When we first moved to Israel, we lived at an absorption center in southeastern Jerusalem. As I got more familiar with Jerusalem, I got to realizing that the main drag in southern Jerusalem was the Hebron Road that leads to – Hebron — and turns into Highway 60 south of the city. The bus to the center of the city travels along the Hebron Road, as do many other bus lines in southern Jerusalem.
One day, while we were waiting for a bus to the center of the city, one of our kids, upon seeing a bunch of IDF jeeps passing near the absorption center, asked if we were in danger, and I joked that the only time we would be in danger would be if we saw American jeeps tooling up and down the Hebron Road.
Little did I know.
The Petraeus Briefing you Didn't Know About
Just this morning (17 March 2010) I got this e-mail from a neighbor of mine, the wife of a veteran of the US Armed Forces.
Remember how some Rabbis have said in the past, how when we are finally being threatened by the US, and we turn to HaShem (a term referring to G-d) only and break our ties with the US, Redemption is quickly going to follow?
Well, read this! The real background to Biden's/Hillary's/Obama's tantrum is much more serious and ominous that we have been reading/hearing about on the news. Here is the background to what led up to the recent Biden position — a very real possibility of a US military takeover of the West Bank via Petraeus. The excuse? US soldiers are dying because we live out here. This is the real threat and pressure that Netanyahu (and also all of us) is under.
She cited an article in Foreign Policy detailing how General Petraeus basically asked for control of this “theater of operations”. Put simply, he related traveling to various Arab capitals and being told that the Arabs viewed what they termed as “Israeli intransigence”, the refusal of the Israeli government to jump when told, as a situation that makes America look weak in the Arab world. So, now there is a fear (these guys never say that “they are scared”) that American soldiers elsewhere in the Middle East will die because Arabs will view them as targets – all because I live in Ma’ale Levona in violation of US policy! Obviously the three-headed Cerberus, Obama/Biden/Clinton, who runs the American hell doesn’t care about me personally. It’s the lot of us uppity arrogant sheenies daring to endanger the lives of American soldiers by daring to defy the Almighty Word of some arrogant fool in the White House.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Christine
Hi Ruvy!
2 - Christine
This article looks like one that will need my full concentration. Since it is late and I am a morning person, I will check back in the AM (USA California time).
3 - Joanne Huspek
Holy moley.
I don't know much about this, but I know enough to read the current administration's lackluster support of Israel to be worried. I hope it doesn't come to this, and wish you safety, Ruvy.
4 - Ruvy
Joanne,
If you read this article from the Jerusalem Post along with the piece in Foreign Affairs linked to in my article, you can see the parallels.
While it is important to realize that the American officials might be afraid for the welfare of their soldiers, successive administrations have created the expectation by Arab regimes that Israel was in Washington's hip pocket, and Obama, by wimping out and bowing to one Arab after another, and then making one unreasonable demand from Israel after another which has been refused, has made America look weak. In other words, if American soldiers are in danger at all, it is the fault of the Obama administration itself - not us. Obama cannot be heard to blame us for the horseshit he has buried himself in on his own.
But the point for me is that countries that work to our extirpation, extermination or defeat - countries like America, Britain, Spain, the Vatican and others (not to mention modern Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iran) - will ultimately be cursed by G-d and suffer a fate similar to the fate ancient Egypt suffered 33 centuries ago - or worse.
Do you seriously think the lousy condition your economy is in is only the work of stupid humans?
5 - Ruvy
The assholes at Aksimet keep rejecting the links I put in to verify the assertions I make here. So, you will have to go to Arutz Sheva yourselves, as well as Answers.com.
Earlier today, this story was published at Arutz Sheva, essentially denying the story in Foreign Policy I relied on for this article.
Everyone and his brother-in-law, all alleged experts, denied the story as untrue. Knowing the habitual refusal of Jews to see truth when it stares them in the face, I am not surprised. This is a case where a whole stack of denials adds up to a confirmation.
A whole stack of denials turning into a confirmation has happened in the past. Does anyone remember the name Tom Eagleton? Does anyone remember how McGovern stuck the shiv into his back?
What an education in cynicism that was for this first time voter!
6 - Mark Saleski
the people behind akismet are known anti-semites.
7 - Mark
Keep your yamaka on and your head down, Ruvy. The drones are overhead already in secret cooperation with your secular government, I'd wager. I doubt that you'll get targets in the form of troops in the near future, though.
8 - Alan Kurtz
I don't understand why otherwise sensible commenters such as Christine and Joanne stoop to humoring Ruvy this way, nor do I think the two Marks are right in treating him tongue in cheek. Ranting and raving about the Wrath of G-d, Ruvy is indistinguishable from the most bloodthirsty Islamic fundamentalists. This article is hate speech, nothing more and nothing less.
9 - Ruvy
Go ahead and whine, Alan. After four decades of tolerating hate speech from Arabs and supposed Christians (along with centuries of persecution from the both of you), it's time for something coming back at you all. You richly deserve it.
And I'm only reflecting the basic Jewish concept that the Final Redemption will mirror the Exodus from Egypt. Putting The EU, Obama or the UN in Pharaoh's place is not all that hard.
Hey, Alan, you don't have to believe me. You're not doing me any favors, no matter what you think. But unfortunately, the Bible you pretend to believe in says in very clear Hebrew, "cursed is he who curses Israel and blessed is he who blesses Israel." And I didn't write those lines, either. So, if you don't like them, you can go shake your fist at the Author - The G-d you say you believe in.
Have a great day!
10 - Ruvy
Gen. Petraeus, in his own comments to the US Congress, underlines the views he expressed in his memo in January 2010.
From the article: US Gen. David Petraeus charged Tuesday that the Arab-Israeli conflict hurts America’s ability to advance its interests in the Middle East, fomenting anti-American sentiment and limiting America’s strategic partnerships with Arab governments.
Petraeus called the conflict one of the “root causes of instability” and “obstacles to security” in the region " which aids al-Qaida " and argued that serious progress in the peace process could weaken Iran’s reach, as it uses the conflict to fuel support for its terror group proxies.
It is not hard to move from this conclusion to one that says America should invade Israel and impose an diktat here. And many of Obama's appointees believe just this.
11 - Baronius
Ruvy, there's no threat there. General Petraeus's request doesn't look like a prelude to anything. I understand that you've got to be hypervigilant, but I really don't see this one.
12 - zingzing
ruvy could extrapolate doomsday from a mushy peanut.
"Do you seriously think the lousy condition your economy is in is only the work of stupid humans?"
yes...
13 - El Bicho
"Do you seriously think the lousy condition your economy is in is only the work of stupid humans?"
Yes
14 - Ruvy
Israel's New Enemy: America?
Golly! Funny how reality seems to spread. Cal Thomas is not Jewish at all, but he can see the obvious.....
15 - Chizeled
Just because Obama may not serve Yeshua, the God of the U.S. and Israel, does not mean that God will not use Obama to serve the U.S. and Israel.
If Yeshua leads Obama into a war with Iran then it will be a Muslim attacking Muslims - for a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Mark 3:24
16 - Ruvy
Chizeled,
Just because Obama may not serve....etc.
G-d will most assuredly use Obama to serve His purposes - and to serve Israel. He is doing that already, though it does not seem to be so. Obama, by stripping away the gilded pretense of "friendship" between the two countries, has done us all a tremendous favor. The Living G-d of Israel watches over His People - even when they are too stupid to watch over themselves.
And they often are.
Eventually Obama may make the full sacrifice to serve Israel - though if it is indeed he making that full sacrifice, it will not be of his own will. Go check out yeHezkél/Ezekiel 38-39....
17 - Dan(Miller)
Ruvy, I liked but did not enjoy the article. As you know, we differ substantially on matters related to divinity.
However, I think you might find this interesting and at least somewhat supportive of your views. There is a quote from General Lee, which I particularly appreciate: Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or to keep one.
I have very few few heroes. General Robert E. Lee, Bertrand Russell and Douglas Adams - a very different lot -- are among them.
The United States seems to have given up all pretense of being an ally of Israel, which is pretty much what you said you wanted in your previous articles. So be it. Now you and others there, regardless of political persuasion, should understand that the United States, under President Obama, is no friend of Israel.
Perhaps you need to find an Israeli General Robert E. Lee.
Dan(Miller)
18 - roger nowosielski
Disagreement with Ruvy on the matter of divinity is one thing, DM. But it doesn't explain you agreement with him as regards the US position.
Has it occurred to you that Israel is being counterproductive with respect to the peace-process? And if you don't, you must then regard the very idea of "peace-process" as misconceived from the very start.
19 - Dan(Miller)
Roger, you say,
Has it occurred to you that Israel is being counterproductive with respect to the peace-process? And if you don't, you must then regard the very idea of "peace-process" as misconceived from the very start.
Yes, I do regard it as misconceived and pernisious. Peace is good, war is bad. However, I regard the current "peace process," which consistently condemns Israel and fails to condemn with greater vigor the folks who persistently send missiles and suicide bombers to attack Israel, as wrong. To the extent that President Obama is prepared to do wrong things to make a friend or to keep one (see the previously linked General Robert E. Lee video), I think he is a big problem.
Dan(Miller)
20 - Dan(Miller)
Whoops, I misspelled pernicious in the previous post. I hope Doc will pardon my transgression.
Dan(Miller)
21 - roger nowosielski
Well, at least this exchange was productive (rather than counterproductive), DM, for it does define the issue.
And BTW, I'm not arguing from the general principle that peace is good and war is bad. I should hope I'm open-minded enough to consider this issue on its own merits.
22 - zingzing
doc? you should be worried about clavos. or does he only target lefties?
if ruvy gets what he wishes--a break with the us--i'm not sure that things will go the way he wants. i think all this rhetoric coming out of israel might, to put it in ruvy's language, spell their doom. there's a time for being forthwith and there's a time for being reasonable. it'll be bad all around if those times get confused.
23 - Dr Dreadful
Thatt's orl rite, Dann. I woznt on jooty wen u rote thatt.
(Now somebody call an ambulance for Clavos)
24 - Ruvy
Dan,
Thank you for the video and the quote. I have an interesting alternative history novel at home that contemplates what would have happened if Afrikaner extremists had traveled back 150 years through time to gift the Confederacy with AK-47's. I suspect that the author's treatment of General Lee is rather close to what the real man was - and he was a true hero, even if his side lost.
I don't concern myself with who agrees or disagrees with my views on religion. The truth will out in the end, no matter what my views may be.
As for us in Israel, we, unfortunately, need to "scour the shire" (see The Hobbit by Tolkien) before we get to attempting to find a Lee-like leader to lead us to victory.
Frankly, I see only dark times ahead - many lives will be lost in this country, and I'm not sure I'll come out alive. But in the end this tiny nation will win. If I didn't have full faith in that, I'd pack my bags and leave - not just Israel.
25 - Ruvy
I don't know what kind of credibility this writer has, but Gordon Duff explains why he believes Israel is viewed as a threat to America.