Only a brief posting before Purim— there will not be another until after, on Monday.
I begin by sending wishes for a Hag Sameach. A joyous Purim. Let us be mindful of G-d’s hand in our lives, even when it is hidden, and of our responsibility to act along with the Almighty to secure our redemption. The lessons of this holiday. Haman did not get us, and we will not be defeated now, either.
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The US State Department has chastised us for having the audacity to recognize sites that are part of our ancient heritage because they happen to be in areas that the Palestinian Arabs seek. We’ve been told that the administration views it as “provocative” — that we’ve included in our list of Heritage sites the Machpelah, the burial cave of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, purchased by Avraham, as documented in the Torah, and the burial site of our Matriarch Rachel, also documented in the Torah.
My friends in the US, let the Secretary of State and the President know what you think of this, please. Remind them that these sites — some 3,500 years old — were part of the Jewish heritage long before Islam even existed and that it is not within the jurisdiction of the US to ask Jews to relinquish them. Remind them that there is free access to holy sites here only when Israel is in control, that when the Arabs are in control they ban Jews — this is solidly documented by precedent.
President Barack Obama
Fax: 202-456-2461 White House Comment line: 202-456-1111
e-mail form via: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Fax: 202-647-2283 Phone: 202-647-6575
e-mail: secretary@state.gov
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I end with additional, and fascinating, commentary with regard to the Dubai assassination of al-Mabhouh.
Claudia Rosett, in her piece, “Video Killer Thriller in Dubai,” informs us that Dubai is Iran’s top trading partner and plays “a critical role as Iran’s offshore banker and exporter.” In 2001, “more than half the September 11 hijackers passed through Dubai en route to attack the U.S…and the 9/11 Commission reported that roughly half the $250,000 the hijackers spent preparing for the attacks was wired to them via Dubai banks. “
A nice place, Dubai.
Rosett points out that “Dubai’s security apparatus has just given an impressive display of its surveillance abilities. Closed circuit cameras followed members of the alleged hit team arriving and departing the airport, and tracked them at a shopping mall and at various hotels, including that of top Hamas terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. All of which points toward a big question. If Dubai surveillance is this adept, where’s the rest of the Dubai video collection?
“Dubai’s authorities are putting on a curious display of priorities, appearing far more incensed over the murder of one Hamas terrorist than over the use of their turf for terrorists such as al-Mabhouh to plot and facilitate the murders – albeit elsewhere – of many others. If this is all about enforcing civilized norms, Dubai’s authorities are clearly in a position to help, if they so choose. May we see the rest of the video collection?”
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Tom Gross, writing in the National Post of Canada, points out that Mabhouh had five different passports with him in Dubai. He finds it strange, and indeed it is, that the media is not covering this aspect of what occurred, and that there seems no interest in which countries these passports came from.
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