Ahmadinejad’s 'Most Anti-Semitic Speech Yet'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s most recent call for the destruction of the State of Israel is particularly “ominous” in light of Tehran’s continued quest for nuclear capability, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) warned Thursday, after the Iranian leader excoriated American candidates and elected officials for "kissing the feet of the Zionists" while meeting with their counterparts in Israel.

Addressing a group of ambassadors from Islamic countries in advance of “al-Quds” (“Jerusalem”) Day, Ahmadinejad said the “annihilation of the Zionist regime” is not just a Palestinian issue, but the “key for solving the world problems.”

“Any freedom lover and justice seeker in the world must do its best for the annihilation of the Zionist regime in order to pave the path for the establishment of justice and freedom in the world,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

“It has now been some 400 years that a horrendous Zionist clan has been ruling the major world affairs,” Ahmadinejad said, asserting that the Zionists are “behind the scenes of the major power circles, in political, media, monetary, and banking organizations in the world.”

“In his bluntness, Ahmadinejad cuts through the falsedichotomy of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism when he uses the term ‘Zionist’ to describe alleged Jewish control of the world for 400 years,” said ADL director Abraham Foxman.

“Ahmadinejad’s most comprehensive anti-Semitic speech yet,” Foxman said, adding that while the message itself has been heard before, Ahmadinejad’s words had “more ominous overtones and should be taken seriously as the Iranian regime continues on its march toward a nuclear weapon.”

Referencing Mitt Romney’s visit to Israel last week, Ahmadinejad said that that the influence of the "Zionist regime" is so profound that “the presidential election hopefuls must go kiss the feet of the Zionists to ensure their victory in the election…. If the people’s votes really counts in those countries, why then a candidate must go to kiss the feet of a clandestine Zionist minority, sacrificing the entire prestige, chanted mottoes, and values of their system before the Zionists, and justifying the entire criminal acts of that regime?”

Foxman said that Ahmadinejad’s remarks were “filled with anti-Semitism and expressions of contempt for Israel and its leaders” and called them the “hallmark of the hate-filled and irrational nature of the Iranian regime.”

The one in black is Ahmadinejad's wife. The other two are the wives of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

Ahmadinejad on Zionists: They Exist but There Are Only 10,000

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is friendly to Jews, but his problem is Zionists – although he says there are only 10,000 of them in the entire world.
Speaking with CNN, he declared, “From the very beginning, we're against Zionists. Zionists are neither Christians nor Jewish. They have no religion. Religion is wealth and money."
Interviewer Fareed Zakaria responded with a question that included a simple definition of a Zionist as one who lives in Israel.
“No, no,” answered Ahmadinejad. “Zionism is a complicated and terrible party. And to most they have 10,000 members, and 2,000 main members.” However, not all of them live in Israel, according to the Iranian president.
“Some of them are in Europe, some of them are in the United States, and it constitutes a racist group and they consider themselves superior to others,” he explained.
Ahmadinejad, who is a master at besting interviewers, often by using a personal logic that defies debate, went on to explain that “a large number” of Jews were brought to Israel because they were promised employment and housing.
He latched on to the recent “social justice” protests as proof that the promises have not been kept.
“Zionists should go away, and they should allow people to choose themselves. The [Zionist] regime has been created to dominate the region. Because the regime has been created to secure the interests of some people in the United States and in Europe.”

Ahmadinejad's 'Solution' to Conflict: Everyone Should Go Home

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, well-known for his hatred for Israel, proposed on Sunday a “simple solution” to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority: “Everyone should go home.”
“If the backers of the Zionist regime want to solve the issue... the solution is simple ... everyone should go home,” AFPquoted Ahmadinejad as saying during an international conference.
Referring to Jewish immigrants who came to Israel over the years, he added, “Some poor people were brought to Palestine on the promise of security and jobs while they made Palestinian people into refugees... So now Palestinians should go home and those brought here should go to theirs.”
Ahmadinejad’s comments were made during a two-day “International Conference on Palestine” which took place in Tehran. It was attended by parliamentarians from some 20 nations and figures including Khaled Meshaal, leader of the Hamas terrorist group.
At the conference opening on Saturday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated the Islamic republic’s opposition to the division of so-called ‘Palestinian’ lands.
“Any plan which would lead to the division of Palestine is unacceptable,” AFP quoted Khamenei as having said. “Any plan that would create two states ... would be accepting a Zionist state in the land of Palestine.”
Khamenei also said that Tehran believes that the “Palestinian” issue should be resolved by means of a referendum among Arabs living under the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
“We do not seek to drown Jewish immigrants in the sea, nor establish UN rule, we propose holding a referendum among all Palestinians,” he said.
AFP reported that Ahmadinejad dubbed Israel on Sunday “a cancerous tumor” which had to be removed to save the region and the world. He also blamed Israel for the deaths of top Iranian nuclear scientists.
Last week, the Iranian president accused Israel of kidnapping and holding four Iranians, three of them diplomats, prisoner since 1982. He called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “to take serious measures for their release.”
In his recent speech to the United Nations, Ahmadinejad lambasted Israel, saying the “Zionist regime imposes terror on the Palestinian people.”
He also cast aspersion on the Holocaust and hinted the September 11 attacks occurred under dubious circumstances as well.

Photo of empty UN seats as Ahmadinejad spoke

From Getty Images:

 Reuters shows some of them leaving;

List of nations that walked out of Ahmadinejad's speech, plus video

Here is the best list I could piece together of nations that walked out when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started spouting about the Holocaust.

• Australia
• Austria 
• Belgium 
• Bulgaria 
• Canada (boycotted the speech)
• Cyprus 
• Czech Republic 
• Denmark 
• Estonia 
• Finland 
• France 
• Germany 
• Greece 
• Hungary 
• Ireland 
• Israel (boycotted the speech)
• Italy 
• Latvia 
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania 
• Luxembourg 
• Macedonia
• Malta 
• Monaco
• Netherlands 
• New Zealand
• Poland 
• Portugal 
• Romania 
• San Marino
• Slovakia 
• Slovenia 
• Somalia
• Spain 
• Sweden 
• United Kingdom 
• United States

 And here's the video:

  

United Against Nuclear Iran featured on NBC New York, September 20, 2011

United Against Nuclear Iran was featured on NBC New York on September 20, 2011. United Against Nuclear Iran is protesting against Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's stay at the Warwick Hotel in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly. For more information on this matter, please look at the press release: http://t.uani.com/o1CBWg

Ahmadinejad and Hitler The Two Great Evils of History by: Rabbi YY Jacobson

Give Us Two

One of the intriguing things about the Ten Commandments (1) is that they were engraved on two separate tablets. Was G-d short of granite that He needed to use two tablets? Why could He not carve the commandments onto a single stone?

There is the stereotypical Jew-bashing joke about this. Before coming to the Jews, G-d approached all the nations and asked if they would like to accept the Torah. Each of them refused because of some commandment in the Bible to which they could not possibly adhere. When G-d presented the offer to the Jews, their sole question was: How much do you want for it?

To which G-d responded: “It’s for free.”

So the Jews replied: “Give us two.”

Yet the issue demands sincere reflection. Why indeed was there a need for two tablets?

Two Versions

The rabbis in the midrash proposed a novel answer. The Ten Commandments, they suggested, were engraved on two tablets, five on each stone,  so that they would be read in two directions -- from top to bottom, and from side to side (2).

The simplest way of reading the Ten Commandments is, of course, from top to bottom:

On the first stone:

1) I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of Egypt...

2) You shall have no other gods...

3) You shall not swear in G-d's name in vain...

4) Remember the Sabbath...

5) Honor your father and your mother...

And the five commandments engraved on the second tablet:

6) You shall not murder.

7) You shall not commit adultery.

8) You shall not steal.

9) You shall not bear false witness against your fellow.

10) You shall not covet your fellow’s house; you shall not covet your fellow’s wife … nor anything that belongs to your fellow.

This was the way of reading the Ten Commandments vertically. Yet due to the fact that the first five commandments were engraved on one stone and the second five on a separate stone, there was another way of reading the commandments -- horizontally instead of vertically, from commandment No. 1 directly to No. 6; from No. 2 to No. 7; 3 -- 8; 4 -- 9; 5 -- 10.

This version of the Ten Commandments would then read like this:

1) I am the Lord your G-d/You shall not murder. 2) You shall have no other gods/You shall not commit adultery; and so forth with the rest of the commandments.

Yet this explanation begs the question: Why is it necessary to read the Ten Commandments horizontally? What insight can we gain from this alternative reading of the commandments?

In this essay we will discuss the juxtaposition of the first and sixth commandments: "I am the Lord your G-d/You shall not murder." The significance of this “horizontal” reading from a historical, political and religious standpoint cannot be overstated. It embodies one of the most stunning aspects of Judaism. What is at stake in this juxtaposition is nothing less than the future of human civilization.

Two Historical Attempts

Two groups have made an attempt to divorce commandment no. 1 from commandment no. 6 -- to sever the idea of a Creator, who conceived the world for a moral purpose, from the imperative to honor the life of another human being. The first group was comprised of the philosophers of the Enlightenment during the 18th and 19th centuries, the second of religious leaders in many and diverse ages. The result for both was moral defeat.

The thinkers of the Enlightenment ushered in the Age of Reason and the modern secular era, founded on the belief that the great ideal of “You shall not murder” did not require the prerequisite of “I am the Lord Your G-d” in order to be sustained. Religion was not necessary to ensure moral behavior; reason alone, without G-d, would guide humanity into an age of liberty and to the achievement of moral greatness. The sixth commandment could operate successfully independent of the first.

While religion embodied the vision of man standing in a continuous relationship with G-d, the essence of the Enlightenment represented the vision of man without G-d. It was a vision already introduced during the first days of creation near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, by the most sophisticated animal of the time, the serpent. “You shall be like G-d," it promised Eve (3). Man could, and ought to, replace G-d. Left to his own vices, the thinking went, the human being will achieve greatness.

But the Holocaust spelled the end of this grand faith in the promise of human progress based on human reason. In Auschwitz, the belief that modern man felt a natural empathy for others was ruined forever.

The gas chambers were not invented by a primitive, barbaric and illiterate people. To the contrary, this people excelled in sciences and the arts, but nevertheless sent 1.5 million children, and 4.5 million adults, to their deaths solely because they had Jewish blood flowing in their veins. SS guards would spend a day in Auschwitz, gassing as many as 12,000 human beings, and then return home in the evening to pet their dogs and laugh with their wives. As the smoke of children ascended from the crematoriums, these charming romantics would enjoy good wine, beautiful women and the moving music of Bach, Mozart and Wagner. They murdered millions of innocents in the name of a developed ethic, and they justified genocide on purely rational grounds.

In "Schindler’s List," there is a scene during the liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto where a little girl hiding in a piano is shot dead by an SS guard. As her little angelic body lay in a river of blood, another guard sits down to play the piano.

First SS guard: Was ist das? Ist das Bach?

Second SS guard: Nein. Mozart.

First SS guard: Mozart?

Second SS guard: Ja. And they both marvel at the exquisite music.

This was Nazi Germany at its best.

Elie Wiesel who gripped the world’s imagination with his book "Night," a personal testimony of life and death in Auschwitz, once asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who himself lost many members of his family in the Holocaust, how he could believe in G-d after Auschwitz. If G-d existed, Wiesel asked, posing the single greatest challenge to faith, how could He ignore 6 million of His children de-humanized and murdered in the cruelest of fashions?

The Rebbe shed a tear and then replied, “In whom do you expect me to believe after Auschwitz? In man?”

This must remain one of the lasting legacies of Auschwitz. If there is any faith at all left after the extermination of 6 million people, it must glean its vitality from something transcending the human rationale and its properties. If morality is left to be determined exclusively by the human mind, it can become a morality that justifies the guillotine, the gulag and the gas chamber. As Dostoevsky famously put it in "The Brothers Karamazov," “Where there is no G-d, all is permitted.”

The atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote: “I cannot see how to refute the arguments for the subjectivity of ethical values [resulting from atheism], but I find myself incapable of believing that all that is wrong with wanton cruelty is that I don’t like it.” Russell’s point is critical. Without G-d, we cannot objectively define any behavior as good or evil. As difficult as it is to entertain, no one can objectively claim that gassing a mother and her children is any more evil than killing a mouse. It is all a matter of taste and opinion. The validity and effectiveness of “You shall not murder” can be sustained only if it is predicated on the foundation of faith in a universal moral creator who gave humanity an absolute and unwavering definition of what constitutes good vs. evil.

Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel, who escaped Warsaw a few weeks before it was invaded and lost most of his family in the Nazi Holocaust, captured this sentiment succinctly: “If man is not more than human, then he is less then human.” Either we climb to a place beyond ourselves, or we are likely to fall to a place below ourselves.  When the vision of the sacred dies in the soul of a person, he or she is capable of becoming a servant of the devil.

Religious Evil

But this is far from the whole picture.

While the Enlightenment abandoned commandment no. 1 in favor of no. 6, various religions over the ages abandoned no. 6 in favor of no. 1. Theirs has been the atrocious belief that as long as you believe in the Lord, or in Allah, you can kill and maim whomever you brand an "infidel." Whether it is a business executive in New York, or a teen-ager eating a slice of pizza in Jerusalem, or a child on the first day of school in Beslan, or a commuter in Madrid, or a tourist in Bali, or a Chabad couple in Mumbai, if the person is not a member of your faith, G-d wants him or her to die. For the religious fundamentalist, "I am the Lord your    G-d" has nothing to do with "You shall not murder." 

This is the greatest perversion of faith. Faith that does not inculcate its followers with the sanctity of every single human life desecrates and erodes the very purpose of faith, which is to elevate the human person to a state beyond personal instinct and prejudice. If you delete “You shall not murder” from religion, you have detached yourself from “I am the Lord your G-d.” To believe in G-d means to honor the life of every person created in the image of G-d. What the juxtaposition of the two commandments is telling us is that you can’t believe in G-d and murder (3*).

Conversely, if you truly believe that taking the life of another human is wrong -- not just because you lack the means or motive to do so or are afraid of ending up in jail, but because you recognize the transcendent, inviolable value of life -- that's just another way of saying you believe in G-d. For what confers upon human life its radical grace, its transcendent sanctity and its absolute value if not the living presence of G-d imprinted on the face of the human person?

More than 3,300 years ago, Judaism, in the most ennobling attempt to create a society based on justice and peace, established its principle code in the sequence of the two commandments – “I am the Lord your G-d/You shall not murder.” A society without   G-d can become monstrous; a society that abandons the eternal and absolute commandment “You shall not murder” is equally evil. Both are capable of burning children alive during the day and then retiring to sleep with a clear conscience.

The Mountain

The Talmud captures this notion in a rather strange, but intriguing, fashion (4).

The Talmud cites a tradition that when Israel approached Sinai, G-d lifted up the mountain, held it over the people's heads and declared: “Either you accept the Torah, or be crushed beneath the mountain.” (The Talmud bases this tradition on the verse in Exodus, “And they stood beneath the mountain (5).”) 

This seems ludicrous. What worth is there to a relationship and a covenant accepted through coercion (6)?

The answer is profoundly simple. What G-d was telling the Jewish people is that the creation of societies that honor life and shun cruelty is dependent on education and on the value system inculcated within children of the society. The system of Torah, G-d was suggesting, was the guarantor for life and liberty. If you reject the morality of Torah, if you will lack the courage and conviction to teach the world that “I am the Lord your G-d” and that I have stated unequivocally “You shall not murder,” the result will be humanity crushed under a mountain of tyrants.

Sixty-five years since Auschwitz and after one decade of incessant Islamic terrorism, the mountain is hanging over our heads once again. Shall we embrace the path of divine-based morality? Shall we never forget that religion must always be defined by “You shall not murder (7)?”

1) Exodus chapter 20.
2) Mechilta to Exodus ibid.
3) Genesis 3:5.
3*) The Midrash (Mechiultah ibid.) in discussing the connection between the first and sixth commandments presents the following parable to explain the evil behind murder: “There was a king who entered a country and put up portraits of himself, and made statues of himself, and minted coins with his image. After a while, the people of the country overturned his portraits, broke his statues and invalidated his coins, thereby reducing the image of the king. “So, too, one who sheds blood reduces the image of the King, as it is written (Genesis 9:6): "One who spills a man's blood... for in the image of G-d He made man."
4) Talmud, Shabbas 88a.
5) Exodus 19:17.
6) This question is raised among many of the Talmudic commentators. Many answers have been offered. See Tosfos, Eitz Yosef, Pnei Yehoshua, Shabbos Shel Mi and BenYehoyada to Talmud Shabbos ibid. Midrash Tanchumah Noach section 3. Daas Zekeinim Mibbalei Hatosafos on Exodus 19:17. Maharal Tiferes Yisroel ch. 32, Gur Aryeh on Exodus ibid. and Or Chodash p. 45. Sources noted in Pardas Yosef to Exodus ibid. Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Pulnah in Ben Poras Yosef Parshas Vayeishev. Torah Or Megilas Esther p. 96c; 118c. 7) This essay is based on a Yiddish letter by the Lubavitcher Rebbe written  to Dr. Elie Wiesel in 1965 (published in Likkutei Sichos vol. 33 pp.255-260) and on a 1962 public address by  the Rebbe (published in Likkutei Sichos vol. 3 pp. 887-895), and on other sources.

Ahmadinejad & Psychic

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, not feeling well and concerned about his mortality, goes to consult a Psychic about the date of his death.

Closing her eyes and silently reaching into the realm of the future she finds the answer: "You will die on a Jewish holiday."

"Which one?'" Ahmadinejad asks nervously.

"It doesn't matter," replied the psychic. "Whenever you die, it'll be a Jewish holiday."

Magilla Esther Reading Part 1 - Iranian Mission NYC

(Israelnationalnews.com) "Ahmadinejad: Remember What Happened to Haman" was one of the many signs held aloft on Sunday afternoon, March 20th, as close to 500 Jews gathered on Purim day for a public reading of Megillat Esther, the Scroll of Esther,  held outside the Iranian mission to the United Nations on Manhattan's east side. The event was organized by Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI), Amcha - the Coalition for Jewish Concerns, Z Street and the Jewish Political Education Council.

In the video below, move the cursor to 12:30 for booing Ahmadinejad.

"Purim is a day that we celebrate the survival of the Jewish people against evil rulers who sought our complete annihilation in the city of Shushan in Persia. In every generation the names of our oppressors and their countries of origin may change, but they are driven by one common denominator and that is visceral hatred of the Jew", said Larry Domnitch, a freelance writer whose opeds are posted often on Israel National News, who read the scroll. 

 

"Today we will read about the plans for mass extermination of the Jewish people designed by the prototypes of evil, namely Achashveirosh and Haman. We are gathered here today to remind the modern day Haman who resides in Iran named Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that we will not be silent while he creates his plans to "wipe Israel off the map". As in the days of Queen Esther, we will raise our voices to G-d, seeking His divine intervention and we will boldly speak out against a regime that is not only a nemesis to Israel but to the entire free world," he added. 

 

Glenn Richter, long time Jewish activist and former leader of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, introduced the leaders of the sponsoring organizations as the crowd held specially made Purim groggers with the face of Ahmadinejad and a red line cancelling it out, along with other signs and Israeli flags. "The Obama administration is willfully deluding itself by touting the line that the source of all the problems in the Middle East is due to Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria", he declared. "It is clear that the source of anti-Western and anti-Israel terrorism today emanates from Iran; the very same government that sought to destroy us centuries ago", he added.  

 

During the Megillah reading, a small contingent of Neturei Karta counter-protestors chanted, "Down, Down, the State of Israel" and held signs that said Zionism is against Judaism. On each occasion that the name of Haman was read aloud, the noise generated by the plethora of graggers, traditional Purim noisemakers, and loud boos by those gathered to hear the megillah drowned them out. %ad%

 

Subsequent to the megillah reading, Helen Freedman of the Americans For A Safe Israel said, "We are putting the government of Iran on notice and we are here today to tell Ahmadinejad and other sponsors of terrorism against Israel and the Western world, that your fate is sealed. Learn from history. When you lift your hand against the Jewish nation, you will succumb to defeat, just as Haman did in Persia and all the others after him."

 

Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale addressed Obama, saying, "When you weaken Israel, you weaken the United States. When the United States ambassador to the United Nations states that Jewish settlements are illegal you create an atmosphere in which the gruesome murders of five members of the Fogel family in Itamar can take place"..

 

Tears filled the eyes of those gathered as Rabbi Weiss delivered an impassioned and emotionally charged address, listed the names of each member of the Fogel family and asked, "What kind of beasts could have carried out this heinous act of murder?"

 

Speaking of the innocence and love of 11-year-old Yoav Fogel, ZTK"L, Rabbi Weiss (picture by Pamela Hall) read the words that hung over the slain child's bed: "May it be Your will, Lord G-d and G-d of our forefathers, that I love every one of Israel as myself, and to graciously perform the positive commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself. May it also be Your will, Lord G-d and G-d of my forefathers, that you cause the hearts of my friends and neighbors to love me fervently, and that I be accepted and desirable to everyone, and that I be loving and pleasant, and that I be gracious and merciful in the eyes of all who see me."

 

"Our message to the remaining members of the Fogel family and to all our brothers and sisters living in Eretz Yisroel is the same message declared by Queen Esther who said, "gather all of the Jews', all decent people and cry out, "We stand with you!" He reiterated the words of devotion uttered by 12-year-old Tamar Fogel who said after the funerals of her parents and siblings; "Now, I will be the mother" and called upon all of Klall Yisroel to become active participants in raising this family and all others who are suffering.

 

"Just as we read in Megillat Esther, we have the power to turn this tragedy in Itamar around", said Rabbi Weiss.  He spoke of Israeli entrepeneur Rami Levy,  who told the Fogel family, "get used to having me around" as he made a committment to stock their pantry every Shabbat until the youngest child turns 18; and of those who organized the delivery of 108 shalach manos packages to the families of Itamar and of his own daughter's wishes to hold his granddaugher's Bat Mitzvah in Itamar as a sign of love and solidarity.

 

"The message of the "brit", the covenant between the Jewish people and G-d is a simple one and that is, don't give up", said Rabbi Weiss as he led those gathered in rousing chants of "Am Yisroel Chai."

The Israeli Vacuum: What Happens Next? By Dovid Efune

In the recent past there seems to have been a decline in overt aggressive hostility towards Israel. Defense Minister Ehud Barak was even prompted to announce that 2010 had proven to be the “quietest in many years.” Few, however, have serious expectations about the long term sustainability of the status quo, and many are anticipating imminent escalation.

The looming dangers that Israel faces are numerous and complex in their nature, as is the array of individuals who have been tasked with addressing them. As we enter another new calendar year, perhaps an assessment of what some of the key players are currently preoccupied with will grant us a glimpse into what the future holds.

Ehud Barak - heavily engaged with growing discontent within his own party and with strong voices calling for them to boot the veteran of dovish Israeli policies, there seems to be a possibility that Barak will withdraw Labor from the current governing coalition and join the opposition. Netanyahu could save his coalition and secure a narrow Knesset majority that leans even further to the right by bringing the National Union party on board. Either way, while working to survive politically, the good news is that Barak is hardly focused on driving policy.

Barak Obama - after months of relentless pressure on Israel and flurries of heated activity, a deafening silence is emanating from Washington. Almost as if completely stumped, the White House is reevaluating its position and there is speculation that a new plan will soon emerge. One can have no doubt that whatever they come up with will be far from innovative, and many expect the arm-twisting to restart. There is a good chance however, that their expectations from Israel will be less presumptuous.

Benjamin Netanyahu - busy playing the blame game at the moment, he blamed the US for not going through with an extension of the settlement freeze, although it clearly should have been his default position, he slammed the PA for what he termed the ‘new three no’s policy.’ No to recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, no to dropping their demand for a Palestinian refugee “right of return,” and no to agreed-upon security arrangements on the ground. Netanyahu is still operating in the world of reactionary politics and his coalition looks shakier. Whilst still high in the polls, the future is beginning to look a little bleaker for the Prime Minister.

Palestinian Authority - whilst mourning the loss of his brother, Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is struggling to enforce his position as the propped up public figurehead stewarding the Palestinian Arab fantasy narrative. Abbas recently cracked down on a supposed coup attempt said to be orchestrated by Fatah strongman Mahmoud Dahlan. However, his duality will only be sustainable as long as his position is enforced by Western world leaders, as the very Palestinian Arab populace that he has fed anti Israel and Anti-Semitic poison to for years, won’t support his false overtures of reconciliation.

Ahmedinejad and Assad - these two are leopards with unchanging spots, orchestrating a token gesture here and there to keep the West wistful. This week Assad welcomed American Jewish leaders to Syria and Ahmedinejad invited some European leaders to tour Iran’s nuclear facilities ‘as a gesture of goodwill;’ it is however clear that their maniacal ambitions will not be stunted.
Hamas and Hizbullah - these growing terror organizations have recovered exceptionally well from their recent confrontations with the IDF and have restocked their arsenals to frightening capacity with new anti aircraft machinery and state of the art new weaponry from Iran. Whilst publically all but ignored by Western leaders, their street popularity and military prowess leave Israel with much to worry about. With their finger on the trigger, it is only a matter of time before they unleash a barrage on Israeli towns and cities. This time it won’t just be the north and south.

Avigdor Lieberman - shunned by many world leaders and the cause of many sleepless nights for American Jewish leaders, Lieberman is the most prominent Israeli leader with a plan B. Recognizing that the Peace Process is a fallacy, he wants to formally stabilize the current situation. A master strategist, his star is rising and in the event that new elections are forced, he will be ready and waiting to gobble up the scraps.

When weighing in on the factors of the current players, it seems that Lieberman is best poised to gain from the outcome of events; he is proactive, out of the box, and forward thinking, bringing new ideas on how to deal with Israel’s threats. His suggestions, however, are also temporary and cosmetic.

In conclusion, the frustration and stagnation on important issues affecting the security of Israel has opened a gaping vacuum in the world of Israeli leadership. The stage is set for a new leader to emerge with new ideas and solutions, and sweep the country off its feet.

The Author is the director of the Algemeiner Journal and the GJCF and can be e-mailed at defune@gjcf.com.

Hillel Neuer Slams Iran on CTV's "Canada AM" Show

Hillel Neuer slams Iranian President Ahmadinejad for anti-semitism, salutes Canadian PM Harper for principled positions on Middle East.

Rabbi Moshe Dov Beck of Neturei Karta welcomes and embraces Ahmadinejad

Americans' apathy against Ahmadinejad in USA conveys weakness to enemies