The Front Page Cover
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened"
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Featuring:
The irony of the expulsions from Gaza
Caroline B. Glick
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"Know who you are standing with"
"Show me your friends and I'll show you your future"
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GEORGE AND BUBBA: BIG PLAYERS IN THE WINGS Time magazine scored a joint interview with former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton who, “reveal their views on the upcoming presidential campaign which could pit one’s wife against another’s brother.” From the article… “‘I think most of my role will be giving advice if I’m asked for it,’ Clinton told TIME about his position in wife Hilly Clinton’s campaign. ‘And I try not to even offer it at home unless I’m asked. But she’s been pretty good about asking every now and then.’… ‘I’m sure there will be moments where somebody says something about Jeb or somebody writes something about Jeb that will sting,’ Bush says. I shouldn’t say I’m used to it, but the emotions I felt when our dad was criticized really got me for a while. … I think I’ll feel the same thing about Jeb. It’ll be interesting to see how affected I become.’” -Fox News
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HILLY’S ECONOMIC PLAN: BOOM OR BUST? Foreign Policy: “In [Hilly Clinton’s] big economic speech last week, the candidate said she would offer firms a subsidy to give workers a taste of the profits, too. Yet there’s virtually no robust evidence that workers would benefit — in fact, the lowest-paid workers might actually suffer under her plan.” -Fox News.
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The Politics of the Louisiana Theater Shooting
People are trying to make sense of Thursday's shooting in the Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater. Twenty minutes into the 7:10 showing of "Trainwreck," John Russel Houser, 59, stood up and fired a .45 pistol into the audience. He killed two and wounded nine. He tried to escape by blending into the fleeing crowd, but when two police officers quickly responded, the murderer killed himself. Later, police discovered the man's car didn't match its license plate, and the motel room where he was staying contained disguises like wigs and glasses. Police described him as a drifter, and there is a Tea Party Nation page set up by a man with his name. This incident comes just as a Colorado jury decided James Holmes, the man who entered a Colorado movie theater three years ago with the intent of killing as many people as possible, could be sentenced to death for his crimes. The shooting also comes hours after Barack nObama told an interviewer, "[T]he one area that I feel that I've been most frustrated and most stymied ... is the fact that the United States is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient, common-sense gun safety laws." But the greatest demonstration of character came from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. When asked about gun control, the presidential candidate said, "We're just learning the details ... let's focus on the victims. Tonight's not the night to be political." -The Patriot Post
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IRS Used Donor Lists for Targeted Audits
Another day, another "smidgen of corruption" at the IRS. The intrepid folks at Judicial Watch have stayed on the case, and the watchdog group has issued yet another press release that puts the lie to Barack nObama's bald-faced denial of wrongdoing: "Judicial Watch announced [Wednesday] that it has obtained documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that confirm that the IRS used donor lists to tax-exempt organizations to target those donors for audits. The documents also show IRS officials specifically highlighted how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may come under 'high scrutiny' from the IRS." Specifically, Lois Lerner and her leftist pals at the IRS targeted high-profile organizations like Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS, and checked their donor lists to identify further subjects for audit. "These documents that we had to force out of the IRS prove that the agency used donor lists to audit supporters of organizations engaged in First Amendment-protected lawful political speech," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "And the snarky comments about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the obsession with Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS show that the IRS was targeting critics of the nObama administration. President nObama may want to continue to lie about his IRS scandal. These documents tell the truth — his IRS hated conservatives and was willing to illegally tax and audit citizens to shut down opposition to Barack nObama's policies and reelection." Article 2 of the Articles of Impeachment drawn up against Richard Nixon was for allegedly using the IRS to target certain citizens. The reluctance of today's GOP to vigorously pursue justice in this case is deeply disappointing.
But never mind all that. nObama says the “real scandal around the IRS is that they have been so poorly funded that they cannot go after these folks who are deliberately avoiding tax payments.”
-The Patriot Post
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China Dumps Half a Trillion Dollars: “Something Is Very, Very Wrong”
{Mac Slavo} ~ We’ve recently reported that China is preparing for something very big in currency markets this October. A wide body of evidence suggests that something is in the works... as economic numbers around the world are revealed to be nothing short of pure conjecture. Yet, despite the clearly disastrous direction in which the world is trending, politicians and media pundits maintain that whatever contagion existed has now been contained. But a shocking report from Zero Hedge suggests otherwise. According to one of the world’s leading financial web sites, major banking institutions like JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have been left speechless after the release of new data coming out of China. The news isn’t necessarily that China just reported a massive increase in its gold holdings of some 600 tons, but rather, that they have actively dumped hundreds of billions of dollars worth of U.S. Treasuries over the last 15 months, with some $224 billion having been offloaded in just the last 90 days. This has led many to speculate that the end for the world’s reserve currency is nigh.
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Breaking: Hilly Could Soon Get Blindsided By A Criminal Investigation
{Norvell Rose} ~ The scandal surrounding emailgate — then-Secretary of State Hilly Clinton’s use of a private email account managed on a personal server — has just been escalated to a higher level that could prove extremely damaging to Mrs. Clinton’s hopes for the White House... The New York Times reports that the Justice Department has been asked to open “a criminal investigation into whether sensitive government information was mishandled in connection with the personal email account Hilly Rodham Clinton used as secretary of state, senior government officials said Thursday.” nd it’s not a Republican politician or a conservative watchdog group that’s requesting the criminal probe of Mrs. Clinton’s email practices. It’s two inspectors general working for the federal government who have reportedly asked for the inquiry into whether Hilly included classified information — sensitive government secrets — in the emails she sent. Mrs. Clinton has denied that she ever included any classified material in her many thousands of official emails when she was the country’s top diplomat. http://www.westernjournalism.com/breaking-hillarys-hopes-for-the-presidency-may-now-lie-with-obamas-new-attorney-general/
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hanoi Kerry: Israel Will Be ‘Blamed’ If Congress Rejects Iran Deal
{Adam Kredo} ~ Secretary of State hanoi John Kerry is under fire from Israeli officials for claiming on Friday that the Jewish state will be blamed if Congress rejects the recently announced Iranian nuclear deal... hanoi Kerry’s comments came during remarks before the Council on Foreign Relations. Analysts and experts on social media were quick to label the comments inappropriate. Michael Oren, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel who recently released a memoir, quickly condemned hanoi Kerry’s remarks in a statement. Congress will not reject the agreement due to pressure from Israel, but because they deem the nObama administration’s deal to be flawed and dangerous, Oren said.
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Busted Lying And Reckless With Classified Information...
{rickwells.us} ~ It will come as no surprise to anyone that Hilly Clinton has once again been caught lying and again it involves State Department documents and her unlawfully concealed emails... Perhaps when you’ve gotten away with blatant criminality for so long thecompulsion to consider oneself as being invincible or untouchable is simply too strong to resist. Or maybe she’s just gotten sloppy in her old age. CNS News reported on Friday that a random sampling of forty of the 30,000 Clinton emails conducted by the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community returned four that contained references to classified information. A ten percent positive return of the emailschecked containing classified or references to classified information would indicate roughly 3,000 are among those turned over to the State Department. We can only imagine how many were among those destroyed in the latest Clinton cover-up. The findings were sent by the Inspector General, L. Charles McCullough, to key members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees as well as DNI James Clapper. http://rickwells.us/busted-lying-and-reckless-with-classified-information-10-of-hillary-clinton-emails-checked-contained-classified-info/
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“You Would Have To Be A Blooming Idiot” To Make This Deal...
{rickwells.us" ~ Rep Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said of hanoi Kerry and his merry band of traitors within the nObama regime, “You would have to be a blooming idiot to make a deal with people... who are saying they’re going to take the money they get from this deal and kill Americans, kill Christians, kill Jews and give them the money anyway. I mean there are going to be consequences for this irresponsibility.” That was a portion of the Congressman’s astute comments which came later in his floor address but which needed to be heard so they are the video twice, once in their normal position towards the end of the video after Rep Gohmert has detailed the absurdities that have been perpetrated and once at the beginning to give you a sense of the nature of Rep Gohmert’s speech. He gets into the meat of the deal, at least to the degree that is possible, given the secrecy that surrounds it, and to the threat that it poses to the American people and the world. He notes how favorable it is to our enemies and the financial windfalls provided to Iran simply for sitting down at the table with the regime. From the perspective of the treatment received, it is much better to be an enemy of America under nObama than to be our friend. Perhaps that’s because he’s our enemy as well.
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Fed Judge: State Depart will answer for any destruction of emails
{judicialwatch.org} ~ Judicial Watch announced today that a federal judge warned the State Department that it will “have to answer for” any destruction of Hilly Clinton email records... U. S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras made the statement at a July 9, 2015 status conference concerning a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for records about the State Department vetting of then-Secretary of State Hilly Clinton’s potentialconflicts of interest (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00688)). The transcript of the July 9 court hearing is available here. http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/7.9.2015.Status.15cv688-2.pdf
At the hearing, attorney Chris Fedeli pressed Judicial Watch’s concerns about the preservation of records, especially email records that were not part of the 55,000 pages of records turned over by Mrs. Clinton to the State Department late last year. In response, Judge Contreras said he was also “concerned” about the preservation of these records:.
JUSTICE TO PROBE CENTER FOR MEDICAL PROGRESS
{The Federalist Staff} ~ While congressional committees investigate Planned Parenthood’s practices, the Justice Department agreed to look into whether the group that released the sting videos obtained the footage legally... In response to a request by House Democrats, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Wednesday afternoon that Justice would “review all of the information and determine what the appropriate steps moving forward would be.” Planned Parenthood has staunchly defended its practices and claims that the Center for Medical Progress illegally obtained its footage, then excessively edited it to misrepresent what the organization does. The DOJ investigation of the Center for Medical Progress, which, unlike Planned Parenthood, is not in the business of killing healthy, viable unborn babies in order to sell their organs for cash, was announced after several Democratic lawmakers called for the organization to be targeted:
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The Iran Nuclear Agreement: Yes, There Is a Better Alternative
{James Phillips, Luke Coffey and Michaela Dodge} ~ The nObama Administration has argued that there is no better alternative to its controversial nuclear agreement with Iran... But rather than cutting off all paths to a nuclear weapon, as the Administration initially promised, the so-called Vienna Agreement only temporarily slows down Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapons capability and, in fact, protects the regime’s nuclear infrastructure and research and development, potentially allowing Iran to become a more robust threshold nuclear breakout state. A credible alternative to this dangerous deal with Iran is to maintain U.S. and U.N. sanctions (or unilateral U.S. sanctions if necessary), keep the military option on the table, and work with partners in the Middle East to force Tehran to accept much tighter restrictions on its nuclear plans.
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Truth as the Victim of hanoi Kerry’s Promise to Iran
{David S. Addington} ~ U.S. Secretary of State hanoi John Kerry made an unusual promise to the Islamic Republic of Iran: All senior nObama Administration officials will make every effort to support the Iran deal in their public statements... For any nObama Administration officials who have doubts about all or any part of the Iran deal, or about the likelihood that Iran will actually honor the deal, hanoi Kerry’s formal promise to Iran amounts to a gag order. When Congress summons Administration foreign policy and defense experts and other senior officials to testify on the Iran deal, Congress is entitled to the unvarnished, ungagged truth. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2015/07/truth-as-the-victim-of-kerrys-promise-to-iran
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Britain's Irreconcilable Policy on Islam
{Douglas Murray} ~ Two very interesting things happened in Britain over the last two weeks. What makes them more interesting is that they are wholly contradictory... Abroad, Britain's foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, put his nation's name to the P5+1 agreement with Iran, lifting sanctions against the Islamic Republic, unfreezing its assets, lifting arms controls on the regime and much, much more, all in exchange for having potential oversight -- with permission requested weeks in advance of any inspection -- of the country's nuclear sites. Britain's signature on this deal appears to have been an accepted and acceptable outcome with no significant opposition from any senior political figure of either main political party, and very little objection in the national press. A few days later, Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, gave his best speech to date on the threat of Islamic extremism at home and abroad. In that speech, the Prime Minister defined the challenge that Islamic extremism poses to Britain's way of life and cohesion as a society. He outlined the problem better than perhaps any other Western leader to date: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6218/britain-islam
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The irony of the expulsions from Gaza
Caroline B. Glick
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Formally, the withdrawal was supposed to do two things. It was supposed to strengthen Israel's diplomatic position vis-à-vis the US and Europe by demonstrating Israel's commitment to Palestinian statehood, and it was supposed to enhance Israel's security by redeploying the IDF along more defensible lines. Neither argument for the withdrawal was particularly plausible. But due to the media's lockstep support for it, neither was seriously challenged.
Formally, the withdrawal was supposed to do two things. It was supposed to strengthen Israel's diplomatic position vis-à-vis the US and Europe by demonstrating Israel's commitment to Palestinian statehood, and it was supposed to enhance Israel's security by redeploying the IDF along more defensible lines. Neither argument for the withdrawal was particularly plausible. But due to the media's lockstep support for it, neither was seriously challenged.
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The truth is, these justifications were never anything more than a smoke screen to hide the true purpose of the withdrawal from the public. The real purpose of the withdrawal from Gaza was to cast a strategic blow at Zionism and the Jewish character of the state.
The truth is, these justifications were never anything more than a smoke screen to hide the true purpose of the withdrawal from the public. The real purpose of the withdrawal from Gaza was to cast a strategic blow at Zionism and the Jewish character of the state.
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For the ideologues of the Left, like the failed peace process, the expulsion of 8,500 law abiding, productive Israelis from their homes and communities in Gaza was not an end to itself, but a necessary precondition for destroying the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
For the ideologues of the Left, like the failed peace process, the expulsion of 8,500 law abiding, productive Israelis from their homes and communities in Gaza was not an end to itself, but a necessary precondition for destroying the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
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The destruction of those communities — and the expulsion of the 350,000 Jews who live in them — was also not an end unto itself. For the leftist ideologues who invented the idea of unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, destroying the settlement enterprise is a necessary precondition for destroying religious Zionism.
The destruction of those communities — and the expulsion of the 350,000 Jews who live in them — was also not an end unto itself. For the leftist ideologues who invented the idea of unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, destroying the settlement enterprise is a necessary precondition for destroying religious Zionism.
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And religious Zionism has to be destroyed in order to destroy Zionism.
And religious Zionism has to be destroyed in order to destroy Zionism.
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This true purpose of the Gaza withdrawal was made clear by leftist ideologues in the months that preceded the withdrawal.
This true purpose of the Gaza withdrawal was made clear by leftist ideologues in the months that preceded the withdrawal.
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For instance, Haaretz published an editorial a month before the withdrawal explaining, "The real question is not how many mortar shells will fall, or who will guard the Philadelphia route between Gaza and Egypt, or whether the Palestinians will dance on the roofs of the destroyed communities.
For instance, Haaretz published an editorial a month before the withdrawal explaining, "The real question is not how many mortar shells will fall, or who will guard the Philadelphia route between Gaza and Egypt, or whether the Palestinians will dance on the roofs of the destroyed communities.
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"The real question is who sets the national agenda. The disengagement of Israeli policy from its religious fuel is the real disengagement currently on the agenda. On the day after the disengagement, religious Zionism's status will be different."
"The real question is who sets the national agenda. The disengagement of Israeli policy from its religious fuel is the real disengagement currently on the agenda. On the day after the disengagement, religious Zionism's status will be different."
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As the leftist ideologues perceived things, it wasn't enough to simply kick the settlers out of their homes and destroy their community. They had to be humiliated and made to suffer in order to ensure that no one would dare to identify with them.
As the leftist ideologues perceived things, it wasn't enough to simply kick the settlers out of their homes and destroy their community. They had to be humiliated and made to suffer in order to ensure that no one would dare to identify with them.
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As a consequence, when the idea of building new settlement for the evacuees in southern Israel was floated a few months before the withdrawal, the Left firmly opposed it.
As a consequence, when the idea of building new settlement for the evacuees in southern Israel was floated a few months before the withdrawal, the Left firmly opposed it.
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Haaretz columnist Avirama Golan explained that doing so would empty the expulsions of political significance.
Haaretz columnist Avirama Golan explained that doing so would empty the expulsions of political significance.
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In her words, "Transferring the evacuees from Gush Katif to a brand new neighborhood built especially for them along the beautiful strip of Nitzanim transmits a problematic implicit message. This is a message that says to the Jewish settlers in the territories: 'You are a chosen group. You will not be like all the other Israelis.' If this is what the government does in the evacuation of Gush Katif, the main sting of the evacuation of the settlements will be neutralized. It will be as though nothing has been done."
In her words, "Transferring the evacuees from Gush Katif to a brand new neighborhood built especially for them along the beautiful strip of Nitzanim transmits a problematic implicit message. This is a message that says to the Jewish settlers in the territories: 'You are a chosen group. You will not be like all the other Israelis.' If this is what the government does in the evacuation of Gush Katif, the main sting of the evacuation of the settlements will be neutralized. It will be as though nothing has been done."
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The goal of the Left in destroying the Jewish communities, and indeed the goal of the so-called peace movement was laid out explicitly in November 2013 by Ron Pundak, Yossi Beilin's partner in negotiating the Oslo accord with the PLO in 1993.
The goal of the Left in destroying the Jewish communities, and indeed the goal of the so-called peace movement was laid out explicitly in November 2013 by Ron Pundak, Yossi Beilin's partner in negotiating the Oslo accord with the PLO in 1993.
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In an interview with the International Crisis Group Pundak explained, "Peace is not an objective by itself. It is a way to transition Israel from one era to another: to an era of what I consider is a normal state. Israelisation of society rather than its judaisation."
In an interview with the International Crisis Group Pundak explained, "Peace is not an objective by itself. It is a way to transition Israel from one era to another: to an era of what I consider is a normal state. Israelisation of society rather than its judaisation."
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Demonization and disenfranchisement were key components of the Left's campaign against Jewish Israel. For the withdrawal from Gaza to serve as a stepping stone towards a withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, the public needed to become fully alienated from their fellow Israelis whose lives were being shattered.
Demonization and disenfranchisement were key components of the Left's campaign against Jewish Israel. For the withdrawal from Gaza to serve as a stepping stone towards a withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, the public needed to become fully alienated from their fellow Israelis whose lives were being shattered.
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Opinion makers from Dan Margalit and Ari Shavit to Yair Lapid jumped on the anti-religious bandwagon and sought to outdo one another in stirring up irrational hatred for the 8,500 Jews of Gaza and their supporters.
Opinion makers from Dan Margalit and Ari Shavit to Yair Lapid jumped on the anti-religious bandwagon and sought to outdo one another in stirring up irrational hatred for the 8,500 Jews of Gaza and their supporters.
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Margalit called the institution of a numerous clausus against religious Zionists serving in the IDF. Strict limits, he said, should be placed on the number of religious Israelis permitted to serve as officers in the IDF.
Margalit called the institution of a numerous clausus against religious Zionists serving in the IDF. Strict limits, he said, should be placed on the number of religious Israelis permitted to serve as officers in the IDF.
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Lapid insisted that the settlers were not his brothers and he wouldn't have a problem going to war against them. Shavit wrote the settlers deserved no protection from the IDF because as far as he was concerned, they weren't even Israelis.
Lapid insisted that the settlers were not his brothers and he wouldn't have a problem going to war against them. Shavit wrote the settlers deserved no protection from the IDF because as far as he was concerned, they weren't even Israelis.
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Day after day the media machine spewed out hatred and derision against the Jews of Gaza. Day after day the public was told that religious Zionists were fanatics and potential terrorists.
Day after day the media machine spewed out hatred and derision against the Jews of Gaza. Day after day the public was told that religious Zionists were fanatics and potential terrorists.
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The police, public prosecution and Supreme Court all joined the action. The civil rights of opponents of the withdrawal were trampled. Organizers of lawful protests were subjected to warrantless pre-dawn raids on their homes. Protesters, including children were arrested without charge and often held in custody for months.
The police, public prosecution and Supreme Court all joined the action. The civil rights of opponents of the withdrawal were trampled. Organizers of lawful protests were subjected to warrantless pre-dawn raids on their homes. Protesters, including children were arrested without charge and often held in custody for months.
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Police interdicted licensed buses en route to lawful demonstrations to prevent law abiding citizens from protesting the planned expulsions.
Police interdicted licensed buses en route to lawful demonstrations to prevent law abiding citizens from protesting the planned expulsions.
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Given the atmosphere of hatred that blanketed the country, as the expulsions approached, the Left had every reason to believe that they were on track to destroy their harshest ideological opponents and so remake Israel in their post-Zionist image.
Given the atmosphere of hatred that blanketed the country, as the expulsions approached, the Left had every reason to believe that they were on track to destroy their harshest ideological opponents and so remake Israel in their post-Zionist image.
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Perhaps the most promising aspect of the expulsions, from the Left's perspective, was that the IDF was tasked with carrying them out. Having the most beloved and revered institution in the country carry out the Left's dirty work meant that any attempt by the settlers to defy the expulsion orders would be viewed by the public as an assault not on the Left, but on the army. And that would finish off whatever residual public sympathy for the settlers that the pre-expulsion demonization hadn't successfully expunged.
Perhaps the most promising aspect of the expulsions, from the Left's perspective, was that the IDF was tasked with carrying them out. Having the most beloved and revered institution in the country carry out the Left's dirty work meant that any attempt by the settlers to defy the expulsion orders would be viewed by the public as an assault not on the Left, but on the army. And that would finish off whatever residual public sympathy for the settlers that the pre-expulsion demonization hadn't successfully expunged.
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But then someone gummed up the works.
But then someone gummed up the works.
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Five months before the expulsions, then IDF chief of general staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon appointed Brig. Gen. Gershon Hacohen to command the expulsions from Gush Katif.
Five months before the expulsions, then IDF chief of general staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon appointed Brig. Gen. Gershon Hacohen to command the expulsions from Gush Katif.
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Hacohen was a tank division commander appointed to the Northern Command. He was appointed because he was a prince of the national religious community. Hacohen's grandfather had been one of the founders of Mizrahi, the religious Zionist movement. His father was one of the founders of Gush Emunim.
Hacohen was a tank division commander appointed to the Northern Command. He was appointed because he was a prince of the national religious community. Hacohen's grandfather had been one of the founders of Mizrahi, the religious Zionist movement. His father was one of the founders of Gush Emunim.
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After Yaalon appointed him to command the expulsions, Hacohen came under massive pressure from the Right to resign his commission. If you quit in protest, he was told, then the expulsions will be cancelled.
After Yaalon appointed him to command the expulsions, Hacohen came under massive pressure from the Right to resign his commission. If you quit in protest, he was told, then the expulsions will be cancelled.
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But Hacohen felt differently. As he saw it, the minute the Knesset approved the plan, there was no turning back. The expulsions would happen. And if he resigned his commission, the Left would have wrecked his reputation in a heartbeat. As the son of settler leaders, his action would have been immediately explained away as the act of a settler fanatic and as proof that religious soldiers shouldn't be promoted.
But Hacohen felt differently. As he saw it, the minute the Knesset approved the plan, there was no turning back. The expulsions would happen. And if he resigned his commission, the Left would have wrecked his reputation in a heartbeat. As the son of settler leaders, his action would have been immediately explained away as the act of a settler fanatic and as proof that religious soldiers shouldn't be promoted.
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Hacohen understood the Left. He knew that they meant it when they said that their goal was not only to destroy the settlements in Gaza but to discredit religious Zionism in order to delink Israel from Judaism. Because Hacohen recognized the Left's purpose in conducting the expulsions, he understood that it wasn't simply the fate of Gush Katif that hung in the balance, but the future of Israel itself.
Hacohen understood the Left. He knew that they meant it when they said that their goal was not only to destroy the settlements in Gaza but to discredit religious Zionism in order to delink Israel from Judaism. Because Hacohen recognized the Left's purpose in conducting the expulsions, he understood that it wasn't simply the fate of Gush Katif that hung in the balance, but the future of Israel itself.
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And so, when he set about preparing the expulsions, Hacohen conceived an operation that would prevent the expulsions from serving any larger destructive purpose.
And so, when he set about preparing the expulsions, Hacohen conceived an operation that would prevent the expulsions from serving any larger destructive purpose.
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For the Left's plan to succeed, the expulsions had to be perceived by the public as a physical and ideological clash between the settlers and the soldiers. Hacohen worked to prevent the public from receiving that impression. Rather than prepare the soldiers for a clash with the settlers, Hacohen set up the expulsions as a national tragedy which the soldiers and the settlers would experience together.
For the Left's plan to succeed, the expulsions had to be perceived by the public as a physical and ideological clash between the settlers and the soldiers. Hacohen worked to prevent the public from receiving that impression. Rather than prepare the soldiers for a clash with the settlers, Hacohen set up the expulsions as a national tragedy which the soldiers and the settlers would experience together.
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To this end, in the weeks before the expulsions, Hacohen ordered his officers and soldiers to mingle inside the communities of Gush Katif they were set to evacuate. Rather than treat the villages as hostile zones, soldiers and officers were given the opportunity to see that the settlers were no different from them.
To this end, in the weeks before the expulsions, Hacohen ordered his officers and soldiers to mingle inside the communities of Gush Katif they were set to evacuate. Rather than treat the villages as hostile zones, soldiers and officers were given the opportunity to see that the settlers were no different from them.
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By the time the expulsions were carried out, the soldiers felt little alienation from the settlers. Consequently, the clash the Left anticipated never happened.
By the time the expulsions were carried out, the soldiers felt little alienation from the settlers. Consequently, the clash the Left anticipated never happened.
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Instead, Israelis glued to their television sets watched as soldiers and settlers prayed and mourned together at the soon-to-be-abandoned synagogues of Gush Katif. They watched as the commander of the Golani brigade embraced the youth of Gadid and cried with them.
Instead, Israelis glued to their television sets watched as soldiers and settlers prayed and mourned together at the soon-to-be-abandoned synagogues of Gush Katif. They watched as the commander of the Golani brigade embraced the youth of Gadid and cried with them.
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Far from destroying the Jewish character of the state, let alone destroying the bond between religious Zionism and the state, the expulsions strengthened both.
Far from destroying the Jewish character of the state, let alone destroying the bond between religious Zionism and the state, the expulsions strengthened both.
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Weeks after the withdrawal was completed, Haaretz's Orit Shochat lamented, "Soldiers who experienced the evacuation won't travel to an ashram in India because they discovered that there is an ashram next door. The same Jewish religion that they hadn't seen up close for a long time embraces them into its fold with song and a tear and a common fate.
Weeks after the withdrawal was completed, Haaretz's Orit Shochat lamented, "Soldiers who experienced the evacuation won't travel to an ashram in India because they discovered that there is an ashram next door. The same Jewish religion that they hadn't seen up close for a long time embraces them into its fold with song and a tear and a common fate.
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"They have now sat arm-in-arm at the synagogues in Gush Katif, they have now felt the holiness mixed with sweat, they have now moved rhythmically and sung songs, they have stood in line to kiss the Torah scrolls, they are now half-inside."
"They have now sat arm-in-arm at the synagogues in Gush Katif, they have now felt the holiness mixed with sweat, they have now moved rhythmically and sung songs, they have stood in line to kiss the Torah scrolls, they are now half-inside."
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Shochat was a lone voice on the Left. Most of her comrades didn't understand what had just happened.
Shochat was a lone voice on the Left. Most of her comrades didn't understand what had just happened.
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Ehud Olmert, for one didn't get it at all. When the next year Olmert ordered the police to forcibly evacuate Amona, a neighborhood in Ofra, he expected that it would be easy. He assumed the public would support the move, just as it supported the withdrawal from Gush Katif. In the weeks leading up to the evacuation, the media conducted the same demonization of the settlers in Ofra that they had of their brethren in the Gush Katif.
Ehud Olmert, for one didn't get it at all. When the next year Olmert ordered the police to forcibly evacuate Amona, a neighborhood in Ofra, he expected that it would be easy. He assumed the public would support the move, just as it supported the withdrawal from Gush Katif. In the weeks leading up to the evacuation, the media conducted the same demonization of the settlers in Ofra that they had of their brethren in the Gush Katif.
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But the public wouldn't stand for it. When the police attacked the youth holed up in the homes set for destruction, the public sided with the settlers, not with the police.
But the public wouldn't stand for it. When the police attacked the youth holed up in the homes set for destruction, the public sided with the settlers, not with the police.
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Far from preparing the psychological foundation for further expulsions, the IDF's conduct of the withdrawal from Gush Katif destroyed that foundation. The public was no longer willing to accept the lie of settler fanaticism.
Far from preparing the psychological foundation for further expulsions, the IDF's conduct of the withdrawal from Gush Katif destroyed that foundation. The public was no longer willing to accept the lie of settler fanaticism.
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The settlements of Gaza were destroyed ten years ago. Israel has been paying the physical price of the strategic lunacy of the withdrawal ever since. But due to a significant degree to Hacohen's leadership, ironically, Israeli society emerged stronger, more Zionist and prouder of its Jewishness than ever before.
The settlements of Gaza were destroyed ten years ago. Israel has been paying the physical price of the strategic lunacy of the withdrawal ever since. But due to a significant degree to Hacohen's leadership, ironically, Israeli society emerged stronger, more Zionist and prouder of its Jewishness than ever before.
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