The original UN vote for partition of the British Mandate for Palestine called for the ‘internationalizing of Jerusalem, although there was a tiny significant point, which hardly any one wants to acknowledge or even discuss; the ‘internationalizing’ of Jerusalem had a best before date.

Ten years after partition, the citizens of Jerusalem would determine, in a majority vote which nation – Israel or Arab Palestine – they would want to join. If that vote was held in 1948 or even ten years later in 1958; the majority of citizens of a united Jerusalem would have been Jews, and I suspect the vast majority of Jerusalemites would have voted to join Israel. Even today, if all the citizens of both West and East Jerusalem, Arab or Israeli, the vast majority of Jerusalemites would still vote to remain as part of the Israeli nation. This ‘clause’ was on the prime reasons it was imperative for the invading Arab armies to ethnically cleanse – at all costs or at any price – ‘East Jerusalem’ of all its’ Jews.

The history of Jerusalem did not start in 1967. Thousands of years of Jewish history took place in what is now called “Arab East Jerusalem. Only when the Jewish residents were driven from their homes in 1948 was the city divided between East and West. This video shows the reality of Jerusalem today and includes interviews from survivors of the fall of Jerusalem.”

(Picture taken from Many Like Me)

I was reading Sarah Honig’s latest column on the coming ‘tsunami’ at the UN with Palestinians. While I have very little to quibble with Honig’s column, I was struck by one incredible and existential ‘why’. Let me quote Honig at length to set up the existential ‘why’.

The 1947 UN partition plan earmarked a status of corpus separatum (separate entity) for Jerusalem, to be overseen by international administrators. Since the Arabs had already violently rejected the Partition Resolution, besieged Jerusalem, conquered and occupied parts of it, expelled all Jews from the Old City and demolished sacred Jewish sites, Ben- Gurion saw no logic in unilateral Israeli adherence to impotent UN proclamations.

On December 5, 1949, five days before the UN General Assembly was to reiterate the internationalization of Jerusalem (and kick off preparations to take control), Ben- Gurion defiantly declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Without trepidation he told the Knesset: “We consider it inconceivable that the UN would attempt to sever Jerusalem from the State of Israel or infringe upon Israel’s sovereignty in its eternal capital…

“Jewish Jerusalem will never accept alien rule after thousands of its youths liberated their historic homeland for the third time, redeeming Jerusalem from destruction and vandalism.

“We do not judge the UN, which did nothing when member-nations of the UN declared war on its resolution of 29 November 1947, trying to prevent the establishment of Israel by force, to annihilate the Jewish population in the Holy Land and to destroy Jerusalem, the holiest city of the Jewish people.

“Had we not been able to withstand the aggressors who rebelled against the UN, Jewish Jerusalem would have been wiped off the face of the earth, the Jewish population would have been eradicated and the State of Israel would not have arisen.
“Thus, we are no longer morally bound by the UN resolution of November 29, since the UN was unable to implement it.

“…The attempt to sever Jewish Jerusalem from the State of Israel will not advance the cause of peace in the Mideast or in Jerusalem itself. Israelis will give their lives to hold onto Jerusalem, just as the British would for London, the Russians for Moscow and the Americans for Washington.”

The UN remained impervious. On December 10, 1949, its General Assembly voted by a whopping majority (38-14, with seven abstentions) to uphold its 1947 resolution and place Jerusalem under the auspices of a UN Trusteeship Council, to be governed by the council’s own appointees.

That was the tsunami of 1949. It threatened to engulf fledgling Israel. But Ben-Gurion didn’t lose his cool. Instead of bowing to pressure, he mounted the Knesset podium yet again to repeat what he had enunciated a mere few days earlier: “We cannot assist in the forcible separation of Jerusalem, which would unnecessarily and unjustifiably violate the historical and natural rights of the Jewish people.”
He assertively stressed that “the State of Israel has had, and will always have, only one capital – eternal Jerusalem. This was so 3,000 years ago and so it will be, we believe, to the end of time.”

Ben-Gurion then put to the plenum’s vote his proposal to transfer the Knesset and the government from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It was approved.

There is probably not one city more contentiously claimed than Jerusalem, the historical capital of the Jews and the heart of Judaism. There were periods when Christians claimed exclusive domain of Jerusalem and expelled the Jewish presence from Zion. In an act, now of historical irony, the Jews were only allowed to return when the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem from the Christians was complete. It was only the magnanimity of Muslim rule which allowed the Jews to dwell once more within Zion’s walls. Of course, if the Jews were not despised by the Christians would the Muslim forces been so magnanimous? I think not.

No one, who claims to be a supporter of the so-called two-state solution, is suggesting that Jerusalem should be internationalized, but rather, divided between two states. The western half would remain in Israel’s control and capital while the eastern half would come under Palestinian control to be their capital. What I find most curious is that there is a general international consensus that no government will recognize even western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But these same states, are willing to recognize western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital providing the Israelis allow the Palestinians to destroy the unity of the eternal capital of the Jewish people.

While I agree with Honig, that all Israelis and Jews need to do is to stand firm in the face of international perfidy and intransigence, I am struck by this singular fact. Only are the Jewish people are denied the right to determine their own capital. Only the Jewish people are told they must divide and share their ancient capital with a people who never existed as a separate distinct group until the re-establishment of the ancient Jewish state.

So the ‘why’ becomes simply this; why is it that only the Jewish nation is not allowed to determine their own capital?

Israel’s West Bank settlement construction has made the formation of a Palestinian state an almost impossible task, said Richard Falk, a UN representative on human rights in the Palestinian territories, on Friday, AFP reported. A Palestinian state “seems increasingly problematic as a solution because it would require a substantial reversal of the settlement process,” said Falk.

Falk reported to the UN General Assembly that it would also be very difficult to make east Jerusalem the capitol of a potential Palestinian state. “The extension of the Jewish presence in east Jerusalem by way of unlawful settlements, house demolitions, revocations of Palestinian residence rights, makes it increasingly difficult to envisage a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem.” “You have to disconnect between an inter-governmental peace process and an illusion that at the end of this process is an independent sovereign Palestinian state,” Falk told reporters.

The Israelis removed under 10,000 Israelis from the Gaza Strip and have yet to fully re-house or fully compensate everyone so realistically how will an Israeli government removed nearly 500,000 million Israelis from the disputed territories?

Speaking of East Jerusalem…if the presence of Jews in East Jerusalem is ‘unlawful’ what was it when the Jordanians cleansed Jews out of East Jerusalem in 1949?

One more little point to ponder. The Israelis proclaimed western Jerusalem as their capital in 1950 but to date it is not recognized by almost any other government in the world as the capital of Israel…and yet, the same world bodies insist only the Palestinians have the right to claim Jerusalem as their capital in and for their non-existent state – now just why is this?

Following several Arab lynch attempts in the Shiloach-City of David areas of Jerusalem, the Knesset’s Child Welfare Committee held a session entitled, “The Involvement of Children in Rock-Throwing in Shiloach.” MKs Ben-Ari and Ahmed Tibi argued furiously.
MK Ben-Ari (National Union) said that anyone, including children, who throws rocks and endangers Jewish lives should know that he can be shot. Arab MK Tibi said Ben-Ari and the “entire committee” should see a psychiatrist. The session was called by Committee Chairman MK Danny Danon of the Likud.

MK Taleb a-Sana (Raam-Taal) confronted MK Ben-Ari and called him a fascist. Ben Ari replied: “you are a terrorist who came here to provoke and you use children as killers.” Danon had a-Sana removed when he refused to behave properly. Three days ago, David Be’eri, founder of the Jewish community in Ir David-Shiloach, entered into a rock-throwing ambush; in his haste to escape, he hit two rock-throwing children with his car. It also appears from video of the event that he had swerved to avoid hitting a third, smaller child. The event was filmed by cameramen who “happened” to be on the scene.

“You’re all crazy,” Tibi railed. “This session is because of a boy who was hurled into the air by a car, not because he threw rocks!”

But its MK Danon who injects the only sane reponse to this sorry state of affairs within the Palestinian position:

“This is not the first time that the Arab population in Silwan (Shiloach) uses children dangerously and cynically by sending them to clash with Jewish passersby,” MK Danon said. “Their parents must be summoned for immediate investigation. We must do whatever is necessary to stop this phenomenon of children throwing rocks.”

Absolutely, and the sooner the better.

An old friend’s daughter just did one of those Mediterranean cruises which also included a 2 day stop in Israel. Now I warned her if she was going to Jerusalem and wanted to tour Mea Shearim she needed to ensure she was covered up. In fact, I explained explicitly what covered up meant. Neckline up to your collar bone, almost a full sleeve, no sheer material or form fitting clothes, a skirt that was at least half-way down your calves and under no condition was she to walk around holding her boyfriend’s hand while in Mea Shearim.

I gave the same advice to a work acquaintance who visited Israel last fall for when her church group toured Jerusalem. My friend shared with the women the instructions I had given her concerning dress. A small group of women insisted on wearing their normal attire. What happened? A near riot and the women got run out of Mea Shearim. The women later complained vociferously about innate racism of the Charedim. My friend on the other hand had a perfectly lovely time. In fact, in one store, when a woman shopkeeper realized they were Jamaican Canadians visiting Israel, she invited them home to share Shabbos dinner as she wanted to know more about these ‘refined’ Jamaican Canadians who spoke a little Hebrew with a Jamaican accent.

So what happened to my friend’s daughter? First her and her boyfriend toured Tel Aviv before Jerusalem. She thought I was exaggerating since the overwhelming majority of Israel women didn’t cover up as per my instructions – so why listen to me when she went to tour Jerusalem? She figured if she wore a tight fitting t-shirt cut low in the neckline and with just tiny cap sleeves that barely covered just her shoulders and paired it with a tight jean skirt which came to her knees; she would be okay. She wore the same outfit to the Vatican and they had no problems with it – so why should the Jews? She practically caused a near riot. Strange men hollered, screamed and cursed at her and her boyfriend. Both of them got separated from their tour group and were literally shoved into a store to buy her a long wrap to cover up with.

Her overall impression of Israel and I quote – an entire country made up of nothing but Kates. Not exactly what I would consider a deterrent but I can see why it might not appeal to everyone. Why these little personal anecdotes? Last night I had my daughter fill out the guarantor section of my passport application. I am travelling mid-October to the US for the first time since I quit the country in 1988 with a shattered heart and my spirit tucked between my legs. My daughter grumbled it would be far better if I was getting my passport to travel somewhere like ‘cool’ like Israel rather than the US. All of which made me ask the one question – why am I not going?

The answer – I am going back to see the man who ripped out my heart from my chest, tore it in little pieces and stomped it in the mud 22 years ago and give him the opportunity to see if he can do it all over again. I figure I have the upper hand this time since I have so little heart left. Of course, he claims that is what I did to him and it took him 22 years to find me again to ask for the pieces of his heart back so it can be glued back together. Whether he does or not – the next stop is Israel – with or without him.

As Jerusalem Day approaches, redoubled efforts are underway to increase Jewish awareness of the Temple Mount and to have the site included on the National Heritage Sites list. 

Highlights of the campaign include a visit by 43 rabbis to Judaism’s holiest site on Monday and a petition to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to include the location on his recently-formulated list of National Heritage sites.
(…)“The Temple Mount is the holiest site in the world for the Jewish people,” the petition states, “yet the Muslim authorities, aided by Israel Police, systematically deny the right of religious expression on the Mount to all non-Muslims. On numerous occasions the High Court of Justice has upheld the Jewish people’s right to pray at the site, yet the police continue to prevent this. Furthermore, Jewish visitors are harassed and degraded… Israeli law is not recognized by the Wakf authorities; illegal digging has destroyed priceless historical remnants of Jerusalem’s Jewish history. Please, end this travesty and… include the Temple Mount in your ‘Heritage Plan’of sites significant to the Jewish people.”

The Temple Institute in Jerusalem notes that though the Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world, “Jews and all non-Moslems are denied the right to pray in groups, and even as individuals; this refusal is accompanied by their constant degradation, and they are granted no opportunity for any religious expression whatsoever on the Temple Mount.”
The Temple Institute further states: “Only Jews are forced to wait an extended period of time before being allowed through security. Only Jews are forced to present their ID’s to the police. Only Jews are followed and harassed by Israeli police and Muslim Wakf guards throughout the entire visit on the Mount. Only Jews are arrested for crimes such as prayer, closing eyes, bowing down or singing.”

What a better way to celebrate the unification of the eternal capital of the Jewish people than signing the petition? I signed – how about you?

President Barack Obama on Monday renewed his commitment to a “new beginning” with the Muslim world, vowing no let-up in US efforts to promote Middle East peace, curb militant violence and boost economic development. Seeking to build on his outreach to Muslims in a speech in Cairo last June, Obama used a US-hosted Muslim business conference to underscore what his administration has done so far and to pledge further work to overcome mistrust. While Obama has made progress toward mending America’s image in the Islamic world, he still faces stiff challenges in his handling of the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the nuclear standoff with Iran and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I knew that this vision would not be fulfilled in a single year, or even several. But I knew we had to begin and that all of us have responsibilities to fulfill,” Obama told the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship…..”There’s so much more we can do together, in partnership, to foster opportunity and prosperity in all our countries,” Obama said as he sought to focus more on talking about doing business together.

Like tell anti-Jew jokes. Ynet News:

VIDEO – National Security Adviser James Jones opened his remarks at the 25-year anniversary gala of the Washington Institute For Near East Policy last weekend with a joke in which a Jewish merchant fleeces a thirsty Taliban fighter. CBS reported that the joke, which many claimed was in bad taste, was conspicuously absent from the version of the remarks distributed to the media.

Here is how it went: “A Taliban militant gets lost and is wandering around the desert looking for water. He finally arrives at a store run by a Jew and asks for water. The Jewish vendor tells him he doesn’t have any water but can gladly sell him a tie. The Taliban begins to curse and yell at the Jewish storeowner. The Jew, unmoved, offers the rude militant an idea: Beyond the hill, there is a restaurant; they can sell you water. The Taliban keeps cursing and finally leaves toward the hill. An hour later he’s back at the tie store. He walks in and tells the merchant: “Your brother tells me I need a tie to get into the restaurant.”
Foreign Policy reported that the participants, many of whom were Jewish, laughed heartily, but conservative blogs and some Jewish community leaders pounced on the remark.

How Foreign Policy knew the ‘Jewish’ participants laughed is beyond me but maybe they polled the room after and as far as ‘conservative blogs and ’some’ Jewish community leaders pouncing on the remark replace ‘Jew’ with ‘Muslim’ and see if you understand the offence and perhaps spark a riot and a near-death experience for ’some’.Foreign Policy reported that the participants, many of whom were Jewish, laughed heartily, but conservative blogs and some Jewish community leaders pounced on the remark. Ethnic jokes are always a massive fail in the public political arena unless your poking yourself.

If the Democratic plan is to diverst themselves from Jewish Americans and their contribution to the political process on side of the Democrats; I’d say the plan was one of the few policies of the Obama Administration which is performing well.

J-Street, the Obama Administration’s pet nominal ‘Jewish’ advocacy group has decided to go on the attack and publish ads in various “Jewish” journals criticizing Elie Wiesel for speaking out against the Obama Administration’s tempter tantrum against Jerusalem. Again, I have to issue a massive F for the public relations failure on three levels.

J-Street published ads in ‘Jewish’ journals while Wiesel made his case in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune and he pitched his plea not just to a Jewish audience but the wider public. Secondly, publicly criticizing Wiesel for exercising his free speech rights and opinion on the significance of Jerusalem for Jews is the equivalent of beating up a holocaust survivor in a elevator for being a Jew. Thirdly, using hard leftist Yossi Sarid, the disposed head of Meretz (who doesn’t even live in Jerusalem) as your counterweight to the credibility of Elie Wiesel is like using the Pope as your posterboy for the anti-MAMBLA campaign.

You can do it but its just really bad form.

In the meantime, I really don’t care what Ann Coutler has to say or not as I am not yet a perfected Jew but can we all agree that University of Ottawa students get a fail for tolerance and/or supporting free speech rights?

Speaking of intolerance and free speech, the Saudis are busy condemning Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recent speech at the AIPAC convention. There is something about the Saud’s whiny about Israelis which always reminds me of the smell of rotting socks…

Apparently, Bib Netanyahu had an hour and a half face-to-face meeting with the US President Obama. I suspect Obama was busy trying to convince Bibi to change the text of the Haggadah at the end of the Passover seder to say - ‘Next year in the Settlement’ rather than the politically ‘arrogant’ but traditional ‘Next year in Jerusalem”.

In the meantime, if you are really looking for something to read and want to sink your teeth into something a little more substantial than norm; may I suggest this US Army War College paper published circa 2005 and entitled Getting ready for a Nuclear –Ready Iran. I suspect the Obama administration has read it and is following the woefully inadequate script.

The Hurva was built between 1857-1864 on the ruins of an earlier structure constructed by Rabbi Judah the Pious in the late 17th century (over a synagogue site dating to the second century). There wasn’t a wee murmur of protest about this wanton arson nor about the devastation of 57 other Old City synagogues by conquistador Arabs. Likewise, not a whisper of displeasure about Arabs ripping out Mount of Olives tombstones to construct public latrines. The international community was decidedly unbothered when for 19 years Jews were prohibited from praying at their holiest sites.

But the Jewish return was deemed a reprehensible violation of good conduct codes by which, we know, all other nations faithfully abide. Ravaging the Hurva was acceptable, but rebuilding it is a sin against pie-in-the-sky peace. It was pardonable to cast Jews out of the Old City, but their homecoming deserves unreserved condemnation.

Jerusalem was always one united city save for a 19-year illegality arising from an Arab invasion in violent breach of the UN partition resolution. While the world convivially tolerated Arab occupation of half of Jerusalem, it never recognized the residual Jewish hold even on the other half, west Jerusalem. In the spirit of skewed evenhandedness, the global consensus now is that the result of 1948’s illegal Arab invasion must be upheld and that Jews must be barred from anywhere that the invaders once occupied.

That’s why planning permits for 1,600 additional apartments in Ramat Shlomo irk the world. Ramat Shlomo isn’t in east Jerusalem but to its north, doesn’t encroach on Arab neighborhoods and its birth 12 years ago triggered no squawk. It’s situated on what were barren slopes that overlook the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem Highway. Ramat Shlomo’s already existing 2,300 housing units were erected on vacant wasteland, dispossessing nobody. Currently 17,500 Jews reside there. They marry, give birth and their families grow. Is their neighborhood to be made judenrein because for 19 years Jews were barred from it?

If anyone owes an apology for rank insults, Obama, Biden and Clinton do for assuming they can dismiss 3,000 years of Jewish history in the city which Jews put on humanity’s map. This trio disrespects us and our sensibilities and in so doing raises Arab expectations and deepens Arab intransigence. With the world’s one superpower espousing the Fatah/Hamas line, why should Arabs evince the slightest flexibility? Obama has placed all the bargaining chips in Arab hands.

On May 29, 1995, post-Oslo and five months before his assassination, Yitzhak Rabin told the Knesset: “There is one issue on which there is no debate among us – the integrity of Jerusalem and the continuation of its cultivation and consolidation as Israel’s capital. I said so yesterday and will repeat it today: There are no two Jerusalems. There is only one. Jerusalem is not subject to compromise. It was ours, will be ours, is ours and so it will remain for ever and always.”

Amen.

Let us start with the good news. Settlement growth in Samaria and Judea continued to grow, abet more slowly than last year but still at a respectable 4.9%.

Friends of the IDF held a fund raising dinner in New York and managed to raise $20 million at a period of time when virtually everyone with an equity portfolio saw the value of their portfolio cut in half or more. Face it, New York City and suburbs are an expensive place to live.

Tourism in Israel saw a 46% increase over last February.

The Israeli GNP rose higher than predicted, the job market continued to be strong and consumer confidence is at a 10 year high.

The international clothing retailer H&M opened their first store in Israel despite the firestorm of international progressive rage which attempted to sideline the company’s executive business development plan. I doubt H&M will see much of a backlash considering the progressive element are hardly H&M regular clientele. The store opened with much fanfare and 15,000 visitors in its first day of operation. Although, on a personal note, there is an H&M near me and I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone shops there but the Last Amazon loves it.

The historical reconstruction of the 18th century Churva Synagogue in Jerusalem was finally complete and official ceremonies commence on March the 15th. The Jordanian deliberately destroyed it in the Independence war of 1948 not because the shul was used as an ammo dump or staging ground for Israeli forces but to show their utter contempt for anything Jewish.

Ehud Barak, Minister of Defense saw his budget request for increase funding of the IDF’s civil administration branch which is charged with settlement freeze enforcement operations denied, denied, denied.

A record number of Hesder students enlisted in the IDF.

The so-called settlement population grew by 4.9% over last year. Jerusalem Post:

The West Bank settler population grew almost three times faster than that of the country as a whole in the first nine months of 2009. However, the 4.9-percent increase, when compared with the same time last year, shows that for the second year in a row, population growth has slowed down slightly, according to data posted recently on the Central Bureau of Statistics Web site.

Joe Biden and the Obama administration’s faux outrage. Oh, I suspect his ‘outrage’ is real enough but I take a rather contrary view of the whole scenario. Oh, I realize pissing off the Obama Administration and allegedly embarrassing Joe Biden can be considered a ‘bad thing’ in some circles – especially if you are the Obama Administration or part of the Arab world, but in my world its all good.

There never was a building freeze in Jerusalem so crying ‘foul’ now is a little bit too crying about the barn door after all them animals have fled the building. The time for outrage was when the Obama Administration was busy bullying Netanyahu to agree to a ’settlement freeze’ in the first place – although Netanyahu drew the line at Jerusalem and the Obama Administration knew it then and called it all good. So boohoo, and go cry someone else a river.

Secondly, the incidence proves something to the Americans – there are definite limits to their ability to influence in Israeli politics and it illustrates to the Arab world that American influence does have its limits in terms of the Israeli body politic.

Thirdly, building of 1,600 housing units shows the Israelis are resolute about keeping Jerusalem their undivided capital. So all in all, a good week, unless you are the Obama Administration, Joe Biden or a Gush Katif refugee.