Heralding Israel's heritage - The nation must defend its his
ogre1213
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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinio ... 3769.story
Heralding Israel's heritage
The nation must defend its historical ties to the land against those who deny them
By Aron U. Raskas
March 5, 2010
Jerusalem - JERUSALEM--The Israeli government adds two culturally rich, millennium-old historic sites to a list of national treasures, and riots break out, followed by international condemnation. Yet, it is precisely this cynical, albeit predictable, response that demonstrates why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was right to add the Tomb of Rachel and the Cave of the Jewish Patriarchs and Matriarchs to Israel's National Heritage Sites.
There is no nation with firmer roots in a land than the Jewish people in the greater land of Israel. Yet, that great heritage has been under assault by Arab protagonists and their pusillanimous patrons for the longest time, and this has intensified in recent years.
As the Arab people began to recognize their inability to defeat the Jewish people on the battlefield, they began to cleverly craft a strategy of burying Israel's legacy in the arena of world opinion. This strategy seeks to eradicate the Jewish connection to the land and erode the support for Israel's legitimacy and very existence. Indeed, the increasingly global campaign to delegitimize Israel has been bolstered significantly by the reticence of past Israeli governments and other Jewish opinion leaders to assert the great Jewish legacy in this land.
The arrogation to itself of the "Palestinian" mantle was the first formidable success for the Arab population that shared with the Jewish people the land that came to be known as Palestine. Likewise, 50 years ago, there was nary a reference to a "West Bank" until that term was introduced by Palestinian Arab propagandists to eliminate further references to the time-honored titles of Judea and Samaria, as the land had been routinely referred to in maps, travel guides, newspapers and even U.N. resolutions.
The continuing threats and acts of violence each time Israel seeks to take a step that reflects its great historic ties to the land are specifically calculated to deter just such steps. Thus, the true reason for the 1996 Arab riots was to prevent Israel from opening a Herodian Tunnel that demonstrated to the world that the Jewish Temple reached well into what has only in more modern times been referred to as the Muslim Quarter. This too was the basis for riots in 2000, when Ariel Sharon dared to walk on the Temple Mount, also known as the Haram al-Sharif, and assert the inalienable right of Jewish people to cleave to that holiest of sites.
In a similar fashion, Palestinian Arabs have sought to eradicate signs of Jewish heritage throughout the land. Brutal excavations on the Temple Mount by the Islamic Waqf destroyed Jewish archaeological treasures of great significance. Likewise, as Israel relinquished control of territories to the Palestinian Authority in 2000, Palestinians savagely destroyed Joseph's Tomb in Nablus and a 1,500-year-old synagogue in Jericho under the watchful eyes of Palestinian police. The most recent hysterical protest over Israel simply naming two ancient sites as significant to the Jewish people is simply the thin end of a wedge designed to create yet another chasm between the Jewish people and their historic ties to the land.
Mr. Netanyahu was correct when he observed that for "a people that doesn't remember its past, its present is uncertain and its future is unclear." Yet, the far more troubling paradigm is that a world disabused of a nation's rich historic past might ultimately deny that nation's claims to its land.
A nation that declines to assert its historic truths does not deserve its place among the community of nations. And a government that cowers in the face of its enemies' condemnations and muzzles its historic claims in response has abdicated its basic obligation to defend the rights of its people.
Mr. Netanyahu -- beginning with his decision to open the Herodian tunnel in 1996 and continuing with his recent emphasis on teaching Jewish values and history, and the public assertion of Jewish ties to important historic sites -- has correctly recognized the critical need to trumpet the historical narrative of the Jewish people in their land. The raw nerve that he exposed in doing so only demonstrates just how important this is.
For Israel to survive, it must continue to carry this message to the world at large, precisely because its enemies seek to prevent it from doing so.
Aron U. Raskas, a Baltimore attorney currently residing in Jerusalem, has held leadership positions in several prominent U.S. Jewish organizations. His e-mail is <!-- e --><a href="mailto:aronuraskas@gmail.com">aronuraskas@gmail.com</a><!-- e -->.
Copyright © 2010, The Baltimore Sun
Heralding Israel's heritage
The nation must defend its historical ties to the land against those who deny them
By Aron U. Raskas
March 5, 2010
Jerusalem - JERUSALEM--The Israeli government adds two culturally rich, millennium-old historic sites to a list of national treasures, and riots break out, followed by international condemnation. Yet, it is precisely this cynical, albeit predictable, response that demonstrates why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was right to add the Tomb of Rachel and the Cave of the Jewish Patriarchs and Matriarchs to Israel's National Heritage Sites.
There is no nation with firmer roots in a land than the Jewish people in the greater land of Israel. Yet, that great heritage has been under assault by Arab protagonists and their pusillanimous patrons for the longest time, and this has intensified in recent years.
As the Arab people began to recognize their inability to defeat the Jewish people on the battlefield, they began to cleverly craft a strategy of burying Israel's legacy in the arena of world opinion. This strategy seeks to eradicate the Jewish connection to the land and erode the support for Israel's legitimacy and very existence. Indeed, the increasingly global campaign to delegitimize Israel has been bolstered significantly by the reticence of past Israeli governments and other Jewish opinion leaders to assert the great Jewish legacy in this land.
The arrogation to itself of the "Palestinian" mantle was the first formidable success for the Arab population that shared with the Jewish people the land that came to be known as Palestine. Likewise, 50 years ago, there was nary a reference to a "West Bank" until that term was introduced by Palestinian Arab propagandists to eliminate further references to the time-honored titles of Judea and Samaria, as the land had been routinely referred to in maps, travel guides, newspapers and even U.N. resolutions.
The continuing threats and acts of violence each time Israel seeks to take a step that reflects its great historic ties to the land are specifically calculated to deter just such steps. Thus, the true reason for the 1996 Arab riots was to prevent Israel from opening a Herodian Tunnel that demonstrated to the world that the Jewish Temple reached well into what has only in more modern times been referred to as the Muslim Quarter. This too was the basis for riots in 2000, when Ariel Sharon dared to walk on the Temple Mount, also known as the Haram al-Sharif, and assert the inalienable right of Jewish people to cleave to that holiest of sites.
In a similar fashion, Palestinian Arabs have sought to eradicate signs of Jewish heritage throughout the land. Brutal excavations on the Temple Mount by the Islamic Waqf destroyed Jewish archaeological treasures of great significance. Likewise, as Israel relinquished control of territories to the Palestinian Authority in 2000, Palestinians savagely destroyed Joseph's Tomb in Nablus and a 1,500-year-old synagogue in Jericho under the watchful eyes of Palestinian police. The most recent hysterical protest over Israel simply naming two ancient sites as significant to the Jewish people is simply the thin end of a wedge designed to create yet another chasm between the Jewish people and their historic ties to the land.
Mr. Netanyahu was correct when he observed that for "a people that doesn't remember its past, its present is uncertain and its future is unclear." Yet, the far more troubling paradigm is that a world disabused of a nation's rich historic past might ultimately deny that nation's claims to its land.
A nation that declines to assert its historic truths does not deserve its place among the community of nations. And a government that cowers in the face of its enemies' condemnations and muzzles its historic claims in response has abdicated its basic obligation to defend the rights of its people.
Mr. Netanyahu -- beginning with his decision to open the Herodian tunnel in 1996 and continuing with his recent emphasis on teaching Jewish values and history, and the public assertion of Jewish ties to important historic sites -- has correctly recognized the critical need to trumpet the historical narrative of the Jewish people in their land. The raw nerve that he exposed in doing so only demonstrates just how important this is.
For Israel to survive, it must continue to carry this message to the world at large, precisely because its enemies seek to prevent it from doing so.
Aron U. Raskas, a Baltimore attorney currently residing in Jerusalem, has held leadership positions in several prominent U.S. Jewish organizations. His e-mail is <!-- e --><a href="mailto:aronuraskas@gmail.com">aronuraskas@gmail.com</a><!-- e -->.
Copyright © 2010, The Baltimore Sun
Some die just to live
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the only 1 denying anyone is Israel as groups like Hamas have repeatedly said they will recognize Israel within it's 1967 borders but the bottom line is the Israeli government wants more land, not peace. even 4 previous heads of the shin bet, Israel's Security Agency, say what Israel is doing is wrong
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
cmon dude gimme a break
Jan 30, 2006 -- http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340 ... 45,00.html
Top Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar told CNN that a "long-term hudna or long-term truce" is possible. He would not commit to negotiating with Israel and would not say whether recognizing Israel's existence is a long-term possibility.
The conditions included Israel's retreating to its pre-1967 borders and releasing Palestinian prisoners.
April 22, 2008 --- http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middl ... 93788.html
Hamas has said it is ready to accept a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders but "will not recognise Israel".
Dec 23, 2009 --- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShAr ... 172.20.5.5
More than 200,000 Palestinians rallied yesterday in Gaza City to mark the Hamas movement's 20th anniversary, where deposed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh said that whoever declares he will never recognize Israel earns "the people's love." The crowd chanted: "We will never recognize Israel."
go screw
It's a longish article but VERY informative on the activities of ELAD and the Israeli government. Title: Archeology in Jerusalem: digging up trouble.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 50,00.html
i won't give you a break nor a piece of my kit kat bar
Jan 30, 2010--- http://imeu.net/news/article0018361.shtml
"Hamas accepts existence of Israel within 1967 borders"
regardless, who is taking land from who??
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
you love hamas dont you??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_vruVZSemg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FIcpxfXeNE
Truth Hurts.
nazis systematically murdered over 11 million people in less than a decade for no reason , how dare you compare ANYTHING to that. you are sick in the head
what i don't understand is israel says it is 1 of the safest countries in the world for a tourist to visit and yet i'm supposed to believe every israeli spends 24hrs a day cowering in fear of imminent death by a terrorist :roll:
how many suicide attacks happened in 2007? 1? so you can spare me the videos from a decade ago
anyway, you didn't answer: who is taking land from who?
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
well, they DID have a reason, hey thought the people they were killing corrupted the gene pool.
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
i bet u think the same
how much are ya willing to bet??
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
i bet u think the same[/quote]
I don't, doesn't excuse Israel crimes, or your attitude. I've worked with guys from all over the middle east, listened to there stories, i used to defend them until i learned better. You people have alot to Answer for, glad i'm not you. Thank God.
they can't shit crayons, asparagus or building supplies to even start rebuilding their destroyed city over a year ago because those things are not allowed in, either
i guess they should be thankful for what little Israel allows in :roll:
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
Israel is one of the safest countries because after years of continuous it knows how to protect itself. Does that make it ok for rocket and suicide/ terror attack to take place?
and what a coincidence that when Israel pulled out from gaza and the blockade began suicide bombings and terrorist attacks slowed down dramatically.
cant wait for the IRON DOME
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast ... index.html
land for life ... sounds fair
actually the blockades started in 2008, a year after there was only 1 suicide attack in a year....
if you think land for life is fair shouldn't you be giving it back since Israel kills far more innocent people??
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
I read this looking for the article to point to some historical ties to the land as proof of Israel's claim to the land - not that a 2000 year old claim carries any validity in todays world whatsofuckingever. But he fails to mention any. He just talks a load of bollocks instead.
Thanks Ogre. You just wasted 2 minutes of my time.
B... have you read the article I posted a link to? If you do, you will see what archeology is used for.
I'll check it out.
Interesting article. Archeology has been recruited to further Israels ethnic cleansing campaign.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... -2,00.html
'...Israel Finklestein, an archaeologist from Tel Aviv University says that while there may be ruins on the Elad site dating back to the 9th century B.C., "there's not a single piece of evidence about David's palace. These people are mixing faith with science." Yoni Mizrahi, an independent archaeologist formerly with the IAA, concurs: "You'd think from Elad's guides that they'd excavated a sign saying WELCOME TO DAVID'S PALACE. Their attitude seems to be that if you believe in the Bible, you don't need proof." Raphael Greenberg, lecturer at Tel Aviv University, says Elad ignores key archaeological practices. "You're supposed to dig for six weeks and then report on what you find. In the City of David, they've been digging nonstop for two years without a satisfactory report," Greenberg says. He accuses Elad of using archaeology as a "crowbar" to "throw out the Palestinians living in Silwan and turn it into a Jewish place."