A few thoughts on the situation

A few thoughts on the situation

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

18575446_sDuring the holocaust information didn’t flow as freely as it does today, but even then many people knew what was happening. It seems that nothing‘s changed since then.

Many years have passed and everybody knows what’s happening in Syria and no one is doing anything about it. The mighty U.S. is not much of a superpower in this case. Even Europe, supposedly united and strong, acts in a pathetic and ridiculous way – it bans funding for scientific research done in Judea and Samaria – but is only “concerned” about what’s happening in Syria.

There’s only one real world leader – Vladimir Putin, for better or for worse, who does what he says. He simply does not care about any other leader, even about a U.S. President who cancels a meeting between them because of a certain wanted man who received political asylum. Instead of meeting Obama Putin probably went bear hunting, him being such a macho man.

This morning it finally started to look like Obama realized that he has to do something. He doesn’t actually want to, but the harsh reactions to the U.S. indifference finally got to him. Even if he will authorize military action, though, it will probably be a “surgical” strike, so that he could say “I did my part” afterward.

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The Israeli reaction to the rocket fire on the north was weak and embarrassing, again. “An Air Force aircraft” launched something at an open field in Lebanon. A few cabinet ministers quickly made their way to the north and posed for some photos, as if to say that “Israel will never accept threats against its citizens.” Yeah, right. Israel has been accepting threats and violence against its citizens for years. Israel has a lot of firepower, but when politicians are afraid of their own shadows it means absolutely nothing. Talking doesn’t prevent enemy fire, especially not in our neighborhood.

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In light of the chemical horrors in Syria, someone should have put some pressure on the treasury and gotten the budget necessary to hand out gas masks to the entire population of Israel – that specific someone being the Minister of Homeland Defense. I’m sure the minister (I can’t remember who he is exactly, not that it matters) will give interviews on the matter on every TV channel, looking serious and important. In effect he has about as much influence as the guard at the entrance to his offices, probably even less. Ministers without influence, unnecessary salaries, unnecessary ministries, officials who don’t even know what they’re supposed to do: Israel 2013. Thousands of missiles and rockets are aimed at us, and it’s as if the entire ordeal is happening somewhere else, far, far away.

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Iran keeps developing nuclear weapons. Israel is trying to convince the world of this, but Iran understands that by buying time they will eventually win. Iran will have a bomb, Tehran hasn’t changed its policies. Instead of Ahmedinejad we have a slightly more moderate president, but that’s just a charade. They want a bomb, they will have a bomb and the world isn’t even trying to stop them.

Last week the Iranians may have even conducted a limited nuclear test in one of their facilities – they’re making the international community look like fools.

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Every day we get another example of the Turkish Prime Minister’s hatred toward Israel. That hatred leads Erdogan to say things he probably doesn’t even believe himself, but hatred can make someone act irrationally. What’s not so easy to understand is why the Turkish people accept all this nonsense so quietly. I’ve never heard anyone there tell Erdogan he’s ruining his own image, and the image of his entire country. What’s even stranger is that Turkey is a member of NATO, but still acts against the goals of that military alliance. No wonder, though, when you consider how weak the U.S. and Europe are.