Atlas Shrugs

THE ATLAS INTERVIEW: CAROLINE GLICK

The most informative interview I conducted in Israel belonged to the brilliant writer, journalist, intellectual, Israel's national treasure, Caroline Glick.

Download CarolineGlick1.wav Part 1, Download caroline_glick_2.wav Part 2

Some of her sagacious remarks;

"All the missiles are Iranian. " [referring to the constant rain of rockets and mssile activity - Atlas]

"We have to be looking at it as the Iranian Foreign Legion . Hezb’Allah was  created by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in 1982. And  ever since, it has been an Iranian organization."

"Iran does this a lot. They outsource their war against the world. They created the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in 1988.

Hamas now is also an Iranian organization and they also receive Iranian, guidance and Iranian doctrine and Iranian weapons and Iranian money.

The Palestinian Authority itself is now being financed by Iran. Just a couple of months ago the head of Hamas  [..] together with the Hamas foreign minister went inside of Tehran and met with Ahmadinejad and met with Khameini and they were touring Revolutionary guards bases outside of Tehran and Iran pledged to them 50 million dollars on the spot and ever since them these Hamas ministers have been found in all sorts of places carrying hundreds of millions of dollars"

"What are we looking at here? And what we are looking at here is a system that is Iranian."

"And that is what is fighting Israel and of course that is what is fighting the US in Iraq. [..] Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army that’s fighting US and coalition forces and killing of thousands of innocent civilians. Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army is also a Hizb’Allah organization.

Muqtada al-Sadr is very close with Nasrallah, the head of Hezb’Allah in Lebanon. In Southern Iraq in the Shia area [...] immediately after US forces liberated the country from Saddam Hussein, Hezb’Allah set up shop in the south, in Nasariah and in other towns and started indoctrinating, inciting  and funding shite violence. Again at the direction of Iran. And so we have to be very clear about this. If, in Iraq, one of the problems with the Americans’ conceptualization of the war, when they were going in is that they were fighting against a government, a regular army………..[..] and they were wrong because they missed the terrorist component. and they were not fully cognizant of just how large the terrorist danger was going to become over time.

So when people look at the system that Israel is fighting, we look only at the terrorist aspect and we ignore the state aspect of it and the state aspect is the central aspect of it and if you want to try to conceptualize a way through this, a way to victory in all this, you have to be very clear about the centrality of Iran, and also BTW the centrality of the Lebanese government in this quite frankly."

If you listened to this Glick interview, listen to it again. If you haven’t heard it NOW NOW NOW. You will be tested.

Hamas Military Leader Says Palestinian Arab Combatants May Join Israel-Lebanon Conflict

RUSSIA HELPING IRAN WITH NUKES

Tehran is continuing its research into a uranium enrichment program with the help of Russian laser know-how, according to new allegations.

The Lessons of Sderot and the Brilliant Man Behind them

***UPDATED WITH VIDEO*** SCROLL DOWN***

Through the rocket scarred south, we made our way to Sderot, a fabled town known for its music and  home to manyof Israel’s most popular musicians. A cultural enclave, this bucolic hamlet has suffered 3,500 rocket attacks in six years, and the Israeli government did nothing. They urged restraint. Urged restraint as the world community and Condi is urging now.

What a tactical mistake. It baited, coaxed and inevitably encouraged the barbarians. The more Israel moved the line in the sand, the bolder the enemy has become. As we see all

This lovely town has kindergartens with bomb shelters, elementary schools with steel gates, steel fences and an according to a study from the Hebrew University over 80% Sderotian kids a re suffering entire generation of children suffering in post trauma syndrome. Children are afraid to go out, return to the parents beds, unable to concentration, wetting their beds, losing a lot of pills to sleep, to behave……their drawings reflect death, rockets, dead people.

We visited with the very wise, even tempered, low key, two term  Mayor Elli Moyal. I was so struck with his wisdom and his logic, he ought to run for Prime Minister. “Our jobs as citizens as civilians is to stay in this land. Not to move. Since 2001 until today, we have the same population in Sderot. No one left Sderot , this is the strength of these people.” (despite 3,500 attacks); Here is an excerpt of his remarks

“It’s a shame that 1/3 of our state  is empty. I was Haifa, I was in Nahariah  I was in Tiberias, I was …….nobody actually stayed there.  Most of the people ran away to Tel Aviv.  Said it then and I say it now.This war is against civilians not against the army. Now the civilians part. To show their strength.

Nasrallah is a vicious killer but he’s not stupid. He didn’t call a war against the Israeliarmy, he called a war against the people of Narhariah, the people of Haifa, the people of Tiberia.  If the people ran away, well actually  he achieved what he wanted and I said it clearly in that article yesterday. And  I was the first one who said it, c’mon, we not about the run. We are a state in a war, we’ve got to stand our place. Ok take the kids out. Take the weak people out. But the rest must stay.

We stayed here for 6 years,  we never left. This is the situation,  if you ask me. Because it’s not a two state conflict. It  is a war against terror. PURE

We don’t have a conflict with the Lebanon state. We don’t have a conflict with the Lebanese. We have a conflict with the terror organization. If you are asking  me the nickname of Hezb’Allah is Bin Laden. It’s international terror. It’s not local terror taking place in the Middle East.” The same hands who did 9/11 are doing right now what they do in the North.

It’s international terror, organized by al qaeda, Iran, by Syria by those states that are supporting terror. And unfortunately we got that job to fight it straight – face to face.

We don’t have a conflict with Jordan. We don’t have a conflict with Egypt. We have a conflict with terror. This is the situation.

Now is the time of civilians to make their  statement. To stay. We don’t have a choice. It’s not, it shouldn’t be a consideration to leave our cities. This is my opinion as a citizen here is Israel.

[…] We should stay. It’s gonna be tough. It’s gonna cost. But it’s not the solution to run away to leave Haifa. It’s a shame.

[..} We should act normally in a dangerous situation. But we  should, we must act normally. That’s why I stayed here 6 years. That’s why no one has left Sderot. We never closed schools for one day in the last 6 years, we never stopped giving services, municipality services, welfare, sports, you name it, industry, commerce. It’s all open.  It was tough.  We buried people, small kids. It’s not easy.  But we continued. We couldn’t give them that joy to see us running away.

Because that’s what they are looking for. They want to see us running from our country, from our cities. That’s the voice that should be heard all over Israel. Now is the part for the citizens the civilians of Israel to be strong to stay and keep normality in an abnormal situation. I understand, it’s a war. We can not allow ourselves to run. It’s a tiny, a small country anyhow. It is smaller than Rhode Island. Look at the map once . It’s a very small country. 6 million people live here. Half of it is a desert. We don’t have that choice to leave, to hide somewhere. They will find us in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, in Haifa…. so we must stay.

Please listen to this man’s words. I implore you. It’s worth listening to many, many times.

Download sderot_mayor_moyal.mp3 (hat tip conversion JB)
 

Winging it to South Florida to see mama. Will load photos later.

UPDATE: Photos from the embattled town that could, Sderot.

Mayor Elli Moyal

The onslaught of rocket attacks is called Red Dawn. Here Red Dawn breaks this child's heart

The bomb shelter at the school

The children

The school behind bars............

Rabbi Wolpe receiving an honor from the school for the infinite good deeds this extraordinary man does. A shining example of righteousness.

UPDATE: Video of the children of Sderot

Bombing Haifa

Went to Haifa today to meet with the Mayor and survey the missile damage. Haifa has to be one of the most beautiful cities by the sea I have had the extraordinary pleasure of seeing. There is no bottom to the depths the savages will go.

In a quaint and exquisitive corner of the city a beautiful, bucolic tree and flower lined street, the mark of the barbarians. While I was in the hospital visiting the wounded soldiers I stumbled into the room of the young Russian emigre woman that lost both her legs in the Haifa missile attacks. And while I spoke no Russian and she no English, we sad and talked ..... the consolation of mishpucha. I was later by her tenders that despite her tragedy, she would never have done anything different. She loved Israel, never considered her moving there a mistake. Was happy she was in Yerusalayem.

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Check out the clock and the follows on the kitchen table

The mark of the Syrian contribution to mankind. Ball bearings and shrapnel desgined to tear though human flesh.

Buidlings, cars.........shrapnel shrapnel everywhere. Very somber..... so is this

Going into a sweet cafe on the beach for lunch........... victim of a Pali woman homicide bombing. She had lunch first and then detonated herself

Live in Person DORE GOLD in Jerusalem

IDF military intel got every phone number in South Lebanon and they are working the phones. Paraphrasing, "we know Hezb'Allah is in your home. We know Katuyshas are  in your home and unless they are moved your home will become a target!"

When are I asked Mr. Gold if the reason the Lebanese were not never leaving their homes after the warnings and the leaflets was the Hezb'Allah were holding them hostage or threatening them he said he did not know.

A wonderful bloggers' interview with Former UN Ambassador Dore Gold, 1997-1999. Rick of Jewish Current Issues and I were there LIVE, and in person. The spectacular Ann of Boker Tov, John Right Wing News, Allan Roth of One Jerusalem.Org and Gateway Pundit has the best recap here;

Ambassador Dore Gold is Israel’s former Ambassador to the UN and two-time NY Times bestselling author of Hatred’s Kingdom and Tower of Babble - How the United Nations Has Fueled Global Chaos. Ambassador Gold talked today on a blogger conference from Jerusalem to update bloggers on what is happening in Israel.

Ambassador Gold addressed a wide range of issues including the recent incident in Kfar Qana, an alternative to a cease-fire, and the role of the UN.

WWW.ONEJERUSALEM.ORG sponsored the event.

Ambassador Dore Gold:

First of all a bit on Hezbollah-
- Israel withdrew from Lebanon completely fulfilling UN resolutions even garnisheing the blessing of the UN at the time of withdrawal.
- Kofi Annan only elevated Nasrallah when he met with him after Israel left Lebanon in June, 2000.
- Nasrallah has preached that the US is the principle enemy, not Israel.
- As a result of Israel departing from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah was strengthened with help from Iran.
- UN Resolution 1559 attempted to disarm the militias in Lebanon. If the militias would have been disarmed the current crisis would not be happening. Israel by disarming Hezbollah is restoring security. By disarming Hezbollah, Irael is helping the democratic movement of the Cedar Revolution and Israel is also helping to fulfill UN resolution 1559.

On Iran-
- Iran's aim is to dominate Iraq and the region. Iran has an ally in Syria.
- Israel's strategy includes isolating Hezbollah from its Irainian suppliers.
- This is the only way to beat the Hezbollah insurgency.

On Syria-
- It was Syrian agents who assassinated the Lebanese Prime Minister in 2005.
- Syria has been the pivital country supporting the insurgency in Iraq.
- Somehow, those who propose that Syria become a major player are suffering from amnesia.

What to do:
- This is such a clearcut war.
- Syria and Lebanon are clearly trying to expand their domain.
- The media is trying to portray Israel as the criminal in this war.
- "Civilian casualties" is one area that the media is exploiting.
- Hezbollah is the clear party that is responsible.
- Most people in the world do not realize the extent that Israel is going to to avoid civilian casualties.
- In Qana leaflets dropped in June asking the people to leave.

Read it all.

 

Allan of One Jerusalem.Org will have the transcript up tomorrow. And the excellent Q & A. This was a particularly good blogger call.

UPDATE: Rick over at the erudite bur racy Jewish Current Issues has his take here

UPDATE: HERE IS THE LIVE AUDIO DOWNLOAD Download DoreGold801Israel.wav

Where Men are Men

Rambam Hospital is suffering the distinction of being the first to confront  meeting an unprecendented challenge -providing lifesaving emergency treatments of civilian casualties of missile attacks, at the same time receiving IDF war wounded from South Lebanon (you know how the Hezb’Allah jihadis love shrapnel and ballbearings in their IEDs) and going into crisis mode while under missile attack. More than 20 missile have fallen with 500 meters are Rambam since the war began. One after another. Remember when hospitals and ambulances were off limits?
The IDF soldiers exemplify honor, duty, country. Very much like our boys.

All of these soldiers were surrounded by so many members of their families. So wonderful. It was moving. And they were so happy and grateful that we came. We are the grateful ones.

Shrapnel (a Syrian specialty) removed from victims.

Shrapnel embedded in the lungs and heart

Soldiers visiting soldiers.

The hospital was beautiful. In the lobby was a promenade with shops and fabi little  restaurants. It was magnificent. A glorious attempt to make a difficult time in one's life, more tolerable.

Such a country. These boys go into battle and come out men. Israel is on the front lines on the war on the Jihad.

It was an unbelievable day. A summer camp for Ethiopian children displaced by the missles in the north, a secret military base in action when we arrived rescuing the wounded (and dead) from today's latest battle,  thanking wounded soldiers , the Patriot missile installation and a one and one with Dore Gold.

Will post when I can. Will try to work as late as I can. Will be in Gaza tomorrow.

Just heard my ma is not well..............have to make different arrangements.

UPDATE AUGUST 4th: Hizballah Rockets Strike Israeli Hospital - Matthew Kalman

In Nahariya, Dr. Uri Rehany picked his way through the wreckage of the Western Galilee Hospital's eye department where a Hizballah rocket had exploded last Friday, destroying the entire floor. The rocket devastated patient rooms and medical systems, including sensitive ocular ultrasound equipment worth more than $120,000. Twisted pieces of metal and smashed masonry crashed down onto the empty hospital beds. A gaping hole which was once a window shows where the missile struck, sending shrapnel and high explosives tearing through the ward.

"They target civilians - hospitals, schools, whatever they can. We are so sorry when we hear that something happened to a civilian by mistake, but they specifically aim at civilian targets. They're not even ashamed of it," Rehany said, who also recalled that before Israel left southern Lebanon in 2000, about one-third of his patients were Lebanese.

UPDATE August 8th: * Haifa Hospital Goes Underground *

Officials at Haifa's Rambam Hospital began Monday morning the process of transferring whole wings and patients to a large underground bomb shelter containing hundreds of beds.

The bomb shelter was prepared in recent weeks in the wake of the outbreak of hostilities in the North. The advanced facility includes air-conditioning and other systems required in order to perform the functions of a regular hospital.

Earlier in the war, the hospital in the northern town of Nahariya moved its operations underground.

Summer Camp for Traumatized Children

The first miracle of the day was a visit to The Jewish Agency summer camp outside of Netanya..

These Ethiopian children were living in Absorbtion centers in S’derot having come from Ethiopia not two months ago. Rescued by Operation Promise, they waited years to make aliyah.  The two major operations in rescuing these Jews were Operation Solomon and Operation Moses – airlifting 22,000 out of Sudan in one day. Operation Promise is mission organized by Jewish leaders from America that committed 500 million dollars not just to bring them to Israel but money to adapt to them to civilian life.

The Talmud says all Israel is responsible for each other. And so the Jewish Agency rushed to S’dertot and brought these confused children  to Hadassah Neurim. It’s been very tough on these children. First to come to a strange land only to be fired upon by  the the Philistines in Gaza. Perched on cliffs above the Mediterranean Sea north of Netanya, this summer camp has been an oasis of peace for these little ones.

Nachum Katz, Director General of this summer/study camp had this to say about the hostilities;

    "I am a sane human being that wants a peaceful life, but one that is willing to give it up for a real chance to a better future for my children and my children’s children. I am a man that has seen enough blood in Lebanon and in Gaza, in Hadera my town or in Tel Aviv, in person or via the television screen. I witnessed enough burials of my companions, and dreamed about peace and normalcy enough.

    We did not seek this war. We did not invent or [provoke it. We not dream of annihilating our neighbor from the North, Lebanon, or wish to destroy its land. We have no enemy among the Lebanese people. We  have more in common than we differ from each other."

The pictures say it all…………..

 

Muslims Terrorizing Muslims in Jerusalem

I spent the morning in East Jerusalem which is mostly Arab. The differences between the Jewish areas and the Arab areas is to break your heart. It is inexplicable to me why the Arabs would live in such abject squalor, throwing their garbage in the streets when they could all work together with the Jews for a far better life. But Jihad Islam will never let that happen. FACT.  You can immediately tell what part of Jerusalem you are in, in a nanosecond, with a mere glimpse of your surroundings. The women, young and old, wore the burka and in many cases the chador in the hot summer  heat.

Watch this video. I am sorry for the wind. Muhammad is saying that all the Arab stores were forced to close today to "strike"  against the Israei acts of self defense in Lebanon. It made no sense to me as this hurts the shopowners and the Arab customer. But the Arab Muslim shop owners are threatened, their shops destroyed if they do not close. And who suffers?  The Arabs......... the Jews don't buy halal.

I had this encounter with an Arab Muslim when viewing  the top of Mount Olive. Mount Olive, the oldest Jewish cemetary in the world on Mount Olive. 68,000 Jews are buried there. (shown below)

The tragedy of Israel is the constant state of seige the Israelis live under. Going to meet Ari, an old LGF pal,  at a small cafe for lunch, I went though security check and iron doors. The level of security at every level of everyday life is staggering. Americans have no cluea dn the world is blackhearted to the what this country is enduring.

Checking my bag to have a simple salad.

There can be no cease fire. These people, their children are fighting for the lives, and the lives of this great nation. The miracle of Israel, IMAO, is that warriors could create such a magnificent jewel of a nation in such a malevolent cesspool. Everything in Israel is constructed, erected with such beauty, detail, respect and intelligence. All under constant threat. But this fight is different. It is existential. The thought of "peace," no longer is in the the Israeli delusional wishlist. They know now that after giving back Gaza and withdrawing from Lebanon they  gave the enemy unprecedented access. This is why while the consensus in Israel is unified to fight Hezb'Allah, there is a mood of complete sadness. They are letting go of something their  enemy would never allow - peace. If withdrawing from Gaza and Lebanon did not bring peace, BOTHING WILL BRING PEACE.

More signs of the tragic toll on Israeli daly life at an art gallery.

Later in the day I had the enormous pleasure of joining Rabbi David Wolpe on a walk to the wall to prayer. Check out our security just to walk to the wall.

More security at the Wall.

Rabbi Wolpe. What a Rabbi! If all of our shuls had a Wolpe, American Jewry would not be so disconnected, disaffected. In describing the Wall, the Rabbi said paraphrasing, there are people with hearts of stone and stones with the hearts of people (alluding to the centuries of Jews who have come here to pray and pour their hearts out.)

Returning to my room and turning on the news (No FOX!), I can not make it official, CNN (Crescent News Network) makes Goebbels propaganda look like childs play. At least then we knew it was Naza state propaganda but CNN is "independent" They are anything but. They are jihad TV. Their portrayal of events in Lebanon are such lies, such Jew hatred -- it is nothing short of frightening. Nothing is as they say it is.It is as if they are getting their talking points straight from Hezb'Allah. If I hear the "Israeli war machine" one more time, I'll scream. It's a handful of Jews fighting for their lives. Where are the news reports of the bombing of Nahariyah Hospital and the destruction of its fourth floor and the Department of Eye Diseases, in which Arabs and Jews have been treated,  and where Arab and Jewish interns wor?  All this whining about the Lebanese people not having enough money to leave their towns (as the benificent Israel has told them to do.) Tell Hezb'Allah to stop buying armaments and bombs and buyt their human shields a  one way ticket out.

CNN screaming all day for a HUDNA so that the jihadis can rearm. Sick, sick, sick. Why? For access as they did by covering for Saddams heinous acts of barbarism? These CNN dhimmis will be the first ones getting their pretty little heads chopped off if the savages they are supporting should win. A CEASEFIRE IS A DEATH SENTENCE FOR iSRAEL. 

"JEWS LOSE NO MATTER WHAT " so said a Lebanese Shia in a letter to the editor of the Berlin left-wing daily Die Tageszeitung (TAZ) explains how after Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon, Hezbollah stored rockets in bunkers in his town and built a school and residence over it. hat tip Naomi Ragen

Hezbollywood? Evidence mounts that Qana collapse and deaths were staged

Just getting back and I have much to tell but running to a dinner I was graciously invited to by the most generous Rich R. with Rabbi David Wolpe and friends of the IDF. But I wanted to load this video of Muhammad. I didn't realize the audio was imperfect or I would have redid it. Mujammad was a powerful albeit quiet speaker for his people.

Early tomorrow morning I will be joining Rabbi Wolpe's mission with the  Friends of the IDF  on a journey to the North. We will be visiting with beseiged families, bereaved families , and wounded IDF soldiers in the hospital Thank you and Gd bless you Rich. 

UPDATE: Check out Rich's post here

The Eagle Has Landed in Israel

Just got to the hotel...............security insane (maybe because I am staying in Condi's hotel?) I stopped at Mini-Israel on my way in the Jerusalem. It is striking to me the respect and attention the Israelis paid to replicating in exact detail the mosques and the Muslims in prayer in these displays at Mini Israel. The Israelis duplicatd more mosques that temples. Oh, if the respect was mutual, what a wonderful world it would be.

Listenng to Kofi Enema right now speak on the Crescent News Network -CNN (no FOX- ugh.) He is spewing his vitriol at Israel and holding both responsible parties for the deaths in the war the jihad is exacting on Israel. This is the height of moral equivalence. It is sickening. Hezb'Allah is solely responsible for today's incident. Where is the world outrage at Hezb'Allah for using women and children as human shields? This is the issue.

The building fell 7 hours after the IDF bombed it.  Why were all of those people still in there? Check out the IDF video here. The innocent civilians in all this are the Israelis livving under a rain of  rockets - unguided weapons of terror. Here's more on Hezb'Allah's depraved use of civilians.

Here in Israel, they are of one mind. They will not falter. Their existence depends on it. I STAND WITH ISRAEL.

NO HUDNA!

Gotta eat something. I will tell you I have some extraordinary coverage coming in the next couple of days. Not at liberty to say right now though.

UPDATE: from NAOMI RAGEN;

1. Tonight, an IDF spokesman showed aerial photos of rockets being fired from residential areas in Qana.  It showed the portable rocket launchers being parked beneath residential buildings.  The spokesman said that the bombs dropped on Qana were dropped at 1 a.m. The reports of the building collapse took place at 7 a.m.  Also, no bombs actually hit the building.  So,  who was responsible for the collapse of that building?  Could Hezbollah weapons have exploded, destroying the building?   Was it deliberate, a way to pressure Israel into a ceasefire the same way they did last time, in exactly the same spot? And why is no one in the media picking up on this time gap and asking questions?

2. The number of those injured is being supplied by Lebanese sources, and being quoted by all the news stations. So far, only 26 bodies have been recovered.  But news reports are saying the number was twice that, and half are children.  That too is supplied by unknown sources and repeated by the major media.

3. At 7 a.m. a barrage of Hezbollah rockets hit the shopping center and buildings of Kiryat Shmona, unlike anything else the town has experienced. Altogether 1500 kilograms of bombs have hit the area's approximately 25,000 residents remaining in their homes. Where is the outrage over that?

NO HUDNA!

In related news; IRAN'S AHMADINEJAD HARDENS ITS NUCLEAR STANCE

The Guardian reported that Iran warned the west that attempts to broker a Lebanon peace deal at today's Rome summit are destined to fail and that the West ignores Iran "at your peril."

UPDATE: Israel agrees to suspend air operations over southern Lebanon for 48 hours to investigate strike on Qana, a U.S. State Dept. spokesman said.

UPDATE: SOLIDARITY WITH ISRAEL IN POLAND, Pro-Israel rally in Poland

Atlas Embarks for Israel

I am off! - woot. Posting will be erratic but I will be cramming and covering as much territory as the law and IDF permit. Stay tuned. Atlas is on it.