Well said. The USA has had many fine accomplishments in its History. However, the Amercans have been & seemingly still are, in many respects arrogant, rude and aborbed in self-aggrandizement...taking credit for achievements that fall short of hitting the mark. Sometimes building up Strong walls....then breaking them down, tempering trustworthiness. There are many examples in their History.
Their current President seems not to understand or even thinks- that his bullish manner of doing business that worked for him in his personal business endeavours are not suited or acceptable on the world are dubious, seemingly treachorous promises to be believed and yet, can be seen right through. (What is worse is when he makes comments that place his level of intelligence, or remarks that demonstrate a profound lack of General knowledge..even tactless“ asking whose even heard of a country called 'Lesotho' - is there such a place? “ How shunned does that make the people of Lesotho feel, even a trading partner! That is a stupid thing to say, and it is not the only time!
It is like any individual who has to
make it in this world, to survie, yes, even to take the help when and where it is offered and seemingly a trustworthy source. But when it has
outlived its use...through principles being compromised, to be able to move on independently, backing
ones self with little need for outside
appproval is the compelling alternative.
(I am a peace loving man..who is not? Who?) I often wondered, for a long time in the past, what would Israels options to action be, when that plethora of tunnels under the Palestinians, exploded to life(& death! ) & began attacking Israel?
Part of me hoped I would have lived out my full life without having to hear of it. ...because there would
mass slaughter of innocents - where the civilians had failed to take responsibility for protecting their own safety- rendered themselves
powerless (by being convinced of their legitamacy & apparent anti Israel patriotic needs) to safeguard themselves from an obvious retaliation...is that also suffered from a form of self-aggrandizement only to be struck horribly into reality.
Simplistically...and for example, had there been miaryd of bomb shelters
developed for rescuers to access?
My Uncle, who was an infantryman, bag piper and medic & ultimately a prisoner of war, needless to say(but I shall anyway! ) in a Scottish Regiment during World War 2 - he said in war, where you wanted to or not it came down to a matter of 'Kill or Be Killed`. That is what you do for
the survival of the species..a nation (in this instance regardless of the approval or judgement of others - the outside world). Carry on Little Israel. You are great..in many things(some portrayed in your article here)
Great in courage, in fortitude and with ingenuity. Here I am compelled to add, just as a thought as carried down to me by my own mother- that Desperation is the Mother of Invention. Not a helpless desperation but one where you have come to realize that you are on your own and must come up with a way to overcome anything that is thrown at you..that lives depend on it(look at your Dome! ) and to know because past experience, that your inherant ingenuity wont fail you..yet again!
May the Lord continue to be with you and to Bless you.
You are correct. America the arrogant. We were first a blessing to the world in the 2 WWs but quickly were hijacked by a deep state political covert operation that led us into hedonism and is only now being dismantled. Bringing the Nazi high command into the west, particularly into USA, under Truman’s nose started an evil that has to now made us anything but a blessing. But the brash bull, leader of the War of Orange is shattering it. Israel is winning but not in spite of America. Thank HaShem we have that much remnant left.
Todah Rabah (many thanks) Gordon - again - well stated and is the truth from your first word to the last... We all need shalom,your prayers and your support means so much.
Gordon - Nice and supportive comment, thank you. To edit: click on the three dots at the top right of your comment - its a drop down menu- click on edit - and you will be in edit mode - make sure to save it (blue save button) and refresh your browser to update the comment - Hope this helps.
I'm disappointed in Trump. But on the other hand, it is just a reminder of what the Bible tells us in Psalm 118:8-9 (which happen to be the central verses of the entire Bible - Old and New Testaments): It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. Even US Presidents!
You may like this…5708 in Hebrew year is 1948, when Israel became a nation again. The 5,708 verse in the Bible is Deuteronomy 30:3…”then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you…[and] bring you into the land which your fathers possessed and you will possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.”
Your Torah is vindicated by its Author, the Uncreated Creator, Infinite and Eternal Being, the Mind that knows every single mind and all its contents, the King and Judge over all creation. Those who distort your Torah (us Christians) and those who deny your Torah (Islam) will face Reality in you who uphold Torah in all places and in every time zone. Chai Yisrael.
Except we Christians took your Torah into our Egyptian haram and called her the Old Testament, pointed all her rebukes toward Judaism and claimed her love and mercy for ourselves. Our wombs were barren. We did not give birth to the promised Messianic Kingdom. Swords are still swords and not ploughshares.
The Christians have not distorted the Torah. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law. The ancient prophecies are fulfilled in Him. There is no other Messiah.
Joshua shabbat shalom - I cannot thank you enough for writing and sharing this essay - you are always insightful, and on point. Right or wrong on my part - The Munich Agreement of September 30 1938, came to mind after viewing the photo of mbs, trump, al-Sharaa - under the headlines "new world order".
Israel is not the Sudetenland - nor are we, as you so aptly stated - for sale.
Great essay. But I think all of what Trump is doing is benefiting Israel more than we can see right at this moment. Of course, we have to let it all play out, but Israel right now has free reign to do what they need to do. Notice there was no comments in Trump's speech this week about Gaza or "Palestinians." I also didn't hear a word about "two-state solution" from a single soul in the Middle East this week. Trump strongly stated he wants the Abraham Accords all signed and mentioned Israel positively. He knows Israel is a stabilizing force and absolutely critical for the New Middle East to get underway. He couldn't include Netanyahu on this trip because it would be too much shock to the world to accept that Israel is such an important part of all this, and Israel's presence would feed into the loud antisemitic narrative that Israel is "controlling Trump and the world." Yet, the New Middle East cannot happen without Israel's huge participation and military know-how. Trump also wants Israel and the M.E. to be independent and not rely on America for future military protection or any interference at all--because America and the West has become so fickle (and indeed, in a few years, the West may have much greater Islamic terror issues than the Middle East). And it is quite clear that Israel is going to be the protector/military enforcement of the New Middle East (helping to rid the region of terror states and preventing future terror states from developing). But that cannot be stated right now as the transformation of the Arab states are underway; again, it would be too much for the world to swallow right now. As it all starts to quickly unfold, we shall have a much clearer picture. And yes, it means Qatar is going to have to do a 180-degree turnaround, too, just as the entire region is going to. How lucky we are to be alive to witness this extraordinary history unfold!
Excellent points! Amen. Netanyahu cannot go back after Oct 7. And once Trump publicly stated ‘they’ need to be moved out and Gaza turned into a resort, right out of Zephaniah 2 which I doubt he has read, the world changed.
As a Jewish Israeli I can assure you that the Brit is a given and something we all know and do not take for granted. Unlike the diaspora the Tanach is our history book, and our day to day Hebrew language reflects our faith as well.
Trump merely rearranged China’s position in Mideast and put a large foot on Russia’s neck. Alliances harmful to Israel just fractured on a marble floor. Period. Israel is not negotiable to Trump. There is more behind the mirror…but great article on Israel’s sovereignty, Joshua.
I do not see Trump as having put a large foot on Russia’s neck. The cease-fire that Russia is avoiding negotiating, would have given them a huge swathe of Ukrainian land.
I believe this president is transactional. Now that Israel has come close to preventing the Republic of Iran’s seven proxy armies from attacking, the USA no longer needs Israel. However, none of those armies are completely defeated. They will regroup and re-arm and threaten Israel once again if left to their own devices. Trump may want to negotiate with the Iranian regime, whose motto is still death to America. How much will that contract be worth?
The Russian alliances with Israel’s near enemies in the Mideast is the maneuver I see. Russia and China are a clear threat, of the 3 super powers. The Russia/Ukraine situation is a little different as USA deep state and anti Israel European nations has controlled that. But I do know what you are saying on the other hand. It was a punch to watch him with the Syrian despot busy murdering Druze and Alawites. I do however believe that this has totally rearranged the Mideast alliances, untrustworthy as they are, to Israel’s benefit. Even a superficial IOU to America will now thwart an assault on Israel. And yes, Israel has to be able to stand alone in case there is treachery.
What we are seeing under the Trump Presidency is the monetization of America's international relations. This unidimensional geopolitical approach will ultimately undermine historic alliances and jeopardize our increasingly unstable world.
Future generations will be severely burdened trying to unravel the consequent chaos.
Joshua's articles are both insiteful and refreshing.
This was an encouraging essay but in my view goes a bit too far, and within the essay lies an important truth. Israel has always relied to some extent on a larger more powerful country for support and assistance. In 1948 it was the immediate recognition of Israel's independence by President Truman on behalf of the United States, but that was as far as it went. As Joshua noted, Israel then relied upon France for providing weapon systems, most notably Mirage fighter jets, and for political support. When that support ended after the 1967 war, the United States stepped up and since then has provided military and political support. Israel's fighter jets and attack choppers are largely American, with some Israeli Kfirs thrown in. Were the Americans to remove support in similar fashion as did France, who would step in? India?? Russia and China are not supportive, and the United Kingdom is almost as bad as France. The United States and France were on the Security Council and thus could offer strong support in the UN, which India could not. Israel has done amazing things, as pointed out in Joshua's essay, but having a powerful "Big Brother" has always played a role. This has been with the blessings of Hashem, may it continue to be so.
May what you write be the policy of the Israeli government. May it lead to the only viable outcome: Israeli sovereignty over Gaza, Judea and Samaria and their flooding with Jews, A fitting aim for Lag B'Omer.
Well said. The USA has had many fine accomplishments in its History. However, the Amercans have been & seemingly still are, in many respects arrogant, rude and aborbed in self-aggrandizement...taking credit for achievements that fall short of hitting the mark. Sometimes building up Strong walls....then breaking them down, tempering trustworthiness. There are many examples in their History.
Their current President seems not to understand or even thinks- that his bullish manner of doing business that worked for him in his personal business endeavours are not suited or acceptable on the world are dubious, seemingly treachorous promises to be believed and yet, can be seen right through. (What is worse is when he makes comments that place his level of intelligence, or remarks that demonstrate a profound lack of General knowledge..even tactless“ asking whose even heard of a country called 'Lesotho' - is there such a place? “ How shunned does that make the people of Lesotho feel, even a trading partner! That is a stupid thing to say, and it is not the only time!
It is like any individual who has to
make it in this world, to survie, yes, even to take the help when and where it is offered and seemingly a trustworthy source. But when it has
outlived its use...through principles being compromised, to be able to move on independently, backing
ones self with little need for outside
appproval is the compelling alternative.
(I am a peace loving man..who is not? Who?) I often wondered, for a long time in the past, what would Israels options to action be, when that plethora of tunnels under the Palestinians, exploded to life(& death! ) & began attacking Israel?
Part of me hoped I would have lived out my full life without having to hear of it. ...because there would
mass slaughter of innocents - where the civilians had failed to take responsibility for protecting their own safety- rendered themselves
powerless (by being convinced of their legitamacy & apparent anti Israel patriotic needs) to safeguard themselves from an obvious retaliation...is that also suffered from a form of self-aggrandizement only to be struck horribly into reality.
Simplistically...and for example, had there been miaryd of bomb shelters
developed for rescuers to access?
My Uncle, who was an infantryman, bag piper and medic & ultimately a prisoner of war, needless to say(but I shall anyway! ) in a Scottish Regiment during World War 2 - he said in war, where you wanted to or not it came down to a matter of 'Kill or Be Killed`. That is what you do for
the survival of the species..a nation (in this instance regardless of the approval or judgement of others - the outside world). Carry on Little Israel. You are great..in many things(some portrayed in your article here)
Great in courage, in fortitude and with ingenuity. Here I am compelled to add, just as a thought as carried down to me by my own mother- that Desperation is the Mother of Invention. Not a helpless desperation but one where you have come to realize that you are on your own and must come up with a way to overcome anything that is thrown at you..that lives depend on it(look at your Dome! ) and to know because past experience, that your inherant ingenuity wont fail you..yet again!
May the Lord continue to be with you and to Bless you.
You are correct. America the arrogant. We were first a blessing to the world in the 2 WWs but quickly were hijacked by a deep state political covert operation that led us into hedonism and is only now being dismantled. Bringing the Nazi high command into the west, particularly into USA, under Truman’s nose started an evil that has to now made us anything but a blessing. But the brash bull, leader of the War of Orange is shattering it. Israel is winning but not in spite of America. Thank HaShem we have that much remnant left.
Todah Rabah (many thanks) Gordon - again - well stated and is the truth from your first word to the last... We all need shalom,your prayers and your support means so much.
“Desperation is the mother of invention. Not helpless desperation…” Gordon, this statement sums up Israel’s tenacity. I enjoyed reading your post.
Apologies..for unedited mistakes...not sure how to.
Gordon - Nice and supportive comment, thank you. To edit: click on the three dots at the top right of your comment - its a drop down menu- click on edit - and you will be in edit mode - make sure to save it (blue save button) and refresh your browser to update the comment - Hope this helps.
Got it..mostly.except for scrolling up.. I think I have done enough fixing..is good enough as it us now
the scrolling up is a bit challenging :-)
Israel should always its strategic and tactical independence even and especially if Washington disagrees
I'm disappointed in Trump. But on the other hand, it is just a reminder of what the Bible tells us in Psalm 118:8-9 (which happen to be the central verses of the entire Bible - Old and New Testaments): It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. Even US Presidents!
You may like this…5708 in Hebrew year is 1948, when Israel became a nation again. The 5,708 verse in the Bible is Deuteronomy 30:3…”then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you…[and] bring you into the land which your fathers possessed and you will possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.”
Your Torah is vindicated by its Author, the Uncreated Creator, Infinite and Eternal Being, the Mind that knows every single mind and all its contents, the King and Judge over all creation. Those who distort your Torah (us Christians) and those who deny your Torah (Islam) will face Reality in you who uphold Torah in all places and in every time zone. Chai Yisrael.
We were to share…one Torah for you and the stranger who wishes to dwell with you. 🩷
Except we Christians took your Torah into our Egyptian haram and called her the Old Testament, pointed all her rebukes toward Judaism and claimed her love and mercy for ourselves. Our wombs were barren. We did not give birth to the promised Messianic Kingdom. Swords are still swords and not ploughshares.
Christ's Kingdom is here and it's growing daily, in accordance with prophecy. See Isaiah 9:6-7 and Daniel 2.
The Christians have not distorted the Torah. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law. The ancient prophecies are fulfilled in Him. There is no other Messiah.
Joshua shabbat shalom - I cannot thank you enough for writing and sharing this essay - you are always insightful, and on point. Right or wrong on my part - The Munich Agreement of September 30 1938, came to mind after viewing the photo of mbs, trump, al-Sharaa - under the headlines "new world order".
Israel is not the Sudetenland - nor are we, as you so aptly stated - for sale.
Great essay. But I think all of what Trump is doing is benefiting Israel more than we can see right at this moment. Of course, we have to let it all play out, but Israel right now has free reign to do what they need to do. Notice there was no comments in Trump's speech this week about Gaza or "Palestinians." I also didn't hear a word about "two-state solution" from a single soul in the Middle East this week. Trump strongly stated he wants the Abraham Accords all signed and mentioned Israel positively. He knows Israel is a stabilizing force and absolutely critical for the New Middle East to get underway. He couldn't include Netanyahu on this trip because it would be too much shock to the world to accept that Israel is such an important part of all this, and Israel's presence would feed into the loud antisemitic narrative that Israel is "controlling Trump and the world." Yet, the New Middle East cannot happen without Israel's huge participation and military know-how. Trump also wants Israel and the M.E. to be independent and not rely on America for future military protection or any interference at all--because America and the West has become so fickle (and indeed, in a few years, the West may have much greater Islamic terror issues than the Middle East). And it is quite clear that Israel is going to be the protector/military enforcement of the New Middle East (helping to rid the region of terror states and preventing future terror states from developing). But that cannot be stated right now as the transformation of the Arab states are underway; again, it would be too much for the world to swallow right now. As it all starts to quickly unfold, we shall have a much clearer picture. And yes, it means Qatar is going to have to do a 180-degree turnaround, too, just as the entire region is going to. How lucky we are to be alive to witness this extraordinary history unfold!
Excellent points! Amen. Netanyahu cannot go back after Oct 7. And once Trump publicly stated ‘they’ need to be moved out and Gaza turned into a resort, right out of Zephaniah 2 which I doubt he has read, the world changed.
From your lips to God’s ears. Thank you for this wonderful inspiring and crucially needed essay.
I agree with your comments in general. But I would be sure to add that Israel exists because of the covenants with Adonai.
As a Jewish Israeli I can assure you that the Brit is a given and something we all know and do not take for granted. Unlike the diaspora the Tanach is our history book, and our day to day Hebrew language reflects our faith as well.
Shabbat shalom.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Trump merely rearranged China’s position in Mideast and put a large foot on Russia’s neck. Alliances harmful to Israel just fractured on a marble floor. Period. Israel is not negotiable to Trump. There is more behind the mirror…but great article on Israel’s sovereignty, Joshua.
I do not see Trump as having put a large foot on Russia’s neck. The cease-fire that Russia is avoiding negotiating, would have given them a huge swathe of Ukrainian land.
I believe this president is transactional. Now that Israel has come close to preventing the Republic of Iran’s seven proxy armies from attacking, the USA no longer needs Israel. However, none of those armies are completely defeated. They will regroup and re-arm and threaten Israel once again if left to their own devices. Trump may want to negotiate with the Iranian regime, whose motto is still death to America. How much will that contract be worth?
The Russian alliances with Israel’s near enemies in the Mideast is the maneuver I see. Russia and China are a clear threat, of the 3 super powers. The Russia/Ukraine situation is a little different as USA deep state and anti Israel European nations has controlled that. But I do know what you are saying on the other hand. It was a punch to watch him with the Syrian despot busy murdering Druze and Alawites. I do however believe that this has totally rearranged the Mideast alliances, untrustworthy as they are, to Israel’s benefit. Even a superficial IOU to America will now thwart an assault on Israel. And yes, Israel has to be able to stand alone in case there is treachery.
What we are seeing under the Trump Presidency is the monetization of America's international relations. This unidimensional geopolitical approach will ultimately undermine historic alliances and jeopardize our increasingly unstable world.
Future generations will be severely burdened trying to unravel the consequent chaos.
Joshua's articles are both insiteful and refreshing.
Josh, what an absolutely brilliant essay! Thank G-d that there are young Jewish geniuses like you!
And, I must add…magnificent analysis today Joshua! Shabbat Shalom!
& Joshua, you go on to write a great piece. Shabbat Shalom from Tel Aviv 💙🇮🇱 🎗️🎗️
Wow! Supercharged message today! Shabbat Shalom🇮🇱
This was an encouraging essay but in my view goes a bit too far, and within the essay lies an important truth. Israel has always relied to some extent on a larger more powerful country for support and assistance. In 1948 it was the immediate recognition of Israel's independence by President Truman on behalf of the United States, but that was as far as it went. As Joshua noted, Israel then relied upon France for providing weapon systems, most notably Mirage fighter jets, and for political support. When that support ended after the 1967 war, the United States stepped up and since then has provided military and political support. Israel's fighter jets and attack choppers are largely American, with some Israeli Kfirs thrown in. Were the Americans to remove support in similar fashion as did France, who would step in? India?? Russia and China are not supportive, and the United Kingdom is almost as bad as France. The United States and France were on the Security Council and thus could offer strong support in the UN, which India could not. Israel has done amazing things, as pointed out in Joshua's essay, but having a powerful "Big Brother" has always played a role. This has been with the blessings of Hashem, may it continue to be so.
May what you write be the policy of the Israeli government. May it lead to the only viable outcome: Israeli sovereignty over Gaza, Judea and Samaria and their flooding with Jews, A fitting aim for Lag B'Omer.
Look forward to the Jewish state taking the principled position of refusing any additional aid from the US.