The Flotilla - Just flush.

There is lots of detritus in the Mediterranean these days. Unfortunately much of it floats from the Cyprus area toward Gaza. There is a clear need to flush it.

Let's make some points here. Hamas has been in a constant state of war with Israel. International Law clearly allows blockades of countries who are engaged in a state of hostility. How do we know about the hostility? It is quite simple. Hamas has rocketed and terrorized civilians in Israel, a legally recognized country in the world community, for its (Hamas's) entire existence. The organization charter denies the existence of Israel and vows to destroy "the Zionist entity." This clearly gives Israel the right to blockade Gaza in order to prevent the importation of weapons that it would use against its citizens. Israel is not denying humanitarian aid shipments and has been allowing Gazans access to health care in Israel.

Ships approaching Gaza have been invited to off load humanitarian supplies at the Israeli port of Ashdod for inspection and then overland shipment into Gaza. If the supplies were entirely humanitarian there would be no need to try to run the blockade. It is that simple.

Argentina and Israel Together

My acquaintance Carlos Z. is from Argentina. His family escaped from Nazi persecution during the Hitler era and settled there.

1. Beersheba, Israel and La Plata, Argentina are sister cities.

The city of La Plata was founded by Dardo Rocha on November 19, 1882. It is large parks, avenues, and many squares. La Plata is home to the National University of La Plata, an educational institution that is known throughout South America. It has a total of five sister cities, including Louisville, Kentucky in the United States.

Beersheba, Israel is a large metropolitan area of more than 1/2 million people with diverse cultural backgrounds. It became a part of Israel in 1948, and is known as the capital of the Negev.

2. Eilat, Israel and Ushuaia, Argentina are sister cities.

Eilat is sometimes called the Miami of Israel. It is a beautiful resort city at the southern-most part of the country. It is home to 65,000 people.

Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego (land of fire), and is widely thought of as the southern most city in the world. It is home to 64,000 people.

3. Haifa, Israel and Rosario, Argentina are sister cities.

Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe. With 1, 159,00 residents it is the third largest city in Argentina. It is also, like Haifa, a port city. Water access is via the 34 ft. deep Parana River.

Let's be a sister to Sderot

Sderot, Israel has been rocketed and mortared by Hamas and its allies from within the Gaza Strip since 2000. Thousands upon thousands of rockets have landed. Check out http://francona.blogspot.com/2009/01/sderot-israels-rocket-city.html

I would like an American city to be Sderot's sister. I just started trying to get Fayetteville, North Carolina to be that sister city. North Carolina is a whole state that has no sister cities. Check out my editorial in the Fayetteville paper at www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2010/04/30/994852

If you like peace, I am certain that Sderot can accept more than one sister city. Let me know if you want to try pushing the sister city concept. It would be great if the 30 states and the territories (including Washington, DC) that have NO communities in a sister city arrangement picked Sderot.

Turkey and Israel

Some say that relationships between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated. Let's say, give peace a chance by continuing sister city relationships that already exist. Remember, we are the real united nations.
1. Beersheba, Israel has a sister city in Adana, Turkey.
2. Hod HaSharon, Israel has a sister city in Izmir, Turkey
3. Tel Aviv, Israel has one of its 27 sisters in Izmir, Turkey

Noladeti La Shalom!!!

Remember Entebbe?

I forget how long ago. Some folks were hijacked by terrorists, who landed the plane at Entebbe, Uganda. Then Dictator Idi Amin Dada helped the hijacking terrorists by providing security and holding airline passengers under difficult conditions. Israel mounted a rescue operation. One of the rescuers died, but the passengers were saved.

Who are sister cities now? Ashkelon, Israel and Entebbe, Uganda. There's the love and forgiveness. Wow, that is very inspiring!

Peace means having a sister city in Israel.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has a friend in Israel

Kfar Saba in Israel has a sister city relationship with Maracaibo in Venezuela. Bravo!

Thanks for contributing to world peace!

Vive la France!

France is not in the Middle East. However, it is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe. At times, some of its politicians act fearful of fundamental Islamists. However, its communities recognize that Israel has its place in the world. No less than fourteen French communities and towns have a sister city/community in Israel.

1. Acre, Israel has a sister in France. La Rochelle has loved Israel since 1972.
2. Ashdod, Israel has a sister in France. Please make a toast to Bordeaux.
3. Beersheba, Israel has a sister in France. Meilleurs souhaites a Lyon!
Beersheba is the seventh largest city in Israel, with a population of 186,100. There are more than 550,000 people in the metropolitan area. It is often referred to as the capital of the Negev. It became a part of Israel in 1948, captured by the Israel Defense Force from a massed Egyptian army force after the Arabs rejected the UN Partition Plan which would have given the city to the Arabs. The city experienced its largest growth after 1990 when it absorbed emigrants from Ethiopia and the Soviet Union.
Lyon is situated between Paris and Marseilles. The residents are known as Lyonnais. The population of Lyon is 473, 300 or so. It is the second largest metropolitan area in France. Lyon is a business center. It is also known for its gastronomy, cinema, and football (aka, soccer).
4. Haifa, Israel has a sister in France. Harbor some love for Marseille.
5. Holon, Israel has a sister in France. J'aime meiux Suresnes
6. Nahariya, Israel has a sister in France. A votre sante, Issy-les-Moulineaux! Issy-les-Moulineaux and Nahariya have been sisters since 1994. It is 4.1 miles from the center of Paris. The commune was originally called Issy. Theories abound concerning the origin of the name, but the main one is that it was once the chateau of a Roman-Gallic landowner. Some think that it has a Celtic derivation meaning "under the wood." It was once a location for windmills, hence the name les Moulineaux was added (moulin is French for windmill). One of the best things to know about the area is that there are more jobs there than there are residents (Can we say "commuters" go there?). Nahariya is a coastal city of about 51,000 people in the Northern district of Israel. Nahariya gets its name from the beautiful Ga'aton River that run through the middle of its main east-west street, Ga'aton Boulevard. Unfortunately, the city is 6 miles from Lebanon. From July to August 2006 hundreds of Katyusha rocket were launched by Hizbullah and its allies from southern Lebanon, resulting in five fatalities and some serious damage. However, the city has nearly achieved its former appearance, and remains a great vacation resort.
7. Netanya, Israel has two sisters in France. Je vous aime Nice et Sarcelles.
8. Ramat Gan, Israel has a sister in France. Vive Strasbourg!
9. Ramat HaSharon, has two sisters in France. Dunkirk et Saint-Maur-des-Fosses.
10 Rehovot, Israel Vous presentez une soeur en Francais. Grenoble
11. Tel Aviv has two sisters in France. Toulouse et Cannes.