Palestine Peace Train

Back in the late 19th century European Jews sought a homeland to call their own. The obvious choice was Palestine with their historical ties to the Levant dating back the End of the Exodus and an existing community of 10,000 in Jerusalem and three other cities. By 1918 the Jewish population in Palestine had expanded to 70,000 versus 320000 Muslims. Arab ownership amounted to 94% of Land.

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire allowed Britain and France to redraw the Middle East without regard to previous provincial boundaries. Straight lines defined the borders of the new nations. Not so Palestine which the British ruled under a mandate as the French oversaw Syria, whose frontier with Iraq ran as straight as a crow's flight.

Seeking to end the Diaspora Jews from Europe emigrated to their ancient kingdom in hopes of creating a homeland far from the eternal programs and antisemitism of Christians.

Jews migrated everywhere. Mostly to the Americas, but for better or worse many stayed where they were. It was home for a landless tribe.

The Holocaust visited on the Ashkenazi by the Third Reich reinforced that reality that the Jewish people were not safe in foreign countries and in 1948 the United Nations voted to create Israel, giving the Jews 60% of the land.

Over the next seventy-five years Israel practiced apartheid tactics to evict the original inhabitants from their traditional homes citing the millenia old Bible as their lease to a kingdom extinct for nearly two thousand years.

Last week Hamas said enough and struck Israel without warning from their highly vaulted Mossad and multi-million dollar security systems. Hamas launched thousands of missiles at settlements and cities across the Jewish state and over 15,000 fighters easily breached the border wall to spread death to settlers and soldiers across the desert as if this was their Tet Offensive. More like the Mongol Horde. No one was spared. Not soldiers. Not civilians nor men, women or children. The dead number over 1400 with thousands wounded, and hundreds taken hostages. The IDF was nowhere, Shin Bet having trained conscripts to be an army of occupation instead of soldiers.

The assault was finally stemmed three days later. The attackers fought to the last bullet. There were no prisoners. Hamas had nothing to lose.

Stunned Neyhayahu promised retaliation and Israel has ruthlessly adopted the Nazi tactic of leveling the Warsaw Ghetto or the push them into the sea strategy.

The world awaits worse. Young Israeli soldiers are amassing outside of Gaza. War seems to be the only course between two people who no longer believe in peace. The West Bank is also under assault by the IDF. The Two-State Plan is dead. It always has been an illusion.

There is only one sane course.

It is not war.

It is peace.

Peace between two people who don't speak.

Who believe extermination as the only answer, but the next step to peace will be a peace convoy from Jerusalem and Gaza to act as a human shield from Armageddon, but like Hamas the vast majority of Jews see red and I can't blame them, but fighting in Gaza could become Israel's Stalingrad. I hope for peace.

As Winston Churchill said, "It's better to jaw jaw than war war."

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Isaac Asimov wrote the three laws of robotics in I ROBOT.

1.) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2.) A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3.) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

The producers of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL ignored these edicts by granting the robot Gort the ability to destroy humanity for its sins against universal peace.

This week the powers of peace have been overwhelmed by the forces of war in the Middle East.

My friend Jorge wrote on facebook; Just to be clear, I think Israel has as much right to exist as the state of Palestine. I decry their bombing of Gaza, just as I do Palestinian attacks on Israel. I am not looking to ascribe blame in this convoluted scenario; I simply wish for innocent people and children to be spared. Naive as it may sound, I think all violent aggressors that cost innocent lives should be policed and boycotted by the UN and world-at-large over and above any political affiliations. If world-government accord enforced such stipulations, aggressors would have to cease or face sanctions and embargo. Of course that would leave much of the world, including the US, penalized. Enter Gort!

Klaatu barada nikto.

One friend posted; Its all so fucking stupid...after all this time what is the fucking point? And I entered the fray by writing; The point is that these two sides have grievances. Palestinian land was stolen by the Israelis to make up from their treatment at the hands of the Nazis. Peace cannot exist without truth." Jorge argued not without a passion for peace, "The new point is to cease returning to historical causes and justifications and to start unanimously denouncing all violent acts. Otherwise, we are caught in an endless cycle." I countered, "The historical causes must be addressed to sate the need for both justice and equality. The truth will out." Our mutual friend Merrill enjoined the discussion with the following entry. "Somebody in a forum I was arguing with about this said the reason Palestine was chosen to repatriate Jews was because they were part of the Ottoman Empire and sided with the Germans during the war. I don't see why that would not warrant the Jews to be settled in Germany though, but I always wondered why Palestine was chosen...why did they draw the short straw? This seems to be all about real estate, plain and simple. I have the impression that the Palestinians are like the American Indians, handshake deals, not keen on "owning" the land, so not able to negotiate rights later on when Israel wants to paper their way over ownership. In that way it is also a culture clash, a difference of relating to owning things. Very sad. Israel seems greedy." I agreed with Merrill by writing, "Someone cited that the Ottoman Empire sided with the Germans. That was in WWI, but the Arabs revolted against the Turks only to be screwed by the Filthy Brits and Frogs. Of course history is written by the victors and revised periodically to suit the purposes of repression. There were no palestinians at Dachau." And as Patricia Neal said in THE DAY EARTH STOOD STILL, "Gort, Klaatu barada nikto." There is no translation to this phrase, but Gort stopped his destruction of the planet. If only it were so easy for us, we could clap our hands like when we watched PETER PAN and say, "Klaatu barada nikto." It has to meant something

THEY ARE ANIMALS By Peter Nolan Smith

The other day I was on 47th Street selling a diamond. I ran into a young friend. Shimon spotted my NY Times opened to an article about Hamas.

"Animals."

"Excuse me." I liked Shimon. We shared the same taste in clothing.

"Hamas are animals. They hide behind civilians and hide weapons in schools." His chest puffed with righteous indignation.

"That's what the Nazis said about the Jews." I didn't mention that the KKK and John Birch Society shared the same thought.

"What would you do if someone was firing missiles at you?"

"You mean missiles that don't hit anything?"

"People die from the missiles."

"Out of the twelve thousand missiles fired in the last ten years twenty-eight Israelis have been killed versus over 500 Palestinian children killed during the recent Gaza operations by the IDF."

"Because Hamas is hiding behind the civilians."

"No, because the IDF was angered by the number of soldiers killed during their attacks and went blood red for revenge. The blast radius of an artillery shell is 64 meters, which means if there was a missile launcher at St. Patrick's Cathedral we would get blasted to dust."

"But what would you do if they were shooting missiles at you?"

"I'd kill everyone of them."

"And push them into the sea."

"Exactly, but I'm not a Nazi or a Zionist or a member of Hamas. I'm Irish and I know that at one time you have to sit down with the other side and talk about peace or else you'll lose the war and Israel, because people will not back murder or talk about people being animals. Neve again a Shoah. Not for anyone, unless you believe that the Holocaust was a good thing, because it create Israel."

I walked away without hearing his answer.

Shimon texted me later that I was an asshole.

I replied, "לעולם לא עוד."

Like I said I'm Irish and my people lived through the Famine.

"Go deo arís."

It is the way to live.

Anything else is strictly about death and death is not an option for those who have lived through Shoah, the Famine, or the Nakba.

I texted back to Shimon, if he had a two-carat diamond for a certain price.

"Of course."

"Good man."

After all the first law on 47th Street was 'nimmt geld' or take money.

And with my many mouths to feed I am a true believer in taking money.

As well as peace.

Free Palestine.

Free the world

We are not animals.

Green Everywhere Around Israel

After WW2 hundreds of thousands of Jews sought refuge in Palestine joining the thousands of their religious kinsmen who had fled the pograms of Czarist Russia. This influx of refugees swelled the small British Mandate, so that by 1948 32% of the population of nearly two million people were Jewish, yet the UN resolution awarded over half the land to the newcomers, who seized even more territory after their decisive victories against the Arabs in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973 as well as occupying major portions of the West Bank and Gaza to quell any rebellion against Israel. Americans tend to think that Israel has existed forever, however since the Romans conquered the Hebrews no Jewish state existed for almost 2000 years. We have seen countless movies about the struggle to establish a homeland for a people persecuted by the Nazis almost to the point of extinction. Our sympathies were heightened by the romanticism of EXODUS. No president has ever really spoken out against the apartheid democracy and my fellow Americans consider all Arabs as terrorists as evinced by this facebook entry by my cousin Kim "I'm worried about Israel...there will never be peace but hopefully a cease fire. McCain calling for Bill Clinton to go in. Anyone that is willing to cross boarders with a bomb strapped to their chest is a dangerous zealot. No Israeli would do such an act. Beyond war into terrorism. Golda Meir said the conflict would end when the Arabs love their children with the same intensity that they love their children..below a map. Israel is surrounded by enemies. Kim posted the above map showing an Israel wrapped by green. I responded as follows; "Israel put itself in that situation when they stole the land from the palestinians. How many palestinians were at Dachau? Zero. As for the terrorists with a 10lb bomb strapped to them, what about the US made F-16s strapped with 1000 pound bombs. Oh, I forgot that's precision bombing. Fuck an eye for an eye. All I want to say to the two parties is what Grace Slick said at Altamont, "Calm down people." addendum ps on a geographical note Israel has four neighbors and the sea. Then again Americans aren't too good with geography. Kim, I'm glad you have GPS or else you couldn't find your way to Starbucks Her friend Jay jumped into the discussion, "Let's all relive history and make Israel the bad guy again. After all it worked so well last time... NOT!" Kimberly wasn't amused either. Zealots on both sides have no sense of humor, "I shall always love Israel, and what it stands for..Jews persecuted for centuries..shit on for all time..mass graves...gas...six million slain as they whisper the one hope: Israel..the promised land. Yesterday at 3:44pm · Like "Once more there were no Palestinians at Dachau. Love an ideal, do not support apartheid." I wasn't leaving her with the last word. Or at least that's what I thought. Kim. "Hamas is a terrorist organization. The Muslim brotherhood is a terrorist organization. No need to talk down to me. Apartheid. REALLY? We will have to agree to disagree. I tried to reason, "This is all a shadow play at the cost of lives. The plot cannot be seen by those unprepared to challenge the lies of politicians, media, and perception. All is not what it seems, but you know what you've been taught to know. There are no other options when you don't question the truth. Kim: "What, are you in the CIA? LOL" "No, but I know what happened. Over the past months parties within Hamas, Israel, and Egypt pursued a peace pact. The proposal was handed to Ahmed Jabari and hardliners within Hamas snitched him out to an equally obdurate faction within the IDF, who ended all peace prospects with a drone attack. Of course this is all a hunch based on Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, but then all life is an imitation of art." "Unleash the dogs of war." - General Chang Klingon commander I love Star Trek.

Gaza Versis Goliath

The Old Testament has great plots; Adam and Eve, Moses freeing his people, and the classic David versus Goliath. Israel has touted their relationship to the young shepherd downing the giant throughout the wars against their neighbors without ever mentioning the help of the West. They were never really alone, but few Arab states have openly supported the PLO or Hamas on a military basis in fear of earning the wrath of the Big Dog of the USA. The most recent escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip has resulted in over a hundred dead on both sides, although the Palestinians are taking a beating from their arch-nemesis. Low-tech rockets in one direction and top of the line bombs and missiles in the other. Egypt has offered terms for a ceasefire. Israel demands no hostile fire from Gaza and an end of arms shipments to Hamas, while their fellow falafel eaters demand a cessation to the Gaza blockade and Shin Bet assassinations. While newly re-elected US President Obama attempted to reach a common ground between the combatants, he also green-lighted Israel's right to defend itself. No one wants Israel to lay down in the face of aggression, but neither will the world approve of a bloodletting such as occurred in the last Gaza incursion. PM Netanyahu has called up 75,000 army reservists and Hamas has said 'bring it on'. The IDF has superiority of arms, but as they learned in Lebanon their tanks are only good for one thing, so Israelis are rightfully worried that "Bibi' is leading them into another war without victory only more mayhem. Come on people, demand for a ceasefire. As Winston Churchill said, "It is better to jaw jaw than war war."

Calm Down People

In GIMME SHELTER, the epic 1969 film about the mayhem at Altamont, Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane beseeched the unruly crowd and the pool cue-wielding Hells Angels from the stage, "Calm down, people."

There was no calming down that crowd.

Nor do the parties of Israelestine seem interested in peace.

Yesterday the Israeli Defense Forces missiled a car of transporting Ahmed Jabari, the Head of the Hamas Military, who is credited with the 2006 capture of an Israeli soldier in a complex cross-border raid that killed two other soldiers according to Huffington Post. In October 2011, Israel traded 1000 Palestinians for Gilad Schalit ending his five years as a hostage at the hands of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees (which includes members of Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas), and a previously unknown group calling itself the Army of Islam as reported by Wikipedia.

Hamas vowed to avenge his assassination and their military wing launched a fusillade of STS missiles into the Occupied Territories, reaping a deadly harvest in Kiryat Malachi, 20 miles from Gaza. The IDF responded with ATS missiles and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that Hamas had been defanged by the counterattack.

Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv for the first time since the 1991 SCUD crisis during the Iraq I, warning Tel Aviv residents of incoming Hamas' rockets. Three struck the coastal city without causing any casualties. Shin Bet and the IDF are at high alert for a possible land invasion of Gaza to counter their intelligence laps on October 6.

The Independent reported that Paz Azaran, a 17-year-old Ashkelon schoolgirl welcomed the Israeli military operation. “We’re standing behind our army and we are very proud.”

More to come, but people, what about a little calm or is it too late in the season for peace.

To view the IDF Pinpoint Strike on Ahmed Jabari, Head of Hamas Military Wing, please go to the following URL; there are people on the street.