Opening Day!

Every year when the baseball season begins we hear sports fans use the beautiful phrase "Opening Day"! I have always believed this day serves as a reminder of how wonderful life truly is and how lucky we are to live in the land of the free. Freedom allows you and I to express our thoughts and opinions, which is what blogs are about. With that in mind, welcome to "Opening Day" of my blog...Paulies Point.

I must confess that I was planning to start my blog on a joyful or lighter note. Unfortunately, Mick and Keith were correct when they wrote "You Can't Always Get What You Want."


Knock..Knock...The Chickens Have Come Home

The so-called chickens of Yasser Arafat have come home to roost. Even in death he has found a way to continue stealing from his people and of course preventing the people of Israel peace and security. This time around he has taken away any legitimacy the Palestinian Authority had as a real partner in obtaining peace with Israel. I am of course talking about the recent disheartening results of the Palestinian election where the terrorist group Hamas has obtained the majority of power.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have never been optimistic of a real peace in the Middle East. As long as Arab states continue to teach school children that Jews, Christians and Israel are evils that must be destroyed, a real peace is impossible. Golda Meir once said that peace will only be achieved when Arab and Jewish grandmothers are tired of seeing their grandchildren killed in wars. She was right then and now we see Palestinian parents and grandparents rejoice when their children and grandchildren carry out suicide attacks. With that said, as a Jew I must never give up hope that peace is obtainable. However after decades of Arafat’s Fatah organization stealing hundreds of millions of aide dollars, human services next to nonexistent, rampant unemployment and corruption that makes the United Nations look legitimate, no one can be surprised the Palestinians voted the Status Quo out. Welcome to the legacy of Yasser Arafat.

As corrupt and in its own right a terrorist group, Fatah still was a much better partner in peace then Hamas will ever be. Actually, Fatah would be the only opportunity to have a partner for peace. Hamas has no interest in seeing a two-state solution and continues to advocate the destruction of Israel. This recent rhetoric by some Hamas candidates saying they would be open to talking with Israel through a third party is nothing but a ploy to keep foreign aide dollars coming in. One fact I see the media has left out is that Hamas is controlled by Iran. Think about a peace partner whose orders come from Tehran. Can’t have peace when you are talking through a third party and at the same time sending a 15-year-old boy into a Jerusalem shopping mall looking to blow up women and children.

The Palestinian people were given the opportunity to experience democracy and with the right to vote in an open and free election comes responsibility. Simply put they have to live with their decision and understand the consequences. Some may look at the examples I raised and ask the question "can you blame them for voting out Fatah?" My answer is "damn right you can."

No matter what so called humanitarian aid Hamas provided or corruption that plagued Fatah, it was always clear that Fatah was the only glimmer of hope for a peaceful solution. Hamas always made it clear that they would only settle for a military solution and that being the destruction of the Jewish state. Israel’s recent withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank was never viewed by the Palestinians a victory for Fatah. Hamas actually convinced their people that their acts of terrorism were working and Israel was being pushed out. I believe it is a fair question to ask "did Hamas win because the majority of Palestinians do not want a two-state solution, but will only settle for the destruction of Israel." I can’t say I know the answer, but it is a fair question.

As stated before Palestinians must accept the consequences of their decision. If Hamas can utilize its new given power and step up terrorist attacks, you can be sure Israel will not only defend herself, but rightfully go on an offensive against Hamas with force they may not be able to comprehend. A government controlled by Hamas is a government controlled by Iran. Iran has become Israel’s new neighbor.

Today I listened to an interview with former Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The former PM said "the lesson of the Holocaust is that if someone says he wants to annihilate you, believe him." Friday, January 27th marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.