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1. Netanyahu: Arabs Must Accept Jewish State
by Gil Ronen
“Last year was one of the safest years in two decades,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Israelis in a message for the Jewish New Year. “But last week's brutal murder of four Israelis, including a mother of six and a pregnant woman, remind us that we must never take our security for granted.”
"We must continue a firm policy that makes clear that terror and missile attacks on our citizens will not be tolerated," the Prime Minister stated.
"The past year has also seen a resurgence in the Israeli economy. Israel has weathered the financial crisis better than nearly any industrialized country.” The crisis is not over, however, he said.
"The last few days have also seen a renewal of the process," said Netanyahu. "I've been calling for direct talks with the Palestinians for a year and a half and I'm pleased that President Abbas joined me in those talks without preconditions. I believe that we should make every effort to reach an historic compromise for peace over the coming year.”
"Lasting peace must be anchored in security. And it must be anchored in the recognition of the Jewish State's permanence in this region. Not merely as a fact but as something that our neighbors accept by right.”
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
“Last year was one of the safest years in two decades,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Israelis in a message for the Jewish New Year. “But last week's brutal murder of four Israelis, including a mother of six and a pregnant woman, remind us that we must never take our security for granted.”
"We must continue a firm policy that makes clear that terror and missile attacks on our citizens will not be tolerated," the Prime Minister stated.
"The past year has also seen a resurgence in the Israeli economy. Israel has weathered the financial crisis better than nearly any industrialized country.” The crisis is not over, however, he said.
"The last few days have also seen a renewal of the process," said Netanyahu. "I've been calling for direct talks with the Palestinians for a year and a half and I'm pleased that President Abbas joined me in those talks without preconditions. I believe that we should make every effort to reach an historic compromise for peace over the coming year.”
"Lasting peace must be anchored in security. And it must be anchored in the recognition of the Jewish State's permanence in this region. Not merely as a fact but as something that our neighbors accept by right.”
Comment on this story
2. Obama: We Should Encourage Those Who Work Towards Peace
by Elad Benari
In a video released Tuesday, US President Barack Obama extended his personal greetings to the Jewish people in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Obama began in Hebrew, saying L'Shana Tova Tikatevu (May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life), the traditional New Year wish..
"Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish spiritual calendar and the birth of the world," said Obama. "It serves as a reminder of the special relationship between G-d and His children."
Obama said that this time of year is a time for personal reflection, repentance, prayer, and remembering the blessings that come from helping those in need.
"As we begin this new year, it is more important than ever to believe in the power of humility and compassion, to deepen our faith, and repair our world," said Obama in the video and added that at these times, when many are struggling financially, it is important to help those who are less fortunate.
Obama also addressed the peace process in his speech. "At a time when Israelis and Palestinians have returned to direct dialogue, it's up to us to encourage and support those who are willing to move beyond their differences and work towards security and peace in the Holy Land," he said. "Progress will not come easy and it will not come quick. But today we have an opportunity to move forward toward the goal we share: two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side, in peace and security."
He mentioned the words of the 3rd chapter of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which say that there is a time for everything. "In this season of repentance and renewal, let us commit ourselves to a more hopeful future."
Obama concluded by wishing all Jews "a sweet year full of health and prosperity."
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
In a video released Tuesday, US President Barack Obama extended his personal greetings to the Jewish people in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Obama began in Hebrew, saying L'Shana Tova Tikatevu (May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life), the traditional New Year wish..
"Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish spiritual calendar and the birth of the world," said Obama. "It serves as a reminder of the special relationship between G-d and His children."
Obama said that this time of year is a time for personal reflection, repentance, prayer, and remembering the blessings that come from helping those in need.
"As we begin this new year, it is more important than ever to believe in the power of humility and compassion, to deepen our faith, and repair our world," said Obama in the video and added that at these times, when many are struggling financially, it is important to help those who are less fortunate.
Obama also addressed the peace process in his speech. "At a time when Israelis and Palestinians have returned to direct dialogue, it's up to us to encourage and support those who are willing to move beyond their differences and work towards security and peace in the Holy Land," he said. "Progress will not come easy and it will not come quick. But today we have an opportunity to move forward toward the goal we share: two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side, in peace and security."
He mentioned the words of the 3rd chapter of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which say that there is a time for everything. "In this season of repentance and renewal, let us commit ourselves to a more hopeful future."
Obama concluded by wishing all Jews "a sweet year full of health and prosperity."
Comment on this story
3. G-d Does Not Expect Us To Get It Right All the Time
by Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
Guilt is out of fashion these days, like sports jackets, courtesy, humility and handkerchiefs. It has a sepia-tinted Victorian air about it. It belongs, so it seems, to that foreign country, the past. They do things differently there. For us, when things go wrong, it was someone else’s fault: the boss, the colleague, the system, the government, the media, our parents, the way we were brought up, society, bad luck or our genes.
Feeling guilty, they say, is bad for us. It lowers self esteem. Who does it any more? We have finally reached the age Shelley dreamed of in his poem Prometheus Unbound. We are “free from guilt or pain.”
All of which makes it difficult to understand – except as some relic of the past – what Jews throughout the world are now doing, getting ready for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year and the Day of Atonement, what we call “the Days of Awe.” Yom Kippur could almost be defined as a festival of guilt. We repent and confess our sins repeatedly in long alphabetical lists. “We have been guilty, we have betrayed, we have robbed, we have spoken slander.” “For the sin we committed through hardness of heart, for the sin we committed through utterance of the lips,” and so on throughout the day.
Yom Kippur itself is the culmination of a process that begins forty days before with the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, our moral early warning system. Then come Selichot, the special penitential prayers said for a week before the New Year, then the New Year itself with its symbolism of the world as a courtroom in session, with our lives on trial. It’s hard to think of anything less in keeping with the zeitgeist, the mood of now.
I think, though, that Judaism gets it right and the zeitgeistgets it spectacularly, dangerously wrong. Consider: guilt enters the world hand in hand with the spirit of forgiveness. G-d forgives: that is the message emblazoned all over Yom Kippur. G-d doesn’t expect us to get it right all the time. The greatest of the great, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, had their faults and failings, defeats and doubts. There is only one person in the Hebrew Bible who is said to have committed no sin: Job. And look what happened to him.
So, because G-d forgives, we can be honest with Him and therefore with ourselves. Unlike a shame culture, a guilt culture separates agent from act, the person from the deed. What I did may be wrong, but I am still intact, still loved by G-d, still His child. In a guilt culture, acknowledging our mistakes is doable, and that makes all the difference.
Today’s secular environment is a shame culture. It involves trial by the media, or public opinion, or the courts, or economic necessity, all of which are unforgiving. When shame is involved, it’s us, not just our actions, that are found wanting. That’s why in a shame culture you don’t hear people saying, “I was wrong. It was my fault. I’m sorry. Forgive me.” Instead, people try to brazen it out. The only way to survive in a shame culture is to be shameless. Some people manage this quite well, but deep down we know that there’s something rotten in a system where no one is willing to accept responsibility.
Ultimately, guilt cultures produce strong individuals precisely because they force us to accept responsibility. When things go wrong we don’t waste time blaming others. We don’t luxuriate in the most addictive, destructive drug known to humankind, namely victimhood. We say, honestly and seriously, “I’m sorry. Forgive me. Now let me do what I can to put it right.” That way we and the people we offend can move on. Through our mistakes we discover the strength to heal, learn and grow.
Shame cultures produce people who conform. Guilt cultures produces people with the courage to be free. The Talmud says that the Day of Atonement was one of the happiest days of the year. That’s an odd thing to say about a day of fasting and confession. But the rabbis were right.
In place of a low dishonest culture where everyone blames someone else and no one admits responsibility, Yom Kippur offers a world of honesty and responsibility where guilt melts in the flames of G-d’s forgiveness and we are made new in the fire of His unconditional love.
Comment on this story
by Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
Guilt is out of fashion these days, like sports jackets, courtesy, humility and handkerchiefs. It has a sepia-tinted Victorian air about it. It belongs, so it seems, to that foreign country, the past. They do things differently there. For us, when things go wrong, it was someone else’s fault: the boss, the colleague, the system, the government, the media, our parents, the way we were brought up, society, bad luck or our genes.
Feeling guilty, they say, is bad for us. It lowers self esteem. Who does it any more? We have finally reached the age Shelley dreamed of in his poem Prometheus Unbound. We are “free from guilt or pain.”
All of which makes it difficult to understand – except as some relic of the past – what Jews throughout the world are now doing, getting ready for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year and the Day of Atonement, what we call “the Days of Awe.” Yom Kippur could almost be defined as a festival of guilt. We repent and confess our sins repeatedly in long alphabetical lists. “We have been guilty, we have betrayed, we have robbed, we have spoken slander.” “For the sin we committed through hardness of heart, for the sin we committed through utterance of the lips,” and so on throughout the day.
Yom Kippur itself is the culmination of a process that begins forty days before with the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, our moral early warning system. Then come Selichot, the special penitential prayers said for a week before the New Year, then the New Year itself with its symbolism of the world as a courtroom in session, with our lives on trial. It’s hard to think of anything less in keeping with the zeitgeist, the mood of now.
I think, though, that Judaism gets it right and the zeitgeistgets it spectacularly, dangerously wrong. Consider: guilt enters the world hand in hand with the spirit of forgiveness. G-d forgives: that is the message emblazoned all over Yom Kippur. G-d doesn’t expect us to get it right all the time. The greatest of the great, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, had their faults and failings, defeats and doubts. There is only one person in the Hebrew Bible who is said to have committed no sin: Job. And look what happened to him.
So, because G-d forgives, we can be honest with Him and therefore with ourselves. Unlike a shame culture, a guilt culture separates agent from act, the person from the deed. What I did may be wrong, but I am still intact, still loved by G-d, still His child. In a guilt culture, acknowledging our mistakes is doable, and that makes all the difference.
Today’s secular environment is a shame culture. It involves trial by the media, or public opinion, or the courts, or economic necessity, all of which are unforgiving. When shame is involved, it’s us, not just our actions, that are found wanting. That’s why in a shame culture you don’t hear people saying, “I was wrong. It was my fault. I’m sorry. Forgive me.” Instead, people try to brazen it out. The only way to survive in a shame culture is to be shameless. Some people manage this quite well, but deep down we know that there’s something rotten in a system where no one is willing to accept responsibility.
Ultimately, guilt cultures produce strong individuals precisely because they force us to accept responsibility. When things go wrong we don’t waste time blaming others. We don’t luxuriate in the most addictive, destructive drug known to humankind, namely victimhood. We say, honestly and seriously, “I’m sorry. Forgive me. Now let me do what I can to put it right.” That way we and the people we offend can move on. Through our mistakes we discover the strength to heal, learn and grow.
Shame cultures produce people who conform. Guilt cultures produces people with the courage to be free. The Talmud says that the Day of Atonement was one of the happiest days of the year. That’s an odd thing to say about a day of fasting and confession. But the rabbis were right.
In place of a low dishonest culture where everyone blames someone else and no one admits responsibility, Yom Kippur offers a world of honesty and responsibility where guilt melts in the flames of G-d’s forgiveness and we are made new in the fire of His unconditional love.
Comment on this story
4. 'Free Prayer' Across America for Rosh HaShanah
by Chana Ya'ar
As Jews around the world prepare for the Rosh HaShanah New Year's holiday, North American families this year will have many more options for places to pray than ever before.
The High Holy Days, as the New Year and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement are called, often are a time for scrambling to ante up for the annual synagogue membership.
Paying for one's synagogue seats can mean added stress after the recession has taken such a large bite out of the family coffers, and often less-than-observant Jews decide to skip the service.
This year, however, quite a number of congregations and Jewish community centers are offering “no-cost” services, or discounted seats for members of the general public. Many advertise in local Jewish newspapers, and some have even taken to issuing public service announcements on the local Jewish radio programs.
The Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement always offers free High Holy Day services at numerous college and university campuses, and in most cities across North America. Locations can be found by clicking here.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
As Jews around the world prepare for the Rosh HaShanah New Year's holiday, North American families this year will have many more options for places to pray than ever before.
The High Holy Days, as the New Year and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement are called, often are a time for scrambling to ante up for the annual synagogue membership.
Paying for one's synagogue seats can mean added stress after the recession has taken such a large bite out of the family coffers, and often less-than-observant Jews decide to skip the service.
This year, however, quite a number of congregations and Jewish community centers are offering “no-cost” services, or discounted seats for members of the general public. Many advertise in local Jewish newspapers, and some have even taken to issuing public service announcements on the local Jewish radio programs.
The Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement always offers free High Holy Day services at numerous college and university campuses, and in most cities across North America. Locations can be found by clicking here.
Comment on this story
5. Heart-Wrenching Holiday Pilgrimage to the Temple Mount
by Chana Ya'ar
The family of Yitzchak and Talia Imas made a special pilgrimage up to the Temple Mount on Tuesday in lieu of the murdered couple, their parents, who traditionally made the trip on the eve of each holiday.
Temple Mount police commander Avi Biton accompanied the couple's family and friends on their heart-wrenching journey. Also in attendance were Temple Mount activists Rabbi Yisrael Ariel and Yehuda Glick.
As always, all participants in the event first prepared themselves by immersing themselves in a mikvah, a ritual pool. The participants then followed up with prayers and Torah study.
Seven days ago, Yitzchak and Talia were brutally shot to death in a terrorist ambush on Highway 60 at the Bani Nayim junction in Judea, located between Pene Hever and Kiryat Arba/Hevron. Talia was nine months pregnant. In addition to the Imas couple, who left six children behind, Kochava Even-Chaim (who left behind a 10-year-old daughter) and Avishai Schindler, newly married, were also murdered. All were residents of nearby Beit Hagai. The
Six members of the Hamas terrorist cell that murdered the four Beit Hagai residents were arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces, it was announced late Tuesday. The same terrorists were allegedly responsible for a second shooting attack that took place some 27 hours after the murder, also on Highway 60, near the Rimonim junction. The spot is located about 15 minutes north of Jerusalem, in the Binyamin region of Samaria. Rabbi Moshe Moreno was shot, but survived. His wife Shira, who was also in the car, was injured when the car overturned and landed in a ditch.
The Imas family vowed to continue the tradition of going up to the Temple Mount, despite the tragedy.
Israel news photos: courtesy of Yakir Bezalel
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
The family of Yitzchak and Talia Imas made a special pilgrimage up to the Temple Mount on Tuesday in lieu of the murdered couple, their parents, who traditionally made the trip on the eve of each holiday.
Temple Mount police commander Avi Biton accompanied the couple's family and friends on their heart-wrenching journey. Also in attendance were Temple Mount activists Rabbi Yisrael Ariel and Yehuda Glick.
As always, all participants in the event first prepared themselves by immersing themselves in a mikvah, a ritual pool. The participants then followed up with prayers and Torah study.
Seven days ago, Yitzchak and Talia were brutally shot to death in a terrorist ambush on Highway 60 at the Bani Nayim junction in Judea, located between Pene Hever and Kiryat Arba/Hevron. Talia was nine months pregnant. In addition to the Imas couple, who left six children behind, Kochava Even-Chaim (who left behind a 10-year-old daughter) and Avishai Schindler, newly married, were also murdered. All were residents of nearby Beit Hagai. The
Six members of the Hamas terrorist cell that murdered the four Beit Hagai residents were arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces, it was announced late Tuesday. The same terrorists were allegedly responsible for a second shooting attack that took place some 27 hours after the murder, also on Highway 60, near the Rimonim junction. The spot is located about 15 minutes north of Jerusalem, in the Binyamin region of Samaria. Rabbi Moshe Moreno was shot, but survived. His wife Shira, who was also in the car, was injured when the car overturned and landed in a ditch.
The Imas family vowed to continue the tradition of going up to the Temple Mount, despite the tragedy.
Israel news photos: courtesy of Yakir Bezalel
Comment on this story
6. Gaza Terror Attack on Israeli Kibbutz Heralds Jewish New Year
by Chana Ya'ar
Gaza terrorists launched a mortar attack on children and their parents in southern Israel Wednesday, just hours before the start of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year.
One mortar exploded close to several kindergarten buildings in a Negev kibbutz, just half an hour before the children were set to arrive.
No one was wounded in the attack, which occurred in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district, but at least one of the buildings was damaged.
Miraculously, the shell landed between two of the buildings, according to one of the residents, who noted that things “could have ended very differently.”
The school building that was damaged by the explosion had a fortified roof – but no other part of the building is protected. Area officials have been discussing the issue with security personnel, asking for total reinforcement of the community's public buildings.
Yenina, one of the mothers who brought her son to school not long after the attack explained, “We are continuing as usual – we have no other choice. It's a holiday today. People's faces look a lot less happy today, but the buildings are protected and parents are bringing their children to school.
“We heard the explosion – to our great sorry, it was a mortar, which doesn't activate the Color Red system, the way a Kassam rocket does. So actually, it was the explosion that told us there had been an attack.
“This is the most frightening aspect of the situation, although in actuality, rockets can land anywhere. What's important to note is that it is not quiet here. Almost every day a mortar or Kassam rocket lands. It happens all the time.”
Overnight, the western Negev was also struck by a Kassam rocket attack launched by terrorists. Those residents of Sderot and the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district who were not cooking and otherwise preparing for the holiday, were rudely awakened by the scream of the Color Red air raid siren at about 2:00 a.m. Within 15 seconds, at least one rocket exploded in the area, but did not cause damage, and no one was wounded in the attack.
Local residents told Israel National News that attacks from Gaza have sharply escalated following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington D.C. for direct talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah Leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Home Front Command recommended Wednesday that kindergartens in the region be kept open in order to provide a safe indoor facility in which children can play for hours leading up to the holiday, which begins at sunset.
Judea, Samaria Crossings Closed
In other security news, the security crossings from Judea and Samaria were closed overnight for the duration of the Rosh HaShanah New Year's holiday.
Although the holiday does not begin until sunset Wednesday, the crossings closed one minute prior to midnight Tuesday night, September 7, and will not reopen until September 11, one minute prior to midnight late Saturday night.
Per standard practice, persons in need of medical attention, will be allowed to pass through. The passage of humanitarian aid, as well as doctors, medical personnel, NGO members, attorneys and additional professionals will be coordinated by the Civil Administration.
“Additionally, special accommodations were made in light of the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Fitr for the purpose of family visitations,” the IDF Spokesperson said in a statement.
Border Crossing?
Journalists have been warned by the IDF Spokesperson, who coordinates all statements with the Government Press Office (GPO), to prepare passports and visas as well as standard press credentials to pass through the crossings, in much the same way as one would for travel to a different country.
“In order to pass, media personnel with Israeli or dual citizenship are required to sign release forms prior to visiting the A areas and are encouraged to coordinate their passage in advance with the IDF Spokesperson's News Desk,” the statement said.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Gaza terrorists launched a mortar attack on children and their parents in southern Israel Wednesday, just hours before the start of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year.
One mortar exploded close to several kindergarten buildings in a Negev kibbutz, just half an hour before the children were set to arrive.
No one was wounded in the attack, which occurred in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district, but at least one of the buildings was damaged.
Miraculously, the shell landed between two of the buildings, according to one of the residents, who noted that things “could have ended very differently.”
The school building that was damaged by the explosion had a fortified roof – but no other part of the building is protected. Area officials have been discussing the issue with security personnel, asking for total reinforcement of the community's public buildings.
Yenina, one of the mothers who brought her son to school not long after the attack explained, “We are continuing as usual – we have no other choice. It's a holiday today. People's faces look a lot less happy today, but the buildings are protected and parents are bringing their children to school.
“We heard the explosion – to our great sorry, it was a mortar, which doesn't activate the Color Red system, the way a Kassam rocket does. So actually, it was the explosion that told us there had been an attack.
“This is the most frightening aspect of the situation, although in actuality, rockets can land anywhere. What's important to note is that it is not quiet here. Almost every day a mortar or Kassam rocket lands. It happens all the time.”
Overnight, the western Negev was also struck by a Kassam rocket attack launched by terrorists. Those residents of Sderot and the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district who were not cooking and otherwise preparing for the holiday, were rudely awakened by the scream of the Color Red air raid siren at about 2:00 a.m. Within 15 seconds, at least one rocket exploded in the area, but did not cause damage, and no one was wounded in the attack.
Local residents told Israel National News that attacks from Gaza have sharply escalated following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington D.C. for direct talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah Leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Home Front Command recommended Wednesday that kindergartens in the region be kept open in order to provide a safe indoor facility in which children can play for hours leading up to the holiday, which begins at sunset.
Judea, Samaria Crossings Closed
In other security news, the security crossings from Judea and Samaria were closed overnight for the duration of the Rosh HaShanah New Year's holiday.
Although the holiday does not begin until sunset Wednesday, the crossings closed one minute prior to midnight Tuesday night, September 7, and will not reopen until September 11, one minute prior to midnight late Saturday night.
Per standard practice, persons in need of medical attention, will be allowed to pass through. The passage of humanitarian aid, as well as doctors, medical personnel, NGO members, attorneys and additional professionals will be coordinated by the Civil Administration.
“Additionally, special accommodations were made in light of the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Fitr for the purpose of family visitations,” the IDF Spokesperson said in a statement.
Border Crossing?
Journalists have been warned by the IDF Spokesperson, who coordinates all statements with the Government Press Office (GPO), to prepare passports and visas as well as standard press credentials to pass through the crossings, in much the same way as one would for travel to a different country.
“In order to pass, media personnel with Israeli or dual citizenship are required to sign release forms prior to visiting the A areas and are encouraged to coordinate their passage in advance with the IDF Spokesperson's News Desk,” the statement said.
Comment on this story
7. Jewish Towns Under PA Rule?
by Hillel Fendel
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been talking of “creative solutions” lately, and some reports say he means Palestinian Authority rule over Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria.
Two days ago, addressing his Cabinet after returning from the first day of direct talks with PA leader Abu Mazen in Washington, Netanyahu said, “What's needed is creative and new thought to solve the complex problems." He said that in the past, “we have proved that we are ready to go far towards achieving peace, but this time, in order to succeed, we have to learn the lesson and to think in original terms.” He also said he is willing to work towards a “historic compromise,” while ensuring Israel’s security and other national interests.
Aaron Klein of World Net Daily reports that the specific “creative new plan” under consideration is that the Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria will remain in place – under a form of Palestinian Authority rule.
“Officials in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have confirmed the plan to this reporter,” Klein wrote, noting no names or level of authority. He added that PA sources said they held a meeting last week to discuss it.
Abbas Has Often Objected
The PA chairman himself, Mahmoud Abbas, has often stated that he objects to any Jews living in a PA state – and has even announced that he would not accept Jewish soldiers in a NATO force sent to protect a future Israeli-Arab peace.
"I'm willing to agree to a third party that would supervise the agreement, such as NATO forces,” Abbas was quoted as saying by the PA Wafa news agency, “but I would not agree to having Jews among the NATO forces, or that there will live among us even a single Israeli on Palestinian land.” His aide later said that Abbas retracted his opposition to Jewish soldiers in a NATO force.
What the Rabbis Say
Security questions aside, some rabbis living in Judea and Samaria have said in the past that residence in the Holy Land is an important Jewish value no matter who is sovereign. Others feel that the full import of settling the Land can only be attained in a Jewish state – especially if the opportunity to do so exists at the time.
Comment on this story
by Hillel Fendel
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been talking of “creative solutions” lately, and some reports say he means Palestinian Authority rule over Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria.
Two days ago, addressing his Cabinet after returning from the first day of direct talks with PA leader Abu Mazen in Washington, Netanyahu said, “What's needed is creative and new thought to solve the complex problems." He said that in the past, “we have proved that we are ready to go far towards achieving peace, but this time, in order to succeed, we have to learn the lesson and to think in original terms.” He also said he is willing to work towards a “historic compromise,” while ensuring Israel’s security and other national interests.
Aaron Klein of World Net Daily reports that the specific “creative new plan” under consideration is that the Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria will remain in place – under a form of Palestinian Authority rule.
“Officials in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have confirmed the plan to this reporter,” Klein wrote, noting no names or level of authority. He added that PA sources said they held a meeting last week to discuss it.
Abbas Has Often Objected
The PA chairman himself, Mahmoud Abbas, has often stated that he objects to any Jews living in a PA state – and has even announced that he would not accept Jewish soldiers in a NATO force sent to protect a future Israeli-Arab peace.
"I'm willing to agree to a third party that would supervise the agreement, such as NATO forces,” Abbas was quoted as saying by the PA Wafa news agency, “but I would not agree to having Jews among the NATO forces, or that there will live among us even a single Israeli on Palestinian land.” His aide later said that Abbas retracted his opposition to Jewish soldiers in a NATO force.
What the Rabbis Say
Security questions aside, some rabbis living in Judea and Samaria have said in the past that residence in the Holy Land is an important Jewish value no matter who is sovereign. Others feel that the full import of settling the Land can only be attained in a Jewish state – especially if the opportunity to do so exists at the time.
Comment on this story
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