Results of Operation Defensive Edge in Gaza

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                

                                                                                                

                                                                                                         
I am truly disgusted with Europeans who demonstrated against Israel during the recent Protective Edge Operation by Israel who had to go into Gaza in order to defend themselves.  This shows anti-Semitism is still alive in Europe.
                                                                       

How quickly they have forgotten what it was like for their grandparents who were attacked by the German air force, or what it was like to be attacked at all by them.  At least they had the USA join their forces and fight with them.  This was the predicament Israel found itself in; the whole little state was being hit by rockets, this time including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and the population of Israel had to find safety in bomb shelters.
                                                                       

                                                       Iron Dome hits incoming rocket

That Israel's government had the where-with-all to pick themselves up and march onto Gaza is a credit to their organization.  Nobody else was stepping up to the plate to come and defend them.  Little Israel had to do it all alone, and they were able to take out 1,923 rocket launchers and storage facilities while their own country was the target of a total of 4,564 launched rockets.  197 of those launched never made it but were duds.  Out of those, only 735 rockets were intercepted over cities and communities by the Iron Dome.  It took the IDF and reservists to answer the call for service to protect their country.  While rockets were screaming down on Israeli cities and villages, young teenagers of 18 and veterans of both sexes dodged them in order to meet together and go into Gaza.
                                                                             

 A few IDF (Israel Defense Force) friends.  All men and women serve in the IDF in Israel, going in at 18.  

The intention and training of Israelis is to not attack citizens, but of course the world now knows that Hamas kept their own civilians as their own protective wall from Israel's weapons and for purposes of using the statistics as a weapon against Israel.  Israel gave more than ample warning to get out of harm's way, which only gave the terrorists the knowledge to keep them there.  Out of the 2,100 Gazans who were killed, a good 1,000 were terrorists themselves shooting at the IDF.  253 were Hamas terrorists, 147 belonged to Islamic Jihad and 603 were militants from the various other terrorist groups working with Hamas.  Israel was able to hit rocket production facilities, command and control centers, and other targets that were part of the IAF's close support for ground forces.  In all, Israel was able to take out 5,226 targets in Gaza, hopefully enough to slow down the rocket attacks that had been coming daily for years of which no one bothered to hold demonstrations about.
                                                                           

It's a good thing that Israel entered Gaza when they did, since they found and destroyed 32 attack tunnels that ended up in Israel.  They were going to be used to kidnap Israelis and for an entry into Israel for attacks.
                                                                   

All this time, amid hits raining down on southern Israel, the Israelis kept up their part of a bargain to keep Gaza supplied with whatever they needed, except ammunition, of course.  That's why they feel they must examine all boats coming into the area.   74,602 tons of goods from Israel went into Gaza by trucks.  Besides that, 1,742 tons of medical supplies were trucked in.  They had no shortage of fuel and gas as 843 tankers rolled in from Israel.  I might mention that the other half of Palestine, Judea and Samaria, owe a lot of money to Israel for their electricity which they've been taking freely with payment.  Any normal company in the USA would have cut off such a customer long ago, but being these are countries, Israel hadn't taken such steps. Since they have declared Hamas and Fatah as unified and are Palestine now, perhaps the accounting books will look at this differently.  Because Gazan Palestinians are sworn enemies with the intent to wipe out Israel, this has to be handled this way.  There is no peace pact between them though there had been a chance to think Fatah was more willing.  It's not a situation like Canada and the USA.  It's an enemy trying to wipe out Israel-who wants peace with all.  Fatah-Hamas unification has already been broken over disagreement of who is the boss.  That seems to be their main problem.  Fatah did embrace Hamas's covenant.

Resource: magazine, The Jerusalem Report, September 22, 2014 pp 18, 19.

Why The Need for Hamas to Bomb Israel?

Nadene Goldfoot                                                             

                        Israel's Iron Dome Stopping Incoming Rocket

Hamas Palestinians in Gaza are now unified with Fatah Palestinians, known as the PA of Judea-Samaria . Hamas has been bombing Israel since 2001 and still they haven't stopped. In fact, now that they have unified, it's been stepped up.   Why?  Why was there a war in Gaza in the first place with Israel?  Is Obama watching all this?

Hamas called out the big O word;  OCCUPATION.  Charles Krauthammer asked, "What occupation?  In 2005 Israel pulled out of Gaza.  It dismantled every village, withdrew every soldier, evacuated every Jew and left nothing behind except the greenhouses where Jews had grown fruit and flowers for export.  These were left as they were to help Gaza's economy.  How about that?  That was a Jewish decision.  It was not appreciated, though.  The Arabs trashed them when they took over.    There is no occupation.

Israel said its border with Gaza was an international frontier.  They  had renounced any claim to the territory and considered it an independent entity.  At that moment Israel was actually creating the first Palestinian state.
                                                                         

               Ashkelon, Israel under constant attack along with Sderot

The other Muslims had never been that gracious to Palestinians.  Those held in refugee camps were not considered citizens and have no rights and are not allowed to find work.  No, that's because they're used as pawns to fight the Jews in Israel.  Even the Ottoman Empire and the Egyptians who held Gaza before Israel had not  done such a thing as give the Palestinians such recognition..

Sometimes I think my Israel is too good to people, but they did this because they wanted to live in peace. with these Arabs calling themselves Palestinians.
                                                                     

                                                     Rocket  fired from Gaza

The world had kept demanding that Israel give up land for peace, and they had done it successfully with Egypt.  So they took the chance and it has failed.    The Arabs turned around and voted in Hamas terrorists to rule over them.  They turned Gaza into an armed camp and there has been war ever since.  Any truce from Hamas, a hudna, has only been a tactic for giving themselves a rest to get ready for the next round.
                                                                         

                                      Hamas terrorists

The problem is that Hamas says that all of Israel is occupied.  They say that Israel is illegitimate.  They tell everyone it is a cancer, a crime against humanity.  Did they have to alter any of this in the peace talks?  I doubt it.

The big brother for Hamas is Iran.  They are their arms supplier.  Hamas' objective has been openly declared.  Why hasn't the USA looked at it?  Their goal is to liberate, destroy Tel Aviv and the rest of pre-1967 Israel.  It is, as Charles said, it's raison d'etre.

Jews were first attacked by Hamas with suicide bombings.  That caused Israel to build a fence for protection.  Hamas has come back with rockets that are fired indiscriminately at a civilian population in very populated areas.  This started off with 150 rockets into Israel.  Just 2 years ago Hamas was getting Fajr-5 rockets that were smuggled in from Iran that could reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  This puts 50% of the Israeli population in harms way.  They get finances and political support from the other Middle Eastern states like Qatar who gave them $400 million, especially since the Arab Spring and the reversal in Turkey to a more Islamist society.  Previously for the past 60 years, Turkey  had been a friend of Israel.  While Israel works to defend its population, Recep Erdogan called Israel a terrorist state.  Is this eastern thinking compared to western?

The best thing that has happened is that Egypt acted quickly and ousted the head of the Muslim Brotherhood from presidency.  Morsi is out and Sisi is in. How Morsi ever got in in the first place is a mystery to me.  They had been an outlawed group.  Obama had them sit in the front row during his Cairo speech, though, so that recognition must have given them a leg up.   Therefore, Egypt is still honoring it's peace with Israel.  They even have worked together.

There was a cease fire on November 21st in 2012, but we see that didn't last long.  Over 500 rockets have been fired into southern Israel in 2014.  On April 23, Hamas and Fatah united.  The firing of rockets continues.  I count at least 22 mortars and rockets have been fired since their unification.  Why do they keep on pelting Israel?  Their goal is to wipe out Israel.  They don't want a peace.  They want to destroy Israel.

April 23

3 rockets were fired from Gaza at the Hof Ashkelon and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Councils, after rocket alert sirens sounded. No injuries were reported.

April 24

A mortar shell exploded near the fence in Southern Gaza, endangering Israelian soldiers. Later in the day explosive device explodes near IDF force at the Northern Gaza border. No injuries or damage were reported

May

May 1

A rocket hit an open area in Eshkol. No one war hurt, no damage was reported

May 21

Lots of mortar shells were fired at IDF forces on the Gaza boarder. No injuries, damages in attack. 

May 23

A rocket exploded in open field in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. No reports of damages or injuries.

May 31

In the Golan heights' area sirens were heard in several towns followed by explosions. It was assumed, that these rockets were not targeted to Israel but a result of the Syrian battle. 

June

June 2

A Syrian mortar shell hit the Mt. Hermon region, no injuries or damage were reported.

June 4

At least two Syrian mortar shells land at the Israeli Golan. The Iron Dome missile defense system were activated, but were stopped, when calculation said, that the mortars would hit open field. Additionally, Syrians shot machine gun fire. The IDF believes, that the goal was not to hit the Israelian side, but celebratory fire from Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

June 11

A rocket sent from Gaza narrowly missed a main artery in southern Israel as it landed in a nearby dirt field without causing any injuries.

June 14

2 of 3 rockets fired from the Gaza fell in the Hof Ashkelon regional council in the afternoon. No injuries or damage were reported.

June 15

In Ashkelon a series of explosions were heard in the evening. 4 rockets were fired from Gaza, 2 of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome. Fragments of the rockets fell across the city. There were no reports of injuries or material damages.

June 16

A rocket from Gaza landed in an open area in the Ashkelon area. No damage or injuries. This year Palestinians fired more than 500 rockets and mortars.
June 30
New - BREAKING: 15 Rockets Fired Last Night and This Morning

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2014
Oregonian article 2012, Why was there war in Gaza?  Charles Krauthammer

The Domino Affect: What Kerry Said Caused a Crisis

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                      

                          The Tower of David in Jerusalem-The City of David

Israel has been facing 100 rockets to be rained down on Southern Israel just days before Purim, a happy festival of being alive after the threat of Haman setting into motion the slaughter of all Jews in the Persian Empire.  Sderot again has taken the brunt of the attack; an attack when homemakers and children were looking forward to this happy celebration. Other southern cities were in the line of fire as well.  The Chief Rabbi of Israel joined them during the attack.
                                                                 

                                         Sderot, the city that has been attacked with 100 rockets, a town founded in the Northern Negev in 1951 which was settled by new immigrants working in development industries.  In 1990 it had the population of 9,480.  It's close to Gaza.  Being Israel is only 8,000 sq miles, every piece of land has to be used.  Most all Israelis live in high rise apartment buildings, not homes such as Oregonians live in.  From 1949 to 1956, Arab terrorists, called fedayeen, trained and equipped by Egypt, repeatedly attacked Israeli civilians from bases in Gaza.  1,300 Israelis were killed or wounded in terrorist attacks throughout Israel.  Nasser was the head of Egypt in those days.
                                                                       

What brought about this sudden impulse to sock it to Israel?  Several things; one of which most likely was the capture of an Iranian ship with missiles that was to be delivered to the terrorists of Gaza.  This must have upset their big plans to hit Israel big-time.  Why did Iran decide to do this?  Why now?  Could it be that there is no strength coming from the USA and Europe over their goal for creating uranium arms when everyone knows they would use them on Israel?  They're calling the shots and the rest of the world is deaf and dumb about it, all except Netanyahu in Israel.   The USA is not the power it used to be.  Syria is not afraid and neither is Iran.  Egypt could not follow Obama's wishes to allow the Muslim Brotherhood to stay in power, even if it meant giving up money coming from the USA.  However Morsi had gotten himself voted in as president, the higher powers realized it could not continue or they would become a Muslim Brotherhood state.  

Other things set the terrorists' mind in motion for destruction, too.  Our state department in the USA is pushing hard to wind up an agreement between the Palestinian Arabs and Israel.  They even want to forgo the one need of Israel-and that is for the Palestinians to accept that Israel is in fact a Jewish state.  Update is that Kerry is telling all that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a mistake.  So I'll repeat why this is important again.

Israel  cannot be flooded with Muslims causing the inbalance of the government.  It was created to be a Jewish state.  That's what the League of Nations agreed to in the 20's  and so did the United Nations in 1948.  What has happened to Lebanon, who had the minority Christians in power and now are completely upended with their loss of power cannot happen in any way, shape or form to Israel.  This state of Israel, made up of legal minds both in the rabbinate and in the knesset, know what they need.  Otherwise, Israel doesn't have a chance.
                                                                     

Also, what the state department doesn't think of is that Fatah, the PA of Judea and Samaria are but one group to deal with who are vying for power in the future state of Palestine.  How can they ever forget Hamas, the power in Gaza, terrorists to the death, who swear they will never allow Israel to exist and whose charter is to destroy the tiny state.  Even Fatah will not allow even one Jew to live in their state.  Oh, Kerry condemns the massive rocket attack that just happened, but has worded his previous statements to almost cause it to happen.  Isn't he using the rocket fire to push Israel to concede to all the demands the PA has and negate their need to recognize it as a Jewish state?  Isn't he supposed to be only a negotiator, a mediator, bringing a deal to both  that they can live with?  This isn't happening.  He's gone over to the easiest side to bargain with; the Palestinians.  A mediator is to be in the middle, not offside.  He is to interpose between parties in order to reconcile them, to bring accord out of by action as an intermediary, to act as intermediary agent in bringing, effecting, or communicating.  It should have been an intervention between conflicting parties to promote reconciliation.  Since these parties are dealing with life and death matters where there is so much hatred on the side of the Palestinians, it must include a lot of background knowledge between the 2 parties.  As it stands now, it's impossible.  Here's why.

 Two things have to happen.  The Arabs must recognize Israel as a Jewish state and teach their people to accept this fact; in their homes, from their lips, in their textbooks, and to want peace more than they hate the Jews.  It's too bad Obama and Kerry didn't see this as a pre-requisite to peace.  They've been trying to put the cart before the horse.  It's not working.

Arutz Sheva has brought out the fact that both Fatah and Hamas must be in the picture.  Israel needs Abbas to agree to a demilitarized state which they don't want to do.  Even if he did, Hamas would continue to get rockets and missiles and mortars to use against Israel and guess who would be smuggling them into Gaza somehow?

Negotiations are fine between 2 parties that both want peace.  I don't see this happening here. The Palestinians are not peaceful people yet.   Fatah hooked up with Hamas several times already and only is separated right now because of the struggle for the throne; and Hamas did kick out Fatah and Abbas already from Gaza.  Like the rest of the Middle East, there is always a power struggle even among these like religious groups.  Kerry seems to be bewitched and bewildered by the Palestinian propaganda, but not bothered at all by it.  The Israeli Ministers are bring this to his attention.  They've asked him to condemn terror!!!  Now I ask, is this an unreasonable request?  I figure with some people you have to be very direct.

Update of update:  Kerry's digging a hole for himself telling Congress there's no need to have the Palestinans recognize Israel as a Jewish state because they've ALREADY DONE IT TWICE?    How come Netanayahu and the whole knesset doesn't know about it, then?  Sounds like a familiar story line he's told before about his wartime involvement.

Resource: Arutz Sheva; news@israelnationalnews.com A7 News:  Chief Rabbi Lau Visits Sderot Amid Rockets-Frustration at Peace Talks Grows as Rockets Continue by Tova Dvorin.
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Kerry-says-Netanyahu-wrong-to-insist-Palestinians-recognize-Israel-as-Jewish-state-345341
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia-Sderot
Israel 101 from StandwWithUs.
Update:  https://www.facebook.com/gail.hopke/posts/10152015447018807 Ministers tell kerry to have Palestinians stop attacking.  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/178503
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/12314/kerry-recognition-israel-jewish-state-mistake/?utm_source=Breaking+Israel+News&utm_campaign=a47fa7019d-BIN+Email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b6d3627f72-a47fa7019d-83518689
http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/03/14/disturbed-rocker-david-draiman-curses-john-kerry-over-jewish-state-comments/
http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/middle-east/israeli-palestinian-relations/kerry-there-is-no-need-to-keep-bringing-up-the-issue-of-recognition-for-a-jewish-state-4293
*Update:  http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/61761, A whiff of Perfidy, Victor Sharpe on Kerry

Why Hezbollah is a Terrorist Organization

Nadene Goldfoot
Hezbollah is not a part of Lebanon's government.  They are supported by Iran and Syria.  After 1982 when Israel had to go into Lebanon to stop the PLO who were stationed there and had been blasting Northern Israel with rockets, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards stepped in and took these Shi'a Islamic militants that wanted to fight and trained them. Hezbollah has pretty much  taken over Lebanon, however.

In 2006, Hezbollah shot 4,000 rockets into Israel when they had a war that lasted for a month.  They had the range of 45 miles.  More than 24 cities were hit.  900 rockets landed in urban areas.  43 Israeli citizens were killed and 2,015 were injured.  Haifa suffered from 54 rockets that hit causing 16 deaths.  Karmiel, which is settled mainly by American Jews, suffered from 176 rockets. Kiryat Shmona, the city I drove to from Safed because they had a department store that reminded me of Meir & Frank, was hit by over 1,000 rockets.They were close to the border.   My city of Safed (Tzfat), which is on top of a mountain,  was hit by 471 rockets and Nitzan Rubin died from it.   July 13: Nitzan Rubin, 33, died from wounds sustained during the  Hezbollah rocket attack.  Tiberias, which is below the mountain,  was hit with 81 rockets.   The UN brought out a peacekeeping force, but it is thought that Hezbollah had stockpiled more, possibly 28,000 rockets since then.

By 2008 they were shooting Iranian rockets with the range of 185 miles, which would be able to hit Dimona.  This has all been done with the backing of Iran. By "early March, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported Israeli claims that Hezbollah's arsenal includes 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in southern Lebanon."  At the same time, Hamas from Gaza was raining down rockets and by 2008 had killed 13 Israelis that way.  Hamas even then had strong ties with Iran.

The Lebanese army has been working against Hezbollah.  On December 11, 2011 a rocket was shot only 6 miles from the border towards Israel but hit a Lebanese home in Hula and injured the woman inside. The next year on November 20, 2012, "A Lebanese army patrol discovered two ready-to-launch 107mm Grad rockets between the villages of Halta and Mari, about 2 miles from the Israeli border. The forces defused the rockets. IDF official Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai said Palestinian factions in Lebanon were probably behind the plot."  It's figured they were Hezbollahs being they were in Lebanon.  The next day "Two rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel landed within Lebanon, according to Beirut officials." The terrorists didn't give up.  The very next day "The Lebanese army disarmed an additional rocket aimed at Israel, in Marjayoun, again, about 6 miles or 10 kilometers from the border."  

Last July,  5 Israeli tourists were killed in a bus that was bombed in Burgas, Bulgaria, a Black Sea resort.  It was Hezbollah who were the terrorists.  They had a suicide bomber planted on that bus.  The bus driver was also killed in the explosion.

Tel Aviv was threatened by Lebanon's Shiek Hassan Nasrallah in 2012's battle with Gaza after a cease fire was declared.   Hezbollah had fired a Fajr-5 rocket then, and the threat is of thousands of them landing on Tel Aviv.  He was speaking to a crowd of thousands "attending an annual Shiite commemoration of the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson." Lebanon is populated by half Sunni and half Shi'a Muslims..  Hezbollah also threatens to invade Israel's Galilee since they sit on the border. This would be the cities of  Haifa, Acre, Safed, Tiberias and Nazareth  while at other times have threatened cities from Kiryat Shimona to Eilat, which is the whole length of Israel.  The message is that if Israel hits Iran's site where they are making uranium for atomic weaponry, Hezbollah will hit Israel with about 60,000 missiles and rockets and can now reach the whole country.

Israel has repeatedly asked countries to brand Hezbollah a terror organization.  The US and Canada have agreed.  The European Union has not  and they have taken no action to do so.  Evidently it takes more for the Europeans to learn about the true character of Hezbollah.

 Israel is not going to attack Hezbollah for the Bulgarian bus attack of last summer.  "When Israel acts, it is in order to prevent a security threat, to prevent a concrete attack.  It is not in order to punish," said Boaz Ganor, Israel's counter-terrorism expert.

Resource: Oregonian newspaper, 2/6/13,  page A5, report blames Hezbollah for bombing.
 http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-03-27-israel-hezbollah_N.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/israel-seen-unlikely-to-respond-militarily-after-bulgaria-implicates-hezbollah-in-attack/2013/02/05/0d7bce2e-6fd6-11e2-b3f3-b263d708ca37_story.html
http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.2905175/k.B69E/Background_Israeli_Cities_Affected_by_Rocket_Attacks.htm
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/11/25/thousands-of-rockets-will-fall-on-tel-aviv-hezbollah-issues-chilling-warning-to-israel/
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/10/02/hezbollah-threatens-to-invade-israel%e2%80%99s-galilee-and-offers-interactive-infographic-on-how-it-plans-to-do-it/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah

American Paramedics Joining Magen David Adom : Service of Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                     

American Paramedics Joining Magen David Adom : Service of Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon   

After being struck by rockets in such continuous volume since Wednesday, the whole southern part of Israel has been abused, needing more medical resources than on hand.  I'm happy to read that 14 Jewish paramedics have already arrived in Israel to work as volunteers with Magen David Adom.  They are but the first of dozens who are scheduled to arrive to join the others and assist people in the south.

Since 2001 at least 4,800 rockets have fallen into Israel   There were 28 deaths and hundreds injured.  15,000 people from Sderot alone suffer from PtSD with 1,000 in ongoing treatment from all the bombing.

Usually it is up to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon to deal with everyone's medical problems.  For instance, 1600 KASSAM missiles attacked the south in 2006.  They worked with 1400 patients with acute and post traumatic stress disorders and diseases then.  Each year they face 100,000 emergency admissions. They are a center with 500 beds which means 1 hospital bed per 1000 residents which is the lowest in the country in 2006.  Yet they are serving over 500,000 residents in the immediate area.  I wonder how many hospitals in the USA have had to convert their cafeteria regularly into hospital bed space.  They have, and also have had to go underground for some of their work due to shelling near the hospital so often.

By 2008 Israel was forced to do something to stop the shelling and went into Operation Cast Lead.
By 2009 the terrorists of Gaza were still terrorizing 1 million civilians of southern Israel and already 10 deaths came from this.

Just looking at what was going on from October 24 to 30, 2012, 105 rockets and 12 mortars were shot into Israel from Gaza.
October 31 to November 6th  -2 rockets landed
November 10 to November 16--340 rockets rained down on southern Israel   An IDF vehicle was hit, killing one soldier and injuring the others.  The vehicle was on fire from the hit.  They were on their usual patrol outside the fence separating Gaza from Israel looking for breaks in the fence.

From January 2012 to October there have been 800 rockets shot into Israel. Add 342 plus more to that sum as the shelling has continued, hitting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with farther ranging rockets from Iran.   These have been answered by  sending complaints to the UN and air flights to hit wherever rockets are coming from.  However, Iran is sending arms through Sudan and up into Egypt where they get to the terrorists through tunnels and trucks.

At the moment, officials are waiting to see if Egypt can reach a  peace agreement.  If not, Israel is ready for a ground incursion to put an end to this shelling.

Resource:  http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=292175
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel
Oregonian newspaper, 11/18/12  Front page: Israel escalates assault on Hamas, Gaza Strip, page A12 whole page-Opposing narratives bound for collision by AP Dan Perry and Josef Federman, Hamas rockets are new element in fight by NY Times News service-Ethan Bronner,  Israel's Iron Dome missile defense by AP, picture by Hatem Moussa/AP and another picture by McClatchy-Tribune.  They made a few errors here and there, but not bad.  My problem with these reporters is that they jump into the news without an opening sentence to explain, such as headline Israel escalates assault.....It sounds like Israel is the aggressor from that which is not true.  Israel is defending its people.  How about-Israel Defends by hitting back strongly or something like that.  It's like what happened with the report Susan Rice read which had eliminated the word terrorists and replaced it with some other milk toast word.

Israel in Self Defense Mode: Taking Out Terrorist Military Targets Chabad Jews Hit

Nadene Goldfoot
The rockets flying into Israel hitting the civilian landscape was intolerable, bringing about the decision of self defense by taking out terrorist  military targets.  . Israel had decided to root out the terror and hopes to end it.   Of course this brought on the retribution from Gaza's terrorist gangs with over 200 grad rockets, missiles and mortars raining upon Israel today, especially on Kiryat Malachi (City of Angels) with a population of 20,600 in 2009.  It is 10 miles from Ashkelon.  A rocket hit a Chabad neighborhood.  3 Lubavatchers there were killed. Chabad is an orthodox group of Jews.  Their main goal  is education.   One was Mira Sharif, wife of the shaliach from India who was visiting her family.  She was the mother of 3 small children.  7 people there were injured including 2 small infants.


A house in Ashdod  was hit as was a school in Ofakim which is near Beersheba.  3 IDF were wounded and 3 civilians were killed, 5 civilians were injured including a baby, 2 others were injured;  the reports keep coming in.  Schools within 25 miles of the Gaza border have been closed.

 48 rockets were stopped by Israel's Iron Dome.  13-15 Palestinians were said to be killed.  Everything had to come to a stop.  Schools have been closed.  People cannot go to work.  It has been an intolerable rocket barrage.

I don't think anyone was surprised by the Egyptian recall of their Ambassador.  Israel has dropped leaflets early this morning telling Gazans to stay away from Hamas facilities in order to be safe.  When this started, it was thought that the Gazan terrorists had at least 10,000 rockets and mortars in their arsenal.  Just since Wednesday with Operation Pillar of Defense, 70 Israelis have been injured in rocket attacks.

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=291954&R=R1
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/145304/Kiryat-Malachi%3A-Three-Lubavitchers-Israelis-Killed-By-Gaza-Rocket-Fire.html (lots of information)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Malakhihttp://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=291984
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=291984
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/ryan-mauro/muslim-brotherhood-mobilizes-for-hamas/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9b478e7bef-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Halting Gaza Attacks: Update on Operation Pillar of Defense

Nadene Goldfoot
150 rockets were launched by Hamas terrorists in this past week including 3 cross-border attacks.    Today Israel has carried out targeted strikes to break  up the places terrorists are shooting from.  Israel is not about to accept this escalation of rockets on Israeli citizens.

The IDF patrol was 200 meters west of the Gaza border when it was hit and caught on fire from the  missile shot by terrorists.  All 4 were wounded with one seriously with a head wound.  Ashkelon is only 6 miles away so they were probably taken there to the hospital.

Today Hamas fired the Fajr-5 with a range of almost 40 miles which puts 3 million Israelis within missile range. That could put Tel Aviv within range being it is about 44 miles away.  thousands of Gazans chanted wildly that they wanted their terrorists to hit Tel Aviv.   "Helped by the contraband trade through tunnels from Egypt, Gaza militias have smuggled in these longer-range rockets."

 Israel is made up of not quite 6 million Jews and 1.4 million Arabs. This means about half of the country must find a bomb shelter for survival.   Hamas thinks nothing of targeting civilians and shoots at them from populated areas on purpose such as placing their missile launchers near mosques, hospitals and schools.  Israel is trying to miss these centers.

Ahmed al-Jabri was targeted and killed who was the head of the Hamas military wing.  He had planned the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.  He has been the planner of terrorist attacks that killed Israeli civilians and was the one that ordered terrorists to fire thousands of rockets at Israel.

Israel has the right and responsibility to protect the citizens of Israel and defend itself from these unwarrented terror attacks.  Obama gave his support to Israel to defend itself.  At least the US Department of State condemned the rockets fired from Gaza and also backed Israel's right to self-defense.

These are cowardly acts of Hamas and the other terror groups.  They are not taking on soldiers.  They fight while hiding behind women and children. That's why they are called "terrorists."   This operation comes after much restraint along with public and diplomatic warnings to Hamas to stop.  They have answered with more rockets fired.

Resource:  Embassy of Israel paffairs@washington.mfa.gov.il  Special alert.  
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/14/israeli-airstrike-hamas-military-chief/1704159/

Gaza-The Frontline Iranian Outpost Ending

Nadene Goldfoot
 Israel has stated, " "No country can accept terror attacks on its cities and citizens."  Israel has taken hits since 2001 without any ending from Gazan terrorists.  This is how they have been repaid by pulling out of Gaza, not occupying it, and hoping for peace between the Jews and Arabs.  But the people of Gaza chose Hamas, a terrorist organization to be their government who  have also pulled Fatah into their terrorist practices.    Gaza has become the duped terrorist center for Iran, a stage for rocket launchers.  

The IDF's Operation Cloud Pillow has started with hitting a terrorist's activities of the past 10 years , Hamas's head man in an air strike after 5 days of extreme violence on the citizens of southern Israel.  After being hit with over 140 rockets, missiles, and mortars, as well as pleas to the UN, Israel has taken further steps in halting the bombardment.  The new government of Egypt was trying to broker a truce but didn't seem to get anywhere.  After 12 years of being hit, Israel is getting  very tired of it. It has just been getting worse. Israel, a teeny state only 8,000 sq miles big with a population of less than 8 million is in danger all the time. From Beer Sheva in the south to the Gaza fence is only 12 miles.  No one can imagine the miniscule size of this state.  

The head man that was targeted was Ahmed Al-Jabari, head of the Izzal-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and his son who were spotted in their car and hit.  6 terrorists in all died.  Ismail al-Ashkar, spokesman threatened more attacks on Israel now such as suicide attacks and more hits on major cities.

The IDF attack hit 20 rocket-launching pads of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups.  They destroyed long range rockets such as Fajr-5 missiles which have a range of 24.85 miles. They need to impair the command leadership of Hamas and these other groups and let them realize that if they continue their shelling on Israel they will be stopped.

Gazan terrorists were able to launch 2 rockets towards Portland's sister city, Ashkelon, where a major hospital is that takes care of everyone, Arabs and Jews.

On December 27, 2008 Israel tried to stop Gaza from the 8 year bombardment of missile, rockets and mortars they were suffering from with Operation Cast Lead.  Evidently that wasn't a deterrent.  and caused Israel a lot of false notoriety about their actions.  It's obvious others cannot understand what it's like to live in an area that rains rockets, not rain, and to live through it most likely gives everyone PTSD if they are lucky enough to not be hit after hearing a siren giving 15 seconds to run for a bomb shelter.  Israel had figured that 8 years was more than enough of turning the other cheek and trying to deal with people intent on killing you.  Like we say on Passover; Enough !

Resource:http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Israel_under_fire-November_2012.htm
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4305343,00.html
 https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths3/MFcastlead.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_War
update article: http://frontpagemag.com/2012/davidhornik/israel-mulls-response-as-rockets-hit/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=deec789f32-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag:

Third Day of Shelling Israel with 140 plus Rockets

Nadene Goldfoot
The update on the attack from Gaza terrorism against Israel is that so far 140 rockets have hit the southern part of Israel hitting 3 homes and putting 43 people into shock.  Ashkelon was defended by the Iron Dome which stopped two rockets.  Just since midnight 17 rockets and mortars rained down.  Four people were injured.  Two grads fell in Netivot.

 "Netivot has been the target of grad missile  attacks from Gaza. In 2012, a rocket exploded near a school in the city."  This is a city with a 2009 population of 26,700 that lies between Beersheba and Gaza in Israel..  It is populated by Jewish immigrants mainly from Morocco, Tunisia, Russia and Ethiopia.  Given the chance to finally live in Israel, "In 2009, a high school student from Netivot won first prize in the First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics competition."  Two of their homes were hit this time.  People tried to stick to their usual routines but finally cancelled school.  They all have just 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter once the siren is heard.

Israel struck back at 3 targets.  They hit an armory, a tunnel and a rocket launching site.

Besides being attacked from Gaza, the Golan Heights in the North has been suffering from a series of attacks from Syria.  At first they were thought to be the spill over from their civil war, but it has been going on too much and too steadily.  Now the possibility is that it has been intentional.  "Israel responded for the first time on Sunday, firing what it called a "warning shot" into Syria after another mortar shell strayed across the frontier and landed near an Israeli military post. Israel also warned of a tougher response if the attacks persisted."

Resource:  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-rocket-hits-yard-of-israeli-house-as-violence-enters-third-day.premium-1.476899
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=291432&R=R1
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/12/official-syrian-fighter-jet-bombs-area-close-turkish-border-several-injured/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netivot
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/grad-rocket-fired-from-gaza-severely-damages-two-houses-in-netivot-1.463607
11/12/12 Update: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-warns-tough-response-gaza-rocket-hits-house-080822495.html Truce signaled by Gaza 

Cozy Facts Israel Faces Every Day About Hizballah in Lebanon

Nadene Goldfoot
Terrorists that are Lebanon based from Hizballah have 55,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel along Israel's northern border that can reach nearly all of Israel's major population centers.  Lebanon is dominated by the Iranian backed Hizballah.   That's not a comforting thought, but something Israel lives with every day.

1. Katyusha rockets.....12 mile range   212th in Gresham to Ladd's Addition in Portland SE 12th Ave.
2. Long-range katyusha 24 miles Portland to Battle Ground, Washington
3. Fajr-3                       28 miles Portland to Dundee or Hubbard, Oregon
4. Fajr-5/syrian 220mm 45 miles  Portland to Salem
4. Syrian Bk-302            71 miles Portland to Corvallis or to Seaside
5. Zelzal-2                    130 miles  Portland to Bend or Auburn, Washington
6. M-600                     155 miles  Portland to Winatchee-Port Orchard, Washington
7. Scud-B  ?                186 miles (unconfirmed in Hizballah possession, Portland to Roseburg


Do I see any Peace Now Advocates coming to Israel's aid?  Every government in Israel's 64 year history has declared its desire to live in peace with all Arab states.  In 1983, Israel and Lebanon signed a treaty, but Beirut abrogated it later that year under Syrian pressure.


Hizbullah was organized in 1982 as an aftermath of the Lebanon invasion from Israel and Lebanon's civil war between the Christian phalangists and the Muslim terrorists. This was in response to all the shelling taking place along Israel's border.  Kiriat Shimona was in constant lockdown with population taking to bomb shelters.   This is when Sharon allowed Major Hadad's men to go in and fight the Muslim terrorists which turned out to be the Sabra and Shatila massacre. .   They are financed from Iran and Syria.  The Ayatollah Khomeini saw to it they were trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Hadad and his men were Phalangists organized from 1958 through the Maronite Church in Lebanon to introduce democracy and fight against the Muslim in politics.

June 28, 1982 from my book:  We had lost about 300 men, a lot for Israel.  The Lebanese people, including the Muslims, have mostly been overjoyed that Israel has come in and liberated them from the PLO's.  Lebanon is a very divided messed up country, and Major Haddad of the Christians is doing a good job of organizing things back to normal.  as of the 8pm news, the PLO's still don't know what or how they will leave Lebanon.  Almost every family in Israel has someone in the army right now.  Everyone is anxious for this war to be over and wants to bring their men back home.  Many are aginst war for any reason.  It's very hot out now and very uncomfortable to have a war......I think Israel has learned, and I am seeing, that they cannot rely on any person or country's promises of safety.  We have to do it ourselves.

Resource: AIPAC map and information
http://www.bing.com/search?q=distance+from+portland+to+%3f+in+Oregon+in+miles&qs=n&pc=Z003&pq=distance+from+portland+to+%3f+in+ore
Myths and Facts by Mitchell Bard and Joel Himelfarb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saad_Haddad
http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0024125.html
Letters From Israel by Nadene Goldfoot June 15, 1982, June 28, 1982 

Jews Persecuted With Rockets and Missiles Today

Nadene Goldfoot
While we Jews are enjoying our morning coffees and plans for the day safely in the United States, we have cousins living in southern Israel who face rockets and missiles interrupting theirs.  During the past two months 145 rockets and missiles have been aimed and have fallen into southern Israel.  One would be enough to ruin my whole month if not the next five years!  Roughly that means 72 fell in one week or 10 a day!  When does one have time to do anything!   PTSD is becoming prevalent among the children.  It's no wonder.

When the bloodcurdling siren goes off, people have less than 15 seconds to run quickly to a bomb shelter if one has such a luxury.  the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) ,with Rabbi Eckstein's plea,  has donated Fellowship bomb shelters to many places and is taking donations.  Israel hasn't been able to get this done through the state to all places and needs help in this.

I remember living in Israel from 1980 till almost 1986 in Haifa and Tzfat and living in a government apartment building on David Eleazar Street of many stories high that had a bomb shelter in it.  My German shepherd wasn't allowed entrance, though.  Most all buildings were built this way.  I lived on the very bottom floor and had metal bars over the windows in case of terrorists trying to break in.  The apartment came like this.

When I say cousin, I am not theorizing.  In DNA studies, we're finding that we Jews might have a common ancestor if we go back about 5 generations with the same person we are married to if that person is also Jewish.  We're one big family!  Besides these close cousins, I personally am finding a few distant cousins from way back that are from Pakistan and Afghanistan and even Saudi Arabia as well! Finding that we are on the same haplogroup or of the same haplotype (twig off the same branch of the tree of man) is pretty exciting.   That certainly gives me a new perspective on our relatives.  Our extended family is growing!

Now, if we could just convince our neighbors to stop using those living in southern Israel as target practice and converse like our group does in talking about our DNA, life would be much cheerier.

Research: http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/USENG_homenew

Missiles and Mortars Reach Ashkelon Area

Ashkelon, Portland's Sister City Today
Ashkelon, Portland, Oregon's sister city, home to 120,000 Israelis, has also been hit with missiles and mortars from the Gazan terrorists during the past six months of "cease-fire" that never really ceased.

The IDF told the citizens there to stay out of the open as the terrorists are continuing their barrage on Israel. Rockets continued to land near Ashkelon thoughout the day, with a 15 second warning siren preceeding them. One lady that was spotted was totally in shock, hovering in a corner outside and refusing help.

Ashkelon contains Barzelai Hospital, a big one that serves both Israelis and Palestinians when they feel the need. It has had to move their most essential sections underground to be protected from the missile bombardment. Though the Gaza Strip contains nine hospitals, many near the border have crossed over to use Barzeli.

See my blog on Israel for updates: http://israel-nadene.blogspot.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081228/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians_103

Raining Rockets in Sderot Again

Anav Silverman in Israel informs us that 62 rockets have been falling in Israel in the last 24 hours from Gaza terrorists, mostly hitting the town of Sderot. He recalls Obama visiting Sderot and exclaiming that if he lived there with his wife and two girls, he wouldn't want it to happen to him at all. He said he expected Israel to do everything in their power to stop it. Pinchas Amar, a resident of Sderot remembers that Obama wants the Qassams to stop. The residents were awakened at 4am in the morning at the sound of sirens telling of the impending rocket attack. They only have a minute or two to take cover. It looks like this is going to be a daily occurence again. Amar's kitchen was hit in 2007 by a Qassam rocket. My friend, David Bedein's son Noam, is pictured in the reference below.

Reference: http://sderotmedia.com/bin/content.cgi?ID=177&q=3

Today's Letter Against Israel: Israel's "Crimes"

Nadene Goldfoot
It just amazes this Portland born Israeli how much people are against Israel on the basis of hearsay. I doubt if a lot of people actually read about the history of Israel. They conclude their negativity from propaganda that they somehow pick up.

Today's letter made me think of this. Here is my response.

Letter to the Editor,
In response to the letter from William Seaman, "Israel’s crimes ignored", I ask, " Is it a crime to protect your citizens from attacks?" That’s precisely what Israel has had to do. Israel discovered that Fatah puts its rocket artillary in the midst of its own population to do the very thing that you are condemning Israel for; that of hitting the population. What they are achieving is negative propaganda against Israel, and that’s their aim. The Israel blockade was done in lieu of going in and killing everyone. Israel has now developed weapons that are better at pinpointing targets. This is war, but the terrorists hide behind their population.
Israel left Gaza completely, and their reward has been constant shelling. Now Ashkelon, Portland’s sister city, has been shelled for the second time. The rockets have a longer range. Palestinians refuse to recognize Israel, which means to leave Israel alone in peace and to have a neighborly relationship with them. This goes against their charter which is to drive Israel into the sea. Until they have a change of heart, Israel must defend itself.

What I had no space to reply to were the completely incorrect charges that he makes against Israel. The charge of occupying and expanding its theft of Palestinian land is so wrong. Here we inherited Gaza from the 1967 attack on Israel from the Arabs and fortunately for us, won, but by doing so came to inherit Gaza from the Egyptians! After leaving the area completely, we are charged with occupying and expanding. I'm beginning to lose my patience with people. As a teacher, I am disgusted with people's obvious prejudices.

Here we have one of the smallest states in the world either attacked by surrounding Arab states or by disgruntled stateless Palestinians who now say they want their own state but can't stop shooting at us in order to achieve this goal and this small state is the bully in the neighborhood because it doesn't lie down and die. It has the audacity to want to protect itself.

The logic of some people today just floors and disgusts me.

Ashkelon, Our Sister City, Hit by Rockets

Today Ashkelon, our sister city in Israel, was hit by long range Iranian -made Grad rockets from Gaza terrorists that they smuggled in through Egypt.

Ashkelon is only 11 miles north of Gaza. One of several hit an apartment building and one landed near a school and injured a 17-year-old girl.

I lived in Ontario, Oregon for at least 12 years. I know that it was only 12 miles to Vale, Oregon. That seemed so close. To think that rockets could be fired from there to Ontario and injure and kill people is shocking. Now I live in Gresham, and it's at least 12 miles to my son's home in Portland. That's how close the terrorists are to our sister city in Israel.

In the past, more than 24 rockets have hit the Ashkelon area and did not find a target. The latest round of rockets was the most intense so far, and the building hit was the first. Two days ago, a rocket exploded in the parking lot of Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital.

Since the terrorists now have longer range missiles, they have new targets. Sderot, a town with 20,000 residents has been hit the most. They lie just 1 mile from Gaza. On Wednesday an Israeli father of 4 was killed that hit the Sderot community college.

Ashkelon is a city of 110,000 residents. The rockets fired at it have the range of about 14 miles. Hamas is also upgrading its Qassams which they mass produce in Gaza, and they will have the range of 12 miles, though their range now is 10 miles so they fall just outside of Ashkelon at this time. Its residents want a warning system like Sderot has. They have no protection. The hospital also needs fortifications for the emergency room, maternity ward and surgery departments. They had better get protection quickly as Israel is not planning any ground offensive right now.

The Israeli army finally struck back on Thursday from Midnight into the afternoon in an effort to cease their firings. They are targeting rocket squads. The problem is that these squads are situated in populated areas on purpose. Israel's defense minister said that he would not be afraid to reoccupy Gaza if necessary in order to stop the attacks. Ehud Barak said Israel has not wanted to go into Gaza again but that an offensive is an option.

Condoleeza Rice met with Olmert in Tokyo. She urged calm on all sides. She's worried about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. I wish she'd talk to Hamas terrorist officials about that. It's they that bring on the situation in Gaza. There's not much that Israel can do until the terrorists stop firing rockets at us. Olmert may be calm in Tokyo, but I don't think anybody else is, especially those within range of the firings; Ashkelon.

Reference: USA Today