What on earth leads Mofaz to this conclusion?

Mofaz insisted that Israel's security situation in the south will change after it disengages from the Gaza Strip. "Chances are that terror will abate after the separation," he said. "But in any event, the IDF will retain its freedom of movement."

Maybe both work in the favor of Israel. Some argue, and do so very effectively, that the situation on the Lebanese border today is almost idyllic compared to Sderot. And certainly the wall in the north has almost eliminated incursions by terrorists... so what's to fear?

My fear is the utter lack of any ability to assume sovreignty that the PLO demonstrates. Is making Gaza into a virtual prison going to help the people in Sderot feel more secure? It is the absence of any sustainable civil society in Gaza that worries me about withdrawal. Inmates running the prison handed a perceived victory through their forcing Israel into retreat, will do little but encourage more violence.

I hope I'm wrong.

"I just wanted him to tell me goodnight Abba." The mourning father cries. Four years old and six feet deep This innocent child now lies.

To pay for this they'll give our land
And take our homes away.
Peace they claim is in our hand
It will be here any day.

We pay in lives. In empty beds.
For what? For being Jews.
The darkness cries and chants its song,
"The Jews must pay our dues."

Oh, and might Sy Hersh want to clarify his earlier New Yorker reporting on this matter?

The Bush Administration’s reliance on the Niger documents may, however, have stemmed from more than bureaucratic carelessness or political overreaching. Forged documents and false accusations have been an element in U.S. and British policy toward Iraq at least since the fall of 1997, after an impasse over U.N. inspections. Then as now, the Security Council was divided, with the French, the Russians, and the Chinese telling the United States and the United Kingdom that they were being too tough on the Iraqis. President Bill Clinton, weakened by the impeachment proceedings, hinted of renewed bombing, but, then as now, the British and the Americans were losing the battle for international public opinion. A former Clinton Administration official told me that London had resorted to, among other things, spreading false information about Iraq. The British propaganda program—part of its Information Operations, or I/Ops—was known to a few senior officials in Washington. “I knew that was going on,” the former Clinton Administration official said of the British efforts. “We were getting ready for action in Iraq, and we wanted the Brits to prepare.”

Hersh might owe British intelligence a little apology, no?

After all, he accused them of cooking the books on Niger.

"Sexed up" intel and all that.

But, rather, it looks like, if anything, the story was a lot bigger than what Hersh derisively accused the Brits of hyping.

It, reportedly, wasn't just Iraq that may have trying to obtain uranium from Niger.

For good measure, throw in China, NoKo, Libya, and Iran too.

So who comes off looking more credible in this whole affair: Bush/Blair--or Hersh/Wilson?

I report, you decide.

N.B: But, as you do so, recall Wilson went out to Niger and sent back the 'all clear' to HQ on the yellowcake front.

He'll have a lot of egg on his face if it turns out Niger was, per the FT, at the "centre of a clandestine international trade in uranium", no?

But, then again, he was never the spy in the family!

There is fire that destroys and there is fire that forges strength, unity and resolve. Our response is to be all the more resolute and committed to educating young Jews with a pride and knowledge in their heritage and a commitment to shoulder responsibility in the community. Help us to continue with our work. We are just coming to terms with the situation and working out the way forward. Of course we need financial help to continue. There are other ways people can help too. At this stage we are taking stock and strategizing. We will get back to people with other suggestions.

May I close with the verse that stared me in the face most powerfully on Shabbat morning. The image is of a lion cub that can only be held back for so long, however as the verse says, this "people will arise like a lion cub and raise itself like a lion" (Numbers 23:24). The Jewish psyche is no stranger to adversary and challenge. However we refuse to succumb. We are Am Yisrael, a people blessed with the privilege of being engaged in the struggle to build a better world.

Like a phoenix from the ashes, Aish UK will rise "ki b'aish hitzata, ub'aish ata atid livnota" -- for the destruction came about through fire and through fire -- through "aish" which means fire in Hebrew -- it will be rebuilt.

From the Belmont Club:

From the looks of it, Zarqawi has brought in the Bekaa Valley gang, the elite of Hezbollah honed in battle against the Israeli Defense Forces to derail the June 30 turnover to Shi'ite Iyad Allawi. But although he has quality, for his fighters are far better than Moqtada Al-Sadr's rabble, he has forgotten that the April upsurge of violence, which some had breathlessly hoped would signal the downfall of the US in Iraq, was only made possible by Teheran's decision to unleash simultaneous unrest in the south, in the hopes that a desperate America would pay any price for relief. But after the US calmly beat back both attacks, grinding Sadr down to a powder, it was no longer faced with a two-front war. There is now no way that the Shi'ites will allow the Sunni-backed Zarqawi to call the shots. The Sunni Saddam had lorded it over them once before; and neither the Kurds nor the Shi'ites will so easily let that happen again. A more attainable goal will be to prevent the emergence of any independent Sunni figure in the new government. Zaraqawi's methods are nothing if brutal. His elite forces have killed 66 Iraqis and 3 Americans in the Sunni triangle in the last 24 hours, a reminder that any Sunni who breaks with him should prepare to die.

Western intelligences reported more than 300 Chechnya's Mujaheeden (Wahabi Terrorists) entered Falluja in the last few days. The news from there indicates that those who were killed recently (see names below) were buried very quickly and photographers prevented to film them so as to avoid exposing their nationalities. It has been noticed that many men with long beards and red head cover (Saudi style) attended the burial site and not allowed to film them. Also news from inside Falluja indicates that the site bombed was used by Zarqawi thugs and found in it many copies of recently printed Quran (recent print of Saudi Arabia)!!

"If Arab scholarly institutions had an inkling of sense, there would be serious contacts and efforts to translate [into Arabic] many of the impressive volumes in the field of Islamic and [Arabic] literature studies. Unfortunately, however, this is prevented by the religious oppression on the part of the Ministries of Awqaf [i.e., religious endowments] and religious associations and institutions that prevent the translation of many impressive scholarly studies.

"In short, we are talking to the ignoramus graduates of religious educational institutions or Arab universities that are devoid of learning - those [graduates] who cover up their ignorance by accusing Orientalism of conspiring against Islam or distorting its image. [We are telling these ignoramuses] that had it not been for the efforts of a group of Orientalists in religious, literary, and historical studies, we would never have known much of the heritage in which we take pride - and without making any effort to discover it. Nay, it has come to us readymade, on a silver platter, thanks to the efforts of those Orientalists. We don't have to look far for an example.

"Let us ask ourselves: How much effort have the Arabs expended in deciphering the Pharaonic Rosetta Stone, and how much effort have the Orientalists expended on this? Were it not for the efforts of those Orientalists who were fascinated by Pharaonic civilization, the world would never have known how to read hieroglyphics.

"The problem of the Arabs is that they suffer from a compounded ignorance - namely, they are ignorant of their own ignorance.

"In a world in which religious thought rules, the efforts of the Orientalist scholars cannot possibly revive the civilization of this dead Orient."

Arafat's response to the Egyptian proposals has been so far ambiguous, in light of the possible weakening of his governing over Gaza.

"We don't want to be cut off from Egypt, and at the same time we don't want Egyptian interference," said Arafat's ally Sakher Habash, a member of the ruling Fatah movement's influential Central Committee. "As far as Fatah is concerned, demands that Arafat relinquish some of his powers are unacceptable and the Egyptians are well aware of this."

There could be increased cooperation between the security branches, but under Arafat's control, Habash said.

Prager says

...There are basically two possible ways to look at anti-Semitism. One is that anti-Semites are essentially decent folks and Jews have usually been so bad that they have merited anti-Semitic hatred. The second is that the Jews have generally been a decent people who antagonized many of the morally worst people of their time and place.

...Turning to hatred of America, the same questions and answers apply. Either America is evil and hatred of it is merited, or America is a decent country and the haters are evil. The correct explanation is so obvious that only one who already hates America or who is simply morally confused would choose the first.

With the first group, we must recognize that their view will never change and as long as they want to wage war on us, the ONLY thing we can do is to engage them and defeat them.

For the latter group, it’s our continued support of liberal democratic ideals and continued openness that will overcome the lies and disinformation that gave them the wrong perceptions. This group should receive the most attention, and by fighting the former group we are aiding that effort. But without a real leader standing in front of us every day explaining the differences, much of our effort will be wasted.

President Bush and Candidate Kerry ought to be on the same page with this, we need leadership most of all from the President. Let the Arabs as well as the anti-war elements at home know what he distinction is between the groups. Let the world know what steps are being taken and be forthcoming with both successes and failures. He must be steadfast and resolute and stop worrying about being re-elected. His campaign is hurting the war too, it’s not just the other side doing damage. The vast majority of Americans WANT to feel good about America, the President needs to get out front and counter those who want us to be ashamed of who and what we are.

A crew of Polish archeologists searching for a buried treasure at the former site of the Great Synagogue here struck gold Monday when they discovered a trove of artifacts, including three synagogue menorahs, a Chanukah menorah, the eternal light and several synagogue chandeliers.

The diggers were acting on evidence — unearthed in an incredible tale of luck and suspense — that in 1939, the local Jewish community had buried Torahs and other holy books and various artifacts in metal cases below the synagogue floor, just before the building was blown up by the Nazis. The archeological excavation started at the beginning of June in the once-vibrant Jewish town of Oswiecim, known popularly by its German name, Auschwitz. The town is adjacent to the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex.

"Around 11 in the morning, I got a call from the woman who is in charge of the archeological team, [who said], ’There’s something sticking out of ground’ that resembles a menorah,” said Tomasz Kunezcwicz, the head of the Auschwitz Jewish Center. "We went there immediately, and they were uncovering it, layer by layer, and finally the collection of these artifacts was uncovered.”

Amazingly, Israeli director and producer Yahaly Gat, who has been filming a documentary about the search, captured all the discovery on film. The project was financed by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and by private donors, and has the support of the Auschwitz Jewish Center and the Bielsko-Biala Jewish Community, the nearest active Jewish community in Poland.

1. Where were you when you heard that Ronald Reagan died?

Driving down A1A returning home after taking my daughter and 10 friends out for her 16th Birthday dinner.

2. Where were you on September 11, 2001?

Working the counter in one of my dry-cleaning stores, which I used to own... a drive through customer was listening to coverage on her radio and we heard the description of the second plane.

3. Where were you when you heard that Princess Diana died?

Eating a late dinner at Chevy's. We had stopped on the way home from Gainesville. The Gators had opened their season that evening against Southern Miss.

4. Do you remember where you were when you heard Kurt Cobain had died?

No idea.

5. Take one for The Gipper: What’s your favorite flavor of jelly bean?

Coconut

6. Where were you when Magic Johnson announced he was retiring from the NBA due to AIDS?

No idea

7. Where were you when Reagan was shot?

Throwing a Frisbee with my next door neighbors in our back yard... Pensacola Beach... Someone's girl friend shouted the news from a balcony.

8.Where were you when the Challenger exploded?

In Weymouth, England. I was on exchange with the Royal Navy. I was driving with two RN Officers in the car on our way home at the end of the day and we heard it on the radio. The conversation before hearing the news was about shooting skeet. Colin Milne was in the front seat and Brian Gell in the back, we had just exited a roundabout back onto a cobblestone street going down a fairly steep hill... It's an instant burned into memory.

9. Where were you when the 0J verdict was announced?

Home... Had been playing hoops with a bunch of other 40ish men the night before where we had settled that the verdict was going to be not-guilty because the LAPD was so incompetent, that they couldn't even frame a guilty man.

Renowned Egyptian Producer Yousef Shaheen is a lover, not a hater... It's because he loves that he wants to annihilate. But, Mr. Shaheen has another problem. “'Why do you link the word terrorist with the [word] Muslim?"...

Maybe he'd prefer Ignorant and Egyptian linked. Idjit.

And if that isn't enough:

Two 15-year-old girls were arrested overnight Wednesday in the West Bank city of Nablus for allegedly planning to carry out a suicide attack together with their fathers, Army Radio reported.

The Emir of Qatar's message was met with almost universal dissent. Without exception, all the Muslim religious leaders, as well as Christian Arab leaders, rejected the idea. "Can there be dialogue with Jews when they still occupy Palestinian land?" they asked. "Would that not consecrate the occupation?" asked the Mufti of Gaza.

Another dissenting voice raised his objection by saying: "We at the Patriarchy of Antioch reject the principle of dialogue with Jews before all the inhabitants of Palestine regain their rights."

Muslim religious leaders are manipulating their flocks to the extremes - not to the center. They play on the afflicted weak and emphasize that it is the enemy - the West, the United States, Israel, the Jew - that is responsible for their current plight and for the problems in the world. Even the most moderate of Muslim religious leaders have very little incentive for dialogue. And those who do attempt to build bridges or express moderate stances are threatened and intimidated, branded collaborators or even assassinated.

It's the case not only in the heartland of the Muslim world and in the Middle East but, yes, even in the United States. Muslim religious leaders are even afraid to attend public gathering places where they may have to articulate an idea of openness or to defend their silence. Their fear of intimidation is real...

...Hatred toward everything different and a rejection of change - that is the world of extremist Islam. And that won't change - not until Muslim leaders stand up and say "let's talk." And then they must remain standing and add the words "follow us into a new era."

Now I teach in high school. I have much more time pressure and concern about teaching the curriculum since my kids have to take a standardized test. For my Advanced Placement kids, we do almost zilch on military history for any war we study. That is not part of the AP curriculum. They need to know what leads up to a war and what resulted from it as well as the major turning point battles. For example, for the Revolution, they need to know Lexington and Concord, Saratoga, and Yorktown and zip, they're done. Never mind that Trenton or Cowpens are riveting stories. We just don't have time for that. For World War II, they probably need to know Pearl Harbor, Midway, and D-Day, and that's about it. But the social history....that's another story. They better know how every single war impacted women and families, blacks and other minorities, civil rights, the economy, the role of the federal government, and politics. Every single AP test will probably have a social history question. And, as I tell my kids, when you see "social" on an AP test, think women and blacks, and you'll be able to come up with a good answer. And for World War II, throw in Japanese internment and the Zoot Suit riots, and you're doing great.

The greatest hasbara disaster in history: Why, many ask, did international attitudes turn so sharply and fiercely against Israel, even raising anti-Semitism to the highest point since the 1930s?

While there are many factors involved, I would suggest the most important reason lay in the reinterpretation of the conflict – engineered, ironically, by Israel and the US during the Oslo process.

Before that time, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was seen along familiar lines: external aggression and subversive terrorism trying to destroy an existing state, Israel. But Israel, Jews around the world, and the US explained throughout the 1990s that the Palestinians simply wanted their own state and an end to occupation, and if offered this would make peace.

Since it was inconceivable that anyone would reject such benefits, the world concluded that the true bad guys were not really making the offer. Paradoxically, Israel's approach of taking risks and offering concessions for peace ended by transforming the paradigm into the equally familiar one of an evil occupying force brutally suppressing a people that simply wanted self-determination.

STILL people believe that all the Arabs want is Gaza, Judea and Samaria. How do we change that? Maybe part two will have a suggestion.

...Bush has gotten weak of late in the things he says and does. The strength and resolve he showed after the 9-11 attacks has been replaced with parsing words, stuttering, and political correct phrases. And the American people feel it. Most of us want to sense that our President knows what he must do and is committed to doing it. With the ongoing drumbeat in the media over the photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, Americans, made to feel ashamed in the eyes of the world, are beginning to doubt whether the war in Iraq is worth it at all. Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfield travel around the world apologizing to all Arabs who'll listen. The more protracted and extensive the apologies get, the more people will become convinced that the abuses that took place in that Iraqi prison must have been torture of such a horrific level that it ranks among the world's worst atrocities — along side the Gulags, and Nazi death camps. And the more the media digs into it, the more they will find, and the more they find, the more they'll harp on it.

The incessant press and television coverage during the Vietnam War helped to turn Americans against it. The very same thing will undoubtedly happen with the war in the Middle East. If enough dead American names are read on ABC's Nightline, if enough prisoner maltreatment is uncovered and reported on, if the media continues to make the Islamist Jihadists the victims, if the anti-war protest marches and rallies continue to grow in number and continue to get extensive daily television coverage, and the Democrats continue to jump on all of this to bring down Bush, then the wearing-down effect will happen — Americans will slowly but surly start to forget why we are fighting in the first place and the general sentiment will be to "bring the troops home."

Not every statement from the anti-war crowd need be answered, but the facts DO need to be constantly put in front of an American Public with a pathetically short attention span. Countless times per day the anit-war message is drummed into us... with no counter-balance. Something has to change...

Where is the resolve? Where is the moral clarity? Where is the Leadership?