Jews have never before at any time in history been as desirable as we are today. That is probably why we suddenly have a conversion crisis in Israel. Never before did anybody really want to be Jewish or associated with Jews, whereas today it is either simply not an issue, or there are perceived benefits.

I have 2 points to make here:

1. The past weeks we have seen debates in many arenas about whether or not there was a promise by the Bush administration, possibly a secret promise and understanding, to the Sharon government about natural growth. Sec. State Hillary Clinton and various aides have categorically denied it, saying straight out the the Bush letter to Sharon is extremely vague and contains no such promise, and there has been no promise substantiated elsewhere.

In the following opinion piece written by Elliot Abrams in the Wall Street Journal he says straight out that there was such a promise and understanding by the Bush amdinistration and the Obama administration is wrong in their denial of the agreement. The agreement was part of a broad agreement on various issues that came up between Ariel Sharon and George Bush's government and there was a clear understanding to allow natural growth in the settlements.

2. During George Bush's term as president he was dubbed as the greatest friend of Israel. I personally said a number of times that I was not impressed and did not consider him such. I said nothing happens here without the demand/request of the American government and if Sharon made an about face and dismantled and disengaged to Gaza, I was pretty sure that George Bush was somehow behind it. Even if it was never stated as so in the news.

People thought I was crazy. It was all Sharon's idea and if he thought of it what do you want from the Americans but to agree, they said.

Turns out in the same article by Elliot Abrams he says that in 2003 the Bush administration demanded from Sharon dismantlement of a number of settlements including Gaza Strip.

In June 2003, Mr. Sharon stood alongside Mr. Bush, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas at Aqaba, Jordan, and endorsed Palestinian statehood publicly: "It is in Israel's interest not to govern the Palestinians but for the Palestinians to govern themselves in their own state. A democratic Palestinian state fully at peace with Israel will promote the long-term security and well-being of Israel as a Jewish state." At the end of that year he announced his intention to pull out of the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. government supported all this, but asked Mr. Sharon for two more things. First, that he remove some West Bank settlements; we wanted Israel to show that removing them was not impossible. Second, we wanted him to pull out of Gaza totally -- including every single settlement and the "Philadelphi Strip" separating Gaza from Egypt, even though holding on to this strip would have prevented the smuggling of weapons to Hamas that was feared and has now come to pass. Mr. Sharon agreed on both counts.

[..]

On the major settlement blocs, Mr. Bush said, "In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949." Several previous administrations had declared all Israeli settlements beyond the "1967 borders" to be illegal. Here Mr. Bush dropped such language, referring to the 1967 borders -- correctly -- as merely the lines where the fighting stopped in 1949, and saying that in any realistic peace agreement Israel would be able to negotiate keeping those major settlements.

On settlements we also agreed on principles that would permit some continuing growth. Mr. Sharon stated these clearly in a major policy speech in December 2003: "Israel will meet all its obligations with regard to construction in the settlements. There will be no construction beyond the existing construction line, no expropriation of land for construction, no special economic incentives and no construction of new settlements."

Ariel Sharon did not invent those four principles. They emerged from discussions with American officials and were discussed by Messrs. Sharon and Bush at their Aqaba meeting in June 2003.

They were not secret, either. Four days after the president's letter, Mr. Sharon's Chief of Staff Dov Weissglas wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that "I wish to reconfirm the following understanding, which had been reached between us: 1. Restrictions on settlement growth: within the agreed principles of settlement activities, an effort will be made in the next few days to have a better definition of the construction line of settlements in Judea & Samaria."

Stories in the press also made it clear that there were indeed "agreed principles." On Aug. 21, 2004 the New York Times reported that "the Bush administration . . . now supports construction of new apartments in areas already built up in some settlements, as long as the expansion does not extend outward."

So take that, deniers.

For the full article, see here.

16:16 Iraqi says he threw shoes at Bush to protest war (AP)

funny that he is protesting the war - the only reason he was able to get away with throwing a shoe at a world leader and not get himself shot by a firing squad as a result, is because George Bush went to war with the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and installed a democratic style of government.

I guess he prefers the days when he would have been shot for such an action.

While Jonathan Pollard has yet to receive the commutation of sentence from President George Bush that many of us are hoping for, an interesting pardon was given today.

President Bush pardoned Charles Winters, a man who died 25 years ago. He served 18 months in prison for smuggling weapons to Jews in Palestine in the late 1940s when they were trying to form the State of Israel.

According to the Machal Virtual Museum, "Charlie Winters, 38, a Miami businessman, sold Haganah supporters three World War II B-17s that he had been using to haul fruit and vegetables from Puerto Rico. These would become the only three heavy bombers in the Israeli Air Force. Winters, a Christian, was convicted of violating the Neutrality Act and sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison. He was the only American actually jailed for defying the embargo. After his death in 1984, his remains were transferred to Israel for burial in the ancient Templars Cemetery in Jerusalem."

Despite all the entertaining moments President Bush has provided on a regular basis over the past 8 years, there has never before been a president who has been so publicly friendly and warm to the Jewish people.
President Bush hosted his annual Hanukkah event in the White House yesterday. Even though it is not Hanukka yet, I do not think there is any greater manifestation of pirsumei nisa than lighting the menora in a public ceremony in the White House with the President of the United States.

At this years event, Bush honored the grandsons of President Truman and Prime Minister Ben Gurion with lighting the Truman Menora that had been presented by Ben Gurion to Truman after Truman recognized the State of Israel.

I was duly impressed with Ben Gurion's grandson who, when making the bracha upon the lighting of the menora, knew to not use Hashem's name because it is not yet Hanukka.

The Kol Zimra choir provided the musical entertainment again, and did a fabulous job!

I must say, President Bush has got really good reflexes!

This is so typical of President George Bush... He sent out cards inviting recipients to a Hannuka party at the White House. The problem is that instead of the menora that was supposed to go on the invitation, they sent it out with a Christmas tree and Christmas scene...

Israelis are silly. They love American politicians who say a few words in Hebrew.
Bush just said Yom Haatzmaut Sameach" and the whole Knesset gave him a standing ovation.


And look - it even made the Breaking News on Haaretz.

But I must say, Bush is giving a great speech so far.

Olmert is having a hard time keeping his eyes open while Bush is speaking. Peres was already shown dozing off.

Now that Bush concluded his speech, I must say that he gave a more right wing speech than I have heard from even the most right wingers in Knesset. It is hard to believe, after all he said, that he really wants us to divide Jerusalem.

I think Bibi just punched George Bush in the stomach. While coming to the end of a powerful speech in the Knesset while hosting George Bush, head of Opposition MK Benjamin Netanyahu said he has one more thing he has to talk about.

He went on to talk about the unity of Jerusalem and our connection to it. The Knesset broke out clapping a couple of times and George Bush puckered up his face.

Just happened a minute ago.

This was recorded live from Bush's arrival in Israel and his grand welcome at the airport. I particularly enjoy watching the great detail and level of protocol involved.

I was surprised to see Rafi Eitan there to greet Bush, and Bush shook his hand, though he did not really pass words with Eitan as he did with almost all the other ministers.



The second video is of Bush's visit to Shimon Peres at the President's residence. To me it looked like he was not listening to a single word Peres said. The newscasters, at the end, focus on the image of the security detail cleaning every speck off the presidential limo. They are very amused at the level of detail.

In honor of US President George Bush landing today in Israel for his first visit here since taking office 7+ years ago, I waited until today to post the following...

There is a halacha that if one has the opportunity, he should expend his efforts to see a king. Even if the king is not a king of Israel but a non-Jewish king, one should take advantage of an opportunity to see the king. An additional halacha is that if one sees a king, there is a bracha to be said. If I am not mistaken, the bracha is one that says that God distributed his honor among the human kings.

Anyways, this raises a question in today's world as to what is considered a king and who deserves to have the blessing said over his/her countenance. I have heard it said that generally, we still will say the bracha upon seeing the kings of Europe, such as the Queen of England, even though their standing nowadays is mostly honorary and they cannot or do not have the same powers they used to have.

The question is really on democratically elected leaders. The President of the USA is arguably the most important, or maybe I should say the most powerful, person in the world. Does he have the status of a king?

A group of avreichim asked Rav Elyashiv what he thought about this. Rav Elyashiv paskened that George Bush does not have the status of king. The logic is that a king is differentiated from any plain old leader by the fact that he has the power to mete out capital punishment or other forms of punishment, on his own whim. The President of the US does not have this power. Therefore, the bracha should not be said, at least not in the full sense of the bracha using "shem and malchus".

Rav Elyashiv added though that one should try to see Bush if he has the opportunity. Obviously this was a theoretical discussion as nobody is expected to get even close to seeing Bush in person, considering the massive security measures in place, unless you are a member of the upper level of government. The reason one should take advantage if he has the opportunity is innovative. Rav Elyashiv said one should try to see Bush and gaze upon his countenance so that later when he sees the King Messiah, he should come speedily in our days, he will be able to recognize the difference between a powerful leader who is not a king, and between the Messiah who is a king.

Rav Nissim Karelitz was also asked the question. His response was slightly different. Rav Karelitz said that one should not make the bracha upon seeing Bush. Rav Karelitz said that democratically elected leaders do not have the status of king because they are elected to manage affairs for a set period of time. They are not landowners liek they used to be and they have no power to confiscate lands.

Therefore, Rav Karelitz also added, there is no need to go out of your way to try to see Bush, and if you do, you would not say a bracha.. He is not considered a king in any respect.

President Bush has been host to Queen Elizabeth of England the past couple of days. It seems yesterday he had foot in mouth disease and reminded the queen of the colonial rebellion against the UK that led to statehood for the US in 1776, even saying she was there. It is pretty funny. Hail to the Chief!!

People have posted pictures of Olmert falling asleep from exhaustion at a press conference transferring the control of the Israel Police to its new chairman yesterday.

Jon Stewart has a different take on the situation. enjoy!

Here you can see some interesting pictures of the annual Hanuka celebration at the White House, including a picture of Laura Bush having the kitchen koshered....