Tag Archives: Hamas

Open Letter to Ban Ki-moon:Regarding the term “moral outrage”

UN-Secretary-General-Ban-Ki-moonDear Mr. Secretary-General,

I write to you today out of concern for your reaction to a recent attack in Gaza you referred to as a “moral outrage and criminal act.” I will not address your outrage since that is a feeling one has and it is pointless to debate one’s feelings, but what can be, and in this case needs to be clarified is your definition of morality.

The outrage you speak of is caused by Israel’s attack on a United Nations school in which 10 people were killed.  It is without question another tragedy in a very tragic war.  However, if you are to use the term moral outrage now, I believe it prudent to ask you what exactly you deem moral and immoral.

Is it moral for “militants”, as your organization now refers to the terrorists of Hamas, to hide in hospitals and schools?  Is it moral to consistently fire missiles at Israeli population centers with one intent, to kill civilians?  You have moral outrage for Israel’s attack, an attack whose purpose was to target terrorists and sadly killed civilians, but you do not express similar outrage when Hamas targets Tel-Aviv with the sole intent of murdering civilians.  I understand Israel is a stronger force and that it’s ability to defend itself has prevented the amount of casualties Hamas has hoped for, but is the action itself not one deserving of your outrage?

Is it moral to agree to a cease-fire and shortly after ambush the opposing force’s soldiers killing three of them?  Hamas has had numerous opportunities to stop the fighting but has rejected each cease-fire.  If you truly feel so strongly about human life where is your moral outrage for the fact that Hamas insists on continuing the fighting?  Where is the moral outrage with an organization using billions of dollars in financial aid on weapons and terror tunnels while the people it pretends to care for live in squalor?  Is it moral that the leaders of Hamas travel in private jets and hide in luxury hotels in Qatar while it uses its citizens as pawns in its effort to wipe Israel off the face of the earth?  If your outrage was truly sincere you would hear that while one side calls for the other’s destruction, the one you and your organization consistently oppose calls for peace.

Myself, and many like me might listen to your organization more if it were not for the one-sided approach consistently exhibited when it comes to matters regarding Israel.  I took some time to look up some of the resolutions and condemnations over the years and one in particular made me feel moral outrage.  Just before Israel destroyed Iraq’s nuclear capabilities the United Nations passed a resolution calling for a nuclear-free Middle East, and soon after the attack passed a resolution condemning the attack despite the fact that Israel’s actions kept nuclear weapons out of the hands of a crazy and dangerous dictator.  I also look back at the warm welcome received by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and to this day question the credibility your organization gave to someone who waged his war by murdering innocent civilians.  There was no moral outrage then.  The UN then proceeded to provide the PLO support laying the groundwork for future terrorist organizations to gain acceptance on the world stage.  That fact alone puts a lot of blood on the collective hands of the United Nations even though it is something it will never openly accept accountability for.  It did however very efficiently proceed to pass the resolution equating Zionism with racism.  This treatment towards Israel has gone on for quite some time and is no surprise to anyone, but with all the facts so readily available today, your comments and the reaction of the United Nations as an institution are even more absurd than they were in the past.

I could speak of other atrocities such as having Syria, Libya and China on Human Rights councils over the years and the lack of action against Syria and ISIS today, but that would take too long.  The amount of criticism given to Israel while so many people are being murdered by brutal regimes and organizations all over the world, mostly Muslims I might add, is, and I use the phrase many like to use when criticizing Israel’s actions, a disproportionate response.

Quite frankly, and I say this without apology, the organization you lead has shown itself to be anti-Semitic beyond compare, and has functioned as though it is clearly in the pocket of the corrupt and the criminal.  While you call for investigations of Israel’s actions I call for an investigation of your actions and the actions of the organization you are running.  However, no one, myself included, is naive enough to believe there will ever be full disclosure of what takes place behind the scenes.  At the end of the day it is not about right and wrong, it is about money and power, something the United Nations has a lot of and therefore is bulletproof and untouchable.  When you have the degree of responsibility for funding and influence that you possess, to abuse it as you are doing Mr. Secretary General is a true moral outrage and criminal act of enormous proportions.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

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And the DOPA goes to…

dove of peaceStarting today Holland’s Heroes is rolling out a new feature.  It is called the Dove of Peace Award (DOPA).  The DOPA will be presented to friends of Israel and the Jewish people who display exceptionally strong and vocal support when it is needed most.  The people I speak of are people who have a clear understanding of  the damage and carnage being caused by, and as a result of the actions of Hamas and terrorists organizations like it, as well as a clarity about Israel’s true motivation, PEACE.  Normally there will be one at a time with an unspecified degree of frequency, but since there were 4 people I wanted to start with today, I am starting with a countdown of my assessment of the 4 most deserving of this weeks DOPA’s.

NUMBER 4:

BOB SCHIEFFER

Bob Schieffer 715In an atypical fashion for a journalist of his tenure, Bob Schieffer gave his very strong opinion of the situation in Israel and Gaza, and in doing so quoted the late great Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir.  Schieffer said the following:

In the Middle East, the Palestinian people find themselves in the grip of a terrorist group that has embarked on a strategy to get its own children killed in order to build sympathy for its cause, a strategy that might actually be working, at least in some quarters. Last week, I found a quote of many years ago by Golda Meir, one of Israel’s early leaders, which might have been said yesterday. “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, she said, “but we can never forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.”

FOR THESE COMMENTS BOB SCHIEFFER GETS A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA!!

NUMBER 3:

SENATOR TED CRUZ

ted-cruz-has-just-wrapped-up-his-epic-21-hour-defund-obamacare-talk-a-thonLet me start with an overdue apology.  I once called Senator Cruz a sideshow act. Now I call him Senator Cruz and do so respectfully.  He has shown himself to be a consistently staunch supporter of Israel, has given one of the most impassioned speeches on the Senate floor  supporting Israel in the past few weeks, and has shown his sincerity even further by going across party lines and working with Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of NY in pushing for a resolution condemning Hamas.  Senator Cruz said the following:

“Hamas is undoubtedly guilty of violating international humanitarian law through its deliberate, repeated, and consistent use of civilians as human shields. “The United States of America, along with the entire international community must expose and denounce Hamas’ barbaric tactics and unequivocally support Israel’s right to self-defense.”

FOR HIS CONTINUING EFFORTS TED CRUZ GETS A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA!!

 

NUMBER 2:

HOWARD STERN

866px-Howard_SternWhen I heard Howard Stern’s recent assessment of the situation in Israel and Gaza, I almost stopped writing in Holland’s Heroes.  There was nothing to add. He nailed it.  It is one of the best 5 minutes you will ever spend. CLICK HERE TO HEAR HIS SPEECH. Howard leaves no doubt as to what he thinks in this humorous, intelligent, and candid accounting of what is really happening in the Middle East.  Just be careful.  If you don’t like bad language you better find the edited version.  But let’s face it, some people deserve a Go F&*(& Yourself.

He said the following:

“Israel’s at no fault,” he said. “Jews get enough s**t all over the world … Jews are the indigenous people of that area. The Arabs don’t even want those Palestinians .. nobody wants them.  If you’re anti-Israel you’re anti-America. [It’s] the only democracy over there, the only friend we have .. who’s willing to fight and stand up for what’s right.”

FOR HIS STRONG SUPPORT OF ISRAEL HOWARD STERN GETS A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA

NUMBER 1:

JON VOIGHT

Jon-Voight1I have to admit, I loved Howard Stern’s 5 minute speech so much, I could listen to it 10 times a day.  So then why does Jon Voight get number 1? Because in his support and defense of Israel one forgets Jon Voight isn’t Jewish.  When he gets going he sounds as passionate as someone who was born and raised Jewish and conscience of Israel and the Jewish world.  And he not only shows his support, he makes it an obvious priority in a way that shows it is not only important, it is personal.  His passion is so strong he even goes after the administration.

Jon Voight said the following:

Instead of telling Hamas to stop sending rockets into Israel aimed at its civilian population, [Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry] say Israel has to stop killing civilians. What a travesty of justice! Every patriotic America- Jew and non-Jew alike- must show their outrage and that we will not tolerate propaganda and lies about Israel being the aggressors and suppressors of the Palestinians.”

FOR HIS STRONG SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE JON VOIGHT GET’S A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA.

 

dove of peaceIf you have anyone you want to nominate for future DOPAs please feel free to leave a comment on this page.

 

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Turning News into a Prime Time Drama

cnngazaThe problem with the reporting of news these days is that rather than being a source of information it is a source of dramatic entertainment.  It might be fair to say it has always been this way, but in light of the events in Israel I am finding the media, particularly CNN, guilty of focusing more on the dramatic aspects than on the informational ones.  To call the images of crying, injured or dead children entertainment may be cynical, but then again the extent to which it is being done is clearly not for purposes of reporting the story.  It is being done to draw in the viewer, and for that the guilty parties need to be ashamed of themselves.

The question that needs to be asked is this.  What are they accomplishing by doing this?  Are they making the world a better place by having people show their support for innocent children?  The truthful answer is a resounding NO. The way in which these images are portrayed encourages anger towards Israel and sympathy for Hamas.  The intelligent people running the show at CNN know perfectly well that it has this impact on society, but in what is the ultimate in cynicism,  they don’t care.  The images create attention and boost ratings.  The more horrifying or sensational the better.  It is not about right and wrong, it is about business and money.

So you have Hamas using the women and children not only as human shields but as sacrificial lambs to generate worldwide sympathy for their cause, and CNN and other agencies like it using the children for ratings.  The ironic part of all this is that a large portion of the world is putting the blame on the one party involved not using the children at all, Israel.  And these news agencies are very much to blame.

 

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Open Letter in response to Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz

262333343 (1)Dear Mr. Bardem and Ms. Cruz,

I will write this on the assumption that your letter was constructed from a genuine disdain for the murder of innocents.  We have that in common.  I too hate to see innocent people killed.  It is the worst thing to happen in this world on a daily basis and if it were to stop the world would indeed be a better place. The issue that can not be ignored however is who is responsible for the murder of innocents and what is its root cause.

The term Genocide is being thrown around a lot these days.  I too see Genocides happening.  The ones I see happening are in Iraq and Nigeria. The definition of genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.  ISIS in Iraq and Boko Haram in Nigeria have made it very clear that  they are targeting Christians who have 2, sometimes 3 choices.  Convert or be killed are always on the table, while leave and go somewhere else are only occasionally on the table.  Even if one would accuse Israel of conducting this war incorrectly, a point I will address later in this letter, they would have a very difficult time proving that an actual genocide is being committed.  Unless of course one chooses to listen to the Hamas version of the story only, in which case Israel is doing everything wrong and Hamas is doing everything right.

I recently was concerned that the problem we have in dealing with this situation is that we are trying to use reason with the unreasonable.  I read your letter and it certainly comes across as having been written by a reasonable person, but then I see a very narrow argument being given and I naturally question the motives and logic behind your arguments.  Imagine Spain was being threatened by a strip of land attached to it, that strip of land was being supported by an enemy nation sworn to Spain’s destruction, and that same strip was being governed by a group of people who in its charter declared it wanted all the Spanish out of Spain.  What would you do?  If the territory bordered water, and that waterway had access to the hostile nation, would you not stop shipments to that territory?  If missiles were being fired at Spain from that strip of land would you not fight back, no matter how much stronger you may be?  And if you were to fight back, would you, as the humanitarians that you are,  feel responsible for the deaths of innocents placed in the location of the missile launchers?

It is a tragic situation.  We agree on that?  But the bigger tragedy may be how the people causing this tragedy are duping reasonable people, such as yourselves into believing their lies.  Israel has accepted almost every cease-fire offer made.  Hamas has mainly refused all but one.  If you are to make the argument that Israel is wrong for the deaths of the innocents despite the fact that Hamas puts the innocents in the line of fire, how can you justify not criticizing Hamas for rejecting the cease-fire?  You want to see the death stop.  So do we.  Ask yourself a question.  Look into your heart and be honest.  Do you truly believe that Hamas wants the death to stop?  If you truly are reasonable and honest you will come up with the correct answer.  If not, your opinion may be tainted by something you are not revealing in your letter, in which case there is no point in debating this with you.  If however you are sincere, I believe you will see the truth.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

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Free the State Department!

john-kerry-has-been-pushing-for-air-strikes-in-syriaTo quote a statement from Times of Israel,  “Washington is fuming over the negative Israeli response to the ceasefire proposal drafted with Qatar and Turkey.”  But after the report came out that the cease-fire offer was basically an offer for Hamas to stop fighting if Israel gives in to all their demands, Secretary of State John Kerry claims he never formally offered this particular cease-fire to Israel.  Kerry claiming he never officially proposed this cease-fire, one that might as well have been drafted by Hamas, is no different from celebrities like Rihanna or Dwight Howard Tweeting “Free Palestine” only to delete the tweet later.  Once you put it out there guys, we all know how you feel.

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The Truth in a Nutshell

k1_waThis post was made by an an old friend of mine Miriam Kelaty and shows the truth about what is happening in one very moving, poignant and maybe more than anything else, very sad story.

This was sent to me (Miriam Kelaty) privately……

 

We went into Shuja’iya, to discover and destroy the Hamas’ terrorist tunnels. We discovered there an entire underground city, with multi-shaft, wide tunnels, with Wi-Fi & air-conditioning systems, concrete walls, and stocked to the ceiling with weapons and explosives. Some of the tunnels are so wide, that they can ride back and forwards on Vespa-type scooters. And then came the worst! The Hamas “fighters” started sending towards us 13- and 14-year-old Palestinian children, running at us, wearing explosive-laden suicide-bomber belts!! Those children were death-trapped, and became human bombs, by the community’s adults!! We were trained to fight adult soldiers or any other skilled adults, enabling us to defend our families and countrymen. But this?? We had no other option but, in self-defense, to shoot them at as far a range from us as we could, before the “responsible adult” that sent them used his mobile phone to detonate the belts, and kill us.” One of the injured soldiers ended up by saying, “I do not know if I’ll ever be able to sleep again; the pictures of those poor children, killed by my gun, will probably never leave me!”

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American Pressure on Israel: Fundraising, dislike, or fear?

Barack ObamaIn the name of integrity I must start by confessing that I voted for this administration twice. So when I criticize its actions I also on some levels criticize my choice. Be that as it may, there are many issues to consider when analyzing an American administration’s attitude towards Israel. In fairness it needs to be said that the United States of America has always been a friend of Israel’s, and the funding of Iron Dome under the Obama presidency clearly needs to be appreciated. With that said, why is Israel’s most important friend trying to push it towards unacceptable agreements with a terrorist organization? There are 3 possible reasons and none of them make the U.S. look good nor are they helpful to the overall situation.

The first possibility, and clearly the most cynical one, is that a President who is a master fundraiser is in some ways fundraising by showing poor support for Israel. When we hear that Qatar, a wealthy nation with money to burn, is supporting Hamas, it has to be considered that they are using their financial clout to influence the president and this government. With a U.S. economy floundering and an Arab nation with the potential ability to hold financial leverage over many people, companies and even nations, the power of money can’t be ignored. I stop short of making accusations of personal financial corruption because such claims being made without evidence is irresponsible, but to say that Qatar can use its money for influence is not only accurate, but realistic.

The second possibility, which is one that many Jews and supporters of Israel gravitate towards is a dislike for Israel, particularly towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I won’t analyze this because the actions are very clear and out in the open, and since some are supportive of Israel and some are not, without a clear declaration of intent we just don’t know how Obama and his cabinet feels. I can only hold out hope that there is enough competence in this administration to at least make decisions based on assessment on what is the best move and not on personal likes or dislikes. We just can’t be sure.

The third choice, and the one I will go on record as thinking is the most likely one, is fear. Fear on many levels. Fear of escalation, fear of confrontation, fear of terrorist reprisals on U.S. soil, but most of all basic fear of the enemy. I know there are those who will read this that feel President Barack Obama is complicit with Islamic fundamentalists, but for the sake of sanity I will work from the assumption that this president does not intend to destroy the United States and western civilization. I do however feel that he is scared of the consequences connected with opposing Muslim fundamentalists. It shows with his inaction in Iraq, where the rise of ISIS may be the single most dangerous thing happening on the planet today, it shows with his approach towards Iran and North Korea, and it shows with his lack of conviction against Hamas, a terrorist organization very capable of organizing attacks on the United States in the future.

Here’s the concerning catch to all of this. Despite the fact that blaming it on fear is less cynical and callous than the other choices, it may be the most dangerous. An American government working from fear gives strength to the forces of evil that previously were held in check by this great country. If America as a nation shows fear, it emboldens the enemy, and once they get too strong there may be no turning back.

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A Terrifying Question

photo-8This is a post I was reluctant to write because it poses a question I am so hesitant to ask. Let me start by saying this. To my brothers and sisters in Israel, if your nerves are on edge and the suggestion of something terrifying will be unpleasant for you to read, please stop reading this now and move on to something else.

It’s the question people are afraid to ask, but needs to be addressed. Now that we know of the terror tunnels that exist from Gaza to Southern Israel, how do we know that similar tunnels are not being built to Israel’s north and to Israel’s east? The news out of Israel now is that recently captured Hamas terrorists revealed a plot to send terrorists trough these tunnels this coming Rosh Hashana, just under 2 months from now and murder and kidnap as many Israelis as possible. Israel is surrounded by people committed to her destruction and to think that it is not at least a reasonable possibility that there are tunnels on other borders would be irresponsibly naive. I posed the question to an Israeli family member of mine and his response was quick and succinct. He basically believes the Israeli government now assumes, as does he, that terror tunnels are being or have been built on other borders as well.

Let me be very clear. I am proposing a question, not providing verified information. But knowing the barbarism of the enemy, and understanding that the enemy is on more than just one front, to ignore the possibility could be devastating.

It must be emphasized and can’t be said enough, that despite the horrific tragedy of the kidnapping and murder of the 3 Yeshiva boys, their death has come to have incredible meaning. Their murders triggered this campaign that discovered this evil plot to kill thousands of Jewish residents of southern Israel. The lives saved by their deaths is something quite astounding and makes their memory even more special to everyone.

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A Missing Plane and a Frightening Scenario

Swiftair_-_Boeing_737-301(SF)In some ways it feels like we are watching the first 45 minutes of an epic disaster movie.  Of course we all know about the war in Gaza.  Israel, a free and democratic country fighting a government controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas.  That in itself is bad enough.  But my friends, when you look at today’s events, and what tomorrow is on the Muslim calendar, it could get a lot worse.  It is not in my nature to be alarmist or sensationalist, but we also live in a time when all things need to be considered, no matter how frightening they may be.

Earlier today we get word that Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the spiritual leader of Iran made the following comments regarding Israel:  “As said by Imam Khomeini [the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran] Israel must be destroyed…However, until that time with the help of God for this cruel and murderous regime to be destroyed, strong confrontation with steadfast armed resistance is the only solution against this destructive regime.”  He also stated, regarding the United States: “The anti-American and anti-West view in Iran is a logical view based on experience and a righteous calculation.”

His sentiments are not news.  We know he feels this way, as do millions of his followers.  What is different is the timing, and hopefully not, but possibly another difference is the biggest news story of the day.

First the timing.  Tomorrow is “Quds Day”.  Quds, Arabic for Jerusalem, is a day created by Iran since its revolution in 1979, celebrated on the last day of Ramadan, as a day to express solidarity for the Palestinians against the State of Israel.  Comments made by any Muslim leader today are at least partially designed to motivate and instigate the people into not only protesting and demonstrating, but to do so as violently as possible.  There is no question that Khameini is looking to incite as much violence against Jews as possible,  not only in Israel, but throughout the world.

And then there is the biggest news story of today.  A plane taking off from Algeria has gone missing.  Yes, you  read correctly, gone missing.  Algeria, a North African Muslim nation that donated money made in the World Cup to Hamas and a people who make up the majority of France’s Muslim population committing brutal acts of anti-Semitism.  It is from that country that a plane has gone missing on the eve of Quds Day.  It’s an awful day in world history when one must say, let’s hope the plane only crashed.

It is possible that tomorrow comes and goes and is a repeat of many of the days of the past few weeks.  Awful, but not catastrophic.  But the days of underestimating the enemy’s brutality and capabilities are behind us now.  We no longer have that luxury.


The Model of Evolving Totalitarianism

triumph_of_the_will_stadium_shotIt’s a stroke of genius. Identify what hits a chord with the population, and whether your words and images are factual or not, pound them into the psyche of the masses.  It’s a model used throughout the ages with more devastating consequences in the 20th century than any other. Most notably Hitler’s Nazi party which preyed on the economic misfortunes of the populace to assign blame to anyone they felt would stand in the way of their agenda, or even worse, use a scapegoat to rally strong support.  By the time throngs of people were shouting Heil Hitler, most of them were just spewing out structured opinions and no longer thinking for themselves.  Which is in many ways what it is all about.

Many people, whether they wish to admit it or not, feel comfort and security in allowing leaders to choose their path.  It’s the draw of religion.  A friend of mine once told me, people buy with emotion and then justify it with logic. Tyrants and dictators are selling a product, and when people are downtrodden and desperate they’re buying that product.  People who like their life may protest, and may even have opinions laced with hate, but they hardly ever commit acts of violence in the name of civil disobedience.  What Hamas is doing is following a model, and doing so with precision tactics.

Their biggest advantage is also their biggest deception.  They are not in it alone.  Backed by Iran, a nation that was taken over in 1979 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a man who used the same model to rally enough of a nation behind him to take over a government and start a global revolution, Hamas is a microcosm of a much bigger threat.  That bigger threat is one the world needs to be aware of, but won’t be as long as those most threatened appear to be mostly from one group. That one group is the same group initially targeted by Hitler.  The Jewish people.   Yes there were others the Nazis hated and persecuted almost immediately.  Homosexuals, gypsies, Poles, were all hated by Hitler, but from the start the Jews were the cause of everything bad in Germany.  They were called subhuman, a word that popped into my head earlier when seeing how the United Nations Human Rights Council showed its usual disregard  for the human rights of the inhabitants of the Jewish State of Israel.  But maybe they see Jews as subhuman too.  It just doesn’t support their current agenda to admit it.

The lesson of previous models, specifically of World War II should be obvious.  To some it is and yet they choose to disregard it.  To others, those caught up in the fervor of Hamas propaganda, they have bought into the mass hysteria often created by evil dictators, and in doing so they are doing what was done before, go after the scapegoat, which once again is the Jewish people.  Although it seems to be easy to let others think for you, they are making the same tragic mistake.  They do not see that which has always been the case when following this model, that the goal is world dominance.  Ultimately that means there is no room for any major group of people with different ways of thinking, as already evident by the way Christians have been brutally murdered in places like Iraq and Nigeria .

If the right people with the right amount of power wake up to the true dangers facing civilization, a full-scale World War III may be averted.  If they don’t, and continue to get caught up in the hysteria of lies and deception, civilization as we know it is in danger.  It’s that horrifying, that deep, that simple, and yes, just a matter of time.  Let’s hope people study the model and learn from history.