Dear friends of Israel:

Who is really behind the attempt to break the Israeli blockade? At a first glance there does not seem to be an easy answer to this, but it becomes more and more apparent that Turkey and/or the Turkish government is responsible for these activities. Unfortunately the Turkish government seems to be ready for a shift into the Islamic camp. The political change in this country is also becoming evident by its seeking closer ties to Iran. After the "bloody massacre" at sea, as the storming of the flotilla by IDF troops was called by the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, he declared in a speech to the parliament: "Today we have arrived at a turning point in history. Things will no longer be the same as they were before."

Dear friends of Israel:

After a long period of dilly-dallying the Israeli government and the Palestinians are ready to resume proximity talks. Israel is even willing to discuss core issues such as the status of Jerusalem and the refugee problem. Moreover, Israel has given in to the Palestinian demand for a freeze of the construction activities in the so-called «occupied territories». Obviously these developments are the first results of President Obama's new approach in the Middle East policy. However, Jewish circles in Israel and the United States are concerned about the recent situation. Many are having qualms about the American government's true position regarding Israel and the Middle East. When the Israeli Defense Minister went on a trip to the United States in late April, he dispelled such doubts. In a speech to a mostly Jewish audience he said: "I feel very strongly that these differences, these slight disputes are behind us." He also put the minds of the participants at ease by explaining that the relationship between the Israeli and the American defense establishments "is extremely good ... and the bonds are intimate and unbreakable." Barak also expressed urgency on reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians, citing the demographic threat. He warned that without a two-state solution the options would be a bi-national state or a non-democratic state. Although most of the governing coalition is right-wing – his own Labor Party being the sole exception – he stressed that Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is ready to work toward peace, albeit the steps to be taken in that direction are not easy.

Dear friends of Israel:

When the American Vice-President Joe Biden visited Israel, the Israeli Minister of the Interior, Eli Ishai, declared that the government has approved further construction in Ramat Shlomo, one of the Jerusalem suburbs beyond the so-called “Green Line”. This move has caused lasting tensions in the relationship between Israel and the United States.

Afterwards the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to America because he was invited as a speaker to the conference of American Jewish organizations (AIPAC). During his visit he also met President Obama. Netanyahu was obviously told that Israel could no longer look to the United States for unlimited support in all areas of Israeli policy. In her speech to the attendants of AIPAC Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the new position of the Obama administration. She said that Israel could be put under pressure if necessary, but that the security interests of the Jewish state should always be taken into account. Mrs. Clinton also explained that the status quo of the last decade has not lead to permanent security – neither for Israel nor for the Palestinians, and therefore this situation would have to be changed. Unlike its predecessors the current US administration sees the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a part of the complex power structure in the Middle East and as an important factor for the strategic interests of the United States. It is surprising that the representatives of the Jewish organizations hailed Mrs. Clinton’s speech with standing ovations.

Liebe Israelfreunde

Vor einigen Jahren hat man in Israel eine Aktion gestartet, bei der allen jüdischen Jugendlichen in der ganzen Welt mindestens ein Besuch im Land ermöglicht werden soll. Mit dieser vom Staat Israel und von jüdischen Sponsoren geförderten Massnahme erhofft man sich, dass ein Teil der Jugendlichen später nach Israel einwandern wird. Ausserdem soll dadurch die Verbindung zwischen der jüdischen Diaspora und Israel gestärkt sowie der bedrohlich fortschreitenden Assimilierung der im Ausland lebenden Juden entgegengewirkt werden. Besonders die jetzige Regierung unter Benjamin Netanjahu legt grossen Wert darauf, die Verbindung zur jüdischen Diaspora zu stärken. Ihr Ziel ist es, in der näheren Zukunft eine Million Neueinwanderer ins Land zu bringen. Die rasch fortschreitende Modernisierung in Israel soll das Land für Juden aus der Diaspora attraktiver machen. Hierbei ist jedoch zu bedenken, dass in der Vergangenheit etwa eine Million Menschen das Land wieder verlassen haben, weil sich ihnen kaum Möglichkeiten boten, ihren Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen.

Die Verweltlichung und der Verlust der jüdischen Werte ist jedoch auch in Israel ein Problem. Um dieser Entwicklung entgegenzuwirken hat die Regierung angeordnet, dass in israelischen Schulen wieder vermehrt über das Judentum und seine Werte gelehrt wird, besonders auch im Hinblick auf die alte und neuere Geschichte im Land selbst. Auch aus diesem Grund hat die Regierung für den Erhalt von 150 jüdischen Stätten aus der Antike und der modernen Zeit 400 Millionen Shekel bereitgestellt. Zu diesen Orten des jüdischen Nationalerbes gehören auch zwei Stätten, die auf palästinensischem Territorium liegen. Es handelt sich dabei um das Grab Rahels bei Bethlehem und die Machpela-Höhle in Hebron, die seltsamerweise auch den Muslimen heilig ist. Nachdem die israelische Regierung auch diese beiden Orte zu Stätten des jüdischen Nationalerbes erklärte, wurde unter den Palästinensern und in der islamischen Welt ein Sturm der Entrüstung ausgelöst. Es kam auch zu heftiger Kritik aus anderen Ländern, unter anderem vom amerikanischen Präsidenten Obama. 

Dear friends of Israel:

The 27th of January, the day when the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated by Soviet troops, was established as a global day of commemoration by the UN in November of 2005. This year Israel has paid special attention to the memorial events in Germany and Poland. President Shimon Peres attended the events in Germany, whereas Prime Minister Netanyahu visited those in Poland. In his speech at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp he warned that with Iran a "new Amalek" has appeared on the world stage. When he reminded his audience of the Holocaust, he quoted a passage from Deuteronomy ("Remember what Amalek did to you"; Deut 25:17) and expressed Israel's deep concern over the threats coming from Iran. Israel needs allies from all over the world in order to face this threat. This is one of the reasons why the commemoration events in Poland and Germany were so important to Israel. An international boycott against Iran, led by the industrialized nations, might be the only chance to prevent the production of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Some efforts in that area have already yielded results. For instance, the German company Siemens has annulled a commercial agreement with Iran.

Dear friends of Israel:

On January 4, 2010 it was exactly four years since the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fell into a coma after he had suffered a second stroke. This sad anniversary was a cause for Sharon’s former spokesman and close co-worker over many years, Ra’anan Gissin, to make public comments. He said that ironically Benjamin Netanyahu has turned out to be the political heir of Ariel Sharon, although the recent Premier once was one of his most vociferous critics. Gissin also noted that Netanyahu, like Sharon, moved to the center of the political map after becoming Prime Minister. In doing so, he has followed the “Sharon school of political thought” when he unilaterally froze the settlement construction and negotiated territorial compromise with the Americans before doing so with the Palestinians. “Those who claimed to be Sharon’s successors failed because the tsunami waves that came after his disappearance were too much for them,” Gissin said. “The tragedy is that his fiercest critics … have turned out to be his real successors. Netanyahu hasn’t formed a Kadima, but he has realigned his own party to the Center.” Israel’s recent Premier has taken this step in order to make the decisions he has to make regarding the negotiations with the Palestinians.

Other Sharon advisors said Netanyahu still had to prove himself before they would mention him in the same breath with their former boss. After the decision regarding the settlement freeze Netanyahu is now facing the same poisonous attacks from extremist elements in his party that Sharon did from him. The question is, however, whether Netanyahu will have Sharon’s courage and ability to understand that leadership has a price and whether he will “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk”. It remains to be seen if he will be a leader or a slave of his Likud party.

Dear friends of Israel:

When Israel’s Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu traveled to the United States early in November 2009, the Israeli media virtually went wild because no one knew whether President Obama would receive him or not and what the two politicians were to talk about if a meeting were to take place. Netanyahu and Obama did meet, but they did not follow the usual procedure and appear before the press afterwards. This was the reason why the suspense in the Israeli media was further mounting. After his meeting with the Obama Prime Minister Netanyahu shortly explained that they had talked about important issues and that the results would become apparent later on.

When on November 25 the Israeli Premier announced that his government had decided to freeze the construction of settlements in the Palestinian territories, this dramatic decision could be crucial for the survival of the current government. This step probably was a crucial test for Netanyahu himself because he has always made the settlement construction a national priority. The decision to yield to the demands of the US President and to stop the settlement construction for the time being is more evidence that the strategic partnership between Israel and the United States is of great significance.

Dear friends of Israel:

The second event took place two days later, when Syria's Foreign Minister Muallem announced that Turkish and Syrian forces had just carried out maneuvers near Ankara. Muallem rightly called this an important development.

Dear friends of Israel:

The Goldstone report on Israel’s military operation in Gaza has caused a great stir. Israel has rejected the report outright because it is lopsided and biased and actually broadcasts the troubling message that international law has no effective response to offer states confronting terrorist threats.

Five years ago the Israelis removed about 8,000 settlers and their soldiers from the Gaza Strip because they were incessantly told that this measure would lead to the longed-for peace. However, things turned out differently. Gaza has become a hotbed of terror. During the last eight years over 8,000 rockets and mortars have been fired on Israel, and cities like Ashkelon and Beersheba were within reach of the barrage. One million Israelis were no longer able to lead normal lives because they had to live near bomb shelters.

Dear friends of Israel:

The government of Benyamin Netanyahu is so extreme in its political orientation that skeptics have expected it to break up very soon. However, in spite of conflicts among coalition partners from opposite political camps this alliance has a remarkable longevity. A possible explanation of this paradox is provided by an article in the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, with the telling title "Israel's new national consensus". In the introduction the author, Barry Rubin, mentions that this could be the most important article he has written this year, as Israel has entered a new era of thinking and policy. For the first time the old categories of Left and Right, hawk or dove are irrelevant under a new national unity government. How has this surprising development materialized?

Between 1948 and 1992 the consensus in Israel was that a peace with the Palestinians is impossible and most Arab states are striving for Israel's destruction. Later the Oslo agreement created a deep rift between the promoters and the opponents of a peace treaty. In 2000 the Camp David negotiations failed because the Arab side rejected the generous offers made by the Israelis. Since then, Israel has been seeking a new paradigm for a peace with the Palestinians, as the unilateral offers made by Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni have led to nothing but renewed demands from the Palestinian side.

Dear friends of Israel:

During their meetings the politicians also talked about the Jewish settlements in the so-called West Bank and in East Jerusalem. In defiance of the American request that Israel stop all construction in Palestinian territories Prime Minister Netanyahu has just approved a building project in East Jerusalem. Netanyahu obviously wanted to demonstrate that Jerusalem will not be divided again and that the Jews have a right to erect buildings everywhere – not only in Jerusalem, but also in the West Bank. Concerning the Jewish settlements in the latter area Netanyahu declared that it would not be acceptable if a future Palestinian state were "judenrein" (free of Jews). The Jewish settlements in the West Bank could become a measuring stone for the willingness of the Palestinians to accept a peaceful coexistence with their Jewish neighbours.

Dear friends of Israel:

Zechariah, the penultimate prophet of the Old Testament, mentions two times that God will again choose Jerusalem. The first statement can be found in the first chapter of his book (verse 17), and the second one in chapter two, verse 16 where the prophet proclaims: “And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” It is interesting that immediately after this verse the prophet describes Satan’s attempt to thwart this plan of the Lord. The same happened when Jerusalem was first chosen. In the first book of Chronicles, chapter 21, verse 1 we read: “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.” Besides the book of Job these two texts are the only biblical reports where Satan is mentioned by name and where he personally appears. We may conclude that Satan is alarmed whenever God’s plans with Jerusalem are involved.

In 1^st Chronicles 21 Satan was able to tempt David, but in doing so the divine election of Jerusalem was made apparent. By God’s merciful intervention the angel of death was stopped on Ornan’s threshing floor. This was the very place where David instructed his people to build the Temple of the Lord, although the people of Israel paid a heavy penalty for David’s sin. Seventy thousand people died of the plague (see verse 14).