By Ted Belman
THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 24, 2007
MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud), also a member of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, attacked the Foreign Ministry on Monday over its decision to prevent video footage showing Egyptian security forces helping Hamas terrorists reenter the Gaza Strip from the Philadelphi corridor from reaching members of the US Congress.
“As published in The Jerusalem Post, Israel could have scored a major victory with the US Congress, and [could have] persuaded them that Egypt is incapable of defending the Gaza border. However, the Foreign Ministry intervened with no suitable explanation,” Steinitz said.
Responding to Steinitz’s claims, Livni maintained that “some things are done on stage, some are done in Congress and some other things are done behind the scenes. Every move needs to be calculated. To take an extreme scenario – would you sever relations with Egypt over weapon smuggling?”
Yes, a thousand time ,yes.
Livni, however, strongly criticized the Egyptian border police. “Egypt played a positive role in Annapolis”, the foreign minister said. “But this does not negate the fact that their functioning on the Gaza border is flawed. The weapons smuggling seriously damages the chances that pragmatic factions in Gaza and the West Bank will regain control”.
This is utter nonsense. Egypt never played a positive role. Egypt leads in applying pressure on Israel to rid itself of nuclear weapons. Egypt supports Hamas and cooperates with the terrorist elements there.
For the Jews to rise up and kill all of their enemies (Haman’s TRoops and Supporters) they must have prepared well with good planning and organization, This means the Jews had their own militias and or underground freedom fighters to act so decisively . Can we say the same today?
WHETHER BY CHANCE AND PURPOSE CAN ONLY BE SEEN LOOKING BACK AT EVENTS. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE SAME LOOKING FORWARD UNLESS ONE IS A PROPHET OR SON OF A PROPHET!!!!
South,
I agree with you that King Cyrus is very related to our subject.
The armies of Medes under Darius and the armies of Persia under Cyrus march into Babylon and conquer it. The Babylonian Empire ceases to exist and it is now absorbed by the new Persian Empire.
(NOTE: Just as Assyria and then Babylon — they were all great Mesopotamian empires, all interacting with the Jewish people — disappeared, so will later Persia disappear, too, and the Jews still remain, and for ever.)
In 370 BCE Cyrus issues a decree allowing all the indigenous peoples that had been exiled by the now-defunct Babylonian empire to go back to their homeland, including the Jews.
You would think that the Jews would jump up, pack up and go. But that’s not what happens. Of what is probably a million Jews living in the empire, only 42,000 go back – only about 5% of those that went into exile 70 years earlier go back and the remaining 95% stays put.
The same thing happened in 1948 when the state of Israel was declared. There were about 12 million Jews in the world at that time and only 600,000 or 5% settled the land. The rest 95% preferred to stay in exile.
Why?
The answer is the same for 370 BCE, as it is for 1948, as it is for today. The Diaspora is nice. It’s more comfortable to live in Brooklyn or Los Angeles or Toronto than in Israel. Why move if you have a nice big house in America and a nice standard of living and two cars, and you have nice day schools.
This attitude is repeated in Jewish history, and it is a problem. Because G”d might give the Jews a little breathing space in Diaspora from time to time, but in the long run, He’s not going to allow them to stay there.
One of the great patterns we’re going to see over and over again is the higher the Jews rise in the Diaspora, the lower they fall. The nicer the Diaspora seems to be at first, the worse the subsequent reaction against the Jews. We see it in Egypt. Jews are invited in, they do well and prosper, and look what happens – they end up slaves. We see this in Spain. We see this in Germany. And next: the US ! All the places that once loved and welcomed the Jews eventually turn on them. Therefore, Jews make a mistake if they ever think that the Diaspora is home. It never works for long. Israel is the only home for the Jews.
The 42,000 Jews that go back in 370 BCE immediately start rebuilding Jerusalem, and, of course, the first thing in Jerusalem that they want to rebuild is the Temple, because a Jew can’t live a complete Jewish life without a Temple.
The Samaritans, who never liked the Jews and who hate this new influx, immediately send a message to Persia demanding that the Jews be forbidden to continue building. They say that if the Jews are allowed to rebuild the Temple, they’re going to rebel.
And, as a result of their threats,
For 18 years no construction is allowed. And it is during this period that the Purim story, related in the Book of Esther, takes place.
Back in Persia, a new king has replaced Cyrus. His name is Achashverosh, and he is married to Vashti, the sole survivor of the blood-bath in the royal palace of Belshazzar during the Persian invasion.
Achashverosh throws a party reminiscent of the one that Belshazzar had thrown some years before. He, too, has been calculating and he has decided that the 70 years allotted in Jeremiah’s prophecy for the Jews to regain the land of Israel is up.
To this feast, Achashverosh invites the Jews and, unbelievably, they come – to “celebrate” their own end. This gives you an idea how far gone were the Jews who opted to stay in the comfort of the Persian Diaspora.
(CF.: the behaviour of assimilated American Jews towards Evangelical Christians who openly await the End of Time and with it the end of the historic role of the Jews… meaning: conversion of the “good” Jews, death of the “defiant” Jews, cf. VIDEO above !!!)
Though years before they had “sat by the rivers of Babylon and wept,” they had gradually adapted to the comforts of exile to the point that they gradually developed into a positive enjoyment of the pagan way of life and its pleasures. So deep was their desire to fit in that these Jews could actually toast their own public humiliation.
Achashverosh’s top minister is a man named Haman HaAgagi. If that rings a bell, it should. Agag was the king of the nation of Amalek whom King Saul neglected to kill as commanded. Haman is an Amalekite, and he harbors a pathological hatred of the Jewish people.
And so it comes to pass that Haman gets the king to agree to issue a secret decree to annihilate the Jews of Persia on the 13th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. And how he decides on the best date for genocide is very interesting.
Haman throws lots – called “purim.”
Why?
It is part of Amalekite ideology that everything is a random occurrence – everything happens by chance. There is no G”d running the show. It’s the ultimate denial of reality.
Expecting honors from the king, Haman finds himself forced to bestow these honors on his arch-enemy Mordechai. Invited along with the king to the queen’s feast, Haman is preening with pride, only to discover that the queen is Jewish. And that now he is accused of plotting to murder her along with her people. Begging for mercy, he throws himself onto the queen’s bed only to be caught by the king in this precarious position and accused of attempted rape.
Things couldn’t possibly look worse for Haman and then comes the clincher. Having erected a gallows for Mordechai, he finds them put to an unexpected use when he himself is sentenced to death. And the Jews, whom he had wanted to wipe off the face earth, rather than being annihilated are given the king’s permission to annihilate their enemies.
The most fascinating thing about the Book of Esther, which relates this incredible story, is that in the entire text the name of G”d is never mentioned. We learn from this that after the destruction of the Temple the presence of G”d was concealed in the world, but that we could still see G”d acting through history – delivering one hidden miracle after another to help the Jews survive, keeping his promise that Israel would remain an “eternal nation.”
Just as in the story of Purim when it’s over we look back and we see how everything fits into place. Nothing is by chance. Everything has a reason and G”d will make sure that even in the worst circumstances the Jews are always going to have a way out, so that they can accomplish their mission in this world.
The next part of the Jewish mission means rebuilding the Temple. Darius II succeeds Achashverosh as King of Persia. He is believed to be Esther’s son and he allows the Jews to finish the job they had started under Cyrus.
What seems to be the hand of men (enemies or “friends” of the Jews), is the Hand of G”d. King David already said: Do not rely on men but on G”d only, since men return to dust and so thus the trust in them. But the alliance with G”d is eternal.
Shalom Tar Yag,
I have posting problems at this site…don’t know why…long posts do not get posted.
If you read the very last paragraph of the Tenakh, II Chronicles 36: 22, you will hopefully note that the gentile, King Cyrus of Persia (now Iran), is favorable in the text. King Cyrus of Persia was pro-Jerusalem.
Our enemy consists of Jews who, de facto, converted and went over to the King of Babylon.
I welcome refutations but do not expect any.
Kol tuv,
Shalom Tar Yag,
Preparation and redemption do not directly corolate with the pending morbidity and mortality charts.
“moderate muslims” and “christian zionists” is only blaspheny to those not realizing the current trial in Indonesia of the alledged leader of Jemaah Islamiah involves a death penalty.
In New Jersey and also = Israel = , there is no death penalty. I consider this barbaric.
Please note that you dwell among Ethiopian Jews because of a Christian Zionist, Robert F. McGuire Jr. He ran Operation Magic Carper after WWII.
His own company was Near East Air Transport.
Note that we were once strangers in Egypt.
Kol tuv,
South, you wrote
Well, our redemption will come ANYWAY, prepared or not. If we have merits we shall be redeemed SOONER, if not we shall wait until the last moment. Israel has never been and will never be in danger to disappear, HAS VEHALLILA. We can stay optimistic, although we can pay a big price for the wickedness of the traitors who have taken our people hostage. We have very much interest to overthrow them. But we suffer from egoism, and our government is our challenge and punishment.
Evidently, to call for help our enemies — “moderate muslims” or “christian zionists” — is blasphemy, and ALL THOSE WHO RELY ON CHRISTIAN SPONSORSHIP ONLY DELAY OUR REDEMPTION AND ARE GUILTY.
This is an interesting example of organizational dynamics and its dysfunction.
GOI’s real legislative body is the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
The Foreign Minister functions like a Deputy Chief of State.
The Foreign Minister’s “Would you sever relations with Egypt…?” is out of place and out of context – if she was cognizant of the environment, both international and local in Israel.
Egypt’s government can collapse any moment. The Islamic Brotherhood has no policy plank to continue diplomatic relations with Israel.
The only variable Livni has to work with is assisting in creating a state of the art government in Israel. She, and the rest, are more career oriented than working on the survival of Jewry.
Israel is not prepared for what’s pending.
Kol tuv,
…And the same is true for Livni. Livni’s attitude is worse than a shame. She is actively collaborating with those in the US who want Israel destroyed.
You know what? Israel’s only death penalty law (collaboration with Nazis) should be extended to include high national treason. Despite the corruption in Israeli courts, this might at least make Israel’s corrupt leaders think twice before relinquishing their country to its enemies. After all, what’s the practical difference between causing the assassination of Israelis and causing the assassination of European Jews by the Nazis?
Ted, you are 100% correct.
But the same is true for the US. They are our friends as much as Egypt.
When Mofaz then DM and Sharon then PM decided to allow Egyptians to control border with EU doing the checking all of us with a modicum of intelligence said that this was madness. The Egyptians want to everse restriction placed upon it by Camp David accords where Sinai was to be demilitarized and only about 800 Gendarmes were to be allowed for policing purposes. With Every complaint Israel makes to Egypt re: lack of control and enforcement of border they demand to double and triple force numbers and to upgrade to more elite army proper; this explains at least in part why they are helping or at least not preventing smuggling arms and god knows what else through the porous border!Congress got hold of JP report and at first iur Brilliant Dips and politicians denied existence of video but then latter admitted its existence. Israel does not want to have confrontation with Egypt. Bush doesen’t want confrontation with Egypt and Egypt does not want confrontation with Hamas. Therefore like the weather which everybody talks about and is helpless to do anything about so too the Philidelphi Border!
Ted, Thanks for keeping the BANNER.