From Frida Ghitis; Pope Francis’ journey for peace, reconciliation

Sometimes I think I'm the one who has lost sight of things.  Amid all the chest thumping arising from the Palestinians and the moaning from the Israelis following Pope Francis' visit to Israel and the disputed territories, I thought the gist of the pope's visit was lost.

To my way of thinking, the pope did the best job he could  of accommodating the needs of Israelis and Palestinians.

At the Terror Victims Memorial I noticed that the pope put his hand on a plaque just a few feet from the one that contains the name Alisa Flatow.

Frida Ghitis' thoughtful article should be read.  Here's the link.

Pope Francis’ journey for peace, reconciliation - Other Views - MiamiHerald.com

Well, that's what I think.

Stephen M. Flatow

Five years later, USF professor Sami Al-Arian's terrorism case in limbo

It's hard to believe but admitted terror sponsor Sami Al-Arian is still in the United States.  Rather than issue a decision in his trial for criminal contempt for refusing to cooperate in a terror investigation, the judge has, shall we say charitably, delayed her decision for FIVE years.  Crazy no?

In any event, terror supporter Al-Arian, while semi-restricted in his movements is still a free man unlike the people murdered in cold blood by Palestinian Islamic Jihad including my daughter, Alisa Flatow.

Five years later, USF professor Sami Al-Arian's terrorism case in limbo | Tampa Bay Times

Taking care of terror victims

I came across this story about the private Israeli-run Adopt a Family Foundation that "adopts" a family that has been victimized by terror.  It often takes a terror victim to know what's needed in the aftermath.

Emotional fundraiser supports terror victims in Israel - San Diego Jewish World

Iran is still on the list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism"

One of the key components of a US citizen's lawsuit against a foreign country is a determination by the State Department that the country is a "state sponsor of terrorism."  This has been in place since the adoption in 1996 of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of that year.  Indeed, it gave our family the grounds to purse the Iranian government for being the sponsor of the terror group that murdered Alisa in April 1995.

It should come as no surprise to those who follow these events that the Islamic Republic of Iran is again on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

To read more about the designation, go to this report on the State Department's website -
Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 State Sponsors of Terrorism Overview



Stephen M. Flatow

No tears shed for Palestinians

Norman Podhoretz writes, Pity the Palestinians? Count Me Out. Mr. Podhoretz was the editor of Commentary magazine from 1960 to 1995. His most recent book is "Why Are Jews Liberals?" (Doubleday, 2009).   These comments appeared in the Wall Street Journal.  They are reproduced here through a link on Mosaic.

Provoked by the predictable collapse of the farcical negotiations forced by Secretary of State John Kerry on the Palestinians and the Israelis, I wish to make a confession: I have no sympathy—none—for the Palestinians. Furthermore, I do not believe they deserve any.

This, of course, puts me at daggers drawn with the enlightened opinion that goes forth from the familiar triumvirate of the universities, the mainstream media and the entertainment industry. For everyone in that world is so busy weeping over the allegedly incomparable sufferings of the Palestinians that hardly a tear is left for the tribulations of other peoples. And so all-consuming is the universal rage over the supposedly monumental injustice that has been done to the Palestinians that virtually no indignation is available for any other claimant to unwarranted mistreatment.

And why is it "unwarranted?"

As for the monumental injustice supposedly done to the Palestinians, it consists largely of losing territory in the war they themselves provoked in 1967, and the refusal of their demand that every inch of it be returned to them by the Israeli victors in that war. Such demands have always been known and universally denounced as revanchism or irredentism, most recently over the Russian seizure of Crimea. But where Israel is concerned, everything goes topsy-turvy, so that Palestinian irredentism is universally supported.

It's a great column and I recommend you read it here.

That's what I think.  How about you?
Stephen M. Flatow