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July 20, 2014
Dear ARZA Canada Member:

As we watch events in Israel closely, with concern for all those in danger and affected by the war, we bring you a synopsis of the current situation.


Les Rothschild
President 
ARZA Canada


Reform in Israel working to ease the suffering

Israel's Reform movement, the IMPJ, is carrying out several programs to assist Israelis affected by the war, including aid packages, hosting families, and providing activities for children forced to stay inside.

 

 

Read here for more information

 

 

ARZA Canada has joined URJ and the North American Jewish Federations in the Stop The Sirens campaign to provide funds for our partners in Israel to carry out the work they are doing to support the families and communities at risk.
 
Please contribute to this joint effort by clicking here. Indicate the IMPJ fund and enter the words "Stop The Sirens" into the comment box. You'll receive a tax receipt.
  

 

Prospects for a cease-fire not yet bright

Hamas started this war out of desperation.  Their popularity is declining and they're out of cash to pay their 20,000 trained terrorists and 50,000 civil employees.  But they have a large stock of Iranian-supplied rockets and an underground network of tunnels to protect themselves and their arms.

 

Hamas wants to project strength to improve their image among Palestinians and to achieve several urgent objectives: opening their border with Sinai (to bring in arms, supplies and money), and release of their members who were imprisoned during the search for the three murdered teens.

 

Sadly, a lasting cease-fire doesn't appear imminent.  First, Israeli and Hamas demands are far apart.  Israel rejects Hamas's demands and has its own objectives: to destroy the terrorist tunnels and stop the rockets. This could take several weeks.

 

Second, Hamas believes they're winning the war because: Israel hasn't been able to stop the rockets launched at Tel Aviv; Hamas has penetrated the border and killed Israeli soldiers; and they believe civilian deaths in Gaza will turn world opinion in their favour. 

 

Also, Hamas doesn't trust the current government in Egypt to negotiate.  They'd prefer to have the sympathetic Turks and Qataris as mediators.  So there are many hurdles to achieving a cease-fire.

  

Sunday Bloody Sunday 

 

8 Things you need to know....

    

Don't believe the hype..... 

 

J.J. Goldberg in the Forward isn't so certain that the situation is positive for Hamas.  He correctly notes the growing chorus of Arab criticism of Hamas, e.g. for starting the war and only providing shelter for themselves.

3 Takes on the Hamas Endgame....

 

What is Hamas trying to achieve... 

 

Israeli missiles and Gaza's bomb shelters 

 

 

Israeli ambassador and political advisor Dore Gold defends Israel on Al Jazeera.

Gold: Hamas Attacks on Israel are using Iranian supplied weaponry. Al Jazeera
Gold: Hamas Attacks on Israel are using Iranian supplied weaponry. Al Jazeera

And finally, this video puts many personal faces on the Israel's effort to adapt to a world of falling rockets.
What Israeli Schoolchildren Sing to Deal With Rockets 
What Israeli Schoolchildren Sing to Deal With Rockets
 

 

We mourn with the families of all who have lost their life in the war, and pray for a time when both sides will be able to live without fear.