Israel celebrates 60 year birthday, it's a miracle.

Almost 60 years ago President Harry Truman signed a directive ordering that "The United States recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the new State of Israel," -- making ours the first country to acknowledge the new nation. As an American I'm very proud of that fact. One year ago Oliver North questioned whether Israel would still be around and able to celebrate their 60th anniversary. May 14, 1948 was a proud day in world history.

At its founding on May 14, 1948, the tiny Jewish state, about the size of New Jersey, had a population of less than 850,000, and was surrounded by enemies intent on its obliteration. Today, 6.4 million people call Israel home, and it remains the only functioning democratic government in the neighborhood. As it was in the beginning, and is now, powerful opponents in the region remain committed to annihilating what they describe as "the Zionist entity." Unfortunately, some of those hostile neighbors may soon acquire the means of achieving their goal.

In the United States, Independence Day is a national holiday -- a day of relaxation, a time for picnics, concerts, parades and fireworks. Not so in Israel, where Independence Day is a time for heightened alert -- and an annual military exercise -- just in case a threatening neighbor decides it's a good time to attack. Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that operates under the protection of the United Nations, commemorated the 59th anniversary of the founding of the first Jewish state in 2,000 years by firing eight rockets into the Israeli town of Sderot. The missiles landed on a school building, injuring 17 civilians, including women and children.

But according to friends with whom I worked for years in counter-terrorism, a handful of Katusha rockets from Gaza or the West Bank are the least of Israel's concerns at the moment. (continue reading)

Ollie North's words remain true today. Iranian-supported Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon are still a threat, maybe more today than in 2007. Hamas continues to launch rockets into Israel and kill innocent women and children. Iran is moving "much more rapidly than expected" to enrich uranium, actually increasing their capabilities this month

Israel should be able to count on the United States, the first country to acknowledge Israel's existence almost 60 years ago. Unfortunately that may not be the case, in spite of Hillary Clinton's comment yesterday. Clinton was asked what she would do if Iran attacked Israel and her reply was 'let Iran know that we could obliterate them.' Wouldn't it be much better to protect Israel, our friend, before Iran gets the capability to attack? Note that Clinton says the United States could obliterate Iran, not that we WOULD.

Harry Reid and the Democrats are still demanding that the war is lost, that we should pull our troops home. Ollie North says, "If Israelis want to celebrate a 60th birthday, they better not count on Washington. If it had been up to this crowd, the Jewish state would have been destroyed long ago." Strong words, but they make us wonder don't they?

The Bush administration is to brief US lawmakers behind closed doors on Thursday about North Korea's suspected nuclear cooperation with Syria, including the mysterious September 6 airstrike inside Syria that US media reports said was directed at a nuclear site that may have been built with North Korean assistance.

Joel Himelfarb asks, "Can America Tolerate a Nuclear-Weaponized Iran?" The better question is "Can Israel tolerate a nuclear-weaponized Iran?" The answer to that question is NO.

The Jerusalem Post (April 17th) reported that Tehran is now sending rockets and other advanced weaponry to Hamas and the PIJ in Gaza by sea as well as through tunnels dug under the Gaza-Egypt border: “In recent months, the IDF [Israel Defense Force] has noticed an increase in Iranian-made weaponry in the Gaza Strip, including rockets and mortars. Terror groups in Gaza recently were equipped by Teheran with two different types of mortar shells made in Iran – one 120 mm with a range of 10 kilometers like a Kassam rocket.” Israeli defense officials have said that in recent weeks, thousands of mortars have been smuggled into Gaza. Moreover, recently declassified U.S. intelligence says that terror cells reporting to Hamas boss Khaled Meshaal (who is based in Damascus and consults with Iranian officials) “have been implicated in efforts by Hamas to plan large attacks that would undermine the [U.S.-backed] road map peace plan,” according to Matthew Levitt, a scholar with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

'Olmert admitted Israel struck Syrian nuclear facility' built with North Korea's help, -- the site was a nuclear-related facility that was under construction with know-how and assistance from North Korean technicians dispatched by Pyongyang.

Yet we are in the process of making a deal with North Korea. A deal that is one-sided, not requiring North Korea to reveal all of their nuclear programs. What kind of 'deal' is that for the United States and Israel? Pathetic. Yet some folks are worried about the official logo for the birthday party. Dear folks, we have more to worry about that graphics.

The official logo:

According to this site last September, "At first glance, the winning logo seems to express the confusion that afflicts Israel in many ways today. Even the country's name is typographically ripped apart." In addition, one commenter actually saw "666" in the design.

Barbara Streisand refuses to go to Israel and celebrate 60 years of existence for her people.

Some Hollywood Jews can't even support Israel celebrate their very existence. Some on the Left inside the United States cannot be depended on to support Israel (well, only in sound-bites during a presidential election maybe).

Israel did not hesitate to take out the nuclear site in Syria and I have no doubt that they would not hesitate to take out sites in Iran, if and when they feel pushed to the wall and on their own.

God bless you Israel and ... HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY. May you have many many more.

(p.s. I'm still waiting on that government report that Saddam Hussein transferred some of his WMD to Syria.)

UPDATE:

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Comments

[Friends of Israel]

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[Rosemary]

Yes, this is good news (tentatively). These terrorists are also after Eqypt's president. They struck at him on April 6, 2008, and they're preparing for his birthday on May 4. My what a mysterious world we live in when our own gov't doesn't even really know we are at war...

[Debbie]

Bernie: You are probably right, unfortunately.

Courtney: Thanks for that. I just love your presentation of facts. One would think that tiny little Israel would be left alone but their enemies will not be satisfied until they are completely wiped out. That's not going to happen.

Maggie, let me know if you hear anything on that report.

Layla and Angel, prayer works, so let's keep it up.

[courtneyme109]

Happy 60th BDay Little Satan!

Happy Nakbah Day to all your neighbors too.

Real estate wise, including after the show hoes like West Bank and Gaza Strip - even the hotly contested 13 acres of hottie Har Dov (Shee Bah Farms in Arabic) Tiny tiny Little Satan 'occupies' less than 1% of the Arab world and less than a /10th of 1% of Islamic turf.

Without oil, without a large population, without friendly homies on her borders, without vast real estate, and without the Suez Canal, she is far superior, far more humane than Hosni's Egypt, Abdullah's (v2.0) Jordan, Bashar's Syria and ex colonies like Abbas' West Bank and HAMAS's Strip.

She also sports the highest lit rate in the entire ME, the most phd's per capita in the ME (135 per 10K) and an amazing penchant for a victorious high tech egalitarian military conscripted from a nation of smart people.

Tolerant, democratic - she got game!

[bernie]

It doesn't matter what kind of logo Israel uses for the 60th birthday. A plain 60 and the word Israel on an empty white sheet would be interpreted as "Israel white-washes her birthday as she white-washes all her crimes against an unarmed and helpless people." Or some other Muslim-appeasing sentiment.

[Maggie M. Thornton]

RCP

I also noticed Hillary's blustering double-speak. I too am awaiting the WMD reports. It's supposed to be end of this month, I think.

I think Israel IS a miracle, in spite of the Jews in America and their votes at the ballot box.

The world will do well to remember that they are God's chosen.

Maggie
Maggie's Notebook

[Angel]

a miracle indeed Deb!..Cheers!!!:)

[Layla]

Yes this is a miracle Debbie and G-d said it would come to pass. Let us all pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

[Stormwarning]

Funny thing, though. I don't know one person in my entire realm of friends, relatives and associates who are of the "Jewish persuasion" who do not support Israel (and that actually includes a couple of Hollywood types, and a number of Democrats as well).