Last month I wrote about the situation between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. I fully expected it might turn into something more extensive. But I also am aware that the Israeli government has no interest in occupying /Gaza, and that is no one else willing to do so. This gives Hamas a much greater range … More A War by Any Other Name is Still a War
I live in Israel. I was born in the USA. We moved to Israel in 1972. When e started out, in Haifa, we used to say that to get anything done, especially at a government office, it takes three separate visits, That was based on our experiences doing various errands and making arrangements like getting … More Adjusting to a new place
Scrabble is one of our favorite games. We play it on the Sabbath, when anything involving writing or electricity is not allowed for orthodox Jews, It isn’t writing, because the tiles have letters pre-printed on them. It also doesn’t make real words because the positioning of the tiles is not permanent and disappears at the … More A Scrabble Diversion
The threats and violence seem to have returned to their prior levels. Not surprising to many of us. Israel has few real options with regard to Gaza. Deposing a Hams governing body is not a realistic choice. Who would replace them? Israel left Gaza because she didn’t want the headaches associated with the job. The … More Back to Business as Usual
Yesterday I talked about strife from Gaza. Today it is time for just a few more background facts. Yesterday, Hamas launched long range rockets at Israeli cities. The one aimed at Tel Aviv landed in the Mediterranean. But the one fired at Beersheva hit a home. It destroyed most of the structure. Fortunately, the residents … More And Where is This Going?
According to Clausewitz, a Napoleonic era general, war is just a matter of attaining a political or diplomatic aim, but by using other means. This idea can be used to shed a little light on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Arab side is not willing to get involved in any direct negotiations with Israel. To … More Only a few casualties, But a War, Nonetheless
This is the time of the year when the Palestinians usually make another attempt to have the British Government rescind the Balfour Declaration. It’s just another way to try to keep world media focused on their problems. But it doesn’t hurt to examine the facts, Lord Arthur Balfour was the British foreign secretary during World … More Lord Balfour? Who? What?
Sukkot is the Jewish holiday where the Children of Israel are enjoined to live in flimsy huts for a week as a remembrance of the way things were when their forefathers traveled for 40 years in the desert. Many Jews today not only take all their meals in their sukkot or huts, they even sleep … More Sukkot Holiday at Sea
When I started this blog one of my earliest posts was about joining the Navy. I mentioned that I had wanted to visit Israel, but my local draft board made it difficult. The redult was that I planned to go to Israel when I finished my initial required active service. The plan was a bit … More A regular student at Hebrew University
Yesterday a 16 year old Arab boy from the village of Yata, several miles South of where we live, took a large kitchen knife and traveled North, He came to the shopping center at Gush Etzion Center. That’s where we do our regular weekly grocery shopping and often visit other stores in the complex. The … More Teen age Terrorist in the Neighborhood
Wetherhorn 