INTO THE FRAY: Will the “New Right” get it right?

By MARTIN SHERMAN

If the “New Right” is to really advance “Right wing” causes, it must abandon schemes that lead to the Lebanonization or Balkanization of Israeli society & work towards legitimizing the idea of incentivized emigration of the Arab population of Judea-Samaria

The road to hell is paved with good intentions – An aphorism thought to have originated with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1150)

Last week, Education Minister, Naftali Bennett, and Justice Minister, Ayalet Shaked, dropped a political bombshell when they announced that they were breaking away from their current party, “Jewish Home”—which, in large measure, owed its existence to them—and were setting up a new party, with the (somewhat bland) name of the “New Right”.

Decisive and daring

The ostensible rationale for the split was the desire of Bennett and Shaked to distance themselves from purported “extremist elements” within the “Jewish Home” and from the “radical rabbis”, who are thought to have dominant influence over the party’s decision-making. Apparently, Bennett and Shaked sensed that public perceptions of “Jewish Home” made continued association with it an obstacle preventing them from reaching wider segments of the electorate—and hence an impediment to their ambitions of reaching higher office.

According to this line of reasoning, they needed a new political vehicle, with a fresh image, unfettered with trappings of “excess” religiosity and political rejectionism. So the birth of “New Right” was announced, amid considerable drama in the media—and commensurate acrimony from the Jewish Home, who, understandably, felt somewhat betrayed by the unexpected, unilateral split.

It is, of course, still far too early to judge whether the abrupt break-away will yield positive results. However, two things can already be determined. The first is that by their decisive action, Bennett and Shaked have demonstrated that they have the necessary nerve and ruthlessness for taking high risk decisions—an indispensable requisite for the positions of leadership they seek. The second is that they have identified, at least partially, an important gap in Israel’s political landscape, which, almost inexplicably, has been left unfilled for decades and which, if suitably addressed, has the potential for considerable political rewards.

By explicitly opening the party ranks to religious and secular sectors of the electorate, while adopting a hardline (“Right” of Likud) approach to foreign policy and security affairs, they correctly challenge a widespread misconception. This is when it comes to the Palestinian issue, rejection of political appeasement and territorial withdrawal is largely limited to the more observant portions of the population.

Left-leaning hawks?

This is a common fallacy that flies in the face of both logic and historical fact.

After all, there is a sound secular rationale, backed by historical precedent, underscoring the folly of concessions to despotic adversaries. Moreover, historically, among the most hawkish opponents of territorial withdrawal was the hard-Left (i.e. socialist) Ahdut HaAvoda faction of the Labor Party, led by Yitzhak Tabenkin, one of the leading figures of the Kibbutz movement, who vehemently opposed any territorial withdrawal after the 1967 Six-Day Way.

Significantly, the Movement for Greater Israel, formed almost immediately after the Six-Day War to oppose any withdrawal from territory taken by the IDF, was founded mainly by prominent individuals with roots in the Labor Party, along with a few “Right-wing” revisionists.

Indeed, the founders comprised towering figures in the formative history of the country, together with a slew of leading literary and cultural lights, including Nobel Laureate Nathan Alterman; Israel Prize laureate Aharon Amir; Israel Prize laureate Haim Gouri; Israel Prize laureate Rachel Yanait Ben-ZviYitzhak Tabenkin himself; hero of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, Yitzhak Zuckerman (aka “Antek); another leader of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, Zivia Lubetkin; former Labor (Mapai) MK Eliezer Livneh, Israel Prize Laureate Moshe Shamir; Israel Prize Laureate Shmuel Yosef (“Shai”) Agnon; Israel Prize laureate Zev Vilnay; legendary Director of Mossad, Isser Harel; former commander of the Israel Air Force, Dan Tolkovsky and IDF Maj-General Avraham Yoffe, who later joined the Likud. Leading figures associated with the “Right-wing” revisionists included Israel Prize laureate Uri Zvi Greenberg; Israel Prize laureate Israel Eldad; and former MK Shmuel Katz.

A latent constituency waiting to be tapped?

Accordingly, it could well be that Bennett and Shaked have shrewdly diagnosed an inherent lacuna in Israel’s body politic and have identified a significant, yet untapped constituency of secular hawks.

This is the constituency comprised of those who recognize the folly and futility of persisting with a policy of ceaseless concessions to the Palestinian-Arabs, but find the Likud too equivocating on security and overly accommodative of the ultra-Orthodox demands for religious legislation.

Indeed, there has been no serious attempt to enlist support of what could be a potentially significant voter pool ever since the  meteoric 1992 success of the secular hawkish party, Tsomet, which won an unexpected 8 Knesset seats—only to disintegrate later with the betrayal of some of its MKs, who in exchange for high-level appointments in the Rabin government,  crossed political lines to help pass the Oslo Agreements—including Gonen Segev, recently imprisoned for espionage on behalf of Iran!

Of course, it is still an open question whether the formula devised by Bennett and Shaked—of parity between secular and religious elements—is the right one to win over this constituency. For while I foresee little difficulty on some issues—such as reducing the tyranny of the judiciary, bolstering the Jewish settlement of Judea-Samaria and enhancing the emphasis on Zionist values and Jewish identity in the education system, other thorny and divisive issues may well arise.

Aiming of the Center

Indeed, it will be intriguing to see what positions the “New Right” adopts on matters such as public transport on Shabbat; recognition of pluralism in Judaism, opening of convenience stores on Saturday, and matters affecting conversions, homosexuality and so on—and whether it can remain a coherent and cohesive political entity despite the intra-party tensions such issues will inevitably generate.

These domestic issues, and the position the “New Right” adopts on them, are important in light of Bennett’s stated intention not to target potential voters for “Right-wing” parties but to draw off support for purportedly “Centrist” parties—such as “Yesh Atid”, headed by Yair Lapid, and the newly formed “Israeli Resilience”, headed by former IDF Chief-of-Staff, Benny Gantz.

Strategically, this is the correct direction in which to move, for as Bennett pointed out: “In the past few years, there hasn’t been any attempt to move votes from one bloc to another – only within the [same] bloc.” In upbeat mode, he declared, “the perception has changed. We’re doing the opposite” predicting: “Votes will move from one bloc to the other for the first time in years…” 

However, the question might well arise as to whether can he really attract potential Yesh Atid voters (or Israeli Resilience ones—whoever they may be) unless he alienates religious voters on matter like public transport on Shabbat and so on. So will he be compelled to offer a toned-down religious agenda to draw votes for his “Right-wing” agenda? Or offer a toned-down “Right-wing” agenda to attract less hardline observant voters, who might migrate to the “Center”?

The litmus test: Policy for “Palestine”

But with all due respect to these domestic issue, the real litmus test of the New Right’s strategic value will be in the manner it impacts the discourse on the “Palestinian” problem.

n this regard, there are considerable grounds for concern—both because of views Bennett himself has expressed, and because of those expressed by his party’s new acquisition, acclaimed journalist, Caroline Glick, who will doubtless prove an electoral asset, particularly among the Anglo-voters.

Both Bennett and Glick have done an admirable job in pointing out the disastrous defects of the two-state formula. Regrettably however, they have advanced poorly thought-through alternatives to replace it—alternatives, which are no less detrimental to the ability of Israel to endure as the nation-state of the Jewish people! Perhaps even more so!

Thus, Bennett has advanced a plan for Israel to extend sovereignty over Area C, which comprises about 60% of Judea-Samaria, includes all its Jewish communities and a relatively small (but disputed) number of Arabs. These, according to Bennett, can be offered full Israeli citizenship to avert any recriminations as to ethnic discrimination, without significantly adverse demographic consequences.

At first blush, all this sounds perfectly reasonable—until one actually looks at the map. Then a completely different picture emerges–see for example Sovereignty? Yes, but Beware of Annexing Area C; and Annexing Area C: An Open Letter to Naftali Bennett

Even a cursory glance at the map will show that Area C is not a continuous geographic area, but is interspersed with enclaves and corridors that comprise Area A and Area B, which are to be excluded for Israeli sovereignty. Area C itself has a wildly contorted border of nearly 2000 km, almost impossible to demarcate and to secure. But, clearly, if one cannot demarcate and secure one’s sovereign territory, one’s sovereignty means nothing.

Partial Annexation: The Balkanization of Israel

Indeed, if economic conditions in Area C are better than in Areas A and B—as they almost certainly will be—Arabs from Areas A and B will inevitably migrate into Area C—whose frontiers are immensely difficult to demarcate and secure—totally disrupting any benign demographic calculations made at the outset!

Moreover, even if Israel could demarcate and secure the border of Area C, it would still be left with the grave diplomatic challenge of conveying to the world what future it envisages for the vast majority of the Arab residents—encapsulated in the disconnected enclaves and corridors of Areas A and B, which comprise merely 40% of the disputed territories. This is clearly a territorial configuration that is impossible to administer—even if some compliant Palestinian-Arab could be found, who agreed to take on the task. Bennett’s suggestion that these dispersed blotches of territory could be connected by a dizzying array of under-and over-passes, which would probably take well over a decade to complete, is so unlikely that it is difficult to take seriously.

Thus, Bennett’s blueprint for annexing 60% of the area would, in all probability, involve the same “political pain” as annexing 100%. Moreover, it is unlikely to solve any of Israel’s prevailing security and diplomatic problems. Quite the opposite, it is highly likely to exacerbate them. So, in the final analysis, it is an almost certain recipe for the Balkanization of Israel – i.e. dividing the territory up into disconnected autonomous enclaves, which will be recalcitrant, rivalrous and rejectionist, creating an ungovernable reality for Israel.

Full Annexation: The Lebanonization of Israel

The New Right’s newly joined member, Caroline Glick has also proposed an alternative paradigm for the failed two-state formula. Regrettably, however, this too is likely create realities no less perilous for the Zionist enterprise—see To My Colleague Caroline, A Caveat; Sovereignty? Yes, but Look Before You Leap; Islamizing Israel – When The Radical Left And Hard Right Concur

Glick’s proposal—based on demographic assessments that the Arab population in Judea-Samaria is significantly lower than official estimates—entails annexing the entire area of Judea-Samaria, together with the Arab population—on the assumption that this will still allow a Jewish majority of 60-65%.

Even conceding that this may be true, such a measure is likely to herald disaster for the Zionist endeavor and Israel as the nation-state of the Jews. For the initial electoral arithmetic is hardly the defining factor in assessing the prudence of this approach, but rather the devastating effect it will have on the socio-economic fabric of the country and the impact this will have on preserving Israel as a desired/desirable place of residence for Jews inside and outside the country.

It would take considerable—and unsubstantiated—faith to entertain the belief that Israel could sustain itself as a Jewish nation-state with a massive Muslim minority of almost 40% – as the societal havoc, that far smaller proportions have wrought in Europe, indicate.

Indeed, this is a clear recipe for the Lebanonization of Israeli society with all the inter-ethnic strife that tore Israel’s unfortunate northern neighbor apart.

Incentivized Arab emigration: A Zionist imperative

It is crucial to understand that, for a Jewish Israel to survive over time, it must contend effectively with two fundamental imperatives: The Geographic and the Demographic.

The former rules out any policy that entails large-scale territorial withdrawal from Judea-Samaria; the latter rules out any annexation that entails including large portions of Judea-Samaria’s Arab residents in Israel’s permanent population—whether or not they are granted citizenship.

Accordingly, the only policy proposal that can address both these imperatives, without the use of considerable “kinetic” force, is to induce large-scale Arab emigration by means of a comprehensive system of material incentives to leave, and disincentives to stay. The details of how this policy is to be implemented are unimportant at this stage. What is important is to grasp is its underlying principle and the unavoidable necessity for it to be adopted.

For while the “Left” willing to imperil Israel geographically to preserve it demographically; it appears that the “Right” is willing to imperil it demographically to preserve it geographically.

Accordingly, if the “New Right” is really to advance “Right wing” causes, it must abandon schemes that inexorably lead to the Lebanonization or the Balkanization of Israeli society—and work towards legitimizing the idea of incentivized emigration of the Arab population of Judea-Samaria to third party countries, where they can enjoy more prosperous and secure lives.

That should be the New Right’s Zionist imperative.

Martin Sherman is the founder and executive director of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.

January 11, 2019 | 53 Comments »

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50 Comments / 53 Comments

  1. @ yamit82:

    Welllll….You are entitled to your own interpretation of Judaism…We all are..in one way or another. My opinion is that Felix is interested in the Jewish People, their unique history, and their progression from Statehood to Statelessness, to Statehood again with all that was involved. His recent comments indicate this to me. I could be wrong …..but then, that wouldn’t be the first time… so that Felix, however much he’s into Marx’s theories, he has more interests than that…… Then… he’s also intelligent and well read, so that having been on this site for many years, it would take him only a quick read to acquire what the many mentions of Halacha, both in articles and comments, do mean. He need not grow a beard and payot.

    I can visualise him saying to himself, “Halacha’..now what does that REALLY mean.. I must look into this.”..And in these Internet days, just one word typed in, and he can read it and right away, at least understand the meaning if not the depth, and I feel he’d delve further… Anybody interested could.

    He’s not a “one trick pony” by any means. Just his little passing comment yesterday about the Dublin Jews knowing about the Czarist Anti-Semitism, shows that he knew they were all from Russia, and had surely been through pogroms. And it was true-as my response showed..

    His interest in Marxism the Russian Revolution and it’s aftermath, with Jews deeply involved in the early stages, (60% of the first “Congress”) would alone pique his interest in our People. So it could be a long-time interest.

    I really don’t now a thing. I’m logically laying out a reasonable and consequential set of possibilities.

  2. yamit82 Said:

    @ Edgar G.:
    I don’t think comrade Felix is aware of the nuances of Halacha nor what is Halacha. He is into dialectical materialism. For me, if a Jew publically rejects and renounces his membership in the tribe then he is not!! Who am I to argue??

    You argue ????? Does Trump tweet, Pleeeeeeeeeeese

  3. @ Edgar G.:

    I don’t think comrade Felix is aware of the nuances of Halacha nor what is Halacha. He is into dialectical materialism. For me, if a Jew publically rejects and renounces his membership in the tribe then he is not!! Who am I to argue??

  4. @ Bear Klein:

    You have it wrong…I did not say that…Martin Sherman intimated something like that, in ironic jest. I denied this …..I said they were there to continue their Jihad…. Sorry Bear…..

    You owe both Dr. Sherman and I an apology… but I cancel the debt because this is the 7th year…….. ms will likely be just happy that you noticed it.

  5. @ yamit82:

    Trotsky may have considered himself a Bolshevik rather than a Jew…. but that, according to Halacha, does not negate the fact that he was still a Jew. So Felix is correct. Of course unlike Spinoza he dd not undergo the penalty of being trodden on by the congregation, at the door of the Synagogue, to become accepted again.(perhaps he was too ticklish),,,, .But………. He was a Jew, unbelieving, true….But…..

  6. @ Edgar G.:
    Arabs going to Europe for better life no? Many of them bring their ways with them. They do not look to assimilate but conquer (jihad) the westerners to their ways, if they are religious.

  7. @ yamit82:

    What you say is very true I do believe, and we are generally on the same side, with your tremendous ability to marshal undeniable facts and statistical info. Some I have already proven and seen for myself. The highlight at the beginning, about the Arabs crowding into the EU because they love the snowy winters (paraphrased) was written by Martin Sherman, contradicted by my saying that the Arabs were in Europe as part of their holy injunction to Jihad.

  8. Felix Quigley Said:

    I go back to basics, the basics that Palestine was given to the Jews, that if that is not raised continually that nothing is learned in the present. Which is distorting the present.

    Who gave Palestine to the Jews?

    Palestine does belong to the Jewish people. Jordan is a lie. This is Jewish land according to history.

    If the land historically belongs to the Jews then who gave it to the Jews??

    Israel exists because 1- We threw the Brits out 2- We fought a bloody war to gain our independence and lost 1% of our Jewish population in that effort…. Nobody gave us anything except a knife in the back.

    Stalin did more to help the Jews than anyone in the west even more than most Western Jews. He got the resolution passed in the UN and provided essential arms to the Jewish fighters that turned the war in our favor…..Britain and France helped the Arabs and Truman blockaded Israel…. Thanks ‘Uncle Joe Stalin’ LOL

  9. Felix Quigley Said:

    Because there are so many dimwits on this site I must add “Trotsky was a great Jew”. Get used to that concept you antisemitic Trotsky haters on Israpundit.

    Haaaaaaaaaaaaa LMAO

    When the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Jacob Maze, asked Trotsky personally for extra security to protect Russian Jews from these pogroms, Trotsky answered that he was a Bolshevik and did not consider himself a Jew.

    Trotsky’s most important biographer, Isaac Deutscher, coined the phrase “non-Jewish Jew” to describe Trotsky and his generation of universalist thinkers. Like Rosa Luxemburg (“Red Rosa”), who was murdered in 1919 for being too far left of the emerging socialist order in post-World War I Berlin, Trotsky’s life was cut short for being a loud-mouthed socialist.

  10. Felix Quigley Said:

    Edgar it was that very concept, right there, that this windbag Yamit opposed. Of course he did it in a sleeked way. he snuck it in. But it was there. Yamit was undercutting Sherman.

    I stated my personal opinion that we are in agreement that we want the land without the Arabs but i want the whole land and Sherman only wants the West Bank and Gaza Mostly free from Arabs… For him, the Arabs in Israel may remain as most of all the other utopian plans I have read. All address the threats to Israel from Arabs in all the so-called territories but few if any address what I consider the main threat to Israel and that is the Arab citizens and permanent residents within our borders…. I don’t see this position as undercutting anyone. As far as they go and that includes ms none are workable for a host of reasons and none if implemented will solve our Arab problem… partial success is like being partially pregnant…. The solution needs to be permanent, comprehensive and near total in removing the Arabs from the Jordan to the sea, the Best way is to remove them by force but that must be done as quickly as possible to negate world opinion and pressure. While there is no political will to implement any of the plans on offer we are only speaking of unlikely hypotheticals

    What is your commie position wrt Israeli citizen Arabs?

  11. So what to do?

    The great opportunity which existed for a temporary alliance with Assad on the basis of debarring Iran and Hezbollah from the pivotal Syria was lost, because Obama was a Jihadist and Netanyahu was in tow of Obama. He protested but he was in practice.

    That has led to the great dangers from Hezbollah that Israel faces that must come in the immediate period ahead.

    I am reminded all of the time of the massive weaknesses of leadership mainly caused by all those returning leaders in the period from 1917 onwards that also missed huge opportunities.

    I go back to basics, the basics that Palestine was given to the Jews, that if that is not raised continually that nothing is learned in the present. Which is distorting the present.

    Palestine does belong to the Jewish people. Jordan is a lie. This is Jewish land according to history.

    Then there is the immediate and the possible.

    The concept that I discussed with Adam, that section C is doable, goes hand in hand with an overall concept, which is that the Arabs as a collective are part of the Jihad, are either bitter enemies of Jews and Christians as well as Communists, and that Jews meaning Israel must be led by a government which gives not one cent to them, and rejoices in making their lives as miserable as is possible to make.

    Of course that is what Martin Sherman is saying in his programme, a state programme, of offering avenues to “escape”.

    Edgar it was that very concept, right there, that this windbag Yamit opposed. Of course he did it in a sleeked way. he snuck it in. But it was there. Yamit was undercutting Sherman.

    But I am for getting behind this concept.

    Also I will not even waste my time on Ted and his “strategy” with Mudar.

    So in the present and the post above, I see Glick and Bennett as being the Samuel of the situation. After the Generals of Allenby were discredited by the pogrom that they had fermented, that of 1920, the British Establishment searched around for a replacement and they found it in Samuel.

    I see Glick and Bennett in the same light as I see Samuel historically. To put it lightly their role will not be helpful.

    Adam your articles quoted are useful in a discussion sense, to be kept in mind. But not before settling this question. The Jews must be led today by a party which is totally hostile to Islam and history tells us that these Arabs called the “Palestinians” are just the forward battalion of the Jihad. To give these Arabs any one thing, such as a dwelling, is to stab the struggle of humanity against Jihad in the back. That is the path that Glick and Bennett are on. No other. There is though one good thing in their new position that Martin has identified and is a great guide tot he future. That is that you can be an atheist, a proud atheist, and be a great Jew also. That IS the future.

  12. @ honeybee:
    You cannot argue with assertion. That is an unfair and unethical way to argue. The Generals who came into Palestine with Allenby saw the Jews as being associates of Leon Trotsky (the Russian Revolution). One thing was above all others in the minds of these generals and their British Tommies. That was the Bolshevik Revolution. Fact! Yamit and you are filled with the same sentiment. That is also at the centre of Mein Kamph. It is also at the centre of Joe McCarthy. A dangerous path that you two Jewish ladies are on!

  13. @ Michael S:

    The one thing that differentiates the Israel-Arab conflict from those examples you put forward is that one case involves Jews, something entirely missing from the others. Just as the Kurds would most likely have the support of the whole world for nationhood if only their enemies were Jews, so too will the Israeli-palestinian(Arab) conflict be forever influenced by the inherent anti-Semitism of the world and the consequent sympathy it brings to the palestinians

  14. @ yamit82:

    Totally agree, I don’t want ANY Arabs in Israel. We have suffered too much from them and their enablers for them to ever deserve anything but what they DESERVE…. Kaduchas.PLUS-PLUS….

    I recall many years ago…when I was living in Israel, there was a lot of Lefty agitation about the “poorer” conditions of Arab towns and villages compared to the Jewish ones.. This went on for quite a while..Then the Govt woke up …..late as usual..

    It was investigated, and found that the Arabs avoided paying any taxes, (which raised amounts -by law- were matched by government) so whilst they were building beautiful mansions for themselves ( saw some -too wonderful to describe.) they were living in centres which had very poor roads, almost no lighting, and occasionally “garbage” running down a channel in the centre of the street.

    I saw this for myself in several different locations, and was allowed inside a few of the beautiful Arab homes. I have pictures. “Flying buttresses, archways, spiral outlines, towers”… mmmh…!! .

  15. @ yamit82:

    Yes it’s a hell of a mess isn’t it… Of course it can never be completely fixed, but only ameliorated suppose. (Your posts are very depressing…) As the imigration laws kick in again, it will begin to have some effect. It will be a multi-pronged effort. By the way,about the “undercutting” you mention, that could only be if jobs, formerly paying a respectable wage, were downgraded, people fired, and replaced by illegals at the minimum rate of $7.25

    But that $7.25 is straining at the seams; unchanged for the the past 10 years..And that’s deplorable. There have been several attempts to get bills passed which would gradually increase the minimum rate eventually of over $10 but the Fed Bank put a spoke in it. But it’ll keep coming up and eventually pass. 18 States already have increased their min.rate to over $10. So it will happen… sooner rather than later.

    ****I think the ICE and DOH will be clamping down very hard in priority mode, because this furore over “The Wall” will not go away, even long after it’s completed -as it surely will be.

  16. Edgar G. Said:

    Arabs making a 35-40% very unstable minority which could destroy the country..

    Any minority above 10% ensures instability even if they are not hostile and are more or less culturally and religiously compatible….. IMO Israel cannot afford to have more than 2-5% Arab minorities and zero % if they are hostile.

  17. @ Edgar G.:

    Without the illegal aliens, America would have a negative birthrate. Yes, of course, a lot could be done to encourage an increase but there are too many forces in opposition. The Left, pro-life pro-abortionists, The women’s movements.

    Kook who supports open borders and unlimited cheap labor: All domestic industries using unskilled manual labor. Big and medium-sized agriculture. Food processors, Construction workers, Middle-class housewives with immigrant maids and landscapers, hotel and restaurant workers, sanitation workers. Then there is outsources and H1 visas for Indian high tech workers and medical dr nurses and practitioners etc.. You get the picture… most of those cheap labor imports are at the expense of American bottom wrung workers who are undercut in wages. The left wants their potential future voters and the right wants to make higher profits so, in essence, the power structure wants to keep the status quo and pay both sides to keep it so.

  18. @ yamit82:

    That shows that the EU invasion is a continuation of Jihad. As for the US needing more immigration. it is a huge country, and there s no reason why their birth rate could not be encouraged to increase and turn around the demographics. One more child per family would suffice. The improving economy may have that kind of impact. At the same time it will take a concerted policy to encourage increasing births. (free sex…??) Perhaps a new Department devoted solely to tihis.

    Although, if the US gets a handle on their illegal immigration situation, and will be selecting those they consider the “right” sort of migrant, that also would help.

    To conclude, are there any data that show that Obama’s yesman is correct.. It needs to be considered that this made a perfect excuse for Obama to try to ruin the country with “open borders”.. now painfully being reversed.

    So…in the end…who knos….??

  19. @ Edgar G.:

    Qaddaffi “We have 50 million Muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe—without swords, without guns, without conquest—will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.”

    Speech (10 April 2006), quoted in New York Sun (6 September 2009) “Terrorists Promise More Attacks Like 9/11” by Steven Stalinsky

    This clip needs updating from 2007

    Future Muslim Demographics in Europe and US

    On Tucker Carlson last night he interviewed the Chief economic advisor to Obama and admitted that America needs all those illegals due to negative birthrates of Americans.

  20. @ Felix Quigley:

    FELIX–My applauding Yamit’s solutions, (by the way I’m sure he’s a HE) is that they are in line with mine, written and posted time after time, year after year, with NO takers. Everyone just wants to get his/her own “Plan” out there, and mainly either ignores others or gives a perfunctory passing look-over. I understand that you, not needing to produce a reader-popular essay, see far deeper, and want to explore and examine and explain from ground-rock up…But we haven’t the time for it….. the critical time is on us, it is NOW……!!

    Several years ago and since, I was already writing that the covertly antagonistic Israeli Arab population was becoming more openly subversive than ever, and when Glick brought out her totally mashuggena “plan” of giving YESHA Arabs the Franchise, I pointed out that they would join with the Israeli Arabs making a 35-40% very unstable minority which could destroy the country..

    I used to have “fits” wherever some empty-headed “big-shot” would insist that they do their stint in the IDF like others, and tear my hair out over visions of 300,000 Arabs with expert IDF training, breaking out onto the streets, at the same time Israel was being attacked by Syria/Egypt PLUS….

    Martin Sherman or his “alter ego” ms, seems to deride Yamit’s “Kill or Kure” attitude with his silly “put-downs” about the Arabs crowding into the EU. He literally poo-poohs it. They are there under the pretext of being “refugees”. which they “may” be… but are really furthering their holy injunction for JIHAD. Arabs are on the aggressive rise again everywhere, since OIL gave them that needle in the backside… and if not dealt with summarily with a PERMANENT or generations-lasting manner, they will flood the world, except for the United States.

    Sherman’s policy of “incentives and disincentives, as opposed to Netanyahu’s and Bennett’s”..(two very smart guys with 2 similar and stupid ideas, with one eye on their own political futures and the other on the EU..in other words.. COCK-EYED) .is absolutely the only way, and that is a major part of the “Jordan is Palestine” Plan crafted and sponsored by Ted Belman………

    This -or variations which produce a similar result- is my firm opinion, and I see even more reason to sustain that, than otherwise.

  21. @ Bear Klein:

    It’s possible to do it slowly and methodically.

    1- By enforcing strictly Israeli laws in the Arab sector
    a- Collect all taxes including municipal taxes.
    b- Revoke the child allowances across the board to all sectors…. Jews can be financed thru the Jewish agency and or by NGO’s in and out of Israel.
    c- All structures illegally built must be destroyed just like they do with Jews
    D- All Israeli Arabs must serve in the IDF and or National Service 3 years.
    E- All weapons (firearms0 held by the Arabs must be confiscated.
    F- No more affirmative action applied to Arabs attending Israeli Universities and schools of higher education only by merit of grades and Bagrut.
    G- All lands where Arabs are presently squatting must be cleared by force if necessary of squatters.
    H- Any Israeli Arab displaying the Pali flag or proclaiming support and or allegience to the PA, PLO, Hamas. Hezbollah etc shall lose their citizenship and any state benefits they receive or are entitled to.
    I- pass any new laws that enforce equality between Jews and Arabs and enforce strict compliance among the Arabs…. Any violent resistance by the Arabs to any of the above will result in imprisonment but except for capital crimes those found guilty will be offered deportation in place of long prison terms.
    J- Create an agency to help any Arab inside Israel or the territories to emigrate similar to the Jewish agency but in reverse. Compensation for legal property only can be paid to those who agree to leave willingly and their property will revert to the State.

    In summation, we need to stop incentivizing the Arabs to remain in Israel and the territories…. No more free lunches, citizenship entails obligations on both sides… I think over time most Arabs will be inclined to consider the option of emigration if the above and any other additional ideas in the same vein are implemented with the full force of the state and it’s enforcement agencies do their jobs.

  22. Does anyone actually believe that Israeli Arab citizens are going to be deported short of a war that they actually participate in against the state of Israel?

  23. Felix Quigley Said:

    She did not deal with my challenge and reply from yesterday nor did Yamit who backed her. Totally stupid these people and overplayed and outplayed.

    I did reply but you were too lazy to view or too stupid to understand.
    Felix Quigley Said:

    I am relieved that Sherman has cut the ground from beneath these posturings of Yamit and that is a real gain.

    He can dress it up to sound great but he is totally stupid, or she, I care less

    I think I just answered ms and if you read it let me know what you disagree with… Call me stupid again and I will show graphically who the real stupid one is …

    Felix Quigley Said:

    Yamit and Honeybee and also others like Belman and Adam are mired in the hate communism approach as if this was part of the Jewish culture.

    Actually, hating communism is part of Jewish culture. LOLFelix Quigley Said:

    There has been a wholesale series of lying about Lenin and Trotsky in world history.

    Yamit is very close to the lies of the British Military in the crucial period after the Jews won the battle for the Allies and Allenby marched in and spurned the same Jews.

    The question needs asking why did the British Military, the most conscious class warriors on the globe, spurn the Jews and organize against the Jews, to in effect turn the tables against the Jews.

    They did this because they equated the Jews with the Bolshevik Revolution. Nothing else makes sense. There actually is no mystery. Yet ther same sentiments as these British Generals is preached by Yamit every day and Ted Belman encourages.

    Haaa The Brits created the MB in 1920 to be used mainly against the Jews. Once they secured the mandate from the LN they had no intention of honoring their mandated obligations…. The Brits have always had the Jews and viewed the Arabs and Indians as colonial pets. Oil then was not a primary concern but the Suez Canal was. Palestine was vital in protecting the flank of the Canal.

    They did this because they equated the Jews with the Bolshevik Revolution. Nothing else makes sense. There actually is no mystery. Yet ther same sentiments as these British Generals is preached by Yamit every day and Ted Belman encourages.

    Hardly most of the political class in Britain were very favorable to the poor commies British academics were and still are largely commies even today. I doubt the Brits in the early ‘1920s were overly concerned with Russia or considered them to be a real threat. Definitely not in the ME.

    It was a Hitlerite and Nazi obsession and Yamit shares it with the Nazis.

    Obsession? no I just have a brain unlike you and do I see a major difference between Nazism and communism? Not really Socialism by any name is an evil to be condemned Stupid is Stupid and Evil is Evil LOL

    But Martin this war is now with Islam on an international scale and here you never mention it. For great educational purposes, including against these Jewish bigots like Yamit, I would work very strenuously in support of the Chinese in their war on Islam, even though my differences with these Stalinists and Bureaucrats is immense.

    The Chinese don’t need or want our support and we should tread carefully wrt to China. They have become the main threat to world order and Western dominance…… Radical Islam lay dormant for hundreds of years till the Brits revitalized them in 1920 in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. They can with some effort be returned to that dormant stage but the Chinese are another story.

  24. yamit82 Said:

    My statement was meant to say that we can’t buy Arab loyalty just by raising their standards of living

    “Loyalty is earned and nurtured. It is given never purchased”
    of Deborah

  25. @ ms:
    Edgar G. Said:

    Gee, look at all those Arabs i Europe – I guess it must have been the snowy winters that attracted them

    Haaa and all those Arab immigrants have assimilated smoothly into European culture?? They have created virtually states within states. True or false ms?ms Said:

    Most the Arab population in Israel today is the result of economically driven migration–Arabs seeking employment once the Zionists laid down a socio-economic infrastructure in Palestine

    Actually, the Arab economic migration into Palestine began under the Brits… Of the 1.5 million or so Arabs with Israeli citizenship how many identify with the Jewish, Zionist state? How many like Jews? How many identify with Hatikva, the Law of Return and other trappings of a majority Jewish Zionist State? How many identify themselves as Palestinian before Israeli as their nationality? How many fly and parade the Palestinian flag at every opportunity…. How many still view Palestine as theirs and that the Jews stole the land from them?

    My statement was meant to say that we can’t buy Arab loyalty just by raising their standards of living. They stay in Israel because we are their golden goose most of the benefits of citizenship and none of the responsibilities…. They are our affirmative action pets…. few pay taxes few serve in the IDF or perform national service. A high % of their construction is under our law illegal, built without lawful permits, Bedouins in the South are engaged in massive Land theft, and theft of everything not nailed down. They also run protection rackets targeting farmers and businesses with impunity. The police and Border police are afraid to enforce the law against them and they by threatening massive violence have cowed all Israeli governments into passive acceptance of massive criminal acts against Jews. It is a fact that young Bedouin who tended to support the state a generation ago have become radicalized and if the trend continues we will have very serious internal threats not known since the early ’50s. It is a fact that between Beersheba and Eilat Jews are becoming quickly a minority and the Arabs already are the majority in the Galil…. A week doesn’t go by that cars traveling from Beersheba to Dimona are not stoned by our ‘Loyal Bedouin Arabs’.

    Arabs towns in Israel are virtual no go zones but so are Acre, Lod and Ramle. Arabs are pushing into Jewish cities and towns like Natzeret Elite and Bet Shemesh and where they move in Jews move out. ms Said:

    And neither should they!
    The are all variants of Bennett’s partial annexation and just as improbable.
    Kedar’s plan is an Arab version of apartheid era South Africa’s Bantustans
    Liberman’s is a proposal to strip citizenship on the basis ethnic origin and make Israel’s borders even more tenuous than the 1967 one’s

    I never said I agree with these plans and I don’t but I don’t agree with yours either. All of them are unworkable and all are so faulty that it’s not difficult to identify their weaknesses. At least I believe Kedar understands the Arab mentality better than most. Yet he is silent for the most part on the problem with Arabs with Israeli citizenship…

    Nobody mentions reports (IDF) that there is each year between 50K and 100K illegal Arab immigrants that sneak into Israel from the West bank some from neighboring countries. They get lost in Arab towns villages and cities marry Israeli /Palestinian wives and get citizenship thru their spouses and of course, all the benefits afforded citizens. Go to banks and post offices on the dates when the Child Allotment funds are due and you could be in Ramallah. We Jews living in a Zionist country are paying Arabs to have kids. My definition of ‘CHELM’.

    I think I know how to depopulate Israel of her Arabs and those in the Territories without the need to use force but for that, you need first political will and that’s why it can’t work it’s a catch 22.

  26. Felix Quigley Said:

    .It was a Hitlerite and Nazi obsession and Yamit shares it with the Nazis.

    That is an outrageous accusation. I think you need to hush up . usually I ignore your insult, but you done jumped the fence on that one.

  27. Felix Quigley Said:

    . I will ignore her. She did not deal with my challenge and reply from yesterday nor did Yamit who backed her. Totally stupid these people and overplayed and outplayed.</blockquote
    Sugar, I is from Texas and we don't never beat a dead horse.

  28. [img]http://key-rich.com/images2/dengi/koncepcija/forex/vse/foreks_dlja_nachinajushhih.jpg[/img]
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    http://kalipsostudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=82884&p=105661#p105661
    http://www.dasystems.ru/forum2/index.php?topic=8479.new#new

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  29. Is the IDF ready for all-out war?

    INN – The question of just how ready the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is for war has dominated Israel s headlines in recent weeks. The issue came to the fore following the stormy end to the 10-year tenure of IDF Ombudsman Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brick.

    Brick released a scathing report and multiple statements claiming that the military s ground forces are grossly underprepared for conflict. He went so far as to say, during an address to the Knesset s State Control Committee, that the IDF is undergoing a process of deterioration that has reached its peak in recent years.

    Brick s alarming assessments have been outright rejected by military chiefs, including outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and the Commanding Officer of the ground forces, Maj. Gen. Kobi Barak.

    While Eizenkot has ordered the military to examine Brick s claims, he has consistently affirmed that the IDF s war readiness has improved dramatically in recent years. Eizenkot focused his four years as Chief of Staff on improving readiness, meaning that Brick s criticisms are being leveled directly at the heart of his efforts and legacy.

    Dr. Eado Hecht, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, is a defense analyst specializing in military theory and military history and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan. Hecht also lectures at the IDF Command and General Staff College.

    In conversation with the author, Hecht agreed with Brick and other critical voices who think the IDF is unprepared but added that this is not a zero-sum argument. There are areas in which the IDF has done excellent work, and there is a reason why foreign militaries come here to learn from it, said Hecht. On the other hand, there are areas in which the IDF is not good enough.

    Neglecting ground forces in favor of high-quality intelligence and long-range firepower

    Hecht explained that the way in which Brick and military command measure war readiness is different. To understand this difference, it s necessary to dive into the IDF s history. The Second Lebanon War of 2006, Hecht said, was the second-lowest point in the history of Israel s military. The lowest was in the years 1950-53. The difference between these two points is that while in 1950 to 1953, the IDF did not know how to conduct routine security missions and did not know how to conduct major wars, in 2006, the IDF knew how to do continuous security in an excellent manner, Hecht said. Hence, it defeated the Palestinians in the Ebb and Flow War [the so-called Al-Aqsa Intifada of 2000 to 2006].

    However, it was during those years of the Al-Aqsa Intifada that new concepts were taking hold regarding the future of warfare. The concepts were that there will be no big, high-intensity wars anymore, and in the unlikely event that such wars do occur, they should be fought with high-quality intelligence and through the use of long-range firepower, mostly delivered by fighter jet, to destroy enemy targets.

    As a result, the IDF deliberately neglected the necessary requirements for ground combat, said Hecht. By the time Lt. Gen. (ret.) Dan Halutz became Chief of Staff in 2005, the ground forces had suffered major neglect, leading to significant failures in the war that erupted with Hezbollah the following summer.

    The strategic gains Israel received from that war came despite tactical failures, noted Hecht. Those failures led the next Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi, to demand a return to basics for the ground forces. They underwent a major upgrade during Ashkenazi s tenure. But then, under the leadership of Defense Minister Moshe Ya alon and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. (ret.) Benny Gantz, this trend was stopped. The older trend of focusing on airpower and intelligence, which dominated before the Second Lebanon War, made a comeback, according to Hecht.

    The current outgoing Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, brought back Ashkenazi s trend, Hecht said. However, the reference point for Eizenkot and the General Staff compares today s IDF to the military of 2006. Brick s reference points compare today s IDF to the military when it was at its peak, 40 to 50 years ago.

    The bottom line, said Hecht, is that compared to its performance in 2006, the IDF of 2019 has undergone a terrific improvement. At the same time, he warned, there is a need to take stock of the growing threat posed by Hezbollah, which today is equivalent to some five infantry divisions, in terms of relative power.

    Hezbollah is like the PLO and the Syrian army in Lebanon in 1982 combined. True, they [Hezbollah] do not have tanks, but they have many things that the Syrians and the PLO did not have then, said Hecht, pointing to powerful guided anti-tank missiles as one example.

    They are moving ahead with the fortification of southern Lebanon at a scale that did not exist before, and they are much more professional and skilled than the PLO was back then, he said.

    According to public sources, in 2006, Hezbollah s forces in southern Lebanon were equal to perhaps two infantry brigades, and the organization was armed with far fewer anti-tank missiles, mortars, and other powerful weapons. Hezbollah today is some six times more powerful than what it was in 2006, said Hecht.

    Is the IDF s order of battle big enough for enemies on multiple fronts?

    Crucial questions revolve around the IDF s ability to battle foes on multiple fronts simultaneously.

    What will happen if the IDF needs to fight against more than only Hezbollah? If, for example, a rebuilt Syrian military faces it in the Golan Heights, backed up by Shiite forces from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran? And at the same time, Hamas begins bombarding our home front from the south? Does the IDF have a sufficiently large order of battle to deal with all of these enemies at the same time? We would have to call up reserves against Hamas on its own. Against a smaller Hezbollah in 2006, we had to call up reserves. Since then, we have cut reserves very sharply entire divisions and brigades have been canceled, Hecht said.

    He cautioned that there are also open questions about how long it would take to get reserves to emergency weapons storage facilities, as well as the state of readiness among military vehicles in light of decreased maintenance personnel numbers.

    True, Eizenkot placed a major renewed emphasis on the ground forces. Still, Hecht said, most of the focus is on increasing firepower. But is this firepower capable of giving the State of Israel the strategic reply it needs to force Hezbollah to cease firing and to prefer a ceasefire? asked Hecht. And until it does that, can this firepower decrease the quantity and efficiency of Hezbollah s [own] firepower on the Israeli home front? The only way to effectively decrease Hezbollah s fire is through a large-scale ground offensive. To do that, the IDF needs to conquer a large, hilly area containing dozens of Shiite fortified villages and towns, he said.

    Each Shiite village, however, will likely have a Hezbollah force as big as one or two military companies lying in wait.

    This is what the IDF s units will have to pass in order to reach the rocket-launch cells that are firing on the home front, Hecht said.

    The IDF has greatly increased its war training, Hecht acknowledged. But according to Brick, it has not yet reached adequate levels, particularly among the Armored Crops and the Artillery Corps.

    We have made great improvements

    In one of his final speeches in uniform, delivered on Dec. 23, Eizenkot gave an assessment of the situation. At the end of 2018, the balance of Israel s national security is greatly improved, he said, while at the same time, an unstable region has created very high levels of explosiveness.

    Of course, this obligates us as a military to be at a very high level of readiness. We have made very big efforts to improve the IDF s readiness. The IDF is a very large military by any standards, especially when reserve forces are added to it. And there are very high costs for holding a military of this scale, particularly the ground forces, at a very high level of readiness.

    Ultimately, stated Eizenkot, the IDF s capabilities have been greatly improved.

    On Dec. 19, the Knesset s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee released a report that followed its own investigation into the IDF s readiness. The report found that the level of readiness in the IDF for war has significantly improved since [the 2014] Operation Protective Edge [against Hamas in Gaza].

    The inquiry found that on almost every parameter, there has been a dramatic increase in the level of readiness whether in the number of training sessions, the ammunition inventory, replacement parts and others.

    The report praised Eizenkot for leading a multi-year working program, dubbed Gideon, which prioritized the building of combat divisions that can fight on any front.

    Two days after that report, an inquiry launched by the IDF s own Comptroller, Brig. Gen. Ilan Harari, in response to Brick s scathing report, also found that the military s state of readiness has dramatically improved.

    At the same time, the inquiry agreed with Brick regarding the need to make improvements in areas such as logistics, personnel, command and control systems, and the service of non-commissioned officers at war-storage facilities.

    According to Channel 10 News, the inquiry called for an increase in the military s annual budget by 1.5-2.5 billion shekels ($400-667 million) to ensure that the ground forces remain in good shape.

    If the IDF is missing 2 billion shekels to complete its readiness in the list of aspects that it brings up, that means that Brick is actually correct, Hecht said. The IDF isn t ready.

    Yaakov Lappin is a Research Associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. He specializes in Israel s defense establishment, military affairs, and the Middle Eastern strategic environment.

    A BESA Center Perspectives Paper, published through the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler Family

    Correction: I neglected to highlight the entire article above

  30. A Task far more urgent as well as feasible than incentivised Arab immigration is to restore combat readiness to the IDF and get its troop-strength, including reserves, to the level that is necessary for Israel to fight a major war. This article is from the BESA institute. Quite frightening.

    Is the IDF ready for all-out war?

    INN – The question of just how ready the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is for war has dominated Israel s headlines in recent weeks. The issue came to the fore following the stormy end to the 10-year tenure of IDF Ombudsman Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brick.

    Brick released a scathing report and multiple statements claiming that the military s ground forces are grossly underprepared for conflict. He went so far as to say, during an address to the Knesset s State Control Committee, that the IDF is undergoing a process of deterioration that has reached its peak in recent years.

    Brick s alarming assessments have been outright rejected by military chiefs, including outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and the Commanding Officer of the ground forces, Maj. Gen. Kobi Barak.

    While Eizenkot has ordered the military to examine Brick s claims, he has consistently affirmed that the IDF s war readiness has improved dramatically in recent years. Eizenkot focused his four years as Chief of Staff on improving readiness, meaning that Brick s criticisms are being leveled directly at the heart of his efforts and legacy.

    Dr. Eado Hecht, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, is a defense analyst specializing in military theory and military history and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan. Hecht also lectures at the IDF Command and General Staff College.

    In conversation with the author, Hecht agreed with Brick and other critical voices who think the IDF is unprepared but added that this is not a zero-sum argument. There are areas in which the IDF has done excellent work, and there is a reason why foreign militaries come here to learn from it, said Hecht. On the other hand, there are areas in which the IDF is not good enough.

    Neglecting ground forces in favor of high-quality intelligence and long-range firepower

    Hecht explained that the way in which Brick and military command measure war readiness is different. To understand this difference, it s necessary to dive into the IDF s history. The Second Lebanon War of 2006, Hecht said, was the second-lowest point in the history of Israel s military. The lowest was in the years 1950-53. The difference between these two points is that while in 1950 to 1953, the IDF did not know how to conduct routine security missions and did not know how to conduct major wars, in 2006, the IDF knew how to do continuous security in an excellent manner, Hecht said. Hence, it defeated the Palestinians in the Ebb and Flow War [the so-called Al-Aqsa Intifada of 2000 to 2006].

    However, it was during those years of the Al-Aqsa Intifada that new concepts were taking hold regarding the future of warfare. The concepts were that there will be no big, high-intensity wars anymore, and in the unlikely event that such wars do occur, they should be fought with high-quality intelligence and through the use of long-range firepower, mostly delivered by fighter jet, to destroy enemy targets.

    As a result, the IDF deliberately neglected the necessary requirements for ground combat, said Hecht. By the time Lt. Gen. (ret.) Dan Halutz became Chief of Staff in 2005, the ground forces had suffered major neglect, leading to significant failures in the war that erupted with Hezbollah the following summer.

    The strategic gains Israel received from that war came despite tactical failures, noted Hecht. Those failures led the next Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi, to demand a return to basics for the ground forces. They underwent a major upgrade during Ashkenazi s tenure. But then, under the leadership of Defense Minister Moshe Ya alon and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. (ret.) Benny Gantz, this trend was stopped. The older trend of focusing on airpower and intelligence, which dominated before the Second Lebanon War, made a comeback, according to Hecht.

    The current outgoing Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, brought back Ashkenazi s trend, Hecht said. However, the reference point for Eizenkot and the General Staff compares today s IDF to the military of 2006. Brick s reference points compare today s IDF to the military when it was at its peak, 40 to 50 years ago.

    The bottom line, said Hecht, is that compared to its performance in 2006, the IDF of 2019 has undergone a terrific improvement. At the same time, he warned, there is a need to take stock of the growing threat posed by Hezbollah, which today is equivalent to some five infantry divisions, in terms of relative power.

    Hezbollah is like the PLO and the Syrian army in Lebanon in 1982 combined. True, they [Hezbollah] do not have tanks, but they have many things that the Syrians and the PLO did not have then, said Hecht, pointing to powerful guided anti-tank missiles as one example.

    They are moving ahead with the fortification of southern Lebanon at a scale that did not exist before, and they are much more professional and skilled than the PLO was back then, he said.

    According to public sources, in 2006, Hezbollah s forces in southern Lebanon were equal to perhaps two infantry brigades, and the organization was armed with far fewer anti-tank missiles, mortars, and other powerful weapons. Hezbollah today is some six times more powerful than what it was in 2006, said Hecht.

    Is the IDF s order of battle big enough for enemies on multiple fronts?

    Crucial questions revolve around the IDF s ability to battle foes on multiple fronts simultaneously.

    What will happen if the IDF needs to fight against more than only Hezbollah? If, for example, a rebuilt Syrian military faces it in the Golan Heights, backed up by Shiite forces from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran? And at the same time, Hamas begins bombarding our home front from the south? Does the IDF have a sufficiently large order of battle to deal with all of these enemies at the same time? We would have to call up reserves against Hamas on its own. Against a smaller Hezbollah in 2006, we had to call up reserves. Since then, we have cut reserves very sharply entire divisions and brigades have been canceled, Hecht said.

    He cautioned that there are also open questions about how long it would take to get reserves to emergency weapons storage facilities, as well as the state of readiness among military vehicles in light of decreased maintenance personnel numbers.

    True, Eizenkot placed a major renewed emphasis on the ground forces. Still, Hecht said, most of the focus is on increasing firepower. But is this firepower capable of giving the State of Israel the strategic reply it needs to force Hezbollah to cease firing and to prefer a ceasefire? asked Hecht. And until it does that, can this firepower decrease the quantity and efficiency of Hezbollah s [own] firepower on the Israeli home front? The only way to effectively decrease Hezbollah s fire is through a large-scale ground offensive. To do that, the IDF needs to conquer a large, hilly area containing dozens of Shiite fortified villages and towns, he said.

    Each Shiite village, however, will likely have a Hezbollah force as big as one or two military companies lying in wait.

    This is what the IDF s units will have to pass in order to reach the rocket-launch cells that are firing on the home front, Hecht said.

    The IDF has greatly increased its war training, Hecht acknowledged. But according to Brick, it has not yet reached adequate levels, particularly among the Armored Crops and the Artillery Corps.

    We have made great improvements

    In one of his final speeches in uniform, delivered on Dec. 23, Eizenkot gave an assessment of the situation. At the end of 2018, the balance of Israel s national security is greatly improved, he said, while at the same time, an unstable region has created very high levels of explosiveness.

    Of course, this obligates us as a military to be at a very high level of readiness. We have made very big efforts to improve the IDF s readiness. The IDF is a very large military by any standards, especially when reserve forces are added to it. And there are very high costs for holding a military of this scale, particularly the ground forces, at a very high level of readiness.

    Ultimately, stated Eizenkot, the IDF s capabilities have been greatly improved.

    On Dec. 19, the Knesset s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee released a report that followed its own investigation into the IDF s readiness. The report found that the level of readiness in the IDF for war has significantly improved since [the 2014] Operation Protective Edge [against Hamas in Gaza].

    The inquiry found that on almost every parameter, there has been a dramatic increase in the level of readiness whether in the number of training sessions, the ammunition inventory, replacement parts and others.

    The report praised Eizenkot for leading a multi-year working program, dubbed Gideon, which prioritized the building of combat divisions that can fight on any front.

    Two days after that report, an inquiry launched by the IDF s own Comptroller, Brig. Gen. Ilan Harari, in response to Brick s scathing report, also found that the military s state of readiness has dramatically improved.

    At the same time, the inquiry agreed with Brick regarding the need to make improvements in areas such as logistics, personnel, command and control systems, and the service of non-commissioned officers at war-storage facilities.

    According to Channel 10 News, the inquiry called for an increase in the military s annual budget by 1.5-2.5 billion shekels ($400-667 million) to ensure that the ground forces remain in good shape.

    If the IDF is missing 2 billion shekels to complete its readiness in the list of aspects that it brings up, that means that Brick is actually correct, Hecht said. The IDF isn t ready.

    Yaakov Lappin is a Research Associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. He specializes in Israel s defense establishment, military affairs, and the Middle Eastern strategic environment.

    A BESA Center Perspectives Paper, published through the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler Family

  31. I am surprised at Edgar going along with this old crud from Yamit and of course this Honeybee tries immediately to trivialize the discussion. I will ignore her. She did not deal with my challenge and reply from yesterday nor did Yamit who backed her. Totally stupid these people and overplayed and outplayed.

    But Martin Sherman is right in this. That all of these present leaders are leading into a trap.

    I am relieved that Sherman has cut the ground from beneath these posturings of Yamit and that is a real gain.

    He can dress it up to sound great but he is totally stupid, or she, I care less.

    Anyway the key thing in what Sherman drives at here is that the core approach of Bennet, Shaked and others is that if you make their Arab lives materially good they will oblige you and be your friend.

    This is a vicious enemy that the Jews are facing. It is necessary to make their lives totally miserable

    I will say to Martin as I said before on Israpundit. An old friend of the TandG union told me once that workers who are poor and desperate never fight but the fight always comes from workers who have gained something and do not want to lose it.

    Desperation of the Arab enemy does not cause them to fight, rather having something to lose makes them fight. That describes the Arabs in Israel perfectly.

    Yamit and Honeybee and also others like Belman and Adam are mired in the hate communism approach as if this was part of the Jewish culture.

    But it is not.

    There has been a wholesale series of lying about Lenin and Trotsky in world history.

    Yamit is very close to the lies of the British Military in the crucial period after the Jews won the battle for the Allies and Allenby marched in and spurned the same Jews.

    The question needs asking why did the British Military, the most conscious class warriors on the globe, spurn the Jews and organize against the Jews, to in effect turn the tables against the Jews.

    They did this because they equated the Jews with the Bolshevik Revolution. Nothing else makes sense. There actually is no mystery. Yet ther same sentiments as these British Generals is preached by Yamit every day and Ted Belman encourages.

    Ziff actually has the same bias. But he describes it all beautifully. He is conflicted and this leads to contradiction in his book. I can easily expose this and clear it up historically.

    But I emphasize that Yamit and others like Adam have this very same hatred of Trotsky and Lenin that these British military scum also had from the arrival of Allenby onwards.

    It was a Hitlerite and Nazi obsession and Yamit shares it with the Nazis.

    The first thing to do is to take over Area C make life intolerable for the Arab interlopers there and give the Arabs nothing there, A and B, everywhere and take away everything. That is the opposite of Bennett.

    The problem with Martin here is that he does not see this as I do… That would be just one position along the way. This would go along with similar measures to Arabs in Gaza, in A and B, in Israel. In that context I CAN see merit in Area C in the immediate term.

    I am totally with Martin in what he says about One of these whose name I forget wants to go back to tribal codology.

    But Martin this war is now with Islam on an international scale and here you never mention it. For great educational purposes, including against these Jewish bigots like Yamit, I would work very strenuously in support of the Chinese in their war on Islam, even though my differences with these Stalinists and Bureaucrats is immense.

  32. @ yamit82:

    You cannot buy (nationalist) Arabs with indoor plumbing and running water in their homes, so to speak…..

    Gee, look at all those Arabs i Europe – I guess it must have been the snowy winters that attracted them

    You cannot buy (nationalist) Arabs with indoor plumbing and running water in their homes, so to speak…..

    Most the Arab population in Israel today is the result of economically driven migration–Arabs seeking employment once the Zionists laid down a socio-economic infrastructure in Palestine

    Other plans not mentioned are autonomous cantons proposed by Kedar and Leberman.

    And neither should they!
    The are all variants of Bennett’s partial annexation and just as improbable.
    Kedar’s plan is an Arab version of apartheid era South Africa’s Bantustans
    Liberman’s is a proposal to strip citizenship on the basis ethnic origin and make Israel’s borders even more tenuous than the 1967 one’s

    Really???

  33. ms Said:

    Precisely!!!

    1- You cannot buy (nationalist) Arabs with indoor plumbing and running water in their homes, so to speak…..

    2- Israeli Jew to Arab “Look what we have accomplished, we have turned the desert into a garden” Replied the Arab ” But it’s my desert” !

    3- Transfer plans of Sherman and others fail because none can assure the willingness of the vast majority over 90% to leave voluntarily with or without compensation, Even if 10% are left and refuse to leave terrorism will continue. A sufficient number of Palestinian Arabs would always resent what they think is Jewish occupation of the land of their ancestors. A few thousand such Arabs would always be there, and will always attack Israel employing terrorist tactics.
    Arab their birthrate, if left alone, (Current trends) Arabs will increase over time to replicate the situation before the transfer. Israeli Arabs already constitute more than a third of Israeli youth. Arabs constitute majority in many important areas of Israel. The area of Lod near Ben Gurion airport is as much hostile to Israel as Gaza. Israel’s real problem is not the Palestinian Authority, but the Israeli Arabs who can field the largest faction in the Knesset ten years from now.

    4- Other plans not mentioned are autonomous cantons proposed by Kedar and Leberman.

    5- No one addresses the most serious problem and threat to Israel and that is: Arab citizens and permanent residents in Israel within the borders of the State. They are more dangerous and more of a threat to the State than from Arabs in the territories and Gaza. Any proposed solution that does not take into consideration this threat dooms all other proposals and plans to ultimate failure.

    No Peace process cannot lead to peace. If history is any lesson, peace is only achieved through crushing defeat of one’s enemy.

    We want the Land of Israel for the entirely rational reason: Jews want to live alone, apart from Jew-haters. Certainly, without Arabs. In the country with defensible borders and depth of defense. With moderate historical and religious connection. And we have enough weapons to realize these goals.

    In the “Jewish state” of Israel, there is one hostile non-Jew for every three Jews. That is twice the proportion of anti-semites in America.

  34. Timing is everything.

    If the PA implodes or explodes after the demise of Abbas or otherwise. Then perhaps Martin Sherman’s idea’s will have a chance for fruition or something similar.

  35. Israeli politics is something of a mystery to me. Having grown up watching football (US gridiron), baseball and basketball, and having played chess, I am used to seeing two teams pitted against each other, as it is in our two-party political system. Israeli politics, if it can be compared to anything, seems more like a game of Schafkopf or Risk — or more aptly, a saloon brawl in the Old West, where everyone’s fighting everyone else, just for the fun of it.

    Having confessed my bewilderment of the whole process, I won’t try to associate politics with the situation in Yesh. What I can say about that problem, is that the idea of having Jewish communities serving commuting Arab workers is almost the definition of Apartheid and its “bantustans”.

    Apartheid didn’t work. The US “ethnic ghetto” works somewhat, because the unequal status of the two groups can be bridged with indivifual effort and performance; and because citzenship is not an issue. I commented elsewhere about the “Gastarbeiten” systems of places like Germany and Saudi Arabia, which also have a limited shelf life. Another solution, which seems to have withstood the test of time, is the Hindu Caste system — which, when practiced by Westerners, is known as “White Supremacy”. This brings to mind yet another, related, system, namely the Plantation economy.

    Jews are not Muslims, and the two thologies CANNOT mix, from either one’s perspective. The “Rodney King” mentality of “Why can’t we all just get along” us entirely inappropriate in the Middle East, especially in Israel. It only makes sense to globalist capitalists, who profit from it.

    Complete separation, accompanied by a massive transfer of population, is the only solution that seems to have merit. It worked in Germany, Poland and India-Pakistan after WWII, it worked in Turkish Armenia, and it worked in colonies in America and Australia.

  36. @ adamdalgliesh:
    led by “genuine Zionists” and what are they when I see that you are unable to take a position on anything (Such as the Trump war on Islam, the Russian war on Islam, the Assad war on Islam, the Chinese war on Islam) On every one you are silent. Perfect example of verbiage.

  37. 1. The position of Martin Sherman does not link up the struggle of the Jews in Palestine (I will explain later why I use this word) with the struggle against Islamic Jihad in general in the whole world. But it is the same.

    2. It also misses the opportunity to tell the real story of Palestine. The British and the International Governments had it clearly in their minds that the whole of Palestine would become the Jewish Homeland. There were many Arab and Islamic forces against this but one of the key forces was a group of influential British Imperialist elitist Jews who moved against that original idea.

    That idea, that Palestine was to be in total the Jewish Homeland, was earned by the Jews. The Jews in every way contributed massively to the Allied victory over the Turks whereas the Arabs were really the same as the Turks, what they did was done for show, and the Turks and Arabs were bound together through Isam and the Koran. Out of a total community of 425,000 Jews, 50,000 were in uniform.

    This idea that Jordan is the “Palestinian” Homeland is falsifying history because Palestine is Jewish and the upstart Churchill who divided the Jewish Homeland (Palestine) was able to do this because of weak leadership of the Jews. The Jews having fought the battle of the Allied forces and won were winning by bravery and initiative but not an overall strategic leadership.

    In fact historically speaking Jordan is a false creation. Even the name Trans Jordan (across Jordan) is a stupid name because the Jordan never divided any states. That is part of how lies create a false history.

    In every way this person Mudar is no different than the original Hussein. He is a fraud who plays on the “Palestinian” Arab historical con trick.

    (This is all well drawn in Chapter 6 of The Rape of Palestine by William B. Ziff)

    So it seems to me that the position of Martin Sherman is weak. He does not link up with the massive world wide struggle against Islam which is becoming totally urgent. The struggle of Trump in America to defend America and the America idea is huge, and absolutely enormous is the struggle of the Chinese civilization who are resorting to massive and justified measures to defend the ancient Chinese civilization, he does not here and never does mention these. Certainly not as brothers and colleagues in the fight against Islam.

  38. As I have noted before, Dr. Sherman’s criticisms of Bennet’s, Glicks’ and other alternative plans for the ‘administered territories” and their Arab populations, amount to a argument over what peace settlement to impose on a defeated enemy, a a time when the enemy, far from being defeated, is on its way towards acquiring the upper hand in the war, and has all of the assets necessary to defeat Israel over the long term-vast superiority in territory, numbers, natural resources, and international support. The enemy also has overwhelming superiority in the element most essential for victory in war, which is the resolve to win.

    In order for Dr. Sherman’s scheme to have any chance of implementation, Israel would first have to oust its present ruling judicial-bureaucratic clique and restore sovereignty to the Jewish electorate.Israel would then have to then oust the lawyers from the IDFs command structure and replace its pro-Arab leftist commanders with pro-Jewish ones. It would then have to make the IDF combat ready, which IDF Ombudsman Brick informs is far from being the case at present.

    Next, it would have to persuade the “international community,” including the United States and the EU at the very minimum, that Israel is the wronged party in the conflict, that Israel is a righteous nation that its enemies are vicious, genocidal, reactionary terrorists, and that what they now call “ethnic cleansing” is actually a morally acceptable and humane solution to the problems of both Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.problems . That, of course, will only be possible when massive funding is provided to a new information-public relations ministry led by uncompromising Israeli patriots and genuine Zionists, and by giving proper training a large corps of pro-Israel advocates in how to actually change foreign public and governmental opinion about the nature of the conflict.

    Next it would have to militarily reooccupy Gaza and Judea-Samaria–which will prove a bloody task–and inflict devastating military blows all of the states states and non-state organizations still at war with Israel , such as Iran and Hezbollah. It would have to defeat them so badly and utterly that they will sue for peace with Israel at any price.

    To accomplish all this will take a minimum o 20-30 years of struggle, with no guarantee of ultimate victory. Why then does Dr. Sherman not focus on the immediate “preliminary” goals that are prerequisites to the achievement of his long-term solution, rather than wasting his considerable intellectual talents on advocating a scheme that has no chance of even being seriously considered by anyone in a position to implement it for at least the next 20-30 years? First, let us defeat our enemies; then think about what peace terms to impose on them.

  39. @ Ted Belman:
    Ted you write:

    He should also have addressed the fact that both Bibi and Bennett are currently advocating for better economic opportunities in Area C for the Palestinians. In effect their policies in this regard offer incentives to stay.

    Precisely!!!

  40. Excellent. Sherman calls for a “system of material incentives to leave, and disincentives to stay”. He should also have addressed the fact that both Bibi and Bennett are currently advocating for better economic opportunities in Area C for the Palestinians. In effect their policies in this regard offer incentives to stay.

    If Mudar Zahran comes to power in Jordan in the next little while, as I expect, these “economic opportunities” should be provided in Jordan rather than Area C.