President Biden, like it or not, is in Israel. Israelis on
the left are thrilled. To prove it, Peace Now hung a massive
PLO flag on the side of a Tel Aviv building to welcome the President.
Israelis on the right, far from welcoming the President, are gritting their
teeth at the anticipated challenges to Israel’s sovereignty, and the
concessions that are sure to be demanded of Israel, alone.
The views of the Israeli left and right, in this regard, are
in diametric opposition. One wing, the left, wants the American president to
force Israel to give the Arabs everything they want. Money, land, a state. They
want Biden to demand that Israel stop
building Jewish homes.
The Israeli right, on the other hand, wishes the American
president would mind his own business and leave us alone. Don’t patronize us.
Don’t tell us what we can and cannot do.
The right is jealous for Israel’s right to make its own
decisions on matters of national importance like any other sovereign nation. We
don’t like being squeezed for concessions, we don’t like being forced to give
succor to despotic Arab regimes that incite their people to cut down Jews in
the streets of the Jewish State. It sticks in our collective craw.
The right, moreover, perceives a profound insult in the way these
presidential visits tend to manifest. They see a disturbing pattern to the
visits in which Israel is threatened, abused, and extorted. Israel is treated
like the enemy, and told to jump when Abbas, the architect of the murder of so
many Jews, says jump.
The PA, meanwhile, is treated with indulgent presidential
paternalism. America has always told the Arabs, albeit in diplomatic code, “You’re
Arabs. Of course you can’t help murdering Jews. We understand. We’ll get you
some of their land, give you some more money, and you’ll calm down for a bit.” *Cue
the presidential wink and backslap*
Whether right, left, or Arab, on one thing we all agree: all
of us know by now that a president’s visit means monumental traffic snarls, in
particular along the narrow streets of Jerusalem. According to general
consensus, until Biden leaves the country, one might as well cancel all
appointments and stay
home.
Of course there are worse things than traffic, for instance,
terror attacks. Arabs generally attempt to murder Jews whenever a president or
even a vice president visits Israel. It happened when George W. Bush came to
Israel in January 2011. From the Meir Amit Intelligence and
Terrorism Information Center:
1. On the morning of Tuesday, January 8, the remains and fragments of two rockets were found in the Western Galilee town of Shlomi. Investigation showed them to be two 107-mm rockets fired from Lebanon during the night.
2. In the early afternoon of the same day, a roadside bombing targeted a vehicle traveling on a road to the north of Sidon. Two soldiers belonging to the Irish contingent of the peacekeeping force were wounded as a result.
It happened when Obama visited Israel. A terrorist took it
in his head to ram Jewish civilians with a backhoe, right near Obama’s hotel.
It happened when Biden was vice president. From Time
Magazine:
A Palestinian attacker went on a stabbing rampage, killing an American student and tourist and wounding nine others before being shot by police, according to officials. The bloody attack unfolded in the ancient Mediterranean coastal port city of Jaffa, which joins Tel Aviv—a mixed Arab and Jewish area—and came soon after two other serious attacks across Israel in a little under two hours.
On Tuesday evening, as Biden was at the Peres Centre for Peace in Jaffa, a Palestinian man ran down the seaside promenade, stabbing and wounding three people, before fleeing and carrying out stabbings in two other places, wounding another seven people. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the attacker, 22-year-old Bashar Masalha, from Auja, near Qalqilyah in the West Bank, was shot dead. Israeli police also confirmed the 29-year-old American student and tourist—identified as Vanderbilt University student Taylor Force—had died of his wounds on his way to hospital in Tel Aviv. The Israeli news website Ynet reported that his wife was also critically wounded.
The stabbings in and around Jaffa, came on a violent day when four other people were killed—three Palestinian attackers and a 50-year-old Palestinian woman who Israeli police say intended to carry out a stabbing attack. The day is one of the worst in a five-month wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, in which 30 Israelis and nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed, two-thirds of which Israeli officials say were killed while carrying or attempting to carry out attacks.
Less than two hours before the attack in Jaffa, a Palestinian man on a motorbike opened fire on two Israeli border police on a main shopping street in East Jerusalem, wounding them both, before he was shot and killed in turn. Within minutes of this attack, another Palestinian man stabbed an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man in the neck in Petah Tikvah, near Tel Aviv. The man removed the knife from his neck and used it to stab and kill his attacker, Israeli television media reported.
You would think that terrorists would think twice before
committing violent acts in the run-up or even during an American president’s visit
to Israel. After all, the Arabs stand to gain from such visits, which always
end with largesse for the PA and concessions from Israel. Why risk such
concessions by behaving in a manner not conducive to reward? It seems
illogical.
Logic, however, never applies when it comes to Israel and
the Jews. The terrorists, with encouragement by the PA, believe that if they target
Jews with violent acts of terror, the president will force Israel to make
concessions. Unfortunately, they’re right. That’s exactly what happens. Every
single time.
This is a tragic dynamic that should not exist: Arab
violence followed by Israeli concessions. Why should Israel reward terror?
Because a third party demands it, in this case the American president.
To the Israeli right, this makes no sense. It makes us
chafe. Common sense says we should give no concessions to terrorists. To the
contrary, terrorists and regimes that legitimate and foment terror, for example
the PA, should be punished, their aid slashed. They should be shunned, treated
not as desperados, but as the antisemites and murderers they are.
President Biden, of course, has already shown his disdain
for the Jews, and his approval of the despotic Arab regime that attacks them.
The President’s itinerary includes a visit
to an Arab hospital on the Mount
of Olives, the first time an American president has visited an institution
in “East” Jerusalem. The hospital visit sends the message that Biden does not
recognize Israel’s sovereignty over a united Jerusalem, and is rolling back Trump’s
recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. There was even a
diplomatic kerfuffle over whether an Israeli security detail or perhaps even a minor
official from the Ministry of Health would be allowed to accompany the
President’s entourage. Underscoring the intent of Biden’s hospital visit, the
President will announce his intention to give $100m
to “Palestinian” hospitals—this during a time of rising US inflation—to show
American support for the people responsible for spilling so much Jewish blood. This,
after he had already restored approximately $500 million in aid to the “Palestinian”
people.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was pleased to remind us of this support for the people who murder Jews in his July 11 press conference, in which he also, remarkably, attributed a Hamas ceasefire to Biden: “Under President Biden’s leadership, we helped end the war in Gaza, which easily could have lasted months, in just 11 days.”
How has Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
responded to American expressions of support for his people? Abbas’ response to
Biden’s cash gift is to demand even more. He wants Biden to abolish the Taylor
Force Act that put an end to US economic aid for the PA until such time as it ceases
paying salaries to terrorists and their families, otherwise known as Pay for
Slay. Abbas not only demands these things, but doubles down on his support for terror
by raising the salaries of hundreds
of terrorists.
The PA, in fact, has issued a long list of demands from the
Biden administration, accompanied by threats, including more terror attacks on
Jews. From MEMRI:
The Palestinian leadership, headed by President Mahmoud 'Abbas, clearly articulated what it expected the visit to yield – namely the fulfilment of a series of commitments they claim Biden made them during his election campaign and since the start of his presidency. Chief of these demands are: the removal of the PLO from the Congress list of terror organizations; the reopening of the PLO representation in Washington, which was shut down by the previous administration; the reopening of the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem, which served as the U.S. representation to the PA until it was closed upon the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital; the renewal of the U.S. financial aid to the PA, halted in August 2018 by president Trump; exerting significant pressure on Israel to halt what the Palestinian leadership refers to as Israel's unilateral settlement activities in the West Bank, its attempts to change the status quo in East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and the escalation of its actions against the Palestinians; a reiteration of the U.S. commitment to the two-state solution, and serious action towards renewing the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel . . .
. . . Fatah Revolutionary Council member and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida columnist Muwaffaq Matar [warned] that, in the current situation, there are only two options: Biden's visit will either restart the political process, or it will lead to consequences that the Israelis cannot imagine, and the U.S. administration will be responsible for this. He wrote: "The U.S. administration will have to bear the consequences for the fact that we [Palestinians] have only two options, and no third option: either a breakthrough in a peace process based on the UN resolutions – which must begin with practical measures and by exerting pressure on the occupation, settlement and apartheid state, i.e., the state of Israel… – or else the second option, which will [dire] beyond the expectations of the experts and strategic analysts of the Israeli occupation and its supporters…"
In other words, if Biden doesn’t give us what we want, we
will kill Jews.
Abbas need not worry. Biden looks with favor upon many of
these demands. The American president is, for example, reportedly mulling over
a demand that Israel stop building homes for Jews in Judea and Samaria: the
ever popular building
freeze that so delights the Arab people, who want these territories handed
over to them Judenrein. Anticipating this demand, and wanting to please the US
president, Lapid, according to the Jewish
Press, “ordered the removal of two plans from the Jerusalem District
Planning and Building Committee agenda,” which would have created “a total of
2,000 new housing units in Jewish neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem.”
Alas, Lapid was thwarted in his desire to earn the affection
of the Biden administration. Ayelet
Shaked, Israel’s Interior Minister, countermanded the order. “I will not
allow harm to construction plans for Jews only on my watch,” said Shaked in a
statement. “So, I decided to postpone all of the plans, by a week.”
Again, not to worry. Lapid has other ways to kiss up to
Biden. Lapid, in tandem with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, plan to give Biden
the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, an award not dissimilar from giving
Obama a Nobel Peace Prize, before he even stepped foot in the White House. From
Arutz Sheva:
“This award makes no sense. A ‘true friend of Israel’ and fighter against antisemitism would not pursue the numerous policies undermining Israel’s sovereignty and security that President Biden and his administration are pursuing, including 100’s of millions of U.S. tax dollars financially aiding and abetting Palestinian Arab terror against Jews,” said ZOA National President Morton A. Klein and Director of Research & Special Projects Liz Berney in a statement.
“Nor would ‘a true friend of Israel’ take advantage of Israel’s caretaker government to make visits, as Biden is doing, to symbolic Palestinian Authority institutions in eastern Jerusalem. Former Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon noted that these Biden visits are unprecedented and were ‘created to pave the way for the U.S. administration to challenge Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem,’” they added.
“Biden bragged about giving $500 million of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Arabs – and is planning to announce an additional aid package for Palestinian Arab facilities on his upcoming trip to Israel. This funding for Palestinian Arab government functions aids and abets terror by freeing up the $400 million per year that the Palestinian Authority spends on substantial lifetime pensions to reward Arab terrorists for murdering Jews and Americans. (The more Jews murdered, the higher the PA reward.) Biden is blatantly violating and/or circumventing the Taylor Force Act. The Biden administration’s indirect funding of these heinous PA payments needs to end.”
“In addition,” said ZOA, “Biden restored funding to UNRWA – which hides Hamas rockets in its schools, employs Hamas terrorists, and teaches children to murder Jews. UNRWA textbooks currently used throughout both Gaza and the Palestinian Authority teach students to die as a martyr by killing Israelis.”
“Outrageously, Biden and his administration (including Secretary Blinken and Ambassador Nides) condemn Jews for building homes in the lawful Jewish homelands in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria while saying nothing about massive illegal Arab building. It’s time for the Biden administration to end these blatant antisemitic attacks on Jews’ rights to live in the Jewish homeland,” said Klein and Berney.
“Biden has attacked Jews for living in the Jewish homeland throughout his political career. In 1982, then-Senator Biden threatened then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting to cut aid to Israel if Israel refused to agree to Biden’s demands to stop Jews from living in Judea/Samaria. PM Begin famously responded: ‘Don’t threaten us with cutting off your aid. It will not work. I am not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid.’”
“But now, Lapid and Isaac Herzog are responding to Biden’s lifelong anti-Jewish policies by giving Biden and award! Where is their pride?” said Klein and Berney.
It’s great to have this support from American Zionists. But
where are the Israeli Zionists in all of this? Why aren’t we hearing their
voices? Because the Israeli government has squelched its attempts to speak out.
From the Jewish
Press:
Israel Police denied a request submitted by a group of nationalist organizations to protest President Joe Biden’s visit to eastern Jerusalem later this week. The Regavim movement responded, saying, “Lapid agrees that eastern Jerusalem is not part of Israel’s capital.”
Ahead of Biden’s visit, and in response to reports that Israel will allow the presidential delegation to visit eastern Jerusalem without official coordination with or an escort by the Israeli government, the Zionist organizations Regavim, The Sovereignty Movement, Im Tirtzu, The Bithonistim, Ad Kan, and ZOA submitted a permit request to the Police for a protest vigil along the route of Biden’s entourage, “to clearly demonstrate the Zionist view on Israeli sovereignty over its unified capital, and to sound the alarm against the government’s failure to express the basic Zionist principle of Jerusalem as the undivided, eternal capital of the sovereign State of Israel. “
Israel Police denied the permit request, claiming that all roads along the route to the proposed demonstration site would be closed during the presidential visit. In a Police Regional Headquarters hearing of the request Monday morning, two alternatives were proposed: the demonstration could go ahead at the location in question only after President Biden concluded his visit or the organizations may seek a permit for an alternative location, away from the route of the visit altogether.
The Zionist organizations expressed their anger and frustration, arguing that the alternatives do not permit them to express their legitimate Zionist position appropriately. The only alternative they agreed to would allow them to express their political views in eastern Jerusalem during Biden’s visit.
If the police persist in denying them their right of free speech, the Zionist groups plan to seek relief from the High Court of Justice.
Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim, said: “This is nothing short of a complete breakdown of the system. The Israeli government gave in and allows the visit, thus is re-dividing our capital – in violation of both US and Israeli laws. This is an outrageous capitulation and we demand the right to express our objection with our presence in Israel’s united capital. If the police denies us this right, we will appeal to the High Court of Justice.”
The Israeli right is tired of having its rights trampled not
only by Biden and his handlers, but by the Israeli leadership. It doesn’t seem
to matter whether our leaders are to the left, right, or center, the resultant
kowtowing to American druthers is the same. It doesn’t matter whom we vote for,
or what we do. They stop us from building homes in our indigenous territory,
and they offer incentives to the people who want to kill us, rather than live
with us in peace on Jewish land.
All that is left, it seems is our undying hope. Hope for an
Israeli leader with cajones, and hope
for another American president who understands our rights in the region, a
president who is unafraid of withdrawing support for Arab terror, and most of
all, a president with creative new ideas for bringing peace to our region.
As long as in the heart within,
The Jewish soul yearns,
And toward the eastern edges, onward,
An eye gazes toward Zion.
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope that is two-thousand years old,
To be a free nation in our land,
The Land of Zion and Jerusalem.*
*Translation of Hatikvah, the Israeli anthem, lyrics composed by Naftali Herz Imber, circa 1878.
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