RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17466/gaza-reconstruction-funds

The Palestinian Authority says that it should be the only party in charge of the reconstruction and that all funds must be channeled through its government. Hamas, on the other hand, insists that the funds from the international community be sent directly to its coffers.

“The Palestinians must remove this Iranian occupation in Palestine so that they can live in peace.” — Nora Shanar, Saudi author, Elaph, May 10, 2021.

The message the Arabs and Muslims are sending to the Biden administration and other Western donors: Stop showering money on corrupt and failed Palestinian leaders whose stock-in-trade is purloining international funds. The Palestinians do not need money as much as they need new leaders whose commitment to the welfare of their people outweighs their interest in their own pockets.

Last month, Egypt succeeded in its effort to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Since then, however, Egypt has been unable to secure an agreement between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority over the reconstruction of buildings and homes that were destroyed during the 11-day Israel-Hamas conflict.

Egypt has gone out of its way to help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after the recent round of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

First, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi pledged $500 million to contribute to the reconstruction effort. (Qatar has promised a similar sum to help rebuild the Gaza Strip).

Second, Egypt dispatched the head of its General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, to the Gaza Strip and West Bank for talks with leaders of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority about the reconstruction plan.

Third, Egypt sent dozens of bulldozers, cranes and engineers to the Gaza Strip as part of its effort to assist with the reconstruction.

Fourth, Egypt invited representatives of various Palestinian factions, including the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, to Cairo for talks on ways of helping the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who had lost their homes during the fighting with Israel. Egypt was also doubtless hoping that the faction leaders would finally reach agreement on ending the dispute between Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction.

https://www.jns.org/prime-minister-designate-naftali-bennetts-address-at-the-swear

I want to begin my words by saying, on my own behalf, and in the name of the members of the designated government, in the name of this House and in the name of all the citizens of Israel—thank you. Thank you to the outgoing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for your many years of service, replete with achievements, for the sake of the State of Israel. As prime minister you acted throughout many years to embolden Israel’s political, security and economic strength. I saw you from up-close, in extensive security deliberations, late into the night, investigating, making inquiries and considerations out of a sense of grave responsibility.

Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu, over the years, we have not always agreed, but we have both sacrificed much on a personal level in order to serve our people, the people of Israel. Expressing gratitude is a fundamental principle in Judaism. This is the time for the people to say to you: thank you.

I also want to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to the tenth president of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, for his years as president, as Speaker of the Knesset, and as a public servant. And to congratulate President-elect Isaac Herzog and wish him much success. God willing, we will work together very well.

Honored ladies and gentlemen, this is a special moment. The moment in which the baton of leading the people and the country passes—as in a relay race—to the next generation. It is a sacred endowment.

The State of Israel is not “just another country.” It is the dream of generations of Jews—from Marrakech to Budapest, from Baghdad to San Francisco—a dream we merited to see realized every day before our very eyes. Each generation has its own challenges, and out of each generation comes the leaders that can overcome them.

The external challenges we face are great: the Iranian nuclear project, which is moving towards a crucial point; the ongoing war on terror; Israel’s image in the world and the unfair treatment it receives in international institutions—these are all sizable and complex tasks.

At this time, we are also facing an internal challenge. The ongoing rift in the nation, as we see in these very moments, which continues to rip apart the seams that hold us together, and has thrown us—one election after another—into a maelstrom of hatred and infighting.

Such quarrels, between the people who are supposed to be running the country, led to paralysis. One who quarrels cannot function.

When the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979, the 14 km (8.7 mile) security and buffer zone known as the Philadelphi Corridor was under Israel’s control. Its purpose was to prevent the illegal importation into the Gaza Strip from Egypt of weapons and terrorists to be used against the Jewish state. The Oslo Accords, signed in 1995, allowed Israel to retain the security corridor, but it soon became apparent that Sinai Bedouin and the Palestinian Arabs were digging ever more sophisticated smuggling tunnels under it.

Then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Israel to vacate the vital security strip separating Egyptian Sinai from the Gaza Strip as a “peaceful gesture” to the Palestinian Arabs. This proved to be another land for peace disaster in which the Arabs receive the land but the Israelis don’t receive peace.

Following the infamous and tragic disengagement from Gaza in 2005, forced upon the residents of Gush Katif by Ariel Sharon, Israel ceded control of the Philadelphi Corridor to the Palestinian Authority in September of that year. Meanwhile, extensive smuggling continued. It was only a matter of time before Hamas evicted their Fatah rivals in a bloody coup—which they did in 2007. Hamas, with its charter calling for Israel’s extermination, has ruled the Gaza Strip since then, including the Philadelphi Corridor.

Ahmed Qurei, the former P.A. prime minister, once asked Tzipi Livni, Israel’s erstwhile and left-wing foreign minister, if Israel would repossess the Corridor to seal the border and cut off supplies to Hamas, the P.A.’s deadly rival. Apparently, Livni did nothing, and Hamas has been greatly strengthened militarily ever since. It is, nevertheless, crystal clear that failure to repossess this vitally strategic area now, or very soon, will spell dire security problems for Israel.

What if Egypt should fall again under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood, as it did when Hosni Mubarak was president? There would then be no more need for smuggling tunnels beneath the Egyptian-Gaza border. Instead, endless fleets of trucks would bring military supplies into the Strip from Egypt. Only by fully controlling the Philadelphi Corridor can Israel stem such a lethal tide.

Despite President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s control of Egypt, Egyptian state media, like that of Hamas and the P.A., openly proclaims its adherence to Islam’s eternal requirement that all lands once conquered in the name of Allah must, if lost, be warred on until regained for Allah. This is not extreme or radical Islam. This is authentic Islam, and the non-Muslim world ignores it at its peril. Accordingly, there can never be a lasting peace between Israel and the Muslim world; “peace now” and the “two-state solution” are simply dreams.

Therefore, Israel should repossess the Philadelphi Corridor for its own security and survival. Doing so will no doubt evoke screams of rage from the morally compromised world—but these voices will condemn Israel whatever it does. So it is surely better to be hanged in the media and the international corridors of power as a lion than as a sheep.

https://www.conservativenewsandviews.com/2021/06/12/accountability/news-media/patrisse-yoo-hoo/

“If we don’t step up to end the imperialist project that’s called Israel, we’re doomed,” proclaimed one of three co-founders of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors. She also supports the Boycott-Divest-Sanction (BDS) program that seeks to strangle Israel economically.

Jews like me have seen this rage all our lives—this pitiful, largely impotent rage, as if a cabal of slogan-driven, hate-fueled faux revolutionaries is even remotely capable of destroying or even diminishing the Jewish people. But they keep trying. Here is what they all feel:

Every time Ms. Cullors sees a Jewish person, she feels bad.
Every time she sees a map of Israel, she feels enraged.
Every time she becomes aware of the Mt. Everest of Nobel Prizes won by Jews in literature, medicine, physics, chemistry, et al, she feels sick.
Every time she sees or hears about a Jewish person’s wild success in media, commerce, the arts, science, medicine, literature, on and on, she feels murderous.
Every time she thinks about blacks being slaves in America for about 100 years and realizes that Jews were brutally enslaved in Egypt for 210 years, she conveniently puts that fact out of her mind.
Every time she hears of colleges like Harvard imposing quotas on Jews and Asians because such great numbers of them meet the exacting qualifications for admission, it makes her blood boil.
Every time she reminds herself that blacks comprise almost 14 percent of America and Jews comprise only 2.2 percent, she feels blind with fury.
In fact, she feels as bad and angry and as obsessed with hatred as…who else in American history?

DIFFERENT TIME, SAME HATRED

After the Republican President Abraham Lincoln enacted The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freeing Negro slaves from the indentured servitude and humiliation they had endured for a hundred years, the Democrats took action by creating the Ku Klux Klan in 1865 with the intention of hunting, hurting and hanging the former slaves with homemade nooses.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/politics-of-guilt-why-does-the-left-oppose-occupation-opinion-670831

Why do leftists oppose “the occupation,” extending Israeli sovereignty to areas of Judea and Samaria under Israeli control, and support a Palestinian state, the “two-state-solution?” They argue that the presence of Jews in what they mistakenly call the “Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)” – all areas conquered by the IDF in 1967 Six Day War – is “illegal according to international law” and a “violation of Palestinian humanitarian rights.”

Presenting ethical and moral concerns – that Israel should not control “another people,” Arab Palestinians – they argue that “the occupation” prevents Palestinians from “controlling their own fate” in their own state. The occupation, they argue, also contradicts Israel’s definition as a “Jewish and democratic state.” As long as Israel restricts their movements (in order to prevent terrorism), determines their ability to export and import (weapons), and prevents them from exercising sovereignty, the occupation is immoral and should end. They argue that preventing or restricting Jews from building in settlements will “keep options open” to the possibility of making peace – however unrealistic – and will encourage Palestinian moderates.

It seems to make sense.

There is no indication, however, that this has worked, or is realistic. It ignores the fact that the PLO (Palestinian Authority) and Hamas already control the areas under their brutal, authoritarian rule, and actively promote incitement and terrorism. It ignores the fact that Palestinians do not want to be Israeli citizens; they identify as Palestinians. Most Israeli Arabs (including those who are citizens) reject Israel and support Palestinianism. These suggestions, therefore, have no practical, or reasonable application. They endanger Israel and support efforts to demonize and vilify Israel and promote antisemitism.

http://www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

It does appear that the long political tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu is over. Under his leadership, Israel cemented relationships with many nations in every continent through combined projects in agriculture, health and medicine, science and technology. Furthermore, Israel’s remarkable research and technology thrived and investment in start-ups grew at a phenomenal rate. He shepherded the nation through the Covid pandemic with dazzling results. Gratitude is in order. Hail and farewell! rsk

Michael Ordman’s list speaks for itself:

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

No new Covid infections. Last Shabbat (5th June) Israel registered zero new local COVID-19 infections for the first time in more than a year. There are now only some 200 coronavirus infected patients in the whole country and inoculation of children aged 12-15 has begun. On 15 Jun, Israelis can stop wearing facemasks indoors.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/06/06/israel-records-zero-new-local-covid-19-cases-for-first-time-in-more-than-a-year/  https://www.timesofisrael.com/kids-line-up-for-covid-shots-saying-they-want-to-protect-family-go-on-vacation/

Healthcare appreciation ceremony. (TY Sharon & ILTV) Israel has honored its health system personnel and partner agencies for their work in defeating Covid-19 in Israel.  Speakers at the Jerusalem Theater event included Israel’s Prime Minister, Health Minister, Austria’s Prime Minister and the CEO of Pfizer.
https://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=37&ARTICLE_ID=144873
https://www.jns.org/israel-honors-health-care-workers-in-battle-against-covid-19/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unIOgfwH830

Cancer patients benefit from Covid vaccine. Doctors at Israel’s Beilinson Hospital monitored 102 cancer patients after inoculation with two shots of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Only 10 failed to generate an antibody response. It should calm the fears of patients who have been self-isolating even after vaccination.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/covid-vaccine-effective-for-90-of-cancer-patients-israeli-study-finds/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2780584

Using good viruses to kill bad bacteria. For 6 years Tel Aviv University scientists have studied how certain viruses (bacteriophages) take control of dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria (see here). They found that a virus protein uses a DNA-repair protein in the bacteria to “cunningly” cut the bacteria’s DNA during repairs.
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/tau-scientists-discover-process-to-get-good-viruses-to-destroy-bad-bacteria/2021/06/06/  https://www.pnas.org/content/118/23/e2026354118

Eye scan to replace blood tests. Doctors at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center have developed a blood test without removing any blood. A handheld device scans the blood vessels in the eye – ideal for those who dislike needles, and no laboratory involvement is necessary. It will be tested in zero-gravity by Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/invented-in-israel-no-needle-blood-test-will-blast-off-for-testing-in-space/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/new-israeli-prickless-blood-test-heading-to-space/

Saving the sight of AMD patients at home. The ForeseeHome ophthalmic home diagnostic service from Israel’s Notal Vision (see here previously) detects when dry AMD turns to wet AMD and can be treated. It is Medicare accredited and Notal Vision has just raised $60 million to monitor other retinal diseases.
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2021/06/07/israels-notal-vision-raises-60-million-for-its-ophthalmic-home-monitoring-services/   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP7DnYDNbco  https://www.foreseehome.com/

Cancer diagnostic tech is a breakthrough. Having just received European CE mark certification for its Galen AI cancer diagnostic software (see here), Israel’s Ibex Medical has now been awarded “Breakthrough” designation by the US FDA. This will help fast-track clinical review and regulatory approval of its technology.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-tech-to-help-pathologists-detect-cancer-gets-fda-breakthrough-nod/

PillCam and the UK NHS. A couple of weeks ago I publicized Technion UK’s online event featuring the Israeli-invented PillCam colon imaging capsule. 11,000 UK National Health Service patients are to be studied using the capsules.  Here is a recording of that event for those interested but who missed the live presentation.
https://technionuk.org/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqN24JJeltk

We can fix you. (TY Nevet) Social worker Tali used to support staff at Hadassah’s Jerusalem Medical Center. Now her colleagues administer Hadassah’s CAR-T therapy (in Phase 1 trials see here) to hopefully cure Tali’s multiple myeloma. Hadassah hopes to develop cellular therapy for any type of cancer – affordable to everyone.
https://www.hadassah.org/story/hadassah-develops-its-own-car-t-therapy-to-treat-multiple-myeloma

More swords become plowshares. During the coronavirus pandemic, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) used their missile factory to produce ventilators (see here). Now IAI subsidiary Elta and Soroka hospital are setting up an innovation center where doctors and defense engineers can jointly develop medical tech solutions.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-swords-to-scalpels-iai-soroka-hospital-to-use-army-tech-for-medical-edge/

Bystanders can save lives. (TY UWI) The award-winning SALI video medical system from Israel’s Inovytec (see here previously) enables the public to perform non-invasive airway management, automated oxygen therapy, vitals monitoring, and defibrillation. SALI has been implemented in Germany, Romania and Israel.
https://www.israel21c.org/automated-first-aid-system-wins-smart-cities-connect-award/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbKqQzjJRWY   https://www.inovytec.com/sali/

Now everyone can express themselves. Back in Dec 2020, Israel’s Voiceitt (see here) announced that its real time automatic speech recognition app will allow people with speech impairments to access and interact with Amazon’s Alexa. Now anyone can download the Voiceitt app for free from Apple’s App Store.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3909558,00.html

35-second response time. When United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Ron Cohen was called to a choking baby, he rushed from his apartment, jumped onto his ambucycle, drove down his street and ran up 4 floors. 35-seconds after receiving the call he expelled the blockage in the infant’s throat, and she was able to breathe again.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/emt-arrives-in-35-seconds-to-save-a-neighbours-choking-baby/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-demonization-of-benjamin-netanyahu-11623430571?mod=opinion_lead_pos7

Opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, have worked for more than a quarter-century to tarnish his image in the U.S. and around the world.

In 1996, when Israelis first elected him to put a brake on a dangerous Oslo process, Mr. Netanyahu was depicted as an enemy of peace. For three years, his opponents insisted that if only Israel were rid of Mr. Netanyahu, it could make peace with Yasser Arafat. They were wrong. Ehud Barak defeated Mr. Netanyahu in 1999 and offered Arafat sweeping concessions at Camp David a year later. Instead of peace, Israel got scores of suicide bombings and the worst wave of Palestinian terrorism in its history—the so-called second intifada in which more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered.

That was followed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s 2005 decision to withdraw from Gaza. Just as Mr. Netanyahu predicted, Israel’s unilateral concession led only to further aggression. Hamas, a genocidal terror organization committed to Israel’s destruction, took over Gaza and turned it into a base from which thousands of missiles have been fired at Israeli cities.

Mr. Netanyahu returned to the premiership in 2009. The preceding bloody decade should have made it obvious to all that Palestinian leaders didn’t want peace. But Mr. Netanyahu was scapegoated again. Now Mahmoud Abbas was cast as a peacemaker instead of Arafat, who died in 2004. While few Israelis believed such nonsense any longer, many foreign policy makers did, including key officials in the Obama White House.

This time, another element was added to the demonization of Mr. Netanyahu: American partisan politics. Not only was he cast as an enemy of peace; he was accused of being a Republican. His critics portrayed his legitimate opposition to a Democratic president’s dangerous Middle East policies as an illegitimate effort to intervene in American politics.

https://www.jns.org/opinion/why-we-might-be-closer-to-war-than-we-think/

The success of Mansour Abbas represents a catastrophe for powerful interests everywhere. It is to be expected that interested parties with the power to act will work to sabotage him at all costs.

Over the last week, there have been increasing signs that Hamas may be preparing to re-initiate hostilities, starting along the border at a trickle, and then more as they go along. These signs should be taken seriously since the underlying tectonic forces that in part led to the last war are still in place.

And yet, in this particular situation, there is a new dimension that can further fuel the choice towards escalation by Hamas, as well as for the panoply of other actors that previously played a contributing role in detonating the region last month. It is likely that Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, the Joint Arab List in Israel, and Iran and Turkey outside Israel all have a strong common interest in sabotaging the new Israeli government taking shape.

This is most easily done via escalation, particularly because of the above-mentioned forces being threatened by Mansour Abbas and his United Arab List party (Ra’am). It is possible that even Jordan might harbor hostility, not because incoming Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is seen as a symbol of the settler movement, but because it cannot comfortably accept the success of Mansour Abbas.

Why? What does Mansour Abbas represent?

To answer, one must examine what he is not. He is not a dreamy peace processor. Nor is he given to grand theories of regional cooperation or of some contractual permanent change that would demand an alteration of his basic system of Islamic beliefs. No such leader would or could survive in any Arab society.