Overnight, a few reactions/suggestions were received andbecause one has time-value [reprinted @

the bottom]they are now disseminated; one full-length/must-read article is provided because it seems
to have elucidated all key-arguments regarding the potential demise of ObamaDontCare. As has now
seemingly become routine, what had been envisioned to become a terse summary of selected points
has ballooned into a more in-depth analysis of Israel/Gaza, Politics, Corbett, and ObamaDontCare.
[Because of the length of this Blast e-mail, it is being conveyed in two parts, with the first focused on
what is transpiring in the Middle East; Israels plight (military, diplomatic, etc.) is being managed well,
but the multi-layered challenges being faced-down must be parsed-out so that they can be understood.


Israel/Gaza

I feel the decision by the FAA [channeling pressure from BHO/Kerry] to stop flights to Ben Gurion Airport
will redound to Israels benefit, for it will increase internal pressure to demilitarize Gaza; any purported
cease-fire that allows for continued rocket-fire [it could be argued] would risk another shutdown and,
thus wouldnt be permissible. [Israel will Open International Airport near Eilat in Response to Flight
Cancellations.] Jim Geraghty noted that this constitutes a Sudden De-Facto Travel Ban on Israel [noting
that Cruise ships are altering their courses and canceling stops in Israel, concluding This sure feels like a
backdoor way to pressure Israel to accept a ceasefire on terms it doesn't like. In any case, despite this
effort to isolate Israel [c/w the BDS Movement], Israeli airline El Al is still flying, and a guy most folks on
the right don't like very much is taking a bold stand:

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg is heading to Israel Tuesday night, flying on El Al in a
show of unity with the Jewish state "and to demonstrate that it is safe to fly in and out
of Israel. Ben Gurion is the best protected airport in the world and El Al flights have
been regularly flying in and out of it safely. The U.S. flight restrictions are a mistake
that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately. I strongly
urge the FAA to reverse course and permit US airlines to fly to Israel.

It seems Israel is winning on the ground because Israel is getting tough [e.g., a military official said IDF
dropped 120 bombs on Saja'yya, location of an entire Hamas battalion] while showing overwhelming
restraint; although a US intelligence source claimed Hamas has many more tunnels than Israel says, it
seems that Obama is coming to the rescue of Hamas, noting that his National Security Adviser Ben
Rhodes said Israel 'Can Do More' to Avoid Civilian Deaths. Overall, BHO may not want Israel to achieve
these ends, lest seeking/achieving overt military-victory be invoked to motivate him to fight Islamists
elsewhere. {Also note that, although the UK Ambassador to Israel Blamed Hamas for Gaza War, a British
MP, under fire after tweeting that he would shoot rockets at Israel, will be treated by the Liberal
Democrat party as a disciplinary issue.}

According to Hamas top terrorist Ismail Haniyeh, the terror group will fight until the
last drop of blood in its efforts to destroy Israel. We will continue the struggle until we
liberate the land, Jerusalem, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and return the 'refugees' to their
homes. He said Hamas has a long-list of cease-fire demands, including: an immediate
end to Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza on land, in the air, and
by sea; an end to targeted elimination of Hamas terrorists; a cessation of the policy of
destroying terrorists' houses; a halt to the flyovers by the Israel Air Force over Gaza; the
reopening of land crossings, and the rehabilitation of the Gaza seaport; the free flow of
goods into Gaza; a guaranteed supply of fuel and building materials; an end to
collective punishment of Gazans; and continued supply of free-electricity.

As Hamas continues praising its human-shields [Dead Gaza civilians privileged to have died this way],
Israel Can't Be Held Back by Hamas' Cynicism, for Israel's Response Is Proportionate to Hamas' Threat.
This constitutes a A Fight for Israel's Existence and Israel has the Right of Self-Defense because Hamas
Has to Be Disarmed. This is illustrated by the fact that Palestinian-Arab Rocket Fire at Israel Continued
Tuesday, causing damage, extending both to Central Israel and to the Bedouin City of Rahat in Israel;
Foreign Ambassadors were Forced to Run to a Bomb Shelter During Visit to Ashdod.

On MSNBC, Daily Beast reporter Eli Lake disparaged the idea that media coverage of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict was pro-Israel on Ronan Farrow Daily, after a rant by MSNBC
contributor Rula Jebreal where she complained Palestinian voices didnt receive equal
airtime on the network. {One reader disagreed on another plane, complaining that Wolf
Blitzer and Jake Tapper (an Akiba/Barrack graduate) have not acquitted themselves to
be fair/balanced when interviewing [for whatever reason(s)].}

The EU supports the continued existence of Hamas but claims "Terrorist Groups in Gaza Must Disarm."

Armed Palestinians Move Under Cover of Gaza Humanitarian Truce - Several of the
hidden Hamas tunnels discovered by Israel in the past three days were found to lead
back to Sejaiya in Gaza, which is 1-2 km. from the Israel frontier. Almost 10% of all
rockets fired against Israel during this conflict are said to have come from there. The
presence of militant fighters in Sejaiya became clear Sunday afternoon when, under the
cover of a humanitarian truce, several armed Palestinians scurried from the scene.
Some bore their weapons openly, slung over their shoulder, but at least two, disguised
as women, were seen walking off with weapons partly concealed under their robes.
Another wrapped his weapon in a baby blanket and held it as if it were a baby.

Here are Pamela Gellers overnight observations:
o Kuwaiti Cleric Tareq Al-Suwaidan to Hamas: Do Not Agree to Ceasefire until They Bow Before Us.
We Must Contemplate a Plan to Erase Israel
o More Hamas rockets found at another UN school in Gaza
o New photo shows Saudi doctor who joined Islamic State holding combat knife
o Fascists Falling Out: Obamas BFF Wont Take His Calls
o VIDEO: US Designated Terror Group Hamas Using UN Trucks
o After Hamas rocket falls near Ben Gurion Airport, FAA bans all flights to Israel
o German Leftist and Muslim Protesters Chant Gas the Jews at Anti-Israel Jew-Hatred Rallies
o Tunisia Fights Jihad: Closes mosques
o Obama to send $47 million to Gaza jihadists

My having wondered-aloud why Israel hadnt previously bulldozed its way into finding the openings to
Gazan tunnels [opening on Israeli turf] resonated with a reader: How did the Intelligence NOT know
about any existence of these tunnels or activities surrounding them until this operation began? Could
there be a "trader" embedded? Recalled was the fact that two prominent assassination victims were
killed by "their own" [not an enemy]; Sadat was killed by Extreme-Islamists [Arab] and Rabin was killed
by an extreme-Zionist [Jew]. Im not into conspiracy-theories, but the query persists. {Also note this
compilation of Presidential Assassinations and Assassination Attempts.} Perhaps these pieces should
help to explain what has transpired:

Israel Learning of Tunnels It Did Not Know About - Israeli casualties have caused great
elation among Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Israeli intelligence community believes this
is fueling their intransigence over cease-fire negotiations. Uncovering the terrorist
tunnel network is progressing more rapidly than expected, and intelligence gathered
during the fighting in Gaza has led Israel to tunnels it did not know about. The IDF is
learning things it did not know before about the structure of the tunnel system and the
way the terrorist intended - and still intend - to operate them. Hamas is indeed showing
increased resistance, but almost every encounter between combatants on both sides
ends in heavy losses to the terrorists. Losses on Israel's side cause great grief among the
Israeli public, which sees every soldier in Gaza as a member of the family. But unlike
during the Second Lebanon War, there is also public perception that this sacrifice is not
in vain and that the war is justified.

Hamas' Attack Tunnels: Initial Implications - Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister,
delivered a revealing speech on March 23, 2014, in which he stressed the strategic
importance of the Hamas attack tunnels, which, he argued, have changed the balance of
power with Israel. Tunnel warfare provides armies facing a technologically superior
adversary with an effective means for countering its air superiority. The tunnels from
Gaza penetrate deep into Israeli territory. Hamas has accumulated a great deal of
experience in using the tunnels for operational purposes. Since 2000, hundreds of
tunnels have been dug along Gaza's border with Egypt, providing a lifeline for Hamas'
military buildup. Based on Hizbullah's experience in the Second Lebanon War, and with
the assistance and guidance of Iran, Hamas has also made use of the tunnels to build an
underground network of missile launchers. The attack tunnels create a new equation in
the power balance between Israel and Hamas. They give Hamas an ability to infiltrate
Israel and carry out strategic attacks involving mass killing, along with an ability to
launch missiles from locations concealed within civilian population centers.

Getting from Gaza to Israel, by Underground Tunnels - Tunnels from Gaza to Israel have
had a powerful hold on the Israeli psyche since 2006 when Hamas militants used one to
capture an Israel soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was held for five years before being released
in a prisoner exchange. There have been several deadly clashes between Israeli soldiers
and Palestinian militants emerging from tunnels on the Israeli side of the border.

The [mea-culpa] essay by Dershowitz [By Targeting Ben Gurion Airport, Has Hamas Ended the Prospects
for a Two State Solution?] was published both by Gatestone and Algemeiner; my comment awaits
moderation @ both sites. Meanwhile, my view of why Israel should not accept a cease-fire is shared:

The Road to a Cease-Fire Goes Through Cairo - On Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister
Sameh Shukri announced that he saw no reason to make any changes to his country's
cease-fire proposal. Over the previous few days, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's
advance team had tried to discuss alterations in the proposal's wording, but was met
with an aggressive Egyptian refusal. Cairo doesn't intend to give Hamas any discounts -
at least not at this stage. For now, it seems Egyptian President Sissi isn't too upset over
the prospect of Israel continuing its military operation in Gaza.

Let Israel Decide: A Premature Gaza Cease-Fire Would Help Hamas - The reality is that a
cease-fire now would help Hamas. Now that it has moved on the ground, Israel will lose
if it stops before it achieves its main military objectives. This means blowing up the
entire network of tunnels that Hamas uses to infiltrate into Israel and to smuggle
weapons into Gaza from Egypt. It also means destroying the stockpiles of rockets and
storage sites. The Israelis are best positioned to judge their progress, and the U.S.
should publicly support its military response in a war it didn't start. Thi is what will bring
the most rapid end to the violence.

If Israel Is Forced to End Gaza Ground Operation Prematurely, Arabs May Perceive
Hamas as Winner, due to its successes in massive rocket firing towards most of Israel
without suffering heavy casualties among its military-terrorist ranks or its political
leaders. Hamas is wracked by internal divisions between military and political cadres,
extremist and pragmatic politicians, and Gaza-based and external leaderships. Hamas'
isolation in the regional context is greater than ever. Saudi Arabia and most of the Gulf
countries support Egypt's fight against the Muslim Brotherhood and by extension
against Hamas. Qatar, one of the main providers of funds to Hamas, is much more
cautious since the advent of the young Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hama Al Thani and in
light of the intense pressure by its powerful Gulf neighbors to cut off support for
Brotherhood and jihadist forces in the region.

Of course, the rest of the Middle East remains unstable, as reticence to acknowledge the dangers of the
efforts to create a worldwide Caliphate remains problematic:

Gloves have Come Off between Syrian Regime, Islamic State - The Islamic State (IS) now
controls more than a third of Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights. The group's stunning victories in Iraq have been repeated in Syria. IS now
controls nearly all of the oil-rich eastern province of Deir ez-Zor. After ousting its rival,
the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra, from the provincial capital, IS is now face to face
with regime forces. The undeclared truce between the regime and IS seems to have run
its course. The devastating assault by IS on the al-Shaer gas field in Homs on July 16 left
up to 300 regime troops and civilian employees dead. Meanwhile, the Syrian regime has
launched airstrikes on IS headquarters and training camps.

Iran Is Pushing Limits on Nuclear Deal, Former Obama Advisor Warns - Robert Einhorn,
who was a special advisor on arms control at the State Department until May 2013, says
the Iranians have been quietly extending what they claim they are entitled to on
enrichment - what Einhorn calls "rights creep." Last year, the Obama administration
publicly acknowledged for the first time that it could support Iran having a domestic
enrichment program. But now Iran contends that it is entitled to produce enough
enriched uranium to supply a huge nuclear power generation program by 2021. Instead
of cutting back its capacity to a fraction of what it is today, as the West is now
demanding, it wants to keep operating al the machines that are now producing; pursue
unlimited research and development; limit the duration of the deal to eight years or
less; and be free to expand to industrial scale once the deal lapses. If Iran sticks to these
demands when talks resume, "it will ensure continued deadlock," Einhorn warned.

During the current rocket-war with fanatical Hamas in Gaza, Nancy Spielberg [Steven's sister] came to
Israel to premiere Above and Beyond at the Jerusalem Film Festival, her film documentary on volunteer
Jewish aviators who blazed a trial for the current generation of IAF pilots and crews. [IAF F-16 and drone
remote pilots defending Israel are worthy successors to those Mahal pilots in the early days of the IAF
from the UK, US, Rhodesia and South Africa who made a difference in the fledgling IAF 101 Squadron.]
The best example of their ranks was Lou Lenart, a Hungarian Jew by origin and WWII Marine Fighter ace
who stopped an Egyptian armored column from reaching Tel Aviv with a few well placed bombs; he is
"the man who literally saved Tel Aviv" in Israel's War for Independence; the 94-year-old Lenart [who
served as a US Marine in World War II and led the IAFs first mission on May 29, 1948] was also present.
To follow are excerpts from an e-mailed essay about this film:

Three years ago, her knowledge of flying was mainly to do with how to return her seat
to the upright position. But when she saw an obituary for Al Schwimmer, an American
World War II veteran and flight engineer who has been called the godfather of the Israel
Air Force, she was fascinated.

I thought, how did an American become the godfather of the Israel Air Force? she
said. Spielberg, who had done promotional writing and had produced and worked on
several documentaries [among them Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals]
had one hesitation before she proceeded with plans to begin making Above and
Beyond: It sounded like a Spielberg movie.

Once her brother, Steven, who had thought of making a movie on this topic at one point
in the Nineties, gave her his blessing, she immersed herself in everything to do with the
Machal, volunteers from abroad who helped the Israeli army during the War of
Independence, particularly those who created the IAF.

I learned quickly, Im a sponge, she said. I learned a lot out of doing research, talking
to these guys. At first when people talked about Messerschmitt, and an ME, and an ME
109, I didnt realize these were all the same thing....I read a lot of books. One of them
that was very helpful was Ehud Yonays No Margin for Error, I learned a lot of tech air
force jargon.

I got it, felt it, saw it, like I was watching Top Gun.

She went looking for a director and found Roberta Grossman, who had made a number
of acclaimed documentaries, among them Hava Nagila and Blessed is the Match: The
Life and Death of Hannah Senesh.

There was only one hitch. At first, Grossman wouldnt take her calls, which puzzled
Spielberg.

Then she discovered another one of the perils of having a brother who is among the
most famous directors on the planet. Roberta always told her assistant, If Spielberg
calls, tell him Im busy. Once Grossman understood that it was Nancy Spielberg on the
line, the director and producer starting work together and interviewed the surviving
pilots. Spielberg also assembled the archival material she knew she would need for the
film.

On this trip, Spielberg has been visiting her daughter, Jessica Jessy Katz, a contestant
on The Voice, who lives in Tel Aviv, and noticed, People were standing outside trying to
film the rockets as they fall. But back when the IAF was starting, Israel had no money for
cameras. There wasnt time or energy to document what they were doing the way we
do today.

But she did manage to find wonderful photos and even some live action footage,
although she somewhat reluctantly supplemented this with carefully done recreations
of some of the action.

One of the hardest parts of making the movie was deciding what I had to leave out.
There were so many capers, so many stories, you cant include them all, she said.

There was no room for all the details of how Schwimmer actually created dummy
companies in order to be allowed to buy planes, and how some of the pilots were
arrested when US Treasury agents discovered that the planes were headed for
Palestine.

In addition, There were certain basics that we have all been taught in the Jewish world,
that I had to include so that it would hold up for a mainstream audience.

The film is headed for a theatrical run in 2015, and Spielberg hopes to make it widely
available afterwards via DVD and live-streaming.

Next up for Spielberg: The feature film version of this story.

Thats a big switch for Spielberg, who has spent years distancing herself professionally
from her brother, and is proud that she accepted no financial help from him for Above
and Beyond and did her own fund raising. But she feels comfortable now working in
filmmaking.

When the shoe fit, I put it on, she said.

Spielberg was happy to participate in the Jerusalem Film Festival, and not fazed by the
current conflict.

Her daughter Jessy has been living in Israel for years, And its very hard to be apart in
times like this... If I was in the US watching the rockets, Id be so scared. Spielberg was
accompanied on this trip by her husband, Shimon Katz.

Their younger daughter, Melissa, is an accomplished equestrian.

I was happy Jessy was with me in Jerusalem [during a recent rocket attack]. Its not a
situation to make light of, but in our family we deal with things like this with nervous
laughter. In a tense moment, we let off some steam with a chuckle.





Buses arrive at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel parking lot at 3:00 p.m.,
departing for Center City promptly at 3:30 p.m.,
returning immediately at the conclusion of the rally.
(No one under 4 permitted on the bus.)