Israeli women reservists called up

This is something I've never heard of before - I wasn't even aware that women had direct combat duties in the IDF. Ynet reports on hundreds of women reserve soldiers who have been called up to fight Hizbollah on the northern border. "In the past four years, the IDF has started integrating women into the reserves. In the current war, there are women manning positions such as anti-aircraft officers, rescue officers, fighters in gunner units, snipers, and the list continues. Of all the women called up for duty in these days, about half are in combat battalions – 14 percent are fighters, 21 percent are medics, 11 percent are combat officers, and the rest are in intelligence. On the northern border, a writer for Ynet met Anat Bershkovsky and Efrat Kaufman, a non-commissioned officer in a mortar unit that is shooting at Lebanon. The two started their reserve duty as instructors for reserve soldiers on a training base, but very quickly found themselves on the Lebanese border shooting mortars at Lebanon."

Israel's Lost Moment

Charles Krauthammer publically asserts that the reason Israel is fighting Hizbollah is for the sake of the United States' grand strategic plan in the Middle East. I must say, this is one of the most disgustingly cynical pieces of claptrap that I have seen since this war broke out. Some quotes:

"Israel's leaders do not seem to understand how ruinous a military failure in Lebanon would be to its relationship with America, Israel's most vital lifeline."

I was under the opinion that Israel was fighting to defend its own citizens and to try to reduce the threat Hizbollah offers to it - not fighting to make some kind of point to American neoconservatives.

"Hezbollah's unprovoked attack on July 12 provided Israel the extraordinary opportunity to demonstrate its utility by making a major contribution to America's war on terrorism. America's green light for Israel to defend itself is seen as a favor to Israel. But that is a tendentious, misleadingly partial analysis. The green light - indeed, the encouragement - is also an act of clear self-interest. America wants, America needs, a decisive Hezbollah defeat."

So now Israel is fighting America's war on terrorism - how about Israel's own war against terrorism?

"Unlike many of the other terrorist groups in the Middle East, Hezbollah is a serious enemy of the United States. In 1983 it massacred 241 American servicemen. Except for al-Qaeda, it has killed more Americans than any other terror organization."

If Hizbollah is such a serious enemy of the United States, perhaps we should be sending our own troops into southern Lebanon to fight Hizbollah? No? I didn't think that Krauthammer was advocating that - he wants Israeli soldiers and Israeli civilians (not to mention Lebanese civilians) to die for the sake of the grand strategy that he has wholeheartedly embraced.

And what is the real point of this opinion article - that Ehud Olmert "has provided unsteady and uncertain leadership." "His search for victory on the cheap has jeopardized not just the Lebanon operation but America's confidence in Israel as well."

Ah, so the U.S. should support Israel only when it's strong, or perceived to be strong. I guess all those moral arguments for supporting "the only democracy in the Middle East" are just so much bullshit.

And what would demonstrate Israel's strength? Carpet bombing Lebanon? Sending the Israeli army all the way to Beirut? Making sure that hundreds of Israeli soldiers die, and thousands of Lebanese civilians? Sorry, we've already had that war, let's not redo 1982.

Rami's Wall: Blame it on God

A poem from a Jordanian blogger living in Sweden, Blame it on God.

Hezbollah is the 'party of God',
Jews are God's chosen people,
yet, God is on Bush's side,

God bless America,
God bless the Queen,
God bless suicide bombers,
and promises them a divine eternal bang...

Al Qaeda is fighting the final battle for God,
Iran's God wants nuclear weapons,
The Saudi Sunni's God will not allow women to drive,
The vatican's God is one of the worlds wealthiest businessmen...
and in Gaza, God is recruiting the lads...

King Abdullah's God is all modern and nicely-clad,
Saddam's God was a facist gone bad,
Moqtada al Sadr wants to send in the divine troops,
to tear down the cross of the crusader's God,
which still tears the region apart...

One day God had a lamb,
elsewhere he is a cow,
One day God created man,
Next day he is a mass-marketting plan.

The greek Gods are watching silently, as
God in hollywood is up to the critics to decide...

God is always right
God cannot be denied
God is always good
God is merciful and kind

Everyone believes there is only one God
On TV, God is playing golf,
and in the middle east, he's gone mad...

Hizbollah's intentionality - and Israel's

For first time, Hizbullah targets Hadera area. This is the furthest south missiles have fallen in Israel or Palestine (previous missiles had fallen very close to Jenin in the West Bank, but Hadera is south and west of Jenin).

Haaretz reports: "Hezbollah on Friday struck deeper inside Israel than ever before, firing missiles which struck open fields near the town of Hadera, 75 kilometers (50 miles) south of the Lebanese border, police said. No injuries were reported."

I just read also, in the New York Times, that Israel extends strikes north of Beirut, hitting village: "At least 20 people were killed today in an Israeli rocket attack on a village near the Syrian border, according to Lebanese officials, who said most of the dead appeared to be farmers."

The attack came as Israel made a round of airstrikes whose effect was to tighten the blockade it has imposed on Lebanon since the conflict began more than three weeks ago.

Warplanes bombed four bridges north of Beirut, in the first strikes in the heartland of the country’s Christian populace, cutting off one of the main routes for the trickle of aid entering the country. At least five civilians were reported killed in the bridge attacks, and six others died in attacks elsewhere in and around the capital, news services said.

The Israeli military said that targets in Beirut included a Hezbollah bunker hidden under a soccer stadium, and that 30 targets were hit in southern Lebanon.

This photograph from the New York Times article, by Hussein Malla of the Associated Press, shows "Red Cross rescue workers carr[ying] the body of a man who was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a bridge that linked Beirut to northern Lebanon."

According to this story, then, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 31 people in Lebanon today. From reading these stories, it's not clear that all of them are civilians, or that the final number will actually be 31 dead, but let's take it as assumed that Israel is responsible for the violent deaths of quite a few civilians today in Lebanon, in addition to destroying bridges and other buildings. It's also not clear how careful the Israelis were in trying to avoid civilian deaths - did they know that the people they were about to kill were farm laborers, as Lebanese officials report? This is the continuation of the New York Times report:

The farming village where the rocket attack took place, El Qaa, lies at the northern tip of the Bekaa Valley in the country’s east. It is close to one of the country’s last accessible border crossings, and is about 10 miles from the town of Al Hermel, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Lebanese officials told news services that the dead were farm laborers who were loading fruits and vegetables on trucks at the time of the attack. Ali Yaghi, a civil defense official, told The Associated Press that at least 23 people were killed and that more might be buried under the rubble. He said 11 workers were wounded, and a foreman on the farm said they were taken to Syria because Israeli airstrikes had blocked roads to local hospitals.

Perhaps the Israeli attack was intended to hit the border crossing and by mistake hit the village. Were the Israelis careful to make sure of their target? I don't think there's any way of knowing right now, and it's not much consolation to the families of the dead and wounded that Israel may not have intended to kill these particular people.

I'm asking these questions for a couple of reasons: one is to consider the questions of intention and carefulness. Is the IDF in fact being as careful as it claims it is? Does it in fact intend to avoid hitting civilians? (This is to exclude the question of whether it is possible for the IDF to be careful enough to avoid hitting civilians). Do the IDF commanders care about these questions? To answer them, one could look at statements by IDF spokesmen and commanders, and could also analyze (probably after the war is over) whether their actions fit their words.

At this point, I don't have the time to search for IDF statements, but Human Rights Watch has issued a report that says, "Statements from Israeli government officials and military leaders suggest that, at the very least, the IDF has blurred the distinction between civilians and combatants, arguing that only people associated with Hezbollah remain in southern Lebanon, so all are legitimate targets of attack. Under international law, however, only civilians directly participating in hostilities lose their immunity from attack. Many civilians have been unable to flee because they are sick, wounded, do not have the means to leave or are providing essential civil services."

Human Rights Watch presents evidence that Israeli leaders have blurred the distinction between Hizbollah combatants and civilians:

On July 17, for example, after IDF strikes on Beirut, the commander of the Israeli Air Force, Eliezer Shkedi, said, “in the center of Beirut there is an area which only terrorists enter into.” (Source: Amir Buchbut and Itamar Inbari, “IDF: Hezbollah Did Not Intercept an Israeli Aircraft,” available in Hebrew, as of July 28, 2006) The next day, the IDF deputy chief of staff, Moshe Kaplinski, when talking about the IDF’s destruction of Beirut’s Dahia neighborhood, said, “the hits were devastating, and this area, which was a Hezbollah symbol, became deserted rubble" (source: Hanan Greenberg, “Three Reserve Battalions Called Up," available in Hebrew as of July 28, 2006).

On July 27, Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon said that the Israeli air force should flatten villages before ground troops move in to prevent casualties among Israeli soldiers fighting Hezbollah. Israel had given civilians ample time to leave southern Lebanon, he claimed, and therefore anyone remaining should be considered a supporter of Hezbollah. “All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah,” he said (source: BBC News Online, “Israel says world backs offensive” July 27, 2006).

These are incriminating statements - I remember reading Haim
Ramon's statement at the time, and being shocked by it.

I'm not going to enter into the question right now of whether Israel in fact is acting as HRW has charged, or whether it should change its tactics, but rather into the question of intention and how one's feelings can alter one's intentions, perhaps even unconsciously. I know that yesterday, when I heard about the eight Israeli civilians killed by Hizbollah rockets, I felt sad and angry, and really didn't care how many Lebanese, innocent or not, the Israeli army killed. When my feelings cooled down a bit, I began to care again, but to be honest, my feelings are really with Israelis and not with Lebanese.

My mind - my reason - tells me that I should consider carefully the charges made by Human Rights Watch, and not dismiss them out of hand. My sense of fairness and justice tells me that every person is made in the image of God, and that I should care for the lives of every human being, regardless of religion or nationality. But in this situation, it is very hard for me to follow my reason or my sense of justice, because my feelings - of fear and anger - overwhelm reason or justice. Perhaps this is what happened to Haim Ramon, who is after all the Justice Minister in the Israeli government - although since I can't read his mind, I really don't know.

If my feelings were not involved in this war, it is possible that it would be much easier for me to adhere to reason and my sense of justice. But it is very hard, given my emotional involvement, to view events coolly and dispassionately, and to give equal weight to the statements and actions of Israelis and Lebanese. I think I understand now what it means to be caught up in the "fog of war." The fog of war comprises both the moral confusion wrought by war as well as uncertainty about what is actually happening.

And who is it that gives missiles to Hizbollah?

Iran admits what everyone has known - they have supplied long-range Zelzal-2 missiles to Hizbollah (not to speak of other types of missiles as well!).

Mohtashami Pur, a one-time ambassador to Lebanon who currently holds the title of secretary-general of the "Intifada conference," told an Iranian newspaper that Iran transferred the missiles to the Shi'ite militia, adding that the organization has his country's blessing to use the weapons in defense of Lebanon. Pur's statements are thought to be unusual given that Tehran has thus far been reluctant to comment on the extent of its aid which it has extended to Hezbollah.

... [Israeli] Military Intelligence estimates that Nasrallah would like to end the war with a dramatic move, such as the firing of missiles against Tel Aviv.

The range of the Iranian-made Zelzal missiles is estimated to be 210 kilometers, enabling Hezbollah to target the northern suburbs of Tel Aviv and its environs. Last week, the IAF deployed Patriot anti-aircraft missiles near Netanya as part of the overall effort to foil a possible Zelzal attack.

And today, three killed, one critically injured in Katyusha attacks. A woman was killed in the Druze village of Maghar in the Lower Galilee, near Tiberias, and two people were killed in a restaurant in the Druze village of Majdal Krum.

Close to 200 Katyusha rockets struck towns all across the north Friday, the worst blow being the approximately 60 rockets which hit Kiryat Shmona. In the coastal town of Nahariya, 32 rockets were reported to have landed, 14 rockets slammed into Ma'alot, Safed absorbed six rockets, the Tiberias region was hit by close to 10 rockets, and three rockets were reported to have struck the Carmiel region.

A torrent of rockets were fired in the direction of the Golan Heights on Friday, some of which landed in Quneitra, a town on the Syrian side of the border.

IDF Brigadier-General Shuki Shachor of the Northern Command told reporters Friday that the Katyusha strike on Syrian Quneitra is a cynical attempt by Hezbollah to drag Damascus into the conflict.

The Handiwork of Hizbollah

Today, 12 Israelis Die. Of the eight Israeli civilians killed today, three were young Israeli Arab men from the town of Tarshiha and five were from Acre.


This Reuters photo (Yonathan Weitzman; published in the August 4, 2006 New York Times) shows "A woman and two children at the scene of an attack in Acre, Israel."


A Katyusha found in Kiryat Shmona after a bombing today.




These two photographs, from the AP, show Israelis in a bomb shelter in Kiryat Shmona during a Hizbollah bombardment.


A Lebanese boy injured in an Israeli airstrike on Tyre - he is being airlifted to Cyprus, from which he'll be taken to France for treatment.

If it had not been for the Hizbollah attack on Israel, then there would have been no Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon. If Hizbollah had, like all the other militias in Lebanon, disarmed, there would have been no reason for Israel to attack in Lebanon. If Hizbollah had not amassed an arsenal of 13,000 missiles, there would be no conflict between it and Israel.

Nonetheless, Israel should be, if possible, taking much more care to avoid civilian deaths. Simply dropping leaflets telling people to leave is not sufficient, especially if those people are then bombed on the roads on their way out of the danger zone. I am also afraid of what Israel may do if Hizbollah does, in fact, bomb Tel Aviv - I do not think it should bomb all of Lebanon's infrastructure, as it has threatened, since that would be punishing many more innocent people for the sins of the guilty.

Rocket Barrage in Israel Kills 6 People

The latest attacks by Hizbollah in Israel - Rocket Barrage in Israel Kills 6 People.

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Hezbollah rocket attacks killed six people in northern Israel Thursday and injured many others, Israeli police said. Meanwhile, Hezbollah's chief spokesman said that his group will not agree to a cease-fire until all Israeli troops leave Lebanon.

The six rocket fatalities were the most in a single day since eight people were killed July 16 when a rocket struck a train maintenance depot in Haifa. At least 100 rockets hit northern Israel within several minutes, killing at least two people in Acre and three in Maalot. In Acre, some people came out of their shelters after an initial rocket barrage to see where the missiles fell. A new round of rockets struck the town, killing two people who were standing on their balcony, Mayor Shimon Lankry told Israel's Channel 2 Television. Five other people were injured, one critically and four seriously, he said. At least three people were killed in Maalot when rockets hit an open area, Mayor Shlomo Buhbut told Channel 10 television. Two were killed immediately and a third died on the way to the hospital, he said. ''It is a black day for our community,'' he said. It was not immediately clear where the sixth fatality occurred.

Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahal made his demands about the cease-fire during a live interview with Al-Jazeera television. ''Declaring a cease-fire is not the concern of the people of Lebanon as long as there is one Israeli soldier on Lebanese soil -- even one meter (into Lebanon),'' he said. ''We will not accept any (Israeli) soldier staying on Lebanese territory, and it is the right of every Lebanese to fight until liberation.''

Mr. Rahal should perhaps have thought about that before launching a raid into Israel and kidnapping two Israeli soldiers - if Hizbollah hadn't done that, there wouldn't be any Israeli soldiers on Lebanese soil. Statements like this also really put the lie to those who see Israel as the sole cause of this war, who see Israel as solely intransigent, who somehow see Hizbollah as a purely "resistance" organization. Right. A resistance organization whose main tactic is to try to kill, and then succeed in killing, Israeli civilians.

UPDATE - Jameel reports 8 Israelis dead in Katyusha attacks today - 5 in Akko, 3 in Ma'alot.

More on the war

For those who may doubt the destructive power of the Hizbollah rockets and Hizbollah's intention to kill civilians see this home video - missile attack on haifa - Google Video. It looks like it was posted on July 27, but that the attack took place on July 17 (at least judging from the time stamps on the video itself).

I just read an article in the Los Angeles Times about a recent poll on whether Americans support Israel in this current war. In answer to the question, "Do you think Israel's actions are justified or not justified?," 43% answered "justified, not excessively harsh," 16% said, "justified, but excessively harsh," 28% said "unjustified," and 13% "didn't know."

In answer to a question about what the American posture should be toward Israel and the Arab countries, 50% said the U.S. should continue to align with Israel, 44% said the U.S. should adopt a more neutral position, and 2% said the U.S. should side more with Arab countries.

It is interesting to see that there is a real split between Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. If we go back to the first question, 29% of Democrats think Israel's reaction is justified, but not excessively harsh, with 20% saying it's justified but excessively harsh (49% total justified response), and 36% saying it's unjustified. The Republican positions are 64% - 11% (75% justified) - 17% - so that Republicans are much more supportive, on the whole, than are Democrats. Independents fall inbetween - 37% - 15% - 33% (52% justified).

It seems to me that these poll results may forecast some trouble ahead for the Democratic Party on the subject of Israel, especially since 39% of Democrats call for the U.S. to continue to align with Israel, while 54% advocate a more neutral position.

Rocket hits Israeli kindergarten

Today, a Katyusha rocket hits western Galilee kindergarten. Fortunately the kindergarten was empty, but if it had been full of children? Would Arab countries and the EU be demanding an investigation? I don't wish to diminish the horror of what happened in Kana and other towns in Lebanon - but where is the vocal criticism of Hizbollah's targeting of Israeli civilians?

Jeff Weintraub

I just discovered (via a link in Normblog), a blog written by Jeff Weintraub, a "social & political theorist, political sociologist, and democratic socialist who currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania." He is covering the current Hizbollah-Israel war pretty closely, with links to a number of good articles and opinion pieces.

Photos that damn Hezbollah

More evidence that Hizbollah is deliberately placing its missile launchers in residential areas - Photos that damn Hezbollah.

Lebanese Political Journal

For some fascinating analysis of the internal Lebanese situation, see Lebanese Political Journal. Lebanon Profile's postings are helpful in understanding (or trying to understand) the incredibly complex sectarian politics of Lebanon. (Reference from Oleh Girl, an Israeli blogger).

Hizbollah's hostages

Another report on a Lebanese town that Hizbollah is trying to hold hostage - a Druse town named Mari not far from the Israeli town of Metulla.

Not all villages in southern Lebanon are Shiite. Just above the abandoned SLA base at the old Majidiyya estate on the Lebanon-Israel border sits a small, quiet Druse village called Mari. You will not find Mari on any maps, but at the beginning of the current conflict Mari found itself caught between the Israeli Air Force, which apparently wanted to avoid bombing the village directly, and Hizbullah, which wanted to enter the town at all costs. You see, Mari's location would provide the militia an excellent overview of the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona (and the settlement of Metulla, which is closer but much smaller), and finding a way to operate there would give Hizbullah increased civilian cover for their Katyusha rocket fire.

Hizbollah - hiding behind civilians

It's becoming clear that one reason so many innocent Lebanese civilians are being killed by Israeli bombs and missiles is that Hizbollah fighters are launching their missiles from the middle of Lebanese towns. There was an article in today's New York Times about this and also Jan Egeland, the UN refugee chief, said the same thing a couple of days ago. For a really disheartening, first-person account, read this posting and comments from a Lebanese blog, Free Ain Ebel.

The situation in Ain Ebel is unbearable. Thousands of civilians have fled to the village from nearby villages and more than 1000 rockets have hit the village, there is no more food neither clean water and diseases r spreading.

Now here comes the most sickening part:
Hezbollah has been firing rockets from the village since Day 1 hiding behind innocent people’s places and even CHURCHES. No one is allowed to argue with the Hezbollah gunmen who wont hesitate to shoot you and i ve heard about more than one shooting incident including young men from the village and Hezbollah.
Urgent appeals have been done through phone calls from terrified people who wouldnt give out their name fearing Hezbollah might harm or even eliminate them.

This is the true image of our brave Islamic Resistance, putting the civilians and their homes as body shields to the Israeli bombardements.

Let the message spread and let those criminals move out of the village once and for all.
Free Ain Ebel from the terrorists !

Have I mentioned recently that this war is making me so sick? It is so sad that all these innocent Lebanese are being killed, having their homes and businesses destroyed, being driven from their homes - I can't stand it. I think that Israel is justified in defending itself, and in trying to destroy Hizbollah - but this has got to stop before even more of Lebanon is destroyed.

Secretary of State Rice is apparently back in the Middle East (in Israel tonight) supposedly trying to get a UN resolution passed this week calling for a ceasefire, along with a whole list of other demands. Why couldn't this have happened two weeks ago? Why didn't she stay in the Middle East during her previous visit? Why hasn't the U.S. done its best to crack heads together and tell Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and anyone else who would listen, that it's time to stop the killing? I don't understand. It certainly looks to me that she and Bush have dragged their feet on insisting on a ceasefire in order to further their grand strategic plan for the Middle East - and said plan doesn't involve any care or concern that hundreds of innocent people have died in the last two weeks.

The War at Home

I lived in Seattle from 1979-1981. It was there that I began to take part in Jewish community life again, after losing much of my connection to Judaism in my late teenage years and early college years (reading Nietzsche didn't help - all that "death of God" stuff).

I went to a couple of seders organized by a progressive Jewish group named Kadima, which eventually became a chapter of New Jewish Agenda. Looking at their website it seems that they're now affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement; their concerns seem to be about the same as they were when I went to their events, including "a commitment to social, economic, gender, and racial justice, the eradication of anti-Semitism..., The survival of Israel as a Jewish nation based on its pursuit of democracy, pluralism, civil rights, equality, and a peaceful co-existence for all," and "Peace in the Middle East that includes the co-existence of an Israeli state and a Palestinian state."

I remember attending a several session class on the history and nature of anti-semitism; I also remember going to one of their rallies, which probably had something to do with Israel but I don't remember the issue. I think I also went to a Purim celebration that they organized - it was the first time I read the book of Esther, and I was shocked by the violence of the book. Another project of theirs now is the Middle East Peace Camp on which they collaborate with the Arab Center of Washington.

In Seattle I also joined a newly born synagogue (Tikvah Chadashah) and became its first female co-president. I remember going to services also at a Reform Synagogue named Beth Am, and being moved by the prayers. I was searching for meaning - my mother had been diagnosed with lung cancer in the summer of 1980, and I felt adrift. I started to believe in God again - just spontaneously, no sudden revelation - it made more sense than being an atheist or agnostic or wherever I had been wandering before.

I left Seattle in the summer of 1981, when it became clear that my mother's cancer was returning after radiation treatment, and it seemed likely that she did not have much longer to live. For a year or so after I left, I kept my subscription to the local Jewish newspaper, published by the Seattle Jewish Federation, to keep up on what was happening in Seattle. I only returned to visit a couple of times after that - I think the last time was in 1984. But I still have very fond memories of Seattle.

So it was a great shock when I heard on the news this morning that a Muslim American man had entered the offices of the Seattle Federation yesterday and started shooting randomly, killing one woman and injuring five more, including a pregnant woman. Pam Waechter was the woman who was killed, and the five other staff members were Cheryl Stumbo, Dayna Klein, Carol Goldman, Layla Bush and Christina Rexroad. Mrs. Waechter was a leader in the local Jewish community, most recently serving as director of the annual fundraising campaign for the Seattle Federation.

The man identified as the killer, Naveed Haq, grew up in Richland, and his father was one of the founders of Richland's Islamic Center. Haq apparently has a history of mental illness.

The attack came only a day after "the FBI had warned Jewish organizations nationwide to be on alert after Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon and al-Qaida's second in command urged that the war raging in the Middle East be carried to the U.S. However, the law-enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there is no evidence that Haq was involved with any group. 'He said he hates Israel,' said the source, who is part of the Seattle Joint Terrorism Task Force, which was called in to help investigate the shootings. David Gomez, the assistant special agent-in-charge of the Seattle FBI office, said there is 'nothing to indicate he is part of a larger organization....We believe he is a lone individual with antagonism toward this organization,' said Gomez." I certainly hope that the FBI is correct.

Reaction by one of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnists

"For every argument there is a gripe, a countergripe and a gripe to the countergripe. But pulling a semiautomatic trigger before the evening rush hour is not the answer. Violence never is. Whatever thread of intelligence might have been inside the shooter's mind has become forever lost in a tragic act of exceptional rage directed at Jews. If he had entered the building with an open mind -- instead of declaring open season -- he could have learned something.

The Jewish Federation has opened its doors to many, including me, so that we can better understand Israel's plight. I've sat in the very offices that Friday became a crime scene and listened to community leaders talk about foreign policy, a sincere hope for peace abroad and the challenges faced by Seattle's small but vibrant Jewish community. The gunman would have come to understand how central Israel is to Jewish life. He would have gained an appreciation for the diversity of Jewish opinion, inside the organization, across the city and the globe.

Instead, he arrived with closed heart and mind. One person is dead. Five people are injured. It is sad and infuriating and frightening to think that conflict in the Middle East can ruin peace of mind here at home. It doesn't matter if the target of a hate crime is a mosque, a synagogue or a community center. An attack on any such institution is an attack on anyone who believes in the freedoms of this country and importance of community. On a sunny Friday afternoon in Seattle, a man filled with hate attacked every one of us.

Nazareth: 2 children killed in rocket barrage

Two brothers, three and nine years old, were killed Wednesday afternoon when a Katyusha barrage hit the town of Nazareth. The rockets pummeled the town, hitting various neighborhoods. The two children were killed when their house sustained a direct rocket hit. Reports of a third fatality were being verified.

The two casualties Wednesday raised the civilian death toll since the beginning of the fighting to 15. Magen David Adom reported that 76 people were injured in rocket attacks on the Valley area, including 26 who suffered from shock....

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jiraisi to express his condolences over the killing of the townspeople and to offer aid. Jiraisi told Ynet he heard the reports while driving.

During the morning hours, the Home Front Command recommended alertness and caution. "Today we held children's camps inside buildings. This is a very crowded neighborhood. I have no idea what the identities of those killed are," Jaraisi said.

These were two Israeli Arab children who were killed. Katyushas don't distinguish between Jews and Arabs.

Two Israeli soldiers were also killed in fighting with Hizbollah terrorists just north of the border near Kibbutz Avivim. I mourn for the soldiers, but at least they had a chance; they were armed and theatened other armed men. The two children were doing nothing except playing.

Just as Lebanese children are dying, since Israeli bombs don't distinguish between Hizbollah terrorists and children. When Hizbollah decides to stop firing rockets on Israel, and stops threatening Israeli communities in the north, then the dying will stop in both Israel and Lebanon.

Ithaca and "peace"

What is "peace"?

************************************************************
ITHACA WAR AND PEACE REPORT
************************************************************
Are you upset about the escalation of violence in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel, the civilians being killed every day, and the infrastructure being destroyed in Gaza and Lebanon?

Tuesday July 18, the Ithaca Journal reported "By nightfall Monday, 209 Lebanese had been reported killed in the six days of fighting. At least 24 Israelis have been killed."

Today, Wednesday July 19, gather on the Commons between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm to share your views and hear perspectives that haven't been reported in mainstream media. 10:00 am-4:00 pm, Occupation Witness, a new local group, will have a photo display and pass out literature. They are also distributing a petition that calls on members of Congress to stop all U.S. military aid to the Israeli government until the Israeli military pulls out of Gaza and Lebanon.

From 4:00-6:00 pm, a gathering on the Commons will include music, some information about current activities, including a very recent statement by the Democratic candidate for the Senate, Jonathon Tasini, and an opportunity to share your own views.

I don't know what the group "Occupation Witness" is - I've never heard of them before - but they seem to have an entirely one-sided perspective on the current war. Haven't they figured out that Israel started attacking Hizbollah in Lebanon because Hizbollah attacked Israel with no provocation whatsoever? I am also upset at the Lebanese civilians who have been killed and the infrastructure that has been destroyed, and wonder if Israel could have acted in a way to limit deaths and destruction - but what about the fact that a million Israelis are currently sitting in bomb shelters? What about the fact that Israelis continue to die at the hands of Hizbollah? There's no mention in this piece that Hizbollah has any responsibility to stop bombing Israel.

I've been reading enviously about other communities where people are organizing solidarity rallies to support Israel. We definitely need one here too.

Jerusalem

In a location I recently visited in Jerusalem, police foil a terror attack.

A great disaster was avoided Monday in Jerusalem, when an explosive device was found in the bag of a 25-year-old Palestinian at the city's Tzahal Square. Police officers operating a metal detector noticed a Palestinian walking toward them, carrying a bag. They demanded that he undergo a security check, and then he told them he was carrying an explosive device.

The police arrested the man, handcuffed him and took him into interrogation by interrogation by security forces at the Jerusalem Police's minorities department.

In his interrogation, the man said that he planned to carry out a terror attack, and according to estimations the target was the center of the capital. It is still unclear whether he planned to detonate himself with the device or leave it in the area and flee.

Following the incident, the police closed the entire area and dispatched a helicopter to the air in an attempt to locate the terrorist's accomplices. Sappers were dispatched to the area to examine the device.

The security establishment currently holds dozens of warnings on plans to carry out terror attacks in the home front, in an attempt to expand the fighting arena and hurt more civilians.

Tzahal Square

Tzahal Square is quite close to the Old City. This photo from Ynet shows the location of the capture of the terrorist. On the day I decided to visit the Old City, I walked through Tzahal Square on my way into the city.

Women praying at the Kotel

I had been somewhat nervous to visit the Old City once things got hot in Gaza, about two weeks after I arrived in Israel, but my visit was uneventful. I went to the Kotel and wandered through the Muslim Quarter, where I bought some scarves as gifts for friends, as well as a dress for myself. It was a totally uneventful, pleasant trip.

Chirac

As usual, French President Jacques Chirac takes his usual evenhanded line - Israel 'wants to destroy Lebanon'. He also claims to speak on behalf of "all Europeans" - "the current reactions are totally disproportionate." I wonder how Mr. Chirac would react if French territory was being shelled from a neighboring state and French citizens being killed and injured by rocket fire? I doubt he would be so sanguine about the lives of his own country's citizens.

A lighter note

In the middle of the rotten news from Israel and Lebanon: more Katyushas landing in northern Israel - a residential building hit in Safed, another one in Nahariyah (several people seriously injured); continued Israeli bombing in Lebanon, including again on the Beirut airport and on a base of the Palestinian terror group PFLP-CG which is only 2 km from Syria; thousands of Lebanese fleeing the south because of the Israeli attacks; at least 60 Lebanese killed thus far - a lighter note.

A couple of days ago, a multicolored van pulled up across the street, and several shaggy guys filed out. On one side of the van was painted the title The Jugtown Pirates. They greeted my neighbors with hugs, and then later on in the evening I heard the sound of (acoustic) guitars playing from the house across the street. Yesterday the van was gone all evening, only coming in around midnight. They appear to have just left for another gig. I just snapped a photo of them from my window:


From their website, it appears that they're a jugtown band in Vermont.