I Guess We Have To Go All of the Way To Israel To Find a Man With a Backbone To Stand Up To Barack Hussein Obama

The story comes from The Telegraph.

Benjamin Netanyahu defies Barack Obama to approve more homes


Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to President Barack Obama's criticism of his settlement policies by approving nearly 200 new Jewish homes in the West Bank in a move timed to show toughness in the face of international pressure.

Permission was given for new 114 new houses in Efrat, south of Jerusalem, and another 84 in Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, after it was claimed Mr Obama believed the Israeli prime minister was dragging Israel deeper into international isolation with successive settlement expansions.

Mr Netanyahu, in the midst of a close general election campaign, effectively told Mr Obama to mind his own business in a veiled but pointed response to the US president's purported belief that Mr Netanyahu "does not know what Israel's best interests are".

"Everyone understands that only Israelis will determine who faithfully represents Israel's vital interests," Mr Netanyahu said on a visit to the Israeli army's Gaza Division on Wednesday.

His comments addressed the furore triggered by a well-connected American journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, who wrote in a column for Bloomberg that Mr Obama viewed Mr Netanyahu as a "political coward" held hostage by the Jewish settler lobby and whose policies threatened Israel's long-term survival.

The alleged remarks have reverberated across the Israeli political landscape, with commentators noting that the White House had not issued a denial.

Some analysts believe Mr Obama was taking revenge for Mr Netanyahu's ill-concealed preference for the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, in last year's US presidential election.

Mr Netanyahu, who has angered the US and EU in recent weeks with a series of plans for thousands of new homes on land the Palestinians claim for a future state, has attempted to turn the issue to his own advantage by depicting himself as a strong leader who has resisted international demands that he compromise on Israel's vital interests.

"In the past four years we have withstood mighty pressures," he said.

"They demanded that we rein in the pressure against Iran and withdraw to the 1967 lines, they wanted us to partition Jerusalem and not to build in Jerusalem. We fended off all these pressures."

The final opinion polls before next Tuesday's general election showed Mr Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Beiteinu bloc on course to win between 32 and 37 Knesset seats, down from 42 at present and well below the numbers election strategists hoped for.

Netanyahu Responds To Threats By Iran's Ayatollah

Israel's Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, responded today with a strongly worded message regarding the latest threats to Israel by the nation of Iran. Here's a bit of what Netanyahu had to say (from Israel National News):

"We have received a reminder about what kind of a neighborhood we live in," Netanyahu said at the start of the Cabinet session. "We heard the Iranian ruler's remarks about the elimination of Israel. We saw the Syrian army massacre its own people. We have seen bloody events in our region. Various leaders have no moral compunctions about killing their neighbors and their own people alike."

"In such a region, the only thing that ensures our existence, security and prosperity is our strength. We are obligated to continue to develop the military, economic and social strength of the State of Israel. This is also the only guarantee for the existence of peace and the only defense for Israel should the peace unravel."

Here's the video of Netanyahu's words:



Can you imagine the pressure on this one man, on Netanyahu, during these times? Can you imagine determining if you have to try and take out the Iranian nukes while the spineless leaders of the West continue to push for sanctions on bags of rice to the Iranians? Can you imagine going to bed every night wondering if this is the night that you are awoken to the news that Hezbollah has attacked Tel Aviv with missiles or that Hamas has sent 100 rockets into Sderot or that the Iranians have launched an attack?

My only hope is that Israel can hang on until we get a U.S. President in place that will help her defend herself properly.

Netanyahu: Khamenei's Words Remind Us Where We Live


Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delieverd a terse retort Sunday to the threats issued Friday by Iran's "supreme leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and tied it to events in Syria.

"We have received a reminder about what kind of a neighborhood we live in," Netanyahu said at the start of the Cabinet session. "We heard the Iranian ruler's remarks about the elimination of Israel. We saw the Syrian army massacre its own people. We have seen bloody events in our region. Various leaders have no moral compunctions about killing their neighbors and their own people alike."

"In such a region, the only thing that ensures our existence, security and prosperity is our strength. We are obligated to continue to develop the military, economic and social strength of the State of Israel. This is also the only guarantee for the existence of peace and the only defense for Israel should the peace unravel."

"Developing Israel's strength is this Government's main issue," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu has never led Israel in a time of war, but may soon find himself standing at the helm against the biggest military challenge Israel has faced in recent decades.

Prime Minister Netanyahu Slams the Bias of The New York Times

What can I say about The New York Times other than it is an embarrassment for the American people. This "newspaper" epitomizes what happens when a conglomeration of progressives and leftists congregate and throw every bit of journalistic integrity out of the window in order to forward their agenda of supporting a Marxist movement. This paper has sunk to new fiscal lows and their top dog recently announced she was walking out.

Well, at a time when NYT editorials have reached an all time outrage of bias towards the nation of Israel, these clowns had the nerve to invite Israel's Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to write an op-ed for the paper....and thankfully, the Prime Minister, more or less, told them to shove their invitation where the sun don't shine.

From the article at Family Security Matters:

The unceasing drumbeat of Israel-bashing on the pages of the New York Times is not exactly a secret. But in mid-December, the limit on the NYT’s image of promoting “objective journalism” was reached. When it comes to Israel, it means a page in which Israel’s friends are unwelcome while its critics and enemies enjoy a year-round open season on the Jewish state.

As Jonathan Tobin writes in Commentary: “In the not-so-distant past, writers like A.M. Rosenthal and William Safire would balance the views of the editorial column and the paper’s left-wing columnists, but now there is no one on staff ready to do so”.

As a result, Netanyahu’s senior adviser Ron Dermer wrote a letter to the New York Times explaining why Prime Minister Netanyahu “respectfully declined” to write an op-ed piece for the newspaper explaining Israel’s positions.

Yet instead of trying to balance these views with a different opinion, it would seem as if the surest way to get an op-ed published in the New York Times these days, no matter how obscure the writer or the viewpoint, is to attack Israel. Even so, the recent piece on “Pinkwashing,” in which Israel is vilified for having the temerity to champion its record on gay-rights, set a new bar that will be hard for you to lower in the future.

Not to be accused of cherry-picking to prove a point, I discovered that during the last three months (September through November) you published 20 op-eds about Israel in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune. After dividing the op-eds into two categories, “positive” and “negative,” with “negative” meaning an attack against the State of Israel or the policies of its democratically elected government, I found that 19 out of 20 columns were “negative.”

I encourage all of you to read the entire letter that came from Netanyahu's office below - and you will see a bunch of Marxist and islamic terrorist appeasers put in their place. For far too long this national newspaper has compromised the security of America and it has attacked America's allies. The New York Times ceased being a "news"paper years ago - this is simply a propaganda rag that, at this point in time, is pretty much only read by the staunchest of Leninists in the bowels of New York City.

Don't worry though...their doors will close soon as the Marxists at the Times discover the reality that they still do operate in an arena of capitalism.

The Power of the Pen - Abused


The unceasing drumbeat of Israel-bashing on the pages of the New York Times is not exactly a secret. But in mid-December, the limit on the NYT’s image of promoting “objective journalism” was reached. When it comes to Israel, it means a page in which Israel’s friends are unwelcome while its critics and enemies enjoy a year-round open season on the Jewish state.

As Jonathan Tobin writes in Commentary: “In the not-so-distant past, writers like A.M. Rosenthal and William Safire would balance the views of the editorial column and the paper’s left-wing columnists, but now there is no one on staff ready to do so”.

As a result, Netanyahu’s senior adviser Ron Dermer wrote a letter to the New York Times explaining why Prime Minister Netanyahu “respectfully declined” to write an op-ed piece for the newspaper explaining Israel’s positions.

Dermer e-mailed response was as follows:

Dear Sasha,

I received your email requesting that Prime Minister Netanyahu submit an op-ed to the New York Times. Unfortunately, we must respectfully decline.

On matters relating to Israel, the op-ed page of the “paper of record” has failed to heed the late Senator Moynihan's admonition that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but that no one is entitled to their own facts.

A case in point was your decision last May to publish the following bit of historical revision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas:“It is important to note that the last time the question of Palestinian statehood took center stage at the General Assembly, the question posed to the international community was whether our homeland should be partitioned into two states. In November 1947, the General Assembly made its recommendation and answered in the affirmative. Shortly thereafter, Zionist forces expelled Palestinian Arabs to ensure a decisive Jewish majority in the future state of Israel, and Arab armies intervened. War and further expulsions ensued.”

This paragraph effectively turns on its head an event within living memory in which the Palestinians rejected the UN partition plan accepted by the Jews and then joined five Arab states in launching a war to annihilate the embryonic Jewish state. It should not have made it past the most rudimentary fact-checking.

The opinions of some of your regular columnists regarding Israel are well known. They consistently distort the positions of our government and ignore the steps it has taken to advance peace. They cavalierly defame our country by suggesting that marginal phenomena condemned by Prime Minister Netanyahu and virtually every Israeli official somehow reflects government policy or Israeli society as a whole. Worse, one columnist even stooped to suggesting that the strong expressions of support for Prime Minister Netanyahu during his speech this year to Congress was "bought and paid for by the Israel lobby" rather than a reflection of the broad support for Israel among the American people.

Yet instead of trying to balance these views with a different opinion, it would seem as if the surest way to get an op-ed published in the New York Times these days, no matter how obscure the writer or the viewpoint, is to attack Israel. Even so, the recent piece on “Pinkwashing,” in which Israel is vilified for having the temerity to champion its record on gay-rights, set a new bar that will be hard for you to lower in the future.

Not to be accused of cherry-picking to prove a point, I discovered that during the last three months (September through November) you published 20 op-eds about Israel in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune. After dividing the op-eds into two categories, “positive” and “negative,” with “negative” meaning an attack against the State of Israel or the policies of its democratically elected government, I found that 19 out of 20 columns were “negative.”

The only "positive" piece was penned by Richard Goldstone (of the infamous Goldstone Report), in which he defended Israel against the slanderous charge of Apartheid.

Yet your decision to publish that op-ed came a few months after your paper reportedly rejected Goldstone's previous submission. In that earlier piece, which was ultimately published in the Washington Post, the man who was quoted the world over for alleging that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza fundamentally changed his position. According to the New York Times op-ed page, that was apparently news unfit to print.

Your refusal to publish “positive” pieces about Israel apparently does not stem from a shortage of supply. It was brought to my attention that the Majority Leader and Minority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives jointly submitted an op-ed to your paper in September opposing the Palestinian action at the United Nations and supporting the call of both Israel and the Obama administration for direct negotiations without preconditions. In an age of intense partisanship, one would have thought that strong bipartisan support for Israel on such a timely issue would have made your cut.

So with all due respect to your prestigious paper, you will forgive us for declining your offer. We wouldn't want to be seen as "Bibiwashing" the op-ed page of the New York Times.

Sincerely,

Ron Dermer
Senior Advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu

The latter comment on “Bibiwashing” refers to a piece called “Israel and Pinkwashing” from November. In that piece, a City University of New York humanities professor lambasted Israel for, as Dermer wrote, “having the temerity to champion its record on gay rights.” It was that piece, he wrote, that “set a new bar that will be hard for you to lower in the future.”

Today, it would not be an exaggeration to state that the editorial policy of the New York Times towards the Jewish state is virtually indistinguishable from the blatant anti-Israeli hostility promoted by the Guardian or the BBC.

It was with the election of Prime Minister Netanyahu, that the NYT editors embarked on a determined effort to undermine and demonize the Israeli government whilst invariably providing the Palestinians with a free pass. Through its numerous unbalanced editorials, the newspaper continuously “put the greater onus” for the failure of peace negotiations on Netanyahu “who is using any excuse to thwart peace efforts” and “refuses to make any serious compromises for peace.”

It would appear that the Palestinians rejection of any talks with Israel unless and until Israel agrees to all their existential demands; that their endless breaches of the terms of the Oslo Accords; that their absolute refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state; that their continuous efforts to incite terrorism through their educational system, mosques and media in the name of “martyrdom”, and the vast discrepancies between their statements made in Arabic to the Arab media and those they make in English to the Western media mean absolutely nothing to the Times editors.

And its columnists (specifically Tom Friedman, Roger Cohen and Nicholas Kristof) have done likewise by leading the charge in castigating Israel and unabashedly praising the Arab Spring.

In a recent column, Kristof described a home-made dinner he had with a group of Moslem Brotherhood activists and approvingly quoted them claiming that their support of the Brotherhood was strong “for the same reason the Germans support Christian Democrats or Southerners favor conservative Christians”. He also suggested that “conservative Moslems insist that the Muslim Brotherhood is non-discriminatory, the perfect home for pious Christians - and a terrific partner for the West” and concluded that - “Our fears often reflect our own mental hobgoblins”. We heard this same line thirty years ago just before the Islamists seized power in Iran under Khomeini.

Kristof obviously has never met or spoken with Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi, the organization’s most powerful religious leader - an avowed anti-Semite who supports the murder of Jews. Qaradawi expressed his desire to see a "conquered" Jerusalem in a January 24, 2011 fatwa in which he negated Jewish attachment to Jerusalem, and stated that it is the duty of Muslims to "defend" Jerusalem with "their lives, their money and all they possess, or else they will be subject to Allah's punishment."

This fatwa is part of Qaradawi's long record of inciting hatred and violence against Jews and Israel. During a sermon that aired on the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera TV on January 28, 2009, Qaradawi told his audience, "I will shoot Allah's enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus I will seal my life with martyrdom." In another sermon on January 9, 2009, Qaradawi lashed out at Jews, including calling on God to "kill them, down to the very last one."

He has also refused to dialogue with Jews by declining to participate in the 8th annual conference organized by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue because of the participation of Jews, and he continues to endorse Palestinian suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. In his latest major work, Fiqh (Jurisprudence) of Jihad (2009), Qaradawi chastises those Muslims who do not observe jihad as an obligatory duty, including participation in "physical jihad" if capable.

Nicholas Kristof could care less.

Roger Cohen, another regular columnist for the Times has condemned the Jewish state’s "obsession with the (Iranian) nuclear bogeyman" and has praised Turkey’s anti-Semitic Prime Minister Erdogan whilst condemning Israel for not apologizing to the Turks over the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident.

Virtually every op-ed published in the New York Times has been hostile to Israel. In May, PA President Mahmoud Abbas published an op-ed falsely accusing Israel of initiating the war in 1948 by expelling Palestinians Arabs and obligating Arab armies to intervene. As noted in the Dermer response, the NYT refused to publish Goldstone’s withdrawal of apartheid and war crimes charges against Israel, only doing so some months later after it had appeared in the Washington Post.

But it is Tom Friedman’s most recent column which is the most outrageous. The piece was so scurrilous that it alone justifies the boycott. Friedman has consistently castigated Netanyahu whom he loathes, alleging that Israel had become "the most diplomatically inept and outrageously incompetent government in Israel's history". He accused Netanyahu of choosing to protect the Pharaoh (Mubarak) rather than support Obama who aided the “democratization” of Egypt. He went so far as to say that Netanyahu was "on the way to becoming the Hosni Mubarak of the peace process."

Isi Liebler, writes in J-Wire News (the Jewish Australian News Service) that last February, after being in Tahrir Square, Friedman proclaimed that the “people” had achieved “freedom” and were heading towards democracy. He dismissed concerns that the Moslem Brotherhood would become a dominant party, and in his latest column, he broadly condemned all aspects of Israeli society alleging that Israel is becoming a failed democratic state.

But what provoked the greatest indignation was his remark: “I sure hope that Israel’s Prime Minister understands that the standing ovation he got in Congress this year was not for his politics. That ovation was bought and paid for by the Israeli lobby”.

And Friedman doesn't stop there. He makes sure to suggest that the leading Republican candidates are in the pockets of the Jewish lobby and therefore are forced "to grovel for Jewish votes - by out-loving Israel".

Congress gave Netanyahu a standing ovation not because of “any nefarious lobby,” but because it is in the U.S.’s vital strategic interest to support Israel. For decades, polls have consistently shown that Israel is well-thought-of by the majority of Americans - the Palestinians poll miserably, by contrast.

More to the point, Friedman’s statements are unconscionable. He infers that only by undermining the special relationship between Israel and the United States can the Jewish lobby be denied their control of Congress. Such comments parrot the anti-Semitic libel of Walt and Mearsheimer by asserting that Congress has been “bought” by American Jews who represent less than 2% of the population and that the vast majority of the American public supporting Israel and Congress are simply useful idiots, being manipulated or bribed by the Israeli lobby.

These comments parallel comments made by Holocaust deniers such as Mahmoud Abbas, the unelected leader of the Palestinian Authority and Hassan Nasrallah, the unelected leader of Hezbollah. Nor does he ever mention Hamas, a terror group that continues to fire missiles into Israeli towns and which is religiously committed to Israel’s destruction. One can rest assured that Israel’s enemies will quote Friedman as often as they do Walt and Mearsheimer as a means of discrediting American support for Israel.

Friedman would also never admit that Israel's Congressional support represents a rejection of President Obama's Middle East policies of endorsing the Palestinian Arab narrative. These policies have damaged United States allies in the Arab world, endangered the free flow of oil to the West, and given Iran the time to expand its nuclear arsenal.

It may also be that Friedman was upset when Newt Gingrich exposed the link between the creation of the Palestinian Arab identity and the denial of the historical truth underlying Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel. This is what Gingrich meant when he stated recently that the Palestinian Arabs are an "invented people", and that they have been created to be the basis for the destruction of the state of Israel – as Palestinian leaders have been quoted as saying. Contrary to what Friedman has been saying, writing and believing about the Palestinian Arabs, their whole reason for existing is to deny Israel her right to exist.

New York Times editorials and columns like that of Friedman, Cohen and Kristof should not be treated lightly. They must be viewed in the context of the recent condemnations of Israel emanating from the highest echelons of the Obama administration. Unless vigorously repudiated, these critiques will undermine the hitherto prevailing bi-partisan consensus supporting Israel.

Coming from the office of the prime minister of the Jewish state, Dermer’s message carries a moral seriousness that makes it all the more powerful. It will warm the hearts of many of the paper’s readers as well as those who have long since given up reading it.

The Day Hillary Clinton Gave Up Her Chance To Ever Become President

You know, you gotta wonder about a woman who, after enduring her husband's infidelity for decades and his abuse of their marriage vows, would still put her husband before even her dreams of the highest political position in the country, but Hillary Clinton has done just that - I guess the old adage that the socialist movement supercedes anything else is true.

This article at American Thinker discusses the absolutely stunning turnaround of Hillary Clinton in regards to Israel and Jews - it looks at the complete pandering to New York Jews by Clinton when she really needed the votes to become U.S. Senator and now that she is Secretary of State, the new position of hers that Jerusalem really shouldn't be the capital of Israel. And that brings me to the reference to her allegiance to her husband...you see, former President Bill Clinton has a hard on for someone other than a blonde that isn't his wife....Bill Clinton has never gotten over the feud he had with Israel's Benyamin Netanyahu. You see, most people that dared to dismantle the likes of Bill Clinton usually ended up parked in a car in a Virginia park or on a plane with some faulty wiring and the fact that Israel's Netanyahu didn't follow Bill Clinton's advice like some sort of thankful puppy way back when....well, Bill never forgot it and we see now how Hillary never forgot it either.

From the article:

In a stunning reversal, Hillary Clinton has done a 180 on her position on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, contradicting the position she took when she was New York's junior senator, and needed Jewish votes. The great Rick Richman writes in the New York Sun:

Secretary of State Clinton, in a sharp departure from her stance when she was a senator, is warning that any American action, even symbolically, toward recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel must be avoided for the reason that it would jeopardize the peace process.

Her warnings were issued in a brief she has just filed with the Supreme Court - in which she is arguing that a law she voted for when she was Senator is unconstitutional because it could require the U.S. government to give to an American citizen born at Jerusalem papers showing the birthplace as Israel.

The law requiring the government to issue such documents on request passed the Senate unanimously at a time when Mrs. Clinton was a member. But Presidents Bush and Obama have taken the position that the law infringes on the president's prerogatives in respect of foreign policy. Mrs. Clinton is being sued by an American youngster, Menachem Zivotofsky, who was born at Jerusalem in 2002 to American parents who want his birthplace to be listed on his passport as Israel.

I can only assume that speculation about Secretary Clinton running for president is now irrelevant. This is a bombshell as far as pro-Israel voters are concerned.

Obviously, this has not been the first time Hillary Clinton has stabbed the Israelis in the back - in fact, she was the first of the Obama administration to show the signs of an American shift against the long time ally when she began her vendetta against settlement expansion in the West Bank. Now, after a huge outcry, Clinton toned down her attacks after some time but once again her hatred of Netanyahu's treatment of her divine Bill rears its ugly head again.

Apparently Hillary hasn't seen the huge serving of crow that one Barack Hussein Obama has had to eat in the past two weeks in regards to America's Jews but it's obvious to me that Hillary Clinton truly doesn't have any intention of running for President again - she has basically flipped off every American in this country that supports Israel and as we all know, that is the vast majority of the country.

Hillary's Turnabout on Jerusalem


In a stunning reversal, Hillary Clinton has done a 180 on her position on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, contradicting the position she took when she was New York's junior senator, and needed Jewish votes. The great Rick Richman writes in the New York Sun:

Secretary of State Clinton, in a sharp departure from her stance when she was a senator, is warning that any American action, even symbolically, toward recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel must be avoided for the reason that it would jeopardize the peace process.

Her warnings were issued in a brief she has just filed with the Supreme Court - in which she is arguing that a law she voted for when she was Senator is unconstitutional because it could require the U.S. government to give to an American citizen born at Jerusalem papers showing the birthplace as Israel.

The law requiring the government to issue such documents on request passed the Senate unanimously at a time when Mrs. Clinton was a member. But Presidents Bush and Obama have taken the position that the law infringes on the president's prerogatives in respect of foreign policy. Mrs. Clinton is being sued by an American youngster, Menachem Zivotofsky, who was born at Jerusalem in 2002 to American parents who want his birthplace to be listed on his passport as Israel.

I can only assume that speculation about Secretary Clinton running for president is now irrelevant. This is a bombshell as far as pro-Israel voters are concerned.

Obama Gives Netanyahu Ultimatum...Sign On To Pre-1967 Lines In 30 Days or Else....

Words defy the gall of this U.S. President as it is being reported that an ultimatum has been sent by the U.S. to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Netanyahu's need to act on the platform proposed by Obama.

Here's the brief story from The Jerusalem Post.

p.s. I expect strong action by Congress within 24 hours of this. Rein this loose cannon in. Now.

(Hat Tip: Sloop)

Report: US gives Netanyahu ultimatum on resuming talks


The United States gave Netanyahu an ultimatum on renewing negotiations with the Palestinians, according to reports cited by Israel Radio Sunday morning.

According to the ultimatum, Netanyahu has to decide within a month whether he agrees to accept US President Barack Obama's platform and resume talks based on 1967 lines.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu was expected to travel to Italy on Sunday where he will meet his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi.

The Brilliance of Benjamin Netanyahu

The headline of this article at Breitbart could be quite stunning to some and I'm sure to a few Israelis, quite unsettling but in it, I see the absolute brilliance of Benjamin Netanyahu. The headline reads: " Netanyahu eyes twice-monthly head-to-head with Abbas." Let's take a quick look at some of the article, then I'll explain:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proposing twice-monthly meetin...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proposing twice-monthly meetings with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas after direct peace talks resume next week, a top Israeli official said on Friday.
Netanyahu has told several government ministers of his proposal, which has already been passed on to US officials ahead of next Thursday's talks relaunch in Washington, the official said.

The premier said that if the resumed negotiations are to be successful, it is "vital that they be conducted between leaders" and in the greatest possible secrecy, the official added.

On Thursday, Netanyahu began selecting a negotiating team to accompany him to Washington, his office said.

Okay, here's why I think Netanyahu is outsmarting EVERYONE in the mix in regards to Middle East peace talks. Let's look at each of the players:

Abbas and the Palestinian Authority: This is an annual deal for Abbas - he raises a fuss about Middle East peace talks and typically he takes the initiative making false claims that he really wants peace and then tries to set up the Israeli Prime Minister to become defensive and say "no" off the bat ....then Abbas gets to run to the U.S., to Europe, to Arab nations and to his own people say he tried but the Israelis are the roadblock to peace. Then he sits back and waits for western money to flow in. Well, Netanyahu is brilliant here in that he has turned the tables and has come across as the one that REALLY wants the peace talks and in it, he knows Abbas really doesn't - and it will be Abbas who will look like the resistance to the process.

Hamas and Iran: Netanyahu knows that if he can get Abbas into "secretive" talks about peace that it will drive the Iranian mullahs and their militant proxy, Hamas, absolutely nuts. You wait, you will see the Iranians screaming about how this just cannot be!

United States: Barack Hussein Obama played his cards way to early in showing that he supports the Palestinians in this process and it was evident to Netanyahu that Obama was setting him up to be the bad guy. Now, it is seen how Netanyahu is the one pressing for progress, that Netanyahu is the aggressive participant for peace and if Obama portrays Israel in a bad light, well, the world will see that Obama is NOT a non-partisan facilitator

Back to Abbas: Do you REALLY think that a proven Islamic terrorist like Abbas wants to spend hours and hours each month, now proposed to be twice a month, with a bunch of Israelis? Hell, the likes of Abbas will cringe at the idea. And at the same time, we know by now that the more "chummy" that Abbas appears with the Israelis, the more Hamas will target him - Netanyahu is basically setting Abbas up for some serious retaliation by his own people.

It's my estimation that Benjamin Netanyahu is a man amongst boys in all of this. He has already turned this process into his - it is his initiative, it is his peace talks - the boy wonder, Barack Hussein Obama, is seen as an inexperienced outsider in this and as for Abbas, he never wanted peace talks and now he is backed into a corner where he has to do it.

Pure brilliance, Bibi.

Netanyahu eyes twice-monthly head-to-head with Abbas


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proposing twice-monthly meetings with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas after direct peace talks resume next week, a top Israeli official said on Friday.
Netanyahu has told several government ministers of his proposal, which has already been passed on to US officials ahead of next Thursday's talks relaunch in Washington, the official said.

The premier said that if the resumed negotiations are to be successful, it is "vital that they be conducted between leaders" and in the greatest possible secrecy, the official added.

On Thursday, Netanyahu began selecting a negotiating team to accompany him to Washington, his office said.

He is aiming to form a "small team that can carry out under his supervision speedy, serious and detailed talks," a statement said.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, an ultra-nationalist who has talked down the prospects for the new negotiations, will not be part of the Israeli delegation, press reports said.

Lieberman's spokesman declined to comment.

Thursday's summit will be the first direct negotations between the two sides since the Palestinians broke off talks in December 2008 after Israel launched a devastating offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Late on Thursday, veteran US Middle East envoy Dennis Ross arrived in Israel for a final round of shuttle diplomacy ahead of next week's meeting, army radio said.

He will be seeking to narrow the differences between the two sides, in particular over the future of a partial Israeli freeze on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, outside annexed Arab east Jerusalem, which is due to end on September 26.

Obama Gets the Message From Congress and America Regarding Israel...Falls In Line At Meeting With Netanyahu

The fact that both the House of Representatives and the Senate BOTH sent letters to Barack Hussein Obama in the past four weeks more or less telling him he better end his campaign of working against Israel appears to have worked as the initial reports coming out of today's meeting with Netanyahu sugget that Obama played nice and the meeting was productive. Now, I have no doubt that this was painful for Obama, considering my view that he detests Israel and certainly sides with the Arab position in the Middle East but it does appear he knows he's up against a tsunami of support for Israel both in D.C. and across this country.

For all of those of you who reached out to your representatives in Congress and implored them to pressure Obama on this issue, I applaud you.

From the story at DEBKA:

US President Barack Obama indicated this at the end of his White House conversation with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu Tuesday, July 6, which both called "excellent." What he said was there had been "no change" in US policy in the wake of the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference in May, which called on Israel to join the treaty. The US president stressed that given its size, history and the levels of threat Israel faces: "We will not ask Israel to take steps that endanger its security."

The US president did not reply directly when asked if he had asked Israel to extend the 10-month settlement-Jerusalem construction freeze when it expires on September 26. He said he hoped the right climate would enable face-to-face talks to go forward by September and stressed he believes Israel and its prime minister are serious about peace and will take risks to achieve it.He added that the Israeli people deserved a secure peace - not Iran's proxies next door or rockets falling on them and repeated his call for Palestinian sovereignty and two states living side by side in peace. Confidence-building steps on both sides were important, said Obama.

Many of us prayed for this type of outcome from this meeting and I have to give tremendous credit to Mr. Netanyahu for his patience with this fledgling President with whacked out ideas about the Middle East.

Now, if I could only be a fly on the wall for Netanyahu's meeting with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton! That is going to probably redefine the word, "uncomfortable."

But overall, we have a lot to be thankful for at the moment. Don't get me wrong here, this isn't over...a lot of this is a smokescreen from Obama but perhaps we've got some time now...so thanks go to Barack Hussein Obama for either waking the hell up or at least realizing he was fighting a losing battle on this one.

Obama accepts Israel's nuclear stance as reflecting its unique security needs


US President Barack Obama indicated this at the end of his White House conversation with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu Tuesday, July 6, which both called "excellent." What he said was there had been "no change" in US policy in the wake of the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference in May, which called on Israel to join the treaty. The US president stressed that given its size, history and the levels of threat Israel faces: "We will not ask Israel to take steps that endanger its security."
debkafile's Washington sources: This was taken to mean that the US policy of ambiguity regarding Israel's reported nuclear arsenal was unchanged and Israel would not be pressed to joint the NPT.

Netanyahu praised the latest round of UN sanctions against Iran and the new US measures. He urged other countries to follow the US president's lead and initiate much tougher sanctions. Only then will it be possible to tell if they are biting enough to prevent Iran attaining a nuclear weapon, said the Israeli prime minister.
The US president did not reply directly when asked if he had asked Israel to extend the 10-month settlement-Jerusalem construction freeze when it expires on September 26. He said he hoped the right climate would enable face-to-face talks to go forward by September and stressed he believes Israel and its prime minister are serious about peace and will take risks to achieve it.
He added that the Israeli people deserved a secure peace - not Iran's proxies next door or rockets falling on them and repeated his call for Palestinian sovereignty and two states living side by side in peace. Confidence-building steps on both sides were important, said Obama. He had discussed Mahmoud Abbas the need to stop "engaging in provocative language, incitement and looking for opportunities to embarrass Israel."
While the US president denied any rift with Israel, Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the US in fields which they both listed as the economy, international relations, military, maintaining Israel's military edge and intelligence-sharing -in ways not always made public Netanyahu added that the special US-Israel bond - which both termed "unbreakable" - was beneficial to the region.
Obama added that the continuing cooperation had broadened since he and Netanyahu came to office and he hoped relations would continue to improve.
The Israeli prime minister and his wife are spending three days in the United States. He is due to meet with Secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Jewish American leaders in New York. Sarah Netanyahu will also meet with the First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Israeli Leaders Respond To U.N. War Crimes Report On Gaza

First off, would anyone expect anything different than a report on the Gaza War that points a finger of accusation at Israel for committing war crimes, considering the report comes from the United Nations (a.k.a. the United Islamic Nations and Yellow Belly Countries Submitting To Them)?

From the story at Haaretz, here are the headline responses from Israeli leadership:

Netanyahu calls UN Gaza probe a 'kangaroo court' against Israel

Peres: Gaza probe makes mockery of history

Barak: UN Gaza report is a 'prize for terror'

I want to focus on one part of the article here that talks about Israeli efforts to minimize this report:

Earlier Wednesday, Ayalon said the findings of the UN report were predetermined, Israel Radio reported on Wednesday. Ayalon said that Israel's cooperation with Goldstone would not have altered "one word" of the report. On the contrary, it would have "legitimized" the findings, Ayalon told Israel Radio. Ayalon said the report "is a cynical attempt at role reversal in blaming Israel for war crimes instead of terrorist organizations." He added that Israel would work to enlist the support of Western democracies in a campaign "to prevent turning international law into a circus." The deputy foreign minister, who is currently on a trip to Washington, told Israel Radio that the U.S. and the European Union both opposed the UN commission of inquiry. Ayalon said he planned to meet Wednesday with U.S. ambassador to the UN Susan Rice to discuss ways to minimize the report's damage to Israel before it is submitted to the Security Council for deliberations.

I want to point this all out because it is going to be very interesting just to see what, if anything, the Obama administration does to diffuse or minimize this U.N. investigative report. Will Barack Obama continue his abandonment of Israel and either allow this report to gain steam? Or will Obama do the right thing...will he acquire some backbone and stand up tall for Israel and call out the United Nations for what they really are...a gathering of terrorist supporting nations?

Israel's frustrations with the U.N. over the past 20 or 30 years can only be matched by the frustration that the American people are now finding themselves involved with regarding the main stream media here. The Israeli's have faced decades of lies and distortion put out by the propaganda ministry of the United Nations and now, in 2009, the American people know exactly how that feels as we have seen the main stream media not only pander to the socialistic Obama administration but in fact, actively engage in propaganda for the President's agenda.

Netanyahu calls UN Gaza probe a 'kangaroo court' against Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday blasted a United Nations probe into Israel's winter offensive against Hamas as nothing but a "kangaroo court," after the investigators accused Israel of committing war crimes in a report. "The Goldstone report is a kangaroo court against Israel, whose consequences harm the struggle of democratic countries against terror," said Netanyahu during closed meetings, in his first response to the report, which was released on Tuesday. He was referring to the report's author, Richard Goldstone, a South African war crimes prosecutor.

Earlier Wednesday, Israel's deputy foreign minister said the report, which focuses on Israel's winter offensive against Hamas in the coastal territory, was "dangerous" and legitimized terrorism. "The Goldstone report is a dangerous attempt to harm the principle of self-defense by democratic states and provides legitimacy to terrorism," Danny Ayalon told the heads of the American Jewish Committee during a meeting in New York. The deputy minister urged the Jewish community leaders to work together in order to combat the report. Though the report accuses both Israel and Hamas of carrying out war crimes during the three-week campaign in Gaza, it focuses primarily on Israel's actions during the hostilities. The hostilities erupted on 27 December 2008 and lasted three weeks; Israel says 1,166 Palestinians were killed in the offensive, of whom the majority were militants. Human rights groups say, however, that approximately 1,400 Palestinians were killed, mostly civilians. Thirteen Israelis were killed during the fighting: ten soldiers and three civilians. Israel launched the offensive in response to persistent Palestinian rocket fire against towns and communities in the western Negev. Ayalon added: "The Goldstone Report should be treated like the UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 equating Zionism with racism, thus we must mobilize and act with all force against the report in order to remove it". Peres: Gaza probe makes mockery of history President Shimon Peres issued a similarly scathing response to the report on Wednesday, which he said "makes a mockery of history." "The Goldstone Commission report is a mockery of history," said Peres in reference to Richard Goldstone, the author of the report. "It fails to distinguish between the aggressor and a state exercising its right for self defense." In his statement, Peres added: "The report in practice grants legitimacy to terrorism, premeditated shooting and killing while ignoring the duty and the right of a state to defend itself, something which is explicitly stated in the UN charter." He blamed Hamas for launching the war, and said it also committed other "horrific crimes." "Hamas has employed terrorism for years against Israeli children," he said. "It has detonated explosive devices in the heart of Israeli cities, harmed civilians, launched over 12,000 missiles and mortar shells aimed at innocent civilians with one clear goal in mind - to kill." Peres noted that Israel had evacuated its soldiers and citizens from Gaza, opened the Hamas-ruled territory's crossings and aided in the rehabilitation of the Strip. After the Israeli evacuation in 2005, he said, Gaza was overrun by force by a "murderous, illegitimate terrorist organization," which launched a coup against the Palestinian Authority. "Instead of building Gaza and worrying about the welfare of its residents, Hamas built offensive tunnels against Israel and brutally used Palestinian children and civilians in order to conceal terrorists and hide weapons," Peres said. The president added that criticism against Israel's actions fails to offer effective alternatives that can stifle rocket fire against the country's outlying towns. "It is a fact that the criticism leveled against Israel's actions in response to Hezbollah fire from Lebanon and Hamas fire from Gaza and against the building of the separation fence did not stop the shooting in the south, the shooting in the north, and the planting of explosives in the center," he said. "IDF operations are what brought about economic prosperity in the West Bank, liberated Lebanon from the wrath of Hezbollah, and enabled Gaza residents to return to their daily routines." Barak: UN Gaza report is a 'prize for terror' The findings of the UN report constitute "a prize for terrorism," aides to Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio on Wednesday. "The comparison between those who foment terrorism and its victims is unconscionable," an Israeli defense official told Israel Radio. The defense establishment is making efforts to extend legal aid to officers who may face indictment on war crimes charges abroad, Israel Radio reported. Earlier Wednesday, Ayalon said the findings of the UN report were predetermined, Israel Radio reported on Wednesday. Ayalon said that Israel's cooperation with Goldstone would not have altered "one word" of the report. On the contrary, it would have "legitimized" the findings, Ayalon told Israel Radio. Ayalon said the report "is a cynical attempt at role reversal in blaming Israel for war crimes instead of terrorist organizations." He added that Israel would work to enlist the support of Western democracies in a campaign "to prevent turning international law into a circus." The deputy foreign minister, who is currently on a trip to Washington, told Israel Radio that the U.S. and the European Union both opposed the UN commission of inquiry. Ayalon said he planned to meet Wednesday with U.S. ambassador to the UN Susan Rice to discuss ways to minimize the report's damage to Israel before it is submitted to the Security Council for deliberations.

Is Netanyahu's Tough Stance On Hamas Working? ...Hamas Arrests Two Islamic Jihad Terrorists Set To Fire Mortars At IDF Patrol

Anybody paying attention to this? Obama, you see this? Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn't minced any words about his stance against Hamas and because of it, Hamas is very clear on what they face if they should resume rocket attacks against the Israelis. The best proof of all of this is what happened today, when two jihadis from the terror group Islamic Jihad were preparing to strike at an IDF patrol inside of Israel with mortars when Hamas members arrested the two. Now, tell me that Netanyahu's positioning hasn't worked. From the article at Haaretz, here's what happened:

Two militants preparing to fire mortars into Israel were detained Saturday by interior security officials of the Islamic Hamas movement, reported a group to which the militants claim membership. The statement, from the Saraya al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, announced the arrest of their members Saturday, reporting that the two men had been arrested as they engaged an Israel Defense Forces unit along the border of Israel and the eastern Gaza Strip.

Since the end of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, Hamas has arrested several militants from other factions trying to launch homemade rockets from Gaza at southern Israel. The group added one of the two men is wanted by Israel and had been previously injured in an Israel Air Force attack on Islamic Jihad militants several months ago.

Let's make no bones about it. Hamas got their asses spanked severely in Operation Cast Lead. The world really doesn't know just how devastating the Israelis were to the core of Hamas and just what kind of fear that was instilled in the leadership of the terror group. The last thing Hamas wants right now is to incur the wrath of Netanyahu because some Islamic Jihad jihadis decide to freelance. Amazing, isn't it? A tough stance, punishing bad behavior, and making your enemy pay for their sins leads to peace - a philosophy the leaders of Europe and America can't seem to fathom in dealing with Iran and North Korea.

Hamas nabs two Islamic Jihad men preparing to fire mortars at Israel

Two militants preparing to fire mortars into Israel were detained Saturday by interior security officials of the Islamic Hamas movement, reported a group to which the militants claim membership. The statement, from the Saraya al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, announced the arrest of their members Saturday, reporting that the two men had been arrested as they engaged an Israel Defense Forces unit along the border of Israel and the eastern Gaza Strip. Hamas, which has held de facto control of the Gaza Strip since June 2007, has stopped rocket attacks on Israel, in an unofficial, unannounced and fragile ceasefire with Israel that was reached January 18 at the end of the last Israeli military offensive into Gaza.

Since the end of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, Hamas has arrested several militants from other factions trying to launch homemade rockets from Gaza at southern Israel. The group added one of the two men is wanted by Israel and had been previously injured in an Israel Air Force attack on Islamic Jihad militants several months ago. The other is a brother of a suicide bomber who was killed near the Gaza-Israel border in 2004. Egypt is mediating a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and working to finalize a prisoners' swap with the Islamic movement in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been in captivity in Gaza since June 2006.

Israel Releases Senior Hamas Prisoner, Is Gilad Shalit Coming Home?

I don't know...I have a funny feeling about this one. All parties are denying that this release today of a senior Hamas politician from an Israeli prison has anything to do with a "deal" to get Gilad Shalit back from Hamas but I'm asking myself, "at this point in time, with Netanyahu barely having all of his stuff moved into his new office, would he release this guy?" Sorry, it doesn't make sense to me - I think something is up. And obviously, if there is something up, some sort of deal, there will be no mention of it by either party. A lot of people think Shalit is dead, I do not. I also do not think he is in Gaza or the West Bank - my gut tells me he is in Syria. But let's look at what happened today with the Hamas release featured here at Breitbart:

Israel on Tuesday freed the most senior of dozens of Hamas politicians in custody, prompting speculation it was a prelude to a deal for the release of an Israeli soldier held by Palestinians for three years.
However, Israeli officials insisted the Palestinian parliament speaker, Abdel Aziz Duaik, was let go because his three-year sentence was nearly at an end and that his release was not related to a swap involving the Israeli soldier, Sgt. Gilad Schalit. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because no steps had been taken.

Earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, as a new Israeli negotiating team was being put together.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian news agency reported that the soldier was about to be transferred to Egypt as part of a deal.
Israeli officials denied it, and Ronni Daniel, a well-connected military affairs analyst for Israel's Channel 2 TV, said it was "totally fabricated."

At the same time, I don't think Hamas would really like to offer up such a softball for Netanyahu - the Israeli leader's poll numbers would go through the roof with a safe return of Shalit, but at the same time, I have this "feeling" about this.

I have joined many Israelis and Americans in calling for the release of Gilad Shalit over all of these years although, I believe I've been on my own when calling for the immediate destruction of Hamas as soon as Shalit changes hands. This act of kidnapping and long-term abuse of Shalit should never be forgiven or forgotten or dismissed but should be avenged quickly and completely.

Israel releases senior Hamas lawmaker

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel on Tuesday freed the most senior of dozens of Hamas politicians in custody, prompting speculation it was a prelude to a deal for the release of an Israeli soldier held by Palestinians for three years.
However, Israeli officials insisted the Palestinian parliament speaker, Abdel Aziz Duaik, was let go because his three-year sentence was nearly at an end and that his release was not related to a swap involving the Israeli soldier, Sgt. Gilad Schalit. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because no steps had been taken.

Since Hamas-allied militants in Gaza captured Schalit in June 2006, Egypt has been trying to arrange an Israel-Hamas swap that would bring his release. The negotiations have been accompanied by frequent reports that a deal was close, only to be followed by new setbacks.
Israel has expressed willingness to free hundreds of Hamas prisoners, but has balked at releasing several senior Hamas militants serving lengthy terms for attacks that killed and wounded Israelis.
Earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, as a new Israeli negotiating team was being put together.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian news agency reported that the soldier was about to be transferred to Egypt as part of a deal.
Israeli officials denied it, and Ronni Daniel, a well-connected military affairs analyst for Israel's Channel 2 TV, said it was "totally fabricated."
Asked about the report during a visit to Rome, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I have no such information. As of this time no such report has reached me."
In Gaza, Hamas officials dismissed the report.
Palestinians and Israelis demonstrated on both sides of the Gaza-Israel border on Tuesday, demanding a prisoner swap.
After Schalit was captured, Israel rounded up more than 30 Hamas lawmakers, including the speaker, Duaik. The plan at the time was to trade the legislators for the soldier, but indirect talks have foundered.
In the meantime, Duaik's 36-month sentence is near an end, and a military judge ordered his release.
Shopkeepers rushed over to greet Duaik after he crossed into the West Bank, passing out sweets to celebrate his release.
"My body is free, but my soul is still in jail with the other prisoners," said Duaik.
Duaik is in his early 60s and suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes. His lawyer, Fadi Kawasmi, said inmates' terms routinely are shortened by several months for good behavior.
Adding to the charged atmosphere, Egyptian forces were seen operating near the Gaza-Egypt border. But officials said they were carrying out a routine exercise.
Israel and Hamas do not deal with each other directly. Hamas does not accept a Jewish state in the Middle East.
Israel, along with the U.S. and European Union, label Hamas a terrorist group for sending dozens of suicide bombers into Israel, killing hundreds.
Egypt has mediated contacts between the two, but no agreement has been reached. Proposals talk of trading hundreds of Palestinian prisoners—possibly more than 1,000—for the captured soldier. The prisoner release would probably take place in stages, and the soldier would be transferred to Egypt during the process.
While no contacts are known to be in progress, both sides have indicated they want the impasse to be resolved.
Duaik's Palestinian parliament has not functioned since Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007, in effect creating a two-headed Palestinian government with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ruling the West Bank.
Hamas' archrival, the West Bank Palestinian government led by Abbas, coolly received Duaik, dispatching its relatively unknown minister for prisoner affairs to greet the freed speaker.
Another minor furor surfaced Tuesday after Israeli Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitz visited the hotly contested holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem where the Al Aqsa Mosque compound was built over the ruins of the biblical Jewish temples. Denunciations came from Palestinian officials and the Arab League.
A 2000 visit by Ariel Sharon, then the Israeli opposition leader and later prime minister, helped trigger a bloody Palestinian uprising. Palestinians demand total control over the site in a peace accord.
Meanwhile, an Israeli group said the government has formulated plans to legalize 60 existing homes at an unauthorized settlement outpost in the West Bank and allow the construction of 240 other residences.
Such a move would flout a U.S. demand for a settlement freeze.
The plans were approved by Barak and filed with authorities in April, according to Bimkom, a private Israeli group that specializes in planning issues.
The Defense Ministry confirmed that 60 housing units already completed would be legalized retroactively but denied that approval was given for the other 240.

Israel's Netanyahu Rebuilds Likud Party, Assembles Cabinet Just In Case

At this point in time in the history of Israel, with the threat from Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria never being more grave and with the ominous threat of a nuclear Iran, I find it imperative that the Likud party of Israel takes over the leadership of Israel. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a Benjamin Netanyahu poster on my wall here but it's my belief that this is the only leader in the wings in Israel that can capably prepare Israel for what lies ahead.

Here's details, from DEBKA, of what Netanyahu has already set in motion, both in his Likud party but also in somewhat of a shadow cabinet in case elections are reshaped in Israel:

Former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, energized by more than two years in opposition, is launching his Likud party into Israel’s general election campaign with a new look and a new top echelon.
DEBKAfile’s political sources report he is remolding it into a center-right party with a new leadership made up of the middle generation of Likud stalwarts and an infusion of outsiders from non-political occupations, rival parties, and at least two ex-generals.

Let's look at some of the personnel that Netanyahu is putting at the top of his list for cabinet positions in Israel:

They include, according to our exclusive sources, Benny Begin (son of the late prime minister Menahem Begin), Yair Shamir , Dan Meridor , former chief of staff, Lt. Gen. (Res) Moshe Yaalon , NU lawmaker Effie Eyta (a former general, who holds the key to the national religious vote), and former cabinet minister Nathan Sharansky , who is well-connected in Washington.

What the Israelis have to guard against in the upcoming years is simply this: Barack Obama just might become the POTUS next week and if that is so, then Israel finds themselves on an island in this world, where much of it is intent on destroying it.

It is my opinion that the reason things have been so quiet in the Middle East the past two months has got nothing to do with the truce with Hamas or peace negotiations with Fatah. Hamas, Fatah, Hezbollah and al Qaeda in Gaza have been silent because they are waiting the results of the American election. Believe me, they WANT Obama in charge and once he is elected, they will bring hell to pay down on Israel. If they tipped their hand too soon, they might see McCain get the election based on national security issues. So they have bit their lip through this period of time.

If Obama wins, Israel is a dead duck unless they install Netanyahu and this cabinet to look after the protection of Israel. It's really not a choice. It's a requirement.

Netanyahu Reshapes Likud, Builds Shadow Cabinet

Former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, energized by more than two years in opposition, is launching his Likud party into Israel’s general election campaign with a new look and a new top echelon.
DEBKAfile’s political sources report he is remolding it into a center-right party with a new leadership made up of the middle generation of Likud stalwarts and an infusion of outsiders from non-political occupations, rival parties, and at least two ex-generals.
Negotiating in person, he is close to deals with a mixed bag of would-be star performers.
They include, according to our exclusive sources, Benny Begin (son of the late prime minister Menahem Begin), Yair Shamir , Dan Meridor , former chief of staff, Lt. Gen. (Res) Moshe Yaalon , NU lawmaker Effie Eyta (a former general, who holds the key to the national religious vote), and former cabinet minister Nathan Sharansky , who is well-connected in Washington.
Likud has also offered incentives to MKs Zeev Elkin and Marina Solodkin for quitting Tzipi Livni’s party and crossing the floor. Both are reputed vote-catchers among the large Russian-born electorate.
Likud’s recast center-right image is directed at drawing the moderate, pragmatic elements of the Israeli right wing, which two years ago voted for Kadima and which have much in common with the traditional base of Labor, the Kibbutz movement.
At the same time, he is offering a home for the Jewish communities of the West Bank (pop: 300,000), their supporters and the security hawks.