perhaps other purposes, an ability to restrict movement in and around certain areas on the sea, in the air or under the sea.
"I'll go back to the point we made a couple of times already -- that we understood PRC (China's) intentions, not just their transparency, not just the fact that these weapons exist. We know they exist," he said.
"It's why are they being fielded," Keating asked, speaking at a Washington forum of the US-based Asia ...   more »

Now lawmaker suggests 'om' opens door for prayers 'in Jesus name'
By Bob Unruh
Hindu cleric Rajan Zed turns toward protester as he prepares to open U.S. Senate with prayer (CNN)
A Nevada Hindu who has opened the U.S. Senate with a faith-specific chant now has provided the invocation to open the state senate in Colorado, and a senator is suggesting since "om" has been cited, perhaps prayers "in Jesus name" again should be allowed.
The comments came after Rajan Zed, a Hindu from Reno who is making a series of appearances at state legislatures to promote Hinduism, was allowed to open the Colorado Senate, under the leadership of Senate President Peter Groff, with a Hindu chant of the "om" syllable that, according to his belief system, contains the universe.
Zed also recited the Gayatri Mantra from Rig-Veda, a prayer asking for help to "lead me from the unreal to the real."
Zed was the Hindu who last year was invited by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to offer the first Hindu prayer in the U.S. Senate.  
At that time, David Barton, president of WallBuilders, a foundation that researches and promotes the Christian origination of American law ...   more »

By Bob Unruh
A major credit card company has issued a letter to a gun dealer canceling his payment processing services because of corporate concerns firearms were being sold to consumers in other states, in "a non face-to-face environment." Now the move has raised the ire of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
"Your anti-gun corporate policy is based on ignorance of the law applicable to the sale of firearms," the NSSF wrote in response to the action taken by First Data Corp., which operates Citi Merchant Services.
"It is perfectly legal, in fact commonplace, for a federal firearms licensee in one state to sell a firearm to a non-licensee (consumer) from another state," the foundation continued. "What you fail to appreciate is that the firearm is not shipped in interstate commerce directly to the consumer. Rather, as required by federal law, the firearm is shipped by the selling licensee to another federal firearms licensee in the state of residence of the consumer … The consumer acquires the firearm from that licensed dealer in a face-to-face transaction…."
(Story continues below)
The issue arose when Citi Merchant Services, in a letter signed by June Rivera-Mantilla in the "Periodic Review" department, informed CDNN ...   more »