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| In August 2005, Israel withdrew 9,000 members of Jewish communities plus civil administration from Gaza |
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| AFSI co-dir., Helen Freedman at Park East Syn. in Manhattan |
What have the Muslim Palestinians done with their autonomy? Continued the Islamist Hamas campaign to elicit abscondable humanitarian aid by waging a terror war against the Zionist state.
Thirty five months of terror – 13 September 2015 to the present (source Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Since September 2015, Israel has experienced a wave of terror perpetrated by individuals, many of them very young, inspired by vicious incitement in Palestinian social and traditional media and urged on by the Palestinian leadership.
The newest form of terrorism is "arson terror", to which the Gazans attach incendiary material and send over the border to the Israeli side. Since 30 March, about 800 such kites and helium balloons have been launched (over 600 of them intercepted), causing over 450 fires. To date, more than 2,600 hectares of agricultural fields and forests (6,424 acres) have been damaged by the fires. The loss to the farmers is estimated at 7-8 million shekels (about $2 million). But the real cost is much higher: the entire eco-system of the western Negev has been affected. Trees that have stood for generations – preventing soil erosion, improving the carbon footprint and providing a habitat for birds and animals – have been destroyed. Experts estimate that it will take decades for the area to recover.
Recently, there has been a massive renewal of rockets and mortar bombs launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory, to date numbering a total of about 672.
On 14 July, about 190 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. One rocket fell in the yard of a house in Sderot, in southern Israel. Four family members were treated for shrapnel/glass shard injuries.
On 8-9 August, more than 150 rockets were launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Two Thai workers were injured, one seriously. A number of Israeli civilians were injured and some were treated for panic/anxiety attacks.
"Arson terror" continues. Objects such as kites and helium balloons with incendiary material attached to them, blown by the wind to the Israeli side of the border, have caused about 1,316 fires since March 30, and thousands of acres of forests, nature reserves and agricultural lands have been destroyed, at an estimated cost of $3 million. Experts estimate that it will take decades for the area to recover.
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| AFSI member, Ron Edelstein, honored Jabotinsky and Betar in keynote address |
He knew that a revolutionary spirit must be imparted to the Jew. A spirit that would carry him through the darkest days of all human kind.
As most of you have at least on occasion, I have often thought about what Jabotinsky would say had he lived in contemporary times. Today, we are witnesses to a horrific upsurge of the most egregious forms of anti-Semitism. There is not a day that passes that we don't hear about Europe exploding in visceral Jew hatred. Jews murdered in France, Germany, the UK, - any European country you can think of. But let's speak the truth here and the truth is that Europe can now be aptly called Eurabia - as the massive influx of Muslims and their bellicose belief system has shattered any remaining vestiges of the Europe of yesteryear.
As most of you have at least on occasion, I have often thought about what Jabotinsky would say had he lived in contemporary times. Today, we are witnesses to a horrific upsurge of the most egregious forms of anti-Semitism. There is not a day that passes that we don't hear about Europe exploding in visceral Jew hatred. Jews murdered in France, Germany, the UK, - any European country you can think of. But let's speak the truth here and the truth is that Europe can now be aptly called Eurabia - as the massive influx of Muslims and their bellicose belief system has shattered any remaining vestiges of the Europe of yesteryear.
Synagogues, yeshivos and community centers have been targeted and armed guards are an ever present site.
Not only would Jabotinsky launch an emergency aliyah campaign, but I truly believe that he was a realist by nature and knew that many Jews would be reluctant to leave their countries of origin.
I think if Jabotinsky were alive today, he would make it his mission to teach Jews to defend themselves, he would attempt to stem the tide of assimilation among Jews which has morphed into a spiritual Holocaust, the likes of which we have never seen. I believe Jabotinsky would battle the hellacious propaganda of the political left both in the Western world and in Israel and would take on the insidious BDS movement. (Read more).
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| Judy Freedman Kadish, Fern Sidman, and Ron Edelstein sing Betar's anthem |
I think Jabotinsky would do exactly what Helen and the wonderful people at AFSI do all the time. I believe that he too would raise his voice in constant opposition to a suicidal two-state solution and would expend his resources and innate talent to support the settlement movement in Israel. No territorial concessions now or ever! I think Jabotinsky would exhort the government of Israel to never pander to the destructive voices of Peace Now, B'Tzelem and the litany of George Soros sponsored NGOs who influence the Israeli court system and have been instrumental in having settlements dismantled by government forces.
No speech in these times would be complete without acknowledging our president, Donald J Trump. Did any of us really ever believe that any US president would have the courage to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? Did any of us ever believe that a US president would consistently stand up for Israel in the UN simply because Israel represents truth and righteousness in the Middle East?
Did anyone in this room ever believe four years ago that a president would be elected who did not harbor a palpable animus towards Israel? If we look back on very recent history, we only see commanders-in-chief wanting to pressure Israel into an agreement that would spell their demise.
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| Michael Taylor, 96, credits heeding Jabotinsky's warning in 1930's Brussels with saving his life, leaving the French Resistance to fortify Jewish Palestine |
Yet and still, the Jew is a vigilant character and knows that the political maelstroms that we are immersed in ebb and flow. At any given moment the predicament that we face could change in an instant.
I ask all of you here today - clearly you are people who care deeply about their brothers and sisters and the state of Israel - people who have devoted their time to supporting Israel; to paying tribute to the great Jabotinsky and all that he emulated. I ask all of you today to speak out for your people at every turn.
Today the Democratic Party has taken a sharp and dangerous turn to the left and it ranks are replete with Israel bashers of all stripes. Today the purported "resistance" who work in concert with the Fake News have attempted to distort our reality. Our younger generations, our millenials are buying into their narrative of lies and gross distortions.
Just as Jabotinsky did, it is incumbent on all of us to speak truth to power, to vanquish the discord that our youth find themselves in and to help lead yet another generation to their glorious heritage. And let's do it, with the words of Jabotinsky reverberating in our hearts and minds."
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| Aaron Klein of Breitbart News' "Big Jerusalem" recalls Israeli withdrawal of all Jewish communities from Gaza, August 2005 |
The applause at the beginning of the video is for AFSI co-founder, Helen Freedman, whom, accompanied by co-director, Judy Freedman Kadish are embarking on a trip to Israel. 13-years ago, they (along with Aaron Klein) traveled to stand alongside Jewish Gazan, Gush Katif communities to witness the final days of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's "disengagement" evacuation of 9,000 Jewish residents. .
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