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By Micah Halpern
Thursday July 31, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Ehud Olmert has declared he will step down as prime minister following Kadima primaries on September 25th. I'll tell you: Ehud Barak, popular as he is, leader of the Labor party is not an elected member of Knesset so he cannot be one of those people asked to form a government. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Thursday July 31, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Am I the only person out there not surprised that the Chinese lied about health conditions and their ability to clean everything up before the Olympics? Of course the Chinese lied. The Olympic Games are supposed to be above politics - but they are not. The Olympics Games are all about politics. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. TIT FOR TAT, PALESTINIAN STYLE
By Micah Halpern
Wednesday July 30, 2008 Column: There are murders, mass arrests and a leading newspaper has been shut down. Tensions that had been simmering below the surface are now out in the open and they are boiling over. Hamas and Fatah are not only out for blood, they are out for power and control. Gaza and tension go together like America and apple pie. They are inseparable. Even when the tension was not obviously manifest, even when it was not visible to the naked, untrained, non-Palestinian eye, it was palpable, it could be felt by the locals. An outsider's first peek at the rising tensions came when five Hamas military members were killed in a parking lot explosion in Gaza - and Hamas immediately pointed the finger of blame at Fatah. And where Gaza goes, the West Bank is sure to follow. Here too, tensions, violence, acts of intimidation and menacing threats are emerging and hitting the streets and byways. Hamas began by arresting members of Fatah in Gaza. Fatah followed by arresting Hamas members in the West Bank. Now it is a game of Tit for Tat, Palestinian style. And for the players in the West Bank and Gaza Tit for Tat is a war game. The game has just been taken up a notch. Murders, arrests, finger pointing, newspaper closings - those are the old components of the game. A new component has just been unleashed, it is the Palestinian propaganda machine. When it comes to Palestinian propaganda, Fatah is at a distinct disadvantage, Hamas is master. It was one year ago that Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza. Seven months earlier Hamas defeated Fatah in a parliamentary election. Hamas is using that imagery to convince the Palestinians of their superiority and right to rule. Hamas is using that imagery to instill fear in the hearts of Fatah and all other Palestinians. It is the imagery of victory and defeat. Hamas has released some very powerful statements that cut to the core of every Palestinian citizen and taunts present-day, mainstream Fatah leadership. "Now the Zionists are protecting you," says Hamas. "You know that once the protection of the Zionists is over, people will enter your headquarters and kick you out." These statements evoke memories of the coup in Gaza, pictures that every Palestinian has etched in their memories as clear as the photos that were taken and proudly flaunted at the time. Hamas gunmen taking over Fatah headquarters in Gaza. Hamas gunmen kicking up their feet with a massive portrait of Yasser Arafat on the wall behind them. Fatah, forced out and on the run. "You must know," continues Hamas "we are not acting against you now in the West Bank because ... we know the Zionists will immediately back you." Believe me, the average Palestinian is thinking those exact thoughts. And judging by recent polls it looks as if Hamas is gaining popularity - not in overwhelming numbers, but certainly gaining. Palestinians leadership, that is Fatah leadership, is caught in a real sticky situation. Fatah needs Israel to prop them up, but Fatah cannot be seen as collaborating with Israel. The average Palestinian wants an end to the conflict, but the average Palestinian does not want to live in a West Bank ghetto. Palestinians prefer economic opportunity, Palestinians want freedom of movement. Palestinians want to be able to go into Israel and find work. Israel is a tool that is and will continue to be used by both sides in this war of words and actions. The intimidation continues. So do the arrests and so does the bloodshed. Reuters reported that human rights groups are charging both Fatah and Hamas with the use of torture. The situation is out in the open, once again. The situation will continue to escalate. The war between Hamas and Fatah never ended, it just went underground for a while. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Al Qaeda Logic
By Micah Halpern
Tuesday July 29, 2008 I've Been Thinking: The Western mind finds it difficult to understand Islamic radicalism. Pay attention to what al Qaeda commander Abu Yihia al Libi said in a 43 minute long video posted on a known al Qaeda site. According to al Libi's logic getting along is bad, it is actually a violation of a basic tenet of Islam. Al Libi is a real hero in the extremist world - he has real credibility. In the world of radical Islam, when Abu Yihia al Libi speaks, people listen. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Tuesday July 29, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Obama has gotten more than a little boost from his international trip. Of course it is not without criticism. Physically, that seems to be the case. Being on the road is tough. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Iran Wants on The Security Council
By Micah Halpern
Monday July 28, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Iran has put forth a request to become a permanent observer on the UN Security Council. The idea seems preposterous, even absurd. During the Cold War the non-aligned nations were those nations not connected to either the Soviets or to the West. This Iranian move has a chance of succeeding. If Iran's request meets with success it will be a devastating blow to the West. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
July 28, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Barack Obama said in an interview with Tom Brokow on Sunday morning that it is time for a Palestinian state. He said that the Palestinians "are having a hard time." All this may be true. Because both President Bill Clinton and President George Bush held the Palestinians to a minimum standard of behavior before committing to helping them create a Palestinian state. It's that simple, Barack Obama. It's that simple. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Obama's Note at the Wall
By Micah Halpern
Sunday July 27, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Barack Obama wrote a note and placed it in the Western Wall. Had the Obama campaign made the note public the situation would be different. Simply put, this was not nice. Not because it was a private moment - there is no such thing as privacy when you are running for President. It was inappropriate because it happened at a religious site, it happened at the Wall. People come from all over the world and put their personal notes in the wall. They are messages to God placed in the only remaining retaining wall of the Second Temple, built by Herod. It is the closest one can get to the original Sanctum Sanctorum, the Holy of Holies, without going underground. Visitors and newspapers should act with proper respect out of respect for the place and the act. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Sunday July 27, 2008 I've Been Thinking: The question of moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem emerges during every presidential election. In an interview on CNN the embassy question was put to John McCain. Of course he has - it is the official policy of the United States that the embassy should be moved. Once in power every president has issues to consider other than the US Embassy in Israel. Moving the embassy would generate flak from the Arab and Muslim world and the effort would require great moral and diplomatic strength. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Gazans Kill Gazans
By Micah Halpern
Saturday July 26, 2008 I'm Predicting: Yesterday there was a massive explosion in Gaza. Some have said the explosion was the result of a work accident. Hamas and Fatah will continue to attack each other. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
July 26, 20008 I've Been Thinking: Republican presidential candidate John McCain had some harsh words for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan for Iran. That may be true. In politics of the presidency it is not good enough to rely on negative ads and negative messages. The press are fickle. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Attack of the Rats
By Micah Halpern
Friday July 25, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Remember Ripley's Believe It Or Not where truth is much more fascinating than fiction. Palestinian Media Watch brought the following tale to my attention. Here is the way the tale was reported in Al Ayyam and in Al Hayat al Jadida: "Large numbers of [Israeli] settlers have been bringing huge cages full of rats and releasing them onto the streets and alleys of the Old City [Jerusalem]...in order to turn the [Arab] residents' life into a living hell, forcing then to leave..." [Al-Ayyam, July 17, 2008] Too ridiculous to be believable? Yes. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Friday July 25, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Barack Obama is concluding his foreign tour. Obama demonstrated that he can both listen and learn. Obama demonstrated that he is capable of being a world class diplomat. Obama's presentations were tasteful and he deftly threaded the needle on diplomatically delicate issues. It is the Obama Doctrine: Give respect and in turn the United States will get respect. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Russia Sells Iran New Anti Aircraft
By Micah Halpern
Thursday July 24, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Israeli senior defense sources reported yesterday that Iran will receive the new S-300 Russian anti aircraft batteries. The S-300 can track 100 missiles and planes at a single time and simultaneously shoot at 12. This is significant concern for Israel and the US. Several months ago when the deal was made public Russia denied the fact that there was any deal. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Thursday July 24, 2008 I've Been Thinking: During Barack Obama's trip to Israel he took the time to visit Sderot. Israeli leadership should ask Barack Obama to write down and notarize the comments he made in Sderot. I hope Barack Obama truly stands by his word when Israel strikes back in order to try to stop the rockets - but I am not confident of that. That is the way it goes during political campaigns, everything is of the moment. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. PHOTO-SHOPPING REALITY
By Micah Halpern
Wednesday July 23, 2008 Column: The Muslim world often sends out mixed messages, one message for the outside world, another for inner consumption. It's not ineptitude or poor translating capabilities, it is pure, simple, intentional manipulation. The Iranians have mastered the art of international diplomacy. The Iranians have also bested their Muslim brethren in the art of mixed political messaging and media manipulation. The Iranian missile tests, intended to showcase military prowess as well as nuclear capability, was quickly and artfully re-shaped into a showcase of creative, media manipulation. Not only did the Iranians photo-shop the pictures - for external consumption, they photo-shopped the facts - for internal consumption. IRNA, one of the official Iranian government media outlets, ran a news scoop after the missiles were released. According to the report, Israelis were fleeing for their lives in fear. Why? Because now the world had proof of Iran's great missile system and now it was clear to every country that Iran is the most powerful of all. "Following the successful maneuver executed by Iran last week, which included the firing of new missiles, Zionist residents living in occupied Palestine have begun to flee from there." "The residents told their illegitimate government that this was the reason they refused to go on living there." The report actually says that there has been a "massive emigration from Tel Aviv following the military maneuver." Iran wants their internal world to believe that they are a great and undefeatable society. Iranian leadership wants to assume the mantle of Cyrus the Great and lead the people of Persia to world dominance. But this is far from the truth. And what Iran refuses to acknowledge is that an accurate assessment of military abilities is as essential in foreign diplomacy as it is in war. That is why Iranian leaders not only photo-shopped the missile launch transforming a mid-range dud into a long range threat, but they also created a fiction in which their every movement evinces fear and quaking from the citizens of Israel. Iranian political and military leadership has made it almost impossible to ferret out the truth from the bluster when it comes to Iranian nuclear development and capability. Propaganda and nuclear preparation go hand-in-hand. Diplomacy and deceit are interwoven and at times, both are very convincing. In the midst of their race for nuclear technology, Iran is taking the time to attempt to open diplomatic channels with the United States. Several times in the past week Ahmadinejad has said that he would not be averse to the opening of a US diplomatic office in Teheran. In one instance he said it was a good idea and that it would improve relations between the countries especially after the November presidential elections. Iran is courting the United States at this historical juncture because Iran understands that most of the Western world is soft when it comes to military strikes and that the only two powers that really count in that arena are Israel and the United States. They know that the vast majority of the world will condemn a strike against Iran. They know that most countries will deceive themselves to avoid a military strike. And they know that letting in inspectors, negotiating with the inspectors, stopping the inspectors from doing their job and then starting all over again is a diplomatic game that allows European nations to cling to a glimmer of hope that Iran might be on the verge of acquiescing to world demands and actually cooperating. And where there is hope there will be no strike. It costs the Iranians absolutely nothing and it buys the Iranians good will and more time. By making overtures to the United States in an effort to open a diplomatic office, especially a trade office, Iran is achieving a double goal. They are deflecting attention away from their nuclear mission and adopting the role of peace maker. It is Iran playing the role of peace loving nation by holding out the olive branch to the largest country in the Western world. It is the United States and by extension Israel that are now forced into playing the role of nay sayer and war monger. Iran is all good, Israel and the West are all evil. The West cannot allow Iran to re-write history or photo-shop reality. It is our job to understand all the messages emanating from Iran, those for internal consumption and those for diplomatic convention. It is our job to weed out truth from rhetoric, to predict and to be prepared. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Gas Masks
By Micah Halpern
Tuesday July 22, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Israel just collected all the gas masks distributed on the eve of the Gulf War when the United States invaded Iraq. 77% of the masks were returned. As tensions rise with Iran Israel may have to reissue those masks. Given all the variables at play, the return of the gas masks will be one of the most palpable signals of an imminent threat against Israel. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Tuesday July 22, 2008 I've Been Thinking: The NY Times is the paper of record for the Western world. Fair is fair, so the Republicans had McCain do the same. That is serious business. If it was not obvious before, it is obvious now. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Hezbollah Planning Attacks
By Micah Halpern
Monday July 21, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Amos Yadlin, head of Israel Military Intelligence is reporting that Hezbollah is planning to attack Israel. Yadlin is pointing out that both circumstances and the size of Hezbollah's arsenal have changed. He is pointing out that according to intelligence reports Hezbollah has built up and improved their weapons supply so that it is now 2-3 times larger than it was two summers ago, before the war with Israel. Yadlin also has information that Hezbollah has set up sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons to prevent Israel from flying helicopter and air recon or attacks over Lebanon. His information has been confirmed by Kuwaiti news reports. Yadlin has put together the following calculus: That's his point - and that point is significant. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Monday July 21, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has thrust himself into the US news cycle for a reason. Understand something. Maliki really does want the US out, but he also wants more than that. He is playing to his people and he is playing to please Barack Obama. Here is the problem. The military leadership needs some stability. If they advise a US withdrawal it must be a slow process, so slow that the handover and the terrorists will not even realize that it is happening. The relationship is better and more professional that it has ever been. Maliki wants the power. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Iran VP Says Friend of Israel
By Micah Halpern
Sunday July 20, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Imagine my surprise when I read the following quotes from the Iranian Vice President Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei. "No nation in the world is our enemy, Iran is a friend of the nation in the United States and in Israel, and this is an honor. We view the American nation as one with the greatest nations of the world." These words were said at a tourism convention in Teheran. The Iranian vice president has since recanted his statement to IRNA, the official Iranian news agency. The question is: does Rahim-Mashaei stand alone or was he sent out to test the waters in a new government-led campaign? Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Sunday July 20, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Barack Obama is in for some serious educating. Obama is a virtual novice entering areas with which he has little background. These realities separate the ideologues from the practicalists. I hope that Obama comes back from this trip with a more realistic idea of the Middle East than the skewed vision he left with. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. US & Iran in Talks?
By Micah Halpern
Saturday July 19, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Follow this calendar of events: Friday - Babican meets with Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki. Saturday - Manouchehr Mottaki will meet in Geneva with diplomats from various countries, including US Under Secretary of State William Burns, in Geneva. The United States says that Burns will just listen. Everything on the agenda is about Iran's nuclear development. The Iranians are getting everything they wanted and more. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Saturday July 19, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Of course Obama's trip to the Middle East and Europe is political. Six months ago I strongly suggested that this presidential hopeful make a trip to the Middle East. If he listens he will hear just how significant a threat Iran presents to the Region. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. US Diplomat Talks To Iran
By Micah Halpern
Friday July 18, 2008 I've Been Thinking: The London based Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday that the United States has decided to post diplomats in Iran. There's more: the US has sent a high level diplomat to join the UN the EU and Germany in their current discussion with Iran about nuclear development. The diplomat chosen for this mission is United States Undersecretary of State William Burns, who ranks #3 in the State Department. These are significant changes in US policy. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Friday July 18, 2008 I've Been Thinking: The Obama campaign announced on Thursday that they raised $52 million in June. Interesting, but not a very accurate picture of the monies raised for the campaigns and dedicated to the election by the candidates. Why is this so significant? Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. A Perverse Celebration
By Micah Halpern
Thursday July 17, 2008 I've Been Thinking: There is something perverse about celebrating the return of a mass murderer, especially perverse about celebrating the return of a murderer of children. Samir Kuntar is now a free man in Lebanon, blessed and embraced by those who supported his murderous ways. Hezbollah and Hamas have offered him not only congratulations, but blessings, which is to be expected. Why did Abbas bless Samir Kuntar? It was not a politically expedient gesture, Abbas has revealed his true self. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Thursday July 17, 2008 I've Been Thinking: I give Jon McCain a lot of credit for speaking to the NAACP. Of course there are blacks who vote republican, just like there are Jews and gays who vote republican, but the reality is that those voters are an anomaly. Going to the NAACP indicates that McCain has a broad based agenda. McCain's speech was delivered at the NAACP but it was also aimed at white middle America which cares about injustice and race relations because it is the right thing to care about. This election will be won by winning over the middle, not by preaching to the extremes. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Historic Deal- The Caveat
By Micah Halpern
Wednesday July 16, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Today is an historic day. The process was not simple on any level. Was the brutal terrorist / mass murderer Samir Kuntar given clemency by the president? No. Was he given a pardon? No. He was released by political decision. The chapter is closed, the wounds are still open and raw. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. About Politics
By Micah Halpern
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 I've Been Thinking: This is America. The biggest compliment a politician can receive is to be noticed. Talk to McCain now and, if he's being honest, he will say that he wishes he were on the cover of a national magazine (and I don't mean Newsweek), that his name was on everyone's lips, that his cause was the topic on every news and discussion program. No one can take the cover of New Yorker at face value - that's precisely the point. The cover of the New Yorker was an important testing of the waters. A large segment of Americans receive their news through the medium of humor. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. THE QUALITATIVE EDGE
By Micah Halpern
Tuesday July 15, 2008 Column: For years, Israel was considered to be the superior force in the Middle East. That fact alone kept Israel safe from many of her enemies, most of the time. It was the deterrence factor, and historically, the deterrence factor has played an important role in keeping countries - and the world, safe. Mutual deterrence was the pinnacle of the Cold War, it was the reason why there was a stalemate between the US and USSR. Deterrence is what kept Israel safe in the midst of the Middle East. Until now. It is not that Israel has changed, it is the world that has changed. Major players in the world are no longer nations - strong, powerful, autocratic or democratic nations, some players are now organizations -terrorist organizations. For years Israel and her friends have touted the concept of the qualitative edge as a significant tool in the arsenal of military deterrence. The United States was a strong proponent of the concept and, within the Arab world, encouraged the image of Israel's superior military status which in turn kept Israel's enemies at bay. Israel always had better fighters, better training, better tanks, better planes and better intelligence. Israel was wealthier, more motivated, more successful, more worldly, Israel was more Western. Israel was more free and Israel was more democratic. Still is. But all that no longer matters. The overwhelming intimidation, the powerful facts on the ground and the fear factor that kept Israel safe for years no longer works against this new breed of idealistic, terrorist, enemy. Hezbollah, Hamas and al Qaeda as well as the lone country Iran are neither stunned nor smitten by the Israel's great military prowess. Israel neither petrifies nor paralyzes them. They are fearless. And the rules of the game they play are solely theirs. With most countries, the qualitative edge still works. It was deterrence that brought about peace between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan, it is that qualitative edge that keeps the peace alive. Other, more established Arab and Muslim countries, have realized that Israel is here to stay and have begun dealing with the Jewish state even if only behind closed diplomatic doors. Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Qatar have begun interacting with Israel. Even Syria is now in the throes of third party negotiations with Israel precisely because of this very intimidating qualitative edge. These are countries that are still informed by the same basic concept that informed them twenty years ago. It is called self-preservation and it still works. It is the same motivation that kept the world safe during the years of Cold War. Islamic extremists like al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas and the powers leading Iran are wired differently. Self preservation holds no interest for them. They cannot be intimidated and they do not have conventional thresholds of fear. They exist in perpetuation of a principle, they care only about total compliance to a religious idea and they cannot be deterred. Anyone who rejects the foundation of their extremism, even another Muslim, becomes a blatant target of the movement's ire. According to their new dogma, it is religiously permitted to attack non-believers. The warriors in the armies of al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran are not afraid of dying. Their leaders think nothing of sacrificing the masses to achieve the organization's greater goal. The goal is to attack - at all costs, regardless of impact or effect. According to the rules of play of extremist, terrorist, religious, organizations, every attack, even a minor attack, is major victory. The obsession is the attack, not the result of the attack. Precisely because of Israel's great military superiority any small irritation by Hezbollah or Hamas is interpreted by group supporters as a death blow to Israel. Any counter attack by Israel or strike against the terrorists is considered a victory for the terrorists. Theirs is an all-or-nothing game. If they are not wiped out totally, they are victorious. If even a single Hamas or Hezbollah believer remains standing, it is considered to be a win against Israel. Israel was unable to defeat them. The same rule extends to al Qaeda and to Iran and their wars with Israel and with the world. The challenge is ours, the Western world. We must develop a new model to confront this new form of enemy. We must prepare ourselves to confront this new threat to our war plans and strategy, to our way of life and to our existence. The Western world must find a new deterrent, appropriate in the fight against extremism. We need to develop a new qualitative edge. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Obama on Jerusalem
By Micah Halpern
Monday July 14, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Obama is back peddling on Jerusalem. I hesitate to think that a Columbia and Harvard grad does not know the meaning of the word eternal. The presidential candidate is blaming the word choice on his writers. Maybe because the term eternal has a religious implication the Obama staff was unaware of the totality of the term. Here is what Obama said on CNN about that speech: These comments by Barack Obama are very clear to understand. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Lebanon-Syria May Open Embassies
By Micah Halpern
Sunday July 13, 2008 I've Been Thinking: One big surprise coming out of the Sarkozy Conference on Mediterranean Unity now taking place in Paris was a joint press conference between Lebanon, Syria and Sarkozy. Sarkozy announced that the opening of embassies was in the works. During the press conference Syria's President Bashar Assad was, typically, non-committal. Syria's recognition of Lebanon is a dream come true in the Middle East. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Sarkozy's Dream Fails
By Micah Halpern
Saturday July 12, 2008 I'm Predicting: I had high hopes for The Barcelona Process: the Union for the Mediterranean,the conference that Sarkozy of France is organizing. The name of the conference is itself enough to make politicians and diplomats dizzy, but the idea sounded good. But then the Arabs said they will not pose for the group picture, that is not good. The resolution is no group pictures, only individual photos. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Tensions Increase
By Micah Halpern
Friday July 11, 2008 I've Been Thinking: The war of words is escalating. Iran has been testing missiles. Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister, shot off a strong warning to Iran: Both Israel and Iran have expressed a desire to resolve this issue diplomatically. Barak said it in the quoted above. We have to monitor and analyze all the rhetoric. So far, the the war is still being fought only with words. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. What Iran Really Wants
By Micah Halpern
Thursday July 10, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Do you know what Iran really wants? Respect. Iran is trying to regain lost respect. But it will never happen. The Arab world will never permit it to happen. For example: Iran wants to control the Persian Gulf, the Arab world does not even refer to the area by the same name, they call it the Arab Gulf. Iran wants something unattainable. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Ahmadinejad Says No Strike
By Micah Halpern
Wednesday July 9, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Ahmadinejad is in Malaysia at an Islamic conference where he has been very talkative. Ahmadinejad is calling the tensions surrounding his nuclear program "comical." Ahmadinejad keeps repeating his observation that the US and the Zionists, meaning Israel, are "focusing on propaganda and psychological war." Ahmadinejad said that he can "assure you that there won't be any war in the future." Ahmadinejad explained that the United States could not attack Iran at this time, because according to his logic is "the economic, political and military situation will not lead Mr. Bush to do that, everybody knows this fact." Ahmadinejad reminded everyone that "the Iranian people are ready to defend their own land." Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Almost a Done Deal
By Micah Halpern
Tuesday July 8, 2008 Column:
In politics, much like in big business, decisions do not always follow the classic game theory model. Win-win, win-lose and even lose-lose do not always apply. Sometimes, decisions are made only in order to cut future losses and move on. Israel is cutting losses, Israel is moving on. Israel has nothing more to gain in this go-round with Hezbollah and nothing more to lose. Bad decisions were made from the beginning and those bad decisions will live on, setting a bad precedent. When the War with Lebanon began two summers ago, the intention was to find Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and bring them home - dead or alive, to return Israeli soldiers to Israeli soil. Along the way Israel lost sight of the original goal. Instead of fighting to find the boys, Israel fought to debilitate Hezbollah. By the time a cease fire was called, neither goal had been achieved. There have been other deals between Israel and Hezbollah and none of them have been good - but neither have they significantly hurt Israel. This deal, which includes exchanging notorious terrorist Samir Kuntar, will number among one of the worst deals the State of Israel has ever cut with the enemy. The reasoning for accepting the deal goes like this. The parents of Goldwasser and Regev, their immediate family, need closure. Their extended family, which has grown to include the entire country of Israel, needs closure. The Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem has said that Hezbollah has no more information to give about Israeli navigator Ron Arad who was shot down, taken hostage and abandoned on enemy soil twent-two years ago. If Hezbollah has no more information to give, then Kuntar has little currency. Politically Kuntar is now dead weight. The best use of Kuntar right now is to sacrifice him for the remains of the Israelis, to stave off the possibility of Goldwasser and Regev turning into Arad - disappeared into a black enemy hole with no one claiming knowledge or possession. By retrieving the bodies Israel will be denying her enemies the pleasure of gloating over a prized possession - the bodies of two Israeli soldiers. Kidnappings take a tremendous toll on a tiny, tightly knit, nation like Israel, a place where there are very few degrees of separation between families and the masses. In Israel almost everyone serves and that means that almost everyone's child is put at risk. Israelis loan their children to the army, defending Israel against enemies is an unfortunate but totally understood reality. Israel receives those children with a special promise - to protect them, to make certain they do not die in vain. And if a parent is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for home and country, if an Israeli soldier is killed, Israel has always promised to bring back the body and erect a proper grave. The Israeli army mantra, the Israeli army code, of "no body left behind in the battlefield" is not only meant to soothe soldiers and their families. It is also meant to tell the enemies of Israel that they will be denied the perverse thrill of publicly mutilating the bodies and then exchanging the corpses for live terrorists. The ramifications of this deal are significant. The bodies will be returned, graves will be erected, but a gaping hole will have been placed in the Israeli justice system because of this prisoner exchange. The Arab terrorists in this exchange were tried and convicted by the Israeli court. Kuntar was sentenced to four life sentences without the possibility of parole for his brutal acts. Israel does not have capital punishment, this judgment was the toughest sentence the court could give. Now the message is being transmitted to all terrorists - those already convicted and those still planning their acts - that there is always a way to get out, there is always the possibility of exchange. The message to the terrorists is that there is always a way to get out. Just kidnap Israelis and hold them for ransom. And then there is the blow to the victims, the people injured by the terrorists now being released, the families of the people whom they killed and the people injured and killed in the capture of these terrorists. All Israelis understand the risk of living in Israel. All Israelis understand the dangers of terror and the reality of army service. These citizens of Israel relied on the State for justice. Now the brutal murderers will be set free because the State is cutting political and military losses. There are some in Israel who think that this exchange does more than cut losses, they think that it hurts Israel militarily. They think that it signals a death sentence for Gilad Shalit, another hostage, another kidnapped Israeli soldier who is being held in Gaza by a Hamas-related group. They think that the enemy will now believe that if you can get so much for a dead soldier, why go through the trouble of keeping Shalit alive? The answer to that is, strange as it sounds, Hamas is not Hezbollah. Each enemy group, each terrorist organization, each country at war with Israel plays by their own set of rules much as Israel deals differently and independently with each of them. There are those in the intelligence and the defense world who say never exchange live prisoners for dead soldiers. Live for live, dead for dead, no exceptions or you lose the advantage in negotiations. That thinking has merit. But today's politicians have acted differently and right now, in this exchange, it is too late to implement that policy. This will not be the last negotiation because this will not be the last kidnapping. Terrorists are rehearsing. They have training films and propaganda reels. Recruits are learning how to grab the Israelis and how to carry them away. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Iran Again
By Micah Halpern
Monday July 7, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Iran is up to some typical, two-faced, tricks. The story unfolds at a nationally sponsored Iranian film festival. A new film makes its debut, it is entitled "The Assassination of a Pharaoh." The film is a tribute to Khalid Islamboli, the assassin who murdered Anwar Sadat in October 1981. The movie calls the assassin a martyr and calls Sadat a traitor. Immediately after the 1981 assassination Iran named a square after the assassin - and Egypt severed all diplomatic ties. Egypt is one of the most significant powers in the Arab world and in the Middle East, nothing happens without Egypt's nod of approval. Iran did themselves in on this one and Egypt is really ticked off. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. US Cool on Syria Talks
By Micah Halpern
Sunday July 6, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Israel and Syria just finished their third round of talks. It is unlikely that anything will come out of these meetings, but that does not diminish their importance. The US is cool - even negative about these talks. Talks with Egypt, Jordan the Palestinians and almost every other party requires US involvement and supervision, but with Syria, the United States is uninterested. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Iraqi Shakes Israeli's Hand & There Are Calls For Apology
By Micah Halpern
Saturday July 5, 2008 I've Been Thinking: Earlier this week the President of Iraq, Jala Talibani, shook hands with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak in Greece. Talibani is a Kurd, he leads the PUK which is one of two Kurdish parties in the ruling authority in Iraq. Talibani's office issued a statement that he shook Barak's hand as the representative of the PUK Kurdish party, not as president. Actually, not shaking hands would have been un-Arab and unacceptable public protocol. When one Arab leader introduces another Arab leader to some other leader, etiquette requires polite behavior. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Israel to Exchange Info With Hezbollah
By Micah Halpern
Friday July 4, 2008 I've Been Thinking: On Friday the families of 4 Iranian diplomats arrived in Beirut. Part of the deal with Hezbollah that includes exchanging live Arab prisoners for dead Israeli soldiers includes exchanging files of information. The Israeli report will show that the Iranians were captured and killed by the Lebanese Christian Phalange group commanded by Hubeika, who was killed 6 years ago. The Hezbollah report will say that they can not locate Ron Arad. It will say that Arad was captured before Hezbollah was created but they know that he died soon after his capture. Information will be exchanged, but nobody will learn or be convinced of anything new. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Hezbollah in Iraq
By Micah Halpern
Wednesday July 3, 2008 I've Been Thinking: The Associated Press ran an excellent piece yesterday on Hezbollah's influence in Iran and in Iraq. AP has proof that Hezbollah has been training Shiites fighters first in Iraq and, three months ago, started training fighters in Iran. Hezbollah is a highly trained Shiite force. According to AP, Hezbollah has left the Lebanese comfort zone and expanded to include pan-Muslim fighting. Iran is investing in better instructors because Iran realizes that the conflict is bigger than a few tribes in Iraq. Iraq is a real prize for Iran and the Iranians do not intend to give up without a serious fight. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. THE POINT OF NO RETURN
By Micah Halpern
Wednesday July 2, 2008 Column: Ever since the Friday June 20th piece in The New York Times describing an Israeli air force training exercise into Iran analysts and prognosticators have been busy commenting, speculating and, in many cases, downright fantasizing. The front page piece detailed an exercise involving hundreds of Israeli fighter jets flying over nine hundred miles and refueling mid-air on a practice run into Iran in order to destroy Iran's nuclear capability. Now everyone is busy speculating on if and when Israel will invade and attack Iran for real, not merely as exercise. Truth is Israel might invade Iran, but only when there is no other alternative, only if the international community falls down on its job and allows Iran to achieve independent nuclear capability. And that time is not now. And should that time come, Israel will not announce it anywhere, not in the Israeli press, not in the international press and certainly not on the front page of The New York Times. The story was released not by Israel, the story was released by the United States. Publicly announcing Israel's ability to target Iran is not in Israel's best interests - it is in the interest of the United States. This story was pitched not by Israel in an attempt to place pressure on Iran, it was pitched by the United States, a public relations ploy, a way for the Washington to apply pressure on Iran. True, Israeli defense and diplomatic channels have neither denied nor confirmed the activity and they have probably collectively chuckled over the speculative effect this story is having, but it was not their leak. Washington is telling Teheran that there is a third party out there and that party is acting independently. Washington is telling other European capitals to look out for Israel, because Israel can do it on its own - and Israel will destroy Iran's nuclear capability on its own if they do not hurry up and act to get Iran under control. The training exercise that took place a few weeks ago, in early June, was not the first such exercise by the Israeli air force. It will not be the last. Israel needs to plan. Israel needs to be prepared for a worst case scenario. Israel needs to be ready to thwart an imminent attack. At the point of no return, if it seems certain that Iran has gone beyond the threshold and is on the verge of having everything necessary to create their nuclear bomb, at that last possible moment, that's when Israel will attack. And according to all Israeli estimates - if Iran cannot be derailed by the international community, that time will not come for at least another eighteen months. An Israeli attack will be a specifically targeted attack. Israel will not set out to destroy everything Iran has, that takes too much effort and the risks are too high. All Israel needs to do is derail Iranian nuclear productivity, to set back the clock, to delay the process. A successful Israeli attack against Iran will be an attack that buys the time to bring down the weight of the world upon Iran and ultimately destroy Iran's dreams of successful nuclear development. When Israel hit the Syrian agricultural laboratory on September 6th of last year the air force knew how to negotiate the mountain ranges of Turkey. They knew because they had practiced and practiced and practiced and they had permission from Turkey to fly over Turkish air space. Specifically, they had permission from Turkey to fly over their air space in order to enter and exit not Syria - but Iran. The Turkish government was not pleased, to say the least, that Israel chose to use their air space to bomb Syria without asking, but Turkey got over it, because Turkey realizes the need to keep Iran in check and Turkey knows that should all else fail, Israel will be forced into action. Should international sanctions of Iran prove effective, Israel is less likely to attack Iran. Should the international community successfully limit Iranian nuclear development an Israeli attack will be less likely regardless of the vitriol and intensity of Ahmadinejad's verbal attacks against Israel and the West. Should Iranian Supreme Leader The Ayatollah Khamenei lose confidence in Ahmadinejad and trust that Israel and the international community are capable of striking Iran and should he consequently decide to soften Iran's nuclear stance, even for the short term, the possibility of an Israeli attack is reduced. Inner Iran and the international community factor into the Israeli decision making process. But probably the most significant factor of all is the next president of the United States of America. Israel will not and cannot go into Iran without the permission of the United States and that permission is handed down directly from the Oval Office. Israel will petition for carte blanche permission. They will probably get a conditional yes depending on the intelligence reports and urgency. That's the way it played out on September 6, 2007. Plans were in place and Israel wanted to hit the Syrian site during the summer. The United States said no, the United States wanted more intelligence, proof that more and more materials were arriving from North Korea. And then, when the United States was satisfied of the need and the urgency, Israel attacked. Iran has said publicly that "the Zionists do not have the capacity to threaten the Islamic Republic." But Iranian leaders know Israel's potential and they are willing to walk the tight rope, to balance the odds. Iran wants to be in control. Right now, Iran has the most to gain from this conflict. The Iranians are getting tremendous pan-Muslim support by simply standing up to the United States and drawing Israel into the conflict. Israel realizes how dangerous Iran is. Israel knows how costly an air attack will be. If the time is right, if Israel does attack Iran, know that, without a doubt, we will have reached the point of no return. Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click. Powered by Movable Type Site design by Sekimori
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