Charlie Rose

BENEZRAA  12/07/2012 12:52 AM Report

IN ANTICIPATION OF MOHAMED MURSI'S SPEECH TO EGYPT, SCHEDULED FOR TODAY, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7:

Today is already Friday, December 7, which to America has direct personal meaning, as December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day. So this is the day that Mursi has chosen to address his country Egypt regarding the present civil crisis he himself has brought on by his assumption of dictatorial powers on November 22; and one must note as well that November 22 is also a profound date of significance to Americans, as our beloved President Kennedy was assassinated on that date in 1963.

Friday is the traditional Muslim Sabbath Day. It is all too common for Muslim clergy to rile up their congregations on Fridays with incitements to violence. So it will be interesting to see, if this is the direction that Mursi will take today.

After the events of the past two weeks, are there still Western governments and leaders, who believe that a metamorphosed Mursi will somehow pull a liberal rabbit out of the fundamentalist hat that is the Muslim Brotherhood?

Or, will Mursi incite supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood to cease the day, to engage in an all out civil war of deliverance, to unequivocally place Egypt in the indisputable vice of the Muslim Brotherhood, and to do so, however much blood may be spilled in the name of that cause?

BENEZRAA  12/06/2012 11:56 PM Report

A QUALIFIED SELF-CORRECTION

In my first comment to this broadcast with Ehud Olmert I stated that Mohamed Mursi had won a multi-billion aid package from the US by negotiating the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. To be more precise, there was a $4.8-Billion package of aid from the Internation Monetary Fund (what proportion of that aid is from the US, I do not know).

davidhamber  12/06/2012 04:00 AM Report

AntonGrambihler, you must be thrilled by the clearly-stated aims of the Hamas charter:

-Israel, by virtue of its being Jewish and of having a Jewish population, defies Islam and the Muslims."

-"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."

-"The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. "

-"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors"

-A senior Hamas official said in a televised sermon that he wished for the annihilation of every single Jew.

PS: You can also download a copy of a new song played this week on Palestinian radio that might further please you.

"We have accepted [our] death, so that Jerusalem will return

We are bombs, friends, when the homeland calls

My heart, with fury, exploded and scattered

The shrapnel of this life flew, and the enemies were beheaded

Grieve not, Mother, shed no tears over my torn flesh

Gather [my] bones, Mother, return them to the earth...

Allah Akbar (Allah is Greater)!

If you summon: 'Come to self-sacrifice'

You will meet heroic men who mock death..."

Palestinian singer, Abu Arab:

"We praised the Lord, and set out for Martyrdom

We strapped ourselves with explosives, and trusted in Allah

Carry the load, heroes, show disaster to the settler

Neither day nor night will be sweet for him – until he leaves us

Raise your fire. Raise! Burn the settler with it

For the sake of Jerusalem and our holy place

We strapped ourselves with explosives

We trusted in [Allah] the Merciful and praised Him for the Martyrdom

Onward, onward, men, on the roads to glory

We praised the Lord, and set out for Martyrdom

We strapped ourselves with explosives, and trusted in Allah"

BENEZRAA  12/05/2012 12:56 PM Report

RE: BELOW COMMENTS OF ANTON GRAMBIHLER

Israel is not a State "For Jews Only". 20% of Israel's citizenry are not-Jewish and the majority of these non-Jewish Israeli citizens are Muslim; there are also Hindu, Bahai, Druse, Christians, and Buddhists and more. All of these including the Muslim Israeli citizens enjoy economic, educational, and religious freedoms that are non-existent in the majority of the Muslim world. And in the majority of the Muslim world, citizenry is not even an option for non-Muslims. As for Grambiler's statement that "...the rest of the world needs to become 'No Jews Allowed'," he need only look at the Muslim world, where that is already largely come to fruition due to Muslim persecutions of Jews, a contributing casus belli to the existence of Israel. As to Grambihler's invocation to "Throw Israel Under The Bus," this is reckless speech born of hate and ignorance, such as his statements that "Jerusalem is International Property" and that the borders of Israel should revert to the borders of the 1947 UN Partition Plan. Under Israeli political hegemony, Jerusalem is a place of international freedom, which it was not prior to Israeli hegemony, and which it would not be without Israeli hegemony. And as for the 1947 UN Partition Plan, which Israel supported, it is too late for that due to the Arab's War of Annihilation against Israel, the direct result of which was a succession of survival wars for Israel in which the Arab world cost the Palestinian Arabs their homes and their potential State. If peace is to be found, it will be when the Arab world decides to right by their Palestinian brethen. Instead of fighting Israel at the cost of the lives and homes of the Palestinian Arabs, instead of keeping the Palestinian Arab exiles in horrible refugee camps, the Arab nations should take responsibility for what they brought upon the heads of their Palestinian Arab brethren: support them well, provide them decent education, housing, and jobs; grant them citizenship; and recognize Israel immediately so that the dignity of the Palestinian Arabs and the Arabs altogether and the Muslim world altogether is not bound up in this insane war to annihilate Israel.

AntonGrambihler  12/05/2012 07:39 AM Report

If Israel is to become “For Jews Only”, then the rest of the world needs to become “No Jews Allowed”.

AntonGrambihler  12/05/2012 05:47 AM Report

The United States needs to THROW ISRAEL UNDER THE BUS unless its leaders immediately withdraw to the original boundaries set by the United Nations when it divided the British Mandate of Palestine and abide by ALL conditions of the resolution.

The people of the World must never forget that Jerusalem is International Property and belongs to ALL the people of the world.

BENEZRAA  12/05/2012 03:07 AM Report

A CRITICISM OF COMMENTS BELOW BY THE EVER STRIDENT "REMant"

Before offering my criticisms, it is worth offering acknowledgment of a piece of history pointed out by REMant, that piece of history being the medieval period in which there was relative peace and religious tolerance in not just Gaza, but, in Jerusalem and Palestine altogether under Muslim hegemony. It is a period in history circa the completion of the first millenium AD, when Christendom anticipated the Second Coming of their Lord in Heaven, giving rise to the Crusades, and later to similar horrible wars and persecutions including such as the infamous Inquisition and that era's destruction of religiously tolerant southern Spain (the Inquisition is still an active, though quietly active, aspect of the Catholic Church).

As to my criticisms, firstly, a simple correction as to a matter of fact:

REMant says, "... recognition of "a right to exist" is nonsense when it [Israel] has never - from the very beginning of the Zionist cause - recognized an equal Palestinian right to exist." Setting aside the semantics of Palestinian identity (Jews by definition are Palestinian), Israel has repeatedly recognized the Arabs' right to their own Palestinian State. The definition of what such a State might be has varied over the past 100-years due to the differing circumstances of history. The parameters of the Balfour Declaration circa World War One were profoundly different than the stark pragmatism called for after World War Two. According to the 1947 UN Partition Plan to establish both a Jewish State and an Arab State in Palestine, there would have been two territorially equal States, each with three essentially discontinuous territorial sections.

Had Jordan not invaded the West Bank area, had the surrounding Arab States not declared a War of Annihilation against the Jews, and had the Arab Armies not broadcast to the Palestinian Arabs that they should temporarily flee Palestine in order that the Arab Armies might wipe out the Jews without simultaneously killing Palestinian Arabs; then it possible that the intended Plan of the UN for a new Arab State in Palestine could have come into existence alongside Israel. Israel supported this. The Arab world did not, and the Arab War of Annihilation against the Jews cost the Arab Palestinians territorial losses, resulted in a mass refugee problem for Arab Palestinians, and left the West Bank occupied by Jordan.

As for the religious criticisms of Israel that REMant makes, stating that Israel consistently violates the Ten Commandments, though that is a worthy topic of discussion, his accusations are made in such a way as to reflect an utter ignorance of the Ten Commandments and their proper application; as well, he ignores altogether application of the idea of violation of the Ten Commandments to the Arabs.

The reality is far more complex than REMant explores. He commences to write, "IMHO...", but, there is no true humility, only ignorance, exaggeration, and no room in his heart or mind for forgiveness, should forgiveness even be appropriate with respect to Jews or Israel.

When it comes to the Arabs, REMant sees no evil, hears no evil, and speaks no evil. When it comes to the Jews, REMant sees only evil, hears only evil, and speaks only evil.

I have more faith, that a true peace is possible with the Arabs -- and soon -- than I do that REMant will will open his eyes, his ears, his heart, his mind, and his soul to an un-bigoted view of Jews and Israel. May he prove me wrong!

BENEZRAA  12/05/2012 01:57 AM Report

HERE HE COMES TO SAVE THE DAY... EHUD OLMERT ON THE WAY... OY VEY !!

Softer than a jelly donut, more eloquent than a Qassam rocket launched from Gaza....

One shudders to think, what kind of deal Ehud Olmert has come to the USA to offer, that he should be re-annointed into a serious run to be Prime Minister of Israel.

The deluded vision of Ehud Olmert, by which vision he himself was architect of Israel's unilateral Gaza abandonment, has cost both Israel and the Arabs dearly.

Firstly, the harm to the Arabs was profound. Gaza became a terrorist enclave ultimately taken over by Hamas, a client of the Muslim Brotherhood. So much for religious or political freedom or tolerance in Gaza.

One 'gift' that keeps on giving to the population of Gaza, a result of the constant rocket terrorism of southern Israel by Gaza, was and is the inevitable invasions by Israel, invasions of self-defense that would have been unnecessary in large scale, had Israel maintained it's just hegemony in Gaza.

Another such 'gift' was the Second Lebanon War, which began with the capture of Gilad Shalit by terrorists from Gaza. Israel then -- under Olmert's leadership -- had to cope with terror from Gaza along Israel's southern border, while simultaneously fighting an all out war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Today Hezbollah has 40,000* rockets (per Secretary Robert Gates, 12/04/2012, on The Charlie Rose Show) with which to hit Israel as far as south as Tel Aviv, and Hamas has also has thousands of rockets now proven to reach northward into Israel, also as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Can we imagine, what it would mean, as an additional threat to Israel, if Syria should now (if not already) transport chemical weapons into the hands of Hezbollah? Add to that the threat to Israel of missiles from Iran....

Why is all this imminent threat to Israel also a threat of profound harm to the Arabs? Because it means all out war, and where Prime Minister Netanyahu has exercised profound restraint, Ehud Olmert is surely the kiss of all out war.

Prime Minister Netanyahu exorcises terrorists and builds houses. Olmert speaks of peace, gives away that which is not his to give away, and brings terror and war, where terror and war may have been avoided.

Ehud Olmert essentially justifies both the recent UN recognition of non-Member Status for the Palestinian Authority and the dictatorship of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. In the case of the PA, Olmert equates Abbas' unilateral engagement of the United Nations with Israel's unilateral departure from Gaza; respectfully, one has no recollection that Olmert engaged the UN, seeking a UN vote before pulling out of Gaza. And Olmert must be blind to believe that Hamas, already a tentacle of the Muslim Brotherhood, did not rage out against Israel without first coordinating with the Muslim Brotherhood, thus allowing Mursi to be hero for a day, win a multi-billion dollar commitment from the US, and then turn around the next day, declaring himself immune from justice and absolute ruler in Egypt.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas alternate from day to day as to which is the head of the snake and which the rattle. This is the legacy of Ehud Olmert, which Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing his best to ameliorate.

If in Olmert's eyes, Abbu Mazzan (Mahmoud Abbas) is a man of peace, then there can be no doubt, that Ehud Olmert is a man of appeasement leading to inevitable war. Here is a man, who defines courage as giving away Jerusalem, Gaza, and Judea-Samaria. It is said, "The more one gives, the more one receives." And in a sense it is true; the more Israel gives to the terrorists, the more Israel receives: more missiles, more hatred, more prejudice, more constraint, more contempt, more disrespect....

So, as Israel stands surrounded by civil wars, coups, and the usual terrorism of everyday life in the Middle East, now Olmert may be ready to come to Israel's rescue?

Oy, Vey !!

ShalomFreedman  12/04/2012 09:20 PM Report

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert surprised me in this interview. He spoke with moderation and modesty. Even his criticism of a recent decision of Prime Minister Netanyahu was made in a measured way. He was however perhaps too optimistic in assessing the Palestinian Arab intentions toward Israel, and the likelihood of a Peace agreement. Abbas refused his perhaps excessively generous Peace offer, and Abbas does not after all speak for Hamas and for all the Palestinians.

Olmert also spoke respectfully about his bitter political rival Prime Minister Netanyahu.

In assessing his own work as Prime Minister he was probably over-positive. The Lebanon War is considered by most Israelis an ill-prepared misadventure. Olmert is however right in saying that there have been six largely quiet years on the Lebanese border.

As for his own political intentions, they are as of this writing, still unclear.

REMant  12/04/2012 11:24 AM Report

Israel doesn't "defend" itself, and recognition of "a right to exist" is nonsense when it has never - from the very beginning of the Zionist cause - recognized an equal Palestinian right to exist. Nothing has a RIGHT to exist anyway. Existence is something you can't alienate, but it is otherwise something you either learn to do or are fortunate enough to muddle through. And nothing in the Ten Commandments contradicts that. Indeed, Israel would seem to have rather consistently abrogated the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th, of them, if not the 1st, as well. Would that Palestine were, in fact, back in the Middle Ages, when Gaza was a light of the world.

To give her the benefit of the doubt, I suppose Susan Rice was so anguished by the UN vote, because she KNEW Netanyahu would retaliate. That's the only way the persistent claim that this action would hurt peace efforts makes any sense. But someone has to stand up to the guy. Aside from Israel and its great friend Panama, the Czechs, and some Pacific islands, the only votes against the measure were from the US and Canada (which is more pro-Israel than we are). Forty-one countries abstained - including normal US allies the UK, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, the former Warsaw Pact nations, and a few other Pacific islands - obviously the best the US could wrest from them.

IMHO what Jews should want is neither land nor peace, but freedom from being the object of pogroms, which I doubt they are going about in any kind of sensible way.

Regarding the Islamists, it may helpful to remember that Nixon went to China.