WEATHER: Who’s Above The Law?

Illustration (Image Credit: Mahmoud Abbas Meeting with Vladimir Putin, Kremlin.ru - http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54483/photos, [CC BY 4.0])

It's the kind of summer weather that makes you want to say, "Hmm." It's not super hot, but it's not exactly pleasant either. In fact, the northwest flow has brought some broken clouds in off the sea.

The hot, sultry weather is courtesy of strong high pressure over Africa combining with low pressure over Syria. Both systems are fairly stationary, and the results is the northwest flow. But because the air originates in both Africa and the desert areas to our northeast, we just end up hot and a bit on the humid side.

Without much to look at in the sky, I have taken to noticing what's going around me at eye-level. The other day there was a long line of cars passing through the open lane of the checkpoint on the way to Gush Etzion. I was in that line when I noticed a person speed down the adjacent lane, headed towards the unopened gate at the checkpoint.

I wondered what this person thinks about before making his move. Considering that this person could not have seen whether the lane was open before he took the plunge, he really made a bold move. For instance, if the rest of us are dumb, he'd sail right through past everyone else. Or if the lane is closed, he'd have to go back to the end of the line—right? No, he just cuts in and goes ahead of everyone else.

What about the person that goes around the speed bump, crossing the yellow line, just so he (or she) doesn't have to slow down. Does that person think: "I bet I can outsmart that speed bump?" or is it: "They're not going to make me slow down, even if I have to break the law."

Recently, there was an article entitled "Will the West Cede the Golan to a Psychopath?" The authors refer to Bashar Assad. When the editors wrote the headline, did they try to convey how illogical that would be or did they purposely try to convey that Israel does not own the Golan? After all, if the Golan is part of Israel then how can other nations turn it over to Mr. Assad?

And the Israeli Knesset passed a law deducting the amount the Palestinian Authority (PA) pays to terrorist murderers in Israeli jails from the tax funds collected by Israel on their behalf. Supposedly, the law sends a message to the PA that terror doesn't pay. The PA president, Mahmoud Abbas, instead called Arab prisoners in Israel jails "political prisoners"—not terrorists—and "victims of the 'Occupation’.'" Ironically, he went on to say that the same prisoners are not the "creators of the occupation."

It's a great line, but does he really believe it? Under the Oslo Accords, Israel vacated Area A of Judea and Samaria and offered most of the area west of the Jordan River and east of the old "Green Line" (the 1949 Armistice Border)—as well as Gaza—to the Palestinians for their own state, including parts of Jerusalem. So, who is the creator of what "occupation?" It's the Palestinians—no Israeli in his or her right mind will cede land to a people that pays its citizens to murder Israelis.

Jerusalem forecast (click here for updated national forecasts):

Image credit: The Jerusalem Herald

Dr. Lynn is a lecturer at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Earth Sciences Department. He is also CEO of Weather It Is, LTD, a company that specializes in reducing weather risk.