The 75th anniversary of Israel’s declared independence in 1948 will be celebrated on May 14, 2023... 

“If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more ‎violence. If the Jews put ‎down their weapons ‎today, there would be no ‎more Israel'‎” ― Benjamin Netanyahu

More senseless death…

Two Israeli sisters killed, mother critically hurt in West Bank shooting attack

Two Israeli sisters were killed, and their mother was critically hurt in a terror shooting attack in the West Bank on Friday, officials said, escalating an already tense situation on multiple fronts. The victims, residents of the Efrat settlement, were not immediately named. The two fatalities were aged 15 and 21, and their mother is 48. 

Meanwhile, the Hamas terror group praised the deadly shooting, calling it “a natural response to the occupation’s ongoing crimes against Al-Aqsa Mosque and its barbaric aggression against Lebanon and the steadfast Gaza.”

[OCS: As is their custom, Palestinians handed out candy to children in celebration of the murders and hailed the killers as heroes -- hopefully soon to be celebrated as martyrs when they are killed by the IDF. As for the riots on the Temple Mount, this is something the Palestinians gin-up every major holiday.]

Hamas warned Israel against “continuing its crimes against Al-Aqsa Mosque,” claiming the holy site must remain “purely Islamic, with no place for occupation or [Israeli] sovereignty.”

The attack came as tensions rose across the region after rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, a major rocket barrage from Lebanon, clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, as well as a suspected Iranian drone launched from Syria earlier in the week.

[OCS: The mother has since passed away.]

You can’t handle the truth…

Many virtue-signaling individuals attempt to display their “goodness” by using a false moral equivalency when speaking about the Israeli/Palestinian situation in the Middle East. They cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the difference between good and evil -- as if the Arabs calling themselves “Palestinians” had a legitimate right of return to claim land they abandoned when they attacked the nascent State of Israel in 1948 or territory they lost during subsequent conflicts.

Truth be told, even if Israel wanted to implement a two-state “solution” like the one the Arabs had repeatedly rejected since 1947 when the “Partition Plan for Palestine” was proposed by the United Nations, there is no one entity that purports to speak for the so-called “Palestinians” whose governance can be honestly described as a kleptocratic thugocracy.

No single person or group represents all Palestinians. The Palestinian national movement is diverse and fragmented, representing a range of self-interested individuals and organizations, including political parties, civil society groups, and human rights organizations.

The Palestinian Authority was established in 1994 as a result of the Oslo Accords and serves as the recognized government of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority is headed by a president, currently Mahmoud Abbas, and has a legislative body known as the Palestinian Legislative Council.

However, the Palestinian Authority's legitimacy and authority have been challenged by various Palestinian factions and groups, including Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by some countries, including the United States and Israel, has its own political and military infrastructure, and has played a significant role in terrorism that is shaping Palestinian politics and policy.

The fiction that the Arabs have a legitimate historical claim on the disputed territory ignores the fact that Jews have a long history in Jerusalem that predates the Arab presence in the region.

Jerusalem has been the spiritual and cultural center of the Jewish people for thousands of years, and it is the holiest city in Judaism. According to Jewish tradition, the city was founded by King David and later served as the capital of the ancient Jewish kingdom. 

Over the centuries, Jerusalem has been ruled by a succession of empires and peoples, including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and the British. However, despite this long and varied history, Jews have maintained a continuous presence in the city, even during times of foreign rule and exile. Likewise, their presence in Judea and Samaria can be documented to predate Arab residency. 

Terrorism as a business model…

Among other Palestinian groups, Hamas views terrorism as a business model, using violent activities, including extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, and other criminal activities, to achieve political, religious, or ideological goals.

It is a ruse to perpetuate the regime’s leadership, maintain control over the Arab population, and enrich its leaders.

While his people suffered, Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, amassed a billion-dollar fortune, and many of his lieutenants were secret multi-millionaires. Part of the Palestinian grift is to sell their continuing victimhood to the international community and the many secretly anti-Semitic organizations and victims.

One might think that in the 74 years between when the 1948 Arab-Israeli War ended in 1949 and now, the Palestinians would have solved the refugee camp issue. However, they are a convenient background for a continuing public relations campaign designed to pluck both heartstrings and pocketbooks.

About the random murder of Israeli citizens and the periodic barrage of rockets aimed randomly at Israel’s civilians.

There is no doubt that the random murder of Israeli citizens and the firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas serves several purposes.

• Terrorize and intimidate:  To disrupt daily life and create a sense of insecurity in Israel. The indiscriminate rockets target civilian areas, causing injury, death, and damage to homes and infrastructure, creating fear and chaos designed to undermine the morale and confidence of the Israeli population.

• Provoke a military response: Provoking airstrikes or ground operations response from the Israeli military to rally support for Hamas and other militant groups among the Palestinian population, as well as among sympathizers in the wider Arab and Muslim world. This can also undermine support for the Israeli government and its policies, both domestically and internationally. These cowards hide behind women and children, in Mosques, hospitals, and schools to maximize the graphic value of dead women and children.1

• Narrative: Arguing they are defending Palestinian territory and their people from Israeli aggression and claim they have the right to resist occupation by any means necessary.

• Relevancy: A way for Hamas and other militant groups to maintain their relevance and legitimacy in the eyes of their supporters. By engaging in violent resistance against Israel, these groups can portray themselves as the protectors and defenders of the Palestinian people and as an alternative to more moderate political factions.

No nation other than Israel has been more diligent in developing defensive weaponry to protect their population and precision-guided munitions limiting collateral damage among the Palestinian people.

Why not a Palestinian state in Jordan?

Historically, Jordan played a significant role in the Palestinian national movement, and the majority of the population in Jordan are of Palestinian origin. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Jordan annexed the West Bank and considered itself the custodian of Palestinian interests for nearly two decades.

The ejection of Palestinians from Jordan, commonly referred to as “Black September,” occurred in 1970, when tensions between the Jordanian government and Palestinian militants reached a boiling point.

At the time, Jordan was home to a large number of Palestinian refugees who had abandoned their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) had established its headquarters in Jordan and had gradually become a powerful political and military force in the country.

However, in 1970, tensions between the Jordanian government and the PLO escalated, with the PLO attempting to establish a “state within a state” in Jordan and engaging in a campaign of violence against the Jordanian government and its security forces. The Jordanian government responded by cracking down on the PLO, and fighting broke out in various parts of the country.

The situation deteriorated to the point where the Jordanian government, led by King Hussein, declared martial law and launched a military operation against the PLO. The operation, known as “Black September,” resulted in thousands of Palestinian and Jordanian deaths, leading to the expulsion of the PLO and many Palestinians from Jordan.

While Jordan has not officially rejected establishing a Palestinian state in its territory, it remains a contentious issue in Jordanian politics due to the disruptive and divisive nature of the militant Palestinian leadership, which desires to control all of Jordan.

Bad actors in the region…

The Middle East has been facing significant challenges from various extremist and terrorist groups over the years, with many of these groups operating across borders and having links to global terrorist organizations. Some of the most well-known terrorist groups in the Middle East include: 

1. ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria): The group emerged in 2014 and rapidly gained control of territory in Iraq and Syria. It has been responsible for numerous attacks, including beheadings, bombings, and other forms of violence.

2. Al-Qaeda: This global terrorist group has a presence in several countries in the Middle East, including Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. It has been involved in several attacks, including the September 11 attacks on the United States.

3. Hamas: A Palestinian group that has been responsible for numerous attacks against Israel, including suicide bombings and rocket attacks.

4. Hezbollah: A Shia militant group based in Lebanon involved in several conflicts, including the Syrian Civil War. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries.

5. Taliban: A Sunni Islamist group based in Afghanistan that has also been involved in several conflicts, including the war in Afghanistan. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries.

Bottom line…

There appears to be no solution in the Middle East until Islam undergoes a reformation to remove its obligatory militancy and becomes willing to coexist with the ideas of Western civilization peacefully. Arab nations must recognize Israel and its right to exist as a nation – with defensible boundaries.

As long as external forces continue to use various Islamic factions as proxies for state-sponsored action, peace is not achievable. And this includes the United States that, under the Obama/Biden Administration, openly interfered in Israeli politics. It was no secret that a Farrakhan-loving Barack Hussein Obama, mentored by Jerimiah Wright, was and is anti-Semitic, as well as many Northeastern Ivy League-educated liberals in the U.S. State Department.

We are screwed. Israel is screwed. But, at least Israel has a courageous leader in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unlike the cognitively-impaired racist currently in the White House.

-- Steve