ISRAEL TODAYAn Israel Awareness Publication

Iyyar 5773/April 2013 Volume 1, Issue

Who Really Controls Gaza?By Eden Houri, Grade 12 Hamas is a Palestinian organization committed to eliminating Israel and replacing it with an Islamic state. Countries such as Israel, the United States, Canada, the European Union and Japan, view Hamas as a terrorist organization due to its many suicide attacks in Israel. Hamas was first founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. However, it only came to prominence in the 1990s when it rejected the Oslo peace process which sought to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

In 1987, co-founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin said that Hamas was founded to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation and to establish an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In a series of deadly suicide bombings

that killed hundreds of civilians in Israel, Hamas announced its only intention and main priority: to eliminate the Jewish state altogether. Israel responded by assassinating Sheik Ahmed Yassin and many other top operatives.

In July 2009, Khaled Meshal, Hamas’s political bureau chief, said that the organization was willing to cooperate with “a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, which included a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders,” provided that Palestinian refugees hold the right to return to Israel and that East Jerusalem become the new nation’s capital.

For the first time, Hamas entered the electoral process in 2004. In January 2006, Hamas candidates dominated Palestinian Parliamentary elections and took control of the Palestinian Authority. Since June 2007, Hamas has governed the Gaza portion of the Palestinian Territories, after it forcibly took it from the Palestinian Authority. Today, the Hamas-led government still refuses to recognize Israel and give up armed struggle, as demanded by Israel, the United States and Europe.

Where’s the Peace?By Ariel Gelrud, Grade 9

Why is there still no peace between Israel and the Palestinians? It’s a question that has been asked for decades now, and the answer seems to get more complicated as the years go by. At this point, there are several different explanations as to why the Israeli nation and the Palestinians have not been able to come to a formal agreement on peace.

First, it is important to understand with whom we are dealing. The Palestinians are now divided into two: Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, and the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, and the European Union, and the fact that Hamas does not even recognize Israel as a state makes it impossible to even sit down and negotiate with them.

On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority has declared that they will not sit down to discuss peace unless Israel stops building settlements in the West Bank. The right-leaning coalition of parties that governs Israel believes that we need to keep building settlements in West Bank areas that they consider to be Israel. As long as Israel keeps building, the Palestinians refuse to talk to the Israelis.

Hamas soldiers march in Gaza.Credit: IDF Blog

President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas meeting together

Credit: Press Medya

Sophia Brener - Israel Advocacy Club President

Reine Shattah - Israel Today Editor

Rabbi Uri Pilichowski - Faculty Advisor

Israel Today is a publication of Scheck Hillel Community School. It is written by the school’s Israel Advocacy Club, a group committed to educating and raising awareness about news and issues connected to Israel. With passionate spirit, vast knowledge and clear vision, club members train to become articulate spokespeople and advocates who meet with politicians and other community leaders to make a difference locally and globally. eHillel.org/IsraelToday

eHillel.org

From early childhood through Grade 12, Scheck Hillel Community School inspires students to become exemplary global citizens with enduring Jewish identity through an innovative curricu-lum enriched by co-curricular experiences. All of this is set within a nurturing, international community united by core values. Hillel is one of the largest Jewish day schools in the nation.

It was a very ordinary class. Our Ulpan teacher stood at the front of the room, scribbled on the whiteboard, and then began explaining what she wrote. Some of the students listened attentively; others had more difficulty doing so. I sat there counting down the minutes, per my usual ritual during Ulpan.

It was a very normal class...until the siren went off.

In Israel, blaring sirens warn people that a rocket is headed toward their vicinity. This time we were those people; the rocket was headed toward us. We made our way to the bomb shelter, as we had been instructed to do in such situations, and waited. My heart was racing. A wave of anxiety took over my body. I did my best to outwardly appear cool and composed, but internally I was a nervous wreck. We heard a boom, which we knew had to be the sound of the exploding rocket. A few moments after that, we emerged from the shelter and saw the trail of smoke in the sky.

The smoke was all that remained of the rocket. Israel’s highly effective Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted the rocket in mid-air and destroyed it. I felt inexplicable relief. This incident occurred during Operation Pillar of Defense, a few months ago. The Iron Dome system was used extensively during that time and was reported to have an 84% success rate.

The relief I felt, looking up into the sky that day, was accompanied by a great pride. The pride came from seeing the results of the strong US-Israel relationship. The Iron Dome is the direct result of a combination of American resources and Israeli ingenuity. Much property has been spared and many innocent lives have been saved because of it. My experience made me realize how important this kind of cooperation is and why it is worth advocating for it. If the relationship stays strong, who knows what else these countries can do together.

Ari Givner currently is studying at Bar Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel.

Alumni Columnist: Iron Dome ExperienceBy Ari Givner, Class of 2012

Shared Values - SecurityBy Sophia Brener, Grade 12

One of the most detrimental issues facing the world today is terrorism. The War on Terror, since its start in 2001, has been an American focus on stopping terrorism, not just on American soil, but all over the world. Terrorism in the United States has taken the lives of more than 3,000 people.

One of the main focuses of the War on Terror is ending state sponsors of terrorist attacks carried out in the United States and Israel. Israel faces the same threats that the United States face every day. In just 65 years of Israel’s existence, terrorism has cost the lives of more than 100,000 Israelis. The shared value of standing up to terrorism is what keeps these countries so close. It’s because of these similar ideologies that even terrorism won’t break the strong relationship between the United States and Israel.

Ari Givner on Tiyul in IsraelCredit: Ari Givner

Dvar Torah & AdvocacyBy Rabbi Uri Pilichowski,Faculty Advisor

Sefer Vayikra discusses the importance of keeping one’s vow. “If a person swears, expressing with [his] lips to do harm or to do good, whatever a man may express in an oath, and it is hidden from him and [later] he knows, he is guilty in any one of these cases.” (Vayikra 5:4) The Sedra goes on to explain that this person must go on to confess his sin.

Breaking one’s vow is a serious sin. Maimonides wrote that breaking one’s word and swearing falsely is one of the most serious sins in the Torah. (Laws of Repentance 1:2) In his commentary to the Talmud, Rashi explains that breaking one’s sin can only be atoned for after a great amount of introspection; simple repentance isn’t sufficient. The need to keep to one’s commitments is a lesson that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas needs to learn.

The Palestinian News Network reported that President Abbas said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is committed to peace and a two-state solution, following the unveiling of the cornerstone of the Embassy of the state of Palestine in Islamabad, Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported. Abbas reaffirmed PA’s commitment to peace and to continue working hard to achieve the two-state solution, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy including the Arab peace initiative.

Yet, after stating his commitment to peace and a two-state solution, Mahmoud Abbas has gone back on his word. Instead of negotiating peace with the Israelis, Abbas went to the United Nations and – violating the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accords - asked for an upgrade of status.

PA President Abbas breaks his vow to strive for peace at the United Nations.

Credit: Alarabiya