What Makes People Tick?

In a 26 March 2015 article, The Jewish Press writes that "Rhetoric plays a major role in the demonization of Israel. The dissemination of false arguments is prevalent among the major demonization techniques. It is thus important that those who publicly defend Israel be trained to see through such tactics. One technique used against Israel is false moral equivalence. It is based on the deceitful claim that there is no difference between two greatly dissimilar actions. Examples abound and only some of the most frequent ones can be mentioned here. A prominent one is the perverse claim that Israel’s behavior is equivalent to that of the Nazis. This example of false moral equivalence is widespread throughout Europe. Five studies covering nine European countries show that about 40 percent of Europeans think Israel is a Nazi state." Source: Demonizing Israel With False Moral Equivalence | The Jewish Press http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/demonizing-israel-with-fa...

Recently read an article entitled "Freedom Under Attack" in the Op-Ed section of The Jewish Press. The writer, Ron Prosor, is Israel's ambassador to the United Nations. Read the article at: http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/freedom-under-attack/2015/03/05/ A lot of what Ambassador Prosor says has me nodding, not just today but in the past as well and from what I read, I find that he makes a lot of sense to me. Which is why I'm sharing some quotes from the article. The quotes are in bold text, my own words are in plain text. Ambassador Prosor starts by looking at 1945, the year World War Two ended in Europe. The year 2015 marks seventy years since the closing of Auschwitz - Birkenau and other Nazi camps, the death of Anne Frank, the liberation of Europe from the claws of Nazi Germany and the eventual end of World War Two. My grandparents lived through that War and growing up, it was not uncommon that they and other grown-ups, those old enough to remember ...

The Jewish Press » » Home Schooling This cartoon got me thinking. I hope it does the same for you. Source: The Jewish Press

While Israel defends itself from rocket attacks and suicide bombings, the world sits by, waiting as if for a miracle, and calls for Israel to be 'moderate' and 'exercise restraint'. When will enough really be enough? How many more rockets will Hamas' fighters have to send at innocent people before 'the west' and the international press decide that Israel's finally allowed to defend itself? When will enough really be enough? How many more rockets will Israel's innocent people have to endure before 'the west' and the international press decide that Hamas has gone too far? When will enough really be enough? How many more rockets will Gaza's innocent people have to endure before they themselves and their brethren in the West Bank decide that Hamas has gone too far?   Source : Twitter account @ IDF Spokesperson Ayelet Shaked, a member of the Israeli parliament wrote the following: Our residents in southern Israel have endure...

* Disclaimer : Based on a true story, some dramatization. Recently, my neighbours decided to remodel their bathroom. No big deal, apart from the noise which he warned us about early on. I thanked my neighbour for letting us know about the coming noise and promptly forgot all about it. Until the drilling started two days ago. I'd just made myself a large mug of tea in the kitchen, intending to relax on the couch with a book, nurse my cold and soothe my sore throat. I'd put a lot of honey in my tea which is why I made sure not to over-fill the cup - I didn't want to spill that sticky sweetness on the floor after all.   But enough about the tea - where was I? Oh right - And then the drilling started. I'll set the scene: Imagine me carrying my mug of tea from the kitchen to the lounge, feeling a bit frail and under the weather but bravely soldiering on. Suddenly, I hear this ear-splitting noise from behind me, after another second it feels like the noise is coming at m...

Today was a day full of interesting developments in Israel / Palestine. The Jewish Press reports: Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas swore in what he called a new PA “unity government” today (Monday) at 1:00 p.m. local time in a televised ceremony in Ramallah.  “Today, after announcing the government of national unity we declare the end of division that caused catastrophic harm to our cause,” Abbas said. “This black page in the history (of the Palestinians) has been turned forever, and we will not allow it to come back.” Source : The Wedding is On – Hamas and Fatah Unite in Palestinian Authority , The Jewish Press Al Jazeera English also reports on the formation of a Palestinian unity government: In a pre-recorded message that aired on Palestine TV, Abbas said the new government was transitional, and that negotiations with Israel would remain in the hands of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. "This government, like its predecessors, will abide by all previou...