An Historic Speech Not to be Missed

Amid recent assertions by Iran's President that the Holocaust never occurred, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday presented the UN archival material maintained by the German government proving Nazi plans to exterminate Jews. Netanyahu also unequivocally rebuked a UN panel's report accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza and urged the UN reject it. His audience listened intently to his every word, at one point interrupting with applause.

If you haven't seen the speech -- surely to be remembered as one of the best ever delivered by a world leader at the UN or anywhere -- make it a priority to do so this weekend, and tell your family and friends. Here is a link to part 1.

Abbas's True Colors

The United States, and much of the rest of the world, often makes out Palestinian President Mahmous Abbas to be a "moderate" committed to peace with Israel. They do so because they want to see the "peace process" move forward, and for this happen, they have legitimized Abbas as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. But Abbas continues to demonstrate weak leadership when it comes to taking steps necessary to forge a lasting peace.

This weekend in Hebron, for example, on his first ever visit there since becoming Palestinian President in 2005, Abbas reportedly told Palestinians "Hebron is ours" and that every Jewish settler must leave Hebron for there to be peace.

If there were true peace, Jews and Palestinians would live alongside each other, without any forced relocations. To foster reconciliation, Abbas should instill in Palestinians coexistence with Jews, instead of advocating separation. He should publicly and repeatedly call upon Palestinians to bury the hatchet and welcome Jews as permanent neighbors and not for their ouster. Abbas's refusal to do so demonstrates, once again, that he is a coward, a failed leader, and that his true pursuit is the elimination of the Jewish presence from historic Palestine one part at a time.

Release Terrorist Earned a Degree in Prison

Samir Kuntar, 45, the Lebanese terrorist who had been jailed 29 years in Israel for shooting dead an Israeli man in front of his four-year-old daughter and then killing the girl by crushing her head between a rock and the butt of his rifle, was freed today by Israel, along with four other terrorists, in return for two dead IDF soldiers.

The Associated Press reports that, while in Israeli prison, Kuntar learned Hebrew and earned a degree in sociology. It's remarkable that he had such opportunities in Israel. Certainly, he would never have had them while a terrorist in Lebanon.

Wouldn't it be great if Kuntar returned home and said to his countrymen, "You know, I am grateful to the Israelis for teaching me a foreign language and allowing me to learn and earn a degree. Those 29 years taught me that Israelis are humans, too, and we should respect them."

I know. Dream on.

Apparently, as recently as this year, Kuntar wrote to Hizballah leader Nasrallah and told him his place will be "at the battlefront." He has also said he will not apologize for his murderous actions and that "the struggle continues."