Once again, the "enlightened" world stands against us, noting with nonchalance the antics of modern day pirates, allowing them to threaten the entire seascape.
It begins with ships advancing towards Israel, but that's not all. The Houthis from Yemen have settled close to international waterways, threatening to refuse passage to ships headed for Israel. Meanwhile, they have struck at other ships which have nothing to do with Israel. This doesn't interest anyone.
But if the destination is Israel, the modern world, educated and humane, sits up and takes note, allowing the Iranian comrades-in-arms to continue raising a ruckus, totally ignoring any international code, pretending that there is no power that can stop the armed gangs from controlling free passage in free waters.
Israel does not share a border with Yemen, this country being distanced by over two thousand kilometers. There is no suggestion of creating 'two countries for two nationalities'. The Houthis, like Hamas, Hizbullah and other worldwide terrorist organizations, are the long arm of the Ayatollah government in Iran.
The battle is purely religious, between a fanatic Islamic rule which maintains that the very existence of a Jewish state is against their beliefs, and a small country that seeks life and wishes only that it be left alone.
It is the selfsame rule established on the northern and southern borders of Israel, seeking with all its might to establish a third one on the eastern border as well, inside Syria, which, through Providence, they have failed to actualize, at least so far. In its recent history, Israel has already experienced two sea blockades, the time which led to the Sinai Campaign, and the second, during the war of 5727 [Six Day War] which all began with the closing of the Tiran Straits to Israeli ships. Such an embargo is a legitimate cause for war by all international laws.
The Houthis, emissaries of Iran, do not suffice with shooting missiles at Israel but are also preventing ships from reaching it. Their hope is that Israel will have to create a third front of battle, against Yemen as well, and divide its military power in a war against the Houthis.
At this stage, Israel is waiting for an international body to deal with the Houthis so as to allow free passage of ships in the Red Sea. President Biden, faced with upcoming elections and far from being a favored person at the moment either, hesitates taking such a step which will involve the U.S. in another war, even though history has shown that any submission to terror only leads to heightened terror. The U.S., which has already experienced brutal terrorism on its streets, should be wise to wake up soon, before the terror reaches Washington and New York.
A Final Stanza of Maoz Tzur
We all end our candlelighting ceremony by singing the six stanza piyut of Maoz Tzur. The first five stanzas begin with a letter of the name of the author, Mordechai, and the sixth is initialed with the three letters of CHaZaK.
The piyut depicts the historic exiles of Jewry under Babylon, Mede and Greece, while not relating to the two other exiles of Rome and Yishmoel. In "Kitzur HaSheloh" and Mekor Chaim as well, written by the author of Chavos Yo'ir, he quotes the Rema who quotes the Beis Yosef who determines that the author's first name, Mordechai, is also written together with the CHaZaK.
The Rema added another stanza relating to the exile of Yishmoel and Edom, which are so very relevant for these times. The Sheloh writes that this stanza should be added to the Maoz Tzur and sung with the same melody:
