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CN Publications Editorial, August 3, 2008
By Israel Zwick, Editor
Ever since Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced his impending resignation last week, there have been intense attacks against him in the Israeli press from both the left and the right. Essentially, the commentators and analysts are saying, “good riddance, can’t wait to see you go, leave now, don’t wait, you’re the worst that we’ve ever had.” Our readers may have noticed that we have not published any articles attacking Ehud Olmert personally or his government policies. Some are asking why this is so since Israel is now in such a precarious situation with its surrounding enemies. Perhaps a note of explanation is due.
First, most of the criticism in our articles and editorials have been reserved for the “sonei yisroel,” those that want to dismantle the Jewish state and leave the Jews wandering around the world again without their own sovereign state. There are so many of those in the UN, EU, USA, and even in Israel, that most of our efforts have been involved with refuting their lies, distortions, and biases. That leaves little time or effort to criticize those who have been entrusted with the task of defending and securing the Jewish state. Yet, there are still reasons for commending Olmert, instead of condemning him. He’s entitled to at least some approbation instead of opprobrium.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on August 3, 2008 - ב' אב תשס"ח at 12:32 am
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications, July 15, 2008
See Also: Al-Quds Times
Author’s Note: It is common knowledge that Israeli intelligence agents monitor the meetings of Arab leaders. Recently there was a secret meeting in Tehran that the Israeli agents missed. Fortunately, an anonymous source sent a transcript to CN Publications.
Editor’s Note: Though the following story is fictional, most of the details provided are true and have been vetted from a variety of sources.
CHARACTERS:
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), President of the Palestinian Authority
Bashar Assad, President of Syria
Ismail Haniyah, Hamas leader in Gaza
Hassan Nassrallah, Hizbullah leader in Lebanon
TIME: the present
SETTING: secret underground concrete bunker somewhere in Tehran
Ahmadinejad: My dear friends, I have asked you to come here so we can discuss how we can finally eliminate the Zionist entity from our midst. It must be completely wiped off the map of our region, which belongs solely to the people of Islam. It has become evident that those martydom operations, which killed 20 or 30 Zionists riding in a bus or eating in a restaurant, would not be sufficient to drive them away. On the contrary, it only strengthened their resolve. What we need is to mount a full multimodal assault involving military, political, social, and economic measures that would completely devastate the Zionist entity. To that end, we have been supporting both Shiite and Sunni insurgencies against the American and Zionist enemies. We have been developing our Shahab-3 missile that will soon be able to reach the enemy with both conventional and nuclear warheads. If we shoot 100 missiles and only one in five reach their target, we can cause significant death and destruction to the Zionists.
For the last few years, I have been providing you all with financial and military assistance for your efforts to defeat the Zionist enemy. I have gathered you here to obtain a progress report of your efforts and to hear your plans for the future. Ismail, let’s start with you. What have you been doing in Gaza with all the money I gave you besides shooting off all those harmless firecrackers?
Haniyah: First of all, I wouldn’t minimize the effects of the rockets and mortars that we have been firing on a daily basis. We have succeeded in reducing the Zionist population and military along the border. We have disrupted their lifestyle and economy. The Zionists don’t want to live or work within the range of our rockets. Their industrial centers are threatened and they have to spend huge sums on security.
Now that they have agreed to a temporary truce, we are using the time to develop our military forces and arsenal. We have an army of 20,000 men with 30,000 rifles, 6 million rounds of ammunition, 230 tons of explosives, and scores of advanced anti-tank and anti-helicopter weapons.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Fun Stuff, Islam, Middle East, Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on July 15, 2008 - י"ב תמוז תשס"ח at 4:03 am
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications, June 25, 2008
See Also: The Two Israels
It was an unusual day for January in Jerusalem, much different from what I expected. Every January, I visit my children in Jerusalem and I usually encounter damp, cold weather that chills me to the bone. But today was atypical. The sun was shining through a bright blue sky and the temperature was a pleasant 20C (68F). What a day to take the grandchildren to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo! We called for a van, piled in and off we went. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones with the same idea, which is not surprising since the Zoo is Israel’s most popular tourist site. By the time we arrived, the Zoo was already teeming with families and school groups, both Israeli and Arab. A while later, we stopped at a bench to rest. I sat down and gazed at the picturesque landscape, rejoicing in the blessing I received from God, to be able to spend such a lovely day in Jerusalem with my wife, children, and grandchildren. Can it get any better than this? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on June 26, 2008 - כ"ג סיון תשס"ח at 6:58 am
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications
Author’s Note: The following story was adapted from Classic Logic Puzzles (Sterling Publishing Co., 2003). The story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is completely coincidental.
Once upon a time there was a little town in the desert called Greenfield. The Greenfielders were mostly poor immigrants who were struggling hard to build better lives for themselves and their families. They succeeded in developing their small desert town into a flourishing community.
However, near Greenfield was a small strip of land called Azan. The people of Azan believed that Greenfield was rightfully their land so they decided that they would drive out the Greenfielders by force. To do that, they started shooting rockets at Greenfield on a daily basis. The rockets were specifically aimed at the civilian population: at schools, homes, and businesses. Some of the rockets fell harmlessly, some caused property damage, some caused injuries, and occasionally they caused deaths.
The Greenfielders were frightened of these rockets because they never knew where they would land, they could land anywhere. They had only 15 seconds to seek shelter once a rocket was detected. Their lives were in constant turmoil. Children were afraid to play outdoors and mothers were afraid to go shopping. Many Greenfielders fled the town for a safer environment.
Finally, the Greenfield Town Council decided to have a meeting to decide what to do about the incessant rockets. They decided to hire three tanks that would go into Azan and finally destroy the rocket launchers. So the next week, three tanks lined up on the Azan border ready to attack Azan as soon as they received the orders. The tanks were named Emunah, Chochmah, and Gvurah. However, as soon as the international community detected the tanks, there was a big outcry of protest.
An aging, former leader of the country Yoo-Essay, went to visit the Azan leaders and came back saying, “The Azan people want peace with the Greenfielders. The only reason that they are shooting rockets is because the Greenfielders are constantly harassing and irritating them. So if the Greenfielders stop their harassment, the Azans will stop their rockets. If the Greenfielders attack the Azans with their tanks, that would constitute collective punishment against an innocent civilian population so they must not be allowed to do that.”
The leader of a peace organization called the Yoo-Enn, said,” If the Greenfielders attack the Azans it would be a violation of international law and result in unlawful occupation of Azan territory. They cannot do that”
The leader of the Eey-Yoo said, “If the Greenfielders attack the Azans with three tanks it would be considered disproportionate and excessive retaliation against mostly harmless rockets. The Greenfielders must show restraint.”
The Azan leaders warned the Greenfielders, “If you attack us with your three tanks, we will retaliate with our most advanced weapons - our digital video camera with video imaging software. We will produce a video showing children and goats lying in pools of blood with wailing women kneeling over them. We will use Yoo-Toob to distribute this video to millions of people around the world. All the human rights organizations and trade unions will condemn, vilify, and boycott you. You will be finished.”
The Greenfielders were very concerned about these threats so the Town Council decided to meet again. After a lengthy debate, they decided that they would show restraint to the international community. They resolved that they would attack with only one tank, leave another tank at the border for backup, and send the third tank back to the military base.
Using the information below, determine which of the three tanks would attack, which would stay at the border, and which would withdraw to the base.
For solution, click on the link below.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Fun Stuff, Logic Puzzles, Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on June 22, 2008 - י"ט סיון תשס"ח at 12:01 am
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications
Commemorating the liberation and unification of Jerusalem in June, 1967
Author’s Note: The following story was inspired by the Yiddish comedy routine of Dzigan and Shumacher titled “The Psychiatrist,” and by the Yiddish purimspiel, “The Megillah of Itzik Manger.”
SETTING: psychiatrist’s office in Tehran
CHARACTERS:
Dr. Abdul Shaqoury, psychiatrist
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran
Security Guards
Ahmadinejad: Doctor, I’m so happy you could see me today, I really need to talk with you. Usually you make me wait about three weeks to get an appointment so when your secretary told me that you had a cancellation today, I grabbed it right away.
Shaqoury: Yes, I know, she gave you the appointment before I could stop her.
Ahmadinejad: Are you suggesting that you don’t want to see me, I really need to talk, and you’re the only one who understands me.
Shaqoury: I’m not suggesting, I’m telling you straight out, read my lips, “I don’t want to see you anymore.”
Ahmadinejad: But you’re my therapist, you’re supposed to make me feel better and improve my self-confidence, you’re not supposed to give me feelings of rejection, abandonment, and isolation, that would only exacerbate my condition, not improve it.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Fun Stuff, Humor, Islam, Judaism, Middle East, Middle East Report, Opinion, Zwick's Picks on May 29, 2008 - כ"ד אייר תשס"ח at 2:23 pm
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications, May 14, 2008
See Also: Reexamining Two-State Solution
It isn’t necessary to be an expert in governmental relations to realize that an Arab state in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza would be an administrative and economic disaster. Any observant tourist who spends two weeks traveling around Israel and the Arab areas can easily determine that independently.
The other day when the mail came, I was elated to discover that my copy of Barry Rubin’s new book had arrived (The Israel-Arab Reader, Seventh Edition, edited by Walter Laquer and Barry Rubin, Penguin Books, 2008.) It’s a book containing original documents and speeches that have shaped Israel’s history from the time of Herzl to the present. I find that I get greater insight from reading original documents than from a journalist’s interpretation of selected excerpts. I encourage my readers to do the same by providing links to my sources in all my articles.
I ripped open the envelope and started to browse through the book. On page 68, I discovered a little snippet of Israeli history that is little known and seemingly insignificant. It is widely known that in 1947, the UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) recommended that that the British Palestine Mandate “be constituted into an Arab State, a Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem.” This was the opinion of the seven majority members of the Committee. What is little known is that three members of the Committee released a minority proposal:
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on May 14, 2008 - ט' אייר תשס"ח at 3:08 pm
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications, May 12, 2008
See Also: Visiting Bethlehem
It was with deep sadness that I read about the difficulties facing the people of Kibbutz Kfar Aza following the rocket attack that killed a member, Jimmy Kedoshim. I have fond and nostalgic memories of this kibbutz. I worked there briefly following my junior year in college in 1969.
It was my first trip to Israel, two years after the 1967 War and the summer that Neil Armstrong took a giant step for mankind. The trip to Israel was a giant step for me, I had to save up for it for several years because my parents couldn’t afford to finance it, and I forfeited a good summer job as well. But I was eager to go. I wanted to see the historic Jewish sites and visit the few relatives that I had that weren’t killed in the Holocaust. My mother had an uncle who went to Palestine before the War and my father had some cousins who were able to get to Palestine after the war.
One day I went to visit my mother’s cousin, Refoel Engel, who lived in the ancient Arab town of Ramla near the airport. He introduced me to his attractive daughter who was about my age. After chatting for a while in broken English, Miss Engel (I don’t remember her first name) asked me if I would like to work on a kibbutz. Miss Engel was serving her military obligation in a paramilitary unit stationed at Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Since the kibbutz was located near the Gaza border (hence the name Kfar Aza) soldiers were stationed there for protection. It sounded like a great opportunity to participate in Israeli life, so I grabbed it. An opportunity to meet the young women in the military unit also crossed my mind.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Education Report, Fun Stuff, Middle East Report, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on May 12, 2008 - ז' אייר תשס"ח at 6:02 pm
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications, Purim 5768
Editor’s Note: Recently, a secret meeting was held at the United Nations by the request of the Israeli representative. Present at this meeting were representatives from the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), United States (USA), Israel (ISRAEL), and the Palestinian Authority (PA). CN Publications obtained advance notice of this secret meeting and introduced a fly into the room. Using the latest advances in Israeli nanotechnology, the fly was fitted with a microscopic microphone and transmitter. Below is a transcript of the conversation transmitted by the fly.
ISRAEL: My friends, I have asked you to come to this meeting because the State of Israel is facing a severe dilemma and we would appreciate your advice and consent before we make any drastic decisions. You know that we are very concerned about criticism and condemnation from the international community so we would like to avoid that.
UN: We are always eager to assist any of our member nations. How can we help?
ISRAEL: Well, as you recall, the State of Israel was established 60 years ago in order to provide a homeland for millions of Jews scattered around the world who have not had a homeland in almost 2000 years. Many of these Jews were survivors of the Holocaust, living in Displaced Persons camps and had nowhere to go. It was decided that the best place for a Jewish homeland would be the Holy Land where the Jews have strong historical, religious, and cultural attachments.
UN: Yes, we are very proud of the role we played in establishing a homeland for Jews in portions of the former British Palestine Mandate.
ISRAEL: The dilemma that we are facing now is that there are still tens of thousands of Jews around the world who would like to immigrate to Israel.
UN: That’s fine, so what’s the problem?
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Fun Stuff, Humor, Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on March 18, 2008 - י"א אדר ב' תשס"ח at 7:16 am
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Editor’s Note: The following comparisons of UNRWA and UNHCR were taken from their own official websites, UNHCR.org and UNRWA.org. The data is self-explanatory. This was compiled by Israel Zwick, Editor, CN Publications.
UNHCR is present in 116 countries, has 262 offices worldwide with 6,260 staff members – 5,400 of whom are in the field. We work with 624 partners to provide help and assistance to 32.9 million refugees, displaced and stateless people.
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 4 December 2007, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
In Geneva next Tuesday (11 December), at its annual Pledging Conference, UNHCR will present to donor countries its 2008 annual budget of US$1.096 billion, up from $1.06 billion in 2007, to help millions of refugees, displaced and stateless persons around the world.
In addition to its regular budget, UNHCR will also launch a number of supplementary appeals for emergency and special programmes for an estimated total of US $480 million bringing UNHCR’s total expected budget in 2008 to over US$ 1.57 billion, compared to US$ 1.45 billion in 2007.
In January 2008, UNHCR expects to launch supplementary appeals for programmes including the Iraq situation; relief operations in Darfur; the Somali situation; repatriation and reintegration of Sudanese and Mauritanian refugees; IDP programmes in Chad, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Colombia. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Middle East Report, News Articles, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on January 23, 2008 - ט"ז שבט תשס"ח at 1:11 pm
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By Israel Zwick, CN Publications, January 16, 2008
See Also: Zwick’s Picks
See Also: Al-Quds Times
Gaza City/Tel Aviv - Israel killed three Palestinian civilians in a botched strike Wednesday, while militants launched 42 rockets and mortars at the Jewish state, in response to bloody Israeli-Palestinian fighting Tuesday which left 18 Gazans dead.
Israeli troops in the West Bank also killed a senior leader of the radical Islamic Jihad, who had been on the ‘wanted list’ for years.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said the target of the botched strike was ‘a vehicle carrying gunmen responsible for rocket launching,’ but another vehicle was hit instead. Palestinian medical officials said three members of the same family were killed, among them an adolescent.
The circumstances surrounding the strike on the wrong vehicle were ‘under operational investigation,’ Major Avital Leibovich said. - Middle East News, January 16, 2008
Washington, DC, January 16, 2008 - As a result of the Israeli air strike in Gaza which killed three civilians, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has agreed to team with Israeli military engineers to design a new “smart bomb” that will avoid such incidents in the future and drastically reduce the high toll of civilian casualties. The new bomb will incorporate NASA technology for exploring remote planets and monitoring the physiology of astronauts on the space shuttle. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Fun Stuff, Humor, Middle East Report, Opinion, Zwick's Picks on January 16, 2008 - ט' שבט תשס"ח at 11:40 am
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