Walter's World with Walter Bingham - every Sunday on Israel National Radio

How to Combat Anxiety

2009-04-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

Times are stressful and many people suffer from anxiety. World renowned psychologist, therapist and author Dr. Miriam Adahan is in coversation with Walter. She offers the tools to combat this debilitating condition. And: Harrowing historic recorded reports from the liberation of the concentration camp Bergen Belsen. Today, 2nd Iyar, is the 64th Yahrzeit. Parental guidance advised. For podcast mp3 download click here.

The Nazi War Crimes Trials - interview with Vivien Spitz

2009-04-27T03:28:00.000-07:00

At one of the Nazi war crimes trials held in Nuremberg in 1946, twenty-two men and one woman were in the dock. All were doctors who carried out the most horrendous experiments on concentration camp inmates. Vivien Spitz, author of Doctor's From Hell, was the court reporter who heard the voices and saw the faces of evil. This is her chilling story.
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How the Bomb Squad Works

2009-04-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

A Report about the Work of the Bomb Squad during Operation Cast Lead, explaining how they were Surprised by the latest 3 Meter long Rockets. Also: How Jerusalem Stone is Quarried in the very Centre of the City, barely 200m from Ben Yehuda St. And: A Fascinating Interview with the Author of a Book about Jewish Women and Hair Covering.

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Ethiopian Documentary

2009-04-27T03:24:00.000-07:00

This is an important documentary about the life of our Ethiopian Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel. Walter hears about their transition from primitive village life to the sophisticated western ways. Hear how in Ethiopia they kept a Torah-true way of life, believing that they are the only Jews in the world.
To download the free mp3 podcast click here

Who will be the next Mayor of Jerusalem?

2008-10-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

One of the main contenders to become the next mayor of Jerusalem talks to Walter's World about his vision for the city. And: Walter compares and contrasts Ehud Olmert with other egocentric figures in history. Plus: Some of the rituals and commandments we perform on Sukkot. And: a talented musician performs on the streets of Jerusalem.

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Our Wines Among the World’s Best

2008-10-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Israel is no longer known only for sweet Kiddush wine. Our climate and soil produces some of the world’s best "nectar of the gods". Guided tours of the wineries are now on many visitors’ itineraries. Walter interviews some of the winemakers.

Also: Hear an expert on counter-terrorism explain the transition from "secular agenda terrorism" to "religious agenda terrorism" and its implications.

Plus: Walter examines the largest Mezuzah in the world, certified kosher and listed in the 2009 Guinness Book of Records.

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Walter Bingham Arrested at Protest

2008-09-08T03:25:00.000-07:00

Police Violence Precedes Protest - Audio interview with Tovia Singer
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127462

Jewish life in the UK today. Part 1

2008-09-08T03:13:00.000-07:00

Who is at the helm and how do they handle the problems? Also: Why does the Jewish community need a specially trained organization to secure their safety? Hear about Jewish men and women fighting in Pakistan and Iraq. And: Why the Brits make Aliyah.

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Returning from Hell

2008-08-31T03:36:00.000-07:00

The concluding part of a Jew’s confused journey through the world of Christian cults and his way back. And: Why we have to get rid now of mad Ehud, investigated for multiple alleged criminal activities and what the consequences of his government’s disastrous policies would mean for world Jewry. Also: The one sided administering of capital punishment within Israel.

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A Confused Jews’s Flirtations with Christian Cults Masquerading as Jewish

2008-08-27T04:37:00.000-07:00

The Second Installment of a Confused Jews’s Flirtations with Christian Cults Masquerading as Jewish

Hear how he slides ever deeper into the net of smooth talking phoney ‘Rabbis’, and how his Catholic wife reacts to it all. And: Ben Bresky’s attempt to earn a reward of Chocolate for guessing and playing the music I like.

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One Man’s Journey to Hell and Back

2008-08-20T05:09:00.000-07:00

The First of a Three Part Feature of One Man’s Journey to Hell and Back

the lack of a stable Jewish environment can easily lead impressionable youth into Messianic Cults. And: The music of the Yiddishe Cup Klezmer Band, Mickey Katz, Klezmer Juice, Sam Glaser, Miki Shaviv and the Binyomin Ginsburg Trio. Also: A very special Mazal Tov.

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Rabbi Berel Wein Releases Historical Film on State's Founding

2008-08-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

Walter's article and interview with Rabbi Berel Wein - with text, photos, audio and video
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126999

Don’t Miss Psychiatrist Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski

2008-08-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Don’t Miss Psychiatrist Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski Talking about ‘Self Control and Self Improvement’ Rabbi Twerski, author of numerous books is one of our Torah Greats and foremost Psychiatrist specializing on this subject.

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Experience the Thrill of Arriving in Israel as an Oleh...

2008-07-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Experience the Thrill of Arriving in Israel as an Oleh with Nefesh b Nefesh. It’s a ‘high’ you’ll never forget. Also: The religious and moral aspects of our claim to Eretz Israel. And: Walter in a pensive mood.

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A Different Look at the Triumph of Good Over Evil

2008-07-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

The history of the Jewish people’s struggle for survival in the 20th Century. Also: Who are the Bahai and why are they centered in Israel? Plus: Israel’s foolish policies. And: more.

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A personal tribute to Israel's 60th

2008-07-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

To conclude my history month, a personal tribute to Israel's 60th. Presenting valuable archive sound with Abba Eban, our first Ambassador to the UN, then USA. It's history in the making. Also: (unofficial) South Africa Week. And: Walter's political review of an eventful month.

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Why the Arabs Have No Claim to This Land

2008-07-09T03:04:00.000-07:00

How to counter their fallacious arguments about a Palestinian homeland, from a historic perspective. Plus: Another 'be proud of Israel' item; why we lead the world in Water Management Systems and Environmental Technology. And more.

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How to Lead from the Front the British Way

2008-07-01T01:43:00.000-07:00

And: How Homosexuals and Lesbians do it. Walter visits the parade in Jerusalem. Plus: The Village Green, a restaurant with a difference. Also: An effective remedy for Insomnia.

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The British Way of Raising Funds for Israel

2008-07-01T01:36:00.000-07:00

The British Way of Raising Funds for Israel while having fun or following the Freemason’s model. And: A novel way of making Aliyah. Also: Two different cups of coffee. Plus: What’s a stone in the UK? And: By popular request, more from the Ordinary Englishman - and music.

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Walter is Psychologically Sick and Hallucinating, but Pulling no Punches

2008-06-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

A commentary about Olmert’s policies, the lies he told about his views on Jerusalem and his desperate plans for the Golan Heights against the will of the nation. Also: British academics renew boycott of Israel, based on ignorance. Plus: Half an hour of Ben Bresky playing Walter’s kind of music.

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Is There Case for Acting Morally Against Immoral Enemies?

2008-05-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hear eminent personalities trying to find the answer. Also: A political comment about Israel’s present predicament - and the antics of our Prime Minister. Plus: A view from England about Muslims. And: Some music.

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Esther, the Wife of Jonathan Pollard is Spilling the Beans

2008-05-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

A revealing interview during the latest demonstration for Pollard’s release. And: A report from the largest ever Conference held in Jerusalem, with participation of President George W. Bush and many other Presidents and Prime Ministers. Also: A live report about the Earthquake in China from Chabad- Lubavitch.

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My Independence Day with Jewish Youth in Jerusalem

2008-05-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Also: All about the imaginary comfort in the Diaspora and an appeal to you to come home now, and save your children from having to face the inevitable later. And: The Walter’s World travel expert to give you the necessary advice. Plus: Remembering the fallen of our wars. And: A word about Ehud Olmert’s hypocracy.

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Israel - Home and Hope

2008-05-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

A Presentation by the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth Professor Dr.Jonathan Sachs, in tribute to Israel’s 60 years of Statehood. An extended programme in words and Music. Also: IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt.Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi speaks at Auschwitz on Yom Hashoah.

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A Touch of Class

2008-04-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

All about the Bern Youth Symphony Orchestra. Also: Sam Glaser, an acclaimed composer, performer and interpreter of Jewish music talks about his life and work. And: How we crawl to the British.

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Could Harry Potter and His Magic Remind You of the Torah?

2008-04-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

No? Then hear an interview with surprises. Also: Is Pastor John Hagee genuine? And: Yes, we are responding disproportionately to the rocket attacks from Gaza. Are we creating a Humanitarian Crisis there? Plus: Other current events discussed without pulling punches. And: What’s Passover all about?

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Traitors get state money, patriotic citizens get prison

2008-04-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Traitors get state money and patriotic citizens get prison. All about the miscarriage of justice. Join Walter at the new Magen David Adom Station in Sderot. Also: Why he danced around the dining room tables at a luxury hotel. Plus: An eye witness account by the Vice President of The World Jewish Congress of how he escaped a shooting attack at the Gaza border. And more.
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The Views of Some Germans More than 60 Years After World War II

2008-04-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

How one German city tries hard to ensure that the suffering of its former Jewish citizens is remembered – and the murder by the Nazis of its Jewish residents will never be forgotten. Also: How Israeli democracy fails those who don’t toe the government line. And: A group of Birthright Israel embarks from Germany. With Music and more.

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Join Walter on His Visit to Prague

2008-04-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

Join Walter on His Visit to Prague and Explore with Him the Jewish Sites

Hear about the many synagogues, all within a few square meters of each other, including the proposed Nazi museum of Jewish treasures, the Hebrew tower clock that turns from right to left. Also: An interview with a prominent Jewish philanthropist to find out what makes him tick.

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Celebrate Purim with Walter

2008-04-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

An hour of fun, stories, laughter and music.

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The REAL Views about Israel -Published by German Academics

2008-03-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

A Conference on German-Israel relations offered an insight into these educators’ twisted interpretation of the so-called Special Relationship and Friendship. Also: Hear the sound pictures of the work of the Ambulance Service of Magen David Adom and the dedication of its staff.

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Why do We have a Security Barrier? A non Political Assessment

2008-03-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Hear from the IDF why it has been built, from the head of one settlement why they want it and from the Arab side why they hate it.
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Imagine That You Suddenly Inherited 6 Million Dollars. How would it Change Your Life?

2008-02-25T12:36:00.000-08:00

Walter talks with the author of ‘Dough’, a fascinating book about his seemingly stoical family, a bread store and the accumulation of wealth without deriving benefit. Also: The latest news from the Walter’s World travel expert. And: A Muslim’s view of Israel and her problems.

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All About the 5th Annual Jerusalem Conference

2008-02-25T04:33:00.000-08:00

All About the 5th Annual Jerusalem Conference, where seventy speakers and panellists commented on the government’s proposal for a two-State solution and the division of Jerusalem. Hear the views of some of them and the reaction of the guests, including INR’s Tovia Singer in conversation with Walter. Plus: Music by Mordechai Ben David.
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For more info on the Jerusalem Conference visit http://www.JerusaelmConference.com.

Sexual Morality and Religious Youth

2008-02-18T01:41:00.000-08:00

A discussion about pre-marital sex and Nidda, family purity. Also: The President of Presidents appeals for Jewish unity in the context of the Iranian threat. And: some music.

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Compare and Contrast Israel with Zimbabwe

2008-02-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Israel’s Leaders Submit to World Pressure, While Zimbabwe’s President Sticks his Finger up at Them.

Why are Israel ‘s actions examined through a magnifying glass, while the worst dictatorships are ignored.

Also: Life at an Ulpan, (Hebrew classes). And: a tour of Yad Sarah, Israel’s best know charitable organisation.

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The Cruel Expulsion of Two Jewish Families from Their Homes in Hebron

2008-01-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

A Live Report from the Cruel Expulsion of Two Jewish Families from Their Homes in Hebron. Hear the sounds of the agony and of the brutal conduct by 3000 Police employed for the task.

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Part Two of the Tova Mordechai Story

2008-01-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

Her miraculous return to the Jewish people and a Torah observant life, told in her inimitable style.

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The Amazing Life of Tova Mordechai

2008-01-14T03:11:00.000-08:00

She was a Pentecostal Christian preacher unaware of her Jewish birth. Part 1.

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Interview with Bishop of Jerusalem

2008-01-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

An Electrifying Interview with the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem and Middle East.

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Does Democracy Demand that We Tolerate Hostile Knesset Members?

2007-12-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

Why was Rabbi Meir Kahane excluded? How many more Peace Envoys and Initiatives do we need? And: Hear the man who openly claims that today’s Israeli President murdered Yitzchak Rabin. Also: What are the Women in Black up to? And: Does the Gregorian calendar still influence our actions? Music and more.

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Walter Comments on Topical Issues and a Few Historical Facts

2007-12-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

How the Jerusalem Municipality deliberately snarls up the traffic in the city centre. And how traffic on the Ayalon, Tel Aviv’s main artery is electronically controlled.

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Is the Rebbe Moshiach?

2007-12-17T05:13:00.000-08:00

Is the Lubavitcher Rebbe Dead and Buried, or will He Return as Moshiach the Redeemer? Hear Rabbi Sholom Kalmanson who is convinced of The Rebbe’s impending resurrection as the Messiah. Also: How Condi Rice confuses South with East. And: Does the first Israel sponsored successful UN resolution and her seats on UN Committees indicate a change of attitude by member States? Plus: More irrefutable archaeological evidence of the Jewish presence in Jerusalem during both Temple periods.

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The Future of Jews in the West Bank, and of Arabs in Jerusalem

2007-12-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

Coverage with Jerusalem Post Arab affairs correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh. Hear the views, feelings and anxieties of two different and dissatisfied communities, in the light of government policy to change their status. What do they really want?

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Exclusive Interview with Caroline Glick of the Jerusalem Post

2007-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Renowned Newspaper Columnist Caroline Glick Assesses Israel’s State - A razor sharp evaluation of where the present government’s policy will lead us. Israel after Annapolis. Also: Political follies. And: A remedy for Insomniacs.

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Interview with singer Mike Burstyn

2007-11-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

Mike Burstyn, the versatile star of stage, screen and TV, talks about his life and music.
And: Listeners’ verdict if Walter should exchange his life in radio for comedy. Also: How Condoleeza Rice ignores the first rule when making statements. And more.

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Walter remembers Veteran’s Day. Reminiscences of an old soldier

2007-11-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

And: The state of Chabad-Lubavitch 13 years after the Rebbe’s death. Also: Would I do better as a comedian than hosting a radio? And more.

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What Triggered Kristallnacht?

2007-11-05T02:42:00.000-08:00

What Triggered Kristallnacht 59 Years Ago this Week and Started the Holocaust? Who was Herschel Grynszpan? And: The mood of British Jews 60 years after the Balfour Declaration. Hear: How a French Cardinal publicly acknowledges that he is a Jew. Plus: Political titbits, more from the abortion debate, music and more.

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Another Look Around Beit El, home of Arutz 7

2007-10-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

Another Look Around Beit El - the Home of Israel National News and Radio

Hear Eugene Gluck and Major General Doron Almog. Also: To abort or not to abort that is the question. And: the latest news from Chabad San Diego.

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Political Assessment by David Horowitz, Jerusalem Post Editor

2007-10-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hear Walter’s comments on the situation. Also: How Israel violates Syrian airspace every day without being challenged. And more.

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Dr. Abraham Twerski special

2007-10-15T03:52:00.000-07:00

Are you dissatisfied with your life? Do you feel that you are not achieving? Does anger sometimes overtake you and then You let your frustration out on others, or reach for that cigarette or drink that is your crutch? Then listen to this week’s programme on self-control and self-improvement with the eminent Psychiatrist Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twerski.

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A Different View of Israel - essay

2007-10-15T03:39:00.000-07:00

3 Cheshvan 5768, 15 October 07
by Walter Bingham
(IsraelNN.com)

Israel is perceived in many parts of the world as an occupier of Palestinian lands and an oppressor of their people; of maintaining unnecessary military checkpoints in the West Bank and of causing hunger and unemployment in Gaza by preventing humanitarian supplies to reach there.

All that misinformation is disseminated by an efficient Arab public relations machine that relentlessly pumps out those points and more. One would think that Israel's government would do all in its power to counter that propaganda, by engaging the best advertising and public relations brains in the world to show the real relationship with the Palestinians, the necessity to check for terrorists before they reach our population centres, and to show examples of the explosive devices and suicide belts that these checks reveal; to provide evidence to the world of daily stone, firebomb and knife attacks by Palestinians on Jewish civilians going about their daily business.

One would think that the government would show that those attacks are not perpetrated by hungry Gazans, but in many cases by Arabs with Israeli identity cards. The same Arabs and their families who fill the waiting rooms of Israeli doctors and hospitals just like any other citizen of this country. They come from their villages to shop in the cities' malls and move freely and unmolested. Yet, I would be ill advised to enter any of their villages, unless I would want a knife between my shoulder blades.

Some time ago, Israel's government initiated a new PR campaign on TV and video to show an image of Israel other than the often biased reports about the activities of Israel's security forces in the West Bank and Gaza.

When I heard about that, I assumed that it would show the history of the Jews reinforcing their claim to the land, or the wonderful landscape, scenery, heritage sites and archaeological treasures; or Israel's large and important contributions to the advances in the fields of medicine and technology; or that it would counter the claim that Israel prevents supplies from reaching Gaza. But no, the campaign focuses on the beauty and the gorgeous figures of Israel's girls when they are out of uniform and frolicking on the beaches, clad only in - well almost not clad in anything at all. Labour Member of Knesset Collette Avital likens it to an invitation to come to Israel for free sex.

Perhaps the new PR campaign would have more effect if it showed that all of Gaza's fuels and 63% of Gaza's electricity and almost all of their water are supplied by Israel, while those in Gaza, in return, send rockets and mortars at Jewish population centres and then hand out sweets when they hear of casualties. Israel's government would do well to explain that the rockets are manufactured with machines driven by Israeli-supplied electricity and that the terrorists drink water flowing in from Israel. All of Gaza's utilities could easily be turned off by Israel, but humanitarian considerations prevent this. Would any other country in the world continue to supply a neighbour who bites the hand that feeds it?

Instead of her beautiful girls, Israel should show a different view - like footage of a raid on a house in south Tel Aviv to recover an explosives belt that had been brought there in preparation for a suicide attack in the city. It could show how a pregnant Israeli-Arab woman pretending to feel unwell would not get up from her bed, claiming that there is nothing unusual in her home; yet, when the forces continued the search, they uncovered a terrorist and a weapons cache under the bed. Surely, such images would convey a truer picture to the world of why Israel has to have checkpoints (at which, in 2006, 187 potential suicide bombers were caught).

It would also be more effective to show how terrorists "without blood on their hands" who were released by Israel as a gesture to the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, or granted amnesty from arrest, were then caught red-handed in possession of weapons. "No blood on their hands" simply means that they were unsuccessful on the last occasion and were arrested. All terrorists want to kill, that's implied in their creed.

Those are some of the facts that Israel should publicise. Images of beautiful girls would be useful to attract a younger generation of tourists to Israel instead of Phuket - if there were nothing else more important.

www.IsraelNationalNews.com
© Copyright IsraelNationalNews.com
Subscribe to the free Daily Israel Report - sub.israelnn.com

World Renowned Singing Star DUDU FISHER Live in the Studio

2007-10-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

A two hour Walter’s World Exclusive. David "Dudu" Fisher talks with Walter about his life, his passions and his music.

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A light hearted look at Succoth

2007-10-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Come into the sweetest Succah in the world. Hear what makes a good set of Arba Minim, the four Species. And: How ‘The British Pensions Office’ decided Israel’s final borders. Also: The pigeons are our Government’s high priority. Plus: A novel definition of Democracy and more.

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Weekend Edition with Walter Bingham and Tamar Yonah - Sep. 23, 2007

2007-09-24T04:42:00.000-07:00

September 23, 2007

Weekend Edition Hour 1: Getting Arrested

Walter Bingham joins Tamar as a co-host, as they speak to Nadia Matar who says she was arrested in a political plot to silence her and the right wing. Hear this dramatic interview how the police converged on Nadia after the demonstration was over, grabbed her by her limbs and carted her away in a police van. Also, do Israelis really want to give more land for peace? A recent poll says NO!

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Weekend Edition Hour 2: Speaking With the Stars

Why do U.S. radio talk show celebrities hang up and refuse calls from Steve Klein? What does this every-day activist say that ticks them off? Steve bares all, as he shares stories of his fight over America's public air waves and news papers.

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Dinner with Rice

2007-09-24T00:52:00.000-07:00

Not Basmati or long grain Persian, but American. Israel is slowly waking up. Also: how this country’s Left is calling the shots. And: Is Israel’s greatest asset her beautiful girls? Plus: Grandfather’s chickens are coming home to roost. And more.

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Weekend Edition with Walter Bingham and Ben Bresky

2007-09-17T03:18:00.001-07:00

Walter Bingham and Ben Bresky guest host Weekend Edition for September 16, 2007

Hour 1:
Countless people have bumped into Jeff Seidel at the Western Wall, in a university or outside a bar at 11PM and thus found a place for Shabbat. Hear him talk about his Jewish Student Information Center, an outreach program for English speaking students in Israeli universities.
Dovi Holtz reports from London, England on what it's like for an Israeli shaliach on the Torah MiTzion program teaching young adults about their heritage and how he deals with the cultural change.

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Hour 2:
Danny Danon, chairman of World Likud, talks about the importance of pushing Benyamin Netanyahu and making a change from within. He discusses Zev Jabotinsky's Iron Wall theory and whether it applies to today's concrete wall of Judea and Samaria.
Yitzhak Halfon sings a stirring, modern version of the traditional Unetane Tokef prayer for the High Holidays. Walter and Ben discuss electoral reform in Israel and a surprising version of Avinu Malkeinu by Mogwai, a non-Jewish hard rock band.

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They Need a Police Station in a Synagogue

2007-09-17T03:13:00.000-07:00

Walter's World for September 16, 2007

Will Jews ever learn from the past? Also: We blow the Shofar, but he blew the Whistle. And: How protecting Israel violates Human Rights! Plus: Americans in glass houses should not throw stones. And: The moral decline of Youth; arranged marriages vs. casual dating. Also: If you can’t beat them - join them. Hear that interesting report, and more.

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Interview with Alan Dershowitz

2007-09-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Interview with Alan Dershowitz

Walter's World for September 9th, 2007

In this classic broadcast from July 2006, the eminent Harvard law professor explains the difference between innocent civilians in Lebanon and terrorists posing as civilians for the sake of the media.

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Hear What the Terrible Twins are Up To

2007-09-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
September 2, 2007

A wake-up call for all Jews. And: Lefties and Arabs discuss Israel’s future. Also: Rabbi Ovadia Joseph’s thoughtless remarks. And: why do they discuss here in Israel the Education for American Blacks. Plus: Thoughts for Rosh Hashanah and music.

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2007-09-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
August 26, 2007

Government Cuts: An end to security on buses? Access for homicide bombers eased
Also: Israeli newspapers profit from organized crime.
And: JNF Jewish land for Arabs.
Plus: Chabad builds phoney Western Wall in Berlin.
And: the Walter’s World Travel expert gives advice.

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Former Amb. Danny Ayalon, talks about Nefesh b Nefesh

2007-09-03T00:18:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
August 19, 2007

Danny Ayalon, until recently Israel’s Ambassador to the USA talks about Nefesh b Nefesh.

To date, they brought 12,000 immigrants to Israel from the US, Canada and the UK. Join me at the latest mass arrival. Also: A report about Birthright Israel, which brings uninformed youth on free trips to Israel. Hear their stunning verdict.

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Spend the Night with Me at Hebron, During the Expulsion..

2007-09-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
August 12, 2007

Spend the Night with Me at Hebron, During the Expulsion of Jewish Families from Their Homes. Hear the sounds of the destruction, the attitude of the police, the view of a dispossessed resident and feel the pain. Also: All about bereavement counseling.

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Britain, Beware of the Trojan Horse - editorial

2007-09-03T00:13:00.000-07:00

20 Elul 5767, 03 September 07 10:14

by Walter Bingham

(IsraelNN.com) Many a fake doctor has brought about the death of a patient. But one does not have to be a member of the medical profession to fraudulently pretend to have a remedy for one or another shortcoming in a particular body. The body politic has always had, and will have, false messiahs, men, and lately also women, who profess to have the answer to a nation's, or even the world's, ills.

In the United Kingdom, such incidents are not rare. We even find them in our Trades Union, where a few misguided left-wing activists are trying to poison and brainwash the large majority of working men and women into believing that the scourge of Muslim extremism and terrorism can be eradicated by solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that, if yet another Arab state is brought into existence, then the Islamic steamroller will run out of steam.

Nothing is further from the truth. But the National Union of Journalists, the Transport and General Workers Union and the University and College Union in Britain believe that by a campaign to boycott Israel and goods produced there will bring about change in the Middle East; that Israel will be isolated, considered a pariah state and suffer economically, as was the case in South Africa. Interestingly, their utterances on Zimbabwe - where, as a result of the dispossession of the white farmers, the country is now on the verge of total economic collapse - pale into insignificance compared with their condemnation of Israel, which is among the technologically most advanced nations in the world, and a leader in IT technology, competing with Silicon Valley.

If successful, these boycotts would be nothing but a Trojan Horse that would bring with them unimaginable damage to Britain's economy (and also the Health Service). Let's consider just some of the consequences.

Israel, the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay claim to an astounding number of advances in almost every direction (WorldNetDaily contributed to the next four paragraphs).

You would have to throw away most of your laptops, PC's and mobile phones, because Intel's new multi-core processor was completely developed at facilities in Israel. And our ubiquitous mobile phone was developed in Israel by Motorola, which has its largest development centre in that little land. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology was also pioneered in Israel.

Bill Gates calls Israel "a major player in the high-tech world"; most of Windows NT operating system was developed by Microsoft-Israel; the Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel; both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the U.S. in Israel; and, with more than 3,000 high-tech companies and start-ups, Israel has the highest concentration of high-tech companies in the world outside Silicon Valley.

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the US, over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25 percent of its workforce employed in technical professions, Israel occupies first place in this category, as well.

In the USA, AirTrain JFK - the 8.1-mile light rail labyrinth that connects JFK Airport to New York City's mass transit - is protected by the Israeli-developed Nextiva surveillance system. Not to speak of Israel's expertise in anti-terrorist security, sought after everywhere.

In the medical field, Israeli researchers have:

Discovered the molecular trigger that causes psoriasis.
Developed the Ex-Press shunt to provide relief for glaucoma sufferers.
Unveiled a blood test that diagnoses heart attacks - by telephone!
Found a combination of electrical stimulation and chemotherapy that makes cancerous metastases disappear - and developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
Designed the first flight system to protect passenger and freighter aircraft against missile attack.
Developed the first ingestible video camera - so small it fits inside a pill - used to view the small intestine from the inside, enabling doctors to diagnose cancer and digestive disorders.
Perfected a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with congestive heart failure, synchronizing the heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.

Of course, those UK union's boycott calls are not only an anti-Israel campaign, but, by their very nature, are anti-Semitic. The much-respected, late Ann Landers, who for 45 years wrote a syndicated column in many newspapers across America, once reminded her readers that it's a free world and you don't have to like Jews if you don't want to, but if you are going to be an anti-Semite, you should be consistent and turn your back on the medical advances that Jews have made possible. So, go ahead and boycott all medicines that were researched and developed by Jews. Let me just list a few:

The vaccine for hepatitis, discovered by Baruch Bloomberg;
The Wasserman test for syphilis, developed by August von Wasserman, and the first effective drug to fight that decease, developed by Paul Ehrlich;
Bela Schick developed the first diagnostic test for diphtheria;
Insulin would not have been discovered if Oskar Minskowski had not demonstrated the link between diabetes and the pancreas;
It was Burril Crohn who identified the decease that bears his name;
Alfred Hess discovered that vitamin C could cure scurvy;
Casimir Funk was the first to use vitamin B to treat beriberi, an inflammation of the nerves that can cause heart failure; and
Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine, and later, Albert Sabin perfected the oral version.

Humanitarianism requires us to offer these gifts to all peoples of the world, regardless of race, colour or creed. Anti-Semites who want to boycott these gifts can go ahead and turn them down, but I suspect that when it comes to their own health and survival, their principles fly out the window.

So, what's the point of all this?

Simply that the very idea of eradicating or even displacing Israel from its historic home is suicidal to the rest of the world, not just her Arab neighbours.

US trade unions including the American Postal Workers and Teamsters have attacked their British counterparts for planning to boycott Israel. In a strongly worded statement signed by over 20 representatives from trade unions, it said: "Rather than divestment from Israel, we believe that investment of time, energy and material aid is the best means to alleviate the ongoing suffering of Palestinians and Israelis." They further slammed plans for any academic boycott, stating: "Rather than limiting interactions with Israeli educators, academics and educational institutions, we see the importance of maximizing, rather than proscribing, the free flow of ideas and academic interaction between peoples, cultures, religions and countries."

Now, stop just for a second and imagine a world today that never knew Israel. And then go further and imagine what our world would be like if Israel's enemies held sway. Would you rather live in an Iran, Iraq, Syria or Hamastan, or in an Israel, the only democratic state in the Middle East?

Who needs Israel? Let's be honest. We all do.

Walter Bingham is a radio show host on Israel National Radio.com.

I stop the mighty roar of Israel’s Traffic and...

2007-09-03T00:11:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
August 5, 2007

I stop the mighty roar of Israel’s Traffic and from the great crowds bring you some of the interesting people who came by, sea and air to be ‘In Town Tonight’
The Buddy Bears are here and so is the man behind the idea. And: Hear the famous German TV and Movie Star Iris Berben. Also: How some Americans feel about Israel.

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Hear the Live Sounds of Tisha b'Av in Jerusalem

2007-09-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
July 29, 2007

Join the thousands remembering, lamenting, hoping; and marching to assert our right. Also: Experience the welcome for the largest new immigrant arrival from France. It’s jubilant, it’s emotional, it’s unforgettable. And: Why Toni Blair should go home.

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Two Years After the Expulsion From Gush Katif its Former Residents are Still Not Fully Compensated

2007-09-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
July 22, 2007

Their Farmers loose patience. Learn which terrorists have ‘Blood on their hands’. And: Can President Peres be politically impartial? Also: News from the UK and more.

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Join the Reception of 220 New Immigrants at Ben Gurion International Airport

2007-09-03T00:05:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
July 15, 2007

Nefesh b'Nefesh have done it again. Also: How the Ministry of Transport passes the buck when challenged about the poor bus services from the Nation’s Capital to the Airport. And: Do you plan to travel to Israel? Then you need the invaluable advice of Walter’s Travel Expert.

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Youth at the Crossroads of Life

2007-09-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham

How English speaking Teenagers who drifted into drugs and drink are helped by an organization tailored to their needs. Hear their frank stories. Also: Where did Jeans originate?

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A Hair Raising Story - and a Piece of Israel’s History

2007-07-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham
July 1, 2007

Some of the best of Walter’s World. Lynne Shreiber talks about her book Jewish Women and Hair Covering.
And: Tovia Singer interviews the man who captured Adolf Eichman, the Executer of the Final Solution.

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How YOU Can Help Israel’s Severely Disabled Children

2007-06-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Walter's World
June 24, 2006

On Your Next EL AL Flight, Ask the Cabin Staff How YOU Can Help Israel’s Severely Disabled Children.

An insight into the work - and a tour of two major Charitable Institutions giving care and providing quality of life for Israel’s most severely disabled Jewish children with the help of EL Al Israel Airlines. Stories that will grip your heart.

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How History Repeats Itself - download

2007-06-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

How History Repeats Itself
June 17, 2007

A historical comparison between the Allies’ actions after World War 1 and those of Israel’s Government in 2007. Also: Two outstanding Visionaries of the 20th Century.

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More to Make You Proud of Israel and the Jewish People

2007-05-28T05:39:00.001-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham for Sunday May 27, 2007

How Israeli armour saves American lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, through our achievements in the defense industries. Also: The unique way of how Brits support Israel. And: My thoughts about the way some politicians and the world’s media present Israel.

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Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day

2007-05-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Walter's World for Sunday May 20, 2007

A celebration of the City’s unification with music from the stars. The second of a series of three programs ‘Feel Proud of Israel and the Jewish Nation’. Also: What Ambassadors say about our undivided City. And: A salute to Rabbi Yehoshua Fass of Nefesh b’ Nefesh.

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Israel is World Leader in Water Resources Management

2007-05-08T02:26:00.000-07:00

Walter's World with Walter Bingham for May 6, 2007

Hear about the largest and most advanced seawater desalination plant in the world. Also: How Israel leads in domestic waste water treatment technology and conserves its water resources. Research work continues to reduce CO2 emissions using solar energy. And: The people’s verdict on our incompetent Government.

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There's a Jewish Museum in a Town Without Jews

2007-04-30T02:06:00.000-07:00

Walter's World for Sunday April 29, 2007

Hohenems in Austria commemorates a Jewish heritage. And: How Prime Minister Olmert is putting a spin on the defeat in Lebanon. Also: The British capitulate to their Muslim residents. And: a tribute to the Jewish Hero of Virginia Tec.

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An Open Letter to Minister Rafi Eitan

2007-04-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

An Open Letter to Minister Rafi Eitan
by Walter Bingham
Published: 09/14/06
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/6543

I know that you are a member of the security cabinet, but that's a mistake. You and your ministry should concentrate on, and deal with, the matters for which the pensioners and their supporters have elected you: to help the underprivileged, the hungry and homeless, and, most of all, to obtain better conditions for the pensioners.

Dear Minister Eitan,

At the time of the last general election, I was unfortunately out of the country and could not vote. If as a pensioner, and I am four years your senior, I had voted for your party, the Pensioners party, I would today be extremely upset after having read your interview published in the Jerusalem Post this week.

You tried to resurrect the dead-and-buried, warped ideas of trying to achieve tranquillity in Israel, and among its enemies, by forcibly evicting Jewish residents from Judea and Samaria, with the exception of a few settlement blocks. Even Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has realised that punishing Israelis for the misdeeds of Arab terrorists is not the solution, but an invitation to more of the same. To give in to the enemy's demands, even on the basis of any vague promises, was proved in Munich to be a fatal mistake. You were about 10 years old at the time and, surprisingly, although it's in long-term memory, you don't seem to want to remember it. But I do, vividly, and I wouldn't want it to happen here.

You have obviously forgotten the glorious future that our government, backed by much of the world community, predicted for Gaza after we forcibly evicted 8,500 Jews who wanted nothing else but to conduct a peaceful life and go about their businesses that they built up over 20 or so years. What was the effect? What has been achieved? The area has became a haven for terrorists, the infrastructure of the extensive horticultural and agricultural enterprises have been reduced to rubble at the hands of the Palestinians charged to guard them, and their founders and staff have become a drain on the economy of our country, to which hitherto they contributed considerably.

Many of the other effects of the Gush Katif expulsion - such as interruption of children's schooling, the trauma, the homelessness - are all well documented. I suggest that you read up on it, if you have forgotten, before sprouting ideas that would bring disaster not upon 8,500, but on 10 fold that number of our citizens. All that has apparently slipped your aging mind.

How about the idea of Knesset Member Effie Eitam to expel the Arabs, rather than the Jews, from that region? I suppose you, in concert with our Arab MKs, are up in arms about such an idea. You'd consider it inconceivable; it would be a humanitarian crime, creating another refugee problem to add to the 60-year-old one that nobody cares about. But don't worry, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNWRA has been specifically established for that purpose. May I remind you that they are the only relief organisation in the world solely set up for one small group of people, Palestinian Arabs, who could have been absorbed a million times had their Arab ?friends' wanted to do so.

Seeing that Gazans are now looked after by Hamas, UNRWA can move off their comfortable chairs, get into their luxurious 4X4s, and earn their money - provided by the world's taxpayers - for a change. So, I support Effie Eitam's idea, because frankly, I cannot see the difference in humanitarian terms between expelling Jews or moving Arabs from their homes.

Actually, I just realised that there is a difference. The Palestinian Arabs have an internationally funded relief agency and the Jews have a bankrupt government that will do anything to distract from their corrupt activities, even to the detriment of its own people. Where else in the world are so many high-ranking government personalities, from the president down, under police investigation for alleged criminal activities? The British would call it: "Blow you, Jack, I'm alright."

Before anyone dares to suggest the creation of a massive Jewish refugee problem, let them first assess how the relatively 'small' one of Gush Katif and northern Samaria was mishandled and is still, to a large extent, unresolved.

That, Mr. Minister, is where you come in. I know that you are a member of the security cabinet, but that's a mistake. You and your ministry should concentrate on, and deal with, the matters for which the pensioners and their supporters have elected you: to help the underprivileged, the hungry and homeless, and, most of all, to obtain better conditions for the pensioners.

Are you aware that the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO), that hitherto commendable charitable organisation, is fighting in the courts to evict all the residents from its beautiful Beit Horim senior citizens home in Tel Aviv? You ask why? Well, it's the same corrupt streak that filters all the way down from the top: greed. The property is worth tens of millions of dollars that could help to finance an even bigger empire, generating even larger incomes for the boys and girls at the top. All that, at the cost of the quality of life of the old and frail, those who have given their life's work, and often military service, so that today's fat cats can exploit them with impunity. Their children are spending thousands of shekels of their hard-earned cash in the defence of their parents' quality of life. This is a job you should be doing, because you were elected for and by the pensioners, some of whom are now threatened with eviction.

And what about the hungry and homeless? Have you seen the recent statistics, or does your ancient mind not stretch to figures anymore?

Personally, I believe you resign and go spend your time on a golf course; especially after the kindest words you could find for the thousands of people affected by the rockets from Gaza and Lebanon were that the rockets were, and I quote from the Jerusalem Post, "a technical matter that needs to be overcome in one way or another.? It is a quote I would not even expect from a school child. You also said: "I can have influence, little by little, until people realise that if we don't withdraw, we won't be able to stay anywhere in Judea and Samaria." Don't kid yourself old man; we, our children, and their children will be there long after you and I have had to answer for our actions in this world.

Of course, it is much more glamorous and newsworthy to meddle in cabinet politics than to work for the mundane tasks of improving the lot of the underprivileged and old. But that's the job for which you were elected and, until you are demoted, be the chief in your own department and leave the others to theirs.

Yours is a very rewarding task. Fulfill it with honour.

Shalom and Shanah Tovah.

21 Elul 5766 / 14 September 06

Here is the News they Try to Suppress.

2007-04-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

A7 Radio's "Walter's World" with Walter Bingham

Here is the News they Try to Suppress.

Only Heard on Walter's World This Month an Arab was President of the State of Israel and an Anti-Israel Arab was Speaker of the Knesset.
Also:You'll laugh at this Comedy until it hurts. And: Medieval Mikvoth (ritual baths) and more, in Germany for the Jewish Traveller.

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The New Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion Airport

2007-04-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

A7 Radio's "Walter's World" with Walter Bingham

Today Walter is Reporting on the Opening of the Refurbished Domestic Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion Airport

Also: How everybody passes the buck about the inadequate Bus Services to the Airport. And: A Report from yet another hearing in the continual trial of Shimshon Cytryn.

Plus: A Klezmer Big Band.

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All about Pesach and More

2007-04-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

A7 Radio's "Walter's World" with Walter Bingham

An Exclusive and Frank Statement by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, on his much discussed proposed candidacy as President of the State of Israel. Followed by his Sermon about Pessach. Also: An assessment of today's Israeli government and why they allowed the excursion to Chomesh. And: Pessach songs.

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Civil Disobedience or Blind Compliance? - opinion article

2007-04-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Civil Disobedience or Blind Compliance?
by Walter Bingham
Published: 04/13/07
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7053

Is there a right to engage in civil disobedience?

For a long time now, I have argued in my radio programmes that the only way to effect a change of policy of this government is by going out into the streets, and staying out, until our political rulers realise that the people no longer trust, respect or support them. In recent years, we have seen several such actions in other countries, with various systems of government, that were successful. Experience in 'democratic' Israel has shown that any attempts to act in this way have been unreasonably heavily punished by the courts.

So, what kind of consideration, if any, would make it morally right to engage in civil disobedience? When engaging in political philosophy one has to be clear about one's definition of politics. Broadly speaking, I see it as that part of human behaviour aimed at making people follow a path determined by others. For that reason, ever since Aristotle, men have asked, "In whose interest does the ruler rule?" They have analysed the comparative qualities of different systems of rule in terms of their own interest vis-a-vis other sections of the community. Their judgement, being subjective, is determined by their assessment of what constitutes a fair share of scarce value and whether they believe that they are getting it. These include a voice in the organisation of their society, as well as economic considerations, and involve both legal and moral matters. If we have delegated our legal right to the government, then we also have a moral right to expect its actions to conform to our wishesLegal, because it concerns the authority of the government to impose rules, and moral because they should be seen and believed to benefit all the people.

If we want to define the relevant considerations that would confer on us the moral right to engage in civil disobedience, then we first need to examine what kind of obligation we, as members of a state, have to the government and what the government's obligations are to us; also, what our rights are and how the ruling authority has acquired its right, if indeed it has one.
It can be argued, as the English philosopher John Locke did, that in a political society the people transfer certain natural rights to a representative to be 'in authority.' By such action, we have entered into a contractual obligation to abide by such laws as may be made by that authority, provided that they are for our benefit. It means that everyone who resides within the jurisdiction of our government has given at least their tacit consent and this is, therefore, a de jure authority. It follows that if what one considers to be 'the public good' is not being pursued by the government, then this consent can be withdrawn and the authority of that government need no longer be recognised; i.e. the contract is cancelled.

On the other hand, one may disagree with the contract theory, as the Scottish philosopher David Hume did. He held that those who give obedience to their ruler do so because they see it done by others and therefore feel obliged, rather as one is to parents. It then becomes a matter of familiarity with the practice. Hume said that "the mind is carried by habit." That model of authority is de facto, in which the government does not have the right to expect the obedience that it gets; but there seems to be an implied moral obligation to uphold the law, for the sake of the common interest, which is safeguarded by stability in government.

The foregoing are two different views concerning moral obligation of obedience to government. One which is direct and based on consent, the other an indirect obligation founded on the moral duty to further the common interest. According to Locke's account, the government rules of right, but the people also have the right to get the benefits that they expect. His concept of authority would therefore not allow for coercive power, because that would simply be an indication that the system has broken down and the contract would then be void. If a government uses its people's original consent for activities not expected by them - i.e., to hand territory to an enemy or to build fortifications instead of housing - then the moral obligation to obedience is removed. If the government defends such action as being in the national interest, then any moral justification for civil disobedience would hinge on the interpretation of, and the right to determine, the 'national interest.'

If we have delegated our legal right to the government, then we also have a moral right to expect its actions to conform to our wishes. We would therefore be justified to demonstrate this right. If, on the other hand, the government is thought to act as our representative, to do what it considers to be in our interest, then we are morally obliged to let it determine what our interest is. (Politicians always claim that it is their task to lead rather than to follow.) Civil disobedience would then be morally wrong.

This raises the important issue of a conflict between the moral obligation to comply with the law and our own concept of morality. It is arguable that a legal obligation to comply with the law is not, of itself, a moral one. If a law prescribes that a class of person shall be deprived of his home for no other reason that that he is a Jew living in a particular locality of the country, as happened in Gush Katif and the Shomron, then our concept of morality makes such a law devoid of that moral content, which would otherwise make obedience to it obligatory. Equally, in a de facto authority, on Hume's model, there can be no legal Both Locke Hume would have to condemn Sharon's actions. obligation and, by accepting the utilitarian principle of 'common interest' as the reason to obey the government, we also have a moral justification for disobedience if that interest is not served.

When Ariel Sharon expelled the Jews from Gush Katif, he did it, so it was implied, to advance the national interest, peace with our neighbours. If we accept the argument that the intended 'end' was moral, then the means were certainly not. Both Locke's and Hume's approach would have to condemn Sharon's actions. Even leaving aside the morality of the means, they were certainly not justified on the evidence of what is now seen to be the 'end.'

The question that arises is whether those who administered the law were acting morally towards its promised 'end', or whether they should have refused to carry out the means. If they sincerely believed that to remove 10,000 Jews from their homes would bring permanent peace with our neighbours, then, philosophically speaking, it could be argued that their actions served the common interest. But suppose that the IDF and police were convinced of the injustice of this law; they would then have been right to disobey for two reasons. Firstly, because the law was, in their eyes, now deprived of its moral force, and secondly because the obligation to administer justice exists independently of the law. Such a situation would then remove the utilitarian justification for such a law, because the consequences are not utilitarian.

If we live in a society where the right to settle in the area of one's choice is curtailed, then there is no freedom and we therefore cannot be deemed to have given our consent. That relieves us of the moral obligation of obedience to the law.

It is on this principle that I argue for continuing civil disobedience to force a change of government, to one that supports the permanent return to the destroyed areas of Gush Katif and the Shomron.

25 Nisan 5767 / 13 April 07

Jewish Wives Who Escape Abusive Muslim Husbands

2007-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Walter's World" with Walter Bingham

A replay of a classic Walter's World on this difficult subject with the Yad L'Achim chairman Rabbi Shalom Dov Lifschitz and the Jewish ex-wife of a Muslim husband.

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Latest Show - Interview with Yaffa Yarkoni, Queen of Israeli Song

2007-04-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Walter's World

with Walter Bingham
Live every Sunday at 10am NY time

5pm Israel time
April 22, 2007

E-mail Walter Bingham

Interview with Yaffa Yarkoni, Queen of Israeli Song

Walter interviews one of the greats of Israeli music, Yaffa Yarkoni on her music, army life and Israeli history. A classic from the Walter's World archives.

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Israel's Black September

2006-07-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

Sept. 18, 2005
Walter Bingham

Black September was a little-known terror group until they murdered 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. They took their name from the battles between the Jordanian army and Palestinian terrorists in September1970, when a great number of them were expelled from Jordan and then moved their operation to Lebanon, where they started to ferment that country.
For the USA, September will always be associated with the terror attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, and recently, with the floods in her southern states and the loss of so many lives on those occasions. It will indeed be a black memory.
Israel, too, has its Black September, but it started in August this year, when nearly 10,000 of her citizens were made homeless. But not by a tsunami or catastrophic floods, or another natural disaster decreed by G-d. No, they were forcefully dragged from their homes and synagogues with the help of water canons and allegedly debilitating chemical substances. Was it done by Palestinian terrorists or an enemy force? Again, no. It was the Israeli police and our own defence forces that carried out the dastardly act. It has to be said here that many of the uniformed personnel were forced to act against their consciences. They were not resolute enough to refuse and join others in uniform who did, and who had to pay the price of their freedom.
There is no need to once again review the reasons for this expulsion, they have been discussed and condemned ad nauseam (instead of having evoked national revulsion to the point of a general strike, which would have, in my view, prevented Ariel Sharon's reckless and irresponsible excursion). For the moment, it's done. The houses and most large buildings have been raised to the ground. Despite opposition from some quarters, the shells of synagogues were left to the Arabs to desecrate; the people have gone and the voices of the many happy children that were constantly heard to echo around those streets are still.
Where are they now? In new communities, prepared in advance, with equivalent homes and similar facilities to those they built up during the past 20-odd years, and which they had to leave behind?
Absorbed into existing communities with homes of the same size as those from which they were expelled?
Are their many children enrolled in kindergartens, primary or high schools for the new school year that started early in September?
No to all that. One thousand of the 1,500 families are languishing in hotel rooms around the country, accommodation that, in the kindest terms, has to be described as totally inadequate.
I thought this expulsion had been on the cards for quite some time and the government made the necessary arrangements. You might justifiably ask about that.
Ask you may, but answers are not forthcoming. And those answers that are offered are couched in meaningless terms, which are effectively lies, because the government has no explanation for its neglect. It is becoming clearer by the day that the only well-prepared and extremely effectively organised action was the relentless clearance of anything Jewish from Gaza. Not much thought was given to the plight of the now-homeless.
Oh yes, figures of compensation have been bandied about and I believe that some moneys have been distributed. However, the monetary value of the expellees' properties in Gaza, on which compensation amounts are based, will buy you a storage shed in some parts of the country, unless they move to other so-called settlements in disputed areas, to maybe - G-d forbid - be forced out again if the present government has its way. Many of the now homeless were once before expelled. They came from the Yamit area in the Sinai to Gaza after the peace treaty with Egypt in March, 1979.
I saw the places in Yivol and Yated, some five kilometers from the Egyptian border, where some 400 families were to be accommodated in mobile homes, and I walked in 18 inches of loose sand. I saw some of the necessary public services in the process of being installed, but having been expelled from their spacious homes, surrounded by beautiful greenery and civic infrastructure, and sent to this place, is, to put it mildly, a traumatic experience of immeasurable proportions. Just imagine yourself in their place. Even in ordinary circumstances, it is said that, after bereavement, moving is the most traumatic event in one's life.
This government has adopted an important pillar of Judaism, but, as with most of their actions, got it all wrong. I am talking about "Na'aseh v'Nishmah - we shall do and we shall act, and only then listen and ask questions (Exodus 24:7). This maxim applies to our relationship with the Almighty, when we accepted his Torah, not to our daily interaction with our fellow Jews.
It is interesting that when it comes to the government's actions that affect those who are determined to wipe us off the map, the Palestinians, it invariably acts according to the concept that the end does not justify the means. So that to remove Arabs from Jewish land, even in an exchange – to relocate Arab villages from northern Samaria to Gush Katif, for instance - is against the government's principles. But to throw Jews out of their homes, some from the centre of the country, for some obscure political manoeuvre has fallen within the principles of this corrupt and rotten government, led by the dictatorial General Pinochet-Sharon. Yes, like Pinochet of Chile, Sharon of Israel has committed a crime against humanity and should be brought before the courts to justify it. But then, the judiciary in Israel does not act as independently as it should. An analysis of their judgements of late clearly indicates a political empathy with the present government. The cases are too numerous to list.
I am, of course, not privileged to be present throughout cabinet meetings. nor do I have access to classified information, but I want to say this: Let's assume for one moment, just for one moment, that there were compelling, valid reasons for a retreat from Gaza. Would it not have been right and proper to first disclose it to the communities affected, and for the very man who personally encouraged them to settle there, Ariel Sharon himself, to also personally explain to them the reasons for his proposed action? Instead of , the Disengagement Plan was publicly announced at the Herzliyah Conference. Another example of this uncaring and heartless administration - if one were needed. To borrow a phrase from Abba Eban, 'His ignorance is encyclopaedic!"
Now that Sharon's dirty work is complete, the expellees feel abandoned – and probably are: 'Here are a few dollars, now go and fend for yourself.' Most of them were farmers or horticulturalists. Where are they going to get the equivalent volume of land of which they were robbed? Even if they would be resettled in the Negev, the southern part of Israel, whatever compensation they receive would be a drop in the ocean considering the months, even years, of labour required to make the desert arable. On the other hand, it recently came to light that Sharon allegedly received a grant of NIS 600,000 from government funds for some project on his farm. The whole business of the so-called disengagement from Gaza was a disgraceful act and as far as the humanitarian aspect was, and still is, concerned, mismanaged from beginning to end. Heads must roll, including that of the prime minister, because the buck stops with him; in fact, it all started with him.
Those members of Knesset who place themselves into the camp of the opposition must unite to bring about the fall of this government. They must act unselfishly, without regard to their political careers and their next seat in the Knesset. If they want to demonstrate their loyalty to Israel and its future, they must put their money where their mouth is; otherwise they will be publicly accused and shamed.

Disasters: The Media and Israel's Government

2006-07-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

Oct 23, 2005
Walter Bingham

The whole world was shocked, and rightly so, by the disasters that have recently befallen many countries. I am referring to the earthquakes, the tsunami, the hurricanes and floods and the creeping woodland fires. The news coverage was excellent. On each occasion, the news media showed not only the actual devastation, but it also concentrated heavily on the plight of the affected population, the personal stories about the loss of their homes, jobs and livelihoods, the uncertainty of where they are going to settle and the lack of funds for food, etc.
Those stories and pictures have aroused tremendous sympathy and most relief agencies quickly established aid distribution in those areas. In many countries, public appeals have been launched with an almost unprecedented response, ranging from schoolchildren who donated their savings, to large amounts of money from corporations. National stockpiles of emergency equipment, tents, food, clothing, bedding and other necessities are still today being shipped out by air. The value of this generosity amounts to billions of dollars. Israel is usually early in offering material, manpower and expertise wherever it is needed, which by proportionate size comparison with other donor countries is much more than can be expected. I am really happy to see that in this materialistic world, nations can still raise compassion for those in need, regardless of their religious or political beliefs.
Sometimes, however, there are exceptions to this rule. There are times when political and even religious considerations override desperate need, on the one hand, or compassion, on the other. For instance, despite extensive recent contacts with Israel, Pakistan expressed the wish to have Israeli aid channeled via a third country. Isn't that the paradigm of hypocrisy?
One of the recent events in Israel was the so-called Disengagement Plan; the forced evacuation, or expulsion, as I prefer to call it, of approximately 10,000 Jewish men women and children from their homes in the Gaza Strip and from a part of Samaria in the centre of Israel. Perhaps 50% were children under 16. Natural disasters are decreed by the Almighty and cannot be averted, but this disastrous expulsion was carried out by Israel's government. I have, on other occasions, written and spoken about this disaster at length and want here to concentrate on the media and world response.
The deliberate, premeditated and unprecedented phenomenon of a government making its own subjects homeless by destroying their houses, and forcing them to leave the are that was their home for the past 20+ years, was to be the media event of the year. Ever since the date was announced, networks from all over the world, from Japan to the US, Europe and Australia, all competed for space to accommodate their crews as near as possible to the centre of the proposed action. They hoped for bloody battles, and even shooting, between the residents and the expelling forces - but instead, saw only non-violent, passive resistance, which was an anticlimax for them, considering their expenditure. So, they concentrated on the soldiers and police carrying struggling people out of their houses, or on defiant young residents and sympathisers sitting in synagogues or standing on rooftops, determined to make it as difficult as possible to expel Jews from their legitimately owned homes.
One might have speculated that the areas were required by the government for strategic installations or military purposes or for the establishment of such important industries as water desalination plants so urgently needed here; in other words, absolutely unavoidable use for the defence of the nation or its life-preserving necessities. But there was none of that.
The land was handed without conditions to the same enemy who has daily sent rockets and mortars in the direction of these and other Jewish-populated areas. It was an effective unconditional surrender; exactly the line that the Palestinian terrorist organisations overtly publicise and celebrate - and the PA leadership quietly applauds as a first step to further withdrawals.
To have expelled Jews for the purpose of unilaterally giving to the enemy the land under fire, was 'adding insult to injury'. The last time I wrote those words was in connection with the burning down of synagogues by the Nazis during Kristallnacht on the night from the 9th to the 10th of November, 1938 (which I witnessed), when payment was demanded from the Jewish community, to make safe the remaining dangerous structures.
The extended parallel is striking.
The international news media acted as one. None concentrated on the plight of the now-homeless. There were few, if any, interviews with expelled residents. There was no hint of compassion in the reporting on the English and German networks that I monitored. Oh yes, crying women were shown, publicly venting their anguish and distress in Hebrew, without translation or comment. It was very different from the reporting of the events in New Orleans or southeast Asia.
The news media has the power to either produce factual and objective reports, or to colour the reporting so as to introduce a bias. This can be achieved by flavouring the commentary to specially selected footage or even staged photographs. The effect is that it favours and excuses one side over another regardless of the truth. Worse still, pictures have been captioned fraudulently, as in the case of Tuvia Grossman, a Jew who was depicted as a wounded Arab youth cowering next to an angry Israeli policeman holding a baton, when, in fact, he was being protected from an Arab mob that had earlier attacked him.
Bias can also be accomplished by omission, by failing to explain the background to an event. Omission is not discernable by those readers, listeners or viewers who usually choose to get most of their news from the same source, same network or newspaper, and accept everything as fact. That, unfortunately, is the majority.
In the forefront of the guilty media are the major networks that propagate anti-Israel bias by pandering to populism and thus create a vicious circle in the race for viewer figures. An extensive and academically produced report in 2002 by Trevor Asserson, a lawyer in London, showed conclusively how the BBC distorted the facts. His report so unsettled this giant network, that they asked to meet with him in the British House of Commons chaired by a member of Parliament. As a result, there were some improvement in the commentaries of BBC Middle East correspondents, but they soon reverted to their old ways. Mr. Asserson is continuing to make waves.
Did the events of August/September 2005 in Israel arouse the compassion of the world's relief agencies? Did any large charities offer help or did any country launch a public appeal to aid the displaced homeless? To my knowledge, not one. Perhaps they would have done; but they too get their information from media reports and from the reaction of world governments. With the onset of the colder weather, it is time to look for the winter wardrobe. Admittedly, the belongings of the victims of the Disengagement Plan were packed into containers, but they are now inaccessible, except against a large payment. So most expellees have no home, no jobs, no money and no clothes.
Instead of compassion for the homeless, world leaders fell over themselves to congratulate Israel's prime minister on his 'courageous' step to surrender to the pressure of their oil-hungry countries and to the demands of their politicians, who are vying for the votes of the cuckoo in their nests, the masses of their new Muslim citizens. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, thirsty for glory, is lapping it all up, like a purring cat at the milk dish. With the adulation of the world heaped upon him, there is the great danger that he will continue this path of dismantling Israel, for which thousands died. It is sad that in his own country, this once-great general will only be remembered for his folly in Gush Katif and Samaria.
The Yom Kippur prayer Ashamnu, Bagadnu is one that Sharon should have said with great concentration and devotion. It is written in the plural, because Jews are responsible for each other, and it very much applies to this prime minister and his cabinet:
We have acted treasonably, aggressively, and slanderously;
We have acted brazenly, viciously and fraudulently;
We have acted wilfully, scornfully and obstinately;
We have acted perniciously, disdainfully and erratically. Turning away from your good precepts has not profited us.
The government bears the great burden of responsibility for all of us.
So, on our High Holy Days and festivals, when we say the prayer Ribon Ha'olam before removing the Torah scrolls from Holy Ark, we ask the Lord of the Universe to inspire the leaders of our government to be good to us. Well, if last year we were deemed unworthy of that, I pray that this year, the Almighty will weigh the result of their actions and fulfil our request. It would, of course, be better still if those leaders themselves would display the character of every decent politician who has failed his or her country; but then, it seems that in Israel that is too much to expect, when so many undeserved perks go with the job.

The Judiciary in Israel

2006-07-17T01:41:00.000-07:00

Walter Bingham
Oct. 31 2005

For most of my life, I lived in England and learned to trust the legal system, because there, judges are not appointed by the political establishment of the day. They evolve from the ranks of distinguished lawyers. Politics plays no part whatsoever. Therefore, the judiciary is not beholden to any government policy, and is totally independent and fair. They scrupulously carry out the legislation laid down by parliament and in case law.
Now, what about Israel's judiciary? The slogan on their web site is very interesting. It quotes Isaiah 1: "Zion will be redeemed with justice, and her captives with righteousness."
Recent events have turned this slogan on its head. You know that they imprison children for demonstrating and hold them without trial? They call it "protective custody". It's a term that was used by the Nazis to imprison Jews and other opponents of the regime without trial. Draw your own conclusions. One of the better-known names is Chaya Belogorodsky, who was freed in September after 40 days, but only into settlement-arrest, a severe restriction on her movements. To this day, no trial date is fixed. And there is the case of 18-year-old Shimshon Cytryn, who has now been in prison for four months charged with attempted murder; in fact, he is the main suspect in a 'lynch' attack on an Arab youth.
Now that's a very serious charge, lynching; but if we look into the facts as they have become known, we find nothing of the sort. During the period of the Gush Katif expulsion, he was, with others, occupying an old, disused building on the beach, when he was attacked by Palestinian youth. Rocks were thrown by both sides. A photo journalist took a picture of an Arab youth who was hurt and on the floor. It was claimed that a rock, thrown by Cytryn, totally incapacitated him, nearly killed him.
But the Arab youth was soon seen to get up and walk away unaided. It is alleged by Cytryn's defence that the Arab himself said it was the butt of a rifle that caused his injury and not a rock. Yet he, a participant in the attack on the Jews walks free, while Shimshon Cytryn is languishing in jail, still without trial.
So much for the slogan on the web site. Several appeals for Cytryn's release on bail were turned down, probably because, like 14-year-old Chaya Belogorodsky, he is deemed to be a danger to the State. Isn't that utterly ridiculous, and a feeble, unconvincing excuse?
Those cases, together with many others, are examples of the judiciary's political bias, because the Supreme Court is stacked with government appointees, and the government carried out the expulsion in Gush Katif. So, those who exercised their democratic right to peacefully demonstrate and oppose are treated harshly, as an example, to dissuade other right-wing political opponents from being too active.
Thousands were arrested illegally and the Supreme Court approved legal and political processes that cement its position as an arm of power, rather than as an independent judicial authority.
Sometimes, just sometimes, someone will persist in getting justice. Like Noam Federman, who, for more than a year, was either kept in protective custody or sentenced to house arrest. At one time, he was free to move by day, but at night, he was deemed a terrorist and restricted to his home. Another ridiculous order. After uncountable court appearances, each adjudging him guilty or dangerous, with a similar negative outcome, the court of appeals finally overturned it all - and awarded him a substantial sum in compensation for unlawful detention.
Now that this precedent is set, similar awards should follow. What a waste of tax payer's money - to keep innocents in prison in the first place and then to have to pay compensation.
Here is another example. According to a report on Ynet, David Axelrod, who was convicted for treasonous statements on the radio in connection with the murder of Yitzchak Rabin, requested a retrial on the basis of the outcome of the trial of Mohammed Yousef Jabarin. Jabarin is an Arab poet who praises terrorist murders in poems and who was apparently acquitted. I quote from an article in Ynet:
"Aharon Barak, the Chief Justice didn't like the request, to put it mildly, and sent the appealer to request a presidential pardon. The prosecution agreed, but Moshe Katsav, himself a well-worn politician who probably has plans of returning to politics, understood that one doesn't play games with the Rabin assassination. He rejected the request for a pardon. Now, Chief Justice Barak has no choice, and on the eve of the Sukkot holiday, despite the unfortunate timing – a few days before the tenth anniversary of the Rabin murder – Barak asked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to acquit Axelrod. If Mazuz refuses, Barak will [have to] order a re-trial."
Our courts are serving the government, and the way our judges are appointed will never lead to a truly independent judiciary.
Just as the selection of Knesset members must be radically overhauled to achieve accountability if Israel wants to display democracy in action and not only in name, so must the judiciary be overhauled and judges' terms of office predetermined.

Tommorow Never Comes

2006-07-17T01:26:00.001-07:00

Nov. 24 2005

In almost every speech that Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has delivered since the implementation of his order to expel 10,000 of his Jewish fellow citizens from their legally owned homes in a legitimate part of Israel, he has referred to it as a "painful decision". Painful?
It was indeed a ruling that caused immeasurable pain, mental and physical, to the victims of his ruthless decision. But observing Sharon since then, I have not been able to detect any manifestation of the pain he flaunts on every possible occasion.
On the contrary, he is cheerfully and obediently carrying out every instruction he receives from Condoleezza Rice, whose false smile betrays her real intention of reducing Israel to a size that will hardly be able to sustain itself economically, politically, militarily and even demographically. Rice's allies, the EU and the Quartet, are already seeing to it that the Palestinian Authority shall be neither short of money nor weapons. Dr. Rice is a smart cookie and it is my belief that she will be a Republican contender for the presidency of the United States. If she were to succeed to that position, she would quickly and efficiently finish the task she set herself for this region of the Middle East.
There is, of course, still time left to remedy the situation, but not a lot.
Now that Sharon has resigned from the Likud and the 16th Israeli parliament will be dissolved, the chance for the nation to speak has arisen earlier than anticipated.
It is hoped that the inevitable wheeling and dealing of the smaller right-wing political parties will bring about a united front, and that their leaders will for once put aside any thoughts for their personal gain and prestige, and act in the interests of the electorate and the country. That would make it possible for the votes of their supporters to actually carry weight and prevent the emergence of either Ariel Sharon or the new radical left-wing leader of the Labour party, Amir Peretz, to become the new prime minister.
The State of Israel, under the leadership of either of these two intellectual dwarfs, would be manoeuvring herself into such a tight corner that she would find it difficult to extricate herself. Unfortunately, it is too much to hope that MK Uzi Landau and Moshe Feiglin would withdraw as contenders for the leadership of the Likud and instead join the united front, which would then have a more-than-excellent chance to emerge the victors at the ballot box.
I have to confess that the third alternative is also not ideal, because, human nature being what it is, even in victory there would not be unity. Changing coalitions within the 'united' front would inevitably stifle many good policy proposals.So, I go for the fourth alternative and the only sensible solution, the party that will treat the cause and not the symptoms: Hazit, the Jewish National Front. Here is a part of its manifesto:
1. Consistent with strategic as well as religious reasons, we categorically reject the surrender of any part of the Land of Israel to non-Jews.
2. We categorically reject the idea that Jews can lawfully divest themselves of Jewish land by means of a national referendum, as proposed by various members of the Knesset. (Abraham Lincoln echoed Jewish law when he said "a people has no right to do what is wrong.")
3. We demand that the government abrogate the Oslo Accords, or Israel-PLO Agreement, which has been constantly violated by the PLO and has resulted in the murder of more than 1,500 Jews.
4. We categorically reject the government's immoral policy of self-restraint vis-a-vis Arab terrorism. This policy makes the lives of an indeterminate number of Jews expendable. We therefore demand that the government pursue a policy of zero tolerance for Arab terrorism.
5. We categorically reject the release of Arab terrorists, which is a violation of international law: "No crime without a punishment."
In addition, Hazit advocates electoral reform, so that the members of Knesset and local councils will be accountable to the constituents who vote them into power. The lack of accountability is the cause of the corruption that is rampant in Israel.
With those points in mind, after the next general election, which is expected to take place in March of next year, Israel needs to quickly reestablish herself as the nation she once was: proud, asserting her independence as a sovereign state, and defending herself as she thinks fit, resolutely and without fear. Sadly, fear seems to have overcome her. Fear of the displeasure of George Bush and Rice, for whom the continuing supply of Arab oil is paramount and supersedes everything; fear of disobeying what was after-all only an advisory ruling of the International Court of Justice at the Hague about the route of the security fence; fear of hurting Arab civilians from behind whom the terrorists are operating, in their houses and their fields. Judging by the tactics of US forces in Iraq, the dictate to Israel is "do as we say not as we do."
This attitude has now reached intolerable proportions, to the extent that the government would rather put Jews at risk than mount an attack against an enemy who is gaining not only strength, but also confidence, by the day. The proposal to reinforce the roofs of schools and other vulnerable buildings in towns and cities that are within range of Palestinian rockets is the most wasteful and inefficient strategy that could have been devised. Soon, Israel will no longer be in a position to prevent delivery of more powerful weapons to the Palestinians, so that in the not-too-distant future, the whole country will be within range. Is it proposed to progressively strengthen roofs everywhere? That is the same as just giving painkillers to a patient with stomach ulcers, instead of cutting them out before the body stops functioning. Regrettably, Israel's leaders, many of whom come from the ranks of the military, are excellent tacticians, but poor strategists. In other words, solve the problem of today - tomorrow never comes.
Sustained terrorism has scored one important success. It is the effect on a large part of the Israeli population, who have grown tired of wars and terrorism. They fall easy prey to the left-wing rhetoric that land-for-peace will bring peace after the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State. The vociferous left-wing lobby, in this instance led by Shimon Peres, also disseminates the belief that if Israel facilitates a strong Palestinian Arab economy, their population would be content and desist from supporting aggression against Israel. That sounds absolutely plausible, because generally, you wouldn't bite the hand that feeds you. However, these well-meaning people are overlooking one very important fact. In negotiations with today's Arab leaders, we cannot apply Western logic.
It is said that "clothes make the man." True enough in appearance, but not in the Arab leaders' hearts. Their hatred of anything Jewish will no more dissipate under a collar and tie as it did under a kaffiyeh. In the London, and probably also the New York and Tel Aviv diamond exchange, a handshake and a few Hebrew words suffice to seal the deal; it's cast iron. Not so with our so-called 'peace partners', who have up to now dishonoured every agreement; not made with a handshake, but written, signed and sealed. That, I suggest, is what Messrs. Bush, Rice, Wolfensohn and the rest have to learn quickly.