Classified document reveals IDF ‘firing zones’ built to give land to settlers

In a top-secret meeting held in 1979, revealed here for the first time, then-Agricultural Minister Ariel Sharon explained that firing zones were meant to create ‘land reserves’ for settlements, as part of his larger plan of establishing ‘ethnic borders’ between Jews and Palestinians.

By Yuval Abraham July 11, 2022 – 972 Magazine

A never-before-seen document reveals that Israel created “military firing zones” in the occupied West Bank as a mechanism for transferring land to settlements. Those firing zones, which on their face were established for the purpose of military training, were built as part of a larger strategy to create an “ethnic border” between Jews and Palestinians. (See link below)

I offer below an addendum to my post on Sunday, July 10, 2022 (“What to know in advance of Biden’s visit to Israel and the M.E. this week”). I included a letter to President Biden signed by American pro-Israel organizations, including the Union for Reform Judaism representing 1.5 million American Reform Jews, urging him to protest the removal of 1000 Palestinians from their homes in Masafer Yatta in the southern Occupied West Bank area around Hebron. Since Sunday, more organizations signed onto the letter. The letter was organized by J Street.

Here is the complete list:

Ameinu – Americans for Peace Now – Habonim Dror North America – Hashomer Hatzair USA – Israel Policy Forum – Jewish Labor Committee – J Street – National Council of Jewish Women – New Israel Fund – New York Jewish Agenda – Partners for Progressive Israel – Reconstructing Judaism – Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association – T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights – Union for Reform Judaism

For English translation of original Hebrew article just posted on 972 Magazine, read details here – https://www.972mag.com/firing-zones-sharon-settlements/

Below is a link in Politico to a very good overview of what President Biden’s challenges and positions are vis a vis Israel, the Palestinians, the Saudis, other regional allies, and Iran as he prepares to spend four days in the Middle East beginning with a visit to Israel on Wednesday, July 13.

Before you read it, I want to share with you a letter that will be presented to President Biden on Monday (July 11) at the White House before he leaves for Israel that is signed by many liberal and progressive pro-Israel Zionist organizations including the Union for Reform Judaism (the umbrella organization of 850 Reform synagogues in America representing 1.5 million American Reform Jews) on the potential tragedy in the Occupied West Bank at Masafer Yatta, a collection of 19 Palestinian hamlets with a population of about 1000 Palestinians. This area is located in the southern West Bank between 14 and 24 kilometers south of the city of Hebron in the southern Hebron Hills. This letter, as is stated, follows another letter by dozens of US Senators and Congressional Representatives to Secretary Anthony Blinken making the case why it is important for the Israeli government and military NOT to follow through on this risky, inhumane, potentially explosive, and unnecessary military operation that will deprive 1000 Palestinians of their homes.

Quick background to Masafer Yatta: On May 4, 2022, Israel’s High Court ruled that Masafer Yatta residents had “failed to prove” their claim of permanent residence in the area before the Israeli army declared it a “restricted military site” known as “Firing Zone 918.” The Israeli High Court judgment ended a two-decade long legal struggle, paving the way for the eviction of all 1000 Palestinians from their homes and the planned demolition of those homes. In the 1980s, the Israeli military deemed that the area is a military zone and “uninhabited.” However, Palestinians claim that they have occupied these hamlets long before Israel occupied the area after the 1967 War.

The following letter from the American pro-Israel organizations urges President Biden to ask Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid not to carry out the High Court’s order and not to demolish the homes of these 1000 Palestinians.  

Here is the letter and the list of signatories – following the letter, I post the link to a very worthwhile read in Politico.

July 11, 2022

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden

President of the United States

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are pro-Israel organizations writing to urge you to help prevent the forced displacement of approximately 1,000 Palestinians from their homes in the area of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank. We ask you to raise this issue and make clear the United States’ firm opposition to such displacement in your upcoming trip to Israel.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government won its bid to have the Israeli Supreme Court greenlight the forced displacement of at least 1,000 Palestinians from their homes in several of the Masafer Yatta villages in the South Hebron Hills. This would be the largest mass eviction of Palestinian families in decades, and the demolition of homes in the area has already begun.

Dozens of US Senators and Representatives wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May, concerned that “this relocation of Palestinian families from homes they have lived on for generations could spark violence, is in direct violation of international humanitarian law, and could further undermine efforts to reach a two-state solution.”

“As supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, we believe such evictions undermine our shared democratic values, imperil Israel’s security, and disregard Palestinian human and civil rights,” the lawmakers wrote. “We respectfully request that you immediately engage with the Israeli government to prevent these evictions and further military training exercises in the area.”

As lifelong advocates for Israel’s security and survival as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people, we echo these lawmakers’ call and believe it is vital that you firmly and unequivocally oppose these harmful displacements. We stand ready to welcome and amplify such a message delivered in your upcoming trip to Israel and the West Bank.

Sincerely,

Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, Habonim Dror North America, and Hashomer Hatzair USA, J Street, New Israel Fund, Partners for Progressive Israel, Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, T’ruah, Union for Reform Judaism

See this link to the Political analysis: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/09/israel-winner-after-biden-meeting-with-saudi-crown-prince-00044789

Next week, President Joe Biden will present Medals of Freedom to 17 Americans from the worlds of Hollywood, sports, politics, the military, academia, civil rights, and social justice advocacy. The White House said: “The honor is reserved for people who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal public or private endeavors.”

In a quick review of the 17 individuals being honored, their accomplishments are significant. They are all deserving of the recognition they will receive. As we celebrate them as a nation, I thought about the nature of heroism. I offer here a few thoughts:

“Who is strong? The one[s] who subdue [their] passions [evil inclination].” (Mishnah Avot 4:1)

Comment: The heroic has little to do with physical strength. Rather, strong people do not succumb to negative emotional and psychological forces, destructive passions and urges. Jewish tradition does not emphasize the primacy of physical strength as a virtue. Rather, Judaism emphasizes willful self-control over one’s passions. The ethical literature cites three types of dominion: “Rulership over one’s country, one’s household, and oneself.” (Tosafot –  medieval commentaries on the Talmud) All three require justice, punishment of evil doers, and the strengthening and support of those who strive to do good. In pursuit of these three kinds of dominion, passions that distract us from behaving ethically and with kindness, such as anger, greed, selfishness, vengeance, and lust, must be controlled. Judaism, however, does not condemn outright the yetzer hara (the evil inclination) when it is channeled into building a home, creating art or an ethical community, and forming organizational structures devoted to the common good.

“There’s no question of heroism in all this. It’s a matter of common decency. That’s an idea which may make some people smile, but the only means of fighting a plague is – common decency. It consists in doing my job… heroism as ordinary people doing extraordinary things out of simple decency.” –The Plague, Albert Camus (1913-1960)

Comment: Camus wrote his signature 1947 novel The Plague only two years following the close of the Second World War and the Holocaust. His redemptive, affirmative, and hopeful novel, written in the wake of such overwhelming suffering and despair, is well worth reading now. According to Camus, every deed of loving-kindness and common decency constitutes a heroic act.

“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say: “It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.” Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” –Fred Rogers (1928-2003)

Comment: Fred Rogers was such a hero himself. His “Neighborhood” included everyone and his teaching of generations of America’s children the simple principles of behaving fairly, with kindness, and love towards all established a model of heroic decency that is so easily corrupted by bad actors and bad leaders. The demonization of the “other” was utterly foreign in Mr. Rogers’ “Neighborhood.” His kind affect was a model for generations of adults and children living in a diverse and pluralistic society and world.

“In our world of big names, curiously, our true heroes tend to be anonymous. In this life of illusion and quasi-illusion, the person of solid virtues who can be admired for something more substantial than his well-knownness often proves to be the unsung hero: the teacher, the nurse, the mother, the honest cop, the hard worker at lonely, underpaid, un-glamorous, un-publicized jobs.” –Daniel J Boorstin (1914-2004)

Comment: Boorstin critiqued the culture of celebrity and fame as false heroics. In my four decades of service as a congregational rabbi and teacher, I used to ask my 10^th grade students (15 and 16 years-old) who were their personal heroes. Most often, they mentioned their parents and grandparents, teachers and coaches, extended family and family friends who inspired them – people they knew personally who lived their lives according to higher moral and spiritual values, who cared for them and others. At times these young people also cited social justice leaders and other courageous people who made a difference in the quality of life of others in their communities, amongst their people, and across the nation, quietly and without fanfare, based upon their vision of a better, more just, fair, and compassionate world. At their young age, they were already wise.

Also posted at the Times of Israel –  https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/who-are-our-heroes/

Many criticize those who chose to remain silent in the face of Donald Trump’s many moral and political outrages without publicly criticizing him and/or resigning from his company or his administration in protest. Yet, it is something that we ought to respect when people decide at last to go on record when everything is on the line in our democracy.

Young Cassidy Hutchinson worked for years in the Trump Administration. How she was able to do so is a question only she can answer for herself. However, what she did this week and over the past months in testifying before the January 6 House Committee was no small thing even though her break from Trump came so late in the game. The nation owes her a huge debt of gratitude.

I have been compiling a book of quotations on every conceivable theme over the past 30+ years. I read through the long list concerning “courage” today and I thought to share with you the most compelling among them given this current moment in American history.

I hope these have meaning for you.

“Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears.” –Arthur Koestler (1905-1983), author and journalist

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear— not absence of fear. Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” –Mark Twain (1835-1910)

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” –J.K. Rowling (b. 1965), author

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”  –Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs.”  –Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

“It is not the critic who counts … The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is actually marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows great enthusiasm and great devotions, whose life is spent in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and at worst, if failure wins out, it at least wins with greatness, so that this person’s place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”  –Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”  –Anais Nin (1903-1977), writer

“The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”  –Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899), lawyer, writer, and orator

“No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe.”  –Harry Gray (b. 1935), professor of chemistry, Cal Tech

“Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change.”  –Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961)

“For in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, “hold office”; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.”  –John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

“Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change… Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their peers, the censure of their colleagues [and] the wrath of their society.” –Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)

Today’s Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v Wade is infuriating and disheartening not only because of the damage it will cause to millions of women’s lives, but because this decision lifts the veil over the perjury that the last few justices so obviously committed in their confirmation hearings, as well as the pie-in-the-sky denial of Senators such as Susan Collins who testified that these justices promised them that they respect Supreme Court precedent generally and specifically with respect to Roe v Wade.

The credibility of the Supreme Court was seriously damaged today and reform is needed – suggestions ought to be taken up ASAP such as instituting term limits on Supreme Court Justices and adding justices to compensate for Minority Leader McConnell’s blatant disrespect of Senate tradition when he denied President Obama the privilege of appointing a Supreme Court Justice when Justice Scalia died a year before Obama’s term was up, and then rushed to fill a vacancy on the court with another justice after RBG’s sudden death after Joe Biden was elected and before he took office thus denying Biden also the privilege of appointing a justice.

McConnell and Trump did this just as the 5 justices who voted to overturn Roe (Roberts abstained) did it.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah – The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, issued the following statement, which says it all: 

“Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value. According to Jewish law, abortion is not only permitted in at least some circumstances, but even required if the life of the pregnant person is at risk. Today’s ruling ignores the First Amendment right for Jews to practice their religion without government interference, and will also have life threatening implications for millions of Americans, primarily low-income people of color, by giving states the power to revoke essential health care from nearly half the population. 

Abortion-related deaths are rare in countries where abortion is legal, accessible, and performed early by skilled providers. Yet with bans on most abortions in many states, potential criminal penalties for those who seek abortion or assist others in doing so, along with unnecessary waiting periods, ultrasounds and other barriers, patients no longer have access to essential health care. 

Pregnant people will now be forced into giving birth or in some cases will lose their lives, due to the financial, legal, health, and personal limitations imposed by this decision. We will see people arrested and imprisoned for seeking essential health care, and we can expect a rise in the horrifying specter of those who have suffered miscarriages and stillbirths being criminally charged as well. 

T’ruah, along with our partners in the reproductive health and justice spaces, will remain steadfast in supporting the right of people to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures. We call on the Biden administration to take action where the Senate failed and to ensure equal access to abortion nationwide. This is a necessary step forward for racial justice, for abortion justice, and for religious freedom for all.”

When Richard Core and Susan Freudenheim (his wife) told Barbara and me that he was about to fulfill his dream of riding his bike solo across the United States starting at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles and ending in Massachusetts, we looked at him and thought he was nuts.

“Really?” We incredulously asked.

“Really!” Richard said with a twinkle in his eye.

We knew he was a bike rider, but this was bike riding as an extreme sport. But, Richard has dreamed of doing this his entire adult life. He loves riding and the solitude that comes with it. And – did I mention that Richard has Multiple Sclerosis?

He is currently somewhere in Indiana having taken the southern route to New Mexico around the Rocky Mountains, up through the mid-west and east from Illinois towards his end destination. He originally planned to be there by the end of May – but weather, wind, rain, weariness (who would have thought?), broken bike-parts, and other obstacles he knew would come, came and delayed his journey more than he anticipated. He is averaging, when he is riding, between 60 and 80 miles a day – every day!!! Now he plans to conclude his trip at the end of June.

Susan met him in his native Iowa to see family and to see the two of them together, so happy to be reunited half-way through his journey is sweetness personified.

We all have dreams that we either fulfill or don’t, but Richard did not want this long-held dream to pass him by.

He originally confesses in one blog that he relished the solo aspect and solitude of this effort, but was telling everyone he was going to do it. Why? In a recent blog he explains:

“No matter how many details I gave people about my dream and my planning, and how much I stressed that I knew what I was doing (or at least thought I did), I knew very few of them expected I would follow through on the idea. But I kept telling people. And more people. Even strangers. I had to. Because if I didn’t, it would have been too easy not to make the commitment. Years from now I’d still be talking about my dream. An unfulfilled dream is all it would ever be.”

Richard, a long-time journalist, has been keeping a blog and taking gorgeous photographs. I’ve told him he has to write his version of John Steinbeck’s “Travel’s with Charley.” His book could be titled something like “Biking with MS.” He’ll no doubt have a much better title, should he write the book – and I hope he does. As an example to anyone with MS or any kind of disability, Richard Core is an example worth emulating. Actually, Richard doesn’t have a disability. To the contrary, he has many abilities.

As you can see in the photographs, as Billy Crystal would have said: “Richard – you look Mahvelus!”

Stay healthy, my friend. We can’t wait to actually see you when you return home.

If anyone needs a dose of inspiration – here is the link to Richard’s blog!

https://sites.google.com/view/richardsride/home

I am pleased that the Editor-in-Chief of The Forward, the star-ship American Jewish newspaper, endorsed the idea of a Confederation – Two State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is an idea that is gaining currency in both Israel and Palestine as it addresses virtually all the substantive issues of both peoples and is attracting substantial support. It is a proposal worked out by Israelis and Palestinians together and deserves American Jewish pro-Israel pro-peace support and the support of anyone concerned for the well-being of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and justice for the Palestinian people.

Read Judi Rudoren’s piece in which she argues:

“It’s hard not to feel hopeless about the prospects for peace in the holy land. It has been that way for a long time. But last week I heard a proposal that was both optimistic and pragmatic — more of both those welcome qualities than anything I’ve encountered since I started covering the region a decade ago. It’s time we start talking seriously about a Confederation of Israel and Palestine.”

I am a supporter of this proposal because it preserves the two-state solution in a Confederation organized in much the same way as the European Union, with open borders and populations staying in place as residents of another state. The status quo is unsustainable, and a one-state solution will sacrifice either Israel’s democratic character if it chooses to rule over 2.5 million Palestinians without giving them the right to vote, or its Jewish character if Jews are not in the majority population.

Though extremists among Israel’s right-wing settlers and among Palestinians will likely react violently, that is not a reason to prevent moving forward with the only resolution to this conflict that preserves Israel’s democracy and Jewish character and brings justice and sovereignty to the Palestinian people.

Borders, security, refugees, Jerusalem, water, and policing (among other issues) are all taken into account in this proposal that was developed by Israelis and Palestinians together. They are well aware of the potential vulnerabilities and address them in the proposal.

Frankly, it is the only proposal that has given me hope for a just, secure, and complete resolution to this conflict since the 1990s Oslo period.

https://forward.com/opinion/504687/its-time-to-talk-seriously-about-a-confederation-of-israel-and-palestine/

First: A Disclaimer! Rabbi Ammi Hirsch is a dear friend. But…I wouldn’t advocate that you waste your time listening to a podcast unless it was unique, stimulating, exciting, thought-provoking, and important. This one is all of that and more.

Ammi started his podcast in mid-May called “In These Times.” Ammi, as Senior Rabbi of the Stephen S. Wise Free Synagogue on West 68^th Street in Manhattan, is one of the most eloquent and thoughtful speakers and writers in the American rabbinate today.

The first episode aired on May 18 with Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, a young man born in Cairo and raised in a traditional Arab Muslim family hating Jews and Israel. By the age of 11, he became radicalized and aspired to jihadism. His is an extraordinary story of his journey from innocence to hate to political prisoner and ultimately, to life in America and steadfast support for Israel.

The second episode aired on June 1 with Natan Sharansky, who sought passage to Israel from the Former Soviet Union in the mid-1970s, was arrested, and paid the price: nine years of hard labor and solitary confinement in a Soviet prison only because he taught Hebrew in Moscow and advocated for human rights and the rights of the Jews to immigrate to Israel. The gulag hardened his resolve to leave. Hear Natan’s legendary story of Jewish resistance and his take on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

From Ammi’s Website about the podcast:

“Every other week, Rabbi Ammi Hirsch hosts intellectually honest conversations unpacking current events through the lens of Jewish wisdom. Unbound by politics and untethered by party lines, Ammi and his expert guests discuss everything from race and antisemitism to all the other issues that keep you up at night. Recorded from New York’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, a historic Reform congregation deeply rooted in liberalism, support for Israel and social justice.

Here is the official 1 minute trailer – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/official-trailer-in-these-times-with-rabbi-ammi-hirsch/id1622485978?i=1000559663500

You can prescribe here – https://redcircle.com/shows/in-these-times-with-rabbi-ammi-hirsch

This was sent to me by my friend Steven Koltai, now living in Maine.

Here (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/25/us/gun-control-republican-senators.html) is a list of Senators and where they stand on gun legislation. Most of us have a home state (or vacation home state) on this list. Of course, we all have Congresspeople as well.

If you really care about chipping away at the control of guns in America, and you believe (as do I) that there is no realistic chance of changing the filibuster in the current 117th Congress OR, at least in the next Congress (118th), achieving 60 votes to change gun laws, then the very least we can do is write to our respective Senator to urge passage of pending legislation.

You can find a good list of pending legislation here (https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/other-laws-policies/key-federal-regulation-acts/).

You can find the address for your Representative and Senator here (https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm and https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative).

Feel free to copy and paste this letter.

BEGIN TEXT

Dear Senator ___,

Like 90% of Americans, I favor substantial tightening of gun laws. There are numerous (and soon to be even more) proposed bills that accomplish this. A good list appears here:  https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/other-laws-policies/key-federal-regulation-acts/.

I know you already know all the facts, including that guns are the #1 cause of death for children in the United States (true since 2020). There are no wealthy countries besides the US where this is true, and even among poor countries, most are safer for children than the US. We are in the same category as “failed states” or countries in outright state of war, such as El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, Somalia, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar.

I know you care deeply about human life. We can debate at what point in gestation a life begins, but surely, we cannot debate that a child sitting in a classroom is not only alive, but is precious and is our responsibility to protect.

I hope you will not only consider, but actually help lead the campaign to pass one of the pending laws already on the books, before this Congress ends.

Thanks much for your consideration.

[Your name, town and state]

This past Friday evening (May 20, 2022), I delivered the first Rabbi Martin Weiner Memorial Lecture at Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco where I served during my first 7 years as a rabbi (1979-1986) with Rabbi Marty Weiner, my senior rabbi, mentor, and life-long friend.

Marty invited me before Covid to speak about my 2019 book Why Israel [and its Future] Matters – Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to his Children and the Millennial Generation with an Afterword by my sons Daniel and David Rosove (New Jersey: Ben Yehuda Press), but the event was delayed until Marty called me this past October (2021) and we set the date for May 20. Sadly, Marty died at the beginning of March.

In my talk (with a Q and A period following my talk – also recorded) I address in as concise, clear, and nuanced way as possible, as I did in my book, our American liberal Jewish relationship to Israel. I knew that if I hoped to penetrate the thinking of younger generations of Jews (and older Jews too), I had to speak honestly to their questions, doubts, struggles, and need to understand why our relationship with Israel matters for our future and the future of the Jewish people.

For those interested, you can watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fHEmDRayWo