Relevance of Observing Pesach Today

The Passover (Pesach) Season is upon us. The celebration of the Israelites’ escape from bondage in Egypt led by Moses is here. Most observant Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora will be sitting down to the Pesach meal or Seder with all its symbolism of freedom from slavery in Egypt. The Haggadah is read before the Seder meal. I feel that it is so archaic and lacking in relevance. The reading is rushed through rapidly as it becomes a tedious exercise in resilience.  

Haggadah

It should be a challenge to all of us as Jews to seek new meanings and learning new lessons as to how relevant Pesach remains today. It is not enough to celebrate the liberation of the Israelites, who to all intents and purposes, are our ancestors.

While very few even think of Pesach from a wider more modern spectrum and are so involved in outdated rituals as to what is Kosher for Pesach and what is not. The religious hair-splitting explanation over what is “kitniot” –“legumes” that are forbidden to be eaten by religious Ashkenazim.    

We should be giving more thought to those who are still not free in countries that deny their citizens' basic human rights.

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict still defies a solution. The occupation has taken on a different perspective. It is a moral dilemma. On the one hand, it is desirable that there should be a move to ending the occupation of the Palestinians by Israel so that the Palestinians do achieve an independent state with freedom coinciding with human dignity and democracy. On the other hand, even if Israel withdraws all the settlers from the occupied territories on the West Bank, there will be no desire on the Palestinian side to sign a peace treaty. The corrupt, wealthy Palestinian leadership have no desire to recognize Israel’s right to exist. It is their bread and butter.The terrorist activity coming from the Palestinian side is not conducive to any solution in ending the Israeli occupation.

The conflict does not appear to have any solution in sight. The moral idea of an independent Palestinian State alongside Israel is just not going to occur. It remains within the realm of the impossible. All we can do as Jews is to declare the desire for an independent, free, Palestinian State alongside Israel living in peace. It is a similar desire of “Next year in Rebuilt Jerusalem” at the end of the Haggadah reading which we know will also never occur.

Here is a thought that comes from Rabbi John Rosove,
J Street Rabbinic Cabinet, Co-Chair:

“As the festival of Passover approaches, we are all challenged, this year even more than most years, to reflect and act on the universal message it conveys -- especially in the light of very disturbing trends both in the United States and Israel. The overriding message conveyed through the Haggadah is that it is our duty to experience the story of our liberation from Egypt as if it happened to us personally -- and not just a story that happened to our ancestors countless generations ago. As former slaves, our tradition teaches us to be sensitive to the plight of the oppressed throughout history and in our own time. Accepting our role as active participants in that drama, we realize that we have a hand in forging our own destiny and cannot allow ourselves to become mere bystanders. "We’re taught as Jews despite cruelty levelled against us not to become cruel and hard-hearted ourselves. That is the key lesson of Pesach, and we ignore it at our moral and spiritual peril." We are sensitive even to the pain of our enemies, taking a drop of wine out of our glasses for each of the ten plagues visited on the Egyptians, lessening our joy as we recall their suffering. As our sages have noted, the one commandment in the Torah reiterated more than any other is to care for and love the stranger -- for we ourselves were strangers in Egypt. It is repeated no fewer than 36 times. Perhaps the repetition is necessary because this commandment tells us to do something that is both counterintuitive and very hard to do. It goes against something that is very deep and fundamental within us. We’re hardwired to be loyal to our own tribe and to be suspicious of and hostile to “the other.” When we’re hurting or in distress, some of us blame strangers and pour out our rage on them. It’s happening again, right now, in Syria, Iraq and in sectors of America. In the 2016 presidential campaign, some of the leading candidates have built their campaigns by exploiting the fears and anxieties of fellow Americans. They have cynically fomented an anti-immigrant, xenophobic, nativist feeling against Muslims, Hispanics and others. In Israel, we see the same phenomenon in the very disturbing recent polls showing that a sizeable proportion of the Jewish population would favour depriving Arab Israelis of their democratic rights or even expelling them from the country. And tragically, Israelis and Palestinians have become strangers to each other, meeting in fewer and fewer places and not currently engaged around the negotiating table. Yes, Israelis have been subjected to heinous terrorist attacks, rockets, missiles and constant psychological pressure -- and we must stand with them in upholding their right to defend themselves and our Jewish homeland -- but returning hatred with hatred is not the response our tradition teaches. We’re taught as Jews despite cruelty levelled against us not to become cruel and hard-hearted ourselves. That is the key lesson of Pesach, and we ignore it at our moral and spiritual peril. This is not who we are as Jews -- nor who we can be and should be. As individuals and collectively, working through organizations like J Street and its many American-Jewish, Israeli and Palestinian allies, we need to change this. We are called upon by tradition to pursue peace and justice and to love compassion. We must see that our neighbours are fellow humans with the same desires and aspirations as us -- and we must never abandon our goal of reaching a two-state solution to end the conflict. That is the great challenge of our time and it is deserving of particular reflection this festival season. As the former Chief Rabbi of Britain, Jonathan Sacks, has noted, “Judaism is God’s call to human responsibility. From this call, you can’t hide, as Adam and Eve discovered when they tried, and you can’t escape, as Jonah learnt in the belly of a fish. The first humans lost paradise when they sought to hide from responsibility. We will only ever regain it if we accept responsibility and become a nation of leaders, each respecting and making space for those not like us.” "WE ARE TROUBLED when we see fear and hatred toward “the other” in Israel. In our beloved Israel, it is sadly common to encounter fear and loathing of “the other” with whom we share the land. Even in times of turmoil and insecurity, we must strive to empathize with our neighbours and treat all with dignity. We must commit ourselves to working together with Israelis and with Palestinians to realize a future of freedom, justice and peace. LET US  STRIVE TO LOVE THE STRANGER and journey toward our Promised Land. Tonight, as we reenact our enslavement and celebrate our freedom from oppression, let us work toward loving the stranger, treating all with dignity and equal protection. Only then can we truly inhabit our Promised Land and reach the future we wish to see.  WE REMEMBER when we were strangers. Tonight, at our Seder, we remember when we were strangers. We recall the Exodus from bondage and reaffirm our memory that we were once the dispossessed, the immigrants, those who fled from the lash in the hopes of finding our way to our Promised Land. We remember countless times in the Jewish story when we were pushed away, wandering, vulnerable, even hated. Why do we tell this story year after year?  WE SEEK TO KNOW the heart of the stranger. The Torah explains: “Know the heart/the feelings of the stranger, for you once were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9). We tell the story so that we remember to empathize with “the other,” so that we will not do to others that which was hateful to us. “Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deut. 10:19). At this moment, we seek to know the heart and feelings of those who are treated as “the other” today and dwell on what it means to love them.   WE ARE TROUBLED when we see fear and hatred toward “the other” here in America. In the United States, we sit down to our tables at a time of unprecedented anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment, Islamophobia and the stirring of hatred towards those who look different than us. We remember tonight that once we were proud to call ourselves a nation of immigrants." This Passover supplement was created by Rabbi Burton Visotzky and Sarah Beller Possible discussion around the table: As you think about the current situation in America and in Israel ask yourself: Who today is being treated as “the stranger” or “the other” in the United States? Who is being treated as “the stranger” or “the other” in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza? Drawing on the Jewish historical experience of being strangers, what action can I take to help alleviate the challenges faced by those who are treated as “the other” today?    Chag Pesach Sameach!                                                                                                                                                                  שמח!                   חג פסח

Israeli Arab Leaders Defending Hezbollah

"The policies that the Israeli political establishment is pursuing [are] leading us all into a dead end," says Odeh [Ayman Odeh's campaign]

It does not seem logical let alone very destructive for the Arab leaders of the Joint List in the Knesset to proclaim that Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization. The Balad and Hadash factions in this list are pressurizing the Joint Arab List to support Hezbollah and legitimize it. What is the purpose of doing this? Hezbollah has a history of firing rockets into Israel and injuring Arab citizens of Israel as well. Rockets fired into Israel kill and destroy and make no distinction between Jews and Arabs. In this respect it is not apartheid-friendly.

The Joint List is the third largest party in the Knesset. It is in the unique position of representing the Arab Israeli minority’s interests and fighting for equality with its Jewish counterparts in Israel. There is much that can be done in that sphere. Combating social and work discrimination as well as improving socio-economic conditions for the Arab community they represent is a formidable task. It should work in improving relations between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel and acting as a bridge between the two communities. Ayman Oudeh, the Joint List leader prior to his election to the Knesset, appeared to move along the path of coexistence, promoting dialogue between the communities  and certainly deserved support for taking the line of tolerance in outreach.

What has happened to Oudeh? Why is he not showing the leadership qualities for which he was elected? He is being led into a direction which is creating distrust between his party and Jewish Israelis. He is not forthcoming in representing his electorate’s interests of coexistence and socio-economic improvement as well as integration into being Israel Citizens with equal human rights and dignity that the Arab Citizens of Israel are entitled. The Balad factions of his party are pandering to the peers of Palestinian terrorists, who come into Israel on lone stabbing sprees. Instead he and his party are antagonizing Jewish Israelis as well as many Arab Israelis by wasting unnecessary energy on standing to attention and sympathizing with parents of Palestinian terrorists whose sons and daughters were killed while committing terrorist acts. This is no way to gain the trust of Jewish and Arab Israelis. 

Added to the behavior of the Joint List, which seems to represent Palestinian interests in the Knesset rather than Israeli Arab interests by the rhetoric in support of viewing Hezbollah as a movement devoid of terrorism creates an unnecessary schism between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

If he wishes to regain the trust of Jewish Israelis as well as many Arab Israelis, who have also suffered at the hand of Palestinian terror, he should retract the statement declaring Hezbollah as not being a terrorist movement and be more forthcoming in condemning Palestinian terror against innocent citizens by not getting involved in returning terrorist Palestinian corpses to their families. There are channels in Israel whereby this is being done without Joint List sympathy and activity. 

Delegitimizing Israel Serves the Wealthy Palestinian Leadership

There is no doubt that the Palestinian pundits, who claim to espouse Palestinian rights and oppose the Israeli occupation, are feathering the nests of Hamas and their ilk. These wealthy savages do not care about the Palestinians. Their mantras of hate for Israel and support of killing Jews wherever they can is what these sanctimonious BDS pundits and communist-fascists support. The occupation is Israel’s existence and not only territories occupied in the June War of 1967. This has been made crystal clear by Hamas and the PA (in its agenda).  

The wealthy Hamas Lifestyle - Private Planes for "liberating Palestine"

Hamas, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and their terrorist allies are masters of deception, lies and fantasies. They know that the lies they spread on every world podium serves their interests financially. The Palestinians do not benefit at all. They live in absolute poverty and the brainwashing propaganda of racist and Islamic hatred for Jews is their lot, instead of money for improving their lives and infrastructure that includes education, health and social services to which they are entitled. The thuggish BDS movement, directed by pseudo-liberal sickos, is wallowing in their self-righteousness, lies and deception that Hamas and its racist allies spew into their pea-brains. They damage the Palestinian cause (whatever that may be) by denying them basic human rights in their support of Hamas. The Palestinian People deserve far better conditions than what their multi-millionaire Hamas buffoons in Qatar decide they deserve, if anything at all apart from hate and bloodshed, governed by their fantasies of destroying the “Zionist Entity”.

Another Hamas leader-turned-tycoon is Khaled Mashaal. “Estimates around the world are that Mashaal is currently worth $2.6 billion, but the numbers ...

Yes! It is the BDS movement that strengthens Hamas and motivates them to torture those, who oppose their cruel rule in Gaza and the enrichment of the PA, whose human rights record in the West Bank is no less dismal. The Hamas-PA Axis will never achieve an independent, democratic Palestinian State alongside Israel. Democracy does not exist in the Palestinian leadership. Human rights are a joke in the Middle East anyway. As far as Islam is concerned, democracy is the way of the infidel and will never be part of their agenda for an improved, humane society. Perhaps the US and EU still believe that under their parochial guidance, an independent,democratic,Palestinian State -  the Two-State Solution, will arise out of the shambles created by tribal disunity and bloodshed, as well as its desire to ethnically cleanse Israel of its Jews. The Palestinian, thuggish, leadership thrives on the poverty of the Palestinian People, claiming that the Israeli occupation is to blame for their misfortunes and tragedies. Every day that these thugs cry crocodile tears in the UN, their private bank balance enlarges.

BDS cries for them and it seems that other organizations like J Street is also falling into the trap of their lies and deception as well, while the Palestinian People suffer even more.

If ending the occupation in the West Bank is considered a moral and justified alternative, with the promise of an improved quality of life for the Palestinian People, including democracy and a human rights package, it deserves support. This unfortunately will not happen. At best, it will be a Palestinian State run by a dictatorial, despotic wealthy Islamic Hamas leadership that is quick to torture and murder opponents in cold blood in the streets after justice is meted out in their kangaroo courts. There is no “at worst”. “Best and worse” are synonymous in this case.  This is what the wackos of double standards - BDS and its allies wish to achieve. Daesh (ISIS) will also be waiting on the sidelines to take over from Hamas when the time is ripe, carrying on beheadings and raping every woman in sight. They will also take a bash at attacking Israel with Hamas support. Is this what these pseudo-liberal, Palestinian supporters wish to achieve? A Caliphate? Maybe this will be the alternative to the “occupation” (Israel’s very existence). We need to see what the Arab Spring has achieved in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and other tribal Arab States (except the mono-tribal Gulf States) and this will happen in a “free post-occupation Palestine”. This will be a BDS and its pundits’ dream!     

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A Possible Scenario if the Occupation Would End

ISIS and the Nazis have similar ideology

We all wish that the occupation would end. The occupation is unacceptable morally. Unfortunately, the reality is different and if the occupation goes, the alternative for both Israel and the Palestinians will be far worse. The conflict has become more radical and the element of religion has become part of the conflict which is not only a dispute over land. We must also take into account the various players, including the Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas, ISIS (Daesh), Salafis, Islamic Jihad and others. The right wing Jewish terrorist movements are also a factor that cannot be overlooked.

 Israel's successive Governments have often expressed their desire not to rule over another people. This would make Israel into a colonizing country. Since the June War of 1967, this has become the situation. We must bear in mind that Hamas has stated that Israel has occupied Palestinian lands on 14 May 1948 when it was established. Therefore as far as Hamas is concerned, Israel is occupied territory and in order to achieve peace, Israel must cease to exist and a Palestinian State must replace it. There is no room for any negotiations with the Palestinian leadership while the mindset of Hamas is to achieve Israel's total destruction, even though Israel is accused of not being a partner for peace talks. Is Hamas a partner for peace talks? Is the weakened PA a partner? President Mahmoud Abbas and his PA have no support from his people and if elections were held in the West Bank tomorrow, he and the PA will be replaced by Hamas. The latter unfortunately holds the cards as to whether there will be recognition of Israel's right to exist or to negotiations for a peace treaty. 

While this mindset of Hamas non-recognition of Israel remains, there will never be a peace partner on the Israel side. In the most unlikely scenario that Israel does decide unilaterally to withdraw all settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the occupation is ended, there will still be no peace until Israel ceases to exist for the reasons mentioned at the beginning of this article. 

Hamas will still support and justify terror against Israelis and will even take it a step further. It will not only be stabbings by lone-wolf Palestinians but also a return to suicide bombings, Qassam missiles and the like fired into Israel cities and towns as was the case in Gaza. 

From the Hamas Charter:

Hamas and ISIS will compete to rule Palestine and threaten Israel.
It will be hell for the Palestinians whoever rules.

 Peaceful Solutions, Initiatives and International Conferences:

Article Thirteen:

Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. Abusing any part of Palestine is abuse directed against part of religion. Nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part of its religion. Its members have been fed on that. For the sake of hoisting the banner of Allah over their homeland they fight. "Allah will be prominent, but most people do not know."

Now and then the call goes out for the convening of an international conference to look for ways of solving the (Palestinian) question. Some accept, others reject the idea, for this or other reason, with one stipulation or more for consent to convening the conference and participating in it. Knowing the parties constituting the conference, their past and present attitudes towards Moslem problems, the Islamic Resistance Movement does not consider these conferences capable of realizing the demands, restoring the rights or doing justice to the oppressed. These conferences are only ways of setting the infidels in the land of the Moslems as arbitrators. When did the infidels do justice to the believers?

"But the Jews will not be pleased with thee, neither the Christians, until thou follow their religion; say, the direction of Allah is the true direction. And verily if thou follow their desires, after the knowledge which hath been given thee, thou shalt find no patron or protector against Allah." (The Cow - verse 120).

There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestinian people know better than to consent to having their future, rights and fate toyed with. As in said in the honorable Hadith:

"The people of Syria are Allah's lash in His land. He wreaks His vengeance through them against whomsoever He wishes among His slaves it is unthinkable that those who are double-faced among them should prosper over the faithful. They will certainly die out of grief and desperation."

The Three Circles:

Article Fourteen:

The question of the liberation of Palestine is bound to three circles: the Palestinian circle, the Arab circle and the Islamic circle. Each of these circles has its role in the struggle against Zionism. Each has its duties, and it is a horrible mistake and a sign of deep ignorance to overlook any of these circles. Palestine is an Islamic land which has the first of the two kiblahs (direction to which Moslems turn in praying), the third of the holy (Islamic) sanctuaries, and the point of departure for Mohamed's midnight journey to the seven heavens (i.e. Jerusalem).

                                 Mind set of Hamas is identical to these xenophobic
                                          racist radical Muslims. This is Muslim Brotherhood stuff that
                                          Hamas adheres to. 

"Praise be unto him who transported his servant by night, from the sacred temple of Mecca to the farther temple of Jerusalem, the circuit of which we have blessed, that we might show him some of our signs; for Allah is he who heareth, and seeth." (The Night-Journey - verse 1).

Since this is the case, liberation of Palestine is then an individual duty for very Moslem wherever he may be. On this basis, the problem should be viewed. This should be realized by every Moslem.

The day the problem is dealt with on this basis, when the three circles mobilize their capabilities, the present state of affairs will change and the day of liberation will come nearer.

"Verily ye are stronger than they, by reason of the terror cast into their breasts from Allah. This, because they are not people of prudence." (The Emigration - verse 13).

The Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine is an Individual Duty:

Article Fifteen:

The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised. To do this requires the diffusion of Islamic consciousness among the masses, both on the regional, Arab and Islamic levels. It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters.

It is necessary that scientists, educators and teachers, information and media people, as well as the educated masses, especially the youth and sheikhs of the Islamic movements, should take part in the operation of awakening (the masses). It is important that basic changes be made in the school curriculum, to cleanse it of the traces of ideological invasion that affected it as a result of the orientalists and missionaries who infiltrated the region following the defeat of the Crusaders at the hands of Salah el-Din (Saladin). The Crusaders realised that it was impossible to defeat the Moslems without first having ideological invasion pave the way by upsetting their thoughts, disfiguring their heritage and violating their ideals. Only then could they invade with soldiers. This, in its turn, paved the way for the imperialistic invasion that made Allenby declare on entering Jerusalem: "Only now have the Crusades ended." General Guru stood at Salah el-Din's grave and said: "We have returned O Salah el-Din." Imperialism has helped towards the strengthening of ideological invasion, deepening, and still does, its roots. All this has paved the way towards the loss of Palestine.

It is necessary to instill in the minds of the Moslem generations that the Palestinian problem is a religious problem, and should be dealt with on this basis. Palestine contains Islamic holy sites. In it there is al- Aqsa Mosque which is bound to the great Mosque in Mecca in an inseparable bond as long as heaven and earth speak of Isra` (Mohammed's midnight journey to the seven heavens) and Mi'raj (Mohammed's ascension to the seven heavens from Jerusalem).

"The bond of one day for the sake of Allah is better than the world and whatever there is on it. The place of one's whip in Paradise is far better than the world and whatever there is on it. A worshipper's going and coming in the service of Allah is better than the world and whatever there is on it." (As related by al-Bukhari, Moslem, al-Tarmdhi and Ibn Maja).

"I swear by the holder of Mohammed's soul that I would like to invade and be killed for the sake of Allah, then invade and be killed, and then invade again and be killed." (As related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).

 It is clear that on reading Article 13, 14 and 15 of the Hamas Charter, we can see that their mindset is not on peace with Israel but on waging war by various means of terror acts blessed by their religious leaders (Imams) and their tycoon "exiled" leadership in the fleshpots of Qatar, the claim that Israel is not a partner for peace is ludicrous as they are no partners for peace by their own admittance according to their charter. 

 The Hamas Charter and the goals of ISIS are similar. This similarity will only increase in the near future. The Middle East neighborhood around Israel with the ISIS savages in the shadows awaiting the end to the occupation.

 If in the event that the occupation ends, they will then step in and compete with Hamas to establish a Muslim Caliphate in the area that was known as the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights,  the north of the latter is in a state of anarchy with various Shiite groups and Islamist warring factions killing each other. Its status is still unclear as President Assad's position is weakening and Russia is now involved in trying to prop him up. 

ISIS (DAESH) and Hamas have the same goals in establishing a Caliphate. There will be a war between them as to who will rule the former occupied territories. The situation of the Palestinians in the "newly liberated" territories will become untenable. Hamas or ISIS will rule depending on who wins the struggle for power. The settlers will not be there and the whole area will become a killing field against the infidels, ISIS-style. There will be no democracy or human rights. There will be beheadings, raping of women and non-Muslims (Jews and Christians as well as Muslims, who are considered apostates), will be mercilessly slaughtered using the worst form of cruelty imaginable. We are seeing this wherever ISIS takes control. This will happen in the areas that were once under Israeli occupation. 

Israel will be more involved in preventing ISIS and Hamas terrorist incursions and the threat to Israel's security will increase manifold as attempts to destroy Israel and include it in their Palestinian State plans will increase. Many Palestinians will lose their lives under Hamas or ISIS rule. The two warring terrorist factions may even form a coalition after the feud with the common desire to establish a Caliphate under strict sharia law. There will be no free Palestine! It will be an area of chaos similar to that of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. It will be a state where Palestinians will be fleeing as is happening in Syria. 

Is this scenario preferable to Israeli occupation? Israel will not agree to sign an agreement that will compromise its security or legitimize its destruction as Hamas would desire. If these are the conditions for peace then Israel will definitely not be a partner. 

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Hamas and Company become Wealthy under Occupation

 Hamas' leaders - who are either hiding in Qatar or in a bunker under Gaza City's Shifa Hospital have gotten rich from their activities in Hamas. Far richer than you or I could possibly ever hope to be. 

Contrary to what pundits for Palestinians believe, the occupation enriches Hamas and the Palestinian Authority financially. The more these corrupt leaders bash Israel, the more prestige they get and the richer they become. They have an efficient propaganda machine; based on fantasies, lies and a macabre mix of Islamic radicalism (some say that there is no such religion as radical Islam. There is only one Islam) and land. Hamas and the PA have differences and there is no true unity between them. If there is a semblance of unity it is the desire to destroy Israel and establish a Palestinian state in its place.

Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas, left,
 shakes hands with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, right, as the Emir of Qatar,
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, center, looks on, after signing an agreement in Doha, Qatar, Monday, February 6, 2012 (photo credit: AP/Osama Faisal)

Over the years, especially since the signing of the Oslo Accords, hardly any progress has been made in negotiations toward a Two-State solution. Today the peace negotiations are frozen and there doesn't seem to be any change in attitude on both sides towards any form of movement towards a solution to the conflict. As mentioned many times in previous posts, The PA leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has no support from his people at all.

The well-oiled Palestinian propaganda machine in the UN has succeeded in fomenting hatred against Israel and the occupation. The EU, US and many other countries in the world, are donating large sums of money to the Palestinian course. There is no accountability or transparency as to where the money is going. The UN passes anti-Israel resolutions while Islamic terrorist organizations are infiltrating Europe and even the US, blowing up innocent people, murdering and raping where they can. Not even a whisper comes from the UN. Daesh plunders kills and rapes in the name of their faith. The war against these savages is carried on half-heartedly. Daesh has sleeping cells in Belgium, France and in almost all Europe. Sweden is patronizing the Muslim hordes that are making their way to a better life - freedom to rape and create a Caliphate at the end of the day, inspired by hateful, xenophobic sermons by shrieking, charismatic Imams.

It is no different in Palestinian society in the occupied territories. The hateful, xenophobic Imams are there, poisoning the educational system, glorifying murder of Jews and creating a generation of Palestinians that hate Jews. How can Israel negotiate a peace treaty with a Palestinian leadership that is becoming increasingly radical and more intent on Israel’s total destruction? Hamas holds the key to peace or war and not the PA that represents nobody.

Another by-product of the Israeli Occupation is the phenomenon of wealthy Hamas

and PA leaders. The money donated by many countries sympathetic to Palestinian suffering does not reach the Palestinians at all. It does not reach any health, educational and infrastructure projects. It lands in the pockets of the likes of the leaders of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, Musa Abu Marzook, Ismail Haniyeh, who are multi millionaires in dollars. Their lies and fantasies about Palestinian suffering rings a sympathetic bell to the left wing, hypocritical NGOs, whose true dedication to Palestinian rights is questionable. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is enriching Hamas and also Mahmoud Abbas, who is no less corrupt.

The Palestinian negotiating clowns are lining their pockets as well. If there is, by some miracle, a peace agreement, the professional, eternal negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, would be without a job.  

Haniyeh, who is known to own numerous homes in Gaza, has registered them under the names of his children in order to avoid any backlash. In 2010, Egyptian magazine Rose al-Yusef reported that Haniyeh paid a whopping $4 million for a 2,500 square meter plot of land in the beachfront city of Rimal.

The Hamas terrorist tycoons have never had it so good. The moment there is a war; they disappear to Qatar, where their luxurious life-styles, and stuffing their faces with the best food continues. They only come out of their luxurious "rat holes" when hostilities end as in the case of Operation Protective Shield in July/August 2014. This is how they raise the moral of the Palestinian victims of the last war that they had created. After the war , Haniyeh returns, a well fed, fat pig and continues his hateful rhetoric against Israel as if Hamas won the war.

We in Israel witnessed a lone terrorist attack in Dizengoff St, Tel Aviv at a popular pub resulting in the shooting of two innocent Israelis and the shooting of an Israeli Arab taxi driver in Ramat Aviv on 2nd January 2016. After a week of intense searches, the terrorist was found in Wadi Ara in an abandoned house and was killed in a shoot out between him and an Israeli SWAT team. The reaction in Palestinian Street can be described as barbaric as this heinous act had the support of the terrorist Hamas and its allies and he was declared a shaheed (a martyr). This was contrary to mainstream Wadi Ara residents who condemned this cruel act of murder.

ISIS is the richest terrorist group in the world followed by Hamas, which is in second place. President Mahmud Abbas is not doing too badly either when it comes to amassing fortunes for his pocket.

Those countries that have opened their pockets and donated funds for alleviating Palestinian suffering are actually prolonging it as their donations land in the pockets of the Hamas and PA leadership.

The Palestinian leaders are not democrats, humanitarians or supporters of human dignity. They are criminals and megalomaniac despots, who exploit the occupation for their own ends. They shoot those who oppose them and show no mercy. Why are human rights abuses of Hamas and the PA never investigated or condemned? The methods of cruelty that they use against those Palestinians in opposition to their rule are similar to Daesh. The influence of Daesh is on the increase in Palestinian Street as well. This is all part of the radicalization of Islam in the Middle East with its hate that has nothing to do with the occupation but plenty to do with the eventual establishment of a caliphate ruled by Sharia law. Israel is the thorn in the flesh of Radical Islam that includes ISIS and Hamas. The occupation to them is the whole of Israel - nothing more and nothing less! Blaming Israel in international forums for human rights abuses including the UN strengthens Daesh and Hamas, enriches them further as well as ensuring that terrorism will not be curtailed from which no country has immunity today.

Supporting the Palestinian cause today also means lining the pockets of Hamas as the Palestinians will never be the beneficiaries. This has never happened in the past and will not happen in the future while these evil Hamas tycoons are in power in Gaza and soon to be in power in the West Bank when Mahmoud Abbas goes.