Obama and Six Ways Israel is More Secure

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From: Aaron Keyak [mailto:aaron.keyak@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 2:25 PM

Rep. Rothman has identified as "six hugely important developments that have happened in the last month that will provide extraordinary help to protect Israel’s security." Unfortunately, these events have been underreported in the media.

 

Israel's Security: What the Media has Underreported

By Representative Steve Rothman (D-NJ)

 

There are six hugely important developments that have happened in the last month that will provide extraordinary help to protect Israel’s security. Unfortunately, these events have been underreported in the media:

 

1.     On June 9, 2010,  the U.N. Security Council passed a set of new sanctions against Iran with Russia, China, the U.S. and nine others voting in favor, with Brazil and Turkey voting no, and Lebanon abstaining.  While these sanctions will have some additional effects, and are expected to result in even greater sanctions from the Europeans and the U.S., the most immediate, as well as long term benefit of the sanctions is that Russia has agreed not to sell its S-300 anti-aircraft system to Iran!  The S-300 system is extremely difficult to overcome, according to all knowledgeable military experts.  If delivered to Iran, it would be a game-changer in Iran’s military position vis-a-vis Israel.

(Russia now says Iran sanctions ban S-300 missiles)

 

2.     On June 12, 2010, Saudi Arabia agreed to permit Israel to over fly a portion of its territory, should Israel feel it necessary to undertake military actions against Iran.

(Saudi Arabia Gives Israel Clear Skies to Attack Iranian Nuclear Sites)

 

3.     On June 10, 2010, the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, publically stated that Israel should not be forced to end its blockade of Gaza.

(Abbas to Obama: I'm against lifting the Gaza naval blockade)

 

4.     On June 9, 2010, Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas publically declared in Washington, D.C. that he and the Palestinians were ready to recognize that the Jewish people have a right to some portion of Israel and the territories.

(Washington - Abbas Tells U.S. Jews: I Would Never Deny Jewish Right to The Land of Israel)

 

5.      On May 10, 2010, Israel was admitted, unanimously, to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This enables Israel to join the world’s fellow economic powers as a co-equal, first class citizen for the first time.

(The State of Israel Joins the OECD)

 

6.      On May 13, 2010, President Barack Obama announced his intention to give the state of Israel $205 million so that Israel might purchase additional Iron Dome anti-missile defense batteries for deployment throughout the State of Israel.On May 20, 2010, the House of Representatives voted 410 - 4 to affirm President Obama’s decision. The Iron Dome Short Range Artillery Rocket Defense System is designed to intercept short-range rockets, missiles, and mortars launched by terrorists in Gaza and southern Lebanon. It can protect Israel from rockets within a range of 2.5 – 45 miles.

(Obama authorizes $205 million for Iron Dome)

 

All these six items have a major, positive impact on the security of the State of Israel!

 

Each of these six accomplishments was only made possible with the direct, powerful, and demanding insistence of President Barack Obama. In my opinion, the big picture for Israel’s security has improved!

 

There is, obviously, a long way to go, but progress such as this is important not to overlook, ignore, or belittle.

 

Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) is in his seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives.  He serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittees of Defense; and State and Foreign Operations, which appropriate all spending for the United States military, and all foreign aid, respectively.

 

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Aaron Keyak
Communications Director
Congressman Steve Rothman (NJ-9)
2303 Rayburn HOB
o: 202/225-5061
c: 202/905-6361

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the World bays

Who cares about Hamas's 'reign of terror'?

"The point Toameh constantly makes in one way or another is that it is hypocritical to say you desire a better life for Palestinians and look the other way at Fatah and Hamas abuses. Keep that in mind as the world mobilizes to force Israel to end its weapons blockade." 

By Stephanie Gutmann        June 14th, 2010   http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/stephaniegutmann/100043249/who-cares-about-hamass-reign-of-terror/

 

As President Obama gets ready to send an additional 400 million dollars in aid to “ordinary Palestinians” (most of which will probably end up with a small inner circle of Hamas weapons enthusiasts) it’s worth remembering who is causing the most misery to the people of Gaza.

The Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh has written a blistering essay for the Hudson New York blog headlined, “What About Hamas’s Siege of Gaza?“. He reminds us that while the world bayed about Israel’s naval blockade, “Hamas [has continued] its reign of terror on the local population in general and its critics in particular.”

What is that reign like? Well, here are some snapshots of life in Gaza under Hamas: on June 6, “A senior United Nations official… expressed deep concern at reports that Hamas has broken into the offices of [NGOs] in the Gaza Strip… confiscated materials and equipment, and forced the offices to shut down.”

In late May, masked gunmen raided a UN children’s camp, tearing down tents and burning storage buildings. It’s not known who was behind those masks but earlier what the Irish Times called “a previously unknown militant group, The Free of the Homeland, issued a statement criticising [the UN] for, ‘teaching schoolgirls fitness, dancing and immorality.’” Hamas often uses proxies and has been attempting to impose strict sharia law. In April, as the same Irish Times article points out, Hamas sent “police to break up the Gaza Strip’s first major hip-hop concert [because, it said,] organisers failed to get a permit.”

Toameh was born in the West Bank city of Tulkarm 45 years ago. He was thus able to observe Yasser Arafat’s rise to power and the accompanying loss of freedoms and prosperity as the dictator (who had hopped over from Tunisia) whisked foreign aid money into his personal bank account and took control of media outlets. When Toameh was slightly older, and to avoid Arafat rule, his family moved to Israeli-controlled East Jerusalem and Toameh was educated at the Anglican Church School in West Jerusalem. He went on to get a college degree at an Israeli university; nevertheless his first job out of college was at a Palestinian Liberation Organization newspaper. People are free to move around like that in Israel. I can assure you that you don’t see that kind of fluidity in the Palestinian territories.

Because he speaks English, Arabic and Hebrew fluently, he is one of less than a handful of Middle East reporters who is able to attend Israeli, Hamas and Fatah press conferences without dependence on poltiically-motivated fixers for translation. What I’m trying to say is that he is as good a window into real life as you can find.

It’s a shame there aren’t more Palestinian journalists who can write freely, but if they haven’t, in effect, escaped to become Israeli citizens, they live a life of constant harassment, jailings and beatings by both the Fatah and Hamas regimes.

The point Toameh constantly makes in one way or another is that it is hypocritical to say you desire a better life for Palestinians and look the other way at Fatah and Hamas abuses. Keep that in mind as the world mobilizes to force Israel to end its weapons blockade.